mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Thrill-Her. Yes, that much HE did!

By now - no doubt - we've all heard about the passing and sudden death of arguably the most iconic artist in the entertainment & pop music world.  THE Michael Jackson's contribution and talent have been witnessed by many of us.  For me, the saddest part of his tragic death is the fact that my children will never really 'know' MJ in the way that I know many of us did. 

It seems surreal to think that my kids may not ever care about owning a Thriller album in their lifetime; something I so desperately wanted (and begged for) sometime around fourth grade!  It's is undeniable, though, that they won't be impressed to see that Michael really is a legend, regardless of his much-too-soon death.  I'm hoping this new generation will still have the curiosity to learn more about him and the insanely amazing mark he's made on all of us during his time on earth.  God Rest Your Soul, THE Michael Jackson. ♥

I heart Swagbucks!

One of my newest internet finds is Swagbucks!  I seriously, cannot get enough of this fun site!  Have you heard of it?  It's a fab new way to earn FREE stuff while searching online.  Here's how it works:

It couldn't be easier - all you do is sign up at Swagbucks, then use their search bar searching for things you would otherwise use Google for.  But, here's the BEST part - Swagbucks is actually powered by Google, so you'll always get the best search engine results that' you've come to expect from Google! 

You'll randomly earn Swagbucks for your account which are automatically credited - I've actually earned 18 in just a few short days!  The search page will actually alert you when you earn them so you can easily keep track.

You can then use your earned Swagbucks to redeem for fab prizes & discounted cool stuff!  I'd actually love  to earn enough to snag an Amazon gift card - and am well on my way! 

If you're on Twitter, you can also follow Swagbucks and at least once a day they post a special swag code that you can use to redeem anywhere from one to five Swagbucks!  And, while you're there, be sure and follow me! ♥

Lego Inspiration

Recently I shared the awesomely cool Lego blog with Nathan that I came across by chance one day.  He has truly been inspired and decided to start creating his own little Lego scenes.  He's claimed the ledge beneath our fireplace as his 'Lego Town' and is seen there daily coming up with different scenes. 

Then, just two days ago, he asked me to start photographing his scenes.  I'm impressed with what he's come up with thus far.

 6.15.09 ~ 'Three Lego guys running away from a harvester before it gets them!'

 

 6.16.09 ~ 'Three Lego guys trying to figure out what the heck just landed in front of them.'

I'm not sure where he's getting these ideas for his scenes but I'm loving it, either way!  Hoping that this summer will be full of imagination and fun learning for you and your kids as well!  ♥

C'mon moms, get with it. It's that time of year.

This is not a me-shaking-my-finger-at-other-moms post, but I will have to admit, I did do a bit of finger shaking last week at something I witnessed.

I was in the parking lot of Target getting ready to leave and as I entered my car, I looked up and saw that the car parked in front of me contained two young boys - alone.  Yes, the mom had left two young boys (probably around age 4 and 7) alone in the car.  They were bopping around, making their way from the back to the front seats, and then back around again.  I did notice that the windows were cracked open and although it definitely was NOT a sweltering hot day, the temperature was a bit up there, even for being here Kansas. 

I sat in my car thinking about all the things that were wrong with that picture.  I mean, how hard is it to take boys of that age off the car with you?  I remember dreading having to wake my sleeping 9 month old up from a carseat nap, or have a restless and and rambunctious 2 year-old in tow with me at the store, but I still did it!  At ages 4 and 7, the boys can at least walk on their own and keep up. And if not, can easily understand the consequences of their poor behaviors if they choose not to be behave in the store.

I remember tweeting about it before getting ready to leave.  So, just as I was getting ready to back out of my parking space, along comes the mother - heading for the driver's side door.  Guess what she had along with her?  Yet another little boy who was maybe 2 or 3 years old!   Seriously, how much sense does that make? 

So moms, this summer as the heat begins to make its way through your town, please, please remember - never leave your kids in the car.  Not even for a moment, not even for five minutes to 'just run in and get a couple of things'.

Don't make me shake my finger at you!  Pretty, please? 

Our NEW toy!

WOW!! Our backyard now has a LIFE!  Thank you so much to Grammy & Popo for your investment in Nathan & Will's playtime (and our backyard!).  I fell in love with this outdoor playscape the moment I walked into Costco and saw it back in early Spring.  Mom (a.k.a., Grammy) vowed to help make it happen!  And today was the day.

The installers were supposed to come first thing this morning to get started but ended up running a bit late and got here a little after 1 p.m.  We left for Nathan's last soccer game of the season at about 2:45 and the workes were still not done.  So we headed off for the soccer fields.  The team had a great game and despite the heat, had a lot of fun.  Afterwards, the kids had treats and recognition before heading home.

I got a call on my phone just as the soccer game was over, that the workers were almost done with the assembly.  So we headed home asap to do our inspection and walk-thru (and pay them their money!) of the playset.  Nathan also invited his friend, Brennan, to come help break it in!  I was floored when we went into our backyard and saw this:

THE KIDS ARE IN HEAVEN!!!! (or, so they think!)

 

The kids are having SO much fun with it!  It was nice to go out after dinner and play a bit too!  Plus, I love the fact that we have full use of like more than half of the rest of our yard so we can still play soccer, have the slip-n-slide out, etc.  We'll be planning a summertime party soon!

So, thank you, again to Grammy & Popo for making this possible for the kids!  Even the install guy said (after we told him it was a gift from Grandma), "Oh, wow, that's one cool grandma!"  DUH!  Everyone knows that!  I know the playset will be used A LOT this summer!  ♥

Summer reading off to a great start!

We've made two trips to the library just this week and have filled our library book baskets in our family room with lots o' great reads.  Both Nathan and Will are in the summer reading program and loving to jot down each day the books they've read onto their summer reading log.

In addition to just mosey-ing around looking at different books and picking a few out, I've picked up our local library's summer reading lists for my kids' specific age groups.

Some of my favorites in the Preschool age range are:

• Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman
• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
• In Aunt Giraffe's Green Garden by Jack Prelutsky
• They Aunt and the Grasshopper by Amy Poole
• Dot and Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery by Ellen Walsh

We've picked out a few books for my soon-to-be Kindergartener on both the Kindergarten and 1st Grade suggested reading lists.  Of those, here are some of our faves:

• Hi, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
• If Not for the Cat by Jack Pelutsky
• Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Deedy
• The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram

There's also a great website that I've used for book ideas that you may find useful as well.  It's got suggested reading lists for kids of all grade levels.  Here's wishing you happy reading this summer!  ♥

Summer bowling is back!

Last Friday I took the kids bowling for the first time this summer.  I am certain it won't be our last!  We've already lined up to meet my dear pal, Krista, and her two boys for bowling one day over the next week or so, and plus, it is SO dirt cheap since I signed the kids up for very cool bowling coupons all summer long!

Will, my youngest, of course LOVES bowling more than life itself and was beyond ecstatic when I announced that we were going to a real, LIVE bowling alley!  All in all, a very good use of six bucks for a fun-filled activity.  I'm sharing a couple of my favorite pics from our outing, but feel free to check out the other photos.  ♥

Nathan with pretty good form! 

 
About to get down to SERIOUS bidness!

 
Ooooh, yeah! Picked up the spare!