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Tag Archive for Family Stuff

Day Out With Thomas 2012 Opening Weekend

Posted by html404 on August 16, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Toys

Day Out with Thomas 2012 begins Friday and goes through Sunday, and then again next Saturday and Sunday at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. The event includes a train ride with Thomas, unlimited rides on all other trains and streetcars, puppet shows, live music, magic shows and more!

Thomas & Friends – Day Out With Thomas 2012 – Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012

To find out where a Day Out With Thomas event is in your state, visit http://www.ticketweb.com/promo/dowt/index.html

All Aboard for Day Out With Thomas

ILLINOIS

Union
August 19-21 & 27-28
Illinois Railway Museum

Each event includes:
25 minute ride with a full size Thomas the Tank Engine™, Storytelling, hands-on arts and crafts, and much more!

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Back to School With Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA)

Posted by Professor on August 10, 2012
in Community Issues, Education, Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, News Worthy

Back to school season is here! I know we are in full swing around our house! The children have gathered and packed their school supplies in anticipation of the first day of school…and today we finally got our teacher assignment!

What are some of the things you do to prepare your children to head back to school?

I know we are a fortunate family in being able to clothe and supply our children for the upcoming school year. But we also remember that there are those less fortunate than ourselves and as a family have always participated in programs that assist unfortunate families during the back to school season.

There are many local, national, and global organizations that you can pick from to help the less fortunate…but Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) is a great organization that assists children in need.

This year Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) and Disney have partnered to launch the Tools for Back to School initiative. This initiative features a pop-quiz style game, where supplies are donated to BGCA for every correct answer you score.

This is a fun way to give back to the community without leaving your home…plus the kids can play too! Here is the link: http://www.bgca.org/backtoschool/Pages/Landing.aspx

I just played the trivia game and got all the answers correct! Can you beat my score? Reminder that each 5 correct answers = school supplies for a club kid!

The BGCA has also partnered with JCPenney – and in August you can join JCP cares and round up your purchase at the register to benefit BGCA. So…take a trip over to your local JCP, get the kids some back to school clothes and a free hair cut (JCP is giving away free haircuts in the month of August). Visit JCP website for more information: http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/jsp/browse/marketing/promotion.jsp?pageId=pg40013300014

Well I hope you are getting yourself and your children ready for the start of a new school season! Whether your children are home schooled or attend a traditional school remember that the BGCA website offers different educational content and tip sheets for parents to download and utilize. You can find them on the left hand side of the BGCA site under the ‘Get Ready’ header. You can find these handy tools here:

http://www.bgca.org/backtoschool/Pages/Landing.aspx

BGCA has really outdone themselves with tips for parents and children. I especially like the time management tip sheet that they have available. Do not forget to check the Get Ready section and see if any of the materials can work for you!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Boys and Girls Club. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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FREE Child Safe Kit

Posted by Brande on August 9, 2012
in Community Issues, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Safety

Keep all your children’s vital information in one spot. Order your FREE child safe kit at this website!

http://www.childsafekit.com

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Mike the Knight

Posted by html404 on August 6, 2012
in Family Stuff, Kids Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

We picked up our new old van yesterday. It’s big, roomy and has comfy seats! We were invited to attend the Mike the Knight show at the Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, Wisconsin for this past weekend’s shows, so we decided our first family outing in nearly 10 months would be to the Renaissance Fair. We have never been to a Renaissance Fair and were expecting something more like Medieval Times shows, rather than a fair taking place outside.

This is how my husband parked “the beast” at the hotel we stopped at to find the nearest Walgreens (Walgreens offers discounted Renaissance Fair tickets.)

The fair was very crowded and busy. Tons of people. Dusty streets, much like it would have been in the 15th century. There were little shops lining the medieval streets selling their wares. It had a air of stepping back in time. There was lots of sights to see, but due to arriving at 5pm for a 5:30pm show, we didn’t take much time to stop and look at things due to not wanting to miss the Mike the Knight show.

We arrived at The Globe Stage with nearly 15 minutes to spare. Our children sat nicely anticipating the show starting, but the younger crew did not understand what we were waiting for. There was not a huge crowd for a kids show, but we just put it off to it being one of the last shows (we later realized that there was a Joust going on at the same time which attracted a huge crowd).

The show began with an Elf coming on stage and reading a Mike the Knight story book. The Elf did not have a mic on and she/he was very hard to hear even with us sitting in the fourth row! The story took about five minutes, after which the doors of the stage opened and out stepped Mike the Knight. Our six year old questioned, “That’s a person dressed up in Mike the Knight?” We said yes.

Then the children were invited to line up to meet and greet the tall stuffed figure. None of ours wanted to. The sat quietly at our sides and still refused to go up after a couple of fair workers tried to persuade them to go up to the stage. The worker handing out the CD/DVD and coloring book was nice enough to give our children
each one even though they didn’t go up to meet Mike.

Our Impressions of Mike the Knight

That appeared to be the extent of the show. 10 minutes long and very lame. We were disappointed to be honest. This is the what we drove an hour to see. 🙁 We sure hope other Renaissance Fairs are doing something different! We expected Mike the Knight to at least act out one of his stories or something. Not just stand there wave, shake hands and high five the kids.

The Fair’s Redemption

What redeemed the fair for us was the jousting match, which we only caught part of because we were at that “other” show. It was cool and all the children said that was their favorite part.

After the joust, we attended a How to Use Weapons show. It was humorous and we stayed until it was nearly over, but our little ones were asking to go home! It was starting to get late for them.

We took our time walking back through the fair, letting the children’s (or ours!) curiosity guide us. Our oldest daughter was in writer’s mode thinking and creating as she took in all the people, the costumes, sights and sounds.

It was also really interesting to note that all the rides offered at the fair were not mechanical as in gas powered or electric. They were powered by the muscles of people. That was one of the best things to witness – the historical accuracy of the rides. Of course they all cost money too.

We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon/evening out as a whole family. It was wonderful to just do something together away from work and home. Our four year old woke up this morning asking, “Are we going on another trip, mommy?” 🙂 I think that about says it all right there. Eating out, getting ice cream and going to the playground afterwards all made it an even better experience for our children.

New Yorkers

Those in New York or traveling in NY state this month, Mike the Knight and the Renaissance Fair will be your area the weekend August 18-19! Check out the details here.

Faith and Family Reviews received the four tickets to the Renaissance Fair in exchange for a feature. While we consider it a privilege to receive tickets, products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the event or product.

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Monkey Swinging from a Tree – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on August 1, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Wordless Wednesday

A monkey swinging from a tree, oh, it’s my son swinging from a tree! 😉 Boys play and work. They set this “Tarzan” swing up last week and I think at least 3-4 of the children have come to me saying their tummy hurts. After questioning them I came to the conclusion that they were working their stomach muscles while playing “Tarzan”. 🙂

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All-Over Comfort Pack Review

Posted by Professor on July 31, 2012
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Health, Home, Personal Care Products

Bed Buddy® Herbal Naturals™ Targets Pain with Moist Heat

New Plush & Lavender-Infused Line Includes Neck Pillow, Wrap & All-Over Comfort Pack

The line is comprised of three distinct products (highlighted below), each of which feature the company’s proprietary Moist Heat ThermaTherapy^® penetration system, which is shown to be better for treating muscle pain, chronic aches and pains, and arthritis than “dry heat” because it allows quicker, deeper heat penetration into the joints.

The Neck Pillow easily drapes over the neck and shoulders to provide deep moist heat to sooth aches, pains, tension or arthritis in the neck and shoulders.
The Neck and Hand Wrap, which features a unique design that includes warming hand pouches, minimizes aches and pains in such chronic problem areas as the neck, hands and shoulders.
All-Over Comfort Pack targets a wide array of chronic pain areas such as the back, hip flexor, shoulders and abdomen with a large, universal shape that easily molds to the body for indulgent comfort.

The Herbal Naturals™ products are soft, lined with luxurious real lavender and chamomile; contain only 100% all-natural ingredients; warm quickly in a microwave; are fully reusable with a machine washable cover; and remain heated for up to an hour.

A member of Carex’s global family of premium-quality brands, Bed Buddy® offers a versatile and premium-quality line of reusable hot and cold packs that support individuals suffering from aches, pains and arthritis and are designed to fit most body types and to help people of virtually all ages and health profiles.

All-Over Comfort Pack Review:

Let me say this is an AWESOME product. This is the first product of its kind that we have used. Prior to using this product we have used traditional heating pads, which offer heat, but not MOIST heat as this product does. My husband suffers from severe osteoarthritis in his knees (5 operations) and has chronic back problems (1 prior operation) …let me tell you this is SO, SO WONDERFUL for his “aches and pains”…we have iced and heated so many times over the past 17 years of marriage that it has become part of our lives. The moist heat provides soothing relief …and since it stays warm for over an hour it is just right for therapeutic relief!

One great thing (can I say great enough in this review?) about this product is that it is ready in minutes! Just pop it in the microwave and voila instant moist heat.

Another factor that is a wonderful additive is that the product comes with a velvety WASHABLE cover. I LOVE this feature! If the product gets sweaty or dirty…just pop the cover in the wash and it is clean, so convenient!

The scent is WONDERFUL! The product is lightly scented with lavender and chamomile…what an aromatic sensation! I feel like I am at the spa as I breathe in the luxurious scent and drift away in moist heat!

So far my husband has been monopolizing the product…but I do know that this product would be AWESOME for stomach cramps…especially menstrual cramps. When I was a young girl I used to get horrible cramps….how I would have LOVED to have this product…I cannot imagine the relief this would have given someone with those painful cramping episodes!

Overall, I can honestly say my family has fallen in love with this product. The All-Over Comfort Pack has so many uses I cannot wait to go out and shop for the rest of the line. I intend to buy more of this and the other products in the line for Christmas gifts…I know a few people in my family that will adore the products!

You can find this product and many more at carex.com. I would definitely consider perusing the site the company has so much to offer in moist heat and home healthcare products.

Bed Buddy Product link http://www.carex.com/products/Bed_Buddy/93

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Family Movie Night and Snacks #Snacks4WimpyKid #CBias

Posted by html404 on July 31, 2012
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Movies, Uncategorized

Our family really enjoys watching movies. We enjoy a wide variety of movies from super heros to Ann of Green Gables. It has been a while since our whole family viewed a movie in the theater; probably a couple of years ago when we went to see the Tooth Fairy at the Wednesday Morning Movie Series – when they offer movies for $1! It’s a pretty cheap outing for our family. The guys in our family saw Courageous last year. However, we’ve seen no movies release in recent months. It would be kind of fun to see the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which is coming out in a few days. My older daughters and I have watched one of the others and laughed and laughed. I have sort of banned my boys from seeing the whole movie due to the rudeness etc. they seem to pick up on so easily – they come out with enough potty talk all on their own! They have seen clips of DOAWK though and loved it, of course.

Here’s what some of our family might look like in the DOAWK series:

Artwork compliments of our children

When we watch movies at home, our preferred movie snack is popcorn. We make it the old-fashioned way in a pot on the stove. However, when we go out I tend to make them eat something before we go out. Yes, to save money because snacks at the theater are pricey for ten people! I usually like them to eat healthy snacks, like fruit or something and Del Monte Fruit Cups are perfect for traveling or eating at home before going out. They are easy to offer as a healthy dessert after a meal too. There are two different kinds of fruit cups. One is in the produce section and the other is in the canned fruit aisle. We chose the one in the produce aisle as the ingredients seemed healthier and there was no added sugar. Apparently, these are different than the Fruit Cups as they are called Fruit Naturals, which I didn’t know until now. Oops. We have tried the Fruit Cups, just in May as a matter of fact, I just prefer snacks without added sugar or sugar substitutes, like artificial flavors, which I did not see on Walmart’s shelves in the Fruit Cups section, unless I missed some labels as I had already put the Fruit Naturals in my cart.

Robert’s aunt just sent us some money telling us that she’d like to see us use it for something fun and a Del Monte DOAWK family night would be perfect. That or go-carting and mini golfing. 😉 Maybe we’ll plan on doing all three to help celebrate the winding down of summer. August may turn out to be a busy, but highly entertaining month for us!

If you are planning on going to the opening of the new A Diary of A Wimpy Kid consider tweeting about it or Delmonte fruit cups as healthy snacks and please remember to use the hashtag #Snacks4WimpyKid and @DelMonteFoods

Watch Del Monte’s Facebook page for an upcoming Diary of A Wimpy Kid’s contest and be sure to enter too!

Do you have family movie night? What’s the last movie your family saw together? What snacks do you usually eat?

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own.”

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18 Years of Marital Bliss (or Not!?) ;)

Posted by html404 on July 30, 2012
in Family Stuff

This summer my husband and I are celebrating 18 years of marital bliss, or not…depends on the year! 😉 No marriage is ever completely easy, it is what you make of it. A few months ago I was asked what our secret was to our advancing marriage and to be honest I was speechless as I really didn’t know how to answer. So as part of our 2012 anniversary post, I thought I’d try to come up with some things that seem to have worked in our favor and hopefully will give us another 18+ years together:

The Grace of God. But for the grace of God, I don’t think any of us can have a successful relationship.

Commitment. When we vowed to love, honor and cherish each other, we made a commitment for life. We are committed to staying together – being a one woman man and a one man woman. During the tougher seasons of marriage, this means sometimes committing to staying together on a daily basis. I think this is something missing in today’s culture: lack of commitment. Today when the going gets tough, the tough runs away or gives up.

Similar Outlook on Life. My husband and I share a similar outlook on life. We share the same faith. We aren’t two different people moving in two different directions, we are one moving in the same direction.

Understanding Personalities and Gifts. While we share similar goals in life, we are two very different people. I am rather intense and focused, my husband is very laid back and easy going. I am gifted, as many women are, in multitasking and administratively. My husband is analytical, logical and mathematically inclined. We understand those differences and don’t focus on them but realize that those differences compliment each other making us a better team. What I am weak in, he’s strong in and visa versa.

Parenting Styles are the Same. We rarely disagree on how the other parents and we back each other up when one makes a decision or appeals to the one in private.

Same Spending/Saving Habits. Money is a huge issue for some couples, but for us we have always been on the same page. Don’t ask me why that is, but I think it part of our “bliss” equation.

We Make Decisions Together. It’s always been my thought that if I don’t want my husband making major decisions without me, then I don’t make major decisions without him. It’s part of mutually respecting the other person and communicating with each other. A marriage is a partnership, it’s team work so we make decisions together. Even if a decision is made without consulting the other, we tell each other right away about that decision. However, all major decisions are usually talked about in advance together.

You may have noticed that love is not on the list. That’s because love plays such a small factor in a long lasting marriage. Love is summed up in all of the above. Love is also a feeling that can come and go. Love also matures as the years go by. “I love you” when we first said it to each other is not the same thing after 18 years of marriage. It’s deeper and more committed than it was in young love.

I’d have to say I am the more critical one of our marriage than my husband and know so many areas we still need to work on. However, I also realize that compared to the many stories I read and hear about, our marriage is a really good one. It takes a lot of work and even more work when you throw in eight children! One thing that makes me satisfied is hearing our teen daughters say that they want a marriage like ours. It also brings tears to my eyes to realize that sometimes I don’t see what they are seeing.

I am very grateful for the 18 years of marital bliss God has blessed us with and pray for many more to come.

What do you think makes your marriage a lasting one?

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Over The Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project

Posted by Brande on July 29, 2012
in Books, DVDs & CDs, Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Giving Back/Charity, Kids Stuff, Music, Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Reviews, Shopping

My daughter and I went on an inspiring and peaceful musical journey with Over the Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project and I invite you to join us. This book and CD are not only fantastic for bed and nap time, it is very calming for adults also.

The Book – Over the Moon – The inside cover says it best…

It’s often said that “a picture speaks a thousand words,” that “music is the universal language,” that “all the world’s a stage,” and that lullabies fill the special place where babies and those who love them come together.

I’ve never read such a true statement. This 48 page hardcover book is beautifully illustrated and written by many artists, each donating their time for the Over the Moon Book and CD. The CD is attached to the back of the book.

The CD – Pop this 2 CD set of 13 songs each in your player. Sit down and close your eyes and let the music take you on a voyage. The calming flow of the music will take you and your little one away on a mini vacation. All the artists on the CD have beautiful melodic voices, including Vanessa Williams.

As is said earlier everyone has donated their time for Over The Moon-The Broadway Lullaby Project, which will raise money for breast cancer charities including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Yound Survival Coalition.

Visit the Over the Moon Website to purchase your collaboration today! You can also visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

This is such a wonderful book and CD. My daughter and I have listened to the CDs many times and we have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of them. Perfect for a new baby or baby shower gift!

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All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

Posted by html404 on July 25, 2012
in Contests, Family Stuff, Wordless Wednesday

I wanted to capture the moment when my youngest daughter lost her second tooth. When I asked her to smile she gave me this goofy smile exaggerating her toothless grin.

I have been singing,
“All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth” and that’s all I can remember of that song!

Without Googling it, who can tell me the next line? The first person to answer correctly without cheating will win a prize! Honor system here, it’s not going to be some flimsy whimsy prize, ok?

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