Lost in the summer

I have been so lost in the summer hustle and bustle that I have not had a chance to get online much let alone put up some posts. I have, however, kept up on my picture taking of all the fun things we have done this summer to post on here. I will get them up with time. I have a friend who has a couple of businesses plus she is a stay at home mom who is always doing really fun things with her kids. On top of everything she does, she also blogs. She gets up at least one post a week. While I am trying to get adjusted to a regular schedule and as school begins, that is my goal. Here is my to do list of things to come. I put it up here so that I can hold myself accountable for getting this stuff up, and let's face it, I really just don't want to forget any of the fun things I have to share with the world!

Bridal Shower Cake

Spice Game

4th of July Nails

Trip Behavior Management

M&M day- obstacle course

Shark Reef day- handmade jellyfish craft

Discovery Children's Museum day

Mint Julep Recipe

Crazy Cool Puppets/Masks

Never Enough Fluff- adding fluff to a pre made dress

Easy Hair Updo

Back-to-School fairy

Back-to-School traditions- breakfast, pictures

Back-to-School teacher gifts

Raspberry Jam

Weekly Cleaning Chart

Behavior Chart 

Are We There Yet? Ideas

Maybe by the time I get these things up I will have done tons more fun things to blog about. But until then, check back each week to see these awesome posts.

Here are some sneak-peek pictures to hold you over until I get all the other posts up...

Masks

 M&M World

Sugarless Wedding Cake =)

 

Are we there yet? Ideas

College Care Package

I have a cousin in college and all that I see from her on Facebook is how she is hungry and has nothing but plain oatmeal. That's when I got an idea to send her a care package with some food and other useful supplies. Each item or set of items had a cute little saying on it. That of course is totally optional, but it made it more fun to put together. It worked out great!

The first thing you will need is a huge box. I had to leave out one thing because I didn't have enough room in the box and it was the biggest box I had!

Then you should raid the dollar store and Walmart or your choice of stores. 

Here's all my stuff:

And the list of items with some cutesy sayings:

Fiddle Faddle- Don't fiddle away your time

Bear cookies- For when you need a bear hug

Microwavable mac and cheese bowls- So you have something to eat besides oatmeal

Honey Nut Scooters cereal- To help you scoot your way through school

Kool Pops- Be cool stay in school (haha!!!! so corny, but hilarious)

Top Ramen- So you can be at the top of your class

Raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar- Something for the boring oatmeal

Various chocolate bars- For the chocolate lover in us all

Red Vines- To climb the vine of success

Pretzels- (I can't remember this one- something about a knot, maybe?)

Peanuts- Sometimes you just feel like a nut

Dryer sheets, laundry soap, toilet paper- To keep fresh for the boys (I called the post office to see if I could mail liquid laundry detergent, they said yes as long as it was in a sealed container-as in a twist type cap- and it was packed with something that would soak up the liquid if it leaked-hence the toilet paper. I also tied it in a plastic bag to help if it leaked. But, it got there just fine. I suggest you call your local post office to double check if you choose to send something liquid.)

Behavior Charts

UPDATE: Here are my updated charts that have the links so you can print them.


My kids like structure and they thrive from the structure we try to create in our home. To help with that I have created a chart that allows my kids to know what is expected of them each day. This way they know what they need to get done and I only have to remind them one or two times each day. I thought I'd share them online so that others can use them or get ideas for their own chore charts.

Instead of calling them chore charts I saw on Pinterest an idea to title them "This is how I contribute to my family." I liked that idea, so that's what I used. I have some non-readers so I used both pictures and words on all three charts.

Click here to see the new, better, and updated versions. 

They each get stickers (star stickers I get at Walmart in the office supply section for much cheaper than those expensive fancy ones) to put in the boxes they complete each day. For the older two my husband and I decided that we need to instill in them a since of serving others. We added the "extra" boxes so that they would think of something kind to do for others each day. We have had these up for a week now, and it is proving a tad challenging for them to figure it out. We have been pointing out nice things to do throughout the day so they begin to understand what type of things we are expecting.

We don't stick to this 100% everyday. For example, we spent one day in town and came home in time for my daughter's t-ball practice. Therefore, we had no time to complete many things on this chart. In that case, they get their stickers anyway because they never had the chance to complete the task.

Lastly, as a reward system if they get all their stars, they get one piece of candy. If they get 5 days of all their stars they get to pick a fun activity to do. Things like paint nails for the girls, watch a short movie, or have a picnic are all favs in our family.

One more thing, sorry. During the school year I wanted my kindergartener to know that school and home are connected. There is a relationship between school and home and if she doesn't follow the rules there, it will carry to home. We used the chart idea at school too. After talking with my daughter's teacher, we sent a behavior chart to school with her in her folder that is checked daily at school and home (all the students have the folders). If she got a no for behavior she didn't get a sticker at home. She didn't have too many no's throughout the year, but I wanted to her to start off young knowing that school carries over to home. 

Summer Days Schedule

Summer time is finally here. We live up north where kids are still needed for planting season which was going strong until we had 4 days of non-stop rain. This means that we still get out of school early. Kind of like how they did when there were one room school houses that dotted the country. We are some of the first that I know of to get out early and that just means that I have to get my summer act together so that the long, hot days don't get too long and boring for the kids and I still have some sanity when school starts again.

Last year at this time I was prepping for a major surgery (Like really major, hospital at least 4 days and no lifting anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks! And I have 3 kids... you get the picture.) and wanted to make sure that when my help arrived shortly before my survey that it was not a chaotic wreak they were walking into. I came up with a summer weekly schedule for our family. Hey, we are on a schedule during the school year that works, why not during summertime. It worked so well last summer that my hubby and I decided to do it again. And, because I started this blog, I get to share it with you. YAY! =) (I can feel your excitement through my computer! Ha!)

If you want to skip all my blabbing, you can click here to get our schedule. It is very simple since I made it in Word, but it works for us. The kids even start to ask, "Okay, what's next?" while staring up at it posted on our fridge.

For those of you still with me, here we go.

I like to get exercising done first thing in the morning so I wake up and start exercising. My kids usually wander in through my exercise time and they usually join in. Next we do breakfast. It gets pretty hot here in the summer time so we work out in the yard. I give each kid a specific job to do while I work in the garden. When they are done, they each pick so many weeds out from the garden. Then they get to play outside. I usually am working, cleaning, or organizing something outside while they ride their bike, draw with chalk, or whatever they choose. We usually have a snack around this time too.

After this, its into the house to wash up and have piano time. While each child gets one-on-one time with me at the piano, the others can read or color. Finally (at least it feels that way for the kids somedays) it is lunch time.

After lunch its nap time. My youngest still takes a nap, but my others don't. I still make them lay down a bit and relax or read. After nap, my kids' favorite: School Time. This year I have specific goals for each child. My youngest who is starting preschool needs to snap his pants on his own, count to 20, write his name, and begin to write the alphabet. My kindergartener needs to tie her shoes, begin reading and learning sight words, and work more on number recognition. My 1st grader (tear, can't believe she is in 1st grade) needs to work on not being so bossy, reading chapter books, and more complex thinking skills and reasoning in math. Can you tell I'm a teacher? =)

When school is over, we alternate cleaning time and art/craft time each day. Then its time to make and eat supper. Each night we do a different family activity. Monday=Wii night, Tuesday=Game night, Wednesday=Movie night, Thursday=Family night (we have a bible lesson or discuss things that our kids need help with socially), Friday=Free time.

Finally, (for mom its usually with a long sigh) its bed time.

This year we are doing swimming lessons and t-ball which will through off our schedule a bit, but we don't stick to it like glue. It is just merely a guideline. If it is really really nice out, we would probably stay outside longer. This year, I hope to run more with our dog, so I will probably move around the exercise time. The idea is to have something planned so that its not a summer full of "what can we do?" This tends to get rather annoying and usually drives me crazy.

This is from last summer. This is my once a year every year do the same pose picture. 

Enjoy, and have a happy summer!

Party in a Box

I came across this idea from none other than Pinterest. My mom's birthday was coming and I wanted to throw a party for her. The only problem is that she lives in Las Vegas and I live in the middle of no where North Dakota. The solution? A party in a box as she likes to call it.

To start, we wrote messages on strips of paper. We settled on writing happy birthday in many different languages. Then we wrote the names of the different languages on strips. Once that was done, we filled each balloon with one strip of paper. Then, on the outside of the balloons, we wrote letters for her to try to put in order to make a saying.

I typed up the letter that explained the games. I included a fill in the blank spot for the message from the letters on the outside of the balloons, and I included a key for the languages so she could check to see if her guesses were correct.

Filling the box with all the balloons was so fun for the kids. The little buggers were so static-y that it was hard keeping them in the box.

Because it was mainly balloons in the box the cost was pretty inexpensive. I did have a small gift in there too. 

I have an amazing mom who knew I'd want to put this online so she took some pictures for me on her end. I did have my kids help write the languages hence the "kid" handwriting and the guidelines on some of them.

The box was so big that my younger brother asked if he could be shipped back to us. I love this picture!

I Heart Nap Time

As a mom nap times have always been precious to me. I use the time for doing things that I find are hard to do with 3 little kids running around be it cleaning or simply relaxing. Unfortunately, I think nap times are about to change around our house which will make for very long summer days when I don't get that extra down time.

On one particular day, I tucked my sweet, wonderful baby boy in for a routine nap. I kissed his forehead and headed out his door making sure that I shut it. After nap time, I went to wake up my calm, well-rested toddler. This is what I found:

The door couldn't open any more than this because his mattress was on the floor.

Sticking my camera in farther I realized that my son had emptied out his closet full of clothes, moved the rocking chair from the far corner you see to the light switch, knocked over his changing table that we now use as storage which holds his socks, undies, and shoes, took off all the bedding, moved the top mattress down a level, and fell asleep on the spring mattress. 

It was this day I realized that my baby boy was no longer my baby, he's my strong, little, messy man.

Family Calendar

Because of my husband's and my mixed up schedules we often forget who is doing what and when we are doing it. I have been looking for a solution for awhile now, and finally I found one that suits our family's needs. This idea came from a mix of these two places: Paint Chip Calendar and Organized Wall. 

After getting my hubby's input, I bought a poster frame from Walmart. It was the cheapest one they had- about $10. Next I picked out some paint chips. We wanted neutral since our house is a yellow color. I figured out how many squares I wanted to complete the calendar, and then raided the paint chips. I ended up with 5 of each color and 7 different colors. 

I also bought a little black organizer with 3 slots to hold papers, a small magnetic white board, a magnetic cup holder, and dry erase markers. 

I also used a paper cutter and glue.

At the last minute we changed our minds about the placement in our house, so we had to change the size of the poster frame. Lucky for me, my handy husband wanted to do that part. He first cut the foam mat. Then he cut the plexi glass and the plastic slip-on frame.

We laid out the paint chips how we wanted them and then cut them all down to the right size. Then we glued them on.

Once dry, I wrote the month, the dates, bills, and our schedules.

Here is the whole area. The white board is above calendar with the shopping list and the pen cup. On the right side is the paper holder where we put our bills. The white board came with sticky strips but the whole thing fell down within a day with a loud bang and pens everywhere. My husband decided that he was going to screw it into the wall. But first he screwed the cup to the board and then the board to the wall. It hasn't moved since. 

Since January, we have February up. January's schedule came down without any problems except for the places where my 6 year old used permanent marker to trace over my writing.

Spunky: Our Elf

I know I have heard mixed feelings about Elf on the Shelf, but our family just started this tradition. I think that it added excitement to each day of December leading up to Christmas. The kiddos had a blast looking for Spunky our elf each morning. They even got a kick out of when he would find his way back onto his shelf. These are some of the things we woke up to in the morning.

This was pretty fun. We turned on the fan and Spunky was swinging around in the air.

Put a spot of red on each kid's nose. My son wiped the first try off right away so he had a red streak on his hand in the morning as well as red on his nose. All of them knew there was something on their nose and was picking at it before they had a chance to see it in the mirror. 

In the bathroom sink.

This snowman dances around. The kids knew not to touch Spunky, but they liked watching him dance around.

One of my favorites. Each deer got a different kids' [clean ;)] undies. 

I love how he is positioned.

He made a snow angel out of flour on our kitchen table. See the footprints.

He was fun to have this holiday season. My middle girlie keeps asking when he can come back. Hopefully next year when he comes back he will be a little less mischievous... or not! :)

My To Do's

I like to make to do lists to help me stay organized, and as I said before I usually loose them. This will be my first to do list that I CANNOT loose! Yay. You can consider this list a preview of what is to come. I have so many project roaming around in my head for the upcoming holiday season that I just need to get them written down. Here goes...

Thanksgiving:

• Name card project with kids
• Turkey Marinade
• Activity for Thanksgiving day
• Tablescape ideas
• Pumpkin Pie

Christmas:

• Elf on the shelf plan
• Gifts
• Quiet book
• Paper dolls
• Finger paint
• Child ties
• Head bands
• Maxi skirt
• Hubby's gift (not saying much here yet, I want him to be totally surprised!)
• The stockings were hung sign
• Felt food
• Ball wreath
• Apron
• TP art
• Cereal box notebooks
• Kids' gifts to day care provider
• Meal plan
• Snacks plan
• Christmas Eve traditions
• Bake, bake, bake
• pfeffernusse cookies
• mint cake
• snickerdoodles
• rosettes 
• spice cookies

Baby Boy's birthday:

• Car track
• Activities

Wow, my list looks ambitious! I hope I can get it all done. 

The Beginning

I'll be honest, this is not my first attempt at blogging. I tried once and failed miserably with only 3 posts.  Don't go look for it though; I completely deleted it and decided to try again. I am the type of person who needs to get things out of my head and on paper. The problem is that I usually loose my paper and I have to start over with no clue what used to be on my previous list. Thus, enter this blog. Hopefully I can organize my thoughts for crafting, church, gifts, family, ideas, and anything else I need to keep track of somewhere I cannot loose it. I hope it works!

Title: I love Chris Ledoux's music all thanks to my hubby who is a cowboy through and through. If he had his way we would live on land that is surrounded by more land with no one around. We would farm, ranch, and use horses for transportation. I love his desires to get back to a simple life, but we all know that modern amenities far outweigh any outhouse no matter how many cute Pinterest ideas I could use to spruce it up :) The title of my blog is from a song of Chris Ledoux's that reminds me no matter what I'm doing or going through, sit tall in the saddle and enjoy the ride.

My Job: I come from a line of educators so it is no surprise that I should finally follow my destiny and become an educator despite my stubborn reluctance to ever being a teacher when I was a kid growing up with a teacher mother. I just was not going to put my kids through the pain and agony of being a teacher's kid. Ha! I should have just given in a long time ago, but better late than never. I will be student teach this fall to complete my elementary education degree. After that, I will continue to sub at the local school until a position becomes available. 

My Hobbies: I love to craft. I like finding ideas on Pinterest and making them my own for everything from jewelry to scrapbooking to making my own repurposed clothing and everything in between. I really like making things for others to enjoy especially my kids and my extended family. More recently, I have been able to spend time playing the piano, teaching my kids how to play the piano, and setting up all kinds of fun things for them to do this summer. 

My Family: I have 3 children, 1 husband, and 1 dog. Its a full house for us, but I love it. I would love to add more to the many times chaotic dynamic of my family. But, my hubby thinks we are done. Please note the very clear THINKS in the last sentence... For some reason, I think it will be interesting to see who wins that battle throughout the next few years. 

My Style: I am a city girl who fell in love with a country boy. I love the ideals and traditions of a country lifestyle. The slow pace of rural living (did I really just say my life is slow paced-so not true with 3 small kids, but you know what I mean, right?) really intrigues me. I find that out in the middle of nowhere we can teach our kids to enjoy the roots of what life is all about. We don't have to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a life where there is little time to enjoy the small things in life.

That's me. I hope you enjoy my blog and maybe it will help others who seem to loose their papers full of great ideas and lists of wonderful things to come.