A family that lives on the outskirts of Anchorage,Alaska decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons.
They lined the bottom with smooth-stone gravel all around to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries. They finished building it one Friday evening and were very pleased with the end product. The following morning, the mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center. This is what she saw from the upstairs window:

Chicken Cordon Bleu - You'll Never Buy Frozen Again!

This recipe will keep 'em coming back for more plus it's super easy!

• 3 chicken breasts flattened w/ tenderizer hammer (this is the secret to moist chicken and good flavor) and cut in half
• 6 slices of deli ham
• 12 slices of provolone cheese
• corn flakes crumbled
• your favorite chicken seasoning

Roll cheese and ham in a chicken half. Secure with a toothpick. Roll in cornflake crumbs and seasoning. Place on greased cooking dish. Repeat until ingredients are gone. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350.

Serve with your favorite side or over rice with chicken gravy (1 can cream of chicken mixed with 1/2 can milk.

Precious Moments

The landlord was outside with a leaf blower this morning. My little guy peered out the window wondering what the noise was all about so I explained slowly, “That’s a leaf blower. It blows leafs.” A few minutes later I heard him in the foyer blowing like he does when his food is too hot (or too cold). I called his name and he came out into the living room holding a leaf that he had found, blowing on it! He wanted to be a leaf blower too.

What Kids Think of Love and Marriage

• "If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don't want to do it. It takes too long." -Glenn, age 7
• "I think you get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful."-Manuel, age 8
• "No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That's why perfume and deodorant are so popular." -Mae, age 9
• "Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." -Greg, age 8
• "One of the people has freckles, and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too." -Andrew, age 6
• "My mother says to look for a man who is kind. That's what I'll do. I'll find somebody who's kinda tall and handsome." -Carolyn, age 8
• "It gives me a headache to think about that stuff. I'm just a kid. I don't need that kind of trouble." -Kenny, age 7
• "I'm not rushing into being in love. I'm finding fourth grade hard enough." -Regina, age 10
• "Being single is better . . . for the simple reason that I wouldn't want to change no diapers. Of course, if I did get married, I'd figure something out. I'd just phone my mother and have her come over for some juice and diaper-changing." -Kirsten, age 10
• "Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me." -Dave, age 8

The Last Straw

When your toddler throws their toothbrush into the cat litter...it's time for a time out. For Mommy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This recipe is so easy! It's what I always throw together when I have to make a bunch of treats for something.

1 small can of pumpkin
1/2 bag chocolate chips
1 spice cake mix

Mix it all together. Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake at about 350 for about 20 minutes. Share and enjoy the Oooos and Ahhhhs!

Family time doesn't have to be big budget

Does this ever happen to you?

::Sigh::

Create

I long to be creative. To scrapbook, to interior design, to write a novel, to sew. To cook, to photograph, to sing. Unfortunately, I'm not really stellar at any of that. This video clip made my day today. It filled me with so much hope and enthusiasm - I love it! Check it out - it will make your day too.

Good Advice

“Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future…If you are still in the process of raising children be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them, profoundly.” — Thomas S. Monson

The Dreaded Gynecologist

This story is hilarious!

I was due later that week for an appointment with the gynecologist, when early one morning I received a call from his office saying that I had been rescheduled for early that morning at 9:30 AM. I had just packed everyone off to work and school and it was around 8:45 already. The trip to his office usually took about 35 minutes so I didn't have any time to spare. As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So I rushed upstairs, threw off my dressing gown, wet the washcloth and gave myself a wash in "that area" in front of the sink, taking extra care to make sure that I was presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment. I was in the waiting room only a few minutes when he called me in. Knowing the procedure, as I am sure all women do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended I was in Hawaii or some other place a million miles away from here. I was a little surprised when he said, "My... we have taken a little extra effort this morning, haven't we?" but I didn't respond. The appointment over, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day went normal, some shopping, cleaning and the evening meal, etc. At 8:30 that evening my 14 year old daughter was getting ready for a school dance, when she called down from the bathroom, "Mom... where's my washcloth?" I told her to get another from the cabinet. She called back, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink. It had all my glitter and sparkles in it."

To Dress Or Not To Dress?

To dress or not to dress? That seems to be my question every day now. My little guy doesn't care. And after breakfast, my husband won't see me til 5pm. If you have no reason to get out of the house do you get dressed before 5?

I see two sides to this argument - comfort v. psychological. Despite my little guy being in the double digits (months) of life, my tummy still looks pregnant. Is that a challenge you deal with? If not, how did you solve it??? And let's be honest, exercise consists of chasing after a toddler and that's it. So, points for comfort here. If I'm comfortable, I don't feel as fat. You?

Psychological - dress for success, right? There's something to be said for that adage. How you dress influences how you feel. Try it - dress nice, do your hair, put on your favorite earrings and a little makeup. How do you feel? Pretty great. Though it's hard to go thru all that effort when a little one 1 - doesn't care, 2 - Is bound to throw tomatoes on you by the end of the day.

Those are the arguments. What do you think?