Ministry with children and families

Just wanted to share that I am super excited about the opportunity to minister with children and families at our church!  What amazing things are in the works, I'm so glad to be a part of it.

Cloth Diaper Giveaway - 8 hours left!

It's not too late to get your entries in for the BubuBibi giveaway
FIND IT HERE

BubuBibi $25 Gift Code Giveaway Ending Soon!

Don't forget to enter to win $25 for BubuBibi Cloth Diapers.  This is a GREAT deal as it can get you 2 diapers and more!  Ends tomorrow!

BubuBibi Giveaway

Wordless Wednesday: Zoo trip

Earth Mama Angel Baby Tea: Review & Giveaway

The truth? I have a hard time resting. I have a 17 month old and an ALMOST 3 year old... and I'm pregnant. And honestly – I've always had a hard time resting. I like to be on the move. Okay, so I like naps, but really sitting down and relaxing is so difficult at times.

Maybe I'm crazy but it seems like the added hormones from pregnancy make it even harder to let my mind be truly at ease. I lay down at night and think about everything that I should have finished, or needs to happen tomorrow, or what would be a great baby name... you get the picture? There's a lot on my mind when I try and rest and that makes it really hard. I've even noticed that Monkey has a hard time resting, I imagine he's a lot like his mama.

All that in mind – I was super excited to try Organic Peaceful Mama Tea. This is one of many great Earth Mama Angel Baby products that is especially designed for moms! It's caffiene free, so it's safe for pregnant or nursing mamas!

Mr. Crum and I are lovers of tea and I enjoyed testing this. Organic Peaceful Mama Tea tastes fantastic when I drink it from my favorite mug.. it also tastes great when I drink it from other mugs. Does it help me relax? It does! A nice warm cup of tea before bed is perfect for helping to soothe my tired mind. It is great any time of the day, but I especially love it just before I go to sleep.

WIN IT:

Earth Mama Angel Baby is offering one of my readers a choice of organic tea to sample!  This giveaway is open to residents of the US and will end on Friday, June 17.

HOW TO ENTER:

Please leave a comment for each entry and put your email address in each comment.

1) Visit Earth Mama Angel Baby and tell me what product you would like to try.

2) Tell me one way you work on living a healthier life.

3) "Like" Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook.

4) Follow Crum's This N That via GFC.

5) "Like" Crum's This N That on Facebook.

Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars: Book Review & Giveaway

Are you like me?  Do you love finding great new ways to help your kids learn and explore?  We especially love helping our boys learn in nature.  A few weeks ago, on a trip to the mall, we accidentally discovered this wonderful book at one of the big bookstores.  (Really, it was an accident).

I picked it up and flipped through it while Crackers played with the train table.  I loved the illustrations, but more than that, I loved all the GREAT ideas for learning with my kids.  Okay, so it says it is Grandma's Bag of Tricks.  The truth is, I have plenty to learn from this grandma.  In fact, I would love her to come spend a week with us and play with my boys.  Or maybe I should send them to her! 

Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars is not a book for grandmas.  Well, yes it actually is - but we all need some help to come up with great new ways to spend quality time with our families.  I highly recommend exploring this book with your children.  There are so many projects that we adore, it was hard to pick out a favorite to start with.

We chose to make a solar oven with our boys - the materials are easy to get cheaply, and the project is simple enough that our 3 year old can help.  What's best is that there is an edible reward in the end!  Our 

choice of foods - mini pizzas!  Yum!

WIN IT:

One of my readers will win a copy of Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars of their own.  This contest will end Friday, June 17.  This contest is limited to residents of the US and Canada.

HOW TO ENTER:

You may enter using any or all of the following methods.  Please leave 1 comment for each entry and include your email address in each comment.

1) Visit Sharon Lovejoy's website, tell me something you learned.

2) Look around the Workman Publishing site and tell me about another interesting book.

3) Follow Crum's This N That via GFC.

4) Subscribe to Crum's This N That via email newsfeed.

5) Tell me why you want this book and who you would share it with.

31 Days to Clean: Days 1&2 a slow start

There are so many reasons that I have committed to participating in this 31 day challenge. Here's an example: Today is Tuesday – I dread Tuesdays right now. This is the day that Monkey has therapy – twice! That means that 2 people are coming into our home to work with him on learning and growing in some necessary skills. I spend a good portion of Tuesday morning cleaning the house and end up leaving my boys to do whatever it is they want to do.

I don't like it that I feel like I have to clean before someone comes over. I don't like it that I feel like I have to make my boys entertain themselves all morning while I clean. I want to change these habits! The good news: Monkey turns 3 in just over a month and he will grow out of First Steps Therapies... that means we just have Cracker's Therapist coming every other week (whichever day she shows up).

Nonetheless, I don't want to live in fear of filth!

Why do I say I've had a slow start? Because the book starts out slowly. It gives me time to analyze my reasoning and really know what I want to accomplish. Day 1 doesn't even require any cleaning! I did clean though, because I've just got to get on top of this! I have not yet completed the Day 2 Martha Challenge, my first cleaning assignment – but I will get it done before bed tonight!

How has my home changed? See for yourself, look at this problem area (it took about half an hour to finish REALLY cleaning this):

The kitchen counter is a landing zone... this is not "normal" for this space, but it does tend to stay messy.

The kitchen counter now

What are your problem areas?