Shanamama

Wordless Wednesday-Completely random

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:53:00 +0000

I had planned on this weeks Wordless Wednesday being completely wordless (seeing as I can't seem to do a completely wordless post) but as I sat down this morning to decide which photo to use I realized that my Lightroom gallery was empty. Completely empty, not a single photo in there. Nada. And to top it off I cannot access any photos on our server from my laptop. Will.not.panic. Must.remain.calm. Wooosaaaaa.

So in the mean time all I have are some photos from last week that I put on Facebook.

My boys at the park. My oldest is not a big swing lover so just that he sat with his brother so they could swing together completely melts my heart.

Random sunrise photo with our local oil rig. It makes me giggle that they put trees around it attempting to make it "pretty" since they are building homes right behind it. Still some might see as an eye sore but now I am actually starting to enjoy the view. Makes it feel a little bit country.

Now excuse me while I go wake my husband and have a mini freak out session.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Tuesday Tunes-Written in the Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:40:00 +0000

I like a lot of different types of music. I know I have said I am a metal girl at heart and while I am I still listen to other genres of music and enjoy them equally. Country is not one of those genres though. Now don't go bashing me because I don't like country, I don't hate it but it's just to...twangy for me. Back in the day there were a few country artists I did listen to but not anymore. I am not quite sure why I even brought Country music up as it has nothing to do with my song choice this week. Guess I just wanted to give you a little history. Anywho, being one that tries not to discriminate against different genres I wanted to share something other then heavy music today.

For some reason this song doesn't seem to get much airplay. I am not sure why because I think it's an amazing song. Not only is the beat along with the harmony beautiful but the song itself speaks volumes and has such a good message behind it. From the first time I heard it I stored it in the "favs" memory bank. If you watch the video I dare you not to be touched by it.

I have been known to pull this song up on YouTube and blast it while I am cleaning, and possibly putting it on repeat. What, don't tell me you've never done it ;)

I love finding songs that reach down in you and make you really think. Thing about what the day holds, what life could have been and what life is and in the end being thankful for everything. To me this song does that. Not in a selfish way because I know there are people out there that struggle but it brings a sense of calm and hope that they will all be okay. Not naive, just hopefull.

Don't forget if you are participating in Tuesday Tunes to head on over to High Impact Mom and link up so we can all listen to each others tunes! Click here to be brought directly to the linky.

Sunset Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:31:00 +0000

I love those moments when you're out driving around and all of the sudden you realize how gorgeous the sunset is at that exact moment. There's nothing you can do except pull over and enjoy it. And if you're lucky you can catch a picture of it. Seeing as my camera isn't really light enough to carry with me all the time I am grateful technology is as awesome as it is and I take pictures with my phone.
Two nights ago I had just dropped my son off at a friends and as I was climbing back into the car I looked up and knew I had to go find a spot to take a picture.

Craig from Stay Adventurous and I have teamed up to help spread the word on Sunset Sundays. We would love it if you would join us in sharing the simple joys of sunsets & the memories they bring back for you.

Chicken a la Shana-Serrano Chicken Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:30:00 +0000

Get it??? Like Chicken a la King but since this is my recipe it's Chicken a la Shana. Actually I don't even know what Chicken a la King is but I like saying it, so it helped me name my recipe that has been nameless for seven years.

:::::WARNING:::::

If you do not like spicy dishes turn away, do not, whatever you do, do not look at this recipe and see it's deliciousness scream at you and invite you to try a bite of it's spicy goodness.

When I made this prior to having kids I would occasionally double the amount of peppers. What can I say I love me some spiciness.

Chicken a la Shana

5 chicken breasts

1 whole red onion (chopped)

2 Serrano chili peppers (sliced long way & seeds removed)

1 red Jalapeno (sliced long way & seeds removed)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

Pepper
Sea Salt

Garlic Salt

Onion Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Oregano (I use a ground up powdered version so measurements may vary)
Tomato Sauce (2/15oz cans or 1/28 oz can)
Olive oil

De-seed and slice up your peppers. Make sure not to rub your eyes after handling these babies

Season your chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook approximately six-seven minutes on each side in one tablespoon of olive oil

Chop your onion. I left the pieces a little chunky because my oldest is not a fan of onions so I usually pick them out for him and then put them on my plate. Waste not right

Put another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and cook up the onions, garlic and peppers for two-four minutes. I like my onions slightly crunchy so I typically only cook them for two minutes

Next add in the tomato sauce

Put the chicken back in

Add in remaining seasonings (oregano, garlic salt, onion powder and cayenne pepper)

Simmer on low for 15 minutes

Whala....Chicken a la Shana

Wordless Wednesday-A beautiful sight

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:40:00 +0000

This morning started off with a bang. Somehow my after I snoozed my alarm it went into silent mode so when it went off again there was not a single noise being made to actually wake me up! It wasn't until 7:19 when my youngest came strolling in that I jumped out of bed. As we rushed to get out the door and get my oldest to school I noticed the sunrise and ran back inside to get my camera.

I know you're probably shaking your head at me. No worries, I ~~would~~ did to but it's something deep wired in me, if I see something spectacular I have to get my camera, running late or not. So enough talking, this is supposed to wordless after all.

Now I am no weather specialist so I will not make any claims as to what that thing is coming from the cloud that looks like the beginnings of a cyclone, I will say it was really neat to see it though.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

Tuesday Tunes-Paradise Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:01:00 +0000

I am a metal girl at heart. I love heavy songs, deep voices, meaningful lyrics, and a good melody. I have so many bands that I consider my favorites that some may view it as kind of silly. But I am not the type of person that can pick one band and say that's my favorite. Because while they may have some amazing songs I feel it's a disservice to all of the other bands in the same genre. So I am a lover of many. But I can tell you some that I will listen to over and over and it will never get old. One of those bands is Paradise Lost.

My husband and I have always wanted to see them live but sadly they very rarely, if ever play in the states. So imagine my surprise when I found out last week I won tickets to a metal festival in Europe and one of the days Paradise Lost is playing! It was an insane moment for me realizing I get to have two dreams come true. Not only do we get to see a band play that's we've long waited to see BUT we also get to go to Europe for the first time. Insert Shana dancing around like a lunatic and giggling like a school girl. Oh yeah and Anthrax is playing as well as Exodus and Chimaira. Color me excited.

Sorry getting off track. I have been listening to Paradise Lost since I met my husband back in 1997. He introduced me to so many different bands and he used to quiz me on some of them back in the day. Ah fun times. So way back when, when I first listened to Paradise Lost I was instantly ohhh'ing and awww'ing in my head. Love at first listen. Corny maybe but I've mentioned before, I love music. Their sound has changed since they first started but they are like a fine wine, they only get better with age. And with that, I will leave you with two of my favorite songs by Paradise Lost.

Don't forget if you are participating in Tuesday Tunes to head on over to High Impact Mom and link up so we can all listen to each others tunes! Click here to be brought directly to the linky.

Make a Weeknight Meal Special Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:31:00 +0000

One of the best things about the cooler weather this time of the year is that it also means it's soup season! I love soup. I am a creamy girl at heart but knowing that's not always the healthiest route it's good to keep your options open and not discount vegetable based soups.

Bertolli recently came out with a new line of frozen meals called Meal Soup. They offer four different varieties to choose from.

Chicken Minestrone, Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta, Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken and Tuscan-Style Beef with vegetable.

Here are a few facts about Bertolli

·      Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soups are hearty and fresh-tasting with vegetables, meats, pasta and herbs individually flash frozen at the peak of freshness.
·      Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soups are available in the frozen aisle, and can be prepared on your stovetop in minutes.
·      With robust flavors and rich textures, new Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soups are available in four varieties: Chicken Minestrone, Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta, Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken, and Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables.

Since this is a fairly new product and I live in a small town I was only able to locate one store out here that carried them, and was shocked to see that out of the shelf provided for the soups only one remained. I took that as a good sign that people are enjoying them. If you are worried that the soups aren't carried in your area click here and you can search for a local store that carries the soups. The one that was left on the shelf was the Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken. Quite honestly even if they had all four in stock I probably would have bought the same one because I am a sucker for tomato soup. I also thought that since it had the tortellini in it then the kids would be more willing to try it.

I was challenged to make a special meal with Bertolli Soups and do so in under an hours time. One thing I love about doing soup for dinner is it goes with pretty much anything you can think of. The other night I made a chicken and pasta dish that fit right into the Italian theme and since I had plenty of leftovers I decided what better to pair the soup with then our left overs. And it saved me a lot of time just reheating the food as opposed to creating the whole meal.

Many people discount leftovers but they are great for many reasons. A lot of times the flavors become more intense because you've let everything sit together overnight. You can create a whole new dish with leftovers. And best of all, they save time!

Tips on keeping meal prep time down:

Growing up we always ate meals together as a family and I want that for my family. While not always possible since my husband works and attends school I try to get everyone together as often as I can. Some things that I have found that get the kids more excited is serving them in "grown up" dishes. We have three different sets of dishes. Plastic, Corel (glass but break proof glass) and our fancy set that my husband and I use. By serving the kids the Corel plates/bowls they feel more like big kids and what kid doesn't love to pretend like they're older so there is usually less of an issue in getting them all to sit down for dinner which saves me time in chasing them around.

Planning ahead is a BIG time saver when preparing a meal. Making sure you have all ingredients needed so if you find out you are missing one ingredient you wont have to make a mad dash to the store. If it's something that requires a lot of chopping you can pre chop what you need the night before or in the morning, put them in Tupperware and in the fridge until needed later.

Also choose one day a week for an easy meal. Whether it be soup, salad, sandwiches, pizza, wraps, even spaghetti can be started in the afternoon and simmered on low until you're ready for dinner. Just go for something that does not take a lot of prep time but is still tasty.

Now onto the good part, our meal. With my leftovers out and being reheated all I had to do was prepare the soup and dinner would be ready. Pay close attention because here's the difficult part.

1. Put the package in a pot
2. Add one cup of water (per package)
3. Bring to a boil

In five minutes you will end up with an amazing soup that will shock you at it's deliciousness.

Being a soup lover my expectations were high. I tried to keep an open mind but as soon as the soup started to boil and the smell spread throughout the house I knew the soup would be good. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The spinach was perfect, no stems and it was all ripe so it tasted wonderfully. The chicken was tender and full of flavor and I loved that they were tiny little pieces. They were good size chunks and not a single piece of fat was on any of the pieces. The tortellini was amazing. Just the right amount of cheese filling that was nice and creamy. The pasta was slightly al dente which is a good thing because you don't want soggy pasta which leads to the filling leaking out. And of course the tomato bisque was pure perfection. Nice and creamy without being to heavy. It was full of flavor without being overwhelming. And it paired very well with our leftovers.

All in all this was an amazing soup. That is the first time I have ever said that about a store bought soup. I will admit, I can be very picky when it comes to soups but this one was a home run. Not only from the overall taste of the soup but the cooking time was very fast. Definitely will be keeping this on our favorites list.

You can connect with Bertolli on Facebook at facebook.com/Bertolli or on Twitter at twitter.com/Bertolli and their Website at villabertolli.com

*I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. As always all thoughts & opinions stated are my own*

Tuesday Tunes-Soul touching tunes

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Do you have a song that no matter what your mood may be it always brings you to tears? You know those songs that reach down into your core and pull at your heart strings. There's nothing you can do to stop it, only give in and have a good cry.

I have two.

The first time I heard Only Time by Enya I bawled. It's such a beautiful song. And after 9-11 they played it a lot. So not only did it make me cry because it's beautiful but from the emotions of 9-11. For a few years after 9-11 if I heard this song I always had a soul cleansing cry. Hearing it made me think of all the things that weren't going right, the negatives and then the tragedies of that fateful day and it would smack me in the face at how grateful I truly am for what I have. To this day it still makes me tear up and every once in a while I will put it on when I need some calming tunes to help me regain my wooosaaa.

Now for the second song. It all started during those good ole days of ER. You remember that show right? Remember when Dr Mark Greene spends his last days with his daughter on the beautiful island of Hawaii. Season 8 episode 21, you know you remember it. It is one of the most widely remembered episodes of the show, the one when he passes away. Peacefully. Insert full and complete breakdown with snot and tears flowing freely. Well does anyone remember the song that was playing during this scene? I do. It was Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. I loved it the first time I heard it, and then I became a mom and it took on a whole new meaning for me. Every time I hear it I think of my children, from the time they were born until who they are now. And without fail it bring me to tears. Sometimes if I know I need a good cry I will put it on. Of course my kids look at me like I have five noses or something but it does the trick.

So I have told you what two songs move me to tears and I am wondering if there are others out there that are emotional ~~basket cases~~ beings or if I am alone. Personally I think that everyone out there has at least one song that touches them so deeply they can't help but cry when listening to it. What say you?

Sunset Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I am having a bit of a freak out session over here. The other day while driving home I noticed the gorgeous sunset and when I got home I immediately went to go find my camera. Problem is I couldn't find it! So I start going back through my head trying to remember the last time I used it. Was it before I got back from my Cali trip or after? Did I bring it with me anywhere? Could my kids have gotten to it? Did my husband move it somewhere? I keep coming up with a big I DON'T KNOW. Ack.

So while I run around searching my house like a maniac for my camera I will leave you with these photos I shot on my phone (yay for cameras on phones, what would I do without my beloved iPhone). These are from Friday. After a long day of driving everywhere I got to experience this beautiful sight. Not the greatest quality but beautiful nonetheless.

Almost home

Looking at the same area 15 minutes later

Tuesday Tunes-H.I.M. aka my addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:58:00 +0000

The beautiful and all around amazing Amanda from High Impact Mom has started a new meme that I think is fantastic. Tuesday Tunes. Being a music lover myself what better way to share your love of music then to share it with others. So as long as I gets my days straight (I have a habit of confusing what day it is) I will be supporting Amanda in her new meme, Tuesday Tunes.

Ever heard of H.I.M.? No not him as in a person but H.I.M. as in the band from Finland. Think Gothic love rock. Ever since I first heard them a few years ago I became instantly obsessed. Okay maybe not obsessed but I do love their music. I am not sure what it is but if I need a pick me up, music to clean to, something to make me smile my go to band is H.I.M. It's the type of music that pulls you in, squeezes you and let's you go feeling as if all is right. And the lead singer isn't bad on the eyes so that may or may not have something to do with it.

Listening to HIM also brings me back memory wise. Now it may not have been that long ago when I started listening to them but that time in my life was full of so many different emotions that it's hard for it not to stir something inside of me.

It's hard to pick just one because they have so many great songs so I am sharing two of my favorites today. When Love and Death Embrace and Join Me in Death.

Whenever I turn on H.I.M. it's never just to listen to one song. I simply can't do that. I listen to at least an entire albums worth at the very least. It's like an addiction that I just can't seem to give up. But that's totally fine by me. This is one addiction I will welcome with open arms.

Interested in participating in Tuesday Tunes? Just head on over to High Impact Mom and link up!

Best free photo apps for iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:27:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a photo'holic. I take tons of pictures with my Nikon and with my iPhone. I just cleared off over 1,000 pictures from my phone two days ago and I already have almost 150 pictures on it. One of my favorite things about the iPhone is the plethora of photography apps available to you. And what's even better is there are tons of free one's to choose from also. I share a good portion of my photos via facebook and twitter and sometimes it's nice to add a simple edit to them. I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you all today.

Instagram

I am sure if you have an iPhone you've already heard about Instagram. It's a free app that allows you to edit photos and share them by linking your account to various social services such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare, Posterous and via email. People can also comment and like your photos on Instagram if they too have an account.

Pixlr-o-matic

This app offers a wide variety of filters for you to choose from as well as borders and lighting that you can add to your photo. What I like is they don't have just your typical borders and textures that everyone else has. There are four steps to editing your photo. Upload, filter, lighting and frame. This app also allows you to share your finished project via various social sites. Out of all the editing apps out there this one ranks number 1 on my list simply because of how much they offer. They recently updated the app offering even more edits. There are too many to mention but each new set is only .99 cents which is still a great bargain.

Camera Plus

Camera Plus offers anti-shake, automatic save of photos, filters, timer, cropping and of course sharing through social networks. I am not too familiar with Camera Plus. I do have it on my phone but when I had the iPhone3gs it didn't work as well as I had expected. Since upgrading to the iPhone4 I am hoping to play around with this app a little more to learn all that it offers. There is a free version and an upgraded version, Camera Plus Pro which sells for $1.99

Frametastic

This app is my newest obsession. I have been on the hunt for a good free collage app for about a year now. I have download so many collage apps only to end up disappointed. As you can see there are currently nine different frame options. The app is very easy to use. Simply select your frame, and if you want a theme slide the bottom of the screen to choose from five different theme's or simply leave it at no theme which defaults as a white border. Tap to each section to choose your photo. If you double tap your photo you can choose to add an effect to your photo. Once you are satisfied with your collage you can change the border colors and add rounded corners. Frametastic also offers social sharing via email, twitter, facebook and more.

Just to show you an example of the collage here are two collages that I recently made.

There you have it. My top free photo editing apps. I use three out of the four apps I mentioned almost daily and don't have any complaints about them. With the way technology is constantly growing I am sure there are apps out there that I do not know about. If you have a favorite free photo editing app that's not listed above I would love to hear about it.

*For your convenience all the titles of the Apps are linked directly to the App store*

Sunset Sunday-Huntington Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Looking back at photos from our time spent in Huntington Beach always brings back good memories for me. We had friends and family close to us. In fact it was the one time we lived within driving distance from my brother and sister in law. We were able to have family around when my daughter was born, weekly bbq's. It was a very special time for us and wouldn't trade it for anything.

It was also really fun to go to the local festivities they held out there. Watching fireworks while sitting on the beach (seriously an amazing sight), the parades, the fair, the surfing competitions, etc.

I don't remember when exactly my husband captured this shot but looking at it always makes me smile and remember what a blessed time we had while we lived there.

This photo is straight from the camera. Only edit done was to add the rounded corners. I love how the sun is setting right over a rig and with the waves, the colors, Catalina in the distance, it's an amazing photo. Mad props to my husband for getting such a beautiful shot.

Matzo and Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:43:00 +0000

I was beyond excited to find Eggs & Onion Matzo, let alone Matzo at all at the store last week. I don't know what happened but about a year ago the stores where I used to live in Cali stopped carrying it and it's the only kind I eat. Well I should say the one I prefer, plain matzo is just that, plain. What do you do with matzo besides eat it like crackers? Why make matzo & eggs of course! Everyone has their own way of making them. I've even heard of people eating them with jelly on top. Slightly weird in my opinion, but hey, to each their own. My Grandpa used to make the absolute mest matzo & eggs. Not dry yet not runny, they were perfect. I haven't had matzos & eggs for well over a year now so naturally the first thing I did the next morning after buying the matzo & got everything needed to make some for the kids & I. Today I am sharing my version of matzos and eggs.

Matzo & Eggs

Milk

3 eggs

2 pieces of matzo

Salt & pepper to taste

Butter

Break up the matzo in a bowl

Pour water into the bowl & let soak for a few minutes

You don't want it totally soggy but not crunchy either

Then drain

Then put in your eggs & milk & mix

Add salt & pepper to taste

Cook on medium heat

~~Devour~~ Enjoy & savor the flavors

There you have it, a simple recipe for matzo & eggs. I know this recipe isn't for everyone, my husband still can't get used to having "crackers" in his eggs but the kids love it as do I.

Have you had matzos & eggs before? Do you prepare them differently or have something special you eat them with? I'd love to hear about the different ways you've had matzo & eggs.

Wordless Wednesday-Sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:26:00 +0000

Here I am late again for another Wordless Wednesday post. Seems to be coming a bit of a trend with me lately. I typically have a plethera of photos to choose from but I seem to be going through a dry spell with my camera.

This is a picture I took of my sister and I during my visit to California last week. I don't have many pictures of us together so I was quite happy that this one came out pretty decent.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

iHeart faces Photo Challenge-Best Face Photo from 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:40:00 +0000

It's been a while since I participated in one of iHeart Faces photo challenges. This weeks theme is "Best Face Photo from 2011" and while I have a ton of pictures from last year one stuck out in my mind. The shot I took on Christmas of all three kids. I swear it was like some mystic force came upon them and they all looked right at me and smiled. It was perfect!

I love that you can see a bit of each kids personalities shining through. Baby girl, my spunky little thing. baby boy, always goofing off and my little man who is always the calm one.

If you'd like to participate in iHeart Faces photo challenge simply click here and link up!

Sunset Sunday-Goodbye SFO

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I know I have been a little lack on my Sunset Sunday posting and for that I apologize. Between the holidays and a surprise trip to California my mind has been on overdrive. I sat down this morning to search through some old photos when I remembered I had taken a few shots while in California and ended up finding two shots I took from the plane as we took off from San Francisco. Lucky for me they actually turned out. I wasn't expecting them to since I quickly turned on the camera, took the pictures and then right away turned it off. Sneaky, but I couldn't resist capturing the view.

Wordless Wednesday-Cali style

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:02:00 +0000

Happy Wordless Wednesday everyone. This week has been one chalked full of all kinds of emotions. Happy, sad, excited, a bit of anxiety and fun. I fly back home tomorrow and while I will miss my family I cannot wait to see my husband and babies. I miss them so much and I may or may not have cried a few times because I am just a sap like that.

Here are a few pictures of what I have been up to while I've been here.

Got a new purse big enough for my laptop, yay for sales and gift cards!

My sister treated me to my very first manicure

It's January and I am wearing capris...woohoo

Right after acting like little children with my sister and niece and

we all cried from laughing so hard. Fun time right there.

Drinking coffee from the cup I gave my parents of the kids. I've used it every day since I've been here. This mama bear misses her babies.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

Wordless Wednesday-the holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:43:00 +0000

I figured I would share some photos that I took over the Holiday weekend as my Wordless Wednesday instead of posting it's own separate post. That way I will limit myself on the amount of photos I share since I took over 300 pictures this weekend.

Happy Hanukkah everyone

Baby girl loved watching the candles on the menorah

Two seconds after he woke up Christmas morning

Baby girl woke up not long after her big brother did

And little man slept for an hour & a half after the other two woke up. I couldn't bear to wake him up.

Let the unwrapping begin

I love love love his expression here

And my favorite photo from the weekend. I asked them to get together so I could take a pic & it was as if some cosmic force came over them & they complied!

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

Lego announces Lego Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:23:00 +0000

Lego announced recently that on January 1, 2012 they will be releasing a new line called Lego Friends and it's geared specifically for girls. I don't know about you but I am excited about this. We have two boys and one girl and my boys LOVE anything and everything Lego. My daughter also enjoys Legos but more often then not, she feels a little left out when the boys are playing with their Legos building airplanes, warships and whatnot . She will occasionally build some things but it's a little hard to build something to her liking when the millions of pieces that we own are all from boy themed sets such as Star Wars, Hero Factory and Cars. I know they have the boxed sets that include Legos with all sorts of colors, and they even have a pink brick box geared for little girls that they can build a house, a car, a horse with. In case you've never seen it it can be found here.

Today I came across an article on Circle of Moms: "Lego Friends Line for Girls Raises Controversy". And curious I searched and found a few more. Jezebel wrote "Lego Targets Girls with pink blocks, cute figures, & no creativity". HLN wrote "Do girls really need pink Legos".

Honestly I do not get what all the hooplah is about. This whole should toys be separated by gender is a joke. Most toys out there today are in fact separated by gender. What are Barbies? A toy geared specifically for girls, or how about Disney Princess, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, the list goes on and on. And it also goes visa versa for toys geared specifically for boys. There's Tonka, Hot Wheels, Action Figures, Batman, Star Wars. It's been this way since I was a kid. We had most of the items I mentioned above and a few more such as She-ra and Rainbow Bright and boys had He-man and die-cast Transformers. You get the picture I am trying to paint?

The second article ruffled my feathers a little bit just in it's title. No creativity, really? I think they did pretty darn good in the making of these Legos. Not only were the characters created as smart but in the descriptions of each character they lists a few of their interest and for them to list what they want to be is awesome in my mind. I mean what little girl wouldn't want to play with a Lego such as the character Olivia who's bio states:

I love: My friends, science, school, drawing, inventing things, nature, hiking, photography, history.
I want to be: A scientist or an engineer.

Or how about Andrea. Her bio states:

I love: Writing and composing my own songs.

I want to be: A musician/singer-songwriter.

No girls do not NEED pink Legos but there is nothing wrong with adding a little extra touch to a product to gear it towards a specific sex. It's called marketing and people in that field know how to do their job and in Legos case I think they are doing it extraordinarily well. Not only that but Legos in general are a great resource for growing kids. They can provide hours of entertainment, and not mind numbing entertainment that a TV provides but they get you to use your brain. Figure out what piece goes where, you can build by separating by color, by size, they can be used to teach math, they teach them how to think three dimensionally, helps with fine motor development, learning patterns, do I need to go on?

I for one will be purchasing a set or two, possibly even three for my little girl not only for the learning benefits but simply because I am all for toys with positive message behind them.

Finding your Holiday Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:11:00 +0000

Over the last month or so I have heard the question "what holiday traditions do you have" over and over. And my response was always the same. We don't have any. Kind of sad huh. Yeah I thought so to. But then I realized (about five seconds ago) we actually do have traditions. They aren't anything big but still it's something we always did when we would go to my parents house and there's no reason for me not to continue them with my little family.

For Hanukkah we would go to my parents. Occasionally it would be at my Aunt and Uncles but 9 times out of 10 it would be hosted by my Mom. It was the same food every year and while some might complain I think it's perfect that way. The first course consists of gefilte fish served on a plate with a piece of lettuce, two or three cherry tomatoes and a nice healthy scoop of chopped liver and matzo ball soup. My favorite way to eat my gefilte fish is smothered in horseradish sauce and then I would take a piece of matzo and smother that with chopped liver and some more horseradish sauce. Can you tell I like horseradish sauce? Oh yeah and only the red kind. Then we would have our second course, aka the main course. Brisket, kugel (either potato or noodle), latkes (another one of my favorites) served with either apple sauce or sour cream, and a vegetable. The last few years I had been in charge of the vegetable and I would make my famous green beans.

Food wise I didn't do anything this year. I've been a little bit homesick (shhh don't tell my husband or my mom) and Brisket is insanely expensive out here, like 40 bucks for a cut of meat, I don't even spend that much on a pair of pants! And it was the kids last week of school so while we have been doing the candles every night I just didn't make a big dinner.

For Christmas the kids would wake up and we would all pile in the car and head over to my parents house in our pj's. It would immediately be gift time because it's just cruel to make your kids sit and wait while there is a room filled with gifts that they are literally drooling over. After gifts my mom and I would make breakfast. It would always consist of eggs of some kind. We usually rotated between matzo and eggs or eggs smothered in cheese and salsa. And the best part was the cinnamon rolls. Nothing special because this was all about having a relaxing day so we would just make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. There would also be bacon, sausage and those little square hash browns. I don't know why but those things are always so dang good.

When I went grocery shopping and automatically went for the rolls, sausage and bacon it didn't even occur to me that this is a tradition. I was second nature to pick all of these things up. And the same goes for our Christmas dinner. I picked up a ham, potatoes, a ton of green beans, crescent rolls and mustard. That's just about the same thing my mom would prepare, right now to the mustard which will be mixed with brown sugar for us me to dip my ham in.

So even though this year we wont be spending the Holidays with my family we will be staying in our pj's all day, grubbing on some good food (even thinking of making some latkes along with mashed potatoes tomorrow), taking a lot of photos, spending all day putting together toys, getting frustrated at all those little ties and screws in said toys and I am sure laughing at each other. If that isn't some form of tradition then I don't know what it is.

Happy Holidays to everyone, I hope your holiday season is blessed with love, laughter & light.

Change someones life with Samaritan's Purse

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:32:00 +0000

Christmas time has become a time for presents and long forgotten the true meaning behind the holiday. While we as individuals work to keep the true meaning behind Christmas in our hearts and to teach it to our children we can still get wrapped up in the giving of gifts. We are only human after all.

This year I come here to ask you to look deep in your hearts and think about others this holiday season. Samaritans Purse is a Christian based company whose goal is to bring International Relief to those that are truly in need. You can visit the Gift Guide which allows you to select many different options of how to use your donation such as, Teach a child to read, Feed a hungry baby for a week, Rescue children in crisis, Introduce boys and girls to gods world, Hot meals, Clean water, and so much more.

The gift guide is broken down into eight categories:

Ministry to children
Gifts under $15
Operation Christmas child
World Evangelism
Meeting crisis needs
Transforming Communities
Farms & livestock
More gifts

They have suggested amounts for each donation but you can enter in an amount you are comfortable with if you can't afford the suggested one or want to break it up and do several areas of the gift guide. I understand that this time of the year can be especially hard financially but this time also brings out the good in people. People wanting to open their hearts, homes & sometimes wallets to help those in need. So this year I ask you to check out Samaritans Purse and how you can help a person in true need.

Samaritan's Purse is a non profit Christian organization that provides spiritual as well as physical aid to the less unfortunate people around the world. Since 1970 they have helped people that are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, & famine. Their purpose is to share God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Wordless Wednesday-A few of my favorite things

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:29:00 +0000

One of my favorite movies as a child was the Sound of Music. I loved all of the singing and the story behind the movie. And of course I would reenact the movie pretending I was Maria. Because nobody solves a problem like Maria.

I can still sing most of the songs from that movie and one of these days I will actually get around to buying it because I think my daughter would love it also. One of my favorite songs is Few of my Favorite things. I just love it because they aren't moentary items per say but more small things that are special to her. I know I am getting deep on a movie that isn't even real but I get that way about musicals.

Anywho, my point to all of this is I wanted to share a few of my favorite things, via photos of course.

Watching my babies sleep

Watching the sun rise

Watching thunderstorms

Flowers

Happy children

Messy kisses

Friendship

Playing in the snow

Family

Nature

Rainbows

And lastly, memories

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

Sunset Sunday-Brilliant colors

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:30:00 +0000

I know I have mentioned before how amazing the sunsets are out here but I feel as though photos don't do it justice sometimes. At least the photos from my standpoint, on the ground standing only 5ft 5in tall looking upwards instead of outwards. My husband and I have joked about getting up on the roof to take photos but I haven't done it because, well I am scared LOL. I've never been on a roof before and since I am accident prone I can just see it wouldn't be a smart thing for me to attempt climbing on the roof.

So earlier this week my husband and I walked outside to look at the sunset, me with my camera in hand he starts running telling me to follow him. I was confused but figured what the heck might as well follow him. He comes running back outside with the ladder in hand.

I have to say that I love being married to a man that has similar geek-doms such as myself. So up onto the rooftop he went. Camera in hand while I waited safely on the ground. This first photo is courtesy of my husband great photography skills.

These are a few of the shots I managed to get via 20 feet below rooftop level and safely on the ground.

None of these photos were edited, excluding the black & white one of course. Only thing done was to add the b&w finish. All the brilliant colors were the same colors we saw with our own eyes. How's that for a gorgeous sunset?

Craig from Stay Adventurous and I have teamed up to help spread the word on Sunset Sundays. We would love it if you would join us and link up your sunset photos!

Sunset Sunday-Just in time

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:36:00 +0000

With winter approaching the weather has been quite chilly lately. And along with the cold weather we've had a few days of no sun. I love the cold rainy weather but I don't think I could go any more then a few days without seeing the sun. Last weekend we had a cloudy day and the clouds reminded me of waves. It was really a neat sight to see. Even without being able to see the sunset you can see the glow towards the bottom of the photo.

This second photo was also from last weekend, another cloudy day, except the clouds parted and the sun shone through right as it was sunset. It was a gorgeous sight to see.

Craig from Stay Adventurous and I have teamed up to help spread the word on Sunset Sundays. We would love it if you would join us and link up your sunset photos!

Discover Zaarly plus a chance to win $50

noreply@blogger.com (Shana) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:19:00 +0000

*Update: The winner of the $50 Visa Gift Card was Alysa George who commented on RachelFerrucci's post. CONGRATULATIONS Alysa.*

The word Zaarly has been all over the internet lately. When I first heard of it I had no idea what exactly it was. So naturally I had to go check it out.

Zaarly (@Zaarly on twitter) is a site where you can search for anything you can think of from companies and/or independent contractors. For example say you wanted to look for someone that could come hang up your Christmas lights because you've never done so and are a little scared of falling off the roof. Simply type in what you are looking for, your price range, approximate location and Zaarly will post your listing. If there are places out there that do this you will receive offer in your activity section of your page.

Not looking to buy anything? That's okay because you can also do the opposite. If you fulfill a task, service, or have a product that is wanted, you can also make money on Zaarly.

There are some rules of course. You can find them in the Marketplace Rules. As long as you abide by the rules you have the opportunity to make money or find services at your price.

Right now when you Sign up for Zaarly they will donate $1.00 to Feeding America – (@feedingAmerica). But in order for Feeding America to receive the donation you just must click this Zaarly link. Each donation will represent a gift to Feeding America’s entire mission. $1.00 may not seem like a lot but $1.00 equals to 8 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.

Enter for a chance to win a chance for a $50 Visa gift card

Sign up for Zaarly using this link (Remember it's Free & $1.00 will go to Feeding America!)
Come back & place your user name in the comments
Entries must be in by Dec 15th 11:59 EST

Winners are chosen through random.org. US and Canada eligible. Chances of winning depend on how many entries are received through all posts with this giveaway. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours. Name will also be placed on this post.