Can you Spell it out?

The joys of the school spelling bee. Yes, it is that time of year again and all children at the girl's school in 4th through 8th grade have the option of being in the school spelling bee.

Both Regan and Rebecca always participate, and never study....just wing it. Their past experience with doing it this way has been successful so far so I guess it is no-loss formula in their eyes.

The funny thing is that accents can get in the way terribly as was so aptly demonstrated by this year's contestants. Apparently the rules are vague with how many times the moderator can say the word and then you either understand or not as the case may be...and spell to what you thought you heard. Kind of like the game telephone.

English teacher says "Algorithm" child hears "outter rim" no matter how many times the teacher says the word. The teacher does have a strong south Texas bohemian (czech/german) accent. You just hope for the best. The top five students remaining that basically don't mis-hear and spell correctly their words get to move on to the county level.

Both the girls made it through the first round with Rebecca spelling lemon right and Regan with the word guitar. The second round took Rebecca out with the word bureaucracy (she couldn't understand the teacher at all on this one....or knew what it was). Regan moved on to the third round spelling boutique right. Finally Regan went out on Renaissance but still ended up in 4th place so she moves on to the next round at the county level.

She has decided to study a bit for this level. Wish her luck!

Fruit by the Foot Race

It has come to be expected that when you spend the night at our house there is bound to be some wacky things happening, and you will leave completely entertained. Rebecca had two friends over and they had a ball with the eating challenge.

What kinds of fun things do the kids at your house do to entertain themselves and friends?

Food Memories Hickory Farms

When I was a kid I remember every year shopping at the mall for the Christmas season. One of my favorite stops when we made these rare excursions was the Hickory Farms store. There were always such great little taste testing stations. I would stare in wonderment at the wheels of baby swiss (my favorite), and roam through all the choices of gift baskets that you could put together for any holiday celebration.

I thought at the time (just like my girls do now) that there wasn't a much better gift than a huge basket of delicious goodies all in bite size packages.  This year our Christmas celebration started early as we received our very own gift box.

You shoud have seen the girls faces light up when I unpacked this little box of treasures. The spreads and cheese ball I am saving for holiday parties that are coming up, but the meats and cheeses I sliced up right away for us to snack on and enjoy.  There was plenty for us to have an afternoon snack and then perfect for the girl's lunchboxes.

...and before you ask, I did share the strawberries.  I didn't become the candy hog I would have loved to be.

What a  great start to our season. I can't wait to share the rest with our friends at the numerous parties we are attending. Not only am I filled with nostalgic memories, we have happy bellies and smiles on our faces.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review

Recipe; Holiday Party Meatballs

Tonight John Mark and I are co-hosts of a holiday wedding shower for dear friends of ours. It is technically a company party that encompasses all the different people who work for the same firm as John Mark and live in our area. We are a very close knit group and get together outside of the work environment all the time. I have been a little scatterbrained lately so I was excited to be part of the Mom Central blog tour for the recipe of Ultimate Party meatballs. What a perfect holiday appetizer to take as part of my contribution to the shower. I could let these cook in the crockpot while I worked on other appetizers to bring as well.

The ingredients are so very simple which I appreciate as I run around all day like I live in a mad house.

1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 Can Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 Package of frozen ready made meatballs

Basically the extent of labor is opening the packages which I can definitely handle. The meatballs go on the bottom then pour on top your other two ingredients. I have my setting at low since I am basically putting these out of my mind for most of the day. I stirred it every few hours.

These are ready for me to take to the wedding shower with a bowl of party toothpicks. Easy to eat and great tasting. I can highly reccomend this recipe for holiday entertaining and the cranberry jelly gives it just the right seasonal flair. Enjoy!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Heinz and Ocean Spray and received the ingredients necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate

My Grown Up St. Nicholaus Letter

Dear St. Nicholaus,

Thank you for your generosity to my girls they are thrilled with the nail polish, fun earrings, and hot cocoa they found in their boot this morning. I wish that I had taken the time to write you also. I hope it doesn't particularly matter that we are not a Catholic family but enjoy the tradition of you all the same due to my german heritage that I want to preserve for my girls.

In my letter to you I have but one wish.....a working vehicle that I can call my own. Since my wreck nearly two months ago, and the repair and subsequent breakdown of my car. I have been utterly frustrated. The second rental car decided to not start this morning just as John Mark left for the airport on a three day work streak in St. Louis. Once again I rely on the good friends in small town to help me out. One good friend helped me by taking Rebecca to and from cheer practice, and then two more friends came out to jump start the rental and take it back to the dealership leaving me another vehicle in it's place.

It is not that I am ungrateful for all the help, it is just hard to rely on others when all you want is your own car back, or to have it replaced so that you can move on. Please consider my one wish for this holiday season is to once again be self sufficient in a vehicle I can call my own. Thank You!

I can't believe I saw Snow today!

While I am so jealous happy that my sister and her family including my aunt and uncle are all having a wonderful time at Walt Disney World. I hope every ride is closed due to unforesseen circumstances. I can't wait to hear all of their adventures when they get back and look forward to the stories of my gorgeous neices and all they experienced.

Since I am not bitter in the slightest, I have to tell you we have been warily anticipating this day. For some reason  the goofy weatherman  insists it it going to snow today. Does he not realize I live in South Texas? I live here expressly because I hate cold and snow in all of it's forms. I never dream of white Christmases when I would much rather have beachy palm tree kinds of Christmases complete in sundresses and sandals.

Snow?
Here?

But yeah, it is freaky weather today and in typical South Texas fashion everyone is going beserk. Schools are trying to decide whether to close and we are waiting to hear if they will cancel my husband's company Christmas Party that we are to attend this evening.

I head to school around lunchtime, and my car is being bombarded with snowflakes. It is just nuts to me. When I got to school the kids were all running around joyfully trying to catch flakes on their tongues, and wishing it would actually stick to the ground, but no such luck.

Our snowflurry was gone by 1:00 pm, and it was clear skies from then on.
There have been rare occasions of snow this far south, but never this early. I wonder what that says about global warming?

For the Love of Advent Calendars

Two traditions are strong in my house as soon as December makes an appearance. The first is that both of my children require Advent Calendars.

The kind that count down the days until Christmas and behind every door is a piece of chocolate. These have long been a family tradition and pretty hard to come buy when you live in a small town. My mom and my sister usually find these wonderful little calendars at World Market and make sure to buy for several friends children as well.

The second tradition is St. Nicholas Day. Now we are not Catholic if that is your first thought, but instead I attribute it to my German roots. My mother grew up with traditional St. Nicholas as a child in southern Germany. In turn, I was raised to write my letter to St Nicholas on December 5th of every year and place it in my boot (or actually we would use my dad's boots because they were much bigger) at the front door.

The next morning our letters would be gone and our boots had small goodies in them. My mom always included the traditional fruit and nuts in ours along with a small gift.

The girls wrote their letters and Regan's was wonderful making sure to ask after St. Nicholas and he was before asking for her three items. She even encouraged him to take a vacation after the holiday season and to keep those reindeer coats shiny with hair supplements. Rebecca's letter got straight to the point detailing items she deemed appropriate to ask for Christmas.

I should add that with all of Regan's gushing she asked for uber expensive items that she will not get i.e. a laptop, a cell phone, and a vacation to Disney. Rebecca's note in all of it's starkness covered a dvd, board games, and clothes. She is ever the practical one.

I can't wait to put them in their boots at the door and see what happens.

What holiday traditions start off your Christmas season?

Eye-yi-yi

Regan has for years failed every school eye exam. Every year no matter what I get a phone call from the school nurse saying how badly her glasses are working and she needs a new prescription. Every year I call the Ophthalmologist completely frustrated that her lenses seem to be so completely off. After seeing the professional they always change her glasses prescription with just a tweak and tell me that her eyes look pretty good. Why is it that the school and the doctor are complete polar opposites on the eye frontier.

This year it was no different, and I basically was dismissive to the school nurse. I really didn't want to take Regan for the professional opinion when I knew it was going to be virtually no change yet again....but a dent in my pocket nonetheless.

But I caved....

And vented my frustration to the doctor that either Regan is testing badly with the school eye exam or we really were way off with her numbers. She just looked at me a funny, and said "Does the school know that she is pretty blind in her right eye due to her prematurity and retinopathy at birth?"

No
and I didn't know that either.....

Why is it something that has basically been with her since birth and in all of her medical charts probably hidden in some obscure medical jargon had never been explained to me....or written out to the school in her file. It is crazy to me that at fourteen years old I learn something so completely new about my child, and one that really can't be fixed.

She overcompensates with her left eye which really works beautifully, and her right eye is a disaster. Boy does that clear up a lot with her ability to focus.

Well now I know and so does the school, and once again her prescription changed just slightly, but the ophthalmologist assured me the glasses she was wearing were just fine, but she would write me a prescription for me to get a current back up pair if I wished.

Designer Tree or Well Loved Sanctuary

My tree every year in no way has a color palette that matches my decor. If I have matching ornaments at all it is because so many of them come in two's for Regan and Rebecca to inherit one day for their own trees. I love my christmas tree, and every ornament I unwrap brings a smile to my face. Whether it is my ornament made for me by my own great grandmother, or the ornaments I bought as a new bride, and the ones I inherited from my mother's tree. I love each story that they have to tell, and I whisper to each one like they were my children that they are my favorite.

Our typical routine is to take everything out of the attic the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We break out the Christmas CD's and the hot cocoa. We get to work with each doing their own traditional jobs. John Mark decorates outside wrapping a tree and lining the sidewalk with lights. I put together the tree (all fake for us). I have to add lights, ribbon, and fun gold curly Q's to it before the first ornament goes up.

Regan unwraps each ornament out of the tissue and we talk about the history of each one. What country they came from, what special meaning or person they came from. Rebecca adds the hooks and I place it in a perfectly planned spot on the tree. When we step back with the finished tree it is pure joy and always makes us feel the Christmas spirit has started.

GameStop saves my Black Friday shopping

I love Black Friday with every fiber of my being. To me it is an example of first of all what retail is really worth (to some degree) and human interaction. Standing in line at Kohl's at four in the morning, you begin to make friends with those around you, find out deals on items you weren't even considering, and learn all kinds of shopping strategies.

The main big ticket item we were hunting for was the Wii. Regan had saved up her money to buy the game system. I was determined to find it at a better price the $199 which is what it was advertised for at Sears and Wal-Mart. Also high on the shopping list was purchasing a Dyson vaccuum for my parents (their funds mind you, not my own). New to my shopping experience this year was having Rebecca join me.

For some reason she was convinced that I was going to the biggest party of the holiday season every year after Thanksgiving. She has begged the entire year to be allowed to go with me. She didn't mind waking up at 3:00 am and wanted to experience all that Black Friday is about. We had our lists, our strategies, and snacks ready to go and we were off to find the bargains. In the midst of all the office furniture in Target we found the Dyson deal, and grabbed it quickly.

The best Wii deal was at HEB Plus which was advertising at $149...but limited supply. The next best deal was GameStop which had a deal with trade in of an old system. No problem there, we were more than willing to sacrifice the old Playstation II for the upgrade.

GameStop was a dream when we arrived there, The employees were wonderful to work with even on the most harrowing day of the year. They answered every question I had and found me an even better deal than I was going for. Apparently they carry factory refurbished systems as well as the new ones. It had already been cleaned, checked, and played in great working condition, and with the trade-in of my system and the purchase of three games we ended up paying a total of $160. forty less than all the competitors.

The girls are thrilled and have really enjoyed their games. I love all the great physical therapy and occupation therapy Regan is getting with how intricate all the sports and activities that come with the Wii are. I ended a wonderful day of shopping with the best Black Friday ever.

How Starbucks ruined my Thanksgiving

Well I had been officially without a car for five weeks. I am not going to lie. It has been hell....no kidding. I loooooove my little Honda Odyssey mini van. Regan could maneuver in the seats easily. Her walker and wheelchair and any extra paraphernalia fit nicely in the back. I could haul eight people around at a moments notice. In short I love my car.

Well due to the small fender bender that I had mentioned before. The insurance company did not opt to total my car....but to fix it which in small town translation means the local body shop has to order Honda parts from BFE and fix it all up.

What they don't tell you is that anything left in your car will not be touched by a mechanic NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!! I guess that is not part of the repair shop employee screening process.

So say your darling child left hot chocolate from Starbucks in the back cup holder and it has been an extended period of time in an enclosed space with no thoughtful repair shop man to dispose of it for you. When you get your car back....It is going to smell! I mean stink so bad that you once again you thank God that you live in south Texas and can roll your windows down to drive and won't be freezing.

So the day before Thanksgiving when I was celebrating the return of my precious little mini van....I spent the whole evening febreezing, lysol, renuzit....etc.

Then the next day we took Rebecca's friend back to her family ranch in a neighboring town and on my way back.....my van died.

On the side of a road in a still smelly van on Thanksgiving morning and a house full of people heading my way.

Starbucks is not to blame I know....but gosh it made for a really difficult day.

Performing for Lions can be Scary

Today my younger Gifted and Talented group are presenting their Thanksgiving play to the local Lions Club. In some form of insanity I thought it was a good idea to take seven boys and one girl from 1st-4th grade to present a program for my husbands organization. Let me be clear that these boys can be wild.

It is partly why I just adore them, they are creative free spirited and imaginative beyond belief. It makes them perfect in GT, but sometimes difficult in social situations. After they had made their own costumes, helped with script, designed the background.....well I couldn't help but want to show them off.

So last week we practiced like crazy. Then the 7th grade class who had built a tepee and and drying rack for a history project decided to work with us and loan us their items to enhance our scene. Add a Mayflower and we had the cutest little set you ever saw.  We moved all this  industrial equipment from the school to the community center with the help of the 7th grade and we were good to go.

My darlings were fabulous if I do say so myself, and the only time I really had to reign them in was not letting them go crazy when they were offered lunch by the Lions Club. One of my boys wanted to know if he could put three rolls on his plate. One wanted to keep the community ketchup on our table just in case he needed more, and one proceeded to pick off all the breading from his fried chicken and put it on a napkin beside his plate (at least he used a napkin).

I pronounced the day a success and I am very proud of my younger group even if social skills becomes my next major project with them.

Making it Sparkle and Shine

I have conveniently ignored the fact that I have fifteen people coming to my home for Thanksgiving dinner this year. With my cleaning skills being somewhat lacking....and me falling so far behind on my computer work. I thought "what the heck" might as well dedicate my whole day to making this place sparkle and shine.

It consisted of moving about twenty boxes that are loaded up for my next garage sale whenever that might be. There were also about eight boxes I have packed in getting my house prepared to be put on the market. It's not like we are talking cross country moving here. We just want to find a place about ten miles down the road in the neighboring school district.

Anyway (sorry I am random and distracted), I packed and polished. I scrubbed and vaccuumed. I ironed table clothes and put out the good china and crystal so that it would get one more use before it was designated to packing boxes as well. I even managed to decorate and cut out my placecards on the cricut.

I have been a busy little beaver have ya'll missed me?

Blogging Cheery Thought

Cheer season is upon us once again at my house. This year both the girls are involved again. Regan had taken a break from cheerleading the last two years to do dance instead, but she is back and will compete in the next few months.

Rebecca's squad has been practicing their routine since August and were hoping to once again get a National Bid to the championships at Walt Disney World. This is just her favorite thing in the whole world. On any given day you will find Rebecca practicing her routine or choreographing her own dance or making up her own cheers. It is constant at our house and her absolute passion in life.

They did okay for their first competition of the season. It showed what they were doing right and where they could improve. They did get the bid for Disney World, so now it is up to the parents if we feel like the squad is good enough for the big time again this year. Last year they placed third in the nation, but the way the routine shaped up on Sunday they have a lot to improve on before they are back at that caliber again.

Regan voted for Disney, because I told her I wouldn't go again without her......you can tell the girls have no inkling about how bad the economy is and whether it will even be manageable in the family budget.

I should have Blogged but Instead got Horrible News

Today we went to a wedding in our small town. In typical small town style there was everyone and their dog invited. The local community center had over 800 people crammed in to dine, dance, and socialize. One of my friends from a neighboring town is a gossipy sort and couldn't wait to give me the dish on a mutual friend.

It was a nightmare beyond belief. To put a very long story short there was an incident of child molestation in a house that both of my girls have spent quite a bit of time in over the years. It lead to suicide by the perpetrator and the devastation of an entire family in one swoop.

At the first hearing of the story I was sure my gossipy friend was lying or had misunderstood the facts. Then to my horror I found out the story was indeed true. A day that started in the joy of watching two young people start out their dreams has led to a personal nightmare. To talk to my girls about this was going to be difficult too.

This is a home where both of my girls especially Rebecca had spent a lot of time. Rebecca had even stayed an entire week while John Mark and I were on vacation years ago. I was told by other mutual friends that the incident wasn't isolated and that a few more victims had come forth....but on a good note it had not involved any of the children that lived there. It was an outside family member that very few children came in contact with.

Luckily, after a very intensive conversation with the girls they both assured me that nothing remotely wrong had ever occurred with them or in their presence. They were just as surprised at the news as I was. I am so sad that my friend and her family are going through this and at the same time relieved that nothing ever involved my children.

I should have Blogged but it's Game Day

Today is the final basketball game before the holidays for the girls school team. Rebecca has played amazingly enough for three years now and is an aggressive tiny little thing. She has no fear about going for the ball and stealing it. In fact she is quite good at it, but this is where her lack of basketball skills come into play.

My poor child can't shoot....or aim....and sometimes panics when she has the ball, and just looks to pass it off to someone else. I know it comes from lack of training not lack of ability. Skills come with time and practice. I know if she put forth the same effort that she does towards her cheerleading and tumbling skills, I would have an amazing athlete on my hands. Her body is an amazing piece of  fitness equipment in itself. She can flip and tumble all day long, but aim and shoot one ball, and it is an entirely different world.

Today I avoided blogging and went to a neighboring school to watch the final game.  I got a great picture of Rebecca (#10) and some of her best friends for a quick pose before the game. Then during the game the two times she played she barely had the ball at all to get a shot.  Then she got stomped on by a girl on the opposing team and we had a bruised foot to deal with.

Medicures and Panicures

My darling husband is feeling a bit of guilt overload. He did go with us to Disney on Ice, but he is skipping town this weekend for a "boys weekend" hunting in South Texas. This would normally not be a big deal at all, but this Friday is Regan's birthday so he asked for permission to be excused from the festivities.

I should clarify that into saying he will not be attending "New Moon" this Friday with me and several squealing girls and two other mothers. He is quite broken-up about it. To help make amends he treated the three of us on Saturday to our choice of a manicure or pedicure at a local nail salon.

Regan has gotten a manicure before when she was on vacation with us and Rebecca was off at camp. She decided again that a manicure was best because no one ever sees a pedicure with her leg braces on. She chose a pretty peach color for her nails which suited her coloring perfectly.

Rebecca was uber excited to sit in the "spa" chair and have her feet massaged.  She was even more thrilled when I let her get a flower painted on each big toenail.  Later that evening we went to a wedding and she spent a lot of time making sure her feet got noticed. Aren't they cute?

And yes I realize the title is backwards. It is because the girls keep getting the words all mixed up wich just cracks me up!

The Difficulty of Photographing Regan

Have I ever mentioned how difficult it is to photograph Regan? It has nothing to do with how gorgeous she is (obviously, LOL), but the fact that she is extremely hard to direct. She has no problems with red eye, coloring, or dark eye circle. It has everything to with the fact she cannot open her eyes and smile at the same time.

"Regan, open your eyes"
So she of course uses her hands to help open her lovely brown eyes wide. her eyelid muscles just refuse to cooperate with her smile muscles. She can also not give a closed mouth smile or a half smile....we have tried.

So often we try to catch her off guard being natural because posing makes it so much worse and you can spend up to an hour wading through posed pics to find one that will "work".

On the other hand Rebecca my little narcissistic child will pose all day long with ease and loves the camera. Half of her pictures are deleted because she could just have you take pics or take them of herself pretty much all day long.

Are some of your children more camera easy than others?

Disney On Ice was Amazing!

It has been a few years since we have gone as a family to one of the Disney on Ice shows. On Friday we took the girls to see the 100 Years of Magic and what an incredible time we had. We enjoyed singing along with all of our favorite songs, and the amazing capabilities of the ice skaters. Some of those skaters are just amazing.  We saw several who could even do back flips on the ice!The girls loved Pinocchio and the Lion king the best, but my favorite was Beauty and the Beast and the trip back in time with the "Mickey Mouse Club" theme song. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

We snacked as we watched the show on cotton candy that came complete with a crown (with mouse ears of course). We had a great view from the handicapped section. One of the down sides is that you are far away from most of the action, but the major plus is you have plenty of seating room and nobody blocking your view from the front. It was also easy to leave first and get out of the parking lot. It was a fun show that gave several story synopsis with great music to enjoy and a wonderful family moment we will cherish. Thank you again Mom Central for the opportunity to represent you and share with my readers.

At our house Thursdays are dedicated to Family Day. It is the a day that I do not work at the gym in the evenings, and the girls have nothing planned. Typically it involves going to the movies or family game night at the house. This week we went golfing as a family and then went to John Mark's office.

The fun part of his office is that he has a ping pong table in his conference room that doubles as his table when he has meetings, but throw on the stereo, order a pizza, and it is our own personal party lounge. In between challenging each other to games and dancing aound the room we enjoyed a family fellowship moment that we have come to look forward to on our Thursday nights.

Anyone else celebrate a family night once a week?

Things Remembered: Make A Wish Bear

One of the most meaningful gifts you can give at Christmas are those that serve a dual purpose. It should awe the recipient and proceeds from the gift  should go to a worthwhile cause. To bring this point home one of my  go-to gift finding places, Things Remembered demonstrates this beautifully this year.

 Isn't he adorable? This is Max and he is this year's collaboration with Things Remembered and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This is a charity that I hold in very high regard. Many of Regan's friends have been granted wishes through this organization and we have seen what a difference it can make in the lives of families with terminally ill children. It is a charity that merits my attention and when there is a bear as adorable as Max that I can buy and personalize, it makes giving so mch easier.

Max has soft moveable arms and he is holding a snowglobe that plays" When you Wish upon a Star". The base of the music box can be engraved with a personal message. I wish I could tell you about my message that my daughter and I requested, but unfortunately that person reads my blog faithfully (sorry). The great part is that two dollars from every Max bear purchased goes to the Make a Wish Foundation with Things Remembered promising a minimum donation this year of $250,000. WOW!

If you are looking for a wonderful gift that also helps terminally ill children fulfill some of their biggest dreams than look into finding your own Max a home this holiday season. Things Remembered is found in most malls or feel free to shop using the highlighted link.

If you are wondering whether  my Max is finding his way to under your tree this year? Well I am not telling!

Disciplining my CP child is tough

You would think a child this lovely could not possibly get in trouble or pull the things that she does. You would think that  and be utterly wrong. I swear she just comes up with ways to make up for the fact that she can't physically do anything wrong....so she justs tests us in every other area.

I will say though this time it has nothing to do with being  random on my cell phone there are no hidden charges for Ferrari parts or anything. Today at the gym Regan had my phone and received a text from John Mark asking what we would like him to make for dinner (yes he cooks most nights, aren't I lucky?). Regan called out the question to Rebecca and I because we were both coaching at the time.

I immediately requested grilled chicken ceasar salads, basically I was craving something delicious and not too heavy for an evening meal. I saw her texting away and gave it no more thought. During a break  between classes I went over and checked my phone, and read Regan's reply to her dad.

"Mom says she wants steak, baked potatoes, and ciabatta bread for dinner"

Ummmmm, no I did not!!!! Sounds more like what Regan wanted for dinner.

We have four days until Regan's birthday party with her best friend from disability camp and normally my first instinct is to take the party away from her for being so disobedient. Unfortunately the tickets for "Disney on Ice" are already here and her friend has never gotten a night out with another friend....ever ( her mom is very hesitant with her disablity).

I hate that she pulls this right before a major event for her because I normally don't hesitate to go full force on discipline, so that it hits hard and makes an impact. So John Mark and I are indiscussion on how else to punish her. Any Ideas?

Tiny Prints and Christmas Cards

Every year I am bombarded with an entourage of beautiful family Christmas cards. The perfect family photos beautifully trimmed with holiday decor. My friend Kelly spends part of her year every year planning her girl's chirstmas card in some unique and adorable situation. My sister, Jennifer always produces the ideal Christmas look in coordinating outfits and beautiful smiles. Every year I have every intention of joining the legion of family friends who send out the prefect Christmas greeting.

Alas, I fail miserably.

This year I have fallen in love with the Tiny Prints holiday selection. I have dreams of the perfect family photo smiling out for all of our friends to see. See that stunning Black and white toile card. Did you know I have a weakness for all thinks toile?

Looking for your own Christmas cards for the holiday season? I can highly recommend the the photocards, pop up cards, and charity celebrity designed cards from Tiny Prints. I bought the girls camp stationary from Tiny Prints and I can tell you that this is a quality stationary company that I like so much that they are my first official advertiser (see right hand column for a direct link and example). I am off to plan outfits that match that toile!

Getting Kicked out of a Bingo Hall takes Talent

For the last several Fridays my family has gone against the Texas tradition of Friday Night Football, and stealthily snuck into the underbelly of small town life the Bingo halls. It is a guilty pleasure that I just adore, and have now exposed the rest of my family....to my utter shame and embarrassment.

We have smelled the fried food and lure of possibly easy money. The girls love that they are allowed to play and keep their winnings in a form of gambling that small town likes to call fundraising for charity.

I have discovered that there are many ways to nearly get kicked out of said Bingo halls, and my rambunctious group are testing out every theory.

Things the bingo loyalists do not find funny include

1. Yelling Go Fish instead of Bingo.
2. Annoyingly saying "got it" or "don't got it" after every number called.
3. Having Regan repeat every number called out to make sure she heard it right.
4. Having Rebecca speak quite loudly on the dangers of smoking as she passes the smoking section. (That is sure to increase our popularity)
5. Announcing quite loudly when you have one number left.
6. Saying "Doink" repeatedly as you dob each number on the paper that is called.
7. Having your husband make a snide comment and snicker when they call out " O 69" or your kids using the age old joke of "Before What?" every time "B4" is called.

What has started out as a fun family activity has become my own personal nightmare as my family is determined to eventually get us kicked out of the bingo hall and then even the underbelly of small town life will cease to exist for us.

Go Fish!!!

Book Review: Suburban Outlaw

I read Suburban Outlaw by Pam Sherman, about a month ago and have already loaned it out twice. First of all because it was laugh out loud funny and secondly beacuse it was a quick read that I knew several of my friends would enjoy. I love it when you read something that can be engagingly familiar without having to tug at heartstrings.

It is a hilarious book that combines a sharp urban sense of humor with an outtake on life in the suburbs. As a small town gal myself it is easy to relate to many of her frustrations such as finding the perfect hairdresser and the right type of clothing to suit the city girl removed from her element. Pam kept me hooting out loud as she talks about finding her people and her husband's "other" girlfriend. I completely related to her absolute loathing for nicknames for herself. Which even inspired me to write a post on that subject matter a while back.

She has the wit of Jen Lancaster in essay form so that each individual portion is easy to read and a story on its' own. I reccomend this to all my readers who find that sarcasm is indeed their hidden superpower and want to enjoy a book without feeling emotionally overwhelmed. This one is book shelf worthy which says a lot at my house.

Order from Amazon and enjoy!

Of South Park and Corn

About a week ago Rebecca came home and asked about the television show "South Park". A friend of hers was saying that it was his favorite show and how funny it was. He was shocked that she had never watched it. I'm pretty sure that up until this point she didn't even know the show existed. It is not a family show that we watch at all in our home. I know I watched a few episodes when it came out years ago, but really it had been eons since I even paid any attention to it.

When she asked me about the show and if she would be allowed to watch it, I responded with "let me watch an episode first and I will let you know if I think it is appropriate."

Wow!

Either I am really old, or this show is just disturbing and I didn't realize it when I watched it years ago. There were basically naked men having sex....on a cartoon, and lots of very degrading remarks. Nothing I would ever let my child watch....and certainly nothing I thought was the slightest bit funny.

I explained the next day that it was not going to be a show she would be able to watch. I told her there were naked people in cartoon form and that I considered it to be porn (a word I should have probably explained better).

Rebecca went off to school and came home later that day saying all of her friends looked confused when she said she was not allowed to watch South Park because it had way to much corn in it.

Yup, corn.
I wish that was South Park's only problem.

Halloween Costume Parade

Halloween started yesterday for us with the annual costume parade at the girl's school. Regan went as a disability camp counselor which of course only needed me to buy a whistle. Rebecca and her best friend Kayla went as cats, and those eyelashes were incredible!. One of my favorite characters of the day was the girl's principal. He went as a pirate and kept in character the whole time, which just cracked us up. He was in accent the whole morning and took the time to talk to each kid about their costumes and welcomed them to be a part of his crew.

Some of my favorite costumes from the kids are those who are creative enough to use what they find around them at home. One fifth grader went as a tourist complete with her Samsonite luggage and a camera around her neck. The best though was my good friend Tammy whose son came in a box that was speckled on the top half and painted white on the bottom.

What was he?

A crouton dipped in ranch dressing! Isn't that he best?

Have a great Halloween and if you are in San Antonio, come find us at the Boo at the Zoo event.

Weekend Forecast: Sunny with a chance of ZhuZhu Pets

The options around small town for Halloween were limited this year. The girls are a little to old for trick-or treating now. None of their friends are throwing Halloween parties, and I didn't particularly feel up to it. They could hand out candy at John Mark's business for the community Pumpkin Patch Trail (which in their minds was about as thrilling as researching term life insurance rates). They could also go to a neighboring town for the haunted corn maze, but it is not handicapped friendly for Regan, and Rebecca gets nightmares way to easily.

Lucky for us a job opportunity has come our way that suits us all perfectly. I was asked if I would be available to travel to San Antonio for their annual "Boo at the Zoo" event and run the booth for the ZhuZu pets hamsters that are all the rage right now. Well the girls and I love the zoo, and we had good friends that want to work too. I am really excited to get the opportunity to have a fun Halloween in San Antonio with friends....plus get paid!

I hope I see some of my central Texas readers there and I know we are going to have hamsters to give away so come by, say hi!

The Sheet Search (say that 10x fast)

Regan is almost fully recovered from her injury that happened in August. A quick recap...

She was walking around the school track in her walker with her aide during PE time in 100 plus degree weather, and fell to her knees. She not only got incredibly scraped up but also had minor burns as well. The recovery of her injuries has been less than pleasant to say the least.

Because the scrape and burn went through several layers of skin, but not deep enough for stitches or anything it has taken For-E-Ver to heal. For the first month we kept her in the wheelchair and applied ointments etc. This month we finally have her in her walker and working again, but one small scrape still someitmes opens. The problem is the longer Regan is out of her walker the harder it is for her to pick up walking again. Needless to say I hate it when she is in her wheelchair, because chances are down the road she will be stuck in one for life, so right now I want her as active as possible.

The other rather nasty side affect is her bedding. As much as I have tried to keep bandages and everything healing, for some reason she still ends up in her comfortable fetal position every night with all bandages mysteriously on the floor, and disgusting sheets.

I have never done so much bedding laundry on nearly a daily basis, and they have become threadbare and still stained no matter what additive I am using lately. I am ready for her to heal and buy her all new sheet sets. Some comfortable 500+ thread count, with wrinkle treatment, and luxurious softness. I am ready for this child's knees to heal once and for all. I think I will burn her sheets in celebration when that day finally does come.

Of course I would post a pic....but really who wants to see my darling's knees in all their nastiness. Just take my word for it people!

Commended

There is no doubt that Regan struggles to some degree in school. Her cerebral palsy definitely affects some of her learning skills and ability to process information. There is no doubt in my mind though that once she understands, she has it forever. She has an amazing memory that continually astounds us.

For years the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills)  standardized tests have been modified for her to some degree.  For example she is given special permission from the state to use a calculator for the math portion, and while it may seem really fortunate, it is because of her inability to properly align the numbers when she writes out a problem, hence major mistakes happen. On other tests though it is usually in regards to larger print, having questions read to her orally, or given the core questions without all the extra filler they put in for the average student.

There are definitely years when her TAKS scores have been less than thrilling, and there was the year we were horrified to learn that her bubbling in the answers had gotten off by a line, and the teacher could say nothing to her about it. But this year......we were in tears proud of my girl!!!!!!

She not only passed the 7th grade TAKS test in writing, but she scored 100%!!!! Yes, she really did. Today she received a special commendation and certificate from the school since her paper was graded much later than her classmates, so she was not recognized at last years awards ceremony. today she received applause from the entire school in the Monday morning assembly on a job well done.

She is awesome!

In case you didn't know.

My Horrific Honda Scare...Should be driving a GM

On our way to Wal-Mart yesterday where I was going to develop pictures (and play BINGO). The girls and I got stuck in a work zone. Traveling at about 25 mph behind a long line of cars and a Texas Highway Department Pilot car, somewhere up ahead somebody stepped on their brakes. I was the last car in the line and plowed into the truck in front of me. This is what my Honda looked like yesterday around 10:00 am.

The girls immediately burst into tears, and luckily for all three of us no one was hurt at all. Rebecca pretty much snapped out of it immediately, and then wanted to borrow my phone to call all of her friends to tell them what happened (isn't that crazy). Regan took a very long time to calm down, and was hysterical for the better part of a 1/2 hour, but that goes along with her cerebral palsy and inability to process things well.

We made it safely to the shoulder of the road, but my entire front at that time was smoking as we got out. I went straight into logic mode...which is always how I handle a crisis. For some reason I always get completely calm and logical, about what I should be doing. We called John Mark to come out (and the call center of our insurance company). I had Rebecca gather up everything we needed to get out of the car. I took pictures for my insurance. The truck we rear ended contained four guys that were traveling and they got out to assess their damage.

There was none.... not even a dent, and the one little bit of white paint that got on their steel constructed bumper, just chipped off. The American made farm truck was stalwart and standing, while my Honda was a testament to modern fiberglass and plastic....and for some reason no air bags deploying (going to research still why not). The guys looked at my wreck and their truck, and everyone pretty much agreed that was why American vehicles were made better.

The sheriff's department came out, as well as a representative for the Texas Highway Department since it happened in a work zone, and everyone was amazed at the difference in the two vehicles. My battered Honda left for the wrecker yard, and the truck simply drove away.

There is something to be said for American made, and it's almost too late to realize it.

The New Smart Ones: Review

I have really focused on eating better since my girls have gone back to school. One of the biggest traps I can fall easily into is snacking out of sheer boredom. Does that happen to anyone else? Well to combat this I have been trying to drink a lot more water when I am bored instead of reaching for food in between meals. Then when I am ready to eat a meal I watch how many calories I am consuming. A great solution I have discovered are Smart Ones by the Weight Watchers company. Especially at lunch time when I only have myself to feed, and I do not need to worry about the rest of my family and making their meals.

Recentli, I was sent three coupons to try some of Smart Ones newest products. I bought the Artisan Creations Stone Fired Pizza in pepperoni, the Smart Ones Pizza Minis also in pepperoni, and the Artisan Creations Grilled Flatbread in chicken marinara. All three of these are tasty lunchtime options that fall between the five to eight points if you follow Weight Watchers and their points system. As for me with just trying to eat a little healthier and a lot less, these come in perfect lunchtime sizes and I was not hungry afterwards and since I have been eating healthier I love that there are tasty options available for me at lunch.

I really appreciate how much effort Smart Ones has put into their lunches. I thought all three were tasty and I have gone back and bought more fore me to have as my lunchtime options at home. My favorite are the flatbreads which I can't get enough, and I also really enjoy the Fruit Inspirations line. These are a healthy, affordable, and tasty too, how could you go wrong with that?

Disney On Ice Celebrates: 100 Years of Magic

For Regan's birthday this year we are going to see Disney On Ice. We had gone a few years ago and the girls just loved it when we saw Beauty and the Beast as an ice show. They still talk about the memories we made as a family on that day. To me it is so much more important that the girls get these wonderful experiences to cherish then have stuff cluttering their rooms. Often for Christmas and Birthdays I look for them to have experiences rather than stuff.

This year at the Reliant Center in Houston the family is excited about spending time together and celebrating my darling girl turning another year older and causing me many more gray hairs. Luckily, for that evening we look forward to the joy and magic that is Disney, and spending time together as a family. Would you like to enjoy some quality time with your family at a great price? Right now there is a coupon code through Mom Central for really great ticket prices that your family can take advantage of too.

Come experience

Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic

playing Reliant Stadium with your family!

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU!

Purchase a 4‐pack of ;ckets for only $44 for weekday shows

or receive $4 off weekend tickets by logging onto

http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and entering the coupon code:

Wal-Mart Bingo

Do you just hate those Wal-Mart runs?

Are you lookng for ways to make your trip just a little more interesting? Need some entertainment while you glance through endless racks of clothing and shelves of weight loss supplements. Well then I have the perfect game for you!

I mean really aren't these the strange unexplainable kinds of people you can see at any given day at this place. Last year we saw a lady who had transformed a pair of men's tidy whities into a tank top. To this day I am baffled if it was for pure necessity, or whether she was trying to make a fashion statement.  So enjoy your next trip to the theme park that is Wally World, and play the game that is all the rage.  Come back and tell me if you get a Bingo!

Side note....no this is not my own invention, just found it oddly humorous when it was sent to me in an email. If this offends you in any way....I suggest don't shop at Wal-Mart

And if you see the unattended crying children sorry those are my girls I wouldn't let them have the free kittens.

Real Estate drives me crazy

My house is unofficially on the market. What does that mean? Well it means that we happen to know a few people who had expressed interest in our home over the year. It helps that we have a larger house in a semi-nice neighborhood: well except for the crack trailer house across the street, and the other one around the corner, and oh yeah the wandering chickens and goats that we randomly see because this town has virtually no zoning laws.

Despite all those flaws we have what is considered by some to be a relatively nice house with great country views and a privacy fence but all the amenities of the city. It has me feeling confident enough that I am scoping homes for rent in the neighboring town that has the school district I want for the girls to go to.

Basically right now I have three different families that have previously shown interest. We have quoted a price to the first one, and they are getting back to us. If that falls through we talk to the next one. What this also means, is that my efforts to fix it have slowed a bit, because we are willing to go a bit lower on the price to not make some of the required changes. Let's hope I can get this house sold with out ever really putting it on the market.

Relaxation "My Yoga 2 Go": Review and Giveaway

I am a Yoga kind of girl. As high energy as I can be, I do not like high energy exercise. I like slow stretching that works your body muscles, allows for further flexibility, and gives you well-sculpted muscles. I actually love to incorporate my yoga in the swimming pool in the summer because it is a great work out, and I never have to sweat (bonus, Right!). One other wonderful thing about yoga is that it is very good for Regan. A lot of the moves we can incorporate easily into her physical therapy routines needed to address her tight muscles due to her cerebral palsy. Over the years we have noticed a marked difference in her abilities in part due to the stretching exercises we have used.

Thanks in part to the Family Review Network and My Yoga 2 Go I was allowed the opportunity to review a really neat yoga travel or at home system.

From the website:

My Yoga 2 Go offers unique, quality products that inspire practice. The My Yoga 2 Go Practice System combines the flexibility of working out at home, the versatility of a yoga class and the hands-on guidance of an experienced yoga instructor all in one yoga practice system.

The My Yoga 2 Go Practice System will help you to achieve all of your yoga fitness goals without expensive yoga classes or yoga DVD’s. And let’s face it, most of us barely have time to eat, let alone get a yoga workout in! The My Yoga 2 Go Practice System provides an excellent way to set up your own yoga routine to do at home.

If you are interested in either enhancing your current at home practice or beginning a new yoga practice in the comforts and convenience of home, anytime, anywhere, My Yoga 2 Go is for you.

My experience is that it suits my style of exercise perfectly.  There is just enough beginner and intermeidate level exrecises to keep me working and challenging exercise to look forward too as my flexibility improves. There are also several exercise I look forward to adapting to my swimming routine.

For a limited time My Yoga 2 Go is being offered at a discount to anyone interested in purchasing the system for themselves. The discount code, “BLOGYOGA”, which is good for 15% off the My Yoga 2 Go Practice System when purchased at the website is active through November 15. This makes a great gift for the exercise enthusiast in your life, or as you look forward to a new you in 2010.

Deacon vs Beacon in the Southern Baptist Church

Yesterday evening we ventured out to see my in-laws who live a little over an hour away from us. It was a very special evening for my FIL who was being ordained as a deacon in the Baptist Church.

Now I grew up Presbyterian and currently attend a Methodist church. I have always enjoyed the sermons when I have attended Baptist services, but honestly sometimes their theology just confuses me. I don't understand a lot of their particular rules. For instance last night while I am watching a very solemn ceremony and really enjoying the music I come to the realization that all four incoming deacons are men. The 12 deacons that already exist in the church are all men.

Is there a reason for this?

I asked my husband who grew up Southern Baptist and his reply was that it just was tradition (ummm okay, but probably wrong). What is the real theory or doctrine behind this? I know I am a feminist and I raise my girls to know they will be capable of anything they set their minds too. They are not being raised as girly balls of fluff with no brains and a mind only for choosing the best eye cream and nail polish.

Of course my girls jumped right on my bandwagon in the car. They wanted to know why their grandmother was good enough to only be a sunday school teacher in that faith but not really much else. As much as I love the church and all that it stands for, I can't help but think this demeans women. If there is a biblical reason for it I really want to know so that I better understand, Anyone?????

On a side note, Rebecca was telling a friend yesterday that she was heading to her grandad's church to see him become a beacon.

I love this because he certainly is shining a light to bring others into the fold, and we can all be beacons.....just not deacons.

Rummino : Get your Head in the Game

We are a game playing family. To tell you the truth it can get kind of ugly around here because we are an extrememly competitive game playing family. I have been known to chart moves in battleship and move my ships accordingly. Yeah.....it is all about the win.

Recently we had the chance to play Rummino thanks to Marina Games and Family Review Network. I am already a fan of gin rummy the card game and had taught Regan and Rebecca over the summer how to play. This made playing Rummino very easy to adapt to because it is really a fun domino version of Rummy. The object is to get the highest score at the end of the game.

Last weekend I had to work at the gym running a birthday party so the girls and two of their friends occupied themselves with their newest game of choice Rummino

Don't they look intensely into the game? They were more interested in playing several rounds than getting involved in helping me run the birthday party. I love that our family game night now has another game added in to our rotation and I know we will be playing it for years to come.

I recommend Rummino if you enjoy card and domino type games. The game is geared to the ages eight and up crowd and can be played with a minimum of two players which is great when John Mark and I are looking for a game for just the two of us.

Tech Teach Tuesday

Well this is me on Tuesday. I spent a bit of time learning all about my new Logitech Webcam Pro 9000. I logged onto a virtual conference which was taking place in Dallas, and had the opportunity to interact with another mom blogger who was at the conference in person. She and I chatted for a while and then had an assignment to complete for Logitech. I then spent quite a bit of time contemplating how exactly to work out the rest of the details of this camera. I learned that I could do web shows using the webcam, and I can skype with my family from my desktop. I can also use an avatar...the shark one just cracks me up that will do my talking for me. This is not a bad idea, as I am looking at this photo taken with the webcam, and realize that some anti wrinkle cream would not be amiss. Overall though I learned a lot, and I am excited about my new little upgrade in technology. It is definitely not too late for this old dog to learn some new tricks.

The Queen of Mean Rules against Cell Phones

I have schemers and dreamers,
I will be the first to admit it, and lately they both have tried every trick in the book to try to get their very own cell phones. Luckily I am the Queen of Mean and will not give in easily....although I have been enjoying each well thought out attempt.

Attempt by Regan: She just got her paycheck in from doing a focus group job and can not wait to spend her money. Her first want of utmost importance is a cell phone of her very own. She loves to chat and text with her good friend Robbie who she met at disability camps. She and Robbie talk endlessly about computer and playstation games, and gossip about their former campers and councelors and what they appear to be up to on Facebook updates.

The Failure of Regan: She has no continuing plan to work and maintain the finances of a cell phone. She tries to hide conversations on my phone, and random searches. A few months ago my phone had a subscription attached to "who will i marry.com" and she posted inapropriately on Facebook. She will randomly search odd things on my cell phone like a Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney she heard about on TV. All these things she does without my expressed permission, and has a three strikes and your out rule now placed upon her. She is currently on strike two and trying to behave.

Giving this child a cell phone is a disaster waiting to happen

Attempt By Rebecca: Rebecca has a monthly paycheck from the gym due to her coaching dance classes, and her beginning to babysit on occasion. She found a phone that outright costs about 20.00 she is sure that she could maintain her own bills if we would give her the chance to get a cell phone before the determined time. She had a business plan ready to present her dad and I and had all of her pros and cons mapped out (she is pretty clever)

Failure of Rebecca: We just switched to unlimited texting in my phone and it is a good thing too. I went from 200 texts a month (In which I maybe used about 50) at some cost, and John Mark moved to unlimited, and my texts went to 1200 this month alone. WOW, that child is social. A lot of her friends live in neighboring towns and she doesn't see them on a daily basis, but several have phones. The rule is the entire conversation stays on my phone so that I can read every detail, and I erase texts....not her. The other rule is that she is not allowed to text boys first, but she can answer as long as she did not initiate the conversation.

Giving This child a phone and her social life threatens to overpower her family life.

Mall Tweens

Today it was official.
I was no longer "cool" enough to hang out with at the mall.
I had taken Regan, Rebecca, and an extra friend of the girls to the mall today as part of my shopping list of things I needed to get done with when we made it again to our neighboring "big town". My list included stopping by the cell phone store, running errands at the hardware store, clothes shopping for Regan, taking a look at potential christmas photo cards, and talking to several places about laptops and desktops to see what is coming available in two weeks when the next windows version comes out.

When we made it to the mall, and knew we would be there for a couple of hours, Rebecca and her friend asked immediately if they could walk about by themselves for a while, and shop with their money (i.e. the cookie company shop and aeropostale). They had the friend's cell phone and check in times, so I let them go.

It was a little sad honestly. I was no longer fun to shop with or be around. They met up with other friends that were there and had a wonderful time taking pictures in the photo booth, and walking around all the stores. I was a nervous wreck to know that four 11-12 yr old girls were unleashed on the mall and I could not watch them like hawks or even stalk them without being caught.

They managed perfectly and pronounced the afternoon a success. They checked in at the proper times and there was no fussing when it was time to leave. They behaved perfectly.... but I hate those too grown up for mom moments.

Ziploc Making Lunch Time Easier: Review and Giveaway

Every day it is a mad scramble to get my girls out the door, organized, and fully packed for school. Part of our daily routine is making sure that lunch is packed qd ready to go. Lucky for me the girl's school cafeteria has microwaves for them to use. I can't tell you how much easier this makes my life. This morning the girls were loaded up with leftovers of last night's pork and rice casserole, salad, and fruit. The perfect transport for each of these items? Ziploc of course.

So what did I pack this nutritious healthy lunch in? First the casserole and the salad were placed in the Ziploc® Fresh Shield® Twist 'n Loc® Containers. They are made to lock in freshness, and the lids twist on and have a leak-resistant seal—-so you don't have to worry about spills or leaks. Perfect for leftovers that need to be nuked. For snacks and sandwiches I turn to the ever useful sandwich bags. Regan's was full of Craisins this morning her newest favorite snack.

Want to test out Ziploc for yourself to see how well their products work in your household? I am thrilled that Ziploc is allowing me to run a giveaway along with my review for one box of Ziploc sandwich bags and one group of storage conatsiners like those reviewed. This is open To US residents only, and will close October 12, 2009 midnight CST.

1. First Mandatory Entry: Tell me a great use for Ziploc Fresh Shield® Twist 'n Loc® containers.
2. 2nd entry: Become a Google Follower of my site.
3. Become a Twitter Follower of my site.
4. Stumble this Post using Stumbleupon
5. Tweet this post, and leave me a copy of the tweet in the comment.

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and SC Johnson, who provided the item for review."

Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure Review

Of course anytime I can post gratuitous pictures of my super cute niece I will, but I promise this time it has purpose. My girls (Regan and Rebecca that is) were wondering why shows like baby einstein were of any use to babies at all. I explained to my children who are now way to old to remember when these shows were important to their child development, that this was an interactive way for babies to learn about the world aorund them. Particularly for their cousin Claire to learn more about animals in the new Baby Einstein DVD World Animal Adventure.

The girls and I watched the video and were entranced with the animals from all the continents, the mixture of music from all corners of the globe played upon native instruments, and the way that culture and nature were introduced at a level that  their baby cousin would love. It has gotten the seal of approval from my girls, and we can't wait until we get to see Claire to give it to her.

I recomend this to children from the ages of 1-4 yrs. Any child who loves animals and music will lose themselves in the real life videos and of course the fun puppet show which was my personal favorite. I can't wait to garner favorite aunt status with this video for my niece.

A special thank you to Mom Central and baby einstein World Animal Adventure for providing the video to review.