More Suckers!

As Cali mentioned yesterday, we had SO much fun making suckers together.

Suckers

I think all of us siblings have a memory of making suckers with our Dad growing up.

Emily and I were reminiscing about how we would break the suckers apart 

and put all the broken pieces and crumbs in a bowl to eat.

Such fun memories.

Recently, we got all the old sucker stuff from my parent's house and had a blast from our past!

After we washed and dried the molds,

we set them out on a cookie sheet and greased them.

Some last Summer Ideas

When I think about the summer, I get VERY excited! Some of my best childhood memories come from playing night games and spending time with my friends and family in the summer. There are so many fun things going on!

HOWEVER, I've heard from various mother's some very similar things lately. Most of them have said something along the lines of this; "I'm kind of nervous thinking about entertaining kids all summer!" Do you feel this way? Don't think you are alone.

Here are a couple of my suggestions:

1)The job/chore chart

One of the things I just re-vamped for my little 4 year old is a new job chart. (If you have older children, your job chart would be much different) Here is a great article to consider. Kids really love consistency-they love a plan even when they are little. I made a chart that my little one can cover with stickers.

2) Check out your community-
-In our town there is a 'cheap' theater that has movies at noon M-Thurs for little kids. It's $5 for 10 movies!! All cute kid movies. No obligation to go to all of them, but it's a fun thing to plan for during the week.
-There is also free bowling for kids all over the USA.
-Last summer we participated in our library's summer reading program. (Even the babies can participate!) We had to read every day and then at the end of the summer, we turned in our tracking sheets. Then in the mail we got some fun free kids meals all over town.
-There are lots of fairs, parades, rodeo's and other great events going on in your community. You just have to check them out. There is never a better time to start fun family traditions than this year!
(please excuse his silly face!:)
3) Try some new summer recipes!
-Online there are great 4th of July recipe ideas for bbq's and campfires alike. Find something fun to create!
4) Make a "Summer List"
This is nothing new from me, but I LOVE to make a list of all the things I'd like to do in the summer. I write it all out...(I can't for the life of me find last year's to show you) Movies, slurpee, Centerville Parade, Swimming, Lagoon, Horse ride, etc.) and then we put a tally next to it when we've done it. It's a great way to see all the fun things your going to do or want to do before the summer ends.

5) Take a lesson
There are bunches of things going on to get your children involved in. This summer we are going to try Swimming lessons and for fun T-ball. My little guy loves having these sorts of things to look forward to!

And if we didn't give you enough...

Here are some cute ideas.

And this is one of the best websites for EVERYTHING summer.

Good luck! Make this summer one of the best!

Take a Hike

Our favorite thing to do in the summer is go hiking!

You can find tons of resources online about hikes in your area.

(For example, if you go to Trails.com, you can type in your zip code and get all kinds of information.)

Last summer we bought a Kelty child carrier, and we have really enjoyed it!

We also each have a CamelBak backpack that we love.

You know, each hike is twice as fun if you have good snacks.

We always take granola bars, fruit snacks, etc.

We also love trail mix.

I have a hard time buying trail mix because I usually end up picking things out.

(I'm a simple peanut, raisin, and M&M kind of girl.)  

But I found this recipe that looks awesome.  I might try it next time!

Pre-Practice Energy Trail Mix

Other things we love to do in the summer include:

*Camping

*Going to the Zoo

*Having a campfire

*Roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, or Starbursts in the campfire

*Laying on a blanket on the grass to see the stars or clouds

*Picnics

*Walks

*Dutch Oven Cooking

Hope you have a fabulous summer with your family!

P.S.  If you are looking for ideas, I LOVE the Family Fun website!

It has TONS of ideas of crafts, games, recipes and more.

(Thanks to Emily who introduced me to it!)

Family Reunion Ideas

Our family is BIG on family reunions.  We have always had them, before I was born, until now, and still going.  We have big extended reunions, but we also do our immediate family reunion too.  Since I am in charge of the immediate family reunion this year, I thought I would share a few tips and suggestions.

How to Plan a Family Reunion


• If your family is BIG, plan it, put in on the calendar and take as many people as can come.  If you try to wait until EVERYONE can come, you might be waiting a long time.

• Plan in advance.  I booked a cabin last fall for our family to enjoy this summer.  Good places schedule up fast, especially on holiday weekends.

• Be organized.  Organize the meals (meal assignments), organize activities, and organize games.  Having a plan (but still being flexible) is very helpful.


How to Make Your Family Reunion Fun


1. Activities as a family

Birthday Bash - It has become our tradition to have a big birthday bash at our reunion every year.  We celebrate everyones birthday's at once.  We do a gift exchange and enjoy cake and ice cream.

Water games - Whether it is swimming, sliding, water balloons, a lake, a river, or a pool, we seem to always find some water to play in.

Parks - Last year, we found these teeter-totters at a nearby park.  Everyone got in on the action and it ended up being one of the highlights of the reunion.  We laughed and laughed.

Horse Ride  - When we are close to home, we enjoy adding a horse back ride into our activities.

Scavenger Hunt - Work as teams (mixed of both adults and kids) to get to the prize.  My favorite activity like this we have done is when Mark and Natalie planned an amazing race.  We had to go to certain locations and take pictures (proof we were there!)  One of the stops on the amazing race was getting a milkshake and eating it.  Tons of fun for everyone.

Family Pictures Video - Several year ago I started making "slide show" type movies to watch at each reunion.  I use pictures collected from everyone of all the events within the last year.  Most years, after watching the new video, we watch the old ones too!  The kids love this.  It reminds me of when my dad used to pull out the slides and we would laugh for hours.

Service Projects - Emily planned a service project for our family last year.  We all went to a rest home and did some musical numbers for them to enjoy.  We played the piano, sang, and played some bells.  The old people loved it and hoped we would come back again.


2. Activities for the kids

Story time - Last year, Emily assigned each of us mom's to tell a story to the kids each night.  (About 2 stories per night.)  These can be favorite stories, family stories, "when I was young" stories, scripture stories, or made up stories.  The kids will love it.

Crafts - My kids love anything to do with paper, scissors, glue, and tape.  This year I am thinking about decorating T-shirts.

Boys/Girls time - One year, we had the girls make jewelry while the boys went bowling.  Girls love doing crafts, but the boys might enjoy a hike better.


3. Activities for the adults

Game night - After the kids go to bed, us adults love to pull out the games.  Sometimes it's games that we can play all together, and sometimes we have a few games going at once. We grew up playing cards, so that is what we enjoy playing the most.  A new favorite is Wackee Six.

Question game - Visiting with each other is fun, but sometimes a few questions help get the ball rolling. Last year, Emily had questions that we all drew out of a hat and had to answer.  Some were serious, like where do you see you and your family in the next 5 years?  Some were more funny, like what is a funny memory you have from your childhood?  I think we could visit all night very easily, if our spouses would let us.  :)


4. Document your family reunions

Take lots of pictures.  My kids love looking back at the things we have done together.  It is also fun to note the location, who was in charge, the activities you did, etc...

Planning a family reunion is a lot of work, but the memories that we make with our families will stay with us forever.  It will be time well spent, I promise.

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Fun in the Sun

Last summer my kids were still really small.

I had a barely 2 year old, and a new(ish) baby...

so needless to say, we didn't get out much.

This year though, we're planning lots of fun things! 

Here are some of the things we've done in the past,

and some links to posts with great ideas we hope to do this summer.

I think all kids love water, even if it's just in tupperware or buckets.

Emily told me that she's let her kids paint the sidewalks with water using foam brushes, 

or a spray bottle-- brilliant! 

(I'm totally doing that)

 Last summer we started family movie night once a week.

Addie was mostly in it for the popcorn,

but hey, so was I.

 We also love Jamba Juice.

Did you know they have little kid sized cups?

We just had them pour some from ours into her own little personal cup, and she loved it.

 The summer is a perfect time for outdoor food!

The options are endless here.

 Sidewalk chalk is a definite must every summer..

 We also took lots of picnics to local parks.

 I found a park near our house last summer that had little water fountains,

perfect for toddlers.

Gardening with the little ones is perfect too,

they are really interested in dirt and growing things right now.

 We also love going on walks, and sometimes get a fun treat along the way.

We're really looking forward to this summer.

I've found some great posts lately about summer activities 

My Favorite Things, Summer Edition,

101 Things to do this summer,

and 15 Fun and Frugal Memories to Make With Your Kids This Summer.

Now all we need is the sun,

and we'll be in business!

Are we there yet???

Traveling during the summer!

Are you dreading your LONG road trips this summer?

Well, worry no more!  I've got you covered.  Even if you don't have a DVD player! :)

*My top 4 things to pack*

#1.  It's always a good idea to have a travel bag, just for them, filled with a plethora of silly things that will keep them occupied.  (However, don't let them see it! They'll want everything all at once.)  Go to the dollar store and get lots of cheap toys and then wrap them up.  Then when you get down the road a bit and need something to keep them entertained, let them reach in and pick something. 

(Or I numbered mine, so that they all got the same thing at the same time! NO FIGHTING=Happy Momma!)

My kids LOVED the slinkies!!

#2.  Another good thing to pack is a map of where you are going.  Then I colored a green dot on where we started and a red dot where we were going to stop.  I also colored a few more dots along our path so that when they asked me where we were or "how much further?"
I could say, "we just passed the purple dot."
This is a great way to teach them about map-reading and directions!

#3. WIPES!!  These are great for cleaning up spills or sticky fingers.  Even on older kids!

#4. And probably most important....SNACKS!  Make your own trail mix with things your kids like, put cereal in individual baggies, apples slices (dried or dipped in Sprite to keep them from turning brown), string cheese, cut up veggies, fruit roll ups or fruit snacks, and bottles of water are some ideas. 

*My top 4 things to do to pass the time*

#1. Change seating a bit periodically.  

If Mom or Dad can sit in the back, even for just a little while, the kids will LOVE it! 

#2.  Give the kids cheap, fun things to play with that won't make a mess! 

(ie. Aluminum foil (see who can make the coolest shape), stickers, a box of band aids,

paper (for origami), or pipe cleaners!)

#3.  Bring along a few CD's with kids songs that know they'll enjoy.

Singing is always a fun way to pass the time during a long trip.   

Teach your kids some oldies like On Top Of Spaghetti, You Are My Sunshine, or The Ants Go Marching One By One.

#4.  Games!  We LOVE to play the dot game, word searches, or road trip bingo!

You can go HERE to print games or HERE to print bingo cards!

We also bring along electronic travel games like this Sudoku game. No pieces to lose! :) Ha ha!

*OTHER FUN IDEAS*

Audio books-- or read books

Mystery writing -on backs or hands

Bubble gum blowing contests (keeps ears popped too!)

Sewing cards-older kids could have a lace race

Black paper and chalk

License plate game (for younger kids you can already have the states listed and they just have to check them off.)

Find the ABC's on the billboards and signs

File Folder Games - print free ones HERE.

Scavenger hunt: a yellow house, billboard with a baby on it, or 20 cows.

Road trip math (figure out gas mileage, miles between destinations, and cost of gas)

Have a spelling bee

Ask everyone what their favorites are (movie, book, food, treats, etc.)

I spy or 20 questions

Fortunately-Unfortunately  

(This game helps teach kids to look at the bright side of things in a silly way.  For example, you say, "unfortunately, there's a tiger in the car."  Your son says, "fortunately, he doesn't eat boys." -momsminivan.com

This or that - would you rather have an ice cream cone or a popsicle?

Coloring books or Mad Libs

Linked up with:

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Lil' Luna 
Delicate Construction

A little bit of Gratitude...

After women's conference, I decided that I needed to be a little more grateful for things small and large that happened to me each day. And I've been wanting to start a gratitude journal for a long time. I gave myself a couple rules.... It needed to be simple, quick and had to be completed EVERY day.



When I first began, I wondered how in the world I would fill my pages-since a lot of my days seems very redundant. But as I got going, I found that I had a lot of great small things happen during my days-a lot to be grateful for. I cannot tell you how much I have loved doing this. Words just kept coming and the day just unfolds for me as I do this right before bed. It makes me happy and makes me think of things during the day that I need to write down. I focus a lot more on what I have going for me, instead of what I don't. You must try this. I think you just might love it too...

Here is what I did with this ordinary composition notebook that just makes it way cute:
I cut 2 pieces of coordinating 8.5x11 paper in half and glue them on. Then I take a coordinating ribbon and cut it long enough on the front and the back so that I can tie it in a bow. Easy! And cute.




And here is a great quote to leave you with:
"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable...." Um, yes. Sign me up!

Home Improvement - All 8 Seasons

We don't have cable at our house, so needless to say, we watch a lot of movies.

We also love seasons of TV shows, and have collected a lot of those over the years.

Well, this week, my husband got an early Father's Day present:

It's all 8 seasons of Home Improvement!

They all come in this cute toolbox case.

We found it HERE for a really good price.

If your husband or dad is a Home Improvement fan, I'd suggest looking into this!

Good luck with your Father's Day shopping!

My Craft Room Desk

Since moving into my new house a few months ago, I have been looking for the perfect desk for me to use as a sewing/cutting table.  I couldn't find one.  There is probably the perfect one out there, but it would probably cost a few pretty pennies.  So, this is what I came up with.

1.  I purchased pre-made unfinished cabinets from Lowe's.  Like THIS one.
2.  I had a friend cut off the toe kick (the bottom part) to make them closer to desk height rather than counter height.
3.  I applied primer and white glossy paint.
4.  We found this counter top at Ikea.  I love that it doesn't have a back splash.
5.  I bought the knobs at The Home Depot.  Like THIS one.
6.  I cut some vinyl with my Silhouette machine to decorate the knobs with.

I'm loving what we came up with.  I love the amount of storage.  This is just perfect for what I need.  Now, I still need to finish the sides of the cabinets and I'm on the hunt for the perfect chair.  I also have a few projects in mind for the walls that I hope to show you soon.  What do you think?  Would this work for you?  I am slowly getting my craft stuff organized and out of the boxes.   Now I need to make something.  Anything.

Linked up with:
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Lil' Luna
Organize and Decorate Everything
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My World-Made by Hand

Ribbon Ring Tutorial

If you remember back in this post, I talked about these rolled fabric rings 

that we made for Valentines Day.

After making quite a few of them, I decided to try some ribbon rings!

I just LOVED how they turned out!

Here are a few of the ribbon rings and the fabric rings.

 Today I thought I would do a tutorial for the ribbon rings because they are so fun to make!

(I apologize for the quality of the pictures!

I didn't get to this project until my kids were in bed and there was no natural light left!)

First: gather the supplies.

1/4 in - 1/2 in. Ribbon, similar colored thread, a small needle, lighter, hot glue gun,

and ring base OR some elastic! (Don't worry...You'll see where I'm going with this in a minute!)

 Next, I threaded the needle, as shown above.

 I always try to remember to treat the ends of my ribbon to prevent fraying!

I used a Bic lighter, but you could use whatever you have.

 Then I fold the ribbon over one time and put my needle through it and just before pulling it all the way through, I pull the needle back through the end of the thread. (As pictured below)

I like this approach better than seeing the knot in the end of the thread. 

 Now comes the fun part.  Simply start gathering the ribbon with the thread.  

I just weaved the needle in and out, close to the bottom of the ribbon.

 Keep going until you have the "flower" as big as you want it.

The longer you gather, the bigger in will be.

 When you get it as big as you want, cut the ribbon and don't forget to treat the end!

Then I stitch it back to my starting place and pull tight. Then you can play with the shape a little bit before tying the knot and cutting the thread.

 Here is a picture of it finished.

 You can buy these ring bases at the craft store, 

or get an even better deal on Etsy because you buy in bulk!

Now....I'm super excited to show you this next part.

I want to show you....

how to make your own ring band with some elastic!

 I placed this 1/8" elastic around my finger to get the approximate size I wanted.

Mine was almost 2 1/2 inches.

 Then I glued the ends onto a small piece of felt.

 Finally, all you have to do is hot glue the ribbon flower onto your new ring base!

 And there you have it!  A cheap, stylish, and fun, new accessory!

This deal has expired
**Today only there is a deal on Glidden paint!  You can score a FREE quart, just go here!
I ordered Pink Peony for my little girls' room!  :)

Linking up here:

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