April 15, 2015 by Krista

Momma’s 6 Must-Have Springtime Accessories

Spring is here! Well, sort of. It snowed yesterday, but it was all gone by about noon. Admittedly, it’s not terribly unusual for our weather to be confused this time of year. But it is starting to warm up! And that means play dates, park visits, splash pad trips and other fun days out of the house! There are just some things that make getting out and about in the gorgeous weather a whole lot easier, especially when you’re toting three mischievous little boys along. The first three items I keep in my car so they are ready to go when we are. It makes it super easy to have them ready and waiting in the car. Less for me to remember, less for me to load and less for me to forget. The last three items are ones that I have gotten in the habit of taking with me (usually) and not a part of our out-the-door routine.

My Momma Must-Have
Springtime Accessories

1. Blanket. Impromptu picnics, baby’s napping unexpectedly, makeshift shade at the park when all the covered tables and tree shade spots are taken. We use our ‘car blanket’ for all kinds of things. It’s been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. If it gets dirty, we take it out and replace it immediately with a new one. If I don’t get it laundered right away, it’s not a big deal and I don’t have to worry about getting it back out to the car.

2. Book or a magazine. I love reading, especially in the warm sunshine. Books are a must have springtime accessory for me. I never know when I’ll get a few minutes to sit and read. Some times, it’s just in the pickup line after school. Some times, on rare and glorious occasions, one or two boys will fall asleep and I’ll sit in the car while Daddy runs into the store. With e-books being so popular, I often take actual books along with me in that format, but I like to look at printed versions of magazines. I tend to be able to find a spare moment or two more often in the car than at home.

3. Car-friendly toys. More outings means more time in the car. Being strapped in a car seat is hard for little ones that want nothing more than to climb and run and explore. I keep a little container with some toys and books in our car. We call it The Car Box. The toys are played with in the car only. They are returned to the box every time we get out of the car or they don’t come out the next time. It helps keep the peace at that ridiculously long stop light.

4. Water. When you’re out running around or playing, it can be all too easy to forget to keep up your intake of fluids, especially water. My boys don’t love the taste of water and getting them to drink can be tricky. But, it is so important to keep everyone hydrated! I take my water bottle (because I will almost inevitably end up sharing) as well as extra bottles to refill mine and to give my kids. We keep straws in the glove compartment.

5. Sun block. There is nothing worse than a sunburn, expect maybe sunburned kids. In the rush to get out the door, I have forgotten sun block too many times. I keep a small travel-size tube in my purse and one in the diaper bag, just in case. A momma on the go needs and wants to protect her babies. Sun block can help keep your kids skin healthy and it will save you a few painful days too.

6. Cell Phone. Of all the things there are to grab on your way out the door this is my number one, must-have momma springtime accessories to make every outing a success. My phone is much more than just a phone. It’s my alerts and reminders, my camera, my connection to other adults. It’s a very important part of my arsenal. I try to be very conscious of being in the moment, but I don’t know what I would do without my phone.

The NEW Motorola DROID Turbo in Sapphire Blue has some momma must-have features. An amazing display and a powerhouse processor can handle all the photos you can snap and post to all your social media at the same time. Don’t forget to send those ice cream-covered faces to grandma in a text or email. With 48 hours of battery life, you can do it all. Oh, no! Little Jenny has a dance recital or Little Jimmy has a t-ball game and your battery is running a little low? Charge the DROID Turbo for 15 minutes with the Motorola Turbo charger and you’ll add eight, EIGHT more hours to your battery life. Plenty to get those photos you don’t want to miss. The Turbo is made with a water-repellent nano-coating and Corning Gorilla Glass to help protect the device from spills and scratches. Premium ballistic nylon backs offer rich blue color and texture but remains lightweight and feels great in your hands. Protect your investment from those grimy kid-hands! The DROID Turbo Sapphire Blue has a distinctive look, is incredibly durable with a layer of Kevlar (that’s the stuff they put in safety gear for soldiers!) and the battery life is incredible. A definite must-have among the springtime accessories every momma needs!

What’s your Springtime Momma Must-Haves? Let me know in the comments!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

April 14, 2015 by Krista

7 Free Assessment Resources for Pre-K to 1st Grade

Looking for some free assessment resources? I’ve been hunting all over the internet and I’ve found some great ones! I can’t wait to share them with you because I know they will help you figure out what you need to teach your children. And if I’ve learned anything as a mom it’s that you have to have a plan when it comes to kids!

I have a plan to help me survive summer. I will have three kids – three boys; three mobile, adventurous, curious and energetic boys – under my supervision for eight solid weeks. That’s 1,344 hours. I can hope they will be asleep for half of those, but I won’t hold my breath for that. Like the Boy Scouts say, be prepared.

In trying to put things together for this summer, I realized that I don’t have as comprehensive a grasp on what my kids can do as I once did. I needed to do some assessments so I could plan things that are appropriate for my kids. Spring Break was my window and I took it.

I used resources dealing with k-2nd grade and preschool. There were lots. But these are the best ones I found. And they are free. You gotta love free!

HOMESCHOOL/SUMMER SCHOOL ASSESSMENT RESOURCES

THREE AMAZING ASSESSMENT RESOURCES FOR PRESCHOOL

In no specific order, here are three of my seven favorite resources for the assessments I did on my boys:

This Pre-K workbook that Lindsay at One Beautiful Home put together was a perfect place to start with Little J. He has such a different learning style than Big J and I really wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t do. This was basic, but still had more complex activities and concepts in it too. It was the perfect place to start without overwhelming me. And it was fun!

Pre-Kinders has some great pages to help with assessments as well. I used these pages to make games that would be fun for Little J but still tell me what I needed to know. For example, I cut the number tiles apart (pictured on the right side of the photo above) and then gathered his cars. We made “parking lots” and then he counted how many cars were in the parking lot and put the number tile next to the lot. It let me know if/how high he could count, as well as working on numbers as a quantity and not just a symbol.

The next four assessments are great to help your child prepare to enter kindergarten. Don’t miss the self-evaluation page! It is super helpful in getting an idea of how your kids think they are doing. It helped soo much!

FOUR ASSESSMENT RESOURCES TO HELP PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR KINDERGARTEN

This Reading Mama has some fun pages on colors. I didn’t use quite as much of this one as I’d hoped when it became pretty clear that Little J has his colors down pretty well. If your little one is just starting on colors, this would be a really good packet to use. The number and letter pages came in handy and I plan to continue to use them this summer. She has some other Pre-K packs that I plan to use this summer too!

I actually used the assessment pages from The Polka Dot Patch on both boys, separately. The top 5 boxes I used as a tracking page with Little J. With Big J, I used the entire page to practice reading, numbers and days of the week/months of the year. We also talked about seasons and what happens in each one. There’s also a reading assessment available.

If you want to track progress over the summer, I like this set up. It has all assessments for the year in one place. I did assessments over Spring Break, I plan to do a quick one at the beginning of our summer school and then again eight weeks later, at the end. If I decide to do summer school again (of eventually venture into homeschooling full time), I can refer back to how I taught certain things, what worked and what didn’t as well as seeing if I spent an entire summer making any difference in my children’s education. Visual gratification can be helpful in providing future motivation… it can also remind me if it turns out to be a total mess and I get future grand ideas.

This first grade assessment packet from School is a Happy Place is gigantic and absolutely AMAZING! I used this one with Big J and it was so perfect. It was very comprehensive and I feel like I have a great handle on what he can do. The kid likes to do worksheet pages and so it wasn’t terribly hard to get him to work on it. We’re at the end of Kindergarten, so there were some things Big J didn’t know – and that’s EXACTLY what I wanted to know. This would also be an excellent tracking resource and is what I plan to use with Big J this summer.

I have a similar page that we use in our preschool. It’s also a great reminder to Big J and gives him a chance to think about how he’s behaving. Big J does great with self-evaluations and it really helps his behavior when he takes a moment to think about what he is doing. There is also a page with school subjects listed and the kids can do a self-evaluation on their progress in those subjects.

Do you do any schooling at home? If you have a favorite resource, let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for more ideas!

April 13, 2015 by Krista

Fresh Fruit Pudding Flower Garden Snack Packs – Single-Serve, Easy Dessert

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

We spent last weekend working on our backyard landscaping project… FINALLY! We’ve lived in this house for almost three years now and about half of our backyard has been very limited in it’s usability. But this year, we’re changing that! As part of our landscaping, we’ve been talking about flowerbeds and gardens. My boys “helped” me plant our garden last year and they keep asking if they can help with the garden this year. We just aren’t quite to the planting stage yet; while Daddy worked in the backyard, we made our own little pudding flower gardens with Snack Packs! YUM!

SNACK PACK PUDDING FLOWER GARDEN

I grabbed a Snack Pack with new easy-open lids at Wal-mart and saw these new SUPER snack packs… super is right! I showed them to Mr Napping. He said, and I quote, “whoa, mon-delicious!” How could I pass up the ‘daddy size’ pudding? They jumped in our cart as well as a traditional sized pack. The SUPER Snack Packs were in both chocolate and vanilla flavors, but it was hardly even a choice… because, well, chocolate.

One of my most favorite things about spring and summer is the abundance of produce. My family loves fresh fruit. And I figured some fresh fruit would help make our easy desserts a little more healthy. So, after we had our snack packs, we headed up to the produce and picked up some of our favorites. Once we got home, the real fun began.

MATERIALS:
– Green apple
– Pineapple
– Mango
– Raspberry
– Kiwi
– Green Grapes
– Cantaloupe
– Strawberries
– Oranges
– Banana
– Any other fruit you want
– Chocolate crackers (I used chocolate graham crackers)
– Cutting Board
– Sharp Knife
– Fruit Corer
– Flower/garden shaped cookie cutters
– Wooden Skewers (optional)
– Kitchen Shears (optional, but helpful)

Directions:
– Wash all the fruit, grab a seat and pull the trash can over. You’re about to peel, slice, core and cut up a bunch of fruit.
– Cut up the fruit. I basically took all the big fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, mangos, apples) and made as large of a slice as I could. I cut the friut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds, as best I could. I used my flower cookie cutter, and an egg and a heart cookie cutter to cut out flower heads. Flip the hearts upside-down and they kind of look like bulbs about to bloom. I cut the egg shapes to look similar to tulips. I trimmed the stem off the flower cutter and just used the head. For the thicker fruit, like the cantaloupe, I cut the flower heads in half length-wise and made two heads from one cookie cutter cut.

Need some tips on cutting a pineapple? Check out this video…

A video posted by kristalynne (@krista_whilehewasnapping) on Apr 12, 2015 at 7:00pm PDT

I used the smaller fruits as embellishments or cut embellishments out of them, either by hand with my knife or with my corer. That thing was a lifesaver. It was super easy to cut flower centers with it. It also made for some cute small circles to create petals on smaller flowers.

– Put the chocolate cracker in a zip top bag and smash it into crumbs. You will probably only need one cracker (or even half), unless you are doing a whole bunch of pudding cups.
– Set the fruit flower heads in the pudding cup.
– Add any extra embellishments (an apple center, for instance). I used a small dab of pudding on the back of the apple to get it to stick to the pineapple flower head.

– Sprinkle crushed chocolate cracker crumbs around the flower. You can put these in right after you open the pudding cup and before the flower head goes in. After doing a couple experiments, we decided that the crumbs made the pudding cup look neater, but it we liked the taste better without them. By just sprinkling the crumbs around the flower, you put in fewer. It still looks good, but it’s super easy to eat the crumbs off the top and then enjoy the smooth, creamy pudding just as it is. Experiment and let me know if you like it better with the cracker crumbs or without.
– Refrigerate until ready to serve.

My very most favorite part of these pudding flower garden desserts is that they are individual single-servings. If you’ve ever seen a yogurt or pudding cup after a toddler has eaten out of it, you know it’s not really something you want to share. AND you just toss out the dish. My very most favorite kind of clean up!

These pudding flower gardens are delicious, easy and the fresh fruit is a great way to liven up dessert without a whole bunch of extra refined sugar. The pudding even serves as a fun dip for the fruit. The SUPER Snack Packs are perfect for adults and don’t leave you wanting more, like I often find with a traditional Snack Pack. I also liked the texture of them better than a traditional Snack Pack, they were more creamy and not as gelatinous as the smaller Snack Pack. They even have the same amount of calcium as an 8 ounce glass of milk, so eat up. You’re just trying to do your part in avoiding osteoporosis (weak bones), right? Just lift the baby a few more times or chase the toddler across the park an extra hundred yards to work off the extra calories. Despite their little legs, they can somehow run the length of a football field when being chased by mommy. But it’s totally worth it… I’ve think I’ve found a new “Mommy Snack”.

Join me on instagram to get more photos of these fun flower gardens. Then, make sure you check out even more fun and delicious snack pack mix-in ideas to keep your summer full of yummy, easy, single-serving desserts! What’s your favorite fruit? Would you try it with pudding?

April 10, 2015 by Krista

3 Ways I Wash Away Winter with My Bissell Carpet Cleaner {plus giveaway}

I want to thank BISSELL for sponsoring today’s post. I was provided compensation for my time. All views expressed herein are 100% honest and my own. Promise.

How did it get to be so far into April already?! It doesn’t seem like it’s been an entire week and a half yet! That’s really code for “How am I so far behind on all the things I was going to do before Spring?!” Spring is a busy time and, as the weather warms up, the last place I want to be is inside cleaning. But I definitely need to wash away winter from my home. We haven’t had a terribly wet winter, but it’s been incredibly windy. I had no idea the wind could blow so much dirt into my home, even when the doors and windows are shut! We’ve had a few nice days too, so we threw those windows open so fast the glass rattled in their panes, and invited more dirt and dust to come on in and settle down in our carpets. Luckily, with the help of my trusty BISSELL Deep Cleaner I got around Christmastime, I’ll banish the dirt and wash away winter for good. This machine is amazing and helps me deep clean my entire home. Here’s how:

3 WAYS I WASH AWAY WINTER
with my BISSELL carpet cleaner

Wash Away Winter strategy #1: Get down and dirty on the floors. Obviously, the purpose of a carpet cleaner is to clean the carpets. I am in love with the Bissell ProHeat 2X and this machine is a master carpet cleaner. It’s easy to use. The set up and clean up are quick and easy. And it’s not any harder than vacuuming. You can see my full review on my post back in December. One of my favorite things about the Bissell line is that they have so many cleaning formulas to choose from. Anything you need cleaned, they have a formula for it; pet stains and odors or deep cleaning solutions that will get rid of the worst odors and stains. My new favorite solution is the Deep Cleaning solution with Febreze. It has the awesome cleaning power I have come to love from the Bissell solutions and the great smell of Febreze. My home smells awesome and my carpets are fluffy and fresh.

I freshened up my family room carpet yesterday and I was once again impressed with the Bissell machine. My very favorite part? Within two hours we were able to walk across the carpet again. In four hours, I was moving the furniture back into place. I didn’t even start my cleaning until after 3pm. I remember my mom cleaning carpets when I was younger and it took ALL DAY LONG to dry. I love that this doesn’t.

Wash Away Winter strategy #2: Take it up top! My instinct tells me to start where it’s dirty and the most obviously dirty places are usually down low, where my kids are. Ah, see the correlation…? Gravity, and children, will naturally make your floors the dirtiest place in just about every room. Your time will be better spent, and your home will end up cleaner, if you start up high though. For me, that means curtains.

I had never really given much thought to how dirty curtains can get until I shook mine out the other day. It was as bad as shaking a rug… that you put your dirty shoes all over and WALK ON! Hanging on my wall. On display. YUUCCK! This is definitely a good time to take the curtains off the windows and wash them. Depending on your curtains, you may be able to throw them in the washer. My curtains are hand wash, line dry. They aren’t fancy and we got them for the black out feature because we have a projector and two giant windows in that room. But I was helping my mom with her drapes the other day and they are dry clean only. Ha. The last thing I had dry cleaned was my wedding dress. If you have heavy or dry clean only curtains and need more of a steam clean, BISSELL Professional Deep Cleaning with Febreze will freshen your curtains and leave them smelling springy fresh. I still cleaned my curtains with the carpet cleaner because I wanted to see if the Scotchgard would help them stay cleaner since we will be leaving the windows open more often. I didn’t think our curtains looked dirty, but they look brighter now. That, and the storm-cloud gray water I dumped from my Bissell, says they were definitely in need of a cleaning.

I just used the hose and handheld tool on my Bissell ProHeat to clean them and my curtains. Super easy. I laid them out on the floor, placed a stack of heavy books on each corner and then cleaned the curtains with the hose attachment. It didn’t take long and the results were great. Word of advice though, lay down some plastic and old towels under the curtains or your floors will be wet afterward.

Wash Away Winter Strategy #3: Freshen up your upholstery. Once again, the hose attachment is amazing. I didn’t use it much after I first got my Bissell machine, because I don’t have stairs in my home, but it has become my favorite feature. Seriously. I have used it to clean up throw up in the middle of the night, urine from potty-training and, just earlier this week, yogurt spilled on my family room floor. The hose is a lifesaver.

And it cleans upholstery. We have a microfiber sofa and love seat we picked up after we moved out of my parents home. It’s not nice and was used when we got it. The poor furniture has seen better days, but they are ridiculously comfortable, so I refuse to part with them. My cleaner is amazing on my microfiber couches. It gets out all the stains my boys have been able to inflict upon our worn sofas and I love that I can pull it out and spot clean if I have a need. It’s so easy to set up the machine that spot cleaning isn’t more work than it’s worth. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see where I stopped cleaning halfway through the job.

Being able to clean these couches with my carpet cleaner has given them a little more life and makes them really easy to keep clean. And, AND, another perk of the hose: you can use it to clean your mattresses! (Like for that middle of the night throw up scenario… true story.) And with the Febreze formula, it gets out the odors that permeate a home with stinky boys and it keeps them out. As I briefly mentioned above, the Bissell formulas come with the protection of Scotchgard too. I love that every time I clean my home, I’m also protecting my home. Wanna see what Scotchgard can do with your own eyes? Check out the difference using a Bissell formula with Scotchgard can have on your carpets in the video below or watch it on YouTube.

If you’re still a little overwhelmed and don’t know where to start on your spring cleaning, this 30 day guide just might help you find the motivation to get started or remind you of anything you may have forgotten to check off your list. In a home full of boys, and all the boy stink and odors that come with them, I am so glad that I can count on Bissell to help me keep my home clean and smelling less like a men’s locker room and more like a field of flowers, because I have to live here too.

Wash Away Winter 30 day spring cleaning checklist

BISSELL is giving away two product bundles, including a BISSELL Deep Clean Lift-Off and BISSELL Professional Deep Cleaning with Febreze® Formula! Winners will be chosen at random. To enter the giveaway all you have to do is comment below with your favorite spring cleaning tips. You can leave your email address as well, so BISSELL can contact you in case you win. BISSELL is responsible for winner selection and prize distribution.

April 8, 2015 by Krista

10 of the Best Backyard BBQ Desserts

It’s that time… time to break out the basting brushes, marinades and seasonings. Time to take off that grill cover and refill the propane bottle or restock the charcoal supply. It’s backyard BBQ time!

I love a good barbecue and the weather keeps teasing me with a few amazingly perfect barbecue weather days here and there. I love when we can BBQ more times in a week than we cook indoors.

Who doesn’t love BBQ food? I know I do, but dessert is undeniably the best way to end a meal. Here’s 10 desserts that will totally rock your backyard BBQ!

BEST BACKYARD BBQ DISHES

You want a delicious dessert to finish off your BBQ on the right note? Well, look no further because the following 10 desserts will rock your taste buds!

Check out more scrumptious desserts by clicking on the links or that big yellow NEXT arrow below!

CAKES COOKIES BAR COOKIES & SUPER EASY COBBLER

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My Momma Must-Have Springtime Accessories