Look What I Found On My Video Camera

This chick loves her Monster High and has quite an extensive collection.

I was surprised to see this during my video camera download which happens at least once a week and usually when I have a review video saved.  This one surprised me because Goddess never told me she did it and I was so happy with how she showcased the details of what she loved about the car. She did a pretty good job for an 8 year old with a camera. What do you think?

If you want to get your own Monster High Travel Scaris Convertible, visit the link.

Crayola Fun Gift Pack Giveaway & Review

We are having the best time with Crayola this Summer.  If you deal with kids you undoubtedly have purchased at least 2 times their weight in Crayola products. I know we have! At almost 47, there still is nothing like a fresh box of crayons for me! LOVE opening a new box and seeing all those beautiful colors and thinking about all the possibilities. As a child I used to use the bottom of the crayons so that there were still beautifully pointed crayons in the box.

Crayola is constantly reinventing themselves and this Summer is no different. The Crayola aisle continues to grow and with these awesome new products, your kids will never complain there is nothing to do and they are bored. 

We received a box containing:

 - (1) Pack of Washable Sidewalk Chalk
- (1) Color Wonder Mini Stow and Go
- (1) Color Wonder Mess-Free Glitter Paper and Markers

Let's start with the Washable Sidewalk Chalk

Washable Sidewalk Chalk:

• A standout from the crowd -- it’s the first sidewalk chalk featuring 48 classic Crayola crayon colors!  And that’s not all - the chalk is also bolder and more vibrant than ever.
• With so many colors to choose from, kids can let their imaginations run wild to create beautiful masterpieces that may include “carnation pink” flowers, “sepia” colored tree trunks, “granny smith apple” turtles or “scarlet” colored lady bugs.
• A new anti-roll shape prevents chalk from rolling away and the wide sides allow kids to draw thick lines.
• Parents will appreciate that the chalk is washable from sidewalks and driveways - simply spray away with water!

 I can tell you that there are some amazing colors here. This isn't momma's sidewalk chalk by any means.  There were so many colors, I couldn't stop taking pictures of them which is evident in the next few photos. You should see how many I didn't include.

Some of the colors include:

Apricot, Granny Smith Apple, Scarlet, Purple Mountain Majesty, Macaroni and Cheese, Timberwolf and so many more. There are 24 colors in the pack!

Next is the Color Wonder Mess Free Glitter Coloring Pack featuring Disney's beloved princesses. I happened to be babysitting one of my favorite 4 year old girls who couldn't wait to crack open the box.

Color Wonder Mess-Free Glitter Paper and Markers:

• Crayola’s new Color Wonder Glitter Paper is full of glittery fun but without the mess, since the glitter effects are in the paper.
• Kids can create dazzling, sparkly masterpieces with their favorite Disney Princesses and Fairies.
• With Crayola’s Color Wonder system, parents can rest easy since the mess-free Color Wonder markers will only appear on the special Color Wonder paper – not on skin, clothing, walls or furniture.
• Kids can color and watch in awe as hidden images magically appear on the glittery paper.

Inside the box were these awesome pages full of glitterness and princesses. What girl wouldn't love it? Heck, I loved it!


It also comes with 5 Color Wonder markers! I love Color Wonder. There is absolutely no mess. They take the marker which comes out clear and when it hits the page, it changes to the color of the marker. LOVE IT! Perfect for even 1 year olds.

Little Miss, couldn't wait to color her princess PINK! The whole page was colored pink in fact!

Goddess and Little Miss sat for a while coloring pages. Great start to their playdate.

After that we headed to the deck for some Chalk Play where Goddess got started on a unicorn.

Last but not least by any means is this great...

Color Wonder Mini Stow and Go:

•        Mess-free fun hits the road with Crayola Wonder Mini Stow and Go!

•        The Color Wonder Mini Stow & Go gives you a portable writing surface and storage for your creations and markers.

•        Markers color only on special paper and not on skin, furniture or carpets! 

•        Each pack includes a 15-page mini Color Wonder Coloring Pad and 3 Color Wonder Markers

Love it! It came with 3 Color Woonder Markers but Goddess added the Glitter Paper and Markers so they were not lost.

We love it because you can take it with you on trips to the beach, doctors office, car trip, plane or wherever. So easy to keep everything in and go!

Perfect idea for traveling.

If you would like to enter the giveaway for a set of Crayola's newest, coolest products, please fill out the Rafflecopter.


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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary pack for my honest opinion. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

5 Tips To Avoid Shady Mechanics

As independent women, we want to know and do just about everything. Where there was once an understanding among us regarding the tasks in our daily lives best left for men, this divide is rapidly closing. While this independence is liberating, it also means there are new things for us to learn – and this can be unnerving.

Looking after your car can be one such situation. We want to know how to keep our car safe and on the road, but sometimes understanding what goes on under the bonnet is hard to fathom. We can easily organise affordable car insurance from Budget Direct, keep our car clean and maybe even change a tyre in emergencies, but trying to understand the mechanical workings of our car often seems like an alien language.

So how can you choose a mechanic you can trust, one who will do a good job on your car? You hear many stories about dodgy mechanics who say something needs fixing and charge you exorbitant prices for work that doesn’t need doing. Here are some tips to ensure you get the best quality repairs and service for your money.

Read the Reviews

There are now heaps of websites where previous clients of mechanics can post reviews and comments. Many of these review sites offer star ratings system and a comments section where users can post any issues that have come up with the mechanic in the past. Discovering the experiences of real people is the best way to find out what sort of service you can expect.

Ask Your Friends

Seek advice from your friends and family. They may be able to offer reliable recommendations for mechanics they have used in the past.

Check Their Qualifications

Choose a service outlet with qualified mechanics and one that will honour any existing warranties. Ask for quotes and compare the rates of various mechanics before deciding on one. Remember that cheaper isn’t necessarily better, and the opposite doesn’t apply, either. They may be trying to rip you off by adding work that is unnecessary.

Know Your Mechanic

Before agreeing to have the work done, make sure you're comfortable with everything. If your mechanic explained the repairs and you still don't understand, ask him to explain again. Just like you wouldn’t let someone you don’t trust cut your hair, don’t let someone you don't feel comfortable with near your expensive car engine. Ask him to explain the work that he says needs to be carried out, and learn about the process. This way you will be better informed if he attempts to add any more work.

#Monster High Pendant Tutorial

OK, I don't know shit about creating a tutorial. I suck at taking photos and usually remember after I start something that Bloggers are only as good as their photos and words. My husband always says, "bloggers are never without their cameras" yet, I jump in like I do everything else in my life and fail to capture all the important things.

SO...with that said, here is my Monster High Pendant Tutorial...

We received a box of crafts, toys, jewelry and miscellaneous items during a friends move.  She usually calls me over and sends me home with boxes and bags of things like clothes, household goods, books and stuff that she and the kids no longer want.  In one of the boxes I found a bag of Rummikub pieces. Never heard of it and had no idea what I was going to do with it but held onto it.

Light bulb moment! I gathered my supplies not knowing if it was going to work but...eureka I did!

Rummikub Pieces
Newspaper
Tacky Glue
X-Acto Knife
Paint Brush
Glitter
Stickers, pictures, whatever
Foam Sheets
High Gloss Clear Spray Paint

Cut the foam to fit the base like the one above or the one below.

Glue foam to both sides of the Rummikub.

Put glue all around the Rummikub sandwich and dip into glitter

We made lots of them....couldn't stop...addictive...send help!

Next we added some stickers

Glued a bail to the back, added the high gloss clear spray paint and........

Wah La

These were our first twooooo and Goddess loves them. We made some for her friends at school and plan on making many more. We even did some magnets for Halloween. Fun and easy and we had everything in our supplies. Isn't that the best kind of craft?

See my Monster High Suitcase Redo

It's Time, Once Again, Another Award Show!

I don't know about you, but I never truly look forward to award show season. This isn't to suggest that I don't get excited when my favorite album wins a Grammy, or a movie I love gets the coveted Oscar, or when the show that most deserves it gets the Emmy.

And speaking of which, it is of course time for the annual award show and the Internet is already buzzing about the Emmy nominees for this year. A likely major theme for this year's Emmys is the inclusion of online series, two actually, and both come from Netflix - the very successful House of Cards made history by grabbing a nomination, while fan favorite comedy Arrested Development was reborn this year and grabbed a nomination for single picture editing on a comedy.

This is actually big news, as it marks the first time that online content is seen as a player against the small screen of broadcast and cable television. While I haven't seen House of Cards, I did watch the fourth season of AD and loved it.

Also making some good history is HBO's Game of Thrones and FX's American Horror Story: Asylum. Why? For the simple fact that there are few shows that combine good story telling, great costumes, and horror quite like these two shows (at least not in recent years). Just do a search for the red wedding (prepare for spoilers if you don't watch GoT) and you'll see for those who hadn't read the George RR Martin books, they ignited the Internet with shock and surprise.

Which was quite funny, actually.

As a parent, I also like to know which shows I can watch with Handsome and Goddess and I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that most of the animated nominees aren't actually for kids. As an adult, the fact that the long running Simpsons was again nominated (though, not sure why when the show is more miss than hit these days), is great, as is nominations for Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and South Park are equally great.

However, I think the board still thinks animated means 'kids'. Even the non animated shows are truly aimed at kids; Disney's Good Luck, Charlie and Nick's iCarly are really aimed at the preteen set. Remember the days when you could expect to see Sesame Street on the nominee list? The Kung Fu Panda inspired TV show, also offered from Nick and maybe Cartoon Network's Adventure Time and Regular Show were really the only ones aimed at kids.

With that said, there were some really good informational and educational programs on the ballot. I love Myth Busters for the way they combine science, urban legend, and fun into an hour long show and National Geographic's Brain Games is very insightful when it comes to learning what goes on in our brains when we make decisions or do things.

I wish there were more shows like this that made the list; you wouldn't believe how long the list is for reality shows. Why is there even a category for these things? And then we wonder why we're falling behind in education.

Our Weekends Look Pretty Much Like This

Scenic Weekends

This particular weekend was very overcast but it was a beautiful day anyway.

One of the reasons is because of this...my husband and kids together in the water. Usually it is only the kids and I. When he is with us, we go to a bigger beach where the kids can swim out and jump off a floating platform.

My favorite part is watching my two boys on the platform. Handsome is not allowed to go out there without his dad. I get nervous because it is deep and I worry about him getting caught up under the platform. It can happen. Did happen to a young man and the results weren't good. Rest his soul. That very platform! So, you can imagine why I am so nervous.

Look at my man just standing there looking good!

Because the boys were out there and I was on the sand taking photos, Goddess spent time playing in the sand which she never does now that she swims and isn't afraid to put her head under the water.

She is just so cute in her pretty purple bathing suit and beautiful hair.

These guys have it made with their party boat and slide

AND...my beautiful baby because she is truly my muse and I love taking photos of her.

How are you guys spending your weekend?

DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk (Review & 2 Disc Giveaway) #rafflecopter #giveaway #cartoon

DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk is out on DVD in two parts with exclusive codes for new online game called School of Dragons

Today since this is day 6 of being practically indoors all day with sicks kids, we sat down to watch Part 1 of the based on DreamWorks hit movie How to Train Your Dragon.

Part 1 featured 11 episodes of Dragons Riders of Berk which airs on Carton Network.  Each DVD is a 2 Disc Set with a ton of awesome colorful, very detailed episodes based on all your favorite characters like

AND OUR FAVORITE

Goddess and Handsome were certain they didn't want to watch but 10 minutes in they both made their way over to sit in the living room with me during my review workout. I even had to move the mat for them to sit.

The series started last Summer on Cartoon Network and features:

• How to Start a Dragon Academy
• Viking for Hire
• Animal House
• The Terrible Twos
• In Dragons We Trust
• Alvin and The Outcasts
• How to Pick Your Dragon
• Portrait as Hiccup as a Buff Man
• Dragon Flower
• Heather Report Part 1
• Heather Report Part 2
• Thawfest
• When Lightening Strikes
• What Flies Beneath
• Twinsanity
• Defiant One
• Breakneck Bog
• Gem of A Different Color
• We Are Family Part 1
• We Are Family Part 2
 

Dragons Riders of Berk is a great show for teaching tolerance, differences and community. There are all kinds of personalities here and even some characters who have limbs missing, those Viking times I gather. The community couldn't function unless they all worked together as a unit.

Great time with my kids today. Can't wait to see more Dragons!

I think your kids will love this DVD Set and before you enter this review, check out this Kids Guide to Vikings:

• Vikings at Sea – Not all Vikings travel by dragon like they do in Berk! Vikings built great, big boats called longships for war. Each one could carry at least 60 men! Even though they were so large, Viking longships were designed to be speedy and could move through the water much faster than other boats.

• Viking Clothes – Vikings from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden dress a lot like Vikings from Berk, but with more layers. To stay warm in the cold winters, Vikings wore clothes made of wool, animal skin, or linen and shoes made of thick leather or goatskin. In battle, they wore helmets made of leather or iron.

• Viking Homes – Vikings really knew how to make the most of their surroundings! Houses were built of stone, mud, and blocks of turf. They made thatched roofs from woven sticks covered in mud. Vikings probably wouldn’t let dragons sleep in their houses the way Toothless does!

• Viking Children – The Vikings in Berk get to go to the Dragon Academy to learn about how to become better dragon trainers. Instead of going to school, real Viking kids stayed home to help their parents work. Even without school and books, children could learn about history through songs and stories passed down from the older members of the town.

• Viking Food – The dragons in Berk eat fish, veggies, and bread given to them by their riders. Vikings ate similar foods, but also enjoyed meat from farm animals or wild animals that they would hunt. They drank out of wooden cups or drinking horns. Sometimes they had feasts for festivals that would last over a week!

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary DVD as a Fox Insider. No monetary compensation was offered.

Metaphors Be With You

Originally Posted on July 25, 2008

When you go to the beach, lake, or pool, are you more likely to lower yourself gradually into cold water or to take a determined plunge and get it over with? I am a total jumper and I hate when there is no way for me to get right in. I don’t want to feel the water, I just want to get in. Once in all is well. I hate people who wade in gradually, bitching about how cold it is.

How is this like (or unlike) your approach to other tasks or ordeals? I guess it is very similar to my everyday life. I don’t want to read instructions, I just want to do it. No time to read the back of the book, just open up and read. No time to read instructions to a new game, just start playing. Also, if you second guess too many things you will just stand still. There is only 1 thing I have second, third, tenth, 100th guessed about…just ask my husband.

When someone gives you flowers, are you more likely to let them turn completely brown and gross before throwing them out, or to discard them the moment they take on that sick-flower look? I never get flowers so if I am lucky enough to be given some, (my last birthday from my friend Bek), I hold them until they make a mess on the table.

How is this like (or unlike) your approach to other gifts, purchases, or relationships? Yup, I hold onto everything (just ask my husband). Love it or hate it, if someone gives me something I hang on to it thinking about the sentiment behind it.

Think of your favorite movie (or a movie you really like, if you can’t think of a favorite). Some people say that the reasons you love your favorite movie are related to what you value in romantic relationships. How is this true or untrue in your case? I agree with this actually. I want someone to declare undying love to me, so I mostly love movies where it seems the guy is totally in love with girl.

Thanks for participating, and have a metaphorical weekend! Is metaphorical a word?