A video that should make us think!

I would like to share this with each of you. This is Ben Breedlove from Austin. He passed away on Christmas day. He suffered a heart attack, the fourth of his short life. He had cheated death three times, he said. There are 2 parts to this video. He made this a week before his death. 

Here is an article about it, too.

http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-27-11-11-02-austin-teens-christmas-day-death-sends-inspiration-around-the-world-ben-breedlove/

Christmas Books

I shared yesterday our tradition of wrapping our Christmas books up each year. The girls get to unwrap one book each day in December...or whenever I get them all wrapped. HeHe!

I was asked to share our favorites. (If you click on the title, it will take you to Amazon to read more about each one.)

I am blessed because most of the most meaningful ones were giving to me by students. 

I have not read all of these to the girls yet because they have been too young but they do make me think. 

Here are some of the heartwarming ones:

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

The Christmas Promise by Susan Bartoletti

My girls favorites:

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

A Wish for Wings That Work by Berkeley Breathed

Olive, the Other Reindeer byVivian Walsh

I know there are more but they are still wrapped and I don't have them memorize...sorry. 

Enjoy!

Gift wrap organizer

I know from helping some friends get the homes organized that for moms, wrapping paper seems to always be a hard project. I saw this on the She's Crafty blog and thought I would share.
http://choosecraftiness.blogspot.com/2011/06/gift-wrap-organizer.html

Walk by Faith 5K Race/Walk

Join us on Nov. 6th to help fight against childhood cancer!!!! 

We have set up a team for

Addison Faith Bender's 3rd Annual 

Walk by Faith. 

Our team name is FPCK MOPS.

Here is the link:

 www.WalkByFaith5K.org

Car Seat Safety

Did you know?

Harris County Sheriff's Office has free car seat safety checks every 2nd Friday of the month in the Babies R Us parking lot from 10-2 by appt only. 

Call 281-540-1464 to register. 

Bullying: It Stops Here

Bullying has become a huge problem for our children. When I saw this was coming on, I knew I needed to share it with you. 

CNN, Facebook, Cartoon Network and Time Inc. have teamed up for a special multi-platform effort aimed at taking a stand to help stop the bullying crisis. Tune in to the AC360° Town Hall “Bullying: It Stops Here” on Sunday, October 9 at 8pm ET, and the special week-long series that follows.

Here is a link that has more information and resources if you need them.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/05/bullying-it-stops-here/?iref=allsearch

Easy FALL Decor

Last Fall, Sheri found this great idea. I just pulled mine out this past week and wanted to share. 

These are dollar store frames with scrapbook paper from the dollar spot at Target. You can print out FALL off your computer and cut them out, just print the letters on your scrapbook paper, or use stickers. 

The best part about this decorations is you can change the letters and paper with the seasons.

Here are some ideas: HOHO, NOEL, LOVE, LUCK, LIVE, HOME. Or use just 3 frames: BOO, JOY, HOP. 

You could turn the frames horizontal and place words in the frames like: Trick or Treat, With Love, Kiss Me, Tis The Season. 

Here is one I found on Creative Crate.

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing!!!

Heaven is for Real

I went to Costco last week with a friend. We were walking down the book row when she stopped in her tracks. She picked up Heaven is for Real. She started telling me that she read this book a month ago when a friend let her borrow it. She was getting goosebumps telling me about this little boy that had seen heaven. She wanted to buy it to have to read again.

I decided to pick it up. One because it sounded interesting, my friend always recommends good books, and lastly...who doesn't want to know about heaven. 

I just finished this book this morning while the girls were watching "Fresh Beat Band".  I read it in 2 days. It is an amazing book that brings a warm feeling to my heart. I have a hard time talking about God. This little boys helps me understand a little more about my future in Heaven. 

I hope you can pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did! 

So my review is hard to write because I don't want to tell you everything. 

Here is the website if you want to look into it:

http://heavenisforreal.net/

Happy Reading!

See you Wednesday!

Snack caddy

This is my own personal follow up to the post Missy did about the snack and go container. I loved the idea so much, (i used to have a snack drawer for the kids, but in a moment of rearranging the kitchen i found something more useful for that drawer and my snacks have been displaced every since!) So, I went to dollar tree, LOVE THAT STORE! and found these bright containers that are already divided! Did i say i love dollar tree? Guess i don't have to say they were each only $1! So here are my pics of my version! - thanks to missy for giving my snacks a home:)

Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I don't know if your kiddos are anything like Avery but she is PICKY!! I have tried my best to get her to at least try different foods. Since school as started this year I am trying to make sure she gets some sort of protein in the morning. She doesn't do eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. She mainly loves muffins, waffles, bagels, and anything with carbs!!!

I have started giving her a bagel with nutella on it so at least she gets something. 

I came across this recipe for Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. We made them together this morning. After lunch, we all shared one. She said they were okay but Kendall and I loved them. I hope this can help some of you with your protein problem and it also helps use up those ripe bananas! 

(I have also had some other recipes from skinnytaste.com)

Yesterday was the first day Blane walked from Marie's house, to the park, where I pick him up, by himself. We were both terrified that in the 15 seconds he would be out of her eye site and into mine, that something terrible would happen to him! She had reminded him to not talk to strangers, run if someone scares you, etc. After I picked him up safely, I also told him stories of people asking kids to "help find their dog" when the dog is not really missing, etc. Then channel 2 did a story last night about kids walking home from school, some of them 2.3 miles!! I didn't feel so bad about the 50 yards he walked:) Channel 2 posted these questions on their website so mom's can tell if they think their kids are ready to walk home or stay by themselves. I am happy to say Blane passed most all of them and the ones I don't think he knows, I plan on discussing with him soon. Hope this helps you too!
The Family Education Institute developed 12 questions parents should ask before letting their children walk home from school or stay home alone:

• Does your child know how to honor his feelings? If someone makes him uncomfortable, that's an important signal.
• Are you as the parent strong enough to hear about any experience your child has had, no matter how unpleasant?
• Does your child know it's OK to rebuff and defy adults?
• Does your child know it's OK to be assertive?
• Does your child know how to ask for assistance or help?
• Does your child know how to choose who to ask? For example, he should look for a woman to help him.
• Does your child know how to describe his peril?
• Does your child know it's OK to strike, even to injure, someone if he believes he is in danger, and that you'll support any action he takes as a result of feeling uncomfortable or afraid?
• Does your child know it's OK to make noise, to scream, to yell, to run?
• Does your child know that if someone ever tries to force him to go somewhere, what he screams should include, ''This is not my father''? Onlookers seeing a child scream or even struggle are likely to assume the adult is a parent.
• Does your child know that if someone says, ''Don't yell,'' the thing to do is yell? The corollary is if someone says, ''Don't tell,'' the thing to do is tell.
• Does your child know to fully resist ever going anywhere out of public view with someone he doesn't know, and particularly to resist going anywhere with someone who tries to persuade him?

Grab-and-Go Snack Stashes

I know everyone has started thinking about school.

I was reading I Heart Nap Time! and found some great ideas.

I thought I would share this one with you.

I know Avery is going to be hungry when she gets home. This looks like an idea that I can tackle and she can enjoy!

She found this idea from Real Simple!

Easy and Cute Craft

While blog stalking today, I came across this easy craft.

A treat stand!

If you are interested, go and visit I Heart Nap Time for complete instructions. It cost less than $2!!

Half-Price Books

If you are doing the book club at Half-Price Books, the reading logs are due between July 25th and August 7th. If you read at least 600 minutes, each child gets $5 to spend in the store. I found that reading 15 minutes a day was plenty. We were able to get 5 books with our $15 credit!

Here is the link if you have been reading every day, but didn't know about this club.

http://www.hpb.com/community/fyb/pdfs/FYBReadingLog.pdf

Good website for moms

I ran across this website today. Thought it was pretty neat. I already printed off the puppet printables and the kids did that for a craft today. I like some of the snack and recipe ideas also. Hope it inspires you to do something different!

http://www.snackpicks.com/en/home.html

Another VBS in the evening

Grace Church of Humble is having VBS July 25-30 from 6-8:45pm. Potty trained 3 year olds-5th grade. Come join the Panda Mania! My boys are going.
https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/grace/gpgs/Home.aspx

Summer travel time!

OK, so I am thinking I am super fabulous.
We leave on a road trip, (yes... me, him, and the three of them), in a car, for hours on end, on Sunday.
That is not the fabulous part.
I went to the dollar store today and bought each kid the cheapest little nylon backpack every made, (i am sure it will at least make it through the trip), a cookie sheet, and a pack of magnetic wooden letters. I am going to fill the backpack with this and other books, crayons, etc, for the trip. What I want to know is your most fabulous idea to keep kids busy in the car?? Please post soon, time is ticking!

Dig Up a Good Book

The Harris County Public Libraries have started their Summer Reading Program.

There are 3 different levels (10 books, 500 pages, or 500 minutes).

Register on-line at www.hcpl.net.

Barnes and Noble has a Summer Reading Program too!

Click here for information on the reading program at Half Price Books!

I know I support anything that encourages reading!

Let us know if you know of another reading program for the summer!

Happy Reading!!!

Moorhead's Bluberry Farm is Open

The blueberries are ready for picking! Visit their website for up to date information on the crop by clicking on Farm News:
www.moorheadsblueberryfarm.com

Need Some Pampering?

Don't worry about getting a sitter!

The Life Spa and Salon at Lifetime Fitness is open to non-members. If using their services, you receive childcare at NO COST, as well as access to the gym for the day. The Kingwood location does massages and skincare. The Lake Houston location does massages, skincare, haircuts and nails! You do have to make a reservation with childcare if you have an infant who is not walking. They accept babies beginning at 3 months and children up to age 11.

Kingwood-
832-445-3900
http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com/Kingwood/26837/

Lake Houston-
281-312-6724 Life Spa and Salon
281-312-6744 Child Center
http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com/Lake-Houston/26838/

Crayola Colored Bubbles...Washable is Questionable!

I wanted to share my experience with Crayola Washable Colored Bubbles. The boys got them for Easter and were trying them out in the backyard. Neil got some on his hands and it rinsed off easily with just water. That's when I went back inside thinking, "Wow, it is washable." The next thing I hear is "Neil spilled his bubbles!" In typical Neil fashion, he had dumped them and was pretty much painting the patio with his feet. I washed him off with just water and rinsed his clothes. I thought it was going to stain the clothes, but it came out when I washed them. However, it would not come off the patio! The bottle says can stay on concrete for up to a week, but also says test in small area first. Well, Neil tested in a very large area straight out of the bottle. Bottom line...supervise the bubble blowing and keep them in the grass OR don't buy it at all. :)

Fruit Leather

Wanted to share this from Jenny McAdams:
HEB has some other brands of fruit leather that we discussed at the nutrition meeting. They are above fruit snacks on the top shelf.
Fruitabu rolls 6 for $3
Simply Fruit rolls 10 for $3.25
Florida Natural Pocket fruit sticks 12 for $2.99

ETSY

Ok- lots of you ask me where I get the sweet little outfits my girls are often sporting. And I tell you... I LOVE ETSY! I seriously don't spend a lot of money on their clothes-here is an example.


Littledudesanddolls, is a shop I have bought from in the past and if i had a "littler" girl I would so have this in her closet! Only $20 and free shipping! You can't buy a cute outfit at TCP for that and certainly not at Gymboree! It is not your typical play around the house outfit- but super cute for one year old pics! Or throw a sweater over the top and hit the playground!

This morning I was looking at blogs when I came across another take on the silhouettes we did earlier this year.

Scissors & Spatulas has an great way to display your silhouettes. Check out the link for complete directions.

The Princess Project

Our MOPS group has managed to make and collect 75 dresses! We still need 25 more to hit our goal- can you help?

Craft Day

Hi Everyone!

Sorry the Spring gets a little busy. That is not a good excuse for not posting.

I hope everyone is looking forward to our craft day.

We will be making purse sized journals and using freezer paper as stencils to make towels.

We have some extra bookmark materials if you would like to make one for $1.

See you soon!

Greentree Kinder Round up

Here is the info from their newsletter.

Kindergarten Roundup!!!!
Will you have a kindergartener for the 2011/2012 school
year? Go to www.humble.k12.tx.us and follow the
instructions. Once you have pre-registered online
contact Candice Galkin 281-641-1903.

Kindergarten Round Up Dates

Here are dates for the area schools:

Shadow Forest - all month with Parent Tour on April 29th

Deerwood - April 14th

Willow Creek - May 6th

Bear Branch - April 13th

Greentree - May 3rd

Elm Grove - starts April 11th with Kinder Tour on May 3rd

Woodland Hills - April 13th

Fosters - May 2nd

Summerwood - May 11th

Support Our Moms

Hi Ladies,

I wanted to share with you some links to our MOPS Moms that have a business you might not be aware of. I have included their names and websites on the side under 'Support Our Moms'.

We are so lucky to have such talented moms.

Our local artist, Kasey, has Art by Kasey.

Our local baker, Marie, has Miss Marie's Cookies.

Our stationary expert, Sheri, has Midnight Designs.

Susan sells Willow House.

Maryann paints many fingers and toes with Piggies and Paws.

We have other moms that have been in MOPS at some time have business too.

Kathryn Flores sells Wildtree.

Mary Kay Crutchfield has Shears 'n Action.

If you have a business that you would like us to link up to the blog, then please email me or leave a comment here.

Summer Bowling Fun

I just saw a postcard from Max Bowl...
it reads...
to go to www.kidsbowlfree.com/maxbowl
register your kid or kids and every week this summer you will get emails with passes for free bowling!

Spring Break Activities

Here are some fun things going on during Spring Break!

Monday: Storytime at Chick-fil-a in Atascocita from 9:30-11

Tuesday: Two for Tuesday at Downtown Aquarium

Buy on Adventure Pass for %15.99 and get one free.

The pass includes unlimited access to the Shark Voyage, Aquarium Adventure Exhibit, Ferris Wheel, Carousel and Lighthouse Dive)

Kids under 2 are FREE!

Wednesday: Toddler Roll at the Humble Family Skate Center (320 N. Houston Ave) 10-12

$5 per person

They can skate or bring trikes, scooters, push toys, strollers, etc (anything but bikes)

Thursday: $5 Jump day at Jumpalooza (5366 FM 1960 E) 10am-6pm

Friday: MOPS Rodeo Day (see evite)

Other things around town:

Jesse Jones Park's Spring Breakout~Mon-Fri

Mon: Frogs 10 am & Fangs 1 pm (all ages)

Tues: Geocaching Adventure 10 am (all ages)

Wed: Homestead Hoedown 1-3 (all ages)

Thurs: Jr. Canoe Training 9-2 (ages 10-15)

Fri: Puppet Pizazz 1 pm (all ages)

Reservations are required for Canoe Training and Puppet Pizazz

Main Street Theater

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Performances at 11:30

Tickets are $12-$14

Rodeo Tips from Jenny

Jenny went to the Rodeo on Sunday and wanted to share some things with you.

*Lot 9 is very close to the rodeo entrance but not to the kids sections so be prepared to walk to the kid area.

Kids Country

*is outside and has the carnival area for small children

*Pig Races are a favorite but crowded. It is under a tent. Check the schedule and get there a bit early. It is loud so think of the little ones.

*Fun on the Farm is a fun way for kids to learn about living on a farm. They get a snack at the end...BONUS since it is free to do!!!

*Mutton Bustin' looks interesting and fun ($10 per ride). The kids try and hold on to a sheep as it bolts out of the chute.

*Butterfly House ($3 per person) It has way more butterflies than the Butterfly Museum. They were landing all over them.

Reliant Center

It holds ALL the rodeo livestock.

One section is called Capital One AGventure. They have a petting zoo, honeybees, bunnies, and more. The kids get to collect cards at each center. This helps you see if you went to every station. It has A/C since it is inside.

Jenny said the crowds didn't really show up until 2:00.

Sunscreen is a great idea since you will be outside.

You can pack a lunch if you want to save some money. (We ate inside the Reliant Center last year.)

They do have tractor trams to shuttle you to and from!

Thanks Jenny for giving us the low-down on the rodeo!

Texas Public School Week

This week is Texas Public School Week.

Parents and community members are invited to visit local schools.

You must sign in at the front offices with a valid driver's license to obtain a visitor's pass.

Each school does different things. Please check your school to see what they have to offer.

Please post a comment and let us know what school your child will be going to next year. This will help us in providing you with Kinder Round-up information.

Special Recycling weekend

I save our old batteries all year long waiting for this recycling weekend and it is here! At the Kingwood Park and Ride on March 26 from 10-2, they recycle all that scary stuff you can't just throw away, put down the sink, or recycle at the curb. Here is a link to the article that was in the observer. They are also looking for volunteers if you are interested contact Keep Kingwood Green.

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/kingwood/opinion/article_c984284e-7c97-573d-80c3-9b8acf572924.html

Logical Consequence to Share

We have many play weapons in this house of 3 boys. Just yesterday, the boys were play fighting and I warned them about the differences between pretend play and real fighting. I explained that if they were using the weapons for real fighting I would have to throw them away because we don't hurt people. I told them that even if they hurt someone on accident, the sword would have to be thrown away since they weren't being careful. Well, of course, Jay hit Neil by accident and I had to follow through. To make an even bigger impact, it was trash day. I marched the sword to the curb with Jay screaming behind me. I picked him up, waved to the neighbor who was smiling understanding what he was witnessing, and went inside. I knew right away how that logical consequence was sinking in. Clark and Neil were standing there with their swords in hand. They both put them down and suggested other games to play. No yelling from Mommy and the problem was solved. :)

Something fun to do this weekend!

I used to volunteer at this when I taught- it was great for kids that like nature:) Just don't forget the mosquito spray! We have tickets to the baseball game, (whoop!) so we aren't going but thought I would share.

This coming Saturday, March 5 from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, come to Jesse H.Jones Park & Nature Center and enjoy NatureFest 2011, a fun, education day as noted speakers discuss birds, butterflies, native plants, reptiles and more.

Take a guided nature walk and pontoon boat tour, see and touch live animals, and learn more about other nature-related topics by visiting educational booths, including our Keep Kingwood Green booth !

I love logical consequences!

We were introduced to Love and Logic by Denise a few years ago and love to share our stories about how it works in our lives. I just got this email from the Love and Logic Institute and wanted to share it because I have a 7 year old son and totally relate to this story! I'll let you know what happens when i try it!
Hope it helps you, kids are never to young to see logical consequences!
To sign up for their emails or just see what they have to offer visit
http://www.loveandlogic.com/

Tired of the Room Cleaning Tug-of-war?

Dear Insider Club Member,

I know a mother who used to stand in the middle of her nine-year-old son's room every Saturday and yell until she was hoarse. The more she yelled, the slower her son moved to pick up his horrendous room. It vaguely resembled a site where a clothing store and a toy store had exploded at the same time.

Unfortunately, the dumpster-like appearance of the room bothered Mom beyond measure, but it didn't seem to faze her mess-loving son. Mom needed a way to help the problem become her son's, rather than hers.

Love and Logic to the rescue!

First, she offered some choices: "Would you like to have your room cleaned by 10:00 a.m. Saturday, or do you need an extra hour?" Then, when her son picked the later time, she used an enforceable statement and said cheerfully, "Feel free to keep the things you pick up. I'll be back at 11."

Mom made sure she was back at exactly 11:00 a.m. Thankfully, she only had to bag up a few stray toys the first time. Things really started to improve when her son realized that she would actually follow through on her limits.

Now, Mom has the energy for more gratifying things instead of acting like a motherly megaphone.

We're Going to Bowl Tonight!!!

Yeah for bowling!!

We are having MNO tomorrow.

I know I am looking forward to eating some tex-mex and hitting the pins!

So if you want to join us,

we are eating at

Los Vega Mexican Restaurant #2.

We are meeting at 7:00 for dinner and hitting

Max Bowl

for bowling!!!

Command Centers

I was doing my daily blog stalking and came across a cute idea for a command center.

Remember when Ellen Delap came to speak with us a few weeks ago. She passed around her file box and gave us tips to start our own.

I created one at my house. I decided to get a few ideas together for you.

Here are some that might work for you.

I'm an Organizing Junkie

Tatertots and Jello

Ellen Delap

Chic Mummy

Lovely Craft Home

The Inspired Home

Let me know if this helps anyone.

I know Sheri created one in her kitchen, too.

Get organized and save yourself from a few stressful moments!

Cheers!

Playdate

We have a playdate this Wednesday at 10:30.

We are meeting at Angel Park.

Bring your lunch to enjoy after playing on all the cool equipment.

They have some great roller slides, rock climbing, big swings, baby swings and more!

One of the great things about this park is that they have bathrooms.

The address is

2310 Atascocita Rd.

Humble 77396

See ya there!

Porter Fire Department

Sounds like everyone had a great time on Friday. We had a wonderful turn out.

Jenny McAdams took some pictures to share.

If you click on the word 'pictures' in the above line, then it should take you there.

Meeting

We can't wait to see you this week at our meeting.

Dr. Mark Smith with Humble Pediatrics is coming to talk to us. Make sure to have some questions ready!

Farmers Markets

Since today is going to be a beautiful day, it made me think of

Discovery Green's Urban Harvest Market.

Every Sunday

12-4

My family went a few weekends ago and had a blast. The girls played on the playscape, watched the ice skaters (their winter attraction), strolled the local farmers, and played on the grassy field.

They had a funky golf cart filled with outdoor toys to play with. It had everything from hula hoops to a kite.

If you don't want to travel to downtown, try visiting our local area Farmers Markets.

Humble's Farmers Market

Main Street

Wednesdays

3-7

Kingwood's Farmers Market

Town Center

Thursdays

3-7

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

Our New Blog

We are very excited to share with you our new blog. We will be using this blog to provide you with information on playdates, MNO, recipes, and just fun tips.

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This is a test to check the font to see if I like it!