A family games night always thrills my kids, and after a busy start to the school year, I decided to surprise the boys with just that.
Being ‘urban’ has it’s benefits, and yet one of the big drawbacks can mean that you and the kids spend more time in stores, watching screens or commuting than breathing fresh air without a care in the world. The family and I participated in ‘Take Me Outside’ on September 20th, where we were asked to spend an hour outdoors together.
I’m one of those hardcore moms who never allowed the boys to play with squirt guns. They would find driftwood with some resemblance to weapons, and use imagination and creativity to make up games.
My son has been heartbroken, as the servers that we’ve been trying for the Pixelmon Minecraft mod haven’t been working at all. I offered to tweet the Minecraft guys. I tried to add different servers. No go. Figuring out how to install mods in Minecraft is tricky, as it depends on whether you use a PC or a Mac, and takes patience.
But then I watched a few Youtube videos about how to do this stuff, and made my son the happiest man in the house. I added a mod to Minecraft so that he could play as his beloved Pokemon characters.
It really wasn’t that difficult. First, you go to Pixelmonmod – it’s a great resource. Unfortunately the servers just wouldn’t work with the version of Minecraft that we have – 1.7.10. What I learned was that we had to instal a mod instead. We downloaded Forge in order to quickly install a mod. Once you open it click the top option to install the files. It will end up saying that 11 files have been installed. I found a free Pixelmon mod on Minecraft Six. Mods are saved as ‘jar’ files. Once downloaded to your computer, search your computer files for the Minecraft folder. In this folder will be a subfolder for ‘mods’. Pop the jar file into this folder, and you’re good to go.
When you open Minecraft, you must select the bottom (Forge) version from the dropdown menu. My son can now select his Pokemon characters and continue to build and explore the very spacial world of Minecraft.
Happy kids, happy Pokemon, and endless fun. And mommy looks like a computer genius rockstar! I just wish I could build half of what the kids can in Minecraft – actually I should start with a lesson on moving my character without bumping into walls and falling into oceans!
Some lies I have told I’m proud of and some I wish I could take back. I’ve never really been the ‘black and white’ person, to the extent where I’d question psychometrists during IQ tests… “But what if the car travelling 50km/hr was using high-octane gas?” “Do I have to count the triangle in 2-D or can I add a dimension?”…
As many readers know, I had to testify at a pretty nasty criminal trial and marvelled at the grey areas between truth and lies. There were always many ‘truths’ in the process – the evidence, the memories and the spin put forth by the lawyers. But all of these are filtered within people’s own experiences and understanding. Even the same word can mean different things to different people. Society was a certain way during the upbringing of the jury, the judge and those of us being cross-examined, and the ‘truth’ of our era is not necessarily going to be the same as it was interpreted in 1950, 1900 or 2050. So when it comes to ‘lying’, I’ve always seen 50 shades of grey.
As part of the Netflix ‘Stream Team’ I get a sneak peek of up-and-coming shows and this month my focus has been looking at shows that teach children, teens and adults about lying. As you can imagine, this has been tough for me, and has made me think of my moral compass over the past few years. Before I outline the spectacular shows available this month on Netflix, I thought I’d do a little soul-searching..
Lies I am Glad I told
1. The Internet is down so you will have to read a book about sharks instead of watching a shark show on Youtube.
2. We’re out of bread. Want to help mommy make some from scratch?
3. I left a note for the Easter Bunny before we left so he knows our hotel and room number on Easter Sunday.
4. Can you hang this picture honey? My nails are too long to work the drill.
5. I spoke to your teacher and he asked you to do this worksheet tonight.
Lies That Weren’t So Good
1. Instead of ‘I’m sick’ I should have said ‘I need a mental health day.’ It’s ok and I was just furthering the stigma. Sorry Clara Hughes.
2. I pretended that I didn’t realize someone had passed away because I didn’t send a card and donation swiftly.
3. “If you keep eating unhealthy foods and nothing else you will never grow.”
4. “You look amazing in that outfit.” (a close second to:”What a nice haircut.”)
5. I airbrushed a selfie and let judgemental, age-conscious relatives compliment me on how good I looked.
Have you told lies? Need some lessons on truth, lies and consequences? Maybe you just want to be entertained… on to the epic Netflix shows!
For the little ones on Netflix:
Super Why: Season 1 Episode 15
Curious George: Season 1 Episode 19
Clifford The Big Red Dog: Season 1 Episode 26
The Adventures of Chuck & Friends: Season 1 Episode 9
A bit older:
Monster High
H2O: Just Add Water
Mean Girls
iCarly: Season 1 Episode 12
And the Adults on Netflix:
Bloodline
Just Go With It
Liar, Liar
Pretty Little Liars: Season 1 Episode 12
So if you have a hankering to chat morals with your little ones, or revisit your own life, you can take in a few of these titles… of you can just stick to House of Cards….
The “Frozen” gang returns!
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf are back to the big screen in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new short FROZEN FEVER! The featurette will open in theaters on March 13th, in front of Disney’s CINDERELLA, a live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale. To find out more information about the new Disney’s CINDERELLA movie, visit the website and social media links listed at the bottom of this post. In “Frozen Fever”, it’s Anna’s birthday and Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but when Elsa catches a cold, her powers may put more than just the party at risk. Don’t miss this unique animated short featuring all of your favorite characters from the movie “Frozen”! You’ll wanna get to your seat early at the movie theatre to see what happens during Anna’s birthday celebration.
Watch this special clip from the makers of “Frozen Fever” here: http://youtu.be/HOxSaP9orhE
Visit the official CINDERELLA Website at: http://disney.com/Cinderella
CINDERELLA opens in theaters everywhere on March 13th!
Kids will be kids. And when we leave them to their own imaginations, their little brains grow and develop rapidly. We’ve searched high and low for some of the best gifts for creative play. You’ll probably want a video camera handy to capture their brilliance!
1. Children’s Bird Dress Up Wings $75.43
2. Le Toy Van Pretend Play Popsicles – Ice Lollies $ 43.90
3. Pottery Barn Kids Farmhouse Kitchen Collection $259 – $699
4. Djeco Screen Printing Workshop at Raspberry Kids $24.49
5. Dalmatian Vet Kit $22.99
6. Toysmith Shopping Cart $61.20
7. DUKTIG Toy cash register $19.99
8. CANCER FIGHTER SUPERHERO SET Comes with matching eye mask & powerbands. Price: $28.00
9. Sno Stompers – Pink $24.99
10. SKYLTA Children’s market stand $12.99
Don’t you just love Christmas? The excitement, the anticipation, the magic in your children’s eyes as they imagine what they’ll find under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning?
We decided to help you with your Christmas countdown fun by curating our favourite DIY Advent Calendars from Pinterest.
1. DIY Magnetic Tin Advent Calendar from Makoodle
2. Colourful Forest Advent Calendar from Love From Ginger
3. DIY Modern Advent Calendar from The Sweet Escape
4. No Sew Reusable Branches Advent Calendar from Design Mom
5. Muffin Tin Advent Calendar by Doodle Bug Blog
6. DIY Lego Advent Calendar from Frugal Fun 4 Boys
7. Mini Stocking Advent Calendar from Trillium Design
8. Bright and Colourful Advent Calendar from Love My Dress
9. Toilet Paper Tube Advent Calendar from Modern Creativity
10. DIY Wall Chart Advent Calendar from The Painted Hive
Halloween is just a couple of days away! Does your family have their Halloween costumes yet? There is nothing better than having your doorbell ring on Halloween night and opening the door to a family with a themed costume. My family got very busy this year and our kids are into very different things, my daughter wanted a Littlest Pet Shop costume and my son wanted to be Spiderman, but in past years we’ve had lots of fun dressing up as a family.
One year my family dressed up as a Little Red Riding Hood themed costume:
And the year my son was born he and I went as mommy and baby zombie (we took a cue from The Walking Dead)
Since I’m lamenting the fact that my family isn’t dressing up as a theme this year, I decided to hit Pinterest and pull together some fabulous family Halloween costumes.
Peter Pan and the Lost Boys from A Beautiful Mess
Where’s Waldo Family Halloween Costume from The Homes I Have Made
The Avengers Family Halloween Costume
Angry Birds Family Halloween Costume from Sugar Bee Crafts
Star Wars Family Halloween Costume from Under the Sycamore
Mommy and Baby Popcorn Vendor from Blooming Bath
A Christmas Story Family Halloween Costume from Costume Works
Mommy’s Pregnancy Cravings Family Halloween Costume
Ratatouille Dad and Baby Family Halloween Costume
Solar System Family Halloween Costume from Martha Stewart
We love it when celebrities get in on the family Halloween costume spirit too!
Canadian boy Jason Priestly as a Canadian Mountie with baby as Uncle Sam
Neil Patrick Harris has just about the cutest little family in the world. This Wizard Of Oz family Halloween costume makes us love him even more.
What are you and your family dressing up as for Halloween this year?
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? It’s been a rough summer for me, between a broken wrist, the British Columbia teachers’ strike, extended beach closures due to e-coli in the ocean, my son’s sudden-onset double vision and a few emergency stitches here and there. But it’s all over now, and I feel stronger than ever.
To emerge into this new stage – let’s call it igniting the light – I have been reading Gretchin Rubin’s Happiness Project, learning to care for myself a bit better, and actually having FUN. Life is too precious not to, and I don’t want to be a role model for my boys who complains about folding laundry, forgotten lunches and broken vacuums while rushing around and being overwhelmed with guilt for not being on the PTA. I’m trying to rekindle the joy of life. During this process I was invited by Covergirl to meet Katy Perry during her Prismatic World Tour. And I had FUN.
Not being able to choose just one of my boys to come with me, I took my husband to the concert (my girlfriends’ daughters had secured their tickets long ago!). After finishing her makeup (Covergirl, which I was wearing myself but didn’t quite manage the results Ms. Perry had achieved) we were invited backstage and met this sensation. My dress happened to be somewhat similar to hers, but in black not silver and with a bit more fabric. I made a comment about how I can’t expose my midriff much after having kids and she was witty and lovely in saying that she would be the same way is she has kids. My husband’s small talk was even better.. “Wow, you’re tall!”.
Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour perfprmance burst forth with neon lights, elaborate horse costumes and Katy swinging through the air. She included a few sweet and natural melodies unlike her previous repertoire. The highlight for me was the encore, or Prism-Vision. We donned glasses and my whole perspective of the space changed. Kindof like coming out of the darkness into a very happy place. It’s important to throw on a pair of glasses to see the world in a different way every once in a while. Thanks Katy.
Disclosure: I am a P&G Mom and receive opportunities such as tickets to the Prismatic World Tour through CoverGirl as well as a meet and greet with Ms. Perry. All opinions are my own.
