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Fla-Vor-Ice: Mom approved snack and more!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jel Sert for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Fla-Vor-Ice is a must for summer time!

My girls will be getting out of school NEXT WEEK!  I am busy planning activites, signing them up for Vacation Bible School, and looking forward to time at the pool and out on our boat.  There will be lots of playing outside with our neighbors, play dates with school friends and our friends from church.

I'm always looking for a healthy, and inexpensive snack for them.  I'm careful about their sugar intake, which is why I'll be stocking up on the Sugar Free Pops. They are a portable, any time snack that all three of my girls love, oh and I know I'll be sharing with the neighbor kids during our outdoor play time!

(They're less than $0.10 a serving so why not share?) 

Fla-Vor-Ice was introduced in 1969 making it a trusted brand for over 40 years.  I grew up in the Northeast where Fla-Vor-Ice was a staple in our freezer!  My favorite has and will always be grape.  You have lots of flavors to choose from: Original Fruit Flavors, Tropical Flavors and my favorite Sugar Free.  

Here are a few other uses for Fla-Vor-Ice:

You can also use them for an art project, use them as paint sticks for water color painting.

Make a Smoothie: Put 2 freezer pops, 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup of milk and add your favorite fresh fruit in a blender to create your own homemade smoothie.

Use them as an ice pack for your little one's boo-boo's.   

Check out Fla-Vor-Ice on Facebook for more fun idea's for your kiddos this summer!  

Winner and a BIG Announcement!

Happy Friday lovely readers!  We are enjoying the start of a four day weekend here in our Happy House.  This morning I drew the lucky winner of the Military Coin Holder from Wood Simply Made.  A Big CONGRATULATIONS to Morgan S, thank you to your whole family for your service to our incredible country!  

If you didn't win head to Mike's Etsy shop Wood Simply Made  and order your coin holder!  These would be a super Father's Day gift.  

Before I sign off for a nice long relaxing weekend, I want to share with you that I'm having the blog transferred from its current Blogger platform to Wordpress!  I'm SO EXCITED and NERVOUS at the same time.  At some point the blog will be down for up to a few days.  

You can visit me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or see all the fun ideas I pin on Pinterest.

May you all have a blessed Memorial Day Weekend!! See you soon at our new home....WORDPRESS!!

Potty Training in Our Happy House: Let's Hear It For The Boys!

Today I'm so excited to have a "Boy Mom" perspective on Potty Training shared by Guest Blogger Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer.  I found Sarah's blog several months back, love the pictures she shares of her two adorable sons, farm life and her faith.  Please welcome Sarah today as she contributes to our series "Potty Training in Our Happy House".

 If not for my sister-in-law potty training my nephew shortly after he turned 2, I probably would have waited until my oldest son Braden was closer to 3 to potty train him. That's just what you typically hear in parenting circles - "boys take longer, and are way harder, to potty train than girls." WRONG. I call your bluff, world! Let's give the young males of the world a little credit, shall we? Toddler boys can be just as smart, or smarter, than toddler girls. I think generally little girls may show a keenness for potty training at a younger age, but boys (and girls) are ready by 22 months. Yes. 22 months. I didn't really start to think about potty training until after my son turned 2 and timing was right in our lives. I started reading up on the method my sister-in-law used, but I just felt it wasn't going to work for me. I tried my own thing the first day, tried to be positive, but it just wasn't going well. Luckily a friend called to ask me how potty training went the first day, and she recommended to me the 3 Day Method which she used with her twin girls. She sent me the eBook, which was really easy to read, and I was excited to try! Once we started the 3 Day Method the next day...I just knew it was going to work. I know that every child is a unique individual and what works for some, won't work for others. BUT, if you're interested in training your child at a younger age, the 3 Day Method works from 22 months on. They do not need to have verbal communication or show interest - it can work and it sure did for us. My son was trained at 2 years 3 months old and he had only gone pee on the potty twice, right before he turned 2 when we were on vacation with his older cousin who is potty trained. When we got home, he showed NO interest and would even decline when we asked him if he wanted to try. It was me who made the decision that I wanted him trained and I had faith in him that he could do it - and he did! Boy moms, I encourage you to have faith in yourselves and in your little boys that they can potty train at a young age too! There's no need to wait until they're 3 or older, unless that's what works best and is what you want to do.
Sarah is a nurse who married a farmer and is boy mom to Braden (3) and Ethan (7 months). She blogs at Nurse Loves Farmer and is embracing her life as a farm wife and loves God, photography, breastfeeding, and cloth diapering. Connect with her on Twitter and on her Facebook page.

Promotion Day and a Giveaway!

The Coast Guard is a very big and important part of our life.  We have been a proud military family for over four years now.  My husband has worked very hard to bring our family to where we are today and I'm so proud of the work he does each and every day to serve our country! 

 His Dad, Little Sis and I recently had the privilege to attend his Promotion Ceremony to Lieutenant.  He held Little Sis in his arms like a proud Daddy while his Dad and I each got to change out a shoulder board.  

Extremely proud of our new Lieutenant!

This was a special day, so it called for a special present!  I found Wood Simply Made on Etsy  and was excited about the Challenge Coin Holders Mike offers.  He custom made this coin holder with the wings on it for my husband, and he loves it!  You can choose from any of the military branches for your holder.  

When I was looking at the shops information, I knew that I had found the perfect person to give my business to.  Mike is  a disabled veteran and served 6 years active duty Air Force from 2003 - 2009.  He proudly makes all of the products here in the USA out of his home wood shop.   (All of his products are made from real wood and do not use any cheap press board or particle board substitutes.)  Great quality and supporting a US veteran is a great choice for our family!!

I couldn't be prouder to bring you Wood Simply Made as a place to offer you military gift items.  He has graciously offered a Military Coin Holder giveaway to one lucky Happy House of 5 reader.  Please enter through the Rafflecopter widget below, I will choose one lucky winner by verifying that the entries have in fact been made.  GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Transition Tips: From Sippy Cups to Big Kid Cups

 Today I'm sharing a few tips for transitioning your kiddo from sippy cups to big kid cups.  

 Big Sis is about to turn three years old.  We recently switched her out of her crib into a bunk bed, on the bottom of course.  Next up is ditching the sippy cups.  I will still use a cup with a lid for when we are out and about but when she's home she will now be drinking out of a big kid cup, which she is very excited about!  I bought these fun and colorful plastic cups from IKEA.  

Little Sis feels like her big sisters drinking out of her new cups!  Hope these tips help your family too.

Miracle-Gro Garden Inspiration

This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently made a cute Spring Chevron Wreath for our front porch and we have the cutest old school house desk,  but our porch is in need of more color and some plants!  My husband teases me that I don't have a green thumb at all.  I despise pulling weeds and rarely plant flowers because I just haven't had much luck in the past.  We also live in South Florida where it is SUNNY and HOT most of the time.  I need plants that will hold up to our weather and my non-green thumb!

I was contacted by Miracle-Gro to participate in The Gro Project and I thought this would be the inspiration I needed to get some gardening started.  I saw some really cute and fun garden projects that they have on their Facebook page.  I think Little Sis would love making their Toyrarium!

Since I was looking to add some fun decor to our front porch I decided to take a planter I already had on hand and paint it to match the colors of my spring wreath.  

I bought a couple of succulents,  Miracle-Grow's Moisture Control Potting Mix and Shake’n Feed All Purpose Plant Food and headed home to get planting.   According to my research Succulelents are usually very hardy and thrive on neglect, PERFECT!

I filled the pot about half way and gently removed the plants from their containers.  (Make sure you have a pot with a drainage whole) Water the plants only when dry, if they start to shrivel give them a little water and they'll perk right back up...again my kind of plant.  

I'm loving the pop of color from the planter and I think the plants and I are going to be just fine.  Do you need some inspiration for your Gro Project?  Follow the Miracle-Gro Pinterest page HERE.

DIY: Personalized Kitchen Towel Tutorial

Today I'm sharing a quick and easy sewing tutorial for personalized kitchen towels.  I made these last week as Mother's Day presents but couldn't tell you, otherwise I would have ruined the surprise for the special Mom's in my life.  I was really happy with how they turned out, so here is the tutorial.

  I bought these kitchen hand towels from Target.   I cut a cereal box apart to make a template for adding the fabric to the towel.  My towel was 3.5 inches wide by 16 inches long.  

Lay your template on top of the coordinating fabric and cut it so that you have about a half an inch difference on each side.  

Press your fabric up and around the template to make a nice square to be able to pin neatly to your towel.  

Pin onto your towel and you're ready to sew.

Make sure to stay close to the edges so that you catch the folded fabric underneath. 

It's as easy as that.  If you have an embroidery machine you can make them even more special by adding an initial.  They will make a great gift both with or without the added initial.  My Mom's loved them and I'm glad that they will think of me when they see them hanging in their kitchens.  

These towels would be a great gift for any occasion!  I also would love to add some color to my kitchen, so I think I'll go make a couple more for me.

Who could you make a set for?

A Mother's Day Giveaway

Being a Mom is one of the hardest jobs on the planet!  I love being a Mom but it's not always easy.  I have found some great tools and websites that keep me encouraged as a Mom and wanted to share some of them with you today in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday. 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this flip calendar that I have on my kitchen windowsill.  Ponder 365 is a daily encouragement flip calendar for Moms written be a very special lady!  Vickie has a heart for encouraging young Moms and shepherding them to go to the Word of God for encouragement and making prayer a priority in their life. 

  

Here are just a few examples of the daily messages you'll find inside:

Vickie has recently started a blog to encourage Moms.  Please visit Ponder 365 today, sign up to receive her messages and let her know Lindsey sent you :)

To enter to win, wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load below.  Please keep in mind that I do check to see that you've actually entered the choices that you click on in order to be eligible to win, after all it's only fair :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Box of Sunshine for Mother's Day

My Mom lives over twenty one hours away, that's by car and only one way not round trip.  She recently had surgery on her back.  It's times like this that I wish we lived closer to a lot of our family.  I wanted to send her something to cheer her up and bring her some of the warmth and sunshine from South Florida.  

One of my favorite printable blogs and Etsy store is Colette's My Computer is my Canvas.  She makes some of the cutest printables for holidays and great gift ideas!  When I saw her "Scatter Sunshine"printable set I knew that it would be perfect for my Mom.  

I found an easy no bake lemon meringue pie .

 Picked up some Bath and Body Works lemon hand soap, smells delicious!
(I may have bought one for myself too!)

Some lemon ice cubes gum and a small lemon meringue candle from Target.  

I think my Mom's favorite part of her surprise package was the homemade cards that the girls made for her!  Little Sis used some peel and stick foam hearts for hers. 

This would be perfect for Mother's Day or any day really.  What are you giving your Mom this year to show her some love? 

Potty Training in Our Happy House: Overcoming Struggles

Please welcome today's guest blogger Ruth from Connecting One Piece at a Time Blog.  She provides Applied Behavioral Analysis social skill, behavioral intervention communication, and executive skill training for children.  She also serves as an advocate for the child in meetings with professionals.  She loves teaching families how to advocate for their child.   One of her goals is to help families take what the child learns in therapy or at school and figure out ways to easily incorporate it into the home environment so the child can make more progress.

A few months ago I saw a friend’s facebook post.  She shared that she was starting to potty train her youngest child.  Within a couple of days, there was another post saying diapers were gone at their house.  Let me tell you, she received lots of comments.  Her friends, me included, thought “what a mom!”  It made me look back at the ups and downs I had with potty training.  I had one “easy one”, one “hard one”, and one that I wondered if I would need to pack pull ups for college. 

If you are struggling in potty training, I want to encourage you that you have a friend.  My youngest child is 18 so it’s been a while since I’ve dealt with it at home. Now, I help others struggling with this issue particularly families affected by disability.  I’ve learned a few things along the way.

1.         Rule out any medical issues that are hindering the process.  A referral to a pediatric gastro-intestinal physician may be your first step.  Does your child have bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea? Does she hold bowel movements and soil her underwear?  Are urination accidents more common when there are bowel movement accidents? Are there food sensitivities that cause digestion problems (these are different than food allergies)? My youngest child has an autism diagnosis and digestive issues are very common with these children.  We made little progress before seeing a dr. for gastro-intestinal issues.

2.        Refusal to go to the bathroom is often more than a behavior problem.  Why?  If there is constipation, it may hurt or it may take “too long.” The child may not "feel" it.  We finally figured out that our youngest child didn’t “feel it” until it was too late.  His sensory system was underdeveloped in this regard until he was older.  The only thing we could do was keep him on a schedule.  If the child is slow to mature, the social emotional skill of transitioning from a preferred activity to a non-preferred one (going to the bathroom) may be quite a challenge for him.

3.        A powerful motivator must be found and used.  For children that have a lot of “behavior” regarding the bathroom, the motivator should be powerful and  only attainable by going to the bathroom.  Example:  if m&m’s are used as the reward, it’s important that  m&m's are only gained through going to the potty. Otherwise, they cease to be a very powerful motivator. 

4.        I think most children learn better using a multi-sensory approach.  Be careful with lots of verbalization.  Try communicating your expectations through visual schedules and picture directions. 

     You may want to have a "I’m working for" chart.   The visual may help a child stay excited about the reward. 

 This visual can be downloaded free here.  You can find more examples on my pinterest boards, toileting,visual supports, and sharing the agenda here.

 Ruth helps families through her business at One Piece LLC.  You can access her e-mail through the blog.

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us Ruth!  I would love to have YOU share your Potty Training story, experience or tips with Happy House of 5 too.  Email me at Lindsey@Happyhouseof5.com today.  

You can catch up on the other posts in the series here:
Potty Training in Our Happy House: Train in 3 days
Potty Training Tips and Tools

Potty Training in Our Happy House: It's a Stage by The Koala Bear Writer 

Potty Training in Our Happy House: When ready doesn't come by Spectrum of Blessings

Potty Training in Our Happy House: Training by Personality Type from Naps and Roadmaps