Life, Love, and Laughter in a Large Family

The Elephant in the Room

2012-02-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

MOPs started out like any other meeting...we stood around chatting, grabbed some food, and did a craft at our table. The leader of our local MOPs group shared a devotion by Glennon over at Momastery and then she introduced our speaker. The woman who talk to our group about the main thing that allowed all of us to attend MOPs by helping in the conception process...you guessed it...s*x.

We all anxiously turned attention toward the one who would share about her personal journey in marriage. She was eloquent, honest, and real. She talked about her marriage, her misconceptions, and her ultimately realizing the great passion that God had created us to share with our spouse. She spoken openly about the struggles in her early years of marriage and the triumphs later on in that area. She shared ideas and suggestions, tips and books that could be helpful for the rest of us.

Her openness, I thought, might lend itself to open discussion in our group. However, as we broke into our discussion groups the crickets quickly came out. Surprising since each in our group is married and all are mothers, we've all done it a time or two...and since I have nine children... I obviously do "it" all the time. Yet we were less willing to talk about the elephant in the room than any other topic at that moment. Being real is great, but there apparently are limits!

Great reasons to live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Tender Love the Larger Family Way!

2012-02-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

JP at the hospital with
Gracia at 14 hours old.

I just posted three new blogs today and realized I forgot to post my Five Minute Friday Blog from last week. I was going to just ditch it, but realized the pictures are too precious and the topic to "tender" to pass up, so here it is!

Many people wonder if children in a large family get overlooked or less loved or fewer moments of notice. I would challenge that theory by showing just a few of the thousands of photos I have of my children "tenderly loving" their new baby, Gracia in 2010. Her arrival was anticipated with bated breath. It had been six years since a new baby lived at our house and everyone could hardly wait to get their hands on the little darling.

JP, our college student, drove down with his friends and came to see us in the hospital. How precious is that...a room full of college students and your mom with her new baby, I will treasure that tender memory forever.

Upon arriving home each one of the children took turns holding her. Each day they would jostle for their opportunity to care for their new sister and tenderly hold her, play with her, read her books, or walk with her. There was a new contest each day to see who was the "best" at getting her to fall asleep.

Now some have challenged that having so many siblings will confuse the baby as to who the parents are as well as place "too much" responsibility on the older children. I can confirm that my children all need

Tender memories of a sleeping baby always move me to tears. The moments are so precious and so fleeting~flitting through our days~landing briefly in our lives~ then flitting off. Tender.

I am especially nostalgic these days as my oldest prepares to leave for boot camp and my next is readying for high school graduation and college in the fall. Just yesterday, I had 5 kids 6 and under, demanding meals be prepared and books be read and puzzles be done and baths be had and snuggles be given and movies be watched and lessons be learned and so much to be done than one mom could do in a 24 hour period and now they are starting to go off into the world and make their own lives apart from the tender care of their family.

Far away where there are no bedtime kisses and snuggling on the couch, no carefree I Love You's as they head to school in the morning or how was your day as they come home at night. No more sweet daily moments of running my hand through their hair and marveling at it's baby-fineness.

Oh they will come back home for Christmas break and summer vacation and I will treasure the tender memories made during those times, but never again will all of my children under my roof on a daily basis, sleeping in their rooms, eating our meals as a family, watching some silly show together before bed. Never again will my home be considered their home as they make homes for themselves...getting jobs, finding spouses, having children, and making their own tender memories in their own ways. The time we have together will be tender, precious, rare.

So I have lapped up the last year with all my chicks still in the nest. They will soon sprout wings and fly off to their futures... some we will even tenderly push from the nest :)...but for now, I will store up tender memories for tomorrow.

So many tender reasons that make me live, love, and laugh,

Lori

If You Give a Mom a Minute to Write a Blog Post...

2012-02-03T11:36:00.000-06:00

Whenever I sit down to write, I want to focus on writing...just block out the rest of the world and pound out the words to another post. That is what I want to do. What usually happens resembles If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and looks something like this:

If you give a mom a minute to write a blog post, she will start to type away and as she's writing she will realize she posted a similar blog a while back.

She searches her past posts to find the one she's thinking of so she can link to it in her new post.

While looking through her old posts, she will realize she has too many tags and will start "cleaning" them up.

As she's "cleaning" up her blog posts, the buzzer will sound on her washer reminding her to move the clothes to the dryer.

Upon loading the clothes into the dryer, she recalls an article she had posted on the MOPs website about Lessons Learned in the Laundry Room.

She will go back to her computer and search through her blogs to find the article only to find that she never actually posted the article on one of her blogs.

So she will proceed to add the article to her blog.

She will then have to search for an appropriate photo.

First she will look through her old photos to see if she just happened to snap one of herself doing laundry with her little darlings.

Wherein, she will ponder if she can take a photo quick that will do the job or if she should just google "photos of moms and children doing laundry" and hope to find one that will work.

After finishing her "new" blog post, she will return to the original "new" post to finally link to the post she thought she'd blogged about two years ago.

After adding the link, she will try to pick up her train of thought.

As she starts typing once again, she realizes that the only sound she hears is the tapping of her fingers on the keys.

She realizes she likes that sound and wonders why she doesn't hear it more often.

Taking a quick look around her, she realizes the reason she can hear the typing is because she can no longer hear the children.

She immediately leaves the keyboard to search for the silent children...

The many reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh while blogging.
Lori

Lessons Learned in the Laundry Room

2012-02-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

Lessons Learned in the Laundry Room

We recently bought a new washer and dryer. I had only done a load or two before I realized the bell signaling a completed load of laundry sounded pleasant. A gentle ding dong … ding dong … ding dong … one note slightly higher than the other, loud enough to not be ignored but pleasant, almost compelling. Come to … the dryer … fold clothes … load more. I actually didn’t mind progressing from one phase of laundry to another.

My old dryer’s alarm sounded harsh and abrasive. A loud continuous “blaaaat” screamed to me, “GET IN HERE NOW AND DO LAUNDRY.” Not inviting in the least.

After comparing my old dryer signal with the new, I wondered what type of signal I send my children when chores need to be done.

Was I sweet and melodious, enticing them to complete chores in a timely fashion or harsh and abrasive, demanding action now? I didn’t like the answer. I start out sweet and melodious only to digress into harsh and abrasive when chores aren’t accomplished quickly.

I also noticed the children wait for the harsh tone before responding. They knew I wasn’t really serious until I changed my approach, but by that time neither one of us was happy about chores: with the children mumbling about how I always yelled and with me grumbling about asking them three times to complete their tasks.

We seemed to be at an impasse.

I looked to my laundry room for answers and found four things I could implement:

Lesson #1: The persistent attention grabbing tone only beckoned to me if I were within hearing distance. I realize this one might seem obvious, but I have had children tell me they did not hear my directions when standing three feet from me. Were they lying? Probably not. They were simply focused on something else at the time. I needed to get their attention and then, let them know what needed to be done.

Lesson #2: The pleasant tone of the dryer encouraged me to do laundry. I need to keep my tone pleasant so my children will associate a pleasant attitude with doing chores. Like it or not, my children exhibit the same attitude towards chores as I do.

Lesson #3: The dryer didn’t change tones if I didn’t get the clothes folded immediately. I would simply receive another ringing reminder in ten minutes. My dryer gave me more grace than I gave my children. I need to step back and give them time to obey after making sure they heard my instructions.

Lesson #4: If I didn’t get the clothes when the dryer dinged, consequences occurred. My clothes would get wrinkled if left in the dryer, stinky if left in the washer and not done at all if I didn’t move them from the laundry basket to the machine. Likewise, my children need to experience real consequences when they do not complete their chores.

Now every time my dryer beckons me to change another load with the melodious ding dong, I remember the laundry room lessons, “get my children’s attention, speak sweetly, give them time to complete the task, and follow through with consequences when the work does not get done.” Simple? Yes. Easy? no!

Lessons Learned while Living, Loving, and Laughing,
Lori

How to Get-Away!

2012-02-03T10:53:00.002-06:00

At MOPs yesterday, our speaker spoke on keeping the fire/passion/romance alive in your marriage. She spoke both humbly and passionately about this topic and did a fantastic job. Reminding us, even though our children are important, our husband needs are time to and should be given thought time as well.

While she touched on many ways we can keep our husbands *happy,* one idea that she mentioned, I wholeheartedly agree with, but understand how difficult it is to make happen: The Romantic Get-Away!

Jeff and I have been priviledged to have supportive parents and friends who have willingly watched our children on various occasions so we could take some time away. We've done both the week-long trips and the overnighters, and have found that these times away are both refreshing and rejuvenating and are often good times to talk about all the stuff that has needed airing.

Over the years, Jeff and I have gotten away to a marriage conference, a pastor's retreat, a week-long "retreat" at a nearby resort, a weekend at home sans kids, another long weekend spent at a bed and breakfast in Wisconsin, and a week in Arizona at my parents "winter" home. I am obviously not an expert on getting away with my husband alone. But I do recognize the importance of the time spent together away from distractions and cares. Each time the kids were well cared for and we could rest and enjoy one another. I would recommend getting away whenever you can and if you can do it more often than once every three or four years...good for you. I know they recommend doing it every year, but we haven't been able to manage that...yet...! ;)

I understand the financial concerns. As ones who watch their finances, it sometimes seems irresponsible or extravagant to spend money on a get-away when there are bills to pay, glasses to buy, orthodontia to consider, along with a myriad of other expenses that come with raising a family. I get it.

I understand the logistical concerns. Managing a household is no easy task and not just anyone can take over the job. Sometimes the planning needed to make sure everyone gets where the need to go while you are gone seems overwhelming...and you need a vacation from planning for your get-away! I know! I've been there.

But there just comes a time when you need to put your marriage ahead of these other issues and make the plans to get-away. Of course, then there is the dilemma of where to go, for how long, and when?

The following questions can help in the planning of your time:

1) How long has it been since you and your husband have been away...just the two of you? I would say plan at least one day away for every year it's been since you've had a get-away. I realize some people get away more than others, but the vast majority of couples do not get away at all...especially without the children. So start there.

2) What do you enjoy doing? Do you enjoy camping, hiking, outdoorsy stuff? Do you like staying in, watching movies and sitting in a hot tub? Do you like the spa treatment with couples massages and mud baths? Maybe you like the exotic or spectacular--tropical cruise or a night in the city with a nice dinner out and tickets to the theatre/opera/symphony? With today's vacation options available on the internet an affordable trip is just a couple of mouse clicks away. Talk to your spouse and find out what's doable and what time frame you have to work with and then dream a little.

3) Do you know anyone who has a vacation home/time share they aren't using or would be willing to rent to

you? I have been amazed at the number of people who have a house on the lake, a time share, or a southern get-away that sits unused for much of the year. It never hurts to ask and the worst that can happen is they say "no." We have friends that let us rent their beach house on lake superior and we have other friends who let us stay at their bed and breakfast.

4) Who would watch my kids? This is an important question. I have been blessed to have lived near family for much of our married life. Both my parents and Jeff's have willingly kept the kids for weekends or even a week at a time to allow Jeff and I the opportunity to get away. When we lived far away from family or our family was unable to watch the kids as they were traveling or working, we have had great friends who stepped in and watched our kids for us. A couple of ways we've worked this is to swap with friends. We watch their kids...they watch ours. In this way we both get a time away without having to "pay" for a sitter. I know some of my friends also parcel out their kids--one stays with this friend, one stays with that friend, and the baby stays with the grandma. Divinding and conquering has worked for ages...you might as well implement it as well!

The Waterfall Trail

5) Just do it! Nike has a great thing going with this saying...it's so true for many areas of your life~ working out, having kids :), s*x, and get-aways...just do it. NO more excuses, NO more procrastinating, NO more wishing/dreaming~ Just do it!

I would love to hear where you've taken your spouse on a get-away recently. There are as many great get-away ideas as there are couples to take them!

A great reason to live, love, and laugh,

Lori

How Quickly Life Passes~Oh so Vividly!

2012-01-20T12:31:00.000-06:00

I recently finished our 2011 "Bay"cation scrapbook. We try to take a family vacation each year either a big one in which we travel great distances and see spectacular sites or a small one where we just get away and spend time as a family. No matter big or small I make a scrapbook on either Shutterfly or Mixbook to remember the good times we had on our trips. As a I finished up last years book, I was vividly reminded of how quickly time goes and how life changes whether we want it to or not. While in the pictures below a new child might appear each year or two, in the picture on the left "Bay"cation 2011 JP is substracted. Due to work, JP was unable to join us on the family vacation. Granted he is still a part of our family, but he's graduated from high school and living his own life now~occasionally stepping back into ours, but traveling his own road~the way it should be, definitely, but with a bit of nostalgic sadness for the days when all my little ducklings would follow me around and where I went they went whether to the bathroom or the grocery store or on vacation. The photos below paint a vivid picture of how our life changed from year to year and continues to change.

Family Photo 1995

Family Photo 1997

1880 Town November 2001

Big Hill August 2002

Grand Canyon March 2010

Space Needle July 2007

Sylvan Lake August 2003

Near Crazy Horse Monument 2003

Summer "Stay"cation 2005

Vivid reminders of why we live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Thank you to The Gypsy Mama for having the great idea:

Photo Card

2011-12-19T21:52:00.001-06:00

Modern Christmas Christmas

Create from the Heart: photo Christmas cards from Shutterfly .

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12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-07T13:06:00.004-06:00

Last year we had a difficult time deciding what to do for Christmas gifts for the family. There wasn't a lot we needed and with adding a new baby to the family our budget was a little slimmer than in years past. We talked about doing a family gift, but with the new technology it was hard to decide what that gift should be.

As the holiday drew near and no gifts stood under the tree, I thought long and hard about what could be done. A family gift was still my first choice as starting to shop for 10 people four days before Christmas would be my basic nightmare, but it could be done if that's what was decided. I pondered what the kids would like and/or need and how i could work that into our budget.

One morning as I again thought about gifts, I stumbled across the 12 Days of Christmas. Jeff had been studying the various holiday traditions in his sermon preparations and came across the legend that the song was written to teach children the doctrines of Christianity during a time of persecution. I wondered if we could celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas and do gifts just a little differently this year.

On the Tuesday before Christmas, my darling husband called me from work and asked if I wanted to go Christmas shopping. He would take the afternoon and we would tackle shopping together. As we drove to Sioux Falls, I told him what I'd been thinking about the 12 Days of Christmas. He loved the idea (which is no common thing) so I was thrilled! In this way, we could do both family and individual gifts while keeping the main focus of Christmas on Jesus.

Since we were doing things a bit differently, I already had some things that would work for family gifts. We then proceeded to search for the remaining days/gifts. So on each day of Christmas, we started with a scripture reading and explanation of the meaning of the that day. We wanted the children to remember not only the REASON for the season, but the fact that not every one in every country is at liberty to celebrate the birth of Jesus as freely as we are in America! The children enjoyed the gift each day and hopefully learned something more about the greatest gift of all~Jesus.
The Silly song has great spiritual insight and was a great tool to teach the children doctrine using everyday items that were memorable back in the day.

1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus.

2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.

3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.

4. The four calling birds are the four Gospels.

5. The five gold rings recall the Hebrew Torah (Law), or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.

6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.

7. The seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes.

9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.

11. Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles.

12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.

If you think Jesus being symbolized as a partridge in a pear tree sounds blasphemous, remember:

"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so." (Luke 13:34 and Matthew 23:34)

The "true love" in the song refers to God Himself.

The "me" receiving the gifts is every Christian.

So that "silly" song we sing at Christmas time has more meaning than we thought.
12 great reasons to live, love, and laugh this Christmas Season,

One Last Christmas

2011-12-06T09:19:00.001-06:00

Beautiful and Encouraging...the love and support of one small town for a family going through what no parent wants to go through. God's grace is amazing and His love Awe-inspiring.

He is the reason to Live, Love, and Laugh,
Lori

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2011-11-27T20:46:00.004-06:00

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour                   1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar                         1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin        1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten                    1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg          1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice         1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Method:

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Can easily double the recipe.
Yield: Makes one loaf.

Yummy reasons to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Presidential Prayers

2011-11-24T01:23:00.002-06:00

So many reasons to thankfully live, love, and laugh,
Lori

5x7 Folded Card

2011-11-22T09:32:00.001-06:00

Hearts And Home Christmas Card

Turn family photos into personalized Christmas cards.

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Pumpkin Squares

2011-11-19T11:52:00.000-06:00

http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-desserts/thanksgiving-treats-kids/pumpkin-squares-812071/
Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger or nutmeg

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

X

Instructions

1.Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and the ginger or nutmeg. Mix until smooth, then spread the batter in an ungreased 10- by 15-inch baking pan (or, for a fluffier version, a 9- by 13-inch pan). Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

2.For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cake, then cut into 24 squares.

Just another reason to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

5 Steps to Less-Stress Family Get-Togethers

2011-11-17T01:35:00.004-06:00

The holidays are before us and major amounts of visiting and traveling may be in store for you and your children. By taking some key steps along with mental preparation for both you and your children these holiday get-togethers can be less stressful for everyone.

1) Start now coaching your kids on proper behavior: Often we get our kids excited for the family get-togethers by telling them of the good foods, fun events, or great family that will be present at any event, but along with that children need to be coached or reminded on how to behave in a large group setting. By talking about proper behavior leading up to the event, you can save both yourself and your child some embarrassing moments.

a. Food: only take what you can eat; and then eat what you take

b. Playing: be kind to others and treat them the way you want to be treated

c. Making requests: remember to say please and thank you and when denied a request do not throw a fit.

2) Offer to host the event at your home. Some venues are simply not child friendly and by offering to have the event in your home your children will have familiar toys, beds, and treats. This can often lower a child’s stress level which in turn will lower yours as a parent. If you cannot host the event, remember to take age-appropriate toys, foods, and supplies when going to places not accustomed to small children.

3) Prepare for the festivities by making holiday treats or favors and talking about the historical significance behind such things. Last year, my sister-in-law and her children made the cutest little pilgrim hats out of cookies, frosting, marshmallows and candy corns. The children then shared what they had learned while making the treats. Here is a great website with fantastic holiday treat ideas:

a. Thanksgiving Treats--http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/ or http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-kids-table-fun/ or http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/thanksgiving/Thanksgiving_treats_for_classroom_parties.html

b. Christmas Treats--http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-recipes/christmas-cookies-gingerbread/ or http://www.marthastewart.com/275160/easy-holiday-treats-for-kids-to-make or http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/homemade-christmas-gifts/

c. Thanksgiving Party favors: http://www.ehow.com/how_4867457_make-easy-thanksgiving-party-favors.html or http://www.ehow.com/how_4495068_make-squirrel-party-favor-thanksgiving.html or http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-craft-decorations/ or http://familycrafts.about.com/od/thanksgiving/a/Thanksgiving-Crafts.htm

d. Christmas Party Favors: http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/ or http://www.ehow.com/way_5470720_homemade-christmas-party-favors.html or http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/homemade-christmas-gifts/

4) Plan age-appropriate activities for all of the children present: children with unlimited and unstructured time will often get into trouble. By planning games, bringing a new age-appropriate movie, or some holiday themed crafts can help direct the children toward positive play. By taking a few minutes out of every hour to direct play, you can save yourself many interruptions and meltdowns.

5) Plan your parties with your kids in mind: keeping your children on schedule as much as possible will make everyone happier.

a. Plan meals at their usual mealtimes

b. Make time for naps—if possible do not schedule main events during naptime, but if this cannot be avoided, bring along appropriate sleep comforts for your child (blanket, pacifier, toy and a place to sleep)

c. If everyone is having a meltdown, it is time to go…if leaving is not possible, find a quiet place to take a time out with your children until their mood improves or they fall asleep (getting appropriate amounts of rest is critical to keeping family get-togethers less stressed.)

d. Be conscious of others: while you may be able to tune out crying or whining, it can be very disturbing to those around you who do not have little ones. Be prompt in caring for your child’s needs as to minimize the fussy times.

While much of this information is common sense, in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the excitement of seeing family and friends, simple things can be overlooked. By taking a few minutes of intentional planning, your holiday get-togethers can be more fun and less stressed.

5 Tips to make it easier to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Just Love 'Em!

2011-11-10T09:19:00.001-06:00

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8

As the mother of nine children, I could be looked upon as someone who knows a great deal about kids. Granted, it could be said, I know a lot about doing dishes, preparing meals, cleaning the house (my least favorite task…even below changing diapers!) and organizing schedules. One could even go on to think that I might know a good deal about child psychology: how to motivate children, get them to mind (at least in public!) do their homework, or play well with others.

John Wilmot said, “Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.”

Bill Cosby asks the question, “You know the only people who are always sure about the proper way to raise children? Those who’ve never had any.”

Wiser words were never spoken. I had a quite a few theories about raising children before I had any. Most of them started something like this: When I have kids, I will NEVER let them _________. I could fill in the blank with whine, have a fit in public, defy me, or a myriad of other things. What I left out of the equation was the unique personality of each of my children. I thought with the “right” parenting techniques many of the problems “other” parents had could be avoided.

So I had children and applied my theories and by child #4, I realized I knew very little about parenting. I finally realized that parenting is a hands-on learning experience that continues for years and years and years. And you don’t really know how you’re doing until your kids are grown. You might have glimpses of your child as an adult, but you never really know until he leaves the nest, gets a job, and makes a home for himself as to how you did as a parent. Parenting is a marathon…not a sprint.

I write all of this, not to discourage you, but to encourage you with the one thing I do know…FOR SURE…about parenting.

1) I love my kids.

2) I need to show my kids I love them…EVERY DAY!

3) Each of my children feels loved in a different way.

4) I need to tell my kids I will ALWAYS love them NO MATTER WHAT!

I could elaborate on each of the points above but there again, there are as many different ways to make sure your child knows you love them and will always love them as there are parents and children in the world. Don’t over-analyze it…Just love ‘em.

I will close with a story from my friend, Nina. Nina, her husband and three teenage children live in Indianapolis where Nina has taught in the Indianapolis Public School system and now works in a government daycare in downtown Indianapolis. On any given day, parents will ask her advice on parenting. After telling the parent several different solutions for the question, she will conclude by saying, “There are a lot of different ways to parent. Find what works for you and most importantly, love your kids. Just love ‘em.”

So many reasons to Live, Love and Laugh!
Lori

And the Winners Are...

2011-11-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

Here are the winners from my super scientific drawing: Shawna , Elizabeth , and Janet. If I already have your e-mail or am friends with you on facebook, I'll send the code there. Janet, if you post a comment with your e-mail (I won't publish it!) I will get you your code!
As an added bonus, those of you who didn't win qualify for a consolation prize: 10% off one order coupon code and 5 free card coupon code. I'll get those to you soon.
Have a great day.
So many reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh,
Lori

5x7 Folded Card

2011-11-01T23:15:00.001-05:00

Hearts And Home Christmas Card

Find unique and modern Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly Holiday Cards GiveAway!

2011-10-27T08:54:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again. Time to get the family picture taken...or to dig through the years photos, pull together the best memories, and put them on one of the many photo card options at Shutterfly.

I have already started my card making. With so many options at Shutterfly, I have to start early, making a variety of cards and then I order different ones for various people: family, church, friends~near and far. You can view some of the cards I've made here and here.

I also used Shutterfly to make a Thank You card this summer after our fabulous "Bay"cation!

I've also figured out how to use their photo gifts as well and have been planning all year collecting photos for Christmas presents for friends and family. Click here to see what my dad is getting this season.

There are many other photo gift options including calendars, photo books, and home decor. So make your gift giving personal this year at Shutterfly.

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season?
Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q

I also have 3 coupons for 25 photos cards to give away. Leave a comment below to enter for your chance to win. Drawing will be held Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 so check back here to see if you're name was chosen.

So many reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh,
Lori

I AM!

2011-10-19T15:35:00.002-05:00

Who is THE reason to live, love, and laugh? I AM!~

Keep up the God work,

Lori

Word Clouds

2011-10-17T09:41:00.002-05:00

I am taking a class to update my subauthorization and one of the neat things we get to do is make word clouds. I have seen these in a variety of formats from posters to blog links. I was given the link to Wordle and just had to try it. Hope you enjoy the link to the Names of God and create a word cloud of your own.

Just another reason to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Stationery card

2011-09-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

Very Merry Montage Christmas Card

To view our unique Christmas card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

2011-09-22T10:12:00.002-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

2 Months Ago...Today

2011-09-19T02:30:00.000-05:00

I just hopped on blogger this morning to check out what's new with all of my blogging buddies and was shocked to see that my last post was on July 19th. I cannot believe it has been that long since I sat at the computer and typed out a post on the happenings in my life. I do remember that during the month of July I was fighting the worst cough I have ever had and it lingered well into August. Gracia also battled this same cough and both of us are just now getting over it. Just in time to welcome in cold and flu season! :)

I hardly know where to begin to catch everyone up on the happenings around our home. We had a wonderful "Bay"cation in August. I will share some of those photos and memories at another time.

Mainly, I have been subbing everyday at our local school. I enjoy being in the same building with my children and seeing them in the halls or in various classes. About a week before school started, I was asked to fill a long-term sub position until a full time para-professional could be hired. The job was challenging, but I had a blast being in 8th grade for three weeks. The 8th grade teachers at Central Lyon do a fantastic job.

I now understand the whole weather system thing. Mr. P's use of experiements everyday in class really drove home the lessons and made them very memorable. Seeing how a cloud is formed in a bottle gave a great visual to help understand the concept of the air molecules being pressed together to form clouds. Many other hands on experiments helped me to better understand why we have the weather we have in Northwest Iowa.

Math has also been eye opening...it is amazing what one can forget from 8th til...well...when your not in school anymore. The refresher helped me to remember in what order an algebra problem should be completed in: parenthesis, exponents, multiply and divided from left to right, and then add from left to right. Great stuff...math....I can once again help my children with their homework.

Of course I enjoyed English and Lit class. Both classes took me back to my own middle school years of spelling tests and grammar worksheets and the endless reading of books. The first book read in Lit this year was by James Patterson, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. The title sums up the feeling of many concerning their middle school years. The book was well written and a hit with the students.

Social studies carried with it notes and quizzes and lots of group work and major projects. I enjoyed seeing the kids work together to make posters and quizzes and communicate what they perceived to be the most important information on their given topic. Working together to teach one another about social studies appealed to most of the students. I liked watching them process the information and share it with their classmates.

The class I needed the most was Tech Ed. The students in this class have no idea how far ahead they are getting by having computer training everyday. Mrs. VW walked them through Windows 7 and how to use the different components...while I barely new the vocabulary, the students right clicked and saved and backed up and made things bigger and smaller and duplicated and then set everything back to normal functions in the time it took me to type this. No wonder kids today are as comfortable with a computer as I am with a baby!

Well, that sums up what I've learned in 8th grade. I hope to be a better blogger and contribute on a more regular basis, but in this life there are not guarantees.

So remember to live, love, and laugh everyday!

Lori

Father and Son Photo Mug

2011-07-19T15:25:00.003-05:00

Mug

View the entire collection of cards.

Making beautiful memories as we live, love, and laugh!
Lori

S'Mookies

2011-07-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

At a bonfire with friends earlier this summer, I'd brought my specialty Hunter Cookies. This was my personal contribution to the party. While purusing the various snacks for the evening Shauna, our host, hit upon a delicious idea. Why not put a marshmallow between two cookies instead of between graham crackers and chocolate. I witnessed genius at work. The cookies with marshmallows were a hit. So I have included the recipe below. Beware to follow the directions carefully as they can be tricky :) and enjoy!

Roast one Large marshmallow or have son do it for you!

Place nicely roasted marshmallow between to chocolate chip cookies.

Then Eat! Simple and delicious!

Just another reason to live, love and laugh,
Lori

Blog Comments

2011-06-25T11:17:00.000-05:00

I am having trouble commenting on other peoples blogs. I have stopped by many of your blogs, but can't leave a comment no matter how many times I sign in to my google account. Is anyone else having this problem? Do you know how to solve this? I would appeciate any help.
Lori

A Day at the Park

2011-06-25T11:01:00.035-05:00

We finally had a beautiful summer day. So after supper we took a walk to Old School Park to chekc out the new play ground equipment. The new stuff was mainly for little ones so my kids played on the old equipment. The swings are still swingy and the slide is still slidy and the merry-go-round still goes around and around and around. So apparently, new or old, park equipment is always fun! I was also happy to get some great photos. I try to get some "park" pictures every year. So here are the Park Pictures of 2011.

Justus, Jadon and Selah just a swingin'

Gracia in the fallen down branch.

Gracia and Lacey...everyone wants to hold her and she is quite accomodating.

The new equipment has some neat features and bright colors.

The bubbles are exceptionally fun

Gracia enjoyed the slides

and the rocks...

Gracia finds everything fascinating...so much fun to see the park through the eyes of a baby.

The old slide still works

...as do the old swings.

Selah watching Gracia figure out the new stuff.

Justus and Jadon playing in the trees.

Finding Selah.

Lacey and Justus pushing Gracia home.

Jadon and Selah walking home

Justus and I walking...I love this photo.

Summer gives us plenty of reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh,

Lori

FAther's Day Gift

2011-06-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

Mug

View the entire collection of cards.

More ideas for Father's Day!
Remember to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Great Father's Day Gift Ideas

2011-06-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

I enjoy making "A Note From Pastor Jeff" cards on Shutterfly. They're great deals and easily worked card options make making them super simple.
Remember to live, love, and laugh,
Lori

20 Years and Counting!

2011-06-01T17:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary, Babe! This is the scrapbook I made of our wedding pictures on Mixbook. I gave the book to Jeff for our Anniversary. Hard to believe 20 years have come and gone. I cherish the memories and look forward to the future.

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

So many years of living, loving and laughing,
Lori

Selah's Photobook

2011-05-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

I just finished a scrapbook for Selah. She insisted back in January that she didn't want one because she had a "real" scrapbook. I got her a small one anyway and she has decided that she would like a big one like the rest of the kids...so I made her one. Mixbook makes it so simple to put together a fun, creative, memory keeper. I've posted this one to give you some inspiration and ideas...and a word of advice: Don't wait until you have 9 children to start digitally scrapbooking...Make them as you go! That way, when the free photobook coupons come in your inbox all you have to do is purchase the item!

So many reasons to live, love, and laugh.
Lori

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Mixbook Groupon

2011-05-18T10:33:00.000-05:00

Mixbook is currently having a $15 for $50 worth of product at Groupon in Minneapolis/St. Paul. This is a fantastic deal. Click here, to become a Groupon member and get other great deals.

$15 for $50 Worth of Photo Books, Cards, and More from Mixbook

Mixbook Online Deal
Time Left To Buy
1 day 13:30:42
The deal is on!
The Fine Print
Expires in 1 year
Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift.
Limit 1 per visit. Not valid until 5/21/11.
Valid online only. Extra fee for shipping.

See the rules that apply to all deals.

Highlights
•Fully customizable
•Free, easy-to-use software
•Great for weddings, babies
•Create cards & stationery

Because I love getting a great deal as I live, love, and laugh.
Lori

Crunchy Granola Bars

2011-05-16T17:33:00.003-05:00

We have found a new crunchy granola bar recipe that has quickly become a favorite and leaves all other granola bar recipes in the dust.

CRUNCHY GRANOLA BARS

8 c. uncooked quick oats
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, melted

1 c. corn syrup or honey

2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. peanut butter, crunchy

1 cup chocolate chips (optional; sprinkled on top and pressed into dough)

*Optional sesame seeds and/or coconut or raisins

*Combine all ingredients; mix well.

*Press firmly into well greased half sheet cake pan (I get mine from Sam's 2 for $10).
*Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
*Cool and cut into bars.
*After they are cooled I bag them in ziploc bags and freeze what we won't use in the next couple of weeks.

Give them a try and let me know what you think.
Just another recipe to enjoy while you live, love, and laugh.
Lori

Pizza Dough

2011-05-16T17:21:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my good friend Debbie May, I now have the easiest and most delicious pizza crust recipe at my disposal and I'm about to pass it on to you.

To the right, you will see my son rolling out the easy to use dough. I hope you find this as simple to use as we have.

*One pizza feeds our entire family. The kids don't even ask for take out pizza since we've started making our own.

Pizza Crust

1Tbsp yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water and 1/2 cup milk and let rise for 10 mins.

in food process (or by hand)

3 to 3.5 cups flour

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

*(I add Garlic powder, or toasted garlic to the dough if I have it)

*drizzle yeast mixture into flour. Dough should be pretty soft and not sticky

*Take a pizza pan and spray it with Pam and dust with corn meal - so crust doesn't stick when it is baked. Roll dough out and place in pan.

*I use canned spaghetti sauce for the sauce. I use a lot of different ingredients. . . .whatever I have on hand.

*Drizzle olive oil over the top and brush onto edges of crust. Bake at 425* for about 15 mins.

The options are endless with pizza. Enjoy and let me know how it works in a comment below!

Just another way to feed your family as you live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Easter 2011

2011-05-03T01:49:00.003-05:00

"It's okay James, Tirzah and Jericho will
help us hunt for eggs."
Gracia comforts her cousin.

Resurrection Sunday was a busy day. We had early service in which we heard several specials focusing on Christ's resurrection and saving love for us, a church breakfast, and then a cantata filled worship service. All of which left full of gratefulness for our Savior's sacrifice.

Jericho and Gracia
Tirzah and James got to head
out first to look for the eggs.

Daddy sent the kids out in
waves to give the younger ones
head start.

After the uplifting services we headed back to the parsonage for the traditional Easter dinner of seafood lasagna, 3 meat lasagna, garlic cheese biscuits, and the usual trimmings. We enjoyed our meal with Jeff's parents Richard and Betty and his sister Kristal and her family: Husband Jason and son James.

Tirzah helped cousin James gather his eggs.
She loved her job1

Jadon had fun in sun.

While many of our kids are getting too old for Easter Egg Hunts. They all enjoyed filling the eggs so that they could have the fun of hiding them, someone could find them, and then, all of them could eat the candy (really they're just in it for the chocolate and I can't really blame them since I bought extra just for me! :)

Just took the fun way around everywhere: jumping off walls,
climbing up trees, and generally going on a merry chase.

Lacey found her eggs the quickest.

Opa's scouting out the possible egg hiding places.

Lacey, Auntie Kristal and Oma watched from above!

Uncle Jason and Daddy found the most
unusual hiding spots for the eggs.

Jericho helped Gracia find her Eggs!

Opa had to find his own eggs! He just couldn't
let the kids have all the fun:)

Searching for Eggs!

Divvying up the loot!

We had a wonderful day of worship, fellowship, and fun. Our day didn't end here, click Spring at the Falls to see how we spent the rest of our gorgeous day.

Remember to eat the chocolate while you live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2011-05-02T06:31:00.001-05:00

As Gracia grows, we are having a great time watching her discover the world. Gracia has her own fan club and each new discovery is met with applause and admiration.

One day, Justus was home from school and read in his bed. He asked me to set Gracia by him. She soon grabbed his book and had to take a look. She was fascinated with the pages. Justus was afraid she would rip them so he kept a hand close in case she got to rough.

Even something as simple as bath time garners a lot of attention. I'm glad our kitchen sink is big enough for her to still bath in as it saves my back from bending over the tub and the kitchen is bigger so all the kids can gather around and watch her splash or try to figure out what that white stuff is covering her from head to toe.

And do you even remember the days, when you could spend hours sticking out your tongue and found it enthralling. Gracia has started doing this little trick and the kids get such a kick out of it. They imitate her, but since they are not nearly as cute with their tongues sticking out only Gracia got her picture posted!

"Look, mom, I found my feet. Not only that, but look what I can do with them."

I can suck on my toes...you know because it just isn't as challenging to suck on my fingers. The big kids (especially the ones in sports) wish they were this limber and have been trying to imitate her flexibility.

Seeing the world through the fresh eyes of a child makes me appreciate the little things: ten little fingers and ten tiny toes, the wonder of a soap bubble and little pink tongue, and they mystery of letters, words, pulled together and ordered to fill an entire book.

Psalm 139:14

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

Look at the world with childlike eyes as you live, love, and laugh.

Lori

Palm Sunday with the Strasser's

2011-05-01T06:02:00.001-05:00

Palm Sunday found us in Lennox. My parents had Kezia sing at their church which was a great way to get a number of their grandkids to go with them (our pew at Faith Baptist looked empty with only four of us sitting there!) Morning worship was followed by the traditional Easter dinner which included but was not limited to the world renowned: Whiskey River Ham!

My dad would love to make something else...maybe a turkey or wild goose or loin of deer, but we all clamor for the ham.

We always get plenty to eat and laugh a lot throughout the meal. As my kids continue to grow and move out on their own, I treasure these special times when the entire family can be together. I also love to see the way the big ones take turns entertaining the little ones so everyone has a memorable afternoon.

Gracia and Auntie Jamie

Selah and Jori

Kezia and Caiya

Jericho: I'd like to say he's playing trucks with his littler cousins, but I think he's just playing trucks for fun.

Lacey and Jonna: She should know by now that I will take the picture whether she is looking or not.

Daddy and Gracia taking a little siesta.

Hunter and Tirzah enjoying stories from Gramps
during the grand Easter Dinner. Then, Hunter and Tirzah
relax by watching a little basketball while they let their ham digest.

Live, Love, and Laugh with family as often as you can,
Lori

Spring at Falls Park

2011-04-25T18:17:00.005-05:00

Resurrection Sunday started of glorious with a beautiful sunrise followed by an early worship service filled with songs and scripture readings of
praise for the God's miraculous plan of salvation coming to fulfillment through the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus!

The regular worship service was also filled with the life-saving message of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection from the grave filling my heart with gratitude for the Creator of the Universe's personal care of each of His creation!

The day was so beautiful we continued to celebrate the wonder of God's creation by traveling to Sioux Falls to take these beautiful pics at Falls Park. The water's roar, the sun shines, the birds sing, and the trees bud with the promise of spring, renewal, and new life.

The kids humored me and sat on the rocks for some family pics, but I also grabbed a number of candid shots to remember the day. Year in and year out we have taken pictures at the falls and I always enjoy looking back on them in the scrapbooks I've made at Shutterfly.

As I've been getting caught up on scrapbooks, this past year, I've realized how much more I can do with digital pictures than I have done in the past. I picnik them first (edit) and then I've started using them as gifts in the form of cards, collages and books. So whenever we go for walks to the park or some other adventure I try to take a lot of photos.

A few of the kids do not have to be coerced into taking photos. They love having their picture taken which is fun for me as I don't feel I'm interrupting their "play." For them, taking pictures is playing!

I had to take this shot even though I knew the sun would block out the faces...I just liked how it looked with the silhouettes and sunshine!

We spent an hour just walking around the falls. Throughing rocks and sticks into the water to see what would happen. We simply reveled in the warm sunshine and fresh green growing things. The grass and other green things effectively hid the squishy mud underneath so we did have to be a bit cautious where we stepped.

I am learning what to look for in good candid shots and really like this one of Jeff and the girls chatting at the top of the hill as we

We opted not to bring the stroller and completely forgot that I bought a baby backpack for just such adventures so Gracia got the choicest of rides in Daddy's arms as we toured the park

Justus on the Rocks!

Take some time to Enjoy Spring as you Live, Love, and Laugh!

Lori

If you're going to blog about Spring, check out this offer from Shutterfly.

The Elements of Easter

2011-04-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

THE Reason we live, love, and laugh!
Lori

Another Shutterfly Photo Book! Another Christmas Gift Done!

2011-04-22T13:24:00.002-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Peanut Butter Polka Dot Bars

2011-04-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2010 found me waiting in the check out line at my local grocery store. I made the mistake of picking up the Hershey's Kitchen Chocolate Desserts magazine. I went one step farther and actually purchased this magazine. Oh. My. Word. Every single recipe we have made out of this magazine is D. Licious! In the weeks to come I will posting a few of our family favorites. We've tweaked the recipes to compensate for taste or ingredients on hand, but I will pass along the original for you. Had I known all of these were accessible on-line at the Hershey's Kitchen website I wouldn't have bought the magazine, but there is just something about paging through a book...

Peanut Butter Polka Dot Bars

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (hdr) (hdr) CHOCOLATE FILLING (recipe follows)

1-1/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S MINI PIECES Candy Directions

1) Heat oven to 350°F. Beat butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat thoroughly.

2) Stir together oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. (Dough will be thick.) Remove 2 cups dough; set aside. Press remaining dough onto bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

3) Prepare CHOCOLATE FILLING. Spread filling evenly over dough. Sprinkle candy pieces evenly over filling. Crumble reserved dough evenly over filling.

4) Bake 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. (Chocolate will be soft.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. About 24 bars

CHOCOLATE FILLING:

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine in saucepan over low heat. Stir in 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/3 cup sugar. Add 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Remove from heat; stir in 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

We have found this recipe works best when doubled and baked on a 12x18 sheet cake pan. I freeze the extras!

Revel in Chocolate as you live, love, and laugh.

Lori

Wacky Hair Wanna-Be Day

2011-04-19T10:11:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Wacky Hair Day and Wanna-Be Day for Selah's Kindergarten class. They are studying the letter W. She dressed like a very fun Kindergarten Teacher and was going to just not brush her naturally curly hair for the wacky part. I just couldn't do it. I'd rather have her hair look intentionally wacky rather than the unbrushed nobody loves me wacky!

Thankfully, she was happy with all of the pretties in her hair and left them in even after she got home from school. I would have had a massive pony-tension headache, but not Selah, she kept them in until I made her take them out for her shower.

Remember to have a little wacky hair as you live, love, and laugh!

Lori

Potato Soup

2011-04-19T08:02:00.004-05:00

A fellow blogging friend was looking for recipes that use milk...a lot of milk. I immediately thought of one of the few soups I actually like and make: Potato Soup. Potato Soup as I make it, is super simple and requires only a few ingredients (although you can jazz it up as much as you like.)

Potato Soup

Basic Ingredients:

1/2 gallon Milk
8 large peeled and cubed Potatoes
1 tbsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 stick Butter

Optional Ingredients:

1 cup browned sausage or hamburger or crumbled bacon
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen carrots
1-2 cup cheddar cheese

*If you like it thicker, add one can cream of mushroom soup or 2-3 tablespoons corn starch.

Directions:
In large sauce pan or dutch oven, boil potatoes til soft. Drain water from potatoes. Keep potatoes in same pan and add: milk, salt, butter (*if you are using the optional ingredients add now as well). Bring to a boil then turn heat to simmer. Serve when butter is melted.

We usally serve the soup with bread,biscuits, or sandwiches.

I hope you enjoy this as much as our family does.

Eat well as you live, love, and laugh.
Lori

Substitute Teaching

2011-04-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

I substitute teach to support my writing habit. Thankfully, I enjoy subbing so it's not really work; it's more of a fun break from home that I get paid for!

However there is a wide learning curve in substitute teaching as you have to do a variety of subject areas and have little if any preparation time before you jump in to teaching. One of the most obvious changes from my growing up years was the use of white boards. I am seriously dating myself here, but I grew up with chalkboards. Dry erase boards were just coming into classrooms toward the end of my education. I can use a dry erase board and I do not miss writing with chalk: either the chalky mess or the incredibly irritating noise.

2011 makes my third year subbing and in that time all of the classrooms that I sub in have gotten Smart Boards. This is a board that requires not only a computer, but also a projector, remote, and "writing" tools with an "eraser." With this equipment, the teacher is then able to project whatever is on her/his computer screen onto the Smart Board. Not only can the material be projected on the screen the students can then work interactively writing out answers with special pens on the board for everyone to see. This is a marked improvement from the old overheads I grew up with.

I think this technology is wonderful...I'm just not very tech savy and most days I feel like the students should be teaching ME all of the updates in technology. I have picked up on a few things, but as a general rule, the students know how to operate the equipment faster and more effectively than I ever could. Remember, as a sub, I can get the call that morning and have little or no time to prepare for class. The teachers I sub for leave great notes, but rarely do they include the 300 page instruction manual or the time to learn how to operate the equipment. Slowly but surely I am becoming more familiar with the equipment, but an even great lesson I have learned is how to ask for help.

All of this is to say that I am fulfilling a long-term sub position for the next two weeks and will not be blogging much! :)

So remember to live, love, and laugh no matter what technology is thrown at you,

Lori

Grandma Judy's Granola

2011-04-15T09:19:00.003-05:00

My husband and children rave about Grandma Judy's granola every year when they come home from camp. I have resisted making it...and to be honest I have no idea why, but in effort to save some money on processed foods, I have started making homemade granola bars and thought the next logical step was to make the famous granoloa by Grandma Judy. I doubled the batch and the general consensus is it tastes just like Grandma Judy's--YEAH! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

5 c. oatmeal
1 c. coconut
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon
1 t. salt
3/4 c. oil
3 T. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions:
Mix above ingredients. Bake on a cookie sheet at 300º for 1 hour. Stir every 20 minutes.

Optional:

After baking, add raisins or dried fruit.

I have stored the granola in my Tupperware "That's a Bowl" but will probably pick up a rectangular storage container with a dispenser at the top. My family eats this in yogurt and just like cereal with milk on top. It's a bit to crummy to eat plain. I'll have to see if there is a version that has a more chunky texture and could be eaten as finger food. It was super simple to make and resulted in a lot of granola. I have not figured out a cost comparison, but I'm guessing it's pretty cheap as the ingredients were all on hand. The cost may go up a bit if you had dried fruit or nuts.

Enjoy granola as you live, love, and laugh!

Lori

A Sunny Spring Day

2011-04-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Finally, the sun has broken through and heated up the land. We spent the morning on our south-facing deck and basked in the warm glow (or soaked in our Vitamin D--makes it sound far more nutritional and necessary:)

Gracia enjoyed the outdoors. she loved sitting in her swing and observing nature.

She also enjoyed being held and shown how to enjoy a nice spring day.

What's a nice spring day without a picnic? Apparently we will never know as the kids ask to eat on the deck whenever the sun is out! There is just something about sun and blankets that calls for food.

The shadow of me is as close I came to getting my photo taken that day. Lacey is soaking in the sun and reading--a tip learned from me. I spend a lot of time in the summer reading outside. I believe that if I can sweat while not doing a thing beyond reading...it's like easy exercise:)

Jadon had a great time introducing Gracia to the great outdoors. She has spent little time out as the winter has been harsh and she freaks out when the wind gets in her face. Gracia reminds me of the Elves in Lord of the Rings with her hood circling her little face and making those big blue eyes look even larger.

Selah will always cheese for the camera. What's been really fun is finding the photos she takes of herself:)

Unfortunately you cannot hide any blemishes in full sunlight (that would be why there are no pictures of me...that and the fact that there was no way to adjust the photos from my blinding whiteness! :) Selah was counting every bruise and scrap she could find on her legs...and there were many.

Nature provides so many reasons to live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Father Daughter Dance 2011

2011-04-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

On Saturday night, Jeff attended his first Father Daughter Dance with two of his girls. Central Lyon held a Father Daughter Dance on April 2, 2011--the night after Prom. They used the Prom directions that took hours and hours to set up and made a great memory for the little girls who had the night before watched the high school kids parade through on the red carpet during Grand March. For Lacey and Selah, the night was even more special since two of their sisters had walked the red carpet during prom.

The Father Daughter Dance went from 7-9 and included cupcakes and punch, a photo session with dad and daughter (they came home with a 5x7 memory of their evening), and dancing with dad. From the photos Jeff took, it looks like everyone had fun (although since he was behind the camera, the only father/daughter photos we took were the professional one and the ones at home before the dance).

Next year, I will go and take a couple of pictures of them dancing with their daddy. I wasn't sure of the protocol this year. Jeff did a great job taking pictures ( I am usually the photo taker) so I was very pleased with the shots he grabbed.

Daddy and his girls.

Lacey

Hannah and Lacey

Lacey and Taylor

Morgan, Louise, Selah, and Jessa

Morgan, Louise and Selah

Lacey all ready for the dance. She was glad she had big sisters to know how to do her hair!

Afton, Selah, and Louise: three fast friends

This is probably my favorite photo of the night. Jeff snapped this as Selah was searching for her friends.

So many reasons to live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Sweet and Savory Pork Tenderloin

2011-04-01T08:49:00.004-05:00

I finally found a way to fix pork loin that had my kids begging for more. I took one 2 pound pork loin and baked it covered in Yoshida's Orginal Gourmet Sweet and Savory Sauce that I buy at Sam's Club. I added two cups of water, covered it all with tinfoil and baked at 350 for 2-3 hours (until it was falling apart) then I crumbled it up with a fork and made sure all the meat was covered by sauce and stuck it back in the oven until we were ready to eat. I served it on a bun and made Cheesy Hashbrowns on the side. The kids loved it and the leftovers made great pulled pork sandwiches the next day for lunch.

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-03-31T09:21:00.001-05:00

I was cruising some blogs the other day and found a recipe for homemade chewy granola bars. They looked positively delicious, but wouldn't you know that when I went to find the recipe I couldn't remember which blog I had found it on and could not find it back. Thanks to Google I did find several recipes and the one I made looked very similar to the one I had seen the day before...all that to say...I found a recipe that worked and the kids loved it. The bars took little time to prepare and we had all of the ingredients on hand. So if you are looking for a filling, inexpensive homemade snack...this recipe is just the ticket. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Deliciously Homemade Granola Bars

by Amy Clark

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, mini chocolate chips, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using a wooden spoon. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. I recommend using a plastic knife to cut these out to get a perfectly cut bar with minimal crumbs.

Also I would love to get other recipes made with fruit and nuts, the crunchy granola bars, or just granola. Leave a comment below linking to your recipe. Thanks.
Yummy reasons to live, love and laugh,
Lori

Rag Rolled Curls

2011-03-29T08:27:00.001-05:00

I have often wondered how the ladies of yesterday did their hair without electric devices. So I was thrilled when I came across Erika Shupe's blog post about rag-rolling hair. My six-year-old still has super fine baby hair and it gets easily mussed when she sleeps and generally looks a fright when she wakes up in the morning. And on many a day she'd go to school looking, as the kids say, "like nobody loves her" since her hair would remain unruly and hard tame of a morning. So I decided we would try rag-rolling her hair to see what would happen.

So we took an old t-shirt and cut 1-inch wide strips. Each one is 8-inches long.

I have a whole tupperware full of these little strips. I then had Selah shower and because her hair is so thin and fine we roll it per Erika's instructions immediately after. The first time we tried this I used about 20 rags and had little knots all over her head, but because her hair takes curl very easily, we had super kinky hair that was very hard to style.

We had to do a little experimenting to get it just right for Selah. So now I use about eight rags holding larger amounts of hair in each one and they result is fun, bouncy curls that usually last two days if she doesn't get them wet. The rags come out easily and we then run a brush through the curls and voila, she's ready to go and looks like someone loves her! It has made getting ready for school and church much simpler and her hair looks neat and bouncy all day long.

I would love see photos and get tips on how you style your daughters hair. Have you used rags? Let me know in a comment below.

Remember, even as you do hair, live, love, and laugh!
Lori

Imagination Station Giveaway

2011-03-16T10:51:00.001-05:00

If you enjoy Adventures in Odyssey, check out these new Imagination Station adventures put out by Tyndale Publishing House.

Click here to enter their contest giveaway of the The Imagination Station #1 and #2.

I've entered and I know my kids would love to have these great stories.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to use your imagination as you LIVE<> LAUGH.

Lori

On-line Games; No Icky Advertising

2011-03-16T10:06:00.001-05:00

I was not thrilled when my daughter came home from a friends house with more computer game ideas. We seem to have a never ending supply of websites to try and while, many have innocent games to play, the advertising on the side is enough to make me blush. We've had to ban many sites based on the advertising alone rather than the games available. So when Selah asked if she could go to Friv I didn't rush right to the computer and get her "hooked" up. I hemmed and hawed and thought she might forget about it.
Not Selah, she's persistant and smart. She has figured out how to navigate the internet all on her own...and she's only six. However after several failed attempts, and my fear, that she would stumble across a really bad site, I helped her get onto http://www.friv.com/. I was pleasantly surprised to find not only many educational games, but also NO ADVERTISING (except for the site itself and the games available.) I loved this.
There are a huge variety of games for children of all ages and color and graphics are fun and easy to use. Selah has found some really fun games: cake decorating and pizza making which focus on memory, shapes, logic, and a multitude of other skills along with games that are fun (and I'm sure work on hand/eye coordination) such as sponge bob, mario, and sonic.

So if you are looking for a great internet site with free games for your children with no disgusting ads in the side column, check out http://www.friv.com/ and have fun.

Remember to be cautious on the internet as you live, love and laugh.
Lori

Gardening Tips from MOPS

2011-03-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

While it currently looks a lot like Christmas...I mean Winter outside...Spring is in the air. People are talking about warmer weather, melting snow, and wondering when we can start spring planting. Now I've grown up in the midwest and have known it to be exceptionally warm in March. I always want it to be warm, but I do not consider the high 20s low 30s warm. That's just teasing me for the warmer temperatures of summer. But as I stare out my back window and see the frost covered trees and snow covered yard, I begin to dream of warmer climes, sunny days, and green, green everywhere.

Pretty, but cold. I am just not an outside person in the winter time. I took these photos from my front door step!

I took these photos a few years back, but they represent what the landscape looks like now. Cold, albeit pretty, and very snow covered.

This is what I am longing for--beautiful sunsets, rainwashed roads, and green, green, green wherever I look.

At MOPs last week, Myron Knobloch from Knobloch's Greenhouse spoke on gardening: site selection, site preparation, planting, weed control, watering, insects, diseases, and harvesting. He was very knowledgable and exceedingly patient. If you have gardening questions and live in the tri-state area, head over to Knobloch's Greenhouse and check out their lovely plants and ask Myron all of your gardening questions.

Myron had a very interesting tidbit on mulching--using grass clippings in between rows--this should not be added until it is really warm as it will hold in the moisture and keep the ground cool. We did this last year and it helped to slow down the weeds, but did not stop them all together. He recommended a good herbicide before the garden is planted to stop weeds and grasses. I think we'll try that this year as some of those low growing grasses just take over.

I can hardly wait to see how the perennial vegetables/fruits come back this year. We planted strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, and blueberry and raspberry bushes. They took off last summer in the perfect growing conditions. We did not pick any of them (we had blossoms on the strawberries galore) along with huge rhubarb and asparagus plants, but let everything go to seed to germinate and grow faster. I am looking forward to fresh strawberries and my own asparagus (love that stuff). Someone else can eat the rhubarb...ahem.
I have to admit...even Myron didn't know what to do with the herbs. They take over everything, but goodness they make all my dishes taste so delicious, I have to grow them. We have cilantro and dill growing uncontrollably throughout our garden. I will have to try a seperate herb garden to keep it both contained and vital.

Another One Bites the Ice!

2011-03-12T14:25:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, while I was at a Basketball tournament, the kids were sledding on the ice hills in front of our home (normally these would be called snow banks, but they have melted and refrozen often enough that they are now big hard mounds of ice) They are very fast for sledding down, but getting up is quite treacherous and Selah found out when she used her face to break her fall going up the ice. She now has a lovely U shaped sore on her chin, a fat lip, a swollen nose, and her two front teeth will soon come out (thankfully, they are baby teeth.) She had blood everywhere. She's a trooper however and was very pleased with her "frightening appearance" hoping to scare the kids at school!

Remember to take it slow on the ice as you live, love, and laugh!
Lori

Gracia and the Grandparents

2011-03-11T08:31:00.001-06:00

Just a five short months ago Gracia Lou came into this world. and was passed around from one person to another. I do believe she was held by more people in the town of Rock Rapids than some of our other kids were ever held. But as a newborn, she didn't care and slept through most of the transitions from one set of arms to another.

Gracia Lou with Oma Betty Lou

Gracia Lou telling Grandma Karen all about her day.

Gracia Lou with Gramps--he's telling her a story and she might as well get used to it!

I cannot believe how the time flies! Now she's starting recognizing people or not...and crying! I always hate that faze. Hopefully she will grow out of it fast. She really only seems to experience it when people come into our home as she goes to lots of people at ball games and church.
Now she'll sit on their lap as long as she doesn't have to look at them (notice Gramps is still telling tales!)

She'll happily play horsey with Grandma Karen and bounce along until...

She's passed on to someone else and realizes Oma is new. We should've turned her around when we handed her to Oma...then she never would've known...

She sat with Opa for a few mnutes until she realized that he wasn't somene who is normally here every day.

I appreciate these pictures so much more now that I have older kids and I've been working on their scrapbooks. These memories are priceless and I want Gracia to have them in her scrapbooks like all the other kids do.

Take lots of pictures as you live, love, and laugh.

Lori

An "Ice" Day for Basketball

2011-03-10T08:45:00.001-06:00

The sun has warmed the earth and started melting the snow. The thermometer reads a balmy 35 degrees so it must be time to play some basketball in the driveway.

After a quick snack, a minute to hold Gracia, and a couple of phone calls to parents. They are ready to shoot some hoops.

While only Ben and Kalen made their way inside with Jericho, several others appeared in the driveway as the echo of the basketball bouncing on the sloshy concrete reverberated through the neighborhood--the siren call to congregate and play.
Yes, you know you live in Iowa and that you have adjusted to the harsh clime when the temperatures reaches such heights as the mid 30's and kids are donning short sleeved t-shirts and shorts. That's why we live where we can experience the wonder of four seasons!

Our driveway has a wicked slope toward the road so they are often seen chasing the ball hither and yon. Thankfully, it's also a long driveway so the ball usually makes its way to the ditch before it rolls onto 12th Ave...although if it's going straight you have to run pretty fast to catch it.

Grant makes another one--height definitely has it's advantages!'

Remember to shoot lots of hoops as you live, love, and laugh!

Lori

Why I Use Their Real Names!

2011-03-09T09:10:00.001-06:00

I read a lot of blogs and on many of them I've noticed they use psuedonyms for their children and spouse. Now I've often wondered if I should/could do this and what I would call each one if I did. So I've taken a moment to go through each one and give them a pseudonym below.

Tirzah would have to be "Fun-Girl" --always on the run-girl; just another manic fun-girl (recognize that tune?) She's up for a party at a moments notice (I know where she gets that) Fun-girl has the largest group of friends and will call to ask if she can go somewhere with someone at the last minute (I mean why plan ahead when you can have a party now!)

Selah is the "Mini-Mom" of the family. She will tell anyone, anywhere, and at any time what to do...unfortunately for her siblings, she's usually right...unfortunately for her, her siblings don't want to hear it!

Lacey is Miss Artsy-Fartsy! Whether it's music or drawing or creative play, Lacey's the one who will be in the center of the free for all. Her room declares her craftiness--with bits of paper all over the floor and along with her creative clothes keeping system (it looks like she just threw them all over the floor, but I'm sure there's a method to the mess:)

Kezia is my "Mini-Me" She cares for the younger kids and is outspoken and silly and laughs easily and is brash and sensitive and looks so much like me only better and younger!

Justus is "Batman" wherever there's trouble--Justus will be there. Always looking for an adventure--he'll create one if he has too. He's able to think of witty comebacks faster than the batmobile can go from 0-60. He's fun and ready to try most anything from tabasco sauce to jalapenos.

and Batman's faithful sidekick, Robin. Jadon and Justus have been inseperable since Jadon was a baby. They are the best of playmates and friends and personality has a lot to do with that. Sweet and theatrical, Jadon doesn't look for trouble, but he'll follow Justus' lead on a number of things.

Able to leap high hurdles in a single bound, able to run around a track multiple times, able to catch a speeding competitor, It's a bird, It's a plane, it's...Jericho aka. "Superman." While Jericho enjoys sports more than any other child in our home...what makes him super is his willingness to do whatever needs to be done...which often makes him our go-to guy in hurried situations.

Our oldest--"Grad-Man" JP is out of the house and living on his own. He works full time and is checking out life in the big world while deciding what he wants to do for the rest of his life. He could also be named "Guinea Pig" as he's our oldest and we tried out a lot of parenting tricks on him--some worked and some didn't and we are far wiser for the practice. Thanks JP for sticking with us through it all. Love and miss that kid!

Here's Baby Girl for now. Gracia is quickly outgrowing the baby status. She's movin and shakin our home. She could also be called "Cricket" her nickname in the womb as she still loves to hop in her johnny jump up.

Whether you have one or nine, each child is unique and could have a nickname, but for crying out loud, I have trouble calling them by their real names in real life. I'm pretty sure I'd never remember their pseudo-names in my cyber life. Plus, since their names are unusual to begin with some people might just assume these names are fake...seriously who would name their kid Kezia! :P

No matter what enjoys those kiddos as you live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Seafood Lasagna

2011-02-26T09:25:00.002-06:00

Seafood Lasagna is one of my families all-time favorite meals. It is really rich so we don't have it too often, but everyone in the family enjoys Seafood lasagna night!

Ingredients:

1 package lasagna noodles

2 jars Ragu garlic and parmesan alfredo sauce

1 cup mini or medium shrimp

8 oz crab meat (real or imitation:)

16 oz shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

1 cup broccoli

Preheat oven to 375.

1) Heat meat and sauce in saucepan on the stove.

2) Rinse out Ragu sauce jars with a quarter cup milk and pour in the bottom of 9x13 pan.

3) Put one layer of lasagna noodles across the bottom of the pan

4) Ladle one-two large scoops of meat sauce on layer of noodles and top with a thin layer of cheese.

5) repeat step 4 until sauce is gone.

6) Top final layer of noodles with broccoli and the remaining cheese.

7)Bake in the oven for one hour

If you don't have time to make the lasagna, you can serve the meat sauce over angel hair spaghetti and serve with garlic cheese bread and a green vegetable!

Remember food goes great with Life, Love, and Laughter,

Lori

My Version of Once a Month Cooking

2011-02-24T10:44:00.004-06:00

We have been doing a lot of convenience foods and eating out since the baby arrived. It was nice for a while, but I was starting to get hungry for some real home cooking not to mention we were about to break the budget. So last time I went to Sam's I stocked up on hamburger. I am continually amazed at the versatility of this meat and the ease with which a number of meals can be prepared. This only took me two hours from start to finish.

I started with 11 pounds of ground chuck. I browned all of it adding chopped green peppers and onions. I then divided the meat into seperate pans to mix up the following:

1 batch of BBQ (also known as taverns, sloppy joes, manwiches, etc) :

*2 heaping scoops of browned ground beef, a healthy dollop (about a cup) of BBQ sauce, add a quick squirt of mustard and a hearty squirt of ketchup and there you have it. This freezes beautifully so I popped it into a tupperware and threw it in the freezer.For the spaghetti, I just opened up a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce and dumped it on about 2 cups of hamburger (maybe a little more depending on how meaty you like your sauce. Then I freeze the meat sauce. This is so handy for quick hot spaghetti supper.

Chili is so simple and freezes beautifully. I used two quart jars of my husbands tomato juice (I normally use my home canned chili for a starter, but ran out--I'll have to can more this summer) and added three cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup (mainly for thickening and flavor), 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of chili powder, a 1/2 cup brown sugar and let it simmer. After simmering for 30 minutes, I pour it in a tupperware and freeze. I love having this in the freezer to pull out on a cold winter day or when surprise company comes for a visit. My husband likes his chili with beans and whole tomatos so after thawing the chili I make a small pot with that stuff in it for him and use the "plain" chili for the rest of us. Serve with Cheese bread for a delicious meal.

I took a large portion of the meat and made taco meat. I just poured in a cup of water and 3/4 of a cup of taco seasoning and let it simmer for little bit. Again I just popped it in a tupperware container and froze. This is super simple and reheats in minutes for an ultra quick meal added to lettuce, cheese, and tortilla shells or chips. Top with salsa and you're good to go.

I kept some browned beef for enchiladas. I wasn't sure how frozen enchiladas would turn out so I just kept back the ground beef and made up a fresh batch of enchiladas when the mood struck using the recipe here.

Well, there you have it. That's how I stretch my grocery budget and save some cooking time (or at least thinking about the next meal time--it's often about the food in a large family!) I keep most of the spices and sauces on hand (I shop at Sam's Club) and that makes the cooking simpler as well.

Good cooking is a key to life, love, and laughter in large family,

Lori

The Best Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

2011-02-16T19:19:00.003-06:00

This is the absolute best Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffin recipe I've ever made. The muffins come out moist and the streusel adds just the right amount of sweetness and crisp. I doubled the recipe and it turned out beautifully (this is not always the case.) The kids loved them and most of my kids are not "fruit" muffin people. I have come to believe, in cooking, there is no higher critic than a child as they are brutally honest!

Recipe (makes 12 muffins):

Preheat oven to 375

Muffin ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange peel
1/2 cup milk

Streusel Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter (softened)
5 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. all purpose flour

Muffins directions:
1) Beat butter and sugar
2) add eggs and mix until creamy
3) stir in vanilla, orange peel, salt, and baking powder
4) mix in flour
5) add the milk
*The batter will be quite thick.
6) with a wooden or plastic spoon--fold blueberries into batter

Streusel directions:
In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are moistened.

Pour muffin batter into twelve muffin cups. Top with streusel. Bake at 375 for 25* minutes.
*check muffins after 15 minutes as ovens vary.

Makes 12 regular muffins; 24 mini muffins; 6 mega-muffins! :)

Remember to bake often as you live, love, and laugh,
Lori

Need Vacation Ideas; Ask Your Kids

2011-02-14T10:07:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, we moved from Spearfish, SD to Rock Rapids, IA. In May it will be 7 years, to be more exact. We had a lot of kids with one on the way and not a lot of money, but we knew the kids were growing fast and we needed to make memories with them. Making memories was very important.

One of the ways to make memories is through vacations:concentrated family time. While we knew we couldn't do the big vacations: Europe, Disney World, or the like; we still wanted to do some special things with the kids. So we decided to ask them what they would like to do for vacation that year. The list was long, but surprisingly simple. It looked something like this:
1) Go to the farm and ride the four wheeler.
2) Play board games with Oma.
3) Go fishing with Grandpa and Opa.
4) Go to Falls Park and climb on the rocks.
5) Go to Wild Water West/swimming.
6) Go hiking as a family.
7) Take a day and go to the Omaha Zoo.
8) Stay at the Pirate Ship Hotel.
9) Go-carts and mini-golf.
10) Go to the movies and out to eat.

All simple pleasures that could be done in a day with the entire family (finding activities the whole family enjoyed became more challenging as we added more children to our family and their ages and interests diversified. Each of the activities listed required a minimum cash outlay, but garnered great family memory dividends. Here some photos from the list of activities the kids chose to do.

Swimming at the Rock Rapids Swimming Pool. A pool pass is a great investment for our family. By the time the end of summer rolls around, our pool pass cost just pennies a day. We swim every nice day in the summer. The kids love it and expect it and I relish the time the kids are expending energy and I can visit with friends or read a book. Although this summer, I'll be splashin' away in the baby end again! :)

The bonus part of this is the kids friends are there and they get to make family memories and friends memories at the same time. The swimming pool is just good clean fun.

Opa and Grandpa took JP, Jericho, and Jeff to the Missouri River for a couple of days of fishing in Grandpa's boat. The photos were awesome. The weather was nice and they actually caught some fish.

I notice they have lifejackets in this picture (I'm thinking it's just for show for mom) as in the picture above they are still in the boat and no life jackets can be seen.

Since Kezia worked at Sunshine, we got a free day at Wild Water West. What an awesome adventure. There was something for everyone. Big slides, little slides, climbing toys, baby pool, wave pool, and if you were tired of the water, go carts! The kids had a blast and we made some really fun memories.

Selah and Lacey going down the slide...again!

One advantage of living in the midwest is the vast expanse of nature that surrounds us. One day we went for a hike. These photos were taken at Big Hill just minutes from where we lived in Spearfish, SD. One thing I've noticed is that we rarely take advantage of the free sightseeing opportunities right near us. There are many opportunities (near and inexpensive) that offer families a great time together without costing a fortune or vacation days from work.

A day at Thunder Road in Sioux Falls. We played mini-golf and the older kids road the go-carts.

Jeff, JP, and Kezia strapped in for the ride. Because we were there on a weekday there were few others there and we got right on. Which was nice since it was very warm.

When our kids were younger, we bought a zoo pass and a children's museum pass each year. With a couple of trips to the zoo we had the pass fee paid for and then the rest of the trips were free. Plus with their "friends" discounts we also could get into other zoos around the country for half off or sometimes even free. This was one of our favorite pasttimes when all the kids were smaller. The fresh air and exercise were wonderful and the educational aspect was an added bonus. The kids were learning and not even realizing it.

Here is the Pirate Ship at the famous Pirate Ship Hotel (I believe it's really called the Ramada Inn) But why trifle with names. The kids loved it and it has been one of the long lasting memories without pictures for all of the children. They had a blast.

Well, there you have it. Some simple vacation ideas for your family this summer brought to you by the Poppinga children. Our list for this summer includes:

Hiking at Palisades National Park

Fishing with the Grampa's

Canoeing/Kayaking somewhere

and that's about it.

For me, as long as we get to spend time together...that's what is really important!

Remember, when making those memories, Live, Love, and Laugh.

Lori

Who does Gracia Look Like?

2011-02-12T07:50:00.001-06:00

Here are the baby pictures I had on the computer. I am missing a picture of Kezia, but you can get a good idea of who Gracia might look like from the following photos. Go ahead and take a gander than post a comment with your guess as to whom Gracia most closely resembles. Tirzah
Selah

Lacey

Lori

Justus

Jericho

Jadon

Jeff

Gracia

Alright we continue to get mixed reviews on who Gracia looks like. I thought it would be fun to see what y'all think. Just leave your opinion in a comment below. Thank you very much. Have fun.

Remember--Live, Love, Laugh!

Lori

Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium!

2011-02-11T04:13:00.001-06:00

When the kids were all little the best vacation value for our family was to buy a family pass to our local zoo and children's museum. The price of a family pass was usually paid for after our first or second visit and then the rest of the visits we considered to be "free." As an added bonus, the pass usually got us into other zoos around the country for free or reduced admission. This is a huge savings for a large family on a small budget. Likewise the children's museum passes worked much the same way. So we spent a lot of time at zoos and museums when our older children were young and being homeschooled.

We no longer frequent zoos as often as we used to, but no Poppinga family vacation would be complete without a trip to at least one zoo. This time we took just the five younger children (while the older children went with Grandma and Grandpa to play Bocce ball and mini-golf) to the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium which was only a short 20 minute drive from parents home.

The zoo wasn't the largest or the most well maintained zoo we've ever been to, but the kids had fun identifying the animals and getting up close and personal with many of them as you will see in the pictures below. This zoo had far more close contact opportunities than any other zoo we've been to so that was an added bonus. The kids had a great time exploring and being in the warm sunshine.

I have no idea what I did to give this picture the effect that I took it during an earthquake, but I love the contrasting colors so I've popped it in. The kids are observing the penguins.

Lacey and the Parrots. They had an unusually large number of parrots of various varieties.

Selah in front of an aquarium exhibit. Due to technical difficulties on my part I had trouble getting the right lighting to capture both my darling daughter and the sealife in the tank.

But Selah looks great!

Jericho feeding a giraffe. We've never done that before.

Selah and a bunch of nautilus! Again you can't really see them behind her, but the tank was just crawling with these huge creatures.

Justus fighting the jaws of the lion.

Lacey resting in the jaws of the lion.

Selah enjoying the jaws of the lion.

Jadon crawling out of the lion's jaws!

Huge rhino taking a break as the workers cleaned his yard.

Lacey and Justus with the monkeys.

Selah and the flamingoes. There were a lot of them in brightly colored plummage.

Jadon at the petting zoo. They had goats, deer, and ducks.

More kids feeding the giraffe.

Jadon and the antelope.

God's creation gives us many reasons to live, love, and laugh!

Candid Family Pictures 2010--Island Park

2011-02-10T04:08:00.001-06:00

I thought you might like to see some of the candid shots Sarah took while setting up the "real" photos. There is often a lot of mayhem behind the beautiful shots captured by the photographer.

I love this one as it shows my three oldest kids having fun together while waiting for the rest of us to figure out what we're supposed to be doing! As long as everyone keeps smiling things go well.

While it might look precarious, there was no actual danger of my falling with the baby onto the cragged rocks. The wind is blowing fiercely so that is why my hair is whipping behind me. Several years ago, I took pictures of the kids at this spot. Unfortunately between the bright light and the severe wind, this was not the ideal picture location.

Hope you enjoyed the behind the scenes look at how our family photos come into being.

Remember in everything you do, live, love, and laugh...and take a picture!

Lori

Many Hands Make Light Work!

2011-02-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

I was reminded how true this saying is recently. We'd had several snow days in a row and the kids were starting to pick at each other and rough house and generally drive me crazy with the noise and bickering. The temperatures were below zero with the wind chill made it even colder so going outside wasn't an option. I needed an inside project and I needed it fast.

We had been talking about switching bedrooms for the kids since JP had moved out and Lacey and Selah needed to be seperated, but just hadn't gotten around to it. This seemed like the perfect time to me to make the switch.

I announced at lunch that we were going to move the boys upstairs and the three oldest girls downstairs. The kids thought it we needed more than an afternoon to accomplish this as did my husband, but I was sure, if we all pitched in we could get it done in 3 hours (tops!)

I shooed my husband back to the office at one as he had that glazed look that usually comes over him whenever he's trying to envision the mess one of my projects will make. He gladly left.

Then the moving began. The kids were thrilled with the idea of having "new" rooms and Lacey could hardly wait to have her own space. Motivation was hardly needed.

Everything went smoothly until we realized the bunk beds upstairs needed to go and the incredibly solid blue bunk beds (the ones everyone vows never to move again) needed to be moved upstairs. The screws wouldn't come out of the brown bunkbeds so that slowed us a bit, but Jericho applied his ingenuity and removed the boards another way (needless to say these will not be used again). Then he applied himself to the blue bunk beds. It took an hour an several people, but the blue beds were moved from below to above and Jericho vowed he would never move them again.

All in all it took four hours with 7 people moving things. We left most of the beds in place which helped tremendously. Jeff arrived home at 5 and was shocked to see all that we had accomplished. There were only a few minor things to be moved and he helped settle those things into place and Voila! the switch was complete.

I could never have done all of this without the help of my children who worked like troopers to get their new areas looking the way they wanted.

Many hands definitely make like work.

Remember this as you live, love, and laugh,

Lori

Valentine's Gifts

2011-02-04T10:32:00.002-06:00

I have been scrapbooking like crazy to get a book done for each of my family members for Valentine's Day. I mentioned this on here a few days ago...how it all started...but now I am all done and wanted to share them with you. You might be asking yourself, "Isn't this a Valentine's gift? Why would she be sharing it in a public forum where her children or husband might see them before the big day?"
Simple--they don't read my blog! Which for now is okay with me. I am sorry the pics are so small. Just boost your magnifier to 200% and they should be the perfect size. :) The first ones were made at Mixbook, my new favorite digital scrapbooking site. Jadon's book is not pictured as I cannot retrieve it from the site I made it on. It turned out alright, but I wouldn't recommend that company. I used them because there was a "free" scrapbook coupon, but will not do that again as the picture quality is poor and the designs are very limited. Here are the other books in no specific order:

For Lacey, an 8x8 softcover of our trip to Ashland Wisconsin. I'm so glad I took this trip with her. She is quieter than her siblings and is truly the middle child. Having these great memories with her was very special and now being able to pull them out and look at them is even better.

Finally, a scrapbook of my hubby when he was growing up. The pictures are few, but precious.

My oldest daughter, Kezia. I finally just put a few pics of her growing up years together with some friend photos so she has something to look back on. I'll get a full compilation going soon as she graduates next year, but for now this gives her a little taste of her growing up years.

My new little Gracia Lou has hundreds of pictures already and she's only four months old. I hope this helps her know that even though she's six years younger than her youngest sibing, she is special and precious and loved by us all.

Jericho is our sports lover. I loved the sport options at Mixbook. Combined with editing the pictures at Picnik he has a truly memorable scrapbook of his 2010 sports!

Our wedding album. I came across my wedding album not too long ago and found some of the photos were getting faded/damaged. I'm not quite sure how as I had them in a scrapbook, but decided now was the time to scan them in and get them made into a digital copy for all posterity.

Tirzah and her friends took pics together the last three years. Amy Schulte, Kori's mom, has kindly taken them and then shared them with the rest of us moms. I'm so glad she did this despite the headache of getting 8 girls to dress alike and then sit/stand/jump/smile for a photo.

The pictures are wonderful and great memories of their years of sticking together.

A small compilation of our 2010 family photos. I prefer getting them in an album and our photographer, Sarah De Jong, gave us a CD of the photos so they were super simple to upload onto Mixbook and fill in the album.

Selah got a small 6x4 book as she said she already had two scrapbooks (one of her 1st year and one of the extra pics from her first year stuffed in a small photo book) and didn't need another one. I couldn't leave her out and I knew she'd appreciate one that she could take to school and show her friends...because that's what they do in Kindergarten!

Justus' book is caught up to 2008. Thanks to Shutterfly's amazing sales I was able to get this 100 page 8x8 hardcover scrapbook for $27. I love it and am so glad to have his photos in a safe place for him to look at whenenver he wants. This book holds hundreds of photos yet is not even an inch thick--great spacesaver over the old scrapbooks that hold half the pictures and take up 10x's the space.
JP graduated last spring so I actually have his handmade scrapbooks caught up to May 2010, but I wanted him to have something portable as those scrapbooks require a space the sized of football field to look at and store (okay, that was an exagerration, but I think you know what I mean--each one is 4 inches thick and weighs about 5 lbs.) This 8x8 hardcover weighs maybe 8 oz and cost $4 with the great coupons I get from shutterfly.

Well, that's all I've done for now. But I would encourage you to...

Scrapbook those moments you live, love, and laugh,

Lori

A Blast From the Past and a Neat Trick.

2011-02-03T14:41:00.001-06:00

My son, Jericho, is doing a biography project at school. Since he has three older siblings who have done this same project only with different family members, we had a good idea of what was involved in this project and what we would need. Also he could not use a family member that has already been done by one of his siblings (pray for Gracia--she'll be calling up 2nd cousins once removed as all the other relatives will have been biographied:)

Jericho chose his great-grandma Salina Penner. She is nearly 92 and resides in the Mennonite Home in Freeman, SD. Several years ago, I had given all of the great-grandparents a notebook with questions and asked them to fill in their life histories for posterity...and me! Grandma Salina is the only one who did. What a treasure. I have been copying her story from the notebook into a word doc. for Jericho. In the process, I also remembered that Betty, Jeff's mom, had given me a Red Wing Boot Box (the photo storage container of choice) filled with old family photos. So I thought I'd better dig it out and see if there were any pictures of Salina.
I found pictures of Salina, but even better---I found pictures of my darling husband. As many of you know, I have been making digital scrapbooks for each of the children for Valentine's Day. Now I can make one for Jeff as well. The pictures are precious and I just have to share them with you. The picture at the top is my favorite. Jeff and his brother Mike holding the kittens in front of a barn. The seed caps say it all, don't they?

Looks like they are lined up for church

Mike, Jeff, Kristal, Karen

Jeff

Family portrait in 1976

Richard Betty

Mike Karen Kristal Jeff

Mike and Jeff just hangin' out on the kitchen floor. Mike 2 Jeff 6 months

Who us did not get our picture taken on a coffee table in the 1970's? My mom took a similar picture of my siblings and I almost identical to this one!

Big Brother Mike reading to his siblings. Mike (7), Jeff (5), Karen (3), Kristal (1)

I am so glad to have these treasures from Jeff's past. We've always known the kids mostly resemble Jeff's family and now we have proof.

FYI: You might be wondering about the wood grain around the above photos. I snapped pictures of the pictures with my digital camera. I have found scanning very tiresome and the photo quality is often compromised so I wondered how it would work out for me to take pictures of the pictures. Wonderfully. The higher resolution of my digital pictures allows me to use more of the pictures than if I scanned them in. It's also hundred times faster than scanning (which is a huge draw for me!) I just crop out the table in the digital scrapbook.

So take lots of pictures as you live, love and laugh.

Lori

Realizations!

2011-02-01T10:29:00.003-06:00

For Valentine's this year, I made a digital scrapbook for each of the children. Some were long and some were just the 20 page deal. I spent the whole of January working on them. Nine kids means a lot of scrapbooks. Daunting, I know.

It all started with a free 8x8 scrapbook coupon to Shutterfly.
Several months ago, I'd had Tirzah scan in a ton of the kids pictures (pre-digital camera) and had started working on Justus' book on Shutterfly. I thought I'd get it done so that when I got a free coupon, it'd be ready to go. Alas it wasn't quite done, but close, when the coupon came in my e-mail. I also had several other deals plus free shipping so his scrapbook came out pretty cheap.

In the meantime, I bought a Groupon to Mixbook which is probably the coolest digital scrapbooking site I've ever worked on. And so it began. The Groupon allowed me to order several more 20 page scrapbooks. So I started and couldn't stop...basically! After you do one for a couple of kids, it doesn't seem fair to exclude the rest.

All that to say, I've been looking at a lot of my kids pictures over the last month and realized we've done a lot of fun stuff together. And thankfully, I captured it all on film. Much to the chagrin of several of the children and my long-suffering husband, but now I'm oh so glad I did.

We've got pictures at Reptile Garden's, Sylvan Lake, the Pacific ocean, the Grand Canyon, The Falls (Sioux Falls), and so many more. Each one reminds me of the wonder of childhood. The kids having fun just being together.

On the flip side, I sadly realized that there will be precious few pictures of Gracia with all of her siblings just doing stuff together. There will be the yearly family photo where we all get together--polished up and lookin' nice, but there won't be the day trips here and there that we did with the other kids. Ever since Gracia was born, Jeff and I have been counting the differences of having her six years after our youngest. (For those of you who are new to Life, Love, and Laughter--we had our first 8 kids in 12 years--yes, they were very close together!) So things have been very different with Gracia. This is just another difference.

I'm glad I took all the pictures I did, and will try to get as many "whole" family memories as possible for Gracia for as long as we can. JP thinks now that he has moved out and is on his own he will get out of the "family picture taking" times. Little does he know!

So take pictures while you Live, Laugh, and Love,

Lori

Super Simple Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-09T09:11:00.002-06:00

Recipe: Pillsbury Frozen Biscuits
1 stick butter
1/8 cup cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

White Frosting
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
add milk by tablespoon till frosting is the desired consistency.

Preheat oven to 400.
Melt butter
Roll the biscuit in the melted butter. Then roll it in the cinnamon and sugar. Place in 9x12 pan. Repeat with each biscuit.
Pour the remaining butter over the biscuits and then the remaining sugar.
Bake for 18-24 minutes.
Remove from oven. Immediately frost.
Best served while still warm.

Live, Love, and Laugh over a pan of super simple cinnamon rolls.

Memory Makers

2010-12-08T14:37:00.001-06:00

After every concert or social event at the middle and high school level, my older girls take pictures with their friends in the school commons. Usually they are dressed up so it's a perfect picture taking moment. They then doctor them up on Picnik with "stickers," words, fun coloring, frames and other neat effects.

So I took a page from their book and snapped a couple of photos with Selah and her friends after the Christmas program at school. They were dressed in their holiday finery and looked lovely. It only took a couple of minutes to grab the shots and voila--I have lovely memories of Selah and her friends.

I picniked the photos adding snowflakes and words and then uploaded them to shutterfly and made both 4x6 and wallet size prints that Selah can give to her friends as a Christmas present.

There you have it! Another super simple way to make memories and Christmas presents.
Remember to Live, Love, and Laugh this Christmas Season.

Shutterfly Christmas Card

2010-12-01T16:03:00.000-06:00

Cranberry Snowflakes Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Bloggers: 50 Free Holiday Cards From Shutterfly

2010-11-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Shutterfly is offering 50 Free Holiday Cards to Bloggers who tell about their favorite Holiday Card. I've made PhotoBooks , Christmas Cards , and Calendars as gifts in the past. For today's blog, I chose the 4x8 and 5x7 photo card. I've used the 4x8 the last several years, but am hoping to try the 5x7 size this Christmas season. Below you will find several sample cards in a variety of styles and sizes with a brief message from me telling what I like about the card. The main reasons I've used Shutterfly year after year is ease of use and affordability.

I love the vibrant colors Shutterfly uses on the cards. The variety of color gives me a lot of choices to find what makes the pictures of my family "pop."

On the 5x7 cards, I appreciate the size of the photo on the card. With 11 people in the picture, a little tiny area isn't going to cut for everyone to be able to see the details of each and everyone of us.

Snowflakes are one of my favorite accents on photo cards. They immediately bring me into the spirit of the season and their variety of shape and size allow a lot of visual interest on the card.

The next several samples are examples of the large numbers of photos one can put on a photo card. When working with a large number of children, I like to have different places to put different sized pictures in order to emphasize each of special blessings.

This year there seems to be a lot more cards with room to write a lot more than just the kids' names and ages. On the card above, there is plenty of room to leave a message to those I am sending cards too. Then I don't have to write the annual Christmas missive...well, I'll probably write one anyway! :)

The last two cards simply show some more of the styles available. Whether you want fancy or plain, classy or fun, Shutterfly has the photo card you're looking for. So check them out and have a very Merry Christmas!

Many reasons in the holiday season to live, love, and laugh!

Bloggers: 50 Free Holiday Cards From Shutterfly

2010-11-01T14:56:00.000-05:00

For years, I have ordered our Christmas Photo Cards from Shutterfly .
With over 700 varieties of photo cards available, Shutterfly makes my photo card fun and unique.

There's the card with a number of pictures so I can show off the many faces of my family.

There's the story card on which a few pictures accent the message I'd like to send out to one all during the holiday season telling of our past years adventures.

Then there's the note card with the photo on the front and space inside to write a personal note to each and every person/family on my Christmas card list.

I also enjoy the varied shapes (5x5, 5x7, 4x8 and so on.) Each one provides a unique frame for our family photos taken throughout the year.

Photo cards with a number of spaces for every one's faces is fun too. With nine kids of my own, I appreciate the cards with lots of room.

If you are a blogger and interested in free Christmas Cards, click here for more information. Offer expires December 31, 2010.

The Grand Canyon! Take 1

2010-10-29T11:12:00.001-05:00

It's only take me six months to get the rest of our vacation pics uploaded here. The Grand Canyon was the final vacationy thing we did on our way out of Arizona. We didn't really figure on how cold it would be at 7000 feet elevation in March. One thinks of warm weather when you think of Arizona. The snow was rather shocking as well after spending days in 70+ degree weather in both Arizona and California.

Overall, we were glad we made the effort to drive the extra miles to see the magnificent Grand Canyon...that looks a lot like a painted background in all of our pictures. :)

A random Grand Canyon visitor offered to take our family picture.

We appreciated it trememdously.

In each of these photos, the Grand Canyon almost looks fake even though we are standing on the overlook and that is really the Grand Canyon behind Jeff.

Jadon

Lacey

Jericho

Kezia

Justus

Tirzah

Selah

This way I got to be in at least a couple of the pictures.Many Grand reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh.

Pinik-ing Photos

2010-10-28T13:39:00.002-05:00

I love being able to edit and fiddle with my photos. Picnik allows me to do what only professional photographers could do well for years. Now I have the capability of editing photos and I'm taking advantage of it...as those of you who follow my blogs or are friends with me on facebook have probably noticed.

Picnik is a free photo editing site linked with facebook and other social networkds. There are premium apps that can only be applied if you pay for a month or year long membership, but there are many apps that can be used for free. I spent the 24.99 for a year long membership after our trip to California. I wanted to make a collage that used more than 5 photos so I joined. I haven't regretted it for a minute.

Following are a number of photos I've picniked and why I chose them.

The variety of color enhancements make the pictures I take look richer. I also appreciate the variety of frames available to accent any picture.I love the ability to change color photos to black and white or sepia. It immediately changes the look of the photo and highlights things otherwise unnoted.
Our precious new baby has been very fun to photograph and then picnik. I can easily make collages of the many photos taken of her...and there are plenty to chose from :). I don't use them often, but they also have "stickers" like the flowers on the photo above. My daughter and her friends use these to really enhance photos. I have not mastered the use of stickers as they have, but I'm learning.

Since I do the powerpoint at my church, I love being able to picnik photos for backgrounds. In this way, I can take almost any photo I have and make it suitable to be used as a Sunday morning background with the right coloring, shading, and the like.

I had a special request for a background with corn so I found a corn photo and picniked it under "effects" and used the "textures" app to change an ordinary corn photo into a fantastic background slide. This looked really nice last Sunday morning. Now the request has been furthered to include a red combine in the background...I'm working on it.

The sepia and black and white features allow me to take photos where I have a number of kids in unmatching clothes and voila--they are all color coordinated. Yes, I think too much about such things, but I'm having fun.

I also like taking the photos and using them on my blogs and facebook profiles. I can put text in a variety of fonts on any picture thereby labeling the photo, dating it, or putting my blog name on it. I like to think this dresses up my social networks.

Just so many reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh.

50th Day Of Kindergarten

2010-10-27T15:43:00.002-05:00

Selah celebrated the 50th day of Kindergarten in 50's garb. Her class dressed up, had root beer floats, danced to 50's music and generally learned about the 50's on their 50th day of kindergarten. I thought this was a great idea to mark their achievement and learn some history at the same time. Good thinking CL kindergarten teachers! Selah trying to jump over her moutain of stuff to stand in a clear spot for the photo...

Jadon captured her perfectly. Not bad for an 8-year-old!

Selah getting ready for her 50th day of Kindergarten.

Selah taking a self portrait. She looks just like I do when I try to take photos of myself...double chin and all :).

After school photo. Our belt was a little droopy by the end of the day, but we had a great time.

So many reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh,

Lori

Siblings holding Gracia

2010-10-22T08:10:00.001-05:00

Here they are in no particular order: The Proud Poppinga Siblings!

Jadon is also relishing his role as "big" brother as he was too little to remember when Selah was born. He put Gracia to sleep and can't wait to do it again.

Kezia with Gracia (and Keith Urban) Kezia has always been the second mom around here and she's relishing her role whenever she's home. She has amazing gift with little ones.

Jericho with Gracia. I don't think he could be any prouder if he'd just scored the winning touchdown in a football game. He's great with Gracia.

Selah is so excited to not be the "baby" anymore. She is loving her role as "big" sister and guards Gracia with the ferocity of a mother bear with her cub. She is precious to watch and reminds me a lot of her big sister Kezia who thought each new sibling was her very own doll to tote around.

Tirzah loving on her little sis. Babies really are a lot of fun.

No, Justus is not saying we should have ten kids as some have suggested...He's just being goofy.

Lacey proudly holding her little sister. She and Selah are six years apart and Selah and Gracia are six years apart. Lacey has been telling Selah to enjoy Gracia now because when Gracia's Selah's age...Selah will find Gracia as annoying as Lacey finds Selah :)

Justus with his newest sister. He's secretly hoping she will be less annoying than his other sister that is closest in age to him :) So far...So good!

JP came down from college and stopped at the hospital to see his new little sister. I loved it that he made a special trip to come see us. I loved the fact that he brought friends and they stayed for an hour holding the baby and visiting with me. Who knew college guys would do such a thing!

At least 9 reasons to Live, Love, and Laugh every day!

Homemade Baby Wipes

2010-10-21T07:37:00.001-05:00

I used homemade baby wipes with all of my children. Each one seems to have a terribly sensitive bottom on which store bought wipes (yes, even the "natural" or "sensitive" skin ones) seem to irritate. Gracia seems to be no exception. After applying copious amounts of butt cream to no avail on her screaming red hiney, I mixed up a batch of homemade baby wipes. Fast, Easy, and oh so gentle on baby bottoms.
Items needed:
1 roll bounty paper towels
1 tupperware modular mate 17 cup (square)
2 tablespoons baby soap
3 cups water
1 cutting utensil

Take one roll Bounty paper towels.
Cut in half (I use a serrated knife)

Combine 2 tablespoons baby soap and 3 cups warm water.

Put half roll of paper towels in tupperware (modular mates 17 cup). Pour water and soap over roll. Let water soak into paper towels. Pull out cardboard center and lift out first paper towel from center of roll. They will come up out of the center easy as can be.

You will be happy to know, Gracia's bottom is remarkably better after just a couple of diaper changes with the new wipes. We are both relieved.

Just another reason to Live, Love, and Laugh!