Playing dress up!

Let's talk about costumes. You are probably scratching your head right now ....

thinking "Uh, Linda it's not Halloween yet." 

Oh, I know. We just barely made it through Christmas!

Costumes aren't just for Halloween though. My kids love playing dress up. We actually have a whole closet full of costumes. Some days the princess wants to be just that, a princess (crown and all). Some days she wants to be Obi Won Kenobi and some days she just wants to be AHEM impossible. (We won't discuss that one now.)

My point? Whatever she wants to be....She can because we have access to various costumes. 

Heck, I've even dressed up for non-halloween events.

Remember that pilgrim ensemble that I made fashionable for Thanksgiving?

**Video can be found on our youtube channel. 

Play dress up!

CostumeSuperCenter has everything that you will need.

They've got popular kids costumes such as the ones found below . . .

They've also got plenty of adult costumes. I really want a Flapper girl costume!

(I'm sure that will be my next purchase.)

Still think halloween costumes are the only "costumes"?

See ya next year!

Wanna see some happy kids on Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning?

 

(some of our Christmas pics)

Subscribe to our youtube channel for a daily dose of fun beginning January 1st.

Anyone catch Hannity last night?

Of course, with the holidays upon us most of the regular hosts are on vacation. Tucker Carlson was sitting in for Sean Hannity last night.

I know nothing about Mr. Carlson and to be honest was barely paying attention UNTIL they started discussing Michael Vick. What caught my attention? Hearing Tucker Carlson say "I personally think Michael Vick should have been executed for that."

 referring to Michael Vick's involvement with dog fighting that landed him in jail for 18 months

I honestly had to do a double take....HUH? Did he just say what I thought he said?

When my husband came back into the room I was telling him about the segment. At this time I was still a little unsure as to what was really said. 

I didn't know for sure until I saw his name trending all over the net. 

Yes, he did say that.

Wow!

I'm an animal lover. You probably could tell by the numerous pics of my cat on this site.

I've got my own opinions on Mr. Vick.

But execution?

What are your thoughts?

Were you watching last night?

Hoppin John recipe for New Years Day

Try this Hoppin' John recipe from Family Fun.

Do you eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day?

They say that eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day will bring you luck and prosperity.

Collard Greens are supposed to represent money and cornbread represents gold.

Are you superstitious?

It's almost 2011!

Celebrate is style . . .

Create these new year's eve hats with cathie filian

Celebrate with a BANG!

These New Year's Eve poppers are sure to be a delight to kids of all ages.

Find the tutorial on Makes and Takes.

Good fortune for all with these paper fortune cookies by Carolyn's Homework.

Free Chick-fil-a Spicy Chicken Biscuit

To reserve your FREE Spicy Chicken Biscuit click HERE.

January 3 to 8, 2011, Chick-fil-A^® is giving a limited number of FREE Spicy Chicken Biscuits to customers who make a reservation. It will not be added to the menu until January 10, 2011

Hurry! 

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Wedding Bells will be ringing

It looks like Reese Witherspoon will be walking down the aisle soon. She is engaged to Jim Toth.

This will be Reese's second marriage as she was married to Ryan Phillippe and divorced in 2008.

Who else received engagement BLING this month?

Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian are also set to wed.

Natalie Portman, the star of The Black Swan found herself engaged and EXPECTING this month. She is engaged to a choreographer from the set of The Black Swan.

Hugh Hefner (84) is engaged to playmate Crystal Harris. Yikes! I wonder what his ex Holly Madison thinks about that?

Will these couples actually make it down the aisle?

Stay tuned....

This is Hollywood afterall.

Adam Sandler is NOT dead and neither is Aretha Franklin

I was on Twitter earlier when I read a tweet that said "OMG, Adam Sandler is DEAD!" also included in the tweet was a link to what LOOKS like a newstory of a skiing accident that left Adam Sandler dead.

Of course, when you glance at the article it looks legit. 

And "glancing" or "skimming" is what everyone seems to be doing because if you try and click on any of the links then you will notice it is clearly not a legit site.

Also, at the bottom it reads :

(click to read)

Adam Sandler is NOT dead.

There's also tweets going around about Aretha Franklin, Aaron Carter and Charlie Sheen. 

Aretha Franklin is not dead.

Aaron Carter? Not dead

Charlie Sheen is not dead either.

These are just more hoaxes circulating on Twitter.

Some people have WAY TOO MUCH TIME on their hands.

They should come to my house.
I've got plenty of laundry to fold and also kids rooms to clean : )

What did YOU get for Christmas?

I hope you had a great holiday!

I caught Santa!!

Uh....

Oops!

Track Santa!! Norad Santa tracker goes live in 12 hrs!

Do you track Santa? My kids get super excited to see where Santa is. 

I'll admit, I get a little anxious too! lol

You can start tracking Santa in 12 hours via Norad Santa Tracker.

Have you been Naughty or Nice?

hmmm....

He knows.

More fun?

Visit northpole.com for games and fun activities to keep the kiddos busy on Christmas eve.

Skype addicts in a tizzy!

Skype goes down right before Christmas. OH NO!

I kept seeing tweets about it being down. There are so major skype addicts out there!

Do you skype?

Are you worried that it may go down again?

Read : Skype Power Outage

How to make a snow globe

No snow?

No worries!

Create your own.

A big deformed BOOTY!

Yummy Christmas gifts

Marshmallow Snowmen

 

Nutter Butter reindeer cookies by Naptime Crafts

Santa OOPS! Cupcakes by The Party Animal

They used Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves (Love those!)

Look for our review on Roundabouts next week!

Gingerbread House #fail

 

at least the kids had fun . . .

I'm thinking about ordering a few of THESE Lifesize gingerbread houses next year.

I mean at $15,000.00 a piece, I might as well get 3.

What do you think?

It's going to be quiet around here due to Christmas being Saturday. 

Features and Giveaways will resume next week.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

We will be uploading vlogs daily. So, you can check us out on Youtube.

mommyvlogsalot

Crayola Popart Pixies ~Giveaway~

This giveaway is now CLOSED...

The winner is :

 Number 14

Congrats!! Thanks to everyone that entered.

*
*
*

 Here's something for the TWEEN girls in your life....

Crayola Popart Pixies

Popart Pixies are a new line of crafting kits aimed directly at girls ages 8 and up. The Popart Pixies are best friends that all share the love of crafting.

	Meet Skye! She’s sweet, thoughtful, and always thinking of others and how she can help save the environment. She loves the outdoors, playing soccer, friends, wildlife and hiking. Skye’s Pop Art Pixies craft kits include: Create a Water Bottle, Wooden Charm Bracelets, Skye’s Herb Garden and Wind Chime kit.
	Meet Maya! A free-spirited young lady, Maya lets her inner creativity show and encourages everyone to express themselves without judgment. Maya’s Pop Art Pixies craft kits include: Create a Glass Pendant, Shadow Box Kit, Create a Water Color Frame and Create a Sun Catcher kit.
	Meet Naomi! She is big into technology and music, and can mix music with the best of the best. Music is her life and her DJ spirit inspires her desire to communicate more through actions and sounds than words. Naomi’s Pop Art Pixies craft kits include: Create a Stationery Box and Create a Color Glow Lamp.
	Meet Tatum! The bubbly, social butterfly of the Pixies and famous for her cupcakes, Tatum is fun-loving, outgoing and likes to host parties for her friends because everyday is worth celebrating. Tatum’s Pop Art Pixies craft kits include: Create a Decoupage Glass Plate, Party Lights kit, and Create a Mosaic Picture Frame. There are 14 craft kits in all. Whether your daughter is into technology or saving the planet, there is something for everyone.  From bracelets to windchimes and shadow boxes to decorative plates, your girl is sure to keep the creativity juices flowing. Which have we tried? Well, we ended up making Naomi's stationery bento box, Maya's glass pendant and Skye's water bottle. The kids enjoyed the process and yes we even let brother decorate something. Shh....Don't tell his MANLY friends! lol Click on our family vlog below to see how much fun we had! ~Giveaway~ Would you like to win some Popart Pixies craft kits from Crayola? I have ONE superb prize pack for some lucky lady!! Prize pack includes the following: Skye’s Wind Chime Kit will turn a favorite outdoor spot into a colorful sanctuary complete with the sound of tinkling chimes when the wind blows. The kit includes two birdhouses, so the girls can spend together-time planning and painting with their BFF, or tackle both pieces by themselves. Included are six pots of DecoArt Patio Paint, a paintbrush, 8 aluminum rods to create the chimes, 2 decorative wooden pieces (a bird and a butterfly), string, and complete instructions.   Skye’s Water Bottle Kit lets girls put their imaginations in motion as they decorate a reusable water bottle that reflects their style and concern for the environment. The kit includes one 500 ml aluminum water bottle with cap, 1 carrying clip, 6 pots of DecoArt gloss enamel paint, a paintbrush, 4 stencils, and instructions.   Tatum’s Decoupage Glass Plate Kit provides tweens with yet another reason to get together, get creative, and get out the good dishes when the gang comes over to hang out! What could be more fun than designing your own party plates that reflect your style and taste? The kit comes with 2 square plates and 1 round plate, 3 unique design sheets, 3 sheets of printed wrap paper that allow girls to cut out their own designs, 2 oz. of decoupage medium, a paintbrush, and instructions. The decorated plates will even hold up to repeated hand washing!   Maya’s Glass Pendant Kit gives girls two ways to express their creative side. They can design a trés chic piece of jewelry that they can enjoy wearing and even redesigning when their taste – or their outfit – changes. Plus, they can decorate a pendant holder and display it in their room, showing off both pieces to their friends and family! The kit includes 1 glass pendant, accessory beads, 6 Crayola Recoloritz markers, 6 easy-to-change acetate disc designs that girls can change to match their mood, and two 30-inch nylon cords in black and brown.   Naomi’s Color Glow Lamp Kit Pagoda-inspired plastic shade that girls can assemble, decorate, and transform into a one-of-a-kind lamp that lets their self-expression shine through! Perfect for display in their room, Naomi’s Color Glow Lamp casts cool, colorful effects that will enhance any décor. The lamp can be lit in two different ways – press the on/off button once and the red, yellow, green, and blue lights flash in a random pattern; or, hold the button down as the lamp changes colors and release it when it lands on the color you’d like to stay lit. The kit comes with 1 accordion shade, 1 base with LEDs, 1 mirrored cone to refract even more color and light, string to hold the mirrored cone, colorful decals to decorate the shade, and instructions.    Maya’s Shadow Box Kit lets girls express their inner artist in more ways than one! They can paint their personal shadow box and create art for the interior with materials included in the kit or with mementos they’ve collected. The kit includes 2 wooden shadow boxes, 3 design kits, 35 foam squares to create a 3-dimensional look, 6 sheets of colored pattern paper, 4 pots of glass paint, a paintbrush, wood varnish, and instructions.   Naomi’s Bento Stationary Box Kit lets tweens decorate a Japanese-style Bento box and use the stationary to write their pals. The roomy box can also be used to store other keepsakes and collectibles. The kit includes 1 plastic Bento box with lid, 2 chopsticks-shaped gel pens in red and black, 25 sticky notes, 1 stamp pad, 1 wasabi-shaped stamper, 12 sheets of stationary, stickers and instructions. That's 7 crafting kits in all!  All you have to do is visit the Popart Pixies website, browse through the products. Come back here and let me know which one is your favorite. Extra Entries? (please leave an additional comment for each task completed.) Post about this giveaway on twitter (copy and paste the following) Win 7 Crayola Popart Pixies kits from @mommytweetsalot http://tinyurl.com/2atp7tl  Post about this giveaway on your facebook page. Follow My Trendy Tykes via Google Friend Connect Subscribe to my Youtube Channel, MommyVlogsAlot (if you sub please leave your user id as comment)    This giveaway will end on Saturday, Jan 1st.   To get the latest scoop on the Popart Pixies be sure to visit Crayola's facebook page. Myblogspark on behalf of Crayola sent us the above mentioned kits (same as giveaway items) as part of this feature post. They will also be fulfilling all giveaway obligations. We were NOT compensated in any other form.

I caught Santa!

Do you have curious kids?

I do!

Mine are always whispering about catching Santa bringing the gifts or staying up late to see what the toothfairy really looks like.

They try their best every year to keep those eyes open in hopes that they will catch a little peak.

I tell them that Santa will not show up while they are awake but a kids gotta try, huh?

Well, this year YOU can catch Santa in the act.

www.icaughtsanta.com

Check out the video below for more info:

 

Can you just imagine the kids face light up as you show them the picture?

Hee Hee!

Make your own Elf for the Shelf

Of course, it's pretty late to be making one this year but you can get a jumpstart on next year's fun!

elf on the shelf tutorial from Jane of All Crafts

Get your vlog on!

"LIKE" me?

Hi GUYS!

Long time NO CHAT.

Uh, well....for some of you anyway.

You do know that I have now gone to VLOGGING for all personal "stuff", right?

WHAT? You didn't know?? GAH!

Well, my youtube channel is now where I "talk". My Trendy Tykes is still here BUT it's gone back to it's roots of showcasing all things TRENDY. (Got something trendy? Send it my way and I will feature ya!)

Ok, back to me.myself.and I. (wink wink)

Wanna keep up with me and the family?

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel, Yo.

It's totally free!

My goal for the new year is to vlog everyday. Yep, 365 vlogs.

Stay tuned...

Ok, Next order of biz :

I've listed some bows on etsy again.

They are all on SALE TOO!

ribbonrockstarbows

I've also set up a facebook page.

It's brand spanking new with only a handful of "likes".

Can you please visit my ribbonrockstarbows facebook page and give me a "Like"?

I am going to be giving away a BOW prize pack to one lucky person.

*details will be posted on Monday

SMOOCHES!

The Betty 10 : Red Hot Holiday Trends from Betty Crocker

Betty is bringing you the hottest food trends this holiday season!

Visit redhot.bettycrocker.com to see the latest...

More Christmas Yummies!

Make these peppermint lollipops from Muffin Tin Mom

melted snowman cookies, anyone? ADORABLE!

Smashed Peas and Carrots made these.

You can't actually EAT these but I thought they were cute anyway.

 

half-eaten gingerbread ornament from Elsie Marley

Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves

Wanna see something cute?

Aren't these cupcakes adorable?

I'll let you in on a little secret....

They were SUPER EASY to make!

We just baked the cupcakes.

Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves helped us get creative!

ROUNDABOUTS® cupcake wraps are an innovative product designed for busy families like yours!  Using toppings easily found at your grocery store or local party supply store, these decorative non-bake cupcake wrappers will work wonders on ordinary cupcakes. We know you’re going to want to make them a part of YOUR next celebration.

We chose to use the Furry Friends cupcake sleeves for our cupcakes. 

Bake and frost the cupcakes as usual.

Wrap a roundabouts cupcake sleeve around the cupcake liner and then decorate.

We used vanilla wafers for our ears.

Voila...

Creative Cupcakes made easy!

There are so many different cupcake sleeves to choose from over at Roundaboutsleeves.com.

Here are some of our favorites:

Now anyone can get creative with their cupcakes!

Here's our vlog:

Visit Roundaboutsleeves.com for more info.

Roundaboutsleeves.com provided us with the above mentioned cupcake sleeves to be used with this feature post. We were not compensated in any other form. The opinions above are entirely my own.

Thomas the Tank ~Giveaway~

Full Steam ahead!!!

Friendship and Fun with Thomas and all his friends....

This series set has exclusive, heartwarming tales on the tracks filled with more adventures and more lessons than ever before. Capture the spirit of Thomas as he learns to share his workload, and experience exciting festivals and surprises in store with every episode, including never-before-seen on TV footage exclusive to the DVDs. So hop on board and strap on your conductor's hat for this thrilling all-in-one – with Thomas & friends. DVDs in the Set Include: RAILWAY FRIENDS: Full steam ahead for friendship and fun with Thomas and his engine pals! HIGH SPEED ADVENTURES: Join Thomas & Friend as they speed through the Island of Sodor in these six spectacular stories of fun and adventure. TEAM UP WITH THOMAS: Join Thomas & Friends for more heartwarming tales on the tracks filled with fun adventures, important lessons and helpful friends. PERCY AND THE BANDSTAND: Come along with Thomas and the whole Sodor gang for a hot air balloon ride, a top secret birthday party, a special surprise at the bandstand and more.

Do you have a Thomas the Tank fan in your household? My nephew is just crazy about him. I must admit he is kind of cute. Ya know, in a train sort of way. HEHE!

*Giveaway*

One lucky reader will walk away with the following:

(1) Thomas & Friends Adventure Pack (above)

&

(1) Thomas the Tank 24 piece Floor Puzzle (below)

This will make an excellent gift to put under the tree!

Here's what you need to do:

Leave a comment below telling me WHO you would give this prize pack to.

That's it!

Extra Entries:

Follow My Trendy Tykes via Google Friend Connect

Subscribe to my youtube channel, mommyvlogsalot.

Please leave an additional comment for each task completed. (also leave your youtube id if you sub)

This giveaway will end on Monday, December 13th.

Kinect for Xbox 360

It's that time of year again. Moms and Dads are running around like crazy trying to find the latest and greatest for their kids. Video games and Video Game Systems are always right at the top of the lists. Am I wrong?

My kids ask for something "video game" related every.single.year. 

Luckily we have a 36 year old video game pro in the house. (Daddy) If it connects to the back of a tv and comes with a controller.....he knows about it.

A big game title such as Call of Duty Black Ops? He stood in line for it @ 12 midnight while I was fast asleep.

The New Kinect for Xbox 360? Pre-ordered and stalked the store until they gave it to him a few hours early. 

Yep.

Let's talk about Kinect....

I have been asked "Which should we buy, Kinect or the Nintendo Wii?"

Since we have both I figured I would give you my opinion.

The Wii is great. I happen to enjoy it a lot. Of course, I grew up on the Super Nintendo though.

Mario was my favorite!

The Wii is aimed towards the children and dare I say ....."older folks".

The Xbox 360 is aimed towards teens and adults (AHEM grown men!)

*Yes, I know some ladies too! I'm just thinking of my own household here.

Yes, the Wii has Wii Sports and all the exercise programs BUT you have to use the wii-remotes.

Kinect has Sports games, Exercise programs and Dance Central (my favorite). NO REMOTES needed.

You don't even need a special step board for their exercise programs/games.

You play with your whole body!

Kinect is like something out of one of those Sci-Fi movies. It really is neat. You can control it's options with your voice and a swipe of the hand.

There is also options available for video chat. (Of course, your friends/family must have Kinect also for this to work.)

Enjoy HD movies, music and sports through Xbox LIVE without any extra accessories. Just use a wave of your hand or the sound of your voice to enjoy 3,500 games on ESPN, HD movies through Zune, streaming music from Last.fm.

I prefer Kinect over the Nintendo Wii.

Main Reason: No pesky remotes to deal with.

It gets you OFF THE COUCH and IN THE ACTION!

You actually feel like you are a part of the game.

Video Chat....Excellent device!

Don't take my word though. Get to your local video game store and try it out for yourself.

Please note: You will need the Xbox 360 in order to play Kinect. They are sold separately if you already own the system. If not, you can buy a bundle pack.

Here is a video that my husband did on Kinect when we first purchased.

I was NOT compensated for this review. Every video game/system mentioned above was purchased by my family. The opinions above are entirely my own. I just thought someone would benefit from this information before making their purchase.

Blurt, The Webster's game of word racing

 

 

Looking for a fun yet educational game for the kids to play?

Try Blurt.

For ages 7-9

Includes 300 cards, which have 1800 clues at 2 playing levels

 

Blurt is a hilarious, fast-paced game of rapid recall that will have both kids and adults scrambling to be the first to shout out a word based on a given definition. In the heat of the race to call out the right word, even bookworms with big vocabularies may find themselves tongue-tied. With a Junior Version that gives kids as young as seven years old a chance to learn new words, Blurt is both educational and fun for groups of three to 12 players.

Mama Likes

 

 leg lamp shirt by RoyalKane  *hehe*

Holiday Bloom skirt from twirlaway

elf shoes (onesie from oopinkisfunoo)