Easy Chalkboard #Craft

Wednesday, July 30, 2014


With back to school looming large for us, we are making the most of every minute of our precious summer vacation. So, we chose a craft that is not only quick and easy, but is also useful when those school bells finally ring. This craft was done in less than thirty minutes, and is a perfect addition to my daughters’ room décor. I’ll be able to leave them reminders all year on their personalized chalkboard.

We found everything we needed for our craft project on sale at our local Joann’s craft store, but you can easily find the needed supplies at any craft store. Feel free to shop the sale items, and pick whatever embellishments that suit your décor and mood. My daughters both wanted something classic and feminine, so naturally we went with pearls, satin and flowers in a subtle creamy white theme.


Supplies:

  • 2 – 12x9 Darice wood framed chalkboards
  • 1 sheet Prima decorative paper flowers
  • 1 sheet- K & Company pearl adhesive gems
  • 1 roll – Offray off-white satin ribbon
  • 1- box white Crayola Chalk
  • Glue
  • Q-Tips (to apply glue)


chalkboard #craft supplies #DIY



While both my daughters had agreed on an overall theme when they picked out their supplies, each of them had a different vision for the project, making it uniquely theirs, and making directions subjective.  I’m sure you’ll find a host of products you could use on this project, from paint pens to scrap-booking letters, so let your imagination take the lead.


The Basics:

My daughters chose different uses for their ribbon, one adding a border around her chalkboard, and one making a simple bow as shown in the picture below.

chalkboard #craft ribbon flowers #DIY


  • Glue on ribbons, using Q-Tips to dab on small amounts of glue.
  • Allow to dry.
  • Gently remove Prima paper flowers from package, or leaves will stick to paper.
  • Arrange and glue.
  • Allow to dry.
  • Add K & Company pearl gems. These have self-stick backs, so be sure you place them right where you want them the first time.
  • Tie chalk to ribbon, or allow to rest on top of chalkboard if you’re hanging it up.


This really is a super cute and easy craft your teens and tweens will love to do.


cute chalkboard #craft for #teens #tweens

Please share in comments: What theme would you choose to decorate your chalkboard?


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Middle School Changes Everything

Friday, July 25, 2014


As I dropped my youngest daughter off for 6th grade orientation Wednesday morning, a wave of sadness washed over me. “Where did the time go?” I ask myself as I watch her walk into the middle school without a backwards glance.

“She’s a big girl now,” I chide myself as I slowly pull away.

I see another mom look back too, a brief over the shoulder glance at the door, like I did.  In that moment,  I know this stranger’s heart.

Why is my youngest going to middle school so much harder emotionally than it was with my first?




school bus #backtoschool
Source

I wrestle with this question for a block or two, and finally settle on this answer.

My oldest blazed the trail of “firsts”, and while they were exciting and stressful and bittersweet moments, I still had my youngest at home watching, waiting, growing into being a big girl.

The last of my elementary school days are behind me, and I know what starting middle school means in my world. It means it’s no longer cool to come to school and have lunch with my daughter.

It means I can’t walk her in the first day of school with her 50 pounds of school supplies without getting the “look” from students and faculty. Trust me, you don’t want to draw attention to yourself or your child in middle school ever, but especially not on the first day of school!

Middle school will change everything from bed times to snack times.

It will change my one on one time with both my girls, robbing me of my quite time with my youngest in the morning and my quite time with my oldest in the afternoon.

It’s not like I didn’t know this day was coming. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been down the middle school road before, but this time middle school is taking my youngest daughter one step closer to independence, just like high school is taking my oldest daughter one step closer to college and independence.

And it’s bittersweet.

And I’m just not ready to turn another page in the book of my mom life, so I stopped working as much as possible. I have been in the moment with them as much as humanly possible.

 I let the house work go. 

I let the yard work go. 

I am absorbing as much of them as I can, so when the business of the school year takes over, I know I gave them all of me this summer, and hopefully that helps them move confidently one step closer to their independence.


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3 Pro- Home Improvement Sites that will inspire you

Wednesday, July 16, 2014


It started out as an innocent enough conversation over toothpaste. My husband and I were getting ready for bed, and he said (for what felt like the 100th time), “I want to remodel this bathroom.” 

 I nod my agreement to him in the mirror, knowing that I won’t be picking out paint swatches anytime soon. I know that a good remodeling project takes planning and that yes-the devil is in the details, so while I do not have an exact date on our bathroom remodel, I do have a green light to gather ideas. So I do what any sane women would do. I log on to Pinterest.

While I found several wonderful pins (Pinterest never fails) I wanted more. That’s when a great idea popped into my head-I have set up pro accounts on several remodeling and home improvement sites for my husband’s cabinet business. Why not give them a try for remodeling inspiration? I narrowed my list down to three I think any person who’s interested in home improvement projects, both interior and exterior, will find helpful.


Houzz: 
Beautiful White Bathroom
Source

 Houzz is a place to browse and save beautiful home photos, and find the right professionals if you need help with a project. 
This is a very well designed site. It's easy to navigate, with clear labels, and the pictures are worth the visit. Setting up your ideabooks for a project is quick and easy; as is finding a home improvement pro in your area. Houzz offers a wide selection of project ideas with photos you can heart to save to your account. They also offer a shopping portal in case you find an item you just can’t live without. 

 Porch:
Contemporary Entryway
Source

At Porch, they believe that home improvement should be simple. So, they set out to empower people to find professionals and discover what’s possible. They have made it easy to do just that. This site has a streamlined feel to it, with clear labels and easy to navigate projects. I liked browsing projects and starting my own scrapbook.

Hometalk:
Hometalk Home and Garden Hub
Source
Hometalk is the largest home and garden social network on the web. Millions of homeowners and professionals use Hometalk to share their knowledge, and find credible information.
This is one of my favorite sites so far. I love the pictures and ideas. I really love the community of helpful members. If you have a question on anything home and garden, just look through the topics and ask your question. You'll be surprised how quickly you get replies.
While all three of these sites were started to help homeowners find professionals for home improvement projects, I think you'll love them for their inspiration as much as I do.
If you've been thinking about doing any home and garden projects, I invite you to visit each site and get inspired. Feel free to connect with me on Hometalk while you are there.

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Family Night with General Mills Awesome Movies #biggcerealmovies #sponsored

Friday, July 11, 2014


Friday nights have been Family fun nights at our house for years. Now that the girls are in their teens and tweens, we let them decide if it’s game night or movie night and it just so happens, tonight is going to be movie night thanks to Big G Cereal Movies. This post is sponsored by General Mills but my love for their cereal and family fun is all my own.

Big G wants to inspire family nights together with classic movies that you can share with your loved ones anytime, anywhere by offering a free HD movie download when you purchase 2 boxes of these participating cereals:


  • Honey Nut Cheerios
  • Fruity Cheerios
  • Frosted Cheerios
  • Lucky Charms
  • Reese’s Puffs
  • Trix
  • Cocoa Puffs
  • Golden Grahams


We chose Lucky Charms and Frosted Cheerios.  We had to look through the Big G cereals available to make sure we selected boxes with the General Mills and Fox MovieDownload Promotion movie banner across the front to ensure we’d get the code needed. 


#biggcerealmoviesBig G Cereal Movies




Once you have your Big G cereal home, it’s time to decide what movie you are going to download. There are 10 great movies to choose from.


#biggcerealmoviesBig G Cereal Movies



We chose Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  Downloading our movie was easy.  

  • We found the codes needed in each cereal box.
  • Went to Big G Cereal Movies and entered codes.
  • Downloaded our free movie.



No family movie night would be complete without a snack, so we were happy to see snack recipes on both boxes of Big G cereal. The girls and I raided our pantry and came up with our own version of Lucky Charms Peanutty Good Luck Snack. We added Cashews, Pretzel bites and Frosted Cheerios to our recipe. It is so sweet and salty good that we had to put it away to wait until official movie time tonight. 


Lucky Charms snack #biggcerealmovies


Here is the recipe for Lucky Charms Peanutty Good Luck Snack from cereal box:


Ingredients:

4 cups Lucky Charms cereal
1 cup candy-coated peanut butter pieces
1 cup yogurt-covered raisins
1 cup peanuts

Directions:

Place all ingredients in resealable plastic food- storage bag; seal.
Shake until mixed. Store at room temperature up to 3 days.



Enjoying our family movie nights is just one of the ways we spend quality time together as a family, and now thanks to Big G, we’ll have Mr. Popper’s Penguins in our movie collection to watch again and again.


Please share in comments: What are some of your favorite family movies? 
Disclosure: Many thanks to General Mills for sponsoring today’s post and sharing their family fun with us. I will receive compensation for sharing my thoughts on Big G,. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Slap ‘Appy: Sherwin-Williams’ ColorSnap

Tuesday, July 8, 2014


We’re starting our home improvement projects, and I’ve discovered an app to help us choose just the right colors for each room:  ColorSnap by Sherwin-Williams. This app allows you to make color palettes based on Sherwin Williams paint colors. 



Color Snap App



When you open the app, it brings you to the main menu, where you can choose how you want to make a color palette. One way to do it is to take a picture of an object with a color you like, for instance the pretty blue on the birdhouse below.  Choose “Snap New Photo”. Then, you can take a picture with your phone’s camera. Or, if you already have a previously taken picture in mind, choose “Use Saved Photo”.



Color option



Once you’ve taken the picture, the app will ask you to crop the photo so it’s small enough to use. 


Cropped photo for Color Snap App



Then, you can move your cursor around and pinpoint the color(s) in the picture that you liked and wanted to use in your palette. 


Coordinating Colors on Color Snap App


The app can choose coordinating colors to go with the color you’ve chosen.


Color Snap App Coordinating color palette



You can also create color palettes by looking through Sherwin-Williams’ complete collection of paint colors. To do this, choose “Explore Color” on the main menu.


Explore color on Color Snap App


Once you find a color that you like, you can click on it and have the app choose two coordinating colors for it. You can also continue to browse through the colors and create your own.

If you like the palette, you can save it, and even adjust the colors you’ve chosen for variations on the original.


Color Palette details



ColorSnap can help you create color schemes for one wall to a whole house, and it’s a lot of fun to play with and save your color ideas. (Saved palettes can be accessed when you choose “Saved Colors”). 


My color Palette



And, when you’re ready to buy your saved paint colors, you can click “Find Store” to locate your nearest Sherwin-Williams location.

While we haven’t narrowed down which of our color palettes to use, we are having fun creating ideas. 

Want to give this app a try?  It’s available on the iTunes App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Androids. 


 My oldest daughter assisted with the research and writing of this post and is looking forward to helping with more Slap 'Appy posts. 




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15 chores you can tackle in 15 minutes or less

Monday, June 30, 2014


Summer is such a fun season. We wait for it all year, planning and dreaming of those long, hot summer days and what we’ll do in them.

Swimming
Traveling
Enjoying summer fruits
Picnics
BBQ’s
Bonfires
Sleepovers
Gardening



The one thing we don’t plan and dream of is summer chores. I don’t know about you, but at my house, once the kids are out of school my chore time increases. From sticky kitchen tables and counters to the ever present need to sweep up tracked in grass and dirt, I felt like I could not keep up until I made this one simple change. 

Laundry, chores
Source


I take a break from work every 30 minutes or so and do a quick chore. Taking these mini-breaks helps me be more productive, helps increase my energy while decreasing my seat time and helps lessen my chore list when I do switch gears and stop working for the day. You’d be surprised how much you can get done in 10 - 15 minutes! 

Here are 15 quick chores that I do. Feel free to copy my list to get you started.


  1. Fold a load of laundry, put it away and start a new one.
  2. Sweep the kitchen and mud room floor.
  3. Wipe down bathroom counters and mirrors.
  4. Water plants on front porch.
  5. Clean out trash in car.
  6. Go through mail and recycle junk mail.
  7. Dead head flowers and pinch back herbs.
  8. Check pantry supplies for weekly meal plan.
  9. Dust a room and put away discarded items.
  10. Unload dishwasher.
  11. Wipe down kitchen table and chairs.
  12. Clean out Frig drawers.
  13. Clean photo frames in the hall.
  14. Update coupons.
  15. Wipe down glass doors.


If you work away from home all day, you can still use this list to tackle your chores. Taking a break every 30 minutes to do something you enjoy like sipping a cool drink while reading will help you feel re-energized once you do return to your chore list. 

Be sure to delegate some of your chores to your kids if they are old enough and especially if they find you mid-task and tell you they are bored! I always find a task my daughters can handle. Just remember to be good to yourself and step away from work too so you can fully enjoy this special season.


Please share in comments: If you could wish away one household chore forever, what would it be? For me, it’s cleaning showers!

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Picnic Basket with Goodies Giveaway

Thursday, June 26, 2014


I have a quick question for you, when was the last time you went on a picnic? 

Has it been a while? 

Then you are going to love this giveaway hosted by Womensforum.com.  

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive compensation depending on your participation.

The Giveaway:

womens forum sweeps

Gather your family and friends, because Womensforum.com is ready to set you up with the perfect summertime picnic! 

The Prizes:

Prize pack includes: a picnic basket, blanket, outdoor dining kit and even an outdoor MP3 speaker to create a fun, and delicious, day under the summer sun! 
Giveaway dates are 6-25-14 through 7-16-14 at 9pm PT for U.S. residents 18+. Please visit Womensforum.com for official rules. 


To Enter:

Entering is easy, using your email and Twitter account. Click here to enter and good luck!




Disclosure: This post does contain affiliate links, which may result in compensation for My WAHM Plan depending on your participation, however,  My WAHM Plan only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." - See more at: http://www.mywahmplan.com/#sthash.TcdaH4AT.dpuf

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Cute & Easy Birdhouses #craft

Wednesday, June 25, 2014


Inspired by all the cute birdhouses I saw recently on Plaid Craft, I thought this would be a perfect rainy day craft for my girls, and they happily agreed. So, off to Walmart we went. 
You can pick up the supplies at any craft store, major retailer, or purchase online. Before you go shopping, double check your crafts supplies for foam brushes, stamps, stencils, etc. You may only need to buy the birdhouses!

Supplies Needed:

Small Birdhouses (we bought two)
1 Set of foam brushes
Assorted Apple Barrel paints (we bought six)
1 set of Stencils 



#craft supplies



Another great thing about this craft is it is budget friendly.  I spent $11.32, and we will be able to re-use all the supplies except the birdhouses.


Directions:

Make sure all the glue from the labels/price stickers are off.
Pull or buff off any rough spots on wood. (Use a fingernail file if necessary.)
Now, your birdhouses are ready to paint. 



craft, painting


craft, painting


Allow base coat to dry. (About 4 mins.)

Add additional colors as desired, using stencils, stamps, or free style; anything goes.


painted birdhouse
Freestyle Painted Birdhouse


painted, craft
Stenciled painted Birdhouse


As you can see, my daughters used different styles and painting techniques on their birdhouses. Both of them are very happy with their finished project, which makes crafting so rewarding.


crafts, painting, wood
Pretty Birdhouses


This craft really is cute, easy and budget friendly. Please let me know if you try it with your kids.

Share in comments: Have you tried a painting craft lately?

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Keeping our Cats healthy with #WellnessPetFood #sponsored

Saturday, June 21, 2014


Any visitor to our home will quickly learn that we are a cat family.  Our outside cat will greet you from her perch on the front porch, while our indoor cats will try to figure you out from one of their many window views.


These 3 cats are cherished members of our family and enrich our lives, so feeding them the best food for their age and stage is very important to us. That’s why I was thrilled when my cats were selected to try Wellness Dry Cat Food and Wellness Divine Duo's Formula wet food in partnership with BlogPaws. While I will receive compensation to thank me for my time, all opinions are my own. 
Wellness Pet Food logo

About Wellness Pet Food:

In business for over a decade, Wellness is a pioneer in holistic nutrition. Wellness seeks new ways to help pets thrive, educate people about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and support animal wellness programs. Wellness provides pet parents with a variety of thoughtful nutritional choices to create a foundation of well being. 

The first Wellness product my inside Cats asked to try was the Divine Duo’s Beef Pate & diced Chicken Liver.  


wet #catfood

This wet food helps promote hydration for our cats, which is an important part to their overall health. 

If this duo doesn’t sound like something your Cat or kitten would like, there are 5 flavor options including Chicken Pate & Diced Turkey, Chicken Pate & Diced Duck, Tilapia Pate & Diced Ahi Tuna and Tuna Pate & Diced Salmon.

Don’t some of these flavor combo’s sound delicious?


Next I served my Cats the Wellness Complete Indoor Health. What was assuring to me is this food addresses concerns I have about my indoor cats including weight gain, dry skin and hairballs.


Wellness #drycatfood


Plus,  all recipes are free from corn, soy and wheat, as well as artificial colors and flavors. 

Overall, my cats are very happy with Wellness food. If you have cats, or are considering adopting in June for #AdoptaCatMonth, I invite you to visit the Wellness website to learn more about them and their mission. Wellness also has a line of products made just for dogs.


Please share in comments: Are you a Cat family too?




Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Wellness and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Wellness, but My WAHM Plan only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Wellness is not responsible for the content of this article. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


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The Lego Movie Blu-Ray Giveaway

Friday, June 20, 2014


It's Friday and summer starts tomorrow, so I figured that was reason enough to end this week with an Awesome giveaway! I've teamed up with PartnersHub and Warner Bros. to give one lucky reader a chance to win a copy of The Lego Movie on Blu-Ray! Plus, some winners may receive a Lego mini toy. 




About The Lego Movie:
"The LEGO® Movie, the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller is an original 3D computer animated story that follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO mini figure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously under prepared.
Chris Pratt (Money ball) stars as the voice of Emmet. Will Ferrell (The Campaign) stars as the voice of his primary adversary, President Business, an erudite, anal-retentive CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with micro-managing his own life; while Liam Neeson (Taken) voices the president's powerful henchman, known as Bad Cop, who will stop at nothing to catch Emmet.
Starring as Emmet's fellow travelers are Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), as Vitruvius, an old mystic; Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Emmy nominee for 30 Rock), as tough-as-nails Lucy, who mistakes Emmet for the savior of the world and guides him on his quest; Will Arnett (Emmy nominee, 30 Rock), as the mysterious Batman, a LEGO mini figure with whom Lucy shares a history; Nick Offerman (NBC's Parks and Recreation) as a craggy, swaggering pirate, obsessed with revenge on President Business; and Alison Brie (Community) as a sweet, lovable member of the team, with a powerful secret."


Ready to get Creative?
Best Lego video Creation wins! Don't want to make a video? That's okay, you can still enter using the Rafflecopter form below.


To enter, create a mini 6 second LEGO GIF video and comment with the YouTube link to your video as a giveaway entry at this YouTube Channel .


Giveaway Guidelines:


 Each household is only eligible to win The Lego Movie Blu-Ray via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Open to U.S. residents 18+ yrs. No purchase necessary.  My WAHM Plan is not responsible for prize fulfillment. All terms can be found on the Rafflecopter form below.

 Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: My WAHM Plan was not compensated in any way to host this giveaway.



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