October Highlights

Shared Ryan's Monster Room Makeover (and was featured on Sarah Dawn Designs and i should be mopping the floor)!

Heard from Jesse for the first time

Posted part 2 of the no felt quiet book

Created my dream weekend outfits

Displayed my Halloween decor

Compiled Kid Halloween Costume Ideas

Shared my new favorite egg breakfast

Made up a toddler paper plate game

Taught how to get bloggers to reply to you

Created a Party Monster Sign

Posted a round-up of pumpkin recipes

Spotlighted my aunt for Breast Cancer Awareness

Featured inkhappi, my mom's new blog/shop!

Guest Posted on Living My Fairytale and gave some marriage advice

Guest posted on Pink Cake Plate and shared something PINK!

Happy November! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Tuesdays with Jesse: Mystery Thy Name is Woman

Last week I wrote about the great mysteries men like to contemplate. One of our readers left a comment about what mysteries guys see in women. The answer: everything. But that may be too simple of an answer and, let's be honest, I do like making lists in my blog posts. So this week my post is on ten things guys just don’t understand about women. I'm calling it:

Why Chicks are Weird:

1.    Crafting: Yes, I went there. Girls we don’t understand why you spend hundreds of dollars and thousands of hours making stuff that you could have purchased for less than it cost to make.

2.    Making the Bed: No one is going up to our room. No one is going to see it. And we are just going to mess it up again tonight.

3.    All the freaking pillows. Seriously you need two per person, tops.

4.    Purse-dogs. They're annoying and yappy. Plus, I know they've probably peed and pooped in your bag. I don't get it men: get in trouble for leaving the toilet seat up, but those little rats can crap in your favorite bag and it's all good.

Photo by: Warder And Sweetgras on Flickr

5.    Which brings me to my next point, the dreaded toilet seat. Have you ever heard guys complaining about you leaving it down? It takes just as much energy to put down as it takes to lift up.

6.    Justin Bieber. Enough said.

Photo by: Adam Sundana (cukuskumira) on Flickr 

7.    Twilight. The vampire movie for people who don’t like vampire movies. If Van Helsing doesn’t show up in the next movie to turn those guys into ash, I'm demanding my money back.

Photo by Janet (Kid's Birthday Parties) on Flickr

8.    Every book ever written by Nicholas Sparks. In fairness, I haven’t read the books, but I love my wife so I have seen the movies. Talk about depressing. I go to movies to feel good, not sad. A bit of advice, skip the next Nicholas Sparks tearjerker and rent Rocky IV. Yeah it is sad when Apollo dies but Rocky fights back to beat Communism.

Photo by Tony Fischer Photography on Flickr

9.    Fashion: How many freaking pairs of shoes do you need?

10. High Expectations. Women have such high expectations for the men in their lives. If we are wearing pants when we answer the door for company consider yourselves lucky.

Stop by tomorrow for October's recap! And check out the Sponsor tab for more {new} sponsor options!

Weekly Holiday: Magic Week

Last week was Magic Week, so I decided to play magician for my toddler. This activity was SO much fun! Toddlers and young children will LOVE it!

Supplies:

Plate (white is best)

Milk

Food coloring

Dish soap

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Pour some milk on to the plate.

2. Add some food coloring here and there.

3. Dip toothpicks in some dish soap.

4. Dip the dish soap covered toothpick into the milk where the food coloring is.

5. The food coloring will "jump" to the edges of the milk. It's pretty cool. If you're doing this with a toddler, he'll probably continue to play with the milk & toothpick until it's brown and yucky. But he will be all smiles! :) 

6. After a bit I dipped a toothpick in the food coloring and wrote letters & numbers on the edge of the white plate and had Ry tell me what letter or number it was. 

**I didn't come up with this idea myself, but since it is all over the internet I don't know who to give credit to. I'm guessing it's just a "common knowledge" type of activity!

Linking up here: 
See Vanessa Craft

Crafty Friday: Featuring inkhappi

Guess what, bloggy friends? My momma started a blog/business called inkhappi! 

Here's a blurb from her about page:

“life is to be enjoyed…not just endured.” that’s my motto and inkhappi is my way of sharing this with the world. i love to be inspired and, in turn, i would love to inspire others through inkhappi. inkhappi puts the {i} in happi giving you the chance to create happ{i}ness with whatever inspires you!

For the most part, she does graphic design work, but she is working on getting some fun stuff into her shop including inspiration boards and fun frames!

Last week she did "a-free-printable-a-day" on her blog! She posted some super awesome printables! A couple of my faves were her Diet Coke, happy witch, and 5 rules for happiness printables. You can view them all on her freebies page.

My mom has always been naturally talented with computer design programs and I'm so happy for started this business! She is working hard on getting some Christmas card templates done and a few fun things to start selling. If you want something custom done, please send her an email: jillene@inkhappi.com.

Now go visit her blog, facebook, twitter, and Pinterest and send her some love! 

Mommy Moments: College Savings Month & 529 Plans

Did you know it's College Savings Month? Well, it is! College is seriously expensive. Okay, ridiculously expensive. Just thinking about paying for our {possibly} 3+ kids to go to college is overwhelming!

Have you ever heard of a 529 plan? If not, here is a basic definition: a savings account that aids families in putting money aside each month for a child's future education.

I live in Arizona and we have a great 529 plan! Here are some awesome facts about AZ529:

•  Earnings aren't taxed
• AZ contributors get a tax incentive (annually up to $1500 for couples or $750 for individuals)
• The money doesn't have to be used at an AZ school
• Anyone can contribute to the account

So how do you get started?

You can download the free AZ college planner at az529.gov!

Also, AZ529 is currently having a coloring contest for kids 14 and under to win a $250 scholarship!

**While I was compensated for this post, these opinions are my own and I chose to participate in this campaign because I fully believe in 529 plans. Yes, Jesse and I are starting one for Ry Guy!

Tuesdays with Jesse: Mysteries of the Universe

My wife explained that the majority of her readership is of the female persuasion. Thus in determining what topic to discuss this week, I wanted to focus on your point of view. Speaking to my wife, it's clear that women really don’t know what guys are thinking. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just think about you-know-what. Don’t get me wrong we are thinking about that, but we are also contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

“What mysteries,” you ask (by ‘you’ I am referring to the collective you).

Well, let me tell you (once again, the collective you).

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE:

1.     Who would win in a fight between Bigfoot and the Chupacabra? (trick question the Chupacabra is not real.)

Wally Gobetz

2.     If you threw a grenade on the moon would it blow-down instead of blow-up?

3.     Where can I get a monkey butler?

Marc Tyler

4.     What does Shamu taste like? (I would assume fish, but he is a mammal.)

5.     How the heck are there three “High School Musical” movies and only one “School of Rock”?

Brian J. Matis

6.     Who would win in a fight between a T-Rex and a Triceratops? (I know what you’re thinking. That’s easy, clearly the T-Rex would win. But what if the T-Rex misses on his first try and the Triceratops can get in close enough to stab the T-Rex in the belly with its horns. See, not such an easy question. That’s why they call it a mystery of the universe.)

El Miali

7.     What the crap is “mod podge?” (I don’t know but it sounds illegal and kind of dirty.)

8.     Why do they even make black licorice? (That stuff is gross.)

Vagabond Shutterbug

9.     What’s the point of having my cake if I can’t eat it too?

10. Does anyone actually like reading Shakespeare or do they just pretend to so people will think they are sophisticated? 

Next week we will be reviewing guy’s secret money making schemes. Hint: Bank heist is number one (ask any guy you know, he already has it planned out).

Weekly Holiday: Breast Cancer Awareness Month Celebration

**First, a quick note. I hosted a write-a-thon on my writing blog last week which kept me busy. Plus, I had a VERY sick toddler for a few days. So I'm sorry, but I didn't get around to responding to many comments. Most likely I won't get around to replying to them now, but I promise to start replying to new comments again!

On Saturday we celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I wore pink, of course. 

I printed out this amazing printable from inkhappi (my mom's new blog & forthcoming shop)!

Get your free download at inkhappi! I also made this my phone wallpaper a week ago :)

Then I taped it to the window by our front door so anyone that comes to visit our home will see it!

And finally, I talked to Ryan about my Aunt Jo who died of breast cancer. I read him this poem I wrote about her.

I'm no poet, but I wrote this for a poetry class I took in college:

Aunt Jo

I didn’t understand

That you were really sick.

Lips always curved.

Upward.

Eyes shining—

No pain.

I now know it was there.

Laughter,

Loud voices,

Ringing through the soundless night

Phase 10 and Red Vines

Were you sick then?

Like a great novel

Without an ending,

You died so young.

Forty two; with 1,000,000 pages waiting—

Left blank in your book.

Me: age nine—

Naïve—

I figured we would still laugh

As you modeled outfits

Pretending to be on the runway

And I picked my favorite.

I was wrong,

Innocent,

Confused.

I wanted to know

How the cancer spread

From your breasts,

To your back,

And on to your brain,

Like an airplane

From humid D.C.

To the windy shore of Newport Beach

And on to northern Canada.

Now I understand.

10 years later.

Blurred vision cleared:

Your pain is now gone.

Dreams and memories;

Return to the past.

Late night game sessions,

Home cooked meals,

Me next to you

Always.

Laughing for hours

And hours.

Your smile spreading.

But someday we’ll laugh again.

**Congrats to Maureen Tenney, winner of the $25 Target gift card!