Happy New Year! {NEW Menu Plan}

Time to start this year off right! And, by right, we mean:

No cokes, no sweet tea, no bad snackin, no candy, no cookies, no goodies, no more!

And we also mean:

8 glasses of water a day. Working out every day. And all of those other typical New Year's Resolutions... But it's all good! :)

How about a new menu plan to get the year going strong? Most of the recipes are found on Weelicious & SkinnyTaste - Both are amazing websites so go check them out!

Isn't that the cutest picture?! Love it!

Here are the links to the recipes, in case you are interested (of course, you know me...I wont follow them really)

Shepherd's Pie, Lightened Up
Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Zucchini Fritters
Roasted Carrot Coins
Carroty Mac & Cheese

YUM! I'm excited about making the zucchini fritters. Those look so good. You are wondering what a salad extravaganza, aren't you? A giant salad full of yummy goodness! Spinach, bell pepper, cucumbers, anything green and good, really. I'm pretty much going all out on the fruits and veggies the ENTIRE month of January. Jason is going full throttle on the the lean meat.

Andrew and Alex will be enjoying (hopefully...2 year-olds are tough...) some great new ways of mealtime with the help of muffin tin fun and playful meals. I'm putting some ideas together for them tomorrow. I miss the days when Andrew was an amazing eater like Alex... Anyway, hopefully Muffin Tin Mom and a few other awesome toddler food sites will help in the Adventures of Cracking the Toddler Code.

We'll see. :)

Christmas & Our Version of the 12 Days of Christmas

**Don't forget to turn on your speakers!**

12 months of memories cherished

11 neighborhoods toured

10 Santa sightings

9 reindeer fed

8 dozen cookies

7 temper tantrums (probably due to the sugar high...lol)

6 days left in this year

5 loaves of bread

4 wonderful weeks of Advent

3 dozen muffins

2 sweet little boys enjoying the magic

1 sweet baby that was born to save the world

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

 

Christmas Eve Slideshow

Turn up the speakers and enjoy the pictures! 

We had such a wonderful weekend! Here are the things we did:

1. Made snowman pancakes for breakfast

2. Opened presents with Zach and Grace

3. Went to the 4pm Mass - the boys were SOOOO good!!! 

4. Made reindeer food and sprinkled it out in the back yard :)

5. Had a yummy dinner - Ham & Swiss Sliders with a yummy secret sauce. I will definitely share this recipe with you this week. 

6. Left milk and cookies for Santa

7. Read "The Night Before Christmas"

8. Andy had a FEVER of 101.6 - eek! He is MUCH better now. He is getting his molar apparently. Nice. 

9. Got snuggled up into bed.

10. Heard reindeer on the roof! (That's what Andy told us this morning!)

Merry Christmas!

The House will be taking a break from posting for the holidays! We will be on Facebook here and there if you don't want to miss anything. :)

 

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

A few posts to keep you company:

Christmas Menu Plan

The House Top 10

Cookies Lights and PJs

I'm linking up that fun pic above with:

Countdown to Christmas - Day 24

Bible Verse:

Mary gave birth to her baby and laid Him in the manger. It was just as Isaiah had said: "A Child is born to us, a royal Son is given! He will carry all the authority of heaven and earth upon His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace." 

Luke 2:6-7 and Isaiah 9:6

Prayer:

 Dear God, You sent us Your Son. Thank you so very much! Amen. 

Today's Activity:

Take a moment to think about the wonderful first gift of the season.

Christmas Cookies, Lights and Pajamas

We just LOVE that we are able to do these things with our little guys. I love that Andy loves to help me bake. He used to just watch. Now he like to take charge! He helps me count eggs and measuring cups of flour and sugar... Finding the number I need on the measuring cup for milk and such. He is fantastic. He even helps me clean up! Awesome :)

1. Helping me unwrap kisses
2. Then we thought of being silly and acting like we really ate all of those lol
3. Licking off the dough - note the sugar on his forehead! (if you click the picture, it will get bigger)
4. Rolling out the dough
5. Had some help from mama, but really not a lot - just when it got sticky and needed more flour
6. The amazing ingredients from Betty Crocker & Hershey's that I won. I won a prize pack of all of this, and apron, and some goodie boxes for a cookie party I was going to host a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, with it being the wintry cold time of year, my boys got sick this time. :( But, we ended up making cookies for some of our neighbors!
7. YUM!!! Peanut butter blossoms!
8. My baking man in training - always start out with a rubber spatula, then a wooden spoon, and THEN you can help mama at the counter!
9. A great little cookie cutter guy
10. Making Santa's soldiers. He calls them soldiers, not nutcrackers. Not sure where he got that idea from. But it is cute!


After dinner tonight, we headed out around town to see some Christmas lights. I tried to get pictures, and I took as many as I could..but these are the best:

1. Love how the lights outline the roof of this house
2. SO awesome. There is that mega snow globe, that boxy snowman, a "seasons greetings" train, wreaths, and I wish I had gotten a decent pic..but there is also a Ferris wheel on the other side! Awesome!!!
3. This is our front door. Finally got it. I still cant figure out the best setting to get the lights to twinkle in the picture, but this is the best for now. :)
4. RTR...ugh. Someone please explain to me what Bama and Christmas have in common.... Yes, fine, red and white... anything else?
5. This house has to have it's own Alabama Power station for the amount of lights that are on this person's house and property. WOW! Very cool!
6. Andrew enjoying the sights of Christmas!

I wish I had gotten a pic of something different we saw... A car that passed us on the road was decorated in Christmas lights! CRAZY! Only the top though...so you had to do a double take if you were speeding LOL

1. Alex trying to get those sneaky reindeer lol
2. I love our Christmas tree!!
3. Andy asking for 1 more cookie even though he has 1 in his had already...
4. Alex just being cute :)
5. Andy putting the ornament back on the tree that Alex took off
6. Jason and his "littlest guy" as he calls him - love it!
7. Seriously, I'm obsessed with our tree!

Countdown to Christmas - Christmas Lights

Tonight, we will be going out with our little guys after dinner and after they are ready for bed to drive around to see the Christmas lights! Andy will get to bring along a cookie (or two!), Jason and I will have our hot chocolate, and Alex will probably fall asleep. All in our pajamas! HA! There are a couple of houses that we see that are ALL DECKED out and others that have only a gorgeous tree in the window. I love going to see the Christmas lights and I am so happy that we will get to start this tradition with Andy and Alex. I promise to share pictures of our night time ride :)

Our Christmas tree. :)

Confession = Free Therapy

I will continue to say this again and again. I am PROUD to be a Catholic. I LOVE being a Catholic.

But...I am not a very good one at times...

Confession is one of those sacraments that some Catholics, like me, have not fully appreciated until they realize how bad they needed it. Father Alex Steinmiller has been a guest priest at our Church for most of this week (promoting the mission of spreading the word of God's love through the Passion), and last night was the Penance Mass. I knew I needed to do this...

Side note: My confession... I have not been since...a few days before our wedding. That was a bit over 4 1/2  years ago. I would say I'm overdue, wouldn't you?

I know that many of my/our friends/family are not Catholic and do not quite understand this whole thing. Back to Fr. Steinmiller... he asked/answered the question why many Catholics no longer go... Why do we need to tell a priest what we did wrong? Why can't we just tell God in our prayers? You can still do that, yes... But, going back to a looooong time ago, Jesus has disciples...they were his followers, his students. They wanted to learn how to become like their great teacher. Today, we have priests - they are acting as Christ, just as the disciples. So, when you are going to confession, you aren't telling your priest all your sins...you are telling God. And, what really helped me was the next part that Fr. Steinmiller said, not only are well telling God how sorry we are but we are also telling the people that we may have hurt that we are sorry, too, or that we finally have let go or the anger, or whatever it is that you needed to tell someone but weren't able to do so for whatever reason.

Anyway, I went to the Penance Mass last night. There were 8 priests and a lot of people. I was nervous, too. But, with all that Fr. Steinmiller had said, I calmed down a bit...

This is where this is going get difficult. Those of you who read the blog always see the happiness and love and such within our family. We are very happy. We love each member very much, even our furbaby, Max. But, the past 8 months have been a very rocky road. Are you counting backwards yet? Yes, that puts us at April...when Alex was born. Alex is wonderful and he is amazing! And seeing Andy and Alex growing up and becoming best friends day by day...there are no words. I just love it.

However, there were MANY things that I should have done much differently. That WE should have done differently. WE as in Jason and I. Until Andy started going to Growing with God, there were days when I just didn't see the point of going to Mass. Recently, as we were getting Christmas decorations up, I didn't even feel like doing any of it. Not good feeling to have during the Christmas season, I know... But there was so much pain and seemingly unanswered prayers, that I didn't know what to do about anything anymore.

1. I couldn't breastfeed Alex
2. There was a tornado that, thankfully, didn't destroy our home, but left me feeling helpless to others (since I was allowed to due to just having a baby via c-section)
3. Unnecessary/unappreciated stress from others
4. I felt like we were making Andy grow up too fast
5. I felt like I couldn't do the same things I did with Alex that I did with Andy

The list goes on much longer...

I am on antidepressants, too. Did I mention that? Probably not. Like I've told my closest friends, I cannot talk about Alex's birth - how sad is that? That is probably why there are only pictures instead of words. Probably why I got Jason to post them instead of me. Who knows?

Finally I finish my confession. And never have I ever left confession in tears. But they were tears of happiness, I think (it's been a while so I'm not sure...). They weren't sad tears, I know. I felt better after talking to my priest. Telling him everything. Pouring it out. Realizing what it was that I was trying to find again.

I was told to say 1 Our Father as my penance. I remember, maybe about a month ago, that our priest said that every time we pray the Our Father, God hears us immediately. Yes, He always listens, but with this prayer He knows that were are much need of His help ASAP. I was also told to read Corinthians 13 when I got home. He also told me that God wants us to be happy. He enjoys our smiles and our laughter.

I did both. This morning, I woke up happier than I have been in a long time.



**Linking up with A Life-Size Catholic Blog**

Countdown to Christmas - Rest Up!

Yes, I have added a few things to the Countdown to Christmas. But with Christmas Eve right around the corner, I think that we all need a day of rest. Which of course, we all know that means cleaning the house, wrapping gifts, and doing all the other "necessary things" before Christmas morning. So, enjoy that cookies that you and your kids made yesterday and we will see you back here tomorrow!

Andy LAST Christmas - WOW he looks so much like Alex does! I cannot believe how fast they are growing up! Slow down, boys....mama's camera is still charging :)

Presents for EVERYONE - INCLUDING myself #CleverBeauty #spon

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.walgreens.com/beauty.

If you are in need of some more last minute gift ideas (hurry, people! Christmas is SUNDAY!), then head over to Walgreens for a quick, no-fuss trip. They have some great stuff for everyone one on your list (even me!) And somehow, me and my husband are the last ones on the list. Anyone else have that issue, too?

The Conair Infiniti Pro Spin Air Hair Brush is definitely on my wish list! And, we (girls, that is) know that it is so much fun to get a new shade of eye shadow or that awesome new curling mascara that makes your lash grow longer and fuller and blacker and whatever else. It is just fun. 

NAIL POLISH! I am currently obsessed with the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. Let me tell you. If you are a mom, you are ALWAYS digging in a baby bag, purse, under car seats, under the fridge, etc..that doesn't help your nail polish stay looking great does it? The box says that the nail strips will stay on for about 2 weeks. I was still going strong at 3 weeks. LOVE IT! Make this a stocking stuffer for all the girls in the family. They will love you. ;)

Don't forget those men! Have they been good this year? Hmmm...we will see what Santa brings ;) Walgreens has a bunch of great stuff for them, too. My hubby is an Old Spice man - LOVE! I'm not sure what it is about Old Spice, but it has a wonderful smell to it, doesn't it? Yum.

Walgreens wants to share some special savings with you from their Holiday Shopping Guide (pdf link) with over $25 of coupons. Feel free to feature any of the products if you think they'd make a good present.

Countdown to Christmas - Bake Cookies Today!

Today we are going to mix it up just a bit. Get into the kitchen with your little chef (or chefs) and make some cookies! We will be making Peanut Butter Kisses and Sugar Cookies after nap time! Here are some other fabulous cookies that I found and would love to do, but I just don't have the time (or energy) to make them. Anyone want to make me a batch?

Starbucks Inspired Christmas Cookies

Peppermint Patty Brownie Bites

Cookie Canes

Peppermint Milk Chocolate Cookies

And obviously...these should have been #1... Melted Snowmen!

Need a Last Minute Gift?

Just check your pantry and grab a jar!

Here's what I found in my pantry:

Peanuts...yum 

Salted jumbo cashews...YUM

Christmas M&Ms...YUM

wait for it

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds...MAJOR YUM!

That's right.

Dark. Chocolate. Covered. Almonds.

1 cup per each (or whatever to make it evenly mixed) and hand out to whoever you needed a gift for!

Linking up with:

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Today's Creative Blog

Home Stories A to Z

Tip Junkie

Countdown to Christmas - Day 23

Bible Verse:

Suddenly, the sky was dilled with angels! They were praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to everyone, for today God has shown you how much He loves you!" 

Luke 2:13-14

Prayer:

 Dear God, What an amazing father You are! Thank You for Your son, Jesus. Amen. 

Today's Activity:

Ask your parents about the day you were born. 

Since I started this blog after Andy's birth, I only have Alex's to share at the moment. Now, Jason "wrote" that post, so there aren't really any words. But, the pictures are all you really need. I have an old blog that I took down after having Andy, so I will search for his birth pics. 

Do you have a birth story/pictures you want to share? Send me you way!

Countdown to Christmas - Day 22

Bible Verse:

 Jesus said, "Here I am! I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone can her My voice, open up and let Me in. We can sit down and eat and be together forever." 

Revelation 3:20

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, Thank you for opening the door to heaven for me. Amen. 

Today's Activity:

Why did God send Jesus to be our Savior?

Wordless Wednesday

Andrew said his "babies" wanted to look at the tree while he and Alex have breakfast. Too cute.

The House Top 10

So much had happened in the past year, that I thought it would be fun to share the TOP 10 POSTS of House of Woyaks! Here we go:

1. Almost Done - 306 views - Christmas shopping is done - oh, wait! Don't forget the stockings! Ideas for great stocking-stuffers for toddlers.

2. Fall Mantle - 229 views - This year's fall mantle began my obsession with Pinterest.

3. $20 Lego Table - 200 views - Why bother with a huge/expensive Lego table when you can use and end table from Target??

4. Bit of a Mix-Up - 185 views - Cleaning/organizing the laundry room/mudroom


5. Countdown to Christmas - 167 views - Celebrating the Advent season with recipes, crafts, etc when you have little ones!

6. The House Notebook - 100 views - A binder that shows what to do when Mom isn't there to answer all the questions (or is having a baby!)

7. Freezer Cooking Fridays - 96 views - Kitchen time during nap time :) I will be bringing this back in January!

8. High Five Magazine - 91 views - Continuing the tradition of Highlights magazine with my children!

9. Weekly Challenge - 84 views - The first of many challenges I tried out as a new mommy of two. This is my adventure of learning to go to the grocery store. It is not as "exciting" as my Target adventure...

10. It's On! - 82 views - The beginning of many organizing challenges with A Bowl Full of Lemons



What a year!! I can't believe 2011 is almost gone! Though, I have to say, I am SO ready for a new year. It is definitely time.

A new blog adventure began this year, too! Every now and then you may see a post that is sponsored, well due to Clever Girls Collective I have had some opportunities in the last few months to make a little extra money here and there. It's been great, especially since Christmas is right around the corner!


Coming up soon: Top 12 moments of the year (well, there are not 10 months...) :) 

Family Photos

Our blog picture :) LOVE!

Here are the rest that just as awesome! 

 

 

Here are 2 pictures we didn't even realize were taken. I LOVE THEM!!

 Alex was getting tired and ready to go home. Such a sweet moment.

He has the best smile (ok, Alex does, too!) We just love our two little men so much!!

I am so happy that we finally got an updated family picture! Jennifer did an amazing job capturing everything just right! If you are local to the Birmingham area, definitely check here out! 

Jennifer Branham Photography

Website

Facebook

Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!

We headed out for early Mass this morning so we could get to a party afterwards. A birthday party! A birthday party for Baby Jesus. How cute! I love that our church does this. During the 8:30 Mass, we have the Children's Liturgy. If you aren't familiar with this idea, it is a great program for children of all ages (typically beginning around 3 or 4 years old and to about 2nd grade). After the opening prayers, just before the first reading begins, the priest calls all children up to the Altar, then the children head out together to the Vestibule to listen to their version of the readings, do a craft, ask questions, etc. It is great! We have not had Andy start this just yet, but maybe next year. We will see.

Anyway, this week, after Mass the children who attend this program (and other Sunday school programs within the church, I believe) put on a Nativity play. It was so cute! I wish I had gotten a picture of the little "sheep" - they were so cute! The children playing the sheep wore all black and a white tee that had cotton balls all over it! Love it!

Now, you are probably wondering where the "birthday party" comes into play here... Well, remember Day 17 of Advent? Well, it turns out that Andy did pick out a lovie and a blanket (sort of) for the baby. See, at the birthday party, the gifts that were brought were all donated to Her Choice - a women's center to help those with unplanned pregnancies (like Mary) who refuse abortion. The table of gifts was overflowing! I wish I gotten a pic of this, too! It was wonderful to see! Every child/family that came in had a gift in hand.


Here is what Andy picked out to give to Baby Jesus - the duck is from him and the wearable blanket is from Alex he said :)

Just a few words before closing this post... 

Please, please. If you (or someone you know) are pregnant and are thinking about an abortion, please know and understand the consequences. Abortion is WRONG! There are so many families out there who are unable to have children. Families who pray and plead and beg for a child. Being a mother is hard, but I would not trade it for anything. 

Her Choice Birmingham

2120 7th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233
Phone: (205) 252-0706 






Disclaimer:  This post is not sponsored or affiliated in anyway with Her Choice. The thoughts and feelings expressed about abortion are my own.

The Simple Things

Menus Plan {Christmas, too!}

It is going to be a pretty easy week - food wise, that is. There are a bunch of leftovers in the freezer. But the fridge leftovers need to be eaten! Also we are heading out for a few days, so the dinner this week are going to be just enough, no big batches. Here is this week's menu:

However...we are home for holidays and we could not be happier! I will be cooking up some amazing things this weekend (and likely kill my camera's battery again) and will share with you those recipes soon. Our little men are going to be soooo excited!! Here is the menu for Christmas Eve and Day:

If you are wondering, these nifty images I use for my menus are from Shabby Blogs!

Snickerdoodles!!

Our dog was almost named Snickerdoodle, but then we met him and he is SO a Max! :)

Anyhoo! Ready for another fun cookie recipe? I changed up (Shocker, right? I rarely stay true to a recipe.) Skinnytaste's snickerdoodles are pretty similar to a normal sugar cookie recipe, which is usually what I do anyway.

Here are the snickerdoodles I made tonight:

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles:

Cookies:
1 3/4 whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp pancake syrup (whichever is your fav - I used Market Pantry Light Maple from Target)
1 tbsp milk
1 egg

Cinna-Sugar Mixture:
3 tbsp sugar to 1 tbsp cinnamon - I make a ton of this and keep it in an airtight container since I use it so much during this part of the year.

Line your cookie sheet with non-stick foil or give it a coat of cooking spray. 

1. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add egg vanilla, milk, and syrup.
2. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Chill about 10-15 minutes then roll into small balls - about 1 inch. I used the smallest cookie scoop I had and 1/2 the dough. I made about 50 cookies doing this.
4. Roll in cinna-sugar mixture. Bake about 6-7 minutes at 375

Want some easier options? Keep reading!

Supah Fast Snickerdoodles:
1. Take your fav sugar cookie recipe and add in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
2. Roll into balls
3. Chill for about 10-15 mins
4. Roll balls around in cinna-sugar mixture
5. Bake at 375 for about  6-8 minutes

Supah Dupah Fast Snickerdoodles:
1. Add cinna-sugar mixture to the top of any refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2. Bake as directed.

Slow Cookin Goodness

Crock pot week is coming to an end. I almost want to do it every day from now on! It was so nice to not rush to get dinner ready during the witching hour. Here are the recipes since I had a few people ask for them :)


Sunday - Big Easy Meatloaf and Potato Wedges
We all liked it alright, but the potato wedges were a big hit - I am going to make a huge batch of these for the freezer since they were that good.

Monday - Fiesta Chicken (recipe was shared on Monday - click here)

Tuesday - Ham with Cherry Sauce

I did NOT follow this recipe at all. I don't have "five spice" and I don't really know what it is. But, if you are interested, the recipe is on page 44 of Creative Slow Cooker Recipes (it is out on display until February; found at Publix). So here is what I did:

5-6 pound ham
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 jar peach preserves (mine was a 10 ounce jar)
1 package dried cherries (6-8 ounce)
1/2 cup pineapple juice (I couldn't find just a container of the juice, so I grabbed a can of pineapple chunks in juice. I used the juice for cooking and Andy had some pineapple chunks for a snack)
1 tsp ground mustard

1. Press cloves into the ham on all sides then place in slow cooker.
2. In a bowl mix up the remaining ingredients and pour over ham.
3. Set on low and cook for 8-9 hours.

This was a huge hit! And, of course, it was a huge ham. I diced up some for breakfasts/lunches and sliced the rest for another dinner. YUM!

Wednesday - Mixed-Berry Pudding Cake
Recipe found on page 134 of Creative Slow Cooker Recipes (it is out on display until February; found at Publix). I changed up this recipe, too.

1 8oz package frozen blueberries
1 8oz package frozen raspberries
1 8oz package craisins
1 cup AP flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sugar

1. Combine berries in slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla. Spoon over batter evenly.
3. In a small bowl dissolve the 1/3 cup sugar in the boiling water. Pour over mixture in slow cooker.
4. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Andy LOVED this! It was super yummy and I will have to make this one again for sure!

Thursday - I meant to change this on my menu plan. Tonight was Jason's Office Christmas party :) It was so much fun! 

Friday - Sloppy Joes (what I planned for Thursday)
Just use your favorite Sloppy Joe recipe and put it in the slow cooker on low. Serve when you are ready!

Saturday - White Chicken Chili (cooking away right now!)

Time to work on next week's menu - and it is going to be all kinds of Christmas-y!!

Countdown to Christmas - Day 21

Bible Verse:

Let us thank God for His precious gift. 

2 Corinthians 9:15

Prayer:

 Dear God, Thank You for send us Jesus in order to help us know You better. Amen.

Today's Activity:

What makes Jesus a priceless gift?

What are your priceless gifts?

Andy's Christmas Party!

Yesterday Alex and I went over to Andy's school for his class Christmas Party!

He came home Tuesday with his Christmas shirt to wear at the party. It was sooo cute! Remember the Fall shirt he made? Well, now I don't know which one is cuter! This time, his hand made an angel...

and his foot made a shepherd! Awesome!

Here is the whole shirt! Verse reads: For unto us is born a Savior! Luke 2

Love it!! I took a few pics of him while we were there. I apologize in advanced. A room full of 2-year-olds on a sugar-high, mommies with squirming babies in one arm camera phone in the other, and grand parents blinding everyone with their mega cameras...it was a tad bit on the crazy side. ;) But it was fun! Oh! And I am glad to know that my 2-year-old isn't the only one to tell me to put my camera away!

Pictures on the left side going down: Let the sugar high begin lol! / Telling me to stop it (taking pics) / Such a big boy :)

Picture on the right going down: Telling me that he will give me an m&m if I stop "No no, mama. M&M?" / Tried to move to the other side lol / His Christmas ornament he made! His hand print made snowmen! I will get a better picture soon - promise!


Are you kids out of school yet? I cannot believe that Christmas is NEXT WEEK!!

Andy's Treasure Box

Yesterday after we came home from Andy's Christmas party at school, we worked on an Advent project - make a treasure box (yes...a day early lol - oh, well). Andy was pretty excited that he was going to have a treasure box of his own. He was so cute about it!! I asked him about his treasure - what is special to him that he wants to keep in the box. He said Tusker, of course :) But, he also said M&M's and - wait for it - ALEX! Ha! Very cute! He wants to put Alex in a box LOL. I think I wanted to put a few of my brothers in a box at some point, too...except to ship him to Australia or something.

Well, mommies, if you have an empty wipes box and a wild child, then here is an activity for the afternoon!

Pictures on the left side going down: Fun pirate stickers / Picking out the letters / Cutting with safety scissors (he thought that was pretty awesome lol)

Pictures on the right side going down: Grabbing stickers / Adding to his treasure box / Front of treasure box / 2 of the sides.

Do you keep empty wipe containers? Do you have some ideas for reusing these?

Countdown to Christmas - Day 20

Bible Verse:

Since our hearts are set on the things we love, store up heavenly treasures, which can never be stolen or harmed in any way. 

Matthew 6: 19-20

Prayer:

Dear God, Please help me to remember that Jesus is the greatest of all treasures. Amen.

Today's Activity:

Make a treasure box. What special treasures will you keep inside?

Ok, I know - "Pirates" are not the theme for today...but how cute is this?! 

image via Pinterest

I did find some cute ideas for treasure boxes. And, I have the perfect one for Andy to work on tomorrow!

Use a wipe box as a treasure chest! Perfect!

 Share your children's treasure boxes with us :)

Countdown to Christmas - Day 19

Bible Verse:

 I love Your command because they are pure and right. They are more precious thank gold.
Psalm 19: 9-10

Prayer:

Dear God, Help us to follow your rules. Amen.

Today's Activity:

What are the rules at your house?

And/or

Learn to count with chocolate gold coins.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Ah, I love it!

Wordless Wednesday

too tired to finish his drink lol

Countdown to Christmas - Day 18

Bible Verse:

Can a pot say to the one who made it, "I know more than you do"?

Isaiah 29:16

Prayer:

Dear God, Help me to remember that You are in charge. Amen.

Today's Activity:

 Have fun with play-doh today!

 Wow, I cannot believe how big he has gotten! This is my Andy last January! WOW!

Oh, the Weather Oustide is Frightful

Frightfully warm! It was 65 when I picked up Andy from school! Guess where we had lunch?!

At the park!

 Aw, my chunky monkey :) He's having some bread. 

One of his favorite slides

 The other favorite slide

 "Peep Boo, Mama!"

 Through the tunnel

 And another slide :)

 They LOVE the swings! Can you tell? LOL