Happy Thanksgiving!

May your both your heart and belly be full!

Da Bears

 I took both kids to Build-a-Bear for the first time.  Those bears are quite pricey but they love those bears. I love those happy faces.
 

Go see Leigh vs. Laundry to see more photos that will make you happy.

4 Dates with Dave

October was a bit of a bust for dating. Dave traveled a lot. Australia, Tasmania, San Francisco, and Canada.  There was not a lot of opportunity for quality dates. But we did have some.

We have a standing date to watch Homeland.  It is my favorite show.  Nothing fancy. Just snacks, a great show, and my honey is all I need.

You can almost guarantee that when Dave travels we will have some sort of weather event.  We got a surprise 11 inches of snow when Dave was at his board meeting out of town.  During his whirlwind trip to Australia, Tasmania, and San Francisco, we had Hurricane Sandy.  He was gone 13 days. We lost power. I was lonely and bored.  We had a pseudo date.  We played 20 questions by text.  When you are in the dark and lonely, texting 20 questions can help you feel less lonely and definitely less bored.

Since Dave has been home, we have had 2 out of the house dates.  We go months without these.  My birthday was earlier this month, so we hit up each set of parents for babysitting.  The first date, we went to see the movie, Argo.  It is a really good movie. Plenty of action.  It is funny because you kinda know the ending before hand if you know your history but it still keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.  We then got a quick dinner at the mall so I could do a little shopping with the birthday loot I got. Dave is a good sport watching me trying outfits on.

This weekend, my in-laws took the kids for a sleepover. Woo hoo! Dave and I took a road trip to Pepe's Pizzeria. Some say it is the best pizza in the country. It is delicious.

 Yummy!

After lunch, we finished up Christmas shopping for our kids. It is so nice to be done with it.  We were suppose to go see the movie, Licoln but the time was wrong on the website.  So Dave agreed to see Breaking Dawn Part 2.  I really wanted to see it but didn't want to "torture" Dave.  I thought it was really good.  Dave thought it was  "better than I thought it would be."

They may not be the most creative dates but we sure had a good time. Do you make time for dates with your hubby?

Santa Paws 2 Giveaway!

****Giveaway is closed! Winner will be announced once I receive their contact information.****

Disney is releasing Santa Paws 2 November 20th. It is sure to be a holiday classic.  I was lucky enough to receive a copy to review and give away a copy for one of my lucky readers too!

Santa Paws 2 stars a brand new litter of adorable talking Great Pyrenees puppies.  The puppies, Hope, Jingle, Charity and Noble,are super cute and a little mischievous too. The story takes place in the North Pole.  The puppies want to show they are responsible enough to become Santa's helpers.  Unfortunately their good intentions backfire, causing a drop in Christmas spirit.  The puppies must fix their mistake so the Christmas spirit is not gone forever.

My kids love those cute talking pups.  They giggled and thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  Santa Paws 2 is a good, wholesome holiday movie. Caitlin said that she was in the Christmas spirit after watching the movie. I must say I am in the spirit too.

To enter for a chance to win Santa Paws 2: Tell me what your favorite way to celebrate Christmas.

For extra entries: Like Santa Paws 2 on Facebook. Be sure to leave a comment for each.

Rules:
 --Must be 18 or older
--Must live in the US or Canada
--No PO Boxes
 
I received a copy of this film to review. All opinions are my own. Contest closes on November 16. Must reply to email with contact information on the November 16 if you win. Good luck!

Snowballl Fight!

Check out more wordless at 5 Minutes for Mom, A Beautiful Mess, Naptime Momtog Live and Love Outloud and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Snow Day!

The weather men predicted we would get 1-2 inches of snow.  We got 11 inches of snow and a day off from school.  Good thing we did because the snow melted quickly. Never mind the fact the kids have not had a full week of school all month.

Snowball fight!

Maximus loves the snow too.

Go see Leigh vs. Laundry to see more photos that will make you happy.

JumpStart Madagascar Review

I was recently asked to review JumpStart's new Madagascar games.  They must know how much Davey loves video games.  I limit how much time Davey is allowed to play on screens but they great thing about JumpStart's Madagascar's games is that they are educational.  I let him play these games a little longer than usual since he is learning at the same time.

When you log on to JumpStart's site, you start by making a Jumpee, which is a personal avatar.  Both my kids loved creating their own looks.  The kids name their jumpee.  JumpStart ensures that the names are safe by having players select a unique, silly name using our Name-o-Matic, a handy tool that is pre-populated with approved names like Zach ZanyZebra. Once you have made your Jumpee, you can start exploring the Central Park Zoo, where you will find lots of the characters from Madagascar.  My kids were very excited to see those familiar faces.

I suggest you read the game guide.  We were a little confused at first how to navigate this virtual world. Once I read the guide, we were all set.  Davey would roam around Central Park Zoo to see the animals and people for hours if I let him. I usually help show him how to start a game.

Davey is 5 years old and Caitlin is 7 years old.  Their favorite place in the game is AdventureLand and MarineLand. .  It is designed for ages 5-8.  It  teach over 150 fundamental skills with more than 100 games. Major skills taught include reading, math, writing, thinking, and art. Caitlin loves the virtually painting on the screen.  Davey loves exploring the underwater world.  He completes reading, math, and critical thinking missions to defeat the Punk Punks.

Although Davey is in kindergarten, he still really likes StoryLand.  StoryLand is designed for preschoolers.  The kids can read a story with Frankie and his friends.  They will learn to identify letters, numbers and shapes and meet friendly characters while playing fun games!

FutureLand is designed for kids 8-11.  My kids are a little young for these games.   FutureLand offers more than 140 missions, games, puzzles and challenges that help kids practice critical thinking skills.I'm sure Caitlin will try these games out very soon.

Caitlin is studying the solar system in school.  Uncle Milton’s Amazing ScienceLand challenges her to learn facts about the solar system and many other science subjects.. Any thing that makes learning fun is awesome in my book.

Overall I think JumpStart's Madagascar area is educational, fun, and attention holding. A parent can feel good about their children playing these games because they are learning while they are having fun.

Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by JumpStart in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Sandy's Moon

 This was the full moon during super storm Sandy. So pretty but caused so much trouble.

Check out more wordless at 5 Minutes for Mom, A Beautiful Mess, Naptime Momtog Live and Love Outloud and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Sweet Flower Dog

Maximus had a cone on his neck for 2 weeks after having a tumor removed.  I decorated it right before I took it off. He makes a pretty flower for Halloween.  Needless to say he was excited to be cone free!

Go see Leigh vs. Laundry to see more photos that will make you happy.