Extreme Gingerbread Houses

These gingerbread houses get extreme. See a 67-foot house, replicas of Hogwarts Castle  and St. Basil's Cathedral, a gingerbread town, and more!

Your daily funny…because we all suck at something

What Every State in the U.S. is Worst at (from Yahoo!/Thrillist)

Michigan: Worst roads
8 Mile helped put Detroit back on the Hollywood map. Too bad every other mile in the state is as terrible as the Tigers in this year’s playoffs, since Michigan spends the least per capita on its roads and bridges, at $174 per person annually.

Harsh, but true. Find more tough love for the states here. 

Starbucks (Blank Space) for Moms

Some talented folks at Scary Mommy made this totally relatable video using Taylor Swift's Blank Space. 

http://www.scarymommy.com/taylor-swifts-blank-space/

Adam Levine and Jimmy Fallon Sing-off

Love, love, love this! 

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/11056

Ideas for Family Fun

It was high time I shared a link to the latest Metro Parent Fun Guide. This is a great resource with tons of activities and ideas to keep families, and even out-of-town guests, entertained throughout the year. 

Fun Guide 2014, Metro Parent 

Feel free to share the link, or pick up a copy local newsstands now.

Happy unofficial start of summer! 

Ah-mazing! Katy Perry - Dark Horse (Sang in 20 Styles) Ten Second Songs

I have to start by admitting my kids are the main reason I listen to Katy Perry every day now. They're not tweens or teens, not even close. And I can honestly say is this song (Dark Horse) is getting a lot of play at home, and on the road along with the rest of the Prism album, which I've found surprisingly enjoyable. Don't be a hater, I have eclectic music tastes. Plus, my kids are, thankfully, still young enough we don't have to explain the lyrics. 

I have never seen anything like this guy, with his Frankenstein tattoo (yeah, gotta look to find it), singing in so many varied styles. Get through the crush of heavy metal and you'll find Sinatra, The Doors, Pavarotti, John Mayer, Run D.M.C., and more! Listen for yourself.

Wow!  

Sweet Week - Wednesday Wisdom

We've been in a seemingly endless cycle of sleep, wake, wash, school, work, with some variations on feeding, cleaning, and shoveling (mostly snow). I've got major deadlines; a family on the brink of colds, but powering through since our girl is student of the week; and piles of snow and laundry taking over our house inside and out. Who has time to shower, plan meals, or participate in school parties? I actually contemplated not going to the school Valentine Party. (Oh, no!) This is shocking because it's a big deal to my kid, and Heart Day crafts are pretty cool. 

I'd just about given up on the whole party parent thing, and was planning either a drive-by or a full-on escape, which would have required a careful explanation to our daughter since she's probably expecting me there. Instead, another mom e-mailed the group to say her son got sick and she needed someone to take over the craft she planned for the party. 

Within minutes of receiving her message I had these thoughts. How awful, her son is sick. Great, he puked in my kid's class. I hope he's okay. I hope he didn't spray any of the other kids. Gee, I feel bad for her, she sounds really stressed. I'm stressed too, but my kid didn't hork up lunch, sure I'll help. 

The way this played out reminds me of a post circulating the web a year or so ago with the caption, "If a toddler hands you a ringing toy phone…you answer that s*!t." Someecards has one, if you want to see it/share it. I should never have thought I could 'skip' or 'skate' through a kid party, especially not one my kid is psyched about. And when a mom with a sick kid needs help. What do you do? Step up, of course and answer that phone, e-mail, or whatever!

So, I'm now signed up for a crafty craft. Although, it's below freezing (still) and I've got to find craft supplies. Then proceed to unwrap, draw, cut and organize these things in about a day to make it to the party on time. At least I'm doing my part to help. If it works out the kids will enjoy Valentine's Day and mine will think I'm pretty awesome. 

The countdown is on, cheers! 

‘Twas the Day After Christmas

‘Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house

Paper, toys and boxes were strewn all about;

The stockings, once hung, lay in a pile on the floor,

Remnants of Saint Nicholas and gift-giving galore;

The children bounced ‘round, and launched cars to and fro;

While they dreamed of chocolate cake and sledding in snow;

And mamma in her slippers, and I with my energy zapped;

Just wish we could settle down for a long winter’s nap,

When out in the family room there arose such a clatter,

We grumbled up from our chairs to see what was the matter,

Away to the ruckus we struggled to go,

Walked through the hallway, and the mess down below,

When what to our tired old eyes did appear,

But a miniature Porsche launched high in the air,

Missing a driver it flew lively and quick,

We knew in a moment it must be the kids,

More rapid than jets, the objects they flew,

We swerved and we ducked then shouted out to the crew:

“Be careful! Aim that way! Watch out for the tree!

Move your arm! Stop launching before something hits me!

Watch out for the window! Watch out for the wall!

Stop crashing and bashing cars both big and small!

As rejected old pumpkins from past holidays fly,

When they meet with a trebuchet, mount to the sky;

So up to the ceiling, the autos they flew,

Vehicles, spinning wheels, and parts flying too,

And then in an instant, we saw on the spot the giggling and high-fiving of each little tot.

Our scowls melted to smiles,

And we beamed bright with glee,

A right joyous moment, it all seemed to be.

Until the kids scattered and grabbed more toys from the stack,

Their hands were again busy drawing this and building that.

They sprang up the stairs,

with cars, dolls and Legos too,

playing freely, without care,

like all kids should do.

But we heard them exclaim,

As they ran out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!”

Working on some fun Snowman Popcorn Cups

Popcorn goes in tomorrow!

27 Actors Who Got Their Starts on Miami Vice (Mental Floss)

Couldn't resist posting this link I found while researching celebs. Here's a list (with photos) of 27 actors who started on Miami Vice (the 1980s version). The B&W photo of Crockett and Tubbs isn't bad either. 

Let me entertain you...

I'm so excited! And it's not just because we've had three or more straight days of sunshine here. I'm super excited for several reasons. 

1. Hubs and I went out on a date. A real date! We went to see Joe Bonamassa, possibly the best concert we've ever seen. He's incredibly talented. With the exception of our lousy colds, we had a blast! We walked together, went to Hockeytown Cafe and had drinks, like real adults sometimes do, and saw a truly great show. What a night! Thank you, mom! We couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks to Debbie for keeping me from hyperventilating. :) Especially, thanks to my dear husband. It was a glorious night with you! Best. Concert. EVA! 

Other stuff I'm excited about:
2. Have you been outside? It's finally warming up! 

3. While our tulips are stemmy nubs, our rabbits have grown fat and happy. At least someone got to enjoy them. It's pretty cute watching them hop around the yard and skitter when we pull in the driveway, like they've been doing something they shouldn't have.  

4. Getting to see my mom before Mother's Day. 

5. Mother's Day - don't forget mama this week!


SYOAS - See you online again soon!

Wednesday Wisdom...

Here's a little something I like to call Wednesday Wisdom. If you're in the mood for a little humor, pick-me-up or sanity check, this is for you. 

I saw this on a bumper sticker recently and it made me smile. "What would Scooby Do?"

My guess? He'd run around trying to solve mysteries, jump in Shaggy's arms, have a Scooby snack (or two) and call it a day. Sounds good to me! Although, I'd rather jump in my hubby's arms and have a Root Beer Float-chata. See, doesn't it look better than a dog biscuit?

Hoppy Spring: 12 things to enjoy this weekend

Enjoying the weekend yet? It's a long one for us, so I found a little time to write this post. Plus, college basketball is on and we're up cheering for our teams to advance to the Elite 8, to win the championship really, but we're getting closer one round at a time. But, I digress.

The point is we're taking a collective breath after a number of action-packed and work-filled weeks. Today, I told my hubby, actually felt like the weekends we used to know. I mean, these days, weekends are as full of work as weekdays - all the work blending together. Work at work, work at home, drive, write, meet, teach, care for, cook, clean, play, pay bills, strive, learn, love, so many important things fill our days and nights. Maybe it's because we have kids, but it feels like we're running non-stop, and it is good, we just need a little downtime. Doesn't everyone?

Here's to long weekends. We'll be trying to slow things down and enjoy some special moments. Maybe these will help inspire you to enjoy a few of your own favorite things. 

1. Family gatherings, big and small
2. Spring
3. Celebrations
4. Sunday clothes, or comfy ones
5. Family meals
6. Kids
7. Flowers, even if you just see them at the store
8. Breezy days
9. Sunshine
10. Singing
11. Low-tech fun
12. Enjoying a little downtime 

Baskets, grass on the outside
by K. Gibson

French Toast and Formula 1

In our house, racing rules. We’ve got a long-standing tradition of having French Toast and watching each F1 race. We sometimes change it up, but this year we celebrated the inaugural F1 race with my famous French Toast. Yummy, happy family!

Sweet Syrup Drizzles
by K.Gibson

Two to the 0-1-3

There’s no time to shower, much less contemplate New Year’s Resolutions. But, the kids are both sleeping (yes!) and my husband is using his new video game steering wheel (it’s totally cool), so I have approximately 17 minutes to get this post in before something happens, like the baby wakes up or I pass out from exhaustion. Did I mention the two kids?

The past couple years I did a pretty good job of outlining meaningful and lasting resolutions, like resolving to make more reindeer cupcakes and making Twenty Twelve about more than Poo and Patty-Cake. But, I must confess, most of my 2012 list was untouched. Do you know what it’s like raising two kids under 5 while working on a freelance writing career, trying to fake like everything is handled while my husband launches a new electric vehicle and comes home to be an amazing husband and father in his spare time? Let’s just say we’ve kinda had a lot on going on.

So, this year we’re cutting through all the other stuff and getting to the top things we hope to do this year, in addition to all the things we already do and those other things we’d like to do (see the 2011 and 2012 list).

1.    Play with the kids more

2.    Play with each other more, instead of just keeping it all from falling apart

3.    Turn off all electronic devices, at the same time, an hour or more each night (don’t laugh, it seems like these things are on all the time!)

4.    Make a habit of going places other than Target and the grocery store when cabin fever hits and we all just need to get out

5.    Have one special date night dinner at a restaurant that doesn’t have a kid’s menu

6.    Have a special family dinner out and show all the other folks you can take kids our in public, and if the kids won’t cooperate, hopefully we’re in a loud place so no one will notice

7.    Play in the snow more (see #3)

8.    Play in the sun more (with sunscreen, of course)

9.    Play in the rain more

10. Take a family vacation that isn’t centered around some other event, say a birthday, reunion, wedding or graduation, but is a real family vacation

11. Try not to huff every time any of us spills something, it’s wipe-able, it’ll dry, or there will be a story (like salsa in the new house, this was even before kids)

12. Enjoy the sweet age our babies are before they get too old or too busy for us

13. Hug our children and each other every day and let them know how much we love them

14. Sleep like we used to (at least one night this year)

What’s on your list? 

Not a creature was stirring...

After a day full of anticipation and excitement about tonight's gift-giving guest, our kids are nestled all snug in their beds. Sounds nice, but our long winter's nap will have to wait. Parents, you know what I mean. 

It's Christmas Eve. We're all excited about Santa's arrival and the morning festivities. So excited in fact, we've cooked, cleaned, stuffed, wrapped, set-up photography and it's not yet midnight! That doesn't always happen. So why write a blog? It's important to make note of these milestones. It's also important to share some good. 

So, if you need a boost to get across the holiday finish line try reading 5 things to enjoy this holiday, laugh at a Twelve Days of Christmas Remix, or reminisce about all the things between chaos and Christmas and be thankful for every moment.

Happy Holidays!

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Remix)

I’m a fan of music and the holidays. This year I’ve got such a long To-do list, it inspired me to rewrite “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to reflect how fun and crazy the holidays get around our house.

Whether you’re young or old, a parent or student, it’s the time of year to celebrate, just try not to take everything so seriously. Here’s my rewrite and the original in case you can't remember the words.

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Remix)

12 Toy assemblies

11 Missing pieces

10 Without instructions

9 Batteries needed

8 Trips to Target

7 Cookies later

6 Gifts not wrapped yet

5 Hours ‘til dawn

4 Pounds of coffee

3 Broken light sets

2 Tired parents

And a Brand New Vacuum Cleaner!

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Original, I think)

12 Drummers Drumming

11 Pipers Piping

10 Lords-a-leaping

9 Ladies Dancing

8 Maids-a-milking

7 Swans-a-swimming

6 Geese-a-laying

5 Golden Rings

4 Calling (or Colly) Birds

3 French Hens

2 Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Misfit Toys

Love these...Hand-Turkey Paper Dolls (from Parents)

Here's an adorable Thanksgiving craft idea from Parents. I had to show you, but you can see and download the real deal here. They have a bunch of other cute ideas, check them out when you want to gobble up Thanksgiving ideas.

(Go ahead. It's ok, we're well within my six week holiday rule.) :)

Kid Amusement

Here's something for our friends who are about to give birth, and another couple who recently welcomed their second child. Sometimes it’s fun to be an amusement park ride. 

Are you a Twi-hard, a Hunger-ling or both?

I have to say that I’ve been meaning to comment on the Hunger Games movie that debuted a few days ago, but I’ve been busy entertaining family. Or, they’ve been entertaining me, not sure, maybe a little of both.

Since comparisons are being made, it’s about time to speak up.

What did I want to say about the Hunger Games movie? Go. See. It. Not because I previewed it or will have time to see it before it hits the dollar theater, although I’ve talked about it at least ten times a day for the past week. I think it’s worth seeing because (IMO) the movie is based on a really great book. Suzanne Collins crafts this dystopian society where children, a boy and a girl, from 12 districts outside of the opulent and controlling Capitol are selected each year to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. It’s interesting, it’s political, it’s gut wrenching and it’s good. That’s all I will say, you should read it then see the movie, especially if you like a little more sci-fi.

I also wanted to say there are a few important changes that might irk some Hunger-lings. In an Entertainment Weekly (EW) story I read recently (and found more online), it sounded like the moviemakers were trying to convince themselves as much as the public that the story changes and cuts they made were crucial to keeping the movie at an acceptable length and budget.

Today, I saw a twitter post from EW outlining more differences between the book and movie. The author also gave an opinion of what worked and what didn’t. It’s good, but subjective, so if you’re interested you can check it out.

Now, I liked the Twilight saga too. I read a lot and since I spend most days neck deep in diapers and drool, any romance, action or departure from reality, between the hours of midnight and 3 am when I finally get some me-time, is a welcome escape. I don’t think you need to compare them, but go ahead if you want, USA Today does. Three main characters, a female and two suitors, sure. But, beyond that, I say enjoy them for what they are, stories.

If you are a fan of both, plan to be busy this Thanksgiving holiday and next. Twi-hards can see the final installment of the series when Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits theaters this Nov. 16. And Hunger-lings will be hungry waiting until Nov. 22, 2013, for the second story in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire.