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.