Summer Vacation

For our family vacation this year, we took a trip to Dallas!  There are 17 of us - 10 adults and 7 children.  My parents, along with my sister and her family, and my two brothers and their families, all piled into 4 SUV's and headed to the Frisco area for a long weekend trip.  WE HAD A BLAST!!

The 1st day the guys played golf while the girls shopped.

Mallory took her puppy along and posed in front of one of the store windows.

We ate Pappadeaux's for dinner!  Mmmmmm!!!

The Frisco Mall has a carousel in it, so all the kids got to take a ride!  FUN!

Here is Mallory and Daddy.

Chad, Grant, Josh, and Macy

Jack decided to nap during the carousel ride.  He was OUT!

One day we took a tour of the new Cowboys Stadium.  WOW!  That place is unbelievable!

Here we are at the Pro Shop getting ready for the tour to begin.  We all dressed alike so we could have some family pictures made here.

We got to go into several of the box suites.  Here is Mallory in a luxury seat!

Here's our family of four.

Mallory

Mallory touching the field.

Mallory on the rail at the field level.

Mallory and Macy in the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Locker Room

This is all of us inside the Cowboy players locker room.

That evening we went to the Gaylord Texan hotel. Their theme this year was Alice in Wonderland and they had some really neat stuff for the kiddos.

My mom, sister, and sister-in-laws got together and made these matching dresses and shorts for all the kids to wear.  Aren't they adorable?!?!

Jack

Mallory and Alice in Wonderland

Mallory and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

All 17 of us at the Gaylord.  We had a wonderful time!!!

Thank you, Nana and Papa!!!!!

Look What I Got!!!

Remember when I told you that I had been selected as a CSN Stores preferred blogger and would be getting to review an item of my choice?!?!?  Well, here's what I chose!!!

It's a Black&Decker Dustbuster and it is AMAZING!!!  I received a different brand dustbuster for a wedding gift (over 12 years ago) and I hated it!  It had very little suction and wouldn't pick up anything.  I used it very rarely because it was better to get out my big upright vacuum for even little clean ups.  Well things have changed!  This little baby is incredible!!!  It has wonderful suction and is VERY powerful!  It's simple and easy to use and clean.  I can't believe I've been dragging out my big vacuum for 12 years!!!  What a blessing to have this dustbuster for all the little clean up jobs around my house!  Woo-hoo!!!  Thank you CSN Stores for this wonderful opportunity!  If you haven't checked out the magnificent products at CSN Stores, you are missing out!  I have SEVERAL things from them and have been very impressed with their service and speedy delivery.  With over 200 stores, you'll be amazed at the variety of products they sell!  And, their prices are GREAT!  Check them out today!

 

Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD Reviews

This summer, the Scholastic Storybook Treasures® DVD series will launch a new line of DVDs designed to teach early sign language skills to preschool children. Featuring beautiful video productions of some of the most recognizable children’s books of all time, this new series offers a groundbreaking approach to learning sign language and helping kids of all hearing abilities to gain literacy and pre-reading skills.

The first two releases are GOODNIGHT MOON…AND MORE GREAT BEDTIME STORIES ($12.95 SRP), lovingly adapted from the 1947 storybook by Margaret Wise Brown that has sold tens of millions of units worldwide, and the loveable tale A POCKET FOR CORDUROY…AND MORE STORIES ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, faithfully adapted from the beloved book by Don Freeman, with FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS by Eileen Christelow to follow this fall. The inaugural releases will be available July 27 at retail stores nationwide and at newkideo.com.

Building upon the popular trend of babies learning to communicate by sign language, this new American Sign Language series helps extend sign language learning for children ages 2 to 9. Studies show that when children learn sign language at an early age they have increased language acquisition and educators often recommend sign language to help children develop fine motor skills. The new DVD series has been created to enhance sign language learning and increase comprehension skills through vocabulary lessons and an interactive quiz for each story. Each DVD features three-best-selling stories with vocal and ASL narration and finger spelling.

Mallory and Jack love both of these dvd's and have watched them repeatedly!  I love the sign language aspect but am also a fan of the read-along option.  It is great for Mallory since she is beginning to read.  Make sure you add these to your library when they become available on July 27th.

Another WONDERFUL dvd collection coming out this summer is THE ROSEMARY WELLS COLLECTION.  My kids love Max and Ruby, so this set has been a HUGE hit at our house!!  Scholastic Storybook Treasures celebrates author/illustrator Rosemary Wells with a new 2-dvd release available August 3rd!

Available for $19.95srp, this new 2-disc set features eight of Rosemary Wells best-loved stories, along with Scholastic Storybook Treasures’ enhanced read-along and comprehension questions to help build early literacy skills, Spanish Versions of “Noisy Nora” and “Max’s Christmas”, Interviews with Rosemary Wells, and a “Gonna Read to My Bunny” music video.

Stories on THE ROSEMARY WELLS COLLECTION include:

· MAX’S CHOCOLATE CHICKEN (narrated by Clavelle Dalferes) -- Will Max and Ruby find the most Easter eggs to win the chocolate chicken? Only the Easter Bunny knows for sure.

· MAX’S CHRISTMAS (narrated by Jenny Agutter and Rex Robbins) -- Max is told that he can’t stay up to see Santa, but he sneaks down anyway. Will Santa still come if Max is awake?

· MORRIS’S DISAPPEARING DOG -- Morris thinks his brother and sisters have better Christmas presents. But inside the last box under the tree he finds a magical gift that makes all his troubles disappear.

· OTTO RUNS FOR PRESIDENT (narrated by Diana Canova) -- Who will win the big school election at Barkadelphia School ? Popular Tiffany, Sporty Charles, or good friend Otto?

· NOISY NORA (narrated by Mary Beth Hurt) -- What’s a wee little mouse to do when little brother and big sister take up all of Mom and Dad’s time? Make noise, of course, in this faithful adaptation from Wells’ best-selling ALA Notable Book and School Library Journal’s Best Book of the Year.

· EMILY’S FIRST 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL (narrated by Diana Canova) -- As the days and weeks of school go by, Emily and her classmates learn new ideas, expand their world, and grow closer together one day at a time.

· VOYAGE TO THE BUNNY PLANET (narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- Three bunnies are whisked off to the gentle Bunny Planet — a place that lies “far beyond the moon and stars.”

· READING TO YOUR BUNNY (performed by Mary Chapin Carpenter, voices by Diana Canova, David DeVries, Rosemary Wells, and others) -- An original story by Rosemary Wells highlights the importance of reading to little ones.

If you're looking for great dvd's to add to your home library, these are perfect choices!!  You won't be disappointed.

Oh where, oh where has my blogging time gone?!?!

That's what I keep thinking to myself.... I've been out of town and extremely busy this summer!  My routine has gone out the window and summer has been a blast!  But, my blog has suffered and I've missed my blog friends.  I have a ton of reviews to post and another fun giveaway in the works!!!!  There are some awesome products I've had the chance to review recently and I can't wait to share them with you.

Tonight I'd like to start with a fun favorite!  It's the new ARM & HAMMER Spinbrush MyWay!-- the first and only customizable battery toothbrush. It's perfect for girls who'd like something all their own.

Each package comes with more than 140 (water-safe!) stickers, including:

Letters (pink and purple: for spelling out their name or nickname!)

Adorable animals (puppies, bunnies, ladybugs and birds)

Fun phrases (Girls rule, XOXOXO, Glam Girl)

Cute rainbows, flowers, peace signs and hearts (who doesn't love those?)

And for your little princess-- or rock star-- there are themed stickers as well!

It's been proven that kids brush 38 percent longer with a battery-operated Arm & Hammer Spinbrush for Kids toothbrush. Plus, with a $6.99 price tag and a jeweled purple on and off switch, you can't lose!

Mallory loves to have her name on everything, so she especially loved the letter stickers.  And, I love the fact that she enjoys brushing more with her FUN toothbrush!  Click here to learn more about this toothbrush and to get a $2.00 off coupon!!!

Hasbro Games Review

Don't you just love summer?!?!  Summer means LOTS of family time and FUN!  Hasbro has created some fabulous new games that are perfect for families!

We had the privilege of reviewing several of their new games...  Here is our review of two of them...

SORRY! REVENGE is a card game for ages 6+.  Mallory LOVED it but definitely needed a little help at first with some of the cards with words.  This game is great for working on mental addition and subtraction skills, plus it involves some problem solving skills.  In this game, you take turns to play number and action cards that will change the play pile's total points.  Get the pile to 21 without going over to get one of your pawn cards home.  But, the fun catch is that someone could play a SORRY! cards and steal your win!  This is a portable, fun SORRY! game for the whole family. 

Mallory was excited to learn how to play.

The game includes cards and a very detailed instruction sheet.

Mallory studied her cards.  (The card holder is something we already owned.)

And, Mallory really did WIN!!!

The SORRY! REVENGE game retails for approximately $6.99 and is available at mass merchandise retailers.

Another game we got to review was Pictureka!  This is a poplular new picture-finding race to find wacky images hidden in the game tiles.  The first person to spot a silly drawing matching the task on the card can yell "Pictureka!" or "I found it!"  This is a visual hide and seek game.  Collect all six mission cards and the title of "Pictureka! Champion" is won. 

We really enjoyed this game!  Mallory is GREAT at it!  This game reminds me of the Where's Waldo books, but the neat thing about it is you can flip, rotate, or switch locations of tiles and reveal a new set of images to discover.  The game is wonderful for visual stimulation.

Mallory playing Pictureka!

Mallory studying the tiles while playing against Nana and Papa.

Pictureka! is for 2 or more players ages 6 and up.  It retails for approximately $22.99 and is available at mass merchandise retailers nationwide.

Thank you, Hasbro, for the awesome family games you continue to create!  We love these and look forward to what's to come in the future.  For my blog readers, I have a review of Pop Goes Froggio, Yahtzee Hands Down, and Mille Bornes coming soon!

Fun on the 4th

My family had a fabulous 4th!!  We had an amazing church service to start the day!  Then, headed to my brother and sister-in-law's house that night for hamburgers and homemade ice cream!  DELICIOUS!!  The kiddos had a blast with water toys in the backyard.  When it finally was dark enough, they did some sparklers!  This was Mallory's 1st experience with sparklers, so she was pretty hesistant at first.  But, it didn't take long for her to love them!

Mallory, Grant, and Chad

This was Grant's 1st experience with sparklers, too!  :-)

Chad with Grant and Josh with Macy

Brad with Jack - it was WAY past his bedtime!  Amy, Macy, and Tennille

Amy with Macy

Thanks, Chad and Tennille!!!! 
We had a wonderful time!!!