Is My Husband Trying to Control Me, Or is it Something Else?

Most of my life I would’ve described myself as “a people pleaser, a doormat, and indecisive; happy to go with the flow.” It wasn’t until I got married that I realized just how much I actually crave control. Apparently it took wedding vows, in which I agreed to join lives with another, for me to develop (or recognize) an independent spirit. I suddenly didn’t want to be told what to do. Overnight (haha) I became selfish and self-serving.  And I realized that I wanted to have a little control over everything.

I find none of this surprising. This desire to be in control started way back in the beginning of Creation, captured in the book of Genesis. Genesis 3:16 says “Then he [God] said to the woman, "…. you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you." (NLT) Wow. That kind of says it all for me. I will battle with my flesh to control my husband but he is meant to rule over me. That can be a hard pill to swallow for some. Please don’t read the above verse and think of a chauvinistic man. That is not what God intended. Submitting to our husbands is meant to be, and can be, a beautiful freeing thing.

So control. Almost every day I find myself in situations where I am stressed and frustrated and I later realize it was because I couldn’t control what was happening. I even find myself getting irritated with my husband because I think he is trying to “control” me. For example, I will be walking on a sidewalk and at the end my husband says, “watch your step!” or I am going down our porch stairs and my husband says, “use the railing!” My first instinct is to be offended and I think, “I am not a child. I obviously am watching where I am going and I am not going to fall down the stairs, etc.” This leads to resentment. Why is he trying to control even the way I walk? Ugh!

Thankfully, I recently had a revelation. My husband loves me. What if instead of trying to control me, he was actually trying to protect me? I realized that my husband views me as precious. He wants to protect what he values, and thankfully that is me. The funny thing is, I owe this epiphany to the Ninja Turtles. Yep, you read that right. My husband loves old Nintendo games and one night I agreed to play the Ninja Turtles game with him. While playing the game he would tell me when to get out of the way of surprise attacks and he would sacrifice precious pizza slices that gave our Turtles life power so that my turtle could live and play longer…

I know that sounds cheesy, but it was then that I realized that even in a video game my husband is constantly looking out for me and trying to meet my needs. The problem is my ego and my need to be right and in control. I am lucky to have a husband that protects me and scouts out the hidden dangers that may be ahead.

Remember to slow down and enjoy the fruits of your labor and love on a daily basis and you will start to see life as a Mama on the Bright Side.

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Welcome to the Applebees Seasons Best Giveaway Hosted by My Best of Both Worlds

Disclosure: Applebees invited My Best of Both Worlds to be their guest and experience their new Season’s Best Flavors menu items. The food was provided compliments of Applebees in order to facilitate a review. No other compensation was provided in exchange for this publication. All opinions expressed are true and my family’s own. If your family is anything like ours you enjoy going out to dinner and that’s what this giveaway is all about. Discovering Applebees new Season’s Best Flavors.

     

 You can read all about our review of Applebees' new dishes containing fresh and fabulous ingredients in Applebees is our go-to neighborhood restaurant. Who wouldn't love to win free dinner and a chance to see how good the food is for themselves?

One lucky reader will win an Applebees $60 gift card to experience these delightful dishes.

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 year and older. The giveaway ends on 6/25/14 at 11:59 pm. A winner will be randomly chosen, once the winning entry has been verified, an email notification will be sent to the winner from My Best of Both Worlds. The winner will have 24 hours in which to respond to the email to claim their prize. If there is no response within the 24 hours another winner will be randomly selected then verified.

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Disclosure: Applebees invited My Best of Both Worlds to be their guest and experience their new Season’s Best Flavors menu items. The food was provided compliments of Applebees in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided in exchange for this publication. All opinions expressed are true and my family’s own. The blogs participating in this giveaway received no financial compensation of any sort in exchange for this publication and they are is not responsible for prize shipment. This event is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, and any other social media are not affiliated with this posting or giveaway. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Mommy Marines: First In, Last Out

Time off. Sick day. Paid leave. Long lunch. Just some common work place phrases that you will probably never associate with a stay at home mom. Although we too work a full time, round the clock job. I like to think of stay at home moms as “Mommy Marines;” We are first in and last out. And often most of what we do goes unnoticed; it is not for recognition. We are regularly the first to rise and get the household going and we are more often than not the last to go to bed because we are trying to finish a million things and prepare to do it all again the next day.

Speaking of, just the other day I had the thought, “I do the same thing over and over again each day.”  And that thought was quickly replaced with, “but as soon as I see my babies’ faces in the morning I forget the monotony and it is all worth it; all over again.” See, I think sometimes it is easier to see and dwell on the negative aspects. It is the hardships that often leave the deepest marks on our minds, thus we recall them more clearly and more often.

But I think that one of the beauties of being a mom is that even though each day is usually carried out by routine and can seem to be an exact copy of the day before, if we pay attention we get to see life blossoming right before our eyes. I am seeing social skills developing; personalities forming! I see cognitive skills and mirror neurons at work in my children. I get a hands on, front row seat to the majesty that is humanity. And how can that be boring?

Right now my twins are in bed. I can finally breathe (for a minute before I tackle cleaning the house from the twin tornadoes that blew through today.) Tomorrow, I will notice more. Tomorrow I will try to see the learning that is happening as my toddler is frustratedly screaming while trying to shove a block into an unfitting space. Tomorrow I will also get impatient and will probably raise my voice and then have to apologize to a child to teach them that everyone is accountable. I know each day will not be perfect and I will not catch every amazing thing my kids learn and do; BUT, I will be present. I will appreciate.

Remember to slow down and enjoy the fruits of your labor and love on a daily basis and you will start to see life as a Mama on the Bright Side.

Ozeri Green Earth Pan Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

A good friend of mine recently alerted me to the perils of “non-stick” cookware; of the chemicals used to achieve this non-stick status. Of course, all my cookware is non-stick and I just happened to have gotten a brand new set of pots and pans for Christmas that are gloriously non-stick. I use these pans every day so when she told me about the chemicals I was quite bummed out. She told me about how her family uses cast iron skillets and how much better they are for you. Now, mind you, I don’t have the money to run out and buy a whole new set of cast iron pots and pans. Thankfully, I came across a company called Ozeri who makes a Green Earth Pan that uses a ceramic coating free of harmful chemicals.

The coating is of German origin and is called Greblon. According to Ozeri:

[It is] one of the world's first frying pans to achieve non-stick perfection while remaining absolutely free of PTFE, PFOA and other harmful chemicals. Conventional cookware and other ceramic cookware brands achieve their non-stick performance through a coating of PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene), a synthetic substance that has waxy properties. At very high temperatures, PTFE begins to decompose and release fumes which are documented to be lethal to birds and small pets, and which can be harmful to humans. In addition, traditional pans incorporating PTFE are often manufactured with the aid of PFOA (PerFluoroOctanoic Acid), which the EPA has classified as a 'persistent pollutant of the environment'. With the Green Earth Pan's GREBLON ceramic from Germany, even under high temperatures, no harmful toxic fumes are ever released into the environment. This is because the Green Earth Pan utilizes a 100% ceramic coating inspired by nature - not a laboratory.

So naturally I was interested in this product after hearing and reading of the horrors that non-stick pans can produce. I received one of these Green Earth frying pans gratis for review and I was so excited! The company claims that their ceramic coating “…has better non-stick properties, [and] the Green Earth Pan allows you to sauté, fry, bake, boil and braise with as little as half the amount of oil normally used, and cleaning is a breeze. …. [and] your satisfaction is guaranteed…” Based on that description who wouldn’t love it? Less oil needed and easy to clean? Yes please.

I decided to try out my new pan and a new Pinterest recipe I had found for “fried” honey cinnamon bananas. The results were so-so. The packaging said to “season” the pan with oil first, which I did. The recipes that I found said I shouldn’t need to add oils because the bananas should produce enough moisture. Also, I made the bananas right after I seasoned the pan with coconut oil. So, based on the non-stick feature and the coconut oil that had just been applied, I expected nothing to stick. However, it was hard to turn the bananas because they were sticking to the pan and ripping.

Now I must mention that this could be due to a user error. The recipe called for “slightly un-ripe” bananas which I thought was strange because the taste of ripe bananas is so much better. But the bananas I used were so ripe that they were almost mushy, thus I fear that the reason they stuck could’ve been their over ripeness. Perhaps the un-ripe, more firm, bananas would’ve done better.  The pan did seem to cook things pretty evenly though, and for that I was happy.

Then came cleanup. I couldn’t clean the pan immediately because it was obviously scorching hot. The bad thing was that the recipe called for drizzling honey on the bananas while in the hot pan. So I had to clean the pan of sticky dried honey. It wasn’t easy, the honey wouldn’t come off. The packaging said to only hand wash gently with soap and a washcloth was no match for dried honey. The good news is that I simply filled the pan with water and let it soak. After it had soaked, the cooked on honey wiped right out without any trouble at all!

So overall I think that the pan is very aesthetically pleasing, and works pretty well. If I hadn’t tried to cook almost mush bananas I think it would’ve been great at its non-stick function. Also, the honey would’ve been tough to get off of any pan. I can’t really fault the product for these things. All that being said I would recommend the Green Earth pan. It works just about as well as my chemically enhanced non-stick pans and it won’t poison my family. It’s a win win. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Dino Lingo Spanish Program Review

I truly love the Spanish language and I wish that I spoke it fluently. Sadly, I was not taught to be bi-lingual as a child. I finally had the chance to take a Spanish class in High School but it was basic and I didn’t get the chance to converse in it that much so sadly I never truly picked up the language. I remember a slim amount of what I learned, and I have tried to pick up some more of the language through language Apps for the iPhone and I keep a Spanish to English dictionary handy but I am just not disciplined enough to basically teach myself Spanish.  I really need a structured program.

I now have twin toddlers who I am determined to help become bi-lingual. I am a strong believer that you can learn languages best at a young age. Thus, my children have several toys and books that speak in English and Spanish. I also try to introduce Spanish words as often as I can. But alas, these small things are not enough to teach someone a new language. Luckily, I stumbled upon Dino Lingo, a great, award winning program that teaches children different languages. 

 

The Dino Lingo program includes: 5 DVDs, 150 flashcards, 10 posters, a vocabulary book, a coloring book, a world map, a parent’s guide, a dinosaur plush toy (they even threw in an extra toy so both of my kids could have their own), a progress chart and report, and a songs CD (most languages). All of the materials are so bright, colorful, and engaging! I couldn't have asked for anything nicer.

So far, my twin’s favorite materials are the Spanish songs CD’s and the DVDs. They dance around the room to the fun upbeat music and lyrics of the songs and they are enthralled with the images of the DVDs. One of the things I like the most about the program is that it is very child captivating. 

By using bold colors, fun animations and graphics, and constantly changing images, Dino Lingo is able to capture and hold even young children’s attention. I also had a good friend's daughter who is 6 check out the DVDs. She too was taken with the videos. Dino Lingo's website says that this program is for children ages 1-8 and I would agree. I am not embarrassed to say that I even find myself learning more Spanish by being a part of this program.

I know that language learning programs can be very pricey, but Dino Lingo offers their product at a great price. Their Spanish for kids basic set is only $99.95 and the full set is only $159.99. they also often offer discounts on certain language programs on their website so make sure you check those out! They even offer a 30 day money back guarantee!

Dino Lingo is currently available in 43 exciting languages.  Learn more about Dino Lingo, their story, and their teaching methods, by visiting their website.  Their website is very interactive and user friendly. On it you can find freelessons, FAQs, coupons, etc.  Be sure to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest so you don’t miss anything new.

31 Weeks Pregnant With Twins...Now what?!

So what’s it like to have 4 children? I don’t know yet, but I am

soon going to find out! I am currently 31 weeks (in my 8^th month) pregnant with my second set of twins and I feel like I am going to pop. Sometimes I feel like I am cheating because this is only my second pregnancy, yet I will have 4 children. Sometimes I am happy that will not have to endure 4 pregnancies, but some days I am saddened that I won’t experience 4 separate pregnancies…make any sense?

My last pregnancy I was delivered via c-section at 35 weeks due to high blood pressure. The average gestation of twins is 35 weeks in general, which means that I could possibly give birth in 4-6 weeks. Yeah, reality check. My husband and I just realized this over the weekend and it dawned on us that we don’t have 2 cribs set up, we don’t have mattresses, we don’t have 2 extra cars seats, etc. I swear we are less prepared for this set of twins than the last set of twins. So now we are in rush mode. Put up cribs, buy mattresses, bottles, bibs…take a tour of the hospital. Oh yeah, new hospital this time and new doctors. No stress there.

As long as these babies are in my body it is pretty easy to have 4 kids (haha) but as soon as they are born…then what? What will life be like with 4 children under the age of 2? I am mostly convinced that I will never leave the house again! I know the new babies will have doctor’s appointments and such, so I will have to figure it out. I am thinking about buying a quad stroller to fit all 4 kids. I have only really found 2, one is by Foundations and the other is by Angeles. Both are very expensive, heavy, and large. I would have to order it online and just hope that it fits in our van along with 4 car seats. I have heard that the quad just isn’t worth it but I don’t see how else I can get them around. Wish us luck, seriously.  

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American Heroes CD Review & Giveaway!

My kids love music. They love to dance to it and sing to it; and I love education. Thus I was pretty excited to get the American Heroes CD collection for review recently! This set of four CDs is comprised of fun songs that educate kids (and/or adults) about some of our greatest American Heroes such as Thomas Jefferson, Pocahontas, Jonas Salk, Ben Franklin, etc.

These fun CDs are all by Jonathan Sprout, a singer songwriter and producer. According to the CD jacket, Jonathan created this collection of songs about real heroes with exemplary character traits after he learned of a survey in which kids listed their heroes as modern day athletes and cartoon characters. It seems that his hope was to inspire kids to learn more about America’s Heroes.

One of the things I like the most about this CD collection is that it includes the song lyrics. Many children’s CDs do not come with printed lyrics, so I am stuck mumbling along while trying to figure out the words so I can sing along to my kids. Some of my favorites were “Peanut Man,” “Pocahontas,” and “Si Se Puede!” I think that this CD set would be an invaluable resource to Homeschooling parents out there, and a fun way to interject education in to any child's day!

The sound of the music is nice. Each song is different so there are varying tempos and sounds; it keeps things interesting for kids who have short attention spans! I also found that Jonathan has a nice voice; on many of his songs his vocals were close to John Bon Jovi…so pretty good! Don’t just take my word for it though; CDs in this series have won some serious awards! The first three CDs in the series have won a total of 15 awards including Parents’ Choice, NAPPA, Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence, Dove, iParenting Media, Creative Child, Dr. Toy, Mom’s Choice and Family Choice, and CD #3 was actually nominated for a Grammy! The 4^th CD in the series has actually won 7 awards alone making the total number of awards for the series 22 (WOW!) 

You can learn more about any of these CDs at www.JonSprout.com. Each CD retails for $13.98 but we are excited to announce that three, yes three lucky readers will win the entire American Heroes 4 CD Set (a $56 value!) and a cute poster of some of America’s Heroes! 

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