Emojis are all the rage these days and my daughters are not immune to their appeal. Kiki thinks they are fun, but TJ loves anything and everything emoji. She especially loves the poop one. I'm not quite sure why. This year she asked if she could give out emoji Valentines at school. We searched the internet and found some free printable emoji Valentines, but none that contained her favorite poop emoji. So what did I do as an awesome mom? I made her her own Valentines! This isn't the first time I've made Valentines for my girls. Check out the Valentine's posts on this blog and you'll see some that have been a huge success and others that have flopped. Kiki's friends LOVED my fortune teller Valentines. But, an attempt at making invisible ink Valentines was a complete failure. For these free printable emoji Valentines I did my research. I looked up the top used emojis according to Google and my girls' iPods. Though the poop is not in Google's top 10, it is among the top … [Read more...]
My Weight Watchers Journey – The Past Year
A year ago this coming Wednesday I decided it was time to take care of myself and lose weight. On January 4, 2016, I joined Weight Watchers and on January 5th I went to my first meeting. I started my Weight Watchers journey not as a New Year's resolution, but as a gift to myself. Because back in October of 2015 my world turned upside down and I needed to find my happiness. Not a lot has actually changed over this past year but I have learned more about myself than I thought I would. That "I have learned" link? Click on it. Everything I realized in my first month and a half with Weight Watchers still holds true today. I am proud to say that I have maintained my Lifetime membership since I received it 5 months ago. It was this photo taken in September 2015 that gave me a harsh dose of reality. I knew I had gained weight over the years, but I never admitted to myself how much I gained or how much it showed. My daughter was so proud that she took this picture and I didn't … [Read more...]
FREE Printable New Year’s Game
Can you believe another year is almost over? There's only two weeks until New Year's! Where does time go? I feel like each year goes faster and faster the older I get... It's been tradition to spend New Year's with our neighbors but last year we broke that tradition and hung out with friends from our marina. This year, we are truly torn as to where we want to celebrate. Either place we decide to go, I'm bringing this fun, free printable New Year's game to play. Not only is this game incredibly easy to bring and even more simple to play, it's the perfect way to kick off a party where all the guests might not know each other. You can't ask for a more entertaining way to get the conversations started. Add in that this free printable New Year's game is family friendly, and this game is the perfect way to bring the adults and kids together to have some fun. Just make sure that the adults haven't had too much to drink yet because some of the answers *could* get interesting depending … [Read more...]
KidCreate Studio Fun
A few weeks ago KidCreate Studio in Eden Prairie invited a few bloggers and their children to come get to know them, hang out with them and make a Thanksgiving craft. Obviously Thanksgiving is over so I'm a little late writing about all the fun we had, but I'm sharing anyway because KidCreate Studio has some awesome Christmas crafts in their schedule right now. One of the first things you'll notice when you enter KidCreate Studio (besides all the artwork) is their birds, Arty and Crafty. They added some fun with their chirping throughout our creation time. The kids started in a circle on the mats and talked about what they were thankful for as well as learned the rules of the studio. From that point on, us parents could be as little or as much involved as we wanted. Most of us decided to help out a little because we were there. You can certainly drop off your kids and let the staff do all the work though. Our craft was a clay turkey. The staff walked the children … [Read more...]
8 Must Get Christmas Gifts For Dogs – Plus Giveaway
This post of 8 must get Christmas gifts for dogs is sponsored by SmartBones® through Coyne. The SmartBones® information below, product, and gift card, have been provided by SmartBones®. All opinions are my own. If you've been following my blog or my Instagram account for a while you know that my family has two dogs. Our dogs aren't just our pets, they are our 4-legged children. Thus when we celebrate Christmas, Suzy and Bentley are included in the gift receiving (and giving too!). Below you'll find a list of 8 must get Christmas gifts for dogs (and one thing NOT to include on your list) so that you can incorporate your 4-legged child(ren) in Christmas too. New Collar and Leash When was the last time you gave your furry child new jewelry? Did you know it can be hazardous to your dog's health to wear a dirty collar? Not only do dirty collars wear out faster and break easier, they also harbor tons of germs and gross stuff. It's time to get your dog new bling for Christmas! New … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Paper Bowl – Christmas Decor
Last month TJ and I made a leaf bowl out of fallen leaves as part of our fall decor. It worked so well we decided to try making a bowl out of paper for Christmas. If you have left over paper from your Origami wreath, this is perfect! Here's how you can make your own paper bowl Christmas decor: Start by gathering your supplies: Christmas paper in different patterns Round punch (optional) Scissors Modge Podge Bowl (the size you want your finished bowl to be) Sponge brush Plastic wrap Start by using your round punch to make circles out of your paper. It doesn't matter the size of the circles. We used bigger ones but I think if we do this again I would use smaller ones for more variety. If you don't have a round punch, that's ok. You can use any shape punch you want or you can even tear the paper into whatever shape you want. Each bowl is unique and that's the beauty of it! Next you'll want to cover your bowl with plastic wrap so that the Modge … [Read more...]
