My Little Model + {Gymboree Giveaway}

As I have mentioned before, my 5-year old daughter is quite the character.  She is also quite the ham.

Here are a couple more videos of her modeling the adorable clothes she picked out at Gymboree.



Don't forget...a $75 gift certificate to Gymboree is up for grabs right now. Enter to win here.




Posted by Leslie

My Kids' Idea of Decorating The Christmas Tree

Only 1/2 the tree...

Clusters...

 No need to see the front of the ornaments...

More clusters...

Enough said...

Personalized cards from Shutterfly

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Isn't this a fun way to send birthday wishes?!?!

Why is Smurfette the Only Girl Smurf?

I have heard many ask this question lately, especially since the movie was released this past Friday. I suppose that same question was asked when the cartoon series was on TV way back in the day. But since I was the key demographic, I never heard it or understood it.

What's funny is that I still think Smurfette is the only girl Smurf for the same reason I thought when I was 7 years old: Smurfette was almost like a princess that was protected by the brainiest, the strongest, and the clumsiest Smurfs, and they lived to protect her. Perhaps this is a little naive, but what do you expect from a 7-year old? Back in the original days, they didn't really have cartoons like The Simpsons or The Family Guy that on purpose take the innocence of a cartoon and blend it with more mature themes and topics.

Why do you think Smurfette is the only girl Smurf? And please, keep your thoughts PG!

Spider-Man at Soccer Camp

Here is some of the fun my little Spider-Man had on Wacky Wednesday of soccer camp. I especially like the "frying bean."

3rd of July Water Fight

Our neighbors told us 4th of July was a big celebration on our cul de sac. Now, we believe it! (Notice the dad wearing goggles...it's serious business!)

"Lego Camp is a thousand times fun!"

This week is the first full week of summer vacation and my 6-year old has been thrilled to wake up every morning and go to Lego Camp.

That's right, Lego Camp.

Well, technically it is an engineering camp, but they use Legos to build cars, 25-foot towers, and even motorized objects. For example, today he built a gondola that then traveled down on a rope. He said the camp is "a thousand times fun!"

On the first day of camp, they constructed cars and raced them down ramps. You can see my son's car above. He was so proud of it.

One last thing that is so great about this camp, all the kids are running into the room where the camp is held. All of us parents are laughing that we actually have to go and get a hug from them because they are too busy already building stuff as soon as they get there.

For more information on Lego Camp, check out Play-Well Engineering Camps.

A New Word to Add to My Dictionary

This morning, my three year old daughter came up with quite a clever word. Mommy and daddy had a night out last night (woo hoo) and when she was explaining to me what she did with the babysitter she said, "yesternight we watched MegaMind."

Yesternight...now why isn't that a word we use more often? It sure is easier than saying "yesterday night." I really think my three year old is on to something...

And just so you know, yesternight is a word in the dictionary!

The Bachelor: The Women Tell All Awesomeness

The first 20 minutes of this episode were awesome! The recap of what old cast members were up to was great. Did you catch the fact that Vienna slept with Wes behind her friend, Gia's back? I love the skanky drama! I can't wait for The Bachelor Pad this summer. Wes and Vienna have certainly secured their spots on this next season.

And did you notice that Jesse from Canada had her arm around wrestler, Justin, from Ali's season? Do you recall that Jesse was the one that called Ali to let her know that Justin had a girlfriend back home? And yet now they are cozy at the Bachelor reunion party in NYC??? That's fishy...

Now on to the ladies of this season. Chris Harrison had a nice smirk on his face as Michelle was crying uncontrollably. It was like he was thinking that he had struck TV gold. It was interesting to hear that Michelle's outrageous comments were her being sarcastic. As a sarcastic person, I can sympathize with her...to an extent. I do think she was a victim of editing.

The new Ashley H. sported a new 'do and a new attitude. She shouldn't have any difficulty finding a new beau.

I was shocked that Shawntel didn't say a single word. If she did, they didn't show it. My husband threw out the theory that she might be the new Bachelorette. But I don't agree. Unfortunately, a funeral director starring in a dating show would make better ratings on Syfy network.

And finally, Brad said he is in love with the woman he picked more and more everyday. So who do you think it is?

My 50-50 guess is Chantal. I know that the producers have edited the show to look like Emily is coming on strong at the end, but he still seems most comfortable and himself with Chantal. Naturally, this is all based on what the editors choose to show us, but I am sticking to it.

Do you think the next show will be The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? My money is on The Bachelor. It gets better ratings and women love watching the drama of other women.

Image from TVfanatic.com

The Bachelor is Baaack!!!

Finally! The girls are actually questioning the bachelor! Season after season, these guys come in as the bachelor and every girls pines away trying to sell herself as much as possible. But at least for a few minutes! The girls questioned his intentions? (I mean, come on, you think Bob Guiney had greater intentions than just hooking up? I don't think so!)

In typical Bachelor fashion, they have stepped up their locations for the dates - visiting other continents and having extreme dates. (Hopefully Brad won't let an extreme date cloud his judgment like Jake.)

And I must say, the casting department really stepped up their game for Brad the second time around. With the exception of the vampire model who is just doing the show for exposure, i assume, these girls seem pretty terrific.

I cant wait to see what this season has in store. I am sure it is the "most shocking season in Bachelor history."

Image from ABC.com

He Can Read!

This morning, we had a great time spending a few hours at one of our favorite places...Disneyland. (Yes, it is a perk of living just 25 minutes away!)

And while the rides were lots of fun and the weather was nice, the best part of my day there was my 5-year old son reading signs all over the park. We walked up to the security point, and he said, "Look, Mom, 'World of Color.'" That's what the sign said, and I couldn't believe he knew it, too.

Then, as we were waiting in line for Toy Story Mania, he noticed another sign and said, "Hot Dog Hut." Now I know he has seen the words hot dog all over the place, but hut? I can't say he has seen many of those.

I guess he really is getting ready for kindergarten in a couple of weeks! (Side note: I did get him enrolled at his new school for kindergarten yesterday. Yippee!)

Happy Friday!

P.S. I can't leave out my crazy little girl!

M&M Pretzel: What's the Verdict?

Okay, so here are my thoughts on M&M's latest product:

Milk Chocolate M&M's - great

Peanut Butter M&M's - My Favorite!

Pretzels - good

Yogurt Covered Pretzels - delish

Chocolate Covered Pretzels - Yummy

The new M&Ms Pretzel - ok???

I was excited to try this latest M&M concoction, but was unfortunately disappointed that it tasted more like a candy shell-coated malt ball. The pretzel element is missing the saltiness that makes the chocolate covered pretzel so yummy. This new M&M doesn't have the sweet and salty combination that I was hoping for.

But that's just my opinion. Has anyone else tried them yet? What do you think?

Khloe and Kourtney Sort of Take Miami

Oh, what a difference a year makes! Last season when the oldest and youngest Kardashian sisters hit Miami, they were both single and ready to mingle.

Now, Khloe is married and sulking because she misses her L.A. Laker hubby, Lamar Odom. Kourtney has her adorable son, Mason, and his baby-daddy, Scott.

They are back in Miami because they basically need to re-launch their DASH store in Miami because it has some issues. Khloe doesn't want to be there. Kourtney gets mad at Khloe because she isn't putting enough effort into the store. They get into a fight during a photo shoot where they are only wearing body paint dresses. Khloe tries to get her act together by making fliers for the store to attract more customers. All in all, not really that exciting.

Did I watch the entire episode? Yes. Will I watch future episodes? Yes. Sunday summer TV isn't that exciting. And besides, how else will I keep up with the Kardashians?

Image from eonline.com

My 4-Year Old Therapist

This morning, when we pulled into the parking lot to preschool, I realized we forgot my son's backpack. As I began to think about all the things that hadn't gone right this morning, my son quickly chimed in with, "Mommy, don't worry about it. Everything is going to be okay."

What? I have never heard my son utter those words! And yet, I was so thrilled at the moment he said them that I took out a piece of paper and pen to write them down so I wouldn't forget what he said.

If only he knew just how wise he already is...

National Pancake Day

Did you know that today is National Pancake Day? This is probably a day that IHOP (International House of Pancakes) created, but since I love pancakes, I will go with it.

Pancakes for dinner...one of my favorites!

We Found LOST

While on our vacation at Turtle Bay Resort last week, the hubby and I loved wandering around the massive property and the surrounding areas. Since the weather was so beautiful, we decided it would be fun to go for a run outside, rather than staying couped up in the resort gym. There were several trails on the property, so we decided to do some exploring. While running on one of the trails, we came upon this...



Yeah, that's one of several trailers. The trailers we ran by were labeled "Locke," "Lapidus," Claire," "Kate," "Sun," "Jin," "Sawyer," and "Hurley." We kept running on the trail toward the beach to find the actors of LOST filming a scene.



(From left to right: Sawyer, crew member, Sun, Kate, Claire, Frank Lapidus, and Hurley.) Naturally, I didn't capture the photos I should have. For example, I really wish I had a picture of Sun running up the beach to hug Jin (I assume for the first time...you know, the reunion 3 years in the making!). It would have also been great if I would have taken a picture of the actors in the picture above down on their knees. We weren't sure if they were being held at gun point or praying...I am pretty sure it was the gun point option.

I would have taken more pictures if I wasn't afraid of the 600-pound security guy. Oh, and my husband who was embarrassed that we were watching the filming didn't help my paparazzi cause either.


The above picture is part of the trail/LOST beach set where we took our run. When we came back the next day (because I had to see if they were there filming again), all that was left were these props. I am not really sure what they are...perhaps electromagnetic thingamajiggers.


Now I just can't wait for this scene to air...and for the ah-ha moment when everything on the show finally comes together. Maybe the show is called LOST because that is how you feel when you are watching it???

Amazing Race 16 Trumped the Olympics???

Yes, I am sad to admit that I didn't watch the Olympics' coverage tonight from 8-9pm because I had to watch the season premiere of The Amazing Race 16.

Hello, my favorite couple from summer TV-watching, Jeff and Jordan, are contestants. I loved watching them on Big Brother this past summer and was excited to see they are now (or at least when The Amazing Race was taped) together. I hope they go far in the competition.

Oh, and the former Miss South Carolina (a.k.a. the Miss "the Iraq" and "such as" interview disaster) is on this season for, hopefully, some clever comments.

Please forgive me fellow U.S. Olympic loyalists...I will cheer on our athletes the rest of the week...after tomorrow night's The Bachelor episode, of course!

First Celeb Spotting in Hawaii - Dennis Quaid

"Dennis Quaid's here!" Every time I saw him walking around Turtle Bay Resort, I thought of this funny line he yelled on an episode of Ellen as he walked into a Starbucks (Ellen was telling him via an ear piece what to say).

The funny thing is, we didn't even notice him until his toddler son pushed one of his two toy trucks (shown in picture above) into my husband's path and he stopped to give it back. When we looked up from the boy to his father, there Quaid was, seemingly annoyed that we helped his child. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he is jaded and just used to people doing those kinds of things to get close to him, but he still could have said what any other parent would have said..."thanks." But he is a celebrity parent, and I have no idea what that is like.

But enough of my rant, it was cool to see a celebrity like him on vacation. And he was one that I was actually able to snap a few photos of...yep, I have reached an all new low - a paparazzo!

Northpole.com Update

A couple of days ago I told you that I found out about a fun website where kids can write letters to Santa called Northpole.com. After I wrote that post, my 4-year old son and I wrote his letter to Santa. He was so excited to share with Santa all the things he wants for Christmas.

Low and behold, a day and half later we got his response from Santa. My son was so excited to hear from Santa - especially the part where Santa told him he has been a nice boy this year. I liked the part that said, "Keep up the good work!" Wow! A letter kids and moms love!

And after you submit your letter, you must check out the Disco Dancing Santa. He is way too cute! Only 14 days until Christmas!

Image courtesy of Northpole.com

One Lovely Blog Award

I was so thrilled to find out I was given the One Lovely Blog Award from Our Fine House. Our Fine House is a new fave of mine and I am honored she selected Houses, Couches, and Babies for this award. It seriously made my day.

The rules of the One Lovely Blog Award are:

Accept the award, post it on your blog, along with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Be sure to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And so now it is my turn to make someone else's day. I, like Our Fine House, am going to modify the rules a bit and select 9 blogs for this award(in alphabetical order, and of course, other than Our Fine House):

1. Angry Julie Monday
2. Caffeine Court
3. Diapers to Designs
4. Hostess Blog
5. Jillian, Inc.
6. Love, Marriage, and (Someday) a Baby Carriage
7. One Fabulous Mom
8. That's Why We Are Friends
9. The Good Life

If you haven't already checked out these blogs, you really should. I think they are quite lovely!

Thanks again for this award, Jen and Joe!