All the recipes, DIY projects, Tips, Tricks and learning posts you all linked up last week blew me away! So creative guys, loving them all!

We hope that by linking up you get more traffic, more page views and more exposure when we link back to you on the blog, Facebook & Pinterest!

As always I highlight 3 of the fun posts that linked up last week that you may have missed…

How to file your Fabric!

Watermelon Mint Iced-T!

Make a Nut Free Birthday Cake for your Dog!

Now it’s your turn to link up!

We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up. It helps other people find your links and join the fun! And gets more more eyeballs checking out YOUR blog!

Related posts:

1. Best Wednesday Linky – Link Up Ever!
2. Wednesday Link Up! Open!
3. Mommy Club Wednesday – Link Up!

The other day when I was cleaning out a closet in our guest room, my preschooler spotted a large white garment bag hanging on the rack. She asked what it was and all the sudden I thought… Oh my gosh! How fun to be four years old and play dress up in a real wedding dress! I must get it out for her. I searched through the closet further, where was the veil? Found it.

And in less than 5 minutes my preschooler was wearing my wedding dress staring up at me with sweet innocent eyes. Instantly I was awash in so many emotions. Of course the cuteness factor was at an all time high – so there was that. But also, there was a pain in my stomach, or maybe it was higher. Maybe it was my heart breaking a little.

Someday my daughter will probably get married. And I hope and pray that her dad and I will be there. But when I got married I didn’t have my mother with me physically – though she was certainly there in spirit. And that made me pause – what if I only had today to tell her what I would want to say on that day? And so dear reader this may be verbose. But this is too important to keep short…

~A letter to my Daughter on her Wedding Day~

First of all sweets, you read this letter any old time you want. You don’t ever need to get married to be important, or to be loved or to have everything I say here already be true. But since you are likely to get married someday, and that is an important day in anyone’s life – that is the hook I am hanging this particular letter on. But if you feel called to stay single, or to a religious vocation, or cannot legally get married. This letter is still for you ok, baby?

I hope first of all that you have found true love. Found it in yourself, and then in a friend and partner. But know always – that you have always had true love. You had it the day you were born.  Mom & Dad love you unconditionally. We love you no matter what. We love you on your best days, and we love you the same on your worst. You know you are loved not just by us, but many people. You should know you are loved by God. And no matter how you choose to see God at this point in your life, whether you go to church every week or whether you are searching. Just know. You are loved. You are loved by those of us on this earth, and those of us not.  And you are loved by God from the top of your head, to the tip of your toes. And learning to feel that love takes a lifetime for many. Your mom is in that group. But the trick is to keep trying, keep your heart open. That is the promise I want you to make me ok?

Okay so marriage – it’s hard. Its so great! It’s kind of a microcosm life. There is a little bliss, and a little heart ache. But the heart ache will make the sweet times seem so much sweeter. And the the rough moments will teach you about yourself. Every marriage is a deep and dark puzzle. Two people both with baggage, both with expectations, both with needs and wants. You will need to learn to weigh your needs against someone else and their needs. It cant always be your way bug. Wanting it to be your way is human, and it does not make you a bad person. But you will need to put that aside sometimes – and do whats best for your partner. But baby, listen. Your partner needs to do that sometimes too – and if its always you that bends than marriage is not the right path today. And it is okay to change your mind.

A wedding day is filled with dresses and out of town family, cake and choas. So be deliberate about taking moments through the day that you just breathe. That you let yourself feel and remember the moment rather than just be swept up in it. Take time with your partner to savor the sweetness just the two of you. Take some mental snapshots of friends and family gathered in your name- supporting your love, supporting you. See them laughing and dancing and remember that always. Tell them thank you for being there.

I can tell you are a smart cookie, even at age four. So I know I wont need to remind you someday, that a marriage isn’t about the wedding day – its about a lifetime commitment. But maybe its worth telling you that marriages have stages. There will be times that things just sail along so easily, you will just lean back and enjoy the journey. But no matter how wonderful the person you married is – there will also be times that you wonder just what you got yourself into. Thats why its so important that you only marry someone that you know well, who you know to be a good person, who you know respects and loves you. Who you know you respect and love.  And also- that you marry someone who will also take their vows seriously. In the tough moments, you will both need to believe in those vows. Only that iron clad commitment will carry you through the bumpy bits. And that is so important because if you can keep it together through the bumpy bits – you can be sure that your relationship will come out of it stronger and more beautifully layered in the end. And the rough patches wont last forever if you both keep searching each other out, keep connecting with each other and keep being kind to one another. Better times will be around the corner. But to get there – you have to be committed to waiting it out.

Lastly – don’t neglect your relationship with yourself. You cant give yourself up on the altar of a relationship with another person. It may not always seem logical, but the older I get the more I realize that my own happiness is almost always directly proportional to the happiness of my family. And not taking care of your own needs, and passions wont lead you to support others happiness and passion.It will just make you a bitter person. So enjoy being with yourself. Enjoy the little moments in life that fill your cup. And then let that internal happiness and care spill over to your partner. It sounds easy. But its not. Often you will forget what makes you laugh or smile because you will get so busy trying to provide that for your partner or your children. And wanting to give your best to your family is wonderful. And frankly its a feeling passed down to you through many generations of women in our family. But just sometimes – take stock of how you are doing yourself. Care for yourself too, ok?

A lifetime of advice cant come from one note.  So I wont try to cover everything here and now. And you don’t need me to. What you most need sweet daughter, is just to remember that you will find all the answers you need from your own trial and error. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to get up each morning with the desire to do better, be kinder, to love deeper, to laugh harder. If you can just point your ship towards that… you will always be moving in the right direction.

Remember how proud mom and dad are of you. Remember that you are always our baby, and you can always ask for our help.

Love you.

Love mommy.

Related posts:

1. A note to my daughter on her very first birthday…
2. Royal Wedding Wrap Up!
3. Daddy Daughter Dance – City of Arlington

I got a chance to try out halotherapy (Salt Therapy) with my daughter who is 4, in one of their children’s salt therapy rooms! It was a really relaxing experience – and one you can’t get in many places in the United States, even though Salt therapy is very prevalent in Europe. Here is what it was like…

Shannon what is salt therapy? The idea of the salt rooms comes from a Polish physician who  first wrote about the benefit of salt mines in 1843. He noted that salt miners had much lower rates of lung disease compared to the rest of the population. He attributed the cause of the salt miners’ good health to the salt cave air that was saturated with saline dust. In the following years speleotherapy became a common drug-free treatment for many chronic lung and skin conditions, as well as allergies!

What goes on in a halochamber(<–fancy name for salt room)?

The salt room is a dry, sterile environment that controls air temperature, humidity, air pressure and air content. The Salt Escape (where I went) has two rooms – one for children and their parents and the other just for adults. The salt rooms are covered ceiling to floor in a thick salt application and they use a halo-generator to crush pharmaceutical grade salt into small particles that are blown in the air.

What kinds of reasons bring people to a salt room?

Allergies, asthma, bronchitis, cold/flu, Cystic Fibrosis, dermatitis, ear infection, eczema, emphysema, psoriasis, rhinitis, sinusitis – and even a cool place to do yoga in!

What was it like in the salt room?

It was pretty cool. It kinda felt like being in an igloo, but instead of snow around us it was salt! Here is a video I made showing what the experience was like! (If you are viewing this on an e-reader you may need to click here to view the video)

What did I think of Salt Therapy?

I thought the salt room was super relaxing. The zero gravity chair really took the stress off my back and I enjoyed the sound of the salt blowing in and the salty air. It felt reminiscent of the seashore in a way. I didn’t have any breathing or skin issues when we came in, nor did my daughter – so I cant speak directly to the healing effects of the salt room on those conditions. However I did leave feeling refreshed, and both my daughter and I fell asleep deeply & early that night! Teresa the Salt Escape employee who checked us in had predicted that – and I have to admit it happened! I would definitely try the Salt Escape again, especially to sample the massage and yoga they offer. All in all – I feel pretty lucky to have a Salt Escape facility that many people travel great distances to get to -  right in my Texas backyard!

Where can I get more information? Visit: Salt Escape

Many thanks to the Salt Escape for providing my daughter and I a chance to try a Salt therapy session. All opinions are as always my own:)

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1. Gaylord Texan Room Tour: #Blissdom
2. My Favorite Room in the House #TideVividWhite
3. DFW Gems: Munson – Cox Photography!

As always I highlight 3 of the fun  posts that linked up last week that you may have missed!

Make a Swing Set Tire Ladder!

How to Make your Own Shopping Cart Covers!

Top 10 ways to use Montessori principles for summer learning!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up. It helps other people find your links and join the fun! And gets more more eyeballs checking out YOUR blog!

Related posts:

1. Best Wednesday Linky – Link Up Ever!
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3. Add your link! Linky Party Open!

And instead of greasing a pan, waiting 25 minutes for it to cook, using your oven, having pans to wash later – it takes just 30 seconds for your cinnamon roll to be ready in the microwave!

1) Once you open your cinnamon roll tin, you will want to be sure to put the rest of your rolls in an airtight ziplock. The rolls will stay fresh for 1 or 2 days in that – maybe longer. But I cant say for sure since ours never last longer than that without being eaten! But keep in mind the longer they are exposed to air, the less potent the leavening agent will be. Meaning the longer you wait to make them- the less fluffy:)

2) place a single roll on a napkin in your microwave. Set Microwave for 30 seconds. (Please note that time may vary slightly if your microwave runs extra fast or slow. The first time you do it- take your roll out at 20 seconds and see if you need the additional 10. Also the 30 seconds is for the normal size cinnamon rolls, not the jumbo size. Those would obviously need more time!)

3) use a scoop of icing included in your tin and enjoy!

Here is a quick video showing you how I do it…

Hope that helps someone, I find it to be a neat little trick!

Related posts:

1. A Day in the Life: of an “Independent” Toddler
2. Celebrating a life.
3. Plugging into life, by unpluging the computer!

As always I highlight 3 of the posts that linked up last week that you may have missed…

How to use Mason Jars with your Blender!

How to Dry Herbs!

Red White & Blue Potatoe Salad!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up- it helps other people find your links and join the fun! And gets more traffic to YOUR blog!

Related posts:

1. The Best Wednesday Linky Party! Mommy Club!
2. Mommy Club Wednesday Linky! Link Up!
3. Link Up Your Posts! Mommy Club Linky!

It was a lot of fun, and we picked up some hints we think may help other families! We played Magi Quest at the Grapevine TX location, but most tips will be universally true no matter where you play!

Magi Quest Basics:

• Magi Quest is an optional game of clues and it sends you on a scavenger hunt all over the lodge. Although some packages include a game of Magi Quest during your stay as well as a wand – not all do. So check ahead if you need to purchase it separately.
• You don’t need to buy multiple wands or game activation for a large family or party. Its very easy and economical to just buy one wand (and activation) and share it amongst the group!
• There are multiple games that you can play, so every time you visit the lodge, or go to a new lodge your original wand will tell you what you have already conquered.
• The basic Quest has you collecting Runes for different character traits such as bravery, cooperation etc…. It’s not scary in general but it does have some objects talk to you in half “spooky voices.”
• In order to start your quest you must find the trees with the screen in them, and wave your wand. After you find each group of objects return to the tree to get your new assignment, and verify you completed the last task.
• Be aware that when you pick a “topper” for your wand that they possess certain properties that can help you on later quests, like healing. So ask if you dont know what your topper does!

Magi Quest Tips:

• The thing that most often messes new players up is the wand. It helps to wave your wand pretty close to the object you want to activate. And as my husband kept saying “it’s all in the wrist!” If you are still having trouble look for a quest symbol on the object, that’s usually where your wand needs to point!
• If you are having trouble call for help! There are literally Magi Quest phones around the lodge where you can pick up the receiver and be connected to an expert. Thy will be happy to tell you where a clue is if you give up! You can also go down to the desk where you got your wand, and they can look at the history on it and tell you if you missed a ruin!
• Sometimes clues are not just on walls, and objects. Sometimes they are above you! Look at the ceiling!
• Sometimes objects will need to be  gotten in a certain order.
• It’s usually easiest to find the clues in the order they are given in your Magi Quest handbook. If you skip around – you may find yourself needlessly lost.
• It helps if you are mentally noting objects you see as you go on your Quest. That way in a future clue – you may already know where a magic painting or statue is!
• Use the stairs as much as possible, instead of the elevator. Two reasons. 1) There are clues IN the stairwell you wont see if you never use it. 2) Rumor has it that using the elevator deducts points from your score! To get around that, be sure to cover the tip of your wand while in elevators!
• Take your time. I think the quest is most fun when you do a little each day – your wand works for your whole stay, not for just 24hours. So pace yourself!

Want to see some of what MagiQuest has to offer?

Check out this video on my YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe to get more Great Wolf posts in the future:)

(If you are reading this post on an e-reader you will need to click through to view the video)

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1. Great Wolf Lodge- 5 MUST know Tips!
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I’d call it good clean fun…but its actually pretty muddy!!

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE RUN?

5k Course (3.1 miles, run or walk)
– Women Only (sorry, guys)
– Mud (lots of it!)
– Architectural Obstacles (much better than shabby hay bales and shaky plywood)

AFTER THE RACE?: Post race features a pretty Epic Finish Line Party (Entertainment, music, drinks & celebration galore)! And women will be treated to a fashion show by Old Navy showcasing the latest in the active wear fashion trends! Old Navy active wear is designed with the highest level of technology, made with cotton, spandex & GoDry Fabric which wicks away moisture quickly!

How quickly can it wick mud away? I think you should test that out, and get back to the rest of us! Which Old Navy Active wear outfit would you choose to race in?

HOW CAN YOU GET IN ON THIS?:

Related posts:

1. Beauty Live- at The Galleria in Dallas
2. A Galleria Dallas Christmas: Holidays in DFW
3. My Top 5 Favorite things – at the T-Hee store in Dallas!

YOU GUYS ROCK! HARD!

As always I highlight 3 of the posts that linked up last week that you may have missed…

Create Back links or linking to sections!

Make Homemade GAK!

Lemon Bars!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up- it helps other people find your links and join the fun! And gets more traffic to YOUR blog!

Related posts:

1. The Best Wednesday Linky Party! Mommy Club!
2. Mommy Club Wednesday Linky! Link Up!
3. Link Up Your Posts: Mommy Club Linky!