The Return From Wizarding World

Whew, what a whirlwind! There is so much to say and reflect upon, but I must begin with Harry Potter's Wizarding World in Orlando, Florida. Universal did it up right. Yes, it was crazy crowded, but we were in no hurry. We just wanted to take it all in and enjoy each moment.

Universal's Isle of Adventure has tons of rides, but we barely gave them a glance as we made our way to the pinnacle, Hogwarts Castle. The girls were absolutely giddy and it brought tears to my eyes to see such anticipation. They know the seven books by heart (proven to me by our game of "Who Said It?" of Harry Potter character quotes I had found online).

The girls wore their robes the entire day and spent just has much time having their pictures taken by strangers then by me. So this post isn't entirely too long, here is a breakdown of the hits:

The Forbidden Journey Ride: Absolutely Amazing (tears to eyes once again). The line takes you through Hogwarts Castle so you are enthralled at every turn. The kids went on the ride 3 times in a row (thank you, Child Swap) and were a part of running from Dementors, playing a Quidditch game and recklessly riding broomsticks. You actually feel like you are doing it all and the layout of the ride is made so you feel like you are the only one on it and the turns and bumps are choreographed perfectly.

Olivander's Wand Shop: Gets my only Bah. We went there first and still waited a half hour (longest wait for anything though). Olivander was grumpy during his wand selection show (and it was only 9:30 AM). I could just be sour grapes because he purposely slighted the girls, but the wand shop is truly remarkable.

Honeydukes Candy Shop and Zonko's Joke Shop: Incredibly cool. Lucy enjoyed a chocolate frog. They could have spent all day there.

Flight of Hippogriff: Max's favorite (but that may be because he was just barely tall enough and I think that it was only because he was standing on tiptoes, which was all his own idea. Should I be worried or proud?).

Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer: Kids loved the juice more then the Butterbeer. The Pumpkin Juice was similar to a cider while the Butter Beer was like cream of soda pop.

The Details: Everything from Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom to the "grim" on the cups in the 3 Broomsticks. We loved the Talking Portraits in the castle and all of the surprises and details to those that truly know and love the books.

Harry Potter Here We Come!

The anticipation is building. We've read, renacted and will soon see it for real! Harry Potter's Wizarding World will unfold live in front of us in a few days

Oh yes, we plan on doing a few other things in Orlando such as Epcot, swimming, playing with Grandma and Grandpa and a worthwhile IT conference, but nothing can move forward until our three little wizards set foot in Hogwarts.

Even Dave and I are excited to see our children so united and to witness this magic unfold in front of them. Geesh, lucky kids; no one we know has been there, but also lucky parents to be able to do this with them. Their ages are full of magic and this is the time for it! Full recap on its way!

What to do with all that Halloween candy? Consume or Get Creative!

We are soon entering the biggest treat week of the year. Halloween. I love the rituals of parties and Trick or Treating, but the amount of candy the kids come home with is mountainous. I wish I had the willpower to keep it stashed away and bring out at opportune times, but that's not how it works for me. My willpower usually goes out the window around sweets. I know, I know...its for the kids...


...but so are these fun ideas of what to do with candy instead of consuming it!

1. Plan a visit from the Candy Fairy. After trick or treating, my kids pick out 12 of their favorites (they keep them and are free to eat them whenever they want). They leave the rest on the doorstep and voila, the next morning the candy fairy has left a much desired non consumable. This year it will be glittery purses for the girls for our big trip and a new Thomas train for Max.

2. Some dentist offices will pay $1 per pound for the candy. Great idea...it saves the kids' teeth and they make a little cash. We tried this last year and want to caution you a bit. The kids were so excited about this as they had big bags of candy. They left a little disappointed with their $2.00. Four pounds of candy seemed like so much!

3. Do some science tricks! We are especially excited about this one this year Check out candy experiments and see what you can do with chocolates and skittles.

A Picture Look

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is unknown. Make the most of today.















What an incredible weekend! We packed so much in, but really appreciated the time together as a family.

Mother/Daughter + Camping = Back in Time

After school I am packing up my girls and heading out of town. Where? Camp Hantesa located in Boone, Iowa. Its a mother/daughter overnight and I don't know who is more excited, me or them.

Why?
# I get to spend time with my favorite "not so little anymore" girls
#2 The nostalgia is just getting to me! I went to camp there as a young girl, went on these overnights with my mom every spring and fall AND I was a camp counselor there in college. I just LOVE this kind of reminiscing stuff.

Bring on the bugs, night hikes and camp songs. We are prepared!

A Tire Swing Sets it Right

I have been a little reflective this week and I think it was only a matter of timing. I was feeling the pull of a hundred different directions and struggling with what I really wanted for my family. You get one chance to raise your kids and they only have one childhood.

I am not implying I have it all figured out, but at least I am aware and trying to be proactive in my thinking and actions. Helping families feel more connected and maximizing time spent together is what I am passionate about.

The kids haven't really done much with our swing set for over a year now. It is one of those signs that childhood is fleeting. For the past two months, I had been on mission to find a tire swing. Not just any old tire, but one that would hold all three kids and allow plenty of room for bumper cars and some high flying swinging.

Papa came to the rescue with an old tractor tire from his job (thank goodness for small farming communities) and we picked it up last night. Dave (and Max!) spent two hours cutting chains, drilling holes and assembling the swing. The rest of the afternoon? Spent swinging away. Everyone.

The shrieks and squeals wafting in from the open windows, let me know there is still plenty of childhood left...for all of us.

Free American Girl Event on Saturday at Michael's

Take your American Girl lovin' girl to Michael’s on Saturday (September 25, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and they’ll make everything they need to throw a doll-sized American Girl party — All for free!

Oh, if only we didn't have four soccer games and a softball game on Saturday. This is definitely in the plans for if it rains. We have done their American Girl Events before and they have been worth it!

The PechaKucha Craze hits Iowa!

Hailing from Japan, PechaKucha (Peh-cha kuh-cha) is the Japanese term for small talk or chit chat. How does it work? Speakers go before an audience one at a time to talk about anything they want. Anything at all. You have 20 slides timed at 20 seconds apiece. That equals a little over 6 minutes to enlighten the crowd on something that you deem worthy.

I love it!

Naturally, speakers are going to discuss things that they are interested in or consider themselves experts. It all kind of goes with my belief that you can't be an expert in everything, but you can know a little about lots of stuff. Think of the amount of things you would learn about in one evening!

Pecha Kucha debuts tonite in Des Moines at the Des Moines Social Club. I hope this craze is here to stay. Read more about Pecha Kucha here!

20 Simple Stress Reducers

Who doesn't need a little bit of stress relief? I love how these stress reducers can be implemented right away. The last thing you want is to walk around super stressed. Not only is that no fun, but stress builds up cortisol in your body which leads to rapid weight gain around the mid section.

Take a deep breath and read on!

Free Living History Farms Tickets (and more!) with Museum Day

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Mark your calendars! September 25, 2010 is National Museum Day and over 1,000 museums are offering free admission. Find a museum participating in your area here and then print your ticket for up to two free admissions here.

I have followed this for years, but have never taken advantage of it because we didn't have any museums participating in our area. That has changed this year! No matter that we have a dozen different directions to go that weekend. We WILL make time to head to one of our very favorite places Living History Farms!

Picaboo: Free Large Hardcover Photo Book through Aug 31st, 2010

Now that I have mastered Picaboo's photo tools and options, I really like their site. I have used a lot of online photo book making sites, but this is now the favorite. They do have an online tutorial that I mistakenly thought I didn't need. Turns out, I probably would have saved myself quite a bit of time if I would have just listened through it. ;-) Sigh, isn't that how it goes!

I really do love online photo books! You can still position the pictures, write captions and chose backgrounds and borders. All without all of the messy endless supply of scrapbooking tools and materials. This is definitely my way to go!

Here is how to get your free book through August! You still pay for shipping, but at $8.99 its still a great deal!

*Go to Picaboo and enter your email address.

*Design a 20-page Photo Book.

*Use coupon code FREEBK at checkout and it should take off the price of the photo book and only charge you $8.99 for shipping.

Bring on the Borsch!

We have found with our Try New Foods Challenge that it is helpful to pick a time period or a country. The kids have enjoyed the research and menu planning and we have found that helps everyone's zest for trying something new. So far we have eaten our way through Pioneer times, the Colonial era, the Depression and Germany.

Next up was Megan's choice and we voyaged on to Russia. After a quick Internet search Megan chose Borshch and Russian Tea Cakes for dessert. Have you ever tried Borshch? Neither has this family. It provided a wealth of new food choices with cabbage and beets being just two of the ingredients.

It was similar to a goulash and the kids liked it ok but the heartiest eater was Dave whom readily proclaimed it as one of his new favorites. I think it was because it included beer brisket which we don't have all that often.

The Russian Tea Cakes were a definite hit with everyone. The recipe is so easy and delicious. It really is hard to stop munching them!

Megan's after dinner activity pick was soccer, which was a great Russian choice. Megan and I vs Dave and Lucy (with all time side-switching goal-keeper Max).

Fall Back into Routine

Does the upcoming Fall weather make you crave getting back into a routine again? If you would have asked me one week ago, if I was ready for back to school for the kids and myself, it would have been a flat out no. I love summer. I love having the kids home and being on a different sort of time table. We had our Big Summer To Do and we were happy.

This week was a bit different at our house. I purposefully left it wide open. Wide Open to Possibilities. I didn't want to plan, schedule or really have to be anywhere at a certain time. A highlight was one day where we decided we were going to the beach. The kids spent hours building sand castles and playing in the water. I had packed snacks and they ate when they wanted to and basically had free reign over their time.

The week was just what we needed. Enough unstructured time for impromptu fun and creativity but enough openness to make us all crave a little routine. Routine is just four days away with the start of school...

Harry Potter Series is Finito!

Whew...It has been 15 months in the making, but we did it! The Weis family has completed all 7 Harry Potter books. Megan and Lucy have heard every word of the books, re read every paragraph on their own, re-listened to every book on CD in the car and re enacted pretty much every scene through their creative play and money making ideas.

It had become an Obsession with a major capital "O" with my daughters. Nothing got them to brush teeth and hop into bed faster then promising to read. Harry Potter was the first thing mentioned when they got up and the protests of "just one more chapter" were on their lips before bed.

I have to apologize to every grandparent that patiently sat through book synopsis, playdates that endured my daughter's one track magic minds and especially to Max. I don't know many 3 year olds that could name the majority of the characters and rattle off a dozen spells.

We should have been learning the names of construction equipment, Thomas the Train characters, or types of tools. (I promise, Max, your mommy will learn the different between a backhoe and a skid loader next now that Horcruxes and Patronuses out of my mind).

Whats next? I do admit I feel remorse and sadness about letting this go. It was something that united our family; a common goal. I do wait expectantly for what will capture their attention next, but I would say this Hogwarts Express has not finished with us yet. There are Harry Potter Halloween costumes to figure out and a Wizarding World to visit!

Daughter Date Day

With a busy family of 5, it is hard to find a minute to yourself, let alone quality one on one time with each child. This is something I am continuing trying to work on. We have fun together, but usually its all of us together or separation with the girls and Max. With summer drawing to a close, I wanted each of the kids to pick a special activity that we did just the two of us.

As anticipated, Megan chose getting her first pedicure. Other girls in her class have been doing this for years with their moms, but I have held off for a couple of reasons.

#1 I am not a frequent pedicure getter. I love how they look, but don't ever see it as part of a monthly event. I am more of "getting ready for vacation" pedicure person.

#2 I don't think I had my first pedicure until right before my wedding. That seems kind of crazy now, but being from a small town--it just wasn't something we did.

Its what Megan wanted and with my Jamaica vacation right on the corner, I jumped on board with it.

We had a ball! Megan was too small for the massage chair so when it was turned on it kept bopping her in the head! It was too funny!Megan picked a fun turquoise color and got little white daisies painted on them. She got her nails done to match and was the smiliest girl in West Des Moines that day.

Creating Qualtiy Time

As important as it is to have that family time, it is equally important to incorporate time with your children individually. Dave and I are masters of tag team parenting with our weekend errands. We both go where we need to go, but realize it isn’t necessary or efficient to take the brood along on these errands. Max enjoys going with Daddy to the "fix it all" stores and Megan would never pass up a trip to Target with me. When we actually do have them in that one on one situation, we try to make the most of it.

But there is time and need to spend that quality individual time beyond the errand running. What about letting your child choose what they would like to do with you most of all? Its fun and interesting to see what they come up with. My oldest, Megan, wants to get a pedicure and go shopping. Lucy wants to putter around the giant art store in our town. Max loves bowling. These things are all doable and manageable, but most importantly the kids feel like they have a say and helps build their independence and confidence.

More to come on our fun Daughter Date Days!

Click here to read more about building confidence with kids.

The People Have Spoken: Internet Solver Best of 2010

I am proud to announce that Internet Solver was chosen by our clients as the winner of four awards in the 2010 Business Record Best of Des Moines voting!

Best Telecommunication Equipment Dealer
Best Internet Service Provider
Best Computer Consulting Company
Best Computer Training Company

Way to go, Dave and staff! Thank you also to our great clients!

Read about last year's win here.

Free Iowa State Fair Tickets Giveaway with Lamb Chop!

I gave a little teaser yesterday...and now check out the picture!

I know you remember Lamp Chop and she wants to meet YOU and your kids!

This adorable puppet is right up there in the mix with Floppy, Kermit and Elmo. Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop travel the world with their humorous family fun show and now they are coming to the Iowa State Fair!

Now is your chance to get your own Free Family Four Pack of tickets to the Iowa State Fair and to see Lamb Chop Live . You also get your own personal meet and greet with them!

Mallory Lewis will play the Iowa State Fair August 12th - 22nd at 12:00pm,
2:00pm and 4:00pm.

I love all of the new and different things that the Iowa State Fair offers and now is your chance to get in on it!

Leave a comment stating the most famous person you've met by August 11, 2010. Sara Says will randomly select a winner for their Free Iowa State Fair Tickets.

So, who have you met? I am going with Shawn Johnson. Sure that's an easy one considering she resides here in my great city of West Des Moines, but she is really famous! Good Luck!

The Iowa State Fair & Great Giveaway Preview

Are you an Iowa State Fair fanatic fair goer? I love how some people go several days know all the ins and outs and the must see, do and eat. Our family loves the fair too and we often make a full day out of it. Check out some of our favorites here, here and here

This end of summer extravaganza will be held August 12-22 2010. Are you ready?! What are your fair favorites?

Sara Says has an exciting giveaway for this year's fair and here's a clue:

A popular and beloved children's puppet is coming to the Iowa State Fair! Check back tomorrow for your chance to win your family a four pack of tickets and a chance for a meet and greet after the show!

Tech Free Vacation

In this day and age we are connected to the world everywhere we go. Its good. Its handy. Its beneficial. It is also a distraction and an intrusion. Dave and I are embarking on an anniversary vacation to beautiful Jamaica. We feel so fortunate and grateful to be able to do this and wouldn't be possible without our wonderful grandparents.

We want to make the most of this trip and use this as a time to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect with one another. The last time we had a big trip like this was our honeymoon...11 years ago.

Talk about how times have changed. I still remember our hotel room phone ringing with a colleague from Dave's work with a computer question. This was before common cell phone use and although we had left no contact number, this co worker had somehow managed to track us down in Maui, Hawaii with a question that really was all that important.

Its easy to get a hold of people now and in dozen of different forms. Of course cell phones are coming along on our trip (we feel its a necessity with kids), but the phones aren't going to dinner with us. Nor or they going to be on the beach or "something we just check "real fast" while the other is in the shower. These phones will miss out on the island's beauty as they reside in our suitcases.

Dave needs the mental break from it all. I need the unscheduled and unstructured time. Its good to be unplugged and I don't think it will be difficult in the least. People and relationships are truly
what is important. Its time to act like that. No problem, mon!