Cool Stuff

We had a busy fun weekend, but I haven't gotten it all together to write about it yet.  I wanted to share a few cool things that I have been loving lately:


 I downloaded these cool ebooks with instructions and printables on how to make preschool activity bags.  After a dollar store shopping spree and a lot of cardstock printing, the kids and I have been putting a few of them together and so far they are loving them.   These are more 3d hands on than traditional file folder games.  They are also child led, so I can give them a bag and they can play on their own for a while, which is nicer than putting a video on. here is the link.



I had been wanting a Time Timer for a very long time, but they are really spendy for a timer.  I finally just went for it and it has been so great!  We use it a lot when we want the kids to get something done.  Instead of nagging, I just set this visual timer and ask them to get it done before the red runs out. It is a miracle in the mornings when we are trying to get the kids ready and out the door. No more asking them to do their schedule 100 times!  I just set the timer. Link here


These are my FAVORITE prenatal vitamins.  I found them at a health food store right before I became pregnant with Carter and have taken them ever since.  There is a wonderful balance of easily absorbable vitamins and minerals for pregnancy (all the vitamin b turns your pee bright yellow!), PLUS lots of other good things that help.  Digestive enzymes, probiotics, herbs for morning sickness, etc.  I still get morning sickness, but these really do noticeably take the edge off.  They are decent priced for a good multi-vitamin and especially factoring in the probiotics which is very appreciated during pregnancy if you know what I mean.  I feel very good about these vitamins after 4 years, so I highly recommend them. I take them in between pregnancies as well. Worth every penny.  You take 2 pills, 3 times a day which spreads out the good effects.  Admittedly, I often take all six at once though.  With these pills, the only other supplements that I feel are important for me are fish or flax oil and extra vitamin d3(since we don't see the sun for months at a time). (LINK) I have easily found these at every health food store I have been to.




 Finally, I love fashion blogs.  A lot of women have blogs just so they can take pictures of what they wear and evaluate it and it is a great way to get ideas. I love the modest ones especially. Here are my favorites: La Vie PetitFashion Diary of a Mormon Girl The Daybook A Day in the Life Too

Daydreaming

The other day I was thinking how fun it would be to find some quick patterns and sew my girls some matching clothes for summer.  I haven't sewn for so long and I am missing it a lot lately ever since I helped my sister sew her daughter a baptism dress.  I wasn't too impressed with what I found at the fabric store in the patterns so I started looking through the books and there it was:

"Little Girls, Big Style" by Mary Abreu

The title underneath caught my attention quickly:  "Sew a Boutique Wardrobe from 4 easy patterns."  Aha!  It even comes with the 4 patterns and has full colored pictorial instructions for all the 23 fun variations.  It was just the sort of styles I was looking for. Now I can't stop looking over the pages dreaming about the endless possibilities. I must have a sewing marathon soon! 

Accountable Kids Review

It has been about a month since we embarked on the Accountable Kids program.  This program is so well thought out!  The starter video is all that is needed to get going and off we went.  basically, it instills the work before play mentality. The kids enjoy earning their tickets when they finish each portion of their schedule.  Even more, they like to earn bonus bucks for doing extra chores.  It has been so helpful for us.  We didn't have the kids do many chores before so it is a new thing for them. And now that they earn bonus bucks, we can teach the children valuable money management skills that are so vital to becoming responsible adults. The other day, one of the kids helped me mop the entire main living areas.  The next day I heard him say, "Wow, this floor is so clean!".  Not something he ever would have noticed before.  He has learned to have pride in his work and enjoy the results.  Priviledge passes have been helpful as we try to phase out bad habits.  Best Behavior cards are probably the biggest novelty for the kids.  When they do a good deed, sometimes they ask for a best behavior ticket.  That's when I say, "Not this time, but great job."  Then when I see them sincerely use kind actions or go the extra mile, I reward them and they just beam about it.   

 This program is helpful for getting the kids into a regular routine each day.  Our oldest who has autism has especially benefited from this since he has done similar scheduling programs before.  Since the schedules can be changed around, sometimes I switch things up just to help him understand that it's okay.  Now that the children are more accountable for everything they need to do in a day, my mind is way more at ease.  It is not an easy feat to manage 5 highly dependant people each day, but now I know nothing will be missed, like taking their vitamins or flossing.  There are so many valuable skills, habits, and characteristics that I want to be teaching my children and now, I only need to make sure it is on the board and follow through, and it is done. As a mom I feel better at the end of each day knowing that I have done my job. I love that they are learning such great habits that they can carry throughout their lives.  What an amazing teaching tool.    This program doesn't just come with a user's manual, it comes with an entire book!  It is stuffed full of great ideas ways to enhance the program to take it to the next level.  As the kids get older and master habits and skills we will continue to add more complexities to this program. I can say for sure that Accountable Kids is here to stay at our house.



Click HERE if you would like to learn more about Accountable Kids.

To All Moms!!!

I found out about this amazing program called Accountable Kids. I am always making charts, schedules and games to get the kids to learn to be accountable. I have been wanting to make a system that incorporates everything into one simple clean cut program, but hadn't quite figured it all out. Then I heard about Accountable Kids. It is my Heaven sent answer to it all!!! After watching the two intro videos on the site, I was totally sold, and I didn't even know the cost yet. I have to have it! After checking into it some more, I figured out I want it all, everything they sell. I ordered the deluxe kit plus 3 additional kid kits(4 in all for now). You can have the names etched on their boards for 9.00 extra...sold! There are even reviews from Dr. Laura and Steven Covey on there! After shipping, it all came out to about $200. I pulled out my debit card quicker than a gun slinger, I have to have it! That is a lot of money for us for sure, but I also found out about their advertising program. Once I get our stuff and use it, all I have to do is write a review with a pictures on my blog and I can submit my proof of purchase for a 50% refund!!! I swear the angels are singing for me today. So go order yours and you can do the same thing!(disclaimer: I haven't done this yet, so I can't say this will be as easy as it sounds to get the refund, but that's the plan) I will put my review up shortly after we start the program so stay tuned. I am so pumped! Hip Hip HURRAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cute Book

This is such a great children's book. Not just for the kids, but for the reader as well. It is very animated. Grover does not want you to turn any pages once he finds out there is a monster at the end of the book and goes to great lengths to try to stop you. The kids get such a kick out of turning the pages against his will. There is a great surprise ending that the kids just can't get enough of. We probably have a couple hundred children's books but this is our most requested read so I thought I would give my recomendation. Check it out, they will love it.

Great Printer

The HP Officejet L7555 A few months ago Peter and I decided we really needed a new printer. Although the $30 one that we were using worked, It didn't work well and the ink cost was insane for the amount of printing it did. So as we were shopping Peter really gravitated toward a black and white laser printer because of the high output, but I just couldn't face not having a color printer for all of my homemaking needs. Color laser printers were just too expensive and although the ink would last a long time, it would be a serious investment each time. Inkjets are pretty cheap but you don't get much bang for your buck with the ink. We seemed to be at a crossroads as we went from store to store trying to find the right fit for us.

Then we just happened to be at Costco, probably buying diapers, and as we browsed the printers I noticed this one that had a sign claiming to be cheaper than a laser printer per page. We talked with the salesman for quite a while about this claim. He even showed us the ink cartridge refills on which the package estimates how many pages you can print per cartridge. Sure enough it was very comparable with laser jet quantities. It was something like 1500 pages for the color cartridges and 2500 for the black and white! Much different than other ink jets quantities.

This printer is an Officejet which is a step up from the regular inkjets, but Peter was skeptical since it was only $139.00. Somehow we decided this printer was going to be our best compromise since we just couldn't afford Color and Laser in the same sentence.

When we brought it home and put it together, I did notice the quality was surprisingly good for the price we paid. Since the printer came with ink I decided not to hold back with the print jobs at all, but didn't expect much from the lower level ink that they usually come with at first. Seriously I printed like crazy, no holding back for the last 4 months and this thing just kept going! I don't know how many reams of paper we went through because the kids go through so much paper too for their own use, but between myself and them it was at least 10. I am careful to print on the economy setting a lot, I have always done that, but still printed and copied like crazy. I finally had to buy some color ink for this thing after all this time just yesterday, but the black is still going strong.

The color cartridges cost a total of about $60(about 1500 pages, perhaps more on economy printing), but that is still a lot less than laser cartridges. You can get 2 black cartridges for about the same price (5000 pages!) The printer itself has really impressed me for the price. Way better quality than I expected for $139. It has only jammed maybe 3 or 4 times with what seemed like a thousand print jobs. Anyway, we have been very happy with our decision to get this printer so if you are looking to get something good, try one of the printers in this line. If it requires HP Officejet 88XL ink, that is the way to go. I love to share a good find so I hope this is useful for someone out there.

P.S. This one is also wireless so we hooked it up to our internet router and can print from anywhere in the house!

Laundry Soap

After reading that you can make your own laundry soap for very cheap, I just had to give it a try. It was so easy (about a 20 minute project) and kinda fun. I was doubtful that it would really turn out, but after letting it set for a day, it gelled and truly became a liquid detergent! I was able to find these 3 ingredients at Winco believe it or not. I also had to buy a 5 gallon bucket at home depot. My initial investment was about $10, but the actual batch of soap cost less than $3. It should last at least 6 months, maybe longer and then for the next several batches, I will only have to spend $1.50 for the bar of soap. Amazing!!! Sorry I don't have a review for how well it works yet, it is still too soon to tell. I am so excited to take out expensive laundry soap from my budget. I wish I had a front loader, it would last forever!

Here is the recipe from the Dugger Website if you are interested:


Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Dollar Store Fun

I love getting excited about little things, it makes life fun. I got some dollar store finds that I really liked and I am practicing with pictures all the time now so here you go.
I love to mark up books with pen and highlights so here is a simple pen with highlighter on the end. I was pleasantly suprised that I really liked how the pen writes too. 10 for a buck isn't bad either. I would have used these to death in my college days. I just think it is so smart!

These pancake molds were 3 for a dollar. They are the perfect size for little ones and my kids were wild for them. The kids thought I was a totally cool Mom for making these :)

Otoscope

All you Home Executives out there know that there are so many job descriptions that describe the many hats we wear. Ones I often use are:

Personal Chef

Housekeeper

Interior Designer

Memory Preservervationist

Teacher

Negotiater

Professional Organizer

Nutritionist

Disciplinarian

Girlfriend

Therapist (in my case)

Cheer Leader/Coach

Fashion Coordinator

Student

Chauffeur...Just to name a few.

Then there is the Nurse definition. This is a big one. We diagnose, medicate, evaluate and nurse children back to health all the time. So this was one of the best ideas I had heard in a long time.




I was talking with a girl I visit teach who has a little girl with some health problems and I was complaining about how every time I think my kids have and ear infection I have to take them to the doctor just to find out or worse I don't realize that they have one until they have a 104 temp. Then she told me that she just went online and bought an Otoscope so that she can know for sure what is going on in there! She also bought a stethoscope and a good ear thermometer. Think about when you take your sick child to the doctor, those are the first things they use to check them out right? It just never occurred to me to have my own since they don't really sell them readily. I am not saying this should replace the doctor, but you can at least know if they are sick enough to really need to go. I can't believe I never just got one of these handy dandy little things when my oldest was going through 2 years of chronic ear infections and tubes. I bought this one on Amazon for around 10 dollars and prices go up from there, but this works great. It even came with a little booklet with pictures of what your ears look like in there and different problems. It also has a tongue depressor for checking the throat. I will definitely be getting the other equipment too. With a stethoscope I will be able to better judge when a cold has turned into Bronchitis or Croup, etc. Being new to seeing the inner ear, I must say however it is pretty nasty, even healthy ones. I have a growing collection of medical books and my medical drawers are filled with small equipment, natural remedies and over the counter meds , but I love being able evaluate and treat my children at home as much as possible. Then of course we go to the doctor.

*If you are interested I noticed that Walmart now carries an otoscope for about $15, which is new because it wasn't there when I was looking to get one.

Blurb is Back

FYI - you can slurp Blogger books at http://www.blurb.com/ again! Thank goodness, now I am off to work on my 2008 book. You can now upgrade to a heavier paper and print your cover directly on your book instead of dust cover as well.

Apple Peeler

I have been wanting one of these great little gadgets since I took a cooking class at BYU and just have never gotten around to buying one. I finally got one for my Birthday last month! It cores, peels and slices all at once. I just break the curly apple into pieces and the kids love it for snacks. It is great for quick apple pie or cobbler. It also works for peeling and slicing potatoes. I love it and can't believe I went so long without getting one. It was only $20 on Amazon and is really easy to clean, just wipe with a damp cloth. I love it especially since it is apple season.

A Great Comfort

I found this cute little cold pack at Target that is the perfect size for our little ones. Nothing makes an owie all better quicker than the little Nemo pack and the magic of a band-aid. Seriously, it is tears to smiles in a matter of seconds.

Zumba

A few weeks ago I discovered that my gym offers Zumba classes. I started going and now I am totally hooked. It is a blast. It is so popular that the dance floor is packed and they turn the overhead lights off with color light flashing all over so you don't feel self concious. People of all shapes and sizes just let loose and move those hips! The dance is like latin hip hop and it really works you but it is so fun that I hardly notice. The classes are a couple of nights a week at 7pm so I leave just in time for Peter to get the kids in bed and then I get to go enjoy some me time. I can't remember liking an exercise this much before. I have also been getting into Yoga because there is a class right after Zumba. It is so peaceful and relaxing yet still a good workout. By the end of these classes all my stresses are just melted away. Anyway, Zumba is a blast if you are looking for a fun way to exercise.

I Wrote a Book!

I wanted to put all of my Blogs from the last year and a half into a book and I found a great site that sucks all your blogs into a book for you in a free and user friendly program (http://www.blurb.com/). For the last 2 weeks I have been working on formatting everything in a cute way and trying to put it into a variety of page layouts and font sizes. I probably spent 20+ hours on it. All the hard work of collaborating pictures and writing were all there so it was a very doable project for me. I am not a scrapbooker so this is my best attempt at making things look good and aesthetically pleasing. It is kind of plain, but I thought it would be more sophisticated that way. Maybe next time I will be more creative. I think my next project will be a wedding album. Anyway, I finally ordered it today, all 240 pages 11x13 sized! It was very affordable considering all of the time that it covers and I am so exited to get it. So here is a link if you want to preview the first 15 pages (it won't let me show the whole thing for some reason). I will let you know how it turns out when I actually get it, but this is my first book so don't judge it too harshly. Once I get the book I will attach a DVD with all of the little videos in the back cover. Wow, I wrote a book! I am an author(sort of)! http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/163756

New Favorite Maternity Pants

Maternity pants have always been a problem for me, but I was at the Motherhood store the other day and they have this new line called the Secret Fit Belly. It is like full panel but the panel is all around and a very comfortable lycra type material that goes all the way up to your rib cage. I have never had maternity pants be so comfortable. My other pet peeve is keeping them up and they really stay put. Yay, no more sagging pants. I am now a fan and they are really cute on top of it all. I just had to share because I love finding new things that fix problems that I just thought I had to live with before and I know some of you are expecting or may want to know for future reference.

High Chair Woes

I really hate high chairs. At least the ones that I have ever had. We bought one when we had Dallin that was awful because the tray wouldn't scoot in very much. Since then we have had a couple of hand me downs. Both had the same problem. They also had high backs on them which makes for more cleaning and foot rests that my children would never reach in their high chair days so it served as a place for food to accumulate at every meal. Because the tray never scoots in enough there is always half of the kids food down inside the chair by the end of the meal and they stand up all the time because there is so much room.

So with a new one coming, for the last couple of months I have been keeping my eyes out for something more practical for us. Everything at the stores seemed to be the same idea so I was beginning to think that I was never going to find what I had pictured in my mind. Then we were eating at the McDonald's Play land and using their high chair and I was like, "Peter, why can't I find something like this?" as I noticed that their high chairs were everything that I wanted in a good chair. So Peter was like "Why don't you just get one of these?" (duh!) So after determining that the brand was Rubbermaid Commercial, it was very easy to do an Internet search and there you go! So here is the indestructible, easy to clean, way less messy chair. It is even made with some kind of antimicrocrobial material. Tanner doesn't stand up and the tray is so close to him that he can eat and it all stays right there. Afterwards, it is just the tray to clean for the most part. I know it is not the most attractive piece of furniture in the world but I would so rather have practical after 4 years of hating high chairs. I am pretty sure this one will last through the millennium.

Flip Video

This is the first video that I took with our new Flip Video camera. It is a neat little toy. You can tell Peter was so exited about getting up so early to go buy it. I am exited because it is easy to use and take little clips, which is what I do, and it will be better quality than just using a camera for video and it is pocket size. I think it will take a lot longer to upload, but oh well, somethings gotta give.

Arrested Development

One of my most favorite TV shows is The Office. Since the season ended I miss those funny Thursday nights. Then a friend told me about the show Arrested Development. It is kind of a similar type of show with quirky personalities except it is about a family, not an office. It ran for three seasons but I never really noticed it when it was on TV. So I rented the first season from the library last week and it was pretty funny. My favorite character is the magician brother Gob (like Job). I wouldn't say it was as good as the office but it does have some good characters in it and it comes in at a close second. Definitely worth checking out if you are into this type of show. I am waiting for the next two seasons from the library now.

Ode to Crocs

I just have to give props to the Crocs. I finally decided to buy some recently. It has made life SIGNIFICANTLY easier. I just tell the kids to put shoes on and they love to do it. They don't even need help. No more velcro, laces or chasing kids down to squeeze their little feet into the heels. I even got some for myself and they are so totally comfortable. I know most of you already know all of this but I was a late bloomer. They don't make any in Tanner's size but I found something similar at Target. Oh, another cool thing is the Jibbits. I just tell them " this is your doggy foot, and this is your froggy foot, etc. and they usually get them on the right feet. Eden has a cat and a pig.