I am always curious about what you, the people who take the time to read my blog, like for me to write for you. If you don’t mind, would you pretty please with sugar on top take part in this poll so I will know a little more about what you like to see. You can choose all that you like. That doesn’t mean I’m going to change what I do, hahaha, but at least I will know more about what you like to see. And I thank you for that. If you have any ideas or suggestions for me, please don’t hesitate to leave them in comments.
General
Pumpkins In Space?
I know I love pumpkins, in bread, in pudding, in pie, and in many other ways. But did you ever think about pumpkin in space? I just saw a press release talking about an Irish grown pumpkin going on a ride in outer space!
To find out how Patches the Pumpkin fared on is travels, you can read this deliciously fun press release for yourself, then go and download the new Top Fruit Hub Smartphone App!
The amazing journey was captured to celebrate the launch of Total Produce’s new ‘TOP Fruit Hub’ App where it can be viewed or via http://bit.ly/PumpkinsInSpace. The beautifully shot video follows Grandfather Eugene Murray and his grandson Sebastian (2¾) from Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland as they endeavour to send Patches on a Halloween adventure unlike any undertaken by a pumpkin before.
By simply scanning the QR code on the pumpkin to bring them straight to the instructional videos available on the App, Eugene and Sebastian were able to carve out the perfect face to bring Patches to life. The video goes on to show how Sebastian and his granddad enable Patches to take one giant leap for pumpkin-kind.
A special rig was constructed to ensure Patches had a safe journey high above planet Earth. This included a 1600gm balloon filled with 3.5 cubic metres of Helium attached to the platform holding Patches. A specially mounted camera was also attached in order to record this epic flight, as well as a 5 foot parachute to ensure a safe return to terra firma for Patches and all the equipment.
In late September, Eugene and Sebastian watched with bated breath as Patches was counted down for lift off. On release he accelerated at a rate of 5 metres per second. Ultimately on the course of his journey, Patches travelled approximately 32km into the stratosphere, encountering temperatures as low as -20˚C. In fact during the course of the two and a half minute video the accumulation of ice on Patches is clearly visible. All the time throughout his ascent the balloon was continuing to expand, until finally at approximately 30km it burst and from then on the only way was back down to Earth. This descent was tracked by a GPS chip embedded in the platform. The entire descent took Patches about 30 minutes and thanks to the safe deployment of is parachute, Patches made it home safe and sound if just a little dehydrated. Sebastian was waiting to find his pal Patches, his joy and wonderment clearly captured on film.
Total Produce’s App for smartphones, “TOP Fruit Hub”, celebrates finding the fun in fruit, alongside Sebastian and Patches’ adventure users of the App can look forward to enjoying over 150 videos in the recipe section, as well as fun interactive games for kids, competitions and a QR scanner that complements Total Produce Smartpacks of fresh fruit. With regular content updates, the aim of the App is to act as a go-to resource for fruit enthusiasts as well as those looking for some inspiration when it comes to adding fun to fruit!
Smartphone and Tablet compatible, the TOP Fruit Hub is available to download from the App store and Android Market now.
I hope to have some fruit and veggie fun with my grandkids with the Top Fruit App soon!
V-Tech Switch & Go Dinos Skyslicer Allosaurus Review & Giveaway
I received V-Tech product to do this review.
I had heard about V-Tech Switch & Go Dinos before but had never seen one before, but when I was offered one to review, I thought my grandson, Owen, would like one for his birthday. At six, he is a rambunctious little guy, and loves dinosaurs.
When the Skyslicer got here, I loved playing with it myself, and almost wanted to keep it. It has lots of sounds and dinosaur noises that it makes. It also lets you change to different pilots when it is in the airplane mode.
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SkySlicer the Allosaurus transforms from a jet plane into a fierce Allosaurus!
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Play in jet plane mode and choose your pilot on the 1.5″ LCD screen and have fun with the high-flying wings and realistic jet plane sound effects.
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Switch to dinosaur mode to see SkySlicer‘s animated dinosaur eyes, his powerful arms and big, strong tail.
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Sound effect buttons play realistic dinosaur sounds and phrases that teach pre-historically awesome dinosaur facts!
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Join SkySlicer on his favorite adventure…this guy loves to hunt!
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Ages 3-8 years, MSRP: $15.99
One Fabgrandma reader will win one! Just use the Giveaway Tools form below to enter!
A Fun Poll For You
I was thinking it might be fun to ask my readers some questions, so here is my first weekly poll:
Sponsored: Move to the “Head” of the Class – Visit ExpertAdviceOnLice.com for Head Lice Resources
The below content is sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur’s Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Unfortunately, head lice are common in elementary schools – about one out of every 100 elementary school children becomes infested.
Most parents would agree, the letter home informing of a head lice outbreak is not a welcome sight. The question of “What do I do?” is common. Knowing the facts beforehand can help you resolve the situation quickly.
The Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice website aims to help you do just that. Created by head lice experts (and moms) for other moms, families and communities to learn about head lice—what they are, what they look like and how to treat them.
The site offers a variety of tools including:
- The How to Lose the Lice Guide, with a handy checklist to save time and reduce stress when battling head lice
- The Headfirst! Lice Experience video allows you to choose your experience, whether it be you’re not sure you have lice, or you just want to get rid of them:
So if you are trying to get rid of head lice, or a parent who always likes to be prepared, visit Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice for more information.
Get Your Green Giant Veggie Chips At Publix & Win A $25 Gift Card
“Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Publix® and Green Giant™ through MyBlogSpark.”
Green Giant has a new product: Green Giant Veggie Chips. These snackable vegetables are flavorful, crisp, and crunchy. Flavors are Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips Garden Ranch, Multigrain Sweet Potato Barbecue, Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips Zesty Cheddar, and Multigrain Sweet Potato Sea Salt. The Veggie Tortilla Chips Zesty Cheddar flavor has wheat as an ingredient, but the other three flavors do not contain any wheat ingredients.
Look at these fun facts about Veggie Chips from Green Giant, making them a smarter snack option:
o Green Giant™ Veggie Snack Chips are made with real vegetables/Made with real sweet potatoes
o With 17 grams of whole grain per serving (14g for Sweet Potato Chips, 18g for Ranch) 48 grams of whole grain recommended daily.
o About Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips only: 40% less fat than regular potato chips Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips only (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).
Which flavor do you think you would like best?
Buy them: Green Giant Veggie Chips are available at Publix Supermarkets.
Win them!: One lucky ready will win a sample pack of one each of all four flavors, and a $25 Publix Gift Card! To enter, use the Giveaway Tools Form:
Munch Board Book Review & Giveaway
Munch is the cutest little book by Matthew Van Fleet. It has tabs to pull that animate the pages, and textures to feel for little hands. It shows all the different things a mouth can do. Fun to read, fun to see, fun to touch and feel. I can’t wait for my little Grandson, Parker, to see it!
The book is made from heavy, durable hardboard, so that it will withstand lots of use and not break. It is recommended for children ages 2-6, but I think it will be work well with children as young as 6 months if you are someone who reads to your child.
About the author:
Matthew Van Fleet’s innovative books have been introducing children to basic concepts for almost twenty years. His unique formats invite toddlers to touch, press, pull, lift, and even sniff as they explore colors, shapes, numbers, letters, opposites, and more. His books include the #1 New York Times bestsellers Tails and Dog as well as the New York Times bestsellers Cat, Heads, and Alphabet. His books have sold more than three million copies. He lives with his family in New York state.
Buy It: You can purchase Munch! at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Bookish, BooksAMillion.com, and IndieBound.org.
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Win It: Want a copy for your little munchkin? One reader will win one for their favorite little one. Enter to win using the Giveaway Tools form below:
Waverizing My Bathroom With Jo-ann Fabrics #WaverizeIt
I received two yards of Waverly Fabric from Jo-ann Fabrics to make a project for this post.
You all know how I love to sew, so it was an easy answer when Jo-ann Fabrics asked me if I wanted to take the Waverize It Challenge the program for Waverly Fabrics to help promote the Jo-Ann and Waverly Facebook Contest.
I decided to #Waverize my bathroom. I have needed a shelf for storage in there since we moved in. I measured the area above my toilet, then went to the local building supply place to get a 1″X6″ board, and asked them to cut it into 18″ pieces for me. I wound up with three 1″X6″X18″ boards to use for shelves in my finished project.
While I had many visions of this project in my head, it took me a long time to “dream it out” about how to put it together. This is how my project looks right now:
As you can see, it is not finished yet. I am having technical difficulties getting it to look the way I want it to look. I have never designed a 3-dimensional project before, and well, this is not working the way I wanted it to. It does, however, have potential to become the vision I have in my head. I may have to sit down and rip all the stitching out and start over, but I was running out of time for the deadline.
I am still trying to figure out how to get the top of the sides to not droop. I think maybe some extra stiff interfacing, or maybe a piece of a wire coat hanger. What would you do to stabilize it?
My original design was to have a hanging sleeve at the top, and hang the piece up using a curtain rod. However, since I have seen it on the wall using push pins to hold it there, it might be feasible to just use the push pins. Another idea I had was to use shower curtain hangers. What to do, what to do?
Don’t forget to head on over to the Jo-Ann and Waverly Facebook contest and help Waverly celebrate their 90th Anniversary by joining in the contest! You could win fabric and a gift card.
