Genesis Moments - A Writer's Journey

Frugal Dental Lessons

 
I honestly forget to promote my other writing here, but here's an excerpt from my latest article in the Phoenix from this last weekend. Since it is timely with Halloween last weekend, I thought I would add it in here with a link back to my "content management site" (DIYFrugal) for my frugal articles.

Some lessons are more painful to learn than others. After several return visits to the dentist this last month, I finally asked my dentist how I could avoid so many trips to come see him. Some answers I knew and hung my head in dental shame but some surprised me.

“I wish I could quantify how a minute a day flossing would help people save a lot of money in dental care,” says Dr. Dan Thomas of Springford Family Dental. He reminded me that the cost of dental floss is significantly less than the amount people spend annually on the repercussions of allowing food to sit in between their teeth and rot the enamel. Chewy candy is especially harmful since it sticks to the teeth in hard to reach places.

For the rest of the article, click HERE to read the whole thing over at DIYFrugal. Head over for tons of frugal resources I've gathered at that site just for you! The articles also show up weekly over at Chester County Moms on Frugal Finds Friday.

Blu-Ray Kids Movies in Review: Aliens in the Attic, Ice Age, Tinker Bell

Tons of movies are coming out now on Blu-Ray and we are getting a couple for our kids to review. Since we have a Blu-Ray disc player, it just makes sense since the picture and audio are so much clearer. Because of the technology, A LOT more "extras" can be offered on the disc as well. Many sets are coming out with both DVD and Blu-Ray to accommodate old and new technologies. (And, I still have a couple VCR tapes lurking around the house. Time to move on, right?!)

Here are a couple that were sent to us and one we bought at the grocery store. (Since my kids are getting old enough to understand and process what is going on in the movies, I had them write their own reviews!)

1) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Summary from IMBD:

After the events of "Ice Age: The Meltdown", life begins to change for Manny and his friends: Scrat is still on the hunt to hold onto his beloved acorn, while finding a possible romance in a female sabre-toothed squirrel named Scratte. Manny and Ellie, having since become an item, are expecting a baby, which leaves Manny anxious to ensure that everything is perfect for when his baby arrives. Diego is fed up with being treated like a house-cat and ponders the notion that he is becoming too laid-back. Sid begins to wish for a family of his own, and so steals some dinosaur eggs which leads to Sid ending up in a strange underground world where his herd must rescue him, while dodging dinosaurs and facing danger left and right, and meeting up with a one-eyed weasel known as Buck who hunts dinosaurs intently. Written by Theshapeshifter

Review by Laura: "One day Sid falls into a hole and finds 3 eggs. He tries to take care of them. Meanwhile, the mom of the eggs tries to find them. When she does, she takes them and Sid. Everyone tries to find Sid and go underground into a world of adventures. The movie was really funny, hilarious, and little kids and big kids would love it."

Lindsey's favorite part:

Ellie, the Wooly Mammoth, asks a weasel: "When did you find out you were going to crazy?"

Weasel: "About three months ago when I woke up married to a pineapple . . .  an ugly pineapple."

You can read a comprehensive break-down of the elements of the movie and features in the DVD/Blu-Ray set HERE by Josh Clinton at Inside Pulse Movies.

                                2) Aliens in the Attic:

Summary from IMDB:

ALIENS IN THE ATTIC, co-scripted by one of the writers of "Madagascar" and the Academy Award®-winning "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," is an adventure/comedy about kids on a family vacation who must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions. At the same time, the youngsters work hard to keep their parents in the dark about the battle upstairs.

It's the Pearsons versus the aliens who "came from upstairs," in an all-out battle that will decide the fate of the Earth - and kick-off the ultimate summer vacation.

Read HERE for the rest of the summary including spoilers.

Review by Lindsey: The Pearsons go into their summer house and find out that aliens have crashed in the attic and Jake, Hannah & the other kids have to fight against them. Aliens have mind control plugs that don't work on kids. People are controlled through small handheld devices. It was a good movie. I would recommend this movie to people of all ages.

3) TinkerBell

Summary from IMDB:

Enter the magical world of fairies and meet the enchanting creatures of Pixie Hollow, who "nurture nature" and bring about the change of the seasons. Changing the colors of the leaves, moving a sunbeam to melt snow, waking animals from their winter slumber, or giving a patch of sproutlings a sprinkle of water are all within the realm of these seasonal specialists. Tinker Bell thinks her fairy talent as a "tinker" isn't as special or important as the other fairies' talents. But when Tink tries to change who she is, she creates nothing but disaster! With encouragement from her friends Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn and Iridessa, Tink learns the key to solving her problems lies in her unique tinker abilities and discovers that when she's true to herself, magical things can happen.

Review by Lindsey: I like EVERYTHING ABOUT IT -- it had all the elements of a great movie: action, adventure, romance, comedy, etc.

Wordless Wednesday: The Sacrificial Pumpkin

 

Find out where the rest of this open mouth pumpkin went in my last post HERE! (Hint, it is a recipe!)

For more Wordless Wednesday, see the WW HQ and 5 Minutes for Mom!

(Oh, here are my Halloween trick or treaters too! Lindsey is the fortune teller and Laura the old lady prisoner. This was a night they dressed up to go to a haunted house at the school.)

MAX YOUR MENU: Pumpkin Soup with Lime

Here's great recipe for Pumpkin Soup with Lime that I found hanging on the bulletin board at the YMCA and tried in my slow cooker. I thought it turned out pretty good - different but good! The paper didn't say where it came from but hopefully if the Y can share it, so can I!

Description: This soup, which is delicious hot or cold, has its origins in both French provincial and Latin American cuisine. It's breathtakingly easy and makes an elegant start to any meal. If pumpkin is unavailable, substitute any orange-fleshed squash, such as acorn or butternut.

6 cups peeled pumpkin, cut into 2-inch cubes

3 leeks, white part only, cleaned and coarsely chopped

4 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup whipping cream

6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Finely chopped chives or cilantro

1. In slow cooker stoneware, combine pumpkin, leeks, stock, salt and black pepper.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, until pumpkin is tender. Strain vegetables, reserving stock. In a blender or food processor, puree vegetables with 1 cup reserved stock until smooth. Or, using a hand-held blender, puree the soup in stoneware.

3. If serving hot, return soup to slow cooker, add remaining stock, lime zest and juice, cayenne and cream and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. If serving cold, combine ingredients in a large bowl and chill thoroughly.

4. When ready to serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, if using, and chives or cilantro.

Tips: If using pumpkin seeds, panfry in a dry, hot skillet until they are lightly browned and puffed. When purchasing pumpkin seeds, taste first, as they tend to go rancid quickly store in freezer until ready for use. If substituting squash for pumpkin, try the frozen diced version for convenience.

You can also assemble this the night before it is cooked. The next morning start with cooking step #1.

(MY NOTES: I wasn't as crazy about using the seeds since they are chewy in a smooth soup. This is a great MUG soup too. Pour it into your favorite mug and drink on the go.

I tried chilling a cup and the lime comes out a little too strong perhaps when cold. I preferred warming it again to eat or really drink. Definitely a do-again!

AND, you can use any pumpkin - even the ones for carving. See below where we turned what was left of our pumpkin into a scary open mouth for Halloween.)

Let the filming begin!

Ever had one of those AAAHHHHHH moments of sheer joy, sheer excitement, and absolute terrifying fear all at once?! Sounds like a roller coaster ride, doesn't it? Only this is REAL life.

I had one of those moments this last week -- on Monday to be exact, before my painful dentist appointment on Tuesday, before a serendipitously deep conversation with a couple of students one evening, before I had to go get a B-12 shot on Thursday as prescribed by my doctor, before taking my daughter and her swollen-nose gerbil to the vet and before the Halloween festivities began and ended through bouts of pouring rain.  I tell you that because despite the excitement of that one moment, life still goes on. It doesn't stand still waiting for you to catch your breath.

And, to think, it all began with a relatively brief conversation last week which could turn out to be the most exciting venture (outside my wonderful husband and incredible two daughters and new part-time career as a college professor) of my ENTIRE life!

Okay, drumroll please . . . dum . . .dum . .. dum. . . the call from a particular audition came through (because yes, I admit still being addicted to the whole filmland world and have finally admitted to myself that it just an in-born gotta-happen part of me) and I WAS CHOSEN for the role of a hostess to a reality food competition! Okay, is that insane or what?!

I took a friend to the audition a couple of weeks back who agreed to ride up with me and she was allowed to try out also since she has done TV and radio in this area. We actually were selected as co-hosts out of like 20 other women who all sat so nicely. We were having so much fun talking to everyone who worked there. "Wired" would be putting it casually. It must have paid off because we seem to have impressed them (and they impressed us -- in case they ever run across this post!)

Now for a little anti-climax and reality check, it is just a pilot. Pilots get filmed and never see the light of day on real TV. They are used to show the network who decides whether to invest in more shows like putting the real money into the venture - like funding a wardrobe person which is what I could REALLY use! They can also decide to change the format, the talent (that would be me) or anything else.

BUT, for now, we are filming in December and my brain is spinning. I have classes to teach. I have online classes to create. I have a prayer retreat in January to plan for the women of our presbytery. Life is full but I somehow know this is meant to be.

I wish I had time to tell you all the little details I have seen fall into place letting me know this is a God-thing and it's a good thing. I can't wait to share more but for now, for my sake, I have to keep some things quiet in case it isn't what I expect or hope for. I just know it will be a learning experience one way or another and I love learning new things, experiencing new things and rejoicing in God's plan all the way.

Praise the Lord!

GIVEAWAY: Genuardi's/Safeway $50 Gift Card (x3)

 
Enter NOW to win one of THREE $50 gift cards I was sent to give away as a part of a promotional effort by Genuardi's/Safeway to let you know that their prices are coming down!

I will be posting early next week about my Genuardi's shopping bonanza where I got all the fixings for some wonderful winter soups and more. (Watch for these recipes I will be sharing: Pumpkin Lime and a hearty black bean -- as long as they turn out okay this weekend when I make them!). Genuardi's had everything I needed from chives to leeks and a nice man asking to help me to my car which I politely declined since I had two little elves (namely Lindsey & Laura) heading that way with me anyway.

Here's the Rules of the Game:

• Leave a comment here for one chance to win.
• Contest is for U.S. only
• Tweet or include this contest on your blog for another chance to win. Come back to let me know in another comment since I pick at random.
• Contest ends two weeks from today: November, FRIDAY THE 13th!

With three $50 cards up for grabs, your chances are better than ever! Starting commenting away!

What I Learned This Week: Leapfrog's Seminar on Children & Internet Safety

 

This week Jo-Lynne, Melissa and I headed up to the BIG apple for an internet safety seminar sponsored by Leapfrog. We also got a sneak preview of the new Leapworld, an interactive website that Leapfrog is building for release next spring.

One of the developers was there showing us all the fun elements of Leapworld like a whole section on learning about the weather. That was pretty cool. I am sorry to say that my kids are already too old but perhaps my nieces and nephews will enjoy.

(Can I interject another completely unrelated lesson here? If you have just had dental work like maybe getting fitted for a crown which includes numbing half your mouth and the dentist tells you to wait to eat but tells you to go ahead and drink liquids, don't listen. Until the numbing wears off, I would suggest refrains from drinks too. Why? Because I just now cleaning the coffee off the keyboard where it dribbled from the numb side of my mouth. You really didn't need to know that, did ya?)

Okay, back to Children and Internet Safety. Christy Matte from About.com's Family Computing Guide was asked to come and talk to us about children on the Internet. She definitely suggested parental controls and to know what your child is doing. She also gave us the advice that as the children get older and start getting accounts of their own, to ask them to maybe seal the passwords in an envelope for you to keep -not to spy - but if something were to happen, you would have access you need to shut down the account or look for clues if something more sinister did happen.

Christy reminded us of the importance of watermarking photos, that information put on the 'Net is out there forever somewhere (like look at InternetArchive.org's WayBack Machine to see old snapshots of your blogsite that don't go away), and that there are several options for controlling e-mail content like having all the e-mail to your child go to you first to allowing only certain people's e-mails to come through. I.e. For a minimal lifetime charge, Pikluk, which is PC only allows 5 links and 2 websites with controlled e-mail.

In discussion, I learned that apparently I didn't know how bad the innocent sounding Club Penguin is but other moms did. Kids are getting on and other kids (like mine possibly) can see foul language they type in. Oh, great.

A couple more pieces of advice included: Watch what you put online, think about what your kids will think later and teach kids to never give out passwords to anyone but a parent. 

Kidzui was a web browser mentioned on which sites for kids are already vetted and maintained for appropriate browsing. That sounded interesting.

There was more but I am out of the time I've allotted for blogging today!

Have a good one! Learns lots this week.

Video: Bubbles to Bubbly Philly Style

Before viewing this video, I will give the disclaimer that I am NOT a professional videographer but you'll realize that pretty soon anyway. But, hopefully you can see how easy a FLIP camera is to use to capture fun events - (thanks to the generous donation of Weber Shandwick and WISK/Laundry HE who sent me one with the party boxes so I could show you our Bubble fun!)

Bubbles to Bubbly Philly Style!

Last night I had the pleasure of hosting Bubbles to Bubbly Philly Style! Local mom bloggers and a few bloggers-in-training showed up to check out the Laundry HE/Wisk bubble party sent to me by the lovely ladies at Weber Shandwick. Getting to NYC is tough on a regular basis and so they sent me all the fun supplies to have a Bubble party in my own home.

Before I go any further here, I want YOU the reader to know that you can join the contest fun over at Laundry HE by clicking HERE and

Enter for a chance to win:

• Grand Prize: Maytag® Bravos® High Efficiency red washer and dryer (can wash up to 18 pounds of laundry per load!)

• First Prizes: A year's supply of Wisk® HE detergent (5 lucky winners)

• Daily Prizes: Free bottles of Wisk® HE detergent (5 lucky winners each day!)

Okay, now, back to the party!

As you can see, WISK/Laundry HE provided guests with all sorts of fun bubbles:

--Bubbles to Bubbly Bubble container

--OPI Bubble Bath nail polish

--Philosophy Bubbles Bubble Scrub

--Wisk HE laundry detergent

--Pop Champagne mini bottle

Beginning with fun food snacks, we caught up with each other before entering the bubble lab!

   

(Check out Shannon, Jo-Lynne, Mindi in the first picture, lots of bubble shakers in the second, and Shannon O., Kelly, Mindi, and Patti in the third!)

Once in the bubble lab, we answered a BUBBLE quiz, saw a BUBBLE video, did BUBBLE experiments in pretty red gloves and tested the BUBBLES in the two kinds of champagne!

Here's one of the videos we watched from BUBBLE expert, Kristen Higgins, a Wisk Lab Scientist! (Check out the video site over at Laundry HE for more fun videos from the Wisk NYC event)

Last night, we learned a number of BUBBLE Facts: YES, more bubbles equal better champagne; YES, Low sudsing High Efficient (HE) detergent cleans as well as regular detergent; and YES, you want to use HE detergent in a HE washing machines because it is specially formulated for the low-water conditions.

AND, NO, more bubbles do NOT mean more clean but they do mean lots of bubbly fun with friends!

We ended the night enjoying bubbly chocolate care of Amy from DOVE and having bubbly conversations until the last guests left at 11:30 PM. That was certainly one of my favorite parts that after the main festivities that we could sit back and relax and have some good 'ole fashioned girl talk! What a great group of ladies! I am definitely grateful to WISK/Laundry HE for giving us this fun BUBBLY reason to congregate on a rainy Friday night!

I have video footage coming but that will be another day or two compiling. Keep watching.

(If you wrote a post about the event, feel free to link up here!)

Nominating a Care Hero

I like to share cool contests when I get them and this one sounded VERY cool from Care.com:

Starting on October 29, you’ll be able to nominate a caregiver who deserves to be called a Care Hero by visiting www.facebook.com/caredotcom and nominating them. Share their photo and a short story of why you think they should win, then get your friends involved in helping us choose the overall Care Hero—their comments on your nominee’s photo will help them win the contest!

 

At the end of November, we’ll choose a Grand Prize winner to be the 2010 Care.com Care Hero. The winning caregiver will receive a $500 "Care Package" including hotel stay, tickets to a show, and dinner on us. As a thank you, we'll also give you--the nominator--a $100 restaurant gift certificate to show our appreciation. Plus, we'll choose weekly caregiver winners who will each receive a $100 restaurant gift certificate. And if you nominated a weekly winner, we'll give you a free, 3-month Premium Membership to Care.com.

 

So come to Facebook, share a photo of your Care Hero, and tell us what they've done for you. And be sure to thank them during National Family Caregiver Month!