Do you ever tweet something funny or crazy or ridiculous and think “I wish I could keep a record”? I know I do. In fact I’m a much more consistent tweeter than blogger. Why is this?

I think primarily the reason I blog less than I tweet or Facebook is the pressure to blog. First, I have to title my blog post with a clever or funny or SEO-friendly title. Not easy. Writing a title that sums up your post is tricky at worst and downright satisfying at best. Next, comes the writing. Oy on the writer’s block. Eeek on the repetitive or mundane language. Oh no on the technicalities. Even after I have created a title and written the post I can get caught up in adding links and photos. The whole process of blogging can be tedious and time consuming. Writing a tweet is a breeze compared to writing a post.

Even if I have a story to share about a funny anecdote or odd set of circumstances that happened in our family once I set about writing a blogpost I can get bogged down. Before you know it the anecdote doesn’t seem that funny AND my post languishes in the draft status forever. Enter Bnter.com.

On Bnter.com I was able to record funny things my children said.,,and I said a few one-liners that needed to be recorded. I also added a couple of conversations I had with myself. Funnily enough I’m quite chatty with myself. Who knew?

Over the years I have accumulated a variety of methods for recording funny phrases the children have said…wall calendars, online calendars, baby books, mom journals, scraps of paper, and envelopes. While I have good intentions to record the information, I have not scrapbooked in a few years. On Bnter.com I can record the phrases and funny jokes that my children say until I am ready to scrapbook or add the quotes to a video. Just posted a funny quote from my son about the GPS.

I have a task for you. Think back on the weekend. What did your kids say that was really funny, or sad, or just odd? If your child is a toddler the phrases are well worth recording. But, don’t forget about the kids, tweens, and teens. When you recall what your child said, head over to Bnter.com and enter the quote. My teen is largely quiet but from time to time will come out with a phrase or a mangling of a word that is hilarious.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Bnter Campaign and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Rite of passage. Tradition. Celebration. Sacred. All of these words embody what First Communion means to me and my family.

My First Communion — like the celebrations for my two daughters — took place on a warm spring day at a church in Metuchen, New Jersey, with a reception at a well-known restaurant in Princeton. My First Communion was the first big event for our newly emigrated family. We moved to the U.S. for what was supposed to be a 2-year assignment, but stayed off and on for about 7 years.

In the 3rd year of our stay I celebrated my First Communion. When you are living in a foreign country you follow the traditions of that country. My communion would have been quite different back in England. I recall that I wore a short white dress from Saks 5th Avenue. I recall that we (the kids in my First Communion) sang Make Me a Channel of Your Peace and maybe Kumbaya(?)…but can we really have sung it? Maybe the song wasn’t as well known for self-help sappiness in the 70s as it is now? No clue what we ate at the reception.

My dad took a photo of the group outside the restaurant…I counted close to 50 people in the photo! Can you imagine an 8-year-old having that large a party? I do know that I received a ton of lovely cards and several checks — as a child I was absolutely flabbergasted that I had a significant amount of money to spend on toys and books. Communion Celebrations for my children are more low key. In England, it was not customary to give money to children as gifts.

My son will celebrate his big day next month. A special outfit. Save the date cards. Photos in front of a tree outside our home and at the church. A special portrait at Sears. A meal at our home for family and a few friends. However you celebrate a special event in your family, the fact that family are gathered will make it a celebration to remember.

The photos of my Communion are a mixture of old Kodak 124 films and Polaroids. And…moms of today will be horrified to learn…I only have a handful of photos from my First Communion…10 or so! I can easily take 10 photos of my feet! How about you? Do you take a ton of photos of family celebrations? I know I do. The kid in the pic above is my son. He’s hamming it up after the Manchester United Stadium Tour at my hometown team’s stadium…Old Trafford. It’s hard to believe that he is old enough to celebrate his First Communion.

Spring is here…baby showers…weddings…graduations…First Communions… How will you celebrate this spring? You’ll buy the special outfit. Charge the camera battery. Buy graduation announcements. Gather family together for the special occasion.

Are you a blogger, too? Click here to register for a chance at 50 free announcements!

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

A few months ago we saw Tangled. We missed the official screening due to traffic. You would think after living in the D.C. area for over 20 years that I would check traffic BEFORE driving to an event AFTER learning that there was a parade right near the theater where the movie screening was taking place. No! Not me! And yes we walked in front of a group of tiny gymnasts who were walking in the parade to get to the screening even though we were too late to go to the screening. We’re Disney fans! (Lest you think that we are insensitive fans…we did wait until there was a gap in the parade before walking across the street to the movie theater. It was a Thanksgiving parade…all the kids in the parade were super cute.)

Lesson learned.

When we finally got to see Tangled, we were not disappointed. From my 15-year-old teen who would rather see any film other than a PG film to husband, we all loved Tangled. It’s a cliche…but Tangled was “laugh out loud” funny. The DVD will definitely have a place in our family DVD collection.

Disney’s latest film sounds like another winner. Have you heard about Gnomeo & Juliet? Gnomeo & Juliet opens in theaters everywhere on February 11th in 3D. A Touchstone Pictures release, Gnomeo & Juliet is an “off-the-wall makeover on Shakespeare’s classic tale of Romeo & Juliet set to the music of Elton John” per the press release.

Here is a brief synopsis:

Two garden gnomes, Gnomeo (voice of James McAvoy — Mr. Tummus from Chronicles of Narnia’s the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and Juliet (voice of Emily Blunt — Meryl Streep’s haughty assistant  in The Devil Wears Prada), try to avoid tragedy and find a happy ending to their star-crossed love affair when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors.

The movie is scheduled to open February 11. Nothing will stop our family from getting to the screening…not traffic, fog, snow. I’ll post my review once I see it. Gnomeo & Juliet looks like a sweet movie for the kids and a hoot for my husband and me as he is an English teacher and I was an English major in college!

In the meantime while you wait with baited breath for my review. You are waiting with baited breath for my review, right? You’re at least reading this blog post, so you might come back and see my review. Maybe? You will come back, won’t you? There I feel better, less alone now that I know that you might be coming back. You are coming back???

Where was I? Uh…that’s right I have a giveaway for my readers of a a youth-sized Gnomeo & Juliet t-shirt, beanie, and mini-notebook to tide you over until I post my review. Not just one giveaway, but TWO. That’s right two readers of Musings from Me on Kids, Preteens, and Teens will win a Gnomeo & Juliet prize pack!

Gnomeo & Juliet Prize Pack:

• Gnomeo & Juliet t-shirt in youth sizes of S, M, L, XL and colors of red or blue
• Gnomeo & Juliet one-size fits all beanies in colors of red or blue
• Gnomeo & Juliet mini-notebooks shaped like a Gnome hat (front cover is red, back cover is blue)

For a sneak peek at the trailer…go here.

Mandatory Entry: You must leave this mandatory entry for all other entries to count.

• Tell me your child’s or your favorite Disney character.

I’m thankful for family near and far, a supportive husband who sees that my blogging as a hobby is starting to pay off in more than just free DVDs and coffeemakers, kids who are adjusting to my new work schedule begrudgingly(!), a comfy if untidy home to live in, a garage (finally!) to park in, and friends — on Facebook or IRL from all walks of my life…my childhood in England, college years at F&M, Aspen Publishers, preschool for 3 kids, moms’ group, PTAs, and online, local blogging buddies. Thankful!

My daughter spent her first night on a college campus as a 10-year-old. No, she wasn’t a student. Her volleyball team participated in a 3-day tournament over Memorial Day Weekend.

Going away to college at aged 10?! We talked about whether she should go or not. We wondered if she was ready. Her dad was going, too. He stayed next to her dorm in a men’s dorm. He saw her at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as during the games. Her dorm was chaperoned by two of the team moms.

Over the last 4 years, some or all of our family has ventured to Penn State over Memorial Day Weekend. My daughter and her dad did the trip without the rest of us for two years. This year and last my son and joined the girls and my husband at Penn State.

While the girls stayed in the dorm, my son and I camped out in a spacious hotel room with a whirlpool tub in the corner of the room. Odd, right? And yes my son took a long whirlpool bath. And no I didn’t dip so much as a toe in the whirlpool bath.

Do you have a post about a place your family has visited? In the U.S. or outside of the U.S., all posts can be linked at the Trekaroo Spotlight Thursday Linky. Go through your blog archives and link up!

As a little girl I would walk to the corner shop with my grandmother. It was 1970-something, but really it could have been 1940. My grandmother wore a dress, high-heeled shoes, an overcoat, and a fur hat. Her shopping basket was a wicker basket or plaid shopping bag depending on the season.  I hurried to keep up with her strides as we walked to the corner shops. She did not drive. Never owned a car. Come to think of it her street was only wide enough for one car anyway.

It was Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. There were no supermarkets. No big box stores. No large shopping malls. For large items she would take the bus in to Manchester. For everything else she shopped at the corner shops.

The shopkeepers knew her. She knew them. If she needed a new book, one of the shopkeepers would order it for her. If she wanted a particular cut of meat the storekeeper would save the cut for her. The shopkeepers saved chocolate bars for me — “the English-born America-residing granddaughter come to visit.” The shopkeepers needed my grandmother and she needed them. A win-win retail situation.

I was thrilled to learn that I could open my own corner shop…virtually. OpenSky is a store where I only sell products that I have touched, worked with, squeezed, and reviewed on my blog. That’s it. If I haven’t worked with the product how will I know if you will like it or not.

My selection is small but growing. Here’s what I am selling:

• Soft, safe building blocks…limitless possibilities for designing the perfect structure for little kids.
• Scrapbooking supplies for capturing your memories from Disney!
• Wall stickers in the shape of a train. Win!
• and more

Come check my OpenSky store out. Would love it if you could pass on my link to your friends.

My younger two children are animal mad. My younger daughter would regularly cradle our friend’s cat as though she was carrying a baby. At 18 months old, she carried a cat that was almost as big as her. My son loves playing with our neighbor’s dog. The teen is more like me…it’s good to have SOMETHING in common!

My son and I had the trip of a lifetime to Orlando. I was an #OrlandoMom and proud of it! Our trip was quite animal focused one day. We began the day at Gatorland — a park that is all animals all the time with none of the bells and whistles of an amusement. Part zoo and part animal rescue center, Gatorland gave my son and I an education on gators, birds, and other swamp creatures.

After spending time wrestling alligators and holding gigantic snakes, we trekked over to Sea World. I promise a post about Gatorland will follow. In the meantime, here’s what we did at Sea World…

…the kids got to feed dolphins! I was shocked when our tour guide led us to Dolphin Cove. She mentioned something about seeing dolphins up close, but I never thought that my son and I would be close enough to touch a dolphins snout! My son — in the picture he is wearing a blue t-shirt with a pattern on the front  — fed dolphins small fish. He was so engrossed in the activity I know that he only stopped feeding the fish as he ran out of fish!

The experience of feeding dolphins was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my son and I. I hope that some day I can bring my girls and husband. Every one should get a chance to hear and see a dolphin “up close and personal.”

After the Dolphin Cove encounter we were led to the Dolphin Nursery. The Dolphin Nursery is home to dolphin mothers and their newborn calves. I could have watched the moms and babies swim around for hours. The pool was so tranquil with just the odd splash as a calve collided with its mother. Sweet.

Our day was a wet one. It rained for hours. Thunder and lighting kept us corralled at the Penguin Encounters — home to more than 200 penguins and puffins. The kids listened intently to EVERYTHING our tour guide had to say. She was a wealth of knowledge. The moms were able to take a breather and dry off in the Penguin Encounters building. The kids didn’t mind being wet at all!

Next stop on our Sea World guided tour was the Stingray area. Prior to my visit to Sea World I would have said that you shouldn’t touch a stingray, but now I know that visitors can safely reach out a hand to stroke the tops of the stingrays. Over 200 stingrays, swim around the pool. It was fascinating to see how close to the edge some of the stingrays got. It seemed as though a stingray was always just out of my reach. Of course, perhaps the stingray sensed that my hand was stretched out in a tentative fashion!

One of the pluses about visiting Sea World on a wet day, is the variety of shows available. The shows are held in open air arenas, but if you plan your day to get to the show early you can snag a seat underneath the partial roof.

I was mesmerized by Blue Horizons. Blue Horizons is a theatrical experience that combines animals with actors. In many aquarium shows, the people performers are there to feed the dolphins or demonstrate a trick. In Blue Horizons, the actors are just as much as part of the show as the dolphins, birds, and whales. As the dolphins perform, actors swing on trapezes and dive off platforms in a synchronized pattern. The show is part dolphin show and part circus trapeze act.

I was not in a “let’s see another show” mode as we crossed the bridge to the Believe show. I know that I should have been more enthusiastic, but my son was wet and a little whiny and I was sorely regretting wearing long pants. Revived by popcorn for my son and a churro for me, with piping hot chocolate for both of us, my son and I were enthralled by the Believe show. The show features Sea World’s entire family of majestic killer whales performing awesome choreography to an original score by the Prague National Orchestra.

If you are interested in learning more about Sea World Orlando, go here www.SeaWorldOrlando.com for admission prices, hours of operation, and a comprehensive listing of rides and shows.

My trip to Orlando was paid for by the Orlando Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. My airfare, hotel, and ground transportation were paid for. The opinions expressed in this post are those of myself and my son.

How is it that I spent my teen years eating Nutella sandwiches after school, but missed World Nutella Day? I can still smell the chocolatey goodness that was Nutella. I had the freshman 15 BEFORE college due in large part to eating Nutella sandwiches and English chips and gravy EVERY day. When I write statements like this, suddenly my present-day eating habits seem positively healthy by comparison. Food consumption in the England of my childhood was a landmine of fat, lard, gravy, and fried foods…all washed down with cups of hot milky tea.

February 5, 2010, was World Nutella Day! I missed it! Nutella even has a twitter account…and I missed it…and I am on twitter all day. A serious social media fail on my part.

I’m not a nut person — I am a nut, though. I could deal with the nuts if the nuts were hidden by rich chocolate.

Chocolate + Nuts completely submerged in Nutella = Yum.

Why was I so hungry after school anyway? My school was a 1 and a 1/4 hours away from home. My journey was as follows:

• walk to train station from my house
• take train from Wilmslow railway station to center of Manchester getting off at Oxford Street railway station
• walk from the train station to a bus stop
• take a bus from center of Manchester to Moss Side
• walk from the bus stop to Loreto VIth Form College

My school was surrounded by a brick wall with broken glass embedded in the top of the brick wall. Nice! No intruders were entering my school.

Phew! I’m exhausted just writing about my school commute. My journey was 1 and 1/4 hours each way. No wonder I chowed down on a Nutella sandwich after school. I would spread that gooey, yummy spread on white bread before I watched afterschool TV.

Now, I must explain that afterschool TV in Britain was a wasteland. First of all there were 3 TV channels. I recall sitting on the edge of our coffee table waiting for Channel 4 to start broadcasting. It was a momentous event to get a fourth TV channel. Secondly the TV shows ranged from shows for preschoolers to shows for teens. I would have to sit through The Wombles in order to get to something I really wanted to watch, like Blue Peter.

Here’s a little taste of all that was kids’ TV in the late 70s/early 80s. The video features The Wombles, Bod, Bagpuss, and Trumpton.

So why am I all a quiver about missing World Nutella Day. Well, I purchased a jar of Nutella after seeing one at Weis Market. I usually walk right past, but couldn’t resist bringing it home to the kids. It was a hit. All of us had it for breakfast on wheat bread. At least it wasn’t on white bread!

The other reason that I found out about it was from 5 Minutes for Mom’s Ultimate Blog Party. I scooted to peruse DaenelT’s post on herself. What should I spy but her love for Nutella!! She mentioned a recipe for a Nutella Milk Shake from Bell’Alimento. What?! This can’t be true. Where has this awesomeness been hiding? Away from me. I might just make one for myself tonight!

In conclusion, I heart Ultimate Blog Party and 5 Minutes for Mom!

What would I do with an extra $100 if someone handed it to you next month?

I would spend the money on my family. Perhaps a dinner out or a movie or something that we could all enjoy together. I should probably spend the 100 buckeroos on myself. Oh, I could get a massage or go on a short trip. Could I go on a trip for $100?? Maybe not, but I could go in to DC for the day and see a show or a concert. But, given my druthers I would prefer to spend the moolah on my family.

I love planning family trips. Here are a few of my favorites:

• I took my daughter to Lancaster, PA, for a volleyball tournament. Loved showing her my alma mater, Franklin & Marshall College. The tournament was fab. The hotel was a little dingy. http://www.trekaroo.com/people/musingsfromme

• I’m a DC resident…well, not a resident of DC, but I do live in driving distance of D.C. Wrote a post over at @trekaroo on touring DC with tweens and teens: http://www.trekaroo.com/list/must-see-attractions-in-dc-with-preteens-and-teens
• A few years ago we visited Williamsburg at Thanksgiving. I wanted to go at Christmastime but the hotels were too expensive. We had fun doing many kid-centered activities: http://www.trekaroo.com/people/musingsfromme?place_id=388

Kodak and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this fun post, about what I’d do with a surprise extra $100 if someone handed it to me next month.

I’m a worrier. There I said it. I worry from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. I probably worried when I was a baby…about what I don’t remember, but I am sure I worried!

In no particular order my top worrying moments:

• I worry about the kids when they are home AND I worry about the kids when they are away from home.
• I worry when the kids are eating a good meal AND I worry when the kids are picking at their food or snacking on junk food too much.
• I worry that I won’t spend enough time with the kids AND I worry that because I spend so much time with the kids my needs aren’t met.
• I worry that I don’t volunteer enough at the children’s schools AND I worry that I volunteer so much that I will need a school ID.
• I worry that my children are too over committed to sports and activities AND I worry that one or all of the children are not doing enough activities (I have one child who will be applying to college in a few years…)

Of course, over the years my worrying has paid off. I seem to have a sixth sense when my babies, toddlers, and preschoolers were on the verge of:

• dipping, dangling, or dropping something in to the toilet.
• pouring out shampoo in the bathtub or on the floor.
• sticking fingers in electrical sockets…scary!
• walking or crawling near a basement door or near the staircase.
• touching a hot oven.
• standing on the dishwasher door.
• opening and closing the fridge door.
• and many more.

Now don’t get me wrong, we have had our share of injuries, but I have saved more than one child from certain injury…by my constant worrying.

Kodak (who claims, with some clever ads on my sidebar, that we can at least partially knock off our economic worry with a printer) and Juice Box Jungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about the top and/or bottom 3 things I think/worry about as a mom. WHERE DO I START?