Despicable Me 2

My whole family has be excited for Despicable Me 2 to come out this summer.  The first one is one we enjoy often in our home- it's got a perfect mix for adults and kids to both enjoy.  Plus, Hubs and I think Steve Carell (Gru) is hilarious!

Depicable Me 2 starts where the first left off;  Gru is focusing on being a dad to his girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes.  After some suspicious activity (an entire top secret lab is stolen!) the Anti-Villain League recruits Gru and teams him up with Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wig) to find out who the culprit is. Gru focuses his attention on Eduardo, a restaurant owner that Gru is convinced is actually the presumed dead super villain 'El Macho'.  Side note: Eduardo's son has been flirting with Margo.  It seems Gru's obsession with 'El Macho' (and his son) stems from his desire to protect his eldest daughter so the Anti-Villain League ignores Gru's accusations and claims.

Jelly Bean (my 11 year old daughter) thought Despicable Me 2 was even better than the first!  We certainly had laugh out loud moments and giggled throughout the movie.  I completely related to Gru regarding Margo and her seemingly overnight teenage behavior (I did mention I have an 11 year old girl, right?).  The minions are still has adorable and silly as ever, although they start to disappear (or are they being kidnapped!?) throughout the movie.  I loved seeing more sides to Gru- watching him relate to his daughters and to his new partner Lucy was refreshing and sweet.

This is definitely a movie I recommend for the whole family!  It's perfect for all ages.  My 4 year old is begging me to take him and I think my 2 year old would love it, too.  Definitely, check it out!

***Disclaimer: I was able to take my daughter to a pre-screening of this movie to write this review. If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html

Disney Pixar: Monsters University

'Scaring' My Thoughts With You!

I feel like I'm been seeing trailers for Monsters University for over a year now.  The anticipation was building and I was like a kid waiting for Christmas to hear more news about it's release.  I am a HUGE Monsters Inc. fan, the movie was adorable and humorous and all around a winner.  So I had high expectations for the prequel 'Monsters University'.

Summer Series: Build-A-Bear (ColorPopz)!

On our summer bucket list I included Build-A-Bear.  I knew the kids would go crazy for this idea and I was right!  If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram you already saw what a good time we had!

I follow Build-A-Bear on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so I knew there was a new line out called ColorPopz.  I thought these would be perfect for summer with the bring colors and fun choices.  I thought each kid would pick one of the three ColorPopz choices but I was wrong.  Baby G wanted the same one big brother K picked.  Duh, Mom.  That really shouldn't have been a surprise at all!

Red, White and Blue Raspberries

The fourth of July is coming up (and two days later it's Baby G's 2nd birthday! So bitter sweet, but I digress). I wanted to try out dying sugar and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Raspberries were on sale for $1- it was definitely a sign.

What You Will Need:
Raspberries
Coconut
Sugar (and food coloring)

I won't lie.  I wasn't sure how the sugar dying would work.  I put a bit of sugar (approx. 2 tablespoons.  Maybe 3) and one drop of food coloring.  I tried using a toothpick to stir it.  It kind of clumped so I used my dry (clean!) fingers to blend the color with the sugar.  I was surprised but pleased- it worked!  It came out really pretty and kind of glittery. 

I used the coconut and put it in the raspberry and dipped the end in the blue sugar.  Done! 

You could use a white chocolate chip in place of the coconut (which I intended but when I went to my baking cabinet I found out I was out of white chocolate chips)!  These would be great and refreshing for a 4th of July gathering and they are so easy!





What are you favorite 4th of July recipes?

Summer Fun! Kids Bowl Free at AMF Bowling

Bowling is on our Summer List!  This is a great program allowing kids to bowl free this summer!

KIDS BOWL FREE ALL SUMMER! Summer fun is just around the corner, and so are we. Sign-up for Summer Unplugged and Summer Pass now! Free bowling for kids all summer long! Kids registered in the Summer Unplugged program can bowl two games per day, every day, all summer long! Sign up today! https://freebowling.amf.com/?source=USFAMILY



***Disclaimer: Us Family Guide, AMF Bowling and LLandLoL partnered to bring this info to my readers.  If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html

Butterfly Wonderland

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you got to see me posting some photos a couple weeks ago from a media event held at the newly opened Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, Arizona.  This new attraction is unique because it is the largest butterfly pavilion in America!

You can start this attraction with a 3D movie which is actually an IMAX movie called 'Flight of the Butterfly' that's been shortened to under 15 minutes.  It was a beautiful movie that was educational and informative, I recommend starting your adventure here.  However, I don't know if my young ones would sit for the whole movie, it's possible it would grab their attention but I'd be surprised if they'd sit for a full fifteen minutes!  Definitely attempt it though, just sit near the exit just in case. 

Next up is the Butterfly Emergence room where you see the many chrysalids and you might even be lucky enough to see a butterfly emerge!  The chrysalids are beautiful and it's amazing to see the different colors and sizes.  I learned that the color and look of the chrysalid is directly related to where the butterfly forms it.

Once you are ready you can head into the atrium.  There are thousands of butterflies living here.  I went in the evening (after the venue is closed) when the butterflies are beginning to calm down and sleep and I still saw so much action, I can't wait to see this attraction during the day while the butterflies are most active.  I was extra lucky and had two butterflies land on me on separate occasions!  I thought the butterflies would be sleeping so I failed to bring my nice big camera but my cell phone did the job alright and I captured some pretty good shots.

I could spent hours in the atrium.  It was beautiful.  Humid to remain a rain forest like temperature, but beautiful.  When you exit the atrium you head into the café.  The Vermont Sandwich Company supplies items in the café.  I got a chance to sample some items from this restaurant and it was delicious!!  Side note: the fruit the butterflies snack on comes straight from the café- if the fruit doesn't sell it goes to the butterflies.  I love that!  No waste!

Next up is the Live Ant Colony and Honey Bee exhibit.  This area was small but very interesting.  Moving on I realized there was a small aquarium- it just keeps getting better.  The aquarium area was little but there is a stingray touch tank!  The stingray wasn't there during my visit but I know the kids will get a kick out of that when we visit as a family!  You exit out into the fairly large gift shop.  Lots of goodies for adults and kids. 

My new friend at Songs Kate Sang snapped these amazing photos of my excited surprise with my new butterfly friend!

Butterfly Wonderland is offering a great deal right now.  A lifetime membership at almost 90% off!  Until 6/15/13 the single lifetime membership is only $99 and a family of four is only $249.  You can visit Butterfly Wonderland for LIFE!  Very cool.  There's a whole entertainment complex slated to go up in the near future "Odyssey in the Desert" and I'm extremely excited to see what's in store.

Check out Butterfly Wonderland on Facebook and online! This is a great indoor option for the summer and a truly unique experience!

Side note: my step mom informed me that her mom says if a butterfly lands on you, you get a new dress.  I thought it was adorable (and means I get two new dresses, right?!).  Do you have any fun superstitions or traditions when it comes to butterflies?  Let me know below!


***Disclaimer: I was invited to a special media event to check out and share this new attraction with my readers.  My opinions are, as always, my own. If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents BUILT TO AMAZE is coming to the US Airways Center June 26 – July 1, 2013. You can see the full schedule and check if they are coming to a city near you here!

 

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!, an extraordinarily engineered circus experience custom-built for family fun where Children Of All Ages® find out what it takes to construct The Greatest Show On Earth®. The visionary blueprints have been assembled with a contemporary toolbox of unparalleled imagination that will be unleashed from shipping crates right before the audience’s eyes for the all-new circus spectacular Built To Amaze!

 

 

DISCOUNT!!!

$5 off tickets in the $20 price levels.

$5 Off with code MOMSAVE

· Valid on $20 & $25 tickets only

· No double discounts

Valid on all show days and times EXCEPT Opening Night (Opening Night tickets are 50% off, excluding front row and VIP seating)

Tickets can be found at www.Ticketmaster.com. 

 

The circus in on our 'Things to do this Summer' list! With the coupon codes (and especially the 50% off opening night offer) this is a great way to share something amazing with the family and save some money!

***Disclaimer: I received tickets for opening night in exchange for sharing this info with all of you! If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html

Kid Safe DIY Homemade Paint

My two year old still randomly decides to taste things.  His older brother rarely (if ever) put stuff in his mouth.  And Baby G doesn't do it often but when he does it's always things that freak me out.  Like Easter egg dye, crayons and paint. 

Our summer list included painting and I changed that to painting with homemade paint.  I figured it'd be an activity within an activity.  I wanted to let them mix the colors in and then paint with the color creations they'd made!

Here's how we made Homemade Edible (but not yummy, but you know, just in case!) DIY Paint! 

Warning: Do not tell your kids you are starting this process.  There is wait time to let the mixture cool and well, if your kids are like mine...waiting isn't a strong suit!

You will need:
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 tbs white sugar
1 tsp salt

On low to medium heat mix ingredients in a saucepan and let warm up, stirring occasionally.  It took a good 15 minutes for my mixture to thicken.  I was able to walk away and tend to other things, coming back in to check and stir.  Perhaps if I turned the heat up it would've been quicker, but I wasn't chancing it. 

If you are planning to reuse the paint you'll want something airtight to keep them in (baby food jars would be good).  I didn't plan to save the paints so I used a shaped ice cub tray (and a baby plate with four separate areas since the ice cube trays only came in a two pack and I have three kiddos :)).  Let the mixture cool...I told you there was waiting involved!

Once the mixture has cooled let the kids use food coloring to make custom colors for their works of art.  We used small paint brushes and toothpicks to stir.  Us can use this paint on regular paper or something thicker (or even a driveway and when they are done you can just spray it away?!).

Summer Activity: SEA LIFE Aquarium

 

I posted yesterday about summer being in full swing and shared some thoughts on how to keep kids busy and active while encouraging them to explore the world around them.  We had the opportunity to go as a whole family, to our local aquarium this week and though it might not have been wise for us to skip the younger kids' nap time- it was still a great experience!  My family loves our little home aquarium and my kids have spend many hours staring at the 'fishies'.  So I knew they'd get a kick out of the touch pools, 360* ocean tunnels, play area and all the Arizona SEA LIFE Aquarium had to offer.

Arizona SEA LIFE Aquarium is about 30 minutes away from our home and we'd never visited before.  I heard they recently opened up Jellyfish Discovery and that gave me the push to get over there and really check this place out.  I found lots of coupon options for Sea Life and after checking out their website I also saw that they offered discounted tickets for visitors in the evenings.  Right now (Valid during the month of May) tickets are only $5 if you visit Monday through Friday after 4pm and it closes at 7:30 with last admission at 6:30; give you a good amount of time to wonder around and the perfect amount of time if you have younger kids!! There are always coupons or discounts available, even if you want to explore on a weekend or during the day. 

Sea Life currently has 6 aquariums in the US and even more internationally; you can check to see if there's one near you here.  This activity is perfect for the summer; it's educational and indoors!

Like Arizona SEA LIFE Aquarium on Facebook and check out the website to plan your visit!

***Disclaimer: I was given media passes to experience SeaLife Aquarium with my family. My opinions are my own. . If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html