Ipsy glam bag subscription

November 12, 2015dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

I had been dying to try one of those monthly beauty subscription sites for a long while and one day a friend on Facebook posted about how much they loved ipsy so I decided to give it a try. Signing up was super fun and easy. The website asks lots of questions about your beauty preferences and then you go on a wait list to be approved. You can expedite the process by posting to social media. For $10 a month, ipsy sends me 5 products to try in a super cute re-useable cosmetic bag. Sometimes the products are full size but most often they are sample sizes. I love it because I get to try products and brands that I wouldn’t otherwise even know about! Plus, the bags are super cute and so handy for lots of things. I’m currently using one to store holiday receipts in case anything needs to be returned, one for holiday cash envelopes, and one for my on the go makeup needs. Additionally, each month ipsy has stellar giveaways you can enter just by posting to social media. You can also earn points for products by doing surveys on products you’ve tested or referring a friend!

In july’s bag, I fell in love with this lip color by teeez. I get compliments every time I wear it and the shimmery eye shadow is dreamy. The cool way spray was awesome when I didn’t feel like fixing my hair. Just spritz and scrunch and bam! Instant beach waves!

August’s bag held yet another fantastic lip product with the hikari gloss, a fantastic eye liner, and a great polish in a shade I wouldn’t normally have tried but loved on! The argan oil is heavenly in a house full of frizzy curly hair!

September held another brand of hair oil that is equally amazing and I didn’t mind having two because between me and 3 daughters it gets plenty of use and a little goes a long way! The nyx eyeshadow pallet is by far my new favorite product! I’ll be picking some up when this is gone for sure. So pretty and shimmery but without being too made up. I scored big with another awesome lip color too! I got to try brow gel for the first time ever and I’m a believer!

In October I got this super dual sided metallic bag of goodies. The cream feels fab on my dry hands and the concealer brush is great! I like the cleanser but have only used it a couple of times so far. The polish is an awesome color but unfortunately isn’t as long lasting as I would have hoped.

The mailman just dropped off november’s bag so I haven’t had a chance to try anything out yet but I’m super excited about a new mascara and highlighting trio. That right red lip crayon is going to be fun just in time for the holidays!

So overall, I’ve been super pleased with my subscription and plan to continue the service. It’s so exciting to get that magenta metallic mailer each month and a blast to play with your goodies for a little mini makeover! Yep, I sit on the floor and play with makeup like my 3 year old! 😂

Here’s my latest ipsy makeover:

Wanna try it too? Follow this link to get started:

https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=v3sh6

New years resolution. Yep I made one, yep I’m keeping it. So far anyway…

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 2 Comments

If you know me personally, you know I am simultaneously the most organized and the most unorganized person you will ever meet. lol Let me explain, I love my label maker, organizing bins, color coding, and labels that all face the same direction but I can never remember what time to take what kid to what sporting event or party. I’m always losing papers and I have a stack of mail on my kitchen countertop that I’m confident will reach the ceiling soon if I don’t deal with it. Unfortunately, 3 kids haven’t always allowed me to be as organized as I would like. I was so tired of being late, missing events, and forgetting where I put things that I vowed to get more organized in 2015. I had been toying with the idea of putting A in a mother’s day out program 2 days a week for a while but she’s my last baby and I was hesitant. When they called in December to tell me they had an opening for her, I decided to take the leap and enroll her. Figured it would be good for both of us and i’m so glad I did. She’s still adjusting to not being with me 24 hours a day but the extra time I’ve had to get organized has done wonders for my sanity. It’s definitely a work in progress. I’ll share in a later blog how I organized every nook and cranny of my house but today I’m going to share how I’m organizing my life.

I’ve always been a fan of planners, organizers, and journals but my problem is, I’ve never really committed to them or carried them around with me at all times to fully utilize them. I would write something down on a post it, toss it in my purse, and forget to transfer it to my planner when I got home. Rather than my usual pick up a planner at Target bit, I decided to jump on the Erin Condren Life Planner bandwagon as recommended by many friends. I’ll be honest, my main appeal was (and still is) the interchangeable covers. On the inside it’s much like any other ole’ planner but the cover switching helps keep it fresh in my head I think. You always like to use new things so switching them out every so often should help with that in my head. haha

When it arrived, I was immediately impressed with the packaging. It was colorful, fun, and welcoming. It included a little envelope of bonus stickers and gift labels. Who doesn’t love freebies! 🙂

I selected a cute and colorful paisley-ish cover. I didn’t put too much time into customizing it because I knew I would work my own magic with it later.

The tabs and all the pages are very colorful and cheery and I love that!

I picked up several goodies to help me make my planner manageable including a cute little bag (probably meant to be a cosmetics case) at Michael’s for $4, China markers for the laminated inserts (stays better than a dry erase marker in my opinion), and washi tape in assorted colors and prints. The EC planner came with several sheets of these cute colorful stickers and I opted to customize a few extra sheets for an additional $5. The weekly menu insert was an additional purchase from EC and the errands tab I added myself. I’ll show you how and attach a printable you can use too later.

I also ordered a package of erasable markers off of amazon. Yep, I said erasable markers! Are you as excited as I was? They are by far the greatest thing since sliced bread and I think I need more ASAP!

You can find them here

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Frixion-Colors-Erasable-Marker/dp/B00F9MYPCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423074830&sr=8-1&keywords=frixion+erasable+markers

Here’s what the pages look like from monthly and weekly views.

If you’re not the do it yourself type, you can purchase additional covers directly through EC for around $10. You can also find some cute ones on Etsy. To make my own cover, I selected a cute scrapbook paper combination and scanned them into my computer. I used photoshop to scale it to size, add text and/or shapes, and then printed them. I upload mine to office depot because their colors are so much more vivid than my printer at home but you can do it however you choose. While I was there, I used their straight cutter to trim the covers to size, place pages back to back, and then have them laminated on thick lamination. Be sure and tell them to laminate it in the center so you have room to cut and make your binder holes on the side. I then used the straight cutter again to cut the laminated cover down to size leaving an edge all along the sides.

Once home, I lay the new cover over the top of the planner and used a sharpie to mark where the holes would need to be quickly. I then used a handheld small hole punch to make holes all down the side. Once that is done, you take your scissors and make a slit through the center of the hole. Now the cover is ready to click right into your planner.

We’re only in February and I’ve already created 2 optional cover sets. I have commitment issues. haha

I also created a few printouts to help me with my little goal oriented organization. I kept seeing the 52 week savings challenge on pinterest and was dying to try it for our next Disney trip spending money stash so I added a checklist for that as well as a little mason jar weight loss page. I’ve been keeping up with the 52 week savings challenge thing but I will plead the 5th on the weight loss page! It’s not my fault, it’s those darn girl scouts I tell you! 😉

You can laminate these and insert them the same way as the covers if you so choose but I just glued them over some of the additional memo pages in the back that I will likely never use. I used little heart stickers to symbolize the about of lbs I wanted to lose this year and then as I lose them, I’ve moved them to the other lbs lost mason jar. Sadly, there are many more hearts in the lbs to go jar than there are in the lbs lost jar!

Overall, I’m really loving my planner and the fact that it’s large enough for me to see and really write in yet compact enough to toss in my handbag. I think I’m officially an EC believer! Ready to get started? You can follow this link to start your own account and create your very own Erin Condren Life Planner

https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/loriannelatch0107

Now here are some of the goodies I made for my planner. I’ve removed my name for you so that you can add your own and print if you so desire. Hope you enjoy!

plannerfrontandback1 This one can be used for the front and back of your planner. Just add your name.

Obviously, once you print, you can arrange them any way you want them, this is just how I did mine. Here are the mason jar printable, errands bookmark style insert, and the 52 week savings challenge to match.

52weeksavings

plannererrands Just print this, cut it, place it back to back, laminate, punch holes, cut, and insert like the covers

weightloss

Hope you get some use out of these printables. Have you used any of my printables in the past? Would love some feedback. Did they work out for you? How did you use them? Keep them coming? Comment here or email me at dysfunctionaldomesticdiva@gmail.com

Thanks! Happy organizing! ❤

20 Random kitchen products you had no idea you would need/want!

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

I’m a bit quirky. I like unique things that’s for sure. My kitchen is no exception, I strive to find the funnest and funkiest kitchen gadgets around. I’m going to share with you my top 20 adorably fabulous kitchen gadgets that put the FUN in functional! You just might want to add them to your kitchen collection too!

Spiffy Units of measure:

These items aren’t just cute, they’re super functional too!

1. Mason Jar Measuring Cups

I snagged this little bit of stacking measuring cup awesomeness at World Market

You can find them here:

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/mason+jar+measuring+cups.do?from=Search&cx=0

2. Flower Pot measuring spoons

My sister in law got me these cuties last year for Christmas from Modcloth.com. They’re out of stock now but I managed to find them elsewhere for ya here:

http://www.hiddentreasuresdecorandmore.com/Flower_Pot_Measuring_Spoons_p/pj0305.htm

3. Tiny measuring cup

Sometimes, measuring out the perfect amount of liquids can get tricky in the measuring spoons especially when transferring from one counter to another. For such instances there’s this little guy. I got it at World Market as well. They only sell them online in sets of 3 but you can get them individually in stores like I did.

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/mini-measuring-cup.do?&refType=&from=Search

Cool fruit gadgets:

4. Awesome apple slicer

just line up your core with the center hole and shimmy down to slice and core your apple. Push the bottom part up and it will push all your slices up without slicing your hand. I got this particular one at bed bath and beyond last year. I don’t see it on their website now but they do have it on amazon.com. I see similar products at all major retailers though 🙂

http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-International-Wedge-Slicer/dp/B00EZQQO8M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260073&sr=8-2&keywords=progressive+apple+slicer

5. Bodacious banana slicer

This mellow yellow dude comes out to play quite often in our kitchen. Yes you can just take a butter knife to your banana but this is so much better! Just slide your banana through and squeeze and you quickly have perfectly even slices to top your waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, and other goodies!

http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-102-205-017-Bananza-Banana-Slicer/dp/B004HINHKQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260262&sr=8-7&keywords=banana+slicer

6. Super awesome strawberry pitter

When I saw my best friend using this little baby to make cheesecake stuffed strawberries (yes, they’re as delicious as they sound) for my baby shower several years ago, I knew I had to have one too! My sweet bestie grabbed one for me and surprised me with it and we’ve been using it religiously ever since! You can find it on amazon and most major retailers.

http://www.amazon.com/Adorable-Simple-Strawberry-Remover-Dishwasher/dp/B00KGNSCUQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260426&sr=8-14&keywords=strawberry+pitter

7. Amazing avocado slicer

Ugh, it’s so tough to get all your green goodness out of the avocado and slice it evenly. I always squish it and it doesn’t go well but with this little baby, that’s no longer an issue! Maybe my OCD side just likes the even little slices! lol

http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Flexicado-Flexible-Avocado-Plastic/dp/B000AXU1VA/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260493&sr=8-18&keywords=avocado+slice

8. Veggie Spiralizer

Watching your carb intake or just want to make your veggies pretty? This little baby is just the thing for you! I love to make “noodles” from zucchini and squash when I’m trying to go easy on the carbs. I make spaghetti for the girls and then whip up a low cal version for myself! Delicious and nutritious!

http://www.amazon.com/SpiraLife-Vegetable-Spiralizer-Recipe-eBook/dp/B00L0R9R38/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260614&sr=8-4&keywords=veggie+spiralizer

9. Say Cheese slicer

How cute is this little cheese slicer?!?!?! I fell madly in love with it at a local gift shop and just had to have it! You can get yourself one on amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Say-Cheese-Instant-Slicer-GAMAGO/dp/B00ICF25VM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260901&sr=8-1&keywords=say+cheese+slicer

10. Picture perfect kitchen timer

If you have to time something in the kitchen, you may as well do it with a cute timer! Just sayin’! I picked up this adorable camera lens timer at World Market over the weekend and it’s so cute I had to share!

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/telephoto+kitchen+timer.do?&refType=&from=Search

11. Magnetic Salad tongs/servers

I can’t remember where I actually purchased these but they’re pretty stinking awesome! They’re magnetic so you can toss your bowl of salad and then stick them together to easily serve said salad! Plus, they are much easier to store when separate! Double win! Here they are on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Piece-Green-Magnetic-Salad/dp/B00DYXSJLC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421261086&sr=8-1&keywords=magnetic+salad+tongs

12. Popsicle making magic

I’m 75% sure I got these at dollar tree a few years back but you can obviously find similar products anywhere. Keep an eye out for the kind with the little straw attachment on the end. My girls love to make fresh fruit pops in the summer and as they start to melt, they can drink the juice from the little straw on the end instead of it running down their cute little hands! These are pretty close on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Friendly-Popsicles-Smoothies-BPA-Free/dp/B00N7AV8ZG/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1421261238&sr=8-10&keywords=popsicle+mold

13. Mini condiments

These little cuties also came from World Market. They’re so great for lunch boxes and picnics even when you don’t want to pack an entire bottle of ketchup but need just a little squirt.

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/mini-condiment-set.do?from=Search&cx=0

14. Homemade ice cream container

The girls LOVE to make banana ice cream. You know, the kind where you freeze bananas, add a dash of peanut butter, cocoa powder, and milk and blend. Yummy and not nearly as terrible for you as regular ice cream plus super fun to make! Anyway, we used to put it in tupperware to store in the freezer but this little beauty is so much cuter! I stumbled upon this one at TJ Maxx but as you would guess, you can find them on amazon. I in fact will be ordering a few more in the very near future! They even have smaller individual sizes!

http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Storage-Container-61-3583-Pistachio/dp/B00LEO71LM/ref=sr_1_sc_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1421261746&sr=8-8-spell&keywords=homeade+ice+cream+container

15. Moped pizza slicer

Don’t you hate when you use the pizza slicer and you have to go over it a couple of times because it didn’t cut all the way to the bottom? This little guy takes care of it in one swipe with dual blades! Plus, it’s much funner to “drive” over your pizza than it is to just merely slice it right? I got this one at Garden Ridge last year but of course you can get yours on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-II-Motorino-Pizza-Cutter/dp/B0096643J8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421261900&sr=8-2&keywords=motorcycle+pizza+cutter

16. Pink piggy egg ring

My hubby likes his eggs over easy. YUCK! lol This little piggy makes it much easier for me to keep them in check. Without it, The egg seems to go everywhere in my pan and it’s not pretty. Maybe that’s just me! It’s also great for breakfast sandwiches and we love those!

http://www.amazon.com/Oink-Piggy-Fry-Silicone-Ring/dp/B00JQVPG6W/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1421258056&sr=8-18&keywords=joie+oink+oink

Fun with baking:

17. Batter finger spatula

you stick your finger in the batter and lick it sometimes don’t ya. Admit it! This nifty little spatula is great for mixing up your favorite muffin mix and then licking the remnants off without sticking your dirty little sausages in the bowl!

http://www.amazon.com/Fred-and-Friends-BATTERFINGER-Spatula/dp/B0015MU91C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421262114&sr=8-1&keywords=fred+batterfinger+spatula

18. Speaking of muffin mixing…

These jeans make your muffin top actually look good! hahahahaha Excuse the dish soap residue on them. They need a good rinsing it seems!

http://www.amazon.com/Fred-Friends-MUFFIN-TOPS-Baking/dp/B00EIFXCA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421262287&sr=8-1&keywords=fred+muffin+tops

19. Killer cookie stamps

Why should the kids have all the fun with the cookie stampers and shapes?!?!?! This interchangeable cookie stamp set is super fun for the adult crowd. Deliciously funny sugar cookies coming right up!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=33732694&cm_mmc=CJ-_-Affiliates-_-ShopStyle.com-_-11292048#/

20. I mustache you a question about your lunch

Kids hate the bread crust. Why? I don’t get it. Even I wanted my ends cut off as a child but now can eat them right up! Mind over matter I suppose… Anyhow, why not cut the ends off and add a little fun to that plain ole sandwich with this mustache sandwich cutter also by Fred & Friends. Who says you shouldn’t play with your food? NOT this mama!

Graze snack boxes

January 12, 2015January 14, 2015dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Hi everyone! Been a while since I’ve posted anything, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth I promise, have just been incredibly busy! I have a bazillion blog posts floating around in my head that I can hopefully get to posting sometime soon. For now, here’s a quick little product suggestion for you! A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a service that sounded interesting and I’m super excited to share with you guys! If you’re anything like me, making healthy snack choices when you’re on the go constantly can be extremely difficult. Enter Graze boxes… Graze is an awesome service that will send boxes of 4 individually packaged healthy snacks right to your door weekly or bi-weekly dependent on your preference. You can view their unique snack combos and rate them based on wether or not they sound like something you would like to try or not and they will appear in your mailbox soon afterwards. Don’t rule something out just because you’ve never tried it though. I have to say, there have been a few that sounded gross to me just by reading the description but ended up being pretty tasty. Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you hate them, you can trash it via your account preferences and they will never send that particular snack to you again. You can choose from 2 different types of boxes. A “nibble” box or a “calorie counter” box. The calorie counter box only includes snacks that have less than 150 calories each! You can even change your delivery options to skip a week if you’ll be out of town or something for instance.

Your super cute graze box is small and thin so it fits in your mailbox easily.

Open it up to find 4 individual snacks that are packaged for easy portability! I keep a basket in my pantry and dump all my Graze snacks in it when they arrive so that I can grab one, toss it in my purse, and go with a healthy snack in tow while running errands.

The boxes are $6.99 each and that includes shipping! You can cancel at anytime so there’s no obligation to continue the service if you don’t like it. If you enter this promo code: LORIAN7WB Graze will give you your 1st and 5th boxes for free! Your credit card will be charged weekly or bi-weekly for each subsequent box!

So far, some of our favorite snacks have been:
-raspberry and coconut muffin
-spicy sriracha peas
-tropical daiquiri
-hot cross yum
-oat spelt and raisin dippers
-banana caramel dippers

If you try it out, let me know what you think!

https://www.graze.com/us/

Someone got a big girl bed!

April 9, 2014April 9, 2014dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 4 Comments

When we moved to our new home in December, we toyed with the idea of not moving A’s crib at all and moving her straight to a toddler bed since she had just turned 2. I felt with the new surroundings and having stairs for the first time, I didn’t want her to experience a sensory overload so, we decided to wait until we were well settled in. Over the last month or so I had been looking online for the perfect bed and was really having commitment issues! Surprise, surprise! I found several on the ikea website that I liked but it was so hard to decide without seeing them in person. Her room has an ice cream shop theme so I wanted a cute little bed that would work with that but be versatile in case I decided to change themes on a whim. A friend who was also shopping for a toddler bed had told me that the Ikea beds were oddly shaped and thus normal bedding would not work, you would be restricted to their bedding so I had to see how big of a difference the sizing was and if it was a problem easily rectified. I had finally decided on the OVERE bed with canopy so my mom and I decided to make the drive to Frisco to check it out in person last Saturday. It was so super cute but we were going to have to change the colors of the flags for the canopy and in the end I thought we might like a bigger bed.

You can find the OVERE bed here:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59012280/

The mattress size appeared to be that of a standard twin mattress if not a hair smaller. I honestly think normal twin bedding would fit it alright but you’ll have to check the dimensions on the website and compare with another manufacturer if you’re considering it.

We fell in love with the Minnen bed which isn’t available online apparently but you can always google it! It reminded us of an old fashioned wrought iron bed that was perfect for our ice cream shop theme! We chose it in black but it’s also averrable in white. The frame itself is adjustable and so is the mattress. I wondered how this would be accomplished initially but it’s a pretty neat little system! The mattress is the width of a twin sized bed because the twin sheets fit perfectly that way. At it’s smallest size, it is about the length of a crib mattress. I used her crib mattress to show you the difference in size here:

To extend the bed, you simply remove the bolts and slide the frame out and then replace the bolts. The mattress has 2 extender pieces that almost look like pillows. One for the head and one for the foot so when you’re ready to add on you just add one piece at a time. I figure I will add on next year and then again the next.

this is one of the the mattress extender pieces. When all 3 pieces are assembled, it is about the size of an extra long twin. Think your old dorm room bed! lol

I bought regular twin size sheets rather than purchasing from ikea because their selection left something to be desired. I found 2 fabulous sets at Ross for $10 each! I was super excited because they matched the ice cream treat printed comforter that my mother had made her when she was born perfectly! One was a polka dot print that reminded me of sprinkles and the other was a coordinating stripe print of the same brand. My intentions were to alter the sheet to fit but it really only needed a little tucking at the foot and it worked well without moving so I decided to let them be. I used the flat sheet to cover one of the mattress extenders to fit at the head of the bed so the little darling wouldn’t whack her head on the metal frame behind her. Again, I intended to sew this to fit but I just wrapped it on snuggly and secured the edges with rubber bands. Really, I just wanted to see what it would look like before I got to cutting but it looked so cute like a big piece of candy or something so Mom and i decided it should stay that way. I’m going to tie some bows for extra cuteness. Then when she gets older and no longer needs the bumper, she can still use the flat sheet as intended since it hasn’t been cut.

I’ve tucked the other part of the mattress securely in a plastic bag for protection on the top of her closet. Today, I’m going to go hunt for a fabulous tiny nightstand to put the ice cream lamp I ordered her on next to her bed.

It should arrive in the next day or so from one of my favorite websites of random home decor ever:

Ice Cream Cone

The first night she got out of bed once and then slept soundly till morning and has slept in it without incident since. She loves her big girl bed and I can’t wait to finally get her room finished in this house! More pictures of her room to come once I get it all settled once and for all! For now, I’ll leave you to enjoy her cute bed and her extra cute face!

Overall, the bed was easily enough assembled (I think so anyway, I was more so supervising as my dad assembled it! lol). It is sturdy and adorable and my little sure enjoys it so far! I like that it’ll last her a little longer too. Don’t forget you need TWIN size slats if you are purchasing this bed at ikea. I accidentally grabbed the wrong kind and dad have to have wood cut for the bottom for me! Ooops. Thanks Daddy!

Smash booking

September 5, 2013September 5, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Before I had kids, heck, when I only had 1 kid, I loved to scrapbook. I had a bazillion shape makers, corner rounders, paper stashes, stickers, and other assorted awesomeness. I would spend hours cutting my pictures into shapes with my Creative Memories custom cutting system and then cut cute little papers for photo mats and decorative flair. P’s scrapbook is amazing with hand cut and drawn layered paper Oreo cookies to commemorate her first ever cookie. Years 1-4 are detailed, colorful, and organized. Then I had T and all my well made scrap booking plans went out the window and my bins upon bins of fabulous scrap booking tools sat and collected dust in the garage. After our 3rd little princess was born, I realized I wouldn’t have a chance to play with my scrap booking stuff again until they were all in grade school and I was all alone for a few hours daily in sweet blissful silence! But there’s still lots of stuff I want to remember in the meantime. Dates with my hubby, craft projects I made with the girls, etc.

Enter K&Company Smash books.

They retail for around $15 but you can get them for less by using a Michael’s or Hobby Lobby coupon, I know I did!😃
What on earth is a smash book you might be asking…
A smash book my friends is sort of a journal, meets a scrapbook, meets a tangible pinterest! It’s a scrapbook for the creatively challenged or for those of us who are now too busy to sit down and let our creative juices freely flow! Each Smash book has a theme and is choked full of built in awesomeness and zany printed pages.
Here’s a peek at some of the many smash books I’m currently working on and some of my smash accessories stash too!
This is my own personally random, mish mash, quirky Smashbook. I doodled like a school girl on the front cover and all over the inside too and added some nifty little clearance chipboard items to the front for character.

One of the features that makes the smash book so neat is the included smash stick which is a great felt tip marker on one end and a glue stick on the other end. This is great for dysfunctional, unorganized, on-the-go crafters like myself!

K and Company offers a whole plethora of cute and unique accessories to give your book an added boost of fabulousness and provide some easy storage for those souvenirs and other assorted keepsakes. There’s pockets, and labels, and baggies oh my!

They also have a vast variety of “smash pads” to choose from. Each smash pad is choked full of themed notes and journal prompts to help you remember every last detail of whatever event or project that you care to smash into your book.

What do you put in a Smashbook? ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! I’ve got magazine clippings, random things I’ve printed from the internet, catalog clipping wish lists, ticket stubs, pictures, and other random tidbits in mine! The back of each book has a built on pocket for extra smash ability.

K & Company sells fancy “smash tape” but I like a little glitter in my life so I bought a ton of Reflections brand tape at Michael’s on sale and cut slits in one of my children’s shoe boxes to make a handy little tape dispensing device. Smash tape (and other similar products) are super easy to use and add a decorative flare to items you may not want to permanently glue down. It does not tear paper and is reposition-able if you decide to move it around. It’s overall pretty darn awesome!!!

I used the “wedding” themed book to create a way to store our wedding and shower invitations and momentos as well as keep a log of our anniversary celebrations over the years, special date nights, etc. I used several pockets to store pamphlets, postcards, hotel keys, and other assorted goodies I’ve collected over the years. I even had random Instagram photos printed to remember dates and venues. I love that on our 30th anniversary some day, I can look back and remember that we spent our second anniversary at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and have the handwritten card the manager left in our room to prove it!

This is just a tiny glimpse of the many memories, thoughts, and souvenirs I store in my Smash books. What will you smash into yours?

You can get your smash book in 3 different sizes at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Target, or Amazon.com if you’re an online shopper. In fact, if you’re in the market for one this week, I happened to notice that the books and lots of accessories are being featured on the discount site Zulily through Friday so go have a look!

http://www.zulily.com/e/k-and-company-smash-58074.html?pos=74

Happy smashing!

ABCmouse.com

September 1, 2013September 3, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

School started for P last week but T still had 1 more week before her preschool program begins. P attends a classical school where she goes to a traditional classroom two days per week, is homeschooled two days, and has electives on the final day. We love her school and the format really works well for our family. I enjoy getting to share the teaching responsibilities with her school teacher and we love the flexibility we have with the school schedule.

Anyway, on home days, T is always dying to do “homework” too. I’ve stocked up on preschool and kinder workbooks in attempts to give her a jump start at Kindergarten next year and she’s super smart if I do say so myself! This year P’s school has decided to implement some learning through technology and P now has some assignments that she can do in the form of a game online or iPad app. Naturally whatever big Sissy is doing, little Sissy wants to do. We had seen the commercials for abcmouse.com on tv so we decided to give it a go. I’m so glad we did because she loves it and I love knowing the programming is age appropriate and educational.

Each child can select an avatar to represent them and a teacher to guide them. The classroom is bright and easy to navigate and there’s a town map where children can visit a theatre that shows alphabet videos, a pet store, and other shops.

They even have class pets they can feed and care for. A hamster and an aquarium. Children can earn tickets for completing lessons to purchase additional pets and accessories.

They can choose to free play various themed educational games or follow their assigned “learning path”. Each game or lesson in their learning path awards hem with tickets to use for prizes or to purchase clothing and accessories for their avatar and classroom.

The learning path changes environments after you complete all the lessons of one section

I asked T to tell me which game was the one she enjoyed the most so I could give you an example but she said she has 2 favorites so I’ll show you both! Hamster ball bowling- the object of the game is to knock down all the pins by selecting the 2 hamster balls with numbers that will add up to 10

She also loves Sea Horse racing. The object of this game is to select the correct shape as quickly as possible to give the seahorse a boost to win the race

On top of all the fun games and other obvious educational assets, the games also teach alot about general computer usage for beginners.

Try it free for the first month and then it’s only $7.95. That’s a steal in my book for the hours of educational entertainment for a busy body 4 year old!
www.abcmouse.com
My studious little cutie pie

Shopping Cart Dash

September 1, 2013September 1, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

The girls and I love to play games together so I’m always looking for unique games that will spark their interest. A couple of their favorites have been The tea party game and the Cupcake game so when I stumbled upon Shopping Cart Dash last week, I knew we needed to try it! We cracked open the box tonight for the first time after I put the little troublemaker down for the night. The girls both loved it! Here is our review:

Shopping Cart Dash

A fun with Chimp and learn with Zee game for 2-4 players ages 3+

The game comes with 12 puzzle-like track pieces that form a large square when assembled. It comes with 4 different colored shopping carts, “gold coins”, a supermarket “shelf”, 6 different shopping lists, and 36 “items” (groceries).

The object of the game is to move along the board collecting all of the items on your list based on the color you land on. You must pay for each item using one of your coins. The first to collect all of their items is the winner.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting this game to be more fun for T (4) and wasn’t expecting P (9) to get into it. I was wrong. They both loved it and I too enjoyed playing it with them. It is definitely aimed more towards the preschool crowd as everything is color coded and it is very simple but I think the cuteness factor of it really appealed to everyone equally. The little shopping carts actually have rolling wheels, the food items and grocery list have glittery details, the grocery shelf itself is pretty stinkin’ cute, and the lists had items like a soccer ball or candy added in the “treats” section.

The only con we found to the game was that the coins were sort of challenging to get out of the bottom of the grocery shelf once you were done with one game and wanting to start another round. I think the kids found that less annoying than I did! lol Overall, this was a great buy and we would highly recommend it!

The colors are bright, the pieces are darling, and the object is simple. Would make a great addition to your game closet or classroom. The greatest part of all? It’s very inexpensive! $11.50 on Amazon.com

I will attach the link for Shopping Cart Dash as well as the Tea Party Game and Cupcake Game that have been a few of our go to games over the last couple of years.