Thursday, December 15, 2011

BusyBodyBook anyone?

When we met Nika, back in September 2008, we left a disposable camera with her caregivers to take pictures of her in her baby home before we went back to get her in November 2008. When we returned, they gave us the camera and I could not wait to see what was on it.

Well... we got home and the camera was nowhere to be found. I swear I looked in every piece of luggage we had taken to Russia... nada.

Fast forward to the week before Thanksgiving this year... Kyle pulled out an old duffel bag to pack for our cruise. Lo and behold, there was the camera. I have no idea how we missed it back then, but whatever... we got it now.

So I took it in to be processed... and there was a whopping five pictures on there. And only one of them was of Nika. I'm going with the one-is-better-than-none philosophy.

Here she is... taken sometime between September and November 2008... she turned two years old that October... chunky monkey...

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And here she is now... just turned five years old... gorgeous as ever...

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That is three years in the life of a former orphan.

Me: Nika, who's the Russian?
Nika: (proudly tapping her chest) Me!

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So this elf thing... I hear some people are sayin' it has gone haywire. I'm just sayin'... I think it is fun and hilarious. Granted, this blog post is equally hilariousAnd my kids like it... and, and... stuff. C'mon people... it's a little holiday fun. Good memories for the children... although yes, the bar has been raised* and we can never go back. But it's okay... just one more good memory my kids will have from their childhood.

*Just hope that your kid doesn't talk to his friends at school and come home saying, "But Johnny's elf brought him a dog... man, our elf sucks!" I think my neighbor told my husband that something similar happened. Oopsie.

I have stepped aside to let my husband have the private conversations with Rex, our elf. Because my ideas for Rex suck... and my husband is a genius, apparently. Who knew?!

Exhibit A:

Rex was GONE FISHING. And dude, he was wearing Barbie's sunglasses. I'm sorry, but this is hilarious. Or maybe it's just me... but I am still laughing at this picture. Genius husband, genius.

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Exhibit B:

Rex watched Elf, the movie. Popped himself some popcorn and plopped his butt in front of the tv.

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Exhibit C: 

Rex hijacked our angel and decided he deserved the honors. Dude, my tree lights suck.

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Exhibit D:

Rex planking on our pot rack.

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Exhibit E: 

Rex sent Mason on a scavenger hunt to find him this morning, knowing Mason is the first one up every morning. Clue number one was left on the remote control... guess we all know what Mason does when he gets up in the morning.

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Yesterday, Rex nuzzled himself up in Payton's doll's bed. He had the kleenex and some cough medicine at his bedside. Mason went there for clue two.

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Enter the gingerbread sleigh for clue three.

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And Nika's mustache for clue four.

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Clue five... the toilet papered Christmas tree.

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And clue six...

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That's all... for now. *snickers*

::

Coming out of the stone age to admit that I have never used Pandora before. I'm a little slow to catch onto these things... I think I waited a few years before I bought into Facebook (which I wouldn't mind boycotting at this point). But today... my Pandora is kickin' and I'm happy. I typed in my New Kids on the Block love and it's pumpin' out some Vanilla Ice, Roxette, Rick Springfield, Justin Timberlake and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

I.love.this.thing.

Oh yeah... Journey just came on. Just a small town girl... livin' in a lonely world... 

::

Giveaway time... enter, the infamous BusyBodyBook.

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'Tis my favorite.thing.ever. I gave away four last year and I have two to give away this year for 2012.

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BusyBodyBook weekly grid planners are every mom's go-to time management tool for controlling the chaos of her family's multiple and hectic schedules. BusyBodyBook personal and family calendars provide individual family members with their own personal column to organize, easily view and follow their schedules and activities - and the ability to coordinate with each other ‘side by side’. 

The award winning BusyBodyBook weekly grid format provides the clearest view of everyone's daily and weekly agendas. You'll easily spot overlapping schedules, avoid double booking and easily find more time to just relax with the family or for that pilates class you so need and deserve.

To enter...

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what type of planner you use now and what you love or hate about it.

and

2) Follow my blog (see sidebar) -------->

Contest closes Sunday night at midnight EST... winner will be announced Monday. Good luck!

26 comments:

  1. I use outlook. I love it at work, I hate it for managing our family. I also have a grid type of calendar on my fridge at home, but this one looks much better!

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  2. Oh my, that calendar looks so much more organized than mine:)I use a regular old calendar that my newspaper sends me every year in January...teeny tiny boxes and all filled up, usually having to write into the next day! Drives hubby crazy...he thinks I am nuts for not using an online calendar. I have little time to get online and figure it all out, i tried using Cozi and failed miserably. And i tried a large dry erase, that didn't work either...paper calendars are easier for me!!
    Anyway....just wanted to add that Nika sure is a beauty..then and now. Precious!
    And the elf thing...its all up to me as Rod is out of town every week. I am running out of ideas....YIKES, how many more nights do I need to do this, LOL!

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  3. LOVE the elf stories-ADORABLE! I use outlook at work and a planner exactly like this. I agree with Yo Mamma Mamma-outlook works for work but not for home. My planner is like the one you have posted but all black and very boring, this one is very *pretty*. My planner also doesn't have columns for each person which is AWESOME!!! Not sure about the sidebar deal, I'm trying to get into this technology stuff-but wellllllll. lol. I also just found pandora-over the weekend- and LOVE it also!!!

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  4. Love this post! :)

    Could it be me winning once more? I don't know! My planner is a plain wall calendar planner.

    And I already follow you...does that count?

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  5. I use outlook for work and some home, but I always seem to miss something for our personal schedule. The grid format looks pretty cool! Thank you!

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  6. Right now my planner is scrawled notes on torn edges of paper that I try to keep in the vicinity of the computer. Sometimes if I'm ambitious I'll take the bits of paper to the calendar to try to decipher them and actually write them down legibly. :)

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  7. Right now I use our office schedule, a small calendar on the fridge (one we got in the mail from our insurance agent) and my phone calendar....always checking 3 calendars so we don't miss something important!

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  8. I love my busy body book!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to you Bethany ! Funny thing is I was going to ask u where you got it? I know probably not fair to try and win another one... But seriously girl... I don't leave home without it!so I'll take a chance but know I understand if that's not fair... Xoxo! I follow you already on blog and Facebook ! And text... Lol... And oh my goodness! Nike looks so cute in the orphanage sad they didn't take more pics but at least you have one...

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  9. I use Mom's Plan It. This will be the second year. I like them because they're weekly and have stickers for different events (meetings, doctors' appointments, etc.) and tear-off grocery list/menu planners. I've used Boynton planners a few times and like them as well. (Like the Boynton kids' books.)

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  10. I just use a straight desk calendar and it gets the job done, but would love to have something to write notes, addresses and phone numbers in...

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  11. Wow, awesome post. Nika was a doll baby and is now a gorgeous big girl! Amazing what love and good care do for a child. As for Rex, your husband rocks big time! My husband would totally get into it, too. Maybe next year... Finally, I use Outlook so I can check it on my iPhone. Also have a beautiful Ds calendar from the Sisterhood of our beautiful children. Would LOVE to try the busy body book. :-) Been following your blog for ages...

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  12. I love Ollie our Elf on the Shelf and he is getting into everything these days. Rex is pretty funny!! I currently use my phone for my dates but I would love this planner for reminders and something to actually hold and look at things in advance.

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  13. I have one made for homeschooling, Well Planned Day. I like it because it has enough room for everything that I need to track, but I really need one that's just for non-homeschool stuff.

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  14. Great elf ideas! We are going to start next year, I think...

    I have a planner I got on Amazon (can't think of the brand). It's hard to find good ones with enough space to actually write anything in them!

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  15. Hooked on BusyBody because of you mama! Love it! And I already follow your blog so I guess this comment now meets the requirements of the giveaway. Go me! : )

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  16. I use the busy body planner thanks to your blog post last year and I love it and would be lost without it!!!!! I follow your blog all the time!

    Nika is so beautiful! So is the others!

    Nicole
    Nmills25@verizon.net

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  17. K, I am totally stealing ALL of your Elf ideas and calling them my own personal genius. And planner, hum, combination between my iphone calender and one that sits on my kitchen counter. I'd totally try something new though!

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  18. I use the Busy Body since you got me hooked and totally need one for next year! Pick me!! :)

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  19. I am not sure of what brand my planner is. I bought it at Target. LOL I use mine to keep track of all of E's appts.

    Love all the Elf pics. too cute!

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  20. Absolutely LOVE Rex :) What a great idea! And I love the pictures of your daughter. What a lucky little girl to be in my childhood friends' family (Debbie) Not sure who is the luckier though, her or all of you! Merry Christmas!
    Debbie Henderson Dawidowicz
    CT

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  21. I dont use any planner...What a great post and totally loved all the elf on the shelf pics..your husband is genious...i LOVEd the gone fishin one!!! oh and totally love Roxette on my pandora!!;)

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  22. Thank you for cracking me up tonight! I needed that!

    I could also use some help getting organized so why not give it a shot! I think it will take more than a busy body book to do it though!

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  23. Just me and my iPod calendar. And Siri of course. I NEED one of these!

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  24. Yikes! I love this...because I print off 8 calendars and write everybody in a different color so I can keep up! Between the 5 kids, hubby who travels, friend who lives with us is being mobilized with the Army and I am keeping up with all his "stuff"...plus, massage/gym biz, starting a daycare...I have to come up with something better! Love reading and keeping up with you!

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  25. This looks great! I print off monthly calendars from the computer and use that. This looks SO much better!

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  26. I use my outlook calendar, which sometimes syncs to my phone, or our family photo calendar, which only sometimes gets updates...Those sometimes always get me! I need everything in one place.

    Been following forever!

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