Decorating Cupcakes With Children

All of my children were out of school today due to deer season, so I was trying to come up with something to occupy them. It was chilly and rainy for the first day in weeks, giving me the urge to bake. I had the brilliant idea of making cupcakes, since we rarely make them. I envisioned the kids helping me measure and mix up the cupcake batter, scooping into the festive cupcake liners and decorating to their hearts content.





After listening to the children argue over this, that, and the color of the moon--I sent them to their rooms for a nap. They were told they had to get rid of their attitudes before we could proceed with the cupcake making process. When they woke from their naps they feared that I had already made the cupcakes..while it did cross my mind, I was really wanting them to be able to be creative and create their very own, unique cupcakes.





I mixed up a chocolate cake mix, substituting applesauce in for the oil and baked away. I gave each child a small plate with 2 cupcakes each, a dollop of icing, and set the decoration in the middle of the table for them to use.





Aren't these the prettiest cupcakes ever??

Apparently they were too worried about eating them, and forgot to decorate them! So much for festive cupcakes to share.

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Cupcake Tuesday

After School Snacks: Finding Freedom Friday

I don't know about the rest of you, but when my children arrive home from school, they are starving! Some days it feels as if it'll take a horse to fill them up. I really don't mind if they eat junk some days, but not every single day of the week. In the last year, I have really tried to add to my list of snacks and add some more healthier options. Some have gone over well, while others tanked! I usually try to get our snacks simple since I am usually doing prep work for our dinner at the same time.

Here are some of our favorite After School Snacks:

• Smoothies. I always toss in some wheat germ and flax seed for good measure!


• Yogurt. I just made my first ever batch of homemade yogurt, hopefully I will be able to convert them! So much healthier.


• Cereal. I'm not much of a cereal fan for breakfast, so I let my kids grab a handful of their favorites for snacks. Corn Pops, Bluebery Muffin Tops, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Honey Nut Cheerios are our favorites. They thought they were in heaven when I bought Cocoa Puffs for them a few weeks ago! ;)


• Hummus w/HM Pita Bread or carrot sticks.


• Fresh Fruit.


• Chopped Veggies. My daughter could live off of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes!


• Milkshakes. This is a rarity, but they love it when I make Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakes.


• Apples with Caramel Dip. (Cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla) This was always my favorite growing up.


• Home baked snacks. The possiblities are basically endless here, just depends on what I've made for the week. We love HM Banana Bread, muffins of any form (they are stuck on Strawberry Muffins right now), and of course cookies. Since they are homemade, I generally try to sneak in some whole wheat flour, flax or wheat germ. You can find some of my recipes under the Recipe Label.


• Granola Bars.


• Granola/Yogurt


• Cheese and Crackers.
• Sweet Pickles
• Jalapeno Jelly w/cream cheee on Wheat Thins. Sounds crazy, but it is oh so good!
• I came across an idea recently from Parenting.com that I can't wait to try. They took cream cheese and jam (homemade would be perfect), mixed it together and spread it on a graham cracker. Yum!
• Family Fun also has some really great ideas that are not your normal after school snack. I can't wait to try the Peanut Butter Balls or the Cookies and Milk Bars (don't forget that you can make your own Sweetened Condensed Milk for these.) You can find more of their recipes here.

What do you give your kids for After School Snacks??

Frugal Family Fun

**This is an updated version of a post orginally published in March 2009.**




The spring-like weather has really got me ready for some outdoor family fun that doesn't break the bank. Thankfully we live in an area that is loaded with free , or close to it, family fun. Many of which are in most communties.

Back in my hometown, which we still visit often, there is one of the biggest fish hatcheries around. You can feed the fish for about 25¢ and there are numerous trails to walk on, as well as a small museum type thing. If trails aren't your thing there is also a playground to play on. This type of set up, minus the fish hatchery, is also found in a lot of state parks--which are prominent around me as well as many other areas. State Conservation centers are also a great place to take kids to learn about the outdoors. Many of them have workshops, and trails as well.





We have also had the pleasure of visiting various rivers, and the parks that accompany them. This has been a lot of fun for us. There is no telling what we will find while out looking!




Even if you stumble upon a rainy day, there is still frugal family fun to be had--visit your local library and let your imaginations run. Most libraries, even our teeny one, have summer programs for the kids with various different activities. If leaving the house isn't something you are up for on a rainy day (I like to stay home on these days personally) make it an indoor craft day, play with play-dough (or moon sand which is favorite in my house), or construct a big building out of popsicle sticks--or a ship and see if it will float in the bathtub! :)


Having fun family days don't have to break the bank, or cost much money at all, to be memorable.

What Frugal Family Fun ideas do you have to share?

1.Changing Reflection

This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday: "Mom I'm Bored" Edition

Finer Things: Children's Joy

I absolutely love it when my children draw me pictures or make me a craft of some sort. They are always so proud of what they do and more than eager to show it off.

My two boys could draw, color, or craft all day long, every day of their life if they were allowed to. My daughter on the other hand, would rather paint her nails or cook with me in the kitchen.

While looking through some pictures that we recoverd from an old computer I came across one of my oldest's drawings that we emailed out to family. Nicholas has a incredible love for all things history or geographically related, and has incredible attention to detail. This particular picture was drawn around December of 2007--and remains of my favorites that he has drawn.

He freehanded it, with marker while looking at a puzzle--notice the capitols.

Their attention to detail, their willingness to learn, and their utter joy when they see the approval on your face is a Finer Thing in my book!

Check out Finer Things Friday over at Amy's.

We've Hired a Gardener

It's kind of hard for me to keep up with all the gardening plans this year.

Thankfully we were able to find a gardener.

The frugal side of me didn't want to pay a whole lot, but I still wanted a quality worker.

We were blessed to find a young man willing to be paid in chocolate chip cookies!

Here he is giddy as can be in the greenhouse early in the morning. Isn't he a cutie?! He loves to help me water all the little seedlings, and tote them from here to there. He is very cautious as to not touch any of the plants because "that will kill 'em".

It just makes me melt to hear him talk about them, and for him to ask all sorts of questions. I love that he is learning, and that we can spend this time together. Even if it costs me a bunch of chocolate chip cookies!

This time is a Finer Thing and I'm going to relish in it!

For more Finer Things, check out Finer Things Friday.

My Baby Girl is 7?!

My baby girl has turned 7, and I cannot believe it! Where has the time gone?



Her birthday was actually in the middle of February, but with Valentine's Day and other craziness, we weren't able to have Kaitlyn's "friend" party until last weekend. It was well worth the wait.



We went with a Hannah Montana/pamper theme. For the goodie bags we put nailpolish, nail file, hair curlers, makeup, and some other randomness. We painted fingernails/toenails, put on tons of makeup and slept in rollers so they could all have curly hair in the morning.



But, the highlight of it all?



Hearing my baby girl read her birthday cards with very little assistance.



Definitely a Finer Thing in life.

Be sure to check out more Finer Things over at Finer Things Friday.

Taking it For Granted

I love my job. I really, really do. There are days that I just feel overwhelmed by all my housewife-ly mommy duties--but honestly I wouldn't change it for a second.



I say this, because I have been taking it for granted, and I didn't realize it. I've come accustomed to always having my kiddos around.



We live away from all of our family, and I have major issues with trusting people to watch my kiddos. Needless to say, our breaks are few and far between. And, well, we are okay with that.



My sister in law surprised me this week, and came down for the big kids' Basketball game and offered to take our 3 year old back home with her--until Saturday!



I hestitated, but we agreed.



It has been ever so quiet today, but yet very productive while my big kids were off to school. I was home, by myself for most of the day.



A quiet day, and a much needed break, are definitely a finer thing in life. But you know what? So is mommyhood--and boy have I missed it today.



I miss my baby! I'll be sure to catch up on those snuggles when you come home! ;)

To see other Finer Things in Life, be sure to check out Finer Things Friday over at Amy's.

Making Themed Birthday Cakes

**Edited to add link to spongebob cake**

I love making cakes. It all started after my oldest's 1st birthday. His babysitter was a cake maker, so she offered to make his cake for free. I was elated, until I seen the cake. I don't know what she did, but it didn't look like Blue Jean Teddy Bear. My mom and I decided that we would just start to make our own.


What a blast it has been! And, much cheaper than me finding a baker to make themed party cakes for my children (and then worrying about how they turn out).


I came across FishMama's blog here a while back (it is fantastic, by the way) and she is having a birthday cake round-up.


Awesome!

So, here is a cake that I made for my daughter's 4th birthday. She was into Strawberry Shortcake big time!

Next to the spongebob cake I made, this is the easiest one, ever!

You can use almost any size round pans, as long as there is a relatively big difference between the 2 sizes. I cannot remember the exact sizes of mone, but I know that they were 2 inches deep.

To make this cake all I did was

1. I bake the cakes. I just used a white cake mix and followed the directions. It will depend what size your pans are on how many cake mixes you need.


2. Then I tinted the icing using paste. I never use food coloring because I can never achieve the color I am going for (paste is much more vibrant) and I just don't like it. Paste is a bit more expensive at first, but you use so little so it will last forever. For this cake I tinted the majority a light pink, a little dark pink for the band, and some green for the strawberry tops.


3. I then just used fresh strawberries, cut in half and placed them all over the cake.


4. I found some ribbon at Wal-Mart that was similiar to Strawberry Shortcake's and I used it for the bow of the hat.

Voila!

Oh so easy, fast, personal, and frugal. My kiddos look forward to picking our their cake, and watching as it all come together. The smile on their face is oh so worth all of the work that goes into them!

Definitely a tradition that we will continue.

For more frugal idea, head on over to Biblical Womanhood.

Well.....

After having a little rant (which was not what I intended when I started!), I decided that I should probably follow up on the matter. It is a very emotional topic for me, but it is obviously near and dear to my heart.



We've been praying like nobody's business (and I know others have been, too!) that the Lord would give us the strength, the patience, and just flat out wisdom to deal with Nicholas. When I say deal, I mean understand and to get him the help that he needs and deserves. It is very hard to see your child struggle. Nicholas is an awesome kid, and I know that if he could control his actions better, he definitely would.



We've been waking up earlier in the mornings so that he can get a good meal and there is no rush to our morning routine. The rush gets him flustered. Even though he is very routine oriented, I still have to remind him of almost every task in the morning...right down to tying his shoes, or making sure something isn't on backwards or inside out. Anyway, we also implemented the new chore program through Handipoints. I cannot rave on this enough. We love it! I've even added some more chores on their lists, because they wanted me to!! Yes, you read that right, they (my kids) asked me to.



It's working!! Unbelievable. Nicholas has been good at school for 16 days in a row. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!



Nicholas has been so proud of himself. His self confidence is being restored and I love it. Since we have 3 children, alone time with each of them individually generally doesn't happen as often as I would like it to. However, in the last week, Nicholas and I have been able to spend time with just us. Well once with Dad!



On one occassion we ran to town in a jiffy to rent some movies for Movie Night, and to pick up some batteries (I had some, but they were dead). It was just us. We walked into Dollar General and he said, " You know I asked God to be with me and school, and He listened." I was kind of taken aback, because I was busy looking at some coupons I found in the store (too bad they were expired!! Gah!). I asked him what he was talking about, and he said it to me again. It clicked to me after he said it the second time.



I said, " You mean to help you be good?" (which is also one thing we told him he could do, was pray and ask God for strength when he is feeling overwhelmed). He said "Yes. And He did it!"


The only thing I could say behind my tears of joy were, "Yes son, God is Good!"



I get goosebumps even thinking of it again.



God is good, all the time. He put a song of praise in this heart of mine. God is good!

WFMW

** Yippee! I'm back in business. I wanted to make sure and give credit where credit is due...Here is the blog that I stumbled upon that mentioned the Handipoints system.**


**UPDATE** Blogger doesn't like me today..at all. I cannot go to any links, or read any of my fav blogs! :( They think I am a computer. (I know I'm awesome..but really now. Ha. Gotta find the humor somewhere.) Hrmph. So, I *think* that I have fixed the links (thanks for the heads up, Hayley!), but I'm unsure. Plus, I would like to give credit to who told me about Handipoints, but I can't yet because I can't remember exactly which blog it was....and I can't look at the one I think it was to confirm. Hopefully they will realize I'm only a human...and I REALLY want to read my blogs.
Last week I decided that I was going to change my own house cleaning schedule...and I would I have to say that I love it so far. Only one room to clean at a time instead of trying to keep up with the whole house everyday, along with a 3 year old, and all of the other 'house-wifely' duties. When I decided to do this, I realized that I had gotten out of making my kids do their chores. I always had chores as a kid. No ifs ands or buts about it. I think that it taught me a lot and I wanted to pass that along to my own. Plus, Nicholas has to have a routine/schedule. I honestly think that he would prefer for me to schedule every minute of every day for him.

Amazingly enough, I found something that made my kids actually enjoy doing their chores. I never thought it was possible! It is called Handipoints.

I'm not fully in the "know", but it kind of reminds me of WebKinz. Except everyone has a cat. The kids have been asking for these things for a while and I don't fully understand everything they do, but Nicholas says that they are similiar. However, he thinks that Handipoints is "way cooler!" I do too. Handipoints is FREE!

Basically this is how it works.

You go in and set up task charts for your child(ren). You can choose from the ones they have (there are tons) or you can make your own. Eash task has 2 sets of points. One they can set reward goals with (like going to the movies, having a picnic, or turn the points into cash), and the other one is bonus points that they use to buy things with in HandiLand. They can buy different sets of furniture for their house, or different outfits and costumes. It is also a little village that they get to walk around playing games, answering trivia questions to earn more bonus points, watching movies (small cartoon clips) in the cinema, reading in the library, finding the daily hidden stamp, etc. The children get to check off their own tasks, and the parent gets to grade them (and uncheck if they didn't actually do it!). If they score a B or better, they earn additional bonus points.

It is too cool! Educational, and free! Plus, they are enjoying earning their points, setting their own goals, and more than eager to do their chores.

Hopefully it stays that way! :)

This is what works for me (atleast so far...we started last Friday). For more Works For Me Wednesday posts, go on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Out of the mouth of babes...

My husband and I have really been trying to wake up earlier during the week. Generally we have been waking up at 6, and rushing around to get everyone out of the door at 6:40.

Talk about chaotic!

And, Nicholas has been acting up a bit at school and we wondered if maybe there was just too much going on in the mornings, and was causing him to be in a rut.

So, our quest began.

We've been waking up about 5 and since I have all this extra time and I must move to stay awake, I decided I shall make breakfast!

Willie didn't know what to do with himself!

I hardly ever make breakfast, and if I do...it is pancakes/waffles or some form of muffin. But, apparently all of the carbs give Willie awful heartburn by mid-morning. He needs some "real" food, according to him. So, for the last 2 mornings I've made homemade whole wheat bicuits and sausage gravy.

I think I may have finally mastered the whole "gravy from scratch" concept. Who woulda thought that I could become so domesticated?!
anyway, last night as we were nearing bed, Willie asked if Biscuits and Gravy were on the menu for the morning. I told him that I had forgotten to pick up some more baking powder, so I would make something else..he just needed to let me know.

He never did, so I assumed that I was off the hook for breakfast.

Apparently not everyone felt this way!

When my daughter finished getting dressed and came to the kitchen for breakfast she opened up the cabinet to get her a plate and I asked her what she was up to.

"Just gettin' me a plate for some biscuits and gravy, Momma."

"Honey, I didn't get to make any this morning. I'm sorry. You want me to get you something else?"
She got down from the counter and looked down at the floor and was walking away from me and said, "No, I guess that if the school has some, I will just eat theirs."
I felt about 2 inches tall.

Who woulda known that they wanted homemade breakfast so bad.

School Time!

Well, my babies are in school! It is hard to believe that summer is done. Aren't they just cute?!

This is my 2nd grader! Where has the time gone? He was just a wee little infant yesterday it seems. He has been through so much in his small amount of time on this Earth, and I thank God daily for the miracles that He has done with my child. From being born premature, to having brain surgery as an infant, to surviving life with his younger brother Noah..he is such a bully. Man, God is such an awesome God, and I am truly blessed!

And this is my 1st grader! Kaitlyn loves school! Her taste in fashion is one of a kind....she is hilarious. She is also the best 6 year old babysitter you will find on the planet, hands down. We have been blessed with an amazing daughter, she loves to do all things domestic and she will make some man incredibly happy one day.

Noah sure does miss 'em! He went into both of their bedrooms, came out and said " Where my brother and sisser go?!". I need to remember that my little Noah will soon be off to school as well, and cherish the times when they are small.

Time flies.

EEEK!!!!

I've been missing again. I apologize! I HOPE to be back tomorrow. School starts this week, so both of my big kids will be gone during the day.

We had a much needed break this weekend and dealt with some things going on with my oldest son. He has been in a funk lately and his aggression and apparent depression has gotten really bad lately. I ask for your prayers that he can overcome whatever is going on and that we can get things straightened and figured out with him.

We had a very eventful weekend...but oh so much fun. I almost felt like a kid again! We went to a nearby waterpark , which I usually avoid because I hate swimsuits! But..considering the circumstances, I caved! DH even took vacation. We also went kayaking. It was my first time, ever, and I'm hooked for life. Everyone should own one. Seriously! Nicholas absolutely loved it, and he is a natural. We also hung out with the grandparents and just had a good ol' time. What a stress reliever, and a nice send off since the kids start school this week. Hopefully Nicholas was able to regroup and refocus and we can look forward with a clean slate.


I received a blog award this past week...and since I was gone...I just found out! Yippee!
I will follow up with that tomorrow...along with MPM, and some deals.

Thanks for being patient...

Deals...Complete with Pictures!!

Yippee!! I'm actually getting around to post my deals..from today, nonetheless, complete with pictures!

I think I deserve a cookie. Yummo, that sounds good. Okay, back to the deals.

My oldest son had a minor breakdown/freakout in Walgreen's while we were checking out. Which, I feel I handled well, thankfully we had a very understanding and awesome cashier. My only regret is I never did catch his name so I could pass it on to his manager. Anyway, there was a horrendous line behind us, with everyone just having one item, so I let them in front of me. Crazy coupon lady that I am, I had a buggy about half-full, with a gazillion different coupons, all I needed was to hold up the line and have a freaking out kid. Easier to have the kid freak out with not as many people to witness it. Fully convinced at this point that we can no longer handle him on our own, and we need to bring a doctor in on the matter. Someone we do not know. I'm losing focus again. Here we go:







Bubble Collection originally 3.99 on clearance Paid .99
(2) Band Aids On sale 2/2.99
(3) Skintimate Shave Cream, 7-day Q .99
(2) Dawn Simple Pleasure on final markdown for 1.99
(2) Ajax, 7-day Q 2/1.79
(2) Tuf Trash Bags BOGO 2/4.99
(2) Household gloves (never used these before, but I was just talking about trying them) 2/.99
Jane Mineral Powder $4.99
(2) Gillette Deodorant, 2/6.66
Tag Body Spray, $3.33
Olay Ribbons Body Wash, $3.33
Olay Botanical Fusion, $3.33
Infusium 23 Shampoo, $6


Coupons Used:
(1) $1 Bandaid Wags Q from the Pharmacy Book (tried to use 2, but the stinkers got smart and the 2nd bandaid rung up free! Shoot.) Final Price: 2/$1.99
(3) .55 Skintimate Q (one from an insert, 2 IP) Final Price: .44 ea
(2) $1 Dawn Simple Pleasure Final Price: .99 ea
(1) $1/2 Gillette Deodorant Final Price 2/$5.66
$1 MQ Tag Body Spray Final Price: $2.33

$2 MQ Olay Ribbons Body Wash Final Price: $1.33

$1 MQ Olay Botanical Fusion Final Price: $2.33
$3 MQ Infusium 23 Shampoo Final Price: $3


Recieved $7 in RR from the Deodorant/Body Wash/Shampoo (theorettically spending $7.65 for all)
$5 MIR for Tuf Trash bags (making both of those FREE!!!)
$4.99 MIR for Jane Mineral Powder (making it FREE!!!)

Not too shabby. I got A LOT of stuff, my stockpile is really growing..but atleast I'm not paying too much {if anything} to do it! :)

This is WA-Mart...well minus the Twizzlers. I forgot to put them in my WAGS pic. They were .99 ea, my kids ADORE these...I will use them to get them to do stuff for me.

I really didn't get a whole lot form Wal-Mart...as you can tell...but all of the stuff in the picture was FREE. Yup, free. And actually the John Freida Mousse produced .03 overage. Hey, overage is overage, right?!

And this stuff was all free, too! Compliments of my mailbox. I bet my mailman really loves me these days!! The Country Bob's Sauce wasn't phsyically in my mailbox, but a coupon for a free bottle was. So I got it, and took a picture of the actual bottle because it is much more interesting than paper!

All around pretty good, especially for a newbie.

Lordy, Lordy!!

When does it end?! We've had quite an eventful weekend, only to be faced with an eventful week (atleast so far!) Let's hope all the eventful-ness stops here!

Sunday evening DS#2 woke up mid sleep because he was itching so bad. No biggie. We live in the middle of nowhere so our medicine cabinet is fully stocked with anti-itch medication for anything from chigger/tick bites, to poison ivy. He had little red bumps on his back down my his underwear line. My assumption was chigger bites since we were outdoors all weekend. Wrong.
The next morning, Monday, they had multiplied. His back was covered in these itchy red bumps. You know where this leads, right?! Yup. Good ol' chicken pox. The last time I seen chicken pox was when I had them as a young kid. Of course as a kid everything is magnified, escpecially when you are living it. Thank God he just has a mild case of them. Just on his back, belly, and some on his legs. Hopefully he won't be contagious come next week...we have VBS at our church.


Anyway, since there was threat of chicken pox when we went to the doctor today we had to be quarantined away from everyone. Good idea since that is how it turned out. We had to wait for a little while, and DD got bored. She just found out Thursday of last week that she had a loose tooth, so she started to mess with it. I wiggled it, maybe with a little pressure and it popped pretty far out..but not all the way. By the time the doctor came in, the tooth was out.

Yippee!! I'm very happy that it came out so easy.

DS#1's teeth absolutely refused to come out on their own and we had to take him to the dentist and get the 2 bottom pulled. Dentists don't come cheap! :) His permanent teeth were already in, standing straight up, right behind his baby teeth. Thankfully they have moved into place perfectly.