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Sidewalk Paint

April 22, 2012
Sidewalk Paint - LaLaGirl.org

I found the most awesome quick, easy, fun, and CHEAP activity for my kiddos – SIDEWALK PAINT! We live on a cul-de-sac, and my kids are outside pretty much all day long, riding bikes and scooters, rollerblading, or just hanging out with friends. And we’re lucky enough to have several good friends who live right on our street, so the stream of kids running in and out of the house is pretty much ongoing. I love it. This is a great activity to keep all ages entertained, and it costs next to nothing.

Here’s all you need:

  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 to 8 drops food coloring

I just mixed them up in plastic bowls, although I think it would have been nicer in little plastic containers, which I didn’t have any of, because I have a ton of leftovers in my fridge. We used sponge brushes, which worked so nicely. The color isn’t bright at first – it almost looks like you’re painting with water – but it dries brightly in seconds. We had a blast! I think we’ll be making more today.

Filed Under: Check it Out, The Monkeys Tagged With: , ,

A first for us – Disney on Ice!

March 25, 2011

Psst. I totally have a secret. I’m taking my kids to see Disney on Ice! They have no idea. I love surprising them with stuff like this! We pile into the car, and they have no idea what’s up, and all the way there, they throw out guesses. My favorite guess ever was last fall when we took them to the circus, and they asked if we were going to get flu shots. Ha! That would be just MEAN, don’t you think? Tricking the kids into thinking we were going somewhere fun, and then pulling up at the clinic. Mean. Anyway, YEAH! We are going to Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics. We have NEVER been. I took Kayley to Disney on Ice with her Girl Scout Troop like ten years ago, but we were in the nosebleed seats and I don’t remember a thing about it. Neither does Kayley. So, we’re making up for lost time – the whole family is going this time!

Would you like to join us? I actually have a discount code available for opening night tickets, which is when we’ll be there! You can use the code DEAL13 in the “Advance or Promotion Ticket” box at TicketMaster to get Opening Night tickets for only $13. That’s a heck of a deal, especially if you have a ginormous family like I do.

Oh! I also have a coloring page for your kiddos if you want. Click here to snag it from Google docs. If that doesn’t work, holler at me and I’ll email it to ya.

(Valid on Wed. March 30th only; excludes VIP seating; Additional fees may apply)
Redeem through Ticketmaster at; 1-800-745-3000 or at Denver Coliseum Box Office open on March 14.

Filed Under: Check it Out, Life in Colorado Tagged With: ,

Twins are Fun.

June 28, 2010

I’m just about done with the days of spending all my time with my littlest twins. We are about one month away from the start of the new school year – yeah, we just got out last week! – and for the first time ever, all of my children will be in school. Nikki and Lexi are starting Kindergarten, which is pretty hard for me to get my head around. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that they were all four in diapers. I have a picture on my bedroom wall of all seven of us at Easter a few years ago, and the girls are SO LITTLE. Bald heads, and fat little legs.

They don’t look anything at all like the big girls they are now! And speaking of milestones, here’s another I captured in a photograph: the official LAST TIME the girls will ride in the cart at Sam’s Club. As much as I love having them contained, it took some effort to untangle them from the leg holes!

And you know what’s cool about having a twin? Going through these milestone events at the same time! Pablo and Mallory both learned to ride 2-wheeler bikes the same day, so it makes sense that they would lose teeth on the same day!

Here they are, on the very last day of 1st grade…

Pablo and Mallory were not in the same class for 1st grade, but they do have a lot of the same friends. I’m so thankful that many parents include both of them in party invitations. Yesterday, we had SO much fun at Monkey Bizness! My kids went down that ginormous slide dozens of times – they only got me up there once, though!

And, as long as I’m being all thankful for the wonderful people we’ve met since we moved here, I have to mention my awesome neighbors! The little girls had a fun playdate over at their house and splashed around in the pool, while the big kids and I went to the birthday party. I’m not sure which set of twins had more fun! Don’t you love summer? Swimming…

Picnics…

I can’t wait to see what other adventures are in store for my little twinnies as they head back to school next month! Between now and then, we’re heading out to California to visit family (and Mickey Mouse!) Yay for summer!

Filed Under: Life in Colorado, The Monkeys Tagged With: ,

Pick Punch – Make your own guitar picks!

April 13, 2010

My little boy loves his guitar. Beats that damned thing to death, but he loves it just the same. It’s not at all unusual to see him walking around the house, strumming a little tune. Unfortunately, we never can find any picks, so he’s usually using a poker chip or a playing card or something equally weird.

My father-in-law plays, and he brings picks to the kids pretty regularly – but they NEVER seem to stick around for very long! I mentioned to him a few months ago that I saw a picture online of a machine outside a music store, where you could stick an old credit card in and punch out your own guitar picks, for free. Of course, he was all over this idea, and the next time he was at our house, he brought along a new gadget: The Pick Punch!

It’s a handy little tool, about the size of a stapler. You insert an old credit card, store loyalty card, used up gift card, etc. Mash down the handle, and out pops a guitar pick!

pick punch guitar picks

pick punch guitar picks

Kayley had a cache of old Hot Topic gift cards from Christmas and birthdays, so she made a bunch of really cute picks to share with her musical friends.

pick punch guitar picks

pick punch guitar picks

This is fun! You totally want one, don’t you? Pick Punch – $24.95, and they take Paypal. I love cool shit.

This is NOT a sponsored post – I was not compensated from Pick Punch in any way whatsoever, just wanted to share something cool with ya!

Filed Under: Check it Out, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Fall Break!

September 25, 2009

My kids are officially tracked off. Yesterday was their last day of 1st grade for a few weeks – they go back a few days before Halloween. I wasn’t sure how we’d like year-round school when we moved to this district, but I find that we like it a lot. And actually, this particular track-off is the one I’ve been looking forward to all year. I LOVE fall, and I’m so excited about going out and doing things while the weather is nice. Last year, during this track off, I remember having such a glorious day – we had a big nature walk and a picnic, and then I dragged all the kids to a polling place to participate in early voting! We cast our presidential ballot while eating candy corn in line. Such fun.

I’ve got lots of things I’d like to do over the next three weeks. I’m definitely planning for a zoo trip, possibly a visit to the Children’s Museum, and lots of park visits, too. I’m hoping for at least a playdate or two with some school friends, and I would love to repaint a couple of rooms here at the Casa de Chaos. I’m also considering taking the kids to a paint-your-own-pottery place. I think they’d really dig that!

For today, though, I think we’re just going to chill. We’ve already enjoyed sleeping IN for a change, and I don’t have any official plans in place. Maybe I’ll see if I can dig up some fall decorations in the garage. Is it too early to decorate for Halloween??

Filed Under: The Monkeys Tagged With: , , , , ,

No TV Saturday – Worldwide Day of Play!

September 24, 2009

Hey, did you know that your favorite kids channels will be dark for three hours this Saturday? Lots of TV channels and websites will go off the air and offline from 12 to 3 p.m. (ET/PT) on Saturday, September 26, 2009, for Nickelodeon’s annual Worldwide Day of Play (WWDP). This will include Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, NOGGIN, The N, Nick.com, Noggin.com, Nicktoonsnetwork.com and The-N.com. The idea behind WWDP is to get kids to get up and be active.

“Over the last six years, Nickelodeon’s signature Worldwide Day of Play has encouraged millions of kids around the world to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle,” said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group. “This year, we are utilizing the power of all our collective media platforms and partnerships to encourage kids and families to take action on this important issue.”

A huge event will take place in NYC, where Nickelodeon and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City team up for the BBBS of NYC RBC Race for the Kids. Lots of Nick favorites will be there, including (OMG, OMG!) DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba, which is, of course, the GREATEST SHOW EVER MADE.

Other Worldwide Day of Play events include:

  • 600 local Boys & Girls Clubs of America chapters in all 50 states and several international territories will hold play events on and leading up to Sept. 26.

  • The NFL will encourage kids to PLAY 60 by going dark on NFLRUSH.com on Sept. 26. NFL teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings will host WWDOP events at local venues nationwide.
  • The U.S. Forest Service, a new WWDP partner, will promote WWDP as part of their National Public Lands Day on September 26 (and has over 60 events planned nationwide).
  • The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) has also partnered with Nickelodeon to celebrate Worldwide Day of Play with events planned across the country in conjunction with National Public Lands Day.

We don’t watch a lot of TV anyway on Saturday (except for Movie Nights!) so I probably wouldn’t have even noticed this was going on – but it gives me that much more reason to get out and do something fun with my kids this weekend! I’m sure after the SNOW we had on Monday (yes, SNOW, on the last day of summer!) and the winterlike 40-degree temps we’ve had all week, we’re going to be ready to enjoy some Colorado sunshine on Saturday. I hope you do the same!

Filed Under: Check it Out Tagged With: , , ,

We <3 Story Time.

February 4, 2009

Ewww, I just used a sideways heart emoticon. Am I allowed to do that, since I’m out of high school and all that? I hope so. Because, we really DO heart Story Time!

Last week, we checked out the amazing public library that’s right by our new house. It’s freakin’ AWESOME, man! First of all, it’s gigantic. The first dozen or so times I drove past it, I thought it was the courthouse or something. Finally, I paid attention to that “public library ahead” sign and figured it out with my big brain. Also, it’s shiny and new. I don’t know when it opened, but it’s really spectacular inside. It’s like walking into a huge bookstore rather than a library. There’s a foyer area with big chairs to sit and read (current) magazines, there’s a fireplace, there’s even a coffee shop! I’m going to make it my new escape whenever I need a break from my wonderful family.

Best of all, though, is the children’s area. It’s like a separate library all its own. There’s an automatic door that sort of seals off the children’s part of the library, so other patrons aren’t bothered by the noise and chaos children generate. Inside are rows and rows of books (of course) and tables where kids can sit and read or put puzzles together. They have a nice puzzle selection, too! A little playhouse provides the perfect place to hide out with a good book. And near the playhouse is a huge, sliding barn door that leads into this magical story room! It’s a 2-story room, with the walls painted 20 feet high to look like tree branches, so you feel like you’re in a treehouse. Throughout the week, they have regularly schedules storytimes that last a half hour, and they’re so popular that you have to book reservations for your kids to attend. It’s fabulous, and it’s the first activity we’re jumping into, hoping to meet up some new moms and friends in the area. Last week, I met another mom with 4-year-old twin girls – yippee! Hopefully, I’ll run into her again today! Hi! I’m desperate and pathetic, and new to the area! Want to be my new best friend?

Smoky Hill Library

Off I go to jump in the shower and agonize over our clothing choices so that we aren’t shunned by the Mommy Clique. Eeeek!

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