Introducing

What a busy but fun week but I am one pooped momma.

We adopted this little fellow from the pound. He is super sweet, and coming out of his shell. He has the energy I wish I had! Taking the girls to the pound, was a great life lesson on responsibility and provided good conversation on the way home.

Days of Our Lives

 We have been having maintenance projects completed, feels great!  Though it has turned our home into a bit of disarray and out of sync.    While the work is done there is always time for a little homemade fun. 

The girls had fun learning how to make fresh juice. We made lemonade and grapefruit juice.

Painting a sister is always fun! Bath paints: shaving cream & food coloring.

   Stamping roses with the end of a bunch of celery! Who would have thought!           

Playing games in the evening, HeadBanz is the big hit right now.  

The girls helped me make signs to collect valentines for a school in need.

This coming week with valentines and Sadie's birthday promises to be another week of smiles.  Today we are working on finishing their school valentine boxes and will enjoy our Arizona winter with outside play.

~ DeAnn

Making the Most of What We Have

This years theme in our home is to make the most of what we have.  While the jellybeans played,I dug out old t-shirts from the donation pile, using the material to make the most of what we have.
Love it when I can add another dollar to being debt free :)

I hate to buy jeans when it is going to warm
up here in AZ in a month or two.
Added different designs to worn
out jeans...out of the give away bag.
This one is my favorite!

Booster seat cover
on line $40.00
Replacement booster $26.00+
Cost to keep my booster = $0.00

Dressing for Church

This is how one jellybean thought get dressed for church meant:

What one can get a way with when your 3....yes, I took tink to church in all her fairy glory!



Stranger Danger 101

Stranger abduction is  a rare occurrence and missing children are often missing at the hands of someone known to the family or a family member.  Regardless teaching our children basic escape strategies is as important as basic fire drills practice in the home.  Once a year we go over escape and prevention strategies followed up by practice, which the kids think is fun.  I don't want my children to be scared but prepared and free to enjoy childhood of riding bikes, playing outside with friends. This is addtition to adult supervision.

Prevention:

1.  Roll play and focus on adults don't ask children for help.  That is there cue to leave the situation.

2.  Safety in numbers, my kids love to play out front but not without their siblings.

3.  Staying away from cars, or adults they do not know. Personal space.

4.  Running the opposite way and screaming this is not my parent.

5.  Reviewing who are safe adults are as well as safer strangers: asking a mom with children for help. Focusing on a strangers behavior not what they may look like. 

6.  Locking ones legs onto their bike so as not to be put in a car, while screaming.

7.  Google sexual predators and find out who lives in your hood. 

Rescue:

1.  Getting out of a car. Unlocking power doors, crawling out windows.

2.  In a trunk? Pulling the wires, trunk safety release, or even pushing out the tail lights if possible.

3.  Flicking lights at night to get attention.

4.  How to call 911, leaving the phone down, not hung up, so the police come. Additionally leaving

shoes by the phone with their name inside. To raise suspicion.

5.  How to flood the toilet, in hopes of getting potential help inside.

6.  ID bracelet with a number and reward if found, teaching children they would need to leave this in a public place.

7.  Telling their teacher if they are not with their correct adult.

The public library has dvd's and books to bring up this subject and to review. We like the zany

DVD    

  Be Safe,  

                                   DeAnn

70's and Snow...I LOVE AZ

The weather has been so spring like, I'm getting spring fever and we aren't quite finished with our Christmas break. Its been fun riding bikes, going to parks, leaving the doors open but it didn't feel like winter at all. Thank you Holly for sending us your snow pictures, we grabbed our jackets and sleds..inspiring us to take a little jaunt up the hill to play in the snow. It was a day of warm winter fun. When the jellybeans were properly frozen, we had to laugh at our selves as our spontaneous trip, we left a few items at home and not in the car..looking liked quite the gypsies we headed to town to get a bite to eat. Picture: mismatched clothes without shoes and Chloe without a change of clothes making due in my hoodie jacket.  Our lack of planning made for a good laugh ending a great fun snow day!  Here are a few pictures to inspire you to take time to play and to remind my Arizona friends it still is winter.  ~ D

Meal Train

Unfortunately, my work family has had our share of loss these last two years.  Just as I heard about the latest plans to support a one of our own with meals. I had a thought, they need to be able to do sign ups on line! Then not 5 minutes later, an email appears from my very creative and wonderful coworker with the link that does just that. 

Hopefully your coordination of meals is for something to celebrate not a loss that reminds us how precious life is.     WWW.mealtrain.com