Solar powered fun

Anticipating the end of the school year and trying to think ahead and plan activities for the kids I purchased these   6 in 1 solar activity kits several weeks ago and set them aside for summer use.

(Clicking the pic above will take you to this product on amazon.com)

Well today was the day we decided to break out the solar robot kits and give it a try. Mind you I am the kid of person who sometimes has to ask for help to plug in a PlayStation controller to charge so my faith in my ability to build anything solar powered was lacking.

This kit does come with some very small pieces and parts so as you can see in my picture of us building at the table, I used small plates to keep all the little parts in one place. The directions that come with this kit are very detailed and if you follow them step by step everything works as it should.

(The boys working on the solar kits, and yes I did need a latte from starbucks for this project...lol)

The kit can be made into 6 different solar powered items and can be changed into other things if you want to. first off you build your gear box and use the wires to attach it to your solar panel.

(Gear box attached to solar panel)

Austin chose to do the solar windmill first and it came out great! we took it outside in the sun and it immediately started spinning so fast! I was so happy as a mommy to see the excitement on his face to get to see his hard work pay off.

(Austin's windmill powered by the sun)

Kyler decided to start by making the solar powered car. it took a bit longer in construction than the windmill but it was sure worth it! as soon as we got outside in the driveway it took off! That lil car sure moves fast!!

(Kyler's solar car)

I am so proud of my boys for successfully building these solar creations and learning so much about how solar power works in the process.

5 hours in the sun + NO sunscreen = FAIL!

Well folks I remembered to sunscreen the kids up so they are good, however I did not take the time to sunscreen myself and I am burnt to a crisp!

Why is it that every time I get a bad sunburn I SWEAR I will never leave the house without sunscreen again and yet as time goes on I slowly forget the pain of the burn, until the next time I get burnt!

We went to the pool today and the water was a bit to cold for me so I didn't get in I just sat in the sun reading on my nook and sipping my Starbucks shaken black ice tea....ahhhhhh.....livin the life

UNTIL

about 8:00pm when i realized my face felt like it was shriveling up as if it had been slathered with hemorrhoid cream and my arms felt like they were on fire.

I made make my way on over to the bathroom mirror only to find myself red like a boiled lobster.

DAMN!!!

I should have used the sunscreen!

Why you should not leave fragile items in your checked bag when flying

The above picture is a pile of broken UMD cases for Sony PSP games. My Hubby took the PSP on a flight with him, which he generally does and that's the reason we bought a PSP was so he could have it on the plane to watch movies & play games. On this trip he was fazzled and left it in his "checked" bag by accident and when he got his bag at the end of his flight all the games and movies he had were broken, ooops!

I called our local Gamestop, where I am a very frequent customer because I have a game addiction but that's a whole other blog post! anyway I call and speak to the manager who tells me there is absolutely, positively no way to change those little plastic cases out. He actually goes so far as to tell me if the cases break or crack you might as well just throw the games in the trash because they are worthless.

Unable to accept this fate for my beloved PSP games and movies I began searching the internet and this is what I found. There are actually numerous different websites that you can buy replacement UMD cases for your Sony PSP games and movies. some had shady reviews and after hours of searching I decided to order these cases from amazon.com at $12.99 w/ free shipping for ten replacement cases I figured even if the sucked and didn't work at least I tried to save my games.

They arrived really quick, packaged very well and secure. While there were no directions included I would imagine anyone with a few brain cells left would be able to figure it out since the cases only fit together one way.....lol

You basically have a top piece and a bottom piece, you place your game or movie disc picture side down on the piece that does not have a notch cut in it for reading the disc. then you snap the top piece in place the only way it will fit and you are good to go!

These cases are much sturdier than the original Sony cases and they look better too! If you have a PSP I recommend having a few of these bad boys on hand for little oopsies.

All better now :)

Having fun against your will

(Brylee on the Bumper Cars @ John's incredible pizza)
So I wake up this morning and I am informed that we will be going to John's Incredible pizza . For those of you that have not had the pleasure of visiting a John's Incredible pizza, the best way I can describe it is if Dave & Busters and Chuck e Cheese had a child and said child was on crack & steroids that would be John's incredible Pizza.

Great after the first trip to John's I would have rather stuck toothpicks in my eyes than have to go back with three children on a busy weekend day!

You begin the John's experience with a massive buffet of anything and everything you could ever dream of to eat & drink. You choose from multiple "themed" rooms to eat your food in such as the Disney toon room, cabin fever, hang-ten, vertical x-games, hall of fame sports, fusion music hall, etc...... After you stuff your face the real fun begins! You then take your John's "Fun card" loaded with the credits you purchase when you buy your buffet and head over the game center. There are more games than you have ever seen! I assure you of this! there are several rides including the frog hopper, twister, bumper cars, indoor roller coaster and a cosmic bowling alley.

After walking around for awhile watching the kids play games and ride rides I finally decided to put on a happy face and participate. 

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I went to a "fun card" machine and got a card loaded with 65 credits. proceeded to the price is right "Plinko" machine and swiped my card for 4 credits and won 200 tickets!!! I was so excited! this was like winning the lottery!! I kept playing at the same machine until I ran out of credits, OMG! I made a beeline for the fun card machine to reload my card with another 65 credits and then it was back to the same machine. I was so addicted! I could not stop playing and I must admit I felt a certain almost high to see hundreds of tickets come out of the machine! all together I won 1,105  tickets which got me a teddy bear wearing a Padres hoodie and a mini lava lamp. 

Well worth the money I spent loading & reloading my "fun card" in my opinion........

.....At least until John sees the bank statement!

Graduating Kindergarten in Southern California!

As the mother of a six year old I had the pleasure of attending a Kindergarten graduation on Friday at the elementary school here and all I can say is WOW!

When my Daughter, Brylee, proudly gave me the invitation to her graduation I should have known this would be different from any other Kindergarten graduation I've attended in the past. The invitation was exactly like an invitation you would receive to a college graduation. Brylee informed me that their would be a reception immediately following the ceremony with cake, snacks, and sparkling punch. sounds like fun right?

Lucky for me I had to do something at the school before her graduation started because while I was there I noticed parents already filing in the Auditorium to reserve front row spots for the ceremony and said parents had TONS of balloons, flowers, stuffed animals, etc. I began to panic! OMG I had no idea this was going to be such a production and I was so unprepared! All I had gotten Brylee was a stinking pack of glitter my little pony stickers and a singing hoops & yo-yo card!

Well I can assure you that I was not gonna let my baby be left out of the craziness that is parents trying to outdo each other on Kindergarten graduation day! no sir! I left the school like a bat our of hell and flew over to the nearest grocery store and ordered the BIGGEST graduation balloon bouquet they had, oh but wait there's more! I also got her a bouquet of flowers, but wait there's still more! I got her BFF a balloon and flower bouquet as well.

I then rushed back to the school to reserve my spot in the front row with all my new found goodies. John in the mean time had arrived and was nagging me about how stupid it was to make such a production out of a kindergarten graduation. Little did he know the real fun was just beginning. we then sat through over an hour of awards, parents crying, children singing & acting, parents crying more, teachers talking, parents still crying, diplomas handed out in leather bound frames, parents crying more & then we finished with a reception full of said parents still crying in their cake.

My little one was happy enough with her "graduation loot" but I must admit I thought the whole thing was a bit over the top for Kindergarten.

Calling all adventure lovers! Fasten your seat belts and check out the new Disney Cars 2 video game!

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/cars2.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=2965383858&Campaign=7051320655&Uid=447861&token=2723a31a5de2624de346a87629032465" alt=""/>

• Over 20 characters to choose from including past favorites such as Lightening McQueen and Mater the tow truck, as well as new spy personalities like Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell
• Action packed missions that unfold in 6 exotic locales across the world
• Adrenaline filled combat racing that keeps you on the edge of your seat
• A robust multi-player functionality - perfect for high velocity fun for the whole family
• Available on Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, PC/Mac
• ESRB Rating - Everyone to Everyone 10+
• In stores June 21, 201 (Pre-order now!)