Spring Into Reading With DEAR Time – Drop Everything And Read With Your Kids

March 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

DEAR Time - Drop Everything And Read with your kidsI would be lying if I told you I came up with the phrase ‘DEAR time – Drop Everything And Read’  - on my own.  It is something my small people do at their school and the moment I heard it, it resonated with me. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved to read – magazines, fiction, non-fiction – anything.  I read  on the way to school, at school, after school and before bed.

When my small girl recently begged for ‘just a few more minutes’ of reading as she crawled in to bed, I instantly acquiesced  sharing with her my secret from childhood: I used to pretend I didn’t feel well and lock myself in the bathroom at night – just to get more time to read.  Delaney asked if I had ever told MY mother.  turns out, I hadn’t.

Well, she knows now.

My sweet 8 year old girl is now often flying through 150 page chapter books in two days or less – so we are constantly on the look-out for books that teach her, help her to grow, build her vocabulary AND keep her interested.

We have once such series we share with you in the video below AND, I’m thrilled to be hosting a Google+ Hangout  today at 1pm CST (my very first, if you must know – so do come play!) to talk about the importance of reading with your kids, books that are a good fit for different age groups and how to encourage reading in your home (Hint: we’re going to talk about DEAR time!)

What series of books (or individual books) have you found to be ideal for your kids?  SHARE!  I love having options and new ways to entice my children into reading.

Please do join me on the Google Hangout today (Wednesday 3/13) at 1pm CST. My friend Niri will be joining me – as reading in her home is just as important as it is in ours.  If you would like to join the conversation, please do let me know!

(Live below if you join at the right time!)

 

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Hair Tutorial: Create Quick, Easy Beach Waves: Keeping Style in Your Life

January 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Quick Easy Beach Waves Hair TutorialAs I begin my final week in my 30′s, I am fully embracing the fact that style matters to me.  Even more than that, MY STYLE matters to me.  It isn’t as though I had lost all sense of style…. I haven’t forgotten how to get dressed or do my hair, how to organize my home, or take care of my health. I’ve simply decided to re-embrace the effort I used to make.

I’m enjoying my life.  I’m Keeping Style in My Life and in doing so, hopefully introducing you to a few ways to do the very same in yours.  Last week I took you inside my closet for 10 Ways to Tie a Scarf.

Today, together, we are tackling a hairstyle I love.  Beach waves.  Yes, I know it isn’t Summer.  Trust me. I know it isn’t Summer.  But that doesn’t mean your hair can’t embrace a soft wave – and one that lasts.

I love it because it is easy.  (If I can do it, you can do it)

I love it because it is quick. (Less than 10 minutes and I have long hair and a lot of it!)

Here we go!

A Hair Tutorial: Create Quick, Easy Beach Waves in Minutes:

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The Small Girl Is Growing Up: A Room Make-Over

July 19, 2012 by 14 Comments

My small girl didn’t ask for gifts for her 8th birthday.  But she did have a very specific request.

She wanted all pink removed from her room. Now, this is a tall request since pink was a dominant color in the space.  But she has long been leaning away from the color pink – in clothing, in backpacks, in stuffed animals and toys – she simply isn’t interested.

Purple and Blue.  These are her favorites.

So, we committed to re-doing her room as her ‘gift’ for her birthday.

This was Delaney’s room before (and while messy – this is actually *almost* clean).  Yes, the ceiling is pink, too. (And that purple on the bottom?  That USED to be a dark shade of pink before Delaney requested I paint it two years ago)

So, we made some changes… we added  a few new accessories and made some adjustments to her existing ones.

$30 for a new furry purple lamp, $30 for the amazing little blue chair (a favorite for curling up to read) and $20 for the softest purple blanket of all time.  All at Target. I changed the location of the shelves. The trophies were already hers and I replaced the pink framing of the picture with purple to match the decor of the room.  I used leftover scrap paper.

Jeff’s parents (MaMa and PaPa) jumped in on the fun – buying all of the bedding and pillows to match the room.

And, of course…. painting makes all the difference. Ta-Da!

And from the other angle:

I have to confess, I had so much fun doing this for her – and she has been so grateful.  She has even managed to sleep in later than normal (courtesy of her Eclipse room-darkening curtains – also from Target).  Those are a life-saver.

What tricks do you have for a room-makeover without spending a fortune?

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How To Do A Zero-Effort, Fast Summer UpDo

July 3, 2012 by 6 Comments

I will be the first to say I’ve fallen in to a rut when it comes to my hair.  If you’ve met me, you’ve probably seen my hair in some version of ‘long’ and ‘down’, but I’m branching out… I’m learning new things and I’m getting crazy trying to style it (or maybe not CRAZY, but still TRYING!).

Let’s be clear, I’m starting off EASY.   And I’ll confess the 103+ temperatures in St.Louis had a little to do with motivating me.  You simply can’t go long hair down every day in THAT.

And yet I still want casual and presentable, yes?

Here Goes…

My Zero-Effort, Fast (casual) Summer Updo….

Do you have a favorite style you would like to share?  Link to it below… I would love to see it, pin, it, try it :)

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I Believe Parenting Is A Process

June 18, 2012 by 3 Comments

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Now, to you, this picture may not seem remarkable.  And in many ways, it isn’t. My small dude has a little bit of bed head, he’s smiling as usual, and yes, you can see the remnants of last night’s eye-black still darkening his face.  Feel free to judge me for letting him tumble in to bed at 10pm post-game without a shower.

But here IS what I love about this picture and why it represents a bit of a triumph for me – albeit a small one.

This picture reminds me that parenting is a process.  While I can’t say I ever believed I would seamlessly feed my children, that they would automatically sleep through the night or that brother and sister would never fight, I can also assure you, I had no idea potty training would rank among the top ten worst experiences of my life, that I now find it odd to NOT be kicked awake in the morning and that getting my children to try a new food feels like a small miracle.

And that miracle?  Well – you ‘re witnessing it.  Also?  The ‘trying something new’ was met with enjoyment.  Cooper – my breakfast-cereal-pancakes-doughnut kid (with fruit, of course) agreed to try eggs. And gosh-darn-it-he-LIKED-them!

I kept waiting for Ashton Kutcher to appear…. laughing that I had been punk’d. Not that I would find that humorous.  To be clear, I’d probably take him out, but still, I was waiting.

And he didn’t come.  And Coop kept eating. And smiling.

And my parenting felt infinitesimally easier.  For about 10 minutes.  But I’ll take it.

I DO believe parenting is a process. 

Today, eggs.  The day before, brie.  Tomorrow…..?

What should I try next.

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The Cheapest Kid’s Birthday Invitations Ever

June 8, 2012 by 4 Comments

Let’s face it, kid’s birthday parties are pricey.

Even if you aren’t over the top.

Even if you aren’t fancy.

Just sending invitations, providing food, finding a way to decorate and keeping them entertained can add up.

I’ve gone all out in the past – baked and crafted and decorated…. and then slumped to the floor in an exhausted, spent heap when it was all over – vowing to find a different way next year.

I have two summer birthday babies – so naturally, taking advantage of the outdoors is always an option.  (though, sometimes – that summer heat? WHEW! It can really be too much.  Last year, the small dude was sick the night after his party from over-heating.

But this post isn’t about how crafty I’m NOT, but rather, how I completely eliminated the expense of invitations all-together, and still found a way to be a bit creative.  This was Cooper’s birthday invitation from LAST year:

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Teacher Gift Idea – Kiss The School Year Goodbye

May 23, 2012 by 1 Comment

I cannot claim to be the craftiest of souls, but every now and then, something works out ok.  This was one of those times.

For teacher gifts, I always feel a bit stuck.  Sure, I could go the easy route and add money to the class gift and be done with it – but I really want my children’s teachers to know how much we appreciate the effort they put in every single day.

This means I feel compelled to do something individual for our teachers…something that comes just from us.  And I’m not suggesting you (or we) break the bank.   So…. I spent some time looking around on Pinterest and found some great suggestions like this one here (I would link to the actual blog post, but the link for that gift idea just takes you to this website and I can’t seem to find this teacher post on the site.  So, I modified their gift suggestion to fit us and our teachers.)

I decided to ‘Kiss’ our school year goodbye – and the Hershey’s kisses worked especially well since Delaney and Cooper’s teachers love chocolate.  The towel, the magazine and the note let them know we hope they have a chance to relax and of course, the Target gift card will hopefully allow them to get a little of what they WANT.

What are you doing for the teachers in your kid’s lives this year?

 

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