Dear Kim Kardashian,

If only you had created a non-profit and donated the money that was spent/donated on your wedding to a worthwhile cause. 72 days? Get off my television.

I can think of SO many deserving causes in need of funds. Amazing waste of money. You should be ashamed of yourself. I don't often get worked out about things like this, but for some reason this is going all over me today.

Miranda Lambert's new album released tomorrow

So excited to get Miranda Lambert's newest album, Four The Record, tomorrow! Love love love her.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon referral link.

Free Amazon $2 MP3 credit for connecting your Twitter account

Today Amazon is offering a $2 MP3 Credit if you tie your Amazon and Twitter accounts together.

I used my $2 credit on the She & Him Christmas album, which I'd been drooling over since Megan mentioned it earlier this week.

So I got the album for just $3. And it's fabulous.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

GDA: Learning Fractions Tiles/Tray just $3.85

I have been explaining fractions to P, and this will be such a great help since he is a visual and hands-on learner. Camelcamelcamel shows $3.85 is a rock-bottom price for this. This won't be a Christmas present though- we'll open it right when we get it!

GDA: 8 year old boy Christmas present

P will LOVE this Snap Circuits set. He loves putting things together and this is something he and my dad could do together and have a fab time! So I am ordering it for him for Christmas. The $15 price is the lowest it's been in a while, so this is a great deal.

GDA: Kelly Clarkson's new album $5 today only

I absolutely love Kelly Clarkson... such a cool voice! Her new album is just $5 today on Amazon.

Don't Text and Drive Kids!

The girl who just rear-ended me on the interstate admitted to the Highway Patrol that she was texting.... gee! So that's my second PSA of the week. Don't Text and Drive. (and take your kiddos to get eye exams.)

Red Solo Cup

I'll admit freely that most likely it's because there's a Solo Cup plant in my hometown, but I *almost* love this song. It's quite the earworm and I can't stop singing it in my head.

Sasha Asks: Your PSA

Today's question is "What is your PSA?"

Mine is "Take Your Baby For An Eye Exam ASAP"

Do you know about the InfantSEE program? Oh, how I wish I did when my children were babies! This program provides a cost-free vision exam for babies before their first birthday.

from the InfantSee website:

InfantSEE®, a public health program, managed by Optometry Cares® - The AOA Foundation, is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child's quality of life. Under this program, AOA optometrists provide a comprehensive eye and vision assessments for infants within the first year of life regardless of a family's income or access to insurance coverage.

Some readers know about P's vision impairment- but if you don't, he was diagnosed with Exotropia at the beginning of this year- at age 7. It's been a difficult year filled with a eye muscle surgery on both eyes, weekly vision therapy for the past 21 weeks, and twice-a-week hour-long multi-sensory reading tutoring. We've come a long way, but still have farther to go, and we aren't sure what the final outcome will be. Will he always be visually impaired? How will this affect his ability to learn in school, and what about normal life thing like driving?

I struggle everyday wondering, "What if we had caught it earlier?" Honestly, I don't know. He had all his regular well-child visits, and nothing was ever noticed during those exams. I even took him for a visual exam with a local opthamologist before K and it wasn't caught then either.

This paragraph from the InfantSEE website echoed my thoughts: Former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter have pledged their support for the program for a very important, personal reason: They have two grandchildren with amblyopia. For one grandchild, the condition went undetected until he was well into grade school, when classroom difficulties made the condition apparent. Had a program like InfantSEE® been in place then, he may have been treated with far less effort and would have found academic success sooner.

So my PSA to you, and everyone you know, is PLEASE PLEASE take your baby for an InfantSEE exam with an optometrist. They are better trained to locate these types of problems. If you are local and want a recommendation, we have a wonderful pediatric optometrist who is trained in pediatric optometry and vision therapy and rehab.

If you missed the opportunity for the free exam, I still encourage you to have your child examined by an InfantSEE doctor. You don't understand how much your child's vision affects their learning experience until you go through something like we have.

I'd love to read about your personal experiences and your PSA- leave it in the comments, or blog about it and leave a link.

Sasha Asks: Your Favorite Food?

Today's question is "What is your favorite food?"

Currently, I am OBSESSED with Orville Redenbacher's Naturals Popcorn in Salt and Cracked Pepper flavor. OMG, it's the best thing I have EVER tasted. It comes in mini bags, which is so so so nice, because I'd definitely eat a full-sized bag all by myself if that was the only size it came in.

I went searcing for a pic to show you, and it turns out Amazon has a darn good deal on it- if you choose Subscribe and Save (don't forget to cancel the subscription later!) you can get 12 boxes with 4 mini bags in each box for only $24.33. I think the price at Wal-Mart is about $2.50 per box, plus tax, so that's a nice savings. Off to order!

Let me know in the comments what your favorite food is right now.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon referral link.

Sasha Asks: Your Favorite Quote?

Today's question is "What is your favorite quote?".

"I love Jesus, but I drink a little."

--Gladys on Ellen

You MUST watch this clip if you haven't seen it. I love me some Gladys.

GDA: $5 Magazine subscriptions from Amazon

Amazon is offering quite a few subscriptions to magazines for just $5- but only thru October 11th. Note that these are auto-renewal, so you'll have to wait until you get your first issue and go back into your Amazon account and uncheck the auto renew option so you don't get charged the regular price next year. Such a great deal though! I wait and do my subs when Amazon does these offers.


Seventeen

Esquire

Country Living

Elle Decor

Veranda

Good Housekeeping

Redbook

Town & Country

Elle

Marie Claire

Sasha Asks: Your Favorite Book?

Today's question is "What is your favorite book?".

Oh, how I love to read! I used to stay up late, devouring books until I couldn't keep my eyes open. During my years of insomnia, there were always several books on my nightstand waiting to be picked up at 3 am, and my trips to the bookstore couldn't even keep up the pace.

Then I had kids.

Alas, in 2003 my free time allocated for pleasure reading disappeared. If I did find time to read, it's usually a parenting topic.....

But if I am answering trivia questions about myself, I list Sophie Kinsella as my favorite author. Most people know her for the Shopaholic series, which is fabulous and I love dearly, although please know the movie was not at all representative of the book.

But the best Kinsella books are actually the non-Becky ones... Yes, Becky can be a tad self-absorbed and unaware, but Kinsella's other heroines are real life, this-could-really-happen gals. My two favorites are Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. If you haven't read them, you simply must.

If you are local and wish to borrow, just let me know! I'd also love to know what your favorite books are- comment below please.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

GDA: Wizard of Oz DVD $5.50

Wow, a two-disk DVD for just $5.50- we don't this movie yet, but I think we should! Such a classic!

Laugh If You Must

Left- P's 1st grade pic Right- P's 2nd grade pic

Yup, we dressed him in the exact same shirt two years in a row. Parents of the year? That's us!
If anyone has this shirt in a medium to send to us, we'll go for three next year.

Sasha Asks: Your Favorite TV Show?

Today's question is "What is your favorite television show?".

Don't suppose you can guess what my favorite TV show is, can you?

Why, of course, it's Friends! Friends began airing in the Fall of 1994 while I was in college. I have the fondest memories of gathering around the TV with my sorority sisters and watching the newest epi before getting ready to go out on Thursday night. It's also one show that the husband and I agree is absolutely perfect comedy- for a few years right after we got married, reruns were airing at 10 pm weeknights, so we always watched Friends right before we went to sleep.

I have to admit to you that I'm a little bit Monica. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm totally Monica. Totally. I even have a phone pen.

As you can see above, I have all 10 seasons on DVD (randomly, Season 4 does not have a 4 on the spine). Note that Season 1 is not in the pic, because it's in our bedroom since I was watching it while running on the 'mill when I took this shot. I watched the entire series, in order, several times while doing the Couch to 5K plan. It was such a fabulous distraction and really kept me going on the exercise plan.

Here's a partial list of some of my favorite epis:

• Holiday Armadillo


• "It Tastes Like Feet!" English Trifle/Shepherd's Pie


• Vegas


• Ross's Teeth


• Ross Got High


• Leather Pants


• Monica and Ross's Dance Routine


• Pivot


• Jellyfish


• Switching Apartments/Chanandler Bong


• All the flashback epis/Fat Monica

I could go on and on.... What's your favorite episode? Any I missed?

Sasha Asks: Favorite Movie?

Today's question is "What is your favorite movie?".

Almost Famous

My love of classic rock led me to become obsessed with rock biographies while in high school. I devoured Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga and I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres and imagined myself living the tales. Although shy and ever-conscious of authority, I longed to be a bit more daring and have that exciting life that revolved around rock and roll.

So when the movie Almost Famous starring Kate Hudson came out 2001, I was so excited! Another chance to have a glimpse of that life that sounded so very intoxicating and thrilling to me. I wasn't disappointed at all- I found it to be enthralling and I couldn't take my eyes away. Genius, pure genius.

I'd love to hear in the comments- what's your favorite movie?

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

And join in tomorrow- the question will be "What's your favorite TV show?".

Advent calendar for girls?

I just ordered P this Lego Advent Calendar, which he will LOVE. Our house is Lego Central right now. And it's on sale a bit, only $31.50 versus MSRP of $35, plus there's no tax or shipping if I order from Amazon.

But WC is NOT into Legos, and I am looking for an idea for an advent calendar for her. Please note that I am not very crafty, so I really need to purchase something ready-to-go. Ideas?

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon referral link.

Sasha Asks: Getting To Know You Better

About a year ago, I started a series about Getting To Know You Better. And of course I never finished it! I'm just going to start again and pretend time didn't go by! We're going to re-name it "Sasha Asks" and I'd love for you to join in!

The first question is "What is your favorite song?".

"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home with parents who LOVED music and exposed me to so much classic rock. My mom and I would go to the store on days when a new *tape* would come out (Doobie Brothers anyone? remember this was the mid-to-late 70s) and I always loved singing along in the car.

Some of my faves are Cream, Led Zeppelin (duh!), The Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, Bad Company, Janis Joplin, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Velvet Underground, and of course Eric Clapton. (and this list could go on and on....)

When the hubby and I decided to get married, I knew that I wanted "Wonderful Tonight" to be the song we danced to. There's just something I have always loved about that song and now it holds an even sweeter memory for me.

Plus "Beth" by KISS wouldn't have fit the situation very well....

I'd love to hear what your favorite song is and what memory is attached- just leave a comment to join in.

Stop by tomorrow- the question will be "What's your favorite movie?".