Weekly Wrap-Up (6.28.13)

One of the many cookie cakes
we've ordered and enjoyed.

Cookie Cakes that Celebrate
After our family and then Will's baseball team and their families devoured three delicious cookie cakes from Cookie Cakes that Celebrate, I knew I had to give my friend Anne's company a shout out here on the blog. If you live in/near BCS, you can make every day - whether it be a birthday, holiday, or just a Tuesday - extra special with a delicious, made-from-scratch cookie cake decorated specifically for your occasion. Check out the Cookie Cakes that Celebrate Facebook page here, and place your order today! (And my apologies to those of you who don't live close enough to BSC to enjoy one of Anne's cakes. Come visit me and I'll have one waiting for you!)

Going to Schlitterbahn
Here's the real commercial:

And here's Will and Hallie's version:

I love that singing the Schlitterbahn theme song and dumping buckets of water on their heads kept Will and Hallie extraordinarily entertained (and cool) for 30+ minutes, but their "game" made me feel kind of guilty for not yet taking them to experience the real Schlitterbahn firsthand. On the other hand, their homemade water park costs a heck of a lot less, and they seem pretty happy with it, right?

Call Me, Maybe
This is no ordinary "Call Me, Maybe" remix. I've watched these four (I assume) European young men in matching black tees use glass beer and plastic water bottles to "belt" out this catchy tune a number of times, and each time it makes me smile. It also makes me consider doing something more fun with my beer bottles once they're empty...

I'm kind of hoping the experts' predictions are
wrong and that we won't make it past four
named storms this year...

Hurricane Season 2013
Just a month into Hurricane Season 2013, two tropical storms - Andrea and Barry - have already impacted North, Central, and South America, and various weather experts have predicted 16 named storms, nine hurricanes, and five major hurricanes to develop before the season wraps at the end of November. Because I take safety seriously and love preparedness and live relatively close to an area of the country that will likely see at least one tropical storm or hurricane this year, here are a few hurricane-related tips.

First, what to do when a hurricane is headed your way:

• Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio for information about weather conditions in your area.
• Restock your disaster supply kit and review your family and community disaster action plans.
• Prepare your home by bringing inside anything that could be picked up by strong winds; closing windows, doors, and hurricane shutters; turning the refrigerator/freezer to its coldest setting (to help food last longer if the power goes out); turning off propane tanks; and unplugging small appliances.
• Evacuate if advised by authorities to do so.

Then, what to do after a hurricane has struck:

• Continue listening to a NOAA Weather Radio for information about the storm as well as for information about when it is safe to leave your home (if you did not evacuate) or return to your home (if you evacuated).
• Avoid flooded areas and buildings, keep away from loose or dangling power lines, drive only if necessary, and use the telephone only for emergency calls.
• Inspect your home, both the structure and the contents, for and take pictures of damage.

And finally, whether you're creating your basic disaster supply kit from scratch or you're adding to your already-exisiting disaster supply kit in preparation for a "Frankenstorm" that's coming your way, check out this interesting and funny Babble article on gearing up for whatever Mother Nature may throw at us this year.

MomsEveryday: Kitchen Challenge: Vegetarian Dishes
In case you missed it the first time around, MomsEveryday ran my Kitchen Challenge: Vegetarian Dishes this week. Unfortunately, none of these recipes call for 17 pounds of tomatoes. Which means I can't make any of them, at least until we've eaten the 17 pounds of tomatoes sitting on my kitchen table.