Potty Training Tips for Toddlers!

Oh yes...the dreaded "Potty Training" milestone. Don't you just wish you can skip it? But let me tell you something - YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE! I am going to go ahead and tell you before I get started - I do not have children that are human, BUT I DO have a dog (lol) which STILL needs potty training. The UP side of potty training babies is that they contain their "mess" in a diaper (sometimes) and not on the carpet or hardwood floor. But the DOWN side to potty training babies is that they are RELIGIOUS about diapers! My mother tells me stories about how I would literally BEG for her to put a diaper on me so I could go potty! But that's all they were used to for about 2 1/2 years of their life! Now you're trying to make them sit on this weird chair that has a hole in it, makes a loud noise and circles water around inside. Who in their right mind would want to leave DIAPERS? But that's one of the sad truths about growing up.

Here, I will share a few effective and fun Potty Training Techniques to teach your little toddler how to use the big boy/girl potty!

1. Cartoon Character Themed Timer - This cute DIY timer is inexpensive (you can buy cheap timers at the dollar store for cheap or you can buy one that is similar to the timer used in the picture, Click Here) and encouraging to any little toddler that loves Minnie or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! This Could totally be transformed into Mickey Mouse by subtracting the eyelashes and bow.

• For the ears, Click Here to purchase Foam Sheets (these are sold individually online, but I'm not sure if they are sold individually in store)
• For the Bow, Freehand (or print out This Template and cut one of them out, because that is the size that the bow needs to be.) a bow on a pink sheet of foam paper (They do not sell the shade of pink that Minnie's bow is individually, however, at the dollar tree, they sell packs of 10 assorted colors of foam paper that includes the correct shade of pink on foam paper. Your kids could use the extra for crafts or you could save them to make future DIY projects!) Click Here to purchase the foam sheet for the bow
• For the White Dots on the bow, I suggest using a Sharpie Paint Pen, because it is opaque and doesn't sink into the foam. Click Here to purchase one. They run about $3.79, but they can be used in all sorts of projects! For an alternative, use an eraser of a pencil and dab it in White Acrylic Paint (Click Here to purchase) and make dots on the bow
• For the Eyes, obviously, you use googly eyes from the dollar store (Click Here to purchase)
• For the Eyelashes and the Mouth, cut strips of your leftover black foam and glue them to the back of the googly eyes and the mouth.
• For the nose, get a black pom pom ball (Click Here to purchase. SIZE MATTERS!) and glue it to the dial of the nose as shown 

Credit - Evelyn Waters

2. Monthly Sticker Chart - Does your child LOVE stickers? If so, this would be the most effective potty training technique.

Here's What You'll Need - 

- Stickers (Let your child pick out stickers that they like so they will like what stickers are actually going on the chart)

- 12 Month Calendar (or print out a calendar online) that your child likes. For example, if your child likes Tinkerbell, then get a Tinkerbell calendar. Not only will they be more excited to put stickers on the calendar, but they will like to see the character(s) that are on the picture side of the calendar each month.

Command Poster Hanging Strips - for $1.67, your bathroom walls will thank you for not sticking a tack or nail in them. These strips are damage free and come off cleanly with no sticky residue! Plus, you'll have some left over to hang other things! Think about it, these strips are temporary...a nail or tack hole is permanent.

- Key - Make a key for the calendar. For example - if your child has 20 stickers in one month, that means they get to pick one prize out of the prize bin but if they rack up 30 or 31 stickers in one month, they get 2 prizes out of the prize bin, etc, etc. 

- Prizes that your child likes (or little coupons for something that your child likes to do. For example - if your child likes to go out for ice cream, go on Microsoft Word or hand write a coupon for "Go Out For Ice Cream")

Step 1 - Hang the calendar in the bathroom where your child will mostly be using the bathroom. If they use the bathroom at a public place, keep a little pocket calender in the car with stickers so that you can record them as they are with you.

Step 2 - Teach your child what the toilet is used for and introduce him/her how to use it. 

Step 3 - Show your child the calendar and explain that every time they use the big boy/girl potty, they get to put a sticker on today's date. 

Step 4 - Use the key that you made earlier to count the stickers at the end of the month so that your child can get his/her prize! 

TIPS - 

- KEEP THE STICKERS IN A SAFE, CHILDPROOF AREA! DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD SEE YOU GET THE STICKERS!! If they are aware of the stickers' location, they are capable of sticking stickers all over the house! 

- Even though you put the sticker on the chart, be SURE to congratulate your child on your own accord so that he/she feels important

- KEEP PRIZES/COUPONS IN A SAFE, CHILDPROOF AREA! 

Thank you all for reading! I hope you try these out! The best of wishes to those who are potty training their child! 

Peach Cobbler Crisp

I don't think I need to explain how much I LOVE (LOVE LOVE) Peaches. I love peach muffins (if you've ever been to a Folk's Restaurant, you'll understand where I'm coming from), peach ice cream, peach cobbler, peach pie, and of course...just SLICED PEACHES!! Well, it's only natural for my love for peaches to be strong because I do live in Georgia (The Peach State!) Well, I believe that I've gone on long enough about my love for peaches lol. Without further adieu, let me introduce to you the recipe for Peach Cobbler Crisp. Let me just go ahead and tell you, this recipe is one of the most complicated recipes. And by that I mean, it's a "dump it in and bake" recipe. All the work you basically have to do is grab the ingredients and dump it in the pan. Enjoy!

Tools You'll Need

- A Bundt Pan

- A Small Microwaveable Bowl (Not a Mixing Bowl) 

- 1 Cup Measuring Cup

- 1/2 Cup Measuring Cup

Let's get started! 

Ingredients 

2 cups Bisquick (if you do not have Bisquick, here is a "from scratch" version)
2 cans Peach Pie filling
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped Pecans (optional or you could substitute for shredded coconut)

Directions

Step 1 - Preheat Oven to 375° F or 190° C
Step 2 - Grease a Bundt pan.
Step 3 - Pour the peaches into the bottom of the pan.
Step 4 - Sprinkle Bisquick (or  on top of peaches.
Step 5 - Sprinkle sugar on top of Bisquick.
Step 6 - Pour melted butter over top of pan, making sure to coat everything entirely.
Step 7 - Sprinkle pecans or coconut on top.
Step 8 - Place pan into oven and bake for 45 minutes.
If you used coconut, check it frequently or the coconut will burn!
Step 9 - Remove from oven and scoop into a bowl.
Serve with vanilla or Peach ice cream if desired.

Recipe Adapted From - The Cookin' Chicks

How to Unsubscribe from Spam Emails

Have you ever logged in on your email account, started skimming through your inbox and be bombarded with emails from companies that you haven't even signed up to recieve emails from? The most common senders are insurance agencies {Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, etc} while other senders might be online offers like "Continue Your Education Today!" and so forth. Some may see it just as easy to delete them and move on, while others {like myself} want the emails to stop coming to me altogether. It's so easy! Let me show you how. 

Keep in Mind that I am using an iPhone for These Instructions. The instructions still apply if you're using a computer, it's just in a different layout/format.

~ First, click on the spam email that was sent to you. 

~ Second, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the email.

As I have highlighted here, that little bit of wording at the very bottom of the email is what we really want to focus on. 

Third, if you don't see it already, in that little bit of wording, it should say "Unsubscribe" somewhere. On different emails, it's located at the bottom, but just in different spots. 

As you can see, I underlined where it says unsubscribe on this particular email. 

Forth, Click on the unsubscribe link {it should be blue, so that's why I call it a link}

From there, it should navigate you to a different screen {in my case, it navigated me to Safari}

Fourth, after it takes you to a different screen, it will most likely prompt you to enter the email address that you receive the junk emails on. Enter the email address in the box provided. If it asks you to "change your email preferences" instead of unsubscribing altogether, I recommend that you just unsubscribe  altogether. If you just change your email preferences, the company still has your email and may or may not send you an occasional email. 

Fifth, submit your email and most unsubscription sites will delete you from their contact list automatically, while others will, one, send a confirmation email saying that you confirm your choice, or two, they will say "It might take 'a number' of business days for your request to be received/processed"

And that's really all there is to it! Thank you so much for reading! 

10 Things That Everyone Should Keep in Their Vehicle

Hi there! I hope that everyone of you had a Merry CHRISTmas! Today I will be sharing with you some necessary items that everyone should keep in their vehicle. This is mostly geared to women, but I will make a special list for those men out there. 

Some of these items may make you ask "Why?", so I will list a small explanation of why you should keep these items in your vehicle.

Items for Women -

1. An emergency bag - this bag should contain the following and should fit nicely inside your glove compartment or console. Thirty-One Gifts sells thermal lined cosmetic bags that are small. This ensures that things inside don't melt in the summer. 

- Hand Sanitizer for obvious reasons

- A small package of facial wipes that can also be used on your hands for when you need to freshen up 

- Hair Elastics {which I call Ponytail Holders} for when you just need to get your hair out of your face

- Bobby Pins and/or Small Hair Clips for hair emergencies 

- Feminine Products for when you run out in your purse. Click on Feminine for Pads and Products for Tampons

- A Pocket Pack of Tissues for obvious reasons 

- Chapstick - if you didn't know, Chapstick helps to heal little cuts and burns that might happen in your car. Also, if your lips get chapped, you can use it for that! 

2. A Phone Charger to charge your phone in case of an emergency. Click on Phone to purchase a cord and Charger to purchase an adapter

3. Vinegar - if you're driving in the snow and can't see out your window, pour a small amount of vinegar on the windows that you can't see out of and the snow and ice goes away. A small bottle of vinegar is very cheap at the dollar store.

4. Blankets - to keep you warm in freezing temperatures if your vehicle were to break down

5. Lug Wrench - you can find these at your local automotive shop, like Advanced Auto Parts or O'Reilly. Speaking from personal experience, MAKE SURE IT FITS THE BOLTS ON YOUR TIRE! We had a flat once and had to go and purchase a lug wrench from Advanced Auto Parts. It was about $14 I believe. 

6. LED Flashlight - Sometimes, you can find these lights in a pack of like 5 or 10 for like $10, but they're not that expensive by themselves. You can find them at your local dollar store. They give off a super bright light and last a lot longer than regular flashlights.

6. Batteries - For your flashlight. Make sure they fit the flashlight.

7. Mini Screwdriver Set - some flashlights make you unscrew the bottom or the back of them to replace the batteries. Normal sized screwdrivers are too big to fit, so you need mini ones. 

8. Mini Tool Set - It never hurts to have a mini tool set in your vehicle because in certain instances, you may need it. Make sure it has a wrench, a screwdriver {both flathead and Phillips head, or a 2 in one}, and a ratchet wrench.

9. Pepper Spray - This is optional, but why would you not want to have this in your vehicle? Self Defense is always necessary. You can find this at your local sporting goods store.
10. Mini First Aid Kit - you never know when you'll have an instance when you'll need this helpful kit. 

Items for Men -

All items listed above, except for the Emergency Bag, also apply to men.

That's it! If you come up with anymore things, please leave them in the comments below! Thank you so much for reading and have a Happy New Year! God has blessed us all with another year! Thank You Lord for allowing us to have another year and we ask You for an even better 2015! Amen!

I took the time to link all the items listed above so you could find them easily! Just click on each title of each item to navigate to the websites. 

                         

Homemade Spiced Cider Recipe

It's almost the Holiday Season and I thought I would share a delicious recipe from my Aunt. I remember going over to her house for Christmas Dinner. I'd see my other Aunts and Uncles, My Cousins, and My Grandparents. I loved it! Every Christmas, she would have this crockpot sitting on the corner of her counter. Inside the pot, there was this delicious spiced cider. It is simply the most delicious cider you'll ever taste. I've heard it called Spiced Cider, Apple Cider, Mulled Cider, Mulling Cider, and Wassail. I just call it delicious. Here's how to make it. 

What you'll need

• A Crockpot or Large Stockpot {if you are going to make it on the stove}

• 1 Gallon Apple Juice

• 1 Gallon Cranberry Juice {64 Ounces}

• Cinnamon

• Nutmeg

• Allspice {Optional}

• Whole Cloves {Optional}

Directions

• Pour the entire bottle of apple juice in the Crockpot or Stockpot, whichever one you're using. 

• Next, pour the entire half gallon bottle or 1/4 of it in the pot with the apple juice. Stir the 2 juices together

• Then, sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg {also, if you're using the allspice and the whole cloves, add them in as well. You might add about 5 cloves} Stir everything together in the pot. 

• Finally, Turn on the eye of the stove or turn your crockpot on Medium. Allow this to simmer for about 1-2 hours. This will smell amazing and will taste even better.

I hope you all have an amazing Holiday and Merry Christmas! Enjoy this awesome cider recipe! 

Homemade 7-Up Biscuits

By the title, you're probably like "Say What?" But yes, these biscuits do include a cup of 7-Up Soda (I guess you could use Sprite or Sierra Mist if you'd like) **Disclaimer - This Recipe along with the image listed  is not my own! I saw it while I was scrolling through Facebook** These look super yummy to make and The Holiday's are coming up! You'll probably be having family over so, why not make something simple, right? Here's the Recipe - 

• 4 cups Bisquick

• 1 cup Sour Cream (or plain yogurt if you're like me and don't care for sour cream) 

• 1 cup 7-Up (Can be substituted with Sprite or Sierra Mist) 

• 1/2 cup Melted Butter

Directions -

• Mix Bisquick, Sour Cream / Yogurt, and 7-Up (or the soda you used) The Dough will be very soft - don't worry. Knead and fold dough until coated with your baking mix.

• Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit / cookie cutter (you can make Christmas Tree Biscuits with a Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter!) 

• Melt butter in the bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish. Place biscuits on top of the melted butter. 

• Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until brown. I would check on them at the 13-14 minute mark. Hope ya'll enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all of you! Thanks for reading! God Bless! 

Homemade Mini Caramel Apples

This recipe really needs no introduction. The title is enough to make your mouth water. Let me repeat… Homemade Mini Caramel Apples…doesn't that just scream Fall? Now, I must say, this recipe isn't mine. I saw it on Facebook (from Weight Watchers) and decided to share! Let me tell you how to make 'em. 

Here's what you'll need - 

• Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith Apples {the quantity of the apples depends on how many people you're serving}

• Caramel Candies {can be found at your local dollar store! Make sure they are the caramel squares}

• Lollipop Sticks {can be found in the baking section of your local store} 

In case you haven't seen them before, here's what they look like - 

• A microwaveable bowl 

• A Melon Baller {can be found in the kitchen utensil section of your local store}

• A Cookie Sheet lined with Parchment or Wax Paper

Instructions -

1. Line your cookie sheet with your parchment or wax paper and set it aside

2. Peel the apple(s). Don't core them!! 

3. Use the melon baller to make apple balls...Like this - 

4. Unwrap all the caramel candies and put them in the microwaveable bowl 

5. Microwave the candies until melted and smooth

6. Get your lollipop sticks and stick them in the apple balls you made earlier

7. Dip and swirl the apples on a stick in the melted caramel

8. Place the caramel apples on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

OPTIONAL - Before the caramel dries in the apples, roll the apples in chopped peanuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, coconut, etc. for mini candied caramel apples 

9. To help the apples harden, refrigerate the apples until you're ready to serve. 

Fall time is here, Finally!!! 

Thank you so much for visiting my page! God Bless! ~ Raegan