Monthly Archives: December 2010

Christmas 2010 Review -a little naughty but awfully nice

December 25, 2010children, family, home, lifefamily, home, lifegetcluedin

Christmas 2010 has come and gone in our household and it went smooth— well, as smooth as possible with two kids under the age of four in the house. We had a visit from Old Saint Nick – I mean, we were tracking him all night at NORAD’s Santa Tracker 2010, so it’s no surprise that we knew exactly when he’d be here. Google maps is amazing, right?

It was the first year my older daughter actually appreciated the concept of Santa, leaving him some food out, and the whole concept of consequences: ie. naughty and/or nice. So, we had a lot of fun with her. Of course, all kids really need in the end is love and all these material things are just icing on the cake. This year, Santa brought to the nice girls of the household: a brand new play kitchen. Assembly took about an hour or so – toy kitchens are just not made like they used to. Here you can see a picture of the old 70s kitchen the girls have been playing with all this time and their new modern sizzling kitchen (cell phone and all). Hmmm… there’s just something about a corded phone I think. Ah well, we have decided to keep both of them for now. We just can’t seem to let the 70s go.

As far as their dolls, Santa also brought an area for them to take care of their many dolls- they seem to be caring for their babies a lot more these days- my 22-month old though just threw her new one down the stairs. Hmm… yeah, it’s a good thing we’re not trying for or even considering baby #3. Getting thrown down the stairs by your older sister would really suck. Anyway, Christmas 2010 has come and gone but the paper remains- can we recycle this colorful, cheap, Made in China, DollarTree(c) wrapping paper? I am just not sure. There are lot of boxes too! I am sure we will all know what the neighbors got and vice versa later this week when we put the trash out.

The highlight of the girls’ opening gifts this year are the gifts from their new Aunt-to-be. She is now engaged (as of Christmas Eve) to my brother. How exciting! They got the girls these really cool Williams-Sonoma packaged gifts to open on Christmas and the gifts inside go with their new themed kitchen. Personalized pink princess aprons – so cute and something they can grow with since they love baking and cooking. What fun! Yes, my girls are spoiled beyond recognition but it was truly a fun morning for all of us. Mom got jewelry and it was a gorgeous selection by dad and dad got books, CDs, shoes, and new sweats. Wait! How did dad get so much? Hmmm…. Here’s to even more fun in 2011 and another awfully nice year.

Trunki Review & Guys and Dolls Furniture Store – Aurora, Colorado

December 24, 2010children, consumer, travelchildren, consumer, travelgetcluedin

I won something — yes, I actually won something. On Mama Bird’s Blog, I won a trunki for the girls. What a cute little thing it is too! I finally got to pick it up yesterday but had to drive all the way to the boonies as I call it- to Aurora, Colorado. The traffic always stinks in I-225 and yesterday was no exception. But, I got a chance to check out the store, Guys & Dolls, and meet Jason, the owner/manager. It was a great opportunity to see an amazing store for kids’ furniture and accessory items. They sell it all and even some adult beds, etc. It is a cute store with quite a neat history– check out their website. The kids will love to visit there when we are shopping for their bunk beds (in the next 5 years or so)

In any case, the hardest decision was trying to decide on which trunki to pick. I settled on Iris but it is available in four colors. It also came with a free sticker pack so the kiddos can dress up their trunkie and personalize it. I also bought a saddle bag so they can sit on something more comfortable. Since I got it before Christmas, I decided to add the Trunki to their Christmas presents under the tree and the girls enjoyed opening it before Christmas.

Iris Trunkie — The girls dressed up their trunkie Christmas morning

As to a review of the Trunki, it’s a cute, novel idea- a suitcase for the kids (older 3 is recommended), that they pack themselves and is also a carry on. It comes with a strap so you can drag them through the airport. The top part of the suitcase is a seat so the child can sit there and hold the horns (the ears of the trunkie) as a handle. It appears stable but we have yet to try it out. Generally, when we are heading through the airport, I prefer a dual stroller and a small backpack for the kids but as the older one gets older, I think this will be fun. If you have two kids, it may be tougher to drag the bag with the kid on it while pushing the other one in a stroller especially if momma or daddy are travelling solo as we so often do. It may be even tougher if you have three kids or one child is in an Ergo carrier. I definitely think it is geared towards families with one kid because I think it would be impractical dragging two across any airport with a trunki. However, if the kiddos can drag their own suitcases (ie. over the age of 5) then it may be worthwhile to travel with it. In any case, it’s very cute and next time we travel, we will definitely have to try it out! Thanks, Mama Bird & Guys and Dolls for introducing the Trunki to us!

The Tourist – a movie review

December 20, 2010consumer, moviemoviegetcluedin

We saw the movie, The Tourist on our date afternoon. We caught a morning showing (before noon) at AMC theaters, Flatirons Crossing, Broomfield, Colorado. The cost of these movies is always cheaper and at $6.00 quite a bargain. If I spend more than that on a movie, my expectations tend to be higher of the movie itself and then if the movie sucks, I feel bad for spending the money. The Tourist was a good movie, I thought, but my husband did not like it. He thought it moved too slow. Since it’s touted as an action film, I think most men would expect just that: action! You will not get much of that right away. There is a lot of background and ground work and a sense of mystery built up around this beautiful creature played by Angelina Jolie. I mean, she’s pretty and all but every time she walked past someone in the movie, every body on earth stopped and stared- even women. It was a little over the top in that sense.

Eventually, though, I think the movie delivers what the previews show- action, comedy, and a little PG-13 romance. It’s somewhat predictable but there is a twist that is sure to make you smirk a little. The critics are right in that there is not that spark or chemistry between Jolie and Depp but they are hot in their own right- ie. separately hot- together, not so much. In any case, it’s a neat story with some overdone scenes like usual and a great deal of scenery in Venice and Paris. I loved seeing Venice. One of my readers asked for a review and asked whether it was a good date movie. It’s a perfect date movie- it’s not sad or too racy, and has a perfect dose of action and romance. In that sense, it is a great escape from reality and the kids for an hour and 43 minutes. Happy movie-watching and leave me a comment after you see it too – let me know what you think. NO SPOILERS, please. 🙂

Modern Marvel: The Electric Toothbrush

December 20, 2010consumer, medicalconsumer, medicalgetcluedin

I have always had one of those rotating motor toothbrushes- well, at least for the last five years. My parents got it free with rebates and gave it to me. It was interesting because the toothbrush head on that one was round. Recently, my husband and I decided to get the Sonicare(c) toothbrushes since they’re all the rave and my husband really, really wanted one. So, we took the leap and got the Sonicare Essence with Quadpacer (whatever that means). Wow!

All I can say is the first couple of times you use it, your mouth will tickle and vibrate and you will wonder if you can ever get used to all the weird sounds and vibrations. After all, if you have never used an electric toothbrush, it is quite strange initially. It’s been a week now, and I think I am in love with mine and even brush my teeth more often now. It really does help your mouth feel clean and your teeth appear to look better. My husband is raving about his. Of course, it is probably all in our heads but speaking of heads, the toothbrush heads are quite nice and shaped like a real toothbrush, not round. Of course, a pack of replacement heads are quite expensive, running $60.00 for just 6 of them, and the prices go up from there.

Some things to know about the price of the toothbrushes themselves- the best price we have found on this pack of 2 is Costco at $79.99 (this was with a $20 mfr rebate). Amazon sells them for $95 and it just goes up from there. Of course, the dental bills it saves you may be well worth it. Most dentists recommend these brushes. I can’t wait to use my WaterPik water flosser- also recommended by my dentist for those hard to reach back teeth. If you have a flex spending account, neither of these are covered so you will not get your money back on them from your flex spending account. In any case, I think the electric toothbrush is great! If you register for rebates at sonicare(c), you will get a rebate on the replacement brush heads and some other offers valued at almost $30. If you have any questions, post them here and I’ll be sure to post an answer. Happy Brushing!

Perfect Moment- A long overdue date with the love of my life

December 20, 2010blogging, life, marriage, Perfect Momentlife, marriage, Perfect Momentgetcluedin

Yes, I am referring to my husband, of course. Again, thanks to Write Mind Open Heart @LavLuz (twitter handle), here I am, posting another Perfect Moment Monday. She’s right you know, when we look, we notice these amazing moments. My previous post was about sweet moments with my kids. I wish I had more time with them!

But this weekend’s perfect moment was made possible by my daughters’ daycare. We got a parents’ day out! I have to say that was one the best Christmas presents to us parents who pay tons in tuition. Since we do not have family or friends in town, we rarely get to go out alone, sans kids. This past Saturday though my husband and I got to venture out alone. It was strange, almost creepy strange, but so perfect! We went to Flatirons mall and shopped a little and then took in a movie- something we NEVER get to do with small kids. The movie we watched was “The Tourist” and all in all, we had a great outing. Afterwards, we were able to spend a little more time talking as we ate appetizers at P.F. Chang’s. It was relaxing and we had great conversation. It’s amazing how much you talk about your kids and how much your life revolves around them especially when they are this little. You almost always forget to talk about yourselves and these marital moments are so perfect- to converse, to hold hands, or just laugh together without being interrupted by screaming or even the conversations of a child. My date with hubbie- my perfect moment Monday!