New Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Review and Giveaway

Technology never ceases to amaze me.  I was gonna say that I couldn't even begin to imagine what life was like before all these amazing advances, but then I remembered that I was born 47 years ago...before all of these amazing advances. 

I was amazed again this week when we had our Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Party, thanks to MommyParties and Hexbug.  The makers of the original Hexbugs took it up a notch with their newest creatures and tracks that truly glow in the dark! 

(I know, not a very good image. I had to borrow it because my camera could not pick up the amazing glow in the dark features, because my camera is old and it sucks. But that it a post for another day. For now, just bask in the glow of this neon bug thingy.)

We received our kit a few weeks ago, which was chock full of Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Nanos and Habitat sets, as well as some wicked cool Halloween Mutant Zombie Nanos.

 
A new addition to the Hexbug family found its way into the box too...Hexbug Larvae.  I know...just the name makes me squeamish.  Larvae.  If you click on the link, you can watch it squirm.  I don't like to watch it squirm, but be my guest.  The boys love it.

They really got a kick out of the Mutant Zombie Nanos with the glowing exoskeleton.  They all immediately ran into the garage where it is pitch dark and let the little bugs run around.  Again...lame camera couldn't get any of the action.  They fun with the lights on too though, as evidenced here:

I love that the glow-in-the-dark feature has renewed their interest in these little robotic toys.  I do have to admit that one of the larvae already lost it's life to experimentation.  The power switch was broken, so they performed a surgical procedure, which unfortunately for the larvae was unsuccessful, but it was very enlightening and interesting for the two amatuer scientists.  If I had paid for that Hexbug, I might have been a little peeved that it broke after 5 minutes of use, but the other two seem fine.    

The Zombie Mutant Hexbugs are availble for a very limited time at Radio Shack and the Glow-in-the-Dark Nanos and Habitats are in retail stores like Walmart and Target.   If your kids are Hexbug junkies, then keep an eye out during the upcoming holiday season for more cutting edge Hexbug products!

Win a Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Nano and a Mutant Zombie Nano!  Just leave a comment and let me know which of the Hexbug creatures is your favorite.  Contest will end at 12 Midnight PST November 12th.  U.S. Residents only.  Winner will be chosen at random.      

***Disclosure:  I received a Hexbug Halloween Party Kit from MommyParties and Hexbug to facilitate this review.  As always, my honest opinions are my own.  ***  

A Few Things on My Bucket List

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

I have been so consumed with finding work and creating income since we moved to our new state that the thought of filling out just one more job application or revamping my resume one more time makes me want to slit my wrists.  Yeah...I'm that burned out.  So I thought I'd take a break from the job hunt and focus on some of the really motivating things I would like to accomplish in my life, in the hopes that I might regain some of my sanity and maybe win an awesome family vacation in the process!

There are about a billion things I'd like to do before I leave this world, here are 15 of them:

1. Write a book.  I know.  Everyone wants to write a book, right?  And actually, just about anyone can do it these days with all the self-publishing options and e-books, but I can't remember a time when I didn't want to write a book, so even if it seems like a trendy, "everybody's-doing-it" kind of goal, it is a goal I choose to keep on my bucket list.  Don't ask me about the book topic, I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete.  Although I had an amazing idea today for a coffee table book that involves Dog the Bounty Hunter.  Intrigued?  I know, right?  How did someone not think of it already!?!

2. Learn how to design and build a website.  Because then I could more easily pursue some of my other goals that are sitting and waiting for a finished website to call home so they can come to life. Which reminds me of #3 on this list.

3.  Go back to school and finish my education.  I have a 20 year old Associates degree in an industry where my skills are no longer relevant.  I learned ad design and graphics before the computer!  Ever heard of amberlith, rapidographs and Prismacolor markers?  How about a Varitype Typesetter?  Ever made a photostat copy of something? No?  I KNOW!!  Because all these things are obsolete!  Time to start over and learn how to use all the spiffy new design programs out there like Dreamweaver, Photoshop, InDesign and whatever video editing software the kids are using these days.

4. Learn to play the banjo.  The redneck in me needs an outlet once in awhile.  I have this vision of sittin' around on the porch Andy Griffith style with a cool guitar player, a fine fiddler and a rad harmonica-nista.  We'll be a pickin' and a grinnin' while the neighbors clap and the kids dance on the lawn.  I cannot WAIT to post the video one day to prove to y'all that this one actually happened.

5. Own a 1965-68 Mustang with a big V-8 and cool mag wheels.   Va-rooom!  I LOVE those cars!

6. Move to a farm where I can raise my boys and live out the rest of my life growing amazing things and taking care of funny animals.

7. Lose weight and get healthy...so I can learn to do things like #8.

8. Ski with my family!  Even when I am thin, I have never been really athletic, but skiing down a mountain of snow sounds like a hoot.  Even if I never make it off the bunny hill, I'd like to try it once before I die.  And the weight loss thing would also be of great importance when it comes to finding a snowsuit that wouldn't make me look like the Michelin Man's wife.

9. Travel across the country in a decked out motor home to visit places like Mt. Rushmore and The Bigfoot Discovery Museum while eating really cool road food like "Rippers" from Rutt's Hutt in New Jersey and tossed rolls at Lambert's Cafe in Missouri.

10. Buy a really great digital camera and take a photography class with Arizona Highways or National Geographic photographers. .

11.Accomplish something physical that I never thought I would be capable of doing, like running a marathon or hiking the Grand Canyon. 

12. Find a cure for cankles.  Seriously.  I hate my ankles.  Even when I'm not heavy, I still have cankles.  Not from fat or water retention, but from giant bones and muscles.  I have thick ankle DNA.  I will never look good in a dress and strappy sandals until cankles become a thing of the past.  Please donate today to the "Cure for Cankles" Foundation.  Your contribution will help women like myself, my mom and Hillary Clinton shun pantsuits and long skirts forever.

13. Visit Ireland and come home with a wicked Irish accent.

14. Become a published author in a magazine or newspaper.   

15. Visit Grandmother/Great-grandmother's old home in Virginia with Mom and Sister.  My mom has always wanted to know more about her mother's side of the family and where they came from.  She has relatives there she has never met.  It would be wonderful to help her reconnect with family there and learn more about her southern heritage.       

I'm Working on a Post

I have been working on a post for about 2 weeks now. For some reason I just can't get it right. It's one of those heartfelt, emotional posts and I just can't get what I feel into words. I hate when that happens. So, I just wanted to let you know that there is a new post coming sometime soon. As soon as I can figure out how to say what I want to say.

 

In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of my kids at the park by the river a few weeks ago.  It was one of those really great days when they actually liked each other and they spent the day laughing and poking things they found along the trail with sticks.