Classically Comfortable

It's time for another Mom Fashion moment.  I like to be comfortable now that I have kids.  No more uncomfortable shoes or outfits because they look amazing.  Mobility is at the speed my bomb shoes allow. Nope, those days are gone.   If I can't run, juggle, or lift a small elephant while wearing it, it has no place in my wardrobe.  Sadly this leaves me with a lot of less than adorable outfits.  I have been trying to reclaim a little of my style without hindering my "mom" game. 

And now for something a little different

Lately, I have been feeling like I'm in a revolving door.  Not much creativity has been flowing and life just seems to get in the way of writing. Not that I am the best writer, to begin with, but aspiring would be a good way of putting it.  I'm sure many of you find places like the one I'm in with your own hobby.  So, how do I break out of it?  I've decided to start trying some writing exercises.  Nothing consistent, but when I have a moment here and there it would be a good way to stretch my mind.  So here is my first one.  The assignment is to create 3 characters using one stereotype and the rest unexpected using at least 100 words.

Boho Braid Crown

 What is there to do but hair right now?   No one can go to the salon we are all looking a little shaggy right about now.  So, let's have fun with your hair!  You will need a lot of patience, a few kid-appropriate expletives, I say Crimony a lot, skittles to bribe a child into being still,  and don't forget the hair supplies!  We had some fun with this super fun go-to braid crown.  I like this hairstyle because as the bangs grow out you can just add them into the braid across the front to keep them off the eyes!

Infusing Your Meal!

 

What is for dinner tonight?  Good question!  I feel like some days I spend a good chunk of time just wondering what is for dinner and I am the one cooking it!  It can be hard to come up with new recipes, ways to get the kids to eat something healthy, how to not dry out oven-baked chicken, and all the other barriers to the answer to that question!

Sight Word Tool

Curriculum is a pain to create, but so much fun to execute. I am always looking for new tools to use. Here is a new tool I came across that I wanted to share with those of you looking for idea's for phonics curriculum. This new curriculum is for teaching Phonemic Awareness (also called Pre-Phonics) to children. Just click here: Sight Words to head to the Sight Words website where they have their latest teaching tool out. The site is packed with games, activities, and tools to help parents and educators prepare children for learning to read.  I used (and still use for my own children) some of their flashcards in my house and love them.

The site's features include:
• A Curriculum covering the full range of Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
• Classroom-tested Lessons based on the latest research, complete with “how-to” videos
• Printable picture cards, word lists, and game boards
• Teaching Tips for tailoring games to the specific needs of your students

I like that their are free and printable materials are designed to promote learning in the classroom and also at home.  Free is always good and it can be hard to find quality free tools to use.  Again, the company is Sight Words and here is the link to their newest Phonemic Awareness site: http://www.sightwords.com/ phonemic-awareness/

Lucky Box Donation Drive

Getting tender with my Cave Tool!

I love spices and flavors of all sorts, but my husband is more of a salt and pepper guy.  My work around is that I can get away with adding spice to a meat if I can make that meat so tender that it melts in the mouth.  After a ton of experimenting I found the best way to do this was to not only add some liquid, either your sauce or just plan water/chicken stock and cover for 3/4 of your cooking time, but to make sure the meat was well tenderized.

A 5-pose yoga routine for busy Moms

 A perfect sequence of 5 yoga poses you can do even if you're a super busy Mom.
Guest Post by Nicola Smith

When you're a busy Mom, fitting in a workout every day can feel like an ambitious goal. And while you may hear that you, 'need to fill up your own cup first,' when life gets busy, looking after your own health can quickly be forgotten. Enter, yoga — a workout for your mind, body and soul. Yoga is perfect for calming the nervous system and strengthening and stretching all the muscles in your body.

Mom Fashion Moment

Sometimes, I look in the mirror and see a mom who once took a little pride in how they look. Outfit used to be on point, make-up painstakingly applied, bag and shoes matching, all of it assembled with the ease that the time a person has sans kids.  Now, most days, its messy buns/rats-nest shoved into a rubber band, socks and shoes of the slip on variety (which may not be matching because who really has time to search for matching pairs), yoga pants, and one of my husbands old shirts that, with luck, doesn't have a hole in an odd spot. Let's face it, as a mom, most days are the roll out of bed and go type of days.

Under the Sea: The Octopus and Me!

School is in session and let the kiddie crafting begin!  To explore some of the fun places people go in the summer why not learn about some under the sea animals?!  What might you see if you lived under the sea?  What do you see at an aquarium?  What sea creature has the most legs that you've seen?  All are great questions to spark learning and crafting is a great way to back up those valuable lessons and explore problem solving with a dash of creativity!

Evergreen Watermelon Cutter

 I love summer, the clothes, Popsicles, and the summer time fruit.  Just something about some nice cool watermelon on a hot summer day to cool down and add to the memories.  Problem with watermelon is that it takes forever to cut up and I end up with a huge mess on my counter-top and very sticky hands. Time to find some summertime solutions.

Cooper: A Rescue Dog's Tale Review

We love our fur-babies.  It is important for kids to understand that love comes in all forms and from all places.  Even though someone or somethings start isn't a happy one, the ending can be amazingly full of love if they create it with others.  Learning tools that help teach this method and utilizes their fun artistic side are always welcome.

Torus Bowl Review

Where does the time in the day go?  No matter how much I do, how fast I move their is always something that needs to be done.  The more moving parts in your house the more little interruptions that come along and steal precious seconds from the rest of the to-do list.  One thing that I always seem to have the worst time keeping up with is the dog dish.  I have 3 dogs and they won't touch it for hours, then right when I am carrying a kid, laundry bin, and half a dozen other things I hear the slurping of the pups.  Wouldn't you know it, they empty the darn thing in 5 minutes flat and now I need to fill it up again.  It never ends!

Bath Toy Organizer Set by Bath Time Fun

I don't know about you but bath-time is playtime for my kids, but those darn bathtoys like to collect non-clean mildew and other grossness.  Not very mommy friendly.  I have gone through a few different bath holders and either they start to get gross because they aren't all mesh.  Then their are the little suction cup hooks that I usually hang the loafa's with always seem to fall down or to not hold on to the power of a 2 year old grip. 

Backseat Car Organizer and Car Visor Organizer

If you have more than one kid than you know that one of the best ways to save sanity is to make sure everything has it's own little home or place to go when not in use.  You will need this in order to find anything and to keep your home from looking like you belong on some TLC reality show or something, Lost in mommy-hoarding.  Half the battle with that, for me at least, if finding homes for things.  I'm constantly relying on Pinterest and products to keep my home sane, well sane enough for a family to function.

Cache Alaska Ski Hat

We have had a stretch of cold weather here in AZ and the normal hats don't always keep the wind from nipping at your ears as much as you would like.  Finding a good hat to wear up in the snow, or on weeks like this isn't easy when most of the clothes are geared for slightly cool, warm, or hot weather.

Topaz Unisex 5060ABK Robust Design Dress Watch Review

So, why is it that we women are constantly wanting to or actually just stealing our men clothes?  I thought I was going to be getting my husband a nice accessory, but somehow it ended up in my vanity?  Weird, right? How did it find it's way to my stuff?  Not sure.

Gummy Bear Silicone Candy Mold Promotion

My daughter is very into cooking right now.  Add to that, she is a kid and all kids are candy freaks.  That is why I'm excited to make some Gummi Bears with her.  She can use the dropper, pick the flavors, and I can do any stove work.  This way it's something we can do together, but she can do most of it herself!  

Switch Belt

I don't know about you but I am constantly fighting my belts.  For some reason they always seem to fit me in between the holes.  This means I either punch a new hole in the belt or I deal with pant gap.  That embarrassing gap in the back of your not quiet secured pants showing off Victoria's Secret.

Vino Mio Foldable Wine Bottle

Every once and a while we get invited to dinner at someone's house and I am faced with the dilemma of what to bring, red or white.  This is hard when you have no idea what they are cooking or you just have no idea what to pair with the menu they give you because it's not something you usually eat.  Like I need another thing to worry about as I'm trying to pack up and keep looking clean 3 little kids, but I don't exactly have the room to put two bottles of wine in my overly packed (prepared for every emergency) kid bag.