The Very Hungry Caterpillar

First off I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Taylor. I was introduced to Alycia by her sister in law Sarah. I was a little nervous to post on this blog because it's a pretty cool blog and I didn't want to taint it or anything!

So... what to write about? I could have chose ANYTHING from the weather to.......my lack of creative inspiration. It just so happened that I was asked to post the week of my son's Birthday. So I thought, "HEY I should write about my boys birthday party." Since my life is lived vicariously through my kids. Here goes nothing!

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Carter is my youngest son and it was his 1st birthday this year! I sent out invites to friends and family about a week before. I was able to find apple cutouts and fuzzy balls for the caterpillar at the Dollar Store for my invites. I first stamped, WHO: WHAT: WHERE: & WHEN on the cutout. I filled out the invitation with clever little sayings that matched my son's name and went along with the book theme. like: PLACE: I wrote CARTERS COCOON. I then glued the fuzz balls at the bottom and made little eyes out of beads to make it look more like a caterpillar then I drew a hole in the apple with a permanent marker. You could also use a hole punch to make it look more like the book. Now that the invitations were sent I had to prepare for the party.

Let me begin by telling you that I am new to throwing party's and it isn't a piece of cake! (ha ha no pun intended) I started making the cake at 8 in the morning. I didn't finish until 4:30 that evening. I just wanted my kitchen back and a break by then. However, I had fun making the cake and will be baking yet again next month for my oldest son's birthday. The body of the Caterpillar was made out of 24 cupcakes frosted with green frosting and the head was from a round 9 inch pan frosted in red. I also used the rest of the green frosting for the middle of the round cake and for finishing touches to the face and legs. Carter got his own red strawberry cupcake. I placed his book on display by the cake with the invitation. I had this whole idea planned to help the kids at the party make caterpillar party hats, I was way too exhausted and out of time by the end of the day. If I would have made hats they would have been out of long strips of construction paper measured for their head and glue circle cut-outs of the caterpillar's body then they could draw a face and use pipe cleaner for the antennae. Maybe next time......

Had to add this picture at the end. If this was the only pic I showed you, you would have thought it was a clown party!

Sorry this is such a long post. Now lets here from you! What are some exciting birthday parties or themes that you have done in the past or would like to do in the future?

Chores

Those of you with kids can relate to this I'm sure. Getting them to do their chores has been a chore in itself. They do the chores for a little while and then....they fall off the wagon. Or I fall off the wagon remembering to remind the younger ones about their chores or hubby just does it himself. That's a whole other post! lol Anyway I was trying to think of a way to spice up the chore thing a little bit and thought it would be fun if I tried this. I thought I would write out all the chores that I want the kids to do. They are 11, 9 and soon to be 8 and I think they should be to handle all of these. You know chores like, dusting, bathrooms ( I may break this up a little so they are not having to clean the whole thing), garbage, dishes, you know the normal chore list. Ok my thought is to have all the chores written out on a card and put on the fridge. No certain order just all over. Then my thought would be the kids can pick say 3 chores, whatever they want, first come first serve, to do. They dont' have to do them all at once but I'm thinking of it more like a game, get the good ones first! Once they've done their 3 chores then they put the cards in a little pocket I'll make and then they are done. We've done the sticker thing and rotating chores but maybe this will make it a little more fun, cause who wants to do boring ole chores anyway? We'll also do an allowance to go with the chores because I think it's important for them to learn about money and how to save and good ways to spend. Nothing outrageous but enough for them. So how do you manage chores in your house?

How do you do Halloween?

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! The costumes, the cookies, the candy, the scary films on tv! I love all of it! This year will be my daughter's first Halloween and I'm super excited to dress her up! I think we'll just take her down a few streets in our neighborhood for some good ol' trick or treating. Nothing too big since she's only 9 months. (I'll be sure to thank her for the candy when she's older). I know Val blogged about costumes and making sure that the kiddos are warm while out trick or treating but maybe this year you won't be going outside. I've noticed in the past few years that there aren't as many kids going trick or treating. People having parties, churches or other organizations having trunk or treating or holding parties, people going out to dinner or maybe you'll just be staying in. Staying cozy in your own home while handing out candy. Anyway you do it, we want to know! How do you do HALLOWEEN?

The great costume find

It's almost Halloween, do you have your costume yet? I must admit I don't really like Halloween for this very reason! Getting the kids to figure out what they want to be and then trying to find a costume is totally stressful to me! My rule is that their costume has to come from home. I will buy something to complete the outfit but I won't spend 40 dollars on a plastic costume that no one will see anyway because it will be covered up by a winter coat and hat and gloves because living in N. Idaho pretty much means it will most likely be 30 degrees, if not colder on Halloween night. It's even snowed on us before. I love it when people think outside the box and get really creative with their costumes. Not that there is anything wrong with say the cheerleader, which my daughter wants to be again this year (hey no need to buy a new costume, works for me!) or being the scream man, which totally creeps me out but there seem to be a lot out there. Check out these cute and creative costumes that I found on familyfun.com. They are sooo cute! I love them. Family fun always has such great ideas.

I think the gnome little guy is my favorite. He's so cute.
So I think on Halloween I'll cuddle up with a cup of hot cider and watch The Great pumkin Charlie Brown (my fav!) and have a snickers or two and see what comes up my driveway this year.

*I thought it would be fun to have a little costume contest so send us some pictures of your kids and their costumes that you wouldnt' mind sharing on the blog, and we'll send a little something to the winner! Can't wait to see what you all come up with! Just send pics to ladeevalerie@aol.com

Websites to remember!

Last night I was flipping through my Woman's Day magazine and I came across an awesome article! Its about a bunch of different websites that everyone needs to know about! So I'm going to share a few.

www.shoplocal.com You can find weekly ads for lots of different stores in your area. You can find what's on sale and who has the best deals of the week.
www.mommysavers.com I think this one is pretty self explanatory. There is so many awesome things on this site.
www.bargainist.com Tons of amazing bargains and you don't have to join, register or pay to be a member of this website.
www.findhow.com This site tells you how to do just about anything! Sweet!
www.bighugelabs.com You can create photo calendars, jigsaw puzzles, mosaics, trading cards and tons more-all from your digital photos.
www.dafont.com Over 9,000 fonts all for free!
www.fixitclub.com This site shows you how to fix all sorts of household repairs.
www.discoveramerica.com Its linked to tourism in all 50 states and lists more than 4,000 experiences, attractions and events!
www.mousesavers.com This site is not associated with Disney but its a huge collection of tips, tricks and secrets for how to get discounts on every aspect of a trip to Disney World, Disneyland...all things Disney!

I just need to bookmark all of these sites! I was super excited to find them and was even more excited to share them all with you! Do you have any sites that you love??

Kitchen remodels bring out the best in everyone

Have you ever remodeled anything in your house? It seems to disrupt life in all directions, no matter how small. We have added onto our house several times and none of those have caused as much disruption as our kitchen remodel. I realize that it is a much bigger scale than the others and there is more involved but the craziness that has gone on is...well...CRAZY! All of our things from the cupboards were moved to the kitchen table which is now sitting in my family room. Let me tell you how fun it is to go looking through boxes and stacks for stuff.

Two weeks ago we finally got our cabinets in and I started putting things away and I'm still looking for that cheese grater that I was looking for last month! Last night hubby finally just went and bought another one so you know that the old one will be turning up any minute. I do have to say we have been pretty lucky being able to use our stove and have had only a day or two without having water and our sink. I have been spoiled though by having a dishwasher and having to do dishes by hand is just no fun at all. There maaay have been a few times that I ignored the dishes in the sink and instead grabbed me a diet pepsi and some chocolate and buried myself in a book.

So now we are down to waiting on counters and flooring and I can't say enough how happy I will be to finally have this remodel done. There have been some very crabby people around here lately, me included and I'm ready to have my house back! And to decorate. :) So do you have any fun remodeling stories to share?

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and don't forget to leave us some comments. We love hearing from you and keep checking back, we are getting ready for another give away soon!

Once a day keeps your mind more sane

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...does that sound familiar? Its the story of my life! Try and keep the house in order and it only takes a moment before its all messy again. But what about the clutter, or the dust bunnies or maybe the big stack of junk mail that you need to sort through? Are you a surface cleaner or a get down and get dirty cleaner. My parents are coming to visit in a few weeks and so I've made a new goal (yes another goal) to take one day at a time and really deep clean my house. I always feel so much better when I've really cleaned and I can relax and feel more comfortable when we have company over. Its super simple and super easy. The goal is to do at least one project a day, cleaning something that you wouldn't normally clean. That sounds easy enough, right? The hard part is sticking to it! Today my project will be to go through the basket on my counter that somehow ends up collecting so many unwanted items. At the end of the day if I've completed at least one or two projects, then I'm that much closer to a very clean house! So...how do you clean??

Oh and the winner of the scarf is.....

TAYLOR!!!!!

Taylor...come on down. Woo hoo! Just let me know which scarf you would like and your mailing address and one will be on their way to you! Thanks for following us and commenting regularly!!

No time to read

Yesterday I got in the mail the November issue of Country Living. Have you read it? It's really great, and they have a lot of good ideas that aren't over the top or cost you and arm and leg. I love to read magazines and this is one of my favorites! I actually did a little dance when it arrived I was so excited. Don't worry I was in the house. Wouldn't want the neighbors to think I was weird or anything! Another favorite of mine is Real Simple. Lot's of great ideas and simple meals that don't look like feathers and unpronounceable things and that your kids might actually eat! I sat down with my magazine yesterday all excited to read, had my hot cocoa and my warming bag (rice bag) who my daughter affectionately named Bubba, and was all set. No kids in the house, nice and quiet! Two pages in and someone called. It took awhile but I finally got off the phone and settled in again. Then hubby came home to paint the living room ceiling. I could have done it, but I was ignoring it and hoping that it would get painted by itself. See? It worked! ;) Sigh. After that the day went down hill. A dentist appt. for the oldest kid, then pick up the others from school, then a haircut, then football practice, then enrichment night and by the time I got home, time for bed. I saw it calling me this morning saying "Read me. Read me" Sorry magazine, I have another busy day today. Maybe we can meet up for a date in the bathroom later in a nice tub of hot water. Just you, me, and the chocolate I have secretly stashed under the bathroom sink.

So what magazine's do you read?

P.S. Don't forget about your giveaway and leave us a comment. Those scarves sure could come in handy if you live in the cold states!

Our First Give Away...

We are so excited to do our first give away! A lucky winner will be able to pick one of these scarfs! Leave us some comments and we'll let you know who the winner is on Friday!

Going to the Pediatrician

Today I'm going to talk about something different. I want to talk about children getting sick. Yesterday I took my daughter's temperature and it was 99.7 so I was watching her careful because she was burning up, yet she was still very happy. This morning was a little bit of a different story, her temperature was 102.0. I took her into see her Pediatrician and asked the Dr if she was running a fever because she has now cut her fourth tooth. Also I asked that about her ears because she has been tugging on them. He said that it wasn't because of her tooth and that he believed her to have a virus. So the first thing they did was check her for Swine Flu. As I was impatiently waiting for the results a few different questions popped into my mind. When she cuts a tooth she tugs on her ears or sometimes she will have a fever. So why is it that the Dr's say that they have a virus and it has no connection with them teething? Do they know something that maybe we don't? In the end the Swine Flu test was negative and he says she has a virus and we are to watch her closely. She is only 9 months old and you can pretty much only give them Motrin or Tylenol. What do you think? Does your child or children do the same? Do you rush them to the Dr when they are feeling ill?

Curtain in an hour

*Guess What? We are having a giveaway! Tell all your friends and make sure you check back next week and find out all about it!*


Girls I tell you this is GENIUS! Pure genius. Who would have thought that you could use drop cloths that one uses to catch paint spills, could be used as curtains? I love thinking outside the box. Well actually, I like it when others think outside the box for me like here . When I saw this idea I just knew I had to try it. The best part for me though is, there is no sewing involved! I can admit I am too impatient. If I can find a short cut I'll probably try it. It doesn't always work out but, this time it turned out perfect.

First I started off with a canvas drop cloth. You can find these at Lowes, home depot even Walmart, although when I looked I did not see any, but the cashier assured me they had them. I'll have to check more on that one. Anyway, I picked mine up at Lowes for $10 dollars and some change. Not bad if you ask me. I washed mine and then let it air dry like the link above did. It was a bit rough and wrinkly, but I kind of like it that way but I suppose you could iron it too for a smoother look. Three sides are already hemmed so you only need to hem one side. To do this, I just used some fabric glue. This stuff is awesome. I picked up some of this stuff to put on all my scouters patches. It stickes really good. Ok back to the curtain. Then I folded over the top about 4 inches and glued it down to make a pocket for the curtain rod. I let it dry for about 30 minutes ( I told you I was impatient!) and hung the curtain. I love it! Sorry my pictures are so dark.

It's a little rustic and I might steam out some of the wrinkles towards the bottom but I like the bit of roughness to it and I thought I might add some ribbon or material to dress it up a little bit. So that's it. A no sew, drop cloth curtain. Made in under an hour. :)

Where did Mommy go??

Right now I am on the last book of the Harry Potter series. Have always loved the movies but didn't know about the books until one day I just decided to go for it and I LOVE THEM! Well unfortunately for my family I've been a little MIA since reading them. I get so into them and I just disappear into a nice hot bath and then reappear an hour later. Usually its when my daughter is either taking a nap or is down for the night. That still leaves my husband and our dog Teddy and not to mention chores around the house. I hate to admit it but until I am done with this book I don't think things will be much better. So that leaves me asking you this, how are you when you get into a good book? Do you shut yourself out of the world or are you able to juggle it with everything else? I think the next book or series I get into I may have to be better about that. What book are you reading at the moment??

Whats for dinner?

I'm in the dinner slumps girls. What should I make tonight has been going through my mind a lot lately. I've been making my two week menu like usual so I should know what's on the menu for the night. Then I look at it and I'm like eh, doesn't sound good. I think between a kitchen remodel, football for the oldest, drs appointments, and working I've fallen into a slump. Since it has been colder I've been really wanting to make some comfort foods especially with the crockpot but with no electricity in the kitchen that makes it kind of hard. I could plug it in, in the bedroom but...not real fond of smelling like chicken in the place where I sleep. So I'm asking you to post you favorite recipes in the comment section and then I'll pick one and I'll try it out and review it on our blog in a few weeks. So come on girls! Share those recipes. I can't wait to see what you guys have been cooking!