HaddyGraceDesigns

It's Friday!! The end of the work week.. AS I reflected over my week today I thought of all I got done, all I didn't get done. I usually see myself as a person with a pretty positive out look but I was shocked as I looked back over the pictures in my phone from this week that a lot of those LITTLE MOMENTS I had already forgotten. If some-one where to ask me about my week I would have said:   "It was a cold and snowy week, we didn't play out side, Nothing really exciting, Just lots of doing the same motherhood tasks over and over again. I didn't get a whole lot accomplished." BUT when I look at my pictures It was a great week!! It snowed and we walked through gentle falling large flakes to have coffee with friends! We made baked oatmeal and ate it with Frozen blueberries for breakfast! we read stories! We played a game of Wednesday afternoon monopoly!! We colored pictures! We had ice cream! We visited a nature center! We had a grea...

So it's time???  Time to say good by to diapers??  Or maybe it's not time yet but you want to be prepared for when the time comes. I have successfully potty trained my 4 children, some with much less stress than others. But when it came 'time' to potty train my 4th and last baby I realized that with all 4 babies the stages we hit were all very much alike! So if your a first time mom or even a mom that wants to make potty training less of a struggle this time, please have a read and feel free to add in the comments what were some things that worked for you and what didn't. This way moms can gather a whole bunch of tips all at one place! I did have a bit of an attachment to my cloth diapering habit and, ummm... didn't act on Hadassah's 'Ready to train' cues as early as I probably should have! :) Because cloth diapered babies are just so stinkin cute! My Potty Training Outline Potty training starts much earlier than most moms think....

It's that time of year!!!   Yes time for my annual 'I miss summer' Blog.  I always know I am coming down with a BAD case when early in February I stop reading blogs from Florida or any other warm place on earth! (can't take the Jealousy).   It usually happens gradually with things like:  Buying an excessive amount of fresh food from the grocery store trying to re-create the taste of garden fresh veggies of summertime. Trying to go for walks and bike rides on days when it looks sunny and warm outside but having to turn around and come back into the house because the wind is coming straight from the Arctic.  And finally one day I succumb to the malady completely by looking through last summer's photos!! Endless hours of fun in the sun!!!   Bare toes and green grass  Parades, picnics and the smell of sunkissed toddler skin!! Photos by my BFF Beka Fox  ! Take a look at her Etsy shop  !! All pr...

Valentines Day..  A day for Lovers, an excuse to get a babysitter and go to a fancy restaurant. But what is Valentines Day when you are in Elementary school?? Hmmm?  A Day of CANDY!!  Oh yes there are cards too, the ones with candy attached go onto the 'Priority' pile. the ones with no candy get, at the best a 2nd glance. And it really doesn't matter who sent you which card, or which card was from a boy or  girl. All that matters is how big is my pile of candy!  Here is a great Idea for making your own Valentines day cards.  Take a photo of your child with an outstretched fist. Upload it to your favorite photo editing site (I use my Creative Memories  software) to add words or anything you like to make the photo more festive. After you get your photo developed take a razor blade and cut to slits like this, and insert Lollipop!   VIOLA!!  Happy Valentines Day!! And here is what's new in my Etsy Shop ...

Do you  find it challenging to keep fresh fruit in your fridge in the winter time??  Me too!! It's not that it's not available.. Grocery stores have a beautiful display of fresh fruits and veggies. BUT it just isn't as tempting as 'In-season' fruits and veggies..  Fruits and veggies just look so much more tempting on a farmers market table with the grower smiling over them, or even better warm from the sun a directly from your own garden or a pick-your-own field. So When I do Buy fresh fruits:  Grapes???? my family eats them like candy and they are gone in 1 day, Strawberries are gone with in hours. Bananas last for a few days.. however,  ... APPLES.... they are inexpensive, last for weeks and make the perfect snack!!  Until about January then everyone gets tired of them and it takes me a couple grocery trips to realize that my apples are piling up and I have a whole bunch of wrinkly apples on hand! That's when I make this super EASY APPLE CRIS...

Do you have a son? If you do then you will probably be able to relate to what happened to me the other day. If you don't have a son yet, you might want to read this anyway because it will prepare you for what is ahead. It didn't happen right away. When he was a baby it was pretty similar to  mothering my girls. But suddenly around 12 mo he started doing things and having an interest in things that I had never noticed before. The more wheels something had the longer it held his interest. The more dangerous something looked the more he was likely to try it. The noisier something was the bigger it's 'cool factor'..  Here is the SON at 2 yrs old!! This interest in all things macho left me struggling to entertain him! I struggled all day trying to come up with 'Cool' things for him to play with, and just when I'd think I finally found something with the required 'macho' factor Daddy would walk in and I would be left out in the cold. ...