Epic Playdate Weekend!

When's the last time you and your kid{s} had a playdate?  Not the kind where you get together with other families so the kids can play next to each other while you try desperately to get a few words of adult conversation with the other moms in between screams, whines, and meltdowns.  No, I'm talking about a playdate with you and your child{ren}.  A day where you set aside your work, your responsibilities, and everything else on your plate just to play together and enjoy each other.

For us, it's been way too long.  I think as the weather gets colder and winter sets in, we all tend to hibernate a little.  But now that Spring is almost here, it's time to remind ourselves to play!  To enjoy our kids and spend quality time together doing the things they love best.  What would the perfect playdate look like for your family?  

If I were to show you the ideal Mommy-Little Crafter playdate, I think it would go something like this:

Breakfast at you-know-where, accompanied by card games, books, building a small Lego set, and maybe some Rock, Paper, Scissors {Lizard, Spock...hehe}.

A round or ten of mini-golf.  This is undoubtedly LC's absolute favorite pastime.

 An afternoon on the beach playing in the waves, building sand castles, and flying kites.

Followed by some quality time in the pool.

 After a spaghetti dinner {his favorite}, we might play dress up or make believe where he pretends to be a chef, a pirate, or whatever the obsession of the day may be.

 We'd finish off our playdate with a fun craft or two before bedtime, then tell stories under the covers.

Oh, and P.S. there would undoubtedly be several escalator and elevator rides thrown in for good measure since LC is totally obsessed with them...better than a carnival ride.

 If you, like our family, haven't had a playdate in a while, here's some exciting news!  Hyundai is sponsoring an Epic Playdate Weekend on April 27 from 9am-5pm in Santa Barbara, CA!  Some of your favorite parenting bloggers (e.g., Dooce, Mighty Girl, Oh Happy Day, Oh Joy, Say Yes To Hoboken, Girls Gone Child, BoingBoing, and How To Be A Dad) will be there camping on the beach and hosting fun workshops for kids, like an ice cream sundae bar, paint fight, kids’ photography class, hula-hooping workshop, and more!  Does that sound like fun or what?!

This Epic Weekend is currently invite-only, but there's still a chance for your family to participate.  Hyundai is having a sweepstakes where you can win a trip for four to the event!  You must have a Pinterest account to enter.  All you have to do is fill out an entry form, then pin some things that would describe your ideal playdate.  For full details and sweepstakes information, check out this site.  

On the entry form, you will be asked, "How did you hear about us?" Please make sure  if  when you enter the contest, you answer this question with "Clever Girls." 

I think it sounds like such fun...I mean who doesn't want to make ice cream sundaes on the beach, right?  It would be so cool of one of you won the trip!  Best of luck!  But if you happen to not be the lucky winner, I hope you'll set aside April 27 as your own Epic Playdate anyway.  Take your kids to the park, the beach, or for a walk around the neighborhood.  Play hopscotch and draw on the sidewalk.  Take a hike...literally.  Dance together, read books, make a craft.  If all else fails, ride an escalator up and down and up and down and up and down...at least it works for LC.  For many kids {LC is one of them}, quality time is a primary love language, which means it's the number one way they seek to receive your love.  There's no telling what some QT does for their little hearts...and yours.

Hugs & {epic} Glitter,

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

Merry Christmas!

Today is a special day, friends, and from the bottom of my heart I want to wish you a

very Merry Christmas

from our family to yours.

 

Whether you have a white Christmas or not {we do!},

 

I hope your day is filled with JOY

 

with LOVE

 

and with BLESSINGS

as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.

 

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

  ^'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'” - Luke 2:10-14

 

Hugs and Glitter,

 

 

 

 

What We Wore: Color Blocking and Family Photos

Since we've been talking about photo Christmas cards, I couldn't help but think of the universal family photo dilemma.

 

 

I have a love/hate relationship with family photos.  I love, love, LOVE when I get a good one.  I hate the stress of trying to make sure everyone {especially me} looks good and the worst part of all is figuring out what we should wear.  This year, I was really excited about the outfits I came up with for all three of us...but first, let's take a little trip down memory lane.

2008: The Matchy-Matchy

Look!  We're triplets!  Except that one of us is extraordinarily tall and one of us can't eat solid food...  I had no idea what we should wear for our first official family beach photo, so we went with the old everyone-wears-a-white-shirt-and-jeans option.  Meh.  I was never a huge fan of the outfits {or of that extra baby-weight}.

 

2009: Coordination Citation

This time, I decided we needed color!  I thought royal blue would look nice with the ocean, so I packed a blue sundress and LC's Hawaiian shirt.  I then forced hubby to buy a matching polo at the Myrtle Beach Target.  We didn't manage to get an entire family pic that year, apparently.

 

2010: Opposites Attract

I knew I didn't want the all white and denim look again, so we tried a new option; black and white.  To mix it up a little, I had the boys do white shirts and black pants, while I did the opposite.  Why is it that the random stranger we ask to take our beach photo is the one who has never seen a DSLR camera in his or her life?  And who is apparently unwilling to get out of the comfy beach chair to take the picture...Um, hello, don't mind us, we're just floating in the clouds...

 

We did get this pic, though, which is one of my all time faves...

 

2011: Random Pop of Color

The motto for this one is "I forgot to plan our outfits so let's see what we can scrounge up out of our suitcases."  Hubs and I both had black tops, LC didn't.  So, he was turqouise.  It looked great in his solo pictures, but our family pic was just kind of awkward.  Icky lighting too...sigh.

 

 

2012: Color Blocking SUCCESS!

This year, I think I finally got a winning combination!  I built everything around my own outfit and the idea of color blocking.  I went with jewel tones; a royal blue skirt from Old Navy, a magenta top from NY&Co, and turquoise jewelry I made myself.

 

 

As for the boys...LC had a turquoise polo and khaki shorts, and the hubs had a great plaid shirt from Target that incorporated both the turquoise and the royal blue.  Which meant...we looked great together!  We coordinated without being too matchy-matchy, and there were enough colors to keep things interesting to the eye.

LC and I coordinated on our own, and he also coordinated with his Daddy.

 

 Our entire family beach photo was {once again} a fail...bad lighting, bad exposure.  Sigh.  One day we'll get it right.  For now, our best family photo is the one taken in the hotel lobby.  Such is life.

 

This is by far my favorite outfit combination we've come up with.  I also found that I can easily adapt my own outfit for fall by adding a cute little magenta cardigan and a turqouise belt, along with some tights and boots.  What's your favorite way to plan family photo outfits?

 

And, don't miss out on the $50 Shutterfly giveaway so you can order your own holiday cards!

 



 

Happy Birthday, LC!

Today, I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to one of the most special people in my life, Little Crafter.  Four years ago, God blessed us with the best gift He could have given to our family. 





Today, as LC celebrates his special day, I want him to know that he is a treasure.  He's smart and funny, friendly and creative, and his sweet spirit causes him to make friends wherever he goes.  He is everything I could have hoped for when I prayed for a child, and I am so proud of the little man he is becoming.

It's almost party time...we're getting ready for LC's friends to arrive, and I'm hoping he thoroughly enjoys his Lego Extravaganza.  Many, many more pics to come!

But, until then, I want to leave you with another of the quilt squares I made for the extra-special present I'm working on.  If you know me at all, you'll know how much this means when I tell LC that I love him...

He lights up my life.  I love you, Little Man!









Patriotic Kebabs and Happy 4th!

Hey, friends!  Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday!  My fantastic mother-in-law is letting me borrow her laptop while my computer is still broken {waaaaah!} so that I can share with you about our sweet treats for today.  We had a big family party at my in-laws' house that was really special because three of LC's great grandparents as well as all four of his grandparents were able to be there with us.  Our assignment was to bring dessert, so we browsed Pinterest together and agreed on this idea from Val So Cal.



Patriotic Dessert Kebabs

You'll need:
- skewers
- red fruits {we used strawberries and raspberries}
- blue fruits {we used blueberries and blackberries}
- marshmallows and/or donut holes

 All we did was alternate the fruits and sweet treats on the kebab sticks until they were full.  Everyone enjoyed having a cool, light, refreshing dessert.  We also made layered red and blue Jell-o with cool whip on top, which looked really fun in the bowls, but looked kind of brownish/purplish in the pan {hence, no photo}.

Little Crafter had his eye on a particular kebab he made just for himself.  He loaded it up with munchkins, blueberries, and raspberries...the things he likes best.  This dessert is LC tested and approved!



 We certainly had a fun-filled 4th...and a very VERY tasty one too...not only did we have our yummy dessert, we also had these guys:

If you've never had Maryland crabs, friend, you're missing out!  They're soooooooooo tasty!  And hey, there's nothing like taking something that appears to be looking at you, ripping all its legs off, and hitting it with a hammer, right?  Um, yeah.  Anyway, they're deLICious.

Hope you all are having a Happy 4th!











Happy Father's Day!

Today, we celebrate the dads out there, and I especially want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to two very special ones in my life.

First, my own dad, who has been an amazing father to me.  He's famous for giving me just the right advice at just the right time, and he's always supported me in whatever I do.  He attended my 4-H fairs and competitions, never missed a performance of my high school showchoir {and was the first to give us a standing ovation}, and stood by me when I traded the security of a job in the public school system for a less stable career as a professional ballroom dancer.  We have a lot in common; our mutual love for the beach is just the tip of the iceberg.  When I was preparing to get married, he kept reminding me that I had promised as a little girl never to move out and leave him, and he threatened to sit at his own table in the corner at the reception, although when the day came, he was a perfect gentleman.  Dad, thanks for always being on my side and for showing me what a godly husband and father really is.

And, Happy Father's Day to my best friend, husband, and dance partner, who is the best father to our Little Crafter that I could ever have asked for.  I'm so thankful to have him in my life, and so glad that LC has him to look up to. 

Here's LC's tribute to his daddy:





I want to leave you with the lyrics to the song I chose for the dance I did with my dad at my wedding {10 yrs ago!!}  It's called "More Than You'll Ever Know" by Watermark...it's not specifically written for fathers, but the words always make me think of my dad and the relationship we have.


Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you
Something about just being with you
When I leave I feel like I've been near God
And that's the way it ought to be...

'Cause you've been more than a friend to me
You fight off my enemies
'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
Just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah

You had faith, when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
And all the while I'm hoping that I'll
Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
And that's the way it ought to be...

Happy Father's Day, Dads!