Homework Meltdown

I'm fairly certain that the meltdown I just had to endure was a result of going back to school after a long weekend. This morning when the alarm went off I'll admit that I grumbled and didn't want to get out of my nice comfy bed and get ready for the day. It was even worse when I had to wake the girls up. They never really want to wake up to go to school, but this morning was ugly. There was a lot of grumbling and pulling of the covers over their heads. I managed to get them out of the house on time so everything seemed fine.

Well when they got out of school everything still seemed fine. Same old same old. We came home they had a snack and then it was homework time. My 8 year old did it with no problem. Of course her homework is a spelling sheet and a math sheet. It was the 12 year old that lost it. She had to make up a periodic table for science class using anything she wanted. It didn't seem that bad to me and I'm sure if she stopped and calmly thought of it she would have thought it was fine as well. Unfortunately that's not what happened. There was complaining, crying and more complaining. I tried to talk to here during this whole thing, but that only made it worse because apparently I don't understand. Actually I understood perfectly well. Her teacher gave her an assignment that required her to really think about something and she really just wanted to come home and veg in front of the TV. I still understand she's tired, but it's tuff. She wants a good grade in the class therefore she needs to do her homework end of story.

She was able to complete it in twice the time it should have taken her, but she is done and so am I. Is it time for bed yet? Oh, no it's not she actually has plenty of time to make a disaster out of my kitchen because she felt like making chocolate chip cookies after the meltdown. Chocolate really does make everything better. Oh and not to mention it will be a late night because the Patriots are playing in the Monday Night Football game. I'm a sports nut so I will stay up and support my team, but they better win. Go Pats!

The Aftermath of a Sleepover

Anyone who has a tween has had to deal with the dreaded sleepover. There is no way to avoid them. I held off as long as I could, but by the time the my oldest was 10 I had to give in. She's fairly seasoned at this point and so are we. We know she will go and have a great time. It's the next day that makes us all sorry.

Last night she stayed over at one of her good friend's houses. It was a sleepover party and there were 5 tween girls. This is all good. These girls get along great and they barely ever fight. How can this be you may ask? No, clue but at least that's one thing I didn't have to worry about.

My main concern is if sleep is going to be involved in the sleepover. Well my daughter was the last to fall asleep at the lovely time of 2:00am and was awoken by the child who fell asleep at 11:00pm very early. So early in fact my daughter was grumbling about it.

I arrived to get her at 11:00am and I could tell it was going to be a long rest of the day. She looked exhausted, but had a great time. This is the way it goes. There is no way this day was going to turn out any different.

My youngest daughter gets the brunt of it. There was a lot of slamming of doors and yelling at each other before my youngest decided she would head outside and play with the neighbors. She knows a no win situation when she sees one. That leaves me and my husband to watch the implosion. She has stubbed her toe and scratched her own face. Not really sure how she did that. I convinced her to take a shower and we think she just went upstairs to have a rest. I won't call it a nap, but I'm hoping she falls a sleep for at least an hour. She needs to sleep. We all need for her to sleep.

Santa Parade and Afternoon with Hubby

Today was the day my youngest was dancing in a local parade with the dance studio she attends. My oldest wasn't into it so she opted out. Anyway we had to get her to the meeting place a half hour before the parade dressed a certain way. Now it's not really what I would call really cold yet, but there was quite a wind blowing today. The car was being blown all over the place. When we arrived at the meeting place my husband had to drop me and my daughter off and circle the parking lot because everyone else in town was getting dropped off as well. The place was full of parents running their kids to meet up with their groups. It was organized chaos. The best kind.

When I arrived at my daughters group I was given bobby pins and a toy soldier hat to put on her head. I knew she was wearing a hat that's why I put this massive bun on top of her head. It looked like she was wearing a crown. The concern was the hat would blow off in the crazy wind. I put as many pins as I could in and got a couple complaints as I did it and had to readjust. All I could do was hope the hat would still be there when she passed me on the parade route.

I walked all the way back in search of my husband. Next we headed off to friends who live on the parade. The parade started and it was so much fun. My friends little boys loved it and my nieces and even my older daughter got into the swing of things. Different groups threw candy and that always gets the kids excited. My daughters group was adorable. They danced as wooden soldiers and saluted us and she waved as she passed by with a big smile on her face. She was looking for us. We stand at the same spot every year so it makes things easy. Oh and the hat stayed on her head. That was a miracle. There really was this crazy wind. A few minutes after she passed my husband hopped in the car to pick her up at the end of the parade. He got her back in time to see the end of the parade. She got some candy and the most important thing of all she got to see Santa riding on a fire engine. She was thrilled last year she didn't get to see any of the parade herself. Well we aim to please. Everyone had a smile on their faces including my husband and me because the kids all packed into my mother's car to spend the afternoon helping her decorate for Christmas. Well my oldest was going to a birthday party, but the point is we were child free for the afternoon.

We headed out for a nice quite lunch and the went to the movies. It was my husbands pick and as long as it's not a horror flick I'm fine with it. Well we were going to see The Blindside, but the timing was off so he picked Ninja Assassin. All I'm going to say is that this movie is in no way for kids or for some adults. I had my eyes closed for 75% of the movie. There was so much blood I honestly wonder if the majority of the budget for the movie was spent on fake blood. Now don't get me wrong I love action movies and that's what I thought this was and to some extent it was just with way to much blood for me. My husband thought it was okay. You never really know till you see it. We are now hanging out at home watching The Chronicles of Riddick. I love this movie. I am a huge Vin Diesel fan. Now this is an action movie I can enjoy.

My youngest should be home any second and my guess is she will be exhausted from dancing down main street. So my afternoon off is just about over. That's okay I look forward to seeing my little munchkin. The oldest is staying over a friends so it should be quiet. No fighting over the TV.

Black Friday

I'm not one of those wake up early and camp out at stores to get the Door Buster deals. I just can't do it. Last night I was stuffed and feeling quite content. I had no desire to set my alarm and head out in the pouring rain. Not to mention if I did I'd have to stand out in that rain to get those great deals. Also there wasn't anything that really got me excited in the flyers.

However, when I woke up around 8:30 I thought I want some Dunkin Donuts coffee and the kids would probably like some munchkins so I headed out. Well there is a Target a couple of minutes from my house and I thought why not. There were a few things I could pick up. It was crowded and I was surprised to see so many families out shopping. The thing I like about Target is even when it's crowded the clerks are happy to help you and the lines seem to move rather quickly. I appreciate that. They didn't have the items I wanted, but a clerk did go out of his way to check for me so props to Target's costumer service.

I returned home and got the kids ready and my husband for a trip to the mall. Yes, I'm crazy, but my daughter needed to get her good friend a birthday present and she wanted to get it at Aeropostale. My husband really didn't want to come with me, but he wanted a book at the bookstore and honestly I didn't know if I would last long enough to get what he wanted. Well we headed out and you know it's not going to be pretty when the road going to the mall is jammed. My husband was not happy especially after we had to drive around for quite awhile to get a spot. We got a fairly good one, but again it's pouring rain.

The mall itself was crazy and why was everyone in Aeropostale. Oh, I know because everything except the bear my daughter wanted to get her friend was 50% off. Well they were pretty organized. They had people taking hangers and security devices off while we stood in line. Oh and gave us candy canes. So again props to the people at Aeropostale for making my shopping on Black Friday not too crazy. My husband could not find his book so we headed out because we didn't need anything else and there was no point in staying in the mob. We tried another book store for my husband and unfortunately they didn't have the book either so he got a different one and then we were basically done and went home to have left overs.

We survived Black Friday and I hope everyone else out there did as well. I bet some people got some great deals. Someone had to because they were all gone by the time I got my butt out of bed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is one of my favorite holiday's of the year. The one we spend surrounded with family eating wonderful food and being thankful for everything we are lucky enough to have in our lives.

I am very thankful for all my family and friends that I have in my life and will remember the ones who are no longer with me. I miss them all very much and keep them in my thoughts today. The holidays can be hard when you're missing family, but I know they're with us in spirit and always will be. They will never be forgotten.

Now as I sit hear typing this post while my daughters watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and arguing with me about what they're going to wear (seriously my 8 year old used to wear whatever I put on her bed) I realized I need to get my butt in gear and get busy. I have a broccoli casserole to make and I'm due at my mom's house around noon. So I wish every one out there a very happy, safe and delicious Thanksgiving.

Grandparents Day, Linner and Baking

Today has been busy since I dragged myself out of bed this morning and I'm still not done. It started with getting the girls all ready in their formal school uniforms (my oldest hates this and I made her wear her skirt) for Grandparents Day at school. Every year on the day before Thanksgiving their school puts on this wonderful show or as they call it a liturgy for the grandparents of all the children. The grandparents love it and so do the children. It's just a very busy crazy day.

First the grandparents are offered a breakfast and then are allowed to visit the kids in their classrooms. They allowed the parents to join this year so I got to go with my parents. The girls were so happy to see them. My younger one showed them her desk while the older showed her locker neither one all that neat, but what can you do. Then it was time to head over to the over crowded church to enjoy the liturgy. My parents were able to find a seat, but parents are asked to stand. My feet are killing me. I shouldn't have worn heels.

Each class performs one or two songs. The girls did great, though my older daughter's line got mixed up and she ended up behind a much taller girl by mistake. It was really too bad because one set of grandparents weren't able to see her. Nothing I could do there, but I felt bad. I could barely see her. They had a great time doing it. Everyone was happy. Then it was a mad dash to dismiss them from their classrooms. I tell you it's like a stampede. I was able to maneuver my way in threw a side door and come out with them fairly quickly. Thank you to whoever opened the side door. Then it was home and time for them to change for linner. They would never go out in their uniforms if it can be avoided.

Linner is what we call a meal between lunch and dinner. I have no idea if other people use this word, but we do and we think we're very clever. HA HA. We ate at the Longhorn Steak House and it was great. I hate cooking a meal the day before Thanksgiving so linner helped me avoid that. Yay me!

Now I have to end this post as I have to make a chocolate cream pie and brownies for tomorrows dinner at my moms. I love Thanksgiving. I really can not wait to sit with my family and enjoy a delicious meal. Oh and maybe a nice glass of wine.

Parent Teacher Conferences

My girls were lucky this week. They have had half days of school Monday and Tuesday and of course Wednesday. The school does this so they are able to have conferences during the afternoon on Monday and Tuesday.

Today was my day to meet with the teachers. I always get nervous. I get this nervousness in my stomach and my palms get sweaty. Oh and the night before I have difficulty sleeping. I honestly don't know why this happens it's just the way I am. It really is the strangest thing because I have never had a bad conference for my girls and I have already seen their report cards which were great.

So I head in with about 5 teachers to see. My 8 year old still only has 1 teacher, but my 12 year old has like 7. I asked her who she wanted me to see and there were really only 4 so that made it easy.

No problem with my 12 year old. In fact one teacher looked at me and asked me why I was there. I told her my daughter wanted me to check in with her so the conference honestly lasted about a minute. I found that entertaining. All of her teachers think she's sweet and doing her best so no worries.

My 8 year old again is a really hard working student and her teacher loves her. The only thing is we need to work on her spelling. Not necessarily her spelling test, but her being able to retain the words she has already been tested on. I feel for my daughter. I'm a terrible speller and so is my husband. I just thank God for spell check or I would be in big trouble. Her teacher gave me some ideas and I'll definitely give them all a try. I want her to be confident and have a great year. All in all nothing I wasn't ready to hear or didn't already know.

So why the nervousness before the conferences. Well I think I always want the best for my children and I want their teachers to know that they are great kids and are doing their best. I want the teachers to see my children the way I do and thankfully they do and I'm so happy with all of them this year. Hopefully it will continue to be a great year.

Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping

Every year it's the same and every year I try to avoid the nightmare of holiday shopping, but no it doesn't seem to matter when I hit the grocery store before Thanksgiving. It's always going to be ugly.

I usually do my weekly shopping on Monday or Tuesday so I was going anyway to restock the house. The place was crazy. The parking lot was getting really full when I arrived, but I didn't have a problem finding a spot. Lucky for me. The aisles inside were so crowded because not only were they full with people trying to find everything to make their holiday perfect they were also full with clerks trying to restock the shelves that had been emptied. It was like an obstacle course. To make matters worse many people in the aisles seem to believe they are the only ones shopping so they park their carts in the middle of the aisle so you are unable to get by. If you say excuse me half of them ignore you and continue about their business. It's very frustrating. I held it together though and smiled and said excuse me till my throat hurt.

When I completed my shopping I headed for the check out lines. They were all open and each one had at least 3 people waiting. Again I just grinned and bared it. I was in the home stretch after all. I spoke to the girl at the check out and she told me it had been this crazy since yesterday. I felt bad for her because she said there was no time for them to have breaks. I don't think that's right. Everyone needs a break.

I headed out to my car and found that the parking lot was completely full. In fact someone saw me heading for my car and followed. They sat with their blinker on waiting while I loaded my groceries. I find that so annoying. It makes me feel like I have to rush. Needless to say I did and headed out of the lot hoping that I didn't forget anything because I don't want to go anywhere near that place until after Thanksgiving.

Another Fun App for Tweens

Well as I've already told you I had a car full of tweens yesterday. Well a couple of them had their itouches with them. My daughter being one of those. We really do have to pry it out of her hands.

They were all talking about and playing this game called Wedding Dash. It's very similar to Cooking Dash and Diner Dash. Basically you are a wedding planner and you run around seating people and getting them their food and handing out gifts and any other wedding things you can think of. Basically just trying to make the guest happy. It's crazy fast paced. Needless to say the girls really love playing it. They were all huddled around the two itouches telling each other what to do. So if you're looking for a new app to try this one may be a good choice.

My Tween Loved New Moon

Just returned from taking my 12 year old and 4 of her friends to see New Moon. They loved it. They were squealing before the movie started, during and after. It was definitely a hit with them and they can't wait for Eclipse to come out because the movie left them with such a cliff hanger.

My daughter is a huge Edward fan, but a few of her friends like Jacob so there was some silliness going on with who is better for Bella. They were so cute about it. Both Edward and Jacob fans had their moments in the movie so everyone was happy. Oh and they all loved Alice. There was no debate about that.

My head is still spinning from the car ride, but I'm glad they had a great time enjoying the movie together and well I got to see it again so I can't complain. Looking forward to when the DVD comes out. I wonder how many deleted scenes there will be. I want more.

New Moon

Well today I attended the 10 am showing of New Moon with a friend who luckily arrived when the doors opened or we wouldn't have been able to see the show. She told me there were swarms of fans going in when the theater opened. It was a little frightening. The theater was packed full of women and even a few guys. Luckily they weren't a rowdy bunch. That's one reason I never attend midnight showings of any movie. People tend to be so excited that you can't here the movie.

The movie itself was awesome. It was a wonderful adaption of the book. There were only a few things I found disappointing. I was really hoping that we would see when Bella and Edward were flying back from Italy and the scene when they arrive back home and Bella won't let go of Edward. Yes, they are minor things and honestly I understand that not everything from the book can be in the movie. They're just scenes that have always stuck in my head.

I found the acting to be so much better than the last movie. I absolutely loved Alice. She was just like in the book. Bella was wonderful. You really could feel her pain and anguish. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked Jacob in the movie when in the book I found him annoying and immature. Props to Taylor Lautner on winning me over though I will always be and Edward fan. I loved the Volturi scenes though I would have liked more of Jane. Edward was amazing in them and Bella was as well.

All in all worth the money and a second viewing I will be going with my daughter and her friends tomorrow. She's a little upset with me that I saw it before her. I guess I'm a mean mom because well I made her go to school and well all the shows for today and tonight are completely sold out. I really don't enjoy going to the movies on Friday nights anyway. It tends to be the annoying audiences at that time of night.

I'm sure my daughter will love this movie, but I will give a full report of her and her friends reaction tomorrow.

Glee a Winner Again

Well another Glee and another happy smile on my face and my daughters. The only thing missing last night was Sue Sylvester the cheer leading coach. She's crazy funny, but the show was still great without her.

This one had to do with pairing up and singing a ballad to your partner. They have to pick the partner out of a hat. This leads to some interesting pairings.

Rachel ends up with a crush on Mr. Schuester. It's very funny and gives us some great songs.

Mr. Schuester sings a melody of Don't Stand So Close to Me . It was great. Rachel didn't get the hint, but that only made it more fun.

Rachel and Mr. Schuester sang Endless Love it was great.

Finn sang I'll Stand By You to his unborn baby. This was so sweet.

The best of all was the full cast singing Lean On Me to Quinn and Finn after Quinn gets kicked out of her house when her parents find out she's pregnant. Finn's mom takes her in.

All in all another great episode not my favorite of the season, but I enjoyed it and look forward to next week. Bring on the Glee!

No Chocolate Chip Waffles till the Summer

My daughter changes what she wants for breakfast pretty much every week. Sometimes it's Cheerios, sometimes bagels, but one of her favorite things is chocolate chip Eggo waffles. It's not my favorite thing for her to have, but once in a while it's okay.

So this week she asked me to pick them up. Well I went to the store and the freezers were pretty bare. Then I noticed the sign on the freezer stating that there was a shortage of Eggo waffles nationwide. I had no clue what this was about so I just picked up bagels for my daughters breakfast.

First thing out of her mouth the next morning was: Did you forget to get me waffles? I told her they didn't have them and there was some kind of shortage. She was disappointed, but quickly moved on.

Well I was doing a current events paper with my 8 year old. Trying to find something that was nonviolent. I can't believe how hard I had to look for something. Anyway we found an article about Kellogg's informing the public that there will be a shortage of frozen Eggo waffles until the summer because production was stalled in a plant in Atlanta and another plant is undergoing repairs. Well my older daughter was none to pleased with this information. It's the end of the world. Well not really, but to a tween girl it's always the end of the world when you can't get something you want.

The Grinch Bought All the Zhu Zhu Pets

Okay I'm going to get up on a soap box. I'm really angry and aggravated which by the way it takes a lot to get me really worked up. However, in my search to get a Zhu Zhu pet for my best friend's daughter for Christmas I have become increasingly frustrated.

If you haven't heard what Zhu Zhu pets are they are these little toy hamsters that make cute noises and move around on the floor. Apparently Zhu Zhu pets are the big toy this year. That means waiting in line to get into stores in the morning and searching the net for shipments. I have no problem with this.

What I have a problem with is people going to the stores buying everyone they can get their hand on then reselling them on Ebay and Amazon for 4 times what they're worth. That's right if you look for them on Amazon right now people are asking between $40 and $50. These toys sell for $9.99. I'm sorry, but this is wrong. These toys are something that young children are hoping to receive under their Christmas Tree from Santa. Taking advantage of children and their parents at Christmas time labels you a Grinch in my book. Hope you can sleep at night.

I was at Toys R Us looking for the Zhu Zhu pets and a woman told me not to bother to go to Walmart because a man came and bought them all and Walmart did nothing to stop him. There was no limit to the amount he could buy. That was also wrong. When a toy is this high in demand there should be a limit on the amount you can buy. Toys R Us has a limit.

So let me just say shame on you if you're out there trying to make a quick buck selling toys at ridiculous prices and shame on the stores for allowing people to get away with it. I hope no one pays the ridiculous prices and your stuck with these toys that you never wanted to begin with.

Great Book Series For Tween Girls

Well as you may have heard me say several times before my daughter is not a big fan of reading. This means I'm always on the search for books she'll find interesting and are not too long.

Last summer I found the perfect series for her. It's the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. There are a total of 22 books released at this moment with more to come. Oh there are also 3 prequels to the series.

The series deals with a girl named Alice who is in the 6th grade. She lost her mother when she was 5 to leukemia. The story how she deals with growing up being the only female in the house with her father and older brother. The story deals with all the typical things that occur when a girl goes through be a tween and then turning into a teen. I should mention that they touch on every topic imaginable and that as Alice ages so does the story lines. My daughter has only read up to the books that take place in 8th grade.

She finds it very easy to relate to Alice. As she reads the books she comes and talks to me about different things that happen to Alice. It's almost like Alice was a friend of hers. I love that and I love that she enjoys the books that she's reading. The books are usually short in length and have a good story to tell. I have been getting them for her slowly as she hits the age that Alice is in the books. She's slightly ahead at the moment, but that's okay. I can't keep the child in a bubble. I just want her to be ready for the topics that Alice is tackling.

If you have a tween girl give the books a try. I know you will not be sorry. The first book in the series is titled The Agony of Alice

There is also a direct to DVD movie that was released in July of 2008. My daughter loved that too. The movie is titled Alice Upside Down Check it out.

New App for Twilight Loving Tweens

My daughter as you know is addicted to her itouch. Well she has just discovered a new App which has her full attention. It's Scene It? Twilight. It's a cool trivia game. It asks you questions to find out your Twilight knowledge while showing you scenes from the movie. It also has cool puzzle games. She's played with her friends and they had a great time doing it the little twilight addicts.

There is also a board game and there will soon be a Scene It? Twilight Wii game. I may have to look into the Wii game for Christmas or her birthday.

My 8 Year Old's Christmas Wish List

Okay well I gave you a hint into my 12 year olds Christmas List now here is my younger tween's wish list. She's still loves little girl things and I'm so happy Santa gets to buy Barbies and American Girl dolls still. So here we go.

First off she wants another Harumika Set As I've said before she loves this and honestly can not get enough of it.

Next she's hoping for a Liv Fashion Doll She has one and loves her. They have different wigs that they can wear and you can play online with them as well. It seems like every toy out there has some connection to the internet.

She's really hoping for Lego Rock Band for the Wii. We have Guitar Hero World tour and to be honest she doesn't really know a lot of the songs but she loves to play. This game has much more familiar songs and it's made to be a little easier for younger players. Maybe I'll even be able to play without screwing up.

She wants the Polly Pocket Roller Coaster Resort Playset. This is actually one toy I wish she would grow out of, but she just loves them. My vacuum loves them too. I honestly don't know how many Polly Pocket shoes it's sucked up.

A list can not be complete without wanting the Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell and The Lost Treasure DS game. My daughter loves Tinker Bell and her friends but really who doesn't.

She's also hoping for A Zhu Zhu Pet. These things are impossible to find, but lucky for her Santa happened to walk into a Toys R Us and there they were. It's going to be a very happy Christmas.

Finally she wants a sewing machine so she can make clothes. She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. She wants to be on Project Runway. If anyone out there knows a reasonable priced sewing machine that would be good for an 8 year old to learn to sew with please share your knowledge.

My Tweens Christmas Wish List

I love Christmas it's my favorite time of the year without a doubt. It seems a little early to worry about buying Christmas presents. I mean we haven't even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. However, every store you go into now has Christmas decorations up and they're all playing Christmas music. That means get out there and start buying.

So I asked both my daughters for their Christmas wish lists. Let me tell you about a few of the items my daughter is hoping to receive. She's on the nice list now, but she better be careful or she could end up on the naughty list. I love having that threat to hang over them this time of year. Santa is always watching after all.

First item she's hoping for is a small Coach Bag. Not one of the really expensive ones. Just a cute little one. My daughter dreams big. Tween girls always want to be cool and this is definitely cool. We'll see what Santa can do and who Santa knows to make this one happen.

Another item she is hoping to receive is the Style Savvy DS game. It looks like fun and since she is a huge fan of Project Runway I'm sure she'll have fun with it.

Next she really wants The Sims 3 computer game. These games are huge with all her friends right now. They talk about their sims like they're real people.

She's hoping for some Twilight make-up that you can get at Nordstroms. She likes Alice's palette the best. Oh and the Lullaby lip balm. We'll see on that one. Anything Twilight is high on her list right now.

I've already mentioned in previous posts that she wants the Bella and Edward Barbie dolls. I'm hearing these are getting harder and harder to get. Luckily Santa pre- ordered them from Amazon.

Finally, she's hoping for some clothes from Abercrombie and Aeropostoale. We'll see what goes on sale before Christmas.

There are a few other items that she's hoping for and I'll probably bring them up in another post. This seems like quite enough for now. Tomorrow I'll post my 8 year old's list. I really do love playing Santa.

Glee Is Back!

Well last night brought Glee back to TV after a 2 week break for the World Series. I wouldn't have minded if my beloved Red Sox were in the series, but they weren't so I found the whole thing annoying as did my daughter. Both her and her friends have been counting down the days. The only thing we had to sustain her was the release of the Glee Vol. 1 Soundtrack. We have been listening to it nonstop in the the car. It's totally worth the purchase. Glee Vol. 2 Soundtrack will be released on on December 8. I will totally be getting that.

Last nights episode was great and had a really nice message. The episode was entitled "Wheels" and focuses on Artie, a member of the glee club who is restricted to a wheel chair because of a car accident. The club needs to earn money for a special bus so he can ride with the club to regionals. At first the club seems to not be concerned until the teacher, Will, makes each of the other members of the club use a wheel chair for 3 hours a day. Soon they all learn how difficult things are for Artie and they work hard to earn the money. On one of the side stories the cheer leading coach allows a cute girl with down syndrome to join the cheer leading team. Will believes she is up to no good, but it is soon revealed that she wants the girl to be happy and treated like everyone else. This shocks Will and the audience is surprised to learn that Sue's sister also a sister with Downs Syndrome that she visits regularly. This woman does have a heart. Who knew? This was a real feel good episode.

The songs were again fabulous. My favorites being Defying Gravity sung by both Rachel and Kurt in a diva off. Oh and Proud Mary sung by the cast but mainly by Artie, Mercedes, and Tina. I'm really looking forward to next weeks episode as is my daughter. She can not get enough. We are such Gleeks.

My Scifi Tween and V

Back in the 80's all scifi geeks were treated to a fabulous mini series on ABC. This series was V It had a sequel mini series entitled V - The Final Battle and a wonderful television series simply entitled V - The Series I remember thinking this was the coolest show ever and I never missed and episode. When the series was released on DVD I ran out that day and purchased it. I have watched it many times as has my 12 year old. She loves all things scifi. She can thank her Star Wars loving mom and Trekie dad for this. She really had no choice, but to watch these shows. Good thing she likes them and wants to see more.

For anyone out there that isn't aware of what V is. First off V stands for Visitor, alien Visitor that is. It's a Scifi show that has aliens come to Earth in these large mother ships offering to help us cure diseases and give us technology looking only for our friendship. They look exactly like us so they are welcomed with open arms. Little do we know they are lizard people in disguise who really want to use us as a food source, very diabolical. Anyway a resistance forms and the battle for survival begins. Who sides with the visitors and who is on your side? Very exciting stuff here.

When I found out V was being made into a new series I was so excited and shared this excitement with my daughter. We could hardly wait. I of course went away the premier week so was unable to watch it. My daughter watched with her grandfather and he is now hooked on the show. I watch episodes 1 & 2 last night. Thank you DVR. I'm so hooked.

They have an amazing cast. Elizabeth Mitchell from lost as Erica our future resistance leader, Morena Baccarin from Firefly as Anna the Visitor leader and Scott Wolf from Party of Five as a reporter not sure which side he's on other than his own at this point. I'm loving them. They are doing an awesome job with these characters.

My daughter is all about the teen characters Tyler, who is Erica's son and Lisa a visitor. She sees total forbidden love in their storyline and is all over it. She can't wait to see what happens with them next. She is convinced Lisa will be good. I'm not thinking that's the case, but we'll see. Her friends our loving it too. At this point in time I find the show to be fine for her to watch. Again I watch with her so if it ever jumps over what I define as okay the show gets clicked off at least till she goes to bed. I do anticipate the show getting more violent. I'm not sure how far they will go with sexual aspects. The new Battlestar Galactica went too far and she was not allowed to watch that. I actually felt it went to far for me to watch it. I just don't think it's necessary. I hope V will keep it light so she will be able to keep watching it.

Please give this show a chance. It will be worth your while even if you don't like scifi you will be treated to a well acted show that may surprise you. My only concern is that they only plan to air 2 more episodes before it goes in hiatus till March. I don't like it when shows do this. Hopefully it will be okay. People can be so fickle.

What is TDA or Total Drama Action?

If you have a tween you have probably heard them mention TDA. The first time I heard it I had no clue what my daughter and her friends were talking about. Now I know and knowing is half the battle, G.I. Joe Whoops sorry just having an 80's cartoon moment.

Okay back to TDA. It stands for Total Drama Action. This is a cartoon that airs on the Cartoon Network. I am not a huge fan of the newer cartoons. I much prefer The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Jem (I just loved the theme song of this one). Well there are others but those are some that I enjoyed when I was younger. Now TDA is the in show to watch.

It's actually the second season of Total Drama Island. My daughter loved that show as well. She is actually hoping to get the Total Drama Island DVD for Christmas.

Both of the shows are basically a cartoon version of Survivor. They have to do silly challenges and at the end of the episode the contestants vote someone off. There are a wide range of characters some you love and some not so much. My daughter's favorites are Courtney and Duncan. I have no idea who they are, but I have watched and episode with her and I find it too be very silly. I don't see the attraction, but she seems to like it. The challenges are absurd and something always goes wrong. There is even a crazy chef. Basically this show is picking on Survivor and I'm all for that. It's mindless fun.

I hear the next season is called Total Drama Music. I wonder what this one will be like?

We Have a Winner.

The winner of the Harumika Starter set is Kristin. My daughter picked your name out of her purse. I'll be sending you an email ASAP. Congratulations. I know your friends daughter will love it.

Thanks to all who entered. This is such a great product. My daughter and all her friends just love it and I know you'll love it too. I hope I'll be able to do more giveaways in the future. It's very exciting to give away anything, but especially a product that I feel so strongly about.

EPCOT and Back to Reality

Yesterday was the real last day of my trip with my husband. My apologies for not blogging, but the hotel connection wasn't working. So no Entrecard drops were done. Anyway back on topic. We headed to EPCOT yesterday. We were really looking forward to spending the day tasting different food and wine as it was the Food and Wine Festival. Apparently we were not the only ones. We first went to Soarin because if you don't do that ride immediately when entering EPCOT you may not get the chance and it really is one of my favorite rides in all of Disney World. I love feeling like I'm hang gliding above California. It's just such a beautiful experience. When we were through we grabbed a pastry in The Land and headed off toward the World Showcase.

We entered the Showcase and so were many other people. We casually walked around scoping out the different wines we wanted to taste and not to mention I needed to visit Japan because my girls were hoping for gifts from the cute toy store they have there. We did that and then decided we should think about eating so we headed back toward the food that looked the most appealing on our first walk through. As we walked back we couldn't believe the lines that were forming for the food and wine. It was crazy. We had come to EPCOT during this festival for the past few years and have never seen it this busy.

Well we thought that since the food booths were crazy we wouldn't have any trouble getting into the Japanese restaurant that we love. We were correct and had a fabulous meal. Honestly, I was stuffed, but still looking forward to some fabulous wine. Well too bad for me because it wasn't going to happen. We didn't want to spend our last day standing in line. These lines were seriously not moving. We decided to head back to the pool and have a nice relaxing swim. My husband actually hadn't even had a swim in the pool as he was busy with the convention so we enjoyed our swim. We then headed out for dinner and hung out at this Irish Pub in Downtown Disney. They had some awesome live music. We had a great time, but stayed out way too late. I honestly wanted to throw the alarm across the room when it went off this morning.

It's never as fun to head back home as it is to go on vacation, but in this case I was looking forward to seeing my girls. I missed the little buggers. They greeted us with big hugs and kisses and were all ready to head back to our house and to our dog. She had her own personal babysitter (my brother) because she's such a baby. She gets sick if she doesn't stay at home so she couldn't go stay with my mom. Anyway we got home with all the stuff we left with and I had to hit the laundry. It's still going. I should have gone to the grocery store, but I just didn't have the energy. Luckily after checking the frig and pantry we have plenty of stuff to get us through until tomorrow and then I will hit the grocery store and stock up.

All in all a great trip, but I am happy to be home to sleep in my own bed tonight. I look forward to my trip in April with my girls.

Another Day at the Pool

Okay my hubby had another day of conference stuff so I spent most of it at the pool. Why not it's gorgeous and in just a few days I'm going to be back in chilly New England. I heard it was dismal yesterday.

I do miss my girls. Though I know they are in the best hands. My mom is awesome and would do anything for them. They can be quite needy especially the older one and because she's at that fabulous tween age of 12 she won't necessarily tell you what she wants or if there is a problem. She actually believes that you can read her mind. I have tried to explain to her that I can't. I wish I could. It would save so much time. I've talked to the girls a couple times each day and they seem great, but it's hard to be away from them. Don't get me wrong I'm having a wonderful time with my husband. I just miss my girls.

Tonight we have to attend some cocktail party at the pool. I actually will be happy to be done with these conference people. I haven't seen so many people this drunk since college. I guess that's what happens when there is an open bar for 3 hours 3 nights in a row. My husband and I have turned in by midnight at the latest for the past few nights while hearing that most of these people are hanging out at the bar till it closed at 2. I guess we're getting old. Oh well I like my sleep.

Well tomorrow we go to EPCOT. It's the food and wine festival. We expect to have a very relaxed day there and I hope to eat at the Japanese restaurant. I love watching my food cooked in front of me. Well I'll let you know.

My Day at the Pool

Well today my husband had to attend his conference so I was basically on my own. I headed to DownTown Disney to do a little shopping as it is across from our hotel. Oh someone asked what hotel I'm in. We're staying at the Buena Vista Palace. This is not A vacation club hotel and no I would not recommend it. We are here because this is where the conference is being held. We will be staying at the Boardwalk when we head back in April with the children. I love staying at the hotels that are close to EPCOT. They are my favorite. I never get bored there. There is so much to see and do.

Okay back on topic. I got some Christmas shopping done after I got lost in the World of Disney Store. That is the biggest Disney store I've ever been in and you would think I would learn, but no I get lost every time. I did however get a few Christmas gifts for the girls. They will love them.

I headed back in time to meet hubby for lunch at the pool then changed into my bathing suit and sat back and enjoyed reading An Echo of the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. If you have never read one of her books get one as fast as you can and pick up Outlander as it is the first book in the series. The hero Jamie makes you forget who Edward from Twilight is. I had a fabulous afternoon reading and enjoying the sunshine.

My husband returned from his classes and he had convention parties to attend. I went with him. Okay I'm actually horrified at the way many of these people behave at these parties. The married men are all scoping out the younger women and these women are more than happy to oblige. My personal thought they all look like a bunch of crazy drunken teenagers who need to grow up. Enough said on that. Just remember to check on your hubbies when they head out of town for these conferences. Mine is currently reading his book next to me as I type this up. He's a very good boy.

Expedition Everest and Me

Today started much better than yesterday. There were no rude people in the halls so thanks for that. We decided to take our time and head into Animal Kingdom for a little while.

We arrived at the park and it was surprisingly not that crowded. We are so used to coming when these places have people everywhere. Not to say there weren't people. There seem to be plenty of Yankee fans eyeballing the Red Sox shirt I had on today. Not that I care. I love my team and despise the Yankees. Anyway back to the park. The first ride we chose to go on was Dinosaur. Mostly because I have never gone on it. We have been here several times with the girls, but never got on. My 12 year old went with my husband once and I stress the once. She hated it. Of course she's a girl and dinosaurs have never really interested her and well the ride is dark and scary. My youngest has no desire to go on it and after going on it myself I will not encourage it. No good can come from scaring my 8 year old. She could choose to boycott the rest of the vacation. Needless to say I went on it and well it was cool, but probably won't do it again.

Next we headed in the direction of the big scary mountain known as Expedition Everest. I have been able to avoid this ride for the past couple of trips, but today I wasn't so lucky. You see my 8 year old is not a big ride kinda girl so I usually hang out with her while my husband and the 12 year old go. I have never minded as I am not a big roller coaster girl myself. Well today he wanted me to go and there was only a 5 minute wait so I went. Of course my biggest fear with this ride is that we will get stuck on the way up the mountain. I have seen the ride stuck there before and ever since I have had no desire to go on it. It also didn't help that my 12 year old didn't like it and said she would never go on again. Anyway, we went and it really wasn't as bad as I thought. I just get myself all worked up. However, if you don't want to go backwards, in the dark down a hill you may want to pass. That was the worst part. It also banged me around a bit and I wasn't as smart as my husband who braced his head on the back because he knew what was coming. I would consider going on this again though it was not my favorite part of the day.

The best part of the day was the Festival of the Lion King. I have seen this many times before and I honestly could see it 100 more. It is just so much fun. The music is awesome and the performers are amazing. They have this one girl who is dressed like a bird and they hook her on a wire and she goes flying around the room. Honestly amazing every time.

Well tomorrow I'm on my own as hubby is headed to classes all day. Sounds like a great day to hang out by the pool and read. I am really looking forward to just enjoying the sunshine. I hope the clouds that have been hanging around disburse.

The Rude Wake Up and Hollywood Studios

The first morning of our vacation didn't start all that fabulously. Not that I should complain about anything being down here in the sunshine state on vacation. However, my husband and I were rudely awakened by people in the hallway. They were slamming doors and talking loudly at 5:00 AM. We thought we would get to sleep in, but no that was not in the cards. Neither of us could fall back to sleep and all I could think of was how rude it was. Seriously what is wrong with people. If I was moving in a hallway in a hotel that early I would be as quiet as possible. Well I guess some people weren't taught manners. Oh well we're still on vacation or I am at least. He'll have work later in the week.

We went to Hollywood Studios today. This is my favorite Disney park. I just love everything about it. As soon as we got there today we headed straight for the Toy Story Mania ride. If you have never heard of it let me tell you it is so much fun. You play carnival games in 4D. I found myself laughing and smiling well after we were through. We got a fast pass so we could go on again later.

We then found ourselves starving so we ate at The SciFi Diner. I love this place. It may be because I'm a little bit of a scifi geek, but it's so much fun to eat at a place that is set up like the old drive-in theaters. The tables are even made to look like cars and they show all the crazy old Scifi movies that are just so ridiculous you can't help, but laugh. The food was great so I can not recommend this place enough. Everything about it is fun.

Next we went to the American Idol Experience. We loved it. Three contestants are chosen to perform at each show. There are several shows throughout the day and the winner of each show performs in the finale and the winner of that is given a special golden ticket to move to the front of the line at a real American Idol Audition. The show was fabulous. It felt like the real show and we were in the audience. The stage is the same and they have judges that seem to have the same personalities as the judges from the show. At the end of the performance we get to pick the winner. I'm happy to say that the guy we picked won this show and moved on to the finale. Again we went to see another of these shows and because we didn't have the children we could do whatever we wanted and we wanted to see American Idol. Again the one we chose moved on to the finale. We didn't see the finale, but I'm sure it was great both of the performers we saw were really talented.

We also went on the backlot tour which is fun. It's cool to see all the behind the scenes stuff. I enjoyed this.

It was nice to just be able to walk around at our own pace and just do what we wanted. No one was whining and no one was complaining. We left when we were ready. It was a very relaxing and fun day so just because the day started off rocky we didn't let it ruin our day. Not sure what we'll be doing tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll blog about it.