Garden update....

Is it Monday already??
Well the weeds have about taken over. I can barely get in there now. It's a sad sight. I did find 2 more zucchini though among the vegetation.
I am hoping that a few squash and/or watermelon might be lost in there as well.
A girl ca dream right?!?!

Zhu Zhu Pets Review and Giveaway!

Zhu Zhu Pets are fun, interactive hamsters that talk, move and even navigate their way around their own habitats. And the best thing about these pets? No mess and no fuss…just hours of interactive play!
I was very excited to be selected by MomSelect to do this review and giveaway.
When the Zhu Zhu Pets package arrived and I saw all the boxes and pieces that needed to be put together I was quite intimidated. I will admit that I display signs of ADHD when trying to follow kid-toy directions! But I made it a goal of mine to do this project all by myself. Well, I did get my husband to help with one tiny part, but I did the rest on my own. It took me roughly 60 minutes to put all the pieces together from start to finish. I consider that fast because I did it while both of my kids ( 5 and almost 2) were in my face! They were very excited for me to finally finish. They did get sent to play upstairs so I could have 15 minutes of set-up time all to myself.

Zhu Zhu Pets are for ages 4 and up, but my 22 month old son seemed almost ready to enjoy this toy as much as my 5 year old daughter. I say almost because in the beginning I am sure he thought the hamster ( which he called a mouse) was in fact real and was looking over his shoulder to keep it in his view. I don't blame him though, the way Mr. Squiggles scurried about was very realistic!

My 5 year old let her imagination take over as soon she was left to play. She thought it was one of the best toys she has! She loves the hamster and thinks all the add-on sets are really cool.

I was impressed at how realistic the hamster was. The way it moved and scurried around it's surroundings reminded me of when I was little and had real hamsters. The little noises it makes are very funny. I think this is a good alternative to a live hamster- and no messy cages to clean!

You can make your hamster kingdom as big or as small as you would like. You are able to purchase add-on sets to expand or change your kingdom.

Since no toy on the market is perfect; I will list a few things I was not impressed with.

• The connector clips do not stay clipped. ( this was the only thing my husband helped me with because I thought I was doing it wrong when I wasn't). I might have to try to super glue them in place.



• The hamster can get lots of hair ( we have a cat and dog) entangled in its wheels which will cause it to move slowly or not at all. You just have to untangle/clean it and the hamster is ready for action again.



• The garage doors won't stay on and the top of the garage pops off very easy. My kids finally just took the top off and left it off. This too can probably be fixed with some super glue!

With those being the things that stood out to me I would like to say that I ( and my kids of course) loved Zhu Zhu Pets. I have never seen a toy like it before and I enjoyed watching the kids play with this.

If you would like the chance to win a Zhu Zhu Pet hamster and slide/ramp set please do the following:

**MAIN RULE (this must be followed or no other entries will count!) Log onto the Zhu Zhu Pets website and tell me what add-on set you would like and who you would give it to.

1 extra entry-subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know that you already have) in a separate comment.

1 extra entry- follow my blog

2 extra entries- Write a post in your blog linking to my blog about this giveaway ( 2 comments please)

2 extra entries- Comment on a non-giveaway post my blog. ( 2 comment please)

1 extra entry-Follow me on Twitter. ( sidebar access)

1 extra entry-Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to include the link in your comment so I can check!) you can do this once a day.

Please be sure to separate your entries in the comment box.

*This giveaway will close on September 10th at 11:59pm of and the winner will be announced by the afternoon of September 11th. The winner will be chosen by using Random.org from all valid entries and will be contacted via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me before they forfeit their prize. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Banana-Zucchini Muffin Recipe

Well I finally made the muffins I have been talking about for weeks!
They turned out pretty good. They were very moist!
I needed one more banana but I only had 2. They probably would have been a touch sweeter.
I also added cinnamon, vanilla, ,raisins and wheat germ.
Miles loves them. I like them. Matt does not hate them and Amara does not even know I made them!

18 muffins ( recipe also here )
Ingredients
1 cup zucchini, grated (I leave the skins on and use the food processor)
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas, I leave it a little lumpy)
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1.Oven at 350°F.
2.Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
3.Mix banana and zucchini. Add brown sugar, egg and applesauce. Combine well.
4.In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, oatmeal, salt and walnuts.
5.Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
6.Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7.Let rest for 5 minutes, and then cool on rack.

Garden update....

The weeds have officially taken over. I am sure this was my post last time I updated!
I did venture into the mess of weeds on Saturday though. We have had tons of rain and cool temperatures all week long.
Somehow I found a HUGE zucchini and 2 normal sized ones. I have been threatening to make a bread and or muffins so I might as well do it already. I will use the huge one since they don't taste as good as the smaller ones to me. I wonder if there is any truth to that?
My last attempt at a zucchini bread was probably at least 3 years ago if not longer. It was not pretty. It looked good, but tasted just the opposite. I will let you know how it turns out.

Kettle Cuisine Soup Winner....

allysona--please contact me within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen
Congratulations