Mckay gets a Big Boy bike

It was finally time to get Mckay a two-wheeler. A family trip to Wal-mart and we came home with a great bike. He was very excited to try it out, in fact, so excited I didn't get the "before the first ride" picture. Instead I have the "after the first ride" picture.

Mckay is not the most coordinated child.
He tends to fall down a lot.

His first attempt at riding his new bike at home resulted in two trips to the asphalt. Luckily for us, he kept getting back on.

This is the "After I am done riding my bike for the day" photo. In the end it was fun and he liked it. Our next investment just may be elbow and knee pads.

"But Wait! There's More"

Have you ever found yourself fixated to the television watching an infomercial for a product you don't need, but trying to convince yourself that your life just couldn't go on without it? Growing up with never had cable or satellite TV, so if you stayed home sick from school, you could either watch Sesame Street, or Ron Popeil pitch his amazing Food Dehydrator.I honestly became fascinated by infomercials and their in-your-face sales pitch approach. "Act Now" "Limited time offer" "Now how much would you pay?" "But if you act now" were catch phrases that appeared in every infomercial I watched. It didn't matter if you watch Ron Popeil pitching his dehydrator, or Chef Tony selling his Miracle kitchen blades, or even Billy May's selling Oxy Clean, each had a formula, and for whatever reason...it fascinated me. They fascinated me enough that I was successful in pitching to my mother our need for a RonCo Food Dehydrator. I think we tried it about 3 times before it ended up in the storage room. Sorry Mom.

So why am I bringing up Infomercials today? The answer is simple,...they convinced my daughter Cassidy that we needed a new Vacuum! The other day I found Cassidy watching an infomercial for a vacuum. When it went to commercial she ran up to me and loudly proclaimed, "Dad! Dad! It sucks stuff up on Wood and on Carpet! You want to buy one?!" It should be noted that we have no hardwood floors in our house, but it didn't matter; their sales pitch worked on a 5 year old girl who was now convinced we needed a new vacuum.

After I quit laughing I remembered I was completely fascinated by a product called Brown & Crisp Bags. Let me take you back...the year was 1996 and I was hooked. Most recipes require you to cook at 300-400 degrees in conventional ovens, but takes time to cook and clean up. Brown & Crisp allows you to cook at oven temperatures faster than conventional ovens without the mess and added clean-up time.

It should also be noted that I had never assisted my mother with the cooking of family meals, so I am still unsure why I loved this product, but I did. In fact I remember watching the commercial multiple times. I loved the Brown & Crisp. In fact, I loved watching infomercials, and now I have a daughter who got sucked into one as well.

OK, I fessed up, now I want to hear how many of you enjoy a great infomercial, and if so, which one? Anyone purchased anything that you desperately needed, but now wonder what you were thinking? "Don't delay, time is running out!"

Glow in the dark stars

I loved having glow in the dark stars on my wall when I was young. My mom never really liked it, but she put up with it. Thanks Mom for always being patient with me.

Tonight my kids put glow in the dark stars on their wall with their dad.

Cassidy putting stars on her ceiling and wall. When Taylor asked if she had put any on the ceiling yet she said, "Sometimes I roll to the side, so I need the stars on my wall."
Mckay putting the little star on his wall. It may not glow too much because it doesn't get much light under the bottom bunk, but he was excited to put them on. He was even more excited to turn the lights off when the time came.

Dad helping Mckay get the little stars off the paper.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars...