Coming Soon: Dad. Geek. Life.

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Colleen

Hello! It’s been a hot minute, but if anyone is still paying attention, there’s an announcement from the Glatfelter household: Jay is doing a vlog! It’s just for fun and he’s got a lot of really fun ideas for it. I’m super excited to see how he chronicles his/our family’s life. Check out the trailer and please subscribe to his YouTube channel. Thanks!

I’m going to have to get off my butt and start updating this blog again. Nothing like a little bit of peer pressure to get the ball rolling, hahaha. Have a great weekend, friends!

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Some The Broadcast Updates

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Colleen

Hello! It’s Monday and since The Broadcast is recording our second annual crossover with The Real Weird Sisters tomorrow night, I figured I would do a little update to plug our most recent episodes and solicit feedback for our crossover.

Ep. 3.25, “Almost Kidnapped” –  Our first episode of 2019! We came back from the holiday break with lots of tales of adventures, including searching through a snow cemetery, driving through torrential downpours, speeding tickets, a failed massage, airplane trouble, and an almost-kidnapping.

Ep. 3.26, “I Forking Love It” – We discuss the new Gilette ad, a weekend without the Internet, a cranky former neighbor, Amanda’s injured mouse-clicking finger, and more. A listener email inspires a discussion about sexism, both overt and implicit.

Ep. 3.27, “A Corn Maze for Your Ears” – I share Alex’s latest milestone, Shandy tells us about a life-changing purchase, and Amanda’s cat is having a midlife crisis. We also talk eggs, how you like your bacon, the Oscars, awkward things that we don’t talk about, and more.

Finally, here is a link to our last crossover episode with The Real Weird Sisters, Ep. 2.30, “I’m with Heriscus: The Real Weird Crossover.” We had a ton of fun with Alice and Martha discussing things like wizard birth control, the real use for the Room of Requirement, feminism in the Harry Potter universe, and of course, the gazillion Marry/F/Kill choices sent in from listeners, haha. We are so excited to get to chat with them again. Please send us any feedback to TheBroadcasters3@gmail.com or 331-BROADS3 (331-276-2373) and make sure you check out The Real Weird Sisters’ podcast if you haven’t already!

You can listen to The Broadcast via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spotify, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play/Android, etc.

Happy Listening and thanks for listening.

Listen to “The Broadcast Ep. 3.27 “A Corn Maze for Your Ears”” on Spreaker.

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The Broadcast Ep. 3.19 “There’s a Wikipedia Page for That”

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Colleen

The Broads are back for episode 109, which is also the same number as the number of Trump scandals we’ve had since our last episode on Election Day. We discuss the midterm results, Amanda’s trip to Raleigh, Shandy’s smoky weekend, favorite Thanksgiving foods, and make an incredible discovery about Wikipedia pages that they are probably literally the last people in the world to not have known. This episode was brought to you by cinnamon raise bagels.

Buy our super fun mug: https://teespring.com/team-universe-science#pid=522&cid=101870&sid=front

You can listen to the latest episode below or via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play/Android, etc.

Happy Listening and thanks for listening.

Listen to “The Broadcast Ep. 3.19 “There’s a Wikipedia Page for That”” on Spreaker.

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Double Dare Live!

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Colleen

Last Tuesday, Jay, Zach, Alex, and I joined our friends Elena, Chad, and Katie at the Double Dare Live tour. It was so awesome! Jay and I watched the new season of Double Dare and the old seasons of Family Double Dare with Zach over the summer, so we jumped at the opportunity to see it when the show toured in our area.

Marc freaking Summers was there! And he kept coming into the audience so at one point, he was like 5 feet away from us. It was SO COOL.

Here’s how it went down. For the first 45 minutes, they took volunteers from the audience to do the different challenges on stage. Sometimes it was paired up kids against grown-ups, sometimes it was a grown-up and a kid, sometimes it was kids against kids, other times grown-ups against grown-ups. Every single adult there was super enthusiastic and answered their own version of “Hell yeah!” when asked if they had been a fan of the show as a kid. It was like Millennials go to Nickelodeon heaven.

Marc getting contestants from the audience.

Marc getting contestants from the audience.

There was a 15-minute intermission after the challenges were done. When the show resumed, they had families compete to widdle it down to a final two that then competed a la the actual game show. That part was especially a blast. They did questions, physical challenges, and the winners got to do the obstacle course! We were so envious of the woman who got to pick the nose to find the flag. Jay and I have watched so much Double Date that we have strategies and plans if we ever get to be on it!

Family Double Dare competition.

I hope this is still around 10 years from now so we can compete with the boys. It really was just a super fun night. Even Alex, who desperately wanted to go to sleep because he has a pretty strict 7 p.m. bedtime (and the show started at 7 p.m.), was well-behaved because there was enough stimulation around him to keep him interested in between yawns and snuggles. Jay and Zach had a great time, too. They left the obstacle course up after the show was finished and they went up to the edge of the stage and got to touch the nose!

Double Dare live gets a big thumbs up from us. If it ever comes to your area, definitely check it out. The only downside is that it is somewhat pricey ($50/ticket). I would not recommend doing the VIP tickets. Jay has a friend who did that and said that they really weren’t that worth the extra money.  Finally, a big shout out to their customer service department. We bought 3 t-shirts and I washed them when I got home. I followed the instructions and did tumble dry low and the logo on Jay’s got a bit melted on the inside. They replaced it for me without any trouble at all, to which I was grateful, as the shirts were also a bit expensive ($25/shirt).  Thanks, DD customer service!

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Pumpkin Carving in the 919: 2018 Edition

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Colleen

Woo-hoo! It’s been three four years since I’ve done a “Pumpkin Carving in the 919” post, which is funny because we’ve done so much Halloween-ing since then. Missed opportunities for blog posts. Schucks.

Anyways, this year was Alex’s first year carving a pumpkin and the poor kid is so accustomed to his 7 p.m. bedtime that he was practically turning into a pumpkin while we were carving them, haha. It was also Zach’s first year designing and “carving” his own pumpkin. He was a bit grossed out by the “guts” inside and I ended up doing most of that work, but…the intention was there? Alex, on the other hand, loved feeling around inside of the pumpkin and touching the guts. Too funny.

We gave Zoe a pass this year since she was such a good sport at my and Zach’s Halloween party this past weekend. But, she won’t escape dressing up for Halloween today…

Here’s some of our evening in pictures. Click to enlarge, if you are so inclined:

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The Broadcast Ep. 3.16 “I Got a Man Crush”

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Colleen

In honor of Halloween, this week’s episode of The Broadcast featured spooky, “real-life,” ghost stories. We also chat about Halloween parties, bill-paying (cause we’re cool like that), and much more. I hope you’ll consider giving us a listen!

Buy our super fun mug: https://teespring.com/team-universe-science#pid=522&cid=101870&sid=front

You can listen to the latest episode below or via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play/Android, etc. Happy Listening and thanks for listening.

Listen to “The Broadcast Ep. 3.16 "I Got a Man Crush"” on Spreaker.

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The Broadcast Ep. 3.10 “Party Like It’s Our 100th Birthday”

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Colleen

The Broadcast turned 100 this past week! We had a live show on Thursday to celebrate. It was a bit different than our usual episodes, but we had a lot of fun. I hope you’ll give it a shot and enjoy it as much as we did recording it.

Buy our super fun mug: https://teespring.com/team-universe-science#pid=522&cid=101870&sid=front

You can listen to the latest episode below or via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play/Android, etc. Happy Listening and thanks for listening.

Listen to “The Broadcast Ep. 3.10 “Party Like It’s Our 100th Birthday”” on Spreaker.

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The Broadcast Ep. 3.8 “The Inclusive Cool Kids Table”

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Colleen

After a week off, The Broadcast is back! On this episode, we find out that Amanda’s mom does her social media postings for her and that Shandy willingly did trivia. I talk about a bunch of stuff, including how Dream Colleen has a better memory than Real Life Colleen. We also go on a tangent to learn about blood types, determine who would be “The Fifth of Broad,” and much, much, much more. Plus, WE NOW HAVE MUGS IN THE STORE!!!!

Here’s the link to the mugs: https://teespring.com/team-universe-science#pid=522&cid=101870&sid=front

You can listen to the latest episode via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play/Android, etc. Happy Listening and thanks for listening.

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DIY Grandparents’ Picture Frames

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Colleen

Like six months ago, I posted about a picture frame that I had made for Zachary before his brother was born. During that same time period, I also made picture frames for the baby’s grandparents and aunts.

I went to Michaels and bought their $1 frames, paint, letter decals, and heart stickers. I wanted to get a similar gray color to the theme of Alex’s room, so that’s what I went with. I also made frames for the aunts (see below). Each frame got a coat (or two) of Mod Podge to protect them from damage. You have to use Mod Podge. They’ll look gnarly while it’s drying, but it’s so worth it in the end for the overall quality and long-term use.

Here they are:

I also made frames for all four of his aunts. I know, I am super dorky. I just love my kids, I love my family, and I love arts & crafts. It seemed like a win/win, even if it’s super dorky.

Continue reading →

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Balsamic Chicken and Veggie Pan Bake

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Colleen

Since Jay and I have been trying to eat healthier, we’ve been making a more conscious effort to eat at home more often. We eat a lot of eggs/egg whites for breakfast and a lot of tuna for lunch, which has led me to discover the gloriousness of putting hot sauce on everything (yeah, it’s even awesome in tuna!).  Our weeknight dinners tend to be the Costco salmon with spinach salad and some form of either chicken or shrimp with veggies or a whole grain quinoa/rice mixture we get from Target’s Simply Balanced line. We’ve also done turkey sausage and peppers and we still make the Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers (Zach’s favorite!!), only with less cheese on Jay’s, since cheese has a lot of Weight Watcher’s points and Jay gets a lot fewer points than I do (because I’m nursing). I’ve saved a bunch of the better recipes to make posts about them, so stay tuned.

Anyways (ding), we’re constantly on the lookout for healthy meals that are low in Weight Watchers points. Big shout out to Mandi for sending me a link to a website that has some great recipes. I also turned to Pinterest and found this recipe for a balsamic chicken pan bake that looked intriguing. I modified it a bit to fit our family’s tastes, but I’d still put it at around 6-7 Weight Watchers points in total, and that’s honestly overshooting it. The only thing in this meal that has points is the balsamic dressing and the extra virgin olive oil. Another plus is that this is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Jay told me that it’s his favorite thing I’ve made so far. I made four pieces of chicken. Jay and Zach liked it so much that they split the last piece. I regret not making more so there would be leftovers.

Here’s the way that I made it:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar 
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • Chopped broccoli
  • 3 peeled medium carrots, cut into sticks
  • Green beans
  • Sliced red/yellow/orange peppers
  • 1 small red onion, diced* (I bought the onion but totally forgot to cut it. I’m going to use it next time!)
  • Minced garlic (to taste)
  • 3-4 tbsp. of finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)
  • Sea Salt (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400℉. 
  2. Combine the balsamic vinegar, EVOO, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk to make a sauce.
  3. Place chicken in zip-lock bag with 2 spoonfuls of the balsamic sauce. Toss and move chicken breast around to coat. Set in fridge to marinate for however long you want it to (I did 2 hours).
  4. Chop veggies.
  5. Place veggies on the sheet pan. Pour remaining balsamic sauce over veggies and toss veggies to coat.
  6. Remove chicken from the zip-lock bag. Put chicken on the same pan as the veggies.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from oven toss veggies. Place back into the oven.
  8. Bake for an additional 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. This will depend on the thickness of the chicken and your oven.
  9. Remove from oven and enjoy!

 

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