MY SON'S BIKE WAS STOLEN!!

Just wanted to post this blog entry as an alert to those who may happen to stop by our blog. Chandler's bike was stolen today apparently from right out of our garage in broad daylight, between 5pm-7pm! We had saved up the money to buy him this special bike a couple of months ago and I am sickened that someone would actually take it from right out of our garage while Scott and the kids were home. I was running errands during the time it went missing. I had actually placed the bike on our front lawn to move it out of the driveway before leaving to run errands. At some point after that, Chandler and his friend put the bike back into the garage while they were playing with some other friends. Between the time he put it back in the garage and the time I came home, the bike was apparently stolen. It is a 20" Blue Mongoose 'Crush' model bike. We questioned the boys Chandler had been playing with earlier in the day and even spoke to their parents, who also looked in their garages to see if the bike somehow ended up there, but no luck so far. At least they know to be on the lookout for his bike. I am having difficulty believing that some random person just happened to come around and decide to walk right up to our garage and steal the bike in broad daylight while the kids were in and out throughout the day playing with their friends. However, in this day and age, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. If you happen to run across this bike or learn of someone acquiring a bike like this soon, please let us know. I am just sick over the principle of the whole thing, most of all! The fact that someone would stoop so low as to take a child's bike right out of their garage during the day on a Sunday afternoon just makes me sick!!

Midnight Mammograms!

OK, now I think I have truly heard of just about everything! I had to visit my female doctor the other day and since I am 36 this year, I was the lucky recipient of a prescription for my first baseline mammogram...yippee!! Ha! Well, since I have known that one of these years soon I would have to have one for the first time, I wasn't at all surprised that my doctor went ahead and recommended it's time for me to start. Let's hope all goes well though!

Anyway, just when I thought I had heard of just about everything, I noticed some fancy ads on the walls at my doctor's office that said "Midnight Mammograms" in a fun cartoon-style. I looked a little bit closer, thinking maybe it was an ad for a play or something. It looked like one of those spoof-type broadway, musical-style plays. But, no, this was actually a program that has been set up at one of the nearby Radiology clinics and the ad says that you can sign up a group of 6 or more women for a "fun-filled and enjoyable evening of mammograms, food, and more"! What? Since when were mammograms considered fun? Well, anyway, the idea is that you get a group of your friends together and literally schedule a mammogram party late at night at their facility. You can bring food, dress for fun, have some entertainment and basically enjoy an evening of comaraderie with your female friends while you all get your annual mammograms. Hmmm...I wonder if this gimmick will work? The ad says that they are doing whatever it takes to get women to take part in their annual mammograms and if it takes making a party out of it, then do it! So, is there anyone out there 35 and older that wants to join me for a Midnight Mammogram? Haha!

Summertime Fun Activities...

I thought it was time to at least write something on my blog since it's been a while. I figured I would write a list of some fun and fairly inexpensive or FREE activities to do with your kids this summer while you are trying to keep them busy...


1) Did you know that Boardwalk Bowling has a special summer promotion going on every summer where your kids can bowl one game for free each day between the hours of 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday? We've been doing this the past couple of years and it is still one of their favorite summer time activities! Usually, at the end of the school year, their school sends home fliers that you bring to the bowling alley to enroll in the program. But, if you go there early in the summer, you can also ask for some at the bowling check-in desk. They sometimes carry extras. You have to bring the fliers with you each time you want to bowl because someone has to initial it on the date your child has bowled. Anyway, it's a great way to beat the summer heat and of course, if you have any money to spend, you can make an afternoon of it by eating at their cafe and/or playing in their arcade. They've just updated their games in the arcade and have gone to a swipe card system (like Firken & Kegler's) where you simply add money to your card to play the games.

2) Downey Park on the corner of Dean Rd. and SR50 has their fun water splash park which costs $1 per person to enter, including adults. They run it for two sessions each day...10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm. They shut down the water park between 2pm-3pm every day, but you can also play on the playground nearby or visit the lake, too.

3) Regal Cinemas always has free kids movies during the summer on certain days of the week early in the morning...usually around 10:00am. This summer, I believe I heard someone say the free movies are on Tuesdays. Check your listings for the location, times, dates and movie titles playing!