Courtney's Easter Egg Hunt

Just a few weeks before Easter, Courtney started asking, "Mom can we have an Easter egg hunt with our friends this year". I at first had this big Easter egg hunt all planned out in my head, but then as it usually does, life took over, walls needed to be painted at the renovation-rental, sales needed to be organized, food needed to be cooked, children needed to be educated, and before I knew it, it was just a few days before Easter.

So I folded my hands and prayed "Lord, I got a little girl, I don't want to let down! Help, is it too late to get an Easter Egg hunt off the ground". And with in seconds, I remembered, I had invited a friend who lives an hour away over to our home that Friday, with her 5 children. I had also invited several of her friends from the area to drop by and share in her company, and between us all we had 12 children of Easter egg hunting age!!!

So after Homeschooling PE, we headed to Walmart where I let Courtney pick out some plastic eggs and some candy to stuff them with. She spent the afternoon, happy as a clown, stuffing eggs in anticipation of her Easter egg hunt the next day with friends.

Once again, to achieve success you don't have to reach the moon, you just have to get up and try.

Thrifty Tip!

I saw this on Good Morning America one morning while running on the treadmill.

If you are like me you like to use products you pay for right to the last drop. I know everyone knows the swish the water in the bottom of the shampoo bottle and then dump it on your head trick, allowing one more shampoo out of the bottle.

But if you are like me you get frustrated with containers like that shown above. You fold, you squeeze, and that gets some of the last of it out, but you are left wondering what is sticking to the walls of the container. Well use some scissors along the top of the bottle and then cut it down the middle and find out like I did. AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS SURPRISING. I had 3 more days of moisturizer out of this container! (which of course was a FREE with coupon sample to begin with)

So you can cut more than coupons to save!

What I love to do at Mornings light!

Below I talk about Jack's new found recreational passion! And I am so glad that after so many years he finally found one that I think is going to stick a while! Cause it makes me feel even more great about mine. Here are a few glimpses of my early morning life.

This is the bike I ride twice a week. while wearing my GPS watch so I can see just how fast I can glide down a hill (22 miles an hr is my personal record). I can't stand to drag it out of the basement each time, so it has a place of honor in our family room all season long.
These are the digs I wear two mornings a week, so that I can build up endurance to swim the first portion of a Triathlon this September! MY FIRST ONE!!!

This is what I look like after going out for a morning run in the rain! Cellphone gets wrapped in a Ziploc baggy so I can call and be rescued if thunder rolls in, but otherwise I love running in the rain!

This is my favorite Bondi band. Worn to keep the sweat from dripping in my eyes. This one says it all, and all in the right order. FIRST I am a wife, THEN I am a mom, AND LAST I am a marathoner cause it makes me better at steps one and two.

These are the books I read for inspiration to dig deeper and to not loose heart when I don't reach that PR (personal record) at my last race.

This is the pony tail that I grew specifically to keep my hair out of the way during all my races. Bonus my hubby loves it, the first day I wore it he couldn't keep his eyes off me, and he was smiling the whole day!

These are the buddies that I have created stronger bonds with along the way, and they are an important reason for why I continue to run! Time with them is precious, they push me to be better not just as a runner but as a wife and a mom and a friend and a neighbor and as a christian. The money I pay for each race is worth it for the friend time I gain with them all.

My Favorite Spot of Summer

This is why I love my front porch.

This is the spot for a summer nap.

This is the spot for board games with my daughter.

This is the spot to read aloud to my children classics they would never choose to read themselves and they end up loving every word of them.

This is the spot for friends to gather and sip sweet tea, and pop on a hot afternoon.

This is the spot to cuddle up with my hubby before the day starts or as it ends, or anytime in between.

This is the spot to watch the sunrise and the sunset.

This is the spot where dreams are dreamt and plans are made to see them come true.

THIS IS MY FAMILIES FAVORITE SUMMER SPOT!

My Great Idea!

Very rarely do I have a idea of my complete own! Usually they are stolen off some other blog. But this idea has worked so well, and I came up with it all on my own.

I got tired of cleaning off the kitchen counter of 6 to 8 various drinking glasses at a time and no one claiming to know whose was whose.

Trying to cut down on germ spreading and dishes, I reached for the dry erase marker and put a spot on a glass and then discovered it rubbed off with a damp cloth just like it does on a dry erase board.

And so the above idea was born, every morning I rid the counter of yesterdays cups and everyone gets a new one with their name on it!

(oh and yes that is the fish from the trunk or treat, still living, still in a canning jar and still surviving off of brewers yeast)

Aiden and His Egg Sandwiches

A while ago Starbucks sent me a coupon to try out their new breakfast sandwiches for FREE. Well this is going to sound like a repeat of the post I just wrote below but....... I was grocery shopping early one morning, and decided to pick up the FREE sandwich on my way home.

I hurried in to get the needed groceries in the fridge and freezer before sitting down to enjoy my egg sandwich. In the mean time, Aiden spotted it. Now Aiden is right now the pickiest eater of my family (and that says a lot cause we are all picky). But he was brave when I told him he could help himself to a bite.

Well he certainly liked it, cause that bite turned into another and then another, all while my back was turned toward stuffing that last bag of frozen vegetables into the last bit of space in my side by side. When I shut the door in triumph, I let out a cry of "STOP" I was looking forward to that sandwich!

His eyes then got big, and he said "sorry mommy but it tastes so good, what is this?" . And how can I resist that kissable cheek kid.

So the following week when I had to repeat the whole grocery shopping thing over (seems like it happens every week! ). I bought all the makings for egg sandwiches. Aiden watched with his tongue hanging out as I made him his new found delight.

A few days later when I was getting tired of demands for MORE. I decided to teach him how to make them himself (oh and now his sister can too). He was so proud the first time, making 3 sandwiches one for me one for him and one for his sister he was literally glowing!

And now he makes his own several times a week.

Yes Sadly She is addicted at the ripe old Age of 8!

Its a good thing I collect swagbucks and cash them in for Starbucks cards

Cause I have created a Starbucks junkie!!!

It all started very innocently many many years ago. Courtney was only 2 then. It was a sunny morning. I headed out early to get some grocery shopping in before the hubby left for work. Having a mypoints, Starbucks card in my purse I picked myself up a mocha frappachino on the way home, rewarding myself for stocking up so quickly.

I came home put my 1/3 gone frappachino on the dinning table and carried all the groceries in and got them all put away in a hurry anticipating relaxing on the porch swing while reading a magazine (free from cokepoints of course) and sipping my reward for a mornings work.

But when I returned to get my frappochinoit was gone!!! But under the table I found the cutest little Ash blonde two year old slurping up the very last morsels for her stolen find! and a whip creme mustache to boot! And the strange thing was she was calmer than normal all day (which makes me wonder if she doesn't have her daddy's ADHD)

From then on a yearning grew in her heart. She knew what those white and green cups were, and she soon matched the symbol of the cup to the symbol on the sign outside the store and knew that's where that wonderful yummy stuff came from.

Oh I do get her decaf, but I also allow Santa to stuff her stocking with a gift card to the coffee addiction creating store.

Cause we spend valuable, mommy and daughter time there. Discussing important stuff. Like friendships, and clothing choices, and why exactly we don't say, such and such a word.

Yep, Starbucks, it may be addicting, but its also great for bonding!