If Life Should Give You Lemons...

Give A Customized " Mother Of The Year Award Video" by CNNBC News

2009-05-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I received a fun Mother Of The Year Award Video this morning from my mother-in-law and CNNBC News and had to pass this on for anyone who wanted to do the same for a special Mother out there. Click on the link to see the video made for me and send a personalized one to deserving Mom.
http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=iGb1MYDwz1PZNvdQVTp3tjE0MDI2NDUz&referred_by=16638608-57CNZYx

Mother's Day gifts and craft ideas with children

2009-05-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is just a few short days away and I have seen some cute Mother's Day crafts and gifts that children can help create and give.

1. Bake a cake and wrap it like a present in chocolate or fondant, decorate fun Mom themed cupcakes or cut out sugar cookie letters and ice them for a special message to Mom for mother's day. Cookie bouquets are also a really cute idea to make Mom feel special and easy for kids to decorate.

To learn how to wrap a cake like a present in chocolate go to-
http://www.ehow.com/how_2155540_wrap-cake-chocolate.html

To make Cute I Love Mom cupcakes go to-
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cupcake-decorating-ideas.com/images/mothers_day_cupcakes.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cupcake-decorating-ideas.com/celebration-cupcakes.html&usg=__Ow8h9JPGA9ci1dsxnFeBOsHBi1k=&h=1821&w=1950&sz=97&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=eU14pZh7cefpdM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmother%2527s%2Bday%2Bcup%2Bcakes%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

To make no fail surgar cookies or cookie boquets go to-
http://www.kitchengifts.com/nofailsugarcookies.html

2. Make a door hanger boquet of flowers with a sweet note. Here is a cute bee boquet hanger I saw on Familyfun.com to give you a start on making one of these flower door hangers.
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10626

3. Make breakfasts together or for Mom. Hard boiled dyed robin eggs in sweet little nest holders. You could also put together a breakfast picnic basket for your Mom and go have breakfast with her in a beautiful location.

To Make Speckled Mother's Day eggs go to-
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.southernliving.com/i/2009/04/nesting-instinct/easter-eggs-m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/holidays-occasions/how-to-make-speckled-eggs-00400000041860/&usg=__Xn6VvztQcB9b_hqylUEeO96_r_U=&h=300&w=300&sz=33&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=3lBO7TOqPI-emM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhow%2Bto%2Bmake%2Bdyed%2Brobbin%2Beggs%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

To make Tie Dyed Mother's Day eggs from old silk ties go to-
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/silk-dyed-eggs.html

Make a natural looking bird nest-
http://perpetualplum.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/making-a-bird-nest-from-scratchwell-almost/

To Make a kid friendly recyclable bird nest-
http://www.highlightskids.com/Express/Crafts/decorations/C0595_birdnest.asp

To Make a chocolate bird nest-
http://www.kinderart.com/kitchen/birdsnest.shtml

4. Give Mom a sweet little Eggling crack and grow garden or make one with her for Mother's Day.

To purchase the Eggling crack and grow garden kit go to-
http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=15211&utm_medium=shopping+sites&utm_source=gifts

To make your own Eggshell grow garden kit go to-
http://buildmakecraftbake.com/2009/04/eggshell-planters.html

Edible Play Dough And Finger Paint For Toddlers

2009-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Cake Mix Playdough

My little girl turns 18 months old next week and I was thinking of some fun activities that will help her get ready to be in Nursery at church. I made edible play dough for the kids in Nursery when I was a Nursery leader years ago and this was one of my favorite activities to do with them during playtime. Make sure your kids have clean hands when they play with the edible play dough and portion out the dough for each child and store the rest for another day in an airtight container. Don't forget to use your Jell-o puddings for some fun edible finger painting time with your toddlers too. Have fun creating and snacking at the same time! :)

Cake Mix Playdough

Ingredients-
1 box name brand white cake mix 
1 stick soft but not melted margarine 
3 tablespoons water (add more or less depending on dough consistency)

Directions-
Mix cake mix and margarine in large bowl. When it is well mixed add 1 teaspoon of water at a time and mix until the desired consistency.When not using, it must be stored in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter and Honey Play Dough

Ingredients-
1 cup peanut butter
 1/2 cup honey
 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions-
 Mix all ingredients in a bowl, using your hands. Dough should feel soft and pliable. When not using it must be stored in an airtight container. Caution: do not make this play dough if your child has allergies to peanut butter or honey.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Ingredients-
1 cup flour 
1 cup water
 1/2 cup salt 
3 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
 1 package Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions-
Mix dry ingredients together in a large saucepan. Slowly add water mixed with oil and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to dough. Turn out onto a heatproof bread board or counter top and knead until cool enough for kids to handle. The dough will be the color of the Kool-Aid mix and will smell like the Kool-Aid mix. When not using, it must be stored in an air tight container.

For more edible play dough recipes like these please click on this link-http://www.familycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/edible_play_dough.shtml

Sweet Simple Gifts For A Graduate

2009-05-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

It's Graduation Season! For those of you who are attending a graduation for a friend or loved one, here are some cute homemade and inexpensive ways to show your graduate you are so proud of them.

1. I love the simple beauty of Hawaiian leis and they are really easy to make yourself. You can make Hawaiian leis from candy, flowers or dollar bills for your graduate to wear for the graduation ceremony. Not only will they feel special but look great and easy to spot in the sea of cap an gown students. Click on this link for instruction to make any of these- http://www.ehow.com/how_2386302_make-lei.html

2. Cup cakes with a nice card or gift certificate to Jamba Juice or their favorite place to eat are also sweet. Here is a cute cupcake I saw this week on a website I follow called Give LDS Gifts. The cupcake is decorated with a cute chocolate graduation cap made out of a Hurshey's Reese's Peanut Butter cup turned upside Down and a square piece of chocolate Ghirardelli securing it on top with frosting and then a simple diagonal frosting line on the top to indicate a tassel. Here is the original website it comes form to make your own- http://www.nofussfabulous.com/?p=5230

3. Balloons never go out of style at any celebration. Go to a party store and have them fill the balloons with inspirational thoughts/ quotes or messages you have printed on small rolled up pieces of paper and also have them throw in some wrapped candy, dollar bills, confetti of flower petals too before they fill the balloons with helium. If you are really creative and are throwing them a surprise party afterwards or giving them a big surprise gift, you can put clues in the balloons to give them hints to find their gift. Just make sure they know they need to pop the balloons for the surprise :)! There are party supply stores who sell large balloons big enough to place larger items like stuffed animals inside. This makes a fun gift wraped idea for any number of gifts you may want to give your graduate.

Most of all let them know how proud you are of them. Congratulations Class of 09'! :)

Free Hallmark Mother's Day Cards Till May 4th!

2009-05-01T07:09:00.001-07:00

Hallmark cards will send a personalized Mother's Day card in the mail to anyone for free till May 4th.

Click on this link and follow the instructions http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home|10001|10051|-1|unHallmarkHome
Put in promotion code CARD4MOM. Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Make Owies Less Painful For Your Children- How To Make BOO BOO Wash Cloth BUNNIES

2009-04-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was sorting through my daughter's drawers and realized that I haven't used half of the cute wash cloths that were given to us as baby gifts. My mother made these cute boo boo wash cloth bunnies with me when I was younger and they had a fun little plastic ice cube in the center to ease the pain of boo boos without the mess of wet dripping ice cubes. So I thought I would put my daughter's wash cloths to good use and maybe make a few gifts for my mom friends. The bunnies above in the pictures are just a few ideas of how to embellish the wash cloth bunnies. Some glue on googly eyes, pom poms for nose, eyes and tail and others stitch the eyes, mouth and add string whiskers so their children can't pull them off. They are all darling any way you choose to embellish them. Here are the basic steps on making a wash cloth bunny.

Items You Will Need:
1 small child size wash cloth (optional: You could stitch two wash cloths together and turn them inside out so the bunny looks like it has different colored lined ears)
1 small to medium rubber band
1 square plastic ice cube-(You can buy them on Amazon.com or find boo boo bunny replacement cubes on google)

Optional Items For Decorating Bunny:
small ribbon
fabric glue
1 tiny and 2 small pom poms for nose and eyes and a little bigger one for the tail
2 googly eyes
white string or embroidery thread for whiskers

Directions: Lay your washcloth flat on table and roll one corner to the center, then do the same to the opposite corner by rolling it to meet the other in the center. Now it looks like you have two wash cloth coils. Fold in half with the two coils on the outside. The ends will be your bunny ears. Grab the ends (bunny ears) and bend them straight upwards and then back about four or five inches in from the end this forms your bunny face. Place a rubber band snugly around the face about an inch back from the fold and then fluff out the ears.

Time to decorate your bunny. Glue or stitch on your eyes depending on what you are using ( googly eyes or tiny pom poms or embroidery thread), Then the nose ( small pom pom or embroidery thread stitches, it looks cute without a nose too). If you are adding whiskers then us your fine string or embroidery thread and make sure you tie little knots to secure it at the nose and at the end of each whisker to keep from unraveling or falling out.
Tie a small ribbon around it's neck and then glue or stitch on a little pom pom tail.

If you are making these as a gift, then here are some cute boo boo bunny poems you could include at this link-
http://www.babyshowerscentral.com/craftpoems.shtml

Smart Kitchen Items-Make your own chalkboard labeled glasses and containers

2009-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

I bought these really fun water glasses, tumblers and a glass milk bottle/ water pitcher from Pier 1 last year and absolutely love them. My husband and I were always mixing up our cups/glasses and having to do a lot of dishes because we would forget who's glass was who's. These are great glasses to have at dinner parties for your guests to label their names on their glass! Unfortunately I was clumsy and I broke one of my water glasses doing the dishes this week and they have now been discontinued so I have to make my own. If anyone else whats to make these great water glasses or chalkboard labeled vases, jars or containers, this is all you have to do.

Items You Will Need:
Water Glasses (or glass item to be labeled)
Scotch Tape
Black Chalkboard Spray Paint (check craft stores or Art suppliers and home improvement, paint stores)
Cardboard

Box of Chalk Sticks (to label your glasses)

Directions:
Take a clean water glass and mask out around a rectangular area on your glass, leaving the rectangle shape in the middle clear of tape. Put your water glass on a piece of cardboard and spray (in a well ventilated area) the center rectangle area with chalkboard spray paint. Let dry and then peel off the surrounding tape and you are done! It is so easy to do and chalkboard paint is dishwasher safe too! :)

SPA DATE NIGHT-Massage, Reflexology and Hot Rocks

2009-04-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more relaxing then getting a rejuvenating massage. If you can afford a couples massage, than I would defiantly recommend that you and your spouse get one together for a fun date idea. If you can't, then I will give you some ideas and techniques that you can do for each other at home that are just as relaxing, romantic and therapeutic.

Preparing For Your SPA Night-

Choose Your Massage:
Decide what kind of massage you want to give your spouse. You could give them a full body massage with loations and essential oils, a hot rock massage, where you can heat up your massage rocks in a pot of water to be placed on the body (purchase these smooth flat rocks at nature stores, or any place that sells rocks for decorating or you may even have some medium flat smooth rocks in your garden you could clean and heat too.), then there are the reflexology foot and hand massages you could choose to do. I will go over the steps of a reflexology massage for you. There are some great books on body massage and hot rock massage you can get from your library or information online. Here is a link on how to give a hot rock massage- http://www.ehow.com/how_2065972_give-hot-rock-massage.html Here are some links to Reflexology charts for your foot and hand massages-http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/static/cs/uk/11/features/reflexology/extract.html They also put these charts on the bottom of socks and gloves that your spouse can ware, giving you an easy guide while you massage them. You can find these on Amazon.com

Music and Mood Preparations:
If you have some beautiful soothing instrumental music, then start with that. You can find some great massage music DVD's with piano and nature sounds found at: Target, Bed Bath and Beyond or Book Stores etc. Turn off all other distractions (phones) and prepare your home before your spouse gets home from a stressful day. Play the music, light your candles, sprinkle rose/flower petals, light a fire in your fireplace and dim the lights. If you are going to give your spouse a whole massage, then fill the bath with warm water and flower petals. If you are just doing hand or foot massage then prepare a large bowl of water with a flowers or petals to soak their feet in with a towel under the bowl and two other towels to dry feet after foot or hand bath as well as after massage to wipe down feet or hands of excess lotion/oils. Prepare a small bowl with water and petals for hand massage. Find some beautiful smelling soaps to cleans the parts of the body during the water baths and some beautiful smelling massage lotion or essential oils to apply during the massage.

Food For After Your Relaxing Massages:
Cut up and arrange some finger food on a nice plate: tropical fruit, melons, grapes, tangerine slices, and avocado, veggies; cubes or slices of cheese and your favourite chocolate treats. Prepare the beverages with glasses: Martinellies Cider or water with lemon slices. You will need some hydrating liquid for your spouse to replenish their body after the massage.

Massage Steps For Foot Reflexology:
Foot Bath: Begin the ritual by washing your partner’s feet, letting them soak for five minutes in the prepared water bowl with petals. Allow him or her to verbally unload the stresses of the day. Was with soap and dry the feet thoroughly. Have your partner recline on a bed, couch, or comfortable rug, supported by pillows. Prop up his or her feet on a cushion covered with a towel. Make sure you have adequate back support. To warm the feet, bend and flex them in all directions, rotating them at the ankles and squeezing them. Be sensitive to maintaining a comfortable amount of pressure, as gentle work is also effective.

Treatment: Warm the oil or lotion in your hands and apply it evenly, working the whole surface area. When you find tenderness, encourage your partner to breathe deeply. Press into these points with fingers and thumbs. Rotate on them gently and consistently until the tenderness has subsided. “Crunchy” sensations in the foot are associated with accumulated toxins needing to be eliminated. Work for as long or short a time as is comfortable; I recommend thirty minutes.

Focusing on the Reflex Points: Tension is one of the most powerful elements in a massage treatment. Begin with the tips of the toes, which are reflex points of the brain. The toes also house the eyes, ears, teeth, and sinuses, so these touches will wake up the senses. Massage the tops and sides of the feet, then around the ankles in slow circles and work up and down the inside edge of the feet to relax back pain. Stress and anxiety accumulate in the digestive tract. Focus on tenderness in the stomach, intestine and kidney/adrenal areas. The heel represents the pelvic and reproductive organs; stimulate gently. To finish, press the solar plexus points with your thumbs to relax breathing. Push in upon inhalation, release upon exhalation, and repeat three times, synchronizing your breath. End with slow strokes, and again dry your partner’s feet with a towel to wipe of any slippery excess. Let them relax a few minutes and give them water to drink before they get up.

Message Steps For Hand Reflexology:
Hand Bath: Sit your spouse on a comfy chair, in front of a small table with your prepared water bath. Soak hands in prepared water bath (on table) with petals for five minutes, sit on a chair facing your spouse and let your spouse relax and talk with you. Then wash hands with soap and pat dry with towel.

Treatment: Warm the oil or lotion in your hands and apply it evenly from palm to the fingertips and other side of hand. Press into points with thumbs and fingers working all reflexology points in center and sides of hand up to knuckle, joints and fingertips (Small circular motions). Interlock your fingers on one hand with your partners fingers and support both hands with your other hand at your partner's arm slightly above their wrist. Again be aware of tenderness and do just as you would for the foot massage tenderness points. Rotate wrist and hand back and forth towards you in a circular motion 3 times to relax wrist. Gently press their palm to yours and push their fingers and palm back (gently) away from you to stretch all joints, muscles and wrist parts. Release stretch and circle wrist and hand again. Gently squeeze and run your interlocked fingers up to the top of their fingertips. Unlock fingers and still supporting their wrist with one hand, take sides of tip of one of their fingers at top joint of their finger with your thumb and index finger to support finger. Gently move their finger in a figure 8 motion side to side. Repeat with other fingers. Massage top of hand from finger tips to top of hand and then back down and around the edges of their nails gently in small circular motions. End with slow strokes and then dry your spouses hands with a towel. Repeat on other hand and they give your partner time to sit quietly and relax again. Give them a glass of water to drink after the massage.

Enjoy a relaxing massage date night!

Medical, Food, Utilities and Financial Help For Low-Income or Unemployed Families

2009-04-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Janay has helped me compile a list of Medical, Health, Food, Utility and Finical Help Programs for families with low incomes or who have recently become unemployed. Please pass this information on to any of your friends and family members who could use assistance.

- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE -

Healthy Families Program-
http://www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov/Home/default.aspx
Healthy Families is low cost health care for children who do not qualify (make too much $) for Medi-Cal. It used to only cost about $12/child/month- this is based on your income. A recent statement by H.F. said they have enough funding for more children and there will not be a wait list. This link has a chart with the income guidelines for both Medi-Cal and Healthy Families-
http://www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov/HFProgram/Income_Guidelines.aspx

Access for Infants and Mothers-
http://www.aim.ca.gov/Home/default.aspx
AIM is low-cost health care coverage for middle-income pregnant women who do not qualify for Medi-Cal, do not have insurance, or who have health insurance but their deductible or co-payment for maternity services is more than $500. It covers your entire pregnancy, labor & delivery, and mother and baby for 60 days after. The newborn baby may be automatically enrolled in the Healthy Families program unless baby is enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance. The cost of AIM is 1.5% of your annual income. This fee covers everything! No monthly premium, no co-pays, no hospital bills, etc. Once you pay the 1.5%, you won't pay another penny for up to 60 days after baby is born.
The link below shows the income guidelines to qualify for AIM-
http://www.aim.ca.gov/Costs/Income_Guidelines.aspx

*For both AIM and Healthy Families you get to choose your health care provider from a list of providers available in the county.

- FOOD ASSISTANCE -

United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services-
For all low income services: food, health and rural housing loans and grant services go to-
http://www.geocities.com/spetite_oh/assistance.html

WIC-Women, Infants, and Children Food Nutrition Program
WIC gives federal grants to the states to distribute supplemental food supplies like meat and milk etc. with food stamps to help low-income pregnant, breastfeeding/non-breast-feeding postpartum women, and infants and children up to age 5 that are at risk nutritionally. To find out if you are eligible for this program click this link-
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/howtoapply/eligibilityrequirements.htm

SNAP-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/snap.htm
The original Food Stamp Program name has now been changed to SNAP as of Oct. 2008. This program is like the WIC program but is designed for anyone with a low income who needs food assistance.
To find out if you are eligible for this food assistance program-
http://www.snap-step1.usda.gov/fns/

-UTILITY ASSISTANCE -

LIHEAP- Income Home Energy Assistance Program-
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/brochure/brochure.html
LIHEAP is a federally funded grant program given to the states to serve low income households who need assistance form their home energy bills. LIHEAP has been operating since 1982, providing low income households who have a high energy burden, the presence of a vulnerable/disabled individual in the home, people at risk of utility shut off and some states even offer weatherization improvements, utility equipment repair and replacement, budgeting counseling and more. To find out if you can apply for assistance check this link and find your local representative by state-http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/grantees/states.html#CA

- FINANCIAL AND JOB FINDING ASSISTANCE FOR UNEMPLOYED -

California Unemployment Compensation-
If You have lost your job, file for unemployed as soon as possible. This will help you get financial assistance from the government till you are employed again. Find out how to file for unemployment here at this link-http://www.edd.ca.gov/

(*If you are you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have lost your job and are struggling even with assistance from these programs listed above, please talk to your Bishop about church welfare programs that may assist you temporarily. Check out your local LDS Employment Agency to help you with your resume, networking and looking for new job placement. All low income and unemployed families should find out if their local ward provides free bread day- Usually located at one member's home once a week for free bread and groceries that the grocery stores have distributed to their neighborhoods. If you don't have this program than go to your local grocery store to find out if you can start one in your ward to help your struggling members and friends.)

Teaching your family about nature and wilderness survival

2009-04-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

How familiar are you and your children with the edible and medicinal plants in your area? My mother felt this knowledge was important to teach her children. Every walking path, biking trail, marina or natural preserve trail I have ever walked with my mother growing up, was a way for her to share her love and knowledge of nature and wilderness plant survival. Since she repeated it every time we went walking and quizzed us on it, I have never forgotten it and I hope I can do the same for my children one day. I hope that this blog post will inspire you to take your children for fun nature walks and educate them about the food and medicine that the wild provides. Your children will love taking nature walks with you. You could even do this for a Family Home Evening Activity and have them collect and label what they find or turn it into a fun scavenger hunt. You could put together a picture printout or book of the plants in your area in your emergency back pack for reference and the cook book I will mention at the bottom using wild plants. This would be a fun introduction to teaching your children about emergency preparedness and also food storage. If you do plan on tasting some of these, I would caution you NOT to test any plants that are close to car fumed road ways, contaminated water, or in areas that have been sprayed with pesticides. I also recoment that you teach them about the plants that are poisonouse and shouldn't be touched or eaten. Good way to get your kids prepared for camping or summer camp too! I have posted a very helpful link about wilderness survival for further reference and also a list to the nutrition/ medical remedies of more plants below.

Can you identify these plants? Here are a just a few edible and medicinal plants pictured above, that grow on the trails in the East Bay of San Francisco, CA to get you started.

Dandelions-These little plants are packed it calcium and a whole bunch of vitamins that help your liver and other systems of the body. The leaves can be boiled and eaten and the yellow flower blossom can be dipped into a flour tempura batter and cooked. The Mormon pioneers used the root to make herbal tea and coffee which helped stimulate the digestive system. Check out this link below for more information on the root and recipes.http://www.prodigalgardens.info/dandelion%20coffee.htm My mother even makes a dandelion pie. If you want to try it let me know and I will send you the recipie! :)

Fennel- You can take the seeds of this plant that taste a bit like black licorice and cook them with fish or mix the seed with butter for a flavored butter spread on bread. Fennel seeds help detox and remove waste form your body.

Wild Berries- Wild berries are packed with Vitamin C and were eaten in the old days to prevent scurvy. Black berries and raspberries are very dominant here to eat. Use as you would cultivated berries, Just watch out for the prickly thorns!

Slippery Red Elm or Soft Elm- Slippery elm has been used in healing salves for wounds, boils, ulcers, burns, and skin inflammation. The bark can be made into a tea to relieve coughs, sore throats, diarrhea, and stomach problems. Slippery elm contains mucilage, a substance that becomes a slick gel when mixed with water. It coats and soothes the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines; it may also contain antioxidants that can help relieve inflammatory bowel conditions, Crohn's disease. To make the tea, pour 2 cups boiling water over 2 tablespoons of powdered bark and then steep for 3 - 5 minutes.

Wild Mustard Plant- You can boil the leaves of this plant and eat them like the dandelion and the seeds can be used for a spice like cultivated mustard is. If you smash the seeds you can make a poultice to tease the skin strengthening the blood circulation. They use this plant for loss of appetite, digestive weakness, strengthening metabolism and Rheumatic pain

Pine Needles- Are high in Vitamin C. You can chew on the needles for instant Vitamin C and pine freshness or make a herbal tea by steeping the needles in boiling water. Has been known to help in cancer treatments and other medical ailments.http://www.lifeevents.org/pine-needle-tea-decoction.htm Not good for pregnant women though.

Mint leaves- Can be made into a herbal tea, seasoning in cooking and you can even candy the leaves with your children for fun or use the candied leas as a garnish on desserts. Chop up both the leaves and the stems. Use about a half cup of mint to 4 cups of boiling water. Don't boil the mint, but instead pour boiling water over it and let steep for at least 5 minutes. You can also clean the leaves with water, pat dry and chop them up in a salad for a fresh flavor.

Plantain- Crush the leaves and to draw the moisture to the surface of the leaf and then apply it on bruises, stings and cuts. The leaves can also be made into a tea as well to relieve your soar throat during a cold.

Red Clover- The blossoms can be dried and made into a herbal tea to relieve an upset stomach, reduce blood pressure, bone density, help women's menopause symptoms and also fertility since it containes an estrogen-like substance in the blossom.http://www.crazyfortea.com/clovertea.html

Miners lettuce- Named for the gold mining 49'ers in California who used it as a salad to prevent scurvy as well. Eat miners lettuce raw in salads. Throw in a few wild mustard or wild radish leaves and flowers, A bit of filaree and chickweed, add an avocado and a grated carrot, dethorned milk-thistle leaves, toss with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar or lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste, feta cheese if your not vegan, and you'll have one of the best salads ever.

White Willow Tree- You can chew on a twig bark of a white willow tree for pain relief. The bark contains salicin which the body will then turn it into salicylic acid that acts like aspirin. Just don't eat it if you are using aspirin, Ibuprofen or other types of blood thinning medications or pain relievers.

Plant and wilderness survival links:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php
http://www.all-natural.com/herbguid.html

Check out the cook book Wild in the Kitchen by Ronna Magelon for some more recipes at your library or bookstore.

*For more nature and plant fun with your children, check out the Edible Schoolyard garden in Berkely, CA. The Heather Farms Park Gardens in Walnut Creek, CA have a 5 Senses garden your kids can go to and identify different plants. Also the small dog park off of Paso Nogal in Pleasant Hill, CA has little tags to identify plants and trees on the paths for your children to become familiar with. (check out my earlier post on Fun things to do with kids in the bay area for additional natural places to visit) Check your local college for Nature courses too. Diablo Valley College in Pleasant HIll, CA also offers a Nature Study course of the wildlife in the area. It is a fun class for adults!

Make Plate Settings Special With Napkin Folding/Origami

2009-04-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

When I was 9 years old, my parents decided they were going to take my brother's, sister and I to my mother's birth place for a family vacation (England). They wanted us to learn to eat European style so they sat us down one night at dinner to a nicely set table and instructed us how to use our napkin, fork, and knife etc. I thought it was such a fun dinner and ever since then I have loved place setting, the ways other cultures eat and set their table settings and fun party place settings. I know a lady who has a new table setting with beautifully folded napkins on dinner plates set out each night before her family sits down to dinner the next night at their dining room table. It is a great way to keep your dining room table clean and clear of junk piles if you always have it set for dinner ahead of time. Also saves you time setting the table while you are frantically cooking dinner if it is already set ahead of time. Napkin folding doesn't need to be done just for parties or formal events either. If you let your children set the table, then teach them some of these fold or get them printed/picture instructions on how to fold fun napkins. This is a great way to have fun doing chores and also learning to set the table properly. Here are a few ideas on how to use your fun folded napkins for everyday meals or different events.

The Shirt and Tie Origami Fold-
Use this for a Father's Day meal, father, son or grandpa's Birthday, missionary farewell/homecoming/or when missionaries come for dinner, a son's baptism dinner/ordination/baby boy blessing lunch or special date night dinner for you husband/boyfriend.

The Rose Folds, Water Lily, Swan, or Heart Shaped Fold-
Use this for a Mother's Day meal, mother, daughter or grandmother's Birthday, girls baptism/blessing or YW accievement, little girls tea party, bridal/baby showers, Valentines Day or a romantic dinner with your spouse/date.

Candle Fold, Crown Fold, or Carnal Hat Fold-
Use for Christmas, Birthdays

Turkey Fold-
For Thanksgiving or pilgrim party harvest party, child's birthday party at Thanksgiving

Bunny Fold-
Use for Easter, little girls party, spring garden party, or baby shower

Fish Fold, Bird of Paradise Fold or Ship Fold-
Use for fish/Pirate boat theme Birthday (check out my jello cup post for a fun dessert too), fish friday dinner, tropical theme party, or at the beach house. Don't forget a button for the fishy eye.

Pocket Napkin Fold or Place Card Napkin Fold-
Use the pocket napkin fold with your utensils or print out your menu in a fun font on card stock paper and insert into the pocket fold of the napkin on the plate. If you have a child who is learning their ABC's, then use a small fridge magnet letter placed where the center edge fold is for some fun and learning. You could even use the letters of everyone's first initial to mark their place at the table as well by using the magnets or cut out lettering. If you are doing a fun party then you could fill the pocket with a fun little toy, flower or item with If you use the Place Card Napkin Fold then this is a great place to teach your children their names or for guests to find their setting.

Here are some websites with instructions on how to fold these fun napkins I mentioned and more:

http://www.napkinfoldingguide.com/

http://www.delish.com/archive/recipes/napkin-folding/

http://www.roterochs.de/english/napkins/harenapkin.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.e28a2ad6d3341f8836eb9e2bd373a0a0?vgnextoid=42cacf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=search_home&autonomy_kw=napkin+folding&x=0&y=0

Go to your local library to find more napkin folding books or purchase this fun napkin origami fold book (pictured above)

Napkin Origami- Edited by Brian Sawyer

Make Your Own Natural Cleaning Products-Stop throwing your money down the sink by buying toxic chemicals.

2009-04-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

The majority of cleaning product found in the stores are toxic and do more harm than good being used in your home. They also cost a bundle compared to the cleaning solutions you can make from natural products that you may have already in your pantry. If you still have your old cleaning solution bottles, then recycle them by clean them out and refill them with these natural cleaning solutions instead. I don't have room on this page to list all my favorites here so I have just put some basic cleaning solutions that I love to use. For a full list you can check out my favorite links at the bottom of the page for more amazing household maintenance cleaners, pest control and stain remover solutions. Happy Cleaning! :)

Window and Glass Cleaner Solutions-

Use fresh lemon juice or club soda to get your windows and other glass items sparkling clean. All you need to do is lightly spray your glass with club soda and scrub with newspaper. If you use straight lemon juice, than make sure that you use a lint-free cloth to scrub with. Another alternative is inexpensive vinegar, but some people have a hard time with the strong vinegar smell. Mix 3 tablespoons vinegar with 2 cups of water (or for a bigger job - 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water) and spray right on your windows.

Oven Cleaning Solution-

For a quick spot treatment, sprinkle table salt liberally on the hot spill before your oven cools down. Allow the oven to cool. Grab a damp cloth and rub off the spill. The best tip is to not wait to clean your oven when it gets dirty. An old stain is harder to clean.

Toilet Bowl Cleaning Solution-

Sprinkle baking soda into your toilet bowl and then drizzle vinegar on top of the baking soda. use your toilet brush to scrub. Your toilet bowl will be clean and deodorized.

All-purpose disinfectant Solution-

Mix 2 cups water, a few drops of natural soap, and 15 drops each of tea tree and lavender organic essential oil. Don't use this as a glass cleaner though because it will leave streak marks. It cleans any other surface and is a safe and gentle cleaner to use on your kids things too.

My New Favorite Cleaning Tool/Mr. Clean Magic Erasers-

These little inexpensive white sponges do amazing clean up and scrubbing jobs. If you have children you have to try these. You only use a little water to moisten it and no other chemicals. It is my new favorite cleaning tool! Check out this web site to see what can be cleaned with the Magic Eraser http://household-tips.thefuntimesguide.com/2006/01/magic_erasers.php

For a full list of natural household solutions please visit these sites:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod02/01500631.html

Oh Baby! Attention All Pregnant Moms- New Nine Natural Product Launched For Mothers

2009-04-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Moms, my dear friend Melani just told me that her cousin has just launched an amazing new Product called Nine Naturals. It is a wonderful line of hair care/bath products made especially for Pregnant Mothers. They are free of the bad ingredients we are supposed to avoid during this time, such as phthalates, sulfates, DEA, and parabens. All products are non-animal tested and certified vegan. These product would make a great gift first Mother's Day gift for a new expecting mother or anyone who loves natural products that smell wonderful. Please check out her web site at http://ninenaturals.com/. Thank You.

A Night Under The Stars-Date Night or Family Night idea

2009-04-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

There is truly nothing more beautiful than turning your head heavenward at night and seeing the wonders of the universe before your eyes. I was so fascinated by the night sky that I took an astronomy class in college and it was an amazing eye opening experience. The summer clear skies are perfect at night for star gazing and even better if you are away from the lights of the city or population where they are easier to see. If you happen to own a telescope than you are probably already familiar with the night sky and go star gazing often, but for those of us who don't then here are a few ideas to spend a evening with your loved ones under the stars.

Cabot Space and Science Center-
On each clear Friday and Saturday night in the summer, The Chabot Space and Science Center in the hills of Oakland, CA hosts a free event to go to the back of their facility after closing hours (7:30-10:30), where they keep their massive telescopes and look through them. Anyone is welcome and there are volunteers available to answer questions that you may have about anything you may see or not see in the night sky. I have done it a few times and it is an amazing experience and best of all it is FREE so take a date or your older children. http://www.chabotspace.org/ The space center has some fun exhibits for your kids too or movies to watch so go there during the day too for some fun.

Planetariums centers-
Planetariums are also a great way to get familiar with the sky for your younger kids who have strict bed times, they are a great relaxing afternoon date idea too. Just find one in your local area on the web and if you live in the bay area check out my earlier posting on fun things to do with kids in the bay area to find some near you.

Name a Star after your loved one and Movies under the stars-
If you are looking for a fun gift for someone who loves the stars and universe or a romantic gift for a loved one who has everything, you can have them officially named after a star. Go to these sites to find out more http://www.starregistry.com/ or http://www.starnamer.net/ Then you could present them with their official star named certificate when you go star gazing one night. Watch the movie, A Walk To Remember for a romantic star gazing movie night before you go look at the starts together or give your gift to your loved one then. You could also go watch a movie under the stars. Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek, Ca and San Francisco Golden Gate Park all have Outdoor movie nights under the stars in the summertime. There will be a Free drive in Movie Thursday, April 23, 2009 at the West Wind Solano II Drive-In in Concord, so don't miss this fun movie night under the stars with your family if you live in the area. Gates open at 6 p.m. and movies will start at 8 p.m and there is a bouncy castle for the kids. The movies are Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

Glow in the dark Star Books for children and Constellation books-
I love the glow in the dark star books and constellation guides. Here is a great site I found by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, with a list of these books and great information about everything you want to know in the night sky. .http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/constellations/books.shtmlYour local library or bookstore will have these books too so check them out and bring them with you to star gaze.

Astronomy Classes-
If you have some free time or are retired, take an astronomy class with your spouse at a local inexpensive community college or if you are a student it is also a wonderful science elective. Even if one of you takes the class, you will learn so much amazing information about the universe that you can share that wonderful experience when you go star gazing with anyone, it is worth it!

Family star gazing activities-
You could read to your children about the constellation mythology stories or use the glow in the dark books outside to find stars together. Give them a copy of a the star hemisphere maps and have them point out the constellations or circle them or give them a blank calendar and have them draw them moon fazes each night. Decorate their bedroom or the family room ceiling one night in glow in the dark stars and turn off the lights to star gaze together. Go for a drive with them in the hills or take a camping trip together and star gaze at night. They even make some tents with moon roofs for star gazing. Have them watch for shooting stars or teach them how to use a compass following the north star etc. Or if your kids are really into space send them to a space camp or go plan for the next shuttle launch in florida and watch that. I went to the last one and it was really amazing to watch the space ship rocket blast off. What ever you do with them make it fun and also educational and they will love it and learn to appreciate the Universe too.

My Top Ten Smart Mom Purchases

2009-04-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here are my top ten smart purchases that I or my mom friends have made and would recommend to any new mom. You may notice there are only 8 pictured and that is because I just did two posts on two of my favorites earlier this week so I will mention those again to look at. I have a few others I love that I will list on another top ten list later. If you have some that you would like to share also, please let me know in the comments box bellow. Thanks :)

1. The Bob Revolution Jogger Stroller-Just bought this and it is amazing. Glides so smooth. It folds up small and even the wheels come off for smaller storage. If you want a jogger stroller that also converts to a bike trailer I would suggest the Chariot brand too! I have heard it is excellent as well. You can find both of these strollers at REI to look at or go to bobgear.com to get more information on the Bob strollers.

2. Eddie Bauer High Chair-This is the B is For Bear Chair in light wood. I received this for my group baby shower gift and love it sooo much. It has a plastic fabric covered seat and back cousin that is so easy to clean two parts to the tray table and storage at the back to put my daughter's bibs and feeding supplies. You can find these chairs at Target and Babies R' Us in the dark wood too.

3. Maxi-Cosi Convertible child car seat in Penguin. This chair is so well built and is nicely padded all over. It comes in some really cool colors too and has a side cup holder for your kids bottle/sippy cup. We bought ours at Target, but you can check the web for the other colors and different sizes.

4. The Hooter-Hider- My sister-n-law received this at her shower and loved it. It is one of the best designed breast feeding bibs I have seen with a U shape wire at the top for the mother to check out her baby and still keep her privacy. The fabric selection is really nice too with a lot of different prints available to choose from. Check Amazon.com or the web for these.

5. The Snack Trap-My neighbor friends have these for their children and I am about to order some for my little girl. It allows the children to hold onto their snack cup themselves and reach in and pull out a snack too without spilling all the snacks. Best snack cup design I have seen and very well priced too. Babies R' Us carries them online only or you can go to snacktrap.com web site to order these.

6. Smart-mom bling Jewelry- These necklaces and bracelets are made of non-toxic silicon for mom's to wear and babies to chew on. My daughter loves it when I ware these out in public or at church so she can chew and play with them without breaking my expensive jewelry. They also make key chains too. Great for your little teether babies! Go to smartmomjewelry.com to find these and other gift sets.

7. The Diaper Genie 2- I love this diaper pail. Keeps my daughter's room smelling clean and fresh. You have to buy refill liners but they do last awhile if you wad the diapers up really tight when you put them in. We bought ours at Babies R' Us.

8. The Baby Safe Feeder- I bought this when my little girl was learning to chew foods without teeth. You can put fruit slices, teething biscuits, or any food that they may normally choke on if not purred. Add ice cubes and it is great solution for teething baby gums to munch on safely by themselves or for first aid owies. Babies R Us carries them but make sure you get the brand shown, the other's aren't as good and fall apart! Or go to the original babysafefeeder.com web site to order.

9. Kidco Pea Pod Plus Tent-See earlier posting below.

10. Squeaky Shoes- See earlier Posting below.

Homemade Oreo cookies or ice cream sandwich cookies

2009-04-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of my friends introduced these homemade Oreo cookies to me when I was in High School and we made them all the time together in the summer. They are sooo good and simple to make. Change the white cream cheese filling color with a little food coloring for baby showers and holiday colors. You can also make them into ice cream sandwiches by just omitting the cream cheese filling and using your favorite softened ice cream in the center instead, then freeze instead of refrigerate. If you are make them for a kids party you could roll the sides of the ice cream cookies in sprinkles for a little extra fun.
It is an amazing cookie to share with your friends too! Enjoy!!!

Homemade Oreo cookie recipe
Serves 8 people

Ingredients
2 packages cake mix, devils food
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening, butter flavored is my favorite, but plain works too
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 package cream cheese
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter

Directions
Cream together first four ingredients. Roll into small balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes Only. They will look a little dough like but they will harden and cook while they cool. Let cool on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling racks or wax paper to assemble filling.

Frosting: Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter. Spread between two cookies and refrigerate till served!

The Pea Pod Portable Tent-Crib

2009-04-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

I never wanted to buy a portable crib because they were so heavy and bulky to transport with you on trips. When my husband's grandmother offered to get us one, I reluctantly said ok and began the long search for a small portable crib. I came across the Pea Pod Tent and thought it was perfect. Not only does it do the job as a portable crib but it folds up in a small circular bag and is so lightweight. It comes with a blow up pad and sleeping bag too. The best part though is you can use it for your babies until they are six years of age and take it camping or use it for indoor play too. If you have a little girl you can get the pink one and a miniature pink pea pod tent to match for her dolls to sleep and play in. Our daughter loves it and we even take the tent to the beach with us. Great product to buy and also cheeper than a portable crib too! They also have one that has a self inflatable mattress too if you don't want to pump it up every time.

Here is a store that I found that sells the Pea Pod Plus tents in red/blue or princess pink for $79.99 and the Tent with a Self inflatable mattress version for $99.98 in camo colors.
http://www.jmsjustforchildren.com/store/shop_product.php?UPC=11441

Put a spin on your family bowling night-Virtual Bowling, Wii Bowling, Oven Mitt bowling, Bocce Ball

2009-04-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Nintendo Wii bowling-
I bought my husband a Nintendo Wii with the Wii sport games earlier this year. We are addicted to the bowling and tennis games. It has become our new family fun bowling night and we don't even need to leave our home or put on sweaty used rental bowling shoes to play. If you don't own a Wii yet or don't have the Wii Sport game then here are a few other ways your family can put an new spin on the old classic family bowling night.

Virtual Bowling-
The Metreon in San Francisco not only has an arcade and theater etc. but they have Virtual Bowling, which is a combination between Wii bowling and the real thing. It is so fun!

Oven Mitt Bowling-
Go to the dollar store and purchase a pair of oven mitts and take them with you to the local bowling alley. Put on the mitts and try to roll the ball to the pins. Great way to add more of a challenge and fun to the old classic bowling. I did this on a group date and it was such a fun experience since it gave everyone an even playing field throwing the ball with the mitts on.

Bocce Ball-
If your family happens to have a bocce ball set, then head to your local bocce ball court or freshly cut lawn to play. This game is a combination between the classic bowling without pins, lawn bowling and horseshoes but played on a clay/dirt bocce ball court. I have played on the courts at Rodger Smith Park in Pleasant Hill, Ca and the Martinez Marina courts too. If you don't live in the east bay then try google to find a court in your area or just play on your trimmed lawn.

Children's bowling set-
If you have really little children you could buy them a children's bowling set for them to play and practice or make one out of plastic water/soda bottles for pins and a small ball. They could even have fun decorating faces on the Pins/bottles. I have even seen extra large blow up ball and pins sets too for some family fun. Check it out here at this link!

http://www.hearthsong.com/hearthsong/product.do?section_id=0&bc=1005&pgc=2510&country=0&occ=1005&cm_mmc=merc_datafeed-_-product-_-2510&mr:referralID=c1d3afc2-2e22-11de-a8aa-000423bb4e95&mr:trackingCode=NA

Have a great bowling night, whatever you decide to do!

Squeaky Shoes For Children

2009-04-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law bought our daughter a pair of squeaky shoes while she was in China last year. Today my daughter put them on for the first time and we laughed and giggled together as she walked and squeaked in her new shoes! What an amazing idea to put little squeaking sounds in shoes so you can keep a better eye or I should say ear out for your children. I know these are going to be so useful since my daughter loves to sneak quietly away from her parents and get into mischief. Don't need to get a door alarm if she is waring these all the time and happens to try sneaking out of the house. Here are a few cute squeaky shoe companies I found on the web that are reasonably priced and so darling! These two companies also donate money to good causes for every pair of shoes you buy.

http://itzybitzy.com/main.htm

http://www.toottootshoes.com/

Pool and Water Safety For Children!

2009-04-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

It is going to be 90 degrees today and I am already thinking about taking my daughter to the local pool to cool down. My sweet sister-in-love who lives in Florida where most of the ISR training takes place, shared this You Tube clip with me and I thought it was incredible. It still made me mad that these parents didn't have a fence around their pool but at least they did teach their children to float till someone could come fetch them. If you have a child who doesn't know how to swim, you may want to look into these classes or basic swim classes for your children, even if you don't own a pool. There is always the chance they may be caught in a drowning situation in any body of water more than 2 inches deep when they are young. I also suggest you become familiar with CPR and First Aid training as well. These classes are available in the community so you can have hands on experience and get certified or you can at least be informed about the basics by looking up information on the web. So play it safe around water this summer, keep an eye on your children at all times near water and have a great time!

To find an ISR instructor check out this site

http://www.infantswim.com/news-and-events/todayshow.html

Here is the site for CPR

http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/

Here is the site for First Aid

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/FirstAidIndex/FirstAidIndex

Making meals special for your Children

2009-04-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

If you want to show your kids a little extra love during meal times, then here are a few ways to do that.

Using Cookie Cutters-
Cookie cutter shapes are always a kid pleaser for sugar cookies, so why not use those cookie cutters to cut out shapes in their sandwiches for lunch too. Just one little extra step that will bring a smile to their face. They are also great for breakfast meals, like using your cookie cutter shapes to make cute pancake shapes or our family favorite, Egg in a basket. Take a buttered piece of bread on both sides, cut out the center with your cookie cutter shape and then fry a egg in the center of the hole shape. Don't forget to fry the cut out piece as well or toast it and put some jam on it. Just a cute way to jazz up your eggs and toast in the morning. I do this for my husband with a hart shape cookie cutter and it always makes him feel special.

Using food-
My mom loved making us bugs and critter shapes out of vegetables/ fruits and sticking them together with cream cheese or peanut butter. Great way to get creative and also get your children to eat their fruits and veggies. Here is a cute one I saw the other day in a magazine. The recipie is also on AllRecipies. com http://digg.com/d14Gu4 My favorite cook book as a kid had some cute ways to make your kids meals come alive with faces on little burgers and tacos using the toppings or condiments. A meal was never dull when it had a smily face looking at you! Costco has Mickey Mouse or Dinosaur chicken nugget shapes and don't forget fish crackers or animal cookies to jazz up a snack or meal for you kids. Go to the library and check out the Parent/Child Magazines for ideas and they usually do something fun with food for kids in every issue. Check out the jello cup recipes I posted earlier for fun snack ideas too. If your kids don't like cream cheese or can't have peanut butter then make them some dips for their veggies and fruit. Cooks.com have some great fruit and vegetable dip recipes.

Using Silicone Muffin Cups-
There are some amazing silicon bake ware on the market now and the best thing is that they are easy to clean and you no longer have to buy paper/tin muffin liners either. If you use your silicon muffin cups, they are not only cute in color but also the perfect portioned for a child size meal. Here is a cute cookbook I saw the other day that uses these silicon muffin cups to prepare an entire meal for your children. http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,7176/title,Cook-It-in-a-Cup/ They have a few recipes you can try if you look inside the book on the web page. They were featured on View From The Bay so go watch their cooking session for ideas or visit their own web page at cookitinacup.com for a recipe and cooking classes this summer if you live in the SF bay area. You can find silicon cups at Michael's craft store, Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond. I've even seen some cute ones with little feet!

So take a little extra time to decorate your kids food, add a little extra snack or leave them a cute note on a napkin in their lunch bag to let them know they are special.

The manly man car show date night-Herbie The Love Bug

2009-04-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

I am always thinking of fun romantic dates, but sometimes I forget that maybe my husband would enjoy something besides a chick flick and girly romance for our dates and instead something more manly. The summertime is a great time to go see your local muscle car/classic car shows. If he happens to own one that he has shined up in mint condition, you can bring it along and enter it in the contest. Check your local town Park and Recreational events, to find one near you. If you live in the East Bay let me know and I will give you all the details of some of the free car shows in the area!

My husband and I even went to a really neat car museum in Danville, CA and had a wonderful time looking at all the shiny old cars from the past. http://www.blackhawkmuseum.org/ It is located in the pristine Black Hawk Plaza in Danville. After you can go tour the beautiful fountains and streams that run through the middle of the mall, visit all the beautiful shops and eat at one of their wonderful restaurants (the famouse Black Hawk Grill). They even have a contest give away to a date for two to their restaurant and products from some of the mall stores. Enter the contest before APRIL 30TH at this link! http://www.shopblackhawkplaza.com/

You could even watch a movie that involves cool cars or the old classic Herbie The Love Bug after the car show/car museum or go to a drive in movie together in your own muscle/classic car. If your husband/Date loves Huge Monster Trucks then look into buying tickets for the Monster Truck Jam Events when they are in the area. I went one year and had so much fun watching the tractor pull races and the Famous Grave Digger Monster Truck smash cars. It was really loud but awesome to watch!

Do You Want To Know What Your Baby Is Crying About?

2009-04-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Do you want to understand what your baby needs when they cry? If you are an new mommy or about to have a baby I really suggest you watch this clip and take good notes and share this with your husband too. I saw the Baby Whisperer on the Oprah show just after I had my little girl and what she said was incredibly accurate and helped me understand what my baby needed. This You Tube clip is from the Morning Show and it talks about the same things I learned on the Oprah show. Saved my sanity and my baby girl's as well and I hope it will help with yours too. :)

What's a girl to do when the Girl Scout cookie season is over-Homemade Samoas

2009-04-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

I love Samoa Cookies and sometimes I just can't wait till the next Girl Scout Cookie Season to roll around again to buy a box of these. Thankfully I found the recipe to make them until the Girl Scouts appear again. Thanks to chasingtwilight on http://www.gourmetmomonthego.com/ for this recipe. I look forward to making them and I hope you will too. Check out the Gourmet mom on the go site too, they have some great recipes.

Homemade Girl Scout Samoas Cookie Recipe

Ingredients
1 box shortbread cookies
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-4 cups toasted coconut (depending on how much you want)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
(Optional) To make handling easier you can dip the bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate first and let them sit to thoroughly dry. Place each shortbread cookie in cup of a greased muffin tin. In 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Heat to a full boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking over low heat until candy thermometer reaches 200-210 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Beat until creamy. Immediately stir in toasted coconut and mix well. Spoon mixture by teaspoonfuls over shortbread cookies. Cool completely. Remove cooled cookies from muffin tin onto waxed paper. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle thinly in stripes over cookies and let chocolate harden at room temperature. Store in airtight container

Save money on books, magazine subscriptions and DVDs-Neighborhood Movie Share, Public Libraries and Half Price Books

2009-04-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

I never purchased a new book until I went to college and even then I tried to buy the used books that were cheeper or sell them back to the bookstore after the course was done. The reason for this was because growing up I lived across from a public library and never saw the need to buy new books from a store just to have them sit and collect dust on my bookshelf after I read them. How many times do we actually re-read a book, so we are storing things we don't use. I love the library and our library catalog is connected to all the surrounding libraries in the county so you have several libraries to choose from to find the book you are looking for and they can ship it to your library for you to pick up as well. I also love that you can rent movies for free from our library, rent books on tape and magazines, saving you money on magazine subscriptions and filling up the land fills with paper. My mother and her friends swap their magazines too which is also another alternative to going to the library to get a recent magazine issue. I used to live next to a library in Oakland that even loaned out gardening and handyman tools, which I thought was another amazing money and storage saving idea.

My husband and I also started a DVD Community share list. We asked our friends and neighbors who were interested in swapping their DVD's with us and our friends, to write down their DVD's and we compiled them into a list. We don't buy DVD's anymore because we have so many DVD's from our friends and neighbors to choose from for movie nights or rent them for free from the library. I hope that you can take these money and storage saving ideas and use them and maybe even get a community DVD, magazine or book list going as well with your friends, family and neighbors.

If you are one of those people who has to buy new books, my neighboor told me about a great company called Half Price Books. Here is the link to their site http://www.halfpricebooks.com/

Organize Your Meal Plans-Planing For Meals You Know Your Children Will Devour

2009-04-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

For a mother it can be difficult to come up with a meal idea every day and also one that our children will eat. In my home growing up we all were so picky about our foods and I know it drove my mom crazy. Eventually by the time most of us were teenagers she just stopped making dinner for us because my siblings didn't want her English style homemade meals, but fast food instead and would go off and get their own dinners. Then there is my own little family now who have different diet needs. My husband and daughter have high metabolisms and are carbaholics. I am on the opposite side of the metabolism chart and can't handle that much pasta etc. in my system. They would eat it every night too if I let them, but I like variety. So coming up with what to eat each night that everyone will like off the top of my head is frustrating.

A friend of mine takes her children's school lunch menu and rotates the meals on that menu from two weeks earlier and uses that to plan her dinner meals for the week. Since she knows her children are familiar with those foods, she has a head start on what to prepare for a whole month. If you have children in different grades and schools who eat lunches at school, than you have even more meal ideas to pull from. For those of us who don't, you can ask a mother who does and make copies of their kids lunch menu flyers or type in lunch menu and the local schools on the web and they always have a list of the menu and nutrition facts sometimes too. Also you could jot down the meals your family enjoyed that week or in the past and eventually you will have enough good meals to put together on a rotation system on your calender. Ask other mothers too what their family favorite meals are or collect some new recipes from them and try them out. Get a small spiral ring calender and plan out the meals for the week. All you have to do then is write down the ingredients you need from the store for your weekly shopping trip saving you many trips to the grocery store.

I also try to make one extra portion size for our meal for my husband to take to work the next day for his lunch. He loves this because it saves him time in the morning before work trying to think of what to prepare for lunch and getting it made before he heads out the door. We have a great cookbook that I bought from the LDS bookstore when we were first married. Since there was just two of us cooking large family meals and having days of leftovers was boring for me and most of those left overs would get thrown away because of this. The cook book is called Cooking For Two by Debbie G. Harman. The recipes are easy and the perfect size portions for two people. So if you are a young married couple without children or have a single college student learning to make their own meals, you have to get this cook book. Another book I love, is the one written by the comedian actor Jerry Seinfield's Wife, Jessica Seinfeild and is called Deceptively Delicious. It teaches you how to add vegetables to your kids foods without them knowing. Great for those picky veggie kids! If your kid's aren't picky then check out the button link on the side of my blog called I Have Fun With Food Storage for ideas on how to incorporate your pantry food storage items into your meals. Good luck and Happy Meal Planning Everyone!

love in the afternoon- stretch you dating budget further

2009-04-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Lunch time dates are always cheaper and can be just as romantic as the evening dates you plan. Restaurants usually have lunch specials, movie theaters have matinee ticket prices in the afternoon, museums sometimes have 1 weekday a month that is free admission to their patrons. Here are a few afternoon date ideas off the top of my head to get you thinking.

1. Surprise Date- Surprise your spouse in the afternoon during their lunchtime break at work and order the lunch specials at a local restaurant or pack a lunch and eat at a park nearby. Don't forget the Martinellies Cider and glasses! :)

2. Scenic Picnic Lunch-Pack a picnic lunch and head to the beach, park, rose garden, lake, boat marina or go hiking together and have a picnic lunch on the trail. They have really nice picnic backpacks now so you don't have to lug those old wooden ones with you.

3. Matinee Performance Date- Go the the movies or theatrical performances during matinee times and you will have enough money to get extra pop corn/candy/drinks, go out for lunch/dessert afterwards, or flowers and gift for your spouse.

4. Museum/Attractions Date-Go to a art museum, planetarium, zoo or botanical garden during weekdays when it is less crowded and on their free days they offer to their visitors.

5. Shopping Wholesale Date-Have lunch at Costco, Sam's Club or IKEA. They have some really great inexpensive food and you can go shopping after with the money you saved on lunch/dessert. Sample their free food samples too or buy their beautiful flowers that last a long time for your wife!

6. Boat Cruz Date-Take a ferry boat Cruz from Jack London Square or San Francisco to one of the little islands in the bay. Cheaper than the other boat cruses and just as fun. You could take your bikes too and bike around San Francisco or the islands.

7. Transit System Date-Ride the Bart, Metro System, or San Francisco Cable Cars to a restaurant. Sometimes they offer free ride days on the Bart too. Saves on Parking and driving in the busy city and gives you some fun people watching while you ride to talk about. Also is Eco-friendly and helps spare the air. If you had fold up bikes this would be another great way to tour the city or rent bikes in the city when you get there.

8. Air Show Day-Fleet Week in October in the City (See my other post on Fun Things To Do With Kids In The Bay Areas for info.). The Blue Angels fly above the city and do stunts and you can go tour the Naval Ships as well. What a great way to show your support for the troops and is a fun way to get an amazing free air show experience form the best stunt pilots there are around.

9. Go Running, Walking, Biking, Paddle Boating, Rowing, swimming, feed the ducks, fly a kite or fishing at your local lake, Reservoir or Marina. If you have a fishing license this is a fun date and Lake Merritt in Oakland and the Lafayette Reservoir both have paddle boats and row boats you can rent.

10. Play tennis or go play frisbee golf together with another couple. All you need to do is buy some inexpensive frisbees and look up your free local frisbee golf course in the area.Click on this link to find a course near you and how to play the game etc. http://www.discgolfstore.com/courses/usa.shtml

These are just a few fun ways to stretch your dating budget for more fun. If you have any more fun date ideas to stretch your budget please post them for all of us to enjoy. Have A Great Time!

Teaching Your Baby To Love Reading

2009-04-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

My little girl squeals with delight if you mention the words book or reading. We bought her a little leather reading chair for her first birthday so she could have her own special place to enjoy her love of books and reading. I was amazed that even before I knew about these baby reading programs, my little girl had some of her favorite books memorized at just 10 months old and would turn the pages of her Going On A Bear Hunt book and other books at the right time without me instructing her to do so. She obviously understood what I was reading to her and grasped the concept at her young age.

A friend of mine then told me about the baby reading programs and so I looked into them. I learned that children soak up knowledge like a sponge in water, the younger they are. Introducing them to words and reading young gives them a bigger jump start on learning and they learn quicker and retain what they learn too. We purchased the Monkie See Monkie Doo reading program and my daughter loves watching the DVD and looking at the flash cards each day. I realized after buying the program that you could make your own and it works just the same. I suggest going to your local library and picking up a copy of How To Teach Your Baby To Read by Glenn Doman and Janet Doman. They were the first ones who started these baby reading programs in 1964 and will instruct you how to make flash cards, teach you how to help your baby to learn words and then read books. You know your children best, so go at their pace and make it fun. My daughter is just barely learning to talk and we have noticed such a difference already in her word comprehension by spending time doing this program with her. She is still enthusiastic about reading and will always have a book in her hand throughout the day as she plays. We call her our little book worm now and can't wait to hear her speak those words on the page.

Here are some programs I know of if you don't want to make your own or if you are just curious as to how it works. You can look on You Tube to see babies actually reading or comprehending words through these programs. I highly recommend getting the book from the library to read too!

www.gentlerevolution.com/

www.YourBabyCanRead.com

http://www.brillbaby.com/

www.monkisee.com

Date Night Idea Box for the King and Queen of Hearts

2009-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I saw this really nice date night ideas product called the Date Night Deck (http://www.abetterrelationship.net) and decide that I wanted to create something similar for my husband and I. When it comes to the end of a long week, sometimes coming up with an idea besides the basic dinner and a movie can be difficult off the top of your head. So I plan on buying a inexpensive deck of playing cards and covering the fronts of those cards with creative ideas we have wanted to try on our dates. That is 52 ideas you have right at your finger tips and if you plan ahead by taking turns each week after the date to pull out a new card and have that person in charge of the date plans, then you will have a better chance at making it happen. I also plan on putting the new deck of date ideas in a small gift box or chinese take out box with our gift cards and coupons to fun restaurants we have wanted to try. I think this might be a fun gift for another couple too and really easy to make. Try laminating the cards to protect them. You can get them laminated at a copy store or buy the clear sticky back clear shelving paper at your local (Drug Stores: Rite aid, Longs Drugs, etc.) and cover the front and back sides of the card like a sandwich and trim the edges. If you can't come up with 52 date ideas on your own, get date ideas off of the internet for free or just keep looking at my blog each week and I will post new ones for you to add to your deck. Happy Date Night! :)

Fun Things To Do With Your Kids In The Surrounding San Francisco Bay Areas

2009-04-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

Children growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area have so many wonderful places to experience. Here is a list of a few of my favorites growing up and some that others have suggested that I take my little girl to. So if you are new to the bay area or have been here forever like me but have forgotten some of these wonderful places growing up, then here is the perfect list for you to copy and print off. I have marked in RED some special dates to be aware of for some extra fun, so keep those in mind when you go visit. If you don't live here but are looking to take a trip here then this is a great list for you too or an idea to do in your area for the families you know who would appreciate knowing the hot spots for some family fun in your local areas. Enjoy and if you have anymore you would like to share please post them in the comments. I would love to find more places to visit!

Fun in the Bay With Kids

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other bay area fun for fam

Thinking outside the (Juice) Box-Recycle your kid's juice containers and make eco-friendly items

2009-04-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

I love items that have taken on a new life and are reused from things we use and throw away all the time. We go through tones of juice boxes now that my little girl is drinking juice and her daddy likes her juice boxes too! :) I saw some of these juice box bags a year ago made out of capri sun juice containers when our Young Women class leaders were thinking of ideas for scripture bags for the girls to make. Such a neat idea to recycle these products that take forever to breakdown in land fills into something useful and fun. I have seen them made into laptop bags, wallets, coin purses, hand bags, scripture bags and sun/grocery bags. So before you throw those juice box containers, Oreo cookie packages, Frito chip packages, candy wrapers etc. out in the trash, I hope this with inspire you to make them into something useful. One of my husbands mission companions even had a scripture case made out of duct tape of all things! I am going to make one of these cute colorful juice box sun bags for my daughter this summer to put sand toys and beach gear in. You can find all sorts of patterns to make these kind of items on the internet. Hope you will do the same with your kids juice boxes and candy wrappers! :) Another cute gift idea to make or buy!

Sun Bag Pattern sites on web-

*For A Capri Sun Juice Box Pattern Sun Bag go to:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Capri-Sun-Purse

*For A Candy Bar package Purse go to:
http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Candy-Bar-Wrapper-Purse

Learning To Love Yourself -Mommy Therapy Ripple Effect

2009-04-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

We all know that being a Mommy is an over time job. If we were actually getting paid to do our job in the workforce, we would be getting over time pay and bonus packages like those wealthy CEO's for all time we invest in our children or household. I think we forget to treat ourselves once in a while to a little Mommy "ME Time Bonus Package!" It can get lonely as a mother who doesn't get enough social contact or mother who moves to another state or country and has to make new friends again. I hope that this blog post will inspire mothers who read this to do something for at least an hour a day or week for themselves. Getting involved with others and taking time for yourself not only will give you social stimulation and a break from your children, but will make you a happier mother and wife. Having a personal outlet where you can go and then return to your loved ones with a new renewed spirit will benefit all of you. When we are happy with ourselves, we are more inclined to reach out and love others with the new happiness we have found. We find this same uplift in life through service. You forget all your worries when you are serving others. By sharing our love with others we begin a ripple effect that spreads with each person we love in our our circle of influence. They in turn want to share that love with us and pass it along to uplift others too. So here are a few inexpensive ideas to help you get involved with others and do something to help you get some enjoyable Mommy Therapy time.

* Get your mommy friends together for exercise time-
You can join a gym together which is fun but a bit pricy. Save money and walk/jog the bike trails to the parks where your kids can play and you can socialize. On the days it rains, just head indoors and walk the covered shopping malls together early in the morning when there aren't that many shoppers. If you belong to a church that has a cultural hall inside then ask permission to use it once a week to get together and do exercise video's together. You can take turns each week watching the kids so everyone gets a chance to get a great workout and also each share your workout videos so you don't have to buy them and get a new exercise each week.

* Take a class for yourself in the comunity-
There are so many classes offered through adult education, community centers, and community colleges. I took flower arranging once through an adult education center and had an amazing time with the ladies I met and created flower arrangements with. My mother just went back to college to get a degree in Water Coloring and loves it so much she has now taken the class 3 times and advanced into an amazing water color artist. A few of my friends have taken up dance classes in the community and are loving the experience of meeting new people and learning something they have always wanted to learn or do. Some of these places offer child care but for those that don't try exchanging babysitting with other moms who want to get out for some mommy time themselves.

*Ladies church groups-
Most church's have women who get together for fun group nights. The women in my church not only have a home making night where they learn everything from crafts to topics that will help them as mothers and wives. Some of the other groups they have set up are Needle Point and Chats, where they work on sewing projects as they chat. They teach each other to sew or knit etc. so they can also work on projects that can be donated to maternity wards or shelters like baby hats and blankets etc. Other groups are book clubs, recipe exchange nights, and they have even gotten together to learn and to put together economic sized dry mixes or dinners while they socialize.

*Make your own group or start a service project-
Create your own blog or group on Facebook. Get people involved in a service project yourself or join a pre-made group in the community like Habitat For Humanity to build homes for needy families or serve in a homeless shelter soup kitchen. I know mothers who have become foster or adoption mothers and get involved in these agencies or the charities that go to help these organizations. There are endless opportunities to serve others! Also remember to pamper yourself with a special girly treat occasionally, you deserve it! (Pedicure, message, lunch with your girlfriends etc.)

I HEART PIZZA Night- Date night or family night.

2009-04-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for an awesome romantic dinner date night idea or special family dinner idea you have to try this. Call ahead to your favorite pizza place and ask them to cut the pizza dough into a heart shape for you and your sweetheart. If you are really clever then you could ask them to write a short loving message with the pizza toppings. (ie. Love, I love you ... or Marry Me..., for those of you who need a unique marriage proposal idea. )

You can also save some money if you are dining at home and enjoy making a heart shaped pizza with your loved ones or even together with another couple for a double date and have them bring some ingredients. If you are making the pizza you can also cut the pepperoni in heart shapes too. Just a sweet way to let your loved ones know they are special and loved with a little effort on your part. Who doesn't love Pizza and in a heart shape just makes it spectacular!

*Buy frozen pizza dough from the store, from your favorite pizza place or here is a great pizza dough recipe I use that is easily made in a bread maker.

3/4 Cup water (80-90 degrees F)
2 TBLS. oil
2 Cups bread flour
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Add water and vegetable oil to bread maker pan. Add flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in center of ingredient and add yeast. You may want to push the dry ingredients so it is level and into corners to absorb some of the water and mixes better.

Program on dough setting and start bread maker. When done remove from pan and place dough on a floured surface. Knead 1 min. then let rest for 15 min.

Roll dough out to fit a 12-14 inch pan. Place dough on greased pan which has been sprinkled with cornmeal ( If using a stone leave ungreased and just use cornmeal.) Cut dough into the heart shape and form an edge if you would like a thicker crust. Let rise in warm draft free place for 20-25 min.

Spread pizza sauce on the dough and top with cheese and your favorite toppings (don't forget to cut those pepperoni's into hearts too)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and cook for 20-25 min. or until nicely browned on top. Let rest 5 min. and enjoy with your loved ones!

Reuse, Recycle And Regift Invitations And Cards

2009-04-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

You don't have to be a scrapbook genius to recycle all those wedding announcement, baby shower invitation and holiday cards you get. My mother keeps her Christmas cards each year and remakes the beautiful images on the fronts into gift tags, other card notelets and embellishments on packages. We had a few friends who reused our wedding annoncement invitation and made us a cute ornament to hang on our Christmas tree to celebrate our first year of marriage. Another couple reinvented our wedding announcement and made it into a gift card to go with the wedding gift they gave us. Since I loved my wedding invitation this made the cards and ornaments so special to us. At my baby shower another one of my friends took the invitation we sent out and made it into a beautiful gift card tag to go with their baby shower gift as well. I realize now that I don't ever have to go buy those expensive Hallmark gift cards again if I just reuse, recycle and regift all those beautiful invitations, announcements and cards given to me. What a great way to be eco-friendly and give back in a way that the receivers of the gift will love. So don't throw away those beautiful cards and waste your money on new ones, just be a little clever and REUSE, RECYCLE AND REGIFT them! :)

Love Letters- Create your own love journal for you and your spouse.

2009-04-07T18:52:00.001-07:00

My husband and I love writing love notes to each other as I am sure all couples in love do. I loved getting these beautiful heartfelt letters from him when we were dating and then married, but finding a place to keep the accumulating letters was often hard to do in our small 1 1/2 bedroom apartment with no storage space when we were first married. One day were walking through a bookstore and found a beautiful old world leather journal and decided that this would be our special love journal to write beautiful thoughts and admiration to each other. It has been such an enriching part of our marriage to have a special place for each other to express our appreciation and love. I was thinking that this would also be a great gift as a wedding present for a young married couple to begin their love together too.

Teaching Your Children About Easter-Easter Gifts That Aren't Specifically Candy!

2009-04-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Easter is just around the corner and I have been trying to think of how to teach my little 16 month old about Easter in a way that she will be able to somewhat comprehend. Last year when I was teaching a Young Women's class at church, I came across these Resurrection Eggs on Amazon.com. Each egg has an item in it that represents the Saviors life until he was resurrected. I thought it was so darling and so simple for anyone to understand. You can make your own like this one above or purchase one on Amazon to give to a little child or have for Family Home Evening Lessons. They usually come with a little booklet that go through the events as you open each egg. If you are making your own just remember that the last egg is empty to represent the empty tomb and that Christ was resurrected. I can't wait to teach my little girl with these eggs.

*Here are some helpful websites on how to make your own Resurrection Eggs

http://www.mormonshare.com/node/16506
http://www.rainbowcastle.org/resurrectioneggs.html
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2110.html

Another great idea for teaching your children is with simple flip books or sometimes referred to as Quiet Books in church. You can give these to your children as a gift on Easter Sunday to be looked at during Sacrament meeting. We have a i-Mac computer and they have an amazing program in the i-photo software that you can put together an i-Book. It cost us about 10 dollars to make a little book for our daughter or you can find some great images on Google images that you can compile yourself in a book. Heritage Maker books are also a wonderful way to make one of these books too.

*Make your own Resurrection Quiet Book using this site

http://www.heritagemakers.com/

For your older children you can make an Easter gift basket that includes ways to learn about the savior. This could include anything from a small Framed Picture of the Savior, a picture book about easter, their own set of scriptures if they don't have one yet and scripture marking pencils or scripture mastery stickers and a CTR ring or tie tack in an easter egg. Have fun with it and see what other fun things you can put into it to remind them of the Savior.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Put your best face forward-Haircuts and Face Shapes

2009-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago, I was asked to teach a class on face shapes and hair cuts that compliment each face shape. Once you know your face shape and the do's and don'ts, you can save yourself from expensive embarrassing hair cuts and trendy styles that don't flatter your face. I don't know about you, but getting a new hair cut always makes me feel so good. Hair cuts have been on my mind lately because I just chopped my hair off by myself for the first time last week. It was a very liberating experience since I let it grow so long and lifeless. I didn't have my professional hair cutting sheers on me at the time, so I used my really sharp Martha Stewart craft sheers and they did quite well. Apart from my one year old who kept interrupting my hair cut in our bathroom by pulling down the toilet paper roll and her determination to stick her fingers in the toilet, my hair came out just the way I wanted it.

The first thing you will need to do is take a tape measure and measure your face from side to side at the jaw bone, cheeks and forehead. Then measure from top to bottom of your forehead to chin. Write these numbers down on a piece of paper and it will help you see where your face in narrow or wide to determine what shape you are. Here are the seven basic face shapes. The Oval is the ideal face shape and compliments almost any hair style. A good hairstyles will cut hair according to your facial features and by doing this they will be able to accent or disguise your facial features to make your face appear as if it is Oval in shape.

Oval

The oval face is 1.5 times longer that it is wide and its forehead is slightly wider than the jaw. Considered the most ideal and versatile facial shape by hair experts, many haircuts and styles suit an oval face. However, the best styles to go for are the ones that have layers at the height of you best features such as cheekbones, lips or chin. Short layers at the top of the head should be avoided as they make the face look longer, while ladies with an oval face and thick and curly hair should avoid blunt cut as it looks like a pyramid.

Rectangular

Long and narrow facial shape with a square chin and hairline is known as Rectangular facial shape. Hair cut for rectangular face should add width to its sides, play down on its length by adding a fringe on the forehead and a style that has a side part to soften the squareness of the face. Extremely long or short haircuts make the face look longer while chin-length bobs and haircuts add width to the face. Another way to add the width is to add the curls & waves in your hair. However, short layers lend volume to the top further elongating the face then balancing it.

Round

This facial type has a round chin. Hairstyles should add height on top of the head. You have to cut the bulk from the sides of your face to give it an oval look. So, one length haircut or blunt cuts on short hair should be avoided. Hair width needs to be minimized on the sides and around the ears by keeping them flat at those points. Wispy tapered ends take away the attention from the roundness of the face. Hair styles that fall right below the chin and have layers from the top down, elongate the face and look good.

Square

Facial shapes that have a square jaw line and hairline and seem too short, need a hairstyle that lends length and roundness to it. Layered hair around the jaw line soften it a bit while wispy hair take the attention away from the squareness of the face. Layered haircuts that frame the face are best for square faces. Best options are the short, spiky cuts or long, sleek styles with top down layers starting at the jaw line. Blunt cut bangs or chin-length bobs make the face look squarer.

Heart

This facial shape is widest at the temples and narrowest at the jaw line with a small and delicate and sometimes pointed chin. Hairstyle for this shape needs to add width at the jaw line. Eyes and cheekbones are generally strong points of the heart shaped face. Women with short hair can keep the top layers soft and long or side-swept bangs while the women with longer hair can try long, wavy layers that come across to your cheekbones that lend certain rounded look to the pointed chin. Harsh choppy layers or blunt cut bangs do not suit a heart-shaped face.

Pear
This facial shape has a narrow forehead and wide jawline with a round chin. Attempt is to add width to the forehead and the temples while taking the attention away from the roundness of the jaw. You hair should appear wide and full at the top and temples and could be wear brushed away from the face and up toward the ears. Down from the ears, the hair should fall along the chin to soften it and narrow down the jaw line. Chin length hair is best. Decrease the hair volume from the top, the sides and around the ears. Curls around the temples will soften the face.

Diamond

Widest at the forehead but narrow at the forehead and chin, hair styles for a diamond face needs to add width to the forehead and soften or disguise the cheekbones to give an illusion of the oval face. Add more fringe and volume to the forehead and the chin while smooth hair compliment the cheekbones better. A low side parting and a sweep of hair brushed across the forehead add width to the face and make it look shorter. Asymmetric haircuts look good too along with adding to the hair volume with curly or wavy styles.

* So now that you know what face shape and hair cut work best for you, go get a hair cut and put your best face forward! :)

How to fight the sock monster

2009-04-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and that means wash day in our house. We spent so many years holding on to missing pairs of socks in hopes that their match would magically re-appear again. During my baby shower someone, told me this clever tip on how to get rid of the sock monster for good! Stick all your socks in inexpensive mesh lingerie bags and throw the mesh bag in with your other cloths to be washed and dried. I promise you will never loose your socks again. Works wonders for those tiny baby socks that get caught in the new washer door flaps too. This will make pairing your socks after they are washed a snap and you can even have color coded bags for each family member's socks too. Happy wash day! :)

The Interview With God-Inspirational Video Clip

2009-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my mother received this little inspirational video clip from one of her friends in an e-mail and then passed it on to me. It is very beautiful and not only are the pictures and music beautiful, but so is the simple message. Please watch it and pass it on to a friend to enjoy! :)

"Fireproof Your Marriage" Movie Night

2009-04-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

My husband and I saw this incredible faith based movie last year in the movie theater on marriage called, "Fireproof Your Marriage-Never leave your partner behind." If you haven't seen it yet, it is a wonderful date night movie to watch with your spouse and also anyone thinking about getting married. We rented it last night and after the second time of seeing it, I was still impressed by the little congregation that put this movie and other faith based movies together like "Facing The Giants" to promote healthy marriages and families based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. It even has Kirk Cameron from the 80's TV series "Growing Pains" as one of the lead actors. Please rent it and pass it along to your friends.

Finding Your "Divine Design" After Life's Little Storms

2009-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I was awakened from my sleep by flood sirens and a stream of water running through my bedroom. It had been a tough couple of years for me and this was just one more test I had to face. Later that day I sat by our family room window and looked out into our water logged garden to see the aftermath of the storm. As I sat there contemplating my life and each disappointment I had faced in the past few years and where I had hoped to be, my eyes fell upon our little apricot tree. My mother had just pruned it and it looked very bare with it's pruned branches scattered on the ground around it. It looked so frail and sad. I guess kind of like how I was feeling myself. I remembered what my mother had pruned it the way she did to help it grow strong without the extra burden of branches and fruit that it wouldn't be able to hold.

My mind reflected upon the Lord and how he took upon our sins and burdens so that we could handle our load in life. I then realized that I was being pruned too with each test and trial, to prepare myself for what lay ahead of me and that the Lord had along the way relieved me of some of my burdens. As I looked at those branches on the ground a familiar childhood Primary song popped into my head. "Popcorn Popping On The Apricot Tree"! As the words played in my head, my mind began imagining those branches filling with beautiful blossoms like popcorn as they looked in springtime. I then began imaging a new life for myself and also a new bedroom filled with beautiful flowers and apricot blossoms to remind me of this little lesson I had just learned. I took those apricot branches after they were dry and glued white silk blossoms on them and put together my dream bedroom. I even made 5 of the pillows in the picture myself which was so much fun to design. The years that have followed after this event have been so wonderful and everything has worked out better than I had planned for.

Each of us has our fair share of storms in life. With the way our economy is right now, a lot of us are living through these storms right now. Sometimes it is hard to see what lies ahead for us when our dreams are being thrashed round about us. But I know if we keep the faith and trust in the Lord, these hard times will blossom into something much more beautiful for us. I hope that we can each remember to find joy in our trials and remember the Lord's "Divine Design" for each of us. I also hope that you will create something of beauty from these trials that can remind you how much the Lord loves you and that you need to remember to love yourself as well.

Make Your Own Personalized Family Proclamation

2009-04-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

It is General Conference weekend and that always makes me happy. Conference not only allows us the opportunity to hear from the leaders and Prophet of the church and receive further guidance on our spiritual progress, but also reminds me of how much I love being with my family and that we will be together forever.

A few months ago I was looking for a LDS Family Proclamation to put on our wall. I looked through all the LDS book stores and on line but they were very pricy and kinda dated looking with the boring beige background and plain text or grandma looking dried flower borders. Then one day I was scanning through some LDS Google/Flicker images online and came across this family photo version. This is exactly what I was looking for and I could make it myself and frame it with a simple black frame to match our other artwork in our home saving us a bundle and making our Proclamation special and personal.

I entered our family in a drawing for a family photography sessions from my dear friend Marielle Hayes who is an amazing professional photographer here in Oakland, CA and to my delight I won. I am looking forward to having her take our photos and hopefully use one of them to make our own family proclamation photo. So stay tuned and I will post our session and our Family Proclimation when it is complete.

*Please check out Marielle's Photography at http://blog.mariellehayes.com/

Gift Giving That Won't Break Your Piggy Bank

2009-04-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here is another great idea from my friend Emma on giving gifts to your children without breaking your piggy bank to do it. She has three boxes set aside for each of her children that she fills with gifts throughout the year. She fills the boxes with less expensive gifts like books and small items that they expressed interest in during the year. Spreading the gift giving in small doses helps her save during those traditionally expensive gift giving seasons like Christmas. She says that it has helped her children focus on the true spirit of Christmas and the holidays, instead of lots of gifts. It also keeps her from forgetting what each of her children wanted if she buys the item when they have expressed an interest in it. Her boxes are covered in materials that the children can use again which make them great eco friendly gifts too. Such a great idea Emma, thanks for sharing this gift giving tip!

Family Vacations That Are Budget Friendly

2009-04-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Emma shared this budget friendly vacation with me today and I am excited to pass this idea along to all of you to try. They are a family with three children. Their little girl has a hard time traveling long distances so they came up with a clever idea to spend their holiday close to home. They traveled exactly 20 min. down the road to their mother-in law's home. They used her home as their accommodations while she was away vacationing elsewhere. It allowed Emma's mother-in-law to have someone watch over her home while she was gone and gave their little family of 5, a budget friendly safe place to stay with their 3 little children. Not having to pay for travel or hotel accommodations meant that they could spend more of their money on fun things with the kids instead. They visited all the local pools, zoos, museums, beaches and attractions. Being so close to home also meant that they could pack light and if they forgot anything they could easily drive 20 min. down the road to get it. I love this idea.

When I was single I was often referred by friends to their friends to house sit for them and this sometimes included watching their animals and children while they were away too. It was so wonderful to get a new change of scenery for my own little mini vacation and away from my own home life. I am so glad Emma was able to take advantage of a similar situation and turn it into a lovely vacation for their family to enjoy together. So next time a family member or friend mentions they are going out of town and need a house sitter you can turn it into an opportunity to get away yourself or turn it into a family vacation. Thanks Emma! :)

My parents have also taken advantage of budget friendly vacations over the years by staying in some really nice and affordable hostels that looked like 5 star bed and breakfast inns and camp sites near wonderful quiet beaches. There are so many local, historical and natural attractions everywhere that mini vacations for families on a tight budget are perfect. I have even had friends that have set up their tents in the back garden of their home as a mini vacation for their children. Family fun doesn't need to come with a big price tag attached to it! I hope this will spark some wonderful family vacation ideas for everyone on a budget.

S'mores Date Night By Candle Light

2009-04-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's Friday Date Night and the baby is going to bed a bit early! Our usual babysitter (Mom) is sick so we will be staying home tonight, but that won't stop us from having a great time together! :) Earlier this week we were invited to roast S'mores with our neighborhood friends in the backyard. We had a wonderful time but had to leave early to put the baby to bed so we missed out on roasting S'mores. Tonight we are going to roast marshmallows by romantic candle light, drink hot chocolate and snuggling on the couch and watch a Netflix movie via instant play on our computer. I am so excited for our Romantic and yet economic date night! Just shows that dates don't have to be expensive to be fun, romantic and full of quality time.

Date Night Service Idea

2009-04-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

My husband and I love our weekly date night out. We are so lucky to have family in the area who love watching our little girl each week so we can get away for an hour or two. The other day my husband came home from meeting with a few of our friends and told me these couples hadn't been out on a date more than twice a year. I was shocked and immediately ran to the computer to make them these free babysitting coupons from us. I also added a twist by adding one extra coupon that they had to give their own babysitting service to another couple to pay-it-forward and keep date night alive for as many of our friends as possible. Such a simple way to give service to another couple and it gave our daughter the chance to play with their kids, which she loves. Finding a good babysitter isn't easy and it can be expensive too so I hope that this little service idea will inspire you to do something like this for your friends who could use a date night out.

Fun Jello Cup Ideas-Mud pie and Fish in the sea

2009-04-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Jello brings a smile to anyone's face, young and old. These two Jello cups (Mud Pie and Fish In The Sea) are so fun to make and share with anyone who is a kid at heart.

Simple Mud Pie

4 cups of cold milk

1 package Jell-O chocolate flavor instant pudding

1 package Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding

1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip topping, thawed

Oreo cookies, finely crushed

plastic cups

gummy worms

Prepare instant chocolate and vanilla puddings separately, as directed on packages with milk. Let stand for five minutes. Then stir in 1/2 cup of cool whip gently into each bowl of pudding. Sprinkle a few Oreo crumbs (about 1 tbls.) into bottom of 8 plastic cups. Top the Oreo crumbs each with 1/4 cup of vanilla pudding, add another layer of Oreo crumbs (1 tbls.) and 1/4 cup chocolate pudding on top of that layer. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Oreo crumbs and then refrigerate for at least an hour. Insert two or three gummy worms into the Oreo top soil of each cup before serving.

* If you are making this for little girls or giving it away to a friend, you can line a small terra cotta planter pot with tin foil and top your mud pie with craft flowers inserted in the center. I have even seen small garden trowel scoops to use as a spoon. Great gift idea for friends who love flowers and gardening.

Everything is more fun with Jello!

When I was in college, my roommate and I did these fun fish in the sea Jello cup as a way to ask a guy out to a girl's choice dance. We included a little note with this that said, "Out of all the fish in the sea, will you come to the dance with me?" or something like that. These little Jello cups are so cute and fun to give to anyone!

Fish In The Sea

1 package of Blue Jello

1 package of Swedish Fish or Fruit cut into fish shapes

Oreo Cookies crushed

1 container cool whip or whip cream

Make Jello according to box directions. In clear plastic cups sprinkle a small amount (1 tbls.) of crushed Oreo Cookie bits to look like the ocean floor. Pour Jello mixture gently into cups as to not disturb the cookie bits too much. Place in refrigerator for about an hour till Jello partially sets. Push Swedish gummy fish (or fruit shaped fish) into the Jello. When the Jello sets, top with whip cream or cool whip to look like waves.

Fun things to do with your kids- RAIN or SHINE!

2009-04-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've been saving these fun homemade recipes for years, in hopes that one day I could make them for some great playtime with my children. Now that my little girl is old enough for most of these activities, I can't wait to try them.

Homemade Play dough

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp. food coloring

1 tbls. vegetable oil

1 cup water

2 tbls. cream of tartar

mix flour , salt, and cream of tartar in a medium pot. Add water, food coloring and oil. stir over medium heat 3-5 min. When mix forms a ball in center of pot take it out and put it on a floured surface. Knead and then pace in airtight ziplock or container and place in fridge.

Homemade Face Paint

1 tsp. corn starch

1/2 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. cold cream (facial cream)

food coloring

In each muffin tin cup mix corn starch, water, cold cream and a few drops of food coloring and stir. Each cup should be a different color.

Homemade Finger Paint

3 tbls. sugar

few drops of dish detergent

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 cups cold water

food coloring

4 plastic or paper cups

Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a sauce pan. Then add water and mix again. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until well blended (about 5 min.) Remove from stove, cool and pour into cups. Add a little food coloring in each cup and a few drops of detergent. *Tip: ware smocks or old t-shirts while painting because food coloring stains! Have fun!

My Mum's mouth watering Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

2009-04-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have collected some amazing recipes and either written them down in a cute notebook or binder that is now stuffed full. It is time that I shared these wonderful recipes with all my friends especially the ones who say that I must be a domestic goddess since I know how to bake and they think they can't get the same results if they tried. So if following directions makes me a domestic goddess in the kitchen then I hope it will do the same for you too. I loved these muffins my Mum would make us as children because they have my favorite mouth watering combination of chocolate and orange. They also fill the house with a amazing smell when they are baking.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

2 medium oranges (grated peel)

3 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temp.

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

Beat sugar and butter together. Add eggs and beat. Add orange peel , orange juice, yogurt and beat. In another bowl sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture and beat to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into muffin liner cups placed in a muffin tin (or spray the muffin tin and lightly flour the tin if not using liners) 2/4 way full and bake at 375 degrees for 15-25 min. till lightly golden.

Popeye would go crazy for this Spinach Dip in a bread bowl

2009-04-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Most of us grew up watching Popeye the sailor man go crazy for his can of spinach. Here is another way to get your Popeye serving of spinach without having to eat it plain. I served this dip at my 31st birthday last month and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe so here it is. We served this dip with different fondues so it is defiantly a great little recipe to whip up to bring a smile to everyones faces at a get together.

Popeye's Spinach Dip In a Bead Bowl recipe

Serves 24

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (16 oz.) container sour cream

1 (1.8 oz) package dry leek soup mix

1 (4 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/2 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 (1 lb.) loaf round sourdough bread (pumpernickel, or any large round artisan bread)

In a medium bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dry leek soup mix, chopped water chestnuts and chopped and drained spinach. Chill in the refrigerator 6 hours or overnight. (I only refrigerated it for half an hour and it was still great)

Remove the top and interior of a sourdough bread bowl. Fill bread bowl with spinach dip. Chop up the remaining sourdough you hollowed out into bite size pieces for dipping and place around the bread bowl. Dip and enjoy!

In my next life I want to come back as a Snicker-doodle

2009-04-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

If I actually believed in reincarnation, I think that I would like to come back as a Snickerdoodle. I don't think I have ever met anyone who has ever expressed any dislike for these lovely cookies yet. Even the name makes you giggle and cheers your heart. They sure make your mouth smile and the cinnamon sugar coating makes them look so pretty and elegant. So if you want to get a snicker or a smile out of someone then these little cookies will do the trick. This lovely recipe I found a few years ago on Martha Stewart's online recipes and I haven't found it's equal yet, it is crowd pleaser. I also recommend to cut the recipe in half if you aren't going to share them with a crowd. I love using this recipe as a sweet gift at Christmas time because they make so many and have that perfect cinnamon smell for the season. This is one way to bring back lovely memories of the spirit of Christmas that can be brought back into your memory throughout the year when you make these cookies.

Snicker-Doodle Recipe

makes 4 dozen

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

8 tbls. ( 1 stick) unsalted butter softened

1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar (reserve 1/4 cup for coating)

2 tbls. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1/12 cups of sugar. Beat on medium speed about 2 min. Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs and beat. Add the dry mix of ingredients from the other bowl and beat.

In a small shallow bowl add 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tbls. of sugar and mix together. Roll cookie mixture into round balls or use a 1 1/4 oz ice-cream scoop to form balls of dough. Roll the cookie ball gently in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and place 2 inch. apart on a cookie sheet that has (parchment paper or Silpat mat) I just spray mine with non-stick spray and it works just fine too. I then take the bottom of a flat glass cup and press the cookie down gently a bit. Cook at 400 degrees for about 10 min. or until lightly golden and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cook for 5 min. Yumm!! Enjoy and don't forget to pour yourself a glass of milk or share these with your friends!

mini vanilla wafer cheese cakes always make me smile

2009-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

These little Cheese Cakes make me smile every time I make them. I don't know if it because they are so tiny and cute or that they are so easy to make and portion controlled. The Cheese Cake Factory opened a few weeks ago near us and I have been craving Cheese Cake for days. The problem is that the Restaurant is Packed still with a large waiting list to get in and the portions are huge for a girl who is trying to loose a bit of mommy fat. So for those of you who like Cheesecake in small doses or would like to share something wonderful and new with friends to make them smile, then try these.

Mini Vanilla Wafer Cheese Cake Recipe

makes 12

12 vanilla wafer cookies

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese

1/2 cup Powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 can blueberry or cherry pie filling

12 foil muffin cups

Put foil muffin cups in the bottoms of a 12 cup muffin tray. Place a vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each cup. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar until well blended. Add eggs and mix well again. Pour over wafers and fill 3/4 the way full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 min. Chill and top with a spoonful of blueberry or cherry pie filling. Enjoy and share this sweet treat with some good friends!