The Kids In Motion

They say a body in motion stays in motion and watching field day this year at my kids school made for some very active kids.

Last year I was allowed in the area to take photos, this year with the new no parent beyond the border rule, not so much. I had to stay in the spectator area. Kinda pissed me off because I work in the school, have been finger printed and all but I get it. Safety first and if they make amends for me, they have to allow for others but it made it more difficult to take great photos.

My favorite shot of my kids was not taken by me but by her teacher. I love this picture!

 

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This is the one I got, thank God her teacher was there.

Best teacher ever for this photo loving mom. She was always with a camera around her neck and sent us photos from class every month.

Here is Handsome waiting to shoot some balls with a hockey stick into a net. He did unbelievably good.

He shoots and SCORES!

Goddess was mostly spotted Running from here to there

She didn't see me and I was too far for her to hear me shouting.


Handsome did spot me....

And ran over for a hug....

 That's my boy

I did however get to join Goddess and her class at their picnic lunch. I love her class and got to sit and hang out with her and her two besties. These girls have been together ever year since they are 3 and were in Pre-K hopefully next year they either keep them together or split the 3 up into 3 separate classrooms. Time will tell if their friendship stands the test of time.

They are so much fun and so funny together. 

 

One of the boys joined in for a photo.

Even I got in there for a moment

Handsome came later, I had to go but at least I got to say see you later.

I have known so many of these kids since they were babies and some their moms before they were born so it really is a great day for me when I can be at the school.

Seeing the kids run, jump and play outdoors during school makes me happy. I wish they got to do it more often but at least they get this once a year and I think they all look forward to it.

The Bug and Frog Catcher, Catches Like A Pro Thanks To Daddy

My husband is an interesting character. Like his father, he is the 50's dad. Hard working but pretty much absent from the day to day workings of the house, leaving the raising kids part to me (honestly I am better at it and have more patience). He doesn't attend everything they do, nor does he have time to sit and play a board game or have long discussions, taking them to a park or farm isn't "fun" to him BUT when it "really" matters he stands up for his family and is there. I can tell you that from someone who really needed him when I was sick for two years. He is a stand up guy and sometimes he really surprises me. He is wicked smart and always thinking. He is the one that the kids will go to when they are older, I am sure for advice because he thinks with his head not with his heart like mom!

When he does something from his heart for the kids I have to admit, I get a little misty.

Goddess is a fearless frog, toad, and bug catcher but sometimes getting into the creek to get those frogs is dangerous and hard for her. She is a tiny girl but thanks to dad, she catches frogs like a pro.

He was fiddling downstairs as usual, his workshop where he has created a massive battery for a science project and is in the process of recreating a Tesla Coil, yeah did I tell you he is wicked smart?!

When he came onto the deck and called Goddess, holding this red, white and blue stick my heart smiled. He had taken his old hockey stick, a net bag we bought apples in at the supermarket and some duct tape and created the best frog catcher ever.

Goddess had caught two frogs before the Dad Made Net but one minute after heading down she was smiling and running up with a frog, two minutes later, another, before I could count to 200 she had 4 more. The tank was filled and I missed it because I was so busy watching her.
  

I love watching her with her stick out by the creek, scooping up frogs without having to lean in.

Look at that smile! She loves her frogs. The tank has been used for frogs, toads and salamanders for a few years now and holds her "pet for the day" until dusk when she MUST let it go. She is dying to keep one but I would hate to have it die. This tank is not for keeping things long term. One day I will get her one but not now.

Handsome just had to get a closer view. He doesn't like frogs or toads the way she does. Just like his father, he finds them gross and slimy. But like Goddess, my sisters and I caught frogs when we were kids and begged to keep them as well.

The poor frog!

Goddess keeps watch over her "pets for a day" and even finds bugs to feed them. When we clean the tank out I find many dead things she has tossed in for them.

In the midst of the new frog catcher I saw this bug. We have seen him before and find him very interesting. He is the Eyed Click Beetle. Named for the clicking sound he makes when he snaps his body to move like a hinge. Check out those false eyes to scare his predators.

We got him and put him in the often used bug catcher so that Goddess could get a closer look. As you can see, she is happy to do so.

These two were caught before the "daddy frog catcher"

 The little guy sits on top of the tank which has a periscope to see into the tank. It's pretty cool!

 They are just hanging out!

Old El Paso Gift Pack - Review

Last week received a gift pack through a My Blog Spark campaign and Old El Paso! I get excited when I get to review food! Doesn't happen often enough and this gift pack is so much more exciting because of all the accessories.

Here is a close up I sent to my Facebook friends after they asked for more information about the Old El Paso Sauce Packs upon seeing my Facebook post.

I love how easy it was....I started out by browning some chicken cutlets in two teaspoons of olive oil.

While I was doing that, Goddess was busy chopping my veggies in my new Progressive Prepworks Herb and Veggie Chopper. Who would have thought an 8 year old could safely dice my veggies? Put in the veggies, close the lid and the kid pulls the lever which makes the blades inside spin. NICE!

Next I added the diced veggies which were onions and green peppers to the browned chicken.

About 8 minutes in I added the bag of Old El Paso Sauce, we used the Chipotle one first and thought it was just the right amount of spicy and let it sit for about 10 minutes in an uncovered pan.

 Doesn't it look delicious!?

When it was done, I filled the Stand and Stuff Torillas. It was delish! BTW...the Tortillas have also housed our scrambled bacon and cheese breakfast scramble also. They are so versatile. I will be making many more thing in them.

Sound good to you? Check out the Old El Paso Products at your supermarket and enter for your chance to win a gift pack like the one below.

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness

As a Fox Home Entertainment Insider my family was thrilled to receive an Insider Welcome Pack containing a Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness, a Rio car sun visor, an Ice Age Continental Drift ice cube tray, a Glee 3D pin, and a set of Dragons: Riders of Berk trading cards all inside an awesome bowl which has become our everything bowl.

On the last day of school Goddess' teacher asked me if I had anything available that no one had seen before and was rated G. Goddess was so happy to be able to share this with her class and said that all the kids loved it and no one had seen it yet. Love sharing with friends.

Goddess' teacher told me that the kids had a wonderful time and laughed together while watching the 4 episodes they watched. I wish I could have been with the kids in Goddess' class while they watched but I sat down with Goddess to watch and find out why the kids loved it so much.

From Boring Kid Suitcase To Monster High Fashion Bag

A few years ago Goddess got this bag as part of a hand-me-down thing from her God-Sister Jordan. We have received many of Jordan's outgrown things over the years and this one was kept in the closet with Goddess' Zhu Zhu Pet collection until she narrowed her collection down after her Monster High obsession took over. She is seriously obsessed and longs to own everything Monster High. Her bedroom has become Monster High/Halloween (she has had a Halloween thing since the age of 3 so it is no wonder she loves these dolls). Everything that isn't "Monster Highish" has been cast out through our local tag sale site or handed down to friends.

She asked me about 4 months ago if she could get rid of this bag. I took it and put it aside in my closet because I thought it was cool and didn't want to toss it. At the time I didn't know what I would do with it but one day in May I had a light bulb moment.

When I get into a creative zone, I just run with it so usually forget to take a photo of the before product. I remembered to take this photo after I taped it. You can see the blue tape around the edges and the bottom of the handle.  It took 10 minutes and I didn't want to untape it just for the purpose of a photo.

Next I took to the deck with a can of spray paint. After our Monster High House redo which I will post about (it is AWESOME), I think spray paint is the fix for everything.

Next I put a coat of primer on it. Primer is necessary on all my paint jobs. Primer is important because it makes for a smoother finish for the layer of paint that matters.  Primer creates a smooth and consistent layer for the paint to be spread over and to bind onto. If the item isn't primed you can get a messy finish which looks awful. Krylon All Purpose Primer is my absolute favorite and I have at least two cans at all times these days. I feel like you can use any spray paint but the primer matters!

Next I put two layers of black spray paint.

Before it dried I added some glitter to the very top on both sides.

A shot of Acrylic clear top coat finished my paint job.

After it was dry, I added a wall cling decoration that we had on her bookshelf.

AND some sparkly purple puff paint to the edges.

Obviously, she now loves her very special bag which I can see I still need to remove some tape from now on this close up.

Isn't this the type of bag that a girl who sleeps in a Monster High Eye Mask deserves?

The Abandoned by Amanda Stevens

The 411 by Maria:

I read this at the beach with the family yesterday. It is awesome! My nickname is Ree with my family and it is also my email address name which made reading it even more fun. It is a short story, only 73 pages but a fun read nonetheless.

This is a prequel to the Graveyard Queen series which I am excited to start reading. My Need to Read list is way too long.

In this book we have Ree we is a volunteer at a psychiatric hospital, Hayden who is a ghost hunter and cemetery restorer, Amelia Gray.  When one of Ree's favorite patients passes she is suddenly dragged unwillingly into a conspiracy due to overhearing a conversation with a doctor and another man who ends up dead!  There are many secrets surrounding the hospital and the Oak Grove Cemetery and when Ree suddenly starts sleep walking and being followed by a ghost, they must find out the history of Ilsa and Violet Tisdale and the cemetery before someone gets hurt or worse.

Oak Grove Cemetery has been a hot spot for ghost hunters with much activity being reported hopefully together the characters can find out what is going on and how they can help the spirits that walk the grounds.

I found the book interesting. As a fan of the paranormal, I am excited to see how what Amelia finds once she starts restoring the cemetery.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

The 411 by Maria: 

As a huge Stephen King fan I didn't see the correlation however, I did LOVE this book. It starts out great and from there moves nicely. A very unique story about Annaliese, or is it Anna, Or any of the other girls names that are etch on the knife's handle?

We start with a dream and a girl explaining it to her therapist. She has been missing for a year and was found but she is different! She was found 1300 miles away from her home and she has no idea how she got there. She just knows something isn't right.

"the Mom and the Dad" love her and are patient with her while she finds her footing and the dreams and visions make everything so confusing but eventually everything comes into light and now Annaliese has a choice to make, should she continue or stop the quest she has started. OK...I know I am not making sense. There is so much to this story and I don't want to give too much away. The story has many layers, so much so that I think you SHOULD read it for the experience.

This is a paranormal love story per se although you will encounter witchcraft and possession more than vampires or werewolves.

While there are some scenes that I wouldn't put into the YA arena and some that stick with you. The raping of a little girl by a molester, although it is a subtle paragraph without much detail there was enough to make me have to put the book down and recalling the wording too many times for my liking. Need to get past the pink sneakers with the lights!

Annaliese's story is an interesting one and the journey is the same, however you will either LOVE or Hate the book. I enjoyed it and found it different from anything I have read.

Advil® PM SleepHackage

Goddess just had to pose with the Advil PM SleepHelp Package! She loves the eye patch while I love my ADVIL!

The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange: The Complete First Season DVD A Review

The 411: 

You haven't heard squealing like what I  heard when my kids opened a box containing, The Complete First Season of Annoying Orange. 

Annoying Orange is a show we caught on You Tube before it hit the big screen of The Cartoon Network. We loved it then and we love it now.  It is a show that the whole family enjoys including Teach and I!

It is a truly wacky show and sometimes the humor is off for a kids show as the fruit is sometimes mean to each other and other times, fruit gets murdered or (cut up) and they all scream at the horror of it. "You're an Apple" can sometimes sound like You're an a**hole but since it obviously isn't and my kids have never heard that word in my house, they hear APPLE!

We have favorite fruits, Pear, Marsh mellow and Midget Apple, because they are really funny. Marsh mellow talks really fast and is extremely hyper. 

They were so excited to get the CD they got a big bowl, threw some fruit in it, placed our clip Annoying Orange fruit on it, stuck the CD in and asked me to take a picture.

If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a try and see if it is something your kids will like. The faces can be creepy but mostly they are hysterical to my kids.

The Confession Directed by Michael Landon Jr. - A REVIEW

The 411 by Maria:

My first reaction was; Michael Landon's son directed? I want to see it. I was a huge fan of Michael Landon and figured Little House on The Prairie is a show I grew up loving, let's see what Pa's boy has learned!

The Confession has nothing to do with the 1800s as the Laura Ingalls Wilder series but it has as much heart as any Little House on The Prairie show that I grew up crying over.

Socialite Laura, is dying. She has a progressive form of cancer. On her quest to get her life in order she had set out to find a daughter she gave up to be raised by an Amish family in Lancaster. Now hearing that her cancer has progressed she is preparing for the end.  Katie hears her birth mother was looking for her and heads to NY to find her only to be informed that Laura has already passed, thanks to Laura's selfish husband who has a plan of his own. His problems have gotten him in some hot water and he needs all of Laura's money.  Thanks to a well meaning NY friend with a terrible fake accent (there were many poorly acted fake accents), Katie is reassured that if a socialite had passed it would be all over the news and someone is lying. Sooo...Katie sets out to meet her momma.

Things take an interesting turn when Katie arrives and finds out that Laura's daughter has already arrived.

Back in Lancaster, Katie's family is dealing with the return of an old friend while the modern world tries to infiltrate their very beliefs as and Amish family.

The movie moves quickly and while there are a few plot oddities that are unexplainable but would give the whole movie away if I were to list them. I didn't hate it.

The things that may turn viewers off:

• Katie leaves her Amish family for the lavish life style seemingly quick.
• Laura figures the deceit going on under her roof and explains it away with a letter Katie sent out to her Amish family. You really need to piece it together and remember what Katie had written to her parents.
• The ending was God awful. As of now there is no green light for a sequel and the ending demands one.