p.s. there is a new recipe on the left sidebar.  i made this pasta salad the other day, and am loving that there are leftovers.  i can't get enough of it!

Happy (late) Father's Day!

Okay, I don't usually post on the weekends, so please excuse my late posts for both Mother's and Father's day.  This is just a quick post to let my hubby know how much I appreciate him.  He is such a great father and husband!  He is wonderful with the kids, and they both love him so much.  Christopher was excited about Father's day for about a week, and kept making him "cards".  Very cute. :)  I made dinner Sunday night, which was actually a treat for Dave - he cooks every Sunday at our house.  Isn't that great?  The stuff he cooks is usually really, really good!  (I say usually because he is an experimenter - he doesn't follow a recipe, but loves to come up with his own concoctions.  Usually really, really good.)  I need to start writing down the things he comes up with - otherwise they're lost forever.  So, thank you, Dave, for being the wonderful husband and father that you are!  We love you!

And Happy Father's day to you, Dad!  I love you, and so appreciate your example in my life.  I hope you had a wonderful day, and felt truly pampered.  You deserve it!

And Happy Father's day to you, Donald!  I appreciate how you have raised this wonderful husband of mine, and welcomed me to the family with open arms.  I am blessed to be your "daughter"!

Tagged Again :)

A) Four places I visit over and over:
-washington

-utah

-pool

-grocery store

B ) Four people who email me (regularly):
-dave

-katie

-church stuff

-bills/accounts

C) Four places I like to eat:

-pf changs

-panera

-chili's

-cheesecake factory

-(adding another) anywhere new

D) Four places I'd rather be right now:

-on vacation

-taking a nap

-with friends

-on a date (with dave of course!)

E) Four TV shows (movies) I would watch over and over:

-Newsies

-Transformers

-National Treasure

-Lots others that I can't think of right now

F) Four People I'm tagging:

-chelsea

-sharene

-gretchen

-leslie

Weekly Activity Planner

Now, before I get started, this idea might seem like just one more thing to do.  But, just so you know, it is something that has helped me out a lot, so I thought I would share it with you.  I don't have any kids in school yet, but I was also thinking that this might be a helpful idea for those of you with kids home for the summer.  The idea comes from The Toddler's Busy Book, which has a bunch of great ideas for things to do with toddlers.  I need to update my library and buy The Preschooler's Busy Book to go along with the first one.  (I just looked them up on Amazon.com - don't spend $23 on the Toddler one.  I don't think I paid more than $10 for mine, and I LOVE it!)

Every week (I do mine on Monday - to start the week off right), I pull one of these sheets out (feel free to use this image), and fill things in.  I know there's already a whole lot of stuff to do during the day, and it might seem insane to try and think of things to fill up an already overflowing day.  This idea really does help your day go smoother!  I promise!  Once I fill in the days with things I have to do, or that are already planned (for example, grocery shopping on Monday, babysitting on Wednesday and Thursday, storytime, playgroup, swimming lessons, etc.), then I add two or more activities to the day - depending on how busy it already is.  Then, at any point during the day, I have an activity already planned.  That way, when boredom sets in, or I have something that really needs my attention, the kids have an activity to keep them occupied.  The activities don't have to be anything spectacular - just entertaining.  I love being prepared when I babysit.  The day seems to go much smoother when the kids are occupied.  

You'll see that on the right side of the page is a section to list what needs to be bought.  I've found this is handy to list out, right as I'm writing down the activity (could be felt, or googly eyes, or whatever), so that I can have all the supplies handy when it's time to start the activity or craft.  You can take the planning page to the store (dollar stores work well for kid's craft supplies), or transfer it to a shopping list you might already have.  Sometimes I just get my supplies from Target when I find a good deal, or when I don't have enough time to make an extra trip somewhere.  Another helpful hint, that most of you moms probably already know, is to stock up on craft supplies, and just keep them handy.  Things like glitter, popsicles sticks, glue sticks, kid scissors, stickers, construction paper, paint (watercolor, fingerpaint, tempra paint...), pipecleaners, and the list could go on.  You can also use things you find around your house - like cotton balls.

So, that's my idea for the day.  My week is pretty full, so I didn't plan too many extra activities.  Here are some of the ones I do have down, if you're interested. :)  Making Father's Day cards, learning about the letter "H" with some activities from Preschool Themes and Lesson Plans, and chalk drawing on black paper.

Here is an example of one of the activities from The Preschooler's Busy Book.  I found it here.  Isn't it darling?  And easy and cheap, too.  You can't get better than that!  She used it for her kids on a plane trip.  I think I'll have to create some myself, for our next airplane trip.

.

Ponytails

I posted a week or so ago about a hair blog I had found, and that I was going to try some new things with Naomi's hair.  It's nothing amazing, just that I was motivated to actually do something with her hair.  So, here it is in a cute little baby ponytail.  She didn't seem to mind getting it in so much.  Mostly the trouble was just getting her to sit still.  After it was in, all I had to do was tell her how pretty she looked, and she left it in all day.  She loves compliments. :)  

She has a natural fringe at the front, that just hasn't grown as fast as the rest of her hair.  I like it - especially since she has the recessed hairline going on.  In the second picture, you can see how the back of her hair curls up in little ringlets.  I love it!  

As for my hair, I have still to get it trimmed or anything.  I'm going to follow everyone's advice and keep growing it and/or keep it the same.  Sounds good to me - no color to pay for - just a trim, and go.  I think I can handle that. :)

Swimming Lessons

Christopher had his first day of swimming lessons today.  We went to the lessons the city offers, and signed up for the same time as my good friend, Holly, and her gorgeous girls.  It was a lot of fun to go with friends.

He did so well!  I am very proud of how he just jumped right in (literally!), and wasn't afraid of the new situation, or of being in the water.  He is definitely his father's child, and loves the water.  It also helps that he gets a lot of practice and encouragement from his daddy and uncle.  They both grew up bodyboarding, and LOVE the water.  We go to the pool almost every weekend.  Dave gets Christopher to do a lot of stuff that I probably wouldn't - just because I wouldn't think to.  He's lucky to have a daddy who will pass on something that he loves so much.  We get to go to lessons Monday through Thursday, for the next two weeks.  Should be fun!

these pictures are really blurry - i didn't have my nice camera, but i wanted to document the occasion anyway.  see if you can tell which one is him. :)

Recipe of the week

I love trying new recipes and seeing what other people are cooking up in their kitchen.  About this time of year I start feeling like I'm in a baking rut.  I don't like turning on the oven, and there's only so many times a week you can have salad (pasta, green, fruit, etc.) before the kids start revolting.  So, in an attempt to try new easy summer recipes, I am going to post a new recipe every week.  

This week's is called Hello Dollies, and I got it from one of the girls in Young Women's.  She made it for us for mutual a couple weeks ago, and I have to say that it was gone in a day or so.  Each girl asked if they could take some home, and Dave and the kids and I polished off the rest without any trouble.  A bonus is that it is really easy to make, so the kids can join in on the fun too.  I know Christopher loves helping me out in the kitchen.  The recipe is on the sidebar on the left of this page.  Enjoy!