The Hemswroth Brothers Take "Charlie Bit Me" To Greatness

If you haven't seen this adorable YouTube video of a baby brother biting his older sibling's finger and the cute way the older boy says "Charlie...you bit me!" then you are missing out on some cuteness!

Now, Jimmy Kimmel Live, along withe Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth, bring us the extended story of these brother as grown men, still struggling with the fact that "Charlie bit me."  It is fantastically brilliant.


I think these brothers need to be in a movie together soon.  Perhaps we can get Liam to play Balder the Brave in a Thor movie?!  Make it happen, Marvel!

New Fight-Sequence Revelaed for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

 Fandango released a new four minute promo for Captain America: The Winter Soldier that has around two minutes of fighting followed by bits of trailer footage we have already seen.
The fight scene looks amazing!  Cap's acrobatics are realistic for a human at peak fitness, but not over the top like he's Spider-Man or anything.  They really let Scarlett and Chris' familiarity shine in this (they have done four movies together thus far).  I still hope they are not true "love interests" because I don't feel like Black Widow needs to be tied to a male superhero to be important for this franchise. She can kick ass all on her own.  And she does so in this clip!  Plus she uses the WIDOW'S BITE so we can all actually see it clearly!!!

A Toddler Masterpiece: Radin's First Painting

Today I busted out the acrylic paints, a few brushes, a few sponges, painters tape, and a blank canvas. Oh, and lots of baby wipes. For today I introduced Radin to painting!  I asked him if he wanted to paint with Mommy and he shook his head in disapproval.  Then I realized he had no clue what "painting" meant, so I asked him if he wanted to color with Mommy.  His answer was then a joyous clapping of hands and nodding of head! So I hoisted him (it's like lifting a giant sack of potatoes at this point) up into his booster seat at the table for some fun painting time.

I forgot to mention that I had already covered the table in newspaper to prevent the inevitable painting of the table.  I taped the newspaper down as I knew Radin would attempt to rip it away.  He did attempt. Multiple times.

I also pre-taped a stretched canvas spelling out Radin's name. I am sure that if you have been on Pinterest at all, you have seen people do this.

I really had to press the tape down onto the canvas, because I just knew Radin would attempt to peal it away.  And he did attempt.  Multiple times.

I cut up a Mr. Clean Eraser sponge into four pieces to use as fat paint sponges.  The acrylic paint is BASICS and states on the bottle that it is resistant to water, but I know from experience that it is super easy to wash off of skin.  Clothes on the other hand, I wasn't sure.  So I made sure Radin and I were both dressed in old clothes that I didn't care about turning into a rainbow of stiff paint.

I squirted a few blobs of blue, green and red onto the canvas and was about to show Radin what to do, when he picked up the paint brush and started painting. It's amazing what they pick up from watching Thomas & Friends movies on Netflix.  One of the episodes features Mr. Perkins painting a picture of James.  I assume this is how Radin knew what to do with the paint brush.  That or he is a genius.  And since he still runs into walls occasionally, I'm leaning more towards Mr. Perkins.

 

Then it happened; Radin got paint on his hand!  I thought for sure he would begin painting his whole body.  But no, he requested that I wipe his hand off. He doesn't really enjoy his hands being dirty.  If you've ever seen him at the park, you know he constantly requests the sand be brushed from his hands and shoes.  I am teaching him to wipe the sand away on his pants.  Possible bad habit, but I'm tired of being summoned every minute to wipe away a grain of sand. He doesn't seem to mind dirt covering his entire face after he dumps a pail of it over his head though.  Go figure.

After about an hour of smearing paint all over the canvas with the sponges and then making swirls with the paint brush, Radin started to attempt to paint the table. Then paintbrushes began being tossed in little rage fits over being told that he could not paint the chair.  That is when I knew we were done with our masterpiece.  I sponged over the small corner that was still paint free, and let Radin have a mid-day fun bath.  He loves his baths.

Once we were all cleaned up and he was distracted by toys again, I peeled away the painter's tape and put the painting in the garage to dry.  I am very pleased with how it turned out and I cannot wait to hang it up in Radin's room to add a vibrant pop of color and personalization!

I would highly recommend this little art project for anyone with small children.  It was a fun way to share an artsy moment.

EDIT:  Here it is all dry and hanging in Radin's room/  We had to rearrange the Avengers wall clings a bit, but it works.

Homemade Baked Banana Chips

I have never really loved bananas.  They are okay. I like them in banana cream pie and chopped up and mixed in with my chocolate chip ice cream, but a banana by itself will never really appeal to me.  Plus, when they get really ripe, they make my throat itchy.  I know, I'm weird.
My son, on the other hand, loooves bananas.  But he only like them when they are still green.  Once they ripen and get a bit mushy, he is done with them.  And I'm not going to eat them then, because they make my throat itch.  So we usually have some bananas leftover that have to be creatively used either before they ripen or shortly after. Last week, I used a pair of overly ripe bananas to make Banana-Nut Bread.  This week, I am going to attempt Banana Chips.

This is a very simple recipe, and I see it pop up on Pinterest a lot, so I hope it actually works and tastes good.  I'm curious to see if Radin likes banana chips too.  If so, I can make batches of these for snack packs on the go.

You basically just need a few bananas, some lemon juice, and an oven.  Cut up your bananas into think slices, dip them into the lemon juice, and place them on a cookie sheet.

I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper, but I don't think it is necessary.  Now pop them into the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours, flip them, and put back into the oven for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Currently, my bananas are in the oven for the first two hours.  I will update at the two hour flip mark and then again when they are done!  I really hope this turns out okay, as it sounds super yummy and like a good snack for Radin.

I checked the bananas after an hour because they smelled so good, yet also smelled like they were close to getting burnt.  The banana chips were already pretty crispy, so I decided to go ahead and flip them early.

Baked Banana Chips

Ingredients

2 bananas

lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Slice bananas into thin medallions.

Dip bananas into lemon juice and place onto baking sheet.

Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees.

Flip bananas and bake for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until crispy.

Let cool and enjoy!

Homemade Coconut Sugar Scrub

I hate soap.  Normal, sweet smelling soaps are super drying on my already dry skin  and the ones that I can use on my super dry skin are boring and blah!  I prefer scrubs by far.  A good sugar scrub is AH-MAZE-ING on my skin!  It buffs and then leaves a moisturized feel behind.  Plus they usually smell amazing.  Unfortunately, they can be a bit pricey for a tiny amount.  I just can't justify spending that amount of money on something that will last me two weeks.  So I decided to try and make my own from ingredients in my cupboard.  I once again turned to Pinterest for some ideas.  I couldn't find a recipe that used coconut oil in place of olive oil, so I altered a recipe found on Just Another Day In Paradise.

Ingredients

2 cups of white sugar

1 cup of solid coconut oil

juice from 4 lemons

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp vanilla

You will also need a container to store your finished scrub in.  Though a glass container is prettier, I opted for what I had on hand, which was a Snap-n-Lock plastic container.

I bought my coconut oil at SaveMart I think.  Nothing special.  It was the cheapest for the largest amount.

Directions

Add the solid coconut oil to a standing mixer bowl.  I have read that you can melt your coconut oil beforehand to get more of an oily scrub.  I prefer a whipped feeling scrub, so I went with the solid.

Mix on low for approximately 5 to 6 minutes, until you have a nice whipped feeling to the mixture.

Next, add the sugar and mix until blended.

Add the lemons juice (I used fresh squeezed, because that is what I had on hand, but you can use juice from the cute lil lemon shaped bottle) and honey and mix until blended.

Now scoop into your favorite container.

This recipe made more than I thought it would (the coconut oil really fluffs up nicely), so I put the majority of it in a shallow plastic container to use daily in the shower, and the rest in a recycled pizza sauce jar for later use.

I officially used the scrub this morning in the shower and it was perfect!  You can feel the sugar granules scrubbing, and then dissolving, on your skin.  I thought the oil might leave a greasy feeling, but it didn't.  It felt just like a scrub from the expensive stores.  Moisturizing and light.  I even used it on my face and it feels so good.  Plus, the lemon and honey are great scrubbing agents and have antibacterial properties that are great for your skin!  I was hoping for more of a scent with this scrub.  I really though I would smell of coconut all day.  But I couldn't smell anything at all.  Which is good for people who don't want to smell like the tropics.  I, however, do. lol  Next time I might add some vanilla for scent.

Overall, this was a huge success.  I am so happy I went with this option instead of the expensive store option filled with who knows what.

Sh*t My Husband Says, Part 2: Suspicious Side Dish

Husband: Why did you fill part of his plate with a bunch of mayo?
Me: That's yogurt.

I am just going to assume he was joking.

Sh*t My Husband Says, Part 1: Dirty Europeans Are My Thing

I have a feeling this will be an ongoing series...

Me, watching One Direction on SNL: That one grew up to be super cute.
Husband: The one on the far left (Zayn)?
Me: No, the one next to him (Louis).
Husband: Ugh, he looks like your type.
Me: My type?
Husband: Dirty, didn't comb his hair, and....European. Like Bard.
Me: Bard?
Husband: The Bowman.