Last year, I wrote about a non-profit organization that I volunteered with along with a group of Citi employees that were attending an incentive trip.  This organization was Ben’s Bells.  I loved their story so much that I helped with what I could, and I have since donated money.

This year I was given another opportunity to offer my services to Ben’s Bells.  In the process, I was introduced to another great non-profit organization, Give Kids the World.

Give Kids the World grants the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world.  They help these children to experience a happy, memorable, cost-free visit to Florida.  Through this organization,  children along with their families, can enjoy Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios.  Along with access to all the fun, they also get to stay in the Give Kids the World Village for a week.

The Gingerbread house in the Village (really a large cafeteria)

A lot of children with life threatening illnesses go through the Make a Wish program.  When the wish is to go to Disney World, they are sent to the village.  The village is a 70-acre resort complete with over 140 accommodations,  attractions,  fun specifically designed for children with special needs.

Every day of the week the Village celebrates Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays or events.  The reason they do this is because some of these children may never see another holiday.  They want their trip to Florida to be special, and they want memories to be made.

Citi employees dancing in the village.

The volunteerism I contributed was minimal to say the least (I made Ben’s Bells to pass through the community).  When you think of who you are helping, even the smallest bit is appreciated.

My husband making a Ben’s bell.

Please also check out:

Ben’s Bells

Proud Wife

Husband Working from Home Trade Off

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Love Duck Dynasty so much, I didn’t mind posing by this cut out of Willie Robertson

My family and I LOVE A&E’s reality television series, Duck Dynasty. What’s there not to love? They end each episode with a prayer at the table, are proud of their Louisiana roots and beards, and have an endearingly relatable yet hilarious family. It makes me wish I had an Uncle Si in my family because of his embellished stories and various rants.

The Robertsons are self made millionaires from West Monroe, Louisiana. Their family duck calling business, Duck Commander, is operated by a band of brothers. Their CEO is Willie Robertson.

This is one show my entire family watches together. My oldest likes the fact that they’re filthy rich and have our sense of humor. Their appeal is that they’re down to earth. One example of this is that the family was seen and photographed on the red carpet in full camouflage attire. They make no apologies for it.

On the Red Carpet – courtesy of US Magazine

They are who they are and apparently, America loves them as much as I do. Their ratings are sky high. They have a large following on Twitter (@AETV‘s #DuckDynasty) and get paid for appearances.   

Tune in and get ready to fall in love!

- Cool Playground Mommy

The post “Happy Happy Happy” – Duck Dynasty appeared first on DFW Mama.

Taste Addison features for 2013 includes fun activities like the Log Roll. (Photo courtesy of Addison Flickr.)

Main Street Days, Grapevine

Savor the flavor of fun at Grapevine’s 29 ^th Annual Main Street Days. Festival guests will enjoy three fun-filled, family -friendly days featuring a variety of activities, live entertainment, food, beverages and more for all ages. Delight in the varieties of premium Texas and International wines, craft beers and festival foods. Taste a slice of delicious pizza or enjoy a whole pie from one of Grapevine’s pizza purveyors along the Pizza Piazza. Hear live music on five stages throughout the three day festival. Cheer the masters of the grill at the Grillin’ Competition at the Town Square Gazebo. Watch your kids experience the thrilling KidCave, brand new kid-friendly entertainment zone, featuring LEGOLAND® Discovery Center’s Junior Builder Competition and the SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium touch pool. Take a turn at the games and on the carnival rides along the Carnival Midway. All this fun and more await you at the 29^th Annual Main Street Days Grapevine!

29^th Annual Main Street Days
Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.Sunday, May 19, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, May 17 at 10:00 a.m. – free until 5 p.m. After 5 p.m. on Friday, adults are $7 and children 6 – 12 and seniors are $5. Weekend passes are $15. Souvenir weekend passes are $20.
Free shuttles run continuously from designated parking lots.
Website

Taste Addison, Addison

Taste Addison offers a tasty weekend blend of food, music and family fun. This three-day festival, May 17 – 19, 2013, features more than 70 Addison restaurants serving generous samplings of their menus at reduced prices, national breakout musical entertainment.  This year’s event features a Texas Country night on Friday with headlining acts like Reckless Kelly and Turnpike Troubadours. Saturday will cap off a full day of musical entertainment with favorites Sister Hazel and Blue October.  In addition we will have celebrity chef demonstrations, carnival rides, midway games, award-winning children’s entertainment, and more.

21st Annual Taste Addison
Friday, May 17, 2013 :  6 p.m. – Midnight – $15*, Saturday, May 18, 2013:  Noon – Midnight – $5 before 5pm; $15 after 5pm*, Sunday, May 19, 2013: Noon – 5 p.m. –  $5**Ages 4 and older.Buy one ticket, get one 25% off anytime tickets sold at DFW area Albertsons stores.
Addison Circle Park
FREE parking at the corner of Dallas Parkway and Arapaho Road.  Handicap parking is available at the DART Transit Center.
Website

Wildflower Festival, Richardson

Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival is the City of Richardson’s award-winning, multi-day festival featuring live music, arts and crafts, children’s activities, interactive exhibits, strolling buskers and more.  Highlights include local, regional and national headliner entertainment:

• Robert Earl Keen
• The Toadies
• Grand Funk Railroad
• Uncle Kracker
• Reverend Horton Heat
• Cowboy Mouth
• Slaid Cleaves
• Eleven Hundred Springs
• Rocket Man – The best of Elton John
• Eliza Gilkyson
• Terri Hendrix with Lloyd Maines
• Le Freak

Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
Friday, May 17, 6 PM – Midnight, Saturday, May 18, 11 AM – Midnight; Sunday, May 19, 12:30 PM – 8 PM
Galatyn Park Urban Center, Richardson, Texas
Three-Day Pass – $30, Single-Day Adult – $20, Kid’s Pass (age 5-12) – $3’ Sunday kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult.
Website

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From Cranky to Content in the Kitchen Sink

Today my littlest love was just soooooooooooo cranky! He hasn’t been feeling well with teething, etc.. So, I decided to give one-year-old Reno a bath in the kitchen sink. I thought it would be fun for him (and me too!). He REALLY did like it! He splashed and wanted to play with the running water just like in the tub. Reno smiled and grinned, and then got serious about the sensation of the water in his hands. It was awesome to watch.

Now why am I sharing this with you? I believe you can take every moment, even the most common events in your child’s life and lock them away in a photograph where they’ll be re-enacted forever. I love the images of Reno’s bath time in the kitchen sink so much that I am probably going to print one of them in a canvas for my ‘lifestyle and candid’ wall. It makes my heart happy knowing that tomorrow, next week, and  years from now I will look upon these images and be able to recall these feelings of the moment I took them. These photos will bring back the sounds of his laughter among the splashing, and more.

The “How-to” of Photographing This Simple Childhood Event

For you photo bugs that want to know how I did it….I didn’t use a flash to take these images. I couldn’t even find it at the time LOL! I had my daughter bring me a floor lamp from my bedroom that I set up in the kitchen to Reno’s right to use as a catch light. I used my 1.8 mm lens on 2.2, ISO on 320 and shutter on 80 . Then I did a little creative editing to achieve this look you see here. IMPORTANT: I had help with the safety of my little guy while I was taking the pictures. So make sure you plan ahead if you want to do this by having a spotter within arm’s reach.

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On Friday, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The first 100 people in line received a goody bag filled with all kinds of good stuff.  What kind of greatness was in the bags?  Well, I don’t know.  I was #101 in line.  I didn’t get a goody bag.  Needless to say, we didn’t stay for the ribbon cutting either.  I’m sure it was nice and well done. (Not bitter one bit).

the B and B Wylie 12

We did decide to take in a  movie the next morning.  There weren’t many movies to choose from, none that were kid friendly anyway.  We had seen the Croods the weekend before, so we decided to try something in 3D.  Jurassic Park.  The boys love that movie.  So what if we have it at home, it’s in 3D!

It was very nice.  The inside ticket counter was like you were checking into a hotel.  I really didn’t get a movie theatre feel from it.  The concession stand was very nice too.  Being that it was opening weekend, they were giving out free popcorn.  That was my boys’ favorite part.  It wasn’t crowded at all.  Again, besides having the concession stand, it did not feel like we were about to see a movie.  Everything was brand new and clean.

The ticket booth looks more like a check in at a hotel.

Concession stand full of goodies.

Free popcorn!

Our movie was in a regular auditorium.  A little smaller than I expected, but the chairs were a nice size, and they rocked.  There was a ton of leg room.  No worries that someone will come in late and step all over you.  One thing that really stood out to me, while watching our movie, was that the ushers would come in periodically to check on everything.  I remember they used to do this in movies years ago, but don’t anymore.  I appreciate the fact that this theater does that.

Long hall. Again, like a hotel.

Outside the auditorium door.

In our seats!

In addition to the auditorium  the other two types of screens they have at the Wylie 12 are the Grand Screen and and the Marquee Screen.  The Grand screen is one of the largest in the nation.  It has extra large stadium seating with 24″ wide rocker seats and Dolby 7.1 surround sound (if you are in to that kinda thing).  The Marquee Suites offers extra wide leather recliners, full menu and service at your seat throughout the film, reserved seating, full bar and grille, and wall to wall curved screens.

Screen details

For more Wylie happenings, check out:

Say It With Sugar

Big Cats at The In-Sync Wildlife Rescue

The post B and B Theater-Wylie Grand Opening Weekend appeared first on DFW Mama.

I’ve been doing bluebonnet sessions through the month of April and I LOVE wildflower photos with kids. It’s impossible to pass them up!  I relish that richness in color, and how children look so ‘fresh’ in them. I personally (well, and the State of Texas of course) call them flowers, but they really are weeds!

I don’t care. Bluebonnets make for a beautiful photo opportunity especially if you are a native Texan. You have to ‘do’ bluebonnets if you are from Texas. Let’s face it, you aren’t going to go anywhere else and do them!

Bluebonnets and other wildflower photos with kids, and pets too

My son REALLY wanted to take a picture with Kitty Perry so we brought him with us out to the bluebonnet patch, and my daughter loved the chance to be caught lounging among the wildflowers with her dog. So we had to bring him too. Why not?

If you missed taking bluebonnet pictures with your kids this year, Richardson has another wildflower photo opportunity

Every year the city plants wildflowers. I suppose that means they aren’t REALLY wild but I think it’s a nice touch. I don’t know of any other city that does this. You can call the City of Richardson to get a map so you will know where to find them, but I know for certain that Cottonwood Park off Belt Line and Coit has them; Prairie Creek off Campbell and 75 blooms every year; and I took these at Arapaho Rd and 75. You can get there by turning into the post office or the library.

The post Wildflower Family Photos in Richardson, Texas appeared first on DFW Mama.

That’s why when he told me he would start working from home I was a little excited.  At first, anyway.  But having him work from home meant that he would take over the office completely.  It also meant that he would be able to spend more time with the kids.  The time I would like to spend with them.  Also, he would have some down time and be able to relax more often.  Something I am in dire need of.  It wasn’t fair, and I was a little jealous.

So what made me change my mind about the unwelcomed news?  Easy.  When he was leaving at 5:30 every morning, I was left getting breakfast together, kids up, kids dressed, and kids ready to rush out the door.  All this on top of me getting myself together.  Now that he is home, I get a little more sleep every morning.  He helps get the kids ready and fed, and I sit back and take care of myself.  Every morning!  That’s a pretty good trade off.  I get the extra help I need, and he gets the extra freedom.  I even get a tiny little desk in the office for my computer and work.  I don’t complain any more.  It’s even pretty nice to come home and have the dishes washed!

***Please note that I do still help get the kids put together everyday.  If I didn’t, they would get some awfully strange looks due to their fashion choices.

Here is another blog about the hubs:

Proud Wife 

The post Husband Working from Home Trade Off appeared first on DFW Mama.

For my birthday, my husband purchased me a pink plate to help out with two of my obsessions.  The color pink and Disney.  I have seen hundreds of vanity plates, and always wanted one.  When I found out they had pink ones, my want turned into a need.

Now, I am a Disney fan through and through.   I frequent the Disney Parks on a regular basis.  I shop in the Disney Store weekly.  Every room in my house has at least one Disney themed item.  Half my wardrobe has a hidden Mickey somewhere within it.   All of that is pretty awesome, and I think it proves not only that I am a true fan, but that I am a little obsessed, but nothing shows Walt that I am truly obsessed like the works that were put on my plate.  I Love Disney (in license plate lingo).

I’m a dork!

Ordering it was simple (if you have a few dollars to spend).  You simply go to the myplates.com website.  Pick out the style of the plate you would like.  Then, put in up to 6 letters to shout out a little message to those cars who may be passing by.

It only took 3 weeks to come in.  I absolutely love my plate, and I better…  I’m stuck with it for the next 10 years.

The post Pink Vanity License Plates, I Got One appeared first on DFW Mama.

It is with that frustration and the added pounds on my backside, that I moved on to fantasizing about the Brazil Butt Lift (no, this is not a surgery).  This time I wasn’t taking any chances.  I ordered it straight from the guy on TV (or a man in an old shack of a building where my call went in to).  In about 5 days, I received my DVDs, and I was all set.

I'm On The Brazil Butt Lift Train... Toot Toot! (no pun intended)

According to the people on the television, there should be a transformation in only 60 days!  (If you heard me speaking you would hear my sarcastic tone.)

Last night I did my second day of the workout.  The first day, I must admit, was pretty brutal.  Because it is the “Brazil Butt Lift” the exercises focus on different types of dance and the dreaded squat.  My legs are still sore from the first day.

Day two was a lot more fun than the first.  It was a dance/cardio DVD, kinda like Zumba.  That, added to about 20 minutes of crunches, meant I was feeling good and not too tired.

The thing I like best about this workout is that you can choose what DVD you want to do based on your body type.  For example, I am a pear shape.  Have been my whole life.  I am doing the “Shape and Sculpt” exercise regimen.  They also have you taken care of if you are in the “no butt” or “big butt” category.

If you see the infomercial, don’t be fooled.  You will pay more than the suggested ”3 payments of $19.95″ for everything that is shown.  And the free upgraded shipping is a joke, but that is neither here nor there.

So, my plan is to stick with this and in 60 days, I will have a beach ready butt.  (I can’t help but laugh out loud.)  My husband is excited, and maybe if we start seeing results, he’ll stop calling it the “Brazil Butt Wax.”  I can only hope.

Wanting to get your body ready for the beach?  Check out:

Dieting?  5 Food Apps To Satisfy Your Craving Without The Calories

I Am A Believer In HCG Diet

How To Lose 20 Pounds in 8 weeks

The post The Brazil Butt Lift appeared first on DFW Mama.

I’d been searching for beignets and a Louisiana home style kitchen since our summer road trip through Louisiana. After getting word from another co-worker about one near our home, I knew I had to check it out.

Corinne’s Catfish, located in Lewisville, has yummy food! I started off with a red Hurricane (an adult beverage). It was so pleasing to the eyes, that my hubby decided to order one too. We both agreed that it was good. A big salmon fan, I ordered the blackened salmon. It was tender, packed with flavor, and delicious. My kids and hubby enjoyed their food too.

We learned while dining there, the restaurant only offers beignets on the weekends. We’ll be back!

They have two different locations in the Lewisville area. Click here for their menu and more information.

- Cool Playground Mommy

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