You are Beautiful!

This morning I was listening to the KLOVE radio morning show with Eric and Lisa. They were talking about an interview they had previously done with SuperChick where they talked aboutOperation Beautiful who is "transforming the way you see yourself one post it note at a time".

The mission is simple:

Leave postive notes in public places reminding women that they are beautiful.

I have been busy. While driving around for work today, I left notes in several convenience store bathrooms, a grocery store, an office complex, and my own office.

While I was taking pictures, I had an aha moment. I was trying to figure out how to take a picture of a mirror without getting myself in it. But then I stopped and thought about it. If I was afraid to be in the picture because I am too fat (or too ugly or too ______), then it was hypocritical to be posting the note. So I gladly posed with my notes! :)

Have you told anyone she is beautiful today?

Back from vacation

We spent 4 nights in Albuquerque and packed in a lot of fun (and some sleeping in!).

Sunday

We arrived Sunday afternoon. After checking into the Ramada on Menaul (near the junction of I-40 and I-25) we decided to eat at the Olive Garden. (I sure hope we get one in Roswell soon!) Here, Crunchy flirted with the waiter (she gave him a note on her menu that said, "UR Cute"). Oh boy!

After dinner, we went to the 2nd run theater (again, I wish we had one of these in Roswell!) Albuquerque has two (both Cinemark theaters!) Full price is $2. Matinee is $1.50, and on Mondays the one on Coors is only 75 cents! We saw Marmaduke (which we had not seen yet).

Monday

Monday morning was Crunchy's doctor appointment at UNM Hospital. The pediatric neurologist officially released her from neurology. Her seizures are considered "under control by medicine". If we remain seizure free for 2 years, there will be another EEG to see if the seizures have indeed stopped. At that time, we will look at stopping meds. If she has a seizure (even one) the 2 year clock starts over. We need to work on switching from liquid to pills.

A quick trip to the torture chamber (blood draw lab) ended our visit. Crunchy asked me to "get me out of this EVIL place" and, once the blood started going into the vial, she said, (I kid you not!) "The shock! The horror! The horror!" (No, I don't have a drama queen!) She refused a sticked because, "I don't want anything to remember this by!"

Next stop was a trip to the National Nuclear Science Museum. The big boys really enjoyed it. The two little ones enjoyed the hands on exhibits and the planes. Crunchy emerged as Tour Guide Barbie.

Welcome to the kids area of the museum. Here are some games you can try. Put your hand here, and then push the button.....

After a quick trip to the mall and Build a Bear (I am glad we don't have one of these in Roswell!), we went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. (I want one of these in Roswell!) The kids enjoyed the play area. We enjoyed the chicken and they music. (They play Christian music!)

We brought swim suits, but no floating toys. So we hung out in the hot tub for a while before bed.

Tuesday

We got to a slow start this morning. We headed to the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. The aquarium wasn't bad. It wasn't Monterrey Bay Aquarium, but there were some neat fish and such. The HUGE shark tank was pretty impressive too!

The gardens had a kids garden that was pretty cool. It was guarded by a dragon and the further you walked, the smaller you felt. Huge bugs, vegetation, and trees loomed. Crunchy thought she was in fairy land. She was thrilled to find not one, but two (twins) girls who were also fairies. Munchie found some boys to play in the sand castle with him. Chewie alternated between playing with the kids and being too big to play.

The highlight of our day was a trip to Golden Pride to meet my Uncle Roger for dinner. Roger is my Daddy's big brother. He is 75 and still works when they call him! (Heavy equipment operator.) Even though we have lived in New Mexico for almost 7 years, we have not been able to meet up with him. We tried several times when we first got here, but he was working or visiting other areas. This time we connected. It was great to see him. (And I miss my Daddy even more!)

After a quick trip to Walmart for floaties (and the Krispy Kreme store) we headed to the pool. We didn't get to use the hot tub because it was occupied the entire time.

Wednesday

This was our slowest start of the day. (Oh the joys of lazy days!) We went to the Museum of Art and History (which, by the way, if FREE on the first Wednesday of the month!) I don't understand the point of all the neat pictures, artwork, and artifacts, if we can't take pictures!

We went back to the cheap movie and saw "How to Train Your Dragon" (which we had seen before). Then headed back to the pool.

Thursday

Final morning.....As promised, we headed over to Monkey Mania Adventures. For 2 hours of open play, the kids got to run around and choose a bunch of activities: Bounce room, battle ball arena, craft area, toddler room, dress up room, hollywood runway room, and movie room.

Lunch, gas, and on the road.

We got home about 6:30. Then the laundry began......

A few of my favorite things party

Munchie, my soon-to-be-five-year-old-and-soon-after-that-a-kindergartner, has had the hardest time deciding on a birthday theme. One day it was Transformers. Then Legos. Then Ben 10. Then he wanted all of them. So the theme became "a few of my favorite things".

I started with a song/invitation (it helps if you sing it!).

Robots that Transform and Thomas the Engine

Legos to build with and my new friend Ben 10

Bright colored packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

=========

Hot dogs and burgers all cooked on the grill

Great friends and family to share in the thrill

Goodie bags with candy and decoder rings

These are a few of my favorite things!

=========

Will you please come—

To my party—

When I’m turning 5?

We will all share some favorite things

And then we’ll all feel so glad!

Then I googled "make trap door pinata" and found instructions to make this. It is supposed to be a pirate's chest, but I made it a toy box. It is a pull string pinata, so we don't have to blindfold a bunch of preschoolers and then hands out bats. (Who thought that was a good idea?)

Notice that Munchie is supporting Daddy and Papaw's temporary jobs. They are both working the census--John is working for the 3rd time since last spring. The shirt says, "Today we count..March to the mailbox". If you haven't sent in your census form, please be nice when someone, like my father-in-law, comes to your door. Now....back to our program....

I gave Munchie the option of a store bought cake, or one I made. If I made it, I would spend the extra money on toys for the cake. Of course, he acknowledged how priceless a cake made by mommy would be! (Okay, so hechose the extra toys....but a mom can dream, can't she?!?!)

So, in keeping with the "A few of my favorite things" theme, I decided to take 3 rectangular cakes and layer them. The top cake has the center cut out. It is supposed to look like a toybox with toys sticking out. I'm not sure if I accomplished that or not. But it has his favorite toys.

Aerial view:

Along the edges, I painted, "There are a few of my favorite things".

Munchie is NOT, I repeat, NOT wearing his birthday suit in this picture. He is, however, wearing nothing by Transformer underwear. (Hey! He is still 4!) Don't you love the pensive look on his face?!?

The "favorite things" include 4 sand molds (2 Spongebob and 2 Iron Man masks); an AstroBoy figure; a gold Hot Wheels car; 2 small Transformers (one is a robot and one is a car); a Ben10 character (Swamp thing?); and Felipe (the Phillips screwdriver from Handy Manny). In the morning I will throw in some extra Lego parts.

Now...if I can just get the birthday boy to settle down, I can get a little sleep before the party starts.....

Geocaching: Our new family hobby

I first heard of Geocaching* (defined below) a few years ago (I think it was my HP friend Melanie!), but I didn't have a GPS (global positioning system). I got a GPS unit last month, so I decided to check it out. I found The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. I figured that, since I live in a relatively small city (about 50,000) about 3 hours from anywhere, there would be few "caches" in Roswell. Boy was I surprised! There are 385 caches within 25 miles of my front door. (Half of them are within 5 miles!)

Our first day out (last Saturday) we found 4 caches. We also didn't find 4 others. Some are easy finds; others require some serious digging. If you are in Roswell, I recommend you start with Space Mail. It was our first search, and when we pulled up, we had no doubts we were in the right place.

Chewie (the 12 year old) is really enjoying it! He has helped me enter the coordinates in the GPS (when I couldn't get the computer to connect); he carries the GPSr (that is the receiver); and he has found 2 of the 5 caches we have logged.

Crunchy (6) and Munchie (4) enjoy the idea of a treasure hunt, but they get bored easily.

The reason I was so interested in beginning geocaching is I wanted to find something we could do as a family, that would get us outside and moving, and that would be something new for all of us. Geocaching fits the bill completely!

*What is geocaching?

According to Geocaching.com:

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

According to Wikipeida:

Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container (usually atupperware or ammo box) containing a logbook. Larger containers can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is most often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with orienteering, treasure-hunting, andwaymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. As of April 10, 2010, there are over 1,031,429 active geocaches over the world.

Vote for me! (Please!)

Would take a moment to click on the link above (or on the side bar). You can vote once each day. I have climbed from #900 to about #394 this week. I wonder how high I can climb?

Hurry Up! Game review and giveaway

When is the last time you sat down to play a game with your kids? Did it require batteries? Did it make noise? Was imagination optional? RandomLine offers an award winning selection of games and activities that are imagination, rather than battery powered.

RandomLine, Inc. was created in 2002 by a dad who loves to play, John Kiely. His goal is to offer products that encourage children to be creative and use their imagination. No Noise. No Batteries. Simply Imagination is RandomLine’s motto.

While sitting in New Jersey traffic during his hour commute to and from work, he had the idea to create a game based on doodling. He created a prototype of his first game called SQUIGGLE®. Kiely decided to use his12 years of consumer product & packaging development experience and expertise in industrial design to start his own company.

After attending the 2003 American International Toy Fair in New York with his new product, he established his first big customer, Wizards of the Coast. Since then,RandomLine has successfully created and launched a line of games and activity pads that can be found in over 1500 toy stores, gift shops, museums, zoos and aquariums, as well as Canada and Europe.

RandomLine has won a few of awards!

I chose to review the Hurry Up! dice game. It comes in a compact box (it will be easy to find a home for it!) with a simple score pad, a 30 second time, 6 dice (5 black and 1 blue), and 6 task cards.

While the box says ages 8 and up, broke the rules and played with my 4 year old (Munchie)

and my 12 year old (Chewie).

The game is rather simple to learn. You read the first task (roll 3 pairs) and do it in 30 seconds. Easy enough. Or not! Some plays ended long before the timer ran out. Other plays were no even close. The challenges (and the points) got bigger as the game progressed. Coming into the final round, I was 2 points behind Chewie. (Munchie gave up and joined Crunchy playing with Leogs after round 2.) The final round was to roll all 6 dice and total less than 20--oh yeah...one of the dice had to have a 6. Just under the buzzer, I rolled a 19. That gave me the game. (See the proof below!)

The game went rather quickly (up to 30 seconds for each player x 6 rounds x 2 1/2 players). But I can see some great ways to use our imagination and create new rounds. We can come up with ways to make it easier for the younger 2 (4 and 6) or more challenging for the older one (12) and adults. Next time, I think we might even make up some new challenges on index cards to extend the game.

Overall, I think this will be a great game to add to our family game night. Want to play?

Buy one:

RandomLine games are available at national retailers (such at ToysRUs and Barnes and Noble) as well as many smaller stores and online sites (like Drugstore.com).

To win your choice of Hurry up! or any On-The-Go Activity Pad enter:

Visit RandomLine and leave a relevant comment (i.e. something you learned, an interesting game, an idea for a game they haven't made, your favorite game night tip, etc.)

Extra entries (leave a comment for each entry):

* Sign up to receive the RandomLine newsletter.
* Follow my blog on Google connect, Networked Blogs, through a reader, or subscribe to my feed (1 entry each)
* Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
* Tweet the giveaway (1 time per day) (See easy link below)
* Enter contest on a giveaway linky (1 for each linky)
* Join Swagbucks (with this link)
* Become a Facebook fan of RandomLine and leave a comment of their fan page.
* Follow RandomLine on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.

* Vote for me Top Mommy Blogs - Mom Blog Directory

Open to US. Ends March 29th.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of Hurry Up! in order to evaluate this game. I received not other compensation, and opinions expressed were my own.

How to make a Slim Jim

I just had a conversation with my 4 year old (Munchie).

Munchie: How do they make Slim Jims?

Me: I am not sure.

Munchie: I know. First they take the Slim. And then they make the Jim. And then you put it in the oven that is really hot. For like 5 minutes. And then you take it out. And then you eat it.

Me: Hold on a sec. I need to type this up for my blog....

Need a good belly laugh?

Someone at Nestle had too much time on their hands---or they just wanted to make sure their phone switchboard go overloaded! I hope nobody is trying to reach them with a real question!

Call the Nestle Hotline (1-800-295-0051) and when asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait quietly for about 10 seconds for another set of options. (One will be "To hear your options in Pig Latin....") Then press 4 ("Funner options). Listen to the choices (Knock knock joke, nuggie, and others), and press 7.

NOTE: The line will probably be busy, but it is worth it to keep trying.

Disclaimer: Do not make this call at work or on public transportation (unless you put it on speaker phone so everyone knows why you are laughing hysterically and falling out of your chair!)

Boys are Odd...

Or so I learned from my 4 year old son, Munchie. Here was the conversation:

Munchie: Mom, how old with Crunchy be on her next birthday?

Mom: 7

Munchie: 7 is a boy number.

Mom: Really? I know 7 is an odd number. Does that mean boys are odd?

Munchie: Yes.

So there you have it. Boys are odd.

Dressing up and acting out

Last night, our church held its February Follies (which is done every other year). This was my first experience with Follies. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Our theme was Rock through the years. We had appearances by Chuck Hairy, Pat See Kline, Pat Beat-The-Tar, and Bud Ugly and the Dew-Ops. We have a lot of very talented people in our choir (including some professional musicians).

A couple of my acts were cut, but my big act was Diana Bossy and the (Hippy) Extremes. I was one of the Extremes. We did Stop! In the name of Love. I am told my hip action was quite extreme! I have been told the red beehive is a good look for me. What do you think?

Princess Crunchy!

My daughter (known here as Crunchy) loves to sing. Today, Daddy caught her on video. She was visiting the Barbie.com website, and singing her heart out.

Birthday Pizza Cake

Chewie turns 12 on Monday. Tomorrow is his party. He is having a pizza party. So we decided to make a pizza cake.

We started with a chocolate chip cookie base. I made it on a pizza screen. I covered it with foil and sprayed it with Pam. I had a few problems with the baking. I forgot to leave room for expansion. Fortunately we have a self cleaning oven!

I did all of the prep work. Chewie did the decorating.

Ingredients:
* Crust (chocolate chip cookie)
* Sauce (red frosting)
* Cheese (shredded white chocolate)
* Pepperoni (red fruit roll ups cut in circles)
* Olives (Oreo Minis-- 1/2 cookie)
* Bell peppers (sliced green sour gummies)
* Onions (sliced yellow sour gummies)
* Sausage (candied peanuts)

Chewie did all the work. I think it turned out great.
Spreading icing

Icing base

Add the cheese and pepperoni

Adding Olives

Adding sausage

Almost done

All done

The proud chief

Rand McNally Travel Games

Rand McNally, the venerable American company that has been helping families find their way for more than a century, just introduced a series of innovative games and activities to keep kids entertained and families connected in the car. The Boredom Breakers™ line is a refreshing alternative to portable DVD players and handheld video games many families use to pass time on long road trips or while shuffling around town. The products are designed to bring families together, encouraging conversation, laughter and fun making the miles fly by for moms and kids on the go.

Rand McNally developed the five games based on extensive parent research. Moms across the country were clear about what they like - creative activities that make kids laugh and allow family members to learn more about one another - and what they don’t like - games with a lot of little pieces.

With that, Boredom Breakers were born! The five activities are sold separately at RandMcNally.com and Amazon.com. Tell stories, solve mysteries, play car games, sing classic pop tunes, discover new things about each other…and do it together as the hours quickly pass.

Story Starters: Packed with 72 minutes of funny stories, mysteries and games, this interactive CD will be an instant road trip hit. Story Starters combines the best of classic radio-style drama and audio effects to get families telling stories together. Hearing is truly believing!

Car Karaoke: Mom can sing lead and kids are back-up vocals. Just pop in the CD with 12 classic rock, pop, and kid favorite songs. Includes everything needed to be a rockstar: an inflatable microphone, rating cards, and three lyric books. Choose from favorites like “Build Me Up Buttercup” or “Twist and Shout,” to see who’s got the pipes in the family. Earplugs not included!

Car Game Countdown: Car games are fun, but they are even more outrageous when you’re trying to beat the clock. Car Game Countdown includes a car-shaped digital timer with electronic sound and laminated dual-sided game cards featuring 18 games on a clip ring.

Travel Card Games: Travel Card Games features three great games to pass time and start conversations. Includes a slim storage box to easily stow in the backseat pocket.

Magnet Message Makers: Magnet Message Makers is a mess-free way to get the kids and the car ready for the road . It includes two reusable and removable magnets that will not harm your vehicle and five sheets of removable stickers for decorating the magnets. “Florida or Bust!” “

Rand McNally sent me one of the Car Game Countdown games. My favorite part is the car shaped timer. (In fact, Munchie just took off with it and keeps pushing buttons!) The countdown games are on a plastic ring for easy flipping through. Some were familiar games: License Plate Bingo sounds a lot like what we called "Alphabet Game". Each player tries to find the letters in order. We played this across 43 states growing up! Some of the games don't require reading (like who can hold a pose for the longest or who can count the most red cars).

One thing I really liked about the games is the timer. (Yeah, I know I already told you I liked the timer, but this time I am talking about time limits!) I like the idea of playing a game for 30 seconds or 10 minutes. (A definite beginning and ending).

My family hasn't had a chance to take any trips lately, but this game will definitely accompany us on our next trip. (I might even take it next time I travel with adults!)

Karaoke: Don't give me a mic....

or you might regret it. One of the items on my 40 before 40 list is to sing karaoke. I marked it off in December because of my Leadership Roswell Christmas party. But I really wanted another chance. Yes, I sang at the party, but it wasn't the same. Nobody really participated.

Last night we had a women's ministry conference with some optional activities. I had to supervise Bunco to start with. But the last half of the night I spent in karaoke. Not everyone in the room sang, but they played along. I am not sure if I can remember all of the songs I sang. But I'll try.

Solo:

Rock Around the Clock

Material Girl

The Unicorn (my best!)

New York (yikes! Didn't work at all!)

With a group:

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Conga

My Boyfriend's Back

Celebration

I can't wait to try it again!

Are you a kid or a man?

These words were overheard.....

Crunchy (6 year old girl) asked Munchie (4 year old boy):

"Are you a kid or a man?" because Munchie was afraid of a bug. (Which, by the way, Crunchy was also afraid of.)

Munchie replied, "I am a man!"

Mom left room before she burst out into laughter!

E-Mail Protocol

This is one you've got to see! (And please send it to everyone you know!)

E-mail protocol

Human Statue of Liberty

This pictures was taken in 1918 with 18,000 officers and soldiers during World War 1. I verified the information at:
Snopes and Iowa National Guard.



FACTS: Base to Shoulder: 150 feet Right Arm: 340 feet Widest part of arm Holding torch: 12 1/2 feet Right thumb: 35 feet Thickest part of body: 29 Feet Left hand length: 30 feet Face: 60 feet Nose: 21 feet Longest spike of Head piece: 70 feet Torch and flame combined: 980 feet Number of men in Flame of torch: 12,000 Number of men in torch: 2,800 Number of men in right Arm: 1,200 Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000

Total men: 18,000

Make me Laugh Monday

The challenge today is Funny things our kids say.

My son, Munchie (3 years old) LOVES Thomas the Tank Engine. He can name almost all of the trains. (His favorites are Thomas and Percy.) Today, my friend Diana and her husband Henry came over. Munchie said, "Henry isn't a person. Henry is a train!". Later, Crunchy (5 year old daughter) said, "See....Henry is a boy. He's a man. He's a cowboy!"

Find more funnies at: 80 MPG Mom

Are you a blog addict?

I took a little quiz. Some of the questions were hard to answer. Like, how many blogs I read in a day. Some times I don't read any for several days, but then other days I may visit more than 20! And sometimes I post 1-2 times a week (or less) and other times I post 3 times in one day. So I went for the middle. But I have blogged "live" during a parade---from my phone. So...drumrolll please....

78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

What is your score?

My new motto

Auntie M sent this.....