America

The Lego Americana Roadshow

The one good thing about my computer malfunctioning was that when I brought it in to the Apple store at the Kenwood Mall I happened upon The Lego® Americana Roadshow- Building Across America.

I brought my kids back to experience it today.

Z LOVES History and LEGO® so this would be perfect for him! Here is a photo he made me take of his latest creation.

I have hundreds of these photos because he always wants his buildings and designs documented. Like most kids, Z just LOVES building. Unfortunately he is away at camp this week so he didn’t get to go with us, but the younger two still really enjoyed the event. Even J and I loved it. You don’t have to be a kid to like LEGO® right? I know “the box says it’s for ages 8-14” but “That’s just a suggestion. They have to put that one there”. That’s a LEGO Movie quote for those that haven’t seen it and if not, I suggest you do.

As far as a really brief overview of what to expect from the exhibit, there are several different historical USA landmark structures on display throughout the mall made completely out of LEGO® bricks.

There is a huge White House, the Statue of Liberty, the Old North Church was really pretty, and we especially loved the Lincoln Memorial because there was even a LEGO® Abraham Lincoln statue inside, just like in real life.

Throughout the mall you can easily pick up a map that shows where all of the displays are and there is a question and answer section on the back that can be completed and returned at the LEGO® store for a LEGO® American Roadshow poster.

Pretty cool and very educational.

On top of that there is a hands on activity center by the food court.

Children are encouraged to build with LEGO® toys and even race their own LEGO® car creations on a derby track.

Everyone there was having such a great time and the staff were really friendly and helpful too.

I am not getting paid to say any of this I promise. This is just a little tidbit of info from one LEGO® mom to another because it’s such a great opportunity for some FREE summer fun that also encourages creativity and learning about our nation at the same time.

The LEGO® Americana RoadShow that we visited was at the Kenwood Towne Centre Mall in Cincinnati Ohio. It will only be there through this Sunday, July 19th though. Then they’re off to the next stop which is Hoover Alabama. All of the details for their schedule can be found at LEGO.com

I’m telling you, if you have a chance to go and you are lucky enough for one of the stops to be in your area then you should definitely take advantage of that. From what I understand it’s something new that they are still developing. Let’s show LEGO® how much we love community events like this and maybe they’ll add more locations to future tours!

Check out their Facebook page for more information.

I know Everything is Awesome, but The LEGO Americana Roadshow is really REALLY awesome.

By Natalie|2015-07-15T20:24:17+00:00July 15, 2015|Creativity, Family, Frugal Living|2 Comments

Fun For the Fourth

Keeping with my summer progress reports I am delighted to share that we had an exciting week full of family, fireworks, fun, and festivities. Here were the boredom busters for last week.

1. Family

This week was FULL of family. We visited my aunt that lives out in the country at the beginning of the week.

We also spent a good deal of time with the cousins that live about an hour from us so that was a real treat.

Lastly, we had family, including J’s parents, come from Texas.

2. Games

Amongst all of socializing and stimuli the kids have had this past week there were some quieter moments tucked in there as well. One night we just hung out and played games. Classic children games like the one that spins around a bunch fish opening and closing their mouths while you try to catch them, or dilapidated game of candy land where every single card has been bent, bitten, or torn, but you can still make where you are supposed to move your gingerbread man so that’s all that matters. The adults even played one of my favorite card games called Hand and Foot. My team won by the way. Just sayin’.

3. Water Table

There are a few different places I have been to that offer these water stations where the kids wear little aprons to keep dry while their hands get to splash, pour, and play in the water. This particular water table is at the Cincinnati Children’s museum and it’s a hit every time!

4. Camping

Because the grandparents came in their new RV they rented a camp site to stay at while in the area.

Z and SJ got to spend the night with them and we had campfire where we roasted hot dogs and smores, we hiked and saw wildlife. We did all the fun stuff that comes with camping minus sleeping without electricity.

5. Fireworks

We had a BLAST at the church’s 4th of July party.

The fireworks were great, but it doesn’t have to be an activity limited to the 4th. One of the things that’s great about this season is that you can easily find sparklers and poppers for sale and use them for entertainment throughout the summer. That’s what we’ve done.

6. Beach

We spent a lot of time at East Fork beach which is where the family was camping. It wasn’t the pretty blue water with gorgeous white sand, but it was still an enjoyable and relaxing time for sure.

I am pleased with how the summer is starting to pick up the pace and I can’t wait for what comes next.

By Natalie|2015-05-19T20:13:25+00:00July 8, 2014|My Life, Uncategorized|1 Comment

Independence!

I love the 4th of July, it is such an uplifting, lively holiday. On Sunday we all wore red, white, and blue. It was a last minute thing. Since we made the effort to coordinate I asked my sister in law if she could snap a quick picture of us. Ezie was literally asleep in this photo and we had a slew of unattractive vehicles (like my own) in a very bland looking parking lot behind us. I still loved the photo though, as we have very few of all 5 of us. So I learned how to photoshop around strands of hair so that I could tweak the background, then I made some color adjustments, added the text, and BAM- I’ve practically got a personalized greeting card now.

Here are some throwbacks to other times that we wore patriotic colors.

2010

2011

From our family to yours, HAPPY 4th of July!!!

By Natalie|2015-05-19T20:14:19+00:00July 5, 2014|Creativity, Uncategorized|1 Comment