Mommy Guru

Finally!

2011-03-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

My husband finally made it home. We are so grateful to have him home! We were blessed enough to have our reunion captured on video thanks to the news cameras. I decided to post the video just in case any of you wanted to see it.

My hubby is the one who waves at the top of the escalator & I am the only girl interviewed.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

2011-03-01T09:05:00.001-07:00

Today is National Peanut Butter Day! We are going to eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and dip apples in peanut butter in honor of the special day!

Let's get busy....

2011-02-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

While blog hopping one day...I found 1+1+1=1. They have awesome preschool packs that are for Freeeeeeeee! {Yes, I love Bedtime Stories.} I am always on the look out for free printables that the kiddos can work on. I printed out the Batman & the Transportation. This morning my little guy didn't have Preschool...so I thought that I would pull out one of these packs. We went with Batman!

First Preston made his own pattern using Batman & Robin.

Then, we moved on to sorting Heroes & Villains, but first he had to cut them out. My little lefty got to work & did a great job!

The last thing we did today was trace the "Bb is for Batman" worksheet.

Let's Talk & Valentine's Day Stuff

2011-02-09T12:55:00.002-07:00

So, I know that I have been a bit MIA. To be honest...I had to give a few things up for my own sanity. My husband has been deployed for the last year now. I really didn't want to make too big of a deal out of it...because I didn't want to wave the single mom alone flag. Just to be safe! For a while, I really tried to do everything that I did when my husband was home. I realized that I had to let go of some things or "they" might have to come & haul me away in a straight jacket. I stopped doing Muffin Tin Monday & crafts with the kids were beyond anything I could think of. I must say that I have such respect for the single moms that do this everyday without a light at the end of the tunnel. I am happy to say that we have finally reached the light at the end of our tunnel & couldn't be more thrilled. I even managed to do make some cute marble magnets with the boys for their teachers for Valentine's Day.

With all of that being said...I started thinking about the Valentines that the boys would be giving out to their classmates. There are some A.MAZ.ING homemade Valentines out there. At first I thought I could help them make some cute homemade Valentines, but they both chose to have store bought Valentines again this year. I considered FORCING them to make one of these, but in the end...it is from them & no matter how cut these are, it is their choice. I may try to convince them early on next year to try out one of these!

I wish I had save the links to a few, but here is one from Crap I've Made that I just saw today. With two boys...this would be perfect. She even includes the printable & tells you where she got the frogs! This right up my littlest guy's alley!

Here as another really cute one from Eighteen 25.

My all time favorite however is from The Crafting Chicks. How cute/funny is that? I REALLY wish that I could have convinced them to make this one, but there is always next year!

I will post a picture of the cute magnets we made for their teachers as soon as I get the box ready. They are really nothing to spectacular & most of you have probably made them already, but they are easy & the boys were actually able to make their own with very little help from me!

I am attempting to SLOWLY get myself back into the swing of things & will start posting a bit more. I really do apologize for being MIA for such a long time & not really giving much of an explanation. Now I am off to convince my 4 year old to write his name on 24 Hot Wheels Valentines....this should be fun!!!

Letter to Santa

2010-11-29T19:42:00.004-07:00

I posted this on my Simply Complicated blog, but decided to post it here as well. I have seen a really cute letter out there, but didn't want to spend a ton of money...so I decided to make my own. I used a scrapbooking kit called Christmas Whimsy. My boys loved filling out their letter this year. I hope your little one's do too! So, if you want to use it...just click on the picture & print.

Santa's List Day is coming up on December 4th...so this is right in time!

Stay tuned...

2010-11-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

I am just about done Christmas shopping {squeal}! I am almost back on my game & have started compiling some fun things for Christmas. I am excited to get crafting with the kiddos again. If you follow my other blogs...you may have already seen my latest project. I decided to create my own Ugly Dolls for my boys for Christmas. I can't wait until they open them on Christmas morning.

My favorite thing is the cute little heart that I put on their backside. I love it!!!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T08:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Honesty

2010-10-24T22:48:00.001-06:00

Ok. I am going to be honest here. I am having to cut some things back for my sanity. I don't know how long this is going to last. I am hoping not for too long. I had great intentions of doing things for Halloween. We still have done some fun things, but the crafting isn't happening. Muffin Tin Monday isn't happening. I have far too much on my plate & I have felt a little crazy. So, to be a good mom...I am going to simplify things. I will be back when I can, but I don't want to leave everyone hanging. To be honest...this has been a tough bit for us & it will probably be for a little bit longer. There is a light at the end of the tunnel & that gives me great hope. However, I hope that you look back through my past posts for fun ideas until I come back with some new ones!

Halloween Stuff...

2010-10-13T20:26:00.001-06:00

It has been crazy busy this month. My house is not decorated for Halloween. Muffin Tin Monday has been no existant in our house. We have not been crafting lately. I can hardly stay on top of dishes & laundry as it is. I am sorry for my lack of posting, but I am sure that things will settle down & I will be back shortly. I do have a few ideas floating around in my head. But, I will leave you with a few past Halloween posts....

Spookley Square Pumpkin

A Monster For Your Monster

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

2010-09-19T07:00:00.003-06:00

Aaaaaaaargh!!! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ye land lubbers get hunting for treasure & eating pirate grub.

Yesterday, we had a fun pirate party. We made pirate swords out of newspaper & cardboard. {Thanks Alpha Mom!} The swords were a HUGE hit!

We had sword fights.

& a treasure hunt which included a walk on "walk the plank" & some nice pirate booty in the treasure chest.

National Cheeseburger Day

2010-09-18T07:00:00.002-06:00

There is something about a really good cheeseburger that just makes my mouth water! Make yourself a yummy cheeseburger or go & let someone else make one for you! I know what we are having for dinner!

National Play-doh Day

2010-09-16T07:00:00.007-06:00

So, I am going to be very honest here...I am not the biggest fan of play-doh. With that being said...the boys LOVE it & it does keep them entertained for hours. When I was looking for a picture to post, I just had to go with this one. This is what play-doh makes me think of.

source

While looking at this picture...I notice a great idea by Spincushion. I love how she thought outside of the box to create such a cute picture {below}!

I am going to swallow my dislike for play-doh & let me kids go crazy. I suppose that you could make your own as well, but we have enough canisters that I have no intention of going there!

Collect Rocks Day

2010-09-16T07:00:00.006-06:00

I don't know about your kiddos, but mine LOVE to collect rocks. We even have a special place to put our"special" rocks that we collect when we are camping. Rock collecting isn't exactly the easiest thing to do in our neighborhood...so we took a jaunt over to a fun little nature park.

Make a Hat Day

2010-09-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

Today is Make a Hat Day. I have a few ideas up my sleeve for today...so just stay posted!

Fortune Cookie Day

2010-09-13T10:00:00.001-06:00

Today is...

Fortune Cookie Day!

I love fortune cookies! They taste yummy & there is something fun about opening up the cookie & reading your fortune!

source

Muffin Tin Monday...Movies

2010-09-13T07:00:00.004-06:00

Today's MTM theme is...movies. I asked the boys what their 3 favorite movies were. Peter Pan was one of Kaden's favorite movies. We actually haven't watched Peter Pan for a bit...so that is the movie that I chose.

So...here is what we had {while watching Peter Pan}.

top row: telescope {PB&J roll up}, sword {celery}, cannon balls {grapes}
bottom row: sky & pixie dust {blueberry yogurt with yellow sprinkles}, clouds {kettle corn}, pirate ship {string cheese & a cheese sail} & pixie dust sprinkled all of everything {yellow sprinkles}

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals over at Muffin Tin Mom!

Chocolate Milk Shake Day

2010-09-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

Yum!! Today is Chocolate Milk Shake Day.

I had every intention of making us some chocolate milk shakes today, but sadly...my blender didn't survive a fall thanks to a very helpful 4 year old. So, I will have to just allow my mouth to water while thinking about one.

Teddy Bear Day

2010-09-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

I don't know about your kids, but mine LOVE their Teddy Bears. Let your kids take their Teddy Bears with them everywhere, have a Teddy Bear picnic, have a Teddy Bear tea party, or read stories with their Teddy Bears.

Read a Book Day

2010-09-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

It's Read a Book Day..not that we really need a set day for this. We are going to have a "read-a-thon" at home with the kids.

Cheese Pizza Day

2010-09-05T14:21:00.003-06:00

It's Cheese Pizza Day. I don't know about you, but I like ANY excuse to eat pizza!!!

source

Muffin Tin Monday...Numbers/Counting

2010-08-30T12:20:00.005-06:00

Wow...it has been a while!!! I haven't done very well with Muffin Tin Monday, but I hope to be back in the swing of things again. I honestly had NO intention of doing Muffin Tin Monday today, but when I saw the theme...I knew that Preston would love it. He loves to count everything!!! I am in desperate need of going grocery shopping this week, but I think that I did ok.

{1 cup of applesauce, 2 pieces of a peanut butter & honey sandwich, 3 starbursts, 4 tomatoes, 5 cheese circles, 6 frozen blueberries} The tomatoes are from my Grandparents garden. Preston will ONLY eat tomatoes from their garden. He cracks me up!

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals over at Muffin Tin Mom. {You can also see the themes on her side bar.}

Bean Name Activity

2010-08-24T15:02:00.003-06:00

I have a bit of Mommy Guilt on this one. When Kaden {our oldest} was starting his first, but final year of preschool...he knew all of his letters, the sounds that they made, & how to write his name. Now Preston {our youngest} will be starting his final year of preschool & doesn't really care to learn any of that. He is a little stinker when it comes to what he knows. I will play games & ask him questions, but he will tell me the wrong answer just so that I will leave him alone. Kaden used to love tell us everything that he knew.

I am feeling Mommy Guilt that Preston doesn't know how to write his name {I think!} So, over the next 2 weeks I am going to try to work with him a little more & try to get him to get excited about learning these things.

My niece just started Kindergarten & I saw this cute little project hanging up. I knew that Preston would get a kick out of it. Kaden liked it too! This was a great hands on activity that they didn't need my help. Preston LOVES using the glue all by himself.

All you need it glue, paper, a marker, & beans.

Kaden wrote his own name on his paper with the marker & I wrote Preston's. Then, they traced each letter with glue as we went along. After they traced the letters with glue...they stuck the beans on. Preston was in a great mood & we talked about the letters in his name.

The Last Days of Summer...

2010-08-23T23:18:00.003-06:00

I love living in Utah. We went from being at a beautiful Bear Lake with cold wet sand....

to beautiful red Moab sand.

We have spent the last few weeks of summer playing!!! It has been great. Things will be back to normal shortly!

National Creamsicle Day

2010-08-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's National Creamsicle Day!!! Yum!!

National Smores Day

2010-08-10T14:01:00.005-06:00

Today is National Smores Day. Here are some fun variations of the traditional Smores. The following cookies are fun & quick because the chocolate is already there.

Use...

Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies

or my personal favorite....Keebler Half Dipped Grahams.

If you don't have a fire pit...you can make smores in the microwave. Take one of your grahams {or cookies}...add chocolate if needed. Place the marshmallow on top & cook for about 15 seconds. Watch the marshmallow & pull it out when it starts getting big & puffy. Add the top graham {or cookie} & you are good to go!!!

Silly Holidays

2010-08-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to let you know that I updated the "Silly Holidays" on the side bar. August, September, & October are now on the side bar!

We had a fun Super Hero Party...

2010-08-08T21:06:00.002-06:00

If you want to see it...go to Simply Complicated if you want to check it out!!!

Takin' It Easy

2010-07-30T15:59:00.004-06:00

Today was going to be our first day of "normal". We are officially past the week mark with the kids & their tonsils. They can resume "crazy boy normal" next week. But, this morning Kaden {our almost 6 year old} woke up with flu like symptoms. Poor boy has been laying in my bed & visiting the toilet all day. I feel horrible for him. The poor thing is just miserable & can't get comfy. It doesn't help that it is SO stinkin' hot!!!

So, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for all. I will leave you with a cute picture of Kaden before the tonsil thing. His birthday is next week & he LOVES Captain America.

All Done

2010-07-22T20:20:00.004-06:00

The babies are finished with their surgery & we are back at home after a long day. We were at the surgical center for about 6 hours. Everything went great & the boys are doing amazing. Thank you for all of your thoughts! Now, I will be snuggling & loving on these boys for the next week or so.

Gimme a Break

2010-07-19T20:55:00.005-06:00

I am going to take a little break {through August}. I may or may not post...it depends on the situation. We have a TON going on over the next month & a half. Both boys are getting their tonsils out this week. I want to devote all of my time to pampering them & making it a positive experience. We have the freezer & fridge stocked with popsicles, ice cream, frozen fruit slushy, jello, & drinks galore. We also splurged & bought a snow cone/slushy maker. I am going to make my own syrup with Koolaid. I will post that before Thursday.

We may have an eye surgery for Kaden in the next month. Three surgeries in the next month will pretty much do us all in.

I apologize for being MIA, but I hope you can understand. We have a month left of break & I can guarantee that it is going to be crazy. We have some fun things planned & I will spill those beans when I return.

I hope that you have an amazing Summer & enjoy your babies.

I will end with sharing the super jammies that I made for the boys for their surgery. If you want to know more about how I made them check out this post about the shorts & this post about doing a freezer paper stencil on the shirt.

Teddy Bear Picnic Day

2010-07-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

I missed Teddy Bear picnic day yesterday. I thought I had the post scheduled, but left it in draft form instead. Sorry. So, a little late, but here it is:

If you haven't had a Teddy Bear Picnic before, you HAVE to! It is so fun. We did Teddy Bear Picnic last year. Invite your Teddy Bear to join in on your picnic.

I am reposting this from August of 2009.

My boys ♥ teddy bears. They both choose teddy bears over any other stuffed animal. I thought that it would be fun to have a Teddy Bear Picnic with them. Plus it would be a GREAT excuse to use one of my NEW TEA SETS. We went to the library & I picked up some bear related stories. For lunch we had:

bear shaped pb&j sandwiches
chips
raisins
bear shaped cookies (I used THIS recipe & pre-cut a bear head out of the sheet of cookie dough...then I put the chocolate chips on for the inside ears, eyes, & nose. I also cut a little smile out. Once they were cooked, I just had to re-cut the bear head shape out.)
apple raspberry juice

The boys had no clue what their "lunch surprise" was. I invited them to grab a very special teddy bear & come outside to the picnic blanket. They were excited to have a picnic & use one of our new tea sets. While they ate their lunch with their "friends", I read them the stories that we got from the library.

Kaden held his teddy bear on his lap the whole time...it was so cute.

Preston named his bear cookie "Mr. Preston Polar Bear".

Tomorrow we are going to do a bear craft...stay tuned!!!

National Sugar Cookie Day

2010-07-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

I ♥ sugar cookies. So, in honor of "National Sugar Cookie Day" I will share with you a really cute sugar cookie with my favorite sugar cookie recipe.

I came across a really cute sugar cookie idea last year, but I changed it up a bit. Rather than using frosting...I thought that it would be easier to just color the cookie dough different colors. This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe:

1 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4-5 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

For the Watermelon Cookies you will also need:

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
red food coloring
green food coloring

Mix butter, eggs, sugar, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl. In another bowl mix all other dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Divide the dough (I did did one bigger than the other). Color the biggest amount red & the smaller amount green. Chill each color for about 2 hours.

Roll 1/4' thick. You will need to different circle cookie cutters. Cut the red dough with the smaller cookie cutter. Then cut the green with the bigger cookie cutter & the inside with the smaller cookie cutter. Place the green around the red circle & cut the whole thing in half. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Add the mini chocolate chips. Bake 7-8 minutes at 350 degrees.

I usually cook them about 6 minutes and then check them every minute after that.

CRAZY!!!

2010-07-06T09:14:00.001-06:00

This is going to be a CRAZY week for me. My little brother is getting married & I am making the cake. STRESS!!!! We also have a TON of family in town & it is ALWAYS a party when they come in to town. So, I guess what I am getting at...is that I am going to be MIA for the week. I will be back next week. Thank!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

I hope that you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. I am grateful for all of the amazing men & women who protect our freedom.

This is my favorite picture for the 4th of July. It serves as a reminder to me of the sacrifice that is made by so many people, but especially the children. Please remember on this day that freedom isn't free.

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July Shirts

2010-07-03T09:27:00.004-06:00

I have a hard time MAKING shirts. You can buy shirts for so cheap all ready to go. Especially 4th of July shirts. They are everywhere for only $5.00. But, I must admit there is something fun about creating them the way that you want.

I saw a shirt that had the cutest saying on it, but the shirt itself was UGLY. Even for $5.00, I couldn't bring myself to put the boys in it. So, that was my reason for making a shirt.

For those of you that don't know..my husband is in the Army. We are so proud of him. What better way to show that than these adorable shirts.

I have been wanting to try freezer paper stencilling for a while now. I used the tutorial over at I Am Momma. I usually don't like video tutorials, but this one was pretty good & answered any questions you might have.

I can't wait to make some more shirts. If you have been thinking about freezer paper stencilling...give it a try!

4th of July Craft

2010-07-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last year, my cute sister in law Val made this really cute centerpiece with her kiddos. So, here you have it!

She took a drink mix container (like Crystal Light).

Then she covered it with crepe paper. You could really use any kind of paper!

Then poked a foil fun pix (from the holiday section at Michael's) through the center of the lid. She cut off most of the toothpick after she poked it through and covered it so it won't poke anyone. Then cut out red, white, & blue stars & stick them on.

The finished product...

I made one similar, but used the supplies that I had on hand. I used craft foam & chenille stems. It was fun to make & they turned out pretty festive!

I love this idea! Thanks Val!!

{reposted from July 2009}

Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day

2010-07-01T07:00:00.003-06:00

Today is Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. You could head to Cold Stone Creamery or just mix up something on your own. What kind of flavors can you come up with?

What To Do? {part 9}

2010-06-30T07:00:00.004-06:00

Another fun thing to look into...is a petting zoo or farm that you can visit. We were lucky enough to visit one while on vacation. If you live near Gilbert, Arizona...go & visit Marley Farms. It was a blast! We had someone show us around & tell us about all of the animals. The kids loved feeding all of the animals & listening to their noises.

We also were also able to pet some goats & llamas. The kids made observations about how the animals felt different.

It was a great experience & the boys learned so much! It was great. Enjoy your summer!

Muffin Tin Monday

2010-06-29T09:21:00.006-06:00

I have to admit...I am loving the "no theme for the summer" idea. There is NO pressure. Yesterday, the kids & I picked up some corn on the cob. It is my all time favorite thing to eat in the summer. So, of course..we had to include it in our Muffin Tin Monday meal.

Here is what we had:

mini blueberry muffin {because everything is more fun in mini}, mac & cheese, corn on the cob {or cut off of the cob for Preston}, strawberries, mac & cheese, more corn....

Have you ever seen one of these?

They are GREAT for cutting corn off of the cob!

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals over at Muffin Tin Mom!

What To Do? {part 8}

2010-06-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

Let's go swimming....

There is nothing better on a hot summer day than swimming.

Whether it is in a little pool in your backyard...

Throw in a few balls and/or put a little slide up to the pool & you will have a good time!

Or at a REAL pool...

On a side note...I highly recommend the swim shirts! Less sunscreen needed & less of a chance of sun burning. They are wonderful & the boys love them!!

Preparing for Surgery

2010-06-25T15:29:00.006-06:00

Both of my boys are going in to get their tonsils out next month. I have a little experience with surgeries with the boys, but nothing like this. Kaden had eye surgery a few years ago, but he was only out for about a day. When my kiddos think back on their surgery...I want them to remember the good parts. So, I decided to make them each a little care package. Here is what I plan on putting in it:

comfy jammies
a movie
coloring book
crayons

Do you have any other ideas?

What To Do? {part 7}

2010-06-25T14:07:00.002-06:00

While we were on vacation...we took a trip to a local aquarium. The boys loved seeing all of the fish. There was even a touching station where they could feel starfish, hermit crabs, & a few other sea animals. The aquarium that we went to had a cute question card that they gave out to all of the kids. The kids loved figuring out the answers to the questions & at the end...they each got a sticker for completing the question card. Look in your area to see if there is an aquarium near you.

Muffin Tin Monday

2010-06-24T19:41:00.006-06:00

Better late than never, but we finally managed to have Muffin Tin Monday...on Thursday. We had movie night & Muffin Tin Monday is perfect for movie night! Here is what we ate:

Peperoni Pizza, M&Ms, Sausage Pizza, Blueberries, Kettle Corn {recipe}, Peas in the Pod {from Aunt Val & Uncle Cody's garden}

Check out other Muffin Meals over at Muffin Tin Mom

What To Do? {part 6}

2010-06-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

Sidewalk chalk is very inexpensive. There are SO many possiblilities when you have a sidewalk & some sidewalk chalk. Here are just a few ideas:

Hopscotch. I drew the grid & the boys drew the numbers. Preston traced the numbers that I wrote. The grabbed a "stone" from our rock collection. They played forever. I would say it was one of their favorite activities.

A letter game. I wrote a few letters on the sidewalk & just asked Preston to stand on the letter that I said. You could do the letter sounds.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2010-06-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my Littlest Man's Birthday. He is 4 years old & I can't believe it! We are off at the aquarium & a special lunch. The aquarium will be be part of our "What to do" series. I will post pictures soon!

Happy Birthday Preston! We love you!!

What To Do? {part 5}

2010-06-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

My boys are obsessed with planting things. What a fun opportunity to see something grow. So, we decided to plant some flowers for us! It is really a pretty basic & cheap activity.

All you do...is put dirt in a cup. Poke a small hole in the dirt. Place your seed in the "hole". Cover it up & give it a bit of water. Pretty basic. The kids did it all!

The fun part is...that they have something to look forward to over the summer. I will keep you posted on our flowers. There are chances that I might kill them though. I don't have the "greenest thumb" around.

What To Do? {part 4}

2010-06-15T07:00:00.001-06:00

I saw this book a while back on Trey & Lucy. I knew that we had to give that book a try. I had to request it from our library & it took a while to get it here, but it finally came in.

Preston was a little distracted today, but Kaden loved it. He had a great time figuring out the order & didn't need much help. I want to buy this book now!

Muffin Tin Monday

2010-06-14T07:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Muffin Tin Monday!!! We are on vacation in Sunny Arizona. My little niece & nephew are playing with us...so I decided to make Muffin Tin Monday for them too! They loved it & so did the boys!!

We had strawberries, hot dogs, mac & cheese, carrots/broccoli/tomatoes, veggie dip, donut pieces. It was yummy!

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals at Muffin Tin Mom!

What To Do? {part 3}

2010-06-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

Something simple & pretty easy that the boys & I enjoy..is to watch the birds.

We found this incredible bird feeder at Lowes, but you can get a pretty basic bird feeder at Walmart for a few dollars. While you are there...buy some bird seed. Hang it up somewhere where you can watch the birds come to eat. We have it right outside of our front window...hanging from the trees. We love to watch the birds that come to eat from our bird feeder. It sparks some great conversation about different birds.

Off to play...

2010-06-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

We are off to play for the week. I have a few posts scheduled & may add some along the way. I love SUMMER!!!

Father's Day Idea

2010-06-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

We don't like to spend much on Mother's Day & Father's Day. It is always a challenge to find original & fun things to do each year. Today, we made a video interview for Daddy.

Here are the questions that I asked:

How old is Daddy?

What makes Daddy happy?

What is Daddy's favorite thing to do?

What is Daddy really good at?

What does Daddy do for his job?

Where is Daddy's favorite place to eat?

What is something Daddy teaches you?

What makes Daddy sad?

What are Daddy's for?

What does Daddy want for Father's Day?

It was fun to hear each of their answers. I can't wait to put it on a DVD & have them give it to Daddy. Maybe would could do this each year & see how their answers have changed! {Thanks for the questions Shelley! They were perfect!}

Summer 2010 Bucket List

2010-06-08T07:00:00.004-06:00

I have seen this idea in the blog world a few different places & I loved it. I am ALL about lists!

The boys & I sat down to make a list of the things that we wanted to do. No matter how silly or small...everything went on the list. We left enough room to add more stuff along the way. I already want to add a milk & cookie party for the boys & I. Now, each time we do something on our list...we get to check it off!

Muffin Tin Monday...Short Order Cook

2010-06-07T11:18:00.006-06:00

Ok..this is as close as my kids get for a short order cook. "What kind of sandwich do you want?" Preston is always sure to answer Peanut Butter & Sandwich {aka pb&j}. Kaden however likes to mix things up. Today was a tuna fish sandwich. So, here are their Muffin Tins:

Preston's lunch:

pb&j triangles, fruit {plus veggies} bar, pb&j triangles, fishy crackers, a chocolate chip cookie, & milk in his new drink bottle

Kaden's lunch:

tuna fish with cheese triangles, fruit {plus veggies} bar, tuna fish with cheese triangles, fishy crackers, a chocolate chip cookie, & milk in his dino bottle.

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals at Muffin Tin Mom

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

2010-06-07T08:10:00.001-06:00

Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Summer feels like it has finally arrived here & some chocolate ice cream would be pretty tasty!

National Doughnut Day

2010-06-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

Yum! As a little girl, I was know as "The Donut Queen". They are a very delicous treat. Glazed, Chocolate, Cake, Raised, Maple...I love them! My husband doesn't carry the same fondness for donuts. However...my babies are just like me.

Today, is National Doughnut Day. We use ANY excuse to get donuts. Our favorite donut shop is about 20 minutes away, but it is worth it.

So make some donuts or go & get some & enjoy National Doughnut Day!!!

What To Do? {part 2}

2010-06-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week, the boys & I set out to the Dollar Tree. They have a great section of workbooks for kids. There are workbooks for all different ages & subjects. We picked up a few workbooks for each of the boys.

Kaden will be going into First Grade...so we picked up:

A First Grade Addition
"The Amazing Spider-Man" Printing Practice
Disney Time and Money
First Grade Reading Workbook
A First Grade Workbook that is about simple fractions, money, alphabetical order.
Scooby Doo Addition & Subtraction

Preston will be on his last year of Preschool...so we picked up:

Pre-K First Words
Pre-K to K Colors & Shapes
A Preschool Workbook about thinking skills, sounds & symbols, & number sets
Pre-K to K Beginning Sequencing
Math with Bert & Ernie

We also picked up a "Manuscript Tablets" for journals & writing.

All for $1.00 each. We should be set for a good part of the summer. Every morning...Monday through Friday we will do a few pages in our workbooks. I hope that it will help them retain more of what they have already learned & that I can help them be prepared for the fall.

Stay tuned for our next part in the "What To Do" series.

Father's Day Gift

2010-06-01T17:31:00.001-06:00

Last year, I came across THIS really cute idea. We went out & bought a "D" & an "A". The boys & I painted the letters together. It was so cute...they worked really hard on them.

Then, I took the boys outside & took their pictures. They were so cute!! If they stopped smiling for me, I just reminded them that the pictures were for Daddy...then they would smile again. We really miss Daddy! Here is the finished product...I love how the boys are peaking through the "D". They were doing it at the store & I just had to use those...it is totally them.

What To Do? {part 1}

2010-06-01T09:47:00.005-06:00

Summer Break is officially here. Even if the weather outside doesn't show it. I decided that I was going to continue to make sure that the boys are learning. It helps that they love it. So, I am going to spend some time telling you the things that we like to do over the Summer Break.

Today, I am going to talk about going to your local library. Sometimes I forget that we have that resource available. We were very lucky to have a new library built close to our house. The boys LOVE to go to the library. There are computers with educational games that they can play. They love to pick out their books.

I have a weak spot for children's books. There is something about beautiful illustrations or a good, fun story that calls to me. I have to admit that I love choosing books as much as the boys do.

I ALWAYS bring a reusable shopping bag to take our books home in. We always end up filling it. When we arrive, I tell the boys how many books they can choose. {Sometimes we go over, but at least they have an idea.}

When the books make it home. They stay in the shopping bag. The boys know right where their books are & when it is time to return the books...I know right where they are. I don't have to go digging through their room to find the missing book.

Having new books to read is fun & exciting. The boys want to read that much more when we have new books that they got to pick.

So, take an outing out to your library. It is a fun experience & it is free. Most libraries also offer activities & story time. Check out what is available to you!

Need a Teacher Gift?

2010-05-26T22:39:00.005-06:00

If you need a last minute teacher gift...check out Simply Complicated. It just easier to send you there than to repost the whole thing!!!

Pirate Party

2010-05-25T15:48:00.002-06:00

I am in the planning stages for a fun pirate party. If you want to follow the progress, click on over to Simply Complicated. Here is a direct link to my first post about Pirate Party Invitations.

Sweet Kaden

2010-05-14T10:06:00.010-06:00

About 2 years ago, my sweet Kaden was diagonsed with Amblyopia {or Lazy Eye}. He was 3 at the time. We started to notice his left eye was turning in at times. My oldest little baby had to wear glasses. I was hopeful that this would fix the issue & glasses aren't so bad. {I have worn them for 18 years.} There are worse things that could happen. Plus, he looks so handsome in them.

For a while, the glasses seemed to fix the problem. But, slowly...his eye began to wander even with his glasses on. So, we moved onto the next step. Patching his strong eye {right} to make his weaker eye {left} have to work harder. I struggled with this step. I was grateful that we were able to work on streghtening his eye, but I didn't want him to have a reason to be teased. You want to protect your child from everything.

His first eye patch was awful. We bought it from the Eye Doctor. It was huge & took up his whole face. It got food on it & was in the way all of the time.

So, I set out to find a better patch option. I came across Anissa's Fun Patches. They were exactly what we needed.

Kaden wore his patches for almost 4 months. During those 4 months, I was amazed at how many people were affected by this. Everywhere we went, I had people coming up to ask me about Kaden's situation & tell me how they were affected one way or another. I had adults coming up to me telling me that they wished that their parents had taken care of the issue because they struggle with it now. I had moms coming & asking me where I had found the eye patches. My eyes were opened to a very common problem.

Once his left eye was as strong as his right eye, we ended up doing surgery to shorten the muscles of his eye. His eye still turned in when he concentrated, but now that his eyes were able to work together...the surgery would straighten his eye. He would still need his glasses to help keep his eye straight. The surgery went very well & had very little recovery. Kaden was back to normal in one day. It was amazing.

If he didn't wear his glasses, then his left eye would turn in, but as long as he wore them...his eye did just fine. Over the next year or so..life was normal.

We went back to the eye doctor this week & Kaden is seeing better than he ever has before. The only issue is that his left eye is letting the right eye do all of the work again. So, we are back to patching 3 days a week. Kaden is excited to wear his patch. He wants to wear them to school & show all of the kids. We just ordered 5 new patches from Anissa's Fun Patches. I didn't receive any compensation for telling you this. I just wanted to share our story & hopefully help some of you out there who may be struggling with the same thing that our family has. I hope that my research & our experience with eye patches is able to help out other families.

Muffin Tin Monday...Cinco De Mayo

2010-05-04T18:15:00.004-06:00

With soccer on Monday, it has been tough to fit it in. Tonight we managed to do Muffin Tin Monday...uh...Tuesday. We did a taco night for Muffin Tin Monday about 2 weeks ago, but it is a family favorite around here. So, we went with that again for our Cinco De Mayo theme. Here is what we ate for dinner.

red grapes...taco...carrots...spanish rice w/cheese

It was VERY tasty!!!!

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals over at the Muffin Tin Mom.

Muffin Tin Monday...No Theme

2010-04-26T16:59:00.003-06:00

Today's Muffin Tin Monday didn't have a theme. I threw together a quick summer dinner before we had to take off for little man's soccer game. So, here you have it...

M&Ms, cheese, mandarin oranges, & an eggy sandwich

Check out other muffin tin meals over at Muffin Tin Mom.

Muffin Tin Monday...Leftovers ROCK!!

2010-04-19T15:42:00.004-06:00

Ok...this MTM is right up my alley! Last night, I made tacos. {yup, I actually cooked!!!} So, tonight..we had "build your own taco" night. They also got to use our new Teddy Bear Muffin Tins. The boys thought that this idea was REALLY cool. It was fun watching them "create". Preston sprinkled his cheese & Kaden dumped his cheese on.

Here is what they ate:

cake ball, mandarin oranges, ground beef, cheese, spanish rice with cheese on it, & a flour tortilla.

Check out other muffin tin meals over at Muffin Tin Mom

I'm Back!!!

2010-04-15T20:00:00.001-06:00

Wow...I didn't realize that we haven't done much over the last month. I feel terrible. After finishing the quiet book...we started back on our Alphabet Book again. Today was the letter "D". Preston chose to do "dinosaur". He has been all about dinosaurs for over a year now. He also had a request for a T Rex. I knew that I could struggle through making a long neck, but the T Rex was going to be a bit tougher. I found a sample & drew out the T Rex.

He had a T Rex, the letter "D", a google eye, red foam dots, & some glue.

Preston had a great time putting together his dinosaur. He loves to do the glue by himself. It is fun to give them different supplies & see what they do with them. I love his dinosaur!!!! While he worked...we sang the "D" says "duh" from The Leapfrog Letter Factory movie. I love that movie!

Obsessed

2010-04-14T07:59:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted in a while. My house is a mess. I have a pile of dishes in the sink & we have been living out of laundry baskets. Why? I have been a little obsessed with getting a project finished. Everything has been neglected {except the kiddos}. I FINALLY got the project finished...it is a quiet book. I am so happy with how it turned out! It was a lot of work, but so fun & rewarding! The boys LOVE it! So, if you want to see what has occupied my life for the last bit...check out Simply Complicated.

National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day

2010-04-02T05:55:00.001-06:00

Today is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. As I have mentioned before...Preston LOVES his PB&J!!! He has one ALMOST every single day. Have a PB&J sandwich & enjoy!!!

April Fool's Pranks

2010-04-01T08:55:00.002-06:00

Last year, I played a few pranks on the kiddos. If you need some ideas...check THIS out. The Jell-O Juice was great & the boys REALLY enjoyed it. We had a great laugh!

Upcoming...

2010-03-20T23:41:00.000-06:00

National Corn Dog Day is on Monday. Either buy corn dogs, or try your hand at homemade corn dogs. I have made them before & they are so fun. Stay tuned for a recipe.

Reminder...

2010-03-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

The 18th is Incredible Kid Day...make your little one feel special!

Muffin Tin Monday...GREEN

2010-03-15T23:24:00.000-06:00

In honor of St. Patty's Day...the theme is Green. I wasn't very creative on this one. My little bottle of green food coloring was VERY helpful. It wasn't the most appetizing thing..but I colored our hamburger helper green.

So, we had green hamburger helper, peas, a green airhead, & a blueberry muffin with green butter.

Tot School...Patterns

2010-03-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

Today we decided to work on some patterns. I had some felt shamrocks & gold coins for St. Patty's Day. I put them in separate bowls & then started 2 patterns.

Then, Preston finished the patterns that I had started. At the bottom of the tray...he got to make his own pattern. Preston had a blast with this one. He kept playing & making patterns after our first set.

This is such an easy activity because you can use ANYTHING that you already have. He also got to sort the coins & shamrocks when it was time to clean up.

It's the little things...

2010-03-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the library yesterday. We love going to the library. Kaden picked the "If you give a pig a pancake" book.

In honor of this book, we decided to read it & eat brinner {BReakfast for dINNER}. The boys were so excited to have pancakes for dinner, but they were even more excited that it went along with the book. It is something so simple & easy, but it made their day!!!

Tot School...The Letter 'C'

2010-03-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today is another page for our Alphabet Book. Today's post is brought to you by the letter 'C'. The 'C' is for cookie song will NOT get out of my head today! I was undecided on what 'C' was going to be for so I gave Preston his choice:

'C' is for cookie
'C' is for cat
'C' is for car

He chose car. I wasn't surprised. He is all boy! I did my best to come up with a car. I am not the best artist & have never been able to draw cars very well. I took a white gel pen & drew lines on the 'C' to make it look like a road.

Here is Preston's finished page.

Tot School..The Letter "B"

2010-03-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to give this boy a bit more credit. He knows more about the letters than he has let on! He surprises me most of the time. Today, he was showing off a bit & I got to see how much he actually knows.

We decided to add to our alphabet book this morning & then we will do a craft with Kaden after school. Today's letter is the letter 'B'. I want to teach him the phonics of the letter along with the name.

Here is Preston's finished page. He had fun drawing on the bear's face. He gave the bear "two snots" or nostrils as we like to call them. Then, he got carried away & gave the bear two smiles. It was fun.

Muffin Tin Tuesday...Yellow

2010-03-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

I did manage to get Muffin Tin Monday into our week {on Tuesday}..a day late, but it still works. I really was stumped on yellow food. I could think of a few, but none of them really went together. Everything else was orange. I planned dinner without even thinking about MTM, but it worked! It was a little whitish/yellow. So, here is our Muffin Tin Meal:

Top Row: rice with gravy from the chicken on it, pears, roll
Bottom Row: cream of chicken chicken, more rice with gravy from the chicken, & yellow M&Ms.

{We added peas after the picture because that is our veggie of choice for this dinner}

Tot School...The Letter 'A'

2010-03-08T13:55:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to start "Tot School" for a few weeks now. I have seen it on other blogs & really liked the idea! Today is our first day. I am not exactly sure of the logistics of tot school, but for us...I just wanted something more structured for Preston & I to do together while Kaden is at school. Preston goes to Preschool twice a week...so my goal is to do it at least 3 times a week {on the days that he doesn't have preschool}. I am going to plan my ideas a week at a time.

I have also been wanting to make letter pages with Preston. Then, some other bloggers mentioned an Alphabet Book. BINGO!! That was exactly what we needed! I plan on doing other books with Preston too. Preston is a very smart kid, but doesn't like to preform & show off what he knows. If you thinks that you are trying to teach him or get info out of him...he will tell you the wrong answer until you leave him alone. It can be frustrating. I want to reinforce what we have taught him, but in a fun way.

We started today with the natural choice 'A'. {I have a thing about going in order!} I wanted his book to be something that he can use & even take with him...so I cut an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of cardstock in half. That size would be more manageable. Then I cut an 'A' out of gingham cardstock. {It reminds me of a picnic table cloth.} I put his papers & some paint {& glue..not shown} on one of the trays that I bought HERE.

Preston glued the 'A" onto the paper & we talked about what it was. He does know 'A' already. Then we got some of the paint ready. Preston ♥ sticking his finger in the paint & making little ants. He got pretty carried away. We love the Letter Factory movie by LeapFrog...so while we made the project we sang:

"The 'A' says AHHHHH
The 'A' says AHHHHH
Every letter makes a sound
The 'A' says AHHHHH"

I hurried & took this picture before the "ants" were dry. We will add legs & feelers to them later. :)
My plan is to punch holes in it & using loose leaf rings to attach them together.

Crayon Roll

2010-03-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hubby officially flew out yesterday. We are trying our best to keep busy around here. Last week, I got my first REAL sewing machine. I am trying my best to figure out what I am doing. I enjoy the "self taught" way of things. I decided to make a crayon roll for the boys today. I was planning on making a very "boyish" crayon on roll. Cars, Trucks, Guitars, something along those lines...but Kaden had a request. He wanted one that looked like a flag. I found the PERFECT fabric this morning. I used THIS tutorial from Skip To My Lou. It was the easiest that I have seen to follow.

Here is my finished product:

Muffin Tin Monday...Fiesta

2010-03-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am posting & I ACTUALLY cooked dinner last night {gasp!}. I have had an easy week & not had to cook dinner for OVER a week. It was a nice break, but I am ready to get back in the swing of things {for a few days anyway}. I decided to cook one of KC's favorite dinners...tacos. Easy & tasty! A while back, I had bought some fun decorations for a Fiesta. I thought that these would go perfect with our dinner tonight. Life is a Party! So, here is our Fiesta Muffin Tin Monday:

Top Row: sliced olives, taco/burrito, cheese
Bottom Row: spanish rice, taco/burrito, grapes

Then, for dessert we had Nachos Dulces. Yum!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2010-03-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to stop in & say

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

We are off to Daddy's farewell ceremony today!

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day

2010-03-01T08:59:00.001-07:00

We had a bit of down time today while Daddy was off "playing soldier" for the day. This is the PERFECT holiday for Preston. He HAS to eat a pb&j {peanut butter & jelly} everyday for lunch.

I have been feeling a bit guilty over the last few months. Things have been so crazy & I haven't done as much with the kids as I would like to. So, I thought making some peanut butter cup cookies together would be a fun {& tasty} activity for us to do together.

Here is the recipe we used {from allrecipes.com}

You need:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

To make the cookies:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
3.Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
4.Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
5.Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

**A tip that I read was freeze of refrigerate your peanut butter cups. It makes them easier to unwrap & they don't break apart when you press them into the cookie.

I have seen a few people doing "tot school". I think that I am going to try to set that up in the next 2 weeks with Preston. That way I will have a planned activity to do with Preston on days that he doesn't go to Preschool. So, stay tuned!

A short intermission...

2010-02-23T15:35:00.001-07:00

For now, I have no plans to blog for the next week or two. We are crazy busy with preparations & family time activities with just us...that I just don't have time. Hopefully, I will be back {& not too horribly depressed} within a week, but I am buying myself a little extra time....just in case. I'm not sure what the plan is for next Monday, so MAYBE there will be a Muffin Tin Monday post. Our substitute for yesterday's Muffin Tin Monday was a trip to the toy store & dinner at Applebees. I think that the boys enjoyed it! I hope that everyone will be patient & wait for me to come back. Until then.....

No Muffin Tin Monday

2010-02-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

There will be no MTM for us this week! Maybe next week. We are REALLY busy getting Daddy ready to deploy.

Muffin Tin Monday...RED

2010-02-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Muffin Tin Monday almost didn't happen today. It is ONE of those days! Here is what we did for today's "red" theme.

We had heart shaped personal pizzas with the fixins for strawberry shortcake.

A little late...

2010-02-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

I made a countdown (a few days late) for Valentine's Day. I saw the original idea on a TV show a few days ago...here is a link for step by step directions HERE.

Here is what you do:

cut your paper to a 6x6 square.

flip your paper over & place a long piece of DOUBLE stick tape on only one side.

stick the edges of the paper together to form a cylinder.

place another smaller piece of DOUBLE stick tape to the inside of one end of the cylinder. "pinch" the end closed.

fill your cylinder with treats or a cute message using the open end of your cylinder. place another small piece of tape on that end & pinch it closed in the opposite direction {like a sour cream container}.

decorate the outside with numbers, hearts, stickers...whatever you like. I decorated some clothes pins with paper & chipboard, strung it all up by some string. there you have a cute CHEAP little Valentine countdown.

Muffin Tin Monday...Dr. Seuss

2010-02-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

I already did a Muffin Tin Monday for Dr. Seuss HERE. It was a ton of fun & the boys totally remember it {from back in May}. My oldest LOVES Dr. Seuss. He could read Dr. Seuss books or watch the movies all day. I was VERY tempted to do the EXACT same thing, but I wanted to try a few new ideas. Here is what they ate:

Starting at the top (clockwise):

Sneetches stars (cheddar cheese stars)
Oobleck (green vanilla pudding)
Pink Clover with a speck (Pink Cotton Candy on a stick with at yellow sprinkle)
Goldfish from the Cat in the Hat (Goldfish crackers)
Green Eggs & Ham
Pink Ink (Strawberry Milk)

Check out other muffin tins by clicking the Muffin Tin Monday button below.

Something Special

2010-01-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Kaden {my little Kindergartner} goes to school all day. He chooses to take his lunch most of the time. Almost every morning, we pack up his lunch in his Diego lunchbox & off he goes. Kaden has been wanting "Lunchables", but I have a hard time paying for those. Today, we made our own lunchables...with crackers, cut up cheese slices, lunch meat cut into circles.

Preston on the other hand...is in Preschool & comes home for lunch. We bought him a cute little Thomas the Train lunchbox for picnics at the park, but with it being winter...his little lunchbox hasn't got much use for a while. I thought that he might enjoy a special lunch surprise of his own lunchbox lunch.

He loved it. It didn't take extra time. I didn't have to go to the store & get anything extra..I just used what I had, but I think that it made him feel special & that is what is important!

Muffin Tin Monday...ABC & 123

2010-01-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Muffin Tin Monday theme is ABC & 123. We had our Muffin Tin for breakfast on Sunday morning. {Monday is going to be pretty busy for us. It is my birthday. We have to go & get Daddy from the airport. Then throw kiddos school on top of that & there is no time for both kiddos to get Muffin Tin Monday.} Here is what they ate:

Top Row: Letter ABC Pancakes to go along with each item, Applesauce, Banana, Corn Burst Cereal

Bottom Row: Number 123 Pancakes to go along with each item, 1 cup of syrup {for dipping the letter & number pancakes in}, 2 pieces of toast, 3 pieces of egg.

**Edited to Add**

I was asked how I made the letter & number pancakes. Check out THIS link. You just have to make sure to write the letter or number BACKWARDS so that when you flip it...it will be the right way.

The boys really enjoyed this one. I even got some extra thank you(s).

Check out other Muffin Tins over at Muffin Tin Moms!

Shaving Cream Snowman

2010-01-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to do this craft for a while. Preston wasn't feeling well yesterday...so we are trying to take it easy. It has been snowing everyday since Monday & is supposed to continue for the rest of the week. It is a perfect day for a snowman craft.

Here is what you need:

Paper {we used blue cardstock}
White Glue
Shaving Cream
Paint brush
pencil {optional}
Something to decorate the snow man with {felt, paper, raisins, buttons, twigs, etc}

We started by drawing a snowman shape with a pencil. That way they had a guide.

I put some shaving cream on a paper plate & then I just eyeballed the glue. No measurement...SORRY! I gave them each a paintbrush {you could also just use your fingers}. They giggled the whole time that they made it.

Once they were finished "painting"...we got out some little felt scarves, a hat, some buttons, an orange paper carrot, paper "twig" arms, & some google eyes to decorate the snowman. The boys LOVED this part too. It was fun to see how they set up their snowmen.

Martin Luther King Day

2010-01-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my five year old started asking questions about how we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I really didn't know what to say to him. We explained bits of his story, but little man wanted to do something for the day. So, naturally....I hit the internet trying to find a craft that would work. It made me think about how some holidays we celebrate & make a big deal about & others are just a day out of school.

I found a Biography of Martin Luther King Jr. on Kaboose. They also have some other activities too. Activity Village has some coloring pages. We colored this coloring page. During my search...I found a Hand print Unity Wreath. You can find it at Handprint & Footprint Art. So, talk to your little ones & do an activity to help it stick! Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Muffin Tin Monday...No Theme

2010-01-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today's Muffin Tin Monday didn't have a theme, but we decided to change that up. We decided to do a dinosaur theme so that it would go with these fun cookies. The recipe is at the link. Here they are making their cookies. They loved it & did a great job.

We had:

Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets & Lava {ketchup}
Quicksand {apple sauce}, Fossils {shortbread cookies}, Dino DooDoo {raisins}

**and they ate their ENTIRE meal. It must have been a hit!

Check out other Muffin Tin Meals here!

Love Notes

2010-01-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have seen these cute little mailboxes popping up all over the blogging world. I love them!!! Last week, for family night {Family Home Evening} we talked about loving our family & different ways that we can show that we love them. The little mailboxes tied in PERFECTLY. I bought mine at Target in the dollar section. Michael's also had some, but they were around $4.00. We decorated them with paper & stickers. At the end of the lesson, we challenged everyone to do AT LEAST one thing of love for the mailboxes. Sometimes you get a treat, other times it is a note, & sometimes it a hand drawn picture. The boys have REALLY gotten into it. Kaden {who loves to write} makes everyone cute little notes. It has been a great focus for our family this week!

Prayer Board

2010-01-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

We have great intentions in our house to say our prayers every night, but sometimes..we forget. We talked about making prayer rocks, but rocks are hard to find under a couple of FEET of snow. So, Daddy came up with another great idea for a project to do together as a family that will help us remember each night to say our prayers. We also added a little something extra to help us out in the morning to make our beds. I will explain it in a minute, but here is what we made:

I took the boys to Walmart & we bought some small little wood plaques {$.97 each}. I let the boys pick any color that they wanted to paint their plaque. I don't have a vinyl machine or a cricut..so I just found some coordinating paper & printed out what I wanted. On one side it says "Did you PRAY???" & on the other side it says "Make your bed!".

We painted the edges of the boards & then Mod Podged the paper on {top & bottom}. We sanded them down a bit & then Walla! a prayer board to remind us each night to pray. You will put your prayer board on {or under} your pillow to remind you to pray. Afterwards...you will flip it over & put it on the floor. So, when you get out of bed & step onto your board...it will remind you to make your bed & then you put your board back on your pillow.

Muffin Tin Monday...NO THEME!!!

2010-01-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

Hooray!! Today is Muffin Tin Monday...& I actually remembered this week!! What a slacker I have been. But, today was a good day & my mind was ACTUALLY working with me today! Today's MTM we went with a "brinner" theme. We ♥ "brinner" {breakfast for dinner}. Daddy even got involved tonight & set up their muffin tins. Here is what we ate:

Toast, eggs, hashbrowns, & bacon

The boys had multiple helpings & loved every minute. My favorite thing about tonight's dinner was watching Kaden make his dinner into a sandwich...it was so cute!

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome 2010! We had a great night last night! The boys stayed up to ring in the New Year! It was a fun night filled with movies, yummy food, & great family! I hope that you all had an amazing time ringing in the new year! The boys loved their shakers & the traditional banging pots & pans. We also took pictures in front of our "2010" banner. I think that the year banner will be a new tradition to take pictures by. Thanks for all of your support & for reading & commenting. I appreciate all of you & am so grateful for my readers! Happy New Year!!!

Another Lemonade Stand Award

2009-12-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

This morning, I received another Lemonade Stand award. Thank you so much The Shafer Family! You are so sweet! I don't know how to thank you! You have all made my week!!! I feel so LOVED!!!

{In case you forgot}
Here's what it means:

The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude. The rules for accepting this award:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Here are my picks! I can't believe that I was able to come up with another 10 blogs!!! There are so many fabulous blogs out there & I find ALL of you inspiring!!!

Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Oops, I Craft My Pants
A Feathered Nest
Controlling My Chaos
Domestic Fashionista
Poppies at Play
Cupkateer
Trey & Lucy
Somewhat Simple
Summertime Designs

Check them out!

2010 Banner

2009-12-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a banner for New Year's Eve with the boys. I considered a "Happy New Year" banner, but thought that the boys would lose interest & not really get it. Instead...we went with "2010". You could use felt, but we just used good old cardstock! I don't have a cricut...so I just printed out some numbers...we cut them out...glued them onto the banner triangles. Then I strung the triangles onto some ribbon. This is just for display...we plan on hanging it up on the fireplace at my parents' house, but this works for now!

Ribbon Spool Shakers

2009-12-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have two sick little guys {with colds} but my baby {3} get pneumonia very easy. We are staying in for most of the week & it is harder on the kiddos because today is a SNOW DAY!!! I wanted to find something fun for them to make {with stuff I already had}. I came across this great New Year's shaker from Family Fun. Here is what you need:

paint
paint brush
stickers
ribbon spools
tape (masking--NOT PACKING)
dry peas, beans, or rice

Cover one hole of your spool. You will need the other hole to put your dry peas in.

Pour some DRY peas (DRY beans or DRY rice) into the open hole of your spool. Just enough to make some noise...not FULL!! If your spool doesn't have a hole..use a pencil to make a hole big enough to put the peas in.

Cover the other open hole in the spool with your tape (or a sticker like we used).

Paint your spools. Top, bottom, & the sides.

Let them dry.

Set the kiddos loose putting stickers all over the painted ribbon spool. This was probably their favorite part.

Ta-Da!!! The boys are so excited to use these tomorrow night! I'm so glad that we sat down to make these!

The Lemonade Stand Award!

2009-12-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks Momma's Playground for giving me my very first award...the Lemonade Stand Award! You are awesome Jamie!

The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude. There are just a few rules for accepting this wonderful award:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I would like to pass the award along to all of these amazing blogs! Thanks for the inspiration!

The Masked Mommy
Fun Days with Mommy & Maddie
The Idea Room
Moments of Mommyhood
Naptime Journal
My Forever My Family
seven-thirty-three
Mother Is Not Concerned
The Activity Mom
Giggles Galore

Make a Time Capsule

2009-12-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I was looking up some fun things to do for New Year's Eve & came across a really cute idea {thanks Family Fun}. Have your child write a time capsule letter. They can write about the things that they like this year {food, toys, animals, color} & make predictions for next year {how tall they will be}. I also think that a good thing to put in the letter is their New Year's Resolution. Help them think of a goal that they want to work on this year. Then, you seal up the letter & keep it in a safe place {like with your holiday decorations}. On New Year's Eve next year...let them open their letters. It will be a fun little activity that you can keep doing from year to year. I can't wait to do this with my 5 year old who loves to write.