Guest Post

How to Spend Valentine’s Day with Your Family {Guest Post}

Feb 13th, 2012

by jen.

Today’s guest post is by Emmy @ Discount Catholic Products. Enjoy!

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While Valentine’s Day is traditionally for couples, it doesn’t mean you can no longer celebrate when you’re married with kids. Three years ago, my husband and I started a Valentine tradition with our twin daughters. We’d spend the day making heart-shaped goodies, creating Valentine cards, playing games, and watching movies. Here are some ideas that you can try:

Valentine Breakfast in Bed

Last year, my husband and the kids surprised me with breakfast in bed—heart-shaped pancakes, mixed fruits in a heart-shaped bowl, cranberry juice, complete with a long-stemmed rose! I’m usually the first one to wake up in the morning as I have to prepare everyone’s breakfast and lunch bags. They had to get up before I did and it was one of the sweetest things they’ve done for me. The kitchen was, of course, a mess but I didn’t mind cleaning up. Just thinking about it always brings a smile to my face.

Arts and Crafts

Making Valentine cards from scratch is a great way to foster creativity in children and it’s inexpensive, too! Set up a table with art supplies and let them design their own cards. Prepare cut-outs in advance so they won’t have to use scissors. You can ask them to make a different card for each family members or their close friends and teachers.

Exchange gifts

Who says exchanging gifts is only for Christmas? In our family, we also do this for Valentine’s to make it even more special. Since we began our tradition three years ago, we’ve received various presents from the kids—handwritten notes and cards that say “I Love You.”

As for me, my “gifts” often involve baked goodies like cupcakes and cookies. My husband, on the other hand, gives them a book filled with heart “coupons” (free help with assignment, movie date with Dad, kitchen elf for the day, etc.) which they absolutely love!

Heart Hunt

This is one of our favorite activities and it’s especially fun when the twins have their friends over. What I do is make several heart cut-outs and hide them all over the house. The kids would go on a “hunt” and whoever finds the most hearts wins. Sometimes, my husband would join the game but of course, he always lets them win.

Fancy Dinner at Home

Forget about eating out on Valentine’s Day. Whip out your kitchen skills and cook up a feast instead. It can be anything from spaghetti and meatballs to meatloaf with mashed potatoes on the side. For dessert, strawberry-flavored jello or chocolate cupcakes with pink or red frosting are perfect. Make it a family affair by letting the kids help you out.

For your table setting, make heart-shaped cut-outs from white, pink, and red construction paper and scatter them on the table. Use white plates on red placemats or vice versa.

If cooking dinner at home isn’t an option, make reservations at a family friendly restaurant in advance as this is one of the busiest nights in the year.

Hopefully, these ideas make Valentine’s Day more special for you and your family. Spending time together on the day that celebrates love is the perfect time to show each other how much you appreciate being with one another.

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Emmy is a freelance writer for Discount Catholic Products and a busy mom to two beautiful twin daughters. They’re requesting for red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting this Valentine’s Day.

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7 Easy Ways to Creating Blog Content

May 24th, 2011

by jen.

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Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at The Tween and Me about Bringing Back Special , and I’m excited to welcome Dominique from Dominique’s Desk to Happy Little Homemaker:

Image by mark78_xp via Flickr

It is a bloggers nightmare when we find that we are starring at the computer screen but there is no inspiration coming from us. The screen remains blank and the keyboard silent as our brains draw a blank about what actions we should be taking next.

Once in a while we may find that we are in a rut in creating content for our blog. Here are some easy ways to ensure that you are able to keep your pen flowing and generate posts for your blog.

1. Participate in Memes.
There are many different memes which you can participate in. Some of them like Meet me on Monday, Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop and Five Question Friday require you to answer the given prompts that are given each week. By answering the questions you are already adding content with a post on your blog.

2. Inviting guest bloggers to post.
This will bring fresh content and a different inside to topics which you and your readers may be interested in.

3. Put up a poll or throw an open ended question to your readers.
It’s interesting what you are able to learn about your readership and it will give you insides and information about topics you could address in the near future. There are easy to embed polling widgets like the one by PollDaddy which you can easily apply to your blog post.

4. Post pictures or put up a v-log.
A picture or a short video clip gives equal or even more impact then a 500 word post and can give you a break from sculpturing a post.

5. Update old posts.
You can always revisit old posts to revise them to add in the latest content or add in new opinions based on what you have learnt. Another way would be to post a Part 2 to that post if you have more information to add to it.

6. Expand on a post by other bloggers.
If you have read something which stirred your emotions and you wish to comment on it. Besides just commenting on that blog you can link your reply to that thought provoking piece through a blog post.

7.Create lists or break them up into separate posts.
You can easily create series on topics which you are passionate about. Eg: A list of 5 points can be broken up into 5 different posts through adding photos and more details/examples under each main point. This would give you content for a whole week!
Dominique Goh, elementary school teacher ,blog consultant and writer. Catch more of her at Dominique’s Desk.

Visit Life…Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

http://www.dominiquegoh.com

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Guest Post: What to get mom?

May 2nd, 2011

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Happy Homemaker Reviews). I consolidated them to continue to simplify my life. – Jen (04.2012)

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Contribution by Stevie Kirby

I’m having the hardest time deciding what to get mom this year for Mother’s Day…I can’t believe it’s coming up so soon! I had considered maybe chipping in with my brother to get her a flat screen but I decided she just wouldn’t use it enough. She’s actually been talking a lot lately about how she wishes she had a home internet connection so I’ve been doing some research on internet providers in her area and I think I may have found a plan that’s cheap enough for me to get for her as a gift. I think she’d be really surprised if she opened a box with a picture of a router on Mother’s Day rather than the chocolate and card I normally get her! Either way, my brother and I are going to drive down on Friday and spend the weekend with my folks – it’s a family tradition to take mom out to brunch on Mother’s Day. Any good recommendations for brunch restaurants in the Dallas area that won’t already be all booked up?

Disclaimer: This guest post provided by your friendly wireless internet provider.

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Mother of Pearl: Pearl Pins

May 1st, 2011

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Happy Homemaker Reviews). I consolidated them to continue to simplify my life. – Jen (04.2012)

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This opportunity came up just as I was getting ready to launch and when I read this first post, the question at the end made me share it with you. Enjoy!

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Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND … do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother’s Day!

PEARL PINS by Margaret McSweeney

At age 49, I am a mom without a mom. This deep longing for my mother continues to surprise me. During milestone moments, I imagine phone conversations with her.

“Can you believe that Melissa is graduating from high school in June? I’m so glad you will be flying to Chicago to be here with us.”

“Wasn’t that a fun family dinner we all had last weekend to celebrate Katie’s ‘sweet sixteen?’ I am so glad you could join us.”

“Isn’t this exciting? I just got a new book contract. Will you please edit my manuscript before I send it in?”

Sadly, this will be my eighth Mother’s Day to spend without my mother. She has missed some poignant milestones in my life and in the lives of my daughters. Both Melissa and Katie were very young when she died so they don’t have a full reservoir of memories about Grandmommy Rhea. However, they do have the legacy of faith that she helped instill in them as toddlers. She loved to send Veggie Tales tapes, Children’s Bibles and devotional books.

Melissa and Katie were blessed to have Nana, (Dave’s mother) around for much longer. Nana passed away two years ago. A few years before Nana died, she gave me a beautiful necklace with a diamond pendant made from her wedding ring along with a pair of diamond earrings. She asked me to give these special gifts to Melissa and Katie for their sixteenth birthdays. Even though Nana wasn’t around to celebrate, my daughters were so happy to receive such special keepsakes from her. Hugs from heaven.

Last week on Katie’s 16th birthday, I discovered an unexpected blessing that had been tucked away in a cardboard container of my mother’s things. A jewelry box with three pearl pins! I gave one to Melissa as a belated 16th birthday gift, and I presented one to Katie for her 16th birthday. This Mother’s Day, I will wear my mother’s pearl pin as a tangible reminder that a mother’s love (and a grandmother’s love) is an everlasting gift from God.

Finding these gifts made me think about what I might leave for my own daughters someday. It isn’t the external value of the gift that matters, but rather the love that it represents.

Is there a special gift or letter that you would like to leave your children?

Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. After earning a master’s degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, Margaret moved to New York City to work at a large bank where she met David. Margaret is the editor of Pearl Girls, author of A Mother’s Heart Knows and co-author of Go Back and Be Happy. Charity and community involvement are very important to Margaret. She has served on the board of directors for WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger) for over eight years. For more information, find Margaret at www.pearlgirls.info and www.kitchenchat.info.