Interesting Advertising Choices

So my husband and I were watching The Walking Dead the other day, when a commercial break about halfway through the episode cracked me up so hard that I just had to share.

*What follows contains minor plot information, but nothing really critical. I don't think a "spoiler alert" is really warranted, but I figured I'd still give it a mention, 'cause you just never know.*

Anyway...

The heroes, having gotten themselves trapped in a building with a throng of zombies outside, just happen to have a recently murdered corpse on their hands. The logical thing to do, of course, is to feed the dead guy to the zombies, thus buying themselves time to make a stealthy escape. Which is what they did. (I mean, wouldn't you?)

The zombies feast, and the good guys make their getaway. And the scene ends (for some reason) with a close-up shot of bloody hands grabbing at their food. It was a little over-the-top, which made it mildly amusing in itself. But the true hilarity ensued when they cut away for the sponsor's message.

And the voice-over says: "Brought to you by KFC. Come in today and taste why fresh is better."

I'm sorry, but did you seriously just linger over a shot of zombies eating a fresh corpse and then tell us to "taste why fresh is better"? Really?!

Great choice in advertising placement, KFC. If your goal was to make me laugh so hard that I couldn't catch my breath, you completely succeeded. If your goal was to sell me some chicken? ... Yeah, I'll probably still eat your chicken. You win.

'Tis the Season for Texas Pride

As I tossed around ideas for today's ABC Wednesday post, I quickly realized that in my world one "T" stands above all others: my home state of Texas. (Sure, I may not have lived there for nearly 25 years now, but it will always be home.) And I hadn't really thought about it that much before today, but I realized as I glanced around the house just how much the Texas pride shines through this time of year.

A few things around the house...

And a few things on the tree...

And the funniest part is, I didn't buy a single one of these things for myself. Apparently, when it comes to Christmas gifts I'm pretty easy to shop for.

Go figure. ;)

Leaving Behind Black Friday & Cyber Monday

There was one thing that I didn't tell you in yesterday's post about my weekend, because it kind of felt like a separate story in its own right. And as I was contemplating telling you about it today I discovered one of those "happy coincidences" that always seems to pop up in my life, and so now here we are.

As you're probably aware, the weekend after Thanksgiving is book-ended by "Black Friday" (when retailers offer crazy in-store deals, and people come out in droves to start their Christmas shopping) and "Cyber Monday" (when stores offer their online deals.)

Now, Cyber Monday I actually don't have a problem with. I'm all about the online shopping anyway, so if people want to take advantage of good deals from the comfort of their home, more power to them. Black Friday, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I've never shopped a Black Friday sale. And as much as I say you should never speak in absolutes, I'm pretty confident saying that I probably never will.

I don't like shopping anyway, but throw in the extra crowds of frantic shoppers, and it's pretty much the worst thing I can imagine taking part in. And that was even before the day became so dangerous. (I don't think I'm imagining it when I say that it has gotten so much worse over the years.) I saw some of the videos that were going around online, just like they do every year - people getting trampled, fistfights breaking out, etc. They made me incredibly sad, and a little sick to my stomach.

Want to know how I spent my Black Friday? The kids and I took some time going through their toy boxes and picking out toys that they were ready to donate. I know I'm not unique in this - lots of families do some weeding before Christmas and birthdays. (You kind of have to in order to make room for the new gifts that are about to happen.) But beyond that, it's also a really good lesson for kids to learn to evaluate what they have, and appreciate that they can give up something of theirs to help someone in need.

It actually wasn't an intentional "reaction" to Black Friday. That just happened to be when we had the time (and I honestly didn't even realize it until later.) But when I did make the connection, I approved. I liked that instead of going nuts with a need to buy, buy, buy... my kids were happy with the idea of letting go of their toys in hopes of making some other kids happy. It felt really good, for all of us. And I think it might just become our newest day-after-Thanksgiving tradition.

In fact, I think next year we'll try to do even more. Because, as I discovered this morning, I'm not the only one who is turning to this idea. (That was the "happy coincidence" that I mentioned.) It turns out that today is Giving Tuesday, which is a reaction to Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but one that I can completely get behind. As they put it, "We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. It's time to have a day for giving back."

Obviously this isn't meant to be a one-day thing. (Not an "I gave to charity today so now I'm done" deal.) But, like they say, it's meant to be "the giving season's opening day." I absolutely love the idea, and it makes me really happy to see so many people getting on board.

LML Monday - Kicking Off the Holidays

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.


It's true what they say. It really is the little things in life that make you happy. And in my house this past week it was all about the little holiday traditions that add up to big family fun.

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the United States. And for my family, like most, that meant turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, way too much food all around, fun and games, and lots of great family togetherness. Sadly my husband had to work again this year, so Grandma and the kids and I went out for dinner. (That way we got to spend our time enjoying each other's company instead of spending all day cooking for just the four of us.)

 

And as we do every year, we also took some time to remember the part of our family that couldn't be here with us physically, but will always be with us in spirit.

I don't know about you, but for us the end of Thanksgiving dinner officially signals the start of the Yule/Christmas festivities. (Yes, we celebrate both.) We turn on the Christmas music (which I refuse to play until then, even though the radio has been playing it for a month already.) Then after a trip to the park to burn off some of the huge meal we just ate, we visit the local LDS Temple to see their annual display of lights.

Taking the kids to see the lights always puts me in a wonderfully festive holiday mood, and caps off our Thanksgiving perfectly. And then we can spend the rest of the long weekend with more of our traditional holiday preparations.


My daughter and I did our nails, of course (like we do for every holiday.) One of the great things about the Christmas season lasting so long is that we'll have time for several different designs over the coming weeks. But this is what we decided to start with.

 

I love my new nail stamp kit, by the way. I foresee many hours of fun times ahead. My daughter was really happy with how hers turned out. When I finished mine I asked her what she thought, and she said "Well, it isn't really a pattern, but I guess it still looks good." :)



Then we had to make a trip to Jack in the Box to add this year's ornament to our collection. (Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it.)


And because it's the one time of year that we have stuff like that - dinner had to be topped off with an eggnog shake. (Yum!) Of course the kids were happy to share it.

And finally, we end every Thanksgiving weekend by putting up our Christmas tree. The kids are getting pretty good at carefully helping me put on the more delicate ornaments. Then when those are set, they get to add all of the ornaments that they've made over the years. I always save those for last, because it's their favorite part.

Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like.) But if you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!

Acorn Treats

With the most recent holiday, of course, came the latest culinary adventure with my kids. This is another idea that I can't take credit for (saw it on Facebook, as usual) but we had fun with it, so I still wanted to pass it along.

Like most of the things I'm willing to make, the ingredients are simple. Nutter Butter Bites, Hershey's Kisses, and chocolate chips. (Plus a tiny bit of extra peanut butter, which I forgot to get out until after I took the picture.) And because I can't ever just stick to one thing, I also used the pumpkin flavored Kisses and peanut butter chips for some of them, which is how we got the two different colored acorns that you see above.

After the Halloween cookies that we made last month, the kids were ready to dive right in to their job of unwrapping the Kisses.

They also did a great job of separating the halves of the cookies for each acorn top. Unfortunately, though, I had to do the rest of the assembly. (Working with the peanut butter, and the Kisses, and tiny chocolate and peanut butter chips proved to be WAY too messy and difficult for little hands.) They still got a kick out of watching me put them together, though.

I find it easiest to work assembly line style, so I attached all of the kisses to the cookies first. Typically half of the cookie will get all of the peanut butter when you separate them, so just use a dab of extra peanut butter to attach the ones that come away without.

The last step is by far the messiest. Use another dab of peanut butter to attach the chocolate/peanut butter chips to the top of each cookie. And seriously. I'm not kidding when I say it gets messy. And sticky. You know, because of all the peanut butter. But once you get past all that, you're left with your adorable finished product.

Sibling Drama (but not the kind that you might expect)

I realize that my blogging has been a bit sporadic lately. But if you know me, or if you follow this blog, then you know that's just kind of how life is around here, and we roll with it as best we can. But today I have a "sibling story" that I have to share with you, and it just so happens that today's ABC Wednesday brings us to the letter S, so it works out perfectly.

At my son's Cub Scout meeting last night they were talking about the Christmas parade that the boys will be participating in next month. I hadn't really thought about it that much before then, but apparently my daughter had been assuming this whole time that she would be in the parade too.

When Cub Scouts started earlier this year we had explained to her that sometimes she would be able to do the activities with her brother, but that sometimes things would be just for the boys. She said she understood that, but it hadn't ever been put to the test until now.

She's been to all of the meetings, gone on all of the field trips, washed cars, and sold popcorn right along with the rest of the boys. Because she likes being included, and because there was never a reason that she couldn't be.

But now, only the boys will be riding on the parade float. (I brought up the question, wanting to know if they would have to be accompanied by a parent.) I was happy to hear that they wouldn't, because that means that I can relax and enjoy the parade. But my daughter was devastated.

I didn't realize it at first, until I noticed the little sniffles and then saw the silent tears. When I asked her what was wrong, that was when the outright sobs came out in a rush. Finally she managed to squeak out "I want to be with my brother!"

As I tried to calm her down, of course my son was also right there trying to comfort her. As excited as he is to be in his first parade, he insisted for her benefit that he knows watching the parade will be SO much more exciting than just riding in a float. But she was heartbroken, and all she could manage was "But I want to be with yoooouuuuuu!"

We tried for most of the ride home to try to find an approach that would cheer her up, but eventually we just had to let her cry it out. And as sad as it was, a part of me still had to appreciate how sweet it was too. There are very few things in life that this little girl loves more than her big brother, and not much makes her happier than being with him.

Fortunately the feelings are reciprocated, and the two of them spend a great deal of their time playing very happily together. I love the rewards of being able to watch the love and affection that they share. As a mom, I really couldn't ask for more.

LML Monday - Patriotism, Respect & Gratitude

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.

Yesterday was Veteran's Day here in the United States (although because it was a Sunday, many people/places are still celebrating it today.)

Part of today's continued observance was this morning's annual Veteran's Day Celebration at my kids' school. It started with a free pancake breakfast for the community, and concluded with a very patriotic (and moving) ceremony celebrating our freedom and honoring those who have helped protect it.

It was quite the community event, with several different groups helping to put it all together. Besides the teachers and students from the school, the local Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops were there to help, and the JROTC Color Guard from the high school performed the flag ceremony. The Mayor of the city, the newly-elected County Attorney, and the recently re-elected County Sheriff also came out to show their support.

There was plenty of patriotic music (including a very adorable rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" sung by the kindergarten and 1st grade classes), a couple of readings (including a letter from a soldier thanking the kids for all of the letters they had written to his unit serving overseas), and the Sheriff gave a really nice speech (directed to the kids in the audience) about being patriotic, and what it means to live in a free country.

With the exception of those few parents who were letting their kids run amok at the playground during the ceremony, I was really impressed by how dignified the whole thing was, and how respectful the majority of the audience was - especially most of the kids. Of course, the kids that go to school there are used to starting every morning with a flag ceremony and The Pledge of Allegiance, so they have plenty of practice. But it's still always nice to see.

 I love that our school/community does this. And I love that my kids can experience these events at this young age, so that they can grow up understanding and appreciating what it all means.

And of course I am eternally grateful to all of the men and women who serve or have served in the armed forces. For everything that you are, and everything that you do. On behalf of my family, Thank You.

If you would like to learn more about Veteran's Day, here are a few helpful web sites that I found:

The US Army Center of Military History Veteran's Day page
The Military.com Veteran's Day page
The History.com Veteran's Day page


Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like.) But if you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!

Where Does the Time Go?

We say it all the time. Usually when we didn't finish something that we were supposed to do. Or didn't go somewhere we wanted to go. Or we realized that another week has come to an end. Or that it's November already, and another year is almost over.

I saw a very dear friend last night, for the first time in what we realized was nearly a year and a half. It was her birthday celebration, and at this age her being three months older than I am is more fun for me than it was when we were teenagers. (Like I told her last night, she may have turned 16 before I did, but she's also going to turn 50 before I do. So there.)

And so, because she is one of my oldest and dearest friends, it was such a shock to realize how long it had been since we were in the same room together. Sure, we've kept in touch. There has been the occasional text or email. The Facebook updates. The invitations to events that unfortunately had to be declined for one reason or another. But, as they say, life went on, and time just slipped away.

It would be easy to lament the "lost" time. And we all do that from time to time. Sometimes we just can't help it. But in our case last night (and one of the things that I love most about this woman, and one of the reasons that she's one of my best friends) we just shrugged it off, caught up on missed events, and then just enjoyed hanging out together for a few hours.

Because it wasn't about how long it had been. It was about finally being there together now. It was about the love of an old friend, and the pleasure of good company. Do I wish that we could see each other more? Of course. Am I going to whine about it? Definitely not. (And not just because if I started whining she'd roll her eyes and tell me to get over it.) It's partly that, but mostly it's that I've reached an age where I'd rather focus on where I am and what I do have rather than worry about things I can't change.

I found this clock online at cafepress.com. And I think I might just have to order one. Because like I said, I'd rather focus on the now, rather than being frustrated about how quickly time passes. But I'm still a work in progress, so a few reminders now and again probably wouldn't hurt. It's a good concept though, don't you think? The time is now.

So maybe we'll never really be able to answer the question of where the time goes. But that's not necessarily the point. The fact is that it goes. And it will keep going. Maybe the best that we can do is just to start appreciating it while it's here.

LML Monday - When You Finally Get Answers

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.

Almost immediately following the joys of celebrating Halloween last week, most of my attention for the rest of the week was focused on my son, who is sick yet again. (And I'm not exaggerating when I say almost immediately. Before we even made it home from the carnival that night he was coughing and wheezing.) I felt so bad for the poor kid to have to end Halloween that way, but to his credit he handled it like a champ.

It happened very similarly to the way it did in the past. Not feeling very well one evening, getting a little worse the next day, then waking up that night completely unable to breathe. Luckily we had enough experience with these situations that we were able to avoid a trip to urgent care that night, but I did take him to the doctor first thing the next morning.

I know - so far this doesn't sound like a happy story. But trust me when I say that I'm getting there. See, we've been dealing with breathing issues with my son for most of his life. (I can't remember off hand exactly when the first episode was, but I remember sitting with him in the rocking chair while he chewed on the nebulizer mouthpiece. He couldn't have been more than six months old, if that.)

But even with all of the times that he got bronchiolitis and pneumonia over the years, they still never gave us any indication of an underlying cause, or any hope that there was anything we could do to help keep it from happening. Despite my suspicions that there was something deeper going on, I was always assured that children just get sick sometimes, and his case wasn't really all that unusual.

But finally, after getting sick for the third time since August, we were told on Friday that he does, in fact, have asthma. Again, this doesn't necessarily sound like a reason to be happy. Except that it kind of is. Because now at least we have something to work with. (If you've ever dealt with any kind of chronic illness, especially one with an elusive diagnosis, you know what a difference it makes just to finally know what's happening to you.)

I know it's not going to be easy for him (or the rest of us) moving forward, but I am so very grateful that at least now can move forward, with some sense of direction. There are lots of things for us to learn, and changes for us to make, but at least now we know where to look. And as a mom, finding out that there is actually something you can do to help your kid is an unbelievably huge relief.

See. I told you we'd get around to the happy ending eventually. :)


Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like.) But if you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!