Have you heard of Bella Sara, a trading card game that’s complimented by the magical online land of North of North?  I hadn’t and when I said that to my nine-year old, I was treated like the most ancient woman on the face of the planet.

“What do you mean you’ve never heard of Bella Sara?” she exclaimed as she ripped open the package that arrived from Team Mom.  I haven’t.  But now I know all about Bella Sara, the horses that have captured the hearts of young girls across the country, including my own daughter, offering positive, inspirational messages and selling more than 55 million cards to date.

I think this is much like the Pokemon craze that my son went through.  Don’t kids trade baseball cards anymore?

The Bella Sara family of horses is expanding as they welcome Baby Bella foals complete with new trading cards featuring all of the brand new babies on November 6th.  There will be a 10 day celebration on the website where kids can qualify for daily prizes, print off babies’ birth certificates, read stories, get access to special codes and more!

My daughter loved the new cards and she loves the website even more.  In fact, when I asked her why she never mentioned purchasing cards for her, she told me that she remembered my lack of understanding when it came to the Pokemon cards and didn’t think that I would purchase them for her, but she’s so wrong!  I’ll definately be picking these up for her stocking this Christmas because they are so much more than just cards.

And she loves exploring North of North in the afternoons and I’ve been able to leverage it using completing homework, something that is often only completed if I will allow the television.

Take a look at the website and enjoy some time with your daughter as you welcome the new foals.

We’re definatley loving them over here!

Until next time…

Filed under websites | Comment (0)

When I got to the grocery store, the last thing that I want to purchase are cleaning supplies.

They are expensive.

So what do I do?  Probably what a lot of America does.  I pick up the cheapest thing that I can find.

However, in the past few months, I have been bitten with the green bug.  I’ve not gone all tree-huggery, but I’ve been a little more conscious about what I use in my home.  I’ve already turned to a natural laundry detergent and love it.  The inconvenicence to me wasn’t great, none at all really.

And so, over time, I’ve been working on it and I’m trying to only buy green cleaning supplies from here on out.  It will take me awhile to use up what I have since, you know, I never clean… ha ha.

Kidding.

Kinda.

But, GreenWorks has a new website called 30 days to Natural and it’s a great place to start in taking yourself natural in the cleaning supplies department.  On the site you can follow the video diaries of three women who have traded in their traditional cleaners for Green Works natural cleaners for 30 days.  The women vary from a small town mom to a single mom in an MBA program and cover various regions of the United States.

The site also offers tips that can be delivered to your cell phone or via email to help you work your way toward green in 30 days.  There’s even a handy kitchen checklist that you can print out.

Want to know how you can get started?  It’s simple!  Just visit http://www.30daystonatural.com and plant a daisy.  Planting a daisy puts you among all the other people in the world who are taking the challenge right along with you.

And who doesn’t love a good challenge?

Filed under household cleaners, websites | Comments (2)

Last night, me, the brave soul, descended upon the movie theater with thirteen kids, aged 5-14 to see High School Musical 3:  Senior Year.

The kids were excited as we milled around the lobby of the theater waiting to be allowed to be seated.  Collectively, we had four large tubs that we could refill with popcorn for 50 cents and I, being the incredibly intelligent one, brought Tupperware containers so that we could distribute the popcorn and just keep filling up.

Popcorn is the best part of the movie.

The kids, were settled and saving seats as I waited for the last girl to arrive and there was constant chatter among the crowd while we watched the previews.  All movies that my daughter wants to see as soon as they come out.

I pray that she forgets about them until they make it to DVD.

And when the last preview played, each child had been to the restroom, refilled popcorn and drink and the lights in the theater dimmed.

That’s when the screaming started.

When I say scream?  I mean scream.

I can liken it only to a muted version of the NKOTB concert that I went to.

I’m dead serious.

The opening credits hadn’t even popped up on the screen and they were that excited about the movie starting.

Then Troy Bolton flashed his smile and it got even louder.

Yes, the prepubescentness was in abundance last night.  I’m wondering if we disrupted those seeing W in the theater next to us.

The music was good, and like a concert, there were those that were clapping, stomping their feet, and waving their arms.

There was clapping, lots of clapping, and when Troy and Gabrielle kissed, for the first time in three movies, every single teen and tween in that place secretly wished they were in the place of Gabrielle.  They swooned.

Swooned, I tell you.  It was the biggest erruption of excitement during the movie except when Troy took his shirt off.

I must admit, even I got a little excited.

I don’t care how old you are or how young he is, Zac Efron is HAWT.

Besides, he’s at least legal.  It doesn’t matter that I’m 10 years older than him.

All in all, the movie was the best of the franchise.  While production was good on the first two that were released as Disney Channel origionals, this one was stepped up and I was glad.  Disney knows the popularity of the movie.  They knew that people were going to come and see it.  It’s High School Musical.  It could’ve been done very poorly, but it wasn’t.

The story line was sweet in that gross, wholesome way, but I have to admit, a little unrealistic for an adult.

For a teen/tween, it was exactly what they wanted to see.  But, me, being the cynic, told all of them as we left the theater, “you know real life doesn’t happen like that, right?”

The last thing I want is for my daughter to think her life is going to play out like that of Gabriella Montez.  For one, we don’t live in New Mexico, heh.

No, I’m not really that bad.  And I supposed that girls should dream, but for me, the story line was a little too sweet.  But I also know that I ate it all up, because it was a good love story, and I’m a sucker for a good love story, and hot guys.

I highly recommend seeing it even if you don’t have a tween.  Seriously.  It was that good.

I predict that the DVDs will be released right around Christmas, if they are smart, so that Santa can deposit a few until the Christmas tree.  I can tell you that we will own it and add it to our collection.

And watch it 5,000 times.

Until next time..

Filed under movies | Comments (3)

Remember how I told you a while back that the 70s called and they want my stove back?

Well, I still haven’t returned it.  The Smithsonian calls daily but that piece of history is still located within the walls of my overly tiny kitchen.

It still cooks everything hotter than it should and it still only has one working burner.

I’m waiting on my friend to remodel her kitchen so that I can buy hers.

And I’m waiting.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Electrolux Appliances is ponying up a brand new stove and I want it.

I think it would make me want to cook and cook well.

See?  Wouldn’t you want that too?

Well, you can enter to win it just like I did by popping over to http://www.electroluxappliance.com and enter your best Turkey Tale.

For me, I’ve got lots of tales of cooking, but shockingly enough, I can cook a turkey.  Don’t ask me why the cooking Gods have bestowed this gift on me, but they have.

So, if you’re looking for something funny, not here today, but my entry was about defining the perfect turkey.

Let me know if you have one!  I’d love to hear about it!

Gobble Gobble!

Filed under websites | Comment (1)

As a child, I believed, wtih all my heart that all I needed to solve anything was faith, trust, and pixie dust.  Seriously.  I even had Pixie Dust, which was comprised of special dust that I collected from the fairy patch behind the shed that housed the “man tools” outside of the house.

The Fairy Patch was a special place.  Tinker Bell’s relatives lived there; it’s where she hailed from.  And from there, I would collect my Pixie Dust, scooped up with a special scoop that was absconded from my mother’s kitchen and stored in the “man shed” for times when I need to collect.

I would collect my Pixie Dust, put it in my purple velvet pouch, which was purchased at the Smithsonian with rocks in it.  The rocks found a home in the bottom of my toy box the day that I realized that I needed a special pouch to carry my Pixie Dust around.

My Pixie Dust went everywhere with me.  It was in my backpack when I went to school.  It was in my pocket when I was outside playing.  I took it to the store.  I took it to church.

And when things got rough, or I needed a change in the events surrounding me, I would simply pull my purple velvet pouch out of my pocket, state that all it takes is faith and trust and pixie dust, sprinkle some around and go about my merry way.

It was that simple.

My pouch was never empty.  As soon as it got low, I would make sure that I had time to escape to the back of the “man shed” and collect my dust.  I would alert the fairies that I was there, even though I couldn’t see them.   I didn’t want to scare them off though as I was afraid if I became the enemy they would desert their home, taking their pixie dust making powers with them.  And I needed my pixie dust.

Eventually, over time, as I got older, I out grew my pixie dust infatuation.  Perhaps the reality of life set in and I realized that pixie dust didn’t make a difference.  Or maybe it was the fact that soon I was being made fun of because I would sprinkle what was really saw dust from my dad’s big saw and call it Pixie Dust.

But for many years after I rid of the purple velvet sack from the Smithsonian that once contained polished rocks, I would still mutter the phrase “faith, trust, and pixie dust” to calm me in a situation that required it.

Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust.

Wouldn’t it be nice if things were that simple now?

This is a compensated post as part of the BlogHer Reviewers.  Look for the new Tinker Bell movie to be released on October 28th.

Buy the Tinker Bell Movie now or in Blu-Ray

Filed under movies, websites | Comments (2)

Thanks to Laundry Tree for donating the prizes…
The winners are
Imelda and Arika

And I just got an order with another sample pack in it, so I’d like to send that out to Erin

Check your email for one from me!

Thanks to all who played along, and again, a special thanks to Lisa at Laundry Tree. When it comes to customer service… she’s the BEST!

Until next time…

Filed under winners | Comment (1)

Ah yes…

I love infomercials.  So when I was asked to review Spot Shot, and the kids asked me to video tape the demonstration… I said yes.

It’s not quite as good as the ones on TV, however, I can tell you that the stains came out and even this morning, they haven’t shown back up… nor can I smell the ammonia, which I had no idea why I was even spraying the ammonia until the end.  It’s because this product not only eliminates stains but odors too.

Ammonia has an odor.

Big duh moment.

Captured on video.

Tonight, I’ll be dashing around the house trying it on the rest of the stains that my children have blessed me with because this appears to work better than any of the other stain removers I’ve tried in the past.

So back to the how I got caught part of the story that I started here.

We went grocery shopping one night and I pranced around the store displaying products that I found and asking my brother to play pricing games with me.

While normal children might have been able to play that one off, as in telling your mother that you were just trying to spice up the otherwise boring trip, I couldn’t.

“Watched TV today, didn’t you?” she asked.

The look on my face gave away my guilt before any verbal retort could escape my twelve year old lips.

Busted.

There ended my days of watching the Price is Right.  Sure, we got our TV privileges back, after being grounded from the TV at night as well for awhile, but it was never the same.

But secretly?

I still think it would be cool to be a Barker Babe, even though, the Price is Right has moved on.

For now, I’ll stick with my homemade infomercials and be happy with those, knowing that stardom isn’t on the horizon.

Until next time…

Filed under household cleaners | Comments (4)