Children's Book of the Week: First 100 Words Board Book

First 100 Words Board Book 

by Roger Priddy

Emmett's Pick (my one year old)

Why he loves it: The colors and pictures

Why I love it: He's learning words and loving to read

This book is only $3.30 on Amazon and I have Amazon Prime, so the shipping was free for me! I was shopping for a birthday gift on Amazon and came across this book. I thought, "Emmett might like this," and since it was so cheap, I bought it. It has been his favorite book ever since. He loves pointing at the animals and objects and hearing me tell him what they are. We go back and forth. Sometimes I point and he says the word. Sometimes the other way around. And sometimes I ask him to find things or make animals sounds. 

Ever since we got this book, Emmett always reaches for it and brings it to me to read with him. And it started him really enjoying reading other books as well. Before we got this book, he wasn't really interested in reading, but this was on his level and it was fun for him so it gave him more patience with other books. I was really surprised how much he loved this book, but I'm so glad I forked out the three bucks and got it! He especially loved the farm animals page. :)

Thanksgiving Point: Museum of Ancient Life

If you've ever driven past Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT, then you've probably seen the building with the huge dinosaur on the front.  Most people refer to this as the "Dinosaur Museum".  It is actually called the Museum of Ancient Life, as it covers more than just dinosaurs, and is one of the largest museums of its kind in the country.  My kids are still fairly young but the great thing about this museum is that it caters to all ages.  We saw lots of people with small children like mine, but there were also scout troops, teenagers, adults, and everyone in between.

My kids were so excited about all the different exhibits.  All of them have some kind of hands-on activity, ranging from watching a real dinosaur bone being excavated, to caves to crawl in, to digging for their own "dinosaur bones".  There was so much to see and do that it was almost a sensory overload for them.  They ran around and looked at each exhibit for a moment before dashing off to the next one.

Kid Science: Dancing Rice

After last week's fun activity involving baking soda, I thought I'd throw another one out there for you and your kids to try out!  This activity takes basically no prep time at all and uses ingredients you already have at home: water, rice, vinegar, baking soda and food coloring.

First, grab a clear container, such as a glass, and fill it with water so there is about an inch or so of space left at the top.  Add 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda and stir it around.

Heavenly Zucchini Brownies

When my husband and I bought our home a few years ago, we knew we wanted to make space in the backyard for a garden.  The first year, we grew cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, carrots and (my favorite) zucchini.  At one point, I ended up with a zucchini that was as long as my arm from my elbow to the tips of my fingers!  That is a ton of zucchini my friends.  And what do you do when you have ridiculous amounts of zucchini?  Make some amazingly easy, yummy, chocolate-y zucchini brownies with melt in your mouth, gooey frosting of course!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it doesn't use very much oil/butter and because of the zucchini, they are so moist!  Another thing that is great about this recipe is that it doesn't require any eggs.  How many times have you gone to make a dessert, only to find you don't have any eggs?  Not me!  (*cough, cough*)  Any time I bring these brownies to a party or dinner, they are gone faster than you can blink.  I always leave myself a piece at home because I'm not sure I'll get a piece otherwise.  I'm not kidding!

Okay, are you ready to see how easy these are to make?

Home Preschool (Ages 2.5-4) Week Two: Letter B and Number 2

This is the second in my series of at-home preschool lesson plans. I hope you enjoy them!

Each day will take about half an hour and your little ones will love it! My son calls it "school time" and is so excited for it every day!

Here is the printable version of the lesson plans for the week: Week Two: Letter B and Number 2

Links found in the lesson plans:
The Alphabet in Sign Language
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" You Tube Video
Letter B Coloring and Tracing Pages
Number 2 Coloring and Tracing Pages
Beehtoven's 5th Symphony You Tube Video
Bluebird Images
Bluebird Coloring Pages
Benjamin Franklin Images

Home Preschool

Age 3: Letter and Number of the Week

Week 2: Lesson Plans for the Letter B and the Number 2

Preparation:

·         Print out large letter and number sheets (included) and post them somewhere the child can see them all week.

·         Create theme word flash cards with the theme word on one side and a picture depicting the word on the other.

·         Print out the poem of the week (included).

·         Create a flashcard with the name of the composer of the week on it.

·         Print out animal/plant word sheet (included), “facts about” page (included), coloring page, and image of the animal/plant of the week.

·         Print out social studies fact sheet (included) and an image of the subject of the week.

·         Collect supplies for art project.

·         Optional: Plan a day for an outing in keep with the theme (ideas included) and buy ingredients for snacks, baking, or cooking in keeping with the theme (ideas included).

Can't Get Yourself To Workout? Let Me Give You A Reason (Or Four)

A while back, I posted about how I made exercising a part of my daily routine. I got a great response from that post, and in it, I promised to post about my motivation for making exercising a part of my life. And so here it is!

The motivation for doing something is key for me. I'm an over-thinker so I can't just do something for the sake of doing it. It has to have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is fun, or because whatever I'm doing makes me happy. But I've never been able to just do without some type of meaning or reason behind my actions. So if I'm going to commit myself to doing something every day, it has to have some rock-solid motivation behind it. In the case of working out, I could go on and on about the benefits. But today, I'll just give you my top four reasons for getting my butt in gear every. single. day.

It's vital to find reasons that motivate you now and will continue to motivate you. You will not find "get skinny" or "lose weight" on this list. It's not that I don't want to lose weight. I'm human and I could stand to lose a few. But it's not a good enough reason for me to exercise everyday. Working out is hard. It's called "working" for a reason. And some days, I care about my weight more than other days, so just the prospect of possibly losing some weight is not enough for me. It is far from enough, in fact. Especially since I've actually had the experience of running six miles every day and not losing one pound for MONTHS. (Can you say frustrating?!) Anyway, I digress.

I have managed to find the right motivation for exercising for me. Maybe getting thin is one of your top motivators, but it just doesn't cut it for me at this time in my life. I remember saying to Quinn (my husband) about six months ago that I wanted to lose weight, but more than that, I just wanted to be happy with how I looked. I wanted to be confident and not have self-esteem issues every other time I looked in a mirror (after-baby body can be a rough thing to deal with, especially when your babies are ten-pounders). Living like that was not okay with me. And I'm happy to say that after making exercising a bigger part of my life, I still have days when I wish I were thinner, but generally, I am ten-times happier with the way I look. And honestly, I don't think it changed that much. I just changed my perception of it, which was my goal in the first place.

Book of the Week: I Love You, Mommy by Melanie Joyce

I Love You, Mommy by Melanie Joyce
Shani's Pick

Why I love it: It reminds me of the relationship I have with my kids

Reading to my kids is one of my favorite things to do with them.  It makes me even happier to see them choose to look at and "read" books without any prompting from me.  I remember looking at , reading, and loving books as a young child and I know it was my mom who helped instill this love of reading that has continued into my adult years.

When I was pregnant with my first child, my mom gave me this book.  I hadn't ever heard of it, or seen it anywhere, but after reading it, it became of my favorites.  I Love You, Mommy is a sweet story told from the perspective of a baby bear who, through the course of a day, tells all the things he loves about his mommy: He loves that she smells like sunshine and wildflowers.  He loves that she gives him nice things to eat.  And most of all he loves... well, you'll have to read it to find out.

One of the things I love most about this book is that it celebrates the simple things that mothers do for their children each day that don't always get recognized.  I will admit that I've cried more than a few times while reading this story to my kids, especially when they or I have had a rough day.  It reminds me that my children depend on me and love me and that they are the reason for so much of the joy I experience in my life. 

*Also be sure to read the book I Love You, Daddy (also by Melanie Joyce) to find out all the things that this baby bear loves about his dad.  I guarantee you will love both of these books!

Post by Shani Ogden

Utah Hikes: Red Ledges (Mini Moab)

If you have ever been to Southern Utah, one of the main features you notice is the red rock all over.  Unfortunately, we live about 4 hours away from there and so we don't have the chance to enjoy the red rock very often.  I had heard of a hiking trail called Red Ledges, or Mini Moab, about 15 minutes up Spanish Fork Canyon that sounded like fun for the family.  What we didn't know when we got there was that there are multiple paths and some are more difficult than others.  When you get to the trailhead, there are a few paths you can take.

If you go straight, it starts off fairly flat, but quickly turns steep.  We had our two kids with us (3.5 year old and 16 month old) and the older one did alright at first, but my husband had to carry her up a few spots and I had to carry the baby most of the way.  Since it's red rock, it is a little slick and sandy, and doubled with some steep spots, it was fairly difficult to hike with small children.  However, if you are hiking with older kids (age 6+) they could do most of it without help.  When we got to the top, there were a few trails we could choose from to get back down.  We decided not to try and go down the same way we came up and instead took another of the paths that wound around until we made it back down to the road, where we walked back to the parking lot.

Kid Science: Color Explosions

As an adult, I forget sometimes how neat the simplest science experiments can be for kids.  So many of these experiments can be done at home with items you already own or are inexpensive to buy.  One such activity is combining baking soda and vinegar and watching the bubbles form.  Add some food coloring and dish soap and you've got an even better homemade explosion that will impress your little ones for sure!

Smoothie Packs

I think smoothie packs are one of the most ingenious ideas ever in the whole world! I can't take credit for the idea, since I got it years ago off of another blog. I wish I could remember which blog so that I could give them credit. But I have since taken the recipe that I found there and made adjustments so that it suited our needs as a family better.

If you haven't guessed, smoothie packs are basically just packs of frozen fruit that you have separated into individual portions and put in the freezer for quick and easy smoothie deliciousness! But there are some things that I've learned in my smoothie packing that might make your experience a little easier from the beginning.

Buy your frozen fruit on sale and mix and match. This really gets the cost down and keeps up the variety! We had the same smoothie pack recipe for months and got super sick of it. Mix it up and keep it in budget by buying on sale (or whatever's cheapest that day).

Home Preschool (Age 2.5-4) Week One: Letter A and Number 1

I can't convince my husband to pay for my three-year-old to go to preschool this year, sooo I'm holding preschool here at home for him. :) And I want to share my lesson plans with you!

Each week, I will be posting lesson plans for at-home preschool (appropriate for ages 2.5, 3 and 4). There will be a printable version and I will include the links in the lesson plans here on the main post for easy access to You Tube videos and images.

I started doing at-home preschool at the end of last year and followed the general pattern from Brightly Beaming Resources. The lesson plans you will find here have some ideas from that website, but I have made major changes from their general pattern and I think my lesson plans are easier to follow because I've already done more legwork for you. I found that my son was losing interest in some of the activities so I've cut those out and replaced them with others. I hope you like what I've come up with!

Each day will take about half an hour and your little ones will love it! My son calls it "school time" and is so excited for it every day!

Here is the printable version of the lesson plans for the week: Week One: Letter A and Number 1

Links found in the lesson plans:
"The Ants Go Marching" You Tube Video
Letter A Coloring and Tracing Pages
Number 1 Coloring and Tracing Pages
"Sleigh Ride" You Tube Video
Antelope Images
Antelope Coloring Pages
Astronaut Images

Finding the Balance Between a Clean House, Happy Kids and Your Sanity

Today, like most days, I was straightening up the house—putting away toys, starting the laundry, cleaning off the counter—with my kids trailing behind me.  From the 3.5 year old: “Mom, what are we going to do today?  Where are we going to go?  Can I watch a show?”  The questions keep coming, like they do from curious preschool-aged kids.  And then there’s me, trying to answer the questions as they’re asked, still while trying to clean up: “I don’t know what we’re doing today.  We’re not going anywhere until the house is clean.  No, you can’t watch a show right now, I need you to help me clean up.”  Meanwhile, the 16 month old is pulling out all the toys I just put away and dumping blocks all over the floor.  Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

Jamberry Retiring Wraps Giveaway WINNER

I'm excited to announce that we have a WINNER for our Jamberry Retiring Nail Wraps Giveaway!!

If you didn't win, but you did enter, you are now eligible for a SPECIAL OFFER from our sponsor, Paige Green! She is offering a FREE application kit to anyone who entering the contest and hosts a qualifying ONLINE party (a qualifying party is a party that reaches $150 in sales)! This is such a fantastic deal. Hosting a party is free and fun and you can do it from anywhere because it's all on Facebook! I got tons of free Jamberry products for hosting a party and I loved doing it because I was just playing games with my friends on Facebook!

You can also contact Paige Green on her FB page or email her (paigeandblake@gmail.com) for a FREE Jamberry Nail Wrap Sample! If you've never tried this product before, you can for free! 

Thanks to Paige for sponsoring our giveaway and thanks to all who participated! Melanie, email or message Paige with your choice of Going, Going, Gone wrap and she will get it to you ASAP! 

Book of the Week: You Are Special by Max Lucado

You Are Special by Max Lucado
Becky's Pick

Why I Love It: The Message

This book brings me to tears almost every time I read it. Not only because I love the message, but because I want my children to get the message. So I will read this book to them for years and years and years to come. I hope they have it memorized by the time they leave my home.

Basically, it's about a little wooden man who lives in a town of all wooden people. They give each other stars and dots. Stars are for when others feel positively about the wooden people and dots are for when others feel negatively about them. They can give each other stars and dots for whatever reason they please.

One day, the wooden man meets this cute little wooden girl who has no stickers of any kind. And you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to them, but it is just wonderful. It's about knowing who you are and that what other people think of you really doesn't matter.

**It has a very Christian theme, so if you're not Christian or don't believe in God, maybe this isn't the book for you. But if you do believe in a Creator, this is a wonderful and amazing book and I recommend it more than any other children's book I know of. It is my absolute favorite!

H2O'Brien Pool in Parker, CO

My first post in Colorado! We are excited to be here and have loved everything about this beautiful state so far. Before we moved here, all anyone would say when we told them we were going to Colorado was, "Ooo... marijuana, huh?" or "It's beautiful there." Well, the rumors are true, folks! It's definitely beautiful here. Also, marijuana is legal. So I guess that's true too. Other than that, since we've only been here a week, I haven't discovered much.

But I did discover this awesome pool! They have the cutest playground area for kids in shallow water so I don't have to hold both my little ones. AND they open an hour early just for little ones. Only children under 48" are admitted during this hour (from 9-10am) before the pool officially opens, and it is so perfect because they don't turn the water works on on the playground, so it's nice and calm and the little ones can explore and splash to their hearts' content.

My three-year-old and my eighteen-month-old both had a blast and we'll be back again next year! Unfortunately, the Lil' Squirts (that's what they call it) hour is over for the season, but next summer it will be going again Monday through Friday and we'll be frequenting it, I'm sure.

Cost for Admission: Ages 2 and under are FREE, ages 3-9 are $4, and ages 10-65 are $5.
Time for Lil' Squirts: Mon.-Fri. 9-10am during the season
Location: 10795 Victorian Drive, Parker, CO 80138
Website: http://parkerrec.com/234/H2OBrien-Pool

The Absolute BEST Way To Bake A Potato

If you think my title is hyperbole, you are WRONG. This is seriously the best way I've ever had a baked potato. Basically, you slather a washed and dried potato in olive oil, sprinkle some salt on it and throw it on an oven rack. Super simple and super super super delicious! The skin will be the best part of the potato!! You read me right. The skin is the BEST PART. 

Okay, let's get to it, shall we? First, make sure you wash your potatoes well and let them dry as much as possible.

While they dry, get two shallow bowls ready--one with olive oil in it and the other with salt or the seasoning recipe that I provide.

Teaching Your Preschooler Time

Kadie: "Mom, what's for lunch?"

Me: "It's not lunch time, it's breakfast."

Kadie: "Mom, last year I went to Aunt Dani's house."

Me: "Sweetheart, we were there yesterday."

Kadie: "Mom, what's today?"

Me: "It's (insert day of the week)."

Kadie: "Does that mean it's splash pad day?"

If you've ever tried to help a young child understand how many days it is until a certain event or activity, you've probably been met with confusion and frustration that it's not happening right now.  This is because small children live in the present and they have a hard time thinking abstractly.   Time is a very abstract and intangible concept, which is why it is difficult to grasp until they get closer to age 6 or 7 and their brain starts to develop in a way that they are able to begin to understand things such as time.

My daughter, like many children her age, ask a lot of questions.  Some are pretty easy to answer--"Can I have a cookie?" and others...not so much--"Where do babies come from?"  While these seemingly non-stop questions can be frustrating, especially when the same one has been asked 10 times in the last half hour, it's helpful to realize that they are asking because they are trying to understand their world better.  As parents, it's our job to help them.  But how can we help them understand something they can't see?

Jamberry Retiring Wraps GIVEAWAY!!!

How It Works:
You can enter this giveaway in three different ways. And you're welcome to enter in all three for more entries!

Method #1: Follow Muddy Little Toes on Instagram and repost our giveaway post. Make sure you tag @muddylittletoes in the description and then tag friends in the comments on the original post for even more entries (one per person tagged)! (You can repost this once a day for the whole week for even more entries!)

Method #2: Follow Muddy Little Toes on Facebook and share our giveaway post on your timeline. Make sure you tag Muddy Little Toes in the post and tag friends in the comments on the original post for extra entries (one extra entry for you per person tagged)! (You can repost this once a day for the whole week for even more entries!)

Method #3: Comment on this blog post, telling me why you want to be the winner of a full sheet of retiring Jamberry Nails! (only one entry using this method allowed)

**This giveaway will last ONE WEEK. It will run from Monday, August 10th to Sunday, August 16th. On Monday, August 17th, we will announce the WINNER!!

I am so excited to bring you Muddy Little Toes' FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER, sponsored by the lovely and oh so creative Jamberry Consultant, Paige Green! Don't forget to like her Facebook page and be kept up to date on all the amazing Jamberry deals she offers.

As you may or may not know, Jamberry is retiring a TON of wraps at the end of August and so we're hosting a giveaway for a full sheet of the retiring wrap of your choice! At the end of the month, all of these wraps will no longer be available, so this is the perfect opportunity to check them out, pick out your favorite, and enter this amazing giveaway!

Here is a link to the Going, Going, Gone wraps (all the wraps that are retiring at the end of the month). If you are the winner, just pick one of those and it's yours!

Never heard of Jamberry before or have heard of them, but never tried them? Check out the website and learn about them. Then take this perfect opportunity to try them at no cost to you! If you have tried Jamberry Nails before, you know they're amazing and that this is a fantastic opportunity to snag a retiring wrap before they're gone for good!

Thanks again to my Jamberry Nails Consultant, Paige Green for sponsoring this giveaway!

**This giveaway is now CLOSED. 

How to Make a Bouncy Ball

My 3.5 year old daughter is at the stage where she will take an afternoon nap about 50% of the time.  This means that some days I have kid-free time and other days I need to think of something to do with or for her that will keep her entertained so I can have some semi-kid-free time. 

A while back I had seen a recipe for how to make a bouncy ball.  This sounded like something that my daughter would be interested in and I thought it seemed easy enough to do.   I did have to do a little planning ahead for this activity since it calls for Borax and white glue, which I didn’t have on hand.  I didn’t mind buying the items since I’ve seen other activities call for Borax and white glue is dirt cheap right now with the back to school sales (stock up!).  I already had corn starch and food coloring so when nap time didn’t happen, I was ready.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

The other day was a rainy, cloudy, need-something-to-warm-me-up kind of day.  The kind of day where you want to wear sweatpants and snuggle under a blanket while reading a good book.  Oh, and did I also mention that it’s still summer?  Yeah, the weather in Utah can be really unpredictable sometimes.

So I decided to make the best of it and pull out one of my favorite recipes: Crock Pot Minestrone Soup.  I wish I could say that I made up this recipe and take all the credit for the yumminess that it is, but I’d be lying and that is generally frowned upon…  The truth is that I found the recipe on Pinterest on a blog called Yummy Healthy Easy who adapted it from another blog (Foodtography).

I really like this recipe for a few reasons:

• It is a good no-meat alternative.
• It's easy.
• It's healthy and filling.
• It doesn't heat up my house in the summer months.
• It uses ingredients that I typically have around my house so I'm not running to the store for something random.

The Little Gym And Why We Love It For Our Toddlers!

The Little Gym is a franchised business that has locations all over the country! I was trying to find something to sign Lincoln up for before he turned three and was coming up short. Most activities (sports, classes, etc.) required children to be at least three. While I was looking, I came across The Little Gym. I wondered what they did there, so I signed Lincoln up for three sample classes for $30. We tried a few different time slots and decided to sign up for classes for the rest of the season.

Lincoln had to do a parent/child class until a month before his third birthday, and those were great! He has absolutely LOVED the classes that he's been able to do by himself, though. And he's done so much better with participating than he did when we were with him.

So what are the toddler classes like? Well there is time doing games and exercises led by the teacher, there is free time (in the parent/child classes) to run around and explore the gym with parents, and there are activities that require a group effort. In the "Funny Bugs" class (3-4 years old), they do opening activities together and then split up into stations and work on skills (bar, rings, tumbling, etc.) in groups. For older kids, it's mostly just gymnastics. There is a sports skills class, which I'm thinking about having my three-year-old try out soon, but I'm not sure how it's different exactly.