Lewisville Library Summer Special Events

Our local libary hosts a summer reading challenge, & Reese completed reading the required 24 books (listening to Mommy read) and he was ready to turn in his paper for a prize.

Since we were going to be at the library anyway, I figured we’d catch the Friday Preschool summer special performance. This week, it was a group called “Boitumelo”. I thought it was going to be a storyteller, which is nice, but I wouldn’t have made a special trip just to hear a storyteller that particular day.

Boy, was I wrong!

Boitumelo is a performance group that specializes in Caribbean music!
Reese was totally in his element…the performers were so animated & all the songs they sang were ones that I recognized. I didn’t realize that so many popular songs actually came from African songs or rhythms. Like this….who knew?

At one point, they called for volunteers & Reese was right up front with his hand raised. I was so thrilled when he was chosen, because he was able to play the drums & it made his day like you wouldn’t believe!

And every good performer must take a bow at the end of their performance:

The very last song Boitumelo performed was the Limbo! Apparently, Reese has seen this done somewhere (SpongeBob perhaps?) and he was so funny trying to bed backwards to go under the limbo stick.
**Reese is wearing a black t-shirt**

I felt so glad we decided to attend the Preschool special that day. And I feel extra lucky to have a library where things like this are free!

He Didn’t Laugh….

We drove to Grammie’s house today & my wonderful Hubby fed my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction by surprising me with a pop from McDonalds!

The first sip was so delicious…I told him my Diet Dr. Pepper was like drinking candy. It’s THAT good!

So what do I proceed to do?

Pick up the cup by the lid, attempt to take a sip, and spill the whole damn thing into my lap!

My first instinct was to cry. Ice & a full pop all over my jeans, the seat, everywhere. CRAP! Luckily, the seats are leather so the clean up wasn’t too bad.

Me? I rode to Austin in my undies while my jeans dried on the back seat. Yes…I did! Sorry to any 18-wheel truck drivers who saw my lap! Jeff offered to give my his jacket for my lap…but I decided to live a little wild.

After I wiped up all the pop, threw all the spilled ice out the window, & gathered myself, Hubbs said he held back his laughing. Which I greatly appreciated…but I’m sure it looked darn funny!

Come see what other messes Heather is cleaning up over at Reese’s View of the World!

SmileBox: A Digital, Interactive Scrapbook to Email, Post, or Print!

My new favorite way to share pictures is with SmileBox! There are literally thousands of templates to choose from, you have a variety of musical choices as well, and it’s FREE! Of course, there are upgrades you can purchase, but what you see below was free, and there are so many no-cost options on SmileBox that you certainly don’t need to pay anything to make a reall neat finished product!

What can you do with your completed SmileBox? You can email it to your friends, copy the link & post it on your blog or networking site (Facebook, MySpace, etc), and if you wish to pay just $4, you can burn it to a disk or download it to your computer.

You can upload pictures into the digital scrapbook, but what I thought was extra special was you could upload videos into the book as well!

As you watch, if you click on the pictures you’ll see larger ones. There’s also a few videos stuck in there too! After following the link, you can create your own SmileBox account & get started on your digital, interactive scrapbooks! Just think…birthday invitations, Mother’s Day blog posts, photography montages. The list could go on and on with creative ideas!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Stop Morriss 6 & Meet the Candidates Forum

MEET THE CANDIDATES FORUM

This is your chance to hear directly from those running for Place 1, 3 and 5.  They will discuss their positions on issues such as:

• Expansion of Morriss/Gerault road to 6 lanes
• Riverwalk development/project
• Gas exploration/drilling

Thursday, April 30th at 7:00 pm

Wilkerson Field in Stone Creek Park

(Located behind Forestwood Middle School)

Bring lawn chairs, blankets, etc. The event kickoff begins at 6:30 pm with a March on Morriss starting from the corner of 1171 to the park.

For more info, please visit: stopmorriss6.blogspot.com

EatWild

There’s a great website called Eat Wild that lists thousands of places to get locally grown, grass-finished beef (and other meats) directly from the ranchers. If you’ve never done any reading about what happens in a feedlot & the crap beef are fed (I’m talking diets consisting of old candy, bubblegum with wrappers, chicken waste, heat-treated garbage, candy bars, stale pizza dough…shall I go on?) you will definitely think about purchasing beef from a source besides your grocery store.

I have yet to purchase from a rancher…it seems daunting to know exactly what to buy and how to order. I mean, I don’t need a full cow’s worth of beef. After reading around the Eat Wild website today though, I see that many ranchers sell a “split half” meaning essentially a 1/4 cow. A lot also will sell just the cuts you want (we use mainly ground beef & steaks) so that you’re not purchasing cuts of meat you won’t use.

In my most recent issue of Mother Earth News (which is probably the most informative & interesting magazine I’ve ever read!) there is a fantastic article on feedlot beef called What You Need To Know About The Beef You Eat.

It sites numerous articles from the agricultural community/mega beef producers that support “byproduct feedstuffs” (a balloon term for all sorts of crap, some I listed above).

In a May 2007 article in the Wall Street Journal, it points out that reliance on junk food has increased greatly. The price of corn is now incredibly higher due to increased use of corn for ethanol. The article states that “one farmer now feeds his cattle a ration that is 17% stale candy and 3% stale party mix.” Another farmer feeds a 100% byproduct diet: french fries, tater tots, potato peels.

Think about it. Crap in, crap out. I do not think God intended cattle to live on a diet of Hubba Bubba, Chex Mix, & chicken shit. They have four stomachs for a reason, and it’s not to process stale Snickers bars.

Every time I purchase & cook store bought meat now, I wonder if what exactly we are eating. My trip to a local grass-finished cattle ranch is not too far off.

**And to finish with some humor**
I found this special listed on one Texas rancher’s website, and I’m afraid. Very afraid.:
Contact us for our “TASTE OF MY RANCHER” $99 MEAT SPECIAL.
Um. No thank you. Eeeew.

I Keep A Weapon In My Pantry…

You see, my sweet boy refuses to drink milk. When he was about 22 months old, we went on a trip to Cancun. Mommy bought some “milk” from room service, and it was NOT what we expected. It was fresh, but definitely not the American milk Reese was accustomed to. Ever since that trip, he has flat out refused to drink milk.

Every now & then, he’ll ask for hot chocolate, but a “cup of milk” is never consumed at our home. So what’s a mom to do?

Well, I put milk in anything I can find…I make his Malt-O-Meal with all milk instead of water. I add cheese slices with extra calcium into his Mac&Cheese. He takes calcium vitamins. He loves mashed potatoes, and when Jeff watched Unwrapped on Food Network and found that instant potatoes were 100% real potatoes, just dried, I keep instant potatoes on had and make them with lots of milk. But I’ve always felt it just wasn’t enough…

A light bulb went off one day. I had some instant milk in the pantry that I needed for a bread recipe. And I got to thinking….why can’t I just sprinkle this stuff into his dishes? And it’s worked like a charm.

Where do I sneak in the powdered milk? Let’s see…

*Mix in a BIG helping into Mac&Cheese. Add some extra-calcium cheese slices, pureed carrots & more milk and you’ve got a really healthy option! It has a creamier texture but tastes exactly the same.

*Instant mashed potatoes…another BIG helping. It does not change the flavor at all (maybe makes it a tad sweeter?) and Reese will gobble this down. None the wiser!

*On PB&J sandwiches, I sprinkle some on the peanut butter part. I thought the texture might crunch a little, but he’s never said a word. And he is very picky about textures.

*Spaghetti sauce. No change in texture or taste!

*Casseroles like King Ranch Chicken & Baked Ziti…I throw it in with the sauce mixture & nobody knows any different!

*Pancakes, mix a big scoop in with the batter. It makes the batter a little thicker, but just add a bit more liquid (I use milk!) and you can’t tell it’s there.

*Ketchup…yes ketchup! I sprinkled a little on, mixed and mixed. There were still a few visible pieces of milk, which Reese wasn’t sure about. I told him it was a bit of the cornbread from his corndog that I had dipped in, and he didn’t bat an eye after that.

*Any muffins…didn’t change the end result.

*Grilled cheese sandwich. Sprinkle on the cheese before you melt it.

*Meatloaf. Throw a little in with the mix before you bake it.

I think you get the idea. Things like sandwiches & ketchup get just a little (maybe 1/4 tsp at most), but dishes like mashed potatoes & pancake batter get a big scoop (about 1/4 cup). With the Carnation Instant Milk, 1/3 cup powder is equal to an 8 oz glass of milk. I know the sprinkles here & there aren’t much, but anything I can do adds up in the end!

Between his vitamins, things that are already fortified, & the Instant Milk added to things, I feel like we’re covering our bases pretty well now.

I was explaining my new found weapon to Jeff the other day, and he said “Oh yea. Bodybuilders have done that for years. Great way to get extra protein.” Guess I didn’t really come up with anything new

Come see what other sneaky things Heather is up to at Reese’s View of the World.

Dallas World Aquarium

One of my family’s favorite day trips is to the Dallas World Aquarium.

It is interesting to kids of all ages and is even surprisingly stroller friendly on a non-crowded day.

A one-way trail winds you through different levels of plant and animal life. You start at the top with birds and tree tops ending with stream and ocean bottoms.

There are many things to watch throughout your journey.

It is beautiful in every direction which is important to me, a mom who can’t pass up a photo opportunity.

The aquarium grounds can be strolled through quickly in less than an hour. We usually spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours when we visit. There is a cute cafe in the middle for snacks or lunch.

More information about the Dallas World Aquarium can be found here.

Burb Moms who have written about an experience at The Dallas World Aquarium:

June Cleaver Nirvana–pictures
Reese’s View of the World–description and slide show

If you have posted pictures, a story or information about The Dallas World Aquarium, please leave the link in our comments.

Henrietta Creek Orchard in Roanoke

And skunks on the farm….

The presentation was a *little* lengthy for a five year old, so Reese & his best friend started getting silly together…. Luckily Mrs. Tammy bought pumpkin bread to share, so full mouths & tummies kept everyone happy a little longer!

ROXY GET OFF THE ROOF!

Can I just put it out there that you should only have to say this statement ONCE? Not twice, not three times, and definitely not daily….

This dog will be the death of me.

Let me preface all of this with a quick explantion:
1. Our A/C is currently out of service so we are keeping the windows open for most of the day (That being said, we do not just leave them flappin’ open when the house is not occupied – for all of the crazies out there)
2. And the screens on our Upstairs Front Windows are off for repair right now (I think…they could very well be off forever for all I know)

This dog of ours has let herself onto the roof EVERY SINGLE day for the past 2 weeks or so. At least once a day. I have neighbors knocking on the front door to tell me this. Yelling down the street to tell me this. The first time – I shrieked in horror and ran up to get her. Probably did the same thing the second time. Now, I just walk out front – take a look at her up on the roof – yell at her a bit – and come back inside.

She’s a freak.

And making us a bit of a spectacle in the neighborhood. Please tell me that other people’s dogs embarrass them like this. Please. Please???

When Shauna is explaining to the neighbors why her dog is on the roof, she hangs out here at Burb Mom and blogs at Blah Blah Blog.

Earth Day Celebrated in Lewisville’s LL Woods Park

GLECPTA – Greater Lewisville Early Childhood PTA  now has its own tree!

Leo the Live Oak was planted on Earth Day 4-22-09 at LL Woods Park in Lewisville.

The city shared with us information about trees and talked with us about their importance and many uses.

They also showed us how to plant our tree.

Everyone pitched in:

(Thankfully the hole was already dug when we got there!)
Keep Lewisville Beautiful was there as well.  They brought tattoos, coloring books, bracelets and gliders for the kiddos.
Look for our picture in the Lewisville Leader in the upcoming week or so…

Leo the Live Oak will be loved by those frequenting the park and newly built pavilion in the future as he will be offering much appreciated shade from the western sun as he grows.  He is easy to visit and enjoy as he is located right off the parking lot.  Many happy kiddos and families will pass our tree on their way to the pavilion and playground.

Many thanks to all those that participated and shared in our celebration.

Happy Earth Day!

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