Hi! Johnny and I are a very fashion forward couple and it is a rarity to see us step out in jeans and a T-shirt. However, when we are chilling out at home T-shirts are all we wear and we have quite a collection that we share with each other. Other than T-shirts of our fave local bands, my favorite Ts are, easily, our Impractical Jokers ones! I am also incredibly partial to these new ones that I added into the mix when shopping with my mom and brother:
As you all know, I am a huge fan of literally anything that Jack White does and I never see band Ts that feature any of his work on them. It was an obvious must have as soon as I saw this White Blood Cells album cover T-shirt at Hot Topic and I am tickled pink to finally have a band T of his. Not to mention that White Blood Cells is one of my favorite White Stripes albums other than all of them lolol.
Johnny and I played hella Animal Crossing throughout the pandemic and, despite not playing it nearly as much anymore, I still try to check in on our island once per week. We both live for the K.K. Slider concerts which are so hilarious to us so this K.K. band T from Box Lunch was another one that I just needed to have. Also, Box Lunch is basically the coolest store ever so do check it out if you have one in your area! 😀
My Mall Haul was a huge success and I am so happy to have some band Ts of two of my favorite artists! Haha! 🙂
What is your favorite band? What is your favorite K.K. Slider groove? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi! During a shopping outing with my mom and brother, I returned home with many a treat for Johnny and myself including a new game for us and a puzzle for me. FYE was running a buy one get one fifty percent off deal on their board games and puzzles and when I saw their options for Seinfeld related entertainment, I couldn’t pass it up! We already have two Seinfeld board games that include Clue and Festivus and I thought that one more couldn’t hurt. 😀 Check it out:
I love working on puzzles with my mom and brother and when I saw The Kramer portrait in puzzle form, I was sold instantly. I never work on puzzles at our apartment because we really don’t have a lot of free tabletop space. However, I can definitely make room for this one! Johnny doesn’t like doing puzzles too much so this will be nice for me to do to keep my hands busy while we’re watching our favorite programs. We plan on gluing and framing it once it’s complete. 🙂
The Seinfeld party game looked like a hoot and I laughed out loud about having to fish for the Marble Rye to win! Our favorite thing is having game nights with our friends and family and I knew that it would be a hit the next time the occasion calls for some board games. While we already have Seinfeld Scene It Trivia, this tabletop game is nice because you don’t need to bother with the TV to play it. I think that all of the Seinfeld fans in our circle will get a huge kick out of this!
It has been a while since Johnny and I purchased some new board games and activities so I was really happy with these purchases and I can’t wait to get started on my puzzle! 😀
What is your favorite board game? What is the biggest puzzle you have ever completed? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! This past weekend, I had a super nice outing to one of the bigger malls in Strongsville with my mom and brother. I really don’t go to the mall often because we all know I love TJMaxx the most so when I do venture to one, I never feel bad about making purchases for items I really like. During my shopping, I picked out lots of treats that I knew Johnny would love too, including the following Funko Pops:
My brother has a huge Funko collection, which makes mine absolutely pale in comparison. However, I gave a nice little boost to my Funko shelf at home with the above purchases. I had no idea that they even made Seinfeld ones or I would have bought them a long time ago since it’s one of mine and Johnny’s favorite shows. I still need several more to complete the set but the Puffy Shirt Jerry, Yev Kassem, and Sombrero Elaine were a great place to start!
The Bret Michaels Funko definitely seems out of place with the rest of my haul but I promise that there was a method to the madness. When Johnny and I first started dating, our go to show was Rock Of Love which was a dating competition show with Mister Michaels as the prize. It was such a guilty pleasure and we still quote it constantly to this day. In fact, Johnny even got me a mini cardboard cutout of Bret for our first Christmas together and it is still proudly displayed in our living room.
With all of that nostalgia, I couldn’t say no when I saw the Bret Michaels Funko at Hot Topic and I knew that Johnny would get a kick out of it too. Rather, I knew he would get a kick (Or in Elaine’s case, a little kick!) out of all of them and we can’t wait to complete our Seinfeld Funko Pop collection! 😀
Which Funko Pops do you have? What do you like to collect? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
The school summer holidays can be tricky for parents. How do you keep your kids amused for all that time without turning them into couch potatoes? Remember that learning shouldn’t stop during summer break, so try out the following activities:
Make screen time count:
Parents are always being told not to give their kids too much screen time. But it can be hard to stick to this sometimes, especially when you have work calls and the kids need to be entertained. Rather than feel bad about it, try and find ways to make screen time educational. Not necessarily by putting on a documentary but by using the screen time to develop other skills in your children.
There are plenty of online schooling programs that might be worth looking into in order to help those who are struggling with their education and may need some help. It’s a great way to encourage and aid your children’s knowledge.
For example, say you’ve let them watch a movie. Afterwards, depending on their age, get them to draw some characters from the movie or explain what happened in it to you. You could even have them write a story about what happens next when the movie is over. By doing this, you’re encouraging your children to think creatively and develop their language and drawing skills too. If they have toys that come from the programs they watch, like the Super Wings transforming vehicle toys, then they can act out the show with these afterwards.
Create busy bags:
Stop the “there’s nothing to do” complaints by creating busy bags for the kids. You simply put a selection of arts and crafts materials, print outs, and toys in a bag. Make a big deal out of it so that they are excited when they get their next busy bag to avoid the boredom blues.
Have them train for the mini-Olympics:
Even though the Olympics have been very different this year due to the pandemic, they still inspire people all over the world to get involved with sports and games. Why not try and get your kids excited about sports and have them train for their own mini Olympics in the backyard. Not only will it keep them occupied but it will keep them fit too. You can hold a competition and give out medals to help achieve more Olympic vibes.
Arrange virtual play dates:
Chances are, some of your children’s friends have parents working from home too. Arrange with them to have a virtual play date, where you can set up a Zoom call and just let them talk or do parallel play for a while. It will keep them occupied and give them much-needed social interaction too.
Let them amuse themselves:
Obviously, we’re not recommending you just leave your kids without supervision. But there is something to be said about letting kids use their own imaginations to play. We seem to be in a world where people are telling us that we have to keep children stimulated with planned activities every day. Free play is very important for children and helps them to develop a lot of important skills and their imaginations.
Summer break is not over yet. Use the ideas above to make the rest of summer vacation the best for your kids!
If you are in need of a new hobby, then you might want to try something that is relaxing after a long day. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the nice, chill hobbies that you can take up, so keep reading if you would like to find out more:
Arts And Crafts:
The first thing that we are going to look at is arts and crafts. There is nothing stressful about this hobby, except when things start to go wrong! But, you might find that this is actually extremely therapeutic for you as it gives you something to do with your hands. You are creating brand new things and, the best part, is that there are so many different types of arts and crafts that you’re not just stuck with one. For example, if you find that painting isn’t for you, then you can move onto crochet or scrapbooking until you find your favorite.
Arts and crafts provides you with a creative outlet that helps you to convey how you are feeling. It could be exactly what you need to get rid of the stress of the day.
Chess:
Chess is a game of intelligence and patience. It’s a game that has been around for a long time and many people enjoy sitting down to play. Whether you want to get into a computer game and play by yourself or play with someone else, it certainly is a relaxing hobby. Mikhail Solodovnikov talks about chess and how the latest happenings at the international chess world have gone.
Of course, chess isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay! There is sure to be a game that you can enjoy playing in your downtime. From puzzles and board games to Bubblepop, your new favorite game is just a search or two away.
Reading:
Another thing that you can think about is reading. People don’t really see reading as a hobby, but it is and it is a fantastic one. You can get yourself lost in a range of different worlds, become someone else for a little while, and escape your own reality. The best books are the ones that you can’t put down no matter how hard you try and we suggest you try out an assortment of books to find what you like the most. There is a list of books for emergent readers if you are looking for ideas. Just prepare yourself, because the feelings that you experience when you read are real.
Swimming:
Finally, if you want to do something that keeps you active but that can be relaxing, swimming is your best option. This is a great option as you can just leisurely swim up and down until you feel as though you have had enough. The water relaxes your body and there is nothing but you and the water out in front of you in these moments. It’s a lovely feeling and you can feel your stresses melt away as you glide up and down the pool.
Trial and error is always going to be the best way forward when it comes to a new hobby. If none of the above examples are speaking to you – there are countless more activities to try! We wish you the best of luck finding what you’re looking for.
Hello! Johnny and I have been so thankful for the generosity of our friends and loved ones for our recent nuptials. One of the gifts that I am particularly fond of is a customized Connect Four board from my brother and his family. Check it out:
From board and video games to cards and word games, Johnny and I love it all and our biggest wish is to have a game room when we eventually move. As soon as I opened the personalized tabletop game, I had a feeling it would become the crown jewel of our game room and I can’t wait for that dream to become a reality. I can already picture the layout now with a nice big TV, our air hockey table, and a space for board games and puzzles. Not to mention plenty of music themed decor for Johnny and knick knacks galore because we sure have a lot of them!
Customized gifts are always incredibly special to me because of how thoughtful they are. I didn’t even know something like what my brother got for me and Johnny existed and it really made for a perfect wedding gift. Because my brother and his family live out of state, we have not been able to see them as much as we would like due to the pandemic. This gift shows that they think about us just as much as we about them and both Johnny and I can’t wait to see my brother, his wife, and son now that we are all fully vaccinated. ❤
Have you ever received a customized gift before? What was it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! At the beginning of the month, Johnny and I began a new Tuesday tradition of movie night AKA “Gruesome Twosome Tuesday” a la It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. We have been watching Star Wars (Johnny’s favorite!) in chronological order and it has been such a blast. I have only seen each movie in the series once when Johnny and I first started dating and all of them are pretty blurry to me, so it’s kind of like watching them for the first time again. Meanwhile, Johnny can quote each one word for word!
Every Tuesday I wake up excited to go to work so I can get home and enjoy movie night with my soon to be husband. We even have the next series to watch figured out once we’re done with Star Wars… The Conjuring!! Gruesome Twosome Tuesday has been such a success that we have decided to turn Friday nights into a movie night too. Johnny has recently been listening to all of the classic horror novels on Audible and would like to watch some black and white films like Dracula and Frankenstein which I am so there for.
Pre-pandemic, Johnny and I used to love going to movies together and had many a date nights at the movie theater. Although we are just in our living room on a slightly uncomfortable couch, our movie nights bring me back to amazing memories and it has been one of the highlights of this past month for me. After doing some grocery shopping, Johnny proudly showed me the Butter Lovers popcorn that he got which makes me look forward to movie nights even more! 😀
What was the last movie that you watched? What was the last movie that you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi! If you know Lil Red, then you will know that I simply cannot wait to give people their presents for gift giving occasions. My fiance, Johnny, on the other hand prefers to open gifts until the day of the birthday or holiday or at least get fairly close. So, imagine my surprise when Johnny wanted to give me my birthday presents super early. Our birthdays are one week apart from each other in June and this was an excellent development for me because I had been dying to give him his gifts!
Earlier in May, Johnny gifted me with an amazing standing makeup holder for all of my bits and baubles. And, this past week, he gave me my main gift… the original Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64!
For our one year anniversary, Johnny got me Paper Mario: The Origami King for the Nintendo Switch and this past Valentine’s Day, he gifted me with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the GameCube. Can you tell what one of my favorite video games is? To complete my collection, I needed the Paper Mario for the N64 and I also need the one for the Nintendo 3DS. With my early birthday prezzie, I am one step closer to having all of the Paper Mario games and I am eager to give my new (old) one a try as I have never played it.
Time and time again, I am blown away by Johnny’s thoughtfulness more than anything on gift giving occasions. Whenever we give each other presents, it always seems to be exactly what we both wanted. This shows me that we are actually listening to each other when we talk and that is the best gift of all. Johnny is such fun to shop for and he received some Legend Of Zelda Amiibos as well as a blazer from his favorite website, Phix, for his birthday. Nothing was better than seeing the look on his face when he opened them and I can’t wait for a lifetime of birthdays and holidays with him. ❤
What is your favorite video game? Who is your favorite person to shop for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!!!! This past weekend was an awesome one because I went to my first movie in theaters since 2019! I went to see Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train with my brother, Andrew, and brother in law, Ramon, for part of Andrew’s birthday celebrations and it was absolutely amazing! Andrew introduced me to the anime, Demon Slayer, during the pandemic and I have been dying for more ever since finishing season one. So, you can only imagine my excitement when Mugen Train was set to come out in theaters, showing the in between of seasons one and two.
After much planning around busy schedules, we were finally able to see the Demon Slayer movie at a local Cinemark and it was so wonderful being back in a movie theater after so long. I was able to order our tickets online and once your purchase is made, it blocks anyone from buying seats next to you and it made me feel really comfortable and I appreciated all of their excellent COVID precautions. I also really appreciated the nachos from the snack bar! 😀
Now, without giving any spoilers away, let’s talk about this flick:
^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train begins where season one left off with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke boarding the Mugen Train. Along with Tanjiro’s demon sister, Nezuko, safely in tow in her travel box, of course. Many passengers have disappeared on the train, which can only point to demon activity. So, the boys are instructed to meet up with the Fire Hashira, MISTER RENGOKU, and defeat the demon that is causing so much catastrophe. They are in for a long, hard fight because while incredibly badass, Enmu who is Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki, uses some pretty insane Blood Demon Art that puts her opponents to sleep.
Not only do you get to explore the train and its surroundings outside with our heroes but you also get a glimpse into their dreams as well, thanks to the sleep induced by Enmu. The dreams of Mister Rengoku, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke gives you a better understanding of their past and shows you their deepest desires. The only catch is that once you are asleep, you can’t wake up!
Once Tanjiro figures out how to get himself out of the dreaming world, it is ON and the action that follows is nonstop until the movie is over because another member of the Twelve Kizuki shows up for good measure. Will the Demon Slayers be able to stop Enmu in her tracks on the train? Are they getting closer to finally defeating Kibutsuji? And just how many people are going to die in this process? See Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train to find out!
The Demon Slayer movie was an incredible ride and I didn’t want it to end, even though it was just about two hours long. It was so jam packed with action and information that it could have gone on for another two hours and I would have been happy. The movie gave you such a sense of claustrophobic urgency because they were limited to the interior of the train full of passengers for a while and fatalities seemed eminent. Once the fighting started on the train top, all of my tension was released and all I could feel was adrenaline as I rooted for the Demon Slayers. Like I said, it was quite a ride.
The story line of Mugen Train was excellent but the beautiful animation is what really drove it home for me. The colors, scenery, and sometimes hilarious facial expressions are so visually appealing and it was nothing short of a delight to watch. In fact, my favorite part of the movie was Enmu of the Twelve Kizuki because she was amazing to look at and I felt disappointed every time a scene with her in it ended. I loved her menswear inspired outfit, facial markings, hair, and her walking hand with a mouth and eye of its own. Her Blood Demon Art of gifting people with sweet dreams or endless nightmares was also very cool.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train is a must see for anime fans and I am sure it will blow you away, as it did for me. I am awarding this movie with the prestigious ten out of ten star rating and I cannot wait for season two to be released!
What is your favorite anime? What is the last movie that you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! Johnny and I are both avid video gamers and have been looking forward to the release of Pokemon Snap on the Nintendo Switch for months. In fact, Johnny, myself, and my brother were literally counting down the days as the release date grew closer! I am about to age myself significantly, but I can remember renting Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo 64 from Blockbuster in my youth and have fond memories of playing it with my siblings.
Pokemon Snap for the Switch came out a few weeks ago on April thirtieth and it took me a while to finally play it. Johnny and I got the second shot of the Moderna vaccine on the twenty-ninth and we were both hit hard with side effects the following day. While Johnny played it for an hour or so, the nausea I was experiencing would not have sat well with the forward motion of the game as you cruise through different landscapes.
I was so eager to play our new game and trust and believe that as soon as I felt better it was ON! Johnny and I have already played Pokemon Snap for hours on end and are close to beating the main story line. In Pokemon Snap, you are basically a wildlife photographer for Pokemon and can make them pose and interact by playing music or throwing fruit and Pokeballs. As you gain experience and take more pictures, different levels and landscapes are unlocked and you never will play a course the same way twice.
Every time Johnny and I get to a good stopping point, it seems like we discover something new and it makes Snap so hard to put down because it’s exciting to see what will happen next. There is an abundance of courses to explore ranging from jungles and parks to caves, the beach, and snowy mountains as well as the opportunity to photograph during the day or nighttime. I am partial to the beach and jungle, myself, but each course is equally fun and unique in its own way.
The new landscapes to explore are, of course, insanely cool but my favorite part of the game is how the Pokemon activity changes as you level up. The higher your level gets in a location, the more Pokemon will appear to photograph as well as the option to take your vehicle on different routes. There’s nothing better than exploring a brand new location or level and seeing all of the new Pokemon to snap pics of for the first time. However, it can be a bit overwhelming because I always want to see absolutely everything in one go!
As soon as Johnny and I get home from work and have dinner, we have been playing Pokemon Snap until we wind down with a TV show and go to bed. We pass the controller off once the course is complete and for the entire level, we our constantly exclaiming our signature Snap catchphrases of “Woahhhhh!”, “That was a good one!”, and “Did you see that?!”
Pokemon Snap will hit you right in the nostalgia and it is both relaxing and extremely exciting at the same time. I can’t wait till my shift is over today so I can play more! 😀
What do you think of the new Pokemon Snap? What is your favorite Pokemon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
lifewithlilred 