Tired of packing the same old, same old......

After packing school lunches for about 9 years you get into a rut. Well I found my way out with these yummy alternatives and the little guys like them too!!!

Lunch Box Pizzas

2 tubes(7.5oz)refridgerated bicuits

1 can of diced tomatoes in the blender with basil, oregano, and garlic powder to taste

1/2 Cup diced pepperoni

1.5 Cups shredded Mozarella cheese

Flatten each biscuit into a 3 in circle and press into a greased muffin cup. Spoon 1 tbs of sauce into each cup. Top each with a sprinkling of pepperoni and about 1 Tbs of cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or unitl golden brown. Store in covered container in the refridgerator until ready to surprise your kids for lunch. These also freeze well. Put them into the refridgerator overnight to thaw.

Pictures, Pictures everywhere!!!

I am terrible about getting pictures on my blogs so this weekend it was my goal to get a few of the newer ones with pictures, so check it out!!!

A Ton of Fun in an Ounce of Time!!!!

Our first end of summer adventure was cut shorter than we would have liked but we know how to pack a ton of fun in an ounce! We went to the Great Wolf Lodge and the kids had so much fun they wore out the parents. Thank goodness we had Grandma with us to help out. I think we wore her out too. Up and down the slides over and over and over again. We did have opportunity to have some grown up girl time in the grown up HOT HOT HOT tub AHHHHHHHHH!!! Our teen of course played tons and tons of hoops but like the best big brother he is, he would always take a break and take his brother or sister down the great big slides or race up the netting. The lazy river was a big hit for the princess and the smart one since they could put on life jackets and float around and around and around in the river. They also liked every slide, every slide! Our little laid back boy however loved the red slide. I can't tell you how many times I alone took him up the stairs, over bridges (inevitabily having a huge bucket of water dumped on my head) through the tunnel and then up 2 more sets of stairs. Then down we would go him on the red one and me onthe yellow one. The funniest thing was none of the adults or our teen even knew what it was like going down the red slide that is how much he loved it.

The other thing my hubby and brain discovered while their is Magiquest. You got a magic wand and then wnet on quests. Finding treasure, fighting troll kings, looking for magic crystals and talking with fairies they had so much fun running around withthose magic wands looking for the next clue to the next adventure. When we left the hotel before we could leave the city we have to go to my favorite pizza place in our state. It is a whole in the wall place but we love it- Paesano's...Yum Yum!!!

After our fun get away we realized we had a free day. Yes there was tons to do around the house but we only live once and I can work extra late a couple of nights doing some catch up, right? Any way we went to our secret little get away called Grandma and Grandpa K's "log house". We had so much fun and the weather was great and even better they were both there. We fished a bit, paddle boated, kayaked, tubed behind the "air boat", went on the "fun boats" and picked apples and looked at the mud birds nests under the bridge(I think there was a turtle sighting as well), hot tubbed, swam, caught a baby turtle in the cove, played on the "baby beach", went on an adventure in the woods- ok I think 5 and they collected wood for our fire, so we had smores too, they learned how to open and shut the "castle gate", road their trucks, and we had sword fights. I told you we can pack a ton of fun in an ounce of time.

Up Nose: The New Edition

I am telling you what I feel like taking the lovely child that decides things need to go up the nose to the doctor even when I know I got it out as a deterrent so it won't happen again. We had a rice spill yesterday and so this needs to be cleaned up and what do I hear my sweet child say, "I have rice up my nose." I honestly thought she was kidding but nope she wasn't and that rice came flying out of her nose like a shot(for those of you that don't know cover mouth and side of nose without object and have them blow it has worked everytime). Let's see bb's, beans, and now rice ugh I am glad I only have one child that finds this activity amusing!!!

One Week After Potty Day

We are still dry and as predicted a couple of accidents. He is doing a great job with coming right up and going to the potty even when playing without any reminders so my hats off to you big guy and again yahoo no more diapers!!!

A Perfect Potty Day!

This is a time of sadness but also of celebration NO MORE DIAPERS!!!! Sad because no diapers means my kiddos are all big boys and girls now but happy because NO MORE DIAPERS!!!
Our laid back boy was showing almost all the signs for being ready to be potty trained except one and it is in my opinion the most important one and it is wanting to do it but the time was right...summer travel had ended and dad had the day off so I could put all my attention on the potty day. We introduce the potty which he had met before. The diaper came off and underwear went on. Koolaid was made along with applejuice. We had potty pez waiting when there was success. Grandmas on call to hear of all of his happenings of the day(and one aunt when no grandma was available). We were all set for Potty Day! I never thought I would be a mom to be offering my child gallons of koolaid but I was all morning and after the first accident and him really not wanting anything to do with the whole business I almost decided he was not ready but the koolaid had caught up to him and by accident he went potty on the potty. Well almost he was sitting on the potty but the guard was down so it was all over the floor but success had happend and this is when the magic began and the first potty pez was awarded. Roughly 5 minutes later he wanted more pez and he was informed the only way you get it is if you go on the potty well he marched right over and went. Once he realized he got candy everytime he went on the potty, he went on the potty. To my surprise he was dry this morning as well and went right to the bathroom. I am sure we will have a few accidents over the next month but huge progress for one day. Congratulations to my big guy!

Be Like Little Children or At Least Learn from Them

My blog is called Jewels of a Child and the reason is we truly learn little jewels from our little children. It is the Savior Himself that says, "be like little children". Here is a little jewel for the most expected source a child:
My little brain came up to me and says, "Mom I have been thinking about it and teasing is not what Heavenly Father wants me to do." This is when I realize the countless teaching moments, Family Home Evenings, and scripture reading is all worth it even when I feel I might be in the middle of a circus at times. It is in this moment that I realize they are getting it, they are listening, they are feeling the Holy Ghost and acting on it. It was a jewel of enlightenment to me that even when you think they aren't listening and possibly think you can't teach kindness, peacemaking, importance of family relationships one more time you can and you will because they need it and then one day the Holy Ghost comes in and makes an impression on their little hearts forever because you paved the way.

Further Evidence I Do Have The Best Husband Ever

My hubby and I instead of buying each other gifts for our birthdays plan a day for each other doing something as a family. Usually I have lots of input in the planning of my day along with a lot of the prepping. Not this year! The only input I had was what beach we were heading off to. He meal planned, he shopped, he packed, he got the kids dressed and ready to go, and the only thing left for me to do was get into the car. It was great seeing him write out a to do list and a meal plan. Do you know what he didn't forget anything! Guess who is packing for our next beach trip?!? Probably me but I am grateful for my day of leisure! We had a wonderful day at the beach and I can't wait to see what he plans next year!

Ending a Highly Stressful Week on a High! for One in Our Family

This week has been one of exhaustion, hunger, emotion and triumph for our teenage boy. Have I mentioned in July he was 4'11" and he is now 5'4" and I am sure these number will keep climbing the way he is eating and sleeping and in midst of all of this growing he had soccer tryouts. Which exhaust the exhausted and hunger the starving. I honestly think we will have to take out a small loan to feed this boy at a box a cereal a day, a half gallon of milk a day, and I am at a count of 30 cucumbers this week alone. After a long week of 2 a day tryouts he has made the JV team(1 of 2 freshmen to do so) and it came down to a nail bitter for him. They announced who made the team by class with freshmen being last. Funny thing is by the time he returned home to tell me the news I already knew via the mass e-mails I received about times, places, orders, meetings and such that will be taking place in the next 5 days starting with getting socks last night for the 4 game tournament on Saturday! Let the games begin!

4.5 miles in 45 minutes on the "expressway"

Yes we had a wonderful time at the zoo. Drove there in less than 2 hours with no problems at all. On the way home all I can say is UGH we left at 4 and got home at 8:45! I can't even imagine what time I would have gotten home if I didn't call a lifesaver of a friend who rerouted me around all of the crazy traffic! Thank you Sara!!! What did I learn from all of this? Have an alternate route handy!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My!!!

You guessed it we went to the zoo yesterday, me and my wee three! We had so much fun learning and exploring!!!
We always start by going to the penguinarium to see the King, Macaroni, and Rock Hopper Penguins! Funny enough all the main penguins from Happy Feet! Then we headed to
amphibianville to see frogs, toads, newts, skinks, some fish, but he kids favorite is the rainforest you can walk through and see turtles, a manta ray and with the hopes of seeing the 2 toed sloth and we did see his claws and while we were there and the first sighting besides his claws all day his face high up in the trees! If we haven't seen enough of the creepy crawlies we go the the reptile house and see all kinds of snakes, lizards, tortioses, turtles, caimens, and of course a couple of crocodiles! Now that we have went into all the houses we head off to see all the animals of the zoo...camels, tigers, red panda, gorillas, chimpanzees, zebra, kangaroo, bears, lions, lemurs, snow monkeys and much much more. Our highlights of the trip were the polar bears were swimming. This doesn't sound like much but at the zoo we went to you can walk underneath the polar bears through a tube and watch them awim all around and the kids loved it! The second highlight of our trip was feeding the giraffe and learning all about them, ask the brain what he learned about giraffes sometime just have 10 minutes to spare. After spending near 5.5 hours at the zoo it was time to go and do what we always do after the zoo we went to the Temple. It is so fun to hear the response to what is this? and the princess call out it is where you and daddy got married. It is such a wonderful end to a fun day to be able to take the kids onto the Temple grounds and teach them how important the Temple is to families!

In Denial

I can dig in my heels all I want and I can even go into personal denial if I want too but whether I like it or not school is going to start in 3 weeks(so sad). As I was trying to decide how I was going to organize all these schedules of mine and stay on top of picture days, harvest dinners, soccer games, preschool schedules, orientations, play dates and on and on I found a little gem: http://www.cozi.com/ It is great; it a is a free online calendar. Everyone in your family has their own color dot and you can look at one person's weekly schedule or the whole families at a glance and see what is going on and for who. I am loving it!!! I hope with my new found organization tool I won't forget it is our turn to bring snack or school's out early for one and not the other, practice gets out late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday well you get the picture! Wish me luck!

Feelings On Family

Without getting into much of a back story when my honey and I were dating we had a conversation about families and our individual visions for our families. It was amazing we both had the same ideals and in recent months heard a couple quotes that summed up our thoughts and feelings on the subject of families:

"Parents devote your best efforts to the teaching and rearing of your children......however worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform"

"So much of what we concentrate on in mortality-power, prominence, property, prestige-are things that we don't have any evidence will make any difference in the next life. But family will."

These quotes so eloquently but straightforwardly said put words to the thoughts we shared with each other that day. It has lead us down this path of our life. This ideal of our family is first with Christ leading us down our path of mortality to eternal life with a kind and loving Heavenly Father. I am indeed grateful for that conversation that day. It has indeed shaped and guided our family!

When I was a Kid!

Most don't know I am a country girl I grew up on the Salt River. When I say "grew up on" I mean when I looked out my living room window everyday the river was right there. I spent hundreds of hours of my childhood swimming, building sandcastles more like entire towns on the sand bars, and exploring all its wonders. Well today I had the oppurtunity to take my kids to where I grew up. It was so fun to see them do all things I spent so many summers doing. Finding clam shells and following the clam trails and actually finding one and having it spit on the brain was so funny. Finding racoon, deer, and blue heron tracks. Skeletons of cray fish and actual ones too. Climbing over and under and onto fallen trees. Going to the big rock and watching them do the same thing to that old rock I used to do(splash it and slide down it into the water) was so reminiscent of me and my sisters doing the same thing over 20 years ago. Smearing clay all over themselves and jumping into wash it off of course. Swimming at the bend(a curve in the river where it was deep enough for even a teen to swim). Seeing the lavender butterflies that I haven't seen since I was a child was shocking to me I forgot all about the lavender butterflies. Needless to say we had a wonderful afternoon doing all things I used to do when I was a kid.

Moments That Make Motherhood

• A huge hug and the words "Your the Best" - the princess

• The most disgusting, smelliest backpack in the world and you don't mind taking care of it's contents because your teen had a blast at camp.

• "I am glad I am in this family"-The teen (can you believe that from the teenager)

• All of them lying on top of you for morning snuggles viaing for the best spot.

• "Mom what can I wash for you?" and then proceeding to wash everything with puddles of water everywhere and using their very own toothbrush. The next day "I want to help again?" followed by more puddles and the right toothbrush this time. - the princess

• Them having the need to have good night kisses or it just isn't a good night.

• Cuddling with the teenager watching a movie.

• "Thank you so much mom for making dinner." - the smart guy(I wonder if he knows I am expected to do this as a parent)

• "I want to wear my big boy underwear!" followed by the diaper off and readily putting them on, which is great progress after weeks of absoluetly no way that is going to happen also followed by the other realization of he isn't ready quite yet- the calm one

• Seeing the excitement of the fruits of their labor come to fruition. They were so excited to see red tomatoes in their garden.

• Hearing the prayers of your children for their daddy and big brother to come home soon and their faces lighting up when they do!

• Hearing your child say something you say with the same inflection and going that came from me- "Actually"- the laid back boy

• Them doing something because they know it is the right thing to do and then seeing their sense of accomplishment on their faces when they realize it.

• Knowing your laid back boy is not so laid back because you passed his nap time and now reality has struck you that you get to deal with the grumpy gus. Note to self don't miss nap time tomorrow.

• "I lud you too mom." followed by a huge kiss and a big bear hug and then his little body just melts into yours- the calm one

• When you see parts of you in a boy you were sure was all dad- the brains of the operation

• When your little brain comes down and says, "We forgot all about the hug and the kiss!" and you are now humbled because you are typing this very blog.