DVD Review: Pocoyo: Dance, Pocoyo, Dance! (Promo Notice Too!)

My family and I recently received the new DVD Pocoyo: Dance, Pocoyo, Dance! to review.


Pocoyo is a Spanish pre-school show that has been aired here in the US on Nick Jr, Univision, and some PBS channels. It's a little different than some preschool aimed shows - the main character, Pocoyo, and his friends - Elly the elephant, Pato the duck, and Loula the dog - along with a few props are really all you see on the screen. The background is completely white, and this makes the characters really pop. There is lots of dancing throughout the episodes - each character kind of has it's own signature dance - and plenty of music to go along with it. In case you are wondering, Pocoyo is a little boy. It's cute, but really geared to the two and three year old crowd - those over the age of five will tend to get bored. Visit PocoyoWorld for lots of fun games and more about the show.

Pocoyo: Dance, Pocoyo, Dance! features ten little "shorts" or adventures: "Pocoyo Dance", "Giggle Bug", "Elly's Ballet Class", "Band Of Friends", "Dance Off!", "Elly On Ice", "Talent Show", "Drummer Boy", "Baby Bird Sitting", "Musical Blocks", "Messy Guest", and "Noise To My Ears". It also includes Spanish language, but there are no special features.



Pocoyo: Dance, Pocoyo, Dance! is being released as part of a promotion with Langers Juice. Simply purchase ten specially labeled Langers Juices (OK, I admit that's a lot of juice if you're a one child household like ours LOL) and be sure to keep those labels, as you'll need to mail them in, along with $1.99 for shipping and handling, and you'll receive this DVD! (Psst - since you just need the labels, you can always go ahead and buy the juice, and use it as you would normally - just be sure to write the expiration date and juice flavor if you purchase different ones onto the bottle)

If you're looking for another healthy idea to use the juice, did you know it makes great frozen pops? You can purchase frozen pops holders at most mass market stores, or you can make your own. For younger kids, use small paper cups and wooden popsicle style sticks (you can find these easily at dollar stores!). For older kids (over 7 or 8), you can make fun little treats using ice cube trays, and toothpicks (cut the sharp tip off the side going in the tray so they don't poke their tongue!) Be sure to let the cubes or cups freeze for a bit before adding in the wooden parts, or they will sag to the side and freeze funny!

For those unable to drink the Langers Juice in their homes, but still want this DVD - fear not! It will be available at the usual DVD outlets as well.

Pocoyo: Dance, Pocoyo, Dance! will be released on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011. Widescreen format, it is not rated, but safe for all ages (see above). The total running time is 90 minutes long. The suggested retail price (minus the promotion featured above) is $12.99, but Amazon has it available on pre-order for $11.49 as of this posting.

I received a copy of this DVD in order to share my thoughts on it and about the promotion. All opinions are my own.

Review: HandTrux

Summer for many of us means trips to the beach, or kids playing out in the sandbox. Pails and shovels can get boring day in and day out, so when you really want to play in the sand (or dirt!) there's HandTrux.


HandTrux is a plastic digging toy that slides onto kids' arms, and works like a real backhoe truck. It has a "handraulic" power grip lever inside the bucket that you can work to pick up sand, dirt, rocks - pretty much anything you want that fits! We've had some warm weather over the last week, and this toy happily made the journey to the beach with us several times. Now, our beaches aren't soft sand, we're kind of rocky, so the usual toys don't really work to make sand castles or anything like that. HandTrux stood up to digging through our rocky sand just fine, and we were kind of the hit of the beach with it - everyone was asking where we got it!

I loved that this was a simple, easy to use toy that used no batteries, and was simply powered by imagination - kids can pretend they are a robotic person, or if you're my family - try to dig a hole to China. LOL It says it is for ages 5 and up, but smaller kids can use it (there really aren't any little parts so I didn't even blink an eye letting my daughter try it out) and yes - big kids like my DH who went nuts over it. (lol)

The HandTrux retails for around $17.99, and you can purchase it online via their website, Amazon, or fine toy stores along the east coast.

By the way, I was also thrilled to see that the maker of HandTrux, TenTonToys created and made this here in the USA! Right now over on their website, you can create a sand sculpture using the HandTrux, and enter the Summer 2011 National "You Can Really Dig It" Sand Sculpting contest with your kids - it runs through September 30th, so you still have plenty of time to enter!

I received a sample in order to try out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

End Of July 2011 Randomness

Here we go again - my inbox is yet again full of great stuff, and rather than have 5 million new posts for y'all today, here's a bit of contests, coupons, charity news, and fun stuff for you all in one nifty post. You know the drill, right? ;) Have fun entering, save a little money, or support a needful charity - the choice is yours.

Now through August 19th, Baby Einstein will donate $1 worth of Baby Einstein product to K.I.D.S for every new “like” on the official Baby Einstein Facebook page, up to $10,000.

Every Day with Rachael Ray's magazine editors are asking their baking savvy readers and all Rachael fans at large to help them celebrate her birthday by making Rachael a birthday cake. The Magazine asks that bakers make a homemade treat from the pages of the August issue that is on stands now. You can choose from any of the four birthday cakes on pages 31-32 or select any ingredient found in this issue and use it in their own cake recipe. When you've decided what you're going to bake, create Rachael’s birthday cake, snap a photo and post it on www.Facebook.com/RachaelRaymag. The winning entry will be mentioned as a reader from you blog in the next issue of the Magazine and exposure on RachaelRayMag.com. Check back on August 25th (her actual birthday) to find out which cake will land a shout-out in an upcoming issue and a possibly a big thank you from the birthday girl herself.

Do you get a lot of junk, or are you moving soon? Updater is a comprehensive web-based management tool for postal mail that allows users to change their address, notify contacts of their move, stop unwanted paper mail, reduce identity theft and help the environment, all via one site! It sounds pretty east to use - I don't know about you, but boy am I tired with some of the junk mail we get. It's not free to use, but it works for three years.

The Socks United for Savings Sweepstakes asks users to guess how many socks are in this washer for a chance to win a new, sock-friendly, GE washer and dryer package! There is no purchase necessary (see site for details) and all entrants receive a mail-in rebate certificate redeemable on the purchase of a featured GE washer and dryer. The contest runs through August 31st, so hurry on over to enter!

If your allergies are driving you nuts this summer, you can print several coupons to save on your purchase of Allegra OTC medication. (They are Smart Source coupons, so be sure to have your printer ready to print!)

Purchase $160 or more from DECLEOR Skincare, and you can receive a free Aroma Comfort Post Wax Gel (ARV $27) Use promo code POSTWAX at checkout to receive it.

Gaiam has an extra 20% off all clearance prices now through August 1st, 2011. Use promo code CLEARANCE20 at checkout to receive it.

Review: Babycakes Cupcake Maker

Mom Central recently asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Babycakes tour. Now even thought it hasn't been quite as hot here in Washington state as it has been the rest of the country, I'm still not that keen on using the oven if I can help it. We do love sweet baked goods around here though, so I've broken down a few times and baked early in the morning. The heat still lingers from the oven though, so the thought of having a small appliance available that will help me bake without turning my kitchen into an oversized oven definitely interested me!

I received the Babycakes Cupcake Maker to try out. It bakes eight little mini cupcakes in five to eight minutes! It has a nonstick surface so you don't have to worry about your cupcakes being stuck. The cupcake maker also comes with an icing bag, decorating tips, crust tools, and a little recipe book. Available in red, pink, blue, and yellow, it can match most kitchen color schemes. I received the pink. On top are two lights - one that lets you know it's on (red), and a second one (green) that lets you know that it's heated up and ready to go.


On top of baking cupcakes, you can even use it to bake pastries and appetizers, so it's a little more versatile than at first glance.

Now let me warn you that need to follow the book's directions, not the directions on the box of cake mix if you decide to go that route. I zoned out the first time I went to go make them, and oops- we've been eating a lot of cupcakes around here lately. LOL The recipe in the book uses just two cups of cake mix, so you'll have a little bit leftover for next time.

When it came time for take two (lol), I decided to try to make them without cupcake liners, since I figured most people wouldn't have the mini kind on hand. I would live to regret this. You simply spoon two tablespoons of the mixture into each cupcake section. For cupcakes, you don't have to preheat the maker, which is great if you have little helpers - you don't have to worry about them burning themselves. After you have all of the holes filled, simply plug in the Babycakes Cupcake Maker and close the lid. Set a timer for about five to six minutes, and then have a toothpick on hand for checking to see if they are finished. If it comes back clear, you're ready to take them out.

This is where I regretted not using the liners. I couldn't get them out! I ended up using a toothpick to go around the sides, hoping I wasn't scratching the nonstick surface. I ended up crumbling a few of the cupcakes. :( After letting them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes (I love this small size, they cool so quickly!), we decorated them:


OK, not the world's greatest looking cupcakes, I'll admit. Baking isn't my strong point. lol They are perfectly sized for kids though, and my daughter just loved them.

Since I didn't use cupcake liners though, cleaning up was annoying. I'd definitely recommend using the liners, because I spent more time cleaning the Babycakes up than it took to cook the cupcakes! (If you end up with the same problem, try using a damp sponge, and then letting it soak up the moisture before wiping them down. It's a slow process, but you won't ruin the nonstick surface.)

We had fun with it, and I'm going to guess practice makes perfect with it - maybe as I try more recipes and use it more, my cupcakes might start to look a little cuter! It was nice to have homemade cupcakes on a warm day, but I don't really think it's practical for large batches. If you're a mom trying to introduce your daughter to baking in the kitchen, this is great. If you're a single person just wanting a few snack cupcakes for yourself, this would also work. But if you're more of a seasoned baker, this would probably just collect dust in a cabinet as yet another appliance.

The Babycakes Cupcake Maker has a suggested retail of $24.99, but I spotted them at our local Walmart for just $15.99!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Babycakes and received a product sample and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

You Don't See That Every Day...

For a second I thought we were back in Texas! LOL! Apparently it's a moving advertisement for a local mattress store called Mattress Ranch - whatever it is, it sure was our entertainment this morning!

Review: Neighborhoodies

Everywhere we go, we keep seeing these totally cool hoodies on folks with hometowns on them. They are like all the rage - I don't know whether it's because we live in an area full of folks from all over the place, thanks to the military base triangle we're in the middle of, or what? But both DH and I have been seething in jealousy because WE WANT ONE! I've asked both of our families to see if they could track us down some but they kept coming up empty handed. My MIL came up with a t-shirt from the school DH attended (we went to different high schools) - it was a start, but we REALLY wanted one of those hoodies!

So I totally squealed in happy glee when I heard about Neighborhoodies and finally figured out where everyone was getting these hoodies! The lightbulb came on! lol Neighborhoodies lets you represent your hometown in the style YOU want - it's not cookie cutter here. You're not limited to one boring style with the same boring old typeface. You can choose from multiple styles of sweatshirts and t-shirts - even boxers! - and you can choose the font, the colors, and add pretty much anything you want to it!

I picked out the Men's Classic in the asphalt color for DH with his main school color for the town writing:


Hey, check it out - it's the Mexican version of the unibomber! LOL!

It arrived quickly, and while the one I choose has a printed design, you can also choose embroidered, as well as choosing where you want the writing to be - you might prefer yours on the back, or centered differently. Neighborhoodies can create it pretty much however you want! The Class sweatshirt is a good weight too, it's not light, but definitely warm enough for cooler days. (If you are looking for really warm, Neighborhoodies also makes the Woolverine that's a thick hoodie so you won't freeze to death while looking good!)

All in all, we're both completely ecstatic with our Neighborhoodie! The Men's Classic starts at $34.99 and goes up depending on what you add to it (certain typestyles are a little more, etc, of course) They also make women's styles and kids too!

By the way, I choose a size 2X, and the sizing is pretty generous. If you like a slimmer fit on your hoodie, you may want to go down a size in the Classic - this however was just perfect for my DH. If you're ordering a different style, be sure to check through the description on whether the sizing is cut generous or not before deciding what size to buy!

You can follow Neighborhoodies over on Twitter or "like" them over on Facebook too.

I received a hoodie in order to share my thoughts on the product. All opinions are my own. And no, my husband is not at the top of any Most Wanted lists! LOL

Review & Giveaway: ThermaCELL Patio Lantern

Where we live this Summer, we have totally been invaded by mosquitoes and large flies. We have to be careful every time we open the door and go out on the deck, or they sneak in! It's been such a royal pain. I purchased fly tapes - those were a disaster. I caught a few mosquitoes and like two flies. LOL All I managed to do was get those tapes tangled into other things. The fly traps worked pretty well, but that helped with the flies, and not the mosquitoes. Sigh! I'm tired of being meat for the mosquitoes - they seem to love me! I just want them gone!

So I was excited to try out the ThermaCELL Patio Lantern. It's a cute little black lantern that doesn't look out of place sitting on my deck, and it gives me a double bang as it repels both mosquitoes AND black flies! It has a nice little handle so I can either hang it, or I can set it down on the railing or a small table. It actually provides up to 225 square feet of repellency, so anywhere on my deck is safe. (Even better, it covers a big chunk of the campsite when we go camping!) Here's what it looks like:


It uses four AA batteries, which provides up to 200 hours of light on a low setting, and up to 150 hours on high - this means even if you're not battling the bugs on a cooler evening, you still can use it for ambiance lighting. The great part about it being just AA batteries is you can use rechargeable batteries, and not some obscure tiny little battery.

The ThermaCELL patio lantern also uses small "mats" to help ward off the mosquitoes, along with a butane cartridge. The mat, which lasts about four hours, goes into the top of the lantern, while the butane cartridge slides into the lantern itself. I was concerned this would take awhile to set up, but DH had it ready to go in several minutes. The butane cartridge lasts about 12 hours. What I liked about the mats is that they turn from a pale blue to a white when it's time to change them - although for most people, you'll probably go through one of those mats an evening unless you're having a lengthy get-together. You do have to wait for the lantern to cool off before switching out the mats, though, but it doesn't take that long.

While we had this on during the evening, I managed to walk away bite free, which made me totally happy. I didn't notice any bugs hanging around where we were sitting. Of course, the butane is flammable, so you have to be careful where you put it (keep it away from the grill or any open flame), but it was nice to not have to resort again to using bug spray on my skin! Thanks to the handle, it's also easy to move around with you if you are moving from one spot to another in your yard or deck, too.

According to the box, the lantern (minus any used mats or the butane cartridge) is recyclable if your community takes that kind of plastic. Since you can use it as just a lantern though, and not just a bug killer, you'd probably want to hang on to it thought as an emergency light, or just a nice lamp on the patio. Refills of both the butane and the mats are available, and you can purchase them at places like Target, Walmart, and Fred Meyer. I'll definitely be picking up some extras, and this will be coming along on our next camping trip!

Check out Thermacell's website for other styles - especially if you hunt or fish - and don't forget the Thermacell Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thermacellbackyard for sales and new product notices. Now through July 31st, you can receive free shipping on orders of $40 or more using promo code BUGFREE at checkout!

Win it! Thanks to ThermaCELL, one lucky reader is going to win a Patio Lantern just like the one I received! To enter, head on over to ThermaCELL's Facebook page and "like" them (per sponsor's request), then come back here and tell us if the mosquitoes think you're the perfect bug food buffet or not (lol)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway 1X (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse)
Win a ThermaCELL patio lantern http://bit.ly/raw0Xa ends 8/6 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends August 6th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received the product mentioned above in order to try it out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own. One winner will receive the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

The Invasion - Part Two

If you need to get caught up on the beginning of the saga with part one, click here.

Through all this, my MIL had done THREE loads of laundry. I was confused, I saw them come in with one bag and one tote. Now I know they were on the road for three days, but three loads of laundry for four people?

Fast forward to the next day, when she did TWO MORE LOAD OF LAUNDRY! Can you see me freaking out here? (Not that they could even do the dirty towels they had used?!) They were doing small loads of laundry! I made DH speak up - I was terrified of what was about to happen to our septic system. Yes, I do a lot of laundry, but everything is spaced out. They were all taking showers, doing dishes, all that laundry, of course flushing.... my blood pressure is getting high again just thinking of the waste!

And that's another thing. They weren't even here 24 hours and my trash can was filled to the brim. Normally we end up with about a bag's worth of trash, plus one of pet waste, so we have pick up for one can per week. My can is already full, and pick up isn't until next Tuesday! They are ripping though paper towels - to even dry their hands when there are hand towels right next to the sinks?! - using paper plates when I bought plastic plates for them... oh my gosh, I literally could hear trees crying looking at the bin. (I know you're laughing, but we hate waste here. I bought regular paper napkins for the first time in our marriage before they arrived just for them. Paper towels, we've used one roll in the last year - they went through one roll in 2 days!) Lights are being left on when no one is in rooms... and I am dying thinking of our electric bill. We had even told them we are very careful with our electric and turn things off when they are not in use - chargers are being left plugged in, lights all night long... the TV on 24/7 so far!), and my MIL was like well, we are happy when it's under $250.

Cringe!

Don't even get me started on parenting issues. DH was like, well, that's how she was raised... I'm like Great! That's her, not us. I make the rules.

Did I mention they were using our PS3 and BROKE IT? Cue my fist going into my mouth so I wouldn't scream. I went to the bedroom and cried. Does anyone offer to replace it? Of course not.

So fast forward to day 3, about when I posted I wanted to abandon ship. No one wanted to move, so we headed off for a mini hike (about an hour) which I cannot even begin to tell you how much I needed that! I tried to get DH to just head on out and do something, but guilt overtook him, so we went back to the house to see if anyone wanted to do anything.

TV was still on. Their PS3 now hooked up. I served us some snacks (conveniently, I was down to just two yogurts so I didn't offer any. lol I felt bad though. See? Even with all this I still feel the need to be nice - sigh!) and DH told them we were heading out to Silverdale, and he asked if they might want to tag along and visit some stores and have lunch. His mother, brother and sister said they wanted to, so I was stuck waiting around another 45 minutes for them to get ready. (Did I mention it was almost 1 PM at this point?)

We went to the Goodwill out there, and apparently, they are overloaded on furniture or something, because they had sofas at $3.99, $5.99, etc. Good prices, but trust me when I say, most of them had seen better days. They were what I would expect to snag off Freecycle or something - great for a first place, but I wouldn't even take them free for here. (they made my couch look gorgeous and that's hard! LOL) My MIL wanted to buy one to take back to Texas!

Who buys a $3.99 used, worn sofa to take nearly 3,000 miles?! Luckily my SIL apparently talked her out of it.

I was having nightmares of that ugly green monstrosity sitting out on my beautiful looking freshly painted deck the next week.

So we come out of Goodwill, and I figure I would head across the parking lot to Petsmart and pick up a few things - no, they didn't want to do that. DH said something to them (I honestly didn't hear... I was too busy trying to recover from that couch!), so they finally just agreed to hang out in the truck while we were in there. I went as quick as I could, because they were complaining that they were hungry.

DH suggested Red Robin since he thought they would enjoy it and we explained to them that it's like a little tradition for our family (we go every birthday and our anniversary). Not only did they not seem to enjoy it that much - my burger was really good, so I'm sure the other ones brought to the table had to be decent? - but I don't know. Then don't think this is rude, but I figured that since it was his family and all, they would pick up the tab. After all, they were staying with us and using things around our home, right? The waiter asked how many checks, and she pointed out to my BIL and SIL and said two. OK, not a problem - but when the checks arrived, she left theirs sitting on the table and I told DH later, I really felt like she was expecting US to pick up their tab for them! And even worse, I found out they tipped the poor waiter only $5 off a $45 check. I felt so bad for the guy, because he really was an awesome waiter, bringing us refills quickly and such. I told DH next time we go, since we've gotten this guy several times in the past, that I wanted to give him a double tip to make up for it karma wise.

As we were leaving, they decided they were too tired to do anything else, so they headed back to our house. I was not going all the way out there just for that! So DH and I decided we'd spend the day like any other and did a little other shopping. I stopped by Grocery Outlet and picked up some things to add to making dinner... we made it home about 5PM. I figured I would be perfect timing and could get into my kitchen before my MIL took it over. Once again I was wrong - guess who was making potatoes and meat again? And doing more laundry?

I gave up. I'm like a prisoner marking days on the wall over here. I'm just hoping that they will get bored with our couch and go back home early. Now we were all supposed to join my family for the weekend on the beach - they are complaining about having to take a ferry ride to get there. I told DH whatever they want to do - we're going. And we are. DH was looking forward to doing some fishing with my Dad, and I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!

It irritates me even more so, because this is the first time DH has had three straight weeks of vacation. We haven't even had three straight weeks together since we've been married! If they weren't here, we'd be out camping and we had talked of heading down the coast into Oregon. I know I shouldn't think of "could haves", but boy, it's depressing. :(

Blog Tour: Glastonbury Tor By LeAnne Hardy

Today I am participating in the blog tour for the new book Glastonbury Tor by LeAnne Hardy.


Glastonbury Tor is the story of Collen (or Colin, as his English father preferred he be called) Hay, a seventeen year old boy. After his mother tragically dies due to childbirth, Collen follows her wishes and joins the monastery in Glastonbury Abbey - only after attempting to kill his father as he felt he was responsible for his mother's death. (Really, he was...) Alas, this happens as King Henry VIII is closing monasteries left and right across the country (Dissolution of the Monasteries began in 1536) and persecuting the Catholic Church. During this time known as the Reformation, it is against the Law to have an English Bible for most families - to be caught with one could mean death. Collen stays with a local family, the Thatchers, who not only happen to have a Bible - but the daughter reads straight from the book, another huge no-no at this time. Most women did not even read at this time in history unless they were of noble birth.

This is a time of changes throughout England, and as the story continues on, Colin struggles with the doctrines he learns at the monastery. His older brother, and family heir, Walter, passes away in an accident while riding, and the news that he is now the heir is brought to him at the Abbey - along with word of his father's forgiveness. He tells the messenger to tell his father he has no heir in order to try to shut that chapter of his life closed. He also struggles with a priest at the Abbey, Father Bede, a man with a thirst for power - who desires a special cup the Abbey has, the Holy Grail. Will Colin stop Father Bede from doing something awful with the cup?

Anything set in the Middle Ages definitely makes it to the top of my "must read" list. Glastonbury Tor was right up my alley - the author did a good amount of research that comes through in the story even though a few things were bent to fit the story. Toss in Glastonbury as the location for the story - one of the most beautiful places in the world, if you ask me - and I seriously could not wait to get my hands on this book. If you're not into historical fiction, this book will probably bore you to death, but if you're like me, and enjoy this time period, you'll enjoy this book. A healthy amount of knowledge of the Middle Ages and the religious turmoil helps the book to read even more smoothly, but it's not necessary.

If you're interested, you can visit the author's website here. Ms. Hardy has lived as a missionary in six countries on four continents - that's a lot of traveling! She has written several other books - be sure to check them all out!

Glastonbury Tor by LeAnne Hardy is a softcover history/religion fiction book published by Kregel Publications. It is 240 pages long. The suggested cover price is $12.99, and you can purchase it via your favorite local bookstore, or via online such as Amazon.

As a participant in this blog tour, I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - I Can't Wake Up

*yawn* I made the mistake of going back to sleep another half an hour this morning, and I am seriously regretting it. I have been crawling since I woke up. Changes in my sleep cycle just do not work for me at all anymore!

I'm starting to think that after all the shootings over the weekend, the crazy people outnumber the sane people. I admit, I'm a little um... different.... but I can't comprehend how shooting innocent people you don't even know makes it all better.

Maybe I am more sane than I think. lol

I keep looking out the window in hopes that I'll see the sun looking back at me. Yooo hooo sun? How are we supposed to go out and do fun things like the zoo if you won't come out and play?

Yesterday I bought bananas, and the guy in line questioned the clerk as to why my bananas were ringing up cheaper than the sign. Um... because they are at the end of the road? Seriously, they were half brown/black, and I had just grabbed them to make some smoothies for us. Geesh though, nosy much? lol Not that I have any room to talk, I guess - sometimes I look at what others have in their cart and just cringe. I seriously hope that their shopping trips are just for a specific occasion like a party or game night.

We started jumping into the used RV market this weekend. We looked at two. The first one was kind of cute for being an older class C, but once we looked at the sleeping situation realized it would have been nice if it was just the two of us. The second one we looked at because it belonged to someone who was friends with friends (LOL) and oh. my. gosh. Let me begin with saying it was from 1985. The motor and everything outside was excellent, but on the inside... ei yie yie. Horrible orange shag that had seen better days, and there was mold and mildew everywhere. It had a new nice fridge and nice new stove, both of which definitely made the asking price alright... but oh my gosh. We'd have to rip out all the carpeting and curtains and basically everything cloth. Can you imagine? I already live in a project house, I am not taking on a project RV. Cheap, or not. LOL

I still prefer tent camping, but this is the only way to go about the "We'll come visit you, don't worry about coming to visit us" pledge I have now taken on.

Plus, it would come in handy for zombie events. ;)

Kat Von D and Jesse James broke off their engagement? Gee, how surprising. And here I thought they were soul mates *Snort, snicker, snicker*

I found the cutest bamboo placements at Dollar Tree yesterday! They came in different colors, too.

I keep striking out at the thrift store lately. The only thing I can assume is that so many people now shop there, the competition has gotten too stiff. In the last 10 trips, I have bought myself one blouse - it's been ages since I found a decent skirt - and DH found a CD a couple of trips ago. How depressing is that? Even if I had unlimited money and a bigger house, I'm not even finding stuff I would want!

Dear friends, when you send me an email with the subject "Don't Panic", I am going to panic.

Anyone else think we should just dump everyone in Washington out of their position and toss in some couponing SAHM's to get things done? I'm tired of the bickering. Of the he said/she saids. And the scandals! You're adults, behave like one! It's like a frat party gone wrong lately.

We met a baby Corgi at the dog park this weekend. DH was in love. He keeps looking at YouTube videos of puppies now trying to convince me we need to adopt puppies. Secretly, I would LOVE to. But there are so many older ones in rescue that I have a hard time bringing in a puppy (from a real breeder, I think all breeders who don't show shouldn't breed).

4,000 living dead hit the streets of Dublin Zombie Walk - VIDEO

The Invasion - Part One (Hello, Drama!)

Argh... I almost don't want to write this post, because I really do TRY to keep it positive outside of a few vents here and there. (I have to complain somewhere!) I'm going to break it up into several posts because this rant is LONG. I told myself that this visit couldn't be any worse than the last visit from my in-laws (for new readers, go back to August 2009, where they arrived on my doorstep and starting packing up our house to move back to TX - even though we had no place to live, and no job for DH!).

Apparently, I was wrong. They pulled in at the middle of the night - and upon walking in the door, my father in law said he would be going to sleep in the truck.

Now, my house isn't perfect - we have an almost 3 year old (<--- typing that reminds me how fast time is going! ZOINKS!), seven pets, and yes, my house is in a permanent stage of remodeling because it was a project house when we bought it - not to mention it's all of 640 square feet. But DH and I finished up a ton of projects, and I thought our house looked pretty good all things considered. We reorganized the living room so there would be more room, I made sure we restocked on a lot of things, and I even baked brownies and cranberry muffins so they could have a late night snack.

Sabbath got out the door not even 10 minutes in, and I am lucky that cat is the dumbest cat on the planet, because she STILL hasn't figured out how to jump the fence. We got her back in, I took the pets into the bedroom, and then I heard complaints about the pets roaming the house.

Hey, it's their house too! All of a sudden I was hearing that they should stay in the room all week long! WT?! Um, no. I'll give my DH credit, he told them to deal with it. (Course, my threatening to take everyone and go stay over with my parents - who are in-state right now - probably had something to do with it) We went to bed.... and upon getting up, my mother in law kept asking me for different foods. First of all, I don't buy white sandwich bread like Wonder Bread or anything like that. I bake. And I was out of eggs, because I used them to bake for them! I had plenty of cereal and milk, and I could have made pancakes for everyone, but no. Eggs, bread, and potatoes was at the top of her list.

...let me hijack this for a second and explain to y'all, back before DH and I were married, he was ALWAYS complaining that all there ever was in the house was eggs and potatoes. See a pattern here? The poor guy was so happy to have something different when we were married, even if I am sure my cooking back in the beginning was more on the blah side.

Anyways, that morning they sat on the couch and watching movies and played video games. Now I know it was a long trip, and they needed to unwind - but DH's brother and sister brought along their PS3! Like we don't have one? Day 1: TV and games. That's all they did. Day 2: Tv and games. See a pattern here?

So anyways, midway through that first day, I told DH we needed to go play at the park. I showed them where the towels were, and told them to feel free to take showers after explaining about our septic system/hot water issues. We came back not even an hour later, and when we pulled up I swore I heard something....

My washing machine. Not even asking, my MIL was doing laundry. Keep in mind I have a much older set that's quirky. She's also been going through my kitchen, looking for whatever she wanted.

This is me, not happy. I popped into the bedroom to answer some emails and cool off. I knew a trip to the grocery store was going to be needed - but I figured my in-laws could let me know what was up. I had planned dinners for this week, as you know by my menu plan, but I couldn't get anywhere with asking if what I had planned was OK with them. (writing this, I'm questioning why I even cared, but you know me) My MIL insisted on going to the grocery, so I told DH to give her his store card so she can get the discounts - thinking they would all head out. Nope, my DH ends up taking his Mom.

Fine.

Want to know what they came back with? Eggs, potatoes, hot dogs, tortillas, processed cheese slices, and Sprite.

Really? Is it any wonder they all have weight and/or diabetes issues there? She starts cooking - by this point I've been kicked out of my own kitchen without even being asked about anything - and I was trying not to scream while making something for the kiddo because there was NO WAY I was letting her eat that. I know my recipes are not always the world's healthiest, but I was dying inside at the sodium content.

Oh, and I refused to touch it. DH told her I don't eat eggs (I don't) so then she offered to make it without eggs... nope. I said I wasn't hungry. (And I wasn't after looking at it in the pan! Holy smokes!)

Two hours later, they go out and pick up THREE pizzas. It's almost 10 at night! DH gave me a look so I ate a piece to keep the peace (haha) but I seriously could not stop thinking about their food choices being the reason why they all have problems. At first I thought I was over-reacting in my mind - I admit my eating disorder still sticks around a bit - but DH confirmed even he was startled. (TG it wasn't just me!)

To be continued...

Freebie Alert: Freschetta By The Slice

Mark your calendars! On August 4th, 2011, Freschetta will be giving away thousands of slices of By The Slice pizza in a special live online event.


On Thursday July 28th, 2011 the website www.FreeFreschetta.com will be available for all of us to sign up for a reminder email and view a preview of the events to come with host Mike Rylander. On August 4th the reminder email will be sent to those that signed up, and the event will be live at 11 AM EST on this day for all to sign up! Every half an hour, 5,000 slices will be given away (via online coupon). There will also be interactive contests where you can win additional coupons!

Be sure to sign up for that reminder email so you don't forget this freebie! You'll have to hurry to get one of the free coupons - I am going to guess these are going to go fast. You may have more luck picking one of the later times, such as towards the end, when more folks will have already gotten in on the offer - traffic may be a little lighter.

Book Review: Pinch Me By Adena Halpern

I recently received a copy of the new book Pinch Me by Adena Halpern to review.


“Never marry a man unless he’s short, bald, fat, stupid, and treats you badly.”

What would you do if every woman in your family gave you that exact line of advice? I know what I would do - ignore it. I mean, really? Stupid? Treats me badly? That's a recipe for me to end up in jail for killing someone! LOL The main character, Lily Burns is 29 years old and has heard this advice from her mother and grandmother since she was a little girl. Then Gogo enters her life: a handsome man who is a pediatrician and treats her like a queen. He proposes to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and she accepts even though during the proposal, she kept hearing her mother and grandmother's voices the entire time. (It probably doesn't help that they have drawn a crowd who's eagerly waiting for her to say yes and chiming in their opinions! LOL) So back to the US they go, where Lily tells her family she is getting married, only to have them tell her that the family is cursed. If Lily marries Gogo because she is in love with him, there will be unimaginable consequences.

So they elope. (Hmm... sounds familiar. Ha!) Lily is so happy that she almost can't believe it - and she asks Gogo to pink her, just to make sure it isn't a dream. Bad idea! All of a sudden, Lily finds herself back in the house back home where she lived when she was single. Gogo is nowhere to be found, and when she finally finds him - he's married to someone else! Even worse? He has absolutely NO idea who she is! Everything she thought she knew - such as Gogo loving Brussels sprouts - turns out to not be the way Gogo is in this, um, dimension. He doesn't even look like the old Gogo! Can Lily break the curse and make things go back to the way they were? Or will the craziness of it all make her give up? You know I'm going to make you read the book to find out! ;)

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love fairy tales, and this one was like a fairy tale gone bad. lol Murphy's Law runs in my family, so I totally identified with the whole curse thing. The cover was hilarious to me, simply because it reminded me of my sad little wedding cake, where our groom was missing a leg because it broke off. Yeah, really. I should have known nothing was going to change! lol I giggled several times throughout the story, and I really found it an entertaining read. This is another great book that's great to pack for a vacation or read by the pool (well, if it would stop raining here!) Definitely add this one to your Summer library reading list!

Pinch Me by Adena Halpern is a fiction trade paperback published by Touchstone. It is 288 pages long. The suggested cover price is $14.99, but Amazon has it available for $9.97 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

DVD Review: Rock 'N Learn Alphabet Circus

My family and I recently received a copy of one of the Rock 'N Learn titles to review, Alphabet Circus.


Back to school season is almost here (already? It's going fast!), and for those sending your child to preschool or kindergarten for the first time, Alphabet Circus is the perfect DVD to help your child learn more about the alphabet.

This award winning educational DVD from the great folks over at Rock 'N Learn helps kids with letter recognition, as well as building fundamental word and letter associations. Alphabet Al is the ringmaster, and his animated circus - which as a Mom, I think is a little cheesy, I admit - will teach kids the alphabet from A to Z using everything from amazing acrobats to dancing dogs! There is something different for each letter. Like all the other Rock 'N Learn titles, it uses lots of catchy songs that kids love and are easy to remember. Both the letter in capital and lower case, as well as the word being talked about are shown on the screen. There is some beginning math included - for instance, kids can count the clowns coming out of the clown car.


Direct Link for the Feed Readers

Included on the DVD are two bonus "chapters" - one about printing letters, and the other about printing numbers.

Now my daughter is almost 3, and this seemed to be about the perfect age range - the DVD says 2-5, I'm going to say it would appeal more to 2-4, unless your child is struggling with the alphabet. The DVD was actually a little longer than I thought it would be (almost twice what I thought) but it held her attention mostly the whole way through - in part due to those catchy songs. (DH says he wishes they had gotten Weird Al to be the ringmaster for this one! LOL) This title is definitely another winner from Rock 'N Learn - as some of you may know, my MIL is a teacher, and she was watching it with my daughter and gave it two thumbs up too. I know I gush sometimes, but Rock 'N Learn's products really are worth it.

Alphabet Circus, like most of the Rock 'N Learn titles, retails for $19.99, and you can purchase it online via their website, or at quality teaching supply stores and Barnes & Noble. If you'd like to order via Rock 'N Learn's website though, I have a discount code that will save you 25% off your entire purchase! Just use promo code JQ7711 at checkout to have it apply to your order.

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

DVD Review: Conan The Adventurer: Season One

My family and I recently received a copy of one of the latest Shout! Factory DVD releases, Conan The Adventurer: Season One to review.


Perfectly coinciding with the new Conan movie being released in August, Conan The Adventurer: Season One is the latest retro cartoon to be released from the archives. Originally airing back in the early 1990's, this animated series ran for several years and follows the adventures of Conan the Barbarian, and friends Zula, Greywold, Snagg, Needle, Jezmine, and others. Conan is armed with a powerful sword that is forged from Star Metal - "tears" that have fallen from the heavens - and his faith in his God, Crom, when he sets off on a quest to rescue his family from an evil spell cast by the evil wizard, Wrath-Amon (sounds like a death metal band, doesn't it? lol) when he wanted the sword for himself.

Unlike the original movie though, this Conan is much more suited for kids and follows in the vein of other similar cartoons such as He-Man and Thundercats - instead of just violence and half naked women (like the original Conan movie), kids end up learning a lesson by the end of the show. The series is much more age appropriate and though there is a certain level of cartoon violence, it's much tamer than many options these days.

Conan The Adventurer: Season One features thirteen episodes - all of the ones from the first season - on a two disc set. Alas, there are no special features included on the set, which seems to be a little bit of a let down for the reminiscing crowd. Kids won't care, guys like my DH who are all over this for nostalgic sake are probably wishing bonus features had been included. Perhaps when it is finally released on Blu-Ray? (hint, hint)

Conan The Adventurer: Season One will be released this Tuesday, July 26th, 2011. Full screen format, the total running time is about five hours long. Not rated, it's geared for about the ages 7 and up crowd and will appeal more to boys than girls. The suggested retail price is $19.93, but Amazon has it available for $14.99 as of this posting.

I did receive a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Menu Planning Monday - Sort Of Back To Normal

Well, I tried to follow my menu plan last week, but the best lid plans never seem to work around here! So I've recycled some of the dishes from last week into this week - since I'd already moved the meats from the deep freezer into the fridge freezer. I also have a couple of new recipes I'd like to try from some of my cookbooks - if they go alright I'll definitely share them with you! (Fingers crossed - lately I feel like the new recipes I've picked out and revamped have been less than stellar)

Monday: Mexican Bake

Tuesday: Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, Baked Beans, Carolina Style Coleslaw

Wednesday: picnic out

Thursday: meatloaf, roasted veggies, salad

Friday: new recipe to try

Saturday: new recipe to try

Sunday: new recipe to try

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

My 3,000th Post! (Giveaway)

*drumroll* Another milestone is passed - this is my 3,000th post! Thanks y'all for reading what I've written over the last four and half years - time has flown, hasn't it? If someone had told me that this blog would still be going strong after I wrote that first post, I would have laughed. Maybe I wouldn't have even started writing - you know little ol' anti-social me.


In honor of my 3,000th post, I've got a book giveaway for you. I bought a copy for me, and I snagged one for you too - it's called Drink: Never Mind The Peanuts by Susy Atkins and Dave Broom. It's all about the different types of alcohol, and what to pair them with - so if you're new to the entertaining world, simply looking for understanding which type of wine is the perfect hostess gift during which season, or just curious, this one is an interesting book to flip through. I learned a lot myself! (even if I don't drink lol)

So to enter, just leave me a comment - whatever is on your mind. Well, except "enter me". You know how much that drives me crazy! ;) Here's to another 3,000 more hopefully? (oh, and rants on the way about this past week!)

*Oops - forgot to say, the giveaway ends August 6th! And yes, I'll ship internationally!

Local Spotlight: Blue Willow Lavender Farm

Like I said, I am not sitting still this Summer, so we took a field trip to Blue Willow Lavender Farm. It's primetime lavender season, so you could see fields of beautiful lavender plants:


They had many different varieties, but this one was definitely my favorite! This plant was huge, and this variety smelled so pretty. It was wonderful seeing all the bumble bees at work, too.


They also have a little gift shop where you can purchase just about everything that's made with lavender - from soaps to lavender syrup! (Who knew they made syrup from lavender?!)

Blue Willow Lavender Farm is located at 10615 Wright Bliss Rd KP N, over in Gig Harbor, Washington. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the months of March through October.

Abandon Ship!

As you can tell, things aren't exactly going on the good side around here with the in-laws visiting - I'd really call it more of an invasion, because my house has been completely taken over without asking. Perhaps I should print out a page on visiting etiquette and strategically leave it in place sight? ;) At any rate, I'm about to beg DH to get our little family out of the house for the day before I go off the deep end...

Let's just say 3 days in, I already have plenty of blog fodder. ;)

Wordless Wednesday - Psychotic Possessed Kitty

DVD Review: LeapFrog Sing And Learn With Us!

My family and I recently received a copy of the latest DVD title from the learning series LeapFrog, Sing And Learn With Us! to review.


LeapFrog Sing And Learn With Us! originally was released as a “Sing-along Read-along” Early Reading Set that you could find over in the toy area with other great leap frog toys. Now it's making the DVD debut with an brand new cast of characters performing 12 animated sing-along shorts focusing on developmental reading skills, short vowels, phonics skills and comprehension - skills perfect for the preschool to kindergarten crowd. The DVD also doubles as a DVD-ROM, where if you put the DVD into your computer drive, you'll be able to access 12 printable sing-along storybooks and 3 printable coloring sheets too!

The music included is fun and catchy, and it's easy for kids to follow along on the screen with the words being highlighted as you go. My daughter loves the characters on this one, and although we're still a bit aways from reading by herself, watching this is another great foundation block for her. I like the printable options to go along with it, too. And it's short enough that it's not overwhelming with tons of information.

LeapFrog Sing And Learn With Us! is available on DVD now. Full screen format, it is not rated, and safe for all ages - although the recommended age is 3 to 6 years. The total running time is 32 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $14.98, but Amazon has it available for $12.49 as of this posting. (Netflix users: this title is not currently available, but add it to your DVD queue to be notified when it is)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

DVD Review: Clifford The Big Red Dog: Dog Days Of Summer

My family and I recently received a copy of the new animated DVD Clifford The Big Red Dog: Dog Days Of Summer to review.


I always loved reading Clifford stories when I was a little girl, so I'm happy to see another new DVD hit the shelves so I can use it as a tie-in with reading the books with my daughter. Clifford The Big Red Dog: Dog Days Of Summer is an all-new DVD that includes five stories: "Special Delivery", "Welcome to Birdwell Island", "Doing The Right Thing", "The Dog Who Cried Woof", and "Jetta's Sweater".

The stories - and the DVD - follow the adventures of Clifford the Big Red Dog, who along with Emily Elizabeth, T-Bone, and Cleo, learn to "Be Big!" and learn valuable lessons in life. In "Special Delivery", for instance, Clifford must take a package to the post office for Emily Elizabeth - but get talks into opening it by Cleo, who is curious what's inside. Now Clifford must be honest about what he did. And in "Doing The Right Thing", T-Bone steals a toy and now feels guilty. He must take it back and learn a lesson about doing the right thing and not taking things that do not belong to him.

The stories are as easy to follow along on DVD as they are in the books (though, DVDs can NEVER replace books!) and the Clifford series is just perfect for the 2 to 3 crowd. I love that the "episodes" are shorter so we can view one and keep our TV viewing time to a minimum. The DVD also includes a bonus feature of six speckle stories, which are the little stories Emily Elizabeth reads to Clifford, which are about dogs.

The DVD also features Direct-Play, so it will automatically start when you play it in your DVD player.

Clifford The Big Red Dog: Dog Days Of Summer is available now, wherever DVDs are sold. Full screen format, it is not rated, but safe for all ages (although those over the age of 4-5 will get bored, quickly). The total running time is 60 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $14.99, although Amazon has it available for $12.49 as of this posting. (Netflix users: this title is not currently available, but add it to your queue to be notified when it is)

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - There's No Such Thing As Too Much

For five glorious minutes, my house looked perfectly clean. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life... *snicker*

Captain America is out this weekend! I am SO excited! I am prepared for it to be awful, but I am really hoping they put a little bit of effort in it. Nothing can be as bad as The Green Hornet, that's for sure. Sorry to anyone who liked it, but that was AWFUL.

DH kind of whimpered when I cut off the DVD portion of Netflix. I am still cranky about that 60% price increase from last week - especially when the services goes down a few days later! Did anyone cancel their service altogether? We watch way more streaming than we do DVD, even if the picture isn't all that great - I would have cut that off too right now, but everyone needs something to watch the next couple of weeks. lol I love the old cheesey movies available on streaming, but I'm still cranky. ;)

Poor Magick. DH moved the cat perches around to make a bit more room in the living room, and the one that's by the window now is the one he can't really get on too easily - his 22 pound rear end struggles to jump up that high. He wiped out last night and the perch almost fell over. LOL I am going to need to get them a new one so they have an easier time getting up - the one that got broken a few weeks ago had platforms that allowed them to jump from perch to perch a lot easier.

Yes, the pets rule around here. ;) DH saw this cute little tortie kitten at Petsmart the other day (we were just stopping by to torture them with a few coupons since I don't like to torture MudBay with them) and he almost broke down. I think if it wasn't for the family chaos, she'd have been a new member of our family. It was funny though, because the kitten had attitude - she kept hissing at the Corgis and then at the kiddo. Something tells me she would have about died when she met the rabbit. lol

Speaking of the Corgis, I bought the Grumpy Princess this adorable pink bed at Grocery Outlet the other day (it was a steal for $9.99!), and she has to fight the kitties for room on it. Right now I am getting a look that I am late for breakfast apparently. Oops. I was looking at photos of those two from when we brought them home two years ago, and I am shocked still at how awful they looked. I know not everyone treats their pets like we do, but I wonder if they had even had a bath before, or when the last time their nails were trimmed.

*yawn* I want to go back to bed.

Did you see the teaser footage for season two of The Walking Dead yet? (not for little eyes)


Direct Link for the feedreaders

I'm thinking someone should have stocked up an ammo a little better. ;) You can never have enough ammo. Never

Menu Planning Monday - The I'm Not Sure Edition

Well, I went back and forth on menu planning this week with all of our visitors. DH's family eats very differently from mine, and certainly from our little family, so I am not even sure they will want to eat what I make. I may be cooking for some of us, and not for everyone, I suppose, and other days I may just scrap cooking and let everyone else run the show. I did put my foot down and say that we are not just eating fast food all week - no way! (yuck!) Seriously, I don't mind it here and there, but not every meal for every day.

So I am trying to choose meals that I normally make that are easily doubled/tripled - not to mention easy to make... although come to think of it, it would be nice to have an excuse to hide in the kitchen all week! ;) I have cereals and breads for toasting for breakfast, and for lunches, I have some meats that are easily grilled out like hot dogs and we made patties ourselves already that can just be tossed on the grill.

Monday: Ginger Slow Cooker Roast Chicken, salad, roasted veggies, rolls

Tuesday: Mexican Bake

Wednesday: Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, Baked Beans, Carolina Style Coleslaw

Thursday: BBQ at the park

Friday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, Seasoned Steak Fries, homemade onion rings

Saturday: dinner out in Seattle

Sunday: Creamy Cheese Chicken, garlic bread, salad

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

On Vacation

Well, DH is, I'm not - I'm still running the asylum! The list isn't done, and you know what? It's not my problem! What's done is done, and if someone doesn't like it, they can fix it or clean it themselves! ;) My parents are here, and the in-laws should arrive any minute, after getting lost and then having a little too much fun in Roswell, lol.

We have a new leak that sprung up during a torrential downpour this weekend - around the fireplace which is so NOT good. :( So as soon as the family leaves, fixing that problem is definitely going to be priority number one. On the bright side, it looks like we may have finally fixed several other leaks, as they didn't have any water pouring during all the rain! (YAY!)

DH actually has three weeks of vacation - something he's never had since we've been married. Here's hoping we can take a few days and wander off somewhere - PLEASE let the rain slow down so we can do some decent camping!

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

In our world of quirky holidays, today is National Ice Cream day.


I can't think of a more perfect excuse to indulge myself in a scoop of yummy goodness, can you? So what's your favorite flavor? Mine is marionberry. I'd say I could eat an entire quart of the stuff, but you and I both know I'd be sick before I even got to the halfway point! lol

Local Spotlight: Debbie Macomber's A Good Yarn Shop

Several of our buildings here in town towards the waterfront have this gorgeous Victorian charm to them. Housed in one of them, is the yarn shop that belongs to author Debbie Macomber called A Good Yarn Shop:



I couldn't take pictures inside of the store, but bring a full wallet - there are tons of gorgeous yarns in a multitude of colors. You won't be able to resist them! If you are really lucky, you might even be able to meet Debbie herself.

DVD Review: Go, Diego, Go! Fiercest Animal Rescues

My family and I recently received a copy of the newest DVD from Nickelodeon, Go, Diego, Go! Fiercest Animal Rescues, to review.


Go, Diego, Go! Fiercest Animal Rescues is your usual Diego fare, with Diego and his animal pals traveling to different parts of the world helping to rescue animals. However, this particular DVD contains a brand new, never seen before double length episode - if you pick up this DVD, you'll be seeing it before it airs on Nickelodeon! Included are "Fiercest Animals!", "Cotton-top Tamarin Cave Rescue" and "Pampas and Friends Help The Rescue Center".

In the new episode "Fiercest Animals!", Diego travels through three different continents to help animals who are a little more fierce than others. He visits Africa to help Mommy Gorilla and her babies keep forest buffaloes away. Then he travels to Australia and uses the Rescue Rover's underwater crane to fix the Blue Octopus's coral reef home. He also visits Alaska to help hungry grizzly bears find fish before heading back to the grasslands of Africa, where with Papi, they act as fierce as hippos to scare off the lions.

In "Cotton-top Tamarin Cave Rescue", kids may be introduced to a new animal - the Tamarin. The Tamarin is a little itty bitty monkey from South America, who in real life weigh less than a pound. Not all zoos have them, but you can always phone ahead to find out, if you'd like to make a ie-in zoo trip for your kids to see the animals featured in this DVD in real life.

I think that Diego tends to have a little less Spanish in the episodes than his cousin Dora, but I love the message of helping animals in need that this show projects. The two shows do pack a powerful 1-2 punch in helping animals and the planet that other shows don't tend to do. Kids can walk away from them learning a fact or two about an animal species and pick up a word or two in Spanish. You can leave the shows on and not worry about something being inappropriate or violent. Like Dora, this show is best for the ages 2-5 crowd - older kids may enjoy some of it, but I don't think they'll want to view it more than once.

There are no special features on this DVD, but you are getting to view a new episode before it airs, so I guess it evens out.

Go, Diego, Go! Fiercest Animal Rescues will be available this Tuesday, July 19th, 2011. Full screen format, the total running time is 92 minutes long. It is not rated, and safe for all ages, but will mostly appeal to the ages 2-4 crowd. The suggested retail price is $16.99, but Amazon has it available for $14.99 as of this posting.

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

DVD Review: The i< 3 iCarly Collection

My family and I recently received a copy of the newest release from Nickelodeon, The i< 3 iCarly Collection to review.


The i< 3 iCarly Collection is another box offering set, containing three DVD's from the show iCarly: iSpace Out, iSaved Your Life, and iFight Shelby Marx. Like the other box sets released from Nickelodeon over the last few months, the three DVD's included have all been previously released. If you're not new to iCarly, and you already own some of the DVD's included, you'll probably want to stay away from this box set. Otherwise, the DVD's are included in a fun box set that's easy to take to the grandparents or perfect for gift giving - and purchasing the box set ends up being cheaper than purchasing the three titles separately!

To read my complete review on iSpace Out, click here. To read my complete review on iSaved Your Life, click here. And to read my complete review on iFight Shelby Marx, click here.

Episodes included on the DVD's include "iFight Shelby Marx", "iDate A Bad Boy", "iLook Alike", "icarly Awards", "iSaved Your Life", "iQuit iCarly", "iThink They Kissed", "iTwins", "iMove Out", "iSpace Out", "iWas A Pageant Girl", "iEnrage Gibby", "iFix A Popstar", and "iWon't in Bigfoot". (the bevcoon episode! LOL). Some of these episodes are actually longer TV movies, and all three discs include the special features that were included on the single release. (The only difference really is the outer sleeve case that holds all three DVDs)

For those unfamiliar with the show, this popular series is directed towards the 'tween crowd and caters to both girls and boys. The series centers are Carly, her best friend Sam, and her neighbor Freddie, who host a web show "iCarly".

The i< 3 iCarly Collection will be released this Tuesday, July 19th, 2011. Full screen format, the total running time is 433 minutes long (including all three discs), and the series is not rated, but use your discretion (I personally recommend about ages 9 and up). The suggested retail price is $24.99, but Amazon has it available for $16.99 as of this posting. (Netflix users: these DVD titles are individually available to add to your DVD queue, and you can currently stream the entire series)

I received a copy of this box set in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Giveaway: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Toast Kit

Awhile back, I participated in I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Toast Ambassador contest with my Mmmm... Toast recipe.


Sob, sniffle, sniffle, I wasn't chosen as a winning recipe, but I received an incredible consolation prize that I get to share with you, my dear readers, so read on!

Now toast is usually relegated to breakfast, but really, it's not just a breakfast food! With a little imagination, toast can be even the main course for dinner! Perfectly toasted thick cuts of bread can be topped can be lightly touched up with a bit of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, then topped with leftover pot roast and gravy for a fun new spin on toast. For more recipes and ideas, be sure to check out I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! over on Facebook.


Win it! Thanks to I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, one lucky reader is going to win a fabulous prize package that includes a I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! VIP Coupon good for a free product, a KitchenAid 2 Slice Toaster, a Ceramic Serving Basket to ensure baked goods stay warm at the table, 4 clamp-top spice herb jars (these are really cool if you like to make your own spice mixes!), and toast tongs - you know, so you don't electrucute yourself trying to get your toast out of the toaster with a fork! ;) (I'm kidding - I know no one would ever a metal fork to get their toast out of the toaster - right???!!!) To enter, head on over to the recipes section and tell us what looks good to you! (Easy, peasy?)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway 1X (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse)
Win an ICBINB Toast prize pack! http://bit.ly/ofAdI8 ends 7/30 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends July 30th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

As a Toast Ambassador, I received a kit. One lucky reader will win the prize mentioned above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

Giveaway: Del Webb And KitchenAid: Cooks For The Cure

Del Webb, the nation’s leading active adult community builder, has partnered with KitchenAid, to sponsor Cooks for the Cure events to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.


From July 15th through 24th, 45 Del Webb communities across the nation will be hosting the events. They are free, and open to the public, so anyone can stop by and take advantage of cooking demonstrations, food samplings, silent auctions, free entertainment, and more! To find a community nearby and RSVP, just visit Del Webb’s website. (This sounds like a lot of fun!!) You can also visit the Del Webb Facebook page for more information.


In addition to the public events hosted by Del Webb communities, many Del Webb residents are also hosting private dinner parties to benefit the cause. Proceeds go toward Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research. If you can't attend, you can also host your own party with friends, family and neighbors. Register your party at the official Cook for the Cure website and you'll be able to download free donation forms, recipes, party themes, and tips for hosting your own dinner party - you don't have to live in a Del Webb community obviously to host one!


Win it! I have a wonderful giveaway in honor of Cooks for the Cure, thanks to Del Webb! (YAY! Everyone say thank you!) One lucky reader is going to win this beautiful Cook for the Cure edition, pink KitchenAid Mixer! (Even if it doesn't match my red kitchen, I am still jealous!) To enter, just share with us your favorite "pink" recipes ideas for summer goodies that could be baked and shared at these events - of course, the food doesn't have to be pink! If you have a blog, you can share a link to a recipe on your blog, leave the recipe here in the comments, or if you'd like to share it with all of Del Webb's fans to help them get ideas too, please feel free to leave it over on their Facebook page - but come back here and leave me the link so I know you've entered!

You can get another entry for becoming a fan/"liking" Del Webb over on Facebook, too!

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway 1X (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse)
Win A Pink KitchenAid Mixer! http://bit.ly/pNKSZh ends 7/23 @psychotichouse

That's five (5) possible entries! Giveaway ends July 23rd at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I didn't receive anything for this post, but as someone with family members who have suffered from breast cancer, wanted to share this with you! One reader will win the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

A Little July Randomness...

Here we go again - my inbox is yet again full of great stuff, and rather than have 5 million new posts for y'all today, here's a bit of contests, coupons, charity news, and fun stuff for you all in one nifty post. You know the drill, right? ;) Have fun entering, save a little money, or support a needful charity - the choice is yours.

WorldMarket.com is sending one lucky winner and *10* friends to see the Go-Go’s live in concert at the Greek Theater. The contest runs through July 23rd. For more information, and to read the rules, check out their website. Plus, for each new fan over on Facebook now through the 23rd, World Market will donate $1 to Little Kids Rock, an organization that brings instruments and music to public school kids.

4moms is tapping into moms to create a 60 second commercial for the mamaRoo, their innovative infant seat. The contest begins July 19th, so you have a few days to think about what you'd like to do in your video! A total of $20,000 in cash prizes and 10 mamaRoos will be awarded to top submissions, so if you're not shy, it's definitely worth trying for the cash! for more information, and to enter, click here.

Blowfish Shoes has up to 70% off clearance right now! It gets even better: use promo code CLEAR30 at checkout to receive an extra 30% off all clearance and sale items! The sale runs through 7/18, but hurry to get the best selection, especially if you wear a popular shoe size. I love the Hester boots myself, but I think I'm running out room... lol

The Paws has free shipping on all orders over $49, or flat rate shipping of $5.99 if your total is under. No promo code needed! They have a great grab bag of 10 kitty toys for just $3.99, if your kitty needs some new toys, take a peek.

Purchase specially marked packages of Energizer Batteries, and collect the codes you find inside - three codes will get you a $10 iTunes gift certificate! Stock up and make sure all your flashlights and other important items have good batteries, and you can put that gift card away as a gift for someone for the holidays, or treat yourself!

CallReminder is an easy and convenient Android app that allows users to assign a reminder note to a contact and display the note on their screen next time they talk to that person. If you're like me, and you always think of things you wanted to talk about AFTER you hang up - this might come in handy! It looks like it's just $2.02 at the moment, so it doesn't break the bank.

Getting There...

The bathroom is done - well, as done as it's going to get. I was hoping to pick up some cheap tile that was on sale at Lowe's this past week, but when we went in to our local one, they were all out. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that there will be another deal on the horizon - so maybe it won't be done in time for family, but at least it's a project we don't have to worry about the rain to get done!

I also struck out on mistint paint for the hallway, but I'm not worried about that at all - it will get done when it gets done. I'd rather settle for a color that I like rather than one I can just tolerate. All in all I am pleased as punch the way things are turning out!

Now if only our grass wasn't so crunchy so it was more fun to play on. lol

Book Review: Dinosaur Train Let's Go To Volcano Valley!

My family and I recently received a copy of the new book featuring the Dinosaur Train gang, Let's Go To Volcano Alley! written by Lori C. Froeb and illustrated by LeeAnn DiCicco, to review.


Let's Go To Volcano Alley! is a lift the flap book with more than 40 flaps to lift and peek at hidden pictures, as well as learn new facts about dinosaurs, and search and find activities hidden on the pages. It features Buddy and the gang from the popular PBS show Dinosaur Train who are off to visit Volcano Valley on the Dinosaur Train, and have a picnic at this popular park. Along the way, they are making stops where the gang learns new things! Unlike many regular pop up books, this one is a little sturdier and should hold up to curious hands better, as it has more of a board book feel.

This book is the perfect tie-in, as July is National Park and Recreation Month here in the US. This year's theme is “Rock Your Park.” Visit the organization’s website to find out ways to get involved: http://www.nrpa.org/july. You can also turn your visit to the local park into a game by participating in the Dinosaur Train Geocache Challenge. Geocaching is a family friendly outdoor adventure that blends technology, gaming and environmental discovery. Each geocache features one of the dinosaurs found on the online Dinosaur Train Field Guide and contains educational information related to that dinosaur. So, perhaps pick your local park as a destination to hide your own Dinosaur Train container. To participate in the Dinosaur Train Geocache, visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/geocachingchallenge/.

It's actually the perfect tie-in for my family too, as we are off next week to visit the Woodland Park Zoo, where they are having an awesome dinosaur exhibit! My daughter loved this book, and my DH is just thrilled that she is getting this interested in dinos! (See? Another excuse for him to just play! LOL!)

Dinosaur Train gang, Let's Go To Volcano Alley! written by Lori C. Froeb and illustrated by LeeAnn DiCicco is a full color children's story book published by Reader's Digest Children's Books. It is 10 pages long. The suggested cover price is $9.99, and you can purchase it at your favorite local bookstore, or via Amazon.

I received a copy of this book in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Wordless Wednesday - Unexpected Find

(If you click on the picture, you'll see Captain found a big starfish on the docks!)

A Baby Who Needs Your Get Well Vibes!

Folks, can we help send some support, prayers, and well wishes to this family? They need us right now!

Madeline Belle Sommer

My heart just aches for this family. :(

Book Review: Sunset Bridge By Emilie Richards

I recently received an advance review copy of the new book Sunset Bridge by Emilie Richards to review.


Sunset Bridge is book three in the Happiness Key series. I've previously review book two, Fortunate Harbor, and Sunset Bridge continues in the same vein. he story centers around Tracy Deloche, who owns the cottages; Janya Kapur, who struggles with infertility and wanting a baby badly; Wanda Gray, who's husband is a cop and runs a popular a pie-making business; Alice Brook, who's granddaughter Olivia lives with her, and Maggie, who is Wanda's daughter, and also a former cop with a complicated love life.

As we meet back up with the ladies, Tracy finds herself pregnant, and in a relationship where Marsh, the father-to-be, hasn't even brought up commitment yet. Jayna still longs to be a mother, when suddenly she has two young siblings dropped into her lap to care for. Maggie has returned and has been helping her mother out at the pie shop - but they clash quite a bit. And poor Alice, who finally meets someone after the death of her husband, might end up losing her granddaughter. Will Tracy and Marsh end up together?

If you're familiar with any of the other books in the Happiness Key series, you know that everything is intertwined - so it really is best to pick up book one and two and read those before Sunset Bridge. You'll understand more about the characters this way - but you can still pick up Sunset Bridge alone and not be completely lost. There are multiple story lines, although Tracy really runs as the biggest one in this novel. Like other books in the series, it does crack 500 pages, although it really doesn't seem that long once you dive into the story - you don't want to put it down! Sunset Bridge is another great read from Emilie Richards, and I enjoyed reading it. It's a great book to pack along for a longer vacation, or to help pretend you're in a warmer, sunnier place. ;) Definitely add it to your Summer library reading list!

Sunset Bridge by Emilie Richards is a paperback fiction book published by Mira. It is 512 pages long. The suggested cover price is $14.95, but Amazon has it available for $8.44 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - Chaos Vs Pandemonium

Uh oh, look out - both Resistance 3 and Dead Island are being released on the same day - which means it's a donkey kong duke it out fight in our house between DH and I over who is going to be playing what on September 6th. LOL

Last night about 10PM, DH asks me about dinner. I totally forgot to make it! Oops!

So the deck is 95% finished. It should be 100%, but somebody (not me!) forgot a bunch of spaces. I, on the other hand, am guilty for missing a spot on the shed. In all fairness, DH said he would help me and then disappeared on me. I asked for help, because the step stool was using kept sinking into the ground when I'd get on the top step, and I was afraid it would tip over backwards.

Maybe that's a sign I need to get an extra mile in every day.

The sun is out, and now I am confused. I need to go check the weather...

I am confused because it wasn't supposed to rain yesterday, yet it had to start when DH was working on the deck. Now here's full sun, and it's supposed to rain today? Can anyone be a weather person then? Not that I am complaining about the sun, because when I am done with this post, I need to go outside and fix the mess that I had already previously fixed. Confused? Yeah, well, let's just say my neighbors annoy me.

Speaking of neighbors, one had folks over that were seriously loud, and one of those extremely brash folks was complaining about being the only white guy surrounded by Mexicans somewhere. Maybe it would have been a good time to play the mariachi music?

I was so tempted to get Grimlock a (fixed) "girlfriend" this weekend - they were looking for a home at Petco for this bunny who had been dumped off at the shelter. Cute as can be, grey with white socks. Can we get an awwwwww? Then I started reading the little paper they have from the shelter that they beg, plead, whine for the previous owners to fill out before running back out the door feeling guilty - and I realized she had the same bad attitude as Pippi, the other bunny we had who passed away a few years ago, and totally did not get along with Grim. Or us for that matter. This one definitely needs to be in a home without other pets or kids.

Grim's staring me down right now. He knows I am talking about him. That or he's trying to brainwash me into sharing a banana with him. lol He's going to be a seriously cranky bunny by this time next week, when he figures out he's stuck staying in "the cube" the entire time they are here - I don't trust him not accidentally being let out of the house, or the cats being whipped into such a panicked frenzy that they go after him suddenly.

Chaos. It's what my home will be like. Not that it's not already chaotic to others, but to me it's pretty quiet. I like quiet. We have our routines, they work for us. Toss in a bunch of extra people and comfy chaos turns into pandemonium.

Anyone notice a not so fun difference with Target now that most of them have an expanded grocery selection? I feel like they are turning into Walmart. :( I went in search of a cheap picture I could have on the wall in the bathroom, and found nothing... usually they have kind of funky decor worthy of a dorm or first house - you know the style I mean? The housewares section is definitely smaller, less selection, and oh yeah - no clearance hardly. Boooo. It used to be fun to stop in to Target just to see if there was anything we didn't really need but it was such a good price we couldn't resist - now I feel like the only time we'll be stopping in is if the big Tidy Cat buckets are on sale. :(

Fellow zombie lovers, check out the trailer for Cuba's first horror movie - Juan of the Dead. "Juan of the Dead, we kill your loved ones. How can we help you?" LOL!!!!


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