Happy Easter Weekend!

Easter is tomorrow!  I feel bad because I haven't even gotten around to decorating or anything.  But hey, at least we will have a wonderful meal of Lamb and red potatoes.  Yum!  My girls went on a little easter egg hunt on Thursday and it was really cold and wet but still fun.  Kyrah was so funny because when the whistle blew she just stood there and watched all of theother kids run around grabbing all the eggs they could find.  In the end Kyrah ended up only getting 2 eggs.  And that was after some encouragement from mom and dad!  And Syd got 1 egg, which she proudly picked up all by herself.  Good job Syd!  I love Easter Egg hunts!  If I was still a kid I would have run around too grabbing for all the eggs!

Even though Easter Egg hunts and the Easter Bunny are fun ways to celebrate Easter; I hope this Easter Sunday we remember Jesus Christ and his resurrection and sacrifice for all of us.  Happy Easter weekend!  May your days be filled with new beginnings!

We had so much fun!

 

Happy Easter!

Mickey Mouse Pancakes

After a long and busy day, Mickey Mouse pancakes really hit the spot!

Twenty Family Outings that are fun for EVERYONE!

We LOVE to go to the aquarium!  :)

We are sitting in the living room staring at the TV.  Bored.  There is little to no communicating.  Now tell me...how is that helping to strengthen your family relationships?  Well...it's not.  If fact it may be hurting them in long run.  I know that sometimes it's hard to come up with fun things to do together as a family that EVERYONE will enjoy.  Well, here is a list of fun family activities that might have something in them for the whole family to enjoy!!

Now...get up off the couch...turn off the TV...and go have some fun as a family!

1.  A trip to the zoo.  (My daughter loves the monkeys)
2.  A day at the beach or lake.
3.  An afternoon of sledding.
4.  A trip to the museum.
5.  A day of hiking.
6.  A visit to a corn maze.
7.  A trip to the farm.
8.  A camping adventure.
9.  Pick your own fruit or veggies.  (Then you can eat them!)
10.  Attending an outdoor concert.
11.  Miniature golfing.
12.  Take a bike ride.
13.  Bowling.
14.  A trip to the aquarium.  (my hubby and I could spend ALL DAY at the aquarium! so fun!)
15.  A trip to a homemade icre cream stand.  (homemade ice cream?  I don't think any one could pass that up!)
16.  Visit to a state park.  (have a picnic!)
17.  Trip to a theme park.
18.  Attend a circus.  (I can't remember the last time I did this!)
19.  Go to a family show.
20.  Do a drive-in movie.

List provided by A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists by Michelle LaRowe

Giveaway with The Copper Brick Road

Can it be Friday already? I feel like yesterday was Monday.  Wow, this week has gone by way to fast.  So, this week Kyrah got sick and has had a horrible cough and cold.  :(  I took her to the Dr. yesterday and all he said was we have to wait it out.  Ahhh...that is so frustrating.  I wish there was a magic pill to fix the common cold.  Anyone want to invent it?  I will pay top dollar to get my hands on one of those!

Since it has been 5 days since Kyrah came down with the cold I thought...maybe...just maybe...Sydnee would be free and clear.  Well...this morning I was woken up by my poor little 11 month old coughing away.  *sigh*  I hope this next week goes by as fast...(for the sake of my daughters).  I really feel bad for the kiddos.  They have to be cooped up with their mommy all day and they can't see their friends.  (Not to mention...mommy can't see her friends either.)   Those yucky germs!  Why can't you just go on a vacation and come back in...oh, say...100 years!  Oh well...enough of my ranting.

Yay!  It's that time again!  GIVEAWAY TIME!  Don't forget to register and you can win any Luvi Blanket of your choice :)

The Giveaway is taking place starting tomorrow 4/16/2011!

Go to:
http://www.copperbrickroad.com to enter :)

The contest will last aprox. 2 weeks.  Good Luck!  :)

Have a fabulous weekend!

What to have in a well stocked-car

(image courtesy of lifeonahanger.blogspot.com)

As moms there are always things that we forget or things that we know we need to have on hand with kids.  Here are a few simple lists of things that you should always keep in your car.
(For more great tips and lists, get the book A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists by Michelle LaRowe)

For Babies:

* a seasonal change of clothes
* diapers
* wet wipes
* formula
* bottled water
* sippy cup
* baby food
* baby utensils

For Toddlers:

* a seasonal change of clothes
* pull-ups
* snacks (dried fruit, granola bars, or crackers)
*sippy cup
* bottled watter
* 100% fruit juice boxes
* an extra pair of shoes

For Older Children & Grown-ups:

* a seasonal change of clothes
* an extra pair of shoes
* bottled water
* snacks

For Safety:

* blanket
* duct tape
* extra car fuses
* first aid kit
* flashlight and batteries
* "Help?" sign
* ice scraper
* jumper cables
* map
* paper
* pen
* pocket knife
* roadside flares
* tire inflator (such as fix-a-flat)

The Fly Lady

image courtesy of local.aol.co.uk

So as you all know, I have been trying different ways to become better organized in my family life and business.  Sometimes you have so much to do that your "wife-ly" duties (like cleaning the house, for example) get put to the wayside.  If this sounds like you...you are in good company!  Just last night I was looking around my house and saying to myself:

"OK, where to start?  Everything is a mess!  AHHH!"

But then I remembered The Fly Lady.  This woman knows how to get things done.  She breaks everything down into "bite sized pieces" or "zones" as she calls them.  But everything is laid out so nicely you don't have to panic and think..."Where do I start?"  She takes all the guessing work out of it and leads you step by step a long the way.

Not only does she help you organize your house, but she also helps you to de-clutter your mind and body too!  So it's the entire package to help you become a new and better YOU!  And best of all...you won't spend a dime.  So if you need help getting a handle on your house, your self, or your life--hop on board and let's start making those changes together!  :)

WWW.FLYLADY.ORG

****PS--You have until the end of the week (April 16th)  to get all of your orders in if you need them before or by the May 1st.  I am going to Cancun for a week!  Whoohoo!  (May 1st-May 8th).  So no orders will be going out until after I get back.  Thank you!

Cold Feet & Oreos

OK, so there were some pretty memorable things that have happened in our family in the past couple of days and I just needed to blog about them!

Here is what happened when I gave an Oreo cookie Sydnee (11 months).  Her face was clean when I gave her the cookie  and I turn around for about 30 seconds and when I look back this is what I see:

She must have really liked the Oreo!  :)  I know they are some of my favorite cookies!  YUM!

The second thing actually happened this morning.  It snowed a ton last night. (yes, it is April--gotta love living in Logan, UT with crazy weather!)  Anyway, Kyrah wanted to go outside in the snow.  So she grabs her flip flops and her beach ball and looks up at me and says:  "Ok, I'm ready!"  My hubby being the  father that he is, thought it would teach her a lesson if she went out in the snow in flip flops.

Needless to say, it backfired.

Kyrah went out in knee deep snow in her flip flops and just stood there.  Ry tried to get her to come back inside but she wouldn't.  She walked around a bit and then stood some more.  I don't know how she was able to stand in the snow that long!  It's like she was practically barefoot.  Finally after about 8 minutes of watching this I told my hubby that he had better go get our daughter out of the snow before she freezed to death.  Ry went to get her but she insisted on walking inside.  Once she got inside she put down her beach ball and said:  "I had fun in the snow, mommy!"  She touched her feet and told me that they were cold.  But that was it!  I bet if we let her do it again, she would!  So much for the lesson learned.  I guess that is the way kids are though :)  I love it!

Lastly, we went (just a few days ago--when it was nice, sunny and warm) on a walk and to the park.  Here are my adorable girls sporting the most stylish eye-wear!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday!

Go Slow

As entrepreneurs we get excited and want to go go go! And jump on every opportunity that comes our way. But the best advice that I can give you is GO SLOW! You will become a more stable and better business because of it.


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spqSe2LJxM0]

Feeding a Picky Eater

photo courtesy of babble.com

There is this book that my Mother-in-Law gave to me for my birthday last year.  I totally forgot about it until a few nights ago when I was searching for a good novel.  Well when I came across this book I couldn't believe that I had not read it yet.  It's a book that every mom should have on hand.

It is called "A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists: 100+ Lists to Save You Time, Money, and Sanity" by Michelle LaRowe.  Now, tell me...who doesn't use lists?  Especially us moms!  We LIVE by them!  At least I do.  That is the only way that I am able to get stuff done.  If I write it down.  You know what I mean?

Well, for the next several weeks I am going to pick a different list each Monday to share with you.  They are so helpful and I feel that I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't share them with you!  Better yet...pick up your own copy so you can have it on hand, it will come in handy--I promise!

Here is today's List:

FEEDING A PICKY EATER

(Is your toddler not wanting to eat anything you make?  Mine is.  It's so frustrating! They just want chocolate and french fries.  But here are some tips to help!)

*Serve small portions, in small pieces, in small spaces. 
An ice cude tray filled with colorful cut ups in each compartment is a great way to present a combination of new foods and old favorites in a non intimidating way.

*Dip into Dips
Cottage cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, and peanut butter make for great fruit and veggie dips.  When it comes to meat, ketchup covers a multitude of unforgiving smells, textures and appearances.

*Let your child feed himself/herself.
Presenting any new selection in a finger friendly way will increase the chances that your child will try it.

*Prepare it differently
A child who doesn't like the texture pd crispy raw carrots may love them steamed and soft.

*Slow and steady
Less is more when introducing new, exotic, or ethnic spices.

*Color your food
Food coloring can dynamically impact the attractiveness of a food.  Add a few drops of food coloring to new foods and you may be surprised  how eager your child is to try them.  (Use strong colored veggie juice for a great all-natural alternative.)

*Share a fork
Kids will often be more eager to try something new if it comes from your plate.

*Encourage turn taking
Insist that your child try the new food before she eats her favorite food.  Encourage her to take turns , taking a bit of the old favorite, followed by the new.

*Keep it low-key
Don't make a huge deal about serving up something new; instead, keep a nonchalant attitude that says, "This is just something else we eat."

*Offer positive , purposeful praise. 
Offering an "I'm really proud that you tried a bite!" goes a long way in promoting an attitude of willingness when it comes to trying new foods.

*Don't give up.  
It can take on average eight times of being exposed to a new food before a child may even try it, never mind acquire a taste for it.  Offer the same new food often, even if it was previously rejected.

**Tip: When it comes right down to it, introducing new foods is really about trying--not necessarily liking.

To read more go to http://www.amazon.com/Moms-Ultimate-Book-Lists-Sanity/dp/0800733827 and order your copy.

April Fools Day!

Today is the day to pull jokes and pranks on your family and friends.  I woke up this morning realizing that I hadn't even thought of anything to do for this day.  And of course I had to teach my daughter about April Fools Day! It's one of funnest days of the year.  So I just started out small this year.  I switched the cereal from the cereal boxes so they were all mixed up.  So when you poured one cereal... cheerios for example, instead you got honey bunches of oats.  At first Kyrah didn't really get it.  I had to explain to her that even though the box said there was one cereal inside, another cereal was actually coming out.  Once she got it, she thought it was pretty funny.  We all had good chuckle when the light bulb came on in her head.  It was cute.

But then the best part of the morning was when I got the milk out of the fridge.  I had dyed the milk green with food coloring.  I brought it over to Kyrah and started pouring it in her bowl.

She looks up at me with a disgusted look on her face and says:

"Oh...milk old!"

That totally made my day!  I was surprised that she associated the color green with yucky and rotten/old.  What a kid! :)

I would love hear of some of the things you did today for April Fools!!  Or what was the best April Fools Joke that has ever happened to you or someone you know!  I need some laughs today!  Share away! :)