Super Mommy Secret~Books to Explain OUR Traditions!

My family has been celebrating Ground Hog Day and Chinese New Year for many years now, however, teaching the meaning and origin of the holidays and celebrations we enjoy can be a struggle.  It can also be quite boring for little ones. 

This year I was excited to find some cute books in our scholastic book order (they are on Amazon, as well)! 

 And, For only $3-4 each, I got the following:

 (My hope is that they will help my children understand more about these fun holidays and even give fun facts, while keeping the "mom is giving us a lecture" boredom out of it!)

 Ten Grouchy Groundhogs

Groundhog Weather School

Bringing in the New Year

My First Chinese New Year

Now I can save myself from trying to explain these holidays myself!  ([sigh of relief], I just like planning the HOLIDAY decorations and fun, not teaching the Jeopardy knowledge!)

And I can store these little paper back books in with our holiday decor, so I dont lose them, and we can reuse them every year.  

Let me know if you have a favorite book for a Holiday!  I love to add them to our collection.

 

Super Mommy Secret~ Plan NOW, Ground Hog Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day...oh my!

There are lots of fun Celebrations to be had in the next month! 

Now is the time to be planning your family fun.

For Ground Hog Day, Feb 2nd, check out some fun ideas, HERE scroll to day #2.

For Chinese New Year, Feb 3-18, check out what I have done in years past, HERE.

For Valentine's Day (one of my VERY favorites!), Feb 14th, check out some fun ideas, HERE. 
(I posted these last year when I started this blog but I didnt email the link to friends for the first time until February 25th.)

I hope you can get Crafting and Planning NOW, so you can enjoy the holiday with the family (and not be stressed out just trying to make it meaningful and fun for everyone else)!

Super Mommy Secret~Camping Crafts!

My sister-in-Law Jen always remembers to bring fun crafts when we go camping!  This is the idea she brought this year.  Pet Rocks!  She just brought tacky glue and Sharpies and the kids got to decorate their very own pet rock.

Super Mommy Secret~Strawberries!

This post is from Jen!  These are her Super Mommy Secrets!  Thanks for sharing these ideas, Jen.  They are the perfect activity for a summer day!  I love them..and I cant wait to make the candle holders to line our front walkway! ~Ang

Last Monday was the first day of summer, June 21st.

Summer means strawberries. At our house we love strawberries. Our favorite way to eat them is with this super easy dip. My kids know how to make it and can do it all by themselves. 

Fruit Dip

One jar of marshmallow creme

One container strawberry cream cheese

Mix both ingredients well in a bowl and serve with strawberries, or almost any kind of fruit. Store leftovers (if there are any) in fridge.  Yummy!!!!

Then, you can make these cute crafts with your kids...

(Reuse and Recycle!)

Candle Holder

(I saw an idea similar to this at a store.)

Here is how to make it: 

Wash out the marshmallow creme jar and wash off the label.

Then with some heavy gauge wire (I used 18 gauge) twist it around the mouth of the jar and then make a handle.

Here is the part my girls did, they strung on some beads on some jewelry wire and then we twisted it around the handle.

I filled the jar with white sand and a battery operated tea light. You could put rocks or any kind of filler in the jar. Then set or hang outside for those fun summer evenings outside.

Berry Fun

Here is how to make it: 

I took the empty plastic container that the strawberries came in and washed it out.

 
Then I filled it with gummy raspberries. I made a label to go on the top and tied it with tulle.
 
I made a label that I am going to write on something like "Have a "berry" fun summer" and give it to a friend.
 
If I would have done this sooner my kids could have given it to their teachers on the last day of school.
 
~Jen

Super Mommy Secret~Does the DATE really matter??

Super Mommy Secret:  One thing I have decided is that the exact DATE of a celebration does not really matter to me. 

I mean WHEN you celebrate something or someone doesnt have to be the date that everyone else does it. 
Sometimes too many things fall on the same day!  I think it is funny to hear people say they missed celebrating something special but they will have to remember next year.  I say move the celebration date to one that fits with your family calendar!
Sometimes you do just have to miss celebrating things...it is hard for me to admit!  But dont be afraid to fit things in when they are convenient for your family rather than when the calendar says you have to do something...even if it is "late."  (So far nobody in our family has complained, but the kiddos are too little to know any better!)

This year we have to move our Father's Day...Last week we were out of town for a family reunion so we had a long drive home on Father's Day.  My husband and I both got to see our dads on "Father's Day", which was nice.  However, we didnt get to celebrate him.  So I decided I would help my kids celebrate their Daddy this coming Sunday instead.  I didnt want to miss celebrating him until next year just because of our other family commitments!

So this Sunday we will:

Set out our Father's Day Decorations: 
The Daddy tile (above)
A photo of him with each one of our kids as newborns
The Daddy Banner
Handmade gifts and cards from this year (and years past)

Give Him his gifts!
An envelope with a "gift of time" together with each child
1.  Go Cart Racing gift card (the other kids arent big enough yet so this is just for them)
2.  Icecream giftcard and Movie tickets (a Daddy/ Daughter Date)
3.  Motorcycle Decals (This little guy is obsessed with "dotorcycles" so he has to give daddy a motorcycle gift!  They can put the decals on and then go for a ride!)

Make some of his Favorite Foods:
Pizzeria Uno Pizza (made at home deep dish pizza) recipe
Apple Pie with icecream

And, most of all, Celebrate that we have a 

"Super Daddy"

at our house!  Because without him there would be no

Super Mommy!

Super Mommy Secret~Summer Goals

I am on Vacation this week so I am enjoying a break from the stay at home Super Mommy-ing and I am enjoying my in-laws who are Super Grandma and Grandpa-ing my kids and their cousins while we all hang out together. 

The Super Mommy Secret that we are working on this week is our

Summer Rules and Goal Setting!

For the kids we are planning some similar goals to last year:

1.  Doing Chores to earn money.  One Fake Gold token is equal to a quarter.
2.  Make Bank Deposits...and Daddy says he will match everything they put in their accounts (I think we got this idea from my friend Amber, thanks Amber!  My kids think it is super cool!).
3.  Reading (or being read to) for 20 minutes a day to earn our library's fun prizes.
4. Writing in a journal to practice those handwriting skills...my son's teacher recommended this last year.
5.  Earning TV and Electronics time!  (They do school workbook pages or extra reading).
6.  One sweet treat per day! (I am terrible at this one!  But when we say it out loud, and make it our goal, we help remind each other.)

By making these rules and goals, it helps me keep everyone on track with what is Really important. 

And once we get our goals done for the day, we can get on with the other important stuff which, of course, is playing all summer!!!

My Goal this summer is to finish my over 30 unfinished projects that are cluttering up closets, garage space, and plastic totes!  I will be posting on them throughout the summer!

Its not too late to set your family goals too! 

Happy Summer! 

Super Mommy Secret~Last Day of School Shirt

Today is our Last Day of School, Finally! 

I feel like we are the last school in the country to get out this year! 

Jen made these cute shirts, with iron on transfers, for her kids

(and she was nice enough to share the idea and make me a transfer too!, Thanks Jen!).

Super Mommy Secret:  The Sharpies on a lanyard are such a great idea!  This would be useful at Summer Camps and VBS as well.  It is a great idea for Anytime you want the kids to be able to sign each other's shirts!
**I think they might bleed through though, so be prepared for spotted backs and bellies!!

Thanks, Jen!

Celebrating~My Big Reader!

 I promised our son that once he was done with ERAGON we would have a family movie party and watch the DVD.  So when the super, crazy, active, 9 year old finished reading a book that big,

we had to Celebrate with him! 

It took him several months, but we finally got to have a Friday Night Pizza and Movie Party for him.  

We were so proud of him for getting through that HUGE novel

(He never did finish Harry Potter...probably because I let him watch the movie BEFORE he was done reading)!

 

He really liked Eragon, though. 

He immediately started the sequel, Eldest...too bad there is no movie for that one!

{Here is a Super Mommy Secret for anyone in the Boise area:  Pizza Perfection has their pizzas BOGO Free on carry-outs anytime!  Their larges are big (12 pieces!)and their pizza is delicious!  You end up getting 2 pizzas, piled with toppings, for around $20.}

That is where we got the pizzas for this Movie Party!

Then while the kids were taking baths I made popcorn...

...And set up the "Concession Stand" as they had requested!

They loved buying and selling!  Then we settled in and enjoyed the show.

I hope you feel inspired to CELEBRATE your Big Readers too!

{Here is one more Super Mommy Secret:  These movies were BOGO for $1 at Hastings...so 2/$6.99}

Super Mommy Secret~Boredom Buster Can

Make Yourselves a Boredom Buster Can

If you are worried about summer boredom, make one of these to help you through it!  I saw a few variations of this idea last year so I was inspired to make my own rendition last June. 

I thought they were so cute, I made a few more as gifts for my friends Stephanie, Angie, and Jen.

Ours was made out of a glass pickle jar, but for my friends, I used formula cans (we had LOTS of them around here last year!).  I covered them with mod podge and a few torn layers of paper.  Then I printed the tag with their last names from my printer and embellished with the first letter of the last name (of the family I was giving it to), and ribbon.  Then I filled it with little strips of paper that had activities printed on them to help the bored kiddos get busy with something!!

So Easy! 

SUPER MOMMY SECRET:  And, best of all, HERE is the list of boredom busters that I compiled from fun websites, blogs, and other super mommies out there...with a few of my own ideas sprinkled in (I wish I had written where each idea was from, but I wasnt doing this blog back then, so I didnt know I would want to give credit to someone!  Some of the ideas still even have links attached in the document so they will take you to the instructions!!  So thank you to the Super Mommies whose ideas I borrowed to cut into strips and put into our cans!) .

**You may want to separate them into categories such as field trip, crafts, cooking, etc.  So on days when you know you ARE NOT going on a field trip they can pick from a different section.  I am picturing a 3 way cardboard divider in the can (like the ones that separate the different flavors in the tins of Christmas popcorn).

Super Mommy Secret~Good Bye School, Hello Summer! From Family Fun Magazine

Good Bye School~Hello Summer!!

I used a roll of paper from our easel and some crepe paper to make a sign for the kids to break through.

They could not wait to rip it apart on their way to the back yard and our Last Day of School Celebration! 

Check back tomorrow to see what was waiting inside the door!

  I found this fun idea last year from the Family Fun Magazine. 

Super Mommy Secret: Did you know you can get a subscription (1 year~10 issues) to Family Fun for only $4.69.  Go to http://www.bestdealmagazines.com/ and look in the "Family" category.  And if you enter code PXCJ59 you can get 15% off of that! 
These magazines are full of  Super Mommy Ideas and I love stashing them in my car to read while I am waiting for my kids at soccer, after school, or whenever!

Super Mommy Secret~Anniversary Family Day

We celebrated our Anniversary this weekend so I thought I would share a fun tradition that we started a few years back.  We love to celebrate just as a couple, but we also have a Family Birthday Party.  As in the Birth of our FAMILY party. 
(this photo was taken recently in the same place our engagement photos were taken...
 12 years and 3 kids ago!)

We watch our wedding video (yeah, its VHS) and look at our wedding photos.  We sometimes even go to the temple where we were married and walk around as a family (when the weather cooperates!). 
I usually make a nice dinner and a cake or cupcakes. 
This year we sang happy birthday to our family and blew out 12 candles. 

Its also fun to open a family gift.  I try to find something simple and FUN that we can use as a family, like a croquet set or a funnel cake maker.  (It didnt happen this year due to one child having a sprained ankle and the other having a fever and the stomach flu.  Such is the life of us Super Mommies, right Ladies?)

When the timing allows, it is fun to do the family party for Family Home Evening, like we did last night.  Then you can add in a little lesson on marriage.  I love including our kids on the Celebrating.  They love it too.

I originally found this idea online, shared by Valerie Christensen. 

Thanks Valerie, we love this tradition in our home.

Super Mommy Secret~May Day Tradition

This Secret isnt mine.  It is from the Super Mommy over at See Jane Blog. 

They call it "Cutest Easter Tradition," see how she did it here. 

We missed it for Easter but I thought it would be fun to do this tradition for May Day since it is growing a "flower" so that is how we are going to do it in our family. 
Dont forget May Day is May 1st!

It also happens that my friend, Steph, is celebrating her daughter's birthday on May Day-Eve, so we will be getting together to celebrate and also planting our Magic Jelly Beans together.  I cant wait!  I get as excited planning surprises for the kiddos as they get when they receive them!

Here are our Magic Jelly Bean Seed Packets. 

We wanted them to look official for the birthday party so we made this seed packet with photoshop using the template here and a photo I took of my jellybeans.  (I used some elements that were digital freebies so I dont think I can share it as a download...let me know if I am mistaken because I would love to!)

We will plant ours in a pot or basket because we will have to bring them home...

You can just plant them in the flower bed outside,

but most importantly, this is what will grow! 

See Jane Blog also shared this Super Mommy Secret~

These lollipops can be found for $1 at Walgreens!

I just love blog land so we can all use and share fun ideas!!  Thanks to See Jane Blog for this one, it really is the CUTEST!  And for Kendra at My Insanity for sharing it!

Super Mommy Secret~Bottled Water?

Here are some Secrets I recently read. 

1,500 water bottles end up as garbage every second!

86% of plastic bottles end up as garbage (not Recycled!).

This Earth Day invest in some reusable water bottles for each member of your family.  See how Jen did it with her super cute

"Earth Day Dinner" post here. 

You will keep the Earth Green and your wallet green as well.  If you do use bottled water (which we do sometimes!) be sure to RECYCLE your bottles!

Check out the Water Bottle Story here to get more facts and see where the information I read came from.

Super Mommy Secret~Keep Your Pants On, Instant Button One More Time!

I know it is the same Secret for a second week in a row but I am in love with this thing! 

It is time to give one set away to another jean lover out there.

Here is a photo of my random selection...and the winner is Wilkey Party of Five!  I will contact you to get your address and Dana will let you pick which set you want and mail it directly to you! 

Congratulations Wilkey Super Mommy!  I am sure you will love it as much as I do.  If you didnt win be sure to visit instantbuttonforjeans.com to check it out.

Here is what it looks like when you put it onto the jeans.

Here is how it looks when they are buttoned up. 

It takes a good inch or more in without altering!  I LOVE it!  I hope all of the Secrets Readers do as well!

Super Mommy Secret~Instant Button For Jeans~GIVEAWAY!! ends 4/13

The Instant Button that ALL Super Mommies need!!

I found this cool button not long ago when I was searching for a tutorial on how to take in the waist of my jeans.  As we all know, a Super Mommy's waist is ever changing! With each pregnancy I have had about 3 years of changing sizes...going up, up, up, and then slowly...slowly....coming back down!  This little Instant Button is removable and reusable and it instantly and seamlessly alters the waistband up to one and a half sizes without requiring a belt or an alteration.

  

I dont know about you Super Mommies, but there is nothing that makes me feel beautiful  and sexy like a great pair of jeans that fit just right!  I will admit it is almost an addiction, my friends will vouch for that, right girls?  And though I may not do much with my hair and my make up has almost worn off when my husband gets home at 6, I still feel like a hot mama when I greet him while wearing jeans that fit just right! 

This awesome button can bring your waist in or let it out.  And I love that you can avoid the belt bulk and still keep your pants on your behind!  It can also save us Frugal Super Mommies money by letting us wear our jeans for a little longer as we are in the constant transition of getting a little bigger or a little smaller!  You can also fix that favorite pair of jeans that the button popped off of (I hate it when that happens!) or bring in the just the waist for you curvy gals with hips a size bigger than your waist.

Super Mommy inventor, Dana, has agree to help my host my first Giveaway on Secrets of a Super Mommy and she is giving one Instant Button, of your choice, away!!  So here goes Super Mommies, you have one week to blog, post, tweet, or otherwise spread the word about the instant button and this giveaway.  Then leave a comment with the way you shared below to enter...word of mouth is acceptable!  Leave a separate comment for each way you share this Super Mommy Secret!  Come on Super Mommies...if you are in between sizes or just have have a curvy shape and need to bring that waist in a little enter to win this fabulous Instant-Button!!  If you cant wait until next week to see if you won to get one, check out her site instantbuttonforjeans.com  and order one, I did! 

Super Mommy Secret~Vigoro

Keep those Pots Beautiful!

I planted some of my pots yesterday, then it snowed today...that figures. Luckily, they were up by the house and protected. But that reminded me of a secret our swimming teacher, Christine, shared with us last summer. She said she puts Vigoro into her pots several times throughout the summer and that keeps her plants blooming and beautiful all season! I was so excited to try it that I bought some last year to use this year (because mine look good for a month and then they limp along for the rest of the summer!).

 I have serious spring fever!

Happy Potting, Super Mommies!

Super Mommy Secret~Go Green Challenge!

Go Green this year.

Earth Day is April 22nd so there is no better time to start thinking about getting a little more GREEN!

Last year I got to throw and Earth Day party in my sons 2nd grade class.  I happened upon this fun little idea called the GO GREEN CHALLENGE, so I contacted one of the founders, Suzanne Kretschmer, through email and got more information on her program.  She was extremely helpful and kind.  She didnt even email, she called me right away and got me all excited to GO GREEN!

The GO GREEN CHALLENGE

Here is how it works:    The kids have to do 25 eco-friendly tasks to complete the challenge.  You send this form home with the kiddos to work on for a set time, we chose 1 month.  That is why I am posting it now! If any of you super mommies out there want to do this as well, you will have time (and still end during Earth Day week).  The link is to my form which I created from Suzanne's last year. However, I will change it to Suzanne's form as soon as her site is up and running.

My sons teacher decided to invite some of the other teachers as well.  We sent the form home with 1st-3rd graders.

At the end of the challenge, we presented the kids with awards at a Go Green assembly.  We did ours outside.  You could even invite some special guests.  Suzanne got their mayor to come and present everyone with a city pin.  I tried to get our mayor but he was busy so I got some other guests, like Eddy the Trout and the Allied Waste Recycling Truck, from our area to come to our school.  I also got Green shopping bags, pins from the mayor, and a larger prize (like a T-shirt or water bottle) donated for each kid who completed the challenge!

If being in charge of the challenge for your school is too much, just do it within your family or neighborhood.  You can come up with something eco-friendly to give as a prize! 

If you need some ideas, check out these awesome companies who helped me out at our Go Green Challenge last year.  They have amazing products to help you Go Green at home!

gogreenlunchbox.com saves you money on buying individual food servings, drinks, and plastic baggies! 

reusies.com if you cringe every time you throw away a plastic sandwich bag!

wrap-n-mat.com another great alternative to the plastic sandwich bag, and its a placemat!

If you feel like you want to GO GREEN with your school or your family, check out all of Suzanne's amazing ideas on her website (and there are a lot more than just the Go Green Challenge!)  gradesofgreen.org

which she tells me will be up sometime next week.

Lucky Banner

I did it!  I made this LUCKY banner last week with some of my crafty friends.   Its just more fun with company and we had lots of fun designing this little banner together!  Now I think I have one for almost every holiday!  My husband says I still need to make the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria so we can be sure to celebrate Columbus Day with decorations.  HA-HA-HA!  Maybe I just will....and then he will have to find a place to store them....but anyway.....

Here is the Super Mommy Secret for this week:  Plan it with friends! Whatever you do whether it is a craft, a party, a fun night as a family...consider inviting friends.  It will lessen your load in planning and preparing, you will create memories and closer friendships, and its just so fun!  I have to say I am lucky to live in a neighborhood that feels like Camelot with so many fun friends and neighbors, so it is easy to plan fun things together.  But even if you dont live in Camelot, all it takes is a quick email to plan something fun with friends.

LUCKY banner

Here is how I made it.  I got 2 coordinating fabrics from Home Fabrics.  I got a crinkly green and a brown with a green cloverish design.  I cut triangles in the green with pinking shears and then stamped them with brown paint (I mixed red and green fabric paint to make brown). 

Then cut 6 inch wide strips of the brown fabric (you will need to cut all edges of the brown with pinking shears or hem them) and 4 inch wide strips of the green.  Fold the green in half the long way and pin it to the top of the brown.  We bunched it up for a cute ruffle-y look on some of them~ that was Ambers idea!   

Then we sewed the strips together and then the triangles onto the bottom. 

I had some cute brown yarn that we sewed onto the sides to tie the banner.  We also had to go back and tack little folds into the top of the brown to make it hang in a swag.   

Super Mommy Secret~Couponing!

Couponing!! 

I have referenced this several times in the various fun activities that I do with my kiddos, its how I stay frugal and still do things like fill the Valentine's Day Socks or the St Patty's shoes.  I thought I would give a little more detail!  Couponing is a way to get lots of groceries, games, toys, make-up, etc for little money!  It is kind of addicting.

Super Mommy Secret #1 for Couponing: Get a couponing friend or posse.  They can help you find deals, you can divide and conquer (get things for each other), you can share coupons, they motivate you to go and it IS worth it!

Super Mommy Secret #2 for Couponing: Find some good couponing blogs that help you find deals at the stores in your area.  My favorite store to get free things from, here is Boise, is Albertsons.  My favorite blogs here are run by some ladies that I know personally.  My friend, Monica, posts at fabulesslyfrugal.com and a gal named,Tamra, (she taught the first couponing class that I went to, the one that I made my couponing binder!) posts over at discountqueens.blogspot.com  If you are interested in couponing and are not from Boise, they may know some good blogs for stores that are local for you.

Here is how I do it in a nutshell:

First order 5 Sunday papers.  I get one every day and 5 on Sunday for $12/month.   Check your couponing blogs to find the best deal on papers in your area.

Then I file and sort the coupons into this binder with baseball card holders.  I have tabs for frozen, refrigerated, canned goods, personal items, cereal, snacks, etc.  You can arrange your tabs the way they make the most sense for you and your family.  Or you can keep the inserts together and just file the inserts by date.  There are sites that let you print the contents of each insert so you can staple them to the front and just scan to find your coupons that way. 

Then I fill my pantry with lots of FREE or nearly FREE food!  All of my local couponer friends can probably pick out the FREE Quaker cereal, BBQ Sauce, Salad Dressing, Pasta, Paper Plates, Oreos, etc that are shown in this photo! 

Happy Couponing!!

Super Mommy Secret~The Present Game

The Present Game

Here is a new tradition we practice at birthday time!! 

A few months ago I was sitting in my car at parent pick up and I happened upon this amazing article in my Family Fun magazine.  It is called The Present Game.  It is a great way to help your kids to learn how to receive a gift and be kind and gracious about it (My kids were not very good at this at Christmas time!). Here is how I did it. 

First I gave my kids each a beautifully wrapped gift.  Then I gave them the rules.  First you have to give a sincere thank you for the gift.  Then you open it and pay a compliment to the giver, adding in why you like it or what you can do with it.  (I also let them know that these items were just for fun, not really for keeps.)

Inside the packages were silly items like a plastic cup, a measuring spoon, and an unsharpened pencil.  I am sure my kids had grand expectations from these beautifully wrapped presents so it was great fun to see them open the gifts to find something silly. 

When my son received the pencil he really thought about the gift, then gave me an appropriate compliment like "I love this pencil, I can use it for my homework!"  Then, when my daughter opened her single purple sock and seemed stumped as to what compliment to pay me, my son whispered to her, "Thanks, Mom, purple is my favorite color!"

They had a great time when I then let them go "shopping" around the house for each other AND they did a great job finding nice things to say to each other about each gift.

I was ecstatic that they were getting this!!  It is exactly how I imagine them acting when receiving a gift from someone.  That is why I thought we should practice at every birthday!  I added it onto our Birthday Countdown Board activities so that I wont forget.