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« Previous EntriesA Whoopee Cushion Parenting Moment
Friday, May 18th, 2012Alright everyone, it’s time to fess up on something. Do you often cringe when your child has the opportunity to pick something from a prize box? It may be a prize after having a shot at the doctor, doing something well at school, or trading tickets in at an arcade. Let’s be real here – none of the prizes are usually meant to last forever and can often be annoying to those around them after they come home.
Case in point: This is a prize that my son picked our after an appointment the other day.
No, I am not kidding you. This came home with us and I cringed. I did not want to be THAT parent that said no, so I allowed it. Soon after we arrived at home, the fart jokes, loud blasts, and laughing began. It was cute at first, but then it got old quickly. This lead to me sending out a Tweet. The Tweet was replied to by Janice Person. As I was Tweeting, the boys were trying to figure out how to make a bigger, louder, and more impressive fart noise from said Whoopee Cushion.
Almost immediately after I sent that last Tweet out, I heard a giant BOOM from where the two boys were playing. I knew it was not a good sign, well not for the Whoopee Cushion at least. Tears, screams, and more Tweets followed.
After the kids calmed down, and I gathered my composure back up I eventually took this photographic proof:
So my question to you this week:
What is the most annoying prize that that your child has ever won or received and why?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #203
Disney Junior Swashbuckler Soiree
Thursday, May 17th, 2012From the minute we received the more detailed schedule for events of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, something caught the attention of my children. Yes, NHL and JSL immediately noted the Swashbucker Soiree, especially after I read them this:
Ahoy matey! Aye – now this is a family dinner you won’t want to miss! Brought to you by Disney Junior, join us for a buccaneer-themed evening along the beach with live music, a treasure hunt and plenty of fun for everyone.
The boys literally jumped up and down. They guessed that Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates would be there and possibly others. The boys, well, they are good at guessing.
After the Cocktail Reception – Passport to the World welcome, we went out to the beach by the Beach Club Resort to meet up with our families. With one quick look, you could see we were in for an amazing pirate party!
Disney Junior handed out pirate bandanas and pirates greeted us as we walked onto the beach where a pirate band was playing music for all of us to enjoy. Then, it was time not to walk the plank because there was an amazing buffet of pirate inspired goodies for all to devour.
While the boys and Nana and Papa were eating, TechyDad and I were able to chat with some of our friends on the beach. We also caught up with head GEM (Good Enough Mother) Rene Syler and stopped for a photo. TechyDad helped the kids eat while we gabbed and gabbed with Rene and every other person I bumped into.
Of course, my little mateys had a hard time staying by their seats soon after this. You see, once they saw someone enter the area, they did not want to stay at the table. Check out who joined the party below.
Yes, that is Jake from Disney Junior’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates. When Jake came out onto the Swashbuckler Soiree scene, many of the kids (including mine) were off to participate in the fun and games. Once NHL and JSL had their photo taken with Jake and the pirate slide behind them…
They had to beware of other pirates. This colorful crew of pirate misfits were teaching the kids how to perfect their pirate pose for the camera.
Looking back on it, I wonder if they were really just trying to help and protect the kids. Soon after this, two scallywags that you may recognize showed up to join the party.
Of course, when you party like a pirate, it is important to stop to enjoy a cool ice cream treat.
This break also means that it is the perfect time for the Pirate mother to send out an Instagram or two to share photos from the fun. And for those that finish their Mickey Ice Cream sandwich early, it’s always interesting to hide your feet in the sand!
Of course, little pirates that have been up since the wee hours of the morning get tired when the sun sets. We knew that we had many more adventures ahead on Friday and beyond. While others remained to dance in the dark, we went back to our room in the Yacht Club Resort to settle the boys in for some sweet pirate dreams.
More to share and lessons learned from our time at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration coming soon.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.
Cake Wishes from the Birthday Boy
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012Yesterday was JSL’s 5th birthday. Monday birthdays are tricky when you are in school. It means you can’t do anything too big and elaborate, but still need to make the day extra special. On Sunday, JSL finally opted not to ask for an ice cream cake and wanted a chocolate cake with sprinkles in it. That can not really happen, so he picked something else, along with frosting and items to decorate the cake.
In the morning I took the boys to school. When I dropped JSL off, his teacher E had him make a special birthday crown. Later on when I went back in, the crown was complete.
Then it was time to have a birthday snack with everyone. When the kids were done singing to JSL, he was asked to share how old he is now. Yes, he now needs an entire hand.
After a story and some dancing, we packed up to head home. We were on a mission. Before going to school JSL asked me only to bake the birthday cake. As a new big five year old, he wanted to help frost and decorate his own masterpiece. So I set out supplies and we started to work.
JSL soon learned that when you pull up on frosting…cake will follow along with it. Thanks to that, he also learned how to repair holes with more frosting.
Once the cake was covered in frosting, it was time to add some color. JSL was careful placing sprinkles at first, then he started to just dump them on, and eventually he wanted some gold to add a little sparkle.
When the cake was finished we pulled out the present that he begged for. JSL wanted walkie-talkies for his birthday. These are the cool Perry ones that we found for the Phineas and Ferb fan:
Unfortunately, the walkie-talkies did not work. We called the company and they were amazing. Later on we brought them back to the Toys R Us and exchanged them for some the exact same item that worked perfectly. Then we came home to have some of the cake that JSL helped to make.
It is still so hard to believe that my “baby” is already five!
Selecting Phone Sounds
Friday, April 13th, 2012Two weeks ago, Violet came into my life. If you do not know who Violet is, let me introduce you.
Yes, Violet is my first Smartphone and I had to name her. At first, I felt a little Bionic-ly challenged when she came into my life, but now I love the flexibility she allows me to have with her features.
One of the items I was most excited about was setting ring tones for different people, places, and things. It’s the little things in life some days. I had a lot of fun with this. While looking at phones one day, the woman at the store happened to mention an app called Zedge. This was the first item that I put on the phone (Instagram came out a few days after we got the phones).
At first, I put a notification sound that was just too much. Although I love Beaker from The Muppets, he was over the top. Right now, it sounds like Mario is here collecting coins when I get a text or e-mail. Then, it was time for music. For TechyDad, I selected a little of The Big Bang Theory Song. Let me tell you, I almost had Sheldon saying Bazinga for him. For my father, it had to be Elvis. Still not sure what to keep for my mother, but my son likes the Adele tune and keeps singing along when she calls me. Others have been selected for a few other people, but I still need just the right ones for others. Oh, I will never admit who the Jaws Theme was selected for.
So my question to you this week:
What ring tones do you use on your phone and is there a special story behind them?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #198
Mama Doni Gives Us Mission Immatzoble
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012Passover is coming! Passover is coming! Purim was just here and now it seems like we went full speed ahead into Passover. Thanks to this, TechyDad and I are busy getting our house ready for the Seders this weekend. Before I know it, our house will be taken over by this:
To get everyone in the mood, I wanted to share a great new video from Mama Doni. As a fan, I follow her on Facebook and happened to see this and asked if I could post it here. So please take a little time to rock out to Doni’s new Mission Immatzoble music video – it is AMAZING!
As always, Mama Doni helps to teach us about the holiday and gives us a great new tune to listen to while we celebrate. So are you ready for the holidays (whatever you observe)?
Photobomb at the Crocs Outlet
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
Purim Parties Galore
Sunday, March 11th, 2012Holidays come and holidays go. For some reason, Purim seems to stick around longer and longer each year. I love the holiday and the fun associated with it. However, getting kids dressed up so many times, heading to events, and everything else can get rough after a week.
Still, looking at the fun that the kids had makes it all well worth it.
Tomorrow, we will finally be able to put another Purim “season” behind us and move on. This bring me to the other reason Purim may have a sore spot with me. This fun holiday reminds me that Passover is just around the corner. We need to weed out our cabinets of non-Passover food and start thinking about our Seders. I think I am still in denial about all that goes with shopping and planning.
For now, I will remember the Purim celebration at JSL’s school that included a concert from Andy the Music Man. It was so much fun watching the kids parade around in costumes, sing, and dance with Andy. He was full of energy, funny, and so patient with the kids (and adults too). I know we will be looking to see where he will be performing in the weeks ahead to catch another show. Capital District readers, if you have a chance to see Andy – do not miss it!
I recorded a video of the Purim parade that was so adorable. I will share it with family members privately since I do not have permission from all of the parents to post it on YouTube.
Did you celebrate Purim? I would love to hear how you kept the fun times going with your family.
Finally Some Snowy Fun
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012Dear NHL and JSL,
I know the two of you do not understand how I could possibly dislike the snow. Both of you will probably understand that a lot more once you have to drive in it and own a home. Of course, I can remember being a kid and making snow forts and playing outside for hours at a time with my friends. This winter, I have watched the two of you celebrate when you see a snow flake form, only to realize that there was nothing to go outside and play with.
That certainly changed this week when we doubled the winter snowfall in a 24 hour period. Finally, the two of you would be able to test out new winter gear and romp in the snow. Of course, that had to wait a day. I was not feeling well during the snow day and both of you were so sweet taking care of me. I promised you before school on Friday that if it was not raining you would have time outside.
Once NHL was out of school, we ran into the house and got everything on you and then went outside to check out the snow. I have to admit, this was amazing snow for building things. It had just enough moisture to make perfect snowballs.
The two of you played, ran, dug, slid, and so much more. Watching you smile, concentrate, and hearing the laughter was worth my numb toes.
Of course, I had to laugh when you both noticed the spot on the lawn that was perfect with no marks in it. JSL immediately immediately tossed his body down and went into perfect snow angel form. NHL was not into this, instead you just plunked down and looked around taking everything in.
It may have been cold, but it was fun watching the two of you enjoy the time together being creative in the snow. I promise not to complain too much next time it snows – well, not for too long.
Love,
Mommy
To Super Bowl Watch or Not
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
The Super Bowl is a day that most people probably love, but I am not really one of those people. For some reason, I never really got into football. Living in the land of the Giants and not far from the Patriots, I watch as everyone goes Super Bowl crazy. Growing up, my father was a San Francisco 49ers fan. While my brother learned to like the game, I preferred to watch commercials on this big day. Classic commercials like the ones with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird for McDonalds still bring me back to the good old days of Super Bowl ads.
Over the last few years, I could hit or miss watching the Super Bowl. The ads in recent years have gotten mostly cheesy and leave me forgetting what they are really about. This year, advertisers have also leaked out a lot of the bigger ads before the big day. I will admit, this one from Honda made me smile.
Yes, bringing back Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in a spoof was brilliant for the new CRV. It made me smile and remember the good old days.
So today, while everyone gathers around watching the Giant and Patriots battle, I will be spending time with my boys and when it is time for the half time show, I will be rocking it out with them and of course Madonna.
So how will you be spending Super Bowl Sunday?
Snow Exploration
Monday, January 30th, 2012As an adult living in the northeast, snow is something that we have to deal with during the winter months. This winter has been mild, but it does not typically last forever. Although I am not a fan of the beautiful white that falls to the ground now, I was as a child. There are so many memories of building snow forts and snowmen with my friends and family.
These days, my best snow memories have been watching my boys explore and learn about snow play. When JSL went out to play in the snow for the first time as a walker, my camera was there to capture the moment. The best part, I caught his first few steps on video when he learned that snow is slippery. That first winter as a toddler was rough for JSL. He wanted to play and wander in the snow like his big brother, but he could not keep up. Eventually, he got to the point that standing out in the cold did not interest him.
That changed when JSL turned two. As a fast moving and grooving two year old, he was able to safely maneuver in the snow. A year seemed to help him to figure out how to move around within the confinements of his snow pants. He also learned where to put his fingers inside mittens to be able to use items while building in the snow. Yes, experience and time to become familiar with this environment made a drastic difference.
JSL also learned how important it is to stay warm. He would not fight us when putting on boots, a hat, mittens, scarf, snow pants, and his winter coat. Since being a helper is important to toddlers, we bought him a little shovel. The proud look on his face as he went to help clear off the snow was priceless. Of course, I think his favorite part was building a snowman with my husband and older son, and chanting “faster” and “more” while riding in a sleigh.
The best advice I have is to have fun and be a kid again. Take some time away from shoveling to make snow angels, build a snowman, and play in the snow with your toddlers. These magical moments will not last forever and are fun to look back on.
I would also suggest finding some mittens that little fingers can move in, a small kid shovel, sled, and a scarf to protect faces (hard to find for little ones – I knit them for my kids). In addition to this, bring a camera and snap away or take videos to show your children later on.
What types of things do your younger children like to do when they brave the cold weather to play in the snow?
Disclosure: This post was previously published on a project I worked on. The text is mostly the same, but I placed additional photos and the question at the end for my blog.
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