My Life In Pics 8-17 to 8-21

I am soooo behind as usual. As I sit here trying to get down 8 oz of pure Aloe Vera juice on a rainy Sunday my thoughts go to all the things I didn't get to over the summer.  Life got in the way and Summer was a bummer but the last few weeks have been great so I wanted to play catch up since I have time. I should be reading one of my review books (they are backing up) but since I just dropped my daughter off at a friends to watch movies with some of her closest and the boys are busy with football I thought why not!?

Aug 17 - Goddess got her twice a year hair cut. She was not the happiest because it was time to take off a few inches. Usually she gets a trim but it was getting nasty at the ends.  Our stylist is the best. I have been going to her for 12 years and we trust her with long hair PLUS she is the blow out Queen. I don't know how she does it but our hair looks amazing when we walk out.

Aug 18 - This is my girl! She loves taking photos as much as I did/do! I always had a camera in my hands. She saw a Garden Orb Spider and ran in to get one of my cameras.

Aug 19 - The braces are finally on! My girl has two canines that have stuck out forever. Her lips use to get caught on them and it was taking so long for all the baby teeth to come out. They are finally on and and 2 months they are already aligned. Now we work on the overbite.  I had just told her she looks nice with braces and this was the face I got!

Aug 20 - My daughter go this awful lighting photo but I love it because this is how Luna and I usually spend our time together. Forehead or nose to forehead or head. There is something so relaxing about our heads being together. There are 10 Scientific Reasons You Should Have A Cat in case you needed to know. 

Aug 21 - This is George! Do you need another reason as to why we cat sit!? George is cute. His family are friends. We enjoy spending time with him and his furry sibs and miss them when we are done sitting.

Zoonicorn Wish Me Unicorns

The 411:

We think Zoonicorns are adorable. They are the right size for small hands and come in 4 different colors. The company also has a wonderful You Tube Channel with 13 short videos featuring the Zoonicorns and focuses on social skills and emotional learning and growth as well as problem solving and working with others. 

My preschool class were introduced to the Zoonicorns last week. I showed them 3 episodes which were perfect since they are all under 3 minutes and then brought out Aliel which is the one we received. They all wanted to kiss it and get the horn to light up but since it is mine and everyone is coughing and sneezing, I left a note in everyone's file so their parents can look up the website and You Tube Channel. Maybe some will receive one this Christmas. 

My daughter and I think it is cute and she says if she was younger she would have asked for one on her Christmas list. I think it is perfect for ages 3+ as indicated but would give to a 2 year old as well. 

Rocks, Gems & Geodes Klutz Maker Lab Review Our Blog Video Review Is Here TOO!

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The 411: 

My daughter and I are crystal, gems and stone collectors. We share stones and head out two times a year to find new ones for our collection so we were really excited to review this kit from Klutz.

The kit comes with 36 stones, a magnifying glass, a colorful book, plaster mix and crystal mix so you can make your own Geode.

We really loved the stones but wish the set up was better. Once you do the Geode experiment you then have two empty areas in the packaging. If the package had a removable part that allowed you to keep the stones in their named compartments that would be helpful. You could cut the empty parts out but then you have the problem with the cover. It will be too large and if you cut it it will no longer hold the stones.

BUT with all that aside the whole set up is pretty cool for kids who love science, stones or experimenting.

We had some trouble with making a Geode and it didn't work out for us but we are interested in trying again.

This Halloween Costume Hurt My Cheeks! #LOL #halloweencostume #TVStoreOnline

I never laughed as hard over my kids in a Halloween costume as I did with the Life Me Walking Dinosaur from TVStoreOnline. My daughter had a blast wearing this costume for trick or treating in the village. I had got it to wear for my preschool classes' Halloween party but in our town the kids get to Trick Or Treat at the Merchants up and down main street after a parade and before the Terror Trail evening fun. She had a blast. It is so different from her normal Halloween costume that I didn't think she would even be interested but since it was so cold that night she said it was perfect.

It was so hard to pick just one costume out.  I chose Lift Me Walking Carrying Adult Costume because this year my class is into dinosaurs and I thought they would love this. Beside the dinosaur they had a monkey, unicorn, teddy bear and more. They didn't stop at Halloween though. They even had an elf, reindeer, and leprechaun.

What I loved most about it beside how hysterical it is was that it was warm. If it is hot, T-shirt and shorts inside the costume and if cold, coat and jeans and leg warmers.

The costume was so easy to put on and there are bands that fit around your feet to keep the legs down then slip your feet in your shoes.

There is even a drink holder for whatever you want to put in it. No one will know what you got going on.

Check Out Our Fun Video Here:

They have Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Office, Nintendo Characters,  Comic Book characters and more. From the popular Ghost Busters, Frozen and SNL Spartan Cheerleaders to the more obscure like Kelly Kopowski's Bayside Sweatshirt, and the Hangover's Alan complete with a baby doll in a Baby Bjorn.

While there I noticed they had so many cool Christmas gift ideas too. I am dying to get my son a shirt that says "Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal." Home Alone is his favorite Christmas movie. My daughter loves Adventure Time and they have really cool leggings. She is going to love them.

Rainbow Butterfly Sorting, Color Matching Game Perfect For Toddlers - Skoolzy.Com

Hey guys I want to introduce you to Skoolzy and its line of educational toys and games for toddlers and preschoolers.

I had never heard of Skoolzy before receiving the Rainbow Butterfly Sorting, Counting, and Matching Game For toddlers and preschoolers.  

I was so impressed with their high-quality, affordable products that inspire children to learn as they play, helping to improve early development skills including fine motor skills, counting, color sorting, and more.

The 411:

I received a complimentary Rainbow Butterfly kit to experience with my toddler/preschool class. I work with ages 2- 3 and they were so excited for a chance to play with the kit.  Anything that allows this age to use their fine motor skills and identify colors is a winner in my class.  They are really into shouting out the colors they know. 

The kit comes with 8 butterflies in 7 different colors, 7 flower petals (we thought they were balloons), 1 flower center (we thought it was a star) 

We went over each of the colors and then showed them how they could use the toy. We place one of each butterfly in the center star, 8 circle cards with numbers 1-8 and butterflies on the other side, tongs and a storage pack!

My co-teacher is Montessori taught and loved this toy. She was as excited as the kids to see this in our classroom.

What I loved most about this as a mommy and a teacher is how long this toy would be relevant. As your child gets older you can increase the activities. For my class we placed one butterfly for each  color in the center and showed them how to use the tongs to match it to a petal and them put each back in the flower center so it is ready for the next student.  As the children get older we can work on number identification and place a number card in each petal asking for a specific amount of butterflies of each color we want in the petal.   

We love it and believe our kids will enjoy it for a long time. It is on our activity shelf and they can each take a turn with it every day. It is a favorite.    

Doom Patrol Could Be Your New Binge Worthy Show - Season One Is Out On Blu-ray, DVD and Digital

The 411:

I am not even sure how Doom Patrol was never on my radar. It has all the elements everyone loves in superhero movies. The Doom Patrol are a bunch of Misfits with names like Robot Man, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and yo Crazy Jane with all her personalities brilliantly played by Diane Guerrero She is amazing! Love her!

Everyone in the Doom Patrol have become unwilling superheros because of their disabilities or accidents. The series stars Brandon Fraser, Timothy Dalton, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero as well as other familiar faces.  These guys fight to protect the world and the people within it even though no one wants anything to do with them.

I love the weirdness of it all. This is not your regular superhero show yes it is witty, funny, interesting with the characters healing their guilt, learning about their abilities and learning about each other but I was floored with how twisted it is. It truly pushed the envelope. I mean come on these writers are definitely fun people.  In episode 2 Donkey Patrol the gang enters another town through a donkey. Through a friggin donkey! We watch one of our heroes' eye as she tries to see down into the donkey then the rest get pulled in as she falls into the gullet of the donkey. Hello! Hysterical. I wish there weren't so many adult scenes so I could watch with my kids. However that won't be happening. There is a scene where Cliff flexs and gives everyone an orgasm even the street he is on has an orgasm. LOL...This is the scene that made me talk to my co-workers about the show.

This is definitely a must see especially if you are into odd, strange, weird, brilliant shows. I friggin love it. One episode 4 right now and plan on watching again with my husband when he has time. I think he will love it.

Friday Fill Ins - 2008

Friday Fill Ins

Posted on July 11, 2008

Want to play along? Come on over here.

1. Oh, I can’t wait until I have a moment to myself.

2. The fact that the shelves need to be cleaned is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator.

3. I never leave home without my keys, license, cell phone, and car.

4. If I were a condiment, I would be mayo because I am white, lumpy and loaded with fat.

5. Being on time is really high up on my list of pet peeves.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was that was a long day.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to finishing my freelance work, tomorrow my plans include going to the beach and Sunday, I want to relax!

WHY WILL NO ONE PLAY WITH ME? The Book Every Caregiver Should Read

The 411:

As a mother I have worried about my son's inability to make friends. I worked in his school as and aid and watched as he struggled to make friends. Fortunately his disability made him unaware that he was being ridiculed, bullied or ignored. I watched as his peers made sneers, jokes, or asked him to say or do silly things for their enjoyment. I remember saying "it's a blessing that he is unaware" but it broke my heart daily.   

Now that he is in high school I do not see his day to day dealings but it appears like he has made friends. He is a kind person who unfortunately doesn't have "close" friends but does have friends.  I am unsure of how significant these friendships are but as I read Why Will No One Play With Me I want to spend more time with him again going over understanding social cues. The book has some great ideas about how to get your child to open up and listen. How to talk about self awareness which is something we have struggled with in the past few years.  I have been unsure of how to talk to my son without him getting defensive and shutting down.  

Caroline Maguires practical tips are definitely do able and I can't wait to sit with my son this weekend and talk about what I learned from the book and how we can work together on his social skills as difficult as it may be for him to listen.

I cannot wait to share this with his Special Education teachers!

Lamp To My Feet by Fran Smith - A True Story About Loving Someone Even Though Things Are Difficult Sometimes

The 411:

This week I finished Lamp To My Feet a memoir by Frances Smith about her marriage to a man that often times made it difficult to love but her trust in God and her path as well as her ability to truly love kept her from leaving him.

I received this book as a review and I thought wait Book 3? How will I be able to read this? I didn't read the first 2 books in the Ordinary Man Trilogy but honestly it stood alone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything and still have no idea if those 2 books were even connected.  From the first chapter I was invested in the meeting of Mark and Fran so many years prior to them getting together and loved reading about their past and what lead them to them meeting again.

Fran paints a picture that is easy to connect with. As a wife and mother I could easily put myself into the shoes of Fran. Loving someone is often a beautiful thing but like every relationship there are ebbs and flows and sometimes you find it hard to even like them, let alone love them but Fran let Jesus take the wheel and counted her blessings knowing she fate was in the hands of God and she trusted.

Sometimes when I wrote a review I do not like putting the description especially when it is like the one above which makes the book seem like it is all about God, bible verses and too religious for you. I am a spiritual follower of God but not religious. I never felt it was preachy or too bible thumping. It was a love story and a woman telling her story about loving a man who was dealing with something that changed him. Mark was obviously in constant pain and his body just couldn't anymore.

As much as the Mark's ending was shocking to me, reading about the divine interventions reiterated why Fran has such trust in her faith and God.

Did You'll Know You Can Make S'Mores Indoors? I Had No Idea!!!!

The 411:

I love that Stuffed Puff made a kit. Inside the kit you will find a bag of chocolate stuffed marshmallows and graham crackers. If you have yet to have a chocolate stuffed marshmallow you are in for a treat. We LOVE them. While I love S'mores they can be a little high end. It isn't often I run out and buy a box of full size chocolate bars BUT for these S'Mores no chocolate is necessary which makes it economically good for you but also you can now have your S'Mores anywhere.  No more worrying about the chocolate melting before I can even use it to make a S'Mores. It has happened to me at least 5 times in my life. Who doesn't love delicious melted chocolate but it is impossible to make the ultimate S'Mores with melted chocolate bars. 

While I know melted chocolate is not a problem as we head into sweater weather these Stuffed Puffs just makes things so much easier. 

Did you guys know you can make S'Mores inside? I honestly had no idea that I could use my microwave to make a delicious S'More for my kids whenever they are craving them. No reason to start a whole fire for them to roast a marshmallow.    I love my marshmallow burnt to a crisp but honestly it was so good just melting my marshmallow in the microwave. It was like putting Marshmallow Fluff on my graham cracker. So GOOD!

Above is our microwaved S'More and below the classic. They were both delicious! These marshmallows are good in hot chocolate and right out of the bag too BTW. We have gone through two bags in the past week.

Photo Friday – Movement

GODDESS IN TRAINING/GODDESS, PHOTOS

Posted on June 15, 2008

Photo Friday – Movement