Rare Disease Day!

Wing-it Wednesday!

Today is a very special day.  As you can see from the title of my post, today is Rare Disease Day!  It is a day where we recognize and focus on those men, women and children with diseases or health issues that the  world has no idea about.

This day is near and dear to my heart.  It is honestly hard--especially when little children who get teased or made fun of because no one really understands what's wrong.  But we are going to fix that because today is National Rare Disease Day, and we are going to make people aware of those health issues that are unknown to the general population.

So, I am going to get a little personal with you.  I hope that's ok.  I would like to share something with you about me.  I also have a rare disease that most people have never heard of.

I am a vampire.

No, seriously.  Let me explain.

When I was about 4 years old I went on a trip to Lake Powell with my family.  Which is a huge lake that is in southern Utah.  Anyway, we went camping, boating, and had lots of fun.  And I was having a ball (for the first day).

I was playing in the sun and sand and my arms, hands and face started to get all tingly, and they began to burn like they were on fire.  Nothing could help them cool down.  Then the itching started.  It wasn't like an itch you need to scratch when you get a mosquito bite.  It was a deep itch, under my skin.  And when I would itch it would hurt.  My hands and face started to swell a little while later and I got this purple-ish rash on my hands.  And the pain lasted for about 3 days before it went away.

We found out later that I have a rare metabolic disorder called Erythropoietic Protoporphyria.  EPP for short.  I am missing the last enzyme that helps my body break down the UV rays from the sun.  The UV rays just build up and build up in my body.  So if I am out in the sun for longer than about 15 minutes or so, then I start to get all of these symptoms I spoke about. The only way to get it to go away is to stay in doors until it subsides.  It will usually take 24 hours to about 3 days for it to go away.  EPP doesn't usually show up until you are about 3 or 4 years of age.  There is no cure for this disease.  But it preventable and for that, I am blessed.

I don't go out in the sun very often.  If I do, I am usually all covered from head to toe.  It does make it hard for me to be able to go swimming with my kids or take them to the park or even go on a long walk.  But we manage.  I like to joke around all the time that I am a vampire because it makes it a little less, shall I say, "weird."   Because in this day in age, vampires are cool!  It is actually been said, that is were vampires came from.  People with severe cases of this disease who could not go out in the sunlight.  There are only about 350 cases of EPP in entire world.

For the next week I will be donating 15% of my sales to The American Porphyria Foundation in honor of Rare Disease Day, so that the research can continue and we can hopefully one day find a cure for this rare disease.

Today, please honor all of those wonderful people in your lives that have to live with these things.  It's hard enough as it is to live with it, day to day.  Let them know you care by supporting Rare Disease Day!

Please share your stories and let me know if you or loved has a rare disease!  I would love to support them in any way that I can!  

 I love this one!  My hubby says I look like a ninja.  :)

 In my nice wide brimmed hat and long sleeves and gloves.  I am also wearing long pants and tennis shoes.

I thought I would never do this, but I actually ran a half marathon last September.  In my sleeves, gloves and scarf to cover my whole face.  Whoohoo! :)

Happy National Rare Disease Day!

Got Tips?

Hi gals!  I just had to hop on and write a little something today, even though technically I don't post until tomorrow.  But that's ok right?  As a mom we have to learn to be flexible.

Well, here I am sitting on my bed with my lap top and it is almost 3pm (and yes, I am still in my pj's).  My girls are supposed to be napping, but I can hear them talking and banging things around in their room right now.  I honestly wish they would just sleep, because when they don't sleep, guess who gets to enjoy THAT?   Oooo!  Oooo!  ME!  Yup--super fun.

So today has been one of those "off" days, where I should be motivated, but I'm not.  I have a nice list of about 4 or 5 things that I need to get done today, and that's so bad, but I still don't want to do them.  So, I have come on here to get some tips on how to stay motivated?  Anyone?

How do you do it?  Even on your "off" days, how do find the strength to keep going?  Or even, how to not feel guilty about having a non-productive day?  I've noticed that as moms we really like to be perfect moms and wives.  We want to keep the house clean, have the kids fed, have dinner cooked.  It can get exhausting.  And for those of you moms you are businesses owners--add that to growing mountain of stuff and phew!  Where do we start?

(photo courtesy of blogs.babble.com)

Comment and let me know what you do to keep yourself sane.  I could use it right now.   And if there are some really good ideas I will be sure to post them on the blog as a Top 10!    Thanks bunches!   See you tomorrow on "Wing-it"  Wednesday!

Crock-pot Teriyaki Chicken

 Meal-Time Monday!


Sometimes coming up with dinner is rough.  Especially when you don't make a menu for the week.  (I highly recommend doing this whenever possible!)  It makes life so much easier!!  (Believe me, I know.)


However, on those weeks when no menu is prepared I dread dinner time.  I am frantically looking through the cupboards and trying to figure out what I make.  All the while, my kids are hanging on my legs and whining about how they are going to die of starvation!


ENTER:  Mr. Crock-Pot


Hooray!  We are saved!  There is nothing like coming home to the house smelling divine!  It's as if you have been slaving all day in the kitchen but with none of the work!  Knowing that you can just sit down and eat right then, is such a great feeling.  There is something about eating a nice, hot, home-cooked meal without having to do all the work that just makes me happy.  And what mom doesn't want to be happy around dinner time?  (Now, if I can just think ahead, in the beginning of the day, and throw something in, then we'd be in business.)


So here is what I made for dinner the other night!  It was sooo yummy! 

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
recipe from:   http://thisweekfordinner.com 

- Chicken (I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)

Sauce (I double these measurements)

- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Marsala cooking sherry
- 2 T oil

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together then pour over top of chicken. Cook on low eight hours.   Once chicken is cooked, shred with two forks and mix with sauce. Sauce will seem too thin, but once the chicken is shredded and mixed in it will be perfect.

Serve over rice.

 My little kitchen helper

Yum!  This has become a family favorite!  So pull out "Mr. Crock-pot" and enjoy a home-cooked meal without all the work!

Sew-vivor Sewing Competition: Baby Graduation Cap and Gown

Sewing Saturday!


So, as many of you know, I am participating in the "Sew-vivor" contest over at Family Ever After Blog.  So this post will be about the sewing project that I am submitting.  If you would like to submit something yourself please do!

Are you graduating? Or is a loved one?
No one should be left out of this wonderful celebration!  Great accomplishments should  be shared with everyone.  Let your little one enjoy the wonderful experience with you!  This little cap and gown is one-of-a-kind and can be used for any graduation.

It comes with it's own frame-able diploma to remember that special day.

The cap and gown is made with polyester cotton and is very "kid-friendly."  This cap and gown is handmade by me.

Here are some pictures!  Enjoy!

*If you would like to purchase a Baby Graduation Cap and Gown for YOUR special day, go to:
Baby Graduation Cap and Gown

Have a great weekend!

Featured Today: We Love Being Moms!

Feature Friday!


I love Fridays!  Although I have to say that being a mom all my days run together.  lol!  


Now, I would like to introduce you to Holly and Heather.  These are not only amazing moms, but they LOVE what they do! Hence--the name of their blog.  We Love Being Moms!  What mom doesn't love their kids, but seriously, sometimes you have those days where you wish you could jump ship and go on vacation for a while--(by yourself.)  


But at the end of the day--even on those hard days you find ways to enjoy those rough times and you find creative ways to spend time with your kids and doing things that are fun and enjoyable.  You enjoy and cherish those special times.  That is exactly where Holly and Heather come in!  

"We love being moms is a blog where we share unique activities for children, crafts, recipes, and inspirational thoughts and quotes for moms." ~ Holly & Heather


That just about sums it up!  They have everything here to help you become a successful mom.  And  on those hard days you can get inspirational thoughts to lift you up and keep you going.


My favorite part about their blog is the their "theme weeks."  This is genius!  My 3 year old is not in preschool yet and some days I just feel fresh out of ideas keep her busy and entertained.  But these "theme weeks" gives you activities and recipes to do with your kids during the week to help them learn about a certain theme.  


Here is an example:
THEME WEEK #6: Health & Nutrition

Here are some of their organization tips:
You use shower curtain rings to keep all your tank tops together. (How cool!)

 A Few Easy Organization Tips

Also, here is an awesome tutorial:  How to make your own Mater from CARS!  Love it!

From CARS: Cardboard Mater Tutorial

If you are a mom and are in need of some AMAZING Tips and Tricks about organization, recipes, printables, tutorials etc.  Please, do yourself a favor and hop on over to We Love Being Moms! blog and start following!  You won't regret it!  You can also follow them on PINTEREST.


Thanks again Holly and Heather for your wonderful blog, chuck full of such valuable information for all moms!  Keep up the good work!


Happy Feature Friday!

Handmade Laundry Soap

Thrifty Thursday!


Today's Thrifty Tip for today comes from my sister-in-law.  We were talking on the phone the other day and she was telling me about her latest way to save some money.  It's  kind of like a hobby for her.  She thrives on being thrifty and takes great satisfaction in knowing she can find the best deal out there or make it herself.  


Honestly, I wish I was like that.  But I'm not.  I'll just admit it.  I guess that is why I am enjoying "Thrifty Thursdays" because it opens up my eyes to new ways to save and be better at using what I have.  Maybe some day I will love it as much as my sister-in-law.  But for now, I will just take her word for it.  


So, without further ado here is her "recipe" for:

(picture courtesy of http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/)

Handmade Laundry Soap

This simple laundry soap recipe will leave your clothes clean and fresh and only comes to about 2 cents per load, or so my sister-in-law says.   You can't beat that!  And with as much as I do laundry...(with kids, it's AT LEAST once a day) this could be very beneficial to me. I think I will try this and let you know what I find!  So stay tuned!

Liquid Laundry soap

Ingredients:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap ( Ivory and Zote will also work)
½ cup washing soda (found in the laundry section at most stores)
½ cup borax powder (the 20 Mule Team brand is a good choice)
2 gallons water

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda (NOT baking soda) and the borax. Stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into a 2-gallon bucket. Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours until it gels. Use a ½ cup detergent per load of laundry.

Dry Laundry Soap

Ingredients:
1 bar Ivory Soap (or 2/3 bar Fels Naptha)
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda (found in the laundry aisle)

Grate 1 bar of Ivory soap (or other not strongly scented bar soap). Add 1/2 cup of borax. Add 1/2 cup washing soda. Mix together and store in air tight container. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.

Both recipes are for a low-sudsing detergent and work especially well in high efficiency washing machines.

Most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store in the laundry aisle and at some Walmarts and Targets. Some people have a difficult time Fels Naptha soap. If this happens, you can either try a substitute (such as Zote, Ivory or Sunlight bar soaps, or other low-scented soap) or buy it online at Amazon.com.

So what are some tips or tricks that have worked for you in making laundry soap?  


And how much money have you saved in doing so? 


Being as I have never done it before, I need your expertise before I jump in!  Please share your thoughts!  Thanks!

GIANT Sidewalk Chalk

(picture courtesy of www.ohmyhandmade.com)

Wing-it Wednesday is here!  I really enjoy this day because I can talk about whatever I want! It's a "free" day so to speak.  


You will usually find me referring to pinterest on this day because  I could spend hours and hours on pinterest, as I am sure all you moms can.  There is just so many great ideas for parenting and yummy recipes and tutorials for just about anything you can think of! Enough to last you 10 lifetimes.  :) 


Anyway, back to the post.  So today I was searching for something unique and fun.  I came across this website:  Oh My Handmade!  This woman is amazing fun and very creative.  She gives you a tutorial on how to make GIANT sidewalk chalk with toilet paper rolls as the mold.  


 What you will need:
•    Toilet paper or paper towel tubes
•    Scissors
•    Duct tape
•    Wax paper
•    Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe
•    ¾ cup of warm water
•    1 ½ cups Plaster of Paris
•    2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint
•    Paper bag or a “mess mat”

(picture courtesy of www.ohmyhandmade.com)

To view the entire tutorial and make your own sidewalk chalk CLICK HERE!

**Tutorial Credit:  "Oh My Handmade!"  

I am going to do this with my kids this week!  I hope it get's warmer soon my kids can play outside.  It needs to be summer.  *sigh*  

Anyway, I hope you have a fabulous day!  Remember that as a mom, sometimes you just have to "Wing-it."

I Heart Pizza!

So I know I have already done a post for Valentine's Day, but this was so much fun I just had to post it again.  :)  

For Valentine's Day this year we made heart pizza!  Kyrah helped me do everything.  She helped me roll the dough, put sauce on, and all the yummy toppings.  She loves  to cook, and I would not be surprised if she decided to become a chef when she gets older :)  

Here is the recipe for the pizza dough.  Believe me, you are going to love this pizza crust!  It is sooo YUMMY!    (I make mine in the bread maker, but you can just make the dough the regular way if you don't have a bread maker.)

Pizza Dough Crust
(**this will make two pizzas or pizza and bread sticks if you want**)

1 1/2 cups of water
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cups of semolina flour
3 cups of regular white flour
2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast

Toss everything it the bread maker and walk away!  It should be ready in about 50 min.

1.)  Roll the dough out in the shape of a heart

2.)  Spread your favorite pizza sauce on

3.)  Sprinkle cheddar or mozzarella cheese

4.)  Add your favorite toppings

6.)  Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 min or until the crust is cooked and a little golden color. 

The funnest part about it, is this is an easy dinner that your kids can you help you with.  They will love it and you will love it!  Enjoy!  

Kyrah rolling out the dough with her rolling pin

Kyrah's pizza and mommy's pizza

Spreading the sauce

Putting on the cheese!

It's coming together...

Yummy toppings

Kyrah's yummy pizza!

We (girls) got flowers from daddy!

The girls and I made homemade Valentine's cards for Daddy! What a wonderful day!

For the LOVE of the children

I love Valentine's Day!  It is the one day of the year that I have an excuse to be mushey, and my hubby can't say anything.  :)  But I also enjoy it because it's a day for me to show my kids how much I love them too!  We often think about Valentine's Day as a day to love and focus on your significant other. (Which not bad at all! I encourage it!)  But at the same time, today, I want to focus on my love for my dear sweet children.  

As a mom, my kids are the ones that see everyday, day in and day out.  I love them and there simple laughs and smiles.  I love their curiosity about the world around them and the way that they play with each other.  I LOVE their unconditional love and their forgiveness of my short comings.  They are such blessings in my life and I love them with everything I have.  

So today, let's not only focus on our love for our spouses and significant others, but also on the love we have for our children.  After all, they are God's greatest gift!

I want to show my love this Valentine's Day by giving 25% off TODAY ONLY!
Call             (877)409-1061       to place your order and tell me the code LOVE25 during checkout to receive this special offer!  Thanks so much for being such wonderful fans and customers.  I couldn't do it without you!


                                                     "Love makes life sweeter!"

---

Like mother, like daughter

Sewing Saturday!

As a parent you always want the best for your children and you want them to follow in your foot steps.  Well, about 2 months ago I found Kyrah in the living room with wipes spread all over and she was "cutting fabric" with her pretend scissors.  

It just warmed my heart that she understood what I do when lock myself in my craft room.  She knows that I sew and that I cut fabric; and she wanted to be just like me!  So sweet :)  I love to just stop and soak in those special moments.  

( Here is a little video clip that I took on my phone, so please excuse the poor quality.)  

Flour Party!

So the girls and I were all stuck in the house today because the weather decided to be yucky and cold.  They were a bit restless and bored.  That's when I decided that  I wanted to do something fun and crazy (for me anyway), and change up our routine a bit.

I remembered a friend of mine telling me about how she let her kids play with flour, and that they LOVED it!  So I thought, why not!  Let's go for it!  (Just make sure you have a vacuum handy.)

Kyrah and Syd loved it so much it ended up getting EVERYWHERE!  Not just all over the table and chairs and floor but all over them!  It was in their hair, up their nose, you name it.  It was literally coming out of their ears.  They were adorable and couldn't be happier.   They kind of reminded me of those geisha girls, with their faces painted white.

I think the funnest part of all was when Kyrah said, "I can't believe you let us play with all of this flour, mom!  We made a bi-i-i-g-g-gggg mess!  Can we do it again, tomorrow?"  (If I didn't actually have to use flour for any kind of baking or anything, I might actually consider making it a daily ritual.  We'll have to see.)


If you want to have your own flour party here is what you need:

-baking sheets to put the flour on (optional)
-table
-flour
-little hands to play in it
-camera (believe me, you are gunna want pictures, or even video)
-vacuum (this is a necessity) 

ENJOY!

Here are some pictures of my Kyrah and Syd enjoying themselves.  These are the memories I will treasure.

They wouldn't smile for me when I would try to take their pictures together!  But I promise, they had a blast!  (Don't believe me?  Come check out the HUGE mess I get to clean up!)

If ever you need a good laugh...

I've had a hard couple of days lately.  My daughter Kyrah has had an ear infection and has not been the happiest kid.  Endless crying and tantrums, and completely inconsolable.  Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon.   Let's just say, I probably would not have won the "Best Mom Award" yesterday.  But I guess that comes with the territory right?  And as moms we are allowed to have those hard days.  But the important thing, is to start over the next day and be ready to tackle whatever life throws at us, and not let it get us down. 

Well, if ever you are in of a good laugh and something to cheer you up on those..."not so good days" of being a mom,  just think of the special, funny times of being a mom and it will cheer you right up!  It's good to remember those times in the times of stress and frustration.  It's all worth it, being a mom!