DIY chiristmas Ornament

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In: DIY
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Most of us have probably made ornaments before! There’s a pretty good chance that your parents still have some of them floating around from your school days. You know the ones – popsicle stick Christmas Trees and pom-pom snowmen? I don’t know about you but I always loved making those in art class! Of course, now that I’m an adult and can get my hands on some really nice materials I have found that I can really up my DIY Christmas Ornament game. You can only imagine how excited I was when I found out about the Bloggers Ornament Exchange which happens every year. MakeRead More →

home improvment goals for 2019, sunset on the backyard

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In: Personal Thoughts, Tips and Tricks
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The end of the year is closing in and I have decided to set some home improvement goals for 2019! It’s pretty crazy how fast 2018 went by! We managed to get a lot done this year as a family. Both in our personal lives and in our home. In 2018 we managed to stick with our keto eating plan, explored yoga and strength training and fell in love with running. We also replaced our terrible carpets with new laminate flooring and repainted several rooms in the house. I even got around to finally creating that family photo wall I have been thinking about forRead More →

gifts for runners a cristmas gift guide

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In: Family Fun, Healthy Living
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I don’t know about you but I always find it easier to shop for people with well-defined hobbies. Friends and family who are into art get art supplies. Those who enjoy spending time in the kitchen get cooking gadgets. Shopping for people without hobbies are my most challenging Christmas hunts! However, I also have trouble if the hobby is unfamiliar to me. I have no clue what to get someone who is interested in fishing for instance. Other than a gift card and while I love gift cards – sometimes you want something more personal. If you have a runner in your inner circle then hopefullyRead More →

dealing with holiday stress

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In: Healthy Living, Personal Thoughts
With: 25 Comments

There is no getting around the fact that this is a crazy time of year. While summer can be hectic with the kids home from school there is nothing quite like the endless parade of holiday’s that show up when they go back. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Valentine’s Day it can start to feel like the world just got a little bit too busy a little bit too quickly. Dealing with holiday stress can be a challenge for all of us! Don’t get me wrong – I love the holidays! I love the cheerful fun decorations, the spirit surrounding them and theRead More →

dealing with unexpected costs as a family on a budget

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In: Tips and Tricks
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Maybe it’s just us, but it seems like this time of year is a magnet for bad luck. The dryer died last year and this year a sensor in the truck decided to go out. Some years are better than others but it never fails. If something is going to break and need replacing. It’s going to happen close to Christmas or a birthday or some other event that’s already stretching our budget a bit thin. Dealing with unexpected costs is just a hard bit of truth when it comes to being an adult. Would have been nice if someone had warned us about thisRead More →

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In: Healthy Living
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A couple of months ago I decided to add some strength training to my running routine. Originally I intended to write this conclusion post after 30 days. When I reached the third week, however, I knew this was something that needed a bit more time. Strength training seems to be something that takes a little while before you start seeing any sort of results (other than being sore!) It took me most of the first month just to get the routines and forms down. But! After two months, I’m happy to say I can come back with actual measurable results and my opinion on ifRead More →

Keto Pesto Chicken on a plate

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In: Diet and Recipes
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Sometimes you want a meal full of flavor but without all the crazy preparation! I mean we all have those nights right? Thankfully when your eating keto there’s no shortage of simple tasty meals to keep you going and this keto pesto chicken is no exception. I mean you can make it in about four steps – you really can’t get any easier than that! As an added perk it’s also a chicken based recipe which my budget tends to love! Although I expect you could easily replace the chicken with any meat you prefer and it would still taste just as good. We have madeRead More →

Getting Your Kids outside and having fun again, a kid on a swing

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In: Family Fun, Personal Thoughts
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We all remember what it was growing up. You got home from school, did your homework and went outside until supper. Sometimes later if you could get away with it! We know getting your kids outdoors is important but times have changed. For various reasons kids just don’t get outside as much as they used too! Even schools have begun restricting recess time. At my children’s school, they only get 15 minutes a day to play outside despite research that shows such down-time is more beneficial then piling on more desk work. When I went to school we got two 15 minute breaks plus oneRead More →

Dollar Tree Christmas Decorations, a Reindeer Diorama

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In: Dollar Store Crafts
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Well, it’s not even November yet but here we are surrounded by Christmas stuff when we walk into the store! I can’t even say I’m mad about it. It just means I have more time to craft and collect it all. Especially the reindeer – I LOVE reindeer at Christmas. Some people collect Snowmen or Santas but for me, it’s always been about the Deer. To say I was excited when I found out that Dollar Tree Christmas decorations were already on the shelves was a bit of an understatement! Obviously, I had to hustle straight over to check it out. There is so much! IRead More →

face painting tips for halloween

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In: Try Something New
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It’s no secret that I love working on art projects! Oil painting has been a love of mine for a while and my foray into pour painting was great fun as well! It seemed only natural that I have some face painting fun come Halloween and while I have done some face painting in the past I have gone out of my way this year to try a different type of paint and some new techniques! This makes it worthy of a Learn Something New article for face painting tips in my opinion! My kids love going out on Halloween with face paint. Not onlyRead More →