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.
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.
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?"
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
My favorite board game growing up was Rummikub. My Aunt Becky taught my cousins, sisters and I how to play. I was hooked big time. I've annoyed other players at times because I'd take the whole game board apart just to try and get my pieces down.
Isaak's been into this game lately. He does however get into a game one week, and is done with it the next week.
If you've never played the game before here's how to play:
Mix the tiles up
Select 14 tiles
You can put out runs (one color in number order) or sets (different colors of the same number) that are 3 tiles, or more - You have to have 21 points to lay out the first round
There are 2 happy faces in the game - They can be anything - They equal 21 points, so if you have one to start you can lay down your tiles on your first turn
After you've laid out you can play on anything - You can separate things - You can take tiles to lay down some of your tiles - You just need to make sure that there is always groups of 3, or more out of runs and sets - no stray tiles laying around
If you can't play you draw
You keep playing in a circle until one person is out of tiles (they win)
It's like Rummy, but there's way more to do.
*In our house if one person wins, and more people are playing we have runner up winners.
*There are times I help Isaak. He can be a sore cranky loser. I'll stop and ask a tile he has to figure out what can be done with it.
*If you are playing this game 1/2 a day to kill time on like a snow day you can play until one person wins, tally up the points of the others. Everything is face value, except the happy faces they are 21 points. Continue to play more rounds with each game tallying up the points of the losers. Say after 5 games see who has the least amount of points. Claim that person as the winner. Agree on how many games you are going to play prior to playing though. Otherwise you may argue about how many games are to be played, and who is actually the winner.
Isaak must like board games as well. He made this one called Run Away:
He even had a case. It was the foam that my essential oil diffuser was in.
Do you like playing games? What game is your favorite?
Disclaimer: I didn't receive anything for posting this. I just like the game Rummikub.
Since I wrote that post about the 6th grader that likes Mica he's told me that she keeps asking him for help in regards to the Science Fair project, and Talent Show try outs. He declined.
He said, "Mom I just don't think this girl can take hints. She comes to talk to me, and I disappear. I didn't tell him that some girls chase after guys that are hard to get.
Yesterday I made a spontaneous decision to get Mica a new bedding set. He loves Yellow Submarine by The Beatles, and it was all on sale. It will be for his birthday in August, or next Christmas. I always buy things way in advance. Do you buy things in advanced?
Isaak got a horrible cold on Wednesday. Wednesday morning he said his throat hurt. I didn't know if it was allergies or sickness at that time. I generally send the kids to school if they just have a common cold. At the end of the day Isaak looked horrible. Isaak said, "Mom my art teacher asked me why I was in school." I said, "This morning you didn't seem too bad." He said, "I went through a box of tissues today."
I kept him home on Thursday. He was actually well enough to go to school. I didn't know that at 7:30 AM.
Today I sent him to school with an added box to tissues; to make up for the whole box he used on Wednesday.
Isaak was in a sneaky mood yesterday. He didn't like his lunch, so he threw it in the trash. I've heard of kids doing this, but never experienced my kids doing it. I sent him to lay down in his room.
Isaak's personality is sweet and spicy. Last night he transformed into a sweet boy. He put flowers in a vase for me, wrote me a letter to slip under the bathroom door, while I was showering, and wrote a letter to Travis. What's something that has been done to you that's sweet lately?
A 6th grade girl has a crush on Mica, who is in 4th grade.
He came home one day and said, "Mom something strange happened at school today."
I asked, "What was it?"
He said, "A 6th grader invited me over to eat lunch."
I said, "Did you go?"
He said, "Ya...but it was odd because I remember when I was in 2nd grade she stole money out of my teacher's jar."
I said, "Ya that is odd."
A few days later Mica told me this same girl has been giving him small toys.
I said, "Let me see them. Did you ask her where she got them?"
He said, "She didn't steal them Mom. At least she said she didn't. I think her giving me toys is a little much! I'm really glad she's going to middle school next year. People are starting to say things."
I asked, "What do you say when people say things about her liking you?"
He said, "I just ignore them. I run off and play. Usually it's during recess."
It sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders.
I was going to say something to his teacher when I was up there to read to the class on April Fool's Day. Things were hectic. I'll say something if it gets out of hand.
Do you remember your first crush? I liked this kid Matt that had heart problems. He was so little. I felt bad for him because he had to stay in for recess. I talked to him a lot because we were in a special help group for kids that struggled with academics. I would have never had the guts to tell him I liked him, nor would I give him small toys.
Mica is officially in men's shirts. I love Snorg Tees because they have fun shirts that are affordable.
I know Mica has a Science Fair coming up at the end of the year. He was so jealous that Isaak got a lab coat, which was in children's sizes. I was so happy that Snorg Tees had a science shirt. It's called Forget Lab Safety.
Mica's super happy about his new shirt! He said, "YES!" as soon as he found out this shirt was for him!
Mica has a really long torso. Generally I find shirts that fit him length wise, but the shoulders are bulky. This shirt fits perfect!
Color:
The color is a silver, which looks like a heather grey to me. It won't show dirt as much as white will, and it won't fade in the wash like black will.
Sizes and Cost:
Mica's wearing a Men's small. If you like this shirt it fits all different sizes. All of these tees are $20, but are on sale for $16.
Guy's S, M, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL. 2XL and 3XL are a tiny bit extra in cost. Comes in silver color.
Girl's S, M, L, and XL. They are more fitting than the guy's shirts. Comes in silver color.
Kids 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12. Comes in baby blue color.
Hoodies S, M, L, XL, and 2XL. Hoodies are $40, but are on sale for $32. The 2XL is a tiny bit extra in cost. Comes in heather color.
I love the hoodies to! Mica's Science Fair is the last week of school, so he need a tee.
We got a pair of nerd glasses to go with the tee.
Tagless:
One other thing I love about Snorg Tees is that they are tagless. It doesn't happen very often, but at times my kids get bothered by tags. If the tag is taken off we can't see the size, or washing instructions. No worries with this shirt. The tag is printed on the tee.
It was washed in cold water, and tumble dried. I use wool balls in the dryer to keep our clothes soft. I didn't get it out of the dryer right away, so it was a little wrinkly. Not any more than any other shirt though.
About Snorg Tees:
Snorg Tees was founded in 2004 by brothers Matt and Bryan Walls. They are Georgia-based. I love that fact, since I lived in Savannah, Georgia for 2 years, and Atlanta for 1 year. Snorg Tees has become one of the most well-known t-shirt companies on the internet.
They have a great design team. Watch out because they have discounts on their tees all the time.
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.
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