The Curse of the Playgroup!

We've been trying to go to a playgroup for months now (in fact, since the beginning of the year). Every time there is one scheduled & I put it in my plan for the day, one or more of our household gets sick. I was all excited today because I had been sick over the weekend but was feeling better by yesterday afternoon so I figured we could make it to the playgroup (for the very first time) this morning. But as I went to pull Chase out of his high chair after breakfast this morning, he felt very warm to me. Low & behold . . . he has a fever over 100 degrees. So, no playgroup for us again :(

It really is too bad because Chase LOVES to play with other kids & would have so much fun with something like this. Not to mention that it would allow for some adult interaction for me during the day. Well, we'll make it one of these days!

All the Messy Details . . . time for a new vacuum!

I knew it was time for a new vacuum, but I had been putting it off. I bought my Kenmore not too long ago (just a couple of years) and thought I should be able to get more use out of it even though I knew it just wasn't getting the job done.

Today, it completely died on me as I finished up vacuuming. So, I asked my great facebook friends for their suggestions & the responses overwhelmingly pointed toward getting a Dyson this time around. I figured I'd head out later tonight, but this afternoon I had a little accident that involved 2 small glass candle holders that dropped & hit into each other as they hit the carpeted floor & both shattered. The only way to clean it up would be with the vacuum.

So, we headed out & got our new Dyson vacuum cleaner. It did a great job of cleaning up the mess & then (after emptying the canister completely from that mess) I went ahead and vacuumed over the areas I had vacuumed with my old vacuum cleaner just this morning. So you're aware of how small the space is, keep in mind that I only went as far as the cord would go . . . I never switched outlets & this is what it pulled up:



I guess its no wonder that I've been sick since we moved into this place if I've been breathing all of this stuff in constantly. It will be interesting to see if I get over all this sickness now!

Needless to say . . . I LOVE MY DYSON!

Getting Started in Colorado!

I was so excited to have my first Gold Canyon home party in Colorado to get my business up & running here. I've had a few individual orders before now, but to have a home party is really what gets things up & running. It was so much fun, nice to get out & meet some new people, and it really was a great start to build a local business here since I met new people who will also be holding future parties for me & continuing to help me build my business. A HUGE thank you to those who attended & to my host, Nicole!

Strange but True!

Our 4 month old Evie showed evidence of teething last Saturday and over the week we've seen 1 tooth come to the surface the other (both bottom middle teeth) is still working its way out. Today, I noticed something strange in her mouth . . . another tooth . . . way in the back where a molar should be and as I looked closer there also is a red inflamed spot where probably a canine should be. For a 4 month old; are you kidding me?!!!

She's been so good for all that she must be feeling. There have been occasional inconsolable times but even tonight as I was feeling around in her mouth she was laughing so hard like it was tickling her. What a joy she is . . . even if she is a bit strange!

Surviving (& Enjoying) a 14 hour car ride with the kids!

We just got back from a trip to Arizona! It is so nice to be within driving distance . . . yes 14 hours is do-able & actually enjoyable for us! We've done the trip a couple of times & I've learned a few things on organizing the car ride that might be helpful for someone else, so I thought I'd share:

• I use several re-usable shopping bags to organize things that we need to have available during the car ride.
• Pack spare clothes (for everyone, adults included!) that are easy to access -- one set of clothes for adults, several for each kid!
• Pack a bag of cleaning supplies: kitchen washcloth & towel, paper towels, baby wipes, plastic trash bags, and cleaner for the upholstery & stain remover (I bring an all-purpose cleaner that can be used for both clothing stains & upholstery)
• Pack a diaper changing bag - several (more than you think you'll need) diapers, wipes, changing pad
• Pack a snack bag -- this is not the time for me to think about nutrition, instead I think about what will keep the kids happy & what will make it fun for them. I like to use the snack cups with the lids that the kids can put their hands right through to avoid big spills. Some of our favorite snacks are fruit snacks & mini marshmallows.
  
• A bag of new (cheap) books & toys or pull out some small toys that you've put away. The key here is to have it be novel items that they don't play with every day.
  
• Jeff used a diaper box, sealed up and then cut about an 8inchx8inch hole in the top corner to use for trash. He put it between the 2 front seats for easy access. Ours also is the "stand" for our dvd player since we don't have a built-in one.
• What did they do before DVD's? We get a few favorite cartoons to play for the kids as we drive. If you don't have a built-in dvd player, get a portable one; that's what we use!
• If you're stopping overnight somewhere before reaching your final destination, pack a bag (make sure its easily accessible) with the stuff you'll need for just that one night so when you stop you only have to bring in one bag along with a bag of your toiletries.
• Bring along baby medications, just in case. Our 4 month old started teething along the way & we were glad we had packed the infant tylenol as a "just in case".
• Keep a gallon jug of water handy to pass around drinks.

Remember that sitting in a car for hours on end is difficult for kids, so try to be patient & have some fun along the way. When we make stops, my husband will take our 2 year old to walk around the store or run around in a grassy area at a rest stop while I feed the baby. We'll also make a quick stop for ice cream or pick up a cheap new toy at a gas station store. When we make a stop for gas or something else where we're not feeding the baby, I do a quick re-organize of things . . . filling sippy cups for the next leg of the trip, getting snacks ready, cleaning up any trash, etc.

Our kids do travel really well, but with a 2 year old and 4 month old, any trip can be tough. Staying organized & prepared has been the key to my sanity!

FREE Printables -- File Folder Games

My 2 year old is OBSESSED with file folder games, almost as much as letters & numbers! I've printed out a few that I found online, but since we're getting ready for a long road trip I thought it would be fun to have some new ones for him. Here are 2 that I created last night . . . feel free to use & share them with others if you like them. They're very basic, but he's just TWO! LOL

What I do with file folder games is to print on cardstock, laminate them, hole punch, and then stick inside a binder -- I find it so much easier than using the actual file folders.

Colors File Folder Game
Shapes File Folder Game

Apostle Cards

When I was little, I remember my mom had some flashcards for us that had pictures of the apostles on them so we could learn their names. I loved doing those & it was a great activity for general conference weekend.

I know Chase is a little young for it still, but he loves pictures & little laminated cards, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to do something like that. I was thrilled to find these cards already put together. I'm printing, putting them back to back with the words that match the picture and then laminating them. I'll then hole punch the corner & put them on a key chain ring for him to be able to look at.