Many kids are getting ready to head back to the books (or may have already depending on where you live). Jamie and I were talking about how things have changed. The conversation went a little like this: Lindsi- "I can't believe only 2 more weeks until S's first day of school!" Jamie- "Me either! I can't believe K is going to be in 1st grade. I just finished getting all of her school supplies. And I found the stylis that she needs for her iPad." Lindsi- "What? Her iPad? When did she get one of those?" Jamie- "She didn't. Each kid in her school gets one!" Lindsi- insert looooooooooong pause here "holy crap!" Then we chatted a bit more and decided on a few things that have drastically changed over the years. Before- you know, when our parents were in school, During- when we were in school, After- now that our kids are in school. Let's start off with math! Math was something I thought didn't change over time...but as you see below....it … [Read more...]
An Interview with the Directors of "Paranorman" and a Giveaway!
There's only 2 days left until the new animated movie by LAIKA, "Paranorman", hits theaters! Yep, that's right, "Paranorman" opens nationwide on August 17, 2012. No doubt you've seen the commercials for it on TV, heard sound bites on the radio, or viewed the trailer in the theaters. If you've been living under a rock without TV, radio, or the movie theater, and have no clue what I'm talking about, see the official trailer below. Jamie was lucky enough to get a press screening of the movie and was even luckier to get an interview with the directors, Sam Fell and Chris Butler! I would throw in a huge "EEEKKK!" here but that would sound unprofessional. Lets start however, with what's so special about LAIKA and "Paranorman". I mean, what's all the hype? It's just another animated movie, right? Wrong! LAIKA produced the Academy Award-nominated movie "Coraline", it's first stop-motion movie. What is stop-motion animation? Well, according to Wikipedia, stop-motion … [Read more...]
Oh I wish I were a….
I wanted to share this fun song with you all. This is a song I remember my aunt singing to me when I was a kiddo and now she sings it to my kids via Skype. It is really easy and super funny. She made the kids these great "verse" flash cards so they would know what comes next. Here are the words: Oh I wish I were a little mosquito (mosquito) Oh I wish I were a little mosquito (mosquito) For I'd nippy and I'd bitty under everybody's night Oh I wish I were a little mosquito (mosquito)! Oh I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap) Oh I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap) For I'd slippy and I'd slidey under everybody's hidey Oh I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap)! Oh I wish I were a little striped skunk (striped skunk) Oh I wish I were a little striped skunk (striped skunk) For I'd climb up in the trees and perfume up all the breeze Oh I wish I were a little striped skunk (striped skunk)! Oh I wish I were a little can of pop (can of … [Read more...]
Fun on the Farm
We live in the burbs....no real farms close to us for several hours (by car). When my kids see animals that live on a farm it usually entails a state or county fair of some sort. My father in law lives on a farm. His home is a 6 hour drive straight north from us....354 miles to be exact. Survival in the car is #1 priority...what I mean is traveling with 4 kids ages 5, 4, 4, and 18 months gets tricky. The ever popular question "are we there yet?" gets asked in numbers so high that I cannot fathom to guess. Is it worth it? Absolutely! When we get there it is a whole new world. My kids peel themselves out of their car seats and head right for the toys on the farm. With 200+ acres there are lots of things to do and lots of space to do them in. Our Papa he is a crafty guy. He turned an old John Deer lawnmower into a safe, slow riding toy for the kids. He removed the blades and it turns off immediately if they stand up. He has lots of ATV's and 4 wheelers, or are those the same??? The … [Read more...]
Walmart Box Tops for Education
It's August which means that most of us are beginning to think about back to school. I confess though, I have yet to begin my planning. I have, however, been saving my Box Tops all summer in preparation for Nutty to make a large deposit in the collection bin on her first day of school. If you haven't been as good at saving your Box Tops over the summer, you are in luck! Participating products at Walmart are now loaded with 4 Box Tops to help you stock up for your first day of school! Look for the Box Tops display at your local Walmart to earn 4 Box Tops on more than 100 of your family’s favorite items including Cheerios, Hamburger Helper, Nature Valley and Totinos By liking Walmart on Facebook you can earn more Box Tops from General Mills Check out the Box Tops For Education website to learn more about the Box Tops Program and how you can help your school reach its goal for the 2012-2013 school year Visit EarnMoreForMySchool.com to find out how you can earn even more … [Read more...]
Horseback Riding–Memories for a Lifetime
For Nutty's 6th birthday, she wanted a horse party. After some research, I discovered it was just as expensive, if not cheaper, to take the party to Sunnyside Stables (and have each girl ride their own horse) as it would be to have one pony come to our house and have the girls take turns! So, we went all-out and took the party to the stables! (In the interest of privacy, and because this post is not about the party, I am only posting photos of my girls) For Nutty, and most of the girls at the party, this was her first time on a real horse (instead of a pony at a petting zoo). For Tottie (who is too small to ride a real horse), this was her first time riding a pony by herself. Their experience is something they will never forget! After first meeting their horses, and then leading them around for a little bit, it was time to get down to the business of actually riding them! Nutty was a little nervous, Tottie was THRILLED! In fact, Nutty was so nervous, she had a helper … [Read more...]
