10.28.2011

Flashback Friday: Rockin' At USA High

It's been awhile, but here's another addition of Flashback Friday!!!

Anyone aside from me remember the late 90s high school sitcom USA High?
http://images.tvrage.com/shows/1/11.jpg

Does this intro (and theme song) help refresh your memory?



If you're still having trouble, let me refresh your memory!

Created by Peter Engel and the same group that produced Saved By the Bell and all other Teen NBC Saturday morning shows, this gem didn't make it onto NBC Saturday mornings as the network opted for City Guys instead, however USA Network picked up and aired it regularly in the afternoons from 1997-2001 (despite there only being 2 seasons).

The series is about 6 teens studying at an American high school boarding school set in Paris, their doofus of a headmaster and the hot French American teacher that seemed to teach everything. The boys and the girls lived in a dorm suite that looks to be the exact same dorm suite used in Saved By the Bell: The College Years.

Meet the Girls - Lauren, the brunette whom all the guys seem to pine over; Winnie, the sassy black chick; and Ashley, the naive headmaster's daughter.

And the Guys - Jackson, the hot surfer guy who just moved there from California; Christian, the cute German athlete with a sexy accent who pined over Winnie like a puppy dog for some time (no idea why though - I always thought she was too sassy for him! lol...); and Lazzarini (aka Laz) who was the scrawny little guy from Brooklyn.

And the adults:
Headmaster Patrick Elliot who was a bit clueless as to what was going on and hopelessly in love with the adult in the show - Ms. Dupre, the hot blonde with a there and gone French accent.

Yeah, that's right, you have various versions of Saved By the Bell characters:
Lauren = Kelly
Winnie = Lisa
Jackson = Zack
Laz = Screech
Headmaster Elliot = Mr. Belding
Ms. Dupre = Sort of an updated Miss Bliss

I was a bit confused watching this in Junior High though, as the characters acted more like they were in college than in high school.

It was still a cute, entertaining series (that is, if you like Saved By the Bell, California Dreams, City Guys, Hangtime, etc).

Tell me I'm not the only one who watched this gem of a teen sitcom weekday afternoons on USA!

You can find episodes, in parts, on Youtube =)

10.26.2011

A Note on Parenting

I've seen this image circulating in the blogosphere lately and decided to repost for myself - it's quite true!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MMAavbMsMK0/ToM68bUkoZI/AAAAAAAABFo/hStNds76uCY/s640/214725618_1bJSc2hN_c.jpg

The "Geek" Zodiac Calendar

Earlier this month, Angie from Lariats & Lavender posted this neat "Geek" Zodiac Calendar she found on Pinterest (a site I hear is VERY addicting and I refuse to join, lol...).

Thought I would share!

I was born in 1984, The Robot.
Hubby was born in 1983, which is The Treasure Hunter.
Little Man was born this year - 2011 - which is The Superhero.

Here's what the calendar says about each.

Robot:
(Optimus Prime, Robocop, Terminator, Voltron)
+ Law-abiding, Dedicated, Logical
- Stubborn, Intractable, Cold
Years - 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
Why 1984? The year both The Terminator and Transformers debut

Treasure Hunter:
(Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, Jack Colton, Allan Quartermain)
+ Adventurous, Cultured, Quick-Thinker
- Greedy, Loner, Cavalier with laws/rules
Years - 1899, 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
Why 1935? The Year of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr.'s first cinematic adventure as depicted in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Superhero:
(Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Jean Grey)
+ Selfless, Moral, Vigilant
- Condescending, Pious, Sanctimonious
Years - 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
Why 1931? The debut of Superman #1, the first superhero to have his own title

What's your "Geek" Zodiac year??

Fun with Our Phones #9


I keep getting behind on these each week it seems!

Anyways, here's this week's photos!

 He discovered we have a big glass door in our kitchen, lol...

 Being a monkey, on the gate




 Being all cute at Denny's while daddy pays the bill


Our family room setup pre-fireplace

The setup post-fireplace - LOVE IT!!

 Checking out the fireplace the next morning (we put it together after he went to bed)


Tearing apart the house. Hubby & I were hanging out in the family room when we heard him banging around in the kitchen... he figured out how to pull the grate up out of the floor, lol...

10.19.2011

Tv Talk

October is already halfway over which means we've had time to get in the swing of shows new and old that premiered this fall.

Here's my thoughts:

2 Broke Girls
I watched the 1st 3 episodes of this one, but was indifferent about it. Sure, I laughed, but for some reason I just couldn't love it. I think I figured it out - Kat Dennings plays the same cynical, wise-cracking character in everything she's done (that I've seen her in) and it just gets old watching it week after week. Small, occasional doses, okay. But I just can't take it week after week. I haven't watched the last 2 episodes and to be honest, I haven't missed it.

Glee
http://www.moviescribes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/glee1.jpgOMG so much drama this season!! And I'm hooked! Everyone's up and leaving the Glee club or coming back from one reason or another. I'm glad Mercedes finally put her foot down about the fact that no one ever stands up to Rachel and puts her in her place. And the Quinn baby-drama... curious how that's going to go!

New Girl
http://static-media.fox.com/img/Fox.com/2/28/newgirl_first_look_featurette_series_premiere_640x360_1079196.jpgLOVE this one, but I'm sad Fox put it and Glee on hiatus for October for the stupid X Factor. I really hope the ratings aren't hurt when it returns, as that's what usually happens when a show is pulled for a month. It's a really cute and fun show! I've always loved Zooey Deschanel but this show just makes me love her more - she's hilarious!

Up All Night
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_AhkggiwcifQ-xZF8FzFtL6oMRD5Hm2qka85ZiTiRqqlhBg526kSirvt2Loving this one too, as being a new parent I can definitely relate to it. It's pretty funny and true to life in most cases too. I hope it sticks around! The birth of baby Amy is tonight's episode - pretty sure I'll get teary-eyed as mommyhood has done that to me.

Community
http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/community_nbc_logo.jpg
Hilarious like always, although I hear the ratings have been down, which makes me sad as it's such a great show for anyone that loves pop culture past and present with silly references to it - I really hope it doesn't get canceled as it's been one of my favorite shows for awhile now!

The Office
http://www.video-download-capture.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/the_office-nbc.jpgLike I said, it's a show with an ensemble cast so it should be able to hold its own for awhile despite the leaving of Steve Carell's Michael Scott... and it has! Not too big a fan of James Spader, as he's a bit creepy and awkward, but whatever. The show's still good and the cold openings this season have been quite hilarious too!

Whitney
http://mesorandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/whitney-nbc-500x280.jpg
I've never been a fan of hers when she was on any of the Comedy Central Roasts and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from a sitcom focused on her. We've watched it a few times since it's after The Office (where's 30 Rock or Outsourced?? Both are better than this crap!) and yeah... my expectations were about spot on. Nothing special really and her antics with her boyfriend aren't even that amusing. Some of the dialogue is funny, but I'm not really a fan of this one. Can we cancel this one already??

Prime Suspect
http://www.remotepatrolled.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/prime_suspect-NBC.jpgNot really sure why we're watching this one, other than it's on after our Thursday night shows but I've caught a few episodes. It's nothing special - just another detective crime drama like any of the Law and Orders or other crime dramas we've been subjected to throughout the years. She reminds me of the chick on Law and Order SVU but with the attitude of Jane Rizzoli on Rizzoli and Isles... and she has this thing about fedoras. I don't see this one lasting that long - there's too many shows just like it.

The Walking Dead
http://www.thinkhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/walking-dead-comic-con-poster.jpgOMG what a great season premiere!! The 1st 20 minutes or so were commercial free and boy were they suspenseful! The group gets stuck on a blocked highway when a herd of zombies stroll by and they have to hide and wait it out until the zombies all pass! And the little girl going missing... and then the very end of the episode - wasn't expecting that at all! Sure, it's a show about the zombie apocalypse but there's so much drama and suspense as you watch the survivors just trying to survive and get to safety... keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next! Unfortunately the 1st season was only 6 episodes, but we get 13 for season 2! Yay!


What shows are you watching this fall and what are your thoughts?

Fun with Our Phones #8

 
A few days late, I know, but I've been super tired the past few days and this is the 1st chance I've had to get near an actual computer =)

Part of my fall decorations. I bought this set a few years ago from PartyLite and decorate it differently for each of the seasons. I decided to do something for fall this year so I bought some fake leaves, some fall-colored glass stones and changed out my usual vanilla candles to apple!


 I posted these before, but I finally got new glasses! I had my old ones I got at Walmart for like 6 years and yeah, it was time for new ones (especially with Jay pulling and bending them!). I got these at Zenni Optical's site for ~$75 total (for 2 pairs! AND I have super bad vision so I had to get the more expensive lenses too!). Compared to most of the places in town that sell glasses, these were a steal! My prescription changed a lot so it took a few days to get used to them and wear them without getting a headache, but I'm all good now! 



 Playing with daddy's wireless keyboard - the sequence here is funny because he got distracted by the TV for a minute before going back to playing with it, lol...

He was being an "angry elf" as he didn't want to his coat on, lol...
Fell asleep in the car while we were at Walmart, lol...


 "Helping" mommy with the dishwasher

Chillin, watching TV

 He made himself a front row seat during football this past week, as we put him in his walker for a bit.

Being cute at Wendy's!

10.13.2011

Down with the Sickness

Today I've been quite sick.

I woke up around 830am, not feeling too good and ended up vomiting shortly after taking some PeptoBismal. I felt better though and climbed back into bed. Hubby woke up, saying he was up puking at 630am as well, but felt better afterwards. My blood sugar was down a bit but I laid back down until Jay started waking up around 1030. I moved everything I might need into the family room and drank some Dr. Pepper to get my blood sugar up... however as soon as I changing Jay's diaper, I felt a flush of sickness come over me. I quickly put his diaper on and laid him on the floor, me laying down next to him, before I got up and puked in his trashcan. Jay was a little confused as to what I was doing though! I regained just enough strength to get his jammies back on him and get us to the couch, where we snuggled for a little bit, but I ended up texting my mom and seeing if she could swing by after her Bible study to keep an eye on him for me and get him fed as I just felt too weak to do anything other than lay down and try not to puke again.

She helped me out a lot today - feeding Jay his breakfast and keeping him occupied for a bit so I could lay down and try to feel better. What sucked is that my blood sugar was down and making me feel sick since there was nothing in my system, however I couldn't eat anything to make it better as I was throwing it back up.

After Jay's 1st nap she offered to take him for the afternoon so I could just rest, so I agreed and hubby picked him up on his way home. Jay fell asleep in the car and slept til a little after 8pm. Hubby brought him into our room (he still isn't feeling 100% either) so we could all snuggle. Jay wanted mommy though and I told him I couldn't snuggle like we usually do as he couldn't bump me in the stomach as mommy's tummy wasn't feeling well. Not sure if he understood, but he crawled over to me and laid down next to me, putting his head on my shoulder for a few minutes - it was so sweet and cute! Made my night.

Jay's definitely a momma's boy - he doesn't like going too long without mommy and we didn't get to spend much time together today since I was feeling so sick.

My mom came back over to help me with him tonight after hubby left for his night job as I was feeling a little better but spending all day in bed my sense of balance was all off and my stomach was empty. I could use the help. We snuggled a bit tonight though - I missed snuggling with him today too. He's my little snuggle buddy.

10.12.2011

Teething Necklace Giveaway!

Poor Jay - tooth #6 still hasn't fully come through all the way AND we think he's starting molars now too, as he keeps shoving his fists into the side of his mouth now =(

We tried those Hyland's Teething Tablets everyone seems to rave about... yeah, they don't work as well as we were hoping. They seem to help for a bit, but then he's in pain again. Honestly, it seems to work as well as the baby tylenol we've been giving him and the tylenol is cheaper so yeah...

I saw on Twitter today though that Danielle tweeted about this giveaway for a baby teething necklace and looked into it as I had heard about these amber teething necklaces before but never really checked out to see what they were.

I'm desperate to give Little Man some relief, so why not enter and try to win of these (and maybe just buy one if I don't win) - it's worth a shot, right?

Here's to hoping!

New Glasses!

So I finally got some new glasses - my current pair I bought probably 6 years ago or so at Walmart back in college, as I needed a back-up pair just in case something happened with my contacts. I didn't wear them regularly until a few years ago though when my contacts and my eyes didn't want to agree (every time I wear them for more than an hour or so this annoying filmy stuff forms all over the lense, making my vision all blurry).

Anyways, Jay totally stretched my wire frames out so that they fall off my face whenever I bend over so yeah, it was definitely time for some new ones! And I wanted to get some prescription sunglasses too or at least some clips to go on my frames so I have something like sunglasses.

The stores are EXPENSIVE though!

I stopped into to Eyeglass World as they have a special - 2 for $78, but learned that with the reflextive coating and all the other stuff I would need because my eyes are so bad (ie: making my lense thin enough since they would be took thick otherwise) it would be closer to $200 instead of $78.

I started looking online and after coming across 5ohWifey's blog and post about Zenni Optical I decided to buy from there. Their frames start at $6.95 (although mine were both closer to $10) and after all the extra stuff I needed for my lenses my regular pair cost around $30 and my prescription sunglasses cost $35! After shipping, it was right around $75 for both! Talk about a steal - my old ones from Walmart cost me almost $100... and that was just for 1 pair!

I was a little hesitant at first - buying glasses online without knowing for sure how they would look on me... but they do have a feature on the site where you can upload a photo of yourself looking straight (I used my laptop's built-in webcam to snap a photo) and then "try on" the glasses that way. You can also use one of their dummy models that has a face shape similar to yours too if you don't want to upload a picture.

My only complaint really is how long it took - I ordered them on September 21 and they just arrived today, October 11. Roughly 3 weeks. I get it, they have to be crafted to the exact prescription and stuff, but still... seemed like forever and I was REALLY needing new glasses, the way Jay likes to pull rip my other ones off my face.

They're a bit strong, as my eyes got a little worse from the prescription my old ones were (which again, are like 6 years old, lol...), so I'm wearing them around the house tonight to get used to them.

So, what do you think? Yay or nay?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308961_10100252625149279_30800316_46816978_1387496932_n.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316077_10100252625568439_30800316_46816979_1836307666_n.jpg 

Better view of the sunglasses, with side detail:
http://mediacdn.zennioptical.com/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/255x102/3b61aaa59667ba46a41804bac5f380ed/o/r/order_detail_4898.jpg

10.11.2011

Fun with Our Phones Monday #7

 
It's Monday! (Okay, a little after, but I worked most of the day & this is the 1st chance I have to blog, hehe) Time to link-up for Fun With Our Phones Monday!!

Riding in his "big boy" car seat for the 1st time!
I actually took the time to be domestic and make a meal with some effort. I followed the French's Crunchy Onion Chicken recipe on the back of the bag and made Knorr Parmesan Pasta Side noodles. It was yummy!



 We went for a walk on one of the nearby walking paths and took a detour to visit the playground. Jay LOVES to swing!  It's been in the upper 70s all week too so I had to break out his summer clothes again, as I packed them up to go downstairs but fortunately they hadn't gotten stored yet!

Chillin' in the stroller after our walk

Napping with Elmo, his hat, and giraffe car toy during the 2hr drive out to the Quad Cities to visit his cousins.

Playing with his cousin Lucas (they're about 4 months apart) at Lucas' 1st birthday party!
Jay and cousin Noah playing with Lucas' new toys, lol...
Playing with Rock & Roll Elmo with his Grandpa & Daddy
Playing with cousin Lucas
Playing with his cousins and uncle he doesn't see often
Playing with his cousins

Riding home, late at night!
 As you can tell, this week consisted of riding around, going for walks and swinging and driving out to the Quad Cities for Jay's cousin's 1st birthday party. Jay seemed to really enjoy playing with his cousins and interacting with a baby closer in age to him too. I'm glad they got along and our 4 year old nephew is a riot!