Summer is in Full Swing with PBS KIDS®!

Here are some cool tips from the experts at PBS KIDS on how to help ensure that your kids have a fun, safe and active hot-weather season…no matter what your budget is:

Driving to Grandma’s house? Or have an exciting getaway in store? Here are some great FREE ideas courtesy of PBSParents.org to keep kids of all ages engaged during family trips!

o Have a sing-a-long! Sing your favorite tunes from Sesame Street along with other songs…
o Take turns playing games with your child. Find something inside or outside the car and have your children guess what you see by giving hints. Explore the world like Sid the Science Kid!
o Invite your child to be an "alphabet detective" by finding all the letters around them. Players might find an "a" in a road sign and a "b" on a license plate and more – take a page from the Super WHY gang and have fun with the alphabet.
o Use "car time" to talk to your child about everyday activities and events, whether it's how leaves change color in the fall or what makes a great friend. Maya and Miguel know that happiness is the greatest when it’s shared!

Plan an awesome “stay-cation” and keep your kids happy with a few of these summer fun suggestions!


o For preschoolers, slip on your sneakers, pack water bottles and hit the trail! Make the adventure even more fun with a kid-friendly scavenger hunt in search of things you might find along the way.
o For school-age kids, set up a tent in your own backyard, roll out the sleeping bags and melt marshmallows in the microwave to make s’mores. No need to send kids to sleep away camp to get a taste of the great outdoors.
o For everyone, make some popcorn, snuggle up and tune in together to PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!

Green Binoculars

When I was growing up we were always a camping, hiking, outdoorsy kind of family. We didn’t do big summer vacations, we did camping trips. We have visited every waterfall (and trickle) in the state of Michigan and surrounding areas. We’ve climbed the sand dunes, sang campfire songs and even played checkers with the Black Bears at the dump (Hi Limpy!).

Since I got all of that out of my system before I had my own children, I never did it again. Thankfully, Marisa went camping with Girl Scouts (and Kathy) and Adam went with friends from Baseball.

So now when I think of binoculars I think of going to baseball games and using them to check out the celebrities in the crowd and getting a close up of Andre Eithier (GO DODGERS!). But even if you are not using binoculars for an “outdoorsy” reason doesn’t mean you don’t want to use the best. And when the best is eco friendly as well, then of course, it is a no brainer.

The Nikon Ecobins 10x25 binoculars are designed from top to bottom with the latest eco friendly features while still maintaining the highest level of optics that make Nikon world-famous.

The Ecobins binoculars feature Eco-Glass lead-free and arsenic-free lenses and prisms. Additionally, only non-chloride rubber and no harmful inks or dyes are used during production. The carrying case and the binocular strap that come with the Ecobins binoculars are made from a fully biodegradable Lenzing TENCEL fiber. The TENCEL fiber is derived from wood pulp of sustainable eucalyptus forests and utilizes an innovative manufacturing process with minimal waste. Even the packaging of Nikon Ecobins is environmentally friendly! The product box is constructed from recyclable Fiber Stone paper. This paper is completely Tree-Free and is made from limestone collected as waste material from existing quarries for the building and construction industry. Production of the Fiber Stone “paper” uses no water or bleaching chemicals and releases zero pollution into the air.

Following the Nikon standards, the Ecobins 10x25 binoculars’ compact, rugged, waterproof and fog proof construction provide total confidence in any situation. Other premium optics features include a spherical eyepiece lenses that provide distortion-free viewing, internal blackening to minimize light loss and multi-coated lenses that offer maximum brightness, contrast and true color.

So when you get down to it, why not use the Nikon Green Binoculars when you are trying to catch a glimpse of Manny Ramirez in the outfield, or Alyssa Milano in the stands.

Theater Night

Kathy invited me to join her at our local theatre in the round The Glendale Center Theater to see Oklahoma.

I had to admit to her that I had never see the entire movie all the way through, but was excited to do so.

I really enjoy our local theater. It has been a family run business for many many years. The Dietlin's have owned, run and performed in this theater Each year at Christmas time we go there and enjoy the Christmas Carol.

It is cozy and nice to see familiar faces in the crowd and on the stage. You recognize different performers from previous plays and yet, they blend in to whatever play they are doing at the time.

The perks of being in the Los Angeles, nee, Hollywood area is that sometimes you see faces that you recognize from TV and movies.

All in all a good fun evening.

If you have a local theater group, get out and support them.

Because I Love Her

This is Madilyn, doing what she does best, giggling.

Marisa took the babies to the doctor and the therapist this week.

Madilyn is 16lbs and Matthew is 18lbs. THey have both gained almost 10 inches!

Since they were born 8 weeks premature, their developmental stages are 2 months behind other babies their same chronological age. So in other words they look for 4month development at the therapist appointment.

They received rave reviews. The therapist was especially pleased with their verbal skills. Marisa and Chris and Caitlyn constantly talk to these babies. They are always being encouraged to laugh or coo and sometimes are allowed to cry (much to grandma's dismay).

Home Security Systems

I love the idea of a neighborhood community. When I was younger, all the kids on the block played together and all the parents on the block parented each other’s children. Families would sit out on the porch in the evenings talking to each other over the railings. Children would run from sprinkling lawn to sprinkling lawn (being careful of course to not step foot on Mrs. Howard’s lawn). It was a time when you knew your neighbors and your neighbors knew you. And still even then, your house wasn’t necessarily safe.

Our house was broken into many times over the years, unfortunately by some of the neighbor kids. Nothing could ever be proven, except the one time we found our awesome tent put up in someone else’s yard (nitwits).

Neighborhood Watch is a great thing, it is a showing of community, it is a rallying of troops, but unfortunately it can’t always be the only thing. Especially in this day and age, when most families have two working parents, the kids don’t play outside much because it is too dangerous and how many of you know the first and last name of your immediate neighbors.

Today it is easier and smarter to have a home alarm system. I’m not saying shun your neighbors or don’t look out for each other, but having a home security system just makes sense.

As I am not a home owner (yet) I don't have a house alarm set up, but I do have Link. She protects me from anyone that won't pet her.

A Lot to Say

I know I have posted quite a bit the last few days.

I know some people don't appreciate the sponsored posts.

I know that I have a huge blogging convention coming up soon that I will need spending money for.

I know that if you read my posts you know it is costing $3000 to fix my transmission.

I know that the majority of my readers are people who love me in real life.

I know that they will still love me no matter how much or how little I post.

I know that I am a lucky girl.

This is NOT a sponsored post!

Father's Day

Some of us are lucky enough to have our dads around to celebrate Father's Day. Some of us have a hard relationship with our Father but it doesn't change the fact that the relationship is still there.

Some of us have been through hell and back this past year. So sometimes, the best we can do is share a person's experience and let them know we have their back. That while we may not how they feel, we recognize that there are days that are just going to suck beyond the telling of it.

So today we celebrate firsts. Just a very few of Maddie's firsts from the Spohr family flickr photostream:

First time being held by daddy

First time being held by mommy

Chillin' after the first bath

First Christmas

First Sunshine, First Car Ride

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First nap when a totally embarrassing picture of Mike was taken

First Baseball Game

We celebrate all the joyous firsts with you, and stand guard over you for all the firsts to come.

For all fathers everywhere, Happy Father's Day.

Calm Before the Storm

It is a quiet Tuesday evening (quiet now because Matthew stopped screaming and Caitlyn stopped whining), within the next half hour or so Kathy will return home with Stephanie and Arnild in tow. Then in a mere 16 hours later Gretchen, Gordon, Melody, Jon, Lynn, Megan, Robin, Bryan, Shawn, Erika and Jackson will also arrive.

We are gearing up for a rip roaring good time. A simple layout/breakdown of the plans:

Wednesday: Dinner (spaghetti) at Dad's in Canoga Park
Thursday: Seaworld San Diego
Friday: Dockweiler Beach (fire pits!)
Saturday: Lazy day by the Hotel pool, Pizza at a park and then dessert at the Soda Fountain with Dad.
Sunday: Hiking at Placerita Canyon to spread mom's ashes.
Monday: The Gerth/Franks/Mizgala contingent leaves (minus Megan, she figures into my later plans). Los Angeles Zoo.
Tuesday: The Zynda contingent leaves and Me and Megan head to Vegas.
Thursday: The Winters contingent leaves
Friday: Megan and I return to LA.

Busy busy busy!

Any and all are welcomed to join!

Send me an email and I will give you more detailed information

Senility or Stupidity

We all know Caitlyn thinks I am old, now I am just trying to prove her right.

When I got the email about working this next convention, I immediately put the dates on my Yahoo calendar which automatically updates to my phone and then I went into the kitchen and wrote it on the family calendar on the fridge.

Good right?

A few days ago Marisa IM'd me asking if I was working this weekend or next aqnd I said I think I am working both but let me double check. I looked again at the email and realized I had marked the wrong days on the calendar in the kitchen, I started the assignment on Sunday and should have written Saturday. So I replied to her yes, I am working in Los Angeles this weekend and Las Vegas next. Then I went to the kitchen and corrected what I had thought to write wrong.

This morning I got up (I went out late last night, more on that another time) and got ready for work, reopened the email to find where I was to meet my supervisor and who exactly it would be. WHA? HUH? I had it right the first time, SUNDAY is May 31 not SATURDAY. Even writing it on the stupid calendar I didn't realize that the 31st was Sunday and that I had it right the first time.

Ugh

Mamapedia Contest

*Thank you to New Baby for donating this VADO camera from Creative Labs to our fun event. Please check out New Baby and consider adding your own vlog!Last weekend we had the opportunity to meet a wonderful new parenting advice search engine, Mamapedia, and now we'd like you to try the site out for yourself with our new contest, "What Can I Learn Today?" One grand prize winner will win a VADO digital video camera!To Enter:1. Visit Mamapedia and ask any parenting question.2. Choose how you want to enter - or choose all three for more chances to win:

• Comment to this post with your question and the answer you found
• Blog about Mamapedia on your own site sharing the question you asked and the answer you found
• Vlog about Mamapedia and your question/answer at New Baby.

3. Fill out this secure form to let us know that you entered.

It's that easy! Then join us for another SiteWarming Party on Twitter Saturday, May 23rd from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m eastern time to find out who won! There will also be several great door prizes.

Good luck!

*This contest is open to all U. S. residents 18 years or older and ends May 23rd at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

*This contest courtesy of Momfluence - Rocking the Cradle and Shaping the World.

Where did I leave you?

Oh yeah, last Sunday I was driving down from the UP back to South Bend. We made it home in time to put Jackson to bed and that was directly where I went as well.

Monday morning, Erika and Jackson took me to Chicago to see the Field Museum. I have read about their many trips here before and asked to tag along. Jackson is a fountain of information when it comes to the dinosaur exhibits. He is 4 years old and was pronouncing names of these beasts without a care in the world. He informed me that he knew them and wasn’t just reading the sign because he “can’t read yet but he is learning”. At one point he was discovering bones that were surreptitiously buried in the play area. When an employee asked J if he could identify the bone, he knew right away that it was a tooth from a T-Rex because T-Rex is a meat eater and it has big teeth, but the plant eaters have little teeth so it couldn’t be one of those. DUH! The employee was sufficiently impressed. A little boy – about 8ish – came over to play and said to no one “I wonder what bone this is?” Jackson answered him. The kid looked at the employee and said “No, really, what is it?” The employee backed J up 100%. Dinner at McD in the basement of the Museum (those smart people). And then back onto snowy icy roads for the 2 hour drive back to Indiana.

Tuesday was a relax at home day for me. I lazed around, did some laundry and shopped for the dinner I was making for the Zynda’s and their friends on Thursday. During all of this, I met Erika and her co-worker Sue (she may be a Cubbies fan but we like her anyways) at the Mainstreet Grille for lunch for the Casino debriefing. While making dinner I also cooked the stew for Thursday so it would have a couple of days to marinate.

Wednesday was back to work with Erika to finish up the project she had assigned to me. Time to put up the Christmas tree! I did nothing but watch as Erika and Jackson did all the work. It is a little wonky but still very cute.

Thursday brings the dinner party. There is not much more that I enjoy than cooking a big meal for a bunch of appreciative people. I made Irish Beef Stew and served it in Bread Bowls along with a side salad. If I can judge by the number of times people went back to serve themselves more, then I would proclaim it quite a success. (the recipe will be tomorrow’s post) Some of the friends of the Zynda family I had met before and some I had just lived in their house for a few weeks. But good times were shared by all and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Friday was back to work this time to screw up Erika’s Holiday cards (LOL). Unfortunately E was without a car most of the day and needed me for that part as well (well not really, but I like to feel needed so let’s just go with that ok?). In the evening I was set to babysit J while Erika and Lyle went to dinner and a movie. As you can see by Erika’s post we made cupcakes (to which J said “What’s a cupcake?”). They were (and still are) a big hit and the pictorial she has shows that if you organize it right baking with kids can be fun.