New York Renovator

We’ve had tons of snow days this year. When I was a kid, we ran wild outdoors and in the neighborhood. Times have certainly changed; parents, including this one, are more hesitant to let their children meander aimlessly down the streets. Communities have built structured activities and activity groups for kids. Problem is, finding these groups.

Enter ActivityTree.com! This is a really neat resource. ActivityTree.com is a website loaded with information on kid’s lessons, classes and camps. You can search your area using the handy search engine feature, to look for thousands of activities in your location. I was surprised to see so many activities in my area– I had no idea! The results show all sorts of goodies: activity group information and descriptions, contact information, website links where available, maps and directions and more.

ActivityTree.com also helps parents locate information on kids scholarships for various activities and summer camps. And if you run an organization, you can register your group with ActivityTree.com to get your event or activity listed.

The whole thing is great. It’s free to use, and you just may make some new friends, too. Check out the Get Kids Active! Facebook Campaign on Facebook, too.

…in the snow.

Here’s the “snowpow” coming through… ha!

The boys like to play King of the Hill, where the opposing forces duke it out on top of the mountain, to see which one is worthy of the honor of securing his address plaque to the mount….

We made some videos, too, but I’m too busy to edit them today. These kids are just hilarious! They must have inherited their wacky sense of humor from their father! I don’t dare publish my address sign on my blog– my neighbors might read this blog, and they think we are weird enough already! LOL

Sorry I haven’t posted here very much this week. I’ve been horrendously busy, doing a billion and one things for work like writing articles about everything under the sun, like honey locust trees, gas dryers, address plaques and etc, doing school with the kids, taking care of the husband who has been under the weather, and etc. But then again, YOU guys seem busy, too, with Christmas preparations and etc. I like the Christmas season, but I don’t like the busyness of it. It messes with the normal routine. I miss everyone’s regular blog posts and comments– it seems that everyone is away during this time.

Well, at least it gives me time to fool around with the kids in the snow, eh? Livvy took a jaunt out there, too. Hang in there, I’ll have photos!

Awwww!!!!!!!!!!! Look at these things, aren’t they so cute!

My kids had something like these kids kitchens as kids. Actually, we had two of them. They didn’t have the Kid Kraft brand, but they had those cheesier plastic models. Kids kitchen are usually very durable. I always wanted one as a kid. I never did get one, but one year–I was about 7 years old– I got an electric Easy Bake oven for Christmas, from my beloved uncle. (He became my favorite uncle after that, lol). I was SO SO happy with it! But I didn’t have it more than one week when my brother put his plastic Pokey toy (from Gumby and Pokey series) into the oven. I didn’t know it was in there. I turned the oven on and Pokey melted all over the stove. It stunk like crazy– the memory of the horrid smell is burned in my brain– and my parents had to throw the Easy Bake oven away. I cried for a long time.

Oh well, I have my OWN real oven now. And my brother is NOT allowed to go anywhere near it!

A Play Kitchen is actually a great way to get the kids interested in kitchen work. Parents, it will serve you well when you need helpers to make your coffee and put dishes away, heh heh! My one daughter absolutely loved her little kitchen, and she is the main kitchen helper in the house. The play kitchen has served us well.

… that’s one of my daughters. I don’t know what I’d do without these kids.

She worked all day, painting the trim in the dining room, so that I could work on my writing assignments (and boy, did I have a ton of them). The other daughter cooked and cleaned… and the boys helped with laundry and cleaning.

Gosh, my kids are amazing.

THANKS, GUYS!!!!! I love you!

No amazing photos of progress these days… things are pretty humdrum right now. We’re still working on the wiring for the kitchen– it is ALMOST done! We are sooooo close to being able to close up the walls. I have to finish a few things up (thanks, all you wonderful guys and the very special young lady from my church, for all your very hard work!) yet. The electrical inspector will hopefully be here next week. After that, I can install the insulation, get the insulation inspected, and start putting up the WALLS! Yes, baby!

I’ve been preoccupied with other things this week, however, to have had much progress the last two weeks. I took a business trip to New York this week; I’ve had multitudes of assignments and deadlines for articles, and etc. So as you can expect, we are extremely eager to get this project FINISHED. I only have six more weeks scheduled for it.

Yes, believe it or not, I DO know where every single one of these wires belongs...

It’s been very difficult on the kids and husband. And I am surprised how difficult it has been on me, too. I am the one who started all this… I fully expected it to disrupt our lives… but the kids are finding it hard. Oh it was OK the first few weeks.. but we’ve been without a working kitchen/laundry room/dining room for almost two months now, with one more to go… it’s tough. We had to pack up a lot of their stuff (movies, DVD player, Playstation console, books, and most of the toys and things from their bedrooms) so that we could protect it all from the demolition dust and so that we could have space to wire their rooms with electricity, finally. It was like getting furniture moving equipment and packing everything away for a move: everything is in boxes EVERYWHERE. Inaccessible. It’s stressful when we need to dig something out (like my income paperwork because the IRS chose NOW to audit my income two years ago!). I really, really thought we were prepared for this renovation… but honestly, it’s SO big and SO disruptive that all my preparations are futile. Face it. We must endure these 3-4 months and live in chaos for a while. It WILL be worth it, it will! But it’s really, really tough for them right now, which makes it tough for me. Most teens are too busy worrying about their acne and hair and pronexin… my kids are struggling with no electricity, and having plaster dust in their pores! I feel so bad. I want things to go smoothly, but it so out of my control. *sigh*

So as much as I am loving this time because my dream is FINALLY coming true after 12 years… it’s not a pipe dream. But I will be so happy to have the entire house electrified, to have clean central heating, to have the downstairs insulated… there’s still so much to do for the next few years (you should see the upstairs and the 100-year old windows, OY VEY!) but that will come. For now, we must grit our teeth and GET THROUGH this kitchen renovation!

… they start to want the electronic gadgets.

Yep, I’ve managed to keep my kids away from the excessive electronica of our day for this long, but I’ve got a few sons who are suddenly into music. And cameras. And stereos. All we have around here is ONE CD player and one old cassette player (and I still have my old record player, by the way!). But problem is, we don’t buy CDs or cassettes anymore. Everything is moving to mp3 and digital files, and now that the boys like their music…. I guess I’m going to have to adapt. I am very comforted that they like good music, though– Hillsong, Kutless, Newsboys, Andres Segovia, etc. So while I do have to get them mp3 players, at least I don’t have to stomach the fingernails-on-chalkboard screeches of Metallica or anything. Whew!

So. MP3 player. Gosh, where do I begin?! They are expensive! $350 for an mp3 player, for a TEENAGER? That’s crazy! I don’t even have electricity in my upstairs bathroom! NO WAY am I getting an iPod or iPhone, NO WAY.

Ah, but looky here– an iPhone imposter! It’s at Buy.com and it’s very, very slick! It’s the V-Touch 8GB MP3/MP4 2.8″ Touch Screen, and it has a camera and earbuds, too. On sale right now for under $50, with free shipping. I love it, because it does everything a cell phone does except make and receive calls! (My sons have no need for a cell phone, but they like to play with mine because of all the features it has). The V-Touch has got a webcam, a digital camera, plays music and videos, has a voice recorder, an e-book function (very nice!), has a calendar, and more. I think this is perfect for kids, and not *too* expensive, either. It sure beats the $350 price tag for those other players. It’s on sale right now at Buy.com, along with sales on loads and loads of other stuff. I also use Buy.com for my household needs, such as small appliances and parts, garden supplies, etc. I love Buy.com! And I think my kids will love Buy.com, too. This gadget is definitely going on the Wish List!

I am a FIEND when it comes to dental hygiene. I nag nag nag my kids to brush and floss, constantly. You see, I didn’t when I was a kid, nor did we see a dentist, so by the time I was 20 years old, my teeth were a disaster. I went through a lot of suffering because I hadn’t taken care of my teeth as a girl. I am a freak when it comes to brushing, now, and I make SURE that my kids do the same.

They are all good brushers, but when it comes to flossing…. the boys are not too keen on it.. It’s a tedious, boring task, I know. But still, it must be done! I try to give the kids every thing I can to make the task a little less tedious.

One cool tool I have discovered is DenTek’s Fun Flossers. Even my older kids like them! They have a strip of floss on a colorful, grippy handle, and are angled to reach all the teeth– they are the perfect kids floss tool. So even the boys will use them. It took some haggling to convince them— we made a cute video about our Flossing Foibles… take a peek! It looks like the Fun Flossers really are fun!

Now isn’t that cute!! The kids have such a good sense of humor!!

Check out DenTek. Kids like colorful (and easy to do) stuff, so if you’ve been having a hassle getting them to floss, DenTek will help!

Remember, I’m a pro-blogger and I am sometimes compensated with stuff or money to review products! This was one of them. You can read more about my blog policy on my “About Us” page.

Unbelievable. After a soggy spring, a frost in June, and a cold chilly July… now that it’s August, we’re sweltering under high 80F/ low 90F degree temperatures. Hey, I know it’s nothing compared to what you guys in the Philippines and Malaysia suffer, but I’m one of the Frozen Chosen up here in the frosty New York wildlands! And now that it’s August, the kids are gearing up for school… which means we are shopping for AUTUMN and WINTER clothing and shoes in sweltering hot weather. Ick. Now don’t get me wrong– I like shopping! But trying on sweaters for January when it’s 90F in August… not so hot.

But some stores do make the shopping experience fun. I try to shop as much as I can online, too. GREAT DEALS are online, people! Here’s a premier online store with some of the best outdoor clothing and school gear I’ve seen: Webtogs.co.uk. They are based in the UK, and are having an end of summer sale with great prices. Messenger bags are a very hot commodity (plus they are SO convenient). I saw this bag, here. Wouldn’t it be perfect for one of the girls? I love it! And I think messenger bags are better than backpacks– less strain on the back, they are big enough for books, and they are padded to hold netbooks and laptops.

If you’re looking for superior, quality clothing, footwear, camping equipment, backpacks and carrying bags, clothing accessories for active kids, and more, you really should look at what Webtogs.co.uk has to offer. And on top of their end of summer sale, they are offering free shipping across EU. They also have a 60-day ZERO Hassle Return policy. Their inventory is great– perfect for the active family, the outdoor family, or for those who just want to ooze style and coolness for school. Check out Webtogs.co.uk!

… How To Get Your Kid To LIKE Brushing His Teeth. The Saga Begins…

Over the holidays, we got some fancy-schmancy toothbrushes for two of the kids. The Oral B Triumph with SmartGuide toothbrush, and the Oral B Pulsonic. Both toothbrushes come highly rated by our dentists and orthodondist’s office. I decided to try them out, and gave the Oral B Pulsonic to my 16 year old daughter (who wears braces) and the Oral B Triumph to my 12 year-old son, a reluctant brusher. I’ll review my son’s Triumph toothbrush in this post, and give my opinion about my daughter’s Pulsonic in a future one.

First off, I want to say that I am a freak of a mom, when it comes to brushing. The Wrath of Mother may come down from the Heavens if my children do not brush with frenetic fervor. You see, I had terrible dental hygiene as a kid. I rarely brushed, didn’t see a dentist until my late teens and subsequently I have seven teeth missing from my set (and a gold crowned tooth, which is very cool to show off to kids, lol). ANYWAY, as a mom I was determined that my kids would not be in the pain and agony that I was– they were going to have good teeth. My two daughters have marvelously clean teeth (the 16 year old has never had a cavity). I slacked off with my sons (too much candy flowing around here) and they have had cavities. Plus, my youngest never liked brushing very much. It IS a dull chore, I know….

So… what do you do with a kid who hates boring chores like toothbrushing but loves electronic gadgets? Blend the two! That’s what Oral B did, and I have to hand it to them– they did a fantastic job with this toothbrush. No longer do I have to stand over the sink like a vulture, watching my son to make sure he does it right and brushes long enough. Oral B does it for him, and makes it fun to do. It’s really cute, they must have had kids in mind with this.

Be prepared for sticker shock– [...]

Need some cool gift ideas? Lookie what I found– the MEGA Brands toy store! They have some really neat stuff! You can search by age category, toy brand, type of toy, and by price. The website is really cute and interactive, too. Kids would LOOOVE it. There are free games to play on the site, it’s amazing! There’s a terrific King Arthur game that my young son would love to play.. er, make that– he’s playing it now!

Hey, move over I have to write my post! (He’s pretty good– how do kids do that so well?!)

OK OK… this is an amazing and fun website. They have games, an activity center, articles and ideas for parents, a consumer services section, instruction manuals, and an area where you can browse some very cool toys. My pre-teen and teenage boys are into construction stuff, like MagNext stuff and the iCoaster, and at the MEGA Brands site they can browse through the different models.

MEGA Brand is well known for their toys for very young children, too. My kids have always had MEGA Brands toys; MEGA Brand stuff is very durable and very affordable.

Check out the site, it’s a great place for all ages. And you may want to bookmark it for when company arrives over the holidays- this site is kid-safe and will keep them busy for hours.

OK, I have to go now. My son wants to continue his game…. :S