My kids have loved every “Buddies” film that has come into our home so I am sure they will love Treasure Buddies too!  Here is a very good coupon for you but you have to grab it now because it is only good until Sunday (2/5/12)!  Just click the picture for a $5 coupon.

I also wanted to share some fun activities with you from the Treasure Buddies.  Below you will be able to find some crafts and activities, including a one-of-a-kind potato stamp!  Be sure to get in on the fun now.

I have one last thing for you today!  Click below for some fun Treasure Buddies recipes that you and your kiddos can enjoy.  These could be a fun distraction from football this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Disclosure: Coupon and activities provided by Disney. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

How do you like that post title???  I figured I would just lay it all out there for you today.  So, here’s the scoop… My friend Jolyn Palliata released a new book this week called A Modern Love Story (review below) and is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card in celebration.   In addition, right now this book is on sale for only 99 cents for Kindle but you have to act fast because it will only be this price for today.  After that, it is going up to $2.99.  Have I mentioned how much I love Indie writers???  Only $2.99 regular price is pretty darn amazing but I wanted to give you the heads up for the 99 cent price because you really, really should read this book!

A Modern Love Story blew me away.  I read it last night and this morning and fell in love with the characters… well not all of them.  For a little bit I was pretty angry at the lead male, Luc.  The story follows the characters from the time they are 12 which leaves a different perspective than other romance books I have read.  Here is the summary:

After the death of her parents, Robbie Byrne is put in foster care where she meets her exact opposite, Luc Cintrone. Abandoned as a small child, Luc is a foul-mouthed rebel who takes it upon himself to be her defender, whether she likes it or not. As they grow up, they fumble through their different roles in each other’s lives—family, confidants and then, ultimately, lovers.

Just as the couple is settling into their newfound relationship, they encounter a beautiful lawyer, Payten, who is immediately taken by Luc’s rough edges. But he denies her, making him absolutely irresistible in her eyes. Payten is a woman who has grown accustomed in her privileged life in obtaining whatever she wants, no matter the cost or sacrifice. And she is fairly confident Luc will eventually see things her way…one way or another.

Now, the story line with Payten was totally surprising.  Jolyn has quite the imagination to come up with the twists and turns and downright evilness that Payten posseses.  It added a level of drama that you don’t always find in romance novels.  I went from wanting to punch Luc for his behavior to feeling sorry for him.  How does that happen?!?  All along, I felt the desire to hold poor Robbie who keeps getting the short end of the stick.  The addition of Conrad and Lizbeth made for a fun dialogue and you could almost feel the emotions of these characters stuck in the middle of their friends’ problems.

What am I saying?  Read it!  You have to read it to fully understand what I am talking about.  It is super fantastic!  This is much more than a romance novel… romance, intrigue, suspense, treachery… you will find it.  One warning…. it has some cussing because Luc starts off a foul-mouth snot (my words haha!).  Don’t forget that it is only 99 cents right now (Thursday) but is still a very affordable $2.99 after that.  Let me know if you read this book.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

Lady and the Tramp is being re-released in a Diamond Edition in February.  In anticipation for this release, I wanted to share this fun activity widget with you.  Included you will find:

• LADY AND THE TRAMP Story Book
• Video Clips
• Coloring Sheets 
• Spot the Difference Activity Sheet 
• Special Recipes
• Valentine’s Day Cards

Enjoy!!!

Disclosure: This widget was provided by Disney. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

I realize fully that I have an obsession with books. I love to read and snatch up every free book that sounds interesting for my Kindle. I find that reading eases my stress and helps me to let things go, even if for a short time. I have plenty of time to read too as I do it when I breastfeed Jemma or when she is resting on me. I made a goal of 100 books this year and this is how I am doing:

2012 Reading Challenge

Stefanyhasread 19 books toward her goal of 100 books.

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19 of 100 (19%)

view books

 

Not bad, right?  I am about half-way through another right now.  I have several I want to write about but will keep it to a minimum today.

Connected (from the Twists of Fate series) from Jolyn Palliata is one that I have to share today.  It is a novella and therefore a pretty quick read.  I am doing a review for Jolyn next month and have gotten to know her over the course of the past week or so and she is an amazing person.  Her writing blows my mind though.  I read Connected a few nights ago while in bed.  I couldn’t put the book down because I was so drawn to the story and the characters.

Rys is a rock star that finds himself in the body of a woman he has never met after her dies.  His spirit lives in her.  While that may sound very strange, and it is, it is so compelling to follow the characters.  They get on each other’s nerves, they argue and have fun, and inevitably, they fall in love.  It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.  As I mentioned, this is part of a series and I can’t wait for the second book.  I won’t give away the ending to Connected but it certainly has me wishing for more of the story.  I loved this book and have been recommending it to everyone I know.  So, do me a favor and go get it and read it for yourself.  I am dying to have other people read it so I can talk to them about it!

I, of course, have more to share with you but I am going to leave you with that one book today in hopes I can convince you to read it.  I love Indie writers because their books are affordable and you know they are following their own vision for their work.  Be sure to support them as I do so they can keep doing what they do!

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

I hate checking my voicemail.  Hate it!  What about you?

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

I went to my interview on Friday and I think it went well.  I really liked the two ladies that interviewed me and felt that I could work with them both happily.  Sadly, they have another week of interviews to go through and then will be calling back for second interviews, which means that I wouldn’t be offered a job (if I were in fact chosen) for a few weeks still.  I was hoping to have this all sorted out sooner rather than later.  I am not giving up hope there yet because I really love the job description and the sure-to-be educational opportunity for me.

I have a phone interview later today for a major hospital network in my area.  I will be talked to about different positions available within their network and maybe that will lead to more opportunities for interviews.  I will let you know!

I also applied for a job that is very similar to one that I did in my last full-time position.  I was avoiding going to Long Term Care again but if the pay is good and the hours are acceptable, I would be more than happy to go back to that position.  I enjoy teaching and that is what it is all about.

Keep those fingers crossed for me and I will let you know what happens.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

You should know by now just how much we love Hasbro toys and games.  I received a notice in my email that I knew was too good to not pass on to you.

If you are looking for great savings and amazing daily deals on some of your favorite Hasbro toys and games, then this is for you.  You can check out Hasbro’s Annual Fun and Game Event going on now!   You can register today HERE to print over $125 in coupons (quantities are limited) and get access to incredible daily deals.  All daily deals include free shipping!

Kids, ages 6 – 13, can also get in on the action by playing games for a chance to win hourly prizes from their favorite brands, such as My Little Pony, FurReal Friends, Littlest Pet Shop, Beyblade, Nerf, Transformers, Connect 4, Bop It! and Simon Flash.

Be sure to check it out!

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

This past weekend, I read two books by the beautiful author (and my friend) Jessica Park.  I am going to share them both with you today in hopes that you will give them a read yourself.

Flat Out Love by Jessica Park was truly a joy to read.  Since the book and I have parted ways, I have had this story on my mind several times.  I loved the story line, I loved the characters, I loved how easy this book was to read.  Jessica is pure genius in my mind.  I normally try to give you a summary of what the book is about but I have struggled with this book because I do not want to ruin it for anyone.  There is a high probability that I would include some spoilers so, I am going to share the summary from Amazon instead.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie’s off-campus housing falls through, her mother’s old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side … and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there’s that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That’s because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie’s suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that … well … doesn’t quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Julie and Finn’s communication had me literally laughing out loud at times, along with the hilarious family scenes that take place.  I also cried during the course of reading this book.   I am going to be sharing this story with my tween daughter because I think she will love it and it is not a racy or steamy book in any way.  I hope you give this one a try!

Relatively Famous by Jessica Park was the second book I read this weekend.  It is about a typical teen girl whose life gets turned upside down when she finds out the father she has never known happens to be a movie star, Mark Ocean.  Dani decides to visit her father to get to know him better.  Her father is simply trying to improve his bad-boy image.  Over the course of the book, you find Dani and her father growing closer, Dani finding new friends and boys(!), and how life changes for them all.  It was super cute and I loved every minute of it.  This is another book I will be sharing with my daughter because I think she would enjoy it and I hope you would too.

I read both books on my Kindle and both are very affordable that way. Let me know if you read them and what you thought.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

The vast majority of you do not know something about me that has been a source of many tears over the past week and a half.  I am going back to work.  Money is too tight and I have no choice but to leave my baby and enter the workforce as an RN once again.  Believe me when I say that I have cried more these past two weeks than any other time in my life.  I am devastated to be leaving her at this time.  I am fearful that we won’t be able to keep breastfeeding.  I know that it is very easy to overfeed a breastfed baby and I am worried about that happening when I am away from her.  I am worried that I won’t be able to pump enough to keep up with her demand.  But, I have hope and faith that everything will work out for the best.

And with that said, I need to ask for some good thoughts and prayers.  I have an interview on Friday at 3:30pm CST.  I am going to interview for a job that I believe I would really enjoy, would be a new experience for me, would offer me the opportunity to eat with my family every night and sleep with my baby girl every night, and would be close to home.  I haven’t interviewed in some time and I am a bit nervous.  I really am hoping to impress these ladies tomorrow and could really use some good thoughts coming my way.  I will update as soon as I can but please think about me tomorrow/Friday to do a good job in my interview and get this job.

Thanks for your continued support of me everyone!  I promise to get out of my funk soon and get back to bringing you the posts that you are accustomed to.

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.

I saw this on Facebook and got a good chuckle out of it. Enjoy!

©2012 To Be Thode. All Rights Reserved.