by Sarah | Nov 28, 2013 | All of Us, Blogging Life, Sponsored
Holiday cards are always a challenge for me. What to send, and remembering to send them…
This year, Minted is making at least part of the struggle so much easier. Their Holiday Gift Card selection is amazing! From the simplest of cards, to a selection of books that let you fill your friends and family on what your year was like, I can find everything I want.
I’ve spent the good part of the past 3 days searching through their options and have found some real winners.
The simplistic side of me loves this card, the Stringed Noel (also available in a vertical style).
The simplicity of the design, coupled with one of my great photos of the kids (or rather, the girls, since the teen refuses pictures now), makes me happy.
Then again the cheeky reluctant Hoosier in me loves the “Y’all” on the Southern Accent design.
I mean, come on. So many of my old Yankee Buffalo friends tease me about losing my New York Accent. I’m not southern, but a twang slips in and I’ve been known to “Y’all” a time or two in my life…
But the ritzy girl in me, and the writer that would love to capture a story of our year, along with several pictures of all the kids, including the elusive teen…well, I might have dreams about the Gilded Year in Review Minibook.
The pages are so easy to edit using their personalization tools, my fingers are just itching to get a hold of my order and start. It’s more pricey, but I don’t have a tone of people to send them to, so I can make my order smaller…and have a ton of fun…Of course, this Winter Foliage minibook is more my color palette…shoot, did I say Minted.com was making this choice easier? Becuase I think it just got a lot harder…
What do you think I should pick?
And what would you pick? Why don’t you head on over to Minted’s Holiday Photo Cards page and tell me what YOU would pick!
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*Disclosure: I was provided with a Gift Card for this review. All opinions and indecision are all my own.
by Sarah | Nov 20, 2013 | All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Learning, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Books, Clever Girls, Giveaway, Giveaway, Reviews
We LOVE reading in this house.
I mean really, REALLY love it.
The day I told the girls I had brand new books for them to read was a party and a half. They were so excited, and when we cracked open the books from the “Travels with Gannon & Wyatt” series it was all over.
I mean, it’s ANIMALS!
The girls immediately dove in and scanned for pictures first, because the pictures of the live animals (the alligator was a big hit for our little alligator), and they couldn’t wait to see every one of them.
Once they’d settled down we sat down to read.
The stories are told in journal form, with separate entries by both Gannon & Wyatt, which make for short “chapters” perfect for my ADD readers.
I also love that each of the entries start with a great learning opportunity (or 2). They list the location – with a longitude and latitude. Temperatures and weather listings are there too. These gave me and the girls some great chances to talk about what these things are, and find a map (~cough~ or a computer ~cough~) to look them all up. Of course, there’s all the animals, which my kids LOVE. Oh, and at the end, there’s a few pages with spots for journal entries. The girls are dying to take a trip to the zoo to use them!
Kennedy got to read first and eagerly dove in, and by the time she was home, she was dragging Molly over to join her.
Hearing Kennedy say words like “Botswana” and “Kalahari Dessert” at her young age, is so much fun. She’s having fun, she’s reading, and she’s learning.
Kennedy has taken a shining to the Botswana book. It has all the animals she loves. Elephants, alligators, rhinos and cheetah’s.
We love sitting down and devouring chapters as fast as she can.
I have a feeling these books are going to be long lasting around here, so much to read and learn, and the older they get, the more they’ll understand!
As you can see below, the girls HIGHLY recommend the books and want you to win a set of your own. (Look below the picture for how to win)
Gannon & Wyatt have a Facebook Page and a Twitter account you should really follow to keep up on their latest adventures!!
Giveaway Time!!
Entry is easy…
1. Leave a comment telling me what you love about these books and why you want them for your kid!! (required entry)
2. For an extra entry, tweet the following exactly (copy & paste should do it). ~optional extra entry
Travels with @GannonandWyatt, a review & a #Giveaway. Great books w/ learning opportunities! #GannonWyatt http://bit.ly/1ej1dZG @sadiecass
3. Pin this post using the giveaway picture & leave a comment with the link to the pin! ~optional extra entry
That’s it! The giveaway ends on 11/25 at 9AM. The winner will only have 24 hours to get back to me, as I must turn in your info by the 26th! There will be no second chances, as I have a deadline!
There is another giveaway over at my dear friend, Emily’s place if you want more chances to win, head on over there!
You should also know that Gannon & Wyatt are having a Kindle Fire Giveaway on their Facebook Page the month of November!! There’s still time to enter, so head on over!!
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 15, 2013 | All About Me, All of Us, Crap, NaBloPoMo, Random, Story of Me
Back at the start of NaBlo I spoke of a coon tale with a happy ending. I also foretold of a second story minus such an ending. Today I give you that story.
I was young, probably 6 or 7 when this happened.
Back in New York we had a place we called “The Farm”. It was my dad’s hunting lodge, acres of trees and a small plot of land with a two story run-down old farm house.
Often my dad and uncle would take us kids out and we’d climb trees, play in the woods, ignore the scurrying of mice when we slept in the attic.
My dad and uncle would make repairs as they went. The stairs one year, the roof another. We had a fancy outhouse (not designed for girls, modifications were necessary for me). No electricity, a wood stove. We played outdoors 95% of the time we were there. There was a beehive in the walls that buzzed, and everything was old and drafty and I loved every visit.
The year the roof was redone my dad was up working hard peeling off tiles and taking off rotting decking.
He peeled back a panel of decking and happened upon a coon’s nest. A momma and her five babies.
Keeping in mind at this time Rabid Racoons were a major issue at the time – and the momma was PISSED, my dad did what was necessary to defend himself.
He grabbed the nearest weapon, his hammer, and took care of momma. He would have moved the babies, but they were way too young to fend for themselves, and so he also took care of them.
For years we tormented my poor dad with this tale of bopping the baby coons on the head…
But it was necessary (unlike in the earlier story I told).
A sad tale, true…but also a fitting descriptor of survival of the fittest.
Because if dad hadn’t taken action…that momma coon sure would have.
by Sarah | Nov 14, 2013 | All About Indiana, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Indiana State Museum, Indy Geek Girls, NaBloPoMo, The Reluctant Hoosier
Did you know that Mammoths and Mastodons probably walked the very ground you’re walking on? That it’s possible when you’re walking through a park or driving past a field of corn, underneath those layers of soil could be the bones of Ice Age giants?
I had NO idea of this myself – or I was just blissfully ignorant of the fact.
Either way, I was totally privileged to get a sneak peek of a new IMAX movie and the ensuing exhibit at the Indiana State Museum yesterday.
The IMAX movie is in 3D and let me just tell you – the last 3D movie I went to was the Muppets show at Disney World in 1994…and holy shnikies, 3D today is NOT your Momma’s 3D! The imagery and cinematography was amazing. The CGI – incredible! I was in awe and wonder throughout the whole movie, even though I think Erik got a little vertigo at the sweeping landscape shots, he was impressed too.
Then we were able to step into the exhibit itself which is both big in scope and detail, and easily geared toward kids – including a dig site and a bone they can touch!!
Throughout the exhibit you get to see how Mammoth and Mastodon skulls could well have been the inspiration behind the Cyclops of legend and myth, how the animals had growth plates just like humans and animals today, and see teeth as big as your head.
I mean, how awesome is that? I could have spent hours in there, and I know my kids will spend hours in there this weekend.
At the very end you get to see two full size skeletons and just awe over how there were tons of flesh and fur over them.
It’s an exhibit totally worth seeing (even if it did replace the Star Wars exhibit ~pout~)…and I can’t wait to let my girls “dig” in!
This exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, November 16th at 11AM. Get more information at the Indiana State Museum’s website!
Now…onto what I know you’re waiting for – the pictures!!..
The Mammoth’s greatest threat – Man:
Porous bones look like ancient caverns:
The Inspiration for Cyclops”
Growth plates:
TEETH:
I loved this one. You set your hands down, and not just hear the sound, but FEEL the vibrations:
Tiny Bones:
Dig:
by Sarah | Nov 4, 2013 | All About Kennedy, All About Learning, All About Me, All About Molly, Blogging Life, Indy Geek Girls
On almost any day of the week you can find the members of this family with their noses buried in a book.
Sure, the teen took a really, really long time to come around, but once he did he was unstoppable.
The girls read well above their comprehension level just to get words on the page.
So when I heard McDonald’s was replacing toys with books in their Happy Meals? I was pretty stoked. My girls will love getting books, and I love that McDonald’s is taking this step.
Included in our Happy Meals are these fun titles that involve teaching children about eating right when sometimes it’s not so easy to do:
But they aren’t stopping there, which is even better. Want to know why?
McDonald’s of Central Indiana is leading a “Give a Book, Get a Book” campaign.
All around Indy, from November 1st through the 14th, at Ronald McDonald Houses, local libraries, and Indy Reads there will be Book Donation sites set up.
In exchange for a donation of a new (or gently used) children’s book, you’ll get a “Be Our Guest” card good for a free Happy Meal!
And to top it all off, participating libraries will host a “Happy Meal Day” filled with kid’s activities and McDonald’s Happy Meal books!!
Since 2011 McDonald’s has been finding new ways to take action and fulfill their “Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices”. Each of the stories in these unique, limited edition books, is a fun and nutritional message that kids can understand.
Now onto the part I know you’ve been waiting for. My Giveaway! One lucky winner will get a week’s worth of Happy Meal Coupons, a $10 Amazon Gift Card, and a copy of a Happy Meal Book!
To make it easier, I whipped up a rafflecopter this time. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Sarah | Nov 3, 2013 | All About Indiana, Blogging Life, Photography, Scavenger Hunt Sunday
We went to ZooBoo this week…and I used it for all my pictures. Some might be a stretch, but ya know. 😉
All taken w/ Canon Rebel XS.
1. Dress Up
This little guy decided to be the most unique and elusive creature in the universe – a unigazelle.
This fancy-pants scoffed and said he was always dressed up.
2.Candy
Pink like cotton candy
I can’t be sure – but I don’t think he’s looking for candy.
3. Pumpkin
YAY! Elephants smashing pumpkins!
I really loved the way this pumpkin was decorated
4. Spooky
I think…think…these were supposed to be spooky.
Where this guy succeeded the way he skulked about and paced.
5. Orange
A peek of orange in the upper pumpkin.
Explanation not required.
Songography:
My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson:
Well, it stands to reason that my life would suck without them:
You can find more pictures over at my flickr account.
