Celebrating the season of giving thanks, here are a few of my favorite things for November 2012.
1) Why yes, I am a 27-year-old adult individual who plays laser tag on a somewhat-regular basis. However, laser tag presents a wonderful opportunity to take out all of your frustrations and aggressions on unsuspecting children that you don't know, which is perfectly healthy, no? As I get older, this game just gets more and more fun. As a family, we all enjoy it and thus it presents the perfect bonding opportunity. Or shoot-to-the-death competition between family members, whatever. ADDED BONUS: It's AWESOME cardio. You will leave the arena covered in sweat, if you are as competitive and serious about it as I am. Which everyone is, right?
2) So, I have talked before about how I find it peaceful and calming to maintain a clean home. Now that I have a job (current status: employed... woo-hoo!) I wanted to still clean but in much less time. This Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A
is AWESOME in that rather than pull out the bucket and (dirty gross) mop, add cleaner, fill said bucket with hot water, sweep floors, mop, and then empty dirty water, you can simply fill up the steamer with water and it sanitizes your floor with steaming hot water! I LOVE that it uses no chemicals and therefore is eco-friendly, and is so easy to use. Just plug in, fill with water, let it heat up and mop. Again, I'm gushing over a mop (akin to gushing over a pair of stretchy skinny jeans) but here we are. Ahem.
3) My lips have been peeling away and in such a sad state since the weather turned cold. Despite using EVERY chapstick-type deal on the face of the planet, every five minutes throughout the day (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating), nothing alleviated my situation. Enter: Burt's Bees Ultra Moisturizing Lip Treatment with Kokum Butter, .25 oz
. I use this once in the AM and once in the PM, and my lips are GOLDEN I tell you. Not literally golden golden. But they're good. I'm happy. And my lips no longer hurt and/or peel off at inopportune times throughout the day. AND they add a nice subtle glossy finish. Hurrah!
4) ZOMG. So, as a long-time Tiramisu lover, I introduced Dylan to this fantasmagoric dessert while summering in Saudia Arabia last year, at a Macaroni Grill (go figure, they have those there). He instantly fell in love, so when it was time to select his birthday dessert, he chose the Tiramisu Torte in the frozen foods section at Trader Joe's. We celebrated his birthday with this and all loved it. Simply remove from freezer and thaw for a few hours, and then die of happiness and Tiramisu overload. Repeat as needed.
5) We love all the Charlie Brown seasonal specials, and this one continues the tradition of teaching a meaningful lesson and being charmingly hilarious. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Remastered Deluxe Edition)
features not only the 25-minute special where Charlie Brown is inundated by guests inviting themselves to his feast (BEEN THERE, DONE THAT CHUCK), but also a fantastically-done special on the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, the hardships they experienced traveling to America, the illness and difficulty they had finding land and settling once there, and why they continued to show faith and thanks and the wonderful teachings of Native Americans that helped them (okay, so not the whole story...). It's very touching, and according to my sources, historically accurate. Note: My sources are me assuming it is historically accurate.
Contains affiliate links.
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| Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, #s |
2) So, I have talked before about how I find it peaceful and calming to maintain a clean home. Now that I have a job (current status: employed... woo-hoo!) I wanted to still clean but in much less time. This Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A
is AWESOME in that rather than pull out the bucket and (dirty gross) mop, add cleaner, fill said bucket with hot water, sweep floors, mop, and then empty dirty water, you can simply fill up the steamer with water and it sanitizes your floor with steaming hot water! I LOVE that it uses no chemicals and therefore is eco-friendly, and is so easy to use. Just plug in, fill with water, let it heat up and mop. Again, I'm gushing over a mop (akin to gushing over a pair of stretchy skinny jeans) but here we are. Ahem.3) My lips have been peeling away and in such a sad state since the weather turned cold. Despite using EVERY chapstick-type deal on the face of the planet, every five minutes throughout the day (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating), nothing alleviated my situation. Enter: Burt's Bees Ultra Moisturizing Lip Treatment with Kokum Butter, .25 oz
. I use this once in the AM and once in the PM, and my lips are GOLDEN I tell you. Not literally golden golden. But they're good. I'm happy. And my lips no longer hurt and/or peel off at inopportune times throughout the day. AND they add a nice subtle glossy finish. Hurrah!4) ZOMG. So, as a long-time Tiramisu lover, I introduced Dylan to this fantasmagoric dessert while summering in Saudia Arabia last year, at a Macaroni Grill (go figure, they have those there). He instantly fell in love, so when it was time to select his birthday dessert, he chose the Tiramisu Torte in the frozen foods section at Trader Joe's. We celebrated his birthday with this and all loved it. Simply remove from freezer and thaw for a few hours, and then die of happiness and Tiramisu overload. Repeat as needed.
5) We love all the Charlie Brown seasonal specials, and this one continues the tradition of teaching a meaningful lesson and being charmingly hilarious. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Remastered Deluxe Edition)
features not only the 25-minute special where Charlie Brown is inundated by guests inviting themselves to his feast (BEEN THERE, DONE THAT CHUCK), but also a fantastically-done special on the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, the hardships they experienced traveling to America, the illness and difficulty they had finding land and settling once there, and why they continued to show faith and thanks and the wonderful teachings of Native Americans that helped them (okay, so not the whole story...). It's very touching, and according to my sources, historically accurate. Note: My sources are me assuming it is historically accurate.Contains affiliate links.
* when Dylan was younger, and he loved it. The box contained cards with questions, games, and challenges that we really enjoyed, but Dylan eventually outgrew it. He recently mentioned at dinner one night that he really loved those, so of COURSE I had to immediately find an age-appropriate replacement. Enter, these: 
.*
Great questions to stimulate conversation. At the risk of sounding super cheesy, these even help us grow closer as a family. Say it together now, "Awwww" (or, you know, gag if I'm being too sentimental for you).