I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Friday, December 30, 2011

Disney Princesses

Me - I like the Disney princesses. I have all the Disney princess movies except Tangled. Cinderella used to be my favorite princess. I have a Cinderella pillow and a Cinderella pillow pet. After I liked Cinderella, my favorite princess was Tiana. I have Princess and the Frog instruments. Then, my favorite princess was Ariel. I liked that Ariel was a mermaid because I like mermaids. I also like Flounder from the Little Mermaid movie, and I have a stuffed one. After Ariel, I liked Rapunzel best of all. I love Rapunzel's really really really really long hair. It is longer than the floor. I wish my hair was that long, but my hair is pretty long. Now, my favorite is Belle. Belle is my favorite because she is very pretty and kind. In the movie, she would rather stay with the beast than her father have to stay with the beast. I also like Belle because she reads a lot, and I love books.  I like Snow White because she loves animals like me. I also love that she is friends with the dwarfs. They are very cute. Sleeping Beauty has a lot of names and so do I because I have two middle names. She is friends with fairies, and I love fairies, but only good ones.  I like Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan, but not as much as the others.

* The above is a guest post by younger sister, Aurella as dictated to Mom.

Mom - When I was young there were Disney princess movies but they were not grouped together collectively as the princesses. Each was completely independent of  the others. Of course, putting them together was a marketing strategy, and it worked brilliantly. So many  little girls love their princesses and aspire to have everything Disney princess. My younger daughter likes all the princesses and has all the dolls, but the princesses are not her favorite things. She is more into Dora the Explorer. She doesn't have to have everything princess and she doesn't really pretend to be a princess. When I was young, I liked the Disney princess movies myself, but I never wanted to be or pretended to be a princess either. My favorite was Snow White. I am not sure why though. I just always liked her. Now, I like the more current princesses like Tiana from The Princess and the Frog and Rapunzel from Tangled. They are a little fiestier and a little more self-sufficient. They don't always need a prince to swoop in in every situation and save them. That is a better lesson to teach little girls.

And that's our view. Tune in Monday for another topic.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Hockey

Me - Hockey, wow! I love going to hockey games. It is really fun. My favorite team is the Trenton Titans which used to be the Trenton Devils. Once when I was a little baby, I went to a New Jersey Devils game. I kept looking around at all the people. I liked looking at the people more than watching the game. I had never seen so many people before in my life. When I was older, I went to Trenton Devils games. I wanted to meet the mascot, Scorch. When he came close to me, I was always afraid of him. When any mascot came close to me, I was scared. I liked them way better when they were far away from me. Anyway, I love going to hockey games, and I always have lots of fun there.*

* The above is a guest post by younger sister Aurella as dictated to Mom.

Mom - When I was in college, my roommate was a big hockey fan. I didn't really know much about the sport. A few years later, I was watching a baseball playoff game with my Dad. Between innings, he kept turning back to a hockey playoff game between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers won although we were rooting for the Devils. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup. The next year the Devils won. I was hooked. To the casual sports fan, hockey might seem like it is all about the fights. It is not like that at all. It is really a very exciting game especially live. Also, it is the only one of the four major sports - baseball, basketball, football, and hockey - that no matter what you do you cannot score more than 1 at a time. Because of that it can be so frustrating at times because if your team is behind they can only catch up one goal at a time. Also, there are so many ways for the puck to not go in the net which is frustrating too. After that first Stanley Cup, the Devils went on to win two more. We were big hockey fans and went to a bunch of games every year, but then it just got too expensive. Also, the team moved to Newark and there was not enough parking. Now, I haven't been to a Devil game in years. Luckily, we are fortunate enough to have a minor league hockey team nearby. They were affliated with the Devils for a few years but now they are not anymore. However, their games are just as fun as the Devils games except a lot cheaper and closer. The only bad thing is that you can't watch them on TV like you can the Devils and since they are in a different county our newspaper doesn't cover them, but we still root for them in spirit , and we do try to get to a few games a year.

And that's our view. Tune in Monday for another topic.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dolls

Me - Dolls, wow! I love dolls. I play with them a lot. I sometimes pretend where the dolls are my babies.I have a music box doll. If you wind her up, she plays music. She is wearing a sailor suit, and I call her Penny. I have a bouncing baby doll named Hope. I have a My Twin Doll Named Meredith. I have two American girls Molly, and Rebecca. I really want Shopping Sheryl, Hi  Dottie, and Peggy Pen Pal, but they don't make them anymore. I know about them from my mom.When I was little my favorite doll was Boo from Monsters, Inc. My parents got her for me because she reminded them of me. I took her everywhere and did everything with her. My sister had a favorite doll when she was little who she called Baby. One time she chewed Baby's foot off. Our Dad got her a new Baby, but he told her he fixed  the old Baby. My sister was really smart though.  Even at 2, she went around saying "My Daddy got me a new Baby." because she knew he hadn't really fixed the old one. My grandmother thinks I have too many dolls, but my Mom lets me decide what I want to get rid of and when myself. I am glad of that, and I hope to be the same way with my kids as my Mom is with me.

Mom - When I was little I loved dolls. I had a bunch of dolls with hair that grew. There was Chrissy and Kerrie and Velvet and Cinnamon. There were also a few others, but I didn't have those. I also had a doll that talked on the telephone, Hello Dottie. I had a doll that wrote, Peggy PenPal. A doll that came with her toy shopping cart and groceries, Shopping Sheryl. I had a doll that came with her own bathtub, Tubsy. I had a sleep doll, Drowsy. I also had a bunch of pain old ordinary dolls that didn't do much of anything, but I loved them just as much as the other ones.  My mother always thought I had too many dolls, but I never did I loved all my dolls. Periodically, my mother would go through when I was not around and get rid of some of my dolls and other toys. I don't do that with my girls. I let them decide for themselves what they would like to keep and get rid of. They know that if they don't ever get rid of anything they won't have any room to get anything new. Besides, for the most part they do not seem to get so attached to their toys as I was too mine. They are attached to something for a while and then they move on to something else. It seems like that is the way it is with just about everything these days. People are into something one minute and before you know it they are moving on to something else. Sometimes, I think the world is just spinning too fast, and sometimes I miss my carefree younger days of being a kid and playing with dolls.

And that's our view, Tune in again for another topic.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Holiday Gift Giving and Getting

Me - Presents - wow! I love getting presents almost as much as I love giving presents. I love buying presents for my family and friends. Every year, they have a gift fair in school where I get presents for my friends and family. For myself, this year, I'd like to have some one adopt me a blond haired newborn baby girl. However, since I am not going to get that, I would like any DS or WII games that involves babies. I'd also like seasons 5 through 8 of the TV series Full House. I want a Kindle Fire, but I will be getting that for my birthday which is in January. I would like a Barbie house because I have a doll house, but it is too small for the Barbies. I would like some new dolls and stuffed animals. My grandmother thinks I have too much already, but I think you can never have too much. Besides, a  couple times a year my sister and I go through and get rid of and donate toys we don't want anymore. I would also like other DS games besides baby games. I would also like other WII games like Glee Karaoke 2 and 3. I am sure there are many other things I want, but I can't think of them now.

Mom - When I was younger, the holidays were more about the getting. Since I have gotten older and had kids of my own, it has become more about the giving. I especially love buying  gifts for my girls.I am grateful that with money and Amazon gift codes  I earn from doing surveys and stuff, I am able to get them so much more than I would otherwise. I know just what they would like and have so much fun shopping for them. I started buying gifts for them in September and was finished in early November. I bought almost everything on-line. I like the holiday time so much better since I started shopping on-line. Those crowded noisy stores at this time of the year are enough to drive the holiday spirit right out of a person.  I also buy gifts for my two nephews and two nieces and my honorary nephew, my best friend's son. Our family doesn't really exchange gifts anymore except for getting gifts for the kids. My girls always each get me something like a candle or a bracelet or a pair of earrings or something from their school gift fairs.I am so proud of them. I didn't buy presents for other with my own money until I was much older than them.  My husband and I exchange gifts but not always on the holiday. It depends whether we have the money or not. Most of the time, we just tell each other what we want and get it. Once in a while, when we really know what the other would want, we surprise each other, but we never guess what the other wants. This year, I would really like an Amazon Kindle Fire. I do not make a big list of gifts I would like because I do not get a lot of gifts. Anyway, if I don't get a Kindle Fire now that I am done buying gifts for my girls with my Amazon gift codes, I will save them up and
eventually I will get one for myself. Lately, there have been a lot of blog hops where Kindle Fires were being given away as prizes so far I haven't won one, and I don't really expect to so for now I will keep saving up my Amazon gift codes.

And that's our view. Tune in Friday for another topic.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Disney Channel Shows

Me - Disney Channel shows, wow! Disney is my favorite channel. I watch Jesse. it is my favorite show in the entire world. It used to be Full House, but I changed my mind. My favorite characters are Jesse because she is always trying to do the best she can for the kids she takes care of and Zuri because she is adorable and funny. My last favorite character is Ravi because he is very funny. When they are fighting he is at the snack bar. When they are skating on their faces throwing snowballs, he is at the snack bar. I find him to be a very amusing character. Ant Farm is another of my favorite shows. At first when I heard there was going to be a show called Ant Farm, I thought it would be a cartoon, but it is not. My favorite characters are China because she is always trying to do everything she can to help others, Olive because she is a crazy brainiac, and Paisley because she's hilariously stupid. I also watch Wizards of Waverly Place. I am mad that it is ending in my birthday month. Lucky for me, it is not ending on  my actual birthday though. I really like Harper because she has a funny sense of fashion.  I also like Max because he is really really funny. I also like Alex because she is lazy but she has a good sense of humor, and she does have feelings. After she broke up with Mason she was a sentimental wreck. Lucky for her, they ended up back together. The last show I watch on Disney Channel is a new show called Austin and Ally. I like it just okay, but I wouldn't say it is one of my favorites as the others are. The show I don't like is Fish Hooks because I don't get what the big deal is about little fish who are in high school. I could watch all the Disney shows a million times day after day every day all day long, and I would still never get bored of the Disney Channel.

Mom - My daughter's favorite channel is Disney Channel. She could watch the same episodes of the same shows over and over again and never get tired of them. There are very few things, if any, that I could watch over and over again without getting bored of them. I actually don't mind most of the shows that my daughter watches on Disney Channel. I like Good Luck Charlie. The toddler who plays Charlie is adorable as my daughters like to remind me frequently. Phineas and Ferb is very clever. I like the way it is always spoofing all these different things like The Simpsons does. I used to like watching Hannah Montana with my daughter. I don't worry about what Miley Cyrus is or is not doing now because I realize she is a real girl and not a TV character and real girls make mistakes. Besides, my daughter never looked at her as a role model. If you want to talk about role models, the character of Alex on The Wizards of Waverly place is certainly not a good role model. She is not always very nice and she does everything she can to get out of doing work especially school work. Yet, I haven't heard anything bad about Selena Gomez, the actress who plays Alex. The character of Sonny on Sonny With Chance I always thought of as a pretty good role model because she usually always tried to do the right thing. Demi Lovato, the actress who played her, certainly had her issues though as we all know including cutting herself. It is admirable though that she was able to permanently walk away from her TV series when she realized that was what she needed to do to help herself get better and stay better. The show is not as good anymore now though. The So Random skits were amusing as part of the larger show Sonny With a Chance. As a whole show by themselves, they are not as entertaining. Lately, my daughter has been into Ant Farm and Jesse. I don't mind Ant Farm, but so far I haven't really liked Jesse much. I have only seen an episode or two of the latter though. One of the nice things about Disney Channel shows is that they don't go on endlessly. Most only stay around for about four years or so. It just seems a lot longer because during that time every episode is repeated about a million times or at least it seems that way especially when my daughter is always watching the same episodes over and over again.

And that's our view. Tune in Monday for another topic.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Comic Strips

Me - The comics, wow! I love comics. Every day whenever I see my Mom reading the paper, I can't wait for her to finish and give me the comics. Then, I give it to my sister who can't read but likes to look at the pictures. I like to read Baby Blues and Family Circus because I love kids, and I find them to be two of my favorites comics. I actually have two whole books of Family Circus comics.  I also like Garfield because I really like cats and Garfield is so funny. Yet, I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites. It used to be my favorite and the only comic I really knew about. It hasn't seemed as funny as much lately though, and I don't enjoy it as much as I used to. I also like Peanuts, and I also have a full book of Peanuts cartoons that my Mom once gave me when I was younger. Peanuts is definitely one of my favorites. Recently, Mom, Aurella, and I watched the Charlie Brown special,  Happiness is a Warm Blanket. I thought it was very amusing. I love the way it showed Snoopy 's big eyes looking at Linus. I also liked the way Sally kept calling Linus her "Sweet Babu" but my favorite part was in the end when Linus said "I'm just glad Grandma is gone". He opens the door and says "Grandma?" but it was just Snoopy in a dress.I also like Beetle Bailey because it's very funny. However, I don't know any of the characters names. I also like Pajama Diaries because once again I like kids, and it's really amusing. The Pajama Diaries is one of my favorites. I like For Better or Worse but it's not one of my favorites. Even though I like most  of the comics in the paper, I really wish it was like when my Mom was young when they were so much more of them in the paper.

Mom - When I was younger there were so many more pages of comics in our paper. I remember there being like two pages of comics during the week and six or eight pages of color comics on Sunday or something like that. Nowadays, our paper has only 1 pages of comics during the week and 4 on Sunday. When I was young, I liked comics like Nancy and Little Iodine. I don't even know if those comics exist anymore but they are not in my paper. Those comics were about kids so  I could relate to them. Nowadays, I like comics like Baby Blues, Family Circus, The Pajama Diaries and For Better or For Worse because now that I am married and have kids I can relate to those type of comic strips more. As a matter of fact in Baby Blues, they were having their third child right around the same time as I was having my second so I could  really relate to it. I am always cutting out comic strips that remind me of our family and showing them to my husband and/or kids. Of course, I enjoy comics too that don't necessarily remind me of my family, such as, Blondie, Peanuts, and Hagar the Horrible. My children love the comics too and they can't wait for me to finish the Sunday paper so they can look at that week's color comic section. These days when it seems like just about everything else in the paper is depressing,  the comic section is a welcome relief.

And that's our view. Tune in again for another topic.