Believe!

We took our Santa picture last week with The Teach in tow. He has never come with us since Jesse's second Christmas. We loved having him with us. It was a lovely family outing that the kids said was the best day ever.

Get Fit For the New Year - DVD Review #1 - Denise Austin

The 411 by Maria:

I used to work out all the time before kids and started when I was very young. It was something I thoroughly enjoyed and after being let go from my Yoga class when pregnant did it on my own until Handsome was born. After that, it was very sporadic and I never stuck with it.  

Denise is someone I have followed for a long time. I enjoy her books and videos so she was the first of the batch of workout DVDs I decided to start with.

What I enjoy most about Shrink Your Fat Zones is that I was able to jump right in. She is working with two others who are modifying the work out for you if you need to keep it low impact. I do! Between my stomach, bum, creaky knees and abdominal issues (multiple abs surgery and a hernia repair this past August) means I NEED to be careful.

None of the exercises were so hard that I felt I couldn't do it. All of them were attempted even with my own modification to make sure I didn't hurt myself. 

Another great feature and probably the best is that Denise has it all separated for you in the main menu. You do the warm up and then can do either arm, belly, back, butt, whatever you want.  This is perfect if you are one of those people like my husband who focuses on specific areas during his work out.  I did the whole thing today and can tell you that I feel good. Denise keeps some of the tried and true methods for the area always throwing in aerobics between everything to keep you moving but also some new methods I had not tried before and feel like these multi muscle exercises are were it is at. Definitely can see how someone can sculpt their body by doing this daily.

The 411 by Maria:

OK...now this is something I can do. Fitting 7 minutes into my day for a workout seems easy enough. This one took me a little longer to catch on to because I am so not coordinated.  I enjoy the breakdown and worked on my butt and legs mostly because the exercises demonstrated in the 7 minute window really are a condensed version of a full hour workout. LOVED this. After three days of these workouts I feel so good. Amazing what a little moving can do for a body. 

Family Movie Night Giveaway: The Dog Who Saved The Holidays

The 411 by Maria:

This is my first time meeting Zeus and the Bannister Family but the movie stands on it's own. In this installment Zeus has some competition with a new puppy name Eve in the Bannister Family.  Eve is adorable and constantly one upping Zeus to be top dog in her new family but Zeus being well "the Father of Gods and Men" will always save the day.

I  loved this movie for so many reasons. Well, first there is the fact that the dogs are ssooooo cute! Next is that the story is sweet, funny and heartfelt. Exactly what I want in a holiday movie. Next, are all the familiar faces or voices. Joey Lawrence as Zeus. Shelley Long as Aunt Barbara and Michael Gross from Family Ties and Dean Cain. What a wonderful surprise!

Great Holiday movie for all ages with the adorable, funny dogs and the faces from our childhood past, adults will get into this too!

Keep Food Fresh Longer With The Green Refrigerator Machine by Ozonator

The 411:  

Joy A Movie Review

The 411 by Maria:

Joy is a movie about a family of three grown sisters dealing with the anniversary of their father's passing, each  dealing with different challenges in their lives. While I found it hard to follow what was actually going on at times, I appreciated the attempt to show how we all have a story, we all are the stars of our own lives and our own journeys and that family is extremely important..  

Most of the movie takes place in a store called Jungle Jim's which I wish was near me because it looks amazing! The last scenes of the family putting photos together for their sister's wake made me cry. In all honestly, I had no idea what was going on in the beginning. A lady getting a sonogram, the tech says she needs to get a doctor, the woman is at the Jungle Jim's talking to an animated Elvis Impersonator Dog of some kind.  You hear medical machines beeping and she asks if she is crazy...

I enjoy the "strangers" who helped the sisters deal with things. We never know who will enter our lives and just make that light bulb go off for us. We also never know who we will send a life line too. So being a good person and knowing that everyone is dealing with their own issues, is important to remember. 

Not sure how this review turned into an opinion piece on being a kind person but that is why I call myself the amateur movie reviewer.

Peace and JOY!

Keep Those Creepy, Crawlers Out Of Your House - REVIEW

The 411 by Maria:

I am not afraid of many things but I am afraid of spiders. No matter how big they are, I actually cringe. In fact, writing about them right now is giving me the creeps and makes me feel like one is crawling on me. 

The spider spray was exciting to receive but even the can gives me the creeps. The picture of the spider is just too big and I get the hebe jebes whenever I pick it up but I am thrilled to spray it.  Listen, don't get me wrong, I know that spiders are good for us and take care of a lot of the other annoying bugs and as long as they stay out of my house, they are fine. However, keeping them out of my house is a priority of mine. I have been bitten and do not do well with spider bites. I will do anything to keep them out and spraying this spray liberally around my house has become one of my favorite things to do. 

If you are like me, you will undoubtedly want this at the ready for when you spot an eight legger!

Don't Let Them Buggers Stink Up Your House Girl!!! REVIEW

The 411 by Maria:

I don't know about you but we have such a stink bug problem from September to the beginning of next month in my area. Everyone in my town writes about their Stink Bugs on Facebook so I know I am not alone.  

These bugs are just don't right nasty looking. They look like little helmets walking around and we are removing at least one a day for weeks. We tend not to smash them because they do give off an odor so we usually trap and release but that means they will come back. We are in love with the new TERRO^® Stink Bug Killer sprays especially the one with the wand where I can get into the crevices around my door frame. 

So we used the spray once and are seeing a significant decrease in the amount of Stinks getting in and even on my deck. LOVE It! I really do not like bugs!

On The Night You Were Born - REVIEW

The 411 by Maria:

A stunning reminder of how unique and wonderful we all are, in our very own way.

On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman is a poetic, masterpiece of how unique everyone is and how the universe loves you even when you forget just how amazing you are.

The colorful pages create a dreamy, beautiful world around the loving words that any parent feels for a child but also to everyone who lacks self esteem.   

When I read this to my children, I had to force my voice not to quiver, as the words expressed my deep, undying love for them. 

The book I received also had a CD containing the story set to enchanting piano music adding to the beauty of the story.

My Little Rocker Girl Makes Me Smile

Playing Photographer At A Sweet 16

This weekend I was asked to do a photography gig for a friend's daughter's 16th Birthday. It is funny how things have a way of just happening at the right time.

Money is tight. I had a conversation with my friend Teresa about how I had placed an ad for my local friends to see if anyone wanted to do Holiday photos for $25.00 and she gets a call a few minutes later from our other friend Barbara who needs a photographer at the 11th hour!

A quick call and before you know it, my new "agent" Teresa has set me up with a sweet gig taking photos of someone I know since before she was even born.

It is funny how old and insignificant you can feel when you look at young people and remember vividly life before they were even born. Weren't these kids just born yesterday??

Here is the birthday girl with her court.

Her decorations were all Broadway inspired

And...she sang an a capella version of Over the Rainbow after her daddy dance!

Megan and her boyfriend Chris before the party

Community Clean Up

This weekend the Annual Fall Clean Up for our church was a little different than the past years. With so many trees down, the clean up consisted of fewer leaves and more branches and twigs from the 5+ trees they lost during Hurricane Sandy. That didn't deter the many Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Daisys and Cub Scouts that came out with their parents to help clean up the grounds at the Church.

It is a great time to socialize but also a great time to learn some valuable lessons about family, community, hard work and friendship.

Another Holiday Movie You Should See! Annie Claus Is Coming To Town

The 411 by Maria:

I will admit I am a sucker for holiday movies. There is nothing I don't like about them so I am going to start with this originally aired on the Hallmark Channel last year, 2011. There now you know it is a lovely, beautiful story full of heart that didn't intend on becoming an Oscar winner.

We follow Annie as she heads into the big world away from the North Pole and her parents Santa and Mrs. Claus (played by Vicki Lawrence which I was so excited about. I was a huge fan of the Carol Burnett Show growing up and think Vicki looks exactly the same) to see if taking over the family business is really what she wants. It is a rite of passage and is taken very seriously with a globe and a dart. Her mother is excited for her because this was how she met Mr. Claus and loves that her daughter is ending up in sunny California. Annie, played by the adorable and perfectly cast Maria Thayer (who I researched after watching to see she has been in so many things I have seen before but had no idea while watching.) heads to California but has no idea that someone back home does not want her to come back and have devised a plan to keep her in Cali!

Sweet movie with a great cast. You can't help smiling at Annie's sweetness and need to help others. After all, kindness and being a do-gooder runs in her family. I guess I was surprised that she was written to be gullible and vulnerable being that Santa apparently sees you when you are good or bad but it worked allowing for a sweet, family friendly holiday movie.

Go Green With Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals - A Video Review & a GIVEAWAY

Handsome and Goddess are in love with our Hippo Zoo Animal Thermal-Aid Zoo Animal. They take turns heating him up and sleeping with him. Tonight is Goddess' turn.

Here she was two days ago:

From cuddle time, to heat up time, to bed time. We are so happy all our times have been good with our Thermal-Aid but at least if the kids do need him for their boo-boos they already love him and I know he will make them feel better.


My Review: