Shnoozles For Bedtime

The 411 by Maria And Goddess

We love this soft pink sweetie who thinks other kids will love it too.

The idea of a non stimulating toy is exactly what is necessary during bedtime and my husband and I have long been believers in lovies. My daughter is 8 and my son will soon be 10 and they still have favorites stuffies that they sleep with. My daughter, more than my son absolutely needs her "doggie" and now her "batty" to sleep and they is what she looks for when she is crying and I am putting ice on her or trying to give her medicine.   She feels that if she had a Shnoozles when she was a baby she would have gravitated to it at bed time because of the nightgown and sleepy eyes. 

This week I had a party with 8 moms who were 50/50 about it. Some thought it was OK but felt it needed something like perhaps a lullaby or movement. The others loved the fact that it did nothing. One friend said she would totally get this for her grandchild and felt it was something that would be special because no one else would get it for them but wished they came in more colors.

Here is our vlog about Shnoozles.

Parasaurolophus, Pterodactyl and More Spotted On My Families Trip To Field Station Dinosaurs

This past weekend we ended up at Field Station Dinosaur in Secaucus, NJ.  It was a great place to spend the day and the dinosaur displays were pretty incredible with most of them moving and making sounds.

Check out that photo above, it is the first family photo in 2 years. A friend's husband snapped it for me at the end of the trip so this was the very last photo we took of the day. Handsome was DONE and I was way too hot for words. See the red, red face? I don't do heat well. Would have been nice to have the whole dinosaur in it but he would have had to stand wayyyyy back and needed assistance in using the camera.

This was a Brownie trip for Scouts Day at Field Station Dinosaur so we met up with our troop but Goddess ended up having a severe allergic reaction to something environmentally and needed mega doses of eye drops to finally 20 minutes in be able to function. Her daddy had to carry her for 20 minutes of our trip.

Since it was a Brownie trip I asked the girls to pose for a photo but this was what we got.

Daddy kept Goddess a safe distance from the Parasaurolophus.

Awesome!!! The Apatosaurus is one of the biggest animals to ever walk the earth. We kept our distance and lived to see another day.

I thought this was so funny. This guy (was in front of my family) and I and reached out to touch the dinosaur. They are so life like that even this guy is keeping a distance. Dude they are not real!

 Handsome imitating the Pterodactyl. That is a brave boy there.

Goddess and Handsome braving the sun and a Dilophosaurus

The Pachycephalosaurus probably used it's head for fighting but I thought his head looked like a crown of thorns.

 I love this shot of the Argentinosaurus in between the port a potty and the plane

 NO! Goddess, you are supposed to run away from a T-Rex

 I spotted the T-Rex through the brush.

  
Goddess trying to make friends with the Velociraptor. Thankfully she didn't lose her hand

We are not in Kansas anymore. The last standing easily visible smokestack at Snake Hill. Once a small self contained city of 50 Hudson County buildings including a lunatic asylum, a penitentiary, the Almshouse, hospitals for contagious diseases, a potters field and cemetery, three churches and a quarry.

Teach and the kids take their time passing by the 90 foot Argentinosaurus

Look at the size of that thing?

The Manhattan Skyline way in the distance

Goddess was not afraid to be in the 3rd row of the T-Rex show.

  
It was a great time had by all.

I Am Not An Extreme Couponer But Strive To Be

Like most of us who watch Extreme Couponing and get really excited about how some of those folks can literally buy hundreds of thousands of items for a small fraction of the cost have started couponing. My system isn't great and I haven't perfected it but I am trying.

Currently we are using a photo box to store all our coupons. They are sectioned and weeded through weekly. When I walk into the store with my box full of coupons I feel good until I realize that I literally only saved anywhere from $4.00 to $30.00 and literally walked through a store with a photo box but I plan on getting better. Who couldn't use a deal?!

We are not only using clipped coupons but have started seriously using the internet to find deals on everything including our upcoming vacation. It will be the first one we take since our 1st honeymoon which was in 1998 but will be my kids very first hotel stay.

While scourging the internet for coupon resources I have found many great coupon resources.  I have heard of many of these coupon sites that I came across and even receive coupons from a few of these companies in the mail.  I usually just use the mailer coupons, but when I was searching online, I found so many coupon codes and deals that I can and will be using starting now. I even found a mobile app which I will download as soon as my new phone comes in tomorrow!

Udi's Is Definitely Worth The Cost

My daughter loves her bread. I worry about her sometimes because while she eats loads of yogurt, fruit and veggies, she rarely eats any protein but bread seems to be her favorite. Bagels, rolls, sliced breads, she loves them!

We are fortunate enough to not had to go to a Gluten Free diet but have in the past tried Udi's as a way to eat a healthier bread. 

This time we were sent samples of Udi's sliced bread. I had no idea there were so many types of this Gluten Free breads Whole Wheat Bread, Millet Chia, Omega Flax and Fiber, and White Sandwich just to name a few. Oddly enough my kids are not big on sandwiches but like slices of bread as snacks and oddly enough Goddess loved the Millet Chia Bread! I can't say I blame her. It was my favorite as well. I thought once she saw all the millet and chia seeds she would be turned off. On the contrary it was the first bread to go. She loved it toasted but especially with Nutella. 

Look at all that texture!

 My peanut allergy girl has been eating Nutella sandwiches every day since Kindergarten but lately had been turned off because she was saying that it was soggy. Yeah well that was until we started using Udi's to make her sandwiches. Udi bread is so much denser that she is once again eating her whole sandwich. She especially likes when I mixed up the bread giving her one side whole wheat and one side omega flax and fiber. 

Beside the Millet Chia my personal favorite is the raisin bread. A little cream cheese and you are in heaven!

As you can see it is gone! BUT...I will be buying it again along with the Millet-Chia Bread.

 I am dying to try French Toast with Udi because I think it will  hold up really well with a heavy dose of egg wash. Can't wait to pick up some more.

Thank you Udi's for making us see that when it comes to sliced bread, there really is a difference!

Taking Chances by Molly McAdams My Truly Honest Review

The 411 by Maria:

I have always said I would be 100% honest in my reviews since that is what I am doing here because if you didn't really care about this you would pick up a copy of a reputable reviewer. The Amateur Reviewer is what I have called myself for over 7 years and will continue to do so. I also don't agree with all reviews so you may or may not agree with this one. It is MY opinion ONLY of a book I read.

OK with all of that, here I go....

 Taking Chances is about a girl named Harper. I love the cover and seriously loved the book. The story is of a girl who has just turned 18 and ready to leave her Militant Dad behind so she can finally live a life out from under his over protective, unemotional thumb. She had many friends on the base she lived at, one of them being her friend Carter. A marine from her dad's base.

OK...well she moves to San Diego to attend university where she will room with Bree. Bree has a brother name Chase and they have a friend named Brandon. OK...still with me.

Well, 18 year old Harper falls hard for these guys. She is torn, what's a girl to do when she has men just falling at her feet?  Well, she dates the safe one and lusts for the other. The one who sets her heart to flutter. Oh but wait, don't forget about Carter. Oh wait, the author did for a moment. Oh no, he's back and also in love with Harper.

Well...my friends without completely ruining this book for you, I can tell you this. There were times I just wanted to punch Harper right her in "princess" face. She is naive, she is needy, she is sad, she is mad, she is turned on, she makes mountains out of molehills, she is too mature, she is not mature enough. Girlfriend, you are 18 years old...slow it down and enjoy life!

I'm back...I didn't hate the book. Let me say it again. I didn't hate the book! I hated parts of it. I hated the barrage of characters (I was constantly going back and forth in the beginning to try to remember who everyone was), and wordiness (I don't need every single part of their conversation to get the point!)! 

There was a moment when I thought I would close the book and not open it again. The author quickly and swiftly changes the story by adding drama that I saw coming a mile away.  I knew that BITCH was lying but Harper believed her damn it.

I know this review is everywhere but I haven't been this passionate about my dislike for a book since PS I Love You. But dislike is a terrible word to use because I read the whole thing. I read it in two days and I found that I needed to know how it would end so I guess I would give this three stars for making me passionate enough to want to punch the main character in the face not a bad score on my rating scale. 

Enjoy!

Stroll With Me Through Warwick NY

This past Friday I spent the entire day with my friend Sonia. I have been trying to get her to come out and just enjoy the day.  We met at the school after pick up and headed out driving around until we found ourselves in Warwick NY. Warwick is a town I have always loved driving through, parking the car and strolling with the camera. Fortunately for me I had my camera with me.

We had breakfast at a  place called G's and loved it! Usually I order Eggs Benedict but this time I tried it with salmon. It was heaven!  Perfect texture and it came with a fruit salad! Loved it!!!

 

I have wanted to get Goddess and Ugly Doll for a while but these were overpriced at a local toy store.

They have an adorable local bookstore that wasn't opened yet. Hope it is the next time I walk through

How blue is that pole?

I love these trees. All those puffy white fluff.

The sky was so beautiful and with those white bunches of flowers, I couldn't stop taking photos as I walked looking up and snapping away.

Look at that bear at the end of the walkway. He is always wearing a new t-shirt!

We should all remember to EAT SWEET

Outdoor seating for four restaurants. Dying to try the French one. It smelled delish!

We sampled some gelato. It was devine.

It was hard to pass up all these sweets. Note to self: Need to take Goddess here.

This sign looked like it said Turn Back Or Die but it said....Turn Back For Pie as it was right next to a pie shop.

It was a great way to end a super busy week.

Happiness Is My Smiling Brownies

I find being a Brownie co-leader one of my favorite things. Fortunately for me the other leader does most of the work. I get to help and play with the girls. She asked me after I kept the girls busy during our first meeting. We really are a good combination. I let her be THE LEADER who is more strict, keeps them in line while I am the one in the background assisting them and making them smile, trying to keep things fun and light. We make a great team. Listening to kids talk is something I really enjoy. There is no BS and they know how to be honest sometimes coming out with very interesting stories. Most of the girls I have known for a few years now and seeing them grow makes me smile. I LOVE THEM ALL

My Goddess

These crowns were made courtesy of Orb Factory who sent me samples for the girls to try out. Everyone loved them and the moms thought there are a great party craft idea. Easy for even the youngest of girls. Each section has numbers which correspond with the gems. You simply unpeel the gems and stick them on the crown. As you can see they even had some extra to stick on their faces.

=

Wraptastic Makes Everything Fantastic - Video Review

OK it's a corny title but honestly, I truly love my Wraptastic.

You may have seen the infomercial where someone is trying to wrap something with foil or cling wrap only to have it get stuck, clinging to everything but what you want it to cling to or someone getting cut, or even someone dropping everything as they struggle with the foil or plastic wrap while they grunt and groan. Those infomercials do nothing for me except make me laugh. Most of us can handle our aluminum foil and plastic wrap without any problems but....I do love the ease of the Wraptastic. I also love that there is a quick, clean, smooth cut. I have had many rolls of paper run across the kitchen floor and I can never get them back on the roll nicely. 

Sometimes Suprises Allow Everyone To Bloom!

The 411 by Maria:

I started this book during my 40 minutes lunch break on Friday. I was subbing at the school in the self contained class for Kindergarten and first graders.  I got in my car in the parking lot right outside the class room and opened the cover. Before I knew it my alarm rang telling me my 40 minutes was up and it was time to head back into school.  Only I couldn't, I literally had to spend 4 extra minutes wiping my tears, and blotting my streaked makeup. The book is not a tear jerker per se but Kelle writes in a way where I really felt like I was right there with her, in the delivery room, experiencing her burst bubble, elevator plunging moment. The moment that would change her life forever and the moment when she was given the eye opening gift by her friends and family. We should all have these wise people in our lives.

You could go and read the synopsis. That will pretty much tell you about the book. What I will spend my time telling you is that Kelle is an amazingly, honest, profoundly honest author. She definitely speaks from the heart and I love that her sensor button was off. The reason the book really hit me was because of her complete realism. I don't know if I could have written the things that she confessed to saying or thinking and I my eyes she is Super Woman! Not only do I love Kelle but I love her whole family and friend unit! They are a complete set and no one should be left out. If you feel this is a love fest review and I haven't really said anything about the book, it is OK. Feel it, say it, shout it, whatever works for you. This book is about a Mother's Love! Plain and simple. A story of one of life's greatest gifts, a child. One who changes lives and allows those around her to flourish and grow.  I am now a follower of Kelle's website and social venues and you should be too!
 

Monster High Party Howling Good Times

Planning Goddess' 8th Birthday Party was so much fun. She and I love Monster High. It is her current obsession after Littlest Pet Shop and before that Scooby Doo. Party City was my one stop shop store for most of my Monster High party fare.

Look at those awesome favor bags!

Goddess couldn't wait to put these together

So much color! Look at that hot pink! HOTNESS

The table cloth and runner are from my Halloween Decorations as well as the battery candles

I would have freaked to see all this when I was a kid

The party appys! Well, kids did their share of eating the Skelita's fruit cups

Abbey's Veggie Sticks not so much but the parents thankfully took care of most of them

Our backdrop and Goddess before the party. She was in her swimsuit for no reason other than she loves it