Weekly Challenge #22

Plan Father's Day Gift.


How did last week go focusing on making everyone you talk to as the most important person in the world? I love this challenge and want to try to always do this and to be really present when I'm with my kids and others.

Room to Play

My friend Krista, has been an elementary teacher for years and has a beautiful home. Apollo goes to a playgroup at her house where they're always doing something fun and creative. I took some photos of her creative ideas.

She displayed special pictures of her son along with some of his artwork like a clothesline.









Isn't this the coolest play room ever! From the shelves to the floor-fun ideas.

Weekly Challenge #21

Focus on the person you are talking to and make them feel like they are the most important person-from the cashier to your spouse.


I was inspired this week from this quote from Tom Sturges from the book Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children, "EVERY DAY: Let your child feel welcome and loved from the instant he or she walks into a room "Smile When You See Them" and leave no doubt that, at that moment, your child is the most important person in your life."



How did last week go getting a pedicure? I took Ziggy and Maia out for a pedicure since Ziggy had my kids for a long time this week. So fun.

Waves.

One of the other darling moms at music makers had the prettiest wavy hair. She said this is how she does it:

1. Put hair in two french braids after towel drying a little-after showering in the morning. The hair will still be pretty wet but not dripping wet. I've tried two normal french braids but it's easier for me to do the inside out braids on myself but both ways turned out cute.





2. The next morning (after wearing the braids the day before and through the night) take them out. She doesn't use hairspray on the braids but I do. This is at the end of the just before bed that I remembered I wanted to take a pic of how it turns out- so it usually looks curlier.

Weekly Challenge #20

Get a pedicure.

How did last week go with meditation/prayer? Great, I want to do more. I have a friend Jill that is a beautiful and successful businesswoman. She was recently diagnosed with ADHD and has had a hard time quieting her mind and focusing. She said meditation has helped her and invited me to a meditation class in a couple of weeks - I'm excited to try it out.

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. Never become lax in maintaining it. Continue to pray.
-Elizabeth Gilbert Eat Pray Love

Weekly Challenge #19

15 min. meditation/prayer time a day. II have been listening to Eat Pray Love on my ipod. The Pray part of the book has been very inspirational and I want to take some time each day to just be still.


How did last week go focusing on good posture. Every time I thought about the goal, I needed to straighten up. Good to think about more often.

Place mat Bags.

My friend, Sam, made this as a little scripture carrier for her daughter while I took pictures so I could try it myself. These can be used for a craft bag with projects that can be taken to the doctor's waiting room or a car trip, toy bag for kids, book bag, or gift bag. I made these two bags for my nieces that had Christmas presents inside.






Materials Needed
Cloth Place mats (you can get them at the dollar store)
Ribbon for straps-as long as you like (or you can cut a belt)


Directions
1. Fold the place mat in half, putting right sides together of the place mat (not the way where it looks long and skinny, the other way:))



2. Sew the sides together -about an inch in from the side.





3. Open up the one inch flaps you just sewed and flatten them out. The right sides still facing.





4. To give support to the bag, sew a line about 1.5 inches from the corner of the bag. It doesn't have to be exact, just make sure it matches on the other bottom corner when you sew it too.








5. You can cut off the excess material. Sam cut it here, but I left it when I made my two bags (just see what looks best to you).





6. Turn the bag inside out (back to normal). You can add embellishments to the front like rickrack or a flower. Sam sewed her ribbon straps on and to cover where she sewed, she put a button. I just sewed back and forth over my ribbon to secure it (you can see it in the pink bag I made at the top of the post).









Simple, cute, and cheap. My kind of project. We did this in the nursery while the kids played with the toys and the moms chatted and crafted (the idea comes from my sister in law, Kimberly).





Just fyi, there are some cute little bags at Dollar Tree right now for...a dollar. I have a trendy friend Katie that I had made magnets for (I showed how to make the magnets in an earlier post), and I gave them to her in one of the bags for her birthday.

Weekly Challenge #18

Focus on good posture. I was hunched over as Heidi was telling me the challenge over the phone:)


How did last week go trying to be more present? I remember on my mission in Argentina, I was getting up at 5:30 to exercise, training a new missionary,-trying to be perfect and feeling overwhelmed. I talked to my "mission mom" and needed to chill out. I remember teaching my trainee from Argentina how to dance in the rain and stopping for a minute to watch some kids play soccer. I came home from my mission and tried to do the same thing-enjoying the flowers on my way to class. I feel that I'm trying to keep everything clean, spend quality time with the kids (or get them busy so I can get stuff done) and sometimes forgetting to enjoy the simple pleasures and be in the moment instead of planning or worrying about the next.

I'm in the final section of Eat Pray Love. I listen to it on my ipod when there is a task I'm not really looking forward too (like cleaning up after meals) and time passes quickly. Anyway, she talks about one of her best days was just making a beautiful meal out of some fresh ingredients she bought from an Italian market and reading the newspaper in Italian-simple pleasures. She talks about learning to quiet her mind and praying. I have been inspired and want to be more present every day and find beauty every day.