Wordless Wednesday - Peace in Chaos

"When I stopped being stressed about the situation,

the situation stopped being stressful."

- Cynthia Occelli

How do you find peace in the midst of chaos?  (Please tell me my house isn't the only one that can look like this...  I'm just glad JP can sleep through/in it!)  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

How to celebrate a BIRTHday as a family

Today JP turns one month old!  Part of me thinks "Wow! She's already a month old!", while the other part of me feels like she has been part of our family forever.  To celebrate her being a month old today, I thought I'd share how we celebrate BIRTHdays in our family.

It is the big day - your baby is born!  Family comes to visit, friends send their congratulations, and all you can think of and care about is that little baby you hold in your arms...  I wish it was that simple!  As a Mom of more than one child you not only are cherishing everything about your new bundle of joy, but you're also worried about your other baby or babies at home.  Are all the kids going to get along?  Is there going to be jealousy?  How is adding one more going to change our family dynamics?  To help decrease any of these anxieties, our family celebrates the new baby's BIRTHday in three simple ways:

Sibling Gifts:  Big Brother and Big Sister gifts can be as big or little as you like.  First, we (Mom & Dad) always give the new sibling(s) a big brother/sister shirt they can wear at the hospital.  Second, the new baby gives the older sibling(s) a gift the first day at the hospital.  We always tell our kids that the baby feels so lucky to have them as their older sibling that they brought them a gift.  The sibling gift starts with a special bag (when MP was born our son LP received a John Deere backpack he'd been eyeing for a couple of months, and this time when JP was born both kids got personalized Cinch Sacks).  The great thing about these bags is that they are reusable and can not only store all of their things at the hospital, but wherever and everywhere after the baby is home.  Inside the bag we include a new book, activities (such as coloring/sketch books, games, cards) to do at the hospital, and snacks for the hospital.  Both LP and MP really enjoyed their cameras in their bags from JP.  We got LP a disposable camera (which he actually did take a few good photos) and MP a play camera.

Share Family Photos:  Make sure to bring a family photo or a photo of your older child(ren) to the hospital to display.  This way your older child(ren) know that this is a special time for your entire family.  We have always put a photo of the older sibling(s) in the baby's hospital bed.  We tell them that that baby loves looking at their photo, and that all of their nurses and doctors know that they are the baby's big brother/sister.

Throw a BIRTHday Party:  What kid doesn't like a birthday party, especially if they get to help plan it?  On the first full day in the hospital we have a BIRTHday party complete with cake and ice cream picked out by the older sibling(s).  The morning of the first full day My Farmer takes the kid(s) shopping for a going home outfit for the baby, a cake and ice cream (and sometimes whatever else they deem necessary while out shopping...).  We tell all of our visiting family that cake and ice cream will be served all day to celebrate and the older sibling(s) are the host(ess) of the party.  They welcome everyone to the party and get the special role of introducing their new baby sibling to guests.  Be sure to sing Happy Birthday too!

Those are three simple ways we celebrate the arrival of a new family member.  What are some things your family has done?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

It's Never Too Late To Say Thanks

I was raised to always be thankful and to write thank you cards.  And even though I might be a little late or more belated than I'd prefer to be, today I'm writing a letter of thanks to Lindsay from Agricultural with Dr. Lindsay for the thoughtful gifts she sent me through the Christmas in the Country blogger/agvocate gift exchange.

Lindsay did her research - or as she referred to it, stocking ;)  First thing she gave me was a bacon cookbook!  I am proud to be a hog farmer.  My Farmer and I actually make our own bacon, so this cookbook has been fun to go through and pick out new recipes to try with our bacon.  Second, she gave be a beautiful cross.  I love the colors of it!  And third, she made my entire family ornaments.  She made hot chocolate ornaments for LP and MP and made ornaments with confetti in them for My Farmer and I.  My favorite ornament was one that says "Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids" on it!  They were all very thoughtful and fun to receive.  So thank you Lindsay for the beautiful gifts that brought a smile to my entire family's faces.

Besides receiving a gift, I also sent a gift.  It was a lot of fun to be partnered with an agvocate from Hawaii!  Now I have to admit, when I first saw the name and address of Rhonda, I thought what could a person from Iowa possibly give a person from Hawaii!  But then low and behold I discovered Rhonda calls Iowa home, so I thought what better than giving her some Iowa foods.  She told me that it hit the spot, as her family was feeling home sick.

I had never participated in a gift exchange like this before and I had such a great time doing it, that I'll be sure to do it again next year!  Have you participated in an online "Secret Santa" gift exchange?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Wordless Wednesday - Let's Play!

MP wanted to play dolls with JP...

What was your favorite thing to play with your siblings?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Comments for a Cause - Room to Read

It is a new month and time for a new cause to support.  But before I get into the details for February, I'd first like to talk about last month.  During the month of January I had 44 comments, creating a donation of $22 for the Battle of the Badges, that supports Make-A-Wish Iowa.  If you'd like to see how the event went check out my friend Donna's (from DonnaHup.com) review of it.

In the month of February I am teaming up with my friend Beth Ann from It's Just Life to support Room to Read.  Beth Ann and I both have a love of reading and February is Library Lover's Month, so we had to celebrate through a cause that supported childhood literacy.  So for every comment made during the month I'll be donating $0.50 to Room to Read.

Room to Read is a great organization that promotes childhood literacy worldwide.  They also work hard on gender equality in education.  There is an estimated 773.5 million people worldwide that lack the ability to read and write, and out of all those illiterate people, two-thirds are female, and over 90% live in developing countries.  This is where Room to Read comes in to help.

Room to Read is located in 10 countries in Asia and Africa.  They have programs that focus of girls' education, building schools, starting and filling school libraries, reading & writing instruction, etc.  A neat fact is that there have been over 9.7 million books checked out from Room to Read libraries.

Another thing that makes this organization an A+ in my book is that over the last 8 years they have had a Charity Navigator rating of 4 stars.  This means the organization is spending the majority of their dollars on their cause and not on overhead and management costs.

So get involved and comment all month long to help this great organization making a difference in the lives of over 8.8 million children so far, with goals of surpassing 10 million children this year!  How are you going to celebrate Library Lovers Month?  One way Beth Ann and I are celebrating is by helping Room to Read's Library Initiative through Comments for a Cause!

Country Fair Blog Party: L.O.V.E.

It's the first of the month and time to start a new Country Fair Blog Party.  But before we talk about this month's party I just have to say that I had so much fun being a co-host of the blog hop last month!

My favorite post from January was Tip Garden's Gram's Hot Chocolate Mix.  I had been looking for the perfect homemade hot chocolate recipe and this one did not disappoint!  My kids and I made a big batch last month which has come in handy on cold days.



I can't wait to see what great posts get linked up this month as celebrate L.O.V.E.  Throughout the month of February we are looking for your posts about anything that you love or who you love.  Do you have a product that you love or a place you love to shop?  How about a place you love to travel to?  Or a recipe that makes you think of the one you love?  We love the endless possibilities of L.O.V.E.  Can you feel the LOVE in the air?  

An InLinkz Link-up

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This blog hop is a great opportunity to check out new blogs, and if you blog yourself, have your posts reach a new audience.  Bloggers, feel free to link up to 3 posts this month and be sure to visit some other party goers and let them know you are stopping by through the Country Fair Blog Party.


Also, be sure to visit my fellow co-hosts:
Belong with Wildflowers
Country LINKed
Dirt Road Charm
High Heels and Shotgun Shells
Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
This Uncharted Rhoade
Tip Garden

We're excited to see everything you share this month!  What new blog did you discover through this month's Country Fair Blog Party?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

5 Ingredient Super Bowl Snack - Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Super Bowl --- Pig Skin --- Potato Skin --- Loaded Baked Potato --- 

Loaded Baked Potato Dip!  

How do you like my train of thought today?  

Well today is the Super Bowl and we're snowed in.  Even though our family could care less about who wins today, it is a great excuse to make some tasty snacks!  This is an easy snack you can throw together last minute, with ingredients, that if you're like our family, always seem to have on hand.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip
1/2 - 32oz bag onion tater tots, thawed (around 3 cups)
1/2# bacon, cooked and crumbled
16 oz sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp seasoning salt

Give tater tots a rough chop, cutting them so they retain some size and texture.  Put in mixing bowl and add bacon, sour cream, 1 cup cheese and seasoning salt.  Stir to combine.

Transfer mixture into greased 8x8 or 2 qt. baking dish.  Top with remaining 1 coup of cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375F, or until top is bubbly and golden brown.  Serve immediately with crackers or tortilla chips (or a spoon!).  This dip could also be served as a casserole.

What are you having tonight to eat during the Super Bowl?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!