The Blue Zoo

Cowboy Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 07:34:00 +0000

This is one of those recipes that happened when it was time for dinner and I had that "Oh crap. What am I going to make??" moment. You know, where you start frantically going through the cupboards and favorite recipes looking for any kind of inspiration.

On this particular night I had a little bit of this, a little bit of that... and it was all adding up to a whole lot of nothing!

I ended up looking at two different recipes and then just kind of using what I had in the cupboards and making up a new recipe. Through the years I've made tweaks here and there. I just love it! It's the perfect spicy comfort food.

Honestly, my kids don't like it. They are not into the tomatoes! I was thinking that the next time I make it I will puree the tomatoes. Maybe then they won't sit there for an hour trying to pick every single last tomato out of their bowls. Ridiculous little children I have.

Cowboy Stew

1 to 1 1/2 Lbs browned and drained ground beef
2 10 oz cans tomatoes with chilies, undrained
8 oz can tomato sauce (optional, I've made it with and without before. It's good both ways!)
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 15 oz cans pinto beans, drained
15 oz can corn, drained
1 package taco seasoning
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
3 Cups water
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

In a large saucepan combine everything and mix well. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Makes about 8 servings, just depending on how big your servings are!

Goes great with some honey buttered cornbread!

Spicy Honey Glazed Salmon

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

I am the only one in my family who likes salmon. I don't know why my crazy husband and boys don't! Weirdos!! It's one of my favorite things. Oh well - more for me I guess! HaHa! At least it's an easy dish to cook for one. If you are cooking for more than one though this recipe should double or triple easy. I absolutely love this recipe, it is SO good and SO easy to throw together! And it even looks kinda fancy, so you could whip it up for company.

Spicy Honey Glazed Salmon

2 Tablespoons hot water
2 to 3 Teaspoons honey
1/2 Teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (Or more if you like it really spicy!)
1 Teaspoon butter

In a small dish mix the hot water and honey until the honey is melted. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Next pour the mixture into a small hot frying pan. Let the sauce bubble for just a couple minutes. Add the salmon. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the 1 teaspoon of butter. (Don't forget it! It really does make a difference.) After about a minute flip the salmon and cook for about another 3 -5 minutes. Depending on how thick your salmon is it should be about done by now. As the salmon cooks the sauce will reduce and turn into a beautiful glaze that just tastes amazing.

Skinny Black Bean Burritos

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:54:00 +0000

Trying to eat healthy can be so difficult sometimes. I get so bored with typical "diet" food. Sometimes I just need some real FOOD! I want savory and crunchy and yes... cheesy!

So I set off to the kitchen to find something to satisfy my craving. Of course it was going to end up being Mexican food! I love Mexican food, I could eat it all day every day.

To save myself some calories I grabbed my favorite low cal almost fat free tortillas, fat free sour cream and I just happened to have some fat free shredded cheese. I know not everyone is into fat free items, so just use whatever your favorite brands are!

Skinny Black Bean Burritos

1 can black beans

1 can of spicy diced tomatoes (like Ro-Tel)

onion powder, or dried minced onions, or fresh diced onions

garlic powder or minced garlic

tortillas

shredded cheese

sour cream

butter flavored cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and rinse the black beans. Then mix the beans, tomatoes and seasonings in a small saucepan. Heat until nice and warm. Lay on a cookie sheet and fill with desired amount of bean and tomato mixture. My tortillas are kinda on the small side so I used about 1/2 cup.

Roll up and lightly spray with the butter flavored cooking spray. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes and then flip, bake for about another 10 minutes. This should get it nice and crispy. If it's not crispy just keep baking and flipping until it's as crispy as you want it!

Top with your favorite shredded cheese and sour cream and voila! An easy lunch or dinner that fills you up without having to be full of fat!

I made these for myself for lunch and saved the leftover bean mixture to use for the next day. I got about 5 burritos out of this recipe. It was an awesomely cheap week of lunches for me! (Don't try to make the burritos ahead of time though, it gets kinda soggy and will ruin the yummy crunchiness.)

Easy Macaroni and Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Whenever I need a side dish I always lean towards good ol’ mac n cheese. Who can resist such a warm cheesy comfort dish??
I have several favorite recipes. But I like this one cause it’s easy to throw together and doesn’t take too long to bake. (And the easy route always wins at this house.) Plus ALL my kids like this dish! I’m not going to lie, my boys are picky. Super picky. So any dish that makes them all happy and is easy to make is just awesome for me. Mom win!
Remember – all ingredients are approximate. If you want more cheese, add more. If you hate parmesan, skip it! That’s the best thing about mac n cheese, you can make it how YOU like it!

Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces of elbow noodles
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup milk
8 oz or more cheddar cheese
1 Cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 to 1/2 cup wheat germ
3 to 4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until almost done. About 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
While the macaroni is cooking mix tomatoes, milk and parmesan in small saucepan and heat until hot.

Mix tomato mixture and cooked macaroni in a large bowl or in the same pot you boiled the noodles in. (That’s what I do! Why wash extra dishes?)
Pour into a baking dish. I like to use my 9x9 inch 3 quart square baking dish. Gives me lots of room for the cheese!!

Cover top with the cheese. Sprinkle with enough bread crumbs to lightly coat the top. Just kinda eye ball it. Then do the same with the wheat germ, this is the secret ingredient here! It really helps make the top crunchy.
Dot with butter.

Bake for 30 minutes.

See, who could resist this gooey cheesy goodness?!

Under Construction!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:25:00 +0000

I'm very happy to announce that I will be returning to blogging! That's right, The Blue Zoo is making a comeback baby.

There are going to be some BIG-BIG-BIG changes! After my long break I am all full of exciting ideas and really want to take this blog of mine into a new direction.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be playing around with some new formatting, design and maybe even change on over to Word Press finally. Please be patient while I mess things up around here....

Hopefully we will be good to go soon!!

Happy Holidays!

Tummy Tuck Update ~ It’s Been TWO Years!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Wow.

When I flipped the calendar and saw that it had been 2 years since my tummy tuck I was like, “Wow, really?” It really doesn’t feel like it’s been that long!

I still get tons of emails from women who are going to have the surgery or are at least seriously thinking about it. And everyone always wants to know how bad is it going to hurt and what does it look like now.

My advice for the pain is always prepare for the worst. Then at least you’re prepared if it really is the worst and then if it isn’t you’ll feel so relieved!

I took some pics this morning so you can see what my tummy looks like now, and you can see how the scar has lightened up these last two years. But first, check out what my stomach used to look like -

Crazy, huh?!?! If you click here you can scroll through ALL my tummy tuck posts. There are before and after pics every step of the way – before and after my surgery, before and after my scar revision… etc…

OK, here are some pictures of what I look like today. I took these pictures myself so they aren’t exactly perfect but you can still see the scar. And you can see that I still don’t have 6 pack abs…. Ugh. After this post I AM going to go do about 100 crunches! Also, yes – I am wearing my pj’s in these pictures.

In this first picture you can clearly see that my scar is still WAY higher on my right. It is still annoying. I still hate it. But there isn’t anything I can do about it so I just try not to think about it. I can’t really hide it in a bikini, it shows no matter what. Unless I wear granny type panties… And who wants to do that??

Here is a close up of the scar on my right side -

As you can see it doesn’t exactly lay flat either. But at least the scar is thin and lightly colored.

This is the scar on my left. It looks much better. Also, you can see my new belly button pretty good too. It’s a little weird… but it looks WAY better than it did before the surgery!

You can see my stretch marks still. But I knew even after the surgery they would be there, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve had 4 kids! OF COURSE I’m going to have stretch marks. They are so light they aren’t a big deal to me. Below are some close ups of my scar. It really does still bother me that the right side is so high. I would have been much happier over all had my scar been where my plastic surgeon said it would be.

Well… there you have it. What do you think? Any questions?

Even though my high scar will always bother me… I am glad I did the surgery. I really wish it hadn’t hurt SO freakin’ bad and I wish the scar was lower but over all my tummy looks a MILLION times better!! I don’t have to tuck my skin into my pants and that’s always a plus right?? haha!

Here are some direct links to my other tummy tuck posts -

The 1st one – What A Real Mommy Tummy Looks Like

Then the very first post after my tummy tuck – So, I Got A Tummy Tuck

Here is the last one I did which was a year ago – 1 Year Since My Tummy Tuck

Make sure you check out all the tummy tuck posts in between too!

We Are Having A Fun And Sorta Lazy Summer…..

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 08:06:00 +0000

Holy moly! I can’t believe how long it has been since I posted!! Sheesh!

Summer here has been full of lazy days. We have been lounging around, playing video games, watching movies, playing card games and even some reading here and there.

But we have done some stuff in the last couple weeks!

I took the boys fishing, they had a blast!! I had to put the worms on the hook… it was disgusting. The boys all caught a TON of fish, and I had worm guts everywhere. Nasty!

On our very first run Gavin and I found a teeny tiny kitty. She was stuck at the top of lavender bush. She was meowing like crazy at us, so I lifted up my arms and told her “Well, come on then!” And she DID! She just jumped right into my arms. She couldn’t have been more than 7 weeks old. We carried her home and have fattened her up some, although she’s still pretty scrawny. We named her Precious. She snuggles up with Gavin, sleeps right on his pillow! I swear he is like the Cat Whiperer. Cats just LOVE him. Sadly we can’t keep Precious… Dexter (the new puppy) thinks she’s a toy we got just for him, and we already have 3 cats! But… she is just so darn sweet. I wish we could keep her.

In other news…. I FINALLY tried the new Dorito Taco from Taco Bell!!!! MMmmmmmm, I’ve been craving more ever since!! Oh, they are so good. In fact, I’m having this for lunch tomorrow!! We have to drive like 40 miles just to get to the nearest Taco Bell, and it’s in a truck stop. But whatever, they are totally worth it. And don’t you dare tell me how many calories these have. Don’t you dare!!

I also got to go to Reno and hang out with my Bloggy Bestie!!! We had a blast!!! Kim (from Pretty Pink Momma) and her husband had to go to California and then they drove the 3 hours over to Reno just to hang out with us for a day. How awesome is that? We ate tons of food, gambled a little, did some shopping (At the mall!! With NO kids!! Whooo hooo!!), and laughed and laughed. I seriously needed some grown up time, I wish we could have had a longer visit! Next time we need to hit the spa!

And – Our family welcomed a little girl into the world!! My brother in law and his girlfriend had a precious little girl. She is just adorable. Seth was the only one of my boys who would hold her! Can’t believe the others were afraid of such a tiny baby! Haha! She is the first girl on my husbands side. There are TEN grandsons. Yes, 10! I think this little girl will be equally spoiled and tough! With all those boys… she’ll toughen up quick!

We have some camping trips coming up, a day trip to a local cave and crafts projects I want to do with the kids, plus I promised them a trip to the water park in Reno! We’ve definitely got some fun stuff planned for the summer.

What have you guys been doing? Anything fun? Do you have some fun craft ideas for me? Sometimes it’s too hot to go out, you know?

Gettin' Skinny Friday ~ Easing Into Running

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:38:00 +0000

I am not a good runner. Really. I pretty much suck at it. I can’t keep pace very well and either go too fast and tire quickly OR I go so slow I figure I should just walk. I can totally rock an elliptical though! I can go for at least an hour… complete most of the built in programs that are on it AND I can even kinda sorta dance while I’m “running” on it. (Luckily I workout at home so no one can see me twitching around on the elliptical!)

But – I miss running!! When I was little I ran everywhere. I didn’t even think about it! I just went. I was tall, I had legs that were meant for running. And that’s what I did. I remember in 5th grade there was only ONE boy who could beat me in a race. Oh how I wanted to fly by him!! But it never happened. And of course he was the cutest boy in the whole 5th grade. Seriously, that boy is probably a pro athlete or a model by now.

Then I entered the 7th grade and was stuck with a crappy gym teacher who sucked ALL the fun out of running. And 8th grade wasn’t any better. That’s when I really just started hating running. I just got slower and slower until I just refused to do it at all.

However… I still remember how much I loved running. The wind in my hair… nothing but the sound of my feet hitting the ground…

That’s why right now, at the age of thirty something, with gray hairs starting to make an appearance (bastards!!) and wrinkles definitely making their presence known (those are bastards too!!) I am going to start training for a 5K!!

See, my 11 yr old son has signed up to play football at the end of the summer. And honestly… he isn’t the best runner. He has actually never been a fan of running. But he wants to play football! So the condition was that he had to train and get in shape this summer. He’s kinda getting a little pudgy. Which I know a lot of pre teens go through a pudgy phase. No big deal. But he wants to be in shape, he wants to be a better runner…. He just wishes there was a magic potion to make him a better runner! Ha! Don’t we all??

So, the kid and I have started doing the Couch to 5K Program! I found the program at Coolrunning.com and I really like how it VERY slowly gets you into running. I’m going to do the program a little bit different… The website says to just do the routine about 3 times a week. But we are going to do it everyday. The first week is only 20 minutes at a time. That’s really not that hard. You only run for a minute then you walk for a couple minutes… and repeat. I’m planning on doing Week 1’s routine every day for a week and then move on to Week 2’s routine. There’s even an app for my Droid that has all the workouts on it. And it tells you when to run and when to walk! That makes it SO much easier than carrying a stop watch and having to remember the routine.

We’ve only done 2 workouts so far, and I can tell that my kid isn’t exactly feeling the “runners high” yet… But we’ll get there! As for me, these first couple of days haven’t been that hard. I’m excited to complete the program! And I’m hoping that my son will fall in love with running. I just think it would be awesome to enter a 5K with him.

I’ll be keeping you updated with our progress! All the ups and downs of becoming a runner. All the whining and complaining, and hopefully all of our triumphs too! By the end of the summer I hope that my son and I will be totally rocking the 5K!

Look! I even got a new T-shirt to keep me motivated!! I LOVE it!

Do You “Like” Me??

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:49:00 +0000

Just wondering…. Have you “liked” my Facebook page yet??

If not…. WHY?? WHY? WHY??

Cause you SHOULD.

I don’t post tons, and I won’t ask you to play any stupid Facebook games.

Sometimes I post things like this -

And sometimes things like this -

I try to keep it PG, or maybe PG-13 over there. AND I will even let you share YOUR posts on my page, unless it’s stupid… or spammy. But mostly I’m not too picky.

So GO over and “LIKE” me please! And say hi!! Cause it’s lonely over there since I switched to a like page. Stupid Facebook and their rules.

(If you leave a link to your page I will return the favor!)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Gone Fishin’ Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:43:00 +0000

Over the weekend we celebrated my dad’s 60th birthday!! I got to make the cake! My mom wanted a fishing themed cake, with the saying “There’s no lips like fish lips!” He used to love that saying when we lived in Oregon.

The “lake” was a carrot cake with tinted cream cheese frosting and the cupcakes were very chocolate with rich chocolate frosting. I was happy to find all the little decorations and chocolate rocks to complete the look.

Everyone loved it! Maybe someday I’ll get to own my own cupcake shop. =)

For more Wordless Wednesdays visit 5 Minutes for Mom or Live and Love Out Loud.

The Juicy Juice Fruit For All Project ~ Win Meals For Your Local Food Bank!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:21:00 +0000

The Myth - A recent survey sponsored by Juicy Juice revealed 1 in 4 (27%) moms do not think hunger affects a significant number of children in the U.S.

The Truth - The reality is over 16 million American children (more than 1 in 5) are food insecure, meaning they live at risk of hunger. And for food insecure children, the summer presents an even greater risk:

During the 2011 federal fiscal year, 21 million children received free or reduced-price meals, including essential fruit servings, through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just 2.3 million of these same children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that year, leaving 18.7 million without assistance (source: USDA).

I was shocked to learn that the number was so high! 16 million!! Wow. I knew that hunger was a big issue here in the U.S., but seeing the number just makes it that much more real. We often donate to our local food bank…. But mostly in the fall and winter months. I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me that the food banks would probably need even more food in the summer!

Click here to see an Interactive Hunger Map, you can see how food insecurity affects your state county by county. It’s very eye opening!

America’s battle against hunger isn’t about having enough food. In fact an estimated 6 BILLION pounds of fruits and vegetable go to waste each year!! The real problem is of equity, distribution and access to food.

This year Juicy Juice will become part of the solution by supporting the harvesting and transportation of up to 35 million pieces of fruit to the children and families that need it most!

How can you get involved with Nestle Juicy Juice and Feeding America to battle hunger?

Between June 1 and August 31, helping place fruit in the hands of children and families in need is as simple as enjoying Juicy Juice. Each time Juicy Juice is purchased, they will provide a piece of fruit to hungry kids and their families.

In addition, kids and their parents can log on to Juicy Juice’s Facebook page or go to Juicy Juice’s FruitForAllProject.com and complete fun challenges like games, quizzes and puzzles to earn even more fruit donations for those in need. If you submit a photo of you and your kids volunteering to help fight hunger THREE pieces of fruit will be donated! (Sounds like a good summer project to me!)

Also you should check out this video, it’s the Fruit For All Project Story where you’ll meet 3 different families and hear about their struggles and what Juicy Juice is doing to help -

OK, now that you’re all informed and excited to help …. here’s the coolest part ~

YOU can enter to WIN 400 meals for your local food bank!!!

How awesome it that?!?! I was SO excited to hear about this project. And even more excited to learn about the giveaway! For helping spread the word about the Fruit For All Project one lucky The Blue Zoo reader will win 400 meals donated to their local food bank AND 400 meals will be donated to MY local food bank!!

The Prize – 400 meals donated directly to your local food bank. Upon winning the winner will need to provide their zip code.

To Enter – Please leave a comment below sharing how you give back to your community OR why you are excited about the Fruit For All Project.

Additional Entries – AFTER you have entered by doing the above mandatory entry you may complete as many of the optional additional entries below as you wish. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Also, make sure that your email address is visible in your profile or is in your comment.

- “Like” The Blue Zoo on Facebook. (1 additional entry)

- Follow @TheBlueZoo on Twitter AND Tweet about this amazing giveaway! (3 additional entries. You must provide a link to this giveaway in your tweet AND leave the URL of your tweet in the comment.)

The Rules – Please read carefully! Nestle Juicy Juice will be donating the 400 meals directly to the winners local food bank, winner must provide their zip code. This giveaway ends July 1st 2012 at 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be chosen through a random number generator and will be notified through email. (Make sure your email is in your comment!!) Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is open to US residents 18 yrs old and up. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary.

** No monetary compensation was received. Information was provided by Nestle Juicy Juice but all opinions expressed are MY OWN. **

Enter The Lands End Confidence-To-Go Sweepstakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Hey ladies! I thought you might be interested in this! -

Last days to enter the Lands’ End Confidence-To-Go Sweepstakes!

Win a trip for two to Hilton Head Island

Enter Sweepstakes Here:

http://on.fb.me/MoHslk

Show off your swimsuit confidence on the sandy beaches of Hilton Head Island. As part of the National Swimsuit Confidence campaign, Lands’ End and Self Magazine are offering a chance to win a three-night trip for two to Hilton Head Island, SC. Between now and May 28, 2012, simply go to http://on.fb.me/MoHslk and enter the sweepstakes at the “Swim Confidence” tab. One grand prize winner, chosen at random, will win round-trip airfare for two, a three-night stay at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa as well as a variety of “confidence-to-go experiences” ranging from biking on the beach, kayaking and paddle boarding to Heavenly Spa Treatments, dining al fresco at Carolina Café and dinner at Oceans.

Swimsuit Confidence Twitter Events – Chance to Win $500 Lands’ End Gift Card

Join Lands’ End and SELF Magazine each day May 21 – 25, 2012 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CDST and participate in a series of National Swimsuit Confidence Week events on Twitter. Each day Lands’ End will give away 6 - $50 Lands’ End gift cards each day!

Date: Each Day – May 21 – 25, 2012

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CDST

Location: #confidence

Follow: @LandsEndPR, @SELFMagazine, @LEprMichele, @LEprMariella, @LEprMolly

I have Swimsuit Confidence! - Get the Badge – Go to http://on.fb.me/MhaQwh and display the “I have swimsuit confidence!” Badge on your Twitter profile photo. Send a tweet to @LandsEndPR proclaiming “I have swimsuit confidence!” #confidence for a chance to be entered to win a $500 Lands’ End gift card. Send now through May 25 – winner announced at 5:00 p.m. CDST May 25, 2012.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dexter Gets Dirty

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:19:00 +0000

See? I told you that Dexter would be hogging the Wordless Wednesdays around here.

Look at this face -

Who wouldn’t be taking his picture constantly??

Since we’ve been waiting for him to get all his vaccinations he hasn’t been outside much. He hasn’t had time to get dirty at all! Poor puppy! But we just couldn’t take the chance of him getting sick.

He loved digging in the dirt! It was adorable to watch. And then he found a stick that was bigger than him!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

For The Love Of All Things Holy, Please Shut The Door When You Go Potty!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:46:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Donovan and I travelled to Reno for a dentist appointment. Alone…. Just the two of us. I can not remember the last time I went somewhere with only one kid. And I’ve never been in Reno without another adult. Isn’t that weird??

We decided to also get some shopping done while we were there. Get stocked up on stuff since the shopping sucks here in Tiny Town.

Where do you go to get majorly stocked up on groceries??

Costco, of course!! The magical place of massive containers of peanut butter and gigantic boxes of fruit snacks. And the samples… My boys live for those free samples! Costco is the best place to get my kids to try new foods. If it’s a free sample at Costco my boys are all over it.

Donovan and I get our over sized cart and prepare to load up. We no sooner walk into the store and “Mommy, I have to go poopies.” Ugh, are you serious?? Here? Great.

Of course it takes some convincing to get him to go into the girls bathroom. I don’t know why, he knows that every single time he has to go potty and it’s just the two of of us he HAS to go in the girls bathroom with me.

We grab the very first stall in the busy bathroom. I’m actually not allowed in the stall with him. He needs his privacy you know. But I do have to stand right outside the door because I am the official butt wiper. Oh joy.

People are coming and going… (Ha ha! Going! – Yea, I laugh at that kind of stuff.)

And in walks an old lady. Not ancient old. Just old enough to have all gray hair, a sun visor, a fanny pack, knee length shorts and socks yanked up to the shorts. She takes the stall right next to Donovan.

I see her go in… I know she is in there. But here’s the thing -

The door doesn’t shut!!

Where I’m leaning against the wall I can’t see in the stall. So at first I think (I hope!) that maybe she is just adjusting her socks. You wouldn’t need to shut the door for that, right??

However, as women are walking in the bathroom and thinking that the stall is empty, head towards it - the looks on their faces make me SO thankful that I can’t see in there!!

And I’m stuck between hoping that Donovan will hurry the hell up and hoping that he doesn’t. Because God only knows what he would say if he sees whatever it is she is doing in there! Which must not be pleasant.. because everyone who walks by looks totally grossed out!

Luckily at the same time she emerges from the stall Donovan yells, “I’m DOOOOONNE!” Whew! I won’t have to worry about what completely honest yet completely rude comment he would make.

BUT -

What’s grosser than going to the bathroom with the stall door open??

SHE DOESN’T EVEN WASH HER HANDS!!

She just saunters on out. Doesn’t even pretend to go near the sink and soap!!

I never knew little old ladies could be so gross! Ugh. I hope she doesn’t bake treats for her church bake sale!! Ewwwww!

Great Mother’s Day Gift Ideas From Restaurant.com

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:02:00 +0000

Give a mom what she really wants for Mother’s Day!

FOOD!

And NO DISHES to wash!!

A night off from kitchen duty? Sounds perfect to me!

And that’s why a gift card from Restaurant.com is the perfect gift to give. Who doesn’t love going out to eat? Sometimes gift cards can feel a tad impersonal though. Sometimes you want something that’s a little more special than just handing over a gift card and saying “Here ya go…”

Check out these cute gift ideas that The Dish team put together -

For the mom with a green thumb ~

Gardening Supplies
Flower pot – $5
Gardening gloves – $6
Chalkboard sign – $1
Seeds – $1
$50 Restaurant.com Gift Card – $20

I love this one, chocolate and a hand made card? Cute! Plus it’s something easy for the kids to do.

Card made by you – FREE!
Candy – $4
$50 Restaurant.com Gift Card – $20

Dinner and wine is always a good idea!

Bottle of wine – $10
$25 Restaurant.com Gift Card – $10

Those ideas are all quick and easy, but really thoughtful at the same time. Takes the stress out of gift giving for sure!

And remember - Restaurant.com Gift Cards are also available as e-Gift Cards for last-minute shoppers in denominations of $25 for $10, $50 for $20, $75 for $30, $100 for $40 and even $250 for $100 and $500 for $200. So if you just happen to forget Mother’s Day you can still look like you were on top of things by sending an e-Gift card!

I occasionally receive compensation in the form of gift cards and products for posts. However, the opinions I share are solely my own.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Cutest Puppy In The World

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:37:00 +0000

I have a feeling little Dexter will be hogging most of the Wordless Wednesday posts around here! He’s just SOOOOOOO adorable!

Not only is he the cutest puppy EVER he’s also the most spoiled!!

Well. That Break Was Longer Than Intended!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

It was December and I was busy. Overwhelmed with the holidays and kids and stuff and, and, LIFE.

I just needed a break. Just a little break to get caught up on the everything that I was behind in. Two weeks, tops. Then I would be caught up and things would have settled down and I would be refreshed. But then those two weeks stretched into three… then four…. then eight. Before I knew it I hadn’t blogged in 4 months! Oops!

And guess what?! I never even got caught up on everything I thought I would get caught up on!

I’m going to be doing things a little differently this time around. I like spending more time with my kiddos and less time on Twitter and reading blogs, and checking stats, and Facebook.. blah blah blah! So I probably won’t be blogging all the time. Maybe once or twice a week, or I may even miss a week! Kids are only young once, I won’t get these days back… and even though most of the time they are driving me absolutely freaking bonkers, I kinda don’t want to miss out.

Plus, we got this little guy -

And let me tell you – he keeps me BUSY! His name is Dexter. He’s positively adorable, and positively a huge pain in the ass. But we love him.

Now I’m off to tackle my email… Ugh… Wish me luck. I haven’t checked it in 4 months… This is going to be scary!

ABBA You Can Dance ~ Review and Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:25:00 +0000

The kids and I just love all the Just Dance games for the Wii. I like them because not only are you playing a game you're getting a workout too! The boys like the dancing games because they get to laugh at how bad of a dancer mommy is... Ha! Oh well, at least it's fun right?

So I knew that we would have fun with the ABBA You Can Dance game. We even had a whole dance party! I tried to get everyone to dress up 70's style... But none of us had any 70's kind of clothes. So we just went with the comfy look. I loaded up on tons of snack foods, we had tons and tons of chips and dips, hot wings, cheesesticks, taquitos, jalepeno poppers, and pies for dessert! You can never go wrong with chips and pie.

I didn't really know how to decorate for a 70's ABBA party. But obviously a disco ball is a must have!

After we all got done pigging out we were more than ready to burn some calories and get our boogie on! I was surprised that I only knew a few of the songs. But even more surprised that my two 11 yr old nieces knew ALL the songs! Apparently all these dance songs are on that Mama Mia movie, that I never saw. I have boys! They aren't interested in musical movies about girly love stuff. Either way - you don't have to know all the songs to boogie down! But if you happen to have a Mama Mia fan, they are going to love this game.

I loved all the little extras that are in this game, like the ABBA videos playing in the background while you dance, the options to have group dances, the different characters you can pick to be your avatar, 25 songs to choose from, the ABBA photos, a way to play with a storyline, AND it has karaoke!! The young girls really really wanted to try out the karaoke but we decided to save it for a later time. It looked really cool though, we just ran out of time!

The kids had so much fun with the group dances. And my 10 yr old really appreciated having the option to pick a guy to be his avatar. He refuses to dance if he has to be a girl!

I finally had to wrestle the controllers away from the youngin's and try the dancin' out for myself! Even though I didn't know any of the songs the dances were fun! My sister and I were cracking up as I was falling all over myself. Coordinated I am not. Gavin took some pics of us and all the ones with me in them are blurry, except this one -

We all just had a blast with this game! If you're still Christmas shopping this would make a great gift for any family. Or get it for yourself and throw a fun 70's party! You can get it right at Toys R Us.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Quick And Easy Holiday Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:40:00 +0000

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

The holidays are a great time to get together with friends and family. Well, really anytime is a good time! But it just seems more special during the holidays. Or is that just me?

I just love getting together with my friends and going out to eat or getting pedicures. Catching up and spending time together even during the busy holiday season is important to me. I like to make goodies and watch Christmas movies, or go shopping together, or even chatting at the grocery store! We're all busy and I'll take what I can get!

There always seems to be lots of chances to get together though. There are Christmas parties galore, potlucks, cookie exchanges, all sorts of get togethers planned during the holidays! Which I love of course! I'm all about the food! People usually do lots of their very best baking during the holidays. So the yummies are especially yummy!

But with all the shopping and the gift wrapping and the parties and the regular day to day STUFF - we don't always have the time to make every little thing from scratch!! Sometimes we just need something quick and easy. But it still has to be just as good, if not better, than something we would make from scratch right? Or maybe you want something super yummy and you're planning on passing it off as homemade! Ha!

Here is a super easy dessert you can put together for your next holiday get together (Or you can just make it for yourself! It's so good you may not want to share!!) -

Prepare a Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Decadent cake mix according to package directions. I like to use a 9 inch cake pan to bake it in. Let it cool for abut 15 minutes, if you can wait that long! Cut into wedges and top with Wilderness raspberry topping. Then you can either use ice cream on the side or you can use whipped cream. It's up to you. Heck, you could use both!

Mmmmmm, who can resist chocolate and raspberries?? Not me!

The chocolate cake is so moist and when you serve it warm it is AMAZING. No one would even have to know it came from a mix! Plus you could use any fruit topping you want. I bet cherries would be good. But raspberries are my favorite!

There you go, a quick dessert you can whip up the next time you're hanging out with your friends! Try it and let me know what you think!

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Assassin's Creed Revelations Review

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:51:00 +0000

My husband is a "gamer". And now my boys are turning into little gamers too. Sometimes I come home from running errands and they are all geeked out - Hubs will be on the PS3, and the little ones will either be on the Xbox or their DS's or their mini laptops playing games on there.

But it does make shopping for my husband a litte easier, because we all know sometimes guys can be so hard to shop for. I can just get him a new video game and he's happy. But, even if you know they like video games, you never know which game to get. Video games can be pretty spendy and there's no way you want to spend that much money on a game unless you know they are going to like it!

My husband has been a fan of the Assassin's Creed games since the first one came out. He has them all for the PS3 and at least one for the PSP. My 10 year old even has one of them for his Nintendo DS. So when I asked my husband if he wanted to help me out with my blog by reviewing the new Assassin's Creed Revelations ALL the boys said yes!

All my boys just love watching daddy play this game. Mostly they like for him to climb tall buildings, like this -

And then they like him to jump off -

I really have no idea why this appeals to them so much. But it really does! And as long as the guy lands in a flower bush or a pile of hay the guy doesn't die. Which makes no sense to me what-so-ever, must be a boy thing! Ha!

So, after my husband played the game for about 10 hours straight, (Not even kidding!) I asked him how he liked it so far.... His reply? "It's good." Chatty he is not. Maybe I should have waited til he was done playing!

I really liked that the graphics are so real looking! There were a couple times I had to stop and watch because the background is pretty and real looking. Not like other games he plays where the background is just kinda blah. I also liked that even though there is fighting and killing - it's not that graphic. There is a little blood splatter, but not enough to bother me. So I let all the boys watch daddy play the game. (Ages 5 through 10.)

This pic is a little blurry cause I was using my cell camera and he was moving. But when you're playing it's VERY clear!

This is what my husband had to say about the game -

Although it is a continuation of a series you wouldn't neccassarily have to have played the other games to enjoy this one. But you would probaby want to! He enjoyed that the basic game play was the same as the previous games, but that they added new weapons and new tools to change things up a bit. The graphics are awesome! There is a lot to do - missions, tasks, storyline. Lots of stuff to do so that you will be playing for a long time. This isn't a game you will be done with in a few hours. (And us wives can decide if that's a good thing or not!) He hasn't heard any cursing yet, and the blood and violence is "mild". (But, of course, it depends on how you play the game. You could just walk around killing anything and everything. But he doesn't cause that isn't the point of the game.)

For TODAY only you can get Assassin's Creed Revelations on sale at Amazon!! (<--- Click the link!) Would make a great gift for that hard to buy for gamer in your life.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Sam's Club iPad App Review ~ It's Awesome!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:25:00 +0000

One of the funnest things about having an iPad is getting to check out all the cool apps available. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there really is an app for just about anything and everything you can think of! The trouble is that not all of those apps are good. (Nothing irritates me more than actually paying for an app and finding out it really sucks! That's why I usually stick to the free ones.) So when you find an app that really goes above and beyond what you were expecting, it really sticks out. Especially when that app is free!

I really haven't seen very many shopping type apps. And the ones that I did see weren't all that great. I ended up not even using them because they were so user unfriendly and it was just easier to go to their websites. I really wasn't sure what to expect when checking out the new Sam's Club iPad app. Would it be just a regular app with not a lot of options?

No!

I opened the app as soon as it was done loading and I was instantly impressed with the design. It's so bright, colorful, fun and inviting.I couldn't wait to push all the buttons and see what this app could do. First off, I really loved the winter theme! And it will change with the seasons, how fun! Definitely put me in the mood to do some Christmas shopping... ;)

Everything is labeled so well that you can easily click on whichever section you are most interested in. Right smack in the middle is a snow globe that will show you Holiday Gift Guide, underneath you can see the section for new items, in the upper left hand corner is a bright green icon where you can search for particular items. It's all very convenient and very user friendly. My 5 year old has already figured out how to get to the toy section!

Right away I noticed the recipe section. I love recipes so this was right up my alley! The Sam's Club app makes it really easy to see the different categories. Each recipe has a beautiful photo. And it's really convenient that you can email the recipe or share it on Facebook and/or Twitter. Plus you can make a list of all the ingredients you might need with the handy list feature.

Another thing I really love about the new Sam's Club app is that you don't have to be a member to view it. You can explore as much as you want! Of course, after you check out all the super awesome deals, you're probably going to want to get a membership. (I know I did!) Which you can purchase right through the app! Very convenient.

The Sam's Club Holiday Gift Guide will for sure help you with any hard to buy for people in your family. Love that there is a "Value of the Day!" What a great way to save!

Of course, and I'm sure this is no surprise, my favorite section of the gift guide is the free shipping section! I just simply love free shipping. Even though Sam's Club has decent shipping charges, free is still better - right?

Are you lucky enough to have a Sam's Club nearby? I'm not. The nearest one is 2 1/2 hours away. Makes it a litte hard for any impromptu shopping trips. And before this app came out I didn't even have a membership! But now that this app is so easy to use and I have the option to have my stuff shipped to my house or do a "Click 'n' Pull" I knew I just had to get a membership.

Have you heard of this "Click 'n' Pull" thing? Basically you shop through the app, add the stuff you want to your cart, do the easy peasy check out and then you can pick up your order the next day! Someone else will do all the shopping for you, all you have to do is pick it up! Do you know how much easier this is going to make my life?? Since I live so far away this will save me so much time. Now the day before we are going to go to Reno I can make an online order and just pick it up the next day!!! Can we say convenient?!

This app has so many fun things to check out that I realized I still haven't seen it all! I just found this holiday decorating section yesterday. I've always thought it would be fun to have some sort of fancy decorated Christmas tree. You know, all matchy matchy and looking like it belongs in a mall somehwere. So I really loved this step-by-step guide that tells you how to trim a tree, complete with videos and then shows you all these fun "themed" trees. If you see a theme you just can't live without, you can easily see which ribbons and ornaments and such you need to copy the look and add them to your cart to purchase.

Overall this app is easy, fun, free to use, and the absolute best app I've seen from a retailer! This is the app that all the other retailers will be copying. I love shopping (and saving) right from the comfort of my own couch. And I like that this app isn't just about trying to sell you stuff, there are so many different sections. Like the holiday decorating tips and recipes and the events calendar that are so helpful! Plus Sam's Club will have Wi Fi in their stores so you can use the app while shopping.

The Sam's Club app is available for iPad, iPhone and Android too!

Try it and tell me what you think!

** I received product to facilitate my review, all thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I Love Christmas Cards! ~ Tiny Prints Review

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:49:00 +0000

I love Christmas time. The tree, the baking, the decorations.. and the cards too! I've always loved sending out Christmas cards. I remember my mom sitting at the kitchen table, piles and piles of holiday cards and school pictures. I always wanted to help, but I was always too little! For some reason Christmas cards have just always appealed to me. They are all shiny and pretty and sparkly, who wouldn't love them? As soon as I was living on my own I started sending out my own Christmas cards. And now that I have kids of my own I have pictures to share! I used to order extra school pictures so that I would have enough photos to send to all our family and friends. But sheesh!! That gets spendy quick! I can not believe how expensive school pictures are these days!

That's why a couple years ago I started buying the photo Christmas cards. It's so much easier on my checkbook! Plus this way everyone gets lots of cute pics of my kids and I still send the grandparents the "official" school pictures. Makes everyone happy!

This year I am really loving the cards at Tiny Prints! They have a section of trifold holiday cards that I am just ga ga over! I have a big family so I need room for lots of pictures. Plus I'm really indecisive so I can never pick just one or two pictures. Never. It drives me crazy just trying! That's why I am going to order this design -

Front

Back

Do you see how many pictures I can put on this card?!! 12!! LOVE it!

And it's so bright and pretty!

I just love how easy Tiny Prints is to use. They really make it simple to caption your photos, and you can even upload photos directly from your FlickR or Shutterfly accounts! Even Facebook. Isn't that cool?

You really need to check these cards out! Here are a couple of my other favorite designs -

Cute, huh?!

While you're checking out the holiday cards make sure you check out the holiday photo gifts too! They have been having some awesome deals!!

** I will be compensated with Christmas cards in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Do You Have An Alarm System?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:44:00 +0000

I am a huge fan of the Vivint home automation system... Let me tell you why.....

A really really really long time ago someone tried to break into the house while I was home.

It was late at night, I was home alone. I had been outside smoking (Yes, I smoked! Ew! But at least I did it outside where it was away from my kid.), I had gotten a sorta creepy feeling. But I figured I was just being paranoid because I had been watching CSI. I went in the house, locked the door behind me as always, washed my hands and plopped back on the couch to finish watching CSI.

A few minutes went by and I heard the screen door make a creaking noise. I remember thinking it was odd... But I ignored it. My dog growled at the door. Where I was sitting was right next to the door, and when my dog, Vegas, growled I sat up. Then the door handle kinda jiggled. My dog went crazy. Suddenly there was a whole lot of banging on the door and my dog was going insane. I grabbed the phone and called 911.

I was so scared I never even looked out the window to see who it was. By the time the cops got there the guy was long gone. They looked around and never saw a thing. I was terrified. If I hadn't locked the dead bolt.... I don't even want to think about it!

Ever since that night I've been scared to be home alone at night. Which kinda sucks because my husband works night shifts quite a lot. So I would sleep on the couch and I would be up half the night worrying about every little noise I heard. Often getting up and checking the locks. Even checking the windows to make sure they were locked too!

When a girl came by the house several months ago selling Vivint Security Systems I jumped on it. I pretty much knew I was going to sign up before she was even done with her sales pitch. Why had I not thought about getting an alarm system before?! It was like one of those lightbulb moments! The installation was so quick and easy too. Installation was done before dinner time!

Ever since we got Vivint I have slept soooooo much better when my husband is working nights. I can just turn the alarm on and I feel so much safer. I can actually sleep in my own bed! I'm not sleeping on the couch anymore!

How about you, do you have an alarm system? What do you like about it the most?

Are You Ready?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:16:00 +0000

Natural disasters scare the crud out of me!

Tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, fires, earthquakes..... It all freaks me out!! I really don't know how other people can live in areas where earthquakes and tornadoes are the norm. Seriously - if I ever happen to be in an earthquake, I'll most likely pee my pants.

And yet, apparently there's a good chance that an earthquake will happen where I live. I guess some fault line runs right through town and whenever California has an earthquake people start talking about it again. I really don't want to think about it. Not that not thinking about it would stop an earthquake... But still. Maybe if I just pretend it isn't a possibility then it just won't happen. Right? Right.

However, since my mother in law used to run our local Red Cross office she's all about being prepared. Heck, my dad even asked me this weekend if I was prepared for any sort of natural disaster. And the answer? Not really. I have a first aid kit ready and that's about it. It's in a backpack though, so it's easy to grab and take with you. Inside there's all shapes and sizes of band aids and bandages, adult Tylenol, kid medicines, Neosporin, New Skin, cold packs, gauze, flashlight, bug spray, sunscreen, etc. I'm sure there's more stuff in there I'm forgetting at the moment. I really should add some dried food, you know, just in case. Extra batteries would probably be a good idea too.

Since I have an emergency first aid kit ready I really should create an emergency food supply bag too. (I can keep them right next to each other!) But it's a lot harder to prepare a bag like that. Band aids last forever, food is perishable. I really need to look into what kind of foods to stock up on. I will need stuff that is going to last a really long time, obviously. Because I know myself, I'm going to forget to check the expiration dates and then an earthquake will happen and all I'll have is expired food. I know I saw some "powdered food" stuff at WalMart. It really sounds awful, but I guess beggars can't be choosers right?? Any ideas? Beans, rice, salt, and things like that can keep for a really really long time, especially if you get one of those long term food storage bins. And to me beans sound way better than mystery powdered food!

Are you prepared? Do you have some sort of kit put together? And how long will it last you? Cause I think you need to have enough food to last each person at least a week. And don't forget the water!! Where do you keep all this extra stuff?

Pipsqueak Boutique Has Really Cute Personalized Gifts For Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:19:00 +0000

Sometimes picking out presents for kids can be a big ol' pain! If it's not your kid then you never quite know what they have already or what other people are buying for them. Plus you usually want to get something that will be loved, different, isn't too expensive, and will last longer than a week! It can literally take me hours to decide on a present at the store. Yes, I'm very indecisive.

That's why I am loving Pipsqueak Boutique! They have unique gifts that are fun and kids will love. They specialize in personalized items for little ones. And what kid doesn't love seeing their name on all their stuff?! Pipsqueak Boutique has just about everything you can think of available for personalizing. They have shirts, hats, toys, room decor, books, CD's, even diaper bags! There's something for all the little's on your list.

Donovan just loved this long sleeve T that we got to review. Inside the drum it says "Born to be loud!". (It couldn't be more accurate!) He wore it on Thanksgiving and just thought he was so cool. We both loved just how soft the shirt was. And it washed up real nice! Which us moms know is always important!

You can also get the "born to be loud" shirt in blue and black. And they have lots of other boys personalized shirts to choose from! Plus they have cute personalized shirts for girls too!

These personalized books make great gifts too! I'm thinking about ordering one for each of my 3 youngest. They would think having a story with their name in it was pretty cool. There are books for boys and girls! Everything from camping to Christmas to princesses. But my favorite book is the "Who Loves Me" book...

It's a story that features the names of your family members and friends who all love your child. It just makes for a really sweet story. I think it would be a great gift for long distance relatives! Don't you?

Another fun present would be personalized CD's. Perfect for a mini music lover! And with their name on it, it will be a lot harder for them to lose it! I love the Sesame Street CD, not only is the CD personalized the songs are too. There are 20 songs and the child's name is actually in the songs! How exciting for little ones to have Elmo say their name on a CD?

Want to order something for Christmas? Well, good news! Shipping is FREE!! You all know how I adore free shipping! Most items will be ready and to you for Christmas, but check their shipping policies to be sure before you order.

** I was given a product to facilitate my review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. **