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Have You Seen Maleficent?

Posted by html404 on June 13, 2014
in Entertainment, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

We had a child ask to see Maleficent as part of their birthday celebration and we obliged. We went on opening weekend. If you haven’t gone to see Maleficent yet, it is still playing in theaters near you.

Maleficent is the backdrop to a movie many of us are most familiar with, Sleeping Beauty. There is more to the story than we originally thought. I really enjoyed the way the creators gave us with the reason for Maleficent’s curse on Aurora. I think we can all resonate with a broken heart, right? And many of us can probably also relate to being betrayed. It’s what we do with that betrayal and heart break that make us stronger or weaker. Maleficent did not initially choose wisely, unfortunately, and that led to her downward spiral.

It was hard not to love the characters in Maleficent, except King Stefan. My view of King Stefan completely changed, as did my view of Maleficent. Funny, isn’t it? Angelina Jolie was amazing as this character. I actually haven’t seen many of her movies and I think the last one I saw was SALT. My husband and I enjoyed her performance in SALT, but this movie made me want to see more her work, just to compare them.

I found the relationship between Maleficent and Diaval, her pet raven interesting and the relationship she formed with Aurora perplexing. Her relationship with Aurora showed the softer side of Maleficent’s younger days and it is what ultimately brought her out of her downward spiral. One of their last scenes together brought tears to my eyes.

We took all of our children to see Maleficent and we all loved it. It is rated PG. Our youngest just got a bit scared in the Wolf scene but that’s about it. No one had bad dreams or anything. So if you plan to see it, use your best judgement as you know your children best. Our youngest has seen so much more than our other children did at his age just because he has older siblings and he watches super heros so we knew he’d be ok.

Maleficent gets two thumbs up from us!

Learn more:

Website: disney.com/Maleficent

Like MALEFICENT on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyMaleficent

Follow MALEFICENT on Twitter: @Maleficent

YouTube Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTnR43JTLNs8AKNpJ4KFI6SSdpTzkcXjw

Instagram: http://instagram.com/disneystudios

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/maleficent/

Tumblr: http://disney.tumblr.com/

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Week #24 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on June 7, 2014
in Animals, Family Stuff, Humor, Kids Stuff, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

Another week has sped by and it’s time for Saturday Top Five Laughs with Mel over at The Mommyhood Chronicles for week #24 (for us) in our Saturday Top Five Laughs of the week.

5. You know you live on a farm when your daughter says, “I hate it when I go into heat.” Then goes, “Wait, I’m not a cow.”

4. Our goose was attacking Annabeth (our pregnant goat) and Lokie (the new “kid”) actually pummeled the goose! I am proud that he has such spunk but a little concerned at the same time when thinking ahead to when he is older. We will be keeping him since B gave him to O for her birthday.

3. We discovered Atlas, our male ram, was nursing off of Hazel, Lokie’s mom. As endearing as it is, he shouldn’t be! So we had to go back to separating the goats and sheep.

And I was horrible keeping track of things this week so only have three things.

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Budsies

Posted by 278Wife on June 3, 2014
in Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

What if your child could draw anything they wanted and have it turned into a stuffed animal? Basically their drawings could be brought to life. Now it is completely possible thanks to Budsies. Their simple and fun process makes getting your custom stuffed animal as easy as 1,2,3.

First your child needs to draw a picture. It can be anything really. The Budsies website even offers templates for you to use. My son is really into monster trucks so he wanted his very own custom monster truck. He drew it all by himself and colored it. I asked him if he wanted to add windows or use different colors, but he drew it completely on his own.

After it is drawn you need to send Budsies your artwork. You can upload a picture of it or you can take a picture of the drawing with your cell phone and text it to them. I used my iPhone and texted them a picture. After that you finish checking out. They ask you a series of questions to understand the drawing. This was my son’s favorite part. We told them that the monster truck was angry, had lots of blue hair, and had big teeth. Finally, you sit back and wait for your custom stuffed animal to arrive. I have to say my son was very anxious and could not wait to see his creation come to life.

At last it arrived and my son could not stop smiling. He could not believe he had an actual monster truck that looked exactly like he drew. He goes absolutely everywhere with his Budsie. He sleeps with it every single night and plays with it all day long.

I have to say the quality of Budsies is superb! The material is super soft and cushy, and the colors are very bright. My son just lit up the second he saw his monster truck stuffed animal. The customer service at Budsies is exceptional. At one point I contacted them to find out how much longer it would take to receive the stuffed animal. My son kept asking me when it was going to arrive. They have a chat option available on their website where a real live person talks to you and tells you what is going on with your order. The person I chatted with was so nice and really cared about my order.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about Budsies. I would highly recommend them to anyone with children, young or old. They would make an excellent gift. Check out their website, you won’t be disappointed!

http://www.budsies.com/

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Week #23 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on May 31, 2014
in Family Stuff, Humor, Kids Stuff, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

Another week has sped by and it’s time for Saturday top Five Laughs with Mel over at The Mommyhood Chronicles for week #23 (for us) in our Saturday Top Five Laughs of the week.

Our two youngest (both boys) questions to hubby comprise 3-4 of this week’s laughs:

5. Jr. to hubby: “Your arm pits smell like cow patties.” (Yes very similar to a laugh a week or two ago).

4. 6 year old to hubby: “Did you fight in WWII?”

3. 6 year old to hubby: ” What color was grandma’s hair when she was young? (hubby answered) What color was Grandpa’s hair? (hubby answered) Was your hair grey when you were nine?” lol! Hubby has mostly grey hair now!

2. “That hurts. It really, really, really hurts.” Can be heard around our house when someone gets hurt. After the video below, even though it’s been a couple of years since we first watched it!

1. The other day in the down pour was the time our dog decided to get loose and run across the road to our neighbor’s. Thankfully our son saw him bolt but my oldest and I were soaked to the bone by the time we caught him and brought him back home. It couldn’t have taken any more than 5-10 minutes!

That’s about all for this week! Stay tuned until next time!

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Week #21 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on May 17, 2014
in Family Stuff, Humor, Kids Stuff, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

It’s time for Saturday top Five Laughs with Mel over at The Mommyhood Chronicles for week #21 (for us) in our Saturday Top Five Laughs of the week. Actually it’s six this week.

6. My husband doesn’t drink hot drinks but he knows how to make me a tea. This week with it being so cold we’ve been back to drinking hot chocolate so he made some. The one he made for me wasn’t bad but the one he mad for Jr. had Jr. saying, “Daddy, what did you put in my hot chocolate?” I asked hubby if he put sugar in it. He goes, “You put sugar in hot chocolate?” We use cocoa and sugar and make our own mix but this week there was no mix and he didn’t know to put sugar in with the cocoa! I told Jr. to tell hubby he makes yucky hot chocolate!

5. My husband was bending over getting a bag of plastic clips for fencing and he heard our youngest daughter laughing. When he turned to see what she was laughing at she was aiming a BB gun at his butt…and no it was not loaded. Can’t tell she is smack dab in the middle of four boys?!

4. My husband had put the little boys to bed at 8-ish. Jr. wakes up a couple hours later to announce to hubby, “Your arm pits smell like poo!”

3. Someone share this on Moms.com and it cracked me up:

2. My children came to me and asked “What do normalers talk about?” I was like, “What do you mean normalers?” They said, “Mom! Normal people!?” As if I would know what they were talking about. I said, “What makes you think you are not normal?” They go, “Mom, we are abnormal. Why would we want to be normal?” I said, “You’d be surprised to know normal people talk about the things we talk about, gas, politics, religion….” They didn’t believe me and said they wanted to go some place like a museum or whatever to watch normal people. Me? I think it’s just and excuse for a day out! lol!

1. Jr. has discovered he can pee outside. Need I say more? Sigh.

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The Original Loom Boom Review

Posted by Professor on May 11, 2014
in Crafts, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Reviews, Uncategorized

Calling all Rainbow loom lovers! There is a great new product out on the market to use to organize and display your creations! The Original LOOM BOOM!

This is a great product to create, collect, and store your rainbow loom creations! You can stack your bracelets on one the handle Loom Boom and then showcase them , collect them, or bring them…anywhere you want!

The Original Loom Boom Review

We were elated to be able to review the loom boom! Our house is overrun with bracelets and rubber bands from the rainbow loom craze! We have 3 rainbow looms in our house so you can imagine our stock of bracelets!

We LOVE the fact that the Loom Boom is portable and big enough to store the bracelets and he collection tray at the bottom is great for storing unused rubber bands, loom rings or projects in the making!

The other fact I liked as a mom was that it was invented by a child! How great to be able to say to my children that a fellow rainbow loom enthusiast invented this product!

We have been looking for something similar and my daughter had even dabbled in making a holder out of duct tape but once we got a hold of this product we were sold! This is such a great invention!

Loom Boom can be found at your local Learning Express or Michael’s stores. I have also seen it at Amazon and Toysrus.com!

To find out more about the Loom Boom please visit http://theloomboom.com/

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Viactiv Build Strong Bones Together: Yours and Hers

Posted by html404 on May 4, 2014
in Children's Health, Girl Stuff, Health, Health and Fitness, Health and Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. I received two full-sized canisters of Viactiv® Calcium Soft Chews and a picture frame for my own personal use. All opinions, text and experiences are my own.

Our family is constantly working on our diet, as well as finding ways to remain healthy. This spring in addition to trying to walk daily, we have been taking a calcium supplement to build strong bones. Did you know that almost 70% of women, on average, are calcium deficient? And 86% of teen girls are not getting enough calcium each day? We were surprised to learn this. We have three teen girls and since 95% of their bone building occurs by age 20 we want them to get enough calcium. Viactiv Soft Chews provide 100% of the daily recommended of calcium, plus vitamins D3 and K.

Viactiv Soft Chews are the #1 doctor recommended calcium supplement chew. The recommended amount of calcium for a girl 9-18 years old is 1300 milligrams (mg), compared to only 1000 mg women 19-50 years require. My daughters and I have been taking Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews for well over a month. They are easy to take and taste really good. No need to struggle swallowing a massive ugly tasting pill. Viactiv Soft Chews come in two yummy flavors: Milk Chocolate and Caramel. The girls and I are admittedly chocolate lovers so we all prefer the Milk Chocolate but you won’t see any of us complain about the Caramel!

When we do not get enough calcium the deficiency causes our bodies to begin taking it from our bones. Calcium deficiency causes osteoporosis. Not only is calcium important for bone health but it strengthens our teeth and helps our muscles and nerves function the way they were intended.

Walking is a great weight-bearing exercise which helps build and maintain bone density.

We just bought more Viactiv at Walgreens and got them for free since we had enough rewards points accumulated! Viactiv is also available at Rite Aid, CVS, Target, Walmart and Drugstore.com

You can learn more about Viactiv Soft Chews on their Facebook page or www.Viactiv.com

Which delicious flavor of Viactiv® Calcium Soft Chew would you choose – Milk Chocolate or Caramel?

Get the latest information on Viactiv® Calcium Soft Chews at www.viactiv.com. #ViactivYoursandHers

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Week #19 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on May 3, 2014
in Fun Stuff, Humor, Kids Stuff, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

That time of week again! Welcome to Saturday top Five Laughs, along with Mel over at The Mommyhood Chronicles, for week #19 (for us) in our Saturday Top Five Laughs of the week.

Not the greatest photo since he was moving.

5. Jr. was lifting weights and this is how he counted, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 99, 67, 47…” Too funny! Gotta teach the boy how to count correctly I guess. Ha!

4. Our older son asked hubby what was in an R rated movie….

Hubby ~ “Violence, language and nudity.”

Son ~ “Do they really strip down?”

Hubby ~ “Yes.”

Son ~ “Gives me the willies,” as he shakes and kicks his legs.

Quite a response, eh?

3. We went to a new church on Good Friday and again on Easter Sunday, right here in town. The Monday after Jr. says, “Me want to go to church.” Awww….he LOVED greeting people during the meet and greet time!

2. We made cheddar cheese nearly two weeks ago and a couple of the older children and my husband were cracking “why”/whey jokes. For example, “We have a ‘whey’ with words.”

1. Our six year old asked a couple of strange, odd and kind of funny questions. Here’s one of them, “When will my brain get better?” Or was it bigger? Either way, it’s a winner.

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Rescue Pups

Posted by 278Wife on April 27, 2014
in Books, Downloads, Ebooks, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

I have recently just started using ebooks on my iPad. My four year old son is pretty tech savvy now and enjoys reading ebooks on my iPad as well. We had the pleasure of reading Rescue Pups: The Adventures of Maxwell and Kota. It is written by Bonnie Bentley and Lindsay Gamache, and illustrated by Kimberly Solderberg.

The story is about a dog who is rescued by a family and meets other dogs on his walk through the neighborhood. The other dogs laugh at him when they find out he doesn’t know where he came from. Eventually he meets another dog who turns out to be adopted as well. They become good friends and enjoy playing with each other. They team up together to save another dog who is stuck in a fence, hence “Rescue Pups.” The themes of the story include friendship and adoption.

My son really enjoyed the book. He loved that one of the dogs in the story was a doberman pinscher since we have a doberman at home as a pet (who happens to be a rescue). I loved that the story was a read aloud version. The voices reading were very kid friendly and nice to listen to. The pictures from the book were very colorful, yet simple and easy to focus on. The story line was great. My son wanted to read it over and over and over again.

Overall it was a great ebook, with wonderful life lessons. The suggested age for the ebook is 3-6. I would definitely recommend it, and hope they write more in the future! You can download your copy by visiting

http://kitereaders.com/2013/12/15/rescue-pups-the-adventures-of-maxwell-and-kota/

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Baby Mum-Mum

Posted by 278Wife on April 24, 2014
in All Natural Products, Baby Products, Food and Treats, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

My kids are snack machines. I let them each have two snacks a day. One after their naps in the afternoon, and one at night while we are reading books before bed. I am always looking for a healthy snack to feed them. Trying to find a healthy and delicious tasting snack for kids is not always easy. Fruit is always a good option, but not always convenient when we are on the go. Baby Mum-Mum has come to the rescue!

Baby Mum-Mum offers a variety of snacks for babies, toddlers, and children. I absolutely love that all of their snacks are all-natural, gluten free, allergen free, contain no preservatives, and have no artificial colors or flavors. The best part is Baby Mum-Mums are individually wrapped so they are super easy to throw in my purse or diaper bag when I’m on the go. They are sold in three different stages.

Baby Mum-Mums are rice rusks for babies, and can be their first solid food. They come in flavors original, vegetable, banana, organic original, and apple. Toddler Mum-Mums are for toddlers 18 months and older and come in flavors organic strawberry, apple, and banana. Mum-Mum Snax are for children 4-12 years old and come in flavors white cheddar, apple cinnamon, and strawberry banana.

I let my one year old try the Baby Mum-Mums and her favorite was the vegetable flavor. This is great since she’s not the biggest fan of regular vegetables; I have to hide them in her applesauce. Each package contained two rusks. I gave her one rusk, she took a bite and LOVED it. They are perfect for her since they dissolve in her mouth. I’ve never seen her eat a snack so fast! Now I throw them in my purse when I go shopping and it’s very easy for her to feed herself while sitting in the shopping cart. They are perfect size for her hands and the best part is they don’t make a mess.

I wish I had found Baby Mum-Mums sooner for my kids. They are a great snack, very convenient, healthy, and easy on the wallet. They can be found at many major stores including Target and Walgreens. I will be recommending them to all of my friends with babies. Baby Mum-Mums are a great product! To learn more about Baby Mum-Mums, visit their website at

www.mummums.com