Mudpuppy Kids and Target || How Does Your Garden Grow Game

Mudpuppy Kids is back at it with another amazing game "How Does Your Garden Grow". The kids have been obsessed with this game ever since they sent us a copy and we couldn't love it more. You get your seeds that match up with a vegetable in the card stack. If you draw a veggie, you get to plant your seed and watch it grow by placing your veggie card in the garden. The first player to plant a full garden is the winner. Its geared toward ages 4+ but the younger ones also enjoyed it with a little help. My kids have really enjoyed it and can actually play it independently, which is a big plus in my book:) 

How Does Your Garden Grow is only available at Target and has been on sale a few times already. Keep your eyes out for a good deal!

Thanks to Mudpuppy for being so generous to us and providing us with fun games to share with our friends. I love posting about fun products simply because they are awesome and I want everyone to know about them:)

GIVEAWAY! || Mudpuppy Kids

We are gearing up to start our first year of homeschool with Owen in just a few weeks! Its hard to believe he's old enough to start school and even harder to believe that I'll be teaching him. I've never really been all about homeschool and I honestly think that there are so many routes to a great education, but i've really been encouraged by the idea that its *just* education. Of course, its important, but ultimately I want my kids to know how to live, not just how to learn. This idea has helped to take the pressure off and to really focus on the essentials, especially for Kindergarten. Something I really want to focus on is just enjoying our time working together and in that vein, I've been working on finding fun projects and games to help make school fun. We're going to be loosely following The Playful Pioneers Curriculum as well as mixing in our own math and reading (we're working through "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons"). 

While looking for some fun activities, I recently came across a really fun brand of interactive puzzles and games called Mudpuppy. If you're addicted to Chick-fil-a like we are, you may have seen their crafts in one of the kids meals:) Mudpuppy so kindly sent us a few puzzles and activities to try out and we have been LOVING them. Leni gets out her little "My First Puzzle Pairs" and works completely on her own for a good 10-15 minutes putting each one together. They also have English and Spanish words on each piece, so we've been working on getting acquainted with the sounds of Spanish (they also have a set with English to French!). Owen has been gravitating towards the "Map of the USA" puzzle, which actually has the puzzle pieces in the shapes of the states. All of Mudpuppy's products are really well made and adorably illustrated with clear pictures and words. Take a look for yourself and head over to their website to snag a few activities before the school year starts! (Bonus: if you follow Mudpuppy on facebook, you can get 30% off!)

GIVEAWAY!

Mudpuppy gave us a whole bunch of games and now they want to give you a whole set of fun games for your family! The prize pack includes: 1 Map of the USA Geography Puzzle, 1 Under the Sea Long Puzzle and 1 Spanish to English Ring Flash Cards for one lucky winner!

To Enter:

1. Head over to Instagram and follow both me (www.instagram.com/jmtrovato) and Mudpuppy (www.instagram.com/mudpuppykids).

2. Like my post on instagram and leave a comment tagging two friends you think need to know about Mudpuppy!

3. For an extra entry, leave a comment here giving me your best school tips and tricks!

Olaf Designs Studios

Today's giveaway is with the wonderful Olaf Designs Studio, an Australian label focusing on Vegan, Sustainable and Ethical designs. Run by the lovely Christina, ODS has a full line of breezy styles in beautiful fabrics ranging from Linen to Cotton Twill. 

I fell in love with the Tamarind Tee in Flax. As frivolous as it feels to talk about clothing in this day and age, I love finding something that is effortless and beautiful. As a mom, it can be easy to feel like skipping your nicer clothes when you're spending the day at home with the kids. But there is beauty in the everyday and having clothes that make you feel uplifted is definitely not frivolous. I love that Linen is so wearable and washable (and actually gets better when you wash it!). 

So in light of all that, Christina has graciously offered a $200 Gift Card to Olaf Designs Studio to the winner of our giveaway today!

 To Enter:

1. Head to Instagram, Follow me (@jmtrovato) and Olaf Designs Studio (@olafdesignsstudio)

2. Comment on my Instagram Post letting us know which pieces from Olafdesigns.com you would pick if you win.

3. For an extra entry, tag anyone on Instagram you think would love Olaf Designs Studio (who wouldn't?!)

4. And for one more bonus, Leave a comment hear telling me a favorite piece of clothing you have that makes you feel uplifted:)

If I were to win, I'd be picking the Turmeric Tee and Oleander Trousers for a full outfit.

Go get em!

Update: The winner is... @moody._.charlie on instagram! Thank you all for entering!

love it all

photo by L.A. Birdie

I'm constantly thankful that I grew up a Christian. No, I never had that life-changing moment of going from an unbeliever to a fired up new believer and I really don't have a very compelling testimony at first glance. Growing up Christian is kind of a long simmering process of watching how the words you know so well become real. All the verses I memorized and doctrines I studied and stories I read were a beautiful addition to my life, but watching them manifest in my life was when I felt the deep truth behind them. Its amazing how many things I grew up with that were so totally normal to me that many people do not get to experience. There is an entire culture that you are a part of as a christian. There are songs, rituals, food, traditions, books, ideas, philosophies and so much more that all make up this beautiful culture that I am a part of. I love that my children are singing The Lord's Prayer and tasting the same bread that I tasted when I was a child. They are used to talking about Christ and are already developing the natural desire to pray for someone when they see them hurting. These cultural things are already taking root in my children and are already growing fruit and it makes me so happy to know that the culture we are raising them in is one of joy, singing, eating and loving. Of course its not all they sing or read, but these are the things that make a daily appearance in our home without really trying.

There is a lot of talk about being intentional about your home life and obviously thats true but I think its also about just loving the right things and knowing that these will flow outward.  They are parts of us that have spilled out often from necessity of having sung every other lullaby and needing new material (psalms!), or wanting to have a more intentional lunch time (catechism comes out then), or needing that loaf of bread to fill out a measly dinner (communion bread ftw!). I love that God has provided us with things that are fill our needs in a most beautiful and delicious way.  These things might not really make sense to them right now in the grand scheme of their spiritual beliefs, but I know that these practices became real truth to me and will do the same for them. The deep heritage that we are instilling in them now will meet one day with the deep truth of Christ in the world.

Some of our favorites pieces of our daily culture: 

- Jesus Storybook Bible

- First Catechism

- Cantus Christi (includes a beautiful rendition of The Lord's Prayer)

- Cantica Sanctorum

Communion ( a.k.a. our daily:) Bread - Courtesy of my Mother in law Jana!

1 c. warm milk

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

4 c. flour

1 pkg. yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine.  Run the dough cycle.  Remove dough to baking stone, round pizza pan, shape into round loaf, cover and let rise for 15 - 20 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 15- 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, brush with butter.  Let cool on pan to ensure the insides get done.

few things

A few thoughts:

Wool Dryer Balls are awesome. I keep a bottle of Lavender Essential oil by my dryer and sprinkle 5-10 drops on the wool for every 2 loads or so. My clothes come out smelling so perfect and these last a good long time and are so much better than dryer sheets.

"Arrival" was a movie about aliens, but I really loved how they told more of a story about a person in a really unique and new way. Beautiful lighting and colors as well.

A few albums that i've enjoyed lately: A Tribe Called Quest's latest and final record, Devendra Banhart's Ape in Pink Marble  and of course Amy Grant's Home for Christmas hahaha

Speaking of music, I've been so averse to CCM music pretty much my whole life (except for my formative years in which Audio Adrenaline and Rebecca St. James were in our cd players CONSTANTLY), but I've recently been listening to the local Positive Hits radio station in the car and really enjoying it. Even if the music isn't always my favorite or stimulating, the words are good and helpful to me throughout the day. Hearing Owen singing "Hallelujah Amen" throughout the house makes it worth it to me and I honestly have been enjoying it. Its been wonderful to find myself singing praises to a catchy tune.

I'm getting ready for winter

A few things for this rainy, cozy day:

- My sister in law, Kelly, just started selling these Lavender Bundles on Amazon! She gave me a bundle to take photos of and ever since then it has been a mainstay on my dining room table. It has gotten so many compliments when people come in our door and many friends have leaned over to smell, thinking its real (I actually stuck a little lavender sachet in the bottom of the vase to give it a little more life-like smell:). Go check it out at Amazon and if you buy, make sure to leave a review!

- I have a blender, but I hardly use it. After trying this super simple green smoothie, I think I'll be using it a lot more. I was not expecting it to be very edible, but it was so sweet and the perfect spinach to coconut ratio:)

1 cup packed baby spinach
1 cup green seedless grapes
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup ice

- I recently bought this candle for my mother in law (actually on sale at Anthropologie, but its sold out), and it came in a cute little bag and smells amazing! Its a collaboration between Candlefish and East Fork Pottery and I just looooove the stoneware jar. It would actually make the perfect container for the lavender once the candle is burned! I've been using essential oils a lot for our home, but this and the new season makes me want to find some really nice candles to burn on the regular. The other candle I LOVE is from Douglas and Co. Detroit and its called Amber Bourbon. Yeah. Amazing. 

A few things

A few things:

- Budget Bytes is my new favorite food blog. I'm TERRIBLE at meal planning, but for the past few weeks I've been spending 15-20 minutes picking out recipes (some new, some staples) and this site has hooked me. So good and really cheap and a lot of really healthy whole foods.

- Speaking of delicious food, I've been trying to make that Massaman Curry from Lemongrass for YEARS. I just couldn't get it sweet like in the restaurant. I finally got as close as possible with the help of Trader Joe's Thai Yellow Curry Sauce. I did the jar, and made it go further with a can of coconut milk, a bit of cumin, curry powder, chili powder, ginger and then a teaspoon (give or take ya know:) of brown sugar, oh and then like a teaspoon of honey. So not the healthiest but not bad and about $20 cheaper than at Lemongrass. And we can have it whenever we want. Win-Win. I made it with Jasmine rice and some chicken, but some boiled potatoes, carrots and onion would put it over the top.

- Bikini Body Mommy 90 day challenge is wonderful. I'm not usually into stuff that is catered to "Mommies" (ick), but I gave this one a shot after seeing my sister do it and get to her healthiest and strongest bod (after three kids!) I put off committing to an exercise regimen for an entire year (!) after Lenora and just was not motivated to work out. I'd do pilates and yoga every now and again, but nothing was really helping me feel healthy. I just finished the BBM 5.0 workout and it was great. When I have a goal in mind, I feel really motivated, so making sure the kids had quiet time every day made enough time to get in a workout (and its only 20ish minutes a day). I feel so much stronger and healthier having completed the challenge. I'm now doing the maintenance series as well as Yoga with Adriene :) I highly recommend Bikini Body Mommy!

- And since I sound like such a mom up above, just to even things out, here is an inspiring blog, a fun workshop and a concert I would die to go to (Lauryn Hill + Nas omgzomgzomgz)