Life with Dylan

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  • Phineas and Ferb Across the Second Dimension

    “There’s 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it … so the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it …”

    Yes, if you have a child who watches the Disney Channel then you know this song. Phineas and Ferb are two brothers who will do anything from building a rocket to finding a dodo bird to driving their sister insane! All in the name of summer.

    Dylan in 2D

    Well, Disney has done it again and now Phineas and Ferb are inviting you to join them in the 2nd Dimension on August 5th at 8/7c on the Disney Channel. Of course the promotions for this have been spreading like wildfire and the games on the Disney Channel website allow your children to 2D themselves and star right along side Phineas and Ferb!

    During one of the online games, Dylan was even able to create a custom screen saver and download a t-shirt iron-on image with his 2D character and Phineas and Ferb.

    Custom Screen Saver
    Will you be joining Phineas and Ferb Across the Second Dimension on August 5th? I know we will …

  • Wordless Wednesday – Fun in the Sun

  • Who Wants Ice Cream?


    Ice cream makes everybody smile. I mean really, who doesn’t love ice cream?

    Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry … take your pick. One of the things I love best about ice cream is when I surprise Dylan with a trip to Baskin Robbins. This is our time to laugh and talk about the day we had. Watching him walk up and down the glass case, trying to decide what flavor to get, reminds me of my childhood. To a child, deciding what flavor to get is half the fun!

    Dylan must have tasted at least three different flavors before deciding on the Pink Lemonade Ice.
    I, of course, had my all time favorite … Strawberry Cheesecake in a waffle cup! It was a special day, I had to splurge.

    Savoring the flavor …

    Enjoying every bite …

    What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

  • LEGO Star Wars: The Padowan Menace

    Tonight was the premiere of LEGO Star Wars: The Padowan Menace on Cartoon Network and of course, we had to watch it. In fact, we had to arrange our entire schedule today around this special LEGO event. Dylan has had this day marked on his calender for over a week and was actually counting down the minutes until 7 pm tonight.

    The Star Wars blanket was ready on the floor and the smell of popcorn filled the house. The first glimpse of the show starting resulted in what I would call a ‘girl scream’ and a leap off the couch.

    Yes, I would say Dylan was excited to see LEGO Star Wars: The Padowan Menace.

    ** Spoiler Alert **

    Although this was Dylan’s choice of movies, I must admit I loved it!

    The LEGO Padowan children going on a field trip and encountering various destinations as  C-3PO and R2-D2 attempt to fly the school bus/ship was a great parallel to the new Star Tours ride at Disneyland. The crash landing on Hoth was my favorite.

    Another really funny and creative aspect to this movie was seeing George Lucas as a LEGO. He appears every so often, as the director, to inform Darth Vader that he is not in the scene. At one point he even reminds Darth Vader that anyone can wear that mask. Hilarious!

    Seeing all of the LEGO characters that Dylan has built come to life on the screen was a wonderful way for him and I to connect. After watching this with him, I have a little bit better understanding of why he loves his LEGO’s so much.

    So the next time you see a child playing with LEGO’s try to use your imagination … you know, that thing that use to come so naturally to us when we were younger? Imagine those little pieces of plastic coming to life like they did in LEGO Star Wars: The Padowan Menace.

    You can watch a trailer of the movie over at the LEGO site and play some cool online games too!

    Did you watch LEGO Star Wars: The Padowan Menace?  
    What did you think?

  • Dylan’s Lego Birthday – Part 2

    One birthday party down and another to one to go. Well, this wasn’t really a party … more of a celebration.

    Ever since Dylan received a certificate from his school for a free kids meal at Joe’s Crab Shack he has been asking to go there for dinner. What better time to go than for his birthday?

    Nothing fancy. Just Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Steph and us.

    I was amazed at the amount of food this 8 year old could put away! Give him some fresh seafood and he is in heaven.  Calamari, shrimp, and of course crab!

    The best part of the birthday celebration was when it was time for the staff of Joe’s Crab Shack to embarrass, or should I say recognize, the birthday boy! The announcement was made to everyone that someone was having a birthday and this is what happened next.

    Huge foam cowboy hat about 5 sizes too big!

    Must stand on his chair.

    Staff singing him the “short” birthday song

    And he loved every minute of it!

    Once dinner was finished we headed off to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for presents and ice cream cake.

    What? Another LEGO?

    … and a LEGO watch?

    I still can’t believe my little boy is 8 years old. Where does the time go?

  • Wordless Wednesday – Dreamland

  • Single Parent – Only Child

    Single. Alone. Without a companion. It is one thing to be a full-time single mom; however, it is another thing to be an only child. Sure, both are alone, but as a single mom I have plenty of chores and activities to keep me busy. Sometimes a little busier than I would like. I don’t really have time to sit and think about the fact that I am all alone. Sure, I have my friends to talk to and co-workers, but we all know that just is not the same as a companion.



    An only child on the other hand has every waking moment to realize that he or she is, in fact, alone. It is a full-time job, sometimes a mission, for an only child to find a companion. Someone to play with, someone to laugh with. Living in an apartment complex doesn’t seem to help matters much either. My son doesn’t understand why some days the neighbor kids can play and other days they cannot. I can see it in his sad eyes, holding back the tears, when he comes home and says they are having family time. Either their Dad just got home and they want to play with him or the three siblings are watching a movie together. Family time. Something my son has never had. Yes, we do things together and have tons of fun. We laugh together, but sometimes we cry together too.

    I know that I am a good Mom and that my son has a good life, so why do I always feel guilty about the fact that he has no Dad and no siblings to play with? He is well adjusted, smart, loves to read, and an all-around great child. However, there are so many days when I look at him, really look at him, and see the sadness deep within his eyes. I see the emptiness of being an only child, longing for someone to play with him each day when he comes home from school.

    Like me, my son is single. Alone. Without a companion. The difference is I have come to accept it and filled my days with caring for him. Making sure that I do all I can to give him a good life. So again I ask you, why do I feel so guilty?

  • Dylan’s Lego Birthday – Part 1

    Last week was Dylan’s 8th birthday and the festivities seemed to go on forever. Maybe that is why I kept putting off writing this blog post. Or maybe it is because I was hoping for something a little more exciting to write about. So much time and preparation went into planning Dylan’s LEGO Birthday party. Everything he wanted, I somehow managed to make happen. The only thing I couldn’t do was make people show up!

    Yes, I said it, people didn’t show up to his party. I wonder what posses a parent to RSVP with a yes and confirm via email only days before the party and then not show up. No call, no email, no text … nothing. Only three kids showed up and two of them were twins, so that doesn’t really count. So basically, two people showed up out of the seven who said they would be here. Well, we made the best of it and still had fun!

    The living room was transformed into a Lego-wonderland and the kids had time to build whatever they wanted. Some of the creations were great! We even had a jar filled with Lego’s and the person who guessed the closest to how many Lego’s were in it won a prize. I knew there was a good reason for Dylan to own so many Lego’s.

    Next we played Lego Bingo with a great template I found  from Amy at LivingLocurto.com The kids loved this game so much that we played three times! Since all the kids didn’t show up, I had extra prizes to give away … see I found one positive already!



    Using Lego mini kits we also had races to see who could build the kit the fastest. However, I was so busy watching the kids that I forgot to take pictures of this. Oops!

    Mini Corn Dogs, Cheese Balls, and Fresh Fruit
    Cake designed by Dylan – Made by Mom

    All in all, the kids had a good time. The birthday kit from the Lego Store was huge hit with kids too!

    I guess the mom in me just feels bad that my son couldn’t have had a better party. The party that he had dreamed about.

    Is there something wrong with home birthday parties? Do parents only want to go if the party is at a pool or a bounce house like Jump ‘n Jammin? Do I need to pay hundreds of dollars on a game truck and invite 30 people to get kids to come to my son’s birthday party? A birthday party is not a place to drop off all your kids (siblings included) so you can have the day to yourself. A birthday party is for the birthday child and his or her friends.

    I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

  • He’s at it Again!

    Rocks, Minerals, and Geodes – oh my! The boy is at it again. After getting a few rocks and crystals at Cub Scout Day Camp, Dylan became fascinated with a new found hobby. Then during his first week at the Environmental Nature Center Summer Camp he received 2 more rocks. It wasn’t long before he had to buy a little book and his very own geode to crack open.

    What a fun way to spend the afternoon with him. We had the hammer, the newspaper, the geode, and of course the camera ready to go. It took us about 10 minutes to crack this little rock, but what we found inside was beautiful.

    The crystals shimmered in the sun and what appear to be little snowballs to the naked eye are actually small crystals when you look under a magnifying glass.

    Knowing how much Dylan loves to do research on the internet, we found a great site where he could look up other types of rocks and crystals to add to his collection.

    Do you have a child interested in rocks and crystals? If so, check out The Kids Corner at Rock Crystals site.

  • Totally Random Friday

    Sometimes totally random thoughts are the best!

    1. I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day person) … definitely an evening person! Although I enjoy my laid back mornings with my cup of coffee and newspaper, while Dylan watches TV – evenings are my favorite. I seem to get so much more done late at night when the house is quiet. Someone once told me that the time of day/night your are born determines whether you will be a night owl or an early bird. Considering both Dylan and I were born just a few minutes after midnight, this might explain why we both enjoy being night owls!
    2. My favorite Pandora stations are … I don’t really listen to Pandora 😦
    3. 3 of my “must-have” songs for a road trip playlist are … wow, just 3? This is a tough one. I don’t know that I can name exact songs I must have, but for sure certain artists. If it’s a summer road trip, I must have the Beach Boys playing. Other must haves for road trips are Kenny Chesney, anything from the 80’s, and of course if Dylan is along for the ride we would have to have some Disney channel songs. his current favorite is I Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez.
    4. My favorite pattern is … anything Hawaiian. I love all Hawaiian prints, but nothing too bright. 
    5. My favorite perfume is … ok, don’t laugh. As much as I love the expensive perfumes, I always go back to my $12.00 bottle of Forever Florals in Plumeria I first bought this in Hawaii many years ago and have loved it ever since. My way of bringing the islands with me wherever I go.
    6. Rules are … meant to be broken?
    7. My most overused phrase or punctuation is … Seriously? or Are you serious? tend to come out of my mouth more often then they should.
    Share your random thoughts in the comments below or over at