Pinterest Savvy–free book today only plus drawing for a Kindle Fire thru Feb 28

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Sunny

If you have a home internet business, you’ll be interested in this free offer from Melissa Taylor, the author of the blog Imagination Soup. Today only, you can download her new book at no cost! Check it out by clinking on the image below. (Of course I meant “clicking”, but I kind of like “clinking.” Like there’s antique hardware involved.)

Pinterest-Savvy book by Melissa Taylor

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Most Intriguing History Book Series for Kids and Adults

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Heidi

Way back in April 2011, I posted about two history books, one of which I had heard about and not yet read. Okay, so now we are reading it, and I LOVE it!! I give it raving reviews and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about history in a fun way. Susan Bauer has an amazing ability to simplify events into concise, easy to read chapters, and makes the history easy to remember. Each chapter quickly synopsizes the previous chapter. It is written simply enough that even my four year old gets a good grasp on what’s going on, and is able to remember that information when asked about it the next day!

The “story”, is in a second person point of view, as you transport yourself around the world and effortlessly floats from history in one country to history in another, thus allowing the reader to capture the history of the world as a whole, instead of studying one country in its entirety before covering the next.

To really round out the learning, I highly suggest getting a world map. I found one here that is large and of high quality and sticks to the wall (but also peels off). Love it! My girls love to look at the world map and grasp what happened where. If you’re super cool, you’d get this map for your wall! This is my dream map:

I have personally learned a ton, and so have my daughters. But that’s not even the best part about the book. The best part is that it is so interesting and flows so well that my daughters really look forward to the time we get to read it (we read this book as well as a fiction book before they go to bed). My oldest daughter says her most favorite bed time story is The Story Of The World, topping any fun, fiction books we read.

Here are all three of the books. When I last checked Volume 1 was not on Amazon, but perhaps it will soon. Get it — you’ll LOVE it!

story of world 1
Story of the World Volume 1
story of the world 2

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance (Second Revised Edition) (Vol. 2)

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: Early Modern Times

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Take a deep breath
book: Mitten Strings for God

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Sunny

alarm on phone reminds me to breathe

My dear sister-in-law gave me a book a while ago titled Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison. Being almost as busy as you are, I’ve been reading small bites of the book, which it is conveniently divided into with it’s 2 and 4 page chapters.

One of the chapters is titled “Breathing”. Katrina reflects on the benefits of taking a little more time for just breathing and her experiences focusing on taking deep breaths to calm down or with her children. Good stuff. Reminds me of Heidi’s post about the calming effect of her new chimes.

In my effort to be more efficient, I think I’ve cut my breaths in half and live on high anxiety much of the time. I can’t add a bunch of goals and new ideals to my plate right now, but I thought I could take a moment for, and would benefit from, an occasional deep breath.

So I scheduled it on my phone as an alarm. Now every day a notification pops up that simply says “Breathe.” So at least I get one deep breath in each day. Hey, it’s progress, believe me. It’s doable, and a goal that decreases, rather than increases, my stress. I bet you could squeeze one in too, if you could remember.

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Birthday Party – Island Style

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Heidi

My daughter’s birthday party was so super fun, and I want to share what we did so that you might be inspired when planning your next child’s birthday. I first want to give credit to Family Fun magazine for giving me some of these ideas. (Check out my post about how this awesome magazine can erase boredom in your house here)

The kids met at our house first, and I explained to them that we were going on a trip to a deserted island. We then went to a beach park (of course, you can use any park or backyard) where we found ourselves shipwrecked. How were we going to survive?!?

The games that followed were all connected to being on an island.

Game #1 – Slipper Relay

We played Slipper Relay (or Sandal Relay, whatever you want to call it) where each team ditched their slippers in a pile, then each teammate had to run, find her slippers, put them on and run back. First team with feet covered wins.

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Slipper Relay

The prize for the game were Slipper Cookies! These were such a hit that I brought these to my daughter’s school class on her birthday.

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Slipper Cookies

These were so easy to make: buy oval shaped cookies (we used Nutter Butter), cover with colored frosting (we used powdered sugar, water, vanilla and food coloring. done.) then make the straps from cutting strips of licorice or sour patch strips, leaving the end attached. Place a small candy on the tip. (we used skittles and gum drops).

Game #2: Water Balloon Relay

We happened to find fresh water on this island of ours! We had to carefully bring it back to camp without losing any of it. This led to the Water Balloon relay: Again in teams, the girls paired up back to back and arms linked to carry a balloon between their backs carefully to a designated place.

IMG 20130112 105609
Water Balloon Relay

Prize for this game: Water, of course!

Game #3: Save the Turtles!

The girls helped baby turtles trying to make their way to the ocean without being eaten by hungry seagulls. We made turtles out of washcloths and rubberbands, which were so cute that the kids wanted to keep them.

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Our baby “turtle”
Played like tag, you can determine how many seagulls are trying to catch the kids carrying the turtles, who are then out.
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“Save the Turtles!” game

Each child ran with one turtle at a time to a pool representing the ocean.

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Baby “turtles” making it safely to the “ocean”

The kids loved this game and we played again and again.

Prize for this game: Turtles’ favorite food — Seaweed! (So, I don’t know if this is a favorite treat where you live, but in Hawaii, the kids couldn’t have been more excited.)

IMG 20130112 113501 1

Mmm- Seaweed!

Game #4: Find the Natives

So, this island was deserted….or was it? Afterall, we never really looked for people living here, had we? I then pointed to a tree and told the party goers to see if they could find any “natives” there. If they found one, they were allowed to keep it.

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Finding the Natives

(We happened to have a bag full of dolls that were given to us. Problem was, they were all naked. My daughter ingeniously thought of clothing them with felt, so that is what we did and we used this game to give away the dolls at the party as their “goody bag” gift.)

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Found one!

After finding their island dolls, we happened upon a real turtle making its way out of the water. Totally cool, but of course, only in Hawaii 🙂 Thanks, turtle, for joining our party! You were right on cue.

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An unexpected party guest

Game #5: Shrinking Islands

Our next and final game was Shrinking Islands. I placed rags around in a circle and told the partyers that we discovered this island we were on was a part of an archipelago, and the ocean level was rising so quickly that islands started to disappear! Played like Musical Chairs but with no losers, as the music stopped, each girl had to find an island (rag) to stand on. As islands disappeared, they could share an island with someone else. By the end of the game, they had to figure out how to have everyone fit on one small island!

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Helping everyone keep afloat on the last shrinking island

Luckily, before that one disappeared, a ship found them and “rescued” them, and we all returned to civilization (aka home) where we were greeted with an island style cake.

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Island Cake

Perhaps the highlight for me was hearing the girls tell their moms when they were being picked up, “Mom! We were shipwrecked on an island, and we had to find water, and there were baby turtles that we had to save, and then we found natives that lived there, and then the islands started shrinking!!” as though it all really happened.

And the highlight for my daughter was her friends telling her it was the best party yet.

(Did you like these ideas? If so, consider “pinning it” or posting it on Facebook 😉 )

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Sugar–addiction and depression

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Sunny

sugar addiction, indulging in cake

I couldn’t resist borrowing this picture–I’m sure this is exactly how I look when I get over taken by a sugar craving. Except I’ve got a little more of an olive complexion. (To give credit where credit is due, you can see the online magazine it comes from here.)

There’s way too much info about the evils of sugar, more than anyone would want to read here. But I’m going to share just a little bit about why reducing the amount of sugar our family consumes (especially myself) is one of my goals.

Though as a kid I never noticed any ill effects from sugar consumption (no surprise there), I’ve found as an adult, my sugar consumption follows a pattern of addiction and depression. If I have a little something sugary, no big deal, but a little more would sure be nice. The next day, I have a bit more, and I find I’m now on the hunt for something sweet. And soon, I’ve noticed, I’m having more and more depressing thoughts. And life starts looking pretty rotten–though a brownie sundae might temporarily help.

Not only does cutting out sugar (after the withdrawal and binge recovery) help me feel better physically, it helps me feel better emotionally. And you certainly can’t beat the financial advantage you can save in health care and therapy. Yet most of us, even realizing this, still return to sugar. Clearly addictive.

Even though scientifically, other sweeteners, such as honey and agave, are sugars as well, I don’t feel as if they have the same addictive craving effect on me. Clearly not scientific, but you may want to pay attention to the difference in yourself. Perhaps it’s just that they aren’t as available in everything like refined white sugar and corn syrup is. Stevia actually isn’t a sugar–I’ve been experimenting with it a little, but really, I need to get off the sugar addict notion that sweet is the ultimate dietary pleasure. (Right up there with salty snacks, but that’s not where I’m going right now.)

I found the following video informative and also entertaining–my kids voluntarily watched it.

Challenge yourself. See if you can go a week avoiding sugar. I know carbs also have a bad rap these days, but if the option is a donut or a store bought muffin (which we all know is just cake without frosting), try baking some of your own muffins and substitute a reduced amount of honey, agave, or stevia for the sugar. Use whole grains and a healthy oil and you’ll feel even better about your snack (white flour also turns into sugar quickly once you eat it). I’ll have to post the triple berry pie I made, after I make it a few more times and get the recipe down–it tasted great and left me feeling happy the next day, too.

And for me, exercising is a huge help in combating the sugar blues, too. Of course, snitching the cookies intended for the kids’ lunch box is a lot faster way to handle that low blood sugar. Quite a bit of discipline involved here.

What have you done to fight your sugar addiction? It is a recurring battle for me, and I’m way open to suggestions! What are some of your favorite snacks that don’t include sugar and are possibly low carb too?

P.S. Here’s some more excellent information when you have the time and desire to know more.

This video is good. It’s 10 minutes long, just to warn you, but it’s not selling something and has good, practical advice.

The Merritt Wellness Center has a lot of good information about blood sugar level and how it affects us. A little time now can add years to your life and improve their quality and lower their cost.

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Ring in Peace

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Heidi

Ring in peace — literally.

I gifted myself early this year with these seemingly magical chimes. Called ZENERGY chimes, these chimes are so well crafted that the tone resonates with perfect clarity and seem to have the effect of cleansing the soul.

chimes

Woodstock Percussion ZENERGY3 Zenergy Chime, Trio Percussion Instrument

When I feel uptight or need a “me moment”, I close my eyes, take some deep breaths, and tap the chimes. I feel revitalized and relaxed — shall I say, ZENergized?

So then I had an idea: I’ve been wanting to teach my children about having inner peace and enjoying silence. I also wanted them to feel peaceful as they went to sleep. I wondered if these chimes could help. So one night, right before they closed their eyes, I played the chimes and told them to breath deeply as I did. They LOVED it.

Now, they request (more like demand) that the chimes are played each night. My four year old even asks me to play “just one more chime” because she “couldn’t hear one of them so well.” I have also used these chimes when one of my children are upset or frustrated and it has the effect of calming them down and helping them focus.

I’m telling you, this isn’t just for mystics or people who do yoga on a daily basis. This ought to be at the bedside of every mother. It’s inexpensive too — on Amazon it’s only $20.97 for the three chimes. If you want increased peace in your home, this is a must.

Enjoy the peace.

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Auld Lang Syne, my dear

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Sunny

New Year's Eve Auld Lang Syne

Every year I wonder what this song is saying. Is it telling us to forget the past year and everyone in it?

So this year I looked it up to save the rest of you, who are also wondering, a little time. After all, the year’s about up, so here it is in short.

It helped for me to find out that it starts with a rhetorical question, the answer to which would be “no, of course not!”

And even though it’s an old Scottish drinking song, you can leave out the alcohol and still appreciate the song.

You can print yourself some piano music here.

Here is a common version of the lyrics:

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

“Auld Lang Syne” means something like “old times past.” So should we forget old friends and days past? No. Then the chorus encourages to toast to old times. I don’t think I’d ever heard the later verses, which are better than the first, in my opinion.

There’s a nice Wall Street Journal article about the song here.

Happy New Year!

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My Grandmother’s Christmas Cookies

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Sunny

Christmas cookies in a tin

My grandmother came to the United States from Finland as a little girl. I remember her accent and her eagerness to feed us some homemade treat every time we came to her door.

This is the cut-out cookie recipe she used every Christmas for years, as did my mother, and now I do. Whenever these cookies are baking, it smells like Christmas to us. Here is the original recipe:

Grandmother’s Cut-Out Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1 cups butter, softened
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. canned milk
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients.

Cut in the butter.

Add the eggs, milk, almond, & vanilla. And mix well. If the dough is too soft, chill before rolling out.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 300° F for 11-12 minutes for thin cookies.

Christmas cookies cut-out on cookie sheet

Of course I can’t just follow a recipe, I have to change things.

I often use some, maybe 1/2 of the total, whole white wheat flour. (You may have noticed that I’m not of the “Hey, it’s supposed to be a treat–nothing healthy in there!” mentality.)

Sometimes when I’m using the recipe for something other than Christmas, like with my music note cookie cutter for a piano recital or one of my number cookie cutters for a birthday, I use lemon extract instead of the almond and vanilla.

I’ve used other things instead of butter. This year I used part butter for flavor and part coconut oil. I found that I can use a little less fat using the coconut oil.

And I never use canned milk any more, I just use what I’ve got in the fridge. Just for convenience. I’m sure my cookies aren’t quite as good as my grandmother’s, but they’re still too good for me to resist way too many.

I’ve learned not to double the recipe, it’s too big to mix.

Another cookie I remember my grandmother making every Christmas are a cookie she called “Goof Balls”. I often refer to them as Snow Ball Cookies because then my family knows what I’m talking about. They are similar to (or maybe exactly the same as) the cookies known as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Except they taste a lot better than anything out of a package.

Christmas snow ball cookies, goof balls, russian tea cakes, mexican wedding cookies

I can’t resist them.

There are recipes all over the web (not that I’ve tried any of them), but I include my Grandmother’s tried and true recipe here because it makes it easier for me (and my kids, as they are starting to leave home) to find them online! Purely selfish.

Snow Ball Cookies/Goof Balls

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour (sifted)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts
1 Tbsp. milk, if needed

Mix all ingredients and chill (if necessary). Roll into little balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Christmas snow ball cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, on cookie sheet

Cook at 350° F for 12-15 minutes. They won’t (shouldn’t) brown, so don’t wait for them to.

While they are still warm, roll each one in a bowl of powdered sugar.

I use 100% whole wheat flour with these and I still think they are divine. And I stopped sifting. I just can’t tell the difference, though I’ve got a sifter if you want to borrow one. Always looking for ways to save a little time during this season.

I smell Christmas…

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How to Keep Christ in “Christmas”

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Heidi

How many other moms are being asked 3 times a day, “How many days until Christmas?” We started a tradition a few years ago that helps us keep Christ the center of our Christmas holiday as well as help the children see how many days til Christmas. First, cut out strips of paper, one for every day left til Christmas. Each family member writes down one idea per strip on how the family can follow Christ’s example for the day, such as, “Give someone a compliment” or “Call Grandma”.

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Then link the paper strips together to make a paper chain.

paper chain
paper chain

You can use this to decorate your tree or somewhere in your house.

paper chain
paper chain

Each morning, take off one of the chains and challenge everyone to do the suggestion written on that strip. It usually helps if they know you will discuss what they did at the end of the day.

You may find the perpetual questioning of movement of time might cease, and the true meaning of Christmas might return to your home!

A word of advice: Choose ideas that are EASY to do. One year the suggestions include baking cookies or sending something in the mail, etc. Never got done. The next year I got smart and simplified it to things that could be done in a very short amount of time.

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Christmas Ornaments…A Walk Down Memory Lane

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Janae

Christmas time is a time of so many great traditions. Some you keep. Some you adjust. And some you replace with new ones. Today I almost let one go. But, then, I saw it for all that it’s worth to me. I share it with you in case it can have the same impact on you and your children as it has on me and mine.

Each year as a child, I received a Christmas ornament from Santa. It wasn’t just any ornament. It was an ornament that depicted something important, special or memorable that happened to me that year.

There was the year I received a volleyball player after making the volleyball team. Or the graduating bear the year I graduated. Or the year I was given a mother and baby reindeer after caring for my younger siblings a lot that year.

This year, as I put up the Christmas tree and saw each of the ornaments, I was flooded with memories as I put up each memory. I love putting up the tree. It’s more than just decorating. It’s remembering, reflecting, laughing, and loving. We continued the tradition in our family today- The ABC block when my oldest learned to read. The snowman on a swing when Elizabeth was obsessed with swinging. The juggling clown when I was struggling to juggle life with 4 kids. The snowman with wobbly, dangling feet when Jayden learned to walk. The police car when my husband got 3 speeding tickets in a month’s time. Just think. Without that ornament, we’d never be able to retell that story year after year. A memory that would just be forgotten (though he wishes it would be :)).

Even the string of popcorn makes me remember the year when we had no money to decorate our bare tree. The kids and I sat for hours stringing popcorn onto thread. We don’t dare throw it away. We never want to have to do it again. But, more importantly, it’s a memory we cherish.

I’ve always loved the beautiful trees with the color-coordinated ornaments, bows, and ribbon. They’re majestic and inspiring. But, the tree I love the most is the one we gather around, the one we tell stories around as we spot ornaments that remind us of memories of the past. It’s a tradition I was going to stop this year. Afterall, it’s not always easy to find ornaments that reflect a memory. But, after walking by my tree today and being reminded of one more memory, I think I better not. There are too many memories I want my kids to always remember.

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