FHE Ideas: Preparing to Serve a Mission

Song: I Hope They Call Me on a Mission (Children's Songbook, pg #169) (Download the song here / See and hear the music here)

Scripture: D&C 133:37

Lesson Ideas:

• If you or your spouse served a mission, find pictures, letters, souvenirs, etc and display them for your children to see. If you served in another country or spoke another language, consider doing a sort of themed night - try and make some authentic food, decorate, or even practice words from that language. During FHE, talk about your daily routine, the hardships you encountered, and the blessings you received.
• If you or your spouse didn't serve a mission, consider finding someone to come and talk to your family or combining your FHE with another family whose parent(s) served a mission and are willing to discuss it with your family.
• I know that the missionaries are very busy, but you might try inviting them over for dinner or even just to do a presentation for your family. You could have them talk about what they do on a daily basis, what the MTC was like, or what they did to prepare before their mission.
• Give each member of your family a missionary name tag and, if desired, have everyone dress in their Sunday best (white shirt and tie for the boys, modest dresses for the girls - what you would wear as a missionary). Practice going in pairs and knocking on your own door and pretending to be the missionaries. Discuss what it is you would say to try and present the gospel to someone you don't know. I thought about creating my own, but decided to see if I could just find any online. Here are a couple I found:
• Member Missionary Tag - click "save as" then put as many as you need into a word document. Print and cut!  
• Customizable Missionary Name Tags - You're able to change the name on the name tags and then print them out. Both Elder and Sister spots are available!
• Or just get a black piece of card stock and, using a white crayon, write "Future Missionary" or "Member Missionary" or whatever floats your boat. This is especially good for kids who can't read yet! :)
• Read through and discuss this article about 10 Practical Ways to Prepare to Serve a Mission
• Write letters to the missionaries in your area thanking them for their service. You could hand deliver them with a plate of cookies (or some other treat). If you're not sure who your local missionaries are, talk to your bishop or Ward Mission Leader.
• Discuss why it is important to serve a mission. Why we should be willing to share the gospel and why giving up our time to serve the Lord is important and beneficial. You could also talk about what we can do now as member missionaries to help the Elders and Sisters who are out there serving.
• If your children are older, you could watch (or find clips from)either "The Best Two Years" or "The Other Side of Heaven." Both are favorites of mine!

Car Seat Use and Safety

(A note before continuing: Car seat law vary greatly between countries and even states. I can only attest to the requirements of The United States - specifically here in Utah. If you're in another state or, especially, another country, PLEASE check the laws and regulations regarding the use of car seats. And if something I say isn't correct, is misleading, or causes question, PLEASE let me know. I'm no expert! I don't want to mislead anyone out there. I want all of our little ones to be safe and sound!! I also won't be making any specific car seat recommendations. But I will provide trustworthy sources where you can find recommendations.)

Besides providing shelter, food, and a safe environment, one of the most important things we can do for our children is to obtain and correctly use a car seat. At least in my opinion it is! There are a lot of people out there (especially those in my parent's generation and before) that don't quite "get it" when it comes to car seats. Believe me, I've had to listen to all the arguments against car seats!

My father-in-law especially doesn't care for them. When Andyroo was about 6 months old, we were visiting my in-laws and ended up taking a 2 hour car ride (both ways - 4+ total) with Andyroo's grandparents. Andyroo has a cousin just a few weeks younger than him and their little family was there too. So after a whole day of 2 babies who were DONE with car seats, we spent almost 2 hours on the ride home discussing why car seats are or aren't necessary. Longest car ride ever! And, you know, I really can't blame the people who don't get why. I mean, for most of my childhood, I didn't ride in a car seat. My mom said they brought me home in a little bassinet that just sat on the seat - no buckle or straps. I survived without a car seat. So did my sisters and millions of other babies before us. And, as was pointed out during that crazy car ride, who is the government to tell me that I have to buy an expensive piece of plastic for my baby? Am I really so fearful of being pulled over and given a ticket (or worse) that I'm going to keep my child strapped in "unnecessarily"?

It isn't the government that makes me afraid. It isn't being pulled over that scares me. It isn't that I like seeing my child crying to get out or getting agitated because he's tired of sitting in the car seat. I keep my child strapped in a car seat (while we're in the car, of course) because I love him. I want him to be with us for as long as he can be. I've seen the evidence that car seats keep children safe. I've heard the stories of children who weren't properly restrained and were thrown through the windows of cars and died. I don't want that to be my child! I love him and I'll do whatever I need to in order to keep him safe. If that means a car seat, then so be it! Compared to 25 years ago when I was a baby, there are more cars on the road, more distractions (for yourself and other drivers), and cars driving at faster speeds. It just makes sense that our children need more protection.

The reason this is on my mind is because Andyroo is quickly outgrowing his current car seat - and it's time to search for a new one. I thought that it might be useful to other parents out there to share some of my research and information.

Use Your Car seat Correctly
The first thing that I want to say is that no matter which car seat you purchase (whether is a $40 Cosco Scenera or a $200+ Britax), the most important thing is that it is installed and used correctly every single time!! It doesn't matter what you use, just use one and do it correctly. If you have any questions about whether your seat is installed properly or about how to use it, there are certified car seat technicians available to help and answer your questions.

If you need installation help, please use the following information to find someone to help you. (And don't freak out, the CPS acronym means "Child Passenger Safety," not the feared Child Protection Service)

If you have questions or need help installing your car safety seat, find a certified CPS technician.

Lists of certified CPS technicians and child seat fitting stations are available on the following Web sites:

• NHTSA (or call NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888/327-4236)

• SeatCheck (or call 866/SEATCHECK [866/732-8243])

• National Child Passenger Safety Certified Technicians (or call 877/366-8154) This site provides information in Spanish and also provides a list of CPS technicians with enhanced training in protection of children with special needs.

(Above information found at this link) 

I also know that here in our town, about 2 or 3 times a year, I'll hear about Car seat Check stations that are being set up so that, if a parent/guardian chooses, they can have someone inspect and check their seat.

Extended Rear-Facing
You should also know that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has changed their recommendation for car seats for children under 2. You can find more information here, but in a nutshell, the AAP

Car seat Recommendations
As I said, I won't be giving any specific car seat recommendations. I only know the ones I've used - the Graco SafeSeat and the Cosco Scenera. At each new car seat, I've done some research about the current seats on the market and the current recommendations. The car seat that works best for you is based on a few things - your child (height, weight, age, and growth rate), your car, your budget, and your needs. In our situation, we could have eliminated the infant car seat, but I liked the option of removing the car seat from the base and being able to transport the baby wherever. I wasn't too hip on the carriers at the time, but you could use a convertible car seat from the start and just plan to use a stroller or carrier at all times. When we bought our Scenera, money was really, really tight. Even spending the $40 was really pushing our budget. It's a no-frills car seat that served it's purpose. It's what we needed at the time. We knew we would have to buy another (or possibly two) car seats in the future, but it's what we could afford. It served it's purpose. It was installed correctly and used properly and I know, had we ever been in an accident, it would have done it's job and kept my son safe.

There are forums out there where you can get specific car seat recommendations. I haven't specifically asked the people on the message boards for a specific recommendation, but I peruse the boards and can often find someone in a similar situation and work from those recommendations. The two forums that I've found the most helpful are:

The Car Seat Message Board on iVillage - You do need to be a member of iVillage to post, but membership is free. They also have lots of other parents articles and forums that you can join!

Car Seat Forum on Car-Safety.Org - Again, you have to be registered to post in this forum.

There are many knowledgeable people that can answer your questions there. They both have CPSTs on the board to help you. If you're looking for reviews about a specific car seat, you might considering checking out sources like:

• ConsumerReports.org - Your local library probably has hard copies of the magazines in which the reviews are published, then you don't have to pay to read specific reviews
• ConsumerSearch.org - Much like Consumer Reports, but you don't have to pay for specific reviews and information
• Viewpoints.com - This is solely based on what consumers have to say. All of the reviews are submitted directly by consumers. Great for getting firsthand opinions about everyday use.
• CarSeatReview.org - Kind of like a blog format. Lots of good firsthand experience and reviews
• The Baby Bargains Book - I picked up this book soon after I found out I was pregnant. I can't attest to the most current edition, but the one I used had lots of reviews for car seats. You could also check out the website associated with the book.
• Friends and Family! Word of mouth is great. They may not all be Certified Technicians, but they've used car seats too. Your best bet is to talk with newer mothers - ones that are still buying car seats. They're probably more in the loop with current car seats and information.

Using car seats that are used, expired, or have been in an accident
I've seen a lot of posts on sites like Craigslist and Freecycle offering or selling their old car seats. In my opinion, it's not something I would ever do. I might consider borrowing someone else's car seat if I knew them well enough to know it had never been in an accident. Why not use a car seat that's been in an accident? Even at slow speeds, there could be damage done to the frame of the car seat - damage that you can't see. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of a replacement car seat if you've been in an accident. The other reason I wouldn't purchase a used car seat - most car seats are only good for approximately 6 years. They do actually expired. After so long of being subject to heat and cold and dust and everything else, the plastic starts to wear down, belts could come loose, etc. You just can't always see or know what's going on with the car seat.

Curious if your seat has expired or when it will expire? Most car seats have a sticker on them with the manufacture date and the expiration date. If it isn't there, consult your owner's manual. Don't have the manual anymore? Go to the manufacturer's website and find the manual online.

Are you using a car seat that you know has been in an accident? Talk with your insurance agent to see if it qualifies for replacement!

Also, don't use any aftermarket parts that don't originally come with your car seat. By that I mean any additional headrests or strap covers. Their use hasn't been approved by the manufacturer and could alter the ability of your car seat to protect your child in an accident. Using them could also void the warranty that comes with your car seat. Blankets and other covers are fine but anything that comes between your child and the belt or the carseat (besides their clothing) shouldn't be used.

Other options for purchasing a car seat
Car seats are expensive. There's not denying that. There are affordable options out there though. Like I mentioned earlier the Cosco Scenera is about $40 and can be used for children 5-40lbs. If you can afford that, check with your local agencies. Some WIC (Women, Infants, & Children) offices can either provide or cheaply sell car seats. If they don't do it through their office, they could definitely point you in the right direction. You could also talk to your pediatrician to see if he or she knows of any local resources for cheap car seats. You won't be getting a Britax or Diono, but you'll be getting a safe seat for your child to use.

Some other resources
It can be daunting to try and narrow it down to the right car seat. It can be overwhelming to figure out what kind of car seat you should be buying next - Convertible, High Back Booster, Belt Positioning Booster, etc. I've found a few resources that you might find helpful.

HealthyChildren.org - This specifically links to some great, basic information about the different kinds of car seats available and provides some great resources on using car seats correctly.

Car-Seat.org - This links you directly to the FAQ section of their website which has a lot of great information on car seat usage and installation.

I hope you've found something in here that was useful to you. If you still have questions or if I didn't go over something well enough, then please feel free to ask. And I know that car seats can cause a little bit of a debate (especially with the new AAP recommendations and the whole front-facing vs. rear-facing thing) and while I don't mind discussion, I don't want this post to become the source of intense debate or anything of the sort.

Halloween Subway Art + Free Printable

As part of my Halloween decor, I created this cute little subway art printable!

Want one too? Click here to download your copy! Remember that this is only for personal use, please. If you'd like to share it with others, please be sure to link back to this post.

Also, this is a PDF download. I made the image small enough so that you could frame it as an 8.5x11 or also trim it down to put in an 8x10 frame (which is what mine is in). If you go for the 8x10 size, you'll probably need to trim it down by about 1/4" on each side, but that will vary based on the frame you're using.

Enjoy!



Thanks to all the fabulous bloggers out there who take the time and effort to host these spectacular parties!! We're linking up here:


Mondays:
Just Something I Whipped Up, Craftastic Monday, Turquoise Lovin', Making the World Cuter Mondays, Making Mondays Marvelous, Creative Me Mondays

Tuesdays:
Get You Craft On, Tuesday Confessional, Who's Got Glam, Ta-Da Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesdays, Take a Look Tuesdays, Show Me What You Got

Wednesdays:
Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednesday, What I Made Wednesday, DIY Under $5, Woot Woot Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Lil' Luna Link Party, Hoo's Got Talent

Thursdays:
Strut Your Stuff, DIY Diva Thursdays, Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths, Get Your Brag On

Fridays:
Frugal Friday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, PityParty, Look At Me

Saturdays/Sundays:
Lovely Little Linkup, Weekend Wander

Chicken Enchilada Stacker

This recipe is quickly becoming my favorite way to make enchiladas. Stacking is so much easier than rolling! This is an adaptation of a recipe my mom picked up at Macey's (a local grocery store). It's sooooo yummy!

The original recipe called for ground beef, red enchilada sauce, and an exorbitant amount of beans and green chilis. I modified it based on what our family likes - chicken, green enchilada sauce, and easy on the beans and chilis.

Chicken Enchilada Stackers

Shredded Chicken - about 1-1.5lbs
Cheese - whichever kind you prefer -about 8oz
Tortillas - about 6 (the original recipe called for 10" but I only had 8" on hand)
1 can Refried Beans (I used pureed pinto beans instead)
1 can olives, sliced (can use precut)
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 can diced green chilis, drained (not pictured)

You'll also need a cookie sheet and foil. I lined my cookie sheet with foil (which doesn't affect anything except clean up), but you'll also need it to cover the stack while it's in the oven.

A few notes: I didn't use all of both cans of enchilada sauce - maybe about 1.5 cans. If you had one bigger can (the 15-16oz size) of enchilada sauce, that would probably be perfect. I also only used about half of the can of olives and maybe 1/2 - 2/3 of the beans. If you use the 8" tortillas, you'll only get about 4 servings. If you use the 10" you should be able to get 6 (the original recipe called for 10" and was supposed to yield 6 servings).

1. Mix about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce into the chicken.
2. To begin your stack, start with a tortilla. Cover with about 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Top with about 1/4 cup cheese.

3. Layer another tortilla. Cover with beans, enchilada sauce, diced chilis, and olives. I can't give you measurements because I just did what looked good.

4. Repeat the layers of chicken and cheese, then beans.
5. Add another layer of chicken and cheese. Top with last tortilla.

6. Cover with foil and put into a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Insert a fork/knife to check for doneness (it should be hot). When it's hot in the middle and starting to crisp at the edges, remove the foil.
7. Top with enchilada sauce, the remainder of the cheese and, if desired, olives and chilis. Put it back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

8. Slice, serve, and enjoy!!!

Product Review - Clairol Foaming Hair Color

My mom says that her Grandma always used to say, "Even an old barn deserves a new coat of paint sometimes!"

So true, right?! Back before I was married and had more disposable income, I would go to my stylist and have her highlight my hair. $50? Sure, no big deal! Yeah, not so much anymore. The highlights I had done for my wedding (5 years ago now) was the last time! But over those 5 years, I've accumulated a few gray hairs. Okay, more than a few. I'm not graying yet, but I had enough gray hairs popping up to make me feel uncomfortable and insecure. 26 year old women shouldn't be struggling with gray hairs! It was time to color my hair, but I didn't have the money to go to a salon and have it done.

But, I'm also not a professional. I color my mom's hair on a regular basis, but it's a totally different thing when you're trying to do your own. I wanted something easy to apply, something that I could do myself, and also that wouldn't be messy. And there really wasn't anything like that on the market until Clairol introduced their Foaming Hair Color! A while ago (around the time it was introduced), Clairol ran a promotion on their Facebook page giving away free bottles, so you can be sure I snatched up one of those!

I was incredibly nervous about it. I had only done highlights - never my entire head of hair. I didn't want to wind up with orange or green hair! So, even after I got my free bottle, I still waited almost another 2 months to use it. Eventually the grays started to get a little depressing and I knew I just had to go for it. And it did. And it turned out great!

I don't have any pictures of the process or any before or after shots, but I can you that I had no more gray hairs! I didn't pick any crazy or completely different shades. I wasn't looking for a huge change and I didn't want to be stuck with HAVING to color my hair in a few weeks when my roots started to show. Basically I didn't want much difference between my natural color and the color I was using.

It was a fairly easy process though. I wasn't too impressed with the bottle. I was expecting a foaming pump, which I still think would be better. Instead you have to squeeze the bottle to get it to foam and come out. It also wasn't completely drip free, but the drips I got could have very well been my own newbieness. But you just pour, shake, then squeeze it onto your hair and rub it in. As their website claims, it was similar to using shampoo.

All in all, this really is a very useful product. I love the idea of being able to color my own hair at home - and no one has to know! In fact, the shade I chose was so close to my own hair color that my husband didn't even notice. I finally said something about it after a couple of days and he was quite impressed. It also easily covered my grays and left me feeling much more confident. It's the small things in life (like not having any noticeable grays)!

Since using the Clairol Foaming Hair Color, I have used the traditional squeeze bottle hair color. I had my mom color my hair and I think I really like the foaming stuff better. My mom did a great job, but it was just so much easier to do it myself!! The foaming stuff only took about 10 minutes to apply as opposed to the 25 or 30 minutes for the traditional hair color.

The Clairol Foaming Hair Color is available at most grocery and drug stores - I've seen it at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Smith's, etc. It runs between $7.97 and $9.99, I believe. Even better, P&G often has coupons for it - sometimes as much as $3.00 off 1! I can afford $5 for easy hair color I can at home by myself!!

Have you tried this (or any of the other foaming hair colors)? How do you think they compare to the traditional squeeze bottles?

(I was not compensated for this post. I did score a free bottle during Clairol's Facebook promotion, but Clairol did not ask me to write this post. I just thought all you wonderful ladies would like to hear my opinion. And this post is exactly that - my honest, truthful, and unpaid opinion!)

Remembering 9/11 - Ten Years

I know that this is a blog about motherhood and crafting and beauty and everything in between. And today is one of those in between things. I'm sure there will be a lot of bloggers talking about this same thing today. You'll see Facebook posts, tweets, and even pins about this subject. But today, this blog will be taking a moment of silence. It's not much and probably won't even be noticed, but we think taking some time to remember the lives lost and to celebrate the heroes of that day is important. So there will be no Facebook posts, no FHE idea, or anything else from LITM today.

Whether you like country music or not, this song is powerful and moving. It always brings tears to my eyes. The song alone is powerful enough, but when you add the images - wow. If you've never heard it before, you should definitely watch it. Even if you've heard it before, you should still watch it again.





If you feel so inclined, we would love to hear your experiences or memories from that day.

Preschool Planner Printable

We're kind of in a tough spot right now. I really think Andyroo would benefit from preschool, but we don't have the money for it and I don't want to commit to a program (that someone else is doing) and then have to back out in a few (*fingers crossed*) months when Hubs gets a job. I don't want to leave someone high and dry with the loss of income or something that like that.

So, instead of sending him out for preschool, I've been looking for options and ideas for doing preschool for him here at home. I've found TONS and TONS of resources (which I'll do another post on later) and I'm trying to kind of narrow down what I want to do. There's so much information out there that it's a little overwhelming. My head starts spinning just thinking about all the possibilities. I can handle the head-spinning if I have a place to organize myself - something where I can write down everything and reference it later.

And that's where my new printable comes into play.

It's nothing fancy and colorful (I'd end up printing in B&W anyway), but it gets the job done. And I'm really happy with this method. I have plenty of space to write and different catories to utilize. And no "dates" to make me feel locked in. Afterall, what if I really don't want to talk about birds one day? What if I want to skip ahead or just skip it all together. It must be something about calendars, but i always wind up feeling like a failure if I didn't accomplish something that was written on the calendar. So no dates - though if you prefer, you could write it into either of the top two spaces, or anywhere else on the page.

Before I created this, I was using a calendar to map out exactly what we were going to do when. It was just a printed monthly calendar. Writing so tiny I can barely read it is not my idea of easy. And it was so cluttered that I just stopped using it. It didn't have any really pertinent information so I still had to go lookup things elsewhere. I was able to write 2 or 3 words about the activity or idea and then either a book or website abbreviation. I need more than that! Needless to say, that method only lasted a couple of weeks before I stopped using it.

Want to use this for your own preschool ideas? Of course you do! Just click here to download the PDF file from google docs. If you do use it, let me know what you think - any improvements or changes that need to be made?

Next week, I'll be showing you the filing system I actually use for all of our preschool stuff. Be sure to come back and check it out!