A Day In My Life

Our Book of Thanks

2015-11-07T22:57:00.003-07:00

One of my very favorite holiday traditions is our Thankful Jar. I love seeing those colorful papers add up in the jar throughout the month. Every year, after Thanksgiving is over and I am switching all of the decorations from Turkeys and pumpkins over to Christmas trees and stockings, I am kind of sad to throw away our collection of papers inside the jar.

A few years back, I read this post on eighteen25 about a book they keep every year. While their tradition only takes place on Thanksgiving day, and incorporates all of the guests they have over for dinner, I was inspired to create a book just for our family. Luckily, I had saved our papers for a couple of years!

Here is our Book of Thanks...

I just designed the outer cover, and printed the inside blank.

Each year gets 2 pages. I usually snap a picture of all of us on the couch right before we leave for dinner somewhere, and then I hand copy all of the things we wrote and added to our Thankful Jar on the opposite side. Even then, there are always a couple of papers I can't part with that the kids drew on or make me smile. So I just glue them on.

I love looking at it as I bring it out every year. Not only to read through things we are thankful for, but to see where our family was at that moment. Or to remember the time I burned my forearm pulling the rolls out of the oven right before we took this photo...

Or to remember the little turkey onesie I made for Max this year (and that in the chaos of getting everything ready to go I forgot to take our annual photo on our couch)...

That was also the year that every single one of Avery's papers looked like this..

And the year Harvey went from drawing pictures to writing words...

Time flies. And it feels good to slow down a little and appreciate all of the little things we have and do together. It fills my heart. :)

DIY Canvas Car Playmat

2015-08-13T23:10:00.001-06:00

So, my baby turned two yesterday.

And I just KonMaried my house and I am SO. OVER. the toys. And the kid clutter. Plus he has both a big brother and a big sister, and they have toys that cover all the basics. But we still have loads of birthdays and Christmases in our future, so what in the world am I going to give? Anyway, my internal brain rant ended when I came up with this idea. It meets all of my current criteria:

It is durable.
It is open-ended and fosters imaginative play.
It folds up small and can be stored with like-items in our toy storage system.
It encourages cooperative play.

My hubby had a mat like this one when he was a kid, so I asked my mother-in-law to give me some details on how to make our own. I bought 60 inches x 45 inches of duck canvas and ran a zigzag stitch down the raw edges. Then, (after planning out the city on graph paper measured and accurately scaled proportionately, then folding the canvas to help rescale my plan) I drew in the city using some permanent sharpie markers.

I seriously can't stop looking at it. I love it so much! Maybe even more than the kids, although all three were delighted when Max opened his gift. Justin has a tin of Micro Machines from when he was a kid and they are absolutely adorable on the mat. But I sized the roads so the regular Hot Wheels cars can fit on either side, and Max's Melissa & Doug Car Carrier will also (barely) fit on the whole road. They will need security to block off the other lanes of traffic. ;)

Before I started, I asked Harvey what places I should add to our city and he surprised me when the first thing he mentioned was the temple. I have to admit, it never crossed my mind, but I added it because he wanted it. Just a little thing that made me smile.

I added a little neighborhood, a church, grocery store, school, and bank.

Another must-have was an airport - with a landing strip, a gas station and a restaurant.

One of my favorite things about the original mat was the mountain scene, and river flowing into a lake so there could be bridges on the streets. I added the dirt road going to the mountains... complete with a little camp site at the end. And since the river is close by, I drew in a couple fish for another recreational activity.

I couldn't forget the "city center" with a round-about and a little fountain in the middle. It is surrounded by the city pool, office (aka "the place where Daddy works"), a police station and hospital, with a landing pad for the life-saving helicopters.

And last but not least, the river ends in a lake, with a beach and a little dock so the cars can watch the sun set over the water before they head back to their cul-de-sac for bed.

To make sure it lasts... (and it better last generations! Ha.) I ironed it to set the ink during washing. And I've got to remember to only wash in cold water.

Total cost: $13.50
Duck Canvas: $6.50
New Sharpies: $7

Study Stickers

2014-03-26T15:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, I promise this is my last post about General Conference for a while! All of these things have been on my mind for a while, and I just want to get them checked off my to-do list...

As I searched through my Conference Journal a couple of weeks ago in preparation for my talk, I started thinking how fun it would be to make stickers for my side margins instead of just writing my impressions. I didn't think I would have time to make some up before this session, but I was too excited to let them slide. :)

(Aren't they cute?) I made these stickers specifically to go in my Conference Journal, but they are open-ended enough, you could probably use them for any study journal of sorts. I printed this .pdf on a full sized clear sheet of sticker paper, then cut out the individual stickers.

Here is an alternate link to download the file: Conference Journal Stickers

After I finished those up, I started thinking about what I want to get out of Conference this session... and my church calling (a volunteer "job" in the church for right now) kept coming to mind. I currently serve with the Young Women, and I want to be a better example to the girls (ages 12-17) I serve with. One of the ways I want to do that, is to recognize the young women values in my scriptures and in my life more often, as well as topics in the Come Follow Me lessons.

To help, I made up some more stickers... I went through the list of scriptures in the personal progress book, and marked each one with the color pencil in the coordinating value color and added the little value sticker in the margin. I love them! I also included a little silhouette of Christ with "Come Follow Me" on it to add next to an amazing scripture shared during one of the lessons. I think I am going to make some for my girls. Hopefully you can get some use out of them, too!

Here is an alternate link to download the file: Young Women Value Stickers

For more ideas on preparing for General Conference, click HERE.

Our General Conference Center.... New and Improved

2014-03-21T09:47:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to add a few things to our Conference Board, and I finally made the time to sit down and get it done. I'm so excited for my kids to use the updated board in a couple of weeks!

Here is the whole board, so you can see where I added new items:

I wanted to change the music section a little, because I noticed that Harvey didn't really do anything with it unless I prompted him. I figured it was probably because he couldn't read the words, so now that section is non-reader friendly. I split the two arrows up - one for the choir, and one for who is singing (men, women, or both). I also added little pictures of an organ and a music stand. I also included both a male and a female guest conductor, and a guest organist.

I also added a map. Jen Lund had a map on her original board, and I went back and forth on including it due to space, but I finally decided to make it work. I added an airplane, like she has, to move around any time a country is mentioned. I also added 5 of our favorite temples, so my children can place them on the map wherever new temples are announced.

I also liked her idea of placing her family members in attendance on their couch watching Conference, but I couldn't figure out where to add that feature due to space. Now I have added a picture of our family on the couch to move from session to session instead of the temple. (This isn't included in the download... for obvious reasons.)

I also wanted to add a little more diversity to our anonymous Quorum of the 70s guys, since there are men called from all over the world, after all. I added a couple more skin colors.

Lastly, I added a spot for my kids to write in a couple of the statistics given during General Conference; total members of the church, full-time missionaries, and total operating temples in the world. (Don't trust those numbers, I just guessed for the pictures.) The dry erase marker will wipe off the contact paper with a tissue.

Instead of trying to keep two different posts updated with the free printables, I'll update the first post. Just head back to the original General Conference Center post to download and make your own. :)

Talk: Conference Prep

2014-03-11T17:41:00.002-06:00

Justin and I were asked to speak in church last Sunday. Our assigned topic? "Listen to the Prophet's Voice/Preparing for General Conference." Here's what I prepared:

I love Conference. More now than when I was younger, perhaps because I’ve matured a bit, but I think it is because of the preparation I now put in before each session. I think some temporal preparation is required before we can really reap the benefits of preparing spiritually, so I’ll start with that.

Temporal Prep:

I always try to keep our schedule clear. I want my kids to grow up knowing General Conference is special and important. I try to go to bed earlier than usual the night before, so I'm not tired (or as tired... because it seems like I'll never get caught up on all my sleep) during the talks. I do my best to get all of my chores done by Friday; things like grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc.

Preparing for Children:

If you don’t have children, or your children are grown and gone... don’t stop listening here, because I have gotten much more out of Conference myself by doing these things for my children, so maybe you can glean a little tip or two as well.

“It is when children are young that parents must be innovated in helping them develop good habits regarding conference participation. As our children are given opportunities to observe and learn the role of these special witnesses, they will receive a spiritual confirmation of the sacred calling of their church leaders and they will feel a deeper love for and interest in these leaders and their message.” – Neil L. Anderson

While I look for ideas for my children, I try to keep 3 goals in mind:

1. Help them Get to Know the Speakers:

Guess Who – replaced the original pictures with pictures of the Apostles and General Auxiliary. (Free printable...)

Family Home Evening – held the Monday before Conference. We listen/watch this song to learn the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12 Apostles names and interests, and we talk a little bit about each one and attach their pictures to the wall to display all week.

2. Make Conference Weekend Fun and Special:

If you couldn't already tell, I love Holiday traditions. I love to make special meals - like a green dinner on St. Patrick's Day, and do fun activities like a glow in the dark egg hunt around Easter. My kids think holidays are exciting around our house, and often ask when the next holiday will occur. A few years ago, it occurred to me that the Prophet was being trumped by the Easter Bunny. That needed to change - General Conference Weekend could be exciting too!

I often make cinnamon rolls, or a breakfast casserole (reserved for "special" Sundays and holidays) for breakfast, and I think it would be fun to do a dinner of everyone's favorites as well.

My hubby attends the Priesthood Session with his brothers and father, then they go back to his parent's house for ice cream or banana splits afterward. Even when a brother or two hasn't really wanted to go to Priesthood, often the family time and dessert has been bribery enough to attend. :)

Plan a fun family outing in between sessions. I hope that even as my kids grow older and friends become so important, that they will love spending time with our family and choose us that weekend.

I try very hard to have the right attitude – not “making” them, but “inviting” them. I love Conference, excited to listen to the Prophet and Apostles, and hopefully they can see that. When I remember to pray for the right attitude during Conference, it goes so much better, and I find I am not getting upset when they aren't focused, but instead I am able to kindly redirect them and the Spirit continues to reside in our home.

3. Make Watching Conference a Meaningful Experience:

When Harvey was younger, I tried to find activities that would entertain him during Conference, so he would leave me alone and I could enjoy watching. But I had an ah-ha moment and realized that I didn't want to train him not to listen... I wanted to encourage him to participate and learn how to get something out of Conference as well. So I changed my strategy. Instead of looking for activities that distract, I look for activities that involve my children in General Conference.

Elder Robert D. Hales gave me encouragement when he said, "“Children and youth love to be included. We make a serious mistake if we assume that the conference is above their intellect and spiritual sensitivity.”

Our kids really can be taught how to get something out of General Conference. It is always a learning process, and we are still evolving, but here are some things that I have done that have helped my children actively (key word here) participate in Conference.

Speaker Stickers - simply remove the centerfold (with pictures) from the previous Conference edition of the Ensign magazine. Tape it to the wall, and let the kids find the picture of the speaker, and attach a sticker his/her face.

Conference Wall - tape up pictures that represent subject that you think might come up in Conference. I choose common ones like scripture study, Jesus Christ, and temples so the kids can point often. Encourage your kids to point to or tally mark (on a sheet protector with a dry erase marker) on the pictures when they hear those subjects.

Treat Buckets - Set out a few buckets or bowls with small treats inside. Add a word to the outside and each time you hear that word you can get a treat. Or, visit the link to see how I incorporate it with our Conference Center Board

Conference Center Board - Our interactive center where they can follow right along with just about everything that happens during Conference. It is pretty involved, so check out the post for all the details (and free printable to make your own).

Journals - I have found endless ideas for children's journals online. I have taken what I feel is the best from many of them, and assembled them into binders for my children. (Most is just rearranging what other's have designed, so I don't feel it's appropriate for me to share the files here. Sorry about that.) But they include: coloring in ties, tracing letters in the apostles names, tally marks on different subjects, and a space to draw or write a little blurb on what each speaker talks about. I hope to include this more as my children get older.

I find that as I spend time with my children during Conference working with these activities, they stay more involved than if I just set it out and leave them to do it on their own. I am still able to take a break and write down things here and there in my own journal, and we are both paying attention to the speakers.

I know Conference is long, but I am amazed at the success of my efforts with my children. Even my active little Harvey loves Conference. When he was younger, I pushed back his nap a little so it would overlap the afternoon session. When he saw that conference was starting and I said it was time for his nap he said, “No! I don’t want to take a nap! I want to watch the Prophet!”

Okay, now that our chores are done, the house is clean, and the kids are engaged... what about us?

Spiritual Prep:

We are entitled to personal revelation as we listen and study the inspired words spoken in Conference. We are told in the D&C,

“You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you…”

General Conference is the same way – we need to study out in our minds what we need and desire from Heavenly Father. I ponder questions that I need to have answered in my life. I pray before Conference to understand and apply the things that I will be taught.

“If we teach by the Spirit, and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” – Jeffery R. Holland

I have a personal General Conference journal, but I don't take notes in it like I did in school. I don’t write down everything I hear, because probably within hours we can access the words of our prophets through the website, or LDS App, and we can get a copy of the Conference Ensign just a couple of weeks later. Instead, I write down specific counsel that touches me. Sometimes it is just what the speaker says, and other times it is an impression or feeling or even a totally unrelated thought that comes. I often label my notes in the margin – “call to action,” “love this quote,” “scripture journal,” “challenge,” and stars next to specific answers to my questions. I also like to summarize each talk into 1 or 2 words so I can find what I am looking for faster as I come back to my notes later. It is important to write it down!

"The prompting that goes unresponded to may not be repeated. Writing down what we have been prompted with is vital." - Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Sometimes, I receive revelation during General Conference that doesn't pertain to what I was seeking. But it is needed nonetheless. A couple of years ago, my mom asked me to check my dad's lines on NewFamilySearch. As I went though the names, there was a married couple, surrounded by so many ancestors whose work had already been finished, that had somehow been missed. They stuck out to me, and after double checking that their word had indeed not been done, I submitted their names for temple ready and received the cards in the mail. I put them in my temple bag to be sure to do the work for them the next time we attended... and life took over. A few months had gone by, and I was listening to General Conference. Elder Richard G. Scott was talking about genealogy and temple work, and said something to prompt me. I immediately thought of that sweet couple, and wrote the following in my journal:

“Ancestors are no doubt excited when their names are found and cleared for ordinance work… they are not happy when they have to continue to wait for you to go to the temple!”

Not to mention, I added a very BOLD "Call to action!" in the margin next to that one. Then, feeling a major urgency, I paused Conference, ran upstairs to make sure the cards were in my temple bag and told Justin that we needed to schedule a time to attend the temple. Yes, before we could continue watching Conference. We did attend the temple the next weekend, and it was such a special experience. I know that my sweet ancestor's spirit was with me, and that she was grateful to me for finding her name and completing her work. I'm so grateful that I was in the right place - listening to Conference - so that I was able to receive that prompting/reminder.

EDITed to add: I made some study stickers to go in my journal instead of just writing my "tags" in the margins. You can download them in THIS POST.

After Conference is over... we aren't done. It is our responsibility to listen and apply what we learned. It is not enough just to know. The words spoken at General Conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.

D&C 43:8-9 “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that we may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments which I have given. And thus ye shall become instructed in my law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received,..."

Many of us say, "Oh that session of Conference was awesome! I felt like the talks were just for me." And we take notes in our journals, then place them on the shelf for the next 6 months. But that verse in D&C wasn't over.

"... and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me."

That is the challenge. We need to incorporate those answers to our questions and problems into our lives and become more like Heavenly Father wants us to be - has instructed us to be through his living prophets.

Much of what Heavenly Father tells us through His prophets is intended to prevent sorrows for us individually and as a society (to teach, inspire, refine, or warn).

“The only safety we have as members of this church is to… give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your [personal] views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’.” –Harold B. Lee.

I like that promise. When we follow the counsel given in General Conference, we will be blessed with protection from the powers of Satan. I know that as we decide to make General Conference a priority in our lives, listen to the words of Heavenly Father though his mouth piece (the prophets, apostles, and other church leaders), and apply those teachings into our lives, we will be blessed.

While preparing for this talk, I realized that while I do try to incorporate the teachings I glean from General Conference into my life, my kids are getting old enough that I should find ways to help them do the same. That is something I am going to try to do after this next session of General Conference. Some ideas I have so far include:

Listen to a General Conference talk while we are getting ready for church each Sunday, then try to spend that week focused on incorporating some of the counsel into our lives.

My friend records Conference on her DVR and watches a talk each week for Family Home Evening, and they discuss it as a family.

What are you going to do to prepare for the next session of General Conference? :)

Valentine's Day

2014-02-17T16:55:00.002-07:00

It has been a while since I took pictures of my kids with my L-O-V-E letters, and since I didn't have any with Max, I thought I would snap a few. I probably should have done singles like I did before because these kids were acting so silly. This was the best one of the bunch. I really need to get an 8x10 printed and add it into my Valentine decor.

For breakfast, we had pink heart pancakes with sprinkles, heart bacon, and apple juice in "fancy glasses."

I've never let the kids use these glasses before, so it was pretty exciting...

During the younger kids' naptime I took a shower, and while I was up there, Justin snuck in and brought flowers into the house. I was so surprised when I came downstairs and saw these beauties. And he knows me well... I love Gerber daisies.

I thought about giving the kids their gift from me (and Justin) during breakfast, but I knew they would want to eat them right away, so I waited until after lunch. They were thrilled! Harvey knew right what they were, but Avery took her time admiring the picture on the front before she opened them up to discover - she wasn't sure at first - chocolates. But now she keeps requesting more!

DIY Window Clings

2014-02-17T01:02:00.001-07:00

I am a sucker for window clings.

It all stems back to when I was a child. We had these Easter clings made out of reusable vinyl and I loved putting them on our sliding glass door. It was very detailed; I could design the eggs with different colored stripes, and put the facial features on the Easter Bunny. I really need to ask my mom what happened to them.

The only problem, is the window clings in stores now are made from some sort of weird gel. They are cute and transparent, but really don't hold up well after a year in storage. Or through a 5 year old trying to pry them out of their package. Or a 2 year old trying to pry them off the window and re-position them. They stretch and tear.

I absolutely loved the window clings I found at Target a couple of years ago. But when I pulled out my Valentine decor, we had already tossed half of them. This year I was very careful when putting them up, but the gel got weaker each year and a few more of them tore. Then I found all of them in bits on the floor after Avery had tried to play with them. It is embarrassing to admit, but I was sad!

Then, later that night when I was watching the kids stick their foam letters to the wall in the bathtub, I got an idea. I could recreate my same window clings out of craft foam and once they were wet, they would stick to the window. I tested it out with a random foam snowman we had, and he stayed on the window for a whole week so I decided it would really work.

Using our old window clings as a guide, I lightly drew the shape I wanted to cut with a pencil onto the foam sheet. The foam was super easy to cut, and by using my precision scrapbooking scissors I was able to use even the pieces I had cut out from the center (the little heart wings of the birds, and the heart spikes on the dinosaur). I love how they turned out! And the best part, is that my little Avery can play with them to her heart's content, and they are durable enough to last.

I have to say though, after a week, there are some pieces that don't want to stay on the window more than a day or so. They are always the same pieces, so I am not sure if it is that particular foam piece or how I cut it. But Avery likes to play with them nearly every day, so it's not really a problem. :) I just give her a little cup of water and she dips the pieces in, and sticks them to the window.

I'm excited to make more for different holidays!

Dino Valentines

2014-02-14T00:37:00.001-07:00

When I realized that Harvey would have a Valentine party at his preschool this year, I got really excited. (Hey, it's a first for both of us!) He helped me look on Pinterest for ideas, and he really wanted to give away cars on a Valentine that said, "I wheelie like you." So we went to the dollar store to check out their selection... but when we got there, the cars looked really cheap and we found these dinosaurs instead. He was excited that they glow in the dark and if you put them in water they expand.

I got to work coming up with cute and funny phrases to go with them.. and my Laffy Taffy joke-loving side really started to show. Even though he only has eight kids in his class, I couldn't stop, so I made twelve.

These four are my favorite:

Here's a printable PDF if you want to make some, although I removed the part about the dinos glowing in the dark so you could attach any dinosaur. To save, click the little arrow in the top right corner of the box below.

Here is an alternate link to download the file: Dino Valentines

I knew his teacher probably wouldn't really care for an expanding rubbery dinosaur, so we got her soap instead. I downloaded the tag from My Own Road and I think it turned out so cute, I just might do that every year!

When Harvey got home from school, he was so excited to show me his little decorated bag and all his Valentines. His favorite? A heart shaped noise maker. (Oh joy.)

Shark Party!

2013-11-30T17:38:00.002-07:00

Harvey is pretty much obsessed with underwater life. (Don't know why... we only have 3 fish tanks in our home). He was so excited about the thought of a SHARK birthday party. I thought it would be lots of fun to take a few kids to the aquarium, but our local aquarium relocated, and was closed during Harvey's birthday. So... I went with my second option - the local indoor pool.

I took too long to reserve the room at the Rec Center, and it wasn't available by the time I called. So we started the party at our house. It actually worked out great, because I was able to decorate the night before and I had plenty of time to get everything ready. Our kitchen was taken over by sea weed! (Idea from Delia Creates.)

And the best decoration of all, was Harvey's gift from Justin and I... a new fish tank (wait, did I say 3 tanks? The count is now at 4), with Glo Fish! They are so awesome!

I wanted to come up with theme-friendly foods using spinach linguine, but Justin talked me out of it (they are 5 year-olds, after all) so we just went with Pizza and some side dishes. We also had SEA-sar salad, but I didn't get a picture. Again, it was great that I didn't have to spend all morning making pasta and worrying that it would stay warm for everyone. Justin is good for me, I tell ya.

The blue ocean water bottles went fast!

We just invited a couple friends and cousins to keep things simple, but there were quite a few adults as well because my aunt and cousins were in town for Thanksgiving. It was great to have them at our house for lunch and cupcakes even though they couldn't stay and swim. They got in their car to drive back to California right after the party. Harvey was thrilled that Bryanna could come to his party!

Then it was time for cupcakes. I seriously love how they turned out; don't they look just like little sharks swimming around? (The frosting was more blue in real life. And I got the idea from Spoonful.) I used the mint recipe from Your Cup of Cake, and it is quite possibly one of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted.

Harvey loved all the attention when everyone was singing to him.. it was cute to watch.

After the festivities at our house, we headed to the pool...

Oh, and I forgot to get a picture, but we handed out little favor bags with Swedish fish and a container of bubbles. I think the shark party was a success!

Here are some pictures of Harvey's 5 year photoshoot... he really wanted to wear his hat, so I went with it.

Harvey,

I love your silly sense of humor. You are always making me smile and laugh!

You are so kind. You share your toys and always make sure to include others in your schemes - including your little sister.

You are forgiving and quick to say "I'm sorry." You'll go far if you always keep that up!

You make friends so easily. I love that about you!

Your imagination is active... you always come up with a new scenario, and love to use dress-up items (hats, vests, swords, stuffed animals, walkie-talkies) to expand your new worlds.

You love to play... and you can make almost anything into a game (washing dishes, taking a bath, brushing your teeth, even making your bed)!

You are athletic. Your daddy loves to throw the football or kick a soccer ball with you. (Can't wait for the nicer weather to give you guys more space outside!)

You are growing like a weed! You are getting so tall, but who can blame you with parents like Dad and I?

You love school. I am so happy that you are flourishing there, and I love to see all of the creations you bring home often with funny names and stories behind each art project. And I love that you request to "do school" with me on days when you don't go to preschool.

I love you kiddo!

Halloween Fun

2013-10-30T23:06:00.001-06:00

For fun we did a few Halloween-y activities. We made spinning spirits for Family Home Evening after talking about the Holy Ghost. I think I'll make that a tradition!

Then for lunch we made jack-o-lantern quesadillas. Harvey wanted an angry face.. Easy and fun.

And then after the kids found some glow sticks they wanted to take them in the bathtub and turn the lights off. I remembered the waterproof lights I bought for the glow-in-the-dark egg hunt around Easter, and I thought it would be fun to take a "spooky bath" with them since they were brighter. It was so fun! The kids put them in a bunch of different toys and had a blast.

Princess & The Pea Party

2013-09-22T16:48:00.003-06:00

Avery's birthday fell around the same time we were planning on blessing Max, and I decided it would be much easier for our family to come to one combined party. I debated on a theme - both girly and masculine - and finally decided on Princess and the Pea. As in, "our sweet pea." Justin didn't think all of the pink was very masculine, but oh well. I didn't do a whole lot of things that had to do with the theme, but I think it all went well together. Here's the invite:

I made these delicious strawberry lime cupcakes (recipe from Your Cup of Cake, which is seriously my favorite cookbook ever!) and added a green lemonhead for the "pea".

I made the centerpieces out of pink roses and a huge bag of frozen peas. It was so easy, and I thought it added just enough theme for a big munch/mingle kind of party.

We normally bless our babies on Fast Sundays, which would have been perfect, because it fell exactly on Avery's birthday. But Justin found out that a work trip to the Philippines was scheduled over that day. I didn't want to wait another month (because of the combining parties issue) so we did it a week early.

There was such a sweet spirit during the blessing. Max was a little angel during the blessing, and smiled a big grin when Justin held him up to show him off after the blessing. Here are some of the things that he was blessed with:

"We are so happy that you have come into our family. Max, you have an anxious spirit that was very prepared for this time on earth, and you were anxious to come to earth to do Heavenly Father's work. We bless you with a healthy body, and a healthy mind that can understand things of the world, and things of the spirit. We bless you with the desire to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. It is such a choice gift and accountability. Seek out guidance from Heavenly Father through prayer, and be obedient to Heavenly Father's commandments. We bless that you'll be obedient to your parents. You have a great family support system. You were blessed to come to a family that loves you. Seek out guidance from your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles."

I feel so blessed to have Max in our family. He really has the sweetest spirit, and just holding him and looking into his big brown eyes gives me so much joy!

I made everyone come outside for two group shots... a nice one, and a silly one. I love the silly one so much, it's framed in our house! We have the best family.

And, of course, we couldn't forget our tradition of "tossing" the guest of honor... (except that we don't actually toss the babies)

We had a potluck brunch, and it was delicious! Thanks everyone for bringing something to share!

After eating, we sang to Avery and let her open a few gifts. She was a little overwhelmed with all of the attention, and didn't know where to look. We finally got her to blow the candles out (after lighting them like 5 times due to the wind) and she devoured her cupcake.

We played Pin the Party Hat on Avery..

Avery,

I love your sweet and sassy personality.

You are so obedient! I am so grateful for your thoughtfulness and helpful attitude. You are always willing to bring me a binki, and even help Harvey to follow directions too!

You are really easy to get along with. Harvey loves to play with his little sister, and we often hear your "Otay, Hav", when he tells you his latest imaginative scheme.

You are really smart and you catch on quick when learning something new. You can get dressed, put on your socks and shoes, pour a drink, do puzzles, pick out the right color hair clip, and draw some amazing bubbles all by yourself.

I love taking you on errands with me - because you help me find things at the grocery store, and you stay right by me and don't run off!

You are so sweet with baby Max. He loves your soft kisses and hugs.

You are tough. You love to wrestle and play rough with Daddy, and love to get thrown onto the couch.

We love you so much!

Dinosaur Bash

2012-12-01T17:00:00.002-07:00

My baby boy turned FOUR! He requested a Dinosaur Party, and I was so excited to host a little party for his friends at our house.

Here is the invite...

When each child arrived, I adorned them with a dinosaur party hat, complete with spikes. (One little girl said she wanted a "girl hat" so I tied a little ribbon into a bow and glued it on the front of hers.)

And after everyone arrived, we started lunch. I made up two signs... for two different types of dinosaurs.

And my favorite part, was the swamp juice (just koolaid with dry ice). However, the dry ice totally cracked my dish! I'm not sure what I would put in the bottom to protect it next time, but it would be worth researching.

If you're interested, here's a copy:

Here is an alternate link to download the file: Dino Party Printables

Then it was time for cake and ice cream. I this cake on pinterest, and I loved the trees, so I replicated them in green and added a few plastic dinosaurs to the top. Harvey loved it (and it was so easy!)

After eating, we headed outside to search for dinosaur eggs! I bought a whole bunch of mini dinosaurs and put several into Easter eggs. The kids were super excited!

Then, using a few of the dinosaurs that "hatched", we made our own fossils. Each child squished clay into the bottom of their dish then "stamped" the side of a couple dinosaurs into the clay. We then filled the dishes with Plaster of Paris.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but once we peeled the clay off, it looked like real dinosaurs were fossilized (for an older crowd you might try to find dinosaur skeletons to stamp).

While we waited for our fossils to dry, we headed outside again for another game: Dinosaur Stomp. This time, I told the kids they were like a mommy or daddy dinosaur and they had to protect their little dinosaur egg (a balloon we tied onto their ankle). The goal was to stomp on everyone else's egg, but don't let your egg pop!

I had them start of the game by giving their loudest dinosaur ROAR!

Then they were off. I know these pictures are terrible. I wasn't thinking about settings during the game.. but I have to post them to show how funny this game was. Everyone pretty much ran around like crazy, popping each other's balloons.

We let them keep playing if their balloon popped (although if the kids were older I might have made them sit out). But then it was down to one, and all the kids totally cornered him and popped it together. I thought it was hilarious, but that kid didn't. I had to cheer him up by telling him he won the game!

When the party was over I sent the kids home with a goodie bag including: candy rocks, a couple of green gumballs, the plastic dinosaurs they had gathered from the eggs, and the fossil they had made.

Here are my 4 favorite things about Harvey:

1. He is fun. He knows how to have a good time, and include others.

2. He has a great sense of humor. He is starting to get old enough to say funny things on purpose, and I love it. He makes me laugh often.

3. He is sweet. Especially to his little sister, Avery. She loves him, and I hope their friendship will always stay close.

4. He has a great imagination. He is always conjuring up some fun scenario for he and his friends to play make believe. Not to mention the stories he tells me!

Spooky Graham Houses

2012-11-13T00:02:00.001-07:00

So.. I totally fell off the blogging bandwagon. I'm noticing a trend here... (haha. Story of my life.)

Anyway, here's one of the little activities we did as part of our Halloween Advent... so fun!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

2012-10-15T10:00:00.001-06:00

This is one of my very favorite pumpkin recipes... so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
1 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of 9 x 13″ pan. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour mixture into greased pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans. Drizzle melted butter over pecans. Bake 50-55 minutes.

An "Old School" Birthday Party

2012-10-01T15:47:00.001-06:00

We had so much fun at Avery's first birthday bash on Saturday... and I had way too much fun planning and prepping all of the details. I decided to do a school theme. You know, like A B C and 1 2 3. Invitation:

It helped that my mom is a school teacher and happened to have vintage Dick and Jane books, as well as access to a bunch of other school supplies. I knew I wanted to incorporate the milestone pictures I've been taking of Avery all year. I put a few in frames, and the rest I displayed like this:

It was really easy to use pliers to twist up a wire and stick it in the apples. Each of the other tables had a simple centerpiece...

I already had the Ikea frames from Harvey's 2nd birthday party, and I spray-painted a piece of cardboard with chalkboard paint for the insert, and wrote "A" or "1" with colored chalk. I tied the balloons to a mason jar filled with magnetic letters.

I added a "schedule" to our big chalkboard (although, we didn't really follow it).

So, first up: art. I covered one of the tables with white butcher paper, and added little buckets of crayons and markers. Guests could doodle to their hearts content while we finished grilling the teriyaki chicken.

To accompany lunch (aka dinner), I had my mom buy some boxes of chocolate milk from her elementary school. It was fun to hear all of the kids recognize the cartons from their daily lunches. :)

I made these simple cupcakes out of a strawberry box mix and the frosting from this recipe (because it's to DIE for). Oh, and I used Reynolds Staybrite Liners, because they are my favorite; they really do stay bright instead of all greasy looking like other cupcake liners.

Avery loved her cake...

She had a little help eating it. These three boys couldn't help themselves...

The aftermath:

For the dessert table I displayed flashcards with little eraser stands (just cut a little slice in the eraser for the cards to slide into). The gumballs were a big hit.

We had a paper airplane folding contest. Everyone folded their own airplane...

Then they all lined up at the top of the hill to see who's plane would fly the farthest...

I had a few other playground games planned, and if they got played - I didn't get any pics. But I had chalk and a hoppytaw for hopscotch, a big playground ball to play 4-square or kickball at the baseball field, and jump-ropes. I should have put someone else in charge of taking those pics. :(

After we finally gathered together again, it was time for show and tell... it was funny that Avery was so into it! She loved each and every gift - so much that she didn't want to put it down to open the next one. I would start to take it away, and she would grab it and shriek to let me know.

I also had a little favor bag for each of the kids. They concealed a few school supplies: a mini composition book, a box of crayons, a glue stick and a pencil.

So cliche, but I seriously can't believe that my baby girl is one!

ETA: Oh man... I completely forgot to add my inspiration yesterday!! (Sorry..)
Amy Atlas's use of the apples inspired my photo holders, I used the wording from this birthday invitation, I expanded on these brilliant flashcards (also used a similar "drawing" in my invite), I replicated these centerpieces, and copied this creative place card holder and this chalkboard schedule.

72 Hour Kit: Baby Version

2012-09-27T10:30:00.002-06:00

This is just a quick list of everything I've added to my little one year old's 72-hour kit, because it differs slightly from our adult kits. Be sure to check out my comprehensive list for everything in my (and my husband's) kits. It has all the reasoning behind my choices, how I keep the kits rotated, and all sorts of other tips. Or you can check out my son's (age 4) young child version of the kit, as well.

I purchased this kit from Emergency Essentials for each of my children. At the time it was only 25 bucks, and seemed like a great deal for everything plus the backpack. I store each grouping of items (clothing, entertainment, etc.) in a separate gallon sized Ziploc bag. This makes the pack virtually waterproof, it's much easier to find an item, and the bags can be used for all sorts of things (think garbage or water storage) in an emergency.

On the outside of the backpack, I've attached an ID card for Avery. On one side, it has her name and our family's contact information. There are also 2 locations of where our family would meet after an emergency (one in our neighborhood, and another one out of it - if our neighborhood was unsafe), an out-of-state contact and a place for allergy information. On the other side, I've included a recent family picture so the hopefully-nice-and-helpful-adult that finds Avery would know who to look for if she was lost. I plan on updating it at least once per year to keep the photos current (it's a new addition). For now, I store everything in a small ziplock bag, so everything stays waterproof yet I can still easily slide a new photo in each year. I'm debating if that is sturdy enough; laminating might be a better option.

Water & Food:

So.. Avery and I are now in the weaning process but even when I was nursing full time, I felt like it was wise to pack another source of food. What if Justin is the only one home when he needs to evacuate and we can't meet up for a day or two? What if we get separated after? What if, heaven forbid, I died? Because of all of that, I've decided to pack formula and water. Besides, it's the easiest way of making sure she would get enough calorie intake.

3 water bottles (see the adult kit post for my water explanation)
baby bottle with nipple
25 ready-to-go 4oz formula packets (For some reason I got a ton of free ones when Avery was born, and neighbors gave some to me as well. I like the idea of having them separated so the whole can doesn't get contaminated by water or something, but it would be cheaper to buy one can of formula.)
3 baby food pouches (this is how much I included 6 months ago when she was just starting solids, and this go around I'll include 9)
Dispensing Spoons (you don't need these to eat food out of the food pouches, but I bought them when Avery was just learning how to eat solids, and after taking them on a trip they won me over. I could feed her with one hand and it was great. This link says they are unavailable, but I found mine at BabiesRUs)
Cheerios
Spill Proof Water Spout (attaches right onto a water bottle, making it spill proof. I like this one because it will grow with her, but you might want to consider the Water Bottle Cap Adapter because it's an actual nipple.)
insulated bag (not pictured, but in the chance I could heat/cool something and I want to keep it that way for a while)

Clothing:

wipes
diapers (I fit 20 size 3 diapers in a gallon ziplock bag, and I added diapers to the Grab List if I had time)
diaper rash cream (I threw these packets in with the diapers because I already had them on hand, but I also add aquaphor in with the personal items, which is double duty)
3 cloth diapers (can use them for all sorts of things, but ultimately, if my disposable stash runs out, I want to have something to resort to...)
safety pins
laundry soap ;) - still need to get this, which is why it's not in the photo

There are a few things I rotate more than every 6 months, and diapers are one of them. I regularly buy the big boxes of diapers, so when Avery switches to the next size up, we use the last of the old size from her kit and I replace them with the next size up.

sweatshirt & sweatpants (one size bigger than they are currently wearing)
1 pair of footsie pajamas (can layer or use as a separate change of clothing if needed)
2 pairs of socks (cold, wet feet can cause lots of problems)
hat and gloves
small blanket (changing pad, warmth, extra "outfit" if needed)

My favorite tip for buying clothing for my childrens' kits, is to buy a sweat outfit a size or two bigger to put in the kit, then when it actually fits, pull it out (replacing it of course) and let them wear it as normal. Kids grow so fast, it's a waste to keep buying outfits (even cheap ones) for the kits. We love camping as a family, so I usually buy sweat pants and shirts for those trips anyway. Now I just do it a year earlier... One size bigger wouldn't be a big deal for the kids to wear in an emergency, and it saves having to buy a lot of extra clothes that likely won't get worn.

During Avery's first year, instead of sweats I included a blanket sleeper (with arms and a pouch that zips up). It could be used as a separate outfit if needed, or a warm extra layer. I also added an extra pair of pajamas because blowouts are more common, and there was more room when everything was smaller. Oh, and I added her SwaddleMe to the Grab List because she could NOT sleep without that thing.

Personal Care Kit:

2-3 Washcloths
Wet Ones
Shampoo
Soap
Hand Sanitizer
Lotion
Aquaphor (chapped skin or diaper rash cream)
Toothbrush (only included because the one I bought for my son came in a 2 pack)
Cotton Swabs (not pictured - I forgot to take them out of the front zippered pocket)
Comb
Kleenex
Nail clippers
Forehead thermometer
Teething gel
Anti-gas drops

Tools & Supplies:

3 hotties (hand warmers)
emergency mylar blanket
lightstick & flashlight (more entertainment than anything, I'm sure)
extra batteries (taped together so the ends wont touch and deplete power)
poncho
plastic bags (for dirty diapers)

Entertainment/Comfort Items:

binki and tether
blankie (I made a mini version out of the extra fabric I had when I made her larger ones..)
small toy

I rotate the kids' everyday toys when they start to get old. I try to remember to swap out the toys in their kits when I do it, but it doesn't always happen.

Grab List:

coat and sturdy shoes for Avery (stored in the same closet as the kit)
baby carrier (stored in the same closet as the kit)
stroller
SwaddleMe
extra diapers (if time)
couple of extra toys (if time)

Is there anything I missed?? Leave a comment and let me know!

Check back tomorrow for a peek at our Emergency Binder...

72 Hour Kits: Child Version

2012-09-26T10:34:00.001-06:00

This is just a quick list of everything I've added to my little boy's 72-hour kit, because it differs slightly from our adult kits. Be sure to check out my comprehensive list for everything in my and my husband's kits as well. It has all the reasoning behind my choices, how I keep the kits rotated, and all sorts of other tips.

I purchased this kit from Emergency Essentials for each of my children. At the time it was only 25 bucks, and seemed like a great deal for everything plus the backpack. For the next one, I think I'll get this backpack and add my own items. I store each grouping of items (clothing, entertainment, etc.) in a separate gallon sized Ziploc bag. This makes the pack virtually waterproof, it's much easier to find an item, and the bags can be used for all sorts of things (think garbage or water storage) in an emergency.

On the outside of the backpack, I've attached an ID card for Harvey. On one side, it has his name and our family's contact information. There are also 2 locations of where our family would meet after an emergency (one in our neighborhood, and another one out of it - if our neighborhood was unsafe), an out-of-state contact and a place for allergy information. On the other side, I've included a recent family picture so the hopefully-nice-and-helpful-adult that finds Harvey would know who to look for if he was lost. I plan on updating it at least once per year to keep the photos current (it's new). For now, I store everything in a small ziplock bag, so everything stays waterproof yet I can still easily slide a new photo in each year. I'm debating if that is sturdy enough; laminating might be a better option.

Food & Water:

3 water bottles (see this post for my thoughts about water)
lightweight foldable bowl (to eat food given at an evacuation shelter)
Little Spork
Emergency Food bars - enough for 9 meals. Actually, that is the same amount of food that we have in our kits, but they are good for 5 years, so I bought for his future appetite... (Seriously, they taste like Girl Scout shortbread cookies. Go to Emergency Essentials for a taste test. Harvey has tasted this and likes eating "cookies". If your children are more picky, you'll need to choose other foods that are high-calorie and light weight. Check out this site and this site for ideas.)

I packed 9-10 snack/comfort foods, so he could eat one at each "meal". I buy whatever is on sale when I rotate the kits. Here are some ideas:

ready-to-mix Koolaid packets so we can stand the taste of the water.
tuna pouches (not cans) & snack pack of Ritz crackers
raisins (plain or yogurt covered)
beef jerky
dry fruit
boxed (shelf stable) milk
sunflower seeds
nuts
granola bars
fruit pouches (found in the baby food section)
trail mix
fruit snacks
gum (put in it's own ziplock before adding it with the other food, or all of your food will taste minty!)
hard candy

Clothing:

sweatshirt & sweatpants (one size bigger than they are currently wearing)
thermal underwear (can layer, use for pjs, or use as a separate change of clothing if needed)
1 change of underwear and 2 pairs of socks (cold, wet feet can cause lots of problems)
hat, gloves, and sunglasses
4-5 pull-ups (Not pictured... Harvey has been potty-trained for 3-4 months now, but in a stressful situation I would probably feel more comfortable with him wearing pull-ups at least at night.)

My favorite tip for buying clothing for my childrens' 72 Hour Kits, is to buy a sweat outfit a size or two bigger to put in the kit, then when it actually fits, pull it out (replacing it it of course) and let them wear it as normal. Kids grow so fast, it's a waste to keep buying outfits (even cheap ones) for the kits. We love camping as a family, so I usually buy sweat pants and shirts for those trips anyway. I just "store" the larger ones in the kids' kits before they wear them! One size bigger wouldn't be a big deal for the kids to wear in an emergency, and it saves having to buy a lot of extra clothes that likely won't get worn.

Personal Care Kit:
I found these little bags at IKEA, and filled them with everything we might need for our personal care.

Washcloth
Wet Ones
Shampoo
Soap
Hand Sanitizer
Aquaphor
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Cotton Swabs (not pictured - I forgot to take them out of the front zippered pocket)
Comb
Kleenex

Tools & Supplies:

Whistle (he knows - and loves to practice - blowing this whistle over and over if he gets lost will help another adult find him and help reunite our family)
Flashlight
Batteries (taped together so the ends wont touch and deplete power)
Lightstick
Toilet paper stuffed in a ziplock bag (remove the cardboard center to help flatten the roll)
Emergency mylar blanket
Poncho
3 Hotties (hand warmers)

Entertainment/Comfort Items:

2-3 file folder games (I made them half-size so when folded they are about 5.5in x 9in)
bubbles
mini coloring book / crayons (if you live in an area that gets really hot, consider color pencils)
blankie (I made a mini version out of the extra fabric I had when I made Avery's..)
small car
note pad and pencil (uhh, need to sharpen that thing..)

Other ideas:

pipe cleaners
dry erase board / marker
jump rope

Grab List:

coats & sturdy walking shoes (we keep our kits in the hall closet where both of these are stored)
sleeping bag (zero rated)
couple of extra toys (if time)

Is there anything I missed?? Leave a comment and let me know!

Check back tomorrow for the contents in my baby's kit...

72 Hour Kits

2012-09-25T12:00:00.001-06:00

Twice a year, during General Conference weekend, we update our 72 hour kits. Since it's on my brain this week, I'm going to do a series of posts on what we include in each of our bags.

Today I'll talk about what's in the hubby's and my bags. This is a long post. But I wanted to give you more than just another packing list for your 72 hour kits. I've spent a ton of time researching things to put in our kits, and I wanted to share the info I've found as well as why I chose the items I did. Bear with me!!

Also, I just wanted to add... planning and preparing beforehand with tools and essentials that would be useful in an emergency can be expensive. Chances are, you already have many things around your house, but other things need to be budgeted for and purchased little by little. I'll leave it up to you to decide which things are the most important, and which things can wait until you have a chance to buy them. (And my kits aren't finished yet... I still have a list of things that I would like to include when possible!) That's why I use General Conference (or every 6 months) as a time to reevaluate the things we have and the things we might need. Our family changes. Our needs change. The kits need to reflect that. I feel like our kits are a continual work in progress because of this.

I'll be the first to admit: our kits are probably bloated. But I definitely want to fall under the category of "better to be too prepared, then not prepared enough." I can always give away or leave behind items that I have packed. Okay... let's get started!

Containers
I change what container I put my kit in periodically. Every time I update our kits I evaluate the most likely scenarios and decide. This go around, I decided to put it in a carry-on sized roller suitcase because most likely I'll be home with the kids while my hubby is at work. That means I'll have to carry the baby, her kit, my kit, and help Harvey with his. I thought it would be easier with the wheels; plus I could strap a backpack on top of the suitcase, strap the baby to me and wear Harvey's kit if it got too heavy for him. Justin's is in the large backpack, and the kids each have a small red one.

Food & Water:
I have gone back and forth on the food situation. During times of stress, we actually need to consume more calories then usual. I bought all "normal" stuff I thought my family would eat, and added up calories to make sure we would all be getting adequate nutrition. (I used this site and this site). But then I put all of that stuff in gallon sized ziptop bags (one for each day per person), and realized that not only was this option really expensive, but it was bulky and HEAVY. Plus, I would have to keep rotating all of that expensive food every 6 months to a year to keep it fresh (more $$).

Then I went over to Emergency Essentials, and actually tasted their Emergency Food Bars... and they actually taste really good. Pretty much like a shortbread Girl Scout Cookie. Plus they are super high in nutrition/calories, lightweight, inexpensive, and they store well at a wide range of temperatures for 5 years. I bought one for each of us (enough for 9 meals each), as well as some other flavored ones.

Even though I didn't pack canned goods or much we would eat with utensils, I still put a set in each pack, along with a manual can opener. I've read that many charities and shelters will hand out canned food in times of disaster, so can openers - and means to eat the food - are in high demand.

Utensils
Mess Kit (foldable bowl and cup)
Manual can opener (pictured below with the tools/supplies)

Now, I realize that eating a tiny block of food for a meal, no matter how many calories it contains, would be hard for every meal for three days, so I added snack/comfort foods as well. I packed 12-14 for each adult, so we could eat 4-5 snacks each day.

To keep the snacks rotated, I'll let my family eat their snacks during General Conference every six months and I'll buy whatever is on sale to replace it. (Hopefully allowing the kids to start this "tradition" they will remind me to rotate the kits!) My favorite options for snack/comfort foods are:

tuna pouches (not cans because of weight) & ritz crackers snack packs (I tasted the ready-to-eat boxed versions and I didn't like the taste, so I assembled my own)
raisins (plain or yogurt covered)
beef jerky
dry fruit
boxed (shelf stable) milk
sunflower seeds
nuts
granola bars
trail mix
fruit snacks
fruit pouches (in the baby aisle - just buy applesauce)
gum (put in it's own ziplock before adding it with the other food, or all of your food will taste minty!)
hard candy
multi-vitamins

As far as water goes, I'm going with the some-is-better-than-nothing approach. It is just too heavy to evacuate on foot with the recommended 3 gallons per person, especially when most likely, Justin will be at work and I will have to manage three packs and two kids. Seriously, can you imagine me carrying 9 gallons of water, my baby, and all of our other supplies?! As my children get older and their ability to help carry supplies increases, I'll add more water. For now, I'm going to bank on finding water, so I'll have to be able to clean it. **However, see my last category: Grab List, for a scenario when we could evacuate by car.**

8-10 water bottles in the adult's packs
water filter (ours allows us to drink directly out of the water source, or siphon it into a container)
dropper with bleach
ready-to-mix Crystal Lite packets so we can stand the taste of the water (pictured with the snacks)

Other things on my wish list:

collapsible container to hold water we do find and clean - or that the evacuation center gives us
I've also debated about getting this Water Filtration Bottle
water purification tablets

Clothing & Shelter:

sweatshirt & sweatpants (comfortable, can cut off the arms and legs if it is too hot)
thermal underwear (can layer, use for pjs, or use as a separate change of clothing if needed)
1 change of underwear and 2 pairs of socks (cold, wet feet can cause lots of problems)
hat, gloves, and sunglasses

I chose sweats for lots of reasons: They are comfortable and warm. You can easily cut the arms and legs off if your emergency chances upon hot weather. They are roomy - and will accommodate for fluctuation in weight gain (aka pregnancies.. although consider putting in a larger size if needed). And they are cheap; I can buy a whole set for about 6 bucks when they are on sale at Walmart - but look early, because they go fast.

I live in Utah, and it gets cold here during the winter. If you live in a warmer climate, you might not need thermals and sweats... do what you need to do for your family. I store all of these items in ziplock bags; they take up less room when you suck the air out, they won't get wet if your bag does, and the bags can be used for other things (garbage, water collection, etc.).

rain poncho
thermal sleeping bag
hotties (hand warmers)
tube tent

On the wish list:

Heat Cell (can heat food, or warm a tent for 8-9 hours!)

First Aid:

I bought a pretty good first aid kit from REI. It's a women's outdoor kit, so it also included a few luxuries (tampons, wash cloths, chapstick). I have added some things: Vick's VapoRub, an extra container of Tylenol, Children's Tylenol, teething tablets, a forehead thermometer, and extra bandaids with Spiderman on them (hey.. they make "owies" better now.. why not add that extra comfort when we will be in a scary situation?) I grab this out of my kit when we go camping, so we use and rotate the supplies that way. Justin's bag has a similar first aid kit, so I figure my family is pretty covered, at least in the small-medium category. I'm still trying to figure out what I would do for the more serious injuries.

It is almost always cheaper to buy first aid supplies in a premade kit. You can find them everywhere; just compare the contents to a recommended list and choose the one you think covers that list the best. You can always add small things to your first aid kit.

Some other things I've considered:

scissors (my kit didn't include them, but I have a pocket knife, so that would work)
Burn Jel
QuikClot
some instant ice packs
a snake bite kit
maybe a pen light (for checking pupils, but I probably wouldn't know what I was looking for)
saline solution (good for cleaning out wounds when you can't wash them out or stuffy baby noses)

Personal Care Kit:
I found these little bags at IKEA and filled them with everything we might need for our personal care. To keep them rotated, I pack them when we go camping. We evaluate what needs to be replaced/refilled after each trip.

Washcloth
Wet Ones
Shampoo/Conditioner
Soap
Hand Sanitizer
Chapstick
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Cotton Swabs
Comb/Brush
Kleenex
Finger Nail Clippers
Compact Mirror
Sunscreen
Contact Lens supplies (in Justin's kit, along with an old pair of eye glasses)
Feminine Products (I included liners, and my DivaCup is on my "grab list")

Tools & Supplies:

Clothesline and pins
Toilet paper
Handy Saks (plastic bags)
Flint & Steel
Lighter
Whistle
Wind/Waterproof Matches
Compass
Flashlight
Extra Batteries (wrap them with tape so the ends don't touch and deplete the charge)
Lightsticks
Permanent marker (not pictured - to write name on kids' chests in case of separation)

Some other things on my wishlist:

NOAA weather/AM/FM radio - crank powered, and will also charge cell phones! (I've read that during lots of emergencies, you can send and receive texts even when you can't make a call because they are on a different bandwidth)
Headlight
Tide laundry detergent packs
Small bars of soap (often a tradable commodity)

Important Family Documents/Cash:
This deserves it's own post... and I'll post about it later this week!

Entertainment/Comfort Items:

Book of Mormon
Sudoku / Crossword puzzles
Yahtzee - I bought a Johnson/Johnson travel first aid kit for the container, then I cut down 4 Yahtzee score sheets (I cut games 3-6 off) and folded them in half so they would fit. I need to laminate them and add a dry erase marker, so we could reuse them. Then I bought extra dice at the dollar store.
chalk (for games like hopscotch, or just drawing pictures)
pen and notebook
The Ultimate Indoor Games Book - full of tons of game ideas where nothing is needed... great for keeping anyone occupied, indoors or out!

Grab List:
Obviously, there are things that you would want to take with you in an evacuation, but can't store permanently in your kits. I have made up a list for each family member (well for now, it's just Justin and I but as the kids get older I'll give them each a list as well) of things to "grab and go" according to how much time we have. Here are some things I've included:

coats & sturdy walking shoes (we keep our kits in the hall closet where both of these are stored)
sleeping bags (zero rated)
Luggable Loo
throw perishable food into our cooler
cell phones/charger
external hard drive
laptop computer
large tent (if we can evacuate by car)
2-4 flats of water bottles (if we can evacuate by car)
filled camelbaks (or other hydration backpacks)
extra gas can (if we can evacuate by car)

Whew! Are you still with me?? Is there anything I missed?? Leave a comment and let me know!

Come back tomorrow for a peek at the contents of Harvey's (age 4) kit...

Teriyaki Marinated Chicken

2012-09-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

This is our chicken marinade recipe for every family barbecue we host. I usually do 9 lbs of chicken to feed around 30 people (but lots of kids are included in that number). Feel free to half/quarter/double this recipe. It's flexible, easy, and so delicious...

Marinade:

9 lbs chicken
4 cups lemon-lime soda
4 cups teriyaki sauce
1 cup oil
garlic to taste (I usually put in 2-3 cloves depending on how big they are)

Marinade your chicken in a well-sealed container for 24 hours, flipping once.

Oreo Cupcakes

2012-09-11T13:30:00.001-06:00

I hosted a little girls' night a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to make a something special. When I found this Oreo Cupcake recipe on pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try. And you know what? They were so good, I made them again for a baby shower this week. If you like Oreos, you must try these cupcakes!

They have half of an Oreo at the bottom, and little chunks of Oreos mixed into the batter. Heaven.

And the cream cheese frosting is the perfect amount of cream and sweet. So delicious. Click here for the recipe!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2012-08-30T15:00:00.001-06:00

I know at least one of you has a huge zucchini sitting on your counter just waiting to be baked. Am I right? (Wanna know a secret? I have three.) Here's another zucchini recipe to help you clear that counter-top!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

2. With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

3. Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

4. Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.

5. Mix together sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Optional: It looked like it needed a little something, so I snagged some mini chocolate chips from my cupboard and sprinkled them on top. So yummy.

Pioneer Day Fun

2012-08-14T16:32:00.001-06:00

To celebrate July 24th (aka Pioneer Day in Utah) we headed over to Justin's parents' house for a barbeque and fireworks. I volunteered to bring dutch oven peach cobbler for dessert. Yum!

I also brought materials for the kids to make their own edible covered wagon (found the idea on Secrets of a Super Mommy.) My pictures are terrible, but you get the idea... The kids liked making them, and we all thought they turned out pretty cute, but the kids didn't eat them and they ended up in the garbage. Just sayin'.

But my favorite part of the night were the games. I brought fabric strips for a three-legged race, and we had a race between the adults, and a race for the kids. It was so fun! Then we did stick-pulls (because that was one of Joseph Smith's favorite games); some of us got really intense!

Mom's Club Olympics

2012-08-11T11:05:00.002-06:00

My ward has the most awesome Mom's Club. I've heard stories about other wards, and I'm so grateful that I live amongst women who consistently uplift me, serve me, and welcome me. Last year we just met at a local park every Wednesday. It was especially good for me to have something scheduled to get me out of the house. I was pregnant and just realizing how easy it is to become a hermit when you become a stay-at-home-mom.

This year someone thought it would be fun to plan some different activities so the older kids that were out of school for the summer would have more fun. So a few of us divided up the days so we would each plan one activity per month.

Hopefully I'll get around to blogging about the other activities soon, but this week I planned a little Olympics to coincide with the fabulous Summer Olympics going on right now. I kept things pretty simple.

We did some track and field... sprints & (imaginary) hurdles:

(I'm not sure why Harvey is on the ground..?)

And the long jump:

And a shot put... using shoes (This was hilarious to watch. Can you see the little shoes at the top of the pics?):

We did some gymnastics (cartwheels, somersaults, and handstands), although I didn't get any pictures. After all of the "events" we headed back to the pavilion. I had paper, tape, and crayons for the kids to make their own flag. They turned out so cute!

(For instructions on how to make a flag out of one sheet of 8.5x11 paper and a piece of tape, check out this post by The Chocolate Muffin Tree.)

Then we had awards and treats. I made Olympic Torches (inspired by A Small Snippet), and Oreo Gold Metals (inspired by Mirabelle Creations).

I didn't want to spend a ton of money on the Fruit by the Foot for the medals, so I found these Rips Whips instead for only a couple bucks. And bonus - they came in Olympics colors!

(I copied the wording for the tag from Little Birdie Secrets). The kids loved them. And some even wore them around their neck!

Simple... and fun. The recipe for a great Mom's Club activity.

Frozen Mango-Cream Cake

2012-07-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

This dessert was simple to make.. although it used most of my kitchen appliances (stovetop, blender, food processor and a mixer!) Even though my kitchen looked like a tornado hit it when I was done, eating this delectable dessert was worth it in the end!

For the Crust:
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 ounce salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For the Mousse:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1 scant tablespoon)
2 firm but ripe mangoes, peeled (each about 1 pound)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat inside of in 8-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray. (Your dessert will look thicker than mine, because I only had a 10-inch spring-form pan.)

2. Make the crust: Pulse macadamia nuts and granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. In a bowl, combine nuts, flour and butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour into spring-form pan, and press into bottom. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool.

3. Make the mousse: Pour orange juice into a small saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat over low heat, stirring, until dissolved. Remove from heat.

4. Cut one-quarter of one mango into 1/2-inch slices); cover, and refrigerate. Coarsely chop remaining mangoes. In a blender, puree chopped mangoes, granulated sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. With machine running, add gelatine mixture in a slow, steady stream, and blend until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

5. With a whisk or an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until soft peaks return. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the mango mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining whipped cream.

6. Divide mousse among molds, filling three-quarters full. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours (up to 1 week).

7. When ready to serve, let the cake stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Gently push up from the bottom to unmold. Cut and transfer cake slices to plates and let stand 5 more minutes to soften slightly. Serve garnished with mango slices.

Daddy Candy Gram

2012-06-18T23:15:00.001-06:00

Like a month ago, candy bars were on sale at the grocery store so I stocked up. I knew I wanted to do a candy gram for Justin on Father's Day, even if I didn't know what I wanted it to say exactly. In the end, it all worked out and I only had to run back and buy a couple more specific bars. I wrote most of it myself, but I also got help from this site. :)

Here's what Harvey and I came up with...

Jud loved it.

I think Avery was a little put out that it wasn't for her.