All In the Name Giveaway Part II

Alrighty…..the names are in!The Contest is created!!

All of you who were so gracious to submit names for my soap business will receive your sample bar of soap!! I will be emailing you shortly to gather your shipping information….for the rest of you….stay tuned….more “soapy” giveaways are coming!!

Now go vote and see what the fabulous names are for the soap business!!

AND, if you want to check out all the cool soaps….(which I still have to post some more for you all) feel free to head on over to the blog I share with my sisters!
(My sisters are Brittany and Nicole!)

Going Through the Big D

No I am not going through the big D…”and I don’t mean Dallas” cue music. But I have been reading, listening, and quite frankly sick and tired of all the speculation, theories, unnecessary anger, and minutiae from other people about divorce.

Let’s get real folks….how many have you experienced divorce? Now put your hand down if you are talking about your BFF “and like her parents got divorced” or “and like my best girl friend, yo she got all screwed over by her man….mmnnnmmm.”

Yeah….I so do not think so. Here is the skinny on divorce and what people fail to acknowledge.

Divorce is like marriage, takes two of you to get there, no one person is at fault, no one person can fix it, no one person is without fault, no one person did not see the Big D coming, and no one person can be blamed for the entire marriage crumbling to pieces.

Marriage, you can not get married alone, no one person can go get the marriage certificate signed, no one person can fall in love, no one person can accept to the proposal (um one says yes, but the other said YES to asking Nimrods), no one person can build a marriage.

See where I am going….divorce, just like marriage is a TWO WAY street.

I say this and I can say that divorce is the best and worst thing to happen to two people.

How can this be some of you may ask? Again, Lucy be doin‘ some ‘splainin‘ here:

I am a product of divorce. *GASP* Yes, my parents divorced in the late 80s when divorce was the hottest thing next to the financial fallout then. I have to say I thank the higher powers for my parents divorce. I hated that my parents went through the ugliest divorce, my mother checked out, my father was an ass (being very PG about that), leaving three kids to figure out if their square peg would fit into a round hole. Now as an adult, I see how damaging my parents were together. My mother was, and still can be, the Ultimate Enabler. I say that with the most love. My mother is a good good woman with the best of intentions, but her intent was to “for better for worse, in sickness and in health.” However, she reevaluated the health issue and the sickness. My father, the classic alcoholic, abuser, addict, drug aficionado. He knew no boundaries, no limits, and at the time the most aspiring business man and could care less who got in his way to the top. He reminded me of Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street.

So my mother weighed the sickness against the duty as a mother and wife. Her duty to stay married to a man for the sake of her children. But their health was not to be compromised. My father refused help, in pure denial as any addict is and always will be. To this day, I am not sure he ever admits any fault…ah hell, he blames the world for everything who am I kidding!

My parents divorced in January of 1988, I was 10. Yup…just dated myself.

The thing with divorce is that I am so thankful my parents, especially my mother did not stay married to my dad in spite of what she learned. She went with her gut, she did what was ultimately right for her too. I think that is what people FAIL to realize in divorce. You cannot stay married for the kids, the kids were not always there, they will not always be there in the end. Kids grow, move out, have kids of their own. The beautiful cycle of life. When you marry there are no kids involved (well not traditionally, some are unconventional….like my sister…love you!!), but in the beginning only two people exist. Individually. Together. So if no kids were involved is divorce that much more okay than if kids are involved? I think not.

I have read so many bashing‘s about divorce, about celeb divorces, like Jon and Kate Gosselin. I mean for Pete’s sake. Yes, awful they are getting divorced, no one can point fingers, each is at fault somewhere. Each lost their way in the relationship, grew apart and never back together, or they are to the point where the road can never be mended, but at least they are doing the most healthy thing for their kids. They are each going to find a happiness they obviously do not feel with each other anymore.

Divorce is also tricky because family is involved on many levels. When my folks divorced my paternal grandparents took sides at first. My father was and is a fantastic “salesman” (aka manipulator). So my G-rents bought the stories hook line and sinker. Eventually though they saw that my mother was not only at fault and many apologies were made. My maternal grandparents did not take sides, they truly tried to stay neutral, but eventually just grew away from my father because of his “illness” and his damaging ways. Friends took sides. I watched my god parents divorce and each of them grabbed one of my parents, I felt like I was watching the partings of the Red Sea. The way I see divorce is that both are not happy, but the one person who makes the decision to say “Hey this is not working, we need to get a divorce” has either tried everything, or nothing and merely is throwing in the towel. Either way, they made a decision! They made a decision they do not want to be unhappy and with that person anymore. I am not saying that any one person can make you happy, but misery loves company. The other person is in denial, they do not want to admit that they ignored the writings on the wall and that they have grasped at every ounce of bullshit to stay together. Other divorces are totally amicable, my friend recently got divorced, he said they divorced because she was going to go to med school, and that was not conducive to their relationship. They both are friends, they both still care for one another, but the marriage was going to go down hill so they caught the shit before it rolled. Awesome!

I guess I am confused as to why people judge each person in a divorce. I mean why? I know that if DH and I were to come back to a point where we said “Hey, we tried, we tried everything, now lets try not being together” I would sincerely hope that sides were not taken. That the decision we made is that we are more damaging together than apart. We need to be healthy for our kids to be healthy and if that means divorce, so be it. We are lucky, we have weathered some nasty storms in our 12 years together. I dug in my spurs and bore down, I was in for the long haul with my big fish. We found each other again, we found our love, and we found we are stronger than we have EVER been. But we were lucky. We were lucky to have found a great therapist who helped each of us, we were lucky to have time to find who we were again, to find us and then we found two more kids!

We also agreed that we would never be dirty. That in all the hurt of a divorce, the nasty back biting, judging, side taking, name calling BS that divorce brings out, which is the worst in all of us, the people that are hurt the most are the kids. By sitting down with your kids and explaining that you still love them, this is not their doing, they did not cause this, and explaining that mom and dad just are not good together, this will ease their pain. I only know this now after years of therapy, of watching my father marry and divorce wives like a private harem, by watching how nasty divorce can be on the outside with watching DH go through his divorce when I met him, by watching my BIL go through his divorce, my god parents, my dear friends. As an outsider you gain insight, you learn to not take sides, not listen to the bitching and crap but still lend an ear for constructive bitching, by still loving each person. I can say I have never taken sides, well with the exception of DH and his ex, but even still, I think the relationship takes two. So next time you hear someone is divorcing because someone cheated on the other, or she is a bitch or he is an A*hole, just remember that could be you! So try not to judge, try not to take sides, support and love them, they are in for the worst, which in time will turn out for the best.

Tools For Moms

CHOP, TheFivefish.com, Karie HerringThe web is an endless plethora of information and resources. I mean you can Google yourself, a condition, a place, a picture, ANYTHING and you are redirected to lists and lists of information. As a mom this can be so frustrating as you weed through what is a reliable source and what is not. Often times we can even be deceived by these “reliable” sources.

Recently Big G decided he would take a moment to cut an apple for himself to eat. Most of the time this is not an issue as the boy could not reach the counter and or the knife being used was as dull as a spoon. However, this time we were not so lucky.This was the culprit of a VERY large and deep cut into his index finger as he held an apple in his hand and drove the knife from north to south along the fruit. knife, thefivefish.com, Karie Herring, injuryAs he did this he caught his finger. The doctor said had he been an adult he would have received stitches.

Accidents like these, or the fall from a bike or tree resulting in a broken arm and such happen all the time. While we may feel these accidents are a rite of passage for our children or they happen and we do all we can to prevent them, the trauma of the accident may be more painful than just the physical pain. One of my blog friends (and a twin mama) also is dealing with trauma for her very young son who is having issues with eating and breathing, symptoms that can happen in premature infants. While not an injury, traumatic nonetheless with the surgery involved.

So when these things happen where do you turn? Where is the help for you and your child with the emotional healing, where we as parents do not feel guilty for life happening, and our children are able to work through their emotions as well? Well a site created in conjunction with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (which is a leading pediatric hospital) focuses specifically on the mental, emotional and physical healing of any injury or trauma. I just thought with all of the sites available why not visit one that is legit and goes beyond the standard text book help.

 

After The Injury

The Funk of All Funks

Most, okay, not sure on that, but so I have read, that most bloggers get into a funk where they cannot post. Nothing witty comes to mind, nothing exciting has happened to yield the space taken by a blog post, or they completely feel uninspired. Me….not so much.

My funk all began on the eve of the Waxing Gibbous. At least that is what I think the dang thing is called before the moon is completely full.

Yes! I said it. THE FULL MOON!!

I have had one previous post like this where my children seriously act out in ways that I have never experienced. They are not bad kids, they are just…..wacky!

Not to mention that everything under the sun (and moon at this point) could go wrong. Here is my shopping list of funky stuff:

  • Full Moon (that’s funky enough right?!)
  • PMS (ah yes, Aunt Flo….bitch!)
  • Ran out of propane while grilling (brisket mind you…this takes a few hours)
  • No Health Insurance (yeah not sure the deal on that….called HR…still waiting on a response….GRRRRRRRR)
  • Can’t schedule the Hubs vasectomy (another funky problem…ick…and we are so done having kids…like three kids ago! LOL See the sister problem above)
  • Cell phone was hosed….Seth-en-Stein decided it needed to go for a swim…and the rice trick…didn’t save my poor phone.
  • Laptop was pulled off table…still functioning (by the Grace of a higher power)
  • Kids called Afghanistan….had two phones on speaker next to each other..lots of feedback and screaming…not sure who was screaming on the phone though.
I have more…but been such a long week, I am so not going to bore you with my petty details. But needless to say I wasn’t about to do a blog post…because with my luck of all lucks with the full moon something would have gone funky there too!

Have any of you experienced the full moon phenomenon where your kids seems to act like demons descended from hell to drive you nuts? Or they act like they are possessed? Can you see her horns? Yeah I think she is looking at them too. I think she is trying to figure out why they are showing. And then the Big G….yeah he is planning plots of mass manipulation.

VGNO and Ann’s Birthday

Okay, I have so failed to post pertinent blog fodder content…which I have plenty from this week. Let me tell you…but let me tell you first that this is my first VGNO (Virtual Girl’s Night Out) and its a good thing….I am so behind. Yeah, you can consider me that drunk chick that you have to drive around because she is so stupid wasted! But seriously, I am getting there, I am getting caught up and playing. FO SHO! LOL

No really, I am getting around to my virtual life that I love and live for….but I had to live my real life today, which was BUSY!! Whew!

So here is the most important thing…..VGNO! Go meet some new friends, maybe meet up with some old, and wish Ann a HUMONGOUS Happy Birthday!

The Five Fish always love a birthday, the celebration of your life here with us! Birthdays ROCK!

Have a very Happy Birthday Ann and enjoy Coldplay tonight!

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My Disregarded Job

Many moms have TONS of jobs. The list is truly endless if we detail laundry, cleaning bathrooms, dishes, gardening and the like as a job. I used to have another full time job that I went to each and every morning. I loved my job. I hated the commute, but I loved (still love) my job. I work with some of the BEST and I do mean BEST people in my industry. My employers, my bosses, are also my friends. I am truly blessed in that. In 2006, when I went on hiatus due to my “breakdown” is the only way I can call it. (My doctor decided to load me up on unneeded anti-depressants that almost destroyed my life…thats a post in its own!) So I am on hiatus, then the bosses tell me, “You can work from home. Be with the boy, do what you do, stop in the office every now and then.”
The idea worked great for about a month. Until Big G figured out the deadbolt and was taking the two dogs for walks around the block, unbeknownst to me until I went looking for him in the house. Luckily we have a great neighborhood and I was not occupied long enough for him to go very far. At best, the end of the street which is one house over. Nonetheless, scary to ANY parent.

What is my job you ask? Well I am a finance major. I love numbers. I know, I am a total math geek. I oogle over the opportunity to compute and talk gross margins, net margins, return on investment, loan to values, rates, recoups, you name it I love to speak the language of math and business finance love. I have been working in retail finance since I was 18. I worked in car dealerships until I was 25, I couldn’t take the hours anymore. LOVED the money, HATED the hours and my bosses were jerks back then. Really they weren’t, I was just too young to know how to deal with them. Now….they make me laugh! After working as a finance manager for that many years you are unsure of what type of job you can get out of the industry. I was blessed enough to find a position in the mortgage industry.

I know I know, lay off the comments, I went from one catfish position to another in some people’s eyes, but really the catfish in the mortgage industry are thieves and crooks. I will not be lumped with them.

I love and hate my job in the mortgage industry right now which is why I have disregarded it some and shown such a strong interest in my blog. I don’t have to hear negativity unless I want to, I don’t have to deal with crap….unless I want to. I can hit the little red X in the top right corner and ignore it all, where my job I could not do that.

I would hear horror stories of how people were in awful loans, in part I think their own negligence for not paying attention or asking enough about the loan they were getting into, I would hear how they just foreclosed, now filed bankruptcy, and I have to tell them they cannot touch a house to buy for THREE years! UGH!

Other days, I love my job. I educate folks who speak to me. If they think I am going to sell them they are SOOO wrong. I am not going to sell you on a mortgage, that is the job of the real estate agent, they sell. I will educate any and everyone on the HUNDREDS of different guidelines and regulations for purchasing and refinancing a home. I will give you the details, I will educate you on the differences, I will give you options and let you make an educated decision about YOUR finances on your house.

So my educational bit right now to any and all:

THIS IS A BUYERS MARKET!! Now is the time to go buy a home. The market did not “fall out” like all claim. For some yes the bottom did fall out of an unsupported market, while other markets merely normalized is what I like to call it. Normal appreciation on any home in ANY area is a standard of 5-15%, not the 50-100% the market saw and could not support. Coupled with crappy lending on behalf of some bankers and lenders, a recipe for disaster clearly by the state of the economy.

The other thing is that people are afraid they cannot get a loan or cannot refinance out of the loan and situation they are in now. DO NOT BE AFRAID!! Get out there, be proactive, talk to me if you need to, send me an email, programs exist to help folks stay in their homes. One plus of the reforming White House regime we have. Also ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If your loan officer or broker cannot answer your question or give you an answer, BAIL!! They are shady and lucky to still be operating.

Credit, if credit is a problem, okay, so fix the problem. We can do a government loan. Nothing wrong with a government loan. My very first house and my first loan, on a new construction home, 10 YEARS ago was a government loan, FHA. In fact, here is the kicker…….my rate……7%!! And I thought I got a smoking good deal. Today….yeah can you say 5% and still under 6% if at the worst case scenario.

Now is the time. Grab the old bull by the horns and look at your situation. Even if you situation is not dire, think ahead to the future, the lack of stability still looming in the economy. The event horizon. Refinance now at the lower rate. You can even determine your term. You don’t have to do a 30 year. 25 years, 20 years, 15, how about 10 years, all fixed rates, all smoking good rates.

So with you in mind and my blog, I may not post all the time as I need to get off my duff and yield a paycheck, by helping folks achieve the American dream of owning a home and keeping the one they already have. Please feel free to email me, everything is confidential under law. Otherwise I spend time in a 5X5 cell in the fancy Leavenworth Hotel.
BTW My card is a little dated, we are licensed in more states. Feel free to check out our web page with all of our banker license numbers and states of operation, and read all about my coolest bosses ever! www.southwestdirectmortgage.com

Chex Mix Bars Giveaway & Review

Okay, you have seen how I am a professed food junkie. I love food. I love to cook food, eat food, hate food. You saw my post on snacks, everyday you need a snack. Some days though, you want something deep fat fried and smothered in chocolate. You know you do! You, just like me want that sweet, salty, tang, ooey, gooey, crunchy goodness.

Well by golly General Mills made a snack especially for people like me, who want something deep fat fried and smothered in chocolate but you do not want all the guilt, I mean calories associated with a snack that is perfectly delicious.

Here is some great info about Chex Mix and Chex Mix Bars:

Low in fat and cholesterol free, moms love Rice Chex and Corn Chex cereal because they are low in sugar. For more than 60 years, Chex has offered calcium, vitamins and an enjoyable crunch.

Each bar is less than 200 calories and less than 4 grams of fat per serving! (Talk about guiltless snacking right?) Chex Mix Bars come in two flavors Turtle and Chocolate Chunk.

This delicious snack combines crunchy Chex pieces, pretzels and peanuts with chewy and indulgent ingredients like caramel and chocolate. And if that“s not enough, they have less than 150 calories per bar and provide at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (48 grams recommended daily)! A great combination of the ingredients you love, Chex Mix Bars are a tasty treat that will leave you feeling satisfied and guilt-free!

Now our house was able to test (HA! You mean demolish) two boxes of Chex Mix Bars in Turtle. The ladies and gents over at My Blog Spark must have known that I absolutely LOVE anything with caramel and chocolate. Seriously, my favorite ice cream (next to Mint Chocolate chip) is Baskin Robbins Gold Medal Ribbon, which is vanilla with chocolate and caramel. YUM.

So seriously we receive the boxes like a few days after we demolish the Nature Valley Nut Clusters. Yeah, like I said, we are addicts. But we receive the boxes and that day and for some reason or another I am annoyed about something. I am driving my mad blond self around the house directionally cleaning. So I am like a street sweeper right, picking up stuff that will only get tossed around again by the gnomes. Pointless. But nonetheless cleaning. DH is snacking on one of these bars. The annoyed level goes to an all time as he is smacking on those things, just oozing how fabulous they are. Right, I pass on trying one. STUBBORN! ASS! I should have ripped it out of his hot little hands and munched on it!

Chex Mix Bars Turtle are my slice of heaven. I for one am not a fan of bars of anything. I rarely eat granola bars again for the mess, or candy bars for the guilt. Again, H-E-A-V-E-N!! So here is the skinny:

Me: They are crunchy without being too crunchy and not too squishy or sticky like some candy bars are and not too crunchy like granola where you have crumbs everywhere making you look like that Rock eating monster from The Neverending Story. (You know which one right?) I feel satisfied without feeling guilty or like I need to spend an extra hour RUNNING my tail down to work off those extra chocolate calories. Plus, LOW IN FAT! They have a few grams of protein, not a massive amount of sugar, and fiber. We all need fiber.

DH: “OMG have you tried these? Seriously take a bite? THOSE ARE FREAKING SO DAMN GOOD! They have to be illegal. Do they have them in the store, can you go buy some more?”

Yeah he is super easy. I think he said the same thing about the nuts too. Anyway, I love them, Big G loves them the Squids even had some nibbles and walked off lip smacking too which is a sign that The Fish family enjoyed the Chex Mix Bars.

Now all the cool and fabulous deets about this tasty giveaway. I am pleased to announce that I will be giving away SIX (6) boxes total of these Chex Mix Bars to three of my readers. So each of the three winners will receive TWO (2) lip smacking goodness boxes to enjoy in your home.

Here is my question to you and the fun part of the giveaway:
How do you indulge? What is your guilty pleasure?

 

Leave me a comment tell me your guilty pleasure, along with your email addy.

 

NO EMAIL ADDY, NO CHANCE TO WIN! NO SNACKS FOR YOU!

 

So please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I have a way to tell you “Hey, you won! I get to send you some really awesome swag!”

Okay, the rules:

  • Tell me “How do you indulge? What is your Guilty pleasure!?”

Now these are all extra credit: (Thank you Eileen for pointing out the error of my ways)

  • Follow my blog, or tell me you already do
  • Follow me on Twitter, or tell me you already do
  • Tweet this giveaway, come back and tell me you did
  • Subscribe to my blog, (I check so no cheats! Or tell me you already do)
  • Grab my button
  • Fave my blog on Technorati, or tell me you already have
  • Stumble this blog, or tell me you already have (Many thanks to Leslie on the new found info about SU TOS….which we think is LAME!)
  • Blog about this giveaway and tell me you did (Worth 5 entries, leave a comment for each)
  • Become a Fan of The Fish on Facebook!
GOOD LUCK!!

 

~~~~~~CONTEST ENDS JULY 16TH @ MIDNIGHT AZ TIME~~~~~~~

Funfilled Fourth

The Fourth of July is the ultimate celebration of Freedom and summer fun for the kids. This year while the squids were still not totally old enough to enjoy all the fun and festivities Big G had a blast and a front row seat to some of the best firework shows the East Valley (Phoenix metro) could display!

We discussed traveling to Shnepff Farms as they always have great year round celebrations. I have to say that their corn maze is the best in the fall and all around fun for the kids.

We talked about going to the Offroad Rodeo and watching the mud boggers and fireworks there.

We talked about driving into Fountain Hills to see the fireworks over the worlds tallest fountain.

But we did the poor man’s, easy peasy Fourth of July and everyone was all around happy and had a great time. Plus we got a project done too!

We all crawled out onto the roof and got a 360 degree view of all the fireworks on display! We saw Tempe, Mesa, more Mesa, Fountain Hills, what a spectacular sight! Big G was going on and on about how awesome the sight was. To top things all off, the twins got to keep their bed times, so we weren’t fighting with them, fighting the droves of people, the traffic, I mean if you count the bulldog, but all in all a great Fourth! We ended the night watching Star Wars Episode Six and had a cold bowl of vanilla ice cream. I mean how much more all American can you get?!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July!
The Fish Family has lots more to share including two more giveaways in store this coming week.
Have a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Hide and Seek of Guilty Evidence

Kids, and even adults are so funny when they are busted. I mean they act like “What?” “Who me?” “What are you talking about?”

Big G is the biggest offender of this. He is allowed one sugary type drink or snack a day, if that. And the option is one or the other…NOT BOTH. We limit his sugar because his little body simply cannot metabolize sugar into a normal energy way. I mean most kids get on a sugar high that is completely normal, but my child…WATCH OUT! The boy acts like he received a hearty dose of epinephrine straight to his system. He is like watching a car with nitrous oxide injection, fast, fast, burn, and then the choke out. By choke out, the kid is a disaster, he is completely incorrigible. To some, thats fine they may have the patience to deal with that type of disaster and crisis management. Me? NO THANKS. My boy is even keel, but when sugar kicks in, he is out of hand!

So he has been on his smoothie kick lately. No problem with the smoothies, you get one a day. Just like the Danactive. Even though they are a dairy type drink, the sugar content is enough to push the kid into the Asshole Zone of incorrigible.

While I was in the garage, cleaning and arranging our numerous piles of stuff that needs to be sold, donated, weeded through, trashed, you name it I found empty packages. Empty packages of what you ask? Well the Danactive probiotic yogurt drinks that I told him he can only have one a day.

I pick up the evidence and take said evidence in the house. Knowing full and well, he was the one. DH tosses stuff on the floor of the garage, but not like that, mostly sawdust, and whatever other project he is working on and he does so in a dubious manner. These empty little packages were strategically placed in a very inconspicuous spot. So as not to detect they were there. Little did he know that I am not a complete genius, but I am far from oblivious and stupid.

I confront the boy.

 

Me: G, what is this?
G: Um……um…….um…….I dunno.
Me: (Clearly pissed at his blatant act of stupidity and failing to fess up) If you lie to me now you will be in more trouble. I ask you again…..What are these?
G: Yogurt drinks.
Me: And why are they empty in the garage….and in hiding places in the garage?
G: Um….um…..um……
Me: Don’t start that again, what are they doing in there and hiding? Why did you hide them? Why are you sneaking them?
G: I dunno….(clearly starting to cry and feel sorry for himself for being caught)
Me: You lose the Wii and you no longer get drinks like this again for a week too. You will only drink your organic milk or water. THAT’S IT!!!

What children and some adults have not learned is that you cannot hide something. No matter if that something is bad or good, a trail is always left behind somewhere of something that was done wrong. I know I have found that out…..hence the private blog open ONLY to invitation only (email me if you want an invite add for author or reader). But I love that I put Sitemeter on there so I can still track those who hit that blog, just DYING to read what is written behind the veil of privacy. But the moral that I have taught my kids, and one taught to me is, PUNT….always tell the truth. Kick the ball down field even if you are at the 4th down, with no time outs, and 50 yards to go, everything to lose! Or better yet, if there are two outs, and only a runner on first, just hit the truth as hard as you can. It hurts, man does it hurt, but later you won’t have anything eating at your conscience that you didn’t try, you didn’t give it your all and be true to what you feel. I mean who wouldn’t feel the best knowing they hit the ball as hard as they could with the bat, hitting the biggest outfield hit they could, even if caught, they still cranked it out.

From now on, Big G has learned that all you have to do is ask, or just fess up. A simple question. He may not always like the answer, but he will learn as he grows into an adult, we don’t always like what we hear or the answer we are given, but at least we got an answer.

NECCO SweetHearts: Red, White, and YOU!

In honor of the Fourth of July and the American and Foreign Military Troops serving abroad, NECCO, New England Confectionery Company, parent company of our favorite Sweethearts candy (normally seen at Valentine’s) has created a new line to celebrate our wonderful country and the military men and women who serve to protect our country!

For the first time in 140 years NECCO expanded the traditional Valentine candy line and Valentine sentiments to include patriotic sentiments in honor of our troops and military families for their service. These sentiments have great lines like “Proud of U”, “Home Safe”, “Miss You.” Sweethearts, is also sending these great candies in packages for our troops which is in partnership with the United Service Organizations(USO).

I for one was not a fan of Sweethearts Valentine candy because of the flavors, but I can tell you that these new Red, White, and YOU flavors are fantastic and epitomize American summers and stereotypes. I was eating them like they were going out of style. Seriously, and I am not a candy fan. I would eat hard candy like Jolly Ranchers every now and again. The flavors are so yummy! The blue tastes like a rich blueberry pie, the red like a sweet and sticky cherry pie, and I haven’t quite nailed the white, but man are they good!

Not only are they tasty little snacks, but they make great craft and recipe ideas. My favorite was the Red, White, and You Flag Cake! So yummy and perfect for the 4th of July BBQ!

Is that cake not scrumptious looking or not!? I would say so! Click on her to get a closer look at the easy peasy directions and make one of your own.

Remember to stay safe this Fourth of July and try to remember the reason why we celebrate this holiday past all the BBQ’s, fireworks, and fun. Be sure to thank our troops, veterans, soldiers for their service to protect our freedoms!

Happy Fourth of July!!