It is no secret that I have a lot to learn about cake decorating. Nonetheless, I love to decorate cupcakes. My son usually requests creative cupcakes for his class birthday party and some of his past requests have included a giant snake, ocean cupcakes, and dirt cupcakes with a gummy worm in them. Those were all pretty easy for me. This year, however, he is into Ninjago which is a little more specific and detailed. Everything I saw on Pinterest looked too difficult for my skill level but he really wanted Lego Ninjago cupcakes so I decided to give a try.

I found two very cute cupcake ideas that I liked. Wendy has some nice cupcakes with Lego inspired candies over on Around My Family Table and Christy has some awesome Ninjago cupcakes (and cool cookies!) over at Christy’s Savories.  With some design ideas in mind I got to work making the cupcakes.

Lego Ninjago Cupcakes

Supplies Needed

• Baked and cooled cupcakes:
  • Choose your favorite cupcake recipe and prepare the cupcakes as directed. Here is my favorite chocolate cake recipe and an amazing banana cake recipe. It it okay to fill the cupcake liners up high for the Lego candy cupcakes, but you will want the Green Ninja cupcakes to be relatively flat so only fill those up 2/3 of the way or so.
• Buttercream frosting: homemade is best as you can adjust the consistency.
• Yellow icing color.
• One can of green decorating icing like this (or whatever ninja color you want).
• Block candies (available at many candy stores where candy is sold in bulk).
• Black sparkle gel.

Instructions

For the Lego cupcakes I simply added the icing color to the buttercream frosting and then frosted each cupcake. After they were frosted I added the Lego candies to the top.

For the ninja cupcakes I applied a very thin layer of the yellow frosting from the Lego cupcakes on each cupcake. Then I iced the ninja hood onto each cupcake using the decorating icing. This got easier and the cupcakes got better looking as I went. You could really tell which ninjas were the first ones made (poor little guys). Be sure to leave an opening in the hood so that you can add the eyes and eyebrows using the black sparkle gel.

These cupcakes turned out good enough to delight my son and his classmates. What more could I ask for?

Do your children love Ninjago? Which ninja is their favorite?

I have been a loyal Family Mobile customer for two years so when I got the opportunity to spread the word about its unlimited plans (as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®), I took it!  I only share products with my readers that I have tried and that I believe in. I was late to the whole cell phone thing and when I finally got around to purchasing a cell phone I hated that I was forced to buy a long contract.  When my contract expired I found a pay-as-you-go plan but that turned into a real nightmare. I researched and shopped around for the best wireless plan that had the lowest price and I finally settled on Family Mobile. How can you beat a no-contract phone that is powered by T-Mobile and backed by Walmart?

We have had two lines with Family Mobile for a couple of years but since we no longer have a land line, we have been considering adding a third line. A third line would enable there to be a phone at home when we are not there.  Officially, this will be my son’s phone but since he is elementary-aged he will not be carrying it around with him at all times. This phone will be for his use at home or when he attends an event without us. Fortunately, adding a third line was quite easy with Family Mobile.  I simply went to the store, purchased a starter kit for $25, and activated it online. The starter kit can be purchased online, but I wanted to get my hands on it immediately so I went to the store. You can see more about my shopping trip here.

Family Mobile has its own section in the cell phone area so it is easy to find. They offer a ton of of phone choices ranging from the simplest phone to the most in-demand smart phones. One phone with unlimited talk, text, and web is only $40 a month plus tax. Additional lines are $35 per month. That is a smoking deal!

I use a Samsung Galaxy S2 on Family Mobile and I love it. As part of this shop I was sent a myTouch phone. I had never heard of this phone so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it is actually a little powerhouse. It is a 4G phone with enough internal memory to allow for game play. My last cell phone wasn’t able to handle games so I was pleased to see that this phone had a decent sized memory. We are a low media family and we do not own a gaming system. However, my son has been intrigued by Minecraft since he often hears his friends talking about it. He  was beaming from ear to ear when I loaded Minecraft onto his new phone. That’s him in the first picture. Other than game capability, the phone has room for a lot of apps. I am excited that we now have a phone that my son can use to play games (limited by me), call our out-of-state relatives, and contact me or my husband when he is not with us – all while leaving my S2 alone!

I encourage you to check out Family Mobile. It is easy to sign up, add lines, and change phones. And since there is no contract, you can leave at any time (but you won’t want to). Next month I will be back here to update you on how we like having the third line and letting you know how my son is handling the responsibility of the phone. In the meantime, check out this awesome note I spotted on the Family Mobile activation kit.

Once you purchase your activation kit grab your T-Mobile compatible phone and get started online. Online account management and information can be found here. Or you can get assistance in the store.  Either way, enjoy your new cell service!

You might even consider giving Family Mobile as a gift to a grad in your life or as a Father’s day gift.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias

I have only recently discovered the fun of Twitter parties.  They are like a well attended conversation, often with prizes. I am co-hosting a Twitter party tomorrow, May 21 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. This party is for a great cause – taking care of pets.

I encourage you to attend this Twitter party to learn some of the best ways to take care of your pet, keep them in good health, and find out how easy it is to donate to American Humane Association (AHA) pet shelters across the country. This Twitter party will be informative whether you are a new or seasoned pet owner.  I think it will be a ton of fun.

Leading pet care product company Sergeant’s has teamed up with actress and animal advocate Tiffani Thiessen (@TAThiessen) to share easy ways that everyone can emBARK on Pet Health. EmBARK (get it?). Ha ha! Since February, Sergeant’s has asked pet lovers to take an online pledge committing to care for their pets. For every pledge, Sergeant’s sends a pet health kit (retailing up to $50 in value) to participating shelters with the help of the AHA. These kits go home with newly adopted pets from AHA shelters nationwide to ensure their health care regimen is off to a great start. Sergeant’s has yet to reach their total pledge goal and they need your help to spread the word to family and friends to show everyone how to help shelter animals.

Each person who takes the pledge will receive a coupon for $3.00 off their next Sergeant’s or Sentry purchase to help keep their own pet care plan on track.

When: Wednesday, May 29, at 1pm ET (the party will last one hour)

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #SergeantsPet hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/sergeantspet2

Hashtag: #SergeantsPet

Prizes: Five prizes will be awarded throughout the party to random participants who have answered a trivia question correctly. Each prize includes free flea & tick product for the winner’s pet, the pet health kit (as seen on the emBARK website), an emBARK on Pet Health t-shirt, a head shot of campaign spokesperson Tiffani Thiessen, and a DVD copy of White Collar, Tiffani’s hit show on USA Network.

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

TweetGrid for the party: http://bit.ly/11HUMNH

Join us!  It will be fun!

Tweetvite

Disclaimer: This post is part of my partnership with The Motherhood and Sergeant’s.  I am being compensated for my honest review and participation.

Every May I mentally plan out all the teaching activities I am going to do over summer break to keep my son from experiencing summer brain drain. I list two or three subjects and tell myself that we are going to study throughout the summer. I don’t plan on overwhelming my son with worksheets or turning my home into some kind of torturous summer school, but I do plan to teach him throughout the summer  The operative word here is plan. Summer seems to go so fast that I always fall very short of my plans. I usually end up feeling like a failure when the first day of school rolls around. But this year is going to be different. This year we are going to do a summer history project.

The idea for a summer history project came to me the other day when I realized that I will have two vacationing students in my home this summer since my daughter is finishing up kindergarten. I wondered how I was going to have a successful anti-brain-drain summer with two kiddos when I couldn’t even do it with one. Then I realized that I am always talking to my kiddos about history since I love it so much. Could I use that somehow? I used to be a junior high school teacher and although I never got to implement one, I was intrigued by the thematic unit. For those of you who do not speak teacher, a thematic unit is the organization of a unit of learning around a central theme. Clear as mud? Basically, a teacher might lead her class through a unit on the Olympics in which she incorporates math, history, language arts, and science. It sounds complicated but it actually makes planning and implementation easier. My idea is based on the thematic unit and it allows for considerable flexibility. It will allow you to keep your kiddos learning all summer while they also have a ton of fun.

So how exactly do I plan to use this idea in my home this summer and how can you do the same? Check out my guidelines below and adjust them to fit your family.

The Summer History Project

1. Choose a period of history to focus on. Make sure you get input from your kids on this. Since there are so many periods of history to choose from, offer your children a few suggestions to choose from. It would be wise to choose a time period that you are familiar with, unless you don’t mind doing a lot of research. We selected the Middle Ages but you can pick a narrower focus if you want to. For example, you could select WWII.
2. Make a list of aspects of the time period that you would like to cover. Ideas include art, math, science, language arts, fashion, architecture, music, foreign language, food, politics, religion, economics, and literature.
3. Decide if you want to teach this information to your kiddos or lead them in finding the information themselves. I suggest a mix of both.
4. Research and organize the information you plan to use. Try googling the period of history and you will be amazed at the number of resources you will find.
5. Schedule your history project into your summer plans. Actually writing it on the calendar can help ensure you follow through.  But do not restrict yourself to a schedule. Find teachable moments in your day-to-day life. For example, if you are studying Ancient Greece and you see a building with Corinthian columns, point it out and ask your kiddos about them.
6. Have fun and be flexible. This is supposed to be an easy way to focus on a period of history and keep your kiddos’ minds engaged all summer. No worksheets! Plan fun learning activities.

Here is an example of how this could work. If you choose to focus on the Italian Renaissance, your kiddos could learn about Galileo for math, science, and religion; Leonardo da Vinci for science, art, and engineering; Machiavelli for politics and literature; and they could observe the beautiful art from that time period. This could be done by reading, visiting an art museum or science center, watching movies, conducting research online or at the library, and listening to music. They could use the information they learn to write a story, draw a picture, make a diorama, paint, write a song, record a video, or dress in costumes.

This can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. I suggest that you keep it simple and fun. Maybe even plan a themed end of summer party or event to celebrate all they have learned.

What do you think?  Does this sound like fun? What period of history will your family choose?

Grief is something that we all must deal with at various times in our lives. Once you have experienced it, it never truly leaves you. For some of us it is something we once went through that shows up at unexpected times to remind us of its presence. For others it is an everyday companion. Regardless of where we are on that continuum, grief is a part of all of our lives. In her book North of Hope: A Daughter’s Arctic Journey, Shannon Huffman Polson faces her grief head-on after her dad and stepmother are killed by a grizzly bear in the Arctic wilderness. Polson tries to conquer her grief in several ways, including through music, but ultimately she decides that she must finish her parents’ interrupted trip. North of Hope is the story of that arctic expedition and what she finds there.

I was amazed and startled when I read that Polson wanted to go into the wilderness and retrace the trip her parents took.  After all, that trip resulted in the end of their lives. Even Polson herself was not sure why she was undertaking this endeavor, “I wasn’t sure whether I’d come to this wild space to find myself or to lose myself, or whether I had the capacity for either.” She later notes that we often go deep into the wilderness to enjoy its solitude and to connect with “the majesty of creation” where there is not a single unnatural sound. She also chillingly observes that in the deep wilderness, there is “no one to hear you scream.”

So why does she take this trip and does it work in helping her heal her wounds? I will leave that story for Polson to tell when when you read her book, which I highly recommend you do.

I felt incredibly connected to Polson throughout this book. She does an amazing job of illustrating her emotional journey, drawing readers in and inviting them to come along on her journey with her. Her description of grief and of life after the loss of a loved are spot on. I felt the heaviness of her burden. In one example, Polson is asked the questions many of us dread: “Have you moved on?” and “Are you over it yet?” Her response is an internal desire to both scream and whisper that there is no getting over it, at least not how we might think. She writes “It’s like being tackled by something you hadn’t known existed, then lying breathless on the ground, getting up slowly and starting to walk again, alongside this thing, along with this thing.”

Polson writes of human suffering “This pain – and the search for meaning in its wake – is what it means to be human.” If you like a book that stirs you, grips your attention, and leads you on an adventure of significant scale, then you must read this book. North of Hope touched me and helped me on my own personal journey with grief.

Has grief affected your life?  How did you deal with it? Feel free to leave a comment. Share and let’s talk about it.

I have been struggling to get back into running after I developed a knee injury a few years ago and I am pleased to say that I just ran in the 9th Annual Pat’s Run. I have wanted to participate in Pat’s Run for years but always had a reason why I couldn’t. As an Arizona State University alumni and an Army wife, this race holds special meaning to me so I made it a priority this year.

I went to Arizona State University at the same time Pat Tillman did. We parked in the same parking lot and often rode the same shuttle bus. We never exchanged so much as a word but I knew who he was. He was the most visible superstar of the Sun Devil football team.  I was a season ticket holder and loved that team like every other loyal Sun Devil did.  After college, I was very excited when Tillman was signed by the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL draft because I am a devout Cardinals fan (don’t knock it ’til you try it). Like most Arizonans I was amazed, but not surprised, when Tillman left the NFL to join the Army after 9-11.  Two years later I cried along with America when Pat died in Afghanistan. Pat’s Run was started as a way to honor Tillman’s memory. It also serves as a fundraiser for The Pat Tillman Foundation which provides resources and educational scholarship support to veterans, active servicemembers, and their spouses.

This year Pat’s Run took place less than a week after the bombing at the Boston marathon. That made this run symbolic is more ways than it usually is.  Many runners held signs supporting the people in Boston and others wore Boston sports teams hats and shirts.  For me this run represented many things. It was a way to remember Pat Tillman, a show of support for my soldier, a statement in favor of the troops, and a way to rally behind Boston. It was also my first race entry since my half marathon 3 years ago. I had an unbelievable time and shed a few tears along the way.

Have you ever participated in Pat’s Run? Which runs have you participated in?  Feel free to leave a comment.  Share and let’s talk about it.

(By the way, doesn’t that lady appear to be scowling at me?  So funny.)

I do not consume many drinks that come in a glass bottle, but a few years ago I bought some bottles of Mexican soda to bring along on an outing to the drive-in movie theaters. The kiddos were very excited until I realized that I had not brought along a bottle opener and we could not twist the bottle caps off. I did, however, have a hammer in my trunk and I spent the next 30 minutes prying the bottle caps off so we could enjoy our drinks. Fun! The next day I told my mom what had happened and she had a good laugh at my expense. Once she stopped laughing, she asked me why I had not used my car door latch to open the bottles. Suddenly, it all came rushing back to me and I remembered seeing my parents open their bottles with their car doors while we were at the river, lake, or even the drive-ins.

I just used this technique last week when I surprised my friend with a Mexican Coke (her fav). She was happy but asked me how she was supposed to open the bottle. I told her I would just run out to the parking lot and use my car door to open it. She gave me the craziest look. In case you weren’t lucky enough to be raised enjoying cold beverages opened by your car door, I bring you a tutorial on the car door bottle opener.

First, open your car door and locate your car door latch.

The rest of the steps are easy, just check out the picture below. I even included a video for those of you who prefer to see something for yourself.

 Ah, so easy! Have you ever used a car door latch to open a bottle? Share your stories!

A note on the post title: I do not claim to be a redneck although some aspects of my upbringing were a strange mix of Rebel, Yankee, and Brit. I personally, do not see the term redneck as a negative – thanks in part to Jeff Foxworthy and Gretchen Wilson. 

In case you haven’t noticed, I am making a concerted effort to include a little more of myself on this site. Talking about myself does not always come easily as it can be frightening to put oneself out there for scrutiny. I also do not want to toot my own horn, so to speak. I am sure your life is way too busy to concern yourself with other people’s successes and failures.  Still, I would love to be more open about myself with my readers. Today I am sharing five things that I cannot do, but wish I could. Maybe you can do these things? If so, feel free to give me some pointers!

I cannot whistle! Well, I can sort of whistle. I have a pitiful fake whistle I use when I am calling my dogs, but it is not a real whistle. No matter how many times I try, I just cannot whistle correctly.

I cannot sing. I can physically sing and can even carry a tune pretty decently within certain ranges. However, if you stand too close to me at church you might regret it!

This Cub Scout Den Leader cannot tie knots. My husband can tie just about any knot so when it was time to teach my scouts knot tying, I had my husband do it. I can tie my shoes and an overhand knot, but don’t ask me to save your life with a knot! Embarassing!

I cannot change my oil. Most woman cannot change their oil either so I realize I am not alone. However, I still feel ridiculous when I have to rely on someone to change my oil for me. It really is a simple process and I wish I could roll up my sleeves and get it done for myself.

I cannot type! Yes, I am serious. I type a lot but I am constantly fixing typos and making annoying corrections. I once sent an email out before I fixed my typos and the recipient of that email said she was worried I had dyslexia. Lucky for me I do not have dyslexia…I just have cannottypexia.

How about you? What can’t you do that you wish you could do? 

I am not a naturally crafty person so I am always searching for crafts ideas online. I recently discovered a useful and well organized site called craftprojectideas.com. This site allows you to search for craft project ideas by craft type, age of child completing craft, craft theme, and materials used. Once you search the site, you end up with a list of suggested crafts. When you click on one of those craft ideas you get a detailed instruction sheet with step-by-step pictures and a very specific shopping list which even includes the item numbers of the products you will need to compete the craft. All the specific craft supplies can be found at Walmart, although I am not sure if the site is run by Walmart.

I have been trying out some of the craft ideas over on the site and they seem very doable. This American flag tote bag looks fun and I might try it next. I love finding sites like this because they make crafting so simple and almost error proof. I also love that the crafts do not require a ton of talent. Other craft sites I frequent have beautiful craft ideas but many of them are just too hard for small children (or for me).

What crafting idea sites do you love?  Share them in the comments so we crafting-challenged people can improve our skills and craft with our kiddos!

Note that this is NOT a sponsored post.  I just felt like sharing a fun resource I found.

If you have ever read a book by Tim Kimmel or heard him speak, then you already know that his views on parenting and family can be strikingly different than what you might encounter from other Christian experts. It seems obvious that the heart of the Christian parenting message should be grace, but unfortunately it often is not. I am always intrigued by the perspective Kimmel brings to real life issues, so when I was offered a copy of his newest book, Connecting Church and Home, I agreed to review it. I was curious to see exactly how this author of Grace Based Parenting would address the issue of grace in family ministries.

According to Kimmel, young people are leaving their churches in record numbers. This is despite youth ministry programs of ever-increasing size and flash. Surely, something is missing. Kimmel suggests that grace is the missing element. In addition, he argues that churches and parents should foster a grace-based partnership. Working together, churches and parents can truly reach children for God.

The role of a parent is to connect to the heart of his or her child in such a way he or she prepares that child to more easily connect to the heart of God. (p. 21)

However, Kimmel states, too many parents have subcontracted out their children’s spiritual training to churches and parochial schools. The result is disconnected parents, overwhelmed churches, and children who are growing up without a strong example of God’s grace in their homes. In Connecting Church and Home, Kimmel lays out a clear plan for grace-based partnership between churches and parents.

This book is not just a list of platitudes and wishes. Instead, Kimmel lists specific things church families can do to connect church and home. This connection is vital if we want our children to see faith and grace lived out and not just preached.

I highly recommend this book to parents, ministers, and church members who care about the children in their churches. It is very practical and very important. Connecting Church and Home can be purchased on Amazon (affiliate link) or on the Family Matters site. Even if you don’t plan to buy the book, at least head over to Family Matters because it is a wonderful site full of tools for parents.

Have you read any of Kimmel’s books? Which ones? Do you subcontract out your children’s spiritual training, or do you take it on yourself? Feel free to leave a comment. Share and let’s talk about it.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions belong to little ol’ me.