Wannabe Instagram Pic Collage

As I have mentioned before I love taking pictures, I have hundreds of pictures in my hard drive and a few dozen in a box. I hate that I have so many pictures just sitting there without being able to show them off. My second other favorite thing right now is Instagram, I love how the pictures look and how they come out if you are able to find a cheap place that prints them right. So one day as I was doing some "research" on Pinterest I got an idea on how to show off my pictures and how to make them look like Instagram pictures (without the hassle and cost of printing them online).

Here are the materials I used (the project cost me about $10 to make):
Foam Cord Boards $1 at The Dollar Tree (my favorite store, if you haven't figured it out by now)
Pictures you have or want to print (11 cents a print at Sam's Club is the cheapest I have found)
Double sided tape $1
Scissors
Decoration (OPTIONAL)
Coaster as a template to cut pictures (I'll explain)

I first chose the pictures I wanted and used a coaster, yes a coaster, as my pattern for cutting the pictures.

As I mentioned above I wanted them similar to Instagram prints, which are smaller than 4x6. My coaster is about the same dimensions to an Instagram picture when it is printed. I cut all my pictures and made sure to go back and round of the edges to give them a different effect.

I took this picture from the back, so that you can see the round edges I gave my pictures.

Here is a look of the front of the picture.

This is also a neat little trick to do with pictures that have too much going on in the background and you want to bring the focus to an actual person or object. Such as this picture:

I then used double sided tape to attach the pictures to the foam board. As you can see I aligned my pictures in a certain way and left some room in the outside, but it is not necessary to do so.

Once I was done with this, I added a few little decorations on the edges to top it off, but again it is not necessary. The Hubbs actually said it looked better without it, but not for my taste. Here is the finished product:

I love how the pictures actually look like Instagram prints because of the way they were cut. From afar you can't tell they are wannabes because of the dimensions. I will be doing a couple more of these boards to hang up in my stairway area. Once I do that I will update this post with how they look.

Summer Home School

Summer vacation is finally here! My son's last day of school was yesterday and although that's one less thing to do during the day, I know I have a long busy summer ahead of me here at home. The Hubbs and I agreed to put my son in some sort of summer school or summer camp, but tuition for these places are ridiculous. I'm not sure we're going to find any within our budget, so while the search continues, I came up with the idea to home school him meanwhile.
In first grade he began learning about different states in the U.S., but they didn't fully get into it. I'm sure this lesson will come up when he's in second grade, therefore I made a mini size poster that we can hang up in his room for him to study.

The map was purchased at The Dollar Tree. All I did was use double sided tape to tape it to scrapbooking paper and hung it up on his wall. He stares at it every night before going to bed and has even been able to memorize some names.

Another thing we want him to practice is his penmanship. My son has horrible writing and it was something his teacher struggled with in first grade. A few weeks ago I was at Target and saw they had a mini white board with lines on it.

It was a dollar so I picked up a couple to have him practice at home. He is currently obsessed with white boards so it's a win win situation for the both of us.

Last, but not least I want him to improve his memory skills. He has a hard time paying attention at times and forgets easily. A lot of the time I have to repeat instructions to him because he won't stop and listen. His teacher suggested we play memory games to sharpen this sense. When I was at Target AGAIN(I feel like I live at that store) I saw they had a memory card game at the dollar section and decided to snatch it up.

He loves playing with cards and I knew it would be great for him. Since I bought them we have played every other day with them. It was a dollar well spent in my opinion.

Although I'm looking forward to all the fun we are going to have this summer, I also want my son to stay on the ball when it comes to school. I don't want him to forget what he has learned and have to struggle when he enters second grade. With so many cheap ways to help him stay on track, I don't see how I cannot help him.

Teacher Appreciation Craft

It has been a while since I posted. I have been extremely busy with church, my son's school and of course my job of being a stay-at-home mom. Needless to stay it has been a hectic last couple of months and somewhat stressful. However, another school year is coming to an end and I will have more time to post and share some of my crafts with you.

Since the school year is ending I wanted to get my son's teacher something special for her hard work and dedication, but nothing at the store seemed original. Then I got the idea of doing something for her, something she can actually use at home or her classroom. I came up with making a personalized pencil, pen, ruler holder from a recycled formula tin can and the best part was that my son was able to help out.

The materials used were:
Black scrapbook paper (1 piece)
A recycled can of formula (got it from my sister in law)
Wood letters I got at Michael's for about $1.50
White and orange acrylic paint
Hot glue gun
Flower stickers I got at The Dollar Tree for $1.00...lol



Here's how I did it. First, I measure the can and cut the paper accordingly. I used my glue gun to make the paper stick to the tin can. Once the glue had dried, for a decorating effect I glued some ribbon on the top and bottom edge.
Second, I painted my letters white and orange to fit the color theme. Once the letters were dried, I once again used my glue gun to attach the letters to the tin can.


Here you can see the ribbon decor and letters being glued on.

Once the letters where done drying, I added some more decor by attaching some flower stickers I got at The Dollar Store.


I love how nice and detailed the flowers are and they only cost $1.00.

Once I added the flowers I was done. I stuffed the tin can with some goodies from Michael's that were 50 cents each.



In total I spent about $5-$7 to make this project. I love it because it is something she can always use and hopefully she likes it.

Stop the Bullying

This past Sunday a woman at church was telling me with tears in her eyes that one of her daughter's was been bullied at school. The worse part was that she went to speak to the principal of the school and she did nothing about it. I could see she felt incredibly helpless. A few weeks ago the same thing was happening to my cousin's son and it made me wonder why it is that bullying is trending right now.
My opinion is that the kids doing the bullying are in need of attention or have self-esteem issues. If more parents were involved with their kids and actually spoke to them on a daily basis we wouldn't have these issues in our society so commonly. I try talking to my son everyday about what he does at school and I try bringing these issues up. I want to give him the trust to be able to come to me if he ever does have these kind of problems at school.
These issues scare me because my kids are young and to think they have to deal with this at school brakes my heart. However, even with that fear I know I have to learn to deal with this because it is real. Hopefully my children never have to deal with this, but if they do I want to be able to help them through it as best I can.

Boston, Mass.

Today the U.S. is reeling yet again from another tragedy that has taken two lives and injured many others.If you haven't heard or live under a rock, we had another terrorist attack, in Boston. It happened at a marathon race being held in the city of Boston, Mass. Someone detonated a couple of bombs at the finish line and set other ones at other locations in the city. Thank God not all the bombs went off, but what an incredible act of cowardice.
From what I have seen in the news an 8 year old little girl died and it brakes my heart to pieces. I have children and I cannot imagine the pain that her parents are going through. She went to a race to walk for other little children, also victims of a nut job, and she lost her life. It scares me to realize that my children will have to grow up with that kind of fear because a few nut jobs feel they can be God. Long gone are the days where families could attend public events as this one and feel safe. It is a sad reality that my children will have to grow up with.
My prayers are with these people in Boston, but my heart goes out to the families of the 2 persons killed. I'm sorry that it had to happen at all, but most of all I'm sorry that such evil is allowed to keep breathing while a little angel can no longer do it. There is a lot I could say about this, but for now this is it.

New Beginnings, New Responsibilities

I have been extremely busy lately. My parents are head Pastors at a local church here in my hometown. They have asked me to help out with the youth ministry and it has been consuming a lot of my time lately. I'm not complaining however, I actually like it.
I grew up in a Christian home, but when I turned 18, I decided that it wasn't for me. I decided to leave the church and do my own thing. I met the Hubbs got married had my son and I still didn't feel the need to go back to church. However, right before I got pregnant with my daughter something inside me clamored to go back to church and not so much church, but to seek God period. Something inside of me needed that relationship and I decided to seek him in truth and in spirit. I began by renewing my relationship with him first and then decided to go back. Since then I have attended the same church I grew up in, but with a different perspective on faith. I don't go because I have to, but because I want to. As the cliche goes I have a faith not a religion, there's a big difference.
I went through a lot when I decided to leave my faith. Some were good experiences, some not so much. I want to be able to share some of my experiences with the youth of my church and if it can help them in anything, I will feel extremely blessed. It will be a hard task, but it will be one that will bring me much satisfaction.

Beautiful Memories

When I was in Junior High my dad and I had a ritual of going to get Chinese food and then to a thrift store on his day off, which was every Tuesday. To a lot of people this ritual may seem lame, but to me it is a beautiful memory I share with my dad. Just like me I want my children to have those beautiful memories.
My son is obsessed with wrestling and although I stopped being a fan a while ago, I still watch it with him every day it is on. Not because I'm a fan, but more so because I know he likes it and I want to share that with him. I love the way he gets excited with the story lines and wrestlers, it reminds me of when I did the same as a little girl. In the beginning it was annoying to watch it, I would even lie to him about it not being on, but slowly I began to realize how important it was for me to like and participate with things he likes. It is important for children to feel that bond with their parents, it let's them know we care.
Right now I have the privilege of being at home and this gives me the chance to make great memories with my babies. I want them to look back at their childhood with happiness and fondness. I want them to remember our rituals and make them want to build some with their babies.

DIY Canvas Pictures

As I have mentioned before I love photography, I'm not an expert but I love taking pictures. One of the things that used to frustrate me the most was taking pictures, but not displaying them. Now thanks to Pinterest I have gotten a lot of ideas of how to do this. One of my favorite is the canvas display. As you may know canvas pictures are pretty expensive, but I have found a cheap and easy idea on how to make these.

Materials needed are the following:
Canvas
Picture
Acrylic Paint (any color you want)
Sponge Brush (2)
Modge Podge (make it yourself 1/2 half glue and 1/2 water)



I got my canvas at Michael's. Most of the time they have awesome coupons and you can get a great deal. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 for $14. First, I painted the edges of the canvas dark brown to match my other picture frames in my living room. This project is so easy that even my 6 year old helped out.



Let it sit for a bit and once it is dry modge podge the top of the canvas. Give it a nice layer, but not too much. Place your picture on top of the modge podge (picture face up). I ironed out the bubbles by touching my picture with a tissue and I was done. I let it dry out overnight and hung it up in the morning.

Here is what the edge looked like after I laid the picture on top.


Here is the finished product.




For now I only have two pictures hung up, but I plan on making the rest of my canvas soon. I will update this post when I'm done with my wall.

Garage Sale

My son and I like to go to garage/yard sales on the weekends. We don't do it every single weekend, but we do it quite often. It is something that I remember doing with my mom when I was a little girl and as it seems my son will continue the tradition with me.
I love it, through out the years of doing it, I have found a lot of great things for cheap. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a great craft desk for only $20, when at the store I haven't been able to find one like that for any less than $100. I have found Scrapbooking stuff, books, knick knacks, and even furniture for cheap. When my hubby and I moved out on our own I furnished our new apartment for for about $150, of course it wasn't the latest in furniture design, but it helped us out a lot.
I understand this is not every ones thing, but if people knew some of the stuff I have gotten from yard sales and the prices I have gotten them for, they would try it for sure. I'm sort of a nerd like that, but to me it's awesome because you never know what you will find. I recommend that everyone tries this at least once and I guarantee that more than one of you will get hooked. Happy Hunting!

Take it Slow

This past weekend I overheard a teenage girl saying she couldn't wait to be married to her boyfriend. I asked myself why do women have such a screwed up way of viewing LOVE. Why do we assume that if we don't hurry up and married the one we love at the moment we won't find happiness. Why can't we just accept things for what they are and enjoy them in their moment.
I have seen many women fall in love and automatically throw caution to the wind. As soon as a woman falls in love it narrows her mind to just that person and the entire world fades away. It's as if we loose all common sense and stupidity kicks in. In my opinion we are more emotional than men, which makes us fall faster and harder. If we took things slow like men tend to want to do, I think we would enjoy our relationships more.
Once upon a time I remember my relationship with the Hubbs was pure bliss. We were young, in love and all was just perfect. Then we got this crazy idea of getting married and of course I lost my head and dove in. I don't regret getting married, much less to my husband, but I do wish we could have waited a little bit longer. I wish I could have thought with my head then and not my emotions, which is what I wanted to tell that teenage girl last Sunday. I wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy this moment in her relationship and take it slow. I wanted to let her know that marriage is beautiful when it is not forced and on its own time. What is meant to be will happen regardless of how many hours, days, years or decades pass.

Organizing My Mess

With children it is very easy to have clutter. The Hubbs and I moved into our current residence because it was bigger than our old apartment. At our old apartment we had things on top of things due to our baby girl being born, but I think we could have made it work if we were a bit more organized. I was determined not to let that happen here, therefore I have follow a few simple rules to help myself.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.

DIY Tutu Tutorial

Our Easter was awesome. I went to church with my babies and celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very important celebration for me and I always like to make sure we are on our Sunday best. This year I got a bit inspired and I decided to make my baby girl a tutu for our Easter service. It was easier than I thought it would be, here's how I did it.

The materials I used were:

6 yards of Tulle. I bought 3 yards of pink and 3 yards of white tulle, but I didn't use it all.
1" non-roll elastic band
Glue gun or if you don't have one you can sow the ends of your elastic band
Scissors
Tape measure or ruler

First, I measured my daughter's waist to size the elastic band. A lot of websites say to subtract two inches from the size of your kids waist for a good fit, but I only subtracted 1 and it was perfect. I then used my glue gun to attach the ends of the elastic band together (If you don't have a glue gun you can sow them together).

Second, I cut 20" strips of tulle for the length of my tutu, I went with the recommendations of the chart below. It all depends on how long you want it.

Waist Size-these are very general
Preemie (under 7 pounds)-14 inches
0-3 months: 17/18 inches
6-12 months: 18/19inches
1-2 years: 20 inches
2-3: 21 inches
3-4: 22 inches
4-5: 23 inches

I then began wrapping the tulle on the elastic waist band. So the elastic band wouldn't slide I wrapped it around a paper towel roll. You have to fold your strips of tutu in half, like so:


Place the tulle in front of the elastic band and pull back at the fold. The keyhole should come out at the bottom of the elastic slip the two ends inside the keyhole and pull. It should look like this once you pull:


I cut 30 pink strips of tulle and 15 of the white tulle you of course can use more. The more tulle you add the puffier it will be. I only used two colors, but you can use as many colors as you want. I made a pattern with my two colors of 1 white, 2 pinks, and 1 white. Here is the end result:


It was a fun project and needless to say I can't wait to do other tutus for my baby girl. Let me know if you have any questions.

DIY Pen & Pencil Holder

I'm excited because next week is spring break for my son, therefore life will be a bit less hectic, hopefully. I will have more time to do some of my projects, which I'm sure my son will love to help out with. I'm on a mission to get my little craft station organized. Right now I have things all over the place and it bugs me.

I needed something to keep my pens, pencils, markers, scissors and brushes sorted out. I also wanted to make some sort of container(s) to my liking, like I did here for my Scrapbooking paper. I came up with a super cheap idea that was incredibly easy to make. All I used were a few cans of Pringles chips, which I had already collected for another project, Modge Podge, Scrapbooking Paper, and scissors.



I first cut the Pringles cans to the size that I wanted (You can make them as tall or as short as you want).



Select the color of scrapbook paper that you want and measure according to your can size. Paste around your can with your modge podge using a brush or sponge brush.



I left a little extra paper at the top, so that I could cover the rough edges where I cut the can. I then added modge podge to the extra little bit of paper and I folded the edge towards the inside of the can. It gives it a better look. Once you do this you're pretty much done.




Now my son has requested some for his desk, so it's a project I plan on doing with him during spring break. You can also use these as make-up brush holders or add a magnet to your can an pin it on your refrigerator to hold pens for quick notes. It was a cheap project that gives my craft station some much needed organization and great personal touch. My station is looking up if I do say so myself.

Co-Sleeping Babies

Yesterday night I put my daughter's crib together. It was bitter sweet because I'm used to her sleeping with me, but I know she needs her own bed. The Hubbs has never been ok with either of our kids sleeping with us. With my son he never let it happen, but with my daughter he was a bit more accepting due to the fact that I breastfeed her, which makes it more convenient for me.
When I had my son I agreed on not wanting him to sleep with us because I was afraid of crushing or suffocating him at night. You hear so many horror stories about parents co-sleeping with their children that as a new parent it terrifies you, but I was also the judgmental parent that looked down on parents who co-slept with their kids. I couldn't believe how these parents could be so selfish as to put their children in danger that way, it was beyond me. Then you hear a bunch of opinions from parents who don't think the practice is right and it heats up your head even more. However, once I began co-sleeping with my baby girl I realized why a lot of parents do it. It is definitely a different bond that you get with your child, it is almost a need to have them there next to you to protect them at night. Do I regret not doing it with my son, not necessarily, but I do wish I hadn't been so quick to judge other parents who did it.
More than anything, this has thought me to not be so judgmental on things I haven't tried myself or understand. Everyone has a right to their opinion and more so to do whatever they feel is better for their child. For now my daughter will alternate during the night between her bed and crib, I'm not ready to completely wean her from my bed. She does however seem to like her crib more than I thought she would and much to my dismay, but alas they have to grow up some time.

Happy Birthdays

Yesterday was the Hubbs birthday. We didn't really celebrate it yesterday, but we had a mini celebration over the weekend and we will have another one with friends next weekend. I got him a gas grill, which is something he had been wanting for a while now, and my son gave him a cap. Then on Sunday we went to a restaurant for a little dinner celebration to his favorite BBQ joint. Overall I think he had a great birthday or at least I hope he did.
To me birthdays are extremely important celebrations. I try to make everyone's birthday special, let it be by doing a small dinner with the family or a big birthday party with friends. My son is going to be 7 in May and we have celebrated every one of his birthdays with a party. To me and the Hubbs this is important in a child's life because we didn't have that growing up. I had two birthday parties that I can remember and one was more for my mother than me (Quincianera 15th bday). Some of my friends would have birthday parties every year and I remember I would beg my parents to make me one too, but it never happened. Maybe because my birthday was right after the Holidays, but for whatever reason I never had one. I do remember that on my twelve birthday I begged my mom to throw me a party and she went as far as to invite a couple of my friends after Sunday church and that was it. It wasn't an actual party, but to this day I remember it as if it had been. To this day I still remember how disappointed and sad I would get.
There were years when I didn't even get a birthday present much less a party and as a parent I don't ever want my children to feel that way. As their mother I want them to know how grateful we are that they are able to be with us another year and that deserves a celebration. I don't think it's so much about how big a party or present you give someone on their birthday. It's more about letting them know that you care enough about them and you remember.

Insecure

Have you ever heard the expression "walking a tight rope". That's how I feel right now, the Hubbs is growing increasingly irritated with his job and it is making my anxiety kick into high gear. I feel as though he is going to quit at any time and we're going to be in a free fall with our finances. He says he is not going to do that to us, but it has happened in the past and I can't help but feel apprehensive.
We had a conversation about a week ago and when I asked him what it is he wanted to do with his life he said he had no idea. I kept calm and collected on the outside, but inside I was screaming. That was not what I wanted to hear at all, especially right now that I don't have a job and he's frustrated with his. It is scary and it makes me a bit sad that with two kids and so much responsibility he doesn't know what he wants in life. This is precisely why I wish I hadn't had to quit my job. At least with me working I would feel somewhat in control, but right now I feel absolutely helpless.
I'm not saying I know for sure he's going to quit, but I just wish I could get rid of this nagging feeling. I have struggle before and I'm not afraid of struggling again, but it wouldn't be fun to do it with two kids.

Perris Lake, California

Summer is right around the corner and I'm already planning activities to do with my babies. I don't know for sure that I won't be working by then, but if I'm not I plan on taking full advantage of being home with them for the summer. I have wonderful memories of places my parents took my siblings and I to. I remember being excited for summer because that meant we would spend some Saturdays at Perris Lake. I have many beautiful memories of that place and although it is not what it used to be, as far as the scenery is concern, it is still a great place to spend a relaxing Saturday with the family.





The water has gone down quite a bit from when I barely began going, mostly because it is a man made lake. A lot of people say it is not a great place to for the family anymore because it has turn into more of a boating lake, but to me it still has its charm.

A Mother's Love

A couple of days ago I was watching the movie Forrest Gump, which happens to be one of my favorites. I get teary eye every time I see how hard his mother fought to keep him in school. It is a true testament of the love of a mother for their child. I know I would do anything for my babies and my mother my has definitely shown me she would do it for me as well.
I often hear people say they would die without their mother's, but I would truly be lost without mine. My mom has always helped me out of tough situations more than I can count. I haven't always been an easy child to deal with, especially when I was younger. A few years ago I went through a rebellious streak and I made my mom's life a living hell, staying out late, drinking and doing the exact opposite of what my parents wanted me to do. It is not something I'm proud of, but it made me learn and grow. I just wish I hadn't hurt my mom in the process. Even with all my mistakes and the headaches I know I gave her, my mom's love has never waiver. To the contrary she showed me more love when she should have been hating me, but a mother's love for their child is not something easy to brake.
As I mentioned before we are going through a rough financial situation right now and once again my mother is there to help us through it. If it wasn't for her we would be truly screwed. I just hope that one day I can repay her somewhat for all she's done for me.

Cheap Family Fun

It's unbelievable how small simple outings with the family can be so fulfilling. The Hubbs didn't work this weekend and being that we we're financially limited we decided to take the kids to the park. As a parent this can be extremely exhausting and at times boring, but to a kid an outing to a park can be the most exciting thing in the world. Our condominiums are right next to a park and my son is constantly begging us to take him, but for some stupid reason we don't. Granted it can get a bit overwhelming with all the little ankle-bitters running around, but that is what kids enjoy.
It's very rare that the Hubbs gets a Saturday off, so we didn't want to waste the day.




My son went from play area to play area trying to get his money's worth.





While my baby girl did mostly this, with me running behind her making sure she didn't run over any of her peers.





I came to the conclusion that we better enjoy these years where the kids don't demand expensive outings, like to theme parks and malls. Overall we had a great day, the weather was awesome here in Cali and it didn't cost a penny.

More Money, More Problems

I haven't posted in the last few days because I haven't been feeling all that well. I have been under some stress here at home due to our bad money decisions. The Hubbs makes more than enough money for us to live comfortably, but some times we go overboard on our spending. I can't help but feel like a failure during these times. Having money issues can bring a lot of stress on a marriage and unfortunately for me I'm the only one in the relationship who knows what and how the bills are paid. The Hubbs feels that since he works hard to make the money he shouldn't have to worry about bills. I agree with him to a certain degree, but he still needs to know what bills need to be paid so that he can control his spending, something he doesn't do now. Of course he has his point of view, I have mine and it's not always easy to meet in the middle. It's a frustrating situation, but one we have no one to blame for but us. Hopefully our situation will get better soon and that we learn from this mistake. I promise to keep up next week. Have a great and productive weekend.

Chalkboard DIY Project

I had a very productive weekend. For a while now I had wanted to make a chalkboard for my son. I saw the procedure on Pinterest (my current addiction) and went on Friday to get the materials. I went to my local Home Depot and found exactly what I needed.

The materials needed:
-Non-Sanded Grout
-Acrylic Paint Big bottle, not the two little ones I have on the picture(any color you wish)
-Piece of Wood (any size)
-Sand Paper
-Paint Brushes or Foam Brushes
-Whisk or piece of wood to mix the paint and grout

The first step is to mix a cup of paint and 2 teaspoons of Grout. Mix until the lumps are all out. (Tip: I couldn't get the lumps out and when I did it was a real thick mush ball, therefore I added a little bit of water to make it runny)

I got a large piece of cork board from Home Depot for 51 cents. (Tip: Home Depot has scraps of wood that they sale for 51 cents. It's great to use for DIY Projects and of course super cheap). I sanded the wood a bit began putting the paint with a foam brush.

Awesome project to have your kids help you with

I put 2 coats of paint on it and let it dry overnight. The next day I added a coat of chalk. Yes, chalk not sure why they suggest to do this, but I read it everywhere. Once you have done this clean it with a damp cloth.

Once you clean off the chalk your new board is ready to be used. My son loved it, he won't stop playing with it and now he's talking about doing a white board. He says he is now ready to teach his class.

Scrap Paper Bin Craft

I love arts and crafts! It is a hobby I got into at a very early age, but not until now did I really began to develop it. I began my son's scrapbook almost 7 years ago and I have yet to finish it. It's unfortunate because I now have to began my daughter's and I feel a bit overwhelmed. Nonetheless, that is a project I hope to catch up on this year and of course continue.
My latest craft was a much needed bin. I have a lot of scrapbooking paper and for some time it was all over the place. I never found a bin that I liked at the store, something that would allow me to keep it in one place, but access it easily. I decided to make a bin to my liking and the best part is that the project cost less than $5 to make.

The materials I needed were:
A shoe box (the bigger the better)
A roll of brown PaperBag Paper (you can get these at a Dollar Store or 99Cents Store)
A couple of scrapbook pages (colors or design to your liking)
Tape and scissors

Process:
Tape the entire shoe box shut as if you're never going to open it again.
Cut off a horizontal side of the shoe box so that your scrap paper fits in there right
Wrap the shoe box with the Paper Bag Paper (like you're wrapping a Christmas gift)
Then decorate to your liking with the scrapbook pages

As you can see I used the scrapbook paper to decorate the front of my box only

My bin makes it easy for me to see the different type of papers I have without having to dig through it. If you have any questions on the project email me or write a comment at the bottom. Have a great weekend everyone!

My Loss

Before I got pregnant with my son and daughter I suffered a miscarriage. The Hubbs and I had just gotten married when I found out I was with child. It wasn't as exciting as I always imagined it would be. At the time we didn't feel like we were ready for a baby, therefore the news wasn't met with great joy on our part.
My parents on the other hand were delighted and overjoyed. They went and bought the baby toys that week and my mom started making plans about the nursery and what not. I wanted to feel somewhat joyous, but the pregnancy was draining me. I felt incredibly tired and exhausted, more than I had ever felt my entire life. It was not a great feeling and I guess it didn't help that in the back of our minds we really weren't ready for a baby.
About a month after I found out about our pregnancy I lost the baby. I began spotting on a Sunday and by Tuesday I had miscarried. I felt guilty afterwards because in my mind I felt like I had rejected the baby. At  times I see my son and daughter and wonder about that first one. I don't allow myself to dwell on the "what ifs" too much because the guilt and the emotions overwhelm me. I never truly grieved my loss, I broke down in the car after I was told I was having a miscarriage, but at that moment I still held hope that something could be done to save the pregnancy. Thinking back at that time however, I feel like my emotions were a bit stiff. Not so much because I didn't care at all, but because I truly didn't have that maternal instinct yet. Ironically after I had my son I longed for that baby and even though I didn't get to meet her/him I will always love that little angel. Her/His loss made me appreciate and love my other two so much more.

Lytle Creek, California

During the summer of 2011 I found out I was pregnant with my baby girl and I was, as they say, on cloud nine. Everything all of a sudden was beautiful and exciting. I mention this because that summer I went to a river with my parents and I absolutely fell in love with it. I went later with the Hubbs and some friends and they swore it was ugly. The scenery is awesome and the sound of the river is super calming. Every time I go I can't stop snapping pictures, it has definitely turned into a favorite summer spot. I know for a fact that this summer I will be spending many a days there with my babies.
I don't know if it was because I was in a great place with my pregnancy, but I fell in love with this place.