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On Tuesday I have an interview for a job that I really want. I am a nurse and have been wanting to work back in the hospice field. As with everyone daycare is costly and is a bit of an issue for me. This position is exactly what I have been looking for and exactly the  job I want. It is an on-call position where I work from 5pm to 8am. I field phones calls from home and do visits as necessary. I would work 7 days on and then have 7 days off.

Please send some good vibes my way so that I get lucky enough to get this position. Thanks in advance!

At least that is what my 19yo tells me. Apparently, this is my new grandchild, lol.

Last month my son was hit by a deer that totaled his car. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The new baby – a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4. It is a 5 speed. Lots of fun and amenities.

He is very excited and has picked up on learning how to drive a 5 speed very quickly. He has already decided the long list of car accessories that he wants to add to it, lol.

What do you think? Pretty huh?

A few weeks ago our local airport had their annual open house. It is small but alot of fun. They offer many planes to view, bouncers for kids, climbing rock wall, food and plane rides. For the past year my 6yo has been begging to go on a plane so this year my daughter and I decided to give my 4yo and 6yo a treat – their very first plane ride. Tessa (4yo) was a little nervous and Sydnie (6yo) was so beyond excited. Here are some great pictures we took from the sky. We tried to use our cell phones (to call nana) but they did not work way up there – big surprise, lol. Below are some great pics and videos of our day and plane ride. Of course, I forgot about my motion sickness because I was so excited. To me, motion sickness is like taking weight loss pills. I could lose alot of weight, lol.

This is a plane they got to just sit in.

They got to check out a fire truck

Tessa is actually smaller then the tire of the fire truck, lol.

Even though Mitchell was not at all happy we still had to take his picture in the Mitchell Bomber.

Here are some awesome aerial shots of us in the plane. Take a look at Sydnie’s face – you can see the pure excitement.

We live about 30 minutes from the Detroit Zoo. However, as time goes by the city takes animals away and all that seems that is left is a bunch of cattle and cattle supplies. So I decided it was time to go to see the infamous Toledo Zoo. I have been told it is wonderful and one of the better zoos in the country. Here are some pictures from our day. I will give you my personal opinion at the bottom of the post.

I am so bummed as I had some great videos to share and somehow they got deleted from my camera. I am so mad. I had pacing Asian Sloth Bears, Busy Meerkats and penguin porn. Yep, you heard it right. Can’t never seem to visit a zoo without see some animal action of nature.

Here are some of our wonderful animal friends that we visited (including the x-rated penguins).

This bear did nothing but pace and pace and pace.

The flashy, exposing penguins, lol.

My 4yo said this was Gloria from Madagascar

A two-headed lion, lol.

Here are some family shots

My little guy finally crashed and caught a few zzzzs

So now here is my own personal opinion of the Toledo Zoo:

It was nice. That is all. It seemed small. All of the animals habitats were small. Some of the animals were very hard to see. It was kind of like you needed to be in the right place at the right time in order to see them. The camels were in a raised habitat and there were alot of rocks in the way so we had a hard time seeing them. We got a small glimpse of the camel’s head. We were actually able to go through the entire zoo in about 4 hours. Mildly disappointing. However, we did have a great time.

Would I visit the Toledo Zoo again? Sure BUT I wouldn’t rush back to see it. Maybe again in a few years.

What are some good zoos where you live?

My daughter was chosen as one of the lucky ones to receive a room makeover from Wal-Mart. Let’s just say the next area code heard her excitement. I feel like such a dunce as I realized that I should have taken a before picture so you could have seen the amazing transformation of this room. I will try to paint you a brief mental image. This room used to be my 19 year old’s room (boy). Imagine very dark burgandy walls, meduim gray ceiling and trim, lots of posters on the wall and lots of furniture. It was a very cluttered and busy room. It looked nice but not anything what a 16yo girl would like.

The first task was painting. All paint ans supplies were bought from Wal-Mart. She wanted a like of beachy colored theme.

The items below are Your Zone items from Wal-Mart to match her color choices.

Since we needed other stuff and we had some money left over we bought all of the items below from Wal-Mart.

I reupholstered the seat to my daughter’s vanity to match her room. I used the flat sheet that came with the set of Your Zone sheets that we got as the material so it would match. I think it turned out so good. My first time doing something like this.

I am very impressed with Your Zone products and love the way my daughter’s room turned out. Check out the video below!

Prize:
1 lucky reader will win a $500 gift card from Wal-Mart!!!

Main Entry:
Check out Wal-Mart’s Your Zone, then come back here and tell us who is lucky enough to get their own Your Zone makeover and what design would they want for their room.

Extra Entries:
1. Subscribe to my email updates – 2 entries
2. Favorite me in Technorati (button in network section on right) (leave ID)- 3 entries
3. Blog about this giveaway (please leave link) - 5 entries
4. Add The Mud Bug button to your blogroll (please leave link) – 3 entries
5. Connect with The Mud Bug – 5 entries

Giveaway ends Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 11:59 AM EST

**Please leave one separate comment for each entry**

One (1) winner will be chosen randomly from all valid entries. The winner will then be emailed once and that winner must claim their prize within 48hrs or a new winner will be picked or live giveaway will be done.

If your children are anything like my children then they must love playing outside. I have a hard time keeping them inside. We have almost every imaginable outside toy (thanks to grandparents). They would be outside morning, noon and night if I let them. So when I was given the opportunity to do a review for Step 2 I was excited and thrilled to say the least.

About The Step2® Company, LLC:
The Step2® Company, LLC is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years.

• Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans.
• Infantino, headquartered in San Diego, Calif. is a leading designer and international distributor of innovative and original infant, toddler, and preschool products. Featuring fashion-forward designs, the popular product lines include classic creative baby toys and puzzles, innovative soft baby carriers, and simple, no-fuss baby travel systems.
• New Jersey-based Thinkativity is a leading innovator of electronic and early learning toys promoting inventive play patterns through original musical compositions and stories that inspire children to explore, play and learn.
• Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative.

Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

Commitment to Product Safety:
Step2 puts all of its toys through rigorous safety testing and produces the highest quality products for families. With increased concerns about toy manufacturing, Step2 believes it has a responsibility to clearly communicate the country of origin of its products. The company values its customers’ desire to make informed purchasing decisions and therefore provides prominent labeling on all of its products.

Awards and Recognition:
Step2 designs and produces new toys that receive recognition every year for their durability, creative play value, and fun designs. In addition to the rave reviews that Step2 receives from kids and parents nationwide.

The Water Rush Quarry is a  multi-level design that allows water to cascade from top to bottom like a flowing river. The set includes one crane, two bridges, a tunnel, a dam, a ramp, a bucket, a shovel and two construction vehicles. This quarry is flexible and easily converted into a small, single level play table. It came out of the box with only about 5 steps to do. It was very easy to assemble.

The girls LOVED playing with the Water Rush Quarry. They played with it for hours. Even my little guy enjoyed playing with it or should I say in it, lol. The only negative thing I have to say about this product is that the road pieces do not stay attached very well. They fall off with very little touching. The girls didn’t seem to mind but as a parent I found it annoying.

In my opinion the price is a bit high for this product but the girls loved it so I guess it is worth it. You can purchase this product from Step 2, Wal-Mart, and Target.

We live down the street from our local airport and on this past Sunday that had their annual open house. So this year I decided to take my 3 daughters on a plane ride (first time for Sydnie and Tessa). As you can see Sydnie was so excited!

I am not much of a online buyer of food. Not sure why. I guess I am always afraid that it won’t taste good. So when I was given the opportunity to review a company called Bake Me A Wish I was excited to see what they had to offer.

About Bake Me A Wish: Remember the excitement you felt as a child when your birthday cake was carried into the room? At Bake Me a Wish!, we believe we all still have some of that child inside of us, and our goal is to help you recreate that excitement and experience for your friends, clients or loved ones.

Bake Me a Wish! is the premium nationwide service for delivery of gourmet birthday cakes. Our cakes are made with only the finest, freshest ingredients by an award-winning family run New York bakery that also supplies pastries to some of Manhattan’s most elite restaurants.

Through careful cost control and air-tight delivery systems, we are also happy to be able to bring you our fine cakes at an extremely affordable price. Now, whether it’s your son in college, your trusted associate, your old friend, or your granddaughter across the country, you will always have a simple and wonderful way to remember them on that important day of the year.

Plus, with our Bake Me a Wish! Calendar, we can keep a record for you of any and all important birthdays so that you never accidentally forget the special people in your life. We will automatically send you a reminder asking if you would like to deliver a cake each time one of your selected dates is approaching.

We believe there is no better way to celebrate that special day of the year than to send a little indulgence from someone who cares.

I received a very decadent looking cake called Tiramisu Classico. This is the description that their website gives for this cake: Coffee-washed cake layered with classic mascarpone custard and garnished with delicious coffee whipped cream, dark chocolate shaves and a dusting of cocoa… that’s amore! My entire family loved this cake. It was very smooth and delicious. My only disappointment was that the cake had melted slightly and was a little smashed on the top. Despite this I would still recommend their cakes as that special gift for someone. I am sure it was a fluke on the part of the delivery method.

Prize:
Onelucky reader will win one Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake from Bake Me A Wish!!!

Main Entry:
Check out Bake Me A Wish, then come back here and tell us one item from their site that you would like to try.

Extra Entries:
1. Subscribe to my email updates – 2 entries
2. Favorite me in Technorati (button in network section on right) (leave ID)- 3 entries
3. Blog about this giveaway (please leave link) - 5 entries
4. Add The Mud Bug button to your blogroll (please leave link) – 3 entries
5. Connect with The Mud Bug (join on home page) – 5 entries

Giveaway ends Monday, Aug 31, 2009 at 11:59 AM EST

**Please leave one separate comment for each entry**

One (1) winner will be chosen randomly from all valid entries. The winner will then be emailed once and that winner must claim their prize within 48hrs or a new winner will be picked or live giveaway will be done.