Penny Charm Bracelet

So a few days ago while browsing Pinterest I found a cute idea to make. My daughter LOVES to collect the pressed pennies that you can get at about anywhere (zoo, amusement park, museums, etc). It seemed really easy to make and actually didn't have to buy any tools to do it other than the jewelry pieces to put the pennies on.

Make sure you have bronze chain, bronze rings to put through the holes, bronze clasp so you can wear the bracelet.

1. I used a hammer and a screw and hammered the penny to make a hole. This step seemed to take the longest out of all the steps and it honestly didn't take that long!

2. Next take the bronze rings and put them through the pennies so you can hook them onto the chain. I found it easy to use two pair of pliers and pull the rings apart and then put it through the penny.

3. Now take the pennies and put them on the chain. I used a pliers to squeeze the rings closed once I put them on the chain.

4. Then put the clasps on the end of the bracelet so you can wear it!

 So easy and so CUTE!!

Tye Dye Cupcakes, Party and More!!

Awhile back I wrote about ideas for doing birthday parties and how to make them inexpensive but still fun. Well today we had Taylor's 8th birthday party and that is exactly what I did!

We did a painting party so I got all the supplies from Micheal's. I was able to get 10 8x10 canvas for them to paint for 12 bucks (with a 40% off coupon). The paint was $1 a bottle (I got 8 bottles) and the paintbrushes were 6 bucks for about 20 different ones. 

I had some leftover party stuff (paper plates and napkins) so I went to the store and got some more party stuff on clearance and paid a total of 12 bucks for 16 cups, plastic tablecloth, party poppers, goodie bags, blow pops, and lip gloss (for the goodie bags!). I also got some balloons for 6 bucks.

I spent a good portion of money on food since I didn't have time to make much more than the cupcakes. I got a HUGE fruit platter for 20 bucks, ham spinach wraps for 7 bucks, a dozen deviled eggs for 4 bucks and capri sun drinks for 6 bucks.

Then I made the cupcakes at home and frosted them with a can of rainbow chip frosting (2.39). I saw a cool tye dye cake in one of the family magazines for Arkansas and decided I would try it for the cupcakes! 

It is super easy to do all you need is cake batter and food coloring. First make the batter according to the directions on the box. Then divide the batter up equally into 6 different bowls (or however many colors you want in your cupcakes). Then follow the directions on the back of the food coloring on how to make the different colors.

 

When you have done that then you will scoop each color into the cupcake wrappers. There really is no wrong way to do this part. You can take and spoon the mixture one right over the other or you can randomly spoon it into the wrappers. 

Bake them in the oven for 20-24 minutes. Let them cool and then top them with frosting!

It so very easy to have a fun birthday party that doesn't hurt the bank!!

My Memphis Mini Vacation

It seems like March has flown by and I can't believe it is already the 21st! We just got back from Memphis today and we had so much fun! 

It is only about 2 1/2 hours from where we live in Arkansas so it is the perfect length of trip to do with a baby and with the cost of gas going up it doesn't cost so much either for gas!

We stopped about halfway there because the baby had to burp after eating and she kept giving me the funniest facial expressions. Such a diva~

We decided to go to the Pink Palace Museum which was so much fun. I am a big nerd when it comes to museums because it is fun to walk around and learn new things. And this museum had all sorts of stuff about military history. Of course being in the military it makes me appreciate it that much more :)

There is also an IMAX theater in the museum and it was so fun to watch the Tornado Alley movie. Mostly since I am a meteorologist for the Air Force and this movie is accurate unlike others *cough cough* Twister. 

We ate at Hard Rock Cafe that night on Beale Street which is fun during the day for kids but not the appropriate environment in the evenings. 

Nice drink and the glass comes with it!!

Silly baby putting her feet on the table! Apparently manners are optional for Olivia!

Later that evening we took a carriage ride around Memphis! It was fun and our house Bonnie was the only Clysdale in Memphis doing carriage rides!

The next day we went to the Memphis Zoo. LOVED IT!! I am a kid at heart and I think I was the most excited to go to the zoo! It is a wonderful zoo with really nice exhibits and it was the perfect temperature outside for it too!

It was so much fun to get away for a few days and just enjoy time with the family! Oh and might I mention too Taylor turned 8 so it was fun celebrating her birthday on our mini vacation!

Healthy Pin of the Day

So March is National Nutrition Month! Yep that's right if you have failed at your New Year's resolution then you can restart this month by eating healthier! Everyday we seem to be more aware of what is used to make our food and what we are putting into our bodies. If you don't know you should check it out here: Processed Food.

By eating healthier or cleaner as I like to call it you are not only helping your body digest food easier but you are also going to lose weight! You can go to the gym all you want but if your diet is poor then you will see little to no results!

So enough of my soapbox for today here is my healthy pin for today:

avocado, tomato, sprouts & pepper jack with chive spread

 

Looks so delicious and when I go grocery shopping tomorrow I am going to get the stuff to make this!

Happy Birthday Girl Scouts!

So 100 years ago today, Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts with 18 girls in Savannah Georgia.

Wow! 100 years and still going strong. 

I was a Girl Scout and loved every minute of it. I think mainly because we weren't one of those troops that sat around and did badges at every meeting. We went out and did things. We explored, traveled, learned things we might not have if it hadn't been for Girl Scouts. I most definitely cherish my childhood memories of this because of all the cool places we went. We were pages for a day for the Texas Senate in Austin. We went camping (and even did a Troop Beverly Hills campout), went to California, San Antonio, Oklahoma. Just to name a few places. I went to camp and met new friends and had a blast for the few weeks I was "away from the parents" every summer. 

I have to say none of this would have all been possible without some really good troop leaders that came up with all these ideas and inspiried us. When my troop finally disbanded the summer before my senior year we still had over half the girls that started in our troop back when I joined in second grade!

My oldest Taylor recently started Girl Scouts and I think secretly I am more excited about it than she knows! I feel in a society that encourages girls to grow up so much more quickly than necessary, Girl Scouts helps preserve some of that innocence. I remember growing up watching Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite and now it seems that the only thing on TV is drama shows were kids are boyfriend and girlfriend and they discuss cheating on the other! Really! Is that necessary already!! 

Thankfully there is still some goodness out in the world and I encourage all those moms with daughters to think about Girl Scouts to teach them morals and values that our daughters so desperately need!

If you want more information on Girl Scouts look here:  Girl Scouts

Product Review: Baby Bullet

So Olivia turned 4 months a few weeks ago and we have been working on spoon feeding. The first time I tried to feed her rice cereal I swear she thought I was trying to poison her.  And it didn't go so well.

 

Well since this first time she continues to DESPISE rice cereal or oatmeal. She will arch her back and try her hardest to get out of the Bumbo and away from the cereal!

So I decided to get out the Baby Bullet that I bought last weekend and make her some baby food that she will hopefully actually eat. Before I used it I was reading through the manual and my first impression was "Wow this seems really easy!" Not only does it tell you how to use the baby bullet but it also has a cookbook for baby and it is divided up into age categories (4-6 months, 7 mon, 8 mon, etc) so you know what to feed them at what age. It also has what foods are best to try first, which ones are no allergy or low allergy risk and then what food NOT to feed baby for the first year. This Baby Bullet is just awesome! It is easy to use and the directions are simple. And you can make your baby food for the whole week in about 5 minutes or less. I think one of the best things is that it has storage cups that you can choose the date you made it and then it has a storage tray too that you can also put in the freezer to store more food.

I am definitely recommending this to any of my friends with babies that will be starting spoon feeding soon!

FYI - we made bananas and she LOVED them! Now that she doesn't have a meltdown every time we try to feed her we have to work on her tongue so she doesn't spit it out.

Websites for Moms

First I want to start this off with saying I'm sorry that I have been so bad about posting lately. My hubby took last week off of work so I hung out with him as much as I could as he works evening shifts and I usually only see him on the weekends!

With that being said I thought about what would be helpful to pass on to other moms and it came to me when I was checking my email this morning. I get so many emails with deals, discounts and other stuff that would be useful to pass on to other moms.

So here is my list:

1. Deals for Mommy:

It has deal of the day, free deals, hot deals, printable coupons, local deals and much more. They put together a deal dashboard that has all the top deals, restaurant savings, grocery coupons and free samples. It is updated daily too!

Other deal sites: Deal Seeking Mom, Military Wives Saving

2. Pampers: 

What a better way to get some of your money back from buying all those packs of diapers and wipes than to get free points from them! You take the code on the packs and enter them on their website and you can donate the points to a foundation, enter sweepstakes or use them to get freebies (like pics from shutterfly!). This site also has useful information on each stage of pregnancy and childhood.

Other rewards sites: Huggies, My Survey

3. Circle of Moms:

 What a better way to get connected with other moms online than through an online community built just for that! You can join different communities that have common interests and ask questions to other moms or voice advice to them as well!

Other communities: Cafe Mom, ivillage

4. Recipe.com:

We all have those days (some more than others) where you can't seem to figure out what to make for dinner or simply don't have more than 30 minutes to make dinner. Well let me tell you about this wonderful site! There are more recipes on this site than I could ever imagine. They have recipes for quick meals, popular meals, meal planning, pick a meal using certain ingredients and cooking how to.  So you can see why I love this site so much!!

Other recipes: All Recipes, Cooks.com

5. Daily Mom Report:

I love this site because any news you would want to read that is mom related in any way is on this site. You don't have to search through stories on other sites because it pulls all the mom related stories from all the other sites! Way cool! 

Other news: Motherlode

6. Rhea Lana's:

 Rhea Lana's is the mother of all consignment sales. It is nation wide and started by a mom in her living room. I have been to her consignment sales and absolutely love them. Not only can you find a good deal on everything you need for your kids but you can also sell your stuff there too! Win Win!

Other consignments: Kids Consignment Sales

What are some sites that you love to use??

Pinterest Pick to Try Out!

So I have seen this a few times on Pinterest ( Headband Holder) and thought how that would be such a good idea for Taylor (my oldest) since she is always forgetting where she places everything!

BUT I wasn't sure about using an oat cylinder for it. It is made of cardboard/paper and it seems like she would be able to poke a hole in it. So I thought about using a formula can. Olivia (my youngest) drinks Enfamil and I have an empty can just sitting around I was trying to think of something to use it for. Not only can it hold her hair bands and barrettes but she can also put her headbands on it and no matter how clumsy and forceful Taylor is she won't be able to poke a hold through the metal can!

So I am going to do this sometime this week and will post the results!