This post is part of a paid campaign with Razoo and The Blueprint Social but all opinions are my own.

Have you ever heard of Razoo? I hadn't until recently but it is a really cool site that I want to share with you!
Razoo is a movement of people who want to make generosity a part of everyday life. It helps users raise money for social good causes. I love that you can create a fundraiser for anything you feel is important and that you want to help with. Creating fundraiser and/or donating to a fundraiser are super simple and take very little time.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

5 Comments

We're two weeks into summer vacation and I feel like I've hardly been home to enjoy it! After a week at girls camp and a long weekend at the Wasatch Back Ragnar relay race, I am still catching up on laundry and housework while carting kids to swimming lessons and playdates. But I am taking a break to bring you my favorite new summer dessert. Because you NEED to know about this.
Our camp cook up at our LDS girls camp was seriously amazing. You wouldn't believe the things Natalie cooked up for us (I'll share that soon with some other girls camp ideas). But one simple campfire dessert really blew my mind. Gourmet build-your-own s'mores. What the what? Why have I not heard of this before? Thank you, Natalie. You have changed my life.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

1 Comment

I am so excited to share some BIG news with you from Michaels! Starting on June 28th, the majority of Michaels locations nationwide will begin carrying fourteen styles of craft fabric, including cotton, canvas, burlap, felt, faux fur, crushed velvet and tulle. Yep. FABRIC. I am super excited about this! What store couldn't benefit from a little fabric? Those Michaels people are smart people. I am looking forward to seeing this fabric in stores and creating some fun projects!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

1 Comment

Every Summer one of my big goals is to have my kids reading every day! They love reading but sometimes they need an extra push to stay consistent with it and I try to find little ways to get them excited about it. After taking the Michaels Unplugged Summer Pact, I am especially focused on reading and learning activities for my kids.

I decided to make some easy, fun bookmarks with my kids so they would be excited to put them in their books and get reading!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

Add a comment

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and GoodNites, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BetterNights http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I love my crazy little three year old! He can be so wild and energetic yet can also be so sweet and caring (when he chooses to be!).

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

1 Comment

Being that my husband and I live far away from our families, it is always important for us to stay connected and keep in touch with our family members. My family is especially spread out across the country, so we always try to find ways to stay involved in each other's lives and what is going on with everyone. Skype is a really great tool to connect us to our family!

Sometimes emailing and texting just isn't the connection we are looking for and I love that with Skype you can talk to someone while looking at them! This is especially great for my kids because they can put a face with the name and really stay connected with each family member. Sometimes it is just not feasible to visit others as often as we would like, but with Skype you can feel like you are visiting them and seeing what's new!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

Add a comment

Today my friend and I took our kids over to Michaels to participate in a Passport to Imagination class.

This program is so great! Explore the 7 continents and their amazing landmarks and icons on a 7-week voyage around the globe! The 2-hour crafting adventures take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to Noon for just $2 per session for children ages 5 and up.

In today's class they talked about North America and the kids got to make a few fun crafts. They had such a great time!



I asked my son if he would want to do another one of the Passport to Imagination classes and he said, "Definitely!"

The kids got a tote bag to bring the crafts home and a fun book that talk about what they were learning and has a bunch of fun crafts to do at home throughout the summer!

Check out your local Michaels for more information on the Passport to Imagination  classes in your area! It is such a fun activity to do with your kids this summer!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

2 Comments

Summer vacation is upon us and I know for me that means fun in the sun, plenty of beach days, and spending 24/7 with my three little guys. Summer can be a real challenge for us moms because we want to entertain our kids and give them a great Summer experience but that can also be exhausting!

Michaels says Summertime is time to break free from the smart phones, laptops and video games. Time for lazy days by the pool. Long weekends and road trips with friends. Backyard cookouts and picnics at the park. Time for breezy evenings outside with the kiddos running and laughing breathlessly, doing their best to play freeze tag and catch fireflies at the same time. Let us show you some great ways to have your own technology-free summer adventures. Join us and start by taking the Unplugged Summer Pact.


One great thing you can do after you sign the pact is register for the Michaels Passport to Imagination Program.  My boys and I will definitely be participating this Summer! The program offers 2-hour crafting adventures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to Noon for just $2 per session for children ages 5 and up. Explore the 7 continents and their amazing landmarks and icons on a 7-week voyage around the globe!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

Add a comment

The projects are piling up, and I haven't had time to post anything lately! And I only have two more days of freedom before my boys are home all. day. long. You may not see my craft room makeover until Christmas at this rate. But I had to take a break from Girls Camp prep to post this fabulous recipe that I am currently obsessed with. A few weeks ago I was crafting at a friend's when her husband brought us each a basil lemonade. Love at first sip. I am not exaggerating. It reminds me of an Indian lassi. Its tart flavor is balanced nicely by a dollop of whipped cream on top. You must make this today.

Fresh Basil Lemonade Recipe

 

Ingredients:

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
3 cups plain yogurt (not Greek)
About 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. Truvia natural sweetener or sugar (optional--I like mine just a little sweeter)
2-3 cups ice cubes
Whipped cream
Lemon slices and basil leaves for garnish (optional)


Put all ingredients in a blender and blender until smooth. If lemonade is too thick to pour, let it sit a few minutes then blend again (this gives the ice a chance to melt a little).

Pour into four glasses (or 8 small glasses for smaller servings). Top with whipped cream. Garnish with a lemon slice and basil leaves and serve with a straw. Heaven in a glass!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

2 Comments

I am always looking for ways to get creative and keep my boys entertained and with Summer upon us, I really need to find fun activities for them. They recently watched the movie, Oz The Great and Powerful and so I thought it would be fun for them to take an adventure to the Land of Oz for their lunch!

My boys loved the hot air balloon theme in the movie, so I decided it would be fun to dress up the chandelier above my kitchen table with a hot air balloon hanging mobile for our adventure to the Land of Oz.

Here is how I did it:
I drew a simple hot air balloon template to trace each of my balloons onto patterned paper. I did a half of a hot air balloon and then traced my template onto a piece of paper that was folded in half. You want to trace the template onto the seam that has a crease in it so that when you cut it out, you will have a full hot air balloon shape.

I used 4 cut out balloons for each hanging balloon, but you can add more if you want a more dimensional hot air balloon.

Once you have all your balloons cut out, you want to start gluing them together. Stick the seams together and glue the one side down to another until you have a dimensional balloon. I did some patterned balloons and some solid balloons so I glued patterned balloon sides to solid sides so that the finished balloon would alternate between solid and patterned.



The hot air balloons could be used for so many different things, party invitations, place markers, a mobile,  or strung together for garland or a party banner! You could even attach them to the string and let the kids run around the room like they are flying them!

I also used a few of these balloons as place markers and wrote the names of the boys as well as "Welcome to the Land of Oz" for our Oz inspired lunch.


Then I created a very simple hot air balloon meal. I cut bread into a circle (using my wide mouth canning jar) and then made a sandwich. I used pieces of string cheese to attach the balloon sandwich to a graham cracker basket. I also added a carrot inside the basket to represent the wizard that was being carried to Oz.

My boys loved it. Something about making food into a shape makes them so much more likely to eat it!


Click HERE for some really fun printable kids activities for Oz The Great and Powerful that my kids really enjoyed. Use them to have your own Oz inspired lunch!

Be sure to check out the info on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for the movie Oz The Great and Powerful. The Blu-ray Combo pack comes out June 11th! You can find out more info on how to purchase it HERE.


I wrote this post as part of a campaign for Disney and Blueprint Social. I was compensated for this post, however all ideas are 100% my own.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

2 Comments

I've been meaning to share these photos of this "plus" baby quilt I made for an old friend months ago. This couple has very clean, modern taste, so I was afraid to pick fabrics with any sort of pattern, fearing it would be too baby or too busy for them. Instead I went with all solids, mostly Kona cottons (all fabrics are from JoAnn Fabrics). The plus quilt is a perfect way to show off solids. And it makes a great baby boy quilt (my big boys even requested I make them one--they said it looks like Tetris!).

I quilted with gray thread to match the plain gray backing and binding. It didn't stand out too much on the colors--it's a nice neutral. I chose two shades of orange and three shades of blue, plus green, brown, white, and gray. Look for colors that will make the other colors pop when using all solids, like my white and turquoise do.

The plus quilt tutorial shows you how to make a "cot" or queen size quilt (the cot size was perfect for a crib size quilt). Once I figured out the pattern needed to make the plus signs, I didn't need to use her diagram to lay the whole thing out. But it was so nice to have to get started. And how awesome is it that she offers the pattern for free? Be sure to go give For the Love of George some love from me!

Now to make a quilt for this little guy. He's almost 18 months and still doesn't have a real quilt from his mama. Seriously tragic. But I finally painted his room last week, so now I have no excuses to get going on his bedding. If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw a sneak peak of the color (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore). I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Watch for my nursery before and after pics soon. . .

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

3 Comments

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so excited to tell you about a fabulous etsy shop, called HayBugDesigns. The shop offers all sorts of beautiful creations, like camera bags, camera straps, adorable pouches and home decor items!

I recently got the chance to try one of the camera bags and straps and I am in love! Look at these...

I love the chevron. You know I am addicted to it. I also love that I can put my lens cap into a pocket in the camera strap! Something else that I really love about the camera bag is that the inside dividers come out so if you need some extra space or just want to use the bag for something other than your camera, you can!
These bags are perfect for everyday use, and lucky for you....HayBugDesigns is giving one of our readers the chance to win a camera bag and strap of their choice! So, here's what you need to do--
Visit the HayBugDesigns Shop and pick out which camera bag and strap you would want if you are the winner. Then come back and leave a comment with what those items are. For a second entry, you can share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (leave us a link in a comment!). This giveaway will end Friday, May 31st at 11:59pm PT.


HayBugDesigns is also offering a special discount to our readers for the duration of the giveaway! You can save $10 on a camera bag if you use the above code. Sweet deal!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

79 Comments

Are you ever helping your child with homework and feel like you just aren't getting through to them? Or maybe you are a teacher and feel like certain students aren't getting the material you are teaching.

I recently heard about Kidzmet which is an online tool for teachers and parents that is all about helping parents and teachers determine their childrens’ learning style(s) and  learn to speak their students’ preferred learning language.There are 8 types of learners. Knowing which types your kids are can help them excel and develop confidence in their learning and study strengths. You can complete a personality profile for each child and determine exactly how they learn and what you can best do to help them!

I love that you can choose to have a snapshot of these results sent to a teacher or to yourself and keep it as a reference for your lesson preparation!

If you want to continue further in honing your skills for which type of learner your kids are, you can pick up a copy of the book--A Parent's Playbook for Learning.

The book offers insight on:
--how to create a learning environment that allows their kids to excel and develop confidence in their abilities 
--how to support and encourage their kids' education in ways that are best for him or her
--how to teach kids the strategies that help them each play to their individual learning strengths
 These are great resources for parents and teachers so we can be sure we are helping our kids learn in the best possible, individualized way!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

Add a comment

We have a fun tutorial to share with you today from our wonderful sponsor, Fleuriste Craft Supply!

You'll need:
1) Two pair of mitten clips

2) One pair of vest buckles
(Both of these items can be found at Hobby Lobby/JoAnn/Michaels for a few bucks).

3) 60″ of glitter elastic. I prefer the 5/8″ width as it fits the vest buckles better. You can find our 5/8″ glitter elastic here. We carry a couple different types that would all be great for suspenders.

4) Scissor, glue gun, little bit of glue

We used the 5/8″ polka dot elastic for this one, I just love it! I’m telling you guys, once you try these you won’t believe how simple they are! Dress up any outfit with a pair of glitter suspenders.



Next string the underside of one end of glitter elastic through one vest buckle. I glued mine to keep it from moving at all. This creates the adjustable portion of your suspenders.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

2 Comments