Just thought I'd drop a subtle reminder....
Hey, who wouldn't want an extra $40 worth of free stuff?
xoxo
jordan
7.28.2010
7.27.2010
{ clarifying 'the dancer' }
{warning: serious content ahead}
I just received a comment about it that pulled at my gut a little bit. The commenter wrote:
Bwahaha!!! You took your family to the Vegas Strip and then blame the HOTEL for exposing your kids to scum??!?wow, that's funny. Funny in a very sad sort of way.
Now I don't know if she was just teasing a little, or being completely serious, {where's that darn sarcasm font when you need it} but it kinda broke my heart. It confirmed the guilt I already felt for taking the loves of my life there, but it also made me realize that I must be a horrible writer, because the point of the story was not that visible.
{No, this is not a "I need sympathy" post whatsoever. Just the real, raw me clarifying.}
But I actually thanked this commenter for her feedback. 'Cuz who knows how many people out there were/are thinking the exact same thing.
And for that I apologize.
I keep thinking that everyone 'knows' me. I keep thinking that everyone would automatically know that I would never take my kids anywhere without doing research first. I keep thinking that everyone knows that I am the most trusting person, and will take the advice of friends and family who have 'been there and done that'.
So to those of you who don't know me personally, here's the background of our Vegas story.
I asked around. I did. I got the advice of people I knew who had taken their families to Vegas. Granted they hadn't been there in awhile, but I got the tips and tricks. We should stay at either this or this hotel, do this and that, not this or that- you know, that kind of advice. When we came back and told those people, they were mortified. They felt horrible, because they had given us bad info.
So it is to you, dear readers who have either had a safe experience, or have heard of someone that had and were contemplating a short hotel stay one night, that I wrote that post for. Vegas has changed. We paid to learn that, and I wanted to pass on that nugget of information, so no one else makes the same mistake, or gives advice to others about their safe time.
It is not cheap anymore. They do not cater to families anymore. No matter what anyone tells you. I shouldn't have cared that my husband hadn't slept for 25 hours and needed to stop at a hotel {he doesn't like to sleep when I drive- weird}. Next time we will drive right on past and hit the next available town.
That's big.
Because Mr. Smith got robbed at gunpoint once in a small town on the outskirts of Vegas a couple years ago while filling up at a gas station.
Which is why we thought a hotel on the actual strip with lots of people would be a little safer.
'Cuz I would rather teach my little girl that pole dancing is bad, than to visit her grave...
So go hug those kids tight, and don't ever take them near Vegas.
xoxo
jordan
ps- I also found out this morning that my friend's brother past away last weekend {talk about a tearful morning}. An account has been set up at the Bank of American Fork on the behalf of Aaron Garrett. He leaves behind a 4 year old son, and all donations {that can be made at any branch} will go towards funeral costs and the financial support of his son. To any of you who are able to help, thank you.
7.26.2010
{ camryn's corner }
I would like to thank Camryn for introducing me to this Comic Genius.
I will forever be grateful.
Here is one video, check out her post here to see others.
Comic.
Genius.
If you have the time, watch Tim Hawkins Full Range of Motion on YouTube.
You. Will. Laugh.
There are several parts, so I recommend starting with part one.
That's how it works.
; )
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Hope you all are having a great Monday!!
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xoxo
jordan
7.22.2010
{ the dancer }
Remember when Las Vegas' advertising strategy was to make it 'Fun for the whole Family'?
News Flash.
So not the case anymore.
Vegas is Dirty.
And expensive.
At least it was when we visited the Excalibur Hotel for 10 hours too long...
We were on our way to Utah, and Mr. Smith decided it would be super awesome fun to stay the night in Vegas. So we pulled up to the hotel, and walked into the nearest entrance, only to find that the check in desk was smack dab in the middle of this massive hotel. So we walk past the shiny 'games', bright lights, smoking bystanders, bars and restaurants to get to said check in desk.
And there I saw it.
Right in the middle of the 'Lobby' was a lady.
On a Stage.
Near a Pole.
Wearing Something one would find on page 34 of a Victoria Secrets magazine.
In the middle of the 'Lobby'.
Right there.
In plain sight.
With. a. Pole.
I used my body and luggage as a barrier for my son, and saw my hubby {who had Em on his shoulders} trying to turn his body away and start to do a little jog past the bystanders {a couple of under-fourteen-boys included}.
I have never been so infuriated.
{Until we checked into the room. Nasty business people, I will not tell you the HORRIBLE condition this room was in, and the perm-gone-bad smell that saturated the air, or the number of broken/chipped items, or the number of lights that didn't work, or the long black hair that I found, or the greasy film that covered all door knobs and light switches. No I will not tell you about that.}
The point of my story is what happened while standing in the check out line the next morning.
My daughter came up to me with the most delighted look on her face:
"Mommy! Go watch the dancer?! How 'bout that?!"
Crap. Despite my hubby's best efforts, she had seen Panty Pole Girl the night before.
{Oh, I think it's hilarious now, just not at that moment}
Shame on you Excalibur. Shame on you for exposing my little girl who LOVES dancing to that kind of crap. Now I have to teach a three year old that some dancing is NOT okay. Like she's gonna understand.
Guess there will be no more dancing around the house, nearly naked, allowed under this roof...
{Mr. Smith will be so disappointed...}
LOL! I soooooo kid....
a
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PLEASE don't forget about the giveaway that ends next week! Yes! You still have time to enter! Don't be like me and think "I never win so I'm not going to bother entering", just try and see!
And now I must go and find a top to go with my daughter's tutu...
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Have an Awesome Weekend!
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xoxo
jordan
ps - my deepest apologies if any of this doesn't make sense, just know that prescription strength pain relievers are pumping through my body at the moment.
Things get kinda crazy when that happens...
***Post Note:***
We were told that Vegas was cheap and totally fine if we did certain things and avoided others.
This post was to serve as a warning for those who have heard the same thing and wanted to try it out. My advice? Don't.
7.19.2010
{ camryn's corner }
Wanna little Monday Laugh?
What would you name your clinic?
I can't decide between "Nuts and Buts" or "Loons and Moons"....
Read the rest of the clever names by going here.
And don't forget about this little giveaway:
You still have a chance to enter!
And I know it's been a long time, but I finally changed my blog button to match my new layout!
Grab one if you want!
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Have a Great Week!
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xoxo
jordan
7.15.2010
{ a little summer giveaway }
So I actually showered before 9 this morning. Boo-yah! I even blow dried my hair, and then completed it with a bobby pin. I am racking up the points this morning!!!
But that's about where the 'morning-get-ready-for-the-day ritual' comes to a complete stop.
Perhaps if I had one of these sweet vanity beauties to sit in front of, I would be more inclined to get 100% ready before 3 in the afternoon...
And maybe if I had this gorgeous thing hanging on my wall, I would be more observant of the time before it was the late, late afternoon...
Or maybe if I had more of these puppies hanging around, I would be more aware of the awfulness that is my pre-shower state...
Ya know, I'm thinking that if I had these waiting to greet me every morning, I would definitely get ready super early, just so I could wear them...
But enough of my dreams. I'm here to give one of you, dear readers, a chance to make your dreams come true. All thanks to CSN stores.com.
They have over 200 websites of fabulous items ranging from sinks to luggage, bunk beds to microwaves, etc. And you, yes you get a chance to win something from them.
How would you like a
$40 Gift Certificate?!
Caitlin contacted me with a generous offer for one of my readers: a one-time-use $40 gift certificate to use however you want! Head on over and start dreaming, then come back for the details on how to win said certificate of awesomeness.
{waiting for all ya'll to return}
Now that everyone is back, here's the rules:
You have 3 opportunities to win. Leave a separate comment for each entry.
Entry #2: leave a comment telling me you do or are now following mma
Entry #3: blog about this giveaway, then leave a link in your comment so I can hop on over and get to know you better!
Pretty simple, right?
You have until midnight on July 31st to enter, and I will announce the winner on Monday, August 2nd. That winner will be chosen via Random.org.
And now for the fine print. I'm not getting anything out of this. This is purely for my readers. I was not paid or blackmailed into saying nice things about CSN stores. ;) I'm doing this purely for the love of blogging and mma's readers. Also, please be aware that the gift certificate is a one time use only. There may be shipping charges, or if you're in Canada, international fees for certain products.
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Best of Luck!
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xoxo
jordan
ps. if the winner was curious, curious about what to get me for... um... Pioneer Day, I think this is quite lovely... ;)
Okay, I'm totally kidding.
Kind of. :)
{I've linked this post up at Saving Money & Living Life. It is also located at Giveaway Scout which is a giveaway search engine where users subscribe to receive updates on giveaways all over the web}
7.13.2010
{ camryn's corner + vacation recap }
Can I just tell you how nice it was to get out of the heat???
We had a glorious vacation, although we didn't get everything done on 'the list' that we had hoped to accomplish.
Sorry Camryn. Maybe next time we can do a lemonade stand. ; )
Our vacation flew by. I think perhaps two weeks would have been better...
In the small/short/quick week we were in Utah, we filled everyday with activities and visits. Here's a quick visual recap of some of the festivities. All taken with my phone.
Because I forgot the camera at home. Yep I did.
Eating out is very common while on vacation.
Each of our eat-out meals were accompanied by this delicacy:
We drove up Provo canyon and marveled at the beauty:
And the kids played while we tin-foiled our dinners under the canyon canopy of trees:
We watched a bunch of these take off:
And dug up and built dinosaurs and their bones:
All while enjoying the company of 976 children running around and having
the time of their lives:
There was also a family bbq, where Cam and I laughed till we almost peed. {I seriously love that gal} To see a pic of me { with really white teeth ;) } head on over to mmu for visual proof of our encounter. While you're over there, read Camryn's post about her summer and check out the wicked awesome picture of her shooting a gun. She's one hot momma...
*sniff*
I miss her already...
It was so great to spend time with family, and both Mr. Smith and I are having a hard time adjusting to reality. {Don't you even DARE ask how much weight was gained over the course of said vacation} But I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday!
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Have a great week!
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xoxo
jordan
ps- stay tuned for an awesome giveaway . . .
and a story involving my daughter and a . . .
"dancer".
7.01.2010
{ heading out }
My bags are packed and we're ready to go...
We're headed to UT for the week, and I'm excited to be there.
Not so much excited to drive there.
I've scrubbed my house.
'Cuz I want a clean house to come home to.
All articles of clothing have been washed.
So I can have the luxury of as many clothing options as my closet allows.
I am now tired.
But have managed to slip in a little project amidst the major project of
getting ready for a week long trip.
Remember this beauty?
She has now been transformed.
Not how I originally planned.
But money and time were non existent, so I relied solely on the resources I had.
Enter new and improved:
Just ignore the terrible lighting - it's late.
No sun to help me out in that department.
And I took it real quick with my phone...
And now dear hearts,
I'm off to bed.
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Here's hoping you all have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July weekend!
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xoxo
jordan
ps - I have a very exciting giveaway planned! I'll tell you all about it when I get back!
; )
