Check it out! (creative tuesday)

Coming this Fall, a very creative adaptation of the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I'm so excited!

12 Years and Counting.........

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy Earth Day!

We are enjoying some warm spring weather around here. (finally!) Monday we had a family activity and spent some time picking up trash in the neighborhood. Luke kept saying:" I SO love the earth!" and "We are making the earth SO happy!" :)

Read Alouds

I love a good read aloud. Lately, Luke and I have been listening to Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White. This is one of my favorites. I think it is especially good because E. B. White himself is reading it. Who better to deliver a story than the author himself? We recently checked out the audio version of Skippyjon Jones by: Judy Schachner. This is a fun book about a Siamese cat that pretends to be a chihuahua. Once again we were delighted to hear the author read her own book. Not only does she do the different character's voices, she sings the songs too. What a great find! A good rescource for read alouds and the case behind reading aloud to children is The Read Aloud Handbook by: Jim Trelease. I read this years ago and just finished it again. It is now updated and has lists of books to get you started. What are some of your favorites or good finds? Happy reading!

Easter Creativeness

Yes, I know it's a bit late for this idea. But I still love it. Bakerella made and wrapped these cupcakes in cellophane with ribbon on the top to look like individual baskets. The basket handles are made from sour punch straws. "Oh cute !" says Claire, and I agree. I'm putting this away for next year. I think that you could do this with kiddos too, which makes it a double find.

Easter Report

We had a great Easter weekend around here. The Easter Bunny came Friday night so the kids woke up surprised to find their baskets filled with treats. We went to a community Easter egg hunt and dyed eggs Saturday night. Sunday we went to church and then to Nana's house for a big family dinner. It was a pretty mellow weekend and I am glad. It was nice to relax and reflect on the resurrection of the Savior.

Happy Easter

I loved this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "None were with Him".

I {Heart} Spring Break

This week has been spring break. I has been so nice to slow down from the usual routine and have a chance to relax a little. Here are the top reasons why I am loving spring break this year:
1. No soccer or scouts at all!
2. No rushing out the door in the morning
3. Snuggling up to watch a movie and eat popcorn then make cookies all before lunchtime!
4. Enlisting helpers with my spring reorganization projects
5. Taking a break from doing kindergarten with Luke (even though he has asked to do one school thing a day)
6. Staying up a little bit later

Big Project

Wish us luck! We are building a house! All of my creative energy has been spent the last little while deciding on colors, flooring, etc. Who knew that door knobs, fascia and soffit colors could matter so much?
We are really excited and have our fingers crossed that all can go well!

Creative Challenge

Funky Craft Mama had a craft challenge this past month. So I entered this canvas. It is a lift from an art piece that Pottery Barn is selling right here. I used the scraps I had leftover from the memory game and then just punched circles and added buttons and rhinestone brads I had laying around. I would like to add some more detail by stitching with embroidery floss, but I don't have any handy. This was quick and easy!

La Poste

About a month ago, I received a surprise letter in the mail from an old friend whom I haven't seen for almost five years. We have sent Christmas cards to each other every year, but this was a "real" letter. It was so great to hear from her and know of how things have been going for her lately. It was not a long letter, but it made my day. Thinking about it, reminds me of my college and mission days when I used to write letters and receive them from friends and family. (This dates me, I know!)Now in the age of email, affordable long-distance, facebook, etc, when was the last time you send someone a "real" letter? This is my challenge for you this week: make someone's day. Write an old fashioned letter. Uplift...extend....smile....

Creative Inspiration

Funky Craft Mama has done it again! Look at this stationary box she created as a gift.... I love it!
The original idea was found on splitcoast stampers.

Creative Tuesday

Luke and I made a memory game similar to this one. I found this idea at Inchmark. I used scrapbook paper instead of fabric and I ran the cards through the laminator to protect them. It was an easy project to do together and he has had fun playing the game as well.

Creative Inspiration

I wanted to share two great ideas this week. The first is the adorable elephants pictured above as seen at Seeking the Sunlight. This was a project done with kids and I think it is a great idea. I love the plaid ears and tusks! The second is this cute cupcake. What a fun thing to give someone to let them know you are thinking of them. (The original idea for the cupcake can be found at inkingpink ) Thanks ladies!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is also a very creative Tuesday. My sis in law made shirts for Luke, Claire and I for the holiday and they turned out so cute! Stay tuned for more creative inspiration tomorrow.

Creative Tuesday...

I have seen this floating around the internet and found it lovely. Thanks to those who have shared!
A few people have asked what happened to Creative Tuesdays. The grocery sack bib has been about as creative as it gets around here besides cooking. But I will try to do something this week. Submissions are always great too!(hint, hint) Remember it does not have to be something that you made. A great idea goes a long way. Here is some inspiration:

Moderation People!

Free Range Kids cited this article in the NY Times which I found interesting. Is our attitude toward food scaring our children? We try to adhere to healthy eating habits around here, I will admit that. But I will also admit that I do allow myself and my kids to have a treat also. (preferably not daily) "Healthy eating" is such a relative term. But I do wish we could stop obsessing about it all. Including obsessing about obsessing. Eat your colors, lead an active life and know how to appreciate the art of a delicious homemade ny cheesecake.....mmm!

Le Mode

Yes, this is a photo of my baby with a grocery sack tied around her neck. Yes, I realize this is a choking hazard. No, I wouldn't recommend this for a younger child. But for the last couple weeks Claire has been sporting this new article of fashion. It is all the rage, haven't you heard? You can see by the look on her face; she just loves it when her mom does this! Claire has a super-sensitive, UBER, highly-agitated gag reflex. She has demonstrated this reflex to us on many occasions. She has been sick for the last little while(upper respiratory infection) and coughing a lot. It doesn't paint a pretty picture does it? I have been washing a lot of Claire's clothes, sheets and other items in the near vicinity of Claire lately. Fun! Well, one day when having to go do a taxi run for one of the boys I decided that enough was enough. At least for the van's sake anyway. Burst of inspiration=the grocery sack bib=brilliant! It catches anything gag related and you just pop it in the trash when you are done. I would recommend that you use Target bags if you try this trick as they are the only ones that you can "tear" off. Also I would expect you to use your own common sense and not do this on a child that would enjoy choking on it. But let me tell you it has been a wonderful discovery and I reserve the right to use it only in the car so that it does not lose its magic. As many of you know there are just times when the whole world can not stop when one kid is sick.( Sigh)Judge if you will...

Arrow of Light

Jared received his Arrow of Light award last Friday in Cub Scouts. This is the highest award you can receive and the only award you can wear on a boy scout uniform. Nana and Papa were able to join us at the Blue and Gold Banquet and celebrate with us. We are so happy for Jared and pleased with his hard work. He hasn't had an actual scout leader for the past four months and he was still motivated and able to accomplish this goal!

Education in an Entitlement Culture

I have been reading and thinking a lot over the past few months about education. What is a good education? How has our society shaped our education system? I thought this article in the NY Times was interesting, and made me think of a book I read recently: The Price of Privilege by: Madeline Levine, Ph.D. What are your thoughts? Do you see a change since you were in school? What are we really teaching our youth? Are we teaching them what, when or how to think?