Aqua Sand Review

Check out our experience with Aqua Sand on the Review page.

Ultimate Laziness

How lazy can I be?

Pretty lazy.

Want to read about it?

I knew you did.

The Butterfly Treehouse

In early August, I mentioned that our shipment of caterpillars for our Butterfly Treehouse had arrived. They were in a box marked "Live Insects" - I don't think I have received a more terrifying piece of mail in my life.

Luckily they came in a little plastic cup with holes in the lid and they were able to happily (maybe) live out their caterpillar days in the comfort of that very same cup.

Those caterpillar days were quite brief as within a couple of days, three of them were already in their chrysalis stage, and by 4 days in, all four were hanging from the lid of the cup. I guess they lived out most of their caterpillarhood in the mail. I am sure they have fond memories of the box.

Anyway, at the point where they were all hanging from the lid, they needed to be transferred into their treehouse. I delegated this important (and potentially gross) task to Mike, giving him a wonderful bonding moment with his son. Sharing the joy, that's what I am all about.

And you know, not touching bugs, I am very much about that, too.

Then we had to wait. The instructions said it would take 7-10 days for them to hatch (emerge? unchrysalize?) Tater was very excited to see them, but we had a weekend at the beach coming up and I was afraid we would miss the big event. He assured me that he wasn't all that interested in the hatching, he just liked the idea of having butterflies in his room.

Right around the 7 day mark, we found that there were two butterflies hanging out on the side of the treehouse. Apparently they have to sit around for a while for their wings to dry before they can actually fly around.

I had read in the instructions that came with treehouse that there could be some "red stuff" in the cage, which was part of the hatching process and not anything to be concerned about. I am glad I read that, because otherwise when I saw the splatters of what looked like (a lot of) blood all over the bottom and sides of the cage, I would have been QUITE concerned.

As it was, we had the treehouse sitting very close to the blinds in Tater's room and they looked like part of some sort of crime scene. Luckily it could all be wiped up pretty easily, but I would definitely recommend not putting this thing anywhere near upholstered surfaces or curtains. Could be big trouble!

Once the butterflies had hatched, we had to feed them. We mixed up some sugar water and put a few plastic bottlecaps full in the cage. Let me remind you that sugar water is quite sticky, and sugar water in a bottlecap is not at all spill-resistant. So make sure your kid understands that swinging the cage around is a BAD idea once the water is in there. Not that I have any personal experience with such a thing, but just saying...

On the day before we left for our beach weekend, all of the butterflies were out and beginning to fly. We made a deal with Tater that we would let them go the day after we returned, so that the butterflies would live out at least some piece of their lives in freedom. He sort of agreed.

So off we went to the beach (and had a lovely time), and when we came back, all of the butterflies were dry and flying around. Fun!!

So finally the day had come to set Tater's pets free! Except that he begged for one more day. So then THAT day arrived...

First we had to carefully take the (very sticky) bottlecaps out.


Then we took the treehouse out on the deck and unzipped the door.


Then we waited.


And waited.
You know how a fly can't seem to figure out how to go out of the open window?

Butterflies are just about that smart.


Finally, one flew out and away...and of course it went so suddenly and so quickly that I was unable to get a picture...

Then...another one...suddenly and quickly...

Then, more waiting. And some experimentation with encouraging the remaining occupants of the treehouse to take to the sky.


Then the third butterfly came out, circled Tater's head (wouldn't that have been a great picture?? Except that it isn't...) and flew away. This is what it looked like right AFTER the butterfly flew away. I am an excellent photographer.

Then, finally, the last one came out and landed on Tater's garden. I know you can't see him here...

But here's a closer look...see him now?

The kids thought it was very exciting that he had landed right there and was free, yet still visible.

They watched him for a little while and then encouraged him to fly away...at which point he fluttered down to the grass and didn't fly away. And didn't fly away. And still didn't fly away.

I am telling myself he just liked us and didn't want to leave...but he might have ended up being lunch for some bird. The circle of life.

The directions in the Butterfly Treehouse suggest that it can be re-used. You can just order more caterpillars and start all over again. However, with the blood spatter and the sugar water stickiness, I felt that it was not something we needed to keep around. And really - been there, done that.

Now, Tater wants some thing that he heard about for hatching ladybugs. And maybe praying mantis. Did I mention that I am not all that fond of bugs?

Besides, now we have this little stinker...so I am thinking we are full up on pets for a little while!!

Use Your Noodle

I have been remiss in my reporting duties.

Fun has been had, and yet, I did not write about it.

I promise to do better. For now - here is the review of our experience with Brain Noodles.

And no, that isn't food. That would be gross.

Teaser

Tater bought this in late June.

He saw an ad on Nickelodeon (of course) and was trying to get me to order over the phone. But I prevailed and made him to to Toys R Us and get it in person without paying shipping.

Because that's the kind of tough-love parent I am - FORCING the children to go to Toys R Us!

The caterpillars had to be ordered via mail, and would take several weeks. Considering our week-long trip to Maine, we decided to get them delivered in early August, so we would be around to experience the whole "metamorphosis" thing - which is sort of the whole point, right?

So the "tent" has been sitting, forlorn and empty in Tater's room for many weeks. And he has frequently said that he was waiting for August 3rd, which I thought meant he was PRETTY excited about my birthday - but alas...no...it was the bugs.

And the caterpillars did not come yesterday.

BUT...this little box was in the mail today. And I must admit I was a little skittish (squeamish? skeevish?) about picking it up to carry it inside.

Live insects. Yuck.

But when Tater gets home from camp this afternoon, there will be much rejoicing.
And live insects.

I'll keep you posted!

Bendaroos Review

Over here on the super new review page...

Coolest Mom - EVER!

Sorry...you need to click over here to my brand-new review site to see this most interesting and exciting post...

Please don't Scream...for Ice Cream

It is ice cream season (yay!).

So, every day around 5, like clockwork, I hear the tinny, repetitive music as the scariest ice cream truck ever makes the rounds of our neighborhood (boo!).

Yes, 5 o'clock. Right before dinner. I mean, is anyone finished with dinner by 5? This guy is totally shooting himself in the foot with his timing.

Which isn't to say that I would be lining the kids up for his treats no matter what time he came. The truck is scary. Like, kidnappers-in-a-van scary...but with music.

So he comes and the kids beg. And I pretend I don't see him. "I have no idea what you are talking about. A truck? With ice cream? I have never heard of such a thing."

Besides, I have the fridge stocked with these babies...Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches. They are all yummy and not-bad-for-you (really!) and yummy...did I say that part already?

The lovely ladies at Mom Central hooked me up with some free Skinny Cow stuff. (Oh, how I love those ladies at Mom Central!) So I went wild and picked up some Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Sandwiches. I already knew I loved the vanilla, and the peanut butter swirl is absolutely delish!

Cookies & Cream was, as expected, another winner. Sprout loves them almost as much as I do! Of course, Tater is suspicious of any ice cream that isn't vanilla (except for the electric blue cotton candy flavor at Maggie Moo's, which for some reason seems like a good idea to him).

I love having these treats on hand.

Love the single-serving format - very difficult to overindulge when you would have to go get another sandwich (not that I haven't...but it slows me down a tad).

Love the ice cream...it's all ice-creamy and awesome.

Love the stats...low fat...low calorie.

Love the opportunity to divert attention from the ice cream man.

"Hey! Look what I have in the freezer for after dinner!"

Maybe if I get some of the cute little cones, I could present them with a variety of choices.

As if I were the ice cream man...but less skeevy.

Mom's Night In - GIVEAWAY!

I was invited to participate in a "Mom's Night In" by my friend Colleen (AKA Classy Mommy). We met when she did a review of Stuff for Sprouts for me a while back, and was actually the person who suggested that I consider starting a blog to support the business.

Anyway, being invited to a blogger event did wonders to make me feel like a "real" blogger, and not just the amateur that I am. The event was organized by Role Mommy and sponsored by the makers of Slendertone products and Sane Fitness and they threw quite the party!

Free manicures were available (for those able to elbow through the crowd to the manicure table - sadly, I was not one of them) and done by manicurists from Calista Grand. A make-up artist (also from Calista) was doing makeovers. I shy away from that sort of thing since every professional make-up job I have ever had has left me just this side of drag queen, but those who did participate were looking quite fab. There was also someone doing chair massages. I did partake of the massage, much to the consternation of the masseuse who felt that the knots in my shoulders were a personal challenge. Sorry, I just internalize stress. And being in a lovely house filled to the brim with cool people I don't know is an excellent equation for stress.

Very few social skills :(

I did meet some really nice people and learned a little bit about Slendertone products. I even got FREE products to bring home and try. Check that out - swag!

The product demonstration was quite entertaining, as many of the attending blog-mamas tried on these electronic muscle stimulating contraptions. One lucky lady tried the arm exercisers and cranked them up until her hands were twitching. AWESOME!

Another (I will name no names) was outed as an expectant mom due to the fact that she couldn't try the products. Electronic stimulation and pregnancy apparently do not mix!

I snagged a "Revive" system to bring home. This seems to be the most multi-tasking Slendertone product. It has two gel-pad things that you can stick on various parts of your body and differing levels of "stimulation" that make it appropriate for either massage/muscle recovery or muscle strengthening.

I tried it out on my shoulders and lower back in massage mode. Once I got over the clammy stickiness of the pads, it was very enjoyable. A little awkward to apply, but nice.

The kids wanted to try, but the products are not appropriate for kids. I think you could accidentally fry them or something (yikes!)

Mike offered to be a guinea pig and tried out the ab mode. Very very entertaining to watch as he cranked it up until he was unable to stand. Giggle. We both thought it was an interesting experience, but I am not sure it will be something that we add to our routine on a regular basis.

But here's the good news (for those of you who have stuck with me this far!) I have a brand-spanking new Slendertone System-Arms exerciser for the arms (pictured above, not on me). A $99.99 value!!

I am giving this baby away to the commenter who gives me the best reason that I should. So...comment away...beg, plead, cajole...I am ready!

Because, see...I am like a totally REAL blogger now! Yay!

Green and Clean

Things are tough all over. I know lots of people out there are tightening their belts, and we are no exception over here. As part of our "fiscal adjustment" we have decided to reduce (and possibly eliminate - sob) visits from our cleaning service.

This makes me very sad. One of my happiest moments is coming home to a clean house that just happened with no intervention on my part. But, since I am currently unemployed, I really have no excuse for not getting myself in gear to do at least some of the cleaning.

So I armed myself with a plan, courtesy of my new friend at Motivated Moms. For my very small (under $10) investment, I have a list of what chores should be done each day to stay on top of housework before things get out of hand.

I must admit that I have opted out of some of the tasks (I am not cleaning the outdoor trash cans - not gonna happen). But overall, I am digging the breakdown into manageable pieces. I may even start to delegate some things to the kids.

My other tactic was to put cleaning wipes in strategic locations throughout the house. In each bathroom and in the kitchen. Thanks to my other friends at Mom Central I had the chance to try these great wipes from the new GreenWorks line made by Clorox.

I was kind of telling myself that using wipes isn't any worse, environmentally speaking, than spray cleaner and a paper towel. And goodness knows I am a heavy consumer of paper towels! But these GreenWorks wipes make me feel like I am doing less damage to the world, since they are biodegradable, 99% natural, and don't leave a chemical residue on things. They even have a nice smell. And they actually work!

I have been using these to wipe drips of of the toilets (yuck), hairspray and toothpaste off of the counters (double yuck) and spills in the kitchen (less yuck...) I also prefer to use a throw-away wipe to clean the bathroom because I seriously cannot stand using a sponge with hair stuck on it (ultimate yuck). So I like the "dispose and start over again" nature of wipes.

The cleaners came today, for the first time in a month, and I seriously wasn't sure I needed them to come (gasp!) Things were actually fairly under control. If I am able to hold it together through February, I think I am going to cancel them completely.

And then I will cry. And go look for a job :)

Special Snack

Kids enjoy snacks. My kids REALLY enjoy snacks. Especially sweet and junky ones, which I keep trying to explain to them are "treats", while "snacks" would be more like mini-meals with foods in them that actually make you less hungry (in the way a fruit roll-up never will).

Mom Central hooked me up with these Special K crackers, which come in convenient 90 calorie packs. They have whole grainy goodness going on, but do not taste like cardboard. The kids even enjoy them with a bowl of tomato soup or with a little PB to dip them in. Quite yummy, they also come in a Tomato and Herb flavor.

These are a good mainstream alternative to the Kashi TLC crackers that I really love. But I do have two (minor) gripes.

1) Why a 90 calorie pack? Couldn't we have 3 more crackers and make it 100? 90 seems like starvation to me...makes me want to eat 2 packs!
2) Not sure about the Special K branding. I guess they are rounding out the Special K diet brand...but I wouldn't really think of these as a diet food. More of a good all-around snack. Making it Special K seems too narrow...but maybe that's just me.

Anyway - they are yummy, they are good for you, they are out there...go get some!

Utimate Party?

The lovely ladies at Mom Central hooked me up with the ingredients to make Ultimate Party Meatballs. I don't know about you, but "Ultimate Party" and "Meatballs" haven't really occurred to me within one thought before. At this point in my life, the Ultimate Party is one that ends early, but hey, one with meatballs sounds interesting.

The recipe itself is super easy. Mix 1 Bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce with 1 can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce (and you thought it was just for Thanksgiving!). Heat on the stove, making sure to squish any jelly bits so that they aren't floating around in there. Add in a pound of pre-made appetizer sized meatballs and heat through. Serve (I would think fancy toothpicks would add to the "Ultimate Party" atmosphere).

I made these one night to try them and I have to say the sauce was very yummy. I am not much of a sweet-and-sour meatball person (I prefer mine with spaghetti...or in a sandwich) but if you were, this would be really awesome, and insanely easy.

I might use the sauce as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers, or some other appetizer-ish thing.

The folks at Ocean Spray and Heinz are even offering a sweepstakes on their website with a grand prize of $3000 in gift cards.

That would be the Ultimate Party!

All Fun and Games

Well, a fun game anyway!

I was asked to review a new game for the folks at Hasbro from their line of "Noodleboro" games. This is a series of games intended to help teach kids social skills. They include the Noodleboro Pizza Palace Listening Game, the Noodleboro Picnic Basket Manners Game and the one we received, the Noodleboro Fun Park Sharing Game.

First off, I have to clarify that I think my kids are a little old for these games. They are for ages 4+ and mine are 6 and 8.

Nonetheless, the prospect of a big box with something fun for them was very exciting. They ripped the box open and were very intrigued by all of the little carnival games inside.

Of course this all happened as I was attempting to juggle groceries inside the house and start dinner so they were begging me to play, "A parent has to hold the sharing stars!!".

They were practicing their technique at the different "tricks" while they were waiting for me, so by the time we were ready to go they could pretty much do them all flawlessly.

There is a little maze thing (The Log Flume) where you hold a little ball on a stick and balance it along the path. Another is called The Roller Coaster, where you drop a little token in the top and try to catch it with a little spoon-ish thing at the bottom. The Circus Tents are like the classic shell game where you try to find your animal after the three tents have been mixed up (Tater is jaw-droppingly good at this). And finally there is a little Ferris Wheel where you guess what color it will land on.

The idea here is to work as a team so that each player gets all of the tokens before the park closes. This probably would be more fun/challenging with a)littler kids or b)more kids. We whizzed through all of the obstacles very quickly.

The sharing part is supposed to enter in when one kid gets more tokens than he/she needs and shares them with other players - then you get "Sharing Stars" on the board.

There is no real "winning" at the game. The sharing is the winning. Of course, this would also fly better with littler, less competitive kids. The up-side was that with no clear winner, there was no freaking out tantrum from the not-winner.

Regardless, Tater especially enjoyed doing the little obstacles over and over again and has asked to play the game several times. So that's a success in my book!

The game also came with a book (which no one was interested in reading, but it looks cute) and a CD (which I never saw, since the kids ripped the package open...)

This whole package would be great for a 4 or 5 year old who is really working on learning sharing skills and new to board games. Playskool is giving away 200 of these games - so click here to enter to get one!

Fun games and more polite kids. Sounds good!

I've been Snacktivated...

I agreed last week to blog about some snack recipes from Kellogg's - from their Snacktivate website. Today the box arrived with the recipe, 2 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats (which we totally love anyway) and a cool little "snack cup" which is apparently meant to take cereal and milk with you...where you would take them, I am not sure, maybe to school?

Anyway, there was immediately a battle over which child would get to use the little cup in the car tomorrow (winner: no one).

After that all calmed down, I asked if they wanted to help me make the "Sassy Sunpops". Answer: no. Hmmm...this is supposed to be an interactive kid thing.

So, then I ask who wants to crush Mini Wheats with a hammer? That got their attention, so Sprout carefully counted out the 60 Mini Wheats that were required and put them into a zip lock bag and then took a tenderizing hammer to them. Of course, Tater had to get in on the action - so they were very well crushed.

They were quite horrified by the idea of almonds on the cookies, and I didn't have sticks or anything that fancy (sorry Kellogg's, I am not that motivated of a baker). I mixed some ground flax seeds into the flour mix, used half whole wheat flour, but otherwise (to the best of my ability) followed the recipe.

I just did them as drop cookies and on about 10 of them I arranged sliced almonds (thinner, less likely to terrify a child) in a little flower shape. The recipe said it would make 33 - but I am an impatient person and I made them bigger and probably got 24 out of the recipe.

Mine look absolutely nothing like the picture above. But I kind of expected that.

Gotta say they are pretty yummy. So the cereal as an ingredient concept has some legs. And of course the kids were all over the ones with the almonds. Arghhh...

There are a bunch of other recipes on their website, so give them a look. Most of them try to incorporate some kid activity/craft into the snack process. So maybe they could make their way onto the "What to do today" list!