Our Weekend Trip to San Diego

We just got back from a quick trip to San Diego. It was wonderful to get away with my family! I don’t know if it was the cooler weather or just being with my family, but I had so much more energy!

We had a fun day at Sea World with only a few meltdowns, one of them being me. haha. That’s what pregnancy hormones and a long day of walking will do.

The boys loved seeing all the animals. Ben’s favorites were the flamingos and penguins and the walrus because it was right up against the glass.

Andrew loved the dolphins and whale shows, but was super scared of sitting too close. He didn’t want to get splashed. haha.

Both boys had a blast at the Sesame Street playground thing. Andrew was brave enough to go up the nets and play on the overhead bridges and tunnels.

Ben played with some of the little kids stuff, like this bouncy pit thing and the musical instruments you bang on.

Oh and they also love love loved the Pet Show. Except when the water canon made a big noise. Yeah Ben didn’t like that and cried and clung to me for several minutes after. But the loved seeing the dogs and cats do tricks and getting to meet the pets after the show.

On Saturday we had a nice relaxing day at the beach.

Then we finished off the day by driving to the San Diego temple.

Sunday we went to church and drove home. We also moved Ben to a big boy bed. He has been in a crib in his brother’s room for a couple weeks now and that has been working out well so we decided to try a big boy bed. It took a little longer than normal for them to fall asleep, but overall it went pretty well. Now to get him to take a nap…hmm, that may prove difficult.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Don’t forget that FREE membership is almost over!

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I Love My Family Photo Blocks

This happened the other day…

No, a tornado didn't blow through my house, I finally finished unpacking all my craft supplies! I had been putting it off, waiting for the walls to be painted so I could arrange things better. Well the walls aren’t done yet and I had enough digging through boxes when I needed something for a project. So I went through all my supplies, got rid of stuff I won’t use, threw away several bags worth of trash, and gave everything a home so I know where to find it.

In the process of doing all that, I came across several unfinished projects that have been on my to do list for a looooong time.

Like this one. We made these photo blocks, oh I don’t know, about a year ago for a ladies craft night. I didn’t have pictures of my boys at the time so they’ve sat unfinished until now.

It was super simple, the printouts and original idea are found HERE. You just cut 2x4s into squares (approx. 3 1/4”), paint them whatever color you want, then ModPodge the printouts and pictures on. Simple enough. Well, don’t make the mistake I did. When you put the ModPodge under the paper, let that dry first before going over the top with ModPodge. That’s why mine bubbled. I might eventually get around to redoing it, but for now I’m just happy it’s done.

It took me so long though, my pictures are outdated. haha. So little and so cute!

Even Andrew looks so young!

Technically I have one more block that I was going to put a picture of me and my husband on, but I printed it too big and wouldn’t fit. So I guess it’s really not completely finished, but close enough for now. haha

Have a great day!!

Repost: Tie Onesie and Name Bunting

It’s been a busy week around here and I’m definitely not getting as many projects done as this pregnancy progresses, so I’m reposting this craft from several years ago that I’m sure many of you haven’t seen. Enjoy!

My mother in law is an amazing quilter and she made a beautiful quilt for Andrew when he was born. I asked if I could have the left over fabric from the quilt. I used some to make another tie shirt for the cub (he out grew the first one).

I was also able to do another project I've been wanting to do. I found the idea at Happy Together for rag quilted letters. I decided to take the idea and instead of doing the whole alphabet I just did Andrew's name to make a banner for his room.

To hang the letters, I took some of the extra binding my mother in law had made and sewed it into the cord. Then to hang it on the wall I drilled a hole through one side of a wooden clothes pin and put a nail through it to nail it to the wall. I need to get better at taking step by step tutorial like pictures, but here is the end product.

Getting Kids Started on Chores

Each day I grow progressively bigger and bigger (I'm pregnant, in case you didn't know :). And with that I have less and less motivation and energy to get things done around the house. So I had the brilliant idea the other day to get Andrew, who is almost 4, more involved in the daily housework.

I have a general cleaning schedule that helps me divide the work through the week so it’s not so overwhelming. I wrote a bit about it here. Most of my chores still take about 30 minutes, but with a bigger house and bigger family, laundry and vacuuming take a bit longer.

So I made this routine/chore chart for Andrew. I want to start prepping him for school – I may or may not send him to preschool in the fall- so it’s a routine and chore chart in one.

I matched his ‘chores’ to mine so he can help me. (Nina – on Thursday- is the name of our Roomba, the robot vacuum, haha).

On Monday I had him pick up the dirty clothes and towels in the bathroom and put them in the hamper.

Put away the toys, toothpaste, and other stuff that didn’t belong on the counter.

Then because he thinks it’s super fun, I have him be my ‘squirter’. I have him spray down the sinks, counter, and toilet with Basic G. I’m so grateful that it’s non-toxic because there is no way I’d let him do this with any other cleaner. After he gets it all squirted down, I go in behind him to wipe it all down.

I also had him take the garbage downstairs.

On laundry days, I have him move clothes from the washer to the dryer.

I taught him how to put his shirts on hangers, needs a little work, but I’m not going to be picky when he’s helping out.

And now thanks to the Hanging Clothes Bar I made, he can also hang up his clothes!

Then he puts away the rest of his clothes in his dresser.

On ‘Mommy Helper’ times, I’ll have him help me unload the dishwasher (the silverware only)

or do odd jobs for me. Today I just needed him to be my legs and get me stuff that was either upstairs when I was downstairs or something that was downstairs while I was up. I had him throw away a dirty diaper or when it’s appropriate, I have him help with dinner. Simple things.

So there you have it, the beginning of child labor...err...chores, hehe. I think this will really help Andrew, he likes and does really well with structure. I just need something to keep me on track. So far, it's mostly been me teaching him what to do and that's fine. He's only 3 so that's all I expect, but having the chart gives us a way to track our day. If he asks to watch a video or for something special, I'll let him know what needs to be done first and he gets right on it.  :)

What kind of routine or chores do you have your kids do? What incentives do you offer? Hope you're having a great week!

EDIT: Check out this awesome infographic from Suzie @Terry's Fabric. Thank you for sharing Suzie!! Check out her original post HERE

10 Reasons to Love Basic H

 Here are the TOP 10 reasons to LOVE BASIC H!

1. Stop living in a toxic home

Some of the most questionable chemicals used regularly in household products are ammonia, chlorine bleach, phenol, butyl cellosolve, and formaldehyde—all of which can be found under your kitchen sink. Basic H2 is nontoxic and safe for your family.

 

2. Everything and the kitchen sink

Basic H2 cleans it all from kitchens and bathrooms to appliances, woodwork, mirrors, painted walls, and floors— it even does windows.  So, toss those single-purpose cleaners like sink and tile cleaners. Mix ¼ teaspoon in 16 oz. of water in a Get Clean spray bottle for all purpose cleaning, and 2 drops in 16 oz. of water to clean windows.

I used Basic H2 to clean all over our new house – including cleaning the carpets

I also use it for cleaning my produce

and even bathing my kids…Yep, that’s right, it’s safe to use as a baby wash.

3. Eliminate your ammonia-based window cleaner

Basic H2 cleans windows without streaking while being a great alternative to leading brands. Basic H2 window cleaner is equivalent in performance to Windex Original.

1 bottle of Basic H²equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex

4. Removes the impossible

From lipstick on a linen napkin to crayons on a painted wall, full-strength Basic H2 comes to the rescue.

5. Great for cutting grease

Tough on greasy barbecue grills, ovens, and even oil spots on concrete. Mix 2 oz. per gallon of water for a super degreaser formula.

6. Does odd jobs

One tablespoon of Basic H2 in a bucket of hot water lifts off old wallpaper. One and a half teaspoons in a half gallon cleans sticky paintbrushes. Just soak for 24 hours and rinse with hot tap water.

 

7. Saves money

One 16 oz. bottle of Basic H2 diluted per label directions makes 214 bottles (28 oz.) of ready-to-use all-purpose cleaner.

8. Camping and traveling companion

Take along a small size of Basic H2 to keep clothes, dishes, and everything else clean. And you’ll help by keeping the great outdoors unpolluted.

 

9. Easy on the planet

Biodegradable and environmentally friendly, Basic H2 handles even hard-to-clean jobs without phosphates, borates, nitrates, or other stuff the planet doesn’t appreciate.

10. Less in the landfill

Basic H2 is super concentrated, so you’ll use fewer bottles of cleaning products throughout the year.

I know once you try it, you will fall in love like I did and some many others!!!!

I recommend starting with:

Get Clean Start Kit (regular or un-scented)

Scour Off

Hand Wash

Basic G {Germicide}

Basic G Bottle

Hope you’re having a great week!

Hanging Clothes Bar for Kid’s Closets

Hey there! I’m back. How did you all like the guest posts last week? I loved them all, Greek Yogurt Parfait is on my list of breakfasts this week and Sara’s watermelon salad looks so cool and refreshing! I’ve never tried rhubarb so I definitely want to give Hailey’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp a try, sounds amazing!

So yeah, I’m back from camp. How was it? Well, pregnant is not my ideal state for camping. It was fun, but really difficult. It was quite warm, although not the 120 they got in Vegas, but still really warm for the mountain. The elevation didn’t agree with my body and my legs and ankles were swollen most of the time.

I did get to do some archery and BB gun shooting, but had to miss out on the rock wall and zip line, obviously.

I did alright.

There were other really wonderful moments with the girls, I met lots of wonderful women, and the food was fantastic!! But it was nice getting back to my house and my family. The boys are still feeling the affects of me being gone. Yesterday at church Ben wouldn’t go into nursery and play with the toys, normally he runs in without looking back. My husband had to sit with him for a bit until he was comfortable. Then Andrew wouldn’t go to his class either and just tagged along with me the rest of church. He was well behaved so I didn’t mind, but so not like either of them.

Getting back into the swing of things has been hard, camp really drained me and I’ve been in quite a bit of pain since. I did get this really quick and easy project done over the weekend, so that’s a win for me!

I’ve had this in my brain for a while, but it really came together last week when I asked Andrew to get a shirt on. He went up stairs and after several minutes I called up to him to see what was taking him so long. Well he couldn’t reach his shirts – duh! So I had to drag my huge body and belly upstairs.

Here’s what I did. I took a thick strong cardboard tube, I don’t remember what it was from, but it was much thicker than one from wrapping paper. You could also use a thick wooden dowel if you don't have a strong tube. You'll also need some strong twine and a drill.

So here’s the before…of course my little guy can’t reach his shirts. (Boy do I need a new camera)

I cut the tube down to about 26”, just a size I felt was good. Then I drilled a hole in each end about an inch from the end.

Next I cut two pieces of twine and looped them over the rod.

I threaded the twine through the holes and tied a nice sturdy knot.

Now he can reach! Here he is modeling. The pay off came yesterday, after church he went upstairs, undressed and picked out his own clothes ALL BY HIMSELF! yeah!!! He was very proud of himself and I was happy and relieved I didn’t have to hike my stairs to get a shirt down – it’s the little things at this point that make me happy.

While I was finishing up, this sweet moment happened. Andrew shared his crayon with Ben and started “teaching” him how to color in the lines. It was so cute!

Alright, so there you have it – a quick and easy way to make your kid’s closet more accessible and organized. If you have a bigger kid, you can use the lower bar for hanging pants or even in your husband’s closet for pants. I'm hoping to have more to come, I have tons of projects to finish before the baby gets here, we'll see if I can muster the strength...