Home made Sand

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreeToBe  #CollectiveBias

Summer has come to an end, School is back in session, but that doesn't mean that play time is over.

If you have kids then you understand how important play time is. My little two are both in school this year- One in Kindergarten and one in preschool. Also, they go at different times. Preschool in the morning and Kindergarten in the afternoon.

So while I am hearing less bickering because they are not together all the time, it also means that they don't have each other to entertain the other. Now I am looking for some other things that I can do one on one with the kids during their time before/after school.



After being at my best friends daughter's birthday over the summer, and they made some adorable sand bottle art I thought it was a great idea to make some of our own home made sand. Not only are we making our own sand art for Summer's upcoming birthday, we also use the fun, colored sand as a sensory activity. It is great to just dump into a deep cookie sheet and let the kids play and draw pictures in it!

But the fun activities are always dirty and messy, right?

I headed to Walmart and grab a few things. First, Salt and food coloring to make our "sand". Next, all® free clear liquid detergent because, CLEAN UP! Am I right?



A couple of things about all® free clear detergent:
- It is the #1 detergent recommended by Dermatologists, Allergists, and Pediatricians for Sensitive Skin. Which is great when you have people in the family with sensitive skin and seasonal allergies.
- all® free clear detergent fights tough stains, whitens whites, and brightens colors. And I am grateful for that considering Summer's favorite place to play is in the sandbox. And this time I am not referring to the "salt sand".
- all® free clear detergent was awarded the Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association for having no dyes, perfumes, certain chemicals, and irritating residues.
- Removes 99% of everyday and seasonal allergens. Washing with all® free clear helps remove 99% of the top everyday and seasonal allergens* Dog and cat dander, dust mite matter, ragweed pollen, grass/tree pollen. My allergies have been the worst this past year than they ever have. So having something to help remove allergens is definitely worth it in my book!

Make sure to follow the directions for use on the packaging exactly as instructed.

Next I made my "salt sand". It was super easy. I used 1.5 cups of salt an about 12-18 drops of food coloring per baggy. Then seal the bag and use your hands to "massage" the bag until it is mixed.









Fun colors, right? I used the Neon food coloring and mixing the colors made for some really fun colors that the kids love! Light green, bright green, blue, turquoise, several shades of purple, orange, tan, pink, red. The list goes on and on.

Head to your local retailer and get your own all® free clear detergent.

Nutter Butter "Ice Cream Cones"

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PackSnacksTheyLove #CollectiveBias



We have less than 2 weeks until we head back to school and I am going to have 2 of my kiddos in school and one in preschool. I can't even believe how time flies but I have to admit, I am sort of looking forward to some quieter times around my house and getting back into our routine!

Another thing I am looking forward to is a Little to make lunches for. Zach is heading into high school and he isn't into cutesy lunches. Tyler, however, thinks they are pretty cool! I asked him what sort of things he wanted to take in his lunch and then made a couple "lunch boxes" so he could check them out! He is soo excited!!



What kid doesn't love a lunch that consists of a hot dog, fruit, cheese and oreos? Yum!



The second one I made was a peanut butter roll up. It is a favorite lunch for Tyler! Plus we added some veggies, apple slices and a couple of Chips Ahoy cookies!

I also decided to make a fun treat that he could take in his lunch box and these Nutter Butter "Ice Cream Cones" were just the thing!



Cute, right?

We ran to Fred Meyer (Kroger Stores) to get some snacks and things to make our "Ice Cream Cones". I love Fred Meyer! It is by far my store of choice and I love that I can get everything I need in one place!

All you need is Nutter Butter cookies, chocolate bark, sprinkles and chocolate candies for the "cherry" on top!

Plus I grabbed a couple of other snacks, like the multipack of Chips Ahoy!, Nutter Butter cookies and Oreos. Plus Teddy Grahams because we sort of love them! These are such great snacks to put in the kid's lunched or even as an after school snack, especially if you are on the go a lot like we are!



It is super quick and I made these in about 2 minutes!

Melt your chocolate bark
Dip the Nutter Butter cookie into the chocolate
Sprinkle with sprinkles
and Top with a chocolate candy to make a "cherry on top"







And of course the kids loved them!

(Click HERE for Printable version)

Are your kids back in school? What are your favorite things to pack in their lunch?

Rest Easy with GoodNites and a DIY Lovey

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RestEasySolutions #CollectiveBias

I know it might be confusing when you have a bed wetter. They are potty trained during the day but putting on GoodNites at bedtime, or you think they are old enough to know better. They're already in school, your friends kids are all potty trained and not wetting the bed. So many thoughts going through your mind right now, right? You are not alone Mama!

1 in 6 kids (ages 4-12) wet the bed one time or more each week after potty training.

But there are really so many reasons a child could be wetting the bed. And today I want to share with you a few solutions, tips and a fun little project you can easily make for your Little.



If you really are concerned the most important thing you can do is talk with your child's Doctor. Maybe they will think it is no big deal. But whether they think there is a problem or not, they should be able to give you some reassurance.

Remind your kiddo to use the bathroom right before they get tucked into bed. And maybe try limiting their fluid intake for at least an hour before bed, with the exception of a small drink of water right before bed.

Create an Incentive Chart where they get to put a sticker on a chart each morning they wake up dry.

At night your child's bladder doesn't wake their brain to tell them they need to go to the bathroom. And they can't control bedwetting. However, they do typically outgrow it on their own.

Try out the #1 Night time protection brand GoodNites Bedtime Pants, GoodNites Bed Mats, or GoodNites TruFit Underwear.



I grabbed both the bedtime pants and the mat from Walmart.

A few things about the GoodNites Bedtime Pants:

• They are made specifically for boys and girls ages 4 and up to get the coverage right where they need it, with 5 layers of protection!


• They are extra stretchy so they fit like real underwear


• More absorbent compared to the leading training pants.


• They come in fun, exciting characters like IronMan and Disney Fairies!

And some great points about the disposable Bed Mats:

• They are disposable and waterproof


• Saves you time because you are not changing sheets in the middle of the night.


• Designed to lock in odors


• Comfortable, plush layers your child with rest well on

I also wanted to share a fun DIY Lovey. A little comfort item that your kids will love. Every kid has a little lovey that they sleep with, and this is just a sweet little lovey your Little can love on.

We headed to the fabric store and picked out a couple of fabrics. Grabbing two "fat quarters" are perfect for this little project. I grabbed one that is cotton, but a second that was a little softer and more cuddly.





I gave it a little iron just to get the deep grooves out of it. It doesn't need to be perfect!



I cut a little bit off, just to make it square. Then I went all around the edges and made cuts. Each of my cuts were less than an inch apart and a little over an inch long. You really can't mess it up, so just make the cuts.



I also cut out the corners.



Then I started tying my strips together, tying each into a knot. Tie all the way around until all strips are tied.





If you have a liner you could easily cut a piece to line the inside of your lovey to give it a little fuller feel, but it is great without too! Summer clearly loves it!



One thing that is always important to remember is to keep your cool.

I know it can be frustrating to deal with a bed wetter. We think they should "know better" or be old enough to not be doing this. But have patience. One day it will all come together and it won't be a worry any longer.

Don't miss the coupon for $2 off GoodNites at Walmart!! (While Supplies Last) Coupon will be live during certain periods. So keep checking back!!

And check out GoodNites at Walmart.com

Have you ever experienced bedwetting issues with your child? What worked to resolve it?

Preparing for Kindergarten

Over the past couple of years I have been working on getting Tyler "kindergarten ready". He did 2 years of Preschool/PreK and just finished up at the end of May and I am so grateful for all they worked on with him because it helped and lined up with all we do at home. During his first year of Preschool I made him a fun little "kindergarten book" that I have added to as he has progressed. And last Fall I started one for Summer, because hey! It's never too early to start writing your name! Plus, she will be starting Preschool in the Fall and it's time to get at it a bit more.

So today I wanted to share some of my favorite printables/worksheets to get your littles ready for Kindergarten.

First, the book I made looks like this. Just a run of the mill folder. At first I just used one of Zachary's old school folders, but after I noticed the "scream mask face" that was drawn on it I decided Tyler needed his own!

All you need is a folder that has the brads and page protectors. Then you can start printing out some relevant sheets to add into your page protectors. And make sure you grab some dry erase markers and your kiddo will be on their way to learning! I add in a few extra page protectors so that as I am looking for more sheets to print I already have a spot to put them.

Tracing their name - I LOVE this! You can type in your kids name and it generates it on the paper for you. I do their first name in caps and with only the first letter capitalized. I also do their full name so they can practice that as well.

We have a few different shape pages, upper case and lower case letters. And some that have both upper and lower mixed up.

I like both of these number sheets and I have them in different spots in the book so they get more practice.

Days of the week, months of the year and number in word form.


We also have been working on counting by twos, fives, tens, etc. And addition/Subtraction.

Worksheet Fun is where I get the majority of my printables. They are awesome and have tons of different things. Plus, they have worksheets that would work for older kids too, like multiplication and division, etc.

Trace the Line from My Teaching Station

We've also worked hard on learning site words. Tyler is having fun learning the sounds that the letters make and sounding out words on his own.


There are so many great resources to get worksheets for your kids before they head off to Preschool or Kindergarten! Which I am grateful for since I will have a kiddo going to each of those this year! Plus a highschooler.... where did the time go?!?

Do you have a favorite site with great school resources? I would love for you to share it below!

Batman vs. Superman

If you have a husband or a boy in your house, I'm sure you already know all about the Super Hero Allegiance!

We like Superman™ and all, but Batman™ is where it is at! And with the new movie: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice coming out in just over a month, it is all the rage in my house.



When we checked the mail and found this amazing cape along with a comic book and new cereal Tyler was on cloud 9! He was so excited and couldn't wait to dig in! But I had to make him promise to wait at least until I could take a few pictures!



We got the Superman™ Caramel Crunch and the Batman™ Chocolate Strawberry, both of which are available as of March 7th, 2016 in specially marked boxes. You can also find Honey Nut Cheerios in specially marked comic book edition and Lucky Charms - specially marked comic book edition too!

Superman™ Caramel Crunch 
•No colors from artificial sources • No artificial flavors • No high fructose corn syrup
•Only 9 grams of sugar per serving • A good source of Calcium and Vitamin D
•12g of whole grain per serving • Glossy, embossed Superman emblem

Batman™ Chocolate Strawberry
•No colors from artificial sources • No artificial flavors • No high fructose corn syrup
• Only 9 grams of sugar per serving • A good source of Calcium and Vitamin D 
• 12g of whole grain per serving • Glossy, embossed Batman emblem

It didn't take us long to dig and we poured bowls of both kinds so we could try them out and see which was our favorite. Summer and I both liked the Superman™ Caramel Crunch while Tyler loved the Batman™ Chocolate Strawberry better!



Make sure you check out the new General Mills' Super Hero Cereals and get your $1 off coupon HERE

Where does your allegiance lie? #batmanvsuperman

Gifting Yankee Candle to the Car Lover in your life

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveAmericanHome #CollectiveBias

Christmas is right around the corner, my friends! Who is ready?

I very rarely get my shopping done early but this year the kids had pretty quick and to the point ideas on what they were hoping to find under the Christmas tree come December 25th. That makes it nice and easy to shop for them. Especially since I an get most of it done from the comfort of my own home and without little eyes watching me. After Summer shopped with me for Tyler's birthday and then told him most of the things he was getting, I didn't want a repeat so online shopping was mainly where it was at this year!

But one person that I always struggle to buy for is my husband. Ladies, I'm sure you can relate to this, yes? If not your spouse, then maybe it is your dad? Or brother? No matter who it is I have a awesome solution to make shopping for the guy in your life quick and easy.



Travis is the kind of guy that if he needs something, he goes and gets it. So when holidays come around I am always struggling to get him something fun, that he isn't going to expect. But I'll admit that we've had our share of duds. Like for Father's Day when we bought him golf clubs, which I was so excited about. But he has never golfed before and still hasn't....

So why make this hard on yourself? Instead, gift Yankee Candle® to the car lover in your life! Travis got a new truck not too long ago and so the timing couldn't have been better.

I headed to my local Walmart to grab a few items to make the perfect car themed gift basket.  Starting with the Yankee Candle® brand fragrances.



I love Yankee Candle® and have been using the Car Jar fragrances in my car for years. Clean Cotton all the way! You might even find a few clean cotton candles through out my house because I love the fresh clean linen freshness that it gives off! And they are not only perfect for the car, but other small spaces like linen closets!

This time, since I was buying for my husband after all, I decided to buy the Macintosh Apple because I knew he would like to have the change and I'll probably steal the clean cotton from him anyway. And they were easy to find in the Air Care aisle of your local Walmart.



I also grabbed a few other necessities. A bucket, wash and scrub sponge, rags, tire shine, cleaner, window scraper, wet ones and tissues. I even added in a fun little Hula doll!





So now I have a fun, easy and inexpensive gift for not only my husband but any car lover out there.

Now I have shared my ideas for the hard to buy for shopper in my life, What do you get the hard to buy for shopper in yours?