Smooshie Face

The girls, particularly Abby, have enjoyed spending time hanging out in the Pack-and-Play lately. When Clara wakes up from a nap, Abby wants to go in immediately and join her. It's actually a lovely arrangement because they are just stuck in there and I can get some laundry folded, or, let's be honest, lay on the bed and watch them.

They were in there yesterday and were making me laugh so hard I just had to share the pictures.

Clara actually started this little game and when Abby saw how it was making me laugh, she thought she'd get in on the action.

The picture of Clara kills me every time.

Such funny girls!

Diet Coke Cake

I've seen a few beer "cakes" on Pinterest lately and wanted to do a non-alcoholic version. So, when we were planning a birthday lunch for my Diet Coke-addicted friend, I thought it would be the perfect decoration/gift.

I (with the assistance of my hubby) cut 12, 10 and 8 inch circles out of a cardboard box.

Then, we stacked the cans. The top and bottom layers fit nicely but the center has some empty space in the middle. You need about 30 cans.

I wrapped ribbon around each layer and made a little topper out of scrapbook paper.

It's a quick project and ends up looking pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

I don't suggest transporting the "cake" after construction. We had a few mishaps getting it from my house to the party. If you do need to move it, I would recommend hot gluing the cans to the cardboard.

I would also cover the cardboard with some tissue paper or fabric if I made it again. The brown cardboard look isn't that attractive. 

I saw the idea to use the "cake" for the guests to drink at the party, which would be fun too. You could maybe do different drinks for each layer.

Good Moms V. Great Moms

Good moms teach their kids to clean up the messes they make. Great moms clean up the messes by themselves sometimes so the kids can play with daddy.

Good moms say "no" when their child asks for candy at the store. Great moms say "yes" sometimes.

Good moms put on music for their kids to dance. Great moms get up and dance along.

Good moms teach their kids to eat the meal that has been prepared for them. Great moms notice that sometimes their kids really just don't like what you made and make exceptions.

Good moms put their kids down for bed on time. Great moms let their kids stay up late sometimes.

Good moms hold to their decisions. Great moves cave in, occasionally.

Good moms encourage their kids to be creative and imaginative. Great moms participate in creativity and get involved in imaginary worlds.

Good moms expect straight As. Great moms understand that nobody is perfect.

Good moms make healthy, balanced meals. Great moms make chocolate chip pancakes for dinner sometimes.

Good moms discipline their children. Great moms show mercy.

Good moms are happy and positive. Great moms are sad sometimes because life isn't always happy and positive.

Good moms teach their children to read. Great moms keep reading to their children, even after they know how.

Good moms ask about their childrens' friends. Great moms know their childrens' friends.

Good moms take their kids to the park. Great moms get off the bench and play at the park.

Good moms teach their kids how to take care of themselves--to grow up. Great moms take their big kids in their arms and rock them and let them be a baby sometimes.

Good moms tell their children how to be good people. Great moms show their children how to be good people.

It's nice to be a good mom but it's even better to be a great mom.

The Poconos

We just got back from a week in the Poconos with my family. We had a blast relaxing in the mountains. As usual, I didn't take a ton of pictures. Luckily, some will come my way from Merrick. Her pictures are always much nicer than mine anyway.

The house we stayed in was awesome. The kids loved playing out on this deck.

Abby and grandpa took a few dips in the hot tub. They were actually the only ones who ever got in.

The house we were renting was right by Lake Harmony. We spent a few hours at the lake on two different mornings.

Grammy and Grampy stayed home with the napping kiddos while the rest of us went to play mini golf. We were in a tournament and got coupons for free ice cream. When I play mini-golf, I'm either really good or really bad. There's not much middle ground.

After mini-golf we went and played some arcade games. Merrick and I played Dance, Dance Revolution.

Another day we went to an indoor water park which was a lot of fun. Abby had an absolute blast. We even let her skip her nap so she could play more.

We also went for a short hike and a picnic.

On our last full day, we all went bowling and played some more arcade games with the kids. I broke 100 (which I'm pretty sure I've never done( and I even beat Sam (which I have definitely never done.)

The rest of our time was spent relaxing, eating delicious food (and way too many treats) and staying up late talking.

My parents are staying a few days with us, which makes the transition to real life a little easier.

The kids all got to pick out a price to get with our arcade tickets.Abby chose a little make up set. When we got home, she painted her own nails. She actually did a really good job.