Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Fall Decorating

The temperature is still in the hundreds here in Arizona but that's not keeping me from preparing for fall. I hope I am not the only crazy one trying to make my place all cozy and autumn-y even though its 110 degrees outside. If the stores already put out the Fall/Halloween stuff then its okay to start decorating, right? Some small stuff we've done so far...
 
 
 
 
 



Sunday, August 17, 2014

Fun Fall Activities (Fall Bucket List)



1. Visit a pumpkin patch 
 
2. Go on a hay ride
 
3. Get lost in a corn maze  
 
4. Make a fall dessert
 
 
5. Carve a pumpkin...or two...or three 
 
6. Make pumpkin spice white chocolate
 
7. Have a Halloween movie marathon
 
8. Make s'mores
 
9. Go to the park and enjoy the autumn weather
 
10. Make Fall/Halloween crafts
 
 
11. Make warm apple cider
 
12. Make or pick out Halloween costumes

 
13. Treat yourself to a Starbucks seasonal drink
 
14. Go Fall clothes shopping
 
15. Put up Fall/Halloween decorations
 
16. Make a pumpkin spice body scrub
 
17. Buy seasonal candy/treats
(orange cream oreos, candy corn, pumpkin spice m&m's) 
 
18. Go to the library and find fall themed books
 
19. Have a Halloween breakfast
 
20. Go to a local fall festival/event
 
 
 

 
 
 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

DIY Dry Shampoo

 
 
So far all of my attempts to go no 'poo have been unsuccessful. I can't seem to make it past the first couple of days. My hair becomes an oily mess and it looks like I haven't showered in weeks. I recently came across a dry shampoo recipe on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try. I have never used dry shampoo but I thought if it works well, it could help with my no-pooing. This is the recipe I used for my dark brown hair.
 
2  Tbsp cornstarch
2  Tbsp cocoa powder
1  tsp cinnamon
 
I mixed the ingredients in a small bowl and emptied the final product into a clean e.l.f. powder container. You can store it in a mason jar, salt shaker, empty spice bottle... I just like the convenience of using a loose powder makeup container and a makeup brush to apply it. So far it has been working very well, I can go about 5 days with out washing my hair and my daughter says my hair smells delicious!
 
 
 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Family movies to watch this Halloween


 

 
1. Hocus Pocus
 
2. Coraline
 
3. Monster House
 
4. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
 
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
 
6. Casper
 
7. Halloweentown
 
8. Don't Look Under the Bed
 
9. Casper Meets Wendy
 
10. Teen Witch
 
11. The Addams Family
 
12. Corpse Bride
 
13. ParaNorman
 
14. Frankenweenie
 
15. Ghostbusters
 
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
 
17. Gremlins
 
18. The Witches
 
19. The Wizard of Oz

Saturday, July 26, 2014

9 Days Left

Rebecca starts kindergarten in just 9 days and I never imagined being this emotional. I am really trying my best to keep it together. I feel anxious and nervous but also really excited. Rebecca's backpack, lunchbox and water bottles finally got here! We ended up with a pink Jansport backpack (pvc-free), a Fluf lunch bag (pvc-free) and two reusable Copco water bottles (bpa-free). Lets see how long they last...maybe after she has used them for awhile I will do a review.
 

Friday, July 18, 2014

8 funny rhyming books




Teaching children to rhyme is important because it is the first stage in phonological awareness. Rhyming is a great exercise that can help improve your child's reading ability and language skills. Reading books that rhyme is a great way to practice rhyming, as well as singing and listening to nursery rhymes. I have made a list of my favorite rhyming books that I think are so fun, you wont even mind reading them over and over again!

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy

There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea by Jennifer Ward

Parts by Tedd Arnold

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

We Give Books

Today I came across a fantastic website and felt like I needed to share it with everyone! The website is We Give Books. We Give Books is a free site that allows you to read books online. There are many children's books to choose from that range from ages 0-10.
 
 
 
That isn't even the fantastic part though...for every e-book you read, We Give Books donates a book to a literacy organization. How awesome is that? You do have to sign up by creating a username and password but it is very quick and simple. This site is truly amazing!