Wordless Wednesday - Mom & Daughter

Wonderful Weekend

 We enjoyed a wonderful weekend. On Saturday, we started our day with the annual Apache Junction Easter Egg Hunt.  We've attended many years (except last year when it was rained out) and the kids have a great time.  It's a shame that each year the event gets smaller and smaller, but I'm glad the city still makes the effort to have a great egg hunt for the kids.  Various companies set up tents / games for the kids, and that's the part that has really dwindled over the years.  It's still fun, and the bouncy houses are always a big hit. The kids were all in different age groups this year, and all gathered up a few eggs.

 

The eggs are scattered on the baseball fields, but the kids are broken up into different age groups.  For every age group, the kids run out from the edges and find one egg.  When they grab one egg, everyone freezes.  This helps ensure that everyone finds at least one egg.  Then, when everyone has an egg, the kids are allowed to grab as many as they can find.

My sister & I then ran to to the grocery store to pick up picnic stuff and food for Easter.  After a very brief rest, we headed to Boyce Thompson again.  They were having a members-only event that included an astronomy lecture, an ice cream social, then the chance to see the night sky far away from any light pollution.

The astronomy lecture was very interesting -- or so I heard.  My boys, sister & Bo enjoyed it!  Lydia got tired after a very short time and we spent the majority of the 2 hour lecture outside checking out the plants and chatting with some staff.  (Shout out to Lacey!)

The lecture ended around 6.  As the participants came out, one woman stopped by me and said "Your boys are very well-behaved.  You should be proud!  Smart, too! They asked some very good questions."  That just warms a momma's heart.

We grabbed our picnic dinner from the car and enjoyed it in the picnic area.  They had a fabulous ice cream sundae bar set up, so we of course all made sundaes! Then, we waited for it to get dark.  Did you know there are multiple twilights?  There are -- and even though my sister told me what they are, I can't remember all of them now.  Oh, well, let's just say there are multiple twilights and with each one the sky gets darker.

The East Valley Astronomy Club members set up their telescopes and let people look through them and did a great job of sharing their knowledge.  It was fantastic watching the sky darken, and more stars pop out.  I didn't have the chance to look through any telescopes, but I saw more stars than I think I ever have (outside a planetarium.)   The boys looked through every telescope there, and were able to see Mars, Saturn's rings, and the Orion nebula. As we drove home, Colin said "Now, this night is what memories are made from!!"

The next day, we had our regular backyard egg hunt.  That Easter Bunny hid 116 eggs this year!!  (Usually about 1/2 that are hidden, but last year I couldn't find my stash, so I had to buy more.  I found my original stash, which doubled the eggs. Usually, I put the eggs out on Ash Wednesday for the Bunny to pick up. I don't buy eggs each year.) They had fun, and also hunted for their Easter baskets in the house.

We decided to open the pool and the kids had a great time splashing and playing in the cold water.

I dipped Peeps in chocolate, made some cupcakes, chicken salad  & deviled eggs.  My sister was under the weather, so I dropped off some food by her and we picnicked again for dinner!

It was a busy, but lovely weekend!  How about yours?

Lydia's Take on Disney on Ice

The video is 5 minutes . . . I didn't mean for it to be that long, but she had a lot to say.  And, she had more to say, but I thought 5 minutes was long enough!




Disclosure: We attended Disney on Ice thanks to Feld Entertainment!

Review: Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic

We just got back from the Phoenix show of Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic.  It was wonderful!  Thanks to Feld Entertainment, my family attended opening night and had a wonderful time.  It was very difficult to choose a favorite act.

The athleticism of the performers was exceptional!  The skating was absolutely flawless, and had to be quite the challenge in some of the costumes (especially The Beast!)

Lydia (who turns 3 later this month) was enthralled and engaged the entire 2 hour show. She was thrilled to see the princesses, as well as Mickey, Minnie and the Chipmunks. She laughed and gasped and squealed with delight throughout the show.

My 2 boys (ages 7 & 9) also enjoyed the show.  A few scenes especially appealed to them. There was an act with the Toy Story soldiers that was extremely well-done, and the skater who performed as Woody did an amazing job appearing floppy on the stage, just like a stuffed doll would be.  The skaters also enacted a war scene from Mulan that was executed perfectly.

We had amazing seats (Row 9!) and the time flew by while we all enjoyed the show.  The 100 Years of Magic show includes scenes and stories from beloved Disney characters throughout the years.  It's hard to choose which one I liked the most - but the reenactment of the Small World ranked in the top.

As they show ended, and all the skaters were on the ice, Lydia looked down and said "I love them all!"

If you're in Phoenix and looking for something to do this holiday weekend, you can still get tickets to the remaining shows.  Follow this link to Ticketmaster and use the discount code "MOM" to purchase 4 tickets for $44.  Additional tickets can be purchased for $11.  The code is not valid on VIP or Front Row seating.

Disclosure: I received tickets for my family to attend the show from Feld Entertainment.  They also provided a family pack of tickets to give away to one of my readers.  Many thanks to them for their generosity!

Lesson Learned: No Trip to Peru for Me

I received an email last week that took me by surprise.  In February, I had entered an online contest giving away a trip to Peru.  The email said that I had won!! I enter contests all the time, and have never won a big prize -- so I was a bit leery.

I checked it out, and everything was legitimate.  I really did win a trip to Peru.  My excitement dropped a bit when I noticed the line "Airfare is not included." I thought maybe the airfare wouldn't bee too expensive. A quick, hopeful Google search told me the airfare to the place I needed to go would run about $1200/person.

While it looked like an amazing trip (hiking trails, sleeping in eco-luxury-lodges, etc.) it definitely wasn't for me with that price tag.

I fully investigated it, and when it came time to accept, I had to gracefully decline.  It was my fault that I entered without reading the rules carefully.  I was hoping that maybe I could receive a substitute prize, but that wasn't possible.

Lesson learned?  Read the rules!  People really DO win giveaways sponsored on the Internet!  If you're up for an interesting adventure, and have the extra money for airfare, check out the giveaways at Liquor.com. They don't have one going right now, but they might do another amazing trip in the future.

I spent a couple days fantasizing about a week-long trip alone with my husband exploring a foreign country.  It would have been glorious.  Back to reality -- I'll have to make do exploring Arizona with my entire family this year. 

From now on, I'll read carefully to make sure ALL expenses are covered when I enter a trip giveaway.  Next time I win, I want to be able to accept the prize.

Tell Me Thursday - Fish Princess

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo was of my sweet baby girl, not quite sure what to do with that string of fish.  I loved the expression, and the title came from her godfather (thanks, Kraig!)

The photographer caught her at the right moment! On Sunday, we attended the Outdoor Expo put on by the Arizona Game & Fish department and they were taking pictures of kids with the fish at no cost!  We almost forgot to pick up the picture, but thankfully remembered moments before the event closed down.

This was the first year we attended, and it was great fun!  The admission was free, and they had a ton of things to see and do.  The kids had the chance to fish in big tanks.  Colin was thrilled that he caught a fish! They also had the chance to shoot real guns at real targets!  That was the first time they ever shot a gun, so they were very interested.  Nate seemed to be a natural, easily hitting the targets.  (And, no, Kraig, he still can't have a bb gun for his birthday!)

We enjoyed some typical outdoor event food, but then my sis treated Lydia and me to homemade ice cream that was delicious!  We also watched a horse and rider competition where they raced around the ring and shot at balloons! Oh, and there were tons of booths with information about the park systems, camps, products and more. 

The day was sunny and warm, and the event was very well-run.  We had a great time and plan to attend again next year!

Wordless Wednesday - Fish Princess

You know the drill -- play along at Wordless Wednesday!

Review: Hot Locks Dolls

I was lucky enough to be included in another fun toy party with a product that is *just* released to market. This time, I received a box of Hot Locks dolls to check out and share with our local buddies.

Lydia will be 3 next month, and she loves baby dolls and Barbies already, so I thought these might be a fun addition to her collection.  For a girl who hates having her hair brushed, these dolls have been great!  They have very long hair, and come with a comb and other accessories.  Lydia has had a great time combing and playing with their hair, and I've been successful in brushing her hair when I hand her her doll so she can brush the doll's hair at the same time.  For that alone, I was happy with these dolls!

We had the chance to share them with others this weekend, and I was interested to see what other girls would think.  We had a variety of ages -- Lydia was the youngest at 35 months and the oldest was 9yo. All the girls thought the dolls were tons of fun.  In mere moments, they had the dolls out of the packaging (and the packaging was easy to get into -- no hermetically sealed and sewed and taped and tied dolls here!) and were playing with the hair.  The long, silky, colorful hair!

The hair quickly gets messy, but isn't that true of all dolls?  The girls didn't seem to mind!  They stayed busy combing, placing barrettes, and trying out the styling chair that made braiding easy.   One of the dolls even came with a flat iron which placed jewels in the dolls' hair.

The moms were a bit taken aback by one doll - - Harlow -- who looked like she was wearing fishnet stockings.  More than one mom joked "Is her name Harlot?" Nobody felt the fishnet stockings were appropriate for a girl's doll.  

The dolls are smaller than a Barbie. Their hair is brightly colored, and their clothes are brightly colored as well.  The wide set eyes reminded Lydia of the commercials she saw recently for Sprout's new show - Dirt Girl - so she has taken to calling the red-headed Ryann doll her "Dirt Girl."   The regular dolls have 14" of hair to play with, the deluxe dolls have twice that amount.


The dolls have been released only in the Phoenix and Chicago markets, but I'm sure they'll spread across the country soon. Visit Wowee's website for all the details and to see where they are available.

They are a big hit at our house, and if you have young girls, I'm sure you'll find them living in your house soon!

Disclosure: To facilitate this review, I received a party pack of dolls for my daughter, and to give away to guests from Mom Select and Wowee Toys at no cost to me.  All opinions and statements are my own.

Giveaway: Betty Crocker Sweet Spring Treats

** Winner has been chosen!  Thanks to random.org, comment #13 was chosen as the winner!  Jane would make the lemon creme roll -- but replace the lemon creme with a rum creme! Congrats to Jane, and thanks to all who entered and help spread the word! **

Are you wondering what to make for your Easter celebration? I realized that it's THIS Sunday and I still don't know what we're having to eat.

I checked out Safeway and Betty Crocker's "Bake Sweet Memories" site and was inspired by some of the adorable treats featured.  Not only will you find the adorable "Easy Bunny Cake," but you'll also find some great coupons to help you save money this spring.  My sister's nickname is Bunny, so I think this is the cake we need to have this year!

Until April 6th, you can purchase Betty Crocker SuperMoist Cake and Traditional Brownie Mixes at the special price of $0.69 at all the Safeway family of stores. This is an awesome deal -- made even better if you happen to have any coupons! When you visit Bake Sweet Memories, you'll be able to load exclusive Betty Crocker baking coupons onto your Safeway loyalty card.

Thanks to My Blog Spark, Betty Crocker, and Safeway, I have a great baking package to give away to one of my readers. This package includes a 9 1/2 inch silicone pan, a red Betty Crocker spoon, a really nice metal mixing bowl, a red oven mitt and a $25 gift card to Safeway! 

In order to enter, you must visit the Bake Sweet Memories site and let me know one of the recipes you want to try (or just looks really cute!) The winner will be drawn Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010), so enter by midnight on April 3, 2010.

You can earn extra entries by sharing this post with your social media network -- either Twitter, Facebook or your own blog.  Each share is worth one entry.

**Form Removed When Giveaway Ended**

Disclosure: Safeway and Betty Crocker provided me with a VIP coupon for Betty Crocker brownie mix, the information, and prize packs for myself and to give away through MyBlogSpark.

Disney on Ice this Week!!

I was happy to choose a winner for this week's Disney on Ice performance!  Cynthia was the lucky winner, and is excited to take her boys later this week.

If you didn't win, I'm sorry . . . but there are still those amazing discount codes available for the shows on April 1 - 4, 2010!  I talked with a friend last week whose husband bought tickets as a surprise (but paid more than he could have with these discount codes!)  If you use the code "MOM" at Ticketmaster.com, you can receive 4 tickets for $44.  Any additional tickets will be only $11.

This discount code is not valid for VIP or Front Row seating.  I"m sure there are a few great seats still available, and it's bound to be an awesome show!

Come back later in the week to hear all about the show!  Lydia doesn't know we're going, so I can't wait to share her reaction!