WINNER :: Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 4 of 4

The WINNER of my Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 4 of 4 is comment number 3!

Beki said...

We've never gotten into the valentines day stuff either! and i thought i was out of place! Lol. We've gone out to dinner, and i get flowers and a card that actually is very heart felt. Come to think of it, i really lovegetting that card from my hunny.

Congratulations Beki, email me the address you want me to mail your family 4-pack of tickets to at masmith38@gmail.com. Good to hear romance isn't dead and you and your hunny have something to build on.   

Thank you to ALL my contest entry participants. I've had fun doing these and wish I had tickets for all of you. Thanks for reading and making my days fun. Finding fun in what I do is part of how I Keep IT Together.

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 4 of 4

I have one last family 4-pack of passes to give away.   I don't know if any of you caught onto the "theme" I was making your comments be about but they were different things that they will be celebrating at the Disney On Ice Show.  For more details on show times and all other information that they will be celebrating and where to buy tickets for Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate click HERE. 

Here is how to play for my 4th and final pass give-a-way:

Leave a comment on THIS post about something you have done or received that was out of the ordinary special on Valentines Day.  Doesn't have to be this year.  Prior comments on prior posts will not be considered valid. All comments to be considered for contest entry must be submitted by SUNDAY, February 27, 2011, 6:00 p.m. Utah time. 

 

I've never been much into Valentines Day and my husband was never in to it much either. Since being married we decided to not celebrate on Valentines Day but the day that we met for the first time which is 2 days later. We can get Valentines Day card or an Anniversary card. A friend of mine had a fun tradition of making GIANT heart cookies for her family every year. So last year I adopted the idea and started to do the same for my husband and kids. Its nothing grand but its fun for us.

Bribery?

I have been having a struggle with my almost 4 year old dear daughter - dd. Specifically work days when it comes to getting dressed and out the door. I've polled family and friends to see if they ever experienced the same challenges when in my situation.

Had a number of suggestions on an earlier bed time. So we gave that a try and it helped over all but didn't seem to help with the morning specifically.

Had some suggestions of watching a favorite program while eating breakfast. My kids get breakfast at the sitters house so that isn't something that would work for me right now. 

I don't want to get my kids up any earlier than I already have to if possible and I know that the schedule I have been working with works if there aren't any major snags. I did decide to turn on a florescent light in the kids rooms and open their doors 10 minutes prior to time to get moving. My hopes in doing this was to slowly nudge them out of their sleep to make the transition a bit smoother.  I think this has helped a little.

After much thought and contemplation (honestly), I decided to use a reward system. Bribery in sheep's clothing you say? Well yes kind of. I like to think of it as an incentive program! Ha ha ... yes I have been told I can be clever when it comes to wording at times.

I implemented this system last week. Last week was successful.  This week we are still one day away from getting a reward after having a rocky start Tuesday morning. Here is what I came up with that I thought would work for us: 

Every day my dd cooperates in a tolerable manner (which includes does not cry, kick, scream, struggle, push clothes off) while getting dressed and out the door she gets 2 things.

1. a reeses miniature peanut butter cup after dinner; and 
2. a sticker on the calendar that day. 

If she gets 3 stickers in the week Monday through Friday then she gets a SURPRISE Friday night.  The surprise is different $1 items that I picked up at Target. I even wrapped them thanks to my sister's suggestion. This leaves it a mystery and the goal of keeping it an incentive will hopefully be successful. 

DD was very excited last week to pick her prize, "any one I want mom?", "yes, any one you want". She wanted to put the Dora stickers in her sticker book right then and there. She has also asked most every day, including the weekend if she gets a surprise today.

So far that is a good sign to me that this might just work, for now, and for now is great for me.  Progress is part of how I keep "IT" together.

WINNER :: Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 3 of 4

The WINNER of my Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 3 of 4 is comment number 2!

How It All Began... said...

I remember going to the Rockin' R Ranch in Southern Utah when I was young. It was a great trip! We floated down the river on inner tubes, went horse back riding, water skiied and ate delicious food. Everything was going great until my father took part in the mini rodeo. He rode a bucking cow. We thought he was so cool. Then it bucked him off and stepped on him. It crushed several of his ribs. When he opened his eyes after the fall the first person he saw was my uncle who is a mortician. He's always joked that he never wanted to wake up and see my uncle first thing. It kind of freaked my father out. :) Well, that ended our trip. He refused to let anyone drive the car the six hours back to our home. The poor man had to sleep sitting up in a chair for the next six weeks. We got the whole thing on video. It's a great place to go though, and I hope to take my children there one day... :)

Congratulations How It All Began..., email me the address you want me to mail your family 4-pack of tickets to at masmith38@gmail.com. Sounds like it was quite a trip. Glad you all survived including your dad.

One more set of tickets to give away tomorrow sometime.  Stay tuned... :) Thanks for playing. I am loving all the stories.

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 3 of 4

One more day to FRIDAY.... and one more chance to win a family 4-pack of tickets to Disney On Ice - Let's Celebrate TODAY!!! 

Here is how to play:

Leave a comment about a childhood trip, summer event or vacation memory that sticks out the most, good or bad on THIS post for your chance to WIN. Prior comments on prior posts will not be considered valid. All comments to be considered for contest entry must be submitted by TODAY, Thursday February 24, 2011, 3:00 p.m. Utah time.

One of my childhood trips with my family that sticks out the most for me even now is a trip to California when I was probably 7 or 8.  At that time I had 3 older siblings and only 1 younger. We drove to California with no modern day luxuries in a nice big station wagon. Most the way there we had the windows rolled down thanks to my older brothers and their smelly bowels. Once there we stayed with an aunt and uncle that had a pool. It was too cold to swim in the pool but the jacuzzi next to it was nice. We would jump into the pool of course because that's the sort of thing kids do. I also got to pour salt on the slugs for my aunt. Good luck! I hope you win the CONTEST!!! 

For complete details on show times and lots of other information for Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate click HERE. 

WINNER :: Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 2 of 4

The WINNER of my Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 2 of 4 is comment number 1!

Anonymous-toadylynn said:

I LOVE to go to our family cabin, where there is usually
4-6 feet of snow in the winter and go sledding. It is so much
fun, and we can be lazy and have someone shuttle us to
the top of the hill on the snowmobile! Unfortunatetly, I
have had new borns the last few times we went in the
winter, so not nuch sledding happened for me!
(The newborns ARE worth it though!!)

Congratulations Anonymous-toadylynn, email me the address you want me to mail your family 4-pack of tickets to at masmith38@gmail.com you are correct, they are worth it.

Thank you for all the entries, good times in the snow. I failed to mention what my favorite snow activity is/was. I used to LOVE to drive around LATE at night when the roads hadn't been cleared and not many people were out. Felt like my own little world.

Stay tuned for more chances to WIN. I have 2 more family 4-packs to give away this week.

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 2 of 4

Its Wednesday and I feel wish it were FRIDAY already. I guess that's what a 3 day weekend will do to me. 

Today is a SPECIAL blow out Disney On Ice give-a-way.  Here is how to play:

Leave a comment about your favorite snow activity on THIS post for your chance to WIN. Prior comments on prior posts will not be considered valid. All comments to be considered for contest entry must be submitted by TODAY, Wednesday February 23, 2011, 10:00 p.m. Utah time.

Good luck! I hope you win the CONTEST!!! 

For complete details on show times and lots of other information for Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate click HERE. 

WINNER :: Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 1 of 4

The WINNER of my Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 1 of 4 is comment number 5! 

Baby Mama said...

My mom made me a winnie the pooh cake and it tasted horrible, she put a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar. I was about ten. I'll never forget it.

Congratulations Baby Mama, email me the address you want me to mail your family 4-pack of tickets to at masmith38@gmail.com .

Thank you for all the entries, I loved to hear your stories. Nice to know we all have at least one out there we can think back fondly of.

Stay tuned for more chances to WIN. I have 3 more family 4-packs to give away within the next week - week and a half. 

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way 1 of 4

I am very excited to have 4 family 4-pack of tickets to give away in the next 2 weeks.  Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and more than 50 of their friends will be here in 3 weeks, starting March 9th. For all the details you can click HERE. They will be celebrating a multitude of things like a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Mardi Gras parade with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch; a winter wonderland with everyone’s favorite toys – Woody, Jessie & Buzz Lightyear; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains; a Valentine’s Day Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses…and more in the celebration of the century!


For my give-a-way 1 of 4 here is how to enter.  Leave me a comment that has to do with your favorite childhood birthday memory.  My favorite childhood birthday memory is one year due to money constraints my mother had to be very creative. I got a gently used record player and some gently used records from the donation store as well as some fun colorful kid yarn and some crochet hooks. Probably was one of the least expensive birthday gifts I've received but some of the BEST in my memory. My mom really knew me and what would make me happy.

This 1st give-a-way will end Friday, February 18, 2011.  All comments to be considered for contest entry must be submitted by this Friday, February 18, 2011, 8:00 p.m. Utah time. 

Good luck and check back for other bloggers that have give-a-ways. I will update the left hand area at the top of this blog soon with their information.  

Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate

TICKETS FOR

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS LET’S CELEBRATE!

ON SALE JANUARY 24^TH IN SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake City, Utah (January 24, 2011) —Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! is bringing a colossal party on ice to Utah!  This all-new show visits Salt Lake City from Wednesday, March 9^th to Sunday, March 13^th for ten performances at the EnergySolutions Arena.  Tickets go on sale Monday, January 24, 2011.

Audiences are invited to make an ordinary day extraordinary and enjoy some of the world’s most popular festivities with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, including a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Mardi Gras parade with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch; a winter wonderland with everyone’s favorite toys – Woody, Jessie & Buzz Lightyear; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains; a Valentine’s Day Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses…and more in the celebration of the century!

Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! features more than 50 characters from 16 Disney stories live on ice, including Tiana, the newest Disney Princess from Walt Disney Pictures’ The Princess and the Frog.

Ticket prices for Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! range from $13, $17, $23, $40 (VIP) and $52 (Front Row) – prices do not include service charges, handling or facility fees.  Tickets are available from the EnergySolutions Box Office and all SmithTix locations, via phone by calling (801) 355-SEAT or (800) 888-TIXX and online at www.energysolutionsarena.com or www.smithstix.com.  To learn more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

Location & Showtimes 

EnergySolutions Arena

301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT  84101  

Wednesday, March 9             7:00 pm
Thursday, March 10               7:00 pm
Friday, March 11                    4:00 pm;  7:30 pm
Saturday, March 12               11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm
Sunday, March 13                  11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm 

Random Act of Kindness

This morning after walking into the lobby of where I work I get to the bank of elevators and there is a man holding the elevator for me. What a pleasant surprise it was to have a stranger do something so simple but yet very appreciated.

I usually try to be cautious of these kinds of small acts and do them for others. I even had the opportunity to offer to help an older woman that pulled up to the air pump that I was using yesterday morning. I feel bad because I was a little put out that she was even pulling up next to my car, and can't she see that she is almost in my way?

Once I was done the woman got out of her car and politely asked if it was working. I told her that it seemed to be on a few of my tires but it didn't seem to have much air pressure now. Maybe if I give it a rest it will recharge and have more for her. As she was trying to fill up her tire I looked down and WOW her tire was LOW... One small bump and it was actually a flat tire. She said might as well give it a try and if it doesn't work oh well there isn't much air to let out. She had a great attitude and I offered to hold the hose on her tire for her. She said no thank you hun, very nice of you to offer.

Next time I see the opportunity to help, I hope I will jump in with no reservations or  pessimistic attitude. The man holding the elevator this morning reminded me of why I do these kinds of small things, it makes me feel good. I have resolved to do better. The most simple and smallest acts can really make the biggest difference in someones day.

Waking up each morning and trying to be a better person most every day is one of the way's I keep 'IT' together.

Monster Jam Ticket Winner

The winner of the family 4-pack of tickets to the Monster Jam event that will be held at the Energy Solutions Arena is comment number 3. This was picked by my almost 4 year old as she was on her way to bed. Comment number 3 was Amy Jahasz.  Her comment was:

"My husband would love if I won these for him! He seems to have some rotten luck with car hoods. Once, on his way to work on the freeway, his car hood flipped up, cracked his windshield, and then flew off, and two other cars hit it. Yikes, was that scary for him. He's had different car hoods flip up 3 times while driving".

Congratulations Amy. Glad he is okay with all those hood fiasco's. That is crazy luck. Hopefully that is the end of hood issues for him.  Please email me at masmith38@gmail.com with the name you would like the tickets to be left in will-call under. 

Remember the tickets I have to give-a-way are specifically for the Friday, February 18th 7:00 p.m. performance.

Thank you to all that entered.  Will be having more give-a-way information soon.

Dinner Easy Button - Rotisserie Teriyaki Chicken

'Easy Button's' are great especially when it comes to dinner ideas. I have one in particular that I have been defaulting to recently. Rotisserie Teriyaki Chicken is simply using the meat from a rotisserie chicken with a jarred teriyaki sauce.  In our house we serve it over rice for the DH and I like it with a little rice and crunchy chow mien noodles.

I feel that Costco has the largest rotisserie chickens for the best price. Our family only uses half the chicken for 1 meal, and there is usually left overs.  Kikkoman has a Takumi Collection of Teriyaki sauces and we really enjoy the Original (brown label). We have tried the Garlic and Green Onion (green label) version and didn't like it as well as the Original. Kikkoman's website has 4 listed in this collection but I have not seen them in any store locally and will have to keep an eye out for them in the future. They sound pretty good and would be willing to try them. They are Spicy Miso and Triple Ginger.

The other half of the chicken I pull the meat off and put it in a quart size freezer bag. The carcass of the chicken I either make chicken stock out of it or throw it in the freezer for future chicken stock making.