Essence of Now

The past few weeks of August have given us our first soccer practice and our first day of first grade.

This post is being linked up with Mama Track and My Time as Mom as part of their photography based Essence of Now link up.

Preserving Memories

About 14 years ago, I fell in love with the hobby of scrapbooking.  During that time, I had been in several weddings and had pictures, wedding programs and other memorabilia I didn't  know what to do with.  So, my first scrapbook was born.  I still love scrapbooking today because I can make treasured books for my kids and remember special times in our lives. (Because I am always behind).

The page featured in this post was made with products from Creative Memories, but you can use supplies purchased from any vendor or store as long as the materials are acid free.  You can also look for products marked photo safe.

I am linking this post  up with Southern Wife and Mama and Pieces of Amy

Pieces of Me

Today, I am linking up with the Just for Fun Fridays Link up Party hosted by Pieces of Amy.  For fun, I wanted to share the best pieces of my week.

1. I decided to start The Hunger Games trilogy. My husband, the "cow man", is reading them with me.  Well....actually he got ahead of me and finished the third book today.  The books are really, really good.

2. For work this week, we had over 700 third grade students participate in Ag. Days, an agricultural awareness program.  I helped with a booth about healthy eating.  (Remember research shows family that eat meals together have better health!)

3. Today, I am doing one of my favorite things with the kids.  Decorating eggs for Easter.

Have a Happy Easter.

Welcome to the Bunny Trail

At the Blissdom 12 conference, Hershey's asked bloggers to write about their favorite Easter traditions as part of their 2012 Bunny Trail across the country. 

So I have been thinking about what my favorite Easter traditions are.  I loves Easter mass, Easter chocolate, the spring flowers that we begin to see as Easter approaches, but my favorite tradition is dyeing eggs.  I know this may not seem very unique, but decorating eggs is what I remember most about Easter as a child.  My mom let us decorate eggs on Good Friday, and that tradition remains one of my treasured memories from my childhood.  So, I was so excited when our daughter was old enough to decorate eggs.

Where are the eggs, Mommy?

In addition to decorating eggs, we started a family egg hunt.  (My "cow man" husband plays Easter Bunny and hides the eggs.)

I hope our kids will treasure our Easter traditions as much as I have.  Happy Easter!



Our Potty Chart

Our 6 year old daughter has had problems with her colon since she was an infant making potty training difficult especially when you combined the medical problems with stubbornness, that she of course gets from her father.  (Laugh, laugh)  We tried everything to get her potty trained.  We used one piece of candy, two pieces of candy, a potty that played music, reading books on the potty, using a timer so she would try to potty every time it went off, and so on......

I searched article after article for ideas on potty training and I finally came upon the potty chart idea and it worked well for our daughter.  So, when our little man quit using the potty for us we made him a potty chart.  Today, he filled up his first chart!

To make a chart all you need is a small sheet of poster board, a marker, and stickers.  We give him a sticker if he actually goes to the potty because we know he has a good understanding of the concept.  For younger kids, I would suggest giving stickers if they try to use the potty and work up to giving them stickers only when they go in the potty.  Maybe this idea will help other potty stressed moms!

Spring Cleaning Challenge

I am going to be adventurous and join the Spring Cleaning Challenge.

We will see where this adventure takes me. Maybe it will take me to at least one clean closet!

Snow Much Fun

We had a few inches of fluffy snow this week. We took advantage of the chance to make snow angels and snow balls. It was fun to be outside with them....I just wish I could find my snowboots.