Thanks to Mom Select and Solo, I received a Celebrate Summer with Solo Package in the mail.
During my Zhu Zhu Party last week, we invited the kids upstairs for snacks. On the table we set out Solo Cups, ribbon, markers, stickers, and glitter glue. I asked the kids to decorate their cups because they would be bringing home a special surprise.
Then I asked them which cup they would like red or blue, most of them opted for blue. There was only one who asked for red and I think it was to be different. I would have picked Blue too!
While the kids worked on their cups, I explained to the mom's that Solo has come a long way since we first heard of them. First, the bottom of the cup! I remember the first time I saw a Solo cup. It was at my very first keg party in the woods with all my friends in Staten Island, NY. The cup was huge, perfect for drinking in the woods but you couldn't set it down on the ground for fear of it spilling. The new Solo cups are perfect because the bottom is as wide as the top.
Back in the day, I had no idea Solo wasn't a "keg cup". That was what we all referred to it as. Now, that I am a mom, I look at things differently. Solo wants you to look at their cup differently too. See, that we are in the same place, Solo and I. We go way back and have grown up together. Ok, I digressed but I went on a memory trip. I am back now....
So, as I was saying, Solo provided the cups, ribbon, stickers, glitter glue, straws and seeds and I provided to kids and love.
The kids got started decorating what would eventually, hopefully be a container for their seeds of love.
It didn't take long before everyone was laughing and talking about each other's cup. Even some moms joined in, grabbing their own cups.
Out of respect for two moms who preferred their children weren't on my website, I mostly shot hand pictures. This is why you see some crazy photo cropping.
You can see Goddess is hard at work here. She loves stickers, glitter glue, creating. She is very artsy.
The kids loved putting the stickers on their "seeds of love cups" so much that even their drink cups had stickers and ribbon.
It was fun, the kids each took home a cup with seeds in it and a cup for drinking which we washed out before they left. I am sure the mom's were loving me.
What a fun way to spend the afternoon. It was easy, fun, doesn't cost a ton to set up and kids will love it. If you are having a party, picnic, get together, dinner or whatever, remember Solo Cup!
Last year, thanks to Mom Select, I was the coolest mom on the block when I hosted a Zhu Zhu Party with 13 kids and their parents (review, pictures and video here).
This year Zhu Zhu pets have a whole new "army" of warriors geared toward boys. When Mom Select was looking for this years Blogger Zhu Crew, I wanted in. Zhu Zhu Pets and for boys, what could be cooler?
I have the most patient kids in the world. The biggest box in the world arrived right after I came out of the hospital on June 9th. The box sat in the hallway for almost a month when I finally told them we could set the Zhuniverse up.
We opened the box and were met with the coolest toy around. If your kids love Zhu Zhu Pets, they will freak over this set up.
The invites were sent and we quickly RSVP'd.
I set up the Zhuniverse which included the Special Forces and Ninja Warriors headquarters
And tons of add on playsets to transform your mild mannered hamster pet into a fighting ninja and warrior.
I was sent pretty much everything you see here. The stage was set, the kids were excited and now it was simply a matter of waiting for our friends.
I know, it's a terrible picture. If you can look past the streaked mirror, this was taken just as there was a knock on the door. They are running to open it. Can you say, "exited?"
Two cancellations, 12 minutes past party time, kids anxious, there is a knock at the door. Guests start pouring in, boys excited and loads of gasping.
The boys are sent over to the display to select a pet (I wish I had video of this. They were picking them up, talking, shouting, debating, and basically having a hard time deciding on the ONE. This was probably because each pet is SO COOL! I would never have been able to decide if I were to pick only one after Goddess picked "Stonewall" (the blue/black one which would have been my favorite too).
Play time begins....
The boys loved the battlefield. They were so excited and while I tried to get them to start at each headquarters and race to the battleground, they were just too busy to listen.
It was fun to watch the boys "fight" it out. This is definitely the perfect boy toy. They laughed, battled and moved around the track following their "pet" for an hour.
Some moms didn't want their little ones on the blog, so I didn't interview anyone on camera like last time but what I can tell you:
The boys were interested in who was a warrior and who was a ninja.
When pressed for their favorite part of the Zhuniverse playset they all said, the Battleground!
The moms loved that it was very "boy" and two loved it more than the first set.
When put together, it is huge!
The boys didn't even need the hamsters to make noise, they provided complete battle sounds all by themselves.
Six boys together make a lot of noise.
The two girls who were there, talked about their pets, holding them and refusing to put them in with the boys.
Two of the moms said they would purchase the whole set!
The boys especially love the armor and were happy to get to keep their pet and armor.
All the boys said it was really cool and they liked the colors of the playset.
As you can see the battle ground was the most popular area.
Mid way through, we moved onto stupid pet tricks. I was concerned about the wheels turning on and having to do emergency hair cuts but thankfully it never happened.
As per person who put the sets together, here is what I have to tell you. If you buy one or more pieces at a time, probably not that big a deal. If you buy the whole thing in one shot; you will pull your hair out. I must have spent 3 hours putting the thing together and another trying to configure it so that each headquarters lead to the battleground. Finally, I gave up and while my girlfriend Lauri was visiting asked her to take her analytical mind downstairs and please, please, please figure it out.
I would like to thank Mom Select and Zhu Zhu Pets for allowing me to once again, be the coolest mom on the block.
Please come back for an upcoming Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway this week.
Disclaimer: I received a very generous package of complimentary Zhu Zhu Pet items in order to throw this party thanks to Mom Select and Zhu Zhu Pets.
Most kids love Cookies. My daughter will eat any cookie offered to her. My son on the other hand will only eat Pepperidge Farms Black and White Milano Cookies. He loves them. Growing up, I loved Milano too but when they put out their double chocolate that was the one I always went for. Yummy. In a glass of cold milk the Double Chocolate Milano's are heaven.
I love this necklace, which is for sale at my etsy shop. It is called Childhood because the square beads remind me of cups my parents used to drink their coffee out of.
Carnival Games tell a different story in black and white. Head over to Black and White Weekend for more black and white pictures.
PRODUCT GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY - Sid the Science Kid GOTTA KNOW MICROPHONE What I Can Tell You: Thanks toJim Henson Company and Hasbro, my kids were able to check out the new Gotta Know Microphone from the Sid the Science Kid. When the box arrived and I opened it up, they snatched the microphone out of each others hands until I finally took it, grabbed the timer and quickly did a coin toss to see who would get the first 3 minutes.
Handsome got it first, notice the lost tooth that fell out last weekend. Love it!
Since last year (when we the Sid The Science Kid DVD's we reviewed Sid), my kid's and I have loved Sid. We find the show colorful, educational, interesting, entertaining and funny. My daughter has started conducting scientific experiments thanks to Sid, like what happens to bread after it is left out for a few days and what items float or sink.
My Kids trying it out!
My son mostly likes the songs and has started saying, "now that's funny" whenever he finds something funny.
From 10 months to 7 years, this toy has been a hit in my house.
This past Friday, I hosted a Kung Zhu Zhu Party (review and video company) and the Sid The Science Kid Gotta Know Microphone was just as popular with the kids.
The microphone, just like Sid's on the show, has fun push-button features:
One for applause
Laughter
Theme Song
Silly Sounds
and one for an echo for your own voice
Two weeks later and the kids are still fighting over the microphone.
My suggestion; if you have two kids, get two mics.
I think the Gotta Know Microphone coupled with a Sid The Science Kid DVD is the perfect gift idea for a little one.
C = Climbing
My kids must have climb these steps 100 times in two days. They love the slide at the carnival and I was just glad they were big enough to do it alone.
C = Care
Leaving my children in the care of their preschool teachers was easy because of these two woman. My Goddess loved her teacher as you can see from this picture.
1. First thing you wash in the shower? If you really must know, I stand under the water for 2-3 minutes just to hydrate everything. I have a ton of hair and it takes about that long for the water to penetrate to my scalp. Then I grab shampoo and lather, rinse but do not repeat no need, my scalp never has time to get THAT dirty. Then I grab conditioner and use 1/3 of the bottle so that every part of my hair has been coated. While I am conditioning, I take my body wash and squeeze a generous amount onto a body scrub. Starting at my shoulders, I work down, down, down. Well, it's not really that far down, I am 4'11" maybe just down! I don't use a body wash for my private areas, I use the soap and then when everything is lathered up, I stand under the water with my eyes closed until I feel like getting out and facing the probably running, wrestling or yelling at each other kids.
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Navy Blue with MUDD across the front. I love wearing hoodies but don't wear them as much as my girl Clary. She is the hoodie girl.
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? I kissed my husband goodnight over my sick baby girl last night and I would kiss him again anytime.
4. Do you plan outfits? Hahaha....I don't do outfits. I do clothes.
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Tired. I didn't get much sleep and then heard my son running around by himself for an hour and felt bad.
6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? My husband's external hard-drive which has become mine since my last computer crash.
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? Unfortunately there was no time for dreams. Sick kids = little sleep
8. Did you meet anybody new today? Well my day just started but you never know.
9. What are you craving right now? Sleep and pray I can hold out until True Blood is over tonight.
10. Do you floss? I butt floss but my teeth not so much! Maybe only three times a week.
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Diet. I remember when everyone doing that cabbage soup diet. The office smelled for months.
12. Are you emotional? Not as much as I used to be. I have become much more rational over the years.
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Umm...I have never been that bored so no.
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I lick it baby. Oh yeah. Using teeth is just so wrong. But, the cone better watch out.
15. Do you like your hair? I like my hair. It covers my head. Plus, I don't think I have a nice shaped dome like my husband. I also have a thing about being exposed and like to hide behind my hair. I especially need my ears covered to feel comfortable.
16. Do you like yourself? Of course!
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? I love GWB. We could have a beer and hang.
18. What are you listening to right now? My kids pretend to be Max and Ruby. I love when they play together.
19. Are your parents strict? My parents weren't strict at all. We were on our own. No one ever asked if we had homework or told us what time to be home. I wish they had been, I may have been a better student.
20. Would you go sky diving? Hell NO!
21. Do you like cottage cheese? I do. Thankfully it is one of the foods I was allowed to eat after coming out of the hospital. If I had hated it, that would have really sucked.
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? This all depends on what you consider celebrity. Well, let me name drop for a second.
I know Anthony DeSando, who was in a movie called New Jack City.
Probably the biggest celebrity is John Seda who used to come into an office I worked in whenever he was around. We first met him right before he did Selena.
While I never meet Jason Briggs. His parents handed me some paperwork to handle at another office I worked at.
How about my readers? Do you guys have any name dropping to do?
Oh, my poor little meme has never quite caught on. So sad. Funny, people just don't like taking pictures of themselves but when we are old and gray and have a lot of people pictures of obscure things what then. I much prefer to think I am going to live into my Golden Years and will cherish all photos of me looking younger and full of life's promises.
This week I have a quick shot of me knowing that I had to quickly get this up for today.
I hope you play along.
