What Will I Be Watching?

Oh how I love the start of the new fall TV season. I think I've told you before of my love for TV Guide.... my mom and I would go to the grocery store every week to get the newest issues and I'd read it cover to cover. (Yes, that's weird for a kid, and also, why didn't we have a subscription?)

But lately I've gotten frustrated that the networks don't give shows a chance. If they aren't a big hit right out of the gate, it's cancellation time. So I'm a bit choosy in terms of new shows and what I'm willing to invest my time in. I pay attention to what's getting press and the most advertising time.

We've actually already seen two episodes of Go On and we love it. Of course, Matthew Perry in anything is fine by me. But can he play anyone other than Chandler? (Said in my best Chandler Bing voice.)  I'm not complaining, I love Chandler with all my heart.

We were big fans of Mr. Sunshine last year, which of course was cancelled. Here's hoping this one sticks around. It's got a crazy cat lady, March Sadness, and his character does sports radio, so Mr. Sasha's in.

We were so done with The Office when Michael left, so I'm glad to see Mindy Kaling elsewhere. I'm anxious to see this one and hope it lives up to the promo vid here. Pretty please?

ABC is playing so many ads for Nashville on their iPad app that they are practically insisting I watch it. And I'm gonna. Because Connie Britton is the bomb and my life has been empty without her since Friday Night Lights ended.

666 Park Avenue is the wild card here..... I haven't seen much about it but I'm intrigued enough to watch the first episode. Based on number of advertisements I've seen, this one wins the award for Most Likely To Be Cancelled Now That Sasha's Watching It, because we all know at least one of these won't make it past sweeps.

So what are you planning on watching? Any good ones I've missed?

What Am I Watching?

Still on theme with "What I Am Into", today I thought we'd discuss the TV I've been watching over the summer.

I am obsessed with Scandal! It's a fast-paced, quick-witted legal drama, and a show that the Mr. and I both enjoy. I love finding shows we can watch together.

I got behind a bit during Spring baseball, so over the past few weeks, I've re-watched all 7 episodes from the first season and am ready for the new season to start on the 27th.

Another show we watch together is Swamp People. Good stuff. We still laugh at the subtitles... we totally don't need them, since we can understand every word just fine. Anyone else? Or just it is just us hick Okies that can understand them?

I can't talk my husband into watching Big Brother with me, but I don't miss it. I've watched every single season and although other reality competition shows like Survivor and Amazing Race have lost my interest, Big Brother still holds it and it's always a fun summer diversion.

What have you been watching this summer?

Multi-Sensory Learning

Having two kids with sensory/learning difficulties has taught me one thing: Everyone learns differently. We have found "multi-sensory" techniques work best for us.

From www.EarlytoLearn.com: Multisensory learning happens when more than one sense is used to acquire and retain information.  Learning is typically categorized into three modes or types: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

My kids are kinesthetic learners. 

Kinesthetic learners acquire information best when it is presented in a way that can be touched and experienced- hands-on. They succeed best by participating in field trips, science labs, using manipulatives (blocks, felt, props), and by being actively involved in some type of activity.

So WC and I have been using our Leap Frog Word Whammer to work on our 1st grade spelling lists. I lay out all the letters and give her a word and let her find the letters and build the word.

This is a pic of WC doing the little dance we do when the Word Whammer tells her she made a word "super-duper excellently". We do a little "scratching" and do some rapper-type moves. Well, as rapper-type as these two southern girls can get.

I am pretty sure this is discontinued, but it looks like there is a newer version.

Sadly, this little gem only has space for three letters. But I've ordered some Unifix letter cubes for us to use on longer words. And I guess I'll just have to sing the song myself!

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon referral link.

Another First Day

This week we got some new backpacks and headed back to school.

How in the world do I have a THIRD GRADER?

 And in typical WC-fashion, I had nothing to do with this outfit or hairstyle choice.

 

Time, she's a flyin' by.

Blogging With a Purpose

Oh, this blog has been fun! Over the past 5 years, I've shared lots of funny kiddo moments (Notes From School anyone?), bargains galore, makeup and food finds, and of course I've documented several struggles our family has faced, both medical and learning-disability related.

But things have definitely slowed down around here. There was a time I got 20+ comments on a post, and  I feel lucky these days if I get 1. Things are busier at our house and at times my depression/anxiety doesn't lend itself well to documenting much of anything. Who wants to read woe-is-me posts?

Then I check my email and I remember what it's all about- community. I get at least 1-2 emails per week from families who stumble on my blog after looking for help for their babies suffering from an ulcerated hemangioma. Friends, they send me pictures that make me cry big tears. I go to sleep at night grateful that part of WC's life is over, and grateful that her two surgeries have done a pretty good job of removing the remains of the scarring. Being able to provide info for other families about hemangiomas makes my little home in cyberspace worth it.

And the Internet has been such an invaluable resource for me as I've navigated the waters of special needs for both my kiddos. We first dealt with a Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis (both kids) and poor P has also had to deal with vision problems that began with eye-muscle surgery for Exotropia, followed by 28 weeks of Vision Therapy, an Interactive Metronome program, Lindamood-Bell reading tutoring, and he was most recently diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome. He'll be having Irlen filters added to his new reading glasses in a few weeks and we're hoping we're setting him up for success in 3rd grade. Do you know where I got most all my info? THE INTERNET. Invaluable resource.

So that's why I'm here. That's why I'm still blogging. Because if just one person finds some helpful information from something I post, it's all worth it.

This week

On Monday night, I went to a Wine and Palette event with my MIL and SIL and had a blast. We ate dinner, ordered drinks, and followed an artist's directions step by step, and I PAINTED THIS PICTURE. That's how us accountants paint, by following specific directions. My kind of art!

I am so over this 114 degree weather! Mr. Sasha and WC found this bike for me at a local sale and I have been dying to ride it, but it's so surface-of-the-sun hot in the evenings I just can't do it. I never learned to ride a 10 speed and am seriously intimidated by them so this is perfect for me and IT IS PINK AND WHITE and retro and well, just love.

And thank goodness I have munchkin feet, because I was able to get the kids version of Nike Frees, and saved myself $30 or so. Aren't these adorable? I also ordered a grey and punch pair as well...... too cute and too comfortable. These won't be for running, I have too many arch issues for that. These are just for general tennis shoe wearing purpose.

So what have you been up to this week?

Decorating

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law told me about these darling wall frames at Hobby Lobby and I dashed in to check them out. Hobby Lobby is so great about having lots of things on sale each week and it just so happened that the week I went in, these were 50% off. That made the 5X7s $7.50 each and the 8X10s $10 each- what a bargain! (I found them on an end-cap in the framing department.)

I usually purchase digital copies of pics when we have them done professionally.... it's so nice to be able to re-print because you never know when you might want more copies. So I ordered print for these frames from www.mpix.com and like usual, I am thrilled with their quality and shipping. The print on Kodak Endura professional paper and always package the prints so they won't get damaged in transit.

So now all I have to do is get these on the wall.... I messed around with the grouping and I think this is my final decision. What do you think?

Nothing to disclose here- I paid out of pocket for the frames and prints and Mpix and Hobby Lobby don't know me at all.

Brainwashing

P broke my heart the other night when he told me he didn't want to play fall baseball this year. Baseball is absolutely my favorite sport and I treasure all the time we spend at the ball fields each season.

He assured me it wasn't that he didn't like baseball, and definitely wants to play next spring, but he just finished the spring season a few weeks ago, and says he would like a break. He's excited for soccer this fall after getting back into this spring and really enjoying it.

Ok. I get it. I'm not going to be that parent who signs their kids up for things they don't want to do.

But I've assembled quite a library of baseball movies in our collection that we'll be watching as a family periodically so he doesn't forget the baseball is the greatest sport ever.

So here's a list of the movies you might see if you joined us at our house for Friday Night Movie Nights.

1.The Sandlot - "You're killing me Smalls!" Love this movie! Mr. Sasha and I went to see it in the theater when it came out in 1993 when we first started dating. I could watch this over and over and never get tired of it.

2. The Sandlot 2 -I recently ordered The Sandlot 2 even though the reviews on Amazon weren't great. It's basically a remake of the first Sandlot, not a sequel. But my kids loved it just the same.

3. The Sandlot: Heading Home -Now this is a sequel! Although some of the elements of the story are taken from the original, this is a new story and even features grown-up Benny and Squints, and Squints is even played by the original actor.

4. The Bad News Bears -Such a classic, and even though there is some inappropriate language in this movie, we've enjoyed this so much as a family. (And we used it as an opportunity to teach that just because we hear someone else say something, it doesn't mean it's OK for us to do the same.)

5. Rookie of the Year -P especially loves this story of a 12-year-old who discovers an injury left him with the amazing ability to throw at an amazing speed and joins a major league team.

6. Little Big League - A young boy inherits a major league team and appoints himself as manager. I think I ordered this one with my Disney Rewards points, so you might check there because Amazon's $20 price is pretty high.

7. The Perfect Game - This is about a group of boys from a rural poor area of Monterey, Mexico who had a dream of playing Little League Baseball in America in the 50s. Extremely family-appropriate.

8. The Rookie -We haven't actually watched this one yet, but we're home today with stomach viruses, so maybe today will be the day! I think I ordered this one with my Disney Rewards Points. I am going to admit that I have a crush on Dennis Quaid and had to have it when I saw he was in a baseball movie!

Do you know of any other family-friendly baseball movies I need to pick up to continue my brainwashing sessions with P?

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

Summer Reading Program at Barnes & Noble

On Saturday the kids and I went to Barnes & Noble to turn in their Summer Reading Program log so they could pick out their free book. It's a great program- you download the log, write down 8 books as they read them, and when you turn it in, your child gets to pick out a free book from a selection chosen by Barnes & Noble just for the reading program.

P chose a book on the Titanic. His 2nd grade class did a unit on the Titanic and he is so interested in it. (And also told me he'll never ride on a big ship, which is fine by claustrophobic me.)

WC, who was unwilling to pose for a picture, chose Fancy Nancy: Fancy Day in Room 1-A, which was the only FN book we didn't have at home. Fancy Nancy never fails to delight me- I absolutely love FA books!

If you haven't taken advantage of this program yet, there is still time- the program doesn't end until September 4th, 2012.

Celebrating Southern: Food (namely dessert!)

Today's I'm linking up with Leslie from A Blonde Ambition to tell you what I think makes a Southern girl. I think it's pretty important around these parts to have an excellent Southern dessert in your repertoire.

Neiman Marcus Bars

Absolutely, hands-down the best thing I have ever tasted. I am somewhat famous for this dessert with friends and family, and am asked to make it often for gatherings. We've talked about this recipe before here at Sasha Says, and it seems in other parts of the country it has some other names: Chesscake, Butter Puffs and of course Paula Deen calls it Gooey Butter Cake.

Neiman Marcus Bars

• 1 box Duncan Hines Deluxe yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter (I use Parkay)
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz block of cream cheese (I use Philly 1/3 less fat)
• 1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar
• glass pan (this is very important- must be a glass pan)

Combine: 1 egg beaten, 1 stick melted butter, and cake mix. Pat stiff dough in 9X13 pan that has been sprayed w/ Pam.

Combine: cream cheese, 2 eggs, and entire box of powdered sugar. Pour this over dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. I let them cool and then store them in the fridge.

For a pineapple version, I use a Pineapple Supreme cake mix, and add a drained 20 oz can of crushed pineapple to the topping along with an extra egg.

Do you have a dessert your are known for?

Celebrating Southern: Nails!

Today's I'm linking up with Leslie from A Blonde Ambition to tell you what I think makes a southern girl.

Nail polish!

I don't think I've ever seen my mom's nails without polish on them. Granted, it's been the same shade for as long as I can remember (Revlon Geranium followed by Mango Mango, and when both were discontinued, she found a dupe by Petites at Walmart), but they are ALWAYS painted and chic.

And if you know me, you know mine are always painted too. Well, except during VBS.... last week it killed me that I didn't have time to do my every-other-night manis since we were getting home so late from church every night.

If keeping your nails painted sounds like too much time and effort, let me share my nail routine with you.

As a working mom of two, I understand how hard it can be to find the time to pamper yourself with things like manicures. But over the years, I've developed a method that allows me to do a home mani in a short amount of time right before I go to bed. The secret is the fast-dry topcoat- my nails are completely dry by the time I hit the sack, and I don't get sheet marks at all! Start to finish, a mani takes me less than 20 minutes. Who doesn't have 20 minutes to pamper themselves?

So without further ado, here are my favorite nail products, shown in order of use for the perfect salon-quality mani. For all products, I start with the pinkie of one hand and continue on to the other hand before I move to the next step. And there's no need to let the coats dry in between steps- just start with the same nail each step.

1. Sally Hanson Instant Cuticle Remover. I apply this all around my cuticles, wait a bit (you can wait longer that it says), then use the thumbnail of my opposite hand to push back/scrape the cuticles. I typically do this twice.

2. Wash your hands and dry them well.

3. Orly Bonder. Apply one coat. This rubberized basecoat overrides any oily residue on your nails and gives your polish something to stick to. Key to a long-lasting mani.

4. Sally Hanson Nailgrowth Miracle in the gold bottle. Love this as a basecoat. Watch for CVS/Walgreens to have their BOGO or BOGO half off on Sally Hanson products and stock up.

5. 2 coats of color. OPI polish is one of my favorite brands. Tip for newbies: Try a sheer or light color as you are practicing your painting skills. They are certainly more forgiving than a vampy dark shade!

6. Seche Vite top coat. I won't use any other top coat. This is a super-fast dry topcoat with a fab shine. Expensive, but worth it!

7. Creative Nail Design Cuticle Eraser. Keeping your cuticles neat and clean is one of the keys to making your manicure last longer. This product is fabulous and I massage this into my cuticles a few times a day to prevent hangnails and prevent cuticle buildup.

Did you know I love nail polish so much that I've got a separate blog just for my nail polish review and pictures? Visit me at http://www.manicuremommas.com/ if you like nail polish as much as I do!

Friday Favorites

Today I'm linking up with The Bargain Blonde for Friday Favorites. I'm going to another Favorite Things party this weekend and am trying to decide what to take so I've already got favorites on the brain today!
Favorite Nail Polish of the Summeryou knew I'd name a nail polish, right? :-)

China Glaze Surfin' For Boys

from the Summer Neons collection
(photo by me)

I am currently sporting this on my toes and loving it. If you've ever tried neon polish, you know it's pretty hard to work with. But China Glaze really hit it out of the park with their Summer Neons collection- these apply like a dream and are gorgeous.

Favorite Alcoholic Beverage of the Summer

photo via DailyBeer Review.com

I discovered Wild Black Blackberry Lager in NM on vacation and I'm in LOVE. Head over heels- so so good. I also love Wild Black's cousin Wild Blue, and google just told me that there's a sister.... Wild Red (raspberry)! Gotta find that one too.

Favorite TV Show of the Summer

Yay for Big Brother! I always look forward to this show in the summer. I did watch the premier and I'm not sure I have a favorite yet. If we do an office pool, you know I'm sure to draw Wil based on my track record of randomly drawing the flamboyant ones. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Favorite New Beauty Product

NYC Grand Central Station Top Coat ($2 at CVS)
(photo by me)

I'm usually shouting my love for Seche Vite from the rooftops.... but for $2, this just can't be beat. I've been using it for over a month and still love it. Since I change my mani every other day or so, a low-priced topcoat is much more economical.

Do you have any new favorites I need to know about?

Red River, NM Day 2

Our 2nd day in Red River was busy busy busy. Such a fun day!

We started out with a little breakfast outside our cabin on the river.

Next, we went into town and rode the ski lifts up the mountain and did some hiking.

The kids had seen a fun looking place on the main road in town- they had a climbing wall, little cars to rent, a  mechanical bull, and indoor bumper cards.

Mr. Sasha took P for the first ride- they had a ball.

And he took WC next, but look! She fell asleep on the ride! I tell you, we have Carcolepcy! Everyone was cracking up when they pulled in.

However, she rallied pretty quickly and did the climbing wall and loved it. She did so well on the easy side they let her have a free turn on the harder side. And she did that one fast too!

After that the kids did the bumper cars. So cute!

We closed out our day by eating at Texas Reds Steakhouse. I had a grilled chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella cheese and green chilies.... it was fabulous!

Red River, New Mexico vacation

After we had 67 days over 100 degrees in a row last summer, we were pretty sure we'd need to get away to a nice cool place in 2012.

Mr. Sasha is our vacation planner, and he choose Red River, New Mexico. I can't explain it, but I cannot  plan or even think about trips. Just tell me when we are leaving, and what type of clothes I'll need..... that's all I need to know. I totally zone out when someone mentions flights, miles, hotels, etc.

We originally planned to leave on Wednesday, June 27, but we did have to put leaving off by a day since P's team was still in the baseball championship tourney (Yay for our Cubs getting 2nd place!), but we decided that wasn't a big deal.

Although it was about a 9 hour drive, the fact that we left by 9 and there was a 1 hour time change got us there in time to enjoy the river behind our cabin for a bit before heading to town for dinner Thursday night. It was in the high 60s when we got there and we were in heaven.

See the little chipmunk on the rock? I wanted to take one home, they are SO CUTE!

We ate dinner at Sundance Mexican Restaurant that night and it was fabulous. I had the Chicken Breast Roll-up with green chile and jack cheese. Yum! Their sopapillas were a bit different than what we were used to- they were more like a yeast roll, and didn't have cinnamon on them. Still good, just different.

After dinner we headed back to our cabin to get unpacked and get a good night's sleep. Our cabin was not air-conditioned, which freaked me out a bit, but we were able to leave the second story balcony door open and it would get quite cool inside during the night- it was heavenly!

Happy 4th of July!

Sasha's 4th of July manicure featuring nails inc.

red = st. james (classic blue red)

blue = baker street (cobalt blue)

I'm not talented enough to do nail art, but I figured I could definitely manage the accent nail trend! Have you tried this trend?

nails inc shades are available at Sephora and retail for $9.50.

Disclosure: The shades featured in this post were provided for review purposes.

The Color Run

This weekend I participated in The Color Run in Tulsa, and it was an absolute BLAST! If they happen to come to your area, I would totally recommend doing it. And note- you DO NOT have to be a runner.... this is not a timed event- there are no chips, no official time, and a LOT of walkers. Our group actually walked most of it, but did do some jogging from time to time.

Here we are before, all nice and clean and WHITE! (I picked up my white T at Walmart and a few of the girls just wore mens white tank tops.)

And after- oh so colorful! 

After a much-needed shower, we headed to Dilly Deli and celebrated with lunch. This cinnamon roll was our appetizer..... yum!

That evening we ate at Los Cabos on their patio and it was WONDERFUL. I had the Green Chili Burrito and it was heaven.

It was a great Girls Weekend, and we've decided we need monthly Craft Nights to have a reason to make sure we get together again.

Some tips for the color run:

• If you happen to live in a state with hot weather on the day of the run, know that sweating will cause the color to stain your skin. The underside of my upper left arm is still a bit blue!
• Plan on waiting for a while at the starting line. I'm not sure whether I think it would be good to get there super-early or on-time like we did- I think we would have been waiting an hour either way.
• There's only one water stop at the halfway point, so if you think you will need more water than that, take a bottle with you.
• Wear sunglasses to keep the powder out of your eyes. We also saw some people with bandanas they would pull up around their nose/mouth at the color stations. If you think it will bother you, I think a bandana is a great idea.
• We wore hats, and I think it was a fabulous idea (Thanks D!) and kept our hair from getting too much color in it. My friend A read that it may stain bleached hair, so keep that in mind if you highlight.
• The only thing I had to throw away was my shirt.... we wore black shorts and sports bras so they wouldn't get stained. My socks have a bit of orange on them, but I won't mind using them for running.
• And shoes..... although I'd suggest wearing some you don't mind getting stained, all the color actually came out of mine.
• Blue seems to stain the worst, so you might avoid blue if you are worried about staining. They do the color-throwing/spraying at the edges of each color station, so you can stay in the middle as you go through it if you don't want to get hit with it.
• Take baggies to put your phones in and a trash bag to put your race clothes in if you are out-of-town.

Overall, we had a GREAT time! Have you done a color run?