Celebrate Your Mom with Zulily

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. 

Is your mom a hero, a great cook, an inspiration, your best friend... or something else equally as special?

Every mom is one of a kind.

zulily wants to hear about yours.

This Mother's Day, zulily is celebrating moms by asking kids (big and small) to share photos answering the prompt “My Mom Is _____.” The photos will be displayed in a gallery for the world to view at http://www.zulily.com/mymomis.

 Watch the video for inspiration and to join the celebration:

 

To participate, visit the zulily #MyMomIs webpage, download zulily’s sign or create your own, snap a picture with the sign and share the photo via social media by tagging #MyMomIs or uploading the photo directly to the gallery.

And to learn more about zulily and shop for the hottest trends for moms of all ages and their kids go to http://www.zulily.com.

Two Directions

I am directing you in two directions today.

If you do not follow me on social media, yesterday I mentioned two other places where you could find me.

This post from July 2012 is part of an Olympics celebration roundup that Annette Breedlove from In All You Do put together. If you are looking for tons of activities to make the Winter Olympics come to life for your child, this is definitely a spot you want to check out.

I also have a new book review up at Christian Children's Book Review. I love this little book called "Hey Warrior Kids: Put on Your Armor!"

I hope these are two places that you will enjoy visiting today! Happy Wednesday!

From the Archives | Lessons From Mom

Today we are taking a look back through the archives to a post I did back in October 2009 about one of the most important lessons I learned from my mother- the importance of having devotions/quiet time.

Mom is gone now, but the impression she left on me will never go away and the lessons I have learned from her live on and are being reproduced in my own children.

I hope you enjoy this post called Lessons From Mom.

Apple Dip

Today, I am joining Jill at Blessed Beyond A Doubt in her apple themed blog hop.

In the past, I shared about a family night that we did here, that just so happened to be apple themed. So I thought I would share a recipe that we used that night for a quick and (I guess) healthy snack that we enjoyed, and little people can definitely help to make.

We simply called it Apple Dip. I realize that it isn't a flashy, original name, but, hey, it's short, sweet and to the point. :)





Apple Dip

1 6 ounce cup of yogurt (we used vanilla, but key lime also works well)
1-2 tbsp. peanut butter
Several apples
lemon juice

Put the peanut butter and yogurt in a non breakable bowl and let your little one stir until totally combined.

Dip your apple slices in the lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Dip sliced apples in your apple dip and enjoy.

It Can Be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This post does contain affiliate links.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year (although, last year, fall came in at a really close second!), but sometimes it becomes extremely hectic because Christmas doesn't officially start until the day after Thanksgiving.

Not this year!

This year, I am participating in the 100 Days of Christmas eBook program ($8- click on the photo to go there), and I am already feeling relaxed about the upcoming holiday season. (Earlier this year I participated in the 100 Days of Summertime and we had the best summer on record in our family.)

Monday was the official 100 day mark until Christmas, making today 98 days! I have gotten my Christmas planning binder together and I eagerly await each day to add the next item to the binder or participate in the next assignment.

There is also a huge support system on Facebook where you can share in the excitement of planning ahead for Thanksgiving and Christmas with others who do not think of you as being nuts for being way ahead of the game.

The book helps you celebrate fall and all that it has to offer while still keeping your final goal in mind... a peaceful, relaxed Christmas that you can truly enjoy every moment of.

From the Archives | Give Praise in the Assembly

Today's peek into the archives seems rather appropriate considering how God has answered prayer in our family this past week.

We are all struggling with some type of request before the Lord, whether it is an unsaved child or children that are not living for the Lord, a financial situation, the housing market, a dead car battery, a seemingly broken air conditioner, a slow moving insurance claim, or just how to make ends meet in this tough economy.

God does not want us to give up on asking Him to step into our situation. The situation that you will read today, Give Praise in the Assembly, was originally written and posted September 23, 2009, yet it has reoccurred several times since. In fact, this summer Brian asked me if I was still praying for the work to come in. I replied that I was. He asked me to stop for a bit because he needed a break! 

We have both seen the power of prayer and believe that God still does answer His people's cries here in the 21st century.

Guest Blogging

Yesterday, I was the guest blogger over at the Frugal Homeschooling Mom. In the post, I am sharing a field trip idea for the Florida Aquarium. Why not hop over and check it out!

If you missed the field trip post about Busch Gardens, here is the link for that, too :)

Have a great Wednesday!

What We Read For Fun | August Part 2

This post does contain affiliate links.

We like to fit a lot of reading into our day. Two ways that we purposely make the time for reading is by having a fun reading time at naptime and bedtime in addition to our school reading. My almost-two-year-old usually runs to his sister's room shouting "Story! Read!" when I tell them it is time for bed.

In this list, I have 18 "fun" books and two books that are fun but corresponded with our history curriculum's introductory chapter.

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Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, Creak, Pop-Pop, Moo by Jim Aylesworth


A Long Way Away by Frank Viva

The Prayer Of Jabez For Little Ones by Bruce Wilkinson

Steam Train, Dream Train by  Sherri Dusky Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld Lichtenheld

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague


Splat the Cat Takes the Cake (I Can Read Book 1) by Rob Scotton

A Special Gift for Grammy by Jean Craighead George

Ball by Mary Sullivan

The Jellybeans and the Big Art Adventure by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs: As Retold by Mo Willems

Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi

Stay Close to Mama by Toni Buzzeo

The Granddaughter Necklace by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Bunnies on Ice by Johanna Wright

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...) by Laura Joffe Numeroff

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I Know A Wee Piggy by Kim Norman

And for History, we read the following:







Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeny and Annette Cable







Archaeologists Dig for Clues (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Kate Duke