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October 2014

Have you seen the Wubble Ball on TV? It's super cool!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

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If you follow my blog on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram, you may have seen me posting millions and millions of pictures from Blogger Bash this summer.  It was an incredibly fantastic event where I was able to meet with brands of all kinds and play with some awesome toys.  One toy in particular that I absolutely LOVED when I was at the Element Associates party during Blogger Bash was the Wubble Bubble Ball.  So when I got the opportunity to work with the Wubble Ball team, I jumped!

The Wubble Ball is this really cool, seemingly gravity-defying huge squishy ball that comes with its own pump and can be blown up in like 4 minutes.  My kids were in heaven playing with it.  The thing bounces like crazy!  We brought it outside and had a blast!

Wubble

 Here are some things you might want to know about the Wubble Bubble Ball:

  • Target selected the Wubble™ Bubble Ball as a 2014 Top Toy for the Holiday Season. It was listed among other popular toys and games that are sure to be on every holiday wish list.
  • Wubble Bubble Ball is a Family Fun Toy Of The Year Award Winner. The 25 winners are featured in the November 2014 issue of Family Fun Magazine. 
  • Inspired by his children's wish for a real bubble to play with, NSI President Frank Landi developed the Wubble™ Bubble Ball to keep children's love for fun, active play alive.
  • Wubble has won numerous toy awards, including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, a Mr. Dad Approved Award, a Parent's Choice Award and the  Dr. Toy Best 100 Picks Award and more! 
  • Wubble Ball's are not indestructible, but they have a lifetime replacement guarantee. It costs $6.99 to replace a Wubble under the guarantee. *Ours actually arrived with a small pinhole in it.  I reported it and was immediately sent another one.  
  • Please take care not to damage your Wubble Ball during inflation. It might be necessary to use a little bit of oil (whatever you have in your kitchen) to insert the pump into the Wubble Ball the first time. 

Wubble2Our experience with the Wubble Ball has been awesome.  Some things we learned that we want to pass along are:

1. Inflating it may take some practice.  The first time I tried, I couldn't understand why it was taking forever for it to inflate.  It was because I didn't have the nozzle all the way in.  If it is taking more than a few minutes for your Wubble Ball to inflate, there is probably something wrong. Follow the directions exactly. If you have any trouble inflating your Wubble ball, you may find this video about "How to Inflate a Wubble Ball" helpful: http://youtu.be/jy4QK8zRcAo 

2. Be prepared for it to go flying if there is even a slight breeze.  One throw into the air and we almost lost our Wubble Ball over the house!  

3. This tip is for parents or people who will be buying the Wubble Ball for a pubescent child: If given the choice in color when purchasing, the blue one looks less like a woman's body part than the red one does when inflated.  (Something you would probably not think of before you buy.)

4.  If you plan on playing with your Wubble Ball outside, make sure it will fit through your door before you inflate it inside.  We almost had an issue, but it fit!   IMG_5673

 


Writing comfort

It has been occurring to me lately that while I have been writing my face off every day for the past few months, I haven't really just sat down and written something just for me.  I used to use writing as a release.  Lately it's been used more as a tool, which is wonderful - don't get me wrong.  But I could use some writing therapy.  So.. here goes:

There really aren't too many things that actually bother me in life.  I look at a lot of things in more of a scientific observation sort of way and evaluate the situation with a cocked head and unfeeling eyes with an imaginary clipboard held to my chest.  Even when I cry, I look at my own emotions in this strange way.  

But that's how I know when I'm really AM feeling something.  When I have no control.  When I can observe myself without being able to intervene or change.  When I'm doubled over and unable to recover from that kick in my gut.  When I put my hands out to grasp for any type of answer only to find my own eyes staring back at me with nothing to offer except a lame joke or anecdote.

I deal with feelings by trying to figure out if I am actually feeling them or if I just think I am.  Even right now as I type, I am questioning whether or not I actually feel this way or if I just think I do about feelings.

I wonder if it has anything to do with motherhood.  

Because I don't remember being this way before.  

In fact, I don't remember much about life before becoming a mom.  It's all blurry.  Like a movie I know I've seen before, but can't quite remember enough to make it make sense.

Maybe I treat emotions in myself this way because that's how I do it with my kids.  With them, I need to evaluate constantly to determine not only the outcome of their emotions, but the possible fallout in any scenario they throw at me.  I need to be consistent.  Even when I, myself, am falling apart at the seams.

It makes it easier, I guess. 

And you know what?  I like easier.

When I don't wrap myself in my emotions, and I find humor in every single thing - no matter how tragic or unfunny it may seem - it's easier.  It's lighter.  Lighter is better than darker any time.

My daughter turns 11 tomorrow.  I know right now I'm clicking upward in the roller coaster car just waiting for whatever lies past that first big drop called the teen years.  Observing and absorbing and laughing all the way.

 


Sahl's Father Son Farm in Egg Harbor, NJ - great fall time family fun!

I love fall time on a farm.  This weekend, my family was invited to visit Sahl's Father Son farm in Egg Harbor, NJ by our friends at Jersey Family Fun.  When we woke up on Saturday it was raining pretty hard, so we were worried the trip was going to be canceled.  But thankfully the weather did a complete 180 and it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon!  I think showing pictures here would be the best way to describe our trip to Sahl's:

Sahl's collage
We tried all three corn mazes: City Slicker, Redneck Challenge, and Hillbilly Mayhem... we only got lost once or twice.
 
Sahl's four leaf
We even found some luck out there in the corn fields!
Sahl's farm
We smiled pretty much all afternoon

 

 
Sahl's farm 2
We took the hayride out to the pumpkin and picked out a couple beauties.ChildrenofthecornCheck out Sahl's Father Son Farm at 

420 W. Pestalozzi Street
Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215

Farm Hotline:
(609) 965-9300

open to the Public September 20th – November 1st

Ticket Booth Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 4pm – 7pm
Wednesday Evenings: Closed
Saturday: Open 10am – 7pm
Sundays: Closed 

*Tickets will not be sold after 7pm; however, the grounds will remain open as late as 9pm.

Open from 10am – 7pm on most “no school” days for area school districts.  See Events Calendar for details.

Your admission includes: all mazes and maze games, Kiddie Koral playground, pig races (when running), rubber duck races (bring your own rubber duck or buy one of theirs for $1), and as many hayrides as your heart desires.

Not included within your admission are pony rides, pumpkins, and concession stand items. (Most pumpkin are under $10)

Pony rides will be available on these October Saturdays: 11th, 18th,  and 25th as well as Monday, October 13th from 12 – 4pm. The cost is $3 per ride. Tickets may be purchased at the ticket booth or directly from the pony attendants. Call ahead for more detailed information.

And don't forget to follow Sahl's Father Son Farm on Twitter and Facebook

 

Disclosure: My family and I were invited free of charge to visit the farm.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.