Liza

Celebrate National Boys & Girls Club Week!

 For Teens, For the Kids  No Responses »
Apr 082013
 

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Tour a Local National Boys & Girls Clubs of America Program This Week

After School Programs From BGCA

I’m mentioned a few times that I grew up in a very small town in Maine.  To give you some perspective on just how small, there are roughly 1400 people living there today.  There is a grocery store, two gas stations, a diner, a pizza place, and a handful of other random stores.  So, you know, small.

What we didn’t have were many after-school options.  If you weren’t playing a sport or didn’t have a job then there wasn’t much to do.  Fortunately most kids had parents that made sure where they were and what they were up to, but that wasn’t the case in every situation.  And regardless of checked in on, or not, it would have been great to have someplace to go where we could participate in fun activities, reinforce the skills and behaviors we learned in school, and to be active outside of the 20 minutes of recess we had each day. Continue reading »

Disney’s “Planes” Soars Into Theaters This August

 Disney, Entertainment  2 Responses »
Apr 042013
 

Disney's Movie "Planes

Disney’s Planes Sure to Be a Family Favorite

As you know we’re a very Disney family.  So every time there is an announcement for a new Disney movie we get a bit excited.  Finding out that Disney was making Planes was more than just a bit exciting.  We knew that if Cars and Cars 2 were any indicator, that Planes would knock our socks off.

This one is especially exciting for the whole family, as Austin (A2) really wants to train to be a pilot after graduation.  Planes will be right up his alley!  And hubby suggested that this could be a great first theater movie for Bubbles.  She adores Mater and Lightning McQueen and we think she’ll love these characters, too.

Dusty from the new Disney movie "Planes"

Speaking of characters – the voice talent for this film is great.  The full cast and their voice stars are: Continue reading »

10 Book Suggestions for International Children’s Book Day

 For the Kids, For Toddlers, Holidays  1 Response »
Apr 022013
 

10 Childrens Books for International Book Day

Today is International Children’s Book Day.  It is celebrated on or around April 2nd, as that is the birth date of Hans Christian Andersen.  (Did you know he is the one whom originally wrote The Little Mermaid and The Emperor’s New Clothes?)

Bubbles still continues to demonstrate a love for reading and we’re happy to indulge her in it.  She will sit down and read to herself a few times each day, and then we’re usually recruited to read or be read to at least once or twice.  I had hoped we’d make it over to the library today to check out a couple of new books as a way to celebrate, but the day kind of got away from us before we could make it over.  Instead we’ll honor the day by reading our current favorites a few extra times.  I hope you’ll have a chance to read with your kiddos today, as well!

10 Of Our Current Favorite Books

  1. The ABC’s Of I Love You
  2. Where Is Baby’s Puppy? (any of the Karen Katz books)
  3. Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch
  4. My First Look & Find: Cars 2
  5. Kiss Kiss
  6. My Little Word Book
  7. Sleepy Me
  8. Toy Story 3
  9. My First Book of Numbers
  10. Look & Find: Minnie Mouse

And check out 15 of our favorite board book for toddlers!

What are your favorite children’s books?

POND’S New Skin Care Line Can Help Make You Feel Luminous

 Beauty, For Her, Reviews  No Responses »
Mar 312013
 

Pond's Luminous Skin Care Line

When I shop at a drug store there are two things I invariably purchase: nail polish and skin care items.  I love to experiment with both new shades of polish as well as new formulations of skin lotions, face scrubs, exfoliators, and more.  It’s my way of keeping on trend and current without breaking the bank.

As a teenager and 20-something I mostly focused on basic cleaning and keeping acne-free.  Now that I’m in my mid-30s, though, my needs are different.  I look for products that keep my skin bright, moisturized, and when possible contain SPF.  The new POND’S Luminous line meets all my needs and more.

The Luminous line consists of four products:

  1. POND’S Luminous Moisture Day Lotion with SPF 15
  2. POND’S Luminous Clean Cream Cleanser
  3. POND’S Luminous Clean Daily Exfoliating Cleanser
  4. POND’S Luminous Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes

The cleansers each contain soft white Kaolin clay that acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling impurities.  Between the Kaolin clay, the texture of the cloths, and the microbeads in the daily exfoliating cleanser, your face not only gets a great cleaning but also feels incredibly smooth after each wash.  All the products are very gentle on your skin, however; as someone with sensitive skin that’s important to me and I can attest that the products didn’t irritate at all (they’re all hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist tested). Continue reading »

Easy Mexicali Casserole Recipe

 Recipes  10 Responses »
Mar 292013
 

Casseroles are one of my favorite busy night meals.  I can put all of the ingredients together ahead of time and then just put it in the oven to cook when I need to start making dinner.  I don’t need to stand over the stove stirring any pots.  I don’t have to worry about whether or not I cooked it for 27 minutes or 32 minutes.  I can add a few more vegetables or a bit more starch to make it stretch just a bit further.  I can generally substitute ingredients based on what I have in the pantry or what is on sale at the grocery store this week.

Everyone in my home loves Mexican food.  Some Mexican dishes are more labor intensive than others.  So, when I’m having a super hectic day, I turn to this Mexicali Casserole recipe.

Mexicali Casserole Recipe Continue reading »

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