Excuse this interuption...

Please make sure you look below for today's current post...

I'm happy to announce that "Mom to 5...Daughter of the King" is our winner for the Leslie Sansone Family Walk DVD.

Please send us a note (there is a link on the side for our email) with your name and address so we can get this dvd out to you!

Thanks to all who entered!

Go Figure Friday & Giveaway

Two of our biggest 'eating holidays' are soon upon us. Oh yes, let's dig into that wonderful food with such sweet aromas. Turkey, mashed potatoes, fresh baked rolls and don't forget the homemade cranberry sauce.

Makes us gain weight just thinking about it, doesn't it?

But, rather than get ourselves feeling bad about these upcoming weeks, let's use this time before the holidays to try to add a little more exercise into our daily schedules.

If you are looking for a place to start, here are some great articles:

Excuse-Proof Your Exercise Plan

What is Your Exercise Personality?

12 Week Treadmill Workout

And, here at Multi-Tasking Moms, we'll get one lucky reader started with the Leslie Sansone Family Walk DVD. Leave us a comment telling us your favorite way to exercise and also how you would fit this video into your family's daily schedule! A winner will be chosen randomly next Friday, Nov 16.

I want to encourage each of you, to develop an exercise routine now, before the holidays arrive. I've been walking 3-5 times a week for almost 10 weeks and seeing the pounds drop has been a wonderful motivation to keep going. There are 6 weeks until Christmas - get started today and see where you can be by the end of the year!

MTM Coffee Break

Sponsored by... Mugs of Truth

Hello, Ladies!!!
MTMs has decided to take a week from blogging to relax with a cup of coffee & enjoy Fall! We will return on Monday, November 5th- refreshed and ready to share more MTM moments with you!

In the mean time, we encourage you to take part in Fall Yall Bloggy Giveaway. Just click on over there and HAVE FUN!!! (scroll down to enter our giveaway!)

Furthermore... Are there questions you have, topics you'd like to explore, subjects you're needing help in, areas you're struggling with, ideas you'd like to share, etc? Please leave a comment and tell us what you like about this blog and what you'd like to see more of!!! Oh, I almost forgot... Anyone who leaves a comment, regarding this blog, will be entered into a drawing to receive a cool mug from http://mugsoftruth.com/!!!

We'll see you, Monday!
In Him,

It's Fall Y'all!

Even though we're taking a Coffee Break, us Multi-Tasking Moms are always up for a contest!


So, how would you like to be drinkin' your coffee or tea in a Mug of Truth?


These mugs are amazing! Not only do they have a powerful scripture on each one, but they transform when hot liquid is poured into them!


Now here's the exciting part, we are giving away 2 of these lovely Mugs of Truth!!!

Here is an "after" picture of the Rainbow mug

and

the Limited Edition 2007 Christmas mug (sorry, no photo of the mug itself)


Just leave us a comment and 2 of you will be randomly chosen to win a Mug of Truth Friday, November 2nd!

Last chance reminder - Jewelry Contest!

Last chance to win this beautiful necklace set! Contest ends on Tuesday, Oct 23rd at 5:00pm Eastern time.

You could be wearing this lovely, handmade jewelry set from Bead-Attitudes!!!

Go here to enter.

Jewelry & Romance Contest Reminder

Ladies,

Don't forget about WeaverMom's contest. You could be wearing this lovely, handmade jewelry set from Bead-Attitudes!!!



All you have to do is:

1. Post about your most romantic time with your husband since your kids came into your life. Please mention that you would like to win the necklace from Bead-attitude with a link to her site, and include a link back to WeaverMom's post which can be found HERE so others can find more romantic moments.

2. Come back and add your link to your "romantic" post to Mr. Linky.

3. Leave a comment with a question for "Wednesdays with WeaverMom"

HURRY! Contest ends soon!

Jewelry & Romance!

Do you have any creative ideas for making time for quality time with your husband?

My husband tends to be a loner, so time can fly before we notice that it's been awhile since we've had a conversation that did not include logistics of some sort - what time for dinner, which painter to hire, discipline issues and the like. I'm sure (well, hopefully!) you can relate.

Here are my 2 tips:

1. Pay attention to what actually matters to your husband and focus on those things. I had to ask. My husband likes to have home-cooked meals and to always have a clean shirt for work. He can handle the chaos a lot better if those 2 things happen. Those 2 things make him feel cared for, so I try my best to make those things a priority. It makes such a difference.

2. Work on the kids' bedtime not being a struggle, and get them in bed on the early side of what works with your evening routine. It's worth the discipline it takes to not have a huge struggle at bedtime - it makes the evening more pleasant for everyone and gives you time with your hubby after the kids go to bed.

So, obviously, this is an area I could use a little advice myself. I also need some interesting and fun questions to answer. And, maybe, just maybe - you would like something fun for YOURSELF! Maybe for your next night out with your husband?

So, here is my proposition - are you ready? 'Cause you could win this! Isn't it BEAUTIFUL? It's from Susan at Bead-attitude. Be sure to check out her other beautiful jewelry here.


Here's how to to enter to win this necklace and earrings:
1. Post about your most romantic time with your husband since your kids came into your life. Please mention that you would like to win the necklace from Bead-attitude with a link to her site, and include a link back to this post so others can find more romantic moments.
2. Come back and add your link to your "romantic" post to Mr. Linky.
3. Leave a comment with a question for "Wednesdays with WeaverMom"

It's easy! And fun! And you could win jewelry!

I'll get the ball rolling with my romantic moment:

We don't have family nearby - in fact, our closest family is a solid 20 hour drive away. True date nights are a little rare. Recently, a good friend of mine had a hard drive crash with the only copy of her pictures of her baby son on it. My computer wizard husband recovered all but 2 of the pictures. Isn't he great? :) She wanted to repay him with an evening of babysitting, but because of her baby, she asked if we could bring the kids to her house.

So, we said no. NOT! We actually said, "Which night works for you?" :) We contemplated going to dinner. Going to a movie! Going to the bookstore -without kids!

But, we ended up coming back home. And it was wonderful. Home. Alone. Together. For the first time in six years. It was odd. Different. QUIET!

Here is a picture of our nice dinner: (The plastic cup makes it super fancy - don't ya think?)


We both thought it was the best date we've had - possibly ever. Definitely since the kids were born.

Is it wrong to pray for friend's hard drives to crash? (*wink* LOL!)

Your turn!

Pink and Blue Tool Set Winners

The Winners for the PINK and BLUE tool set is......Alexia and Deb! Please send us your adress ladies.

Thanks for participating ladies!


Don't forget to enter our Featured Multi-Tasking Mom Contest to win an Orderly Mom Notebook! For more details click ----> HERE!

Also, don't forget to check in, we've got another fabulous contest coming your way!

If you haven't read this week's Go Figure post, please scroll down.

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Repairing Your Body Inside and Out

Exercise is a key point to losing weight and living a healthy life, but it is just as important to keep a close watch what goes inside our body too. Of course eating healthy, drinking water and making the extra effort to take vitamins helps. But, sometimes you need that little extra something, a little boost so to say.

Don't worry, it's not a diet pill or anything like that. What I'm about to share with you is good for your overall heath....a good old fashion remedy with medicinal purposes.

It's Apple Cider Vinegar! It is wonderful for so many ailments; allergies, asthma, sinus infections, high cholesterol, blood pressure, acne AND weight loss!!! Yep, it helps breaks down the fat in our body!

I know some of you are thinking YUCK! NO WAY!!!! But I personally don't think it's that bad. And the with overall benefits of it, isn't it worth it?!

There are several different concoctions for apple cider vinegar, some put it in their tea, others drink it with juice, but my personal favorite it is:

2 Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Raw Honey
8 oz of cold water....no ice for me thank you

Once you start taking this you will feel GREAT! Honestly, I haven't done this since I moved so, to practice what I preach I better start repairing and Getting MY Body in Motion! I will join Melodye and all of you other out there and post my results as well.


.....Oh speaking of repairing, Ladies Tools Online is giving aways TWO stylish set of tools!!!

It's a Girl! 46pc Tool Set


and

It's a Boy! 46pc Tool Set

Let's face it ladies, the men can't always do the handy stuff around the house, so if we have to do it, let's do it in STYLE!!!!

Each set contains a comfort grip: hammer, slotted screwdriver, Phillip's screwdriver, adjustable crescent, needle-nose pliers and snap off knife. Plus, there's an accessories box with screws (8), wall plugs (8), nails (25), and picture hangers (5). All of these fabulous items comes in a durable plastic matching case!

To enter:

1. leave us a comment letting us know if you want the PINK or BLUE

2. spread the word and please add a link to this post and Ladies Tools Online
(this contest is open to those of you who don't have a blog too, but please spread the word)

3. come back after you've posted and sign Mr. Linky

And CONGRATULATIONS Karen, you are the winner of last week's Go Figure contest!!! Please send us your addy:)

Gym vs.Dentist

I am the opposite of a gym rat. I would rather visit the dentist than work out at a gym. Speaking of dentists, I actually enjoy having my teeth cleaned. Peaceful music, relaxing in a chair...no kids in sight. It’s like a day at the spa. Well, ok, not really. But you get the idea.

Back to working out. I played soccer with my husband for years, and during those games I experienced for the first time enjoying “exercise”. I think it was because I was so focused on the tasks at hand (don’t kick the ball to the wrong player...don’t kick it into the wrong goal, etc.) that I forgot I was actually burning calories

But after our third baby was born, it was too much for me, to find babysitters for those weeknight indoor soccer games. I wanted sleep, not soccer. Sleep was so much more important than exercising. And that was the end of my soccer “career”.

But, there is one form of exercise I actually like and will be able to do (God willing) all my life. Walking. I really enjoy a good walk, especially if I don’t have a bunch of things to do upon my return to the house. I can think, I can listen to music, I can actually burn calories and enjoy burning them...nice!

This week, Leslie Sansone over at Walk at Home is hosting a Teen Walk. What a great idea! Plus... we're giving away a free Teen Walk DVD! Check out her site- just click on the button- and leave a comment below to enter the contest.

And, keep in mind...even if you haven’t visited the gym in years (like me), you can take a walk! Every step counts.

"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow." ~Henry David Thoreau

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."
~Steven Wright

And my personal favorite:
"He who limps is still walking." ~Stanislaw J. Lec

Who Will Be Our Next Featured Multi-Tasking Mom?

TCC @ The Campbell Corner is our very first Featured Multi-Tasking Mom! Congratulations TCC! Which one of you wonderful women want to be next month's pick and receive an Orderly Mom Notebook?

The Orderly Mom Notebook was designed by Tiany @ More of Him~Less of Me! This is a wonderful product has everything you need to organize youreslf!!!


Now to enter, all you need to so is:

1. Leave us a comment to enter.

2. Add our button to your sidebar

<a href="http://multi-taskingmoms.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Multi-Tasking Moms"><img border="0" alt="Multi-Tasking Moms" width="151" src="http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb137/M-TMoms/MTMButton-01.gif?t=1185695771" height="98" /></a>

3. Send us an email by clicking on our little envelop to the right (subject line: Featured MTM) sharing with us how you multi-task. Please add your name/username and name of blog with URL. If you have already blogged a great tip, please send us the link. (For those of you who entered last month are welcome to reenter another tip or the same one.)

Can't wait to hear from you:)

Recipe Roundup: 30-Minutes Or Less

One of the many things I've learned during my first year as a stay-at-home is that you don't suddenly get more time in your day to cook. Between picking up after a busy preschooler and keeping various appointments, there are days I simply forget to throw something in the crockpot for supper. Because the last thing we I want in this house is yet another delivery pizza night, I've been searching for quick and easy 30-minute meals.

I found the following recipe for Speedy Swedish Meatballs in "Semi-Homemade Cooking," by Sandra Lee. I made some adjustments to her recipe because I think her version uses unnecessary amounts of fats. And you know what? The recipe still tastes wonderful. If you're curious about what the final product looks like, visit Just Mom Cooking.

By the way, after you've taken a look at the recipe, scroll down to the fabulous giveaway we've got in store for you, courtesy of Practically Necessary.

Speedy Swedish Meatballs

1/4 C. vegetable oil
2 pounds frozen beef meatballs (for our family of 2 1/2, one bag would have been enough)
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 C. whole milk (I used 1 C. skim milk and 1/2 C. 2% milk because that's what we have in our house)
1/4 C. sour cream (I used non-fat sour cream)
1 pkg. (8.8 oz.) egg noodles (I used No-Yolk brand)

1) Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a bowl.

2) Add flour to skillet and cook 1 minute, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Stir in broth and milk.

3) Return meatballs to skillet. Simmer until liquid thickens, about 5 minutes.

4) Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream.

5) Cook noodles ina pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm. Drain.

6) Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Spoon meatballs and sauce over noodles. Serve immediately.

Now it's your turn. Share one of your favorite recipes that you use when you need to make supper in 30 minutes or less. Just use Mr. Linky to link to your blog. If you don't have a blog, share your recipe in the comments section.

****Another Awesome Sponsor***

Kerry at Practically Necessary is sponsoring this Recipe Roundup and is giving away this beautiful hand-crafted apron to one lucky multi-tasking mom. (Sorry, MTM contributors, we're still not eligible for all the wonderful prizes.)

Front view

Closeup of pocket


To enter, just leave a comment by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 2. Winner will be announced on Monday, September 3.

Good luck!

What's up @ MTM?

The winner of the momAgenda contest is:

is Michelle at Michelle's Food Page

Congratulations! Please click on the little envelop to the right and send us your address. Thank you everyone who participated in this contest. Be sure to check Saturday's post, for another great contest.

What's Up?

Multi-Tasking has been an understatement lately for this group of MTMs. We've been working on ways to make this site more beneficial for each of you while keeping ourselves on track in our own homes.

Emails and on-line chats have been extremely common this week - and we're ready to give you just a sneak peak at what fresh, new and exciting things we have coming your way.




This coming week we are going to feature a Guest Multi-Tasking Mom - please check back on Wednesday to see who she is!

We also want to let you know that next month we would like to feature one of you Multi-Tasking Moms out there on our blog. We want to know how you multi-task. Please share with us your family's favorite recipe, how you schedule your day or a wonderful cleaning product you can't live without and why. (If you need more suggestions, just have a glance under our categories section.) One of you will be chosen Friday, August 31, 2007. We will post the Featured Multi-Tasking Mom on Wednesday, September 5, 2007.

Lastly, we are looking to try out a 'schedule' of weekly topics. Food on Monday, Exercise on Tuesday or maybe that should be the other way around - lol - but, you get the idea.

In addition to our weekly topics, we have decided to limit our posts on Sundays - to allow everyone to get the rest and relaxation we need to gear up for the coming week. We may offer occasional posts here and there, but not every Sunday. We all know it is important to rest as our Creator designed us to!


We hope to see you tomorrow!

Blessings,

Go Figure

After having a baby 3 months ago, I realized that I really need to lose weight and try to get my figure back....I'm not expecting miracles, but at least I'd like to get back to a healthy weight.

I'm glad I'm not alone, it's always nice to have support, someone to encourage and motivate you to keep you going. That's why we decided to start a new feature called Go Figure!

Every Friday we are going to share tips on exercise, weight loss and health. We'd love for you to join us and let us know what works for you.

I'm not a fitness guru or anything, but I'll clue you in on the 2 things that have always worked for me, walking and Nutter Butters water! Several years ago when I first tried to lose weight, my dear, sweet mother bought me a set of Away the Pounds tapes off of an infomercial....I know what you're thinking....well, not really, but I'll tell you what I was thinking. "Nothing works like they say it does on TV!" But since I had the tapes and no money came from my pocket, I thought I'd give it a shot....and guess what ladies, it worked!!!!

I'm not talking about 10 pounds in 10 days, I'm NOT an infomercial-LOL! It took a good 3-4 months to lose about 30 pounds, one reason I liked the tapes so much was because Leslie (the creator of "In Home Walking") wasn't FAKE!!! I did make an effort to eat healthier and drinking water was a big part of it. It wasn't easy, believe me, but I managed by the grace of God to stick with it and now I'm going to try to do it again! Are ya with me, because I have some great news!

Leslie Sansone's In Home Walking has agreed to sponsor us! That's right, they are helping us kick off "Go Figure" by donating Leslie Sansone's Walk Slim System!!!

How great is that! Are you excited?! I know I am!

Now I know you are all just dying to get your hands on this, so here's what you gotta do to enter.

1. Add our "Go Figure" button to your sidebar...yep another button-LOL!

<a href="http://multi-taskingmoms.blogspot.com/search/label/Go%20Figure" target="_blank" title="Go Figure @ Multi-Tasking Moms"><img border="0" alt="Go Figure @ Multi-Tasking Moms" width="151" src="http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb137/M-TMoms/GoFigure-MTM.gif?t=1187326348" height="134" /></a>

2. Blog about this contest and link Leslie Sansone's website.

3. Share a weight loss tip you know, that will help others.

*BONUS QUESTION~ READ CAREFULLY*

A. You MUST email us the answer! (Subject line: Go Figure Contest)

B. You can only look for the answer ON HER SITE! (No cheating, let's play fair.)

C. If you get the answer correct, your name will be entered twice. Good luck moms!!!

4. Leslie Sanson is the spokesperson for which company?

5. Don't forget to sign Mr. Linky.

The winner will be chosen next Friday....Go Figure;)

Keeping Track of Them ... *AND* Me Too!

“Honey, do you know when I need to be at the Petersen’s? I just scheduled the Johnson’s on Tuesday.”
“Mama, after my soccer game on Saturday, I need to go to Johnny’s birthday party!”
“Mom, I want to go spend my birthday money but Kris says I can’t cause he is going to Spanish class. Tell him Spanish is canceled.”

For some reason, my family believes I am a walking calendar. The person who can see it done. They never ask about scheduling conflicts, they rarely ask if it can be done, they just assume if I am told or its dropped off on my desk it will magically get done.

In case anyone is wondering ….. I work 2 part-time jobs. One, running my husband’s company, scheduling his projects and maintaining the books. Thank fully, he has a full time job and this is just side work. The other for Google, which I should be starting in a few weeks. I attend college classes twice a week for 4 hours a night plus have 8-10 hours of homework during the week. I homeschool 3 kids … 2 who are in the “learning to read stage.” Kris has scouts, soccer practice, a soccer game, and Spanish class each week. Zac has scouts, soccer practice, and a soccer game. Ben has scouts. We have doctor appointments, dentist appointments, field trips, homeschool co-op days, and community service days. I volunteer as a homeschool mentor, am president for a local homeschool support group, and write on several blogs. Did I mention that hubby, Kris, and I all have volunteer commitments at church, too?

If you are not tired in reading the list …. I am. The question is, How do you get all of the schedules to correlate so that a parent is always there to chauffeur a child, projects completed on time and somehow find a little down time? There is a method to this madness but instead of sharing my schedule and scheduling tips, I thought I would share my SECRET WEAPON!

Okay …. Now please leave a comment below with your guess on what the SECRET WEAPON is below and I will get back to you sometime and let you know if you are right or not. Hope you all have a great week! : -)


……………………..


………………………………………


…………………………………………………………………………..

Not funny?? Okay fine! I will share with you! It’s the MomAgenda. http://www.momagenda.com/products.cfm?cID=8&pID=21 Yes, its another day runner but this one is made for moms! I am not sure what I ever did without it. Okay … I do know but I don’t want to remember!! You can go to the website to take a look at samples of this and to buy it. Other places like Amazon carry it as well.

Description: Each 2 page spread equals a week. The days are at the top of the grid. There is 2 mini-monthly calendars and an inspirational quote. Then there is a big section (row) about ¼ of the page called my week. That’s for all your appts. Then there are smaller areas under the label “kids.” There are 4 spots. The last little spot (half of a kids section size) labeled dinner. You can meal plan here too! Each day has lines for you to write your appointments on. There are a ton of neat features about this book but one of the best is that it lasts for 18 months. No more post-it notes everywhere for the appointments that roll over into next year. There are party and vacation planning sections. Notes and more! Plus each section is a different color of paper. It makes my girly heart smile! In a house full of boys, I need a little something for me!

How I Use It: My kids each have their own section as does my husband. Husband is the last one.

The Weekly Section: In black ink, I write in all the standing appointments. Make sure you note the times. Classes, sports, scouts, games, church … these all don’t move. Also in black are dentist appointments, doctor’s visits, and hubby’s business projects. In blue, I add in the things that are scheduled but moveable or cancelable. Field trips, birthday parties, play dates, things of that sort. Whichever parent is driving … gets an appointment logged in for them as well for the same event. Things that I would like to do or are tentative go into the book in pencil. There are special blackout days in my book. That’s where I write just one appointment under my things to do and then scribble out everything that is beneath that for the day. This means there is a family event happening, everyone is attending, and no…. we can’t do anything else that day! In the column where you write in hubby and kids names … under where it says my week … I list my homework assignments due that week. In colored ink, I write in my other to do things on the days I plan to get them done. So … looking at my book for this week. I have written in green on Tuesday library and a delivery is due, Thursday is grocery shopping, and Friday I am off to Sam’s Club, the carwash, and Old Navy. I also have back to school shopping to do on either Saturday or Sunday. Its written overlapping the two days. That means hubby wants to go with us for shopping. I write notes in the border using >, *, ~, and other icons and then write my notes in the border around my week. You will often see my grocery list, things to purchase on sale, directions, or questions to ask the doctor.

The Monthly Section: I plan out my homeschool plans here very vaguely as there are days when I think a spontaneous trip to the lake for a nature walk is more fun than spelling. Bad Mama …. I know!!! So …. I make my plans in pencil. And map out more of my goals than actual lesson plans. So for August you will see MUS– K27, Z19, B4 at the end of week 2. What does that mean? Am I playing bingo with myself? Nope … that says that by the end of this week I want Kris to be in lesson 27 in his math (Math U See Gamma), Zac to be in lesson 19 (Math U See Primer) and Ben to be in lesson 4 (Math U See Primer). I know MUS is the name of their math program no need to spell it all out. You will also see things like 14C3 11CB or something similar at the start of each of our school weeks (and probably a lot of erasing marks too! That is the week number and core level that I am working with the boys in. (YES! I have my own language!! Do not try to read my book without the instruction manual to go with it!) I work on a month at a time planning … you never know when life will get in the way.

Dinner plans: I try to keep a master list of what’s in my freezer. It never works as hubby is bound to take something out and not mark it off the list. I need a smart freezer that will tell me what is in it and what I need to buy …. But that is me in my fantasy land. I look at the weekly adds, see what I have in the freezer to go with it and then make my plans for the week. Then I write in the menu and wala! Dinner is planned for the week. I try to do a majority of the cooking once a week (its frees up a lot of time!) and Friday night is left over night. Whatever is in the fridge is dinner! : -)

My book is always open and on my desk. If I leave the house, it goes with me. For some reason, only moms can see this magical book as my husband and sons have never seen it! I am the walking calendar. They think I keep it all straight in my head. Shhh!!! No one tell them my secret. Now … it can be your secret too!!

has agreed to sponsor us in a contest so that one of you Multi-Tasking Moms can also own a fabulous momAgenda Desktop Planner!


*click above for more color choices*

All you have to do to enter is, put our button on your sidebar,

<a href="http://multi-taskingmoms.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Multi-Tasking Moms"><img border="0" alt="Multi-Tasking Moms" width="151" src="http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb137/M-TMoms/MTMButton-01.gif?t=1185695771" height="98" /></a>

blog about this contest and please link to momAgenda in your post
then, come back here and sign Mr. Linky.
We will randomly choose a winner on Friday, August 17, 2007.
Sunday, August 19, 2007!

Good Luck Moms!!!