All smiles

I am all smiles to tell you our latest here...seriously! I really think you guys will love this idea here...

I have been feeling a little like I need to make a better effort as a mom lately. I was talking to Caleb one night telling him how I think I spend too much time worrying about the mess they are creating rather than diving in and joining them in creating a memory. So I set out on a journey to find some sort of idea that might help with my rut and be fun and exciting for all of us. I couldn't find anything I liked, but it just so happened that when I checked my SIL's blog, she had this perfect idea! An Activity Jar! I knew right away this was perfect for us. I told the girls the idea and they were extatic. So we created this jar and filled it full of fun activities that we get to do together every day. Some of the ideas were our own, some we stole from my SIL. In the Jar are things like:

having a tea party

a treasure hunt

going on a rock hunt to start our rock collection

build a princess's castle for the barbies out of blocks

write a play and act it out

make sock puppets and put on a show

color make and fly paper airplanes

and the list goes on!!!

We have had a few activities and it is truly the highlight of all of our day! They take turns every day picking an activity. We never know what it will be, but we inevitably love it. I feel so much love, and such a strong bond as we spend this special Mommy/Daughter time together. The girls just love it. The first day Adi was so overwhelmed she jumped around and got giddy and said over and over "This is the best day ever" or "I am so so happy!" I felt like I was glowing inside, and I realized my calling as a mother to be such a beautiful blessing.


At the end of the activity I gather the girls around me and they sit on my lap and I tell them how much fun I had. And then I ask them if they know why I had so much fun. And then I tell them it's because I love them so much. The girls love this new activity and look forward to it all day long, and so do I.


Don't mind my tripple chin...I claim it was the angle. But we tried to get a picture of the 3 of us in our fort before our movie started. They make me smile.


You know what else makes me smile? I smile every time I walk past my latest wall hanging that I am IN LOVE WITH! It's huge...like 47x27 huge....but I love it. I can't wait to get my Temple done now.

Here is an angle to show you the super cool texture it has on it. You can achieve this texture by using acrylic gel.

This little girl loves to cook and begs to either make something with her easy bake, or something with mommy every day. She makes me smile too.

So these necklaces are so fun. I love to craft when I have a spare Saturday or evening available. I got the idea from a friend of mine who got the idea from here.

Valentines is coming, and I decided to make this rosebud wreath. It's originally suppose to be in the shape of a heart, but I went with round because I have something that is going to hang from the middle. I like them both. But FYI: don't do this project....it is so time consuming!!! But, I am loving it. We'll just see if I even get it up before the 14th! I got the idea from here.

Anyway, that's just a few things we've been up to lately.

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post. I honestly didn't realize how many people feel the same way at times. Aren't we all silly? I know I never go home analyzing others like that...so why do we doubt ourselves? Here's the good news...at least we're not alone!!!

I hope your all having a great week and that something is making you smile!