Organization: Toys!

Sometimes I actually come up with brilliant ideas that actually work! This, my friends, was one of them! It's easy for my kiddos to see what toys they have out to play with (I dont' keep all of my kids' toys out in sight...many are stored in a closet inside plastic boxes...along with their cooresponding tags), it's easy for my kids to clean up and best of all...it doesn't look like a totaly chaiotic mess! And because of course this blog is all about the sharing,

 I thought I'd share with you some of the lables that I printed out and made for my kids (dont' forget to laminate!). If you're interested in doing this organization project and would like to see a specific toy that your child has, leave a comment! If I get enough to do another page (or more!) I'd be happy to create and share! :)

Enjoy!

Toy Box Labels

I'll See You in the Morning

I'll See You in the Morning

by Mike Jolley

I believe that routine is such an important part of a child's life. It makes them feel safe and secure when they know what to expect. The bedtime routine in our house has only varied slightly over the last four and a half years. When we have changed it up, it has been one small thing at a time, as to not make any drastic changes. Or nights usually go something like this:

1. Bathtime - Very rarely do we miss bathtime. When we do, we're usually totally out of our routine because we've been out late doing something fun and special (Disney, Movies, etc.) and it's so late that the kids would rather just go to bed.
2. Responsibility Chart - Each of the kids have a Responsibility Chart in which they are accountable to each night. They usually meet with Drew and they answer honestly if they have completed each responsibility for the day. (This is where we give the kids their allowance from as well. Each smiley face equals ten cents. During the "Family Business' portion of Family Home Evening, Drew goes over what they've earned for the week, pulling out money for tithing and savings. We've found this works particularly well when our kids tell us that they want a particular toy. We ask them if they have enough money to buy it, and if they don't we give them the choice if they would like to save for that. Most the time they want to save and every few months, they've saved enough money to come away with some pretty cool toys)
3. Song - In going along with our FHE, I've been printing out the Primary Songs in the form of Flip Charts. The kids can pick a song they want to sing, or sometimes we'll work on the monthly Primary Song that the kids are learning in church (after serving many years in the Primary and realizing how many kids struggled with learning the songs one day a week for 15 minutes, I always swore that my kids would know each of the songs they were learning). Song and maybe a story or two and prayers would typically be the end of our bedtime routine, except that the last month or so, the kids favorite song to sing has been Scripture Power. So, a few weeks ago Drew and I were laying in bed talking about how cute we thought it was that this was their favorite song to sing. Then I said, "You know, we really need to start doing family scripture study before they catch on to what they are actually singing about!" Which brings me to.....
4. Family Scripture Study - As a family, we decided to read The Book of Mormon together. Though, because my kiddos are still little, I don't think I could hold their attention (or comprehension) for more than a few scriptures. So, we've been reading a few verses from the scriptures that correspond with a chapter from The Book of Mormon Reader, which we will read typically after reading the verses from the scriptures.
5. Individual/Family Prayer - One day, I imagine, we'll branch off for individual prayer and say one prayer a night, but, while the kids are still young and learning, we've been having the kids say one prayer each (though we never force them to say it).
6. Bed! - This is where we tuck the kids in and expect them to stay there. But, who am I kidding? Even after we've done all this, Kami will still be calling "demands" from her bedroom ("Can I have some water?" "Can you get the kitty and put her in here?" "Can I read for a little bit?"). And AJ. Oh, AJ. He'll pop in and out of bed for about 30-45 minutes before he'll actually fall asleep (I joke that I want to get a water bottle and everytime he comes out of bed, squirt him...then maybe he'll one day get the hint that he needs to stay in bed. Of course, it's totally a joke and I would never actually do that; but, somedays........)

Like I said before, I think routine is important and although this routine may look hassle-free here on the blog, I think any parent will tell you that the actually way things play out don't always go as you plan. Parenthood is hard. Some night are better than others, but, maybe one day they'll look back on our "routine" and be glad for it.

Sue and Lou...

So, first off -JESSICA!!!! You're amazing! Really, for so many reasons but right here right now for the AWESOME year's worth of FHE lessons. THANK YOU!!!

I'm not nearly as put together and clever as all of that, but I thought I'd share a little about what's worked surprisingly well for us. My hunnie bunnie is a super dad when it comes to dealing/playing/loving every second of spending time with our little ladies. He is so patient and almost always keeps a very even temper and and a logical head on his shoulders. Where they can drive me batty he just doesn't let them phase him, he's good I tell you what. So, once upon a time we where having a problem sharing, not so much big V and I, the ladies. So, we decided we needed to address it during FHE bring out the big guns and have a whole lesson on it. Vance was in charge and rather then lecture them, which at 3 and 5 probably wouldn't have been so useful, he told them the story of Sue and Lou-a brother and sister who had trouble sharing. They were hooked! He weaved this elaborate story about these siblings, and it didn't take long for the kids to see that not sharing was unkind and that Sue and Lou were in the wrong. They were into it in a BIG way. The funny thing was they never connected that they had been like Sue and Lou, but from then on out they would stop themselves when they started to argue over something and say, "wait, we do not want to be like Sue and Lou". Now, it's not a permanent fix, I wish it was, but it did make an impact and it definitely gave them something to think about. We've since address a number of negative habits/behaviors with stories about Billy and Bobby, Carol and Jessica, whatever wacky family Vance comes up with. It works, I tell you what! Plus it feels a little better and certainly less nag-e, to point out the negative in someone else and show how not to be rather then coming down on them all the time, at least for us anyway.

fhe in a flash!

"We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest."

-President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 2005

Family Home Evening has always, always, always been a struggle for me and my little family to carry out. For the first six years of marriage, our family consisted of just me and my husband, so, we never really formalized Family Home Evening - we felt that since we were with each other all the time, that that was enough. Then along came Kami. For the first few years we'd hold Family Home Evening on and off, but, nothing really consistent because Kami's attention span wasn't much more than about 5 seconds. Kami grew and then along came AJ. Again, we'd have family home evening every once in a while. Now that both AJ and Kami are old enough to know something of what is going on and can grasp simple concepts, I started to realize that we really needed to do something. Even if it was just super simple - but, whatever it was it needed to be consistent. So, one day, I happened upon a link on one of my most favorite go-to church lesson and activity idea website. A lady had created a lesson a week that corresponded with the Primary Sharing Time lessons. All of the lessons were from the Friend Magazine or from a lesson manual. I loved it! I love the simplicity of the concept and the quickness of the lessons. It was just was I was looking for. So, this year I ventured out to create my own years worth of lessons. Again, all of the lessons are taken from the Friend or from the lesson manuals, so the only thing I can really take credit for is putting it altogether. I first shared this compilation with my sister who has young kids and a few friends. Then, with some encouragement, I went ahead and submitted the lesson compilation to Sugardoodle (you can find it here) and have had a hugely positive response. So, I thought I'd also post it here on our lovely website. I love sharing my work, so feel free to pass along to anyone who you think might benefit (link at the bottom of this post). Since creating this lesson plan, I have to say, it has helped my family so much to be more consistent and have to have more meaningful lessons.

Enjoy, Ladies!

FHE 2011

Go GREEN!!!

Not sure why green is where my heart is, but it is-and has been for some time. I love it. I think because it's such, (or at least it can be) a happy vibrant color. I LOVE spring when everything starts to go from the yucky winter blahs to the lively and lovely green! Things start budding and flowers bloom, *sigh* it's wonderful. The world is awash in varying shades of green.

I love it so much I paint rooms and buy sweatshirts that are green

I wear green shirts when I travel



I take pictures of abnormally large green veggies

I have this purse


I even make AWESOME green Christmas sweatshirts

Pretty much, green is where it's at. At least I think so anyway!

* The sweatshirts are amazingly cool, but they were just a joke I promise. My bro and sis-in-law were the lucky recipients of those bad boys. Nice eh??

anything but pink......

Hmmmmm....favorite color........ I have never liked "girly" colors: pink, purple, fuschia, lavender, and all those in between. I do always lean towards "boy" colors. When I think of colors, I always think of clothes and decorating. This is my current favorite color combo: GREY and YELLOW. I really want to keep doing my bedroom like this. I just need to finally get around to painting that dresser black. Anyone want to do a painting party?
My wedding colors were light blue and chocolate brown. Before it was everywhere. We had a super hard time finding bridesmaid dresses (that weren't over $150) and now it is everywhere and maybe almost out of style?
Now I've got to decide how to decorate Kate's new room in our new house.....she is going to have our "guest bed" light wood-queen bedroom set in her room. Hmmmmmmm......maybe bright colors? Any ideas ladies?

I'm a "White"

Have you ever met or interacted with someone for the first time and thought to yourself, "I wonder what personality color they are." I must confess: I think this all the time! The way I see it, if I knew what color they were, I'd know how to interact with them a little better. Though some "colors" I can spot right away, it's always interesting to know for sure.

So, I just took the Dr. Hartman's Personality Test a few moments ago. I've taken it before, but it's always nice to know nothings changed (I think, however, as a child/teenager, I think I would have bordered on being a bit of a "yellow") in the last few years. ;) So. I am a "white" (possibly with a little "blue" mixed in). What does that mean? That means that my personality kind of plays out like this:

Whites Are Motivated by Peace
Whites will do almost anything to avoid confrontation. They like t flow through life without hassle or discomfort. Feeling good is eve more important to them than being good.

Whites Need Kindness

While Whites respond beautifully to thoughtfulness and amiability, they have a strong, silent stubbornness that surfaces when they are treated unkindly. They resent being scolded. They dislike harsh words. They open up instantly to people who are kind, but White recoil from those who are hostile. They are motivated by kindness and can't understand why other people are unkind.

Whites Prefer Quiet Strength

Whites enjoy their quiet independence. What appears to some people as quiet desperation can show itself to be bullheadedness. Those who misinterpret the peace-loving nature of a White as an invitation to be demanding and bossy will soon meet a wall of passive resistance. Whites are tougher than people think.

Whites Like to Keep a Low Profile

Whites like to be asked their opinions. They won't volunteer them. They value the respect of others, but they rarely go out of their way to seek it. They need to be coaxed to talk about their skills, hobbies, and interests.

Whites Are Independent

Unlike Reds and Blues, who want to control others, Whites seek only to avoid being controlled. They simply refuse to be under another's thumb, especially when treated without the respect they feel they deserve. Whites want to do things their own way, in their own time. They don't ask much of others, and resent it when others demand things from them. They often comply with unreasonable demands just to keep peace. They will express their anger and frustration only when they can no longer stand being bossed around. Whites don't like to be pushed, and they can be fearsome when they finally "blow up."

Whites Are Motivated by Other People's Desires

Whites are open to the recommendations of others on ways to resolve any and all situations. White executives value new management ideas from employees. White children welcome help-they are receptive students. Whites make agreeable dates. They are interested in making sure the other person has a good time, and are willing to do whatever the other person wants. Whites, however, want suggestions-not demands.

So, what about you? What's your color personality? Take the quiz (linked above) or buy the book and post your personality color! It's fun - I promise! :)

Rescuing Dinner

So my awesome older sister sent me this cookbook for my birthday last year. We both love cookbooks. We both love to look through them like some juicy people magazine. She went to a taping of "Good Things Utah" and this lady, the Food Nanny-Liz Edmunds, was there cooking a meal. My sister loved the meal and bought me a copy of her book. This book has really helped me get back into the groove of family dinners. I realized what a rut I got into when we moved into this house. We had more money (since we saved on ton on rent), but didn't have family dinners around our table like we used to in our old house. There is hardly space in this house for our table and so we often used the fold out table or Kate's play table, while me and Justin sat on the couch. I really missed family dinners AROUND the table. This book helped remind me of the importance of family dinners. I wouldn't say that these recipes are the most amazing things I have ever tried, but they are certainly good ones for a beginner cook, like myself. I think I will definitely give this as a wedding present in the future. It really helps go over basic cooking. She also does weekly theme nights. Monday is always comfort food, Tuesday-Italian, etc. It makes it much easier to plan dinners. Here's the link to her website in case you want a further look see: Food Nanny-Liz Edmunds

This is one of my favorite recipes from her cookbook. I can always tell when Justin likes a meal, because he tells me I can make it again. In this case, he asked when I was going to make it again.

Penne with Sausage, Red Potatoes, and Green Beans
8 oz. uncooked penne pasta
4 small red potatoes, quartered (I have also done more and it still turns out great)
8 oz. bulk italian sausage
1/4 C. minced yellow onion
2 small garlic cloves, minced (I use my garlic press)
1 C. Chicken Broth
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 lb. fresh green beans, with ends trimmed and then cut in half (you can also you a
14.5 oz can, but I have never tried it with canned green beans)
1 tbsp. italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C. grated romano, asiago, or parmesan cheese (plus a little extra for taste if
someone wants to add it on their dish)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain
2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.
3. cook the green beans in boiling water until tender.
4.MEANWHILE, brown the sausage in a large skillet or stockpot over med high
heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until the onion is soft and the sausage is
completely cooked.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the oil and butter until the butter melts.
7. Add the green beans + red potatoes + pasta and mix well with a large spoon.
8. Then add the italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
9. Decrease the heat to low and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top. Stir
until it melts over the mixture.

And here is a link to this Grocery Shopping list/meal planner I have been using. I saw it in Real Simple magazine and then printed if off from their website. I usually print 2 copies and plan my meals on it (about 2 weeks) then shopping with it, crossing off items I find, then I keep it on the fridge for those 2 weeks so I can remember what I had planned. So far this is my favorite/easiest way to meal plan so far.

Burrito Bowl

Back in October 2010 Drew and I went on a "Low Spend Month". That meant no extras. No impulse Target buys (gasp!), no new clothes (it's not as if we didn't have anything to wear) and absolutely no eating out! We did pretty good and was able to save a ton of money, which came in handy for the upcoming move. However....we sincerely missed our Chipotle Burrito Bowl. :(

So, desprate times called for other measures and I went searching online for the perfect subsitute to our all-time favorite place and found a recipe that sure beat paying $7.00 for lunch! Here's what I came up with:

The "Almost Chipotle" Burrito Bowl

Chicken Marinade & Grilled Chicken

1 can (7 oz) chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (discard all but 3-4 peppers, depending on how spicy you like things)

2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 onion, cut into quarters

1/4 cup olive oil

2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1. Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

2. NOTE: This makes quite a bit of marinade, so a good idea would be to divide in ice cube trays and place in the freezer until frozen. Then store in a freezer safe plastic bag. Defrost 1-2 cubes as needed.

3. Combine 1-2 tablespoons of marinade and chicken in a plastic bag. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1-2 sleeves Success Rice

3 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1.5 fresh limes, juiced

1. Cook rice as directed on the package.

2. Add cilantro and lime juice. Mix well.

fig. 1: Yum!

fig. 2: Yum!

fig. 3: Extra Yum!

And finally, to pull it all together, don't forget to add your toppings such as:

Chips! Leattuce! Cheese! Sour Cream! Salsa! Black Beans (warmed up!)! Chicken! Rice!

Enjoy!

Oh yum!!!

So, it was pretty tough to try and think of a single recipe I wanted to share. I have tons and tons-too many really! For your sake I won't list them all here. I will tell you where most of them are located though, any and I mean ANY Ina Garten cookbook. She is fabulous-really, I mean I want to be her when I grow up. Some of the ladies in my old lady book club thought I was joking when I told them my aspirations for when Vance retires. No joke, I want to buy a big beautiful house in the Hampton's ( who doesn't want that? Heck, I'd take it now if I could!) and spend my days shopping in quaint little farmers markets for ingredients for the delicious dinner I'll make that night. Sigh, doesn't that sound just lovely? Oh, and it will also have a big beautiful garden with all kinds of tasty veggies and herbs and flowers. JOY! (I'm pretty sure I'm part old lady-I love fussy old flowery stuff and teacups and all the junk people sell in antique stores).

On to the recipe! This one is super tasty and really easy, I sub the wine for chicken stock. I'm not opposed to using booze while cooking, I just never have any on hand. Weird. ;) Also, just about any kind of chicken works, and you don't have to leave the skin on either. The food police will let it slide.

Lemon Chicken Breast
	1/4 cup good olive oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves) 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each) 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 X 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Steam some veggies and toss a salad together and you'll have one tasty and very EASY dinner!

Head Bands

Okay, so I'm a little late with the post! So sorry! But....I had good reason...I promise. The reason you ask? I needed a picture. This picture in fact -

Once you look past the sweat running down my face....and in other areas (ahem! quit looking!) you will notice my neatly placed hair at mile 8. That's right. I ran a half marathon and I was very concerned about my hair. Believe me, there is nothing worse than finishing a long hard run, looking at your finishers photo and seeing a crazy, frizzy mess atop your head. So, a few races ago, I discovered these handy headbands that are not only super cute, but stay in place and keep my hair madness to a minimum. I honestly will not run a race without them on.

So, I've put together a list of places that sell them online (in no particular order). And here you go!

1.  Sweaty Bands (this is the brand that me and my niece happen to be wearing in this picture)
2. Chica Bands
3. BIC Bands
4. Cam Bands
5. Deshler Designs