Wordless Wednesday

It is apple season again and this is one of our favorite things to do. This was the first of several weekends that we will be heading for apples and pumpkins!

Apple Picking!

Holidays Did I Miss December?

I had to go out and do a little shopping for the boys for some dress socks and dress shirts for a wedding that we were attending over this past weekend.  Typically, I love the holiday season, because with it, comes baking, and all the fun aspects of preparing for them.

Over the years it seems like the push to get holiday merchandise on the shelves has become a top priority for retailers.  I am all for getting a jump on your planning but Christmas in September????  I haven’t even gone to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween yet, my boys don’t even have a costume.  I seriously think that we are all stressed enough without rushing our minds and pocket books into the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping.  Does anyone really want to buy holiday bobbles and garland even before the leaves start to change or have I missed the bus on this one too even if you have a steal of a coupon?

I am almost getting to where I want to run far away from stores that have Santa one aisle over from the bulk bags of Halloween candy and the goblins and ghoul decorations.  Don’t they realize that they are overwhelming us, stressing our already hectic lives and making it a chore rather than something to enjoy?  I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, so can you please hide the twinkling lights and keep the fah lah lahs on mute, maybe just until I don’t have to wear shorts anymore and the trees outside show a hint of Fall?  Pretty Please?

Hasbro Family Game Night September 23rd!

Family time is so hard to come by with everyone’s busy lifestyle.  I think that it is important to take a time out to be together and focus on some activity that you can do as a family without any outside interruptions.

So as part of the family time initiative, Hasbro is having its first everNational Family Game Night on September 23rd.  They want you to turn off the TV, gather round the table and break out your favorite games like Monopoly, CLUE, or a fast and furious game of Connect Four.

About Family Game Night

“Family game night invites families everywhere to turn off the outside world for a short time and create memories together,” said Belisa Anzalotti, Director of U.S. Marketing for Hasbro Games. “Hasbro has established National Family Game Night to designate one evening where American families are encouraged to play games and share in learning and laughter.”

For families on a budget, National Family Game Night provides an opportunity to share an affordable night in. Buying a new game costs significantly less than many other entertainment options, such as dining out or attending a sporting event, and Hasbro games can be played year after year providing hours of entertainment. When planning your family game night, consider some of America’s favorite Hasbro games, most of which are available for less than $20: MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE, OPERATION, YAHTZEE, GUESS WHO?, BATTLESHIP or CRANIUM. Or, if you’re looking for a new game, try PICTUREKA!, a fast finding picture game that provides fun for the whole family.

Some of Hasbro’s classic favorites have also been updated this year, adding a new dimension of play to each game. For example, MONOPOLY Family Game Night: Championship Edition gives players the opportunity to host a Championship showdown at home, complete with tournament style rules and a Mr. MONOPOLY trophy for the victor. CLUE: Secrets & Spies Edition is a new suspense-filled game of global espionage where players work undercover and decode secret text messages sent through real time cell phone text messages. And CONNECT 4×4 is the first double grid, four-player game of CONNECT 4, introducing more competition and strategy to the classic game of four in a row.

In addition to offering hours of fun and entertainment, games also provide countless learning opportunities. Playing games reinforces patience, turn taking and teamwork, as well as losing gracefully and following directions. MONOPOLY, for example, is a great way to start teaching kids and young adults budgeting skills, while BOGGLE and SCRABBLE help with spelling, and CLUE helps with deductive reasoning. Spend an affordable night in with any Hasbro game for an educational and enjoyable experience that will be remembered for years to come.

I can remember before my husband I got married, we spent may Saturday nights with friends playing Monopoly and to this day, it is still one of my favorites.  It is so fun to grab some snacks, turn off the television and just have fun talking and laughing with a good old fashioned board game.  With the boys, just starting to get the idea of playing games, we have decided to take the time once a week to play a game together.  National Family Game Night is a perfect opportunity to start a tradition and make lasting memories, and come together as a family.

Outside National Family Game Night, you can set s a specific day each week and involve family in planning their own special game night.  For the competitive folks you can set up a scoreboard to keep track and award a winner a trip to their favorite restaurant, or have the ultimate game player trophy to pass on from year to year.  Whatever you decide you can make it something special.

Get your game face on for September 23rd!

Wordless Wednesday

Sorry about the quality my good camera was in repair!

Bad Boys Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You

Canon What Happened To My Fairy Tale?

Canon cameras, have always been my first choice when it comes to purchasing a camera for myself.  I do a large amount of photography both here on my site for review purposes, and on the side for a small family photography business.  The very first camera that I had, was a Canon Rebel 4000 35mm camera, and I used it till they started coming out with their digital SLR cameras.

It wasn’t until I had a problem with a $400 lens that I got a first hand glimpse into Canon customer service and the repair process, that I became a bit disenchanted with everything.   I had brought my lens into the local camera store where I had purchased the lens, and they had told me that the wait time is an average of six to eight weeks.  I felt like I had no other choice, and told them to go ahead and send it in.  The lens happened to be under warranty so I was lucky.  At the eleven week mark, I started to get really frustrated because I was losing photography jobs because my lens was not back.  I had made numerous phone calls to the camera shop and I got some run around and called Canon direct and no one could explain why they still had my lens.  After a few emails someone over at Canon in customer service contacted me apologizing for the long delay.  The best she could say was sorry, talked about the various repair centers, but assured me that she would pass this information to the higher ups and would contact me to give me the full story.  I never heard back after that, and since I lost her phone number, I couldn’t follow up.  I sort of let that one go, and was just relieved to have my lens back after three months.

The best is yet to come, however.  Recently, I had brought my camera along with me on an event, nothing unusual and I had done this numerous times before.  My camera has never been dropped, or mishandled because I do consider it to be my baby.  I had fully charged my battery, and popped it in and was ready to take pictures when, I flipped the power on and nothing happened.  I was completely baffled because it had worked just the day before for the boys birthday.  I went into a bit of a panic because I could not afford another $800 for a camera, and I use it for everything.  So the last fiasco was right in the back of my mind, but the lady I talked to from before, had mentioned that next time I could send my camera in direct and have it back sooner, gee thanks.

I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, since my 2.5 year old camera was obviously out of warranty.  I went back the camera shop who originally sent my lens to Canon through their camera repair center, to have them take a look to see if I was missing something.  He asked if that was sand he saw in my camera, the same accusation that was made about my lens yet I have no sand around me, no beaches here.  (This is a whole other story).  I was already mad but that just made it worse.

I managed to get a hold of someone in the PR department for Canon, but she only directed me to the repair center.  All my feel good, warm fuzzies about owning a Canon had totally left the building.  I don’t care if the camera does my laundry, is it really worth the hassle?  So I packed up my $800 camera in its original box, spent $20 and insured the thing and sent it away to Virginia.  And, I waited.  Then I got the email stating that it would be $224 to repair my camera that doesnt turn on.  My hands were tied, because I could either not pay it and have nothing, or pay it, neither of which was an option that I could afford.  I mean who has $800 laying around for a new camera?  The worst part about it, is that, the camera is only 2 yrs old, and you would think that something this expensive wouldn’t just stop working but I guess I am just disillusioned.

So I finally got my Rebel XTi back and along with it, an empty bank account.  It turns out that the power to the camera wasn’t working “DUH!”.  And they cleaned the camera, and replaced a fuse!  A fuse?  $224?  That’s one expensive fuse!  And to rub a little more salt, as part of being a valued customer, they offered me a Canon 5oD refurbished for just $650 as a replacement, what a bargain!

But seriously, I really do think that, they could have handled things a little differently and stood behind their products a little more.  I feel like I have lost all the excitement that came with owning a Canon and the enchantment is gone. As a customer you want to know that you are getting a good product.  I don’t know if I could afford to own another!

Keurig Winner

Congrats to Kimberly, the winner of the Keurig Platinum Brewer!  Thank you to all who entered and come back to see what’s going on, here at DoubleBugs!

Original comment on post for main entry

I love the Keurig. My brother in law has one and a few people I know and they alaways rave about them and I’m so jealous! I have wanted one of these for over a year now.

I’m a busy mom and I enjoy a HOT cup of coffee in the morning but sometimes I’m so busy running around with the kids that by the time I get to the coffee that was brewed in the pot it’s either “burnt” or cold. I love the Keurig because I could make fresh hot coffee when I have the time to enjoy it.

I would like to try the fair trade K-cups because I love to try different types of coffees and I love that the coffee was aquired with fair trade practices.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Twilight By Stephenie Meyer I am Addicted

I will make this post a quick one because I have my nose in a good book. I haven’t sat down to read in well over 3 years and even though I don’t have a lot of time in my day, I have managed to read a thousand pages!

On a suggestion, I decided to read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  I had the book and kept walking by it.  My parents came up to visit and my Mom being and avid reader snatched the opportunity to read it.  I knew that there was a movie, but as they say, the movies never does the book justice.  My Mom came to visit us for about 9 days and in that time frame manages to read three of the four books in the series and each of them were over five hundred pages.

I thought they must be good since my Mom was so engrossed.  My husband has been teasing me, since the book is intended for young adults.  Intrigues by the story line and all of the talk surrounding how good it was, I decided to start reading.  It only took about twenty pages and I was hooked.  I haven’t been able to put the books down and they go with me wherever I go in the house and every free moment I have my nose in a book.

Even thought the story itself could never happen, (sheepishly) I have found myself wanting to be wooed by a vampire  LOL.   Stephenie Meyer is brilliant at writing the story and describing each little detail.  The images in my head could not be more vivid.  I find myself feeling a little depressed that eventually the books will end and I won’t have anymore to read.  In the meantime, here’s to romance and vampires~I never though in a million years this would be something I would read.  In the meantime, here’s to romance and vampires~

Men Do Their Negotiating At The Playground

I have been having this really strange recurrence whenever I take the boys to a playground lately.  I had not payed much attention to it until it was like deja vu or something.  I typically visit a playground with the boys a few times a week, just to get out of the house and let them expend some energy.

The first time we went to the playground there was a dad and his daughter and I thought it was cute.  But then his cell phone rang and he walked away from her and was talking about some contractual agreement.  Usually I am not nosy, but the guy was right in my face.  The conversation went something like “yeah Id really like to get this finalized and I am sure we can make this work for you.”  Then he discussed Dave and his bid on the job and that they were just jacking him around.  He then lost connection and hastily was giving his 4-5 year old daughter a little attention.  “Daddy look at me!”  and he says “let me see you run way over there, and eager to please she was his puppet unaware to the fact that her Dad needed to complete a deal on the phone.

I just made the quick observation and then I was off chasing after the boys.  Later that week, I returned to the playground and overheard almost the same exact type conversation but with someone else.  I still had not payed too much attention although now that I have noticed, I must have.  I guess the mom in me has acquired the skill of taking in everything going on around me.  Since becoming a mom to twins, I have honed in on my ability to do about 50 things at once, and my brain never shuts up either, until I am in a coma getting my six hours of sleep.

So tonight, we were out to dinner at Bob Evans, and we had saved a dinner roll to feed the geese when we left.  I was halping one of my boys toss bread when some guy comes walking quickly by discussing finalizing contract plans and someone named bob.  He ran in the restaurant and came out still glued to his phone.  Is someone trying to tell me something?  I just thought it was weird!

Room In Progress Part 2

So our room in the basement is moving right along.  We are at the point that we are now finishing the drywall.  If you know anything about drywall, then you know that it has to be taped and mudded.

I started this project gung ho and I am starting to fizzle out towards the end because this isn’t the fun stuff.  I enjoy the painting or picking colors rather, and fixing the room up.  I can safely say that I hate drywall.  It isn’t too bad if you have patience.  The problem is that it takes days to finish because you have to let each coat of mud dry for 24 hours, multiply that by another few days when you have two three year olds to run after.

The plan after this is to primer the walls and pick out the color I want.  After that we finish painting, and call in the carpet guys!  After they do their handy work, we will add baseboard and trim around the doors.  The ceiling will remain unfinished temporarily but the plan is to put in a drop ceiling which as I understand isn’t too difficult.  Nothing is ever too difficult until you do it yourself for the first time!  LOL

Pictures to come soon!

Dinosaur Train Dino Choo Choo Chugging Fun Starts September 7th!

My boys love anything that has to do with Trains, Monsters, and Dinosaurs, so naturally any of those combinations are a big hit in this house.  I was really excited to learn about a new Jim Henson series called Dinosaur Train and even more excited to get a sneak peek at the show to see if it would be something that the boys would enjoy.

When I popped the DVD in to let the boys watch, their faces instantly lit up when the catchy music, brightly colored dinosaurs and the big choo choo train flashed on the screen.  I could tell instantly that this was going to be something they were going to love!

There are all sorts of learning opportunities and little off screen inserts where Scott D Sampson the Paleontologist teaches the kids a little something about dinosaurs.

The Characters

Buddy

Buddy, a curious, funny, and intelligent T-Rex is the star of the show. He is cautious, but always ready to jump into action and start asking questions. While on the Dinosaur Train, Buddy makes a hypothesis and begins searching for the answers to his questions with the help of his Mom, the Conductor, and the new dinosaurs he meets on the train. When Buddy isn’t taking exciting trips on the Dinosaur Train, he is playing with his siblings, Don, Tiny, and Shiny and anticipating their next adventure.

Tiny

Tiny, who loves to make rhymes, is quite clever and very brave. Tiny approaches every dinosaur she meets with the confidence of a news reporter trying to get the full scoop. Tiny is so brave that she often wanders a little bit too far; but, Buddy is always there to help her get back on the right track. And in return, Tiny is fiercely protective of her brother Buddy. Tiny also has two Pteranodon siblings: Don and Shiny.

Shiny

Shiny is more “girly” than Tiny and proud of her shiny exterior, but can become shy in social situations. Shiny is outgoing with her siblings and acts as if she is the “wisest.” She can be a bit of a show-off and loves role playing with her brothers and sister. Shiny is happiest at home in Pteranodon Terrace hanging out with Dad and Don, while her Mom, Buddy, and Tiny take trips on the Dinosaur Train.

Don

Don is a sweet, mellow little Pteranodon. Although he has a goofy streak, he is steady as a rock and very focused on the task at hand. Don is loyal to all his siblings and graciously waits his turn. Once his mind is made up, though, Don goes enthusiastically head-first into every challenge.

Mrs Pteranadon

Mrs. Pteranodon: teacher, companion, and tour guide extraordinaire. But, first and foremost, she is “Mom” to Buddy, Don, Tiny, and Shiny. She is always there to listen to Buddy’s questions about being an adopted member of the Pteranodon family. Mrs. Pteranodon is intent on a good education, but she is also always looking for ways to let her kids explore their world.

Mr Pteranadon

The kids’ devoted, hands-on “sports dad,” Mr. Pteranodon loves to approach parenting like coaching a team. He can even make a squawk that sounds like a whistle when he needs to call “time out!” He exhorts his kids to work together towards their goals, often calling out, “Go Team Pteranodon!” He is fun, can be a little silly, and encourages the kids to “be adventurous.”

The Conductor

The Conductor is a Troodon and a special friend to Buddy and his family. He becomes one of Buddy’s heroes because he is the Conductor of one the most awesome trains of all, the Dinosaur Train! The Conductor is very intelligent and is happy to explain facts about dinosaurs, the places they visit and even how the Dinosaur Train works.

Without spoiling things for you, all I can say is that this is a really awesome program for kids and it offers the opportunity for them to learn about Dinosaurs in a fun and creative way.  By the time the show was over the boys had learned about herbivores, and omnivores.  They were running around the backyard pretending to be  Pteranodons and imitating the way they catch fish.

The series will start on September 7,2009 on your local PBS channel and it is one that you won’t want to miss, so get your DVR’s ready!  Get ready for the Dinosaur Train To Come To Your Town.

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