Wordless Wednesday...The Wonders of Bubbles

More Wordless Wednesday...Visit 5minutesformom.com

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #7

What do you do with all your children's artwork, awards, report cards? Store them in 40 gallon plastic bins? Are they under your bed? How about the attic or basement? Great places for them, huh? I've always pondered on why we hang on to the cute little noodle art papers and finger paintings that are a collage of black paint. For me it brings back simple, sweet memories....hum...so why do I stash them away, only to look at them when I rearrange the garage or move? It was too much work putting them into scrapbooks and most of the paper never fit in them anyways. After our last move I'd had enough of moving these bins around. So I did something with them. I scanned in my favorites and I let my kids pick out a few and I DUMPED THEM IN THE TRASH! Yes, the garbage man had picked up my so called treasures. But they're not lost....they're saved! I scanned them into my computer, loaded them into my Cherish Bound publishing center and have started creating beautiful artwork books for my kids. No longer will their Picasso-like art be shoved in a web filled garage or under my bed with a family of dust bunnies...no, no more of that. They will be on my shelves, coffee tables and displayed around the house in beautiful books. Finally, a justified place of recognition. Those noodle arts take some time to make...they deserve more than a plastic box.

Wordless Wednesday: Soon...Soon enough

Enjoy More Wordless Wednesday at Fiveminutesformom.com

Tuesday Tradition #8

The past year I've been fascinated with learning what the symbols and meanings are behind different holiday traditions. I spent a ton of time at Christmas researching the meaning of the star, presents, candy cane, etc. It's exciting to see how far back these traditions go. This past week I've been intrigued with the symbols of Easter. I've celebrated Easter my entire life, am a devoted Christian, but still never knew what some of the traditional symbols meant.
I always wondered by Easter would move so drastically around the calendar...especially this year, March?? Here's what I found. Easter is a movable feast. Using the lunar calendar as determined by the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. Most often Spring occurs between March 22 and April 25. Hum...

And the Easter Bunny? Eastre (or "Ostara"), the Anglo-Saxon Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility was often accompanied by a hare when represented. The fertile nature of rabbits and hares is another symbol of new life and the rebirth that occurs during the spring season. Also, German settlers in America are said to have brought over the tradition of a bunny named "Oschter Haws" who would visit houses on Easter eve, leaving colored eggs for children. Easter eggs were painted different colors to represent the sunlight of spring. Christians later used eggs to symbolize the rebirth of Christ.

And of course the Egg...Of all the symbols associated with Easter the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most identifiable. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries. Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.

I love this time of year...it's truly a beautiful time to reflect on the miracles of Christ. Enjoy your Easter holiday...even if it's in March!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #6

3 in 10 years vs. 38 in 3.5 years
Anyone know what that means? Anyone? Come on, take a guess....nothing?

All right, I'll tell you....it's an explanation of my progress in life. I'm officially awesome...well, at least to my family. But hey, that's all that really matters right? Last night my husband asked me how many scrapbooks I've done since I started scrapbooking...I guess someone at work was moaning about his wife's scrapbooks, they're never finished, falling apart, can't look at them, they're wrapped in plastic....bla, bla, bla. I looked at him and smiled and told him that he should know how many...they are pictures of his LIFE! Duh! But he really didn't know...perhaps it's because he never gets to see them. Remember the vault? (previous post) Well, I explained to him that I have many scrapbooks....and he said, "How many FINISHED scrapbooks do you have?" Now he knew about my hidden boxes of "stuff" and all the papers and embellishments, and actually knew the prices of some things....he did get me a few gift certificates for Christmas. So he's up to date on the ungodly cost of all that stuff. Anyway.....I said, "Finish? Well, let's see...three." THREE! He couldn't believe it. He actually raised his voice ever so slightly and said, "You scrapbooked for 10 years and spend $88,000 and you only completed 3 scrapbooks?" I just smiled, "Uh-hum." He was shocked, silenced, but I could tell his mind was working....so he said, "How many Cherish Bound books have you done...in the 3 1/2 years you've been publishing?" I smiled and said, "Oh, just a few...HOW ABOUT 38!" There was a moment of silence, he smiled and quietly said, "I always knew you were the coolest wife." He-he! Redemption strikes again!

Wordless Wednesday

More 5 Minutes For mom...

Tuesday Tradition #7

I can't believe Easter is already here! March is supposed to be green with St. Patty's day, but because we have Easter early this year I'd like to share a few Easter Traditions that your family is sure to enjoy.
This tradition started with my family when I was a little girl. I remember doing it with my brother and sister and my mom always had everything set up the Saturday before Easter. She'd get large white construction paper and have us paint cute little Easter and spring pictures all over the paper with paint, markers, glitter, etc. When it dried she'd roll the paper up like an ice cream cone and staple it together. We'd punch two holes on each side of the top of the cone and attach a ribbon or pipe cleaner for a handle and then fill the bottom of the cone with some Easter grass. We'd then fill it with candy and cookies. The best part was when mom broke out the funky bunny ears! Yes, we were then turned into the Cute little Bunnies...WHISKERS and ALL! (I've kept about 80% of this tradition alive in my family....only 80%) We'd "HOP" on over to our neighbors and put the cone on the door knob and then doorbell ditch! Now the door bell ditch was the best part...bunny ears flying, kids tripping, dropping the cones and cookies all over the ground...that was the best part! It wasn't unusual for some neighbors to have a little dirt or something in those cones, but it's a fun tradition, one that I've "sort of" passed on to my kids.

The Party Is Here!!!!

The party is EVERYWHERE!! 5 Mintues For Mom is having their annual Ultimate Blog Party for all Mom Bloggers! This is my first year participating and I'm so excited to meet new mom bloggers and join the 5 Minutes For Mom Family....an amazing group of women I'm thrilled to have found!Let me tell you a little about myself...My name is Tara and I live in the humid Southeast. Miss the west coast weather where I grew up, but learning to enjoy life here. I'm a VERY happily married wife to my amazing husband Shawn. We've been married for 14 years, but met each other in 4th grade. We have 5 beautiful children, 14, 12, 5 and 1 year old twins. I could quit there because that is what makes me live and breathe everyday, but there are few other things about me that I can share....I'm a sports fanatic...my kids play every sport, I play, husband plays...we love sports! I love Friday nights with my family, chocolate and Diet Coke...who doesn't? I love photography, writing, and of course my home-based business! I'm so fortunate and blessed to be able to work from home and be a part of an amazing company, Cherish Bound. Cherish Bound is my "other love" next to my family and church. I'm one of 5 nationwide leaders for them and love teaching families how to connect, re-connect, bond and live through the power of story. I love helping people preserve their stories, photos and memorabilia...it's life-changing to watch family's change and connect. I'm able to help families find ways to come back to the dinner table, back to the basics and find each other again. If you like what you see I'm on the prize page #48!My blog was created with the intent of sharing my family's stories and traditions...just hoping that at least one family will find a tradition to start or a story to share. Life is about family. That is why we're here and I just want to help families find a way to stick together and stick it out. Enjoy my blog....by the way, my blog is getting a make-over as we "type" from Jen at The Trendy Mommy Spot...should be updated by next week at the end of the party.... (03/12/08) it's done and updated...hope you like it!!!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #5

Yesterday I was watching Junior's Giant's 2 (bestselling Christian children's DVD. Junior has a new giant to face--a gadget-wielding advocate of materialism. Sister, Celia is running for class president, Mom must cope with her inability as a scrapbooker, Dad keeps failing to install a wireless Internet connection, and Little Man has taken to scaling tall objects. For Junior to triumph, he must continue learning to follow the Spirit, and decide to lay up his treasures in heaven rather than on earth.) I was shocked as I watched this darling cartoon unfold right before me...and my family. No one told me they were going to use my life story as the plot of this movie! The mom...yeah, that's me...or WAS me. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically as I watched this poor mom massacre her family's memories. I can laugh because again, that's my story, right? When they introduce the mom into the movie the narrator says, "Mom believed it was a mother's obligation to record her family's memories with stickers and bows in a ritual she called scrapbooking....Mom thought she was an excellent scrapbooker, a fact that was TRAGICALLY not true. Up to this point the family had avoided telling mom that her pages were horrible..." Later on in the movie there is a small debate about her "skills" and her husband proceeds to comfort her by saying, "Honey, I've always told you that you have skills NO ONE else has." So, that's a peak into my life...no joke! My family finally came clean, and I confess, it took me a LONG time to get over the shock of not being an adequate memory preserver....but I have redeemed myself through Cherish Bound...Halleluiah.

Wordless Wednesday: I Got It...No I got!

For More Wordless Wednesday...Visit 5minutesformom.com

Tuesday Tradition #6

Here is a sweet and simple list of meaningful Family Traditions that you can start implementing in your family...TODAY! I found this at foreverfamilies.net They have a great section called "Creating Meaningful Family Traditions"

*For birthdays, each family member chooses his or her favorite menu, then everyone except the birthday person helps prepare the meal.
*No one can go to bed until they've told each member of the family "I love you."
*For religious milestones such as baptism or confirmation, a child is given a book of scripture.
*For religious or historical figures the family especially admires, celebrate that person's birthday. *Saturdays are Dad's day to make breakfast with the kids.
*Take turns choosing a topic of discussion at the dinner table.
*Have a special dinner plate to be used by a family member who has a reason to celebrate.
*Tell a story every night before bed.
*Keep a family journal, letting everyone write in it.
*Establish your own holidays, such as an "Unbirthday Party."
*Watch movies that explore the value of traditions, such as "Fiddler on the Roof."
Written by Marisa Beebe, Research Assistant, and edited by Stephen F. Duncan, Professor, School of Family Life, BrighamYoungUniversity.

These are beautiful and simple traditions that are cost efficient and will bring your family closer together.

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #4

We moved a few weeks ago and had to move into a temporary rental...and downsized 2000 sq. feet for the next few months. Obviously, most of our stuff went to storage and I had to pick and choose what came with me. There's no thinking twice about where our scrapbooks, photos and Cherish Bound books go...that's with me! I decided it was time to organize and get unpacked and settled for the next few months. I'm sure you understand how it works when it's time to unpack pictures, photo albums and memory books...time stops and you look through them. The memories start flooding back. The first one I pulled out was my wedding scrapbook. Now let me tell you something about this scrapbook...or "Hackbook" as I call it. It was my first attempt at scrapbooking. WRONG book to scrap on your first try. I was young, stupid, and had no idea what I was doing. I "hacked" all my pictures into shreds! I never noticed this as much before, but it's bad. I must have gotten some new scissors when I tried to scrap it. There were cuts and bruises all over the pictures. The worst part about it...NO STORIES. Just a bunch of hacked up paper and pictures. I couldn't stand it. I logged on to Cherish Bound, opened up my publishing center and decided right then and there that I was going to publish a simple, but beautiful story book about the most important day of my life. I scanned the handful of pictures I wanted in my book and started editing as much of the "hacking" as possible. It's amazing after 14 years how my priorities of memory preservation have shifted. I didn't want any of the stickers, colored papers, or even wasted snapshots that have people in it that I can't remember. I just wanted the stories and pictures of my husband and me. I wanted to write the stories of what was important about that experience so my children could learn and know our Love Story. I whipped out my Wedding Story Starter and answered some important questions, remembered some great memories that I have forgotten and wrote our wedding story in about 30 min. I scanned for about 30 min. and then uploaded and typed the text in about 30 min. I submitted my wedding story in less than 2 hours. I think it took me 2 months to create my first wedding "hackbook"...2 MONTHS! I cannot wait to see my wedding book. It's filled with important stories that my children will be able to have forever and some precious photos that will remind my husband and me of that amazing day.