Friday, April 15, 2016

Angel Crafts 12" x 12" Self Adhesive Vinyl Review

I've reviewed Angel Craft products in the past. Their 12" x 12" Self Adhesive Vinyl certainly wasn't a let down. I know I'll use it for a lot of projects coming up.


Colors:

This set comes with 30 sheets all together. I love all the variety of colors that come in their sets! A perk is that they throw in 5 extra sheets.

Yellow and Greens


Neutrals  


Purples and Blues


Pinks, Oranges and Reds


I have a list going of different ideas I have for upcoming projects:
  • My igloo piece is getting close to being done. With Travis' residency I got kind of behind. In this one I'm incorporating square or rectangle vinyl pieces.
  • A raven flying, but its wings are breaking apart. In this one I'm incorporating square vinyl pieces.
  • Honey bees with gas masks on. I haven't decided what shapes I'm putting in that one.
  • A big cherry that's also a bomb. I'm incorporating circle vinyl pieces.
  • A large strawberry being shot up with growth hormones. I haven't decided what shapes I'm putting in that one.
  • Three sunflowers bursting because of the high heat. I'm incorporating circle vinyl pieces.
  • An octopus with a tire around its neck. I'm incorporating circle vinyl pieces.
  • A plastic bag blowing in the wind, stuck on a tree branch. I haven't decided what shapes I'm putting in that one.
I'm not really super gloomy, I just have a series going that is about destruction. I'll work my way into happier things.

How to Use the Vinyl:

  • You can use it like me in mixed media projects. 
  • You can use it to cut out for crafts. We have a cutter here at work, and I let a student use it for her portfolio. It worked great. She just said that the program that went with the cutter was a lame version of Illustrator. The vinyl worked great though.
  • You can use it to make stencils for airbrush, or spray painting. 
I love this new set of Self Adhesive Vinyl! It's bigger than the other sets they've given me to review. You can get it on Amazon for $29.95.


Have you used vinyl sheets before? What would you use them for?

Disclaimer: I received these vinyl sheets for a discounted price for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine.

Random Tid Bits

  1. Isaak told me when Travis was gone, "Ya know I kind of like Dad better because he doesn't make us clean." I had a chuckle over that one.

    I remember when I was little talking with my sister Angie, "If Mom and Dad ever got divorced who would you want to live with?" We both agreed on Mom. If we lived with Dad we'd only have cans of beans to eat. Ha! It had nothing to do with love. It had everything to do with survival. 

  2. Travis works with a few people that are on food stamps. They need them, and that's what they are for.

    The odd things are:

    That they are afraid of getting a raise. Then they loose their food stamps.

    Every time Travis brings in his lunch they think he's going to share. He said a few times, "You know we can have a potluck where everybody brings in something they've made." They both responded with, "We don't know how to cook." He's like, "I'll share at times, but not every time. It's my lunch." They keep asking when I'm going to bring in cookies next. Anytime Travis brings up something that was delicious they chime in with, "Are you going to bring us some?"

  3. We have a new Education Director at the school this year. I like her. I liked the one before her as well. Our school is very small. The Education Director now is more professional. She keeps everything confidential, and gets to work right away. The Education Director before just embraced the small school, she knew that she wasn't at work a lot, so she wanted us to all be informed as to what was going on. She liked to know the scoop always, told me the scoop. She always said, "Good morning!" all the time. It's a transition for sure. I'm not as gossipy as some, but I'm not all hush hush either. I most certainly do not go and tell the students anything that is discussed in the office.

  4. On Friday I played loud music, while we ate dinner. I started out with old country. Then I'm like, "Oh Travis isn't here." I played nothing but girly music after that. He doesn't care for Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Ani Difranco, and Fiona Apple. Yes they are all dated songs now. I like them because they are all altos (minus Tori and Sarah). I can sing to them perfectly.

  5.  We've had Travis home all week. Crazy thing - I've been just on time to work. When he was gone I was 10 minutes early. He's a SLOW breakfast eater, and hops on his phone, which he says is the same as watching the news. He complained about my alarm going off early, so it's now set when his goes off. It's slowing me down. 

Thursday, April 14, 2016

School

I usually don't take my kids to school, nor do I pick them up. Travis does that.

Of course since Travis was out of town a lot I did a lot of dropping off, and picking up. Isaak loves the before and after program; Mica on the other hand could do without it. They are both so different. Isaak loves people, while Mica needs time to himself.

One morning we were on our way to school and saw this:


It's unusual to see a wild turkey in the city. Then it started to cross the road. We started telling, "Why did the turkey cross the road?" jokes. Isaak was really worried it would get hit by a car. I've seen them before, but not very often. We had a few that lived behind the school where I work for awhile. One day I was standing talking to my Dad outside, and a turkey flew over my head. It reminded me of a Wallace and Gromit movie. It was this big massive thing in the sky.

Where the kids go to school they have two trees that are blooming right now. They are so pretty. I call them popcorn trees. For some reason small white blooms look like popcorn to me.


We filled out paperwork to see if Mica could get into one of the three middle schools that start at 5th grade. The school district I went to had elementary that went from Kindergarten to 6th grade. The boy's school goes from Kindergarten to 6th grade now. Next year they are dropping 6th grade. This district is really odd because some middle schools start in 5th grade, some in 6th grade, and there were a few that started in 7th grade. It's super confusing!

They have magnet middle schools, which is also new to me. Mica is into science, reading, writing, and drama. Those are totally different subjects. That doesn't make it easy to pick what middle school fits him. I just think it's odd that one would have a focus on a particular subject in middle school. I have college students that don't know what they want to do when they grow up. How could one expect a middle schooler to know what they want to do? 

We were open to the idea of seeing if Mica could get into one of the middle schools for next year. Both are rated high, both are far from our house, and one is in the crappiest part of Omaha. Mica was accepted into the crappiest part of Omaha one. On the letter of acceptance it had a phone number to call. The number wasn't the right number - it was out of order. LOVELY! Regardless of only sort of liking the 5th grade teachers at the kid's current school, we made the decision that Mica should stay at his elementary 1 more year. The middle school is wonderful. I've heard all good things about it. It has a planetarium, a hydroponics growing system, and more. We just can't see how bussing Mica far away in a crappy part of town can be a good thing for him. He's also not ready to depart from his friends. If he gets sick, or has to leave school for appointments it would be much harder if he's far away. 

We called the school's headquarters to know what to do to keep him in his elementary school. The paper I filled out to select a middle school actually transferred him! No one explained that one to us! It was just a single paper that had our name, address, our first pick of school, and the second pick of school. That was it. I even talked to a few upper people about middle schools, saying that we just wanted to see what might happen, they just nodded to understand us.

I got an email saying to come to the middle school to register. We went last night. Now we have to fill out a form to have him transferred back to his elementary. What a mess! 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

WW: Aliens are Coming! {Linky}


I'm not really sure why he was making this face, but I made up the caption: Aliens are Coming! What would you caption it as?



 

Monday, April 11, 2016

The Start of Swimming Lessons at @Swimtastic_Swim

Last week our boys started swimming lessons at Swimtastic. It's a hidden gem that's behind PE 101 in Omaha, Nebraska.

If you don't live in Omaha, Swimtastic is in other spots in the US: Lincoln, Nebraska | Captive, Florida | Fox Cities, Wisconsin | Waukesha, Wisconsin | Franklin, Wisconsin



It's been about a year and a half since they've had lessons. I wasn't sure where they'd fit in. I'm glad the staff at Swimtastic was willing to work with them. Later we found the lessons they are more suited for, which they start tonight.


When we went in there was a desk where the staff greeted us. Everyone seems very happy to be working there, and eager to show us around.


It has a really open floor plan once you enter the spot where parents sit. It's called the Observation Deck.  


Inside the Observation Deck There is:

  • Open space - One can sit close to the pool, or in the back to be on bathroom duty for their little kids
  • Some toys for little kids to play - Fun for siblings not in swimming lessons just yet 
  • Signs about pool safety - I'm not sure how much they are read, but certainly important
  • Fun fish that hang from the ceiling - Added fun to the room
  • Patio plastic chairs for parents to sit - I liked sitting on these chairs over bleachers
  • Concession stand filled with candy - I kind of wish this spot had more things like Protein Bars and other healthy snacks
  • Swimtastic merchandise - To make them a one stop swimming place 
  • A monitor - That shows Swimtastic instructors 




I'm not used to being behind glass to view my kids in their lessons. I didn't mind it. It was less noisy. It keeps the establishment cleaner with less traffic into the pool area!

If I could add something to this area it would be small cubby lockers.

Shower and Bathrooms:

I have to be honest I didn't get a good look at this area. I'm only going off what Travis, Mica and Isaak said.

They are clean, but pretty small. There are no lockers in this area. Plan on having a big swim bag.

They have a boys and girls bathroom. I do like that they have 1 added family shower and bathroom. This is something I always wanted when we were at the Y.

Shower time after swimming lessons was always the most stressful time of the week. The kids were wound up after their lessons, it is close to bedtime, and kids act like they can't get their wet suit off their body. It's nice to have one room that a whole family can go to take care of the showering part.

There are colored spots in the hallway of the bathrooms where kids stand to show they are ready for their lessons.



The Pool:

The pool has 90 degree water. Isaak looked cautious when jumping in because he was expecting it to be cold. It wasn't. 


They have lanes marked off for different swimming classes. I love that they could get both my boys in at the same time! 


There is a slide, but as you can see in the picture below there's no diving allowed. It's too shallow of a pool to dive in. 


At Swimtastic the instructors seem like they really want the kids to learn what they are there for - to swim. 

My boys forgot so much of what they learned in swimming lessons before. Isaak said, "I hate swimming backwards." I said, "I'm glad they made you! It's important for you to learn how to swim like that!" 


It did seem like younger kids go there. That might change with our lessons tonight. Mica will be in a class with kids more his age. 


Overall the kids are enjoying getting back into their lessons. I'm glad I was asked to do this. Did you take swimming lessons when you were younger? What's something you remember about them?

Follow Swimtastic on twitter, and like their facebook page.

Disclaimer: I received free lessons for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine. I will be blogging about their lessons again towards the end.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Bodyglide Original Anti-Chafe Balm (2-Pack) Review

I love skirts, and shorts in the spring and summer. I just have one slight problem at times. Towards the end of the day I feel like my inner thighs are on fire. It's like a rug burn. Especially if I've gone on a long walk. 

There's a product I heard about from my niece and nephew. They are runners, and go biking a lot. Bodyglide Original Anti-Chafe Balm is the answer to my problem. I got a 2 pack to review. 


I tried it out yesterday. It worked great. It is applied like a stick of deodorant is. It has no build up, and no residue.


It's perfect for when I wear shorts and skirts. I know I'll be using it when I go on long walks and hiking.


This is the number 1 anti-chafe balm! You can use it in: 
  • Sports 
  • Hiking
  • Walks
  • On the job 
  • Anytime for daily comfort and reliability 
Ingredients:

plant-derived ingredients that create an invisible skin protection barrier against rubbing that causes chafing from clothing and blisters on feet. 

It feels dry and never wet like skin butters and salves made with petroleum and other oily ingredients. Like I said above I felt no build up, and it wasn't sticky like some products out there.


It's resistant to perspiration and water, yet it doesn't clog pores. I love that it's hypoallergenic. If you've been a reader for awhile you know that my family has skin problems at times. I'm very sensative to sulphates. 

It's Applied right from the stick container so hands stay clean and it washes off with mild soap. It's fragrance free and invisible. 

Cost:

Get it on Amazon for $39.95. It may seem like a steep price, but it lasts and lasts. 

I'm glad I got this to review. Have you ever used this product, or something similar?

Disclaimer: I received 
Bodyglide Original Anti-Chafe Balm (2-Pack) for a discounted price for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine.

Disclaimer

The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

I am not compensated to provide opinions on a variety of topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own. If I claim to show knowledge of certain topic or product I will only endorse products or services that I feel, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.

If you have any questions about this blog, or want to get in contact with me please email me at: anapeladay@gmail.com