Keeping Cozy with Old Navy Sweaters!

How do you plan to keep warm this winter?

I like to sit by a fire, have some hot chocolate, and of course cuddle up in my favorite sweater.  Thanks to CrowdTap and OldNavy I got to go check out their latest styles.  There were so many to choose from.   I took my kiddos with me this trip and it made for some fun photos! :)

Solids

Stripes

and even Polka Dots

My kids liked their sweaters too!

Although this jacket might be just a size too big.

Erica looked awesome in this combo.

My sparkle did not look quite as nice as I wanted it to.

Erica didn't like this one either.

In the end we all found something we loved!

I also picked up an awesome pair of pink pop pants and Erica found a jacket she couldn't go home without.  Old Navy is the first stop on my list when looking for Winter Clothes!  They have all the brightest colors and coolest styles to keep your family cozy this winter too!

Oh, and here are some of our outtakes courtesy of Wyatt & Lorelai

I was given a free sweater for myself and a friend sponsored by CrowdTap and Old Navy, however all opinions and smiles are my own.

Do you celebrate St. Nick's Day?

Saint Nicholas Day is December 6th.  I only learned about this recently living in Wisconsin where there is an abundance of Lutheran Churches, but it is celebrated all around Europe.

Saint Nicholas would put coins in the shoes of children who left them out for him.  He was well known for his charity in the name of God.  We all know that Santa Clause is a form of Saint Nicholas that has changed over time.  Our American stockings are the shoes that children left for Saint Nicholas.  So, why not have a little Christmas fun by celebrating Saint Nicholas and teaching about charity rather than receiving gifts.

Here are a few ideas of how to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day.

1. Have your children leave one toy that they choose to give away by their shoes on the night of the 5th.  Saint Nicholas will take the toy on to another boy or girl who needs it and leave some candies or coins in the child's shoes.

2. Have your children leave their old shoes outside of their door for Saint Nicholas to pass on to children who need shoes and leave his treats in their current shoes.

3. Put together little "stockings" that you can get from the dollar store and fill them with a few candies and a mini story of Saint Nicholas, then late at night you can go hang them on the doors of your neighbors.

4. Of course the original celebration by having them leave a shoe out and putting treats in it always works also.

Spend some time talking to your children about Saint Nicholas and how giving he was in the name of God.  This is a great opportunity to talk about giving without having to ruin the magic of today's Santa.

For all REAL parents out there, yes, this is what kids shoes should look like! Dirty Dirty Dirty :)

Wordless Wednesday

Fondue = Worst Thanksgiving Ever
Great idea in Theory, but do not try it...just trust me

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Part 2 of 3

The kids and I made these super simple Thankful trees as a way to practice being thankful.

I got the idea from here

All you need:
1 piece white paper or cardstock
1 each of green, red, yellow, and orange paper
brown craft paint
marker or pen
glue
optional, paper towel or paintbrush

(I found a long time ago that instead of putting paint on a tray and having the kids make a huge mess, that it is easier to just paint the paint on their hands for projects.  I didn't have a paintbrush so I just used a paper towel.) 

First, dab brown paint on your child's arm from elbow to fingers.  Then have them spread their fingers far apart and then place it on the paper. Next, have your child pull straight up off of the paper and then go directly to the bathroom to wash their arms.

(I didn't, but this is a great project to do just before bathtime!)

Now comes the thoughtful part.  Cut leaves from the colored paper and ask your child to think about what they are thankful for.  I got great answers like cats, kittens, and dogs.  Our friend that did the project with us said he was thankful for his "sissies that play mario with me."  I just loved that answer.  If they are old enough they can write their thankfuls on the leaves themselves, if not, write it for them.  Then let them glue their leaves on the tree.

This was super simple and made for great conversation.

This would be so much fun to start on November 1st and have them add a leaf a day.  I also hope that we can start doing this every year.  Not only would their tree grow but I can't wait to hear how their thankfuls change year to year.

Let me know if you do this project!  I'd love to see your pictures!

Some positive in the World

We are continually bombarded with bad news on a regular basis.  This video shows that there is a whole lot more out there!

Happy Monday Everyone!

(I share this video with you but do not own it nor take responsibility for its makers.  Thank you)

My completely Selfish Reason for Blogging

So here's the rub people.  I had a blog.  But pretty much the only reason I have a blog is to get free stuff.  Yup, you heard me.  I don't blog because I think you care about what I say.  I don't blog because I feel that I have something amazingly meaningful to say.  I blog because I get free stuff.  (And if you click any of  those linked "blog" words up there it will take you to my old blog so you can check it out if you are interested.)

Why do I want free stuff?  When I quit my job 7 months pregnant and about to move 3000 miles away from my family to support my Marine husband, I was bored.  Yes, eventually along came this little person that nursed day and night and needed diaper changes and playing with and what not.  But in reality, he napped a lot.  There wasn't that much interesting going on while I sat on the couch and nursed.  We would play, but he didn't really care.  He was a chill little baby that just hung out with me. So I sought out other military moms.  I went to the base playgroups and eventually joined the OWC.  Why does this matter?  Well, because a lot of military spouses are bored.  We quit our jobs and move around supporting our Marines (or Soldier or Sailor or Airmen) and mostly sit at home being bored.  I learned about couponing from some of these bored spouses.  Then I learned about freebies.  Over time, blogs became popular and I saw them popping up everywhere.  I thought they were amazing and wonderful.  Then it happened.  I was offered something.  A website that I used to waste time offered me something.  They said "Throw a party for us and we'll give you free stuff."  Sure!  Sign me up!  I love throwing parties!  I love free stuff!

So I threw my party and got my free stuff and was excited.  But then I realized, that there was a way to get more free stuff.  Basically, the people who gave me free stuff said "If you share your stuff online, we'll give you more free stuff."  So I shared.  I share and I share and I share.  I post on facebook, twitter, and my blog.

One of the first parties I blogged about, a Smurfs Party given by CrowdTap
(This is also proof btw that I am willing to do pretty much anything to make my kids happy)

Ok, so why am I telling you this?  My family just moved again.  I quit a wonderful job that I LOVED to support my husband in his career.  I am now unemployed and spending time online again trying to make up for my lack of income.  I have continued to blog but recently I decided that my blog is boring.  I don't do anything but share freebies.  That is great and I'm sure wonderful advertising for the people who gave me the free stuff.  However, it was lacking something.  It just didn't have purpose.  I do a lot more than get free stuff.  I cook, I clean, I check Facebook...  Ok, well maybe I don't do that much.

Anyway, so here's the deal.  This new blog is going to help highlight what is so amazing about our Colonial Family as well as crafts that I do with my kids, recipes that I make (or my husband makes), and then the Free Stuff!!!  I'll still share the free stuff.  I'll even share tips on how I get the free stuff.  But hopefully this blog will have some added value that was lacking in my other.  I will talk about Colonial Books and Gifts Events as well as have my dad contribute book reviews and we will all around share our family with you.  We want to get to know you and welcome you into the joys of a large family!

So during this transition please have patience, we are going to start slow and take notes from you as to what you want.

Here are some freebies that I've gotten lately and I'll be posting about some awesome parties that I've recently thrown also!

I won this from @SonyAnimation on Twitter

My friends and I got to go shopping thanks to CrowdTap and Old Navy's Cardi Party

This summer Erica and I got brand new bathing suits for free from CrowdTap and Old Navy

If you happen to be reading this still, please feel free to share it with your friends.  Remember, when we hit 20 subscribers we will do a giveaway!  So share share share.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Part 1 of 3

I went to the store the other day to get stuff I didn't need for projects that I wanted to complete.  If you are anything like me, you walk into Michaels or JoAnn's or whatever your craft store of choice and you end up leaving with a cart full of things that you don't need.

On this particular occasion I picked up a large $2 grab bag of leftover halloween decorations.  I guess by mid November they just throw everything that is left in a bag and put it out for suckers like me.  So of course I used my skill of feeling my way through the bags trying to decide which one was going home with me and I picked one.  There is nothing quite like a little surprise to brighten your day don't you think?  So I eagerly drive home a little faster than I should and with two small kids by my side I unpacked my bag.  Now, I purposefully picked a bag that I could tell had a non-descript orange basket in it.  It also seemed to have some teal fuzzy costume of some sort which I knew would go in the dress up bin.  But to my surprise there were plenty of non-Halloween specific items.

I will now quickly rush by the fact that there were 2 flet Halloween baskets, a Halloween flag, a bunch of little Halloween boxes, and a lot of little bat hanging thingies that all went right in our Halloween storage bin for next year.  Nothing I want right now, but still awesome goodies to stock away for next year!

On to the Thanksgiving part.  So remember, in addition to the things listed above, I paid $2 for EVERYTHING!

Here is what I pulled out for my Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Ok, so the little turkey off to the side is actually something that Chris' grandmother made and was handed down to us after her passing and the pumpkins were left over from Halloween.  But these are the supplies.  I got an orange basket, two yellow handkerchiefs, and 6 green flowers.

I started to put them together by putting the green flowers around the outside of the basket.  Then I put the yellow handkerchiefs inside.  I stacked the pumpkins inside also.  But they sat too low.  I solved this problem by crumbling a bunch of plastic grocery bags and placing them in the basket.  Then I put the yellow handkerchiefs in again and went from there.  As you can see in the photo, it turned out pretty nice.

I didn't need it, but the turkey fit in well also.  The best part about this was that it was low enough that I was able to see my 3 and 5 year old at dinner last night over the centerpiece.  I think it turned out beautiful and it makes me smile knowing how cheap it was.

 It may not be perfect, but it is something I am proud of.  How do you put together decorations for your Thanksgiving?  Have I convinced you to run to your nearest craft store and search for a grab bag bin of your own?!