Toxin-free playtime!

My kids love play-do. Love, love, love it! As for me, I could pass-it gets smooshed into everything and I'm always picking up little bits of playdo within a 10 foot radius of where they used it. But since they do love it so much, I keep several containers in the house. At least a couple times a week we pull it out for some messy playtime. My 2 yo not only thinks playdo is a fun toy, but also makes a great mid-afternoon snack. The minute I pull it out, he doesn't start building, but starts eating. He's very mannerly, though, dividing it up into small little pieces before chowing down. A little weird? Maybe. Fortunately, we live in a day and age where everything is non-toxic. Crayons, play-do, bubbles...you name it-it may taste yucky, but at least you can avoid a trip to the emergency room. How on earth did so many people make it to adulthood before all these safety measures? I've seen my babies sip on bubbles like they're chocolate milk and snack on crayons like they're candy. I certainly don't encourage it, but at least I can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that the worst thing that will happen is that they may have an upset tummy or some funny colored teeth. Here's to both some fun...and safe...playtime!

(My little snacker)

Bake sale!

My 10 yo daughter is saving up for something very special...an American Girl doll. If you've ever seen these dolls, they are beautiful, but also very, very expensive! $114 expensive (actually $128 with shipping) , to be exact. Given that she doesn't have that kind of money laying around, and Mom and Dad weren't going to pony up that kind of cash, she decided to get creative and earn it herself! Her idea was to hold a bake sale in front of our house, selling yummy homemade goodies. Well, Saturday was the day! After baking tons during the week, here was the spread. Fudge brownies (our biggest seller!), rice krispie treats, Reese's peanut butter cup cookies....


Confetti cookies, M and M cookies, and chocolate chip (whew!). All wrapped in packages of 3 and ready to sell!

She set out plates with free samples for potential customers (though I think most of the neighbor kids ended up eating them-oops!)

Here she is in charge of the table! She was very successful in her sale, due to very generous neighbors and friends that apparently love sweet things! :-)

Overall, she earned about half what was needed for her doll-I'm so proud-all her hard work paid off! She even decided to donate 10% of her earnings to church for the missionaries-an even better cause than the American Girl doll. The only problem now? ALL my kids want to do a bake sale after seeing how well this one went. I told them to talk to me in another 6 months!

A long absence

Yes, it's been awhile..weeks in fact, since I've been updating this blog at all. So why the absence? Many of you know, it's been for a very, very good reason..........

That is my 15 yo son, recovering after being hit by a car while riding his bike 2 weeks ago. It's an event I hope no other parent has to go through. There are so many emotions we've dealt with through all of this, from fear to thankfulness, but I can truly say that his sitting on the couch in this picture is nothing short of a miracle. The doctors may not be able to explain it, but I know God can! He has a long road to recovery, but is taking it one day at a time. Thankfully, he has improved tremendously over these past 2 weeks, and I expect that he will continue on that course for the duration. Life is precious-I always knew that-but wow, something like this sure makes that a reality.