Counting On Me

200 Blunt Words for Divorcing Parents

2013-03-12T18:08:00.000-04:00

Today, I came across this advice for divorced parents from Judge Michael Hass, a retired Minnesota Judge, and wanted to share. I think this advice could extend to all parents and grandparents.

"Your children have come into this world because of the two of you. Perhaps you two made lousy choices as to whom you decided to be the other parent. If so, that is your problem and your fault.

"No matter what you think of the other party -- or what your family thinks of the other party -- these children are one-half of each of you. Remember that, because every time you tell your child what an 'idiot' his father is, or what a 'fool' his mother is, or how bad the absent parent is, or what terrible things that person has done, you are telling the child half of him is bad.

"That is an unforgivable thing to do to a child. That is not love. That is possession. If you do that to your children, you will destroy them as surely as if you had cut them into pieces, because that is what you are doing to their emotions.

"I sincerely hope that you do not do that to your children. Think more about your children and less about yourselves, and make yours a selfless kind of love, not foolish or selfish, or your children will suffer."

65 Books for Three-Year-Olds

2013-03-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of books that are perfect for three-year-olds.

Three can be a hard age to pick just the right books. Many simple board and picture books start to become just a little bit too babyish, while lots of picture books still have too many words per page to suit the attention span of toddlers and young preschoolers. Although there are scores of great children's books out there, there are also many that lead parents to believe that their own three your old could have come up with a better story. The stories on this list are not too long, not too short and better told than the average three-year-old child's tale. The list is in alphabetical order which should make them easier to find in the children's section of most libraries.

I hope you and your little ones enjoy reading these together!

65 Stories for 3-Year-Olds

Monkey Do! by Allan Ahlberg
Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough
Babies in the Bayou by Jim Arnosky
When I was King by Linda Ashman
An Orange in January by Diana Hutts Aston
In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear! by Matthew J. Baek
Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker
Little House, Little Town by Scott Beck
A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
And the Train Goes… by William Bee
Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
The Dark, Dark Night by M. Christina Butler
If You're Happy & You Know It! by Jane Cabrera
Holly's Red Boots by Francesca Chessa
Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill
Pigs Love Potatoes by Anika Denise
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Dog's Noisy Day: a Story to Read Aloud by Emma Dodd
Horse by Malachy Doyle
Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
Knitty Kitty by David Elliott
Bark George by Jules Fieffer
Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming
The Perfect Nest by Catharine Friend
Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
The Most Perfect Spot by Diane Goode
Ginger Bear by Mini Grey
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
It's Moving Day! by Pamela M. Hickman
Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Help!: a Story of Friendship by Holly Keller
Pearl's New Skates by Holly Keller
Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett Krosoczka
Green as a Bean by Karla Kuskin
Albert the Fix-it Man by Janet Lord
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
The Mighty Street Sweeper by Patrick H. Moore
Wake Up Engines by Denise Dowling Mortensen
Pillow Pup by Dianne Ochiltree
Bobo and the New Neighbor by Gail Page
Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley
Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
Kids Like Us by Carole Lexa Schaefer
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon
The Stray Dog: from a True Story by Reico Sassa by Marc Simont
Gobble Gobble Crash!: a Barnyard Counting Bash by Julie Stiegemeyer
The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
Winter Is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup
Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems
Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." Jacqueline Kennedy

Organic Grapefruit Body Scrub

2012-12-18T23:00:00.001-05:00

I made homemade citrus body scrubs to give this Christmas. This was my first attempt at making my own body scrub, and I love how it turned out.

The Recipe:

Organic Grapefruit Body Scrub

Ingredients:

3 cups Organic Turbinado Raw Cane Sugar
3/4 cup Organic Sunflower Oil
2 tbsp Organic Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Organic Aloe Vera Gel
40 drops Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil*
10 drops Organic Sweet Orange Essential Oil*
*It took more essential oil than I expected to get the desired scent. Next time, I may try a tablespoon or two of grapefruit in lieu of about half of the drops of essential oils

Mountain Rose Herbs is my go to source for organic essential oils.

Directions:

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. I used a food processor to blend mine.

The Packaging:

5 4-Oz Jars -- The recipe above makes enough to fill all five jars plus little bit left over for you to sample.
5 Avery Print -To-The-Edge Round Labels, Glossy White (22830)

These labels are the perfect fit for the jars above.

I used the Avery Design & Print Online Program to create my labels and absolutely loved how easy it was to get beautiful, professional-looking results!

The End Result:

I couldn't be more pleased with these homemade gifts. In fact, I wish I had ordered more of the 4 Ounce Eco Jars. I think these not only make great Christmas presents, but would be great to keep on hand year-round for whenever you need a little thank you gift, hostess gift, etc.

Home-made Christmas: Baking Soda Clay Ornaments

2012-11-27T18:31:00.001-05:00

Just saw these baking soda clay ornaments on Play At Home Mom LLC and can't wait to try them with Zazu and Kaylicious!

We made ALL of our Christmas ornaments last year, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this year. Making the ornaments for our tree as a family was such a fun way to spend quality time with my little girls, get into the holiday spirit, and save my carefully chosen and collected "fancy" ornaments for years to come when my daughters can tell the difference between blown glass, crystal, fine china, porcelain and toys. It was so much fun and really helped decrease my holiday stress level. I will post photos of our own baking soda ornaments ASAP.

1,028,460 and Counting!

2012-06-21T20:51:00.000-04:00

That's more than a million page views! When I started this blog, on my birthday last year, I would have been excited if a couple thousand people viewed it. As a matter fact I was. I was so ecstatic when I realized at the beginning of June 2011, just a few weeks after I began Counting on Me, that 1700+ people had already visited that I could hardly contain myself. I phoned both my husband and a few close friends to share my amazement that so many people were checking out my simple little blog. Fast forward a year and multiply that excitement by about a zillion and you'll know how overwhelmingly pleased I am with a more than million pageviews! Thank you all for visiting! I hope you'll keep coming back!

A million plus pageviews! Trying to fathom all those visitors, all the times something caught someone's eye and they clicked through to my little blog, all the times that had to happen to add up to be more than a million pageviews, I'm truly amazed! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Happy Mother's Day -- Free Printable

2012-05-13T16:54:00.002-04:00

I love this quote from Agatha Christie:

“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world.

It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and

crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

Happy Mother's Day to All My Mommy Fans!

Here's a free printable made by me for you:

Left Click on the Image to View Full Size and Print.

I Am Mom Enough (mamahealthnut.blogspot.com)
101 Things to Do With Your Toddler (counting-on-me.blogspot.com)

Earth Day 2012

2012-04-22T15:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day!

I love infographics and the one below from Recyclebank is perfect for today!

Share Responsibility for the Planet

Create a network effect on the environment with small changes to your everyday behavior -- Let's take going green viral!

Fill a Pool: If all Facebook users shortened their showers by 1 minute we'd save enough water to fill 1,123,364 Olympic-sized swimming pools
Pin Your Green Idea: If every active Pinterest user pinned one reuse idea per month, there would be 12 million new green ideas on the web
Power Down: If all Twitter users shut down their computers for one hour, it'd be like taking 9,128 cars off the road for a year
Up your Eco-IQ: If you set aside just two minutes a day to watching an environmental video, you'd set aside 12 hours a year to improve your eco-knowledge
Donate to Illuminate: If every smart phone was recycled at the end of its life, enough energy would be saved to power 199,800 homes for one year.
Hit the Pavement: If all Nike+ app users ran outside for just one day instead of on a treadmill $442,500 could be saved on electricity bills.

101 Things to Do With Your Toddler Free Printable

2012-04-06T16:40:00.001-04:00

With 656,004 page views to date, my 101 Things to Do With Your Toddler post has been one of my most popular. I've made it my goal to do everything on the list with my daughters this year. Little by little, we've been checking them off. Some of them have been a big hit, and we've done them many times already.

If you'd like to try to do all of these activities with your toddler or preschooler, I've made a free printable checklist to make it easier. Click the link or the chalkboard image below to open and print the printer-friendly checklist.

101 Things to do With Your Toddler Free Printable Checklist!

Click Here to See Blogs Where I Like to Share

No More Sippy Cups

2012-04-05T14:14:00.000-04:00

I cannot wait for Kaylicious' and Zazu's new Klean Kanteens to arrive, so I can get rid off all this plastic nonsense.

One of my Green Goals is to do away with toxic-leaching plastics in our home. I ordered two Klean Kanteen Sets for my daughters to replace all these sippy cups. I know the Klean Kanteens are going to being an environmentally friendly alternative that will make me very happy. I won't just be happy because they are healthier for my daughters and our planet, but because I hate dealing with all those different plastic cups and their ridiculous mismatched (nothing is universal on these cups) spouts, lids, three-piece straws, etc!!!

Kaylicious chose the Solar Yellow. Not surprising, since yellow is her favorite color. Zazu chose the Prevention Purple for herself. The ones we ordered come with both the sippy lids and the sport bottle caps, so they will grow with the girls. Our Klean Kanteen Sets shipped yesterday, so hopefully they should be arriving soon!

Klean Kanteen is an awesome green company devoted to doing what's best for their customers' health, their employees and suppliers, and our environment. I love when I find a company from whom I can truly feel good buying.

Do you have Klean Kanteens at your house? Are you using plastic sippy cups and bottles or greener, healthier alternatives? Are your kids' cups and bottles BPA and phthalate free? Are yours? Leave me a comment telling me what you're using and why.

Happy Groundhog Day 2012!

2012-02-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Source: luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com

via Shannon on Pinterest

Happy Groundhog Day! Here in Maryland, we've been having a mild winter, so when our favorite weather forcasting rodent, Punxetawny Phil, predicted 6 more weeks of winter, I assured myself that I can definitely handle six more weeks of this. It was sunny and an atypical 70 degrees here yesterday. I even wore flip-flops!

To celebrate, the girls and I made these adorable Heart Groundhogs. I saw them on Pinterest late last night and knew we would be whipping some of these cuties up today. I love how both groundhogs and hearts are incorporated, making it a perfect February craft.

I've been a little under the weather lately, so I was happy to find a simple craft to do with the girls that didn't require me to venture out for supplies. To make it more uniform and easier to cut out the various hearts needed for this project, I printed the hearts right on the paper and then cut them. Here's the template I made for myself:

Heart Groundhog Craft Free Printable Template

The template makes two groundhog crafts. You'll only need a few other supplies:

1 sheet of white paper
2 sheets of brown paper (Tan, gray, red or pink would work just fine too.)
scissors -- My little ones are 2 and 3, so I did all the cutting in advance, while they donned their party hats and princess costumes in anticipation of Groundhog Day Craft Festivities. (See photos below).
glue sticks
4 googly eyes -- In a pinch, you could easily let the kids color the eyes on instead.
Optional: Tape -- We taped our Groundhog's ears on from the back. Several pipe cleaners in a neutral color -- We used strips of white paper, but if I could have found some pipe cleaners around my house that weren't red and pink, I probably would have let the girls use those for whiskers.

Here's Princess Zazu showing off her groundhog and her fine fashion sense:

Here she is again admiring her royal craftiness:

And here, Kaylicious shows off her groundhog while sporting a Hello Kitty Party Hat!

Happy Groundhog's Day, My Friends! We're wishing you beautiful weather wherever you are!

Organic Beer & Wine?

2012-01-15T22:11:00.000-05:00

I was both intrigued and inspired by Ridge Organics’ post “Is Organic alcohol hangover proof?” For me the bigger question is why the notion of organic beer and wine never crossed my mind previously? Regardless of whether organic beer or wine is less likely than its conventional counterpart to leave you with a hangover or the much dreaded wine flu, organic beer and wine are surely healthier for you than those tainted with pesticides, fertilizers and other toxins.

The Count & I Enjoying Some Locally Brewed Beers

Some Occasions Really Could
Use a Hangover Proof Option!
(or possibly a tad more moderation
than this crazy couple is exhibiting here :-)

The Count and I are definite beer fans. We love sampling different craft beers, and The Count began brewing his own beer at home last year. I am not sure why I never thought about organic beer before, since I stress about the contamination and impurities in so many other things in our lives on a daily basis. I have not noticed organic beer being sold here locally, but that may just be a complete oversight on my part. I am definitely going to have to check into it, and The Count is looking into buying organic supplies for his next batch of home-brew.

Have you tried organic beer, wine or liquor? Do you have any favorites that you would recommend? Have you noticed any less after effects from drinking organic beer, wine or alcohol?

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

2012-01-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! As we start 2012, I know many of you are taking down and putting away your Christmas decor today or planning to do so in the next week or so. This year we did all homemade Christmas Ornaments and the "Un-Christmasing" at our house, something I usually dread, was so quick and easy. Here's what we did:

Our Adventure in Homemade Christmas Tree Trimming

I have a large box full of painstakingly wrapped and stored Christmas ornaments carefully chosen and collected over the last twenty five plus years. I love those ornaments, but since having children, I have found that they bring me more stress and aggravation than joy. Getting them out and placing them perfectly on our tree, only to have my fragile little treasures ripped off the branches and thrown into a bucket of Little People or jammed into Elmo's mailbox is nerve-wracking for me.

Seeing baubles I have saved for years and years carelessly tossed about or crushed by excited two and three year old hands, is not something I wanted to have to deal with this holiday season. I also didn’t want to have to play "Christmas Tree Nazi" guarding and hovering over the tree, putting an ugly play-yard gate around it, only putting my favorite "grown up" ornaments on the upper branches of the tree where curious little hands can't reach and/or never allowing my little ones to help decorate or touch the tree. With hopes of making Christmas decorating simpler, more fun and more of a family affair, The Count and I decided that this year we would forgo our tradition tree trimmings for all home-made ornaments.

Quality Time and Crafty Fun with Our Teacup Humans
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we made every single ornament that went on our tree. We made salt dough ornaments, some stamped and some painted and glittered, paper chain garland, snowmen ornaments from a craft kit, and hand-print snowmen Christmas balls. I think The Count and I enjoyed making our own ornaments as much as our kids did.

Stress Free Holiday Decorating!
The girls and I decorated the tree with no fuss over being careful with the ornaments or getting them perfectly placed. Kaylicious and Zazu absolutely loved the whole process, and The Count and I were both pleasantly surprised at how pretty our tree looked. It wasn't just "our babies made this pretty." It was truly a good-looking tree!

Beyond the fun we had making all the ornaments and decorating the tree, I loved not worrying about it. Some of our new home-made ornaments got broken over the holiday season, but it was no big deal. The kids danced and ran around the tree more times than I could count, lots of fun, no stress!

The Christmas Cleanup was a Breeze
As a bonus, I was able to with the help of Kaylicious and Zazu take all the ornaments off the tree and pack them away it under ten minutes. I never look forward to having to put my ornaments away after Christmas. Wrapping and packing all those fragile porcelain and glass decorations is so tedious and never any fun. It usually takes me several hours.

A New Homemade Christmas Tradition? I think so!
Our adventure in home-made tree trimmings was such a success that it may be a new family tradition. Who knows when and if that big box of fancy-smancy, fragile Christmas ornaments will grace the branches of our Christmas tree again? I kind of relish the idea of someday having a tree decorated entirely in ornaments made by hand by my sweet little children and maybe even their children and grandchildren one day. What a festive trip down memory lane that would be for our family!

Sara the Elf is Not on the Shelf

2011-12-23T14:56:00.012-05:00

Every morning when Kaylicious and Zazu wake up, they run to find out where Sara, our Elf on the Shelf, is hiding or what kind of mischievous elf adventures she may have had the previous night. Sara the Elf is never on our shelf. The girls always discover Sara in some silly hiding place or frozen precariously in the middle of a crazy adventure. They both think Sara's hi-jinks are absolutely hilarious. They laugh so hard every time, especially Kaylicious, that they crack me up too. Recently they’ve found Sara perched on a castle wearing a tiara, swinging from the ceiling fan, riding Kaylicious’ piggy bank and chilling out on our wreath.

Elf on the Shelf Party Going on Now!

Don't forget to check out and/or join my Elf on the Shelf Link Party for more Elf on the Shelf ideas and adventures:

I Caught Santa!

2011-12-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

This is so fun! Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when your kids receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in your very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three easy steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and/or Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don't have your own children. It costs $9.99, but you can make yours for half off using code: SANTA50

I am definitely doing this, just need to wait until I get Kaylicious and Zazu's gifts all wrapped and under the tree, so I can snap a photo! They're going to love it! I will post our photo here once it's done!

If you get your own iCaughtSanta.com photo, leave me a comment with a link, so we can all check it out!

Elf on the Shelf Link Party

2011-12-19T00:05:00.064-05:00

In this final week before Christmas, are you running out of ideas for your Elf on the Shelf? Are you actually considering hiding your elf on a shelf? If so you've come to the right place. I'm gathering the best Elf on the Shelf ideas in the entire Blogosphere right here at Counting on Me, so you'll find Elf inspiration galore to get you through the week and many Christmases to come! Don't forget to leave comments for the Elf on the Shelf posts that you like the best.

Join the Party: If you got a great Elf on the Shelf post, please link to the party! We can wait to check it out. Please follow the rules and use the Blue "Add Your Link" Button below to join the party. You can add as many different Elf links as you want.

I made this graphic using PSE 8, an adorable freebie from ShabbyBlogs.com (I Love Them.) and what some might consider to be way too much time, but since I like the end result, I'm going to chalk it up to time well spent improving my Photoshop skills.

Thanks for coming to the party! You can use the following code to provide a link back to this party on your page, just cut and paste it into your html editor:

<a href="http://counting-on-me.blogspot.com/2011/12/elf-on-shelf-link-party.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s299/ShannonOBrennan/ElfParty-CountingonMe-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Elf on the Shelf Party"></a>

Sara the Elf on Our Shelf

2011-12-18T01:19:00.101-05:00

Our elf arrived last weekend from the North Pole and Kaylicious immediately named her "Sara." Zazu has bounced back and forth between calling her Sara and "Elfant" which seems to be a combination of elf and elephant.

Here's Sara hanging from our entry way light.

I used PSE 8 and a free quick page from Free Digital Scrapbooking to make this graphic.

We've had a busy week with Sara.

We've read Sara's Elf on the Shelf book multiple times.
Kaylicious was concerned that Sara wouldn't be able to fly to North Pole, if she didn't take the plastic off her box right away.
Had a make your own sundae party to welcome Sara.
Watched "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story" (Kaylicious spotted Sara in one of the elves' dance numbers).
Taken Sara to visit Santa at the mall, after Zazu accidently touched Sara with her foot, zapping her elf power. Thankfully, Santa was able to give Sara her elf powers back, since it was an accident.
Talked extensively about Sara and discussed how she flies, and what she does when were not watching. Ever inquisitive, Kaylicious has endless questions and thoughts about Sara.
She has also asked if we could keep Sara after Christmas. She says she loves her and will miss her if Sara goes back to live at the North Pole.
Once I realized our Elf on the Shelf was a girl, I started thinking about more little elf outfits for her. I've seen the Claus Couture Scout Elf Skirt, but it seems like there should be a whole line of little elf clothes. What's a girl elf to do? One red leotard and one skirt most definitely does not qualify as a full Elf wardrobe. I thought for sure someone would have any Etsy shop selling Elf on the Shelf fashions, but so such luck. If you know where to find elf on the shelf clothes, please leave me a comment. I know Sara's inner-elf fashionista is dying to come out.

Make Your Own Sundae Welcome Party for Sara the Elf

Make Your Own Sundae Elf on the Shelf Welcome Party

We've found Sara getting into mischief and hiding all around our house. After losing her elf powers once with the touch of tiny two-year-old toes, Sara has tried to stay up a bit higher out of Zazu's reach. Also, since Zazu and Kaylicious are only two and three years old, I think Sara tries not to make her hiding spots too difficult to find. Each time Kaylicious has found Sara, she has squealed and laughed with delight.

Here are some of Sara's hiding places this week:

On top of our Christmas tree
Going wild with streamers
Hanging upside down from a ceiling light
Sunning herself on the top our window blinds
Sitting on top of our kitchen cabinets -- Sadly, she got her feet caught in the cabinet and banged around that night trying to free herself for her trip to the North Pole, but she was stuck.
Riding Kaylicious' Piggy Bank
Sitting on top of an alarm sensor in our living room, where she could hang out with us and watch us all day.

Sara the Elf on top of Our Christmas Tree

Check my Elf on the Shelf Link Party.

Our Elf is Here!

2011-12-07T18:24:00.005-05:00

Our The Elf on the Shelf is here. I've got our Tivo set up to record "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story" about an elf named Chippey who tries to help a young boy who is struggling to believe in the magic of Christmas. It will be on WJZ 13 Baltimore, our local CBS station, this Friday night at 9:30. Now, all I need is my little girls home from visiting their Nana in New Jersey, and we'll be ready to get this tradition started.

If you have any tips or creative ideas for introducing our Elf to my two and three year old daughters, please share them by leaving me a comment!

Elf on the Shelf Party Going on Now!

Check out and/or join my Elf on the Shelf Link Party for more Elf on the Shelf ideas and adventures:

Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-05T18:28:00.001-05:00

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? When I first saw the Elf on the Shelf a couple years ago, I thought it was cute but a little odd. After learning more and seeing so many adorable Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest, I think I am going to head over to Barnes&Noble and take the plunge. Kaylicious and Zazu are visiting their Nana in New Jersey right now, and I think it will be exciting to have their Elf here when they return.

Here's the Story behind the Elf on The Shelf:
from ElfOnTheShelf.com

Have you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf – A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa knows who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot! While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families.

On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy.

Source: flickr.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I love the idea of starting a new holiday tradition with my daughters. With virtually endless opportunities for mischievous holiday fun, I think The Count and I may enjoy "The Elf on the Shelf" every bit as much as Kaylicious and Zazu do.

You can check out my Elf on Shelf Board on Pinterest Here:
Elf on the Shelf Ideas on Pinterest

Send Me Some Elf Love:

I Want Hear About Your Elves . . . If you have an Elf on your Shelf, please share your thoughts. Leave me a comment, telling your best Elf idea or your funniest Elf moment.

Knot Top Sewing Project

2011-11-26T21:29:00.001-05:00

One of my goals for the year is to do 50 craft projects before my 35th birthday. I have definitely been crafting up a storm, but I haven't been so great about keeping up with all my projects here on my blog. Kaylicious wore one of my sewing projects from September on Thanksgiving and that spurred me to post about it.

McCall's Pattern M6387

Matilda Jane Percy Knot Dress

I absolutely love Matilda Janes's knot dresses and tops, but my debit card
doesn't like them one bit. So when JoAnn's had a sale on McCall's patterns in September, I scooped up McCall's M6387 -- Children's/Girls' Top, Jumpers, Detachable Aprons and Pants for $1.

Before this project, the last time I had successfully used a sewing pattern was in 8th grade Home Ec. Class. The pattern was labeled as "Easy," but I was worried that it might turn out to be beyond my skill set.

The knot ~~dress~~* top was a bit of a challenge to say the least, but in the end it turned out really cute. The Count (my husband) helped me select the fabric and trim for this project. I wanted the fabrics to go together without being too matchy matchy. The Count is surprising good at that sort of thing. I am more of an completely matched or terribly clashing sort of fabric chooser.

*I had originally planned to make a knot dress, but I struggled so much with the upper ruffle that I couldn't bring myself to try it again with even more fabric for the lower ruffle. Between broken and stuck thread while trying to gather the material, fabric that shouldn't have been part of the ruffle getting accidently stitched into the seam, and not being able to get the circumference of my ruffled "skirt" to line up with the circumference of the bodice, my seam ripper and I became very well aquainted. I am definitely going to need some more practice with gathering before I attempt this again. If you have a tried and true method or know of a great tutorial that has worked for you when gathering two yards or so of fabric while making clothing for small children , please don't be shy. I need help, please leave me a comment.

Two things I learned during this project that were much easier than I anticipated were how to make button holes and sew on buttons using my sewing machine. If only the gathering had been that easy, my little ones would probably have a whole closet of these adorable tops and dresses by now.

As challenging as the process was for me, I love the end result. The knot top is kind of tunic length right now and very versatile. Here's Kaylicious sporting it on a warm day with capris:

The apron with its green monkey trim is detachable, but it really makes the top, so Kaylicious hasn't worn it without the apron. The straps are adjustable, just untie them and re-knot however you like.
Here she is wearing the same top with a white eyelet long-sleeve swimsuit cover up (Sometimes, it's good not to discriminate about season or purpose when it comes to your wardrobe.), thick brown knit tights and furry boots on Thanksgiving.

Isn't she a cutie?

I feel like I'm always crafting, but this is only my 5th project of the year that I have posted about. I am going to work on catching up, so stay tuned for more craft projects soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:00:00.006-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and were able to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. If you're like most Americans, you probably also overdid it with the Thanksgiving goodies. Did you know that to burn off the calories from the average Thanksgiving dinner you have to walk, jog, or run a full-length marathon? That's 26.2 miles. Scary, huh? Even scarier . . . the left-overs! Many of you will eat that same meal again tomorrow and the next day. Unless you're one of those wild and crazy ultra-marathoners (and I know a few of my followers are), I hope you will try to find some balance this weekend . . . a few less left-over Thanksgiving calories and a little more exercise.

The Infographic below breaks Thanksgiving dinner down by calories and by the miles of walking, running or jogging required to burn it off.

Source: newmango.com via Shannon on Pinterest

If you can't read the print, you can click the image for a larger view of the graphic or press Ctrl and + at the same time on your keyboard to enlarge everything on your screen. (Pressing Ctrl and - at the same time will decrease the size when you are done.)

A Thanksgiving Milestone for Me

Since this is Counting on Me, I thought I'd also share a little milestone that I celebrated today. Today was the 22nd anniversary of the day I became a vegetarian. That's 21 years meat free . . . no red-meat, no poultry, no pork, no seafood. I chose Thanksgiving to officially go vegetarian because there are so many great meat-less side-dishes on Thanksgiving, I figured I would never miss the turkey. I didn't miss it way back then and I never have since.

Source: meatlessmonday.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Playaway View: Have you seen these yet?

2011-11-19T10:52:00.001-05:00

The library near our house, the Abingdon Branch of the Harford County Public Library, is a fantastic and free resource for me as a mom of two small children and it just got even better. They recently started lending the Playaway View. In a single word, the Playaway View is AWESOME! At 3¾ and and almost 2 respectively, Kaylicious and Zazu absolutely love them, and so do I.

The new Playaway View is so easy and so portable. Our library allows me to check out two Playaway Views at a time and keep them for one week each. I can carry them in my purse and hand them to the girls, while I am running errands or doing other tasks for which toddlers only have so much patience. I love that I can give each child her own Playaway View, especially at times when they are not sharing well or can't seem to keep their hands to themselves. The Playaway Views are the perfect little distraction to help keep my girls from fighting with each other, crying, screaming or whining while we are out in public or for long car rides!

Playaway View is the first and only pre-loaded video player. Each View can hold multiple hours of digital video content while keeping with the Playaway promise of simple, portable and durable. With the best educational and entertainment content out there, Playaway Views are currently exclusive to libraries

Pre-loaded with multiple videos

Full color LCD screen with shatter-resistant acrylic screen

Built-in speaker and optional headphone jack

Rechargeable internal lithium-polymer battery provides over 8 hours of continuous play

Simple 7 button functionality

Weighs only 5.4 ounces

Who's Playaway View For?

Toddlers/Kids: These durable devices can go wherever they go; with content from Sesame Street to Little Pim, it's a great way to learn and grow

Teens: Shakespeare, National Geographic and more—school-work has never been so fun

Busy parents: No downloads or internet needed; each View is pre-loaded with multiple videos from top studios across the nation

Have you tried the Playaway View Yet? If so, please leave me a comment with your or your child(ren)'s favorite titles. Sesame Beginnings and Sesame Street Numbers & ABCs are the only titles we've tried so far, but my daughters are already requesting countless other titles for the Playaway Views. Our library has a decent-sized collection considering that they just started offering them, but I already can't wait for them to get even more titles.

Google+

2011-11-08T12:45:00.003-05:00

I just discovered that Google is now offering Google+ Pages for businesses and brands, so I created a Google+ Page for Counting on Me. If you're on Google+ you can find Counting on me here:

Counting on Me

on Google+

Pinteresting, Very Pinteresting

2011-10-21T17:42:00.019-04:00

I have a new obsession. It's Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest yet? I'm totally addicted. It is without a doubt my favorite web site in along time.

What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. Pinterest is by invitation only, but if you leave me a comment including your email address, I'd be happy to send you an invite.

This is a screen print of my Pinterest.

You can find and follow me on Pinterest here:

You can find links and photos of all kinds of crafty, yummy, fashionable and funny stuff plus much, much more on Pinterest and save them all to your pinboards. It's like a super, awesome visual version of your favorites or bookmarks, but everything is organized on boards instead of in folders and each link has a photo, so you (and everyone else) can see it all in a glance. I first discovered Pinterest right after I started writing this blog, when I realized that thousands of people were visiting my blog with the majority coming from Pinterest. Thousands of visitors from a site I had never heard of . . . I was definitely intrigued. I'm so glad I checked it out, because I love it.

I made this and few other Pinterest signs below. Feel free to grab it!

I have found Pinterest to be very well designed and user-friendly. The only issue I ever have is that it sometimes runs slowly or gets overloaded, but it usually rights itself within a few minutes. Could it be that too many pinners are pinning too many pins? Nah . . . impossible! I have a feeling the creators of Pinterest were just not expecting such a HUGE response quite so quickly.

Pinterest 101:
If you are new to Pinterest The Daily Digi has a great tutorial: http://thedailydigi.com/pinterest-101-a-tutorial/

Source: thedailydigi.com via Shannon on Pinterest

And for the already well-initiated, here are some great Pinterest-related pins I've come across:

Officially Addicted to Pinterest

If you like it then you shoulda put a pin on it!

Pinterest is taking over my life (but I love it).

Pintervention . . . I may be headed down that road.

Go ahead and Curate the Internet. You know you want to.

I don't always repin . . .

Here are few Pinterest Freebies that I made just for you. If you like them, please feel free to grab them for your own use. Linking back to this blog and following me on Google Friends Connect, Pinterest or Facebook are not required, but always appreciated.

These are .JPEGS on White Backgrounds:

These are .GIFs on transparent backgrounds:

Pin It

Meatless Monday Recipe Roundup

2011-10-09T22:14:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first Meatless Monday Recipe Roundup. This is my first Meatless Monday Recipe Link Party, but I am hoping if it is successful to host it regularly. Whether you are a life-long vegetarian like me or just looking for some meatless recipes to try, this party is for you!

Grab a Meatless Monday Recipe Button.

Here's the code:

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

2011-08-15T18:04:00.000-04:00

The Count whipped these up for us last week and they were so delicious! I could eat them every week! They tasted great reheated over the next couple days for lunches too. They are without a doubt the best vegetarian stuffed peppers I have ever had!

Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Recipe
Makes 8 Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
4 Large Green Bell Peppers
15 MorningStar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Crushed Red Peppers (Optional)
1 tsp of Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves of fresh Garlic (Minced)
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
¼ C of Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 C Marinara Sauce

Directions:
Wash the peppers and remove their stems. Cut them in half from top to bottom and remove their seeds and veins. Boil the peppers in a large pot for 7-10 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove from the pot and drain. Microwave the sausage patties for 1 minute on each side. Then run the patties through a food processor to form a consistency similar to ground beef. In a large skillet, add 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil and sauté the garlic. Add the crumbled sausage patties and toss. After a couple of minutes, add the Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper, and Salt. Continue to sauté for a few minutes. Add the Parmesan Cheese and toss for a minute. Add 1 Cup of the Mozzarella Cheese and toss until the cheese has melted. Add the Marinara sauce and cook for another minute, then remove the skillet from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350. On a baking sheet, greased with Olive Oil, arrange the Peppers with the open side up, creating small bowls. Stuff the sausage mixture into each of the peppers. Top each evenly with the remaining 1 Cup of Mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes.


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Pinteresting, Very Pinteresting

Meatless Monday Recipe Roundup

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers