Winter Penguin Sensory Bin
1 week ago
Friday, March 28, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Easter Masterpiece
I have to say growing are own Easter grass was a lot of fun...and I think it turned out pretty good...It will make a great centerpiece for our Easter Dinner and we can see the kids eggs on display.. I think this will be a new tradition we will carry on.Day of Pampering.....
This week I took the girls and myself to get our Hair done....We haven't had our haircuts in a long time so it was much needed...It was fun to visit with our friend Sinamon. Brayden decided she wanted a really cute hair do...It turned out really cute.....
She looks so grown up.....
She looks so grown up.....
Day at the Hair Salon
Ashlynn is trying to grow her hair out, so she just wanted a trim.
Her hair turned out adorable.
Kaylor wanted to get a really short and funky hairdo....I had to over rule that and she got a trim too...
She liked having her hair washed....
She was so silly and giggly after her hair cut it was hard to catch her to get her after picture...Her hair really needed a trim. Now it is thick and healthy.....
Her hair turned out adorable.
Kaylor wanted to get a really short and funky hairdo....I had to over rule that and she got a trim too...
She liked having her hair washed....
She was so silly and giggly after her hair cut it was hard to catch her to get her after picture...Her hair really needed a trim. Now it is thick and healthy.....
Easter Grass
A little over a week ago we planted some Easter Grass...
This is what grew!!
We are going to cut the grass in the dishes and display the eggs on top..
I am excited how fast it grew. The girls had fun watching how much it grew. Last Sunday we went to church and it grew an inch by the time we got home...
This is what grew!!
We are going to cut the grass in the dishes and display the eggs on top..
I am excited how fast it grew. The girls had fun watching how much it grew. Last Sunday we went to church and it grew an inch by the time we got home... Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Boy Clothes
This is turning into a baby blog, I just cannot help it...Once the baby arrives it will even be more baby....So for now, we are getting ready and I am finally finding that there are cute boy clothes too....Here are a few random selections, that I just cannot wait to see our little Cooper in....Oh yeah, for now our little guys name is Cooper. Cooper James. That is, unless he is just not a Cooper and we decide on another name.
I love little vests...They are so cute....
This outfit looks so soft and snugly...I wish they had it in my size....Do you remember multiples...the clothes that you could mix and match....
I love little vests...They are so cute....
This outfit looks so soft and snugly...I wish they had it in my size....Do you remember multiples...the clothes that you could mix and match....
Argyle....I think it has to do with my affinity towards the eighties....Ohhhh...the eighties....I love that the preppy style is coming back in....so cute...The hairstyles, however are so much cuter these days....
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I ran across this nursery collection from MiGi on Cool Mom. Four different themes offer up mixy-matchy options in everything from sheets and blankets to mobiles and room accessories.The MiGI Pinwheel collection in particular has a fun, retro-modern feel and it's hard to beat the $179 price tag for a six-piece cotton crib set. And for just 25 bucks, the Splash collection includes a sweet little cotton blanket in this season's requisite argyle print. I really like these colors together. My Mother in Law makes all of her grand kids nursery set, and I like this, as an idea starter....
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Favorite New Cooking Tool
This last week I purchased the Zip N'Steam bags and I have to say I love them...I first steamed some fresh broccoli as directed on the package and It came out perfect. For Lunch on Saturday I steamed Tilapia with some Cherry Tomatoes, yellow squash and seasonings...It only took nine minutes.I literally cut up the squash and tomatoes, threw in some frozen fish and left the room , It was that easy. I am all for easy food that is healthy for you with little mess. With the bags that I steamed the broccoli in, I washed, dried and reused the bag...My next thing I will be steaming is asparagus.. I always under cook or over cook it, so I hope with these bags I will finally be able to get the asparagus right, so my kids will like it too....
Extreme Home Makeover
This weekend the Extreme Home Makeover was in Nevada...My brother and his company where able to donate their time and services. He said it was a lot of work in a short period of time, but truly a wonderful experience....I am proud of him and all that he has accomplished. We were able to watch it this weekend, it was fun trying to find him....This show is truly amazing in what they do and accomplish for families that are in need...You can tell the talent really loves their jobs...How could you not...Giving and designing a house, with what seems a unlimited budget. Good Job ABC with putting on a wonderful and inspiring show..
Horton
Horton Hears a Who was great. A definite movie to take your family....I am a sucker for promotions and IHOP has a Horton Menu..We took the kids the next morning to IHOP and it was fun..The kids liked it, however if they do not like creamed spinach they will not like the green eggs...
JoJo's Breakfast.
Beezlenut Soda---This drink was fun...I think this would be fun for a birthday drink...It is sprite with jello squares....Ashlynn had this and liked it....
JoJo's Breakfast.
Beezlenut Soda---This drink was fun...I think this would be fun for a birthday drink...It is sprite with jello squares....Ashlynn had this and liked it....
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Easter Lesson Idea
I ran across this idea, that would be perfect for family night, or a fun activity with my little Sunbeam's. You can adapt it to fit the needs of the age you are teaching. Check out the link below for fun ideas to fill in the eggs to teach the True meaning of Easter.
Follow the directions from the website Time and Seasons to play this fun egg game
Follow the directions from the website Time and Seasons to play this fun egg gameWe will have fun opening these eggs and learning about Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Easter Grass
Today the girls and I planted our Easter Grass. On the package it reads that it will only take a week, so we are crossing our fingers that it will have bloomed enough to display our Easter Eggs.
The girls had fun digging in the dirt. 
We even put them in these little dishes, to display their favorite colored egg.
Snickers and Lil Bear wanted to help too..
Hopefully we will have fun pictures to post by Easter....
The girls had fun digging in the dirt. 
We even put them in these little dishes, to display their favorite colored egg.
Snickers and Lil Bear wanted to help too..
Hopefully we will have fun pictures to post by Easter....Sunday, March 9, 2008
live easter grass
I have always wanted to do this...I am going to get a rectangle planter and plant some grass or wheat grass, and have us watch it grow ---hopefully in time for Easter so that I can display the girls eggs and other fun Easter treats... 
Instead of using plastic imitation grass in an Easter basket, why not give your child a natural Easter basket, filled with sprouted wheat grass. Start at least one week in advance and you will have a lush, living blanket of grass in time for Easter Sunday. For more details, go to http://ecobites.com/eco-kids-magazine/2.html
Put is to the Test
Today as I was reading the Ensign I ran across an article that I felt was meant just for me...I signed my family up for the Hinkley Challenge and as you can tell, we have only read 2 pages in the last month..When ever I blog I see the challenge staring at me and I feel guilty. In fact everyday I promise myself that I am going to gather us as a family to read. By the time we settle down for family prayer it has been past bedtime and I am frustrated because the girls are all wound up and I am exhausted, and cranky by this time, so prayer is rushed and the kids are sent to bed....Well, this week I have off from work and my goal is to read in the morning with the girls. To start our mornings with prayer and scripture study. It is beginning to show in our family that we no longer read the scriptures. It is up to me to bring the spirit back in. We must go to bed earlier and get up earlier. This would be a good start. Every Sunday I leave church feeling rejuvenated and have felt the spirit. We need that in our home, on a daily basis. This article was really good for me to read today. This morning I went into church cranky, and left feeling inspired, and yearning to do better. So to start we are going to work on the Challenge and we are going to PUT IT TO THE TEST. I challenge you if you are not having daily scripture study with your family to do the same...
“Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord’s program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith.
“I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.”
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Back to Gospel Basics,” Ensign, May 1993, 92
Debra L. Adams, “Changing Behavior—One Verse at a Time,” Ensign, Feb 2008, 50–52
I knew latter-day prophets had promised blessings from family scripture study, but could something so simple really bring peace to our home?
It was quiet in the house, but only because my three daughters were asleep. My mind kept replaying the events of the day—temper tantrums, quarreling, yelling, teasing, crying. Unfortunately, this behavior was not unusual, and I was as much a part of the problem as my children were. I felt like I was losing control of my family.
I attributed some of the problems to our adjusting to life without my husband, who had died from cancer six months earlier. However, I knew we could not use this as an excuse for the atmosphere in our home. We had to continue to progress so that we would be able to enjoy the blessings of being an eternal family. But what could we do? Changing our attitudes and behaviors seemed an impossible task.
As I tried to formulate a plan, I remembered the words of our latter-day prophets. They had promised blessings from family scripture study. Though I felt this was good advice, I was not convinced that it was an answer to my prayers. How could something so simple help our situation? Besides, my husband and I had previously attempted family scripture reading programs, and they never lasted.
More unpleasant days passed, and I grew increasingly discouraged and desperately wanted change for my daughters and me. As I pondered the idea of scripture study, I recalled that the prophet Alma had once challenged the people he was teaching to “an experiment upon [his] words” (Alma 32:27). I realized I had nothing to lose by accepting this challenge and decided that I would again try to implement family scripture study.
Over the next several days, I thought about what might work for us. I wanted something that would involve every member of our family from the oldest child, who was six years old, to the youngest, who was not quite two. I wanted something we could be successful at doing. After praying for help and guidance, I determined that our study would combine music, the Articles of Faith, scriptures, and prayer.
I presented the plan at our next family home evening. I tried to be enthusiastic so my daughters would want to participate. I enlisted their help in making sure we followed our routines. They were particularly excited about having a chart to mark our progress.
Each morning we got up at the same time so that we could have a morning devotional before any other activities—before eating breakfast or watching television programs or getting ready for school. This prevented distraction. We started by singing a hymn. Next we recited one of the Articles of Faith. Then I read a few verses from the Book of Mormon. We closed our morning routine by having family prayer. Every evening after family prayer, I helped the girls each read or recite a preselected scripture before they said personal prayers.
Because my daughters were young and either lacked reading skills or were just developing them, we used the same hymn, article of faith, and nighttime scripture all week. By the end of the week, we were familiar with the melody and the words of the hymn and, in many cases, had memorized the words of the article of faith and the scripture verse.
Admittedly, at first I felt disappointed by what I perceived as a lack of effectiveness of our plan. I had secretly hoped that, as a result of our study, we would miraculously change into a perfect family. Of course, that didn’t happen. It was discouraging to realize that, even after studying together for several weeks, many of our challenges still existed.
Sometimes I was tempted to skip all or part of the routine. Then I would remember Alma’s counsel to nourish and tend the experiment like a newly planted seed (see Alma 32:28–43). I knew I had to be consistent in my efforts. When one of the girls did not want to participate, I would insist that everyone be present at the family gathering. Little by little, week by week, a new scripture-study habit developed. And gradually our family began to change.
Several months after we began regular scripture study, I noticed that my children got excited when we sang a song at church that we had practiced. (Occasionally, I checked with the music director so that I could choose a hymn that our congregation would be singing in an upcoming sacrament meeting.) My children’s interest in the scriptures also grew. I was able to increase the number of verses we read aloud in the morning. The charts became less important as we developed our habit, and before long, we realized we no longer needed them to motivate us. Sometimes, as the girls played, I’d overhear snatches of hymns and the Articles of Faith. Though they still quarreled and teased each other, these incidents became less frequent. I also found that I was responding better to the conflicts that did arise.
These positive experiences encouraged me to continue. As my girls learned to read, we took turns reading the scripture verses each morning. We continued this same routine for several years until early-morning seminary and work were added to our family’s life. Then we streamlined the morning routine to focus on scripture reading and family prayer. The evening routine still included prayers, but reciting the scripture verse was replaced with personal scripture study.
Our family continues to experience the usual challenges of life. Family scripture study reminds us of who we are eternally and helps us want to do better each day. The best benefit to our scripture study program, however, has been that my own testimony has grown and become stronger because I was willing to experiment on the words of a prophet and found them to be true.
Put It to the Test
“Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord’s program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith.
“I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.”
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Back to Gospel Basics,” Ensign, May 1993, 92.
“Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord’s program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith.
“I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.”
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Back to Gospel Basics,” Ensign, May 1993, 92
Debra L. Adams, “Changing Behavior—One Verse at a Time,” Ensign, Feb 2008, 50–52
I knew latter-day prophets had promised blessings from family scripture study, but could something so simple really bring peace to our home?
It was quiet in the house, but only because my three daughters were asleep. My mind kept replaying the events of the day—temper tantrums, quarreling, yelling, teasing, crying. Unfortunately, this behavior was not unusual, and I was as much a part of the problem as my children were. I felt like I was losing control of my family.
I attributed some of the problems to our adjusting to life without my husband, who had died from cancer six months earlier. However, I knew we could not use this as an excuse for the atmosphere in our home. We had to continue to progress so that we would be able to enjoy the blessings of being an eternal family. But what could we do? Changing our attitudes and behaviors seemed an impossible task.
As I tried to formulate a plan, I remembered the words of our latter-day prophets. They had promised blessings from family scripture study. Though I felt this was good advice, I was not convinced that it was an answer to my prayers. How could something so simple help our situation? Besides, my husband and I had previously attempted family scripture reading programs, and they never lasted.
More unpleasant days passed, and I grew increasingly discouraged and desperately wanted change for my daughters and me. As I pondered the idea of scripture study, I recalled that the prophet Alma had once challenged the people he was teaching to “an experiment upon [his] words” (Alma 32:27). I realized I had nothing to lose by accepting this challenge and decided that I would again try to implement family scripture study.
Over the next several days, I thought about what might work for us. I wanted something that would involve every member of our family from the oldest child, who was six years old, to the youngest, who was not quite two. I wanted something we could be successful at doing. After praying for help and guidance, I determined that our study would combine music, the Articles of Faith, scriptures, and prayer.
I presented the plan at our next family home evening. I tried to be enthusiastic so my daughters would want to participate. I enlisted their help in making sure we followed our routines. They were particularly excited about having a chart to mark our progress.
Each morning we got up at the same time so that we could have a morning devotional before any other activities—before eating breakfast or watching television programs or getting ready for school. This prevented distraction. We started by singing a hymn. Next we recited one of the Articles of Faith. Then I read a few verses from the Book of Mormon. We closed our morning routine by having family prayer. Every evening after family prayer, I helped the girls each read or recite a preselected scripture before they said personal prayers.
Because my daughters were young and either lacked reading skills or were just developing them, we used the same hymn, article of faith, and nighttime scripture all week. By the end of the week, we were familiar with the melody and the words of the hymn and, in many cases, had memorized the words of the article of faith and the scripture verse.
Admittedly, at first I felt disappointed by what I perceived as a lack of effectiveness of our plan. I had secretly hoped that, as a result of our study, we would miraculously change into a perfect family. Of course, that didn’t happen. It was discouraging to realize that, even after studying together for several weeks, many of our challenges still existed.
Sometimes I was tempted to skip all or part of the routine. Then I would remember Alma’s counsel to nourish and tend the experiment like a newly planted seed (see Alma 32:28–43). I knew I had to be consistent in my efforts. When one of the girls did not want to participate, I would insist that everyone be present at the family gathering. Little by little, week by week, a new scripture-study habit developed. And gradually our family began to change.
Several months after we began regular scripture study, I noticed that my children got excited when we sang a song at church that we had practiced. (Occasionally, I checked with the music director so that I could choose a hymn that our congregation would be singing in an upcoming sacrament meeting.) My children’s interest in the scriptures also grew. I was able to increase the number of verses we read aloud in the morning. The charts became less important as we developed our habit, and before long, we realized we no longer needed them to motivate us. Sometimes, as the girls played, I’d overhear snatches of hymns and the Articles of Faith. Though they still quarreled and teased each other, these incidents became less frequent. I also found that I was responding better to the conflicts that did arise.
These positive experiences encouraged me to continue. As my girls learned to read, we took turns reading the scripture verses each morning. We continued this same routine for several years until early-morning seminary and work were added to our family’s life. Then we streamlined the morning routine to focus on scripture reading and family prayer. The evening routine still included prayers, but reciting the scripture verse was replaced with personal scripture study.
Our family continues to experience the usual challenges of life. Family scripture study reminds us of who we are eternally and helps us want to do better each day. The best benefit to our scripture study program, however, has been that my own testimony has grown and become stronger because I was willing to experiment on the words of a prophet and found them to be true.
Put It to the Test
“Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord’s program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith.
“I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.”
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Back to Gospel Basics,” Ensign, May 1993, 92.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Thought for Today
Genuine listening means suspending memory, desire, and judgment — and, for a moment at least, existing for the other person.
— Michael P. Nichols
— Michael P. Nichols
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
26 Weeks Pregnant
Right Now, I feel so good--getting into the nesting phase of my pregnancy. I am getting more and more excited everyday...I feel him move all the time, and boy is he strong. Cannot wait to hold him in my arms, and feel his little toes, and fingers.
By this week, your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 9.2 inches. Remember, that is only from the top of his head to his bottom and does not include his leg measurements! Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is beginning to put on weight. Your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your bellybutton and you will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. If you have been eating a well-balanced diet, you probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far. Because your baby has moved further up, you may get occasional pain underneath your ribs. After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. Your growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time your baby is born, he will assume the typical newborn's plumpness. Your baby's skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out. Finger and toe nails continue to grow. Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus. Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Even though it is still way too soon for your baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Writing on the Wall
I ordered the kits to make these from Writing on the Wall. The kits to make these boards are $25. They include the vinyl, the board, tags, chains and connectors for tags and nails. Check her web out she has some very cute things. I will take a picture of mine when I get it done.
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