Sleep

I found this cool article on the Sam's Club Healthy Living Magazine, and I thought I would share. Tip #4 always seemed to work for me when I needed it.

FOOD THAT HELP TODDLERS SLEEP
-Tim Vandehey

1. Bananas
The body converts bananas to serotonin and melatonin, hormones that promote sleep. Bananas also contain magnesium, which relaxes muscles and can help little ones nod off.

2. Oatmeal
Oatmeal (often with a little sweetener) is very palatable for young children, and oats are a good source of melatonin, which helps bring on sleep naturally. Oats are also rich in vitamin B6, which increases serotonin levels, improving the chances of a deep, restful sleep.

3. Honey
A small amount of honey added to warm milk deactivates a neurotransmitter called orexin that produces alertness.
Note: NEVER GIVE HONEY TO CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 1 YEAR OLD.

4. Warm Milk
The granddaddy of all children's sleep aids, warm milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, which has a sedative effect. The calcium in milk also helps the brain use tryptophan more effectively. plus, the simple act of drinking warm milk before bedtime can be soothing and relaxing.

Thankful

The one thing I love about this time of year and about Thanksgiving is the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness that takes over. I saw this video today and I loved it.

It's so easy to complaint and find things that we don't like, but how often we do stop and actually list the things we like and especially the things - big and small - that we are grateful for.

Last year I made a thankful tree, much like this one, with Thomas and this year I am trying to decide what to do - but still something along that same line.

Here are some ideas that I've seen and really liked:

This upscale version of the Thankful Tree.

Thankful Tree - Simply Vintage Girl

I also loved this idea for a thankful countdown to Thanksgiving - those who can't wait until Turkey Day will have fun with this! ;o)

Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar

And this super fun Thankful Turkey! 

Today I'm grateful for rainy days, what are you grateful for today?

Preschool :: Thanksgiving

With Halloween behind us, we can now focus on Thanksgiving and then Christmas - hurray!

So, going along with Aline's idea for preschool activities, I'll be sharing some fun Thanksgiving ideas I've been collecting. To start off, Allison at Oopsie Daisy has some great home preschool ideas and packets, including this one that she has for download (and for free!).

Found HERE 

So take a look, print it out, have a fun, and come back to check out some more Fall and Thanksgiving ideas to do with your kiddos!

Preschool Activity Week 1:

Let's have the subject for this coming week be:

The letter "Aa"

The number "1"

The color "Red"

So for this coming week, post here as many times as you want with lessons/activities involving the subject of the week.

Preschool Activities/Lessons

I'm not sure how many of you guys are still checking the blog. It's been a while since we all posted something.

Anyway, one thing we all have in common is that we all have relatively small children close or of preschool age. I am planning on doing preschool at home for my 3 yearl old daughters rather than sending them to a preschool. I figured heck I didn't go so many years to college to earn a degree and not use it (I got my degree in elementary education). As soon as I have a little more extra time I plan working on a preschool curriculum for my girls so that I can begin implementing it at home. I also thought that maybe some of you guys might be interested in teaching your children at home (regardless if you send them to preschool or not) and thought it could be good to share some lesson ideas on here.

I thought maybe each week we can post a theme on here and we can post as many times as we want that week, with lesson/activity ideas that go with the theme. Could be shapes, letters, first words, music, science, you name it. By doing so, we could use this as a resource for lesson helps.

So please let me know what you think and if you would be at all interested in doing something like this.

Bored...

So I just took my "Welcome Spring" sign down because really, where IS spring? Well, it is definitely not here in Utah.

Yesterday I watched my daughter as she laid on the couch and watched a movie and I felt so bad because we'd stayed home all day long. For many of you, this might seem normal, but for me it's, well, not. I'm fine with staying home all day for a couple days, but then I need to get out. Even if just to go to a store, or something! I feel even worse for my kids. I'm pretty sure they don't care, but they absolutely love going outside and playing on the playground, and just being out. I know I could bundle them up and go, there's really no excuse, except I'm pregnant and a little lazy. And I obviously hate the cold.

So, if you're like me and feel bad for your kids that have stayed inside all day long (and maybe even for a few days now) I have found a cute activity to do with them at home. I don't know if the littlest ones will get this (it's probably more of a preschooler activity) but it's just an idea for you to get creative and have many other ideas to do at home.

 

It's a color scavenger hunt by The Artful Parent. What a neat idea, don't you think?

I'm also planning  thinking about starting preschool at home with my two kids. I have a 2 1/2 year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old. My oldest will start preschool in August but I wanted to get things going already. The thing is, I used to be a preschool teacher and I had tons of material but it's all stored at my parents' house...In Brazil! So now I don't have anything and have to get creative. So if any of you know of some good websites/blogs (I used to know a ton but I lost it all along with my old laptop) I would very much appreciate it!

As soon as I get all my ideas organized, I'm going to start posting about our little preschool. I'm only planing on doing it twice a week, so we'll see. 

Cheers!

Welcome, Spring!

I know, we just got some snow today, but now the sun is shining again! And guess what? Friday is supposed to get up to 66 degrees Farenheit here in Utah. SO exciting!

Anyway, I've compiled a few of my favorite crafts for spring, all really easy! Some of them are for you, some of them for your kids, but most of them you'll have to do together with your kiddos. But then you get to join in the fun!

 

 Click here for the flower easter egg tutorial.

Click here for the Bunny finger puppets tutorial.

Click here for the Easter Egg Hunt bags.

Click here for the No-Sew flowers for mom tutorial.

Sheep Egg by Disney Family Fun.

Bee Egg by Disney Family Fun.

Seven Flowers. Awesome Pop Up - Click here for another funny movie.

This is a video tutorial for a Flower Pop-Up card from instructables.com

Wash Cloth Easter Bunnies by Sitting at our Kitchen Table.

And here's one for April Fools':

Chicken Not-Pie from Disney Family Fun.

HAVE FUN!

What to do?

Yup. We're all snowed in. If you live around these areas, you're probably going through the same thing right now. Stuck at home, kids are bored, making huge messes. How about trying something new?


Have you ever made Gak?

Kids love 'em. Make sure if you have little kids that you watch them while they play with it, otherwise they might just want to eat it.

Click here for the recipe.

Got some Twizzlers at home? Try making a twizzler candy bracelet with your kids. If you don't have any twizzlers you can use cheerios, fruitloops... Use your imagination! Click here for a tutorial (or not, since it's pretty much self explanatory).

Or if you dare go outside, you could bundle them up and go make a snowman! You could get different wooden shapes at the craft store and make your own snowman kit like the tutorial found here. Or even better, you could let your kids' imagination go wild and find things around the house and outside to use as props.

But if you're the one who's bored at home, with nothing to do (or with nothing FUN to do), try making a simple craft, like a felt flower hair clip for valentine's day. You can make it for your daughter or even wear it yourself. Here's the tutorial.

Whatever you decide to do today (or this week) make sure you have fun and be happy! These cold, gloomy days are a perfect excuse for us to just sit on the couch in our pajamas all day long and feel depressed. But don't let that get to you! Make sure you're always busy doing something. Even if that means cleaning the house. I'm sure you'll feel pretty good about yourself after you're done.

Have a good, fun, happy week everybody!

Ready for a Giveaway?!

Well, head over to Let's Cook. Paty and her friends are always sharing great recipes and this week she is hosting an awesome giveaway! Go check it out!

Couponing 101

cou·pon·ing  (kpnng, ky-)

n.

The sending out or turning in of coupons, 

especially the regular redemption 

of a manufacturer's coupon for cash.

A couple weeks ago I saw a especial on TLC about couponing called Extreme Couponing. I was shocked. I couldn't believe why and how I was missing out on this! The people shown on the program, were slightly extreme - no pun intended, which I have no plans on becoming, but still - we can save a LOT of money couponing.

So when I wrote up my resolutions for this year, I decided I would learn how to be a couponer. And get really good at it. Though you will not see me dumpster diving or walking aroung the neighborhood collecting coupons daily I am totally serious about this.

I'm still learning. Researching and trying to understand the jargon of it all. There are lots and lots of sites out there that explain everything there is to know about couponing. My favorite so far: The Krazy Coupong Lady.

The concept is simple. You gather as many coupons as you can and then combine them with a store's sale to get a crazy discount. The trick is just getting all the coupons, getting all the sales and being smart!

Right now I'm focusing on Albertson's. They always have great sales and so it's easy to coupon there. However, Walmart now is not only matching prices, but also matching coupons. So you can take a Target or Walgreens Only coupon to Walmart and they will accept it.

Here is an example. Last week, Albertsons had a General Mills Cereal Sale - 2 for $4. Pretty good right?! Well, I combined a $1 off two GM Cereals that I had, and ended up only paying $1.50 each. Really good right?! However, every once in a while, Albertsons will have these crazy sales where cereal is only 89 cents a box... so combine that with a coupon like the one I had and you end up only paying 39 cents a box - CRAZY!!!

So if anyone out there is interested, I'll starting sharing my findings, tips and discoveries here.

And if anyone has any tips - please share!

New Years Resolution

There are few things that I love more than a brand new year. It's the perfect opportunity to start over, to start a new and to be better.

For years I use to make huge long lists of goals for the new year... only to not even accomplish 1/3 of them all. Then I realized that it was no use making so many goals...

So a few years ago, tired of ending the year feeling really lame for only crossing off one or another of the my goals, I decided to only make 2 maybe 3 goals for the next year - and really focus on those.

Now I only make 2-3 goals, it varies every year, but I always put a lot of thought into it. And there is aats a constant - learn a new skill (not part of the 2-3). It's been fun to find something different and really work towards perfecting the art of whatever it is. A few years ago it was scrapbooking, last year it was sewing and this year is couponing. My other goals are to do something good for someone every month, to have more patience, and to lead a healthier life.

So whatever it is that you do in terms of goals for a new year I encourage you to do it. And whether your goal is to pay off debt or be more friendly or to lose weight or to learn how to whistle - here is my advice to you.

Write it down. 

Because as my grandfather would tell us every year - an unwritten goal is no more than a wish.


Happy New Year!

click on the image above to download then print this to jot down your goals for the year (8.5x11 inches)!

Sneak in a little nutrition

I know, it's 12:34 a.m and I'm still awake. And I don't even have the excuse of my kids still being awake or anything like that. I'm just here, by myself, thinking about life. Don't get me wrong, I am tired, but there's just too much going on in my mind right now. So since it will probably be a waste of time to even try to go to bed at this moment, I decided to share a little something on here.

Today I was thinking about my kids' nutrition, it's funny how they go through fases. My oldest daughter used to be a really good eater and my youngest a very, very picky eater. Well, that hasn't changed much but my youngest IS eating a lot more. He used to eat very little, if any food at all. I nursed him until he was a year old, and that's pretty much all the nutrition he got up until that point. He never liked any baby food, except for some occasional pureed fruit. He wasn't just picky, he was, and still is, a very MESSY eater. It's funny how I still get fooled thinking he has eaten pretty much all of his food only to find most of it on the floor. And that happens pretty often. I should've learned not to get my hopes up before looking down by now. But I guess us mothers never lose hope when it comes to our children. WOW. How deep. Okay, nutrition! Geez. It's late!

Well, the other day I was at Anna's house and we were talking about our picky eaters and she mentioned how her son absolutely LOVES pizza. And since he's a very picky eater, she decided to make a pizza but throw all kinds of veggies on top. Pretty smart, eh? And since it was a pizza, he ate it! I haven't tried this yet but I'm pretty (almost) sure my son wouldn't eat it. He's THAT picky. He would just look at it and make a grossed out face or if he dared to try it he would probably spit it all out (and maybe even gag a little). But I will try making this and will tell you all if I was right or if I was right. Okay?

After that day, I started thinking about other ways I can make healthier foods that my children (or more specifically my son) WILL eat. There is one book called Deceptively Delicious  which I really want to get. A friend of mine suggested it. Have any of you read it?

  Also, I found a couple ideas on the What to Expect website. I've probably mentioned this website on here many times before but it's got some great information. For the entire article, click here.

If you just want to stay on this page and keep reading, here are the tips they give you:

• Slip in some veggies. Add finely grated vegetables (carrots, beets, zucchini work well) to rice, cottage cheese, or even macaroni and cheese; they add a little color and a lot of nutrition.
• Say cheese. Boost the calcium quotient by grating mild cheeses such as cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack over veggies, or mixing cottage cheese into pasta.
• Redo the recipe. You can hide almost any veggie inside a meatball. Whenever you cook chopped meat, toss in some grated vegetables (again, carrots, beets, zucchini). They add a mild flavor, lighten the texture, and up the nutritional ante. Serving tomato sauce? Whether it's homemade or from a jar add in some finely chopped peppers, carrots, parsley, or beans, and cook till the veggies soften. If you like, run the sauce through the blender or food processor to totally hide the additions.
• Get fruity. Mash super-nutritious blueberries into pancakes to make "bluecakes"; make whole-grain raisin muffin-cakes with cream cheese "frosting" — this muffin trick works just as well with carrots, pumpkin, and zucchini.
• Sundae best. Layer pureed (or finely chopped) fruit with yogurt or cereal in a tall parfait glass. Or make a banana split for breakfast with a quarter of a banana, a dollop of yogurt, and a sprinkling of cold cereal.
• Pizza time.  Sprinkle small pieces of soft-cooked (or roasted) veggies on top of homemade or store-bought pizza.
• Bake it in. For a real treat, make (good-for-you) cookies together. Look for healthier recipes such as oatmeal raisin or ginger snaps made with whole grains. Or grate zucchini or carrots into the batter of plain cookies or muffins to boost the fiber and vitamins.

Now you probably already know many of these. But I want to know more! Even MORE sneaky! So tell me what is YOUR secret to making your picky eaters eat healthy? Please share! =)

I think I can sleep now. Sweet dreams!

12 Days of Christmas - The Final Day!

Do I even have to tell you what we're doing and what you should be doing today?!

Well, just in case:

We'll be opening presents, enjoying a wonderfully delicious breakfast, watching A Christmas Story and probable some other Christmas movie, we'll be enjoying family and friends, laughing, and most importantly remembering Christ's Birth. :o)

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

12 Days of Christmas - Cookies for Santa

For me, this is one of the cutest Christmas traditions - and yummiest too of course!
Since my kiddos are still way too young to actually understand what's going on, we're not actually leaving cookies for Santa, but we are making cookies and eating it all up while listening to some wonderful Christmas music.

Here are some really yummy recipes:

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (my personal fav by far)
Gingerbread People
Lemon Pistachio Wreaths
Thumbprints (this one I want to try out with guava jelly instead, like the casadinhos in Brazil)
Cut out Butter cookies 
Chocolate Pretzels

After all... I'm sure Santa would appreciate some variety right?!

(oh and we're reading The Night Before Christmas... not that we haven't read that book a million times already, but I just love it, and there is nothing like reading it THE night before Christmas.)

Naitivity

My Nativity Sets are really special to me, plus they are fragile, so I decided to not put them out this year.

After a few days I started really missing them. So we made this: Our own little kid-friendly-non-breakable-recycled-nativity set!

I used a basket we had laying around, some toilet paper roll, tissue paper and construction paper, and a glue stick and marker. Just glue it up and place it how you wanted. I had plans to also make a sheep and a cow a shepard and the wise man, but we ended up just doing the "main characters". But it was fun and super easy. My two year old loves playing with them, moving them around and I love that I can let him!

Christmas Lights

Less than a week!

Bundle up and go see some Christmas lights! And watch these videos of musical christmas lights - they are so cool!

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Movies

 There are SO many Christmas Movies out there, that it's hard to pick a favorite. Here is a list of a few that are worth checking out this Christmas.

And then... why not pair it all with some delicious hot chocolate?! Check out Our Best Bites and their gourmet hot chocolate recipes, and be sure to check their smores hot chocolate!

Satined Glass Cookies - Snow Globe

Have you seen these around blogosphere?! I think they are just daring!!!

Great for eating, but I also saw this great idea - stained glass cookie snow globe. It's genius!

Damaris at Kitchen Corners give a great little how on it. Go check it out... it's actually quite easy!

CHRISTmas Ornaments

We're up to the 9th day! Can you believe it?! Christmas is just around the corner and with that, the end of the year...

So I wanted to also bring a little more CHRIST into our Christmas, and really try to teach my two year something about the true meaning of Christmas. So we made some CHRISTmas Ornaments for our tree.

 Again, this can be as involved or as simple as you'd like it to be. I just cut out some pictures of Christ from the Liahona, and together we glued it to some construction paper, then I taped some ribbon to the back and that was that!

 I let him color the "frames" and then put glue the pictures on them. As we were making the ornaments I started telling him that Christmas is Jesus "happy birthday". I think he at least understood that Christmas and Jesus go together, and that it's special (he knows birthdays are special).

 So then, we even had a second activity which as totally his idea - he decided to make a card for Jesus. You see, for my husbands' birthday we made cards and porters and put them all over the house - and that's what he wanted to do! So we did it -I thought it was so cute of him, and that it really was a great idea... after all - it really is Jesus birthday!

Cheri at I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar also has a great idea on how to make these a little nicer/classier/long lasting.

Ginger Bread House

I actually opted for a faux-ginger bread house this year (aka foam house). I just figured it was WAY too much candy for a two year old to be dealing with, because, I am pretty sure he (and I) would just eat all the candy, and the house would be left bare... 

You can either get your own foam sheets and make this yourself, or buy a kit like this one where everything is ready to assemble - just peal and stick. I know, not half as fun as a real ginger bread house - but it will yield lots of fun for your kids just the fun! I know we had lots of fun. 

Another thing you do, is do something like the paper stocking on the previous post... cute out a house and have your kids decorate it with whatever you have at home.

Or... you can go for the real deal.

What you'll need:

• 7 graham crackers
• Frosting for glue (recipe below)
• Assorted small candies for decorating
• Ribbon
• Pastry bag and tip or Ziploc bag and scissors

Frosting

• 1/2 pound confectioner's sugar
• 3 tbs. butter/margarine
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/2 - 2 tbs. Milk

How to make it:

1. Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and easy to spread, but not runny. Add more sugar if too runny.
2. If you have a pastry bag, place frosting in bag and use a small tip. You can use a Ziploc bag cutting a small hole in the corner.
3. Place one graham cracker flat on the table, squeeze a little frosting around all edges. You may need an extra pair of hands.
4. Place one cracker on each side standing up. It now looks like a box without a top.
5. Carefully squeeze more frosting on all outside corners from top to bottom and around the bottom of the box.
6. Let stand for a short while to let frosting harden a little. This will make working with the roof a little easier. (a tip when doing this with kids is to make the house ahead of time!)
7. Now squeeze frosting on two of the top edges of the box and place the last two graham crackers in a V shape on as the roof. Looks like a triangle on a box now from the side. It may overhang if you can get the frosting to hold for you.
8. Squeeze frosting along the top of the roof where crackers join. Let stand again until frosting hardens a little.  (a tip when doing this with kids is to make the house ahead of time!)
9. Now comes the fun part - with leftover frosting, cover the roof to look like snow. (two sides are left open) Then squeezing small amounts on candy, place candy on the house to decorate. You can use the frosting to add things like doors and windows. Just use your imagination.

So, don't be lame like me, make real gingebread houses!