#ad Helping Hungry Kids, Random Act of Kindness Style

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I love doing Random Acts of Kindness with the boys! I know, I know... you already knew that ;)

I thought the #HungerHeroes campaign, working to fight hunger and feed hungry kids, going on at Sam's Club this month sounded like something we could do simply and really enjoy. Summer has involved a lot of running around and doing things as a family, so a chance for us to focus on others was needed around here! We made it a fun, knock-and-run random act of kindness :)

Hunger Heroes is about action, turning families into superheroes that understand the awesome power of giving. My boys are already superheroes in my mind in lots of ways, but I want them to feel that potential from the inside- and thinking of others above themselves is what will give them that :)

Neon Back-to-School Teacher Gift Tags

Truth: About this time every summer, I dig my heels in deep.

I'm not ready to acknowledge that my beloved summertime is coming to an end. I love school shopping with the boys and stocking up on perfect boxes of crayons. But I love hitting the lake and sitting beside our little blow-up pool while the boys play far more. That feel of the sun soaking into my skin and just the general, more laid-back goodness of summer... it never lasts long enough.

Still... my resistant heels and heart can't stop it. It's Back to School time, I know it is. So, I've agreed to participate in my sweet friend Emily from The Benson Street's Back to School Series this month. I picked a day at the end of July, of course... so I could hold out that little bit longer ;) 

Random Acts of Kindness Treasure Hunt: Summer Edition!

This post was originally shared over at the blog Maybe I Will as part of her summer fun series, but I wanted to make sure and share here too- a unique, service-oriented idea and freebie for something to do with your kiddos on these summer days :)

You might remember that last fall, I made a fun treasure hunt kit that turned one of our normal treasure hunts into a lesson in kindness...I really love doing random acts of kindness with the boys- nothing uplifts in quite the same way. Need a boost? Try paying for the person behind you in the drive through and not pulling away with a smile! And I want my little men to feel that same thing- to "get it" that not everything in their world has to be rough and tough- it's cool to think of others and be kind. 

Creamy Yellow Cake Bars {Quick and Easy Recipe}

Quite a few years ago I first made these yummy cake mix bars for my family and just recently made them again. Why I haven't shared on the blog before I'm not sure- this one is a definite keeper!

 These are really simple and fast... and really creamy and yummy. I think I first started making these when I was scrambling to make the few ingredients I had in the cupboard work (ya know, like I pretty much always seem to have to do) :)

Fast and Easy Mother's Day Gift >>> "Less Dishes" Printable Update

My original tag for this "Less Dishes" Mother's Day gift was made in a huge hurry! Every time I see it in my sidebar or on Pinterest, I have the thought that I'd love to do an update and offer a more versatile version. So, this year, I did! (Yet again, only just barely in time for Mother's Day!)

This gift is great for putting together inexpensively and quickly, perhaps for the "other" Mothers in your life, like neighbors, sister-in-laws, etc.

This year I used a quatrefoil stencil background and some fun arrows, along with more color options- these five above :) Print a document with all five colors included HERE. Enjoy!

Double Stuffed Lemon Garlic Chicken with Kraft Fresh Take

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#FreshTake #CollectiveBias

I've had the thought to share this recipe for quite awhile- it's a surprisingly easy favorite that's great for average nights or special occasions both. This time around I tried out a Kraft Fresh Take meal kit that honestly made it even more simple (I'll never complain about that)! 

Growing up, Sunday dinner was a pretty big deal around our house. It was the nicest meal of the week. I love the idea up continuing that tradition for my own family... but, in truth, Sunday seems to fall more toward smorgasbord for us. We get home from Church and gather around our kitchen island to a spread of leftovers, finger foods and easy options. I actually really like this way of things too :)

But for special Sundays like Easter, that simply won't do- it's a perfect time to prepare something more special to acknowledge the holiday. I love creating fun table spreads, but being surrounded by boys who really don't care at all about the centerpiece, and just want to mow down the food already, means I gotta take whatever opportunity I can get to make a meal special! :)

For Easter, we usually get together with my whole family- that's us above (a blast from Easter weekend past)! We have a great potluck meal and some fun Easter egg hunts around the yard. This was the first year my Mom and Dad starting hiding eggs for us adults- that's been a fun new tradition!

Anyhow... a Spring gathering of your favorite people, like Easter always is for us, would be a great time to concoct a yummy, seemingly involved but actually simple dish like this Double Stuffed Lemon Garlic Chicken. Like I mentioned, this time I tried Kraft Fresh Take that I picked up at Walmart:

I bought my chicken with a Fresh Take coupon that gave me a $1.00 off! Through April, or as long as the prints last, you can save when you buy the two together- perfect, since, ya know, you kinda need both :)

Colorful, Random Gifts of Kindness with Starburst and Skittles

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#VIPFruitFlavors #CollectiveBias

I love secret, random gift giving.

(I love gift giving in general!)

I know... you already knew it ;)

I had the chance to use colorful Skittles and Starburst to create a gift for some very important people and my creative process went straight to random acts of kindness. So, today I'm sharing a free printable that can turn the Skittles & Starburst 30 Pack from Sam's Club into an actual memorable, heart warming activity for your family too.

This package is perfect for creating with because there are so many candies and a nice variety. I found it in a candy area of Sam's Club, bordering the bakery.

I gotta interject- oh my goodness, I love this picture of my little Ryder! Both of the boys were SO excited about this box of candy, and wanted me to open and dip into it well before I was ready. I really loved the actual gift delivering part of this project, but putting it together with my little guy is a very close second. Candy and color put together- perfect combo for happy kiddos :)

Helping Kids to Think of Others First with Disney FROZEN

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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

It feels like this week has been revolving around Disney FROZEN the movie coming out! Our little band of men loves this flick too- certainly not just a girl show :) We've had the chance to comb both our local stores for fun Walmart toys and the FROZEN DVD... all with the intent of giving them away...

This quote above is my favorite from the movie. I believe this, I know it to be true. That I'm happier when I'm not so self-absorbed and narrow minded. That I love, even crave, the deep-down good feeling of giving, of selflessness.

The kind of selflessness, or love, that made Kristoff turn around from having left Anna behind to (he thought) be saved. The kind of selflessness that governs Anna throughout this whole movie; that puts her on a horse to go after her sister when she could be scared or angry instead. The kind of selflessness that makes Olaf refuse to leave Anna when she needs to find a solution, even if it does mean melting. Maybe even the kind of selflessness that keeps Elsa locked in her room, alone, not wanting to ever hurt her little sister again.

Wow, FROZEN can sure get a person thinking and feeling and learning, huh?! I want my boys to learn from it, to learn in general how to think of others before themselves. Not the simplest concept when you're four or six, right? We do a lot of gift giving, card making, knock-and-running to that end. Hopefully they don't realize it's all a big life lesson... otherwise, the gigs up ;)

Thanks to #collectivebias, we got to visit both of our Walmart stores here in town looking for toys and other FROZEN goodies. 

We knew that we wanted to send a #FROZENfun package to Coop and Ry's cousins, my nieces that are fairly close to their same ages. For real, my sister had two girls and I had two boys- it's cut and dried in this family ;)... They live just far enough away that we don't see them as often as we'd like. Unfortunately, the boys seem to like to tackle them without their consent when they are together, but it's really just because they are bursting with excitement for getting to see them at all. (I know, it's true, boys can be pretty weird. :P)

Really, the two little girls whom this package was for are incredibly special in my boys' minds. They love their cousins and this was a great opportunity for us to put that love into action, sending them FROZEN items that we all knew they would enjoy. Little did I know how unique the result would be...

I just grabbed what we found- some books and the Anna and Elsa Sparkle Dolls- and didn't think anything of it. We also chose some candies in FROZEN colors and some sparkly tulle to complete the package. The boys announced that girls love glitter... see, they get a small glimmer of feminine influence around here ;) 

Favorite DIVERGENT Quote Printables

For quite awhile now, I've been wanting to read the book Divergent. I knew if I didn't read it before the movie came out, I'd end up starting with the sequels afterwards and didn't want to miss actually reading the first one too! Do you do that at all- once the movie comes out it's hard to get yourself to read the book?!

And do you maybe also get sucked in to a series- can't stop until you just get to the end already? I sure do! Read these three in one week- and that was holding off some. I'm really glad there's only a matter of days before the movie comes out! I've had Divergent on the brain big time... A couple of my blogger friends are fans too and tomorrow they're joining me for even more Divergent inspired creativity!

But I had these simple quote printables ready to go too, so I'm sharing them tonight! These quotes and phrases from the book are some of my favorites. The faction symbols are the ones that will be seen in the movie and were released HERE.

Aaargh! Simple Pirate's Booty Valentines

With Cooper's Valentines in the bag (twice over even!), Ryder and I have been working on his lately. This is my baby, my little guy that goes just about everywhere with me. He and I conquer the world (or, the errands at least) while Cooper rocks the first grade :)

So recently he was bashing through Target with me and got excited over this crunchy bag of smaller bags of Pirate's Booty. Don't get me wrong, this white cheddar popcorn (it's kinda like part rice cake, part popcorn, honestly)... is super yummy and healthy at that. But really the best part is the name- what kid won't go for a snack called "Pirate's Booty"?!

'Might as Well be Nerds Together' Valentines

I might be surrounded by boys around here, but somehow Valentines is still a favorite holiday. Cooper absolutely loves this time of year... before Christmas, he actually asked me how much longer there was until Valentines- silly boy :)

At night, when I lay with the boys to get them to sleep, he and I brainstormed ideas for what he could give out to his class. Last year we came up with his fun Valentines Snakes. In the process of coming up with an idea this year, he mentioned that he loves "those little tiny candies in the mini boxes." He meant Nerds- one of my favorites too!

Heart Owl Valentines with your Kids' Art

Why does it feel like it's been so long since I've had #myfavoritebloggers over for a get together?! It's really only been a month... it's just that a lot has gone in that month! It's time already to get into Valentines mode and this post gets to start the love day train around here!

It hasn't come soon enough for Cooper- this is his favorite time of year! We've been brewing Valentines ideas and I have some fun stuff to share in the works! For today, I get to share a cute, simple heart idea, along with these awesome gals:

From left to right, top to bottom: Marilyn from 4 You with Love, Me! , Adrianne from Happy Hour Projects, Bethany from Pitter and Glink, Lauren from Thinking Closet, Tara from Suburble, Nancy from Do Small Things with Love, Emily from The Benson Street, Kara from Happy Go Lucky, Sarah from Repeat Crafter Me,  ChiWei from 1 Dog Woof,  Melanie from It Happens in a Blink, and Kara from Petals to Picots.

Quick and Easy Cheddar Chowder

Winter makes me want to make soup for dinner. I guess this season is probably the reason soup even exists, really... Gotta love eating something that just warms you inside when it's cold outside. :)

Haven't shared a recipe in a long while, so I thought I'd share this one today. This quick, easy, cheesy version of potato soup has been a go-to for me for the past few winters. I've even made it in huge batches for functions for Stephen before and it's always been a hit.

I know I sometimes look at recipes like this, that are labeled 'quick and easy', and think that they are not really quick enough or easy enough honestly! But, please don't let this recipe scare you off from the start- it truly does come together super simply and includes ingredients you very likely have. I like that there's no fake junk involved here either :) If you want to print this recipe card below, just click, then right click the bigger version and save. Paste into your document program and print. Sure hope you enjoy this as much as our family does!

Masculine 2014 YM/YW Theme Printables

I rather like themes. I'm always excited to see what new theme the organizations in our Church will have for the coming year. For Primary this year, it's Families are Forever. And for the youth, it's the beginning of Moroni 10:32- 'Come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness..."

I love this- I feel like it has power to motivate teenagers in a hurry, or anyone of us really. I've given Taron and Keaton small printed cards of the theme for the past couple of years... I wanna say in their Easter baskets. And every time I buy those cards, I have to seriously scour that small section of the Church bookstore to find anything without flowers or scrolls or loopy cursive and such. If I'm remembering right, I think I actually settled for a slightly girly one last year... still totally worked, just wanted quite as "guy-ish" as I'd have liked.