Even though both my husband and I spend a lot of time around computers, it is difficult to keep up with how quickly technology advances.  For example, I just experienced conferencing on Adobe Connect for the first time this morning.  I have participated in other such meetings in the past, but this one went surprisingly smoothly.  I did not have any problems signing in.  In fact, I just entered my name and the host of the meeting approved me.  Then I entered my phone number and received a call in seconds, connecting me instantly to the conference call.  It was so much easier than having to call myself and enter codes to access the correct meeting.  Adobe Connect allowed us to use online chat and the phone to converse during the meeting.  There were also sections on the screen for a slide show, a series of poll questions that could advance, and a list of everyone who was participating.  I could even see who was in the midst of typing a reply.  There was no lagging of the online chat nor any delay on the phone.

My husband, who works in IT, still learns new things.  He actually just made his first tutorial using video screen capture.  I will be combining this footage with images he made using screen capture to create a finished instructional video for him.  My husband loves to learn new things, especially if he can master them, and is very excited about seeing the finished product.

Graphics software, web conferencing, document management software, and so much more . . . What's next on Adobe's list?

Even after 70 years has passed since the world was introduced to Disney's Dumbo, this film tugs at the heartstrings of all Disney-lovers young and old.  We watched this DVD as a family with our 7.5 year old son and 4.5 year old twins.  Being barely over an hour in length, this movie is great for younger children with short attention spans.

With the whole story based on a single thing . . . everyone's reactions to baby Dumbo's enormous ears, this film touches on a wide variety of topics, which may prompt questions from your child or open windows of opportunity for you to start important discussions.  Our children easily accepted that babies are brought be storks, but I could tell that they were truly affected and made to think about the subjects of teasing and the concept of being an orphan.  Our oldest son even asked questions about drunkenness.

This movie also is about unconditional maternal love, friendship, self-esteem, and lifting someone up when they are down.  Even though there were some parts that even brought our 7.5 year old close to tears, this film is also uplifting.  The whole family enjoyed it very much.  I think the children all agree that the act by the circus clowns was there favorite part.  We also all enjoyed the Bonus Feature about how elephants came to be afraid of mice.


Dumbo the 70th Anniversary Edition is now available on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo.  Learn more by visiting Dumbo on Facebook. Also, check out these free Dumbo printables for your children.


Thank you to Click-Communications for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say that they wished they could wear flip flops all year round, I would be rich!  My personal wish was that someone would make a shoe as comfortable as flip flops, but were designed to stay more securely on the foot and was not a thong-style shoe.  Well, someone must have been listening . . .

Teva's new Flyweight Collection for men and women features shoes that weigh only a few ounces just like flip flops.  I was able try out a pair of the Women's Mush Frio MJ mary janes.  I have to admit that I was skeptical.  I wondered how much comfort and support a shoe so light could possibly offer?

I have only recently been easing into the idea of wearing flat soled shoes.  I also never thought I would be wearing shoes with a Velcro strap.  Those are for children, right?  Well, after trying these Tevas, I am wondering why all shoes do not have a Velcro strap.  They ensure that the shoe stays on the foot very securely and allow the shoe to be adjusted for your comfort.  The back of the shoe is also elasticized for an extra-secure fit.


I tried these shoes out in the house, at my son's soccer game, and at the mall.  They turned out to be very comfortable.  I actually prefer to be barefoot in the house.  These shoes give me the same feeling and the soles are cushy enough so that walking in them feels similar to walking barefoot on a thick carpet.

I do want to point out that these shoes seem to fit true to size.  They fit my feet exactly.  For this reason, I would recommend purchasing a half size larger than you normally take.  I say this because, after 2 hours of walking around the mall, my feet were warm and most likely slightly swollen, causing the shoes to feel smaller than they did when I first put them on before leaving the house.


Since Teva's Flyweight shoes are so light, they are perfect for throwing in your purse, your briefcase, your suitcase, or even the glove compartment of your car.  They are really perfect to keep handy when you need to change out of your heeled shoes to give your feet a rest.  The best part is that you can wear these shoes all year round, except for during snowy and icy weather.

The Mush Frio MJ shoes by Teva are available in Black, Brown, and Wild Dove (grey).  They retail for $45 and can be purchased on Teva.com, where they are currently offering Free Shipping on orders of $45 or more.


Thank you to Teva for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

A few months ago, our 7.5 year old son tried a child's Superman costume.  He was so excited to have that costume with extra large muscles for Halloween this year, but it turned out that he was just not built broadly enough for that costume.  He actually wanted this Wolverine Origins Muscle Chest Costume originally, but it was not in stock.  As luck would have it, we had a chance to try a different costume and he was thrilled that the Wolverine costume was back in stock.  Of course, like all our children's super hero costumes, this one will be used all year round for pretend play.  In fact, we had to make him promise not to play with this costume until after Halloween to ensure that it remains in excellent condition.

Last year, our son wore a size medium costume and it was long on him.  This year, a medium-sized costume just fits.  The hooded mask also just fits.  Luckily the material on the mask is stretchy.  It also has Velcro squares on the back and he can close all of them except for the top-most one.  I cannot believe how much he has grown.! We will need to pick up some black socks and shoes for him to wear with this costume because it does not come with boot covers.


If you could not guess, the coolest part about this costume is Wolverine's signature claws.  They are made of silvertone plastic with some clear plastic in between the blades for added strength.  Each claw slips on the hand securely with two elastics . . . one that goes around the wrist and one around the palm.  Although they are not very sharp, children should still be supervised while wearing these claws.


Thank you to WholesaleCostumeClub.com for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

When the anniversary of 9/11 arrived earlier this month, I spent days remembering.  Many details of that day are still etched clearly into my memory.  I also thought about how many people would be flying that day out of necessity or symbolic reasons.  I also wondered how many people would be too afraid to fly and how many people would be flying with children.  So many questions . . .  It was definitely a somber day.

The infographic below Osama vs Travel - The post 9/11 effect on travel answers another question I had about how the airline and travel industries have suffered since 9/11 and whether they had ever truly recovered.

This past weekend was when our town's Soccer Fair took place.  This meant that are 7-1/2 year old son not only had practice on Friday, a regular game on Saturday, but also an additional game on Sunday.  The weather has been unseasonably hot and humid for September around here, so there was some concern about rain and also thunderstorms.

I made the mistake of commenting to our twin preschoolers about the chance of bad weather for the weekend.  They asked me if it would rain and be stormy for certain.  I told them that I could not be sure, but the forecast said there was a chance of rain and thunder.  Then our daughter looked at me curiously and asked me . . .

If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!

With fall allergies hitting us hard and winter colds following soon after, it is definitely a good time to stock up on boxes of tissues for your home, car, office, and your children's classrooms.  The most important thing for a facial tissue is its softness, but ranking second is how well the tissue box blends in with our decor.  I have always thought that plainer was better when it came to tissue boxes.  After seeing these Limited Edition Laura Ashley facial tissue cubes from Scotties, my philosophy has changed.

Much like the other decorative boxes you may choose for your home, through October 23rd, you can purchase these Laura Ashley Cube Designs exclusively at your local Target store to accent your bathroom vanity, bedroom, desk, or any place in your home or office that could use a little extra something.  These limited edition Scotties tissues will be gone before you know it, so you should stock up while you can.

Scotties Tree Planting Promise states that Scotties will plant 3 trees for every 1 tree used in making their tissues.  You can learn more about these efforts or about the Laura Ashley Cube Designs by visiting ScottiesFacial.com and Scotties on Facebook.

Thank you to Scotties for providing us with a complimentary Laura Ashley Tissue prize pack for us to base this review upon and for providing a second prize pack for our contest winner.

With the exception of one year, our family has always taken our holiday photo card portraits at home.  In fact, I am already thinking about this because we usually do this at the end of October so that we have our cards back in plenty of time to mail out after Thanksgiving.  When it was just our oldest son, we would simply put the tree up early, have him stand in front of it in a cute hat or holding a holiday plush toy and the results were always adorable.  When our twins were added into the mix, the whole portrait-taking experience began to be more stressful for me.  Suddenly, I was worried about matching outfits, poses, a suitable background, and don't get me started on getting all 3 children to smile and look at the camera simultaneously.

Last year, after 6 years of holiday portraits, I finally perfected my portrait-taking technique.  I took photos of each child individually first.  This helped them to warm up to the camera before the group shot.  Then when it came time for the group photo, I skipped trying to have a fancy backdrop and formal poses.  Instead, I asked our 3 children to huddle together with their arms around each other's shoulders on the sofa.  With the frame filled with the 3 children from the waste up, I did not have to worry about the background.  I also only had to coordinate their tops rather than whole outfits.  By allowing the children to be their silly selves, I ended up with some great photos!

Last year's holiday card layout had a place for the group shot and 3 smaller individual portraits.  This year, I am leaning towards the Little Berry Bunches holiday card in Rich Red by Tiny Prints.  I like this one because, once again there is a spot for a group photo and 3 individual photos, but there is an extra spot for a photo of my husband and myself.  We have only ever made an appearance on our Christmas photo cards once.  I think it's time we did again.  Now, I just have to break the news to my husband . . .


Tiny Prints provided holiday photo cards to my family as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign.

Very recently, I had a chance to screen the pilot episode of ABC's Suburgatory, scheduled to air Wednesday, September 28th at 8:30pm/7:30c.  I am normally more a vampire and crime show kind of girl, but I was curious to watch this pilot for one reason . . . I had liked Jeremy Sisto's character Detective Lupo on Law & Order very much.

After watching the trailer, I found myself wanting to investigate how well Sisto would perform in a comedy as a single Dad (George Altman) to a 16yr old girl (Tessa, played by Jane Levy).  The answer . . . I found Sisto's performance and the show to be quite entertaining, even though the bright lighting, vivid colors, and light-hearted humor are a huge change from my usual program choices.

The premise of the show is about how a single father moves himself and his teenage daughter to the suburbs away from city life after finding a box of condoms in his daughter's room.  Suburgatory would be a great show for moms to enjoy along with their tween and teenage daughters because there is as much satire revolving around the mothers on the show as around the daughters.


After watching the trailer below, 3G2S readers are invited to enjoy an advance screening of the Suburgatory pilot episode . . . 



To watch the full first episode of Suburgatory before September 28th, visit www.abc.com/suburgatoryscreening and enter Code: pWNlhSSKa.  You can also learn more about the show by visiting Suburgatory on Facebook and on Twitter.


Thank you to ABC for providing a complimentary screening kit for us to base this review upon.

Bio+Green Crystals are a revolutionary set of new eco-friendly cleaners for your household. National Bio+Green Sciences lead the industry in Green household cleaning products and their great line of products show that. Their products can be used as a boost to your regular Green cleaners or on their own added to water.

When my Bio+Green Crystals arrived, I was immediately impressed. The sachet the concentrated crystal form of the cleaner was contained in was water soluble, so there was no waste there and the outer packaging is all compostable. Because of this, their compounds are waste free in addition to being non-toxic to humans, pets, or the environment.

They were also kind enough to send me a bottle to use with their sachets along with two forms of cleaners: All Purpose Cleaner and Child Safe Multi-Surface and Toy Cleaner. It was time for me to clean the daycare toys, so I used the Multi-Surface and Toy one first. Of course, I don’t have any way of knowing how well it disinfected the toys, but it seemed to work well and had no harsh chemical smell and I felt it was safe.




Later in the week, I used the All Purpose cleaner to clean my kitchen, wood dining room table, and bathroom. I was very impressed with this cleaner. Some of the scummier surfaces, such as my stove top, took a little more elbow grease but it did the job and I walked away feeling like I’d used something very safe and it did a great job. Of all the natural cleaners I’ve tried, this is by far the safest and least wasteful, and also works as well as any that I’ve tried.

You can learn more about Bio+Green Crystals and see all the products they offer on their website, www.biogreencrystals.com.


Thank you to Bio-Green for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

The signature "look" around here for busy moms is a zip-up hoodie paired with yoga pants.  It's difficult to say if that even qualifies as a look.  Karen Kane's Taming Topaz Collection for Fall 2011 allows busy women to be comfortable, but confident, by offering coordinates in neutral colors that can be mixed and matched to create a number of stylish outfits.

I received the grey Texture Stripe Sweater with Pockets, the medium wash Flare Leg Jean, and the Infinite Scarf in black to experience.  I chose the Texture Stripe Sweater because of its boxy hip-length cut.  I like to wear boxy tops because of my less than flat stomach and it is surprisingly difficult to find wider cut tops that are not a tunic length.  This shorter length eliminates the "frumpy factor".  I also love the longer sleeves, which always make me feel cozier, especially during the fall and winter months.  I actually rarely wear sweaters because I become overheated so easily.  This sweater is light and breathable.  I would recommend that you layer a tank or a tee underneath on colder days or if you happen to be sensitive to wool, which makes up 5% of the fiber content.

I really have never worn scarves apart from warmwear.  After trying the Infinite Scarf by Karen Kane, I think I am going to start.  Not only do I love the look of it, but this scarf is perfect for a scarf-noobie like me.  It is one continuous piece, so I did not have to fuss with how the ends hung, tying the scarf, or securing it in place with a brooch.  Again, like with the longer sleeves on the sweater, this scarf adds to the coziness factor.

The Flare Leg Jeans were a perfect fit for me aside from the length.  I usually take a size 10 and these size 10 stretch jeans fit me perfectly.  They have a slightly low rise, which is what I prefer.  I am about 5'5" and these jeans were quite long on me even with heels on.  Depending on the brand, I normally take a short or a regular length.  I might just have to cut these and let them fray at the bottom.  These could easily be my new favorite pair of jeans because they look and fit so great!


To view the Karen Kane Fall 2011 line in its entirety, visit KarenKane.com.  You can look for Karen Kane fashions locally in fine department stores, such as Nordstrom, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdale's.  Also, remember to visit Karen Kane on Facebook and on Twitter.


Thank you to Karen Kane for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

When my husband started a new job this summer that required commuting, it was apparent that we needed to buy a second car.  I could no longer drop him off at work to take the children to school, dance class, soccer practice, etc . . . Since money has been tight around here, we decided we should just buy a pre-owned car outright because we could not afford a second car payment.  At the suggestion of some friends and family, we decided to attempt finding a private seller on Craig's List before we tried to shop the smaller dealers.  Needless to say, we were both consumed with the stress of finding a decent reliable used car that was not a lemon.  We could not afford to make a mistake.

I think in the current economic state our country is in, a large percentage of people are in the same situation.  That is why I was not surprised to see the statistics behind how Americans feel about purchasing a new vehicle.  In my opinion, you really need to be well-off enough so that spending a few thousand extra dollars does not even make you blink in order to truly enjoy car shopping.

Today marks the day of the much-anticipated release of the 70th Anniversary Edition of Disney's Dumbo!  I remember seeing this movie during a re-release in the theater as a young child and it is one of my earliest and fondest Disney memories.

If you are planning on introducing your child to the beloved Dumbo, it is now available to purchase in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo.  You can also treat your child to some free Dumbo printable coloring pages and activities to further the fun!  Simply click on the banner below to save the files to your computer and then print out one or all the activity sheets using your computer's printer.

Look for my family's review of Dumbo coming later this week!

For quite a long time now, our 4-1/2 year old daughter has been telling stories.  There's nothing odd about that, but it's that she starts almost every story with, "When I was a baby . . . "  The weird thing is that some of her stories are true ones, such as "When I was a baby, you gave me a bath in the kitchen sink and I was looking around at everything in the kitchen" or "When I was a baby, I fell down while I was trying to walk and you picked me up."

I don't think she can really remember her toddler years that clearly, but she probably has a great memory (and imagination) and can recall everything we've ever told her about her earlier years.  If she keeps this up though, we're going to have to start calling her Grandma!

If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!