December Activity Calendar Added

Just a highlight that the December calendar has been added (on the right side of the blog).  Check it out for many ideas of fun things to do with your kiddos this December.  Anna Frye gave me a bunch of these ideas - thank you soooo much!  She is an INCREDIBLE blogger and writer.  She also pointed me to a site called Enchanted Learning, and I got most of the craft ideas from there.  You can go there if you would like to see pictures of the crafts.  (I have to see it).  I added the instructions to a word doc, but couldn't get the pictures to paste.  The calendar has links for the crafts that will take you to the word doc.  Have so much fun this December with your children!  They light up the holidays and just make it such a treat. 

Lego Advent Calendar

A couple of weeks ago I was wandering through Legoland at Grapevine Mills Mall and found a lego advent calendar.  Starting in December, on each day you build a new section of a lego Christmas scene.  I thought my boys would really enjoy it, so we purchased it and will start it tomorrow.  Just an idea for something to create more anticipation and engage with your children all month!  :) 

Advent - Brought to Life

With all of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the holidays, it is much too easy to lose focus of celebrating Jesus and his birth.  We still do our nativity scene, Bible readings, and other things to instill in our children the meaning of it all.  But, this video truly brought it to life for me, and I wanted to share it with anyone following this blog.  I put it at the top of the blog page, but I wanted to post it as well in hopes that more would see it, and take a few moments to absorb the message here and truly feel thankful for what has come, and for what still is to come.  This was done by our church and shown in the services this past weekend . . .

http://vimeo.com/32459389

Shark Exhibit

So we did go to the Museum of Nature and Science last week on Friday, and it was fascinating. I have included some pictures below. It cost $18 for adults to get in and $12 I think for kids 2 and up. We ended up getting a family membership for $90, which included 4 free guest passes for the museum, 4 free Imax passes and a bunch of other stuff. Since we had my in laws with us, we were able to use the guest passes and didn't pay too much more to get the membership instead of the tickets. So . . . it is a bit pricey, but if you have kids who are into science, sharks, etc., it is worth it. Both my 4 year old and my 6 year old really enjoyed it. Here are some pictures:

Sharks lose 26,000 teeth in a lifetime!  That's how many shark teeth are in this pile . . . crazy!

This is a frozen shark, in a display case that is -4 degrees!



They had interactive monitors throughout the exhibit where you

could learn a ton about sharks.  They were very cool!

I highly recommend this exhibit if you think your kids would be

interested!  It is going on until next October I think!





Something to do over Thanksgiving

The kids are out of school for a week starting Monday - which can make everyone stir crazy. If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area - here is an idea . . . take your kids to the shark exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. There is a link to the info on the November activity calendar (on the right of the blog). The link is on Wednesday, November 23. My son loves learning about sharks right now, so it should be a treat. I'll include a post after we go to let you know what we think!

Thanksgiving Printables & Activity Calendars

OK - I finally figured out how create a calendar that is editable and has links to activities that we are doing. I've been trying to figure this out since creating the blog. One of my first posts talked about the summer activity calendar we had and how I planned things out for the whole summer so that we weren't waking up with the kids saying "I'm bored" . . . and they had things to look forward to throughout the summer. I've now decided to do one of these for each month, and we'll see how it goes. It may have a few out of the house activities, worksheets, holiday stuff, etc. You will find the first one - November 2001 - under the "Activity Calendars" section. You will find links that you can click on and you will be able to download the activity if you like.

I also created a "Printables" section where you will find fun little worksheet activities or crafts to do with your kids. The ones that are there right now are all related to Thanksgiving, and some of them are on the calendar as well. Have fun!!!

Lima Bean Dip (Food Network Magazine)

Need an appetizer to take to a party? How about some lima bean dip with pita chips? It might sound gross, but I tried it out at our block party and many thought it was guacamole. The entire bowl of dip was gone. Here is the recipe: (I will also add this to the recipe page at the top)

Kosher salt
1 10 oz box frozen lima beans
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (I just got the already cooked kind - easier)

1. Bring saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the lima beans and garlic and simmer until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool slightly (the beans should be warm but not hot).

2. Pulse the lima beans, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor (I used my magic bullet) until just combined. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil and process until incorporated but still slightly chunky. Transfer to a bowl and top with bacon. Serve warm or at room temperature with pita chips and/or veggie sticks.

G.A.S.

My purpose in this blog is to enable moms of young children with resources - and I would not be doing this blog justice if I did not discuss our ultimate resource - God. I love Jesus more than anything. I'm often too quiet about it, but I felt a burden today that this post needed to happen. Our burden is heavy . . . there are many needs placed upon us, and let's be honest - we simply can't do it all. Sometimes we can't do any of it because we are too exhausted. We feel guilt no matter how much or how little we do. We want everything to be perfect for our families. We find identity in things that can be stripped away in a moment's notice.

This year has been a year of change for me as I transitioned into a stay at home mom role after a 12 year career with the same company that started in California and landed me in Texas. I did think about in the beginning of this year when the change began that I needed to remember my identity was in Jesus and Jesus alone. I knew he was my only constant. However, processing that in my heart is a totally different story. This morning in church Josh Patterson spoke those very words - our identity is in Christ Jesus and that's it. I was reminded of how true that is and how imperative it is to truly get that. And then I went on one of my crazy tangents on the way home when I was in my car by myself, and I came up with the acromyn G.A.S. It's appropriate because I have 3 boys in my home and if you have the same, you know there is a lot of gas! Here is what it stands for:

1. Grace. The definition I found was "Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people". There is unending grace being offered (FREELY - meaning there is nothing for you to do here - it's there regardless of you) to you right now. You only need to . . .

2. Accept. Accept the offer you have from God. Allow him to carry your load. You aren't in charge anyway - he is. He is your creator and he knows exactly how you are wired, how your husband is wired, and your children. He knows exactly what happened yesterday, what is happening right now, and he is already in the future. Can you say all of that for yourself? No. So let him be in charge and take a DEEP breath. Do what you can, but don't beat yourself up along the way. When you screw up, remember, it is all part of your . . .

3. Sanctification. The definition: "To make holy; purify". You need to mess up in order to realize your need for God. If you always had it all together, there would be no room for him. When you mess up with your children/husband, you are helping with their sanctification! God has his plan, and whatever you are doing right now isn't going to change that. The mess ups are part of his plan too.

So . . . if you don't know Jesus yet, or you do and aren't putting him right smack in the center, say a prayer. Ask him to reveal himself to you in a way that you don't already know. Ask him to help you LET IT GO. Jesus paid the price for all of your screwups - there is no more punishment. Take time to process that, and enjoy the ride that he is taking you on.

Halloween Candy Poker Night

Ever wonder what to do with your leftover Halloween candy?  We have 3 kids and they are all very excited about going to as many houses as possible on Halloween night, and so needless to say we came home with a boatload of candy.  Last year we started a new tradition - Halloween candy poker night.  We used the candy as chips and assigned 3 different values to the candy . . . 25 cents, 50 cents, and a dollar.  All of the really good chocolate was a dollar, the skittles and starbursts and the not so good chocolate (in my opinion) was 50 cents, and all of the little candies or onesie twosies were 25 cents.  We made a little cheat sheet with 3 columns listing the value of all of the candy. 

We invited a couple of families over and had poker night with the candy!  It was so much fun and a great way to get rid of the candy (unless Melissa intentionally leaves her bag at your house).  We had our new annual tradition last night and it was a blast.  This is a great way to fellowship with other families . . . the kids had a great time hanging out as well!

Great Books for Your Children

I am slightly obsessed with books and activities for my kids, and love learning about new resources (which is why I started this blog in the first place - so that I could share anything I learn with all of you and spread the love).  I went to MOPS the other day, and my table leader, Martha Cox, brought her library of books (I think there were about a hundred) and went through several of them and shared highlights from some of the books.  They ranged from science and math books, to character building and Bible stories/devotionals.  She loves books and teaching her children as well, and spent many hours researching the best books she could find.  It was truly impressive, and I have already purchased some of the books she recommended.  I put the others on an Amazon wish list for Christmas ideas.  :)  I am adding a tab with all of the books she recommended on my blog simply due to the fact that it was so impressive.  The list was 3 pages long.  Additionally, she recommended some avenues to get books at a minimal cost. 

1.  Use the library and netflix for educational DVDs (ex. - Bill Nye the Science Guy)
2.  Interlibrary Loan - a resource where you can request any book on-line and have it shipped to your library for free.
3.  Amazon!  Get an Amazon mom account.  http://wwww.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/info

As I start going through the books she has recommended, I will let you know what I think!

New Recipe!

I find that 4 out of 5 new recipes I make aren't that great, but there are a few that do actually come out kinda good.  Tonight I made a version of "Turkey and Vegetable Chow Fun" but I didn't have any ground turkey so I substituted ground beef, and I couldn't find Japanese eggplant at the store so I left that out.  It was quite yummy!  Here is the recipe:

12oz fettuccine
2 t toasted sesame oil
1/4 C oyster sauce
2T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
3 T vegetable oil
4 oz mixed mushrooms cut into pieces (about 1 cup)
2 cloves of garlic chopped (I used 3)
3/4 lb ground turkey (I used 1 lb of ground beef)
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (i left this out figuring it would be too much green for my kids)
Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce for serving (optional - I used a chile garlic sauce that was DELICIOUS and you can find it in the Asian section of grocery store)

Bring pot of salted water to boil.  Add the noodles and cook as labeled.  Reserve 1 1/4 C of cooking water, and then drain and rinse the noodles.  Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 t sesame oil.  Mix oyster sauce and vinegar in a cup and set aside. 

Heat 2 T vegetable oil in large skillet over high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook til wilted, 1 minute.  Push veggies to one side and add the remaining 1 T vegetable oil.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add turkey and stir fry until cooked through (I cooked the turkey/beef separately and then tossed it in at this stage), about 3 minutes.  Stir turkey and veggies together.  Add scallions and half of the oyster sauce mixture and cook 1 more minute. 

Add noodles, 1 cup of the reserved cooking water and the remaining oyster sauce mixture and 1 t sesame oil.  Stir fry until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen.  Top with cilantro and serve with Sriracha if needed.

Halloween Food and Games

So this past weekend we celebrated my daughter's 2nd bday, and since we had a bunch of big kids coming to the party (since she doesn't really have her own friends yet), we decided to go with a fun Halloween theme.  We made a bunch of Halloween food and played some fun Halloween games.  Here are some pics in case you are interested in trying these for your own party!

crooked teeth! (Apple slice with almonds)

brain cupcakes!

eyeball cupcakes!

salty bones

closer look at some spider cupcakes

edible eyeballs!

digging for edible boogers and eyeballs in the spaghetti noodles - EWWWWW!

We did a few other games and it was a lot of fun!  We gave out prizes for the games that I got in the dollar bins at Target - they had so many!!  Good times!

Have a Science Fan?

My 6 year old has claimed he is going to be a scientist for about the last 3 years, and absolutely loves to do science projects. Today was a day off due to Columbus day, and so we spent the afternoon on science! He got a kit called "Mind Blowing Science" for Christmas last year and we hadn't gotten around to using it yet, and we did several of those projects today (there were 12 in the kit). Check out the pic fro his volcano:

and the pic from making corn starch "goo"

and a pic of the box in case you are interested in it

He loved doing these experiements and they were actually pretty cool!  This would be a great Chirstmas gift for your 5 - 7 year old if they are into science.  :)

Supporting a Cause

This morning our family participated in a walk for Alzheimers. This was just a 1 mile walk so the whole family could do it, and my grandfather died of the disease so the family could also relate to it. I think this is a great way to get the younger ones thinking outside of themselves a bit and come to more of an understanding about what it means to serve and support others. They really enjoyed it - especially since it was at the mall and they got free carousel rides afterwards! We made shirts for it with our loved ones names on them (my husband had a great aunt that died of it as well) and the kids had a great time with that as well. In November they have another one at the Dallas Zoo and I think we will plan on attending . . .

DIY Coasters

So there is a blog I follow that has tons of great ideas called 24/7 moms (I think) - I've included a button for this blog at the bottom of my blog.  Today they highlighted an idea by Lee La La for Do It Yourself Photo Coasters.  I haven't tried this yet, but am going to, and if it works - this is pure brillance.  So many new gift ideas and stocking stuffers will be in the works!  Here is a link to the instructions if you want to try it:
http://leelala.net/2011/02/diy-tile-coasters/

And here is a pic of the finished product from her site:

SUCH a good idea!

Bday Idea

I am in the midst of preparing for my youngest child's 2nd birthday.  Last year when I was thinking about what I could do that would be really special for my 4 year old's bday, I came up with making him a personalized shirt special for his day.  He really appreciates individual attention and anything nice that you do for him.  He lit up when he saw his face on the front of his shirt and his name on the back.  Needless to say, I think I have started a tradition.  I made one for my daughter's bday this year and included a pic of it below.  Just an idea to help make your child's bday extra special!  All you need are the transfer sheets from the craft store (if you want to iron on any picture like i did below), the shirt ($3 at the craft store), and any iron ons you want (like numbers or letters).  The site that I used to get the picture was http://www.purplechimp.com/.  I selected the clip art I wanted and then typed her name and "Birthday Girl" like you see in the picture.  It's actually kind of fun!

Memorial Park (Lewisville)

Yesterday we went to Memorial Park for the first time and it was fantastic.  There are 3 different playgrounds for the kids to play around on.  1 was definitely suited for smaller children, 1 could have gone either way, and 1 was geared toward bigger kids.  With that said, the one for bigger kids was of course the one my 1 year old was most fascinated with.  There were walking paths all around, and it was just a gorgeous day.  If you take 3040 to 2499 and turn left, and then take your first right on Forest Vista, and take that all the way to Valley Creek, you are there.  It took us about 10 minutes.  I didn't manage to get any pix in, but I highly recomend this park.

Today I am going to try and take the kids to the Pumpkin Patch and they are going to be SO EXCITED!  The pumpkin patch in Flower Mound is one of their very favorite activities of the year and the best part about it is that it is free.

Stay posted this week for some pix of the Halloween food and games we will have at my 1 year old's celebration this weekend.  It should be fun!

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers

Ever try explaining the trinity to your children?  It's not easy, and I found a book that does just that.  It is called "Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers, The Trinity" by Joey Allen.  There are 2 others as well, both part of the "Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers" group of books - one is focused on "The Mission" and one is focused on "The Scripture".  These are important concepts for your children and these books do a great job of breaking difficult concepts down into a concept that is easy to understand.  Here is a pic of one of them:

Need a Dance Break?

Ok - we all need to let loose once in awhile - and your kids do too!  Every afternoon, my kids and I have an impromptu dance party.  Sometimes they are just a couple of minutes, and sometimes they go on for a bit.  We listen to channel 1826 a lot on fios, which is called "Kidz Only", and I'm pretty sure if you turn it on you'll find yourself wanting to dance too.  This is such a great to teach your kids to let loose and just have fun.  And - it's a great way to spending time together having fun!  My kids know that as soon as the music is on, the dance party has begun - it's adorable watching them get their groove on.  :)

"I Spy" Books

In addition to enjoying the I Spy computer games, we also love the "I Spy" books.  There are ones for younger children, and ones for older kids.  Here is one that I was reading with my 4 year old tonight, and he loves it:

Each page has the word and the picture to find in the picture next to it, like above.  It helps teach children to read, while also having fun!  :)  This is another one we bought from the book fair at school.

Pancakes with a little umph

My kids LOVE breakfast for dinner.  Last night we had a pancakes and bacon, and I added a little extra somethin for the pancakes.  I peeled and chopped 2 apples and 2 pears, put them in a pot with a little brown sugar, water, and cinammon, a little salt and cooked them for 20 minutes. So easy, and it was a delicious topping for the pancakes!  Plus we got a little fruit serving in there . . . :)  I'll add the recipe to the recipes tab in case you are interested.  Enjoy!

I Spy Spooky Mansion

One of the things that my kids and I like to do together (I should be embarrassed to admit this but I promise transparency!) is play hidden object computer games together.  I know it's kind of nerdy, but it's something that we both (either me and my 6 year old or me and my 4 year old) like to do and so it's a great way to spend time together.  They have several "I Spy" hidden object computer games (all of which we bought from the book order forms that come home from school).  One of them is I Spy Spooky Mansion (there really isn't anything spooky about it), and both my 4 and 6 year old love it.  It's great for the 4 year old who isn't a proficient reader yet because you can click on the name of the object and it will say it out loud.  There are 3 "versions" of the game and as you complete each one you can start a new one.  They are the same rooms but different clues you are finding.  As you go through the rooms in the house looking for objects and complete a room, you collect a clue for the end of the game.  When you have all of the clues collected then you start the final stage of each version.  These games are great for bad weather days or for a little quiet time in the middle of the day if they aren't napping or if you need a break.  :)

Paper Monsters

So I am kind of a sucker for books/magazines that have activities in them you can do with your children.  My latest purchase is called "365 Things to do with Paper and Cardboard" and I got it from my 6 year olds book order form.  Today we made paper monsters and they were fun because the kids can totally do it and they can design their very own monster.  Here is a pic of the ones we made today:

And here is a pic of the instructions - you can't see it all that well, but I need instructions illustrated because I am not very artistic so it may be helpful:

And here are some other monster ideas to get your creative juices going:

I'll add the instructions for how to make these to the "Kids in Art" tab!  Have fun!

Chocolate Walk in Carrollton

Last night I took my 4 year old to the Chocolate Walk in Carrollton.  He is an extreme lover of chocolate and I couldn't think of a better date with him!  I saw the signs when we were at Babes a few weekends ago and immediately added it to the calendar.  At this event all of the stores in downtown Carrollton have chocolate samples of some sort.  So we literally went into 10 - 15 stores and got free chocolate.  Guerin LOVED it.  I asked him if he was full  yet after about 7 stores and he said, "Nope!  I will never be full of chocolate!".  Carrollton does this event twice a year and if you have a child that loves chocolate you should take them.  So much fun and it's free!  :)

Orchard Valley Park (Lewisville)

We went to this park today.  The playground was similar to the one from yesterday (nice) but a little smaller and I have posted some pics.  The picnic area was totally shaded and there was a shady walking area as well.  Even though it is similar it's always fun to have a change of scenery!

shady walking area

Shaded picnic tables and swings

Cortadera Park in Flower Mound

Today we visited Cortadera Park right off of Cross Timbers and Morris.  This is a fantastic playground with a larger playground for the bigger kids and a smaller one for the little kids.  I haven't really been paying attention to whether the playgrounds we've been to have a portapotty, but today all 3 of my kids had to go so I noted they do not have one.  There also really isn't any shade.  BUT, it seems like a newer playground and is very nice.  There is a huge field next to it for kids to run around as well.  Here is a pic!

Easiest Cake Balls Ever

This morning a fantastic speaker spoke at MOPS and gave us a ton of easy recipes - most with just 3 ingredients.  One of my  favorites was the cake ball recipe which I am definitely going to try.  All you need is a box of cake mix, a can of cake icing, and chocolate chips (can use white chocolate chips).  I put the rest of the recipe under Easy Recipes, and as I try some of the recipes she gave us I will put them on here!  I just had to get this one on here before trying it since it so easy and she said they are delicious. 

Leonard L Woods Park & Central Park

Tonight we visited Leonard L Woods park in Lewisville and this is a great park.  It is very open with 2 playgrounds - 1 for big kids and 1 for little kids.  There is also a disc golf course so parents can play while the kids play on the playground.  There wasn't a ton of shade, but it was still a great playground.  Lots of open field for them to run around on.  Here's a pic!

We also met picked up some chick fil a afterwards and headed over to Central Park in Lewisville to dine and play.  Central Park is a fantastic playground with tons of trees so it is completely shaded.  There is also a big kid playground as well as a smaller kid playground.  There were tons of other families there.  The only complaint I had was that the trash cans were loaded with bees and they were bothering us while we were eating.  Not a fan of bees!!  There were tons of other tables so we could have moved, but the bees weren't bothering us enough to make us move I guess!

Juice Box Mummies

For some reason my children are obsessed with Halloween.  Every time we go to the library they want to check out Halloween books.  All year they ask how many days left until Halloween.  In February they started talking about their costumes.  So, I've decided to just go with it.  Let's start halloween activities in September!  Why not?!?  :)  Today we made juice box mummies, named that because you use empty juice boxes to make them.  Super easy and they had fun with it!  You use construction paper on the outside of the box so you could even decorate the outside of the mummy if you want (which may take away some of the mummy effect but who cares).  I put the instructions for making them under the "Kids in Art" tab.  Have fun!

Fun On-Line Learning Crossword

This is fun on-line crossword puzzle and trivia that can make learning fun with your kids!  Enjoy!

Crossword:  http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Games/Crosswords/Animal-Trivia.aspx
Trivia:  http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Trivia-Quizzes.aspx

Tortilla Chip Pumpkins

This morning while my 6 year old was school my 4 year old made pumpkin shaped chips out of tortillas - he had a lot of fun with it!  If you are getting in the pumpkin spirit, here's what you need:

Soft corn tortillas, 1/4 C vegetable or olive oil, salt, pastry brush or paint brush, pumpkin shaped cookie cutters (with the face - I got a set at Hobby Lobby for 1.99), small bowl, cookie sheet, and 1 red and 1 yellow food coloring.

Use the cookie cutters to cut out the pumpkin shapes from the tortillas.  Pour oil into small bowl and add 2 drops each of the red and yellow food coloring.  Wait a few minutes and then stir to blend the food coloring.  Dip the brush in the oil and paint both sides of each cut out until well coated.  Place chips on ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

They were DELICIOUS hot out of the oven!

Know Science Magazine

My 6 year old is really into science, and for Christmas last year we bought him a subscription to Know Science magazine, which is a Mad Science publication.  He gets SO excited when his magazine comes in the mail and reads every page.  I definitely recommend it if you have a child who is curious and/or into science!  You can find it here:  http://www.yesmag.ca/landing/msg1.html

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday after picking up my 6 year old from school, we all wandered over to our neighborhood park to enjoy this gorgeous weather and get some play time in.  We were there for awhile, and then made our way home to eat dinner (crockpot chili night!) and get ready for soccer practice.  I got my Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine a couple  of days ago, and yesterday as I was going through it, I found a chocolate chip recipe that was calling out my name.  My 4 year old was the one who had soccer practice last night (he is an avid chocolate lover), and I couldn't wait to see his face when he came running in the house and smelled fresh chocolate chip cookies.  So I went to work, and the cookies were DELICIOUS.  I actually got it from an ad for McCormick Vanilla.  I am posting the recipe under the Recipes tab in case you are interested!  Swimsuit season is practically over so you don't need to worry about a few extra pounds!

Items for Free

Ok friends - for those of you who are always looking for a deal, I am creating a section on this blog of items I am giving away.  The list will grow, but for now we have a crib mattress that we are happy to part with.  If you'd like it, just email me at samanthaksmith2011@gmail.com.  Also, if you'd like to give something away to another mother and save someone else some money, please email me and I will list the item on the blog.  If someone contacts me with interest, I'll connect you!

Have a child who is a chocolate lover?

Tonight after dinner at Babes Chicken Dinner house in Carrollton, we were walking down a little strip of shops and saw an advertisement for their chocolate festival on September 16 from 5 - 9.  This caught my eye because if you really want to tell my 4 year old that you love him, all you need to do is offer him chocolate.  Each of the little stores on this downtown strip right by Babes is offering a free chocolate treat on this date.  I am really not sure what else is involved, but I know enough to know that I am taking my 4 year old on a date that evening to Carrollton!  Want to join?  :)

A Non-Review on Sealife Aquarium

So yesterday after spending the afternoon with the kids running through the sprinklers in the backyard and coloring in giant coloring books in the backyard, we decided to venture out to the Sealife Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall.  It was around 3pm - and I know some of you moms reading this are like - OF COURSE THE LINE WAS AN HOUR AND A HALF!  It was a Sunday afternoon on Labor Day weekend!  I guess I had high hopes that people would be doing other things.  So, we decided to walk around the mall instead and let the kids ride the carousel and some of the other little rides there.  Of course we had to finish our adventure off with my favorite gelato ice cream - Paciugo.  For those non-dairy eaters out there, their soy ice cream is DELICIOUS!  I hope to get back to Sealife Aquarium one of these days, but it will have to be during the week.  I went ahead and wrote this entry anyway to advise you in case you weren't already aware, that I do not recommend going to the Aquarium on Sunday afternoon.  When we were leaving around 5 the line was only 10 minutes.  They closed at 7, so maybe we will try that time next time!

Fly Lady

Got this email from a friend this morning and had to share!  It's about the website flylady.net . . .

My biggest challenge as a wife, mom, etc. is keeping the house clean.  I simply cannot dedicate a day to getting it done but rather I need to do it along the way.  A little here, a little there.  Once I found a website that would tell me each day what to clean…so you don’t just skip the stuff you hate to do.  The idea is that you really focus on cleaning and “just get it done” in 20 minutes a day and then one day a week was an hour or so.  For example, it would say things like “Use a long-handled duster and run around your house as fast as you can cleaning the baseboards”  or “Attack your bathrooms for 20 minutes.  Go for the grungiest places first.  Move fast.  It is a race.  When the timer goes off, stop and get back to life.”  The blog lady always would say things like “I know you don’t want to do the cleaning but whining never made anything shine. So just get over yourself and go get it done.  Do it fast so it hurts less.”

A great tip for pretty much all of us!  http://www.flylady.net/

Which Way USA

Thanks to Jill Surdek we are now subscribing to the Highlights magazine for kids called "Which Way USA".  This is a puzzle magazine for kids that is focused on teaching them about each of the states.  Each magazine comes with a map of the state that the magazine is focused on and the map has all kinds of fun facts on it.  I subscribed to the regular Highlights magazine for awhile, but the boys were never really all that interested in it.  Noah LOVES this one.  He has been working on it every night.  It does require a little help from us, but it's been fun for us as well!  I love anything that helps get them focused on learning.  I included a link in case you are interested . . . http://shop.highlights.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=16151&productId=690724&catalogId=17603

Heritage Park (Grapevine)

Today we went to Heritage Park in Grapevine - AWESOME PARK.  It is right next to the Botannical Gardens and so after playing at the playground (which was fantastic) we were able to walk right into the path for the gardens and walk around.  It was totally shaded and a great place to get the kids outdoors when it is so hot outside.  Definitely recommend it.

Paint by Number

Today we tried out the painting by number packet I bought at the craft store.  I got one for my 6 year old that was labeled for 8 - 12 year olds and one for my 4 year old that was labeled 4 - 8 year olds.  They were excited and did have fun, but mainly I think because it was something new.  However, this activity was challenging for a few reasons.  My 6 year old didn't want to follow the coloring, but painted the picture the way he wanted.  This is fine, but I am almost inclined to just give him a blank sheet of paper and let him paint.  Also, the spaces for each color that you were to paint were VERY small, and there was a lot of paint mixing involved, like mix #1 color paint with the #5 color paint, and he just didn't have enough focus for that.  The 4 year old was actually trying to use the colors that were instructed, but again on his the spaces to paint were very small, and he was to mix many of the colors and that just wasn't going to happen.  I told him to just choose one of the colors when it called for 2.  They lasted about a half hour with this activity and then set it aside and said they would do more later.  I probably wouldn't get this again for them unless they convinced me that they enjoyed it more than it seemed that they did.

For dinner tonight we had stir-fry, and it is so easy.  I bought one of those stir fry packets from the asian section of the store, and followed the instructions on the back.  It tells you what veggies to get, but I just bought the ones I wanted, like broccoli, onion red pepper and mushroom.  Then I made rice for the side and dinner was ready!  So easy and it was delicious.

Legoland Review

Today we went to Legoland at Grapevine Mills Mall.  Before you go, ask a working friend if their company has discounted tickets by chance.  That's what I did and it was significantly cheaper.  If you haven't been to Legoland, there are a number of things to do there.  When you first arrive they will send you on a little ride that reminded me of some of those closed in rides at Disneyland.  It's indoors and it sends you around a little track where you try and shoot things as you go along.  It was cute.  After that you are free to roam around and we went to the movie theater first.  There are 3 different 4D movies showing with one theater so they just rotate through each of them.  We went to the Bob the Builder and the Superhero movie.  Water sprays out at you as well as wind during various parts of the movie (each movie is about 15 minutes) and I thought they were great.  It was probably my favorite part of legoland since I'm not really into building legos.  There is also an area where you can build cars and race them down a track to see whose car wins (we had a bit of a challenge finding wheels to put on the cars as there are only so many to go around).  There is an area where you can build legos and then simulate an earthquake to see if your concoctions will withstand the earthquake (that was ok but the boys weren't that into it).  There is a Princess area where you can build legos, while also singing karoke - FUN!  When my daughter gets a little older we will visit that part.  There is a ride that goes around in a circle so my husband took on that one because I don't do the spinning rides anymore!  Finally they have a play area that has those tubes/cages that you run around in like at Chick Fila but about 10 times the size.  Overall, the kids loved it and it was worth the money. 

We also made Sesame Pecan Chicken Strips for dinner last night and they were DELICIOUS.  Highly recommend it and you can find the recipe under the recipes tab at the top. 

Pooping Issues

My 1 year old daughter who will be 2 in October has had issues pooping since she started eating solid foods.  Almost every single time she poos she screams and it is just awful to watch.  We have tried various things but haven't found anything that really works yet.  The doctor said to keep trying incorporating foods that will help her go.  So this week I started making smoothies mainly consisting of frozen blueberries and have been adding whatever other fruit we have around.  I make it right after we get home from walking to pick up the 6 year old - Noah - from school.  It only takes about 5  minutes and we are all hot so it's a great way to cool off and get some great nutrition at the same time.  For Clara, the 1 year old, I just put it in a little cup and hold the cup while she sips it through a straw.  I use our magic bullet which is so easy to use and just put a little water in there and a couple of ice cubes.  

The good news: Today she started pooping right after drinking her "juice". 
The bad news: She was pushing so hard that she threw up everywhere.  Boo.

We also went to Westchester Park this morning when it was still 85 degrees and both of the kids (the 4 year old and the 1 year old) loved it.  I've been hesitant to go to any of the parks with it so hot outside but it was actually kind of nice this morning.  There is a little playground for the smaller ones and a bigger playground for the bigger kids.  I definitely recommend it.

Getting Your Kids in the Kitchen

One of things I planned with the kids this summer was cooking classes in our home.  Sounds cheesy - I know - but with it being so hot outside it was another fun thing to do indoors and the kids always enjoyed being a part of the cooking process.  I got the idea when I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store and saw one of those little recipe books.  This one was called "Jello and Cool Whip Summer Desserts" and they were pretty simple for the most part.  So I had my 6 year old go through it and pick out the ones he thought he would like to make.  I have to be totally honest and say that we only made one of the 7 or so recipes we picked out, so now we can plan on making these in the fall.  The point was more that we planned it and the kids knew what they had to look forward to, but we ended up swimming or doing something else fun instead!  With the one recipe we did make, they had a great time with it and of course then they had a dessert for after dinner!  I've included some of the recipes we picked out under the page "Kids in the Kitchen".  I hope you find some that you can have fun with!

Recipes

So . . . since I easily get bored with food, this is the way cooking works in my house.  I subscribe to several magazines (Food Network, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Cuisine).  As soon as I get the magazine, I go through and pick out the recipes I want to try by just folding the corner down on the page.  Each week before I go to the store for the week I find out how many dinners will be needed for that week (sometimes we aren't home for dinner) and then I go through the magazines and pick out the ones I want to make.  I don't plan for the weekends (including Friday night) since we often have things going on.  Then I make my grocery list which includes the items needed for those recipes.  I love having a plan for the week and then I don't have to worry about it for another week!  If I like the recipe I picked out, I cut it out, staple it to an index card (I usually staple the picture to the back of the card), and put it in my recipe box.  Most of the recipes I share will be from these sources.  Food Network magazine always has a "50 things" booklet in their magazine that I love.  My favorite one was the "50 smoothies" booklet.  It was fabulous and such an easy way to add more nutrients to our bellies!  Finally, we get our meat andveggies from Town and Country foods.  The meat is all natural and they deliver it every 8 months.  It is only about 130 per month for all of our meat and veggies and this makes planning on the fly so much easier!!!  I've included some recipes I already like on the recipes page below, and I'll be sharing some in my blog posts as well.

Learn a new language with your child!

So . . . in honor of the first day of school for many of our children, I thought I would offer a learning tip of the day.  If you are a Flower Mound resident, you have free access to http://www.mangolanguages.com/ through your library card.  To access, go to http://www.fmlibrary.net/ and select Research Databases and then Mango Languages.  Enter your library number and off you go!  This is a website that teaches you a new language and it is geared toward children.  There are probably about 10 - 20 language choices and I checked it out with Noah - our 6 year old.  He loved it and was totally able to go through it on his own.  Other libraries in the area offer it as well, but I'm not sure which ones.  Have fun with this!

Introduction to my blog

So thanks to the encouragement of Jenny Musgrove, I have decided to start this blog and see where it goes.  This is primarily geared toward mothers of young children.  If you are anything like me, you get bored with the same ole routine and want something new.  You get bored with recipes, bored with the same play places, etc.  I have worked full time with young children in my home, part time, and am now am a stay at home mom.  This past summer was my first summer with all 3 children home (Noah is 6, Guerin is 4, and Clara is 1) in my new stay at home mom role.  Experience told me that if my kids started getting bored, fighting between them started shortly thereafter.  And then very shortly after that I would get extremely grumpy.  So . . . I planned a FUN summer with something happening every morning and every afternoon (and some evenings) every day of the summer.  I created a calendar on posterboard and hung it in the kids room so that they could see as soon as they got up what they had to look forward to.  I started telling other moms about it and they wanted to get their hands on the calendar to get new ideas, and that is essentially why I am starting this blog.  This time with your children will go by soooo fast, so why not make the most of it?!?!  At a minimum of every other day, I plan on posting something, whether it is a recipe, a project I did with the kids of some sort (science, art or a cooking class with them), a new children's website I have discovered that is helpful for learning, a play place we went to, a kids game we have discovered, etc.  There is so much out there that can help create a joyful, engaging relationship with your child and I hope this helps you get there!  I'll also discuss the failures and what didn't work for us.  We are by no means a perfect family so hopefully in discussing our failures you won't feel alone in yours.  I'll put a few extras in here too, like whether my new idea of checking out workout videos from the library actually works, or whether I am going to have to fork up the extra $60 a month to join Lifetime Fitness.  I would absolutely love your thoughts and new ideas as well, so please leave your comments!!!  Love you guys!