12 Things To Do For A Happier Marriage

Being married to your best friend is great but marriage is never a walk in the park for anyone. Studies show that a couples marital satisfaction is at it's highest during the honeymoon & after that it slowly declines. Researchers also believe that if you make it through the first 4 years of marriage you have passed the "divorce danger zone". Personally I believe that if you want a strong, long, & healthy relationship with your spouse it takes work. My husband & I are going on our 6th year of marriage & we have had our ups & down just like everyone else but we love each other, have a strong relationship, & most importantly . . . we are happy together. These are the 12 things we feel work best for us & have keep us in a happy marriage.

1. Communication

Communication is key. Simply talk to your spouse everyday & more importantly, listen.

2. Show affection

Think of how you felt dating each other, it was the little things that made you fall in love with your spouse. The sweet little actions like holding hands, kisses, & hugs. Show your spouse you love them through the way you act.

3. Always say " I love you "

Before you leave for work, before you hang up the phone, or before you go to bed simply tell your spouse you love them. Saying it all the time reminds both of you of your feelings towards each other & it will bring you closer.

4. Forgiveness

There will always be days where it's hard to get along with your spouse. But staying angry will only build resentment towards each other. It's okay to be the first one to say your sorry. There's no shame in admitting you got angry over something small. Remember, never go to bed angry at one another.

5. Go on dates

Now that your married doesn't mean that the dating has to stop. Go out together & enjoy each others company. Fall in love with each other all over again.
6. Have each others backs

Be strong for each other & willing to sacrifice anything for your spouse. Just as you want your spouse to have your back in any given situation you have to be willing to do the same. Even if it's not always easy.

7. Keep it fresh in the bedroom

It goes without saying, don't let your sex life get boring. Stay connected to each other & spice it up.

8. You can't change your spouse

The things you once thought were cute about your spouse are now somewhat annoying. But you can't change each other, so stop trying & just embrace one another's imperfections.

9. Share a hobby

Find something that both of you enjoy doing together, like working out together, or traveling. Whatever it may be, do it as often as possible.

10. Don't fight in front of people

There is nothing more awkward that watching a couple fight in public, having them air out each others dirty laundry for everyone else to hear. It's ok to fight, everyone does it, but doing it in private makes forgiving each other a whole lot easier.

11. Encourage one another

Compliment & magnify your spouses strengths & good qualities. Let them know the things you adore about them.

12. Praise each others accomplishments

Your spouses victories are also your own, having the mindset that you & your spouse are as one.
" A strong marriage requires two people who choose to LOVE each other even on those days when they struggle to like each other " - Dave Willis
I hope this helps all you married couples out there fighting for your marriage, leave a comment below to let me know if this was insightful for you.



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DIY Carpet Shampoo

To be completely honest, my memory is horrible . . . for a month straight I forgot to buy carpet shampoo & my carpet was in desperate need of a cleaning. I couldn't stand looking at it any more, it had to get done but I wasn't going to go into town just to buy one thing. So I decided I would just whip together a carpet shampoo from things I already had at home to save me a trip, & to my surprise it worked just as good, maybe even better than my Kirby shampoo I usually get.

I used

1/2 cup of Tide

1/4 cup of Shout

1/8 of Dawn

1/8 of Baking Soda

Gallon of water (maybe a little more)

I mixed it all together in a big soup pot in the sink & used my measuring cup to pour it into my vacuum & started shampooing as I normally would. It worked great & that shout really got out all my stains.

Shampooing the carpet takes me a good 2 1/2 hours to do my whole house (4 bedrooms, living room & hallway). The trick is to go slow & take your time to really work in the shampoo & suck out the dirt.

 So of coarse when I'm done I treat myself to a little something special.

I hope this helps you if you needed a quick fix to shampooing your carpet without any shampoo on hand. Leave a comment below to let me know if you will use my carpet shampoo recipe.

Picky Eaters

There are all types of picky eaters, kids who don't like their food to touch, children who are grossed out by the look of meat or the ones who hate their veggies. As a parent how are we suppose to give them a well balanced meal if they won't cooperate? Remember the old fashion method every parent used . . . "you can't leave the table till your plate is clean", well research actually suggests that demanding your child to eat all or certain foods can attach negative connotations to it, making the struggle even worse. So what are we to do?

First of all breath, there is no need to stress over it. I have learned with my two children that it's all about the baby steps when it comes to food. I have two very different types of picky eaters on my hands. My 5 year old son is a huge fan of red meat but absolutely hates the thought of veggies, on the other hand my 4 year old daughter is grossed out by seafood & tomatoes but loves salads. They couldn't be more opposites if they tried. But they have come a long way & we don't struggle to get them to eat certain things anymore, I'll share with you the little things that helped us out.  

The most affective way to get your child eating "different" foods is to lead by example. Meaning they have to see you eating it first, how do you expect them to eat it if you won't. This was an issue with my son because he noticed early on that my husband didn't eat all his veggies, so he stopped eating them too. Once my husband started eating them so did my son, problem solved. I am allergic to shell fish so I don't eat any shrimp, lobster, or crawfish; my daughter has picked up on this & I believe that is why she refuses to eat it as well (even though she is NOT allergic).

Next is offer it but don't push it. Always serve a small portion of everything you make for dinner on your child's plate, if it doesn't get eaten . . . oh well, but eventually they just might try it because it's there.

Praise small victories. It sounds simple, but it can really make a big difference. If they try something new or something they don't like tell them what a great job they did. It's ok to feel like your exaggerating about the situation to them, it will build their confidence.

Let them help in the preparation. Sometimes if they feel involved in making the food (or growing the veggies) they are more excepting & excited about eating it. Start of simple by giving them little jobs in the kitchen like mixing or getting stuff out of the pantry & fridge.

My favorite . . . secretly mix things in. When my son wasn't eating all his vegetables, I would secretly add them into things he did like to eat. He couldn't taste the difference & he was getting all the nutrition.

Offer options. Giving your child limited options makes them feel more in control, even though they aren't running the show. Sometimes when making dinner I will ask them to help me make decisions like "what should we eat tonight . . . chicken or fish?" or "what should we have for sides . . .mac n' cheese with green beans or mixed veggies with rice?". I'm only giving them two options to choose from so it's not like they get to choose what we are eating for dinner but to them it will feel like they are.

Lastly, encourage your little one to try new things. It gets easier as they get older & it's never to late to start.

I hope this helps you on your struggle to get your children to eating more of a variety. Leave a comment below to let me know about your picky eater. 

10 Tips To Being A Happy Stay At Home Mom

I love being a stay at home mom, getting the chance to enjoy raising my children full time with out having to skip a beat. But you have to admit sometimes being a stay at home mom can be taxing on you as a person. Your life seems to revolves around your children & house work, it can feel like your getting stuck in a rut. To avoid getting stuck in that rut here are my 10 tips that help me stay happy & motivated.

1. Wake up earlier than your children. This helps you wake up already enjoying your day, grab a cup of coffee or tea & just sit & enjoy the silence or watch the news. Get dressed, even if you don't have any where to go. You don't have to put on a full face of make up but a simple look to make yourself feel pretty. This little bit of alone time goes a long way, & I find that it keeps me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

2. Have a schedule or routine for yourself. I find that when I have an agenda I feel more productive in my day. It doesn't have to be anything strict, just a task for you to get done.

3. Get up & out of the house. Being stuck inside all day is the reason I tend to loose my grip. I can't stand to be home all day, every day. You don't have to do something extreme everyday, like go out of town to shop, just go outside. Sometimes when the walls seem to be closing in on me I just go for a walk, your getting exercise & fresh air & your not in the house (which is a plus).

4. Let your kids play independently. Letting your kids play on their own is a bonus for both of you. It gives your child the independence they crave & it gives you a mental break. I have to admit this one works well but as a mother you know sometimes silence is nerve racking, when it's too quite that seems to be the time your child is getting into some type of mischief.

5. Have a hobby or two. Do something you enjoy, having a hobby is your outlet. If your a creative person, set a side some time for you to do your crafts, or if your athletic person, have some time to go to the gym. Whatever it is, have fun enjoying yourself.

6. Clean up on the daily. You don't have to have an immaculate home, but when you feel less cluttered you feel better. Research suggests that living in clutter can lead to depression. 

7. Stay connected with your spouse. This plays a huge part in your attitude, when things are running smoothly between you & your partner, you feel good. Talk to each other throughout the day, even if it's a little text here & there. Make time to spend together everyday, weather it's unwinding at the end of the day together or enjoying each others company in the early morning.

8. Be patient. There will always be some type of challenge in your daily life, weather having to deal with a tantrum from your child or having financial issues. Whatever it is that your going through, just know all things will pass & trust that everything will be ok.

9. Set a side one-on-one time with each child. Making an effort everyday to spend a little bit of time with your child one-on-one is great. It's a lot more relaxed trying to talk or play with them by yourselves than it is playing or talking with everybody around butting in.

10. Stop comparing your life to others. I find this so important, everyone is always so caught in "keeping up with the Jones' ", once you stop comparing your life to others your will find so much peace. Be happy with yourself & your life, no one's life is as perfect as it seems on the internet. Your never guaranteed tomorrow & you'll never get yesterday back.  

I hope this helps all you stay at home mom out there, leave a comment below to let me know if these tips were helpful or if you have a tip for me to include. 

Easter Desserts

It's Easter, which means it's time to decorate & hide the eggs, but it also means . . . desserts.

I'm a sucker for sweets, I have a major sweet tooth & we love making desserts as a family.

Here are 3 cute & Easter friendly ideas for you guys to make with your little ones at home.

BIRDS IN A NEST

Ingredients:

Peeps

Melting Chocolate (regular or white)

Pretzel Sticks

M&M's 

In our house there is one sweet snack everybody loves . . . chocolate covered pretzels. So this dessert is a little twist off of that. Instead of getting a normal pretzel you will get the small skinny "sticks", break them up (they don't have to be perfect, we get messy when we're in the kitchen. My rule is "it doesn't have to be beautiful . . . it just has to taste good). To melt your chocolate I find it easiest to use a glass bowl (it helps with the heating) be very careful not to over heat. You want to only heat for about 30 seconds at a time before checking on it & stirring. Now take a handful of those broken pretzels & throw them in your chocolate. Once they are coated place them on your parchment paper (I had to use foil because I was out), you want to aim to get them in a "circle" shape, to make them look like a "nest" but really the kids are more interested in hurrying so they can lick the chocolate off their fingers. That is the difficult part . . . now just place your peep in the center & throw some M&M's on there for "eggs".

BUNNIES IN THE DIRT

Ingredients:

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Graham Crackers (Oreo's)

Melting Chocolate

This is really just like making mud pudding, the only thing different is your putting a bunny on top instead of gummy worms. With your melting chocolate your going to draw out bunny "butts" the kids thought this was hilarious. We used baby marshmallows for the cotton tails.

Mix up your chocolate pudding & in a separate bowl crumble up your chocolate graham crackers (you can also use Oreo's), now you will layer the pudding & the graham crackers. Just make sure the graham cracker crumbles are on top for the dirt affect. Now that your done lay your bunny butt on top.

Another sweet snack that we all love is Smore's

No in-depth instructions needed on this one, you can easily swap out the marshmallow for a peep.

I hope this was fun & inspiring for you to get your little ones involved in making tasty sweets with you. Leave a comment below & let me know if you have something that your family likes to make together.

Chores For Children

Our job as parents is to teach our children how to become useful & independent as they grow. I find it very important to involve your kids in everyday chores at home. There can be numerous chores (simple & complex) that you can assign your child, this will help them feel responsible for their own possessions. Children who develop these habits will become tidy & dependable individuals later in life.
I list our chores into 3 categories: taking care of my body, taking care of my room, & helping out around the house.
1.Taking care of my body:
- Shower
- Brush teeth
- Brush hair
2.Taking care of my room:
- Make my bed
- Pick up toys
- Pick up clothes
3.Helping out around the house:
- Feed Rhino (the dog)
- Homework
- Clear table after meals
- Rinse dishes
- Load / unload dishwasher
 - Wipe counters
- Wipe windows /  mirrors
- Take out the trash
- Bring in the trash can (from the road)
- Recycle
- Sweep
- Vacuum
- Sort laundry (before wash)
- Fold laundry
Not only is this beneficial for your kids but it is also extremely useful for you, by spreading out the work load. Remember your the parent not the maid. Now of course your little one will need some type of help, they can't do it all by themselves because their motor skills aren't so advanced, but they will love the fact that as time goes on they will get better & better at doing their chores.
I hope this was useful for you, leave a comment below & let me know about your chores that you have for your children.

Disciplining In Public

So your at the store in line waiting to check out & you got stuck behind "that" mom, we all know who I'm talking about. The mom who is yelling at her kids because they are misbehaving but they still won't stop what they are doing. . . . Maybe you've even been "that" mom.

Disciplining children seems hard enough to do in the privacy of your own home but doing it in public presents a whole new set of challenges because everyone around you is all ears & ready to pass judgment. You don't want to embarrass yourself  or your child but you don't want people thinking your a passive parent (who let's their child run all over them) or that your child is bratty & BAD.

The DO'S & DONT'S of public disciplining I wish I knew before I had to learn by trail & error.

Good disciplining methods start at home, being consistent is key.

DO'S:

Always be consistent with your methods & expectations whether you are at home or in public. Children will occasionally throw fits & act up regardless of your consistency but if you stick to your grounds you can handle the situation more quickly & easily. If you let your child "slide" when you are at home then he/she will except the same kind of treatment when your out & about. 

Before you even set foot out of the car in the parking lot remind your child of their limits & your expectations. Meaning if your going to a store where you know there will be toys, candy, food, etc. (all the things that will "trigger" your kids to ask, beg, & whine for) you need to tell them specifically want kind of behavior is expected in the store, like "We're going to Target & yes, we can go look at the toy sections but DO NOT ask to buy any toys today because we are only getting what's on mommy's list". This let's them know what is expected now you have to state the consequences in advance too, like "If you do ask you will be in trouble & you WON'T  get a reward when we are done". Make sure you stick to the consequences you set.

Use a reward system, have a little chart set up at home & every time they are good at the store (or wherever) give them a sticker & when they get 5 stickers in a row they can have a prize. The prize does not have to be anything big it can be a stamp, marker, bracelet, whatever . . . the point is that they got a "prize" & that's all that matters to them.

DONT'S:

Don't yell, it seems easy but when your in the heat of the moment & you have been telling your child the same thing for the last 15 minutes & it is going in one ear & out the other, it can be a bit difficult to keep your cool. Yelling will only bring unwanted attention to yourself & now everyone sees an unruly child & a mother who is about to "loose it". This is when it's time to stop your child, looking them in the face & giving them one stern warning that the behavior is stopping now or there will be major consequences.

Don't throw empty threats, your child may be little but he / she is no dumby. If your little one is acting up & you tell her she will NEVER get to watch tv again & then when you get home you turn the tv on you just proved that your words have NO meaning. Make sure your saying realistic things, like "I already warned you & you still misbehaved so now you can't watch tv or play any games for the rest of the day". 

Don't play good cop bad cop, if you & your partner are not on the same page about disciplining your child will just run to the more lenient parent to get his / her way & this can cause a lot of problems. Not just between you & your partner but possibly between you & your child, no one wants their child to build resentment towards them. So make sure both of you parents are on the same page, & use each other for support because disciplining can be hard on the parent just as much as the child.

Remember we're only human & parenting is never easy for any one, there will be "bad" days where you are moody, your kids are moody, & nothing is going to go smoothly. Don't be too hard on yourself  . . . give yourself a break.

I hope this helps, leave a comment below & tell me about your experiences (good or bad).

Easy Way To Wash Your Fridge

Let's be honest, I am really good at being lazy, don't judge me. I hate cleaning but I also can not stand a mess so I compromise to get the cleaning done. This is a quick tip on how I clean my fridge, to get it done without extra mess & fast.

When you clean your fridge you have to pull out all the compartments & wash them. But if you wash them in the kitchen sink it gets water EVERYWHERE, which means another mess to clean up. So I, being my lazy self, take the piece from the fridge & wash them in my bath tub that way no water splashes over.

After washing them I dry them off & lay them out to make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in.

I also do a quick wipe down on the inside of the fridge, wiping all the walls, top to bottom. Now you can slip all the compartment pieces back into the fridge.

Don't forget to clean the outside of the fridge, I use a stainless steel cleaner to wipe it up.


I hope this helps all the other lazy moms clean out their fridges, leave a comment below & tell me how you clean you fridge.

How To Get Marshmallow Out Of Your Hair

Now your probably thinking, how in the heck does someone get marshmallow stuck in their hair? Well, leave it to my daughter to accomplish that task with ease. We were eating s'mores & apparently Aubrey like to test her food in her hair before she eats it. All kidding aside, it's actually much easier to get it out than you'd think.

At first glance it reminds you of gum & you immediately peanut butter & ice, but there is no need for all that. All you need is some warm water. Marshmallow will dissolve in water fairly quickly. So I just showered her hair with warm water & then added a little conditioner to help with the texture or any left over piece of marshmallow that I might have missed.

So quick & simple.

I hope this helps you if your little one ever unexpectedly gets marshmallow stuck in their hair. Leave a comment below to let me know if you use the same method or a different one.   

DIY Pirate Patch

Pirates are all the rave for my son right now. So of course his birthday party will be pirate theme, his party isn't till May but I like to get things done ahead of time if possible. I thought it would be fun for all the kids to have eye patches to wear at the party . . . plus the eye patches are so cute. Instead of spending extra money on buying the plastic ones, which are cute, I decided it would be cheaper to just make my own, which are just as useful.
 All the supplies I needed was from Hobby Lobby:
sturdy black felt
white elastic
paper (for sketching)
scissors
glue gun

After cutting out your sketch for the eye patch, you can trace the patch onto the black felt & cut them out. I got about 18 eye patches out of one sheet of black felt.

Now that your eye patches are all cut out, cut a slit up the middle (starting at the bottom of the eye patch).

Over lap the slits that you cut & glue it down. This will allow you eye patch to pop up instead of laying flat against your eye.

You also need to cut 2 slits on the edge of your eye patch to tie the elastic straps. Double knot to really secure it in place.

Now your all done . . . & they are super cute for not a lot of cash. Plus the whole project is extremely easy.

I hope this helps you whether you just want to make pirate eye patches to play around the house or your planning a pirate party on a budget. Leave a comment below to let me know if this was helpful & how you & your little one used your eye patches.

Kid Friendly Playlist

Music, everybody listens to it & we love it. My kids love all kinds of music but some songs are just not so kid friendly. Our go to play list is a mix of songs from movies & other songs that just have a good beat with out talking about anything inappropriate.

Kid Friendly Playlist:

Part of your world- (Little Mermaid)

Problem- Becky G (from Hotel Transylvania)

Vacation- (Chipmunks)

Born this way/Ain't no stoppin' us now/Firework- (Chipmunks)

Pompeii- Bastille (Mr. Peabody & Sherman) 

I like to move it - (Madagascar)

Let it go - (Frozen)

Do You Want To Build A Snowman - (Frozen)

Despicable Me- (Despicable Me)

Everything Is Awesome - Mark Mothersbaugh (Lego)

Like Me - (Teen Beach Movie)

Surf Crazy - (Teen Beach Movie)

Cruisin' For A Bruisin' - (Teen Beach Movie)

Life Is A Highway - Randy Newman (Cars)

Fearless - Olivia Holt (Girl Vs. Monster)

Fly To Your Heart -(Tinkerbell)

The sound of sunshine - Michael Franti & Spearhead

Love you like a love song - Selena Gomez

Come & get it - Selena Gomez

Slow down - Selena Gomez

Neon Lights - Demi Lovato

Give your heart a break- Demi Lovato

Here we go again-Demi Lovato

Burn - Eli Goulding

Anything could happen-Eli Goulding

I need your love - Eli Goulding

Closer - Tegan & Sara

I love it - Icona Pop (edited version)

Animals - Hardwell

The Fox - Ylvis

La La La - Naughty Boy

I hope out of these 31 songs you & your little one can find something that will fit your taste so you can jam out together. Leave a comment below to let me know if your child's favorite song is on our play list or not.



DIY Ol' King Cole Costume

Yes, I know I get a little TOO excited when one of my kids has a project to do. When I got a note home saying that my son was having Nursery Rhyme day at school I knew I would have fun making his costume. He wanted to be Humpty Dumpty, but you can only imagen how many other kids thought of that too. I wanted him to be a little more outside the box. So I went through ALL of his nursery rhyme books (all 2 of them) & I decided Ol' King Cole was the best fit. When he found out he was going to be a KING he didn't have any complaints. I don't have a sewing machine so every project I do doesn't require much sewing (I only sew by hand & use fabric glue for the rest).

I went to Hobby Lobby to get the materials:

Red Velvety Fabric

Fur like Fabric

Liquid Stich (or fabric glue) 

Jewels

Gold Foam Paper

White Ribbon

Things I used from home:

Rain Boots

Old Belt

Pole

Foam Ball

Starting with the cape, I used a rectangle shaped piece of the red fabric & on the bottom I trimmed it out with the fur. At the top of the cape I stitched on the white ribbon so I could tie it to hold the cape in place while he wore it. That looked a little plain for my taste so I made a piece that draped in front & put a design on it to cover the white ribbon where it connected.  

The boots were easy, I just covered his rain boots with the red fabric & trimmed the top with the fur. To add a little extra bling (because he was a king) I used the gold foam paper to make buckles on the boots.

For his crown, I just used the gold foam paper & cut out a design I thought looked "crown" like. I trimmed the bottom of the crown in the fur & I glued jewels on it for more bling. Once I glued the jewel on the top of the crown (on the cross part in the front) it became a little too top heavy & it was flopping down. So I just glued a random popsicle stick to the back to hold it up straight & it was fine after that. I used the same gold paper to make his arm cuffs & used ribbon to secure them in the back.

The sector came together quite fast, I used a pole & a foam ball I had lying around. Luckily the pole was already black so it didn't need any attention of it's own. I just covered the ball with the red fabric & used the gold foam paper & fur to add little accents. 

He always wears a belt, so I covered his belt in the fabric & used the gold foam paper to cover the metal buckles.  

All Done. I was pleased with how it all came together & it only took me about a day & 1/2 to get done (I take a lot of breaks). The only thing I can suggest is beware when working with that fur fabric. The fur gets EVERYWHERE & after your done it looks like someone murdered a cat in the house. So have your vacuum handy.

Leave a comment below & let me know if you like to make your own costumes.

April Fools Day

It's April 1st . . . I love pranks but April Fools just snuck up on me this year, time is flying by way too fast for me. I realized the date in the middle of the night last night so I didn't have time to run to town to get anything so I just used what I had on hand. Since I usually lay Landen's clothes out for him in the morning I decided to hide a rubber snake in them. The plan was for him to grab his shirt & it would fall out (& given the fact that he just woke up it will definitely catch him off guard), & it worked. He went to put on his shirt & the snake fell out & he jumped back so quick, of course I was right there laughing, he just looked up at me & I told him "APRIL FOOLS". He thought it was hilarious.

For the next little prank I just filled his shoes with cotton balls so when he went to put them on his foot wouldn't fit in.

Now Landen was in mood to pull pranks at school & the first person on his list was his teacher, so I let him take a container to school & told him to give it to his teacher & say it was brownies but really they were brown e's.

He tried to get me back twice when he came home from school, first he drew a red line on his leg & said he got cut, & then he said he didn't have any homework . . . Yeah, I didn't fall for that one.

Hope everyone had a great prank day & Happy April Fools Day (I don't know if people really say that or not), leave a comment to let me how you pranked your loved ones.