Let's paint the fence

My kids are always telling me they're bored even though they have a ridiculous amount of toys.  My mom told me that when we were little she used to give us a paint brush and a bucket of water and let us paint the deck.  By the time we thought we had "painted" everything the water had dried so we'd start again.  My kids love doing this.  I bought them each a special bucket and paint brushes from the dollar store and they couldn't wait to get started.

I hope this will keep your kids busy for hours.

Jenn

Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

This is another recipe from skinnytaste.com.  This salad is extremely filling and delicious.  I have never tried coconut chicken before and now I'm in love .  The dressing is also very good.  My husband isn't a fan of vinaigrette dressings and even he loved it.  This salad is only 398 calories.  You can also customize your salad using different veggies in it.

If you would like this recipe click here.


Enjoy

Jenn

Thanks A Latte - Gifts for Teachers

I usually have such a hard time deciding what to give to my daughter's teachers at the end of the year.  This year I had seen this idea on Pinterest and knew I had to make it.

THANKS A LATTE - GIFT CARD 

 Here is what you need to make this gift:

- card stock paper (or you can get it printed at Staples)

- Starbucks gift card

- Starbucks coffee cup sleeve
- glue stick
- tape


This is very easy to make it took me about 5 minutes.

To download the "Thanks A Latte" template click here .  I printed it on card stock since it is thicker paper.

After printing I glued the sleeve on and taped the gift card into the sleeve.
Then all you have to do is get your little one to sign it.


Jenn

Tips On How To Shape and Groom Your Eyebrows

I am by no means a pro at eyebrows.  My eyebrows are far from perfect.  I was a silly teenager and over plucked my brows for years and now I'm paying for it.  I sometimes watch YouTube to see what's good for make up, hair etc.  I found a girl named Kandee Johnson who is  make up artist.  She had a video on how to shape and groom your eyebrows.  I followed the steps in her video and found them very easy.  I am sharing this in hope that someone else will also find this helpful.  I suck at tweezing so that's what makes this way so much faster and easier.

What you'll need to do this is small eyebrow shaver, eyebrow brush and cuticle scissors. You may also need tweezers but you don't need to use them.

 I found that using the eyebrow shaver was very quick and painless.  I usually do my eyebrows once a month using this method.  I have never had a problem with hair growing back thicker using the shaver. I purchased the cuticle scissors and eyebrow shavers at Walmart for under $5. There was 3 shavers in a pack.

 Here is the how to video.

You should also check out more of Kandee Johnson's videos. I find her really entertaining and she offers great beauty tips.

Jenn

DIY Decor - Coffee Beans and Tea Lights

This is an easy DIY decor project. I went to Dollarama and purchased 2 ceramic bowls. I bought some french vanilla flavoured coffee beans from the grocery store and filled up the bowls with them. I made room to stick a tea light candle in the top. My house smelled amazing. When the smell starts to fade you can mix around the coffee beans in the bowl. When the smell is completely gone you can change the beans. Next time I think I'll buy hazelnut flavour.

Jenn

Healthy Food Choices Part 1

Since starting my weight loss journey, I have found many healthier alternatives to the foods I love .  Here are some of my favorites that not only taste great, but are also low in calories.


Chicken Bacon

I love bacon! Unfortunately regular bacon is obviously very high in fat and calories.  I found that chicken bacon tastes great and is only 60 calories for 2 slices.  It is already cooked so you just need to warm it up.  I usually make a bacon sandwich on either bread or an english muffin with cheese.  And unlike regular bacon it doesn't shrink during cooking.

Weight Watchers Bread

This bread is only 100 calories for 2 slices.  The bread is a bit smaller and thinner then regular bread.  It comes in whole wheat, white and multi-grain.

Smuckers Sugar-Free Jam

Smuckers has a variety of sugar-free jams. The ones I have tried are the blueberry and the orange marmalade.  They are only 20 calories for a tbsp.  My daughter also loves the blueberry one .

Wholesome Goodness Almond Drink

I love using this in smoothies instead of milk.  It's only 90 calories for a cup of the vanilla flavoured and only 60 calories for a cup of the original flavour. 

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite healthy foods.

Jenn

Fruit Loop Neckaces

Sorry I haven't written lately but my husband and I have just moved into our first home .  Moving with 3 young kids has been keeping me very busy.  Now that I'm mostly settled in I should have some more time to get on my blog.  The good thing about moving is there had been lots of  DIY projects I have been working on so I'll be writing about those soon.  To ease back into things I'm going to start back with a kids craft that I have used to keep my kids busy while I've been unpacking.



My 2 oldest love making Fruit Loop necklaces.  Not only is it a neat thing to make but it also gives them a snack to eat.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
-Fruit Loops
-plastic lace (you can find spools of it in the craft store)


For those of you that don't know, this is what plastic lace looks like.

All you do is cut a piece of the plastic lace and tie a loop knot on the end.  Pour some Fruit Loops in a bowl and let the kids thread it on.  Once they are done tie the ends together and let them wear and eat their creations.

Here are some pictures of my little ones making theirs. 

Isabella was a pro at this.

Dean couldn't wait till he was done.

Showing off their hard work.

YUMMY

Hope you all enjoy this with your kids.

Jenn