This Made me Laugh

Here are Dallas Celebrities singing Faith Hill’s This Kiss…

I just couldn’t look away…turning down the sound does help.

Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday?

I am a huge reality TV fan.  I don’t get involved in the non-competition shows, but you televise a group of people competing and I am in.

Amazing Race.

Top Chef.

Project Runway.

The top 3.  Since I don’t cook or sew, my only hope to someday competing would be on the Amazing Race which if run with my husband would end in one of those tearful driving scenes where he would be exasperatedly exclaiming, “How do you get to age 40 without map reading ability?”

Maybe living vicariously through these shows from the comfort of my couch is the best thing for my marriage.

I have been an avid Project Runway vicarious liver…not liver, but one who lives…since season 2.

I pick a favorite and root for their success throughout the show.  Laura Bennett was my season 3 pick.  She is the mother of 6.

YES, 6 children.

*gasp*

Oh, and 5 of them are boys.

*double gasp*

As a mom of only three boys, she makes me look like an underachiever.

Anyway, the short story of that season of Project Runway was that she created beautiful, sophisticated designs while pregnant with her 6th child and ended up as runner up.

I thought she should have won, but my invitation to the judges panel still hasn’t arrived.

Laura just wrote a book about her life with her large family and I was excited to get an advanced copy.  It is called, “Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday?“  which is also a quote from the book.

Not only does she have 5 boys living at home, she and her husband live in NYC in a two bedroom apartment.  I once saw a short interview with her from her home and all I remember about it was that it was a loft-like great room with boys swinging from the ceiling.  Literally swinging.

I love a girl that designs energy-expending activities into her decor.

It just goes to show how laid back she is taking this parenting thing.  There is story after story of absolute silliness that results from so many kids, pets, activities and expectations.  It is a fun read and I often found myself giggling and nodding.

My favorite parts of the book was the evolution of her love story.  It starts with a non-voluntary psychic reading and progresses to the insanity of their present life.

Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday is being released April 6.

Reading Friends Preschool/Kindergarten

I had the opportunity to visit Reading Friends Preschool and Kindergarten in the Highland Village a few weeks ago. I was excited because it is a place that I had heard about from one of my friends as having a really structured, yet creative approach to learning.

The Reading Friends program is is an academic Preschool for children ages 2 through Kindergarten which is structured and multi-sensory.  They take abstract/academic subjects and make them age-appropriate, concrete and meaningful to your young child.

And all of this is delivered in a fun, loving and nurturing environment.

Imagine visiting a jungle (aka Reading Friends Pre-Kindergarten Language Class for 4 year olds):     A different book introduces a jungle friend, and each friend represents a different letter of the alphabet.  The explorers sing along with Sis the Snake and her Jungle Band.  Mag the Monkey leads out with song and dance.  Tat the Toucan teaches about tattling.  Pal the Parrot demonstrates the importance of cleaning up after an adventure.  Every character has its own unique personality, and the kids adore them all! Language is exciting when jungle friends lead the way through learning letters and sounds.

There is great joy and learning by DOING.

Reading Friends was started here in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and has been teaching DFW kids for 21 years.  Their unique and innovative learning program has been developed and refined over the years.  The Phonics Advantage curriculum is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach of teaching phonics and language structure.

The bottom line is…it works!

The kids have fun participating in every aspect of learning.

What I loved the most about the school was the incorporation of exercise, movement and sensory activities into every activity. As a (no longer practicing) Physical Therapist, I know how exercise and movement impact brain function. As a mom of three boys, I know that energy expenditure is essential! Reading Friends keeps their students moving while learning.

Parents love the school almost as much as the kids do…

I met with Graham’s teacher today for the first Parent Conference and she had nothing but good things to say. I have to share that Graham had a green (best behavior) EVERY DAY for the 1st 6 weeks! So we’re off to a great start.  Just wanted to reiterate that I know Reading Friends gave us such a great foundation for K and beyond, and we are so grateful for that. –Kim, Parent of former Reading Friends Student

Burb Mom is excited to announce a Reading Friends coupon for our readers:

Special Offer for new families at the Moccassin Trail, Lewisville location –receive $75 off your first month’s tuition (limit one per family).

It really is something you should check out.  The school is located convenient to Flower Mound, Highland Village and Lewisville at 1439 Moccassin Trail.  You can find out more information by calling Marlo Senick, School Director at (972) 317-7772 or by filling out this form.

You will know if this is the right place for your child after exploring what Reading Friends has to offer…

Air Travel with a Toddler

Oh no! I am traveling with a toddler.

Traveling with a toddler is a gamble. Rolling the dice on toddler behavior can cause even the calmest parents’ hearts to skip a beat.  As the mother of three boys, I want to introduce you to what I have learned after years of plane travel experimentation:

Holly’s Toddler Travel Tips:

• All non-toddler related luggage needs to be checked.
• Pack toddler-related necessities in a shoulder bag or backpack – you are going to need your hands free.
• Pack your necessities in the same bag so you are carrying only one.
• Edit what you are taking on the plane.  If your toddler doesn’t color at home, it is only wishful thinking to pack a coloring book for the trip.
• Do not skimp on diapers or toddler finger food.
• Plan ahead how you will negotiate security – who will take all the toddler-stuff and who will take the toddler.
• ALWAYS travel with your child’s car seat.

The airlines don’t always embrace the use of the car seat on the plane, but I have found it to be a necessity.    The ONE  AND ONLY time my family traveled on a plane without a car seat and with a toddler in our lap we vowed to never travel again. The child spent the entire flight trying to escape into the aisle.  By the end of the flight, I was exhausted trying to contain him.

After recovering from the trip, we reconsidered and evaluated where we had gone wrong.  We realized that our children have been conditioned to sit in a car seat in the car since birth and are used to traveling that way.  There is no reason to change that variable.  A child strapped into a car seat on a plane can’t escape to the plane’s aisle.  It is the perfect toddler containment system.  Another bonus is that you are going to need the car seat at your destination.

To make the whole airport experience easier, we rigged up a rolling car seat:

It is a large folding luggage cart with wheels that the our regular car seat can be strapped onto with one strap. It is important not to make it too complicated because about 50% of the time you will be required to dismantle it through security.  We have our toddler ride through the airport strapped into the seat which helps us keep track of him.

Most plane aisles past first class will not accommodate the width of this contraption.  I dismantle it right before boarding the plane and carry on the seat.  Once on the plane, I install the car seat and then the child into it as soon as possible.  The less time the child has to realize they can walk around the plane, the better.

I have one other recommendation -  prime the child. For weeks leading up to the trip I talk about how we will be on a plane, how he will sit in his seat on the plane, and how he will fall asleep in his seat on the plane.

When it works, it is PURE MAGIC!

Holly lives in Texas and is the stay at home mom of three boys ages 4, 6 and 8.  Her family’s travels usually take them to the mountains of Colorado where the entire family loves to ski.  She writes at June Cleaver Nirvana.

Opportunity for Kids to Contribute in North Texas – SLANT 45

The Super Bowl is coming to North Texas next year. It is something that we are all excited about. It is a novelty of epic proportions.

We are all looking forward to the game, the circus of events that surround it and the positive economic impact it will have on our community.  The Super Bowl planning committee has given us an additional reason to cheer…

SLANT 45

SLANT 45 stands for - Service Learning Adventures in North Texas – for Super Bowl 45.  It is a way for kids to get involved and take volunteerism to a whole new level.  In fact, it is the LARGEST service learning initiative ever undertaken.

Everything is BIGGER in Texas.

What is SLANT 45?

An adult coach gathers a group of kids to plan and implement a simple project to improve the community.  The group could be a family, a group of friends, a soccer team, a girl scout troop, a classroom…you get the idea.  They are trying to keep the numbers to less than 25 kids per adult coach.  The team submits the idea/project through the SLANT 45 website and utilizes the resources and information provided there.  No project is too small.  After the team completes the project, the kids submit a simple art project that reflects their experience.

The art project will become part of a traveling art show.  The SLANT 45 experience throughout North Texas will be captured by a documentary film crew.

And at the end there will be a super big party for all the kids that participate…so fun.

I went to one of the first training sessions last Friday at NISD to get more information.

You don’t have to attend a training session to participate.  Everything that they showed to us is available on the website.  Once a coach signs up, they will be sent a Coach’s Playbook and teammate playbooks for each child.  The coach’s playbook takes the adult step by step through leading the kids through the service learning process.

The kid’s playbook is written at a 3-5th grade level (any age child is encouraged to participate) and helps the child record each step of the project.  It is colorful and just looks like a lot of fun.

The whole process is very simple and will be advertised throughout North Texas on all sorts of media.  Here are some billboards you may see throughout the metroplex.

During the meeting I took notes and posted them to Twitter.

I am posting a copy of these notes because I am afraid that the room full of teachers were a little disturbed that I was on my phone the whole meeting and appeared to be texting.  You can find out more information about SLANT 45 on Twitter by searching for #SLANT45.

For the record, I was being productive!

I am really excited about this project.  Big Thought, the people behind the plan, are hoping for more than 20,000 kids in our area to get involved.  I am planning a project with my boys and will be pitching another idea to my homeschool group.

Burb Mom would LOVE to follow some of your SLANT 45 stories…how YOU get your kids involved in service learning through this really amazing project.

Check out the SLANT 45 website by clicking here.

Water on Wheels at Lowes in Garland

YAY!

I was able to go to the PUR Water on Wheels truck tour today on it’s stop in Garland.

Here my story (just click on the photo to see the slide show):

I was really excited to learn about the water pitcher cartridge system. Once the cartridges are in the pitcher (or in your faucet filter) YOU decide how much flavor to add to your water.

You can NOT click for flavor-free water, or you can click numerous times for EXTRA flavor.

I really think this will help my family drink more water because the flavors are very family-friendly: lemon, strawberry, grape and raspberry.

My favorites were lemon and grape.

The Water on Wheels Truck is heading to Atlanta next, but be sure to check out the Burb Mom PUR sponsored giveaway of a $400 Lowes card by clicking here.

BURBMOM: THE BEGINNING

A few years ago I started a blog.
I don’t know why I started a blog.
Why , Oh, why did I start a blog?

I started writing every day. I enjoyed the writing. I enjoyed the online community that developed around my blog and the blogs that I read regularly. Before long I found that many of the people I considered friends were people I had never met in person.

A year and 1/2 ago one of my online friends emailed me to make sure I knew about a group of bloggers meeting in Dallas. I signed up anxious to meet my friends.

As the details formulated, I mentioned that I lived close to the airport and could easily pick up people who were flying in for the weekend. Shauna, the person who was organizing the event emailed me asking where I lived. I replied…

Flower Mound, TX (it is just North of DFW in the metroplex)

When she replied that she lived in Flower Mound too I nearly fell off my chair.

One of my anonymous blogging friends was my neighbor.

We met in person soon after this revelation. Soon after that we met our non-Flower Mound blogging friends for an amazing weekend of fun.

That is how it started. As a blogger writing under the name Texasholly, I ended up with a local friend.

It should be easier to meet local moms.
It should be easier to meet local moms.
It should be easier to meet local moms!

And that is why Burb Mom was created. So much of our life is LOCAL. The places we go, the experiences, the frustrations, the activities, the food, the FUN!

It all starts at home. It all starts in our town. It all starts in our ‘burb.

We created a place where we want to hang out. A website that tells the story of our community.

We don’t just want to tell this story by ourselves. We want you to join us.

Oh! What about that french toast pictured above?
That is a picture of what I ate at the first official Burb Mom meeting (at Le Peep) proving that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…

This was the first post we published when we started Burb Mom in November of 2008.  I am re-running it because I am feeling a little nostalgic and mushy.

Water on Wheels Tour & $400 GIVEAWAY – Enter here

The Water on Wheels Tour is making stops across the DFW Metroplex to spread the word about PUR and the global need for clean drinking water.

We want YOU to get involved!

We want YOU to win a $400 gift card to Lowes!

 

The Water on Wheels tour truck is full of fun and educational activities:

• PUR Water Bar
• Rock-Climbing Wall
• photos and gear from the Summit on the Summit climb
• PUR Water Taste Test challenge

We want YOU to visit and let us know what you think.

Here is the Water on Wheels tour truck North Texas schedule - they will be in the store parking lot from 10:30 to 4:30 on each date:

THESE are the UPDATED dates and locations:

Feb. 19 – Friday:  Lowes @ 4134 Ridgemont Drive, Abilene

Feb. 20 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4444 N Galloway Avenue, Mesquite

Feb. 21 – Sunday:  Lowes – 5720 South Broadway, Tyler

Feb. 24 – Wednesday:  AAFES – Exchange Main Store, 1765 B Military Parkway, NAS JRB Fort Worth

Feb. 26 – Friday: Lowes – 11920 Inwood Rd, Dallas

Feb. 27 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4305 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth

Feb. 28 – Sunday: Lowes – 2949 N George Bush Freeway, Garland

We are giving away a $400 Lowes gift certificate courtesy of PUR AND 10 PUR water filtration pitchers.

We are giving away a $400 Lowes gift certificate courtesy of PUR AND 10 PUR water filtration pit.chers.

did I mention We are giving away a $400 Lowes gift certificate courtesy of PUR AND 10 PUR water filtration pitchers?

Here is how you enter:

1. ONE entry for a comment left below on what you learned about PUR.
2. ONE entry for a tweet about any of the above events (please use the hashtag #PUR) and leave a comment below about the tweet (you may do this daily through the 28th).
3. TEN entries for a photo you took AT ONE OF THE WATER ON WHEELS events, please email the photo to Holly@BurbMom.net*.
4. TEN additional entries if you write about your experience at one of the WATER ON WHEELS events – either on your blog and leave the link in the comments below – or by sending your write up to Holly@BurbMom.net*.

*Please only send photos and write-ups that we have permission to use on Burb Mom.

We will choose a winner randomly from all entries on March 5, 2010.

Good LUCK!

Family Fun Visiting North Texas sponsored by PUR

The PUR Water on Wheels Tour is traveling around the metroplex this week.  It is a truck jam-packed with fun and educational activities for the entire family about all things WATER.

Look what is on the outside!

WHAT’S INSIDE?

o   Water Bar: You will have a chance to sit down and refresh yourself as “PURistas” serve up PUR filtered water and hand out decks of cards that showcase water stats.

o   Giveaways: A free PUR replacement filter* will be given to every visitor who returns with a receipt for a PUR system purchase made at each retailer stop.

o   Rock Climbing Wall: In January of 2010, PUR partnered with SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro. Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch and others, climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, to raise awareness and funds for clean drinking water initiatives. During the tour, you will be able to “Join the Climb” by tackling PUR’s exterior rock climbing wall.

o   Water Museum: Pictures from the celebrity SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro climb will be on display, along with gear worn by climbers. You can also learn more about water quality in the U.S. through videos and educational exhibits.

Here is where you can catch up with the Water on Wheels Tour.  The truck will be in the parking lot of each location from 10:30 to 4:30 -

Feb. 19 – Friday:  Lowes @ 4134 Ridgemont Drive, Abilene

Feb. 20 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4444 N Galloway Avenue, Mesquite

Feb. 21 – Sunday:  Lowes – 5720 South Broadway, Tyler

Feb. 24 – Wednesday:  AAFES – Exchange Main Store, 1765 B Military Parkway, NAS JRB Fort Worth

Feb. 26 – Friday: Lowes – 11920 Inwood Rd, Dallas

Feb. 27 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4305 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth

Feb. 28 – Sunday: Lowes – 2949 N George Bush Freeway, Garland

Don’t forget about the $400 Lowes Give Away!  Click here for those details…it is easy!

See you there!

How to help by just lifting one finger

Sometimes helping out is easier than you think…

Water is one of the basic elements of life. Yet, about 4,000 children in developing countries die every day from illness and disease related to unsafe drinking water.

Ways YOU can help raise awareness for clean drinking water around the world:

·         Become a Fan of PUR on Facebook (Link) – PUR will donate 10 liters of water for every new fan.

·         Watch on March 14^th – MTV will air the special Summit on the Summit, a documentary of the Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro (SOTSK)climb.

·         Download the PUR/SOTSK iPhone App (Link) – Through March 22^nd, PUR will donate 1 liter of clean water for every app downloaded.

·         Purchase a PUR/SOTSK Sigg bottle (Link) – PUR will donate 1,200 liters of clean water for every bottle purchased.

AND stop by the PUR “Water on Wheels” mobile tour as it rolls into your town…

Feb. 19 – Friday:  Lowes @ 4134 Ridgemont Drive, Abilene

Feb. 20 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4444 N Galloway Avenue, Mesquite

Feb. 21 – Sunday:  Lowes – 5720 South Broadway, Tyler

Feb. 24 – Wednesday:  AAFES – Exchange Main Store, 1765 B Military Parkway, NAS JRB Fort Worth

Feb. 26 – Friday: Lowes – 11920 Inwood Rd, Dallas

Feb. 27 – Saturday:  Lowes – 4305 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth

Feb. 28 – Sunday: Lowes – 2949 N George Bush Freeway, Garland

Oh!  AND stop by and enter the PUR sponsored $400 Lowes shopping spree giveaway here on Burb Mom by clicking here.

Next Page »