October 2018 Sharing Time Link Party

Welcome to the October Link Party!

Dream Big, Princess!

I love that Katrina has been full of creative ideas and plans lately! From her baking creations to creating dances with her friends, and making her own beads for jewelry, she's been bursting with creative endeavors!  I really want to encourage her to follow and live her dreams- big or small! I sometimes have a tendency to tell myself that some dreams are too big, and I discourage myself from pursuing them because I can't see how they'll become a reality or I just think the likelihood of being disappointed is too high. While trying to change my own habits in that area, I also want to make sure I don't do the same to my kids! Disney has a similar focus right now with their #DreamBigPrincess initiative and I've teamed up with Hasbro to share a bit about that, and some of my thoughts on helping my kids to dream big!

I've written before about how I have been learning to have the courage to dream big. When I wrote about it, I was sharing my experience with a dream that seemed "too big" coming true. I love the quote from Walt Disney that says, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them," and that's exactly what I want for my girls! I don't want them to be afraid to pursue their big dreams.

Baby Hayden (Newborn Photography)

My newest nephew arrived in August and I had the opportunity to go over to my sister's house to take some newborn photos of him. I actually started blogging a good decade ago, to have a place just to share photos from my photography sessions. It's been a long time since I've done a session, so it's fun to have some photos to share with you today!

Best of all, they are photos of the sweetest little munchkin around!

August Month-in-Review

It's September!! How did this happen?!!

I've pulled together a post about our August and I have a few thoughts to share at the end of it... I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject & then get into it further in the future, so hang in to the end if you think you might like to weigh in!

Near the beginning of the month Talia and a couple of her older cousins had the opportunity to go to a special youth event for a day. While they were there we met with 2 of my sisters-in-law (& a bunch of cousins) at a park. Katrina brought a treat she had created for everybody.

Kids Creating in the Kitchen with Blendtec

This summer Katrina became very interested in creating her own treats. I don't mean baking cookies or putting some snacks in a bowl. I mean gathering ingredients and experimenting with putting them together to create something totally her own. She's been pretty successful, too!

It all started when we replaced our blender. I loved that blender but it had to go, for safety reasons, after our smoke disaster. I was excited to replace it with the Blendtec Designer 725 blender because it has all of the great features my old one had, but with even more added on! (I'm going to share some of the additional features throughout this post, as I share Katrina's story).

We got our new blender shortly after moving to Utah and during those first few weeks as we settled into a new home in a new country, Katrina would often ask permission to make a smoothie in the blender. I always supervised at first, until I was confident in her understanding of how to use it properly, and then magic happened- my 9 year old could put together smoothies & she would make enough for everyone & serve them to us- sweet!

6 Ways to Get Your Kids Ready for Back to School!

This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

Summer has already come to an end here in Utah and although we've already started school, I know it's just around the corner for my friends back in Canada! Getting your child ready to go back to school may feel like a full-time job, but with these helpful tips they will be ready to go back and have fun in no time!

1. Get Back into A Sleep Routine