Quit Finger Sucking

I'm a sucker for a finger sucker.  I had two of them and loved it. Such content babies they were, sigh.  I also had a binky lover which you can read about here.  Enzo sucked his pointer and middle finger together.  Gabriel...the thumb. 



Enzo, caught in the act watching a movie with his friend. 

Although they were very good sleepers, and mostly pleasant children, my husband was anti-finger sucking.  You see, he is a dental hygienist. He knows too much to allow such behavior in his house. It was an embarrassment to our family name! 

However, I begged him to let it continue because it just made my life so much easier.  So, continue it did.  And there Enzo was.  Sitting in preschool... SUCKING HIS FINGERS! Ugh, so unsanitary for everyone involved. On the upside, his teeth were perfect, surprisingly enough. 

Gabriel, the THUMB sucker, wasn't so lucky. He was only 18 measly monthly old and his brand new teeth were already really buck! 

Gabriel at about 6 months.  Fun fact.  He wasn't born bald.
His dad buzzed off all his hair while mom was out! Oh the humanity.

Hubs was OVER it.  Oh, he allowed me to 'try' various methods. Bandaids. Tape.  I tried this peppery liquid you put on the finger and tastes bad.  Works great until they need to rub their eyes!  Bad news.   

One day, hubs came home from work with a gift from a patient. 

STOP THE BITE

$2.97 at Hell-Mart, I mean Wal-Mart. 

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hoof-Hands-Stop-The-Bite-Kick-The-Habit-.5-fl-oz/11047136

 

It's just a nail polish.  It does not wash off in water like the pepper stuff.  It does not irritate and burn their eyes. It won't fall off like a Band-Aid or tape.  Once it's on, it's ON.  It DOES taste super gross. Yes. I tried it.  What kind of a mother do you think I am? Wanna know how it tastes? Try it and get back to me. 

 

Finally! We were in business.  The 5 year old and the 18 month old didn't know what hit them.  We did both kids all at once because we are insane.  Hey, misery loves company! And boy oh boy, were they miserable! It worked.

 

Here's what we did:

 

We applied it to the nails every 3 days at first.  They will cry and beg you to take it off.  The 5 year had every excuse in the book. 

 

"It makes my food taste yucky."   -Shouldn't be eating with your hands. You're 5.

"I don't wanna suck the fingers I just wanna put them in my mouth." -That's gross.
"I'm done with sucking, can you take it off now?" -Uh huh, sure.

It took about 3-4 weeks for the 5 year old to stop asking for it to be removed.  Once he stopped asking, we kept applying it every week for another month, because we are complete barbarians.  Hee hee.   The 2 year old adapted much quicker.  He was over it in about a week. Don't get me wrong. He hardly slept for that week, and neither did I. But then it was over.  Just like everything else.  You gotta stick it out.

The BEST part is that his teeth began straightening out immediately! I noticed a difference within 3-4 weeks.  About 3 months later they looked almost perfect. 

After they were done, we gifted the polish over to my sister and her 2 finger suckers quit too! Success all around!

Let me know how it goes for you guys!  Hope this helps.

Binky Be Gone

Of my three boys, 2 were finger suckers and one was a binky lovin' munchkin. He didn't walk around all day with it in his mouth.  BUT, he couldn't sleep without it.  So annoying.  I wasn't gonna complain.  The kid was sleeping like a champ. 

My husband was anti-binky, being the devout dental hygienist that he is.  He had a million and one reasons to get rid of that binky ASAP.  

Hubs had an awesome idea go to Build a Bear and put the binky inside the bear.  A friend told me she did that and it was all special and awesome. Until, her kid went to bed that night and attempted to rip the bear to shreds to get said binky back into her own mouth.  

Eh, I decided to try it anyway.  

Here we were at Build a Bear, building a bear:

Just look at his innocent, unknowing 2 year old eyes. 
I felt like an evil wicked witch. I even look like one in this picture. 
Cackling as I stir my cauldron. 

In short, it worked. 

He never tried to rip the bear open. It took 3 days of crying himself to sleep at night (and not napping in the day, ugh).  Seemed like a year and my heart broke for him.  And I hated my husband for putting me through hell.  BUT... after three days, I was able to get his sleeping schedule back on track and he was happy again. If your kid is older, it may longer.   

Listen, though...  

This is not about the bear at all. That's just to soften the blow. Once you decide to be done with the binky you gotta be hard core, man.  No woosing out. Once that binky goes into the bear, you need to clear out the house, purse, car, and couch of any binky that may exist.  You CANNOT keep a spare one 'just in case'.  I promise if you do, you WILL give in.  If you don't have one, it's way easier to let the kid get over it. And save tons o' money on orthodontics.

After all...it's just a binky, right? 

(I know.  It totally blows. BUT it doesn't mean you can't do it!)

How did YOU quit the binky?
Comment below.

 

How to stop

FINGER SUCKING or HANDS IN THE MOUTH



Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten-Free!

Pumpkin Muffins! 

Gluten-Free

During the fall season enjoy this warm, sweet, gluten-free treat.
Yield: 12 muffins 

(but it made a little more for me)

 Ingredients:

2 Cups Gluten-Free flour mix

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tbs Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Ginger

1/2 Cup melted Butter or margarine

1/2 Cup Pumpkin puree

1/3 Cup Buttermilk (*don't have any? see below)
2 Eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven 400*

*Make buttermilk substitute if needed

Mix all dry ingredients well
Mix all wet ingredients
Mix it all together
Put in muffin tin with sprayed paper cups

Bake 15-20 min, until toothpick inserted is clean

Let cool 5 min. Enjoy!

* Buttermilk Substitute:

1 tsp Vinegar or Lemon juice & fill the rest with milk

Let stand 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

(20 min)

I made this smooth, cheesy, savory, dinner tonight.

Perfect way to use all those pumpkins (if you puree your own) or a way to use the extra cans of pumpkin puree you bought for the holidays. 

Ingredients:

1 lb macaroni

1/4 Cup butter

1/4 Cup Flour

2 Cup Milk

2 tsp Chicken Soup Base

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Mustard (Dijon is nice)

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

2 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Cook Pasta according to instructions on package

Melt butter in sauce pan, then add Soup Base & Nutmeg

Remove from heat and add Flour, mix well. 

Add Milk, Pepper, Mustard, Pumpkin, Cheese

Drain pasta and pour into the sauce. Stir it all up.

Enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli and Brown Rice Pasta

Roasted Broccoli and Brown Rice Pasta

In 20 Minutes

(Gluten Free)

 

 

1 pound brown rice pasta

2 pounds frozen broccoli florets

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

4 Tbsp. olive oil

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt/Pepper

Parmesan cheese as topping

 

Turn the oven on to 400.  Cook the pasta as directed on the package.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and lay out all the broccoli on it.  Doesn't matter if it's frozen solid.  Bake for 10 mins til kinda soft and completely not frozen.  Remove from oven, sprinkle 2 Tbs. olive oil on the broccoli, add salt and pepper and mix it around with spatula. Turn the oven up to broil, put broccoli back in until all the water is gone and the broccoli is slightly browned a crisp on the edges like in the picture.  Maybe 5-6 minutes.  Watch it doesn't burn. 

 

When pasta is cooked and drained, add 2 Tbs. olive oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt/pepper right on top and stir it REALLY well. Throw broccoli in with the pasta and toss.  Add parmesan cheese (if you're a non-vegan). EAT!

 

                                     

Tips:

*I get the brown rice pasta at Trader Joes for $1.99 a pound.  Besides regular pasta, which is my favorite, brown rice is the best.  I HATE whole wheat pasta because it has a strange taste and falls apart.  I've tried other pastas that just don't hold up.  Brown rice pasta has a great texture and works well in all my Italian dishes.  I stock up on it and use it all the time because I try to do gluten free for my allergies. 

 

*It will take longer than 20 mins (not much) but if you want it to be a fresher dish you can chop up 5 closed of garlic and sautee them in the olive oil instead of using garlic powder. 

 

*You can use fresh broccoli instead of frozen and roast it the same way.

 

*Add cauliflower, or chicken, or any other roasted veggie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grain Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

GRAIN FREE

(That means Gluten Free, too. Yay!)

 

 

 

 

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 small ripe banana mashed up completely

1/2 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together except the chocolate chips making sure there are NO lumps.  Add the chocolate chips.  The 'dough' looked more like a batter:

 

 

Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 mins. That's it.

 

I used the natural peanut butter that you have to stir, but I'm sure any peanut butter would work.  They came out crispy on the outside and gooey and melty on the inside.  Everything you could ask for in a cookie.

 

*This recipe was inspired by one I got from my friend here: flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.  Thanks Pilar! They looked so good and not super UN-healthy, but of course I HAVE to mess with perfection.  I put 1/3 less peanut butter, added banana, put 1/2 the sugar, added cocoa powder and put 1/2 the chocolate chips then the original recipe.

Eliza's Meatballs (and Grandma's secret)

This recipe is derived from my 90 year old Sicilian grandmother in Brooklyn.  She says, "Do NOT use lean ground meat."  I... use lean ground meat.  So? I'm not a die hard meatballer. 

Sweet picture coming soon, promise!

BESIDES, this recipe ain't so much about the ingredients as it is about TECHNIQUE. So, make sure you read the instructions before you go all crazy mashing meat together.

Let's get meatBALLing, YO! 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 



1 pound ground beef

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

3 heaping Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

3 heaping Tbsp bread crumb

1/2 cup water (and more as needed)

 

Heat up a batch of your favorite marinara sauce in a huge pot. (This is my recipe).  Heat the oven to 375.

 

Put beef, eggs, herbs, cheese, breadcrumb and water in a bowl and mix. Do NOT squeeze or mash or kneed the meat.  Use a fork and keep it light and fluffy and crumbly.  If you need to use a food processor to do the mixing you can't go wrong with that.  I use my hands. 

 

Here is Grandma's SECRET... Water.  Keep a bowl of water on the table and keep your hands wet when making each ball.  Make equal size tennis balls of meat for even cooking.  You have to 'pinch' any holes or cracks using extra water to glue them closed.  DO NOT squish the meat together all rough between your two beastly hands.  This is a gentle process.  We want to the balls to melt in your mouth.  Water is the key, but not TOO much or the balls will break apart too easily in the sauce.

 

Spray a large cookie sheet with  non-stick spray and lay your balls out on it.  They go in the hot oven for like 8 mins, then flip them over and cook for another 8 mins.  Then straight into the pot of marinara even if they aren't fully cooked through.  Doesn't matter.  My grandma just throws them raw into the pot.  I have had bad experiences with doing it her way.  I gotta get them started in the oven. 

 

Cook them in the sauce for like an hour on medium.  Remember to stir up the bottom so it won't burn.  Some balls will break during this process.  

 

Yeeer gonna love it!

 

*Grandma also broils up Italian sausage and throws it in the sauce.  It's outrageous.  

 

Don't forget to let me know how much you love it!

 





 

 

 

Is Your Babysitter Worth It?

You get home after a long night out and the food from 3 hours ago is still sitting on the counter, dishes are still on the table, toys are strewn all over, and the sitter is playing on her cell phone, your laptop, or sleeping on the couch.

Was this 'night out' even worth it?

On the other hand, I have this one sitter who comes with supplies to play with my kids; bins of craft supplies, stuffed animals, cars, and more. I get home to a pretty spotless house and the sitter is finishing up the dishes. 

Jealous or WHAT?!

She is totally worth the cash. 

I've learned to lay it out to the sitter AHEAD of time exactly what they can get paid if they do certain things. This is what I say:

Here's me with 2 of my 3 munchkins. Yep, I'm good at looking happy while they choke me.

"When I get home, if the kids are alive, uninjured, and in bed, I will pay you $(the going rate per child, per hour).

(For me here in Idaho that's $6 for all 3 of my kids. Yes, I know how lucky I am.)

"If you do all of the above AND...the house is tidy, dinner is cleaned up, food put away, dishes washed, and that basket of laundry folded,

I pay an extra $2 more per hour."

They sitters ALWAYS show excitement when I say this. And they ALWAYS choose the higher pay. I get home, look around, ask how the night went, and pay up! 

I'm totally going out now.  Later!

Do you have any babysitter tips to share?

30 min & A Week of Lunches

I'm tired of scrambling school mornings, making breakfast, doing hair, & packing lunches. 

Last week I said,

"I wish there was a way to make the week's lunches all at once."

I figured it out! 

"Duh. why didn't I do this before?"

Here it is. Two boxes.

One box stays in the fridge, one on the shelf. 

Each day I grab stuff and throw it in their lunch bags. 

Easy Peasy.

BOX 1: Refrigerated items. Here's ideas to put in it:

• cheese in baggies
• cut up fruit in containers (melon, peaches, strawberries)
• cut up veggies in containers (carrots, peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes)
• little containers of dips (ranch, hummus, peanut butter)
• Sandwiches. PPJ don't work that well, but meat sandwiches do. Keeping a sandwich in the fridge for 5 says is possible, put the mayo between the layers of meat/cheese. It keeps the bread from getting soggy.
• Applesauce, canned fruit, Yogurt. See those containers on the right in the picture? I got those so I spend less on serving size items. Works for 

BOX 2: Shelf items. Here's ideas to put in it:

• Fill servings in baggies: crackers, chips, rice cakes, cereal, granola, popcorn
• granola bars
• fruit leather
• nuts

6 Ways to Give a Darn

 Did you ever wanna scream, "Help me, dagonnit!"?

Yeah, we've all been there. Here are 6 thing you could do for people that would really REALLY make a difference:

1. Babysit!  Seriously, so many parents are just aching for a few hours without wiping someone else's vomit off their shoulder. (However, their own vomit would be delightful). Offer to take someone's kids. 

 2. Help someone move.  Sounds utterly unpleasant, doesn't it? Well it is. Get in there and get your hands dirty, man. Your friends will be forever grateful.

 

3. Cook a meal. Text a friend in the morning that you are brining them dinner.  Knowing in advance that it's coming makes them NOT have to prepare anything. What a gift! 

4. Be nice while driving.  This will lower your blood pressure AND cause less accidents!  Go figure.

5. Donate your stuff. Make a post on Facebook and see which of your actual friends could use it. 

6. Give 10% of your income to a charity of your choice. WHAT? Crazy right? It's called tithing, Baby Cakes.  It's old school. I stole that idea from the Bible. Try it!

 

What are your ideas?

Why should I give a darn? Read my post on the Law of Giving & Receiving here.

Easy! Freeze Fresh Basil!

Dude! It's SO Easy!

 

1. Pick your basil
2. Rip off leaves
3. Wash & Dry
4. Lay out on baking sheet 
5. Freeze 2-24 hours
6. Lift of sheet with a spatula
7. Put leaves in freezer bags

That's it!

 

*When frozen laid out on a tray the leaves don't stick together in the bag.  Just grab out how much you want. Frozen tastes just as good as fresh and can be used in the same cooked dishes. 

 

Its so easy, go for it.

Maggie's Garden Tomato Sauce

So, you grew a ton of tomatoes and now you don't know what to do with them all. Here's a delicious idea, Garden Fresh Sauce!

You're not using fresh tomatoes? Want to use canned?
Here's my sister's recipe for Marinara Sauce using canned tomatoes.

Some of you are absolutely going to hate me for this recipe because I am awful at knowing amounts. But here we go for a try...

Ingredients:

Sink full of tomatoes

1/2 - 1 Cup Olive Oil

2-3 Lrg onions

1/8 - 1/4 Cup minced or pressed garlic

3/4 Cup fresh or frozen basil

Lots of salt and pepper

1/2 - 2 Cups Sugar

A sink full of tomatoes (Romas or other 'meaty' tomato are best for sauce)

• Wash
• Cut out bad parts and stems
• Use in a food processor
• Pour them into an ENORMOUS pot
• Simmer and reduce until its thick and not watery. Usually reduces by 1/4-1/2
• Stir often to not burn the bottom or it makes the whole pot taste gross.

During this simmering, get another large saute pan and cover the whole bottom with Olive Oil, like, A LOT of olive oil. (1/2-1 C)

*never let olive oil get too hot, it changes the taste and smell of it. Just keep it on medium or low.

Decide ahead of time what you want your sauce to be. If you want a hot diabolo sauce, then use hot Italian sausage and red pepper or go ahead and add some jalapenos. If you want a thick veggie sauce then add bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. Or maybe you want a meat sauce then use ground beef.

In all sauces you MUST have: lots of ONION, BASIL, GARLIC

   In the oil add:

2-3 lrg Chopped onions 

   Let them start to turn translucent, then add:

1/4 C minced or pressed garlic

3/4 C fresh Basil, or frozen (easy way to freeze basil)

What ever vegetable you want in your sauce

If you want meat:

Cook your beef or sausage in the big pan, drain the fat and add it to the veggies and oil.

Back to your big pot of tomatoes, ADD:

ALL the oil and ingredients from other pot

S/P a LOT, open the container and pour some

1/2-2 C of sugar 

*Amt of sugar totally depends on the bitterness of your tomatoes. If you water your garden well they are sweeter. If you use a lot of fertilizer, they are more bitter. It also depends on the variety of tomato. This year I grew "Amish Paste" and they were so sweet, I needed much less sugar than I ever have.

*This requires tasting and adding more as desired. 

-If its bitter you need more sugar.

-If its too tomatoey then you need more salt. 

-If it doesn't have enough 'flavor' then you need more basil and garlic.

Simmer 15-40 min. The longer it simmers the better the flavors are absorbed into every bit of this sauce.

With this enormous pot of sauce I put it in containers and freeze it. I have 18 quarts in my deep freezer right now. So easy for later use and, Oh, so much better than Ragu. 

My 3 little kids asked to have some of the sauce, they ended up eating bowls of it like soup. It really is that good. 

Enjoy!

Eliza's Marinara Sauce

Be a sauce snob and never

buy Prego or Ragu again.

*This recipe was derived from my 90 year old Italian grandmother living in Brooklyn. 

She da BOMB. Love you G-ma.

Recipe:

1 28 ounce can CRUSHED tomato (not stewed, not sauce, not anything else)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic finely chopped (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbsp dry oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
10 leaves (handful) fresh basil chopped (or 1 Tbsp dry oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and sautee garlic until slightly golden.  Add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 mins (or don't simmer at all).  (If using garlic powder, still add the olive oil).

*This is my sister's recipe using fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned. 

Other useful tips:

• I almost always triple the recipe and store any extra in a container in the fridge.  It lasts for a couple weeks. And if I don't get to use it quick enough, I just throw the extra in soup, or chili, etc.
• This is a catch all base for tons of recipes.  Add meatballs and you are mom of the year. (Melt in your mouth meatballs recipe here).
• Try chopping up spinach and adding it to the sauce.
• When I use this for pizza sauce I don't even heat it at all.  I just throw it together in a pot cold and put it on my dough. (Totally perfect dough recipe here).
• I thought I had tons more tips....hmm, drawing a blank.  Enjoy your sauce.

 

How do I make these green tomatoes turn red?

My sister, texted me this picture a few minutes ago and asked, 

"How do I make them turn red?"

 

Here's your answer:

Let 'em sit in a closed paper bag or box.

Each tomato will ripen at different rates from 2-14 days.

Want to expedite your order? 

Put a ripe fruit in with them, like a banana.

Don't refrigerate.

Wanna know why?

Ripening fruit emits a gas called, Ethylene. If you keep them in an enclosed place the gas is trapped inside the container and makes them ripen faster. The more ripe the fruit the more gas it emits which is why putting an already ripened fruit in the bag makes the process even faster.

Did you know?

Most fruit and veggies bought at a grocery store is picked before its ripe and they ripen on the truck on the way to the packaging plants and then the grocer. They have to pick them before they are ripe or they would be rotten by the time they got to the store.

How to Get Your Kid to Sit Through Church

My mother had HAD it.  We were done for, my sister and I.  Sitting through that hour and 15 minutes of church was just too much for us that day.

So, she brought us home to torture us.  She sat me alone in the living room facing a wall.  My sister was in another room facing her wall.  We sat there for the length of time we were irreverent in church. A full hour. My 5 year old self hated every moment and I swore I would never misbehave in church again. 

I tell you what. I’m 35 and I still remember that. Even the part where my dad sneaked in just to point and laugh at us. 

This experience ran through my mind today as I shoved toy cars, coloring books, and a half-eaten apple into my bag and stormed out of church early with my 3 boys.  My husband is often directing the meeting, so I feel very much… a l o n e.  Snacks, coloring books, THREATS, dragging them out to the foyer, I've done it all.  I even made rotating activity bags.  (Found that on Pinterest.)  Oh so promising.  Pshht.

 

Poor kids. I mean seriously.  They aren't all that bad. Laughing too loudly, making car noises, rolling around on the floor, sneaking under the benches. Normal kid stuff. But church is a different world. Kids are expected to go against every natural behavior they may have. It’s HARD for them.   My kids are 7, 5, and a gigantic bestial 2 year old.   

 Meet the beast. AKA Gabriel. My angel.

 

Leaving church that day I wanted to PUNISH them super awesomely good. It had to be the WORST possible thing I could think of...

Which brings us back to my mother's idea of "chair sitting". 

I did it just like mom did.  No yelling, no threats.  I just sat them down in those chairs and told them they couldn’t move or speak for a whopping 10 minutes.  I added an extra minute each time they opened their mouths.  I used a timer.  They learned quickly to keep it zipped.  (The 2 year old was in bed at this point). 

This was difficult for the 5 year old.  He could hardly contain himself.  Buah ah ah ah ah.  It was working! 

Steps:

1. Before church, explain to your kids that each time you have to remind them to behave, it's one minute sitting at home after church.

2. No more food or toys at church (at least for the older ones). 

3. THEY each choose ONE book before church to busy themselves. Let THEM pick it so if they aren't happy with it, it's their business. (My kids like dot-to-dot and puzzle books.)

4. While at church, each time they misbehave I calmly say, "That's one minute. That's two minutes.  Etc." If they whine about it, that's another minute. I don’t have to DO anything else while AT church.  No taking them to the foyer for a time out unless it's unbearable.

5. Sometimes if they start behaving well I take minutes away to encourage continued good behavior.

Now… THEY are in charge of how long they sit in the chair (if at all).   They're behavior is on them. Control yo self!

The LAW of GIVING & RECEIVING

aka, The Law of Harvest. 

What is it? 
Basically, What you give will always come back to you only bigger. 

Maybe making a list of examples of how I give and receive isn't the best way to go. My list may not apply to you or, I don't know, it could look prideful. But if you'd like some ideas you'll find some here.

For now, here's more about this law.

How to best utilize the Law of Harvest:

1. Give when its hard. In order for the Law of Circulation to work at its best giving must be somewhat painful. 

When people give me things I often share them with others. This is a good thing, but it didn't require much effort on my part. This was not hard.

Something that is hard for me though is giving my homemade marinara sauce to someone.  This required planting tomato seeds, tending the plants for months, harvesting the fruit, washing, chopping, and cooking them into this beautiful sauce. This took months of work and it is hard to give it away.

In the Law of Circulation things expand the most when we give things we created with hard work.

2. Give BEFORE we RECEIVE. We have to give because we know someone needs it. We have to give because we love them, even if its a stranger (yep, you can love a stranger). We must give without fear for our own needs.

This is a step of faith. Give and expect you will have what you need.

3. Receive willingly. If you have a hard time graciously accepting gifts then start with small things. Don't argue when someone offers to let you cut them in line at the grocery store. Don't downplay or deny a compliment. Learn to just say, "Thank You" and receive the gift.

Keep things moving. Keep giving. Keep receiving. As things move they keep growing, creating a life of abundance for us all.

Now if someone can tell me how to receive thicker and fuller hair, I'd appreciate it.

Here's a quote for you to share on Facebook or Pin.

16 Little Girl Hair Styles

 Headband

 Pony Tails

 Sleep with wet braids

 Ribbon braids

 Princess Bride

 Braid Crown

 Sock Bun 

(for when she was in the nutcracker)

 Side Clip

 Pony Buns with Net Hair

 Baby Headband

Two French Braids

 Balloon Pony Tails

 Waterfall Braid

 Side Clip

 Piggy Tails

 5 Strand Braid