Home is where the heart is

 They are moving! :)

For more Wordless Wednesdays check out 5 minutes for moms , Wordless Wednesday and 7 Clown Circus and Go Graham Go!     




About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Featured blog - Monday Mingle - Do you have a best friend?

If you'd like to join in the fun, do a short vlog on your blog answering the week's questions (however many you choose), post the above button on your site and link up at Eighty MPH Mom. Visit the other participants, learn about them and have fun! Trust me, if I can do it, then you can.  Plus you can send in your questions to Jennifer for the next mingle via the form on her site. Come on jump in!

I'm featured at this beautiful woman's blog: The Eclectic Element! Come See HERE.

Do you want to try the  CherryPharm tart cherry juice that I reviewed HERE?.  They have re-branded their product and would like to send out another round of free product samples under the new name, Cheribundi, so that you become familiar with it.  They are hoping to introduce the new brand name to an even larger audience this time around. 

Just send Samantha your  U.S. mailing address by Friday, April 2nd. 

"Nothing  in exchange is required.  We just continue to hope that those that like the juice will tell their friends about it.  As always, no junk mail will be sent, no third party sharing, etc."

samantha.rush@cherrypharm.com
www.cherrypharm.com

This week's questions:

1. What invention would you like to see in your lifetime to make life easier?

2. Who is your BFF (best friend LOL, other than your spouse).  How long have you been friends 

and what makes that person such a good friend?

3. What is the one area in your home that needs the most organizational help?

**



Next week's questions (submitted by Karie from The Five Fish - thanks Karie!): 1. So you must be a little on the wild side somewhere...how about any tattoos? Piercings? Show us your wild side. If you are free of any taintings do you want any? Piercings or tattoos?
2. Considering the state of our world today what is one thing you might change, suggest, or push for or against if you were to be elected to office?
3. Reminiscing about my impending 10 yr anniversary, can any of you recall your wedding day? Vows? Any funny or memorable moments from your special day?  
About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Busy Easter Bunnies are hopping for one-stop shopping at Rite Aid

PRESS RELEASE

BUSY EASTER BUNNIES ARE HOPPING FOR ONE-STOP SHOPPING AT RITE AID

 

Most Rite Aid Stores Nationwide Are Open Right through Easter

 

CAMP HILL, PA (March 22, 2010) – From chocolate-covered Peeps, edible Easter grass and bags of nothing but black licorice jellybeans to prefilled baskets, Reese's Pieces Carrots and giant wicker eggs, the neighborhood Rite Aid store has enough variety to get any aspiring bunny hopping for some spring shopping.

Even last-minute shoppers can easily fill their baskets whenever it's convenient  with holiday hours up to and including Easter Sunday in most of the 4,800 Rite Aid stores nationwide.

Easter is the traditional kickoff for spring, with four out of five Americans celebrating the holiday, according to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, which estimates this year's total Easter spend at more than $13 billion, which is a 2 percent increase over last year's $116.59 per celebrating poll respondent. The participation rates are highest among the young, with 88 percent of adults age 18 to 24 planning on celebrating. This age set is also the most likely to buy gifts for Easter, according to NRF.

Candy is king for the traditional Easter basket, and the National Confectioners Association reports that U.S. manufacturers produce 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans each year.

And just because the kids are grown doesn't mean they won't be expecting a basket. Rite Aid has all kinds of sample size bath and body products, small electronics, books, magazines and other everyday necessities that make perfect basket stuffers for teens on up to college students.

Those looking for bargains will find high-value coupons on fragrances and other basket stuffers in Rite Aid's weekly circulars, also available in stores and online at www.riteaid.com. There also will be special prices on spring cleaning supplies, allergy products and outdoor gear, such as patio furniture and grills.

For spring planting, local Rite Aid stores will carry everything from pre-seeded herb pots, upside-down pepper and tomato planters to fertilizers, pesticides and even garden tools

Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,800 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia with fiscal 2009 annual sales of more than $26.3 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through Rite Aid’s Web site at www.riteaid.com.

About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Beauty: Shave (Aloha Friday)

 

You might not have seen these photos, but I got them from a discussion on JAM's Own Reality. Go visit her for the whole story, very good discussion I might add.

It's quite interesting to me that we aren't told to be comfortable with our bodies but should do all we can to keep up with what society deems beautiful.

I have no problem with her legs or the underarm being unshaven. And if they feel comfortable enough to be free and wear shorts or lift their arms then so be it. Is is a crime to not be shaven? Is it a disease in our bodies that should go away?

How do we tell our children to love themselves and their bodies if we are so afraid of embracing ours.

Of course I shave. I HATE it. It leaves razor bumps and itch like mad. It's torture, but I like to have a clean shaven leg because I've grown up to feel like a total weirdo if I as a woman have hair on my legs.
Of course I desire smooth, hairless legs, but why? Is it because I truly desire this or because it was taught to me that this is what normal should be?

If I want to wear a certain thing, especially in summer, I shave. But really do I want to? or am I just doing it to please society? To be more accepted.

When I met my mother and sister and saw that they didn't shave I felt so free!

However to each their own. If you want to shave, do it. If you don't, then don't. You should be making the choice, not society.

Question:

How often to do you shave? everyday, once a week?...etc


*****
I don't really have a schedule. I just do it when I want out of pants and want to wear tanks, esp in summer.

Speaking of shaving. Here's something nice you might want to enter to win for your shave routine :) ENTER











About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Frozen

In our backyard a few weeks ago, all were frozen!

For more Wordless Wednesdays check out 5 minutes for moms , Wordless Wednesday and 7 Clown Circus and Go Graham Go!    




About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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My sole to yours - My journey

My wedding shoes.

Since I wore them that day, they've been sitting on a pedestal of sorts. Not intentionally, I just have not found the fit to wear them again. But everyday I pass them and I look at them and smile, as my hands graze over them, picking up another.

 They are rather dusty from not being worn.

They remind me of a beginning and each time I feel the need to be inspired even if things are rough, because they remind me that this is a journey.

A life journey.

It's funny that I didn't even think too much about this before, but they do keep me inspired. I was a bit naive about being married, but now I am learning that it's battle at play and it is worth fighting for and enjoying. When we can't stand on our own, we pray that God will fight for us.

These soles are beautiful and they are mine. And even if I wear them down to the heel, I'll still put them somewhere I can see and keep them to remind me, that even when this path get's rough and I can barely stand on my own. There will be smoother surfaces.

This too will pass.

There will be dances and weddings and graduations and dinners and everywhere and nowhere to attend.

And in the end, we'll fade and cease to exist, as it should be.

It's life's journey.

My journey in or out of my soles.

The Sole Sisters Collective

About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Biracial Family Twitter Party! - Come ask, learn, share and enjoy!

We have so many multiracial families and we are all trying to make our way as a family unit in a society that doesn't readily embrace what it deems non - traditional. I know many of us have our joys and struggles and even questions, so come join the party and let's talk. Anyone can come and learn and take part.

Where: Online via Twitter
Date:  March 26, 2010
Time: 9pm-10pm EST
Hosts: @euphorialuv , @Quiskaeya and @Jamericanspice

Topic: Teaching Biracial Children About their Identity

Purpose: To provide parents & biracials an opportunity to talk about biracial identity to help build a stronger multiracial/multicultural community. Some questions open for discussion are:

1. As a parent of a biracial how do you help your child self-identify? Ex: books, events, playgroups etc
2. If your child chose one identity over another would it offend you?
3. Are your children equally accepted by both sides of the family?
4. Do you feel the one drop rule is still widely thought and accepted with regards to biracials?
5. Do you consider how society will identify your child? Does this effect how you teach your biracial child to self-identity?

RSVP: http://twtvite.com/6a0u27

Even if you do not have a twitter account you can still join the conversation. The discussion will stream through tweetchat (http://tweetchat.com). You can set up an account with them and jump right into the action.

To participate be sure to follow @euphorialuv , @Quiskaeya and @Jamericanspice. Also be sure to tweet with the hashtag #BiracialFamily between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. EDT.

Please feel free to spread the word to other multiracial/multicultural groups. Hope that you will join in for a time of learning and sharing.




About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Monday Mingle: How do you usually celebrate your birthday?, crazy acts and your age

If you'd like to join in the fun, do a short vlog on your blog answering the week's questions (however many you choose), post the above button on your site and link up at Eighty MPH Mom. Visit the other participants, learn about them and have fun! Trust me, if I can do it, then you can.  Plus you can send in your questions to Jennifer for the next mingle via the form on her site. Come on jump in!

This week's questions submitted by Alexes from One Cluttered Brain (thank you Alexes!):

1. How do you usually celebrate your birthday?

Sometimes the hubs will give me a gift and take me out somewhere to eat. Before I got married, my birthday was not celebrated.  However on my special day , I'd take off from work (or it wasn't a holiday) and I'd save up enough to buy myself a nice slice of cake at the bakery. 

2. Do you ever reveal your true age to people? Or do you make people guess?

I don't get asked about my age often and when I do, I use the one-year less (long story on the birth certificate). And I don't usually think to have them guess.

3.  What's the craziest thing you ever did OR wanted to do on your DAY?

I have not done anything crazy on my day as yet.  If I was to do anything crazy, I'd want to fly a helicopter.

Please  enter my giveaways if they are something you'd like to win or gift to someone. 

Thank you for visiting with me and I hope to resume vlogging next week. 

Have a great week!  

Next week's questions:

1. What invention would you like to see in your lifetime to make life easier?

2. Who is your BFF (best friend LOL, other than your spouse).  How long have you been friends 

and what makes that person such a good friend?

3. What is the one area in your home that needs the most organizational help?

About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Sunglass Warehouse Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED- WINNER: XMASDOLLY

Thank you all for entering this giveaway. I appreciate your time and dedication.

The winner for the Sunglasses is Dolly! (Xmasdolly)

Congratulations Dolly. I've sent you an email.

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I have to get new lenses again soon (long story there).This will include UV and no glare protective coating which is rather expensive additions. The prescription is sitting here on my desk awaiting funds to be available from a paycheck which wont be swallowed by bills and I'm starting to think of working part time!

You must know then how excited I got when I was offered to do a review/giveaway from Sunglass Warehouse and found that they sold OveRxCast Polarized Sunglasses! *Insert happy dance here* Now why didn't my doctor tell me about this! I can definitely take a few $$ off my prescription!

I'm now wearing the OveRxCast medium polarize sunglasses and I love the protection that my eyes are getting and how much more relaxed my eyes and face are from squinting so much when the day is being lashed by sunlight and everything is shiny! I also get to see more into the distance and just all around me while driving which is always great since we have such zealous drivers here.
I didn't know my size so I took a chance on medium and was so happy that it turned out to be a perfect fit!

I feel alot more confident driving towards the sun too. This was harder for me, especially when I first started driving and didn't think the vehicle flap (mommy brain here. lol) did much good in shielding the glare and looking in my rear-view mirrors was risking being blinded!

I dropped them the other day and one of the lens came out and I panicked, thinking I had broken them already! I tried fitting it back in and it was such a relief when it popped right back into place! This is one pair of sunglasses that my kids will NOT be touching anytime soon! 

OveRxCast sunglasses are a great invention that allow you to wear sun protection over your regular prescription glasses. The patented design helps to isolate your eyes from the elements and provides maximum UV protection, while the polarized lenses help reduce nasty glare. These great fit-over sunglasses allow you to wear your normal eye glasses while eliminating harsh glare and blocking 100% of harmful ultra violet rays.

Smoke lenses provide natural color definition, while copper lenses are great for driving and provide increased contrast.

Of course I went through all their sunglasses while on their site. I'm just OCD like that :) I even thought if I didn't find anything from their women's sunglasses, that I'd choose something for my husband from the men section.

They also launched some great advice on choosing the right sunglasses, so you gotta check out their choosing sunglasses based on your skin tones  and choosing sunglasses for your face shape  links. This will definitely help in making the choices, and you can read on site reviews and also share your thoughts as  a new customer!

 
More about Sunglass Warehouse: 

Founded in 2002, SunglassWarehouse.com is more than just another sunglasses retailer. We are a customer service company passionate about sunglasses. Here at SunglassWarehouse.com, the customer is our top priority. Over the past seven years, we have served the needs of thousands of satisfied customers, providing quality sunglasses at affordable prices.

At SunglassWarehouse.com, we view every customer as a customer for life. As demonstrated by our customer testimonials and repeat business, we’re not interested in selling you a pair of sunglasses that will leave you wanting more. Instead, we want to provide the best service and the best shopping experience possible.

How do we maintain this high level of customer service and satisfaction? First, we guarantee you’ll receive the highest quality sunglasses and value for your money. Second, we ensure a customer friendly shopping experience environment, with an easy to browse selection and speedy check-out process. Finally, we promise to ship your sunglasses as quickly as possible so that delivery time will exceed your expectations.  Read More...

Giveaway:
Winner's choice of sunglasses from Sunglass Warehouse

Main entry

Which pair of Sunglasses will you choose?

Extra entries:

Follow Sunglass Warehouse on Twitter (2)

Become a fan on Sunglass Warehouse Facebook page (2)

Follow the The Sunglass Warehouse Blog (2)

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)

Follow my blog (2 entries)

Subscribe by email (2 entries)

Subscribe by reader (2 entries) 

Follow me on Twitter (2  entries)

Tweet this giveaway - (Five tweets per day) you can copy and paste:

Sunglass Warehouse Giveaway! Winner's choice  http://bit.ly/aCn2yI @jamericanspice @sunglasswarehse

Grab my button (2 entries)

(2 entries)


Giveaway ends April 25th, 2010, 11:59pm CST.

US and Canada entrants.




Thank you Sunglass Warehouse for the review and giveaway opportunity!



I did not receive any form of compensation for this blog post except the OveRxCast sunglasses for review.. For more information on this blog and my posting practices, please refer to the disclosure policy below at the bottom of this page. 


About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway! - CLOSED - WINNER: Missy

Thank you all for entering this giveaway. I do appreciate your time and dedication.

The winner for this prize is Missy

Congratulations Missy! I've sent you an email.

**************************************************************

When you visit Tropical Traditions, you'll find a wide range of products and information at your finger tips.  They mostly deal in organic and other healthy forms of making their products for you the customer and their own family.

To read more about the founders Brian and Marianity Shilhavy, Click here.

They have offered the Gold label Virgin Coconut Oil for this giveaway. You can find my review here and also to read more about the oil below:

This Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil. This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw and surrounding areas from organic coconuts.

Coconuts are used fresh (within 24-48 hours of harvest) from small family farms on Mt. Banahaw and other rural places in Quezon Province, the coconut capital of the Philippines. Only the highest quality coconuts are hand-picked from each harvest.

The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the world! Testing done in independent laboratories reveals higher levels of phenolic antioxidants than other coconut oils. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and then cold-pressed using the water from inside the coconuts to make coconut milk. The milk is then allowed to sit for about half a day, while the oil naturally separates from the heavier water. The oil is then filtered from the curds (coconut solids).

No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years.

Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year. This high-grade Virgin Coconut Oil has a long shelf life due to the high antioxidant properties. The Gold Label standard is our highest standard for Virgin Coconut Oil. Read more.

Check out their Free Coconut Recipe website found here: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.htm. At this website you will see the many different ways coconut can be used in cooking! I encourage you to really check it out. You'll be pleasantly surprised with different dishes you can add to your menu.

Giveaway: 
32oz. Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Main entry: 

Visit Tropical Traditions and tell me something you learned or something you'd really like to try from their product line. 

Extra entries:

Subscribe to Tropical Traditions email newsletter HERE

Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter

Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)

Follow my blog (2 entries)

Subscribe by email (2 entries)

Subscribe by reader (2 entries) 

Follow me on Twitter (2  entries)

Tweet this giveaway - (Five tweets per day) you can copy and paste:


Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway! http://bit.ly/bYYMBH @jamericanspice 4/20

Grab my button (2 entries)

(2 entries)


Giveaway ends April 20th, 2010, 11:59pm CST

Thank you Tropical Traditions for this giveaway opportunity!


About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Aloha Friday - Kindergarten carpool vs school bus

My Question:
Did you/will you drive your child to kindergarten (his/her first year) or put them on the school bus?

*******

I feel that I want to drive my son to kindergarten at least until he gets used to being away from home. What is best to do?

Kailani says "In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link on Kailani's blog. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

alAbout the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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WW: Dood where's my car?

For more Wordless Wednesdays check out 5 minutes for moms , Wordless Wednesday and 7 Clown Circus and Go Graham Go!   



About the author:
Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

Read More