WORDLESS WEDNESDAY PICTURE

Tyler stripped down all his clothes and jumped into the pool before I could get a swim diaper on him. The result was the biggest diaper we had ever seen! (Let's just say none of the other kids wanted to go in after him) He was so excited and proud of this monster diaper that he wanted to show it off to the camera!

TYLER COUNTING TO FIVE!!

I am so proud of my little Tyler that I could not wait to share this super cute video of him! Out of the blue he just started counting! I ran inside and grabbed the camera and was so excited to catch this Tyler "first" on video! ~ Enjoy!!

THE BENEFITS OF GARDENING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN!

One of the things I really wanted to do with the kids this summer was get them excited about gardening! Especially getting them excited about the ability they have to grow their own food! Although I have been begging my husband to build a chicken coup and start growing our own eggs too....he insists on NO! He somehow thinks that our snobby OC families will not approve!


Here was the garden that the kids and I started on June 25th! They have been religiously watering it everyday! Fertilizing it every week and here is the garden today on July 28th......
It is huge! We learned that we planted everything way too close together. But I always feel the closer things are....the stronger the love! We planted two kinds of tomatoes! Ella is proud to show that her "early girl tomatoes" and 2x as big as Andrew's "supersteaks"! About 1/2 of the bell peppers and going strong and our Eggplant is massive! I am already searching recipes for eggplants!

They have done such a good job taking care of their garden that I recently gave them some more space (sorry grass) to plant pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, onions and about a million sunflower seeds!


What are the benefits of gardening with your children?

Benefits of gardening with your children: Benefits of gardening with your children:


*Social and Life Skills
*Science
*Relaxation
*Environmental Awareness
*Quality time with family

Here are some tips for gardening with your children:


*Study what kind of climate you have before you start. Once you know your zone, you can find out what plants to select.
*Designate a place where your child will be gardening.
*Teach them about the importance of quality soil and soil preparation.
*Before starting a garden with your children, the first thing you should do is remove any large debris, rocks, and branches.
*Let the kids lay out the shape of the garden or draw on paper first.
*Ask your kids what kind of plants, vegetables or flowers they like to plant and let your kids pick them out.
*Explain what will work well in your garden and what won't. If planning vegetable gardens, show row spacing, and distance between plants.
*Let them help in the selection of seeds and blossoming plants at the nursery. Let your child do the money calculations.
*Depending on your kid's age, let him/she dig, weed, or watering. This is a great way for your child to explore.
*Get them their own gardening tools. Nothing will motivate your little gardener more than having their own little shovel, gardening gloves, watering pail, and colored rubber boots.
*Plant some quick growers to keep the child's interest or purchase plants from garden center
*Watch plants grow and enjoy time together in nurturing nature.

Gardening with children can benefit both children and adults and it's all about having fun and learning. Gardening and nature are great stress relievers, enhance the environment, develop individuals, and build communities.


Gardening provides different forms of engagement for children, including designing, planting, and maintaining gardens; harvesting, preparing, and sharing food; working cooperatively in groups; learning about science and nutrition; and creating art and stories inspired by gardens.

When third to fifth grade students who participated in a one-year gardening program filled out a survey of life skills, they showed a significant increase in self-understanding and the ability to work in groups compared to nonparticipating students (Robinson & Zajicek, 2005).

DISNEY PRINCESS & NEMO DR. FRESH COLD PACK GIVEAWAYS!

Considering our summer has been full of injuries...stiches....cuts...bruises...and trips to the Er....we found it appropriate to do this giveaway!

We are giving away two Dr. Fresh cold packs! What I love about their products??

• They give fast relief from boo-boo's, bumps and bruises
• They are non-toxic
• Reusable
• Hygienic
• Meets Federal Safety testing standards
• Flexible when cold!

To Enter to win:

Let us know in the comments below if you would like to win the Disney Princess cold pack or the Nemo cold pack!

For Extra entries:

• Follow our blog
• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway
• Subscribe to our newsletter

This giveaway will be open until August 15, 2009 at 11:59PM PST. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified via email within one week of the contest closing. The contest is open to anyone worldwide! Please post a comment for every extra entry! Good Luck!

COMPANY TAXES DUE!

Glitterful Felt Stories was happy to file and pay our second round of taxes today! When you have your own website and company you have to file for taxes twice a year! Once in April with the IRS and again in July with the State. It is a lot of work when the company IRS taxes are due, so I always hire an accountant to handle them. During the second part of the year we have to file what is called state sales taxes. This year I decided to save the company some money and file them myself. Phew!! It was a lot of work!! I had to go through every order that the company received and categorize it into different counties...it took endless hours....and a lot of patience!! I was really proud of myself, however next year it will be the accountant again!!

TWO BOYS...TWO BUSTED CHINS...IN TWO DAYS!

Well, summer time is usually filled with lots of accidents....but this summer I have had way more than my fair share! The reason....my boys are just so rough!! We have gone through more band-aids this summer than we have ever used in Andrew's lifetime!

This past week the two boys got matching injuries. I thought it was weird because they both got hurt in the same place within two days of each other! Not only do they dress alike, but they have matching boo-boo's! Tyler got his from when he decided to see if he could "fly" off his chair and smacked his chin on the floor. Andrew got his the next day when he was skateboarding.

Hopefully there will be no more injuries this summer.....stay tuned!!

MY FIRST BLOG AWARD!!

Annette from Annette Piper Jewelry just presented me with my first blog award!! I was so honored and thrilled that I got such a cute award for my blog!! Annette creates some of the most beautiful jewelry that I have ever seen and is a very talented lady! I am honored to have received this award from someone as talented as her!

~Thank you Annette Piper Jewelry!

**NEW** GOODNIGHT MOON FELT BOARD STORY

We are so excited to introduce our newest printed felt board story...Goodnight Moon!!

It is just an adorable set where the pieces have been printed directly onto the felt creating pieces that will last a lifetime! (They are even washable!!)

You can purchase online for $10.50 at either of our two main websites!

www.Glitterfulfeltstories.com or

www.FunFeltStories.com

TEACHING TYLER TO SWIM

Tyler has always been so afraid of the water! Considering all of our summer activities are centered around water it tends to make the summer days pretty tough with a baby doing a kung fu grip around your neck! Yesterday was a major breakthrough for him! Probably because we left the pool heater on and the pool was about 95 degrees....he finally felt comfortable to "let go"! I was so proud to have him float on his tummy and try kicking! It was a super exciting day for me!!

Tyler kicking in the water!!

Look!! He is not wrapped around my neck!!

Such a proud mommy!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!

This one of my favorite pictures of the summer! After a long day of super fun activities...Tyler was passed out at the dinner table! It was like having a newborn all over again. :)

FUN MESSY BABY FACES CONTEST!

Is your baby a messy-faced wonder?
Does spaghetti or mashed peas end up between their fingers and toes...causing such a mess, that you need a hose? Put down the napkin and pick up the camera! Submit a photo now and you could win a Canon digital camera, a digital picture frame, and more!

GLITTERFUL FELT STORIES GIVEAWAY

3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires are currently hosting a Glitterful Felt Stories Giveaway! The giveaway will run until July 23, 2009! You can enter to win one Glitterful Felt Stories 11 x14 Felt Board and one printed felt story of your choice! Make sure and stop by and enter today!!

Thank you 3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires for hosting such a wonderful giveaway!!

TWINKLE TWINKLE TRAFFIC LIGHT FELT BOARD STORY

Glitterful Felt Stories Presents Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light Felt Board Story! You can purchase this felt story online for $7.50 at our main website http://www.glitterfulfeltstories.com/ !Direct Link to Purchase:

http://www.glitterfulfeltstories.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/26365/subcatid/0/id/369934

OUR 4TH OF JULY 2009

We spent the 4th of July at the kids Grandparents house in Huntington Beach! The kids had a great time swimming with their Grandpa and Uncle, eating yummy barbecue, and lighting off fireworks! The day ended with no naps....staying awake until 10:30pm....and a wonderful following morning for Mommy with all 3 kids sleeping in!! I wish it was the 4th of July every year!

Andrew, Ella and Tyler waiting for the fireworks to start
Tyler and Grandpa Tony playing with the water guns

Daddy having way too much fun with the fireworks

Getting the fireworks ready!

What a sweet face!

Ella our super swimmer!

Tyler starting off crying because his wiggles hat fell into the water!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!! ~Glitterful Felt Stories

ELLA'S BALLET AND JAZZ RECITAL

Yesterday Ella had her big recital that she had been working so hard on all year! She had the time of her life on stage! She loves to dance, sing and act so this was a great outlet for her! She was so pretty dancing that it just brought tears to my eyes!

Her videos are of her dress rehearsal. They had the performance professionally taped, so we were only able to photograph the rehearsal!

Ella in her ballet costume

Ella in her Jazz Costume

GLITTERFUL FELT STORIES RECOMMENDS UPRINTING

I just love Uprinting! They have done such a wonderful job for all my printing needs and we highly recommend them here at Glitterful Felt Stories!

Why UPrinting.com isn't your average printing company:

Blog Sponsorships:
If you are looking to find a sponsor for your blog, UPrinting.com is definitely interested. We offer giveaways, advertising and more for qualified bloggers.

Non-Profit Sponsorships:
The U-Community Program sponsors hundreds of non-profits and education to improve our local communities.

Social Justice Projects:
The UPrinting Kiva account promotes small business growth in developing countries.

Green Printing:
UPrinting supports a sustainable future by recycling, using non-toxic inks, and offering eco-friendly recycled paper stocks for business cards and postcard printing

GLITTERFUL FELT STORIES GIVEAWAY

Want to win some Glitterful Felt Stories? Karen at Frugal Mommy of 2 girls is hosting a wonderful giveaway of our Glitterful Felt Stories! Make sure and stop by and enter to win before July 10th!

Good Luck! Thank you Karen for your wonderful review!

~Glitterful Felt Stories