Dream Big Printable

Well, we had a very successful first day of second grade here! One of my twins even told me he wasn't even scared as we were getting ready for bed the night before.  Now, a few fist day jitters did settle in in the morning, but just for a second, and that was it!  I can't wait for the fun and exciting year that's awaiting them.

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I often get a bit sentimental when my boys head off to school. I'm so proud of the good, kind-hearted, hardworking boys they are becoming.  And I often wonder what they'll be when they grow up.  Right now it's football players for both of them (one of my twins is convinced he can break all of Jerry Rice's records).  I find myself almost discouraging any such idea, but then I stop and remind myself that we all need big dreams to work towards.  They don't always pan out exactly as we want, but we can always...

Dream beautiful dreams and then work to make those dreams come true.

-Spence W. Kimball

What are your big, beautiful dreams these days? 

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Lullabies Playlist {On Spotify}

  I seem to have all things baby on my mind lately, which I haven't had to think about in years.  And I have to say it's been a lot of fun!  I also haven't posted a playlist for awhile, so in honor of all things baby, I have a lullabies playlist to share with you today. 

And actually, all three of my boys (ages seven and four) still listen to the Tender Lullabies CD (you'll see the songs in my playlist) to fall asleep at night.  It's so relaxing and peaceful!  So, along with those favorites, I'm excited to add a few new songs to add to the baby atmosphere that will be here in a couple of months for our family.

You can listen to my entire lullabies playlist on Spotify.  You just need to download it to listen, and it's free!  So, hop on over and download today.  Not only can you listen to my playlist, but you can listen to anything!  I LOVE Spotify!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Back to School Countdown {A Recycled Advent Calendar}

I won't start this post by saying, "I can't believe school starts one week from tomorrow for us!" but I will say this summer is a bit of a blur!  So many great memories, carefree days, and fun times, but now it's time to move on to a new chapter- SCHOOL TIME!

I shared my back to school countdown last year.  But I wanted to update the look a bit, and add some new activities. My boys ALWAYS have the first day jitters, so I like to make the days up to the first day as fun and exciting as possible, and a countdown is the perfect way to do it. 

You can click on the link above for more tips on making the countdown calendar, but basically I just dress up a toilet paper roll, and then put a little treat and activity inside the roll each day.  We countdown the week before school, so like  I said we'll be starting tomorrow!

The link above also has a list of activities we do in our countdown.  This year I'm adding a few new ones.

Back to school Mad Libs (tune in tomorrow for some great links on that)

Make a back to school Rainbow Loom bracelet

Take a quiz about last year's school year

You can do anything you'd like for your countdown.  Personalize it for your kids, and make it fun.  That first day can be a bit nerve-racking and overwhelming.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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DIY ABC Tree

I have several addictions, or as I like to call them, collections.  ABC/alphabet items seem to top my list.  Once again, I blame it on the teacher in me, but I have a really hard time passing up anything alphabet-related. 

I've decided it's a really good thing we're having another little one, because my twins will be 8 in a few months, and they really don't need any ABC decorations, and my almost-five-year-old really has out-grown all this stuff as well.  So, thank goodness for baby boy number 4!  I can keep my collections around for a bit longer.

I posted this project early on in my blogging career, and it's still one of my very favorite projects!  I found a picture of something similar to this in blogland, and wanted to recreate it.  I was worried about how mine would turn out, but I LOVED it!  Just looking at it now, I still love it!  In fact, it makes me want to make a newer version with a new color scheme.

Click here for my entire post on the DIY ABC tree.  This is the perfect project for all those scrapbook paper scraps you have hanging around. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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The Backpack Fairy {Fun Night Before the First Day of School Tradition}

This is one of my very favorite back to school traditions!  I think I read about it in Family Fun magazine many years ago.  And, if you're familiar with the tooth fairy, then you probably already know what the backpack fairy does.

WHAT  TO DO

Have your child leave his/her backpack out the night before school starts.  You can choose a designated spot, or just put it anywhere (the backpack fairy is pretty smart, she'll have no problem finding the backpacks!).  During the night the backpack fairy will come and leave some special gifts inside each backpack.  When morning comes, be sure to check inside the backpacks before leaving for the first day to see what she's left!

So, so easy!  It's just another way to make the first day of school a bit more fun and exciting, and not so nerve-racking!  

Here are some of the items our backpack fairy has left, but your fairy can leave whatever she wants.

Folders

Pencils/Pens

Crayons/Markers

Pencil Boxes

Binders

Erasers

Notebooks

A new book

A new shirt

A treat

A backpack decoration (think key chains)

A special note

Hand sanitizer

A new lunch box

These are just a few ideas.  I'm sure your fairy can come up with many, many more!

We've got the new backpacks, now we're just waiting for the night before school starts to set them out.  Can't wait to see what she brings this year!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Homemade Orange Julius

We were thinking the first day of the tonsillectomy was a fluke, and we were right.  Our little guy was eating, up and around, and seeming unphased by the whole thing.  Well, today was a different story!  The pain settled in, and as tough and patient as he's been, it's been a rough day!

We've definitely been consuming a lot of cold drinks over the past few days, and I decided this would be the perfect time to share our homemade Orange Julius recipe we've been making for years.  It's not exactly like the one you can buy at Orange Julius, but it's still cool, refreshing, and delicious!!

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I had this already to photograph, and then had a bit of a delay due to a sick little boy.  So, the drink looks a bit separated here (which I actually like the look of).  When you blend yours all up, it will look like a more uniform mixture if you serve it immediately.  It does separate over time, though.

Not only is this the perfect drink for any of your little recovering tonsillectomy patients, but it's also the ideal after school snack!  Especially during the first month or so when it's still incredibly hot. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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How To Make Your Own Back To School Labels Using PicMonkey

I had every intention of having a fun new back to school printable all ready to go for today, but it just didn't happen.  One of my twins had his tonsils and adenoids out this morning, and while everything went really, really well, I haven't had a lot of free time on my hands.

So, I have a repost from last year's back to school ideas.  This is a tutorial on how to make your own back to school labels in PicMonkey.  They have a fabulous School U theme that has all sorts of school overlays and fonts to use.  I like personalizing my boys' things before school starts so we can easily keep track of them throughout the school year.  So, I'm thinking a tutorial is better than an actual printable.  That way you can personalize your kid's belongings however you'd like.  

Click here for the entire post on how to make your own back to school labels in PicMonkey.

Enjoy the rest of your day.  I'm off to more popsicles and movies with my little guy.  He's been such a great patient, and his brothers have been more than helpful!  I'm one blessed mommy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.