Monthly Archives: January 2012

Jan18

Pillow Pets for Pillow Pets!

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I feel like pillow pets have been around now for a couple of years…but now they seem to be coming in more and more sizes!  My daugher just loves these animals.  She uses them for lounging around and piles them on top of each other forming pillow pet families!  LOL!  I said I was done buying them, but somehow the cute, soft pillows keep finding a way to make it into my house. 

Check out some of these guys…they are really cute!  I love the penguins…

My Pillow Pets Penguin 18″

Another alternative to the pillow pet that was extremely popular this Christmas is the Happy Napper.  Another soft, fun, cuddley animal the your children will love!

Happy Napper / Play Pillow, Penguin to Igloo

Jan11

Keeping the Important Stuff…Forever!

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Up until a few months ago I never knew what to do with the cute pictures my daughter drew or the newspaper clippings about her or her progress reports.  They were put in multiple drawers, folders, and photo albums but they were all over the place and there would be no way I would ever be able to find a particular one if I wanted it.

That is when I found the School Years Memory Book.  This book is great!  It has small frames on the front cover to post a school photo for each grade K-12.  I have seen frames like that, but this is great because it is the front cover of the book.  Inside the book dedicates at least 3 pages to each grade starting at Pre-k.  Each page has spaces to paste pictures or write some milestones of the time.  The best part about the book is that each page is a pocket.  So each year, you have threee large pockets to fill with report cards, newspaper clippings, special drawings, well done reports or tests, anything that you would want to keep over time.  It has made me so organized, and every time she wants to see something she accomplished it is easy to find.  No more digging through drawers and searching through piles.  It is so nice to be able to locate all the important pieces of work and art that she created.  I recommend getting one for each of your children.  They will want to pull it out from time to time and look back at all the memories from years past!

I found a link to purchase one of these great keepsakes on Amazon. Here is the link:

School Years Memory Book

So Proud!  In the newspaper twice so far this year!

Jan9

Sailing Away….

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Winter is officially here.  Although the weather in NY has been relatively mild, it is still too cold for me!  The days just seem so dreary in the winter and the landscape is bleek.  I feel pale and everyone is sniffling and sneezing, it is just no fun.  I don’t mind a few days of snow, but we haven’t seen any of that yet this year.  So my time and energy has been in planning a get away this winter. 

Being a teacher, we are forced to travel on the school breaks.  Now I am not complaining, I do love my job, but the traveling is tough because the prices are usually 3 or 4 times the price for that week.  For the past 6 years we have traveled to Florida over break, visited my mom and took some short trips to the keys.  I was looking into repeating that trip again but the airline tickets seem to be even more expensive this year than in the past. 

The other day a lady at work mentioned she was going on a cruise over break.  I decided to look into it.  I couldn’t believe that for a little more money than the plane tickets I could sail for a week out of NY and go to Fl and the Bahamas for a week.  All the food is included and the boat is jam packed with things to do for adults and kids.  My daughter will love the kids club and pools.

 

 

 I think it will be a great vacation.  Lauryn was upset we weren’t going to get to see Grandma in Fl, but my mom will meet our ship down there and spend the day with us while we are in port.  Norwegian Jewel, here we come! 

Have you sailed Norwegian before? Let me know what you think!

Jan6

Our New Cat…

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A while back I mentioned we were getting a kitten.  Well, Brady has now been living here for a month and he is amazing!  We are all in love.  This kitten was so good from day one!  No training needed, went right in the litter box and he is so friendly.  On Christmas Day we had tons of adults at our house, and he walked right in the center of the group and made himself at home.

The one thing I was nervous about when we got the cat, is how he would react to children.  Cats can get skiddish and scratch or bite when they are afraid.  A five year old can be very frightening to a one pound kitten!!  I would be scared…LOL!  I think that introducing the cat slowly to his surroundings and allowing my daughter to hold him was important in making him comfortable.  Just make sure there is adult supervision when the child is handling the kitten. 

As you can see, he has become accustomed to being picked up and put in little spots.  He is her little doll!  The funny thing is I think he likes it.

Jan5

Baking on a Thursday night….

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Who doesn’t love a piece of cake!  Usually cake is associated with a party or a celebration of some sort but…..a typical Thursday night is good enough reason for us.  It is nice to just make a cake for no reason and fun to bake together.  My daughter loves being in the kitchen with me.  I am no great chef, nor do I cook very regularly, but she is willing to help and hang out with me whenever I do.  Baking is really great to do with kids.  There are many steps they can help with, from adding ingredients, mixing, and as you see below, putting the batter in the pans. 

 

I can smell it baking now….the hardest part is waiting for it to cool long enough to ice!   Unfortunately Lauryn will be in bed by the time this cake is done, but we promised her a piece for breakfast…along with a piece of fruit…that will balance it out, right?  LOL!

Jan4

A Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong!

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This past weekend at a UCLA basketball game a fan sitting court side decided to pop the question to his girlfriend.  With 17,000 fans looking on he reached in his pocket for the ring, professed his love and asked the question…Will you marry me?  The crowd watched on the “Mistletoe Cam” expecting to see the girl accepting the ring followed by the obligitory kiss.  Well, this was not what happened!  The girl, seeming to be taken completely off guard, got up and ran in the other direction.  Fans can be heard groaning and the boyfriend is left sitting with the ring in a very awkward position.  To top it all off, there is a girl trying to broadcast the whole scene.  How embarrassing! 

Players commented on the proposal and most agreed it was a sad sight.  Most felt really bad for the guy.  The couple has not been reached for further comment at this time.  Check out this video…

Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong

Jan2

Happy New Year!!

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Wow!  Another year over and time for a new beginning.  The new year is always a time where lots of resolutions are made and new ideas are started.  I think it is important to set realistic goals that, with a little effort, can be achieved.  Start off small, if reorganizing is on your list (it is on mine!!) then start with a few kitchen draws or one cabinet and build from there.  Today I started in my daughters playroom and reorganized the games and some of the toys. 

I am now more motivated to tackle larger projects because I was able to accomplish something.  I find that when I try to do to much it is overwhelming and I often give up long before the project is finished!

Here is to a new year full of acomplishments and fun….

Now next on my to do list…finding reasonably priced plane tickets to Florida for February break….I don’t expect that goal to be accomplished to easily!