Praises of a Wife and Mommy

One of our local hotels (the one with the awesome water park) did a Halloween event on Monday.  Every child in a costume got a coupon for free admission to the water park so that was motivation enough to go.  :)  It was very busy but well worth it because several other business's got involved so we got candy and many coupons for services or stores.  :)   Tonight for Halloween my daughter is joining a friend and my son gets to stay with me while we go collecting can goods for the community with our youth event, Faceless Hope.  Next year I am hoping to make our costumes.   

I know some of you read my post...or should I say rambles the other night when I could not sleep.  I know I had a negative tone as I was going through some grief.   Thankfully the book of Psalms continued to comfort me that evening and I did get some sleep.  I don't know what it is but the 10 year anniversary really hit me hard.   The quest was still on to find something to celebrate rather then focus on the sadness.  Thanks to Mel for giving me the balloon idea.  I had done this a few years ago but doing it with my kids and marking 10 years was perfect and really helped me get out of the sad mood.    I loved the balloon colors too... they were bright and polk-a-dot and the one had butterflies which already remind me of my mom.  It was a PERFECT balloon bouquet that helped erase sadness because look at the fun colors... who could be sad with such fun balloons!   I also got to talk with my daughter who is old enough to understand.  She asks questions all the time about Gr

Hey Parents and Teachers if you have not heard of Shoulder Buddies you are missing out.  This great tool can be used for enforcing good behaviors at home or in the classroom.   The Product Shoulder Buddies are collectible friends that kids love to wear! But they're more than just cute... each Shoulder Buddies "Smarts" character teaches kids a special life lesson, from Friendship to Fire Safety. The Magical Coin lets kids wear Shoulder Buddies on their shirt, hat, hair and more! Kids can take Shoulder Buddies and their "Smarts" with them wherever they go! The Story The Shoulder Buddy Smarts come from a magical wishing star, and inside that star is the Land of Understand. Shoulder Buddies go to the "School of Smarts" so they can earn their Fluffles on top of their head to fly. Once they have learned their "Smarts" they fly down from the Land of Understand and look for a Buddy to journey with and share their "

Well it is 11:26 pm here and I can't sleep.  i know 10 years ago I was not sleeping either nor anyone else in my family.  Saying good bye to my mother 10 years ago still hurts...  the tears tonight came unexpectedly.  I was determined that now after 10 years I would not need to cry yet I'm awake and wiping my nose and eyes.   This post is truly my thoughts during this time, probably lots of typos will be involved but I just feel the need to write.  Sorry but this will be a ramble with tears and memories. If you want to know how my mom passed away and more details of that first year then feel free to read my post from last year .   This year I was thinking I wanted to do something fun to celebrate and remember my mom but here I sit with no ideas and a broken heart.  I cry because I miss her, I wish she would have met my husband and my two kids,  because I wonder what she would do in this or that situation. I even got mad that I was crying because I did not want to cry a

Here is another pin completed from Pintrest!  :)  I am a true Wisconsin girl... I LOVE CHEESE!!!  I really love it fried but the grease is not good and it makes a healthy snack very unhealthy.  So when my sister shared this pin with me to bake string cheese I was excited.   All you need is: String Cheese -cut up into bite site peices Bread Crumbs- I used Italian for flavor Milk After you cut the cheese into small pieces, dunk them in milk then dunk in bread crumbs.  Bake on 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes and you will have a mouth watering snack.   Seriously, they are so good I made them 2 times in one day!  I remember when I first starting dating my husband I made him try a fried cheese curd.  After he liked it we were talking to his dad about it.  His dad thought the mere idea of eating fried cheese was horrifying.  I really thought he was crazy and missing out on one of my favorite fatty snacks.  I am still unsure if he has actually tried cheese curds ye

I am not sure how long I will keep doing these monthly updates on my lil man, maybe till he is 2?   We were having fun playing at the mall and he was doing what he loves to do... Climbing and jumping.  If he is not climbing on me or daddy he is climbing furniture!   I am also pleased to let you all know that lil man's iron levels are normal!  Many of you know that his iron was low in summer and we started iron drops which seem to be helping!  :) 

I have reviewed several items for Wee Believers!   Go read Joseph the Carpenter Belt , and Band aids, stickers, and bath tub toys .  Listen to the video and see how they got started.  

Almondina - The Delicious Coo kie  Without the Guilt, this all-natural, crispy almond cookie has no cholesterol and no added fat, salt, or preservatives and has only 30 calories.   The Almondina story is terrific and heartwarming. Almondina are unique - a gourmet cookie, health food and snack, all in one. These extraordinary gourmet treats are created from Yuval Zaliouk's secret family recipe which has been passed down from generation to generation and was introduced to the market in 1989. It is wonderfully crunchy and does not have to be dipped. It is a delightful accompaniment for coffee, tea, soft cheeses and fine light wines. Almondina® biscuits in the following flavors: ·       Original -  America 's all natural favorite with almonds and raisins ·       Chocolate Cherry - We combined the world's finest dark chocolate         with plump cherries to produce an irresistible, decadent treat without   guilt.  ·       Choconut

October is National Baby Wearing Month.  It is a GREAT month.  This October  A Little Bit of Everything  is giving away SEVERAL baby carriers.  There are some great Guest Hosts as well.   Loves 2 Read  and  Saving my Family Money  and Brittleby's Corner . Pra ises of a Wife and Mommy  has not reviewed this  product but is helping promote the giveaway. This next carrier is the Hot Slings Sling Carrier.  This one has 2 buckles that sit at the shoulder to make it fully adjustable.  The buckles are inside the sling so they aren't easily noticed by most people Make sure to read the full review . a Rafflecopter giveaway

My daughter was glowing when she saw me pull this dress out of the packaging box.  She immediately wanted to wear it and was so excited to show her dress off at church that same weekend.   I was even more excited that her pink cowboy boots matched PERFECTLY!!  :) :)   Thank you Niteo for sending me this dress to review and for sending a dress to the winner of the giveaway.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   It was a simple choice for me when I picked this dress for my daughter off of the Niteo website.  You should know that this same dress comes in purple and blue!!!  My daughter loves pink and she had pink cowboy boots so it was easy to go with the pink.                                   The fabric choices on this dress were beautiful and made with 100% cotton so I know my daughter will be comfortable   My favorite part of the dress is the embellishments on the pink shrug.  The dress is two pieces so you can remove the shrug if your li

Are you looking for a new idea for PUMPKINS??  Be sure to click on each title so you can read more about the post activity.  :) 1.  Crayon Melted Pumpkins  was a huge hit with the hubby especially when he took over with the heat gun since the hair dryer was taking a bit longer then expected.    2.  Painted Pumpkins is always an easy but fun task especially for those younger toddlers.  :) Take it outside for an even easier clean up.  3.  Ripped Paper Pumpkin Craft was super easy to get ready yet fun for those little hands because they got to rip.  Ripping is also a great fine motor skill to work on.   4.  Story Book Pumpkins   allow endless possibilities for fun.  My daughters favorite series is Pinkalicous so look at our Pink pumpkin.  We had a white pumpkin so the pink popped out beautifully!  :) 5.  Sand shaker pumpkins was an activity we did in town at the art museum.  My daughter loved using the contact paper for

I have been having a lot of fun creating pumpkins differently this year.  I still want to carve a pumpkin but it has been great making our Pinkalicous Pumpkin , Pipe Cleaner Pumpkins, Mr. Potato Head Pumpkins , and last years Crayon Melted Pumpkin .   This one I created because I bought a huge lot of yarn for only a couple bucks on a local swap/sell site.  :)  I also had pipe cleaners and left over heart stickers from Valentines day.   Some could even call this a mummy pumpkin since it is wrapped up like a mummy.  

I did a previous review on Wee Believers go read all about the Tub Toys, Stickers, and Band Aids.  I was very excited about the Joseph the Carpenter tool belt toy.  This 8 piece tool belt was a big crowd please for both my kids and the little boy I watch.  :)  The tools are all made out of wood and the tool belt is made of a very strong material.  These tools will come in handy when Titus gets his neat tool bench for Christmas.  :)   Another neat part about the tool belt is on the back, it tells the story of Joseph so while we are playing we can still have opportunities to talk about the gospel.  BONUS!  :)  My lil carpenters!  Find Wee Believers: Facebook Twitter  Website

AHHHHH!!!  Scary Monsters!   Don't throw those toilet paper rolls away so you can create some cute or scary monsters in time for Halloween.  :)   We used water color paints and glued on some googly eyes.   This was another project that was more fun exploring the paints and paint brushes instead of the final product.  I still think they turned out adorable.   So the little boy I watch had to smell and taste his water color paints before he painted... such a curious boy.  My son painted more on his hands then on his toilet paper roll but who cares we had fun!  :) 

Toddlers can and do love art!  My 18 month old had a lot of fun playing with cotton balls.  Before we glued them on the paper we felt them, threw them, blew them, and stretched them out.  I wish I could understand all his gibberish as he did this.  I really want to know what he thought of all that fun.  :)  Exploring is sometimes the best part of art.  After exploring the fun cotton balls I put glue on a piece of paper and my son and his friend both had to make a ghost.  The personalities of these boys can be so similar yet so different.  My son was excited to do this activity while his friend lost interest quickly but the opposite happened when we did a different activity a week prior. Funny Boys! Maybe I can find an activity that they both will love!   Supplies needed for this ghost: cotton balls paper cut out black circles for eyes and mouth glue

I am waiting for one more 70 degree day...just one more.  Winter in Wisconsin seems to last, well, FOREVER!  This fall weather seemed to have snuck up on me and now I am missing our  hot and humid summer.  So yes, I am praying for a few more warm days to come my way!  :)  I just had to highlight a couple cute boys playing on the playground.  I am blessed to be able to watch this boy the same age as my son.  They play really well together and a little extra income is helping a lot!  :)  God sure takes care of us!  :)  On this particular day the sun was shining and we were in the 60's.... close to my 70 degree day I am longing for.  The boys and I had a nice stroll around the neighborhood, me walking and them riding in the wagon.  The day was awesome and beautiful but then I let something make me angry.   I am not a person who likes to complain but this issue seems like it exists at all our parks.   What issue???  Well, just take a peek at my picture below

October is National Baby Wearing Month.  It is a GREAT month.  This October  A Little Bit of Everything  is giving away SEVERAL baby carriers.  There are some great Guest Hosts as well.   Loves 2 Read  and  Saving my Family Money  and Brittleby's Corner . Praises of a Wife and Mommy  has not reviewed this product but is helping promote the giveaway. This next carrier is the Balboa Baby Sling Carrier.  This one is adjustable so it works great for all body sizes.   They have some great prints.  The main body of them is a solid color with the print as an accent.  I LOVE that about them. Make sure to read the full review . a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beautiful daughter of mine, I have so much I want to tell you.  First, you are growing and becoming quite the young lady.  I look at you now and I see a young little girl who is care free, loving, passionate, energetic, fun, funny, and you really brighten my days.  I am so blessed to call you my daughter.  I love praying for you and with you every day.  I know God has some very big things in your future and I am excited to be your biggest cheer leader.   You have such a sweet spirit about you that is contagious and fun.  Your smile is big and full of life as well as your big beautiful eyes.  God sure created you with a one of a kind beauty!  I know this year is going to go so quickly but I will savor it up as best as I can.  Right now you go to schools in the afternoons which means your mama gets to love on you all morning!  :)  You love to come with me to the YMCA and you are a helpful sister.   The chores you are in charge of right now is getting Kiah out of her kenn

Join in on the Pumpkin Contest...I added several of our pumpkin ideas to the contest!  :)  http://b-inspiredmama.com/2012/10/perfectly-pumpkin-contest/

Last week I came across this blog post showcasing these storybook pumpkins- Check them out here:  http://sunnydaysinsecondgrade.blogspot.com/2012/10/storybook-pumpkins.html?spref=fb I absolutely loved each and every pumpkin on there.  I think it is a very neat idea for each classroom to take the time to pick a favorite story and then brainstorm on how they can showcase that story on a pumpkin.  I think my favorite on the list was Fancy Nancy.  ADORABLE!   I know most of you who follow this blog know my daughter loves Pinkalicous!  We just had a fun Pinkalicous Birthday party for her so we took some time to create our own story book pumpkin.  We had a white pumpkin just waiting to get painted so we started by painting the pumpkin pink.  After the paint dried my daughter used markers to make the face.  Then with my help I used yarn and pipe cleaners to make the pig tales.  We also still had a wand from her party that Natasha Crafts had created and had to put tha