Wordless Wednesday – Technology Playground

We found this super cool (and HUGE) electronic game at a neighborhood park in Atlanta.  I wish our parks were this cool!

Libre

A few days ago, I ran across Libre tea glasses somewhere on the internet.  (If I remembered where, I’d give credit and thanks, but it was a case of following one link after another and I lost track!)  This might sound strange, but I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind since!  They are very functional glasses, of course, as they allow you to brew and drink loose-leaf teas all in one travel container, but they’re also beautiful.  I love the simplicity of the design.

I also love that they are eco-friendly and the parts of the glass that come in contact with hot liquids are all health conscious – glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free polycarbonate.  The outside wall of  the glass ‘n poly option is made from BPA-free polycarbonate for added durability.  If you’re braver than I am and/or don’t have small children, the glass ‘n glass option is also available and just as beautiful.

I can’t tell you how well the Libre functions…yet!  There aren’t any local retailers in my area, but I hope to be able to order one from Libre soon!  I’ll make sure to report back once I get my hands on one and try it out!  If you get one before I do, please let me know what you think.

Disclosure:  I don’t have any kind of relationship with Libre, other than a love for their products!

Wordless Wednesday – Donuts!

Wordless Wednesday – Murder!

Tiny Prints and Teacher Appreciation

I was fortunate to have many truly great teachers all through my education.  For that reason, I never fully understood what a true blessing a great teacher can be in the life of a student.  When my older son, Alex, first started pre-school, it was a rocky road.  For various reasons, Alex is not the ideal student for most teachers.  We encountered a few teachers who were up to the challenge at the beginning, but quickly grew weary and gave up.  One teacher, though, stuck with him and tried and tried again until we found something that worked for Alex…and then tried once more when that wasn’t the long-term solution.  We are grateful that Ms. April was so willing to work with Alex and has a genuine love for kids.  Thanks, April!

It’s already back-to-school time and Tiny Prints is helping teachers kick of the year in an exciting new way!  Tiny Prints, a leader in online stationery products, has created a new line just for teachers.  They can send students a personalized welcome greeting card, send personalized thank you cards to parents, and celebrate student successes with award cards.  In support of building a connection between parents, students, and teachers, Tiny Prints is offering these personalized greeting cards for FREE to teachers beginning tomorrow, Monday, August 2, 2010 and running through October, 31, 2010.  In order to take part in this offer, teachers will just need apply the code:  Apple2010 at checkout.

If that isn’t enough fun for you, please also join Tiny Prints Teacher Greeting Card Twitter Party this week!  The party will be happening this Wednesday from 4:00pm – 5:00pm Eastern.  Just log on to Twitter or your favorite Twitter platform and use the hashtag #makeitpersonal to participate.  I hope I’ll see you there!

Disclosure:  This information in this post is provided as part of my affiliation with Global Influence.  I was not compensated for this post, though I do have a chance to win a gift card as a result of my participation.  The opinions expressed are my own – we really do love Ms. April!

Wordless Wednesday – Water Slide!

This isn’t a great photo, but this is the water slide at the Hilton Fallsview in Niagara Falls.  Alex had such a great time on this slide!

Wordless Wednesday – The Lake

This is the lake in my hometown.  I’ve spent many summers swimming in the water and many winters skating on the ice.  My mom remembers when one family moved their house across the frozen lake one winter.  Crazy!

Bentos!

I’ve mentioned before that we’re really trying to make better food choices around our house.  One way that I’ve found to make things more fun is by making bento lunches for the boys now and then.  There are so many amazingly creative bento makers out there that I’m a little embarrassed to even show my simple attempts here.  Seriously, go search for “bento” on Flickr and prepare to be blown away by the results.

As much as I love all things bento, there is one thing that has always bugged me about the fun little accessories you can get to make your lunches even more adorable – they’re nearly all made of plastic.  I was so thrilled when I found LunchBots!  They are made entirely of food-safe stainless steel, which is not only healthier, but a breeze to clean!  The great people at LunchBots sent us the Uno (no divider) and the Duo (divided in half) to use and both have been through the dishwasher many times.  They’ve always come out looking brand new.

I’m really impressed by the lids on our LunchBots.  They obviously spent some effort to get these just right, and I think they have done it.  The lids are snug enough to safely keep the food inside without fear that lunch will spill all over the inside of a backpack, but they are also easy enough to remove that Declan, who is two, can take the lid off without any difficulty.  They are not made to be water-tight, so if you’re including a salad dressing or some kind of dip, I would make sure you put that in a separate sealed container that is made to contain liquids.

All in all, I love our LunchBots!  As we get ready for back-to-school here, I’m trying to decide which other containers I should add to our collection.  LunchBots also have a both a smaller container, the Pico, and a larger container, the Eco, that would be well-suited for toddler snacks at pre-school and adult lunches.  Head on over to LunchBots and check them all out!

Wordless Wednesday

“Are we there yet?”

We are preparing for our summer road trip to Pennsylvania.  Google Maps suggests that it should take 13 hours, but we find that it varies between 14 and 16 hours.  It all depends on how restless the boys get.  Or maybe how many Chipotle restaurant stops we make.  It’s definitely one of the two.

One thing I’ve learned in the seven years we’ve been doing this (at least twice a year), is that the boys need to be distracted or things go downhill very quickly.  We allow them to watch movies and play on various gaming devices, but I really prefer that they do something that requires them to use their minds.

I was really excited when I found this Travel Bingo game the other day at Growing Tree Toys.  Alex will really get into the hunting and finding (and winning) aspect of it, while Declan will likely just make circles all over the bingo card.  Either way, they will both be engaging their brains and I will happy!

Does your family make long road trips?  How do you keep your kids from “are we there yet??” only 3 hours into the long journey?