Praises of a Wife and Mommy

 Look at these adorable Christmas ties by Seams2u .  They would make a great gift to some special boy!!  How would you like to win one of them?  :)  You will have a chance to win one by entering the rafflecopter form at the bottom.   A big thank-you to Seams2u for sending me an adorable toddler tie for my son just in time for a family wedding to review.  I was  not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.  Seams2u is also sponsoring a giveaway to my readers and if you like her facebook page you can use code:  FB10OFF  and save 10% on your order.   Take a look at what handsome looks like!  :)  It was so fun to see my lil man in a tie.  I love this tie because it is Velcro so it is easy to put on and take off.  I love all the patterns that Seams2u uses, she has some for every season, and lots of fun patterns and bright colors.  These ties can create the perfect outfit for any little man!  I can already picture some really cute Christmas pictures for the wi

One of the reasons I love living in a bigger city is all the free or affordable events.  I love the events that are geared for family and children the most! :)  This weekend our local art museum had a big event, the Octo-Bir Fest.  It is a great event for kids.  Majority of the events were free or VERY affordable.   My kids both had fun on a beautiful, sunny, and warm day!  The kids got to play some games, do some crafts, look at some of the art in the outside garden, decorate a pumpkin, and my favorite we did a caricature!  What do you think of the caricature?  :)  I love my son's in the picture but me and my daughter look a bit odd.  hahaha!   The crafts included a sand art pumpkin which my daughter loved, stamping on some birds, and a ghost.  My daughter said her favorite thing was decorating a pumpkin.  She decorated her pumpkin with some pipe cleaners, fabric, and marker.  :)  I will try to get some pictures up of it later.  :)  Hope everyone is enjoying

This is a Guest Post!  :)  I love having ideas for pumpkin learning.  :)  As harvest time approaches and the heat of summer gives way to the cooler weather of fall, family outings and school field trips to pumpkin patches and apple orchards become more and more common. While these outings can seem like little more than entertainment at face value, there are actually some very valuable lessons that kids can learn during their visit. Here are nine of the things that your child will almost certainly learn about from a single trip to the pumpkin patch this autumn. The Life Cycle –  Even the biggest pumpkin in the patch begins as a tiny, tiny seed, which is something that your child will learn when he visits the patch where those pumpkins grow. Most pumpkin patches and orchards that open for tours and outings also provide a guide of sorts for each group, and he will typically offer a brief explanation of the life cycle, simplified to help little ones grasp the basics. Agriculture a

I have been having a difficult time with summer ending and the cold temperatures being present.  At least with the leaves transforming into bright beautiful jaw dropping colors I can remain content.  I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life but I always have a little bit of sadness when summer ends.  I truly love the hot sun but I really do love to see the beautiful snow too...I just wish it was a shorter season.   So what is your favorite season?    

This is a guest post from  http://www.housekeeping.org   I felt it was appropraite to share since I am in the process of reorganizing the house!  :) Getting ready for winter!  From the time your child is born until the day she moves out of your house, storage space in her bedroom is likely to always be at a high premium. From the wide array of infant paraphernalia to the precious items collected by a teenager throughout her adolescent years, there will never be a time when your child doesn’t have a wealth of items that need a designated space. With these 10 tips, you can be on your way to an organized child’s room in less time than you may think. Toy Racks  – Those wooden racks with brightly colored plastic bins nestled inside that you see in daycare centers and preschool classes don’t have to be restricted to institutional use, and can be great choices for storing your child’s playthings. Handy parents might try their hand at building the racks themselves, but they’re available

I am so excited to get these letters on my kids bedroom doors.  I gave the task of putting them up to my husband so hopefully he will take some time this weekend to get them up.   These are so easy!  Only 2 steps:  First, find some cardboard and cut a letter out of it.   Secondly find some yarn and have some fun wrapping it all over in what ever direction as long as it is tight.  Then tie a knot and cut left over yarn.   I might even consider doing all of the letters of their name and then their name will be on their door.  :)  

Here is an awesome Video Devo from my amazing husband!  :)  :)  I Love seeing Jesus work through him.  :) 

I can't help but giggle when I look at this picture.  I did not even know my daughter was making her "monkey" face.  heheheh    One thing that we never got checked off the summer bucket list was a zoo trip.  :(  Thankfully we were able to do it the first week in fall and enjoy it!  The zoo was not busy since most kids are in school.  :)   I had never been to this particular zoo but I loved it and it was FREE!  :)  YEEHAW!  My daughter loves the Giraffes and my son loves the monkeys!  What is your favorite animal?                                                     

Got Bubble Wrap?? Find some bubble wrap and cut it up in pieces and number them 1-10 and set them up like hop scotch.  As you can see the numbers started to move so get some tape and tape them down.  :)  Another game you can play with the bubble wrap is just jumping on the number for that many jumps.  Make sure you put the bubble wrap on a hard surface, if you use carpet it will be very hard to pop the bubbles.   This will be a game to play again...especially on rainy or freezing days!  :)  

Bible Heroes: Daniel is now available to download.  :)  Check out this video:  Daniel is another great story to teach our children from the Bible and this app does more then share the story.  It has some fun shutting lions mouth's, finding Daniel, and coloring.  If you are a parent looking for safe apps then this is one for you!  Your children will have fun with this app!  It is colorful and bright and has a lot to keep a little one busy for a long time.  The coloring app is much easier then the other one so they fixed that lil Find 4 Soils on facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/4Soils Find 4 Soils website:   http://4soils.com What is inside: Read Read or listen to a Biblically accurate account of Daniel's faith in God. Explore a colorful backdrop of illustrations and touch animations that bring Daniel's story to life. Each story features direct scriptures from the Bible and a closing lesson to reinforce key concepts. Play Engage in integrat

I know I have posted this before but I was thinking about it again the last couple days.   Proverbs 18:21- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.   This last weekend while we were out of town we stayed at some friends house who also are youth pastors.  While we were there they had a few teens/young adults stop by the house.  There was one girl who has to pay .25 cents every time she uses the words death, dying, die, dead...etc!  Apparently she over uses this word and well needless to say it is kinda a downer.   So if we read Proverbs 18:21 we realize how much power our words truly have.  So it got me thinking more on how do we train our tongue for life and not death.  My conclusion was very simple... Controlling our tongue means controlling our thoughts which is challenging in this world.  I don't think we can successfully train our tongue unless we train our minds.   When we chose right thoughts and think

Love seeing this at a pizza joint in Madison Wisconsin.  :) 

Beautiful Wedding DAY! What a wonderful day for the Bride and Groom but what a memorable day for my daughter.  I remember wanting to be a flower girl when I was a little girl!  I am so thrilled that my daughter got to have this opportunity.  She was beautiful and she did a great job!  She knew her spot and she was elegant and cute throwing her flowers.   Check out some of my favorite shots from the big day.  :) Weddings are beautiful and this one was even more special.  My husband officiated the wedding.  :)  He did a great job!  I got misty eyed reading his notes and thankfully I read them since I was out of majority of the ceremony since a little man was cranky.  

A baby girl was just so excited to meet us that she arrived 4 weeks early on a nice warm day in September in 2007.   She was beautiful and perfect and we named her Selah meaning to pause and reflect.  A name that on most days she lives up too.  :) I never knew how fast the first five years would go but every year was fun and I am so blessed to be your mommy!  In 2008, we celebrated you turning 1 and we had a fishy theme.  Your cake was chocolate and you loved it but you were nice and even tried to share it with all your guests.  What a funny memory and your little friends came to your high chair and you fed them.  :)   Butterflies were the next theme when you turned 2!  I even made a butterfly shirt just for you!  :) You were one happy girl to have a special crown and you had a lot of fun when some family and a few friends came over.  We played outside and enjoyed pizza, cake, and ice cream.  :)  2010 came and with that came your fascination with everything PRINCESS

Messy Boy: 18 Months My son has found straws and he has figured out how to stay entertained with them for a long time!  We were out to eat while on our road trip.  The last thing my son wanted to do was sit down and eat he wanted to do something more fun.  So he found that if he blew in his straws bubbles would magically appear at the top of the cup.  It was cute but it was messy.   So my fun and energetic boy is a year and a half!  He is learning new things each day!  This age is so fun!!! :) 

Well we made it safely to our destination and one thing that helped make the car ride fun for my daughter was spotting all the windmill's.  They are very neat to see! I think seeing a whole bunch of them in a field is kinda fantasy like.  Then thinking fantasy or magical my mind reminded me of the movie "The Lorax" and I could not help but picture these windmill's painted in pretty bright colors.   :)  HOW NEAT WOULD THAT BE??  :) It would be like seeing the Truffla Tree's...magical!  :) I know my imagination might be silly but I have fun!  I really do believe that if the windmills had some color on them it would be very very pretty.  Some people might disagree but oh well.  I imagine that they are all white because more paint would me more expenses and these are very expensive.  So sadly I don't think I will ever see them in bright colors but I can in my imagination.  :) 

Keeping up with what your child needs, what she doesn’t need, and what she’s actually eating can be difficult, but it’s also essential for parents who understand the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and are dedicated to instilling good eating habits in their kids. Fortunately, managing your child’s dietary needs and habits is easier than ever with the advent of the smartphone. Apple’s iPhone is capable of running some pretty powerful applications, and there are trackers in the App Store for almost anything you can imagine. These 10 are dedicated to nutrition and diet, and are great options for monitoring your child’s diet. Food Scanner: Good Food or Bad Food?   – With your iPhone’s built-in camera you can take a picture of a food item’s UPC bar code and check it against over 200,000 food products stored in the FoodScanner app to receive exhaustive nutritional information. Managing calorie intake and monitoring ingredients of everyday foods is easier than ever, and can be h

PRAISE HIM We were very blessed this week with a free baby grand piano!  :) :) :)  My husband has been wanting a piano for a long time so this was a unexpected blessing.  :)  My husband and I have always talked about the kids getting musically trained and now with a beautiful piano it makes it easier.   My husband knows how to play... REALLY WELL!  So he is going to start lessons with my daughter right away.  :)  My son is already showing a big interest in the piano as well so I am sure he will take lessons in a couple years too.   Here is the rest of my Thankful Praises for the week: 2. Slippers because the weather sure has been chilly. 3. 2 vehicles to get to and from all those wonderful places. 4. My daughter's 5th birthday going fantastic...or Pinktastic.   5. My dog...even when she has been digging she still provides some fun and cuddles. 6. My son's tooth finally popping through...it had been bothering him.   What are you Praising Him for th

We had a fantastic time with our September box from Green Kid Crafts!     Thank you to Green Kid Crafts for sending us the September box.  What is Green Kid Crafts???   Green Kid crafts is the original Eart-friendly craft subscription company.  With Green Kid Crafts, kids can enjoy monthly earth-friendly projects that spark creativity and cultivate respect and love for the environment.   www.greenkidcrafts.com Green Kid Crafts  Monthly Subscription  $19.50/month including shipping Billed monthly; you can cancel anytime  Add a sibling for twice the fun for just $10/month Annual Subscription  $214.50/year including shipping Get one month free! Pay just once and get 12 months of fun Add a sibling for twice the fun for just $10/month You can find Green Kid Crafts @ http://greenkidcrafts.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenkidcrafts Praises of a Wife and Mommy's Review: As a busy mom who likes to have fun crafts and activities I love the idea of

 The day was sunny and beautiful for a special girl turning 5!  Her birthday theme was PINKALICOUS and we had so much fun with the theme.  :)  Grandpa with his grand-kids!  My dad has lived 2-4 hours away from me but always makes it to my kids birthday parties.  I am so thankful for that!  I think that if there was one word to describe him would be Present... he never missed any big event of mine or my kids!  He was at all my sports events in high school...he is my number one fan!  :) I LOVE HIM! We were able to have a ton of fun and I was thankful for the sunshine and warm temperatures!  As my daughter waited for friends to arrive she was pacing.  She was excited to help put on a Pinkalicous necklace on each of her friends for coming.  :)  Check out  Jewelry with a Smile .  She is offering a personalized bracelet with character choice to one lucky winner!!  Check out the giveaway: ENTER HERE   The girls also got to take home an adorable Cupcake crayon from Scribblers Cra

A party with a matching bracelet and necklace to match the birthday theme made this 5 year old so happy.  I was happy to see her get excited to give each of her friends a necklace!  :)  All the girls were stunning in these adorable Pinkalicous bottle cap necklaces .   Thank you to  Jewelry with a Smile for sending me the necklaces and personalized bracelet for my review and for sponsoring the giveaway for a personalized bracelet with winners character choice.  I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are 100% mine.  It is so easy for parents to put together gift bags to give to each child but before you know you spend a fortune on each child and the items are candy and silly things kids will lose or break as soon as they get home.  Instead these themed ball chain necklaces are perfect!  :)     I love the clear picture on the bottle caps and the necklace is adjustable so it can fit anyone!   Jewelry with a Smile has so many character choices that I bet would ple