Gyro Bowl

A bowl that your child can’t spill…really?

I had to test this out! Thank goodness my dear lovely Auntie Bev supports my passion for "As Seen on TV" products and bought us these bowls a Christmas or two ago. As a gift I love them but if I had paid I may be a little upset. The cost is reasonable but the claim that it will not spill is absolutely incorrect. Maybe for a master eater or older child but these bowls were advertised to younger children often times showing food items like Cheerios in them. Honestly when you intentionally challenge the bowl with twist, turns, or possible spill opportunities it does its job. But in real world conditions you will still end up with a screaming toddler/preschooler in the next room upset that their snack is on the floor.

I don’t totally dislike the bowls.

• I think the construction of the bowl is fantastic.
• The bowls separate and are easy to put back together for cleaning purposes.
• The novelty, even if not perfect, is pretty cool.
• And to be honest a spaceship looking bowl is fun for kids.
• It is also pretty neat that it stands on its own when kids are between bites.

My mom review of this product is a C+!

The cost is usually between $10-15 and will hold up against daily kid bangs and bruises!

I would not purchase this again. But that being said I do still use the two I have now and continue to challenge the no spill claim!

How awesome is Silly Putty?

I forgot or never really knew how great this stuff is! I picked up a two pack the other day and thought it could be a great quiet time activity and I was very pleased to be correct. The original plan was to sit the kids with a news paper and what them be amazed. Then I actually read the back and was reminded it snapped when you twisted it (how fun is that?) and the directions said it picked up pencil marks. The pencil mark idea was great! I took a piece of regular copy paper and split it in two and wrote down their names, initials, a little heart, flower, and a smile face. The girls loved picking up their names off the paper on their putty. They found it to be really cool that you make it disappear and can do it again. They stretched it out as far as they could and made it turn into spaghetti. They actually were entertaining themselves for over 20 minutes. I actually had a moment to chill out in quiet! After they had enough and they started dropping it or leaving it around it was no problem. This does not make a new home of your carpet like play-doh. The container was even fun the kids thought they were like Easter eggs. . . hey that is not a bad idea to add to the filler basket.

My mom review of this timeless product is an A+!

The cost was $1.50 for two and lasted the first and second playtime and is still reusable!

Definitely will repurchase this product again!

My Kind of Farm...Chicago is My Kind of Farm...

Now this is the type of farm I can handle!

Check out the pictures from my new camera! A little present Joe and I got for ourselves and just in time for Maise's upcoming 3rd Birthday this weekend. Note to self...remove date stamp. Grrr, these are some great pictures that I won't be framing on wall do to those silly numbers across the bottom. I am sure I will get over it as the debut shoot produced 51 pictures. It is so easy to keep snapping when you got a new toy. We got a 14 MG Kodak Easy Share for a steal. The screen on the back is huge and everything on the camera itself is so easy. I am not a huge photo person but I obviously LOVE taking pictures of the kids! You gotta have a good camera these days...I know I feel lost when I don't have one. The world has become so picture worthy!

Ok enough of my camera! We hit the zoo today because it was such a nice day, a bit windy but awesome! Don't worry not more Brookfield pictures we actually had a little city fun today before I had class. The plan was to do the farm and then hit the road but once we were there we had to explore. A while back I was almost bored of Lincoln Park but it was so nice visiting after we have been doing Brookfield faithfully for the past 3 years as Zoo Members! We will have to do it again!

The farm was awesome and there were even baby chicks...THANK GOODNESS...because we kept telling Nessa that was what we were going to see. YAY we are not liars!

So what did we see today? Well lets take a peek:

 There were goats!

 And the biggest bunny EVER!

 CHICKENS!

 Ah the comforts of Brookfield! $2.00??????? Yeah we still bought 2...

 The baby chicks for Nessa!

 Maise got a kick out of being a cracked egg.

 Where is Maise?

 Beep Beep!

 I'm done this thing don't move!

Why won't they just stand nice for my picture? Funny story Maise actually stood there waiting in a nice pose while we chased Nessa around.

 Mooooooo!

These piggy's were hungry! They were almost knocking at the door. They were giving it head bumps and snorts it was super cute!

 I don't remember Lincoln Park having ponies, glad we saw them especially this one. So pretty!

 I love these skyline shots!

And now we are exploring outside the farm. Hello Mr. Camel! Can't help but feel for the one with the broken hump...he has been there forever!

 Silly duck you are not a flamingo!

 The monkeys were super active - I LOVE when that happens!

 

 The lions were not so active but still pretty!

 Who needs an active lion when you have a roaring Nessa?

 The seals were right about to eat so they kept coming up to say hi!

The walk back to the car Maise walked on the wall with daddy. Every wall to Maise is Humpty Dumpty's wall so this was a huge accomplishment for her. Something to scratch off the old bucket list!

 And that's a wrap! Thanks for joining us on our trip to the zoo!

 Have a great week!

Pizza Pick Up

This week Austin Special had Pizza Pick Up for our Little Caesars fundraiser.  It was a great success for Austin being a first time fundraiser and it was an even greater success at home.  I have always wanted to do a make your own pizza night, but Joe was never hip to the idea.  But in the name of fundraising I finally got my opportunity!  The girls and I had the best time making our own pizzas and we can’t wait to do it again.

Anyone out there looking for an easy and fun fundraiser for your work, school, or any other organization this is the one! It is so much more than just pizza; there are cookie, pie, breadstick and salad kits.  Seriously there is something for everyone!  Logistically it was great; the driver actually delivered into our building as opposed to having to unload a semi like we did with Father and Son.  The driver even impressed me backing his big rig down Diversey.  All the boxes were color coded and cleanly marked for easy distribution.

Anyone that still wants to order can do so at anytime by visiting PizzaKit.com.  Placing your order is easy and they will deliver right to your door…please type WSMRCA Austin Special when checking out and our agency will get $5.00 for every kit sold!

Check out or pizza pics:

Getting ready for our customers!

First you add some sauce...

Some prefer peanut butter crackers vs. pizza...

Then you smooth the sauce...

Add the cheese...

To finish all you need to do is pop it in the oven for 10 minutes and enjoy...we sure did!

Have a great week!

Say It's Not So

It's a dark day for mom and dad when their daughters musically stray from them...We have always been advocates for freedom of expression and music. We like all types of music and have and will continue to offer a variety to our children. Who knew that we would already have a problem with our daughters taste in music at such an early age? We hang our heads shaking in disbelief as we present Maise's video of the week:

Yes that is correct Katy Perry! Oh there is so much wrong with this video, where do I begin? Other than the fact that it is garbage pop, our dear girl can't even act well enough for a Sesame Street clip nor does she have the sense to dress appropriately for the occasion. I am all about artistic expression but I also have common sense. And this goofball does not, we want our kids to be kids why does "the sexy" have to be part of "dress up"? Elmo is not off the hook in this one either. Notice how he is playing hard to get when it comes to what Katy wants to play "dress up", how many other episodes was it actually Elmo crying just because someone did not want to play his game. I don't really like the begging and teasing. Hum, sounds like the ramblings of a poor parent that has been over exposed to Elmo.

On a lighter Sesame Street note party plans are coming along quite nicely for Maise's 2nd birthday. The girls’ outfits for their 6 month and 2 year photos have been picked out and ordered. It will be an Elmo themed photo shoot. I can't wait to see Vanessa's outfit (currently being custom made for my sweetie). The invites are ready to roll (sneak peek above), decoration and supplies are in order, the menu has been chosen and the guest list has been finalized. I love planning parties even if they are just going to be a small get together. For the 2nd birthday we will have a tiny gathering at our house but the party planner in me is just nuts for the little details. But you will have to wait to see! Maise has figured out how to use our camera. She has been picking it up and saying cheese and acting out the motions but she has got the whole concept down now. She loves the flash and the picture on the screen after she snaps. She totally knows she took the picture herself. Check out a few of my jr. photographers first photos:

  

                                                                    

This weeks project is to weed out the closet again. Vanessa is pushing her way right on to the 6-9 months sizes so it's time to make a new bag of donations. I am very grateful to be able to use all Maise's clothes again. It is wild even after two girls back to back there are some items that still don't get used. But we are trying. Maise is still doing good for the most part in her 18 month stuff but some items are ready to get boxed up for Nessa. In fashion we also have Maise sporting a new item. We are wearing underpants! That is right our potty training is coming along, Maise is not fully there yet but we are closer everyday. She wears them at night and all weekend. The first few days we had tons of accidents but she is starting to give us enough advanced warning now. She is a prankster and will tell us she has to go and then fake it. But that is ok "toddler steps". Side note; while we are talking potty, I learned that Fiber Pop Tarts really do the trick on a toddler. My poor sitter! Maise was backed up I thought it would help, lol, oh boy did it help. I heard that kid farting from two rooms away.                                           And let's not forget to mention that this week we get to document in the baby books two very interesting facts. One for each of my darling angels; Maise dropped the F bomb at day care and Vanessa stole a squeaky elephant from the YMCA. Note to self...change blog title to HOW TO RAISE A DEVIANT, lol. Have a good week!