I hope your....

TV is OFF! Share in comments below how your day without TV went if you participated in todays challenge!!!  I wanted to share a little quick while my girlies are napping!

Normally on Saturdays we are out and about...so not having TV probably would not have been any issue. But, today we have been home and plan to be home all day! The TV has been off and honestly I don't think the girls or the hubby has even noticed, no one has asked or mentioned it. So it is going smoothly! This morning I did some freshening up of the girls play area taking out those random unnecessary things that (somehow?) always seem to find their way over there.  I think that helped with distracting the girls, they suddenly always want to play with everything as I am cleaning it ;) and we played a little "restaurant" after. We then spent some time in the pool which distracted them too.

I don't let them stay glued to the TV regularly anyway, but, I do definitely let them watch it! Today was a nice little eye opener that no one has seemed to notice it and definitely an encouragement to do this more in the future!

I'd love to hear how everyone else's day went too!

Happy June! Your first challenge!

"First thing tomorrow is taking my lil miss on a gratitude rock search.. 
The search on it self would already be something i will be very grateful for and will treasure it forever.. I also want to tell you im grateful for finding out about your blog ;) Love, Kimberley "

I am grateful for all your sweet messages! ♥ Thanks for sharing Kimberely!

Alright everyone, this is just your reminder! 

Today is your first challenge!!! Simply keep the weekly focus in mind...gratitude. Remind yourself as the day goes on just how grateful you are for your children. Also remember that you will get out of this challenge what you put into it, so remember to give it your all. If a day goes by where you forget, or "slip up" on a challenge...just keep the weekly focus in mind and stay on the right track. The purpose of the weekly challenge is just that to serve as a reminder all week long.

Onto the challenge: Do you have a gratitude rock? I do! If you don't, maybe think of adding it to your to do list for the weekend. You can use any rock, typically a smooth one. It doesn't matter where it is from, pick one up from your backyard, I had one left from a project. Keep it with you in your purse, your pocket, and each time your hand touches it...think of something you are grateful for. Even if you are just staying at home...keep it on your nightstand and each night before you go to bed, hold the rock in the palm of your hand, close your hand, close your eyes, and think of what you are grateful for...and say thank you. Gratitude allows you to keep your mind in a positive place. We all know that is the best place for our mind to be. :)

 “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” -Christian Science Hymnal

Now...QUESTION! Should I continue with Things I'm ♥ing Friday during June?! 

Also, feel free to share any thoughts you have on today's challenge below in a comment! 

Connecting with your Children: 30 Day Challenge! Week One!

 Click Here for your Week One Challenges!!!

I just want to note a few things about this challenge! First off, thanks to everyone for all your ideas and suggestions for our "challenges"! Especially my Mom & sister Alicia who were both a huge help! ♥

Next, about the challenges--do as much as you can, don't feel discouraged if you slip up on a day--this is why you see the week's "focus" above. If there is ever a time where you are frustrated or you can't do the challenge that day, just keep the overall focus in mind and stay positive. This week we are focusing on gratitude. I have told you all how I recently read the book the Magic. It is all about gratitude and honestly that simple concept can make such a huge difference in your life. When you are truly grateful you will see things around you in a truly different light. It's not about just saying yeah, I'm grateful, it's about really feeling it and really putting those thoughts into actions. Let's try to do that this week. Remind yourself each time you get frustrated with your children or find them testing your patience...how grateful you are for them.

Lastly, I want to note that a couple companies have been generous enough to send some prizes for those that are participating in this challenge. I am truly grateful for that and I hope that you all will be too! I was a little stumped when I thought...how am I going to know who is participating?! The only way I can really know if you are participating, is by your comments and you letting me know that you are. If you ever feel like doing that, will be taking away time from your children, don't take that time from them. Please! However, if you do have time, say when your children are napping, or after they are in bed for the night--do your best to take a quick moment to drop in letting me know that you did your daily challenge, your thoughts on it, or whatever you care to share! I think us all sharing our thoughts and experiences with this will only add to what we learn from it! So, please! If you get a moment, please take the time to let me know that you are here!

If you plan on participating please go ahead and "follow" my blog by clicking the blue "join this site" button over to the right (if you haven't yet) and then please leave a comment below letting me know you are here and participating, this counts an entry for the first prize being given away! Thanks everyone! ♥

Weekend Fun! ♥

We spent most of our weekend relaxing, we also got our pool all ready for summer  (yey!), and had a fun stop at the farmer's market too! I hope you all had a great weekend too! ♥

Things I'm ♥ing Friday!

1.ThatsHeart's Bracelet Storage! I love how she has these set up. She used Pottery Barn's Jewelry Cloches, gorgeous!

2. Modern Parents Messy Kids' Veggie Garden Sensory Box. I love this idea and this entire site is amazing, if you haven't checked it out yet go browse around a bit! Tons of great ideas!!!

3. CoCoStine Design's "What a Difference a Day Makes" Print. I love the idea of this!

4. Zigi The Insight Sandal in Coral. These are so gorgeous!

5. Anthropologie's Pinta Cuff!

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend! ♥

30 day Connecting with your Children Challenge: Intro!

Well, I've been debating all week how to go about approaching this challenge! I've decided I'm not really going to say much at all about why I decided to start this...or why I think you should join.  What I will say, is that I read an inspiring quote, and from it, came this challenge! I think we've all read those articles that just make us feel....guilty? Or made us think wow, am I doing this wrong?  I'm not here to guilt trip anyone. This isn't going to be a challenge that you need to have a certain parenting style to join, it doesn't matter, we're all different but I think we all have the same goal in mind.  You are taking the time to read this because you are a great parent and genuinely interested in strengthening the connection you have with your child, or children! That is basically all that matters. I am too! So, why not do this together?! If you're interested, everyone is more than welcome to join!

Here's what we're going to do!  30 days of daily ideas/challenges that will bring us closer to our children!

But I'm going to need your help with this! I need to know when you want the challenges posted. Each evening? Each Sunday so you have the plans for the week laid out? Let me know what would work best for you in a comment below please!

Lastly, if you plan on joining in on the fun...make sure to become a follower of my blog because...YES! There will be some prizes too! This was a somewhat last minute thing, but I am doing what I can to make sure that we can all have some fun with this!

So, if you are interested in joining go ahead and comment below...let me know how old your kids are, and also--let me know when you would prefer challenges to be posted!! If you have any suggestions or ideas to contribute go ahead and leave those below too! Don't forget to share this with your friends--having a great support system always helps!

Thanks everyone! ♥

Enchilada Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers! ♥

Holy yum. These were amazing!!! Head on over to Ambitious Kitchen for the recipe!