Being Thankful

I love this time of year. The weather is cooling down, the leaves are falling and the excitement of the holidays is starting to build. I know in about two more weeks I will start to see holiday decorations everywhere I turn. I will dig out my copy of Love Actually and play it on a continuous loop until Christmas day (kidding not kidding...).

And the Christmas lists will start. My girls will circle everything in the American Girl catalog, write down every toy they see on Nickelodeon commercials and tell me on every Target run we make that they want, essentially, three of everything.

While I absolutely love everything about this time of year, I sometimes struggle with teaching my girls to think of others and not just themselves. I remind my oldest constantly to stop worrying about what vacations her friends are taking or how many birthday gifts so and so got at her birthday party (and then I find myself worrying about the same trivial things). I tell my girls that yes, someone will always have more than us. More toys. More cars. More clothes. More vacations. But there are many, many more people that have so much less.

As we tumble toward Thanksgiving, I am trying to fill my girls' time with activities that teach them more about the world around them. I am working toward teaching them to do good for others. To selfishly give- not for recognition or applause, but because giving is a reward in itself.

It isn't always easy with young ones, I've found. Many of the organizations in the area have minimum age limits before kids can volunteer for their projects, big or small. But here are a few ways we will be giving back this holiday season:

1. Trash Pick Up.
-My Girl Scout troop will be picking up trash at River Legacy next weekend. We will put on slubby clothes and gloves and hit the trails to pick up discarded trash. During the clean up, we will also be discussing the importance of not littering because of its environmental impact. The nice thing is- this type of activity doesn't have to be sanctioned. You can hit up any park, trail or area in town (that is a safe space from roadways) and pick up trash. Teaching our kids to care for the world they live in is a great lesson!

2. Mission Arlington Help.
-Both my Girl Scout troop and my mommy group will be at Mission Arlington in the upcoming weeks to help them prepare for the busy holiday season. What rocks about Mission Arlington is that they will work with volunteers of all ages. I will be bringing my 3 and 4 year olds to help out there! They designate age-appropriate activities for anyone who wants to get involved. For example- they will have little ones help sort out donated cans (green beans go in this box, but corn goes in that one). We will also collect items for their Thanksgiving Baskets before we go. I will have my girls shop for these items and pay for the goods at Kroger, and we will talk about being thankful that we get to have another Thanksgiving with good food and wonderful family.

3. Host a Soup Mobile Cookie Party.
-Last year my friend Sara hosted an easy, fun playgroup for our littles during Thanksgiving Break. She asked each mom to bring cookies to her house- homemade, store bought- whatever. She provided zip lock bags. We made an assembly line and the kids put 2 or 3 cookies in each zip lock bag and zipped them shut. We packaged more than 100 baggies in about 15 minutes (we only lost a few cookies to hungry tots). Then she took them to Soup Mobile charity in Dallas (www.soupmobile.org) where they were distributed to the homeless by volunteers with the charity. It was a fun, easy way to get the kids involved. I even let my oldest pick out the cookies at Kroger that we brought- and we talked about how these weren't for us, but for people less fortunate.

4. Adopting an Angel
-One of my favorite parts of the holidays is shopping. I love finding the right gifts for people- bonus if I can find a great gift at an amazing price. But still, I really enjoy scouring toy stores and discount stores in search of fun, unique gifts for the loved ones in my life. So I've adopted an angel from the Salvation Army giving tree every year I've lived in Arlington. Usually, I pick out boys, because I'm a pro at shopping for girls and love the excitement of shopping for little boys. This year, I'm going to let my oldest pick a deserving child off the Angel Tree (oh how I wish I could adopt them all!) and have her help me shop for his gifts. I'm going to remind her that not everyone wakes up during the holiday season to a room full of gifts- some mommies and daddies can't afford it. This will serve as a reminder to her that she is very fortunate- for her always-messy playroom full of toys, her overstuffed closet, her full fridge. And again, it will help to remember that it is more fun to give gifts at the holidays than it is to receive.

5. Closet Clean Out for the Pregnancy Center
-One of my least favorite parts of the holidays is the stuff. We have so many people in our lives that love my girls and shower them with gifts during the holiday season. And with two October birthdays- we barely finish unwrapping birthday toys and we are diving head first into Christmas chaos. This year, before we open all the gifts that will flood our family room Christmas morning, we will clean out our playroom, and each of my girls will pick out three toys she no longer plays with. We will take these toys over to the Pregnancy Center on I20 between Little and Green Oaks for donation. We will talk about how these toys will go to their resale shop to be resold to another sweet little girl, and the money will be used to help out young mothers who may need financial assistance to help them raising their babies.

Other great ideas for tots:
1. Have your kids make holiday cards for soldiers stationed overseas. Crayons, paper and a fun imagination are all that's required for this. (soldiersangels.org can help you get them to the right place)
2. Have your kids have a lemonade/hot chocolate/cookie stand and pick their favorite charity to donate the money to. If you want to have them personally hand over the money, have them drop it in a Salvation Army pot outside the mall during the holiday season.
3. Go caroling at a senior center or rehabilitation center. Bringing cheer to others will certainly help your kids see the impact of their kindness.
4. Part of a large mommy group or other organization? Host a coat drive through onewarmcoat.org. Have your kids help make flyers advertising where and when to drop off gently-worn coats. Or have them help you pick out a few new ones at Walmart or Target to donate.

Halloween Happenings!

Here it is! My (much-requested) list of activities in the upcoming weeks for Halloween!

Please note: this only includes activities for the Arlington, Mansfield, Kennedale and GP area. There are amazing events in Fort Worth, Dallas and the surrounding areas, as well, but there are other great blogs to obtain that info from :)

October 7, 8, 9

River Legacy's After Dark at the Park: F, Sat., Sun., 5p- 9p. Tickets $8 each. Activities, crafts, food vendors. Please note: some events will cost extra. Free hayrides to and from the parking lots!

October 14, 15, 16

Viridian Fall Festival: Overlook Park at Viridian, Arlington, Saturday 10/15, 8a- 3p, free. Life-size games, petting zoo, food trucks and craft beer!

Sponsor Adoptions and Arlington Animal Services 5th Annual Howloween: River Legacy Park, Arlington, Saturday 10/15, 10a-5p, free. Bring your pets! Games, activities, face painting and a pet parade! Plus pictures in the Pumpkin Patch!

Flint Academy Fall Festival: 2111 Roosevelt Dr., Dalworthington Gardens, Saturday 10/15, 11a. Fall Festival.

October 20, 21, 22, 23

Third Thursdays Mansfield: downtown Mansfield, Thursday 10/20, 5-8p, some events may cost. Ghost tours, trick or treating. Aria Grace will have princesses doing glitter tattoos.

Nash Bash: Erma Nash Elementary School, Mansfield, Thursday 10/20, 6p-8p, activities will cost. Support the school at a fun event formerly called trunk or treat.

Forest of Fear at Loyd Park in GP: Loyd Park, Friday 10/21, dusk until 10p, per-vehicle cost. Drive through and see spooky decorations put up by campers or ride on hayrides. Concessions available.

Halloween Pumpkin Swim: Kirby Creek Natatorium, GP, Saturday 10/22, 1-3p, $3 per person. Jump in and have a swimming good time! Pumpkin painting, as well, one pumpkin per person.

Kennedale's Trunk or Treat and Pumpkin Palooza: Kennedale Public Library, Saturday 10/22, 5p-9p, free. Trunk or treating starts at 5p! Food trucks will be there. Watch Hotel Transylvania starting at 7p!

Fall Fest at Country Day School of Arlington: 1105 W. Randol Mill Rd., Sunday, 10/23, 3p-6p; tickets for sale. Take the kiddos out to support the school! Petting zoo, carnival games, face painting and more!

St. John the Apostle Family Fun Fest: 5450 Mansfield Rd., Arlington, Sunday 10/23, 3p-6p, free. Bounce houses, face painting, live music and more.

October 28, 29, 30

Faith Christian Center Fall Carnival: 6900 US Highway 287, Arlington, Friday 10/28, 4p-7p, free. Train rides, candy, games- fun for all!

Boo Bash at the Mansfield Activities Center: 1200 E. Broad St., Mansfield, Friday 10/28, 6p-8p, entry fee per child. Carnival-style Halloween party. Wear your costumes! Food and games galore!

Forest of Fear at Loyd Park in GP: Loyd Park, Friday 10/28, dusk until 10p, per-vehicle cost. Drive through and see spooky decorations put up by campers or ride on hayrides. Concessions available.

Newman International's Fall Festival: 1619 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington, Saturday 10/29 11a-3p, free admission, tickets required for some activities. Food, games, dunk tank, bounce houses and more.

Matlock Medical Fall Festival and Health Fair: 3132 Matlock Rd., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 11a, free. Raffles plus arts and crafts with pumpkin decorating for littles. Free Kona ice!

Trunk or Treat with First United Methodist Church: 313 N. Center St., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 3p-5p. Lots of food, games and prizes! And lots and lots of candy!

Trunk or Treat with Northpointe Baptist and Texas Leadership Charter Academy: 2001 Brown Blvd., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 3p-5p, trunk or treat is free, some activities will cost money. Fall festival and trunk or treat.

Trunk or Treat at The Welcome Table Christian Church in Arlington: 4600 Highwood Dr., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 4p-6p, free. Trunk or treating plus bounce houses. Fun for the whole family!

Fall Festival at Holy Cross Lutheran Preschool: 4400 W. Arkansas, Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 4p-6p, free. Bounce houses, crafts, face painting and a petting zoo!

Pantego Halloween Event: Bicentennial Park, Pantego, Saturday 10/29, 5:30-8p, free. Cupcake walk, haunted house, scavenger hunt. Bring a canned food item and spin to win on the wheel of prizes!

Mansfield Police Fall Festival: Katherine Rose Park, Mansfield, Saturday, 10/29, 5p-10p, free. Fun for the family with bounce houses, hayrides and food vendors.

Fall Family Fun Fest: St. Baranabas, 5011 W. Pleasant Ridge., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 6p-9p, free. Games, bounce houses and candy galore!

Halloween Carnival: St. Vincent De Paul, 5819 W Pleasant Ridge, Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 6p- 8p; $4 per person or $10 per family. Games, spook alley, prizes and treats!

St. John the Apostle Trunk or Treat: 5450 Mansfield Rd., Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 6:30-8p, free. Trunk or Treat event.

Fall Festival: Light the Night: The Grace Point Church, 5950 S. Collins, Arlington, Saturday 10/29, 6:30-9p, free. Lots of food plus bounce houses, life size jenga and more!

Haunted Hallway at Traders Village in GP: Traders Village, Sunday 10/30, 11a, $4 per vehicle to park. Haunted houses and a lot of candy for the kiddos. Fun event for all ages.

Trunk or Treat at First Baptist Church GP: 950 Mayfield Rd., GP, Sunday 10/30, 5-6:30p, free. Candy, games, bounces houses and more!

North Davis Church of Christ Fall Festival: 1601 N. Davis, Arlington, Sunday 10/30, 5-8p, free. Fun fall festival.

Shreek on the Creek, Church on Rush Creek Mansfield Campus: 2200 Highway 287 North, Mansfield, Sunday 10/30, 6-8:30p, free. Bounce houses, candy, games, prizes and much more!

Shreek on the Creek Mira Lagos Location: 1355 E. Seeton Rd., GP, Sunday 10/30, 6-8:30p. free. Bounces houses, photo booth, games, prizes and candy galore!

I love taking my kids trick-or-treating on Halloween, so I've not included any events that take place that evening. However, the Arlington Church on Rush Creek will have their Shreek event that night from 6-8:30p. South Oaks Baptist Church on 287 will also have bounce houses and hayrides Halloween night if you want somewhere fun to be! If you are like me and live in Arlington, I highly recommend trick-or-treating on Waggoner St. in Pantego (it's near Pantego Christian). The neighborhood goes all out and the street is closed to traffic. We've gone the past two years and love it! (I'll be the one massively pregnant waddling around in yoga pants and a black shirt with a pumpkin face on my enormous belly!)

Birthday yard cards- an unexpected, awesome surprise!

So my oldest turned seven today.

It may sound cliche, but I have no idea where the years have gone.

Seven!

I mean- I for sure have more wrinkles. And a minivan. And a house in the 'burbs. And... The whole nine. But I am definitely in denial that I've been trying to figure out this whole thing called Motherhood for seven years now!

My seven-year-old is majorly into dinosaurs. Sometimes, she likes her American Girl doll. Every now and again, she doesn't totally roll her eyes at the clothes I pick out for her from Justice or Kohl's.

This year for her birthday, though, I really wanted to give her something she wasn't expecting.

North Texas Yard Cards was the perfect surprise! facebook.com/northtexasyardcards

After she woke up, I asked her to let the dog out with me. She told me she would rather just watch cartoons and wait until I let her open her presents, but I insisted.

Imagine her surprise when our yard had a huge birthday sign with her name on it for her!

Her face lit up! She said "Wow, Mom! I've never seen anything like this! Now everyone will know it's my birthday. And that's awesome!" She danced around and asked me to take a zillion pictures and really, really enjoyed her name in the spotlight!

Every now and again I nail birthday presents. This is one of those times.

North Texas Yard Cards for the win! www.northtexasyardcards.com

(Booking your yard sign couldn't be easier, either! Just call or text the owners with the date and message and theme. They will deliver the night before and take down 24 hours later. Easy peasy! They deliver anywhere in Tarrant County and are based in Arlington- and we know how I feel about supporting local businesses! Yard Cards start at just $79 and are such a sweet surprise for birthdays, anniversaries, homecoming, prom- I could go on!)

Love, Love, LOVE The Little Gym!

You guys, I have to take a minute to brag about The Little Gym.

My girls started there in August. And they each count down the days each week until it's time for Little Gym. Especially my oldest. She waits for Thursday nights the way I wait for bed time. She counts down the days and minutes. She. Loves. It.

And she isn't the only one. This mama loves it, too! Let me count the ways...

I love the way that Little Gym is okay with my kids being, well, kids. Sometimes my girls come to class attentive and ready to participate the whole time. And sometimes, well, not so much. Little Gym understands that kids are curious and want to explore, and they encourage this. If my youngest would rather be on the beam than the bars with the rest of her classmates, that's fine. If my oldest wants to work exclusively on her round-offs (everywhere, all the time, regardless of what obstacles are in her way!) and skip beam today, that's okay. Kids are encouraged to participate with the class, certainly, but coaches understand when they are wandering to let them wander and they will come back.

I love that music is incorporated into class time. If my girls are anything like me, they won't be able to carry a tune, but I still think music is a fun, easy way to engage kids. Each class starts with kids tapping shakers around and making music. They also use music to transition from activity to activity. This also helps my girls to know when it is time to switch from one activity to the next. And class always ends with kiddos on their bellies, singing a good bye song. They love that!

I love how the coaches come out toward the end of class and talk to the parents about the lesson kids learned during class and the skills kiddos are working on. Sure, most of us sit there and watch the kids. But, if I'm being honest, many of us are half-watching, while we are also talking to other siblings, or one another, or responding to emails and text messages. I don't always catch my girls' every move, so it's nice that the coaches come out and talk to us about the day's activities and accomplishments.

Lastly, I love how Little Gym has my girls moving from the second they walk into class each day. Other programs we've attended have lots of downtime- kids have to sit and be still while other students take turns practicing a skill, or wait until a previous class finishes up with an apparatus so that their class can have a turn. There is just one room at Little Gym, which means one class at a time, which I really like. Everyone is welcome on every apparatus at all times, so there really isn't a "sit and watch the other kids have a turn" experience for my kids. And because all the kids are in the same class together, there is no worry about classes mixing and confusing coaches. My girls can roam when they want to (now that song is stuck in my head...).

The Little Gym offers classes for kids as young as 4 months all the way up to age 12. Until age 3, kiddos are placed in Mommy and Me classes, and then they graduate to classes based on their ages and abilities. The Little Gym offers dance and gymnastics classes, as well as sports skill classes and Kindermusik classes! They have classes mornings, afternoons and evenings. They also have Parents' Night Out (I can't wait until my youngest is three and potty-trained because I know the trio will love attending these!) and do birthday parties! And- in case you didn't know- Little Gym just relocated from The Highlands in Arlington to south Mansfield- Broad and 287. It's a breeze to get there!
Seriously, y'all, go check them out. Your kids will fall in love like mine did and never want to leave!

Cupcakes for my cutie!

This week, my oldest turns seven.

It doesn't matter that I can't believe she is going to be seven (didn't I just get talked into a c section with her, like, yesterday?!), she has been counting down the days pretty much since her sixth birthday.

So today, the festivities began.

She got to bring cupcakes to her dance class.

She is super into dinosaurs right now. So Kirby with KJ's Sweet Shop (www.facebook.com/kjssweetshop), an awesome Arlington mama, whipped up some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten (and trust me- I've eaten some cupcakes...) and topped them with the cutest edible dinosaurs! I've seen loads of Arlington moms raving about her on Facebook- so I had to check out her awesome creations for myself!

My girls called this a spinosaurus. I'm not sure if that's the correct name or not- but my girls assure me he was a yummy eat! (My middle daughter begged me for my dinosaur, and, well, she's not a kid I frequently say no to!)

So. Good.

Every single one of these delicious-looking little guys was devoured at dance class- by the kiddos and the adults! Both dance teachers raved about how good they were! And not a single bit made it into the garbage can, which is incredible, because I've never brought cupcakes or cakes to a kids party where I didn't toss more than a few non-eaten bits. Seriously. Every. Single. Bite. was enjoyed. That says a lot!

My oldest wanted half chocolate, half vanilla, so that's what she got! They were frosted with buttercream and chocolate frosting. They were so decadent and moist- nothing like the store-brand varieties I normally purchase for class handouts.

Aside from the taste- this woman is crazy talented. I mean, seriously talented. She is willing to design your cupcakes (or cakes) to your liking. I can't draw designs with chalk or crayons that she concocts with frosting. I'm blown away! I mean... Look at these cupcakes she showed off on her Facebook page!

Go like her page. Seriously. Go. Now. And look her up the next time you need cupcakes or cakes for anything- a baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, etc. Or just buy a dozen cupcakes (a dozen cupcakes starts at $20) and shamelessly eat them. Because cupcakes.

Happy little customer...

Free stuff from Walmart? Yes, please!

Okay, this may be a bit off topic, but it's a great, easy freebie from Walmart that we use like crazy!

If your kids are like mine, they use about 10 cups each. Per day. It. Is. Ridiculous.

I find them in every room of the house. Some are filled with veggie straws, some with water, some with small toys.

They each have a favorite cup (Oldest: Disney Descendants, Middle: Frozen, Youngest: Paw Patrol), but ultimately we use so many per day that sometimes they have to settle for a second favorite.

I mean- these cups are great. And they are only $.87!

But right now- you can literally GET PAID through Ibotta to take them out of Walmart. Super score!

Haven't downloaded Ibotta? Do it here:

https://ibotta.com/r/kwwbq

Ibotta is a great coupon app. I love it because I don't have to remember to cut anything out and stick it in my purse before I leave for the store. I always have my phone, so I always have Ibotta!

Right now, ibotta is offering $3 back when you purchase three party items from the following vendors: Marvel comics (Superman cups), Disney (princess, Finding Nemo, etc.), Star Wars. (log into Ibotta. Go to Walmart. Scroll down to the "entertainment" category to find these rebates.

These cups qualify for the rebate!

So- head over to Walmart. Pick up 3 Superman cups, 3 Star Wars cups, 3 Disney cups. Pay $7.83 plus tax. Submit for the rebate on Ibotta and get back $9. You make more than $1 on this one! These are great party favors, too!

You can cash out with Ibotta once you hit $20 through Paypal (or snag a gift card to Amazon). If you've never used Ibotta before, you get a $5 instant rebate when you submit your first rebate- so you could earn $14 cash back on these cups. How awesome is that?!

Day Trippin': From Arlington to Glen Rose for Dinosaur World!

My girls are currently very, very into dinosaurs. They watch Dino Dan on the Free Time app on their Kindles and learn all kinds of cool facts about dinosaurs.

My youngest is convinced she will have a pet dinosaur when she grows up because of this show, but that is neither here nor there.

Today hubby and I decided to take the girls to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose to teach them more about dinosaurs!

The drive only took up about an hour from southwest Arlington. We stopped at Dairy Queen for a quick bite before pulling up to Dinosaur World...

Dinosaur World is open daily from 9a- 5p. Parking is free.

Ticket pricing has two levels. General admission is free for 3 and under, $9.75 for 3-12 and $12.75 for adults. I typed "dinosaur world coupons" into Google and saved $2 on each adult ticket. This ticket includes the museum, the dino walk, the boneyard and the playground.

You can, however, choose to add a few extras onto the price. The price goes up to $16.75 for the kids if you want to do the fossil dig and the gem excavation, which mine of course did. (My husband and I did not add these extras on to our tickets)

After running around the gift shop waiting for me to pay, the girls ventured outside with us start our day. We started with the Dino Walk, which is a large circular path filled with life-sized dinosaurs and information on each one.

Their favorite part was a small pond toward the end of the walk that was filled with large fish and turtles. Bags of fish food are available in the gift shop for $1 each- I wish we would have bought a few! It was a very pretty setting, and they loved watching the fish swim!

I won't lie... The dino walk would be much more enjoyable in cooler temperatures. We didn't get to take many photos or read all about the dinosaurs because preggo mama couldn't take it. We zipped through this part to go into air-conditioned quarters. I'd love to come back in November or December... Or in early Spring.

We ditched the dino walk to head into the museum, where they have lots of real fossils from dinosaurs, sharks and other mammals. The girls were fascinated! Their favorite part, though, was the animatronic dinosaurs at the end. They moved and made noises- my girls thought this was great!

At 2p, we headed over to the fossil dig, where the girls were given plastic sifters and small cups to hold their treasures. Hidden in the sand were actual shark teeth- my girls will probably talk about these for weeks! You "dig" for about five minutes, then pick your three favorite treasures. The staff then puts your treasures in a plastic bag and sends you on your way. It was super cute!

Lastly we headed over to the Dino Gem Excavation. At the gift shop, they gave us a large bag of gems and dirt to sift through, as well as guides to the gems we might find. They have a small area with running water and sifters that the girls found fascinating. We dumped the soil and rocks into their sifters bit by bit and let them wash away all the dirt and small rocks to uncover their gem stones. They loved it! They each came home with about 20 sizable "gems" and spent some time looking at their cards trying to identify each one. 

The girls talked us in to a few souvenirs before we left- dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. What can I say? They have us wrapped around their sweet fingers!

We had an absolutely fun time at Dinosaur World- but I do wish we had been able to enjoy the playground and boneyard- a large sand pit with "fossils" hidden beneath the sand for discovering. As I said above, I wouldn't recommend going in the dead heat of late summer. Dinosaur World would be much easier to enjoy cooler temps. But it's an absolute must-see spot for any young dinosaur fan. It is totally worth the day trip from Arlington!