A Must For Traveling With Kids

I would have to say my daughter is super good when it comes to traveling in the care or on a plane. It also helps that I am prepared for almost anything that might come up. Packing light and packing right, but that is for another post to come. Keeping kids amused on a long trip is tricky. My secret weapon was 5 small toys she had never seen or played with. One of the toys was from an Etsy(of course)shop called The Crafting Corner. They make an an I Spy Bag that provides hours of entertainment.

What is an I Spy Bag? A 7"x7" fleece bag with a 3"x3" vinyl window filled with non-toxic pellets that have 40 fun treasures shifting around. The items are listed on the back of the bag and you shift the pellets around to try and find all of them. I love that the treasures are listed in print form on the back of the game, promoting reading skills. Bugaboo Girl took her time trying to find the ball and the shell in the bag, her two favorite items. I also moved the pellets around and showed her what other neat things were hiding in the bag. She may not be able to read but she sure likes to pretend to do so!

As for the production and make of the bag, it is all first quality! The materials are very durable from the fleece to the vinyl. The stitching is well done and a slight decorative appeal. The patterns chosen are fun and bright, with different shapes involved with the windows. I do suggest for little ones using them to supervise due to if the bag is damaged, there are small toys which can be a choking hazard. But, I found it most fun to be involved with my daughter in this toy.

The Crafting Corner is offering all Life is like champagne readers a 10% discount toward pruchase by entering crafting 10 in the buyer message section of the check out.

It's Aloha Friday.....

Another week done. Aloha Friday is sponsored by An Island Life. Here is this weeks question!

Did you watch the Republican National Convention?

Champagne Food Friday - Okra

Do you do okra? Well I do and I grow it! Not many people up here in the Northeast do but I wanted to try this year, and it produced pretty well! But I did learn a few things about this vegetable. This week will be Gumbo, made by my father-in-law, someone who lived in Louisiana and knows about okra.

This is what okra looks like on the plant. The plant looks like a shrub with leaves that resemble small zucchini leaves. The flower is beautiful, looks like a rose of sharon. It is best to pick okra when it is between 3" and 4", anything larger becomes very fibrous, like eating wood chips or cardboard. Trust me, it will not cook down no matter how long you try!!!

Gumbo takes time to make, it is a process, like most cooking. There is a lot of prep work, a lot of different pots and pans going on, and a lot of drinking can be involved also! Here is the okra being cooked down with onions. Again, I cannot stress enough to pick SMALL okra, you do not need to make this part of the process any longer.

The nice thing about Gumbo is you can use several different sausages in it, shrimp ,crab, what ever you feel like or in season. Here he is using sausage that was made into meat ball form. Shrimp is always added last as not to over cook.

And here it is, add shrimp and serve over rice. Go ahead and use brown rice if you are not a white rice fan, either way it tastes super good. Make sure you have a lot of hot sauce and garlic bread on hand.

Yoplait Kids Yogurt

The Bogaboo Girl loves yogurt. I have been feeding her yogurt since she was over 6 months old and has been the Yo Baby brand. Lately I find myself looking at sugar contents in the processed foods I feed her and was wondering if the Yo Baby yogurt was considered high in sugar or not. So when Yoplait Yogurt Kids Yogurt offered a sample to try, I jumped on it!

The flavors offered were right on the money for what my daughter loves right now. She has just learned how to say strawberry so when I showed her the flavors at the store, she immediately said "strawberry" as her choice! The first thing I noticed reading the contents was it has less sugar than the Yo Baby. I gave it to her for snack time, she had no problem eating the whole thing. I like the smooth texture of the yogurt, smell, appealing color and of course Bugaboo Girl loves the outside of the container with the bright colors! I also feel good that she is getting a great source of calcium since it is hard sometimes to get her to drink enough milk each day. Such a good on the go food for her instead of having crackers.

Bonus! They also offer a printable coupon here for $1.50 off!

WIN IT!!!

Yoplait has offered up a very "cool" Yoplait Cooler, Brain Quest Cards and a free six pack coupon of Yoplait Kids yogurt. See Rules below.

1. Stop by Yoplait Kids and see what flavors they have to offer. Post a comment in this post which flavor you would like to have your child try.

2. US addresses only, one post per person and please leave your email address for contact.

3. EXTRA CREDIT!! Subscribe to my feed and post an extra comment that you did so on this post.

4. EXTRA CREDIT!! Blog about this review and giveaway, linking both Yoplait Kids and Life is like champagne. Post a separate comment on this post with the link.5. Contest ends midnight 9/20/08 with the winner announced 9/22/08. All prizes must be claimed within 72 hours or will be forfeited.

HWTM featuring MoMA, On The Sweet Side

Hostess with the Mostess posted a few MoMA items which I love, note the cup cake canisters which are so cute!

A big deal....

I am always amazed at what Bugaboo Girl remembers for her daily experiences. One that sticks out is from vacation.

Robin "You went swimming in Maine with Bob and Gayle, did you have fun?

Bugaboo Girl has one finger pointed to her shirt and says "suit!"

Robin "You wore your bathing suit!"

Bugaboo Girl then puts her hands on her hips and proceeds to say "Diape"

Robin " You didn 't wear a diaper when you were swimming, that was wonderful!"

Needless to say that was a memorable experience for her in Maine, and seems to be working toward the potty training now! She has started to tell me when she needs a new diaper and going on the potty, yea!

Bugaboo Book Review

This weeks book review is Good Night New York City by Adam Gamble and Joe Veno. I especially like this book since my Uncle Mop and Aunty Mip live in New York and they gave this book to me.

The book starts out with a "good morning", a picture of a big boat, mommy says it carries cars across the water, and a big lady standing in the water. Then it takes you on a wonderful journey seeing so many fun things about the big city! I can't wait for mommy to turn the next page to see where the children are at next.

From the ground at a big park to the sky where there are big buildings, New York has so much to see and do. When we get to the afternoon in the book, I get to look at really neat pictures, big animals and one of my favorite foods, the hot dog!

At the end of the day, I love looking at the people dancing on a big stage and on water that what mommy says is "so cold"! I don't want to say good night because then the book has to end!

Wordless Wednesday

A day at the Haddam Neck Fair

Wordless Wednesday is sponsored by 5 minutes for Mom, stop by and see other entries.

Shirts With A Personal Touch

There are so many T Shirts on the market for children, and we all see the same old designs. I find myself looking for something different, cute and many one of a kind to give as gifts. I have found that shirt at Off the Peg, an Etsy store of course!



Ebony works in the design industry and this is her own little store where she can show her creativity. The shirts are bright colors with simple designs. The stitch detail is wonderful and the patterns chosen to make the design stand out nicely! For a custom look, you can have your child's name embroidered on their T shirt, you can't get that at Old Navy or Gap Kids!







There are also baby onsies that offer sweet designs. I love the Elijah the Elephant that has the hand stitched tail and the red ears, what a great unique baby gift!





WIN IT!!!!!

Off the Peg has graciously offered a T Shirt of your choice! See rules below.

1. Go to Off the Peg and take a look at he wonderful designs. Post a comment on this post about which design you would like if you won.
2. US addresses only, one post per person, please make sure you leave an email address!
3. EXTRA CREDIT!! Blog about this giveaway linking both Off the Peg and Life is like champagne. Post a separate comment on this post linking your blog post.
4. EXTRA CREDIT!! Subscribe to my email feed and post a separate comment on this post that you did this!
5. Contest ends midnight 9/9/08 with the winner announced 9/10/08. Prize must be claimed within 72 hours or will be forfeited.

Accessorize That Dull Backpack

S o you have a backpack that is plain, simple, you love it but you really were thinking about getting a new one for the start of the new school year. How about adding a few accessories to bring it up to date and make it fun? This is where PakNak can add a little life to your bag.





PakNak is a small company started by two moms who had a vision to make accessorizing fun! Naks are cool interchangeable adhesive based accessories to decorate personal items such as backpacks, lunch bags, binders. Kids can bling up their bags and exchange them between each other or just change them to match their outfit or mood of the day!







I can see the possibilities for the use of these Naks are endless, going beyond the backpack to craft use and decorating. Add one to a gift bag or attach a few to a three ring binder. I love the idea of taking a simple head band, attaching a Nak and being able to change the Nak to match the outfit!





I love the various choice of designs from sports, flowers to cute characters! Check out their new designs that are 100% recycled plastic!



PakNak is celebrating it's First Anniversary! You have a chance to win four Naks for 3 winners! See rules below.

1. Visit PakNaks and look around at their assortment of fun accessories. Comment on this post what your favorite designs are and what you would put them on!
2. US address only, one entry per person, make sure you include an email address.
3. EXTRA CREDIT!! Make a separate comment on this post if you blog about this giveaway linking both PakNak and Life is like champagne. Include the link on your comment.
4. EXTRA CREDIT!! Subscribe to my email feed, make a separate comment on this post stating you did this.
5. Contest ends midnight 9/8/08, with the winner announced 9/9/08. The winner has 72 hours to claim the prize or it will be forfeited.

Tackle It Tuesday - Missing Maine

In case you have never been to Grand Lake Stream, Maine, this is pretty much what it looks like!  This would be a place where there are no restaurants, no shopping, no malls.  Just peaceful, relaxing, swimming, fishing and taking it easy.  This is exactly what we did. 

This is a Landlock Salmon we caught, very surprising since we were not trolling in deep water and it was along the shore.  Bugaboo Girl was not too happy when Daddy would bring a fish in the boat.  She would start crying, telling the fish "bye" and waving to it until he put it back in the water. 

We stayed at Leen's Lodge, very nice and the cabins were all water view.  The food was good and the hospitality was excellent.  Bugaboo Girl had her first PBJ here, she had no probelm with that! The other vactioners we met ranged from serious fisherman to just a leisure fishing trip.  Bugaboo Girl went swimming almost every day, she could have been a fish in a past life!  This water is not exactly bath water, and not as warm as Long Island Sound, but she had to be in, what a trooper! 

We met with friends who were staying at another camp, had several day trips in a rented boat.  The car ride back was in record time, even stopping to get lunch.  The weather was beautiful, one day of rain where we decided to take a trip to Canada going through St. Andrew and going on the Ferry through Deer Island driving back into Eastport.  I am missing GLS already, is it time to go back yet?! 

Happy Labor Day!

Have a wonderful holiday!

What's in Bloom?

This is always a tough time of year for flowers. We are in transition, coming close to the end of the season and already thinking mums! The heat seems to kill a lot and we have been without a major rain for two weeks here. My flox is at the end, went out and gave it a haircut yesterday. But the Rose of Sharon is going strong!

Take a Moment.......

Many of us cannot imagine something like this happening, but as posted here at 5 Minutes for Mom, it can. Take a moment and read this tragic story about a family who is dealing with a tragic situation from a plane crash and battling for their lives! Show your support, you just never know what a day can bring so hug your children, make that call and remember that you have only one ride on this earth, make it a good one!