cars. so many cars.

I've been spending so much time looking for a new car the past few weeks that everything, including blogging, has been taking a back seat. And I so hate shopping for cars. I hate the entire process- the research, the salespeople, the narrowing down, the decision making, the test driving, the photocopying of my license, the calls and emails from dealers afterwards, the money.. all of it.

We encountered some nice salespeople, some pushy salespeople, some rude ones, etc. Unfortunately even stuff like that has a place in the the decision of where and which car to buy. There was one salesman that took two calls while he was on the test drive with us and then talked Jason's ear off about his job. The gas light was on the entire drive, I never got to above about 35 mph because of all the traffic, and the drive was over before I knew it.

And I actually genuinely detest have the salesperson in the car while I'm driving it.. especially when they are directing me turn by turn. Like a driving test. Like a horrible, nerve-wracking drive test in a car that you've never been in before. And I'm paying more attention to what they are saying about where to go than I am to the car I may or may not buy. So, hint.. I'm probably not going to buy it then.

But.. thankfully, I'm pretty sure the whole nonsense is almost over. As in, I've decided on the make and model.. I just have to find "the one" now. I think.

Pocoyo Boo! giveaway (closed)

A Pocoyo dvd just in time for Halloween.. Pocoyo Boo!

Pocoyo airs daily on NickJr and on Univision and is perfect for preschool age children. Pocoyo is a little boy who is figuring out the world around him with his friends. The show is bright, colorful, easy to understand, engaging, and all ages are entertained by the clever humor and adorable animation. 

Whether it's playing a new game called Boo!, enjoying a monster mash party or pretending to be Godzilla & King Kong, every day is fun & engaging with Pocoyo and his friends!

The stories on Pocoyo Boo! include: Boo!, Scary Noises, Detective Pocoyo, Lost in Space, Poczilla, Monster Mystery, and Angry Alien.

And my daughter could not wait to watch them. She is so excited for Halloween this year, constantly asking me how many days until it's here. So when the new Pocoyo dvd arrived at our house, she could barely contain her excitement. Okay- she's 5, she really couldn't contain it at all.

We watched it right away and she loved it. It's Halloween-y, but not so much so that you couldn't watch it any other time of the year.. it's more monsters, aliens, and coming up with silly ways to scare each other than it is specifically about the holiday. Just another great Pocoyo dvd to add to our collection we think.

You can enter to win your own copy of Pocoyo Boo! by entering now through Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Make one comment below (only one per household please). Open to U.S. addresses only. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email- they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Please make sure your email address is in your comment or blogger profile.

(Giveaway prize provided by NCircle Entertainment.)

winner: #1 dailymom

Pointer Smith

Last week, Lily was so talkative about school and we had a really long conversation about her entire day, including..

S and Pointer were crying at lunch..

Pointer?

Pointer..

Pointer?? (Like pointer finger? German Short-haired Pointer?)

Pointer.

There's a kid named Pointer?

Well.. I think his name is Parker.

Oh, okay. (big difference.)

what we did

1. The biggest (purple) beans didn't start coming until September.
2. We have 6 turkeys that have been walking around the neighborhood. One day I just happened to be looking out the window when they were taking a stroll through our yard. Each one is about as big as Noah.
3. I sewed a cape for Lily- made it up as I went out along. It's reversible- red flannel on one side and black with small circles on the other. In some ways it was fun, it some ways it was not. I may end up having to do it again since now she wants to be Raven from Teen Titans Go for Halloween. Aaaand of course Raven has a purple cape.
4. We went to a family event where there was a K-9 demonstration. Lily and Noah didn't care that much.. but I was pretty impressed. I know dogs can be fast.. but I wasn't expecting how fast this one was.
5. I have officially starting drinking hot coffee for the season. Sort of. The weather keeps going back and forth between hot and cold.. so I have been having to do the same with my coffee.
6. Another 6 purple beans. I thought that I got such a good start on my garden this year, but the fact that it's October and I'm getting more beans than ever makes me wonder.
7. Lettuce.. and still more growing.
8. I don't drive a VW, but I improvised a flower holder anyway.. never know when my children will present me with gifts.
9. I bribed Lily to leave the house with a promise of a cake pop on my pretend holiday (Pumpkin Spice Day). It is the official start to my pumpkin spice coffee drinking season. It is my favorite flavored coffee and I force myself to wait until October 1st every year.. otherwise I'd drink it all the time and probably hate it by the end of the year.

Pocoyo's Circus Giveaway (closed)

A few years ago we started seeing Pocoyo in little segments in between our "regular" shows. I thought it was so cute, but since he was just randomly stuck in as time allowed after other shows, we never knew when we'd catch his antics.

I really wished that he would have his own half-hour time slots so we'd know when to catch him.. and also so there would be more than just a few minutes of him. And then.. he finally did. Now we can program the DVR for Pocoyo and even watch the dvds, one of the newest being Pocoyo's Circus (which was watched on repeat for days on end in our house).

Pocoyo airs daily on NickJr and on Univision and is perfect for preschool age children. Pocoyo is a little boy who is figuring out the world around him with his friends. The show is bright, colorful, easy to understand, engaging, and all ages are entertained by the clever humor and adorable animation. In Pocoyo’s Circus, Pocoyo and his friends go on a new fun-filled circus adventure! One day a group of curious aliens arrive in Pocoyo's world. Pocoyo soon realizes that these new friends are not just any aliens; in fact, they are circus aliens! Their new friends treat Pocoyo and the gang to a free day at the circus, where Pocoyo and his friends must work together to help save the show! 

I don't know what it is about him that even I, as the parent, like watching. Pocoyo doesn't say much, but the physical comedy is so appealing and kid friendly. Anything that he can't express himself- the narrator helps him out.

You can enter to win your own copy of Pocoyo's Circus by entering now through Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Make one comment below (only one per household please). Open to U.S. addresses only. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email- they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Please make sure your email address is in your comment or blogger profile.

(Giveaway prize provided by NCircle Entertainment.)

winner: #11 Ashley

flying people

On the way home from Lily's swimming class last week, I took a different route than normal so that I could stop at the post office. As I drove along I noticed two teenage kids coming towards me on a bike. Even though they were on the other of the street (and on the sidewalk) they caught my eye anyway. The boy was peddling and the girl was standing on the back of it, but as they started down the hill I could see the front of the bike starting to wobble around.

For a second, just one, I thought maybe the boy was doing it, but then the girl started screaming- and I just knew it wasn't going to end well.

With the bike shaking, they picked up speed, hit the curb on the corner of the sidewalk at the bottom of the hill and both of them launched up off the bike. They flew, in what seemed like slow motion (the girl screaming the entire time), up over the handlebars and all the way onto the other side of the street- landing, crumpled, next to a large pole. From my angle I couldn't see if they actually hit it or not, but it seemed like they did.

I slammed on my brakes and pulled over. Neither one of them moved for a few seconds. Had Lily not been in the back of the car and us on the other side of the street I would have been over there instantly, but I just waited a second to see if they got up. They did. Slowly- just as another car on their side of the street stopped by them as well. The woman jumped out and ran towards them as the kids sat down on the curb.

I couldn't hear what any of them were saying, but as the woman turned back towards her car, I called out to her- asking if they were alright. She sounded doubtful, but shrugged and replied "they said they are."

I looked over at the two of them, just sitting on the curb, not talking or even looking at each other. Just sitting- in shock. And I thought, what am I going to do? Other than offer to call someone for them. (But, two teenagers? I'm sure at least one of them had a phone.) I had two car seats and a jogging stroller in my car.. I couldn't have taken them to the hospital. And there was another adult person right there with them, so.. I looked back at them one more time and drove on.

But I couldn't stop shaking, thinking about what I had seen- flying human beings. And the mom in me just had to make sure they really were okay.

After I went to the post office, I turned around and went back. They were gone. But as I drove on down the street, I finally saw them. With the bike. Walking.