Teaching Children To Be

Great parenting advice from a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

WINNER!

The winner of the Lime Green Lemon upcycled t-shirt bracelets is comment #101 by Linda Kish. Congrats! And thanks to everyone who entered!

I will be moving soon and taking a break, but don't go anywhere, because I have two great giveaways lined up for next month!

How to Reuse Plastic Cups

After so many summer picnics and parties, you may find yourself overstocked with plastic cups. Or perhaps you like to use things more than once before throwing them away. Whatever your reason, there are many ways you can reuse plastic cups.

1. Use a plastic cup to catch bugs. Throw the cup and bug away in your outside garbage can or the dumpster.
2. Small plastic cups work well for rinsing after brushing your teeth. You can throw them away as soon as they are unsanitary.
3. Save a lot of plastic cups for cheap homemade games, such as ball tossing,  bowling, and cup stacking.
4. Make a string phone as a cheap toy for your kids to play with.
5. Let your kids use plastic cups to play with in the bath tub. Then use them to rinse their hair and store their small bath toys.

Do you have any ideas on how to reuse plastic cups?

Five-Year Anniversary

Friday we celebrated our five-year anniversary. We went to a restaurant called Warren's Jazz Bistro that had a live jazz band. On the way there we saw a double rainbow in the sky!

The food and band were ok, but the experience as a whole was great. We danced to 3 songs: a slow song, a triple swing, and a cha-cha. It was fun to be dancing again even though we are really rusty! Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos of us, which is a bummer because we looked really nice.

Saturday we took Caden to the aquarium. He loved it and didn't want to leave! (He just saw these photos and is really upset because he wants to go back now!)

Yesterday we had the missionaries over for dinner (along with Adam and Kirsten, of course) for the first time since we've been married. The boys swapped funny mission stories. Pretty crazy stuff!

Lime Green Lemon Upcycled T-shirt Bracelets Giveaway [CLOSED]

Remember the feature I did on Leigh Ann from Lime Green Lemon and the deal on her bracelets I shared? Well, now she has agreed to do a giveaway for me! One of you lucky ladies will win 3 bracelets in the colors of your choice:

Smiles
*Great for casual wear, but also versatile.
*Cute, stylish, and comfortable.
*Variety of colors.
*Green! I love upcycled things.
*Easy to clean.
*Awesome seller!

Frowns
*None!

Mandatory Entry: Visit Lime Green Lemon and tell me which colors you would choose.

1 entry: Heart Lime Green Lemon on Etsy. Leave your username.

1 entry: Like her shop on Facebook. Leave your username.

1 entry: Like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Facebook. Leave your username.

1 entry: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect.

1 entry each (4 total): Post this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and your blog.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 25. The winner will be announced Thursday, July 26. Please leave your email address in one of your entries so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada only. Good luck!

Family Photo Shoot

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our family photo shoot in Wisconsin. Enjoy!

Wisconsin Part 2

Friday we girls went shopping at a craft store. Adam and Kirsten spent the evening with Kirsten's family, so the rest of went to El Azteca for dinner. Justin, Keilani, and I finished the night watching Rio. It was ok.

Saturday was the big photo day (photo post tomorrow). The family photo was Hawaiian theme. Our family photo was red and khaki. Caden was better at smiling and posing than for his first year photos, but he was also more crazy, running around everywhere and deciding when he was done. Just fyi, don't ever go to Portrait Innovations. Worst experience! They didn't listen to our desires, the photos took forever to print (Mom, Kirsten, and I were there 2 hours after everyone else left, choosing the photos and waiting for them to print. We had lunch and went to the thrift store before they were done.), and you can only print the photos through them. Mom tried printing them at home. They don't have watermarks, but they print washed out, really bright and pale. The only thing I liked was a specific employee who was great at making Caden laugh and smile.

Later we had dinner at the family favorite, Koreana. It's tradition.

Afterward, we played outside, and then I watched Soul Surfer. I really liked it and recommend seeing it if you haven't.

Sunday we went to church, where Justin and Adam participated in their friend's baby's blessing. When we got home, Dad shared a book, including a DVD, called Increase in Learning, by Elder Bednar, and presented each of us with a copy of the book  and a blue Book of Mormon. It was a great spiritual family moment. Later we went to Grandma's for dessert. I came home early and had a great discussion with Dad about a lot of things.

Monday was spent packing and driving to Milwaukee to spend the night since we had such an early flight the next morning. Caden did terrible! He had been sleeping poorly the previous few days and was very temperamental. He slept for the first part of the flight, but acted up the rest of the time. He is still adjusting to the time change.

Some other highlights from the trip: Caden sliding down the stairs on his tummy and calling Adam "ko" (short for "unko," which means "poop" in Japanese and sounds like "uncle" in English). Overall, it was a very relaxing and fun vacation, and I feel that I really bonded with Justin's family.

Wisconsin Part 1

The flight to Wisconsin went really well. Caden was great and even slept a little bit. We had all three seats to ourselves, so I put Caden in the middle seat. That lasted a whole five seconds.

We got home early afternoon and spent the day just saying hi to all the family. Caden loved Grampa Nishimoto (Justin's dad) right away. He calls him "Pa" for "Grampa."

Tuesday was another chill day. We had Indian tacos and cupcakes at (Great) Grandma's. Afterward, most of the boys, Kirsten, and I went shooting. It was only my second time, the first being on my honeymoon five years ago. I did worse than before.

Wednesday, July 4,  we had a big meal with some family friends at their house, along with Kirsten's family. Caden had a blast playing there. And he warmed up to Grandma (Justin's mom) because she let him have her ice cream!

Once it was dark, we went to Grandma's for fireworks. Surprisingly Caden loved them! I was worried the loud noises would frighten him, but he was fine.

Clapping after each batch of fireworks!

He let all Justin's uncles and little cousins hold him, but not either grandma. Finally he went to Great Grandma, but only after he was bribed with a popsicle.

Today the boys went golfing, so we ladies browsed the mall trying to find shirts for family pictures on Saturday. We didn't find any, but I found some cute flower hair clips. And Caden went on a little merry-go-round for the first time.

So far we are having a fun, relaxing time!

Maryland

I haven't blogged in a while because I've been away. Wednesday we left for Maryland for a somewhat family reunion for my grandma's almost 80th birthday. Caden did really well on the long flight. I was so relieved! We went straight to my grandmother's first, and Caden threw up in the car. Lovely. But he bounced back quickly. He and Grandma didn't really click. She prefers babies and he prefers men.

Next we went to Uncle Dennis's house, where my family was staying, and had a nice dinner on the patio. Caden really liked Uncle Dennis. Then off to my cousin Angie's where we stayed. Caden loved her two cats and chased them around the house every day, saying "meow." He also loved the stairs at both houses.

Thursday my half-sister, Christina, came with her newborn baby girl. She is so darling! Grandma came over too with her friend Linda and brought lunch for us all. That night we went to dinner at a Spanish restaurant that served tapas, or appetizer-sized dishes shared with everyone. It was a very delicious and interesting experience.

Friday my brother Stevie arrived. It was a chillax day and the hottest of all the days we were there. I was getting tired stopping Caden from going downstairs and getting into things, so we went to the park down a trail across from my uncle's house. It was a beautiful little hike, just ridiculously hot and humid. In the evening Justin, my dad, Stevie, Angie, and her boyfriend, Mike, went to the Orioles game. That night was a terrible thunderstorm that kept Caden awake until 10:30. Thankfully, everyone (including my other brother and his family, who flew in that night) arrived home safely.

Saturday was the big day: Grandma's somewhat surprise party. I ran errands with Angie. We decided to go with a Hollywood theme to fit Grandma's drama and flair and to represent her younger days. We even bought her red, glitttery, star glasses; a light-up, fake diamond ring; and a red carpet. Aunt Laura did all the cooking, my brother's kids put up the decorations, and Uncle Dennis put on Big Band swing.

All the guys danced with Grandma.

Grandma was pleasantly surprised. After some hugging and snacking, I gathered everyone together for a little tribute to Grandma. We each shared a funny memory of her and said something sweet about her. She loved it, of course, and I heard some pretty great stories. Then we had an Italian dinner and some cake and ice cream. Uncle Dennis surprised her with a DVD of old home videos from the Sixties and Seventies.

The only people missing are my other cousin and her husband.

Sunday we went to church with my family and niece Genesis. The ward impressed me greatly. The kids, who had gone to Girl's Camp or a boy's camp called Camp Helaman, bore their testimonies and shared great spiritual analogies they realized on their trips. The adults had wonderful testimonies too.

We relaxed the rest of the day at my uncle's and then went home to pack. I went to bed earlier than Justin, and he swears that when he came in, I felt around for his face, pulled him in and started making out with him, and then stopped and fell back asleep. I have no memory, real or dream-like, of this ever happening!

This morning my parents dropped us off at the airport and we are now in Wisconsin visiting Justin's family. I had a great time with my family, especially with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. It was wonderful fulfilling my father's wish of having all his children in one place and having my father's family finally meet Caden.

Dad with all his kids.