A Bedroom Make Over Disney(Paint) Style

Did you know that Walmart sells paint? They do! I didn’t know that until an opportunity to work with Disney Paint and Glidden popped up in my inbox. In the Exton Walmart the Paint Department is in the back right corner near the Automotive Section and in the Parkesburg Walmart the Paint Department is off to the left near the gardening and pet supplies. You can buy everything from rollers to drop cloths, painters tape to matching bedding and accessories all in one place.

I have been selected to work on a room re-decorating project using Disney Paint sold exclusively at Walmart. I am excited about this opportunity, but my son is REALLY excited about this project. He is almost six and isn’t a fan of the jungle themed murals on his walls, painted before he was born or his cheetah print dresser, I painted hundreds of cheetah spots on.  I won an online award for “most fabulous nest” from Mamanista in 2007, but even the fact that it was an “award winning bedroom” couldn’t sway him to embrace the cheetah. Sigh!

These photos were from the “Best Nest” contest

I loved my sons room just the way it was and would have been very happy if it stayed jungle-like forever, but for a growing boy that likes action heros, video games and sports the baby jungle room isn’t going to cut it. I want him to be happy in his space and have pride in his room, so I hopped at the chance to participate in this makeover project.

I took my son with me to Walmart with me to pick out the new color. Without even telling him we were selecting a Disney Paint color he ran right to the display. Ryan from the Parkesburg, Walmart was AWESOME in helping us select the color and played along with the excitement of the project.

A few things about Disney Paints:

• Disney Paint is a new line of paints available only at Walmart that captures the magic and inspiration of Disney with 112 exclusive colors and five innovative specialty finishes that are easy to use and apply.
• Disney Paint is a premium-quality, ultra-durable paint that was formulated with your child in mind to withstand wear and tear, as well as repeated scrubs and washes. Scuffs, crayon and pencil marks, little finger prints, and tough stains, such as grape juice, wash off easily without removing the magical color.  
• Disney Paint is low odor and has no VOCs.  
• Disney Paint has a distinct collection of colors grouped into palettes designed to give your children options at every stage of style – from infant to tween. The diverse palettes make decorating with your child – no matter the age – easy and fun.
• Some colors are designed to complement not only each other but also Walmart’s Disney bedding and Disney room accessories, such as furniture, toys and décor options, sold in store or online.

Stay tuned for more posts as I paint and redecorate and… of course, the big reveal…

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends.  The opinions expressed are mine and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden. 

Travel with Sarah: Newport Mansions (part 1)

I am SO, SO excited for my upcoming visit to Newport, Rhode Island with my mom, and sister next week. Last year we decided that we would take a “Girl’s Only – History Geek Trip” every year and road trip to somewhere historical, with lots of sightseeing opportunities. Last year we went to Washington, DC, visiting all of the Smithsonian Museums, Mount Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery. We also took a double decker sightseeing tour, shopped and dined at fabulous restaurants. It was such a fun trip full of laughs and great memories, that I can’t wait to do it all over again this year.

I picked the destination for “Girl’s Only – History Geek Trip” this year. It was super easy to choose where I (um, we) should visit.

I am obsessed with the Vanderbilt Family. Shannon and I visited Biltmore House in Asheville, NC a few years ago and it was during that visit that I fell in love with the Gilded Age and all things Vanderbilt (including Anderson Cooper..love him! ). I have read dozens of books written about the Vanderbilt family members, so many that I am sure I will drive my mom and sister crazy with random Vanderbilt facts during the trip.

If you didn’t get the Anderson Cooper/Vanderbilt reference – The ever so handsome CNN News Anchor, Anderson Cooper, is the son of famous fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt. See, told you, I am FULL of Vanderbilt facts.

In addition to my Vanderbilt obsession I also watch the Travel Channel, A & E and HGTV pretty much all night long while I work, blog and catch up on email. I love to watch shows about houses! Big houses, eclectic houses, log houses, historical houses, super small houses, beach houses, mountain cabins houses, houses, houses… I can’t get enough of them! I love architecture. I love interior design. I love the creative design that goes into making a house a home. Love it all! One of these days, when my house isn’t covered in toys and my son is done ramming his trucks into my walls and jumping off of my furniture, I WILL have one of THOSE houses. Someday! Until then I will make nice with Magic Erasers and touch up paint.

SO… combining my love of houses and my love of all things Vanderbilt, I decided that we should visit The Newport Mansions in Rhode Island. I just had to sell my mom and sister on a 5 hour road trip.

Once my mom and sister visited The Preservation Society of Newport County, website they were sold! The Mansions in Newport consist of 11 historic properties and landscapes – seven of which are National Historic Landmarks – trace America’s architectural and social development from the Colonial era through the Gilded Age.

The grandest of all of the Mansions is The Breakers . Built by….? Yep, you guessed it The Vanderbilt Family. Marble House is another Vanderbilt Family home that is on my “must see” list.

Tonight my mom, sister and I are having dinner to plan what Mansions we want to see, make dinner rezzies and plan evening activities. If you have ever visited Newport and have any suggestions on places we should go or activities we should do, please let me know. Leave a comment below or click here to email me.

I leave this Sunday, July 31st, – Follow along with me on Twitter as I road trip and post pictures. I am tweeting from @PhillyBurbMom #NewportMansions

This trip is the beginning of my quest to visit all of “America’s Castles”. Stay tuned for many more Mansion trips.

Great Hair Cuts for Summer to Beat The "Mom Hair Blues"

I am SO over my hair!

My hair is naturally wavy and I have been using a flat iron almost everyday of my life for the past 15 years to make my hair sleek and straight so I am taking the plunge and having a Brazilian Keratin Treatment applied to my hair so that it is easy to manage, sleek and straight for the rest of the summer. My Birthday is next week and this treatment is my Birthday present to myself. After 15 years of spending almost 30 minutes a day to flat iron, I am so ready for this treatment!

If I don’t flat iron, with the right amount of gel, scrunching and hairspray I can make my hair really curly, but not “good, bouncy curls”, they are more crunchy curls from the gel and spray. I don’t love my hair curly. I did in 1995, when big crunchy, curly hair was the style. A plus to the curls is that it takes all of 5 minutes to gel, scrunch, spray, diffuse and go. I like spending 5 minutes on my hair much better than 30 minutes so the curls have been winning the hair style battle lately and I feel blah about that. I don’t feel very stylish as it is these days rocking my chubby mom style, at least when my hair looks good, I feel better about my frumpiness.

I have hair appointment in two weeks for the Keratin Treatment and I couldn’t be more excited! I am not sure of what kind of cut I am going to get after the application, but one thing is for certain. I need a big change to get me out of this rut. I have determined that my once heart shaped face is now round, thanks to ahem..a few dozen extra pounds that I am carrying around so my once go to cut won’t work at all anymore. I have been pulling off trendy, heart shape styles for the past few years, but they grow out funky and then I am back in my hair style funk. Now.. I am ready to admit that I have a round shaped face and I am going to make sure I get a cut to compliment my face shape an hopefully..maybe even slim it a little bit.

To determine your face shape:
Break out a ruler and measure the widths of your brow, cheekbones and jawline, and the length of your face from forehead to chin.

Round (like Ginnifer Goodwin): Your forehead and jaw are curved at the corners, and your face is nearly as wide as it is long.

Heart (like Reese Witherspoon): You fall into this category if you’re wide at the brow but especially narrow at the jaw.

Long/Oval (Like Zoe Saldana): The widths of your brow, cheekbones and jaw are almost equal.

Square (like Salma Hayek Pinault): If the length of your face is almost equal to its width, you’re a square shape.

I have been surfing the web for some ideas and found these fun summer hair styles and thought I would share..

Deep Wispy Bangs

NAOMI CAMPBELL’S STYLE: One-length hair cut at the shoulders with soft bangs starting at the middle of the head.

WHAT MAKES IT COOL: “Naomi is always at events and shoots doing different things with her hair,” says her hairstylist Amoy Pitters. “Because this cut has no layers, it’s versatile and allows her to achieve almost any style.”

WHO IT WORKS FOR: “This cut is great for heart and oval faces because it emphasizes the cheekbones and downplays the forehead,” Pitters explains. “Be sure to go to a hairstylist with excellent cutting skills. There are no layers, so it’s important the length is precise.”

Tiered Layers and Swooping Fringe
RACHEL MCADAMS’S STYLE: Mid-length strands bluntly layered at three stages: Cheekbones, chin, and collarbone.

WHAT MAKES IT COOL: “Rachel’s cut is so gorgeous because of the way the long bangs frame her face,” explains her hairstylist Andy LeCompte. “She has strong cheekbones, and the layers help soften them up.”

WHO IT WORKS FOR: “Rachel has a slight curl to her hair, so it’s great to blow this look out with a slight bend,” says LeCompte. However, if you’d rather skip heated styling tools in the morning, this could work for you too. “These layers are very forgiving and look great air-dried.”

Gradual, Face Framing Layers
MANDY MOORE’S STYLE: A mid-length cut with tons of piecey layers starting at the chin.

WHAT MAKES IT COOL: “Mandy doesn’t always like to blowout her hair, and this cut looks great even when it dries naturally,” says her hairstylist Colleen Conway.

WHO IT WORKS FOR: This cut flatters oval faces especially, but with slight adjustments to the layering, can accent nearly any face shape. Plus, because the ends are so thinned, it is an ideal look for women wanting to infuse lightness into thick, dense strands.

The Haircut That Works on Everyone – The Blunt Lob
The Look: “This cut is blunt and uniform with no layers,” says Frédéric Fekkai stylist Renato Campora, who crafted Jessica Alba’s “super-easy” style in five minutes. “It elongates the neck and makes you look more statuesque,” he explains. “If you go any shorter, it becomes a bob and you lose the versatility.”

It’s Perfect For: Anyone whose hair is fine or fried from heated styling tools. “This returns it to healthy without being tied down to a short style,” says Campora. “It gets rid of stringy ends, so hair looks thicker.”

Round Face, Medium-Length
THE CUT A long, deconstructed bob with shaggy pieces around the neck.
WHY IT WORKS Hair that hits the shoulders or collarbone has a face-slimming effect. Jagged, flicky ends like Mo’Nique’s add angles, break up the chin area and won’t curve in under your jaw. The result? “You’re counterbalancing the circular shape and giving structure,” says Garren.
EXPERT TIP Curly, wispy hair can inflate at this length and widen your face, so go a few inches longer to add some
weight.

*Hairstyle tips & ideas are from InStyle.com

Call for Thanksgiving Recipes & Family Traditions

I can’t believe it is November already. I feel like October just flew by. Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. Regular readers of this site will know that I a bit “challenged” when it comes to my culinary abilities. I love to read Steph’s Tasty Tuesday recipes and I love that she breaks down the recipe so the not so confident cook like me can do it and not gross my family out with a recipe gone horribly wrong. So far so good for me.. and the baked ziti recipe she shared back in August is now one of my family favorites.

So last year I decided that I was going to start my own Thanksgiving Tradition. Every year I want to add something new to our family feast, whether it is an appetizer, side dish or dessert, I love the idea of throwing something new into the mix. Last year we added a cherry pie to the dessert line up and it was pretty tasty. If memory serves me correctly I don’t think we had any left overs.

So this year I am asking for a little help… I am sure you all have some great recipes and I would love to tap into your culinary know how and try some of them.. I will publish all of the recipes that are submitted.

I love a new Tradition too. So if there is something you do with your family to get ready for Thanksgiving or that makes the day extra special, I would love to hear about that too.

Thank You in advance.. I am really excited about my new little tradition and appreciate you sharing your recipes with me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah

Go Ahead Kids.. Play With Your Food (Crafty Snack Activity)

I don’t know about you, but I am SO over this rain. I am running out of ideas to keep my minis entertained. We have colored all there is to color, played pretty much every board game we own, put puzzle after puzzle together and baked both brownies & cookies. I am even caught up with my laundry – and that almost NEVER happens. With all of the time stuck inside, I am pretty much cooked in the creativity department… or so I thought.

During snack time today I gave the kids a bowl of Cheez-It’s, some prezel sticks and a bowl of peanut butter to make Cheez- It buildings and houses. They buttered the Cheez-Its with peanut butter to serve as mortar for the buildings. The pretzel sticks were the roofs for their buildings. As simple as this activity is, this kept my kids busy for an hour and a half. They had lots of fun and enjoyed a super yummy snack too.

I had to sacrifice a new jar of creamy Jif Peanut Butter and about 100 Cheez-It’s, but I see that as a small price to pay for 90 minutes of happily entertained children that were not fighting.

If you have any fun Rainy Day activities.. please share. I am all ears!!!

This activity would not be suited for children with peanut butter allergies.

Chesco Mom Sarah is Hopelessly Addicted to Home Goods

While my daughter was school the other today I stopped by Home Goods in Exton. I LOVE that store and spend when too much time there. I love to browse the aisles.. peeking at all the Home Goody goodness. I love furniture and especially eclectic pieces.

While I walking up and down the aisles I grabbed my handy dandy Blackberry and updated my Facebook status to read “Hopelessly Addicted to Home Goods”, minutes later my husband calls me (he NEVER calls me during the day — just to chat), and says..” Whatcha doin?”… well, you see he already knew because I am a habitual Facebook updater. Seriously.. I update ALL day long…where I am, what I am doing, silly random things.. all day! Can’t help myself. I am also addicted to Facebook… hmmm… maybe I have an addictive personality. Any shrinks in the house?

Back to Home Goods… so my husband knew that I was up to no good at Home Goods and called me to see if he could steer me out of the store by asking me go run a few errands for him (dry cleaning, grocery store – for mouth wash – like that is something you “run out of”, whatevs- I am on to him!). The man is smart… He knew he had to get me out of the store pronto!

The halloween stuff was just put out on display and I LOVE Halloween… so I bet you are thinking if you combine my love for Halloween and my love for Home Goods that I may end up with a LOVEly bill! Well it could …but you see THAT is the beauty of Home Goods. The goods are reasonably priced!

I sound like a commercial. So, I might as well throw in… Home Goods is a part of TJ MAXX & Marshalls and inventory is always changing with new items arriving weekly. What you see today, may not be there tomorrow and what one store has, another might not have.

Full disclosure – I have not been paid to write any of this, I just LOVE Home Goods and I have the credit card receipts to prove it!

A Chesco Mom Review of The Great Wolf Lodge, Pocono Mountain

On my summer quest to visit family friendly places that take less than 4 hours by car to get to, my family recently had the opportunity to visit the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos thanks to our friends at MomSpace. We had such a great time. It took us about two hours to get there. Super easy directions! My children are ages 3 and 5.5 and absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a water park! Call me crazy, but I actually “mommed’ both kids on my own for an entire day at the water park until my reinforcements (husband and sister) could meet us there when they were done with work.

Upon checking in we were greeted by the valet and whisked over to customer service to check in. In the center of the lobby is the Great Clock Tower that features animated forest creatures that tell stories and sing songs. One of the shows was going on while we were checking in so my kids were very well entertained. Check in may have been one of the easiest to date! The animated shows run several times a day and every night at 8:00PM children are invited to wear their pajamas for a bed time story.

We stayed in a Loft Fireplace Suite. This was a great room for my family of three adults and two children. On the main floor there were two comfy queen beds, a living room with a full-size sleeper sofa, gas fireplace and two TVs. Upstairs, was a third queen bed, half-bath, and a third TV. Our suite also included a private balcony, mini fridge, microwave, hair dryer, and most importantly a coffee maker! We really liked this room set up because when the kids fell asleep we didn’t have to go to bed, afraid of waking them up. We were able to watch TV, work on our laptops (oh, the Great Wolf offers FREE wi-fi) and read in the living room area- just like we do at home while the kids are asleep in their rooms.

Chesco Mom Tips for Visiting the Great Wolf Lodge

No Soggy Wallet Here: The Great Wolf Lodge has a “wrist wallet” system. The “Wrist Wallet” is your pass to the water park, your room key and it also can be used to charge things to your room. I find the wristband to be one of the coolest things about staying at the Lodge. No room key to lose and no need to carry a wallet to the water park. I locked my purse in the in room safe and didn’t need it our whole stay.

Don’t miss a Photo Op: Purchase a cheapy water proof camera before you leave for your stay at The Great Wolf Lodge. I missed so many adorable photo ops of my kiddos because I only took my pricey and bulky everyday camera with me. If I would have had a waterproof camera I would have given a paparazzi a run for their money with all the pics that I would have snapped. To see photos of inside the waterpark – Google or visit the GWL page on You Tube.

Squeeze Me Please: I am not a big fan of walking around in a wet bathing suit and if you aren’t either – make sure to stop by the the women’s locker room to change back into dry clothes. For your wet suits – There is a free spin dryer that you can put your wet bathing suits in that actually squeezes out all the water before you head back to your room or to one of the restaurants to grab a bite to eat.

Dining Tips: The breakfast buffet at Loose Moose Cottage is AWESOME! They have everything you can imagine! I am a sucker for a breakfast buffet. We didn’t eat dinner at The Loose Moose, but I did sneak a peek at the buffet…. lots of options and there was a dessert bar.

If you are not a buffet family, there is a Pizza Hut on the pool level. There is also a snack bar and super yummy fudge.

If you want to venture outside of GWL there are plenty of restaurants within driving distance for you to choose from. We ate at Red Robin. It took about 10 minutes to get there. We had out laptops with us and Google’d directions. There is also a list of nearby restaurants in the ‘Lodge Life” book and a book of menus at the concierge’s desk (to the right at the check-in desk), for nearby restaurants. Some places even deliver to the GWL. We didn’t order take out, but I saw lots of families with take out bags and pizza boxes throughout our stay.

Non-Water Park Activities
Race Zone: design and build your own remote control vehicle by choosing the color of the vehicle, the color of the wheel and three different body styles. You even get to create your own drivers license! Then test your design by racing it on our indoor race track. Along with your remote control vehicle the Race Zone Package includes event tickets consisting of 3-4 races – $59.99 plus tax
Northern Lights Arcade: jam-packed with what must be over a hundred games.
Scoops Kids Salon for girls ages 4-12

gr8_space: features computers with teen-conscious internet access, docking stations for ipods and mp3 players, as well as multiple gaming stations for those who strive to win one of our contests on systems such as Nintendo Wii, XBox360 & Playstation 3. Play games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band and sing some karaoke.
Cub Club: Cub Club is the kids activity center at Great Wolf Lodge. Cub Club offers edutainment crafts and programs that teach kids about nature and the creatures of the Northwoods. It’s a Great Wolf tradition where kids can make it, watch it, hear it, play it, read it, try it and often take it home as a souvenir.
This is not a drop off activity center. It is a parent participation activity center staffed with crafty Great Wolf Employees. My family had lots of fun at Cub Club. My daughter decorated a pillowcase (small fee) and my son drew, colored and stamped his little heart out and made posters(free). There are puzzles, board games and books at Cub Club that offer a nice break from the water park activities.

MagiQuest: MagiQuest is an interactive live-action, role playing game where players embark on quests and adventures in an enchanted fantasy world using real magic wands to solve the mysteries of the game. You decide…With wand in hand, you will enter the enchanted kingdom. What will you do first, Magi? Befriend a Pixie, learn from an ancient wizard, battle a goblin or outwit a dragon? Your journey’s direction is in your hands, literally… Your wand is how you play and control your game. It knows your character and remembers your achievements. Each visit to the MagiQuest kingdom will allow you to progress further and master the skills needed to solve the mysteries of the game. Once your adventure concludes, your wand will come home with you.
My kids were a little young for this activity, but we saw dozens and dozens of bigger kids running the halls with their wands trying to solve the quest. They were all smiles and having a great time! (During our stay the MagiQuest prices were -Wand – $15.99 and up and the game – $12.99 – These prices are subject to change. Check the Great Wolf website activity page for more information)

Water Activities
Keeping in mind that I have younger children (ages 3 & 5)…we spent a good portion of our stay in the kiddie pool area. There were four slides that my kids could go down by themselves and there was a huge climbing/activity structure, Fort Mackenzie, that we all climbed together. Fort Mackenzie is a four-story interactive tree house water fort offering 12 levels of super-soaking fun. We had fun making our way over suspension bridges and cargo nets to spray stations and soaker buckets. (Watch out below!) The grand daddy of soaker buckets is the 1,000-gallon tipper that sits atop Fort Mackenzie. Every few minutes, the warning bell clangs, and the bucket begins to tip its contents over the roof and onto the people below….of which my daughter loved!
The indoor water park is a comfortable 84 degrees year round.
No need to bring towels from home or your hotel room. They are given to you when you enter the water park. You are not allowed to take them back to your room though. So make sure you bring a cover up to put over your suit to walk through the hotel. You don’t have to though.. I saw lots of people that didn’t have a cover up on in the lobby of the lodge. I personally just like to be covered up.
My husband and daughter LOVED riding the big slides together and cruising the lazy river. She is tiny for her age and just made the height requirement of 42 inches so she was a little limited on riding the big kid/adult slides, but she is very much looking forward to our next visit and hoping she meets the height requirement so she can go on more water rides – especially the Double Barrel Drop. This hair-raising new attraction is the first of its kind in North America, and the first indoor waterslide of its kind in the world. From the exhilaration of the high speed drop into a huge funnel, to lighting and special effects that will make you HOWL, everything about this six-story adventure literally screams fun. Then add a 450º turn where you twist into a dark vortex tunnel before dropping into a second funnel and you’ve got the Double Barrel Drop. (Please note that riders must be at least 48” minimum in height)
We had a great experience at Great Wolf Lodge and are planning to visit again in the fall. The park is VERY clean and well managed. We felt safe in the water park – life guards we everywhere. Great Wolf Lodge website offers different vacation packages.. make sure you check it out if you are planning a trip any time soon.

Connect with The Great Wolf Lodge:

www.greatwolflodge.com

Summer TV – What are you watching?

My name is Sarah and I am a TV junkie! I usually get a little bummed in the summer when the re-runs begin and there is nothing good to watch. This summer not the case at all. My DVR is in overload. I am totally addicted to Pretty Little Liars, True Blood, Drop Dead Diva and Royal Pains… oh and the new season of the HBO series Entourage begins this weekend. I rewatched last season over the course of a few nights when I couldn’t fall asleep and I have to say.. I love me some Ari Gold!!!

A few shows that I have really liked over the years have been canceled (October Road, Lipstick Jungle) and my husband likes to joke and say if I like a show it is a sure sign it will get canceled. This summer, the shows are good and I think I may have broken the curse, but just in case below are a few blurbs about the some of the new shows. Tune in, check them out – do it for me so the ratings go up and they don’t get canceled. Help me break my summer TV curse!

Pretty Little Liars
Airs on Tuesday at 8:00PM on ABC Family
About the show: The show is based on books written by Chester County native, Sara Shepard.

Fictional, Rosewood is a perfect little town. So quiet and pristine, you’d never guess it holds so many secrets. Some of the ugliest ones belong to the prettiest girls in town — Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily, four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel.

One year ago, Alison, the Queen Bee of their group, disappeared and the girls swore they’d never tell what really happened that night. They thought their secrets would bond them together, but just the opposite is true. Then again, who’s to say what the truth is in Rosewood. It seems everyone in town is lying about something.

Now, as the mystery surrounding Alison’s disappearance resurfaces, the girls begin getting messages from “A,” saying – and threatening – things only Alison would know. But it couldn’t be Alison. Could it? Whoever it is, they seem to know all the girls’ secrets, and seem to be watching their every move. The girls are friends again, but will they be there for each other if their dark secrets come to light?

For more on the show or to view a sneak peek of the next episode click here to visit ABC Family.
The show description came directly from the ABC Family website.

Royal Pains
Airs Thursday at 10:00pM on USA Network

About the Show: USA Network is the home of the Hamptons‘ newest doctor-on-demand, Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), in Royal Pains.

Hank is a rising star in the New York City medical community, until he loses everything fighting for the life of a patient. With his career stalled and his personal life in shambles, Hank is in need of a new beginning. That’s where his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) steps in. Fed up with Hank’s personal pity-party, he convinces Hank to join him on a last-minute trip to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend. When the brothers crash a party at the home of a Hamptons billionaire and a guest falls critically ill, Hank saves the day. His dramatic medical rescue draws attention from the crowd, and soon Hank’s phone starts ringing off the hook with patients demanding house calls.

Inadvertently, Hank has become the hot new “concierge doctor” in town.

Though Hank is initially reluctant to embrace this new career, with encouragement from Evan and an ambitious young woman who volunteers to be his physician assistant he decides to stay in town for the summer. Once again solving medical crises and helping those in need, Hank is back to doing what he does best. And now he’s reinvented himself as the Hamptons‘ hottest new doctor-in-demand.

Click here to learn more about the show or to see a sneak peek of the next episode.

The show description above was taken from the Royal Pains page on the USA Network website

Drop Dead Diva

Airs Sunday ay 9:00 on Lifetime

About the Show: Drop Dead Diva is on season two and is jam packed with celebrity guest cameos. If you were an Ally McBeal fan you will love this show.

In the first season of Drop Dead Diva, beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe Deb, suddenly finds herself in front of Heaven’s gatekeeper, Fred (Feldman), following a fatal car crash. Outraged by her sudden demise, she attempts to persuade Fred to return her to her shallow existence but is accidentally relegated to the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Elliott). An intelligent, thoughtful and plus-size attorney with a loyal assistant, Teri (Cho), Jane has always lived in the shadow of her colleagues whereas Deb has always relied on her external beauty. By a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane’s curvier frame and learn to reconcile her beauty queen ways with her brilliant, new mind.

At the close of last season, Deb was ready to let go of her past and embrace her new life as Jane. But the unexpected arrival of Jane’s “secret” husband Ethan (Gummersall) at her doorstep left her with more questions than ever. To make matters worse, Jane may be disbarred after breaching client-attorney confidentiality when, against the firm’s advisement, she reported her client for fraud. Faced with a new love triangle and the uncertainty of her career, Jane must, once-again, chart out a new future for herself.

True Blood
Airs on HBO on Sunday at 9:00PM

True Blood – Season 3 began 2 weeks ago, and for my fellow “Trubies” how funny was it when Sookie said to Jason ‘ I am waiting for him to walk through the door and say Sookie” She sounded just like Bill. What do you think about ” The King”? I didn’t read the books. My mom and my sister did. I bought the entire collection for us all for Christmas with the hope that we could read them and have our own little “Mommy- Daughter’ book club. I have not kept up my book club commitment, so I just watch the shows then call them if I have questions or need to know what is going to happen next. Sometimes I just can’t wait until next Sunday!

DIY Summer….Chesco Mom Style

My family is swinging and sliding the summer away on our new Highlander Play set from Backyard Discovery. The Highlander is a pre-stained, cedar play set with tons of play features. It has a raised fort with four levels that start with a picnic table on the bottom and end up top with a dual roof clubhouse and porch! There are two belt swings and a two-person glider and my kids are having fun zipping down the super speedy 10′ slide.

We recently invited a few friends over for a “break in the swing set” par-tay. My kids love to play pirates with the telescope, wheel and glider on the play set so we decided our par-tay would have a pirate theme. I had big hopes for our pirate party! Pre-party I hit the party store and bought skull & cross bone plates, cups & napkins and lots of gold coins, necklaces and eye patches. I was really comitted to the pirate theme. The kids loved all of the pirate stuff for the first few minutes then somehow the party turned into playing house with the different levels of the play set being different rooms in the house. Before I knew it baby dolls, books and a tea set were thrown into the mix and the gold pirate treasure coins turned into money to pay the lady at the make believe grocery store.

During the party the adults hung out on the deck, reminiscing about their childhoods and swing sets of the past. I remembered my swing that my grandfather had hung between two of the tallest trees in his backyard. At full swing I was probably 10 feet off the ground. 10 feet! What was I thinking?!? I would swing the day away then peddle back down Memory Lane to the house on my hot pink big wheel with pink and purple steamers.

One of the things I love the most about our new swing set is watching my children use their imaginations and play with each other. We live in a world of instant gratification. Instead of peddling a bike, kids press a button and zoom around in mini electric vehicles. Instead of blowing bubbles with a wand that inevitably will spill and get them all sticky – they press a button and on an automatic bubble blower and wah-lah instant bubble with no fuss or mess. Even board games and books have gone digital. Now don’t get me wrong I own five electric kiddo play cars, have gone through multiple bubble blowers and love our Xbox and Wii… I thank the good, good people at Leapster just about every day for our Leapster 2. It is my go to child entertainer. There is place for all of the gadgets and gizmos, but I really feel there is a NEED for kids to use their imaginations and reconnect with an “UN-connected” way to play…you know no batteries, no power cords, no controllers, no headphones…. Just good old fashion make your own fun.

This summer as a way to have my kids “power down” I have lots of backyard, outdoor “summer adventures planned”….stay tuned for more posts on DIY Summer,Chesco Mom Style….

And I responded…"Yep, This is my life…." (An amusing tale about my dog)

My family recently adopted an adorable 80 pound dog, we call “Big Doggie” from the Chester County SPCA. We love him! He is super sweet and adjusting very well to his new home…. well kind of, except for one little problem….keep reading.

Per the SPCA records we were told that Big Doggie spent much of his young life as an outside dog (ugh!) and didn’t spend much time with his former family in the house. When he arrived at the SPCA he was filthy dirty and his long fur was very matted. This made my husband and I very sad because he is so sweet and we knew that we could give him the life that he deserved…one that consisted of lots and lots of hugs, kisses, car rides, air conditioning, Beggin‘ Strips and frequent trips to the groomer. My husband had wanted a big dog to pal around with all of his life so he is in his glory with his new friend. My daughter and son ADORE our new addition and smooch and hug him all day long. In the short time we have had him in our care he has already experienced a whole new life. He has his own bed (inside), doggie treats and toys galore and a personal chauffeur. His tail never stops wagging…I gotta say, life is pretty good for Big Doggie these days.

During my normal everyday routine, I take my daughter to school then my son and I run our errands. Big Doggie LOVES to go for a ride in the car so after school drop off I stop at my parents house and let them dog sit while I run my errands. My parents love Big Doggie!! They live about 10 miles from me and have a huge fenced in back yard with lots of trees that he can mark and nooks & crannies for him to sniff. Their house is currently undergoing renovations so if my parents are not attending to Big Doggie’s every whim, there is usually a worker on hand to give our dog a nice rub-o-the tummy and/or treat. Visiting my parents house is kind of like a visit to a dog park, but with servants.

At home I have been walking Big Doggie on a leash several times a day and he has no trouble “marking his territory”, but seems to have a little problem when it come to “doing his business” while on a leash. He is a little shy. Which by the way, I can totally understand as I have what I call a “shy bladder”…. I can’t pee in public when people are around. No matter how bad I have to go, just can’t do it. Anyway…I was starting to get worried that Big Doggie was holding in “his business” and could end up getting sick or hurting his insides. The only time I had seen him “go” was at my parents house. At around 10PM and countless loops around my neighborhood I gave up and figured Big Doggie would just let me know later in the evening if he finally had to go or hold it til the morning (yikes).

So long story short…. I was errand free and didn’t drop Big Doggie off at my parents in the morning. So we were just taking walks around the neighborhood and in my back yard. Day two and still no business from Big Doggie. At this point I am really worried that Big Doggie was holding in “his business” because he was used to just being able to “go” whenever and where ever he wanted in his former life of an outside dog.

I walked him for an hour around my neighborhood before bed and he didn’t as much as try to “do his business”. Being the problem solver that I am, Big Doggie and I hopped into my car and drove over to my parents house so he could ” do his business” there. Within minutes of opening the fence gate he assumed the position and the business got done. I was so proud of myself… I am like the dog whisperer. I knew he was shy and that he needed to go in the big yard to feel comfortable. As I was standing there patting myself on the back…

My 16 year old brother came outside from my parents house and asked me why I was there at 9:00PM and standing in the backyard….in the dark. Without thinking anything out of the ordinary I said.. “Oh, Big Doggie needed to poop”. He said with a smirk, “okay, so let me get this straight -you drove 10 miles to our house at 9:00 at night so your dog could… poop?”. I just stood there, put my head down realizing how silly it sounded once I said it out loud, shook my head and I responded …”Yep, this is my life – I drive 10 miles from my house so my dog can poop in comfort”.

Once Big Doggie was “done” he sauntered up the hill, I opened the fence walked towards my car with Big Doggie following. I opened the back door and he jumped in, ready to be chauffeured home.

My brother stood on the deck watching…laughing hysterically saying… “Bye Miss Daisy, Good Bye!” as Big Doggie and I pulled off.

Yes…this is my life!!!