Blog | Dawn Cullo's Blog

It’s A New Chapter

August 23, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Finally, the day we have all been waiting for has arrived. It’s Lily’s 1st day of Kindergarten. We have been looking forward to this day because it starts a whole new chapter in all of our lives. This day starts Lily on her path to school and our families path to connecting with new people and reconnecting with old friends. We are looking forward to being part of a community where everyone is ‘on the same page’.

Lily said that she had fun on her first day and can’t wait to go on her first field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Cullo Family Moment at St. Mary's

Lily & Abigail

Lily in her Kindergarten Class

In Lily's Classroom

Dawn in 1979 at the same school.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily, St. Marys

Giant Dunkin’ Turbo RV Dispenses Free Coffee At The CA State Fair

July 26, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

KICK-START YOUR DAY WITH THE DUNKIN’ TURBO™ BIG TASTE TOUR

Giant Cross-Country RV Brings New Dunkin’ Turbo Coffee to Sacramento July 30 – August 1

Dunkin’ Donuts^® new Dunkin’ Turbo packaged coffee offers an extra boost of delicious Dunkin’ Donuts flavor to kick-start your day!

A giant, Dunkin’ Donuts RV that’s designed to be a coffee-brewing kitchen on wheels to dispense free coffee samples and coupons to consumers at the California State Fair on Friday, July 30 – Sunday, August 1 from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm daily at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.

Here’s what will be at the fair, look for the big pink and orange bus!!

Dunkin’ Turbo Wheel – Consumers spin the Dunkin’ Turbo wheel to win a variety of prizes, including a year’s worth of Dunkin’ Turbo packaged coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts grocery lists, reusable grocery bags or 11 oz. coffee packages.
Big Taste Mascot – Take a picture with the Dunkin’ Donuts mug mascot to remember your time with the Dunkin’ Turbo Big Taste Tour.

Check out www.dunkinathome.com for a full listing of Dunkin’ Turbo Big Taste Tour stops.

But wait…there’s more! Would you like to win a bag of Dunkin’ Turbo coffee to try at home? Just visit the Dunkin’ At Home website and let me know what is your favorite flavor of coffee or why you need an extra boost of flavor in your coffee, submit your comment below. Winner will be selected via Random.org, contest ends on August 15, 2010 at 9:00 pm PST.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Product Contest

Ramona and Beezus Movie

July 23, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily and I were able to see a screening of the Ramona and Beezus movie a few weeks ago and it was really good. There are no flying dragons or animated toys or vampires and nothing to scare your little ones. It is a live action “G” rated movie and perfect for little girls and Tweens.

The story is based upon Beverly Cleary’s book series so you may have read it when you were in school. If not, you can check out her books on Amazon. What I liked about the movie was that there are no cell phones, computers or mp3 players in the story yet the story is still modern, the problems that Ramona and Beezus face are relevant to any time period. They deal with first loves, sibling issues, the economy, school related issues, parents having disagreements and even death. These are issues that our children will face at sometime in their lives and seeing how these characters react to the situations are good examples for our children. I even got teary eyed a few times and really thought that the story was told well.

Selena Gomez plays the role of the older sister Beatrice “Beezus” Quimby and new comer (and sooo cute) Joey King plays the role of Ramona. There is also some eye candy in the movie with yummy Josh Duhamel and John Corbett.

You can check out a clip of the movie at their site Ramona and Beezus

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions

As The World Turns

July 22, 2010 By Dawn Cullo 2 Comments

Yes it is true, even the cutest kids can be mean. Lily begins Kindergarten in a few weeks and the thoughts have crossed my mind about the type of kid I was in school. As I walk down the halls at St. Mary’s I think back to my time there and how I may have acted towards others. Let me just begin by saying that I have a horrible memory and really there is no way that I am going to remember everything I said or did when I was a kid but I am sure I wasn’t always an angel 100% of the time. I am sure that other kids were mean to me too, but that is just part of growing up.

I was in elementary and junior high during the 80′s and that was a time where I got a lot of my influence from T.V. and soap operas, I swear! I watched Days of Our Lives and General Hospital every day after school with my grandmother and often with my girlfriends and I watch Dynasty and Dallas and on the occasion Knots Landing with my mom. I did see Luke and Laura get married as well, yes I am that old. So of course me being the young impressionable kid thought that life was like soap operas, and I was a bit snooty at times and may have not been nice to some other girls in my class. I don’t remember exactly what I ever said or did but I just know that I wasn’t nice sometimes. Ok, Ok, there is one time that I remember and I get teased about it still. My friend (still to this day) Kathy was the ‘new girl’ in school. I went up to her and said “Do you want to be my friend? I only ask once”. Seriously, that is what I said, OMG I would be so sad if someone said that to Lily.

Our class was such a group of naughty kids though, they even sent in one of the priest to have a ‘talk’ with us about having ‘bad bones’ in our bodies which made us commit sins. He even referred to a soap opera character Savannah on Days of Our Lives.

You see, my parents split when I was in 2nd grade so my mom raised me and life was a little tough, I probably should have been in counseling or something like that but I never was. So not being able to resolve my feelings in a healthy manner resulted in not so nice behavior towards others.

Today I got some ‘payback’ from the universe. A little girl at Lily’s school was mean to her, and it hurt me to hear her tell me about it. Just seeing her little face upset was enough to make me tear up a little bit and think about the mean things I may have said to other kids when I was younger.

I am hoping, no I am praying that Lily has a good experience in school, and that the universe doesn’t punish me through her by having kids be mean to her. =( At her school I have to complete some parent participation hours and I keep thinking of all the people I am going to be working with now, was I mean to them? Do they hold a grudge? Am I going to be placed on the worst jobs ever for parent participation because of it?

I swear though life is tough enough for me already, really it is. My life certainly hasn’t turned out exactly the way that I wanted it to but I am trucking along trying to make the most of it. I did however marry the man of my dreams and he has given me two beautiful daughters. I am exhausted every day and I am a haggard stay at home mom who works at night to make ends meet. My clothes are not fancy, and I don’t drive a fancy car, I weigh more than I would like and I don’t always wear makeup….but I am a nice person and I try my best to take care of my girls first and then myself. I am not the girl I was so many years ago. Maybe my life not turning out the way I wanted is my ‘punishment’ for being mean, who knows but when life hands you lemons then make lemonade and I’ve got lots of lemonade, pink of course.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn

Tommee Tippee Tablewear

July 20, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I started using the best bottle feeding system Closer to Nature by Tommee Tippee a few months ago and we have grown to love their other products as well. That is why I was so excited to by able to try their feeding system because Abigail is now eating ‘solid’ food, which is just the pureed food. I received products from the Mom Bloggers Club and Tommee Tippee in order to facilitate this review. What I got to try are the Tommee Tippee weaning bowl, feeding spoon and non-slip spill mat.

The feeding spoon that I was given to try is a normal feeding spoon but is flexible so it is soothing to sore gums. They also have another type available where the spoon changes color if the food is too hot. I really like that the bowl sticks to the non-slip mat because little Miss Abigail loves to try and feed herself. As you can see from this photo here, she doesn’t quite get the spoon in her mouth often.

She tried with all her 6 month old strenght, but could not get the bowl to come off the mat, she wasn’t too happy about that. When it came time for me to remove the bowl to clean it the process was very easy. You can just tug a little on the pink tab under the bowl and it comes right off. The bowl even comes with a nifty travel feature where you can insert the bowl in a bigger bowl and attach a lid. The lid even has a place to store the spoon. That will come in really handy for us as we are always on the go.

I asked Lily to try out the Truly Spill Proof Water Bottle and she said that it was good because it was light weight and she could hold it with one hand. I like it because it uses the same valve system as her Explora Truly Spill Proof Drinking Cup so when Abigail outgrows the toddler cup we can still use the valve in the next stage of cups. But what I really love about their cups is that they are spill proof, and that is no lie. You just need to make sure that the valve system is inserted correctly and there will be no leaks. Lily has been using the drinking cups for months now and not one leak.

Want to get your hands on some Tommee Tippee? Well, here’s the good news, now through July 23: Buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com (http://bit.ly/cDYhv8) Tommee Tippee products can now be found in all Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide as well as on BabiesRUs.com.

If you want to know more about Tommee Tippee you can Like Tommee Tippee on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/tommeetippeenorthamerica or Follow Tommee Tippee on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/tommeetippee_na

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Tommee Tippee

Taxi Please

July 19, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily is starting Kindergarten at the end of August and we thought it would be a good idea for her to attend Summer School at her new school so that she could get used to the environment. We are almost done with the program and she is doing great, but I am the one who has been in an adjustment period.

I had no idea how hard this would be to drop her off and pick her up from school. At her new school they give every parent a security badge to wear once they have been ‘cleared’ by the office to be on campus. The badge is actually a yellow card that reads “Taxi Driver”. On the first day that I got my badge, I thought it was so cute, now I hate it because yes it reminds me that I am fricken Taxi Driver.

Every day I have had to drive her to school by a specific time, not like in Preschool where we could just come and go as we pleased. No, not when you are in real school, you’ve got to be on time people! Then I have to occupy myself for 2 hours with Abigail and then it is time to pick Lily up again from school. My entire morning and early afternoon is built around being her taxi, it is crazy.

There is an afternoon session that she doesn’t stay for and they ring a bell, holy cow if I am late picking her up I am pretty sure that she would go into category 5 hurricane mode. So every day I get there early and wait….tap tap tap my fingers, check my work email on my phone and get on facebook mobile while Abigail sleeps in the car and I wait for the perfect time to go into the school and pick Lily up…..wait did I mention that I have to actually get out of my car, sign her ‘out’ in the office walk to her classroom and get her? Oh My GOSH, this is madness and tons of fun when I have to wake up Abigail to do it.

I am almost sad in a way that this is what the next year is going to be like, my entire days filled with dropping her off and picking her up from school. Well, at least when she starts Kindergarten she will be in the afternoon class from noon – 3:00 and this means that we don’t need to rush out of the house or deal with morning traffic. I will also be able to do the ‘drive through’ lane to pick her up, I don’t need to get myself or Abigail out of the car to pick her up.

So, we are in her last week of Kindercamp and I am really looking forward to it being over, it was a great experience for both of us but dang it I am so exhausted.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Lily, School, St. Marys

There’s A New Cousin In Town

July 19, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Karina Lee Veverka was born to Michel (Lou’s sister) & Stuart Veverka on July 16 at 9:43pm. She weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long. Abigail and Karina are almost 6 months apart, they are going to have so much fun together and when Daria has her baby in October there is going to be another girl cousin. Guess pink is in for 2010.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Family

The Waiting Game: Tips to Keep Kids Busy

July 19, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

MobiStories.com Guest Contributor Wendy Toone shares great tips on how to keep your kids occupied when you’ve got tons of errands to run!

As a mom of two, I know I’m not alone when I say how challenging it is to keep young kids occupied while doing any sort of waiting. And by challenging, I mean “grit-your-teeth, pull your hair out, I can’t believe they’re doing that in public” challenging. How many times have you had to stop in to the bank for a quick transaction with a toddler in tow, only to find a line so long you think you made a wrong turn and ended up at the DMV. What to do?? You look at your toddler…at the line…at the very important banking you need to do…at your toddler…. at the line. It may seem like a hopeless situation, but it’s not. I’m here to help.

Here are a few of my tried and true tips and ideas to try the next time you find yourself in a queue, a waiting room, on a plane, or any other situation where you may need to keep your little ones quiet and at bay. They’ve worked for me; I hope they work for you. The basic premise is to keep your child busy. By giving them something specific to do you’ll be combating boredom, and may have fun in the process. So, give your toddler a job…Part 1 offers Gross Motor Exercises. In my follow up article I offer some Fine Motor Exercises. And the series will finish with the all-important Cognitive Exercises, to keep your little one thinking all the time.

“Gross” Motor Exercises (exercises for the large muscle groups, not the yucky ones)

Youngsters need to be active. It seems as though they’re wired that way. Running, jumping, rolling are all part of everyday life for toddlers – after all, physical and cognitive development is their job. So, since screen time may not be an option, how can we expect them to stand still for any length of time? That doesn’t mean you can turn your little one loose in the lobby. But you can encourage the use of large muscle groups, keeping them active but in one spot.

1. Flamingo Stand – have your child extend his/her arms out to the side for balance, then pick up one foot and see how long they can stand on the other foot. Naturally you’ll want to make sure you both have a bit of room in case of tips and tumbles. But the goal is not to fall down. The goal is to stay up…counting helps and creates an opportunity for improvement as each time they try they get to higher and higher numbers.

Once your child (and probably you as well) tire of the Flamingo Stand, move on to this one.

2. Little, Big – have your child do basic squats. For those of you who workout, you know how fatiguing it can be to burn those thigh muscles. Your child reaches as tall as she/he can, up on tiptoes, then squats down as little as they can, but staying on their feet. Think duck squat. In fact, you can even give a whispered little “quack, quack” if it helps. You can get big, now get little, as often as you’d like. Be certain not to go too fast…. otherwise you move into jumping, which may require more room than you have at hand.

We adults will probably feel the burning sensation in our legs much sooner than your child; however, you can probably stop at any time and watch your child go, go, go, go.

These are just a couple of gross motor exercises you can do with your child. By the way, why do they call them gross motor exercises? I’m sure you can now think of many others along these same lines. When it comes to waiting on long lines, giving your child something productive to do will make the waiting time pass more quickly. I look for anything to pass the time by. Whether it’s Gross Motor, Fine Motor or even just watching digital picture books to exercise your child’s brain. You know, whatever it takes. They’re only this young once!

Wendy Toone is a child expert having owned and operated a leading franchise children’s fitness center and now producing MobiStories, Virtual Books for KidsTM, as well as being a mom to her two children. To experience the world of digital children’s picture books, visit MobiStories.com.

To download a free digital book for your PC visit MobiStories.com, click on Summer (in the Ages 2 – 4 category) add it to the cart along with Michelle Obama (Ages 6-10) then enter the code SUM0710 in the Coupon Code Box.

*This advertorial post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions

Got Milk? Tour in Sacramento – July 15th – 17th

July 12, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I’m super jazzed to be heading out to the Milk the Moment Got Milk? tour this week and thought you might like to come too! Here is a link to their website with more detailed information http://www.whymilk.com/milk_tour.php.

At the tour you can:

Enter the “Milk the Moment” contest for a chance to win the ultimate family dinner experience with Milk Mustache celebrity chef Tyler Florence
Explore interactive dinner plate that puts milk head-to-head with other dinnertime beverage choices and about the benefits of being a milk drinker and receive tips on how to set a healthy dinner table
The NFL and the National Dairy Council’s (NDC) Fuel Up to Play 60 football toss that focuses on the importance of eating healthy and physical activity
Snap your very own souvenir Milk Mustache photo
“Pass the Gallon” through Facebook to benefit Feeding America to help moms build strong families with milk

This year’s theme is about building strong families. A recent survey found that most Americans are not regularly sitting down for dinner – and when they are, the nutrient value of the meal is often lacking, especially when it comes to what’s in their glass. To encourage moms to set the table with milk to help build a strong family, the national “got milk?” Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is traveling coast-to-coast to celebrate those special moments that families share around the dinner table. More information on whymilk.com.

Events:

Thursday, July 15 – Arden Fair Mall, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 2 – 4 p.m.
Friday, July 16 – California State Fair, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 17 – Sacramento Zoo, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 2 – 4 p.m.

UPDATE – 07/15/10

We attended the event today held at Arden Fair Mall and it was fun.

Tall Glass of Milk

Lily having her Chocolate Milk

We had our picture taken with milk mustache’s and got free milk! They even had pink milk available and Lily finally got to try some but Lily still prefers chocolate milk. I was able to pick up some great tip sheets for packing a healthy lunch, benefits of chocolate milk and an eating right sheet for kids.

You can still check out the tour as there are still 2 more stops on the tour in Sacramento

Friday, July 16 – California State Fair, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 17 – Sacramento Zoo, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 2 – 4 p.m.

If you are not in the Sacramento area you can check out the tour schedule here http://www.whymilk.com/milk_tour.php

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Dawn

Bonsai Birthday

July 11, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I am so very allergic to flowers and when I receive them I feel so bad that someone wasted their money because I will not be able to enjoy them as much as I would like. I feel like saying “Thanks but can I get a box of chocolates instead?” I was recently presented with the opportunity to review and item from ProFlowers and thought, no thanks, but then I was happy to hear that they offer more then just flowers. I was able to receive this Bonsai Tree for free from ProFlowers to review for you on my blog. The tree arrived in a nice sturdy box and packed well. It includes the ceramic pot and a bonsai brochure on how to take care of it.

I really like the idea of sending someone a bonsai tree as a gift for any occasion. It is appropriate for any gender and looks great on a desk or table and I think it is a great idea for someone who lives in an apartment. I was afraid that my cats would eat the leaves but for some reason they have actually left it alone. The tree is easy to maintain as well, I only need to water it 2-3 times a week and leave it in a sunny location. The care routine is great for me because unfortunately I don’t have a green thumb and tend to not have much luck with growing plants and flowers in my backyard.

Just think, if you send someone flowers they will die and if you send chocolate it will get eaten and they will gain weight (boo) but a bonsai tree will last for years and is a unique gift idea. The price of the tree I received was $39.99 and that is comparable to a bouquet of flowers. There are many different bonsai trees to choose from, and in different price ranges as well. You can check out the Bonsai Trees and Tropical Plants section of ProFlowers site here – http://www.proflowers.com/bonsaiandtropical-bnt I’ve got my eye on the “Lucky In Love Heart Bamboo”, go to their site and take a look at it, how cute is that?

Here is a photo of my Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai, isn’t she cute?

Item Description:

One 4-year-old Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai (6-8″ tall)

8″ ceramic pot

Care instructions

Item #2309

This Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai is approximately 4 years old, and a fitting present for a budding executive or a treasured relative: no occasion necessary! The Golden Gate Bonsai (Ficus microcarpa) is a tropical plant and will thrive in a sunny area. Place indoors near windows facing southeast or west. Care instructions are included.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions

Want To Share Your Opinion About Healthy Meals?

July 7, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Qualify to participate in one of our upcoming market research surveys, and you will be paid $20 to complete a survey that will take about 30-40 minutes of your time from the comfort of your own home.

You must click on the link below to answer a few questions about yourself for us to determine if you qualify to participate in our consumer research study. If you do not answer these questions, you will not be considered for this job!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LV38R77

IMPORTANT information:
-This is a legitimate posting from a California-based consumer research company. We do not use the information for any other purpose and we do not share your answers with any third parties.

-The survey included in this ad is to determine if you are a good fit for an ACTUAL survey that will be sent to you via email if and when you qualify.

-Qualifying participants who complete the study will be paid shortly thereafter through a VISA virtual giftcard for $20 that will be sent via email.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions

Summer Reading 2010

June 24, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Keeping the momentum of reading books during the summer months when school is out can be a challenge. Luckily many local libraries have stepped up to help out with Summer Reading programs. At the Sacramento Public Library you can find an awesome program called Summer Reading 2010 where you can sign your child up for their summer reading program and best of all it is free. Kids and teens can earn a book, and adults will get a book bag for their summer reading accomplishments. My daughter is in the ‘pre-reading’ stage and they even have a reading program for her as well. The library is offering a bingo card for different levels of readers.

When your child completes a row of activities on the card they can claim a prize and be entered into the drawing for one of the grand prizes such as:

Sony Reader with a $25 Reader Store gift card
iPod Touch with a $25 iTunes gift card
Nintendo DSi with a $25 Target gift card
Target gift card

Another way you can help your child continue reading books during the summer is to make up your own reward chart and let your child choose the reward. Other ideas include helping your teen start a book club with their friends or meet up with new friends at the library. The Sacramento Public Library has several book clubs available such as the Sci-Fi book club, Banned book club, Mystery book club and even a Twilight book club. For more information check out the Sacramento Public Library Events Page for times and locations.

We visit the library often and I let her choose the books she wants to read instead of me suggesting books. She mostly picks out books about animals. We also sit at the library and read a few of the books before we leave. I think that it is important to stay there for a little while and allow her to be surrounded by books. I tell her that she is just like Belle from Beauty and The Beast when she visits the library. I feel that the best way to keep her interest in reading is to not only read to her at night before bedtime but by reading to her during the day as well. I also suggest that she gather her stuffed animals and dolls to join us in the reading session.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an “I Can Read!” book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

I Can Read! Books

Become an I Can Read! Member

About I Can Read!:

The number one beginner reader series in the country, I Can Read!, is the open door to a child’s adventure with the most beloved characters in the history of children’s literature. It is the premiere and proven series for encouraging young readers from early reading together to advanced reading alone. The series debuted in 1957 with the introduction of a familiar favorite, Little Bear. It was one of the first ever easy-to-read books that children could read independently, and has been in print ever since. Now with more than 6 million I Can Read! books sold, including 200 titles, I Can Read! books is the best series to take children step by step into the wonderful world of reading on their own.

Complete list of I Can Read! books and activities

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Lily, Reading

Ford Introduces Rear Inflatable Seat Belts

June 16, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily Demonstrating The Rear Inflatable Set Belt

I was invited to attend the Ford Safety Tour last week. The event was held at the State Capitol North Steps and Ford was demonstrating one of their new safety items which is the Rear Inflatable Seat Belts. I was really interested in seeing how it works, it sounded pretty cool.

They had a cut-away of a back of car where you could hop in and demo the seat belt. Lily hoped right up there and did it, she called the rear seat belt a banana when it inflated. Normally she would be in a booster seat but I think that the rear inflatable seat belt is pretty nifty. I also tried the demo and when it is not inflated, the seat belt is actually pretty comfy too. For more detailed information about how this new technology works, you can visit the Ford Media Page.

KCRA TV in Sacramento has a great news spot about how it works.

Excerpts from Ford’s Press Release

•    Ford introduces the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries

•    Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts will debut on the next-generation Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, which goes into production next year; Ford eventually plans to offer inflatable seat belt technology in vehicles globally

•    Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts; this helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps control head and neck motion for rear seat passengers

•    More than 90 percent of Ford research participants indicated that Ford’s inflatable seat belts are similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts, which could help increase the lower rate of rear belt usage

My 1983 White Mustang Convertible (photo is from 1989)

Ford is also coming out with some other great safety items. One which would have really annoyed me when I was a teenager and I would have been so mad if my Mom use it. The safety item is called MyKey™ and it allows parents to limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume to encourage safe driving behavior in teens. It also has other features such as a seat belt reminder and fuel reminder. Here is a link to Ford’s MyKey™ technology page for more detailed information about each feature.

Lily eating her Leatherby's Ice Cream from the Ford Demo

· Ford introduces the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries

· Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts will debut on the next-generation Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, which goes into production next year; Ford eventually plans to offer inflatable seat belt technology in vehicles globally

· Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts; this helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps control head and neck motion for rear seat passengers

More than 90 percent of Ford research participants indicated that Ford’s inflatable seat belts are similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts, which could help increase the lower rate of rear belt usage

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Dawn

Lily or Abby?

June 14, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Who is this baby? Lily, Abby or is it me?

Everyone keeps telling me how much Lily and Abby look alike, but honsetly I didn’t see it until I went back and cracked open my photo albums (yes I have those even though I am a digtial chick) and I started to look at the pictures of Lily as a baby. Holy cow, they were right, Lily as a baby looks pretty much like Abby, they are almost twins.

So, I thought it would be good for a laugh to post a picture of Lily and one of Abby around the same age to see if you can tell which is which.

Photo #1 - Is this Lily or Abby?

Photo #2 - Lily or Abby?

Photo #3 Lily or Abby?

Photo #4 - Lily or Abby?

Ok, so you are a super sleuth as you can probably tell them apart given one of them has a lack of hair!! But it is still fun to see how similar they look.

BONUS

Who is this baby?

It’s Baby Dawn…holy 70′s ! The 1st picture is also of me. I don’t have any other baby pictures of Louis or I would gladly post them. Heehehe

Here are pictures of me and Louis when we were little kids.

Louis

Dawn

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abby, Lily

It’s Time for Summer Camps

June 14, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily is headed off to summer camp, not the kind where you live in a cabin for a few weeks. She is only 4 and besides I am pretty sure she is allergic to nature, like me. The summer camp that she is going to is actually a Kindergarten Redines program at her ‘New School’ as we call it. This school is where she will be attending Kindergarten in the fall so we thought it would be a good idea to enroll her in their Summer Camp so that she can become more familiar with her new school. In addition to KinderCamp they also offer KinderSpanish, KinderArt and KinderHipHop. There are many programs available for all grades. Check out the St. Mary’s School Summer Session, it runs in two sessions the first is from June 14 – July 2 and the second is July 6 – July 23.

If you are looking for something else such as horse riding camp or singing camp you can check out the Sacramento Parent Magazine Camp guide for some great ideas. I know that The Little Gym is running a fun summer camp with a new theme each week and you pick how many days your kid wants to go. They can go all week or just a few days, it’s up to you. And as always check with your local park & recreation catalog for fun summer time camps.

When you send your kids off to camp, be sure to label their gear or you might end up with some other kids lunch box or shoes! I buy my labels from Mabel’s Labels and they are awesome. They don’t come off in the dishwasher and they have some pretty snazzy designs. They have a special combo pack called a Camp Pack / School Pack. The pack comes with clothing labels, bag tags and sticky labels. You will get 15 Sticky Labels 8 Shoe Labels, 2 Bag Tags, 40 Iron-Ons or 50 Tag Mates™. If you want to place an order I have a special coupon code for the first person who emails me and asks for it! The coupon code is good for $6 off your order of a Camp Pack / School Pack.

So tell me, what are your kids up to this summer?

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, mabel's labels

Taste What’s New & Delicious

June 7, 2010 By Dawn Cullo 6 Comments

Kraft Foods brand has provided me with the free gift basket and coupons so that the Cullo family could try some of their new products.

Here is a list of what we got to try

• New KRAFT HOMESTYLE DELUXE Macaroni & Cheese Dinner: a delicious homemade taste complete with a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
• New KOOL-AID FUN FIZZ Drink Drops: a fun and delicious way to get kids to drink water with only 5 calories per serving.
• RITZ CRACKERFULS Filled Crackers: made with real cheese and 6 grams of whole grain per serving to help keep you satisfied.
• New DIGIORNO Pizza & Breadsticks: fresh-baked taste with big juicy toppings plus cheesy breadsticks along with marinara sauce — all in one box.
• OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Meats: sliced, packed and sealed at the peak of freshness.
• New KRAFT 100 CALORIE PACKS CHEESE BITES: big cheese flavor in every bite-sized piece in these satisfying 100 calorie packs.

KRAFT HOMESTYLE DELUXE Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

We first tried this as a side with some BBQ chicken. This is not your normal box of Mac & Cheese, they’ve stepped it up a notch by using ridged elbow macaroni, four cheeses and a bread crumb topping. Around my house that is called ‘fancy’ because I am normally making Sponge Bob Mac & Cheese for Lily. I followed the optional directions and finished off the macaroni and cheese by putting it in the oven and covering it with shredded cheese and the bread crumbs. Louis and I really enjoyed the macaroni and cheese because it was a more ‘hearty’ type of mac and cheese as the sauce really stuck to the macaroni and the optional method of finishing it in the oven was a nice touch because I really felt like I was making something special for my family. It also didn’t take much of an extra effort to make it dinner a little bit more special. Lily didn’t like it very much because of the bread crumb topping, she just doesn’t want ‘crunchy’ things in her macaroni, guess this one is not for 4 year olds.

KOOL-AID FUN FIZZ Drink Drops

Kook Aid Fun Fizz Lily was so excited to try this because she told me that she has seen a Kook-Aid commercial on TV and the drink looks good. At first I was hesitant to try it because when I think of Kook-Aid I think of sugar and when Lily has too much sugar it is like watching a cat on ‘catnip’. Once I read the package I was pleasantly surprised that the FUN FIZZ Drink Drops are a different type of Kook Aid drink and contain no sugar. The package contains 8 small individually packaged tablets, think alka-seltzer, which is great because you can keep a few in your purse or diaper bag and use them on the go. They are a fun and delicious way to get kids to drink water. To use them just tear open the pack and drop into an 8oz glass of water or water bottle. Each drink drop dissolves into a fizz kids will love to watch and then drink! You can view the nutritional information here on the Kool-Aid website.

Here is a video of Lily talking about the drink, Louis and I also liked them too as they have a little bit of a ‘fizz’ to them that makes drinking water fun.

RITZ CRACKERFULS Filled Crackers

Ritz Crackerfuls These crackers were not what I expected at all, they were a nice surprise because I thought that they would be a box full of cracker sandwiches but I was wrong. They come as 6 individually wrapped cracker bars which is basically two long crackers that have cheese in between them like a cracker sandwich. The cracker tastes great and the cheese is soft and has a nice taste to it as well. I liked them so much that I went to the store and purchased the bacon and cheese version. Holy cow, they reminded me of Bacon Thins Crackers that Nabisco used to make, I LOVED those back in the day but they don’t make them anymore. Ok, back to the Ritz Cracker…this cracker not only tastes good but leaves you satisfied until your next meal. Each one contains real cheese and 5 grams of whole grain as well as 2 grams of protein per serving, now THATS a good snack. You can visit the Ritz site for more information about the different varieties available as well as the nutritional information. I really loved that they are individually wrapped because that is my kind of style, I am on the go all the time and need to bring snacks with me so having a product like this is fantastic. Lily didn’t care for them too much, she just ate the cheese but not the cracker, she is crazy like that so I ate her crackers.

DIGIORNO Pizza & Breadsticks

mmmm the Pizza and Breadsticks was by far the Cullo families favorite one to try. We tried out the supreme style pizza which came with garlic breadsticks. They also have available a cheese pizza or a pepperoni pizza and those come with cheesy breadsticks. The cost of the pizza was $8.49 at my grocery store and that is a good deal because not only do you get the pizza but you get some delicious breadsticks and marinara dipping sauce as well. I suggest making a salad to to along with the pizza and breadsticks for a complete meal. I really liked the taste of the sauce, it was thick, not a watered down cheap sauce and there were also a generous amount of toppings for an $8 pizza.

OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Meats

We opted to try out the roast beef and found that even a few days after opening the package the meat was still tasty. The meats are sliced, packed and sealed at the peak of freshness. The roast beef has only 60 calories per serving (6 slices) and 10 grams of protein. That amount of meat with some cheese, lettuce and tomato sure made for a hearty sandwich.

KRAFT 100 CALORIE PACKS CHEESE BITES

Kraft 100 Calorie Packs Lastly we tried the 100 Calorie Cheese Bites and these fit into our families snacking style because we are always on the go and we love love love the 100 calorie packs. What I liked about the cheese bites is that they are very tasty, we tried the Cheddar & Monterey jack variety. Theses are similar to cheese cubes, but they are cut in half. You can view more information about the different variety of cheese bites and even print a $1.00 coupon so you can try them out now by visiting the Kraft site.

If you love to check out new products and talk about them with your friends then consider joining the First Taste community today, and you’ll be among the first to try exciting new Kraft products. It’s free to sign up and you get access to fabulous coupons to try new products and you can provide your feedback about new products http://www.kraftfirsttaste.com

Giveaway

Are you interested in trying these new foods? If so, you can also win a basket filled with these products and free coupons so you can taste them for yourself.

Kraft Foods has generously provided 1 gift basket filled with samples of New KOOL-AID FUN FIZZ Drink Drops, New KRAFT HOMESTYLE DELUXE Macaroni & Cheese and RITZ CRACKERFULS Filled Crackers along with gratuity coupons for New DIGIORNO Pizza & Breadsticks, OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Meats and New KRAFT 100 CALORIE PACKS CHEESE BITES.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Tweet about it (only 1 entry per twitter account)

Here’s what to tweet:

Taste What’s New & Delicious! Win a gift basket filled with kraft foods and coupons. Check out @DawnCullo post here http://bit.ly/aBOBhm

2. Post a comment below

Leave me a comment below about which product you are most interested in trying. If you want more information about the products you can visit the Kraft Foods First Taste Website – http://www.kraftfirsttaste.com/offers/taste-whats-new/default.aspx

Winner will be determined by a random number drawing based upon the number of entries by Random.org. Contest ends on Friday June 11, 2010 at Midnight (PST) Winner will be announced on this blog post on June 12, 2010. If you are the lucky winner I will contact you via Twitter ID or email address. Please respond by Monday June 14, 2010 so I can have enough time to provide the prize distributor with your name and shipping address so you can promptly receive your prize.

Please note: Kraft Foods brand is not a sponsor of the giveaway but they have provided the gift basket and coupons. This promotion is not linked to Kraft Foods, and Kraft Foods is not responsible for conducting the promotion or for selecting the recipient.

June 12, 2010
Winner Selected via Random.Org is #3, the winner has been notified via email. Thank you to everyone who entered on my blog and for those who Tweeted.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Product Contest

Shabby Apple Girls Dress Review

May 26, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I was contacted by Shabby Apple and they asked if Lily would like to review one of their dresses. We were given the dress called “45 Words Per Minute” to review. This is the information about the dress from their website.

Taking after its matching dress for moms, 90 words per minute, this dress knows how to be stylish and flatter any woman young or old. Taking the nickname “Little Secretary Dress”, it has a dressy tie-collar at the neck and adorable puff sleeves with a band that ends conveniently just above the elbow. The hem ends at the knee and includes trendy ruching at the hips. With its easy to care for poly / rayon / spandex jersey fabric, this dress is perfect for any little girl who’s always on the go. A classy fit for a little busy body, 45 WPM is hassle-free and comfortable! We love this dress so much, we offer it in three beautiful colors: Apple Green, Fuchsia, and Turquoise!

Lily’s review

“Normally, I like a dress that poofs out on the bottom, but I also liked this one. I like that it is blue, but pink is my favorite color, but I didn’t care what color it was because it was nice of them to send it to me. I like that it has a pretty bow. I like that it does not have long sleeves, the sleeves are a perfect length. It would have been cool if the dress had pockets on the side. The dress was comfortable, it felt like I was wearing a dress.”

Dawn’s Review

I thought that this dress was so cute on Lily, it is a more sophisticated dress than what she normally wears. It did make her look less like a 4 year old and more older, but I still love how it looked on her. She prefers to wear dresses that have more pouf at the bottom so that when she spins around the dress poufs out. The dress is super soft because it is made from a rayon & spandex jersey fabric mix, like a soft t-shirt. There is a gathering on the sides of the dress to give it the bunched up look on the hip area, this is a nice touch. I was surprised that she liked the bow that tied in the front, normally this isn’t her cup of tea but she liked it. The sleeve length is nice too, I don’t like having her wear long sleeves because I just end up rolling them up anyway so she doesn’t get all dirty. The sleeve length is perfect because the dress is a light enough fabric that is can be worn in warmer weather as well. The dress comes in three colors Apple Green, Fuchsia, and Turquoise. The one that Lily is wearing in the photos is Turquoise.

You can view their entire collection of girls dresses by going to their site http://www.shabbyapple.com
Charity

Not only does Shabby Apple sell dresses they also help women worldwide. Every $100 donation from Shabby Apple Dresses provides at least 20 women with access to financial services – and the chance to live a life without poverty.

Each new Shabby Apple Dresses dress features a unique hang tag with a micro-credit success story.

Here is what was on the dress that we received:

Name: Suchitra Gain - Haringhata. West Bengal, India
Age: 30, married
Children: one son and one daughter
Current loan: First loan, $68
Business: Weaver, garment-maker
Microfinance client since: 2004
“I’ve always worked hard, but now my hard work is resulting in profit and I can improve my own life and the lives of my children”

You can read more about Shabby Apple’s charitable contributions on their site - http://www.shabbyapple.com/t-helpingWomen.aspx.

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: Lily

First Feeding

May 21, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Abigail had her 4 month check up and did very well, she weighs only slightly more than Lily did at this age, 14 pounds. Her doctor gave us the green light to start to introduce foods such as rice cereal and pureed foods. Right after we left the doctors office we zoomed over to walgreens and picked up some food for Abigail. When we sit down for a meal we put Abigail in her high chair and she just stares at us and makes a chewing motion with her mouth. So now Lily and I were super excited to be able to feed Abigail food.

Abigail's First Feeding of Banana's

We started with bananas and after a while she liked them. But then the next day she had a bad reaction to her vaccinations so we stuck with formula. When she was feeling better we gave her some rice cereal, just 2 oz but she loved it. I think however she may have been confused because it tasted like formula and I was feeding it to her with a spoon. I think she wanted it in the bottle, not from the spoon.

After a bib change Lily even helped out and feed her a few scoops of bananas.

Lily feeding Abigail bananas

Even though I have been through all this baby stuff before, my memory is terrible and I couldn’t recall how much to feed her. Luckily, Gerber has a great website with a lot of info for forgetful mommies like me.

Here is a link to their Nutrition Guide for Supported Sitters, but they have others as well on their site. I especially like the menu planner available to help you keep your babies nutritional needs on track. With a few clicks you can customize a menu for your baby. You can even print it out and tack it on your fridge AND you can print out a shopping list, how type “A” is that.

Here are a few pictures from the Lily Collection.

Lily's first feeding February 2006

Lily's First Feeding in February 2006

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, First Feeding, Lily

Giraffes

May 21, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I did it, I finally broke down and bought one of those crazy Giraffe teethers for Abigail. I have seen them in just about every parenting magazine and heard from other moms about them, most recently my next door neighbor has one for her son who is just a few months older than Abigail.

When I pulled it out of the box I was shocked because I seriously thought that this was going to be a hard rubber type of toy but it is not. Sophie, yes she has a name, is made from a soft flexible rubber that smells so darn awesome, like vanilla. I took it out of the box and handed it to Abigail and it was like she already knew what to do with it, she shoved it right in her mouth. Sophie also has a cute squeaker in her tummy that sounds like a dog toy.

You can view a video about how she is made…mostly by hand. – the stress test is the best part of the video !!

But what is all the craze about? Why do babies love this toy?

•Sight:

At the age of 3 months, a baby’s eyesight is still limited and he can only make out high contrasts. The Dark and contrasting attention-catching spots all over Sophie the Giraffe’s body provide visual stimulation and she soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object for baby.

•Hearing:

Sophie’s the Giraffe squeaker keeps baby amused and stimulates his hearing. To begin with, the funny sound Sophie makes when she is squeezed helps to stimulate baby’s hearing, and then later, helps him to understand the link between cause and effect.

•Taste:

A Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint, and is completely safe to chew, just like a feeding bottle teat. Her soft texture and numerous chewable parts (ears, horns, legs), make her perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums during teething.

•Touch:

Touch is the first means a baby has of communicating with the outside world. Sophie the Giraffe’s soft feel, like baby’s mother’s skin, stimulates physiological and emotional response that soothe baby and promote healthy growth and well-being..

•Smell:

The singular scent of natural rubber from the Hevea tree makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for your child to identify amid all his other toys.

•Easy to grip:

Sophie the Giraffe’s shape and 18 cm (7 inches) size are perfect for baby’s small hands. She is very light, and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip, even from his earliest days.

Still the same, even after more than 46 years…
She hasn’t dated in the slightest..

More than 30 million Sophies have been sold…

How to get one

Ok, so now you want one for your baby, well here is how you can get one. If you live in the Sacramento area you can head down to Goores, that is where I got mine or you can order one from Amazon

In closing, unfortunately when I think of Giraffes all I can think about is the most awesomest Saturday Night Live sketch about GIRAFFES.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail

Swim Lessons Done Wrong

May 20, 2010 By Dawn Cullo 5 Comments

I have vivid memories of my first swim lesson experience when I was 4 years old. It haunts me to this day, I still get chills thinking about it. I recall crying and telling my mom how much I didn’t want to keep doing the lessons, but she felt it was important for me to learn water safety since we had a pool in our backyard. I can’t really argue with her on that point and she was just doing what she felt was right at the time. She put her trust in the swim instructor and hoped that she would teach me how to swim.

The swim lessons took place at the YMCA in Sacramento in 1977, my teachers name was Moe and she was really mean. I always was in fear of her and basically did what she said out of fear, not because I loved to swim. Many times I felt out of control, like I was going to drown because she wouldn’t let us hold onto the side of the pool deck for very long. She would only come and help us stay afloat when we made large splashes in the water and to top it off, at the end of each lesson she made us jump off the high dive. Honestly, I am not sure how high it really was but in my mind (at 4 years old) it was pretty darn high.

Growing up I had a pool in my backyard and I did enjoy swimming but always had a fear of being in the deep end, not being able to touch the bottom and keep my head above water, it is still a fear of mine today and my biggest fear is drowning.

Lily Swim Lessons April 2006

Now, it is my turn to teach Lily how to swim and she is already fearful of the pool, she seems to think that she will not be able to float in the water and sink to the bottom. When she was a baby we took her to swim lessons and she was ok with it until the teacher started to teach us how to ‘dunk’ her in the water. Really? That is just mean…and now I regret even doing that to her as a baby. They do teach you the proper way to prepare your child prior to dunking them, but I still think it is mean. We then moved on to swim lessons when she was 2 years old and those went well, I avoided the dunking lessons and we just agreed to let her get her blow bubbles in the water instead of going underwater.

Now we have a pool in the area that we have gone to and she has been small enough to hang out in the toddler pool, but this year she is too big. She will go with us in the big pool but she hangs on for dear life when we are in there playing. I feel bad for her, I know that feeling all too well about having fears in the swimming pool. We have signed her up for semi-private swim lessons this year, hoping that the teacher will somehow make a break through with her and help her to enjoy time in the pool, the big kid pool. If that doesn’t work then I think we are going to have to shell out some bucks for private swim lessons. I know that it is going to take patience on my part as well, but I think I’ve got this one covered because I can totally understand her fears and help her work through them….it’s going to be an interesting summer. I will keep you posted and let you know how she does.

Here are some resources that I found about teaching your child to swim. If you have any tips, please share them below in the comments section.

Parents Magazine – Teach Your Child To Swim

Sacramento Parent – How To Raise Water Confident Kids

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Lily

The Picture People – 05/03/10

May 8, 2010 By Dawn Cullo 1 Comment

We finally got picture of the girls done. This will be good practice for our family photo shoot in September

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Lily, Portraits

I am so tired I might at well be drunk

April 23, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I am exhausted, having a new baby in the house has left me exhausted and acting like 1/2 of my brain cells are missing. At least twice I have put my shirt on backwards and worn it outside of the house that way, and today I put my yoga pants on the wrong way and started to walk out of the house but noticed my error. Often, I forget what I am going to say or can’t remember why I came into a room. I often leave the house with the girls and have to come back in to get something, not once but twice. Sometimes I feel like a drunk! Oh how I wish for a nice cold beer or a rum and diet coke, but that pesky breastfeeding stops me from consuming alcohol.

Now it seems like everyone needs something from me too, the cats want to be fed (how rude of them) or Lily needs help getting dressed and Abigail, oh boy she needs help with everything because she is a baby and my husband asks the most annoying questions like “what do you want for dinner”. =) I swear!

When Lily was a baby (4 1/2 years ago) I will admit that I was sleep deprived but at least I still had my wits about me. Now, that I am older my body is handling this lack of sleep a little bit differently. I wake up in the middle of the night at least twice to feed Abigail, and when I finally get back to sleep is it only a few short hours until it is time to get up and start my day, but I feel like my day never ends and thus it never really begins again. I have no idea how people with more than two kids get all their crap done. I am my own worst enemy really because I like to have a clean house and I like to have the laundry done so I am constantly cleaning and doing chores, I know I’m crazy.

One day I will get my sleep back, probably not until the girls are old enough to hang out with their friends more than with me. You know that age, when you are supposed to not like your parents. But when that time comes I will be sad because I will miss holding them and helping them get through the day and I will want these days to return, yes these days when I feel drunk and exhausted.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Beer, Dawn, Sleep

Curves® for Women Toning Trainer

April 18, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

I was at the Sketchers store a few weeks ago to check out the Shape-ups shoes. They basically are shoes that have a funky sole and they help improve your posture and work your muscles in a whole new way so that it helps to tone up and burn more calories. I was so excited to try these new shoes out, they had so many cute colors too but (insert car screeching break noise here) when I pick up the shoe to see the price I was in shock, $110. Seriously, seriously, really, they need to be that expensive? I could buy a gym membership for that price. So I said “screw it” and walked out of the store.

I sell AVON (yes, like your mom did) and they have a ‘lifestyle’ section which I pretty much have ignored because, well I am not sure why but I’ve never paid attention to it until now. They have some Toning tennis shoes as well, and they are made by Curves® and the price is a bit more manageable at $50, but with my representative discount I got them for less. (woot)

I’ve been wearing them for about a week now and they are a bit different than your normal tennis shoe. At first I felt like Frankenstein walking around or like I had big bricks on my feet. I am a bit of a klutz and not very coordinated so I was impressed with myself that I never fell down while wearing them. I have since gotten used to wearing them and find them to be quite comfortable.

After the first day of wearing them my legs were sore. I guess that means they work! I am pretty sure that I am not going to drop those 40 pounds of I’ve been dying so much to get rid of but wearing these could at least help a little bit. Now I wear them everywhere so that I can multi-task and burn some calories while running some errands.

If you want to check them out you can view them here at my Avon store. The shoes are very popular and they only have a few sizes available right now so if your size isn’t available you can either check back later or send me and email and I will see what I can do.

Tennis Shoes

Link to my Avon store -http://dcullo.avonrepresentative.com/

Click the “Shop Now” tab and search for Item # 36393

Flip Flops

Also, they have a flip – flop version that just went on sale (limited sizes). They are item # 33860 I am totally going to have to pick those up too!

If you want to order the shoes, be sure to use the Free Shipping coupon FSANY at checkout.

http://www.skechers.com/shoes-and-clothing/styles/fitness/women_s_shape_ups/list?cm_sp=WP-_-MGShapeups-_-Shapeups

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions Tagged With: AVON, Dawn

Spit Up Happens

April 15, 2010 By Dawn Cullo 1 Comment

In 2005 if I had a day like I had today I am pretty sure I would be crying in a corner somewhere in my house because I felt like I had failed at being a mommy. Back then, as a first time parent my world was spinning when it came to taking care of a newborn. I thought I knew what I was doing because I read all those parenting books. Lily was a difficult baby, not the kind you want to have as a first time parent. I should have never wasted my time reading any of those parenting books because Lily broke the mold, and still does.

Today, I am older and wiser or as my OBGYN calls it ‘pre-menopausal’. Well, leave it to my Gay OBGYN to call it like he sees it. Anyway, back to today. I just couldn’t get Abby to take a nap today and I pulled out all the mommy tricks but nothing was working. I was pretty frustrated today but I took it all in stride and just kept pressing on with my day. She did fall asleep in the car, but as soon as I got to where I was going she would wake up, lovely. The one thing that I did notice today is that she had a lot more spit up than normal and she wanted to chew on her thumbs more than normal.

This picture was taken by Lily just after breakfast and at the moment she took the picture I felt something warm on my leg….and it was Spit Up. I should have gotten the clue that this is how my day was going to be. Later in the day she even spit up down my back and it landed on the carpet at The Little Gym, awesome. I tried to get her down for a nap the entire afternoon and she would fall asleep but then wake up a few minutes later. That tells me that something is bothering her and I think that she is going through a growth spurt as she will be 3 months old in a few days.

When kids grow it actually hurts in their limbs and it can be quite bothersome, and I learned that from Lily. When she was little there were times when she was a monster, and I am not exaggerating about that at all. She was great birth control for us for several years. Basically, she would be very difficult and then a few days later she would have a new tooth or we would measure her and she would be 1/2 inch taller. When she got old enough to tell us what was bothering her, she told me that her arms and legs hurt and we would figure out that she was growing. So knowing this vital information helped me today and I never ended up crying in a corner somewhere in my house because I know that Abby is just growing and I have to help her through it and give her extra love and some Motrin.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Dawn, Lily

The Little Gym

April 11, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily swinging on the bars at The Little Gym

Lily and I started classes at The Little Gym right before her 2nd Birthday in 2007 and we had a great time because it was a “Mommy & Me” type of deal and we had fun together. Later she wanted to try a cheer-leading class and that didn’t go very well because it was a class she had to do on her own. I honestly don’t recall what happened after that but we didn’t enroll for the next session and we just stopped going for a few years.

Then a few weeks ago Lily found her red award ribbon from The Little Gym and ran over to me and shouted “I want to go back to The Little Gym”. I was in shock, really? We haven’t been there in almost 2 years. I guess those red reward ribbons are great marketing tools on their part. =)

We went back to our local The Little Gym in Folsom, CA and she tried out a class, this time she was old enough to do a class on her own and quite frankly I didn’t think she would go through with it.

Well, I wrong because she did great. Abby and I sat outside the room with all of the other parents and watched. Lily amazed me because she took so many risks that day and succeeded.

Lily swinging on the rings at The Little Gym

I don’t only mean the type of risks such as the balance beam but she wasn’t familiar with any of the kids, teachers or activities and she just jumped right in there and participated. I would have expected her to come out to the waiting room some time during the class and ask to go home, but she didn’t. I could see the joy on her face after she accomplished a task on a piece of gym equipment. She completed the entire class and at the end came running over to me and said “I really liked it and I want to sign up”. The day we went back to The Little Gym was fantastic because I could see her confidence in herself soar.

I recall when we first went to The Little Gym in 2007 and seeing all the Thank You cards on the walls from parents about how their child’s confidence had risen or how their child was doing better in school or at home because of The Little Gym. I clearly remember thinking, “ah poohy, that is silly, gymnastics can’t make that much of a difference” Guess I was wrong and now I am one of those parents thanking The Little Gym for helping my daughter’s confidence too. Not only do the programs at The Little Gym make a difference but it is the owners and the teachers too. The owners of The Little Gym Folsom are fantastic and they really do care about the kids and their families. When we went back to The Little Gym it had been almost 2 years, but the owner Cindy still remembered Lily.

Lily really looks forward to her time at The Little Gym and she can’t wait for their Summer Camp as well. Her birthday is in September and she has already made plans to have it there. We will also be signing Abby up for her first class during their Summer session, I can’t wait for her to have a great time there too.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Dawn, Lily, The Little Gym

Easter Madness

April 4, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Abbity Rabbity

Ok, well it wasn’t really madness but I thought that it was going to be. Now having two young kids makes everything take longer and just seem like more of a pain in the booty. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girls but holy cow now we have even more crap to lug around, especially on a Holiday visit to the in-laws.

However, this Easter I was pleasantly surprised, it went very smooth….omg did I say that? I could not believe how awesome my Easter was.

Lily was so well behaved and I was so proud of her as she didn’t gather ALL of the Easter eggs during the hunt at Grandma’s, she left some for her younger cousins. Abby was the best baby EVER! She cried when she wanted to be fed, took naps when she was tired and even did some socializing. I just couldn’t believe how un-stressed I was….it was a very nice feeling.

However, the days before Easter were a bit stressful for me. You see, I am a very organized gal…ok I used to be before I had the girls. Normally, I would have had all of my Easter stuff done at least the weekend if not a few days before. This time, I didn’t start until Friday and I was still putting things together on Saturday night, which drove me a bit batty. The whole time I was putting Lily’s Easter basket together I was so sure she was going to come bounding down the stair and ruin the surprise, but she didn’t and I stressed for no reason. She slept through the night, unlike me though. I was up every two hours with Abby and then up at 6:30 when Lily woke up to see what the Easter Bunny brought. *sigh* So we started our day pretty early and I had a headache the entire day, but it was still a good day.

Filed Under: Blog, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Abigail, Celebration, Dawn, Easter, Family, Holiday, Lily, Louis

The Home Depot Kids Workshop

April 4, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Are you looking for something F.R.E.E. to do with your kids on a Saturday? If so, you might want to head on over to your local Home Depot and check out the Kids Workshops.

Louis and Lily happened to be at The Home Depot a few weeks ago and found out that they have F.R.E.E. Kids workshops on the first Saturday of every month from 9-Noon. You don’t have to stay for the entire 3 hours, you can just come and work on the project between those hours.

Your kid will get an Apron and a special pin to put on it for each project that they complete and a certificate. The projects come in a kit that you put together and they provide the decorative elements such as stickers, paint and markers.

Lily had a great time working with Louis to put together the house, she even “bammed” in some of the nails. Of course her favorite part was the decorating. Lily thought that the whole thing was pretty darn cool and is looking forward to the next one in May.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Family, Lily, Louis, The Home Depot

Getting Your Schedule Organized with Casablast

March 26, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

The Casablast online calendaring system can help you organize your family schedules and ‘to do’ lists from any computer. You can even send out event reminders and text messages to your families cell phones right from Casablast and best of all, it is FREE.

To make using the service even more fun for our family we had all of the text messages and reminders to sent from our 2 month old baby Abby.

Visit Casablast today to learn more and to sign up

Here’s what you can do with the Casablast system.

Family Calendar

The CasaBlast™ Family Calendar is the easiest way for the family to organize and share one family calendar.

Visual Voicemail

Hate waiting to get home to pick up your new voicemails. Wait no longer! CasaBlast™ allows your family to play and manage your voicemails from any connected PC.

FamilyBlast™

FamilyBlast™s are the quickest and easiest way to reach out to every family member at once – whether everyone’s at home or out and about.

Notification and Reminders

Having an online family organizer is great. Having one that sends you friendly notifications and reminders is even better!

To-Do Lists

CasaBlast™ provides your family a single place, other than the fridge, where all your To-Do’s are stored and easily accessible

Family Address Book

Create and manage a shared online family address book

Filed Under: Blog, Promotions

Kindergarten Bound

March 21, 2010 By Dawn Cullo Leave a Comment

Lily had her Kindergarten assessment with St. Mary School in Sacramento and did great. As we left the appointment she said “That was fun”. A few days later we received the good news that she was accepted. We were a little worried that she may not get in because this is one of the best catholic schools in Sacramento and we are not exactly fully participating in all things Catholic at the moment, but we will be from now on. I know that by having Lily at this school it will really help our family. We are excited to be part of a community of people with the same values as we do.

She will actually start this summer in their Kinder Camp program. For Lily this will be a way for her to get used to the Kindergarten surroundings and make some new friends before the school year starts.

Filed Under: Blog, Cullo Family News, Dawn's Blog Tagged With: Kindergarten, Lily, School, St. Marys