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On with the fun! Who needs tha paper with links like these...Dolls and Dinosaurs (photo credit above): This Handmade Peg Fairy is sooo sweet and believe it or not, you won't need any glue to make her!Transforming Home: Mod Podge a Wood Letter Using Photos! OH, the possiblities are endless. Intimidated by mod podge glue? Don't be! Daniell gives a very detailed tutorial.Looking for some fun Dr. Suess Activities and Crafts? Everything Preschool is a fantastic site to pour over. There aren't...

One way to measure the amount of praise and encouragement you are showering on your children is to grab a handful of pennies and place them in one our pockets (if you don't have pockets, try jars). And every time you say something nice to your child, for example, "Good for you!", "I'm so proud of you!" or "I love you", take one penny from your pocket and place it in the other (empty) pocket. By the end of the day you should have no more pennies in the first pocket. Conversely, for every negative...

Welcome to another lovely edition of Muffin tIn Monday, the weekly blog carnival (that's a fancy word for gathering/link up) where us moms (We welcome Dads and caregivers too) get together and, blog across blog across blog, share the Muffin Tinn Meals we serve to our kids! What's a Muffin Tin Meal you ask? Simply put - It's a meal served in a muffin tin. It has become quite the tadition in this household and great way to serve a wider variety of foods in smaller portions - Perfect for little mouths!This...

I'll just get right to it then. Here are links to some fabulous projects, crafts, and activities that are inspiring me this week:Allie of No Time For Flashcards show her readers how to DIY a princess wand valentine! So simple and cute! And what a creative way to spread the "spirit of love".Microwavemugcakes.com: Did you know that there is an entire book of recipes for mug cakes? 101, to be exact. Oh, I am in love! I can't wait to try some of these!Creature Comforts: I printed out twenty of these...

The weekend of February 4-6, 2010 will bring not only this year's Blissdom Conference, but a huge milestone in my life. On February 7, 2010, I will be 4 years cancer free! And I would love the chance to celebrate this wonderful event with all the ladies who will be attending the Blissdom Blogging Conference in Nashville. In early 2006, I was diagnosed with and incredibly rare uterine cancer called Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma. It was determined that I was Stage I and wouldn't need chemo or radiation,...

I have never been a morning person. Ask my husband. He will tell you that Grumpy McGrumperson lives at our house before I have had my morning coffee. I have been that way almost my entire life. However, for every minute it takes me to wake up in the morning, I gain it in the evening. I am a thriving ball of accomplishment from 10pm to Midnight. I don't know if my brain has spent all day working out a plan and chooses that moment to kick in, but it happens most nights. My mother, on the other hand...

The birthday party for Muffin Tin Girl was a success! Thank you for all of your well wishes. I read here each comment. I am still amazed that 22 children and 15 adults fit into the house! The Scooby Doo theme for a girl actually went over well. I didn't go all out this year. No handmade invites or goodie bags. Just simple fun. Party City helped reign in the theme with a great selection of Scooby-Doo themed cups, plates and other birthday ware (No, they aren't a sponsor.) My Sister-in-law helped...

6 years old today... wow. I can hardly believe you are so big! I am so very proud of you. Happy Birthday, Sunshi...

Hip Hip Hooray For Muffin Tin Monday! My kids love our weekly tradition of Muffin Tin Meals on Mondays and this week was no exception. There is no theme this week, but you are welcome to do your own theme if you wish. I'll keep ot short and simple this week. Did you make a muffin tin meal for your child? Won't you share it? Leave the url of your blog post or photo in the form below. Want to participate, but don't know what to do? Be sure to visit past muffin tin monday posts, or the many links of...

So, what do you think? The Muffin Tin Mom is sporting a brand new look! I just love it. There are a few minor add ins, so bear with me. A super huge thank you to Theresa of Rock On Mommies for my blog design! Rock On Mommies is a site dedicated to enriching the lives of moms beyond motherhood with topics like fashion, fitness, mommy tips, and more. Be sure to check out Rock On Mommies.I will also be hosting a giveaway this week in honor of the new blog design. More details to...

If this blog looks a little wonky over the next few hours, I'm making a few changes....please pardon the virtual d...

I love sorting activities for preschoolers. I think it is because there are so many different ways to inject learning into this fun activity. Little ones hardly realize they are learning foundational concepts that are the building blocks for not only further education, but for life.They can increase their knowledge and awareness of numbers, colors, shapes, and size. You can count and sort almost anything! From cotton balls and beads to superheroes and teddy bears, the possibilities are endless....

My new crafty love is clay. Clay is great for little hands. Your little one can pound it and smush and mold it into different shapes. There are some you can bake and some that air dry, Some come in different colors and some come ready to paint. Today we made heart necklaces out of clay. We painted them and even through on a dash of modpodge and glitter. This is a great activity to do together with your child. Muffin Tin Girl and I now have "matching" clay heart necklaces (hers is white and mine...

Last week, if you were around Twitter you might have read the tweets about my candy cane heart mishap craft fail. I even caught some of the wreckage on video. I wanted to share with my blunder because 1) I wanted to give you a good laugh and 2) I wanted further explain the hard truth that, for every crafty success story, there are two or three crumpled messes waiting in the wings. It all started when, realizing I did not have parchment paper, I assumed decided that aluminum foil would "work just...

Muffin Tin Monday is a weekly blog carnival held here every week where we come together to share the muffin tin meals we have made for our kids. Sometimes we do a theme, sometimes we don't. For more info on that check out the MTM FAQ and if you are new here check out past Muffin Tin Monday posts.It's that time, after Christmas, where we all get back to the daily family routine. My kids went back to school this week and I love the chatter over the dinner table about their school day. My son is an...

Such adorable cuteness in these monogramed heart tees for kids (sizes 2-8) by Jonahbonah on Etsy. (pictured above, phot via @jonahbonah) They would make a great Valentines gift. She also has many other monogramed tees in her shop. Check her out, she does great work!I love the Raindrop Baby Shower theme that is subtle throughout this shower posted at Little Wickies. Simple, understated, and so beautiful.Just Something I Made is a blog that I frequent virtually every day. There is always something...

Do you have leftover candy canes from Christmas? Have you seen them on sale for next to nothing at your local grocery store? Buy them all up. Because you will want to make this delicious treat after you read how simple these are to make.  You'll need a few simple ingredients:Candy Canes (any size will do, I made mine with the large kind)Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Making Melting Chocolate/Candy Coating (I used CandiQuick Brand)baking sheet/bowlsSprinkles (optional, but I think they add...

When I read about how Asha over at Parent Hacks used snack sized plastic bags and Ball Brand Plastic Freezer Jars to put together smaller portion sized snacks for her kids, I knew I had to share it with you, my readers. What I love about this idea, is not only the multitude of uses for the plastic jars (everything from petite smoothies and fruit parfaits to trail mix and dry cereal) is that it's a great way to, as Asha writes, teach portion control and independence. To read...

As I welcome in the new year and look forward to 2010 (that's "twenty-ten", I asked around), I wanted to take a "state of the blog" poll and see how you, my readers are liking what the Muffin Tin Mom is dishing out. My aim is to encourage and inspire moms with only the "good stuff". I have a poll up on my side bar for your to answer a few questions. If you are reading this in a subscriber, or by email, I would love for you to stop by and share with me either by poll or by comment. Here are...

Muffin Tin Monday is back and the Christmas holiday brought some fun muffin tin meal goodies to our house like a dinosaur shaped muffin tin and the silicone baking cups featured below. Muffin Tin Dad knows the way to my heart. :) If you are not familiar with the weekly blog carnival Mufffin Tin Monday held here at this blog, then be sure to check out the FAQ and past MTM posts. Here's what we had this week:Clockwise from top left corner: Sliced Pears, Mozarella circles, Canteloupe Kebabs, Strawberry...

Good Sunday to you all! This week brings another fine round up of links from around the blogosphere that are better than any stuffy doom-and-gloom ridden Sunday newspaper.So here they are:I love these charming and whimsical penguin paper printable bookmarks from Jinjerup. They look like just the perfect little touch to any reading experience!Do you have an emerging reader in your family? Well, I do. My 6 year old is picking up sight words left and right and I found this article on Classroom Talk...

Happy New Year to the best readers in the whole world! Thank you so much for your readership and loyalty. The community and friendships I have built through this blog are such a blessing! If you can't already tell, I have been taking a little bloggy break. I realized that I have been going strong for over a year and it was time to just take a breather. Even if it is a mini one. I'll be back for No Need For The Sunday Paper and for Muffin Tin Monday, and back to regular posting then....