Family Musings

Sometimes I surprise myself and actually follow through on a craft idea I find. This month, I took my lead from Disney's Family Fun  magazine (February 2012) and made some adorable doily shirts for some cute girls in my life. Generally speaking, I followed the instructions they shared in the magazine and online , but I didn't need to use nearly as much glue as they suggested. For me, a few well placed dabs was plenty so long as I was careful about dabbing the fabric paint on the shirt. The great thing about this craft is that it was very inexpensive. I used t-shirts and doilies I found at the local Dollar Tree. I did buy the paint and brushes from Jo-ann's. Fortunately they were on sale and I was able to use a 20% off crafting supplies coupon. That means I was able to decorate 3 shirts for less than $12 (including $5 for a 9-pack of brushes). Plus, I have enough paint and doilies to make, oh, 20 more shirts! The pink one above is for Mary to wear with leggings an...

Today, instead of reading my rambles on here, you can read them over at Inside That Head of Mine . Angela is the blogger over there and she interviewed me for the first in her series of blogger interviews. I think she asked some great questions and I had a fun time answering them. Learn all about what inspires me as a blogger. If you like what you read, leave her some comment love when you visit. Then come back and do the same thing here!

A recent post by Joy at Church Planting Confessions , sparked an idea to share with you how I manage my blog reading time. I've had to become more intentional with my online time recently for lots of reasons, including my desire to spend more time with my family and declutter my home. The main tool I use to manage my blog reading is Google Reader. Every blog I read is given a label and categorized by the type of blog it is. Some of my categories include 'Friends' (real life friends who blog), 'Moms' (other mom blogs that I find interesting), 'Church' blogs (from pastors and ministries I respect), 'Missions' (written by missionary moms), 'Miscellaneous' (crafts, fashion, or other random topics), and 'Homeschooling'. I read my friend's blogs first to keep up with their lives, even if I see them regularly. It helps us get into deeper conversations when we are together. Reading my friend's blogs is also a way to help my childr...

I've shared before that our family loves the Jesus Storybook Bible . Don't tell the girls but for Christmas they are even getting a CD copy of the book so we can take it along with us in the car. We've also really enjoyed watching the animated readings of the book on the Zonderkids YouTube channel. Here is my current favorite video (super long intro ends at ~0:45). As I've 'followed' the book on Facebook, I've also come to really appreciate its author, Sally Lloyd-Jones. And tomorrow night, we'll get to spend some time with her as she hosts a LIVE online Christmas Party. According to the press release I received: From 6 p.m.-7 p.m. EST, visitors will be able to tune in at http://www.livestream.com/Zonderkidz  for Lloyd-Jones’s live reading of her critically-acclaimed holiday children’s book, SONG OF THE STARS: A Christmas Story. The festivities will continue with a Q&A with the author, exciting prize giveaways, and special musical guest appe...

I've been a Sponsored Tweet publisher for a while now and have enjoyed learning about new companies and then sharing some of those with my Twitter followers. If you have a company that could use some Twitter exposure, then consider this 33% off deal from Sponsored Tweets.

My friend Meagan is a Lakeland and online deal blogger and, in honor of school starting back up, has several awesome giveaways running right now. Even though I've entered most of them and it reduces my chances of winning by sending you there, you can find all of her active giveaways at Publix Coupon Queen . Many of them currently have low entries so your chances of winning are pretty good. Also, another friend of mine who blogs about weekly menu planning and recipes has a Totino's and Box Tops for Education giveaway going on right now. It also has low entries. Best of luck to you!

Not only am I celebrating 1,000 published posts today, but my friend Amy is celebrating her 29th birthday today! Amy, owner of Dearie Designs is celebrating her birthday today with a special giveaway ! She is an amazing paper crafter and a Stampin' Up consultant. I've purchased many of her items over the last 2 years to use as gifts or for myself and all of them are beautiful and unlike other crafty things I've seen online. She writes: As a thank you for your support, any online or emailed orders placed on June 1st, 2011, will be entered into a drawing for a goody package including hand stamped cards & gifts from Dearie Designs, paper/supplies pack by Stampin' UP, and the new Stampin' Up Idea Book 2011-2012, when it arrives July 1st ~FREE! Details: Orders count when either placed in my online shop through my Stampin Up web site or emailing me with your SU order OR purchases of DearieDesigns items for sale in my etsy shop . Feel free to subscribe to her b...

And you are lucky to have a friend like me!! :) I wanted to pop in a second time today to share how to earn free Redbox movies between now and Thursday, March 17. Here are the instructions from Redbox: Sign-up for a redbox online account at www.redbox.com/luckymoms . Why? By signing up for an online account, you can see what movies are currently in redbox kiosks near you and reserve your picks to guarantee they’ll still be waiting for you when you get there (until 9 p.m. the next day). Redbox will email you a personal web address link Share the link with your friends Every time someone reserves a movie online through your personal web address, you’ll receive a credit in your online account for a free one-night DVD rental If it is your friend’s first time reserving online, they’ll also receive a credit for a free one night rental Spread the luck! Email it, post it to Facebook , Tweet about it! FTC Disclosure: This post is an entry to win free Redbox movies and movie sn...

Do you know what a seasonal consignment sale it? I do, and I love them!!! And I love giving away gift certificates to my readers! (Keep reading for details.) March and April are the most popular months of the year for these sales as moms start looking to pack away the parkas and mittens. Fortunately, Lakeland is blessed to have a couple of these. The first consignment sale of the season is Savvy Shoppers . It was started by my friend Debbie and I am pleased to tell you more about it. Savvy Shoppers Children's Consignment Sale March 24-26, 2011 90 Lake Morton Dr. Junior League Building (near the Lakeland Public Library) This is what Debbie has to say about Savvy Shoppers: We are here to help during these hard economic times. Moms need to make their dollars stretch. By consigning your gently used clothes, toys, games, etc., with Savvy Shoppers you will earn 70% of your sales. You can increase your earnings by volunteering at the sale. You can shop out great selection at aweso...

A couple of months ago I switched from planning weekly dinner menus to planning monthly dinner menus. I read the idea months ago but was nervous about making the switch. I was finally convinced because I realized that weekly planning was not the best use of my time. Here are the pros to planning a monthly dinner menu: I only have to browse my cookbooks or recipes online once a month. I can space out my "filler meals" which ensures we don't eat spaghetti every other night. It is easier to guarantee that I do try the new recipes I do find. I'd been in a rut making the same handful of meals every week and even Mary was getting bored.  My budget is relieved. We get paid just once a month and by knowing at the beginning of the month what our main food expenses will be I can plan better.  I do not need to make a big shopping trip on a weekly basis. This is better for the girls attention span and for my sanity. Sure, I stop in for milk and produce throughout the mon...

Recently, my local paper, The Ledger, published an article about local mom blogs. I thought I'd take the chance to share them with you here. Not all of these local bloggers were featured in the Ledger article, but they are all worthy of your time. If you are local and know of any other blogging mommas out there, let me know and I'll add them to the list! The Dearie's Not So Dailies - My friend Amy always has something cute or funny to share on her personal blog, and on her crafting blog (Dearie Designs) she always inspires me to start cutting up paper and gluing it to all sorts of things. She really does have some of the best scrapbooking paper I've ever seen. You will be blessed by either blog. Rogers Family Update - A family-focused blog that features her 3 littles, including stories about how the rules change when Grandma is in town , creating space for a kid's play room , and her cute New Year's tradition with her babies . A Flower In The Rain - Sh...

I've been talking to Abbe Mazer Lunger, the mompreneur who founded PrintArtKids , and she sent me a sample of the products they can create using your child's artwork. I was impressed with the both the quality of stationary created and the concept of using children's art to engage them in the etiquette of hosting a party. I asked her to share more about how to engage children in gratitude and how her shop works. *************************************** In the current age of email and texting, it’s only a matter of time before the hand written note is all but forgotten. As parents, we must challenge technology by continuing to teach our children the art and importance of personalized correspondence. Involving children in the planning of their birthday parties is the ideal time to introduce them to this necessary life skill. Creating their own unique invitations, thank you notes and birthday cards using their own art is a fun activity, and will enhance both fine motor skills ...

Ten Talents hosts a daily This for That McLinky that allows bloggers to get some help in exchange for helping others. Here are the rules: If this is your first time linking up with us on This for That, please READ THIS POST for more information! Post your "need" in the MckLinky by writing about what you need and linking to where others can fulfill that need. Meet the need of the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE your link, AND THEN YOU ARE DONE! If you want more than 3 ppl to help you out, then wait a bit, come back later and enter your need again (just make sure you AGAIN help out the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE you). The idea is that you help out 3 ppl and 3 ppl help you out...AND you don't have to wonder if you left someone hanging because your job is done as soon as you help out the three ppl above you! You can link up as many times as you want! Just a couple of quick points: 1) PLEASE DO NOT link up unless you have time @ the very moment you link up to meet the requests of t...

Moms are some of the most creative people I know. If you think about it, we created little people, so there must be something flowing in the left side of our brains! It was easy to find professional party planning ideas. But I know that many moms can't afford to hire professional help for executing their wee one's birthday party. So, I went looking for moms who did it themselves, and these were some of the ideas I found. ******************** If you are into character themed parties, Karli at SweetBeaker designed a Dora the Explorer Fiesta for her own Charlotte. The Dora birthday invitations look upscale and she made them just by using the free printables available at Nick Jr.com. Same for the rest of the Dora decorations and favors . It just took some digital paper crafting skills. The color palette is simple (yellow, orange, and pink) and I can see how it would fulfill any toddler's Dora the Explorer birthday party needs! Karli told me that they kept to a simple, kid-...

When I was looking around and talking to different people about birthday ideas, I came across some particularly unexpected ones. What do you think, would you ever throw one of these parties? Karate Party Anyone - Children have lots of fun while actually learning TaeKwonDo at your child's birthday party! Your child and guests will fully participate in a safe introductory TaeKwonDo lesson. All the children learn the rules of safety while gaining self-confidence and self-respect at a party that no one will ever forget. Soccer Collies - Invite doggies to the party! I bet some of these collies are more well-behaved than some toddlers! Orange Kite Theme - A color themed party is what we did for Charlotte. Her colors were pink and purple, but the little girl with the kite party chose orange and I think the results are stunning! And using kites for a spring party makes tying everything into the theme so much easier. Have you planned any birthday parties with an unexpected th...

I've come across a really neat way that one blogger found to help other bloggers out and I want to take a moment to share it with you. The owner of Ten Talents wants to help us connect with one another by sharing links. They can be links to giveaways that you want more entries on, links to your Facebook page, or requests for more Google Friend Connect followers. This is beautiful in it's simplicity. If this is your first time linking up with us on This for That, please READ THIS POST for more information! Post your "need" in the McLinky by writing about what you need and linking to where others can fulfill that need.  Meet the need of the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE your link, AND THEN YOU ARE DONE! If you want more than 3 ppl to help you out, then wait a bit, come back later and enter your need again (just make sure you AGAIN help out the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE you).  The idea is that you help out 3 ppl and 3 ppl help you out...AND you don't have to wonde...

Recently, I decided to turn my blog into a Do Follow blog. I thought it would be a nice gesture towards those who faithfully comment. Now, I'd like to extend that favor to the rest of mommy blogdom. So, if you are a mom who blogs and has removed the no-follow tags from your blog, please leave a comment below so I can add you to my master Do Follow Mommy Blog List. Family Musings Work at Home Mom Revolution Freebie Spot Mommy Rubz Belly Baby Babble Lots of Fun Times Three JoniRae You could be next... If you want to help spread the do follow love, please consider adding a link to this list on your own blog. <br> <br/><a href="</span><strong><code>http://www.familymusings.com/2010/06/do-follow-mommy-blogs.html</code></strong><span class="postbody">">Do Follow List<br/> It will look like this - Do Follow List

At the risk of reducing my own chances of winning, I am going to share one of my favorite blogs with you - Domestic Debacle . Currently, she is hosting a giveaway for a new Oreck XL Platinum Pilot Cleaning System. You can check out her post for details about why she loves this vacuum and how to win.

After thinking about it for a long, long time, I decided to make Family Musings a Do-Follow blog. If you do not have a website or blog, than this really won't matter to you. For those of you who read and do have a blog or website of your own, this now means that whenever you leave a comment, Google, and other search engines, will give you link credit. This improves your websites ranking on Google. Consider this my small part to help the community. That being said, if you came to this blog because you want some Do Follow action, please make sure you leave a comment that is relevant to the post. Don't just say, "great blog," or "thanks for sharing." If your comment does not contribute to the "family musings," then I will delete it. And I am the ultimate decision maker on whether or not a link stays. (You link, I follow icon courtesy of Design Mivox .)

Valentine's weekend I took the girls to Hollis Gardens for a mini photo session with local photographer Emily Magdics . She sent me a cd with all of the images she shot and after going through nearly 150 photos (for just a 15-minute session!), these are my favorites. Not all have been photoshopped, but I think you can see she did a great job. Which ones do you like best? I am thinking it is time to redo my blog design and was thinking of using some of these in my new header.