February 2017 - Rave & Review

Marvel’s Doctor Strange is out on DVD and Blu-ray today

Remember when I told you not to wait to see Doctor Strange until it came out on DVD? Well, I hope you took my advice and saw it in theaters and then loved it as much as we did. And, I hope you adored it so much that you then were counting down the days until it was released on DVD so you could watch it over and over again. Like us.

We got to introduce our kids to Doctor Strange this week and their little minds were blown by the new superhero. “Is he a bad guy?”, “What are his superpowers?”, “Is he going to be okay?” So many questions. But, can you blame them? Doctor Strange is like nothing they have ever seen before, and a superhero like no other. As a parent, I loved them seeing a Marvel character that learned how to be a superhero. Rather than some accidental spill of radioactive material or a super power that comes on overnight, Doctor Strange just worked hard and studied. I loved his transformation from an arrogant and famous neurosurgeon who embarks on a journey to find healing. When his travels take him to Kamar-Taj, a mysterious enclave where he learns that there is more to the center than meets the eye, you see the true superhero emerge.

10+ tips for car trips with kids

Do you have some long car trips coming up for the summer? Like most people, I will be spending quite a bit of time in my car over the next few weeks as we visit relatives, see the sights, and vacation with friends in the area, and I’m already planning ahead for the road trips with three young kiddos.

To me, road trips are a great way to bond and see the sights both near and far in ways you just can't on an airplane, and I love taking a good road trip {or three} each summer. But, because of limited space and cramped conditions, they can also be a delicate balance of having what you need with fun things to do, without packing your vehicle from top to bottom. The picture below shows a precarious suitcase tower that includes what 5 people need for a snowshoe, ski, sun, and swim trip and even with the bigger car, and all of this stuff really pushed the limits of what is manageable for a road trip.

Here are a few tips for awesome car trips with kids:

DIY bead storage and beading board for bracelet and necklace making

As a member of the Chick-fil-A mom panel, we were given coupons to try their new Chicken Tortilla Soup and then challenged to make a fun DIY with their soup containers. Some of the moms did some amazing upcycling projects and created luminaries, succulent wall planters, play instruments, and all sorts of super crafty things, but I went practical. As soon as I saw the containers, I realized they would make the perfect DIY bead storage container. Now, I know that doesn't sound exciting because basically I repurposed something that stored soup and used it to store beads, but stay with me. I've been redoing our art supplies now that the kiddos are able to craft more on their own and this has involved a ton of organizing. I was previously the only one using the crafting supplies and therefore knew where everything was stored. But, now that they can craft on their own, I needed to give them their own storage system so anyone can find whatever they need and then know where to put it back when they are finished.

American Girl fans: DIY Tenney and Logan inspired tin drum craft

Are you as crazy excited about American Girl's new contemporary dolls, Tenney Grant and Logan Everett, as we are? We've literally been counting down to their release for months, and we're so thrilled they are finally here. To celebrate their release, we came up with a Tenney-and-Logan-inspired DIY project to make a tin drum so you can start a band just like they did.

I'm going to walk you through the steps to make your own drum, including two handy little printables you can use to add logos to your American Girl-inspired drums.

To start with, you will need to gather your supplies:

2 large tin {or tin-and-cardboard} cans – we used milk substitute tins, but you could repurpose coffee cans, formula canisters, powdered drink containers, or whatever else you have on hand.

2 long threaded rods (or bolts), 8 nuts, and 12 washers – for securing the drums together

2 printables – for covering the cans {you can download those below}

Scissors, tape, ribbon, and a small drill {optional, you can use scissors if your can is thin enough}

Introducing Logan Everett, the first ever 18″ boy doll from American Girl

He’s here! He’s here! I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for the release of the new American Girl doll, Logan Everett. The rumors have been swirling for months that a boy doll was in the works and I think I got roughly 50 messages asking if it was true. I’m happy to say that the rumors were true, and Logan Everett arrived this month at American Girl on Valentine’s Day. If you know my son, you know he’s one of the biggest fans of American Girl that there ever was. It started when my daughter got her first doll when she was 4 and he was only 2, and that love has grown exponentially throughout the years. He was crazy excited when he was given a boy Bitty Twin we scored second-hand, but I always wished there was an 18” boy I could buy for him. You should have seen his face when his sister and I surprised him with his own Logan Everett doll at the Seattle American Girl café last week. Not only was he over the moon excited, but so was his sister who has been dying for him to get his own doll for years and years. She had been plotting since before Christmas about how she could get him a doll if they came out with a boy and Logan was everything she had hoped for for her brother.

The perfect bread machine white bread {and how to keep it fresh}

I’ve gotta brag for a moment: I haven’t bought bread in over 5 months. If you know me, you know that I’m simply not a baker. I can cook, but baking is just too technical for someone like me that has problems following directions. So, the fact that I’m baking all of our bread is a really big accomplishment. And, the fact that the kids like it is a small miracle. My intro to baking started as a quest to find a decent sandwich bread that I could make in the bread machine, and I just wasn’t finding anything awesome and the kids were very disappointed with the results. I wanted our weekly loaf to be soft enough that it would make a good sandwich loaf, but also dense enough so that it didn’t just fall apart when you spread peanut butter on it or sliced it thin.

So, using the handwritten notes of my grandmother scribbled in the margins of the bread machine cookbook she gave me, I decided to modify the recipe we liked the best using a little trial and error and a lot of help from grandma. Thanks, grandma!Admittedly, there was quite a bit of error, but it was actually kind of fun trying out different ingredients and measurements. While doing this process I was really glad I was using the bread maker, as it took me out as a variable and made it easy to pinpoint ingredient and measurement changes because the process was so uniform.

When we finally hit on the perfect recipe, we were high-fiving in the kitchen as we enjoyed our now-famous loaf fresh out of the bread machine. The kids have now memorized the recipe and can basically do every step of the process, they just wait for me to plug it in and set it on the correct bread setting and loaf size.

Want a delicious on-the-go treat that your kids will absolutely love? Entenmann’s® Little Bites® muffins are baked soft and moist and then packed in easy to grab on-the-go pouches so they can be enjoyed just about anywhere. They are made with real ingredients, and never contain any high fructose corn syrup, which means parents love … Read more

10 winter activities for families in Mt Hood, Oregon

The south slope of Mt. Hood is home to Government Camp, a gorgeous alpine village at an elevation of 4,000 feet. The average snowfall is close to 300 inches which gives you a great chance to enjoy some fun, snowy weather activities for a day or two, or you can plan a longer stay and enjoy all that Mt. Hood, Oregon has to offer.

Here are 10 of our favorite things to do in Government Camp that are kid-approved and fun for families:

The LEGO Batman Movie hits theaters today!

The newest LEGO movie is out today, and kids everywhere are busy trying to talk their parents into taking them to see the LEGO Batman Movie. So, I’m betting you’re wondering if you should take your children to see it in theater or just wait for it on DVD? The short answer is yes, you definitely should schedule a theater date.

When the first LEGO Movie came out, we were all big fans. In fact, we’ve spent way more time singing “Everything is awesome” than I’d like to admit, as well as having added “Kragle” to our regular vocabulary. The LEGO Movie was one of the few movies that parents, grandparents, and kids could all agree on, and as a result it quickly became a must-own DVD when it was released.

In addition to introducing us to exciting new characters and taking us deep into the world of LEGO, another standout part of the first movie was the inclusion of the beloved LEGO Batman. So, as soon as we heard a LEGO Batman Movie was in the works, we were all very excited to see it as soon as possible.

The Mitsubishi Outlander 2017 makes all of our dreams come true

A big thank you to Drive Shop USA for this test driving experience. All opinions are 100% ours.
Do you remember when I made the announcement that the Mitsubishi Outlander was the car for me? Back in 2016 I told you that if I were buying a new automobile, I would buy a Mitsubishi Outlander. It’s now a whole year later and it still rings true. In fact, I’m even more certain about it now than I was back then.

It started with the love of the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and then that love was eclipsed by the Mitsubishi Outlander. I admit I got sold on all the luxuries of the bigger CUV size, but also on the adaptability of the third row seating that is perfect for our on-the-go lifestyle.

Month: February 2017