The Polly Pocket post you've been dying to read

Chick acquired quite a collection of Polly Pockets for Christmas.  Polly Pockets are great.  They are portable, easy for little ones to dress, and best of all, their heads pop off.  I give you photographic proof:

Who doesn't like a doll where you can pop the head on and off willy nilly? However, there are plusses and minuses to Polly Pockets.  I'm going to start with the negative.

1. Polly Pockets House.  Have you ever seen the dollhouse?  It looks like this:

Here's the thing about the house, it's great.  Lots of hours have been spent playing with it.  But look at all the furniture (and that's not even all of it).  I didn't buy extra furniture.  It came with all that.  How on earth can Polly live in a house so crowded with furniture?  Simple answer; she can't.  House: Fail.

2. Have you seen what the Polly Pocket multi doll/outfit packs look like?  They look like this:

I'm sorry, I was almost embarrassed to buy my child this.  I hid it in the bottom of the chart like some red faced teenager.  Anyone else think they look eerily like condom wrappers?  Or is it just me?

3. Now I know these are just toys, but dang it, Polly Pocket has a far better wardrobe than I do.  Just look at all these choices:

And that's only the ones we currently own.  I can't imagine how many other choices there are.  The possibilities seem kind of endless.

All in all, Polly Pockets are fun and Chick loves them.  I don't even mind playing with them as long as I get to change up their outfits and live vicariously through Polly.  I've heard Polly has a camper.  I'm pretty sure that'll be next on the wish list.

Did your kids get any fun toys for Christmas (or Hanukkah) that you can't help playing with?

*I've had (what feels like) the bubonic plague for over a week.  I haven't been ignoring your blogs.  I've got over a thousand posts in my reader.  I thought that was kind of cool, it actually says 1000+  The kids are back to school on Monday.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch back up.

Book Review: One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

I recently had the opportunity to review the Young Adult novel, One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen.  The book will be released in February 2011 by Harlequin Teen.  The story begins with a scene at an old asylum where the main character, Charlotte Silver, is helping her paranormal research parents find supernatural forces.  It's not something she loves, just a fact of her life.  What she encounters during that morning turns out to be unlike anything she's ever come across.

Calling itself simply The Watcher, this other world being begins to set his sights on Charlotte.  Complicating her already complex life is the sudden interest of high school heartthrob, Harris Abbott, who's after more than just Charlotte.  The story is filled with the typical angst of teenage romance while dealing with the more complex situation of her parents marriage slowly going to pieces.  The question is how will Charlotte deal with her parents marriage, an over attentive boyfriend and a supernatural being out for her life?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  The plot is layered, turning each corner it kept me guessing as to what was really behind the relationship between Charlotte and Harris, who was planning the events foretold during the party where they lit the one hundred candles, and how everything would come together.

While the situation of being hunted by a supernatural being is perhaps unrealistic, the characters are believable and real and made me feel like just maybe such a thing could exist.  The author creates a world most teenagers can relate to, the agony of first love, parental upset and everyday life.

This is the second book in the One Hundred Candles series featuring Charlotte Silver by Mara Purnhagen.  You can find the first book, Past Midnight, at local retailers and online.  For more information visit Harlequin Teen.


I was provided with a galley copy of this book through NetGalley to complete my review.  The opinions expressed are mine and were in no way influenced by Harlequin Teen.

A little picture

Santa came early this year and he brought me a little something called Photoshop Elements.  I'm pretty sure I'm in love.

I'll be here playing with my 8214 photos.  Send food and water; and occasionally coffee...

Parenting Tips and Tricks

Lately I've been busy playing mom and I've learned some valuable tips in the past weeks.  I thought I'd share them with all of you.  (These are even helpful for dealing with co-workers or family members if you don't have children.)

1. Never color Snow White's dress blue when it is supposed to be yellow.  You can have your Princess Coloring Page Privileges revoked like that.

2. Don't mistakenly introduce your child by the name you call them on your blog (or a nickname, that doesn't work out so well either.)

3. If your child has the flu, especially the stomach flu, and they have bunk beds, insist that they sleep on the bottom bunk.  Just trust me on that.  You don't even want to know how I know about that tip.

4. Incidentally, if your child vomits on a white stuffed lamb, front loading washing machines will work wonders on getting it out.

5. If your child is moody all day, never attempt to leave them with even a beloved babysitter.  They will go bat sh*t crazy and scream at said babysitter, forcing you to stand next to them while they eat dinner.  Then you'll end up putting them to bed yourself anyway before leaving for your night out.

6. Olive Garden will give you the remainder of your purchased bottle of wine if you can't finish it.  So after you get home several hours later and your children are still awake, you can go ahead and drink the rest of said bottle in the comfort of your pjs.

7. Never take two children, 4 & 8, into the post office to mail a package the week before Christmas.  You may not live through the experience.

8. Never promise a child anything unless you are prepared to go through with it.  They will drive you bat sh*t crazy if you don't follow through.

I hope you found my tips and tricks helpful this holiday season.  Do you have any you can add to my list? Feel free to share in the comments.

The generosity of others

Recently I found out a little something about the spirit of the place I've been living for the past nine months.  Having spent almost four years living overseas, living a bit of an unrealistic life, I haven't had a reason to know what the word 'recession' really means.  Now, I know a bit more about what those words mean.

A friend was telling a story about a family she knew from her sons school.  The family had recently seen unspeakable amounts of tragedy, three family members lost in the same month, one of them the father.  As I heard more about this family, now with only a grief stricken mother and a sad and confused small child, I felt an ache begin to grow in my chest.  This family of two struggles through the day, not just with grief, but with putting food on the table and finding a way to hopefully place even a single gift under the tree.

I stood in my fancy kitchen, in my house that's really far too big, glancing around at all the...stuff we have and it really hit me how lucky I am.  I am lucky.  I am blessed.  We are not worrying how to afford to give our children gifts or about putting food on the table.  I don't stay up at night wondering what to do when the last dollar is long gone.

I don't think 'let me give away everything I own to those less fortunate'.  That's an unbalanced concept.  But I do think I could give up that fancy coffee this week and eat dinner in one night instead of going out.  I could give even that small amout of money I don't spend as a gift to a family that really needs it.

In the past five years, we've always lived somewhere safe and secure, somewhere warm and comfortable.  It wasn't until this conversation that I finally understood what recession means, what unemployment means.  When I think of these words, I now picture the faces of my friends, who themselves are facing hardship and have nothing more than a turkey dinner to offer, but do so willingly and happily in order to bring a smile to this small family's face.

This is Christmas spirit.  This is the generosity of heart and of kindness.  There are so many in this community that need a helping hand.  Along with another friend, we plan to make sure this family can make a sad first Christmas without a loved one, just a little less painful.  A warm dinner on the table, a few gifts under the tree, a warm coat in the extreme cold.

Take five minutes to look around your own home.  Do you have something that could help another family?  Can you spare even $5 to give a child a toy to unwrap?  I encourage all of you to give what you can to a family in need this holiday season. 


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Have you seen my tagline for the Laughing Cow BabyBel Original Cheese Contest? View it here http://www.thelaughingcow.com/friends-fans/snackjoy/ and vote for me!

The infamous quest for cupcakes

I'm finally getting around to posting the full details of the great cupcake adventure.  I thought I'd be venturing for cupcakes this weekend and was planning a double post.  I realized that each cupcake meeting is actually worthy of it's own post.  This is the inaugural meeting of the Cupcake Club.

The meeting took place at Sugar Cupcakery in Milford, Ohio. (On Twitter @SugarCupcakery)  The shop is located on a quaint little Main Street.

The outside is almost as cute as the inside.  

Of course the Cupcake Club isn't complete without a few members so I made these two ladies join me.

They are happy to be in the club.  I recently added several more members as well for the next meeting.  We haven't decided on a meeting place but as long as cupcakes are involved I'm pretty sure no one cares where we meet.

So that's the minutes of the first cupcakes club.....oh, you wanted cupcake pictures?  How about these?

We got a mixture and tried the following flavors: Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla Bean, Sweet Potato, Banana, and Mocha.  Oh my, they were good.  All the cakes had excellent flavor but the ones that shined were Pumpkin Spice and Sweet Potato.  Both cakes were similar but had distinct flavors (also one had a pistachio on top and one a candied almond, so you know, they were different).

The shop was great, the cupcakes good, and the Cupcake Club members a lot of fun.  We spent hours chatting and eating.  I definitely recommend heading to Sugar Cupcakery if you are ever traveling through Cincinnati!

Do you have a favorite shop that caters to your sweet tooth?  How far are you willing to drive for cupcakes?

*The Sugar Cupcakery was featured on an episode of Cupcake Wars.  You can read all about the shop on their website www.SugarCupcakery.com

In no way was I compensated for this post.  I simply like cupcakes and have made it my mission to try as many as possible.