Yesterday's post didn't save!

So I spent at least an hour yesterday writing about why I haven't been writing, and listing approximately 38 New Year's resolutions.  Unfortunately,  it didn't save. Go figure. Let's see if I can list them again. I already put some into practice today.
1. Drink more water.
2. Eat the rainbow.
3. Exercise.
4. Spend less time with t.v.,  video games,  and social media.
5. Spend 15 minutes making myself beautiful in the morning.
6. Go to the salon more often.
7. Give myself a weekly facial.
8. Shower and shave.
9. Paint my nails (at least my toes).
10. Spend more time with my hubby.
11. Talk to my husband like he's my best friend.
12. Schedule a regular date night.
13. Spend time in person with the people I talk to on Facebook.
14. Have people over at least once a month.
15. Schedule a regular girls' night.
16. Spend more individual time with the kids.
17. Give them weekly chores and allowance.
18. Make it to more meetings at the kingdom hall.
19. Spend 10+ hours in service each month.
20. Finish reading the bible by reading it every day.
21. Start a weekly personal bible study with each kid.
22. Have our family worship time every week.
23. Make enough money to pay my student loans.
24. Start saving money in our savings account.
25. Eat out less often.
26. Cook more.
27. Keep better financial records.
28. Write every day.
29. Tend to my gardens.
30. Do more artsy crafty projects.
31. Try a new recipe every week.
32. Finish unpacking from our move.
33. Take more picture.
34. Go explore some place new each month.
35. Go to the dentist.
36. Kids too.
37. Get rid of my varicose veins.
38. Ensure baby #5 is the last.

Greek-Style Eggy Scramble

Ingredients:
3 eggs
garlic stuffed olives
sundried tomatoes
red, yellow, and green bell pepper
artichoke hearts
feta cheese
olive oil

How To:
1. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a skillet.
2. Add chopped bell peppers, chopped olives, chopped artichoke hearts, and sundried tomatoes. Sizzle'em up.
3. Crack in eggs and scramble. Cook to your desired doneness, then sprinkle with feta cheese.
4. Serve with a whole wheat flour tortilla. (Some avocado would be great, too).

Water Play

I know summer is here when we bring out the swimsuits and find fun ways to get wet in our backyard. So far this year, we've splashed in our little inflatable pool, squirted each other with the hose, and run through the sprinklers (ours and all the neighbors'). Can't wait to break out the water guns and engage in a water battle complete with table fortresses and ammo reload stations.

Discovering the sprinkler.

Hose vs. bucket - who will cry first?



Wetting his little brother.

 
 

 

 

 

Nacho Burger

Maybe it's just because I'm pregnant, but the odd nacho burger I made myself for lunch today was totally delicious.

Ingredients:
sour dough English muffin toasted, with mayo
angus beef patty with poblano and jalapeno peppers (from Fresh n Easy)
extra sharp cheddar cheese melted on the burger
chili
nacho style jalapeno slices
sundried tomatoes
salsa
tortilla chips (on the burger and/or on the side)

Popsicles

The warm weather is here! Beat the heat with a frozen treat!

The kids and I have been experimenting with different flavor combinations. Here are a few of our favorites. Just pour into popsicle molds and freeze. (We found popsicle molds at Dollar Tree and at Ikea).

Chocolate Monkey
Chop up some bananas and add to chocolate pudding.

Orange Dreamsicle:
Combine orange juice, vanilla yogurt, and a banana in the blender.

Melonberry:
Combine watermelon and strawberries in the blender.

I'll post more combinations and pics as we continue our experimentation.

Planting Flowers

The kids and I love planting flowers. Since we rent our home and probably won't be here forever, I prefer to keep my flowers in pots. I have at least a dozen pots filled with flowers all around the yard. This spring we also decided to grow the stuff for patio salsa - tomatoes and jalapenos, as well as strawberries.

Materials:
Flower pots
Potting soil (we use Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Soil)
Gardening gloves
Shovel or spade
Flowers or other plants

How To:
1. Fill your pots about 3/4 full of soil, depending on the size of your plant.
2. Gently loosen your plant from it's original container without breaking the roots. Sometimes we use scissors to cut the pot away.
3. Arrange your plants in your pots, leaving enough room for them to grow and spread their roots.
4. Cover the roots with potting soil, leaving about an inch or two around the top of your pot.
5. Water your plants, and remember to water them regularly or they will shrivel up and die.
6. Place your flower pots around your yard or on your patio, and watch them grow.


Violets

 

 



Gerbera Daisy

 

 Pansies

 

Patio Salsa (Tomato, Strawberry. Jalapeno)

                                                         
                                                                                           First Strawberry

Pirate Park, Bellflower, CA

This pirate-themed park in Bellflower, CA is one of our favorite destinations. One day we made it an extra special adventure by picking up some pirate gear at our local Dollar Tree.

Materials:
(nothing required, but to add to the fun)
foam swords
bandanas
telescopes (could use paper towel rolls)
cheap plastic jewelry
treasure box (even a shoe box is ok)
treasure map (make one at the park after you hide the treasure)





How To:
1. Gather all your pirate gear and get ready for an adventure.
2. The pirate park in Bellflower is located at 16559 Bellflower Blvd.
3. There's not a lot of shade so wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
4. Bring a snack or grab something from Subway or the coffee shop right by the park.

 





Learn more at www.bellflower.org.

treasure

 

picnic on Raiders blanket

on top of Skull Rock

 

waterfall slide

 

the fortress

 

rock climbing

 

guarding the treasure

 

sword fight

Tea Time Hat

My daughter just went to her first tea party, and we made her a one-of-a-kind hat.

Materials:
wide-brimmed hat
fake flowers
ribbon
sequins
glue
safety pins

How To:
1. Glue ribbon around the center of the hat.
2. Arrange and attach flowers using glue and safety pins.
3. Glue sequins to add shimmer.

Sure wish I knew how to rotate my photos.

Some Great Websites for Kids

Crazy Hats

Each month the kids have a fun Friday in school. This month it was Crazy Hat Day. And we took that crazy seriously.

Materials:
wide-brimmed hat from Dollar Tree
safety pins
glue
whatever odds and ends you want to decorate with, we used:
plastic leis
a feather mask
assorted little stuffed animals and Happy meal toys
balloons

How To:
1. Use glue to attach plastic leis, feather mask, and plastic snakes to the top of the hat.
2. Use safety pins to dangle little stuffed animals and Happy meal toys from the brim.

Candy Sculptures

Another idea from Pinterest. It combines two things kids love to do - build and eat candy.

Materials:
toothpicks (we used the colorful plastic kind)
chewy candies (we used Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, and flower-shaped marshmallows)

How To:
This is pretty self-explanatory.
1.  Use the toothpicks to connect candies and build whatever you like.
We built a house and a bridge. We even put goldfish crackers under the bridge!

Sun-catchers

A few weeks ago the kids and I came across an idea for sun-catchers on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.

Materials:
a few bags of cheap plastic beads
a metal cake pan
some ribbon or string
oven












How To:
1. Arrange your plastic beads in a single layer on the bottom of the cake pan in whatever design you choose. (My daughter did a fish; my sons were more abstract.)
2. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. (I cannot guarantee this is non-toxic, so be sure you have adequate ventilation.)
3. Allow to cool, then drill a hole for your ribbon or string.
4. Hang in a sunny place. Ours hang in the tree in the backyard.

An Introduction

I've got 4 kids. Just found out we are expecting #5. 5 kids x 2 feet = 10 little feet.

It takes some creativity to keep all those little feet from running me ragged, so I'm always looking for new ways to stay busy. In this blog, I'll post pics and brief instructions/descriptions for some of our favorite projects and activities. The kids and I enjoy everything from arts and crafts, gardening, cooking and baking, reading and writing, visiting parks and museums, playing sports, trying our hands at fashion and interior design, and much, much more.

Building with gummy bears and toothpicks.

 

Making popsicles with yogurt, pudding, and bananas.

A backyard box boat.

 

 Water play with a hose, a bucket, and a pool from Target.

 

Crazy hat day.



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