Happy Halloween!!!!

It's not a big secret that I'm not a fan of Halloween but the Hubs loves it and so does the kids.  But there's nothing cuter than little kids in costumes.  So in honor of the Hubs's favorite holiday, here's a quick look at my Halloween cuties through the year.

Noah's first Halloween....probably not the most flattering costume for a fat baby (2007)

My lil Dinosaur (2008)

Thomas (2009)

My lil Pumpkin...Emmy's first Halloween (2009)

Pretty Tinkerbell (2010)

Brave Fireman (2010)

Jessie and Optimus Prime (2011)

Spiderman (2012)

Merida (2012)

Happy Halloween!!!!  Stay Safe!!!!!

Tangled Party: AKA Momma Gets Crafty

Let's jump in the time machine and head back to the summer.  Emmy turned 4 in August and, of course, wanted a Princess Party.  Every party she's ever had has been a princess one.  She was a 1st Birthday Princess.  Then there was Little Mermaid and Brave.  So which princess would be the lucky one for her 4th?  Rapunzel of course!!!  So I did what any good mom would do....create a party board on Pinterest!!!!

I had originally bought the standard party store decorations but with a week to go before the party, I shifted gears and went completely homemade for everything.  I made the Hubs take most of the decorations back and used the money for my craft supplies.  I found a few pins for bunting and other decorations.  I cut out the sun logo that's seen throughout Rapunzel's kingdom and got to work.  I painted it on the bunting.  I made paper lanterns.  I braided 25 feet of yarn to make a Rapunzel braid to decorate our entry way with.  Each girl got a Rapunzel braid on a ponytail holder to wear for the party.  I even made the Magic Golden Flower that gives Rapunzel's hair its magic powers.  I might have gone a little overboard for a 4 year old's party but I had so much fun doing it.  I have set a high standard for myself for future parties though.

Without further adieu....Emmy's decorations!!!!

Making my templates for the bunting and paper lanterns

Paper lanterns in full effect

Tea staining my Wanted Posters

25 foot Rapunzel Braid

Rapunzel braids for all the girls

It turned out really nice

I love the way the lanterns looked!!!

I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I don't know if I'd change a thing.  It wasn't overtly Tangled but if you saw the movie, you appreciated the touches I did.  I'm so thrilled with the cupcakes I made that they're getting their own post!!!  Probably the most exciting thing that I've done so far in my baking career!!!!

Angry Bird Telepods Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a free product in exchange for this review

My son has many obsessions. He's an almost 7 year old boy.  They love a lot of things.  One thing he's been in to for a while now is Angry Birds.  The Hubs got him hooked on the original version of the game on our phones and every version there after. Now that he has his own iPad mini, he has every version of the game on it as well.  Star Wars Angry Birds is his absolute favorite!  He started collecting the figures and has quite the collection.  He was more than excited when a package showed up at our doorstep from Hasbro Games.  We ripped opened the box to find the Angry Bird Star Wars Telepod Death Star Trench Run and an Angry Bird Star Wars Telepods figure pack. We quickly opened each item and got to playing!

Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods Death Star Trench Run

Pure joy thanks to Hasbro Games!!!!

Noah has been dying to get an Angry Bird play set.  This set comes with 2 figures (1 exclusive to the game), a Telepod base, 1 X-Wing Starfighter launcher, 8 blocks and 1 ramp.  We chased the launcher around the house for a while.  Pull back and off it flies! Noah and Emmy both loved taking turns setting up their structures and sending their launcher to knock it down.  It was fun to watch them playing together, taking turns, and getting creative in how they were stacking their blocks. I know for a fact more of these play sets will be towards the top of Noah's Christmas list this year!

Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods Figure Pack

Our new additions....and the Telepod base!!!!

Noah was also able to add 2 new figures to his Angry Birds collection. But this wasn't your ordinary Angry Bird figure pack.  This figure pack contained the key to unlocking hours of excitement.  With the release of Angry Birds Star Wars II, you can teleport your figures into the game!  Yep, you heard right!  You can now see your figures in action on your smart device.  All you need is your smart device, a Telepod figure, and the Telepod base.  Simply place the Telepod base over your device's camera, attach your figure, and BOOM.  Your figure is now in your game! And to make it more exciting, you can now play on the "Pork Side" and fling the evil pigs.  Noah was counting down the days until the new app arrived.  Now he's teleporting his birds and pigs into his games.  (I've even secretly teleported some of the figures into the app on my phone!  It's really cool technology!!!).  To learn more about the app, check out starwars.hasbro.com.

You can find these awesome toy sets at local retailers.  The Angry Bird Star Wars Telepod Vehicle Packs retail for $19.99 each and the Figure Packs retail for $5.99 each.  But lucky for you, Hasbro has been kind enough to offer one lucky reader a Vehicle Pack and Figure Pack of their very own!  Just enter below.  Don't miss out on this one!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received free products from Hasbro Games in exchange for this review. No other compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine (and Noah's).

   

Life Gets In The Way

Hi friends. 

It's been a long time.  

I didn't mean to take such a break from you but I needed to. I needed a break to get my head straight. My life was spiraling out of control but not in the "I'm in so over my head that I have no idea how to get out" way. Out of control as in I felt the weight of everything looming over my head. That in a matter of seconds, the other shoe was going to drop and everything would fall apart at the seams. Every aspect of my life was being affected. Work was taking a HUGE toll on me and my mental well being. I felt pulled in a million different directions between home, the kids school, work, and my commitments and I couldn't do it anymore. 

So I took a step back. This was a big deal for me. I live in a constant state of stress. I always have a million things being juggled at any one time. But I'm proud of myself for coming to this realization. I don't think I've ever truly said this is too much for me to handle before. I took a leave from my TBMB commitment (thanks again to my amazing contributors who understood). I put blogging on the back burner (although I miss documenting all the awesome things that we've experienced lately).  I've relaxed a little more than I usually do. I've made some career decisions that I'm excited to share with everyone. I'm making decisions that bring joy, not stress, to my life. 

It means a lot to have a new focus. A new outlook. 

Ignore the Hubs......he doesn't like my constant picture taking! But I love this pic because I feel like I look happy and relaxed. Exactly what this break was for.....

Jessica