Our Bee Birthday Party

My little E just turned one!!  As I was making her first birthday plans I found the internet invaluable in finding ideas to complete the Bee theme I wanted, so I'm sharing my party in hopes that it will help someone else out there!

This is our birthday invitation. 

I used everything black, white, and yellow.  It made it easier to pull it all together!

Lots of black and yellow candy: lemon drops, black licorice, lemon heads, salt water taffy, etc. 

Loved my birthday banner!

Chocolate cake with yellow frosting and bee cupcake toppers.    I also made water bottle labels for our water bottles, which was my favorite decoration/party treat!  I just googled water bottle template and personalized it with "Happy Bee-Day" along with E's birthdate.

This is the room halfway done, I forgot to take one when it was all finished.  I made the little black puffy balls hanging from the lights (another Pinterest find) and I found the polka dot balloons at Walmart.

My happy little birthday bee!  I found her shirt at The Children's Place and it says Queen Bee on the front.  Perfect!

I also made little bee antennae out of black headbands and pipe cleaners for everyone to wear instead of party hats, but E wouldn't wear hers.  On the party menu we had Creamy Chicken Taquitos, chips with fresh homemade salsa, sweet and sour meatballs, Jalepeno jelly and crackers, Brazilian lemonade, and a Chocolate Eclair cake!  It was a delicious, and successful, first birthday party!  I'm no party diva, but hopefully this sparks your creativity and will help you create the perfect party for someone!  Happy planning!

Notebooks

I have a friend who is the Mom of three boys, one of them is a teenager and the other two are "tweens".  She told me a tradition that she has started with her boys to help keep the communication going between them and I thought it was so good I'd pass it along.  She bought three notebooks, one for each boy, and wrote a letter in the front of each notebook telling them that their new notebook was for them to be able to ask her any question they had and for her to be able to do the same.  They would write their question on a new page in their notebook and then leave it on her bed.  She would then write her answer to that question and write a question of her own for them to answer and then return it to their bed to be answered.  She said it has worked really well so far and has received some really cool question like "Why did you want to go back to school?" and she has received some nice answers to some of her questions.  I love this idea because it takes the "face-to-face" nervousness out of the equation and still keeps the conversation open.  I taught Jr. High for seven years and one thing I learned about teenagers is they don't want to look you in the eye and talk about something they are uneasy or unsure or embarrassed about.  I advised the cheerleaders at my school for 5 years and I used to do a similar thing where I gave them each a notebook as a "venting"space where they could write their concerns and problems and dislikes and even ask me questions in it if they wanted to...with the promise that I would only read what they asked me to and nothing else.  It was a great outlet for them and gave them a healthy way to let off steam...much better than cutting themselves or other crazy ideas teenagers think will help them feel better.  I loved receiving questions from them (which surprisingly happened a lot) and I loved having time to think about my answer and give them the best advise I could come up with.  It also kept me up to date on the underground things going on in the squad and in their lives.  Writing in their notebook was optional, but I rarely had a girl who didn't use it or love it!  My same friend who gave me the mommy/son notebook idea also says she loves to walk the dog with her boys because they seem to tell her a lot more when they are "side to side" as opposed to across from each other.  Communication with teenagers is so important, and so hard, that any ideas or solutions that work is worth their weight in gold!  I'm glad to have friends who share great ideas before I am the parent of teenagers so I am armed and ready to make it a good time for all of us!

First Day of School Idea

This is another idea I got from Pinterest that I absolutely love!  Take a picture of your child on the first day of school or at the beginning of the school year (most of us do that anyway) and then write their favorite things down to go with the picture.  I used Photoshop to put it directly on the photo, but you could also put the picture and the list next to each other in a photo album or scrapbook.  I have to say it was pretty fun to sit down with my little guy and "interview" him on his favorites.  It made me laugh at some of the things he said because I was surprised with some of his answers (like Tarzan, I think he's only seen it a few times).  I think it will be a fun tradition to do every year or even on the first day of school and on the last day of school to see how they've grown and changed in one school year.  When I was in fifth grade we put together a first day of school "time capsule" where we put a picture of us on the first day, a list of things that happened to us on the first day, and our fifth grade favorites and put them in a sack that we opened up on the last day of school.  I remember laughing at how much I had "grown up" and changed.  I think we might start a similar tradition in our family where we put some of our favorite memories of the summer, winter goals, pictures, family favorites, etc. and then open it up on the last day of school or first day of summer vacation.  I think it will be good for all of us to see if we reached our goals and also have a good laugh at how fun last summer was and how much we've all changed.  I'll post a picture of it when we get it done.  Until then, have fun putting together your children's "favorites".  It will be a memory they will love looking at for years to come!

Shower Curtain City Play Mat

I got this fabulous idea from Pinterest, my new time-wasting obsession!  You take a plastic shower curtain (I got mine for $2 at Walmart, but I've even seen them at the dollar store) and draw in roads, houses, etc. with a permanent marker.  The kids can color  the map when you are done (we used wet-erase markers to do the coloring, but colored Sharpies work too...I just don't trust my son with anything permanent).  

I wasn't even half-way done with the road before my little guy was lining his cars up along the road.  We also used his blocks to build trees and bridges, and other fun things.  He helped me decide what to draw on our map and we ended up with a park, a school, a construction zone (for all his work trucks), a zoo, a library, a church, a farm, and a shopping center.  It turned into an all day activity that my son LOVED!!  I have to admit I liked it too!  He asks almost every day if we can pull it out again.  My only word of advice is to not use a super shiny shower curtain like we did, the permanent marker tends to rub off a little and we had a few dark marks on our pants.  Other than that, it was a blast.  Another tip, to make your roads evenly spaced, tape two markers around a bottle so they stay evenly apart as you draw (see a picture here).  I didn't have two markers, so my roads are a little wobbly, but that didn't seem to bother my son.  You can get even more ideas on what to draw or add to your town HERE or HERE.  The second website shows a map with printed off signs like Target and In & Out.  So cute!  

And you don't have to only do a road.  My brilliant mom came up with the idea of drawing a big "doll" house with all the floors and then drawing in all the rooms and furniture.  It would be a perfect place for Barbies or Polly Pockets to play.  Or you could do a Castle the same way and play with the Disney princesses.  Or you could draw a castle landscape and play Dungeons and Dragons.  Or you could draw the Endor Moon and play Star Wars or any other action figure landscape.  Or you could trace the outline of your child's body and let them color in their hair and clothes.  You could even use dry erase markers so they could do this over and over...but that may be a little tricky with younger kids.  My mom and I came up with all these ideas in just a couple of minutes, but truly the possibilities are endless!  And to think so much fun can cost $2 or less!!  

Love & Logic

I just finished reading this book, which is the first on a long list of parenting books I want to read.  When I was teaching Junior High I would say my classroom discipline was set up along the guidelines of Love and Logic, and it worked great with the teenagers I taught.  What teenager doesn't want to feel like they have control?  So I've been wanting to read the "parenting" love and logic book to glean ideas specifically for my new role as Mommy. I really enjoyed reading it.  I think with all books like this one you have to build your own personality and family around the framework the authors describe, but I definitely gained a few insights I plan on using, such as:

• If you can't change the behavior, change the location.  For example, if your children are acting terrible at the table during dinner you can give them the choice to eat nicely at the table or play quietly on the floor.  Or if they are doing something obnoxious calmly tell them they can stop when they are around you or they may continue doing that in their room.  I love this because you are not controlling their behavior, just the location they are doing it in.  What a way to bypass a power struggle!
• Focus on the things you can control.  The example the authors gave in the book was eating at a restaurant with your child and asking them to hurry and eat so you can leave.  You can't control how fast the child is eating, but you can control when the car is leaving so you say "The car is leaving in 5 minutes.  You can leave with us full or you can leave with us hungry."  I love this because then they have to think about what they want and not how much they hate you because you are making them do things.  
• Use thinking words instead of commands.  I do a lot of this already because that's how I taught in my classroom (teenagers do not respond well to commands), but it was nice to get some ideas specifically to parenting.  An example they give in the book is instead of ordering children to put on their coat you can ask "would you like to wear your coat or carry it."  There is a whole chart in the back of the book with ideas for this concept such as: Instead of "Sit down.  We are going to eat." you say "We will eat as soon as you are seated."  Or instead of "Don't shout at me." you can say "I listen to people who do not yell at me."  I have a friend that does this with her boys, it's hilarious.  When she wants them to clean their rooms, instead of ordering them around she says "I'll be happy to take you to karate as soon as your room is clean" then she sits down on the couch with a book or whatever else she was doing and waits.  She says it works every time.
• Use the natural consequence to teach appropriate behavior.  For example: let them be cold if they refuse to put on their coat.  Or my personal favorite, if they don't eat their dinner and want to get up from the table say to them "sure, but I hope you ate enough to last you till your next meal."  The hard part about this rule is sticking with it.  It is so hard as a mom to watch your child be hungry all night when they have to wait until breakfast to eat.  But I guarantee it will make a lasting impression.  The book has lots of good ideas for this concept!

I also like that they point out in the book that these principles take a lot of practice and that your children are still going to fight you and throw tantrums but if you stick with it they will work.  There are lots more good ideas in here (the whole second half contains "pearls" that give you real life scenarios and how to deal with them the "love and logic" way) and I recommend the book to any parent, especially if you want ideas on how to eliminate the power struggle.  I will say that in following the authors' principles you have to have a little patience and be willing to give up some of your control.  And you might have to watch them suffer a natural consequence.    But it is good stuff and I've already started to use these ideas on my challenging three-year-old...and anything that can help tame that cute little monster gets two thumbs up from me!

Smartphone?

Do your kids say cute things or do cute things and you think to yourself "I've got to write this down so I won't forget it?" and then never find the time to write it down?  That is me about every day!  Well, luckily for us we live in the age of technology so why not use it to help us journal!  Here's an idea: if you have a Smartphone or iPhone, pull it out (assuming you've actually put it away) when they say and do those cute things and send an email  to yourself with the name of the said child (or children) in the subject line.  You can make this email as quick as you want (maybe just a few words to jog a memory) and add details later.  You can easily find the emails later by doing a quick search of the child's name.  Sadly, I don't have a Smartphone or an iPhone so maybe I'll have to resort to sending a text to myself or something.  But I love finding quick ways to record those happy memories so that I can refer to them when my little monster is laying on the floor at Walmart screaming because I won't buy him some M&Ms.  Hope this idea helps you!

Gratitude

I think one of the best daily survival tips, regardless of where you are in your life, is to take a moment each day and be grateful for something.  In fact, gratitude is the perfect antidote to pride, bad attitudes, awful moods, selfish moments, and almost every other negative emotion.  In one of my most favorite talks on Gratitude, President Thomas S. Monson says "We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude"  One of the may ways we can develop this "attitude of gratitude" is spend time each day writing down a few things in which we are grateful.  Oprah Winfrey says "Every night list 5 things you are grateful for.  What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life."  I know of a few people who do this in a gratitude journal.  I have just stumbled on one of the COOLEST websites that focus exactly on that...helping you keep a gratitude journal.  The website is called Happy Rambles.  Happy Rambles asks you to create a free account where you enter your name and email address.  Then every night it sends you an email asking you the simple question "What are you grateful for today?"  All you do is hit reply and type your answer.  You can do it in list form or in a paragraph and you can even attach a picture.  They then take your answer and store it in your private "journal" which you can access anytime.  They also provide options to change the time of day you receive your email or how many days of the week they will send you the email if you want it less than seven.  They even have tips and the option to print or email your journal entries!  It is so cool and so easy.  I've only been signed up for a few days and already I love it!!  But, no matter how you find ways to be grateful, that attitude of gratitude will improve even the worst of days, guaranteed!!!

What Matters Most

In a previous post I mentioned the benefits of sensory play and how a baby is born ready to learn through their senses.  Well, my baby loves to use her sense of touch to make messes...so sometimes I find myself limiting those fabulous learning opportunities so I don't have to clean up the mess!  A little while ago she was having an extra grouchy day so I decided to let her go hog wild in a bowl of water.  She LOVED every second of it, soaked her clothes and the floor and everything else within a 2 foot radius, and her pure joy made the little bit of extra clean-up totally worth it!

I read an article in the Deseret News the other day about a mom who hid all her play dough in the far, dark corner of her garage and cringed any time her children asked to pull it out.  It made a mess and all the colors got messed up and she simply hated it.  But, after dragging it out for her youngest son and spending a glee filled morning playing with him, she realized that you don't have to love all the activities you do with your kids.  You just have to love your kids and enjoy the relationship you build with them when you do the things you don't particularly love, that's what being a mom is all about.  As I read that article, I thought of my soaking wet baby and all the happiness she had while making a huge mess and I smiled in agreement.  You don't have to love it all, you just have to love what matters most.   

The Entitlement Trap

What's wrong with the world today?  This is a question often asked by parents, teachers, political figures, prominent stars, world leaders, and pretty much anyone with an opinion and yet finding answers and solutions to this question seem to evade us.  I believe that much of the mishap found today is a result of the breakdown of families and the lack of values being taught to children in their homes.  I love campaigns that encourage family time such as nightly family dinners, parent/child reading time, and even family game nights.  Richard and Linda Eyre is a couple dedicated to helping parents teach their children values in their home.  They have just written a new book called The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership in which they "invite you to join them in the cause to stem the tide of entitlement that is causing so many problems in today’s world."  Sounds pretty good doesn't it?  I have looked at the Eyres' Values website many times and I'm sure this new book will be just good!  The best part about this book is you can PRE-ORDER it at a discount and receive it the day it hits the book stores!!!  Plus, if you pre-order it you will be entered into a FABULOUS GIVEAWAY!  Isn't that great!!  A discounted book that will help you be a better parent and a chance to win a fabulous prize!!  Just CLICK HERE to pre-order and get more information about the giveaway!  If you'd like a little more information you can watch the Eyres' webinar, offered by the Power of Moms, in which they talk more specifically about the entitlement trap we are facing... CLICK HERE to watch it.  I found the webinar very informative and it makes me even more excited to get the book!!      

Avast Ye Dinner Ye Scurvy Rats!

I've always been pretty lucky when it comes to meal time, my little guy would try about anything and usually like it.  But lately he has developed the picky gene and getting him to eat even the stuff he usually likes is a challenge.  Of course we have to result to losing bedtime snacks and other such punishments when he doesn't eat his dinner, but adding a little excitement to what we are eating also seems to help.  The other night I made wiener boats for dinner.  To make them a little more fun I added a sail to each "boat".  Zach loved them!  I thought next time I'd make it even more fun and turn it into a pirate-themed dinner and we could all speak pirate lingo.  Hey, anything to get the little ones to eat, right?

To make these little beauties all you have to do is split a hotdog in half, top it with mashed potatoes (I use instant) and cheese.  Then I cut up a red and orange pepper and skewed it with a shish kabob skewer and stuck into the middle of my creation.  I then inserted it into the oven until the hotdogs were heated through and the cheese was melted.  Voila, instant pirate dinner!

We did a double sail one just for fun!  Super easy, super fun!

Love Me, even though I'm not what you expected...

Sometimes surviving means letting the less important things go, which in my case is my blog.  But I think about it all the time and once I get some more time I've got lots of fun things to post!!  I just read one of the most incredible story...blog actually...and I thought I'd share it with you!  I promise reading it will change your life and help your appreciation for your little ones grow!! Click HERE to read the story!

Little Kids, Little Problems

I know it has been  a loooong time since I've posted anything new, life has gotten even more crazy than I could possibly have imagined.  Plus, I've been out of town for over a week which makes it a lot more difficult to update the blog.  However, while out of town, a friend of mine sent me a link to a fabulous website called The Power of Moms.  It is all about developing and strengthening the mom within...and I have fallen in love with the information on the website already.  Part of the website has stories and articles by real life moms and insights they have gained while trying to survive motherhood!  I just read the newest article about a mom who was always told "little kids, little problems" and thought those who told her that were crazy.  Older kids meant lots of little bonuses (like sleeping through the night and being at school all day) that didn't happen with little children.  And then she had older kids and learned the challenges don't end at all, they just change.  The author/mom ends her article with this little bit of wisdom: "...the sooner we can choose happiness and gratitude amidst the demands and challenges of motherhood, the better off we’ll be."  It is a great article and if you would like to read it, CLICK HERE!  And if you have time, check out some of the other amazing parts of the website, it will definitely give you the strength to keep fighting those sweet, little monsters!!

Baby Painting

So far most of the things I have posted on here are for older monsters, but I know monsters come in all ages, so if you have a baby/toddler then this post is for you!  When my three-year-old was younger I was always looking for fun, un-messy activities he could do.  I saw this on the Family Fun website and thought it was such a good idea (I actually used their picture because it was soooo cute).  All you do is give your toddler a cup of water and some paint brushes and let them paint designs in the residual chalk dust on a chalk board.  If you don't have a chalk board, you could buy some chalkboard spray paint (found in most craft stores now) and spray an old scrap piece of wood or even a large piece of cardboard, lay it against the side of your house and let the little ones make a big wet mess!  Even my three-year-old would like it.  For some added education, you can have your emerging writers use a wet sponge to write letters you randomly call out on the chalkboard.  The big sponge is easier to manipulate than a small pencil and may help children who struggle writing due to poor small motor skills.  Endless possibilities are wrapped up in this idea, but most of all it is fun!!!  Happy "painting"!

Not Just For the Face

What's better to play with than ooey, gooey, foamy shaving cream?  For a three-year-old, there isn't much else that tops it!  When I taught school I would occasional spray this on the desks for my students to play in and when we were done I would have bright shiny clean desks!  I decided one day when searching for something fun for my son to do that he'd probably love it too!  It was a fantastic sensory play activity.  He rubbed it through his fingers, painted shapes all through it on the counter, commented on how it smelled and was amazed how it disappeared when he rubbed it in his hands.  We had a great time!  I would highly recommend it!  BE WARNED: this will take the paint/finish off wooden objects!  So, stick with hard surfaces.  And makes sure you are close by to ensure no one tries to eat it!  If shaving cream makes you nervous, you can put baby lotion on a piece of aluminum foil and you get a similar affect!  Now, go get messy with your fingers!

Cupcakes

One of my strategies for surviving my three-year-old monster is to have creative one-on-one time with him every day.  He looks forward to it, we both feel like we've accomplished something by the time we're done, and we usually have something to "show-off" for dad when he gets home.  It's worked out pretty well so far.  Right now my little guy is OBSESSED with holidays, especially birthdays.  He wants to celebrate someone's birthday everyday!!  On one particular day he asked if we could make cupcakes.  For some reason I said we could, but later.  He never forgot and hounded me about it for DAYS!  So finally I sucked it up and prepared to make cupcakes with a three-year-old...and let me just say it turned out to be one of the BEST activities we've done so far!  There were lots of little things he could help with, like lining the muffin trays and dumping in dry ingredients.  He loved watching me mix the batter and pour it into the cupcake liners and he was absolutely AMAZED by how the batter turned into "circles".  He loved licking the beaters we used to make the frosting (when we were all done, of course...though we had a few close calls while we in the process of mixing) and he LOVED putting on the sprinkles.  I would frost and he would add the sprinkles and I was totally impressed at how well he did.  I didn't put one sprinkle on!  After we were all done we picked someone in the neighborhood to share our cupcakes with and he proudly handed them over to the lucky recipients later that evening.  They gave him wonderful, glowing praise and he ended the day as one happy little monster...I mean boy.  I really am still amazed at how well it all went.  So, if you have a birthday coming up, or you just want something fun to do with the kids, this may be the one for you!!  Happy baking!

More Fabulous Organizing Tips

I watched this segment the other day and thought it had SO many good ideas that it needed to be passed on!  I especially love the ideas to reuse baby wipes containers and baby food containers (storing nails in them is genius!!).  I also love how she labels everything!!  I'm totally addicted to my label maker and love to find new places to use it!  This segment also has ideas for storing hair bows, cleaning the junk drawer (they use a muffin tin, I love it!), and even different ways to use hangers.  You really have to watch:

If you want to read more great ideas from this segment, CLiCK HERE!  Or you can check out Kelly Pratt's website by clicking HERE.  Happy organizing!

Calling in the troops...

Being a mom is tough.  Some days you do okay and you go to bed feeling successful.  Some days you don't do so hot and you go to bed grateful that you can try again tomorrow.  And then there are the truly terrible days and you go to bed praying your kids turn out okay despite having you as their mother.  No matter where you find yourself on the motherhood spectrum, it is nice to know there are wise women who you can turn to for help.  One of my favorite blog finds is just one of those women.  Her name is Jane and she is a mother of eleven children!  Her blog, Asking Jane, is dedicated to answering questions of desperate moms who need a little help and encouragement when life is down.  I love this blog, I read it all the time and it is brilliant.  Her ideas and wisdom are truly uplifting and give me strength and motivation...I mean if she can survive eleven monsters I can definitely survive two.  I read her most recent post the other day, which was her advice to a mom struggling with a difficult two-year-old.  The end of her letter was so amazing it made me a little teary-eyed.  This is what she said:
"Recognize that this is the child that is going to teach you all the attributes of godliness—patience, long-suffering, gentleness, charity. This is the child that is going to force you to seek help—to search ponder and pray. You’ve been wanting to put more of that into your life, right? Now you have a purpose! This is the child that is going to refine and change you. This is the child that is going to grow up and remember the many ways that you loved her."
Isn't that fabulous?  I just absolutely love that advice!  It is a reminder that even on our toughest days we can love our children and make a difference in their lives as well as our own.  And it is motivation to work hard and keep trying no matter how hard it gets.  Jane has much more fantastic advice and I recommend her blog to any mom, grandma, aunt, dad, or anyone else who interacts with children!  Just think of it as calling in the troops...or at least a brilliant, strategic Captain!   

Happiness

I was watching TV a few afternoons ago and saw a great piece on Happiness featured on The Nate Show. The guest, Gretchen Rubin, decided to spend a year putting happiness techniques to the test and when the year was over wrote a book about what she experienced.  The book, The Happiness Project, is a #1 New York Times and international best seller.  She also has a popular blog at www.happiness-project.com.  In the segment I watched, Gretchen helped a working mom try to find more happiness in her life by doing little things like getting all dressed and ready each morning and listening to the radio in her car.  It seems too easy, but the mom receiving help said she really felt better and was going to keep it up.  I think that is the secret right there:  small, little things really can make you happier!  Gretchen also gave 6 tips to instantly improve your mood on Nate's website.  I loved the ideas so much that I'm posting them here (FYI: the stuff in purple are my thoughts, not Gretchen's, I just wanted to add my own two-cents):

Learn six ways to instantly improve your mood from the author of "The Happiness Project," Gretchen Rubin.

If you're having an exceptionally lousy day, or month, or year, consider these six strategies to boost your mood right now. In the next thirty minutes, check off as many of the following items as you can.

1. Boost your Energy
Stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information.  (Whenever I'm having a hard day, I always go sit in the sun.  Even a few moments of quiet in the sun makes my day seem much better.  And if I can work a walk in, my day soars!)

2. Reach Out to Friends
Make a lunch date or send an email to a friend. Having warm, close bonds with other people is the key to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.  (Talking for women releases chemicals in our brains that give us a natural high and relaxes us, similar to those released during breast feed.  No wonder girls need to talk so much!) 

3. Rid Yourself of a Nagging Task
Answer a difficult email, do an errand you’ve been putting off, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and relief.

4. Create a Calmer Environment
Clear some physical and mental space around yourself by sorting papers, pitching junk, cleaning a closet, stowing supplies, sending out quick email responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. And always make your bed in the morning! For most people, outer order contributes to inner peace.  (Let me just tell a little story about this one: After having my first baby and quitting my job, I suffered from a terrible bout of baby blues.  One day my sister stopped by to see me and asked me why my bed wasn't made.  I grumbled something about why does it matter, I just climb in and get it messy again at bedtime.  She looked me in my eyes and told me that if I would make an effort to make my bed every morning I would feel better and even whistle through the day.  So, I started making my bed every day and it actually worked.  I felt (and continue to feel) much better, I'm happier when I walk into my room, and if life gets in the way and I don't get anything done during the day that I wanted to I can at least say I got my bed made!)

5. Lay the Groundwork for some Future Fun
Order a book you’ve been wanting to read (not something you think you should read) or plan an excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater — whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; research shows that people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.  (I totally agree with the anticipation comment here, I'm always happier when I have something to look forward to!  After reading this, I got on my library's website and put Gretchen's book on hold.  Now I have a book that I really want to read to look forward to, and I'm pretty happy about that!)

6. Live Your Values
Do you think organ donation is a good idea? Sign up online to be one yourself; it takes less than a minute — and tell your family. Worried about climate change? Refill your water bottle from the tap instead of buying a couple of bottles throughout the day. We're happier when our lives reflect our values.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal. To the contrary. Studies show that happier people are more sociable, likable, healthy, and productive — and they’re more inclined to help other people, give away money, and volunteer. When we're happy, we have the emotional wherewithal to think about others. So in working to boost your own happiness, you’re benefiting others as well. Be selfish, if only for selfless reasons!

If you'd like to watch the segment yourself, you can CLICK HERE. 

The Grouchy Ladybug

Right now my three-year-old has an obsession with time.  He wear's a little monkey watch everywhere he goes (he even sleeps in it) and is constantly "telling" time.  Being a boy, he loves to "fight" and he loves bugs.  He has recently developed a grouchy side that is tough to deal with when it rears its ugly head.  It is for all these reasons that I checked out the book The Grouchy Ladybug from the library.  The Grouchy Ladybug is a story about a ladybug who arrives at a leaf full of aphids at 5 a.m. only to meet a nice ladybug who wants to eat the same aphids.  After offering to share, the nice ladybug is challenged to a fight by the grouchy one.  When the nice ladybug agrees, the grouchy ladybug backs off and decides to find "someone bigger" to fight instead.  The rest of the story follows the grouchy ladybug as she meets, and challenges, various animals to a fight.  It is a very cute story and my son LOVED it.  Not to mention that it is an Eric Carle book (The Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear) so the pictures are wonderful!  It is a great book to teach about time (especially reading a clock) and about feelings.  I also like how it led to a discussion about "sharing" with my three-year-old, something he continues to struggle with when people come to our house.   While I was looking for a picture of the book online I found a cool website that gives lots of activities, art projects, lesson plans etc. that you could do along with the book.  It also has packets you can download as well as links to color pages and other cool stuff.  You can CLICK HERE if you want to check it out.  So if you want a great read with fantastic illustrations and a great message for kids of all ages then  The Grouchy Ladybug is definitely for you! 

Playdough

One of the best Sensory Play activities is Playdough!!  It is easy to find, or make, and it is easy to use!  It is also a great workout for the hand and finger muscles, also known as Fine Motor Skills!  It also opens the door to so much imaginative play and keeps kids entertained for a long time!  Zach, my three-year-old, LOVES when I pull out the Playdough!  I keep it in a plastic shoe box along with plastic knives, forks, spoons, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and anything else I think would be fun to manipulate the dough with.  I found really cool animal cookie cutters (pictured above) at IKEA.  I've also picked up old cookie cutters at Deseret Industries (a local thrift store) and other odds and ends for Zach to use.  Lately we've been using store-bought Playdough because it is cheap and easy to pick up when we run out.  Someone once told me if you think of Playdough as a one-time use it is less stressful.  Though we usually use it more than once, thinking that way really does take the stress out, and if I have to throw it away I know I can pick up another container for around $1 at Walmart.  I've also heard the suggestion of putting an old blanket under the play area, and then when playtime is over you simply fold up the blanket and shake all the little crumbs off outside.  It definitely makes it a little easier to clean up that way.  Now, if you have a younger child who puts everything in his/her mouth, store bought playdough may not be for you.  Zach ate EVERYTHING for a very long time, so I made my own until he was almost three.  I found a great website , Playdough Recipes.org, that gives about 15 different recipes for making your own, including Jello Playdough, Pumpkin Pie Playdough, and even Gluten-Free Playdough.  If you want to make Peanut Butter Playdough, I like this recipe the best.    

Here is the recipe I use:

2 1/1 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1 T. alum

2 cups boiling water

2 T. vegetable oil

food coloring

Boil the water, vegetable oil an food coloring.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the dry ingredients until moist, then kneed.  Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

(If you don't want to use artificial food coloring, or you want to have fun experimenting along with your child, you can try these "natural" food coloring recipes.  I've done a few and they work okay.  I prefer regular food coloring though, it makes brighter colors!)

So, what are you waiting for?  Go get (or make) some playdough and have some old fashioned (and educational) fun with your kids!

Paint with Water

When my son Zach was much younger (about 15 or 16 months) I wanted to do something fun and creative with him that didn't involve too much mess.  Being that young, I was too scared to turn him loose with regular paint...not to mention that he tried to eat everything I gave him (including crayons)...so I had to get a little more creative.  While cleaning out a book shelf one day I found an old "Paint with Water" book I had when I was younger and realized I stumbled across the exact activity I'd been looking for!  So I tore out a few pages, gave one to Zach and one to my 23-month-old niece (who I used to babysit on a weekly basis) and had an instant success!  The kids were fascinated with the colors that "appeared" with their wet paint brush, and they loved painting water all over everything, not just the paper.  Yes, water got all over.  But I really didn't care, water is easy to clean up.  Yes, the kids got wet.  But what kids doesn't love playing in water and getting wet without Mom getting mad!  So, we made it a regular activity at our house and Zach still likes to paint in his books.  My only complaint is that these types of books are almost impossible to find (and I looked EVERYWHERE) so I have to order them off Amazon.  But, they continue to be worth it!  If you have a budding little artist, or if you just want a fun, creative (clean) outlet for your kids, than this may be the thing for you!

Goo!

I'm OBSESSED with alphabet books!  I love them, I collect them, and I'm always on the look out for new ones.  Last week at the library I found this one:

It is such a cute alphabet book with great "comic-book" illustrations!  My three-year-old son LOVED it and we've read it so much he has it pretty much memorized!  One of his favorite "heros" from the book is Goo Girl:

who, you can see by the picture, attacks villains with goo!  He was fascinated with the idea of goo, so I decided to make some.  I remember making slime in one of my Elementary Education classes, so I googled the recipe and we made us some goo!!  

It is REALLY easy and only uses Elmer's school glue, water, borax, and a little food coloring.  The glue and borax have a chemical reaction and a sort of polymer forms.  (I found a great video that show how to make it, if you want to watch CLICK HERE)  You can use white or clear school glue, we used white.  [My son really wanted red goo but unfortunately the white glue made the concoction pink.  Clear glue would have given us the red we wanted.  Oh well, maybe next time.  Just keep in mind the white glue will tint your goo when you make it.]  Zach was completely fascinated with the properties of the goo and loved pressing his hand print into the blob and watching it ooze away.  It looks messy, but I promise it is really clean and leaves no traces of goo on your hands while playing.  Goo isn't just for the little ones either.  I had family at my house yesterday and all the kids, especially the eight-year-old, couldn't keep their hands off the stuff.  It is also a great activity for kids who are into science and is a great way to introduce and explore science concepts.  And, of course, let's not forget what a fabulous sensory activity this is because it is so fun to explore with hands (lots of oozing).  If you want to add even more education, compare and contrast the Goo's properties with similar substances like play dough or silly putty.  Comparing and contrasting is one of the strongest teaching tools you can use to enhance learning and create connections of information in the brain!  So go get your Goo on!!   

Here's the recipe and instructions:

Mix 1/2 cup glue (about 1 bottle) with 1/2 cup water.  Add food coloring if you choose.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 tsp. Borax with 1 cup water.

Mix the two solutions together.  Pull out the "slime" and begin playing.  

*Don't worry about extra water in the bowl, you can just pour it down the sink.  Any mess can easily be cleaned up with water!

*One recipe I read suggested to just let the two mixtures sit for one minute with no mixing.  My goo ended up a little tough, I think from mixing it too much, so this may eliminate that problem!            

Dump Meals

It has been way too long since my last post, but I have been a very busy Momma battling the flu and nursing my two very sick little ones back to health!  But, things are starting to calm down and I am definitely ready to rejoin the world and I wanted to post something that has saved me the last couple of weeks...Dump Meals!  I got this idea from Hannah Keely, a mom coach and professional organizer who has a weekly show called Hannah Help Me.  She also has a fabulous website that has lots of great tips for Moms, including a whole bunch of quick and easy recipes...among which are Dump Meals.  What are Dump Meals?  They are recipes where you dump all the ingredients in a large ziploc baggie, smoosh everything around, and then cook by grill, crockpot, or oven.  Hannah recommends doing a few meals at a time and then freezing the ones you didn't use for another day...which is exactly what I did a few weeks before I got sick.  Since I rarely had time to make it to the store, and absolutely did not feel like cooking, it was sooooooo nice to just pull an already prepared meal out of the freezer, throw it in my crockpot, and have a tasty dinner for all of us.  My favorite part of Hannah's recipes is that you just throw the raw chicken breasts (or thighs or legs) into the bag and freeze...no pre-cooking!  This makes it a great way to use big family-size chicken packs that occasionally go on amazing sales and then sit unused in the freezer because when it is actually time to make dinner on a later day you remembered you forgot to pull out the chicken to let it defrost and have to resort to something else.  At least, that's how it is for me.  Did I mention no pre-cooking?!!  I especially love this part because the one thing I don't love about freezer meals in general is that, for me, it is really hard to find time to cook for the present let alone for the future.  Oh, and I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of the meals I made, but Hannah's website includes pictures with her recipes...so whether or not I've completely sold you or you are only a little curious  CLICK HERE to see some of Hannah's Dump Meals and I promise you will not be disappointed!!  P.S.  Right now Hannah has a free download of a cookbook on her Free Stuff page with fast, easy recipes that look delicious!  You may want to check it out!

Texture

I have been doing a lot of research about sensory play and have found a lot of fun activities to try with my three-year-old...along with a lot of benefits gained by using sensory play with children.  Sensory play is any activity where a child uses his senses (taste, touch, see, hear, smell) to learn and explore.  Children are wired to receive input through their senses from day one...which is why they usually dive in hands (or mouth) first when given a new activity or toy.  The senses are the most basic and familiar way to explore, process, and understand something new... not to mention that it is so much fun!  Plus, when children are asked to communicate what they are experiencing (this feels squishy, this feels cold, this smells spicy, this smells warm) they develop stronger language skills and reinforce the cognitive concept they are learning.  They also increase their ability to learn from their senses, making them more attuned to the environment around them!  A common sensory play activity is a sand/water table.  You rarely find a preschool or kindergarten room without one because Early Childhood Development specialists know how important sensory play is to young children.  So, as I mentioned above, I've been searching for a variety of activities to do with my three-year old and I found a lot of fun things to do with texture and the sense of touch.  Exploring different textures is a great way for children to learn so I created a make-shift texture table for my son using a large cookie sheet and a variety of dry staples from my cupboards.  I put rice, elbow macaroni, sunflower seeds, dry beans, and Golden Grahams in different cups (I used a set of stacking cups from IKEA, but measuring cups of different sizes would work too) and let Zach play!  

Zach loved dumping the different things back and forth from each cup and spreading them around on the cookie sheet.  I also gave him a few measuring spoons so he could scoop and stir too.  Zach also loved listening to the different sound each made as he poured them back and forth.  He played quietly for over 30 minutes, a record for Zach.

   

Besides learning about different textures, this activity introduces the concept of volume.  As Zach would pour a big container full of rice into a smaller one he realized it didn't fit, and vice versa a smaller cup could not fill a bigger one.  It's also easy to stimulate conversation with this activity, which helps promote language.  Some questions you could ask are "How does the macaroni feel different from the rice?" or simply "What does this feel like?"  If you want to focus on sound you could ask questions like "Which one sounds loudest when you dump it on the pan?"  If you wanted to reinforce the volume concept you could ask "Which cup empties fastest when poured at the same time?" or "How many spoons does it take to fill a big cup vs. a small one?"  Sensory play is really about them exploring on their own, so don't direct too much, but asking a few guided questions to get them on their way is a great way to model how to question and explore.   Better yet, play along side and ask yourself the questions out loud and then explore the answer and announce your discovery out loud.  Children will follow your lead and learn those inquiry skills by copying what you do.  Other things you can use in your texture table are dry split peas, popcorn kernels,  spiral macaroni, bow ties, or whatever dry ingredients you've got hanging around.  If you have a small child who likes to eat anything you put in front of them (Zach was almost 2 1/2 before he quit stuffing everything in his mouth) you could use edibles such as Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, Corn Flakes, Gerber Stars, etc.  What 2-year-old wouldn't love playing in all that cereal.  I have one caution...you may want to put a towel under the pan to help catch the items that don't make it back in the pan while all the pouring is going on...I swept up dry rice for about three days after we played.  But that was a small price to play for how much fun my three-year-old had playing in all that texture!!

What's For Dinner?

The all-time Mommy dilemma...what's for dinner?  There are many solutions to help solve the problem such as weekly menus, freezer meals, dinner groups, etc.  but no matter what you do to help you out the question is always looming...what are we eating for dinner?!  So, here's my answer, this is what we are having for dinner tonight:

 

It is a Southwestern Chicken medley that is so easy and soooooooo good!  You dump frozen corn, frozen chicken breasts, black beans, and a jar of salsa into the crockpot and let it cook to perfection all day!  It is yummy by itself, on rice, or in tortillas. If you would like the exact recipe, click here.  Another tip: when you cook in the crockpot use Reynolds Crockpot Liners!!  They make clean-up a breeze, I rarely use my crockpot without them!  And for more delicious recipes, check under the heading "What's for dinner?" on the right side of the blog.  I have listed some of my all time favorite food blogs that will hopefully help you out with any dinner dilemma!

Valentine's Day Sacks

I debated posting this because Valentine's Day is over, but finally thought it was still the month of love so why not.  If anything, you can file the idea away for next year or take it and change it to match another holiday.  This year to help us get into the Valentine spirit we decorated Valentine sacks to hang on our doors.

They were super easy to make!  We started with a regular paper sack (I had some white ones I picked up a while ago from the dollar section at Target, but brown sacks would work fine) and added to it hearts cut from construction paper, bling, ribbon, poms, flower cut outs, googly eyes, etc.  Basically any odds and ends that were lying around the house.  (I often pick up random craft supplies from the dollar store or dollar section at Target when I see it and then keep them on hand for activities like this and then my three year old can have plenty of variety).  We glued everything on with Elmer's school glue.  I put some in a cup and gave my son a Q-tip to spread the glue where he wanted it and he did a pretty good job!   

After we were finished decorating, we let the glue dry a bit and then stapled a strip of construction paper across the top to use as a door hanger.  We made sure we had a sack for everyone in the family, including Dad, and then we hung them on all the doors.   Our hallway looked pretty festive when we were all through!

I like to do the 14 days of Valentine's each year, so the sacks worked perfect as the place to leave everyone's daily treat.  The treats I do are just little, and if I feel really ambitious I add a little cheesy note like "You are the best Valentine, bar none" on a granola bar or "Valentine, you make my heart pop" with a bag of microwave popcorn.  Zach, my three year old, loved finding his treat everyday and so did my husband.  On Valentine's Day this year I left a clue, instead of a treat, that led my son on a Valentine's treasure hunt to find a special Valentine present.  We really had a good time and we were definitely into the Valentine spirit!   

Chores

I've read a lot of articles and watched a few experts say that assigning responsibilities to children in the home can build self esteem, it prevents "spoiling" and it makes them, in general, more responsible people.  I've also had a few moms tell me it helps their children feel important and needed, and that it is never too young to start.   So, needless to say, one of the things I've been wanting to do with my three year old is assign him some "chores" to do to help around the house.  He loves to sort things and I hate laundry, so I decided that having him help me put his clean clothes away was a great place to start.  I began by taking pictures of a few items of his clothes in each drawer.  Then I inserted those pictures into a word document and made little labels to put on the front of each drawer where the corresponding clothing items are kept. Finally, I cut them out and taped them to the front of the drawers so my son would know where the correct place to put everything was, and voila, I was ready to give my son his first chore.

It worked so well!!  I would fold the clothes and he would put them away.  He loves to sort things, so this was the perfect first job.  He loves to help mom and he feels super proud when he puts everything in the right place.  He even sorted his colored socks from his white ones without me telling him to, which was amazing.  I get part of my laundry done a little faster so I'm happy too.  And one other bonus I didn't count on was that it helps him get dressed in the morning because he knows where to find everything...and dad knows too so he can't get out of a job by playing dumb.  If this is something you want to try, but you don't want to make your own labels, click here and you will be taken to Hannah Keeley's website where you can print off some cute drawer labels complete and ready to be downloaded and printed off.  Hannah Keeley is a professional organizer (with her own show called Hannah Help Me) and her website is full of good ideas!  I do have one word of advice...I taped on my labels, which could mean damage to my dresser fronts one day.  If this is a problem for you, find an alternative way to put on the labels, like the sticky tac that teachers use or some other non-damaging substance.  Even if sorting laundry is not something you want your toddler doing, I still suggest finding a household job for your little ones to do!  My sister does more simple things like "it is your job to take the empty milk jugs out to the cooler when they are empty" or "it is your job to pick up all the shoes around the house before you go to bed."  Though simple, her girls just love their "chores" and take them very seriously.  It really does make children feel important when you give them a job and it eliminates something off the busy mom's to-do list.  It's definitely a win-win!