The Secret to Entertaining Twins on a Budget

I often see negative posts on Facebook about how some of us were so blessed to be raised before the invention of the internet, computers, tablets, and the likes because as kids, this forced us to be creative.

I have good news!

Creativity is not dead.

Today, my seven year old twins have been able to entertain themselves for HOURS with tape and printer paper.

Yes, my stack of paper is half gone.

Yes, they went through one roll and a half of tape.

Yes, there are little itty-bitty bits of paper all over my living room.

Who cares?

They had fun!

They were creative and they are so proud of their creations.

I can buy more paper and tape and they WILL clean their mess.

Little boys must grow up and  in the meantime I am so grateful for the messes they make and the smiles they put on my face.

I hope this makes you smile too.

On a side note: Excuse the mess, I have been "Spring" cleaning in July going through closets and such...so basically, my house is a mess.

Blessings!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I can’t help but hum ‘These are a few of my favorite things’ like Julie Andrews when I think of… a few of my favorite things! J

These are the things that I absolutely do not let myself run out of, and for good reasons.  Now, please note, this is not an extensive list by any means… just my top 3 must-haves!! 

#1 Essential Oils

I have been using essential oils for many years and I. LOVE. THEM!  I cannot imagine my life without them.  They are rubbed on, inhaled, infused, and diffused!!  I carry some of them in my purse wherever I go.  Yes, I am that weird person with an arsenal of things in a tiny purse (I really dislike purses, by the way).  Essential oils keep my family healthy and they just plain smell good.  The ones I ALWAYS have on hand and carry with me are: Peppermint, Thieves, and Lavender.

If you ask which was is my favorite, I’d have a hard time because they each serve a wonderful purpose.  And although Thieves has helped to keep my family ailment free for many flu seasons, I think at this point I would lean towards peppermint. 

I did a clean eating challenge to start off my New Year and right at the same time I had read about a study that used peppermint for weight loss.  All you have to do is inhale peppermint whenever hungry and you lose weight.   What?!?!  Sign me up!!  I did lose more weight on the clean eating when I inhaled the oil vs when I did not.

So it smells great and you lose weight: win-win!

#2 Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Even my 6 year old daughter enjoys and cup of warm ACV sweetened with a little honey.  Yum!!

It is refreshing, helps keep our body alkaline AND, (this is my favorite part) it stops pimples in its tracks!

That’s right!!  It is wonderful for your skin anyway, but let me just tell you: I has helped me on numerous occasions to prevent a second head from growing out of my face!  Sorry if that was graphic!

Try it: The next time you start to feel a zip / pimple pop up, rub ACV right on it and, at least for me, it is gone by morning!

#3 Coconut Oil

Coconut oil: I have used it in my hair, I use it on my face as a moisturizer.  It is used for oil pulling…like my other favorites, the benefits seem endless.  The reason I list it as a favorite is it is a great cleaner. Let me explain: We have been putting up fencing and I decided to stain the wood posts to match the RR ties.  I didn’t have any gloves, so as you can imagine, my hands were covered in stain (even though I tried hard to be ‘careful’).  I scrubbed and scrubbed and the stain would not come off.  Imagine that!

I looked online and discovered that you can rub your hands with coconut oil, then use a regular soap and voila, the stain is gone!!  Clean hands!! Yay!! 

Conclusion:

I love these, and many other products.  I love learning new uses for them.  And I look forward to hearing from you.  Please share a few of your favorite things!!  

A Birthday Tea Party

Well, I finally threw my first tea party.  It happened to be for my daughter Kathleen’s 6^th birthday.  It also happened to be a success. The girls loved it…everyone loved it. 

I had invited a few of Kathleen’s closest friends [which included some cousins, too] and with those little girls came their rambunctious brothers – whom also enjoyed being a part of the tea party, I might add!  Sadly, a few of the girls were unable to make it, including one who had pink eye… but there is always next year.

I had to do a little research, but I had been to a tea party – or two – before and knew the basics.  I was a little nervous because every attempt I have made in the past at getting decorations to look like a Better Homes and Gardens cover had been a total fail.  But I must say: it turned out very cute.

I looked at different tea party themes and was torn between lemon and strawberry – so, I combined the two! 

We had lemon scones with lemon curd, strawberry cookies, hamand cheese tea sandwiches and pirate punch [which my husband couldn't get enough of]. 

It was only upon clean-up that I remembered the quiche…

*sigh* 

Guess I’ll just have to enjoy those a little later!  ;)

I went to Goodwill to find the – intentionally - mismatched tea set: which the girls were able to keep as a little gift and reminder of this day! 

The food was great – even the pickiest of critics enjoyed it.  The company was a delight.  The weather was perfect [what’s not to like about 78 degrees in sunny San Diego?!]... and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the next occasion on which I can plan a tea party…isn’t Valentine’s day coming up?? 

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

We are the outdoorsy types:  we love to camp [tent and RV], we love to hike and we love to enjoy all of creation.  This should come as no surprise since we have moved into a 39’ trailer in November.

This summer our family found a new love: our RZR 1000.  Well, let me restate that.  It’s not so much the RZR itself, but the quality time it allows our family to have and the different adventures on which it takes us.

 

 

We can just hop in a find trails right from our property.  Several times we have ventured up Otay Mountain which overlooks all of San Diego County.  You can see lakes and even Mexican Islands 20 miles out to sea!

We recently went to a place called Corral Canyon.  We ended up covering over 20 miles winding through oak trees and splashing through mud puddles.  We climbed higher and higher until the air was scented with pine and the trees towered over us.

And the views…

The views were breathtaking.  Pictures could never do them justice.

Once we reached the top of the mountain we had a little picnic.  Although, it was so cold we were thinking of ways that we could have crockpot chili to warm us up instead. 

It’s one of those times when you keep talking about it and are planning the next trip before you even get home.

 

I am excited for our next adventure…we are in desert season, after all.  Superstition Mountains, here we come!

Our Big Move to a 'Smaller' Life

So today, December 8th, is one month since we made the big move to our smaller life.  And we are so happy!

Our family has moved onto 10 beautiful acres in southern California, where a house once sat on a hilltop. The bottom of the property boasts tall oaks and a creek that winds through them.  You can still see the different tiers where avocado trees once thrived.

In 2007, one of many wildfires in San Diego County burned many homes, including the one built here in the early 20th century.  Sometimes, I feel like I will be pulling up burnt PVC pipes for the rest of my life!

This is a labor of love: a move that we have thought about and wanted for years. 

With so much land how is this a smaller life?

Well, we moved out of our house and we bought a new 39 foot travel trailer that actually has 2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 bathrooms!!!!  Can you believe it!?  I never knew one like this existed.

It is perfect for our family and will serve us well as we clean up the land and prepare to build our next home...debt free, I might add!  :)

We just started to work the soil where there was once a huge garden... thank God for tractors and a husband who loves to 'play' in the dirt!  I can't wait to see what it will let me grow.

I have had my doubts about this move, especially downsizing our family of 4 to a travel trailer.  But days before the 'big move' I saw this on Pinterest and it brought me peace: