The Rebel Housewife

We've been homebodies this year. As a family, with the exception of a Christmas Light Drive (Life University in Marietta) with the Rebel Grammy before Christmas, and Christmas Day to the other grandparents in Dahlonega, we haven't been out of Midtown. We've barely been out of our pajamas and it's been *awesome*: video games and slow cooker-ing, walking and riding bikes in Piedmont Park, more games (offline), puzzles and catching up on Battlestar Galactica (the new one) from Season 1 on the AppleTV and DVD to be ready for the new series Caprica in January.

Tonight, we finally took ourselves Outside The Perimeter (I285 surrounding Atlanta), for a Family Date Night: Mom, Dad, 15yo Puberty Angst Boy, 12yo Drama Queen and 9yo ADHD Phenom.

Go Gladiators! We hooked up with tickets (via Ticketmaster) to the professional minor league hockey of metro Atlanta, the Gwinnett Gladiators -- and we had a great time.

We were almost right on the ice, behind the penalty box and the announcer, Section 118, Row C in the Gwinnett Arena. At first, we thought we would move up higher, for a more unobstructed view of the ice and the jumbotrons, but we ended up staying down with the bad boys of the penalty boxes and the announcer -- never even realized the mastery of The Voice: this guy was amazing! Not only did he call the game and follow his script of announcements and promos, he also ran all the music and sound effects on a laptop computer! He may have been running the lights and advertising banners, too, for all we know.

The Gladiators ultimately lost, 4 - 5, in a tie-breaking shoot-out against the Florida Everblades, but what a game!

The kids had a great time, which is a rare and very special occasion anymore, when all three can be pleasant and have fun together, all at the same time.

And I discovered one really important, wonderful thing about hockey and ADHD: nobody even notices, or has any problem at all with, a 9yo boy who is active and exuberant, noisy and fully enjoying the action, in his seat, albeit bouncing a bit -- it was a beautiful night. Perfect.

Cool - LuvShaker has two iPhone apps in the running for the 2009 Best App Ever Awards by 148Apps. Many thanks to Dan Grigsby at www.MobileOrchard.com for letting us know about it!

Check it out and support the effort:

Poor Mocha-the-Dog...we thought she got bit or scratched at the dog park last week, but it turned out to be a gooey skin infection from allergies. Ick, indeed, poor thing.

Fortunately, the good people at the Banfield Animal Clinic at PetSmart fixed her up and gave us a shelf-full of doggy drugs and special ointment, cleanser, shampoo and conditioner. $350 later, we are enrolled in the Pet Wellness Program, enjoy free office visits, 5% discounts (but not on the expensive prescription dog food) and free annual vaccinations, comprehensive exams and counseling...Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately, they also gave her the biggest damn cone of shame we have ever seen. She is depressed. And confused. She gets stuck whenever she runs into anything...she just stands there, as if suction-cupped into place.

We're going to be-dazzle her cone for her -- she looks like the Sun Goddess or a Las Vegas showgirl with the elaborate headdress. Of course, all the kids want to try it on...

It has been A Monday, spent mostly at the vet with Mocha-the-Dog. Before I get to THAT (next post), have to talk about food, recipes and meal planning; one of my New Year's Resolutions (yes, we're back to THAT this year, although I thought I had aged out of that particular angst...guess not).

I got a Crock Pot for Christmas (among other, somewhat more glamorous gifts, I assure you), which I am actually very excited about. I am going to be (kind of) homeschooling our 9yo ADHD/Aspy Phenom for the rest of the year, and I need to establish some order amidst our typical chaos and get a little more organized about running the house and feeding the animals around here. Fortunately, Santa also brought a great cookbook:


Yum, with pictures!

Beyond that, even, I came across an unbelievably terrific -- and CHEAP! -- meal planning service for busy Moms (thanks to a Twitter mention from @ConfidentMom two weeks ago): E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families - I signed up today using advertising code "dave" for 20% discount (working as of 12/28/2009). I subscribed to the Publix Family Meal Plan (they have several options) for $5/month and I get a complete 7-dinner plan, menu and grocery list each week, coordinated to the sales in the Publix flyer that week - wow!

Armed with my awesome new Crock Pot, a great cookbook and menu & meal planning help from EMEALZ, I am ready:

New Year's Resolution #1
I will plan, research, shop and make wonderful, healthy meals for my family this year so we can lose a little weight, save a little money and enjoy greater health & happiness in 2010!

Yeah. I'll let you know how it goes...

I've been moonlighting over at LuvShaker.com, since our first iPhone Romance App was approved (finally!) after 3+ months and 4 re-submits...

Read all about it -- and if you are interested in testing 24 Hours of Love for Review, please contact me for a promo code at sherri@LuvShaker.com. We would greatly appreciate positive ratings and reviews for our very first Mobile Software Application!

Who Says Grown-Ups Can't Have Fun With iPhone Apps Too?

Atlanta, GA Dec 01, 2009 in iPhone

[prMac.com] Atlanta, GA - LuvShaker.com is pleased to announce the release of their first application for the iPhone and iPod Touch: 24 Hours of Love CHALLENGE - A Game of Romance & Passion for Lovers. With 24 Hours of Love, LuvShaker introduces unique and engaging iPhone/iPod entertainment for romance, couples, relationships and sexual intimacy.

24 Hours of Love is based on a simple challenge to revive and renew an intimate relationship: Over the next 30 days, make love at least once during each and every hour of the 24-hour clock.
(To clarify: that's 24 times over 30 days, not 24 times in one day!)

Make Love! Participants decide when, where, why, how & what constitutes a Score! The app offers a fun, easy and convenient interface to keep track of the hours scored and a Bed Post Progress Journal for brief notes along the way. With each successful Score, lovers earn a romance tip from the Love Wizard to help them on their quest. When the last hour of the Challenge is scored, participants are awarded access to the 24 Hours of Love Challenge BONUS EBOOK: 101 Sexy & Fun Tips for Romance & Love. The game can be re-set and played again and again to develop new and healthy habits of Love & Passion.

24 Hours of Love CHALLENGE features:
* A fun way for couples to re-connect
* Recession-friendly (cheap!) entertainment
* More Fun, More Love, More Passion - Guaranteed
* Best holiday gift ever for $1.99!

Supported Languages
US English

System Requirements
iPhone or iPod Touch running iPhone OS 3.0 or later

Pricing and Availability
24 Hours of Love CHALLENGE 1.0 is only $1.99 (USD) on the iTunes App Store in the Lifestyle category.

LuvShaker.com
24 Hours of Love CHALLENGE 1.0
Purchase and Download
Screenshot 1
App Icon

LuvShaker, a division of The Rebel Housewife, LLC dba FetchREX, is based in Atlanta, Georgia. LuvShaker was launched in 2008 to produce mobile software applications for romance, coordinated with the website, eBooks and LuvShops for romantic ideas and helpful accessories. Copyright (C) 2009 The Rebel Housewife, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Sherri Caldwell
Director of Marketing and Promotion
LuvShaker.com