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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Craft

HungryCaterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a well loved favorite in my house. Even my 8yr old still loves it!

So, naturally, when I told the kids we were going to do a fun caterpillar craft, we had to read the book, about a doze time, before we could get started crafting.

We had so much fun making these cute little caterpillars. My girls even made some to take and share with friends, because, honestly, they’re so cute!

These little caterpillars are also fast, and easy to make. For your littles, just have them line up their little pompoms in the order they want them and you do the gluing. My 8yr old was thrilled with the prospect of using the hot glue gun so she insisted on making her own.

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Supplies:

PomPoms
Googly Eyes
Hot Glue Gun

Sounds easy so far! Now, just line up however many pomPoms you want, in whatever color order you want and hot glue them together. After the glue has dried (which is super fast in case your toddler is wondering) you can hot glue gun or stick on the eyes. I prefer the glue because they stick better.

Just look at this cute little caterpillar!

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Divatress Bobbi Boss Wigs

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Ever wanted to change your hair, but don’t want it to be permanent? I know I have! I love to play with my hair, but my hubby isn’t so thrilled with it. To be honest, I’m dying to try out that whole bright splash of color that people are doing in their hair these days – you know, the stripe of hot pink, or turning all my ends blue. I’m just not certain I’ll like it and haven’t tried it because I hate to do something so permanent and then decide it’s no good. And you know what’s worse than doing something I don’t like to my hair? Waiting for it to grow out…

I’ve been checking out these Bobbi Boss wigs, and they’re pretty awesome. They would definitely give me a chance to try out a new hair color without it being permanent. Bobbi Boss is an e-commerce site that carries wigs, haircare, and beauty products. I’m having fun browsing their hundreds of wigs. So much fun, in fact, it’s hard to decide what wig I would try out first!

Like this long wig, I could try out those blue colors that I’ve been dying to try. Without actually dying my hair!

Oh, and I’m loving this red hair. This would be so fun to wear for an extra pop of color!

I realize colors aren’t for everyone. They have regular hair colors as well. This Bob is super cute! And would give me the chance to go shorter without actually cutting my hair. They have a great selection of short wigs.

All of these hair styles have different shades available so you can go really different or get something that’s pretty close to your natural hair color. You could easily make it look like you cut your hair or dyed it when you haven’t actually done anything to your hair at all.

They have long wigs, short wigs, and all sorts of colors for each style. Hundreds of Women’s wigs. They also sell all the wig accessories you’ll need to make your wig wearing a success. It’s like the warehouse of wigs! Just online, so you don’t ever have to leave your home. Or if you’re like me, you can shop for wigs without your children trying them all on… Let’s just say that I’m really enjoying shopping Bobbi Boss online!

 

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Bang Cookies – Review

This is a sponsored post.

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Bang Cookies sent me a box of 6 different cookies to try out for my review. Bang Cookies uses all organic and natural ingredients in their cookies. They make them when you order them and then ship them out right away. They also have a cookie subscription, so if you love them, you never have to remember to order them.

These cookies aren’t pre-made just waiting around for you to order them. They’re made to order and shipped out fresh to your door.

These cookies are huge! They’re also perfectly soft, delicious, and honestly taste homemade.

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Walnut Chocolate Chunk

They have:

Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk
Macadamia White Chocolate Chunk
Triple Chocolate Chunk
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk
Walnut Chocolate Chunk
Oatmeal Raisin
S’mores

You can purchase them in boxes of 6, 8, or 12. For 20% off your order use code JFCOOKIE2 (good until 4/26/17). Choose any combination that you want. I received an assortment with one of every cookie except for the S’mores.

Every one of them was delicious. I don’t usually like oatmeal raisin cookies but I tried Bang Cookie’s oatmeal raisin and I actually liked it. Their cookies are so good!

My favorite was the Macadamia White Chocolate Chunk but the Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk was a close second. My kids preferred the Triple Chocolate Chunk. Basically, you can’t go wrong!

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I love how moist these cookies are in the center. The cookies are large enough that my 3 kids share one together and that’s just right for them.

Want to try them for yourself? You can get 20% off your first order with code JFCOOKIE2 (good until 4/26/17)! Order Here. Though I’ll warn you, once you order, you’ll be hooked. And you’ll want to order more.

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Easter Traditions

I just love Easter! It’s really the first spring holiday and it’s a celebration of Life, Resurrection, and Spring! What more can you ask for in a holiday? Plus, since the only expected gift for Easter is an unreasonable amount of candy for the kids, it’s a super easy holiday to shop for.

I’ve always loved Easter and our traditions are rather eclectic, in my opinion. I’d love to hear what you do in the comments below!

Church – Our Church doesn’t do a sunrise service, but they do cancel most of the Sunday School classes so we usually go to the early service and then head home to finish up food before everyone arrives.

Dinner – I just love a good Easter Dinner. We have family over for Easter Dinner after Church every Easter. What’s funny about this tradition. I generally make the same food every year as well. If you need inspiration, here’s my menu for this year. Plus some of my recipes. Most of these can be mixed up or made the day before and just put in the oven on time bake when I leave for Church in the morning. So your Easter Morning prep is actually super simple.

LemonTart

Menu:

Deviled Eggs
Cheese Ball
Honeybaked Ham – From the Honeybaked Ham store, I can make ham but it’s not as good as theirs.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn Pudding
Rolls
Lemon Tart
Grape Punch – mix equal parts grape juice and ginger ale and drop in 2 to 3 frozen raspberries or blackberries per glass. Delicious, easy, and a favorite among the kids!

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Egg Hunt – And of course, the kids all love the Easter Egg hunt! We had to convince my 3yr old already that plastic eggs exist – I showed him an egg that I had put a toy in already. He’s so excited and can’t wait for Easter this year! He’s been explaining to everyone this week about how there’s these plastic eggs and Mommy puts toys in them for Easter.

I love how much fun this is! My kids have way to much candy still stashed from Halloween and Christmas so I’ve done toys in the Easter Eggs this year.

Toy List:

Bouncy balls
Whistles – I’m going to regret this one
Erasers
Stamps
Sticky People – they stick to the wall when you throw them, I’ll regret this one too
Slap Bracelets
Plastic Coins
Candy – just a little bit, because what’s an egg hunt without candy
Change – my Dad always had a few eggs with real money. And I always loved finding those eggs!

So, tell me, what are your Easter traditions?

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Once Upon a Time Holy Bible & Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible – Review

This is a sponsored post.

My 6yr old has been asking lately for her own Bible so I was pretty excited to surprise her with this fun review – I received these two books for free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own. Not only did she receive a NIrV Bible – Once Upon a Time Holy Bible, she also received a copy of the new Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible.

Bible

For starters, the covers are so colorful and fun. She was just delighted to get them. Even before she opened them. Once you open the books, the artwork is beautiful and exciting. I also love how they fit together as a set. A NIrV Bible and a Bible storybook. It makes it fun to either read the stories and look in the Bible for more info or I can read the story in her Bible while she looks as the pictures in her storybook.

They’re also great on their own for just reading. She’s even been bringing me her new Bible in the evenings for us to read for family devotions instead of reading my Bible. I’m loving how much more excited she is about reading the Bible now that she has her own!

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And then she likes to have her Dad read her a story from her Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible for her bedtime story at night.

These books are perfect for getting my daughter excited about reading the Bible and excited about discovering more Bible stories!

Once Upon A Time Holy Bible is available where books are sold. This Bible is the NIrV version and has 6 illustrated stories as well as the Bible text. It is available in Hardcover and in Softcover. My review is based on the hardcover version.

Once Upon A Time Storybook Bible is available at Sam’s Club or wherever books are sold. This beautifully illustrated storybook Bible is a perfect partner to the Once Upon a Time Holy Bible and is great for just reading or to read for bedtime stories.

Head here to purchase your own.

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Easter Egg Jars

EasterEggJars

Looking for a super duper easy Easter craft or gift to make with your kids. These Easter Egg mason jars are easy, fast, and fun.

Ingredients:

Shredded coconut
Green food coloring
Colored Egg Candies
Small Mason Jars
Large Ziplock Bag

GrassIngredients

    1. Pour your coconut into the ziplock bag.
    2. Add just a little bit of green food coloring (1/8 to 1/4 tsp depending on how much green you want)
    3. Close the bag, leaving lots of air.
    4. Shake the bag (or do what I did, and have your kids shake the bag) until all the coconut is green.

GreenGrass

  1. Pour your “grass” into your mason jars and top with eggs. You could also toss on a little rabbit or chick if you want more variety.
  2. Want more eggs in your jar? Hide some in the grass and then add the eggs on top.
  3. Set your jars out open on the counter or put on the lid and give as an Easter gift to friends and family.

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prAna Clothing Review

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

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I was so excited to try out prAna clothing! First off, I’m expecting my 4th child and being as it takes me a while to show, I’m forever in that awkward stage where my regular clothing doesn’t fit but maternity clothing is too loose. I’m just at 20 weeks pregnant and still fit in my jeans for the most part.

prAna clothing looked comfortable and attractive. Plus since most of the pants have an elastic waist, I can probably wear any of them for my entire pregnancy. How could I pass up great looking AND comfortable!

As an added difficulty, I’m tall, and for pants to be long enough I have to get a tall size. prAna clothing doesn’t come in talls, but since I was getting it for free to review, what did I have to loose? I picked out the Mantra Pant in Black Herringbone because it looked comfortable, nice, and long enough.

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I’m 5′ 10″ and these pants are the perfect length! Not to mention, they’re incredibly comfortable. They’re also easy to dress up – I wore them to a company dinner with a nice shirt and they worked great.

They have an elastic waist, relaxed fit, and straight leg. Perfect for now and for later after my baby arrives.

And the soft hemp fabric is oh, so, soft! It’s very comfortable against my skin. Breathes well, and overall a great pair of pants. Perfect for when I’m active or for when I want to look nice and be comfortable at the same time.

Honestly, these pants are so comfortable I almost feel like I’m wearing pj pants out of the house! Even though when I look in the mirror they look very professional.

Shell: 53% hemp / 44% recycled polyester / 3% spandex

Trim: 53% hemp / 42% organic cotton / 5% spandex

I love these pants! I may just need to purchase them in all the other 4 colors 🙂

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Of course, I have to show off my baby bump, and my new shirt from prAna. The Cleo Tee in Vortex Blue.

I told you that the Mantra Pants are soft. This Cleo Tee takes soft to a whole new level. It’s definitely going to be one of my favorite shirts once the baby arrives. Not only is it a great color and one of my favorite styles. It’s also so soft, and I love wearing soft shirts when I have a newborn to snuggle.

This shirt is long enough and loose enough I’ll be able to wear it for a bit longer, and then it’ll be perfect for when I’m nursing.

76% polyester / 24% cotton

It goes great with my new pants! And I’m very happy with my new outfit.

prAna products are made with sustainable materials and support Fair Trade and Renewable Energy initiatives. So, while you’re enjoying looking great in your comfortable new outfit, you can also be happy knowing that your clothing supports some great causes as well!

Get 15% off your entire prAna order with code: MOMSCNC

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#prAnaMama

 

 

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Lemon Tart

I’ve been trying out new recipes for Easter Dinner Desserts and I’m just loving this Lemon Tart. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and sour and everyone in my family loves it!

Plus it’s a make ahead and refrigerate overnight kind of recipe, which is perfect so it’s one less thing I have to worry about the day of my dinner.

This is one recipe I’m definitely making this Easter!

LemonTart

 

Crust:

12 Graham Crackers
2 TBSP sugar
5 Tablespoons butter – melted

  1. Crumble the graham crackers and sugar in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
  2. Add the butter and pulse until well combined.
  3. Press onto bottom and sides of an 8 or 9 in springform pan.
  4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
  5. Set aside to cool

Filling:

1 Cup Sugar
1 TBSP grated lemon zest
1/2 Cup lemon juice
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks (yes, you need eggs plus extra yolks)
4 TBSP butter

  1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs in a sauce pan. Whisk until well combined.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (very important), until the mixture is nice and thick. About 6 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in butter until fully combined.
  4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into your graham cracker crust. Smooth. Place plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin forming and refrigerate overnight.

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Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TBSP sugar

  1. Beat whipping cream and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer (you can do this by hand, but it will take forever) until the the whipped cream is nice and thick.
  2. Spoon dollops of whipped cream on your tart when serving.
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Dinosaurs and Cookies

How do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague.

Our book topic for this month’s book craft was “How Do Dinosaurs…” I’d never read this series before but it sounded like fun.

I went a little overboard and check out maybe a dozen from the library – and there’s still more! The kids didn’t mind because these books are super cute, and fun to read. They all have a fun rhyme and my 3yr old loves dinosaurs so he was very excited to have all sorts of dinosaur books to read.

With the cold snap last week, baking cookies together was a great project. We made chocolate cookies with multi-colored dinosaur eggs (mini m&m’s). So much fun, and so tasty!

Along we way we got to talk about how dinosaurs help in the kitchen – they don’t throw the m&m’s btw. And how dinosaurs are very polite when they eat their cookies.

How do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies is a super cute board book with “scratch & sniff” cookies throughout. Lots of fun to read together over and over.

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Dinosaur Egg Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 package mini m&ms – or other chocolate chips of your choice

  1. Heat oven to 350
  2. With an electric mixer, blend together butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, until well blended.
  4. Stir in mini m&ms
  5. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool about 5 minutes then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies

DinoCookies

This post does contain affiliate links.

Come join us for the Monthly Crafting Book Club. Each month we focus on a different book and encourage early literacy by pairing it with a craft.

Monthly Crafting Book Club

 


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Friendships

Friendships, now that’s a topic my husband and I have spent lots of time discussing.

Here’s my thing with friendships. I tend to make them easily, and I have lots of friends. I love friends! But I have no really close friends. And when friends move to a different state or when I move, the friendships pretty much end and I start all over. I’m still in touch with some old friends through Facebook, but without Facebook we honestly would probably never hear from each other again.

I have friends I can call for help, friends I can set up playdates with, even friends who would watch my kids if I asked, but no friend that I would just call to vent to if I was having a bad day. No really close friend who knows all about me.

Before you start thinking that I have no one to talk to, I have 5 sisters. So, I can always call one of them. And I have several sister-in-laws that I can call. And even my own mom or my mother-in-law are great people to talk to. Do, I call and just vent, or cry? To be honest, I think I was a teenager last time I did. Not that my life is perfect. But who really wants to know about my horrible, awful day?

So, maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by so much family, I don’t actually need a separate close friend. Or maybe I’m just afraid of anyone getting too close. Honestly, it’s hard to say. Maybe it’s because I’m not good at sharing my feelings? Or maybe I’m just looking for something that doesn’t exist. Or, maybe I just don’t need a close friend right now?

Who knows? At this point, I’ve given up on trying for a really close friend and I’ve decided to just enjoy the friendships that I have.

I have friends in my homeschool group. We chat about life and all sorts of homeschool questions and topics. I have friends at church. Friends because my husband is friends with their spouse. And now that my husband is a small business owner I’m even starting to make some great friendships with some of the other small business owner’s spouses. Basically, I’m surrounded by plenty of friends. And I think that I should enjoy those friendships to the fullest and not worry about this elusive “best friend” that I’ll never be able to find or keep. That’s been my goal the past few years, and I’m quite happy with the friendships that I have.

I would say that my biggest challenge with friendships is I tend to keep my personal feelings hidden which makes it hard for others to get to really know me. So friendships take a long time to develop.

I want to know, what is your biggest challenge with friendships? Or, what is your best piece of friendship advice? Tell me in the comments below 🙂

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This #BloggersTalkingAbout series features amazing bloggers writing from the heart. Continue reading more by following these links. #BloggersTalkingAbout Friendship by Joanne, Friendships by Jenny, The Importance Of A Chosen Family by Nicole and Why You Need an Accountability Buddy by Alicia. If you’re a mom/female blogger, join us in our group, Bodacious Bloggers.