Some Tuesday Luvin'

Hi all! How is everyone doing this fine Tuesday? We have had a great day of cleaning and gardening, plus some new fun developments in Miss Moira's growth. She has discovered the stairs, the toilet, and how to take off her diaper! I seriously can't take my eyes off of her... she is so fast and the poor thing bumps her head or falls down tons everyday in her quest to walk.

Anyhow, here are some cool things that I have found, tried, or heard about:

How to make a book cover bunting

Easy DIY magazine art

The 7-day toy cure for busy parents

One of the coolest A-B-Sea posters I have ever seen!

Buy one here!

I love cool kids lunch ideas... here's a whole collection of cuteness!

If you noticed at the bottom of my blog there is a new widget which is our library... 

I am still adding to it but it is a really cool thing to have to keep track of what you have read, 

want to read, or are currently reading!

It is powered by Library Thing and super easy to use... 

Speaking of reading, here is a whole collection of great book lists 

if you are looking for something new to read!

                                                                                Source: lushusa.com via Connie on Pinterest

Finally, here is my new crush from LUSH- Toothy Tabs.
Did you know that over 1 billion toothpaste tubes end up in landfills each year?
I thought that we were being eco-friendly using Tom's toothpaste,
but here is an even greener alternative.
There are a couple different flavors and I was left with clean teeth and no weirdo after taste.
(Plus at $4 for a box of 60, you can't go wrong with the price!)

 

Here are some other random links that you may enjoy:

S'more Cookie Bars

Yummy Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Create a Sunken Trampoline

and finally...

One of my favorite Pinterest finds so far...

Soul Pancake Bites: #1- The Soul

Well here is the first set of activities I am going to tackle, a simple thing really- the soul. 

What is the soul?

What drains the soul?

What recharges it?

What does your soul look like?

I think that the soul is that essence that makes you, well... you.  It is unique. It has nothing to do with the physical body as reasonable people will agree that very beautiful people can have evil souls and vice versa. It is that awareness of a self. A soul is all those memories wrapped up in a package, making your personality and choices complete the picture.

“Run your fingers through my soul. 

For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, 

perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.”

For me, it is soul draining to see people hurting each other and the world around them and to feel helpless. To see violence, despair, especially concerning children. Negativity is very soul draining in general. Feeling defeated is also a big factor. To feel caught up in a web where there is no escape or silver lining.... however, as easily as it is to see the bad, there is always the good. (Yes, I am the eternal optimist.)

Recharging my soul means remembering the good in this world. Seeing the beauty, finding those little things that make me happy, like quiet mornings and comfortable sweatshirts. Taking a sip of my favorite drink and savoring the goodness in it. Looking at my children and knowing that there is nothing more beautiful or special in the world to me. 

I believe that if you looked at my soul it would be a mess of colors. For the most part, sunny yellows and tropical blues. But there are those dark spots too, regrets, mistakes, doubts that hold me back. There would be snippets of all the good and the bad that make up me. Snapshots from all my memories that shape my daily life. That is my soul.

** See, now wasn't that fun?! If you want to join in, please comment and let me know you also tackled this activity. :P

If you really like this, go grab your own copy of Soul Pancake!

My Perfect Book

Today we went to the library, same as we do every week. And, true to my form, I picked up random books solely based on their cover. (I do this with makeup, food, etc- if you look interesting I am attracted!) Well I get home and we immediately start looking at all of our finds, perusing the books and settling in for reading time. And I may have found my PERFECT book! It is a book that makes me think and has all the elements of something that will hold my attention- quotes, typography, photos, questions, poetry...  I am in loooooooove!!! What is this book?

This thought provoking book is like a journal, poetry book, art portfolio and more rolled into one. There are creative challenges, list making, explorations and BIG questions... like "What does Art have to do with the Soul?" .... Huge right?!

Anyhow, since I have this book in my possession I am going to try tackling some of these activities here on the blog. Feel free to join in too! I will call them my Soul Pancake Bites...

I can't get over how much there is to see in this book... really see. I have a feeling that this is one of those rare finds that will change how I see the world and myself. I can't wait to get started!

Today I am....

:digging: this Ultimate Lego Roundup! I love playing with Legos and the girls!
:watching: Gnomeo and Juliet and remembering my first encounters with this famous play... I cried at the end...
:dancing: to this song. I want to not like her music but I just can't help myself! 
:reading: this book that I totally picked up because of the cover. I am addicted to Russian ballet stories that take place during the Romanov era!
:loving: this swim suit! I think it would flatter any figure... even curvy, " recently had a baby" ones!
:eating: french toast and mango- yummo!
:wishing: that the days would stay this springy, the kids would stay this little, and time would stop marching on across my face!
:hoping: that my knees hold out with all the dancing I am going to be doing cause it's a lot but I love it!
:making: some pop up cards thanks to this tutorial
:browsing: over this new website, lots of kid-related eye candy to see!
:cleaning: out the girls dressers and closets... seasons change and the girls are growing out of sizes so fast...
:craving: some more color in this house. I am strongly considering painting my stairs like this...
:learning: more about vaccinations and the risks they pose to our children, all starting with this website.

What are you doing today?

Books Everywhere!

Every Monday we go to the library and pick out books for the week. Gabby chooses her books for school which always include her main interest, this past month it has been birds, along with a history book, a fictional story, and whatever else catches our eye. Lately her choices have been so wonderful that I wanted to share the list of books that we have taken home for the week... it is a lot!!!

Gabby's Book List

• The Secret Lives of Common Birds
• When Birds Could Talk & Bats Could Sing
• You Wouldn't Want to Travel with Captain Cook
• You Wouldn't Want to be a Pirate's Prisoner
• Fierce Fighters- Ninja
• Music Theory for Beginners
• Smash It!, Crash It!, Launch It!
• Starting Point Science

Of course AJ picks out books too which are a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, and I discovered her using her finger to follow the words and pretending to sound them out. It made me so proud to see her trying by herself to read and creating a story using the pictures!
AJ is really interested in hippos right now, for some reason rainbow colored ones are her favorite thing to draw... she is a very creative girl with animals!

AJ's Book List

• Kiss Kiss!
• Police Officers on the Go!
• Keeping Unusual Pets: Chinchillas (No, we are not getting a chinchilla, I have no clue why she picked this, lol!)
• I Must Have Bobo
• Strongest and Weakest
• Biggest and Smallest
• The Illustrated Book of Ballet Stories

I love our weekly trips because I get to watch my girls explore one of my favorite places and see what they are interested in. I know that they can have free reign there, get however many and whatever books interest them and will be exposed to new words and ideas.
Plus it gives me a chance to get my own books. I always read before bed and devour books like chocolate!

Note to self: No more reading Dean Koontz at night, alone, before bed! 

I had to stop myself from covering all the mirrors and sleeping with the lights on! 

Sunday Thoughts

Hola ya'll! Well after a very rough week I can honestly say that I am looking forward to Monday. I am hopping back on the No Yelling Wagon, reaching deep within that calm mommy inside, and going to set the example that I so want to be for my girls. Hopefully this rainy weather will stop so that we can get back to our regularly scheduled program of bike riding, gardening, and playing! Here are some cool things that I wanted to share before I forget them:

I am clutching this article from Tiny Buddha like it is a life-raft... good-bye bad moods!

We love going to the movies when it is bad out or too hot but these days it is really pricey. If your kids are movie buffs too check out the Summer Movie Clubhouse for a GREAT summer movie deal- 10 movies for only $5 if you get the whole set or $1 per show at the ticket box!!!

Of course, summer also means lazy reading days on the beach, at the park, or wherever else we decide to plunk down. Check out Border's Double Dog Dare Reading Challenge or Barnes and Nobel's reading program to earn free books!

I would love to organize our garden like this... so neat and tidy...

Gabby is starting to really notice nature and I wanted her to start a nature journal this summer. This is a great example of a simple journal!

And of course there is always a new Etsy find... today's new discovery is a shop called Andrew's Reclaimed. I love beautifully polished and simple decor and this wood shop delivers all that and more. Check them out, especially this neat woodpecker feeder!

Well, that's it! Here's to a new week, a fresh start, and many new discoveries...

Probably the BEST Art Book Yet!

This week I did a little bit of book selling at a local YMCA. I always enjoy selling Usborne's book because I get to go and talk to people about something I am passionate about, meet great kids, and of course expand our own home library. Usborne constantly impresses me with their never ending expansion of titles... there are new books coming out all the time that I immediately want to pick up for the girls and today I brought one home to add to our collection- 365 Things to Draw and Paint.

 This book has it all- robots, fairies, birds, people, laboratories, roads, and so much more! You make collages, use pastels, blow watercolors around with a straw, and create whole drawings by taking a "line for a walk". The projects are fun, use everyday items to create, and teach art techniques that have huge value.

Gabby and I decided to try one of the projects today that involved the watercolors and a straw.... it was a blast!!

There are so many great art ideas in here, I can't wait to do some more!! It is such a joy to be able to teach Gabby about art, see her face light up when she gets it, and know that even though it is Saturday afternoon, we are "schooling"!

right now...

right now I am....

♥ wondering where these new little twists in the road are going to take me... so many fun new decisions... new job options and a new place to rent?!

♥ wanting to get started on making a fun mobile like this for a dear friend who is expecting,

♥ planning out our first family vacation to Atlanta GA in March to see Hana!

♥ thinking about Mrs.Q and her blog devoted to her eating school lunches every day for 2010!.... and thanking the stars that we are homeschooling Gabby.

♥ enjoying the new book Klint picked up for me at the library, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

♥ feeling a little restless... the need to do some serious spring cleaning is creeping up on me fast!

♥ loving this beautiful home children's library and wondering if we could do something like that in our home...

♥ smiling because I finally put up my pretty bird feeder and have so many pretty visitors outside my window now!

My Christmas Wish List- Something to Read

Since everyone else in my house has a wishlist made up for Christmas I decided to blog about my wishlist. (Plus this way Klint can just look here if he forgets what I want!!) Today is my Something To Read!

This is one of the hardest ones for me to pick since I love books so much.... do I ask for a craft book, a year's subscription to a favorite magazine, or just something by a favorite author? Last year I got a year's subscription to Oprah which I love love love. This year however is a special year because I am turning 30....

I found this lovely little journal called One Line a Day on another blog that I read, Simplify, and thought what a wonderful idea! Just one little line, once a day, for 5 years! What a wonderful keepsake for the girls to look back on, and a great way to record the first 5 years of my 30's! And even better that it is a pretty aqua color (not like the icky color on Amazon's site!) which is a favorite color of mine.....

I love this photo of the journal from Simplify.... it makes the journal look so pretty....

There is one for recording all that mommy stuff.... but I am going to be selfish and just get this one which will have some stuff about the girls I am sure, but also personal stuff about me....

So there ya go, that is my Something to Read!!!

Why I Love Selling Books

This week was a busy week for books and me. I helped a friend with a book fair at our local YMCA and couldn't have asked for a better turnout! Not only did we sell over $900 in books (WOW!) but we gave the child watch room at that Y $450 in FREE books.... people, that is A LOT of books! And the best part is that it didn't cost the Y anything and didn't cost us anything.

For me, I love selling these books because they are everything I believe in and nothing that goes against my feelings on kids and how they learn. I know that you don't need gimmicks to get kids to read if the book is well written and engaging. I know that it is a far better to reward a child for starting a habit of reading by putting a free book in that child's hand instead of giving them a certificate for pizza. And I know that no matter how mad I get at my kids, if they ask for a book or ask to be read to I will NEVER say no.

Well, since I am talking about these books so much why don't I share our favorite 10 Usborne Books? You can find them everywhere from Borders to libraries so check them out... and if you like them a lot you can purchase them from either of my friends here or here! (My e-store is on hiatus while I am on maternity leave!)

So there ya have our favorite titles from Usborne, which I why I started selling them in the first place- I wanted free books for my family! Not only do I get to earn some extra money selling something I believe in, but the free books are an awesome benefit. 

Well that is that.... off to get ready for another YMCA's book fair!

Eat Pray Love

Even though I have seen this book at the library and passed by the preview without a thought, I wasn't really interested in anything about it until I saw the Eat Pray Love collection from Dogeared Jewelry. And then my heart skipped a beat.... this jewelry collection is everything that I love about my spiritual beliefs. Simple, colorful, balancing, and mindfulness.... (And luck has it that AJ just recently broke my lucky necklace by Dogeared so I am looking around for something new!)

Anyhow, after drooling for a few on Dogeared's site I hopped over to check out this movie that has everyone talking. How the heck did I miss this one? I guess that is what happens when you don't have TV and pay little attention to current media.

Eat Pray Love is one woman's true story about her personal journey to bring balance back into her life, find long lost passions for food and spirituality, and maybe even some love along the way. It is a journey I think each of us hopes to take at some point, a rediscovery of the person we were when we thought anything was possible. I can't wait to see this movie and will be reading or listening to the book asap! Oh, did I mention Julia Roberts is the starring actress? Now, you KNOW it is going to be good!

My Daddy is a Pretzel!

Few people, when glancing at my husband, would guess that it is him and not me who really enjoys doing yoga, Although I appreciate the meditative nature of it, I require a faster paced form of exercise like Zumba to really get my blood pumping. Klint however is AWESOME at yoga, has become so much more flexible, and I think the meditative nature of it appeals to him as well.

Well, of course when Daddy is doing yoga the kids HAVE to join in... AJ likes to crawl under Klint during Downward Dog and Gabby likes to mimic his moves. So when I saw this book at the library- "My Daddy is a Pretzel" by Baron Baptiste I had to grab it!

What is so cool about this book is that it is not only a yoga book but also introduces kids to 9 different professions that mommy and daddy may have, and links the yoga poses to everyday life.

For example, the first job introduced is a gardener and so the yoga pose is the Tree Pose. "The tree pose teaches us to support ourselves with strong roots, so we can reach high and remain stable, yet be flexible, at the same time." Isn't that lovely?? I love how the illustration demonstrates the way to get into the pose as well, perfect for little ones to follow!

The best part is that if you and your kids enjoy the book, the company that made this book -Barefoot Books-also has yoga card decks! I am really interested in the yoga deck that has 50 yoga poses and activities that are good for the earth called Yoga Planet. Definitely a company and a purpose that I can support whole heartedly!

Oh! Don't forget that signups for the Moveable Feast Swap ends tomorrow at midnight!!! Come swap some foodie goodness!!

Getting the Urge Again

Since before I found out that we were expecting again I have been on a crafting hiatus. No clue why, but Martha had left the building of her own accord. No paint spattered hands, no humming sewing machine, and no new half finished projects covering the dining room table. I don't remember this happening with any of my previous pregnancies, but then again, I wasn't half this crafty before.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel... I am just days away from the 2nd Trimester and apparently am getting the urge to craft again. Which is a good thing because my poor neglected Etsy store needs some new things, my kids are wondering where all their new goodies are, and I think even the hubby was getting a bit concerned!

I had a fairy door order that I just put the first coat of paint on, I have white and purple spatters all over my hands, and I am now checking out my usual blogs for ideas to get my creativity flowing again. I just came across a book that I think I might HAVE to get- Handmade Beginnings by Anna Marie Horner.

Another blogger that I read- Sew Liberated (who took this lovely photo!) just reviewed the book, showed an adorable nursing top that she made, and really got me interested in this new crafty read. Check out the awesome tunic that she made here! Homemade By Jill also did a book review and has made some of the things from the book... look at these cute booties!

Lucky for you, if you want to give the book a try without buying it, you can download the FREE pattern for the stacking cubes here! I think these may be the first thing that I do for our own little Baby Bear since I have colors picked out already and gender doesn't matter!