The Story Behind the Photo: Our Rehearsal Dinner

I wanted to share two of my favorite photos from our rehearsal dinner and the story behind them. 

My father hates carrots. Not dislikes...hates. At our rehearsal dinner we served carrots and he specifically asked that he not have carrots. So what did I do? I made sure he had an extra plate full of carrots. The only problem? My wonderful brother Art, who knew about the plan, made sure I had an equally large plate of carrots, my least favorite vegetable. 

This will always be one of my favorite memories from the night. 

Check back all weekend for more anniversary posts!

Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• 7 years of marriage with Scott. Monday will be our 7th anniversary. I truly cannot believe it has been that long, it honestly seems like yesterday. I love you more than you know!

• Aaron's morning chats, nightly yoga and all around cuddles.

• Jillian's morning chats and off key singing.

• Family, especially their love and support.

• The ability to go see Paul McCartney. It was amazing and an experience I will not forget.

• Leann only needing 3 stitches from the incident last Friday. It could have been so much worse and she's incredibly lucky.

• Silly cards from my sister that can make me truly laugh out loud.

• Holiday weekends.

• European chocolate.

What are you thankful for this week?

Dora Rocks and Bubble Guppies Sunny Days

The heat of summer is upon us, so are summer storms. Normally during the summer we are either swimming or enjoying the outdoors, you know when it is not 500 degrees.  Occasionally though it's either too hot to go outside or it's pouring rain, so we splurge and watch a DVD snuggled up on the couch. Nickelodeon has two new DVD's out just in time for the summer heat wave.

The first DVD is Dora the Explorer: Dora Rocks! In this DVD you follow Dora and all of her friends on a sing-along adventure.

Episode Synopses:

Dora Rocks!
When Benny forgets to send invitations to his Sing-Along Party, Dora and Boots need your help taking their microphone to his barn so they can call everyone to the rockin’ fiesta!

Baby Bongo’s Big Music Show 
Dora and Boots take Baby Bongo on a musical adventure as they race to the Big Music Show in time for Baby Bongo’s first performance.

Little Map 
Dora goes looking for treasure with Map’s nephew, Little Map, on his very first adventure.

My kids are still a fan of Dora and I still love how interactive the show is. Plus, is there really anything more adorable than watching your kids sing and dance along with one of their favorite characters?

The second DVD is Bubble Guppies: Sunny Days! This DVD has over 2 hours (6 episodes) of fun summer themed episodes.

Episode Synopses:

The Beach Ball!
If Molly’s new friend Sandy doesn’t finish her work on time, she might not be crowned Queen of the Beach at Big Beach Ball! She needs help from some hard-working Guppies for her chance to win that crown!

The Legend of Pinkfoot 
The Bubble Guppies are going on a camping trip! Grab your flashlights and gather around the campfire to make s’mores and hear about the spooky legend of Pinkfoot!

Bring on the Bugs
It’s the Big Bug Parade and the Bubble Guppies are marching with the ants and buzzing with the bees! With so many different kinds of bugs, every Guppy has their favorite. But it’s a special spider named Charlie that catches Gil and Molly’s friendship.

The Sizzling Scampinis! 
The Bubble Brothers Circus is coming to town, and all the Guppies are getting into the act! See Goby the clown, Gil the acrobat, Oona the lion tamer…just watch out for that pie! SPLAT!

Bubble Duckies! 
Welcome to the Wings Over Bubbletucky Air Show! Today the Bubble Guppies are watching a whole bunch of birds take flight! But when a family of flying ducks gets lost in a storm cloud, it’s up to Molly, Gil and a friendly little duck named Beep to fly in and rescue them!

Gup, Gup, and Away!
Pack a suitcase and hurry to the airport! Help the Bubble Guppies fly an airplane through the sky and over the clouds – just be sure to keep an eye out for airplane pirates!

I, personally, love Bubble Guppies. I think they have super fun songs and cute jokes for the kids. Aaron and Jill really seem to like it, too.

Bubble Guppies: Summer Days! will be available on 5/28 and Dora the Explorer: Dora Rocks! will be available on 6/4 at retailers near you.

Disclosure: I received both DVD's to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. 

The Seven Year Itch

Scott and I are fast approaching our seventh anniversary. Yup, the seven year itch, if you believe in that sort of thing. 

Seven years ago we were celebrating with his coworkers. They threw Scott a "bachelorette" party. That's what happens when you have an office full of women, they throw you a bachelorette, not bachelor, party.

Can we talk about how young, thin and blonde I was?!

Seven years is a long time and in all honesty, I'm pretty shocked it's been seven years. I mean, didn't we just take this photo a couple of years ago? 

I'll have more "seven year itch" posts coming this week. I truly love taking this walk down memory lane every year and love sharing it!

Couscous Paella with Shrimp and Chicken Sausage

In an effort to continue eating healthy, I found this super yummy recipe for paella with shrimp and chicken sausage and instead of using rice, you use couscous (so good they named it twice!).

Here's what you need:

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1 cup of chopped onion
2 links of cooked chicken sausage, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
8 oz medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup whole wheat couscous
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped italian parsley
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Here's what you need to do:

In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add red pepper and onion, cook stirring for 6-8 minutes or until soft.
Add sausage, garlic, paprika and oregano.
Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in shrimp, couscous and peas.
Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and shrimp are pink, firm and opaque.
Fluff couscous with a fork, stir in parsley and lemon juice.

This was so light and yummy! Plus, it took less than 20 minutes to make, which is perfect for a busy weeknight.

I hope you enjoy!

Paul McCartney: Out There

Cross this off the bucket list...I went to a Paul McCartney concert. This was hands down the best anniversary present ever. 

He played for almost 3 hours, that's 38 songs. 38 purely amazing fantastically awesome I'm pretty sure I lost my mind at some point songs. 

All I have to say is it was worth every penny we spent. He sounds just as amazing live as he does on any of his albums. My favorites from the night? Blackbird, Yesterday, Maybe I'm Amazed, Something, Band on the Run and Back in the U.S.S.R. 

Thank you, Scott for giving me the best gift in the history of ever.

What You Need to Know About...Febrile Seizures

I registered the kiddos for kindergarten this week. Oh, how I am not ready for this. I really do like their school and think they will do extremely well there. However, when I was registering them and we were going over the paperwork the school nurse was brought in to discuss the febrile seizures they have. Now, Aaron has only had one and Jill has had three. It has been a few years since Jill has had one, but I still put it on the form as an FYI.

The nurse came in and asked if I had my children screened by the neurologist and if they were on any medication for their epilepsy. I reminded her that they have febrile seizures, which is not epilepsy. She then proceeded to tell me that febrile seizures are "really common when kids have fevers" and "it should probably be noted on their chart that they have fever induced seizures".  I reminded her that's exactly was febrile means.

In that moment I just could not get over how wrong this nurse was on febrile seizures, so I thought I would take a moment and educate whomever is reading this on febrile seizures.

So, what are febrile seizures? 

They are convulsions brought on by fevers in infants or small children. The child will most often lose consciousness and begin shaking. This can last anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes.  Aaron's was around a minute and Jill's was pretty similar. They both convulsed in different ways. Aaron convulsed violently, turned purple, foamed and had his eyes roll back. Jill slumped over, made a clicking sounds, twitched and one time she threw up.

The majority of children that have febrile seizures have a rectal temperature of 102 degrees or higher at the time of the seizure. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), "Children prone to febrile seizures are not considered to have epilepsy, since epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures that are not triggered by fever." Ahem, nurse.

How common are febrile seizures?

About one in every 25 children will experience a febrile seizure. They also usually occur between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. It's very rare to see them before or after. Also, if you have a family history of them (which we do) your children are more likely to have them.

What do you do if your child is having a febrile seizure?

Stay calm. I know, I know, it's hard, but you need especially if you have other children with you. Make sure they are lying on the ground away from anything that may harm them. You should also roll them on their side in case they begin to vomit or choke. Do not under any circumstance restrain them or place anything in their mouth. I know this used to be standard way back in the day and some people still believe in these misconceptions. Do not do it, you will harm your child.

Make sure you check your watch so you know how long they are convulsing. It will feel like an eternity to you, but it may only be a minute.

Both MayoClinic and NINDS recommend taking your child immediately to your physician unless the fever lasts longer than 10 minutes, then you should call an ambulance.  I did not follow this advice and called 911 both times. Aaron was really lethargic after his and Jill's fever kept rising. She actually needed a shot to bring down her fever when we arrived at the hospital.  Go with your gut, they paramedics will not be mad, I promise.

These are extremely terrifying to watch and nothing can honestly prepare you. I had a hard time during and after these to the point that I need to talk to a therapist. I can still to this day see Aaron's face and hear Jill clicking. So when the nurse tried to dismiss this as a run of the mill thing, you know after she thought it was epilepsy, I was angry. There is nothing run of the mill about this and it's always good to educate yourself on the topic.

I encourage you to find out if anyone in your family has ever had a febrile seizure and check out NINDS and MayoClinic for more information.