October 28, 2013

Life Is Beautiful!

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This weekend was the Inaugural Life Is Beautiful Festival. I got to work both days and enjoy the festival for free. :D

I volunteered at Culinary Village and it was just a blast. I met new people and tried a variety of different foods from around the area.

Sunday night I got to see one of my favorite bands, Vampire Weekend!

There really are no words to describe the amazing time I had...so I will just post the pictures. Now, I can not wait for Coachella!








October 23, 2013

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

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If you have blue eyes, do you agree? 


October 22, 2013

What To Do For Halloween In Vegas?

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Well, there is no lack of things to do, THAT is for sure!! 

Haunted Titanic Tour at Luxor
Oct. 31 - Nov. 2
Luxor 

Journey through the RMS Titanic’s tragic story with a guided, haunted tour of Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Luxor and find out firsthand if the ill-fated ship’s rumored connections to the paranormal are true. Since The Exhibition opened, both guests and employees have felt strange presences and witnessed ghostly spirits. Guests will learn about the strange coincidences that surround the legendary story of Titanic. Tours will run nightly every 30 minutes from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

HallOVeen at Opportunity Village
Oct. 4-6, 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27
6300 W. Oakey Blvd. 


During HallOVeen at the Magical Forest, guests will enjoy rides on the Forest Express train, spins on the Enchanted Carousel, be on hand for a monster parade, take pictures with barely-scary characters, pick the perfect pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, gobble down tasty treats at concession stands, stroll through a Magical Forest adorned with Halloween themed trees and displays, take home candy and treats and more. 

See Grown Up Activities at http://www.vegas.com/halloween/

Haunted Eiffel Tower Experience 
Paris Las Vegas 
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S 
Las Vegas, NV 
Show Dates: October 31, 2013 - November 3, 2013 
Show Times: Thu & Fri 9:30am - 12:30am; Sat & Sun 9:30am - 1am 

Frightdome at Circus Circus 
No need to leave the Las Vegas Strip to enjoy some Halloween fun. Fright Dome has taken over Adventuredome at Circus Circus Hotel Las Vegas. The 250,000 square feet Halloween dome features 6 haunted houses, 4 scare zones, 25 rides and attractions and live entertainers. The maze based on “The Collection” and “The Collector” horror films are especially scary, as patrons must enter alone so there’s no safety in numbers. The annual celebration is underway and general, fastpass and VIP tickets are available. 

Las Vegas Haunts: Asylum Haunted House and Hotel Fear 
Although the holiday rates at Las Vegas Hotels can be scary, nothing compares to the horrors of Hotel Fear. Located at the Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, both Hotel Fear and Asylum haunted houses feature interlinked story lines and plenty of frights. Hotel Fear and Asylum have been scaring and entertaining patrons for more than 15 years and 2013 is no exception. 

Haunted Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay 
Those who are crazy enough to bring children to Sin City are lucky that there are things to do with kids on Halloween in Las Vegas. Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Hotel Las Vegas will become Haunted Reef on October 25-27 for the 2013 Halloween season. Kids in costume have free admission on October 25. 

Haunted Harvest at Springs Preserve 
Admission to Haunted Harvest is just $6 for kids and $9 for adults, way cheaper than the on-Strip haunts. Haunted Harvest takes place on October 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27. There is a petting zoo, carnival games, trick-or-treating and a haunted hay maze, so family fun is encouraged at Haunted Harvest. Haunted Harvest Las Vegas also features stations for donating candy to overseas troops and old costumes to underprivileged children. 

Freakling Bros.' Trilogy of Terror 
Those who are ready to pee their pants with fear need look no further than Trilogy of Terror Las Vegas this Halloween. Experience three of Las Vegas' most gut wrenching haunted houses all in one place. The “Circus of Horrors” exposes guests to some of the darkest and most freakish creatures of the side-show variety. “Castle Vampire” is a chilling maze of evil night walkers that would make Edward Cullen scream like a little girl. Finally, “Gates of heck” is an interactive attraction and the one and only “R-rated” haunted house in the state. This is undoubtedly the most disturbing, graphic and horrifying haunted house in Las Vegas. 

Sin City Scare Fair 
The newest haunted thrill to hit Las Vegas this Halloween is Sin City scare Fair which features “15 days of horror” from October 11-31. This 60,000 square foot festival has things to do for all ages and two scary haunted houses. Fearless patrons can experience “The Last Ride,” a burial simulator where participants climb into a real used coffin to see what it’s like to be buried. Casino Boy will probably just stick to the pumpkin patch. Walking around in a dark maze can get old, so there’s also the “Terror Track” where patrons can participate in a zombie-filled go-kart ride. Speaking of Zombies, Sin City Scare Fair is set to host “The Walking Dead” and “American Horror Story” actors during the festivities. 

Taken from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/las-vegas-halloween-2013/best-haunted-houses/prweb11224852.htm





Tivoli Village 

6-8pm: Mugsy’s Muttster Bash – All dog breed howl-o-ween costume contest byMugsy & M0xie’s Bully Couture & View Wine Bar & Kitchen (The Market LV, 2nd floor). For more info call 702.808.9339 



This Friday October 25, 2013 

Camp Pump it Up is back! This will be a drop off for ages 5 and up! The price includes crafts, snack, pizza, games and will feature GLOW! Everyone is encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes and try to win the Costume Contest! 

9:30am - 1:00pm 

$20 per child/ $15 per sibling (in advance) 

Register Here:http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html 

$20 per child at the door 

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED - PLEASE CALL OR REGISTER USING THE ABOVE LINK! 

Price Includes: Open jump time, games, music, a special craft and pizza!



If you find more, please post in the comments!! 

October 21, 2013

Spread A Little Joy!

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My dear friend Joy over at Joy On Your Shoulders is one of the most inspiring people I know. One day, I hope to meet her face to face!

Her Joyous creations each have an amazing message that help you through your every day lives. Whether one word (Namaste) or multiple (Make An Appointment With Joy), each will help you see how it's the little Joys in life that matter. 

I have mine hanging in my kitchen as a constant reminder of peace...it says "Namaste"





I currently have 2 to give away. I am thinking I MAY give them to my 2 elementary school kids teachers as Christmas gifts. The thought came to me as I picked them up the other day and saw how wonderful my 1st grader's teacher is with him. 



These are amazing creations. I may even get another one later on, as a blog giveaway :)

Have a Joyous day! 


Check out her website and order your own Joyful Creation HERE

October 20, 2013

On Being A Writer: When You WANT To Listen To The Voices In Your Head!

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I have been writing since I can remember. Creative stories, poetry (I have a poetry book I started when I was a young teenager, and still write in it once in a while) and most recently a 20K word, 10 chapter short story. I have also started brainstorming for the NaNoWriMo challenge of a 50K word novel, which will be tied into my short story.

Recently I was speaking with a fellow author and a friend of almost 10 years. We were discussing how the "voices" (our characters) love to pop ideas in our heads at the most inconvienient times.

Mostly while:

Driving
In the middle of the night
In the shower
Walking down the grocery aisle
Cooking
Walking down the street
Watching TV
Trying to get to sleep
In a PTA meeting

Basically...every second of every day, whether you are awake or sleeping. Appaently, fictional characters NEVER sleep! If I could be like them, then I couls have more than 2 books written by now!!!

Now, if you are not a writer, you may not fully grasp this. But that is ok, writers need readers, and I hope you are one of those!!! We write for you, for our characters and for us.

Not all writers write to make money. Most write because it is our passion. We just love to bring characters to life...or kill off beloved characters, you know, to keep it interesting. Don't hate the author for the death of the character...9 out of 10 times it is for a good reason, or the character just had nothing else to say. But hey, sometimes they come back. so there is always hope.

And remember, we love our characters as much as you do :) Even when we have to kill them!

Bloggy Moms Blog Hop!

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Over at Bloggy Moms, they are doing an October Blog Hop! I know we are late in the game, but I have always loved a good blog hop!!!
 
So go check out there Blog Hop Page and Link Up!!



My new addiction: Pressed Juicery

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Within the last few months I was introduced to the Pressed Juicery name. I was living in Upstate New York up until a few weeks ago and there really was no way to get it. At least, I didn't want to chance it going bad by the time it got to me. I wanted all of its yummy goodness :). My friend in California was going to send it to me, but it was suggested she didn't, since it only is good for 3 days.

This is amazing, raw, un-pasteruized and no added anything! It is like drinking a little bit of Heaven in every bottle. I will eventually try every one. In fact, i am about to buy myself a gift card for future purchases.

Now I live in Las Vegas. I ordered my own personalized 6 pack of juices, which I will have the last of today.


Because I am now addicted, I decided to try their 1 Day Cleanse.
This includes:
Chocolate Almond
Greens 2



Roots 2



Citrus 2



Greens 3



Vanilla Almond




All of this yummy raw goodness should be arriving at my doorstep this week! I will be sure to come back and tell you my experience. I have never done a cleanse before, so this should prove interesting.

You can also order their Aloe and Chlorophyll waters to aid in your cleanse.

Here is a picture of their full menu. I wonder what it would take to get them to come to Las Vegas :) I would be happy to run a store!! I have retail and management experience. And this would fare VERY well here!


Check them out on the Internet!:



Click HERE for their physical locations as well.

Follow founders Hayden Slater and Carly de Castro on Twitter 

And read their story HERE




Before you order from Pressed Juicery, remember they are unpasteurized/raw and that may cause issues with children, elderly and those with immune issues

October 18, 2013

Pawn Stars

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Yes, I have a 14 year old. So...what did he make me do? Yup we drove to Downtown Las Vegas and visited the Gold And Silver Pawn Shop featured on the History Channel show Pawn Stars.

My oldest LOVES this show (I secretly may as well) and so i decided to be nice and bring him. There were a lot of amazing items for sale there, some I would love to get, if I could afford it. Mainly artwork :).

The stars of the show were not there, but in speaking with the cashier and telling her that my son loves the show, she gave him a picture:


It was quite busy, but we got to look around without killing ourselves in the crowds. :) 

After looking around and trying not to buy anything, I found this adorable sterling silver bracelet with butterflies :) 


I love this! Maybe next time we go, we can try to find something that we can pawn :). I don't have anything, but hey! Never know what they will take right? :) 

And now, remind me to NOT go to Downtown Las Vegas unless I NEED to! 

Ok so it took a while to get here!

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We left on October 5th for our journey across the country. We loved seeing all the sights of different states as we drove through them. I would have loved to have seen the friends I know along the way, but there was not enough time :(.

I have to say though, that Nebraska, though beautiful, is very flat and kind of boring to drive through. :/

Everything was going amazingly well, until we hit Denver.

The minute we hit Denver, the UHaul broke down. So, we spent a little more time than we thought we would there. But, at least the scenery was beautiful!!

We finally got to Las Vegas on October 10th. And I have to say, the glitch in the road was worth the end result!

We love it here! Though, I will try to avoid the Strip like the plague, unless there is something there worth blogging about. (The upcoming Life is Beautiful Festival maybe?)

I do have some other things I want to blog about :D I will have to get those out of drat and into the world!

Thanks for taking a look :D

October 9, 2013

Let's Talk About My Favorite App... @snapette

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Ever since I was little, I have loved fashion. Clothes, shoes, nail polish and, of course, accessories!

I eat, sleep and breathe Prada, COACH and most recently Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade (Especially her Saturday.com site!) 

So, while pursuing the internet for the latest amazing styles and accessories (I think most of my fashion spending goes to accessories) I came across Snapette on one of my favorite actresses, Emma Roberts, Instagram.

I immediately downloaded it to my Note 2 and browsed away. I think it took me all of 10 minutes to find something I immediately HAD to have! It was a really neat bracelet from Madewell. From there I found a few tops, other accessories and more.

There are hundreds of stores within the app, maps to their locations, website addresses and even pricing in case you want to do some "window shopping." You can follow stores and people, see what they are buying or looking at and get great gift ideas!

Please feel free to follow me when you download the app :)



Recently, they implemented shopping capabilities right from their app. Of course, I had to "test" this out. So I browsed their amazing selection and found a very cute necklace that has LOVE across it and a cute Infinity ring.


I have most of all of my purchases made thanks to finding them on Snapette On my Instagram


I also created a Twitter for all things fashion, music and books :) HERE.  

You can download Snapette for Android HERE and for iPhone HERE

Download today and start shopping!   





October 7, 2013

What Do You Watch?

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I may be addicted to TV...

I was going through the Entertainment Weekly Fall issue and I made a schedule of shows I will be, or want to, watch this season:


Sunday: 9pm. The Walking Dead 10pm. Masters of Sex
Monday: 8pm. How I Met Your Mother 9pm. Beauty And The Beast 10pm. Castle
Tuesday: 8pm. The Originals 9pm. Ravenswood
Wednesday: 8pm. Arrow 9pm. Tomorrow People 10pm. American Horror Story
Thursday: 8pm. The Vampire Diaries 9pm. Glee
Friday: 10pm. Dracula
Others that are starting early/mid 2014:
Switched At Birth Pretty Little Liars True Blood Vikings Hemlock Grove

Benefits Of Signing With Your Children!

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The Benefits of Signing

Signing at Home
• Signing allows your infant to clearly communicate specific thoughts.
• Signing reduces frustration for your baby – and for you!
• Signing gives you a window into your child’s mind and personality.
• Signing won’t delay verbal language development – in fact, it may accelerate it. Research shows that

babies who sign usually start to talk sooner and develop larger vocabularies than non-signing babies.
• Signing reinforces verbal language by adding visual and kinesthetic emphasis to auditory input.
• Signing children tend to be more interested in books.
• Signing builds on babies’ natural tendency to use gestures.

Signing in Childcare Settings
• Signing helps to lower noise levels in preschool classrooms by reducing frustrated screaming and
crying.
• Signing minimizes stress and frustration for caregivers who are responsible for meeting the needs of
many children at once.
• Signing reduces the “guesswork” in meeting each child’s maintenance needs resulting in more
available time for positive, developmental interactions.
• Caregivers report that signing significantly reduces problems with biting. Take away the frustration
and biting goes with it.
• The use of American Sign Language gives children with special needs the opportunity to interact in
a meaningful way with typically developing children. General acceptance of children with special
needs is greatly enhanced.

October 5, 2013

Teaching Your Child To Read

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The best way to teach your child to read, is to read to them. Read, rhyme, sing, sign all day, and your little one will become proficient in language and word recognition. Babies/toddlers do not learn as much from a video as they do with face to face time. Integrate that with music education from day one and you will be set! Take her to a Kindermusik or Music Together class, get involved in baby signing classes and talk to her about what you are doing during the day while wearing her in a sling.

TV does more harm then good for babies and young children , and the AAP strongly suggests against any TV under 2. There are some great articles out there, I usually go to one site in particular (www.lenababy.com) and they had a great article HERE

Do a lot of research before buying into these "educational" videos...yea, I love the occasional Baby Einstein, but not for educational purposes. They are out to make money more then anything else!

Apparently my great grandmother taught me to read by 2...and there were no educational videos 31 years ago!


Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

A couple more articles:

http://www.seattlechildrens.org/media/press-release/2009/06/004760/

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=17546

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/03/babies.watch.TV/index.html

http://www.newsweek.com/id/35413

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627221722.htm

October 4, 2013

Kids And Internet Safety

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Welcome to the age of kid on the internet. From site such as Starfall and Headsprout for the younger set to Facebook and Twitter, for those over 13. The internet can be both a wonderful wealth of education to a downright scary place. We can connect with people we have not spoken with in years, as well as meet new people that become our lifelong friends. And, of course, there are online organizations like The Mommies Network, that connect moms of all walks of life for support and more!

            When your child is young and wants to play a game online, you are usually sitting there, helping them along and interacting with them and monitoring what they are doing. When they get a little older, you may feel more comfortable leaving them for longer periods of time while you get things done around the house or they look up things for homework. But what most parents do not realize, is that there are many places out there where their child (in this case, I refer to children as under the age of 16. Over that, they should be able to have better judgment in most situations) can be lured into places by people lying about who they are, or posing as people they think they know. All you have to do is Google Facebook Predators and see what has been in the news the last couple years.

            Even looking up something for a homework assignment might bring them to an inappropriate site or a site that may steal information from your computer. Make sure that you have certain domains and keywords blocked from search engines.

            Many kids these days under the age of 13 (the “legal” age for Facebook) have a Facebook page. If you are going to let your child have one, you need to have access to everything that your child does on his or her page. I would say do not let them have it, but, admittedly, my 11 year old has one. He is rarely on it, but uses it to keep in contact with friends that live many states away, as well as family. I have access to everything and get messages every time he posts a status or other activity. As I said, he is not on it all that much, his last activity being over a month ago. (I also have MY friends on his list and they, as well as family, would tell me if anything was suspicious). So if you are going to let them have it, make sure to monitor it closely. This goes for MySpace, message boards and Twitter. Though, most kids do not use Twitter.

            When your child is around the 10 to 12 range, and they show more interest in the internet and all it has to offer, sit with them and go over rules and safety tips, to keep them from coming into any harm. Some of these tips for kids would be:

·         Do not give out personal information such as address, email and phone number

·         NEVER meet up with anyone you do not know from school or other activities

·         Tell your parents if someone you do not know is trying to friend you or send you messages to meet up with them

·         Keep your passwords safe and only share them with mom and dad

·         If someone is harassing you into meeting them or is cyber bullying you, tell your parents and also the local authorities

·         If someone sends you inappropriate pictures, alert your parents and the authorities immediately

·         Never download and install anything unless you or your parents know the source and that it will not harm your computer or steal information

·         Be careful of sharing pictures on social networks and message boards. Manhy pictures, especially if taken with a smart phone (i.e. Droid or iPhone) have location data attached that may include your address and latitude/longitude coordinates, making it easy for people to locate you

And here are some tips for parents as well:

·         Keep a family computer in a central, easily seen,  area

·         Use a domain/keyword blocker

·         Consistently check on what your child is doing

·         Never let a child have a computer in their room with the door shut until they have proved their responsibility (and even then, keep a close eye)

·         Check your family computer history often

·         Block items such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter from the central family computer until your children are old enough, or mature enough, to use them

·         Do not let your children use your personal laptops or desktops

Following simple precautions and safety tips will keep your child, and you, safe from any dangers that lurk online. The internet can be a great place is used correctly and when you proceed with caution!

Here are some safe sites for families, kids, and teens:

http://www.starfall.com a great site for young learners in early elementary school and preschool

http://headsprout.com help your 3-5 year old read, and your older child learn reading comprehension

http://www.netsmartz.org Parenting wired kids can be difficult, especially if you didn't grow up with the same technologies. These resources can help.

http://www.webwisekids.org providing unique and effective resources to equip young people to safely use and enjoy the latest technologies

http://www.safekids.com one of the oldest and most enduring sites for Internet safety

October 3, 2013

BlogHer October Theme: Fall

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Ok so, this month's theme is fall. I have always loved fall! Being from New York I loved watching the trees turn and of course playing in the leaves. I love the smell in the air...crisp and chilly. I don't like COLD weather, but the smell of Fall is amazing.

Apple picking, apple cider, pumpkin EVERYTHING...all signs of Fall. How can you resist Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee?! I am not big on donuts, but I do love Cider Donuts!

We are about to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. From what I can see, there are no real (East Coast real) signs of Fall there. So I may have to bring a few brightly colored leaves with me, and place them on my lawn :D

On the left is Fall in Upstate NY...on the right is Fall in Las Vegas :) 



I hope to take a lot of nice pictures this Fall and throughout the year in Las Vegas for the blog. 

Government Shutdown

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I keep hearing a lot about this, from every side of the political spectrum. I have so many friends who's families are being affected by this. Layoffs, furloughs and more. It is especially scary for those that have family in the military, deployed over seas.

It seems that Congress is having one big temper tantrum. Like a bunch of kindergartners fighting over toys in the sandbox on the playground. If one cannot get their way, then every one suffers.

Only this isn't a sandbox, it is our country! While Congress is shut down and getting paid, there are hundreds, possibly THOUSANDS, of families wondering where their next paycheck will come from, if it comes at all.

It is not only these families not having money to feed their families that bothers me...it is the fact that I see there are some other programs being put on hold including WIC in some places, food stamps and, from what I hear last night, some cancer treatment centers!

And I just now, as I was writing this, heard about THIS happening in Washington. A shooter on Capital Hill!

I truly fear for the future of this country, and what my children will have to grow up in.

I certainly hope this tantrum is over soon and we can get back to being the UNITED STATES of America.

Awareness...

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Ok, let me start out by saying that I fully support breast cancer research and awareness, and I have had friends and family pass away from this, and other, cancers.

BUT

Where are the campaigns for the OTHER diseases, cancers, etc... that affect women!? I bet you if you went out on the streets and asked the average woman passing by, what they THINK is the #1 killer among women, they will say breast cancer! Why?! Because that is all that is EVER on TV, on the shelves, in the mailbox, and wherever else they can advertise. I am glad there is awareness, but when does it get redundant?

I looked for products for breast cancer awareness, and got a TON of websites, like THIS one. Then I looked up the REAL #1 killer of women in the US...heart disease. It took me a LONG time to find SOMETHING online. All I did find id something for congenital heart defects, which, really, is not the same! (My daughter has a CHD, and my mom died from heart disease/heart attack).

The month of September is National Ovarian Cancer Month...so where are all the water bottles, TV commercials, magnets, pens, stickers, etc... promoting that?! How about cervical cancer, which is becoming even more common then breast cancer!

Can you name the top 10 killers of women in the US?! Most people probably can not. I knew #'s 1-2, but even I had to look up the rest! (And FYI breast cancer is SECOND to colorectal cancer)

Here they are:


No. 1 — Heart disease

No. 2 — Cancer (NOT just breast cancer)

No. 3 — Stroke

No. 4 — COPD

No. 5 — Alzheimer's disease

No. 6 — Injuries

No. 7 — Type 2 diabetes

No. 8 — Flu

No. 9 — Kidney disease

No. 10 — Blood poisoning (septicemia or sepsis)



That is a scary list! And the sad part is, many women who complain about anything above are usually turned away and told it is nothing! (Yet if it was a man, they would be tested for everything).

Again, I have nothing against the research and funding going into breast cancer, but why can't we even the playing field, and educate people about the OTHER health risks! They tell you to get your yearly mammogram, but how about your yearly pap smear, or a yearly echo-cardiogram, etc... to make sure you are head to toe healthy!?

Oh and if you want to support a breast cancer research company, you should do your homework! Did you know that the Komen Foundation funds Planned Parentood and is pro abortion? They funded them about $3-4 million between 2003 and 2008!! If you are going to put your money into something worth while for breast cancer, you can at least give your money to something more worthy, like the Carol Baldwin Foundation.

And, just in case you want to give some money for other areas lacking research and awareness, you can check these out too!


American Heart Association
American Lung Association
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
Ovarian Cancer Awareness


If you have more, feel free to post them in a comment, and I will put them in the post! 
 

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