If your family is like mine, you neither have the time nor money to spend on a vacation for spring break. Though it would be fun to go somewhere warm and relaxing, it's just not feasible. Try these 10 spring break staycation ideas to help you and your kids feel like you had a vacation get-away even though you didn't. 1) Have a dance party I'm not talking about a small, spur of the moment dance party. I'm talking a full-blown dance party. Invite some friends over, blow up some balloons, find some funky lighting, and crank up the music! Turn your house into a dance club! 2) Put together a large puzzle It usually takes my family at least a week to put together a 2000-3000 piece puzzle. Ton of fun, entertaining, and a great bonding experience. 3) Do science experiments We've got some great science experiments right here on Toys In The Dryer. 4) Go camping inside Though it's spring, in MN it's still too cold to camp outside. Instead, grab some blankets and chairs and make … [Read more...]
Weight Loss – What I’ve Learned
It's been a month and a half since I made the decision to take care of myself and join Weight Watchers. I thought I'd give an update in the form of "weight loss - what I've learned". Believe me, I've learned more about myself in the past 1.5 months than I ever have in my past efforts at weight loss! 1) Weight loss is a mental challenge I can't emphasize that enough. Weight loss is a mental challenge. The mental part is, in my opinion, the hardest part of losing weight. Learning to CHOOSE to be healthy is hard. Let's face it, it's a CHOICE to eat donuts and candy instead of fruits and vegetables. Keeping up with the program and not beating yourself up when you have a bad day or even a bad week is hard too. It's easy to say "screw it" when you don't lose as much as you had hoped, or God forbid, you gain that week. Pick yourself up, tell yourself it's ok (because it really is ok), and get back on track. Learning doesn't happen without some failures. 2) Lose weight for … [Read more...]
Barley + Vine Restaurant Opened in Lakeville
Last week Hubby, I, and two of our friends had the opportunity to attend Barley + Vine Restaurant's soft opening. We were very much looking forward to checking out the new place in town as we live within walking distance from it and have seen the building change venues way too many times. We were not disappointed with our visit! Only the name has changed on the outside of the building, but the inside is better than the previous restaurant. Gone is the crazy blue tile behind the bar, replaced with a real copper penny backsplash and a subtle ceiling. The layout of the dining room seating seemed less crowded and the overall atmosphere was inviting. Our server, Emily, was knowledgeable on the menu and helpful in deciding what we wanted to eat. The staff we talked with seemed genuinely excited about working. As with all opening nights, there were a few kinks but I'm not going to dwell on them. The staff will get into their groove. The food was delicious! We started with a … [Read more...]
Free Printable Love Libs Valentines
My girls are all about being different for Valentine's Day. They don't like handing out store-bought Valentines to their friends so I'm always on the look out for unique free printable Valentines. While searching the web, I came across cute Mad Lib Valentines where people had torn out pages of Mad Lib books and rolled them into Valentines to hand out at school. I thought to myself, hey, I can make my own! So, Love Libs Valentines were created... My girls thought these were so funny and can't wait to use them with their friends. To print your Love Libs Valentines just click on the photos below. They are meant to print on a half-sheet of paper but can be printed full sized too. Roll them up, add a ribbon, a tag, and a pencil and you've got a fun and unique Valentine to give to friends! … [Read more...]
LG GizmoGadget Watch Review
Last month during my post about the Verizon Wireless Tech Bytes Lunch, I mentioned that Verizon loaned my family a LG GizmoGadget Watch to review for a month. Our month ended a few days ago and this weekend we're off to the store to buy one to keep! I honestly can't imagine life without it now. The LG GizmoGadget Watch is all the benefits of giving your child a phone without the distractions of a phone, the cost of a phone, or the risk of losing a phone. It's got calling, texting, a GPS locator, an activity/step counter, a to-do list, a voice changer, and some funny sounds. Everything you need, nothing you don't. It's exactly what I had in mind when I wanted something that I could use to communicate with my girls. I can't begin to tell you how handy the GizmoGadget is for communicating after school plans with the girls. Before we got the watch I would have to call the class room and disrupt the entire class in order to pass messages on to the girls. Now, I simply text … [Read more...]
Taking Care of Me
This post may seem a bit cliché...a new year and a resolution to be more healthy and lose weight. It seems like everyone makes the same resolution. But this is not a New Year's Resolution. I have long ago given up on those. This post has been in the making since October. It's not about losing weight, it's about taking care of me. This is me a year-and-a-half ago. I was 10 pounds lighter than I am now. I was on a mission to change. It worked for a few months. I lost some weight and gained some happiness. Then it got boring and became a chore to keep myself in check. I quit. Over the past year-and-a-half I simply lived life. I wasn't extremely happy but I wasn't depressed either. I went off of my Celexa (anti-depressant) because I thought it made me feel muted. Overall, I thought life was ok. In October I had a bit of a wake-up call. It started when I was told that they were eliminating my position at my job. I stressed and stressed some more over what my future held for … [Read more...]
