by armaggesin, seen on Flickr

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Hosting a party? Why not make it a "cooking party!"

Invite a few of your friends over and have them show you how to make one of their favorite recipes.

Your part is to …

• Make a peaceful, welcoming statement.  Capture the spirit of the event by dressing up your table. Use items you have around your home or simple items you have made.

It's a great feeling when you find simple ways to add comfort, joy and fun to a party.

For this event we created a "fall" theme by adding fall colored plates and table linens.  Running down the center of the table is an assortment of felt home made pumpkins.

• We added the "chef" hats for a little fun and to go along with the "cooking" theme.
• Each guest went home with a home made burlap bag filled with goodies.
• and a felt pumpkin from the table.

Hosting a party can be lots of fun, if you keep a few little things in mind.

• simple
• casual
• fun

Go ahead host an unforgettable party….I dare you.

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As a kid, my mom warned me about things like sitting too close to the TV, going outside with a wet head, and not letting my food digest before swimming. She even convinced me that eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda at the same time would cause my stomach to explode. While I can attest to the fact that Pop Rocks and soda do not, in fact, cause any bodily damage (other than a fun party-in-your-mouth effect), what about those other kernels of motherly advice? Is there any truth to them or were they all just scare tactics?

If you don’t wait an hour after eating before you go into the water, you’ll get stomach cramps and drown.
False. The idea behind this is that when your blood rushes to your stomach to help you digest food, you wouldn’t have enough circulation to keep your arms and legs working properly. The tale likely gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, when kids enjoyed local pools and lakes with far less lifeguard supervision than we have now. As a result, parents conjured up a way to keep kids at bay after lunchtime while they got some rest in. But according to HowStuffWorks, we have plenty of blood to keep all of our other parts running just fine after a meal. Some competitive swimmers even eat something immediately before a big meet to give them the energy they need to perform well. Also, during exercise, our bodies produce adrenaline that actually helps deliver oxygen to the muscles that need it most.

KEEP READING>>>>

original article by Danielle Samaniego

photo source

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The car line.

Monday through Friday from 2:10 until 2:40 if you need me, that's where I am.

Sitting in my car.  Waiting.

Along with about 100 other parents who are sitting in their cars waiting.

I try to find productive things to do… catch up on phone calls to family, read a book, write notes to church members.  I look busy but I'm waiting.

It's true in my Christian life too. I look busy.  I'm teaching, singing on the praise team, visiting those in need but really I'm waiting.

Waiting on the Lord.

Waiting for direction.

Waiting for clarification.

Waiting for the next step.

And just like I find great joy in seeing my daughter run to my car every day, so I am learning to find joy in waiting on the Lord.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope."

Psalm 130:5, NASB

Photo by Leonardo Pires

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This is why when my daughter came home with her second grade school pictures, I couldn't fit one more picture in the frame! It wouldn't shut! I figured maybe it was time to do something about it. My mom suggested putting them in a box. That didn't appeal to me – I mean, this is my daughter's face we're talking about.

Instead, I purchased a 12" x 12" scrapbook. I picked a solid color cover with no frills whatsoever – I wanted to be organized, not break the bank. While I was at the store, I picked up some adhesive photo corners (you can find them in the scrapbook section).

Mind you, I'm not a scrapbooker – my plan was not to get carried away with embellishments and page layout fuss. That's outside my skill-set. Instead, my daughter and I sat down and from her very first studio photo to her first grade photo, looked at the way she's grown and changed in the past seven years. She smiled at seeing her baby face and her pretty dresses and her chubby cheeks. In one picture, we remembered how she had just had stitches removed from her forehead after a mishap with a chair.

We put one picture on each page, secured with photo corners only – this allows you to remove the picture later if you'd like. We also wrote her age beneath each picture. We'll continue to add to this album as years go by.

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Is anyone else going through Glee withdrawal? I mean, baseball is great and all, but when you mess with my Glee-watching? Not cool.

Fortunately, the good people in charge of all things Glee saw this coming (Apparently this baseball deal happens every year. Who knew?), and they’ve released the first Glee Soundtrack this week!

No longer do you have to scour Youtube for the best recordings of your favorite Glee songs. (What? Don’t even tell me I’m the only one who did that!) You can own the soundtrack today.

Here’s the list of songs:

1. Don't Stop Believin'
2. Can't Fight This Feeling
3. Gold Digger
4. Take a Bow
5. Bust Your Windows
6. Taking Chances
7. Alone (featuring Kristin Chenoweth)
8. Maybe This Time (featuring Kristin Chenoweth)
9. Somebody to Love
10. Hate on Me
11. No Air
12. You Keep Me Hangin' On
13. Keep Holding On
14. Bust a Move
15. Sweet Caroline
16. Dancing With Myself
17. Defying Gravity

Glee will be back with a new episode on November 11. And more good news? Volume 2 will be released on December 8.

What’s your favorite Glee song so far?

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Because I am your friend, I will be honest with you.  If you are a chick, and you have birthed a child, you most likely need to get yourself some shapewear. Whether you are a size 8 or 18, you've probably got some jiggle that you don't want putting on jell-o show for everyone when you are wearing your pretty new dress to your cousin's wedding,  your best friend's Christmas party, or that blog conference you've been excited about for months.

You can get it away with "letting it all hang out" if you are pregnant, or if you are this guy:

(Ahh, forgive me! Fat cats are funny!)

I've tried a few different types of shapewear over the past year, and ladies, these things are not your grandma's girdle.  Modern shapewear keeps everything tucked in and smooth and makes it as comfortable as possible. I SWA-AIR!  Last year, prior to BlissDom, when people asked me what I was wearing I always mentioned that I'd be wearing "so much under-armor I'll KLINK when you hug me!"  I need shapwear!  I'm not ashamed!  Shapewear will make you feel much more confident about yourself, and will make your clothes look and feel better. GETCHA SOME.  I'll even lay out some options for you!

I like this bottom by n-finishape, it's really comfy and freezes my jiggle as long as I have it on:

And I LOVE all the options for up-top that Slimpressions offers.  I tried three of them last year and loved them all.  And I know several reputable and very fashionable people who are big fans of Yummie Tummie.  (And may I say, that I *adore* the fact that Yummie Tummie has a nursing tank available! Shapewear for the nursing mama? Yes, please!)  OF course, there's also the original that inspired this decade's shapewear craze, Spanx.  Maidenform Shapeez is also a good one that I've tried, and I hear that Dr. Rey's, sold at Sears, is great also but I've never tried it.

So, what I am saying is, you have lots of options!  Invest in some shapewear!  It will become a beloved wardrobe staple and will go a looooong way in helping Fight the Frump!

Now it's your turn!  Tell us how YOU fight the frump!  Link up your fashion and beauty posts from this week, and link back to this post.  Mr. Linky (and the world) is waiting – link up!

________________________

Photos: threefatcats on flickr, n-finishape

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Lady Jen of Joy Ever After has 13 reasons she loves being married to her husband:

1. He is the world's most handsome hunk!

2. He takes providing for his family seriously…and does it well.

3. He is a spiritual leader that helps keep me on track.

4. He loves me just the way I am…and always has.

5. He is a terrific father.

6. He has awesome good looks! (Oh, did I already say that?)

7. He is a real man of which I can be proud.

8. He treats me like his queen and appreciates what I do for him.

9. He never tells me to stop talking! (Yes, he is close to sainthood, as a matter of fact!)

10. He never forgets a special occasion and always treats them with importance.

11. He is simply gorgeous! (Oops…there it is again…can't help myself!)

12. He can cook. (Although I try not to take advantage of it, there is definitely a relief in knowing my children are getting more than Doritos and candy bars when I am in the hospital or otherwise incapacitated.)

13. I fall deeper in love with him every day!

Originally posted on Joy Ever After on June 18, 2009

It could be a list, a poem, a letter, a memory, whatever strikes your fancy. Do you have a reason to "Brag On Him"? We want to hear it! Please e-mail me at malia@blissfullydometic.com

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Parenting is hard work. VERY hard work with no monetary pay. But the economy still has a huge impact on the stress that comes with parenting. MSNBC ran a great story about how these troubled economic times are adding stress to clashes over parenting. It's logical that when a family is worried about how they are going to pay their bills, the tension can mount and spill over into every other area of life. Unfortunately, the kids get caught in the crossfire. And marriages suffer.

So what can we do to recession-proof our parenting? How can we minimize the impact a poor economic situation has on our family's stress-levels?

• Make a conscious decision to be on the same team with your partner. Don't let the kids know you're in disagreement regarding a parenting choice. Because saavy kids (and aren't they all saavy these days?) will DIVIDE AND CONQUER!
• Find inexpensive or (better yet) free activities you can do as a family. If you're still finding ways to play together, you'll be less likely to be at each other's throats. But if your play is further busting your budget…it will only lead to more conflict.
• Take the time to encourage one another. I know I forget to tell my husband how much I appreciate that he works two jobs to keep our family going. I need to do better.
• Make saving money a family affair. Get the kids involved in coupon-clipping or organizing. Have a family yard sale and give them their own area for selling toys they have outgrown or gotten tired of.
• When you feel yourself about to lose your cool with the kids, take a moment to evaluate the REAL source of your stress. It's not your child's fault you're worried about losing your job or making the next mortgage payment.
• Remain consistent in your disciplining. If stress makes you lenient sometimes and hard-nosed other times, your children are going to be terribly confused. Likewise, if one parent reacts to the stress by adopting an anything-goes mentality with the kids and the other becomes a drill sergeant…well…that's obviously not going to play out well in the long run.

Above all, remember that your family will hopefully be around long after our economy picks back up. Focus on keeping things as positive as possible until that happens. Hang in there!

Photo source

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For more great videos like these and fantastic tips from teachers check out The K5 Blog.

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