Easy Acrylic Post-It Note Tutorial

I always like to start the school year out with a simple gift of gratitude for the time and care the teachers of my children will invest in them over the upcoming year. As I see it, if we expect our teachers to give our children their best, we need to let them know how much they are appreciated throughout the year...not just on Teacher Appreciation Day (which comes toward the end of the school year). This year, I wanted to do something creative, yet functional. Having my own bath & body line makes for easy go to gift ideas ...

Looking for “Good Fruit”…

I know that you will find this impossible to fathom, but my kids, in spite of all the love and attention we have poured out on them, are occasionally naughty. They throw tantrums when they don't get their way. They talk back to me if they don't want to do what I tell them to do. Tonight I don't know who was more exasperated as we tried to finish up a few of our daily chores, me or the kids. Don't they know that I am doing everything I can for them so they can experience my full devotion? Why ...

Tips to Healthier Eating & a Slimmer Budget

It seems everyone has back to school on the brain. Supply lists, back packs, class schedules, 1 st day fashions, and more. It can be a bit overwhelming and costly! Besides the growing school lists, feeding our kids during the school year can easily throw a budget into total chaos. With a few tricks, you can slash tons of dollars off your monthly grocery bill without sacrificing quality or nutrition. [caption id="attachment_5672" align="alignright" width="297" caption="USDA recommended daily servings from each food group"][/caption] One solid strategy to controlling the grocery budget is portion control! Ensuring our kids are fed a properly portioned meal ...

Guest Post: Author Lauren Kessler & Daughter, Lizzie

Lauren Kessler is the author of My Teenage Werewolf. Both she and her daughter dual post on their blog, My Teenage Werewolf. Enjoy the following post written by each of them, in their own words.Lauren's Post: When people find out that I’ve written a book (My Teenage Werewolf) starring my own teen daughter – a NONfiction book exploring her world and our stormy relationship –they’re astonished. Then they find out that my daughter Lizzie not only agreed to the book but put up with my 18-month immersion in her world. She let you do that? they ask, shaking their ...

SYL: Angels4Epilepsy

Jamie is a 7 year old little girl with a vision, a vision to help other kids with epilepsy to know that they are not alone. Two years ago, Jamie and her family discovered, after a seizure at 5:30 in the morning, that she had epilepsy. What a scary time this was for Jamie and her family. When Jamie was visited in the hospital and given gifts and snacks, the idea sprang to life, and Angels4Epilepsy was begun.Angels4Epilepsy is Jamie's project, in which she aims to help other kids with epilepsy to feel more at home when ...

How to Pack a Healthy Eco-Friendly School Lunch for Your Child

With back to school time fast approaching, parents' thoughts have turned to how to pack a healthy school lunch (at least mine has). My kids don’t take hot lunch. Not only does it completely lack any nutritional value, it really doesn’t taste very good. That leaves me with needing to come up with tasty, healthy alternatives that my kids will enjoy and something cool and funky to carry their lunch to school in. I really love the metal bento boxes they have available, but they also have some really cute cloth sacks as well. I’m not a big friend of plastic, ...

What Do You Believe?

One question before I write this....are you just another ingredient, or are you the spoon? You're probably wondering what I mean....simply, are you just sitting back believing everything you hear, or are you actually willing to stand up for what you believe in, even when it sometimes means stirring the pot? In the world of blogging, we have so many opportunities to put ourselves out there, sometimes good and sometimes bad. It's easy to be afraid to take a stand, because once it's out there, it's out forever. Especially when our thoughts go against mainstream thinking, it's easy to want to just ...

Five Ways to Celebrate the End of Summer

Although summer doesn’t officially end until next month, the beginning of the school year signals it's drawing to a close for us. While we welcome the return of a more structured schedule, we want to spend a bit longer reveling in the slower pace we’ve been enjoying. Here are a few ways we like to celebrate the final days of summer. Make a scrapbook of your summer highlights. Dedicate a section to each event – family vacation, July 4th activities, trips to the pool or beach, etc. Include pictures and other mementos that will keep that vacation feeling alive in the ...

Conversations & Soul Food

Charming Daily Schedules for Children

When my five children were little, I had to organize their days. Each one had chores...

Looking for “Good Fruit”…

I know that you will find this impossible to fathom, but my kids, in spite of all...

The Ferocious Fives

“George”, I yelled. “Will you please get dressed?” And then...

SYL: Love Is Still a Worthy Cause

Sara Groves is one of my favorite Christian artists, and this video shares a story,...

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Living Life at Home

Easy Acrylic Post-It Note Tutorial

I always like to start the school year out with a simple gift of gratitude for the...

Tips to Healthier Eating & a Slimmer Budget

It seems everyone has back to school on the brain. Supply lists, back packs, class...

Make the Most of the End of Summer

Yes, summer is coming to an end. Instead of being sad about it, this is a great...

Relation-Trips: The Ultimate Couples Getaway

If you haven’t been away with your partner since kids entered your life, then...

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Reviews

TenMarks Math Program

If you’ve kept up with my blog during the school year, you know that math is one of Jacob’s biggest struggles in school. He does ok, but sometimes it takes a lot of practice and time for him to really grasp a concept. TenMarks is a program that’s geared for parents and students like us. They’re a supplemental math program... [Read more of this review]

Striking Skin Care Review/Giveaway

Stopping or slowing down the aging process has become a huge concern for many women, whether it’s through exercising and eating right or just taking really good care of their skin. Skincare is a pretty big factor when it comes to slowing down the aging process, as well as looking and feeling younger. Helix BioMedix sent me their Striking Skin... [Read more of this review]

Monkey Monkey Music Review/Giveaway

We love being introduced to new kids’ music, and before now I had never heard of Monkey Monkey Music, featuring Meredith LeVande. We received her CD, What Are the Odds?, which is a collection of songs for young children. My kids like to have a variety of CDs to listen to in the car, and I’ve often found that car time is a welcome break... [Read more of this review]

Beautiful Creatures Review/Giveaway

Music just adds happiness to life; it truly does. Whether you’re doing chores, playing with the kids, or just sitting down to rest, music adds a bit of happiness. This CD definitely does that well.Beautiful Creatures- Children’s Songs of Africa by Ed Jordan, Allan Glass, and Paul Choritz, is a CD that was created in South Africa in 2004.... [Read more of this review]

Voskos Greek Yogurt Review/Giveaway

Our family has been on a quest to eat healthier, and yogurt is one healthy snack that my kids love to eat. Voskos Greek Yogurt was so generous as to actually ship us an overnight package full of all of their different flavors and varieties of yogurt, and we are still snacking on it, enjoying every bite. Voskos Greek Yogurt is a healthy snack that... [Read more of this review]

Dakota’s Personalized Gifts Review/Giveaway

One of my goals this summer has been to remodel, to some degree, our bedroom and try to make it more personal, with a touch of romance. Well, sadly, I’ve failed in this endeavor so far….but I do have at least one piece to add to the room to add a touch of romance. Dakota Gifts personalized and sent us a wall canvas, the Have I Told You... [Read more of this review]

Piggy Paint Review/Giveaway

What little girl doesn’t like to paint her nails? If I had a little girl, we’d probably be painting nails quite often, but seeing as I have only boys, I kinda had to try this product on my own. However, it’s made me want to invest in Piggy Paint even just for myself.Piggy Paint was founded by fellow mom, Melanie Hurley, after she... [Read more of this review]

Sing-A-Lingo: Buenas Noches, Amigos

Sing-A-Lingo is a company who seeks to help parents and children learn Spanish through everyday activities, with help from songs and stories that go along with normal, everyday activities. We received Buenas Noches, Amigos, which is a storybook/songs that go along with bathtime/bedtime for kids. The book is colorfully illustrated with the activities... [Read more of this review]

Gamewright: Forbidden Island

Jacob loves to play games, and he’s getting older now, which means he likes to play a variety of games now….also meaning he likes to play a few more interesting games (rather than just the normal preschool games). We’ve really been talking about a family game night, so adding a few games to the mix motivates us even more to try to... [Read more of this review]

Dryel Starter Kit Review/Giveaway

When I was younger, and my mom would take me clothes shopping, she always tried to look for things that were not dry clean only. Of course, some things we couldn’t help, but even now I find myself wanting to buy items that are washable, just because I don’t really have the time or the money to constantly be taking loads to the dry cleaners. Thankfully,... [Read more of this review]

Dryel Instant Stain Pen & 3-In-1 Touch-Up Spray

Ok, now this review was definitely meant to be, especially for us moms. How many times have we been in a hurry to get to work or church or wherever we’re supposed to be, and all of a sudden, we either spill something on ourselves, the baby spits up , or little hands come to hug us with chocolate or jelly smearing down our blouse? Hmmmm….I... [Read more of this review]

Grilltech Terrace Fire Pit Review/Giveaway

There is honestly nothing better than sitting together with my family around a campfire….or in this case….a fire pit. Whether we’re just vegging, watching the fire, talking together, making s’mores, or even roasting hot dogs, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. I’m looking so forward to cool autumn evenings... [Read more of this review]

ERGObaby Organic Twill Carrier

Baby carriers are all the rage right now; I know that there has not always been such a wide selection and variety of baby carriers to choose from as there is now. It seems that a carrier is the perfect gift for a mother-to-be nowadays. Why are they all the rage? Mainly because they let the mother hold the baby close to her, while at the same time... [Read more of this review]

The Ultimate Toddler Collection Review/Giveaway

We have a toddler in our house who loves to listen to music and do crafts with Mommy. When Twin Sisters sent us The Ultimate Toddler Collection for review, it was right on with my Jaden. Twin Sisters is a company born out of two sisters’ love for how children can learn and grasp a variety of concepts. Karen Hilderbrand and Kim Thompson are... [Read more of this review]

Kids Crooked House Removable Wall Stickers

Decorating our home is something that I love to do, especially when it comes to sprucing up our kids’ room. Lately, I’ve been really considering redecorating their bathroom, maybe giving it a quick paint job and just giving them a different look, considering my kids are boys, and they’re really just not appreciating the hearts and... [Read more of this review]

Heard on the Playground

Son: Mom can a Venus Fly Trap swallow me? Mom: No they can only swallow smaller things. Son: Like my baby brother? – Nick, 3- California. You don’t know how bad I need a spa day…kindergarten was so hard today- Izzie, 5- Tennessee. Dad: It’s a snow day today, school is canceled. Daughter: It’s about time- Kate, 7- Michigan.Kids... [Read more of this review]

Travel Buddies Review/Giveaway

Jaden occasionally falls asleep in the car, and when he does, his poor little head rolls back and forth or ends up in some awkward position, and I feel so sorry for his poor little neck. With vacation coming soon, I’m so excited to review Travel Buddies from Noodle Head Fun. Travel Buddies are a child’s version of a neck/pillow rest for... [Read more of this review]

Bona Hardwood Floor Mop

What is your least favorite chore? I have to say that mine is vacuuming and mopping my floors. I don’t know why….but I just don’t care for it. It’s probably my most dreaded chore. The Bona Hardwood Floor Mop has made mopping just a bit less of a dread factor for me, though. No longer do I have to buy mop pad refills….no... [Read more of this review]

Blog2Print Giveaway

Have you ever thought about taking everything that you’ve written, in your blog, and turning it into a book? I know I have. There are so many possibilities, from making a memory book for our children to compiling a cookbook with the recipes I’ve shared to just making a book that showcases everything I’ve written in the last 2 years.... [Read more of this review]

The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band

Ever since Jacob was just a toddler, we’ve come to really love the Laurie Berkner Band. We were first introduced to Laurie on television, as she sang so many songs in between some of Jacob’s favorite shows. Even as adults, Dan and I really liked the music because it wasn’t all “kiddified,” meaning it’s the type... [Read more of this review]

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