My kids never go in our backyard. Some days, I have to force them out the door. While I’d like to blame the hot weather out here (we are in AZ after all), I can’t help but think it might be because there isn’t much going on back there. Well, we are about to move to a new house, and I am determined to make good use of it. My goal is to create a backyard that my children can’t resist playing in! Is your backyard in desperate need of an upgrade too? We’re in this together then! Here are 21 irresistible backyard play areas I can’t wait to try out!

1. Tire climbing tower– For the brave and daring, they’ll love climbing all over this tower from Blessings Overflowing.

2. Construction Play area– Is your child obsessed with tractors and bulldozers? They this is the perfect backyard play area for your family! Find instructions at Simply Laura Leigh!

3. Splash Pad– Who says you need to go to the park to play at the splash pad? Build this simple design from SHTF Preparedness !

4. Pirate Boat– Let your child’s imagination run wild with this tutorial from The Resourceful Mama.

5. Backyard Art Oasis– With Tinker Lab‘s artistic play area, your kids can have fun making a beautiful mess that stays outside!

6. Platform Tree House– Every kid needs a tree house, am I right? Try Repurpose and Upcycle‘s simple design!

7. Sand and Water Table– This play table from Frugal Fun 4 Boys is the perfect place to experiment and make a mess!

8. Giant Chalkboard– Take coloring outside with Love and Renovations‘s giant chalkboard.

9. Platform Swing– Fit multiple people on this giant swing from The Naughty Mommy!

10. Kiddie Car Wash– This idea from Mom Endeavors is sure to be the new favorite activity at your house!

11. Hill Side Slide– We love this dreamy slide from The Empowered Educator! It’s perfect for little legs to climb up to!

12. DIY Play House– The perfect place to have imaginary adventures! Find this easy design at Houseful of Handmade.

13. Outdoor Tinker Space– Keep your kids busy and exploring with Work Space for Children‘s tinkerspace!

14. One Rope Tree Swing– Let your child’s dreams take flight with Tee Diddly Dee‘s rope swing.

15. Outdoor Reading Nook– Vintage Revival’s reading nook is the perfect escape for your little bookworm! We have links to both parts: Part1 & Part 2.

16. Seesaw– Seesaws are an excellent practice in teamwork, don’t you think? Find this fun DIY at A Turtle’s Life for Me.

17. Airplane Play Structure– Your children will have so many adventures with Rogue Engineer DIY airplane!

18. A-Frame Play House– We love this unique design from At Home with Ashley.

19. Mud Kitchen– What kid doesn’t love playing in the mud? Create your own mud kitchen at Tippy Tupps.

20. Climbing Wall and Net– Have you ever wondered if your children are actually little monkeys that won’t stop climbing? If your answer is yes, someone please save my sanity, then you’ll love this idea from Mincing Thoughts.

21. Tire Climber– This climbing structure from My Small Potatoes is sure to get out all the wiggles from your kids!

Which of these 21 irresistible backyard play areas is your family going to try first? 

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You’re standing by the front door, gift wrapped in hand, coat on, ready to go. The company Christmas party starts in 45 minutes and it takes 40 to get there so you can be a little early. But something seems to be missing. Actually someONE is missing. Oh right, your spouse.

They got out of their 20-25 minute shower ten minutes ago insisting they would be ready in those ten minutes. But you know all too well they still need to do their hair, pick out their outfit (after trying on three others), choose their shoes, maybe throw on some makeup, re-check their hair and outfit, spray the cologne/perfume and grab a snack because “the party doesn’t start for 45 minutes and they won’t even serve the food after all the introductions!”

This happens almost every single time you guys go out and it always leaves you waiting by the door tapping your foot. Your spouse apologizes every time for being/making you late and reminds you they are trying. You know they are, and are sincerely sorry, so you love them yet another day. But you still wish things would change, right? You can’t keep making people wait on you guys and you are sick of always missing the opening credits! I mean, come on! They’re you’re favorite part!

Don’t fret. I’m here! I have the answers. I am going to give you tips on how you can help your loved one become their most punctual self – or at least try to. And I’m sure you’re wondering how I have these answers. Because it’s me. I AM the always late, rushing, care-free like person who finds her husband waiting at the front door each time they go ANYWHERE. I’ll tell you… I can’t remember the last time we saw the opening credits at the movies. Sorry babe, I’m trying!

1. First and foremost, open up. It’s crucial to explain your frustrations as well as find out what their definition of punctuality is. More likely than not it’s going to be different than yours. For example, to me being on time is getting to a 6 p.m. event at 6 p.m., but to my husband it’s arriving 15-20 minutes early. We have very different definitions of punctuality. Figure out their reasons and motives for why they take the time they do to get ready! They probably have very specific reasons and they probably aren’t doing it to be spiteful or disrespectful in anyway. Just talking about these things will open so many doors to finding the core issue!
2. Simplify, simplify, simplify. You’re busy, they’re busy, we’re all busy. Most people don’t love coming home to a long to-do list knowing they have limited time to knock off every item but some do! Maybe you’re that person. Maybe your spouse is not. Try to keep what you schedule to a minimum so your spouse doesn’t start to feel overwhelmed. You could even inform whoever you’re meeting and most likely, because they know you and your spouse, they’ll be understanding and grateful for the heads up! Also, try removing any obstacles or distractions that could get in the way. Have the dishes put away ahead of time or keep the TV off. Everyone will be able to move at a quicker rate and improve their punctuality without distractions!
3. Create more routines and structure. Having nothing to do is almost worse than having too much to do because things can be put off for too long. If you have a daily routine, such as getting home from work and immediately loading the dishwasher with the dishes from breakfast, sweeping the floor, tidying the room, etc. before doing anything else, it will set more structure in the home and will help during the times you need your spouse to be more time sensitive. You’ll be able to be okay with skipping a step to add more time. Maybe try assigning different tasks so if you finish getting ready first you can do a few chores while they get ready and vice versa.
4. Time. Buffer. Personally, I know this works. People have played this trick on me so much that I now have caught on and know when they’re giving me the right times or not! Try telling your spouse you’re needed earlier than you really are so you can assure they’ll be ready on time! Just be aware they may catch on eventually…. then you’ll need a new tactic.

If these tips don’t seem to be working and you feel you’ve tried everything, take a step back. Figure out a way to accept it and move on! If you can, look at yourself to find out why your spouse’s tardiness keeps getting on your nerves. If you need to take two cars, do it. They’ll get the picture. Just make sure you’re doing all you can to stay calm, collected and try to be understanding.

Everyone is different and these tips may not work for your loved one with their punctuality, so test them out! Find what works! I hope I’ve been able to bring more insight into why your spouse is always so late! And remember, they are trying!

Did these tips help? You might find these posts helpful as well!

Five Tips for Living with Messy People

Seven Reasons Your Spouse May Be Sabotaging Your Healthy Lifestyle

18 Simple Keys to a Happy Marriage

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The real problem we seem to face, whether we’re a total mess, half mess, or not messy at all, is learning how to live with someone who is more messy than us! No matter the mess we seem to have in our own lives, it always feels as though the other “messy person” is… messier. And dealing with it is often times no bueno.

So how do we deal with the different problems that arise because of the messiness without hurting any feelings or pointing blame? It’s a tough game to play, but today I have five tried and true ways to settle any disputes you may have going on at home that can keep your relationships strong and thriving. First, let’s dive into a few areas where you may be seeing problems arise the most.

KITCHEN

The kitchen is somewhere we all love to be. But we don’t love it to be a disaster! Keeping your kitchen clean is important not just for looks and feel but for your overall health too! Besides the bathroom, the kitchen harbors the most bacteria which can spread like wild fire if not cleaned properly.

BEDROOM

When you think of winding down after a long day, you most likely think of the bedroom. You’re able to fall onto your bed and wrap up in your favorite blanket. But then you see four of your husband’s shirts balled up next to you and blankets all on the floor. A messy bed is only one of many things that can take away your anticipated relaxation!

BATHROOM

A bathroom should be a germ-free sanctuary. A place to take care of yourself after a long day. When the bathroom is dirty – towels on the floor, toothpaste in the sink – relaxing is hard to do! Especially when you weren’t the one who made the mess. Maybe you left one towel on the floor after your morning shower, but you were in a hurry and promised to pick it up when you got home.

5 Tips For Living With A Messy Person

#1. BE PRACTICAL!

You might need to lower your expectations here just a bit. If the person you love isn’t used to being a “neat freak” like you wish they would, it’s going to take time for them to make improvements. Don’t give them jobs that are going to be too much to handle and only make them not want to do it more!

#2: CONVERSE!

Do not put this off! The longer you wait the more the steam is going to build. While you’re talking, be calm and collected. This will help them to understand where you’re coming from. You can also come up with a compromise by letting them know if they do this for you, you are more than willing to do something for them and finish with deciding on a reward or incentive!

#3: ASK FOR HELP!

Let them know you need help in this area of your life. Explain to them how living a cleaner life will benefit you both in many ways whether it’s with your health or better sleep at night. Instead of nagging them to clean up more or help you more, try asking how you can help them! It’ll show you care about helping them improve over your own well being.

#4: DEVELOP ROUTINE!

Baby steps. You can’t just throw it all at them at once. Developing a routine will make cleaning seem easy and doable! Try a divide and conquer tactic. That way you’ll both be working together to get the job done. You can also try a tabata routine which means 10 minutes of work, 10 minutes rest. Repeat until finished! Also, designate preferred clutter spots. It’s okay if something has a few piles as long as the rest is tidy and in place.

#5: REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE TOGETHER!

This whole process can be frustrating. That’s why it is crucial to stay patient and continue to remind yourself why you’re together. You didn’t choose to be together simply for their tidiness! Odds are there are a million other reasons you choose to be together ever single day. Try making lists or saying these reasons to yourself out loud or to your partner!

And remember, during this whole thing, always find ways to have a lot of fun!

Did these tips help? You might find these posts helpful as well!

Seven Reasons Your Spouse May Be Sabotaging Your Healthy Lifestyle

18 Simple Keys to a Happy Marriage

25 Engaging Questions to Ask Your Hubby Besides, “How Was Your Day?”

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Picture this: You’re sitting at home watching a movie with your spouse. It’s Friday night and you’re both winding down from a long workweek. You have your favorite movie playing: Moonrise Kingdom, a Wes Anderson classic.

Friday night movie night is your favorite weekly ritual. It’s a time when you and your spouse can finally sit back and relax together. What makes this night even more special is the designated movie treat you take turns choosing. In an attempt to be extra amazing, your spouse picked up two extra thick Oreo shakes with an extra box of Oreo’s for dipping. You’ve kept your commitment to make healthy habits all week. But when you see your spouse standing there with their cute smile and that creamy delicious escape in their hands, you collapse into their arms, press play on the remote and dig in.

Sound familiar? I know it definitely does for me. You want nothing more than to have a healthy lifestyle. You’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time. You wake up every day feeling bloated, lethargic and it’s as if your joints have swelled three times their size during the night. You don’t have the energy you used to when running around with your kids after school. It’s becoming a strain on your relationships. It’s time to make a change.

But there is one thing holding you back…your spouse.

Your spouse is the sweetest person you’ve ever met. They love you for you and are your biggest supporter! When you got married you promised to be there for each other no matter what. So why do they seem to be the one always standing in your way to have a healthy lifestyle?!

I’m here to help ease your mind a bit and let you know how your spouse may be completely sabotaging your plans for a healthier YOU.

1. Busy days

-Similar to the scenario above, some weeks may be harder, longer, more tiring than others. This makes it easier to fall into habits you may not wish for because your body simply wants anything that is easily accessible/comforting. Your spouse clearly needs the same thing and if they also want/need easy access they’re going to think you want or need it as well.

2. Hurt feelings

-People feel happiness and satisfaction in doing things for others. Especially spouses. If you came home from a long day at work and your spouse brought home your most favorite dessert, it’ll be much harder to turn down the offering. You don’t want to hurt their feelings because they did this kind gesture just for you! If you’re trying to make changes, you need to make sure they understand your intentions and that you’re not mad at them.

3. They’re already fit

-Your spouse may have the metabolism where it’s perfectly fine to eat whatever and they won’t gain a pound. This is hard for you because you’re not this way! And that’s perfectly okay! The problem is if they want dessert they have it and they don’t understand how hard it is for you to say no.

4. Insecure/unhealthy themselves

-Maybe you and your spouse have been living an unhealthy lifestyle. You may have been raised in a family where everyone ate healthy food, were very active, etc. Your spouse may have grown up the opposite way: eating out six days a week, spending most of their time indoors, staying up late. You’ve found comfort in this lifestyle for a long time so making the decision to change is scary! Whether you make the decision or not, it will be hard for your spouse because they may not be ready to make a change for themselves quite yet. They’re still too insecure about their lifestyle choices to make a drastic change yet.

5. Doesn’t see the need to help

-When you got married you made promises to always be there for each other no matter what. Unfortunately that may not always come true. Your spouse may see a lifestyle change as only something you need to make. They’re completely content with exactly where they are in life so why change something good? What they don’t realize is how maybe making simple, small changes will make all the difference for you.

6. They’re lazy/not into fitness

-Not everyone loves to do 100 burpees or run 26.2 miles or even lift 25lb dumbbells. Having a healthy lifestyle does also require some type of physical activity along with eating right. Whether that’s killing yourself in they gym everyday, biking, or walking, just being active will kick your metabolism into gear and help get you where you want to go. If your spouse isn’t into the gym scene, try getting them to go walking with you.

7. They’re afraid you won’t love them anymore

-This is what everyone is afraid of. Ok so you’ve made your list of goals, done the necessary shopping for your meal prepping, you’re going to sleep more, get outside and spend more time with the kids. You sit your spouse down to go over these things so you can know whether they’ll be on board. All you’re looking for is a simple, “That sounds great Honey, I support you 100%!” But instead you get a sigh followed with, “This sounds great Hon and I’m happy for you. But what happens when you make these changes but I’m still the way I am? Why would you have any reason to still love me?” These are tough questions but they’re honest and sincere. Trust me, having these one-on-ones will end up being extremely beneficial for your plans as well as your overall relationship.

I hope these reasons have been able to give you a bit more clarity as to why your spouse may be doing these things or acting the way they are.  Soon we’ll dive into how you can help them understand your reasons and need for wanting to change!

Did you like this post? Check out these other relationship posts!

18 Simple Keys To A Happier Marriage

25 Engaging Questions to Ask Your Hubby Besides “How Was Your Day?”

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Over the past several years, we’ve splurged on a few trips to far-flung places and left our kids in the willing hands of my sweet in-laws. At least, they act sweet about driving 8 hours from their house to cook for and chauffer our active children. They’re really good sports, and I try to simplify the daily routine for them as best I can.

My mom and mother-in- law have incorporated some of the following ideas when they have babysat. Whether you’ve been asked to sit for a quiet evening or an entire week, here are some smart tricks to help everything go smoothly.

“Grandma’s Awesome Toy Bag” – Keep a special bag or laundry basket of your own toys. Make sure these toys are unique and cool! Collect toys, craft supplies, books, movies, or games that the kids don’t already have at home. Explain that these toys are special, and only appear when Grandma is babysitting. If you’re wondering what the best baby toys are, check out this post.

Jigsaw puzzle – Clear a space at the table and work out a puzzle. Large, intricate puzzles are great because they can be worked on over several days. You can find puzzles for any age level; they’re great for developing fine motor skills, problem solving, social skills, and self-esteem. Here are some fun puzzle ideas to try on your next visit, Candy Wrapper Puzzle 300 pieces, Marvel Avengers 500 pieces, and Tiger Family in the Jungle 1000 pieces.

Free stuff! – If you’re entertaining the kids on a budget, these ideas are worth looking into. Many public libraries loan out free passes to their patrons for local attractions, such as zoos, parks or museums. If your grandkid is an artist, use this free app (link https://www.americangreetings.com/creatacard) from American Greetings to help your grandchild create a greeting card that the company will professionally print and mail for you. All kids like to eat, and some restaurants allow kids to eat for free. Visit MyKidsEatFree.com for a list of more than 5,000 restaurants that offer free or discounted meals for kids when they are accompanied by an adult.

Craft time – Do you have a mini Captain America or animal lover running underfoot? Or maybe a tween granddaughter who loves dream catchers? Make a paper plate craft based on your grandchild’s interest. You can find 100 really easy and cute paper plate crafts here Paper Plate Crafts.

Bedtime planning committee – Sit down with your grandkids and outline their bedtime routines. What time do they go to bed? Do they take an evening bath? Do they want a story from a book, a funny story from their parent’s childhood, or one about you? Give them choices, and chart out the routine. If they’re part of the bedtime planning committee, they should be more willing participants.

Best of luck in your adventures in babysitting!

The post 6 Useful Tips for Babysitting Your Grandkids appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

There is this fancy little household item that can do more things than just cook. I think it is safe to say that most everyone has it in their home. It’s tucked back in the baking cupboard between the salt and the cocoa. That box that you always get mixed up with baking powder. Yes, you guessed it…baking soda! Did you know there are numerous DIY tricks you can do with baking soda? A lot more than I thought! So let’s Discover 12 New Ways To Use Baking Soda!

There are countless ways to use baking soda so I narrowed it down to three sections. For beauty. In the garden. And for cleaning. Enjoy!

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Debbie, Sherri and I have been working together to lose weight and get in shape. We have spent the last three months changing our poor eating habits. Goodbye, sugar, junk, and processed foods. Hello, healthy whole foods, lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds. As of today, I have dropped 30 of the 50lbs I need to lose.

I remember my father telling me. “Losing weight is the easier half of a healthy lifestyle.” “Maintaining the weight loss permanently is the hard part.” I’ve proved him right by losing and regaining the same weight over the last 20 years.

Changing my eating habits alone will not be enough to get those last 20lbs pounds off and maintain my new physique long term.

The key to my success is adding daily exercise to my routine. Which brings me back to the question should I get a Fitbit? It seems like everyone around me owns one. After doing some research, I decided to take the plunge and purchased a Fitbit Flex.

The answer to my question is yes, using a Fitbit helps me achieve my fitness goals. I choose the Fitbit Flex, because I like the sleek design, and the price worked with my budget.

Over time, diet and exercise can become monotonous. Here is how my Fitbit gets me going and helps make the process more enjoyable.

It gets me MOVING!

When you get your Fitbit, the default goal for every member is set at 10,000. This number has been chosen because the medical community (domestic and international) have found exercising at this level helps to improve overall health and lower the risk of heart disease. It also aids in weight loss, lowering high blood pressure, decreasing waist size, and BMI.

I started with 2,000 steps per day. After finding out how easy it was to reach 2,000, I increased my steps a day to 6,000. I’m working towards 10,000 steps a day. Instead of parking as close as I can to any store when shopping, I choose to park at the last parking space instead. I skip elevators and take the stairs instead. It’s amazing how making simple changes like this help rack up the steps.

Motivation to Excercise – Compete with Friends and Family

You can use the Fitbit app to create groups of friends, family or co-works. Once everyone joins the group the Fitbit app provides a summary of everyone’s steps in order of highest to lowest. Each person in the group then competes to earn a spot at the top of the competition list. The more you compete, the healthier you get. Deb, Sherri and I are going to start a challenge with each other, and I intend to win!

Tracking Exercise and Weight

Before my Fitbit I used to color in the days I had worked out on my desk calendar. I tracked my weight on a separate spreadsheet in a secret location never to been seen by anyone but me! Now both my weight and exercise are recorded in one place on my Fitbit.

Sleep Patterns Tracked

When I crawl into bed, I put my Flex into sleep mode and my sleep patterns are recorded. If I forget, I can manually input when I went to bed and when I wake up. The summary displays when I was restless and when I was in my deepest sleep. Reviewing my sleep patterns helped me realize I need to be better about getting more zzzzz’s.

Customizable Food Log/Calorie Tracker

I can use it as a food log and calorie tracker. Even if I forget to add the calorie count for each item, looking at my daily food log helps me make healthier choices.
Adding food entries is easy, you can choose from an extensive list of groceries and restaurant food. You can also create custom lists of foods you eat on a regular basis.

The Design

I like the slim, sleek design, having a battery life of five to seven days, and it’s water resistant. I don’t have to take it off to shower or wash dishes. Different color bands are available to jazz it up if you get tired of the black band.

Silent Alarm

A silent alarm can be used so I will wake up on time without disturbing my husband.

Easy to Use

It only takes a couple of taps on the wristband for me to see where I stand at reaching my daily goal.

Let us know if you have a Fitbit, we’ll create a TGIF-This Grandma is Fun! group and invite you to join!

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Clean eating meme from BuzzFeedUK

Is this your ideal version of clean eating? I know I sure wouldn’t complain if this was what being a clean eater entailed! But, alas, it is not. So if clean eating does not require one to eat their favorite food while soaking in a luxurious bubble bath (which I would fully support if that became a thing, by the way), What Is Clean Eating?

Now, I have a disclaimer. This post is by no means meant to convince you to change your whole life, but rather to simply to inform you. I say “whole life” because let’s be honest- our lives revolve around food.

We have specific time slots where our body tells us we need to eat and if we skip those times, our body is going to let us know it is not happy. Food is the center of social events. Food is what gives our bodies fuel. Food is…Ok, well you get the picture! Food is important.

So what is clean eating?

To put it simply, clean eating is generally staying away from processed and refined foods and consuming whole foods. But even this definition comes with caveats.

There is a wide spectrum of clean eaters and what people deem as whole foods/processed foods. Some say that anything with a label disqualifies it from the category of whole foods. However, in my opinion, if we are to be realistic, you probably would need to live on or near a farm to live off of that definition of whole foods.

Others say that whole foods can have a label, just stay away from those with a long list of ingredients. This tells you that the food has been processed or refined as little as possible.

I personally like the definition of what clean eating is given by Manuel Villacorte, MS, RD,

“I define a clean eater as someone whose diet consists of 80 to 90 percent whole foods, 80 to 90 percent cooking and preparing their foods from scratch, using minimally-processed foods and including superfoods in their diets.”

Read what other registered dietitians say about their definition of clean eating here.

From my research, it seems some may refer to clean eating as a diet (or use it as a diet/way to detox), but most qualify it as a lifestyle choice. So what are the shalls and shall nots of clean eating? Here is the general consensus that I discovered from my research.

What are the Thou shalts?

Thou shalt eat five to six times a day. Now, don’t go eating six big meals! It’s more like three meals and two to three snacks. The idea behind this is to have a steady intake of food that will keep your metabolism going. Hopefully, you’ll be less likely to reach for your favorite vending machine food if you’ve been eating throughout the day.

Thou shalt eat whole foods. Choose whole, natural foods when you hit up the grocery store. Again, this commandment of the clean eaters is dependent on your definition of whole foods. But the overall principle is to consume fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and grass-fed/free-range meats. The types of food allowed in clean eating is where the Paleo diet vastly differs.

Thou shalt include protein, carbohydrate, and fat at every meal. We’ve heard it time and time again from our moms and teachers, it is important to have a balanced diet. I am such a slacker with this all-too-true advice. I’m always like, “Why yes of course, I’ll take another roll…” (six rolls later).

Half the battle is striving to include a variety of foods in your diet. The other half of the battle is portion control. I’d recommend checking out the recommended portion sizes from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, you’re sure to have some new food goals.

Thou shalt veggie-up. If I was to become a clean eater, this would be a struggle for me. It’s not that I don’t like veggies, I do. Rather it is remembering to include them in my diet.

Vegetables are stuffed full of vitamins and fiber, which helps you feel full and gives your bodyits needed nutrients. So making a concentrated effort to include those veggies in your diet for eating clean is key!

This Grandma Is Fun has some great clean eating Recipes to look through if you are interested in cooking up a tasty meal. Below are a few that I picked out for my meal hit list.

Stuffed Flank Steak Kabob

Mediterranean Chicken Salad and Creamy Balsamic

Healthier Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

What are the Thou shalt nots?

Thou shalt not eat processed food and refined sugars. Avoiding processed foods that have a long list of ingredients on the label is probably the best way to go. If you can’t even pronounce the ingredient, healthy eaters say to avoid it like the plague.

Try incorporating/substituting those refined grains (like white flour) with whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, amaranth, and others. If refined sugar is a hard one, Elle Paula from SFGate, offers some great suggestions on How to Eliminate Refined Sugars.

Thou shalt not drink away all your calories. Drink my calories? Yes, you read right. Avoid soda, coffee, and other high calorie drinks. Also, limit your alcohol intake. The recommended limit is one drink per day for women and two for men. Strive to stick with water, low-fat/skim milk, or 100 percent fruit juice.

Thou shalt not indulge your salt, fat, and sugar cravings. Cutting back on processed foods will already help you reduce your consumption of this tantalizing trio, especially salt. Americans eat way more than the recommended 2,300 mg of sodium a day. Try to use spices instead to turn up the flavor on your meal.

Fats. You need not avoid them all together, remember there are healthy fats! Try to replace some of those common fats (whole milk, butter, sour cream, fatty cuts of meats) with olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, fish, low-fat dairy, and other yummy substitutes.

Sugar. This one can be catching-a-gazelle-kind-of-hard-thing to avoid if it is normally part of your diet, which for most it is. So start small. Look for foods without sugar as an ingredient or make sure it is listed closer to the end. Limit yourself on soda, candy, desserts, and some boxed cereals.

Some Tips

• Don’t buy it just because it says it is “clean.” Do your research because you may end up spending more money then you’re wallet can take.
• Spice it up. When switching from processed foods to whole foods, things can taste pretty bland. So dive into your spice cabinet or stock up on those much needed spices. My favorite go to spices include basil, rosemary, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, paprika, and dill.
• Remember, just because it’s called “clean” eating does not mean that other foods are “dirty.” Nor should we food shame those who choose not to go with the clean eating regiment. Jaclyn London, a registered dietitian, wrote a great article over at Good House Keeping addressing clean eating and this particular topic more fully.
• Don’t obsess over it. In the article I mentioned above, London recommends to embrace indulgence. If we become too obsessed with checking every little thing we eat (unless of course you have an allergy or medical condition), we forget that it’s ok to eat something we want. Like that tub of cookie dough ice cream sitting in my freezer… It’s all about moderation.

Well, I hope you learned a little bit more about exactly what is clean eating!

Clean eating is similar to the Paleo diet. To learn more about the Paleo diet and how it differs from clean eating click here!

The post What Is Clean Eating? appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hair bows for little girls are like shoes for women, you can NEVER have enough! Enter Babewell, a subscription based company run by two mom’s Kaitlynn and Shannon who have little girls and love creating darling hair bows.

Signing up is easy, a monthly subscription provides you with 3 bows a month for $11.99 (+$3.50 shipping).

 

Kaitlynn and Shannon are two moms, two friends, and two business owners that are doing what they love.

How do they feel about their business?

“We’re here to promote bows, of course, but also here to promote happiness. We’ve gotten really good at piecing together the little happy moments that make for a happy life. That’s what we want to share with you. Simple pleasures”.

“Our company is simple. We sell bows. We sell that little fun package you get every month that makes your day a little better. I guess you could say we sell a little bit of happiness”.

Head on over to BabeWell now so you can start receiving your own little packages of happiness every month!

Tracy

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Well, let me first tell you that no, you don’t have to eat raw meat.

I personally had no clue what Paleo even was before I started researching it. However, my attitude toward it drastically changed as I realized all it requires. While I’m not ready by any means to jump in and become a full fledge Paleo dieter (I’d have to give up my addiction to cheese, peanut butter, brownies, ice cream, and well…sweets), I do feel a desire to be a bit more conscious about what I put into my body.

Hopefully after reading this, you can nod along with your friends and actually understand what they mean when they say, “I’m going Paelo.” Whether or not you decide to join them is your choice.

The post “What is the Paleo Diet” may contain affiliate links. For more information, click to see our disclosure policy.

So What Is The Paleo Diet?

To put it simply, the Paleo diet includes eating foods that our hunter gatherer ancestors who lived in the Paleolithic era consumed. It’s all about taking it back to the basics.

According to Wikipedia, the main concepts of this diet have been around for some time (well obviously back to the stone age!), but it was Loren Cordain, Ph.D., who started the Paleo movement and popularized the diet with his published book, The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy By Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat.

Many athletes stick to this diet and it is even sometimes called the CrossFit diet. There are also many with Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy who prefer to eat Paleo. Others choose to go Paleo because of the health benefits associated with the diet.

Paleo followers may enjoy some of these health benefits:

• Weight loss
• Improvement in mental outlook
• Better cardiovascular and metabolic health
• More energy and better sleep

Other health benefits can be found here. The ultimate purpose of the Paleo diet is to enjoy a healthier, longer life.

However, there is the risk of calcium and vitamin D deficiency, as well as, a risk of toxins from consuming too much fish. Most people report experiencing a period of feeling sick for the first couple of weeks as their body adjusts to a new diet, but sometimes it is just a couple days.

So when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of it all, what can and can’t you eat? Now, not all experts agree on the same guidelines of what qualifies as Paleo and what doesn’t, but here is the general consensus from my research.

What Can You Eat?

Following this hunter-gather-diet can be a bit expensive – both in the money and time department. It takes planning, dedication, and creativity! So what’s ok to have on your Paleo menu?

• Lean meat
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Vegetables (non-starchy and roots)
• Nuts
• Seeds

Just so you could get a taste of what to expect in a day, I included this awesome example for a Paleo-delicious meal plan curtious of the folks over at Paleo Plan.

Breakfast
-Eggs, sausage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and kale
-Sauteed and scrambled in coconut oil
-Avocado to top it off

Lunch
-Tossed green salad with tons of veggies (spinach, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)
-Grilled chicken/beef/pork
-Olive oil, herb, and lemon juice dressing
-Cantaloupe, blackberries, and pecans

Snack
Leftover baked salmon and red peppers

Dinner
-Venison steak
-Steamed summer squash with lemon juice, coconut milk, and cinnamon
-Sauteed asparagus 

Dessert
-1 or 2 dates

Now, whether you are for or against diets similar to the Paleo diet, you have to give props to those who do follow them. It takes a lot of planning and preparation.

If you want to try some other great Paleo dishes, click on these recipes below.

*Disclaimer: There are some ingredients found in these recipes that don’t fully qualify as Paleo. So you can either take them out, find a replacement, or use them as part of your transitional recipe stage!

Baked Egg Tomato Cups

Roasted Squash Tacos

What Should You Avoid Eating?

Because the basic pretense of the Paleo diet originates from our great great great great great…well you get the picture…great ancestors in the Paleolithic era and what they would have eaten, there are quite a few foods we eat without thinking that are off limits.

So here is the low down on the no-nos:

• Grains
• Cereals
• Legumes
• Dairy products
• Processed foods
• Refined sugars

Obviously, this is a lot to cut out of your diet immediately. Those over at CrossFit Paradox explain nicely the idea behind this type of eating,

“It causes you to burn fat for fuel decreasing body fat, avoids storing excess glucose as fat, helps maintain hormonal balance and decreases inflammation in the body.”

So if you are trying to decide if this diet is for you, I’d highly recommend doing your own research before jumping on the Paleo bandwagon. I particularly loved reading about people’s experiences! Here is one of my favorite articles I found from Women’s Health Magazine, 7 Things No One Tells You About Going Paleo.

So now can you answer the question, “What is the Paleo diet?” Hopefully! I know I understand it a whole lot better! At least now I know what I could cook for my friends and family who are following the diet.

The Paleo diet is similar to clean eating. To learn more about the clean eating and how it differs from the Paleo diet click here.

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We are so excited for today’s giveaway!  We don’t get very many chances to offer a $600 Amazon Giveaway to one of our readers so we are super excited about it!   Do you love Amazon as much as we love Amazon?  Seeing the UPS truck stop at my house with an Amazon box in his hands just makes my day!   Sometimes I will even just put stuff in my cart that I would love to have but don’t ever end up buying.  Yes I know. I have Amazonitis disease.

What would you buy if you won?! You could buy a Bosch, a Blendtec, or I really want this Instapot(!!!) You could get that plus a whole lot more with $600!  The possibilities are literally endless! All you have to do is enter below using the Rafflecopter form!

Don’t forget to click over to all the talented bloggers that are helping make this giveaway possible! You’ll love them!

Pretty Providence | The Idea Room | Thirty Handmade Days | Over the Big Moon | Made From Pinterest | Lolly Jane | Landeelu | Pizzazzerie | Remodelaholic | Eighteen25 | All Things Thrifty | The House of Wood

To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter form below! The giveaway will run from May 23rd, 2016 at 12:00 am through May 31st, 2016 at 11:59pm. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond, before a new winner is chosen!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK FRIENDS!

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These are REAL tips given to the women of the 1950’s from a Women’s Magazine. I can’t believe some of the things they are suggesting you do. Like “Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.” Oh my gosh. Nowadays, if my children are still alive and have had at least one meal by the time my husband gets home from work, we are doing really good!

Oh, and this one. I cannot believe this one. “Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.” WHAT?! What about the woman’s need to get out of the house away from the little circus that is her life? Seriously. I’m so glad that I live in the 21st century where it’s OK for a man to be in the kitchen!

Don’t get me wrong. I am a housewife. I work from home. For my family, me being home is a blessing. I am so happy to be at home raising my family. But I feel like I’m my husband’s equal in all ways. We have different roles in this life and I’m just fine with that. BUT these ideals from the 1950’s are way out of whack! And would make me go insane. Literally.

Now on to the fun bridal shower game. I’ve created a printable for you. Just click on the image below to open it into a new browser window. Then right click and choose “save image as” and save it to your computer. Now you can print them on regular paper for your shower.

Items needed:

• A print out of the excerpts paper and quiz

Click on these links to download.

The Good Wife’s Guide

The Good Wife’s Quiz

• A pencil for each guest (I am in love with these [affiliate] pretty pencils from Target.)
• Prizes

I think nail polish with a cute “You Nailed It” tag is perfect as a favor or a prize for the winner! No need to get too extravagant or spend too much money.

How to play:
“Do you think you know what it means to be a good wife? This paper contains text from a real book used to teach the girls in high school on “How to be a good wife.” Have the ladies read the excerpts, take the papers back, then hand out the quiz. When everyone is done, correct the answers and give a prize to the one who got the most correct answers. This game is great for all ages!

Alternative directions:
Read the textbook sheet out loud to your guests, then hand out the quiz sheets. When everyone has finished, the one with the most correct answers wins.

Another way to play:
Have the guests fill out the question sheet first, then read their answers to everyone. This can get really funny! Then read the correct answers as you go along, using the full text excerpts from the paper.

It’s always fun to have a prize for the winner. But make sure you have a few in case of a tie.

Leave us a comment and tell us what your favorite Bridal Shower Games are. Get more fun printables and family friendly ideas on my blog and follow me on social media!

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In fact, I feel so excited when I purchase a new piece, because it I get to combine it with my other pieces and get way more use out of what I already have. I am totally hooked. To really understand how fun this jewelry is (and get my little pun about being “hooked”) you have to see the video! If you love it as much as we do, click the buy now button on the right hand side of the page and start shopping!

You can order now or call 1-800-982-3189 for more info. You can even start your business with us and start selling Versastyle jewelry yourself.

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Hey, everyone! Amber Simmons here from rick a bam boo. It’s gotten really cold here in Utah. We’re talking below freezing. So you know, it’s really cold. This month I am going to share with you a simple DIY project to help keep you warm when you have to go out.

It’s all about hand warmers. These little babies are great for the whole family. And are so easy to make that you won’t mind making up a whole batch for everyone on your list!

For each set of hand warmers, you need fabric cut into four 3.5 inch squares and six tablespoons of rice.

1. Place two pieces of fabric right sides together. Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew around all four sides leaving a 2-inch hole on one side.
2. Trim down the corners to eliminate some of the bulk.
3. Use the hole to turn the hand warmer right side out.
4. Using a funnel fill the hand warmer with 3 tablespoons of rice. I didn’t have a funnel small enough on hand so I just rolled up a piece of paper to create one.
5. Top stitch the hole closed. Be sure to start and end with a couple back stitches for extra stability.

Top stitching tip: I like to move my needle to the left so that I can get really close to the edge. It can be tricky to get close to the edge will all the rice in the pouch if your needle is in the middle.

Look how perfectly they fit in little hands!

In case you are wondering where I got these fabrics, here is the list:
Red is Kona Cotton in Poppy.
Black with white pluses was a print exclusively from Joann’s.
And the snow globes are from the Cotton + Steel holiday 2015 Tinsel line.

These are so easy I whipped out three sets in less than 15 minutes.  Being such a quick project also makes them great for last minute gifts. They would also be good stocking stuffers, especially if you are looking for something candy free.

To use them you simply pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Watch out. They will be hot. Then you put them in your coat pockets for your hands to be nice and toasty while you are outside.

I plan to use these whenever I have to scrape the car. How nice would that be to get in the car and be able to instantly warm your freezing fingers?

Want more gift ideas?  Check out these posts:

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub

DIY Infinity Scarf

Craft Room Essentials

Also, be sure to follow me via your favorite social media to see new gift ideas as I share them.

Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Google+  |  Instagram

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She took my breath away. Measuring 102 x 84 she is huge! She took up the whole wall in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. all by herself.  I love art that makes me feel something. Fanny Fingerpainting by Chuck Close gave me the impression that this woman was important to the artist. I felt certain she was loved. From her wrinkles, to her age spots, and every strand of gray hair. I was puzzled by the medium, because it looked so much like a photograph. It isn’t. Chuck Close painstakingly recreated a photo of his wife’s grandmother, Fanny Lieber. She was a holocaust survivor, one of the few of her family to survive. What moved me to tears was when I stepped closer. It is literally a fingerpainting. By applying pigment to his fingertips and applying more or less pressure as he pressed his fingers to the canvas Chuck Close captured every beautiful bit of her aged face. 

Photo Credit: MyModernMet.com via PaceGallery

Was this her best hair day? No make up, no touch up, the painting is pretty raw. I love it. And it changed the way I feel about photography, even though it isn’t a photograph. 

In part because in 2010 my sister-in-law passed away. After the funeral I got a phone call from my brother-in-law asking a favor. His wife was amazing about taking and displaying family photographs. But when they went through them after her passing, she wasn’t in them. She was always behind the camera. And they were hoping I had some of her with the family. I found very few. 

So as I sat and stared at Fanny Lieber’s face so lovingly recreated on canvas I thought about all the times I wouldn’t let my picture be taken because my hair was in a messy bun and I wasn’t wearing makeup. Or I would rather wait until I got my weight down where I wanted it before being photographed. Or I didn’t like my outfit. Or I was self conscious about a variety of things regarding my appearance. And it got me thinking, what is it that we love about the people we love? What did I love about my grandparents? I didn’t see wrinkles and gray hair. I saw smile lines. I saw love in their eyes. They looked great to me. I wish I had more photos of them now.

Recently we went apple picking as a family. It was the only day we were going to be able to honor our yearly apple picking tradition because of all our competing schedules. And it was raining. With no sign of stopping. I threw my hair in a  ponytail, slapped on some foundation and rushed to put on mascara before we headed out. I shouldn’t have bothered. 

Speaking of ridiculous self-conscious nitpicking at photos I am going to tell you that I generally like my right eye better than my left.

That little mole under my left eye is weird. I never color it black, but invariably halfway through the day my makeup gets on it and it turns black and looks like I am trying to fake my way into a beauty mark. Also, my left eye waters. Not for no reason. It waters for lots of reasons. It waters if it is too warm, too cold, the wind blows, or there is not enough wind, because I wipe it and there is lotion on my finger, there is dust in the air, and sometimes because I poke myself in the eye with mascara. It waters because I wore makeup and because I didn’t. Eyedrops don’t help, and I almost always have a tissue for it, and my optometrist has no clue why that eye is such a bother.

While apple picking, my eye watered because a drop of rain dripped in my eye. So I preferred taking pictures of myself like this.

But I didn’t want the day to be remembered as if I wasn’t there. So I took this.

Here is small list of pictures I wish I had of me with my grandmas. I wish I had a picture of the day she taught me how to make paper dolls, and when we made homemade Valentine’s together, and worked in her garden, and picked tangelos from the trees in her backyard, and when she taught me new ways of doing my Barbie’s hair, and eating Granny bread, which is dry, crumbly, healthy, awful tasting homemade wheat bread fried in butter. Wow did butter make a difference! I wish I had pictures of the button jar, her teaching me to crochet, me failing at knitting and rolling the yarn for her instead, her taking me to the fair where I rode my first roller coaster all by myself, and won Goldie the goldfish who lived 7 years despite finding her laying on the counter because my cat got her like a bajillion times and I never cleaned her bowl. Ever. Once we just bought a new one.

The number one thing Grandmas need to know about photography is this. Get in the picture! If you don’t know how to take selfies yet, ask your grandkids to show you. And get a selfie stick. Take pictures of you with your grandkids. Let them have memories preserved of all the times you were there. So maybe one day your grandkids will laugh at your out of style clothes. Or giggle at your funky hair. Mostly what they will remember is that you were there. With them. Smiling into the camera. With them. Having a great time. With them. Eating and laughing and loving and sharing and living a great life. With them. Grandma, get in the picture!

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 A couple of weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure and honor to gather at a luncheon to hear about Jeanette Herbert’s initiative that she is supporting, called UpLift Families.  As the First Lady of Utah, one of her responsibilities is to select an initiative to support and Mrs. Herbert shared with us that she thought long and hard about what was really important to her that she could support and she finally settled on UpLift Families.Mrs. Herbert believes that “When Parents Lead, Families Succeed!”  And who doesn’t need help being a parent?  I remember many days when I felt like I was at the end of my rope and I wondered if I could make another day.  I would have loved to have had a resource to gather information and get ideas.  UpLift Families has a great website that has oodles of ideas to help you with your family.

Their focus is to:

*strengthen parent-child relationships

*provide tools and resources that improve parenting skills

*help children make safe and healthy choices

They are also having a Parenting Conference coming up on Saturday, September 19, 2015 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm at Thanksgiving Point in Utah.   Because we are teaming up with this much needed program, we get to offer you FIVE DOLLARS off of a ticket!  A single ticket is $15 and only $25 for a couple.   Make it a date with your hubby and have a great time learning how to be the best parents you can be.  Register here and use the code MADE2015 for your $5 off.

Seating is very limited so I would encourage you to sign up today so you won’t miss out!  We’ll see you there!

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Addiction is a serious word.  It is a serious word for a serious challenge.   Addiction rears its ugly head in many forms.  Alcoholism, drugs, food and pornography. And in today’s society, we can even be addicted to our technical devices.  I recently learned that the average person checks their phone on an average of 241 times a day.   Whenever we do something pleasurable, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine.  Studies have shown that this chemical dopamine is as addictive, if not more addictive, than cocaine or heroine.

Addiction is not an easy topic to talk about, but we need to. And we need to offer love and support those who need addiction recovery.   Even if it’s for ourselves.

It is so hard to ask for help, but help is available.

The month of September is Addiction Recovery month and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) is promoting an Addiction Recovery campaign during this month.

If you have someone that you know, a friend, a loved one, or even yourself that might be struggling, we encourage you to watch the video below.  Then starting September 1st, 12 videos about the stories of 12 different people will be released as they share their real life experiences with addiction.  It also showcases their victories and their triumphs!  Their stories are gripping and inspiring we hope that they provide encouragement and strength to anyone who might need it.  Find them all HERE, one a day, for the first 12 days of September.

Help is available.  Please watch.

And for more information, please visit https://addictionrecovery.lds.org

Video: 12 Steps to Change

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Hello Made From Pinterest Readers!  Carissa here from Carissa Miss back again this month with a great DIY Jumpsuit for you!

I’ve been doing sneak peeks at this project on instagram for the last month or so because I just couldn’t keep it a secret. I LOVE the jumpsuit trend and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. Turns out, they were pretty hard to find for a decent price that I could just throw on for summer. I did find one at Nordstrom Rack that I loved, only problem is that it was black, long sleeved, and $$. I decided I’d take my hunt from the store to Pinterest only to find that there weren’t ANY tutorials either!! As I contemplated how I was going to make my own pattern for one, Kate, from See Kate Sew posted this beautiful Pattern Fusion Jumpsuit post. I decided to follow her instructions to make my own.

The first one I made was with this beautiful floral knit that is no longer available anywhere. AHH. But, I found this one that’s pretty similar I followed it pretty much by Kate’s instructions in a size Small.

 Then, I had to make another one. Of course, right? This one I decided to make the arm holes smaller, keep the neckline rounded, and size it down a size to XS. I also connected them differently.

 Kate’s mashup had you sew a casing for the waistband and I decided to sew the my favorite 2″ knit elastic into the waistband so there was no chance of slippage. This one fits PERFECTLY. I wanted to show you how to style it fancy AND casual so you can really see how versatile this DIY Jumpsuit is.

 

If you can believe, I’ve sold both jumpsuits off of me AND started making them for my friends.

Here’s a basic diagram of how you assemble the jumpsuit. Pop on over to See Kate Sew to buy the patterns.

Not into sewing? Check out these fun crafts:

DIY Floating Frame

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Well you’re in luck because on November 7th and 8th the Pinners Conference will take place in Salt Lake City! Mark your calendars now!   Pinners Conference is a 2 day expo packed with vendors and non-stop classes taught by business owners and incredibly talented bloggers.  (Check out the full list of class descriptions and presenters here!)

Deb and I had so much fun presenting last year that we couldn’t pass up doing it again this year. Whats on our agenda? We will be sharing some of the best Christmas Traditions we gathered from all across Pinterest,  put a spin on older traditions and share some of our family favorites.

Here is one of my family traditions from when Deb, Sherri and I were growing up – Christmas breakfast. It’s not a fancy overnight french toast or crepes, our mom always made cheesy scrambled eggs, buttered toast and hot cocoa. If you are having hot cocoa and toast there is only ONE way you should eat it. You MUST dip the toast in the hot cocoa, best thing ever! It’s one of my favorite memories that I will always cherish. After growing up and starting families of our own we branched out on Christmas morning breakfasts. Here is a round up of 8 breakfast recipes we have tested for you!

8 Amazing Recipes for Christmas Morning

Did I mention we will have Christmas goodie bags full of Christmas little surprises for you?  We will also giveaway several baskets full of Christmas goodies! Our wonderful sponsors: DecoArt, American Crafts, Darice, Fairfield Jo-Ann’s Craft and Fabrics and Adtech Adhesives were kind enough to donate the goodies for our Christmas bags!

Writing this post has really given me some Christmas Spirit, so we are also giving away TWO 1 day passes to Pinners Conference! Leave a comment sharing one of your favorite Christmas tradition to enter!

So… are you gonna come? We think you should, and if you don’t win one of the 2 day passes we’d love it if you would use our code “MadeFromPinterest” and receive $5 off your ticket.  Registering is easy, you will be glad you did!

Oh, by the way Pinners Conference totally ROCKS!

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It’s Cooking with Ruthie’s 3rd birthday party and we’re so happy you came

We’re always up for a party and we were so honored when we were invited by Ruthie!  She has an amazing site and we just love her to death!  If you haven’t been to her blog, take a minute and go check it out.  Be prepared to get some GREAT recipes! Awesome Sauce!

This party is being  presented by a fabulous group of bloggers and y’all are here to get ‘jiggy with it’.

The best part is… EVERYONE’S a winner!

Everyone’s a Winner: FREE itunes download of Cooking with Ruthie’s Family Favorites Cookbook!!

Grand Prize: $300.00 IKEA gift card

First and Second Place: $100.00 Amazon gift card

Let’s get this PAR-tay started… just fill out the Rafflecopter entry below and then download your free cookbook. YAY!

*This promotion is sponsored by the above specified bloggers and IKEA and is in no way affiliated with Amazon, Pinterest, Instagram, google+, or Facebook. We hereby release Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and google+ Inc. of any liability related to this promotion, the receipt of prize winnings, etc. The giveaway will run from Monday, August 18, 2014 at 12:01 AM MDT and ends Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at midnight MDT. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen using Rafflecopter.com and contacted via e-mail within 24 hours. Winners will then have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to US residence only except where prohibited by law. Winners must be of full legal age in the jurisdiction in which they live. This group of bloggers are only responsible for sending out the prize. They are not responsible for loss, damage or theft once the prize is shipped. Participants will be responsible for any taxes, tariffs duties, etc. due upon delivery of the prize.

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We now have new family favorite dishes.  New traditions have been born because of the awesome ideas that we have found on Pinterest and our homes are now adorned with items that we have made from the pins that we have pinned.

It is with this excitement about Pinterest that we are introducing two new boards that we have started! What are the boards?

They are called “Pinned over 1,000 times!” and “Pinned over 5,000 times!”  Just click on the link to see and to follow them! Because you WILL want to follow them!

We were wondering one day about some of the higher pinned items on Pinterest so we started to gather (and are still gathering) some of the greatest and some of our most favorite bloggers  and asked them to share their highest pinned pins.

Wait till you see what’s there!  Wow!  How about a pin that has been pinned over 896,000 times?  Don’t you just want to see what THAT one is?

These boards will showcase the best of the best on Pinterest.  We are so excited to see all of the amazingly wonderful things that will be pinned here.  We know that you will love these new Pinterest boards too!

Follow today and welcome aboard!

Debbie, Tracy and Sherri

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A few months back, I posted about the upcoming opportunity to try out an amazing new product, the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control.   Well it has arrived and I have been giddy ever since!

The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control is a hoot to use!  It installed in minutes and was connected to the internet in minutes also.  Then the fun began! After testing it out a little bit, even my electrician said that he wanted to get one!

If you are close to the thermostat all you have to do is say “Hello Thermostat” and the thermostat responds with “Hello.  Please say a command”

Wouldn’t it be great if our kids responded that way?

Hello Mom.  Please give me a command.

Sigh….we can only wish!

But back to the thermostat!  Next you can instruct the thermostat to make it cooler or warmer and can even determine by how many degrees.

“Make it 6 degrees warmer” And boom.  It’s done.

But my husband wants to know why it doesn’t respond to his voice. Do I REALLY have to tell him how this thermostat works?  Cause I kinda really love being in charge of this device!

Here are some of the features that I think are super cool:

(1) Voice Control: Pre-programmed voice commands allow you to tell the thermostat to raise or lower temperature.

(2) Control from anywhere through Honeywell’s highly-rated and free iOS and Android mobile app.

(3) Smart Response that learns your heating and cooling cycle times to deliver the right temperature, right when you want it.  This is great!  I went to change the temp and found that it had already been changed because of their Smart Technology

(4) Simple setup

(5) Easy-to-read color touchscreen can be customized to fit your mood, match your paint, or support your favorite team.  My favorite color is green.  Guess what color our thermostat is set to?  Do I REALLY have to show my husband how to work this??

What else is super cool is that I get to give one of these thermostats away to YOU!

Wouldn’t you want to win the Wi-Fi Thermostat that listens, learns, saves – the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control?

Once you get it and use it, you too will know why The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control was named Best New Product of 2013.

Yeah.  It’s THAT cool.

Just leave a comment stating which feature you think would be your favorite feature.   Would it be the color customization?  Or that you can change the temperature via your laptop or mobile phone?  Let me know!

This giveaway will last for a week and the winner will be notified by email. 

Good Luck Everyone!

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We’re so excited to finally share all of the pictures and details of our fabulous Mary Poppins blogger party! If you’ll recall, we had a giveaway where 10 blog readers and a guest were invited to attend a fun party at Toni’s home (Design Dazzle), hosted by 12 Utah bloggers. We had an amazing day filled with perfect weather, gracious guests, wonderful hosts, delicious food and amazing sponsors & vendors!  I personally loved meeting our winners and hearing about their talents, their hobbies and their families  It quickly felt like I was having lunch with my close friends!   We hope you enjoy browsing through the beautiful pictures of the event taken by Lyndsey at Lyndsey Fagerlund Photography.

The darling invitations were sent out to our guests. Chalkboard art, daisies, cherries and, of course, Mary Poppins was the theme of our party! Invitations and printables by Design Dazzle.

Welcome to Cherry Tree Lane!

A temporary party structure was made to hold all the umbrellas.

All the red gingham fabric and black and white polka dot fabric was donated by Online Fabrics. Thank you to those who helped sew the tablecloths!

Kite chair tieback with Mary Poppins sayings!

Black and white polka dot ribbon with daisies and wild flowers make for a cute napkin ring holder to secure the bright yellow napkins.

Large paper daisies, wild flowers, red mesh and ribbon create a darling tie back for the black polka dot fabric.

All the food was made by the blog team! We seriously had a lot of compliments on how yummy the food was!

Appetizers, strawberry spinach salad and gourmet sandwiches – all delicious! Love the mason jars and daisy cut lids!

“And never smell of Barley water” lyrics from the song The Perfect Nanny. Our water just happened to be good old cold water ; )

Loving the dessert table backdrop and all the desserts! So many talented gals made these AWESOME desserts!

Make sure to check the bottom of the post for our dessert vendors. These gals are so talented!!

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!

Red glitter cake pops!!

Super amazing cookies!! Can you believe the art on these? Makes you almost not want to eat them!

Love the talented skills of our fondant makers!

Each guest was given a favor bag filled with AMAZING gift swag from all our sponsors.

All the guests and bloggers received a Mary Poppins Necklace. So fun!

Our Mary Poppins blog reader party wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our FABULOUS sponsors and vendors! We would especially like to thank our Head Sponsors who each contributed over $500 worth of prizes and products to our event! Please be sure to visit each of our sponsors’ websites to see all of the wonderful items they have to offer.

Head Sponsors

Clear Bags offers remarkable packaging at unbeatable prices. Visit their website to see their vast selection of over 4,000 items which are designed to help people & companies promote, protect & preserve their products. Stop by their Facebook page to see creative ways to use their products.

NS Minerals is an all-natural cosmetics line created to make every woman beautiful at an affordable price. Visit their website to see their full cosmetics line and Facebook page for great tutorials and special events.

NoVae Clothing was created to offer its customers current fashion combined with modest style. Visit their website to see their full line of clothing, shoes & accessories and check out their Facebook page for new products and special offers.

Vintage Rose Wraps sells beautiful, hand made in the USA, fabric headbands for women and girls of all ages. Visit their site to see the headbands and other fun accessories they sell in their shop and be sure to check out their Facebook page for special offers and events.

Design Dazzle decor shop offers bedding, art, rugs, lighting and accessories to help you create beautiful rooms for kids. Stop by their Facebook page to see creative room design ideas and fabulous kids parties.

Party Design

Party design and styling by Toni Roberts, Design Dazzle. All Mary Poppins party printables available here.

Gift Bag Sponsors

American Crafts – Crate Paper fabric frames for each guest + Project Life album

Bake It Pretty – 2 sets of sprinkles + favor bags for each guest

Brilliant Nutrition – vitamin supplement packs for each guest

The Chocolate – gift certificate for each guest

Vinyl Wall Art – chalkboard label sets for each guest

Kara’s Party Ideas Shop – gift certificate for each guest

Pick Your Plum – set of ric rac trim for each guest

Jessie Steele – gift basket – pajamas, apron and goodies

Design Dazzle – Mary Poppins necklaces and Mary Poppins printed favor bags

Jane – necklaces for each guest

The Wood Connection – gift certificates + paint brushes for each guest

My Mind’s Eye – rolls of washi tape for each guest

Supplies Sponsors

Online Fabric Store – all fabric for tablecloths + umbrella stands + $50 gift certificate

Lowe’s – supplies to make the dessert table backdrop & temporary party structure that held all the umbrellas

Bake It Pretty – glassine bags, mini & regular cupcake liners, straws

Kara’s Party Ideas Shop – mason jars & daisy cut lids

Dessert Table Sponsors

Cupcake Chic – mini & regular cupcakes + bonbons

The Cookie Jar – royal icing cookies

Le Petit Macaron – macarons

Sweeten Your Day – fondant toppers

Autumn Lynn’s Chocolate Sins – cake pops

Sugar Rush Stuff – mini cherry pies

Jamie Roberts – bowler hat fondant toppers & spoonful of sugar chocolates

A big THANK YOU goes out to the 12 bloggers who helped make this event happen! Toni from Design Dazzle, Kara from Kara’s Party Ideas, Holly from Paisley Petal Events, Tara & Wendy from The Dating Divas, Jen from The Project Girl, Brittany from One Charming Party, Michelle from Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust, Jonie from Just Between Friends, Tauni from SNAP!, Debbie from Made From Pinterest, Sara from Confetti Sunshine, and Wendy from The Shabby Nest.

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This is how my infomercial for this pin would start. Is someone in your household sick? Does the spot next to them look like this? A gross pile of tissues that no one wants to pick up.We have the solution for you!

This idea to rubber band one full and one empty tissue box together is one idea that is so simple, I just thought it was miraculous, genius and a powerhouse idea. What a great way to solve a problem, especially during flu and cold season. Whomever in your household is the sicko gets their own kit, all neatly packaged for removal and disposal. And it is, mostly miraculous and genius and powerhouse. But not all. Here is why. Which of these is the yes box and which of these is the no, No, NO box? Hard to tell, right? As the trash box gets full, and a little tail of tissue is left hanging out, it can be confusing. Let one healthy member of the family, or non healthy for that matter, make that mistake and you will not be singing this idea’s praises. We decided this was not the solution for us. Problem #2 is emptying the trash box. Tissue boxes are made to keep things in, while letting a minimum of things out. So when it is time to empty the yucky box, it is…yucky. Ewww, blech, icky, ucky, yucky.

But I still love the concept. So, I have come up with my own twist. What if I glued a brown paper sack to the side of the box? Then it would be easy to empty or tear off, throw away and just add a new one. But wait, there’s more! That way, anyone could easily tell which was the tissue container, and which was for disposal. But don’t go yet! It gets even better. What if we put hand sanitizer in the box of tissues? Now your beloved sicko just needs this get well kit, some clear liquids and rest. And to keep their germs to themselves, so the whole family doesn’t get sick. We hope. I can’t promise. But it has to increase the odds, me thinks.

This pin keeps you rockin’ healthy, or germ free. Less germy, anyway. Every little bit helps.

This post has been linked with these fun sites: It’s Overflowing, Be Different, Act Normal, Too Much Time on My Hands, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Your Home Based Mom, Just us Four, Dessert Now, Dinner Later, Will Cook For Smiles, Twigg Studios, Sunny Simple Life, Raising Memories, I Heart Naptime

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What is this Pinners Conference & Expo and what is it all about? Three fabulous things…..

Fun classes…………..80 incredible classes to choose from,

Awesome SHOPPING……………….200 booths of DIY, crafts, wedding, holiday and more……….

AND we get to meet YOU!

Yup, Deb and I are going to be there! We were so very EXCITED when we heard about this conference…..imagine how we felt when we found out that we are one of the presenters!!! Debbie and I will be teaching the class “Family Memories Through Cooking & Crafting with your Kids”. Yes, everything in our class was found on Pinterest and all of it ROCKS!

The best part? Deb and I can’t WAIT to shake your hand, give you a hug, say hello and thank you for following our blog! I can’t imagine you need more motivation to attend, but just in case you are on the fence about attending, use our code “mfp13” to get $5 off your admission.

Take the code and head on over the the Pinners Conference and Expo page to get your discount ticket and of course sign up for our class. Oh, have we let you know that our class is FREE?  Dang right!  AND – there will also be 80 other amazing classes.   You really don’t want to miss the fun!  Grab a girlfriend, or your mom or your daughter and make this a girl’s day out!

Did we mention how excited we are to meet some of you – our wonderful readers? Leave a comment and let us know if you are coming. We would love to see you in person!!!

See you there!!!

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I am SO excited about today’s post!  I am partnering with Honeywell to introduce you to a new product which is their Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control.

Their new voice technology allows homeowners to simply say “Hello thermostat” to activate and control their home’s temperature.

Did you just get that?  It’s probably a good thing that my refrigerator doesn’t have one of these voice controls.  It would be way too easy to walk into the kitchen and say “Hello refrigerator” and have it open for me.

That would be dangerous.

In addition, the Voice Control utilizes advanced far-field voice-control technology.  What does that mean?  It means that even in a busy family room, you can say “Make it four degrees warmer” or “Make it  much cooler” even from across the room and the thermostat will make the change you want.

Crazy, right?

I am excited to test drive this thermostat as the weather is getting cooler and we will be using our home’s heater.  I have already posted a few posts on our blog describing the light-hearted battle between my husband and me about what we think is the perfect temperature.  Upon installation of this thermostat, it will immediately recognize the homeowners voice and will adjust the temperature based on their request.

When I shared the news with my husband about getting to try this thermostat, the FIRST WORDS  out of his mouth were  “Well, we will just have to make sure that the thermostat will recognize MY voice first.”

Not a chance.

BUT!  While I am waiting for this thermostat to arrive, Honeywell would like to offer YOU, our Made From Pinterest readers, a chance to WIN a $100 Amazon Gift Card!  Woot! Woot!

One other thing about this cloud-based voice-controlled thermostat is that it will get smarter over time, adding more commands based on its interactions with the homeowners.

Wow!

It’s kinda like having a genie in a bottle.  What if I had a device that I could just say….Get me some chocolate? Now that would be something!

So here is how you can enter for the $100 Amazon  Gift Card.  Just leave a comment letting us know what command YOU wish your thermostat could fulfill! How about – Make me a pizza!  Or – Find the remote!  That’s all there is to it!  What a great gift to receive right before the holidays.

Want some more info?  Please visit their website  Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control.  It will be up and going on September 19, 2013.

You will want to be sure to check back to see how this thermostat performs in our home.

Isn’t it a little cold in here?

“Hello thermostat.  Make it five degrees warmer.”

I can’t wait.

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Do you live in Utah or can you get here fairly quickly?  Do you love Mary Poppins?  Well, have we got a treat in store for you today!

We three sisters, Debbie, Tracy and Sherri, started MadeFromPinterest so we could share with our readers (that would be YOU!) all of the great food, crafts, DIY and home organizational ideas that we find on Pinterest.  We have loved interacting with many of you and we wouldn’t be here with you!

So to celebrate – a group of local Utah bloggers are getting together to throw our blog readers a party. Yes, an actual real life party Mary Poppins style! We are hosting a giveaway for you to enter to win a chance to attend the party! Ten winners will be chosen and each winner will invite a guest of their choice to our AWESOME party.

The Mary Poppins party is adult only and will be held on Friday, September 20th 11:30 AM in Alpine, Utah. Lunch and goodies will be served!

This party is all about YOU (those who win and their guests). And we even have fabulous party goody bags for you and your guest. I know that many of you won’t be able to attend because of distance. But for those who live in Utah and want to join our celebration, please enter the giveaway for a chance to attend. We are all very excited to meet you and make new friends.

Check out all of the bloggers who are participating and will be attending the party.

Design Dazzle

Kara’s Party Ideas

Paisley Petal Events

The Dating Divas

The Project Girl

One Charming Party

Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust

Just Between Friends

Snap Creativity

Made From Pinterest

Confetti Sunshine

The Shabby Nest

If you won, who would you invite? Your best friend, mom, sister or a friend who loves anything Mary Poppins?

Prize: 10 winners will each receive an invitation for two to the Mary Poppins Party on Friday September 20^th in Alpine, Utah. The winner and their guest who attend the event will each be given a party goody bag.

Eligibility and Rules: This giveaway runs from 1:00 pm MT on August 29, 2013 to 1:00 pm MT on September 5, 2013. This giveaway is open to individuals over the age of 18. This is an adult only party. Winners must be able to provide their own transportation to and from the party located in Alpine, Utah. The winner will be chosen randomly through the Rafflecopter form. It is the sole responsibility of the winner to adhere to all laws , which includes payments to any governing tax body. This giveaway is void in any country where it is prohibited by law.

Claiming Prize: The winners must claim their prize within 48 hours of receiving notice. If you do not claim your prize within this time frame, your entry will be void and another winner will be chosen. To claim your prize please email toni@designdazzle [dot] com.

Disclosure: This giveaway is a blogger-sponsored event that is in no way affiliated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or any other social media channel. If you have questions about the administration of this giveaway, email Toni at Design Dazzle at toni [at] designdazzle [dot] com.

It’s super easy to enter the giveaway using only your email address! For extra entries leave a comment or follow us on Pinterest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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