tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54455700419910153852024-02-06T23:17:58.393-05:00The Other Boufs: Mommy, Daddy, Katie, Timmy ... and more!Julie hates to write, but has a lot to say. Her children and pets are adorable and perfect, but she has a tendency towards sarcasm. She takes too many pictures, watches too much tv, spends too much money on her kids, and complains way too much. She loves musical theater, traveling, and sordid romance novels. She is slightly obsessed with planning vacations and the perfect birthday party. She writes about juggling her ark of a family and her full-time career.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-2947122259789509592013-10-10T21:42:00.000-04:002013-10-11T00:00:33.874-04:00One Show Only<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHIsiEnv3YlwJ6Do930VpD8yiyHbH5OW47Vny9RJkFSeDR7Su5GesFgbw9icBzmcou0oZXBLm5cZeP0qyyEcsopDFV_7UspwK4xjqTDFgWsvvsBjIvcIleuAT5hv7Xq_qhYxixiuz_1k/s1600/DSC_0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHIsiEnv3YlwJ6Do930VpD8yiyHbH5OW47Vny9RJkFSeDR7Su5GesFgbw9icBzmcou0oZXBLm5cZeP0qyyEcsopDFV_7UspwK4xjqTDFgWsvvsBjIvcIleuAT5hv7Xq_qhYxixiuz_1k/s320/DSC_0567.JPG" width="320" /></a>Somehow, despite being mostly mute for his evaluation to confirm he was "typically-abled", Timmy earned a spot in the new integrated pre-school program at our elementary school this year. Katie started in this program <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2008/09/funny-girl-random-silliness.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">as a 3yo</a> for speech delay and I was eager to get Tim into such a well-structured program. When we found out they would allow kids without delays or special needs to enroll this year, I was ecstatic.<br />
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It sounds like he's already making a name for himself. Although, I had to laugh when the head teacher (like an assistant principal) told me a few weeks into school, that yes, she knew my youngest had started in pre-k this year. She knew Katie as a preschooler and has been extremely helpful to our family over the years. She told me, "Oh, I saw him get off the bus the first day and instantly recognized that face. I knew he must be a Bouf."<br />
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<a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2009/09/new-beginnings.html" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381314734603500530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkV_eHanhHOo2IeKvT89e8Iro8JKJ5mQmH0xnd74u-5L4fu87OYIPfopT-nQDnCckwrhON1mH60SNhyphenhyphenIw8ODyy_XO0QGPOdfgQ8I7Tl1rxe43Gt6IIWf71XJIJJxi0mlZ4fYcJQEMLzA/s400/002+page2+%281%29.jpg" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a></div>
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But that face is where the similarities end. Timmy is the opposite of Katie in so many ways. He's naturally athletic (with speed and coordination). He's also naturally shy and quiet in new situations. He takes a while to warm up to new people, but once he does he's loyal and loves to play with his friends. He's quiet about what he knows, often just telling us, "Ahh, I don't know". Even though he does. He carries a tune well and loves to parrot back every commercial and one-liner he hears on tv, but refuses to perform on command. All of a sudden he turns into <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2012/09/the-game-plan.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr. Bashful</a>.<br />
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But he's been loving school. And lately when I ask him what sound a letter makes, instead of getting the canned "I don't know" response, I get the exaggerated sound, complete with body animation. So today, I just so happened to have written an e-mail to his teacher. I told her how amazed I am with how much he has learned in just one month of school and how excited he is to share things with us. (I also had to ask if Thor's hammer would be considered a "weapon" per the Halloween parade no weapon ban. And yes it is; so is Wolverine's costume.)<br />
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Maybe she enjoyed the e-mail and told Timmy to give his mom a break tonight and just sing the alligator song for her. Because, not only did he sing the alligator song he's been talking about since the beginning of September...but he was enthusiastic about me recording it. I'll get him there...he's already telling me he'd rather go to NYC to see Wicked (since I told him we can't see Jack in Newsies AGAIN) instead of his much requested Disney vacation. He belts out Defying Gravity, Just One Day, King of New York or Santa Fe, depending on the CD playing at the moment, on almost every car ride. Good luck getting him to sing them for you. But for one show only...here's the alligator song!!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-74533396688636823492013-02-28T23:08:00.002-05:002013-03-01T00:19:40.311-05:00Mega Bloks Barbie Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ5cCaWuc0Qr0_Gx2ajBhj7wQjDT0u4yrZIDjFrRGWEmeSvAwEaC02fb9b_SccMN40_TB9MU-7a_nFLatBMKqU0V0XOStGJ576A6KWG2p_ftniji4th8hz-bm08yCTxfgp_7artdsMec/s1600/Megabloks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ5cCaWuc0Qr0_Gx2ajBhj7wQjDT0u4yrZIDjFrRGWEmeSvAwEaC02fb9b_SccMN40_TB9MU-7a_nFLatBMKqU0V0XOStGJ576A6KWG2p_ftniji4th8hz-bm08yCTxfgp_7artdsMec/s320/Megabloks1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Imagine the excitement when MomSelect and Mega Bloks sent us a big box full of the <a href="http://barbie.megabloks.com/" rel="nofollow">Mega Bloks Barbie building sets</a> to get our Mommy Party on.<br />
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Not only was 7yo Katie as excited as Christmas morning, but all of our friends got excited for our party, too - because, I'll be honest, we are a fun family. Um, or maybe because we were going to get a chance to play with the Mega Bloks Barbie Build 'N Style Luxury Mansion and Pool Party plus some cool accessories.<br />
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Bright colors, Mega Bloks, girls, Barbie themed: Excitement!<br />
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I was thrilled for the opportunity to watch Katie play with these sets. Many building sets with themes she would be interested in are geared to slightly older kids like 6-10 or 8-12, and even at those ages they've been a challenge for Katie's fine motor skill set. Mega Bloks Barbie toys are suggested for 5-8 year old girls. I went online right away to try to get an idea of how it was geared to a younger set and noticed that in the mansion, the block pieces seemed to be more accessories than actual building pieces. Since Katie has to-date passed on her building toys to spend ENDLESS hours playing with Polly Pocket, Pet Shop, and Squinky toys, I knew these would be perfect for her: lots of ability to play creatively, but beginning to incorporate the building, following instructions, and fine motor skills that I wanted to challenge her with.<br />
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As the date of our party approached, the evil ugly flu reared it's
head and our invited party guests dropped like flies, but we had a great group come out
and tons of fun. As soon as Maddie and Mackenzie arrived, the girls ran over to the
toys to start planning. After I had opened all of the boxes and inner
bags, we quickly realized that while there are TONS of awesome
accessories for playing - there were also a lot of pieces to build.<br />
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So, we started with our snacks and dinner so that we could clear out the kitchen for some serious building time. <br />
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I was fortunate to have a few of my most clever and crafty friends with me and while the girls were eating we decided to sort all of the mansion pieces. Each room of the mansion has its own set of instructions complete with number of each piece needed and which stickers to attach. We ripped the instruction manual pages apart and created building baggies for each room of the mansion that included the instructions and just the pieces needed for that room. <br />
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The girls got busy and did a great job. It was their first time following such detailed instructions and even our 7 and 8 yo needed a lot of adult help, but the fact that they could do some of it by themselves made them really proud. They were definitely eager to learn and understand what they needed to do. Katie got easily frustrated a few times. Our almost 5yo gave up very quickly and went to play with the boys.<br />
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The moms stepped in to help apply stickers, keep the girls on task, and help attach difficult pieces (or more commonly unattach pieces that were put in the wrong place and then were too hard for the girls to unattach). I also helped to finish customizing the outside of the mansion, with windows, trim, and flower boxes. <br />
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Once we got our system down, we finished pretty quickly with only two girls actively participating. By then, they were ready for a break.<br />
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After a bit of energy release, our friend Olivia joined us to help build Barbie's dream pool. And really, this pool is built to amaze.</div>
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I really like the sets because they leave you with something to actually play with once you're done building. There are tons of fun accessories including food, utensils, and pretty much anything Barbie could ever hope to have. The downside, there are so many fun things to play with and you have to be very careful so that the building pieces don't break apart.</div>
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They empowered our girls to try something they hadn't done before and they loved it. See for yourself:</div>
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From our experience, I would caution parents that 5-8 year old girls will likely not be able to decipher the instructions completely on their own, but they can do it with help and they will have a blast playing with the completed project. Like Playdoh, this is higher on the parent involvement scale, but I definitely enjoyed our time building together. When tackling the mansion on your own (as opposed to having tons of hands to help at one time), it is set up perfectly to be completed as multi-day mini-projects, one room at a time.<br />
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I received free products in exchange for hosting this party as apart of a promotional program with MomSelect. All opinions are my own.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-52285594802065624842013-02-14T00:30:00.000-05:002013-02-14T21:42:31.522-05:00Happy Valentine's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I realize the Catholic Church has made many changes over the
last year, but I didn’t see this one coming. First, our mass and hymns were
retranslated. Recently, a new precedent was set, morally freeing future popes
from serving until their death if they feel that they can’t properly lead due
to age or health issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But changing our Easter celebration to Valentine’s Day???</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Katie recently attended a Valentine’s Day party at gymnastics.
While other kids were crafting, she was busy writing a report about how special
Valentine’s Day is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And in the spirit of translating our most holy works, I have
translated and edited as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Happy Valentine’s Day. It is a special day, the day Jesus
suffered his life and died and rose up again. It is one of Jesus’s and God’s days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our holiday today is Valentine’s Day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t on the date, but they made it this
day." (because the party was not actually ON Valentine’s Day.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been suggested that I request a refund for her CCD
classes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead, we had a little talk. I revealed the mystery of
Easter. Called “Easter”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which led us
back to, “So what the heck is Valentine’s Day?”</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-67625141971990674372013-01-13T17:34:00.004-05:002013-01-21T14:03:53.709-05:00Yo Gabbba Gabba! Ticket Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE2dY3DaJF9KWl2maV2NA9zQLPDPaYITPofVDlONCDBmNX810nNNe0XPVLlw2Pxqbx6BdQcdkglQv8_png_59_Z7tt1RqR5-RkH6jATS1bMmbISTUHHQ18OaJgy6TUfaX6lZPgSLut1c/s1600/Tour+Logo+MK+sized.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE2dY3DaJF9KWl2maV2NA9zQLPDPaYITPofVDlONCDBmNX810nNNe0XPVLlw2Pxqbx6BdQcdkglQv8_png_59_Z7tt1RqR5-RkH6jATS1bMmbISTUHHQ18OaJgy6TUfaX6lZPgSLut1c/s200/Tour+Logo+MK+sized.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Congrats to our winner - Jill McHale!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It doesn't really seem possible. It seems like just yesterday that I was squealing in excitement about the opportunity to<a href="http://www.theotherboufsreviews.com/2010/06/yo-gabba-gabba-theres-party-in-my-city.html"> give away tickets to see Yo Gabba Gabba<span style="font-size: x-small;">!</span></a> I thought to myself, eh I don't need tickets myself this year for the Tower Theater- my kids have seen it. Yeah, Timmy still LOVES to watch his pals on tv (and took off to find it on Netflix as soon as he saw these pictures over my shoulder) but it wasn't that long ago that we got to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! at the Mann Music Center. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkH78rwses8gB6qb0GCQwZp3SrdZ4BfkmgJQSPVmN2hiA1rFbKOADO_ndZZ81BAqQUySoCiKOx8eVB4NbaiX3hGYuuai2otTLZr51VMmoAAygDLprj7Wfzq16NeXRMRJSZ4KgP3VMeto/s1600/P1000891.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkH78rwses8gB6qb0GCQwZp3SrdZ4BfkmgJQSPVmN2hiA1rFbKOADO_ndZZ81BAqQUySoCiKOx8eVB4NbaiX3hGYuuai2otTLZr51VMmoAAygDLprj7Wfzq16NeXRMRJSZ4KgP3VMeto/s320/P1000891.JPG" width="320" /></a>And then I scrolled through my picture archives to get some clips and <span style="font-size: large;">OH MY GOSH!!! It was 2 1/2 years ago. Timmy was a BABY!!!</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether your kids have loved Yo Gabba Gabba! <a href="http://www.theotherboufsreviews.com/2010/06/yo-gabba-gabba-theres-party-in-my-city.html">for over 2 1/2 years</a>, or are new on the scene, you are in luck because they are back in town, performing at the Tower Theater THIS month!! And not only do you still have a chance to purchase tickets, but you can <span style="font-size: large;">win a family 4-pack</span> right here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And it's not just a Party in Your Tummy, it's an all out party!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Win 4 TIX to YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! Jan 25th</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! GET THE SILLIES OUT! Tour in Upper Darby for 2 Performances</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The sillies are crazy little creatures that live inside of us and need to be shaken out! DJ Lance Rock and everyone’s favorite cast of colorful characters are calling all fans in <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5445570041991015385" name="_GoBack"></a>Cincinnati to get ready to jump, shake and shimmy them out at the new live tour <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out!</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out!</i> tour will visit more than 50 cities across the U.S. in 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is touring in support of their first national beverage launch, a new line of toys, a new line of kids sportswear and a DVD/ CD collectors' edition. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">will have two performances at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA on Friday, Jan. 25th (3pm and 6pm). <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT41"><a href="http://www.yogabbagabbalive.com/events/68-tower-theatre-upper-darby" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">for ticket information for the shows<span style="color: #1f497d;">. </span></b>Tickets start at $26.00.<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>VIP Party packages are available as well which include a ticket in the first 15 Rows, a pass to "Get the Sillies Out" in the private VIP room featuring a super fun party with the Gabba Gang (costumed characters) and more. Children under 1 year old do not require a paid ticket to sit on a parent's lap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">For a complete list of tour dates, cities and show times, and a preview of the show, visit </span><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT42"><a href="http://www.yogabbagabbalive.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">www.yogabbagabbalive.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIUc4YJAxWoSq9-v6c6RfzCjDkUz4RlNzgiUMbY_qbXlakh78OMy4L4nYD1G_QZn3jVh8bXwLq82pMcZ4EvzAyNBcPpyEnzykSpbj3zXoMRftIFfbyleuOKuAyzjrBmsoRYk-RxDmZIQ/s1600/010-Posed+Shot+2+-+Bugs+Background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIUc4YJAxWoSq9-v6c6RfzCjDkUz4RlNzgiUMbY_qbXlakh78OMy4L4nYD1G_QZn3jVh8bXwLq82pMcZ4EvzAyNBcPpyEnzykSpbj3zXoMRftIFfbyleuOKuAyzjrBmsoRYk-RxDmZIQ/s320/010-Posed+Shot+2+-+Bugs+Background.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yo Gabba Gabba! </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">is an award-winning, live-action television series and live stage show whose unconventional formula has created a triple stacked fan base, making it one of the most popular entertainment properties among preschoolers, parents and indie music lovers alike. The television show, now in its fourth season, airs several times a day on Nick Jr.</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">marks the third tour for the successful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!</i> concert series. The first tour, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: There’s a Party in My City!</i>, launched with a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a performance at the White House in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 2010 tour played to sold out venues in 60 cities. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: It’s Time to Dance!</i> enjoyed repeat success in 2011, energizing audiences across North America at over 120 shows. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Enter for a chance to win 4 FREE tickets to the 1/25 </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6pm Tower Theater performance</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">(This is a Friday night)<span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">*Simply leave me a comment to let me know who you would love to bring to the show. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br />*Feel free to tweet this giveaway as much as you'd like for extra entries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tweet must include @JulieBouf and a link to this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">If you have a non-reply google account or don't have a google account - include some way for me to contact you in your comment (e-mail address, twitter handle, etc...if I don't already know you personally). Please leave a separate comment for each entry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">This giveaway will close on January 20, 2013. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-14609559684347513672012-12-21T07:30:00.000-05:002012-12-24T11:02:25.796-05:00'Tis the Season - Broadway at the Kimmel Center Giveaway<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCbiZ2ryv_VkdDlrptnYHVa962iYcMSgQ9vkDD4UxZ24NAlaaFIwyqQVJBz3vyzzNkgtkVo8mRK8yXvFDjcisxA7wTLrjuvsN5yiKerScab3J5IuRTlDCMtyF1TjVG3dpYtlIbvnD_Vk/s1600/DSC_0364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCbiZ2ryv_VkdDlrptnYHVa962iYcMSgQ9vkDD4UxZ24NAlaaFIwyqQVJBz3vyzzNkgtkVo8mRK8yXvFDjcisxA7wTLrjuvsN5yiKerScab3J5IuRTlDCMtyF1TjVG3dpYtlIbvnD_Vk/s320/DSC_0364.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Congrats to Jennifer Vitucci (Jekyll & Hyde winner) and Rene McIntyre (Cirque Eloize winner) </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Earlier this December, my kids, my mom and I spent a whirlwind weekend of shopping, shows, and holiday traditions in NYC. At 4 and 7, my kids have already fallen in love with musical theater and really any kind of “show”. Partially because they’re awesome and smart, partially because they’ve been listening to show tunes in the car since utero, and partially because their equally awesome mama has had a subscription to the Kimmel Center’s Broadway series for the last 3 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my favorite parts of living in South Jersey is the proximity to New York City AND Philadelphia theater. We are regular patrons of the Arden Theater and the Walnut Theater, but nothing compares to the amazing shows produced by the Kimmel Center and I love to treat my kids whenever a child-friendly show comes to town (or not so child-appropriate, but includes all of your 6yo’s favorite songs – ie. Rock of Ages.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWvSa6HgLBa4vIjL7PWYf8CqL7C1gnLj2VPzO1Tf6q77WrESfyXfgLV9V9EPWmVmwwvb9xUhIBm_cXztIwJ16-AxqnCmoxBPHtyyp8QiFpp2e-06zJ_fAgCU_AUIp0rv85SwDOABycuA/s1600/IMG_9837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWvSa6HgLBa4vIjL7PWYf8CqL7C1gnLj2VPzO1Tf6q77WrESfyXfgLV9V9EPWmVmwwvb9xUhIBm_cXztIwJ16-AxqnCmoxBPHtyyp8QiFpp2e-06zJ_fAgCU_AUIp0rv85SwDOABycuA/s320/IMG_9837.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So in the spirit of season, I would like to share tickets that were generously provided by the Kimmel Center and Allied-THA for 2 upcoming Kimmel Center productions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I am giving away TWO 4-packs of tickets.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">1 4-pack to see Jekyll and Hyde </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">at the Forrest Theatre</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Thursday, Dec 27th at 7:30pm</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0hAsFX8sjR0un9oUAOvnhYPWpnGIHdh9GUg3tKI2w5qiTgWYJJJxrXlr_qjcTTAuNPc2D-EUPxwwq1VlQ113KHlbahfzOcukQFnsx9jt_V1EgWzeR-_pNK3LqWT0OBbhRfV5oE-xvFs/s1600/jekyll300x250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0hAsFX8sjR0un9oUAOvnhYPWpnGIHdh9GUg3tKI2w5qiTgWYJJJxrXlr_qjcTTAuNPc2D-EUPxwwq1VlQ113KHlbahfzOcukQFnsx9jt_V1EgWzeR-_pNK3LqWT0OBbhRfV5oE-xvFs/s1600/jekyll300x250.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1 4-pack to see Cirque Eloize </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">at the Merriam Theater</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Sunday, Dec 30th at 6:30pm</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tickets can also be purchased at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway</span></div>
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Since this is a very last minute giveaway and I will travelling shortly, I will be selecting a winner Sunday night. Unfortunately tickets are not available for will-call, so you must be able to pick up the tickets from me.<br />
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I am available to hand over the tickets Monday in the Gloucester County Area , Wednesday daytime near Mt. Laurel, NJ or Wednesday evening at the Forrest Theater in Philly. I can also mail overnight, at your expense.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To enter:</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As Katie would say, Easy Peazy Lemon Squeezy</span></div>
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Leave a comment letting me know you’re interested and what show you’d like to attend. </div>
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Please enter separate comments for each show and leave as many comments as you’d like. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-86669955949198306162012-09-09T20:33:00.000-04:002012-09-10T21:44:06.694-04:00The Game Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Timmy is playing soccer this year.</div>
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Well, Timmy has been signed up and placed on a soccer team this year.</div>
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We had him placed on the same team as his good friend Ellie. We figured having a good family friend as his coach would help shorten his "warm-up period" that he experiences in almost all situations (except learning new x-box games.)</div>
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Despite being carried by his coach during the opening night parade (you know, because he's too cool to walk), he was very excited this morning for his first game. He popped into a chair and eagerly gave me his feet to put on his soccer equipment. We started off well.</div>
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"Mom, take my picture! I'm so cool, right? I'm wearing my soccer clothes, right?"</div>
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"I went pee on the potty today, right? It's really sunny today, right?"</div>
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"I'm too cute for words, right?"</div>
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But then we had to interact with other people.</div>
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"Timmy, go ahead and kick the ball. It's ok. It's really fun"</div>
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SILENCE</div>
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'If I close my eyes, all these people that I don't know will go away.'</div>
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'Is anyone I don't know looking at me?'</div>
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'Maybe if I make myself look like a lost kid someone will come get me and take me for ice-cream or something.'</div>
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'Mom, they're LOOKING at me and TALKING to me.' </div>
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'Ha! I didn't have stay out on the field when they started the game. I'll just sit here looking like the saddest boy ever so they don't call my name to play.'</div>
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'Ah, the sun, the people...they're they're they're burning my eyes'</div>
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'Waahaaha, Week 1 was a success. Mom and Dad have wasted their money and their day. I didn't have to do anything and I still got a snack. I bet I can make them do this every week!'</div>
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Bathtime update: He just wants to wait till he's more bigger to play soccer. He'll play next week...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-17577605236118659762012-08-12T20:00:00.000-04:002012-08-12T21:05:58.644-04:00Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, where have you been all my life?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What are your earliest reading memories? I remember breezing through Ballerina Bess and the Fish Pond with my mom. I can see the covers of the books like they're right in front of me. The Cement Tent proved to be slightly more challenging. I transitioned into obsessing over Dr. Seuss's The Fly Went By and all of his fun tongue twisting books. I delved into the world of chapter books and never turned back.<br />
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I remember my elementary school librarian, Mrs. Only, with affection. She pushed me and pushed me to read Anne of Green Gables. I think I checked it out on a regular basis for 2 years before I finally got myself to read it. I just couldn't get past the first chapter of Rachel Lynde's boring musings. But once I did, I pined for a Gilbert of my own. Then in fifth grade, we had a list of recommended titles and a computer program that allowed us to take tests when we were done for points and prizes. I read most children's classics that year.<br />
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I'm less into literature these days and more into romance novels, but I've built a solid foundation of knowledge, imagination, and vocabulary. My husband once laughed at me because I pronounced a word wrong in conversation. He observed that I'm very interesting (understatement of the year); I have a great vocabulary, but where his is from hearing words, mine is from reading them. So when I try to use words in conversation - I'm frequently mispronouncing them. Katie also has a great vocabulary - which I recently commented on to her. Of course, I assumed that it was due to me passing on my natural brilliance and love of reading to her. She quickly corrected me and told me, no, that she learned all the words she knows from tv. And went so far as to rationalize that she should probably not waste time going to school and just watch more tv.<br />
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Regardless of Katie's plots for even more tv (if that is humanly possible), I have gotten her to appreciate the world that books has to offer. She recently selected Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald from the library. And not only does Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle have some very interesting magic tucked up her sleeve, but this book was written in 1949 and is STILL completely relevant. We're really enjoying reading the book as a family. So much that I had to call my sister and recommend it to her. Unlike even the Beverly Clearly books that I grew up on, there are very limited dated references in this book. And it's from 1949. From chapter to chapter, a magic remedy for a common children's behaviour issue is discussed. And folks, kids tattled then as much as they do now. Kids are kids and even if they are spending more of their days watching tv and playing video games instead of reading and playing outside, this delightful book proves they are still the same today.<br />
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Jet Blue and PBS Kids have developed <a href="http://www.soarwithreading.com/">The Soar with Reading intiative</a> to encourage people everywhere to help deserving kids get access to the books they need. If reading has had even a bit of the impact on your life as it has on mine, I hope you will take a moment to vist SoarWithReading.com, where:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. You can </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">share the name of your favorite
kid’s book, and for every submission, JetBlue will donate an
age-appropriate book to a deserving child through partner Barefoot
Books.
<i>Up to $200,000 worth of books will be donated through this program.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i> </i> </span>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">While on the site,
families can access free summer reading materials, including an
interactive reading list, reading tips and more.
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">As a special thank
you, adults who share their favorite book on the site can also enter
into a sweepstakes to win great prizes, including a JetBlue Getaways
vacation package!</span></div>
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<b>Additionally, Jet Blue and PBS Kids have provided a summer reading travel pack to be given away to a reader of The Other Boufs. This pack is preschool-elementary age appropriate. Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite children's book or your favorite reading memory for a chance to win. I will pick a winner via random.org on Saturday, 8/18.</b></div>
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Extra entries are available for twitter followers and for tweeting this post. Please leave a separate comment below for each.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-47004905192078123062012-08-03T13:59:00.001-04:002012-08-03T14:06:11.543-04:00The One, The Only...Katie Bouf!!!!!! (wild applause)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've had some challenges. We've made some adjustments.<br />
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After Katie was unable to perform in her dance recital this spring - a recital she had looked forward to for months and months - I concentrated on having her look forward to her summer camp talent show. She was relatively unphased by not getting to continue dance lessons. She didn't really care to learn specific steps anyway. She <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/11/one-of-those-inappropriate-child.html">knows how to move</a> and she just wants to watch herself in the mirror and be on stage to show the world.<br />
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Last year she sang Bruno Mars' "Marry You" with a friend to thunderous applause. Unfortunately, I had a video camera malfunction. You'd think I would have been totally prepared this year. With my camera ready to go, the lights went dark before I expected them to. Then I realized I had my new camera that worked slightly differently and I started sweating. I finally got myself together at the almost beginning of her performance. Of course it's shaky in the beginning since Timmy the wierdo had to grab my hand away from the camera to rub his inner thigh at that particular moment.<br />
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So hold on to your seats, ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Friends. Katie finally got her stage performance. And what a performance it was.<br />
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P.S. She was concentrating very hard on her dancing. You can see her stopping herself a few times. See, her natural inclination to spin and spin had gotten her a little wound up on the microphone cord during rehearsal and she was told "no spinning allowed."<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-28890453753909611792012-07-29T14:08:00.000-04:002012-07-29T14:08:54.477-04:00Best Beach Gay Ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhik9VB3shehk-o7qy-dXIL-AvGUFyAtBa24qK1cWhjpiOnyOgQ7ha94MHmr3-_923kcorTGQ0cBwKMtYjDKJ0O1BI5AmNUPPwIVEDdxBsFcDZeiM22I1Qoio6QDDngX-h6z1cj5gfpp4/s1600/576117_10151070514214819_1305876010_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhik9VB3shehk-o7qy-dXIL-AvGUFyAtBa24qK1cWhjpiOnyOgQ7ha94MHmr3-_923kcorTGQ0cBwKMtYjDKJ0O1BI5AmNUPPwIVEDdxBsFcDZeiM22I1Qoio6QDDngX-h6z1cj5gfpp4/s320/576117_10151070514214819_1305876010_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I added this great picture from a great day in Avalon to facebook on Tuesday. <a href="http://www.joeyfortman.com/">Joey Fortman</a> organized a fabulous blogger bash at the<a href="http://www.goldeninn.com/"> Golden Inn</a> and we were treated to sandcastle building lessons from Sandman Matt (from<a href="http://youtu.be/EVm5_HVppiQ"> Travel Channel's Sandmasters</a>).<br />
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I attempted to share with my facebook friends that we had the best beach day ever. Only then I started seeing in my e-mails that a few of my friends commented back that they loved beach gays, too. Phone typos, garhhh!! But maybe not a typo? Cause we did have an interesting conversation on the way home.<br />
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I tune out to back seat conversations, especially when I'm trying to soothe my headache with a little Adele. But, the arguing had gotten a little loud and I decided to intervene.<br />
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The argument:<br />
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Katie was trying to tell Timmy that all queens were girls.<br />
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Timmy, who enjoys frustrating his sister by being oppositional and thinks it's cute and funny to insist that people are of the opposite sex ("Mom, you're a boyyy, right?"), stood by his statement that boys could be queens, too.<br />
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They turned to me to see who was right. Not sure whether I should go there, I explained, "Well....., there are some men who sometime like to act girly and they call each other queens."<br />
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Katie's response: (deep thoughts) ooohhh! Ok.<br />
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Timmy's: (big grin) TOLD ya!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-76967186420379751332012-06-07T07:00:00.000-04:002012-06-21T09:42:40.974-04:00Little Adventures - Trekaroo Giveaway and Bloghop<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Congrats Jeanine from <a href="http://www.mommyentourage.net/">Mommy Entourage</a></span> </div>
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(selected via random.org)</div>
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We just got back from our family vacation to National Harbor, MD and the DC area and I've come to a conclusion. I'm ready to trade my kids in for upgrades. Ha! Wouldn't that be nice?!?!</div>
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This was our first family vacation that didn't include relaxing breaks for mommy and daddy (while the kids luxuriate in a kids club or spend time with grandparents) or a jammed packed Disney vacation. While they truly did enjoy every aspect of our trip, excitingly claiming that their favorite part of our visit to the National Air and Space Museum was the escalator, their behavior...not so exciting to mom and dad. But those days we visited <a href="http://www.sixflags.com/america/index.aspx">Six Flags America</a>....picture perfect. Apparently, my sensory-seeking eldest gem and her deviant little brother get all the action they need at amusement parks.</div>
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Lucky for us, our own state of New Jersey is also home to some of our very favorite places....great amusement parks. Katie loves to push the limits and began riding <a href="http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/rides/ThrillRides.aspx">El Toro</a> at <a href="http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/index.aspx">Six Flags Great Adventure</a> just shy of her 5th birthday. She begged her way into mastering her first <a href="http://boardwalkfun.com/thrillride.asp">upside-down roller coaster at Ocean City's Castaway Cove</a> shortly after her 6th birthday.</div>
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Apparently, our family does a lot. Many a time, on a Friday afternoon, I have picked up the kids at daycare and chatted with the owner about our weekend plans. She smiles and shakes her head and tells me, "I have never met a family that does as much as you guys." Really?!? I thought every family crams their every weekend with plans and is booked 6 months in advance.</div>
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We may not be "every family", but we're certainly not alone and I'm thrilled to have joined a few other New Jersey bloggers in helping Trekaroo lauch New Jersey as a great place to travel with kids. We have each created a list of some of our favorite NJ places on Trekaroo and in exchange, we were given some awesome prizes to giveaway to our readers (keep reading for their giveaway links). It goes without saying, that I've chosen to compile <a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/list/kid-approved-nj-family-amusement-parks">a list of some of our favorite local amusement parks</a>.</div>
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I hope you'll check out my reviews on Trekaroo and enter my giveaway (I love vacation and ride pictures on Christmas cards). And don't forget to leave your own reviews of your favorite <a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/new-jersey/snapshot">NJ sites at Trekaroo</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Win $40 to spend on Tiny Prints Custom </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Greeting Cards and Stationary</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/"><b>http://www.tinyprints.com/</b></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Limitations: Order by June 30, 2012; </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">can only be used on greeting cards and stationary</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Winner must by 18 or over and a US resident </span></span></div>
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Prize: $40 Tiny Prints Stationary</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">To Enter: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leave a comment about your favorite amusement park/rides in NJ</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Value: $40</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Additional entries: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Share this blog post on Facebook and leave an additional comment below.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>*Contest ends 6/21/2012, Winner picked via random.org* </b></span></div>
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.031223876739225442" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In celebration of the New Jersey
Launch here on Trekaroo, we are once again breaking out the</span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/traveltips/tip/all-about-kidsmobile"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Trekaroo
KidsMobile</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
and some wonderful local bloggers have jumped onboard to show off the best New Jersey has to offer families. Each New Jersey blogger is also giving away a
cool prize on their website, so be sure to hop on over to read their tips and
enter to win some great prizes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Inside Scoop from Trekaroo families on New Jersey:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/jersey-shore-new-jersey/snapshot"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Jersey
Shore with Kids</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
| </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/southern-shore-atlantic-city-new-jersey/snapshot"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Southern
Shore - Atlantic City with Kids</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
| </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/gateway-newark-and-hoboken-new-jersey/snapshot"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Gateway
with Kids</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
| </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/delaware-valley-new-jersey/snapshot"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Delaware
Valley with Kids</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
| </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/places/skylands-morristown-and-vernon-new-jersey/activities"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Skyland
with Kids</span></a></span></h3>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Popular
Tips on New Jersey</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://blog.trekaroo.com/2012/06/06/top-ten-things-for-families-to-do-in-new-jersey"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Top
10 Thing to Do for Families in New Jersey</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/list/take-the-kids-to-a-pick-your-own-farm-in-new-jersey"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Take
the Kids to a Pick Your Own Farm in New Jersey</span></a></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/list/a-week-in-cape-may-nj-with-the-kids"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">A
Week in Cape May, NJ with the Kids</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/list/a-family-fun-filled-week-on-long-beach-island-nj"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">A
Family Fun-filled Week on Long Beach Island, NJ</span></a></span></div>
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Restaurants at the Jersey Shore</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.trekaroo.com/list/fun-outdoor-playgrounds-and-play-areas-in-northern-nj"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Fun
Outdoor Playgrounds and Play Areas in Northern NJ</span></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Giveaway:
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do
you have recommendations on kid-friendly spots in New Jersey? </span></div>
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<img height="308" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qIcnXBGtA7dmxlf4Ox1jopVbHy1JdYvp1bo9uRaFOEX8Bl1_sc7ErsnmLnCIFbkPZLS5ckwmyCRUjz8NhTnvW_-8AVSNgvAzMwyNGk3r6b2sUG2akiI" width="363" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-47180419848521845452012-02-28T18:00:00.011-05:002012-02-28T21:06:23.829-05:00Busted<div style="text-align: center;">I probably should have held off on posting this gem until "Wordless" Wednesday. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3vqqv5xw37eVIn_yH0u9iRxSmtQHIcuMcqg6pUaf8KhrneHXs8Pgd95CViIPhJo-ijJfIOKvTy4-6Br0ZI7u1HbVZeMgNmsCz-_s1mNjUT7ufqTKEKDFcvyheXveBn4al_ULBeES1g4/s1600/wedding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3vqqv5xw37eVIn_yH0u9iRxSmtQHIcuMcqg6pUaf8KhrneHXs8Pgd95CViIPhJo-ijJfIOKvTy4-6Br0ZI7u1HbVZeMgNmsCz-_s1mNjUT7ufqTKEKDFcvyheXveBn4al_ULBeES1g4/s320/wedding.png" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4O4cyIBN6K_FqX67DoQ9_s6tsrrYaWVeLm695ZtqhdIE2XtPR9aFIkm8jadgwCqP8YYvzmany2Cd2_V-wypsiJ3VLzhzgMiGm9xaCUVl2731v3x6E48xhNqftr9TusXaxt9YwE-IeWo/s1600/cake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4O4cyIBN6K_FqX67DoQ9_s6tsrrYaWVeLm695ZtqhdIE2XtPR9aFIkm8jadgwCqP8YYvzmany2Cd2_V-wypsiJ3VLzhzgMiGm9xaCUVl2731v3x6E48xhNqftr9TusXaxt9YwE-IeWo/s320/cake.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">According to Katie, this is me and Chris on our wedding day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">She took some creative license:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Apparently, "that" is part of my dress - NOT what you were thinking - despite the freudian spelling of "best" on our wedding cake.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My eyes are not really blue.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am not really over 6 feet tall, like Chris.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chris has fingers.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our priest had hands. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chris is not Jewish. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">While close, it was not the bust day of my life. Because I didn't have my kids yet. And while they are frequently responsible for the most frustrating days of my life - getting handed pictures like this at daycare pickup allows me to smile and laugh like I never did before.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-70188980498230272562012-02-18T19:53:00.002-05:002012-02-18T19:55:42.562-05:00Nunchucks or notThrough the years, I've featured Katie in her <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/11/one-of-those-inappropriate-child.html">various fabulous</a> <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2011/02/stress-in-form-of-5yo.html">dance</a> and <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2009/01/two-for-twos-day-olympic-champions.html">gymnastics routines</a>, dress up <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2009/09/face-of-crazy.html">ensembles</a>, <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010_10_01_archive.html">real life dress up ensembles</a>,<a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2012/02/katie-file.html"> humorous outlooks</a> and <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/02/what-would-you-think.html">other creative pursuits</a>. And instead of losing the toddler/<a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2008/09/funny-girl-random-silliness.html">pre-schooler </a>magic, her personality and perhaps a bit of her autism spectrum quirks have propelled her to continue to shine and entertain with her creativity. I actually have a few of those goodies lined up to share soon.<br />
<br />
But, as Timmy advances from toddlerhood to pre-schooler...he's creating his own magic at The Other Boufs. And boy does this kid have moves! One night this week I came home late from work to find Timmy shirtless. And when I asked him about it, I was informed that he had to take it off...to do karate.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JASytTlxkhs" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
The funny thing is - I'm having a bit a of deja vu as Tim transitions from baby to big boy (well a big boy who enjoys wearing diapers a little too much.) My little brother is 4 1/2 years younger than me. And as every pre-school boy should be, he was obsessed with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and Steven Seagal. Like...at Timmy's age. Without ever having had a karate lesson, his impersonations of his heroes had some strangers on a Disneyworld vacation convinced that he was a 5yo blackbelt.<br />
<br />
We competed against one another in improptu competitions in the living room - until he got too big and could beat me. I was convinced that his obsession was due to bad parenting - my dad's encouragement of his movie choices, the chinese stars and nunchucks that he received as tokens of my dad's affection.<br />
<br />
But apparently, none of that really made a difference. It was just hardwired. And now, I am the parent of my own little karate impersonator. Nunchucks or not!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A3u-H8YSAtA" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-26619504928840745132012-02-07T07:25:00.004-05:002012-02-12T19:31:56.646-05:00Dr Seuss' The Lorax - Ticket Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Congrats CZ, Svetlana, Jess, Sarah Nicole, and Jenlewgal!!! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We don't go to the movies that much. It's pretty expensive for a family of 4, but moreso, we're just busy. So we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mbSpbmcMqzZWWt-Ll1E-haWt_PkSssWzBdI7g-MqylaVa2Bz7YhYOe60VdhPIu-xZaSCjNC4E7Oim3nHBYjgoGLc7wB2vtsBoY8s5cj-zztWpLeRq_dwrCsM8SheMkWqe-YXBHmUo1s/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mbSpbmcMqzZWWt-Ll1E-haWt_PkSssWzBdI7g-MqylaVa2Bz7YhYOe60VdhPIu-xZaSCjNC4E7Oim3nHBYjgoGLc7wB2vtsBoY8s5cj-zztWpLeRq_dwrCsM8SheMkWqe-YXBHmUo1s/s1600/01.jpg" /></a> generally wind up watching movies together at home. By the time we get to them they're available to rent anyway. Plus, we're so in tune with our DVR that we rarely see commercials for new movies. But once in awhile a movie comes a long with such a buzz that you have to check it out. Or, you happen to catch part of a commercial that is so colorful and eyecatching while you're fast forwarding that you have to rewind to see the whole thing. Or there's a superbowl ad that has you and your kids excited.<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_ovb6HfyBy0ACrZYdwj4jtZkZaKezQ1k7aBPokfpdyFa5g2WEkNj68JPIqowHchbcv9BMdH96-QF3teFX3A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For all of these reasons and more, my family is eagerly awaiting the opening of <a href="http://www.theloraxmovie.com/">The Lorax</a>, which comes to theaters on Friday, March 2. My kids love all things Dr. Seuss - the books, the cartoons, the movies, the dress-up costumes, the musical - I know this is going to be a new favorite in our house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>If you're as excited as we are, or just enjoy saving money, enter below to win 1 of FIVE family prize packs. </b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The prize packs include: 4 free passes to </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>the advance screening of Universal Pictures’ DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX on Saturday, February 25 at the AMC Cherry Hill</b>.</span> Showtime is 10am, but you should be prepared to get there early to guarantee your seats.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">To enter, leave a comment below. Let me know your favorite Dr. Seuss book or character. Or tell me who you're excited to see this movie with.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Extra entries: Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitte</a>r @JulieBouf, become a google friend connect follower of this blog, or tweet this giveaway (including link to post and @JulieBouf). Leave a comment for each extra entry.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Winners will be chosen randomly and notified on February 12th. Make sure to leave your e-mail address or twitter ID in your comment. Need more than 4 tickets for your family? Have your significant other or kids enter too!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis:</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Danny DeVito will lend his vocal talents to the iconic title character of the Lorax, while Ed Helms will voice the enigmatic Once-ler. Also bringing their talents to the film are global superstars Zac Efron as Ted, the idealistic youth who searches for the Lorax, and Taylor Swift as Audrey, the girl of Ted's dreams. Rob Riggle will play financial king O'Hare, and beloved actress Betty White will portray Ted's wise Grammy Norma. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is the third feature created by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Hop). http://www.theloraxmovie.com</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE MARCH 2</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-36127125670131659602012-02-02T07:03:00.002-05:002012-02-02T14:00:27.249-05:00The Katie File<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdG2l46_12q01decryJ7b8CwcbEtAGclSQsbsPpR4yNksUsNE9dFa6jG4p0G3Hj32HFewypirtlYKa2w9Q9xxzsNu4vYngOWio-59DXrNGDDzIFruCxcr_KBgUUaZXnwwqavdIctVaCM/s1600/P1020611b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdG2l46_12q01decryJ7b8CwcbEtAGclSQsbsPpR4yNksUsNE9dFa6jG4p0G3Hj32HFewypirtlYKa2w9Q9xxzsNu4vYngOWio-59DXrNGDDzIFruCxcr_KBgUUaZXnwwqavdIctVaCM/s320/P1020611b.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>It's been awhile. I know. And I was figuring that since I've jumped back into attending a bunch of blogger events, I should probably start to blog again. With that in mind - file this one under "Posts to pullout during the teenage years."<br />
<br />
Sunday night we were driving home after a long day out - just me and the kids. Katie pondered, "Mom, do you think Daddy's going to be upset that we left him alone by himself for all of that time?"<br />
<br />
Heh. Right!<br />
<br />
I explained that daddy was probably very happy to be home by himself. Amongst a flurry of questions I explained that daddy probably got a chance to take a nap or play video games or do something else that he wanted to do. In fact, he'd probably want to thank me for all of that alone time.<br />
<br />
She wondered, since he'd be so appreciative, would he give me a kiss?<br />
<br />
Playing along, pretending that he would actually be so gracious as to recognize how wonderful I am and thank me AND that we thank each other with kisses, I replied, "Oh, I hope so!"<br />
<br />
There was some pondering silence and then: <br />
Do you think he'll stick his tongue inside your mouth?<br />
<br />
?!?!?!?!!?<br />
<br />
"Katie, what are you talking about? Daddy doesn't do that..."<br />
<br />
She assured me that oh yea, she had seen that for herself before. She saw him do it. He really did.<br />
<br />
I thought back and decided that perhaps recently we had given each other a peck and when the kids moaned and acted like we were gross - he may have gotten a little carried away in giving them something to really be grossed out about.<br />
<br />
"Katie, you know, sometimes husbands and wives do that because they really love each other."<br />
<br />
"No way, they do NOT!!!" (hey wasn't she the one who witnessed it?; I still don't believe it actually happened.)<br />
<br />
"Yea, Katie. Actually, when you get bigger - like old enough to have a husand - you might actually like it."<br />
<br />
And then she promised me:<br />
"No, I will NOT. That's gross! If my husband EVER tries to stick his tongue in my mouth.....I'll kick him in the face!!"<br />
<br />
And just a little motherly advice, if a boy ever really does just stick his tongue in your mouth - you probably shouldn't kick him in the face. But it does mean he's not a very good kisser.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-62914781279466909292011-07-15T17:56:00.010-04:002011-07-20T20:44:14.005-04:00Last Chance: Miranda Cosgrove & Greyson Chance at the Mann 4-pack Concert Ticket Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Szr8_1r8KS6g0AOrBxNunhkr-Or-RyFbH8QJ22-sda6dKp82b2s6c9BjyxaVQZ2Ha3DBR_jBgEwjfmW89RHGp7T3D_Wd6bIOiQaTsMg6wj5-uvPN_T-EPFLE2UK_dE921vfjL1IM5vc/s1600/Miranda-Cosgrove_Poster_lowres.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Szr8_1r8KS6g0AOrBxNunhkr-Or-RyFbH8QJ22-sda6dKp82b2s6c9BjyxaVQZ2Ha3DBR_jBgEwjfmW89RHGp7T3D_Wd6bIOiQaTsMg6wj5-uvPN_T-EPFLE2UK_dE921vfjL1IM5vc/s400/Miranda-Cosgrove_Poster_lowres.gif" width="257px" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Congrats to Mel for winning the </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">4-pack of concert tickets!</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(7,1-9, generated by random.org)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the mom of a 6-year-old daughter, I am hosting this giveaway with great excitement. While Spongebob is still a favorite, I hear more and more from her about who today's teenage stars are dating and the fact that she plans to name her children after actresses from iCarly and the like. (even if her future son is still slated to be named "Pepito" from the Madeline series.) Since she also wants to be a singer herself someday, I am thrilled to be taking her to see Miranda Cosgrove w/ special guest Greyson Chance.</span></span><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The star of Nickelodeon’s hit TV series iCarly tours in support of her new EP, High Maintenance, following her highly successful “Dancing Crazy Tour”.</span></span> </em><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>The actress/singer launched her music career in 2007, when she scored a hit with the theme song to her own TV show. In 2009, her song “Raining Sunshine” landed on the soundtrack for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. One year later, Miranda released her debut album, Sparks Fly, featuring the hit single “Kissin U” which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 charts.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>Her breakthrough acting role came in 2002, when she played the role of Summer Hathaway in the big screen comedy “School of Rock” alongside Jack Black. In the wake of “School of Rock”’s success, she was cast in a supporting role on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>In April 2010, then 13-year-old Greyson Chance posted a YouTube clip of himself performing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”, which became an instant viral sensation viewed by more than 28 million people. Just two weeks later, he was invited to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he chatted confidently with DeGeneres, performed “Paparazzi” and fielded a congratulatory on-air phone call from Gaga herself. At present, he is earning kudos for his original compositions including “Stars” and “Broken Hearts,” which have racked up more than nine million collective views & is expected to release his debut album Hold On “Til The Night this summer according to Billboard. “I want people to be able to feel what I’m feeling when I’m singing,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about for me.” </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>For tickets & info for Miranda Cosgrove with special guest Greyson Chance: Ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000, AEGLive.com, TicketPhiladelphia.org, 215-893-1999 or the Mann Box Office.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Enter for a chance to win 4 FREE tickets to the Friday 7/22 Mann Center for the Performing Arts 7:15 performance (doors open at 6pm): </span></strong><br />
(Tickets will be left at the Box Office for you as Will-Call. Must present ID): <br />
<br />
*Simply leave me a comment to let me know you're interested and who you'd love to win these tickets for (1 entry per family).<br />
<br />
*1 more entry for google friend connect followers of this blog.<br />
<br />
*Feel free to tweet this giveaway, once per day, for an extra entry per tweet. Tweet must include @JulieBouf and a link to this post. Please leave a comment below to let me know you tweeted.<br />
<br />
If you have a non-reply google account or don't have a google account - include some way for me to contact you in your comment (e-mail address, twitter handle, etc...if I don't already know you personally).Please leave a separate comment for each entry type.<br />
<br />
This giveaway will close on July 19, 2011.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tickets for this giveaway and for my personal use were provided by the Mann & AEG Live.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">If you are a PA resident who lives in the Philly area - make sure you stop by and visit my friends at </span></strong><a href="http://www.chestercountymoms.com/2011/07/enter-to-win-tickets-to-see-miranda.html"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Chester County Moms</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;"> for an even greater chance to win. They are giving away another 4 pack of tickets.</span></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-26714182374529502062011-05-19T19:29:00.000-04:002011-05-19T19:29:17.462-04:00Movie Screening: Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFF6csDHfC0ALGn74jkjZ2BAS0OIz8z17GlyYvlwGA-YVsPGsmixe9rKe9_gZ9fdpnRb68CcuzT4n8HsXBBF9UfSZ6oCvGg5ERL3S5jJuwi3f-DCyvd0vyz19cCGrEJJUG4-RMvVzjDyI/s1600/JUDY_1Sht_FM3.1+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFF6csDHfC0ALGn74jkjZ2BAS0OIz8z17GlyYvlwGA-YVsPGsmixe9rKe9_gZ9fdpnRb68CcuzT4n8HsXBBF9UfSZ6oCvGg5ERL3S5jJuwi3f-DCyvd0vyz19cCGrEJJUG4-RMvVzjDyI/s320/JUDY_1Sht_FM3.1+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>I'm giving away<span style="font-size: large;"><b> 4 passes to the Philadelphia, PA screening of Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer</b></span> and I'm super excited to attend with my own energetic imaginitive daughter!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.disney.com/Pirates"> </a><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.judymoodymovie.com/">Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer</a></span></span><a href="http://www.judymoodymovie.com/"><br />
</a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Ritz East</span></span></b></div><h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">125 S. 2nd Street<br />
Philadelphia, PA</span></span></b></h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Saturday, June 4</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">10:00am</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">**Note that screenings are frequently overfilled. Winner should plan to arrive about 1hr early**</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>The actual theater release is Friday, June 10th.</b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Press Release: When her best-laid plans for a summer full of fun go comically awry, an imaginative young girl creates her own vacation adventures in Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. Based on the beloved, bestselling book series by Megan McDonald, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer is an irresistible and delightfully funny treat for adventure-loving kids and adults. </div><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">This summer, Judy Moody is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. Except that it turns out Rocky is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, and Amy is headed off to Borneo with her mom to save a lost tribe while Judy stays home with her pesky little brother Stink and second-best friend Frank Pearl. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Just when she thinks things are as rotten as they can be, her parents announce that they will be going to California and Judy will have to stay behind with her Aunt Opal, who she’s never even met! It looks like Judy’s best summer ever has just become her way worst summer ever.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">But feisty, fearless and ever-funny Judy Moody never gives up! With help from some unexpected sources, she’s headed for a summer full of surprises in this charming and spirited family film. Get ready, get set, get MOODY!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Giveaway Rules:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">*1 comment = 1 entry. Go to town - enter as many times as you'd like<br />
*5 more entries for google friend connect followers (I've recently decided to ditch my separate review blog and offer all of my giveaways on my main blog, so make sure this is the one you're following)<br />
<br />
*Feel free to tweet this giveaway as much as you'd like for extra entries. Tweet must include @JulieBouf and a link to this post.<br />
<br />
If you have a non-reply google account or don't have a google account - include some way for me to contact you in your comment (e-mail address, twitter handle, etc...if I don't already know you personally).Please leave a separate comment for each entry type.<br />
<br />
<i>Contest will end Friday May 20th at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen via random.org.</i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-16994121711776310742011-04-28T23:01:00.004-04:002011-05-19T19:31:16.330-04:00The Biggest Loser: Cheerios Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGsGfe6hU_JpHCYkvrDuXZK5W98JrYPxXb_MgTQ1hftkA8muLPquPtU__28Wb4x-Pp2MxQ1m9A22e4LESrF6coXjzkILYRtt1BSNsaIhkjYaAY4sKABbIW2TpDQPkci3tc30gUtr7zEk/s1600/P1010266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGsGfe6hU_JpHCYkvrDuXZK5W98JrYPxXb_MgTQ1hftkA8muLPquPtU__28Wb4x-Pp2MxQ1m9A22e4LESrF6coXjzkILYRtt1BSNsaIhkjYaAY4sKABbIW2TpDQPkci3tc30gUtr7zEk/s320/P1010266.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>I've been drinking the Kool-Aid for just over 2 weeks now. Except, of course, I'm not really drinking "Kool-Aid"...rather my favorite diet drink. <br />
<br />
At my work, about 70% of the women around me belong to Weight Watchers. I've teased and called them a cult due to my jealousy. I was envious of their determination and self control. I wanted to lose weight. NEEDED to lose weight, but just wasn't ready yet. <br />
<br />
Now I am! And in 2 weeks, I've already lost 7.5 lbs. I'm not a yo-yo dieter. I've always known that a life change was necessary to be really successful. For this reason, I've always been diet resistant...but no more. Hopefully, I can really get my act together soon and get back into the gym.<br />
<br />
It can be a challenge, but this year <a href="http://www.multigraincheerios.com/biggestloser/?WT.mc_id=Paid_Search_Brands_BG_MultiGrain_Cheerios&WT.srch=1">MultiGrain Cheerios® cereal and The Biggest Loser Club®</a> can help you get started on your weight management goals with a free 7-day plan. <br />
<br />
With tips, advice, and inspiration, the <a href="http://www.multigraincheerios.com/biggestloser/?WT.mc_id=Paid_Search_Brands_BG_MultiGrain_Cheerios&WT.srch=1">MultiGrain Cheerios website</a> can help you start your weight management journey. After entering the code found inside specially marked boxes of MultiGrain Cheerios cereal, you can access exclusive tools, including: <br />
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A Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator to gauge how much weight you may need to lose or gain to be considered healthy and not at risk for serious health problems<br />
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An exclusive 7 Day Plan that pairs daily meal plans with cardio and strength-training routines<br />
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15 tasty recipes that will give your body the fuel it needs to get through the day<br />
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Daily workouts that couple cardio with mobility and resistance exercises to hit major muscle groups<br />
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Along with using the online tools, eating MultiGrain Cheerios cereal in the morning is another simple step you can take toward helping to manage weight. Studies have shown that people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights, and with 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving, MultiGrain Cheerios has more than 16 grams of whole grain per serving (48 g recommended daily) to help keep you on track for a healthier you this New Year! <br />
<br />
Join MultiGrain Cheerios on Twitter™ during each episode of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser: Couples” Tuesday nights at 8PM EST through May 24, to connect with past contestants, share weight loss tips and discuss how to become your own Biggest Loser. Be sure to follow @MGCheerios and use the hashtag #mgcheerios to keep up with the conversation! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>GIVEAWAY:</b></div><br />
<br />
1 winner will receive a prize package that includes 1 box of Multigrain Cheerios cereal, a gym bag, a water bottle, and a Cheerios snack container. Giveaway will close at 11:59pm on 5/11/11. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>To enter:</b></div><b>Required Entry</b><br />
<br />
Leave me a comment sharing what steps you are taking or plan to take to become The Biggest Loser at home or what tools you plan to use on the <a href="http://www.multigraincheerios.com/biggestloser/?WT.mc_id=Paid_Search_Brands_BG_MultiGrain_Cheerios&WT.srch=1">Multigrain Cheerios website</a> . Or just let me know why you love cheerios or who will be eating them if you win!<br />
<br />
<b>Optional Additional Entries</b><br />
<br />
1) 5 entries for followers of this blog<br />
<br />
2) Tweet this giveaway. Include my handle @JulieBouf, a link to this post and #myblogspark<br />
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*Disclosure: Product information, review items and Giveaway were provided by Cheerios via MyBlogSpark.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-21169487386551872212011-04-20T22:38:00.006-04:002011-05-01T00:47:00.244-04:00Dr. Oetker Pizza Review & Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRR5xteyL6gong7WU5kxnTzrIFaRihihuFQlyMJGP-LzyJpEPzVPjsHKWgVaOfEnTOaSpjZP2EB6Qr9HadiiuYQ_7fLj-hIdw5NLM6FVmVF72aftoWjaDM6579Hk8kyVEpVexl0WFZ_8/s1600/DSC_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRR5xteyL6gong7WU5kxnTzrIFaRihihuFQlyMJGP-LzyJpEPzVPjsHKWgVaOfEnTOaSpjZP2EB6Qr9HadiiuYQ_7fLj-hIdw5NLM6FVmVF72aftoWjaDM6579Hk8kyVEpVexl0WFZ_8/s320/DSC_0210.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Congratulations <a href="http://mommieblogs.blogspot.com/">Courtney</a>, selected randomly via random.org (1-11>2)</span></div><br />
Awhile back, I got to participate in a fun Valentine's Day discussion hosted by<a href="http://www.themotherhood.com/"> The Motherhood.com</a> and <a href="http://www.oetker.us/">Dr. Oetker.</a> I knew that down the road I'd get an opportunity to sample their frozen pizzas, which are now available in the US. So I was pretty excited when one of my friends commented and mentioned that she's been using Dr. Oetker baking products for years. As a company with a history of selling quality baking products, I expected great things from it's frozen pizza, and I wasn't disappointed.<br />
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Sad to say, but we eat a lot of quick meals in our household. We're not usually home from work and daycare pickup till about 6:10pm and the kids are HUNGRY-not to mention the nights we have to quickly turn around and leave again within 30 minutes for an activity. But the best part about this pizza is that it's quick AND really delicious. I would absolutely buy Dr. Oetker Ristorante frozen pizza and I would could cook it for a quick dinner or even a leisurely family meal.<br />
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I received a sample of their spinach pizza and mozzerella cheese pizza. You better believe that spinach pizza was gone on Day 1.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbRoaCvEMPXij7QS26QFvJdyCvTZhrxrtYDGaAOjlP5mqG0sye_l_uQrYcf0DK4R52mDqgzKHVRPo1iMO5lWTz_dQgwwjc-TU2RxDx2Y2S5QK2b-ZGckuNhJMKODYXfv9bIjlE_kG3S4/s1600/DSC_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbRoaCvEMPXij7QS26QFvJdyCvTZhrxrtYDGaAOjlP5mqG0sye_l_uQrYcf0DK4R52mDqgzKHVRPo1iMO5lWTz_dQgwwjc-TU2RxDx2Y2S5QK2b-ZGckuNhJMKODYXfv9bIjlE_kG3S4/s320/DSC_0217.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
As soon as I opened the package, I was really impressed with how much topping ingredients were on the pizza. It was covered with cheese and spinach.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lWrNA_YKLmKWnxiJLZbmFSGgPoKuCkVOOmsjmfxBGB4gcbiQ5CUdIUk4jQ-92xQwrduzDPtpUsKRJnmtLtqCnrVDK8aCEiLUyceOmGSNR1oVTyhMkKrCMiNl1dqlF8sKIaLSRZxZAWc/s1600/DSC_0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lWrNA_YKLmKWnxiJLZbmFSGgPoKuCkVOOmsjmfxBGB4gcbiQ5CUdIUk4jQ-92xQwrduzDPtpUsKRJnmtLtqCnrVDK8aCEiLUyceOmGSNR1oVTyhMkKrCMiNl1dqlF8sKIaLSRZxZAWc/s320/DSC_0219.JPG" width="320px" /> </a> </div><br />
I cooked it for a few minutes over the recommended time just to get the cheese a little extra brown. I think the box suggests the pizza should be 2-3 servings. I tried to put away half of it...but I kept going back to the kitchen every 30 min for one more piece. My favorite part about the pizza was how flaky the crust is. The toppings were really flavorful, too. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhlnzb2sFEhTWRFwvr1ZRKvdF3QRe_I6HIQ0KMFf-NsSg9gQkFFqW6E20lS4GgZa-rouKF5Ask2O7LF2P97vvRGlw19O4dKvcAVIzytIkXuAWTO8f83_iKYZC6HRyOIUw9TmnHya-A2U/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhlnzb2sFEhTWRFwvr1ZRKvdF3QRe_I6HIQ0KMFf-NsSg9gQkFFqW6E20lS4GgZa-rouKF5Ask2O7LF2P97vvRGlw19O4dKvcAVIzytIkXuAWTO8f83_iKYZC6HRyOIUw9TmnHya-A2U/s320/DSC_0224.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Enter for a chance to win Dr. Oetker prize pack (cooler bag, apron, pizza cutter, coupons):</span></b></div><br />
*1 comment = 1 entry. Go to town - enter as many times as you'd like<br />
*5 more entries for google friend connect followers (I've recently decided to ditch my separate review blog and offer all of my giveaways on my main blog, so make sure this is the one you're following)<br />
<br />
*Feel free to tweet this giveaway as much as you'd like for extra entries. Tweet must include @JulieBouf and a link to this post.<br />
<br />
If you have a non-reply google account or don't have a google account - include some way for me to contact you in your comment (e-mail address, twitter handle, etc...if I don't already know you personally).Please leave a separate comment for each entry type.<br />
<br />
Note: Dr. Oetker products are available in limited geographic regions at this time - if the brand name is new to you - check their website to make sure it's in your area. <br />
<br />
This giveaway will close on April 30, 2011(11:59pm). <br />
<br />
Winners will be selected randomly by Random.org.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>About Dr. Oetker: </b>Dr. Oetker (<i>urt</i>-<i>ker</i>) is a fifth-generation family-run business headquartered in Bielefeld, Germany. Begun in 1891, it has grown into an international food business leader and a market leader in many of its product lines. In 1985, Dr. Oetker launched Ristorante frozen pizza in Germany with only two varieties. Today, Dr. Oetker is the market leader of frozen pizza in Europe and sells Ristorante in more than 30 countries – and Italy’s #1 frozen pizza is now available in your area, giving you Italian restaurant style pizza taste without paying restaurant style prices!<br />
<br />
To learn more about Dr. Oetker, visit <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT96"><a href="http://www.oetker.us/" target="_blank">http://www.oetker.us/</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was sponsored by The Motherhood.com and Dr. Oetker and I will be compensated for participating in this campaign. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you love the chance to enter giveaways and win free stuff? Check out what </span><a href="http://www.phillysocialmediamoms.com/2011/04/19/psmm-giveaways/?txtName=Dr.+Oetker+Pizza+Prize+Pack&txtEmail=julie9ann@comcast.net&txtURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theotherboufs.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fdr-oetker-pizza-review-giveaway.html"><span style="font-size: large;">other giveaways</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> are being hosted this week by the</span><a href="http://www.phillysocialmediamoms.com/2011/04/19/psmm-giveaways/?txtName=Dr.+Oetker+Pizza+Prize+Pack&txtEmail=julie9ann@comcast.net&txtURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theotherboufs.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fdr-oetker-pizza-review-giveaway.html"><span style="font-size: large;"> Philly Social Media Moms</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">!!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-92003253565720587512011-02-12T12:00:00.007-05:002011-02-12T22:03:08.386-05:00Stress, Relief, Laughter, Stress, Relief, Laughter<div style="text-align: center;">Katie has some issues, there's no question about that.<br />
(fyi, if you're new to The Other Boufs, Katie is the dancer all the way on the right)</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/siW7EfKlfVg?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/siW7EfKlfVg?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
It's perfectly ok that I make fun of her dancing since I love her so much.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kXNWv5qmxUk?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kXNWv5qmxUk?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But honestly, that dance recital was a smashing success since she actually wore her black leotard AND her dance shoes. The "legwarmers": an added bonus. Truth is, I had worked myself up the entire day about getting her cooperation to dress appropriately. I entered The Little Gym apprehensive and sick to my stomach, but prepared, with makeup and hints of a celebration cupcake for a job well done. This was her 3rd recital and to date, she had never worn what the group was supposed to wear, without accomodations. Of course, the first go at putting on the leotard resulted in an episode and some hasty thrashing in efforts of wripping it right off, but we were able to finally compromise and she wore one of her favorite leotards underneath so she wouldn't even feel "the itchy one".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplbkL-cfLfoUiYnILCsgSOOlZK4bqMxkQnMKRv5DY8ZrKjdCJXycu9SBb2m_t-1Y_m5iW7F5qblyeuUfx8Rb9qrV2JkflC7cxz8LH1g1k-wsimDWdKO1ryWyQ4CbYP_O0aSWtf6iC2yk/s1600/P1010396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplbkL-cfLfoUiYnILCsgSOOlZK4bqMxkQnMKRv5DY8ZrKjdCJXycu9SBb2m_t-1Y_m5iW7F5qblyeuUfx8Rb9qrV2JkflC7cxz8LH1g1k-wsimDWdKO1ryWyQ4CbYP_O0aSWtf6iC2yk/s320/P1010396.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
So, after our celebration date at the diner (it was just the girls since Timmy had puked all over himself at dinner and had to stay home with dad), we drove home. Katie was unusually peppy and verbally lucid for that late at night. I began to tune some of the non-stop chatter out of my head until I was certain I had heard the "F" word.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I couldn't really blame her since I do tend to swear like a sailor, but I really DO try to hold back in front of the kids. In 5 1/2 years, she's only ever repeated "damn it" or "what the hell?!?!". We quickly discussed both phrases and nipped them in the bud. I thought I was in the clear.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I asked her to tell me again what she had just said, breath held. She proudly repeated herself and I took an audible sigh of relief when she repeated, "I said 'Oh GREAT now we have to go get STUCK at this red light'"*****</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Well thank goodness, at least I'm not a terrible parent who makes fun of her kid's dancing AND has her kid dropping F-bombs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Do you have a funny story about a funny misunderstanding with your kids, other family members, or friends where what you <i>thought</i> you heard was a little different than what was <i>actually</i> said? I'd love for you to share it here in the comments section. And if you think it's like the funniest story ever submit it on the Alka-Seltzer <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AlkaSeltzerOriginal?v=app_7146470109&ref=sgm">Facebook page</a> to enter their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AlkaSeltzerOriginal?v=app_7146470109&ref=sgm">Said/Heard Mishaps contest</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The winner of the Said/Heard Mishaps Contest will receive: <br />
<br />
· A trip to New York City to star in an Alka-Seltzer online video featuring their entry<br />
· The winning spot will premiere on the Alka-Seltzer Facebook page! <br />
· Plus $5,000 to spend toward whatever they wish.<br />
<br />
The makers of Alka-Seltzer want you to remember that while miscommunication can be funny and entertaining it can also lead to stress. And when stress gives you heartburn with headache, Alka-Seltzer Original gives you relief fast. Use as directed. <br />
<br />
<b>Abbreviated Contest Rules</b><br />
<br />
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.), 18 years or older. Contest ends 2/25/11. To enter and for Official Rules, including prize description, visit http://www.facebook.com/AlkaSeltzerOriginal?v=app_7146470109&ref=sgm. Void where prohibited.<br />
<br />
This post was sponsored and compensation provided by Alka-Seltzer.<br />
<br />
*****Ok, so this isn't really <i>exactly</i> how the conversation went down. In reality, she began with "I said 'Oh GREAT now we have to go get STUCK..." and I felt an immediate sense of relief that I had really heard her say "STUCK" and not something inappropriate. But, then she continued as clear as I ever heard this little girl who has been in speech therapy for 3 years "...at the F%^#ing red light!" I double checked 3 times. And heard that "really bad word for a mom to say in front of her kids and even worse to have them repeat" all three times.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-27758665574190455282011-02-09T06:51:00.004-05:002011-02-09T06:58:01.797-05:00In the MeantimeI'm having a little trouble shaking the winter blues. Things have been busy, sick, lazy, crazy, sick, cold, snowy, and sick over here at The Other Boufs for the last month. But, today's my birthday and next week is Valentine's day so I'm determined get my mojo back on.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, come visit me at <a href="http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62152">The Motherhood</a> today, where I'll be double-dutying my lunch break at 1pm Eastern to join <a href="http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62152">a live talk</a> with other moms and Dr. Oetker (Ullie Kammler). The talk will be live later this afternoon, but feel free to stop by sooner to submit a question or comment.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b> </b><span style="color: blue;"><u><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT95"><a href="http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62152" target="_blank"></a></span></u></span><b>About Dr. Oetker: </b>Dr. Oetker (<i>urt</i>-<i>ker</i>) is a fifth-generation family-run business headquartered in Bielefeld, Germany. Begun in 1891, it has grown into an international food business leader and a market leader in many of its product lines. In 1985, Dr. Oetker launched Ristorante frozen pizza in Germany with only two varieties. Today, Dr. Oetker is the market leader of frozen pizza in Europe and sells Ristorante in more than 30 countries – and Italy’s #1 frozen pizza is now available in your area, giving you Italian restaurant style pizza taste without paying restaurant style prices!<br />
<br />
To learn more about Dr. Oetker, visit <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT96"><a href="http://www.oetker.us/" target="_blank">www.oetker.us</a></span><br />
</span></span></span><br />
We'll start out discussing the Dr. Oetker brand and quickly move on to a Valentine's-themed discussion about spending quality time with loved ones. For me, this Valentine's Day will mark the first year in 12 years that my husband isn't in the throes of financial audit busy season, working to 10pm+ January-March... But even still, I look forward the most to a quiet evening of not cooking and a day of enjoying my family!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post was sponsored by The Motherhood.com and Dr. Oetker and I will be compensated for participating in this campaign. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-17388917512045777792010-12-29T08:12:00.002-05:002010-12-29T08:20:49.625-05:00Wordless Wednesday - Electricity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZie4ebZ3pVGlYEJILh_NqSZ49Atno675hx5pe7dDKExDgtqHtDQu4YdqE81B74EAQXCX-6QPjOrZINKFuDZXywQGV4Arci1W6mEpyUO4FLgvf_87EYD4jJz7xgfXJs-A-9g2pU_hOiWI/s1600/DSC_0481a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZie4ebZ3pVGlYEJILh_NqSZ49Atno675hx5pe7dDKExDgtqHtDQu4YdqE81B74EAQXCX-6QPjOrZINKFuDZXywQGV4Arci1W6mEpyUO4FLgvf_87EYD4jJz7xgfXJs-A-9g2pU_hOiWI/s400/DSC_0481a.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm participating in Wordless Wedneday <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/32193/wordless-wednesday-christmas-fun/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.angryjuliemonday.com/">here</a> and <a href="http://supermomalysha.blogspot.com/2010/12/wordish-wednesdays.html">Wordish Wednesday</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-6427992898795230192010-12-26T19:20:00.005-05:002010-12-27T19:52:50.635-05:00Happy Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From our home to yours, we hope your holidays are merry and bright. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVz7bgQ-UsQheFDejrlGnt6_H9F117-0mOMzccKVnGP1I0sSyE3RQBiHoops1jJYMLkK9nrvlMeNYXHRrl68dKiXRZ8iNEQp6bxxmrv6CNverwMXhb_HsPccd1L9tWJPUZUz3SGeenzdA/s400/DSC_0252b.jpg" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And as to <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/12/to-torture-or-not-to-torture.html">THIS little dilemma</a>... Katie was excited to see that Santa did bring her a Cinderella Castle, unwrapped and front and center in the living room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVabkcyfgeLmS4lSaeG2YeLDXEma-dBLIdHxXnlFkKwX6NPVjK_ClZ9LSrTGcaAe1NIzZht9_TsE9pz2UHgGir3o5ezrrss7oZKrRBUFH0C5uSV-NfRNTkfOpg2gIMS24Vktkeutkr-iw/s1600/DSC_0432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVabkcyfgeLmS4lSaeG2YeLDXEma-dBLIdHxXnlFkKwX6NPVjK_ClZ9LSrTGcaAe1NIzZht9_TsE9pz2UHgGir3o5ezrrss7oZKrRBUFH0C5uSV-NfRNTkfOpg2gIMS24Vktkeutkr-iw/s320/DSC_0432.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Timmy's favorite surprises were his roaring, walking dinosaur and his <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/05/daddy-and-his-shadow.html">new lawn mower</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpl62Nefm7qC6jLg26xdXYF1cKSWYwQy3sbmXs2ihg-18LMMRUEM-wFctVRlCsdJCOoc3IYSrsl2M5uduimMSnJ5hEJ2hRyMTTj6f1yF80N3jI84zrFUUZx7G16Mf1_Wuvo63YXo9tUg/s1600/DSC_0436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpl62Nefm7qC6jLg26xdXYF1cKSWYwQy3sbmXs2ihg-18LMMRUEM-wFctVRlCsdJCOoc3IYSrsl2M5uduimMSnJ5hEJ2hRyMTTj6f1yF80N3jI84zrFUUZx7G16Mf1_Wuvo63YXo9tUg/s320/DSC_0436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mommy <strike>and daddy</strike> left their big big surprises of a tool bench, bike and barbie size doll house in the family room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXHoFA9-3GniIGdLop3_rBQzc7ygZr1Gv0_amLPjw74nwx-ThS-GLSZP-XznLoe604wC0nscCsQBSIKAsYZIyExC9i0c6pIwICWLhVNB8dRNch0lz-2F5CCi8IVN0TK6LfmLuZtnD9lE/s1600/DSC_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXHoFA9-3GniIGdLop3_rBQzc7ygZr1Gv0_amLPjw74nwx-ThS-GLSZP-XznLoe604wC0nscCsQBSIKAsYZIyExC9i0c6pIwICWLhVNB8dRNch0lz-2F5CCi8IVN0TK6LfmLuZtnD9lE/s320/DSC_0405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Timmy surprised us all by being a present opening machine. He did not fall into our tradition of taking turns opening presents and had to be stopped from opening<i> everyone's</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Vu-D3znakPdIVYYFvtDkFwR0_QQad8OwGJFIzk4fJC-TdkAvAI139qy2DY_J0TWUGGBX7Pov1h4Vbp9ryu9rvVW0-HSGOtbP8d1P6Gjg3ulBEA1jj4KjAw6uzSnLZ55FQIqMCe3EF3Y/s1600/DSC_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Vu-D3znakPdIVYYFvtDkFwR0_QQad8OwGJFIzk4fJC-TdkAvAI139qy2DY_J0TWUGGBX7Pov1h4Vbp9ryu9rvVW0-HSGOtbP8d1P6Gjg3ulBEA1jj4KjAw6uzSnLZ55FQIqMCe3EF3Y/s320/DSC_0454.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Katie proudly read out the recipient and giver of each gift she picked up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pV9QAsX_HxCaFxGEsNp7kcT46OOIC3Pv5T0YMcp_KpPgKntMX_Pkql4WhG8ovbzMcFvX4FTbZyf5AlDr9SWxgVkIK4VwJbyaVPdTN2ekUhPsdDR7CQwv4AxZTad_9RycQm0mxtQueNw/s1600/DSC_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pV9QAsX_HxCaFxGEsNp7kcT46OOIC3Pv5T0YMcp_KpPgKntMX_Pkql4WhG8ovbzMcFvX4FTbZyf5AlDr9SWxgVkIK4VwJbyaVPdTN2ekUhPsdDR7CQwv4AxZTad_9RycQm0mxtQueNw/s320/DSC_0449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Among other things, mommy got this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kellymoorebag.com/womens/the-moore-bag-4.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudkex2QG3sOaGZJKl8oQhQ7Xko-Cw7YV6Nv3QVPkLy2mv9evlq1vDvZPlq-9SKJoNTjLbJK41ImNmFgQBqVuQQy_gzxEz6MrtVHi9_6zrlc2WwqTbs6FN17atA-abVu2oWSdf5_h0qwY/s1600/classic-purple-front_2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Family came for dinner and a little Kinect play at night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a good, good day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thank you friends and family for being in our lives and most especially,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">thank you God for delivering us your newborn son. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Participating in <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/32122/christmas-2010-link-up/">5 Minutes for Mom Christmas 2010 Linkup</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-61018862597985338962010-12-22T07:07:00.001-05:002010-12-22T15:11:55.340-05:00My Virual Gift to the Mommies of the Blogosphere that are not already in AA<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you haven't gotten one of these from me in real life, just keep in mind....it's the thought that counts, right? And I was thinking of you...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PQZuv0Roz4Bc-8v0Gi26fA_ZTIqcUmr3Bm9RYXWmOh4qqxne82hn5zgOJp_TAn2wDVqzgvohK7KxXdKSySuZ2fSBVX0DRwEpKyoaBZfA1SDGRTZ0QalbphuI-GtnE14rMUR9EqViEok/s1600/thumbnail_4015893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PQZuv0Roz4Bc-8v0Gi26fA_ZTIqcUmr3Bm9RYXWmOh4qqxne82hn5zgOJp_TAn2wDVqzgvohK7KxXdKSySuZ2fSBVX0DRwEpKyoaBZfA1SDGRTZ0QalbphuI-GtnE14rMUR9EqViEok/s1600/thumbnail_4015893.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX25cUTdEaNj_i3btLzex21OFhwqNn9V2_8Jq5lRCkKrqUybv0Vcsudvhctt25EK1eapA_Zj5yWJLd7Zy7LvyJVqYMxgLYIIS_2rjCf-J14cycq8zzASZK0PaZhim2XHtAXNnBzsb-mpk/s1600/thumbnail_4015893_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX25cUTdEaNj_i3btLzex21OFhwqNn9V2_8Jq5lRCkKrqUybv0Vcsudvhctt25EK1eapA_Zj5yWJLd7Zy7LvyJVqYMxgLYIIS_2rjCf-J14cycq8zzASZK0PaZhim2XHtAXNnBzsb-mpk/s1600/thumbnail_4015893_1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I may or may not have bought one for myself. Because it's funny <strike>and true</strike>. Not because I can't handle the kids I have. I may or may not have bought myself one of these too:</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyz57y-wRyhPAeFazoRjEpBXkja1CWOZ_I_gMkNLiKNMlWCXMLExqj6HBwsUhXXLOI6ivF6naC2Om1qDn2kJLVPcRAbw6BT3HkOO6k9UeKzv_2l82GitJxl3rO6LE4u9y-MMxZhT5nds/s1600/thumbnail_4015555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyz57y-wRyhPAeFazoRjEpBXkja1CWOZ_I_gMkNLiKNMlWCXMLExqj6HBwsUhXXLOI6ivF6naC2Om1qDn2kJLVPcRAbw6BT3HkOO6k9UeKzv_2l82GitJxl3rO6LE4u9y-MMxZhT5nds/s1600/thumbnail_4015555.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The back of the mug reads, "Inner Peace Through Impulse Buying".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This one is still on my wish list:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7-FnLF2GrGvtkmW2W2eV7YpzbV8pYc9OJ8JvJLMxko2tNwi8Nn4twHazahc05C3NXvTK28gwn0y4cfjc4nXfnNiolRgegUz8kFnTMc919YEwF1EOfiRxs53tNcKjew7bk1ePzaMRfMc/s1600/thumbnail_4015401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7-FnLF2GrGvtkmW2W2eV7YpzbV8pYc9OJ8JvJLMxko2tNwi8Nn4twHazahc05C3NXvTK28gwn0y4cfjc4nXfnNiolRgegUz8kFnTMc919YEwF1EOfiRxs53tNcKjew7bk1ePzaMRfMc/s1600/thumbnail_4015401.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygEa8-k6ukSq-xS4EAa9Jb30jUtueqfsOfu-pM768bWVFbhny9tnvdqdHr1rTvB_wvQgB8Lc6o6fg6XZv14L45DExpoLRs85eUNgB4yNTu6oexKBeSU0jDewo2nTXH05PDr2kiJFB3KY/s1600/thumbnail_4015401_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygEa8-k6ukSq-xS4EAa9Jb30jUtueqfsOfu-pM768bWVFbhny9tnvdqdHr1rTvB_wvQgB8Lc6o6fg6XZv14L45DExpoLRs85eUNgB4yNTu6oexKBeSU0jDewo2nTXH05PDr2kiJFB3KY/s1600/thumbnail_4015401_1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really just don't understand why everyone tells me I'm hard to shop for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I have no problem shopping for myself at all. I wish I did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are just a few of the hilarious products that caught my eye at <a href="http://ournameismud.com/">Our Name is Mud</a>. And really, with the amount of money I spent on their products for holiday gifts...they really should throw a giveaway my way. Don't you think?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-54328849261537138392010-12-09T22:34:00.004-05:002010-12-10T15:19:54.600-05:00To Torture or Not To Torture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI46rMhjYTxFfytHj5-BHMNb6qedkN8r7OfntaYs0HntOvASIHBEacZHsfPRQX0_9cXxuoNvFDzUGpKADG18JxYEBCYvRxcVkfxP_hX1w_OFKXN5v5FaO3CUprY9vb9ZIJSwf1-WrBm8/s1600/DSC_1444a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI46rMhjYTxFfytHj5-BHMNb6qedkN8r7OfntaYs0HntOvASIHBEacZHsfPRQX0_9cXxuoNvFDzUGpKADG18JxYEBCYvRxcVkfxP_hX1w_OFKXN5v5FaO3CUprY9vb9ZIJSwf1-WrBm8/s320/DSC_1444a.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Christmas Eve and Christmas morning are chock full of traditions at The Other Boufs. For one, we don't just attack our presents and finish the whole present opening in 5 minutes flat. From as early as I can remember, I have savored the present opening and would open my own presents really slowly while I kept an eye on what my siblings were unwrapping. I didn't want to miss anything. I wanted the magic to last as long as possible. Since Katie is my mini-me in so many ways...she has fallen right into my present opening technique. We take turns and pass presents out. Katie also tends to like to play with every new toy right away...so some years, we've even resumed opening presents later in the day...or the <i>next</i> day. (insert gasp as I look up and reminisce about how long Katie's hair was just one year ago.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Some Christmas mornings, during my childhood, Santa would hide the present I wanted more than anything - and I would get some hints that there <i>might</i> be something else for me once I had opened the rest of my presents. It may have only been once, but I remember that Christmas morning that I found my new Pound Puppy in the laundry room like it was yesterday: the wonder, the thrill and excitement, the satisfaction. To pass on a bit of this excitement to my kids, I have guided Santa into leaving the most exciting gift in the family room (our tree is in the living room). And at least through last year, Katie has never remembered this tradition and hasn't even wondered about whether there might be something more in another room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>It began in 2007, when Katie was 2 1/2. Although, I must admit, we were really left with no choice that year. Santa and mama had gone a little crazy with only one child to buy for and there really wasn't any room left in the living room - you know...with the Radio Flyer rocking horse and trampoline. Katie was ecstatic to find a new train table later in the morning as we assembled for breakfast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW176kvTuYjozSYQfgOtfWci7lYdlE7V6QAcrDLiXpEKbw_fFkxhd1r-EJCmI5QDkW0KAnAyARAPQw2FNF6opMTB3TdOoV1AVwMxZ9077gXTl51LJK7IBKkD1dVTn7FDszgdaHhSsdwk/s1600/DSC04732a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW176kvTuYjozSYQfgOtfWci7lYdlE7V6QAcrDLiXpEKbw_fFkxhd1r-EJCmI5QDkW0KAnAyARAPQw2FNF6opMTB3TdOoV1AVwMxZ9077gXTl51LJK7IBKkD1dVTn7FDszgdaHhSsdwk/s320/DSC04732a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"> (pre-addition)</td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"><br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In 2008, Santa surprised the kids with a racecar and jumparoo. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstXT-S5D9-elfrOreFxY3dfDBr3eTz5AtYGWh-dVKqupzq_OOWVEjeY0FTlmWDDF03wrBOhD9OP7Nhr5_ai9C-vu3JoZzvwxLeivgsKL5V65xTDiJRh3HKt1JOh4l7L2xI3aFrZB3OfA/s320/DSC08757a.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But as I prepare to begin the wrapping process for 2010, I am pondering - do I want to torture my kids this year? Do I want to torture myself? See, last year was the year that Katie became a brat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTGivGlunfwb1NH6wsebFCb_YnpJfCuLVFmTN5U6rrCJNXHRPmN6_snp2MfWoFYkruJa68k6uDyh7abLTJyb5Cr9eWfdugnkOltus_y27SANCzfyHn0u3yl1I8hABOb0hiC2-ZKdmPPg/s320/DSC_1426a.jpg" width="320" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Although she got the 3 specific items she had asked for and did show some excitement a few times,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOYF5D_RACXRfRRf8ceJz3HELnql9aq10IvFeC9Kh4m-8eh8h_ZOM3J3t5VY5E13JLUtZYBukHrwnny_by2w4b-ZvtdAwKtXiGOBcEVX4wAibRwbRK9RTKpRIXgEKlY10O6W8FEidh-4/s1600/DSC_1466a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOYF5D_RACXRfRRf8ceJz3HELnql9aq10IvFeC9Kh4m-8eh8h_ZOM3J3t5VY5E13JLUtZYBukHrwnny_by2w4b-ZvtdAwKtXiGOBcEVX4wAibRwbRK9RTKpRIXgEKlY10O6W8FEidh-4/s320/DSC_1466a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">she looked like this most of the morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKyyTxZlEsIv3uZoTKcIJjiYhRWSuCoHTuvwVANaufWKi7NEdvOXKBTfHrfQerVEV1qQWMFJpNGf-WxRHdEKwZJzPbx0MHrkiAQ2uohx5Zw2dWivF1DC7BHj-JXm2Z8W1kCeAKOn3oVY/s1600/DSC_1462a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKyyTxZlEsIv3uZoTKcIJjiYhRWSuCoHTuvwVANaufWKi7NEdvOXKBTfHrfQerVEV1qQWMFJpNGf-WxRHdEKwZJzPbx0MHrkiAQ2uohx5Zw2dWivF1DC7BHj-JXm2Z8W1kCeAKOn3oVY/s320/DSC_1462a.jpg" width="212" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">She didn't verbalize what was bothering her and told us "nothing" when we asked, but I theorize that it was eating at her that she saw the push car and was jealous that there was only one "big" gift in the room...and it was her brother's. We knew big excitement would follow when she found her biggest surprise. But frankly, it pissed me off. Everything on her list had been received. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And then Timmy saw something in the family room...and Katie went to investigate...and there was the reaction I had anticipated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z87ohHoId4v22-yr2LFOwpcxwyunf_mAqZf3R1zrD0ATr9JBx9YNeC761hKXebjzubpjh6RddR0xXtioVvtzv7C4tOZ93gaWExFSFMc5Jmwfi-cwD3kqQaCNhUTEOkvpuXF6ylAY-a0/s1600/DSC_1470a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z87ohHoId4v22-yr2LFOwpcxwyunf_mAqZf3R1zrD0ATr9JBx9YNeC761hKXebjzubpjh6RddR0xXtioVvtzv7C4tOZ93gaWExFSFMc5Jmwfi-cwD3kqQaCNhUTEOkvpuXF6ylAY-a0/s320/DSC_1470a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NghjvvlVf9ihKCmUFzyn7-wvudr0CHn8KdIoT_hyphenhyphenJ4IB_2JgvzOBAtGg13hkMcH0MPIv-L0I5fvaujQ_bliAXmAjeC2mgOa1EL4SJ7_rPJEJNNyF17IslboOIfEr6ZpDYwhQLBciln4/s1600/DSC_1473a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NghjvvlVf9ihKCmUFzyn7-wvudr0CHn8KdIoT_hyphenhyphenJ4IB_2JgvzOBAtGg13hkMcH0MPIv-L0I5fvaujQ_bliAXmAjeC2mgOa1EL4SJ7_rPJEJNNyF17IslboOIfEr6ZpDYwhQLBciln4/s320/DSC_1473a.jpg" width="212" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So this year, I'm wondering...do I have Santa set up the kids' big exciting gifts in the family room? For the first time, it won't be an unanticipated gift. I expect Katie's biggest surprise will be the item highest on her list: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsrG_u-8KIriY2Qyh3MerEnuprNpGVrYc4bNUe761LY25O0umgqWi4hNg5EEdVrcOgOPnE70WmP8mNeR8CRebuupZ0KDfucCtSjLMoAuVw1Fu1JcW1J_cAhx4EmnOlDCH_af3IHZMCPY/s1600/400129381118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsrG_u-8KIriY2Qyh3MerEnuprNpGVrYc4bNUe761LY25O0umgqWi4hNg5EEdVrcOgOPnE70WmP8mNeR8CRebuupZ0KDfucCtSjLMoAuVw1Fu1JcW1J_cAhx4EmnOlDCH_af3IHZMCPY/s320/400129381118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Timmy is getting the monorail set (if he's good).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you do anything similar at your house or do you have any unique present opening traditions? Is it worth potential silent pouting to buildup the excitement?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445570041991015385.post-18339730603842183332010-11-12T20:57:00.003-05:002010-11-12T21:01:29.472-05:00Another one of those child dancing videosChock full of self-confidence after her <a href="http://www.theotherboufs.com/2010/11/speechless.html">previous night of dance move</a>s in Jamaica, Katie decided to enter the resort talent show. She and her new friend, Zoe, practiced for hours.They had a great time and loved being the center of attention. Unfortunately, they didn't get to go on until 9pm, so they were a <i>little</i> sleepy. But, no stage fright for these girls... or Timmy.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mBuoYSJ26Wk?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mBuoYSJ26Wk?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
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Sometime after her stage premier, though, Katie caught site of some locals dancing. It may have been during the pool games the next day. But somehow, somewhere...she realized that <i>this</i> is a way more entertaining way to dance:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HNTTSlh4zkA?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HNTTSlh4zkA?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949898002784637260noreply@blogger.com1