Summer is Gone

Last week we had one last burst of summer! After school we got the pool out (we put it away for the winter) and started filling it up. (I still need to dump the pool and put it away again!)
The girls had so much fun playing with the hose and getting each other (and the house) wet.

Princess A wanted to turn the water off when it was time but since the frog was still there I got the honors. That frog was still there over an hour later.

The next day was suppose to be even hotter, it wasn't so I am so glad they were able to enjoy that last burst of summer. This week Fall is definitely here. I finally turned my heater on since the temps are in the forties at night and the fifties during the day. I do love that little nip in the air and the leaves are starting to fall!!

Wordless Wednesday: More Cake Challenges

The Princess Cake!


The Princess Castle Cake!

The girls love watching Food Network's Cake Challenges here are some new cakes they made for their own competition. I am not sure who won this challenge. Last time Princess A won the coveted Golden Spatula.

Wendy's High School Heisman Program and Giveaway

Wendy's wants to reward those high school seniors who do it all! Do you know a high school senior who has a 3.0 GPA or higher, is in sports and contributes to their community? Wendy's wants to know about them for their Wendy's High School Heisman Program

High school seniors who have a 3.0 average or higher, participate in a school-sponsored sport and contribute to their community can apply at http://www.wendysheisman.com/, or a high school educator, guidance counselor, or coach can nominate them. As a little reward, the first 41,100 applicants will receive a free Wendy's gift card in amounts ranging from $5 to $50. One male and one female from each high school will win the award and continue on in competition for state and national awards. Twelve national finalists will participate in Heisman Weekend festivities during an all-expenses-paid trip Dec. 11-13 to New York City. ESPN2 will feature all 12 national finalists during the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards Ceremony, which airs Dec. 13. The Wendy's High School Heisman website will display the names of all applicants and individual school winners on October 22, 2009.

The application from the student must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., central time, on Thursday, October 1 and as part of the process an official from the student's school will have to log in, go over the application and submitted it by October 6. Time is running out so if you know a high school senior that meets the criteria get them to apply now.

Now for the giveaway: One of my readers will win one $20 Wendy's giftcard.

• To enter please comment if you or your child participated in a school sport. (I ran track in high school) or mention your favorite food at Wendy's (I love the Jr Bacon Cheeseburger)
• If your email is not easily available on your blog please leave it in the comment.
• US only
• The contest will end October 15 at midnight PT.
  

Extra Entries:

• Follow my blog (2 entries)
• Blog about giveaway with link to this post (3 entries)
• Please leave a comment for each entry.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy’s and received a gift certificate to giveaway and to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Pocketville (Website for Kids) Review

The girls and I have been playing on this great website for kids, Pocketville. After you sign-up each child gets their own virtual pet to adopt (the first pet is free) and take care up. There are games to play to earn Pawllers for snacks, shirts and decorating. You can also purchase token to buy even more things for your pets or to adopt more pets. To get you started hear is a voucher for 250 token: B9GX8NUDYS (expires September 30th)

From Pocketville:

Parents can feel safe letting their children play in Pocketville because the site is 100% secure and no open chatting is permitted. All users are anonymous and can't share personal details with other players. And in addition to the fun they'll have taking part in the games and activities, kids will learn responsibility by taking care of their virtual pets and virtual piggy bank account.

The site has chatting but all the chat is pre-written for example your child can ask someone in the game "What kind of pets do you have at home?" and there is a list of pets to pick from for the answer. Personal information can not be exchanged. The girls loved picking out a pet especially Princess G. Of course I could of guessed that since her favorite game on the DS right now is Nintendogs, which she calls the puppy game. It is a great place for kids to play on the Internet. Go ahead and give Pocketville a try and make sure you use the voucher by tomorrow since it expires September 30th!

Playing Swan Lake

The girls have been watching Barbie movies lately and recently we checked Barbie of Swan Lake from the library. In the story Rothbart, the bad guy, has magic but he can't hurt you if you have a magical crystal. The girls attached crystals (flat marbles with tape) to crowns and headbands so Rothbart couldn't attack them. They also gave Daddy and me crystals to put in our pockets to protect us since Rothbart kept trying to change me into a statue. :)

I just love my girls imaginations!

Weekend Wear

This is what Princess A picked out to wear while 'helping' Daddy in the yard!

(It is hard to see but the dress is covered in holly, as in Christmas holly.)

Princess G picked out this very practical outfit.

Ballerina's can help pick up leaves even if they are 'extra fancy'.

Princess G's Pre-K Open House

Two weeks ago was Princess G's Pre-K open house. She was so excited and had been counting down the days since her sister started first grade.

We weren't sure if Daddy was going to make it but about ten minutes before it ended Daddy showed up.

I can't believe my baby is in school now!

The plan was to take Princess G out to lunch to celebrate but as we were headed to a restaurant Daddy got a call from work. Princess G and I ended up going to McDonald's. We both got Happy Meals (I wanted a burger and knew Princess A would be sad if she did not have a matching Happy Meal toy too!) We got the food to go and brought her nuggets home.

Daddy finished up his work stuff early enough to pick Princess A up from school. The open house went well and I hoped it boded well for a great first day of school and it did. Princess G loves her school and is so excited on the days she gets to go. They both start school about the same time but a couple of miles apart so Princess G is always late to school. I knew this when I signed her up for Pre-K so they put Princess G in the group that has free play first. That way she is only missing playing instead of instruction. It also worked since that was the group Princess A was in at the school and that is what Princess G remembers.

As for today it was a bit unusual. Princess A was sick so while Princess G was in school I had Princess A at home with me. She has a temperature of 103.7. I hope she feels better soon, she was just miserable today. I even had to carry her to the car when we dropped off and picked up Princess G from school!

Do the Puyallup!

Last weekend we made the trek to the Puyallup Fair. We have been going almost every year since we moved to Washington (we skipped 2005 when Princess G was a newborn.)
The girls picked out their matching outfit for the fair.

Every year we always get a picture here to see how much they have grown in a year. Princess A is about 3 feet 10 inches.

Princess G is about 3 feet 4 1/2 inches.

The girls love looking at all of the pumpkins, especially the giant ones (sorry I forgot to take a picture.) Next we went to the Hobby Hall to view all of the collections. We also got to watch some wood carving.

No trip to the Fair is complete without getting some soft serve ice cream. We usually get two cones which the girls eat about half and then pass off to us. This year I got two or three licks, as did Daddy, and they ate the rest!

Princess A couldn't wait to go to the fishing exhibit and as soon as it opened (it starts at noon on weekends) we headed over there. Alomst as soon as they started Princess G just caught her first fish! She was so excited, especially since she was the first one in her group to catch a fish.

Right after Princess A caught her fish. Princess A then went to get Princess G because she was so excited she did not want to leave. As we were leaving I saw that you are suppose to be at least five years old to participate. Whoops! Next we went and saw the new "Weird Al" Yankovic Brain exhibit. The show was fun and the girls are now asking a million question about how our brain works. They have an exhibit with a real human brain but we skip it so we could make the clown show.

The main reason the girls wanted to go to the fair, Jest in Time Circus, a wonderful clown troupe. Last year we went to the fair two days and saw four of their shows. This year I made sure to get a picture of the girls with Li Li Zucchini and Topper Todd. Near the stage is a bus full of books which each child can take one for free. The girls remember this bus and couldn't wait to get inside the bus. We were the first ones in and the last ones to leave as Princess A was having a hard time deciding which book to pick.

The girls also adore the Fair Farm. The girls each got to saw a small log, churn butter, use a water pump and grind grain.

As usual the girls spent a long time washing clothes using this old fashion washboard, a bar of soap and wringer.

Lastly I took the girls through the petting zoo. Daddy picked up a traditional Fisher Fair Scone so once we had cleaned up we were all ready to head home. The fair was lots of fun but I was a little disappointed that the usual free crafts were not offered. We also skipped the rides since they were even more expensive than last year. The fair is still lots of fun especially if you like seeing all of the animals. If you live in western Washington are you going to do the Puyallup?

Wordless Wednesday: Tea Party in Bedroom

The girls set up their own little tea party.

Best Pizza Dough Ever

I had been thinking of making pizza with the girls from scratch. I was not sure which recipe to use when Michelle from Scribbit linked to an old post of hers with her recipe using a bread machine. The first time I made it did not flatten the dough enough so it was more like focaccia bread which is yummy but not pizza.

The girls love picking out the toppings. We have made the pizza many, many times and the best combination they will eat is mushrooms, pepperoni (on Princess A's side since Princess G does not like them lately) and spinach. These are pictures from our second or third try, they are much prettier now. Last week Princess A took some to school for lunch and she normally will not eat cold pizza.
The original recipe is perfect, but we found that for the four of us it was just to much pizza dough. I cut the recipe in half which make one pizza perfectly on my large cookie sheet:

Pizza (the orginal amounts cut in half)

3/4 c warm water

2 1/4 c all purpose flour

1/4 t salt

1 T olive oil

3/4 T yeast (which is also 2 1/4 t)

1-2 T cornmeal

spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and topping of your choice.

For the dough, combine the first five ingredients in a bread machine and set it to "dough" cycle (mine has a pizza dough cycle so I use that). Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. After the dough is ready, flatten out on a lightly greased cookie sheet sprinkled lightly with the cornmeal. Spread 1/4 c or less of the spaghetti sauce on pizza, topping with shredded mozzarella and then toppings. Bake for 18 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

Thank you Michelle! This is now a family favorite!!

Meeting Princess Ariel

We meant to get together with Princess A's Kindergarten teacher all summer but we only saw her once, at the zoo. Right before school started we saw her one more time with her daughters.
We listened to a story and song by Princess Ariel and then we took pictures.

Princess A took a picture by herself and when it was Princess G's turn she tripped over Ariel's tail. She did not want to take any more pictures. A trip to the attached princess store made her feel better even though I would not get them anything. Nana had bought them pretend giant gems the day before.

We passed a park earlier and the girls wanted to stop and play. Princess G got halfway up and need help since she got stuck. Nearby was a Farmer's Market that was ending and the girls were each given a bag of cotton candy since they were "Sweet little princesses."

When we were suppose to be leaving they kept climbing up on this over and over again, just to jump off one end and start again!

Making a Baby Pinky

Last week Princess A had to pick five things that showed who she is and bring them to school in her 'Me Bag.' Princess A did not want to bring Pinky to school so she came up with the great idea of Mommy making a mini-Pinky that she could take to school. I put it off Tuesday but by Wednesday she kept asking me over and over. I finally agreed to make one.I had some left over felt from some poodle skirts I made for Halloween a few years ago. I sketched the baby Pinky, pinned it and sewed it.

Thursday morning she asked me if it was ready for school. The 'Me Bag' was not due until Friday so I skipped the stuffing so I could sleep. She was really hoping to present her bag that day so while they had breakfast I finished baby Pinky. Can you see how happy and excited she it?!? Baby Pinky was a huge success and well loved until she was lost Monday. Princess A was so upset she couldn't sleep until I told her I would make a new one. Which I did that night.

Now I have to make a baby Hippo for Princess G that looks like her Hippo. I really wish I had a sewing machine. Sewing by hand takes forever!!

Princess A Lost her Front Tooth

After dinner this evening Princess A wanted me to pull out her tooth if it was loose enough. Well, it was. It did bleed for a little bit but soon she was fine. She wanted to tell Daddy but he is on a flight back from Phoenix so we called Nana and then Grandpa instead. She talked to each of them for over fifteen minutes. After all of the calls she wanted me to take a picture of her smile so Daddy could she how she looks right after the tooth came out. She has since fallen asleep and the Tooth Fairy already made her delivery, a Sacajawea coin, 2 quarters, 3 pennies, a jewel stuck on her tooth fairy box, she made, and this letter:

Dear Princess A,

I was so excited when I heard you lost your front tooth. I have been hoping I would get to visit you soon. I can't believe you are a first grader. Keep your teeth clean so I can use the next one in the Queen's crown like this one.

Love, Tooth Fairy

Wordless Wednesday: Scarfs for Sale

The girls set up little stores for Daddy to shop at, at the time of the picture (they kept changing) the stores were a scarf store and a book store.

First Day of Pre-K

Princess G started Pre-K today. She was so excited! As soon as we arrived we found her bin to put her backpack and jacket in. She gave me a quick kiss and hug and went off to play.

When I came to pick her up at the end of class she ran over, gave me a hug and proceeded to tell me all about the fun she had. I knew she would love it and she does!!!

Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and Penne Pasta Review

The new Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and the Atkins Penne Pasta are great. The pasta was like any other whole grain pasta we buy and very good. The baking mix I used to make muffins. I followed the Atkins Cuisine Mini Muffins but instead of blueberries I used strawberries. Very yummy. I am going to experiment a little and try and come up with my own recipe for the Atkins Cuisine Recipe contest. The contest is for recipes using the All Purpose Baking Mix or the Penne Pasta, three categories for each product. Twenty-four winners in all. The contest is easy to enter, you just have to become a member of the Atkins Community. You can enter up to two recipes, one for the Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and one for the Atkins Penne Pasta. The contest ends September 30 so I better get busy, you should too if you are going to enter! I would love to hear if any of you enter the contest!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Atkins and received samples to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

I really wish Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey would come do a show near us. I just know the girls would just love it. We saw a clown show yesterday and they loved every minute of. Actually that is the main thing they wanted to do at the fair. I remember going to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus with my grandparents. Is was so much fun trying to watch and decide what I liked best!

Mom Central is excited to extend the following special family offers; look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:

• Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
  
• Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
  
• Offer #3: Get the best Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in these sections just for you! Enter the code MOM. No discounts available on these sections.* Not valid on Circus CelebritySM, Front Row or VIP seats and may not be combined with other offers including special Opening Night pricing. Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:
Denver: September 30 – October 11, 2009
Boston: October 14-18, 2009
St. Louis: October 15-18, 2009
Cleveland: October 21-26, 2009
Rosemont/Chicago: November 5 – 29, 2009
Auburn Hills: November 18-22, 2009
Charlotte: January 27-31, 2010
Atlanta: February 12-21, 2010
Cincinnati: March 10-14, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009
Dayton: April 29 – May 2, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009

Go enjoy the circus and if you go I would love to hear how it went!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Disney On Ice

I am so excited Disney On Ice is going to be in our area this year. Two years ago we took the girls to a Disney Princess on Ice show and it was magical. The girls were so disappointed when they did not come back last Fall. Well the Disney Princess On Ice will not be here, the girls are a little sad over that, but Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy will be!! I know the girls will love it almost as much as the Disney Princess show. The Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy will star Tinkerbell, Lightening McQueen, the Lion Kings and the Little Mermaid, all favorites in our house. I can't wait until later this month when they go on sale. Now the Disney On Ice coming near us is not part of this deal but maybe yours is.

Mom Central is excited to extend the following special family offers; look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:

• *Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
  
• *Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price
  
• Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.*Not valid on Front Row or VIP seats or combinable with other offers including opening night offers. Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:
St. Louis: September 3-6, 2009
Chicago: September 8-13, 2009
Sunrise: September 17-20, 2009
Dayton/Cincinnati: September 17-27, 2009
Miami: September 23-27, 2009
Auburn Hills: September 30 – October 4, 2009
Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
Houston: November 11-15, 2009
NYC: November 17-22, 2009
East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/12/09
St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 *available for purchase on 10/12/09
Boston: December 26-29, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/3/09
Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 *available for presale on 10/2/09

If your town or city was not listed don't worry because Disney On Ice is having show in many other location not listed above. I know because the two shows closest to us are not listed. So go on and click the link and see when the next show will be near you. check the list in case you can get a discount but if not I would still go. The Disney On Ice shows are full of magic, especially through a child's eyes.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

NorthWest Trek

The girls and I went to Northwest Trek with a friend and her daughter. We were there early enough to catch the first Tram. The animals are most active when the park first opens and right before it closes.
Here are some moose that we saw. These are actually a brother sister pair. Moose don't usually spend time with another moose but these two do.
I believe we saw every animal that is normally seen on a tram tour, we did not see any beavers but that is very unusual to see them.

The girls wanted to visit the Cheney Family Discovery Center. They each made antlers by tracing their hands, cutting them out and stapling them on the paper band. They have a bee hive, snakes and chameleons.

We ate lunch and then went to the Baker Research Cabin to watch the wolves. The cabin is so cool because they have a window that the wolves will go right by.

The little girl we with went to tried to chew some gum I gave her and her loose front tooth started gushing blood. They soon left but we stayed a little longer so we could see all of the animals. We got to watch this badger being fed and weighed (the scale is under the platform). Princess G was so mesmerized that we spent over fifteen minutes just watching the badger.

This is our second visit to Northwest Trek, we went in May 2008, but this time we went and saw all of the animals. Last time it was simply pouring and Princess G jumped in every puddle we came across, and believe me there we lots.

The girls wanted to explore the gift shop this time too, last time we skipped it. The girls each picked out a polished stone and small horse (smaller than a quarter). On the way out we picked up a squished penny for each girl. Northwest Trek is having a race next weekend and we might go. They have a kid run for the children of racers and since Princess A loves running races just like Daddy we just might sign-up.