To begin, I went to see The Hunger Games. By myself. Well, me and the two other women who were in the theater. They looked at me like I was crazy when I was snapping this picture with my phone so it’s rushed and fuzzy. I loved the movie. And I especially loved being by myself when I started blubbering at a certain scene (no spoilers here, folks!) I think afternoon matinees by myself may become a thing.

Right before I went I happened upon this post by Joel Stein on reading YA fiction. “Let’s not pump Justin Bieber in our Saabs and get engaged at Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Because it’s embarrassing. You can’t take an adult seriously when he’s debating you over why Twilight vampires are O.K. with sunlight.” Definitely had me laughing. I get what he’s saying, but “The Hunger Games” trilogy has some of the best themes I’ve found since Shakespeare. Perhaps that is why last year I was saying that I didn’t think it belonged in the hands of a thirteen year old. Moving on…

This brilliant idea might just be making an appearance to my pen pal in the next few weeks. (P.S. having a pen pal is the best – especially when it’s Alissa)

With the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been doing a bit of digging in the yard. Since a good chunk of our yard is in shade (wonderful for the summer cooling bills) I’m always looking for shade plants. I’ve found some nice ones here and here. And this moss idea might have to make an appearance on our backyard fence.

Speaking of gardening, this living wreath is amazing. Must. find. succulents.

I adore these for the kiddos room and for the (future) playroom/craft space going in downstairs.

Be informed. Be healthy. Eat fewer GMOs.

Wow. That’s a lot of stuff to leave you with!! Happy weekend!!

I’ve been on a bit of a stationary kick lately. I honestly think between books and paper I could spend every last bit of my discretionary income if given the choice. This shop, this shop, this idea could destroy my budget if I let it. Really.

I definitely think I’ll be making these with the kids. I have the alum from making playdough, now I just have to figure out how to blow eggs.

And for the dyeing kind…some great (SIMPLE!!) recipes for natural dyes

Love this affordable, simple, cute idea for air freshener. I’m always buying the tear off fridge boxes then big boxes for cleaning/cooking. I really should just try a reusable jar instead. Not to mention replacing those icky chemical “plug-in” fresheners.

Speaking of baking soda…this is a great idea for spring cleaning your mattresses.

This crazy warm weather has had us out and about and me spring cleaning even more than usual. I don’t know if I like it this warm in March, but I have liked spending the time outside with the kids. What about you? What has been on your radar this week?

This purse has me just swooning. In fact, I love just about everything in this shop.

And these lids that turn a Mason jar into a travel mug…I absolutely adore.

I’ve been reminding myself of this lately when A is having his meltdowns.

And I’ve been looking up lots of parenting stuff. I especially love these rules, this way to approach tantrums, and fun activities like this, this, and this – though I’m doing that one outside with washable finger paint.

Where have you visited? I didn’t click the states I’ve driven through – only the ones I’ve actually visited. I definitely think I need to see more of the United States.

So…what have you found on your internet travels this week?

No theme this week….

I found this article the other day. I love how it validates and uplifts mothers. I think we should do that more often.




I’m absolutely in love with this amazing birdcage chandelier from Restoration Hardware. It’s completely out of my price range at over $2,000. This diy version is super cute – and A LOT more affordable. Now I just need to find an old gently used birdcage…

I have two old wooden spoons that are going to be used to make a bird feeder with the kids this weekend. I love it when something that needed to get tossed out can instead be used for something else. You can find the directions and material list on the Family Fun website.

I also think I’m going to ask a few of these questions this weekend. I’m interested to hear the answers.

And one thing that I want to chat about…

I love pinterest and I love that so many other people are finding it and loving it too because it’s a great place.. But I’m noticing a trend of “uploaded by user” and untraceable pins and the people who are spending hours creating content – taking photographs, writing tutorials, perfecting recipes – deserve the clicks and credit. So I’m sharing a few good steward “rules” that were shared by Darcy over at my 3 boybarians

I’m not perfect at this either. But moving forward, I will not repin (and over the next few weeks will delete) pins that can’t be traced to content sources. Please be courteous of the people who work so hard to create content. Pin responsibly.

What have you found this week?

Sniffle, sniffle. Cough, cough. We’ve all been struck down with one bug or another this week so I thought I’d theme this Friday finds over quiet things to do. Whether you are trying to keep big(ger)s occupied while rocking a baby to sleep, or keep your little quiet while at church (or so you can lie on the couch nursing a sinus headache), here are some of my favorites:

I stole this super simple idea from my mom. She used to draw out a “doodle” (one big swirling line that ends up exactly where it started after going over itself a few times) and hand us a box of crayons. We’d fill each section with a different color. V will spend a good hour working on one of these.

We’ve definitely used a few of these ideas this week. My favorite is the storytelling game. We played a variation where I’d say, “I need something that starts with the letter __” and she’d find it and I’d build a story around it. Fun.

After finding this, I’ve been thinking of putting together a quiet book of our own. And because I don’t have enough pinterest boards, I’m definitely going to have make a board just for the plethora of adorable ideas out there!

I love this sorting game. I grabbed two sets of those pen cups (they were only $1/set) one in pink and green.

I found this idea here but on short notice I just used a deck of cards and called out a number. V and A both had half the deck and they had to see who came up with the number first.

So…what are some of the things you do to keep your children quietly occupied when you have things to get done or are feeling under the weather?