Perfect gift for that special lady in your life!

I have never been a big fan of jewelry but ABSOLUTELY LOVE the necklace that my husband and children gave me for mother's day~! I think that whether or not your special lady likes to wear jewelry, she will also love this necklace especially if she is a mother!

Each necklace is handmade so that each one is unique! I have 3 charms on mine with each child's name on one side and their birth date on the other. Above their charm is their birthstone in swarovski crystal. You can wear this necklace whether you are wearing a casual outfit or dressing up! Check out the link below for more information:
http://www.blissliving.com/moms-name-charm-necklace.html

Handprint Christmas Wreath

Materials needed

Paper Plate
Green construction paper
Red or gold yarn
hole-puncher
glue
ribbon

This is yet another easy one but a little more work involved. I also think this is a great craft to send to family members ESPECIALLY if you can add a photo of your little one to it!

Trace your child's hand approx 12 times on green construction paper. Cut out hands as well as the middle of the paper plate. Use hole puncher to make a hole in the top of the paper plate. Cut a piece of yarn and tie so you are able to hang your wreath when you are finished. Glue the hands around the edge of the paper plate (covering all of it) with fingers pointing outward. Tie a bow with ribbon and staple/glue/tape to the bottom center of the wreath. Your child can decorate the wreath with stickers, glitter, etc or keep with just hands. You can attach a picture of your child in the middle of the wreath either hanging from top or coming up from bottom. You can also get a few different pictures of your child over the last year and attach them to the palm of the hands.

Homemade Wrapping Paper

Materials needed:

Tissue paper
stamps
ink pads

This is also an easy one for the kids where they can be as creative as they want. I'm sure many of you have already done this before-I can remember doing it as a child:) Lay out the tissue paper and let the kids stamp away! They will enjoy themselves and will love seeing gifts under the tree wrapped in their creations! Have fun:)

No fuss seasonal craft

Here is one that's easy for us all-and the kids LOVE it! If you need to do some baking, chores, or get a little time on the computer, sit your kiddos down with construction paper and a box of themed foam stickers! My kids absolutely love doing this project and love that they can do it on their own! I buy these foam stickers at AC Moore but I'm sure they have them available at other craft stores such as Michaels. This is a way for them to be creative as they like and independent-which is a favorite of superman and jojobean:)

Hand Christmas Tree

Here is one of my favorite crafts to do with the kids this season. You can change it up according to the age of the child. For older kids, I like to write "I love..." on the star at the top of the tree and then have them tell me in their own words 14 people/things that they love and write an answer on each hand.

For younger children, you can simply put a picture of them at the top and have them decorate the rest of the tree with ornaments, stickers, etc.

Christmas Cheer

I was thinking earlier today about how much fun it might be to share Christmas craft/recipe ideas with other moms/teachers for our kids to do this month. I personally think there is not a gift that can compare with a homemade one from a child. As I sit in my living room tonight by the lights on my Christmas tree that makes me giggle just by looking at it....will explain in a bit-I have a new inspiration on how I would like to start my Christmas cheer blogging!

Do you pay your teen for grades?

Luckily, I have been blessed with a daughter who is very motivated when it comes to school work. I can remember always making it a priority for her even before grades were given because I wanted it to sink in her head-how important learning, grades, etc are. I believe at first she did so well because of all the positive feedback she received whether it was from me, grandparents, and/or teachers. Then she REALLY started enjoying certain subjects and learning and would always use what she had learned in everyday life and I think that really excited her.

Now, as a 7th grader in a school of 1400+ students, she has to do well for herself and of course us. We still encourage her and congratulate her but I seriously doubt she gets the same kind of recognition from her teachers who have a couple hundred students to those teachers we were lucky enough to have in elementary school!

The Bean masters the "terrible twos"

Jojobean turned 2 on September 25th and has wasted no time transferring into a strong-willed, independent little girl. It didn't happen overnight but it wasn't a slow transformation either. All of a sudden my little baby has taken it upon herself to grow up in so many ways!

Because she doesn't have 100% of her hearing in her left ear, she has started speech therapy. She has had 3 sessions which are every other week at our house. Of course I was nervous about a stranger coming into our house and putting so much focus on jojo because she isn't to keen on strangers or other people beside her family in general. However, we have seen 2 different therapists (our first left because of pregnancy) and I am so proud of how willing and friendly she has been! I'm not sure if its the therapy, the age, or just the awareness from us all but she is REALLY trying so hard and doing such a great job! When we started (2 months ago) she had about 5 words. She now has about 20 and is even trying to say 2-3 words together AND repeating us!!!

Moving right along...

In the last couple of weeks, I have noticed a change in all 3 of our children. Jazz is becoming a full blown teenager and will make that a fact when she turns 13 in early October. Jojobean has been throwing full blown tantrums as a 2 year old should and is less than one month away from turning 2 and then we have Spiderman-truly becoming "all boy" in every way possible but also surprisingly growing up in a funny kind-of way.

It's about time to bid the "baba" (pacifier) farewell...

So I have been through this twice before and both children survived so why is it still so hard the third time around? My bean is going to be 2 in a month and that has been my cut off for the baba with my other 2 children. Keep in mind that I know of course that according to the pediatricians, they should not even have the pacifier at this point but I'm a sucker.

Make-up and my middle schooler

So the famous question (well 1 of them as far as teenage girls go) was asked of me last night, "Mom, can I wear a little make-up when I go back to school this year?"....."just some eyeliner and mascara?". She also asked me when I started wearing make-up which I couldn't remember exactly. I belive it was 8th or 9th grade but I can't remember having "the talk" with my mom about it.  Grrrr I wish young girls could see their beauty without make-up! I mean let's be honest, once you start wearing make-up for the most part, you don't stop. Even a trip to the grocery without it can leave a woman feeling like she's leaving the house naked. Only recently, have I stopped wearing make-up everyday. I don't know if its because I just don't have the time or I just don't really care which I'm not saying is a good thing:)

12 week appointment-pass?

Today was my scheduled 12 week appointment. I woke up with a migraine which is very common these days and could barely keep my eyes open from exhaustion, which unfortunately, is also very common these days. Good news is I was able to refill my prescription for tylenol #3 with codeine which seems to be the only thing that works these days. My appointment with the neurologist is at the end of the month so hopefully I will get some answers. Answers are very important to me.

Very possible we have another girl on the way......

So today the family and I went to the hospital because I had a nuchal translucency test scheduled which includes a small prick of the finger and a sonogram. To my surprise, the staff was more than welcoming to myself, my husband, and our 3 children-even handed out lollipops to keep them busy while they watched their sibling on the big screen! I will begin by saying that spiderman has been convinced he will be getting a brother since we told him the news of another baby on the way. The sonographer told us today that she believes it is a girl but because it is so early (12 weeks) she can't be 100percent sure. Immediately, spiderman was in denial and voiced his opinion.....he saw a baby brother on that screen, not a sister.

becoming a young mom

I found out I was pregnant with Jazzmataz when I was just 19 years old.  I was in college at the time and unmarried, living at home with my mom. To put it simply, I was terrified. Mostly terrified of what my mom would think or how angry my family would be. I wasn't nervous at all about my ability to be a mom. Afterall, it's all I ever dreamed of. To my surprise, my mom was fantastic and completely supportive. I moved out with Jazzmatazs' dad when I was about 7 months pregnant.  Leaving my mom was hard, luckily it was only about 2 miles down the road and my aunt was right across the street:) Jasmin was born 2 days before my birthday-my best birthday present ever. Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mom. And when I first laid my eyes on my baby girl, I knew why.  It is the most stunning moment of my life.