My Good Friend's Blog

Teach your child to read

2012-02-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have been teaching a course at BYU on how to teach children to read since before I even knew my husband, and this book has always been a piece of this course. I even used it for three years when I taught in the public schools and I saw so much success with my students there.

Now that I have my own 4 year-old, we have begun to use this book to teach her how to read and it has been my most exciting experience yet with this text.

The book is designed as short daily lessons for a parent to use to teach their child to read. The instructions are all contained within the text on how to teach it (it is a scripted format so anyone can do it) and you need not be an expert to use it. I highly recommend it as a tool to use to help build a strong foundation of phonemic awareness and phonics in your child before they begin school.

I would caution you though that children will be ready to read on differing levels, so if your child does not seem to enjoy the lessons or gets easily frustrated with them, I would back off and try again another time.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by: Siegfried Engelmann

Adorable wall art

2012-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

The nursery is my most favorite room in my home. I didn't intentionally mean for it to have a bird theme, but it does and I love it. This wall art is actually a vinyl sticker I ordered off of Amazon for about $10! It is so beautiful and it comes off with ease after you're done and it doesn't leave any marks. They have all kinds of great stickers on the site. You should check it out. Just search under "vinyl wall stickers." Have fun.

Preschool Lesson Plan: Shapes

2012-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Opening:

-Welcome Song

-prayer

-pledge, weather, calendar

-Nursery rhyme book

-Dance to nursery rhyme music

-Show & Tell

-Read some Shape Books

-Have each child find a shape in the room and tell the class about it.

-Music: -Get instrument triangles for kids to play

-Create : Shape finding spy glass out of tp roll. Decorate with shape stickers.

-Play: Using spy glass, go on a scavenger hunt for shapes. Take pictures of shapes children find (e.g.: door is a rectangle, window is a square, etc) that we will make into our own shape book they will get later.

-Using shape foam stickers do shape sort worksheet where kids put all the circles on one side and all the other shapes on the other side.

Play Free play outside

Preschool Lesson Plan: Colors

2012-01-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

Opening:

-Welcome Song

-prayer

-pledge, weather, calendar

-Nursery rhyme book

-Dance to nursery rhyme music

-Show & Tell

-Read some books about Colors: A Color of My Own, color books, etc

-Have each child share their favorite color

-Music: -Give each child a musical instrument

Hold up a colored piece of paper

Have them play how the color makes them feel

-sing: Sing/learn The Rainbow song

-Play: Color mixing activities in stations: 1) with ice cube trays mixing basic colors 2) with Ziploc bags (red, yellow & blue) 3) color wheel activity with clothespins

-Create Paint the venn diagram color mixing worksheet to see how it works, then just free time to paint

Play time-play house in the playhouse if warm enough

Preschool Lesson Plan: More and Less (Sharing)

2012-01-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

Opening:

-Welcome Song

-prayer

-pledge, weather, calendar

-Nursery rhyme book: read and act out

-dance to nursery rhyme music

-Show & Tell

-Read some books about Sharing/More & Less: Little Red Hen

-Have each child tell something they could/have shared

-Music: -get music instruments have them play some while singing songs about sharing

-sing: I love brother , I love you, You love me

TAKE TURNS SHARING THE INSTRUMENTS

ALSO: Give two instruments to one child and none to another. Ask who has MORE instruments? What can we do? SHARE

-Play: Memory-taking turns and see in the end who has more matches and who has less

I made Memory game pieces using pictures of the children in the class.

-Create Worksheet with two bags. Have kids put stickers on bags putting more on one and less on the other. Discuss if they had a bag with MORE and their friend has a bag with LESS, what could they do to be nice? SHARE

-do the more/less wksht

(click on link then click "more or less worksheet")

Play Free play outside

Preschool: The foundational skills

2012-01-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

Once the semester was over, we decided we were ready to branch into some more academic based lesson plans. The Moms felt strongly that it was our role as a Mother to provide the core of academic instruction to our children and that the preschool would be more of an opportunity to enhance skills and allow them to be practiced in a more school type setting with peers. Since the children were on various levels, we opted for something we could easily accommodate/generalize.

We decided to focus our instruction around the foundational pre-primer skills children need in order to be successful in reading and math (as seen below in bold). We then combined the main theme with a sub-theme that helped us in our lesson planning ideas.

Below is a brief explanation:

• Bigger/Smaller: Children need to identify the differences between big and small in all areas of their environment. This helps in identifying that things have differences and how to group these differences.

• Animals

• Children can identify which animals are big and which are small

• Geography

• Children can identify things (buildings, parks, homes, etc) as which are big and which are small

• More or less: Children need to identify when something has more and when something is less in all areas of their environment. This helps in seeing growth, regression and progression.

• Sharing

• Children can identify who has more and who has less

• Measurement

• Cooking or measuring activities with the focus being on more and less

• Same and different: Children need to identify when things are the same and when they are different in all areas of their environment. This helps is identifying how things do and do not work together.

• Cultures/world

• Discussing how things are alike and different in other cultures/places

• Patterns

• Focus on looking at patterns and which ones are alike and which ones are different

• Matching: Children need to practice to proficiency the skill of matching like objects, pictures and words. Matching is the foundational skill in beginning to use symbols and representation, which leads to strong phonics skills.

• Memory/matching games

• Play these games with focusing on matching

• Letters to words

• Children can match the first letter of a word to the whole word or picture of the word

• Basic colors: Children need to identify basic colors in all areas of their environment. And how these colors aid in identification of people, places and things.

• Signs/community/mixing colors

• Children can identify various colors on signs in our community. Could also do a color mixing activity here.

• Seasons

• Children can identify various seasons based on the main colors that are associated with those seasons

• Shapes and sizes: Children need to identify basic shapes and sizes in all areas of their environment and how these shapes and sizes interact to create the things all around them (e.g: a house is made up of a rectangle shape, square windows, triangle roof, etc). This aids in comprehending that a whole is made of pieces and pieces make a whole.

• Patterns

• Children can create patterns use various shapes

• Scavenger hunt for shapes

• Children can find shapes in their environment

• Categories: Children need to practice to proficiency the skill of putting items into categories as to train the brain on how all things fit into groups.

• Healthy eating

• Children can categorize healthy and unhealthy foods

• Bugs/animals

• Children can categorize bugs and animals

Last day of class is a party/graduation

Preschool Lesson Plan: Families

2012-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

When I taught the lesson on families, I actually had a completely different set of kids so I did the same activity with the service pillow I posted previously. So for what it's worth, the lesson looked like this:

Schedule:
9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell

9:45-10:15
Read: I'm a big brother now

Music Exploration: While using instruments sing songs about families: We are a happy family, Families can be together forever, I love you . . . you love me . . .

10:15-10:30
Play Time

10:30-10:45
Activity: Have each child make a service pillow. I made each child a small white throw pillow and let them decorate it with sharpie markers (they LOVED doing this).
Once the pillows are made explain that when they do something to serve a family member, they can put the pillow on their bed. Then that family member will see the pillow on their bed and know someone did something nice for them. They will then do something nice for someone else and put the service pillow on their bed.

We then role played this idea. Lucy said something she could do to serve me was to give me a hug. She then gave me a hug and we all watched while she took her service pillow and put it on my bed. Then I took the pillow and had the students help me think of something nice to do for Lucy and I did what they said and then I said, "Now what should I do?" and they were all excited to inform me to put the service pillow on Lucy's bed! We then continued to practice as we put the pillow on different beds throughout my home.

Service: Students were challenged to take the pillows home, think of someone they could serve in their family and then put the service pillow on their bed.

10:45-11
Art: Making the pillows was art project here.

Preschool Lesson Plan: Imagination

2012-01-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

I taught about Imagination on Halloween day. The Moms didn't want the focus to be on scary things so we opted to focus on imagination for the day. The kids came dressed in their costumes and the lesson went something like this:

Schedule:
9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell

9:45-10:15
Read: Where The Wild Things Are
Let the children act out what it would be like to be a wild thing. Have them imagine they are in the jungle of The Wild Things.

Music Exploration: Imagine we are in a parade showing off our costumes to people watching all around. March all around waving and dancing for the people watching as The Monster Mash song is playing in the background.

10:15-10:30
Play Time

10:30-10:45
Art: I got these foam stickers of faces (lips, eyes, noses, etc) from Oriental Trading Company and the children each got to decorate a gord using the stickers.

10:45-11:00
Activity: I had each child decorate a trick-or-treat bag. I bought canvas bags from Oriental Trading Company and the kids decorated them with Sharpies.

The children then took their trick-or-treat bags into the hallway. Each child got to take a turn being in a bedroom and imagining it was their home while the rest of the kids came up to the "house" and knocked on the door to imagine they were trick-or-treating there. I had small toys/bracelets for the child at the door to give to their "trick-or-treaters".

Service: Students were challenged to take one thing from their trick-or-treat bag and share it with one of their siblings.

Preschool Lesson Plan: Service

2012-01-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Schedule:
9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell

9:45-10:15
Read: Lucy likes to help

Music Exploration: While using instruments sing: When we're helping we're happy
Sing: Do as I'm doing while acting ways we can serve people (sweep the floor, wash the dishes, etc)

10:15-10:30
Play Time

10:30-10:45
Activity: Have each child make a service pillow. I made each child a small white throw pillow and let them decorate it with sharpie markers (they LOVED doing this).
Once the pillows are made explain that when they do something to serve a family member, they can put the pillow on their bed. Then that family member will see the pillow on their bed and know someone did something nice for them. They will then do something nice for someone else and put the service pillow on their bed.

We then role played this idea. Lucy said something she could do to serve me was to give me a hug. She then gave me a hug and we all watched while she took her service pillow and put it on my bed. Then I took the pillow and had the students help me think of something nice to do for Lucy and I did what they said and then I said, "Now what should I do?" and they were all excited to inform me to put the service pillow on Lucy's bed! We then continued to practice as we put the pillow on different beds throughout my home.

Service: Students were challenged to take the pillows home, think of someone they could serve and put the service pillow on their bed.

10:45-11
Art: Making the pillows was art project here.

Setting up a neighborhood co-op preschool

2012-01-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

I got together with some Moms in my neighborhood with a goal to set up a co-op preschool together. This is what we came up with:

-Meet once a week for 90 minutes
-Each child was 3 or 4 years-old
-Each Mom would teach 3-4 times a semester
-The lessons would be based around values that we selected. We felt strongly that we wanted our children's first experience in a school setting to be founded on core values.
-The values/themes we chose: sharing, respect, citizenship, honesty, imagination, Thanksgiving, Christmas, nature, families, service, obedience and kindness.
-We also decided what should be included in each teaching time. The key pieces we felt that would be important to include were: prayer, the pledge, nursery rhymes, read a-louds, calendar, weather, music time, show & tell, a lesson, an activity , a service project, art time and free play time.
-Here is a sample schedule:

9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell

9:45-10:15
Story/Lesson Time/Music Exploration

10:15-10:30
Play Time

10:30-10:45
Activity/Service

10:45-11
Art

And thus began our little preschool. Stay tuned . . . I'll post lesson plans, art projects and more ;)

Reality check for Parenting

2012-01-17T20:30:00.001-08:00

If you: need a good dose of honesty when it comes parenting, need to give yourself a little slack for not being the perfect parent or you just need a good laugh: READ THIS and Don't Carpe Diem!

In case of emergency

2011-12-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

Often in the midst of our greatest trials we learn our greatest lessons. It is in this light that I share something I have come to feel very passionate about. It's really a very simple thing, but something that I believe if followed could help save lives.

When my friend Julie was at my home and her son began to choke (if you remember, she was alone as I had just ran to get Lucy from dance and was away for about 5 minutes) she needed to call 9-1-1. She did so using her cell phone and when they asked her for the address, she didn't know it.

Would you? Do you know your best friend's address by heart? Your parents? Do they know your address? Could those you leave to watch your children tell others your address in the event of an emergency?

After I got back from the hospital after being with Julie after Jonah passed away, I was sharing with my Mom how awful I felt about a lot of things and one was that it had to happen when I wasn't there (of course I've come to trust that this was meant to be, but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it) and my Mom asked, "Well what could you have done?" I answered that I know I couldn't have done anything more, but I could have at least told Julie my address so she wouldn't have had to figure that out in such a stressful moment. I recognize in our situation, her knowing my address immediately really wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it still opened my eyes to this idea.

I thought about making a cute little sign with my address on it and putting it on my fridge for all to see and I thought about the fonts and colors I could use. Then as I pondered on why I wanted to do this I knew I needed to just do something. Fancy fonts and cute pictures could wait. I then took a scrap of orange paper out of the drawer and wrote my address on it and stuck it to the side of my fridge. I point out that it is there whenever anyone is at my home.

It's nothing big, but I believe it could help. I also believe we could just make it a given that our address can always be found on our fridge. My thoughts for this campaign are very much in the infancy stage, but like the scrap of orange paper that hangs on the side of my fridge, I know it just needs to have a start.

So I challenge all of you to put your address on the side of your fridge. Those moments of not having to scramble to figure that out just might make all the difference . . .

Dry cracked heels?

2011-12-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Do not spend money on any other lotion than this. I have had a problem with dry skin (especially my heels) since I moved to Utah in 1995. I have tried EVERYTHING. I finally consulted a foot doctor who recommended this cream and it is heaven sent! I also use the sleep-n-heels and they make my heels softer than you know what. If you have problems with dry skin, GET THIS LOTION. You can thank me later.

Gingerbread Nativity

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

I saw how to make this here and it was so much fun and quite simple. Merry Christmas!

A great cause

2011-11-21T21:15:00.001-08:00

My friend's fundraising raffle is up! Please help them bring their daughter home from Ecuador! You could win Ragedy Ann & Andy dolls made by Mom (she also made the cowboy booties and memory bear). Check it out and please help spread the word. All items can be shipped to wherever you are! Go HERE

Kids wake up too early?

2011-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

This idea comes from my friend Christine and it is brilliant. When her son kept coming into her room around 6am she bought him a digital alarm clock and told him that if the first number was not a seven, it was still nighttime and he needed to stay in bed. We tried this with Lucy and it has been glorious!

$30 in free product

2011-11-09T20:56:00.001-08:00

Just pay shipping. Go HERE for details. (I can't decide if I'm going to make a book or do Christmas cards)

eyelashes

2011-10-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am not a very high maintenance girl (I don't dye my hair, I've never been tanning, I get my haircut every 4 months or so, etc) But boy have I found something worth spoiling myself with! Do you know about fake semi-permanent eyelashes? I love them. You get them on, they last 4 weeks and you look lovely. They are perfect for stay at home Moms. In the picture above, I have NO make-up on. You just wake up looking pretty. You get out of the shower looking pretty. You get done swimming and look pretty. Amazing. They are dyed so there is no need to put on mascara. They just always look lovely. (Oh and no raccoon eyes when you take off your make up.) I am totally loving it. They come in all sorts of lengths and thicknesses so you can find what works best for you. You will love it!

Ruffle headband

2011-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

Want to make these super easy, super cute and super cheap headbands? Go here. They do not require any sewing or gluing. Just cutting and tying! They took me about 10 minutes a piece to make. Enjoy.

Taco Salad

2011-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Another delicious recipe from my friend. This one is also Vegan, cheap, easy and my husband frequently requests that I make it:

Taco Salad:

Romaine lettuce (I use at least half of a large head, or a full small head)

1 tomato

1/2 can kidney beans

1/2 cup corn

2 corn tortillas

1/2 T. taco seasoning

salsa

• Cut, wash, and spin lettuce*

• Dice tomato

• Heat corn in microwave

• Pour the can of kidney beans (undrained) into a bowl, add taco seasoning. Mix, and heat in microwave. Pour half of the beans and liquid into salad.

• Cut corn tortillas into strips. Spread onto baking sheet and bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes (or until golden brown and crispy.)**

• Pour salsa on top, mix everything up, and enjoy!

*If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can just put salsa on top.

Enchiladas

2011-08-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been making these weekly since I tried out my friend's recipe. It is: yummy, cheap, easy and VEGAN! Who knew all those things combined could be so wonderful? My husband loves them and requests that I make them. Also, the ingredients are easy ones to keep on hand so it can be an easy stand by meal as needed.

Enchiladas:
1 Onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. oil (I used veggie broth)
10 oz. can enchilada sauce
8 oz. can tomato sauce
small can of chopped olives
1/2-1 can green chillies
salt to taste
pepper to taste
8 corn tortillas
1 can ranch style or chili beans
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Saute onion and garlic in water, veggie broth, or oil.
Stir in enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, olives, and chillies.
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix beans and corn together in a bowl.
Place 2 tortillas in bottom of slow cooker (crockpot). Layer 1/3 of sauce mixture, then 1/3 of bean mixture on top.
Repeat above step two more times, and then top with 2 tortillas and any extra sauce.
Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Thred Up

2011-08-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

I just started doing this great program where you swap kids clothing online with other Moms. (My sister has been doing it for about a year now).

How it works is you sign up for free and place a box of used clothing your kids don't use anymore and select a box of clothes you want. Each box you pick is $5 plus shipping and the box is sent directly to you. They will pick up the box you swapped from your home for free.

PLUS you get a $10 credit for signing up! I just bought my first box, it is full of winter clothes for David (about 12 items) for $5.95 total!

Check it out

2 point weight watcher brownies

2011-07-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Black beans replace the oil and eggs in this brownie recipe. These brownies are perfect for a "straight from the pantry" dessert!

1 (19 oz) box brownie mix
1 (15 oz) can black beans

Rinse and drain the black beans. Then spoon the beans back into their can and fill the can with fresh water. Pour beans and water into a blender and puree until smooth. Add puree to the brownie mix and stir. Pour into a sprayed cake pan and follow the directions for baking as printed on the back of the brownie mix box.

Only 2 points per brownie for Weight Watchers!

The word on the street is that they are delicious. I plan to try them soon.

Lovely chandelier made from wax paper!

2011-06-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Find out how to make one here

Postpartum girdle

2011-05-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Do not have another baby without having this lovely invention handy, especially if you have a c-section. When I first got home, I could not comfortably sleep on either side. A friend told me about this product. I got one at Motherhood (they are on Amazon too) and I felt like someone had a placed a big brace around my injured tummy. I could immediately sleep on either side and I felt so much better. My friend who told me about this didn't even have a c-section and it still really helped her And it helps you get a flat tummy faster. I cannot say enough good. And they are only $25-worth every penny!

Best Sandwich

2011-04-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had the best sandwich last night that I have ever had in my life (and I'd like to think I've lived a fairly cultured life). At any rate, it is at Station 22 on Center Street in Provo (22 West Center to be exact). If you live here, run and go there RIGHT NOW (you can thank me later). If you don't live here, put it on your vacation plans. Yum!

Cute hair flower

2011-04-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

I made these flowers following a tutorial from here. To make them "poof" more, after I sewed them altogether I turned the flower upside down and gathered the bottom together in the center. It was super easy and I think they turned out way cute. You will want to use a fairly stiff fabric when you make them (even flannel worked well).

Pony tail holders

2011-04-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, these (Goody ouchless) are by far the best pony tail holders for little girls' hair. They stay in place, don't stretch out and can be found at your local grocery store. Enjoy!

Personalized Mother's Day Cards

2011-04-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

Get an adorable personalized Mother's Day Card here for only 99 cents (with free shipping). Enter the code: AFFMDAY (I just made mine-totally works!)

No-sew rolled fabric flowers

2011-03-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

I just got done making some of these adorable roses for hair clips. They were super simple. Want to learn how? Go HERE

P.S.: I just used hot glue instead of fabric glue and it seemed to work just fine.

Tips for RSV

2011-03-10T14:08:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately we had to deal with RSV last week. My friend Sandy was kind enough to share some tips from her experience. I thought I'd pass along the wisdom:

My biggest tip - get one of these - nosefrida.com It is quite possibly the nastiest thing you will ever buy as a parent, but the key to clearing out RSV is clearing out all that Elmer's Glue snot and this thing works WAY better than any bulb syringe ever could. I had to order mine, but I believe they sell them at Target and Babies R' Us, so you might have better luck locally if you wanted to get one (saline is helpful in loosening stuff, too). I didn't have one with the first baby and her nose was in pretty bad shape after constant bulb syringing for weeks - and even though I rock with a bulb syringe, wasn't doing the job very well. Got the nosefrida right after the second one got out of the hospital and couldn't believe the difference - its way less traumatic on their nose, works twice as well - and gives you a lot more control once you get used to it - and you can actually clean it out, which is very helpful :) Whatever you use, though, suction like a mad person - the more of that glue you get out, the easier it'll be for him to breathe and the less coughing he'll do.

For the cough, a cold mist humidifier (especially in a tent of some kind) is awesome. I can't remember how old your son is...probably pretty mobile...so sticking him a carseat with a sheet tent over him probably isn't an option :) He might like a chair/blanket tent, though! You want the mist pretty concentrated - not just like the humidifier blowing next to him - so whatever you can do to contain it around him will help.

You want him sleeping at some sort of angle, too - not flat so all the glue-snot doesn't drain down and get stuck.

I know you're already doing the neb treatments - if they gave you a mask to use (hopefully) instead of something to stick in his mouth, you can also put a little saline in there in between treatments and use that to make mist to breathe in and help loosen up the junk. Toddlers and neb treatments usually don't mix very well...good luck with that...hopefully he's taking to it better than my kids did! We had to do a lot of restraint and distraction to get the whole treatment done!

One last little thing -- we found that like 75% of the nurses and respitory therapists we encountered didn't have very accurate info on RSV (stuff like claiming that adults can't get RSV - which isn't true - and therefore can't transmit it to children - um...hello - Germs 101! A toilet can't get sick, but you can get germs from touching it!) and would not all agree on what constituted "breathing problems", etc. Many would just say if their skin was sucking in between their ribs or they were wheezing - like an asthma attack - that was a problem, nothing else indicated breathing issues. Neither of my RSV kids had that happen - even when one had like 70% oxygen saturation, her ribs didn't suck in and she didn't wheeze. For my kids, it was the skin around their collarbones (like at the dent at the bottom of their neck) would suck in or they'd breathe very quickly and shallow (like 80 breathes a minute) - I had to MAKE nurses check oxygen stats to prove I was right since they didn't view those things as normal breathing problem signs. My doc said that babies and small kids will often breathe shallowly to combat not being able to breathe well (thus the collarbone sucking in and the hyperventilating) rather than trying to breathe deeply, but not being able to. So, anyway - I know your husband is a doctor, so he probably knows all this already, but thought I'd throw that out there in case you had come across one of the "adults can't pass germs to kids" people, haha!

I think that's all I've got...I'll let you know if I think of anything else - hopefully there was something new to tweak or try in there, otherwise, I guess you're already doing anything I could recommend :)
Be prepared to keep an eye on him for a while after he's "better" - most kids with RSV have asthma-like problems for a while afterwards, so you might want to keep the nebulizer around just in case.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2011-03-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

We were craving tortillas last night so I tried out this recipe. It was my first attempt at making tortillas and they were yummy! At first I used oil in the pan, but then I just made them with no oil and just heated them on my frying pan-still great. Enjoy

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons lard
1 1/2 cups water

Directions

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough. -allrecipes.com

Mobile for the nursery

2011-02-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

I just ordered this for the nursery here and I cannot wait for it to come in the mail! I wanted so many of these mobiles (the owl one was a close second). Many of the mobiles can only be purchased in the US through this site (I kind of like to be unique). Enjoy taking a moment to enjoy the adorable little creations.

Bubble gum necklaces

2011-02-10T06:48:00.001-08:00

What little girl wouldn't love these?

Cleaning Tips

2011-02-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips that help me keep up on the demands of housework. Many are tips I've adopted from friends, family, TV shows and some I just learned through the school of hard knocks:

1) Set aside one day a week to do all of your laundry. I LOVE this tip! Before my friend told me this was how she did her laundry, I always felt like I could never keep on top of laundry and that it NEVER ended. Now when I see dirty laundry at my house, I know it will be cleaned on Monday and I don't think about it again.

2) Use Clorox wipes. I do not know how I would get by without these little helpers. It allows me to clean up a mess right away without having to pull out multiple materials. I also like them to do a quick wipe down of my bathroom cabinets and other surfaces just before guests arrive.

3) Each day (except The Sabbath) I clean something. For example, Mondays I do laundry, Tuesdays I dust, Wednesdays I clean the bathrooms, Thursdays I do the floors, Fridays I "deep" clean the kitchen, Saturdays I clean whatever I didn't quite get to during the week ;). This means I spend about 15-20 mins max a day cleaning so I don't really dread it.

4) Clean up as you go (but not while you're going). I make the beds when I first wake up. Then we play and create. I let the kids do what they want with their toys. They can make all the messes their little hearts desire. Then just before nap time (and bed time), we clean up. Often they help me clean a bit and I take a few minutes (literally) to finish putting things away once they're in bed.

5) Make sure everything has its place. I love that our entertainment center has two big cupboards that can be filled with toys and SHUT when the children are not playing with them. This allows for plenty of toys to be easily accessible for the children and makes for easy and FAST clean up on our end.

6) If something doesn't have a place, figure out where it can go. If you can't find a place, get rid of stuff until everything you really need has a place in your home.

7) Take time about once a month to reorganize something (the hall closet, bedroom closets, pantry, kitchen and bathroom cupboards, etc) Again, by doing this about once a month (and only doing ONE thing) I am amazed how little time it takes me to organize something.

So there are a few ideas (or perhaps just a window into how very OCD I really am). At any rate, I hope something can be helpful.

ABC

2011-02-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

I am so making this for the new baby's room. Learn how here.

Christmas tree project

2010-12-19T17:28:00.000-08:00

This project was so fun. My husband and I actually made several together (they take less than an hour a piece and all you need is an old magazine). So fun! Click here for a tutorial.

Free shipping on prints

2010-11-24T10:02:00.001-08:00

Here's an offer you'll want to gobble right up — FREE standard shipping on any order of $25 or more! So whether you're basting the turkey or waiting for it to be served, get a head start on your holiday shopping and save big.

Hurry and order, this offer will disappear as quickly as the pumpkin pie! Use coupon 1124MERRY at checkout by 11:59PM PST on November 25!*

Toilet Seat for kids

2010-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before we started to potty train Lucy, my sister-in-law gave me a little toilet seat. I asked her if she also used a little toilet when she potty trained her kids. She said she never did because she wanted her children to be comfortable using a larger toilet so if they were ever out somewhere the child would use the regular size toilet. I took her advice and didn't worry about getting a little toilet.

I am glad I listened. Not only does Lucy comfortably use other toilets, but it was so much easier to just flush her "business" once she was done and not have to clean out a little toilet every time-yuck! The seat also takes up much less space in our bathroom. So my two cents says to bag the little toilet and just get the toilet seat.

Canvas Photos

2010-09-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

From Amber:

Hello, friends. Canvas photo enlargements are one of my FAVORITE things, and right now, this site is doing free ones (8x10 size-upgrade for $10 to 11x14) just pay shipping (I think around $14). We got one a while back and it turned out great. Thought I'd share.

http://www.canvaspeople.com/freegift

Canvas People | Create Your Photo Canvas Now

www.canvaspeople.com

Order Your Photo Canvas Prints at CanvasPeople.com - Where your 1st Photo Canvas is Free.

Workout video coupon

2010-08-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

From Porsche:

Hey Ladies! If you are thinking about buying some of Lindsay Brin's Moms into Fitness workout videos, here's a $10 off coupon for you! $2 for me and $10 for you, and we both get her great videos!
http://www.momsintofitness.com/referafriend/?bl=c3RhcnBpeGllOUBob3RtYWlsLmNvbQ%3D%3D

Potty Training Tip

2010-08-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

I read somewhere to buy a sheep skin and cut it to fit the seat of your child's carseat when you're potty training them. They said the sheepskin is absorbent and can be washed. We got our's at IKEA for $24 and it was big enough to put one in Lucy and Davids' carseats.

How to potty train a toddler

2010-08-09T12:18:00.001-07:00

I think there are a lot of ways to do the whole potty training thing, but here is what worked for us:

1) We talked quite a bit about potty training before we started (read books about it, watched movies about it, she would watch her friends go, etc)
2) She went to the store and picked out her own big girl panties, treat for when she "went" in the potty (she chose Skittles) and the stickers she would put on her potty chart.
3) I chose a 3 day time frame I knew we would not have to be anywhere and we could put potty training as the primary focus.
4) Day #1
-I just let her run around the house with just her t-shirt on and I let her drinks LOTS of milk, water and juice so she would be ready to go when the time came.
-I wore a timer that would go off every 15-20 minutes and then re-set itself it (it's called a MotivAider)
-When the timer went off (a vibrator only I would feel) I would say, "In 1 minute we're going to try going potty". (Lucy seems to work well with warnings of what is about to happen).
-After a minute or so I would say, "Let's go sit on the potty and you can have a Skittle".
-She'd sit on the potty. I gave her 1 Skittle for coming and sitting down and 1 Skittle if she "went" in the potty.
-If she actually "went" in the potty, she got to put a sticker of her choice on a potty chart and once a full row was complete, she got a treat (a popsicle)
-We repeated this process every 20 minutes or so for the whole first day.
5) Day #2 pretty much the same process but I pulled way back on the liquid she would drink and we tried about every 30 minutes.
6) Days #3-6 same process as above, but we tried about every hour (I use the top of the hour just to make it simple for me). We also started wearing panties and shorts. She's not as excited about the sticker chart, so I've just let that fade away, but she does still want a Skittle every time-which is fine for now.
7) We have about 1 accident (or less) a day which I think is normal. So, for what it's worth, that is what worked for us! Good luck!

Great Website

2010-08-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Jackie reminded me of a great website Lucy and I love to go to. It's a great resource for scripture study time with young children and we love to explore the site on Sundays. It is put out by lds.org and is ran in conjunction with The Friend Magazine. Go HERE to check it out.

Tips from Cheryl

2010-08-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

Great ideas from Cheryl's blog:

So, I've been meaning to post some tips I've gotten from others that I thought might be useful to some of you reading this. I always like reading everyone else's tips and stuff.

1) Use baby powder to 'spruce' up your hair on those non-shower mommy days. It actually works really good, and I'm one that seems to have especially greasy hair. For darker hair color, just rub it in really good so it doesn't look gray.

2) To clean your windows, instead of using Windex or other glass cleaning products, dilute about 1 TB Dawn Dish Soap to a half gallon to a gallon of water and wash with a cloth or glass cleaner tool for outside windows. Then use a squeege (spelling? sorry). It works great and doesn't leave a residue like Windex does. I also use it on my glass coffee table and on my mirrors.

3)To avoid getting floaties in your drinks from your ice cubes, rinse off the tray of ice cubes before using.

4)To peel egg shells from a hard boiled egg, use a spoon to go underneath the shell.

5)And I just found this website that is fun for planning birthday parties. It's from Toys R Us, http://www.birthdaysrus.com/
There's fun party ideas, theme ideas, activities, printable cards, and coloring pages. And it's free to join their birthday club. Whitney got $3 to spend in the store and also got a balloon and birthday crown when we went to the store last week to pick out a present.

Countertop protection

2010-07-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Tip from Aimee:

One little tip I read about in some magazine that I absolutely love? Go to the Dollar Tree and pick up some small sticky felt pads. You know the ones, right? You can put them on the bottom of your chair legs to protect your floor? Well pick some small ones up and put them on the bottom of all your countertop appliances, spice rack, knife block, etc. Then when wiping down, you can just slide the item around and it also protects your counters.
SO NICE!

Stuck at home on Friday nights with sleeping children?

2010-07-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Then you should watch this! Whale Wars is our favorite show by far. We can't wait to put the kids to bed on Friday nights so we can cuddle and watch the show together. It's on Animal Planet on Friday nights at 9pm. Watch it and you too will love it!

Want unbiased information on politics?

2010-07-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

I recently learned about this website and it has been very enlightening to me. Project vote smart is a group of Americans that have begun a battle. A battle to provide us with access to abundant, accurate, and relevant information when it comes to those in elected office and those who are running.The information is honest and they receive no money from special interest groups. Watch the video to learn more. This place has seriously become my new dream vacation spot!

Did you forget to thaw?

2010-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

We've all done it. You go to make dinner only to realize the only meat you have in your house is all frozen! Well I recently learned you can put frozen meat in your crockpot and it cooks just fine. I tried this a few days ago and everything turned out really well. I also use my steamer and it will cook/steam a frozen chicken breast in about 30 mins. This tip comes in handy when you forget to thaw!

The Steam Mop . . .

2010-07-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

is my new best friend! It cleans & sanitizes so well. Dirt comes right up. My floors have never looked cleaner. It is super easy to use. I love it so much. I just might have to buy stock in this company!

Going to a parade for the 4th?

2010-07-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Compliments of my brother-in-law, Ryan: Be sure to bring extra blankets and a big tarp to every parade you attend. Use the tarp to block off the shoulder of the road in front of you so mean ladies don't block your kid's view of the parade. (Marc and I discovered this after a "nice old lady" decided to block our view of the parade, but it's okay because "She was so sorry but there was nothing she could do about it." She had no other choice because her other spot wasn't in the shade so she "had" to move. Of course, her new spot is not in the shade either. Our discussion was like arguing with a drunk.)

Marc and the mean old lady

Chicken pot pie

2010-06-25T04:57:00.000-07:00

In need of some good comfort food? This recipe should do the trick!

Tatertots & Jello

2010-06-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

My sister just told me about this great craft blog. I love it!

Get out the Vote Utah, June 22nd

2010-06-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Not sure where you should vote this Tuesday, June 22nd? Go here and you will know in a matter of seconds!

And as far as the US Senate race is concerned, in my humble opinion, I would highly recommend that you vote for Tim Bridgewater!

Free Kid Ideas

2010-06-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

I love this website for free kid file folder games and MUCH more!

Liquidation Team

2010-06-16T06:40:00.001-07:00

If you live in the area, here is a great tip from my friend, Amber:

It's awesome, they get furniture, bedding, toys, electronics, appliances, food, you name it, from stores and sell them super super cheap. Every day, I just go to KSL classifieds and type in "liquidation team" to see what they've listed. I got all of our new lighting ($25 for vanity lights and $10 for dome lights) and our freezer chest ($150).

You can see more there and they always have different stuff coming in. It's kind of hit or miss, and they don't list everything that they have in their inventory, but sometimes I'll see exactly what I'm looking for.

Pillow Tie

2010-06-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this on cjane and I thought it was a perfect Father's Day gift.

HOW A PILLOWTIE WORKS

Free Summer Reading Program

2010-06-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Another tip from Kim:

Free Summer Reading Program at Barnes and Noble. Print the reading passport and follow the directions then go and get your free book!

2010 Barnes & Noble Summer Reading - Barnes&Noble

2010 Barnes & Noble Summer Reading - Earn a FREE BOOK when you read 8 books

Donut Day

2010-06-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just found out from Jackie that TODAY is Donut Day and if you go to Krispy Kreme they'll give you a free donut!

Cheap eyeglasses

2010-06-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

From Kim:

Here is a tip for those of you who are tired of paying so much for glasses! I heard about this place glassesunlimited.com where prescription eye glasses are $9.99 with $5 shipping. I was skeptical but ordered a pair for myself to test it out. It did take 6 weeks to come but it was exactly what I ordered and the prescription seems to be right on. Great for a second pair or third pair for kids!

Re-do a metal filing cabinet

2010-05-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is brilliant from Jackie's blog:

I was lucky enough to be given a metal filing cabinet that was exactly what I wanted.

Four drawers.

A lock.

It's even better with a bit of color.

What until you see what I did with this bad boy.

For $20 I got two cans of metal primer spray paint, a can and a half of green spray paint, and some vinyl adhesive wallpaper from target.

Spray it all up, pop the hardware off the drawers and stick your paper down, and you are good to go!

Microfiber tablecloth

2010-05-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

I need this. Spill proof and wrinkle free. What more do I need in a tablecloth?

Fitbit

2010-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

My Fitbit finally came in the mail and I pretty much love it. It tracks my steps, calories burned, mileage and activity. I put it on first thing in the morning and take it off last thing at night (and I plan to sleep with it on pretty soon so it can track my sleep). If you don't have one, you should get one!

Clean carpets for $3.59

2010-05-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Woolite Foam Carpet Cleaner is amazing! I just cleaned my rug with it and it looks like new! I got a bottle of it at Wal-Mart for $3.59. best money we ever spent.


	buy this product	close window

Safeguard your home

2010-05-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I just had a meeting with my ecclesiastical leader and he shared how we are being overrun by pornography. He said, "And the only thing this evil needs to take over is for good people to sit back and do nothing."

He then said that we needed to safeguard our homes. He shared with us the website K-9, which is a free web protection site that allows you to download software to your own computers to set-up firewalls against sites you do not want used in your home.

We just set this up on our computers and the process took about 5 minutes. I would encourage all of you to do the same and protect your families.

Ink Stain?

2010-05-09T20:35:00.001-07:00

Today at church Lucy was writing with a blue ink pen. She managed to write on my cream skirt and her pink shirt. When we got home, I sprayed hairspray on them, rubbed them a bit and scratched them out with my fingernail and then the stains were gone! Fabulous!

Edible Teacups

2010-04-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

I think the next time we have Lucy's friends over, these should be a part of the festivities. Thanks for the tip, Christine. Learn how to make them here:

1st purchase . . .

2010-04-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

My very first purchase using my Swagbucks! It's for sure legit-I didn't have to pay a dime for this beauty (a heating pad) I bought from Amazon:

If you haven't started, get going! Click here

Real Recipes cont.

2010-04-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

I noticed more people have posted recipes on this post. Go check it out and please keep on adding your favorites. These have been great to have.

And here's another:

We like to grill chicken on the BBQ using seasoning salt (9 mins on each side), then we complete the meal with some black beans (straight from the can) and a vegetable.

Neti Pot

2010-04-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

I heard about the Neti Pot on cnn.com the day I came down with a bad cold. I was curious so I asked my friends on Facebook what they thought. A few hours later, I had 18 glowing reviews of this thing. Several even used the word LOVE! I got one and I too am in love with it's incredible ability to to cleanse your nasal passage. You won't be disappointed AND you will also think it's totally bizarre.

You can find them at Walgreens for $15, but be sure to go HERE first and get the $2 off coupon! My friend just ordered her's off of Amazon for about $10.50 with shipping if you like that route. Let me know what you think.

Jamba BOGO

2010-04-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Go here to get your Buy One Get One Free Jamba coupon good this week

Homemade Buttermilk

2010-04-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

I learned how to make buttermilk last night. It's quite simple.

Step 1: Add about 1- Tblsp buttermilk (you can buy a small carton from the store, or if you live near me, come on over and get a start) to a quart jar (or any quart size container).

Step 2: Fill the rest of the jar with milk and let it sit out over night on the counter without a lid.

Step 3: The next morning, put a lid on it and put it in your fridge. It should be good for about 3 weeks. When it gets low, add more milk and let it sit out again overnight-it will just keep going!

Now I just need to find some great buttermilk pancake recipes! We got a great one last night for the most moist chocolate cake! Yum!

No More Dandfruff

2010-04-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

My friend took the idea from this post about using olive oil to get rid of cradle cap and applied it to her problems of dandruff.

This is what she did: She rubbed olive oil on her scalp, put a plastic bag on her head for about 2 hours and then washed it all out. Voila, the dandruff was gone! I tried it myself last night and I had the same magical results. NO MORE DANDRUFF! Give it a try!

REAL Recipes

2010-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

I think we all are good at posting/using yummy recipes that are fun and different. For a twist, I'd like to add some practicality to this custom. Let's share some of our true family favorite recipes. I'm not talking about the fancy stuff (but maybe some will be). I'm talking about the meals you cook almost weekly because they are: 1) easy 2) you know your family will love them 3) cost effective 4) healthy? 5) you probably have the recipe memorized you cook it so often (or at least some combination of that list).

So please, leave a comment with your favorite recipe(s) too. I think this could be so handy to have these on hand. Blogstalkers, we want to hear from you too-we all have to eat! Let's share what we really like.

To start us off, I'll begin with a few family favorites from my home (I plan to add more):

Spaghetti:
-In a saucepan brown 1 pound of ground turkey (or beef)
-add 1 pkg onion soup mix
-add 1 can of spaghetti sauce
-serve over spaghetti noodles (we prefer wheat noodles)

Meatloaf:
In a bowl mix the following ingredients:

-1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
-2 egg whites
-1 tsp garlic
-1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
-1 cup oatmeal
-1 tsp hot sauce (or tobacco sauce)
-1/4 cup chopped or dried onions
-Sprinkle in some seasoning salt

Mix ingredients well and place in greased bread pan. Cook at 350 for 50 minutes.

For The Babies

2010-04-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

From cjane's blog (this is definitely worth sharing):

1.) I just got word today of a need at UVRMC in Provo:
In times past, the Pediatric unit received blankets for children who were sick, critically ill or in need, from various good donors. For some reason the blanket donations have stopped--but the need is still very much an issue. This would be a perfect project for a youth group, church group or family service project--to make quilts or pick up new blanket donations for children locally.

Here are the specifics:

We need new quilts of any size, they must be bound around the edges to hold up to intense washing. We will give away quilts to those in need, we also like to put a nice quilt on the beds so that when the patients are admitted, it seems a little more like home.

For those that want to donate what you have...you can take them to the 4th floor (the building with the twirly door and up from the gift shop and snack bar). When you get off the elevator, there are two phones-pick up the one that says Pediatrics and tell the security person you have a blanket donation for Peds.

You can ask for Brenda or Debbie Hema-our Child Life Specialist, or Gena Sorensen-our Department Manager.

Teacher's agree

2010-04-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

This Leap Frog Letter Factory video is a must for teaching children their letters and sounds. Lucy loves it and it is very accurate. They use some great songs to teach about letters. It is a HIT around our home.

Kid's bike helmets

2010-04-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

With my husband being a Dr. that specializes in brain injuries, we definitely take wearing helmets seriously at our home. Just thought I'd pass along that I have had a lot of luck finding great helmets for my kids at DI. They are just $2. Pretty sweet deal.

Ideas for kids with General Conference

2010-03-30T19:36:00.001-07:00

The Church is launching a new website for Conference activities and downloads. There is now more than one activity packet as well as other online activities available. There will be an article about the Church General Conference activities for children in this weekend’s Church News. CLICK HERE to visit their site.

Free Gift Cards

2010-03-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

This is NOT a scam!

My friends have been telling me about all the great things they have been buying with Swag Bucks. I thought it sounded like a great idea, but never did anything until my friend Jackie explained the process on her blog.

You basically download their search bar (powered by Google) and then get Swag Bucks just for searching (like I got 10 Swag Bucks for when I searched for "Sesame Street"). You can redeem your Swag Bucks for all kinds of great gift cards (Amazon being my personal favorite). Friends of mine have used Swag Bucks to fund their entire Christmas. It seems like a great idea. If you want to try it (it is absolutely FREE) go here:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/marcnkatie

And yes, we will get Swag Bucks for referring you and you will get them when you refer your friends. So give it a try!

Need a Unique Gift?

2010-03-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

If you're ever trying to find the perfect gift that is unique and personable, may I suggest Ekko Mobiles: We have one in the nursery and I absolutely love it!

Understanding The Health Care Bill

2010-03-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

These articles were quite helpful for me to begin to try and grasp what all of this health care reform is all about. They were also very easy reads and tried to stay neutral. I thought others might enjoy feeling more empowered with this knowledge as well:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0319/Health-care-reform-bill-101-Who-must-buy-insurance

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704117304575137370275522704.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

What to do for a cold?

2010-03-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

We are struggling with a cold that has managed to make everyone in our family sick except for me. Needless to say, I always seem to forget all the things to do when my baby has a cold. With all this fresh in my mind, I thought I'd right it down:

Signs that you need to see a Doctor:
1) Dehydration (dry diapers, no tears when they cry)
2) Fever of 101.5 or higher that doesn't come down with Tylenol
3) Rattle sound in the lungs
4) Whistle/wheezing when they breathe
5) Coughing so hard it makes them throw up
6) Signs of ear infections (tugging at ears, waking up with a piercing "I'm hurt" cry)

What you can do for them:
1) Tylenol as directed
2) Saline drops in the nose
3) Essential oils/Vicks rubbed on their chest and feet
4) Plenty of liquids
5) Humidifier
6) PRAY

What else have I forgotten? I'm on night 6 of very little sleep. Please feel free to add.

In Need of a Formal Dress?

2010-03-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

My friend is starting out a new business adventure where she will be selling new and gently used formal dresses at much reduced prices:

Dreams Come True Dresses

Come join the fun and receive deals & discounts on new & previously
owned formal dresses, shoes, jewelry, hair up-dos, decorative hair
clips, nail painting, shawls, purses, and boutonnieres

-free pink wooden hanger with every dress purchase
-$10 cash give-aways 1 every hour
Door Prizes:
sterling silver earrings
Fingernail and toenails painted
Sole Envy shoes
Main Place Hair Salon up-do
Main Place Eyebrow waxing
Mapleton Floral boutonniere
Pretty Little Things hair clip

Saturday, March 20, 2010
10am-2pm
at the Wandering Wardrobe
511 South Main Street
Springville, UT

visit: dreamscometruedresses.com

Free Scrapbook

2010-03-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the tip Christine:

Scrapbook MAX! has teamed up with our friends at Picaboo, who are going to give you a FREE 20-page photobook! You can choose from the Large Classic, Classic Leather or Classic Custom photo book (value up to $39.99) - but you'll want to claim your free book right now! This offer is only available until March 31, 2010.

Get a free Classic photo book from Picaboo!

Essential Oils

2010-03-10T07:47:00.001-08:00

http://www.vanillajoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/dr-mom-oils-267x300.jpg

I have recently been introduced to essential oils and I am a believer! Let me tell you the ones I find to be most helpful:

Peppermint: for headaches

Breathe: which is a combination of:

eucalyptus oil
lavender oil
peppermint oil
ravensara oil
rosemary oil
tea tree oil
thyme oil

Breathe aids in congestion. I like to rub it on my baby's chest and the bottom of their feet.

And I am currently using Deep Blue to help with lower back pain.

I think these are all heaven sent. Essential oils can often be found at your local health food store.

Marriage Advice

2010-03-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

From now on when I go to bridal showers and they ask for advice for the bride, I am going to give this:

"Whoever is in charge of doing the laundry, make sure they have at least one less pair of underwear than the person who isn't in charge."

Justin Hackworth

2010-03-03T07:33:00.001-08:00

From Justin's site:

30 Strangers 2010 – Sign up now!

Here we go! Announcing year three of the 30 Strangers Portrait Project and fund raiser. Once again, we’ll be doing portraits of mothers and daughters.

Last year, it was first come, first served. This year, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post and we’ll be selecting people at random. You have until March 5, 2010, at midnight. If you are selected you must respond to my email within two days.

What is 30 Strangers?
A Justin Hackworth Photography project. It works like this. For the entire month of April 2010 I will make a portrait of a mother and daughter every day. 30 portraits – 30 days.

Home Depot

2010-02-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

From Danica:

Check out your local Home Depot, because at most of them, on the first Saturday of each month, they do a fun and free craft or project of some sort geared for children.

Poison Control

2010-02-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

Program it in your phone if you haven't done so already:

1-800-222-1222

Thinking of getting pregnant?

2010-02-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

I was always leery about programs like Aflac and other secondary insurance programs, but I've done some reserach on them and they really seem to be a great idea. I would highly recommend looking into a program if you plan on having a baby soon. One plan we are considering would be to pay out about $4,000 (in smaller monthly payments) and then we would get back about $12,000 back in cash regardless of additional insurance we may have.

Aflac is pulling out of Utah so you have to sign up by Thursday (tomorrow) so hurry, but there are other options available besides Aflac that aren't leaving the state.

An agent my friend recommended I talk to was: Greg Davies 801-999-8504
He was very helpful.

Cute Valentine's Project

2010-02-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

From Lindsay's blog:

Valentine project

Do you want an idea for a super easy Valentine's project?? This project was so fun and so easy. I have made 4 of these for different friends. I apologize for the fuzzy pics. I must of had a shaky hand the day I took these.

INTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut burlap in to triangles
2. Trace the shape you want on to the burlap.
3. Fill in shape with ModgePodge and then sprinkle glitter liberally. Shake extra glitter off and let dry over night.
4. Use a large sewing needle to string triangles together.
5. Embellish with ribbon.
6. Hang it up or give it away to a friend.

Great Kids Edcational Website

2010-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

I learned about this site from some local school teachers and it is wonderful! It's also free! It is full of all sorts of great phonics activities to do with your children. Lucy and I have been having a lot of fun with it. Want to see it? Click: HERE

Free Shipping on prints

2010-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Use the code: myval20 at Snapfish to get free shipping on orders over $20. (Expires February 6th)

What's in a name?

2010-02-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Trying to find the perfect baby name? I found this great site on Danica's blog:

http://namenerds.com/

Guilt free sweetness

2010-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Do you know about Agave Nectar? It's a delicious little sweetener that we have started to use in place of brown sugar on our oatmeal and it is yummy. We have also used it to sweeten our french toast and pancakes. You can find it at most health food stores. My personal favorite is to pick it up at Sunflower Market near the bulk area where you can pump it out yourself (much cheaper price). ENJOY

Yummy cookies from Aimee:

2010-01-26T20:38:00.001-08:00

Chocolate, chocolate chip cookies

REALLY EASY!

1 Devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

2/3 C. oil

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (from the freezer)

Mix together and roll into 1" balls (don't flatten)

Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes

Enjoy!!

(This is basically the homemade Oreos recipe from my friend Lyndsay, to make those, omit the chocolate chips and here's the frosting)

Frosting:

Mix together:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 C. butter (I use margarine)

2 t. vanilla

2-4 C. powdered sugar

This makes lots of extra frosting

These cookies are ALWAYS a hit. Try them out next time you're due to make a dessert and short on time.

Cradle Cap

2010-01-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

My friend Ani says she wants it to be her personal mission to spread the word that olive oil takes away cradle cap. So I thought I'd help her spread the word.

Curried Quinoa Salad

2010-01-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Curried Quinoa Salad
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 veg oxo cube (can sub a bouillion cube, but dissolve in the water)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used penzeys sweet curry)
2 cups grated carrots
2/3 cup chopped peppers
1 cup snap peas
2/3 cup edamame
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1 can garbanzo beans
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup cashews, chopped
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Cook the quinoa in the water for about 10 mins, or until tender. Crumble the oxo cube over it, and mix with the curry, raisins and snap peas and cover.
Mix up the remaining ingredients, then add the quinoa and mix. If you can wait a little while for the flavors to develop it will taste better, but serve immediately if you're hungry!

Fitting it all in

2010-01-05T19:35:00.001-08:00

I made this little folder with velcro stars that can move once we've completed the various tasks. I just wanted a way to help me remember to do the things I want to do with my children every day. I've been using it for about two weeks now and it has been very helpful.

Cheese Fondue

2010-01-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Melt together and enjoy with bread, sliced apples, or celery:

1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 pkgs softened cream cheese

My Good Friend's Blog

Teach your child to read

Adorable wall art

Preschool Lesson Plan: Shapes

Preschool Lesson Plan: Colors

Preschool Lesson Plan: More and Less (Sharing)

Preschool: The foundational skills

Preschool Lesson Plan: Families

Preschool Lesson Plan: Imagination

Preschool Lesson Plan: Service

Setting up a neighborhood co-op preschool

Reality check for Parenting

In case of emergency

Dry cracked heels?

Gingerbread Nativity

A great cause

My friend's fundraising raffle is up! Please help them bring their daughter home from Ecuador! You could win Ragedy Ann & Andy dolls made by Mom (she also made the cowboy booties and memory bear). Check it out and please help spread the word. All items can be shipped to wherever you are! Go HERE

Kids wake up too early?

$30 in free product

eyelashes

Ruffle headband

Taco Salad

Enchiladas

Thred Up

2 point weight watcher brownies

Lovely chandelier made from wax paper!

Postpartum girdle

Best Sandwich

Cute hair flower

Pony tail holders

Personalized Mother's Day Cards

No-sew rolled fabric flowers

Tips for RSV

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

Directions

Mobile for the nursery

Bubble gum necklaces

Cleaning Tips

ABC

Christmas tree project

Free shipping on prints

Toilet Seat for kids

Canvas Photos

From Amber:

Hello, friends. Canvas photo enlargements are one of my FAVORITE things, and right now, this site is doing free ones (8x10 size-upgrade for $10 to 11x14) just pay shipping (I think around $14). We got one a while back and it turned out great. Thought I'd share.http://www.canvaspeople.com/freegift

Workout video coupon

From Porsche:

Hey Ladies! If you are thinking about buying some of Lindsay Brin's Moms into Fitness workout videos, here's a $10 off coupon for you! $2 for me and $10 for you, and we both get her great videos!http://www.momsintofitness.com/referafriend/?bl=c3RhcnBpeGllOUBob3RtYWlsLmNvbQ%3D%3D

Potty Training Tip

How to potty train a toddler

Great Website

Tips from Cheryl

Countertop protection

Stuck at home on Friday nights with sleeping children?

Want unbiased information on politics?

Did you forget to thaw?

The Steam Mop . . .

Going to a parade for the 4th?

Chicken pot pie

Tatertots & Jello

Get out the Vote Utah, June 22nd

Free Kid Ideas

Liquidation Team

Pillow Tie

HOW A PILLOWTIE WORKS

Free Summer Reading Program

Free Summer Reading Program at Barnes and Noble. Print the reading passport and follow the directions then go and get your free book!

Donut Day

Cheap eyeglasses

From Kim:

Re-do a metal filing cabinet

Microfiber tablecloth

Fitbit

Clean carpets for $3.59

Safeguard your home

Ink Stain?

Edible Teacups

1st purchase . . .

Real Recipes cont.

Hello, friends. Canvas photo enlargements are one of my FAVORITE things, and right now, this site is doing free ones (8x10 size-upgrade for $10 to 11x14) just pay shipping (I think around $14). We got one a while back and it turned out great. Thought I'd share.

http://www.canvaspeople.com/freegift

Hey Ladies! If you are thinking about buying some of Lindsay Brin's Moms into Fitness workout videos, here's a $10 off coupon for you! $2 for me and $10 for you, and we both get her great videos!
http://www.momsintofitness.com/referafriend/?bl=c3RhcnBpeGllOUBob3RtYWlsLmNvbQ%3D%3D