by Sarah | Nov 30, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Clever Girls
Up until now our Wii got most of its use from watching movies, or the teenager playing one of his games. There was only one or two games that we could all get into.
Then we got a hold of this one…Just Dance Kids 2014.
I have to admit when I first read the back I got a little excited when I saw “Make it Shine” from Victorious on there…plus a song by Ariana Grande. I’m such a closet (or not so closet anymore) Victorious lover. It’s one of the shows I miss now that we aren’t on cable. 😀
So this week we brought out the Wii for something we all could play – and play we ALL did…even the teen!!
The girls, of course, got first run and boy did they tear it up, to several songs, including “Make it Shine”.
Then it was time for Erik and I to play.
And wouldn’t you know…we did THE HUSTLE!! It was a laugh-riot getting Erik into the mix and doing The Hustle with me. Both of us were laughing by the time it was done, and were reluctant to return the remotes back over!
Then, with a little nudging and encouragement we actually got the teenager to play along. It was only for a game, but I know that he’d never admit how much fun he had.
The girls kept playing for another good hour before we settled down and got ready for bed. By the next day they were begging to play again…and we were all too happy to oblige. The game is addicting, and clean fun, and everyone enjoys playing it. I have a feeling the Wii will stay out of hiding for a good long while now.
As you can see, the girls LOVED it. They were all too happy to lend their review once I managed to get their attention away from the game!!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
by Sarah | Nov 1, 2013 | All About Erik, All About Home, All About Me, All of Us, NaBloPoMo
I have two tales of raccoons…one with a happy ending, the other…well…I figured for the first day of NaBloPoMo I’d be nice and not ruin the month too early.
This first story happened not too long ago, right here at this house with that big fat sucker in the picture over there. <<—
That is my driveway that Mama Coon was perched on, right over the gulley and the pipe that runs under my driveway where she lived with her babies.
Where she would come out regularly and pull any tiny scrap of food out of one of our trash cans that we lost the lid to. Even if it meant strewing crap across three yards to do it.
To make matters better, her and her little brats started to chew and rip at our shingles as the weather turned colder. They wanted IN.
They would destroy our roof to do it.
So we, naïvely perhaps, called animal control.
After all, they were being destructive to property now, not just purely a nuisance.
The best advice he could give us was this…(it’s been a while, the words might not be exact):
“You have a big trash can? Good. Set a trap and catch the raccoon. Fill a good tall trash can with water and drop the trap in. They drown real fast, don’t worry. Once she’s dead, wrap her up in a big trash bag and throw her away. Get all three of them, or they’ll never leave.”
Erik and I stared at each other slack-jawed for a while. We thought about Denver, quite young at the time, and what he would think if he caught wind of what happened. Plus, really? That’s flat out cold murder. It’s not hunting (which I’m fine with) or euthanization of a sick pet (which hurts but is sometimes necessary). It’s flat out murder.
Not cool, dude.
In the end we opted for trap & release. We’re fortunate enough to live on the border between suburbia and rural. We borrowed three traps, got all three of those buggers caught and took them miles away and released them.
In some cases, the less humane option is vitally necessary (as the other coon story will show)…but not every single time.
~shudder~ Could you kill a coon for no reason when the trap and release option was just as easy?
by Sarah | Oct 28, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us
I’m a long time self-admitted geek of the Star Trek variety. I fell in love with Star Trek: TNG when I found it during its 4th season, and have never looked back.
Erik is both a sci-fi Aliens, Predator, Star Trek sort of Geek…and a horror Geek…and a few other Geeks I don’t understand.
Denver found Star Trek with the re-invention of Star Trek. He’s moved on to go back in time (thank you, Netflix) and watch EVERY episode of EVERY incarnation, swiped Erik’s movies to watch EVERY movie. The documentaries and anniversary specials, too. Since then he’s moved onto Battlestar Galactica, tried Dr. Who, and so on…
In the past eight or so months there’s a new sort of Geekling coming up in this house.
The girls are obsessed with all things Avengers.
Not just Avengers, though.
Comics.
They are making comics left and right – the one in this post was one of their first. One page, simple, with the battle of their beloved Avengers.
The obsession has grown so that their coloring books are painted on the front and back covers with comics. They swipe my printer paper and draw panels to fill in their stories. From super hero tales to stories about their cats…they are comic booking it up.
I, admittedly, am slightly clueless about comics. My Geek flag didn’t fly that far, even when I began my X-men addiction. I only have a few of those comics.
So we’ll venture into another realm of geekery.
Now…excuse me while I try to find some art classes for them…and seek out the perfect first comic for them both.
And considering their propensity to tear up anything they own, it will have to be one that it doesn’t matter if it ends up damaged.
by Sarah | Jun 28, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Clever Girls, Sponsored
We don’t road trip too often in this family.
You’d think maybe it was because the challenge of entertaining three children of various ages was tough.
Or because on her first road trip, Molly literally cried the entire 9 hour trip.
All 526 miles.
Non-stop.
Never sleeping.
Just…Crying.
You’d think that was the reason.
Or the regular stops for the bathroom.
Or the frequent cries of boredom.
Why on earth don’t they play car games like I used to?
Or maybe the gas money.
These days that one hurts.
Still, is it any of those things?
Nope…it’s…
This guy—>
The loving husband.
Molly gets her wonderful car trip joy from him.
More than an hour in the car and poor Erik struggles to remain calm.
Go over three hours and he’s in trouble.
So we have to figure out the best way to run.
Especially since road trips are so much easier than flights.
*~*
It took a bit of finagling, but we found the secret formula.
For the kids, it’s a good DVD player, and lots of movies.
The boy gets his tablet.
A huge supply of homemade trail mix.
For Erik?
Comfort and lots of space to stretch out and just fall asleep.
Even if it means three rows of seats, the teen next to me, and Erik fast asleep in the very-way-back by himself.
It’s a magic combination.
A normal care doesn’t cut it…so we’re on the lookout for something better.
We’ve got our eye on a Kia.
I like the Sedona, but Erik is anti-minivan…so he’d rather have the Sorento (and I’m apt to let him).
So long as it’s got a third seat, I’m a happy camper.
*~*
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
by Sarah | Jun 21, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, All of Us, Autism, Cystic Fibrosis, Failure to Thrive (FTT), Special Needs
In the land of skinny genes, cystic fibrosis and oral aversions – we’ve got three kids rocking the low end of the growth chart. The words “Failure to Thrive” are bandied about on a regular basis and we are constantly checking little one’s diets to make sure they aren’t just getting calories, but healthy fats and plenty of vitamins and minerals too.
The universal consensus for adding all of these things to help my kids grow & gain weight like they should?
Doctors across the board have pushed us to full-fat Vitamin D milk. It’s all we’ve got in the fridge, and we go through 3-4 gallons a week between the kids and hubby.
Before this FTT world hit my life I knew so very little about milk because I wasn’t allowed to touch the stuff (still can’t) due to an allergy (allergy, not intolerance). These days I’m learning a lot about milk beyond my family’s obsession (seriously, the husband can’t stop drinking it)…because I like to know about what goes into my family’s bodies – especially if it’s meant to promote their health.
One thing that I love learning is how drinking milk is likely to help my own state and community. After all, Indiana is home to over 1200 dairy farms – 97% of which are family owned (and I’ve met some of those families). I was also surprised (and happy) to learn that most milk travels less than 100 miles from the farm to the grocery store.
Of course, the biggest thing I made sure to learn about and know really well is that both plain and flavored milk contain nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein, riboflavin, niacin and vitamins A, D and B12. Considering my kids needs, this is of utmost importance. It means that they’re getting vitamins and nutrients that either they refuse to eat, or that their bodies are leeching from them.
And the only factor that matters to me, personally? Indiana – well, it ranks second in the nation for ice cream production. Because, I can only tolerate 1 serving of dairy a day…and you better believe it’s in the form of ice cream.
*~*
*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Indiana Dairy. This means I was paid for it, however all opinions are mine and true based on my own experience. You can’t pay me to lie about my family’s health…it’s too important to us all.
by Sarah | May 20, 2013 | All About Erik, All About Indiana, All About Me, Blogging Life, Sponsored, The Reluctant Hoosier, Vintage Indiana
GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. Winner has been notified
Erik’s a dry, I’m a sweet.
With our wines, of course.
Last year we were thrilled to be able to go to Vintage Indiana for the first time.
We were unprepared for the level of the festival.
There was so much to see and do, and so much variety with the local Indiana wines, we hardly knew where to start.
It’s a day full of music, food, and 30 Indiana Wineries!!
Fun fact: Did you know that this great state of Indiana has 69 wineries?? And a 70th is set to open this month?
Last year we were a little unprepared for the event. We didn’t bring a blanket to sit on, or have any idea what to expect. This year we’re going in full-barrel (get it? barrel? I slay me)…and preparing to take a longer day and enjoy ourselves and the line-up of awesome artists.
What artists? Well…take a look at this concert line-up:
12-2pm – Cari Ray
2:30-4:30 – Jennie DeVoe
5:00-6:45 – Josh Gracin – yes, THE Josh Gracin, former American Idol and US Marine!!
*~*
There is so much to do and see at Vintage Indiana, that you won’t be bored…not to mention that with over 300 wines to sample, you’ll have plenty to keep your taste buds happy. (Not a drinker? No problem, the Designated Driver tickets cost less and there’s food and music).
Kids? No problem. This is a child-friendly event, complete with a kid’s play area.
*
So how do you get there? Where do you find the tickets?
Here’s the details:
Vintage Indiana
Date: June 1, 2013 11AM-7PM
Location: Military Park, downtown Indianapolis
Tickets:
- $22 in advance at your Marsh Supermarket or online at the Vintage Indiana Website
- $25 at the Gate
- $10 for a Designated Driver Ticket (you will receive a special wrist band, and no samples-but unlimited soft drinks and water)
- $5 for kids age 6-20 – children under 5 are FREE
OR, you can win a pair of tickets right here!!
That’s right, I get to give one of my lucky readers a pair of tickets for the festival!
All you have to do to win this giveaway is leave a comment telling me if you’re a sweet or a dry.
I’ll pick a winner on Friday, May 24th at Noon. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I’ll pick another winner.
*~*~*
*This post is a sponsored post. In return for writing it, I received two tickets for the festival. All opinions, and my love for Indiana wines and this festival are all my own.
Thanks to the Vintage Indiana sponsors for making this event possible!
Indiana Wines @indianawinebabe @indianawines
Indiana’s Family of Farmers @familyoffarmers
Marsh Supermarkets @MarshGrocery
Clark Appliance @ClarkAppliance
WFMS/WJJK @WFMS @ClassicHits1045
WISH/WNDY @WISH_TV
Indiana’s Turkey Farmers (no twitter handle)
Indiana’s Dairy Farmers @INDairy
NUVO @NUVO_net
Then we got a hold of this one…Just Dance Kids 2014.
