It's premiere night!!!

This is one of the easiest and cheapest birthday parties I have ever done. Adriana's 10th birthday fell right around the time of Miley Cyrus's new Hannah Montana movie release, so we had a movie-themed party. How I saved money (and sanity): I limited the number of invites, we saw an early showing, and the only part of the party held at my house was the drop off and pick up. So there was very little "entertaining" involved.

The girls each took a goody bag to the movie so that I didn't spend an arm and a leg at the theater.


The after party was contained to our dining room, where brownies (Adriana doesn't like cake), ice cream and soda pop were served. The decorations consisted of "hollywood" colors like black, silver and gold. There were balloons on the floors, movie reels on the table cloth and banner, and a director's cut board as a center piece:


The party favors were boxes of pink kettle corn (that I made using a Whirly-pop) with a rubber Hannah M. bracelet attached:


And here's my birthday girl, all growed up and never again to see a single-digit age! :)

A moment of pride

Yesterday while I was working out my 4 year old came into the room and asked if he could join me. He peeked under my bed, where I keep all my weights, and struggled to reach 2 small, dusty 5lb. weights. He pulled them out and studied them, comparing them to the 20 lb. weights I was using. And he asks...

"Are these Daddy's weights?"

something fun - Pay It Forward

I got a creative itch this morning, which began with painting with Drew and Sasha. Then it turned into making a few hair accessories for the girls, and continued with a couple new Whimsy Wipes for friends and family that have recently had babies.



I'm participating in this give away I spotted on Code Yellow's blog.

The rules:

1. Be one of the first THREE to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?! Maybe one of the above?

2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift - anything! - for the first three bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send your THREE friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And remember, it's the spirit and the thought that counts!

4. When you receive your gift, feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

Good Friday

If you are looking for a way to teach your children about the TRUE meaning of Easter, here are some ideas. A lot of them were derived from my friend Catherine: Blue Stocking Mama. The idea is to let the children see how the Savior spent the last week of his life.

Fill 12 plastic eggs with these items, and label them in order from 1 to 12:

1.) donkey
2.) piece of bread/sacrament cup
3.) piece of soap
4.) drops of blood shaped from playdough (or jsut a small piece of cloth stained with red marker
5.) 3 dimes
6.) thorn
7.) nail
8.) cross made from toothpicks or popsicle sticks
9.) piece of white cloth
10.) spices (allspice or cloves tied inside a little piece of cloth)
11.) stone
12.) leave empty

Find a map of Jerusalem. Here's a link with a decent picture map included:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&a mp;locale=0&sourceId=0dae9c84f5d6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Have an Easter egg hunt... either hide all the eggs at once or do it one at atime, allowing your children to take turns hiding it for their siblings. This way breaks up the sitting and listening part. :)

Open egg #1 - Read summary on back of GAK (Gospel Art Kit) 223. Make ahead or let kids themselves make palm leaves. (Using green construction paper, fold in half. Draw a semi circle from the folded center outward. Cut out. Cut "fringe" along curved edge. Unfold and glue a popsicle stick for the stem.) Give each kid a palm leaf and let them practice saying "Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Find Bethany, Bethpage and the Mount of Olives on the map and place stickers on each. Explain that the journey for Jesus to Jerusalem was 2 "furlongs" or miles.

Open egg #2 - Read summary on back of GAK 225 and explain that our Easter feast will be symbolic of the Last Supper, but the sacrament we take every Sunday was put in place at this very moment in time.

Pass out raisins, french bread and juice - kids may also dress up in robes if they'd like.

Open egg #3 - Read summary on back of GAK 226.

Open egg #4 - read summary on back of GAK 227. Find Gethsemane on the map and place sticker.

Open egg #5 - Read summary on back of GAK 228.

Open egg #6 - talk about friendship and loyalty; How is Jesus loyal to us? How can we be loyal to him? How can we be loyal to those we love? Have kids try on "Jesus sandals". (they're just paper cutouts) And sing "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus".

Open egg #7 and #8 together - Read summary on back of GAK 230. Let the kids smell/taste vinegar. Find Golgotha on the map and place sticker.

Open egg #9 and #10 together - Read summary on back of GAK 231.

Open egg #11 and #12 together - Read summary on back of GAK 232.

Make "Resurrection Rolls" (see allrecipes.com) Sit and eat the while watching "He Is Risen" (Animated stories from the new Testament)

Sing "Did Jesus Really Live Again" (I have GAK pictures that go along with the words to this, too)

Then talk about Easter the way we celebrate it. Have another Easter egg hunt, this time with candy inside the eggs. Sit down and discuss the origin (using pictures, i.e. clip art) of modern-day Easter symbols:

Eggs - represent life (in all living creatures, life begins with an egg)
Grass - the Garden of Gethsemane
Easter Bunny - derived from bunnies, lambs and other animals which symbolize new life during the Spring season
Lilies - the first flower to bloom after Christ died
Candy - the sweet and pure love of our Savior
Baskets - traditionally wooden, remind us of the cross upon which Christ was hung
New hat/shoes (clothes) - Explain that when I was a little girl, I always got a pretty, new, Sunday hat (one of which I kept, and will show my kids). The hat represents the humity we feel as we bow our heads in remembrance of our Savior. And new shoes, another tradition, represent the washing of the Apostles' feet by the Savior.

Don't have a great way to end it, I'm just hoping they make it this far! Lol! It will take a good while to get through it all, but I anticipate them really enjoying it.

Thanks to Catherine for getting the creative juices really flowing! She's one smart mom!

Hope some of you can use a few of these ideas as well! I just think it is so important to take some of the focus off the secular nature of this sacred holiday.

10 MORE commandments

For my children and my children alone:

1.) Thou shalt not lick anything besides lollipops, ice cream or popsicles. This includes your little sister.

2.) Thou shalt not hit any note higher than G whilst screaming. I cannot handle high C any longer.

3.) Thou shalt not steal food off your sibling's plate when they look the other way.

4.) Thou shalt restrain the urge to practice your most intense piano pieces, crescendo ad nauseum, as soon as I pick up the phone.

5.) Don't not go potty and say you did. Er, Thou shalt not lie and then pee in your carseat as we pull out of the driveway.

6.) Speaking of pottying, thou shalt pull your pants up before you exit the public stall - or even better, the public restroom.

7.) Thous shalt not try and slide down my back while I am doing yoga in the living room.

8.) And thou shalt not ask for me to explain the law of gravity while I am on my 12th rep of bicep curls.

9.) Yes, it is fair. Uh, I mean... thus is fair. (?)

10.) Oh, and thou shalt EAT YOUR VEGETABLES! That one is in the bible. Somewhere, I'm sure. :)