“Want to go to the Super Bowl?” – my mom called me last week with this question and without hesitant, of course, I answered “yes!”  My family’s team is the Ravens and we got lucky in the season ticket holder lottery.  The single most celebrated day in sports all year round, for me the Super Bowl has always been a time to celebrate time with friends and family while devouring great food.  This year as I get excited to go take in the experience live for the first time, it made me think of a few of my all-time favorite Super Bowl Sunday pastimes.

Photo Credit: USAToday.com

Super Bowl Food

First and foremost, the food. No matter if it’s my team playing or not, my favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday has always been the food.  Favorite food of Super Bowl Sunday, crap dip of course. I’m a Baltimore fan after all. Simple, delicious and addicting….here is great recipe from www.food.com for you to follow for this Sunday:

Maryland Crap Dip for Super Bowl Sunday

Photo Credit: SimplyRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh onions
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 lb lump crabmeat, shells removed ( I’ve substituted 2 cans of canned crab meat as well)
• paprika or Old Bay Seasoning

Directions

1. Mix together sour cream, lemon juice, onion, Worcestershire, dry mustard, garlic powder, and cream cheese.
2. I use a hand mixer to get it blended really well.
3. Fold in cheddar cheese and crabmeat.
4. Spoon mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle with paprika or Old Bay Seasoning.
5. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, or until heated through.
6. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, toast points, or my Maryland family’s favorite– Bugles!

Super Bowl Games

Second most favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday, the games during the game.  Since most of the time you can bet on your team not being in the big game, it’s nice to keep your attention going with a fun Super Bowl Betting Squares game, trivia or a few other ideas the folks at party411.com have put together for us. Check them out here: Super Bowl Games

Finally, there’s always the hype of Super Bowl commercials.  What’s going to be showcased this year? You can check out YouTube for pre-game releases of some of the most anticipated commercials for the big game. The bleacherreport.com has put together a great top 5 of the Super Bowl ads they’re most excited about…check them out here:  Top 5 Super Bowl Ads for 2013

Are you ready for some football? A Sunday night party? Hope you are now. Go Ravens!

Any exciting plans for the upcoming weekend?  Here at the AxlsCloset headquarters we’ve had a busy week of trade-shows and appointments with some really great new brands that’s we’re launching in our Axl’s Market in the upcoming weeks.  With such a busy and productive week all of us in the office are looking forward to the weekend ahead.  Many of us will be hitting the ski resorts, as a storm is headed our way, and a few will be participating in the Sundance Film Festival as it’s the final weekend and the last chance for those celebrity siting.  So until next week here are a few our favorite finds from around the internet…..

Our favorite new Pinterest board packed full of adorable products and helpful tips: “Baby on Board”

If you haven’t discovered Fawn & Forest it’s worth checking them out.  This site is backed full of hard to find, unique furniture, home decor, and gear for kids of all ages.

Mouth watering blog of the moment: Honey & Jam  One day we’ll try one of her fabulous creations.

For all you dog lovers out there, this YouTube clip had as laughing out loud: Two Dogs Dining

Outdoor Retailer is in Salt Lake City this weekend showing off the latest in outdoor gear. Checkout their Instagram for a sneak peak at what’s going to be showing up in stores next winter.

The yawn heard around the world.  What kid can’t relate to this?

A wonderful highlight from our friends at Lately Lily.

JJ Grey & Mofro rocked through our office and helped us through this busy week.

Good news: AxlsCloset is having a HUGE sale!

We hope you have a great weekend!

(photo from Pinterest, unable to find original source)

We want to know what you think! Please take a moment to fill out our survey!  We’re constantly trying to improve your AxlsCloset shopping experience to make it the absolute best online kids store for busy parents who want their kids to look great.  Tell us what you love, what you hate, and what you wish we offered.

When we were young, we were pretty sure that our dads could fly.

Dad had reached that lofty status typically reserved for Super Heroes or Greek Gods. In our eyes, Dad was the strongest, fastest, and funniest person on the block. He was the guy calling out plays on the sidelines of our games, keeping us laughing on family road trips and the one that could fix anything with nothing but duct tape and paperclips.

He steadied our back tire as we dreamed of Evel Knievel, assured us that our guitar chords really did sound like music and managed to keep Mom on a need-to-know basis at all the right times.

On this Fathers Day we’d like to propose a toast to all of the full time Dads, part time Super Heroes in our lives.

While we now know you don’t have X-ray vision and certainly shouldn’t wear colored tights, we still think you could beat Captain America in arm wrestling (seriously, no tights, it’s bad).

Happy Father’s Day from AxlsCloset.

PS- When you have a minute, we sure would like to see that bat cave.

Check out some of our AxlsCloset fans talking about their Super Hero Dads.

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From teaching us to tie our shoes, to performing the impossible feat of getting us out of bed in the morning, to running endless carpools and sneaking anything green into our diets, our Mothers definitely deserve some serious recognition. In honor of all of the Mothers who raised the hard working staff at AxlsCloset, we decided to put together a short compilation of their sage advice.

Share some of your mother’s great advice with us… leave your comments below!

We at Axl’s Closet have a special place in our hearts for cooking with our kids.  There’s something about teaching your kids your favorite recipes, watching them carefully measure out each ingredient, and seeing the smile on their face when they proudly sample the end result.  And though the prep time and clean up time may take a bit longer, it’s worth the flour all over their noses, the butter on the counter, the sprinkles all over the floor and the spoons of frosting disappearing into tiny mouths.

Valentine’s is in the air around our houses with kids overflowing with excitement as they decorate their valentine’s box in anticipation of the multitude of valentine cards and pre-packaged sweets they will be bringing home!  Amongst this holiday excitement it’s become a bit of a tradition to take a little time to gather our friends and family for a good old fashion Valentine’s Day cookie baking and decorating session.  And that’s just what we did.

Our pick:  Sugar cookies, with the main ingredient, you guessed it, love (and tons of silliness), with lots of frosting and the-ever-so popular toppings.  We’re talking cinnamon hearts, sprinkles, dots, flowers…you name it, we had it.  Enjoy the pics and the recipe (share it with your kids).  We’ve also shared some of our favorite answers to some V-Day questions from our kids.

Frannie’s Buttermilk Sugar Cookie Recipe:

1 cup melted Oleo                                                         1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar                                                                    1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs                                                                              1 tsp vanilla

1 cup liquid buttermilk                                                  1 tsp salt

5 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together Oleo and sugar.  Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and flour.  Mix well and refrigerate overnight.  Take out as you are ready to bake and replace remaining dough back in the fridge until you are ready to use it.  Use plenty of flour while rolling out and cutting dough.  Bake 8-10 minutes.

AC:   What do you like most about Valentine’s Day?

All Kids (yelling):  The candy!!!!  The presents!!!

AC:  What Valentines cards are you handing out to your classmates?

Reese:  Cars Transformers

Cole:  Pixie Stick cards

Porter:  I am making my own

Ellie:  Snoopy

Judd:  Cars 2

AC:  Who is cupid, anyway?

Reese:  He’s the guy who shoots people with arrows and gives them love.

Cole:  A guy who is the Love King.  He shoots love arrows.

AC:  Do you think Valentine’s Day should be considered a holiday and therefore no school?  Why?

All Kids:  Yes!

Cole:  It should be a holiday cuz its celebrating Cupid’s birthday.

AC:  Do you have a special Valentine..teeheehee?

Porter:  My mother because she’s the one who gave birth to me.

Judd:  Meghan, my babysitter.

All other older boys deny it, but rat each other out.  Haha…

AC:  Why was Valentine’s Day invented?

Ellie:  Because people love each other.

Cole:  It was when Cupid was born.

Porter:  A long time ago a boy loved a girl named Valentine and he invented it.

AC:  What is your favorite Valentine treat?

Ellie:  Gummy worms

Judd:  Chocolate

Axls Closet is calling all moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, or whoever loves an amazing sale! If you have a love and passion for shopping then visiting our site right now will make you one happy camper, or should we say, shopper!  Our Semi-Annual sale is in full swing and we are waiting for your fingers to do the walking…on your keyboard that is!  Now is the perfect time for you to do some early spring shopping for everything from rain jackets, t shirts, shorts, cute dresses or onesies .  With Spring Break on the horizon, finding the perfect swimsuit or boardshort at 60% off might be the score you’re looking for.  For those of you heading to the snow, grab a jacket, pants, glove or goggle at a screaming deal!  We didn’t forget about you planners, and we know you’re out there, peruse our outerwear and buy a size up for next year’s winter without breaking the bank!  And don’t forget about gifts for those special occasions throughout the year!  Or simply find an item your kiddo “had to have” that your pocket book denied as chances are it will approve the price now. Below we have featured a “You Can’t Pass This Deal Up” from each of our departments to get you started.

Boys Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket - This classic, built to last, jacket is the perfect “hand-me-down” and will be the go-to jacket for your boy. This breeze-stopping, highly compressible Down Sweater, insulated with 600-fill-power premium European goods down, lets young action seeking boys maintain their core warmth throughout the blustery season.  The polyester mini-ripstop shell, treated with a Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) finish, is tough and durable.  With two zippered pockets, a full-zip front that extends up to the collar for warmth, and a drawcord hem to adjust the fit.  This rarely goes on sale, so grab one now!

Girls Columbia Red Hottie Jacket – Every girl needs a staple jacket in their closet, and this is the one!  The incredibly warm Omni-Heat® thermal reflective lining turns up the heat 20% more than ordinary liners.   Offering the warmth of a quilted puffer without the weight, it features a cute diamond quilted pattern filled with 100 grams of insulation. A stand-up collar with zipper garage prevents chafing at the chin; rain and spills roll right off thanks to Omni-Shield® advanced repellency. Finished with zip hand pockets and interior security pocket, they keep keys, sunscreen, and her favorite gloss safe and handy.

Little Boys Volcom Full Zip Hoodie – These hoodies are hot right now, and a definite must-have! What little boy wouldn’t love to instantly transform into a deep sea diver or Cyclops? Different from the big boy version, these hoodies have a mesh flap that comes just below the nose rather than a full zip to keep the little guys safe.

He will be ready with style that goes deep in the Deep Sea Diver Full Zip Hoodie.  This cozy hoodie displays an overall diving bell design and features mesh eyeholes.  Look out mermaids, here he comes!

Let your little monster zip up and hide out in the comfy Maguro Print Full Zip Hoodie.  This print is just as crazy as they are.  Bonus, they can spy on their friends through the mesh eyeholes.

A scary Cyclops in a tuxedo styles the One Eyed Monster Full Zip Hoodie.  He can walk around scaring his friends and they’ll never know who it is.

Little Girls The North Face Denali Jacket – This jacket is awesome, it can be worn as an outer layer or as a midlayer under another jacket.  The high-loft fleece fabric keeps will keep her warm in cold weather.  For more durability in the high-abrasion areas, this jacket sports nylon Taslan overlay at the shoulders, chest and elbows.  So, zip her up in the Denali Jacket and send her off in plush, cozy comfort, with tons of style!

Baby Columbia Snowtop II Bunting –   This little piggy went to…cozy town!  Wrap your bundle of joy up in this super soft full body fleece for all day warmth.  The diagonal zipper across the front of the body makes diaper changing easy.  With lots of fun colors and prints, your baby will not want to take this one off!

Native Shoe  – Super cool and a smaller model of the adult version, the Native shoe is made from a light and comfortable material.  Extremely versatile, your adventurous ones can slip them on and play at the park, throw them in backpack for day at the beach or wear them while rafting down the river.  About the Native, we like to say “anybody, anywhere, anytime.”

We know you can’t wait, so we’ll stop our gushing and let you get to it!

Happy Shopping!

Love,

The Axl’s Crew