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Friday, August 23, 2013

I'm Baaack!

Well, well, well.  After taking a break from radio, looks like I'm returning to the biz! 
I've also added another baby to the brood!

This mom gig has put my radio career on the back burner, so I am only returning part time.  Just a nice little weekend job.  That allows me to stay at home with my boys during the day, be involved in school, and still make a little extra income for groceries.  I'd say I'm in a pretty good spot!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Last Day Of Swimming Lessons!

Today was the last day of swimming lessons for Jonathan this year. The mommy group I was in for several years led me to a wonderful instructor who does lessons in her backyard pool. She has been doing it since she was a teenager and is wonderful with kids...she is quite known in the "moms" circle. Anyway, I decided to put Jonathan in lessons last year at the age of 5 and he did really well. He can tend to be shy in crowds so I thought that the YMCA would be too intimidating for him. Here the class size is limited to six kids. I was a little surprised that kids as young as 3 were in his class though, I thought 5 was an appropriate age to start swimming lessons. That meant a few kids were younger than him, but he didn't seem to mind.

Last year, he was a little apprehensive to dive off the diving board, but this year, he jumped off with ease.



I am so glad that he is learning to swim! I have spent most of my life afraid of the water and didn't really learn to swim until I was in high school and really only picked up some basics, you know, the basics that Jonathan already knows! Since I don't enjoy swimming all that much, it is important to me to make sure my kids have respect for swimming pools and manage themselves in the water. Jonathan is doing such a good job that I have opted to only do one session of lessons this year. Now, it's time to enjoy a summer full of swimming!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Vinyl Lettering On Clearance!

I stopped into Jo Ann Fabrics this week to get a pattern and I stumbled across a great deal! These vinyl letter kits were on clearance!






Do you see that? $4.97....regularly $24.99.  I was so excited! Particularly because I found the phrase I had been wanting to find, but not wanting to pay a huge amount for! I love the quote: 

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. "


I am planning to make a mural in the hallway with this, surrounded by photos of my loved ones. I can't wait to tackle it this weekend!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Smurfs and Sherlock Holmes: An Interview with Jason Lethcoe

With summer break now in full swing, you can gurantee that we will be spending lazy days reading and hot days in the comfort of a cool air-conditioned movie theater! I recently talked with Jason Lethcoe, who is an animator and author. Jason has worked with Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, and Dreamworks!  His work can be seen in films like The Tigger Movie, Pagemaster, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. His latest film, The Smurfs is being released on July 29th and stars Neil Patrick Harris.

Jason says that it was a nice throwback to work on the Smurf's movie, because he grew up with it on TV and now as a dad, will be able to share The Smurfs with his kids.  I know exactly what he means! I was addicted to that cartoon!

Jason has also penned several children's books and we talked about his latest project, "No Place Like Holmes." He says on a trip to London, he visited Sherlock Holmes' famous address, 221B Bakerstreet. It got him wondering where 221"A" was...so he created a character who he thought would live there and a story to go with it. It turns out that another detective lives there, but one who is not as good as Sherlock Holmes. He has a nephew that is a really good detective, however, who comes to live with him and the story picks up from there.



The book is geared toward 9 to 12-year-olds, but Lethcoe thinks the book could really be for anyone. At this point, I am still reading chapter books to Jonathan, because he is just learning to read, so I can appreciate books that I find engaging too. And I love it when they engage my little guy's mind! Jason thinks that mystery books are good for doing just that, because it gives kids something to focus on, sort of like a puzzle, but are also fun.

Lethcoe suggests that parents find a subject matter that kids are interested in to get them to pick up books this summer. He says he knows he "wouldn't have loved reading" if he was forced to "read things that I didn't like already, or subject matters that I wasn't interested in." Jason also points out that some boys get more into "science" books. He says his son likes to read thinks about the weather, so he tries to find as many weather books that he can for him to read. I know that I try really hard to instill a love of reading in my boys and I think Jonathan would really like Lethcoe's current series. You can find "No Place Like Holmes" on his website.

*I did NOT recieve a copy of the book in exchange for this post, nor any free movie tickets.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Strawberry Picking!

This Saturday we hit the strawberry patch! Not the same strawberry patch that we usually hit, however, because the place we normally go to decided not to do strawberries this year...bummer. But, I put up my antennae, and many of my moms in the know directed me to several other strawberry patches to try! I still haven't made it to any of those, because I got distracted by finding another one. I was on my way to do a live broadcast when I stumbled upon a strawberry farm. I called the family and told them to meet me there and get ready to pick! It was raining, so we only picked a little over six pounds. We did manage to have a good time, though and even ate a few!






I tried strawberry freezer jam for the first time last year, and it turned out so well, and became such a favorite in the household that I am sure I'll be making it every year now. I also want to try these strawberry muffins that a friend of mine directed me towards. They sound so yummy!

I also really want to try to make my own strawberry vinaigrette for salads. I love to throw some pecans on a spinach salad and a freshly made strawberry vinaigrette sounds to die for! So, I am going to be making some using this recipe from Allrecipes.com: 

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, halved
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
Mix it all in a blender or food processor, until smooth and voila!