Alaska's Kids

Fact Friday

2012-02-16T22:03:00.000-09:00

Do you know how the design of our state flag came to be? A contest was held in 1927 for Alaskan children seventh through twelfth grade to design the flag. The winner of the contest was a seventh grade Aleut boy, named John Bell (Benny) Benson from Chignik, who was living in an orphanage in Seward.

He describes his design: "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska Flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly of the union. The dipper is for the Great Bear symbolizing strength." Alaska's state song echoes his description.

There are several places in Alaska that honor his contribution. Anchorage, Kodiak and Seward named streets after him. There is Benny Benson Secondary School in Anchorage. You can visit the Benny Benson Memorial in Seward.

Learn more about how our state flag came to be and Benny's story.

Water Fun

2012-02-06T23:52:00.000-09:00

Looking to entertain your kids so you can get dinner going? Give this a go. But first, you gotta let go of that control freak inside you who doesn't like messes. You know who you are.....

Water!!! You all got this, right? I know what you are thinking. Why would a sane mother do this? Some of you might even be looking at this picture and laughing because you know it would be dumped within 3 seconds. This post isn't for you, this one is. At least if ice is dumped out, it will be easier to clean up.

Grab a storage bin and fill with water. I did not fill it very high, don't forget you gotta dump it out. Place a towel or blanket underneath so you don't freak out when water does come out cause it will. Then, I gave them cups, bowls, clean sponges and let them go at it. Kaden grabbed some super heroes. You can also grab clean, used water bottles and poke holes in the bottom and sides. Fun to watch the water come out of the holes. You have tons of things in your house you can use, you don't have to go to the store to buy any of this stuff!

There was a lot of pouring cup to cup. I had to remind Brooke and Kora not to drink it since all those hands have been in there, eew. It's like when they try to drink bath water, gross!! Do your kids do that? Anyways, they just sat and poured. I think it was very calming for them. At least it was calming for me. There was no yelling and fighting, just the sound of water being poured.

When they are done, you get to take off their wet clothes because they will get wet. Then you get a cute, naked baby running around the house! This one got into my spices. Have fun playing in the water and dreaming of summer!

Alyeska Resort

2012-01-29T23:55:00.000-09:00

Awhile ago, my honey and I stayed the night at the Alyeska Resort for a getaway. I'm so blessed to have family in town to watch the wee ones. Girdwood is such a great little getaway, not to far, but far enough. The drive along Turnagain Arm was so beautiful.

The hotel itself is really pretty, lots of cool Alaskan items to look at. The staff was amazing! They had a hard time finding our reservation, but they worked with us and were so polite. There was actually a couple of things went wrong, but they made it all happen without stress. We did not have ANY negative attitude from ANY of the staff there. Which I loved. The staff all had that mountain-laid-back attitude with professionalism.

The last hotel room I stayed in was at the Bellagio in Vegas, which was newly remodeled so my bar was pretty high. The Aleyska Resort rooms are quaint and older. I don't really think most hotel rooms compare to the Bellagio, but I really enjoyed our room at the Alyeska Resort. It was clean and calm. And hey, I didn't have to clean it so it really was amazing!

The hubs and I love sushi, so we wanted to try out Sakura & Sushi Bar for dinner. I have to say this was our only disappointment. Um, I would never eat there again. The service was great but the food was not up to par at all, especially for the price! Very bland. I think we will just stick to our favorite sushi spot in Anchorage, Jimmy's Sushi. Try Jimmy's, it's amazing!

We headed to Chair 5 Restaurant for some yummy dessert. Great local place with cool Alaskan memorabila and facts. Someone gave us tickets to a show at the Sitzmark. After gorging ourselves, we went to the Sitzmark to have a couple of drinks and a good time. Locals, Alyeska staff, and out of towners were dancing to the beat of the band. It was so nice to be able to stay out and have some fun. Of course, my idea of fun was sitting, drinking some Malibu and coke, and watching the hubs play Foosball.

We woke up to a room service breakfast, which was very good! Packed up really quick and hit the slopes! I used to snowboard back in the day, but I wanted to try skiing again. Hadn't done it since 6th grade! Okay, so can I just say that I actually learned a lot about myself while skiing! Well, I guess it just reconfirmed what I already know. I am a CONTROL FREAK!!!! I did not want to go to fast, I didn't like people speeding by me, and I did NOT like Jason telling me how to ski. We had to separate a little bit so I could regain my composure. My husband is an amazing snowboarder, but I did not want to hear what he had to say.

I finally relaxed and just tried to go with the flow. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. You can see Turnagain Arm in the photo above. It was snowing and raining off and on. I never made it to the top. I just stayed on the greens that were less traveled.

After awhile I went down to the Sitzmark to sit and relax. Loved watching the kids come down. Fearless. I'm way to fearful, sigh. CONTROL. Jason met up with me for some yummy lunch at the Sitzmark. Something about eating and drinking hot items after skiing/snowboarding is so soothing.

We did a couple more runs before night skiing started. Of course, I started getting more comfortable with skiing towards the end. Need to start skiing more. Cross country is more my speed though.

All in all, it was a great one night getaway. I highly recommend going and staying, even if it's just for a night. They have some great Ski and Stay packages that are affordable. Next time I'll have to go for the spa package, sounds so relaxing. Oh, there is a pool there if you can't get a babysitter for the kiddos. We were tempted to take Kaden with us, but figured we needed some one on one time. It was great to spend time with my honey.

IBN Jeans Giveaway (closed)

2012-01-22T22:47:00.002-09:00

Who wants to win a pair of cool jeans for their son? The only thing I ask is that you try out the pants and let me know what you think! IBN Jeans sent several pairs of jeans to give to you to try out! Wasn't that so nice of them? They sent us reflective shirts last time for a giveaway.

The pants are reflective on the front and back. Perfect for these long, dark winters up here in Alaska. The waist is also adjustable, which I love. I tried these size 8's on Kaden but they were to big. Sorry for not giving you a cute model for the jeans, my floor had to do.

So who wants to try them out and keep them? I have three pairs of size 8, two pairs of size 10, and a pair of size 12. The only rule is you have to live in Alaska. Please leave a comment as to which size you would like to win. The giveaway will close this Friday night. Good luck! Please be sure to leave an email address to contact you with or you will not be counted.

Alaskan Kids Play with Ice?!

2012-01-17T00:53:00.000-09:00

I love Pinterest, have I said that enough? I might need an intervention. I check it at least once a day. But if I did not check it, where would I get all these cool ideas!!! That's what I keep on telling myself at least. So yes, this idea was not my original idea. Play with ice. Why didn't I think of that? Better yet, what will someone think of next to play with! I did not pin the idea on a board so I can not link it back to the original pinner. Sorry.

I'm homeschooling Kaden for preschool to see if homeschooling will work out for us. So we used the ice for science experiments as part of our schooling. It's been cold enough where we can fill ice trays and put them outside. Kaden kept on checking on the trays to see if they were frozen. Ah, the innocence and excitement of youth. When they were ready, I put one in a bowl by the fire and one in a bowl in the kitchen. He kept on checking on them and noticing which one was melting faster. We talked about the reason behind this. His excitement excited me!

I put a bowl of water and the bowl of ice on a cookie tray. I doubled up a tablecloth under the tray so I wouldn't freak out and nag about them spilling water. We counted to see how many ice cubes it took to make the water in the bowl overflow. Then, I let the kids at it. I kid you not, they spent an hour playing with the ice! Even Kora got in on the action! I gave them spoons to transfer the ice. They loved putting their hands in and grabbing the ice. I had to make sure I watched Kora though because she was trying to put the ice in her mouth.

Kaden then added more ice to the bowl next to the fire. I thought it was going to be messier, but they kept the water and ice contained pretty well. It was great for Brooke to work on her motor movements as she transferred the ice cubes with a spoon and then the spoon to her mouth. She likes to pretend she is eating a lot. The kids loved grabbing the ice with their hands. The nice part is that we were in a warm home so when they got cold, they went and sat by the fire. If you are brave, try food coloring in the ice cubes. Not sure if that would stain or not. I'm proud of myself for letting them play with water in the living room. I am going to try colored ice cubes in the bath though! Saw that on Pinterest!

Sunny Vacation

2012-01-09T23:01:00.000-09:00

We spent two glorious, SUNNY weeks in Pasadena, California for Christmas. EVERY day was sunny and warm! It's amazing how good you feel with sunlight! This was the first time Kora actually got to walk outside since she started walking and she loved it. She asked to go for a walk everyday. In our free time, we would walk through the neighborhood and collect pinecones.

We were visiting Jason's family, who lives several blocks from the Rose Bowl. We walked there several times, played at the playground, and flew helicopters. It was so hot one of the days we had to get ice cream! Get this, the children's museum there was doing snow days. I was so confused seeing kids walking around in hats, gloves and snow boots and it being 70 degrees. But then I saw the sign for "snow."

We were in a household of a lot of people. Seven grandkids running around. Lots of sweets that I continued to eat. Something always going on. We visited the LA Zoo which made me really appreciate our non crowded Alaskan zoo. I don't have to worry about losing a kid at the AK zoo. I was constantly counting the kids and making sure they were the right ones! There are way to many people in LA for my liking! We also went to Medival Times for one of the kid's birthdays, lotta fun! Where else do you get to eat with your hands, watch jousting, and cheer/boo knights?!

The adults had their fun as well. We hit up the Ice House Comedy Club and ran into Wee Man. There was a lot of Guesstures and Cranium going on at the house when the kiddos were in bed. Laughing so hard that I was crying and peeing my pants. I learned how to play Guitar Hero, I suck if you were curious. The ladies had lunch at a cute little cafe and what's a vacation without manicures and pedicures?! My sister in law talked me into getting flowers on my hands and toes. They turned out great! I also got to visit the fashion district in LA! I about lost my mind! So much fabric and not enough time!

Jason and Kaden went to the Rose Bowl game and watched the Ducks beat the Badgers. Buying scalped tickets is the way to go! While they were at the game, I tried my hand in driving LA's crazy traffic to visit two high school friends! I would give myself an ulcer trying to drive that traffic daily. I'm thankful for Anchorage's traffic.

We boarded the plane with our 3 car seats, double stroller, 5 checked bags, and 4 carry ons with sunny and warms skies, then unloaded to snow and cold temperatures. Oh, as we were landing, Brooke starting throwing up, luckily her blanket was able to catch it. That blanket has since been trashed. Jason cleaned her up and as she was standing in the chair, she told her surrounding audience that "I threw up" several times." It was so gross yet so cute. Can that even be in the same sentence? Then Kaden threw up in the car on the way home. Kids got their motion sickness from me, poor guys.

Had a great time with family. Glad to be home in our beds. Now getting back into the swing of things. Next up on the agenda, registering Brooke for special ed preschool! Oh Boy!

Hand Print Tree Skirt

2011-12-18T22:26:00.001-09:00

Have you ever got an idea in your head and couldn't get it out? One night I had this vision of hand prints all around our tree skirt last Christmas. I was looking for the perfect tree skirt, and my mom actually bought it on clearance after Christmas! She is a great mom and gave it to me when I asked her for it because I knew just what to do with it!

This is the first year that starts this tradition. I traced each kid's hand on felt and cut it out. I then hot glued it to the skirt. When I come back from vacation, Ill probably sew around the hands to make it look a little nicer. Trying to think of how I can write the kid's name on each hand without it looking tacky. Any ideas? I'm also going to have my aunt embroider our last name on it as well. Thinking I might do mine and my husbands hand print just this once. Then each year we will fill it with the kids and see how big they get!

Not sure if I'm going to keep with green or some other Christmas colors. Your thoughts? Another idea is to do painted hand prints. I think that's a little harder, because it has to be just perfect or you will have smears on it. Especially with babies hands. I always had a hard time doing those hand plasters, it would turn out like blobs.

I'm just really excited to see my vision FINALLY come true! I look forward to pulling the tree skirt out every year and seeing my kid's hand prints on it. Years from now, my grandkids will get to put their hands on their parents hand prints. I love starting family traditions!

Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-12-16T00:04:00.000-09:00

Salt dough ornaments. They are all over blog land, but it's good. This is actually a new tradition for us. I remember painting plaster ornaments with my cousins when I was younger. As a mother, I look back on that memory and think, genius! I was a high schooler and my cousins were aged 1-7 years. My aunts just got a free babysitter for a couple of hours because I enjoyed painting!

Salt dough is way cheaper then the plaster ornaments at the store. In fact, I bet you have the ingredients in your pantry right now. All you need is 1/2 cup of salt, 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water. Mix it all together, roll out and cut! Don't forget to put holes through them before you bake them, to hang them up. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours.

Then you can paint them! I've seen bloggers grab glue and sequins. Grab whatever you have in the house. We used Crayola Kids Paint and watercolors. I like the watercolors the best. The Crayola paint cracked when it dried. I liked the watercolor for Kora to use, lot less messy. She enjoyed painting, as you can see her concentrating with that tongue out. Then she tried to eat it.

It's kind of an all day process. The kids helped out a lot and enjoyed every bit. The cutting out worked on motor development. It was actually hard for Brooke to push down on the cookie cutters due to the weakness in her muscles. It was nice to see Kaden cutting out the dough and transferring the cookies to the sheet. He really is growing up. (sigh)

Brooke sure did love the painting part of it. I love how she has it on her forehead. I actually didn't really get to paint. Making sure 3 kids have something in front of them to do is a juggling act. I guess my expectations were kind of high, I know better. I can barely sit down for lunch, just to get back up because someone wants more or is all done.

I think they turned out great! We put ribbon through them and hung them on the tree. Kaden was really excited to hang up his ornaments. He wanted to hang them all up! We didn't have enough room on the tree. I would also like to see SOME of the ornaments we've collected through the years. The rest of the ornaments are sitting in a bowl, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them. I'm thinking of using them as gift tags?

Our pink Christmas pterodactyl. He is my favorite. Holiday tradition, check.

Here are some sites to visit for salt dough ideas. I think I'm going to do hand prints next, when things slow down.
-Hand prints
-Lots of DIY ornaments
-Gluten free salt dough ornaments!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-09:00

I really like being artsy farsty. You know crafty. I used to love making my own Christmas cards to send out. Taking the time to think about what I wanted and putting all the love into it. Then I had kids and all the love went to them. I just wasn't able to make Christmas cards a priority and it made me really sad, until this year!

Kaden is at an age where he can help out, a lot. As you can see from this photo, he made our Christmas cards. Not only are we having fun, because he loves arts and crafts as well, BUT I get my cards done! Wahoo!! That's one of the reasons why we have kids, right? Help around the house? The older he gets, the more he is able to help around the house! I'm sure my husband will be thankful when Kaden will is old enough to start taking out the trash! They have to earn their keep, right?

Now family and friends get to have a little bit of Kaden in their lives. Great handprint to hang on the fridge. It was pretty easy. Used kids craft paint, painted it on his hands and stamped! I'm sure I could of been a little more creative, but I'm just glad I have cards to send out this year. Now if only he could address and stamp them all.

I really wanted to get Kora and Brooke in on the action. Then I reconsidered and knew I would be more stressed out trying to get a baby's perfect hand print. Besides, this was a great time to spend some one on one time with the boy while the girls were taking a nap.

Making Christmas cards is a lot of work! So after he was done, I caught him playing with his super heroes in the Christmas tree. Man I love that boy.

Essential Esthetics Giveaway (Closed)

2011-12-12T08:50:00.003-09:00

When was the last time you did something for you? Cause you know when you go to the store to get yourself some new underwear due to holes, you end up getting your kids cute clothes and forget to get yourself new underwear. You can get a couple more wears out of them can't you? Or how about those brows? Are they starting to meet in the middle? I finally pluck mine because I start getting looks. Who has time to do that, I'm keeping 3 kids alive here people!

As you can tell, I don't take a lot of time for me. If I do, I have guilt. I'm REALLY trying to work on this because when I feel good about myself, my whole family is happy. I can also deal much better with the craziness and full blown tantrums.

Richelle over at Essential Esthetics knows how to take care of momma. She is a mom herself to 2 sweet boys, so she knows crazy town. Richelle is offering a Restorative Organic Facial to one lucky winner. A 60 minute intoxicating, aroma-sensory journey designed to detoxify and enliven the skin to a healthy glow. *All facials are customized to each individuals skin type.

I'll be visiting Richelle in the new year for a facial, so excited! I've visited her before to get my lip and eyebrows waxed, she did a great job. She runs her business out of her home and her room is just like walking into a spa, so relaxing. I love that I can make an appointment in the evening when my husband is home so he can watch the kiddos. Let's learn a little more about Richelle and get to the giveaway! I know you are itching to win something for you!

Tell us about you and how you started your business.

I started my business as a way to find some time for myself. I was getting the itch to go back to work but couldn't stand the thought of having anyone else care for my children. I love being a full time mom but I also missed a career that I got so much fulfillment from. I decided to go ahead and open an in-home skin care studio and just see where it went. What a great decision it was!!

What services do you offer and how do I make an appointment.
I offer facials, full body waxing and lash/brow tinting. Appointments are available in the evenings and on weekends, I will go out of my way to accommodate whatever works for my clients schedules. I can be reached by phone, text or email anytime!

What do you love about Alaska?
I love that Alaska provides my family such an amazing life and the people here are second to none. I have the most friendly and caring clientele. I am truly fortunate to be able to have the best of both worlds and I appreciate the wonderful people who trust me with their skin.

Richelle is offering buy one get one facial 50% off till the end of this year! So if you don't win be sure to take advantage of this great deal! Visit her facebook page to learn more!

So how do you win? Have you ever gotten a facial? Leave a comment as the ansewr with a way to contact you. You can also be entered 3 other ways by using the Rafflecopter login. A winner will be randomly chosen on Thursday night.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Alaska Zoo

2011-12-07T23:54:00.002-09:00

When I was a kid, I LOVED animals. I always wanted to own lots of them. I remember watching National Geographic as a kid and crying when the antelopes would get eaten by the lions. I KNEW it was going to happen! Yet I would still watch hoping they would get away.

The animal lover has been passed on to my son. He is animal crazy more then I was! He is our little Mogli. You can find him reading books on animals or running on all fours throughout the house. He is pretty quick! With him being the animal lover that he is, we have bought a family membership to the Alaska Zoo two years in a row. I wish we would of started it sooner!

The family membership costs $85. It includes parents, kids and grandparents admission for up to a year! Check it out, they have a new friend pass that is $150! It's basically the same thing as the family BUT the admission includes two adults from different households! You and a friend can split it, then visit together with the kiddos! Visit the annual passes page to learn more!

I thought we would just visit in the summer. I was wrong. We like to visit in the winter time as well to get out of the house. They are always having events that pass holders usually get discounts on. We visited the Zoo Lights last year and loved it! My favorite part was walking under the lights. Brooke loved watching the lights that danced to the music.

Okay, so the Alaska Zoo is not crazy, big like all the other big city zoos. You know, the ones where it takes ALL DAY to see and you actually miss some of the animals! We can usually walk through the zoo under 2 hours. I actually think its like the perfect hometown zoo. The trails are clearly marked and coral little ones. It is very stroller friendly, even in the winter time. I've even seen parents bring a sled to pull their kiddos in. There is a little shop that you can grab some hot tea or hot chocolate to warm up.

I really enjoy the fact that all of the animals have been taken in due to being injured or orphaned. You can read each animals story by their cages.

There are a lot of education events going on. For little ones, you can visit the Sing-A-Long, which is on Mondays at 10:30a or the Storytime, on Wednesdays at 10:30a. There are Adventure Camps, field trips, lectures and talks, Outreach Programs and more! You can even hold your kids birthday there! I might be doing this for Kaden's birthday coming up in January.

I highly recommend the zoo for all ages. It's a great place to get some fresh air and see some local animals! Our favorite animal to visit are the tigers and snow leopards. Don't call the snow leopard the wrong name or my 4 year old animal lover will correct you. He has done this numerous times to strangers.

Be sure to like Alaska Zoo on facebook to be in the know with upcoming events and photos!

Taiga Teethers Hazelwood Necklace Giveaway (closed)

2011-12-01T10:26:00.001-09:00

My son has had really bad eczema since he was a toddler. We've tried several lotions and cremes and it still doesn't fully go away. Winter time is worse for him. Scratching and itching. Last year it was so bad the rashes were bleeding. I was really worried so we took him to the doctor and he recommended bleach baths. We added a small amount of bleach into his baths and it still didn't go away.

I've heard about these hazelwood necklaces that are suppose to help calm eczema and more. I actually got an amber necklace for my baby, Kora, to help with her teething. She is able to sleep at night and not wake up in pain. So I knew that seemed to work so why not try it for Kaden? It couldn't hurt.

I was excited to see there was a new local business making these necklaces. Anna, owner of Taiga Teethers, made Kaden a "Spiderman" necklace. I really wish I took a before photo of Kaden's skin. The poor guy has it all over his arms, wrists, legs, and was starting to get it on his cheeks. I was putting some hemp lotion on him a little over a month ago. But when we got the necklace we used that alone with some California Baby sensitive skin lotion.

His eczema is clearing up! It's been a couple of weeks of wearing the necklace and its not as red and scratchy as it used to be. It's not completely gone, but I'm thankful for the relief that he is getting. I'm hoping that it will all be gone soon! If you look in the photo below you can see the white spots where the eczema is gone and you can see some red spots where it still is. BUT its not inflammed and bleeding!

You might be wondering, how does the necklace work? I took this from Anna's page, "Hazelwood helps to create an alkaline environment in the body which may prevent or reduce the symptoms associated with acidosis or the body being too acidic. When worn close to the skin, hazelwood works by drawing acidity out of the body and absorbing it into the wood."

What about safety? The day I put Kaden's necklace on, he decided to take it off by pulling it off. Luckily I stopped him before he broke it. But with his little pulling, it was already detaching from the clasp. Anna did a test on how much tension it takes to safely break away from the child's neck. If you visit here, you will find the photos to show how it works. Just the clasp breaks and all the beads stay on the necklace!

Guess what! Anna is giving a lucky reader a necklace!! You get to pick your colors as well! But first a little about Anna, cause I always want to know a little about the people behind the scenes.

Tell us about your business and how it started.
Taiga Teethers was inspired by our twins, Magen & Caleb. I used hazelwood teething necklaces on them and had amazing results. We went from using ibuprofen almost nightly during bad teething episodes to using ibuprofen almost never. My daughter had terrible burning diaper rashes with teething, I couldn't even use wipes with just water because it hurt her so badly to clean her. I resorted to letting her run around naked and taking the occasional accident in stride. Since using hazelwood she has had two minor diaper rashes that went away in one application of medicine. She had them back to back before hazelwood. When I wanted to get more necklaces a few months after I bought my first ones I realized that it is near impossible to find them locally and decided to do some research to find my own hazelwood beads to make my own necklaces. I am so grateful to be living in a state that takes pride in buying local, many people have sought out Taiga Teethers in hopes of buying locally made natural teething remedies.

Where can I buy these products?
Our Hazelwood necklaces are being sold at the following places
-Birch Tree Baby
-Providence Nursing Boutique
-Coming soon to Blueberry Baby in Fairbanks, AK
-Etsy
-Facebook

What do you love about Alaska?
I am a born and raised Alaskan and proud of it! I love the mountains, of course everyone does right? But we love to hike and ski and well we would be lost without our beautiful Alaska mountains! And I am missing them these days, it's kind of hard to go downhill skiing with twins.

So want one? Leave a comment and a way to get a hold of you. The winner will be chosen at random on Monday. Also, Anna is giving away an adult necklace when she reaches 100 fans so be sure to like her Facebook page and comment on her picture!

Painting With Kids

2011-11-28T00:15:00.002-09:00

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours went well. Ate too much. Gotta make sure I keep to working out now that Body Back session is over. A new one is starting in Jan. I'll let you know my stats tomorrow.

It's been pretty cold around here lately wouldn't you agree? Yea, yea I know we are in Alaska. But I don't remember it being this cold almost every day in November last year! So we have been inside a lot. I'm trying to get outside more, but I dislike putting on the kids snow gear very much. Who is going to invent a suit that has built in boots, gloves, and a hat? That would make my life a whole lot easier!

Okay, so yes we've been inside a lot. Arts and crafts going on over at this household. So I wanted to share an easy craft to do with the kiddos. Just FYI, prepare BEFORE you tell the kids that you are doing this. I 'bout threw my hands up and said forget it because it was taking me too long and kids were starting to get inpatient. Wait I guess that would mean that I was getting inpatient....anyways....

Items needed:
-paint (acrylic, finger paint, etc)
-paintbrushes (hands)
-masking tape
-canvas

Grab masking tape and cut out your kids name. I was also thinking of just using words like "love" or "play." This part took the longest so I suggest preparing that before having the kids come to paint. The curves were hard so I was getting a little frustrated with Brookes name. If you got a kid that has "tim" as a name, you got it easy!

Then let them choose the colors and paint! I got the idea off Pinterest and they used finger paints, but I didn't have any. I thought acrylic would be a little easier and not as messy.

Kaden is all about spiderman, can you tell? This is also great for kids working on motor development skills. Brooke enjoyed painting and we were working on using those muscles!

Let it dry and then peel off the masking tape. Viola! Great kid art to hang up in their room!

Anchorage Public Library

2011-11-23T09:33:00.000-09:00

I love books. I could get lost in a book all day, which is really hard when I have 3 little ones running around. I can get a chapter here or there. Sometimes it's mommy guilt saying "you can't read, you have dishes and laundry to do!" I'm still learning how to fight back with that huge voice.

I LOVE peeking into the room to see my kids looking through books. The photo above was not staged. Kaden and Brooke were sitting back to back reading and Kora was looking as well. Books are usually scattered all over the floor daily. We have build a great collection from celebrations, just cause, and the Imagination Library. (Great program for kids to get a FREE book monthly till they are 5!)

It is always fun to get new books, so we head to the library to check out some "new" books. Do you have a library card? Going to the library is a LIFESAVER for winter months here in Alaska. They have great programs for little ones. Even in the summer, there is always something going on. They have programs for ALL ages! Be sure to visit their site to find out what event is coming up.

We like to visit the Loussac library. They have a great kids section with a great resource area (as seen above.) Did you know that you can check out lap sit bags and storypackets?! It's these cool bags with several books and other goodies in them. The themes range from Alaskan tales to trucks to the zoo! I've been using this for Kaden's homeschool. I didn't have to go in and find a whole bunch of books on the theme we are covering. This is also great if you want to get in and get out with a bunch of books! Did you know you can put books on hold for you online? It's how I save time (and my sanity) when going in. The kids for some reason don't have fun when I'm trying to find a book for me, go figure.

I think it is very inviting for families to sit and read. I haven't visited all of the libraries, but I'm pretty sure each of them have a cool little kid section. We like visiting the muldoon as well. Here is a list of the library locations in the larger cities of Alaska: Anchorage municipality, Fairbanks , Juneau, Kenai, Homer, Seward. Which one is your home library?

At the Loussac library, there are also puzzles, felt boards and blocks for building. I think next time I'll have my books ready for pickup so I can get some reading in and then let them play. The day we went, I made a couple of rookie mistakes. Stayed to long, is that even possible? Oh wait, with kids, yes. Stayed too long and it was lunch and nap time. What was I thinking? Needless to say Brooke screamed/screeched, whatever you want to call it, it was loud and embarrassing. THEN I was paying attention to the man who was getting me a new card and Brooke was gone. Kaden asked, "where's Brooke?" At first I didn't think she could get that far away. When I walked around and couldn't find her, all these thoughts started racing through my head. Do I get them to lock the doors, what if someone took her, what if she got on the elevator, what do I do! Probably 2 minutes passed, seemed like 15, and then I started YELLING her name. A lady pointed me upstairs, and sure enough there she was, laughing. She made it up 2 flights of stairs very quickly and quiet.

Has something like that ever happened to you? It is the scariest thing! Well just getting out of the library, the kids were going crazy as well as myself. I don't know how I left without tears. We will be back, just with a better plan of attack and we won't stay as long. What works for you at the library? Or any public place with small, walking kiddos.

Just FYI, the mayor is proposing budget cuts for our libraries. The Samson-Dimond library was already closed, so sad. I would really hate to see more budget cuts to a great community resource. Visit the Anchorage Library Foundation to learn more and how to get involved. Have you liked the Anchorage Public Library facebook page yet? They let you know when all the fun events are going on. So if you haven't done it, go get a library card!

Body Back: Momma Wants Her Booty Back

2011-11-21T09:01:00.000-09:00

Okay, I just finished the "Momma Wants Her Booty Back" DVD....... I hate you Lisa Drumman. This video KICKED my BOOTY!!! And my little chicken legs! I probably should not of eaten those 3 handfuls of chocolate chips before doing the video.

Can I just tell you that through the video I was saying "oh come on Lisa, are we done yet?" and "you've got to be kidding me, we are not done yet?" and "we are ONLY half way!" Yes the workout is only 30 minutes. This is how out of shape I am.

Out of all the videos, this was the hardest one for me. I consider myself athletic, but this shows me how out of it I truly am. On several of the exercises I had to rest because I couldn't even keep up with the lady who was doing the easy moderation exercise. Then several other times I had to stop because I was cramping.

What helped me get through this workout was looking at those mommas on the video and how amazing their bodies looked. "I can get there right?" Well maybe I need to stop eating 3 handfuls of chocolate chips!

I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I know it was a great workout, even though I was cursing Lisa and so wanted to just sit down. So I guess I do truly love you Lisa. Thanks for helping me get my booty back.

Fact Friday

2011-11-18T08:59:00.000-09:00

I still get excited when I see a moose, even after I've lived here for 7 years. Do you know how to read their body language? If you come a cross a moose and the long hairs on the hump are raised, ears are down and it starts licking its lips, you better back away. Do you know what to do if a moose charges you? Get behind something solid like a tree. They can be dangerous and can kick with their back and front feet.

For more moose safety visit: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=livewith.aggressivemoose

Fact Friday

2011-11-11T14:13:00.000-09:00

The heaviest snowfall in one day in Alaska happened on December 29, 1955 in Thompson Pass. They got 62 inches of snow which is a little over 5 feet!! Talk about getting snowed in!

From http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/snowiest.php

Z to A Kreations Giveaway

2011-11-09T15:12:00.000-09:00

Isn't this cute! Guess, I'm giving one away!! You get to chose the colors! Even better, it's not for your little one but for YOU! This warm headband is made by Abbe over at Z to A Kreations. I asked Abbe a couple of questions to get to know her and her business more.

Tell us about yourself and how you started the business.
I started crocheting with my mom when I was in elementary school. Over the years I have crocheted many gifts for family and friends. Our son Zak was born 11 months ago, and I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. With encouragement from my husband, family, and friends, we started Z to A Kreations as a place to order affordable and adorable crochet photo props and head wear. Since starting up a few months ago the response has been great, I am excited about all the orders I have been receiving.

Where do we find your products?
Z to A Kreations works with several local photographers with props for newborn sessions. I can crochet many different types and sizes of head wear, including our very popular head warmers. Z to A Kreations has a Facebook page with many items we can make for you. I recently put items into my first craft fair and look forward to another coming up.

What do you love about Alaska?
There are many things we love about Alaska. In the summer, we enjoy the long daylight hours fishing from the Peninsula to the Interior. We have taken advantage of the snow this season by taking Zak out on a sled. We are almost always accompanied by our Husky, Angel.

Visit Abbe's facebook page to see her color assortment! The winner will one of these great headbands in the color they want! In order to win, please write a comment with a way to contact you. You have to be an Alaska resident. =) A winner will be chosen Sunday night. Good luck!

BodyBack- Momma Wants Her Body Back

2011-11-08T13:40:00.000-09:00

How are you at taking care of your body since you had kids? Um, not so good for me. I would look at pictures of moms with amazing bodies and wish I could look the same way. I've always grown up being active in sports and in pretty good health. After having kids, I had a hard time taking care of myself. I tried Curves and a membership at the Alaska Club. But I failed at those. Took to much time and effort. I also didn't have someone keeping me accountable. I'm lazy in this area. I did do Stroller Strides when Kaden was a baby and I lost weight. But I started having more kids and it got harder keeping them in strollers.

My friend Chandra, owner of Stroller Strides in Anchorage, contacted me to see if I wanted to try BodyBack out. Here is what is involved in the 8 week session:

Two group workouts per week
Mama Wants her Body Back meal plan and food journal
Before and After fitness assessments and measurements
Online coaching and support
Workout DVDs
Resistance band

I figured I needed to lose weight and this might be my best option! One of the great things about this program is that it is for moms only. My kids can stay at home with dad while I get my workout on because it's later in the evening.

My first meeting was to get assessed with sit ups, push ups, run a mile and get numbers from my body. I'll share, I could not do a SINGLE sit up!! Those kids did a number on me! I think I did well on the push ups, carrying kids around keeps my arms in some sort of shape. I weighed in at 160lb. Oh and I volunteered to take a photo of me in a sports bra for a "before" photo. I'll save your eyes from that one though. =)

I took home 3 booklets for my meal plan. I was doing the Belly Fat Cure before this meal plan so that kind of help jump start eating right. I believe eating clean doesn't happen over night. I've taken out a lot of processed foods as well as sugar. The meal plan from BodyBack gives me a lot of ideas for snacks and meals that are healthy. Takes the thinking out of "what's for dinner?" What I have learned is that I need to be more organized. If I don't have what I need in the house, I will be eating several pieces of buttered toast or those chocolate chips in the freezer. This is an area that I am working on, being prepared.

Besides meeting twice a week with Chandra, who works my butt off, I have to do several videos a week. I get to choose when to do them and they are very short. BUT do the job. My husband actually does the videos with me sometimes and he is sweating. There are modifications in the videos for advanced and beginners. Very easy to do. I will be using these videos after I am done with the 8 week session.

I highly recommend this program. The price is $250 for Stroller Strides moms, $275 for non-Stroller Strides moms, and $200 for active military moms. I know it seems like a lot up front, but it is well worth it! A lot cheaper then a gym membership and you kind of get your own trainer. You also get accountability and support, which has really helped me, even on the days that I feel like I failed.

So what about results? I've lost 5 lbs so far. Going to Vegas and Washington for a week did not help. BUT I think I'm also gaining muscle, which weighs more then fat. I feel and look stronger. I feel better in my clothes and I can see a difference. Definitely not there yet. I would like to lose 15 lbs. But its not about the losing weight for me as much as it is to being healthy. My eating habits are changing for the better, and I think twice about chomping on the cookie. Sometimes I grab a yogurt instead but sometimes I still grab that cookie. Old habits are hard to die, that's why I know this is not happening over night. But I'm very happy with the outcome so far!

Need more info? Visit here to learn more!

Where have you been!?

2011-11-07T07:00:00.004-09:00

It's been a month, did you miss me? This has been a busy month! We FINALLY moved back into our condo. Boxes are still left unpacked, probably will be for months. Then my aunt and mom took me to Vegas to celebrate my 30th birthday!

We were in Vegas for 4 days and boy were they glorious! We stayed at the Bellagio, which was grand! The photo above was taken from my mom and aunts room. We would just sit in front of the window and watch the fountains dancing to the music.

Now this was MY room! That's right, MY room! I was very spoiled. I got that king size bed all to myself! And I slept like a ROCK! My bathroom had a shower and a soaking tub. One night I took a nice, hot bath and read a magazine. THEN I took a great, hot shower! THEN read magazines in bed! Are you jealous yet? ALL moms need a vacation like this!

Of course, I gambled some. Which I really don't like doing, I'm cheap. I spent about $70 bucks on the slots. The most I won at one time was $50, but quickly lost that. My mom and aunt did very well. I spent the rest of my money on shopping for clothes. It was so nice to be able to walk around and try things on without 3 kids distracting me.

We saw The Beatles Love and Blue Man Group. Very entertaining shows that I highly recommend! Everything was so relaxing. It was so nice to just take care of me. I got to go swimming and lay out by the pool. I basically did almost everything that a mom dreams of doing on a vacation. I didn't have to think of what to cook for dinner, nor did I have to clean up! I got to just focus on me. I hadn't done that in such a long time. I feel like I got so much clarity just relaxing. I did miss my family dearly. In that, I appreciated them all the more. If you can, get away! Even if it is just for one night.

Oh, but the fun didn't stop in Vegas! I flew into Seattle to meet up with my husband and son. The girls stayed back with my mother in law. We visited family and friends. Got to stop in IKEA fro 20 minutes and bought dishes that we carried on the plane so we didn't have to pay for shipping. LOVE IKEA!! Oh, can I just say that going from taking care of 3 kids to 1 is so easy!!! Especially when that kid is 4 years old!

Sorry this photo isn't all that clear, but it's the only one I got of me dressed up. Our friends hold a Murder Mystery every year for Halloween because that is one of their birthdays. We have been doing it for 6 years now!

Here are our great hosts! She was a trapeze artist and... well you know what he was going for. The theme was "Murder Under The Big Top." My husband was the ring master and I was the person who is in charge of all the animals. We thought it would be funny if I wore lots of fur and animal skin. Hence the snake skin hat and fur collar.

We had a muscle man, knife thrower, FBI agent, and more trapeze artists. It was a lot of fun, always is! Have you ever done a murder mystery? What did you dress up as? The clown ended up being the murderer and no one guessed it! I should of known, clowns are evil! Like the fru-its of the dev-il. (Name the movie!)

I've also been busy working out, wahoo!!! I'm working hard with Chandra, owner of Stroller Strides. She is introducing a new program, BodyBack. Ill tell you more about it tomorrow so stay tuned!

Williams Reindeer Farm

2011-10-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Did you know we had a reindeer farm in Palmer? Williams Reindeer Farm has been around since 1987 and continues to grow with animals! We went with some friends a couple of weeks ago to check it out. The drive out to Palmer was such a pretty one with the leaves changing. What drive isn't pretty in Alaska though?

I think the price is right on for what you get. $7 for adults and $5 per child (3-11) and 2 and under are free. The tour includes information about the animals, entering the reindeer pen to feed them and up close to moose, bison and elk.

We went to feed some elk first. Look at that animals head compared to Brooke! I think its eyeball is bigger then her face! She wasn't afraid though. I had to pull her back a little just cause one elk was getting a weird look about it. You know, like I think I'm going to bite your child look. Mother intuition I guess. The elk were cool to watch especially the one male with the huge antlers. We were expecting to see some action because it was mating season. But nothing probably best with the kids being there. How would we explain that!

Before we went into the pen we were briefed on do's and don'ts. Very helpful with small kids. This is my favorite picture of our day. All three of my kids....wait, I mean two of them waiting for food. Of course I couldn't hand it out fast enough because I HAD to take a picture! Little advice bring 2 adults if you are bringing kids. One for all the photo ops and the other to hand out the food cause it goes fast! Mind you I also had Kora strapped to my back.

The kids loved feeding the little reindeer. There were a couple adult reindeer with HUGE antlers that were a little intimidating. They all gathered around Brooke. I was more nervous then she was! All the reindeer were great, I just had to shove the adult reindeer a little out of the way so Kaden wouldn't freak out. He didn't like the large adult.

When all the food was gone, we visited Denali the Moose. We got to feed him too. Kaden was helping Brooke feed him, too cute.

I even got to "kiss" a moose! Well that's about as close as I got to his lips. But pretty close by my standards! One of our little friends "kissed" a moose as well! Kaden didn't want anything to do with kissing a moose. Maybe next year he will follow in his mothers footsteps.

There is also a bison that we got to visit. Sorry, I didn't get the greatest of photos to share. But I learned so much! Did you know female and male reindeer grow antlers? There is actually one reindeer there that has horns and the rest have antlers. I did not learn how that happened though. Ill have to ask next time we go back.

So for the bad news, the farm is only open for events or appointment only for the winter. But there is a Halloween and Christmas event going on! The following info was copied from their site.

"Every Saturday in October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
10am-6pm $10 per person age 3 and up (2 and under FREE)
Price includes:
*Reindeer Tour
*Hay Maze (look for the Tootsie Roll Bandit)
*Wagon Ride-Its pulled by a tractor..not a reindeer (sorry)
*Pony rides (If it's icy, these will not be offered) Pony rides are available to kids age 12 and under. One time around, additional rides available for $5.

*Pappy's Pumpkin Patch!-Come choose your pumpkin from the pumpkin patch! Come early in the month for the best selection. (pumpkins at additional cost)

Friday Oct 28, Sat Oct 29, Monday Oct 31 Only
From 6pm-10pm the Maze is HAUNTED! (not recommended for young children) $10 each/ Maze only."

Christmas Fun!We will be open from 10am-6pm every Saturday and ALL of Christmas break 10am-6pm. Price is $10 per person, ages 3 and up. (2 and under FREE)
Price includes:
*Reindeer Tour
*Wagon Ride- pulled by a tractor
*Visits with Santa from 11am-12pm and 3pm-5pm
*Holiday light show (after dark) stay warm in your car as you watch lights dance to music played through your car stereo.
*Elf Story time 1pm and 2pm

We have some special Theme days, all of the above and the price is the same $10 each, but you get even MORE for your money!!

Saturday Dec 3rd -Family Photo Day. We will have a professional photographer on site for you to get your family photo taken with Santa, his Reindeer and sleigh. You will get a CD of your photo for you to reprint however you choose.

Saturday Dec 10th- Elf's Workshop. Come and make a craft with Santa's Elves as they prepare for Christmas Day!

Saturday Dec 17-Reindeer Games. Come play games just like the Reindeer do! It's how they de-stress before their biggest day of the year! Games are geared for Young children. Prizes for all!

Daily Monday Dec 19th-Dec 24th. We will be CLOSED Christmas Day. We will reopen Dec 26th- Jan 1st for regular Reindeer tours at Regular admission prices.

We grabbed our groupon for the Fall Fun and will be doing the Christmas event as well!! Be sure to watch them run in the Running of the Reindeer Fur Rondy held in Anchorage as well. They are also on facebook!

We had a great time! The kids and I loved it and look forward to bringing visitors out there next summer!

I'm Human

2011-09-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Scary picture, huh? That's 2 laundry baskets of clean clothes, 1 bag of giveaway clothes, 1 bin of clothes to store, and a drawer of clothes over flowing. Does your house look like this? If not, how do you do it??

I HATE putting clothes away. I do okay with throwing them in the washer and dryer, but putting them away beats me every time. As this picture is proof. Maybe we have too many clothes for 3 kids? A lot of those clothes were hand me downs and bought from relatives.

Does anyone have tips for organizing clothes?? By the time I put 9 month clothes in for Kora, its time to take those out and put in the 12 month clothes. She grows so fast! With 3 kids doing this, I'm constantly taking down bins and sorting. I do label the bins by months so I can find them which help.

We would like to try for one more kid, so I keep all the clothes cause I don't want to have to buy more! What do you do with all your kids clothes? Do you hold onto them for the next kid, give them away and buy more?

Ready for another scary picture?

These are mostly kids clothes and towels! The sheets and diapers are in the washer and dryer!

So you might be asking yourself, "Jamie, why are we seeing your dirty clothes?" Well I'm glad you asked! I want to show you that I don't have it all together. I want to show you me, want you to feel like you can identify. There are tons of blogs that show you clean homes. I pin all the great rooms that I would love for my house to look like. So in a way this is reality for you and I. To let you know that you are not alone. Who knows, maybe all you readers do not have this problem, are grossed out by all the clothes and wondering why I don't have my act together! I guess this is me taking a chance.

I'm not Super Mom. I try to be at times. I need to stop that. When I fail, it brings me down. So I'm working hard on being okay with failing. To be okay with me, flaws and all. I'm not a perfect mom. I yell at my kids, my house isn't clean, I sit my kids in front of the TV so I can take a break, we eat eggs for dinner cause I don't want to cook, sometimes we don't brush our teeth every morning, the list goes on. I'm human.

Are you okay with you when you fail? When you don't "measure up?" What do you do with that? Most days I get really down, some days I get back up and try again. Apologies, forgiveness and grace are being taught in our household due to a lot of mistakes. Most important, life is being lived at our household. Lessons are being taught through our failures and accomplishments.

PS Don't tell my husband I posted those photos! =)

Indoor Activities

2011-09-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Have you been on Pinterest? I think it's taking more of my time then Facebook! So the cool thing about Pinterest is you get to bookmark pages, ideas, photos that you would like to revisit. Of course, I get a lot of ideas of crafts for kids. So here are a couple that I came across and how they worked for us. Great ideas for those wet and cold days coming up!

I actually saw this activity in Family Fun magazine that I get. So you grab some contact paper, tape it to a window and have the kiddos place cut up tissue paper on the contact paper! Pretty easy peasy and it seems to be all over blog land now.

It was really fun at first. I think I picked to large of a window to do it on. It was great for using those motor development skills and talking about the colors. Kaden made a rainbow on it. We didn't fill up the window. I started grabbing hand fulls of paper and putting it on the contact paper.

Well the kiddos dumped out the cut up paper and started throwing it up in the air. This was a morning where it already started off rough. So when Kaden first threw all the paper everywhere, I almost freaked out. But then i was like, ah whatever, this will be a great oppurtunity for him to use a broom!

My kids had more fun throwing the paper up. Kora got into the action as well. And really it wasn't all that messy. It was a great learning moment for me as well. I don't have to freak out at all the messes. No one was dying or crying so I just relished in their happiness. They got to clean it up and surprisingly they really enjoyed using the broom! That's when the screaming started happening, because I didn't have enough big brooms!

Someone pinned some cool pics from Play At Home Mom so I had to check out the site. I found these really cool water beads!! So I went looking for them and I found them at the Dollar Zone store in Anchorage for 50 cents!! I grabbed a couple of colors.

I didn't take the greatest of photos, sorry. You put the beads in A LOT of water and they grow in several hours. I just threw the beads into a container that I grabbed at the Dollar Zone with the beads. They LOVED playing with them! It freaked out all the adults that touched them cause they look like glass.

Brooke loved picking them up and putting them in her cup. I was glad to see this cause her right hand is weaker and I know she was playing AND working on her motor development. You can put the water beads on a light source and it looks really cool. Be sure to check out the website to see more cool pictures and how they used them. They are non toxic but be sure to watch little ones at all times while playing with these.

Another cool idea was to grab some balloons and fill them with rice and water! It's the simple things! SO I grabbed a bag of balloons while I was at the Dollar Zone. I put some rice in 2 balloons and then a little water in ANOTHER 2. I used two so my kids wouldn't fight over them. =) They loved shaking them and trying to figure out what was in them. It's cool because it adds some weight to the balloon so they fall a little faster. Kaden and I had a balloon fight because you can actually throw them at each other and it doesn't hurt.

I have more ideas pinned on the boards so come back to see what we are up too! Be sure to get out and enjoy this weather cause you know what is coming!!! I don't want to say the word just yet. =)

The Music Canvas

2011-09-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

I know a couple of you are looking for something to do with your little ones since school started. Have you heard of The Music Canvas? It's a great music program for babies to kindergartners! Oh and adults as well! Classes start this week so go register!

Last spring the kids and I enrolled. I just want to set this up for you, Kaden was 3, Brooke was 20 months and not walking and I was 5 months preggers. That being said, we LOVED the class! The class was small enough where Mrs Brooks knew all the kids names. She invited us in and said "don't worry if the kids get up and walk around or even sit and not participate." You can tell she knew kids! Trying to control my kids in a class setting is sometimes like herding cats, impossible! I thought she was very inviting for the kids and me.

So there is a welcome song that you sing every class. Can I just tell you that I use that baby, a year later, to grab the attention of my kids!! Yeah, I use songs when my kids are not paying attention and it just draws them in. I don't know what it is cause it sure isn't my voice! So yes, the songs are very catchy. I didn't know them at first but we caught on fast. It's so much more then just sitting down and singing. There is dancing, movement, and instruments that my kids loved.

When the instruments were first brought out my first thought was, "oh I'm NEVER going to get that egg shaker from Brooke and there will be lots of screaming." But guess what, Mrs. Brooks had this little song and Brooke actually listened! Not only did she put the shaker back but did it without tears and high octave screaming! So I still use that little trick today. Singing puts kids in a trance I'm telling you!

Okay so singing isn't your thing? No worries, Mrs. Brooks does MOST of the work for you! All you have to do is bring the kids and be excited about it! Remember they feed off of you. You get a CD so you can listen to it at home or in the car. The kiddos can learn all the words as well as you. The songs are catchy, I was singing or humming them at 2am diaper changes.

These classes are also great for kids with special needs. I was curious to see how Brooke would do in the setting. She loved it! It was another therapy session for her but one that Kaden and I got to be involved. She got to work on motor development with clapping, dancing and holding instruments. There is also a social aspect because Mrs. Brooks was engaging her and the kids. I loved watching Brooke move to the music. It helped me forget about all her limitations and watch her delight in being a kid. To this day, Brooke is always dancing and singing.

The kids saw it as a fun time to sing and dance with other kids. I know it was a fun time but also knew the importance of the stimulation that was going on in their brains. There is a lot of research out there on the importance of music to kids when they are young. This is a great article on the importance of music at a young age.

I definitely recommend this class! They are 45 minute classes and last 10 weeks. There are several locations and times so it can fit into your schedule. Visit here to see the class schedule. Mrs. Brooks also does private lessons. If you sign up, be sure to let her know Alaska Kids sent you!!

OakiWear Giveaway (Closed)

2011-09-09T16:26:00.003-08:00

Okay, so I'm REALLY excited about this giveaway! I think it's SO COOL that you will have a WEEK to enter!

OakiWear sent me a rain suit to try out and one lucky reader will win one as well! How cool is that! Not only does OakiWear have rain suits, but they have kid waders, rain boots and more! Perfect for the Alaskan kid!

So I wanted to show you all the cool pictures of Brooke trying out her suit in the rain.....Well, it hasn't rained in a while so we haven't tried it out in the rain! Which is okay with me! BUT I wanted to get this in someones hands before the rain comes AGAIN! So here is what I found so far. I will do another write up when I actually get to try it in the rain.

First off, the rain suit came in 2 days! I was sooooo impressed! I never get anything in 2 days up here unless I pay an arm and a leg! Their shipping is $5 flat rate and will take 2-6 days! These suits are usually $49.99 but on sale for $28.99! So if you don't win, you might want to order one quickly!

Let's just talk about the cool features of this one piece suit. LOVE the cool colors you can pick; red, yellow, and blue. There is neoprene around the leg and arm cuffs to keep water out. Brooke has tiny wrists and ankles so I loved that I could actually get a snug fit on her. Yet they are large enough that you can get the cuffs over boots and gloves. There is reflective tape around the arm and chest, which I think is so cool. ( I really need to learn better descriptive words then cool.)

One of my favorite features is the bungee around the midsection that you can tighten. Like I said, Brooke is so tiny so I love when clothing has this type of feature. You can see it tightened in the photo above and she doesnt look like a ballon. Brooke also has jeans, a shirt and a fleece under the rain suit. She still has plenty of room and it's not so bulky. I LOVE this suit!

This is a quality piece of gear that every Alaskan kid should have in their closet! But does it keep out rain?! So just because I didn't get to see it in action in rain, I still tried it out. I ran water from the kitchen sink over the outfit. COMPLETELY WATERPROOF! The water beaded up and it did not soak through at all! I'm SOOO looking forward to using this during break up!! Ha, already thinking of next summer!

Here is the description of the suit from the site:

Tough rip-stop nylon construction

Fully taped seams

Hood attached

Reflective tape on arms and chest

Neoprene collar and wrists for comfort

100% waterPROOF, breathable

PVC, PU FREE!

This is the best built rain and boating suit available! It is designed to perform like a kayaking shell, and works great on the boat, in the rain, or anywhere. Dirt and mud wash off easily. Sizes run a little big. A 3T, for example,is meant to fit all the way through their 3rd year. OakiWear brand gear for kids is specially manufactured to be top quality, and comes with a 1 year warranty to guarantee performance and durability. Of course, it's going to last A LOT longer than that!

So you wanna win one!! All you need to do is leave a comment with a way to contact you AND you have to live in Alaska! The sizes run from 2T -7. I will pick a winner next Friday, good luck!! Oh and be sure to become one of their fans on Facebook!

Alaskan Wedding

2011-09-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

My husband and I went tp a friend's wedding this Labor Day weekend. It was great because it was like a date! All the kiddos stayed with my mother in law and we drove out to Girdwood. We actually got to talk about other things besides the kiddos. I believe this is so important to do with my husband and so thankful for the 45 minute drive.

I always enjoy the drive to Girdwood. Waterfalls, crystal clear ponds, and gorgeous mountains. We actually got to see beluga whales surfacing. We also saw a man getting out of his dry suit, probably from finishing wind surfing in Turnagain Arm.

The wedding was taking place in Historic Crow Creek Mine in Girdwood. It was raining and we passed many trailhead signs. We passed a trailhead that leads to part of the historic Iditarod Trail .

For you Alaskans, do you notice that we don't carry umbrellas?? I think there were 3 umbrellas at the wedding and only ONE was being used!Porbably because she didn't have a jacket. Everyone else just used their rain coat, as you see here with the kiddos running around.

The wedding was beautiful and the rain hitting the tents made a great sound to the marriage vows. Took me back 6 years ago when I was getting married. It rained on my wedding day as well, but we moved it inside. If I were to do it again, I think I would of gotten married in Hawaii and told everyone to meet us there!

We got to eat fresh Alaskan salmon and shrimp after the ceremony. Even though it was raining, we could still see a glacier off the mountains. Of course with all the rain, kiddos were running around getting soaking wet. I loved watching the kiddos stand underneath the falling water. What was even better is I didn't have to worry about cleaning kids up! Makes for a GREAT date night!

Along with raincoats, there were rainboots galore! Loved seeing the Xxtratuffs and Boggs with the dresses! I was thinking of wearing sandals! I need to get a pair of Boggs for this winter. Where did everyone get theirs and which print do they have?

It was great to spend time together and celebrate a friend's wedding. Loved seeing my husband dressed up as well. I didn't get to take my coat off cause it was in the lower 50's and show off my cute shirt though. I did enjoy getting dolled up and not have a kid hanging from me. I have to remind myself that I need a break and to care for myself, that makes for a happy familly.

I hope you all had a relaxing Labor Day weekend and found some time to indulge in something just for yourself!

IBN Jeans Giveaway! (closed)

2011-08-25T14:26:00.001-08:00

I tell you, I have SO MANY ideas for posts on here, but life happens and it's hard to sit down for 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Right now it's nap time. One is asleep and the other two are talking themselves to sleep hopefully.

I've had this giveaway for awhile now so I'm glad I FINALLY get to do it!! So Aqil (cool name huh?) from IBN Jeans contacted me and wanted to send some shirts my way. Free shirts to try, heck yeah! Send them on up!!!

This clothing line has reflective logos and material on the shirts and pants. This is great, especially up here in Alaska. Sigh. Fall is basically here and winter will be right behind it! The dark is a comin!

(15 minutes later) Why don't kids want to take a nap! I just changed a poopy diaper and started the "Quiet Time" timer over because my son keeps on talking to me....where were we??

Oh yes, the giveaway!So I asked Aqil to talk about the product some so here he is!

" IBN JEANS (Illuminated By Night) consists of two owners. Saiyd and myself (Aqil). We are both based out of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Saiyd has been sewing and creating clothing since 1974 for everyone including celebrities and the like. I have been designing clothing for myself since the 90's and creating graphic designs since the year 2000 for other clothing lines and local companies. In early 2009 I teamed up with Saiyd and we both thought it would be a good idea to start producing boys clothing because we noticed most startup clothing lines were concentrating on adult and girls clothing. We thought boys would be a good starting point.

The initial idea for the clothing line came to me around the summer 2007, after a family trip to the New Jersey shore. While walking along the boardwalk after sunset with my wife and kids, I noticed how hard it was to keep up with my 8 year old son. He was constantly walking ahead of us and getting lost within the large crowd of people. That evening, I brainstormed on several different ideas to make it easier on me, to keep up with him. Finally, the idea came to me, that he needed something that would allow him to easily be recognized in situations like this. Therefore the high visibility / retro reflective material was a must. When a source of light is shined directly onto the material it creates an illuminating or glowing effect. Reflective materials are also used on stop signs, ambulances, fire fighting uniforms etc.

Our jeans are currently being manufactured but as of now our clothing is not yet online for ordering. However, by submitting your e-mail address to info@IBNJEANS.com you will be notified of any updates. We also produce one of a kind items by request.

Currently IBN JEANS is a boys clothing line. The main focus behind our line is to keep all children safe from everything including moving vehicles to predators. It's important to us that we offer this option to girls clothing as well, so you can expect to see a girls line in the future.

Our company logo and mascot is a picture of a Billy Goat. The logo was chosen after searching for animals that weren't already being used. We hope it wasn't a b-a-a-a-d choice."

Visit IBN Jean's blog to see all the different types of clothing they are going to have! There is a ski coat and pants that would be awesome for kids up here in AK to have on. "Like" their facebook page as well so you will be up to date when the clothes are out for purchase!
Aqil sent me a couple of shirts to give away! I'm keeping the medium for my son and giving away a size LARGE and XLARGE. These sizes are in boys, Kaden is wearing a size medium in the picture and he wears size 4t.

Wanna win a cool shirt for your son?! Just leave a comment and which size you want to be entered to win. You gotta live in Alaska! Please leave an email address to contact you with! I'll pick a winner Sunday night! You will win shirt like my son has on.

If you were curious I have 2 kids asleep and my son is STILL awake whining cause he doesn't want to take a nap. But the whining and bags under hus eyes tell me different!!

Okay go enter to win!

Potter's Marsh

2011-08-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, just like today! I was trying so hard to get the house cleaned and things put away. I think the kids knew it was so nice outside cause they were driving me crazy!

After nap time we headed to Potter's Marsh.

To get to Potter's Marsh take the New Seward HWY south. You will pass Rabbit Creek exit, then lookout for the little brown sign that says "Potter's Marsh parking" then turn left. It is right across the street from the rifle range. Which I think is funny. A bird sancutary that is right across the street from a rifle range.

There had been a lot of work done since the last time I visited. I can't beleive I hadn't taken the kids sooner!!! There is a long boardwalk where the kids can run up and down. It is very stroller friendly.

All along the boardwalk there were really cool signs talking about all there is to see at Potter's Marsh. Kids old and young can actually learn while enjoying the outdoors! This is a cool sign showing the life cycle of salmon.

Speaking of salmon! We got to see lots!! We saw lots of fry (baby salmon) swimming around as well. This is a great place to see them with little ones and out of state guests.

One of the cool thing's about Potter's Marsh is seeing the wildlife. We only saw seagulls, ducks, and Canadian geese this visit, but there are many more birds that frequent this sanctuary. Like the Arctic Tern, did you know it takes the longest journey of any bird! It migrates to Antartica every winter and then comes up here to breed! Crazy! Visit this Fish and Game page to learn about the other birds that visit.

Kaden loved using his binoculars to look at the birds. We did see an eagle while there. We also heard it screeching, which I think sounds so cool. Then it landed in a nearby tree in a nest.

If you are lucky, you'll see moose and muskrat that visit the area. If you haven't been, plan a day to go! Just the surrounding is enough to visit. Turnigan Arm, mountains, fresh air, wildlife....that's what Alaska's about right? Take the kiddos, they will love it!

Then after the kids ran out their energy we went to FireTap for dinner! I would recommend getting there a little early cause it gets crowded fast. But it was VERY kid friendly and we would go back again with the kiddos!

Hunger

2011-08-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

A friend posted a convicting story of world hunger here. Please read the post so you'll know what I'm talking about. The photos alone can drop your jaw. Ugh I don't even know where to start? I'm speechless....

I think of my 3 kids. How cute all the rolls are on them. This baby has no fat, how I wish he did. See I had a hard time reading Jenny's post. Part of me wanted to cry out for these kids who are living day to day asking where their food will come from. I'll be honest, the other part of me wanted to look away and not read any farther. To say that's so sad and move on. I didn't want my true emotions to be involved, wanted to be distant. That isn't here, it's not my problem.

Really? It's not my problem? How can I think that! I hate even being honest with you, people I don't know, sharing about some of my dark thoughts. Fear of how you will judge me! Wow, how low am I! Why do I CARE about being judged when there are people NOT EATING! This is serious! What kind of bubble am I living in?

I know world hunger exists with my head, I hear about it all the time. But time and time again, I have not allowed the power of it to affect me. I think it has to do with me being ashamed that I'm not doing anything about it. Or feeling inadequate that I CAN'T do anything about it. So I continue to sit in self pity of how horrible of a person I am for not doing anything and thinking the way I think. Never truly letting it hit my heart.

But I CAN do something about it! First off I just need to acknowledge that I messed up and ask God for forgiveness. Now I can invest in hurting people and help them. Whether that is send money or resources, or even lending a hand. I can do it even here in Alaska.

First off, I just want to say that I'm not on here to argue anything about God, religion, whatever. I'm here to talk about hurting people, period. I don't want to argue what religion or non religion you are, there are people, there are KIDS that need our help. Everyone can agree on that statement right?

So what are we going to do about it? What are you going to do about it? What am I going to do about it? Here are just a couple of places you can help out with. Jenny, from where my post came from, has another post about her visit to Korah. She visits a couple who have opened up Embracing Hope Ethiopia. You can help their ministry helping the poor. World Vision is really credible, I used to sponsor 2 kids when I was in college.

I also have a friend, Lianne, who is a missionary in Nicaragua at Children of Destiny. Visit their page and you can see how you can sponsor a child or just help them run their facility.

We have hungry kids right here in Alaska. Just ask teachers who see this everyday at school, sitting next to your well fed child. I only thought it existed over seas, sadly it's here as well. The Children's Lunchbox helps feed local kids. Grandpa from Kids' Kitchen has been feeding kids since 1996. Dare to Care is another non profit that helps give school children food.

As a mother, I want to teach my kids to care about others. The only way they can learn is seeing it with their own eyes, right? What can we do to give back? To give to those less fortunate. I know at times I struggle looking around my house at some of the crap that I WANTED, not NEEDED. How it's not being used, the money that was wasted. I'm such a consumer. Not all of it is bad. When I buy, especially local, I'm helping pay someone. But what am I doing other then buying for me and my family?

I want to give back, no I NEED to give back. Not only would I be blessing others but what blessings that would be for my heart. That is what fulfills me, love.

If you only get one thing out of this post, I hope it's this; we live in a fallen, hurting world and you can help. Start local, in your backyard and make a difference. Do it with your friends and family and it will catch! I always think of the Starfish story when I don't think I can make a difference in this HUGE world. I'll leave you with it.

"One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?" The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die." "Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!" After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then smiling at the man, he said "I made a difference for that one."

How are you going to make a difference?

Our rainy days have consisted of....

2011-08-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

FORTS!

I know here in Alaska it rains a lot during the summer. Sometimes you have to go outside and just play in the rain. But some days I really do not like going out in the rain. Maybe my parents didn't let me play in the rain enough as a kid? Hmmm.

Anyways, my kids LOVES forts. My son is always building his home behind the curtain. Then he just sits in the window and invites his sisters to come play. What kid doesn't like hiding in a fort! I remember sitting in the closet when I was younger with all My Little Pony's.

I found some really cool table forts all over blog land. I DID NOT want to pay $200 or it so I made one myself! My kids love it! It covers the kitchen table and it packs away really wasily. Don't mind my lack of ironing. They pretend they are in a rocket ship or a cougar cave. When I go under there with them it brings me back to my childhood.

My little one loves going in and out of it. They eat their snacks and play for hours under there! I did not come up with this cool idea. I first found it on Homemade By Jill. You can just google play tent in etsy and see some amazing tents!

Here is a tutorial for this cool tent below made from sheets and a hula hoop!

You don't have to sew to make some forts, just grab some bed sheets!

Just add some lights, how cool is that! I know I could spend all day in here with a great book. Especially on rainy days like these. My kids would love to read as well!

So grab what you have on hand and make a fort! Blankets, sheets, pillows, cardboard boxes, cushions, tables, or chairs. You can build a fort city!!! Maybe a fort will give you some free time! Good luck and tell me how it goes!

Indoor Places in Anchorage

2011-08-02T13:53:00.001-08:00

The weather forecast is rain all week, oh yea! (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Summer is coming to an end and rainy season is arriving. Hopefully we will have a couple more pretty days before fall hits us. I have to admit fall is my favorite season! I just wish it lasted longer here.

There are a couple of cool places you can take the kiddos here in Anchorage on rainy or snowy days. I hope this gives you some ideas when you need to get out of the house!

Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum -- I have not visited here, but if your kiddo loves planes this is the place to go! I hear it's not too kid friendly but lots of planes to look at!

Alaska Museum of Natural History --Toddle Time is GREAT! I love this museum! Very hands on for the kiddos and it's inexpensive. You can dig for dinos, touch lots of animals, play with playdoh and more!

Arctic Gymnastics --This is a HUGE gym for the kiddos to run around in. They have several trampolines, a cheese pit, balls, and lots of stuff to work on motor development. They have open gym Mon-Fri from 9-11a.

Arctic Playgroundz --Great place for kiddos ages 3-5 in my opinion. Open room, play structure, toys to use your imagination. They have great food, coffee and WiFi. They have a small area for baby.

Bouncin Bears --Kids can literally bounce off the walls! Prices are a little steep though!

H2Oasis --When school starts, you can bring your toddlers to play! Very cool ship and slides!

Imaginarium --Lots of hands on things. Make huge bubbles, touch starfish, play in a fort and more! You have to pay for entrance to the WHOLE museum which is spendy. Wish you could just pay for the Imaginarium because I don't get to enjoy the rest of the museum with the kiddos. And we don't stay there all day due to nap time....I digress.

Park N Play --Great place for kiddos 3 and under. LOTS of toys and comfy coaches for you to sit on! You might just be able to read a magazine while the kiddos are playing!

Pump It Up --Our favorite bounce place to visit! The price is right as well as the size. The owner is fabulous, area is clean, and you can climb on a moving wall!

House of Bounce -- Inflatable bounce place for kids in Eagle River.

If you are going stir crazy, get out of the house and visit one of these places!

Alaska Farmer Market's

2011-07-21T15:36:00.002-08:00

One thing I miss about the lower 48 is the fresh fruit! You buy it here from the store and it goes bad in a couple of days. BUT I do love going to the local farmers market and buying fresh produce. Have you been to one of the farmer markets? We have seven of them here in Anchorage. I was going to list all of Alaska markets here but someone beat me to it! Visit here for Alaska Farmers Markets.

These are snow apple turnips, pretty tasty! I've never heard of them till I visited the South Anchorage Farmers Market. My kids love them! I've heard they go great in salads or to eat them plain, which is how we eat them.

I got some strawberries and let's just say they didn't last 5 mins in my house. They were so delicious!! Fresh is best! One thing about the markets is you HAVE to get there early if you want to grab the goods. I went around 2 and everything was gone! Strawberries are the only fruit that I have seen so far. Unfortunately up here in Alaska we don't get a wide variety of fruit, which is a TOTAL bummer! We eat fruit like it's going out of style in my household!

Not only do they have produce but they have cheese!! You can buy it in blocks or in curds, yum! There is also fish, meat, plants, honey, jams, bread, and....

mouth watering pastries!!

It feels so good to me to buy local. I know where the food is coming from, helping out my community and keeping the money here in Alaska. The prices are great as well, but you can use WIC food stamps. Also eligible seniors qualify as well. Visit here to learn more.

I love going to the market with the kids. They help me pick out veggies and they are more inclined to try things. It's also nice just to go by myself. I like to think of how cool it would be if I had to go to the market daily to get all our meals and how fresh everything will be. Some days I would really like a slower paced life.

There are always unique things to try and see at the market. Where can you get a salmon burger and reindeer dog? Definitely not in Florida! I love Alaska! People like to bring their dogs or bike to the market. It is such a laid back community. You see people in their Carharts and North Face rain jackets. Comfy and ready for the environment, my kind of style! You can usually tell who the out of town folks are. =)

Be sure to visit one of your local markets. If you visit the websites below you can find recipes, how to process and store the produce and much more!

Alaska Farmers Market Association (visit here to find our local market)

South Anchorage Farmers Market (recipes, cookbook, schedule)

Pyrahs Pioneer Peak Farm (pick YOUR OWN veggies!)

Glacier Valley Farm CSA (will deliver boxes of local and outside produce to a location for you to pick up)

Rise and Shine Bakery

Alaska Farmland Trust presents "BYOP" Valley Farm Picnic

Sunday, July 31st 2PM - 6PM Dimonridge Farm (aka Heaven's Hayfield) 2445 South Davis Road in Wasilla Take Parks Hwy, exit @ Hyer Rd toward Fairview Loop. Turn Left onto Hyer Rd. Turn Right onto E. Fireweed and take first left onto Fairview Loop Rd. Take a left on to Davis Rd. Look for the signs on the left. Have a day of fun with family and friends and get to know the Alaska Farmland Trust!

The Valley Farm Picnic is a “BYOP” (Bring-Your-Own-Picnic) event. You bring a picnic and we’ll supply the blankets and old fashioned farm fun! This FREE event will take place rain or shine with ongoing activities throughout the day. Prizes will be awarded to winners of each event! Don’t forget to bring a dessert to enter in the Dessert Auction at 3:00 pm. See you on the farm!

mom to mom Diapers (closed)

2011-07-19T14:41:00.001-08:00

I use cloth diapers for several reasons. One of them being to save money. I do have some disposable diapers on hand just in case I didn't do laundry or if other people will be watching my kids. So when Carrs/Safeway contacted me to try out their diapers, I jumped on it!
I'm usually hesitate about using store brand diapers. They always seem cheaply made and leak through. I used the supreme diapers on both of my girls and I didn't have one leaky diaper! I even used them over night.

This is what the website has to say about the diapers. "The more your love bug is moving around, the more you'll appreciate the improved leakage control and better fit of these diapers. Stretchy waist and side panels add comfort, a hypoallergenic liner with natural botanicals, vitamin E and aloe protect skin."

The diapers have this cool guard that seems to keep the poop in instead of leaking through. I'm all for poop not leaking through to the clothes! It's the worst when you are trying to get out the door and there is a blow out! I really like that the size of the diaper is printed on the front of the diaper. I hate having to try to guess what size leftover diapers I had from the last kid. The design is cute to, no characters, just numbers and ABC's.

So next time you are out of diapers at 2am, don't be afraid to pick up these mom to mom diapers from Carrs.

Carrs not only gave me free diapers to try but 2 $25 gift certificates! I'm keeping one for myself and giving one away!

Would you like a $25 gift card to Carrs? You need to live in Alaska, leave a comment with what diapers you use, and an email address to contact you with. Ill pick a winner Thursday night!

Taco Soup and Flowers

2011-07-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

Nice heading huh? I can't think of anything other then what this post is about. Maybe lack of sleep is really getting to me.

I got this yummy recipe from a lady years ago. I would credit it to her, but I don't know who she is or where she got it from.

Taco Soup

1 lb cooked shredded chicken OR hamburger meat
1 chopped onion
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can white corn
1 can whole kernel corn
1 diced tomato
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can chicken or beef broth (use the broth with whichever meat you are using)
1 pkt taco seasoning (1/4c)
1 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (1/4c)

I rinse the beans and then throw everything into a crock pot. I keep it on low for an hour or 2. You can also just put everything in a big pot and boil. Instead of using canned corn I use frozen though.

My kids LOVE this, even my 10 month old! We also add cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, yummy!! This is quick to throw everything together for a laid back meal.

Are you growing a garden? We are growing a couple of things. Veggies and flowers! This is a photo of our peony, isn't it gorgeous! It just gets better daily! We have little broccoli florets growing. It's so cool to see something that we are growing our self!

In My Backyard

2011-07-07T23:23:00.002-08:00

Isn't this photo amazing! It had nothing to do with my mad photography skills. The Chugach Range is beautiful, and its in my backyard.

One of the great things about living in Alaska is having breathtaking views in your "backyard". I can drive twenty minutes and hike up a mountain, not too many people can say that! Also in the summer time, you can hike almost all hours of the night and not need a headlamp. Our moms group has been taking some hikes in the evening after we all put our kiddos to bed. It's so nice to be able to have adult conversation and not chase kids. There are several times where it's so quiet, probably cause we are all trying to catch our breath! The flowers were blooming and it was so green!

We were looking out over Anchorage and trying to place streets. Anchorage is so spread out! No wonder it takes me forever to get to the East side from the South side!

We hiked Flattop on Summer Solstice.....and so did everyone else! Flattop seems to be one of the most hiked mountains here in Anchorage. You can meet people from all over the world there.

This was my first hike since having my youngest. I'm really out of shape so I was enjoying sitting down and didn't want to get up for a photo opt.

It only takes me 15 mins to get to Flattop's parking lot from my house. Took us a little longer getting to the top! But we made it!! On Summer Solstice, a lot of residents like to camp out and party at the top. We saw some interesting people carrying guitars, wearing a kilt, carrying a stroller, carrying a beer.. wait I think that last part is normal, so my husband says. Water is not the thirst quencher it used to be.

Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year with 19 hours and 21 mins of sunlight! This picture was taken after 10pm! It was an amazing day for a hike!

With trails being so close to us, its great to take the family for a hike. Kaden was having fun, promise. The lady who took this photo was hiking in with a friend to camp out for the night. Two older ladies just enjoying the day. I bet their kids were grown and NOW they can finally do stuff they enjoy without getting interrupted.

Brooke did great! It's crazy cause this time last year she wasn't walking and we were not sure when she would start. Now she is running and jumping everywhere!

Our moms group are planning more hikes. Do you have a favorite here in Anchorage? What has been your favorite hike in Alaska?

July 4th Fun

2011-07-04T23:31:00.002-08:00

What a beautiful day it turned out to be here in Anchorage! It started raining a little but it held off! Did you and your family enjoy the day? We did! We went to see the parade downtown!

A parade isn't Alaskan without Star the Reindeer! You gotta read how Star first came to Anchorage!

How cool is this! A Wagon car!!!! The Red Wagon Society at the Children's Hospital at Providence sponsors the car. Kaden loved waving his flag at all the cars.

I had to take pictures of the kiddos in their red, white and blue. Yup, representin' the Braves! =)

I have to say, I really miss seeing fireworks in the lower 48 for the 4th of July. Those outside of Anchorage are lucky enough to shoot of fireworks legally. But I guess it helps lessen the disappointment due to it being so bright here.

I took this picture of the Chugach Mountains at 10pm. See the rainbow? So it would be hard to see fireworks anyways. But that didn't stop residents! I heard them everywhere.

When did the fireweed pop up? I took this photo at 10pm as well. The flowers are already half way up!! I'm trying not to think of it reaching the top!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I started doing a lot of brainstorming and there are going to be some changes to the blog. I want to post more about Alaska in general. There are so many COOL things about this state! Got certain categories that would interest you to see on here??

4th of July in Alaska!

2011-07-01T14:25:00.003-08:00

What is everyone doing for the 4th of July?? I think we are going to head downtown Anchorage and watch the parade and enjoy the activities! This will be our first time with the kiddos, I think it will be a blast! Hoping to see NO CLOWNS!! I do not like clowns. Anyways, here is a list of the 4th of July festivities that are going around the state of Alaska. If you know of any that are not on here, please post in the comments and I will add them!

Anchorage/Eagle River

July 4th Celebration- Delany Park Strip 8a-6p Celebrate America’s birthday on July 4th in true Alaska style. This old-fashioned, patriotic celebration is complete with family-oriented events such as the pancake breakfast, downtown parade, picnic, activities, and fireworks finale.

Alaska Baseball League Doubleheader and Fireworks- Catch Alaska Baseball League action between Anchorage's two teams, the Bucs and the Glacier Pilots, in an Independence Day doubleheader followed by the traditional fireworks show.

Great Alaskan Salmon Bake & Fly By- 1-5p AK Aviation Museum Enjoy a buffet of salmon, burgers, hotdogs, salads and more celebrating the 4th of July from 1-5 p.m. at the Alaska Aviation Museum on Lake Hood, the world's busiest seaplane base! Auction, live music, fly bys from a variety of aircraft, and meet our special guest Egil Ellis, dog race winner from the Fur Rondy! $30 for adults, $15 for kids. Call 907-248-5325 for more info. This fundraiser helps the museum continue its mission of preserving Alaska aviation's history.

Eagle River Independence Day Celebrations A community-wide Independence Day celebration and first official "July 4th" firework celebration. July 3: Celebration at Lions Park begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends with fireworks at midnight. Enjoy community entertainment, sky divers, games and concessions. July 4: Chugiak Parade begins at 2 p.m. at Latimer Fire Station on Old Glenn Highway.

Fairbanks
4th of July Celebration- Lots of activities at Pioneer Park!

July 4th Summer Festival- Parade at 11a, cream the mayor and more at the North Pole!

Homer
"Our Town USA"- Parade starts at 6p and other events will be going on throughout the weekend!

There are parades going on in Seldovia (907-234-7612) and Anchor Point (907-235-2600) as well. Call the number to get more info.

Juneau
Juneau 4th of July Parade- Starts at 11a

Kenai
"Take Your Hat Off" Parade and Festivities- 10a-4p in Kenai

Mat Su

Wasilla Independence Day Parade- 11a on Main Street

McCarthy’s annual Fourth of July celebration- includes a parade and a full day of family fun for all. Music, games all day for kids of all ages. Classic 4th Of July BBQ

Seward
Parade and Festivities- Enjoy the parade, food, fireworks and more while in Seward!

Mount Marathon Race- A well-known mountain running event held annually in the seaside village of Seward since 1915, said to originate from a bet among friends that Mt. Marathon could not be tackled in less than an hour. The foot race is a climb and descent on Mt. Marathon - a mile and a half up and a mile and a half down, complete with cliffs, scree fields, waterfalls, and a spectacular view. This annual event draws runners from around the world.

Hope you and your family have a great 4th of July weekend wherever you are in Alaska!! Be safe!!

Peekaru Giveaway (closed)

2011-06-24T13:57:00.003-08:00

Thing are slowing down here...I think?? Does anything slow down when you have 3 kids?? Anyways, I'm really excited do this giveaway. I've been waiting since winter to do it! So here it is, the Peekaru Original giveaway!

I actually came across one of these in Kid To Kid, but it was too big. I thought it was one of the COOLEST articles of clothing for baby wearing parents! So I contacted TogetherBe to see if they would let me try it out and do a giveaway. They are so sweet over there and they replied so quickly.

So sorry for the snow pictures, who wants to see that right now!! (sigh) When I got the vest, I tried it on right away over my Ergo carrier. It was kind of awkward to put on by myself at first. The hardest part I had was zipping it all the way up on the side. After wearin it a couple of times, it has become easier. I LOVED that I was able to put it on over my winter coat. I first tested it on a cold, windy Alaskan day. It kept the wind off of Kora, but I probably should of put warmer clothes on her because the vest is not thick enough. These vests are "high quality Polartec fleece" but I think it was too cold for her that day and we went back inside. It took 30 mins to get all the winter gear on all the kids and me and we only stayed out there 10 mins! Ugh. They need to invent a suit that has boots, mittens, hat, long under and snowsuit connected!! I bet the Peekaru Soft Shell would of been better for that kind of weather. I think I might invest in the soft shell for next winter.

I did wear it several times when it wasn't as cold or windy. It worked great and kept her warm. She fell asleep in it several times. A friend borrowed the giveaway one to try it out. (It's the green one pictured above.) She is carrying a newborn in there. =) The newborn stayed toasty while mommy got to play with her toddler. It was a fun day of sledding and skiing for the kids!

You can also turn the vest around and wear it on the back! "It fits comfortably over all carriers, including Baby Bjorns, Hotslings, Ergos, Mei Tais, and Wraps." I haven't worn it turned around yet because Kora is just getting to the age where I can wear her on my back. There is also a little pocket to keep your keys or id in on the side of the vest. The only thing I wish this had was hand pockets. I LOVE to put my hands in pockets and was bummed when I didn't have anywhere to put them. Other then that, this is a GREAT product for Alaskan parents! I keep it in the car even in the summer because sometimes it gets a little cool.

Oh and just FYI, if you order one because you don't win, they run a little big. I wear large shirts and can fit into the medium vest with a fleece jacket.

Want to win the green medium one? Just leave a comment with a way to contact you. Oh and you have to be from Alaska. =)

Nina's Beanies and Bows Giveaway (closed)

2011-05-26T23:16:00.003-08:00

There are so many accessories out there for little kids! Ill be the first to admit, I'm not the best person to coordinate and pick them out. So my little girls are generally in comfortable clothes and no accessories. Nina, from Nina's Beanies and Bows has created some great hats and accessories to go with them that are interchangeable! What a great idea, especially for someone like me or even the fashonista who has different accessories for every outfit for their kids!

Please tell us about yourself and how you started your business:
I am a local designer from Anchorage, Alaska. I stay busy working from home and feel grateful for the opportunity to be home with my children. I am the mother of two little girls that are my inspiration for everything I create. Last year I began making bows and accessories for them and found it to be a fun challenge and relaxing at the same time. I caught the ‘crafting bug’ quickly and wanted to coordinate every outfit they owned! It just wasn't practical to have that many hats so I decided to make all my bows and flower clips interchangeable. Not only are the combination possibilities endless but pieces could be worn alone in the hair or clipped to a headband and cleaning the hats when needed was easy. Last summer my daughters’ collection of hair clips was overflowing but I was hooked on making them so I began to give them as gifts. Soon after that I started to receive requests for custom pieces and was encouraged to go into business by my friends and family. I started with a few Craigslist ads and one day I received a call from the owner of Sweet Adeline's Children’s Store asking if I’d be interested in carrying my products in her store. I have been truly blessed with success I never imagined possible and I can’t wait to see how my business will continue to develop over the coming years! I absolutely love creating each and every piece! I could never choose a favorite and I feel it shows in the quality of my work.

Where can I purchase these products?
Currently my products can be found on my Facebook business page https://www.facebook.com/ninasbeaniesandbows and at Sweet Adeline’s Children’s Store in Anchorage in the Huffman Square (1120 Huffman Road Ste #4)

What do you love about Alaska?
Summertime is my favorite time in Alaska! I love sitting on our swing in the backyard watching my girls blow bubbles and giggling as they chase them around the yard. Summertime means visiting different parks in town, grilling outside and just enjoying the fresh air. But what I love most about Alaska is the sense of community and ability to achieve anything you put your mind to. I think it’s a great place to raise my children and I can’t imagine doing it anywhere else.

Too cute right?! Just have boys? You can join in on the fun, she offers boys embroidered beanies! Nina is going to let the winner choose a beanie and you get to choose the color and style as well! Here are the rules:

1. Must live in Alaska.
2. Leave a comment on what kind of hat you would get with your email address, and that's it!

A winner will be chosen randomly Monday night! Good luck!!

Sweet Adeline's Children Store (Closed)

2011-05-19T23:16:00.003-08:00

Have you visited the cool, Eco-friendly Sweet Adeline's Children Store here in Anchorage? If not, you gotta get in there! Jessica, the owner, has some way cool things to look and play with! Talk about community, this store has it going on! She sells several products made locally, offers affordable classes for the wee ones, and is constantly giving back to the community.

She sells several of our giveaway items there, so if you didn't win, get down there and buy it! The thing I love about this store is the unique "green" items. Each product is carefully picked out and are BPA, Phthalates, or PVC free.

Doesn't the picture of the store look inviting to parents with small ones! They can actually play while you shop, I love that!
What about the art classes? They are 4 week sessions that cost $8-$20 and are for ages 18 months to 10 year olds. She is offering French classes there as well. There is still room for the art classes this summer so sign your child up today!

We are doing a giveaway from Sweet Adeline's, wahoo!!!

A sweet bunny puppet, bun glaze, and rubbit oil.

A bear happy blankie and some bubbly soap ( I gotta go get my kids some of this!)

Here are the rules:

1. Must live in Alaska

2. Leave a comment telling me if you have been to Sweet Adeline's yet and if so what is your favorite product.

3. Be sure to leave your email address, anonymous WILL be counted. =)

A winner will be chosen on Monday, good luck!

Happy Bottoms Diaper Service Giveaway (closed)

2011-05-05T22:45:00.003-08:00

It's been awhile, so sorry! Gotta get back in the game!!

For awhile now I've wanted to try cloth diapers, but couldn't fork up the money without knowing I would like it. I contacted Theresa, owner of Happy Bottoms Diaper Service, for a trial run. If you want to get into cloth, this is a great way to test it out without spending hundreds of dollars first. Check out what the Risk Free Trial includes.

Theresa came to my house and taught me the basics of cloth diapering to get me started. Cloth diapering can be overwhelming at first, but Theresa was so warm and kind. I never felt dumb for asking questions and not knowing. She was an email or phone call away if I had a question, the task didn't seem to daunting knowing that. She helped set up everything and then left...here I go!

I have to admit, the first change I was kind of grossed out. I didn't grab it correctly so it was very wet. But how many times have I had to grab something that was gross with kids? Soaked bed sheets, blow out diaper, throw up on kid and MY clothes, the list goes on! So I continued on.

It took me a couple of days to get in the swing of things but I actually started liking it! The BEST part is I got to put all the diapers and wipes together and send it with Theresa to be washed. I didn't have to touch it!! I was worried about the smell, but there wasn't any. Unless I'm just so used to the smell of 3 kids. =) Every Monday morning, I would put my red bag with dirty diapers and wipes on the front porch, then Theresa would pick it up and leave me fresh, clean diapers! Now THAT'S service!

I hear all the time how cute babies are in cloth and now I believe them! This is not the only reason why I feel in love with cloth diapering. Saving on money in the long run is a HUGE plus for me. I changed her diapers far more then when she had a disposable on. I have to admit I would think, "this disposable diaper is barely wet" so I wouldn't change it. With cloth, I didn't feel like I was out money. Or how about when you go to change baby and they pee on the new one. Really? I barely got any use out of that one! I feel like that's all I'm doing is buying diapers! So its great know that with cloth, it just needs to be washed and reused again.

It was great thinking that I wasn't throwing another diaper into a landfill. I was making the earth a little better for my kids. I'm concerned with all the chemicals now days going into our bodies, especially my little ones. I loved knowing that there was no foreign chemicals going into my babies body.

I started afraid to cloth and now I'm working on buying them! It was SO worth trying it out with Happy Bottoms Diaper Service! Theresa offers a great service that you can have part or full time! Just think, you don't have to launder diapers, someone does it for you! You don't have to make midnight runs to the store for more diapers because you used the last one!

I HIGHLY recommend using Happy Bottoms Diaper Service. Theresa is a mom to a little one so she understands a lot and she uses the product herself! She has a pretty wicked sense of humor, which I like! Humor and service!

Theresa donated 2 $50 gift certificates for a giveaway! You can use it towards the service or buy something for the store.

Want to win? Please follow the rules!

1. You must live in Alaska.

2. Visit the "About Us" page and then comment on how you would use the gift certificates

3. Leave an email address so I can get a hold of you, no way of contacting you, your comment will not be counted!. Thanks!

Ill randomly pick 2 winners Monday evening!

Easter Goodness!!

2011-04-19T01:04:00.002-08:00

Here is a list off the happenings around the State! If you know of any others please add them to the comments!

Anchorage

The Great Cloth Diaper Change-APDEA Union Hall--SAT
Come celebrate Earth Day and the day before Easter setting a world record! We will be chaning cloth diapers all at once! Please pre-register. If you do not have cloth, come on out, we will have some on hand for loan. There will be a silent auction to benefit For The Love of Lauren!

Easter Egg Hunt- Park N Play FREE --SAT

There will be toys, candy,Easter baskets, chocolate rabbits, free passes and more so don't miss out we will open at 9AM sharp for hunt should last about 15 to 20 minutes so don't be late. Doors will open at 8:30 to Lobby however entrance to play area for hunt will start promptly at 9AM

Community Easter Egg Hunt- Sand Lake Baptist Church --SAT
Huge outdoors Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 0 Through 5th Grade. Tons of prizes (H2Oasis passes, Bicycles, The Cage batting coupons, Dino's Donut coupons, Jewell Lake Bowling, Thousands of candy filled eggs, Tastee-Freeze ice cream, and toys). Free Hot Dogs and cookies after the hunt. Free pictures with the bunny. Separate area for the toddlers.

Eggstravaganza- Lidia Selkregg Chalet --SAT
Watch out for bouncing bunnies as you join in on some spring-themed arts and crafts, outdoor games, and an egg hunt. Egg Hunt Schedule:
1st Hunt: 3-5 yrs, 1:00p
2nd Hunt: 3-5 yrs, 2:00p
3rd Hunt: 6-12 yrs, 3:00p
For ages 3-12 yrs. Pre-registration strongly recommended. $2 per child 343-6992

Easter Bunny-Dimond Mall
Visit the Easter Bunny by the Gap entrance. Mon-Thurs 11a-8p Fri & Sat 10a-8p Pay to get pictures.

Alaska Railroad Easter Train-Anchorage Historic Depot--SAT
Climb aboard the Alaska Railroad’s Easter Train for a special run from Anchorage to the Mat-Su Valley. Riders will delight in a special visit from none other then the Easter Bunny, who will be on board to visit with the children and pass out Easter treats and other surprises along the way. Don Russel the magician will also be along for the ride to keep the kids (and kids at heart) entertained. Every rider will enjoy the panoramic view from the Alaska Railroad’s glass-domed cars. It will be an Easter to remember! $49 for adults and $19 for children 11 and under.

Eagle River/Chugiak
Easter Egg Hunt-Eagle River Lions Park --SUN FREE
Four age groups: 0-3; 4-6; 7-9 and 10-12; 1pm start Eggs & Bikes given away! The Eagle River FIRE Truck blows whistle at 1:00 pm sharp!

Community Easter Egg Hunt-Mirror Lake Middle School --SAT FREE
Donation of Food for ER Food Pantry accepted.

Wasilla/Palmer
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny-Wasilla Senior Center
Pancake Breakfast with The Easter Bunny. Get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Picture in include in the price, $5 per person, $20 per family

Easter Egg Hunt-First Baptist Church of Wasilla--SAT
10am at the church

Easter Egg Hunt-Big Lake Baptist Church--SAT
From 1-2:30 at the church for kids ages 1 through 5th grade.

Girdwood
Easter at Alyeska Resort--SUN
Easter Egg Hunt - 9:15 am in the Pond Courtyard

Kenai
Community Easter Egg Hunt-Abundant Life Assembly of God
Hunt starts at 2p on church grounds for kids preschool through 6th grade.

Seward
Little Kids Easter Egg Hunt-Forest Acres Park--SAT
Starts at 3pm

Stylin Stitches Diaper Derby
Saturday, April 23rd from 10:00am to 11:30am at the Sports & Rec Gym - another fun event with surprises provided by the young contestants all newborns and toddlers up to 24 months old are invited to “show us their stuff” in over 10 categories! Sorry no on-site registration, deadline to enter is Wed, Apr 21

Fairbanks
Easter Egg Hunt-Santaland RV Park--SAT
11:00 a.m. North Pole Community Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by New Hope Methodist-Presbyterian Church to benefit New Hope Church School. Held at Santaland RV Park in North Pole, 11 am sharp. $1 donation per child. Bring small gathering basket. Filled eggs, prizes, free cookies.

Indoor Community Easter Egg Hunt-J.P. Jones Community Center--SAT
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. J.P. Jones Community Development Center 2400 Rickert, Off 24th and Cushman** The Easter Bunny Will Be On Hand Giving Out Candy** Free: Indoor Egg Hunt, Hotdogs, Popcorn, Cookies, Prizes **Come On Out and Have a Hopping Good Time** Sponsored by area businesses and organizations For More Info Contact 378-3440

See Meez Kidz Giveaway (closed)

2011-04-15T23:15:00.003-08:00

Do you ever see products and think "Genius! Why didn't I think of that!" That's how I feel about See Meez Kidz! They have cute hoodies and hats with reflective tape in it, which is GREAT for fall Alaskan days when we start losing all that light. I think this is so great especially in the fall when kids are playing outside. Who wants to wear a bright orange safety vest to be seen? I have 3 items to give away so read on to learn about this awesome product and learn how to win! Here is a pic of my son in his hat, warm, cute and reflective!

Please tell us about yourself and why you started the business.
My husband and I noticed a lot of people walking and bicycling in the long hours of darkness here in Alaska. We noticed how easily most of these people were not visible, even with automobile headlights and street lights. I especially watch for the children. Here in Alaska the winters are long with extended periods of darkness. We noticed that state, government and blue-collar workers were always wearing reflective clothing. So, we wondered if there was fashionable reflective wear for everybody, especially children. We researched the availability of reflective clothing and we were unable to find what we were looking for.

I saw an opportunity because my husband has worn safety gear for the last 20 years. I am more alert to reflective materials in general because of this. When you take the time to look around you see it on all kinds of things, like school buses, police cars, fire trucks, stop signs and even street signs.
I looked for everyday clothing with safety in the design. I found nothing that fit the bill. I purchased some 3M “Scotchlite” Reflective Material and with the help of some dear friends started to make what I wanted. The idea was born, a product that provides 360 degrees of safety with 100% comfort.
Now I needed a name and that is cute. The name See Meez came from our then three-year old granddaughter, who always says “see me, see me” when she wants to be noticed or picked up. Wow! That phrase was perfect for what we had in mind-practical, fashionable clothing with an emphasis on night safety. “Flashionable”
Finally, after over 3 years of research on reflective products, their versatility in clothing application and then coming up with some fun styles, I have started out with simple pieces with the anticipation of adding many more wonderful items. After a while we had enough to hand out and ask people what they thought of them,we were told we should be selling these things, so here we are. I hope everyone enjoys both the comfort and peace of mind “See Meez™’ brand “Flashionable™” apparel and accessories has to offer.

Where do I get these products?
See Meez products are available on line @ http://www.flashionable.com/. We are currently shopping local consignment opportunities in the Anchorage and Wasilla. We attend most local trade shows and are also sold through High country Kennels and Mushing events throughout Alaska. We donate headgear to local elementary schools, the willow jr.. dog mushing association, and vets helping heros.

What do you love about Alaska?
the challenging lifestyle

So here are the 3 clothing items that I am giving away!

This is a kids large hoodie. Notice the reflective tape on the sleeves? I had my 4 year old model them, great faces huh? A cool giveaway AND entertainment!

This is a kids large hat! My son wears a small and he still has room to grow in it. This has cool cross bones on it. Notice the reflective tape around the brim?

Yes, my son is wearing a girls jacket, don't tell my husband. =) Isn't it too cute! It has hearts on it. This is a kids small zip up hoodie. Notice the reflective tape around the arm cuffs. They actually have girls hoodies, the tape is thicker and is placed where you can see it better.

These are all handmade and great quality!! If you don't win one, be sure to buy one! I think they are very affordable. So you want to try and win one? Here are the rules:

1. Must live in Alaska
2. Follow our blog (Anonymous will not be counted)
3. Comment on which one you would like to be entered to win, WITH an email address that I can contact you with. (You can enter to win all 3 =))

The winner will be chosen randomly on Monday night, good luck!

Simply Saying Vinyl Giveaway (closed)

2011-04-08T17:37:00.002-08:00

Seems like vinyl is all the rage right now. You can do some amazing and cute things with it! Kaye from Simply Saying Vinyl has some really cool projects that you can add to your home. This family est. sign is what Kaye is going to giveaway! Of course picture your last name. =) There are some many different fonts and colors to choose from! Be sure to visit her site! Kaye is offering 30% off items from her new catalog till the end of April if you mention Alaska's Kids! Let's learn more about her!

Please tell us about yourself and why you started your business:

I am from Sunny& Warm Arizona. I moved up to Alaska when I got married 4 1/2 years ago. After a year of living here I noticed that people up here really hadn't heard of vinyl lettering and everything you can do with it. It was kinda weird to me because it is was/and still is a pretty popular thing in the lower 48. So I decided to take the plunge and start my own business. I wanted to have vinyl in my home and decided what better way to get vinyl up here in Alaska than to do it myself.

Where can I purchase your products?

I just launched my catalog on my website this last month and you can order your products directly from me by either calling or emailing.

What do you love about Alaska?

What I love about ALASKA....has to be the summers!! I love the outdoors and enjoy camping, fishing, hiking with my family. I am also finding things to help get through the winters and just took up cross country skiing with my husband and 3 1/2 year old...hate to admit it but my 3 1/2 year old is probably much better than me...but it is still really fun to get out and do something during the winter.

Make sure to visit Kaye's site and check out all the cool products! She also holds a Girls Night Out if you want to get some friends together and make your own item! We did this as a Moms Night Out and had so much fun!

Want to win a personalized family sign?
1. you must live in Alaska
2. you must be a follower of the blog
3. leave a comment and please be sure to have a way to contact you, anonymous will not be counted!

The winner will be chosen randomly on Monday evening! Good luck! Dont forget, if you dont win and want one of these cool signs, Kaye is offering 30% off to you if you order something from her catalog and mention Alaskas Kids!!

Eagle River Puzzle Giveaway (closed)

2011-03-31T19:20:00.003-08:00

Isn't this puzzle the coolest!!! This one is my favorite! It's made in Eagle River by a cool dad who lives in a yurt with his family! Ben Schneider, owner of Eagle River Puzzles, hand makes these amazing puzzles. If you don't win one here, be sure to check them out in some local stores. These puzzles make a great Alaskan gift! They are not just for kids but for adults as well!

Before you enter the giveaway, learn more about Ben!

Please tell us about yourself and how you got into making puzzles.
   My family and I moved to Alaska almost 3 years ago and we love it. What better place is there to be able to get your family outside all year round in a wide variety of activities. Probably the most unique thing about my family is that we live in a yurt. A yurt is a large round tent who's design is based on the shelters lived in by Mongolian nomads. You can see what I mean at our families blog: http://www.movingtoak.blogspot.com/
   When we moved up here my wife's career really took off and we made the decision that it would be best for me to stay home and take care of the kids. I like being a stay at home dad, but it has its ups and downs like any other job. Being able to watch my kids grow, make my own schedule (when the kids let me), and get outside every day (when the kids let me) are some of the big ups. Ones of the big downs was that when the kids were napping and I finished cleaning the house (the tent: it's only 800 sq ft), I found myself just twiddling my thumbs or napping too. I had a clean home and was well rested, but I was lacking something. I needed something to ward off baby brain; I needed a hobby.
    I needed something to challenge the mind, offer an artistic outlet, and that I didn't require me to leave the house. I tried getting into photography for awhile, making note cards, and selling photos. But, I needed to get out by myself a lot to take pictures to really make it work and I found myself spending way too much time on the computer. My wife got tired of me complaining and moping, so she got me a woodworking book from the library about toys. Making puzzles was one of the projects in the book. Luckily we have a garage (900 sq ft, bigger than our house, awesome) beneath our yurt so I had space to work and not disturb the sleeping kids. I made a few for my son and he loved them. Then a few other parents saw them and said "Hey, you should sell these." Now I have a less than clean home, don't get much sleep, but am never bored.

Where can one get these puzzles?

There are several stores and art galleries in Anchorage and Eagle River where you can buy them:
Anchorage:
Dos Manos Art Gallery, Katie Sevigny Art Gallery, and Sweet Adeline's Children Store.

Eagle River:
Belly Baby and Beyond and Eagle River Nature Center

You can also shop at my online etsy store and see what is currently available. http://www.etsy.com/shop/YurtMade

But my favorite is to interact with customers at craft fairs or by having people pick what they want, make it, and hand it directly to them. You can see all of our designs at http://www.eagleriverpuzzles.com/ and on facebook.

What do you love about Alaska?

Winter. I'm bubbling with anticipation when the sun starts disappearing in September. I'm sad in May when all the snow starts disappearing and I finally have to hang up the skis for the summer. I'm one of those annoying people who is always praying for cold stormy weather while every one else is looking for sun. Alaska is the perfect place for me.

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Must live in Alaska

2. Be a follower of the blog

3. Visit Ben's facebook page and tell us your favorite puzzle. Please be sure to leave an email address, anonymous will not be counted.

The winner will get this cool salmon puzzle!! The winner will be chosen randomly this Sunday evening.

Mo'Rockin Creation Giveaway (closed)

2011-03-24T17:15:00.002-08:00

Owl designs seem to be everywhere and why not, they are so cute! Our giveaway is a one of a kind homemade owl by Maggie from Mo'Rockin Creations. This will make a great Easter basket present!

Please tell us about yourself and how you started your business:
I am a homeschooling mother of 5 children ages 7-15. My husband is a youth and children's pastor in Wasilla, loving kids and serving the community is what we do most. I love to create and am tickled that people like my creations. I won't lie, the cash from my creations also helps to support our love of homeschooling and the life of ministry we've chosen for our family. I really began crafting in 2003, when I began making hand braided rugs to donate to a mission fundraiser and to give as presents. The summer of 2004 is when I began making baby slings, receiving blankets, tooth fairy pillows, hooded bath towels, kool aid purses and more. I sold my creations at farmers markets and craft bazaars in Idaho until 2007, when our family moved to Wasilla. Since then, I've primarily sold my creations on Etsy.com, a wonderful website dedicated to selling all things handmade. This last year I said goodbye to creating baby slings and hello to making different animals out of recycled wool sweaters. Valentine's Day of 2010 , I really wanted to give my children something special, so I decided I would attempt to make them each owls. I looked all over the Internet for a pattern to use, but didn't find one I liked, so I created my own. I included hearts in their eyes and on their wings to show each of my kids that "Owl Always Love You" . These were a hit and soon all of my kids' friends wanted one of their own. This inspire me to make them for my etsy shop. I absolutely love making my owls. It brings me so much joy to hunt out wool and create one of a kind owls, mushrooms, cats and monsters. Each owl and monster seems to have its own personality and I love seeing others enjoy my creations. The best part for me is they were born out of my love for my own kids. I continue to make towels, blankets, burp cloths and purses made out of recycled materials, but my owls are definitely my favorite.

Where can I get these owls?
Currently you can buy my creations on my Facebook page and you can also purchase my, Owl Always Love You, owls at Sweet Adeline's Children's Store on Huffman in Anchorage.

What do you love about Alaska?
It's hard to say what I love the most about Alaska. I've dreamt of moving here since the 8th grade, when I was inspired by my Grandpa's stories of serving in the Aleutian Islands during WWII. Over the years I would dream up how I could make it up here. In 95' I just happened to marry a man with Alaska in his heart as well. We were overjoyed to finally move up here in 2007 and are still in love with Alaska ,her great beauty, wonderful people and pioneer spirit. I still pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming! It brings me great joy to say my creations are Alaskan made.

Want to win one of these sweet owls? Please follow the rules:
1. Live in Alaska
2. Visit Maggie's facebook page and let me know which owl you would choose if you won.
3. Follow the blog and PLEASE leave an email address to contact you. Anonymous will not be counted.

One winner will be chosen Sunday night, good luck!!

Alaska Love Giveaway (closed)

2011-03-17T14:42:00.003-08:00

I love seeing all the hand designed apparel in Alaska. One designer that I think was so creative is Marne Lastufka. She is the owner of alaska love and I love how she placed hearts in places of the stars of the big dipper, which is on our state flag. Simple yet powerful.

Marne donated a kids long sleeve shirt size 8. (She said they run a little small) It is charcoal gray with baby blue lettering on it.

Please tell us a little about you and your business:
I am a life-long Alaskan and started my business in 2009. I started small, but it quickly grew into a larger entity of its own.

Where can I get these products?You can get Alaska Love items at Dos Manos, located at 1317 W Northern Lights, and at the Fiddlehead Gallery on 4th Ave. I also do craft shows, I have several coming up, "A
Woman's Affair", April 1-3 in Fairbanks, "Spring Fling", at the Egan Center on April 16, 17, and the "Today's Woman Show", in Wasilla, April 29-May 1. I will also be at the Downtown Saturday Market this summer June- August.
Visit her website, alaska love and "like" her facebook page!

What do you love about Alaska?I love the people that live in Alaska, and I love the fact that the days are so different, always are changing.

Want to win the tshirt? Please follow the rules and good luck!

1. You must live in Alaska
2. Leave a comment and make sure your profile links back to your email address or post it here. (Anonymous will not be counted! If your phone doesn't let you do it, please sign in from your computer)
3. You have to be a follower of the blog

One random winner will be chosen Sunday night. Remember the shirt is a long sleeve KIDS size 8 shirt.

Good luck!

SnuggleBoo Giveaway!! (closed)

2011-03-10T15:35:00.004-09:00

Whenever I carry my baby in her car seat, I usually get comments on her cover. I LOVE my SnuggleBoo cover. I used to have another fleece cover, but I didn't like how it laid on my sons face. The SnuggleBoo acts as a tent and I can peek in without waking her. I am still able to carry the car seat on my arm as well. It keeps her so warm and keeps the wind off when I am taking her to and from the car. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with a baby. Its so much easier then throwing a blanket over the car seat as well. This is a great gift for the new momma as well!

Naomi donated a neutral cover for our giveaway!! Let's hear about Naomi first and we can move onto our giveaway.

Please tell us a little about you and why you created the SnuggleBoo:

I’m blessed to be a stay-at-home-mother of 4 wonderfully crazy kiddos. Not the easiest job, and yes it IS a full time job in itself, but I’m thankful to have the option. My husband got me a sewing machine the Christmas that we found out that I was pregnant with our second child. She was born the following September, just in time for the cold weather! I was and still am, not comfortable with the car seat covers that lay directly over the baby’s face so I bought one of those JJ Cole BunndleMe things to keep her warm. But her face was still exposed to the sometimes sub-zero temps. She also kicked her feet so much that she would actually work the zippers down and eventually be completely uncovered!

So then I decided to make something myself since I couldn’t find ANYTHING that stayed away from her face while still protection her from the cold.
And so the idea of the SnuggleBoo was born.
It was never my intention to turn this into a business, but I was constantly being asked where I got my car seat cover. One thing lead to another and here we are!

Where can I purchase the SnuggleBoo?

www.snugglebooonline.com

And soon in the Nursing Boutique inside of Prov.
We also have a facebook page!

What do you love about Alaska?What I love most about Alaska would be the summers!
I love the light and the warm and all the beauty that comes with it. There is so much to do outside…
Alaska In the summer is just AMAZING! The winters I actually enjoy too….till about mid-January…then I’m ready for summer again!

Thanks Naomi!! SO here are the rules to enter for your chance to win a SunggleBoo.

1. Must live in Alaska.

2. Be a follower of the blog (Anonymous WILL NOT be counted!)

3. Leave a comment on who would get to enjoy the cover. Please make sure you leave an email address to contact you or have your profile link to your email address.

~~One random winner will be chosen and the giveaway will close on Sunday night. Good Luck!~~

Green Kid Crafts Giveaway! (closed)

2011-03-03T22:06:00.004-09:00

Have you heard of the new "kid" in town? Green Kid Crafts just started sending out their monthly craft kits! Imagine having a craft kit come to your mailbox just for your little one three times a month. You don't have to come up with the idea or go to the store, all that work is done for you! You get to sit down and enjoy doing the craft with your kid! I know my son LOVES getting stuff in the mail. Then on top of that something cool to do? Let's not forget it helps you out by entertaining your kids for awhile, bonus! Visit their site to learn more about the prices and what they offer. http://www.greenkidcrafts.com/

Penny, co-founder of GKC, dropped some kits off at my house to give away and one for us to try! To the left is a picture of my son getting ready to open it, he is already excited!

It came with lots of fun stuff to add to the scrapbook, the only thing I needed to bust out was glue, scissors and pictures! Kaden wanted to do his visit to the zoo, cause he is ALL about animals, especially big cats.

It was funny cause I had to step back and allow Kaden to create. I wanted to jump in and tell him where to place things. " I can do it!" Yes, yes you can Kaden. I was excited too! In fact it made me want to break out my scrapbook! He wasn't really interested in all the fun stuff to add, he just wanted the paper and pics. The add ons were so simple but eye catching. Kaden wasn't bombarded by scrapbook add ons like at the store. Simple, sometimes I need that in my life.

It was a great time for him to work on his motor skills without even knowing it. Gluing and cutting, and he wasn't even in preschool!! See parents, sooo easy! And YOU don't even have to be crafty! Your kids do most of the work! Now if only he could pick up after himself without being told five times.

He was so proud of his scrapbook. He asked me to write a title on it and then he showed it to grandma and daddy. We had to keep it up because little sister wanted it. He would close it up then look at it. He kept on doing this, it was so fun to watch.

Be sure to "like" Green Kid Crafts on Facebook to get ideas of crafts to do at home with supplies you probably already have! This would be a great birthday gift idea for a little one! Green Kid Crafts sends to the lower 48 as well!

~~So you want to win a craft kit? Two lucky winners will win a cute little kit to try. Here are the rules:~~

~~1. Live in Alaska~~

~~2. Be a follower of our blog (please leave an email if your profile does not link back to your address) Anonymous will NOT be counted!~~

~~3. Let us know who this kit will be going to!~~

~~Giveaway will close Sunday night, good luck!~~

What's cookin momma?

2011-03-02T16:54:00.001-09:00

Some nights I can't even THINK of what to make for dinner. More then not its Brinner (breakfast and dinner). But I have found a new fav to whip and the kids really enjoy it so I thought I would share, Halibut Olympia and Parmesan Asparagus. I can not take the credit for coming up with these yummy recipes. Halibut Olympia is from Best of the Best from Alaska from Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. Parmesan Asparagus is from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten. The Alaska book is GREAT for all that moose, halibut, and salmon in your freezer!

Halibut Olympia

2 lbs Halibut fillets 1 c mayo

1 c sour cream 3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

(just to let you know I don't even measure this! I just throw it in. the recipe also calls for green onions, but I don't care for them)

Pat haibut fillets dry and place in baking dish. Mix all ingredients and spread on top of halibut. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 mins or until easily flakes. SOOOO yummy!

Parmesan Asparagus

2 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus 1/4 black pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

(this is another recipe that I no longer measure, just throw it all together)

Lay asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese. Roast for 15-20 mins at 400 degrees. My kids LOVE these. I didn't like asparagus before these and we eat them once a week!!!

Best thing is they can both cook together and dinner is ready fast! Fast and healthy is great, especially for kids who are hungry and driving you crazy! =)

Happy eating!!

Denali Parent Coaching

2011-03-01T14:21:00.001-09:00

What a great time to talk about Denali Parent Coaching! Alice, from DPC, is offering a 6 week workshop called  "Parenting With Purpose; Calm, Consistent, Connected-the ScreamFree Way." It will be held on Wednesday evening beginning in March at O'Malley Elementary. You can contact her at 907-868-6933 or denaliparentcoaching.@gmail.com

What is "parent coaching" you ask? Well I interviewed Alice to tell us what it involves, read on!

Please tell us a little about yourself and your qualifications.
I've lived in AK for 27 years, am married and have daughters aged 17 and 20. I grew up in Seattle, went east to Tufts University for a bachelors degree in Child Study, and have worked with and for families ever since. I have always had a passion for caring for young children-as a teen I split my weekend nights between social and babysitting--and often chose babysitting over social! For 30 years I've worked to support families as a caregiver, a parent educator, a preschool teacher; I co-ran an infant/toddler center and eventually had my own babies and became a home mom--my initial dream in life:-) As my daughters grew, I began volunteering in Providence's Center for Child Development as a mentor for other caregivers, and 4 years ago discovered the Parent Coaching Institutes graduate level year long certification program (partnered with Seattle Pacific University). Everything about it spoke to my heart and soul, and I jumped on board. What a transformational year for me--feeling so right and energized about what I was learning and doing; being connected with many other like-minded professionals; growing from within. My business, Denali Parent Coaching, has been up and running since June of 2008. Getting the resource of Parent Coaching out to the world has been a mission for all of us PCI Certified Parent Coaches. And it seems to be working! For the past three years I've grown as a marketer, presenter, workshop facilitator, and parent coach. I am grateful for the opportunity to work along side parents as they "reach new heights in their parenting."

What is parent coaching? Parent Coaching is a collaborative relationship that supports parents through the challenges of parenting. I speak only for PCI Certified Parent Coaches--and by hiring one a parent knows they are getting a highly trained professional. Through teamwork parent and coach discover the strengths in a family, what is working, and develop and implement strategies that address their specific needs. The result of the coaching relationship is positive, lasting change, greater satisfaction as a parent, and healthy, more positive relationships within the family. Ultimately a parent will feel calmer, more connected and consistent with their children

How do I know that I need parent coaching? A parent can benefit from coaching when they are actively seeking help; when they feel overwhelmed, frustrated, confused; are wanting change and are having difficulty creating it. Often this is a parent who has gotten advice from multiple sources, yet nothing seems to work for long.
Usually a parent needs only to call and talk with me to discover if coaching is the right fit for them. I do offer a 30 minute complimentary call above and beyond an initial conversation

What does your service include and what are the prices?
My services include:
    -individual/couples coaching via phone (though with some exception can be done in person)
    -group coaching with small groups of parents with similar issues
   -6 session workshop based on ScreamFree Parenting by Hal Runkel
   -presentations
   For individual/couples coaching I charge $80 per hour long session, which includes an extensive email follow-up and unlimited email contact between sessions. Most coaching relationships last 6-12 sessions (weekly initially, every 2-3 weeks near end).
   For my 6 session workshop I charge $150.00/person, and that includes the book and workbook.
   Presentations typically run $100-$150/hour depending on needs, situation, etc. This is an area that is still unfamiliar to me, so I'm basing the fees off of colleagues of mine.
   Group coaching can be done in a number of ways--currently a preschool is paying me $200 for 4 hour long "Parent Shares" which really are group coaching without the email follow-up. For a small group of parents with similar issues wanting multiple sessions, I would charge less per person then with the individual/couples coaching. The amount would be based on the number of participants--a group of 4 could expect to perhaps pay $20/person per session, for instance.
Another benefit to hiring a PCI Certified Parent Coach® is because coaching is typically done over the telephone, a parent can hire one from anywhere in the states. Many of us have niches, such as, but not limited to:
   -infant/toddler ages; school aged; teens; young adult
    -special needs
    -ADHD and other learning challenges
    -step families, single parents
I am considered a 'generalist' for I enjoy working with parents of any age child and a myriad of challenges. If I am the wrong fit for a client, I can easily connect them to other colleagues.

Thank you Alice for your time! Be sure to "like" her on Facebook for tips and articles. Be sure to check out her website for more information and to contact- Denali Parent Coaching.

The Pine Cone Gnome Giveaway!! (closed)

2011-02-24T23:50:00.003-09:00

These dolls are sooo adorable, aren't they!? Shannon over at The Pine Cone Gnome hand makes them! I came across them one day and grabbed one for my daughter for Christmas! She loves gnawing on it. Shannon is giving away one of these cute teether's to a lucky reader! First let's learn about Shannon!

Please tell us a little bit about you and why you started your business.

One day, when I was about seven years old, a family from the Netherlands came to visit us. I remember the little boy and girl hugging onto two beautiful cloth dolls that were dressed in perfectly knitted outfits done made from a Nordic pattern. I can still see those two dolls in my mind to this day! It took twenty-two years before I learned those dolls were called "Waldorf" or "Steiner" dolls, and better yet, I could learn how to make them!

I grew up sharing my childhood years between the great bush of Alaska and the beaches of Hawaii. My parent’s homesteaded land on a small private island located within the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.

After a lot of hard work, they started a summer fishing lodge that brought wonderful guests from all over the world into our home. I was constantly surrounded by wilderness and amazing plants animals and couldn't have imagined a better way to live.

Spending most of my summer days barefoot, running on the slate rocks that covered the beaches and swimming in the glacier fed lake. I was quickly given the nick name "leather-foot" because of how tough my feet became.

I had a few friends that would visit me, but only when they flew out in float planes. They would often stay with us for a week or two at a time.

My mother home schooled my brother and me until I was in the fourth grade. She had promised my brother that he could go to a traditional school starting in the Ninth grade at which point we moved to Hawaii. I started attending a wonderful Montessori School there and that was just what I needed for a very gentle transition from my home school life.

Hawaii fed me a whole new type of nature. Although at first glance it seemed completely different to me. I still had amazing plants and animals that surrounded me and I still choose to leave my shoes at home, but the water was a whole lot warmer!

I moved back to Alaska in 1996 where I currently live with my husband and two wonderful boys. All of them have been very supportive of my creative outlets and give me continued inspiration for my work.

I hope to be able to continue making dolls and toys for a long, long time and hope to never stop learning new techniques so that I can keep growing with this loving craft.

Where can I purchase these dolls?

You can find my shop through http://www.pineconegnome.com/ or directly at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepineconegnome.

What do you love about Alaska?

Alaska is more than just a place to live for me, it truly is a part of who I am and no matter how long I live here I will never take for granted how blessed my family and I are to be able to wake up each morning in such a beautiful state. I love the diverse terrain Alaska offers us; from the beaches to the mountains and from tundra to the rain forests of S.E., each holding within natural miracles both large and small. It was a wonderful place to be brought up as a child and now I am enjoying being able to see Alaska through my own children’s eyes!

Thanks Shannon!!!

My daughter loves her teether! The velour is so soft and she goes to town on the ring! I love knowing that this doll was all handmade from natural materials.

Now onto the giveaway, wahoo!!! I will pick a winner randomly on SUNDAY night. Here are the rules, please follow them!

1. You must live in Alaska.

2. You must be a follower of the blog. Your profile should link up to a page to contact you or leave your email address.

3. Please one entry per follower, if you have to make another one, delete the previous comment.

4. Anonymous comments will NOT be counted!

Good luck!!

krazykidlets Hat Giveaway (closed)

2011-02-17T21:16:00.003-09:00

Winter is a great season for cute hats! I'm excited to introduce our next giveaway, a krazykidlets handmade hat! Have you seen her work?! SO CUTE!!!! You want one? I know you do! Let's get to know her first!

Micehele, please tell us a little about yourself and why you started this business.

I am a SAHM to four amazing kidlets and I am lucky enough to be married to my high school sweetheart. I was raised in Eagle River but settled here in Palmer a few years ago. I started my business shortly after the birth of my last baby. I am a babywearing mama but could not find the perfect pocket sling to fit my over sized babies.... so I took all my needs and voila... came up with the sling that was perfect for us. A friend opened Sugar and Spice Ecotique in Anchorage and asked to carry my slings. That worked well... so I dropped off a few hats to test the market... and they flew off the shelves. After about 1.5 years, the store closed its doors so she could be a SAHM to her babies. I then moved my items to another store and added some clothing. That was working so well that I decided to open a facebook page so that I could interact with my customers. I got a lot of response and a lot of encouragement to go further.... so, last summer, once a month, I had a booth at the Palmer Friday Fling. I also did a few craft shows in Anchorage and the Valley over the Holidays. I love doing the craft fairs... I love seeing sweet little heads with a krazykidlets hat on it in random places... I love seeing pictures of kids in the clothing that I have made. Business has been so busy, that I have been able to stop selling via boutique and focus solely on my artfire studio, facebook and the craft fairs that I love.

Where can I get these hats?

My hats and clothing can always be found in my artfire studio or my facebook page. I list which craft fairs I will be at with times and places on my facebook page.

What do you love about Alaska?

I love the summers. Where else can I drag my sewing machine outside and spend 14 hours sewing and listening to my kidlets squeal in delight while they just be kids. Now that my babies are getting older, we are rediscovering camping, kayaking and fishing... I am very much looking forward to this summer and all the fun we will have in it.

Thanks Michele! Be sure to visit her facebook page and look at all those cute hats! Michele was so kind enough to give a hat of choice from her inventory to one lucky reader!

Here are the rules:

1. You have to be a follower of the blog and live in Alaska. Please be sure I have a way to contact you!

2. Visit krazykidlets page and tell me your fav hat and who it would go to!

3. You can only enter once.

I will pick a lucky winner Sunday night! Good luck!!

Alder Patch Art Giveaway (closed)

2011-02-11T23:16:00.004-09:00

I'm so excited to start off our first giveaway from an AMAZING lady, Samantha Geuss. We used to work together back in the college years at Trailside Discovery. Samantha opened up her own business, Alder Patch Art, selling photography, greeting cards, and apparel. I love her photographs, be sure to check them out! She has some cute shirts and sweatshirts for everyone in the family! All of the apparel companies she works with are globally and socially conscious and the designs are screen-printed locally! Samantha was so kind to donate 2 shirts and a cool sticker. They are SO cute!

The yellow onesie is size 18-24 mons and valued at $18.

The kid shirt is actually a royal blue with this design and is a size 3T valued at $18.

Then of course a really cool "Midnight Sun Playground" sticker valued at $4.

Just in case you don't win, you can find her products on line at, Alder Patch Art. Dos Manos and Babes in the Woods Gallery in Girdwood carry some of her apparel. You can get her greeting cards at FlyPaper, Metro Music & Books, and Terra Bella in Anchorage. She is usually at the weekend craft shows as well! Be sure to "like" her on her facebook page!

Here are the rules:

1. Comment on which one you would like to win and what cute kid would get it!

2. You have to live in Alaska and be a follower of the blog!

3.Make sure I have a way of contacting you! Your profile must link to your blog or you can leave your email address. Anonymous comments will be deleted.

Three lucky winners will be randomly picked to win. This giveaway will close this Monday at midnight.Good luck!

Buy Local!

2011-02-11T14:41:00.000-09:00

I'm really excited about starting our local giveaways! I hope this encourages us all to get out and buy locally and support the community! I don't know about you, but Im tired of paying an arm and a leg for shipping and handling! Or getting my hopes up cause I see FREE SHIPPING, only to read except in AK or HI. SIGH

In order to win a giveaway you need to live in Alaska AND be a follower on our blog. Please check out the local stores or their websites when I post the giveaway. There is some cool and cute stuff donated for everyone in the family!

If you are local artist or business and want to participate, please send me an email at alaskaskids@gmail.com!

Our Little Miracle

2011-02-09T15:31:00.002-09:00

It was a Saturday morning when I started becoming concerned for my little baby girl, Brooke who was growing in me. I was 38 weeks and I wasn't feeling her move as much as I usually do. I drank some juice and laid on my back to see if she would move. Was that a kick? Maybe she is sleeping.
Later that day, I still wasn't feeling her move. Maybe I missed it while I was chasing my 20 month old son. Maybe I should go in to the hospital. Ah, I'm just being paranoid. Maybe she does not move as much as my son does, maybe this means she will be more laid back?
That night my concern was growing even more. I laid in bed and asked my husband to pray for me, I was afraid. It was 3am, maybe I should just go in and then come back home cause everything is okay. I finally decided to go in in the morning by myself and then be back in time for church.
I started crying telling why I was there to the nurse. They brought me back and started doing tests. Oh thank God, there is a heartbeat, but the nurse is concerned and being vague. Brooke was failing all the tests. While this was going on, I was on the phone with my husband, we were glad that we heard the heartbeat and thought things were okay. The nurse said that the doctor was on his way and that Brooke would be born via emergency C-section. I told my husband to call my mom to watch our son, and come in as soon as possible.
I was in such shock, I don't really remember those fast moments . I remembered going into a room where lots of doctors and nurses were. I was so afraid. Afraid for Brooke, afraid for me, what is going to happen?
My husband finally arrived and came into the room right before they opened me up. It happened so fast. The doctor pulled her out, but no cries. They said the cord was wrapped around her neck very tightly 3 times and she needed help breathing. Finally I heard my little baby cry out. Big sigh of relief.
Things were looking hopeful, she didn't have to go to the NICU nursery. A couple of hours passed and we finally were both doing great resting in a room.
As a nurse was making her rounds, checking vitals on Brooke and myself, she asked to take Broke back to get some oxygen cause she didn't seem to be taking enough in. Sure, I said, and thought the delivery was rough so she would be back shortly.
The nurse walked back into the room with a doctor and no baby. The doctor started telling me that Brooke has a seizure and they wanted to do a Spinal Tap to rule out meningitis. He talked about all the things that could go wrong. Please, do whatever you need to do to help my baby. I was in shock, again. I don't even know what to do, what to say. What is going on. I called my husband to come back because they didn't know what was going on with Brooke.
I can't even tell you everything that happened within that long hour. They were trying to get things under control, telling me everything that was going on, medicine they were giving her, procedures that needed to happen. I just wanted to see her, to hold her.
We finally got to see her after all the tests were concluded, they had her on 2 types of medicine to control her seizures. We walked up to her bed side and she was sleeping from the medicine. She then stopped breathing, we watched her oxygen levels go down, and we were helpless. All I could say is please Lord let her live. She then started breathing, but this is what her seizures looked like, she stopped breathing. I could only touch her little wrapped up body. I couldn't hold her to my chest and kiss her little head.

They started an EEG on her and her brainwaves were very abnormal. The neurologist couldn't tell me anything, the NICU doctors couldn't tell me anything and the nurses couldn't tell me anything about what was going to happen.

Every hour we just waited for something, some hope. I visited her as much as possible as I was healing from a C-section via classical incision.

Several days passed and her seizures were under control. They did an MMR and found brain damage, more then likely from the birth. It was so lonely. The world passed by outside the hospital and I didn't even know or even care what was going on. I just wanted my baby to be healthy.

I finally got to hold her, to nurse her, to touch her. Then I got to room with her and start taking care of her. It was round the clock care making sure she ate enough so we could leave. The medicine made her so drowsy so she left even more so then a newborn does. She failed the hearing test several times. Another thing to add onto my worries.

After a week, we got to leave. I was blessed that it only was a week. Some babies had been in there for months. I was even more afraid to be at home. What if she has more seizures? I don't have a machine that will go off. I don't remember too many of those days.
She failed another newborn hearing test. I was afraid, what if she is deaf? More doctor visits and more concerns. She wasn't gaining very much weight, her head wasn't growing either. We had to visit several doctors to try and find out what was going on. Many months of waiting. There was no diagnosis, which I wanted so badly. Tell me how her future looks, will she ever hear, will she ever live a normal life, will we have to take care of her for the rest of her life, will she be able to have friends, drive, have children? Wait and see, Brooke will tell us.
I grieved my "perfect" child that we all hope for. It sounds horrible. Nothing prepares you for this. This was out of my control, which is so hard because I have such a need to be in control. My son was by the books, normal. What did I do wrong? What did I eat? What did I do to cause this?
Brooke was diagnosed with microcephaly, which means small head. I cant even tell you the number of doctor visits we have been to.We found out she is not deaf but has mild/moderate loss in her right ear. She wears a hearing aid, waiting for her glasses to come in, and an orthopedic brace on her right foot. She does occupational, speech, and physical therapy 4xs a week.

This girl has come a long ways and surprises us daily. I don't know what her future holds, but I know and love Who holds her future. That's all I can trust right now.
Why did I tell you this? I tell you all this because I want you to get touch with the gut feeling. Trust it. Its a God given gift that sometimes we don't listen to. Your son isn't where the other kids are, get him checked out now. You don't trust your doctor when she says your daughter is fine, get a second opinion. Go with your parental instincts, it can save a life.

I leave you with a picture of my little peanut, Brooke and my 5 month old daughter, Kora. I had tons of fears with Kora's pregnancy, but that's for another day.

Celebration Banner

2011-01-28T22:01:00.001-09:00

I saw a banner like this in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. Great book filled with many creative ideas that anyone can do. I dog eared it and wanted to make it for the longest time. My son's 4th birthday crept up on my pretty quick so I put this thing together in one night! Needless to say I stayed up till 1am making it. Bad mistake! But I got it finished!

Okay just to let you know, Im not very good at directions, I like to wing it, so if you need help with something please let me know! I will try to explain as best as I can. You can also check out the book!

You need:
fabric, extra wide double fold bias tape, sewing machine, rotary cutter, self healing mat, ruler

I cut out a template of cardstock for my triangles. The sides are 8in and the top edge is 6in. I cut 2 pieces of fabric out of each design, for a total of 22 triangles. I sewed the wrong sides of the same fabric together, but did not sew the top, so I could flip it inside out. I made enough triangles so later on I could sew my son's name on.

After I sewed all the triangles and turned them inside out, I pinned them inside the bias tape. Then I sewed along the edge of the biased tape making sure each triangle was sewed to the tape.

I was really proud of the way it turned out! I got some fabric for my 2 girls and I will make one for each of them to use on their birthdays or to celebrate an special occasion. I thought how special it would be to use each banner as the kids get older and they can take it with them when they move out, maybe pass down to their kids!

Here are several sites with the same idea (and probably better directions)
See Mommy Sew
Vanilla Joy
Mikodesign

Get outside and explore!

2011-01-24T22:48:00.001-09:00

There is a great group called the Anchorage Family Outdoor Network to help you get out and enjoy the outdoors with your little ones. Two amazing ladies organize the group and lead subgroups. Harmony leads Taiga Trekkers and Lia leads Skedaddle. These ladies inspire me to get out of the house with the little ones and I hope this interview inspires you to get some fresh air or better yet join in the fun!!

Please tell us a about your groups and what you offer.
Harmony: Taiga Trekkers is a great group of active parents. We meet up most Thursdays at 10. We have also recently added a once a month family Trek to include working families and spouses. The group started out with hiking with just infants and toddler and we have evolved to bigger kids who want to trek on their own. We certainly aren't sprinting up the trails, we take our time and wait for each other to tend to our children's needs. Infants and toddlers are worn or pushed in strollers/sleds. The older kids hike at their own speed. We may not all travel the same average speed, but make sure that no one is ever alone, that there are always two adults together. This way we do not need to worry about keeping the entire pack together. With the cold temperatures in the winter and larger animals in the spring and summer, the buddy system is important for safety. It is also important to break and let the munchkins get out and enjoy nature themselves. I try to schedule a stroller/sled/pulk friendly event every other week.Eventually we will evolve into an all ages family hiking group when our older kiddos become too big for the strollers and carriers.

Setting off on trails we expect to find wonder and are not stressed if we don't get to the final destination. Safety and sanity always come first. We respectfully request that dogs do not come on our hikes.
Thanks to some wonderful sponsors we have some great gear for parents to test drive. Please check out our gear page for more info.

We are in the Alaskan wilderness and hiking ultimately is at your own risk. We trust that each adult will act according to what is in the best interest of their child and themselves.
Lia: I co-lead the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network with Harmony. She is the major leader and I just try to put in activities when they arise!

My main group is Skedaddle, an all weather playgroup. I feel strongly about kids needing to be out in nature with unstructured time. We currently meet at playgrounds or nature sites around town, but if the needs of the group change, I am open! I have only cancelled one skedaddle - on the icy road day when schools closed. We had about 6 families when it was right at zero and during the summer the numbers increase greatly!

Please tell us a little about your family.
Harmony: I am a stay-at-home mama taking time away from being an elementary teacher. My husband is in construction. We have one child who is turning 2 in February and two K9 kids.

Lia: I was born in Alaska and am so happy to be living here again. I have two boys, one and two, born 15 months apart. We try to get out as much as we can to ski, do orienteering, fish, hike, or just play in the yard.
What made you want to start your group?
Harmony: I love being outside, but am a big ninny about going out by myself. My over active imagination convinces me there is a bear or moose around every corner. From what I've heard there's never been a bear attack on a group larger than 4 - safety in numbers. I also wanted to meet new people with a similar desire to exercise and share the outdoors with our kids.
Lia: I wanted to get my kids into nature as much as possible. I read Last Child in the Woods and was motivated to provide an easy way for other families to get out as well.

What kind of gear do I need for me and my little one(s)?
Harmony: If you are hiking with a cuddler or a cruiser you'll need a baby carrier as all the trails we do can be done with one. It doesn't matter which one you choose, moby, ergo, framepack as long as it is appropriate for your child's weight and age. Every other week we try to make sure we do a stroller/pulk friendly trail - these hikes work really well for parents of more then one child. The only other gear required is weather/temperature appropriate clothing. Jen Aist's book Babes in the Woods is a great resource for those parents who question if their dressing their kid for the cold. She also often puts on workshops in the Anchorage area.
Lia:You just need to dress for the weather! A sled is nice in the winter!

When some people hear Alaska, hiking, bears, snow, etc it can get overwhelming and some will opt out. What can you say to encourage the parent who has never been hiking or played out in the rain, to get outside and enjoy nature.

Harmony: Like I said before safety in numbers is important. Most of the trails we schedule are ones I've done myself with my family, or suggestions from other parents who have done them. Spending time outside no matter the season or temps is very important in brain development and sets the stage for a life full of adventure. Making a routine of it early makes it so much easier when you hit the so called "terrible twos" and other challenging developmental stages. I currently have two moms writing pieces for me on how to hike successfully with two kiddos under 3 at the same time. We are always available for answering questions and try to post pertinent info and resources on the blog.
Lia: I often want to stay at home when I am trying to shove two screaming toddlers into their winter gear while the thermometer hangs in the single digits. I just keep telling myself that it will get better. Sometimes my kids get cold, wet or just want to go home after we get out of the car that morning. I try to encourage them to stay, but sometimes we are the first to leave! It always seems that the parents get cold and wet first, as the kids have fun splashing or sledding!

Lia, I understand you created a site that is gear approved by Alaskan moms. Can you tell me about that?

Lia: I was frustrated trying to find a review of a carrier cover. I found reviews saying it was great in the winter, but the reviewers were in Arizona and Tennessee. I wrote to the company and they seemed interested in the idea of reviews done for our extreme conditions and lifestyles. I get items from companies and try to match them with reviewers in the Crew. They write a little review and I place it on the site. I also have been putting reviews for items people already own and enjoy. I want it to be a place that people can use to find gear useful for skedaddles or treks with the Taiga Trekkers. Moms always know best!

How do I become a member?
Harmony: Joining the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network http://www.meetup.com/Anchorage-Outdoor-Family-Network/ is the best place to join as you can RSVP there. We also have a blog http://taigatots.blogspot.com/. The blog is more for sharing pictures with family members "Outside" and for getting info about resources as mentioned before... and every group must have a facebook page.
Lia: To join skedaddle, just show up and have fun! The location is on the AOFN and skedaddle blog! Come for ten minutes or two hours!

To join the Alaskan Mom Review Crew, follow this link and fill out the form! You are top on the list if you review an item you already own and give the seal of Alaskan mom approval!

http://skedaddlekids.blogspot.com/2010/12/alaskan-mom-approved-gear.html

Thanks ladies!! Check out the sites and visit one of the meetups when you just need to get out of the house with the little ones!

Beans, Beans the magical fruit....

2011-01-23T21:55:00.001-09:00

Need something new for your kids but don't want to spend tons of money? Get some beans!!!! That's right, dry beans. I've been using a bean play box for my son since he was a year old, now my 2 year old daughter loves to play in it with him.

All you need is a couple bags of dried beans, storage box, and toys. I find the black, pinto and red beans work the best. The lentils and peas are really small and are harder to pick up outside of the box. You can also use rice and I have heard of some people using sand.

We have a couple of rules: don't eat the beans, if you pour them outside the box it gets put away and have fun!! My son, Kaden, loves to hide his animals in it and Brooke loves to pour beans out of cups. This is great for Brooke who is working on grabbing and pinching, using her weaker muscles.

Another fun thing to do with beans, bean bags!!! If you have some extra fabric laying around, pull it out with your sewing machine! This is all you need:

sewing machine, thread, beans, and fabric. Oh and a cute little baby to smile at you while you work!

Okay so I don't like measuring anything! So all I did is cut out a big enough rectangle, that when folded over would make a good sized bean bag. Sew the wrong sides together, I didn't even use pins. Leave a hole big enough to put the beans in. Turn the fabric inside out, then fill with beans. I used a small index card as a funnel to put the beans in the bag. Do not fill up all the way, leave enough room to get under the sewing foot. Sew up the hole and you got yourself a bean bag! My son loved this! You can do so many things with it! My kids were tossing it in the air and catching it. You can also got bowls and toss it in and step back each time. The kids were actually using it as a pillow. =) Make sure its sewed pretty tight and even small ones can play with it.

What are some other things to do with beans or bean bags??

Pump It UP!!!

2011-01-20T16:12:00.001-09:00

Sorry it has been awhile!! I'm going to jump back in. I will be doing reviews of places to visit with the little ones. If you are outside of Anchorage and know of a great place to take little ones, please do a review for us and send it to alaskaskids@gmail.com so we can share!!!

The first place I am going to review is Pump It Up. We went there last week for a playdate with AK Kids. This was the first time for all moms that went and what a hidden jewel!! I met a very lovely woman, Reyna, who owns Pump It Up. She is a mother of four so she saw my exhaustion hauling in my 3 little ones.

First impression was how clean and open it was. There is a great little area to sit down and take off coats and shoes. This took awhile as my kids where running to go jump. We walked in the jump area and my 2 little ones took off. There are 4 large inflatables for the kids to play in. I loved that it was carpeted and there were small toys for the younger ones. There is also a WAY cool climbing wall that moves as you climb. Some of the moms were trying to do it.

The area is the PERFECT size, not too big and not too small. I could stand in the center and look at each inflatable. Great way to watch kids instead of having to run after them. My daughter liked to run into the little snack area where you can bring your own snacks! Speaking of my daughter, she has special needs. It was great that she could go into an inflatable and not need my help. She was safe and she could work on her muscle development while having fun! I got in on the fun as well, those slides are slippery and fun! It was a great workout for me and the kids loved seeing me squeeze through the smaller areas.

We will DEFINITELY be going back. The only negative that I found is the location was hard to find at first. They are located in the strip mall behind Guido's and Party Craft off International Airport. But I LOVED how friendly Reyna was, that is a must for me, to feel welcomed. My kids and I had a blast as well as the other moms.

They have a Pop In Playtime schedule Monday through Friday 10a-6p, $8 per child, adults are free. Great way for the young ones to expel some energy on those cold days!!

Santa Sighting!!

2010-12-14T22:57:00.001-09:00

There is less then 2 weeks to Christmas! Has your little one seen Santa? It's still not to late, here are some places to visit him in Anchorage.

Diamond Mall-- Mon-Thurs 11a-8p Fri & Sat 10a-8:30p Sun 11a-6p
Nordstrom-- Dec 18th-23rd 11a-7p
Arctic Playgroundz-- Dec 16th & 17th 11a-1p Bring your camera
Pump It Up-- Dec 22nd 6p-8p
The Mall at Sears--Check here to see schedule
House of Harley Davidson- Pictures with Santa on his Harley! Dec 18th 12p-2p Bring your camera!
Beall's Nursery- Specking Rd Sat 11a-5p Cranberry Rd Sun 11a-4p

Of course you can always visit Santa at the North Pole.

If you know of other Santa sightings, please list them in the comments.

Advent Calendars

2010-11-28T11:58:00.002-09:00

One of the best things about being a kid during the Christmas season were the advent calendars. There were a few years when I was a kid where we were even lucky enough to get one of those absolutely delicious waxy chocolate filled ones you can get at the grocery store. It was even better when you forgot to open up one of those tiny little doors for a few days and then got to eat a weeks worth at once. But there's so much more to the advent calendar then just the treats. It's all about the joy of anticipation having a fun way to look forward to something so magical.

There are so many different types of advent calendars these days from the waxy chocolate ones I mentioned above to the store bought to the home made. They don't have to be pricey, sugar laden, or expensive. I remember waking up excited every day because it was time to rip another "link" of my red and green contruction paper advent chain. These days you have the choice to do candy and sweets, tiny trinkets, a fun family activity a day, or just a simple calendar to count down the days. No matter how you choose to advent it's for sure going to be a family hit. So for this post I've scoured the internet and decided to post just a few of my favourites.

The first one is a fun craft that can be whipped up while watching TV. Included is an excellent tutorial for folding tiny "origami" boxes!
Check out the details at Craftynest.com

Head to your local craft store for this one! These gorgeous paper cones are easy enough for even a novice crafter but pretty enough to still look pro! Use small picture hanging hooks to attach a branch or two to your wall, hang them from your Christmas tree, or even make a ribbon garland!

Check out this easy tutorial at the Red Thread Blog

(be sure to check out some of their other great Advent Ideas too!)

Martha Stewart always has some great ideas! Here she uses some boxes of various sizes to hide some great advent trinkets! While you most likely don't have a stash of miniature boxes just laying around, they aren't too hard to find! Check places like Michaels or Joanns for tiny gift or wedding favour boxes, or even just reuse some old cracker boxes. Just cut up the boxes and tape together the cardboard pieces to form boxes. Add a little paint or decorative paper and you're good to go!
You can find the tutorial here.

Another Martha Stewart idea that us moms will definitely get a kick out of! This one uses those tiny baby socks I'm sure we all have kicking around! Don't have Christmas looking socks? Love the idea but don't have any extra's floating around? Head to a nearby gently used kids clothing store or grab a pack next time you're out shopping for groceries! Some pretty Christmas ribbon attached with glue or quickly stitched on will make look just as adorable! Find the instructions here!

This last Martha Stewart idea is great if you love the idea of an advent calendar but aren't keen on the treats! Create this one out of some poster board and some old/left over greeting cards! Don't have any cards? Get the kids to draw or colour in some holiday pictures! They'll get a kick out of seeing a new piece of their art every day! Find their tutorial here!

And for my final favourite, this one is a bit different. This tea tree advent is a great and relaxing way to count down the days! What a wonderful way to remind yourself to just sit, relax, and enjoy a warm cup of tea! Don't like tea? Pick up some flavoured coffee and try a new blend every day! (Even better if it leads up to a Keurig or Tassimo right?) You can get the details for this advent here!

I'd love to hear what your advent traditions are! Please feel free to comment below and share your ideal advent! Do you do the activity a day? What are some of your favourites??

-Charissa

Just do it already!

2010-11-23T19:36:00.003-09:00

You can do it. Seriously, you’re a mom, you can do anything! So just stop talking about it and do it!!

Have you ever thought that about anyone you know? Or maybe wanted to say something like that right to their face? Come on, be honest. Have you ever come across a “You’re such a better mom than me” mom? Do you have that one friend/acquaintance that constantly tells you you’re such an inspiration and that they wish they could be just like you but never does anything about it? Honestly, I think we all do. I also think at times we all have a bit of that mom in us.

We all have our hang-ups, I really think that’s just par for the course. We’ve all got something that at one time or another was put on the back burner for one reason or another and it’s just a matter of time before we get around to it. I myself am pretty guilty of that. I’ve got about five projects in the works, a career diploma in Desktop Publishing I’m doing nothing with, and a long list of “get around to its”. I even have a ton of long term goals but in all honesty, they’re just long term because I haven’t gotten around to them yet. I’d really like to blame it all on being a mom but I don’t think that’s really the reason. I think that it’s just human nature to dream big but at times be too scared to accomplish big too. Well that and the fact that it also seems to be human nature to gain sympathy from friends by complaining about the things we “can’t” change.

The other part of the “You’re such a better mom than me” syndrome is one that actually drives me crazy. I’m really hoping I don’t do it although I probably do. I’m talking about the mom who constantly tells you how much better of a parent you are. The one that tells you things like “your kids eat so much better than mine and you don’t give them McDonalds!” or “wow, I can’t believe your kids don’t watch tv all day, I wish I didn’t let mine!” or even “I wish I read to little Tommy every night like you read to your kids”. Now maybe it’s just me, but anytime I’ve heard things like this I’ve actually wanted to strangle the mom. Seriously! If you think what I’m doing is SOOOO much better than what you’re doing then why aren’t you changing things up a bit? If you want to read to little Tommy before bed then make it happen! If you want your four year old to stop eating McDonalds then for pete’s sake stop taking him to McDonalds!!

Now sure, I understand that life is busy/hard/crazy at times and that it can be overwhelming to make a change but it’s not impossible. I just don’t understand the parents that apparently think what they’re doing is “wrong” but do nothing to change it and just tell all of their friends about it instead. I’ve heard the words “I’m so busy, there’s just no time!” and “I need things to be convenient!” so many times. But honestly, who was it that came up with the idea that kids and life are supposed to be convenient?? Sure, it’s easier to swing by the drive through to pick up dinner, but is it really easier when the kids are complaining of tummy ache or bouncing off the walls because they drank an entire soda? Is it really that much harder to take 15 minutes and toss something in the slow cooker? Instead of fighting against time, we need to start working with it! It’s time to be honest with ourselves and stop making excuses. It’s time to realize that the 15 minutes extra you spent on Facebook this morning could have been spent cutting up some veg to throw in your lunch instead of grabbing that bag of chips on your way out the door.

So I know that change is hard. I know that change is scary. But like I said, it’s not impossible! If you really want to you can make major changes in your life in a fairly short time! So I want to propose a challenge. It doesn’t have to be a hard one, start small if you want to. I want to challenge you all to tackle that one thing you see all of your friends doing better than you.

Are you always telling a friend of yours that you wish you ate as healthy as they did? Then ask them for a recipe and designate one night to make a new healthier meal.

Do you miss putting on a little makeup in the morning and feel like you’ve been neglecting yourself (not to mention that one friend who always seems to be put together! How does she have the time??) Well next time you’re out shopping for milk just swing by the cosmetics and pick yourself up a mascara and a lip gloss. That 10-15 bucks and the 3 minutes it will take you to put it on in the morning will really make a difference!

What about that friend who always seems to have time to work out? There’s no way you can squeeze in any exercise with your busy schedule right? Wrong!! Remember, you don’t have to run a marathon straight away, just start small! Have a laptop? Set it up by the treadmill and check out hulu.com for that episode of Grey’s you were planning to watch. Don’t have a treadmill at home? Fight the urge to skip the commercials and spend them doing some sit ups, squats, or lunges. Do that and over the course of a one hour show you’ve bagged a 20 minute workout. Now of course this isn’t as good as doing it all at once but it’s something! It’s a start! Before you know it you’ll be lunging your way through an entire episode.

What about that book you’ve been meaning to read? Pick up a copy for a friend and have them read it with you. Hearing all about how good it gets in the middle is more than enough motivation to carve out some time for yourself and to enjoy a good read!

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. It’s too hard, I’m busy with school/work/kids/etc. You’re probably thinking that it’s the holidays and it’s impossible to start a new routine now, you’ll just wait for the new year. Well people, I say screw New Years! Those resolutions never work, they just set you up for failure and seriously, if you can knock out a new challenge during the holidays, you can do anything! A wise friend once told me that you’re brain automatically goes into survival mode and tells you to slow down when things get tough. She said that you just need to ignore that voice and push through and you’ll be amazed at what you can do! Now sure, she happened to be talking about an intense cardio session but I seriously think you can apply that to any challenge in life! So stop with the excuses. Just do something already! And make sure you’re never again going to be the “you’re such a better mom than me” mom!

By the way, I’m actually practicing what I preach! I’ve been talking about wanting to get in shape for a very long time now and I’m actually going to do it! It’s hard and I've already caught myself making excuses, and it's been less than a week! But, I can see myself getting hooked, it feels so great to do something active! I’m doing a Jillian Michaels yoga dvd when I find the time. It’s not easy finding time, I actually gave up 30 minutes of relaxing time while my daughter napped to do it. I never thought I would but it felt great knowing I didn’t just sit on the couch eating bon bons. Yesterday I did 25 minutes on the elliptical when I was sure I’d struggle to get 10! What an empowering feeling knowing I can actually do it! I made myself a playlist of the music I never get the chance to listen to anymore, like things that my husband hates or that aren’t appropriate for a two year olds ears. It was great motivation to stay on longer and hear just one more awesome song! If I can do it, you can too!

So pick a goal and start small, you’ll be amazed at what you can do!

Everyday Minerals Giveaway Winner is....

2010-11-13T06:47:00.000-09:00

Congratulations to.....

Chandra!

You've won yourself the Everyday Minerals Giveaway!

Congratulations!

Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize!

Thanks to everyone for reading and entering!