Word Up

Words have the power to make us laugh, cry, inspire, think, learn...the list is endless. Here are some of my favorite Wednesday's Words:
Springtime of Motherhood - tending to our gardens as mothers
Weaving - stitch by stitch we are weaving something beautiful
Dear Santa - a Mom's wish list
Indiana Grandma, Wicked Wanda, and Spooky Sam - my grandma's "spook"tacular Halloween party ideas
Your True Love Said To You...- 11 days of little gifts that go with a poem to give to your true love before an anniversary/birthday
My Own Kind of Best Mom - stop comparing yourself to others - be your own kind of best mom
Squeeze Every Minute of Life - live life to its fullest
Before I was a Mom... what motherhood has done to us
Whatever! - a great thing to say during life's crazy moments
Day Old Child - a poem about babies
Getting Delirious - enjoy playing with your kids

Top Ten Tuesday's Triumphs

And the TOP TEN Tuesday's Triumphs are.....
10. Chore Charts Revamped...Again...Our chore chart system that has been working great!
9. Make Your Own Laundry Detergent - so easy, inexpensive, and works like a charm
8. Don't Hold Your Breath - after 3 months, Kaylee cleaned up
7. SUPER Costumes - make your own super capes
6. SUPER Nathan - potty trained at last!
5. A Sister For a Minute - Travis' extreme makeover
4. Hairy Haircuts - save $ by cutting your boy's hair
3. Code "Balloon" - help kids control their anger before they pop
2. Babies Don't Keep - relax, take time to hold your kids

And the #1 most viewed Tuesday's Triumph is.....

Entertainment Center to Play Kitchen - making something old...

into something new:

My Most Maddening Mondays

I have experienced a lot of maddening moments over the last year...here are some of the worst, grossest, and days that I didn't think that I could live through:

If You Give a Mom a Minute - my take on "If You Give a Pig a Pancake"
Spring "Break" Defined - Spring "Break" is no break!
A Mom's March Madness - Being a Mom is a lot like basketball
Why? - Nathan's catch all phrase
Twas Two Day's After Christmas - and all through our abode....
Waiting - to find out what was wrong with Aaron
If Mama Had Said There'd Be Days Like This - thanks for not telling me Mom!
Travis The Troll - talk about bad hair days!
Free Year Old Giveaway - my first giveaway with no takers
Big Bum - kids are too honest!
Nathan the Tornado - this one stinks!
It's Tomorrow - waiting to clean until tomorrow
Mommy's Tantrums - send me to me room...please!
Yellow Baby Poop Stains...BLAAAAH! - ick!

Inspirational Scriptures

Have a great Sabbath Day! Here are some of my favorite Sunday's Scriptures:

Honor Thy Mothers - a funny little "psalm" about motherhood
Calming The Storm - reach up, He will help you
Refocus on What Matters Most - refocus on priorities
Create Something of Beauty - improve the world within you
Gratitude Ratio - how often do we express our gratitude?
Hold on to the Children - teaching our children to hold on to the faith
Looking Through Dirty Windows - judging others
Temples and Homes - making our homes sacred like a temple
Teaching Kids to Fish - teaching our kids to be spiritually steadfast
All is Well! - lessons to learn from the Pioneers
Encircle Our Little Ones - my favorite scripture story applied to parenthood
Patience=Success - patience...what I need to work on
Pep Talk From President Hinckley - one of my favorite talks

Wow, that was a lot more than I had planned on...if you haven't read your scriptures today here you go!

Super Stories

Here are my favorite books that I have read throughout the year. So find a nice quiet place, pull up a comfy chair, grab one of these books, wrap up in a blanket, and have your favorite snacks close by, and enjoy a nice long break as you read....ok, maybe in a dream world...but if you have a minute, you should really read these books!

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala - my favorite children's books by John Butler
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything - my favorite story that Aaron wrote
Fablehaven - my favorite read aloud that I read with my kids
Pioneer Heritage - my favorite story from my family history
The BFG - another fun read aloud...LOVE Ronald Dahl books!
Even in Australia - my favorite tweak that I wrote from a story
Grandpa's Stories - the stories that Grandpa told me as a little girl
The Hiding Place - my favorite story...very inspirational!!
Stephanie's Story - my favorite blog to read
Book of Mormon - my favorite book!

Friday's Favorites

Oh man, this was a hard one to narrow down! I love all the recipes that I have posted...I wouldn't post something that was gross! But here are some of my favorites over the last year:

Bunny Buns for a fun new Easter dinner tradition
April Fools Poo Cookies for a fun April Fools prank
Chicken Enchiladas...chuck full of chicken, beans, and rice...yum!
Barnyard Birthday Cake - one of the most viewed posts
Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken - one of my favorite slow cooker recipes from 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Strawberry Romain Salad - I love taking this to parties...it is a crowd pleaser
Stromboli - a baked sandwich...another crowd pleaser
Breakfast Daddy - the perfect breakfast in bed meal!
Sweet Pork Salad - have Cafe Rio anytime!
Peanut Butter Fingers - because I have to include a peanut butter recipe on PB & Joy...so good!

Here's a bonus idea if you have "s'more" Peeps from Easter...the only way to eat Peeps!:

S'more Peeps

• Marshmallow Peeps
• graham crackers
• chocolate chips

Put Peep on 1/2 graham cracker and broil until brown on the outside and gooey on the inside. 

Load other half of graham cracker with chocolate chips and press together. 

 

Mmmm...instant s'mors without a fire and roasting sticks!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday PB & Joy!

Today is a birthday,

We wonder for who.

We know it's for someone (thing)

Who's right in this room.

So look all around you

And find someone who.....

Is on you computer screen!

My goodness it's you!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to PB & Joy.

Happy Birthday to you!!!

One year ago I set out to write something everyday for a year, to try new recipes, to find new and easy activities to do with my kids, to research and solve problems, to increase my spirituality, to have an outlet for creativity, and most of all to be a better mom. I did it!...Well, writing everyday...not the better mom part...that's a life-long pursuit, but this has helped.

What is the future of PB & Joy? For the next week I am going to post my favorite/most popular posts. Then I will continue to write...when I have something to write about...which will NOT be every day! I will continue my career in motherhood and if I find things worth sharing, then I will share.

Thank you for reading PB & Joy. That is what kept me writing...knowing that someone was reading. Sorry for all of the spelling errors and disgusting posts :)

In honor of birthdays, here are a few of my favorite birthday parties that we have had for Kaylee (Aaron usually chooses to go somewhere as a family instead of a friend party):

Princess Party

All Royal Princess were invited, dressed in their party gowns. They played Don't Eat Peat! Which I printed off for each girl for a party favor at the end. They decorated their own cupcakes with lots of toppings, and had a great time!

Chef Party

 Made their own pizzas

 Decorated their chef hats

 And decorated their own cupcakes for dessert

At the end I gave each girl a basket with a cookie mix and little cooking utensils so that they could be a chef at home.

Valentine Party

Decorated Valentine cookies and made cute Valentine crafts.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy!