Mother's Day Gifts

I'm generally not one to do a Mother's Day guide. Personally, I think Mothers should be celebrated every day because we have the most difficult job in the world - it is also the most rewarding, but difficult nonetheless. This year, as a Walmart mom I've been given the opportunity to highlight some things available at Walmart which are sure to make moms out there happy( well I know for sure I'd be happy to receive these gifts)!

I'm going to start with a simple gift but one I know I'd appreciate. Between running around chasing my son and running to keep in shape, my feet get a serious workout. There is nothing I love more than taking a relaxing bath and sadly it happens far less frequently than I would like.

A perfect gift for me would be a gift basket filled with my favorite me time essentials and a coupon for weekly alone time including at least one bath in my whirlpool tub. Just the thought of those jets on my tense muscles makes me swoon.

At Walmart there is an entire section devoted to making just this type of gift!  Of course I'd want my favorite body wash, Dove Go Fresh included in my basket.










And a nice bath puff










And finally some furry slippers to ease my feet into after my relaxing bath.








All of this things are conveniently located on one aisle specifically set up for Mother's Day!

The total cost for this gift? Under $20.00 but the gift of bubbles and me time? Priceless!


Disclosure: I'm a Walmart mom and have been compensated to write this post but all opines are 100% my own!

Capri sez...

"Thank you, power of the paw! I'm feeling much better today."

Hanes Comfort Crew Day 3 Pirates Party!

Hanes Comfort Crew Disney World day 2 (video)

Power of the Paw needed

Pretty Capri is on her way into surgery right now. She has a tumor on her jaw, and they're going to have to remove part of the jawbone. Right now the vets think they'll be able to get it all. I know Capri will appreciate all the good thoughts and crossed paws that she'll come through successfully.

Pupdate: Capri came through surgery fine. The lump and part of her jaw were removed, and they'll be sent in for testing. Thank you for the good thoughts!

Walmart Ad Match

If you haven't seen the commercials, you might not know this but Walmart is now matching competitors prices. I am usually not one to price match but I decided to get the Sunday paper and check out some sales. I am a Tide Sport girl (love that Febreeze scent in all my clothes, not just workout gear) and it was on sale at Publix. I went to Walmart and hoped that the price was higher so I could try out the Ad Match. Well, it was higher! Check out my video to see the results. 


You can read the full policy here and also print it out for reference. I had no problem at all getting my price matched but since this is a new policy, you never know if everyone is well trained. If you carry the policy with you at least you are fully covered. I'm just saying, you never know! 


Try it out at your Walmart, it was an amazing feeling to get a $1.00 off without having to travel to another store! 


And a big thank you to Brittani of the Gresham Road Walmart who kindly agreed to be on camera! 


Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and was compensated for my time to make this video. All opinions are 100% my own.

Antique Wedding Keepsakes

French Bisque Clasped Hands

19th c. Belgian Marriage Announcement 

For William and Kate - Love Unites!
Marjorie

Natural Easter Egg Dye

This is the first time that Mekhi really "gets" the idea of Easter Egg hunts and the Easter Bunny.  He had a ball at school running around finding candy filled eggs. This year I decided to dye some real Easter Eggs so he can enjoy the experience of egg dying too!  I've always wanted to make naturally dyed eggs but I wanted to wait until Mekhi could appreciate it. I like natural dyes because I have no idea what is in the dyes that you buy in the store!  And I had everything that I needed in my kitchen to make my own dye at home! 


Today I took my first foray into naturally dyed Easter Eggs and I must say I am happy with the results! I started by raiding my kitchen and found the following items:

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Turmeric, Paprika, blueberries and wild Blueberry Acai tea. I use the same method for each color. I used approximately a cup and a half of water added the color and boiled for five minutes. 

I then poured the colors into my cups for egg dipping and added about a tablespoon of vinegar. Green was my favorite - I mixed turmeric dye and blackberry dye. The orangey color in the middle there? That made GREEN dye! Amazing! 

I knew that because I was using natural dyes I had to let the eggs soak for awhile so I put them in and took Mekhi to an Easter fair. When I returned I had beautifully colored eggs! 

I'd say if you let them soak for an hour you can still get nice color but of course, the longer the eggs soak, the deeper the color. Have fun with this and let me know how your eggs come out! 


P.S. - there are multiple other ways to make natural dye if you do a google search you will see people use veggies as a base too. I liked using spices, I have them around and blackberries I eat daily so they are on hand too. Next year I might experiment with the skin of red onions, I hear that dye comes out fabulous! 

National Minority Cancer Awareness Week Chat 1 PM Today!

Although I ran last Saturday when I was at the Mom 2.0 Summit in NOLA I have not been consistent about running and exercise. Last night I decided no more excuses and just got up and ran. It wasn't my fastest three miles, between stop lights walking the ginormous hill on the trail and the humidity I tackled the task and completed it. One of the things I know to be true is that if I am consistent with exercise I will greatly reduce my risk of cancer. Diet and exercise play a key role in helping to keep you cancer free and Dr. Brawley, Chief Medical Officer  of the  American Cancer Society will be chatting live today at 1:00PM EST to answer questions about cancer for National Minority Cancer Awareness Week.


I am also co-hosting the chat along with my good friend Lorraine of Run Wifey Run. We are both member of the American Cancer Society Blogger Advisory Board and will be participating in the chat to share our experiences with healthy living. With 7 half-marathons and 1 marathon between us (7 in the last year ya'll!) I think we know a little bit about saying healthy with exercise!


It isn't easy and some days are more challenging than others but I'm keeping my focus on healthy living and getting my grove back! I hope you can join us in the chat today at 1:00 PM EST. 

We only have one....

Mother Earth. And this Friday is Earth Day! I've joined forces with my friends Emily and Cooper of The Motherhood to encourage you to participate in Be Kind 2 Earth Day! 

All you have to do is click on the link  above to visit the Facebook page and make a simple pledge to do something for the Earth on Friday. We plan on working on the garden here in the Cutie Booty household. Mekhi already has his shirt on and is ready to go! 

You can do something really easy like talk a walk to the store instead of driving the car. Or you can do something elaborate like organizing a community cleanup! Whatever you plan on doing please stop by the Be Kind 2 Earth Day page and let us know what you are doing. Georgia represent! (Other states too but you know I'm a Georgia peach!)

The Easter Boxers are here!

Lately there seem to be pictures of bunnies everywhere. I don't get it. Personally, I think bunnies are for chasing. But no, these are bunnies just sitting around everywhere, all sorts of weird colors, and accompanied by little baby chicks (also fun for chasing!) and weird-colored eggs. It's all very strange.

And then to top all of this off, our humans start making us do things like THIS!

LBR Alum Spruce looks like he doesn't know what to make of the situation. And here's LBR Alum Josi just trying to suffer through it as best she can.

LBR Alum Huey has taken the "grin and bear it" method.

While LBR foster Aldridge is just humiliated.

And here's me with my sister Cinderella. She hasn't learned the trick yet when Mom pulls out all these silly props and her camera. Just sit there and let her take her pictures. There's nothing you can do to stop it, and you get to the treats faster that way.

I hope this "Easter" thing doesn't happen very often...

New Orleans, Mom 2.0 and I'm sure I'm forgetting something......

I sadly don’t have photos from all of my adventures in NOLA during the Mom 2.0 conference. But I’ll give you a few highlights and when I figure out where to find the Flickr Stream I’ll link it.

• The Speakers dinner. Hands down the best get together ever. I had a chance to meet the men on my panel - yes, men. My panel was titled “Do Dad Bloggers want what Mom bloggers have?” I met Jim aka Bobblehead Dad (love you, you are truly an inspiration) and Ron of Clark Kent’s lunchbox (too cute and sarcastic for words- hope I didn’t drool too much when I first met him) and of course our lovely moderator Caleb (Kristin couldn't make the dinner but she completed our fabulous panel). Doug the illustrious organizer of the Dad blogging track was a hoot! It was a grand time, with good food and I got to talk to a ton of my blogging girlfriends in a super relaxed environment.

• Riding the Street Car and exploring the Garden District and an above ground cemetary. One of the best tips I received before arriving was to take a Street Car Uptown. For the $1.50 trip you can see the sights for minimal money. If I’d planned better I would have downloaded a formal walking tour before I arrived.

• Cafe du Monde - Beignets are donuts covered in powdered sugar, served with a piping hot cup of cafe au lait. I without shame will tell you that I ate all three of the beignets and enjoyed every moment. The people watching was good too. So good in fact, I stopped back in for more beignets with friends before I left NOLA.

• The Maison D’ Orleans at The Ritz Carlton - can you say HEAVEN in a room? Or two? Thanks to the great people at Sunsweet I won the Dare 2 N’oir Mom 2.0 contest and was blessed with air transportation and lodging at the Ritz during Mom 2.0. I virtually lived in the lap of luxury. And believe me when I tell you, it was LUXURIOUS! There were five different food displays daily, drinks of all types available throughout the day and it seemed all of the staff had speciality drinks. Thanks Russell for the wonderful Bloody Marys and Tenalynn the French martini was divine!

• The Voodoo Love Massage and Bath - I had two wonderful massages in the Ritz Spa. The second one was a do over of sorts - gotta love the Ritz, if they don’t get it right they first time they will make it right. I was surrounded by the scent of Voodoo love (supposedly developed by Voodoo priestess Marie LeVeau) and immersed in the most relaxing massage of my life. Literally. If you are in NOLA go to the Rita and have a massage by Scott. You will thank me! And thank you Body LogicMD for the spa gift certificate!

• Lunch at Mother’s Restaurant - OMG! This cafeteria type restaurant will not disappoint. I lunched with several of my friends from BlogHer and we ate, and ate and ate! I had a shrimp po’boy -delicious and the piece de resistance? A huge piece of bread pudding. I can still taste it!

• Run 2.0 - It is not often that I have a chance to run with my friends, we virtually encourage each other but this time we ran! I started out with Colleen of ClassyMommy and kept up for most of the way and then I ran with Whitney. It was a great time! I look forward to running with Marie and the team of Eat, Blog, Run in DC this year! Yeah, I’m going to run a relay with my blogging friends!

• Spending Saturday evening with my friends (far too many to link too, but I love you all!) ...I can’t even explain the fun that was had in the Club Lounge. Suffice it to say, champagne was flowing, beignets were eaten and joy was shared by all!

• Bourbon Street. Enough said. Here is a video clip.

Thank you and good night. I LOVE NOLA!!!!!

The Truth Shall Set Me Free!

You may have noticed things have been different around here. I don’t post frequently and when I do post it is in small bursts. All will be quiet around here and then Bam! maybe a sponsored post (or two or three). I’m sure many of you are wondering what is going on?

How is the weight loss maintainence going?
How is the running?
Exercise in general?

Well, I’ll just spill it in bullet form:

• I’ve gained about 20 pounds from my lowest weight. Yup 20. And as I’ve proven in the past, I know how to lose it but, well, it hasn’t happened.
• Running? Well, I did run in New Orleans with Mom Run 2.0. that was a great experience because it isn’t often that I get to run with my bloggy friends. It was a great 3.5 mile run and my first since the NYC 13.1 on April 2.
• Other exercise - virtually non-existent unless you count me taking a breath every few seconds as exercise!

And I suppose the next question to answer is Why?

Well, I’ll tell you. Life is happening. Yes, life happens every single day that we live here on planet Earth, however, life is changing in these parts.

How? Well, the Cutie Booty household is in the process of divorcing. And that my friends has kept me in a rut of sorts. it is amicable and mutually agreed as the right thing to do but folks, it ain’t easy.

So, if you see more posts than usual that are sponsored, please forgive me. But Mama gotta make an income and at the moment writing for money is keeping food on my table! That is not to say I don’t want to write, I do. But sometimes I’m lacking motivation.

Please bear with me. I promise things will get better. They have to! You know what makes me happy? Spending time with my friends. In NOLA. See the gleam in the eyes of Bossy and I? 

Knowing I have good friends out there is what keeps me going. So don’t leave me, m’kay?

On Rabbit Time

This may look like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, or a dandified Easter Bunny. But it reminds me of my grandfather. Born in England, but raised on the prairies of Kansas, he never lost his gentlemanly ways. He wore a vest, (even when gardening), with a special pocket for his big gold watch on a chain. And he had a reputation for being very prompt. It all began when he was invited to a dinner party, and arrived so far ahead of time that he caught the host and hostess in their dressing gowns. Thereafter, he would receive invitations specifying the start time a half an hour later than the actual start time, that way he would arrive just in time.

I inherited this trait. I arrive über-early for movies, to appointments and at the airport. So in keeping with family tradition, I would like to wish all you blog bunnies “Happy Easter” – before “I’m late for a very important date!”

P.J.’s granddaughter,

Marjorie

My little video star!

Whenever I am making a video if Mekhi is around he inevitably will want to jump in the shot and make a debut. Cute, right? Sometimes but others - not so much! That is why I was elated when asked to have him make a video all of his own. Check him out singing about Libby's! 


Mekhi is singing his heart out about Libby's to raise awareness about Libby's search for a new young video star! The contest is being held on facebook, simply upload your child singing about Libby's and you may have a chance to win $10,000! You have until May 13 to submit your entries, and  Libby’s special guest judge, Jewel, will select five finalists to compete for America’s vote to win the $10,000 grand prize, $2,500 second place prize, and $1,000 third place prize. Get your camera out and your child may be the next superstar!


Disclosure: I've been compensated to help spread the word about Libby's contest.  

Walmart everyday low prices

Although I am not a "frugal" blogger, your girl Renee is a frugal shopper! I'm  happy to share with you the fact that Walmart has extended it's Everyday Low Prices Program and price match program. There are even more items available at Everyday Low Prices. I personally am drawn to the fruit and the Protein Shakes. I drink Protein Shakes everyday and the low price at Walmart can't be beat! I say that because even if I see a price lower in a circular or at a different store, I can let them know when I'm checking out and they will match the price! No circular needed! 


This is exciting for me because I don't have to roam store to store for the best prices on individual items, I can make Walmart my one stop! 


Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and I was compensated for getting the word out about these policies at Walmart. 

Before e-Books There Were...

New Books from Larousse - 1910/11.

Today in 2011, we not only have the traditional books printed on paper, but also e-Books. One hundred years from now - what will they be reading?

It's a real page-turner, Marjorie

Twice as happy!

Guess who's super-happy about finding a new home?


Better yet, finding one TOGETHER!!!! That's right, Twiggy and Styx have been adopted, and they get to stay together for all their lives!


Their new mom and dad just love them and have promised to spoil them rotten. From now on, they'll be called Bonnie and Clyde. Great new names for a great new family! And lots more time to snuggle like this.


Mom and I are SO happy for Bonnie and Clyde. It's so hard to place dogs together, so it's always a little miracle when it happens!

Friday Friday!

In honor of my mom's favorite day of the week, today is FRIDAY FRIDAY! That's right, we're featuring the awesome Friday as our dog of the day! Isn't she beautiful? Everyone loves Friday, right? This Friday is no different. What a fun girl she is! At 14 months old, she is ALL boxer puppy and needs an active family, preferably with another dog that will play with her. She LOVES water, toys and treats. Most of all she loves running and playing with other dogs.

She is a curious girl and will stand up on the counters to see what is up there that's interesting. She has yet to try to steal anything. If you can't tolerate a dog taking a peek on the counter, then Friday isn't the girl for you. She also must be crated when left home alone. A boxer puppy left in a house full of things to chew is a disaster waiting to happen. Her foster mom will not waver on this requirement, so be sure you have a crate ready if you plan on meeting and adopting Friday.

Friday is very dog friendly and would be a fun girl to take on walks in the neighborhood or to dog parks. The more dogs to play with, the happier she is.

Fill out an application today at www.savetheboxers.com and tell them you want every day to be FRIDAY!

Talking with the Filmmakers of Hop!

Renee as a Pink Beret!

(this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the filmmakers but it is too cute not to post!) 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that HOP was the number one movie in the box office this weekend. And with good reason. Under the collective talent of filmmakers Chris Meledandri - founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment(of Despicable Me)  and director, Tim Hill (Muppets from Space, Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmonks) this movie was pretty much guaranteed to be a hit!

When on the media junket in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to interview these two great guys and wanted to share a bit of the interview with you here.  In my opinion the story in HOP is so imaginative and one of my blogging collegues asked about the story:

Blogger:  Where did the idea to create a live action, animated Easter movie come from?
Mr. Chris Meledandri:  The original notion was to reveal a side of our Easter mythology that nobody’s ever seen before. Once we started thinking about that, it opened up all sorts of possibilities.This idea of doing it through the perspective of the Easter Bunny’s somewhat rebellious, subversive son felt like a great way to go.

The other idea that emerged very early on is this notion of, what is it like to make the transition from adolescence, delayed adolescence into adulthood?
It’s a struggle and it’s pervasive. I actually think it extends way beyond our country and our culture, so that those dueling stories of two characters from two different worlds, both wrestling in their own ways with trying to transition into adulthood, one more delayed than the other. Ironically, they both become catalysts.

The story isn’t Easter-specific.  It felt like a great character direction in which to play a story against these secrets about a mythology that we’re all familiar with.

As I mentioned in my review of the movie, I think the combination of storyline, music, and actors makes HOP a film that appeals to all ages. One thing that was striking in the movie was that some of the images used in the Easter Bunny story parallel the Santa story, director Tim Hill addressed this:

Mr. Tim Hill:  ...we did take a page out of the Christmas movie. When you think about Christmas movies, Santa has his North Pole.  He has his mode of transportation and then there have been hundreds of movies about that space that he works in and what he does on Christmas and how important it is to the world......We decided that if you talked to the Easter Bunny, he would say that he was there before Santa.  That tradition was before the Christmas tradition, only because the Easter Bunny is actually a Pagan tradition.

I love this! For me the Easter Bunny tradition is completely separate from my religious beliefs regarding Easter and it means a great deal to me that the filmmakers actually acknowledge the pagan roots of the Easter Bunny.

And I of course asked about the appeal for all audiences:

Me:  When you came up with the concept, were you looking to go across all age groups? Was that the original concept or did that evolve?
Mr. Chris Meledandri:  It was definitely the original concept. One of the reasons why Tim and I work so well together is that we both share a fundamental point of view about making movies, which is that neither of us make movies with the idea of, “Well, what’s a kid going to like?”

We make movies from the perspective of what we like and it just so happens that what we like has the opportunity to play across broad audiences. The story themes that we’re talking about are things that are certainly going to be more relevant to parents or people who have recently gone through an
understanding of what it’s like to transition to adulthood.

The choice of Russell Brand, who is an actor that has these wonderfully subversive qualities, but what Tim and Russell discovered, he’s irresistibly charming. It’s our hope that the elements that are in this movie are elements that will speak to audiences of all ages and transcend the notion that all of us remember the magic of Easter from our childhood.

But, we’re also all kind of grown up children, too.

As a parent, most of the films I attend now have to appeal to my child but I love that in HOP the filmmakers kept in mind that we are all children at heart and it has to appeal to both the child and adult in all of us.

Disclosure: As a participant in the media junket, my travel, accommodations and meals were taken care of by Universal but as usual all opinions are 100% my own.

Roses for Rescue

Yesterday was a big day for LBR! (So big that I couldn't get my mom to wake up to type this entry for me. Sheesh!) It was Roses for Rescue, the biggest fundraiser in LBR's year! We have zillions of Tyler roses and all sorts of other wonderful flowers, like gorgeous geraniums and gigantic ferns. The hardworking LBR volunteers spend the whole day in the sun, loading and unloading, toting and carrying, and of course working those sales!


This is Ken and Waylan, the awesome volunteers responsible for the whole show!


The ferns were huuuuge!


Of course, we have to bring some dogs to show everyone what it's all about! This alert guy is Tux.


This is Cayenne. Mom said she was sooooo cute and little!


We also have a lot of alums show up! Like Keebler.


This is pretty Betxi getting lovings!



Our volunteers worked really hard all day. But in the end, it was totally worth it. We ended up making over $19,000 to help LBR dogs! WOW!!! That helps keep a lot of dogs in kibble and vet care. Thanks so much to all our wonderful volunteers, and to everyone who came out for roses! Big slobbery boxer kisses to everyone!