Something Fun Every Day . . . #23

Dance in the rain!!! We had an afternoon rain storm that was the perfect way to have some fun. Chase likes to get out in the rain but likes to have company ;) So, I had to ignore the fact that it was messing up my hair & just enjoy like I did when I was a kid. I remember skipping up and down my grandma's driveway with my cousins, out in the pouring down rain, while we sang a favorite family song -- those were great times!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #22

Rice Krispie treats are ALWAYS a good idea! Chase liked watching them being made but also got into the fun with patting them into the pan. We used a small bowl of water to dip our hands into to keep them from sticking. If you use generic rice krispies like we did, you might need the recipe . . . here it is.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #21

The dollar store can be a treasure trove of great activities! I found a horseshoe set that we had fun playing with. Chase didn't quite get the finesse of the sport, but he sure had fun with his new horseshoes, even if it meant dropping them directly over the top of the peg.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #20

Let their imagination "take charge". I know I used to be imaginative, but I certainly don't have the imagination that my 2 year old does. He invented a new game that he calls . . . Football Hoops. So, we spent time indulging his imagination & throwing the football in the basketball hoop!

And on another day, he decided he wanted to make a snowman -- only possible since the middle ball is a squishy, bean-bag type ball. We had fun building snowmen & singing Once There Was a Snowman.

Let's make a difference with the Prayer Child Foundation!

I have a goal to donate $100 or more to the Prayer Child Foundation this week to help kids & their families with pricey medical expenses who really need our help! So, I decided to do a fundraiser of sorts & I greatly appreciate all of you who are able to help . . .

Purchase a Candles for Kids THIS WEEK & . . . 100% of Gold Canyon's profits go to benefit children in need (this is ALWAYS the case with these candles) but as a BONUS, I will personally donate $5 for each candle that is purchased! Order through me or my website . . . either will work! Fragrance options include: Apple of My Eye, No More Sniffles (my favorite!), Baby Magic, & Baby Powder.

Note: in case you're not familiar with Candles for Kids . . . they're not a candle for kids to burn, it is simply a line of our candles where 100% of the profits benefit the Prayer Child Foundation to be donated to children in need, mostly children with expensive medical conditions

Order through the website: www.gottahavecandles.com
Order through me: 720-746-9235

I would love you to pieces if you passed this one to your friends so they can help out as well!

Family Outings . . . #1

We always try to do a fun family outing at least once a month. Its not always easy to fit it in, but we can usually set aside one weekend a month to do something fun with the family. Here's the first of my posts of a fun family outing.

We enjoyed a trip out to Red Rocks a couple of weeks ago. We tried to hike, but it was a little too difficult with a 2 year old. So, we turned around and just took the walk up to the amphitheater which was quite a workout in itself! Red Rocks is an incredible amphitheater built in the middle of these beautiful red rock formations. I would love to go to a concert there sometime, but for now, we just enjoyed the view with the family! We have this great backpack/babycarrier that makes it easier for taking Evie along on these things & surprisingly, Chase was able to do the walk all the way up to the amphitheater & back.

(We were stupid not to get a picture of the actual amphitheater. This is a just a picture of the rocks by the parking lot where we were parked! Guess we'll have to go another time to get some better pictures!)

My $60 Lesson on "how to wash dishes"

I've been washing dishes for YEARS now . . . you'd think I would know what I was doing! Last week, my dishwasher started pouring water & suds out the front of it. I promptly turned it off, cleaned up the mess & called the home warranty to get it fixed. One week later, the repairman showed up to fix my broken dishwasher. He listens to what happened & said, "You used dish soap instead of dishwasher detergent." I was adamant that I didn't do that but he proceeded to tell me that the only possible way to have suds is with regular dish soap.

He went on to ask if I wash the dishes with dish soap before putting them in the dishwasher. Well, of course! That's how my mom taught me to do it . . . you don't put dishes in the dishwasher without washing them first! Well, apparently if there is even a little bit of the dish soap residue on the dishes when you put them in the dishwasher, it can cause out of control suds during the washing cycle which will then proceed to pour out of your dishwasher!

The answer: don't wash your dishes with dish soap before putting them in the dishwasher! If you do & have suds all over the place, pour a small amount (1/4 cup or so) of cooking oil into the water in the bottom of the dishwasher & start it up again. The oil will cut the suds & help them to wash out!!!

I'm just amazed that after all these years of doing dishes the exact same way there is all of a sudden a problem . . . but after a $60 service call fee, I've learned my lesson!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #19

Cook together! Pick a day when you don't have to rush through making dinner & get the kids involved. At the very least, they can watch & Chase had a great time doing just that. He was fascinated as I added things & mixed them up. He stood on a chair and watched the whole process & it was surprisingly easier than me trying to keep him out of my way!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #18

Take a walk. As simple as it sounds, I believe that this is one of the best ways to spend your time with your children of ANY age! That's probably because when I was in high school my mom & I would go walking every evening together. I really think its one of the main reasons that we stayed good friends all through those difficult teenage years. So that even when there were disagreements & I was being a snotty teenager we had a strong relationship to fall back on. I love my mom & am so grateful for that time we had together. Even today when one of us is visiting the other, we try to get out & go for walks -- weather permitting!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #17

TURN UP THE MUSIC & DANCE!!! I was tired out but Chase was still asking for more music -- you can never go wrong by taking some time out to dance around the house to some upbeat music that you love!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #16

When Dad has a day off of work & gets involved, prepare for something a lot more fun & creative! This one was too hard to explain with words so I had to capture video of it. And it was so much fun that even I took a turn, loved it & wanted another turn! Chase wanted to wake Evie up from her nap for a turn, but we had to tell him that she was too little for this one.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #15

No pictures this time . . . there was too much action to capture it in a picture, but boy did we have fun teaching Chase how to play TAG! We did this one as a family & Jeff & I even had fun chasing each other around. Evie enjoyed watching everyone run around after each other & we even got her in on the action when Chase decided to "tag" her. So she got to "run" after him us in the stroller. Anyway, a simple and easy way to add some fun to the day . . . with a game of tag.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #14

Okay, I'll admit it, I guess I'm a bit uptight with my kids . . . wanting things to be perfect & not allowing them to be a "kid" as much as I should. Its something I'm really working on but it probably comes partly from being a first time mom.

I'm learning a lot from MY mom. When we were recently visiting with my parents, my mom had a bunch of the grandkids over at the same time & when we got back we found out how much Chase loved playing Connect Four . . . well, at least putting the checkers in the slots & watching them drop out the bottom. Its not something I ever would've thought of doing since Chase is obviously too young to play as the game is intended.

So, this week, we lightened up a bit and let Chase play with a game from our game closet. Since he LOVES letters, he had so much fun playing with the little cubed letters from the boggle game and we had fun shaking it up and watching him get so excited as the letters fell into place.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #13

Work together!!! I know a lot of times I tend to just want the kids out of my way while I'm cleaning so I can just get it done quickly & right. But from time to time, I get Chase working along side me & he just loves it and its good time for us to spend together too. Yesterday, we mopped the floor on hands & knees together. I use a chemical free cleaner (Gold Canyon Homeology floor cleaner -- shameless plug, I know, but its such great stuff it deserves a shameless plug!!!) so Chase could use it & even get to spray it without me being concerned at all.

Even at any age, most kids enjoy doing some kind of work whether its getting them involved in the gardening or helping out with special projects. When my mom had different jobs with our church I loved helping her colate packets she was using for teaching or putting together other things.

The summer that I turned 12, we were each given one job for each day of the week . . . these were different kinds of chores that the typical things you'd give kids to do. I still remember that Monday was my day to bake bread & I love that I got to spend time with my mom learning how to do it & that it was a skill that was passed on to me. Anyway, the point is . . . spend some time working together!!!