Rey Swimwear Givaway

Last year we compiled a list with a few of our favorite modest swimsuit sites. You can view that post along with comments from others here.

Swimsuit season has rolled around again, we are excited to give one of our readers the chance to win the beautiful Marie Swimsuit  in Tangerine (pictured below) from Rey Swimwear. 

Follow the prompts below to be entered to win this cute suit! The winner will be announced on June 27th. Good Luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake Theme Day

This is another cute book written by Laura Numeroff.  

We kept this theme day very simple although you could make a whole week out of it. In the book this little kitty:

 makes cupcakes with sprinkles, 

goes to the beach and builds a sandcastle, 

goes to the gym, 

goes to park and climbs on the rocks

goes to the lake and rides in a boat

rides a carousel

and goes to the science museum and sees the dinosaurs and apes. 

We started out the activity by drawing on our faces with eye liner.

We then made cupcakes and decorated them with lots of sprinkles. 

We went to the park and climbed a pile of rocks.

We also went to the gym but didn't get a picture of that. 

5 Tips to Minimize the Scramble When Trying to Get Out the Door with Children

I know we can all relate to the scramble of trying to get out the door and on the road with children.  It seems my stress level goes way up when I am trying to get out the door especially when I am running late. Not long ago I set a goal to try to be more patient with my kids, as part of this goal I wanted to stop raising my voice.  As I evaluated the times I get upset, raise my voice or loose it with my kids it seemed that at least 80% of the time I was trying to get out the door.  I decided I needed to change a few things.

Here are a few tips that have helped us get out the door and avoid the unnecessary stress and scrabble.

1. Be Realistic
It is important to be realistic in planning trips, this is true for a simple trip to the grocery store or a long road trip. First, we need to remember that kids are going to be kids...and that really should be expected. We need to be realistic in planning what can be done with kids and take into consideration nap time and meal times. Second, we need to be realistic in what can be accomplished in the time we have. I always try to run 15 different errands when I really only have time for 3.

2. Keep Essentials in Vehicle
 It seems that the last minute scramble is usually not because I am doing something for me but rather that I am gathering items to keep the kids happy (restocking diaper bag, grabbing treats and jackets).  I no longer take a diaper bag with me when we go places. I keep all of the essential items we need in our vehicle.

I keep drinks, treats, sunglasses, toys, diapers and wipes in an over the seat organizer.

I also keep an extra change of clothing (including underwear) for the younger kids in a shoe box under our back seat and I keep a picnic blanket and jackets in the trunk.

3. Keep Items Regularly Used in a Bag/Basket
We go swimming a lot. I used to keep each of my kids swimsuits in their bedroom and beach towels in a linen closet.  When we would go swimming I would run from room to room grabbing everyone's stuff. I found it a lot easier to keep all of our stuff in a bag together. I now keep beach towels, swimsuits, sunblock and swim toys all in one bag...when its time to go I grab the bag instead of running from room to room. This also makes doing wash a lot easier because I keep everything together. If your family goes to a specific event a lot consider putting together a bag/basket. We do this for swimming trips, soccer games and even trips to the park.

4. Help Kids Be Independent
It doesn't take a lot of time to teach our children how to buckle their own seat belt or help a younger sibling get buckled up but often times in the rush to get out the door it is the last thing on our mind. Set some time aside when you are not in a rush and teach your child to buckle up their own seat belt or help a younger sibling get buckled...it will save tons of time later on.

Take some time to teach your child to put on their own shoes.  We used the tip below and it has helped a lot!  I love looking at my 3 year old and seeing that he has his shoes on the correct foot and I don't have to change them for him or tell him too...it keeps him from getting upset and me from feeling so rushed.

image credit 

5. Put Keys in a Specific Place
How many times have we been ready to go but can't find the keys? Designate a specific location for your keys. Our family uses a key rack but their are all sorts of different places they could be stored. Wherever you decide to put your keys make sure it is out of reach from young kids and be consistent in using it.

Be sure to check out our Pintrest Board for some great tips on traveling with kids.

What works for your family? What have you found to be helpful?

 

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

This is one of my favorites especially as the weather warms up and summer roles around.  It makes the perfect side dish or dessert.  If you need a dish for your next get together then give this one a try, it's sure to please the crowd and most likly you wont be coming home with any leftovers. ; )

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

2 cups of crushed pretzels (it ended up being about 1/2 the bag)
3/4 cup of melted butter
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 375 and place butter in a 9x13 pan to soften while the oven is warming up.  Once the butter has melted mix in the crushed pretzels and sugar.  Carefully press into the bottom of the pan and bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

16 oz cool whip (thawed to room temp)
16 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
In a large bowl combine the cool whip, cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Spread evenly over the cooled pretzel crust.  Spread the mixture all the way to the edge of the pan to prevent the jello layer from seeping through.

2 cups boiling water
1 (6 oz) pkg of strawberry Jello
3 cups of sliced strawberries
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Remove from stove and add Jello.  Stir until the jello is dissolved.  Mix in the strawberries.  Pour the mixture over the cream layer and put in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until jello is firm.

ENJOY!

June

Do you feel like you struggle balancing all the different roles that you have as a mom?  We do so we decided that we would choose one role that we have as mothers, and focus on it for a whole month. We would love for you to follow along with us.

In January we shared some simple things that we have done to organize our homes and also some fun ideas we have organized like mommy and me field trip groups and busy bag swaps.

In February our focus was on ways that we can show love to those we care about.  We shared our basket of sunshine post, a few of our favorite Valentines' Recipes, and Valentines Printables and had a great Giveaway for a nights stay at Anniversary Inn. 

In March we focused on our roles as Nurse and Physical Trainer.  Heather announced her pregnancy and shared some pregnancy posts including Gender Revel Ideas, Fun Ways to Document Pregnancy, and Announce Pregnancy along with some things to remember when Eating for Two, and some Pregnancy Stretches. We also shared some tips and tricks that have helped us in our journey as mothers including: Teething Tips, Ways to Drink More Water, and Hygiene Day.

In April we focused on two of our roles as mothers.  We focused on party planning and emergency preparedness. We shared some Party Planning Tips,  Birthday Party Theme Ideas and some of our Birthday Traditions. We also shared a tutorial on how to make Cake Pops and one of our new favorite recipes Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats.  We shared some posts on ways to prepare ourselves and family for an Emergency. We focused on 72 Hour kits, First Aid Kits and Car Kits, Tornado Preparedness and how to make a Family Emergency Plan/Binder.

In May our focus was on our role as entertainers.  We shared our theme day If you give a Moose a Muffin.  Some of our other favorite posts are: Fun with Play Dough, 10 home made play dough recipes, and Make a volcano!

Well, June is here and this month we plan to focus on our roles as Chauffeur.  Since summer is a busy time for traveling we will also share some of our favorite travel advice and helps.

We will continue 30 Minute Thursdays and our monthly Theme Day post. 

We would love for you to Follow along with us via:

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