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Board Game Recommendations

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

As my children get older and the years go by, we seem to be continually adding to our board game collection. I love board games because it is one way to bring us all together and focus on aspects of teamwork and family that we really need to focus our efforts on.

The calendar seems to be overflowing with activities as my kids get older and these commitments can sometimes pull us away from each other. I remember my own parents enforcing a strict Family Night on our calendar each week where we were not allowed to go anywhere or do anything except spend a night together as a family. Our night together included fun food and a great sitcom. There may have been weeks I acted as though I resented it, particularly in those middle school years, but now I look back on that time together fondly. It was important and essential to our parents and I looked forward to it just as much as they did.

To paraphrase Iron Chef, “Board games reign supreme,” in our house. Family nights usually include a homemade pizza, a board game, and a fun family movie together. We all look forward to it and I love sharing these precious moments with my children.

Board games not only help promote togetherness with our children, but also togetherness as a couple. A board game with your spouse is the ultimate in frugal date night activities and I can think of no better way to spend an evening together than dusting off an old board game and just being kids again!

I try to get our board games at our local thrift store because it is a great way for me to try them out without making a huge investment. Sometimes I buy games and we discover that it isn’t something we would want to play over and over again. When they cost us only $1.50, it makes it much easier to donate it back and try something else out.

Starting your own game collection does not have to be expensive. If you don’t have somewhere that you can buy them secondhand, ask for these as a family Christmas gift or ask for them for your children as birthday gifts. Some of the best childhood games are Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Memory, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Life, and Clue.

However you decide to start your game collection, I encourage you to start one. While board games may now feel retro compared to the great electronic offerings like the Wii and Xbox, that nostalgia for your old childhood favorites can never be replaced!

Fun Games to Get Your Collection Started!

Twister Hopscotch– Twister Hopscotch is a great game to keep in your collection for rainy days because it is still a physical activity, but can be done indoors instead of out. The game consists of different colors of rings that can be made into a formation. Just like regular old Twister, you give it a spin to figure out your color, hop to your circle, and then do the required “silly” activity… at least I think this is the rules. In our family, we hand the kids the box and let them discover whatever it is they would like to create or do. It is a great game for preschoolers because they can create patterns, it helps with color recognition, and coordination. We really love this game and I think your kids would too! (Age Recommendations- 4 and up)

Disney DVD Bingo– This game was given to us as a birthday gift from a friend and it is one of the most used games in our collection. Each card has characters from the Disney movies on each of the Bingo spots. You pop in the DVD and choose the style of Bingo game you would like to play. For younger kids, you can stick to the basic Bingo, but older kids will enjoy the challenge that some of the other games offer. The DVD tells you what numbers are being called and occasionally there are very short Disney movie sequences that are shown. Both of my children love this game and paired with a big bowl of popcorn, they are entertained for at least an hour. Make it more challenging by adding extra cards for each child to increase the difficulty. This is a great game for recognizing numbers, colors, and patterns. (Age Recommendations- 4 and up)

Apples to Apples– If you have not played Apples to Apples before, you are really missing out on a treat. It is my new favorite game to tote around to all of our family functions and any opportunity where I can get a few friends together. Simply deal the cards out to each player and one person gets to be the judge. The judge will share a card and you select from your cards the best match to that card. Once everyone has given their card to the judge, the judge decides which card best fits the card they shared.

The fun is in the variety of unexpected comparisons people make, sometimes apt, funny, creative, or simply absurd. For example: people might match “Awkward” with “Oil Spills,” “My First Kiss,” “Dandruff,” and “Gold Chains. ” Or: “Painful” with “High School Reunions” and “Regis Philben. ” Strategy comes into play since, because each player takes turns being the judge, you begin to pick up on the preferences of each player and tailor your choices accordingly.

Honestly, if you find yourself hosting a dinner party where you are worried about conversation or a family gathering that you don’t have very much in common with, this is the game to break out to get through those awkward silences. Kid versions of this game are also available. (Age Recommendations- 12 and up)

Skip-Bo– This was my favorite game growing up and my sister & I would play this for hours and hours. Created by the makers of UNO, this card game is a delight for anyone of all ages. The game is a sequencing game of skill and strategy intended for two players or more and ages seven and up. Players create sequential stacks with cards on the board, the first player to use all the cards in their stack wins. The deluxe edition has a board with placeholders for all of the stacks of cards and score sheets to keep tabs of the winners. I love this game because it is easy to still have conversations while playing, making it a great game to socialize with other couples.

Trouble– Trouble is a great game for younger kids because it is a very simple concept and the playing time is perfect for shorter attention spans. Adults may remember this great game from their childhood. With this game, you just move your four pegs around the board and put them into the finish spots. If you land on an opponents peg while going around the board though, you can boot them back to the beginning and make their piece start all over again. Instead of rolling dice, you push the “Pop-o-matic,” in the center which throws the dice for you. My kids really love this game and you will too! (Age Recommendations- Ages 4-9)

Connect Four– Connect Four is one of our favorite games and both the kids really enjoy it. The game is a vertical version of tic-tac-toe. Each player has a color and you drop the pieces in and try to get four in a row. The other player can block your moves with their pieces and this is a great game for strategy building to see if you can outsmart your opponent. This is another game that is short and sweet so it is perfect for children with short attention spans or for a quick game before bedtime.

Rummikub: This is a game that my husband loved to play when he was growing up, and now he has me addicted to it too! The game is intended for ages eight and up and can be played with two or more players. With rules similar to gin rummy, Rummikub is a classic tile game that’s guaranteed to get at least a million kid-hours of use in any family. Players take 14 numbered tiles and try to get rid of them as fast as possible by creating runs (for example, 7-8-9) and sets (7-7-7). The link provided is for their deluxe edition (which we do not have). This deluxe edition is cleverly designed so that the four plastic tile racks fit together to form a carrying case for the game. Junior editions of this game are also available.

Scrabble– What is not to love about this game? Intended for two players or more and recommended for ages eight to ninety-nine, you can play this game for years with your children. The game has been improved with a swivel board (less stretching required!), raised holders to rest the tiles into, and a bag to store all of the tiles. This is one of my personal favorites and we play this a lot in our house. Don’t forget to purchase a copy of the Scrabble Dictionary and store it with your game board. Take some time to study some words and really beat your opponents! Want to see what Scrabble obsession looks like? Rent the movie, “Word Wars.” It is all about the Scrabble championships that are held and people who attempt to make a living from this sport. Junior editions of this game are also available.

Upwo rd s– Along the same vein, this is another fabulous word puzzle game, but with a twist. You build words just like Scrabble, but you can build up and up (five letters high) to change words into new words. The more you stack, the more points you earn. I think it is more challenging than Scrabble, but the scoring is much easier to do. This game is for two players or more and recommended for ages eight and up. This game can be a powerful tool when your children are beginning to read because it can help teach them how to change words using different letters. Consider it a cheap version of “Hooked on Phonics” and a game that they can enjoy for years after they have learned to read!

Yahtzee– A classic game of dice that has been around since 1956 and is still played in millions of homes today. You can play alone (which I don’t think would be as much fun) or with more players. The ultimate in this game is to actually get Yahtzee or five of a kind. This game is so much fun and also a great teaching tool for children. Children can learn basic addition and subtraction, as well as sequential ordering.

Monopoly– I had never played this game until high school, and I can honestly say that my husband is always the winner, which is why we don’t play it as much! This game is a great teaching tool in money-management and in buying real estate. We have a couple of different versions of this game, but my favorite is the Dot Com Monopoly, which we purchased when Dot Coms were ruling the world. Few of the companies on the board exist anymore, which makes for interesting conversation and fond memories before the dot com bomb hit for computer nerds and geeks alike!

We have many more games in our collection and the last time I hit the thrift store, I picked up another stack of new ones. Our collection keeps growing and we hope to have a game collection that our kids will enjoy someday with their friends. In a day of technological bliss, game nights now seem “retro.” Why play on a board when you can just grab your game system or play a computer game online? I hope that board games will last the test of time because they can be an essential part of family bonding and creating a family night to remember!

Disclosure: All of the links above are affiliate links and are provided so you can locate the board games quickly and easily. Feel free to order a game or check your local thrift stores for board games for a fraction of the price.

Posted in Family | No Comments »

I Did Not Sort My Laundry This Week…And We All Lived

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

It has been a crazy week for our family, just as so many other families, as the school year is drawing to a close. Last week I crammed in some work, read a literary classic to share for our great reads for moms section, frantically tried to finish some knitted projects, volunteered at school, hit the gym three times this week, went to a end-of-the-year concert, hosted a mom’s night out, and tried to work on new summer recipe ideas for the site. Did I also mention that my book proposal will finally be going out into the world this week after spending the week editing it? I am a little scared about that one!

The craziness seemed to take whole new levels and my husband, at one point, said he wished he could have photographed me in one of my crazier moments. He came home from work to find me entertaining the kids, on the phone with a conference call, threading shrimp, whispering directions to him on the grill for the new recipe, and then putting the phone on speakerphone so I could take photographs of our dinner before we sat down. Ironically, it is hard to even tell you what we did last week because it was such a whirlwind. Have you ever had a week like that?

I admit, I can’t do it all and felt a little overwhelmed.

The laundry continued to mount and so I decided this would be the perfect week to try the not-sorting laundry idea that had been highlighted in our Notebook two weeks ago. When I told my husband that I was doing this for a Notebook Experiment, he said, “That is going to be one expensive experiment if it doesn’t work.” Obviously, he does not know how awesome my friend Laura is and how I was willing to take a gamble and see if it would work.

We have a front-loader (which I absolutely love) and so I had to read through her comment thread to figure out where to put the vinegar, which was supposed to help set the color in my load. I have used vinegar in the past as a fabric softener, particularly when we were cloth diapering, but had never thought of it as a tool to set color.

After reading through the thread, I put my regular detergent in the detergent dispenser, my fabric softener in the softener dispenser, and the 1/2 cup of vinegar in the bleach dispenser. I ran it through the Normal cycle selection and then ran the dryer on the Normal cycle selection after it was done washing.

Here are my son’s uniforms after this mixed-up load went through the dryer. The whites were still white and the blues still blue. I won’t say I didn’t feel completely weird about this experience and can’t say if I would do this all of the time, as I value my pearly white socks and white undershirts a lot and love using my Whites cycle on my washing machine to make everything look like new again.

For a week like this one… it was exactly what I needed to get things done.

What are some ways you save time or money on doing your laundry loads? What system of sorting/tackling laundry seems to work with your family? Do you sort? I would love to hear your ideas!

Tags: Cleaning, Cleaning Recipes, Homemaking, Notebook Experiment, Notebook Experiments, Organizing
Posted in Family | 29 Comments »

Because I Am Glad to Give & I Want You To Give Too!

Monday, April 19th, 2010

When someone once asked me one word to describe myself, the word that came to mind was, “giver.” I love to give to others and thrive in any environment where I can share a piece of myself with someone else. There is nothing I love more than the giving of food, the giving of my time to make someone’s day easier, even being the giver of advice that might make a mom’s day run a little smoother. I am a giver because it comes naturally to me and that is why I am thrilled to share about a campaign that you can give back frugally and thoughtfully to families who are faced with a disease called pediatric cancer.

Did you know that the number one death disease of children living in the United States is pediatric cancer? Why is it the number one killer? Truthfully, it kills children daily because the funds are just not there to develop the research to find a cure for this disease.

I was asked to help spread the word about a campaign called, “Glad to Give,” that is sponsored by the GLAD company. They believe that they can raise the funds for this research one cookie at a time. Yes, you heard that right! This campaign’s roots are firmly planted in that beautiful thing we love… bake sales!

As parents with busy schedules, I know that volunteering and baking might not be the top two things on your priority list. What if you knew that those two things could make a difference in a child’s life though? Glad to Give is offering up some fantastic ideas for how you can participate and how you can be a part of their partnership with Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Here are some easy and frugal things you can do to participate:

Buy GLAD® Products and Contribute to Pediatric Cancer Research: This spring, every time you purchase a GLAD product (to help host a bake sale or for other use), the Glad Products Company will make a $1 donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, up to $200,000! Just enter the UPC code here!

Enter the GLAD Recipe for Giving Contest: GLAD recognizes the time spent prepping, kneading and decorating bake sale treats is quality family time that instills a spirit of service in children. To help celebrate families in action, GLAD® is conducting the GLAD® Recipe for Giving Contest. Consumers can share their “recipe” – that is, tip or advice – on how their family gives back through food related activities. Four consumer winners will each win $1,000 toward a family activity of their choice and a chance to compete alongside a celebrity in the holiday GLAD® Recipe for Giving Celebrity Challenge. Come November, the two lucky consumers on the winning celebrity team raising the most money will each receive a “voluntourism” trip for four to St. Lucia.

Host a Bake Sale: I know that this might take a little work on your part, but imagine the lives that you could touch through the donations raised. GLAD will take you through the process in four easy steps that will have your raising funds in no time!

I am committed to this campaign and committed to spreading the word about how you can help. I want to kick off the GLAD to give campaign by donating $400 to jump start the cause and I need your participation!

I am going to be hosting a virtual bake sale on May 14^th. I am asking you to participate here on the site and share your best bake sale recipes! From those entries, I will randomly select a winner who will receive a box full of baking goodies (valued at $50, prepared by me!) just for sharing one of your bake sale recipes and sharing about your participation in Glad to Give! Doesn’t that sound lovely?

I hope that you will consider participating and sharing a favorite baking recipe in honor of this campaign. It would mean the world to me, but it would mean a world more to the families of these children! Start gathering those recipes and think of the ways that you could help with my virtual bake sale. I can’t do it without you!

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In honor of all things bake sale, here is a quick cookie recipe that can be made out of pantry ingredients and one ingredient that makes the whole thing go a little quicker… the ever amazing cake mix!

Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour the cake mix into a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add peanut butter, oil, eggs, and water. Mix until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly using a fork dipped in water. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cookies set on cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before carefully removing from the cookie sheet to cool on wire racks. Amy’s Notes: Be sure to keep the cooking time to the ten to twelve minutes and don’t let the lighter color fool you. I had some burnt cookies in my first batch because I left them in the oven too long. Let them cool as instructed and then place them on a pretty plate for serving. Then you need to complete the most difficult step of all…Try to graciously accept the compliments without giving away your cooking secrets (which I never can do myself!).

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Disclaimer: I was paid for this campaign and invested every dollar back into it to spread the word about pediatric cancer. It is far better to give than to receive. I hope you will consider doing the same!

What is one way you donate your time or talents to charity? How do you make this a family priority?

Tags: Charity, Family, Health, Home & Organization, Recipes
Posted in Family, Gifts | 8 Comments »

Wordless Wednesday: Superhero-Ballerina-Princess-Rock Star

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Rock On, Emily!

Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Family | 3 Comments »

Boosting Energy By Embracing An Exercise Routine

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

I have great motivation to keep a healthy lifestyle which is what fuels me to continue to exercise and keep up with my active lifestyle. My motivators might be different from yours, but I am sure there is something that motivates you. For me, I find myself less depressed when I exercise, the aches and pains that I have seem to subside with regular exercise, I am trying to avoid the health problems that have plagued my family, but most of all… I have the energy to keep up with my two energetic children.

I used to attend the gym regularly before I had children. On my lunch hours, I would head to the gym and take difficult kickboxing classes, pilates, power yoga, and aerobics classes. I had college weight to lose and the time to think about just me. The longer and the harder the class, the more I loved it! I would spend my afternoons at the gym and the evenings doing community theater and just thinking about me. It was just all about me all the time and it was glorious.

Those days seem a lifetime ago. My workouts have to be quick and effective, crammed between two kid’s extracurricular activities, homework, laundry, and daily life. I find myself trying to figure out how I can just find twenty minutes to myself. In fact, my workout routines are mixed in with children trying to exercise rightwithme and a cat that insists on rubbing against me while I am doing my ab work. Kids are crying for computer time or needing help in the bathroom and I am pausing the DVD and running back, hoping to continue my little burst in energy. What a far cry from an hour at the gym for just me.

That being said, I wouldn’t have it any other way and as the kids see me exercise, I know that I am modeling for them the importance of taking care of the body that God gave you. I could join a gym, but I have found that driving over to a gym takes more time and more energy than popping in a DVD or using the workout equipment we own at home. That being said, it requires a great deal of discipline to maintain a workout routine on your own. Thankfully, interacting online with my real life friends and internet friends keeps me motivated enough to do it all on my own.

What I have discovered is that moms need to find a solution that works best for them. The gym might be for some, but it might not be for you. Workout equipment at home might not be helpful to you, but for others they find motivation in having what they need right at their fingertips. Realize that as long as you are moving, you are doing exactly what your body is intended to do.

1. Make it quick and convenient. Try aiming for just twenty minute sessions and do what fits best with your schedule. If going to the gym doesn’t work for you right now, stick to a workout DVD. If you can’t manage either, try a brisk walk around your neighborhood. Whatever you do, make it something that is easily doable and can be done in a short period of time.

2. Make an appointment with yourself. Find the times that work best for you and do it every single day. If something gets in your time slot, push it back, but do not push it off.

3. Schedule your workouts when it is best for you, not when you think you should workout. I can admit it; I am not a morning person. I have tried being a morning person and I just can’t do it. I will no longer apologize for not being a morning person and will understand that maybe I will come to a stage in my life where morning workouts work better for me, but for now I am content on being groggy in the morning and doing afternoon workouts instead.

4. Get pumped up. Find what motivates you to get moving and incorporate that. Music is a powerful motivator for me and I love to get music from the local library and play that or load fresh music into my iPod for working out.

Others are pumped by community sites that help them track and login their workout times. SparkPeople is one resource where you can track your caloric content and exercise schedule while chatting with others through forums. Others are motivated by having a workout buddy or making a daily date with a girlfriend at the gym. Whatever it is, find what motivates you and get your body moving.

5. Challenge your spouse. My husband and I decided to challenge each other one month to an exercise challenge. I did a workout routine for 30 days straight and he did did sit-ups every single day. Both of our bodies were transformed by the experience and so was our mindset. Adding an element of competition encouraged me that I could totally take him on and added another level to my workout routine. Adding a little trash-talking in our dinner conversation also helped with our friendly competition that not only ended up rewarding ourselves with a more active lifestyle, but even added a little bit of spark back into our relationship!

5. Get some workout gear. I don’t know why, but I have a hard time spending money on workout gear. The year 1997 called though and they wanted their workout clothes back so I knew it was time to make an investment. Buy a few good workout pieces for yourself and try washing your tennis shoes to freshen them up. Just slip off the laces and throw the shoes in the washer. Wash them on a warm setting with a little laundry detergent. After they are done, stuff the interior of the shoes with newspaper (to help hold its shape and also to absorb any lingering odors) and let them dry outside in the sunshine. Fresh workout gear can make all the difference in how you feel about yourself and can help you commit more to making exercise a priority.

6. Reward yourself. Rewards to myself are exactly what keep me motivated and what you might find keeps you motivated too. It could be something simple like a glass of wine in the evening, a bubble bath with a good book, a new pair of jeans after reaching a certain weight, a new DVD that will keep inspiring you to workout, or a protein-packed smoothie that can only be drank if a workout is complete.

7. Switch it up. I need new routines each day to keep things fresh and keep myself motivated. I love to visit our local library and check out workout DVD’s for free and add variety to my workout routines without spending any money. If your library doesn’t offer a great selection, try pooling your workout DVD’s with friends and trading with one another to add different elements to your workout routine. If you have a movie membership, use that for a workout DVD instead of another couch potato night.

Dust off that old treadmill, use the Wii Fit that you told your hubby you would use regularly, but quickly gathered dust in your family room, grab those DVD’s that you just had to have to keep your workouts fresh, and put those five pound weights and mat that are still wrapped in their packages to work.

Do it for you, do it for your kids, do it for your spouse, do it for your body, do it because YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY! Do it for whatever motives you, but DO IT!

This is my motivation. I want to see them go to high school. I want to watch them at graduation. I want to meet the loves of their life. I want to watch them walk down the aisle. I want to hold my grandchildren. I want to hold my great-grandchildren. I don’t want to miss a moment of any of it. I know I can do all of that if I take care of myself and the body that God gave me.

(I am continuing to work on getting happier this year through the help of, “The Happiness Project,” by Gretchen Rubin I recommend you read it too!)

What motivates you to exercise? What routines have you found to be effective for your busy lifestyle?

Tags: Health, Mommy Time Management, Organizing, The Happiness Project, Things To Do
Posted in Family | 19 Comments »

There Are Days I Am Afraid to Blink…

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Family | 16 Comments »

Delurking Day Today

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Commenting is rough, isn’t it? I read so many great blogs and I wish that I had two more hands that could type special messages to everyone I read. The notebook has been my, “I’m so sorry that I read you, but I never say hello,” idea that I had to bridge the gap between thoughtful comments and simple acknowledgement that bloggers are just awesome people. Those posts take me an entire week of time so I hope they still feel like they are coming from the heart. I want to acknowledge the brilliance that is you!

I know most of my readers are busy moms. I know I am a busy mom. I know I should comment more. I would love if more comments came my way.

I just wanted to say that if you have a moment and can say hi, I would just love that today! It doesn’t have to be anything profound, just let me know you are out there so I can say thank you personally. I will do my best to visit each of you this week because that is what friendship is all about.

Tags: MomAdvice News
Posted in Family | 159 Comments »

My New Year’s Goal: Get Happy!

Monday, January 4th, 2010

It is rare that I set aside an entire entry to just one book, but today I wanted to share with you a fantastic book that I have been reading that is paving the way to my New Year’s goal this year.

I received an advance copy of Gretchen Rubin’s, “The Happiness Project,” for review and was so anxious to dive into this book after enjoying Gretchen’s blog and newsletter for quite some time. Any book that embarks on a journey to get happier is already a surefire winner in my book.

Gretchen decided for one entire year she would see how she could live a happier life. She spent a great deal of research going into what makes one happy from the great Aristotle to the more current (while still great) Oprah and shares her scientific findings for what makes people really happy. Amidst all of the research, she shares her own journey month-by-month of ways that she chooses to make her life happier and how it benefits herself and her family.

This journey resonated with me. I would consider myself to be a relatively happy person. I was always the girl that people remark, “You always have a smile on your face.” Most people don’t know that it is because I have always thought that smiling exudes a confidence that I didn’t always have and, at times, a bit of insecurity. I want people to like me so if I smile at them… in my opinion, it is harder for them to dislike me. Despite the underlying reasons, I keep a smile on my face and try to be a happy person. I think I am a pretty happy person just by nature. I am always the one in the family who can cheer others up when they are down and rely on my total clown and sarcasm to get through sad situations in life.

That said, I truly want to have an appreciation for the little things in life. I don’t want my life to pass me by with reflection on how great it was, but how I never realized it. I want to be a happy mom. A happy wife. A happy friend. A happy daughter. A happy sister. A place of general happiness on the internet. I want that for myself and I want it for those around me.

Gretchen and her personality seem so much like my own. The good qualities that I like about myself were within Gretchen. She is driven, goal-oriented, and generally happy.

There were also the qualities in there that I don’t necessarily love about myself- the need for others to recognize all of the great stuff I do, the nagging that I can do to others when I want things done, the type-A behaviors that drive other people crazy.

Because Gretchen and her personality throughout this book remind me so much of myself, I want to replicate her happiness project (minus all of that research) and see if there are ways that I can improve my general happiness levels.

She approached the project by creating general personal commandments for herself and then made goals each month with specific things she would like to improve upon.

Because I want to attempt to replicate her happiness project, these were the categories that she had each month. If you had other goals in mind each month, you could create your own set of goals and personal commandments for your own project using her Happiness Toolbox.

January– Boost Energy
February– Remember Love
March– Aim Higher
April– Lighten Up
May– Be Serious About Play
June– Make Time for Friends
July– Buy Some Happiness
August– Contemplate Heaven
September– Pursue a Passion
October– Pay Attention
November– Keep a Contented Heart
December– Boot Camp Perfect

After deciding what I wanted to tackle, I had to create a list of commandments for myself and general guidelines that I wanted to remember when tackling each month. In this list, you can witness both my personal strengths and weaknesses.

me, happy at my husband’s holiday party

Personal Commandments for Amy

Be Amy.

Avoid negative talk, negative people, and my focus on the negative.

Diagnose the problem and find the solution.

Let it go.

Spend wisely.

Try it.

Expect less.

I can only change me.

Say no to the things I really don’t want to do.

Pay it forward.

Celebrate more.

Lighten up.

It can’t always be perfect.

Being someone who has done a few 30 Day Challenges in her life, I felt like this project would be perfect for me. I know that my happiness can truly benefit those around me and I don’t know many people who would knock a girl for trying to add a little more happiness to her life!

This year, I am making my resolution to get happier by taking action and sharing it with you!

If you want to complete a happiness project, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Gretchen’s book, read her blog, and visit her Happiness Toolbox. You can sign up and start your own happiness project today!

I will be reporting back here what unfolds during my happiness journey. My true wish is that it will be a life-changing experience that will benefit those I love most!

What are your New Year’s resolutions this year?

Tags: 30 Day Challenge, Happiness Project, Reads
Posted in Family | 15 Comments »

Our Fantastic Holiday Staycation

Monday, January 4th, 2010

I can’t thank you enough for giving me a week to regroup and unwind with my family this past week. I think this is the first time that I have ever taken this long off of my blog, but it was so needed and has given me some time to think about new posts and ideas for our site. I will admit that at first I felt a little bit of withdrawal, but as the days went by it was so relaxing to not have to think about anything but my two beautiful children!

Best of all, while I was relaxing, hubby was frantically working on migrating our giant blog from Blogger to WordPress. We had nearly 2,000 entries with a billion photos to move and it turned out to be quite the process. I am hoping it will be easier for me to do some customizing, better navigation, and a lot less “power outages.”

We did a holiday staycation this year and filled it with lots of fun stuff for the kids to do! Our Advent Calendar was packed with activities until the big day and one of our favorite nights was getting out to see all of the beautiful holiday lights in our new pajamas. As a special treat, we took the kids to Steak & Shake to get a kid’s shake while they enjoyed the holiday lights.

This was an exciting year because Emily really got into all of it and it was so fun for us to all be of an age where holiday lights are so cool!

Another favorite activity we did was to take the kids sledding. Last year they asked for sleds from Santa, but they had yet to have actually been used. I asked my friends on Facebook to share with me their favorite places in town to sled and we drove to three different locations before finding our perfect hill.

The kids (and I!) had never been sledding before so it was quite exciting for all of us. I screamed like a little girl all the way down, dragging my boots to try and stop myself while my husband stood at the top of the hill grinning down at me. I could see him doing this as I would slide backwards, terrified I would run into the telephone pole. We later found the equivalent of an entire haystack stuck in my boot zippers from dragging my feet , but it truly was the most fun I have had in ages… Oh, and the children loved it too!

I suggested hot cocoa and pancakes for a snack afterward, but the children were in the mood for chilly shakes and french fries. Luckily, kids eat free at Steak & Shake on the weekends, so we found ourselves over there for the second time in a week. Luckily, with the free kid’s meals, we were able to come out of there for $20. We came home to deliciously big bubble baths and holiday movies.

Another thing that I had been wanting to do with the kids was to take them bowling. We met up with our best friends and headed over to the bowling alley to play two games and split a pizza for dinner.

One of us would not remove our dress-up clothes after watching a riveting Barbie Nutcracker movie that she got for Christmas. It was not worth the tears to try and get her out of it and, in the end, made for some really cute pictures of the bowling ballerina princess.

Best of all, there was time. Time to knit, time to read, time to bake… time to do all of the things I really wanted to do. No time to clean or organize though. Our house remained a disaster because I was on vacation too. It was bliss!

There were gifts too…lots of them! Some of them have been stowed away to be savored when the first round of gifts get boring. A tote downstairs houses half of my kid’s old toys to be saved for a snowy day when the days are long. I will report to you all of our favorite gifts after we have given them a really good try. I only like to report on the items that have longevity so it may be a month or so before I share our real favorites.

That being said, this “Awesome Mom,” travel mug was lovingly chosen by my son at his Christmas store at school. I have never seen him so proud as he was the moment we opened his special gifts. A set of tools was chosen for daddy, a glittery bouncy ball was chosen for his sister, and this sweet mug was chosen for his mommy who loves her coffee.

The best gift for me as a mom though was coming down on Christmas morning after Ethan let us sleep in until his sister woke up. Laying on the floor were two thank you notes for Santa to thank him for his gifts. “Did you love what Santa left you?” He smiled up and me and told me, “I didn’t open them. I just wanted to thank Santa for stopping by.”

This month, I celebrate with you our SIXTH year of existence as a site. January 1st was our anniversary and I am so proud. Even after this fantastic break, I still could not wait to come back to all of you! It makes me know that I am in the perfect profession for me and I am so happy to share another year with you!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Tags: Family, Holidays, Parenting, Things To Do
Posted in Family | 13 Comments »

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Beauty

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Wishing you a moment today to pause and enjoy all of this Christmas beauty around you! Pause for just a moment- you deserve it!

Tags: Simplify, Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Family | 6 Comments »