A new schedule

A couple weeks ago, I saw THIS post with the idea of a visual schedule. I immediately loved it! I've tried a schedule several times, but every time I failed. I've mostly followed the MOTH system, but I always seemed to "fall off" the schedule and never figured out how to successfully get back on. However, I have noticed that Peanut does much better with a schedule. She needs to know we are doing this, then that, then food (she's all about the food, lol). So I've been trying to come up with a way to do a schedule that works for both of us. I'm hoping this idea will be a perfect fit. It's still a schedule, but easy to change on the fly if necessary.

Now, this post will also show that I am not a very good blogger, lol. I failed to take pictures of each step, so only have pictures of the final project. I'll do my best to walk you through how I did it, though =)

First, I created a document in word with all the items we would need on our schedule. I added a clip art that "matched" the item to make it easier on my non-readers. I then printed them on regular paper, 5 per page. I cut them out and glued them on a slightly larger piece of scrapbook paper.

I then glued it on some foam board. Finally, I added a strip of magnetic tape on the back.

My Hubby then took the cabinet doors off our old BBQ and mounted them on the wall for me. Wala! Ultra cool visual schedule.

Close up of the top panel.

Close up of the bottom panel.

Wanna know what the best part is? I used materials I had on had, so it only cost me $3.99 for the magnetic tape! We haven't "officially" started using it yet (I only got it finished last night, lol), but I'm really excited to start. I really think it will help us stay in a routine.

Blessings,

Father's Day

As today is Father's Day, I wanted to take a minute to honor my wonderful husband.

Thank you, Sweetie, for being such a wonderful and loving father (and husband!). I very much appreciate the fact that you go to work everyday to provide for us so that I can stay home and care for and teach our children. And I'm thankful that you have such a solid foundation in God and that you are faithfully leading our family down that path. I love you and feel so blessed to have you in my life.

Now, the kids and I wanted to get a very special gift for Father's day this year. The difficulty was, finances are VERY tight right now. So being the "crafty" person that I am, I immediately started trying to come up with some kind of craft we could do to make a present. What I finally came up with isn't really a "craft", but it turned out really great and Hubby loves it =)

So, here it is:


I took a bunch of pictures of the kids and then created this collage. I had it printed (minus the watermark!) as a 16x20 poster and then framed it so he can hang it in his office. I found the frame at Target for $5.99 and the print only cost $4.99 (with a $1 off coupon). So for $10.98 and a little bit of my time (OK, so it was A LOT of my time, but that's a whole 'nother story, lol) we came up with a very special Father's Day gift!

Blessings,

Munchkin's Birthday Gift

So, I'm rather tired this evening. Why, you ask? Because I have spent most of this week up late working on Munchkin's birthday gift. But I think it turned out pretty good and I was very excited to give it to her this weekend! I used the pattern I found HERE. It was pretty easy, the most complicated part was the face (I can't embroider to save my life, lol). Oh, and putting it together took a few tries, but once I figured out the arms, the legs were pretty easy. So here are some pictures:

I also used some leftover material from my stash to make her some necessities!

A changing pad.

A couple of diapers (using the pattern found at the above site).

And a small diaper bag.

The doll is approximately the same size as a newborn, so I also included a few outfits, hats and a blanket that Bits has outgrown. So far she loves it! So, for not very much money, I was able to create a beautiful birthday gift that will hopefully last for many years!

Blessings,

Photobook Review

So last month I stumbled across an offer for a completely FREE photobook (meaning the book AND the shipping were FREE). I didn't share it with you all right away because I was a little skeptical of the offer. After all, how good can the quality be if you can get it for free? The deal is, you can get one completely free book per month. So what's the catch? The catch is there are advertisements in the book. The site claimed they are easy to remove and "family friendly". My experience: They were easy to remove and they were for the company I got the book from, so hard to say what the other advertisements can be like. (On a side note: I thought it was a little "low" that the coupon on the advertisement had an expiration date of two days after I MADE the book, so three days before the book even SHIPPED!) Overall though, I'm happy with the book. The shipping took FOREVER, but I think that was the post office, not the company. So here are the pros and cons as I see them: Pros: FREE Decent background/layout selection. It's FREE! Pretty easy to use the site. Decent quality. And did I mention, it's FREE Cons: Background/layout selection. I know I put this on the pro list too :o) While the selection is decent, it's not as extensive as some of the other photo sites out there and some of the backgrounds weren't to my liking (sculls, flames and such). However, I still consider it a "pro" because it's free :o) Image size is a little small. Unless you go for the book that has full page pictures, the images are a little small. I didn't measure them, but they look a little smaller than a 3 x 5 print. Text. I didn't like the fact that the front of the book has your title, but also says "My Hotbook" or something like that (depends on which layout you get I think). Also there was a text only layout page, but it only gives you a line or two, not a whole page. You can add captions to your photos (I didn't do this, so not sure how it turns out). Shipping. They appear to use media mail shipping, which is not a priority as far as the post office is concerned, so it can take a while. Also, the shipping and postage info is listed on the back of the book. They simply put the book in a clear plastic sleeve and mail it to you (like some magazines). This also makes it more vulnerable to damage (it is a soft-sided book). There are advertisements in the book. They say they wont be printed on the same pages as your pictures, are family friendly and easily removable. If you don't like the idea of ads, you can purchase the book for $3.99 + shipping (not sure how much shipping is). Like I said, overall I'm happy with it and will most likely order more :o) My thinking is, as I take pictures each month, I'll put the ones I especially like in a separate "to print" folder and at the end of the month I'll make a FREE book with the pictures that I've set aside. This way I get "printed" pictures without having to spend an arm and a leg. The website is www.hotprints.com. They also have a calendar that is a similar deal to the photobook, but I haven't checked it out. Blessings,

Giveaway at Grocery Cart Challenge!

I just discovered a great giveaway this morning at Grocery Cart challenge! She is giving away three (yes, I said three!) Lunapads sample packs! Head on over to her site to read her review and enter the drawing!

Blessings,

Glennda

Chickens

We are thinking about getting chickens. (sigh)

I HATE chickens! No, seriously, I do. My mom Loved chickens, so we had chickens a few times growing up. And she believed that free-range was the only way to go, so the chickens were EVERYWHERE! And forget about trying to find the eggs! It was like having an Easter egg hunt every day and when you found one wondering just how long it had been sitting out in the elements. They really are dumb obnoxious creatures.

So why are we getting chickens, you may ask? Because, like many of my friends, I too, have been bitten by the homesteading/frugal living bug. (sigh) I even got some books from the library (and judging by the slim selection and the number of holds, I think most of the city has been bitten by the same bug!) so I could "study up". (sigh)

It will be nice to have a fresh supply of eggs, though.