I love Breyers. I was introduced to them in my youth when my mom sought out all-natural, no-preservatives food for me. Many of the ice-creams and various frozen products contained varying degrees of "artificial." (Check it out - most "vanilla" products have "vanillan" instead - what a villain!) Breyers did not.

Breyer's has been a staple in my freezer from childhood up through when I started my own family. In fact, I think I only had Breyer's in my freezer and maybe some Diet Coke in my fridge when I was a grad student. (I only needed to attend nightime "special lectures" to chow down on free pizza - though the fabulous convenience and plethora of options for New York City delivery meant I had some pretty exotic take-out boxes spending time in that studio apartment as well.) These days, we purchase three or four cartons of Breyer's all at once. We use it in shakes, smoothies, and of course for sundaes or a plain ol' bowl of ice-cream.

Imagine my glee when I learned about Breyer's Smooth and Dreamy ice-cream bars and sandwiches! Oh, the excitement!

We had the pleasure of attending Barnum's FUNundrum, a "retro-inspired" tribute to PT Barnum. As expected, the kids had a blast. We did the requisite "oooh!s" and "ahhhh!s" and my youngest son has determined that he'll join the circus someday.

If you are interested in bringing your family, I have a Fundundrum discount code for you.

Last year we saw Zing Zang Zoom. I wondered if our experience this year would be different.

It was.

[above left: my older son can't help but create chip-smiles out of his nachos. I swear my boys have decent table manners... at the table.]

When I was in college I straddled the worlds of "Be a strong woman!" and "OMG, I really want to find a husband and have kids!" As part of my whole fantasy life, I joined a Disney movie-of-the-month club in order to gather up some of those old and new favorites in which princesses got their prince. These cartoons provided fun breaks amidst all the studying.

I don't know exactly when I purchased Beauty and the Beast or even if I owned it before I played it over and over again for my charges when I babysat. (I know I owned it in grad school as I had to bide the time between harvesting cell culture.) But I can say with certainty that the movie and its accompanying songs are engraved in my brain.

My husband and I had the fabulous opportunity to have a date night in which we attended the opening night of SHN SF's Beauty and the Beast, playing now through August 29th at the Golden Gate Theater. I am grateful to SHN SF for providing me press tickets for this event.

It can be overwhelming and exciting to get so much free stuff.

BlogHer didn't used to be such a swaggy experience, but it has certainly morphed into a legitimate place for companies to distribute information about their products. In some cases, it is simply a brochure; in other cases, it can be something huge like a pair of slimming designer jeans, an expensive curling iron and flat-iron, or a Powermat. (All three of these were at the fabulous Getting Gorgeous event.)

I'm not going to debate the whole whore-i-ness that can accompany an experience like this other than to say that I started out as a blogger first, and a reviewer second. I decline "swag" that I know will not fit me or my audience, unless it is something that I know will benefit someone else, such as diapers (I received one this year from PlaySkool) or infant clothing (I received a sleep sack from the Mom Central suite.) I have a favorite family shelter who will happily pass on such items, including the formula I received from Similac a few weeks ago, to families who need them.

It is unrealistic that I can review all the products that I received from this year's event. Just as in years past, the effects from "swag" tend ripple rather than gush. While I might not immediately mention a product here, I may several months down the line. Plus, my purchasing habits may change based on the products I see, or the brands with which I interact. Finally, people in real life learn and see about the things that I use on a regular basis.

I like gum. It is good stuff. I have several favorite brands, but for the most part, I can pick up nearly any brand and be satisfied. For me, it is more the flavor that matters than the name on the label. Most out there have similar flavor and similar consistency, so my choice is a matter of price and availability.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm eagerly awaiting a specific gum's release to the general public in October.

That's right, I'm excited about gum.

During the hoopla that was the BlogHer convention, I got my hands some packs of Extra Dessert Delights. I have both "Mint Chocolate Chip" and "Key Lime Pie." There is also a "Strawberry Shortcake" flavor that I have yet to try.

Around the seventh grade, my doctor had some sobering news for me. Or at least, she thought it was sobering. She was a stout, portly woman who I admired. She kept telling me how smart I was, or complimenting me on the size of my thigh muscles (really, I think she meant it as a compliment.)

So when she came in that afternoon with a worried look on her face, I was all ears.

"I'm so sorry. It appears you have stopped growing." And then she smiled a little, eyes crinkling in sympathy. She patted her own belly as she talked about how difficult it would be for me to keep a slender figure with my stature.

But I wasn't really listening. After all, the little girls were the cute ones! If I were truly going to end up petite, then wouldn't I have a better chance at being a perky cheerleader?

One of my kids stepped on my glasses. Or maybe they sat on them. Or perhaps it was a space alien who stretched them out with his enormous bulbous head. Whatever the cause, my poor eyeglasses were bent out of shape. But, because they were fancy ($400) and my insurance only covers one pair per year, I kept wearing them, cursing each time they'd slip off my face as I bent to pick up the newspaper.

Fortunately, I was contacted by Just Eyewear to review the process and resulting product of ordering eyeglasses online. This no-risk proposition was definitely too good to pass up, especially because I love trying on new looks, and thought it would be fun to purchase something I wouldn't ordinarily, knowing that I can always buy something else through my insurance later this year.

Well, Just Eyewear didn't disappoint.

For the last several weeks, I've lived in Delicate Soles. And right now as I watch the Emmys, I'm willing to bet several of those celebrities have a pair in their purse (or their assistant's purse, or in their limo...) for when they slip off those high-heels and want to baby their feet while still remaining chic.

I learned about Delicate Soles through a giveaway. I was doing one of my giveaways on Prizey, and clicked around to see what my fellow bloggers were touting. Well, Delicate Soles caught my eye. I entered, but didn't win the giveaway. Nonetheless, I was interested enough to purchase a pair. I selected "onyx" since my go-to black flats are looking pretty shabby these days.

When they arrived, I fell in love. And then I purchased two more pairs: "starlight silver" and "lipstick red." The other color they sell is "pixie dust," a beautiful soft pink that I expect I'll purchase shortly.

We've got bugs. Thankfully (hopefully? knock on wood) not the bed-bugs everyone's been talking about. (Yes, I've already purchased some diatomaceous earth and various sprays just in case. )

No, I'm talking about a different kind of bug I brought home from New York City - the Hexbug Nano. I was fortunate to grab the last "Hexbug Nano Starter Pack" from the MomCentral suite. My boys loved the tiny set so much that we soon got a full "Hexbug Nano Habitat Set", plus of course another couple Hexbug Nanos. (In fact, my youngest son was thrilled to find some pink and aqua ones while we were purchasing a birthday present for his friend a couple days ago. Of course I gave in, because I think the little bugs are pretty cute, too.)

Essentially, the hard plastic bugs run around, jittering on their soft plastic fringed legs the way a real bug would. It almost appears that they "sniff out" where to turn in their little environment. This effect is a result of their vibrating motion. The Hexbug Nano website has more information about what makes this particular toy realistic, but my kids just love it because it is fun.