Celebrating St. Patty's

This year we added a little more "color" to our St. Patrick's day by adding more rainbows than shamrocks. I made rainbow muffins (idea from fickle pickle) and green eggs for breakfast.

The muffins were a huge hit. The older kids also ate their eggs happily, but D refused. I told him they were yummy and special because a leprechaun used his magic to color them green. However he kept insisting, "No mommy! The leprechaun did NOT spill my eggs." This back and forth exchange took place several times before I finally got it when he added, "he did not spell my eggs with his wand." Smart kid. I didn't say anything about spells or wands but that's what the word magic triggered in his little brain. Here they are enjoying the muffins.

They were excited to wake up to the crepe paper rainbow I made (also got this idea from fickle pickle).

For their afterschool snack I made a fruit rainbow with vanilla yogurt as the clouds.

And once they were done with the healthy treat I let them dig into their pots of gold left by the leprechaun. They were filled with rainbow fruit roll ups, a ring pop, and mini reeses cups and rolos. The fun ended with our traditional irish meal of cornish beef, new potatoes and cabbage. We had a very lucky day and hope you did too!

YOUR lucky day!

Last year, after reading this article, J asked me if I considered myself lucky. It's a tricky question in my opinion. Honestly, I've never believed much in luck. I've never been a big winner when it comes to drawings or things like that so obviously I am not lucky. On the other hand, I do feel really blessed. Not because things always work out perfectly for me or go my way all of the time, but because there is a lot of good in my life, and I want to focus on the positive even though that can be hard sometimes. So, if you were to ask me if I am lucky I would have to say yes! And you are lucky too! If you don't believe me just take a read (by clicking here)!

Oh, and if you don't want to take time to read a research article (even though it is a fun one), click here for 5 ways to get a quick start on your lucky life!

Wishing you a happy St. Patty's and a lifetime of good luck!

Another schedule

So I have been going through old files and scrapbooks trying to digitalize everything so that I have an electronic copy should anything happen to our hard copies (like a housefire or flood or whatever). I came across this when scanning scrapbooks and thought it might be helpful to some of you who expressed interest in the chore binders but have smaller kids. This is the schedule I used with my two oldest when they were between the ages of 2-4. This was more of a help for me to keep track of their TV time and to keep some variety in our day. It was helpful because it gave us structure without being too rigid. I didn't have a chore envelope because I generally had them doing what they could right along with me (like mopping the floor, wiping windows, dusting). A lot of these chores we made into games (but that would be a whole other post). If you wanted to use something like this with younger kids then the snacks, rewards, TV, and activity envelopes could be drawn from as the incentives for when the chores are done.

stylin'

AJ has really needed new jeans, but I have been putting off buying some. Not because I like having her run around in ragged jeans with huge gaping holes, but because she is extremely hard on jeans and always wears out the knees within a week or two of wearing them. I was lamenting this fact when a friend reminded me about Shopko and their Kid Tough Promise (that they will replace an item of clothing if it wears out before the child outgrows it). I had known about this. In fact, when AP was a baby I bought almost all of his clothes there because of that (he was an extremely active toddler). But then we moved out of state where there was no Shopko and I guess I forgot about it. Anyway, the kids had Friday off and after being cooped up all week with sick little D I was ready to get out (that and we needed groceries). So after a quick trip to Costco we took a little jaunt to Shopko. We found some really cute stuff for some really good prices. Here's just a sampling.She really wanted the hat. I have a couple that are the same style and she always wants to borrow them. So when she asked if she could get it I only had to think about it for a second. Hmmm, free up my hats by getting her this one for 50% off? Oh yeah! I also have to direct you to her hair. I have been trying forever to get her to cut it (I love it in a bob for many reasons; the main one being that we can avoid the battles over brushing and fixing it), but she has really wanted long hair. Then a couple of weeks ago I got mine cut pretty short. She loved it and said she wanted to get hers cut like it. Did I waste any time on that one? Nope, we went the next day and got it cut.I know I'm partial but I think she looks pretty cute in her new duds with her new do!

long winter

I think this has been about the worst winter for us with being sick. It seems we just keep passing things around so at least oneof us has been sick all winter long. Even J who never gets sick (in all the time we have been married has never missed work for being sick), has had a cold that just won't let go and missed work because of it.

Here is little D who has been feeling pretty rotten all week. He has taken a long nap every day this week and several times even went up to his room, climbed in bed, and went to sleep all on his own (he hadn't been taking naps for a while now). Poor guy.

Last Sunday I came down the stairs to J and D snuggling on the couch so I snuggled right up with them. D patted my cheek and said, "Mommy you so, so cute."

That night he was throwing up, so I spent most of it (and several nights after) with him in the rocking chair. As we were sitting there he again patted my cheek (in the midst of his suffering) and said, "I just love you mommy."
As a sidenote, he scratched his cheek pretty badly so we have had to keep a bandaid on it all week. He loves his Toy Story bandaids!

chore binders

Admittedly, I am easily distractable and need a lot of external organization to keep me on task. For this reason I live by my daily schedule that I keep posted on the fridge. That helps me to keep track of what I need to do, but it's harder for me to track what the kids are supposed to do and what they have finished. In the past I have tried giving my kids daily chore lists but they would just end up losing them. Because I have a hard time tracking myself and my kids, and what we are supposed to be accomplishing around here I am always looking for new ideas. So when Emily showed me her girls' chore binders I fell in love! They reminded me of how well a planner works for me and that the same concept could work for my kids! So I typed up chore/task lists along with the schedule for each day of the week and put them in a report cover for each child. The binders, in connection with a point tracking system, are really working for us!
The lists show exactly what is expected of them and each item on their list equates to a certain number of points. If they do their tasks without being asked or reminded they get a bonus point for that particular thing. If they complain about a job when asked to do it they lose a point. They also lose points if I have to remind them after that. Individual points are marked in their binder and then tallied on a tracking sheet I have posted in a noticeable place. At the end of the week we add all of their daily points together and they can cash them in for money or prizes (including things like extra computer time or renting a movie). The added incentive is that they have to finish their jobs daily to be able to do their preferred activities (such as computer, wii, or playing with friends). I love that when they ask me if they can do something all I have to say is, "let's take a look at your binder and see." It allows them to be more responsible for their own stuff and I am no longer [directly] the "bad guy." Everything is right there for us to see and no more lost lists!
I also stole the idea of daily secret service from Emily (it's right there on their list!). However, we have stopped trying to keep it a secret (mostly because I am nosey and want to know what they did).

Spreading Kindness

At the end of December Janay asked our laurel class presidency to come up with a theme for our class to focus on in 2011; something they could work on as a class that could also help unify them. They decided they wanted to focus on service, and use the "Pay It Forward" idea. So we have challenged the girls to do some kind of service each week. I made this bucket and filled it with bite size candy bars so that if they have done service that week they get to take from the bucket on Sunday.

We have also been drawing names from our class at the beginning of each month and spend that month doing secret service for whose name we drew. I have made slips with each of their names, addresses, favorite candy, and favorite color on. We are hoping that this will help them get to know each other better as they are serving one another. I made the poster of a garden and as a reminder added the words, "Spread Kindness like Wildflowers. . . and watch it grow." We punched out little flowers to put on for each act of service we do for our secret persons. Once the garden is full of flowers we will do something really fun as a class. Our goal is to have the garden full by the end of the year, but I'm thinking (hoping) they will get it done sooner than that!

eight cows. . .

Every Spring our ward puts on a theme dinner. It is seriously one of the funnest church activities we have ever gone to! People sign up to host tables and as hosts come up with a theme, decor, and food assignments for the other couples assigned to their table. We have three families in our ward with celiac disease so of course we all go together. Last year Mike and Terri were our hosts and did a cowboy theme with dutch oven cooking. This year I signed up to host. J suggested we do an island theme since haystacks are so easy to do gluten free. Someone had told me that an island theme had been done a couple of years ago so J came up with Johnny Lingo and we added cows to our decor. Here we are, Johnny and Mahana.
Janay went with me early to help decorate, and supplied me with tropical bowls and serving dishes, as well as the tableware. Love that lady! Here she and Scott are with Randy and Elizabeth. Doesn't Randy make the best Mr. Harrison? He wasn't even trying, but I thought the hat and beard were a perfect fit for that character. Since I couldn't find cow pictures I ended up drawing my own (I wish I would have thought to have every couple's picture taken in front of them), and J suggested adding a sign above the cows that said, "Every woman is an 8-cow wife," but I thought the thing started at 7 (actually started at 6), so I ran out of time. Oh well.
I came upon these little cow chocolates at TJ Maxx the day before; couldn't believe how perfect they were! Everyone thought they were hilarious. And I got the cow tales at the Dollar store the day of thinking I could pass them around as an ice breaker and have everyone tell their engagement story, but the conversation was fun enough on it's own that I forgot to use them!
Denise brought the yummiest gelato for dessert; a coconut flavor and papaya/mango blend. Mmmm, I'm craving it just thinking about it. She served her mission in Hawaii so she had the flavors down! Anyway there she and her hubby are at the end of the table with Brooke and Scott to the left.
And here we are with Mike. Terri couldn't make it this year because MoTab is in the middle of recording. Missed her!
And you see why Mike is such a great Scout Leader! Always goofing around. Seriously though he is so patient with AP and the rest of those boys, we are really grateful to have him working with them.
There were some great tables there; people get pretty serious about their decor and it's so fun to see how creative people are! I really wish I had gotten pictures of the other tables. There was a Sound of Music table, Happy Days, Nascar, Pirates, Chinese take-out, game night, and 80's prom (complete with reflective disco balls and prom pictures). Hilarious! In fact, I'm already looking forward to next year's dinner. . .

FHE for 2-year-olds

Hmmm. I think the most important thing to having a successful FHE with a two-year-old is to make sure it is very interactive and very quick. Just think nursery. With one child it's a little bit easier because you can really gear it towards him. If you have older kids, it's a good idea to just have something there to keep the little one busy during the lesson like paper, crayons, paper punches, etc. With our family if I'm doing the lesson J is entertaining D and vice versa. Anyway, here are a few sample lessons that might help:

Topic: Love
Sing "we are a happy family"
Show pictures of various family members that your child knows and loves.
"Look! It's grandma. We love her so much don't we? And there's [cousin]. He's so fun to play with. We sure love him don't we?" And so on. Show pictures of Heavenly Father and Jesus and tell who they are. "They love us SO much and we sure love them." Ask child for a hug and tell them how much you love their hugs and kisses and how much you love them (they might say no in which case say, "oh that makes me so sad because I love you so much and your hugs show me that you love me too"). Close with a song and prayer and have a treat you all really love!

Topic: Creation
sing "Two little eyes" (p268 CSB)
Get out some play dough (you can make edible versions, recipes found on line, if you're worried about your little one eating it), or some paper and fingerpaints
Roll the dough into balls or help him paint a picture
"wow! Look at the creation you made! That is so special, just like you. Let's put it in a special place. Did you know Heavenly Father created us? Heavenly Father created us and we are so special!"
You could also just talk about the earth's creation. Have several balls out. Play with them a little bit, talk about how they are round. Then show a globe. "This is earth. It's round like these balls. We live on earth. Let's make our own balls." While making the balls continue talking about earth's creation. "Heavenly Father created the earth so we could live here." Make the play dough ball(s). "Look we created a ball just like the earth."

Topic: Word of Wisdom
song, "head, shoulders, knees, and toes"
"Wow aren't our bodies neat?" Run around, play catch, try to lift some heavy things.
"Wow our bodies are strong. Our bodies are strong because we take good care of them."
Have some bite-size fruit and veggies to sample from or a fruit smoothie, yogurt or some other healthy snacks.
"these food make our bodies strong. We need to eat good things to take care of our bodies."

Topic: Saying Prayers
Make a chart with pictures by the words
Dear Heavenly Father. . . picture of Heavenly Father and Jesus
Thank you. . . things he would be grateful for
Please bless. . . you get the idea
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen . . . picture of the savior
Show the chart, explain, and practice. Whisper as you describe kneeling down, folding your arms, bowing your head. If your child is anything like my boys, they might get a little silly, but just quietly tell them you are going to say the prayer and hope that he will join you. Try to get him to kneel with you on your lap. If he just won't then don't give him any more attention and just say the prayer.

Hopefully that helps!

My little loves

I am really grateful for my little family. We are definitely not perfect and there is plenty of arguing, fighting, and sometimes all out war that breaks out around our house. But we're always trying to do better and I am a firm believer that following the prophet leads to deeper love and peace in the home. I am grateful for counsel to read scriptures together, pray together and have regular Family Home evenings. I am also grateful for each one of my little loves and for the things they do and say that make our family and home a good place to be.

Our Family Night lesson on Valentines was based on the one from the FHE manual called "Love at Home." As usual it was a bit of a challenge getting everyone gathered. I finally did only to have AP run to the bathroom. We waited a little while until everyone was getting restless and then started without him. We sang the opening song and had the prayer and still no AP. So I pulled out my paper punches and scrap paper and got D busy doing that. Still no AP (too much candy and junk got the better of him I guess). Since the lesson was primarily for him and AJ I decided to (impromptu style of course) start an activity. I had gotten each of the kids a pad of sticky notes (a different color for each child) and a pen (in the matching color) so they could start leaving love notes for family members around the house. So J and I helped AJ and D customize their sticky notes with punches. AJ made a cute one with the big and little cat punches to represent a mother cat with 3 kittens and then wrote me a sweet note thanking me for all that I do for them. At that poing AP joined us and we went on to the lesson.

The lesson started with the question, "Do you think Jesus would be comfortable if he came to visit us in our home?" Their quick and honest answer was, "Well it depends. . ." They further explained that on the days they were nice to each other he would, but when they were fighting a lot and being mean he definitely wouldn't. Perfect answer. I went on with the story in the lesson and we talked about how little things we do and say make a big difference in letting our family members know how much we love them and creating the kinds of feelings in our home that make us and Jesus want to be here. Then we ended with the challenge to use our sticky notes (as well as kind words and deeds) to help us create that atmosphere of love and kindness in our home. We then played a game where we each took a turn telling something nice that someone else in the family did for us that day without using names and everyone else had to guess who it was. It was really fun. Then we had a closing song, closing prayer, and we were done. It went pretty well!

And now for each of my little loves:

AP~full of imagination, spunk, and determination!

AJ ~ sweet and encouraging, and always creative!

D ~so bright and so fun, he lights up the whole room!

SERIOUSLY simple!

Yup, Valentines dinner really was about as simple to make as it gets!

Gluten-free crepes
1/2 cup egg whites
2 T water
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup tapioca starch (I used my tapioca/rice mix)

Mix it all together and pour onto skillet (or in my case pizelle iron, which made it that much more simple) and cook. I have to admit it took about an hour, but I made 100 crepes (we don't often have bread around because the GF stuff is so expensive and I don't like to make it that much so when I do something "breadish" I make a BUNCH to keep around for snacking or to freeze for later).

Chicken "salad" was just canned chicken mixed with light miracle whip and some Lawrys season salt. The ham spread was just canned ham blended with cream cheese. Took a total of about 5 minutes to put together.

Voile! An easy peasy valentine meal for the whole family to love. Oh, BTW the table was all decorated courtesy of Dollar Tree (which is also where I got the cute heart baskets to put their goodies in).

P.S. For the lemon curd:
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 t lemon juice (or in my case 1/4 t lemon extract)
Put one tablespoon down the middle of each crepe, roll, and put in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Top with berries and whipped cream.

Love at home

Just thought I would share a little bit of the love we've had around our house this month! At the beginning of the month we made a paper heart chain to count down the days to Valentines' day and hung it on the little shelf I have in our entry. Here it is on day 8:

I also added some paper hearts we made to this bowl I have on the trunk in the front room

And a little love garland to greet those coming in

We did marble painting one Sunday evening early in the month. Put paper in a plastic tub/bin with some different colors of paint and let the kids roll it around. I used rubber bouncy balls and tried to make it a game by putting two in the same tub and having AJ and D hold different ends of the bin and have them try and avoiding their balls touching but it didn't really work. . .

After the papers dried we cut them up to make cards for writing notes to each other. We had made felt envelopes the first FHE of the month using this tutorial from the Crafty Chicks. They turned out super cute but we did iron on their names, so for privacy purposes I'm not showing them.

On Valentine's day my sweetheart brought home flowers. He actually brought me home an arrangement he put together himself on Friday while the florist was taking his order. Then he brought me another on V-day. He wanted to incorporate blue into both since it is my main decor color and probably favorite color over all (although I have so many). Can you guess which one he did and which one he had the florist do? I like the one he came up with better even if it's more patriotic than 'tinesy.

I planned a candlelight dinner for our family to have together. Here D is contemplating the set-up, while I am putting together the food.

Here it is right before everyone got home

I made crepes with my pizelle iron. The iron made them super quick and easy and so pretty!

I made chicken salad and a ham spread for the filling and did a veggie tray to go along. I am all about simple! I have learned that the kids usually enjoy simple better anyway and I am a lot less stressed which make everyone happier!

Of course D was totally fascinated by the candles and had to go around the table and blow them all out

At first AP was mad that D was blowing out all of the candles, but after being told to let it go (a couple of times) he decided to join him

I got red and white sparlking grape juice to go with our meal and the kids loved it!

Well D didn't enjoy the kick so much. . .

but he loved the bubbles!

I found these cute baskets and filled them with a few goodies for each of the kids

Including a webkinz for each of them

Then for dessert we had crepes filled with lemon curd and topped with berries and whipped cream. So yummy! We finished off the night with lesson from the FHE manual on love. I will try and include more on that in a follow up post!