News & Reviews Archives - Page 12 of 31

American Girl for everyone

My oldest fell in love with American Girl when she was only 1 year old, so we’ve been American Girl crazy for years and years now. But, that love is even stronger now that we officially have a doll for everyone, thanks to the newest American Girl contemporary dolls. Like most families, we start with the Bitty Baby line and then we ease in slowly to the American Girl Wellie Wisher, BeForever, Truly Me, and Contemporary lines. That transition is always a big deal when they go from baby to adolescent and with that comes doll books, movies, accessories, and more to immerse them further into the world of American Girl.

But, until this month, there was nowhere for my son to go after he outgrew his Bitty Baby boy {which thankfully hasn’t happened yet}. I dreaded the day my son would be done with babies and his love of American Girl would slowly fade while his sisters continued to play. I don’t need to worry about that anymore, because his love has only deepened with the introduction of Tenney Grant and Logan Everett.

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.

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.

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.

10 things you need to stop saying now

In looking back at my 2016, I see a trend starting that I would like to stop immediately. I am realizing that I have a hard time giving bad news, saying no, or asking for things, and I tend to add qualifiers or say things I don’t mean in order to soften a blow or decline an offer.

So, I'm writing myself this post that contains a list of things I will stop saying in 2017 as a reference for myself. Starting now, I will start approaching each interaction with confidence and/or honesty and stop diminishing myself or making excuses.

Microsoft Lumia 950 from AT&T makes it easier than ever to switch to Windows

If you’ve read any of my cell phone reviews, you already know that I’m a Windows gal through and through. It started back when I was switching from my business-issued Blackberry all those years ago and I debated whether I was going to go with an iPhone, the new Android device, or something else. It turns out “something else” is where my heart was, because I love my Windows phone.

I’ve already talked about why I love the Nokia Lumia 1520 from AT&T, but for those of you loved the features but who were worried about the Phablet size, the 5.2″ Microsoft® Lumia 950 with Windows® 10 from AT&T is definitely for you. Still not sure if Windows is the way to go? Here are just a few reasons why you should consider switching: