SC LIFE as a WIFE: My Life

Showing posts with label My Life. Show all posts

How to treat Lice and NOT FREAK OUT!

Hey y'all it is LICE season

We got lice last winter, and this summer I helped a family get rid of a prolonged lice infestation they’ve had in their house for years. So I am starting to feel like an EXPERT!

Stay calm, it is not life threatening, they don’t carry disease, they are just annoying, no one is immune to getting them, no matter how clean you are, it’s totally normal and it is No big deal! So fight the urge to freak out!
Check or treat everyones hair for lice
Use coconut oil for treatments with lice combs, it works just as well, it is cheap, it doesn’t stink, it doesn’t have weird chemicals.
Everything the person wears or touches with their head needs to a) be put in the dryer on high for at least 30 minutes (you decide if it needs to be washed first) b)set outside to freeze 3) don’t use items for 3 days or at least don’t let anyones hair come into contact with these items. Items you might need to think about is clothes, hats, coats, towels, head bands, backpacks, bedding, cloth couches or chairs, cloth toys, kid costumes, headphones.

So I switch bedding every day, when they come home from school coats and backpacks either stay outside on our back porch

or go straight into our dryer, if we ride in a car with a cloth seat we put a new towel in every time we sit there. We make a rule

no sitting on clothe chairs or clothe couches or laying on carpet until the lice are gone. I also vacuum the floor in the rooms

they are active in daily until it has been resolved. We also stick all our hair bands and combs in the freezer in a ziplock or in

dryer or microwave before we use them again, we don’t reuse towels while we have lice, we use a new one every time

5. We put all the girls hair up so that it isn’t hanging and touching things, and we tell them not to touch heads when they hug for

now

6. We treat every 3 days for 15 days if the last 10 days there were no lice or nits we stop, if anything was found we go another 12

days. This is excessive so if you prefer to do it different nits can hatch every 10 days so you could treat once a week, you just

want to remember that after a clean pull where you don’t get any lice, nits could still hatch within 10 days so you will want to

keep doing treatments until you have had 2 clean pulls 10 day apart or more.

We try to make treatment time pleasant and a time to bond. We try to make sure the person with lice doesn’t feel shame or

have trauma from having lice. We want to send the message this is no big deal, we can handle this.

7. We blow dry our hair, the theory is the heat may kill the nits, not sure if this is proven to be true but thats what we do.

8. Be careful about what your hair and head touches. I make a signal with my kids so I can easily remind them to be cautious,

without having to give the whole speech every time, after a few days these behaviors begin to come natural to them and these

behaviors will also help them not get lice from other people in the future. Again try to make the learning experience positive

and not traumatizing.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

Books read Beginning of 2018 and REVIEWS

HERE IS HOW I RATE BOOKS
******SC AWARD I want everyone I meet to read these books, no matter who you are.
*****5 STARS I loved this book you should read it if you like this genre or want to try this genre
**** 4 STARS This is a good book if you have time read these. I enjoyed them.
*** 3 STARS This book is ok, you can read it but there are probably better books to read
** 2 STARS I don't like this book and don't recommend it. Simple as that.
* 1 STAR I would encourage people not to waste there time, I really didn't like this book.

Nothing to Envy : Ordinary Lives in North Korea - by Barbara Demick ******SC AWARD
This book includes a history of Korea and follows peoples lives there from after WW2 up to 2009. The author was so talented the way she wove all the perspectives together along with the history. She gives you so much to think about. Freedom, food, daily simple pleasures, I have a whole new perspective on North Korea, along with South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. It also made me think of the United States, our history and today. I also thought of immigration laws, refuges, and aliens. Defiantly a good book to better shape your opinions about the world around you

Just Mercy - by Bryan Stevenson ****** SC AWARD
I originally picked up this book just because the true story, of a lawyer who defends people on death row, sounded interesting to me. I got so much from this book. It left me thinking about racism and prejudices in general. It had me thinking about justice and injustice and most importantly Mercy. I am religious and felt like I had a good understanding of Mercy, but our knowledge can always expand and I with the grown understanding I have gained from this book, I feel ready to be more merciful to myself and those around me.

"Embracing our Brokenness creates a need and desire for Mercy and perhaps a corresponding need to show Mercy"

The Emperor's Soul - by Brandon Sanderson ***** 5 star book
I am not a huge fan of science fiction but have found a few works I enjoy. I like most of the books Brandon Sanderson writes. His books are usually long and many are series but this is a quick read and can I say again, I really enjoyed it, it as good as his other works but not a huge commitment

Lady Susan - by Jane Austen ***** 5 star book
Jane Austen is one of the most well known authors, which is why I find it so interesting that very few people have read her Novella, Lady Susan. In this book her main character is a Villian and most of the book is written in letters. It is my favorite of all of Jane Austen written works, not because it is her best story but it is the most enjoyable read for me.

Room- by Emma Donoghue **** 4 star book
I can't say what I really think without giving away the ending but if you read it and want to talk to me about it, I do have a lot to say about this book, for now I will leave the summary of the back of the book for you to look at

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work. "

Arabella - by Georgette Heyer **** 4 star book
If you like Jane Austen I am going to introduce you to who I personally think is a little better. Why is she not as well known, she didn't start writing until 100 years later and all of her stuff is still copy righted and people can't make movies or spin offs. But maybe in the future her amazingness will be made into films and everyone will discover her. This book is a comical romance. Almost 5 stars, it just had a slow beginning that I didn’t think was relevant or at least could have been shortened. Defiantly read it if you like Jane Austen.

The Westing Game - by Ellen Raskin **** 4 star book
Defiantly a good mystery. Kept me very engaged the whole book trying to keep people and clues straight and trying to solve what felt like 17 mystery’s. It all tied up wonderfully too. Warning : This book defiantly takes your full attention.

Encouraging Your Childs Imagination - by Carol Bouzoukis **** 4 star book
A nonfiction book that has some great ideas on introducing kids to acting. Simple stories, not many lines, lots of good ideas. Plays can be done at home at night for bed time or made into a full production with practices. This book wouldn't be for everyone but if you are a mom looking for something fun to do with the kids, or a teacher, I think this would be a fun read.

Cafe by the Sea - by Jenny Colgen *** 3 star book
Would have been cool if it was a memoir but it’s just a novel and didn’t do enough for me. Now while the following wouldn't offend others, it wasn't my cup of tea and I am going to write it for other people like me who would want to know before picking up a book. There is a lot of unnecessary swearing. There is also sexual tension the whole book that ends with a sex scene I had to skip through that made me feel awkward. Just a heads up for others.

Heartless - by Marissa Meyer *** 3 star book
This Author wrote Cinder series, which I enjoyed. I was hoping she could twist Alice in wonderland into a better tale but alas I dislike this story as much as Alice in wonderland. The beginning was to juvenile for me. The middle really picked up and I was quite excited. The end got strange and left me unsatisfied. The author is a creative genius. I will admit that and her cleverness wasn’t lost on me I just didn’t enjoy the journey as a whole. SPOILER - She is talented in writing books for villans but I enjoyed her cinder villain book better.

Siren - by Kira Cass **2 star book
I should have known I didn't love selection but they were okay and an easy series to fly though. I was hoping for another easy read on an intriguing idea but it was painful to read. I kept with it hoping there would be a good twist or revelation at the end. Which there wasn’t.

One for the Money - by Janet Evenovich **2 star book
I read it because if it was good enough to be a movie I thought the read would be good enough for an easy read but I wasn’t impressed and I wouldn’t say this is a very wholesome book. Doesn’t have my recommendation.

Joan of Arc : a History - by Helen Castor *1 star book

Only a third of this book is about Joan of Arch and it seems there isn’t enough historical accounts to learn many details about her story. I would only recommend this book if you want to know about Frances military history. It was a drag for me to get through.

Reasons I am loving Daily Burn 365

1. My first month was FREE
This was important to me because I didn't want to spend money on a program I wasn't going to be able to stick to. I liked have 30 days to see if it was right for me without financial stress. After 30 days I was able to confidently start my subscription knowing that this is the best investment for me.
Click this link for a FREE 30 DAYS http://dailyburn.com/invite/bm4mZ

2. I can work out from home
There are many reasons this fits my lifestyle
-Saves me time. The time it takes me to get ready, get the kids ready, pack the kids up in the van, drive to the gym, put my children in the kid center (if the kid center isn't full) takes a lot of my time, and then when I'm done with my workout I have to do it all again in reverse.
-I work harder. I get self conscious in the gym but not at home. I wear whatever I want or don't want to. No one is watching me (except the occasional kid that wakes up early to cheer me on) and I don't have to watch myself in all those mirrors. The result is nothing gets in my way of getting ugly sweaty, red in the face, in my PJ's.
-Nothing prevents me from getting my workout in. Sick kids, bad weather, sleeping in and missing my class, these were all things that used to get in my way when I worked out at the gym. Now I sweat on Snow Days, I workout with fevering kids, and if I miss my morning usual I make up for it during nap time.

3. Everyday is a new workout with a variety of Trainers
-We all know it is important to have variety in our workouts not just for our bodies but to keep things interesting. This is my favorite part of 365 every single day is a different workout and I don't have to worry about any of it, I just follow what the trainers have put together for the day. A variety of Trainers also keeps it fresh and I love how it never feels boring or mundane, I know I'm going to experience something new to try every day. They also have other programs you can try but I mostly do Daily burn, on Sundays I try to keep it a day of rest and might do yoga if I feel like it. One particular day I found a workout just not giving me what I needed and so I chose another video from their extensive library and did that workout instead.

4. It is Live with familiar faces.
I love working out LIVE with the 365 group. This factor is what sets Daily Burn apart from recorded workouts you can buy. With the recordings I was always skeptical, they could be editing out breaks they are taking or mistakes they made, and even though I'm suppose to do the workout every day they aren't doing it with me, no they just recorded it once and are done. I have connected with the live workouts because the people you worked out with yesterday are just as sore as you and you can see them struggle to do some moves your struggling with, they are in it with you day by day and their are so many different people, men, women, pregnant, postpartum, skinny, not skinny, old, young, different ethnicities, and they all inspire me in different ways.

5. I can work out any where, no equipment required

I usually workout in the morning, while my kids get ready for school, downstairs on the Apple TV. But I can work out anywhere. When Family came over I quietly worked out in my room on my phone, and when we go on our family trip, I'm going to take my iPad and do my workouts on vacation. I also like getting a great workout without having to have a lot of equipment. Where would I put workout equipment? and again it makes it so I can workout anywhere, anytime.

6. I am sticking with it
I was really concerned about being able to stick with a program, but because if all the reasons mentioned above I have been able to stick with this program. I have ran into two challenges, I have hurt my knee and I got a head cold. Both days I just modified the moves which they help you do, and kept going. This has been a big boost to my confidence, and that confidence boost has helped me with other daily things I am trying to tackle :)

7. I am getting stronger
I was surprised how much stronger I have felt since starting, even the difference in just one week. When I started I couldn't do a burpee, A BURPEE people, and in one week I tried again and was able to do it with ease. I notice everyday how much stronger I am. Stairs are easier, keeping up with the kids is easier, we currently moved, and moving boxes around is becoming easier. I have more balance, I'm standing taller, my everyday movement feels better. The first week I wasn't seeing weight results, but it didn't bother me that much because I loved the energy and strength I felt

8. I am seeing healthy results
The second week I started seeing physical results on the scale and my overall body shape. They are slow results 1-2 pounds a week, but this is the right way to lose weight and I've decided to be patient and enjoy the process, and can I say it again... I AM LOVING IT!

If you think Daily Burn would be a good fit for you try it http://dailyburn.com/invite/bm4mZ

Also a huge part of my success has been doing it with a friend. We check in with each other everyday after our workout and I have loved that, so find a buddy or go to Facebook and search for the group Daily Burn Friends :) your welcome to find a friend here

18 ways to be Thankful and Giving this Thanksgiving Season

Our family loves celebrating Halloween and Christmas, we have a lot of traditions and a lot of fun, but I've noticed my kids don't look forward to Thanksgiving, or really understand it's purpose. I've spent the past few months thinking of ways we can celebrate Thanksgiving and came up with many ideas for the kids and for me too.

Here is one of my ideas

This is a list of different things to do to be Thankful and Giving this Thanksgiving Season.

I wrote one for every weekday of the month

or a list version if you prefer to pick one here and there.

I will be posting each weekday of November on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sclifeasawife

Feel free to follow us there and share your experience :)

if you are feeling extra blessed and in the giving mood you can purchase both of these designs here on etsy

you can also download them for free here for the calendar and here for the list

Frozen Party - 2 years old

FROZEN BIRTHDAY PARTY

I was recently clearing my computer and I found my daughters 2nd Birthday Party. I thought it was worth the share. Of course it was Frozen theme, she love the movie and the soundtrack was either playing or being enacted in our house constantly :) 2nd birthdays are my favorite because they get so excited about everything! and appreciate all the simple things. I knew this theme would put her over the moon and I was rewarded with so many fun memories from this day

INVITATION

For the invite I found this blank Frozen Ticket that I filled in. I liked all the spaces they had for information. I was easily able to fit everything on. Here is the Link to this adorable invite.

DECORATION

For the Decor we tried to use what we had around the house. I got some Sticks from outside and spray painted them white. Then we used Coffee Filters to make the perfect Snow Flakes. We filled up a few Balloons and hung them with some Tissue Paper Balls I made. I just crumpled up some newspaper wrapped some tape around it so it would keep its shape and hot glued tissue paper to it! SO EASY!!! I used a plastic table cloth as a table runner and set the food out. I also love my Chalkboard, it is fun for all occasions and can be used at any party or event. I was lucky to find that frame at a thrift store. I took the picture out, spray painted the frame Gold, and then spray painted the backing with Chalk Board Spray. It was cheap and well worth it :)

FOOD

We had so much fun with the food, we had TWO requirements...
1) enough to feed us all of Lunch,

2) food my kids like, especially the birthday girl

We found lots of good food ideas online and made up a few have fun scrolling through :)

For the cake I went simple I found those figurines, printed off some pictures and slapped on two Candles. She couldn't have been more thrilled with the end product!

and I'll leave these special moments right here, eating cake, opening presents, and

most important, saying THANK YOU to our guests

Thanks for Stopping by :) come again!

9 tips on how to Cook Every Day and save $ Money $

Cooking our meals at home has done two things. First saved us a ton of money and Second has kept us eating healthy. BUT it is not easy to make every meal at home, it is easier to pick up a pizza, do take out, or swing by a fast-food joint or a restaurant. It took practice and living on a low income to train myself and this is how I've accomplished it.

Find these RECIPES HERE

Have a Meal Plan-if you don't have a plan, dinner time will sneak up on you and you won't know what to cook and you will most likely go out to eat

Only plan meals that you want to eat- if you are dreading something on your meal plan then you can bet you are going to skip it and go out to eat

Try new things- I noticed I need to have variety in my meal plans so I don't get sick of my own cooking. I watch cooking shows, surf pinterest's food section, and thumb through cook books at the library. Variety gives me something to look forward to.

Have a few easy quick meals on your meal plan- have easy meals for busy days. I have freezer meals I prep days or months ahead, crockpot meals, something for my husband to grill, or something that is just super fast to put together.

Keep your house stocked with food- take your meal plan, write out all the ingredients and have them in the house, if you don't have an ingredient to make your meal, you might be tempted to go out and eat instead of go to the store and cook.

Prep for the next day- for example when I am cooking dinner I pull the meat out of the freezer to defrost for tomorrows meal, and if I am chopping onions and I also need chopped onions for tomorrows meal I will chop them at the same time and reserve the rest for the next day

Give yourself time to cook- Don't wait until everyone is starving to start dinner. Give yourself time enough time to cook.

Have a back up plan- I have a back up plan in place for the times when dinner just didn't get done, or if dinner gets burned (sad, but it does happen) On our back up plan we can have sandwiches or eggs and pancakes, which are things I always have at our house for breakfast and lunch.

Give yourself a day off- Once a week I have a day where I don't have to cook dinner. On that day we either have a church or community event that is offering free food, or I make a bit extra throughout the week and we have leftovers. It helps me from getting burned out.

Just so you don't think we are crazy, we do go out to eat every now and then! but we don't depend on that for our meals :)

What are your tips for cooking?

and if any of those dishes up top look good, find the recipes here

10 ideas for Better Sleep

My first year out of my house, on my own, in college, was quite an adventure. I found I was unable to manage my stress levels, and started having panic attacks as a result. When the panic attacks started coming twice a day I sought help from a therapist. This is what she asked me in this order What kind of sleep are you getting? Are you eating and what are you eating? What is stressing you out and how can we help you cope with that? I learned so much about being healthy that year physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. I learned how so much about myself as an individual and myself in relationships. I think I will write posts about all of these in the future but today I am going to focus on SLEEP.

Your body, mind, and emotions can fall apart so fast when you are not getting good sleep

1. No Electronics 1 hour before bed - I put this one first because it is something most people do and is an easy fix. Basically the light from the screens (TV, iPad, Phone, Computer) will make it hard for you to fall asleep

2. Relaxing activities 30 min before bed - relaxing will look different for anyone but here are a few ideas... doing a puzzle (a real one not one on a device), reading a book, taking a bath, folding laundry, journaling, yoga/stretching, watching the sunset... give yourself time to wind down

3. Clear your Mind- if my mind is in a million places at once I grab a piece of paper, (or junk mail no need to be fancy or say you don't have anything to write on) and I write everything I'm thinking, it may be a list of things I need to do, something I don't want to forget, things that are stressing me out, feeling I have and then I let it go. I allow myself to stop thinking, stop feeling, and fall asleep. I can return to these things in the morning when I've had good rest. If you are religious, sometimes PRAYER can help clear you mind, handing your problems over to God and asking for help, and peace.

4. Relax Body- Now that the mind is ready to sleep put the body to sleep, start at you feet and let go of all tension, relax your feet until you can hardly feel them any more, then move up your body, I am always surprised when I get to my face my jaw is usually clenched and releasing that feels so good, I also find I was unaware of my hands being balled into fists, and releasing that tension all the way to my finger tips is so soothing.

5. Go to a Safe Place- Now I usually don't make it to this phase, I usually fall asleep before this point. but if you are still awake go to a safe soothing place in your mind. This may sound a little hippyish, but my therapist sent me to this sleep workshop that was amazing. At the workshop they hooked me up to a machine that could read stress levels in my body, then they had me listen to this tape that had me envision different things, when it was done they showed me the results they showed me all my triggers the one that I found the most fascinating is for me I shouldn't think of people at night or bring them into my "safe place" my safe place is usually riding on a train by myself looking out the window, for others it may be painting a landscape, or decorating a house, or counting sheep jumping over a fence, whatever is relaxing and doesn't require a lot of concentration. It sounds weird but try it.

6. No Food or Water 1 hour before bed- don't go to bed hungry but make sure you have eaten and are well hydrated before bed time rolls around. Give your digestive system a break and let it wind down

7. Bed is only for sleeping- don't spend all day in bed while you are awake, make your brain associate bed with sleep. Take the TV out of your room, not only is it breaking tip number 2 but your bedroom isn't a place to be entertained its a place to sleep. Also tip number 2, I try not to do my relaxing activity in bed, I will read in a comfy chair and then move to my bed to sleep. I am conditioning my brain when I lay in my bed it means time to sleep, this takes time but with consistency and routine, your body will instantly relax, your brain instantly turn off when you start your routine and it sees your bed.

8. Enviornment- LIGHT-make sure you are sleeping in a dark room, I'd even suggest having a clock that doesn't give off light or covering the light when you sleep. NOISE- if there is alot of noise, get a sound machine. COMFORT- make sure you warm/cool enough not hot or cold. make sure your bed and pillow are offering your body enough support, and so on... just make sure your comfortable and if your not think of a solution

9. Work Hard- This has two meanings. First, if you are having trouble sleep think about adding exercise to your daily routine, a tired body sleeps better. Second, make sure to plan your days with things that make you feel accomplished, it is always harder to go to bed after a lazy day.

10. Rise and Fall with the Sun- not a popular idea, but have found truth in this statement I don't know why, maybe it's just how we are made but I know sleep from 9:00PM-5:00AM feels like a lot more sleep then sleep from 12:00MIDNIGHT-8:00AM. Even thought they are both 8 hours of sleep, the one that alines closer to the sun feels more refreshing, again I'm going to invite you to try it.

THIS APPLYS TO KIDS TO!!! Parents out there that need help putting their kids, or teenagers to bed. This applies to them, make sure they have full belly's, that they had opportunities to get their energy out, that they have a solid routine that doesn't include electronics, that they have time to wind down and they are comfortable while sleeping. KIDS AREN'T BORN GOOD SLEEPERS none of us are. I truly believe we have to teach ourselves to sleep and I think one of the best things you can do for your children to help them in the future, cope with stress, live on their own, and be successful, is teach them how to have good sleep.

This advice sounds simple and you might have been looking for something grand, but the answers are usually in the simple things we do. I would encourage you to TRY these ideas, if you have tried and are still struggling, I would suggest getting some help.

How do you get better sleep? Share ideas that could help someone in the comments

*also I wanted to add that I am not perfect in following these rules, but when I am struggling I know exactly how to fix it.

*this is advice I’m not a doctor or professional. Consult a doctor you trust.

Monster Valentines

My kids love monsters inc and monsters university so we made monster valentines

I just cut out paper hearts and strips and we added pipe cleaner, pom poms, and goggly eyes!

Toy Story Birthday Party

So my oldest just turned 3 and we celebrated with a toy story party. This is the boys new favorite show. (We finally graduated from CARS)

First was the invite, the famous etch-a-sketch was used in our design. Free Printable Here

Next the DECOR got a roll of sky blue paper from the dollar store, unrolled it , cut it in half and then hung it on the wall for a backdrop, I then cut out white clouds and taped them onto the backdrop. For the table we put a white table cloth down, cut out black spots to go on top and the used a red table cloth, folded for a table runner down the center.

For food we had PIZZA PLANET PIZZA

And for the cake we had the three eyed alien cupcakes! I like cupcakes cause they are smaller then a slice of cake usually is.

Last of all we used our backdrop as a toy story photo booth. My son loved the props and would name which prop belonged to which character. Here is a Free Printable of the TOY STORY Props

Easy Easter Service Project for kids

Last year for Easter, our sweet neighbor left this at our door...

My kids loved it so much and we decided to do it for our neighbors this year.

All you need is...

An Egg Carton
Plastic Easter eggs
Stuff to Fill eggs with
and This Printable to put on top

We chose to fill our eggs with...

Popcorn
Cereal
Jelly Beans
Little Finger Nail Polish
Chocolate Eggs
Blue Tootsie Rolls
Dried Fruit
A Easter Story (we chose a spiritual one called the empty egg)
Animal Crackers
Yogurt Pretzels
and Stickers

The kids helped me fill them (and eat some too of course)

And them we went and hid them on people's lawn and then rang the door bell and gave them the empty container.

My kids squealed as they watched the kids find there eggs. And since my kids are still really young and don't quite understand the whole concept. They helped the neighbors find some that they hid and would shout with JOY, " OPEN, YUMMY" or " THERE IS CANDY IN THAT ONE"

{I think my kids are seeing that sometimes it is more fulfilling to make others happy instead of ourselves. And I think that is what Jesus Christ would want them to learn this Easter Season }

Happy Easter!

What convinced me to Print my Pictures

Each year (after I delete all the bad/usless pictures) I usually have taken 1000 pictures, and they just sit on my phone until I put them on the computer.... to sit on my computer. I decided it's time to print my pictures.

Before I get to the reasons why I now print my pictures, let's talk about the reasons I didn't print my pictures...

1) Mostly cause I'm LAZY

2) It's hard getting them from my phone to the place to print- by hard I guess I don't really mean hard, more like it was too much of a hassle. I couldn't motivate my self to download the pictures to the computer and then copy them onto a hard drive or CD, or use a web browser that wasn't user friendly

3) I had to go pick them up- when you have three kids in car seats, you only want to leave the house for groceries or fun, little errands are not worth your energy anymore

4) Price- printed photos were more money then I wanted to spend, and the apps for phones that were easy to use, charged a lot for shipping

THEN I watched Shark Tank one night and met GROOVE BOOK

Here is why I print with groove book

1) the app is so easy to use

2) they mail them to me (it took mine 2-3 weeks)

3) it is CHEAP - 100 photos for 2.99 that includes the photos and shipping....what?!

4) I like the Quality of the paper and color. The color matches what I see on my phone, and while the paper is a little bit thinner, I think it is still good quality

5) if for some reason my phone dies, or I loose my backup's or technology ceases to exist (noooo)...... I have a hard copy of my photos

6) I put a title of the book on front and call it the easy way to scrapbook....done. (But for you hard core scrapbookers the pictures are perforated, so they are easy to tear out)

7) my kids like flipping through the books way more then looking at them on the computer. There is just something about them being tangible.

8) they make great gifts as bragging books for Grandparents ;) and it is so easy to add on a copy of a book, defiantly what my mom will be getting every year for Mothers Day!

9) I can easily tear them out since the pages are perforated. Then I can put them in a picture frame or give them to family/friends

10 each picture has a Date Stamp above the picture with the date and time it was taken. Which is great for Photo Journaling

11) even my lazy self can do it in no time at all

Ok so DO YOU WANT TO TRY IT?

Your first book is on me, thats right you can print your first one for FREE with my code
CARSTENS20

If you end up not liking it you can unsubscribe, but if you are like me you will be a Huge Fan and very excited to start your next book! My next one will be baby pictures ;)

http://www.groovebook.com

*they are printed glossy
*they only print for smart phones, so when I have pictures on my computer I want I either share them or email them from my computer to my phone
* if the are not sized 4x6 there will be little white bars printed on the top and bottom so no one/thing is cropped out of the picture, refer to picture under reason #7 why printing with GrooveBook is AWESOME

Carstens Cartoon - Hair Crimper

I found my hair crimper from when I was in Jr High, I was playing with it and it fascinated My oldest

Carstens Cartoon - Conversation with my 3 year old

My 3 year old has really started talking a lot, and it is so much fun to have conversations with him!

This one made me laugh ;)

Check back tomorrow for my 3 year olds explanation of what a hair crimper does!

Messy Fun-1

My Boys LOVE messy play and this was a fun new one we tried.

Cornstarch and shaving cream. I put both of them in a pan. They enjoyed feeling each separate and then mixing them together.

It was messy but well worth the fun and memories. I even had fun feeling them together. I've never just played with shaving cream or cornstarch so it was new and fun for ME too!

Missing the snow?- Kid Fun

Are you or your kids missing playing in the snow? My kids aren't we have saved up paper from the paper shredder and it snowed in our house. It took me about 30 minutes to clean up during nap time. Those little papers can get in every little crack.

I would do it again though, just to hear those precious giggles and squeals of joy!

A Mother's Resume

Mothers Day has new meaning as a mother of 3 young kids. Today I was thinking about all the skills I have acquired as I've become a mother. No job or training could have prepared me for the job of a mother, it is at times the hardest but mostly wonderful job I have ever had!

This would be my RESUME if I was applying for my current position as mother

Hope you enjoyed the humor! Happy MOTHERS DAY to all you mothers out there (especially my mom, mother in law, and my grandmas).

Let me know what would your resume look like ;)

Tape Roads - Kid Fun

The great thing about this road is its easy to clean up and if the kids get bored just go tape a different part of their room or different part of the house and it will spark their interest again.

Have I ever mentioned how talented my boys are at making all sorts of vehicle noises!

Cinco de Mayo - Recycled Piñata

We had a lovely Cinco de Mayo.

And the DAY OF Cinco de Mayo. We decided we had to have a piñata for that evening. We used empty cereal boxes. Some leftover tissue paper from a baby shower, and some painting tape from when we painted the bathroom.