Little insights for home, family, bargains and more

new year, new blog focus

2008-01-10T14:45:00.000-05:00

I'll be blogging over on my family blog from now on. Less time to focus here and more interesting info (not to mention cute photos of my kiddies!) will be regular over at Maravilla Family.

Weekly Plans: reason for the season

2007-12-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

Afton and Abel are fully aware of the general jolliness that Christmas brings. This week I wanted to focus our learning and activities on the Savior, for my own benefit as well as theirs.

We began by watching Mr. Krueger's' Christmas for family night. During the part where Mr. Krueger is talking to the Baby Jesus, Afton and I were crying and she said "this Baby Jesus part is making me upset!" We talked for a minute about how the Spirit whispers to out hearts during special moments like these and it's good to feel happy sadness.

We will be playing with our new Little People Nativity and learning more about the story of Jesus' birth.

The Friend has great stories and activities this month to bring Christ into your Christmas. I especially like the poem (we learn a poem each week that relates to our theme)

Christmas is coming.
It soon will be here.
News of Christ’s birthday
Has filled us with cheer.
With joy we are singing—
Our songs fill the air.
Soft sounds are ringing
From chimes everywhere.
We are all happy
That Christmas is near.
Jesus is born, and we’re
Glad He is here!

Why can't Christmas be in the summer?

2007-12-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Guess what? I don't like snow. With the exception of the first snow of the season, the sight of snow stresses me out. Snow equates to messes, cold, probable falling and way too much time spent indoors. When complaining of this to Patrick last week, he reminded me that we live in the Rocky Mountains so I should get used to it. I've tried getting used to snow but my childhood snow expectations and my adult snow realizations just don't match up. Snow should come, stay for a day, then politely leave. That what it did in the grand state of Washington. Life halted to greet the snow.

So my snow grumpies are getting in the way of my peaceful week. Well, my week was supposed to be peaceful until my dearly beloved jetted off to the swanky warm town of LA for an entire week, leaving me to wrap, bake, CANCEL THE HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR OUR FIRST NIGHT OUT SINCE HAVING CHILDREN, and prep for familial arrivals. I guess the snow it just adding to my unpleasantness.

Thank goodness my in-laws arrive in 2.5 days to rescue me. And thank goodness none of my neighbors will be receiving the hot fudge sauce I'm making them until July.

Deal of the Week: toy coupons

2007-12-11T15:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some coupon links for those of you still Christmas shopping (or for thsoe of us who keep finding good reasons like these coupons to keep on shopping!):

$5.00 off Polly Pockets (no minimum)
$5.00 off $50 at Target
Target toy coupons (like $5.00 off Leap Frog, $10 off playmobil, $500 off Barbie stuff and more)
Walmart is shipping most toys for 97 cents!!

Happy Shopping!

If you know of other deals, please post a comment.

weekly plans: embrace Christmas like no other

2007-12-11T00:42:00.001-05:00

I was going to try and prolong the massive Christmas craft weeks until next week, but Patrick's work put on a Christmas bash for the munchkins who rarely get to see their CP+B parents, and now I've got the itch, the kids have itched their itch and we're loading up the week with crafts, themed worksheets and cooking galore. (I've not been ignoring the jolly season up until this point, we have been doing something every day, lest you think I'm a bah humbug.)

This is why the kids LOVED the party today

Santa had presents waiting for them (and no actual interaction with Santa was required which made Afton's day. Abel did sit on Santa's lap, but only because he was eating a cookie therefore wasn't paying good attention to anything else). Abel got a T-Ball set (who, of course, preferred the box to the actual game) and Afton a princess castle, which already broke so we'll return for something a bit more sturdy tomorrow.

Here is Abel showing off his Christmas cheer by biting off pieces of an ornament then realizing googly eyes are not as tasty as they appear to be.

And thanks to growing cousins, we inherited a Little People nativity today (up to this point we have been living a very secular Christmas since our nativity snow globe broke last year). I've always wanted one for the kids, but never want to spend more money on more toys in December...so thanks a bunch to my sister-in-law who gave this to us.

Anyway, on to the plans:
1. Make a new ornament: we'll roll Styrofoam balls in glue then glitter. Easy, glittery and fun.
2. Make Reindeer hats from hand prints
3. Decorate a Santa face with cotton balls
4. Finish family gifts (snow globes have been so much fun to make. Check here for details.)
5. Create some homemade gift wrap for presents from the kiddies. MS has great ideas. My fave is using lined writing paper, with childs handwriting on it. We happen to have a ginormous stack of this stuff, hooray!

And here is my favorite worksheet site. Afton loves writing her name on worksheets, and is big on following instructions (in fact if I'm doing something she doesn't agree with, she tells me, "No Mom, that's not the instructions!") and will get a kick out of all the Christmas ones this week.

What's your favorite Christmas craft to do with kids?

Deal of the Week: Holiday Edition

2007-12-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

The gift card is one of my favorite inventions. I love giving and getting them to almost any store. My parents usually load us up on great gift cards for Christmas to places like The Cheesecake Factory, Blockbuster, Starbucks and Red Robin. Putting a stamp on an envelope and mailing a gift, makes me very happy too.

A $5.00 gift card is a great inexpensive gift. And is appropriate for lots of people on your list. Here are some of my favorite places to grab five bucks worth of cheer:

1. Cold Stone- perfect for someone sweet in your life to get their own sweet treat.
2. Starbucks- covers a couple cocoas
3. McDonalds- this used to be my stand by gifts for my oldest niece and nephew
4. Sweet Shop or other candy store- kids flip for this, of course

Do you heart the gift card giving as much as I do? What is your favorite store to gift?

Christmas pillowcase

2007-12-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

I was chatting with a friend this week, who shared the great idea of sewing a Christmas pillowcase for her kids to use during the month of December. Bringing the Christmas cheer into kid's rooms can be a bit tricky so I love this fun way of giving kids something Christmasy of their very own.

My sewing plate is a bit full this season, but I'll definitely pick up some clearance fabric in January and make these for next year.

The pillowcases featured in the photo are available at Garnet Hill.

inevitable stress

2007-12-05T23:46:00.000-05:00

Every single year, I make great goals to have all Christmas purchasing requirements made before December. This year, I had my kids all taken care of (mostly because my sister and I traded an iPod for groovy girls, ponies and bella bella dancerella...hooray for older cousins shedding their great toys!!!) so I assumed I was done. Then I remember grandparents, parents, siblings, teachers, friends and neighbors....holy smokes! I have so much left to do.

So today the kids and I tackled most of the leftover list. Now at least I have a plan and should finish and mail all necessaries by week's end. One great thing about moving (again) to a new area is no one knows about last years gifts so the CD's and cocoa cones are making a comeback.

To add to the stress, somehow (thanks to the miracle of online banking) I have been double paying my mortgage each month for the past two months!!! That's an extra $1800 I paid. Patrick cashed out his stock hobby for student loans, so I didn't really notice the big drop (well I really didn't pay that close of attention to what I was spending because I knew there was a cushion...bad bad bad). STRESS reached limits not before known this morning thanks to that slight on my part.

And Patrick is in and out of town every other day for a week or so, and my friend I trade babysitting with is out of town, so I don't get any BREAKS for a while.

Thankfully, I embrace a tiny bit of the stress to motivate me to accomplish good things (such as balancing my account every few days instead of every month or so). And thank goodness I discovered this yummy good chocolate bar in my stocking stuffer stash. I stuffed it for my own good today and had little moments of elation.

weekly plans: service edition

2007-12-03T23:45:00.001-05:00

Heaps of kindness and shovels full of love. That's what I'm hoping to accomplish with the plans for this week. Here's a peek:

Purchase gifts and gift cards for our angel tree items, wrap and deliver. I must say that I usually try and squeak by these events with a minimal contribution. But this year I'm going to behave different. I'm going to get really great items and nto fret about the price because its giving for heavens sake! Afton has been excited to pick out the items for a week since we picked up the tags.
Finalize and make gifts for grandparents, teachers, sibling and parent. Afton wants to make music boxes or musical snow globes. Hmmmm...don't know about that!
Gather/purchase and donate food to our local food bank.
Send cards to a few shut-ins and single folk in our ward.
Practice sharing with role play (we need some help in this area right now).

Enjoy your first full week of Christmas cheer! I'd love to know service projects your family is involved in this year. Share away.

Deal of the Week: Holiday Edition

2007-11-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

I roll my eyes when I see magazine headlines during the holidays that read like this "Gifts Under $50" or "Stocking Stuffers for $30 or less!" Seriously. $30 for s stocking stuffer is beyond ridiculous. Welcome to Good Deal Gifts for $5.00 or less. Isn't that what you really want to spend anyway!

First up: USB Keyboard Vacuum from The Container Store. At first thought, it may sound like one of those useless gifts, but glance down at your keyboard and you'll be happy to know you can pick this up for $4.99.

Right now if you spend $100 at The Container Store, FREE shipping. That's a whole lot of stocking stuffer too.

Lucky me...again!

2007-11-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

I won! I won! I never thought I'd win a super awesome Design Mom giveaway...but I did. A year's supply of Dropps Laundry detergent is all mine. I'm starting to feel like Julianne Moore in one of my favorite movies, The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio.

Save the world and some money too

2007-11-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

photo from Martha Stewart

UPDATE: I just found this awesome photo list on Martha Stewart for wrapping with flair using non-traditional items. Beautiful!

I really, really LOVE to wrap presents. When I was a girl, my Dad would save all his holiday wrapping for me. And I think a part time job at a gift wrapper would be so much fun. But wrapping paper and accessories can get spendy real quick and quite a bit of the materials are not recyclable. This year here are a few options to cut the costs to your wallet and to the planet:

Use packing paper for gift wrap. As long as you use a good strong tape, this paper is sturdy, looks nice and crisp and is recyclable.
Reuse gift wrap. A mixture of water and starch sprayed on the paper, then ironed on low will zap the wrinkles.
Dig in your fabric stash or in the remnants bin at your local fabric source and use pretty patterns to wrap
Embelish your gifts with clippings of pine trees, real ribbon, or with a little help from your kids.
Look for recyclable gift wrap to use.

I know there are lots more ideas out there on this topic. Share your tips too!

weekly plans: princess edition

2007-11-27T00:29:00.000-05:00

I need a little buffer between Thanksgiving and Christmas to breathe between two big holidays and to distract my little princess from her favorite holiday and the impending but still far away visit from grandparents. So this week is PRINCESS WEEK at our house (a second close to Christmas).

This week we will be:

Inspecting jewels and jems up close with a magnifying glass
Making princess accessories (wand, tiara and jewelry) out of tin foil and glitter
Playing princess memory (self made...you never really need to buy this game you know)
Making royal pudding (jello with sprinkles)
And reading our favorite princess books (Pinkalicious, the real princess stories saved from my childhood collection, and continuing the Rainbow Fairy series)

Have a magical week!

Lucky Me!

2007-11-20T00:25:00.000-05:00

I am one of those gals who hasn't ever won a contest. Until today. I won one of those Lucky Breaks giveaways from Lucky magazine (that sometimes I post about)!!! I got a fab (you have to say that when you win something) new lip gloss in the perfect color from Smashbox Cosmetics. In perfect time too because my Clinique stuff was scraping the bottom. Afton and I jumped up and down and immediately tried on the winnings.

And did my luck stop there? No way! I needed to purchase some snow boots and have this thing for Lands End. I got a great pair from the Overstocks section and before I finished my purchase I did a quick google for online codes for free shipping at Lands End...and got one! The is my new favorite website: Deal Taker.

Today was awesome in the deals department!

Teeny Tiny Tip

2007-11-19T00:26:00.000-05:00

I know that are a bazillion ideas out there for what to do with your child's artwork but I think I found one that is NEW and that works well for Afton's psyche and my no clutter attitude.

I turn her art into my to-do, grocery, goals lists.

She is happy to see her art being used and I am happy every time I look at my list and see an armless person or a mass or rainbows.

FREE!

2007-11-19T00:13:00.001-05:00

Is anyone interested in a free sample of Listerine Whitening Quick Dissolvinge Strips? I'm a Bzz Agent for this product right now and have a few online codes to give out free samples. Lete me know if you want one and I'll email it to you.

Don't know what Listerine Whitening Quick Dissolvinge Strips are? Click here to find out.

Thanksgiving Week Plans

2007-11-18T21:06:00.000-05:00

We're having our first house guests this week. In preparation I have been in a mad rush to finish painting, deciding what and where to hang things and parting the way in my smallish home for an addition of 5. I'm really excited to host Thanksgiving, because I get to cook exactly what I want. And with all things I do, I find Thanksgiving is more tasty and fun with a theme.

This year our theme is "Retro Diner" to go with my awesome new table and the sparky stripe in my dining room!!! A sample of my menu for you (and because I really love it):

Thanksgiving on a Roll: sliced turkey breast (I use a MS recipe) apple stuffing and cranberry mayo
potato wedges
Autumn salad
gooey sweet potatoes
cinnamon apples
pumpkin mousse parfait and
pumpkin cupcakes

There will be 5 kiddies running around my house so I wanted to have plenty of planned activities. We'll be making ornaments, going to a parade (well the boys will do that while my SIL and I shop!), making cards with leaf etchings, going to a movie and probably playing in SNOW!

What special things do you have planned? Enjoy your Turkey celebrations this week!

weekly plans:me and my body edition

2007-11-13T01:25:00.000-05:00

The whole point of my theme this week is to help Afton become less stressed about her first visit to the dentist. We'll learn about lots and play around lots of fun things with the body, and then zero in on teeth near the end of the week. If I feel she won't freak out too bad, I'll make her appointment for this week!

So this week we will:

Do lots of crazy things with our toes: color, put stuff away, nursery rhymes, etc.
Make a giant poster of the body by tracing Afton's (and Abel's if he'll lie still long enough) body.
Body Movement Charades: cartwheels, dancing, bending, all the cool stuff our body can do!
Fingerprint art and maybe footprint art if I'm feeling daring and if I remmeber to pick up truly washable paint this week!

coupons

2007-11-11T20:02:00.001-05:00

I love to clip coupons. Seriously, it's one of my favorite things to do. Evene though I don't use very many, I love flipping through the Sunday paper for potentail savings. BUT, I'm not taking the paper right now. SO, I check the web for coupons instead. Check out these awesome sites:

TARGET COUPONS! Click here for toy deals good through November 21. And here for food coupons (I'm one of the lucky ladies with a SuperTarget in my neighborhood!) The food coupons are so awesome because you can sort by food type (and produce coupons exist!). Organization and deals at the same time...I'm so in love.

This great blog, Mommy Saves Big, links you to pages and pages of really good coupons.

Another good source for free manufacturer coupons is The Grocery Game, where you can also find excellent tips for saving money at the store. (and this site is Mac compatible which is rare).

Hope you find some coupons this week that make you smile.

genuine tip

2007-11-07T21:19:00.001-05:00

I just get so excited when I come up with an idea of my very own! This is how I solved Abel's love for yogurt coupled with his love to feed himself, minus his spoon skills:

Cut the bottom 1/3 off of straw, put yogurt in cup, happy happy boy.

Save the world and some money too

2007-11-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

(photo from Getty Images)

Knowing that I can clean my home, with out-of-the-cupboard items, makes me so happy. I'm also really happy when I find non-toxic cleaning products that actually work. I really love Method cleaning products, but the price usually keeps my selection to a very few items. I always keep the shower cleaner handy as well as a bottle of french lavendar floor cleaner. The smell of those two products is worth the price and both last months and months.

But for other cleaners, I go homemade, and with a few very inexpensive and common items you can too. Here's quick list of everyday items that can make your home shine:

Vinegar

dilute vinegar in hot water (1/2 cup to 1 gallon) to scrub floors, counters, and bathroom surfaces.

cleans refrigerator grime really well
shines mirrors too!

Heinz has a great list of ways to use vinegar around the house. Check it out here.

Lemons

a natural degreaser, removes grease from stove and cabinets
you can even hand wash dishes in dilutes lemon/water mixes

Baking Soda

is the wonder ingredient after all...mixed with 1 T salt and 1/2 cup water you over it will amaze you again!
of course Arm and Hammer has loads of tips right on over here.

Salt

restores dark color to carpet (and laundry for that matter) sprinkle 1/2 on carpet, let sit for 15-20 minutes then vacuum up. you can also use cornstarch to remove carpet odors this way.

I dare you to try a few of these homemade, safe and inexpensive cleaners next time your bottle of 409 runs out!

I'd love to hear your organic cleaning tips as well!. Share share share!

good deals gone wrong

2007-11-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

Every now and then I purchase something that I thought was a great deal only to discover indeed it was not. This week that item was Rose Art poster paint. Usually I am a die hard Crayola loyalist but the new money plan has been pinching pennies everywhere and $1.50 less for paint was a lot of pennies.

Then it was opened, used and found to be NOT TRULY WASHABLE. Quickly, I emailed my complaint to the company and this was the response I got:

For stains on wood, just apply toothpaste (not gel) to the stain, wait 20-30 minutes and wipe it off with hot water!

Yeah. I'm sure my toddler won't want to investigate the toothpaste on the table for that long.

As I fill out forms, find receipts and cut barcodes out for my REFUND, the moral of this story is ingrained into my cranial shopping section: some pennies just need to be spent because time is money and my time shouldn't be spent with toothpaste cleaning scenarios!

Turn Halloween into Christmas

2007-11-01T01:11:00.000-04:00

I already have a plan for disbursement of the mass of Halloween candy the kids picked up over the course of 4 celebrations. I actually devised this plan when Patrick started bringing home candy leftovers from late work nights (which was like every other day). The Colorado Cousins that we will be seeing for Christmas, will be getting JUNK BOXES from their cool aunt and uncle filled with junk (non-Halloween marked candy, small bags of chips, you get the picture).

I'm so excited about this gift because it drastically lowers the candy for my kids right now and will be a fun and low cost gift to give- and I'm sure to receive too.

weekly plans

2007-10-29T23:28:00.000-04:00

Halloween Edition:

Because I am having so much fun with the spooky celebration this week, my weekly plans for fun will draw it out and out and out.

1. Today we painted pumpkins (so much easier than carving for kids). Afton now has a shiny bright pink pumpkin and love it!

2. I love that the library does a great job with Halloween. Make sure you attend your local library fest too.

3. Having a Halloween themed dinner is something I look forward to. I usually make up silly names for things I know my kids will eat that are on the healthy end of the spectrum i blood soup : tomato soup, goblin toenails: doritos...not so healthy but lotsa fun, bones: noodles)

What fun thing are you doing/have you done?

Halloween is so much fun!

2007-10-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

I used to think Halloween was a boring holiday. Now that my life is full with little kiddies, I totally love the fun and general low stress of this holiday. It is just plain fun! Our ward event was okay (we miss, miss, miss our NY and VA wards so so much!!!) but we had a great time dressing up as the Medieval Maravilla's. I take our family theme pretty seriously and love coming up with the costumes, although this year Afton just had to be a princess so she was the costume we all built on. And no I am not pregnant, it's just the costume and my weird leaning pose!

I spent a solid hour decorating just the top of my cupcakes for the cupcake walk. It was a blast coming up with monster faces made from the weird stuff in our mass bag of candy ( if ound a use for that gummy pizza!).

The FHE pumpkin carving, quickly became a one man show. Afton decided that the pumpkin smelled disgusting and Abel just wanted to play with the knives and stand on the table. But Patrick persevered and spent over an hour perfectly his spooky bat.

Today we went to the party that Patrick's work puts on and it was AMAZING fun! So much fun in fact that there was a map pointing out all the fun to be had. And good grown up food too.

It's not even Halloween yet and we have one more fun activity and the big night to enjoy. I hope you are having as much fun as we are!

Save the world and some money too

2007-10-23T23:37:00.000-04:00

Recycle. Not in the tradition sense. Recycle your recyclables into your own home. Use glass jars to store leftovers or craft supplies. Use those plastic lunch meat boxes the same way. Save newspaper and magazines for craft activities. Use cardboard for messy art projects, wrap up boxes and use as building blocks. Eventually, please recycle, but for now save your funds for buying things you haven't already bought!

My favorite thing to reuse? Jam jars. I use them for painting cups, leftovers, grease catchers and have been storing the jars to hold my Christmas gift for friends (which I'm keeping a secret for now). And I feel justified in buying a jam that is not a very good deal. Bonne Maman. So good!

(the photo used for this post, was borrowed from Design Mom. a guest blogger a while back also enjoyed my fave jam jars)

How do you reuse in your home?

bad bad blogger...weekly plans

2007-10-23T23:28:00.000-04:00

I'm sure no one who reads this blog is remotely upset when I forget to post my weekly plans. But in case you miss little insights into MY home here they are:

We're having a fun/silly/crazy theme this week (read: Mom was too lazy to make real plans!)

1. Raisins and Toothpicks (from Busy Preschooler Book). The raisins are the glue that hold toothpicks shapes, letters, art together. Go crazy with 'em.

2. Squish bags. This is one of my favorite go to activities. Let kids squeeze any kind of goo (toothpaste ketchup, jello) into a zip bag, add a few bumpy items, zip and squeeze away. And no, I don't expect you to wash out this zip bag!!! (Busy Toddler)

3. Sticky Walk. Tape contact paper upside down onto floor. Walk on it, put hands on it, stick little toys to it...fun, fun, fun for a long, long time. (Busy Toddler)

4. Silly treasure hunt. I'll hide 3x5 cards with silly movements or activities written on each. When that card is found, the activity is done.

Little kids are so easy to please! What simple and fun activities work well in your house?

Save the world and some money too

2007-10-16T23:36:00.000-04:00

How many ziploc bags do you use a month? a week? a day? We mom's love that handy zipper bags make transporting snacks easier, keep bathroom stuff sealed tight when we travel and store things...all sorts of things. What do you do with those little handy things when the use has been fulfilled? Throw it in the trash...I say not!

First off, plastic is horrible for the environment (but I know you already know that!) Instead of disposing after one use REUSE and REUSE...it's plastic for pete's sake. Use hot water, a drop of soap, a bit of a soak then rinse and hang to dry. Saving money and yucky plastic!

Want to take it a bit further?

*Use non-disposable containers for travel snacks like this snack bowl from Gerber.
*Buy a eco-friendly lunch box. Kathryn posted about the plastic bento box earlier in the year and I'm keeping my eye out for one for Afton's kindergarten lunch box.
*Use tin foil to wrap up leftovers, sandwiches, etc.

What else can you do to lower zip bag waste?

tip: stay home

2007-10-15T23:58:00.001-04:00

(Afton and Abel playing crazy on Mom's bed)

I usually like to leave the house every day and do something. I easily get "cabin fever" and just love being outside, visiting new places, and having out of home experiences with my kids. But today all I wanted to do was stay home (and I'd been home for two very rainy days over the weekend!). I had the feeling sickness was coming (and with a very sad toddler and a preschooler who is awake in my bed with a bellyache that prediction came true pretty quick) I turned down two play date invites, made the french bread i needed for a recipe from scratch, fulfilled my need to work on some projects and had the best day! The kids actually had time to get creatively motivated to play with their toys...at dinnertime the house was a giant mess of toys and I loved it! Afton spent an hour entertaining Abel with crazy antics that cracked him up, jumping on my bed and creating an obstacle course with step stools to run around and step up and down on. I guess staying at home isn't so bad after all...I think I'll do it more.

weekly plans

2007-10-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

We've got Jungle Fever this week at our house. Some things we will be doing are:

Salt dough jungle animals, which we will bake and then paint for our jungle diorama (shoe box). Check here for a recipe for salt dough.

T.P. roll binoculars and a paper bag vest for a jungle hunt. (glue two roll together and decorate...so easy!!)

Edible jungle...use carrots, lettuce and broccoli for trees, fruit snacks and toothpicks for flowers and frosting to stick it to a foil covered piece of cardboard.

Last week we learned about Dinosaurs and Afton's favorite activity was burying toy dino's in a baking dish of salt and playing paleontologist. I saved the salt in a zip bag so this activity can be lived over and over and over.

Have a fun week at your house!

deal of the week

2007-10-10T18:36:00.000-04:00

I just love warm scented candles that welcome Fall into my home. I was very surprised to learn that the candles my sister-in-law use, that giver her spacious home a lovely scent are from Walmart. I happened to be close to Walmart today (I'm lucky enough to have a nice, un-busy one) so I popped in to buy one. How happy I was to discover the yummy candles were excellent prices. I picked up a small jar for $1.78! I'm enjoying the cinnamon toast smell of my house today!

Save the world and some money too

2007-10-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce a new weekly segment over here at Girl Loves a Good Deal. This girl also enjoys doing her part to save the planet, especially if it saves money too.

Tonight, all the above pictured fabric (scraps pieces that have been floating at the bottom of my fabric stash) will be turned into fabric napkins. I think I'll using contrasting thread to make these little earth savers a bit brighter. Less waste, using something I already have to make something new and bringing a little fun and color to dinner.

home happiness

2007-10-09T10:29:00.001-04:00

I'm back home and after sleeping 32 hours over the last 3 days, I'm starting to feel myself again. I was so happy to walk into my home and see my new dining table- an original 1950's chrome set! Even better, we had a family dinner at it on my first night back. Of course, I got it for a good deal too!

my very own kid nation

2007-10-04T00:03:00.000-04:00

I'm down in the Springs (as people here call it. I call it the very ugly part of Colorado) tending to one nephew and two neices while their parents snorkel and scuba their stress away. I've heard the drama surrounding Kid Nation, but haven't watched it. However, I think I am living it this week.

What happens when you put a 12 year old, 9 year old and 6 year old in charge of a house project? A lot of debating, name calling and a lack of accomplishment. How does the "cool aunt" maintain her status while being serious? Poke light fun and then banish the kiddies to the chore reminding them of the CUPCAKES I let them have and the COOKIES packed in their lunches and the SLEEPING IN and lack of CLEANING I have blessed them with. How quickly they forget my coolness!

weekly plans

2007-09-27T14:30:00.000-04:00

I know the week is almost over, but we have had a blast with a few things this week that I wanted to share! It's Weather Week at our hosue:

Wind Painting: cover a large area (we used a standing easel) with paper, brush thick globs of paint on the paper then blow the paint around the canvas with a hair drier.

Wind Race: use a straw to blow cotton balls across a smooth surface.

Sun Coloring: Place several toys on a piece of black paper, leave out in the sun for a couple hours then see the shadow made by the sun.

(Most of the ideas came from everythingpreschool.com, a great site for preschool and for plain fun.)

bloom where you are planted...

2007-09-23T22:18:00.000-04:00

(tonight's sunset)

I really avoided growing roots in Richmond. I just didn't have love for the place so avoided tending to my emotional garden there (although I must say I made really lovely friends there, strong wonderful women who were great examples to me). I'm sure I missed out on some things and regret not making a better effort to enjoy my temporary home there. I know I will be living in many places throughout my life and don't want to live rootless anywhere else so I'm starting a nice little garden of love here in Boulder.

There's not much not to love about Boulder:

350 days of sunshine and sunsets that get better and better every day
Amazing Mountains (and I'm not a mountain girl so this is pretty spectacular for me to say)
Really, really nice people everywhere you go
A community attitude of caring for the environment and living a healthy lifestyle
Zero humidity
Open Space
Well planned development
Safe (and after living in the 5th most unsafe place this is something I really love)
Clean streets, public recycling, SIDEWALKS and community trails.

What do you love about where you live?

juxtaposition

2007-09-22T00:32:00.000-04:00

As my overflowing cart of groceries was being swiped and bagged, I pulled out my wallet to get my credit card to pay. Absolute shock overcame me when I realized I had taken my card out of my wallet (part of the money thing we've got going on...no more points from card just the debit). My debit card was no good since I had paid every bill and left coins in checking and our savings account is detached from checking (for good reason). With blush creeping onto my face, I told the cashier that I would have to come back for my groceries.

So I run home, grab the card, go back to the store, shove the card in my pocket, grab the kids, find my cart and wheel it to a lane. Only to realize that somewhere in between the parking lot and lane MY CARD HAS FALLEN OUT OF MY POCKET. I carefully search every pocket, every crevice of my purse, the floor, the parking lot, my car and even the plastic bag recycle bin which I has thrown some bags into on my second entrance into the store. Three store employees help me look and the card is gone. In a last attempt to get my food and bring an end to the embarrassment and frazzle, I ask the manager if my husband can give his card over the phone. YES...but Patrick also took his card out of his wallet and IT IS AT HOME!!!

Once again, I rush home, and on the way decide to play it safe and cancel my credit card. When the service rep puts the cancellation through he informs me that Patrick's card will also be canceled!!! I beg him to reverse it but neither he nor some other fraud super protector do that. I AM SCREWED! I unload my kids, who have been the picture of patience and good temper, and shower them with M & M's.

The whole time I am thinking "you just cannot make up stuff this good!" (And I seriously need to replenish my stockpile of emergency cash in the 72 hour kit and I must get a normal savings account.)

So there it is...no groceries...no money (until my new card arrives on Tuesday which is sooner than a transfer from our far away savings can reach the checking account). THANK GOODNESS FOR FOOD STORAGE! We had plenty of food. And Patrick can bring home milk and fruit from the stash at work to supplement us for a few days. I have enough gas and no need for anything for our household, the kids, etc.

***

Fast forward a few hours...kids asleep, Patrick back at home after some family time, me watching a documentary entitled, God Grew Tired of Us. I almost turned the movie off because the images were difficult to fathom. 27,000 young boys fleeing Sudan to avoid being killed. Little kids being cared for by other kids. Countries not allowing these "Lost Boys" to stay. Walking over 1,000 on foot by themselves. Simply unimaginable.

The documentary follow three boys who are moved to the US to work, go to school, etc. The joy and loneliness and shock and excitement they felt was so moving. They played with light switches, were amazed at the grocery store, kept their very humble apartments so clean, and showed such gratitude for clothing, food and simple jobs.

I was humbled. My flaky mistake today may have made my life less comfortable than I would like but I have everything I need and much more. I thought of how fixated I get on having new jeans or something for the house or how I want my kids to have a new toy... My life is so rich and so full and safe and happy and peaceful. My heart just aches for children who have to suffer when I cannot imagine even a portion of their hardships.

So this weekend, as I am at my home of freedom and safety with my healthy kids and supportive husband , I'll not be thinking of the things I wish I could have but enjoy the wonderful hours and simple moments with the sweet blessing I do have.

deal of the week

2007-09-20T23:12:00.000-04:00

With all the painting I've been doing I have emptied my movie load desire and tv rerun desire. There is nothing that I want to watch anymore. So Patrick put an audio book on my iPod. Not a smooth story one but a bad joke, change your life money one. And it worked. Both of us are determined to squeeze every penny to pay the crap out of our student loans and then sink and save and pay the mortgage...all that jazz! And I'm mostly jazzed about it (except that means THE BED will have to wait. by the way thanks so much for all the comments about PB vs EA. I'm not really a PB chick...I actually don't like their made to order decor look at all but I figured our couch is great so maybe their greatness extends to the bedroom...but thanks to awesome recommendations I am no longer deceived! anyway...) So this week, my deal is to SAVE and PAY DOWN.

If you are interested, you can find out more about the book here. If you can get past the cliche "Life like no one else now, so you can live like no one else" (I swear this has nothing to do with an MLM) there are loads of great tips.

a video from last week...

2007-09-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

I've finally taken a night off from painting and other house care itesm to enjoy some blogging and some mindless entertainment!

The Diet Coke/Mentos rocket was a BLAST! I waited until Patrick was home to do it...but the explosion ended up being fun but minimal so you could totally do it solo. Check out our little video...

one more super space activity

2007-09-11T21:01:00.001-04:00

Afton and Able has a blast making astronaut pudding yesterday. I just had to share this easy hands on idea:

In a ziploc bag, put the following: an eighth of a cup of instant pudding mix and a 1/4 cup milk. Make sure the bags are securely closed. Have the children gently knead the mixture until the pudding forms. Snip off one of the corners and encourage the children to squeeze the pudding into their mouths from the bag.

weekly plans: solar system edition

2007-09-10T00:57:00.000-04:00

A Great Place called Space is our preschool theme this week. Check out these out of the world activities:

Mentos Rocket Launch (I'm totally excited to do this!)

Home made play dough moon sculpt and paint

Spray bottle solar system (mix white paint with water in a spray bottle, spray on dark paper to create a solar system)

Make and use a sundial

Recycle sorting game (have a pile of recyclable items for your child to sort. make it a race for more fun). Here is a computer version for a different experience.

deal of the week

2007-09-06T20:22:00.000-04:00

Who knew that buying a house was the invitation to the sweetest deals ever? People I don't really know (lender, agent, etc) give me house warming gifts (gift cards to Home Deport and the movies to be exact). Some form I filled out landed me on the mailing list for local businesses, who have been flooding my mail book with coupons for FREE STUFF..and it is for stuff I actually want like ice cream, oil changes grocery discounts and car washes. My latest coupon has been super excited because I've never ever seen one. A coupon for a Pottery Barn discount. 10% really adds up there so I am selecting my purchase wisely. I'm whispering in Patrick's ear while he is asleep about this bed:

It's the perfect bed for us...and don't we deserve one after 8 years of marriage. I mean a married couple really ought to have a decent bed! And after all, we can save 10%...

stop whining already!

2007-09-06T20:18:00.000-04:00

So I was feeling a bit whiny last week. And this week I realized that I needed my blog so that I can "talk." So I'm back. With ideas, deals, plans and maybe even more whining. But I miss my long distance friends posting comments. So help a girl out okay?

all done!

2007-08-30T16:41:00.000-04:00

I've got quite a bit going on in my world these days. So this personal blog just needs to be all done. Come visit me over at my family blog though. Posting pictures and stories of the kids nad our little life is so much easier!

Maravilla Family Blog

Multiple Uses

2007-08-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

I dig my heels in at the assumed job of being the laundry pocket checker. I firmly believe the original clothing wearer should check the pockets before depositing clothing into the laundry bin. It seems I am the only member of my household who feels this way though since I spent a half hour scrubbing gum off the dryer yesterday.

Do you know what got the gum off? A dryer sheet. Apparently getting the dryer sheet wet and keeping the dryer barrel warm is a magical partnership for clean. I just love when one item has multiple purposes...like these dryer sheets. I've heard they ward off bees and mosquitoes. I keep a box handy to clear static from my kids' slide and use to erase the stink from shoes.

Do you have another great use for dryer sheets? Or a use for another household item other than its original purpose? Please share!

FYI: you can get a free sample of Bounce pure essentials dryer sheets here.

weekly plans

2007-08-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

I'm gearing up for Mommy and Me preschool with Afton, which will be themed each week with topics instead of letters. So themes are running amok at our house...even weekly plans!

Ocean Week

Monday we made edible ocean snacks (grahams, blue frosting and goldfish) which was a huge hit with both kids. Afton wanted to get more creative so we used fruity cheerios for coral reefs. The next morning she thought of using mighty bites for scuba divers. This will be a repeat activity this week for sure!

Tuesday: Afton watched shark clips on You Tube with Patrick. I thought for sure watching seals get eaten in slow motion would bring bad dreams but all it brought was the desire for MORE in the morning! This was a favorite.

Wednesday: I've taken to renting cartoons since our local channel choices stink. We're all over Diego's Underwater Mystery this week.

Thursday: My hope is to buy a little fishing pole for Afton and send her away with Patrick for her first fishing experience.

Friday: Ocean in a Jar. Food coloring AND seashells AND sand is sure to make a great fun mess.

stealth veggies

2007-08-19T23:17:00.001-04:00

I'm can't wait to check out Deceptively Delicious, a new kid friendly cook book by Jessica Seinfeld. Here is a little blurb from a recent interview over at Celebrity Baby Blog:

"I was spending so much energy trying to get them to eat vegetables -- bribing them, begging them, whining at them. I wanted to take the conflict out of mealtime."

"Jessica accomplished her goal by dedicating Sunday afternoons to making purees out of the hated vegetables. Some of her biggest hits? Sweet potatoes hidden in pancakes and cauliflower in chicken salad and mashed potatoes."

My kids just don't eat vegetable willingly. Afton will gag down some carrots by force and Abel will sometimes not notice cooked up tomatoes. I'm paranoid about the lack of veggies so hope some of Jessica's tips will work for me.

Do you have veggie tips that work for your kids?

deal of the week

2007-08-17T18:08:00.000-04:00

Blockbuster online rocks. For $18 a month you can get 3 movies mailed to you, then take and exchange them at the store for more movies, all the while 3 more are being mailed to you (Kelly, on The Office, can explain online movie rentals much better than I can). No other pure American entertainment comes this cheap or this rewarding...especially to families without cable TV.

And you can try it for 30 days FREE!

little pleasures

2007-08-16T00:38:00.001-04:00

Afton and her ice cream

Abel spotting a plane

My Mom had 3 babies in 36 months (in addition to a preschooler). I've asked my Mom several times if this was planned, did she enjoy it and would she recommend it. She always said no, yes and yes because playing with little kids was so much fun. Now I am not about to test my mothering abilities with back to backing babies. I am all about the 36 month spread in between EACH child! But I do agree with my Mom, little kids are so much fun!

Today was our "out of house" day, where we visit a museum, new park or sight that is new or rarely gone to, and I took the kiddies to the Butterfly Pavilion. Afton got to peek at bugs and bees with the safety of glass. We walked in awe at the many varieties and colors of butterflies in the indoor gardens. Abel tried to climb onto the giant bug animatronics. It was fun, a good deal since I had a B1G1 coupon, and just at my kids level.

On the way home, we saw a train. We take this long stretch of a road to get from Boulder to our town and the train tracks run alongside it, so every time we would stop, the train would catch up, blow its whistle and speed past us. My kids had just as much fun, driving past the train over and over, as they did as the well planned, educational outing!

I love how little things, usually overlooked by me, bring the biggest pleasure to my kids. Afton's world is rocked by ice cream. Abel is the happiest staring into the sky looking for planes. A cardboard tube is the coolest toy in the house. Family dance parties bring out the biggest smiles.

I love having little kids who love little things.

weekly plans

2007-08-14T11:47:00.000-04:00

Beat the Heat edition. It is smokin' hot here in Colorado so we need an entire week of cool activities.

Monday: it came and went already and we spent it swimming at a local splash pool.

Tuesday: Smoothie Popsicles. I read this tip in Family Fun this month. Simply make a little extra smoothie then turns the leftovers into popsicles. I like that one mess makes a meal and a treat!

Wednesday: Fill the bucket race. I'm sure there is a better name for this water game but you get the drill....fill pool with water, dip one bucket into the pool water and race to another bucket to fill it up first. I think the egg game and water painting will also come into play today.

Thursday: Glacier Animal Freeze, also from Family Fun. Fill a plastic container with water, add food coloring to make it look like an ocean or glacier, add small plastic animals and freeze. After frozen, pop "glacier" out into a large bowl or sink and use another bowl of warm water to melt the glaceri and rescue the animals. Loads of fun, but remember to keep towels handy!

Friday: Ice Cream Day! I scored a B1G1 coupon for Cold Stone. maybe Afton will try something other than Cotton Candy this time.

Friday:

Realizing the freak out

2007-08-11T22:55:00.000-04:00

I have been especially proud of myself for holding up so well with Patrick's very crazy and unpredictable work schedule. I tell people that it's no big deal, grad school prepped me for this and I really have a lot of projects to keep my busy.

Today I realized that I am freaking out, just not in the feminine overly emotional whining way that I tend use. I am making it through the day with a list of promises and rewards I get to have when the kids go to sleep. Treats, tv, movies, books, time to be still and let the house lie. But an entire week of this ME therapy hasn't improved my freak out one bit!

I'd love to call in a part time nanny a few hours a week to give me a break. I'd love to not have to do the bed, bath, sleep routine by myself 6 days a week. But I signed up for this as much as Patrick did. And the cash flow is all directed to the happy little home, so no nanny for me.

So, I have to have a plan to enjoy every day, every day, and to stop self medicating with selfishness every day. This week I am going to find ways to serve others and forget myself. I am going to make a list of others I know who need a little pick me up and give them one. I will spend one hour each day indexing family history names. I am going to be 100% prepared for my Sunday lessons. And I am going to let a new friend watch my kids for a few hours so that I can enjoy a bit of myself during the fresh part of my day.

But this doesn't start until Monday, so I am going to have one last night of really good wallowing, helped out by hot gooey chocolate chip cookies and a chick flick!

deal of the week

2007-08-11T22:52:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the week, the kids and I strolled around a fun shopping and play street in Boulder. I was so happy to find a used book store and especially happy to find this sweet book to add to our collection:

I think it is quaint that this is called a "sturdy" book instead of a board book. And I love the happy, busy illustrations. For $2.5o, this antique book is a great deal!

Project #2

2007-08-08T00:09:00.000-04:00

House project #2 really took the wind out of my motivated sails. I am happy to say that I will never be spray painting a piece of furniture larger than a picture frame again. Poor attitude aside, Abel's crib looks much better painted Ivory Bisque, even with the imperfections that 7 cans of spray paint and 2 cans of finishing spray left behind.

This crib was given to us from a family that had used it for their 4 children. So it's been loved. It's previous color was a warm honey wood tone, which is my least favorite wood stain. It's not my dream crib, but I think it looks much nicer now, with the antiquey vibe. Abel happily welcomed his crib back, after 7 weeks!

Now I need to paint the kids room so the crib doesn't look like it si melting into the wall. I'm thinking polka dots in bright muted colors and different sizes...let me know if you see anything like this in print.

weekly plans time out

2007-08-08T00:06:00.000-04:00

My little brain just doesn't have the capacity to churn out ideas for WEEKLY PLANS just now. Don't worry, I'll be back with freshness and fun next week.

one year ago today

2007-08-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

I love remembering what I was doing one year, two years or even three years ago to the date.

4 years ago, we took Afton and Patrick to their first baseball game

3 years ago Afton was the cutest thing at the beach

last year Abel was just learning to suck his toes

Time doesn't seem to go by as fast when I look back like this. I remember each of these moments and how happy I felt so clearly. And this is a great way to end the day and recharge for another...looking at cute, still, obedient photos of my kiddies!

the best trade

2007-08-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

I love to trade favors. Especially babysitting. I love finding that special someone who loves to trade babysitting just as much as me. I'm still looking for her in Boulder, but have found an excellent new source for long term trading in my SIL Allison. Today we traded babysitting (6 kids total) while each of us took a turn attending the temple. I knew my kids were safe and well cared for, I didn't have the stress of paying a sitter for 6 hours and my kids got to play with their cousins! Both Allison and I packed bags of tricks (aka playdoh, color books, bubbles, candy) to keep the kiddies happy and Allison even trekked with them all to a close by park.

A very happy day!

genuine tip

2007-07-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

I must admit that as a renter, I gave little thought to being nice to counter tops (or drains, carpet, walls, electricity, etc). But now that I own my counter tops, I am polite and happy to behave so. I thought up this little trick on my very own, a unique thing because I usually get great ideas from people or magazines. FOIL UNDER THE WAFFLE MAKER!! Makes clean up a snap and shows the counters respect. Saturday mornings are a little bit happier now.

project number 1

2007-07-27T22:55:00.000-04:00

I am happiest with a project in my life. It gives me something to push through the day for. The last two nights have been spent turning a very ugly but useful dresser into my new tv stand/sideboard. I am in love with the result! Best part it a got to turn something old into something new...my favorite thing. The paint, finish and hardware cost under $30.

I told Patrick for his graduation present, we could get rid of our ginormous tv with the ability to crush either of our children and replace it with a flat screen. I was in a really pleasant mood when I offered the gift and hadn't realized the cost of a new flat screen tv. Well, tomorrow we go buy it, with the gift cards saved up on the credit card, saved gift money which hardly dents the price but at least it will look cool in its new house. And in the drawers craft, preschool, and magazine items will be stored.

And check out the awesome fabric that will be pillows, a recovering an an ottoman and chair cover. I ordered special fabric for the first time in my life, then had to hunt down clearance home fabric to even out the price. I'm so in love with the colors and prints.

Next up. Painting the walls.

the house

2007-07-20T13:19:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be living in my own house I just had to share some photos!

the play room/family room, already well played in

the open kitchen, with an entire counter just for food prep (see the awesome plug to the right of the counter?)

the living room with afton's favorite thing about the house...a pool!

one of my favorite details: a bathroom counter that looks that recycled corrugated cardboard

watching parachuters from our yard this morning

one half of the yard

the other half of the yard

another favorite detail: built in shelves in the closets!

farewell to the RI

2007-07-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

Tonight is my 35th and final night at the Residence Inn! Tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my very own home. It would have been nice to sleep on my own bed but I waited too long to schedule the PODS delivery so our first night will be spent in an empty house. I'm so excited to move out of this hotel that I'm not as mad about it (and because I probably should have spent less time watching reruns of Gray's Anatomy last week and more time organizing the move). With all this hotel living under my belt, I think I have a few extended stay tips:

1. Use the front desk. If you don't like your bed, ask for a new one (we had 3!). Need a place to take the kids, ask for a museum or park reference. If they say the pizza from somewhere is bad...it is!

2. Whenever possible, stay in a suite. Having my kids asleep in a different area than the living space was so good. I got to have a little life (if you call the above mentioned entertainment a life!) after their bedtime.

3. Buy a new ball. This was the toy both my kids had the most fun playing with. Probably because we don't usually play with bouncy balls inside our house. More time was spent with the purple bounce ball than all other toys I painstakingly chose to bring.

4. Make new friends. Afton was excited to play with anyone- adult or child- at the pool, which helped me strike up conversations with lots of interesting people. We adopted a few grandma's, played with 15-20 kids from Maryland, Wyoming, Indiana, and California just to name a few states.

awesome gift idea

2007-07-17T21:05:00.001-04:00

30 is a big birthday. Patrick's 30th is right around the corner and I found the perfect gift for him. I have suffered in the past from lame gift givers disease, especially to Patrick. I usually give him needs like clothing instead of wants or things I want him to like (harmonica) instead of things he actually likes (PSP games). So what is the perfect gift? A T-Shirt of the month club from Threadless! It's perfect for Patrick because he loves original tee's with no logos. And he gets a new one every month. And I didn't have to go into a store, or pay for shipping. Awesome!

100%

2007-07-16T00:29:00.000-04:00

I actually did everything on my weekly plans list last week. Check out some photographic proof over here.

7 things

2007-07-15T23:16:00.001-04:00

I've been tagged a couple of times but have always forgotten to respond. With all the empty time I have (at least for 3 more days) I am finally accepting the tag. So here are 7 things you may not know about me:

1. I do not like cereal. It's the milk and the sogginess that gets me. And a childhood nightmare of having to eat the many awful forms of Chex. If I am forced to eat a bowl of yuck, the only one I choose is Go Lean Crunch.

2. I didn't go to my senior prom. I had been dating a guy (who I later realized was the biggest waste of my time) who had just left on a mission. I stayed home that night with my parents and younger sister and had a great time. I did go to prom sophomore and junior year...so don't feel that bad for me, although it was with the loser guy.

3. I have had this oddity of counting the numbers of letters in words and words in sentences since I was young. I unconsciously tap my fingers to the syllable of words or sentences and count based on how may letters or words are in each beat. Weird, I know. (that last sentence has ten letters and can be counted with 3 fingers taps)

4. I love doing things alone. Going to movies, shopping, eating out, watching tv. It so relaxing for me.

5. I taught aerobics for a short time and really want to become certified to teach group fitness.

6. I voted for Bush. Twice. And really regret it.

7. I cannot watch scary movies or police shows because I get nightmares.

I think everyone I know who blogs has already done this post...except my sisters Christy and Angie.

Sunday Celebration

2007-07-15T23:00:00.000-04:00

Afton woke me up this morning by asking if we could go swimming. I reminded her it was Sunday, and we did special family things, church, games and more but not swimming. She was especially bummed that Patrick was working so on the drive home from church, I drummed up the idea of having a Sunday Celebration. Basically, we made the things that our family really likes to do on Sundays into a party. We:

1. Went on a walk and talked about our favorites creations that Heavenly Father and Jesus have given us.
2. Ate chocolate chip cookies (courtesy of the front desk of our hotel). We started the chocolate chip cookie Sunday tradition about a year ago.
3. Called a few family members to talk.
4. Drew pictures for Patrick to take to work.

I try to be conscience about making the Sabbath Day a day to look forward to because of the things we DO do instead of the things we don't. This was a fun way to look at our special day. I think this will be a new tradition to bring back every few weeks.

deal of the week

2007-07-11T20:55:00.000-04:00

I love reading magazines, but don't subscribe to more than one at a time otherwise nothing would ever get done in my life. I splurged on our road trip and bought a stack of shiny mags to flip through (which means I have just now finished checking them out since the kids needed 97% of my attention on the voyage). I have a new favorite magazine now: LUCKY. I know this is old news to most shopping forward gals, but this magazine is so cool. The styles are things I would actually wear, the prices and suggestions for finding similar items are realistic and best of all there are a ton of giveaways in each issue...which you don't even have to buy to find out. Check out THIS on the Lucky website and enter your heart away. I've got my fingers crossed for a shopping spree at Piperlime...seriously how cool would it be to spend $500 on shoes with no guilt attached?!

delightful recommendation

2007-07-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight I took a break from watching the first 2 seasons of Gray's Anatomy, to watch this wonderful movie.

It was simply delightful, happy and sparkling clean. Find a quiet evening for yourself and enjoy it!

weekly plans

2007-07-08T23:20:00.000-04:00

I can feel myself starting to freak out a bit. Patrick is all of a sudden really busy and I am all of a sudden feeling these hotel walls close in on me. This week's plans calls for daily outings and a dip into the family fun spending account.

Monday: Our library is having a children's theater. Cross your fingers that Abel will sit sort of still for it!

Tuesday: It's Teddy Bear Picnic Day! (Check out Laura's blog for an excellent post about summer fun with little kids) We'll head to a new thrift store to adopt a teddy bear for our picnic. Fun for the kids and fun for me!!

Wednesday: Zoo Day. I've heard great things about our new zoo, so much that I'm going to pay full price to check it out. Maybe I can talk some cousins into meeting up with us...

Thursday: Cheap crayons will meet their end today with this cool craft project from Swirly Stones.

Friday: Downtown Boulder has a great outdoor shopping/eating/hanging area with even cooler play areas for kids. Pop fountains, climbable animal statues and a mini rock climbing pit will entertain the kiddies for a bit. Hopefully we can find a new treat place too.

Have a super fun week with your super cuties!

deal of the week

2007-07-06T00:15:00.000-04:00

I finally have time to look and sometimes shop for deals. Welcome back to deal of the week. I'm super excited about my latest find, especially because it is clothing and it's for me! I never ever buy into a celebrity line of anything. Especially when it is marketed as "affordable." Remember when Madonna released a line through H&M and shirts were $100. Not a good deal by any measure! So I promptly ignored any hype surrounding Bitten, Sarah Jessica Parker's new clothing line. Was I ever wrong!! I checked out the local mall where I will shortly be living (which is mostly sad and largely populated by senior citizens eating at the country buffet) and happened upon a store called Steve & Barry's. The SJP line was all over the place with price points $20 and under. No way. Must be some kind of intro sale. Wrong again. Really. Good. Prices. Not to mention really awesome clothes. I bought two tees for $17 including tax! GO here to see if Steve & Barry's is close to you (apparently this is the only store carrying the Bitten line) and go buy yourself this dress

It's only $19.98

Or this entire outfit
for $22

or one of these tees
i bought a pink one for $7.98

my most favorite thing about the line may be the great statements, like this:
Check it out here.

weekly plans

2007-07-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

I am itching for a bit of schedule so WEEKLY PLANS are back!

Monday (craft/preschool): we missed the puppet show at the library, so we will make our own puppets out of paper bags and socks and put on a show. afton and i will continue practicing writing lowercase letters.

Tuesday (outing): i think abel is finally ready for a toddler reading time at our new library! we'll also make silly 4th of July hats

Wednesday: Happy 4th of July. Some family will come up to play at the pool with us and enjoy a newly decided tradition: FISH FRY on the FOURTH! Yum!

Thursday (kitchen/preschool): with our limited cooking supplies, we'll make pancakes for lunch...in silly shapes. afton and i will be doing simple math with a workbook.

Friday (new): find a park with monkey bars!

Enjoy your FUN week too!

friendless and happy

2007-06-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

i don't think i have ever gone this long in my life without making a friend. and i am totally okay with that. i'm not worried about finding friends, i know when i get situated into my house and ward they will come...it's and inevitable and wonderful thing that just happens with having kids.

instead, when the kids and i go to the pool, we chat up the vacationing guests and have temporary friends for a day or two until they are on their way back to nebraska or california. sometimes kids stop in for a visit which delights afton! i can joke with the girls at the front desk about the number of blockbuster dvd's i get, but i don't know their names.

i know soon enough i will get to regurgitate my life story to many, many great people. but for now, it is really nice to enjoy the silence of just being me.

GREAT GIVEAWAYS

2007-06-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

I'm in the mood for something free. My Family Fun magazine is promoting a giveaway for the play castle pictured above. I entered and found two other great sweepstakes to enter: one for a vacation one for super gift cards to The Childrens Place. If you're in the mood for free too, click here.

new home = new stuff

2007-06-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Once the new home is ours we are going to need some new things...big things that usually have big prices. Richmond was the last stopping place for several pieces of furniture that just were not loved: bookshelf, dresser, tv stand, tv itself and a few more smaller items. Patrick and I are scouring websites for the perfect (in design and price) tv stand (to house the tv i suggested to replace with a flat screen not knowing how much a new flat screen tv really costs!).

I love this completely (pottery barn=lotsa money)

And think this is a fun piece, especially when multi-colored storage boxes hold DVD's (ikea=no ikea her=crazy shipping charges)

Maybe something equally beautiful and neat will show up on craigslist or at a garage sale!

road trip photos

2007-06-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

check out way too many photos of the great maravilla road trip here.

my first house

2007-06-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

or at least a portion of house! homes are too much and town homes are either too much or in poor schools so we bought this...

we got the bottom condo (2 BR with a roomy 3rd/office which we will use as a media/play room for now). it has a fenced in yard and patio, so many closets and beautiful new appliances. my favorite thing is that it is NEW and NICE. it's also close to work and close to Boulder.

now to stock it with lovely things!

house help

2007-06-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

I need help! I've narrowed my house hunting down to two town homes. Both are in the same complex (new, pool, gym, trials, etc). One has 2 bedrooms upstairs with a finished basement that is one big room that I would use as a family room/playroom/office. I love the idea of the media stuff being out of sight in the basement and having a playroom. The other unit has 4 bedrooms, 2 up and 2 down and a small living room. Which do I go for? We will be growing our family here, but not staying for years and years. Do I go for an awesome play/living space or the extra rooms and a small office? Also, do I want my kids rooms downstairs and mine all the way upstairs? The photo is the of the living room, which cuts off at the wall just after the tiled entryway.

Any advice?

rocky mountain love

2007-06-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

We made it to Boulder! I really feel like I am on vacation. We are living at the Residence Inn so every morning, I get the kids dressed and head over to the free breakfast buffet, then someone comes to clean (i don't even have a vacuum so i can't clean eve if I wanted), in between house hunting and seeing our new town we head to the pool and some nights we get appetizers for dinner at the "lounge." I love the free yummy food, the free rent and the free recreation. I seriously haven't spent a dime in 2 days.

The road trippin was actually fun. I loved seeing so many different states-through my window at least. I have loads of pictures but cannot find my cable to upload them just yet. The biggest hits for the kids were these:

This awesome giant sticker puzzle book (Target $11.95)

The slightly annoying but so entertaining recorder (dollar store version)

Bunny crackers in every variety ($2.99 most any grocery store)

Essential short cartoons to keep attention ($16 Best Buy)

I gambled and bought pricier items (instead of the dollar store stuff than usually gets tossed) to keep the kiddies busy and happy and I won. We mixed in some silly song singing, took breaks at rest stops and did family yoga and races, visited some extended family, took a half day break to visit the St. Louis zoo (free and awesome!...photos coming soon)and made the 2/3 cross country trip in 2.5 days!

a few road trip tips

2007-06-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted tips for so long. I suppose with all my packing, impending home buying and moving, I've been the one in need. But before I go, I wanted to share some great road trip tips (as my own 3 day trip looms ahead) that I dug up:

Foil Art: bring along a roll of foil and create crowns, giant balls, airplanes and shapes. My sister Christy turned me on to this excellent (in play and price) idea.

Magnet Fun: I'm finally putting the play cookie sheet from my kid's play kitchen to use! Bring along alphabet magnets (or trains, Bob the Builder guys) to play with.

Sandpaper is for kids with this unique idea: cut different lengths and colors of yarn and let your child decorate a piece of sandpaper. The yarn will stick to the paper and come off nicely for reuse.

I'm fully loaded with new toys and books, word games (cannot wait to hear what Afton thinks an invertebrate is!) poems and rhymes to memorize and of course CANDY! My best weapon of preparation is turning the three day road trip into our summer vacation. This way I (and my don't stop until you get there guy) can happily stop and visit historical places, fun spots for the kiddies and stay in good hotels (jacuzzi tubs are a treat on long drives) with no guilt.

ready to go

2007-06-12T07:26:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that today is the...
last day of my life living in Richmond!!!
With the exception of some fantastic friends, I am happy to leave Richmond and its strip malls, lack of sidewalks, insane drivers, nasty weather (in the summer at least), and oddly unpredictable crime in the dust. Even more, I am freakin' out about getting out of this crappy apartment (I can go the rest of my life without having to hear a neighbor pee through the wall), the Sudanese DJ who randomly rocks out in the middle of the day, the police checks for criminals or illegal immigrants, the "yard" of cigarette butts and satellite cables...and on and on with the weird things I lived with here! It would be so awesome if this event could be crowned with me lighting the match that would torch this place. I would take a family picture in front of the massive blaze with super cheese smiles and send it out for our Christmas card!

Instead, I'll work on a theme song to belt at the top of my lungs as I drive away.

packing, the flu and sports injuries

2007-06-08T13:38:00.000-04:00

My goal for this move is to not have the last day rush of packing up the boxes of random stuff I seem to have missed (shower stuff, hooks left in the wall, leftover food, closet corners). So I crafted a well organized plan to meet my goals. However, I didn't factor in my 15 month old coming down with a gastrointestinal virus for 3 days or the sprained wrist my husband suffered during a lunch break basketball game. I feel bad for the little boy, but the grown boy is not getting much sympathy from me. No more sports activities during important life events!

Super, super fun for me. I am seriously considering turning my next play date packing spree into nap time. Or getting a big ole drink from the Wawa (one of the places I will actually miss in Richmond).

Boulder is a really big rock

2007-06-03T20:23:00.000-04:00

Boulder it is!! When we told Afton she said, "a boulder is a big, big rock," so I think she is sold. It could also be the pink bedroom we're promising her. Or living close to 7 cousins.

Patrick is so excited to work at his dream agency (yes, Crispin). I'm already prepped from the grad school experience for him to work insane hours. The promise of a house motivates me to keep up the insanity for a few more years. And living by the soon-to-be biggest Wild Oats in the country.

We take off in 10 days and I didn't lift a packing finger all weekend. Monday is always a good day to begin new projects anyway!

Speaking of packing...most our stuff will be in storage for a month. Any tips of packing food storage items, packing in plastic totes vs. boxes or investing in wardrobe boxes? We'll be using PODS to move so if you have any advice let me know!

moving on

2007-06-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

Hooray! We're moving? I bet you wanna know where. It starts with a B and neighbors the rocky mountains. It the the home to Wild Oats, Crocs and Celestial Seasonings. It's affordable (how do I buy a house???), beautiful and closer to most of our family. Do you know yet???

I better start packing because we have to be there in
2 weeks!

weekly plans

2007-05-22T12:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted our weekly plans in quite a while. We have visitors all week but will try and squeeze in some project and learning time still.

Tuesday/Math: Bring out the workbooks and dust them off.

Wednesday/Kitchen & Science: Griddle Coloring: turn griddle on low, line with a sheet of foil, draw on foil with crayons and watch the creation melt and shift. I'm so excited to try this!

Thursday/Reading: We are reading every day but will take Nana to reading time at the library today and choose a few new easy reader books.

Friday/New Activity: Nana and Papa are visiting today. A perfect day to play in the water fountains for the first time this season. Especially since it's going to be 90 degrees!

a quiet moment

2007-05-22T11:58:00.001-04:00

I am sitting in a very quiet house. The grandparents have whisked Afton to the park (at my request), there is a load of laundry in, the house is clean, the baby is sleeping. I'm breathing in this quiet moment. I love silence. I love feeling the stillness of my world. Whether I am in nature, at home, church or in my car the quiet soothes me, rocks me. And I just love it.

And just that quickly it is gone. The neighbors came home, the laundry cries out for a change. Oh well. I really enjoyed it while it lasted!

kid friendly spray paint

2007-05-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

On my recent trip to Buffalo, my sister had all the kids give their fort building sheets a make over using kid friendly spray paint. By mixing washable tempura powder with water and dish soap, then shaking it up in a spray bottle, kids can spray paint anything! Of course, the kids thought this was more than fun and the clean up really was super easy. Find directions here.

happy because

2007-05-16T07:24:00.000-04:00

Today is a wonderful day because I finally own my very own razor. The bargain bug in me rolled my eyes every time I looked at the cost of a new razor at Costco, let alone the cost of replacement blades. So for 5 years, I've shared my shaving needs with Patrick's (he only shaves once a week so it was really he who shared my razor!). Costco finally realized the need for a really good razor coupon and I jumped for joy. It's purple, comes with some sort of built in gel awesomeness and will never have whiskers packed into it. I'm am really, really happy today!

do i still live here?

2007-05-14T20:52:00.000-04:00

It is so hard getting used to my small space again. Spending 2 weeks in a farm house and acreage has me climbing the walls of my 925 sq. ft home. I welcomed the first Monday of normal life gathering up stuffed animals, clothes and housewares to toss. I love getting rid of stuff!! I tried really hard to shop at the new, smaller, cleaner Wal-Mart here but almost everything on my list was out of stock or rotten. So goodbye again to the global retailer. We had a real family night with a PRESENT FATHER and I finally got to shake, bump and grind at my dance class.

I have 3 days of FAMILY LIFE then 11 days of VISITING FAMILY. Afton and Abel will get to see both grandparents in the same month, AWESOME! Hopefully somewhere in between all the air mattress stowing, park visiting and paper plate eating, Patrick will finish cooking up the perfect job (the pot is boiling right now).

Loads of photos of my family blog.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

loving the nothing

2007-05-07T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm one week into my two week visit in Buffalo. I just love not having anything of my own to do, except take care of my kids...and help my sister out with her 4 kids, house, dinners, errands. I love being able to help out my great sister who is always helping others. I've never lived close by when her babies were born so having this time to make up the caring has been healing for my lonely heart. My sister is my best friend and taking care of her in little ways makes me so happy.

I love watching Afton have incredible amounts of fun with her cousins. She cannot decide is she if having a fun time or a super fantastic time here. She has been snake hunting, rope swinging, tree climbing and stair sliding. Abel is overjoyed at the square footage he can cover here.

I know I have to go home soon. And will be happy to have Patrick back to myself when I do. But for now, I'm going to love the total peace of not having anything to do.

here i go again

2007-04-28T12:31:00.000-04:00

Today is pack day. I leave (again) on Monday for a 2 week adventure to see my sister and her family of 6 in Buffalo. I'm excited to make the beautiful drive, now that I know how great it is to be behind the wheel for these long jaunts and hope Abel cooperates with his carseat during the 10 hour event. Afton does great with the anticipation and a few movies. My mind if full of things to do the second time around with this trip:

1. Collect a rock from each stopping point. Afton started doing this on the last road trip so this time I'm making a game out of it. Abel, who loves to eat rocks, should have a blast with it too. My Mommy Mind knows this will be a good distraction when the antsies attack..."Afton what color of rock should we look for at the next stop. How big should it be? Can we find one in a silly shape?"

2. Limit DVD's to 2 or 3. Afton is a creature of habit which saves me a lot of packing space. I know if I bring 2 favorite flicks, she will be fine watching them over and over and over. Abel loves anything televised and will be equally happy.

3. Candy. Ring Pops. Candy Necklaces. Apple Gum. Rainbow Lollipops. I have a wonderful stash of the best candy and on road trips I don't have candy limits. I'm a cool road trip Mom.

4. Pack all my own food. All of us feel so much better when we eat the kinds of food on the road that we eat at home. PBJ's, apple slices, and cheese are easy to pack, don't stick up the car and leave us with calm bellies. And it's free!!!

I can always use more travel tips! Share, share!

i'm back

2007-04-27T07:04:00.000-04:00

I've been home for almost a week from my GIRLS WEEK at the beach. But I'm leaving again soon for vacation #2 to visit my sister and family in Buffalo so I've been doing mass laundry to clean up and prep. mass errands (my sis has no costco!) and mass family time since I'll be gone for almost 2 weeks this time. Back to the GIRLS WEEK...you should all take one! Even a weekend to laugh and spend time with girlfriends. It was such a fun week, even though the elements raged against our favor.

If you want to see more photos of the fun week, check out my family blog.

Girls Week

2007-04-10T19:44:00.000-04:00

I am so freakin excited. In 4 days, my GIRLS WEEK vacation begins (named such because 2 of my college best buds and our 3 girls...and one boy...will be vacationing at the beach for a week)!! I cannot wait to spend days and days at a resort on the beach, reading a stack of books and magazine, chatting the night away with great friends and living in total relaxation...while my kids eat sand and go days without proper sleep schedules!

weekly plans

2007-04-10T19:29:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple weeks since I have posted our weekly plans. The ongoing theme around here has been "Whatever, Whenever" which worked nicely for birthday week but ti starting to get a bit boring. Here is a peek at our week (what is left of it):

Tuesday: plant pansies and carrots (we did this for a preschool activity)
Wednesday: flour drawing (cookie pan of flour, some utensils, draw away)
bed trampoline( it's clean sheets day, so while the sheets are washing, i put the mattress on the floor and let the kids jump, jump, jump!)
Thursday: blindfold drawing (a quick and new way to love drawing even more!)
Friday: create a story (i'll be packing most of the day and going to prom that night so while i pack, afton and i will take turns making up silly stories. also a great car activity)

truly inspired

2007-04-10T18:57:00.000-04:00

lately, i have pulled quite a bit on inspiration from blogs. design mom helped me throw a great pink party for my 4 year old; cafe johnsonia has inspired my passion for cupcakes, including the lemon cupcakes with raspberry cream frosting that i made up all by myself this weekend, laura reminds me to have so much fun with my sweet kids, while liz helps me remember the ME in my life. i am happily inspired to be a better sister when i read my big and little sister's family blogs (and i get to see my adorable nieces and nephews for free!), i love reading blogs! they help me relax and find little new joys in life. thanks for blogging!

favorite birthday gift

2007-04-05T15:53:00.000-04:00

Afton received lots of wonderful gifts for her birthday. I was pleasantly surprised that the only toys came from grandparents. This gift was my favorite:

I love dressing up these dolls with Afton. I love how easy it is for Afton to use. And she loves it too. Find it here.

I did it!!!

2007-04-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I have set a goal (a big one) and accomplished it completely. Usually I get off track due to schedule conflicts with the Mr (my hip-hop class) or the kids needs over my own (too long a list). But on Saturday, nothing could deter me from running my first 10k. I ran the entire length in 1:02. It was FUN (at least this first 3 miles were) to see crowds of people cheer on friends, family and strangers, run to live rock bands, and share the experience with 5 friends I trained with.

I didn't take very many pictures because once the race was over and I found my family, I was thrilled to have my family back together again. Patrick snapped a few shots and we headed home to spend a weekend together.

me after the race

the kids, not so excited about waiting around for mom

what i celebrated with, buttercup cupcakes!!

no fear

2007-03-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed reading this My Turn article in Newsweek. A brave mom dishes on the effects of creating so much for kids to fear. A refreshing take on creating a childhood of fun rather than fear. After I read it, I took Afton out for a donut and let her have a ring pop on the same day!

deal of the week

2007-03-29T07:49:00.000-04:00

Little Tykes toys are buy one get one free at Toys R Us. Who knew you could get B1G1 deals on toys?!! We picked up a bubble blower and soft riggz truck for $7.00 (i had a $3 off coupon from the birthday club)! I really wanted to buy a Handle Hauler truck but Abel isn't quite old enough for it. If you are looking to increase your plastic toy abundance this sale is a great way to do it. Happy shopping!

how far i go for a deal

2007-03-27T14:32:00.000-04:00

I can't explain how excited I get when I find pajamas for $3.97 at Baby Gap. I love the softness of their pj's and stock up on any design and any size at this price.

Even these...

keeping updated

2007-03-25T21:01:00.000-04:00

A long time ago, when Patrick would head out into the world alone, I would make cards for him to open each day with love notes, pictures from Afton or little treats. That just ain't happening these days so this is what I've been doing to keep him posted. Pictures of our every day life, nothing posed or fancy just what me and the kids have been doing. I love that I can delete the photos after the email is sent (I have a huge case of photo-deletion induced guilt) and that the Dad sees the kids in their habitat.

Abel with a mouthful

Afton scaling the rainbow poles

kids playing with new toy

me feeding kids

abel escaping from reading books

all over again

2007-03-22T08:35:00.000-04:00

Once again I am living the single parent life, while, once again, my hubby is off to NY (this time he has been informed of the absolute necessity of coming home with a box of Buttercup Cupcakes...or else). He bought a one way ticket so I really have no idea when he's coming home.

What'a girl to do? Well here are a few things I have planned...

I signed up for my free 30-day trial at Blockbuster.com and have 3 great movies coming my way. I just love watching movies by myself!! Really, I do.

A day trip to the nation's capitol to visit a super friend and hopefully visit a cupcake shop (hint, hint Amy)

An insane number of playdates for Afton.

What else can I do? I don't have access to babysitters who can drive so I may have to arm wrestle a friend to give me a night off. Any ideas for me??

Birthday Gifts

2007-03-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

I dread buying gifts for kids parties. Afton and I walk up and down toy aisles trying to find something great, unique and superbly priced. We usually end up with a cart load of art supplies, candy, ponies and princess items and haggle over which one to give. Abel is not a patient shopper and starts hollering 5 minutes into shopping sessions so I have decided on go-to gifts. My little life is so much easier when Afton rips into a b-day invite because I know just what the next 4 year old will be unwrapping.

3-4 year olds get Hop Balls. ($7.00 at TJ Maxx) These super fun bouncers come adorned with your choice of Disney princess (gag) or other girly characters so it's a double bonus for the little party girl. I'm sure you there are many boy choices too.

If the balls are out of stock (I only go into one store, one time) we pick out a Melissa and Doug floor puzzle. This is my favorite:

Baby's first birthdays are celebrated with an Eric Carle book. I especially love the new colors and shapes books. And I love that Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Ross stores sell these books discounted!

This is my favorite toy to give to toddlers. My kids are put into a trance by this light toy! This toy is located on the science/Play-Doh aisle at Target.

Just in case my unique gift isn't up that kids alley, I always make sure to include a gift receipt and/or jot a note on the card about where I bought it and how to return it in case the store doesn't offer gift receipts.

I'm sure I am not original in my shopping plan . What's your favorite b-day gift to give?

* present photo from Getty Images