Thursday, December 29

Sister Schubert’s Review

I love making my own bread and rolls when I have time. Time being the most important point. Making bread from scratch takes time and therefore you really have to plan ahead. I can't decide 30 minutes before dinner that homemade bread would beperfect with the meal and expect to make it in time. That is why I like to have breads or rolls that I can have ready in just a few minutes. This year we actually had family over for Christmas, my husband's cousin and her husband. I made the whole meal myself and since my Grandmother's stuffing takes forever to make I was not up for nmaking my own bread from scratch. I tried Sister Schubert's Mini Baguettes and they were so yummy. I was even asked if I had tried out a new bread recipe. I was tempted to say I made them from scratch but I confessed that they were Sister Schubert's Mini Baguettes. Now we are not doing anything for New Year's but for those of you planning on a New Year's party try out Sister Schubert's Breads. They have rolls, pretzels rolls and more.

I was sent product to facilitate my review.  No compensation was received for this review. All opinions are my own.

Friday, December 9

Adventure of TINTIN! Free advance screening passes for Seattle




My family and I have been watching previews for the Adventures of TINTIN and can't wait to see it. If you live in Seattle, or are close enough to drive, you have a chance to get free passes to see Steven Spielberg's upcoming film The Adventures of TINTIN!  The screening is next Saturday, December 17 in Seattle, location will be available on the passes. There is a limited supply of the free advance movie screening passes and they are issued on a first come first serve basis.

To sign ip for the free passes, Seattle only:

Go to www.gofobo.com/rsvp and enter code: CEFVWS1T

Remember, passes are on a first come first serve basis so you need to hurry!

Friday, November 11

Toy Story 3 Disney on Ice


We just got home from a great Disney on Ice show, Toy Story 3. It was simply wonderful and was almost perfect, minus the people behind us who talked and screamed most of the show. I do wish the show had been a little earlier, ending at 9:30pm is really late for my kids. They still have more shows available at the ShoWare in Kent so if you are interested you should go. Also since it was Scout night the girls also got a really cool Disney on Ice patch for their Girl Scout vests. I will try and post a picture of the patch later.

Sunday, October 30

Giveaway: 3 Winners of Shutterfly Greeting Cards ends 11/14

If you came by my house you would see a stack of Shutterfly photo books and other Shutterfly photo products. We have a poster of the girls in Disneyland that I created on Shutterfly. We have calendars (they make great gifts for grandparents), cards, posters and of course photos. I discover Shutterfly a few years ago and they are my go to place for photo products, we even have mouse pads. I have made cards on Shutterfly but never Christmas cards. I love so many of their holiday card designs. I must admit I have not decided which one I want to use but I think I narrowed it down. Here are some of the cards I just adore:

Shutterfly has just so many choices for Christmas cards, Greeting cards, birth announcements, holiday cards, and of course, my favorite, their photo books.

Now three of you can win a Shutterfly code for 25 cards so you can make your own.  Just enter using the Rafflecopter form below.
I was not compensated for this post, but I was sent a code to make my own cards at Shutterfly to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.


Friday, October 28

Fall Festival


Since Halloween is not allowed in their school the PTA had a Fall festival after school. The girl decided to be Snow White twins.

Sunday, October 9

Post Race Celebration


After our great run we went to a real doughnut shop and each picked out our favorite treat. I picked chocolate cake with coconut, I loved these as a kid. My other favorite is a maple bar which is what Princess G picked out. Daddy had an old fashion and Princess A a twist. I miss eating fresh made doughnuts in more flavors than available in grocery stores.

Saturday, October 8

Running a 5K in Tutus


We just finished running a 5K race together, Princess G got a ride in the jogging stroller. Don't you just love our tutus? Daddy even wore one!

Thursday, October 6

Giveaway: Real Steel Movie Prize Pack

Real Steel opens tomorrow Friday Octiber 7th.  To celebrate the opening of this new movie one of my readers can win a Real Steel prize pack!

ITEMS FOR GIVEAWAY:

- REAL STEEL t-shirt in adult sizes of S, M, L, XL
- REAL STEEL bottle opener
- REAL STEEL stickers
- REAL STEEL temporary tattoos

To enter: Please leave a comment if you plan on watching this movie or the last movie you saw in the theater.

(If your email is not available on your blog please include it in your comment.)
US Only
Ends 10/22/11 at midnight PDT.

Extra Entries: (please leave a comment for each extra comment)
2. Follow my blog (2 entries, button on the side of blog)
3. Follow me @SillyMommy on Twitter (2 entries, leave your twitter name in comment)
4. Blog about the contest (5 entries, leave link in comment)
5. Tweet about the contest (leave link in comment, may tweet once a hour)


No compensation was received.

Monday, September 19

Amish Friendship Breadmuffins

I have my first joint Girl Scout meeting tomorrow. Last year I had a Daisy troop(kindergarteners). This year I have my Daisy troop (1st graders now) and I took on my older daughters troop, Brownies (3rd graders). We have three meetings a month: just Brownies, then just Daisy, and the 3rd week together. I thought it would be fun to make the girls Amish Friendship Bread as they will hopefully become friends and sisters in Girl Scouts. Wish me luck as I have not had that many kids together outside of school.

Friday, September 16

Home Sick from School


I just picked up Princess G from school. She did not sleep well and her nose was a little stuffed this morning. She lastEd just a little over a hour before the school nurse called me. Hopefully lots of rest and hot tea will help her feel better.

Wednesday, September 14

Trying Out Crayola 3D Chalk


I won a package of Crayola 3D chalk and gave it to the girls this morning. They were so excited to try it out this afternoon. When you put on the glasses the different colors do seem to float off the ground and a different heights. I have seen these in stores but was not sure how well they would work on cement. The examples on the box all show the drawings on blacktop and we have only a sidewalk. The glasses are a little small to fit over my glasses but I still can see the 3D effect. The glasses do fit fine over Princess A's glasses just fine. We have been outside for over 90 minutes and I am sure they would stay out a few hours more. I know we will be put here many times until the rains comes.

Saturday, September 10

A Great Day at Alki Beach


We just spent a great day at Alki beach in West Seattle. It was the first time we went and walked on the beach. I did not realize how rock it would be. We found some sea glass and Princess A found the coolest seashell. She was pretty heart broken when she discovered it was missing. She is going to ask Santa to bring her an even better one for Christmas.

Monday, August 29

Yummy Yellow Watermelon!

Have you ever tried yellow watermelon?
I have seen them before at the Olympia Farmer's Market but had never tried one. On Saturday, while at the Sand in the City, a booth had some out to sample. We all loved it and decided to pick one up. We ate half on Sunday and the other half for dessert tonight. It is a little different than the regular but still very sweet and so yummy. I can't wait until we can buy another one, which probably won't be until next summer.
Have you ever tried a yellow water melon, and did you like it?

Saturday, August 27

Sand in the City in Olympia, WA


We are having a blast at Sand in the City. We used to live down here and always make a point to come here for a great day. The best part are all of the free crafts. The princesses happily try them all. You can see the chef hats, bird and bracelets. They also made sailboats, necklace, windmill and much more. We also got our favorite dish, curry chicken at Curry in a Hurry at the Olympia Farmer's next door. The festival continues tomorrow so if are close you should try and go!

Friday, August 26

Water Sliding in the Backyard!


The girls were so excited that it was warm enough to set up the water slide. I bought the slide before school got out when it was on sale at Target. The plan was to use it for Princess G's birthday party before school got out late June. Instead it rained, and then rained some more. We finally had the birthday party last week. The temps were over 80s so I set up the slide again. It is so easy to set up but takes a while to put it away!

Sunday, August 21

Hot (for us) Day in Seattle


Yesterday we went into Seattle and let the girls play in the fountain at the Seattle Center. They both had so much fun and both got soaked. I took this photo after they had changed into dry clothes. It was in the mid 80s but that is hot for Seattle.

Tuesday, August 16

Princess A Finishes the Last Harry Potter Book


Princess A was so proud when she finished the last Harry Potter book today. Even more impressive since she only turned eight a few months ago. The last book did take a little while. To celebrate I made her a little heart shaped cake.

Tuesday, August 9

Fijit Dance Party (Toy Review)

Have you heard of Fijits? They are the cutest, new interactiveAs soon as the box arrived my girls were so excited. They had never heard of Fijits before but as soon as they saw them they were so impatience to get the packaging off. Princess G kept pressing the button on the tummy for the demo mode as I opened up the package. Luckily for me the package was not to hard to open. They rest of the day all they did was play with their two Fijits. Princess G named her green one Sage and Princess A named her purple one Willa.
The Fijits interactive with set phrases. As the Fijit interacts just watch the tummy, when the tummy is lit up the Fijit is waiting for you to talk. We found it was best to be about a foot or two from the Fijit for the best interaction. It took a few times but my girls learned to only speak when tummy was lit and to speak in a normal voice. The different conversations are weather, how you are feeling and jokes. One additional mode is the dance mode, my girls favorite. All day I hear "dance with me", " your music or mine?" and then dancing. Fijits love dancing and will dance differently based on the type of music they are dancing too. My girls played some of their own music (mostly the Rio Soundtrack) but most of the time they just have the Fijits play the music. The girls were still constantly playing with their Fijits when we had a playdate Fijit party. Their friends thought the toys were so cool and spent most of the time just dancing with the Fijits, over and over again. I know more than one little girl will be asking their mom to buy a Fijit for them. One of their friends has even asked if the next time my girls go to their house to play if they would bring their Fijits. My girls have playing with the Fijits all of the time. Since we have two of them it is funny to watch them interact with each other. It does not work perfectly but with a few extra prompts it is fun to watch the Fijits and my daughters all dancing. Now we have started to find Fijits while shopping. Just yesterday we were in Target and my girls found a shelf of Fijits which they kept turning on. I highly recommend these fun toys but I suggest that purchase extra batteries. After about a day or so the Fijits started stopping suddenly while dancing and reseting as though they had just been turned on. I replaced all of the batteries (5 for each Fijit) and they have been working perfectly ever since then. Most times the batteroes that come with a toy don't last long so I always make sure I have extra batteries even when toys come with batteries.
I also made a few videos with my girls dancing with their Fijits. I will try and post them later.

wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Mattel Fijit Friends and received product samples, a party kit, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Monday, August 8

Giveaway: The Help Movie Prize Pack ends 8/22


ITEMS FOR GIVEAWAY: ( note:Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures– Digital Marketing and Publicity is providing the prize pack)

- THE HELP t-shirt in adult female sizes of S, M, L, XL
- THE HELP pocket jotter & pen
- THE HELP fan
- THE HELP nail file/mirror
To enter: Please leave a comment if you plan on watching this movie and/or read the book.
(If your email is not available on your blog please include it in your comment.)
US Only
Ends 8/22/11 at midnight PDT.

Extra Entries: (please leave a comment for each extra comment)
1.Follow my blog (2 entries, button on the side of blog)
2.Follow me @SillyMommy on Twitter (2 entries, leave your twitter name in comment)
3.Blog about the contest (5 entries, leave link in comment)
4.Tweet about the contest (leave link in comment, may tweet once a hour)
5. Enter another of my giveaways (listed on right near top, two entries per giveaway entered)


Sunday, July 31

Moby by Contigo App Review




I love my iPhone and part of the reason are all of the great apps available. I admit I like to go to the apple store and explore different free apps. I am always downloading new ones and seeing if they work for me. Most apps are erased after only a few weeks or so. I found an app that I am keeping: Moby by Contigo! Moby lets you share your location with those you select. My husband has been home the last few weeks after ankle surgery. Since he is home I have been able to run errands without dragging my two children (they hate shopping.) Since I also downloaded the Moby app on our iPad my husband can see where I am with a few clicks. He can also send me a message or ask me to check in using the app. Since I tried to do many errands at once my husband can see where I am. If he sees that I am still at the library and he thinks of a movie (he has been watching lots of DVDs since he is still not walking without crutches) he can send me a message to pick it up. Earlier this week I had to attend a meeting in the evening in not the best area. My husband could see if I was still there or if I left and he can give me a call. Of course sometimes I sent my husband a message or just checked in (an alert with just my location and a request for his location) and he did not hear the iPad or it was across the room and not worth the pain to retrieve it. Later when the girls came to check and see if Daddy needed anything and they brought him the ipad he could see all of the messages and/or alerts I sent. The app will save up 25 such messages. I don't care if my husband knows where I am all of the time (I tell him where I am going always) but if you want to go somewhere without those in your Moby circle knowing you can click a button and not share your location. You can also decide to share your location with only certain people. You might want your friends to see where you are on the weekends but only your spouse or kids during the week. My husband has been home or with me so I never explored having someone else checking in but once he goes back to work it will be nice to check on him and see on Moby where he is on the drive home.

When I was setting Moby up I was able to send invitation to others to download Moby too. One thing I did not like is that currently you can only add people via your contacts and they must have a first and last name. That was a problem for me since my husband is listed by a nickname in my phone. Also you can not change any of the contact info once it is imported to Moby. If you need to change something you need to delete the person in Moby and reload their contact info from your phone. I actually sent a message to Moby about this. I was very impressed by how fast they answered my message. They informed me that they are already working on fixing that. Moby is only going to get better.
I highly recommend the Moby app. It works great on my iPhone and iPad and my husband is going to look into downloading it on his work Blackberry (he has to find out if he is allowed to since it is a company phone.)
If my kids had phones I would definitely put it on there phone.
If you decide to try Moby (it is free in the apple store) let me know what you think.



I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Moby and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Tuesday, July 26

Visited China via Michael's free crafts


We have been meaning to attend many of the free crafts at Michael's. We have only made the Germany one because I need to attend it for ideas for Girl Scout camp. Today the girls made sand art, you just peel off an area and pour sand on the exposed area which is sticky. The girls had A blast but were so careful it took over 45 minutes.

Sunday, July 24

Finally Caught the Ice Cream Truck!


All summer we have been trying to catch the ice cream truck and today: Success!

Friday, July 22

Giveaway: PHINEAS & FERB Movie (ends 7/26)

My girls (and my husband) adore Phineas and Ferb. I must admit I like them too. The show has great and catchy tunes, we have a few of their songs on our ipod. We have been seeing commercials for the new Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. The movie premiers August 5 at 8 pm/7 central.


SYNOPSIS
In the series, there are 2 very separate worlds - Phineas, Ferb and Candace in one world, Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Perry in the other. In the movie, Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension (aka PF2D), these two worlds are thrust together for the first time to create a big adventure like we’ve never seen before. After the boys stumble upon Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s lair, Phineas and Ferb unintentionally help the evil scientist perfect his latest –inator, which sends them all to an alternate dimension where a truly evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz (as opposed to our simply ineffective Dr. Doof) has succeeded in taking over the Tri-state Area and plans to travel back to our dimension to conquer it as well. After overcoming the shock of discovering Perry’s secret, the threesome learn to work together and establish a newfound relationship as not just pet/owners, not just friends - but a dynamic team ready to face their greatest challenge yet: to save the world as they know it.

Well if you (or your kids) are excited about the Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension you could win tickets to watch the movie Saturday July 30th in Seattle!

I have 5 family 4 packs to giveaway. Please only enter if you can attend the movie Saturday July 30 in Seattle at 10:30 am.


Giveaway
5 of my readers can win family 4 packs to the movie Saturday July 30th at 10:30am in Seattle.
The movie tickets will be mailed to you so I will need the winners addresses by the morning of 7/27, so please check you emails.

To enter: Please leave a comment with your favorite Phineas and Ferb character (mine is Perry the platypus.)

(If your email is not available on your blog please include it in your comment.)
Seattle area only
Ends 7/26/11 at noon PST.





Extra Entries: (please leave a comment for each extra comment)
1.Follow my blog (2 entries, button on the side of blog)
2.Follow me @SillyMommy on Twitter (2 entries, leave your twitter name in comment)
3.Blog about the contest (5 entries, leave link in comment)
4.Tweet about the contest (leave link in comment, may tweet once a hour)
example: win Phineas and Ferb movie 4 packs of ticket, contest ends 7/26 http://t.co/u5GHn51 #win #giveaway #contest
5. Enter another of my giveaways (listed on right near top, two entries per giveaway entered)


I am receiving a family 4 pack to attend the movie in exchange for hosting this giveaway. No other compsation is being recieved.

Monday, June 13

Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts Review




I have never worn inserts but I wonder if I should have. I have the hardest time finding shoes that are comfortable. Most shoes just make my feet hurt if I wear them or try and walk in them more than a little bit. I have narrow feet and high arches. i was given the opportunity to try out Dr Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts. The first thing I did was find a Dr Scholl's kiosk (my local Walmart had one). At the kiosk I took off my shoes and followed the directions on the screen. It involved standing on both feet and then each foot by themselves. The machine did some calculations and told me the perfect insert for my feet. Just to me sure I did the whole thing a second time and I got the same results. Once I received the pair of inserts (one for each foot) I tried them out in my favorite shoes. At first it felt a little strange but comfortable. I had complete support in my arches. After a little while I did not even notice that my shoes felt any different except that my feet seemed less tired. Some days I am on my feet all day and others I thankfully get to sit some of the time. To me it seemed as though I can walk (or stand) longer with less tiredness (is that a real word?)


I wish I had know about these sooner and with a price of $50 it is much less than a custom fit at a doctors. If you would like to try them I also have a link to a $7.50 Dr. Scholl’s rebate just for you (http://www.footmapping.com/footmapping/rebate-momscentral.jspa)

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Dr. Scholl’s and received a Custom Fit Orthotics from Dr. Scholl’s to facilitate my review.

Wednesday, June 8

Disneyland Day Five

We started our last day inOf course our first ride had to be onAuntie Babe joined us just as Princess G finished another ride on Roses (a carousel horse) behindNext we tried Casey's Circus Train. I have not been on this ride in years.
Back for another ride onWe realized that we never got a picture with Mickey so we went to his house to try and find him.
Mickey was in his living room so after taking our picture we wandered through the rest of theAuntie Babe and Princess A decided to try and ride the roller coaster with their hands up the whole time.
At last it was time to battle Darth Vader. Princess G planned on battling him too but she started to feel a little sick on last day (mostly just being over tired.)
Princess A defeated Darth Vader just as we knew sheA picture with my cutie!
This is how we got around the parks.
Princess A loved pushing her sister but in crowds I usually took over so we would not rum overThis is my favorite picture of all of us from our trip.
Too soon it was time toHere we are back in Seattle at the airport.

Disneyland Day Four

This morning we waited to see theirWhile we were waiting we found a great group to take picturesFinally Auntie was here! We went straight to the submarine since it had less than a 10 minute wait (it was the shortest time we ever saw so we had to take advantage of that!)
Soon it was time to head over to California Adaventure so we could have breakfast at Areil's Grotto with all of the Princesses. Besides Ariel we took pictures with Snow White, Aurora, Cinderealla andAfter a big meal we explored the backlot area.
The girls love playing in this area, The next spot where you can add your voice to a cartoon or song is thier veryEventually Auntie had to rejoin her hich school band for some classes. We decided to hop on the train (to give Daddy's foot a rest.)
We stopped at the house of innovation and Princess A was picked to perform someThe girls loved all of the differnt stuff in the house and both would love to move in, of course part of the appeal is that Disneyland is right outside.
We planned on getting right back on the train but it was a very short line so we drove someEventually we rode the train to New Orleans Square.
I have never see the Mardi Gras Mickey and Minnie before, they were soWe staked out a spot to watch the Fantasmic show and ate Gumbo.
While we waited for the fireworks and then the Fantasmic show to start Daddy held our spot while the girls, Auntie and I took turns going on rides and exploring.
The two shows were simply great and well worth the wait!!

Disneyland Day Three

We started our day being greeted by Minnie Mouse as soon as we arrived.Princess G decided that she wanted to try Space Mountain so that is where we went first.
She then decided at the last moment that she was not ready so I went with Princess A.
(Princess G tried twice but was just not ready, maybe next time!)
We let Princess G pick the next spot and she wanted to try the ride in Fairytale land.
Just Bliss!!!!
Of course we had to take a ride on her favorite horse 'Roses'.
We can back later in the day to ride her again.
Princess A also picked out a favorite horse.
Then it was off to New Orleans Square, which means a ride on the Pirate of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.
The girls wanted to climb Tarzan's Tree house so the girls and I left Daddy to rest and off we went. Princess G made it up about 20 steps before I got to carry her the rest of the way up and then down. There really are a lot of steps!Next we decided to go and explore the island, especially since the girls had never been over there before.
They loved all of the caves and the cool tree house!
After a very long time exploring it was time to ride back to shore!
The girls wanted to play in Toon Town.
I love getting a picture of them having tea in Minnie's house.
A rare picture of all of us.
I love this picture with Walt, Mickey and the castle in the background.
For a perfect ending to a great day we enjoyed a Sundae together at the ice cream shoppe on Main Street. It was so yummy!

Friday, April 29

A Woman Who Helped Me

Growing up I was always interested in science and math. The school I attended in grade school and even later in high school encouraged girls to get and education but not in math or science. I was not really discouraged it is just that it was not in the realm of their possibility. My mom is very smart but science and math are not her strengths. Despite her not understanding math or science she always encouraged me to pursue my strengths. My mom believed that I could be anything and she pushed others to see it too. She was always trying to get me classes in science and higher math. She eventually got honors science and math classes offered at my high school. of course it was to late for me but those girls after me were able to participate. My mom not only pushed my schools to offer more she found ways to help me gain more scientific knowledge. My mom was consistently taking us to the library and we would do our own experiments. We also spent a lot of time baking which really has lots of math involved. I was always helping my mom figure out how change recipes such as cutting them in half, it really is a bit of a calculation to figure out how to cut 1/3 in half (I know it is 1/6 but have you even seen a measuring cup for 1/6).

Would like to be the one to help someone else? Right now you can purchase a Mother's Day gift (or any gift) from the HOH (Heart of Haiti) collection at Macy's. I even have a special code (CLEVERGIRLS) which will give you a discount of 15% off Heart of Haiti and Rwanda Path to Peace products (the code is good 5/3 - 5/8).



I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

Friday, April 8

TShirtPrinting.net Review

Isn't this monkey so cute? TShirtPrinting.net sent a a t-shirt with their mascot, Cheeky Monkey. The t-shirt is very comfortable. I was sent a small which was a little big on me, I mainly use it for sleeping.
TShirtPrinting.net also offers screen printing for personalised T shirts, hooded tops, sweatshirts and workwear. The minimum quanity for personalized printing is 12. I love that you can print as little as 12 shirts. The company has over 20 years of printing experience so you know they will know what they are doing. They also carry some organic shirts.
You can explore their site or even order their free catalog.
This post was written for Family Review Network & TShirtPrinting.net who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thursday, April 7

Cinderella Ballet

For our anniversary my darling husband bought tickets for all of us to attend the ballet. I think the girls liked the gift almost more than I did and I loved it!!
The girls love dressing up and of course posing in front of the ballet statues.
It was a lovely ballet and so much fun to watch. I knew the girls would love it as it is the story of Cinderella, Princess A's favorite, and a ballet. We see the nutcracker every year and last year we also saw Coppelia.

Tuesday, April 5

Friendship Bread (Book Review)‏

Have you ever received one of those baggies full of some beige looking Friendship Bread batter? Two years ago Amish Friendship bread was making the rounds where I live. I got my bag from my daughter's then kindergarten teacher. I was helping that day and she was trying to find someone to take a bag since no one else, who worked at the school, wanted some. I was so excited because I had never heard of Amish Friendship bread and we had a taste and it was so yummy. I faithfully tried to hand out three bags 10 days later, with partial success. After that I figured out that I could freeze it so I did not have to find new people to hand the bags out too. My family loves eating Amish Friendship bread and since I keep the batter in the freezer I can make it whenever we want to instead of just every ten days. Needless to say I was very excited when I heard about a Friendship Bread novel. As soon as I started reading I was sucked into the story. I made the mistake of starting the book near my bedtime which I missed by over an hour. I loved all of the characters and they all seemed so real. I could easily see all of those things happening in real life. Sometimes in books things just come together to easily or too many bad things can happen. I felt as though I was reading about people I could know in my life. I had to laugh too about how the Friendship Bread batter was loved or in some case people would turn the other way when they saw the baggies coming their way. I liked how the simple gift of friendship (with the bread as a starting point) can change peoples lives for the better. In the beginning of the book the main character is struggling just to get through the day. The Friendship Bread is a gateway to new and old friendships that change her live and others for the better. Besides the wonderful story which my mom can't wait to read next are the recipes located at the back of the book. There are many recipes using the friendship batter instead of just baking the regular bread. My friendship bread recipe is a exactly the same as the recipe included in the book (now if I lose my original recipe I can get it from the book!) I really want to try the brownie recipe. I have been making the Friendship Bread for over two years and I must say I never thought to make anything else besides the bread, of course that bread is so yummy!! I highly recommend Friendship Bread, a Novel, not just for the great story (I can't wait for the rumored sequel) but also for the great recipes. As you can see in my picture I made some Friendship Bread (my family already ate that much) to go with the novel, next time I will have to try the brownie recipe! Now this book is being released today so head down to your local bookstore (or online) and get a copy!
This post was written for Family Review Network & Random House who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Monday, April 4

Kiddie Catch-All Review

Even though my girls are getting bigger they are still in a car seat or booster. My older daughter is now 8 and can easily reach most of the stuff she wants if it is on the seat next to her. The Kiddie Catch-All worked great for her because even though I am a very safe driver stuff still shifts during a car trip. She does not have to ask me to try and reach for something on the floor at stoplights (they know not to ask when when the car is moving.) Now my younger daughter (age 5) is still in a 5-point harness so she does not have as large of an area she can reach. Usually she would ask her sister to get something for her. Now she has it all right there where she can reach it. Of course it mostly has become a seat for Hippo (her favorite stuffed animal). According to Princess A Hippo likes his car seat because is is so comfy. Princess G likes it because she can snack or play on the DS and Hippo can watch without getting in the way. When I was first was sent the Kiddie Catch-All I was not sure if it would be worth getting when my kids are not toddlers anymore but it really came in handy. I will say as useful as it was for us it would have been even more useful when they were little. I can remember times when they wanted something and since I was driving I could not get it or at least not fast enough before they were upset. The Kiddie Catch-All is so simple but the best ideas usually are.

The Perfect Accessory For Your Car, Truck or Minivan This post was written for Family Review Network & Kiddie Catch-All who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wednesday, March 30

Bausch + Lomb Biotrue (Contact Solution) Review

I started wearing contacts when I was in 7th grade. I have never been one to forget my contacts are in. My first contacts were hard contacts and believe me they are much thicker than soft contacts and not as comfortable. When I was in college I started wearing soft contacts. They were so much more comfortable but I still noticed them. I just could not find a solution that I liked. My eyes just always felt dry. I ended up just using plain saline solution. Every time I get fitted for contacts I usually give the newest solution a try. I always end up going back to saline. I may have found my solution (pun intended). Sorry I could not resist the pun. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Bausch + Lomb Biotrue. According to the Bausch + Lomb website: the Biotrue formula matches the pH of healthy tears, keeps certain beneficial tear proteins active, and features a lubricant found naturally in our eyes. Now I did not forget that I was wearing contacts completely put I did not feel them the whole time. Usually almost as soon as I wear contacts I start thinking that I can't wait to get my glasses back. I do not wear contacts everyday, I just got out of the habit after having kids. I will now be wearing my contacts much more often now that I found a great contact solution. Do you wear contacts?
I conducted this review while participating in a Mom Central Consulting blog tour on behalf of Bausch + Lomb Biotrue. I received a Biotrue sample and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Thursday, March 17

Busy and sick!!

Sorry I have not blogged in almost a week. First I had to help wrap up girl scout cookies sales for my troop. My older daughter had a cookie booth sale. I had a girls scout meeting to plan and run. The girls got sick. Princess A had her birthday party and then I got sick. I actually had to reschedule an art lesson at their school and today I was not able to volunteer in the classroom. The girls are getting better but this head cold I have just will not go away. I have so many posts waiting but I can seem to do more than type in my post using my iPhone. I will try and get on my laptop tomorrow and finish some posts.

Friday, March 11

Disneyland: Day Two

We decided to start the day at California Adventure so we could get fast passes for the World of Color. We also tried Redwood Creek Challenge for the first time.Princess G became a little scared on the rope tunnels and I ended up carrying her on my back.
Once we were at the bottom she and her sister had a blast climbing, sliding and going through tunnels together.
They both decided to try rock climbing and Princess A even made it all the way across.
Their favorite part was the zip line.
They both rode it over and over again!
Next we decided to try another first: Grizzly River Run!
Princess A and Daddy went and when they were done they had so much fun we decided to all go on (plus there was no line!)
We were all soaked but the girls most of all. They soaked the little shorts they were wearing under their dresses but luckily we had some pants for later that they were able to change into.
They both want to go again but I was wet enough.
As we were all drying off we also tried the Golden Zephyr and the Silly Symphony Swings.
Daddy went on the Golden Zephyr with us but decided that the swing were just too high. The girls and I loved them!
Even though we had fun in California Adventure Park the girls could not wait to get back to Disneyland. We went straight to Dumbo!
This ended up being our longest wait, a little over 20 minutes, but that was mainly due to some line jumpers. The girls both love Dumbo, it was both of their first rides ever at Disneyland.
We spent some time going on lots of rides for the rest of the afternoon.
Eventually we ended up in New Orleans Square where we bough the girls pirate swords. They had been wanting them for a while and we finally bought them.
They both had so much fun posing with their new swords and having mock sword fights.
We headed back to California Adventure Park for the World of Color. We showed up less than 5 minutes after we could enter the area and all the good spots were already taken and it was still over an hour until show time. About 30 minutes before the show they make you stand up and try and get people to squish forward. Every time we tried to sit down they came by and made us stand up. The show finally started and we had an OK view except for a big round lamp light and a guy in front of me that would not stop moving. It is standing room only so unless you get the very limited front area (which can get very wet) your kids can't see unless you hold them. My arms were ready to fall off by the end of the 30 minute show.
The show was fantastic but I am not sure I would go and see it again. The first ending with Mickey was great and it show have been the ending. Unfortunately they then had a mini light show about Tron. It was loud, annoying, too bright and just took away from the real show. The Tron guy just kept yelling about his father and other stuff. If you go, leave when the Tron part starts believe me you want to miss that. If you skip the Tron part it was a fantastic show. It is amazing what you can do with water and lights.

Thursday, March 10

Disneyland: Day One

Here we are just as we arrived in Disneyland.About an hour later my sister and her two kids we able to meet us.
My nephew is the little boy in orange to the right, he did not want to take a picture with all of the girls.)
These two were best friends immediately!
We rode on the small world, pirates, and a bunch in fantasy land including the carousel.
Princess G was not able to ride her favorite horse (Rosies) so she was a little sad. Of course right after the picture she was happy again. She really loves on particular horse which luckily she was able to ride eventually.
Here I am with my little sister.
Do you think she looks like me, minus the blond hair?
My sister was getting over a cold so they decided to leave before dinner. The girls were sad to say goodbye. I heard that in the car later they both asked to come back in two days and meet us again. It was wonderful seeing them and hope it is less than a year before we see them again!
After they left we found some dinner and went on a few more rides.
Princess A also had fun pushing her little sister, Princess G all over the park. The stroller is much to small for her but since Daddy's broken foot is still not quite healed we decided to bring it. There is no way I will be able to carry her when she gets tired. We decided not to stay until the park closed at eight since we had been up since about 2 am.
A long but wonderful day!!

Sunday, March 6

Another Stuffed Animal

Near the end of January we returned a Christmas gift of Princess G's to Toys'R'us. The girls each got to pick out a small toy. Princess A picked out a Tinkerbell in a lantern and Princess G picked out a bath Polly Pocket that came with a boat. They also saw these puppies but my darling husband and I agreed that the girls had to many stuffed animals already. The girls were fine with it and did not mention them again. I thought that was the end of it until a week later. My darling husband had to make a quick overnight trip to Oregon and when he came back he had these. It was also the first time Daddy saw Princess A's new glasses so it was also to celebrate that. I can never leave him alone with the girls in a store with stuffed animals or as I learned a few times (even in Macy's) Daddy will always give in. Usually it is his idea and sometimes I catch him trying to talk them into wanting another stuffed animal!

Saturday, March 5

PTA Reflections

Both of the girls' photographs won the PTA Reflections at their school and went on to district. They did not win at district but their photos were displayed in a local mall.
This is the picture Princess G entered: Together we can race!

Princess A entered this photo: Together we can make it clean!

Friday, March 4

New Fruit Trees

We were in Costco when we saw a bunch of fruit trees. We decided to get two trees, a cherry and the girls picked a sugar plum. They just really liked the name, I hope they are tasty plums. We have never bought trees from Costco, I hope they do well.
Have you tried the plants at Costco?
We were tempted by the blueberry bushes and this week the bare-root roses.

Thursday, March 3

Book Club

Princess A (and Princess G who tags along) love the book club at the library. They meet once a month and the girls are always so excited to attend.
Does your library have great programs?
Last month we also attended a class on origami there.

Tuesday, March 1

Tackle it Tuesday: Tangled Hair

Princess A decided that Rapunzel's hair would look beautiful in a knot. She split the hair into two strands and then proceeded to tie it in knots, over and over again and then twisted it all together. It was a huge tangle!
I turned on the television, grabbed a doll brush and got to work. Surprisingly it only took about ten minutes. Princess G has the same doll but since she did not tie it in knots when I did her doll it only took a few minutes. Do your kid's dolls' hair get tangled too?
What did you tackle this week?


Monday, February 28

What My Kids Would Miss the Most

If I was snatched by aliens tomorrow my kids would miss me a lot! The thing I think they would miss the most would be hugs and kisses. I give my kids hugs and kiss all day long. They get them when they wake up, dropping off at school, when I pick them up from school, before swim practice, after swim practice, before and after Girl Scouts, anytime I leave them, bedtime, a second time when they come into our room after bedtime for and extra hug and kiss and of course just because! They would miss my cooking. I am always making them special meal that they love. Tonight we are having waffles for dinner as both Princess A and Princess G requested it. They would definitely miss my baking. I always bake at least once a week, usually a few times a week. Lately I have been baking homemade baguettes for dinner and Madeline's. My repertoire includes cookies, cakes, toffee, cupcakes, pies, rolls and brownies. I am making myself hungry here. I should make some rice crispy treats for them before school gets out today. My girls would miss me reading stories to them. Princess A reads really well (above 6th grade) but she still loves when I read her and her sister stories. Just last night I was reading some library books to them before bed. The Princesses would miss me as their girls scout leaders. I only help out very little for Princess A's Brownie troop but I am the leader of Princess G's Daisy troop. I plan almost every meeting and prepare the crafts. My girls would miss my silliness. I can turn almost anything into fun. Just last week when we spent almost two hours waiting at the doctor's for Princess A to be diagnosed with a double earache I had the girls giggling. We just played silly games and I told silly stories which made the wait a little easier. My girls would miss doing art with me, at school or at home. I am the art docent for both of the girls' classes which means I teach an art project for an hour in their class. For Princess A's class I have already aught three lessons this year. We also do a lot of art at home. We have been trying different mediums such as oil pastels, chalk and water color crayons. They would also miss having me help at school. Both of the girls get so excited when I help in their classroom. I usually help on Mondays and Thursdays and then do the art docent on Wednesdays. sometimes it feels as though I am at school almost everyday. My girls would also really miss having their clothes clean. They go through so much clothing each day. Princess G likes to change socks a few times each day and they can not be re worn, no they need to be cleaned first. The girls would really miss clean cloths, especially since that is the one thing their Dad is not that great at, well that and cooking. They would really miss me when they can't find something. I have that Mom memory where they left something in the weirdest place and when they ask I know right where it is. They can never find something, even when it is where it is suppose to be. Lastly they would just miss having their mom to talk to. Everyday my girls love to tell me everything. Every little thought that they have, everything that happens to them or just stuff that they see. We spend a lot of time everyday just talking. They have lots of questions about things and how they work. Luckily I have a strong science background to share with them. Just this week we were talking about molecules and bile (don't ask about how that discussion git started.) My kids would really miss me if aliens snatched me, so hopefully that does not happen.
What would your kids miss most if you were gone?


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Sunday, February 27

New Glasses

Princess A wearing her glasses for the first time to school.
She was just so excited that everything was so clear.
She has been really good about taking care of her glasses and she just really loves them. When we picked them out at Sears she grabbed them right away and just knew they were the ones.

Saturday, February 26

First Time Roller Skating

Princess G tried rollerskating for the first time. She loved it!Princess A's Brownie troop was having a skating get together and Princess G came too.
Two years ago the troop (they were Daises then) skated together and if you count that time this was Princess A second time roller skating.
They both had so much fun and want to go again. I did not roller skate this time as I am not the best skater and trying to help the both of them balance would be a recipe for disaster. Of course I am more of an ice skater and again I was reminded that I really should take the girls to try ice skating.

Friday, February 25

Ground Hog Day

It was so nice on Ground Hog day the girls were both so convinced that spring was coming early. After school they played outside and enjoyed the sun. I also found them twisting these two poor plant's branchesLittle did we know that we would be having huge snow storms later in the month. Princess G only had school one day last week! They did not cancel school but if the have a delayed start a.m. kindergarten is canceled!
The girls played on their bikes and scooters for the first time in a very long time.
They even set up some tables and made some drawings of nature.

Thursday, February 24

Night & Day Studios Apps Review‏


I am still trying to figure out which apps will work for me and my girls. I tried three apps from Night & Day Studio, or should say Princess G tried them. She has played with Quibble Kids the most. Quibble Kids is a picture matching game. Basically you have four cubes with four sides (you don't use the top or bottom of the cube.) You spin the cubes until you have four that have the same theme, for example: flower, musical instrument, fruit, and so on. Princess G loves playing it over and over. Next we tried the Kindermusik Radio app. It is similar to Pandora for kids. The app has 100 songs, each with lyrics and a unique activity to do with your child. The first time we tried it we tried the Tell Me a Story section. Princess G wanted to be able to see the word and pictures. She was frustrated and did not want to listen anymore. I tried again a few days later while I was trying to get her to take a nap (she was just at the beginning of her cold.) This time she really liked listening to the music and stories. I like that if I press the iPhone button on top to lock my phone the music keeps playing, that way I am using less of my battery.
Lastly we tried the Charley Harper's Peekaboo Forest app. I am new to apps so I do not know the two previous apps in the Peekaboo series, but this is the third one. In this Peekaboo Princess G explored a forest and found the hiding places of animals behind stumps and foliage. The illustrations are of the mid-century modern illustrator Charley Harper and are simple gorgeous.
Princess G has asked to play with all of three of the apps but her favorite by far is the Quibble Kids, she loves puzzles and this has just enough challenge without being to hard.



This post was written for Family Review Network & Night & Day Studios who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wednesday, February 23

Harry Potter and Last Pacific Science Center Visit

The girls love Harry Potter and kept asking to go to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. Finally we gave in and bought ticket to go. Princess A was picked for the sorting house and of course she was sorted into the Griffindorf house. The exhibit was just great. It was a little crowded but if you just wait you can see everything. Of course the girls wanted to get something at the gift shop. They both picked out Hermione wands (they were out of the Harry Potter ones.) Just as we were taking this picture we ran into Princess G's teacher (she was also Princess A two years ago) and her family. It was a wonderful little bonus as her girls and my girls adore each other.
After the Harry Potter exhibit we enjoyed the rest of the Pacific Science Center. Though we did not know it at the time it was our last visit as members. We planned on one last trip but them my husband broke his foot. Luckily we saw every one's favorites. Here the girls are running in a circle with Daddy.Princess G loves the potty exhibit. She also likes the water play area nearby.
As always we had to make a visit to the butterfly house.
We also have a tradition of getting an elephant ear in the Seattle Center.
It was a great visit (the Harry Potter was so wonderful) but we probably won't get a membership again for awhile. We are considering a membership to the zoo of the Museum of Flight next.

Tuesday, February 22

Goodbye Lucybird

Our pet Lucybird passed away. My husband has had a few birds before and they always seemed to decline over a few days to a few weeks. Not Lucybird, she was fine when we put her to bed. An hour later, while I giving the girls dessert, she was making a very strange noise. I got my husband and less than an hour later she was gone. Princess A made her the note above to bury with her.We decided to paint some rocks to place over her burial spots. All of the paint washed off later the first time it rained, I guess I shouldn't of used washable paint. The only rock still marked is the one I wrote her name on with a Sharpie. We picked a pretty spot in the yard that we can see from the kitchen window. She has been gone for a few weeks and I keep forgetting she is gone. The girls were ready to pick out a new pet the next day but I think their Daddy won't be ready for quite awhile. Lucybird was really his pet but we all miss her. The girls tell me that Lucybird sometimes sings to them in their dreams but the rest of the time she is in heaven with their Great-Grandmas. This was the first death they had to deal with in person and it did bring up lots of questions. A few years ago when my husband's grandmother passed away the girls heard about it (they did not know her at all) and Princess A became worried about death. I told her that everyone is suppose to live a really long time (almost a 100 years) but sometimes if you have an accident or something else you can go to heaven early. The 100 number really helped her as she likes to figure out how much longer a person will be alive unless they go to heaven early. (I added the go to heaven early part to explain why younger people can die and to let them know that we still have to be careful so we don't have an accident.) I am really hoping that this will be the only death they have to deal with for a long time.

Sunday, February 20

Rough Two Weeks

It has been a very crazy and tiring two weeks. It started with my husband being out of town for a week for work. We did fine at home without Daddy though we did miss him very much. In the middle of his trip he called to tell my he hurt his ankle/foot running. He said it really hurt but did not want to go to the emergency room. When he finally got home late Friday of that week his foot was swollen to twice its normal size. We had planned on going to the Pacific Science Center for the last day of our membership but that did not happen. My darling husband actually said we could still go but I said "No." We iced the foot all weekend and kept it up but it did not improve much. I was able to talk him into going to the doctors after work on Monday. They took an x-ray and gave him crutches. He got back just in time to stay with Princess G so that did not have to take her to her sister's Brownie meeting. I got a call from a nurse the next morning and she reluctantly told me that the x-ray showed a misalignment of a foot bone. (I am not sure why she was so reluctant my husband listed in his medical files that medical information can be released to me also.) I then spent the day contacting our new insurance about the orthopedic recommended to us to make sure he was on our plan. Then I spent a long time trying to get him an appointment. At first they wanted him to wait over a week but finally they said they could see him if he could be at their office with in the hour. I called him at work and had him leave right then. He was able to make it in time and he received a walking cast and since his foot and ankle were still so swollen the doctor wants him to come back Wednesday and take another x-ray. The one he already had taken showed a possible bone chip but they need another x-ray to be sure. The best part is that this doctor really got him to understand that he need to stay off his foot so it will heal. It has been hard keeping him resting as I keep finding him trying to clean. Even today I caught him vacuuming. To add to all of this Princess G became very sick and the 3rd night she cried all night because her ears hurt. She has a horrible earache in both ears. The doctor said that if she was in the Olympics her ears would get a 9.9 they were so bad. The antibiotic is messing with her intestines so lets just say she has been in the bathroom many, many times and I have had to clean her up in the shower. Princess A now has the cold and I am hoping it will only be sneezing, coughing, fever and runny nose but not an earache. I can feel the cold trying to get me too. And to add to everything else it is Girl Scout cookie time!! Thankfully I am not the cookie mom for either troop but last weekend I had to pick up over 150 boxes of cookies from two different places (the girls each had about 75 pre-orders for cookies.) I was able to deliver most before they both had to stay home sick from school but I still have a few left. I have a whole pile of posts that I just need to polish up and check one more time before posting. Hopefully I will find sometime between taking care of my sickies to get to that tomorrow. I will also have to get a picture of my darling husband and his huge walking cast!

Wednesday, February 16

Sharing Happiness

I am generally a happy person and I like to share that with those around me. The easiest way to share happiness is to just share a smile. When I drop my girls off a school (or half the time sign-in for volunteering) I say "hello" or "good morning" and give them a smile. It is the simplest way share happiness. As for my family I like to make them things. Sometimes it is baking them a favorite treat such as cookies, cupcakes or even toffee. Lately I have been making fresh bread to have with dinner. Last night I started baking the bread and everyone decided they wanted waffles for dinner. We ended up eating a fresh baguette and homemade waffles for dinner. An interesting combination but it made my family happy. I love baking and I love to share what I bake even more. The girls and I like to make treats and share with friends and family. We sometimes make toffee or friendship bread for their teachers. I always make my mom her favorite cookies when she is coming for a visit. I even make my mother-in-law her favorite molasses cookies. Last week I surprised my family with Madeline's and it was an extra surprise since I had never made them before. My darling husband mentioned that he was hoping I would make a cake next time. Well I made him one that night while he was upstairs with the girls. He was so happy and surprised that I made them that very night. Of course the only frosting I had in the house was orange from Halloween but he did not mind. I also enjoy making non food items to spread a little happiness. Right after I was married I taught myself how to knit and crochet. My girls (and their friends) love when I make them a little something. For a while I was crocheting cupcakes all the time so the girls could share them with their friends. Making something from your heart is a great way to share happiness which is why last month I had my Daisy troop make bracelets and cards to go with each bracelet. After the girls made the cute bracelets (they made them with beads and one large heart bead) we sent them to the Global Genes Project to be handed out to kids with rare diseases and disorders. The girls felt happiness to make something for other kids and the shared that happiness with the kids who will know someone is thinking of them. Sharing happiness is easy, how do you share happiness?
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hershey's blogging program, for a gift card worth $25 and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.