12 Days up to Christmas Reading

My oldest just started school this year and we are trying to get her to read as much as possible. With Christmas not too far away, I thought it would be a good idea to read a book each night leading up to Christmas Eve. Now, I had thought about doing 24 books but half way through wrapping, I decided to just stick with a simple 12 and do a "12 Days up to Christmas" reading each night with the kids. Trinity can help read the book to Daddy and her brothers, get practice and I can incorporate books on the "true meaning of Christmas." Granted, all of our books are not all on this and some are not even Christmas related but I wanted to use what I had on hand and not have to purchase any more books. I look forward to doing this with the kids in the years to come and starting many other traditions that they maybe they will do with their kids one day too. 

Here are the books I used:

I decided to get rid of all my Christmas wrapping paper to save space (I can't stand clutter) and wrap with craft paper. I love it because it is inexpensive ($2.5 @ Hobby Lobby) and I can just use ribbon, stamps, cutouts with my cricut or even let my kids color/paint on it. Here's what I did with the books:

I used the same idea with our Christmas presents this year too. I stamped the recipients name on the present, added some ribbon and let the kids do a Christmas craft on the back to be festive. That way it looks nice and neat (that's the OCD in me) under the tree and there is a little surprise on the back when the person goes to open it. Here is an example of one: 

It isn't the cutest out of the bunch but one of the first ones we did. I will do a post on those tomorrow. 

Thanksgiving Crafts

Thanksgiving is about to be here and I thought I would post some cute crafts we did in the Toddler room. 

This one was my favorite. I am a sucker for handprint crafts. I love to have them for my kids and see how their little hands grow. I got the idea here.

We also made this adorable paper plate turkey.

Got the idea for this one here.

I also wanted to include the mayflower and indians so we did this one shown and I forgot to get a picture of the indian but it is similar to this one here.

I also like to focus on a different color each month so I got this coloring page here.

Some other cute crafts are this cute hand and foot print turkey, this color palette turkey would be good for older kids (she also has some other cute ideas on her site) or this precious handprint turkey shirt for your little one to wear. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 

Sleepover Party

We had Trinity's 6th birthday party this past Friday night and it was a huge success! I decided to have her a slumber party so that she would be able to celebrate with her close girlfriends and then in December we will have a party for her and Gabe so family can also celebrate. Let's just say that even though this Mama was stressed to the max, the little ladies had a blast so it made it all worth-while. I wanted to be sure we had something going on at all times so I made a "balloon schedule" so that each gal could pop one and it would let us all know what we would do next.

The girls got so excited when it was their turn to pop one! I also had heart confetti in them so it was a nice surprise. The schedule included: Let's eat!/Decorate Cupcakes/Craft Time/BINGO/Open Presents/Karaoke/Nail Salon/Pop the Glow Balloons/Popcorn & Candy/Movie

I do not have a table that will sit that many kids so I decided to just move Trins's mattress off her bed into the kitchen and let the kids eat and do crafts at it. I borrowed some pillows and let the kids use them to sit on. I used their pillowcases I made as favors on the pillows and that way each child already knew where to sit. 

If you decide to go the mattress route, you probably would need to place cardboard under the sheet to make it more sturdy. The only issue we had were the drinks staying upright so the kids sat them in between each other. 

After supper and cupcakes, we moved on to craft time. I took a long table cloth and placed it over the mattress so the sheet and mattress would not be ruined. It worked out real well. The kids had paint, glitter glue and gems to decorate with. 

Up next was bingo! I made the Bingo cards using Photoshop and clip art from the internet. I thought they turned out so cute and actually ended up making some for a friend's daughter's party the next day. The girls seemed to have enjoyed it too! I actually ended up replacing the letters B-I-N-G-O with pictures for my friend and it seemed to go smoother that way. They used smarties to mark their spots. 

After Bingo, Trin got to open her presents. I mainly asked the parents to get her dress-up clothes and accessories so the girls could actually play with them later on in the evening. Karaoke was next and the girls seemed to enjoy singing and dancing with each other. Then came time for "Nail Salon." The girls got to pick their polish color and I also bought nail stickers for them to choose from.

I didn't get any pictures of this but we played "Pop the Glow Balloon" next and I just placed candy and glow sticks in balloons, taped them to the wall, the girls put a mask on, twirled and then had to walk to find a balloon. This gave them candy for the movie and we also had popcorn.

Movie Time and then Bed!!

For breakfast the next morning, we had donuts and milk/OJ. I was going to cook toast and eggs for the kids but by the time they woke, we had to eat quick before the parents were there to pick them up. 

This had to be Trinity's favorite party to date and I will have to say it was mine also. It was kind of thrown together but I think turned out pretty well. There has already been requests for another sleepover!

~Favors for the girls were their pillowcases, their craft they did, and a box full of goodies and candy of their choosing. 

Kindergarten-Lunches

Week 2 of kindergarten and I have learned from last week what Trinity likes and doesn't like. I will say...she is one picky gal! LOL So, here are our meals for this week:

Trinity says she likes Vienna sausages but I really don't think she has tried them so she will be trying them this week with saltines, peaches, yogurt and string cheese.

Heart shaped bologna sandwich, pickles, pudding, carrots & ranch.

Star shaped PB&J sandwiches, pear slices, penguin crackers, carrots and ranch.

Chicken, mayo & cheese wrap, string cheese, raisins, banana and yogurt. 

I choose to do carrots and ranch often because it is the only veggie I can get her to eat right now. Hoping she will start trying more as I start sneaking stuff in. The fifth day will be leftovers from something I have fixed or we have grilled out. 

Project 365 Week 32

Took this sweet girl shopping for some new shoes for school. Nice having some mommy/daughter time! 

After daycare and naps, we went and bought an "end of summer" surprise. This is what Miss Trinity picked and she sure did enjoy playing in it that evening!

This little man has gotten to where he doesn't like sleeping/napping in his toddler bed. He spent pretty much his whole nap on mommy today. 

My sweet kiddos! Gabriel hasn't liked getting in the pool so the one day I decide not to put on a bathing suit, he decides he wants to get in. LOL

Kindergarten orientation for this big girl was a success! She wasn't quite sure as we went into the gym so the principal could introduced himself and the teachers. Then as we divided and went to her classroom, her shyness kicked into high gear. When it was time to meet her teacher though, she didn't hesitate to introduce herself. By the time we were walking out, a smile was planted on her face and you could tell she was going gone just fine. 

I remember bringing her to daycare the first day and being so nervous. Before I knew it, she was in the toddler room with me and then it seemed like the rest flew by. Now it is her last day of going to daycare with me and it is bittersweet. I am happy for this new step in life but if that flew by so quick, I can't imagine how the next few years will. 

Mamas sweet boys after they woke up from their nap. Love these two! 

Project 365 Week 31

    I am beginning this project really late but hey, better late then never! I love to scrapbook but since having Asher, it has become very difficult to find the time. I have heard of people doing the photo-a-day challenge and thought it would be a great idea to do to document my children's lives. So, here goes! 

My big girl doing her chores...in mommy's shoes. 😊 She loves doing her chores on her chore chart! 

My poor sick boy. Went for his 4 month checkup and he was running a fever of 101. He is a growing boy though...18% in length, 55% in weight (15lbs 13ozs), and 85% in head circumference. 

Was a stressful trip down to the beach so the hubby and I enjoyed a nice evening in the hut tub while nana kept an eye on the kiddos. Came back up to the room to find Gabriel had climbed in the playpen with Asher. LOL Nana thought I had put him there! 😄

     The kids are ready to hit the beach! 

We had such a fun day but the highlight had to have been getting our caricature done! Love how it turned out!! 

Got some mommy-daughter time down at the ocean with my sweetpea. Love her! 

Our view this morning as we ate breakfast and got ready to leave the beach to head home. Stopped to do some shopping at the outlets and got Miss Trinity's lots of new clothes for BIG school.

Kindergarten-Lunches

As a mommy to a 30lb tiny 5 year old, I like to know my child is eating and what she is eating is healthy. Worried Trinity would not eat lunches very well at school, I decided to start make her own lunches with stuff I knew she liked. 

I am only on week one and if you all have any suggestions on lunches, feel free to comment. 

Day 1:

Bologna sandwich on wheat bread, crackers, strawberries, carrots with ranch dressing

Day 2:

Chicken wraps, apple slices, Greek yogurt with honey, almonds, Oreos

Day 3:

Pb&j Sandwich, applesauce, raisins, string cheese, cupcake

Day 4:

Tuna on wheat thins, raisins, string cheese, oranges, carrots with ranch dressing

For the fifth day I will just use leftovers from when I cook or from when the hubby cookouts. Like I said, if y'all have any suggestions, let me know!

Chore Chart

As Trinity is getting older, I have been giving her more responsibility around the house. Since she is starting Kindergarten, I decided to make her a chore chart so she will know what she needs to do before bedtime.

Being the Pinterest lover that I am, I search and searched for ideas. Finally us gals just went and picked up a cookie sheet, brought it home and decided to improvise. Once we picked out some scrapbook paper, ribbon and craft paint (fuchsia) that I already had on hand, we got to work. 

Trinity painted the cookie sheet while I got on my Cricut and cut out the vinyl letters for the chore chart. I also researched what would be good chores for her age. She is 5 so I decided on: laundry (putting the dirty in the bin and putting up the clean ones), brushing her 

teeth, set the table, helping me load the dishwasher, homework, feed the dogs, and a couple of other ones. 

Once I got everything printed and ready, we got to work putting it all together. I had so much fun making it with my little sweetpea and she seemed to also. So far, she is still excited to do her chores at night and I love how she is now able to even recognize what each chore reads. 

Here is a look at our chore chart:

Hi Yall!

Hello Internet world...my name is Michelle. Don't know if many will read but as a mommy of 3, I need some sort of an outlet so I am letting it all out to yall! If you can't tell from my southern "typing accent", I am from the good 'ole South. I have been married to my sweet husband for 7 years and in that short time we have been blessed with 3 youngins: Trinity (5), Gabriel (19 months) and Asher (3 months). 

(Shirts made by me)

I work part-time at a daycare taking care of toddlers (1-2 years old) and even after 6 years of tantrums, dirty diapers and snotty noses, I still love it and love those sweet little faces! I love to craft and am a Pinterest addict. I am currently trying to get back in shape after #3 and let's just say, It Is Hard! I will be sharing my crafts, decorating ideas, fitness journey, recipes and other ideas with yall. Look forward to your input on this new "journey" I will be taking part in! 

Tasty Tasty Taco Pie

Every week I have been trying a new recipe because let's just face it, I am getting tired of fixing and eating the "same ole' thing." Pinterest has been my go-to for my search and last night I made Taco Pie and it was easy to make and YUMMY! Thought I would share the recipe with you guys so here goes:

Let's start off with our ingredients: 

1-2 lb. ground beef

(I used ground turkey instead 

of beef and it tasted great!)

                            1/2 c. water

1 (4 oz.) can sliced olives

(optional)

1 can crescent roll dough

1 c. sour cream

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. crushed corn chips

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cook your meat until it is no longer pink, drain and return to pan.

Add the taco seasoning, water and olives.

Let simmer for 5 minutes. 

   Next you need to separate your crescent roll dough into triangles and place into a 9" pie dish, points toward the center of the dish. Press the seams together to form the crust.

       As I was making this, I realized that I had disposed of my pie dish a while back so I had to improvise and this is how mine turned out. You could probably use any type of dish and it would turn out fine!

Sprinkle 1 cup crushed corn chips onto crust.

Spoon meat mixture on top of chips evenly.

Stir sour cream until smooth and then spread over meat.

Cover with cheese and remaining corn chips.

Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. 

Can be served with salsa. Hope you all enjoy, I know I sure did!