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, August 31, 2012

Funny Friday - Baby Talk

Me -

When I was little I called my pocketbooks, my pocky.

Mom -

When Aurella was little she called bathing suits and bikinis, baby suits and kinis.


We welcome you to share your funny stories with us.

Tune in Monday for another Talking Topic.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Summer Reading

Me - Summer Reading, wow! My Mom makes me do summer reading every year. I don't mind because I read anyway, and I like the prizes. I have won books, ice cream coupons (I have never used them because we don't go to that ice cream place), t-shirts, certificates, baseball tickets, money from TD bank among other things. Most summer reading you just have to read a certain number of books. For some, you have to read for a certain amount of time. I like when you have to read a certain number of books better because I read a lot of book anyway. Also, it is easier to reach my goals and earn the prizes if I just have to read a certain number of books and not read for a certain amount of time. I love reading, but I really love summer reading. It is great to do what I love doing anyway and earn things for it,

Mom - I wish they would have had summer reading programs like they do now when I was a kid. My kids have won t-shirts, free ice cream, baseball tickets, and even money from TD bank among other things just for reading books in the summer. They both love reading anyway and probably would have read a lot even without the incentive of summer reading. I was the same way. I was always reading. I still read a lot now and try to read at least a book or two a week. However, there are so many other things I want to and need to do now that sometimes I cannot get to reading as much as I would like to. I can only multitask so much. If I could find a way to read, watch, go on the computer and get things done around the house all at the same time, I would be thrilled and get a lot more done. A lot of times, I watch and go on the computer at the same time unless I am watching something that is very visual like Figure Skating or Dancing With the Stars. A lot of things I do on the computer are like summer reading for me. I get rewarded for doing things I like, such as, blogging or taking surveys. It is just so time consuming though and it is not just for a certain period of time like summer reading is.
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And that's our view. What do you think of summer reading programs that provide incentives to kids for reading in the summer?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Where-To-Go Wednesday - The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe

What: The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shop

Where: 2305 Grand Central Avenue
            Lavellette, New Jersey

Who: All ages


Our view: If you enjoy music and singing, The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe is the place for you. For just the cost of ice cream, you get dessert and a show. For the little ones, there is the Princess and Pirates Party on Tuesday at 4:00 and Children's Storytime on Thursdays at 4:00. Little ones come to the former dressed up in their finest Princess and Pirate clothes,  and don't seem to mind that there is no real story and the characters are singing songs that are not in their stories. Adults and older childen are not left out of the fun either. On Thursdays there is Music Man Mashup at 4:00 and on Fridays there is A Gleeful Ice Cream Musical each starting at 4:00 and 5:00.You may even end up having to sing for your supper (well your dessert really since no breakfast, lunch or dinner is served only ice cream).Children between 7-8 or between 9-12 who are interested in performing can join in on the fun by signing up for the Kids Cabaret Club. They will be given lessons in performing and actually get to perform at a Kids Cabaret Showcase which runs at 4:00 and 5:00 on Fridays. Every night, there is a Broadway Cabaret from 6:00 to midnight. The music is good, the voices are pretty, the food is tasty and  a fun time is had by all. While sometimes several shows run per night, it is best to attend the earliest show if you want to get a parking space since parking can be a problem as in all New Jersey shore towns. Also, things do not always run on schedule so the earliest show is the most likely one to start on time. If your going to go, go soon because the summer doesn't last the whole year long and neither does the Music Man's season. While there are special events throughout the year, only in the summer do they keep to a regular weekly schedule of performances.

For more information go to http://www.themusicman.com/

Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tips for Tuesday - Web Sites: Webkinz World & Audience Rewards

Me - Today I am recommending Webkinz World. Webkinz World is a great place where you can enter a code on your Webkinz stuffed animal and you can play with your Webkinz  in the virtual world where you can dress it, feed it, play games and do other things. The only bad part about Webkinz World is that if you don't go on for a while you will be locked out of your account, and you will have to buy another Webkinz and enter another code to get back into it.

Mom - I am recommending Audience Rewards where you can earn points by buying Broadway theater tickets or answering theater trivia questions among other things. Points can be redeemed for posters, soundtracks and other theater related items even theater tickets. You can even buy more points if you need to to have enough for the redemption that you want. Theater tickets can be redeemed for points only or for points plus cash. Of course, the better seats you want the more points you need to redeem and/or the more money you will have to pay. However, if you are not that particular about where you sit in the theater, you can get seats to some good shows for little or no money. To sign up for Audience rewards or just to learn more about it. Follow the below links.

SIGN ME UP!
I'd like to read more about the program.

And that's our view. Join us tomorrow for Where-to-Go Wednesday.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Where Are They Now?: TV Version

Me - Former TV stars, wow! Whatever happened to Andrea Barber who played Kimmy Gibler on Full House? Whatever happened to the boys who played Jesse and Rebecca's twins on Full House? Whatever happened to Vicky and Steve from Full House? Whatever happened to Comet, the dog from Full House? Whatever happened to Aunt Zelda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch starring Melissa Joann Hart? Whatever happened to Harvey and Valerie from Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Whatever happened to Jenny from Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Whatever happened to Emily Osment and Moses Arias after Hannah Montana ended? Whatever happened to Jackson's friend after the first season of Hannah Montana? Whatever happened to Sienna from Hannah Montana? Whatever happened to Tracy from Hannah Montana, and whatever happened to Tracy's cat?

Mom - Whatever happened to Susan Dey? She followed up The Partridge Family with TV movies, then LA LAW and then was dropped from her own series Love and War. Whatever happened to Tracy Gold from Growing Pains sister, Missy Gold who was on Benson? Whatever happened to the kid who played cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch? Whatever happened to Kaleena Kiff the cute little girl from the Tony Randall show Love Sidney? Whatever happened to Scott Valentine that guy who played Mallory's boyfriend on Family Ties? Whatever happened to the first Darren and the first Mrs. Kravitz from the show Bewitched? Whatever happened to Tatiyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, and Alfonso Riberio from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air? Whatever happened to Donna Pescow who starred in the TV show Angie and seemed to be everywhere back in the late 70's early 80's? Whatever happened to Chris Burke of Life Goes On? Whatever happened to Randolph Mantooth from the show Emergency? Whatever happened to Pamela Sue Martin who was Nancy Drew and Parker Stevenson who was a Hardy Boy as well as Kirstie Alley's ex-husband?

And that's our view. What former TV star do you wonder what happened to?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Funny Friday - Adventures With Food

Me -

When my sister, Aurella was little, one day when my Mom putting ham into small packages to freeze, Aurella grabbed a few pieces of ham went into the kitchen where my Dad was napping on the couch and slapped him across the face with it.

Mom -

When Melia was little we were eating cookies, one of the cookies disappeared we could not find it anywhere. We could not imagine where it had gone. We finally found it tucked under Melia's chin.

We welcome you to share your funny stories with us.

Tune in Monday for another Says Me Says Mom Talking Topic.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Cleaning

Me -  Cleaning, wow! Or maybe not. Cleaning is not fun. Lucky for me, we only do  a complete cleaning of the house like twice a year. For one thing, our vaccums keep breaking. We recently got a new one which is like our 4th or 5th. My Dad said nobody is allowed to use it except him. When we all heard that, we were very happy about that rule. None of us like vacuuming and Aurella can't because she's too little. My Mom told me my brother went through a phase when he actually liked to vacuum, but it didn't last long, and he was always breaking the vacuuum. I have trouble believing that he ever liked to clean anything. He is such a slob that we couldn't even go in his room when he lived with us. When he went away for the summer to visit his Mom, we would clean his room. A couple of  days after he came home, his room was as messy as ever.  My sister hates to clean her room. She is not as messy as my brother though. She does not leave garbage including food wrappers and clothes on her floor. Also, you can still see her floor, and my Mom makes her clean her room at least once a week. I am trying to keep my room neater these days so I can rearrange my furniture. Also, the less mess there is the less I have to worry about cleaning later. I hate cleaning!  I wish that as soon as you were done with things they would automatically clean themselves up and put themselves away.

Mom - I hate cleaning. It is not that I  like things to be messy, it's just that I hate having to actually completely go through and clean my entire house. Even on the rare occasion when I actually do, I never feel like it gets clean enough. I am more of a spot cleaner. If I something particularly bothers me at that moment, I will clean that spot at that moment.  I hate having to clean the whole house at once though. When I was in college, I spent a summer cleaning house for my Mother. After that, I was burned out on cleaning. When  I moved into an apartment by myself, at first I used to clean every other week. Then, I used to clean every three weeks. Then, every four weeks. Until, eventually I was cleaning something like every other month.  Now with a husband and two daughters, I am not about to clean the whole house without help when everybody in the family contributes to the mess. However, somehow we never get around to it nearly as much as we should . The days and weeks go so quickly and there are always so many other things to be done that is hard to find the time to set aside to really do  a thorough cleaning of the house. We usually only get to it when we are going to have a big party or something, and we don't have that many parties. There may be some people that think that my house is not clean enough. However, most people I know whose houses are really clean and whose houses get cleaned all the time do not do most of the cleaning themselves. They have cleaning people that come in every week, or every other week, or once a month or whatever to help with the cleaning. If I could afford to hire somebody to help clean my house too than I would, but unfortunately, I can't so I don't. However, I don't think that anybody who doesn't even have to clean their own house has any right to comment on the cleanliness of my house because they don't know how exhausting it is to have to clean your whole entire house without paid help. For anyone who does clean their own house entirely by themself without having any paid help, I really respect that they are willing and able to get themselves to do that. However, I am not that person, and I never will be.

And that is our view. How often do you clean your house?

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Where-To-Go Wednesday - Turtleback Zoo

What: The Turtle Back Zoo

Where: 560 Northfield Avenue
             West Orange, NJ


Who: Everyone

Our view: The Turtle Back Zoo is a nice sized zoo not too big and not too small. Good for the little ones because it is not as big and/or overwhelming as a larger zoo like the Bronx Zoo might be. The Zoo is divided into eleven different sections with names such as Asia, Africa, World of Water and Essex Farm. However, the sections are small and it is easy to go through the whole zoo in only a few hours. Just be aware that it is kind of hilly so you may want to wear comfortable shoes and bring a stroller for the little ones. Aside from the animals exhibited at the zoo, there is also a carousel, a train ride, and a nice play area. Costs are reasonable at $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for seniors and children. Children under 2 are free. Yearly zoo memberships are available for $35.00 for individuals or $90.00 for a family of up to two adults and up to four children under 18. Zoo membership includes among other things invitations to special night events and free and/or discounted admission to over 110 affiliated zoos and aquariums across the country. The zoo is open 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM  Monday through Saturday and  11:00 AM to 5:30 PM Sunday every day all year except Thanksgiving Christmas and New Years Day.

Special note: Mommy & Me classes, Zoo Camp and Birthday party packages are available

For more information about the Turtle Back Zoo go to http://www.turtlebackzoo.org/tbzoo/npo.jsp?pg=home.

Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tips for Tuesday -Movies : Life As We Know It & Mr. Holland's Opus

Me - I would highly recommend the movie Life as We Know It. Life as We Know It is a great movie about a baby whose parents die and their two closest friends who hate each other have to raise her together. It is everything you could want in a movie. It is happy. It is sad. It is funny. It is heartwarming. You should go out and rent it or buy it now.

Mom - Today, I am recommending the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. It is a movie about a man who wants to make it as a composer but ends up going into teaching to support his wife and son. It shows that just because your life doesn't necessarily go as you planned that does not mean you are not leading a worthwhile life. I always particularly loved this movie because it reminded me of my father who wanted to be an actor, but put aside his acting dreams until my brother and sister and I were grown in order to make enough money to support the family. However, even if neither you nor anybody in your family ever aspired to make it in the entertainment business, I am sure you will still find something to relate to about this movie, and you will enjoy it.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-to-Go Wednesday.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Glee Project 2

Me - The Glee Project 2, wow! There was no Damian, by that I mean there was no one like Damian, one of last year's winners. The person I wanted to win did not, and this year there was only one winner. I wanted Ally to win. The person who did win was Blake. My Mom and I thought that he shouldn't have won because he was too normal for Glee. He could get a part anywhere. The other one in the finals was Aylin. I would have liked her to win too. I didn't think Blake should win because he was the most normal of anyone in the competition so he could get a part anywhere. Allie was in a wheelchair and Aylin was a Muslim so they couldn't. All the finalists were good though. There were a lot interesting contestants this year. There was a blind guy named Mario. There was guy named Tyler who used to be a girl. There was a girl who dressed like a guy and looked like Justin Bieber named Danni. Even though I liked this year of the Glee project, I thought last year was way better especially because it had Damian.

Mom - I once again enjoyed watching The Glee Project this year. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed the show Glee this past year. I liked the music for the most part this past season, but otherwise, the season was very up and down and nowhere near Glee at its best. Right now, I feel like if Glee ends after this season, I will be more upset that there will be no more Glee Project next summer than that there will be no more Glee. Other people, have told me they feel the same way too. Once again, this summer an amazingly talented group of people competed on The Glee Project. None of them really stood out for me as much as Damian did last year. There were people who were as talented as him if not more. However, there was nobody who even came to close to his great personality. Also, I must say I was disappointed in the season ending. While the winner, Blake is very talented. I felt like he could be a star anywhere. The other two finalists Ally and Aylin were more of what Glee is all about. Ally because of being in a wheelchair and Aylin because of being a Muslim have less opportunities open to the elsewhere than Blake would. Therefore, I felt like they needed to win more. At the very least, I thought they all could have won. I think that because last year there were 4 winners, this year there had to be 1 winner no matter what even though all three finalists were deserving of it. It was fine last year that Sam and Damian both won at least seven episodes each, but they should have left it at that with only two winners. They should not have let Alex and Lindsay each have two episodes as well. This year, however, they should have had three winners because they were all equally deserving. So while I enjoyed watching The Glee Project this season, I was not as happy about the final results as I mostly was last year.

And that's our view. Did you watch The Glee Project 2, and if so who was your favorite contestant?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Funny Friday - Always Be Prepared

Me -

When Aurella was in preschool, and she used to go with my Mom to pick me up at school, she would sometimes wear her swim goggles, and when we asked her why she said "In case it rains, and we have to swim home."

Mom -

When Melia was first potty trained, Grandma got her Dora underwear. Later, that day, we were going out to eat. She borrowed a pocketbook from Grandma, put her new underwear in it and carried it with her.

We welcome you to share your funny stories with us,

Tune in Monday for another for Says Me Says Mom discussion topic.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Newark Bears

Me - Newark Bears, wow! Every time, we went to a Newark Bears game, it was either really hot or pouring. We always had good seats though except the first time. They have the most boring team store ever. It literally hardly has anything in it. One time when we went there a player hit a three run homer and gave me the bat he used. Also, one time we went and they had an immigration ceremony where a bunch of people became U.S citizens. That was cool because I had immigration day in school that year. I told the kids that were in my class that year. They were impressed, especially a kid I know who is obsessed with baseball. He mostly likes the New York Mets, but he was still impressed. When we first went to a Bears games, they didn't really do anything entertaining between innings, and it was kind of boring. However, the store was a little better and you could get team yearbooks and stuffed mascot toys. Now, it's the opposite. They have a host who happens to be a woman. We have never seen a female host at a baseball game before, and we have been to many games at many stadiums. So now, there are a lot of on-field games and between innings entertainment at the Bears stadium. They even have this new game that I would be great at. It is called the um game. You have to talk for thirty seconds straight without saying um, er, or like. I am a good talker so I would be good at that game. Sometime, I hope to come back and be picked to play that game.

Mom - We recently went to our 5th Newark Bears baseball game. Actually, we have been there 5 times, but we have only seen 2 games and part of another . Yet, we have never paid for any tickets. Back around 2009, we won 5 tickets to the Newark Bears opening game of the season at my daughter's school auction. My husband and I and our girls and my stepson, who was still living with us at the time, all went. Our tickets were for a general admission area where there were limited seats. We got there early enough to get seats, but before the game it started pouring so we went to get out of the rain. When we came back, there were no seats left, and we could not see the game so we left. I wrote to the team and complained about what happened. They offered us a voucher for 8 tickets to a future game. We were too busy the rest of that summer, and we could never coordinate with any of friends of ours to go to a game so we never used the vouchers. The following year, I got in touch with them again, and they said they would still allow us to use our vouchers and instead of going to one game with the four of us and four other people, the four of us could go to two separate games. We finally made it to our first Newark Bears game late that season on a really hot day. We went to our second game on the last home game of the season. It started out really great. We had really good seats. One of the players for the Bears hit a 3 run homer. He gave Melia the bat he hit the homer with because it had cracked and he could no longer use it. However, soon the rains came, and they didn't stop. The rest of the game was cancelled. Since the season was over and we could not come to another game that season, everyone at that game was given a voucher to a game the following year. The following year, we were busy and it rained a lot so we could not get to a game until the end of the season again and the game was cancelled. So, we finally made it to our second game, this year on another hot day, but not as hot as the first game we went to. Unfortunately, the Bears lost but as always we still had fun.

And that's our view. Do you remember a time when your plans were ruined by the rain?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Where-To-Go Wednesday - Newark Bears

What: Newark Bears Baseball

Where: Bears and Eagles Stadium, 450 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey

Who: Everyone

The Newark Bears are an independent league team. They have a long and storied history. They were for a time a farm club of the major league, New York Yankees. Players, such as Vic Raschi, Tris Speaker, and Spud Chandler all spent time playing for the Newark Bears. For a while, they were also a Negro League team known as the Newark Eagles. Newark Eagle players included Larry Doby and Monte Irvin. In 2000, the team was revived as an independent league team, and they are are currently in the Canadian American Association. As an independent league team players, such as,
Jose Canseco, Ozzie Canseco and Jim Leyritz have played for them.

Our view: If you are interested in pure baseball, a Newark Bears game is a great place to go. They have a nice little stadium in a nice area. Parking is not a problem as they have their own lot. It is also a bargain compared to the major leagues at only $5.00. If you are more interested in extras, this may not be the place for you. There are no giveaways. There is no playground although they do have a small bounce house. Even the store is not that exciting. It is very small and there is not much selection. In recent years, they have added a master of ceremonies, they are currently the only team I know of or at least they only team in the nearby area, to have a female fill this role. As a result, they now do provide entertainment in the form of contests and games between innings. They also have special events, such as, this year they had a Broadway Meets Baseball Night and a YMCA night. Also, every Sunday is Funday in the Sunday where kids 12 and under eat free and are able to run the bases after the game. Tickets are $10.00 but Alumni of Rutgers University can get them for $5.00 each through the Alumni association. The regular season runs from mid May through early September.

For more information see tomorrow's post and/or go to http://brickcitybears.com/

Tune in tomorrow for Thursday's Talking Topic where we will be talking more about the Newark Bears.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Tips for Tuesday - Books: Brave & Alex The Life of a Child

Me - I read the book, Brave which is based on the movie. If you want to see the movie, Brave, the book is not substitute for the movie because it's not as detailed. However, if you saw and loved the movie and want to relive it, this book is for you.

Mom - One of my favorite books I ever read was a book called Alex The Life of a Child. It was written by sportswriter, Frank Deford about his daughter, who died of Cystic Fibrosis at a young age. The book is both sad and uplifting at the same time. Despite, her short time on this earth, Alex seemed to be quite a special child, and I was glad to have the opportunity to know herthrough her father's book.

Tune in Thursday for another Talking Topic.

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Olympics

Me - The Olympics, wow! My Mom and I watched the Olympics. My favorite sport was gymnastics, but not that weird gymnastics that I don't know the name of. I like regular gymnastics with bars and beam and stuff. I prefer women's gymnastics, but I also like men's. In men's I mostly like high bar and and floor exercise. I don't like pommel horse. My favorite American gymnasts are Gabby Douglass and McKayla Maroney. That vault McKayla did during the team competition was amazing. I can't believe she didn't get a perfect score. They took points away for no reason. My second favorite sport was swimming. My favorite swimmer was Michael Phelps. I remember him from the last Olympics. I also really like Missy Franklin. She has a really pretty smile. I also like track and field. I don't have a favorite track or field athlete because I don't know any of their names. I enjoy the Olympics, and I look forward to it coming, but when it's here I can't wait for it to be over because it is so time consuming.

Mom-  I love the Olympics, and I hate the Olympics.I like watching it, but I get so caught up in watching it that everything else falls behind. I most like the individual events better than the team events. I mean I like events where there is a team, but the members mostly compete as individuals. My favorite events are gymnastics, swimming and track. However, I also like diving, and field events and some other things. I am the perfect person for whom NBC's primetime Olympic telecasts were made because I mostly like all of the events they featured except beach volleyball. I mean I think it was an interesting story Misty-May Treanor and Kerry Walsh Jennings trying to get their third Olympic gold medal in the event, but I don't like the sport enough to have watched them do it. I also like some of the obscure events like synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics. My favorite thing about the games are the heartwarming stories. There was the story of Kayla Harrison who was abused by her former coach and went on to win the first USA gold medal in Judo. There was  Bryshon Nellum who survived a gang shooting to go on and win a Silver medal in track and carry the U.S. flag in the closing ceremonies. Those are just a couple of the heartwarming stories of these Olympics, and I am sure aside from the many more that I know of there are many more that I have never even heard about. However, to me, the most touching story of these games was the story of Oscar Pistorius, the first double amputee to run against able-bodied runners. He didn't win any medals, but his just is being there is the true lesson of the Olympics. Sure it is nice to win a medal but that is not the only thing. The Olympics is about inclusion it is about being a part of something whether your an athelete or a coach or just a spectator. Everybody should have a right to be a part of the Olympics. Many times in the past, with boycotts and things, I don't think that was really the case as much as it should have been. However, this year for the first time, it feels like everybody truly was able to be a part of the Olympics and Oscar Pistorious is the perfect example of that.

And that's our view. What was your favorite part of the Olympics?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Funny Friday - Kid Logic

Me -

My little sister, Aurella thought that the reason the water kept disappearing in our fish tanks was because the fish kept drinking it.

Mom -

Aurella used to think that Mommy and Daddy's intitals were MM and DM for Mommy M. and Daddy M.


We welcome you to share your funny stories with us.

Tune in Monday for another Talking Topic.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Storybook Land

Me - Storybook Land, wow! Recently, my parents, sister and I went to Storybook Land. It is an amusement park representing Mother Goose nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It was really cool. They had little houses that you couldn't go inside, but if you pressed a button the characters inside moved or something. They also had little buildings that you could go in. They showed the stories of like Snow White, and if you pressed a button they told their story. My sister and I went on every single ride that they had. Here are some of my favorites. Tik Tok Clock Drop which represented Hickory Dickory Dock. Bubbles which was a rollercoaster. It was so awesome with a lot of twists and turns and a little house that blows bubbles. Jack and the Beanstalk Bounce which pretty much tells you what it represents. There was Turtle Twirl. Turtle Twirl was a ride where you sit inside a giant turtle shell and it spins you around and around. That was all my favorites, but there were also other good rides. The only ride I didn't like was The Tugboat. It was boring. It went back and forth and turned very slowly. My sister and I went on almost every ride more than once. It was a really fun day.

Mom - For years, we had been talking about going to Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and we finally made it there this year. As it is really an amusement park that is more geared for younger kids, my girls are getting to the age when they will be too old for the park so I am glad we finally made it there. It was fun. The park consistents of rides and storybook characters. There are not that many rides and the rides that there are are pretty small for the most part. Because there were not so many rides, my girls were able to go on rides more than one time. They enjoyed that. The storybook characters were animatronic figures in little houses and things that resembled their storybook habitats. They mostly either moved a little or told their storybook story. They were cute, but not nearly so fun and/or entertaining as the animatronic figures at Disney parks. Little kids would probably enjoy hearing their favorite characters tell their stories. My girls were a little old for that so we only listened to a little bit of each one. One of the most unique things about the park was that they actually had a really goat as one of the Billy Goats Gruff. He was high up on a platform. There were buckets attached to a pulley system. You could bring the buckets down to the ground using the pulleys, buy some feed from a machine, put it in the bucket and sent it up for the goats to eat. There were also deer that you could feed. However, they didn't really seem to fit along with the theme of the park because they weren't related to any story. Anyway, all in all it was a fun day but no Disneyland.

And that's our view. What is your favorite Storybook character?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Where-To-Go Wednesday - Storybook Land

What: Storybook Land

Where: 6415 Black Horse Pike
            Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Who: Great for kids 10 and under especially those from 4 to 7, but older kids and adults might enjoy it too.


Our view:

A little bit smaller and a little bit more manageable than Great Adventure both in size of the park and size of the rides. This is a great amusement park for the little ones. They will also enjoy seeing their favorite storybook characters come to live and tell their stories. Although the animatronics is not as good as that of Disney the little ones should like it. Prices are also reasonable. All admissions are $22.95 and includes everything except food and souvenirs. Seasons passes are $91.95. If you go on a Tuesday in July or August the rates are only $15.00 per person. Another nice thing is that unlike Disney there is only one gift shop and not stores and kiosks all over the park that entice your kids to want you to buy them things. If you go, note there is a small spray park area for the kids so you may want to bring bathing suits.

For more information. See our post tomorrow or go to https://storybookland.com/.

Tune in tomorrow for Thursday's Talking Topic where we will be discussing more about Storybook Land.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tips for Tuesday - Web-Sites: Google Images & Paperbackswap

Me - I am recommending Google Images because it has good pictures of animals and things. It is great for pictures for school reports or screensavers or things.

Mom - If you like to read I highly recommend Paperback Swap where you can trade in your used books for other people's used books. The nice thing about is that it works on a credit system so you do not have to wait for someone to want one of your books before you can get a book. As long as you have credits, you can request a book, and you get two credits just for signing up and entering at least ten books on to your bookshelf of books that you want to trade-in.You can even buy credits if you need to, and it is still cheaper than buying a brand-new book. Also, it does not cost anything to belong to Paperback swap, and you do not have to pay to receive a book  you only pay for the postage when you send a book. For more about Paperback Swap or too sign up go http://paperbackswap.com and tell them Jeryl M. sent you!

Tune in Thursday for another Talking Topic.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Sleepovers

Me - Sleepovers, wow! I just recently had my first sleepover. They were the best two days of my life - the day that I got there , and the day after I slept over there. As soon as I go there, I knew it would be good because as soon as I go there we went out and got junk food.We got two huge bags of sour cream and onion potato chips, and a bag of white cheddar popcorn. They were both so good. When I first got there, we had chips and we played Wii. We played a fish game. Then, we played Mario Kart. Then, we had dinner. We had tacos. I had two with hardly any meat and a ton of cheese. Then, I had one with sour cream cheese and meat. Then, we went back upstairs and played more of the fishing game. We were allowed to stay up until 12:00 playing video games. Then, we lay down in bed and played pictochat and watched TV. Then, my friend went to sleep, and I watched TV. I also played my I-Pod. Later, my friend's Dad came to check on us. He said "Busted!" because he thought we were still fooling around and not sleeping. It was only me. My friend had been asleep for like an hour. Since, I hadn't eaten that much, her Dad took me downstairs and gave me two tacos and a bowl of ice cream. Then, I went back to sleep, and I had no trouble sleeping. When I woke up, their cat was starring at me. When he realized I was starring back at him, he ran away. It was only 7:00, and I usually don't wake up until 1:00, but my friend had taken up the whole bed. Then, when her Mom came up, she woke my friend up.  Then, we immediately started playing the fishing came again. After, we played Mario Kart. Then, we played a wrestling game where I lost all of her championships. I had scrambled eggs for breakfast. My friend had Captain Crunch.  Then, we pictochatted on our DS. Then, we had to come downstairs because it was time for me to go home so we played our DS until it was time for my Dad to pick me up. I had a really great time at my friend's except I didn't like their cats except for one, and they have 4. I was afraid of 2, and one was a scaredy cat so I hardly ever saw him. I am definitely going to have to get used to the cats because I know there  will be more sleepovers to come.

Mom - Up until the time I was 11, sleep overs were a rare treat other than sleeping over my grandparents homes. A few times, my Mom and Dad went away on vacation for a week, and left us with friends. Usually they went away and left me with people whose kids I wasn't that friendly with so it wasn't that exciting to me. Once, they went away and left me with my best friend and her family. That was kind of cool. When I was 11, we moved. The second night we lived in our house, I slept over a friend's. Her mother thought we should sleep over their house so my family would have time to settle in. The following night, my friend and I decided our family was settled in enough and she slept over our house. The third night, we lived in our house, I wanted to have another sleep over with another friend, but my mother decided that was enough sleepovers for just having moved in. After that, there were many more sleepovers to follow. One time, when my Mom was in the hospital, we even had a girl sleep over whose mother was in the hospital too. I never saw her before, and I never saw her after. In high school, I slept over my best friend's house all the time. She lived one town over from me. Her mother used to call me her other daughter because I was there so much. Since then,  things have happened, and we are no longer friends. My current best friend (other than my husband) even though  I have been friends with her for over twenty years, I have only known her when I was an adult. We do share a lot of great memories, but we don't share any childhood memories, and we never had a sleepover.

And that's our view. Did you ever have sleepovers and did you enjoy them?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Funny Friday - ByeBye to You

Me -

When my sister,  Aurella was little, she was sitting on the bed with my Mom. She waved to my Mom, waved to the man on the TV, slid off the bed, then went off to join my Dad in the tub.

Mom -

When my best friend's son was a baby, she was trying to teach him to wave byebye. She kept begging him to wave byebye, but he wouldn't do it. Later, when she was changing his diaper on the floor, he started crawling away waving byebye byebye as he went.

We welcome you to share your funny stories with us.

Tune in Monday for another Says Me Says Mom discussion topic.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Beach

Me - The beach, wow! Since I was little, my family and I have gone to the beach with our family friend, Irene. The past few years we haven't gone, but we used to go once a year. Irene would always go swimming in the ocean. I would get scared that she would get run over by a wave or eaten by a shark and die. When I was about 5, I begged my Dad to take me over to the water. We stood at the edge of the ocean. I was talking and a wave came and went in my mouth. Then, I cried and begged my dad to take me back to the sand. I like to collect shells at the beach. I have a small collection of special shells I have gotten there. Me and my sister have tons and tons of beach toys in our garage. We had even more but we lost some. I used to have a sand and water table at home, but it got ruined. We hardly every played with it anyway because my Mom thought it was too messy. I like the beach. I wish we went more.

Mom - We are not really beach people. We go there sometimes, but not that often. For one thing, it annoys me that here we have to pay for a daily beach pass. We do not go often enough to buy a season's pass. I hate the sand. It is annoying and itchy and gets everywhere especially where you least want it. I always remember going to the beach with my family when I was little and bringing sandwichs with us. The sand was always getting in them. Maybe, that is why when I go with my husband and kids we always go to a restaurant on the boardwalk. We always used to go to the this one restaurant in Pt. Pleasant with my college roommate (we usually go to the beach with her). However, they that restaurant down a few years ago to build condos. Now, we have been to this other restaurant a view times, but not recently. My girls like to collect shells on the beach. It is so hard to find whole shells though. There are so many more broken ones. Also, most of the shells we find on the beach are all the same kind. The ocean water almost always seems so cold, and you can't really swim in it because of the undertow. It is hard to walk on the sand too. If your feet are dry, the sand burns. If your feet are wet, the sand sticks to them. If you wear shoes, the sand gets in them. So anyway you look at, you can't win. I guess I am not really much of beach person. I use to like it better when I was younger and interested in getting a tan and  I just wanted to lie out in the sun. Now, that I know how bad the sun is for you, I am not that interested in sitting out in the sun or getting a tan, and I don't really like the beach that much at all.

And that's our view. Do you like the beach?