Sunday, November 2, 2008
Go Green!
Just have to post to say woo hoo! MSU football beat Wisconsin yesterday with a Field Goal with 9 seconds to go- we won by one point! MSU is now 8-2 with losses to Ohio State and Cal...but one of those wins is from last week when we beat Michigan in Ann Arbor- the first time since 1990! 
Liam's first Halloween
We also took Liam to the Mall on Halloween. Josh and I have been going to the mall on Halloween to see the kids in their costumes since we started dating over 8 years ago. This time, we had a little guy of our own, who is too little for the candy anyway, so we thought we would dress him up and take him.
Our plans almost changed because he was sick just before, but he made a recovery- at least his temp was gone- I didn't know it would come back when we got home, but it was gone before we took him. You can tell in the picture of him with the real pumpkin how red his little cheeks were...we did not torture him, just around the mall once and back home in less than an hour.
Trunk or Treat
Josh and I went on Friday night (the 24th) to help set up for Trunk or Treat at our church. Trunk or Treat is where cars park outside and decorate their trunks, and the kids can go from car to car trick or treating. Only our church does it up. BIG. We had no idea how big until we went with our life group to help them set up for a couple of hours on Friday night. They decorated the church to look like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (from the original movie, not the Johnny Depp one). The décor was complete with the shrinking entrance, working “chocolate” fountain, live birds (for the part where they lay the golden eggs), and shrinking entrance- among other things. Josh helped with the giant machine that shrinks Mike T.V., and I strung candy to hang from the ceiling (yes, it sound easy, but we were working with fishing line- a daunting task). We only helped for a couple of hours, and people had already been working for MONTHS! The event was Sunday night, and there was a GREAT turnout- We stood in line with Liam dressed in his gingerbread costume for two hours to see the final product! Next year, we’ll have to help more!
Here is the entrance to the chocolate factory, complete with shrinkage. The photo isn't very good, but you get the idea.
The chocolate fountain and Augustus Gloup in front of it.
And this is Liam- still happy after standing in line for two hours dressed like a gingerbread man...what a good baby!
Here is the entrance to the chocolate factory, complete with shrinkage. The photo isn't very good, but you get the idea. Here is the factory- you know the part where they are walking through, and everything is made of candy- just before the chocolate fountain? See that candy hanging from the ceiling? That's the part that I helped with. Two hours and I think I made six little strings- so you can imagine how much time others must have spent on this!
The chocolate fountain and Augustus Gloup in front of it. This is the machine that shrunk Mike T.V. and a giant Wonka bar beside it. THis is the part that Josh helped with...
And this is Liam- still happy after standing in line for two hours dressed like a gingerbread man...what a good baby!These are just a few photos, and they certainly don't capture the mood- but the important thing is that there were over 9,000 kids that came through- success!
After the chocolate factory, they went from trunk to trunk in the parking lot to collect candy. The trunks each had a theme. One of my favorites was a giant trailer with huge teeth at the entrance and a little man in a rowboat back behind one of those hangy-things in the back of your throat (Josh isn't here right now, or I'd ask him what that's called- I'm sure he's thrilled with me calling it a hangy thing!) Anyway, it was Jonah in the whale- so cute!
NKOTB Concert!
I have a great mom. I already knew that, and she certainly doesn’t have to buy me anything to prove it, but she did something great for me again. I opened up my email one day at the end of August, and there was an email from my mom- subject: See attached. I opened it up, and there were two printable New Kids on the Block concert tickets- woo hoo! For those of you who don’t know, New Kids on the Block is like the Beetles of the 80’s (oh no, she did NOT just compare New Kids on the Block to the Beetles!). No, not really- not in terms of quality of music or staying power. If I can only listen to once CD for the rest of my life, the Beetles trumps NKOTB-no contest. Just the craze. Every girl loved New Kids on the Block. There were mobs of screaming, crying girls at concerts and others who just had posters, buttons, t-shirts, bed sheets, puzzles, pencils and just about anything else that could be marketed. For those of you who still don’t know who I’m talking about, they sang the songs “Hangin’ Tough” and “Step by Step” among others.
Anyway, so I open my email and am SO excited. I look over at Josh and say “Hey, look where we’re going!”. He frowns and me and says “No, we’re not”. Great. So which of my friends can I call and invite to this jr. high school reunion from the 80’s? It has to be just the right person- old enough to appreciate them for what they really were, but not so young that they missed the craze. And she had to really love them. I texted my friend Karen. I knew I chose the right person when the final text of the conversation was “I’ll be Hangin’ Tough until then!”. And a week later I got another text asking me if she should bring her Jordan Knight (one of the bandmembers) doll. Oh Yeah. This is going to be great!
The concert was on Saturday (the 25th). Karen came over and we drove to the Palace of Auburn Hills. The crowd was Crazy. There were people with the original attire that they saved from the 80’s- I saw a girl with the exact same shirt on that I used to have. People made signs and wore the giant buttons that defined the band. There were legwarmers and side ponytails, and glow-in-the-dark puffy painted T-shirts that said things like “I Still Love you Joey!”. Karen and I took our seats (GREAT seats by the way- 5th row floor) and had a blast going back to Jr. High. A couple even cried when they sang “Please, Don’t go Girl”—seriously. Karen and I went into it with the same outlook- we LOVED these guys in Jr. High, and it will be fun to re-live that time. Some girls did not- they were really still in love with the New Kids. The only problem? I have been singing songs like “My Favorite Girl” and “You’ve Got the Right Stuff” non stop since then. Oh well- what a great night! Oh, and the Jordan Knight doll DID attend the concert with us- see photo
This is Joey- he was my favorite about 20 years ago...in this photo, he's pointing at me, telling me that I'm his favorite girl.
Karen and I with the Jordan Knight Doll- the girls next to us were VERY jealous of Karen's Doll
Fianlly, if you want to see some of the concert for yourself, here is a link that will take you to a youtube video that I uploaded- the sound isn't very good, because it was recorded with my digital camera and not a camcorder, but still, it's way fun. Once I figure out how to post actual videos and not just the links, I'll get some of Liam up here!
Anyway, so I open my email and am SO excited. I look over at Josh and say “Hey, look where we’re going!”. He frowns and me and says “No, we’re not”. Great. So which of my friends can I call and invite to this jr. high school reunion from the 80’s? It has to be just the right person- old enough to appreciate them for what they really were, but not so young that they missed the craze. And she had to really love them. I texted my friend Karen. I knew I chose the right person when the final text of the conversation was “I’ll be Hangin’ Tough until then!”. And a week later I got another text asking me if she should bring her Jordan Knight (one of the bandmembers) doll. Oh Yeah. This is going to be great!
The concert was on Saturday (the 25th). Karen came over and we drove to the Palace of Auburn Hills. The crowd was Crazy. There were people with the original attire that they saved from the 80’s- I saw a girl with the exact same shirt on that I used to have. People made signs and wore the giant buttons that defined the band. There were legwarmers and side ponytails, and glow-in-the-dark puffy painted T-shirts that said things like “I Still Love you Joey!”. Karen and I took our seats (GREAT seats by the way- 5th row floor) and had a blast going back to Jr. High. A couple even cried when they sang “Please, Don’t go Girl”—seriously. Karen and I went into it with the same outlook- we LOVED these guys in Jr. High, and it will be fun to re-live that time. Some girls did not- they were really still in love with the New Kids. The only problem? I have been singing songs like “My Favorite Girl” and “You’ve Got the Right Stuff” non stop since then. Oh well- what a great night! Oh, and the Jordan Knight doll DID attend the concert with us- see photo
This is Joey- he was my favorite about 20 years ago...in this photo, he's pointing at me, telling me that I'm his favorite girl.
Karen and I with the Jordan Knight Doll- the girls next to us were VERY jealous of Karen's Doll
Fianlly, if you want to see some of the concert for yourself, here is a link that will take you to a youtube video that I uploaded- the sound isn't very good, because it was recorded with my digital camera and not a camcorder, but still, it's way fun. Once I figure out how to post actual videos and not just the links, I'll get some of Liam up here!
Cider Mill
“Cider Time” is apparently a Michigan tradition. Josh and I noticed it the first fall that we moved up here. There were signs everywhere for Cider Time, and apple cider (both hot and cold) was available for purchase everywhere- at grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee shops all over town. There are also excellent donuts called Cider Donuts, that are made with apple cider and some are then covered in cinnamon and sugar- mmm.
The cider is made all over the state, and there are cider mills at apple orchards everywhere. Most of the cider mills are open to the public- you can go and watch them make the cider, buy hot donuts and fresh cider, and usually pick some apples and/or pumpkins too. There are hayrides at some, and haunted houses at others. We have seen nice fall photos and heard stories about some great cider mills in the Lansing area, and even a few of them in Detroit. So we decided to venture to the one closest to our house. Bad Choice!
Apparently we live close to a ghetto cider mill. It reminded me more of a state fair (complete with rides and carnies) and was not at all the quaint fall scene we were going for. People were smoking in the cider building and dogs dressed for fall were accompanying about 50% of the patrons. Many of the patrons, however, were dressed for an outdoor Cheetah Girls concert- wearing very little in the way of clothing (It was a hot day) I did manage to snap these photos of Liam and make it appear that we were in the kind of cider mill that we were hoping for. When I got home, I checked a friend’s blog, where she raved about the great cider mill that they just visited. Oh well, we’ll have to try again next year!
The cider is made all over the state, and there are cider mills at apple orchards everywhere. Most of the cider mills are open to the public- you can go and watch them make the cider, buy hot donuts and fresh cider, and usually pick some apples and/or pumpkins too. There are hayrides at some, and haunted houses at others. We have seen nice fall photos and heard stories about some great cider mills in the Lansing area, and even a few of them in Detroit. So we decided to venture to the one closest to our house. Bad Choice!
Apparently we live close to a ghetto cider mill. It reminded me more of a state fair (complete with rides and carnies) and was not at all the quaint fall scene we were going for. People were smoking in the cider building and dogs dressed for fall were accompanying about 50% of the patrons. Many of the patrons, however, were dressed for an outdoor Cheetah Girls concert- wearing very little in the way of clothing (It was a hot day) I did manage to snap these photos of Liam and make it appear that we were in the kind of cider mill that we were hoping for. When I got home, I checked a friend’s blog, where she raved about the great cider mill that they just visited. Oh well, we’ll have to try again next year!
Trip "Up North"
Josh and I finally went “up-north”. For those of you not from Michigan, up North is just understood. Even though there are several destinations north of us, nobody ever says where they went- it was just “up north”. Our particular trip was for a wedding of a friend of mine (Congrats Amber and Patrick!). After work one Friday, we loaded up the car for a weekend (now that we have Liam, we really do load up the car for the weekend- complete with stroller, pack and play, toys, food, etc.) and drove about 5 hours north to Mackinaw City, Michigan. We looked around and said “OH, so THIS is why people like Michigan!”
It was absolutely beautiful. Mackinaw City is located at the very tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan, on the straits of Mackinac- where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron join. The leaves had started to change color, and the weather was perfect- sunny, but with a bit of a chill in the air- not so cold that we were miserable.
On Saturday, before the wedding, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. It’s the third largest suspension bridge in the world and connects the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula. We drove around and just looked at the scenery. It reminded us of some of the New England towns outside of the cities in Massachusetts, only it was in Michigan, and the towns were on the lake, not the ocean. The views were great, and we had a blast! We went to the wedding and reception on Saturday and then walked around in downtown Mackinaw City- famous for fudge and ice cream!
On Sunday, we went to Mackinac Island via the ferry. The Island is a great little place where there are no cars or motor vehicles allowed. Everyone either walks, rides a bike, or takes a horse drawn carriage. It’s famous for the Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, and the scenery. We went for a hike to see some of the highlights of the island, pictured below.
You will notice a photo of a stuffed monkey- Liam threw it out of his stroller sometime in town on the island, before we had gotten very far. We didn’t notice it until we had hiked up a KILLER hill (me holding Liam and Josh lugging our giant stroller). I hiked back down while Josh stayed at the top to feed Liam. I was asking everyone if they had seen a stuffed monkey, and at the bottom of the hill, I asked a Scottish woman. She said (in a thick accent) “Was he just a wee little’ guy? There was a wee little’ monkey sitting on a post in town.” I hiked back up and told Josh the bad news- that was at least two miles back. We decided to call the monkey a loss and continue on our hike. At the end of the day, when we were going to catch the ferry, the monkey was STILL on the post! We took his photo before we touched him. While we were waiting in line for the ferry, there were several children who said “look mommy, it was his monkey!” They had all wanted to take him home, but their moms wouldn’t let them- one little girl told her mom that if he was still there when they came back in two years, he was going home with them.
The Monkey- just how we found it!
Downtown Area on Mackinac Island
Liam and Mommy by the straits with Mackinac Bridge in the background- scary to drive over!
Liam and Daddy in front of Arch rock- they are blocking the rock, but it's pretty neat!
Fall colors at the lake
It was absolutely beautiful. Mackinaw City is located at the very tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan, on the straits of Mackinac- where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron join. The leaves had started to change color, and the weather was perfect- sunny, but with a bit of a chill in the air- not so cold that we were miserable.
On Saturday, before the wedding, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. It’s the third largest suspension bridge in the world and connects the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula. We drove around and just looked at the scenery. It reminded us of some of the New England towns outside of the cities in Massachusetts, only it was in Michigan, and the towns were on the lake, not the ocean. The views were great, and we had a blast! We went to the wedding and reception on Saturday and then walked around in downtown Mackinaw City- famous for fudge and ice cream!
On Sunday, we went to Mackinac Island via the ferry. The Island is a great little place where there are no cars or motor vehicles allowed. Everyone either walks, rides a bike, or takes a horse drawn carriage. It’s famous for the Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, and the scenery. We went for a hike to see some of the highlights of the island, pictured below.
You will notice a photo of a stuffed monkey- Liam threw it out of his stroller sometime in town on the island, before we had gotten very far. We didn’t notice it until we had hiked up a KILLER hill (me holding Liam and Josh lugging our giant stroller). I hiked back down while Josh stayed at the top to feed Liam. I was asking everyone if they had seen a stuffed monkey, and at the bottom of the hill, I asked a Scottish woman. She said (in a thick accent) “Was he just a wee little’ guy? There was a wee little’ monkey sitting on a post in town.” I hiked back up and told Josh the bad news- that was at least two miles back. We decided to call the monkey a loss and continue on our hike. At the end of the day, when we were going to catch the ferry, the monkey was STILL on the post! We took his photo before we touched him. While we were waiting in line for the ferry, there were several children who said “look mommy, it was his monkey!” They had all wanted to take him home, but their moms wouldn’t let them- one little girl told her mom that if he was still there when they came back in two years, he was going home with them.
The Monkey- just how we found it!
Downtown Area on Mackinac Island
Liam and Mommy by the straits with Mackinac Bridge in the background- scary to drive over!
Liam and Daddy in front of Arch rock- they are blocking the rock, but it's pretty neat!
Fall colors at the lake
Monday, September 22, 2008
Great Weather in Michigan!
The weather here has been great- a little chilly in the mornings, but it warms up to mid 70's and it's been sunny. I've been trying to take advantage of it before the cold sets in! Liam and I have been trying to spend a little bit of time ouside each day, either on the playground next to our apartment building, or on a walk, or just sitting outside "exploring' the grass and trees.
Above you will find a photo of Liam's first encounter with wood chips. These particular wood chips are under the swings on the playground. Every time I let go of his hands, they went straight to his mouth, although we did avoid eating any of the chips.
I think this little red tunnel is Liam's favorite place on the playground. He likes to sit in it, stand outside of it, lay in it...anything really!
Another one of him in the tunnel.
Above you will find a photo of Liam's first encounter with wood chips. These particular wood chips are under the swings on the playground. Every time I let go of his hands, they went straight to his mouth, although we did avoid eating any of the chips.
I think this little red tunnel is Liam's favorite place on the playground. He likes to sit in it, stand outside of it, lay in it...anything really! 
Another one of him in the tunnel.
We bought a trailer to pull behind our bikes that we can buckle Liam into. I KNOW that the helmet isn't on straight- this was just a little test to get him used to being in the helmet and the trailer. We just rode him around the sidewalk in front of our apartment- not near the road!
This is one of those times we just sat on a blanket. He seems to enjoy himself- he LOVES being outside!
Look how big he looks, sitting up all by himself. This was his first experience with wet gras...I think he likes it!
Cleveland
Josh and I were trying to figure out a good place to go for a short "mini-vacation" and he said "How about Cleveland?" We'd been there once before, but only on a drive through on our way home from Niagara Falls on our Honeymoon. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which Josh loves and wanted to visit again. So I agreed...it's only a 2 and a half hour drive from our house after all.
When we arrived, we ate dinner at the Hard Rock- One of Josh's favorite places to eat-- we've been to 16 of them, including the original in London, where Josh got to hold Jimi Hendrix' "Flying V" guitar- a highlight of our European Vacation for him. Then we walked back to our centrally located hotel and went to bed (we didn't get to leave until we were both off work on Friday).
Saturday morning, we drove to the Westside market- a place I discovered on Foodnetwork.com. It's a great little market with a huge row of produce stands on the outside, and on the inside there are little booths that specialize in everything from Meat to Baked Goods to Pickles. Josh had a chocolate bear claw from one of the bakery booths and I choose a Crepe- a Chocolate and Strawberry crepe, which we decided was as good if not better than the ones in France.
While we were having these things, Liam was just having a good time (see below).
Another Major Cleveland Atraction is this house...look familiar? It's the house from the movie "A Christmas Story"...you know, the one with Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB Gun? The Leg Lamp? This is one of Josh's all time favorite Christmas movies, so we thought we would go take a look at the museum and the house. It was in interesting place, where you can have a leg lamp shipped to your house in a crate just like the one from the movie.
Here is our photo at the house with a leg lamp in the front window-- not the origninal leg lamp- as you'll recall it was broken in the movie.
After the Christmas Story house, the plan was to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it turned out that they were having a breast cancer walk and downtown was nearly impossible to drive through. We decided instead to go to B.A. Sweetie candy store- the world's largest I believe- and take a stroll through the sweet sweet isles. We only bought things that we couldn't find in every store- things like Jordan Almonds, Crybaby Gumballs, Slo Pokes, and these interesting Jelly Beans....
They are called Bamboozled by Jelly Belly. There are "matching" flavors of Jelly Beans. For example, there are two flavors that are yellow. They look AND smell exactly the same, but one of them is banana flavored, and the other is Ear Wax. The purple ones are either Plumb or Black Pepper, and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, we dug into these on the way home and made it into a little game. We ate the same color at the same time to see who got what. I must say that the Black "Skunk Spray" flavored ones were absolutely horrendus! They actually made me cry!
Our final stop on our trip was to Malley's chocolates- another place that I had seen on the Food Network- Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. They have great chocolate! We bought a small box and a candy bar to split on the way home-- to get the booger flavored Jelly bean flavors out of our mouths.
All in all, a fun little trip!
When we arrived, we ate dinner at the Hard Rock- One of Josh's favorite places to eat-- we've been to 16 of them, including the original in London, where Josh got to hold Jimi Hendrix' "Flying V" guitar- a highlight of our European Vacation for him. Then we walked back to our centrally located hotel and went to bed (we didn't get to leave until we were both off work on Friday).
Saturday morning, we drove to the Westside market- a place I discovered on Foodnetwork.com. It's a great little market with a huge row of produce stands on the outside, and on the inside there are little booths that specialize in everything from Meat to Baked Goods to Pickles. Josh had a chocolate bear claw from one of the bakery booths and I choose a Crepe- a Chocolate and Strawberry crepe, which we decided was as good if not better than the ones in France.
While we were having these things, Liam was just having a good time (see below).
Another Major Cleveland Atraction is this house...look familiar? It's the house from the movie "A Christmas Story"...you know, the one with Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB Gun? The Leg Lamp? This is one of Josh's all time favorite Christmas movies, so we thought we would go take a look at the museum and the house. It was in interesting place, where you can have a leg lamp shipped to your house in a crate just like the one from the movie.
Here is our photo at the house with a leg lamp in the front window-- not the origninal leg lamp- as you'll recall it was broken in the movie.
After the Christmas Story house, the plan was to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it turned out that they were having a breast cancer walk and downtown was nearly impossible to drive through. We decided instead to go to B.A. Sweetie candy store- the world's largest I believe- and take a stroll through the sweet sweet isles. We only bought things that we couldn't find in every store- things like Jordan Almonds, Crybaby Gumballs, Slo Pokes, and these interesting Jelly Beans....They are called Bamboozled by Jelly Belly. There are "matching" flavors of Jelly Beans. For example, there are two flavors that are yellow. They look AND smell exactly the same, but one of them is banana flavored, and the other is Ear Wax. The purple ones are either Plumb or Black Pepper, and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, we dug into these on the way home and made it into a little game. We ate the same color at the same time to see who got what. I must say that the Black "Skunk Spray" flavored ones were absolutely horrendus! They actually made me cry!
Our final stop on our trip was to Malley's chocolates- another place that I had seen on the Food Network- Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. They have great chocolate! We bought a small box and a candy bar to split on the way home-- to get the booger flavored Jelly bean flavors out of our mouths.
All in all, a fun little trip!
Liam's 7 month photos
Here are Liam's 7 month Photos- they are blurrier than the ones in the past, but they are some of my favorites...isn't he quite the little man?
Friday, September 19, 2008
These are a few of my favorite things
I've had several friends post on their blogs lately about their favorite things. I have enjoyed reading them, as I get some insight into my friends, but more than that, they have introduced me to some great products and services that have since become staples in my day to day life. So, I decided to let you all know a few of MY favorite things!
Although Liam is too old for these now (and would look quite funny in them!) they were excellent to have when he was still waking up in the middle of the night. They make 3:00 a.m. diaper changes so much easier...no pants to worry about! AND on top of that, they have built in mittens- the sleeves fold over their little baby hands, in order to keep them from scratching their faces. So handy!
Rubbermaid Easy Find lids
Ever since Josh and I got married, our house/apartment has been somewhat organized, with the exception of the tupperware cabinet. It's a wreck! I used to ask Josh to get me a tupperware to store the leftovers in, and he would groan, because he would have to sort though all the different containers to find one that would fit everything, and then sort through all of the lids to find the matching one, all the while trying to keep everything from pouring out onto the floor. NOW, thanks to this product, that is no longer a problem! The containers all stack, and the lids stack as well, and connect to the bottom of the containers! There is only one shape, just different sizes, and they are easy to differentiate- and when you need a lid, just pull it off of the bottom of the container!
I first recieved a tube of this chapstick when I moved to Michigan. It was in the "welcome pack" from the MSU bookstore. I needed some chapstick anyway, so I tried it. I LOVE this stuff. The cherry is my favorite, but the vanilla and wintermint are great too. It's perfectly medicated, so it really does sooth chapped lips, and it's SPF 15, so your lips are safe in the sun.
As a mother of an infant, Southwest Airlines is by far the best! They let you check your stroller AND carseat at the gate, and don't charge you a dime extra. In addition to that, you can check two bags and not get charged anything, and still take your carryons. Ahhh. When I flew Northwest, I crammed everything into one suitcase- a feat when you are taking bottles, food for a week, clothes for a week for myself and Liam, toys, etc. etc. I was charged $25 to check this one suitcase, and wasn't allowed to take my stroller- I could have taken it, but it would have been $25 PLUS oversized baggage fees PLUS a fee because of the awkward shape of a stroller. In all fairness, I could have taken an umbrella stroller for free, but I was outside a lot in the middle of summer, so I needed my sunshade!
Josh and I bought a wii in July instead of going on vacation. We only had 3 days, so couldn't get very far anyway. This thing is amazing! For those of you that don't know, it's interactive-- you move the remote to make your characters move. So if you're playing baseball, you actually stand up and "swing" your remote, just like a baseball bat. After 15 minutes of playing tennis, my shoulder was sore- I don't know if this is testament to the wii for giving me a good workout or a horrible example of my fitness level, but either way, it's so much fun!
My friend Jeannette posted this restaurant on her blog as one of her favorite things, so Josh and I decided to try it out. Holy Cow, is it good! They have a family style meal, and it's $25 per person. Sounds expensive right? Well, per table, you get to choose two HUGE salads, two appetizers, two pasta entries, two meat entries, and two giant desserts. Everything is refillable. If you eat all of your chicken and spinach manicotti (my favorite) they bring you more. If you eat all of your apple crostada dessert, they bring you more! With just Josh and I eating, we pay $50 and get STUFFED, and then we bring home enough leftovers for 3 nights of meals! Another good thing is that they package their leftovers in foil pans and the lids have reheating instructions on them. The food is DELICIOUS!
I heard of these when they first came out but never tried them...they sounded hoaky...come on, can they really get anything out? I finally broke down and tried them right before we moved. I saw them on "Good Morning America" on a segment about how to clean scuff marks off of your walls. I had planned on repainting a few spots, but thought that if this actually worked, it would save a lot of time, money, and effort. WOW! This thing is AMAZING! Not only did it take all of the scuff marks off of the walls but cleaned some spots out of the sink and bathtub that I have scrubbed with anything and everything that I could think of...and they require very little elbow grease! Recently, a pen went through our dryer and there was ink all over. I tried everything to get the ink out of the dryer, and then I used this-- came right off with no scrubbing- I'm a believer!
I love Food Network. I often have it on in the background and have found lots of great recipes. But when a Paula Deen Dessert catches my eye, I KNOW it will be good. I can't eat them that often- for those of you familiar with Paula Deen, you know she LOVES butter. But I indulge when I can! My favorites are her Peach Cobbler, Butterscotch Delight, and Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies. The Cobbler and Cookies are both REALLY easy to make too.
The only drawback to this product is the name...how embarrassing is it when someone asks you what you are wearing to tell them "Pure Seduction" Other than that, it's GREAT. The smell is light, floral and citrus all at once. I have had a lot of people ask what I'm wearing when I have this stuff on- if only it had a less cheesy name!
Where we live now, we are within 90 miles of three really good outlet malls. The polo shirt pictured above is from Children's place, and the sandals are from Columbia, two of my favorite stores. I got Liam 6 shirts and two pairs of shorts for under $20 at Children's Place, and a pair of these Columbia sandals that should fit him next year for $4. Can't beat the deals!
I don't make a habit of paying $20 for a candle, but I had to have this one. It smells so good, like you can eat it! And when you use it with a candle warmer rather than lighting it, the whole house smells delicious!
Okay, so I'm a bit of a nerd, but I've been getting this magazine for years- way before Liam was born. I tear out the good recipes and projects, and have a binder full of them already. I love this magazine, because it's full of ideas for things to do with your kids- I've been using the kid friendly recipes for a long time- they are so easy to follow!
I LOVE this show. For those of you who have never seen it, Jon and Kate are a young couple- he just turned 30 and she is just a couple of years older- who have 8 kids- a set of twins and a set of sextuplets (they were going to try for one more after the twins!). Kate gets on a lot of people's nerves, but I LOVE her. She is even more Type A than me, and she does it with 8 children under the age of 7 in her home- yikes! Watching them go through ordinary things- like a trip to the zoo- absolutely fascinates me! And I think about the finances when watching too- hmm...if we went to the zoo and let Liam pick out a toy, it would cost $20 for the toy. If they went to the zoo and let each kid pick out a $20 toy, it would cost $160- wow! But I love that they still do all of the trips and learning experiences, rather than staying at home because it's too hard to take 8 kids out.
DVD Play (or Redbox)
This photo is actually of redbox, a similar service, but I prefer DVD play. It's a little electronic box located at Kroger with movies to rent (they have redboxes at Wal-Mart). You choose your move, swipe your credit card, and the movie pops out. It's only $1.49 for the first night, and if you keep the movie past 7:00 p.m. the next day, you are charged an additional $1.00 per day. For Josh and I, this is a great option! If we are going to rent a movie, we know that we are going to watch it that night, so it only costs us $1.49 rather than paying $5.00 at a rental store. The movie that I wanted has only been sold out one time in the months that we've been using the service. Also, if you enter your email address, you'll get codes for free or discounted rentals pretty often, and for ever 10 rentals, you'll get one free. What a great deal!
This photo is actually of redbox, a similar service, but I prefer DVD play. It's a little electronic box located at Kroger with movies to rent (they have redboxes at Wal-Mart). You choose your move, swipe your credit card, and the movie pops out. It's only $1.49 for the first night, and if you keep the movie past 7:00 p.m. the next day, you are charged an additional $1.00 per day. For Josh and I, this is a great option! If we are going to rent a movie, we know that we are going to watch it that night, so it only costs us $1.49 rather than paying $5.00 at a rental store. The movie that I wanted has only been sold out one time in the months that we've been using the service. Also, if you enter your email address, you'll get codes for free or discounted rentals pretty often, and for ever 10 rentals, you'll get one free. What a great deal!
Priceline.com
No, it's not the negotiator commercials that I like...in fact, I hate those. But I do love the name your own price service. Josh and I stayed at the Sheraton in Boston for $45 a night, the Hilton in Cleveland for $40, and have stayed at the St. Louis Sheraton for $35 several times. Some people are creeped out by the site, because you can't choose your hotel, which is true. But you CAN choose the star level, and the area of town that you want to stay in- so you know you'll get a good hotel in a good neighborhood. I love it!
Baby Gowns
Although Liam is too old for these now (and would look quite funny in them!) they were excellent to have when he was still waking up in the middle of the night. They make 3:00 a.m. diaper changes so much easier...no pants to worry about! AND on top of that, they have built in mittens- the sleeves fold over their little baby hands, in order to keep them from scratching their faces. So handy!
Rubbermaid Easy Find lids
Ever since Josh and I got married, our house/apartment has been somewhat organized, with the exception of the tupperware cabinet. It's a wreck! I used to ask Josh to get me a tupperware to store the leftovers in, and he would groan, because he would have to sort though all the different containers to find one that would fit everything, and then sort through all of the lids to find the matching one, all the while trying to keep everything from pouring out onto the floor. NOW, thanks to this product, that is no longer a problem! The containers all stack, and the lids stack as well, and connect to the bottom of the containers! There is only one shape, just different sizes, and they are easy to differentiate- and when you need a lid, just pull it off of the bottom of the container!
Softlips Chapstick
I first recieved a tube of this chapstick when I moved to Michigan. It was in the "welcome pack" from the MSU bookstore. I needed some chapstick anyway, so I tried it. I LOVE this stuff. The cherry is my favorite, but the vanilla and wintermint are great too. It's perfectly medicated, so it really does sooth chapped lips, and it's SPF 15, so your lips are safe in the sun.
Southwest Airlines
As a mother of an infant, Southwest Airlines is by far the best! They let you check your stroller AND carseat at the gate, and don't charge you a dime extra. In addition to that, you can check two bags and not get charged anything, and still take your carryons. Ahhh. When I flew Northwest, I crammed everything into one suitcase- a feat when you are taking bottles, food for a week, clothes for a week for myself and Liam, toys, etc. etc. I was charged $25 to check this one suitcase, and wasn't allowed to take my stroller- I could have taken it, but it would have been $25 PLUS oversized baggage fees PLUS a fee because of the awkward shape of a stroller. In all fairness, I could have taken an umbrella stroller for free, but I was outside a lot in the middle of summer, so I needed my sunshade!
Nintendo Wii
Josh and I bought a wii in July instead of going on vacation. We only had 3 days, so couldn't get very far anyway. This thing is amazing! For those of you that don't know, it's interactive-- you move the remote to make your characters move. So if you're playing baseball, you actually stand up and "swing" your remote, just like a baseball bat. After 15 minutes of playing tennis, my shoulder was sore- I don't know if this is testament to the wii for giving me a good workout or a horrible example of my fitness level, but either way, it's so much fun!
The Office
I was first introduced to this show after the second season was over by my cousin April. She loaned me her season one DVD set. Josh and I watched the very first episode and were like "that was weird" but we wanted to give it one more chance, so we watched episode number two and it was HILARIOUS. We were instantly hooked. We watched every episode on April's DVD, and then watched season two online. Since then, we haven't missed an episode. This is the only show that Josh and I BOTH love.
Maggiano's Little Italy
My friend Jeannette posted this restaurant on her blog as one of her favorite things, so Josh and I decided to try it out. Holy Cow, is it good! They have a family style meal, and it's $25 per person. Sounds expensive right? Well, per table, you get to choose two HUGE salads, two appetizers, two pasta entries, two meat entries, and two giant desserts. Everything is refillable. If you eat all of your chicken and spinach manicotti (my favorite) they bring you more. If you eat all of your apple crostada dessert, they bring you more! With just Josh and I eating, we pay $50 and get STUFFED, and then we bring home enough leftovers for 3 nights of meals! Another good thing is that they package their leftovers in foil pans and the lids have reheating instructions on them. The food is DELICIOUS!
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
I heard of these when they first came out but never tried them...they sounded hoaky...come on, can they really get anything out? I finally broke down and tried them right before we moved. I saw them on "Good Morning America" on a segment about how to clean scuff marks off of your walls. I had planned on repainting a few spots, but thought that if this actually worked, it would save a lot of time, money, and effort. WOW! This thing is AMAZING! Not only did it take all of the scuff marks off of the walls but cleaned some spots out of the sink and bathtub that I have scrubbed with anything and everything that I could think of...and they require very little elbow grease! Recently, a pen went through our dryer and there was ink all over. I tried everything to get the ink out of the dryer, and then I used this-- came right off with no scrubbing- I'm a believer!Paula Deen Desserts
I love Food Network. I often have it on in the background and have found lots of great recipes. But when a Paula Deen Dessert catches my eye, I KNOW it will be good. I can't eat them that often- for those of you familiar with Paula Deen, you know she LOVES butter. But I indulge when I can! My favorites are her Peach Cobbler, Butterscotch Delight, and Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies. The Cobbler and Cookies are both REALLY easy to make too.
Pure Seduction Fragrances from Victoria's Secret
The only drawback to this product is the name...how embarrassing is it when someone asks you what you are wearing to tell them "Pure Seduction" Other than that, it's GREAT. The smell is light, floral and citrus all at once. I have had a lot of people ask what I'm wearing when I have this stuff on- if only it had a less cheesy name!
Outlet Malls
Where we live now, we are within 90 miles of three really good outlet malls. The polo shirt pictured above is from Children's place, and the sandals are from Columbia, two of my favorite stores. I got Liam 6 shirts and two pairs of shorts for under $20 at Children's Place, and a pair of these Columbia sandals that should fit him next year for $4. Can't beat the deals!
Buttercream Yankee Candle
I don't make a habit of paying $20 for a candle, but I had to have this one. It smells so good, like you can eat it! And when you use it with a candle warmer rather than lighting it, the whole house smells delicious!
Family Fun Magazine
Okay, so I'm a bit of a nerd, but I've been getting this magazine for years- way before Liam was born. I tear out the good recipes and projects, and have a binder full of them already. I love this magazine, because it's full of ideas for things to do with your kids- I've been using the kid friendly recipes for a long time- they are so easy to follow!Jon and Kate Plus 8
I LOVE this show. For those of you who have never seen it, Jon and Kate are a young couple- he just turned 30 and she is just a couple of years older- who have 8 kids- a set of twins and a set of sextuplets (they were going to try for one more after the twins!). Kate gets on a lot of people's nerves, but I LOVE her. She is even more Type A than me, and she does it with 8 children under the age of 7 in her home- yikes! Watching them go through ordinary things- like a trip to the zoo- absolutely fascinates me! And I think about the finances when watching too- hmm...if we went to the zoo and let Liam pick out a toy, it would cost $20 for the toy. If they went to the zoo and let each kid pick out a $20 toy, it would cost $160- wow! But I love that they still do all of the trips and learning experiences, rather than staying at home because it's too hard to take 8 kids out.
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