Got a Dora fan...or a baseball fan...or a Dora-loving baseball fan? You might want to pick up tickets for Thursday's SeaWolves AA baseball game. Dora is scheduled to be at the game. And, they're having fireworks after the game. And since most of us have Friday off for the Fourth of July, you can keep the kids out late Thursday and let them sleep in on Friday morning!

If you've never taken the kids to a SeaWolves game, you're missing out on a lot of fun. They have fun/silly between-inning antics and shows -- like a race between toddlers, flying t-shirts and a kid's run across the field.

I'd say the games are best for kids over the age of 5, but if you need to bring younger kids who can't handle sitting in the stands for long periods, there are several "beer gardens" and other picnic areas you can sit and let them run around. Be warned however...that this is where fans are allowed to smoke, so...it might be a catch 22. (the good news is....they can't smoke in the stands).

Whatever you do, though...wherever you are...keep an eye on the game. Balls (sometimes even bats!) fly into the stands a lot.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's topic: Google Reader

What it is: It's a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline. Allow me to translate -- it's a Web page you can go to that compiles all the blogs you read into one easy place. So, instead of going to the url for every blog you read, you can go to this one url (www.google.com/reader) and see all of the blogs you "subscribe" to in one location.

How it works: You create a google reader account (free and easy). You then subscribe to your favorite blog's RSS feeds using either Google Reader's search function, or by entering in the exact URL of the RSS feed. Translation: go to the blog you love, copy and past the URL into the "add new blog" box on Google Reader and voila!

Why I love it:
* No bookmarking or keeping track of blogs in a "favorites" folder.
* It travels with me -- wherever I am, I log into my google reader and get my list of blogs.
* It highlights updated entries -- so I can see, at a glance, which blogs have been updated with new entries and read just those.
* I can read the blogs (and the comments) without ever leaving Google Reader.
* As is the google way -- the site's design is clean, simple and clutter-free.
* You can choose between a list view or an expanded view (You can see just the title of the entry..the first few paragraphs or the entire thing...it's up to you).
* You can choose how to view your posts -- by list of date or relevance. You can also go nuts and get all organized with labels (though..honestly, I haven't had time to mess with all those things and I only read about 10 blogs anyway..so it's not like I can't handle them).

I have several friends who are going through divorces right now. Some are amicable, some are nasty, some are bitter, most involve cheating spouses, but all of them are just extremely sad. Regardless of how it ends or how much it needed to end, it has to be really painful for everyone involved.

I mean, even if you hate the jerk and you want his lying, cheating ass out of your house -- if he's the father of your children, there's a serious loss there -- for the spouse and the kids. I imagine anyone would mourn the loss of future they thought they would have (and were cheated out of).

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. A four-day weekend. 'nuff said.

2. This story on www.aol.com about the 30 Things We Secretly Wish Would Come Back. I agree with about 90 percent of them...except for the one about nylons (which was, of course, suggested by a man who has never had to wear them..or, perhaps he does..who knows?).

3. The word "jackass." It's my curse word of choice lately because, well, it's just fun to say and my kids know all the other ones already. :-)

Funny story about #3: When we were pregnant with our 2nd child, we didn't find out what she was, so we we compiled a list of boy and girl names. "Jack" was a the top of my list of boys names and my husband dismissed it immediately. I'm like...what's wrong with Jack? It's such a cool name? He said...Heather, I will not let you name my son Jack Cass. (gotta read that out loud to get it). oooohhhhhh....right.....I'll scratch that off the list right now.

I thought I was being smart by stopping at Giant Eagle on upper Peach on Sunday morning to buy $125 worth of Kohl's gift cards. I was on my way to Kohl's to buy a set of luggage for my nephew for his high school graduation gift (this is a gift from all the siblings and I), so I thought...hey...why not get 5 cents off a gallon for my trouble.

Yeah...except...beware...gift cards do NOT activate immediately. They can take up to 24 hours to activate.

Which means my trip up to to Kohl's and time spent picking out just the right set...and the time it took the cashier to look through every pocket of every piece of the 5-piece set of luggage...was wasted.

Good thing I saved 5 cents a gallon, eh? I'Il need it to drive back up there again.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's item is appropriate for our nice, hot, sunny weather (FINALLY!): Bull Frog Quick Gel Sunblock

What it is: It's a sunblock in a gel form.

I received a sample-size of this gel in my packet at last year's Cleveland Marathon. I threw it in the car, figuring I'd have it on-hand for the kids if I ever found myself in a sunny situation in which I forgot the sunscreen. When I finally tried it at the end of last summer, I was mad I hadn't opened it at the beginning of the summer. I loved it!

Why I love it: It's not the goopy, gooey white sticky stuff of typical sunscreen that gets caked between your fingers and takes a couple of minutes to dry. Bull Frog Gel is a clear, lightweight gel that goes on quick and easy and dries almost instantly.

One warning: The gel is cold -- soothing for most adults, but not for most kids who don't like adults smearing cold gel all over them.

Where to get it: Any mass retailer or any store that sells sunscreen. Sells for about $10 for a 5-ounce bottle.

While you're at it: Pick up a Bull Frog Quick Stick. These are perfect for putting sunscreen on kids' faces. Just rub it on their cheeks, forehead and chin and then use your hand to spread it around and rub it in. No fuss, no mess, no whining (and the sticks are not cold).

...because of what awaits me at home.

My 10,000-gallon testimony to Living in the Moment.

This morning's run was hot and humid...sticky and sweaty...and the best part of a run like that is running into the backyard and diving into that cold pool....sweaty running clothes and all.

And...don't even get me started on how beautiful it is to float around a cold pool and stargaze on those too-hot-to-even-be-in-the-house nights. It's Heaven on earth.

Thanks, Grace.

I rarely watch the Today show, but happened to flip on the TV while I folded a load of whites this morning and caught an interview between Barack Obama and Matt Lauer in which Matt asked Obama about the "controversial" family interview the Obama's did for Access Hollywood.

(Incidentally the funniest part of this video was Meredith Veira all giddy and congratulating Maria Menounos of Access Hollywood for "scoring" the first Obama family interview. Careful, Meredith, your journalistic chops are showing.)

Now...should a presidential candidate be featured in Entertainment venues like Access Hollywood and the Us Weekly that I subscribe to (it's my guilty pleasure). Perhaps not. A part of me winces when I see them in there...and, yet, I scoop it up and read every word.

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Leisurely solo breakfasts on the deck. I've gotten into a habit of sitting outside for 10 minutes in the morning to eat breakfast and read through the paper while the kids sleep in (or sleep over at my mother's house). It's quickly become my favorite part of the day. Peace, quiet, warm breezes, rustling trees, hummingbirds flitting by, cat sprawled out on the chair next to me, no lawnmowers roaring or neighbor kids yelling at 7 a.m. I plan to cherish these mornings -- they'll come to a fast end when the kids to back to school and I go back to cramming a bagel in my mouth (and putting on my makeup) as I rush to work...running late, of course.

2. Dresses. My summer wardrobe of choice are dresses. They are easy, pretty and they keep a girl cool. I love tossing on a dress in the morning. Underwear, dress, sandals...go. Gotta love that. (Much better than the winter -- Underwear, trouser socks, pants, belt, shirt, vest, suit jacket, winter coat, scarf, mittens... no wonder I'm always running late in the winter.)

3. Hills. I've been actively seeking them out on my walks and runs. I used to avoid them -- thought they were too hard -- but now, I know, the hard things just make me stronger.

Skin cancer rates among young women have increased 50% since the 1980s. You can read about it here.

I say "no duh" because you can't help but notice that most teenage girls are freakishly tanned -- even in the dead of winter. (Every time I see a girl walking into a tanning salon or baking herself at the beach, I think the same thing -- "Honey, you are going to be really sorry when you're 35.")

The percentage of increase in skin cancer, however, is....completely shocking. It should be noted that the increase is only for women. The rate of skin cancer among men has remained stable.

Yet another instance where young women are, literally, killing themselves to try and meet the standards of American beauty.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's topic: Dove facial moisturizer

What it is: Uh..facial moisturizer. (guys...this is something women need to put on their face to keep dry skin at bay...it's one of the many mystery bottles, tubs and tubes that is cluttering your bathroom sink/vanity/medicine cabinet).

Why I tried it: I realized at 35 that I was getting old and started to notice signs of aging on my face and neck. Terrified of the thought of a wrinkly "turkey neck" and leather face at 40, I decided I'd better start moisturizing (better late than never).

Why I tried Dove: I'll just admit that I bought into the whole Dove "campaign for real beauty." and I deliberately choose Dove products when I shop. I love what they're doing -- even if it's all a ploy to sell more beauty products. Focusing on real women with real bodies and real fat and real blemishes just makes me happy. I'm so sick of all those flawless models -- who are hardly flawless by the way....watch this.

Love to read? Check out Read it Forward at Random House and sign up to receive free advance copies of books.

It appears this is an attempt at cybermarketing (is that a word?) to build buzz for a book online through personal blogs, i.e.they're giving you a free book in hopes you'll blog about it and tell all your friends.

I signed up...even though the last thing I need is more spam, junk mail ...not to mention more books in my "to read someday" pile (so you don't have to worry about me blogging endlessly about books...I have no time to read these days...but someday....)

My youngest daughter, 5, has a thing for bugs. She's always carrying one around or trying to capture one. She usually "loves" and "takes care of them" until they die. If they happen to still be alive come bedtime, the husband and I set them free, "Let that be a warning to you and your buddies, little moth man."

Yesterday afternoon she rushed into the house screaming that she needed a container. (Oh, Lord, what poor critter did she corner now). She found a butter bowl and lid and went running out to my hollyhocks.

My parents were there and my Dad asked her what she was looking for.

"I'm catching Chinese bugs."

My dad looked at me quizzically.

I burst out laughing.

"She means Japanese beetles, dad."

And...those are some bugs I'm NOT letting free at bedtime. Nope..they die a slow, hot death suffocating in a Country Crock bowl baking poolside. I'm leaving their carcasses out there as a warning to all their little beetle friends.

It was a crazy busy week last week...and I did my Three things post at home...in the wee hours of the morning, but...alas...(you'll love this) fell asleep at the keyboard before I posted it and when I woke up in the AM...my PC was all locked up and I couldn't copy and paste the text...so....here's my attempt to remember what I was loving & hating last week).

Things I'm loving this week:
1. Little Ceasars Pizza. Thank God for the whole hot-and-ready thing. Genius...pure genius. And, a quick and cheap way to feed 12 hungry kids at a poolside birthday party.

2. These SUPER-cute tunics for girls. I stumbled upon these yesterday and scooped up four for each daughter. They're on sale this week for $10. They can be dressed up with a skirt for a party or dressed down with jeans for school. Available in girls' sizes 4-14. They're made of great polyester, flowy material (that will not require ironing...bonus!).

3. Chicken breast tenderloins. I was a vegetarian for over a decade mostly because I hate to cook meat and I figured...hey...now that's a really good excuse never to cook it. I just can't bring myself to touch slimy raw meat. So, I'm a Goddess of frozen food. I discovered bags of frozen chicken breast a few months ago and realized that if I only half-thaw them, they can be easily cut, but aren't slimy yet. Then, lo and behold, I noticed in my grocer's freezer last week these things called tenderloins that are small hunks of good chicken -- no tendons and bloody lines and fatty yellow ropey stuff to cut off. I bought three bags of them, tossed them in a roaster with a big ole bottle of BBQ sauce and -- voila -- a main course for 60 guests.

With school season fast approaching, check out this backpack bargain at www.JCPenney.com

I stumbled across these backpacks when shopping online for a birthday gift for a friend's son. I ordered it -- with a monogram -- and crossed my fingers that it would be a quality backpack.

It was. It was very nice. It was so nice, I went on & ordered a few more for the other little kids in my life. For less than $25 you can have this monogrammed and shipped to your house. You even get a choice of the style of monogram and thread color.

The front pouch opens to reveal pen holders, an I.D. card and other little pockets for holding things in place. It is a full-size backpack and seemed to be made of sturdy material that should last awhile.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's topic: Betty Crocker Decorator Cookie Icing

What it is: Icing (frosting) for cutout cookies that you squeeze onto the cookie, let dry and voila.

Why I tried it: I don't like to cook, but I do like to bake and I really love to make cut-out cookies, but I could never get the frosting right. I always made it too thick or too thin (and then it would run off the cookie and all over the counter) or I made too little or too much. Ugh...what a pain. Sometimes I'd sprinkle the cookies with sugar crystals just to avoid having to frost them. When I saw the Betty Crocker Cookie Icing, I felt it and read the back which promised that it would "fill in" and dry hard enough to stack the cookies. For $3, I decided to give it a try.

There's a great guest post over at ZenHabits blog (this is one you should bookmark...always full of great, useful info) by Verda who gives 12 Tips for How to Be A Great Mom.

I identify & agree wholeheartedly with all of her tips -- particularly the ones about giving kids some space to make mistakes and learn to do things on their own which...coincidentally gives YOU, mom and dad, some time to pursue your own interests and find happiness in your own life.

In my personal opinion, too many parents get too wrapped up in their children's lives, give up all the activities and friends they love and then...they have no life of their own. And, honestly, your life and happiness should not be resting on your children's shoulders -- it's an enormous burden for anyone to carry around.

I had my head in the clouds and...thankfully...my camera in the car when driving to work this morning.

I was just mesmerized by these big, puffy, fluffy white clouds. Were I not driving down the Bayfront Connector and expected to show up at the office, I'd have laid down in the grass and watched them float by. (OK...I probably wouldn't have cause I have like 4,582 things to do, but...hey...a girl can dream, right?)

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Queen Anne's Lace. One man's weed is another man's flower, right? Queen Anne's lace, the quintessential ditch weed is one of my all-time favorite flowers. I love its intricacy and its resilience. I even love the onion-y smell of it's stem when you cut them. And, cut them I do. I am forever collecting bouquets of Queen Anne's lace to stick in plain glass jars all over the house. They look so quaint all lined up on a windowsill. (Just call me Martha).

2. My Tomboy tools garden snips. Finally...a pair of garden snips that will cut just about freakin' anything (of course, this also means I'm likely to lop off a digit, but ...) I got these at a Tomboy Tools home party for $9. Best money I've ever spent on gardening supplies.

3. The Victorian Princess. I took my first cruise aboard the grand lady yesterday at the Women-In-Action's work-life seminar (read about it here). It's the first time I've ever been on the Princess and it was really great. A lot rougher than I'd have thought -- you definitely get to rockin'. The food (by Marketplace Grill) was great, the boat was beautiful (the bathroom was just ridiculously gorgeous) and the company of 100+ vibrant women was inspiring. All in all, it a really nice out-of-office luncheon treat.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's topic: Do-it-yourself stepping stones

What it is: Concrete stepping stones you can create yourself.

Why I love them: I make one each year with each of my kids on (or around) their birthdays. I line the finished stones up in my flower beds and you can see the progression from teeny toes and fingers to big-kid digits. The kids love making them (it's a birthday tradition now). They also make great gifts for grandparents (do one for each grandchild and build them a little path of kiddie prints).

The girls and I spent the day at Discover Presque Isle on Saturday. First we hit the kid's craft tables where the girls made paper fans, beaded necklaces and a few other things. Then, we browsed the craft tents where we bought these really neat Presque Isle treasure boxes (just $4 and $6!) for the girls to store their special Presque Isle shells and rocks. I'm going to try makings some of these myself (I think the white stuff is plaster of Paris).

After the crafts, we headed to Beach #8 to listen to the bands, swim and check out the sand sculptures. All very cool -- music good, sculptures amazing (photos below), BUT....there's a reason I always take the girls to beaches 10 & 11 and it's because they are shallow and virtually wave-less. Not so at Beach 8 -- all waves, all the time. I thought I was going to have a heart attack at least three times (and I'm definitely not the nervous-mom type) when the girls kept swimming out too far or paddling out too far on their boogie boards. When my heart (and lungs) couldn't take it anymore, I bribed them out of the water with a promise to stop at Sara's for dinner and orange sherbert twist cones.

We made a quick stop at Sunset Point to check out the kites, too.

We had planned to stay until sunset, but...8 hours was enough for me to discover Presque Isle with a couple of little girls.

Check out some of this year's sand sculptures:

A co-worker reminded me of one of the funniest stories he ever heard me tell, so I thought I'd share and you can all enjoy a good laugh at Heather (though...this is much funnier in person when I can include eye emphasis and other gestures).

We were moving out of our starter home...oh...about 10 or 12 years ago now... and i noticed that one of the tiles was coming loose in the upstairs bathroom. No problem. I run downstairs to grab the tube of super glue. Can't get the top off. (why does the top NEVER come off...well, probably cause it's...duh...glued on).

Mistake #1: I stick the tube lid in my mouth and twist hard.

You guessed it...I get a mouthful of super glue.

Mistake #2: I grab the nearest thing to get the glue off my tongue -- toilet paper. Which, of course, promptly disintegrates on my wet tongue and wet pile-o-glue.

Mistake #3: I'm still holding the tile I was planning to glue which is now stuck to the hand I used to try and scrape the glue off my tongue.

Mistake #4: I spit the contents of my mouth into the bathroom sink. Now I have a sink full of glue and toilet paper and a final "walk-through" by our buyers in an hour.

I managed to scrape it out of the sink bowl, got the tile off my fingers (with a few layers of skin, too) and got most of the super glue/Charmin taste out of my mouth before the doorbell rang.

And, I haven't touched super glue since.

P.S. Remind me to tell you about the time, later that same month when I locked myself out of my new house in a t-shirt and undies at 6 a.m. as the garbage truck came rumbling down the road.

If you didn't see today's Erie Times-News, you'll want to be sure to pick up a copy. There's a truly inspiring story on page 1A by Lisa Thompson about Chris and Renea Kovski and John and Lynn Walker -- the parents whose young daughters drown in a Waterford pond last summer.

Today's story is one of hope and love and the selflessness of parents who could've spent the rest of their lives hating the world (and no one would've blamed them), but instead, chose to channel their grief into action and help other couples struggling with infertility.

You can read the story here, but you can't see all the photos online.

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Free music everywhere! From North East to Edinboro, you'll find a host of free concerts in and around Erie on almost any day of the week. Don't believe me -- pick up a copy of Showcase in today's Erie Times-News and read the fine print. Just this week, I have four free concerts on the old family calendar. We didn't make it to the 8 Great Tuesdays concert with Jake's Blues this past Tuesday, but we made it to Whitford Park (in Harborcreek) last night and enjoyed a folk band. There's a concert on the concert of Penn State Behrend tonight and, of course, free blues & jazz music all weekend at the Erie Art Museum's Blues & Jazz Fest at Frontier Park. There are also concerts in the park in North East and Edinboro. The Erie Philharmonic is even getting in on the action with a free concert at lunchtime in front of the Warner Theatre on Aug. 12.

2. Football training camp. The boys are back. The NFL training camps opened this week and I've got football fever....even if the news out of the Steelers camp gets worse every day with some key player getting injured or pulling a muscle and otherwise causing Steelers fans to anxiously twist their Terrible Towels. The whole Casey Hampton-is-too-fat thing is pretty funny though. Seriously...if you were getting paid millions of dollars to stay in shape, don't you think you'd lay off the Big Macs and corndogs and get your fat butt to a gym once in awhile? Ah...but, don't worry, Casey, I still love you...you big, overgrown tackle.

(AP photo)

3. Rudebekia, otherwise known as Black-Eyed Susans. These are one of my most favorite perennials. I have them in almost every flowerbed in my house and just seeing their big, yellow petals makes me smile -- even if they are pushy perennials that have taken over half the beds. (The other nice thing about this plant is that it's very easy to divide and thin out).