A World of Color

Dalton turned 1 on Friday and we decided to celebrate with color!

We went down to the park and set up a BBQ-Garden Party.

The park is right next to our garden, so it made a perfect backdrop :)

We started with little water bottles and added "Hawaiian Punch Singles" to them.

A box of Hawaiian Punch singles is only $1 and each little packet worked for 3-4 water bottles.  It was a super-cute and cheap way to add a little more color.

Plus, it was a huge hit with the kids!

They loved their colored juices.

(Plus a bonus for moms...the flavors are sugar free!)

We barbequed hot dogs 

(which I don't even like, but it had to be affordable, and my kids love them).

I made home made salsa from the garden, a veggie tray (with veggies from the garden), and rainbow jello cups with home made whipped cream and sprinkles.

They turned out so cute, but oh wow, were they a long process to make!

If you ever decide to try them out, start in the morning...

I made monster cupcakes from "What's New Cupcake?"

It's one of my favorite cupcake books because the designs are surprisingly easy and don't involve any fancy equipment.  Just grocery store candy, frosting, cupcakes, and ziplock bags.  A little time-consuming, but easy :)

Me and my cute baby who's 1 now...

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the candle in the cake.

I've seen him tear into a cupcake before, so I thought he would go nuts over the monster cupcake, but he didn't really care.  There was too much going on and too many people watching.  He wasn't interested at all.

This is the messiest it got:

And...his birthday hat!

A while back, I won a "Charlie Bug Hat Pattern" from Blue Cricket Designs.

Of course, it's meant to be made with fabric and ribbon and such, but I had about 5 mintues to spare before I had to leave for the park, so I used the pattern to make one out of cardstock.  I just placed her pattern over the cardstock and cut both of them out at the same time.  Then I hot glued it all together.  Done in under 5 minutes.  It's not as cute as the fabric one, but not bad for a last minute project :)

(Below is attempt #2 with the birthday cupcake...still no success)

Birthday Bloopers:

-Saxon was riding his bike all over the park.  At one point, my Grandpa asked Saxon to stop next to Dalton so he could get a picture.  Saxon did, but lost his balance and fell over on top of Dalton and the birthday cake.  He smashed the cupcake and got covered in blue monster frosting.  We had to laugh.  What else can you do.  Dalton got another cupcake (which is still didn't want) and we tried to make Saxon feel better (he was embarrassed).

-Dalton started getting fussy half-way through the party and kind of clingy.  So, I was holding him and chatting with my cousin, when he started throwing up all over me.  It was all over me, and him, and in my hair, etc.  Luckily we live close so I could run home and clean us both up.  He must have just eaten something that disagreed with him because after that, he was fine.  Poor guy...

(Linked this idea up to Tatertots and Jello)

A little kindness goes a long way...

Yesterday was a hectic day.

 I was trying to get some new products ready for my shop, get ready for a boutique on the 17th, finish up my Groopdealz order, and try to plan Baby Dalton's 1st birthday party.

I woke up ready to load my kids in the car and start running errands.

But...they woke up begging to ride bikes.

Saxon just learned to ride a bike without training wheels and can't get enough of it.

I had a TON to do, but I felt bad because summer won't last forever, so I agreed.

We went down to the park to ride bikes, and then I loaded them up.

We went to Wal-mart first and I was rushing because we were meeting my cousin Brittany for lunch.  She's been out of town and we missed her.

While we were there, I let my kids each get an apples & peanut butter pack to snack on.

As we were rushing, Bridger somehow got it in his head that a box of jello actually contains jello.  He started begging for jello.

Begging turned to crying, then to sobbing, then to refusing to walk because he was so utterly heartbroken.  Then, I'm trying to drag him behind me and keep him out of anyone else's way so we can check out.

The cashier started handing me bags as fast as she could to get us out of there (Bridger was really making a scene at this point).

So, I manage to get everyone out to the car...really running late at this point...and Saxon asks for his apples.  I start digging through the bags.  No apples.  I double check.  No apples.  Seriously?  The cashier must have forgotten to hand me a bag, and in all of the chaos, I didn't notice.

So, now I am really frustrated.

Saxon is begging for apples, Bridger is sobbing, and I am yelling at everyone to "just stop!"

"Stop crying and get back in the cart.  We have to go back inside..."

Then, this teenage boy with black spikey hair, who had been sitting on the cart racks smoking a cigarette, walked up to us.

"Did you forget a bag?"

"Yes..."

"Why don't you give me your receipt and I'll run back in for you.  It would be a lot of work for you to take all of your kids back in."

I was speechless for a moment.

"Yes, seriously?  Thank you so much!"

And then this sweet kid ran back in and was able to get the rest of my groceries for me.

After thanking him, I got in the car and explained to my kids what this nice boy just did for us.

Then Saxon asks, 

"Mom, when I get big, am I going to be as nice as that boy?"

I told him that he most definitely will, and that we will start practicing now.

We will also work on "not judging a book by it's cover."

This boy didn't look like the type of boy who would come to my rescue and save the day.

But, that's exactly what he did.  Day by day, I hope to teach my boys that when the opportunity comes to spread kindness, they don't think twice...they act.

Harvest

I sent my husband down to the garden to check if there was anything ready to be picked.

This is what he came home with:

He told me that he couldn't get it all because the bag was getting too full and he didn't want anything to get squished.  Oh wow!  I couldn't believe how much there was.  This is one of the reasons we love our garden.  All of the hard work all spring of planting and weeding and watering finally pays off...and in a big way.  Not everything works.  Our carrots aren't looking great and our pumpkins are taking over and threatening to strangle some of our other plants.  I fail every year with my cilantro.  Is there a secret to growing cilantro?  If there is, please fill me in... 

But for the most part, everything is looking beautiful!

There is just something fulfilling about the law of the harvest.  You reap what you sow.  When we work hard to plant this garden and take care of it, then we end up with enough vegetables for our family (and neighbors).  Plus, I have to get creative with my cooking.  Last year, I even tried canning :)  This year, we want to try canning salsa.  I'm still looking for a good recipe though...

And this is what happens when you leave your harvest on the table for too long before you wash it and put it away:

Somehow my baby helped himself to the biggest Roma tomato of the bunch and was walking around the house munching on it.  We could see everywhere he had been by the trails of tomato juice on the carpet...

It took him about a half hour, but he actually ate the whole thing!

What's your favorite thing to grow?

Grilled Salmon Tacos Recipe

I saw this AMAZING looking recipe on the etsy blog today 

(many of you may have seen it too)...

It's grilled Salmon tacos with fire roasted corn salsa.

Since I have corn, onions, jalapeno, and cherry tomatoes in my garden, this will be a fun one to try!

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Fire Roasted Corn Salsa
For the salmon:
1 pound wild Alaskan salmon fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Corn salsa
For the salsa:
2 ears corn, shucked and lightly coated in olive oil
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 small jalapeño, diced
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 small red onion, diced
salt to taste
-
Corn tortillas
Optional:
Thinly sliced cabbage
Crumbled feta or cotija cheese

Yummy, healthy, and summery, I can't wait!

For a full set of instructions and and pictures, go HERE.

I've never spent much time browsing etsy blogs, but I might have to start...

Also, I sponsored the CSI project last week and the winner, Jen from Lipstick and Laundry, posted about my sign today!  Thanks Jen! 

Fingerprint Sticker Chart - tutorial

We've recently tried out the idea of "sticker charts" at my house.

They work pretty well because the sticker itself is a little instant gratification for my kids when they meet a goal or do something that they are supposed to do.

But, they also get a prize when they fill up the whole chart...and that's the motivation to keep earning stickers.

I used to work at a treatment center for teenage girls.

One thing I learned there is to always remember the positives.

"An emotional bank account".

Sometimes I forget to praise my kids for doing something normal.

Something expected of them.

But, when they don't meet basic expectations, they are in trouble.

Some days, I feel like I'm yelling at them all day long, and then we are all miserable.

I took a parenting class that recommended that you say 10 positives for every 1 negative towards your children.

That's actually really hard to do.

The teacher said that sometimes you have to go back to the basics:

"Great job putting on your own shoes today!"

"Thanks for doing what I said the first time I asked you!"

"I"m so proud of you for sitting quietly while I was on the phone..."

etc.

If it's a day when your kids are tired and tantruming, you have to really put in an effort to find 10 positives before you can bring up the negative behavior.

The positives are often easy to miss because life just flows.

The negatives trip us up and catch our attention.

So, I decided to make fingerprint sticker charts with the boys to help remember the positives and give them a little reward (a fingerprint).  

First, I drew out a tree with grass and sky using watercolor colored pencils.

Then I gave them a paintbrush and some water and let them paint their own pictures.

The watercolor pencil turns to paint when it gets wet.

Then we picked some simple goals to meet everyday.

The boys helped me decide on what their goals would be.

We included "be kind" so that they can get an extra fingerprint every time I catch them doing something kind.

(The fingerprints will be the leaves on the tree)

We've only had our sticker chart for a couple of days, but so far, the boys will do almost anything to earn a "fingerprint."

So, give it a try...

Try to spend more time praising your kids and looking for the positives :)

I find that it makes for happier kids and a much happier mom!

Summer Bucket List

(Bridal Veil Falls - Provo, Utah)

Around this time of the year, I start to panic.

Oh no, summer's ending, I didn't do everything I wanted to do yet!

Where did the time go?

I love summer time!  LOVE it!

When September gets this close, I start making lists...

My Summer Bucket List.

Before summer is over I still need to:

-visit Bridal Veil Falls

-Picnic in the canyon

-spend as much time in the pool as possible

-play outside as much as possible 

etc.

And then there are all of the things that require my attention that are not fun summer activities:

-work on my Groopdealz order

-come up with new fall products

-get organized for school

-get my kids on a better schedule

etc.

It's always hard to find the balance.

Luckily, I seem to find, that I am still able to do a lot of fun summer things in September.

So there is never as much of a need to panic in August as I always feel.

So, go out and enjoy the last few days of summer...

Now we're headed to the pool :)

The Reptile Party

 I'll be honest, I love planning parties.

I know a lot of people who tell their kids that they can only have family parties, or only on even years, or only special birthdays...etc.

But, my kids and I spend the whole year planning their next party.

I get just as excited as they do!

My cousin Brittany and I were planning Saxon's 1st birthday party almost from the time he was born :)

So...a little over a week ago we celebrated Saxon's 5th birthday.

We decided to have a "Reptile Party" and have my cousin Jeff come and bring all of his animals.

Jeff breeds and sells reptiles and knows more about them than anyone else I know.

So, here's what we did:

We made mini-donuts with a mini donut maker.

It looks like a waffle iron and make "baked donuts".

I can't bring myself to deep fry anything...

Of course the donuts had to be GREEN for the reptile party.

I went around and around with what to do for the cupcakes.

My sister was with me and she talked me into keeping it simple.

We made yellow cake cupcakes from Cheeky Kitchen,

with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

The decoration was just a gummy frog.

This picture is one of my favorites:

(Guess what the kids are so captivated by...

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches)

Yep...Gross...but apparently not dangerous.

The highlight of the party:

CINDERELLA - the snake.

The interactive part:

All of the kids got to feed GORDON - the tortoise.

This was our first party inviting friends.

Usually we just have family and my friends and their kids.

Since it was all of our neighbors this time, I was a little nervous.

But, I think it was a success!

How do you do birthdays?

Dread that they come up so fast...

Or count down right along with your kids? :)

GroopDealz!!!

Guess what...

I'm running a deal over at 

GroopDealz

this weekend!

I'm so excited!  Make sure to go check it out!!!