Friday Favorites

When I was a little kid I used to listen to music as I went to sleep. I listened to the "Let's Sing Together" cassette tape (I'm getting old) every night for a long time. It got to the point where I could sing every song in the right order with all of the different voices. Funny enough, I can still remember many of the songs, the order, and the voices today...even funnier, Kenny used to listen to the same cassette and he can do the same thing. (I guess that means we were meant for each other!) My beloved cassette tape lasted through my first child (who I must say, loved it too) but then some mischevious little hands destroyed it. Since that fateful day I've searched high and low for something even comparable to my "Let's Sing Together" music...something fun, something churchy (so we can listen to it on Sunday), and something that the kids actually want to listen to. I've finally found it (well, technically I found it about a year ago) and because it is "Let's Sing Together" good, it goes on my favorite's list!

I guess times have changed. The kids would probably make fun of my favorite tape (if they could even figure out how to use it) but they LOVE to listen to these CD's. There was a point in time that Rylen would ask for them to be turned on every time we got into the car. I suppose you could say this is my "Let's Sing Together" tape made current! The kids' favorites include the Snowman Song and Peanut Butter and Jelly. Anyhow, if you don't have these already, put them on your list. The kids will love them!

Thursday - Things to Do

Here's something fun...thanks to Mindy for bringing it to my attention.


Walter Wick is the author of the I Spy and Can You See What I See? series. His photographs and models are on display at the BYU Museum of Art from Feb. 26th thru Aug. 1. Admission is FREE and there are also FREE family games. (Could it get any better than that?) You can find more information on the website.

If you're not able to take advantage of the museum this weekend, wouldn't it be a great weekend to make cookies with the kiddies??? Just a quick and easy (not to mention yummy) family fun time. Pull out your favorite recipe and have at it! The kids will have a ball and everyone's happy when there are cookies in the house! We made sugar cookies last night...but don't chocolate chip cookies sound yummy! Mmmmmm...

Wednesday Wisdom

Over the past few weeks...maybe since the beginning of the year...I've felt the need to learn. Learn what? I'm not sure if there is anything specific, and since I don't have the option of going back to school at the moment, most of my learning will be done through my own reading and experiences. I love this quote by M. Russell Ballard given in his April 2008 conference talk entitled, "Daughters of God."

"...sisters, find some time to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to other, even your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse, mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don't allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it."

Just an FYI for anyone that might be interested: I received an e-mail for a new Time Out For Women Class. (Time Out For Women is a learning seminar designed for women. There are classes all over the country.) They are now offering an on-line seminar. The cost for a limited time is $39.99 for 3 classes, which is actually 3 months worth of classes. The instructors include Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, and S. Michael Wilcox. Here's a link for more info if you're interested.

Tuesday Tutorial

Today's tutorial is on how to make an upholstered headboard. (I know I've posted pictures about it on my personal blog, but I don't remember ever posting any instructions on how to do it. A few people have asked how to do it, so here it is.)

Things you'll need:
*A piece of wood (MDF, hardwood, anything...) sized for your bed. Height and width depend on your preference.
*A drill
*A staple gun
*Fabric (enough to cover the wood with extra to wrap around the edges)
*High Density Foam (1" or 2" whichever you prefer)
*Batting (enough to cover the piece of wood)
*Adhesive Spray
*Buttons (optional)
*Washers (only needed if you use buttons)
*Needle and Upholstery Thread (again, only needed if you use buttons)

Instructions:
1. Cut the wood to the desired height and width (the store will do this if you ask)
2. If you're going to use buttons (for a tufted look,) decide where you are going to place them. Mark it on the wood and drill a small hole (large enough for your upholstery needle to fit through.)
3. Spray the adhesive on the front of the wood and carefully lay your high density foam on top. (I say carefully because with most brands of adhesive you'll only get one chance...it's super sticky!)
4. Once the foam is secured, place the batting down on top of the foam. Wrap it around the edges of the wood. Use a staple gun to secure the batting down on the backside of the wood.
5. Place your fabric down, right side up, on the foam (the front side of your board.) TIP: I actually laid my fabric right side down on the floor and placed my board with the batting and foam directly on top of it. It made wrapping the fabric around the board a lot easier!!
6. Wrap the fabric around to the backside of the headboard on 1 side. Start stapling from the middle of the headboard. Pull fabric TIGHT for the best look. Staple 1 entire side before moving on to the next side. Repeat for all sides. Wrap the corners like you would wrap a present. The key is to make sure that the fabric is always being pulled tight.
7. Once the fabric has been stapled down on all sides, you're pretty much finished...unless you would like to add buttons for decoration to the headboard. If you're using buttons, thread your needle, start on the backside of the headboard, poke the needle through the wood, foam, batting and fabric (leave a long thread on the backside.) Attach your button and bring the needle and thread back through to the backside of your headboard. Pull the button tight. Tie a knot around a washer (with both ends of thread) to secure the button. Don't worry...the washer won't be seen. It's on the backside of the headboard. Repeat this procedure for each button.

Ta-Da...you have your very own upholstered, custom-made headboard. I mounted mine directly on the wall (like a floating shelf) however, there are several ways to mount it. I like it, but it's kind of permanent and I like to move furniture around quite a bit. I could still move it, but it would take a lot of work...and some patch work on the wall. (My husband got a little drill happy when putting the headboard up.) I've heard of people mounting the headboard on the wall with heavy duty picture hooks. Not sure how that would work?? My personal preference...and what I will do next time; buy enough wood to stand the headboard on the floor behind the bed (all the wood could be upholstered or else it could just be left as wood) or put some sort of legs on the headboard and attach it to the bed frame.

Cost: I was trying to see how cheaply I could make the headboard...therefore, I used MDF, 1" foam, batting that I already had, made my own buttons, and I got a great deal on the fabric...SO, the grand total was right around $100. Obviously the cost would go up depending on the materials that you use, but I'm really happy with our cheap headboard.

Idea: You might find an old headboard on craigslist or at a garage sale. What a perfect project to upholster...you could cut a piece out of the headboard to upholster and then stick it back in. Easy! I think I might try this next time!

*Sorry for the lack of pictures. I made the headboard before I ever thought of blogging about it! If you have any questions or if my directions are not clear, leave a comment and your e-mail address and I'll answer them as best I can.

Monday Mombles

So, I just read an article in the March 2009 Ensign that had to do with preparing your children for general conference. I love conference. I love staying home and watching conference in my pj's. I love having our family over for our traditional Sunday morning conference breakfast, but more often than not our conference morning turns into a chorus of: "Do I have to watch the whole thing?" or "move over, you're in my space," or "stop hitting me" or "he took my marker." Does this sound familiar?

Anyway, I loved some of the ideas that were in the ensign and I think that I'll try to incorporate some of them into our conference viewing. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites:
1. Put a bowl of treats on the table. Designate a word to listen for (either in all of the talks or change the word for each talk.) If the kids hear the word as they listen to the talk, they can take a treat. (This would be perfect since I have a ton of left-over m&m's from bribing Rylen when he was potty-training.)
2. Conference Quiz. Have everyone in the family watch and listen to conference and come up with 3-5 questions about it (ie. Anything from "What color was Pres. Monson's tie?" to "What did Elder Bednar teach us about families?") Obviously, the younger the children, the more simple the question. The for FHE the following Monday break out your conference quiz and talk about what was learned during conference this year. (My kids would LOVE this one...and actually, my quiz questions would probably be the easy ones because they would ask ones that would try to stump everyone.)
3. Buy each child a copy of of the conference Ensign (when it comes out) and a highlighter, and discuss the talks for FHE. (Obviously this one is for after conference but I thought it was a good idea and something I might try.)

Typically we do the standard coloring page or conference activity book at our house. (I may even make my own little conference activity book while I'm messing around with photoshop...I'll post it if I do.) Most of the kids still enjoy it, but we might mix it up a little. These ideas could be kind of fun. What do you do with your kids to help them listen to and sit through conference?

Friday Favorites

Favorites.
Favorites!
Hmmmm...so many to choose from.
What will it be??
Ok, I've got it....
2 favorites...a long time fave, and a newly discovered fave!

1. Magleby's OR Magleby's Fresh (the take out version of Magleby's.)
Valentine's Day gave me a small taste of one of my favorite restaurants again...or at least a taste of their dessert! YUMMY!! I consider myself a chocolate connoisseur (ie. I've had my fair share of desserts, most of them chocolaty, over the years.) Anyhoo...for Valentine's day I got Kenny some of my (oops..HIS) favorite chocolate cake. It wasn't planned, but I happened to have to pick something up right around the corner from the restaurant that serves said cake and I couldn't pass it up. In truth, Magleby's is just one of those "special occassion" restaurants for us. It's kind of and indulgence, and definitely a little spendy (although Fresh is a little nicer on the pocketbook) but, oh, so worth it...for the chocolate cake alone. I would actually recommend Fresh more than Magleby's, but that's just me. There you have it. If you're ever out and need a bite to eat, give it a try. And don't forget the dessert. (Our cake is long gone but my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'm tempted to go buy another serving of it for my daily chocolate dose!)
2. A blog was brought to my attention by a good friend of mine. (An aspiring author, who has a pretty fun blog herself. Winded Words...check it out when you have a minute or two. She's always got a new project or two going on and loves feedback on her ideas.)
Chocolate on my Cranium is a fun little blog with all sorts of ideas. I, specifically love the weekly FHE ideas...they're fast, fun, creative, and best of all, downloadable. Perfect for those of us who need a little help with family night. Go to her blog; click the FHE button at the top; choose which lesson you'd like to see/use/download, and voila...FHE in a pinch!

Addition

Just as a quick little note:

Rise and shout the Cougars are out...

If the temple open house is not going to work for you this weekend there are also a bunch of BYU sporting events going on that might be up your alley. (I'm giving a shout out to the gymnastics team...since that's my own alma mater, but there are a few other sporting events going on as well)

Women's Gymnastics vs. Boise State, Utah State & San Jose State - Fri. Feb. 20th, 7pm in the Marriott Center ($15/family, or $5/adult, $4/child)

Go Cougars!!

Thursday - Things To Do

I'm sure many of you have already done this, but on the off chance that you haven't (and you would like to and are able to) please take advantage of this opportunity before it passes.

The LDS church is doing open house sessions for the new temple in Draper, UT. The sessions are free but require a ticket. All information regarding the open house sessions may be obtained through this link. This activity would be great as a date night or an activity with the kids.

We're going tomorrow night with the kids and some friends. The kids are really excited, so it should be a fun evening.

Wednesday Wisdom

*I had an idea a while ago to write down all of the things that I learned from my kids. I called it, "Lesson's From My 3 Year Old" although I've learned things from each of my children. I tried to write diligently each week, but kind of fizzled out after a little while. One of my thoughts in starting this blog was to give me an opportunity to restart writing excerpts for "Lesson's From My 3 Year Old"...occasionally. So, indulge me. Every so often Wednesday Wisdom will not necessarily be wisdom from a quotable source but wisdom learned from my observations of my kiddies.

Lesson #1 - I Belong...

I've noticed that each of my kids likes to look at pictures of themselves and our family. This has never really struck me as unique until I noticed Bright (our 7 mo. old) doing the same thing. I would hold him as I worked at the computer and he would wiggle and squirm until I brought up pictures of our family from our blog. Then he would get a big smile on his face. He would get all excited and start to babble. I also noticed this same reaction every time Kenny's picture came up on my phone. Bright's reaction was the same every time he recognized the people in the pictures, but he was very indifferent to pictures of people that he did not recognize....and I started wondering "why?" I know that babies enjoy looking at faces, so it shouldn't have really mattered which faces he saw, but Bright's strong response came only when he saw our faces. Why? Obviously he sees us all the time. He recognizes us. He knows us. We are familiar to him. He feels like he belongs with us.


My lesson learned:
We are each born with the light of Christ. Some of us are fortunate enough to have families where that knowledge is cultivated. Other's have to search for it. When found, I think that we experience that same sort of reaction that Bright had. The excitement. The recognition. The feeling like, "this is where we belong." We recognize our divine heritage,are drawn to it, and are drawn to other people that radiate that same light....just like Bright recognized and was drawn to the pictures of our family. It is where we "belong."

Tuesday Tip

Today's post isn't so much a tip or tutorial (for you at least.) I've been trying to teach myself a little bit about photoshop, so I've been doing a lot of playing around. While I was playing around I decided to make a little quiet book for church for Rylen. (I'm always looking for something to hold his interest for a minute and keep him quiet through sacrament.) Anyway, I love the new song the kids are learning in primary this year, "The Family is of God" by Matthew Neeley and I thought I would make a little book out of that so...

GGUF Binder


(GGUF stands for God Gave Us Families.) I think I made this in a 4x6 size...to be put into one of those little photo books that you can buy at the dollar store, but if you're printing it off in Acrobat, then you can also print multiple pages on the sheet (making it smaller.) I would print the pages off on cardstock (or regular paper and then mount on cardstock for stability) then you could put them in the photo book OR you could just laminate the pages and hook them together with a binder clip or something and voila a quick little quiet book for your small kiddies that will also help them learn the words to the song for primary. Enjoy! Oh, and if you happen to want a bigger size leave me a comment and I'll try to figure out how to resize it.

The Family is of God - Quiet Book

   Publish at Scribd or explore others:            How-to-Guides & Manu              Books              Fiction                  kids              Primary      

*Also, I had to upload the book to scribd. Not the most convenient place to put it because you have to register on the site to get the book, but registration is free. I'm also hoping that you might be able to print it directly from the view in this post. Click on the iPaper button and it should give you an option to print, but if you want to download it you'll probably have to go to scribd. Let me know how it works. Thanks!

Monday Mom-blings

Chores.

I have mine. Kenny has his. The kids have theirs. Everyone does their job. The home runs smoothly. Everyone is happy. Isn't that how it's suppose to work???

At our house, it's like pulling teeth to get the kids to do their chores. I'm sure that's not very different from every home in America, but I wonder how you balance the whole work/responsibility thing with the "they're kids, let them have fun" thing. Ive read a ton of the parenting books, but what works in theory is a lot different from what works in reality. I've come to the conclusion that either I'm a really mean mom (this is what my kids would vote for) or else I just expect to much from my kids.

Here's the deal, my kids have both daily chores and weekly chores. Daily chores include straightening up their bedrooms and doing a quick clean of one of the rooms in the house (ie. pick up towels in the bathroom, put away toys/blankets/whatever in the living room, do the dishes and sweep the floor.) Weekly jobs include doing a deep clean of the bedroom and one of the rooms in the house (bathroom, living room, kitchen.) Literally all their work could be done in less than 30 minutes. Add on homework for 30 minutes after school and the kids could be out the door, playing with their friends an hour after they're home from school. Weekly jobs take a little longer...maybe 30 - 45 min. each (just to ensure that a good job is done.) This is how it's supposed to be. This is how it really is...On a daily basis, the kids come home from school, mess around for however long they can get away with it, pretend to do their jobs for as long as think it should take them, do the minimal requirements of their homework and ask to go play with friends. Now, I'm not dumb...it just takes one look at the various rooms of the house to know that nothing was done, so I then get upset and make them do it again. Of course by the time everything is REALLY done, the time frame to go out and play with friends is also done and that's when the weeping,wailing, and gnashing of teeth starts. Saturday is pretty much the same...just on a grander scale. The thing is...with minimal effort, I could do all of their jobs while they're at school...and I do occasionally, but I've found that if I do their work for them, instead of being appreciative of a nice act performed on their behalf, they come to expect that it should be done for them or they think that it's my job anyhow so it's not a big deal. Plus they're not learning any of those important life lessons that are learned just by having to do chores (ie. families that work together, stay together sort of thing, work ethic, responsibility, consequences, etc.) There is a delicate balance. As a mom it's my job to teach them how to work, be responsible and prepare them for life, so quite often I have to take the tough stand, but I also want them to have the opportunity to be kids and have fun.

So...what happens at your house? How do you get your kids to do their chores? How do you balance responsibility and fun and how do you stay happy and sane amidst it all? Do tell.....

Friday Favorites

So, in keeping with the festivities of the week I've decided to post two favorite Valentine's Day things: A Chocolaty Treat and An Idea!

This yummy treat has been a family favorite for quite a while now, and no, we don't just use it for Valentine's Day, but Valentine's Day and chocolate are inseparable, so here you go...

Brownie Pudding Cake
(this is a Pampered Chef recipe...however, I'm sure there are other recipes just like it out there)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/12 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 table spoon powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk,melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly in 9x13 pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup coca; gradually stir in boiling water and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Carefully pour mixture evenly over batter in pan.
3. Bake 30 - 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 min. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Spoon into dishes.

Let me just say...this dessert is HEAVEN on earth served with a scoop (or 2) of vanilla ice cream!!

The next idea is brand new...for me (and although I wish I could claim credit for this one, I can't. All credit goes to Andy at Poppies at Play. She is incredibly talented and has some amazing ideas. Go visit her blog to see more of her ideas, and for those of us who are craft-impaired, she also sells many of her creations at PoppyGinger.)

5 Senses Basket
-Fill a basket with an item from each sense. For example:

• Touch: A coupon for a back or foot massage.
• Taste: Sparkling cider, chocolates, or make him his favorite dinner or dessert.
• Sight: Something sexy for you to wear later:) or a photo album of just the two of you.
• Smell: A nice smelling candle or lotion that you can use for the massage.
• Sound: Put together a mix of his favorite music, an iTunes gift card or a cd.

For a card you could say something like " I love you with all of my senses". There are lots of fun possibilities and you could really do it pretty inexpensively.

There you have it...some immediate Valentine favorites. Have fun! Enjoy! Happy Valentine's Day!

Thursday...Things To Do

So, you would think this post might be about a romantic restaurant or date idea for the big day, but you couldn't be more wrong! (haha) My suggestion this week is for a family activity.

One of my family's favorite activities (especially the younger ones) is Kangaroo Zoo. It is a "...unique indoor active play and celebration environment which caters to the needs of children and parents alike..." (Their description.) Basically it's a big building full of those big blow-up jump houses where the kids can run wild for hours on end and get really, really, really tired!!! (my description...I think mine's better, don't you??)

The kids go in looking like this (well not exactly):

They do a little bit of this:

and come out looking like this:

How can you beat that? The kids have fun and get all tired out, leaving (what could turn out to be) a nice quiet...dare I say, romantic, evening for mom and dad. (Hey, who needs a babysitter...just tire out the kids, put them to bed, and let your Valentine's night begin.)

*Just a quick note: Kangaroo Zoo is open Monday thru Saturday from 10am-8pm (approx). Once you're in, you can stay as long as you like so it's a pretty good value. Cost is between $5 and $8 and there is no charge for watching.

Sorry to anyone not in our area. Better luck next time, but I'm sure there is something similar in your area. Now go out, have fun with the kids...and then have fun with your valentine!

Wednesday Wisdom

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I think about this line of the poem around Valentine's Day for a couple of different reasons. It reminds me that "love" is a verb. "Saying" I love you through our actions is just as important as actually voicing the words. It helps to remind me of the small everyday actions of my family that show (even though I might not think about it that way at the time) that they love me. Bright growls in my ear when he is comfortable. Rylen shares his songs on his iPod because he thinks they're my favorite. Breven tidies up the loft every morning before we read scriptures and pray. Ashlynn changes Bright's diaper...willingly. Jackson takes the garbage out when it is full. Kenny answers my calls while he's work and takes time to talk to me. It also helps me to remember that I also need to show others that I love them. Sometimes actions go further than words. The words are the initial act and the actions are the follow through. Love requires both our hearts and our hands.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
-Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse

Tuesday Tutorial

So, today's tutorial is easy enough for even craft-impaired people such as myself.
In my blog surfing, I came across a few blogs (if I could remember which ones they were, I'd give them a shout out) that suggested to go to a specific web-site and try it out...that's what this is.

Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide (that's taken directly from their web-site)...and the cool thing is that it is totally free! Good news for all of us watching our budgets these days. So, here's what you do:
1. Head on over to the Wordle web-site (linked above)
2. Hit create
3. Start typing in your words. *Note: The greater number of times you type in a specific word, the larger it will appear in your word cloud. In my example provided, the word "family" was typed in 10x, but the word "work" was only typed in 1x
4. When you're finished typing in your words, hit "Go" and wordle will create the word cloud for you.
5. Once your word cloud is created you can edit the text color, layout, font, and language by just clicking on a few buttons.
6. Hit print and voila...your own personalized art! Easy, Peasy!!!

Here's my attempt. I used my family's names and wording from "The Family, A Proclamation To The World." Talk about easy...and what a fun and personal gift to give someone. (That's a hint to my sister's...don't do this, it's your Christmas present this year...LOL.)

Just think of the other things you could do with it. Create cute, personalized art for your kids room, print the wordle off on transfer paper and use it to create a fun headboard, t-shirt, etc. Just one disclaimer: use of the site is free for personal use, not for commercial use. Respect the creator's terms so that all of us can continue to create fun stuff for free!!!
Give it a try and let me know what you've created! It's pretty fun!

Monday Mom-blings

I was trying to think of something to write today and realized that I haven't done a post at all (ever) about Valentine's Day. I'm not really a huge proponent of the Day...not that I oppose it, but it's just not that big a deal to me. It's fun for the kids and I wouldn't complain if my hubby brought home some flowers, but saying "I love you" is not a 'one special day' thing. Love is not saved for a special day and neither are the kind acts that show it. With that said here's my tribute to Valentine's Day.

The Things I Love

*Bright's pouty lip
*A long hot shower!! (I'm not a bath-taker)
*A QUIET day at home (These are few and far between)
*To curl up on the couch with a good book
*A good idea
*To see an idea come to fruition (harder than you would think since I tend to see an idea and not do anything about it)
*A good back rub
*Warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of ice cold milk
*Snuggling up to Kenny on the couch
*Pizza & movie night with the family
*Sister's willing to babysit
The gospel
*Tulips blooming in the spring
*Sleeping in
*Eating out
*Playing the piano

and of course....my hubby and kids!

Now...this is not an all-inclusive list, but definitely the things I love...not like or heart or whatever...LOVE! What's on your list? Think about it. Write about it. Blog about it. Tell me about it. Do something about it! Happy Valentine's Day!

The Beginning

So this blog has come about for a couple of different reasons:

1. I've been trying to set some goals for this year. I'm horrible at it. I don't want to make them too vague because then I won't do them, but I don't want to make them too specific because then I'll feel like a failure if I don't do them (you can see I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.) Anyway, I finally came up with a two fold goal: Improve myself and Improve my family. I know what you're saying...so much for not being vague, but here is where the second reason for the blog comes into play.
2. Quite occasionally I find myself randomly blog surfing. (I'm sure I have things to do, but I consider my time doing my blog "me" time.) I digress...as I was saying, "blog surfing"...and in my surfing I found myself making comments like, "oh that's cute" or "oh I should try that" or something along those lines and then these 2 ideas collided. Why don't I use a form (ie. blogging) that I enjoy to help improve both myself and my family?

Which now brings me to this blog. My hope is that I can use this blog to help inspire me to learn new things and enrich my families lives. Maybe in my quest for self improvement and family improvement you'll find something that might interest and inspire you...or at the very least, make you laugh and brighten your day a little. So, here's to my new endeavor...and just as a little disclaimer, I actually do have 5 kids and all the responsibilities that come with caring for a family of 7, so be forgiving of me. If I don't get a post up daily, chalk it up to one of those days. If I say something you don't like, just remember it's only my opinion, and if my project attempts aren't perfect...well, remember, I never professed to be perfect.

Please feel free to leave me comments. I'd love to hear what you have to say, and I'd love to get ideas or suggestions on what you'd like to hear.
Happy mombling!