Reconnaissance or Bad Landing?

As a Boymom, there are things I see in my home that I don't think Girlmoms see very often, if at all.  Like this:

It's a toy paratrooper.  Hanging out of one of my kitchen drawers.  I happened to catch him out of the corner of my eye as I was grabbing my purse this morning.  He kind of caught me off guard.  It's not something I expected to see at 8 a.m. in the morning. 

So I immediately did what any other good Boymom would do and started talking to the guy.  "Hey Dude!  How long have you been hanging here?  Let's see if we can get you untangled and to a more stable location, away from enemy fire."  As I was talking I noticed Blackie Chan the Ninja Cat staring at me.  I couldn't tell if he thought I was talking to him or if he was mad that I was removing a potential play toy from his path.  Either way, he looked disgusted with me. 

I started to open the drawer to remove the guy, then didn't.  I know.  I KNOW!!  How could I leave that poor paratrooper just hanging there, waiting to be attacked? Well...because it occured to me that this guy might be there because someone wanted him there.  He might be part of an elaborately strategized battle plan that I know nothing about and by removing him, I might sway the entire outcome of this war reinactment.  I didn't want to be responsible for that. 

I've done that before, you know.  Ruined an entire 2 weeks of planning and staging, along with the outcome of a major battle because I moved 1 army guy from his post on the bathroom counter to the top of a dresser.  It was utter chaos for 15 minutes while everyone had to adjust strategies and move guys around to compensate for mom's lack of military training and knowledge. It was a big "Duh, Mom" moment that I don't care to repeat. 

After almost 12 years of raising boys, I've learned my lesson:  Leave the army guys where you find them. 

Sad for Paratrooper Man, but safe for Boymom.

Defiants 4 x 4s Review

This is how we spent last Saturday...

These little Defiant trucks are a blast!  Their climbing ability is pretty amazing.  As you can tell, the boys loved them. 

(I had more boys there, but some of the parents don't like me taking pics of their kids and posting them on the internet...I try to be respectful of their feelings, but sometimes it kinda kills my blog post. Ummm, HELLO!!  How can I rock the review posts when I can't show your kids loving or hating the things I review?!  I'm so KIDDING!  Kind of.  But seriously, I get it...some parents don't want their kids pasted all over the internet because of safety concerns. I don't always like it, but I get it.)

So, the boys ran the trucks until the batteries died (2 AAA's), then we had some snacks and refueled.  Caramel Rocks and Boulders with Road Rally Gully Punch to drink for the boys.  More batteries for the trucks. 

We'll be taking them out into the desert this weekend to see how they do on the rocky terrain outside, so look for some more videos in a few days.  Also, check out the Defiants 4 x 4s website for more product info. 

Defiants 4 x 4s made their debut in Phoenix and so are only available right now in select Walmart and Toys R Us stores in Arizona.  Again, check the Defiants 4 x 4s website for purchase locations. 

I love that the company supports our troops and will be contacting them to see if they will work on a fund-raising project with my non-profit: Helping Our Warriors.

Birthday Gift FAIL

Here's what my husband gave me for my birthday today-

Sunflowers are one of my most favorite flowers.  I absolutely adore them.

Here's what I gave him for his birthday last week -

FAIL!

His gift was so romantic and thoughtful.  Mine was really practical and well...NOT romantic. 

I think I need to regroup for Father's Day and try again.

Here, Home, Hope Book Review

Thanks to One2One Network, I was able to actually sit down and read a book this last week, for the first time in a very long time.  I love reading, it used to sustain me when I was a kid looking for an escape from my weird, dysfunctional life.  I forgot how much I loved the process of getting to know the characters and really trying to put myself into the story. 

Here, Home, Hope is a "chick lit" novel written by Kaira Rouda.  The whole story revolves around main character Kelly Mills Johnson, a stay-at-home mom  living in an up-scale suburban neighborhood called Grandville.  39-year old Kelly has a successful lawyer husband, well-behaved kids and beautiful friends with whom she shares her life, but she finds herself feeling restless and depressed after a breast cancer scare.  When her boys go off to summer camp she finds herself feeling even more lonely and directionless, so  she decides change is in order and embarks on a "Things to Change (T2C)" campaign to improve her life.  The fact that Post-It Notes became part of that campaign immediately caught my attention and made me laugh, because I am seriously THE Post-It Queen. 

As Kelly puts her T2C Plan into motion, she quickly learns that things are seldom as cut and dry as they may seem.  The two perfectly put together, succesful friends she admires so much are not as perfect and put together as she had assumed and have issues of their own that end up becoming issues for Kelly too!   The rest of the book winds its way through Kelly's attempts to make sense of her life and make the changes she needs to make, while dealing with the changes going on in the lives of those around her. 

I read Here, Home, Hope in two days and although I enjoyed the book and definitely  identified with the character's need for growth and fulfillment  as she transitioned from mother of small children to mother of more self-sufficient teens, there were parts of Kelly's life that I could not necessarily come to terms with.  Maybe it was the $300 hair cut and the shopping trip to the high end boutique.  Or the perfect husband who always says and does the right thing at just the right moment.  Or the perfect suburban neighborhood that Kelly describes as her home.  I don't know anyone who lives like that, so that's not real life...to me.  But then again, I 'spose it is real for some people...I just never ran with the "Country Club" crowd, so my version of reality comes from a whole different place.

The book really is a nice, easy read and there was much to enjoy about Kelly's journey to peace and happiness.  I think it does address some very real issues for women.  Trying to be everything to everybody is something with which most of the women I know struggle.  Here, Home, Hope addresses the feelings and frustrations we all feel when we try to bring more joy and fulfillment to our lives.  It also addresses the reality that not everybody deals with their problems the same way, hence marriages end, families fall apart, people inflict pain on themselves and life gets messy.  And as humans, we tend to be judgemental about people's problem solving skills and choices.  I liked the sense of empowerment that author Kaira Rouda tried to bring out in her female characters throughout the storyline.  I loved that the underlying message is one of support and nuturing, rather than criticizing.   And honesly...I loved the T2C Post-Its and Kelly's T2C List.  I have a few T2C's on my walls now.

Here, Home, Hope was a decent, light, quick read that did give me some ideas, some motivation and some hope that I can make the transisitions I need to make in my own life as I struggle to find "my place" in the Universe.  And it reminded me that while I am on my journey, I need to feed and care for my sister friends (T2C #5) without judgement.

Sending lots of love out to all of you who continue to support me as I work through my issues and find my path to fulfillment!

***Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this review and the opinions expressed are my own.  I did recieve a digital copy of Here, Home, Hope from One 2 One Network in order to facilitate this review. ***    

FyreFlyz Giveaway Winner

FyrFlyz Review and Giveaway

Sometimes the simplest things bring the greatest pleasure.  We were fortunate enough to participate in another product review this last week and I have to say, I am really, really amazed at the awesomeness that is FyrFlyz.

The whole toy consists of this small plastic piece with LED lights on each end that is attached to strings with handholds.  The fun comes when you start to twist and spin and pull the strings using the handholds.  All that motion causes the plastic part with the lights to start moving around to create scenes like this one that took place when the boys had some friends sleep over:

Sorry for the speedy replay on the video, I'm still trying to get a good video converter/editor to work with. 

ANYWAAAYYY...how cool are these things!?!  Here are some things we loved about FyrFlyz:

• Fun for all ages
• Encourages coordination development
• Encourages creative play as kids try to learn new tricks to create different light patterns
• Easy to operate, no setup time
• Addictive!!  We sat for at least an hour trying to create new patterns!

Things we did not like:

• Improper placement of fingers while using FyrFlyz will lead to a very sharp whack to your thumbnail or knuckle.  It freaking hurts! (Remember old school Clackers?!  Same kind of pain.)

I have to state though, that if you follow instructions, place your fingers properly on the holds and don't get too crazy with the speed and maneuvering, you can avoid the whacked finger issue.  The issue really is a result of operator error, but it is something that moms with small kids should be aware of.  Other than a throbbing thumbnail, we found everything about FyrFlyz to be entertaining and fun.  After our own experimenting, we went to the FyrFlyz website and learned more about how to achieve different light patterns.  My boys are still working on some of them and are looking forward to amazing their friends with the new tricks. 

FyrFlyz come in 4 different colors and are being sold in the Phoenix area right now for under $10.  They'll be released for purchase nationwide sometime in September.  We are planning to use them as part of our 4th of July celebration...should be an intersting and colorful night!!

Wanna Win One?  Do any or all of these things:

• Leave a comment on my blog
• Refer a friend to follow my blog
• Tweet about the contest
• Post this contest to your Facebook page
• Like FyrFlyz on Facebook

The more of these things you do, the more opportunities you will have to win!  The FyrFlyz contest will end on May 29th, 2011 @ 12 midnight. 

***Disclosure:  MomSelect and FyrFlyz provided me with product in order to facilitate this review.  I was not compensated monetarily for my opinions, which are my own. ***

DaGeDar Review

Remember the good folks at Cepia?  They're the company that did Zhu-Zhu Pets...the robotic hamster things?  Well, they've come up with a new toy that we got to try out last weekend called DaGeDar (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR).  Here's some background on DaGeDar:

"DaGeDar™ (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR) collectible supercharged battle balls have a special feel and weight that almost demand to be raced! Each DaGeDar™ battle ball boasts a graphic design that reflects the true energy contained within. More than 240 different DaGeDar™ ball graphics are planned for release this year, with varying degrees of rarity. Each ball carries a special code number that when registered on the DaGeDar™ website (www.dagedar.com) will reveal the true spirit contained within the DaGeDar™ ball, as well as its hidden powers, which can assist in racing strategy and let kids unleash the power within!

Racing DaGeDar™ balls requires skill, practice, agility and finesse. Players must control the speed and velocity of DaGeDar™ balls in order to propel them through thrilling loops and turns without forcing the balls off the tracks. Exciting tricks and stunts can be refined by whirling DaGeDar™ balls in Spinners or loading several balls into Battle Launchers to unleash them with supercharged battle play."

They seem a little simplistic at first, I mean really they are nothing but steel bearings encased in foam rubber stuff with some really cool looking designs on them.  But...put them in the hands of little boys and add some tracks to race them on, suddenly they are amazing to watch and play with!
  

I could not believe how much they enjoyed these things!  I heard nothing but constant laughter and strategizing for 2 solid hours!  It took the boys some time to figure out different ways to spin and launch their DaGeDar balls to get them to stay on the track and to make them go faster, but  after some practice they got much better results on the track.  I love that the balls encourage creative and analytical thinking, as well as some agility and coordination.  The boys love the collectible feature and since last week have spent almost every day comparing and trading their DaGeDar balls with friends and neighbors who recieved some of their own at our DaGeDar launch party.  The track comes out almost daily during playtime now, it is quick to set up and break down, and the boys haul it around the neighborhood to various friends' houses to race.

DaGeDar was just launched this month in the Phoenix area, so look for them in select Phoenix area Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores. The price ranges from $4.99 for a DaGeDar ball to $19.99 for various racing and launching components and sets.  Don't forget to check out the DaGeDar website for some AWESOME videos and really interesting facts!