Parenting during the pandemic- Feeling our emotions

 

I use images from Pixabay for my blog

Often times with parenting we have emotions that can be really strong, and it comes out in different way. I am writing this as a way to help parents recognize what Anger is.

Is Anger something that happens when something doesn’t go right? Or is there more emotions than as if a switch is being flipped? Phycologists classify anger as a normal emotion that we have, just like happiness, sadness, even anxiety. You might be wondering why does anger have such a strong emotional charge to it when we feel it or even mention it? Anger is a secondary emotion because we tend to cover up our vulnerable feelings like feeling fearful.

 

I use Pixabay images for my blog

Understanding that anger can have a strong emotional charge to it, anger can manifest itself in the most unlikely scenarios. Understand where anger comes from can help u to feel how we really feel. Even when you are Happy, you can still be angry from the night before because of a disagreement with a loved one, why? It is a secondary emotion. You feel hurt.  You are feeling the emotion of being angry but what is really happened is that you got your feelings hurt. We could have easily felt hurt, and dealt with the stress,

and not have felt angry.  Thomas S Monson in his talk in 2009 had said “No one can make us angry. It is our choice.” Sometimes anger can be a cover-up for our true emotions, and when we don’t know what the root emotion is, anger comes out to steal that emotion away.

Clearly, it’s easier to feel anger than to own our own emotions, I liken it to a toddler throwing themselves onto the ground because they don’t know why they are feeling the way they are feeling. Our test, is to find out why we are angry and do something with it, are you Angry like a toddler because they just needs a nap? Then your answer is easy, take that nap! Owning our emotions make it possible to deal with stress, and to live life in a more peaceful manner. Where your emotions don’t rule your actions, like a toddler throwing themselves on the floor.

              Many people feel that anger is something that happens instantly when we get upset. We have all felt angry when someone has cut us off when driving. There wasn’t any extra emotion to that, or was there? Often times anger comes in a form of fear. When getting cut off from another driver we instantly feared our safety, fear was the driving force behind the anger we felt. In the book Positive Discipline, A-Z the Author helps understand what anger is “anger is a feeling that follows the belief that you can’t get what you want or that you are powerless in a situation. It can also be a cover-up for hurt feelings. This quote helps us see Anger for what it is, and helps us understand that there is always another emotion behind that anger.

 

I use Pixabay images for my blog posts

In conclusion, I would like you to ask yourself, (when you are feeling angry,) why? Stop and just ask why am I feeling anger? When I stop and analyze my emotions, I am better prepared to feel what is really and truly bugging me. At times I have found myself surprised at the root emotion, and most often than not the root emotion then can be addressed for what it is, or aired out to dry so to speak. When we are able to live life knowing that anger is a secondary emotion, we are able to feel more joy and peace in our lives because we are pausing and letting our emotional wellbeing take over to help heal our disappointments and our fears.

2 examples of eliminating debt to try in the new year

2 Examples of Eliminating Consumer Debt

           

 According to Debt.org, on average, each American household with a credit card carries $8,398 in credit card debt, and each credit card holder has at least 4 credit cards in their names. Some might wonder what can be done about this. There are many ways we can stop debt and even eliminate Consumer Debt. Eliminating consumer debt in two different ways: The snowball method and maintaining a budget can help you have financial security and help you become free from consumer debt for good.

 

            One of the most effective ways to eliminate debt is mentioned by family and consumer advisor In the Ensign Article from July 2011 Getting Out of Debt—for Good By Luke V. Erickson “Arrange your debts from smallest to largest. Make the minimum payment on all debts each month except for the smallest one: on that one, pay as much as you can. Once it is paid off, roll the regular payment you had been paying on that debt to the next-largest debt until it is paid off. Continue the process until the payment “snowball” has grown so large it quickly knocks out debts that stand in its way.”  This example is one of the best ways and trusted ways to start eliminating debt. From personal experience, using the snowball effect to get rid of debt has helped us pay off our car and student loans faster and live without carrying consumer debt.   

 

            A great way to be mindful of where your money is going is to start and maintain a budget. The extra money that you have at the end of the week or month goes back into the debt that you have acquired. When we are able to manage our finances, including budgeting, we are able to enjoy financial freedom. Budgeting is key for financial freedom. Remember the key to eliminating consumer debt is working within the money we take home or living within our means. Lane V. Erickson’s a Bankruptcy Attorney wrote “Simply put, budgeting means tracking purchases and expenses and creating a written plan to save a certain amount of money each month. But why should we budget? Many people think a budget robs them of their freedom.” I like what   President Tanner wrote on financial freedom, “On the contrary, successful people have learned that a budget makes real economic freedom possible.” Budgeting provides economic freedom because it allows us to control our money rather than allowing our money to control us.” Knowing that budgeting is a way of life to eliminate debt helps us to have the financial freedom we deserve.

 

There is a wonderful feeling when you pay off that debt! Having to budget is never easy- or fun. However, I have found that when we are cautious about our spending, we might not always get what we want, but we get what we need. To stop consumer debt, having this thought in my mind has helped me stay away from debt. Using the snowball method and budgeting has helped my family and I to be wise stewards of our money, and resources and to eliminate debt. 

Mickey Waffles with mix recipe

 

Mickey Waffles have magical power to them. Every time I make mickey waffles, our house turns into a magical morning, It reminds us of Mickey waffles at Disney World. 

Here is my recipe

Waffle and pancake mix I double this recipe and then store it in a rubber maid container.

8 cups of flour- you choose- I like to mix whole wheat with unbleached flour- 1/2 and 1/2

1/4 cup of sugar

2 Table Spoons of baking powder

1 tablespoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt- optional in my opinion.

Mix all of this in a mixer with a whisk if you have one, or by hand. You will have lots of mix leftover- I use 4 cups of mix each time I make waffles, that gets me about 16 waffles for my family- great for leftovers. 

Now we can make the waffles, 

2 cups of waffle mix

2 eggs

4 tablespoons or 1/2 a stick of butter 

3/4 cup of buttermilk- (I use powder buttermilk, and add water to it.)

1 cup of milk- I like 2% but whole milk will make the waffles really thick - more like a waffle. 2% is a good second choice.

1 teaspoon of vanilla- I sometimes forget- and it's all right if you do :)

Mix, don't mix too much, you want to see lumps in your batter. once your waffle iron is heated, fill the batter in the waffle iron. 

Have a magical day! 

4 things every SAHM needs

I have been a stay at home mom for over 11 years now- crazy to believe that! right?

In this Corvid 19 Era- I have had some isolation in my life and thought I would share my insights.

When my oldest was 3 months old, My Dear Husband and I moved to a rural town in Iowa, I knew no one, and had no clue what I was doing, and worst of all my family was 1.5 hours away- I was alone in a new small rural town with no one I knew but my husband who worked 60 hours most weeks, I Had no clue how to be this SAHM, and felt very isolated. not only that, the nearest target, mall and other retail shopping venues that I took so much for granted was over an hour away.
 Over the years I found some things that really helped me, and my family to thrive:

 Balance
 space
 Routines
  finding your sweet spot

Finding Balance

My family, Dr. asked are you taking care of your self like you should be?, and I was like sure- with 3 children under 6 and staying home with them while my husband works 60 hours a week, sure, that's the answer you want to hear right? Never mind that I cry like every day, and feel grumpy most days- sure I am taking care of my self.  (6 years ago) Not me now- and yes, looking back I was in a depression.

After my third child, I was stretched thin, My Mother just passed away- I was emotionally beat.

That was 6 years ago- My balance was off-kilter. It was killing me slowly and driving a wedge in my Husband's and I's relationship. I now understand what it means to have a balanced life.

When I talk about Balance for a mother, My mind often goes to the mental part of your daily life. I didn't realize 6 years ago how much of life I was missing out on.

Sometimes we all have to stay home with our kids that are "turkeys" it's my nice way of saying you're being a real brat, or pain in the... (you get the point.)  We can carry this Cross with the courage and make it work for your family.

Here are my go-to ways to bring balance to my life:

Daily check-ins- they sound crazy, or silly, and maybe, but I do know and can tell a difference when I check in with my self on those days that I don't It's a way for me to be more accountable with what I do in my life, and in the life of my kids.

Daily check-ins help put things into perspective. It's a way to share my thoughts and feelings in a notebook, Sometimes I will ask my self some questions, like how do I feel about... and see what comes up. I have a whole blog post about my Morning pages, (which are what Daily Check-ins) However you do daily check-ins- it's worth it. Here is another good example personal daily check-ins might look like.


Mental and physical balance is key a well. as a stay at home mom, I don't get those hour blocks of time to myself. I get moments of time to myself, and I utilize those moments for the benefit for myself and for my kids.
For example, keeping a gratitude journal, if I am feeling anxious or uptight, I keep a journal of gratitude, it's simple, it started out to be a list of things I was grateful for- and the lists were very seasonable, during spring it was the color of the beautiful tulip, or fall it was the tree and the leaves that I saw on my walk with my dog. My gratitude journal has morphed into a sketchbook of what I love, usually the natural world, but for those 5-10 minutes of sketching has saved me from saying hurtful things to my kids or to my husband, because I took the small amount of time to unwind and take a break, to bring back more balance.



Finding your space
Everyone- even our kids need space. even if it's a small corner in your house. a space that you can call your own, and that you can make it into whatever you want it to be. For me, it's two places in my house, a makeshift "art studio" and my bedroom, (where I go when I don't want to be around my kids)

My "art studio" has a computer in it, and a workspace where I can go and be alone and create to my little's heart desire. there is where I picked out the countertop that I love, I decorate it however I feel like, and it's my space.

My "reading nook" is my space in my bedroom, it has an old Lazy Boy recliner that I can read in, and look out my window. I will often let my kids read on that chair, it's not much, but it does help save me from being too uptight when I need a couple minutes to unwind, rejuvenate, and just be able to breathe.

During the months that I can be outside, I have a little cafe table that I use to paint outside or read outside when the weather is nice and my kids are playing outside. It's simple but brings me a lot of peace and joy.

When finding a space to call your own, make sure it's a place where your whole family knows that when you are in your "space" you are not to be bugged. It's not a place that should be on the main level of your house (although my painting easel is on the main level on my house.

I really liked reading this experience about creating a personal space I also enjoy knowing where you are in life, this author has some good insight to personal space. 

The goal here is to be able to take a break, and use this space to feel more peace and joy and breathe.

Finding Your Routine

Going back to feeling isolated, and then at some point getting into the "depression state" I was in, was really due part to the fact that I didn't have a routine for me, I had one for my kids, but not for me- I was "too good for it" Really!? yes really. Until I had my daily check-in and found that routines for me personally will really help.

My life was centered around my kids, I was slowly killing my inner spirit. Literally, I was making everyone around me miserable.

One of the basic needs that psychologists will recommend is a routine- I just took it a step further and created a routine for me. I wake up 2 hours before my kids wake up to meditate, write, paint, do my daily check-ins and it gives me so much peace, that way I am ready for the kid to be awake and for me to be the mom they need me to be- it's that simple. then the family routine comes into play, and our routines blend well.

Some articles that I thought were helpful in illustrating this point are:
The procrastination Vortex 
Why Routines are good for your health
I love this one about making a morning routines

Finding your sweet spot. Whatever you are- Be a good one! 

With feelings of isolation from friends and family, we are losing our direction- Or at least I am at times. I have had to "soul search" what is most important. Sometimes it writing it out, Sometimes, most often it's taking a quiet look around, and just sit, take in the atmosphere, and then breath, I then ask myself, what is really needed? How can I make the best out of today? I always tell myself when I am feeling like I lost my footing, and can not quite find the words to express how I feel, I tell my self over and over again: Whatever you are- Be a good one! 

When I ask myself, what am I, how can I be the best at that- answers come- they come when I listen to my true self, usually when I do the mundane things, like laundry, dishes, sewing, painting, it comes. (did you know I have another blog where I can share my creativity?) MaydreamRose.com I so love sharing peace and joy that creativity brings me!

I challenge you to write out your thoughts for 30 minutes, or 3 pages whichever comes first. The goal of this exercise is to get to the heart of your sweet spot, it takes time and it takes weeks, even months to write every day for 30 minutes. It's worth every minute I promise you- as a successful Stay at home mom during this really trying time, it's been a blessing to write my thoughts and feelings out- no one has to read it, Don't let anyone read it- it's yours to own, and to keep.

Here's what and how I write- I call them Morning pages, it came from Julia Cameron's The Artist's way, and partly from the Health Coach institute on stress relief. 

1. write out what is making you stress, and get those feelings out- take your time- if it takes all 30 minutes- great! your feelings and drama should be on the page- not in your thoughts, or brain.

2. Now that those intense feelings are out on the page for them to "dry out" list a couple things that I am grateful for, proud of what you did, and how you made someone smile in the past 24 hours. 

3.. when you have felt that relief of writing out your frustration, and feeling proud that you got something accomplished, then you can ask yourself- how can I change what I can do to feel more joy and peace in my life?  This takes me most of the time to work through

Here could be a short example of my Morning pages-writing:

I am so annoyed that my kids are not helping me clean up- they leave their crap out all day long I go around picking up after them all day long. 

using phrases like:

I am also annoyed that...

it makes me upset that...

I am really angry that...

These statements help you get your feelings acknowledged and out of your brain so you don't have to carry it around all day. 

Then I would write something like this:

Life isn't all that bad, I made my kids smile when I told them that our favorite old-time movie is playing at our local theater, and we are going to go see it Thursday.  I am proud that I finished painting the office/studio and now we are just waiting on some countertops! I am also glad that my tomatoes and strawberry are blooming, and I can't wait to eat some garden-fresh produce from my garden!

I think keeping my sanity is important, and I think to bring back some of that joy in our home, my kids are going to have to be more accountable for picking up after themselves. I could gently remind them to pick up instead of being harsher to them by being sharp and snappy at them. I will try that next time they leave their plates on the table, see if that changes anything. 

Something like that... Do this every day- Set an alarm clock everyday 30 mins before you wake up to do them. 

Writing out your chaos in your mind is huge, and now I am ready to find my sweet spot, I have often found that my sweet spots are in every day, small moments of my life- especially as a stay at home mom. 

Another challenge is to find 20 things that make you happy- if that is too hard, write 20 things that you are personally grateful for this will help you find your sweet spot again. 

Here is my list in no particular order

making a tried and true seasonal recipe in the kitchen

doodling in my sketchbook

playing with color schemes in watercolor

painting with Brushos (watercolor crystals)

reading on the porch swing

walking around my garden in the morning

Gardening and planting 

taking my dog for a walk

playing a card game with my kids

going to the pool with my kids

sketching my garden and flowers

visiting a park or trail

watch the sunrise

canning jelly and other things (hence the garden)

taking a nice long bath with lavender and bergamot essential oils

sending a card in the mail to a friend

calling a friend and just talking and listening to her.

painting an intuitive landscape or floral

visiting our local zoo (zoo memberships are worth every penny.)

stamping and making a card or two! 

There you go, it's getting real you guys! Trying to hold nothing back on my end so you can become the best that you can be!

Take care of yourself!

Luvs- 

Lisa Christensen

 

Silly Faces Art - a collaboration between parent and child

I wanted to share some of our go-to art "games" that brings smiles and lightheartedness to your home.

I remember in Middle school when I would go up to my art teacher and say I finished my project she would say- great, draw some eyes on it, and say- make a face- make it silly, make it how you are feeling or design a monster. So I did. I have no idea what I drew, but I can remember the feeling of drawing because it was fun, or latest to let out my creativity with nothing holding me back. That is what I hope for this exercise can do for your children.

I love this collaboration, because the parent, can draw simple eyes, and the child has control over how they want to make their faces.

If you are like- no way do I draw eyes- Totally get it- faces are not "my thing" either, get some googly eyes, and have them draw faces, just don't say I don't like to draw, that will hinder their creativity.

we spend hours of fun drawing faces, it's a fun way to express how you are feeling.

Here is the link to get you started!

https://thefineartcafe.academy/courses/drawing-silly-faces/?fbclid=IwAR18hBwRJVq_1wVGanOxqZM37w756jxzjqidY7iwV7GTdo7fZsErCyBYWKo

Why Percieved Value is worth looking into before you buy.

I love the Bare Necessity song from Jungle book- When you find that you can go along without thinking about it- I'll tell you something true- The Bare Necessities of Life will come to you.

Perceived Value. Let's talk real for a second. Perceived Value is something not to gloss over when you are going to purchase a big item or something that you have been saving your money for. 

The financial gurus at Investopedia would say This:

In marketing terminology, perceived value is the customers' evaluation of the merits of a product or service and its ability to meet their needs and expectations, especially in comparison with its peers.

Marketing professionals try to influence consumers' perceived value of a product by describing the attributes that make it superior to the competition.

Things are not always what they seem when perceived value comes into play: In a very real sense- Things are valuable by the way we view things. That is why there is competition in the piece of the pie for your hard earn dollar.

Here is a great example of what perceived value:

Let's take Serius XM- the Radio service that I love. ( I love having it in my car, and online.)

We got a new vehicle and it came with Sirius XM. I love free things, like the regular radio that I get free, But I saw value in Sirius XM after our free trial.

Why? Because for only $13 a month- a Price of a couple cups of coffee or hot chocolate per month I wouldn't have to listen to all those commercials, and I get to cherry-pick what I listen too.

They Marketed it as a being able to get all these channels, and don't miss your favorite baseball game! Okay- you got me!

So that $13 a month subscription didn't seem like a big deal, but then when you do the math it's over $ 150 ($156) to be exact, They advertise it at $8 a month, but with the luxury tax it comes out to be $13 a month. Geez! 

I can I spend my money a bit better, Maybe- But for me having Kid's Place Live, No Shoes Radio, The Garth Channel,  and the Beatles Channel, It's awesome! I can't live without it now.

Einstein famously said "It's all relative", and we see that pricing is no different - we just need something to make it relative to.

 Check out this other Case study about perceive value from Ninja Outreach

So getting to the root as to why I am writing this article.

A discussion between my husband and I have been: 

When and how to go back to Disney?

 Do we stay at Disney World or do we stay off "campus"

 Do we buy into Disney Vacation Club?

 This conversation has been going on for months. We are to the point that we all want to go back to Disney as fast as possible. I have a Whatever it takes attitude to get back to the Magic Kingdom. AS FAST AS I CAN! 

So after a good long week of talking about should, we or shouldn't we do DVC We came across this article that really talks about the perceived value that DVC offers.

DVC Fan mentions Perceived Value as Pixie Dust- so clever how Disney does that right?

 I encourage people in the strongest sense of the word to do their homework if they plan to finance. Look at it from all angles while doing your best to remove pixie-dust from the equation. Pixie dust is only allowed in if the monthly payments of financing a DVC contract do not present a hardship. If you have to give up other things, if you have scale back on your lifestyle or any meaningful necessities, then perhaps it’s not the right choice. 

 He also argues that not all luxury Items like Vacationing at Disney through Disney's Vacation Club is a luxury item, It's all in how you perceive your time and money, and what it's worth. Click here for here the whole article 

If your hobby is to plan a Disney vacation and go to Disney- and that is how you want to spend your hard earn money then the perceived value for you- is in a positive light. Some friends and family would think your crazy for spending that much money on a vacation. (I agree it's a ton of money) However I love, & My family loves everything, Disney, so for us, it's a no brainer to go to Disney as soon as we can. (it's our hobby) and everyone needs some kind of Hobby to keep you sane. Here is a great article as to why we all need some kind of hobby in our life! 

As of today, we haven't decided if we are going to go with DVC, Were still trying to decide if we want to spend our money on this.  (I don't think we will finance DVC if we can make it work.) 

What luxury item do you feel is worth every penny? 

Bernie's Barnyard at Adventureland

photo credit: Adventureland parks

Bernie's Barnyard And what you need to know:

-Like all the rides and attraction, it's free with paid admission, or with a season pass. 

-Located by the entrance by the Tornado

-Toddler area and older/bigger kid area are separate

-2 new rides perfect for families.

Photo Credit: Adventureland Park

It's finally open I thought to my self, it' better be worth the long wait! Yes, I believe it was, Bernie's Barnyard was THE PERFECT PARK FOR KIDS AND PARENTS!  I am happy that Adventureland has this new addition to its park, A much-needed place for elementary kids to play and explore. We were able to go on the second day of its opening. Of course, these pictures are what my kids loved about the park, We easily spend the whole afternoon here, I had to pry them away and say if you want to swim at the wave pool we need to leave! (that's how much they loved this park)

E loved the slide, underneath was a fruit stand that my daughter and son loved to play store at. 

C enjoying the new slide, (perfect for all children. I even went down it, it's a bumpy as it looked.) Part of the fun.

The fruit stand, they loved playing store in this. Great place to learn and play pretend!

Why do all kids love tunnels? this one reminded me of a tunnel at a park we use to love until we moved. Thanks for the happy memories of that park Adventureland, I am glad to see another play area with tunnels. 

When you walked in there is a "life-sizexylophonees, drums, and other musical instruments that the kids loved to play with. This musical feature captured all my kid's attention for a long time, more time than I expected. 

Lot of ways to climb, this is just one of them, it's a rope latter, one of E's favorite part.

Everywhere you look there is something for little hands to be busy with, I counted like 4-5 gear stations for them to explore. 

another way to climb, can you tell my kids are part monkeys?

one of many views of the playground.

C's happy dance, she loved this area!

At this park inside of Adventureland, they have two rides, shakin Bacon, (as C pointed out, it's like the Falling Star for kids)  and pictured here is the horse ride, if your kid is less than 42 inches, a parent has to ride with them. It was fun to hear the giggles from my 4-year-old while on the ride. (one of my new favorite family rides.)

They also have a toddler section, pictured above is my 4 yr old in the toddler section. It was filled with houses and other little tike toys for the toddlers. 

For an art project in the spring, our elementary school chose some students to paint a birdhouse, my Niece was able to be part of this collaboration, she was so sad she couldn't take home the birdhouse until she saw it proudly displayed at Adventureland in Bernie's Barnyard. It was such a treat to see her work and see her smile bright as she realized that it's part of her new favorite park! 

My thoughts: this is a great place for families. They had lots of picnic tables for families to enjoy, It's very open, I was able to chat with the mother I was with while watching my kids. Bernie's Barnyard is the perfect size for kids to explore while moms/parents/ caregivers can sit down and relax a tad bit. There are concessions, that sell kid food ( Peanut butter and jelly, milk, animal crackers, and other kid-friendly snacks.) 

I will continue to make my way towards the tornado (the park is right by the entrance of the Tornado roller coaster) when we visit every week (Adventureland passes are worth every penny in our family.) Because it's the perfect size for our family. 

Well done Adventureland! Thank you for providing a great play area for my kids to explore and enjoy!

Check out my other post about Adventureland Day Trips, to help make your day at Adventureland as stress-free as possible. 

Back to School shopping Check list

Des Moines Register contacted me, about how  I save money during tax free weekend in Iowa, I am happy to share with you a lovely conversation I had with Mackenzie, from the Des Moines Register, truly a fun conversation, lots of great tips are in her article, by none other than my self and another blogger from the Des Moines Area as well!

There are some really great ways to save money this month, I love spending money this month because there are some great deals that I can only get in August, Stock up and save!

Read about what was said in this conversation, and to view the whole article.

Learn more about Tax-free weekend go here

Here are my go-to things I get for during Tax-Free weekend and why:

Underwear: They almost never go on sale, but usually, I can get a buy one get one half, or they are just reasonable. My price point is about $2-$4 per pair of underwear.

Socks: Same thing, but I get just the fall/ spring socks, not the heavy socks that you would wear in the Winter.

Jeans: Can you see the pattern? I stock up on the essentials, The things that never go on sale.

Clearance items are a huge way of saving, I am always looking for the next size up for kiddo's, the next season's pants, and jeans. I will also look at clearance racks for shoes, especially for kids, like gym shoes, or dress shoes.


Happy Saving! or in this case Happy Shopping!

Thank you Des Moines Register, and a big shout out to Mackenzie, she did an amazing job with the article!

Colored Rice: How to make my 3 year old's favorite sensory table activity

My kids love playing in the sensory table! I often have to think outside the box for new ideas on what to put in my sensory table. Some things just make sense, rice, beans, corn...

AWESOME things happen when we give kids open-ended material to play with! My kids play with the colored rice a ton more than if I were to just give them plain rice. Thier imaginations run wild, sometimes the rice is a habitat, other times it's a birthday cake or a secret ingredient to solving a crime, it's so fun to see what they come up with!

Here is how you make Colored Rice (1 cup) I like to do this 4 times with 4 different colors of Rice
In a quart size bag:
Take 1 Cup of Rice (4 parts)
1/4 Cup of rubbing alcohol, or vinegar (1 part)
add food coloring, or if you have it liquid watercolor (my favorite way to die rice)
The knead the color around in the closed bag, once all the rice is colored lay out the colored rice on a pan.  Let the rice dry for about 6-12 hours, I did mine in the morning and by the afternoon it was dry and ready to go.

I did have each color of rice in a bag for each color for longer than I thought, then I let them play with all the colors together and that was entertaining a bit more, now we just have Rainbow rice and it's so fun to play with!

This is such a great book That has great ideas, to do with young kids

Here is how you make Colored Rice (1 cup) I like to do this 4 times with 4 different colors of Rice
In a quart size bag:
Take 1 Cup of Rice (4 parts)
1/4 Cup of rubbing alcohol, or vinegar (1 part)
add food coloring, or if you have it liquid watercolor (my favorite way to die rice)
The knead the color around in the closed bag, once all the rice is colored lay out the colored rice on a pan.  Let the rice dry for about 6-12 hours, I did mine in the morning and by the afternoon it was dry and ready to go.

I did have each color of rice in a bag for each color for longer than I thought, then I let them play with all the colors together and that was entertaining a bit more, now we just have Rainbow rice and it's so fun to play with!

Craftsy free Beinge watch day is Labor day

On Labor Day, enjoy 1,200+ Craftsy classes for free - for one day only. 

Click here for all the information

All you have to do is to get a login (be a member that is free)  to view any class on Craftsy for FREE! This is such a great deal, I am so glad I am able to carve out some time to watch a couple classes. You really don't want to miss this!

Here are some of my class reviews.

My tip on how to make the most of this day would be to add classes that you want to watch on your wish list before Labor Day, so  Monday comes you know what you want to watch! I can't decide between food classes, paper craft classes, or painting!

Here are some of my favorite classes if you are curious what classes I have taken from Craftsy:

Pair ups
Class reviews
My favorite class in food
Favorite class in watercolor
Favorite class in card making

Some of the classes that I hope to watch that I am so excited for are

Radiant Stamping because I love love love stamping with my Misti!










Silhouette Savvy: Design, Cut, Create with Paige Evans  Becuase I love my Silhouette and I am always wanting to learn more!

Cracking the Egg: 25 Ways to Transform Your Cooking with Chef Kyle Shankman Because my family loves eggs!

Jacques Torres' Ultimate Box of Chocolates Becuasea I love Chocolate and am always looking for ways to make a sweet gift for Teachers, family, friends and as thank you gifts

Venture into Vinyl, because a good friend of mine loves using her Silhouette to cut vinyl, and I want to try! 

Adventureland day trip tips

Summer is almost over! I can't believe it, and I thought I would share how I use my Adventureland pass this summer!

For the past4 consecutive years of owning a season pass for the whole family, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how to make a day trip to Adventure land worth your time.

Kids and Adventureland go together very well, Adventureland does a great job of keeping the park clean, the kids happy and most of all entertained.

you know those days that you love, that live in your memory for the whole year, until next time you can have the same experience? yup those happen in June for our family Here is what I like to do:

We love to go on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to the park. We start the day with our regular morning routine, then head to the park at opening. I like to get into the parking lot about 10 minutes before the gates open (9:50.) That's in a perfect world, usually, we are good if we get there sometime before 11!

From the main gates, the train ride, and the carousel are next. Depending on how busy it is we go towards the left where all the rides are, not down main street. and do all those rides first. However there is NO SHADE or very little shade, so if it's hot we by pass this group of rides.

Here are some of my quick tips:

If it's raining there is the arcade that is actually really reasonable, we love the air hockey game, for .50 cents it's worth waiting out the rain, also the G-Force is in the arcade, and it's one of my kids favorite rides, and no it doesn't cost anything to ride it.

There is enough variety of rides that my children never feel like they are waiting on a sibling, Adventureland laid their rides out perfectly, for example, my older kids can ride the bumper cars while my youngest ride the trucks, I have eyes on both of them.

I consider Adventureland a two-day thing: one trip just rides, in June usually. The other trip is spent at the water park lots of time spent there in July.

I LOVE THE WATER PARK, yes it does take you about 20 minutes from the time you park your car to the time you walk across the park to get to the waterpark. Here is my view on this: Yes I would love for season pass holders to have access to parking by the water park, until that day happens, I am happy that I am getting my steps in for the day, and I make it fun, by walking by our favorite rides, and saying yes you can ride that 1 ride, on the way to the waterpark that is your favorite ride aka tilt-a-whril.

AdventureBay has a big sandpit for kids, it's awesome to play in!

Water Park Prep: I don't mind the changing rooms at AdventureBay, but there are only two spots for family restrooms, we Change at home, wear our swimming suits to the park, with a simple change of clothes for the way back. We are usually dressed in our swimming suits, and a cover up, I like wearing shorts and a shirt, and just bring underwear to change into- keeping it simple and real!

I am not a huge fan of bringing tons of stuff into the park, So that means on a water park day I bring a towel for all of us to use, it's usually one that I don't love, so then when we are done drying off I donate the towel to the Animal Rescue league bin by the gift shop. It's a win for everyone!

Lazy River and sandpit

I also love the Sand Bar/pit, but I always forget to bring sand box toys, so we usually cover up our legs in the sand and then wash the sand off and then get into the lazy river that we all love to swim in, my Kindergartener can swim in it with out floaties.

The clear tubes you can rent and they can be used in the lazy river and the wave pool, both of which are really fun and relaxing. Season pass holders can rent them free with a $5 deposit that you get back when you return the tubes.

Water park nerves: I have three kids, that all want to do something different at the waterpark, I have the safety on my mind and it's not a break for me when it's just me and my 8yr, 5yr, and 3yr old. We stick mostly to the pirate pool, and the wave pool. Then if my kids are awesome like they are, I let the older kids play in the Kokomo Cove play area, and watch them as close as I can while the youngest and I play at the splash pad. I love the waterpark for this reason: there are always life guards on duty, and if you tell the life guard your situation, and it's not crazy busy (weekdays) they will be another set of eyes for you when you can't always watch them like a hawk.

I am not a park foodie, I don't mind the food, but if I am trying to feed my whole family I am usually the one to suggest Culvers across the street from Adventureland, Otherwise, I pack a lunch or better yet we leave the park when everyone gets hungry,

The Main Street Cafe gives pass holders a 10% discount on food, so I like to fill up our drinks there, hey every little bit helps to save some money.



Things you may not have realized
Parking is $10. If you have a season pass it's free. 
Adventureland has the longest running magic show in the nation, Way to go Ben Ulin! and it's worth seeing, my kids love it and he is quite humorous for the adults as well.

Want a Season pass for next summer? Adventureland usually puts the season passes on sale in December (Christmas presents from Grandma.) So look for that on their website in December. usually, they are about $30 off the regular price.