Tuesday, December 30, 2014

2015 Blog Planner {Freebie}


Hey Everyone!!

Remember my 2015 Planner i shared with you all a few days ago? Well, now i'm sharing with you my 2015 Blog Planner!!




Included in my 2015 Blog Planner:


  • Year at-a-glance
  • 2015 Holidays
  • January-December Calendars w/notes section
  • Post Ideas Journal page for each month
  • Monthly Statistics page for each month
  • Giveaways & Reviews page for each month
  • Brainstorming & Notes pages



Plus I've included a bible verse for each month for extra motivation/inspiration!!


How to assemble my 2015 blog planner:


  • Print it out, double-sided on lightweight cardstock (or you could use regular paper)
  • Bind it together using a binding machine (or you could use a 3-ring binder, or take it to an office supply store and have them bind it for you)



How to use my 2015 blog planner:



  • Print it out the way it is and just start using it.
  • OR Print out each month (i.e. January) and then print out each extra page for that month (i.e. the post idea page, giveaways & reviews, etc.) and then print out the next month and that months extras and so on and so on. 


However you choose to print it out and use it, i just hope that it blesses you and your family!

You can download it for yourself, HERE!

Enjoy!

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Saturday, December 27, 2014

2015 Planner {Freebie}

Hi Everyone!

With the year 2015 only a few days away (5 days to be exact), i thought now would be the perfect time to share with you all my 2015 planner!



This planner is seriously jam packed with awesomeness! (Well, at least i think so.)


Included in my 2015 Planner:


  • Year At-A-Glance
  • 2015 Holidays
  • January-December Calendars w/ notes section
  • Menu planning (2 pages)
  • To-Do Lists (4 pages)
  • Books (4 pages) 
  • Bills (4 pages)
  • Brainstorming & Notes (4 pages)
  • Bible Verses 

How to assemble my 2015 Planner:


  • Print it out, double-sided, on lightweight cardstock. (or you could just use regular plain old printer/copy paper)
  • Bind it together using a binding machine. (or you could just put it in a 3-ring binder, or take it to an office supply store and have them bind it for you)




How to use my 2015 Planner:

     There are 2 ways you could use my Planner.
 
         1. Print it out the way it is and just start using it... OR
 
         2. Print out each month (i.e. January) then add the back pages (i.e. Menu Planning, To-Do List, Bills, Books, etc.) behind it. That way each month would have their own; Menu Planning, Bills, etc.

However you choose to print it out and use it, i just hope that it blesses you and your family!

You can download it for yourself, HERE!

Enjoy!

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas!






This year Our Family will be spending a nice quiet day at home. We'll eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast, open presents, play with toys, watch the basketball game and finally enjoy a big feast with friends.  Whatever your plans are for Christmas, we hope that you all have a wonderful holiday spent with the ones you love.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Veronica, Andres, Super Guy, Boogie Man , Jelly Bean, and Baby Boy


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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Sweet Treats {Free Cook Book}

Hi Everyone!!

Today I spent hours baking up some yummy cookies. It's tradition, that every year, on this very day I bake at least 3 different batches of cookies!

Today I made...

                                                            Oatmeal Scotchies



                                                 Ritz Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies



                                                  Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies



These (with the exception of the Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies, you can find that recipe HERE) and several more recipes are all included in my Christmas Sweet Treats cook book.

In my Christmas Sweet Treats cook book, I've included recipes for:


  • No Bake Cookies
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Oatmeal Scotchies 
  • Lemon Bars
  • Fudge
  • Sugar Cookies
  • Chocolate Crinkles
  • Gingerbread House
  • Ritz Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies 


You can download it for Free, HERE.

All of the recipes in my Christmas Sweet Treats cook book, scream Christmas time to me! My all time favorite is the Ritz Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies, they remind me so much of my Grandma!

 What's your favorite Christmas cookie?

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Sunday, December 21, 2014

Why I've Stopped Caring About Our Christmas Tree

Or should the title read "Why I've stopped caring about the decorations on our Christmas Tree"?!

Anyways, I've always been THAT person... You know the one... The person that HAS to have all the decorations on their tree match. They also have to be evenly distributed around the tree (you can't forget about the back) and the colors, THAT person wouldn't dare mix red & green with blue & white!

I seriously used to cringe when my son would bring home a handmade ornament.. (I know, I know, worst Mom ever, right?) I wouldn't cringe because i didn't love it, cause believe me i still have all the handmade ornaments to this day, i truly adore them. I would cringe because it didn't match my tree! (I told you i was THAT person)

This year a change has come about in me. I'm no longer THAT person. In fact this year on our tree we only have 3 store bought ornaments and the rest are, you guessed it, handmade by my kiddos.

What caused this change? Well, i wish i could say i had some great "It's a Wonderful Life" moment, but that wouldn't be 100% truthful. This change is more or less from not having lots of stores around (we went to 3 different stores last weekend and none of them had any ornaments) and also due to the fact we left all our Christmas stuff back in a storage unit in Idaho.

I will say this though, i actually grown to like our tree this year. It took some time to adjust to not having all the "fancy" decorations, but I'm actually really liking it!




This *might* even be a new tradition of ours, no more store bought ornaments on our tree.


So take it from a former THAT person, we can change.

Just don't ask me to mix red & green lights with blue/white lights, SO NOT READY for that yet!

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Elf Kisses {Freebie}

Good Morning Everyone!!

Today i'm sharing with you something extra cute I've created, i hope you like it!


I originally saw this idea on Pinterest, so then i decided i would make some for my kiddos! It's the holiday's, i think we all could use a little extra something sweet to perk up our busy/crazy days!

Want to make some for your kiddos? Here's how..

You'll need:


  • Hershey Kisses
  • Ziploc Bag (or any other kind of see through bag)
  • My Elf Kisses label 
  • Stapler (or you could use tape)


Here is an up-close look of my Elf Kisses label.



I've also included in my Elf Kisses label, a Red Version and To/From labels.

I hope you enjoy it!!



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Friday, December 19, 2014

Christmas Princess Tot Pack {Freebie}

Hello there!!

I'm so excited to share with you something that I've been working so hard on for the past several days!



That's right!! It's another Tot Pack!

This one is jam packed with OVER 20+ pages of Christmas themed fun for your little one!!


Included in the Tot Pack:

Lower & Upper case alphabet matching
Finish the pattern
Find the difference
Do-A-Dot
Matching
Numbers 1-10 (to help them learn how to count)

Download my Christmas Princess Tot Pack for free, HERE!!!

Enjoy!!

P.S. Graphics used for this Tot Pack were created by PrettyGrafik

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Sibling Bonds

I stared out at my children, sitting in their desks, waiting for me to give them instructions for the day. I knew for awhile now things needed to change. I had been praying and praying for weeks, as to how to get a certain change to come about.

I didn't have a plan and i didn't know how to get that change to come. I trusted in God though, that he would show me the way.

And then that day, it happened. God answered my prayers. Not only that, but God spoke through me to my children. The words just came out of my mouth and flowed like honey.

You are probably wondering right about now....What needed to change? What did God say??

I'll tell you.

But a little background first...

I have 2 older sisters. Growing up we weren't really that close, we didn't really have that great of a relationship with each other. To be completely honest, to this day we still aren't that close and our relationships aren't that great with each other.

I could sit here and write about my experiences as a child, but i'd rather not take this blog post in that direction. That's another story for another time.

So back to present day...

My children's interactions with each other lately had been horrible. They were treating each other with such disrespect. I was growing tired of the constant fighting and yelling. Not only that, but every time my children would fight with each other it would take me back to being 10 years old and seeing my sister's fight, then my heart would break all over again.

But on the day God spoke through me, it was like a light bulb went off.

I stood there and looked at my wonderful children and then something like this came out of my mouth...

"I want to talk to you guys today about the Devil. He has come into our house. And we welcomed him in. He is a horrible creature that WANTS us to be mean and hurtful to each other. It makes him so happy when we say mean things to each other or treat each other badly. But do you know who it hurts when we say and do mean things to each other... God.. God wants us to love each other all the time. It makes God so happy to see us loving towards each other. I want us to get rid of the Devil in our house. Today we are going to kick him out of our lives forever."


I wasn't saying it to scare them, like "you better watch out or the devil will come and get you".. No, it wasn't anything like that... It was just letting them know that not only do their actions towards each other, affect one another, but it also affects God.

Then, in an effort to get the Devil out of our lives, we all said goodbye to our electronics and put them into a drawer. We also agreed to not watch anymore TV.  I also told them i wasn't going to be on the computer as often.

So, how did it go? 

Great!! The kids really started building stronger relationships with each other, they would play so well together for hours!! There was less fighting, and more communicating.

How long did this wonderfulness last?

Over a week!

What happened to make it go away?

Me! I'm the problem. I slowly started to let things go back to the old way.. I let them start watching TV again, i let them play video games again and before you know it the fighting started all over again.


What are you going to do now?

We are going back to the no TV, no video games, etc... I know with it only being a few days before Christmas this is going to be tough, but i also know...

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."- Philippians 4:13

Trying to help build strong relationships between my children is one of the things that keeps me up at night, so this is very important to me. Every little thing i can do to help them will be so very worth it in the end!




P.S. In an effort to be completely honest, we will be watching a few Christmas movies in the coming days, but other than that, no electronics of any kind for the kiddos!

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Christmas Coloring Book {Freebie}


Hi Everyone!!

Can you believe Christmas is only 9 days away??!!!

I'm really in an arts/crafts mood right now, so i decided to create a coloring book for my kiddos the other day!

Check it out...



My kids loved it!!





And because it's the holidays and i'm in a giving mood, i'm going to share it with all my readers (that means YOU)!!

That's right! You can get 10 Super Cute Christmas Coloring Pages, All for FREE!!!

Downloaded my Christmas Coloring Book, HERE!

Enjoy!!

P.S. Graphics used for this coloring book were created by PrettyGrafix, HUGE shout out to them for their amazing graphics!!! Love them!

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Sunday, December 14, 2014

Christmas Crafts


Hey Everyone!

Today i thought i would share with you some fun Christmas crafts Our Family has done lately! Enjoy!

Beaded Snowflakes



Supplies needed:

Pipe stems

Pony Beads


Directions:

Take 3 pipe stems and arrange them so they overlap in the middle.


Twist the centers of the pipe stems together.


Start adding on beads to the ends of your snowflake. (I liked the blue and white ones, but the kiddos wanted to do colorful ones.)






Once you have added your beads you can curl the ends and ta-da you have a snowflake!!


Or, you could do like my Hubby recommended and make it into an ornament! (Thanks Hubby!)

This is how we did that...

Once we had added all our beads we folded the sides up, to make a ball. Then we took an additional pipe stem and tied all the ends together. Then we hung them on the tree.





Christmas Lights





Supplies needed:

White Cardstock Paper

Paint

Black Sharpie


Directions:

Take a black sharpie and draw a swirly line on your paper. Then add in little squares along the swirly line to be the bulb bottom.

Next have your child dip their pointer finger in some paint and push it right above the black squares. You could have your child do a pattern or just randomly do it.



And that's all there is to it!! Pretty easy!!


Snowman Felt Ornament




Supplies needed:

1 Rolled Felt Snowman Ornament Kit 

Hot Glue Gun

Directions:

All you have to do is follow the directions that were included in the kit. Super Easy!!



What are your favorite Christmas arts/crafts??? 


I got the idea for Beaded Snowflakes, HERE and the idea for the Christmas Lights, HERE.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Afternoon Fun {Edible Trees & Movie Time}


A few days ago me and the kids had a fun afternoon of making Edible Christmas Trees (i got the idea for the Edible Christmas Trees from Erica @ Confessions of a Homeschooler) and watching the movie "Buck Denver Asks : Why Do We Call It Christmas?".

Here are a few pictures from our afternoon...











We had a great time!! I love this time of year!!

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Current Homeschool Coupon Codes & Freebies


Hey Homeschoolers, Today i'm going to share with you some of my favorite current coupon codes and freebies from around the web.


Friends and Heroes - I've talked about them before and how Our Family really enjoyed their homeschool curriculum. Right now if you sign up for their DVD club they will send you a FREE copy of What About Love? music CD. Just use the Coupon Code 2XM14CD


Scholastic Reading Club - They are having an Early Bird Special. If you order by Decbember 12th they will guarantee Holiday Delivery by December 19th PLUS 100 extra bonus points w/ purchase of $25 or more. Just use the Coupon Code 40337


Lakeshore Learning - Order by December 21st for Christmas delivery. Also Free shipping on orders of $79 or more. Just use the Coupon Code GIFT79


Homeschool Giveaways - Free eBook "A Happy Homeschool Holiday".

I Choose Joy - Educents freebie for all I Choose Joy subscribers.

Happy Homeschooling!!! :-)

P.S. Stay tuned, as next week i'll be sharing with you some fun Christmas/Winter themed arts and crafts!!!

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Attention!! {Army Birthday Party}

Today is my Hubby's birthday!! {Happy Birthday babe, Love you!!}


So i thought we would celebrate this very special day with an Army themed birthday party for him, since he loves the video game "Call of Duty". {Which was one of his birthday gift's this year.}

We had Hubby go on a Top Secret Mission, i had this note waiting for him along with 2 Nerf guns. The note basically says a rebel group has stolen the President's secret Treasure (aka, Hubby's B-day gifts) and captured several members of his team (aka the kiddos). Hubby then had to go through the house, shooting down the bad guys (green balloons) and rescue all the kiddos.


I made several different goodies, but my favorite was the Landmines...



I also made Hubby a Tank Cake... (I'm not 100% happy with the way it turned out, but it's not horrible.)


I'm so happy we finally were able to spend a birthday with Hubby, this is the first one in 3 years we've been able to spend the day with him!! :-)

Happy Birthday My Love, Hope You Enjoyed Your Special Day!!!

xoxo,
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Thursday, December 4, 2014

Christmas Gift Guide {Adults}

**Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Which means if you click on the link and buy the product, i'm paid a small commission fee. {This in no way affects your price.} Which goes to help support my family and this blog. Thanks for your support!**


Hi Everyone!!

I'm back today with my last Christmas Gift Guide. You can check out my other Gift Guides, HERE and HERE. Today i'm sharing with you gifts for all the adults in your life.


Gaming Systems






Tablets




Apple iPad

Smart Phones








Books






Music








Movies







Other:

Candles

coffee

chocolate

Lotions

Hats/Scarfs/Gloves

Chapsticks




Happy Shopping!!!


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