Turn The Page Tuesday: Week 5

It is Tuesday again and today we are celebrating the Berenstain Bears 50th anniversary and sharing some of our favorite bears books. I wanted share with you the website because it has fun activities on it and you can tour the bears tree house, too cute!

Berenstain Bears Official Website

Now on to my pick for today.

The Berenstain Bears Go Out For The Team

By: Stan and Jan Berenstain

I chose this book because my son loves it. Brother and Sister decide to try out for the community baseball team and it shares their journey. Jackson loves this book because he loves baseball. The story shows them make mistakes but they still make the team in the end. It is a cute story and the illustrations are great as they always have been. I loved growing up with these books and love that my kids will grow up with them too!

Recently Chik Fil A had 5 books in their happy meals. I of course collected them all and enjoyed reading them to Jackson and bed and nap times. I thought it was such a great idea that Chik Fil A offered them in their kids meals instead of silly toys that will end up tossed aside and never played with. I think they should continue to put great books like that in their kids meals.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far! 

What is your favorite Berenstain Bears book growing up as a kid?

***********************************************************

Want to Join in on the fun? Grab a button and link up! :)

<center> <a href="http://guldenab.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="TurnThePageTuesday” src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/TTPTmainbuttonAmanda.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

Flashback Friday and Oh So Much To Do!

It is finally Friday again and time for Flashback Friday! I have chosen a picture that isn't that old but it still feels so long ago. It was right after I had Ella, LITERALLY! It was around 9:00pm and Jackson had been such a trooper. He stayed in Brian's arms through the whole delivery, probably because he was scared of what he just witnessed, but that's okay because he won't remember. He crawled up into bed with me and passed out. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life. I'm sure there won't be tons of snuggle moments with my sweet little boy in the future as he gets older so I take what I can get and cherish all of of them! :) 

Now on to my weekend plans! We are going to Disneyland! I am so excited and so is the rest of my family. Jackson has been counting down and telling me everyday he is riding a plane to Disneyland! He then goes on to tell us who he gets to see there. I can't wait to see his face. After that we go to Brian's brother's wedding and get to see his whole side of the family. It will be a great trip!!! So, I will be absent for awhile from blogging but don't worry I am still going to share a book on Turn The Page Tuesday. If you are planning to link up and share a book then get your Berenstain Bears books ready and celebrate with us 50 years! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I know I will! ;)

Turn The Page Tuesday #4

It's that time of the week again for Turn The Page Tuesday. For all new readers, welcome! I always look forward to these posts because I enjoy sharing with all of you great children books. This week I have chosen a Disney book because my family and I are going to Disneyland this weekend and I am so excited. We have a few Disney books but I am going to share with you my son's favorite, Disney Pixar's First Look and Find, ABC's All Around.

ABCs All Around

Illustrated by: Sue DiCicco

This book doesn't have a story in it. It is a "search and find" book. I love these types of books because it has really taught my son new words and has done so through his and my favorite Disney Pixar movies. On each page there is a different movie with different things to find that start with a different letter of the alphabet.  

This book also grows with your child. On the last page is more activities for each page. You can go back and look for shapes or things that rhyme and so forth. I love books that are more interactive for kids and this one does just that! There is a whole series of these books out there and we already own 3. :)

Next week Rachel, my co-host of Turn The Page Tuesday, and I will be sharing our favorite Berenstain Bears book to celebrate their 50th anniversary. So if you want to link up next week then get your favorite Berenstain Bear book ready!

********************************************************

Want to join in on the fun then grab a button for your blog and link up! :)

<center> <a href="http://guldenab.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="TurnThePageTuesday” src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/TTPTmainbuttonAmanda.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

Virtual Book Club For Kids

So I have decided to link up with the the Virtual Book Club For Kids once a month to learn about other great children's books and activities and crafts to go along with them! This month the featured author is Lois Ehlert. I have chosen the book Fish Eyes because I did a wonderful craft with my son to learn his colors and numbers that involved fishing. This book is very cute and I love the colorful illustrations.

So here is my Fishin For Colors activity. I hope you enjoy!

1. You need to get all the supplies. You will need different color foam sheets, a dowel rod, 2 pieces of string, scissors, strong magnets, a pencil, and a fish pattern.

2.  Cut out the fish pattern and trace it on each color of foam sheet. 

3.  Cut the fish out of each foam sheet.

4.  Place a magnet on each fish. I placed my magnets on as eyes on the fish. 

5.  Then cut your dowel rod in half to make 2 fishing poles. Tie a piece of string on one end of the rod. 6.  Then cut a "J" shape out of a gray or black foam sheet to make a hook. Tie the "J" on the other end of the string and place a magnet on the "J"

7.  Repeat step 6 to make the second fishing pole

FISHIN' FOR COLORS

The whole project cost me $7.28. And it was totally worth it when I saw the smile on his face and watched him enjoy it so much. He fished on the floor, table, and tub (minus the water). I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine!

Don't forget Turn The Page Tuesday tomorrow!  Looking forward to see what great books everyone shares!

Hot Bacon and Cheese Dip on SEC Football Saturday

It's that time again! College football is on the TV again and too much food is being made. Auburn plays  Louisiana Monroe in a couple of hours and I am a little nervous. Louisiana Monroe beat Arkansas last weekend and they were ranked #8. It would be so great if our boys could pull it together and win today! I know my husband would be in a better mood if we win. Today we are making hot wings with our favorite Pluckers sauce and fried pickles. We are also making an Auburn staple, Momma Goldberg's nachos! Momma Goldberg's is a restaurant that started in Auburn and is located right off the stadium. It was somewhere we went often. So we like to make our version of their nachos which is Nacho Cheese Doritos with melted pepper jack cheese and sliced jalapenos. I will post this food in another post. Today I am sharing with you one of our favorite dips that we made a couple of weeks ago. It is Hot Bacon and Cheese Dip and is so good. Every time we go to other houses we bring this dip and always get good reviews. Hope you like it and have a great weekend!

Hot Bacon and Cheese Dip

by Amanda Gulden

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 15-20 min

6032586

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 c Mayo
• 2 tbsp chopped green onions, optional
• 8 oz Swiss Cheese, shredded
• 8 slices of Bacon, cooked and crumbled or 1 pkg Real Bacon Pieces
• 1/2 c Ritz Crackers, crushed
• French Bread, cubed to dip with

Instructions

1. Mix softened cream cheese, with 1/2 cup of mayo, swiss cheese, and green onions in a bowl
2. Transfer to a baking dish
3. Top with cooked, crumbled bacon and crushed crackers
4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly
5. Serve with cut up french bread

Powered by Recipage

Another Flashback Friday

Its finally Friday again and I am so excited because this time next week I will be finishing up our packing to go to Disneyland and San Diego! I grew up as a Disney World kid and my parents took us almost every other year. So to this day as soon as I see the Magic Kingdom I feel like a little kid again. I have family that lives in Orlando so we took Jackson to Disney World last Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun but I was 7 months pregnant with Ella so I couldn't do much. I know Jackson and Ella are still too young to appreciate the parks but they are free to go still and so since we are going to San Diego for a wedding we thought we would go to Disneyland too! Brian and I are really looking forward to seeing Jackson's reaction to everything, especially Mickey's house and Cars Land! No worries, I will take lots of pictures and share all of our wonderful memories! So for "Flashback Friday" I thought I would share a few pictures from our trip last Thanksgiving to Disneyland. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

A Wonderful Gift

Happy Wednesday everyone. The week is half over. :) I want to thank all those that took the time to stop by and learn about some great children's books. Hope you stop by next Tuesday to learn about another one too. I have been browsing some other blogs and came across a Virtual Book Club for Kids over at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas. It is a year long and you link up once a month with one of the books from the picked authors and an activity to go along with it. I love this idea because not only am I learning about more authors but also fun crafts and activities to go along with the books. I hope my son will enjoy it as much as I will. 

Now on to today's post! I got a gift recently in the mail from a very good friend of mine and fellow Army wife. I met her right after we moved to Fort Hood, TX, our first Army stop and my first real experience being a part of an Army family. She was the battalion commander's wife and really showed me the ways. She took me and some of my other fellow Army wives under her wing and took care of us and showed us the ropes. I am so grateful that she came in to my life and will be part of our family forever! Anyway, she sent a gift for Ella and included something in the box for me and Jackson too. She had aprons made for us and they all match. I love them because not only are they cute but they are also Army which is my life now. I was just telling a friend how I wanted to go buy a cute apron and now I don't have to worry about it. I can't wait for Ella to be big enough to wear hers. I also can't wait till Jackson and I bake together again and he can wear his! 

Matching Mother & Daughter Aprons (with Name Tape)

Jackson's Apron (with Name Tape)

***Aprons were made by EYM Sew Proud and can find her on Facebook!***

Turn The Page Tuesday #3

Welcome back toTurn The Page Tuesday! Today is our third week sharing wonderful children's books and this week I chose to share 2 books that we own and love!

They are part of a series called The Good Night Our World Series. They have a book for almost each state and some major cities. I love these books because it teaches Jackson things about the state he lives in. We originally were given Good Night Chicago from my sister because that is where she lives and where we are from and love to visit. Chicago is an important city to my family and so now he has learned a few things about it. After we moved to Colorado we bought Good Night Colorado. Not only has Jackson learned something from these books but my husband and I have. We have made a wish list of the places we want to see in Colorado before we move. :) I plan on continuing to buy these books as we move around the U.S. My next buy will be Good Night Texas because that is where Jackson was born and where we first lived after we got married.

On another note, I wanted to share a useful piece of information I learned last week. I was shopping online for children's books and came across Amazon's Bargain Books. They have certain books in surplus and sell them at a cheaper price. I think it is my new best friend. :) I found some great Halloween books and look forward to sharing those during the month of October. Hope you all enjoy this week's book selection and link up!

<center> <a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>="http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">guldenab</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com/" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> alt="TurnThePageTuesday” <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="http://i1212.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">photobucket</span>.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">TTPTmainbuttonAmanda</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jpg</span>" border="0" alt="<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Photobucket</span>" /></a></center>

<center> <a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>="http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">layfieldbaby</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com/" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> alt="<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">TurnThePageTuesday</span>" <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="http://i1212.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">photobucket</span>.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">TTPTmainbuttonrachel</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jpg</span>" border="0" alt="<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Photobucket</span>" /></a></center>

Weekend Fun

It is Monday again and I know my posts have slowed down. I have been super busy lately with keeping up with the house, kids, new friends, and getting things done before our vacation. We leave for Disneyland and San Diego in less than 2 weeks and are getting so excited! 

So now on to our weekend fun. We had some friends over for dinner Friday night and were able to celebrate their engagement that happened that morning. Then of course we sat around all day Saturday to watch college football and eat yummy food. It stunk that Auburn lost but hopefully they will get their act together and win some. And finally we spent Sunday running errands, doing some yard work, and making a stop at our favorite farmer's market called Sprouts. I love supporting our local farmers and getting good produce for my family, especially since I make Ella's baby food. Hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Flashback Friday and Ella is Officially Crawling

It is finally Friday again and that means Flashback Friday! I chose a picture of Jackson at the same age Ella is now and crawling because she officially started crawling last night. She has been doing the Army crawl for about a month but last night she crawled all over the living room and kitchen. She had a blast crawling to Jackson and loved her freedom. SO this weekend we are installing baby gates on the stairs! I am so glad that Ella decided to crawl when Brian was home. He was able to witness Jackson and Ella both crawling for the first time and I am so thankful for that. Being in the military he is going to miss things, i.e. my pregnancy with Jackson, and he has been fortunate enough not to miss anything important. We have been very lucky! He will be home early today so I better stop blogging and finish my chores around the house! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Don't forget to come back on Tuesday and learn about another great children's book during              Turn The Page Tuesday! 

Turn The Page Tuesday #2

It's Tuesday again and time for Turn The Page Tuesday. Today I wanted to share with all of you one of my favorite potty training books. My son is potty trained and still picks this book to read.

"Superhero Potty Time"

Written By Sue DiCicco

This book follows a little boy dressed like a superhero through the steps of going potty like most of the other books. But the reason this book stands out is because it has tabs to pull, flaps to lift, and a toilet to flush. You pull down the superhero's underwear, pull some toilet paper down, and of course lift the toilet seat and flush the pee pee away. The illustrations are so cute and so colorful. I am already planning on giving this book as a gift to a friend of mine who is about to have a baby boy. I know her little boy will enjoy it as much as mine does!

What book do you recommend during potty training?

************************************************************

Want to join in on the fun?

Click Here For More Info on Turn The Page Tuesday

Grab A Button For Your Blog

<center> <a href="http://guldenab.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="TurnThePageTuesday” src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/TTPTmainbuttonAmanda.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

<center> <a href="http://layfieldbaby.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="TurnThePageTuesday" src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc449/mandau36/TTPTmainbuttonrachel.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>