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Tasty Treat Thursday Czech Jam Cookies (a.k.a. Kolacky) Recipe

December 15, 2011 By 32 Comments

I seriously wish I lived in Summer’s kitchen. This is another one of her fabulous creations with home made jam. MMM. So here’s to Summer’s Tasty Treat Thursday, I hope you enjoy!

jam cookies

Czech Jam Cookies (a.k.a. Kolacky)

1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1 – ½ cup stick of butter
1 cup sifted flour
¼ cup favorite fruit jam

1. Preheat oven to 350oF. Grease a cookie sheet.

2. Combine first three ingredients. Spoon out into 24 equally sized balls (about the size of a shelled walnut) and place on greased sheet.

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3. Impress a dip into the middle of the cookie using finger. Fill impression with ½ teaspoon with desired jam flavor.

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4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

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Innobaby Bento Box Keepin’ Fresh

December 15, 2011 By 5 Comments

By Summer:

What’s your mommy word? You know, the one like Pee Wee Herman had, you hear it and it makes you so crazy happy you want to scream. Mine is BENTO! (AHHhhhh!)

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You can put anything in a Bento! I love to bento for lunch and snacks on the go, and to preschool and next year in a lunchbox to avoid school cafeteria lunches. Oh wait, what is bento? Bento is a Japanese word for a box style which provides a compartment(s) offering a single portion of a dish. You can buy take and toss containers, but I love to be more eco so of course I love Innobaby bento.

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Innobaby has a Keepin’ Fresh line in plastic, glass and stainless. Innobaby’s boxes are BPA FREE, Phthalate FREE, PVC FREE, and Lead FREE. Innobaby boxes are leak proof for mess free food packing, and I can speak to it as I’ve been using Innobaby for a year now. We use Innobaby products typically on the go and in my purse (so you know I don’t want snacks all in my purse … especially juicy ones).

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Whether you’re a new mom or a veteran, Innobaby has products for you. Innobaby does offer a bottle system (which can convert with a straw top FYI) and crib sheets, but they also offer tableware (plates, cups, and bowls) and multi-use drink holders. You really need to check out their site to see what Innobaby can offer your family. Don’t forget to tell your friends about your Innobaby wish list too; great stocking stuffers – wink, wink Santa!IMG_9103

Get your bento on! Here are some bento ideas from my friend Angie. In bento each item is easy to prepare, pack, and eat though there is an art to it too. So bento with Innobaby!

My Mom Start Review Grade for Innobaby Storage Products including Bento: A+

You can find Innobaby products for sale on their site, through other Innobaby online retailers, or at a store near you. You can also stay connected to Innobaby on Facebook and on Twitter @innobaby.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

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Simply Potatoes Breakfast Lunch & Dinner

December 15, 2011 By 4 Comments

By Summer:

My husband is Polish. I’ll blame all our potato eating on that fact. No really though, our family enjoys having at least on starch per meal. At dinner you often find us with bread, potatoes, or corn. When Simply Potatoes ask if I’d review their products my first thought was sure, we eat potatoes! I didn’t know anything more about their product. So when I got to the store I was surprised to find their products freshly located in the refrigerated section of my grocery store. I picked up a bag of hash browns for breakfast and a bag of seasoned wedges for dinner.

My dinner with Simply Potatoes

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My breakfast with Simply Potatoes

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The potatoes seem to be partially cooked and you just need to complete the process for your meal; I’m guessing this from the amount of time it took to prepare Simply Potatoes for breakfast and dinner. It’s simply yummy AND easy to prepare fresh style potatoes.

I tried to make hash browns once. The potatoes were soggy and turned brown because of the pressure it took to shred them. Or if potatoes become that last minute though Simply Potatoes will make all your meal components done on time together.

The downsides to Simply Potatoes: their products do have additives to keep the potatoes white and fresh, and since they are potatoes (which take a long time to make) the time isn’t as convenient as hydrating potatoes but it is faster than making any of these potatoes.

I don’t mind cooking but I hate all the prep work. Boring! Simply Potatoes takes a little of that off of me and just brings dinner to my table (almost all the way done) and ready to eat.

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My Mom Start Review Grade for Simply Potatoes: B

 

You can not only find Simply Potatoes in your grocery store’s refrigerator section, but on their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

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Behind The Movie War Horse: An Interview With Steven Spielberg

December 14, 2011 By 15 Comments

I really wanted to meet and interview Steven Spielberg myself, but I know everyone else involved with War Horse did too. He’s an important man with a very busy schedule so I understand how he had to be selective with who interviewed him. So I watched this interview and will share some of the highlights with you, and suggest that you watch the interview as well. It’s almost an hour long but so interesting and informative to watch.

An interview with Steven Spielberg.

 

Thoughts and Highlights From The Interview With Steven Spielberg:

The horses were choses by trial and error. Abraham and Finder were the main two horses. Finder did most of the work but both Finder and Abraham bonded the best with all of the actors. The other horses used were specialty horses, a jumper or a runner.

"WAR HORSE"..DM-PSD3-0141..Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse Joey are featured in this scene from DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse", director Steven Spielberg's epic adventure set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War...Ph: David Appleby..©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. ÊAll Rights Reserved.

Steven Spielberg mentioned that they were very fortunate with Joey. The horse at times seemed to understand what was going on in the scene and he added to it with his own expressions. It was unbelievable and amazing to see myself on the screen how this happened and to hear from Spielberg that it was the horse that made that magic on the screen.

I’m really impressed listening to Steven Spielberg on his opinion of the age of children and who can see this movie. He said it’s not for little kids but parents know their child best and what their children’s viewing habits are. I know for my kids, they get terrified in a theater when the lights get dark and the music and sound is intense so I couldn’t take my children to this. I wouldn’t take my children, they are 3 and 4. It’s a war movie, use your judgment.

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Ok, I have to say the more I watch of this interview the more I love Steven Spielberg. He spoke about the war but not in “unspeakable terms”. There is so much of the movie where you don’t see what happened in the war but you KNOW what happened in War Horse.

In the interview he mentioned what the single most challenging technical sequence. The single most challenging technical sequence  for Steven Spielberg of the movie War Horse was when Joey went through No Man’s land. No horse was injured at all in the movie and it was so hard to make this scene. They did it at night and they were up all night and it was just quite a challenge. Here is a look at the No Man’s Land scene:

 

Steven also talks about how much he enjoys working with musical composer John Williams. For War Horse John Williams created three different theme piano sketches and he said he “was a goner, three handkerchiefs right there”. They also work together on where there should be and where there shouldn’t be music. I never thought about what goes behind the soundtrack before, but I have noticed how in very few movies how a moment of silence is one of the most powerful moments in the movie. I also found it interesting that he’s so flexible with the script. The script changes daily, even the actors might influence a change in the script, while filing the script went through about 25 changes. I’m just fascinated, I highly suggest you listen to this interview if you have any interest in War Horse or in Steven Spielberg and how he creates a masterpiece.

War Horse Arrives in Theaters Christmas Day.

 

Travel and Expenses, and photos were provided by DreamWorks.

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Behind the Movie: Scholastic War Horse Teaching Guide

December 14, 2011 By 3 Comments

WAR HORSE is based on the young adult novel by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 1982. While the film is rated PG-13, it’s a great way to educate older children. I saw War Horse over a week ago and I really can’t wait to see it again. I found it very well made as it presented World War 1 to me in a way that it had never been presented to me before. Scholastic has created a War Horse Teaching Guide and I suggest that you check It out.

Scholastic War Horse Worksheet 1

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is currently on Broadway. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Scholastic War Horse Worksheet 2

You can download these worksheets at Scholastic War Horse.

Scholastic War Horse Worksheet 3

Scholastic also created a children’s version of the story War Horse. It’s a very quick and easy read. 

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A Duplo LEGO Christmas Tree & LEGO Santa Claus and His Toy Bag

December 14, 2011 By 6 Comments

My kids and husband built Santa and his toy bag, and a Christmas Tree out of Duplo LEGOS.

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Apples To Apples Xbox LIVE Arcade

December 14, 2011 By 4 Comments

By Summer:

One of my favorite board games is Mattel’s Apples to Apples. We’ve been playing it at parties with friends now for … gosh … 8 years I think, since we’ve been married. We would have a game night all the time with our friends, but as we got older and had babies (and kids) the adult game time died. My husband and I game on out Xbox, and we dig playing on LIVE. And now we can have the best of our former years and now! Apples to Apples has come to Xbox LIVE!

Apples Art

Never played Apples to Apples? You’re in for a treat!!! This is a game of quick thinking:

In the board game there is a judge who lays down an adjective green card all players to match with a noun red card from their hands. The slowest play is penalized by not being about to lay down a card. You can play to the judge’s interests of you know the players well enough. The judge picks their favorite card of those provided and they player earns a point. The judge job rotates and game play continues until someone has collected six points.Apples Logo

The single player arcade game is a battle of wits as you “guess” what the computer would pick. The apple judges have a personality (i.e. – astronaut or princess or pirate) and you have to play to the judges personality. The apple judge will lay down an adjective and for the first several rounds they help you figure it out by providing the words. You have to type in the CAPPED word to earn guessing time; incorrect words take time away. In the later rounds you have to figure out the missing word and then type it in. My husband and I spend about an hour playing together to beat the computer. It was a fun way to play on the “same team”.

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Local multiplayer is VERY interesting. It took my husband and me a bit of time to figure this game out. At first it seemed so simple, one judge plus two to three other players – basic. As a player, however, you can submit your card in secret. Of course as you look at them all player can read your cards, but you can select using “Play In Secret”, “Play Next”, or “Play Previous” in addition to simply selecting your card. However what through us was the play next and previous as the buttons are crisscrossed from cards.

Multiplayer LIVE arcade is a fun challenge as you might not know the players in your game. You can have a “party” and pick your game guests, or play with others just wanting to game online. . I did both (NOTE: you need at least 3 players to play a round – 1 judge and 2 players per round; 6 players is the maximum for any game) and found it all around entertaining. It was real people so made the emotion invest of the game more of a challenge for me; or in other words, I hate losing, so it was a fun challenge to try and beat other competitors. To play Apples to Apples on Xbox LIVE arcade you must have Gold LIVE membership

One thing I did notice when I first started, if you play more than a couple of games you’ve see many of the cards; then it just becomes a rotation. But each game is different since every time you play red cards are assigned at random and who knows when you’ll see the same green card – maybe in the following game or maybe 6 more games in. But the best thing about online is they (the game gods) can add more and current card as desired unlike a board game where you’d have to purchase an extension package.

Apples to Apples is totally fun! I recommend having a family game time on arcade with Apples to Apples.

My Mom Start Review Grade of Apples to Apples on arcade: A

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

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Santa Photos at Northgate Mall

December 13, 2011 By 27 Comments

While I was out of town my family went to Northgate Mall in North Seattle to get Santa photos taken. My husband had to get a sweater for my son and he purchased it at Gymboree who was having a 50% off sale. He’s adorable. My daughter’s dress is from JCPenney.

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They went on a Saturday to get the photos with Santa and it was surprisingly only a 30 minute wait, which on a Saturday I think is amazing. My son was so hyped up about getting to see Santa. He had been asking me for a week to take him and any time we were near a Santa he wanted to go see him. Saturday was the first time we actually had time to take him, and guess what he did. He freaked out and was quite upset about having to sit next to Santa.

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It’s a classic photo, tears, upset, and Zoe is as happy as she can be. Daddy did have a little chat with Miles and after the chat we got a smile out of him. But he’s still leaning as far away from Santa as he could.

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It’s great that they went because the kids told Santa what they want for Christmas. Zoe wants a doll house and Miles wants candy. I have to say he’s not getting candy but she is getting a doll house. I’m sure Miles will love what he’s getting he just doesn’t realize he wants it. Compared to another mall Northgate Mall has a great price on photo packages.

 

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Thank you Northgate Mall for this experience taking photos with Santa. Northgate mall covered the cost of the photos as part of the Northgate Mall ambassador program.

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Holiday Round Up WowWee Toys The Whole Line Up

December 13, 2011 By 4 Comments

When I was at the Time To Play Holiday Showcase one of the brands there was WowWee. And WowWee they are amazing. They sent us a box of toys to share with all our friends I’m amazed at their product line. They cover girls, boys from age 3 and up. We’ve played with their Paper Jamz before and loved them. Now the Paper Jamz has a Pro series and it’s sure to bring twice the fun if not 3 times the fun. So from chords to strings and even a drum set.

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The one thing I didn’t like about Paper Jamz was that it only played chords along with all that rock music. Paper Jamz Pro has chord ability making it much more like a guitar than originally. Plus, this may sounds like something odd to write about but I love the new packaging. The packaging on the Paper Jamz pro makes the toy guitars look like a more expensive toy in a way that makes me want to buy them.

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My husband has a great time checking out the drum set. With the drums you can freestyle by creating your own killer drum solos or lay your own rocking beats over your favorite songs. You can also put it on Beat Machine and remix beats on the fly Of course you can also customize your drums by adding your favorite music with the free Paper Jamz Pro app And use the 3 built-in kits to change drum sounds or download new ones. Miles could play with this for hours, he loves music and making noise by banging on things. He has since birth.

Lite Sprites use color and light to express their moods and feelings. Each Sprite has her own personality and domain in the natural world. The Sprite Sisterhood includes: Prisma, Astra, Meadow and Brooke. Bleak, the naughty Sprite, rejects color and uses her powers to eliminate or disrupt color in Lite-Topia.

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There are now five different play sets in the Lite Sprite line. The Swing Playset, The Windmill playset, the Waterfall playset, The Flower playset and now the Tree of Life.

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The Tree of Lite is the place where the Sprites hang out. Scaled to interact with the rest of Lite-Topia, the Tree of Lite is alive with color, lights, sparkle and sounds. Visit Litesprites.com to explore the world of Lite-Topia!

The Sprites cast and catch color and light from their Sprites friends and play sets to express their emotions. Of course the girls love them. Zoe thinks they’re adorable. And the wand, oh my goodness, our neighborhood is full of little princesses and a wand is often in their hands. The Lite Wand is the “heart” of the play experience it’s the keeper of the colors. Which adds to the play time because the Wand is the medium for sharing color throughout Lite-Topia.

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Light Strike has four possible teams, hold down the team color change button to change teams, very brightly colored, huge hit with the boys. I actually love how colorful it is and if you think it’s colorful like I do just wait until you turn it on. Then all the lights come up and the gun makes lots of fun sounds that the kids will love. Of course, it does make sneaking up on your opponent a little difficult.

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This is a photo of the I.T.S. (Intelligent Targeting System). I had fun shooting it and watching myself get to the top for my team. You can play with others and team up for Capture the Flag matches with the I.T.S.  The I.T.S. rotates for added challenge which is pretty cool. and it has multiple built-in games that reward winning team with strategic advantages.

  • Sentry mode: I.T.S. scans for enemies and blasts them
  • Medic mode: I.T.S. regenerates health
  • Bomb mode: I.T.S. sends out explosive burst of damage to enemies
  • Interactive lights and sounds that put you on the battlefield

Check me out playing the the laser gun.

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There is so much to say about all the toys. We had a great time exploring them and I know that your kids will love them too. Lights and sounds seem to make all kids happy, And WowWee is great at putting the two together in a none annoying way.

We donated all of the toys to a local charity at the end of this review. It was an amazing collection of toys and I thank WowWee for allowing us to have such a fun experience testing them out and giving them away.

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Holiday Recipe Using Pringles: Kringle-Spiced Pringles Cookies

December 12, 2011 By 32 Comments

This recipes was sent to me by Pringles and I’m on a plane right now wishing I was in my kitchen with a canister of pringles, so I can try it out. I LOVE pringles for me they are the chip that once you start you can’t stop. I just can’t stop until I’ve eaten the whole container so I try to avoid them.

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Consider mixing-up your traditional holiday cookie batch this year with a recipe using Pringles crisps. Below is an original recipe for Kringle-Spiced Pringles Cookies, a sandwich cookie recipe that combines the savory crunch of Pringles Original Potato crisps with a sweet and zesty jam to create a winning substitute for the ginger cookie. So share the Holiday Spirit by giving a can of Pringles and the Kringle recipe to encourage holiday baking as a family activity.

Kringle-Spiced Pringles Cookies Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 can Pringle’s “The Original”
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fruit preserves, raspberry or mixed berry
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at to 350 degrees and place Pringles, flour, baking soda, and spices in a food processor, and puree until the consistency of corn meal; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until slightly fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix for 30 seconds.

4. Pour the Pringles spice mixture into the bowl and mix for 1 minute; place dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

5. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

6. In a small bowl, combine fruit preserves and ginger (if desired, ginger is optional); spread 1 teaspoon onto a cookie, and top with another cookie.  Instead of crystallized ginger can swap out 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger to the jam. 

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