A Crazy Life

My house is a complete disaster.  We are finally done with our fireplace remodel, but we have a few loose ends left to tie up before everything is back to normal.  My husband needs to wall mount the t.v.  I need to seal the tile and build some shelves so that the cable box doesn't have to hang out on the floor and I need to figure out where I want to hang all the pictures and stuff back up.  In the meantime, both my girls got a really nasty virus and passed it to me.  Then everyone got secondary infections, Brynne ended up with an ear infection, Paige got croup and I think both Paige and I ended up with sinus infections.  My girls have been completely miserable and as a result very needy and whiny and Paige had the steriod shot for croup which has made her completely grumpy on top of the sickness.  It is been nonstop crying around here.  I have to admit my patience level has been zero because I haven't felt good either.  We did happen to have a couple books from the library that we have loved, so although I would really like to post a beautiful finished product fireplace remodel picture, it may not come for a little while.  In the meantime, check out these fun princess books.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Laura Ljungkvist


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I saw a review for this version on a blog and I absolutely love the illustrations. I love the simplicity of the retelling. It is not nearly as scary as the Disney version. The ending was a little different, but I think I like it that way. We checked this out from the library, but I definitely plan on adding to our own library.




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Walt Disney's Cinderella by Cynthia Rylant


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I picked this up on our last trip to the library because I loved the picture and because I am a fan of Cynthia Rylant. I'm so glad I picked it up. I love that the illustrations are reminiscent of the Disney movie version, but re-imagined. I liked Rylant's retelling. Again it was fairly close to the Disney version, but enough updates to keep you reading.




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A Winter Craft and a Snack

Paige and I have been talking about what to do for an upcoming playgroup we are hosting and this snowman snack was one of the activities we have been planning on doing.  When I was at the grocery store this morning and the little boxes of mini powdered donuts were on sale, I decided maybe we could have a spur of the moment test run for our crafty snack.  Paige was thrilled when I picked her up from pre-school and told her the good news of the donut sale.  The second we walked in the house the project had to begin.  She and Brynne and I all got to work and created our masterpieces.  It only took minutes, but the smiles and powdered sugar little faces were priceless!  So here are the supplies you need:

powdered donuts (regular, mini's, or even donut holes would work)
pretzel sticks
chocolate chips (we used the mini ones)

For the play group, we think we will suggest the girls lay they donuts flat because they don't stay together real well, but it doesn't matter if you are eating them immediately, or if you are doing this with older kids, you could use toothpicks to make them stick together better.

My favorite Time Savers for the New Year

 I discovered this when I saw a video here.  I have been using baby powder so that I don't have to wash my hair everyday, but this stuff is amazing.  It has given me an extra day without washing my hair and I love it!  It is Rockaholic by TIGI and is called Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo.  The best part, I just so happened to find it in the salon at Wal-mart and it was buy one get one half off.  It was right before Christmas and I didn't have time to go searching at a beauty supply place or regular salon.  Wahoo!

 I know, these are nothing new, your basic Clorox wipes, but I have suddenly discovered that my kids are far more likely to do chores when I give them Clorox wipes to do them.  Don't ask me why that is so different, but I'm telling you, it works like a charm and they do a much better job.  Even my 18 month old will "help"  with a wipe.

 Okay, so I am a huge fan of Becky Higgins' Project Life.  I bought the kit last year and I have found that in 2010 I actually scrapbooked.  I didn't take a picture and journal about it every day, but I did it a lot of days.  I got a little behind at the end of the year and have been playing catch-up the last week or so, but I am amazed, I have a whole album full of stuff we did last year.  It is the perfect way to make recording your family's day-to-day life simple.  This is the first page in my new 2011 book.  I have been taking pictures and will have them all printed every few weeks.  It's no big deal if I get a day or two behind, I can just start where I left off.  You don't need to get out boxes and boxes of stuff to use it.  It comes with everything you need and if you want to make it fancier, you can add a few things here or there or you can just leave it alone.  It is amazing!

My biggest time saver of the new year is that I got to take off my air cast!  Happy dance!!!! (okay, so it is a very slow and careful happy scoot, but it is joyful).  My doctor told me yesterday that I don't have to wear the boot anymore.  I am getting around pretty good.  I am a little slow and rather limpy, but I can do it!  Happy new year to me!  The next step will be getting to wear real shoes!

2011: Better Organization, Really, this time I mean it!

I am a goal oriented person.  Nothing makes me feel better than to set and achieve goals.  My brother and sisters would consider me an over-achiever.  I am a planner, I like to plan out vacations, plan projects, plan meals, the works, but somehow staying on top of organization in my house seems to be just out of my reach.  There is nothing I hate more than going through closets and trying to decide what to get rid of.  It doesn't matter if it is my closet or my kids' closets, so they are constantly overflowing.  It doesn't help that I live in an old house with small closets but I should be able to get a handle on the situation.  For crying out loud, I am well educated and bright enough, I am even a hard worker.  The problem is with a husband, three kids and a dog, no matter how many times I try to organize things, it never stays that way.  I feel like since about the week before Christmas I have done nothing but throw things away.  You would not believe the amounts of garbage we have accumulated.  I am completely embarassed because my husband has become that person who sneaks around the neighborhood at 10 or 11 p.m. on garbage night looking for cans to fill.  I remember when we first got married we would watch out our window as one of our neighbors snuck around in his pajamas filling cans and we would laugh and laugh about how awful that was and now look at us!  Seriously and do you know what we have been filling the neighbors cans with all month?  Rocks!  I am not even joking.  You know all the awful lava rocks that were covering our fireplace?  They had to go somewhere and it was into all our neighbor's half full cans.  Lovely, I know, but I digress.  The problem with my organization is not entirely that I don't throw away, the real problem is junk is continuously coming in.  How do you fix it?  Any amazing ideas out there?  I am bound and determined to work my way through this house and junk more than I have ever done before, but how do I keep it that way?  Here's what I started with today:

For the entire month of November I had to have help everyday with my kids.  I have never been so embarassed.  Friends and family came in and helped me get my kids dressed, but they couldn't even get the drawers open.  Rather than have anyone see the drawers, I would try to make sure my husband picked out clothes for the baby who can't dress herself yet and put them on the bed.  Seriously, pathetic!  So a few days ago I cleaned out all of the clothes for my two daughters and got rid of a ton, boxed a bunch of outgrows up to put in the storage room and I thought I was set.  Now this morning, my 4 year old is complaining that the drawers won't shut, there's too much stuff.  AGAIN!  It hasn't even been a week and I haven't bought any clothes!  Is it just the folding?  Do I have the worst furniture ever (okay, so that could be part of the problem).  Someone tell me how you stay on top of it!

I am absolutely determined that 2011 will be the year that I SIMPLIFY.  Send me all of your tips, PLEASE!

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart: A Novel by Beth Pattillo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked this book. It was a quick and easy read and I liked the twists at the end of the book. It was an all around good, fun read.
Perfect relaxed read for Christmas vacation.


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Gingerbread Houses and a Visit to the Doctor

Today the big kids got to go to Grandma's for a long anticipated chance to make gingerbread houses.  My 18 month old got to stay home and sleep off the effects of a shot to get rid of croup.  Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without someone needing a last minute trip to the pediatrician.  I'm just glad our trip was several days BEFORE Christmas!

Tips for Decorating Christmas Cookies with Young Kids

Nothing says holidays like decorating cookies, Christmas especially.  We decorate cookies for most holidays, usually with extended family, but this year it was just me and my older 2 kids and a friend and we had just as much fun.  That is one of the joys of cookie decorating, it is great for any size group.  Here are some tips I have learned over the years of decorating cookies with my students while I was teaching first grade and decorating cookies with my own family. 

1.  Know your limits!  Baking sugar cookies can be fairly difficult.  Don't try to start from scratch all in one day.  Make your cookies the day before you plan on decorating them.  If you are going to bake your own it is absolutely necessary that you chill the dough, it is best if it can chill overnight.  I am convinced this is the secret to getting the cookies to work and keeping yourself from tearing out your hair in frustration.  Realize, you can order unfrosted sugar cookies in almost any shape from nearly every grocery store bakery, all it takes is a simple phone call.  If you live in Utah, Macy's has them for super cheap.  That is all I have done for years.  This summer was the first time I was able to actually get a sugar cookie recipe to work.  My kids don't know the difference all they care about are the sprinkles.

2.  Make your life easy, buy the canned frosting.  I know the homemade usually tastes better, but honestly, by the time your toddler is done dumping sprinkles all over the thing and has licked his or her knife several times, taste is not really going to be a factor.  Simplify!  Buy several tubs of the Betty Crocker stuff and call it good.

3.  When you buy your frosting, always buy the "whipped" frosting for decorating with kids.  It is soooo... much easier to spread.  My personal favorite is the whipped cream cheese frosting.  Then when you get it home, divide it up into multiple bowls and use food coloring to dye it different colors. 

4.  When setting up an area to decorate, realize it will be messy, if you are worried put a dropcloth or old tablecloth under your table.  Sprinkles go everywhere and at least one kid will dump an entire bottle on their cookie.  

5.  Don't buy the peppermint sprinkles, they look cute but are nasty, same with the really cute mini candy pieces they make in holidays shapes.  Stick to tastier things, regular sprinkles and colored sugar, mini chocolate chips (my personal favorite), and m&m's.

6.  When you start, give each child a paper plate with a cookie on it.  Give them their own plastic knife, or if they are really little, use a popsicle stick and then put spoonfuls of frosting on their plate.  This helps prevent licked knives from going into the main bowl of frosting multiple times.

7.  Lower your expectations.  Most little kids will love decorating one, maybe two cookies, then they will either want to eat it or eat the m&m's and be done.  Be okay with that.  Get your camera out right when your child starts decorating and get a couple of good pictures and take a picture of the finished product.  Your child has had a great time and you have the pictures to prove it.  This is the reason I suggest taking the easy way when it comes to the cookies and frosting.  If you haven't spent hours and hours slaving over making the cookies and making the perfect frosting, then you are not going to be mad that only a few cookies got decorated.  If you like baking from scratch and have a recipe you like, then go for it, but realize kids are not really going to appreciate that part and be okay with that, recognize the from scratch part is for you, not for the kids.