Words cannot describe the devastation we’ve seen in Haiti over the last week. Over 2 million people homeless, hundreds of thousands dead and millions more starving for clean water and food.

It puts our lives more and more into perspective… that materialist things are just that… material things that don’t really matter. What matters most in life is love, life, family and health.

Whatever nationality, religion, belief, etc. you are, just remember we all come from the same race… the human race. So while Haiti may be hundreds or thousands of miles away from us,

- “Mama… why do you always yell at the TV? The (Golden State) Warriors can’t hear you.”

- “If I lick the crumbs off the table, I won’t be hungry anymore.”

Are you looking for a gift for an expecting mom? Whether it’s a friend, your wife, your sister or even an acquaintance, every pregnant woman loves to feel spoiled! She’s tired, emotional and excited all at the same time, but most of all, she deserves a special treat!

Here are some suggestions:

- Get something just for her. Whether it’s jewelry, a nice handbag (my personal weakness) or something as simple as a cupcake, it will be well appreciated.

- Get something for baby. We all love to oooh and ahhh over baby clothes, so why not get something cute for baby? You can try adorable baby onesies, baby tee shirts or a baby shower gift set from Rattle Me!

- Take her out for a night on the town. Pregnant or not, everybody loves to be pampered, wined and dined! Try a spa day followed by a romantic (or a girl’s night) dinner and a bottle of, uh… sparkling cider.

Sometimes the smallest, most thoughtful things are enough to show you care. And remember, you can never tell someone you love them enough!

I know I haven’t posted in awhile, but cut me some slack! I’m 8 1/2 months pregnant! But I do have something exciting to share… My friend just linked me to a great article…

Jamba Juice has a secret menu! Here’s a quick peek at the “secret menu” items:

1. Andres’ Surprise
2. Apple Pie
3. Berry Depressing
4. Blue Topia
5. Butterfingers
6. Chocolate covered Strawberries
7. Dirty [spoiler]Org-sm[/spoiler] (I’m aware that soompi is a child safe place so spoiler word it goes)
8. Fruity Pebbles
9. White Fruity Pebbles
10. Pink Fruity Pebbles
11. Blue Gummi Bear
12. Chocolate Gummi Bear
13. Green Gummi Bear
14. Pink Gummi Bear
15. Red Gummi Bear
16. White Gummi Bear
17. Hello Jesus
18. Lemonade Lightnin’
19. Melonade wave
20. Now and Later
21. Orange Dream Machine
22. Pacific Passion
23. Peanut Butter and Jelly
24. [spoiler]Pen-s[/spoiler] Shooter
25. Pineapple Dreamin’
26. Rainbow Sherbert
27. Raspberry Dreamin’
28. Reese pieces
29. San Diego
30. Skittles
31. Sourpatch Kid
32. Starburst [aka Pink Star]
33. Strawberries Dreamin’
34. Strawberries Lightnin’
35. Strawberry Shortcake
36. Sunny Delight
37. Thank You Jesus
38. Tootsie Roll
39. Tropical Tango

And here are a couple recipes, just in case you want to try it at home:

Sour Patch Kid
Original size,
12 oz lemonade
one scoop of each sherbert, lime, pineapple, raspberry, and orange
one scoop of blueberries

Fruity Pebbles
Soymilk (tell them you want the Protiene Berry Pizzaz, and you want to substitute everything except the soymilk with…
Orange sherbert
Rasp sherbert
Lime sherbert
Pineapple sherbert

PB&J Sandwich
12oz soymilk
2 scoops fro yo
2 strawberry
1 blueberry

Pink Starburst
6 OZ Lemonade
6 OZ Soymilk
1 Rasberry Sherbet
1 Frozen Yogurt
1 Sorbet
2 Strawberries

White Gummi Bear
6 Ounces Peach Juice
4 Ounces Soymilk
One “Green” scoop of:
-LIME
-RASPBERRY
-ORANGE
-PINEAPPLE
(Basically all of the sherbets)
One green scoop of mangos.

My top pick is the Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears. If’ it’s anything like the real thing, I’ve found my dream smoothie.

Interested in seeing the entire list? Check it out here!

Want the secret menu for other hot spots? It’s your lucky day… here you go!

In-n-Out Secret Menu

Starbucks Secret Menu

Chipotle Secret Menu

McDonalds Secret Menu

I’m a sucker for discounts and coupons! I’m an even bigger sucker for all-you-can-eat chips and salsa at Chevy’s!

This coupon isn’t as good as their usual $3.99 second entree deal, but it will have to do. Enjoy $5 off the purchase of $20 or more at Chevy’s! Good through August 22, 2009.

Click the following link for the Chevy’s coupon.

These days parents are more conscious of how they dress their kids. Even in these tough economic times, we still want our kids looking cute and fashionable. Gone are the days of faded sweats and bummy t-shirts and here are the days of cardigans, mary janes, bootleg designer jeans, screen-printed tees, etc. You name it, there’s a market for it.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon realize that one niche market that hasn’t been saturated yet is eco-friendly or a green alternative to cool clothes. It seems like you either give up coolness for organic or vice versa. I hated all the beige and natural colored organic clothing and yet I loved all the trendy designs but hated that none of them were eco-friendly. Next thing you know, a lightbulb quickly went off in my head and BAM… Rattle Me was born.

The concept behind Rattle Me baby clothes was to design hip clothes for the trendy baby of today but in an eco-friendly way. All our baby clothes are made of organic cotton, grown and sewn in the USA. I’m proud of our current collection and am thrilled by the reception we received when we introduced it to the world.

We love all of our designs, but here are a few of our customer favorites:

• Hip Baby Onesies – Pink Medallion or Blue Medallion. The design is cool enough to put on an adult shirt.
• Hip Baby Hats – Black Love or White Love. It’s sweet and sentimental but still cool.
• Hip Toddler Shirts – Gray Royalty or Pink Royalty Shirt. This shirt says it all!
• Baby Shower Gifts – Take your pick! Our customers love the White Forever Gift Set and the Pink Skull Gift Set for not only the matching onesie and baby hat, but for the cool gift box.

Everyone has their own taste, so check out all our baby clothes!

Nowadays I think parents go a bit overboard with all the classes, activities, lessons, etc. they put their kids in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no exception… my kids have gym class, swimming and t-ball and they’re both still under the age of 5!

As much as I talk… the one class we definitely couldn’t do without is swimming. I don’t see it as a lesson or another fun activity, but a life skill that they need to have. Both of my kids have been taking swimming lessons since the age of 10 months and while some may argue that 10 months is too early, I think it’s just right. They’re too young to really understand and object to it, but still young enough to have the reflex of when you blow on their face, they suck in their breath (therefore they can hold their breath underwater). As much as dear husband and I dread going into the water (because prep before and after is so much work!), we love the fact that both our boys LOVE it and are on their way to being great swimmers.

These photos don’t lie!

I don’t usually post these things, but I thought this one was just oh, so fitting. Read on and see how many match up you!

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.”
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.”
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good shit.”
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh shit what the hell happened?”
26. Bonus: You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and can’t find one to save your sorry old ass. Then you forward it to a bunch of old friends ’cause you know they’ll enjoy it too.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been “watching your wallet” and “tightening your belt” lately. With the economy the way that it is, you realize the value of a dollar, or even a quarter for that matter. So I thought I would share some great coupons with you that might help take the “burn” away when you have to swipe that plastic for some much needed necessities (or a nice treat).

Jamba Juice Coupon – Buy one smoothie, get a second free! Good through August 9, 2009. Just print out the coupon and bring it into your local Jamba for a sweet treat!

Babies R Us Coupons – Fall Preview Sale – Get 15% on car seats, strollers and more with these great coupons! Good through August 13, 2009.

Borders Super Coupons – Good through August 2, 2009. Save up to $10 on a book, blu-ray disc and more! The only catch is you have to have a Borders Reward membership. Not a member? Have no fear! It’s free to sign up.

Gap Give and Get Program – 30% off your entire purchase at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy! Valid only through August 2, 2009. Best part? It works at the Gap and Banana Republic Outlet stores, too!

Want this coupon? Email me at info@rattleme.com and I’ll send it to you!

Happy Friday and happy shopping!

Check out this great coupon from Cost Plus World Market!

Shop in store and get a free Fandango movie ticket! The only catch is you have to make your purchase on Tuesday, July 28 or Wednesday, July 29, 2009. You don’t need a coupon… just go into the store, make your purchase and the instructions on how to redeem your code for a free movie ticket will be printed on your receipt.

Hurry in… only the first 10,000 customers who redeem the code will get the free movie ticket.

Find the World Market closest to you.