Do you ever do crazy things like this?

Seriously, am I the only one who does things like this?

So all day yesterday I was craving a milkshake...a Utah style milkshake

(what is a Utah style milkshake you ask...it is more Blizzard or McFlurry than milkshake...super thick and filled with yummy mix ins).

No, it was NOT that time of the month, and no buns in this oven,

just a craving for some yummy ice cream goodness!

Does a girl really need a reason for an ice cream craving?

So, last night on the way home from buying doughnuts for my son's Kindergarten class

(he has a summer birthday, so today was the randomly selected day for him to celebrate his birthday) I stopped off at Arctic Circle for one of these:

I selected a super yummy strawberry cheesecake shake and brought it home to enjoy.
I only got a small, but after about 2/3 the way through I decided that I was full
and took it to the freezer so I could save it for later...
well I THOUGHT I put it in the freezer.
This morning, I decided that I wanted to enjoy the rest of my milkshake.
I opened the freezer and couldn't find it anywhere!
I was beginning to get angry, thinking someone had stolen my milkshake..
Opening the refrigerator to get some milk for the kids cereal I saw it, yes
there sat my milkshake on the refrigerator shelf...completly melted!

So, tell me. Do you do crazy things like this when you are tired?

I could tell you more crazy stories about double diapering children and putting my fresh strawberries in the freezer, but I will leave those for another time...suffice it to say, I tend to do crazy things when I am tired. Please tell me I am not alone...please...please...

Arctic Circle restaurants are located mostly in Utah and Idaho, but can also be found in parts of Nevada, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Tell Me A Story Tuesday coming soon!

Just a quick note to let you know that Tell Me A Story Tuesday will be a bit late today (I know, I know I was late last week too).
Today's book includes some fun recipes and my daughter and I will be giving one a try
when she gets home from school today
(I finally made a trip to the grocery store last night)!

So PLEASE come back this evening for a fun taste of
Tell Me A Story Tuesday!

Laundry AAAACCKKK!

Seriously, laundry is just crazy for a family of seven! It feels like I am constantly washing clothes and we never have any that are clean. I have tried different systems of doing laundry, and nothing seems to really work for me...I think what I really need is two sets of washers and dryers...maybe then I could stay on top of things...but then again, maybe not! The battle of mom vs laundry wages on and it seems that laundry has the upper hand!

Armed with a large capacity washer and super concentrated laundry detergent, I am off to wage war on the dirty clothes in this household...wish me luck!

1-2-3 Draw Super Fun Stuff REVIEW

Do you have a budding artist on your Christmas list this year? My oldest son LOVES to draw, and from the moment this book arrived on my doorstep, he has been drawing like crazy. Race cars, birds, elephants and more have been showing up on scraps of paper all around the house.

1-2-3 Draw Super Fun Stuff is a combination of five of the 1-2-3 Draw books by Peel Productions. The books included are:

1-2-3 Draw Knights, Castles, and Dragons
1-2-3 Draw Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals
1-2-3 Draw Wild Animals
1-2-3 Draw Pets and Farm Animals
1-2-3 Draw Cars, Trucks and Other Vehicles

This hard covered, spiral bound book is very well made. The spiral binding makes it perfect for laying open on the table and the step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and perfect for children.

My son loves this book so much that last night when I thought he was going to sleep I caught him up on his bunk bed with this book open, drawing away! He can't seem to get enough.My daughter also loves using the drawing instructions found in this book. Her favorite things to draw are animals, and this book is a wonderful source for animal drawing instructions.

I was also sent a copy of the book entitled DRAW Magical Fantasies. This book is created in the same style as the 1-2-3 Draw books, but is created for an older audience (suggested for ages 9+). I am sure that once my children have mastered the skills in the 1-2-3 book they will be excited to move on to the DRAW book!

You can discover all of the wonderful drawing books and other great books by Peel Productions (including Peel The Extraordinary Elephant) by visiting their website. You can purchase the books directly from Peel or Amazon.com.

If you have a budding artist on your Christmas list, look no farther than the 1-2-3 DRAW books by Peel Productions, you and your little artist will not be disappointed.

I received copies of both the 1-2-3 DRAW Super Fun Stuff and DRAW Magical Fantasies books in order to provide a review. No other compensation was provided. Any purchases through links to Amazon.com will result in compensation. I presented my honest opinion.

Halls Refresh WINNERS!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Halls Refresh Giveaway! I hope that you will all come back often. Now on to the winners:

Here are your random numbers:
30 44 37
Timestamp: 2009-11-14 01:35:01 UTC

That is:

30. sibabe64 said...
Halloween and pumpkin picking. kids jumping in the leaves
November 9, 2009 9:46 PM

37. FDP 4 Life said...
follower
November 10, 2009 12:45 PM

44. lilyk said...
I become a fan of Halls on Facebook under the name Lily Kwan/likwan.
November 10, 2009 11:59 PM

Congrats winners! I am sending you an email right now. Please respond within 72 hours with your name and address or I will choose a new winner! If you see your name here but have not recieved an email from me, please send me an email at reviewsbychris(at)gmail(dot)com.

Tell Me A Story Tuesday (yes I know it is really Wendesday!) Peel The Extraordinary Elephant

I know, it is Wednesday, but I had a super busy day yesterday and didn't want to wait until next week to share this adorable book with you! So, I hope you will allow me to be a day late with Tell Me A Story Tuesday this week! I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of Peel, the Extraordinary Elephant by Susan Joyce. I love the colored pencil/crayon style illustrations by Doug DuBosque. They give a softness to the story that traditional illustrations would not have given.

This book follows a little Elephant on a journey of discovery. He meets many friends along the way who help him discover who he is and what makes him extraordinary. Peel's story is told in rhyme, which is wonderful for reading aloud (my daughter thought that it was great that the book was a long poem)! Peel remembers a lullaby that helps him through tough times, and at the end of the book you will find the lullaby and basic sheet music so you can learn to sing along with Peel(one line, treble clef only).

The story is broken up into several chapters, making it a bit long for a single reading for very young children. Older children will enjoy it in one sitting, while younger children may need you to read the story over a couple bedtimes. Your children will enjoy following Peel on his journey and learn with Peel that we can learn from both the good times and the bad.

You can find copies Peel's story for sale on Amazon.comor directly from Peel Productions.

Thank you to Kate at KSB Promotions and Peel Productions for providing me with a copy of this book to review! Look for another review of a Peel Productions book coming later this week!

I received a copy of this book in order to provide a review. No further compensation was received. As always, purchases made through amazon.com links will result in compensation. The above review reflects my honest opinion.

Slice by Five for Fighting REVIEW

The piano is one of my all time favorite instruments! It can be played in so many styles and lends so much beauty to a performance. If you love the piano and great vocals you will enjoy "Slice" by Five for Fighting! The title track is great, playing on the classic song, "American Pie"

Five for Fighting is not a group that I was too familiar with before I received a digital download of this album from One2One Network. I really enjoyed John Ondrasik's unique voice. He has an incredible high range! I don't say that lightly, it truly is gorgeous. You can really hear him display this in the song "This Dance".The blend of his voice with the gorgeous piano (and at times a mix of other instruments) makes this album a winner in my book. It will be making it's way on my house cleaning play list (A true sign that I like it! I have to have good music when I clean!)

Here is a list of the tracks on this album:
1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can't Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

For more info on Five for Fighting you can check these sites:
Five for Fighting on Facebook
fiveforfighting.com
Follow John Ondrasik on Twitter

Slice is available now on Amazon.com and other music retailers.

I received a digital version of this album in order to provide a review. No other compensation has been received. Links to Amazon are associated with their associates program and purchases made through them will result in compensation. The opinion expressed is honest and completely my own.

Pencil frustrations!

Maybe it is just me, and I am completly inept when it comes to sharpening pencils, but seriously...the pencils in my house always have broken lead. I can sharpen a fresh, brand new pencil and within minutes the lead with crack and I will be required to resharpen the pencil...only to go through this process over and over again ( and I don't mean just the sharp point will crack, I mean crack at the point where the lead is just coming out of the wood). I can't keep mechanical pencils in the house, because my children (when they are between the ages of 6 months and 3) seem to think that the erasers on those are so much fun to eat...(really I do feed these kids). And when the erasers are gone, all of the lead falls out and the pencils are useless...

So whats a mom to three school aged children to do? When it is time to do homework I seem to spend a majority of the time either searching for pencils that are sharp or sharpening pencils that have just broken... Have you found a good brand of old school pencils that always work for you... Is my problem that I buy the cheap, $0.50 packs of pencils during back to school? Would the more expensive pencils really work better, or am I doomed to waste away the minutes sharpening pencils over...and over... and over again?

Please help this pencil challenged mamma...share your pencil tips (really, no pun intended)with me!

Wordless Wednesday

My little goblins!

Check here to see more of Wordless Wednesday!

Tell Me A Story Tuesday Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Today I am sharing a favorite book from my childhood. There are several books that stand out in my memories of my childhood, and one of those is the story of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Mary Anne. Mike and Mary Anne are a great time, digging canals and cutting through mountains for the railways. But, as time goes by, gasoline and diesel are introduced. Nobody wants to use an old steam shovel anymore when these new shovels can do the work so much faster. Mike and Mary Anne are forced to look for work far away, and end up in the small down of Popperville. They make a deal with the city, that they can get the whole basement for the new town hall dug in one day or the town will not have to pay them for their work. The whole city comes to see if they can finish in time. Find out if they succeed or fail by picking up a copy of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel available at Amazon.com or other retailers of children's books.

A funny little tid bit..when I was younger we switched Doctors for a short time (we changed insurance shortly after switching to him, so we had to change again) to a pediatrician who's name was Dr Mike Mulligan. I remember thinking that was so cool that his name was the same as the character from this book...

No compensation was received for this post, but I am an Amazon Associate, so any purchases made through the links in this post will result in compensation. This has no bearing on my opinion.