Our Favorite Things

In my humble opinion, a requirement for a good children's book means that both kids and parents enjoy the book! There is so much fluff out there that I'd rather spend my time and my little one's time on the really good books and ignore the fluff!

One of the great ones we've been enjoying lately is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
If you haven't enjoyed this one yet, it is definitely worth checking out from your library! We have a well loved copy at home!

Gift idea for a budding artist

If you're looking for a fun gift idea for a young toddler an Aquadoodle Paint & Color Mat makes toddlers (and Mom!) happy! It is a great mess free activity!

My Favorite Kid's Bible

Do you have a copy of The Big Picture Story Bible?

If you don't, let me just tell you that, so far, it is my absolute favorite kid's Bible. This Bible doesn't contain fluff, yet it captivates a toddler with pictures and story. It's also great because it doesn't just tell bits and pieces of the Bible. It tries to capture the "big picture" of the Bible and I think it does a great job!

We read between 1-3 of the chapters after breakfast each day as part of our morning routine. Our current favorite is the story of creation! I love being able to see Luke, 23 months, start to learn the stories. He often asks to read it and doesn't want to stop! He also requests certain stories and is starting to memorize them as well. He often knows what is coming on the next page before I have turned to it. It's a great way to start the day! I definitely recommend this Bible and building a time of Bible reading into your morning routine with little ones!

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!

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?

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!

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

Look what I won!

Isn't this a gorgeous picture?! It just makes me want to reach right in there and grab a berry to bite into. I was the lucky winner of my blogging friend Carrie's contest and won this print in a set of notecards!

Wow, another unexpected bonus from blogging. The photographer is Lisa and she has a delightful Etsy shop! I love her photos!

Currently Listening to...

Lately while I've been working in the kitchen I've been listening to Alice in Wonderland. If you've been looking for something the whole family can enjoy, look for this book. The BBC audio version is great and would be a good one for listening to on a family car trip!

Our Favorite Things

Vacation left me with extra time to enjoy reading some old favorites! Now I can't seem to stop!
If you have any young ladies in your family who haven't read the classic Anne of Green Gables series please introduce them to these wonderful books! Excuse me now while I go stick my nose back into these great books.

Dear Zoo

What could be better than a little boy curling up in his Mommy's lap to read a wonderful book? Not much! Lately we've been enjoying "Dear Zoo" by Rod Campbell. It is a delightful book for little ones if you haven't read it!

Our Favorite Things - An Exciting Package

Last week I went out to get the mail and found an exciting and unexpected package in the mail! Aunt Raia and Uncle Stephan sent Luke three wonderful books!

If you are looking for some great children's books I heartily recommend all three of their choices. He received Corduroy, Blueberries for Sal, and Make Way For Ducklings

Luke didn't have any of these yet so they are a perfect addition to his bookshelf!

Our Favorite Things

One of my favorite discoveries over the past year has been Freecycle!

If you haven't heard of Freecycle I encourage you to take a look and see if it is something for you. I love Freecycle for a couple of reasons. First of all it saves me money, secondly it is good for the environment and promotes recycling.

Freecycle is a yahoo group that promotes giving away your used stuff to others for free! No money is ever exchanged. Members send out emails offering items that they are wanting to get rid of. If a person is interested in the item they simply email back and forth and arrange a pick up time.

Another great aspect of Freecycle is that you are allowed to post things you are looking for as well. The only downside is that you will receive a lot of emails depending on how many members are in the group you join. Groups are based on location. To avoid cluttering up your inbox you could open a separate email just for Freecycle but unless you check the account frequently you may miss out on some items of interest.

To give you a little taste - here are a few of the finds I have made over the past year: Kushies cloth diapers, several boxes of unopened baby cereals, tennis shoes in my size that had only been worn once, and tons of baby clothes!

Freecycle has been great! It's fun to give your old stuff to people who will really put it to use and it is fun to be able to get a few things you need for free! It really has worked for me!

Our Favorite Things

Recently I started reading The Chronicles of Narnia! Let me tell you this is a great series to read to your kids or just to read for yourself! I had never actually read the books before but am speeding through them now! I think these books would be great for elementary aged students. I actually bought these books for my husband a few years ago as a gift!

The Chronicles of Narnia was written by C.S. Lewis and have recently gotten more publicity thanks to the new movies. The books would be enjoyed by Christians or non Christians alike, though the author does play off of some Christian ideas. These would be excellent discussion points for older elementary children or even older students. If you haven't read these books I suggest you give them a chance soon!

Our Favorite Things

I would like to introduce a new series where I will be sharing some of my families "favorite things!" I'll probably just post these once a week or so when I think of something that we just really enjoy and that I think you might like!

So to start off let me share my current favorite picture frame! This was a Christmas gift from my husband's siblings (thanks everyone!)

What makes this so neat is that it's magnetic! You simply hang up the picture with the adorable magnets provided! It is designed so that a piece of scrapbook paper can show behind the picture. This way you can change the look of the frame as often as you like. It also comes with the cute little clips so you can hang more pictures if desired!

It is made by Creative Memories and is called the Everyday Display if you are interested!