Shadow Shot Sunday - Marching Shadows

This weekend Handsome had to march in a parade for Celebrating America with his Wolf Den. It was hot! I informed his Den Leader that I would be pulling him off the line early because, well..it was super hot and Handsome and I don't sweat. We end up getting really red and are candidates for heat stroke.

We walked for only about 12 minutes but it was 93+ and the sun was beating down...making it feel more like 2 hours. Handsome never wanted to get off the line, I tried three times and he just kept shaking his head. Grr..we had to walk back to the car which was my least favorite moment but I was so proud of him for doing it. He at least gets a badge for it. I got some awesome pictures and it took 4 hours for my body to cool down but it was so worth it.

Your Sunday Best - Celebrating America Parade

It was so hot yesterday but I wanted to grab some photos from the Celebrating America Parade near my town. Plus, Handsome had to march with his Wolf Den so we headed out with a whole lot of water and lined up with the rest of the parade participants.

My favorite shot has to be this adorable boy from one of the floats. Goddess knew his name from school so I called him, he turned and I got this shot! He was one of the pirates for a float and is tooo cute with his earring and beard.

Favorite Photo of The Week - July 23, 2011

My favorite photo of the week is my photo of Morgan Freeman. He was about 10 feet away and I was in the right place at the right time. Well sort of, it took an hour to get it. To read about the whole ordeal, head to this post for more photos and the complete story.

I Did It! Mission Completed In Less Than 1 Week!! New Mission Established.

Last Wednesday, I wrote about my failed mission to nab a photo of Mr. Morgan Freeman as he films Summer At Dog Dave's in Greenwood Lake, NY.

Yesterday, I headed into town to grab some milk and drop off a box at a local mom inventor's house for a giveaway. Her company Babybindle is giving away 3 baby shower gift baskets filled with baby friendly items. Head over to her blog to enter (blog). You've got to be in it to win it! Good luck!

As a semi-professional photographer and writer for Around the Lake, the camera is always with me so I drove around looking for the film location for the day. Low and behold, I find it! I see a tiny crowd and a car with a driver waiting. I zone in on the various conversations and hear that Mr. Freeman will be leaving in a few moments. The crowd parts and I see him.

His back anyway. He is sitting in a black chair and I exclaim out loud, to myself. "it's him"! I feel something, what is this, ahhh...I know, I am star struck. Who knew? My hearts flutters in my chest and my mouth is dry but my camera has a full battery and the kids are home so I am in for the long hall. I, am getting the SHOT!

Planting my feet firmly in the ground, I have settled in and I am not moving. Photography or (now) stalkerazzi is about patience, waiting, and knowing you will be rewarded if you stay still.

Morgan gets up from his seat (at least six times) and each time, I put my eye to the camera because he will be walking to that car.

Someone walks in front of my camera.  Grrr.

 He doesn't! But I get his back and decide that may be all I get today. I have two kids home with their dad and I was going out of milk. I need to get home and my cell is in the car.

A gentleman looking like Morgan walks close by, everyone perks up. It sort of looks like him but not. I know it isn't Morgan! Then I hear him speak and I am 100% certain this is not Morgan Freeman. Still others aren't sure, I hear them asking each other if it is him.  Turning, I tell them Morgan Freeman could read me the phone book and I would listen, that is not him!

He is very nice and sits down on a rock to talk to a young fan and that is when I notice Virginia Madsen. She is checking her phone, her face is painted, she is blurry, and there are people in the way but I go for it anyway.

She walks to her car. It's a wrap! People are leaving and I finally realize, this may be it, I may actually get the shot! OMG..is the camera ready? Will someone get in my way? Grr...none of that matters. Morgan is walking to his car and people are suddenly very quiet. There is an collective intact of breath and he walks out.

Wait for it....wait for it....

He turns to the crowd standing, waiting quietly, and looks at us.

All of us holding some sort of camera, quietly watching him, watch us... and as the sun sets in Greenwood Lake, it casts a warm glow on Mr. Freeman and we are rewarded with a wave and a smile.

As the car pulls away, I smile to myself and wonder if I should shout out something amid the clapping of fans as he passes. What would I say? "Nice job Mr. Freeman! I love you! You rock!" Should I run alongside the car and snap like a crazy person?

Nah, instead I walk swiftly to the car and check the phone for missed hubby messages asking "where are you? There are none! Thank goodness. My hour wait paid off and I am elated.

I am excited and if I could kick up my heels I would have. Instead, I drive to get the milk and begin to map out my next mission....Mr. Rob Reiner/Mastermind behind Castle Rock Entertainment!! Wish me luck.

Baby Rock Apparal Brings Out The Rock N Roller In Even The Youngest Fan

When Handsome was one he received the coolest shirt from his Godparents, it still is my favorite and if I could find a photo I would post it (spent 2 hours looking through archives grr I need a better system). It was a little black shirt that said Guns and Roses and had GNR's first album cover. I loved it!

Baby Rock Apparel is the coolest shop, with the hippest clothes for kids.  If you are a rock loving fan and love hip, fun, quality clothes for your children, this is the place for you. It doesn't stop at just clothes either, they have so many wonderful item that you just can't find anywhere else.

Then there are the Rock Star, coolest, hippest, T-shirts for babies up to size 8. It was so hard to choose just one for Handsome and Goddess as I loved them all. I could totally max out a credit card here.

We settled on Lead Guitar, a hot, blue shirt that is so soft. Like the kind of shirt you can't throw away because it is so comfy, lived in and yours!!!

Handsome loved the shirt. He says it is very soft and he loves the colors because it is like the flag. Awww...sweet. He loved having his picture taken for the post and three days later is still wearing the shirt. Thankfully we have been indoors for the past two days so it is going into the wash today! When he takes it off to put on his PJs I am grabbing it for the wash.

Then I put the shirt on the model of the house. Goddess, loves posing. She cracks me up with how serious she gets! She poses like a pro and I found it impossible to choose just one. She selected her favorite.

I love this one even though it is a little blurry.

You Can Call Me Mommy Baller! DaGeDar By The Makers Of Zhu Zhu Pets

Wow, I am thoroughly impressed! The Makers of Zhu Zhu Pets have come up with a totally cool new product called dah dah dah... DaGeDar.

DaGeDar is a new phenomenon that will have your kids saying, "I want that"

My kids were so excited to host this party and contemplated the guest list carefully. We were only inviting four boys and went through our list of boys, I let the kids invite 2 boys each. It was a blast.

We had four stations set up for the boys:

Station 1: The Track Set and Balls

Station 2: Launchers and Accessories

Station 3: Computer 

Station 4: Snacks and juice

When they walked in we let them look at everything first, then brought them over to the Packs of DaGeDar balls. They took their time deciding on their favorites and some of them switched with each other. The balls come in packs of two. I don't know how they did it, I wouldn't have been able to choose.

Then they got to the racing part which they couldn't wait to try.

What The Boys Thought:
"They are very cool!'
"I love their faces!"
"They are all different!"
"Mine is the best!"
"I like that there is a jump on the track!"
"They are the coolest toy ever!"
"I like that they all have their own personality!"

What The Moms Thought:
"Great another toy my kid will want!"
"They are so cool!"
"My husband will like these!"
"Priced right!"

What I Can Tell You:
The set up is super easy.
My kids played together for two hours when I first set it up. That almost never happens.
The end of the track has a closed off section to keep the balls from getting lost. I love it because there is no under couch retrieval involved however the boys never wanted to close it. When I asked them why they would want to chase after the ball instead of closing the door. There was two answers. One boy "I can't open the door" another boy "I like when they roll away and we have to chase them." So there you have it. Question answered.

I love the color. The balls having their own personalities is very cool! Love that you can enter the codes from the balls onto the website to read about the character.

Awesome toy and collectible.

At the end, one of the boys went back to the computer again to check out his DaGeDar codes. It was one of his favorite parts. "I like that the codes are on the balls so you can't lose them".

Scunci Lets You Show Your True Colors And Goddess Loves It - Review

This week we received some awesome hair care products and I can't wait to share them with you. We are big fans of Scunci. They are always coming up with something different and cool and this is really cool.

What I Can Tell You:
Goddess LOVES it. She really loved having the colorful strands in her hair. She loves fun and colorful anything so this is right up her alley.

This is my first attempt. I won't say it was a disaster, but it did get better as I went along.

I wasn't quite sure how to attach it so it looks crazy.

We tried again...it was a little better but I don't know how to do anything crazy except create a very simple, never even braid.

We loved the color and when she asked me to try the purple, and was willing to sit still longer, I tried again.

"Mommy, can you put another color onto the purple?"
"Uhhh Ok...let's see..."

Our take on Scunci's Design Weaver: We love the idea. We love that you don't have to clip in or color your hair to get a fun, different look. We love how long the pieces are. You can weave them up and down a braid easily. We love the super cute weaver took and it's little hear shape at the end.

I loved that it was therapeutic. Anytime I can use my hands to create something, I am happy. You are only limited by your abilities to create. I believe this would look beautiful around the head with a french braid. I see a lot of braids maids using this too accent their hair in beautiful up dos. I really wish I was more talented in the hair styling department but I see us playing with different braids on Goddess' hair or even my own. Woot Woot!

ABC Wednesday: A-List Actor or Mission Completed In Less Than 1 Week!! New Mission Established.

 Last Wednesday, I wrote about my failed mission to nab a photo of Mr. Morgan Freeman as he films Summer At Dog Dave's in Greenwood Lake, NY.

Yesterday, I headed into town to grab some milk and drop off a box at a local mom inventor's house for a giveaway. Her company Babybindle is giving away 3 baby shower gift baskets filled with baby friendly items. Head over to her blog to enter (blog). You've got to be in it to win it! Good luck!

As a semi-professional photographer and writer for Around the Lake, the camera is always with me so I drove around looking for the film location for the day. Low and behold, I find it! I see a tiny crowd and a car with a driver waiting. I zone in on the various conversations and hear that Mr. Freeman will be leaving in a few moments. The crowd parts and I see him.

His back anyway. He is sitting in a black chair and I exclaim out loud, to myself. "it's him"! I feel something, what is this, ahhh...I know, I am star struck. Who knew? My hearts flutters in my chest and my mouth is dry but my camera has a full battery and the kids are home so I am in for the long hall. I, am getting the SHOT!

Planting my feet firmly in the ground, I have settled in and I am not moving. Photography or (now) stalkerazzi is about patience, waiting, and knowing you will be rewarded if you stay still.

Morgan gets up from his seat (at least six times) and each time, I put my eye to the camera because he will be walking to that car.

Someone walks in front of my camera.  Grrr.

 He doesn't! But I get his back and decide that may be all I get today. I have two kids home with their dad and I was going out of milk. I need to get home and my cell is in the car.

A gentleman looking like Morgan walks close by, everyone perks up. It sort of looks like him but not. I know it isn't Morgan! Then I hear him speak and I am 100% certain this is not Morgan Freeman. Still others aren't sure, I hear them asking each other if it is him.  Turning, I tell them Morgan Freeman could read me the phone book and I would listen, that is not him!

He is very nice and sits down on a rock to talk to a young fan and that is when I notice Virginia Madsen. She is checking her phone, her face is painted, she is blurry, and there are people in the way but I go for it anyway.

She walks to her car. It's a wrap! People are leaving and I finally realize, this may be it, I may actually get the shot! OMG..is the camera ready? Will someone get in my way? Grr...none of that matters. Morgan is walking to his car and people are suddenly very quiet. There is an collective intact of breath and he walks out.

Wait for it....wait for it....

He turns to the crowd standing, waiting quietly, and looks at us.

All of us holding some sort of camera, quietly watching him, watch us... and as the sun sets in Greenwood Lake, it casts a warm glow on Mr. Freeman and we are rewarded with a wave and a smile.

As the car pulls away, I smile to myself and wonder if I should shout out something amid the clapping of fans as he passes. What would I say? "Nice job Mr. Freeman! I love you! You rock!" Should I run alongside the car and snap like a crazy person?


Nah, instead I walk swiftly to the car and check the phone for missed hubby messages asking "where are you? There are none! Thank goodness. My hour wait paid off and I am elated.

I am excited and if I could kick up my heels I would have. Instead, I drive to get the milk and begin to map out my next mission....Mr. Rob Reiner/Mastermind behind Castle Rock Entertainment!! Wish me luck.

Put the “Happy” Back in Your Travels and Wave Goodbye to Motion Sickness with Sea-Band! Goddess and Handsome Love Them

What I Can Tell You:
We received the sea-bands and Sea-Band Anti-Nausea Ginger Gum to try out for ourselves. The kids were excited about the bands. We have one who always has an upset stomach. Everything makes her belly hurt. Being on a float, in a car, riding a bike, swinging on a swing, you get the idea. I was like this as a child too. Dad always had to pull the car over for one of us.

Beside the fact that the bands are super cool. The kids really like wearing them, she didn't have an upset stomach at the beach once this week. Usually we have to leave earlier than planned because of her nausea.

My favorite part of the Sea-Bands is that I know my kids don't have to ingest anything. They are completely safe for them. Just put the band on and make sure the little plastic dohickey is on the inside of the wrist.

These would have been great for me when I was pregnant with morning sickness. Man, I hate that term, I was sick all day. Also, after my surgery last year, nauseous. The medication made me sick and I usually spent the next few hours throwing up.  Oh Sea-Band, where were you when I had my babies? Holding my newborns after my cesareans would have been so much better if I didn't have to hand the babies off. All new moms should be rocking the Sea-Bands in recovery.

Sea-Band uses the idea of acupuncture and puts pressure on the wrist!

This week I had a problem with some dizziness and nausea and took the Sea-Band Anti-Nausea Ginger Gum. These worked so well, I wished I had friends in their first trimester I could give some to so I could see if they worked for them. They have a bit of a bite at first but once you get past that it is all good. Beside the bite makes you forget you are nauseous for a moment.

Happy Monday - Something Cute

On Saturday, Goddess come inside to show me something. She always comes in to show me something. If she is outside for an hour, she will come in at least 15 times with some tidbit that crossed her mind or something she found outside.

I heard the kitchen door slam! It always does. "Mom, I have something to show you." Mustering up every ounce of mommy voice I have left (it runs out by 8:00 PM but runs on fumes from 10-7), "what do you have honey? Show me!"

Often times, it is some leaf, bug, rock, feather, or acorn. This time it was "look at this leaf, it looks like an owl. I'm going to call it my owl leaf!"

And it does look like an owl! What do you think? Maybe I am losing my mind, but I seriously see an owl.

Color Splash Sunday -

This is truly one of my favorite photos of the summer so far! Love this idea for a meme and so glad I found you.

Simple As That

My husband came with us to a birthday party for a friend this weekend because I was feeling dizzy and sick all morning. We loved having him join us and seeing him play ball with the kids was one of my favorite moments. It truly is the Simple Things.

Sunday Snapshot

We headed out to get a shot of Morgan Freeman, (you can see my post here) but forgot the water at home. It was hot! Super hot! Fry an egg on a car hot!

Handsome, doesn't do well in the heat. He isn't like Goddess who just whines "I'mmmmm hooooooot!" No, he gets really quite and says things like, "it's taking too long".

Then he does this.....

Ok...I'm a thoughtful mom, I mean I want the shot of the A list celebrities walking around but, my kid needs water.

We got in the car and grabbed a bottle or two...

A little water makes all the difference.

He was even feeling good enough to clown around with his bottle.

Mommy guilt has nothing on me!