Celebrations

Well this week has been busy already and we haven't even got to Christmas yet! I celebrated my birthday this week and am now eagerly awaiting Christmas! I'll be taking a little break from blogging to concentrate on family, friends, and the birth of Christ!

If you feel like leaving me a little birthday present, feel free to leave a comment introducing yourself! I'd love to find out who is stopping by the blog!

Update on Swag Bucks

Just a quick update on how swag buck points accumulate. I mentioned this program last month in this post. I've been signed up with them for almost exactly one month and have just gotten to the $5 amazon gift card level. This is only accumulating points via their search bar tool with an occasional search maybe once or twice a day. I think I'll keep searching occasionally and save up for a bigger card gift card!

If you want to give it a try here's the link.

Be Inspired

- Lessons in potato stamping (for adults!)

- Homemade hostess gifts.

- Amy's favorite hot cocoa mix.

- Who would have ever thought of making homemade graham crackers?!

- Christmas card puzzle game.

- Do you love your job?

Christmas Postcards

It took me awhile to get this shot for our Christmas cards this year! Photographing a toddler is certainly it's own art form.

I'm planning on turning these into postcards using a technique similar to this. The plus to creating your own postcards is that they are cheaper than ordering them online and you can ship them for just a postcard stamp if you choose. The only change I'm making this time, is that the photos that I ordered have print stamped on the back of them, so I am pasting a pre-printed note to the back to cover up the ugliness! I'd better get to work on this so they arrive on time!

Visit Biblical Womanhood for more frugal ideas.

Brown Paper Boxes

Well I've been absent lately because I've been overwhelmed thinking about moving! My husband and I are in the process of selling our current home and buying another!

We are planning on moving in early February, just a little over a month before our next baby is due! My mind has been constantly drifting to this fact, thinking of all the things that will need to be done in the next few months.

Does anyone have advice for moving, especially when 8 months pregnant?! The plus side of this move will be that we will be remaining in our current town. We couldn't be happier and feel very blessed to have had our sale and purchasing go so quickly!

Leftover Pumpkin Experiment

Am I the only one who still had a pumpkin sitting around until this week?! It seems that most of the world has moved onto Christmas, while I'm still figuring out what to do with my Halloween and Thanksgiving pumpkin!

Here's what I came up with!

I followed Monica's advice and baked my pie pumpkin to perfection. My small pumpkin yielded 3 cups of pumpkin puree.

Then I followed Megan's recipe for pumpkin muffins! Delicious, frugal, and toddler approved! Make sure to check out Biblical Womanhood for more frugal ideas!

www.LetsSayThanks.com

Check out this site for a neat way to say THANKS to our soldiers! It doesn't cost you anything but a little bit of time! This is a great activity for families or children to do, especially during the Christmas season!

Feverishly Scrapbooking

Well I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I did enjoy the time with family and friends but missed out on the main Thanksgiving meal due to a stomach virus! I have come to expect being sick on the holidays, it seems to hit me every year. Here's hoping for an illness free Christmas this year!

Since recovering, I've been feverishly scrap booking my little guy's baby book. It was one of my goals to get his baby book completed before the next baby arrived! I decided to use Inkubook and create a book online as it was just not happening the old fashioned way. It was so easy to do and really didn't take me long to complete. I loved not having a mess of papers out to clean up and I also loved that I had a code for a free book!

I'll let you know how the finished product comes out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy some special time with your family. I won't be back for a few days as I'll be spending time with family and friends. I hope you have the chance to do the same!

Be Inspired

- Thanksgiving decor done cheaply!

- Embroidered hand prints - how darling!

- Yummy pumpkin muffins.

- A double milk shake that's good for you!

- A cute turkey craft.

- You still have time to get a free inkubook photo book!

Ice Cube Tray Lunch

"If your child is a fussy eater, try putting small bits of food in an ice cube tray. The creative approach makes meals more fun, and getting little amounts in each space may seem less overwhelming. Fruit bits, cheese cubes, pieces of cooked pasta, cereal, croutons, and cooked veggies all work well."

Tip from Pampers Parenting.

Busy Busy

Well I'm still here, but I've been too busy to blog the past couple of days. We our possibly selling our home and this morning had a city inspection of the property. So we've been pretty dedicated to getting things sparkly clean and in order around here for the past couple of days! And yes that is a challenge to do with a toddler under foot!

Now I'm off to make a meal for a friend who just had a baby.
Here's what I'm making: Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti with homemade bread and some veggies I got for free on sale!

Swagbucks

Have you heard of swagbucks? I hadn't either, until today, but I'm going to give it a try!

Swagbucks is a site that allows you to download a little toolbar to go with your Mozilla or Internet Explorer. If you search through the toolbar you can earn points that can be cashed in for gift cards (target, amazon, starbucks, etc.) or other merchandise. Since I frequently find myself searching for things online, I figured I might as well earn a little something while I'm at it!

It gets better because if you refer friends you earn points from their searches too.
Here's the link to sign up!

Teaching Cooperation

Here is an excellent expert that was shared in my church's parenting newsletter. I hope that it might be helpful to some of you!

"We all want cooperation from our children and many parents are disappointed when they don't get it, but do we take time to teach it? Cooperation involves give and take. As parents, we are more than willing to give, expecting that our children will give sometimes too. Unfortunately, some children don't know how to give; they only take. Any negotiation has to have something in it for the child or he won't work with you, and if he does agree to work, he'll do so with a bad attitude. That's not cooperation, that's coercion.If you have a child who doesn't know how to cooperate, maybe you need to use a technique we call, "Obey first and then we'll talk about it." This technique simply reverses the sequence of two important elements, discussion and responsiveness. A person who knows how to cooperate can be responsive and give in without necessarily having a personal benefit. The enjoyment of a pleasant relationship is the reward and sacrifice is a way to gain it.

Some parents try to talk their children into following instructions or have discussions to help them want to obey. These children often can't follow a simple instruction without a dialogue and grow up to make poor team members, difficult employees, and demanding friends.Some parents who see a need for their children to give, not just take, require obedience by saying, "Because I'm the parent, that's why." We believe that although these parents may have a handle on the problem, their solution is inadequate. We simply suggest that a child may need a period of time where following instructions comes before the discussion to foster the ability to give up one's agenda without always having to get something out of it.When Jenny is asked to get on her pajamas and responds with, "But I'm not tired," Mom may say, "Jenny, I'd like you to obey first and then we'll talk about it." After Jenny obeys, then a discussion about bedtime may take place. It's surprising though, how many children don't feel the need for a discussion afterwards. Dialogue for them was simply an attempt to delay or avoid obedience.

If your children are having trouble cooperating, try "Obey first and then we'll talk about it" for a while and you'll see a noticeable difference."

This parenting tip is taken from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Teaching the Fruits of the Spirit

Here's a cute and simple idea for teaching toddlers about the fruits of the spirit!

- Simply print pictures of different fruits and label with the different spiritual fruits. An additional activity is to make a small basket or bag to put the pictures into. A brown paper lunch bag cut in half works great! Toddlers will enjoy putting the pictures into the bag and then taking them out again. It will give you a chance to teach about the actual fruits and the fruits of the spirit!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good­ness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22

Older kids could practice putting the fruits in the correct order to memorize the verse.
Thanks to our church nursery staff for this cute idea!

Mommy Tip

Here is a mommy tip that really works for us!

I can not recall where I first found this tip, but it saves me so much time and effort! I pass the credit on to whichever brilliant mother thought of this first!

When your little one is going to a babysitter or the church nursery just slip a wide rubber band around the cup or bottle. Use a permanent marker to write their name or initials on the rubber band. You can use this rubber band over and over again, and you won't have to spend your time peeling tape and stickers off your cups and bottles!

I'm telling you, it is so worth the effort of finding a rubber band and sharpie! You'll be so pleased with it and so will the sitters and nursery workers!

Be Inspired

There are so many good ideas to be shared! Here's a few I discovered this past week!

- The 29 gifts challenge sounds like a great idea.

- 7 simple parent hacks (we follow #2 and #4.)

- Monica is so inspiring - she's making her home a haven.

- The best deals on holiday photo cards.

- Very cool cereal box mobiles.

- Chocolate chip banana bread is calling my name.

- Activities for traveling.

Crafts for Moms and Daughters

Do you have a little girl?

If so, you might like some of the ideas at Me and My Girl. Unfortunately, this blog isn't currently being updated, but it has many cute, crafty ideas in the archives!

Toys Worth Buying

Today at Rocks in My Dryer, Shannon is discussing what toys are actually worth buying!

Here are two of our current favorites:



Krinkle building sets - also known as Bristle blocks, great for toddlers and up. I imagine that these will be played with for many more years at our house.

Bathtub Crayons - these are such a hit at our house! They extend bath time and allow Mom to clean up the bathroom while the little guy is playing.




What are the favorites at your house?

Free Entertainment for Little Boys

On multiple occasions we've taken Luke (20 months) to see construction equipment and it has been a huge hit each and every time!

Of course, the best time was when he got to explore lots of equipment at his uncle's construction site, but even if it is just watching from a distance this is always a hit for us. Try it the next time you need a free activity!

Pumpkin Pizza Results

Here's how our pumpkin pizzas looked prior to baking! They were tasty and cute! Plus here's a picture of our little dinosaur enjoying his treat from Grandma - marshmallows!

Be Inspired

- Repurpose that Halloween candy!

- Getting your kids to eat veggies.

- What a neat leaf matching game.

- I think I'm going to follow these instructions and make pumpkin puree.

Our Favorite Things

Let me just tell you right now that Robeeze (or generic brand versions) are the best baby shoes out there! They slide right on with no effort but actually stay on feet! I am so grateful to family members who introduced me to these wonderful shoes! If you've been struggling to get your little ones' shoes on, check these shoes out right away. Your life will be so much easier!



Amazon is currently running a deal where you can get some Christmas versions for 14.89. What a great gift idea! Believe me, Moms will love you for giving these shoes!

Halloween Pizza

On the agenda for tonight is homemade Pumpkin Pizza! Aren't they adorable? Have a happy halloween filled with fun family activities!

Free Prenatal Vitamins

*We are replaying this post to participate in Biblical Womanhood's Frugal Friday!

I just wanted to let all you Moms out there know that Meijer has a free prenatal vitamin program. There are several different vitamins to pick from as well!

What I did was take the list of available vitamins to my doctor and ask if she approved of any of the options. She did approve, and wrote me a prescription for the vitamin of her choice. From there it was as simple as dropping it off and picking it up for free!

Pinwheels

If you've been looking for something simple and fun for your baby or toddler try a pinwheel! Baby's love to watch them go around and around. See if your little one can blow and move the pinwheel, if not do it for them! Or better yet, try taking the pinwheel outside on a windy day.

Do make sure to supervise closely as some pinwheels have sharp edges!

Nutrition and Pregnancy

If you are pregnant or a nursing mom you might be interested to know that the USDA has a section of their website devoted just for moms covering pregnancy and breastfeeding.

There is even a handy chart where you type in your weight, height, due date, etc. and it gives you a chart of how much and of what you should be eating for each trimester!

Currently Reading

I remembered hearing about A Life That Says Welcome, Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others from Monica at The Homespun Heart and was excited to find it in my church's library. I'm about three quarters of the way through and am enjoying it so far!

It is definitely encouraging me to work on opening up my home and heart more towards others!

Be Inspired

- $5 dollar dinners is a new to me blog that looks like it could be good for inspiration!

- Do it yourself baby announcement templates.

- New York Times article on families squeezing into small spaces instead of moving.

- Surefire ways to keep your toddler occupied!

Spaghetti Ice Cream

Have you ever had spaghetti ice cream? I haven't either, but I'd sure like to give it a try! It just looks like a lot of fun for kids and adults alike. Thanks to Chrissy for the idea. It made me remember the time my Mom offered my Dad an ice cream sunday and gave him a bowl of mashed potatoes covered in chocolate sauce! I won't forget that one anytime soon.

What silly memories will your kids have?!

Off Season Zoo

My husband recently started a new job that affords us the luxury of actually having a couple of Saturdays each month to spend as a family! This past weekend we had the whole weekend to spend together and decided last minute to visit Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. We had a wonderful time and let me tell you, visiting the zoo off season is a great idea! It was a gorgeous fall day and this major zoo was practically empty during the morning!

Keep it in mind for a fun fall activity. But don't forget to check your zoo's hours, because it is about this time of year that most zoos cut back a bit on their schedules!

Homemade Applesauce

Lately I've been working on filling my deep freezer. I've been doubling meals and sticking them in the freezer for later. It's an easy way to fill it up without too much extra work.



I also made a few batches of homemade applesauce using free apples I picked from some abandoned trees in my neighborhood! This was my first attempt at making applesauce and if I don't say so myself, it came out pretty well!

Good Ol' Crayola Crayons

Did you know that Crayola has over 1000 coloring pages ready to print on their website?

Also have you heard that crayons have even become a bit more high-tech? Most kids apparently use "twistables!" I have to say that they look pretty cool. Good bye to those shoe boxes filled with broken crayons!

Be Inspired

- Life hymns for kids is such a good idea!

- I like this color book.

- I'm thinking of using a few of these adorable kid's gift ideas for Christmas!

- A way to reuse the crib mattress (using an Ikea bed.)

- Muffin tin meals look like a lot of fun!

- Homemade lace up cards.

- Beautiful felt birthday crowns.

Lately we've been...

Wow, have we been busy lately. We've been up to a lot of fun things but that hasn't left me much time for recording it in the blogging world. Here's a little update for you!


We've been cooking a lot!


We met good friends at the apple orchard and
enjoyed some delicious apple cider donuts!


We've been playing with balloons!


To relax, we've been sitting in boxes.

Mirror Games

My local library shared some cute and simple games to play in the mirror with baby! These games help babies to learn to recognize themselves.

- In front of an unbreakable mirror hold up a cloth or your hands to make baby "disappear," then remove...your classic "Peek-a-boo!"

- For older babies, make faces in the mirror to illustrate emotions. Try happy, scared, surprised, sad, etc. Ask your child to imitate you!

Be Inspired

- I need to look into $1 end rolls of paper for kids entertainment!

- A simple ministry opportunity for families.

- Make an air tent to enjoy these last days of summer.

- I want to make this soup...could it possibly taste anything like Panara's?

- Look at these cute handcrafted gift ideas - dryer balls and silhouettes.

- My grandma used to make pop-corn balls!

Free Paper for Coloring

My 19 month old has recently taken an interest in coloring. A quick tip for coloring with these little ones is to use the blank cardboard from cereal boxes and other packaging items. It's a great way to recycle, plus it's extra big so you have less chance of having crayon markings where you don't want them!

Print Awareness

This week Luke and I attended our first class at the library together! Our local library offers some fun little classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Our first class featured several fun songs and books promoting "print awareness." Have you heard of this?

Print awareness is basically just understanding that the printed word has meaning. It also means that one understands how a book works.

Here are some tips shared by my library to help your little one learn print awareness.

- Hold, open, and read the book in front of your child (teach them how the book works.)

- Track the words as you read (with your finger.)

- Draw attention to book parts (front, back, cover, etc.)

- Point out print in the environment (on shirts, in the store, anywhere!)

- Encourage scribbling and drawing.

When Queens Ride By - 1926

I really enjoyed reading this story today. What an encouragement to make the most of your current situation and to make your house a home!

Thanks to LivingOnADime.com for the story!

Backwards Edition

Today Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a backwards edition of Works For Me Wednesday. I thought it'd be fun to join in and ask my readers and Works for Me Wednesday visitors for some advice!

So here's my question for you all - What did you do to prepare for baby #2? Hint hint...there is a reason I'm asking this!

We are overjoyed to be sharing that we will have another little one join our family in March! I thankfully seem to be over the worst of the morning sickness and am starting to wonder what steps I should start taking to be prepared!

Be Inspired

- Cutest pancakes ever! (Thanks to Amy for the original inspiration.)

- Sandwich bag magic looks fun to me.

- Free play food.

- Toddler stained-glass craft idea.

- Tape collage for toddlers.

- Paper bag painting with water (free and fun!)

- Writing in sugar is simple but fun.

Successful experiment of the day

Yesterday's experiment of the day was playing with dried beans! And oh boy did we have fun with this! I happened to have some dried pinto beans on hand (frugal experiment ditched for convenience of canned) so we headed out to the deck with some bowls, spoons, and measuring cups. My 18-month old had an absolute blast with this super easy activity. By playing with the beans outside we avoided having a major clean up session too! We will definitely be doing this activity again sometime soon!

If you want to try this inside check out extraordinary mommy's post and give her tablecloth idea a try! Let me know how it works for you!

Multi-task or single-task?

The Simple Mom ponders which is better, to mutli-task or single-task.

Even though I’d love to single-task most of my day jobs, it just isn’t going to happen. What mom doesn’t multi-task all day long? You’ve got to change the diaper and answer the phone. You oftentimes need to read to your older one while you nurse your younger.

Motherhood does force a person into multi-tasking doesn't it? I like her attitude of accepting the multi-tasking instead of fighting against it to try to get that one job done. Let's see what I can multi-task today!

Be Inspired

- Teaching homemaking skills to your daughters: HomeEc101 and For Better or Worse.

- I never would have thought of making pizza on the grill!

- Tooth fairy jar!

- Mining for gold at home is super creative!

- Amy and Monica hosted Olympic Family Nights at their houses!

- Rice play would be fun...maybe outside to prevent the mess!

- Door hanger helper.

- A Pringles can solar cooker!

- Cheap and free toys for young kids.

Teacher Luncheon

I found this idea shared by Shannon Popkin in the July 2008 Focus on the Family Magazine and I absolutely adore it!

Over the summer your children plan, prepare, and serve a luncheon to last year's teachers, with your help of course! This can include school teachers, music teachers, Sunday school teachers - whoever they want! Kids get to practice hospitality and learning to serve others with a cheerful heart while getting a chance to see those beloved teachers again. Teachers get a chance to have a nice lunch and relax!

Busy Family Activities

Family photo in front of Chicago's skyline and Lake Michigan

We've had a couple of days of super fun family activities taking place here. First of all we celebrated father's day for Grandpa (just a little late) and headed off to a local historical farm, Kline Creek Farm with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Lisa. We had an enjoyable time learning about farming in the 1890s.


Luke exploring the living history farm.

The following day we went downtown and visited Chicago's Shedd Aquarium with Aunt Beth. We were lucky enough to go on the day Chicago's Air and Water Show was also starting. We had the bonus of being able to enjoy some of the show!


Shark!


Chicago's Air and Water Show

Simple Water Activity

Pour The Water

- Find different size containers in which to pour water. You and your child experiment with pouring the water and stopping before it overflows!

From It Takes Two to Talk.

Be Inspired

- Homemade ice cream without a machine! (Thanks to Carrie for helping us find a recipe!)

- Bare-bones baby gear guide

- Beautiful butterfly crayons

- Ways to guide our children in contentment.

- Spending minutes to save hours.

- Preschool Olympics, Backwards Olympics, and Itty Bitty Olympics

Walgreens Bounty

Yesterday I just had to head over to Walgreens to get this deal! If you hurry you can make it today and get an awesome deal on Kellogg's products. Thanks to some coupons I had saved and the current special Walgreens is promoting, I got all this and actually will make some money after I send in the rebate!

BIG TIP: If your family is looking to save money head over to Money Saving Mom's blog. She keeps up with all the current deals and does all the work for you!

Experiment of the Day

Today we tried a little experiment out. The experiment entailed a toddler, a small dish pail of water, a towel, and the kitchen. Somewhere awhile back, I read about someone doing this to keep their little one occupied while in the kitchen. As I recalled it made a bit of a mess but was easily wiped up with the towels resulting in a happy baby and a clean kitchen floor!

Well our experiment ended up being somewhat of a wash...

Here's what happened:

- Happy and occupied baby lasted 10 minutes and allowed mom to get some dishes done
- Big mess of water on the floor that was easily wiped up with 2 bath towels
- Water was literally poured out of the dishpan onto the floor multiple times
- Baby ended experiment crying after slipping on wet floor :-(

Will we try it again? Perhaps, though with even closer supervision by Mom and it'll probably be back to outdoors!

Be Inspired

- Salad Spinner Art is so cool!

- Babies can help with thank-yous too!

- Paint your own clay dough beads

- My glider is still in great shape but maybe in 10 years I'll consider a glider transformation!

- Pretty newspaper hats

- Cupcake pops are oh so cute!

Tea for Two

During struggles in my teen years, living in a blended family made it easy to feel overlooked. Knowing that, Mom would wake me up periodically in the middle of the night for a tea party. We would creep into the den with steaming mugs of tea and share our lives. Our time together always made me feel important, special and loved.

Shared by Christy Gilliam in the August 2008 Focus on the Family Magazine.

Isn't that a sweet memory? What memories are you making for your teens?

Zoo

Well I apologize for how quiet it's been over here lately! Don't worry though...we've just been off having fun! We went to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, one of our favorite zoos! If you go with a small child let me recommend you take them to the Hamil Family Play Zoo.

It's an air conditioned building devoted to play, crafts, and learning for kids. It's a great break from walking around in the hot sun and the kids love it! Plus if you are a nursing mom they have a family room where you can nurse!


Luke pretending to be a bird in the play zoo.


Here we are touching sting rays!

By the end of the day we were all tuckered out!

Our Favorite Things - Little House

Recently I've been re-reading some of my favorite books of all time - The Little House Series. I can not begin to tell you how much I love these books! Re-reading the books as an adult has shown me just what kind of quality these books are really made of. I loved them as a kid and I'm loving them as an adult.

This time around I'm noticing just how much work goes into a typical day for these hard working pioneer folks. If you or your kids need a little motivation to be a diligent worker throughout the day these books are a wonderful encouragement. Right now I'm currently reading "Farmer Boy." It's so funny, it was the book I liked least as a kid since it was mostly about a boy. This time though, I'm finding it fascinating to learn about what it took to run a farm in those days!

If you want to dig a little deeper there are also countless activities you can do with your kids that Laura and her family worked on in the books.

A few some other bloggers have tried are:

- Make your own Ginger Water

- Make your own butter

Our Quest Continued

Today we spent the afternoon in glorious air conditioning while enjoying a wonderful children's museum with friends!

I forgot my camera (whoops!) so can't share any pictures. Some of our favorite activities included exhibits featuring wind, lights, and building! If it's hot in your 'neck of the woods' why don't you try visiting a local museum?

What to Do on a Hot Day

Today was one of those Midwestern summer days where it's just hot, humid and downright miserable. What's a person to do to try to cool off when you don't have central air conditioning?

Here's a few of my thoughts for the day!

• Run errands, spend time in the car and stores
• Go to the library
• Go walk at the mall or take your kids to the play area at the mall
• Go buy a .99 drink at McDonald's and sit there all afternoon with a book!
• Work in the basement
• Go out for ice cream!
• Take a nap under a fan
• Stay in the room with your window air conditioner all day!
• Visit family or friends who have central air
  

Since it was impossible for me to stay upstairs in my home all day long (that's where the window unit is), we settled for running errands this afternoon and treated ourselves to ice cream!

Be Inspired

- Fun with the ABCs!

- Sponge Ball Bullseye is super creative!

- The Family Meal Table looks like a good read.

- Thoughts on motherhood.

- Skill lists for home schooled preschoolers

Our Drive in Photos

Driving from Illinois to Colorado with a toddler is no small undertaking!

Here is a glimpse of our drive for you.



Many hours were spent reading the same books over and over!



Very few hours were spent sleeping!




He just needed a drop of coffee to make it home!