Cherry-Vanilla Chocolate Squares by www.cookingwithruthie.com
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Cherry-Vanilla Chocolate Squares (she: Ruthie)

Byruthie

Hi everybody… It’s Ruthie from Cooking with Ruthie.

I hope you’re having a totally fabulous morning and I’m so excited to share one of my favorite “health-ish” treats with y’all today! It’s so easy to throw these cherry-vanilla chocolate squares together and they’re perfect for the kids after school treat too. I hope you love them as much as I do 🙂

Made with Greek yogurt, they’re one of those indulgences you don’t have to worry about. It’s a win-win!

You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration
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You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration

ByMariel

Hey ladies, if you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s a good one. Every morning, at the start of homeschool, the kids and I have a little devotional. We either read scriptures, watch a scripture or inspirational video, or memorize a scripture. The other day, we watched this one. I had no idea what it was about, but I ended up fighting back tears the whole time. I could totally relate! Sometimes it’s hard to not have much time for yourself. Sometimes it feels like you’re not making progress from day to day. Sometimes you wonder if you’re making any difference at all. Such are the thoughts that seem to come with motherhood.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports
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Save Money in New York City- 5 Tips for Families (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hi, it’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips! Last summer, I finally(!) visited New York City for the first time to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a family vacation and we wanted to do it right, so we planned obsessively to find the best attractions, hotels and transportation for a price we could afford.
New York City is expensive, but it’s an exciting and truly American city that most of us want to see at least once. My family had a wonderful trip and we’d love to return. Hopefully it won’t take me another 40 years!
If you’ve been to New York City, I hope you’ll share your own favorite places and money-saving tips in the comments!

gift ideas for 6 year old girl

Gift Ideas for 6 Year Old Girl

ByMariel

Isn’t it so crazy how fast our kids grow up?!? It seems like a month ago that I was sharing gift ideas for my 5 year old Isabelle… now, all of the sudden, she’s 6! Aghhh!! Nuts. Speaking of nuts…this girl is awesome! She had an Amazon wish list with nearly 200 things on it! Ha! Gave me plenty of ideas for putting together this post. And, you can rest assured that these items are 6 year old girl approved. 🙂

family friendly halloween books
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Family Friendly Halloween Movies and Books (she: Mel)

ByMelissa Sunday

Oh hey there! Happy Tuesday! It’s Mel from So Festive!, a blog sharing simple ways to celebrate. Halloween is just around the corner and it’s not too early to start thinking about some simple ways you can celebrate with your family.

I don’t know about you, but we love reading Halloween stories and watching family friendly Halloween movies to get in the Halloween spirit. Today I have a list of books and movies your family may love as much as mine at this time of year.

teaching kids not to gossip
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Teaching Kids Not to Gossip: A Great Family Night Topic (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello everyone! It’s Veronica and I’m so excited to be here this month sharing a fun Family Night idea with you: teaching kids not to gossip. I know Mariel has explained the concept of Family Night before, but for anyone new to this idea, we basically gather our family once a week, we have a short lesson, play some sort of game and then have a treat at the end. It’s such a great way to reconnect as a family, but also a great time to teach your children in a fun and uplifting way.
When school gets back in session, I always feel a bit nervous for my kids. I want them to learn new things, make new friends and be happy as they go through their school year. But, it doesn’t seem so easy anymore. The world seems to be a lot harder to navigate than it was for me as a child. They deal with so much pressure, beginning at very young ages. Friendships seem a bit trickier at times and it feels like more kids struggle with a good solid sense of who they are. And with the awesome tool of social media, these things seem to be magnified. One of the other struggles they face is gossiping. It’s been around forever, and always will be, unfortunately. It can be so damaging and destructive to anyone involved. Recently I’ve seen the effects gossip can have, so I wanted to take the opportunity to teach my kids about it. I think it’s a great reminder for ALL of us, regardless of our age.

after school snacks
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After School Snacks, Featuring Cheesy Ham Bagel Bites (she: Jana)

ByJana

Hello! I’m Jana from Double the Deliciousness and I’m so excited to be here to share with you some great, easy, kid & teen friendly after school snacks. School is in full swing now & I don’t know about you, but the first thing I hear out of my kids mouths when we enter the house after school is “what can I have for a snack?”
My must-have for after school snacks is that they be quick and easy. Something that we can throw together before we get working on homework or start carpooling the kids to their different activities. I try to get/make healthy snacks throughout the week, but always make a fun sweet treat for Friday’s after school snack to welcome in the weekend!:)
This recipe is one of our favorite after school snacks, and it pleases my teenagers down to my 7 year old. Win!

creative journaling tips
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Creative Journaling Tips & Printable Writing Prompts (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hello again! I am so happy to be back here at Or So She Says to share another creative idea with you all! Did you know that September 22 is “Dear Diary” day?? I’m sure you had your calendars marked, right? Today I hope to get you excited to bring out that journal again with these tip and tricks…
Journaling….. we all know that it’s good for us to get our thoughts and feeling out but sometimes we just get stuck and don’t know what to write about. I’ve come up with creative journaling tips to get you started. These prompts are perfect for any age and all you have to do is cut and paste them in your journal and start writing {or painting} your ideas…

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake 5b
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake (she: Cathy)

Bycathy

This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake is perfect for fall…..and not just because of the pumpkin, but because it’s a great way for kids to get involved in the kitchen! With the start of the school year, my kids want nothing more than a little extra time with mom. What better place to get it than the room I clearly spend the most time in??

Come check out this delicious recipe and 9 more brand new ideas, ‘Just for Kids!’ From recipes, to crafts… and, anything that brings the family together, during this busy time of year.

ABC activities
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ABC Activities for Your Pre-Preschooler

ByBrooke

Hello, hello! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. How are you all? Finally settling into your school routines? My twins just finished their third week of school, and my preschooler began Thursday, so we’re definitely into the school routine at our house. I do have to say it’s a bit strange not having a little one around all day (although that will be changing in about six weeks when baby boy number four arrives). I miss doing fun and simple educational activities with my youngest. We still do things here and there, but with school and other activities keeping us busy, we don’t have a lot of free time to do some of the activities we used to.
And considering baby number four hasn’t even been born yet, it will be a while before I need to pull out my ABC activites again. But before I put them away for too long, I thought it would be fun to share them with you. Some of these activities date back to my first grade teaching days, and some are ones I’ve discovered recently in this technology-filled world of ours. My boys always loved doing these at home before their preschool years. We only have ever done one year of preschool with our boys because I love doing things like this at home for FREE! I promise if you do just one of these a day (along with reading) with your three-year-old, he/she will be more than ready preschool, and much more. So, let’s get started!

Finding family time during school

Finding Family Time During the School Year (she: Heather)

ByHeather

September already!? School bells have rung and any day now the leaves are going to start changing colors. Heather here, from FamilyVolley.com. I am excited to share with you some tips for finding family time, now that school is back in session.

A new school year means family life gets a little crazy and a lot busy, which means family time can easily go out the window. The question is, how can we focus more on family and less on the hectic lifestyle we are living?

I have eight suggestions for you and your kids that will help you find more quality family time during the school year. Some are simple, like establishing a set bedtime for everyone in the family, eating a meal together regularly, or reading together. Others, like limiting technology time every day as well as weekly extra-curriculars, may be a little more difficult. But I promise it’s worth it!