Photo by Wendy Santiano

Are you ready to Light the World? On December 1st, Mormon.org will be kicking off the Christmas season with a worldwide day of service. My friend Wendy and I got a jump start on serving with our families and I am so excited to share our experience with you!

Why participate? Because you have so much to give! This year I discovered that even in difficult times, I have something to offer.  Every year I prayerfully choose a few words to live by. For 2016 I was strongly impressed to “give more.” When these words first came to my mind, I laughed and then I cried. My husband had been laid off and I was working around the clock. I was tired, mentally and physically. I felt I was already giving all that I had to keep our family afloat.

So I humbled myself and accepted the challenge to give more. It forced me to be creative. Waking in the early morning hours, I began indexing more. We donated clothes and shoes to Deseret Industries and Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry South County. We collected toys and supplies for an orphanage in Italy. We prayed for daily opportunities to serve.

As we increased our service efforts, it was humbling to see our blessings multiply as well. Blessings appeared when we needed them most. Mentors, jobs, and opportunities came at just the right moments. It has been an amazing year and I have much to be grateful for.

For example, late one night there was a knock on our doorstep. Opening the door, I discovered grocery bags filling our small doorstep and spilling out onto the sidewalk. Bags overflowed with pasta, baking supplies, and more. Alongside them sat cases of soup and vegetables followed by large bags of flour and rice.

As we brought the groceries into our home, our 9 year old daughter danced circles around us singing, “We are so blessed. Somebody loves us. We are so blessed.”  This made me cry even more. This is what I wanted my daughter to remember during this tough time – that we were so blessed. That God loves us and will answer our prayers.

My heart bursts when I think of the many ways others have served us this year. Equally just as wonderful are the feelings that have come about as we have served others. Even tiny hands can make a big difference. My children know that they can work hard and do good things.

Photo by Wendy Santiano

One of my favorite service opportunities is working with Tabitha’s Way in Spanish Fork. Last week, we helped sort out cans for their Thanksgiving baskets. Earlier this year, we were able to go in for a family night to stock shelves. They do so much good for the community, it is fun to work alongside them! If you are in Utah County email them at info.tabithas@gmail.com to see how your family can help!

Photo by Wendy Santiano

There are so many ways to serve during this Christmas season! Check out the Light the World homepage to discover inspiration for 25 days of service with your family.

The post Light the World – Blessings from Giving and Receiving appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Halloween time is here and our October has been jam packed with fun, fall things to do in Utah! Today I’m sharing a few of our family favorites so that you can join in on the fun!

Photo Courtesy of Living Planet Aquarium

Skeletons, Spiders, and Sea Life – Oh My! 

The Haunted Aquarium in Draper is SPOOKTACULAR! All your favorite aquarium attractions with the added fun and flair of Halloween – skeletons, tombstones, spider webs and more! From skeleton dives with the sharks to pirate alchemy to trick or treating, you don’t want to miss out. The fun starts on October 21st and continues through Halloween – be sure to check their web-site for the full schedule.  See more of our spooky favorites from our visit to the Haunted Aquarium on Facebook Live and Instagram, too.

Photo Courtesy of Springville Museum

Halloween Party at Springville Museum of Art

We are excited to be adding a new party to our list this year! This one is held at the Springville Museum of Art on Wednesday, October 26th from 5 pm to 8 pm. Believe me, I am jumping at the chance to combine Halloween fun with culture. The Museum of Art is a local treasure and I’ll take any chance I can get to expose my kiddos to it! There will be Halloween games, treats, scary stories, art projects and more for the kiddos to enjoy as they explore the haunted halls of art. Plus it’s another chance to wear fun costumes!

Little Haunts – This is the Place Heritage Park

Head to Salt Lake for some old-fashioned, non-scary Halloween fun with Little Haunts at This is the Place Heritage Park.  Trick or treat in the pioneer village, visit the Story Witch, make take-home crafts and have so much fun! Plus my kids can’t get enough of the pony rides, train rides, and panning for gold! Little Haunts is this weekend as well as October 29th.  Be sure to visit their site and print off a coloring page in advance so your kids can enter the contest as well!

Jakers Pumpkin Patch

Halloween isn’t complete without a visit to the pumpkin patch! Jakers in Springville is especially fun for the younger kiddos! Love that they open at 9 am – perfect for moms with preschoolers.  Jump in the corn pile, take a hay ride or get lost in a maze – lots to do! Plus pumpkins start at $2.

Witch Fest at Gardner Village

This one has been a family favorite for almost 10 years and it just keeps getting better. The witch scavenger hunt is a must for us and it always ends with cheese bread and hot chocolate at the bakery. It’s a fantastic mix of Halloween for adults and children. Mom gets to check out the gorgeous shops an the kids get to have fun, too! My kids love the play area and I love the atmosphere. Dressing up makes it even more fun! Check out the schedule of events here. 

Cornbelly’s at Thanksgiving Point

Cornbelly’s is another attraction that just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year.  There’s so much to do that I am not surprised that they added season passes.  Spooky shows, haunted mazes, fireworks and more! Their fun lasts all of October. You can check out their calendar of events here. 

Scarecrow Walk at Homestead Resort

If you want to experience a true October in Utah, you have to head up the canyon to Midway. I guarantee it will be the prettiest fall experience you have this year. We love the quaintness of the Scarecrow Walk at Homestead Resort and the stunning foliage everywhere you look. Stop by the Homestead gift shop for some fudge before you go out and hike one of the many gorgeous trails! Here are a few more for our Midway favorites.  Make a weekend of it and enjoy a relaxing stay at the Homestead, too! 

What are your favorite family friendly Halloween activities in Utah?

The post Family Favorite Halloween Activities in Utah appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

I love that both of my little boys costumes are perfect for Utah Halloweens. I hate having to cover up their cute costumes with coats. They’ll be warm and cozy in their full body suits this year.

When we are done with all these adorable costumes, it is nice to know that we can donate them back to Deseret Industries. Donations are tax deductible and help fund local training programs for employees in my community.

The post How to Score Ridiculously Inexpensive Halloween Costumes! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

If you were enchanted by the Midway Ice Castles, you’ve got to check out Ryan Davis’ and Richard Holdman’s latest holiday masterpiece – the Christmas in Color drive thru in Kearns, Utah.

My family oohed and ahhed through the mile-long winding drive that showcases over 1 million LED lights synchronized to Christmas music.  From the decorated elf houses to the larger than life Christmas trees, this drive thru has made our list of yearly Christmas traditions. Located adjacent to the Olympic Oval, tickets to Christmas in Color are already selling out so make sure that you get it scheduled into your holiday fun next week!

Upon arrival, you set your radio to a specific channel and then the holiday magic begins! My four year old was wowed by the light tunnels. Be sure to slow down and give yourself time to enjoy the magic through the tunnels. My personal favorite were these jumping lights!

With the kids out of school this week, it’s the perfect time to get dressed in Christmas pjs and take a drive to see the lights. I’ve done this with my family since my childhood and it is just as magical as an adult! I love that there are new and exciting light shows like this one that I can share with my family.

Here are the details! You will get the BEST price buying your tickets in advance online.  Tickets are sold in slots of 30 minute increments, and are selling out fast. You can arrive anytime within the purchased 30 minute time period. Admission is not guaranteed if you arrive outside of your purchased time slot. Buy tickets here.

Where: Located on Ed Mayne Street in Kearns, UT next to the Olympic Oval:
When: 11/27/15 to 1/02/16Open from: 5:30pm – 11:00 pm
Closed Sunday
Ticket Prices:
Monday – Thursday $20 per car
Open from: 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Friday, Saturday, and Christmas week $25 per car

Christmas in Color and I would like to share holiday magic with five lucky families! I am giving away three gift codes for a car load each on the Rafflecopter below as well as two additional gift codes on my social media! Be sure to follow myself and Christmas in Color for these giveaways!

Christmas in Color of Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Holiday Lights get Magical with Christmas in Color + Giveaway! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

I love this time of year and the reminders to express more gratitude than usual. It’s truly a message I need year round! This holiday season, I wanted to do an activity with my children to work on our daily gratitude. As I’ve mentioned before, when something needs to get done in our family … we tie it to something that absolutely has to be done every day! Thus we have a lot of seasonal traditions tied to meal time.

After making this darling and easy Give Thanks Mason Jar (instructions below) for Super Saturday (a neighborhood crafting event), I decided to put it to use as our daily gratitude jar. At every meal, we each take a few dried beans and put one in the jar to represent something we are grateful for. My kids are loving it and I love hearing what they have to say. Our thankfuls range from “I am thankful it might snow soon,” to “I am thankful for beef stroganoff,” to “I am thankful for Super Mario brothers.” Too much fun!

The Give Thanks Mason Jar was super easy to make. Here’s what you need:

Mason Jar

Beans,

Thank you Vinyl Stickers or you can make your own vinyl saying with a Cricut.

Frosted Glass Spray Paint

1. Start with a clean Mason Jar. The oils from your hands can make the spray paint not stick correctly. I put mine on the ground on top of cardboard to spray.

2. Apply vinyl sticker.

3.  Follow the directions on the spray paint bottle to frost your Mason Jar.  I did three coats on mine. Using a blow dryer helped to speed up the drying process!

4. Start giving thanks at meal times!

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

The post Simple Thanksgiving Craft and Daily Gratitude Activity for Children appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

July is one of my favorite months. I love celebrating the 4th of July and pioneer day on the 24th. I’m a history geek so I try to expose my children to as much historical goodness as I can. From learning about our pioneer heritage to celebrating the freedom of our country, there is so much to do this month! I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite family-friendly activities in Utah to help celebrate the 4th of July and the 24th of July.

1. Freedom Festival in Provo, Utah. Provo is the place to be for the 4th of July. Stadium of Fire is always a favorite with the big-name entertainment as well as plenty of local talent. I’ve only been once, but it was the year Brad Paisely sang and it was fantastic! However, some of the lesser-known Freedom Festival activities are actually at the top of our list of family traditions in July.

2.  Colonial Heritage Festival in Provo, Utah. I came across this free four-day event at Scera park by accident one year and it has been a favorite ever since. My kids love traveling back in time with the interactive exhibits.

From attending Colonial School to spinning yarn, we easily spend at least half a day at the Colonial Fest. Be sure to take some cash for the homemade bread and cookies!

It’s always fun to see the kids doing the children’s chores, too!

3. Balloon Fest in Provo, Utah  was our very first new 4th of July tradition. It is a fun way to start your day early! We typically go on the 2nd or 3rd. Be sure to get there before 6:30 am so that you can see the balloons being filled up. The launch happens pretty quickly so you want to be on time. We take a picnic breakfast and chairs.

4. Fiesta Days in Spanish Fork.  The fireworks on the 24th of July are amazing! There is also a parade in the morning and a community play in the afternoon. This year my daughter is excited to be in Beauty and the Beast! The play runs all week – you can get tickets here

5. Days of 47 Float Preview Party – Sandy, Utah. Growing up, I loved getting up early and going to parades downtown with my family. As a mom of littles, that just doesn’t work out for us anymore. I was thrilled to discover a different way to experience the floats with my children – the float preview party! Each year we head to the South Towne Expo Center and get up close and personal with the floats. All the floats are on display and many of them have interactive elements to engage and entertain the children. This is when the public votes on their parade favorites, so the float owners pull out all the stops! We still watch the Days of 47 parade on TV, but from the comfort of home. The kids have fun trying to spot their favorite floats from the preview party.

Just typing up this post has me giddy for all the fireworks and excitement this month! If you are looking for things do in Utah this month with your family – be sure to add these events and activities to your calendar!

What are your favorite 4th of July traditions?

Do you celebrate the 24th of July?

The post Things to do in Utah for the 4th and 24th of July appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

One of our favorite family New Year’s traditions is doing interviews with each of our children New Year’s Eve. We ask similar questions each year and their answers still make me giggle! If your kids are anything like mine, they love hamming it up for the camera. The interviews are a fun way to pass the time until midnight and they make a great keepsake for those babies who are growing up way to fast! Here is Lily’s interview from a few years ago – I can’t believe how much she has grown!

For the year in the video, we used these fun questions from this post by How Does She and then added a few of our own. Here are the questions. Feel free to modify and have fun with them!

1. What is your name?

2. How old are you?

3. What is your mom’s name?

4. What does your mom do during the day?

5. What is your dad’s name?

6. What does your dad do during the day?

7.  What is your favorite color?

8. What is your favorite thing to eat?

9. What don’t you like to eat?

10. Who are your friends?

11. What is your favorite song? Can you sing it for me? ( PS The song at 2:00 in the video is my favorite!)

12. What are your siblings’ names?

13. Where is your favorite place to go?

14. What is your favorite thing to do?

15. What do you like about Mom? (Dad, brother, etc.)

16. What do you want to be when you grow up?

17. What does your sibling like to do?

18. What was the favorite toy you got for Christmas?

19. What do you like about yourself the most?

I also like these year end time capsule questions by Today’s Mama. I love that it has questions for the child and the parent! Maybe I will get in front of the camera this year, too, and share my favorite memories of the kiddos!

For more fun activities to do on New Years with children, check out my New Years Pinterest Board!

What does your family do for New Years?
Does your family like making home videos?

The post New Years Eve Interviews appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Photo Courtesy of Jarvie Digital Photography (http://www.jarviedigital.com/)

It’s not every day you get to cross multiple items off your bucket list with your seven-year-old daughter. Lily and I joined over 1,000 volunteers and talented Youtubers and musicians to help create an amazing music video and beat the Guinness Book record for Largest Live Nativity.

It was the perfect way to usher in the Christmas season and the experience was not at all what I expected. Upon signing up for the opportunity, I was excited to help beat the record and perhaps have the opportunity to meet the likes of David Archuleta, Mindy from Cute Girls Hairstyles, Alex Boye, Studio C cast members, and others. What came about was an entirely different experience which I am excited to share below. But first, please watch the extraordinary video!

Can you feel it? This beautiful collaboration brought together The Piano Guys, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Stuart Edge, the Shaytards, and many others in a massive effort to #SharetheGift and the true meaning of Christmas.

Singing with the Tabernacle Choir on the Rock Canyon Park hillside as we looked down on the nativity scene brought me to tears. What it would have been like to witness the Savior’s birth! I held my seven year old up for several hours as we completed camera take after camera take in the cold. Several times I asked Lily if she was too cold and wanted to leave. Her response, “Mom! This is important. We need to sing for the baby Jesus so that people will know how special this is.” Yes, she realized that it wasn’t the real baby Jesus, but she also recognized the truly precious and vital message that was being shared. Jesus Christ is the gift.

Here’s a little behind the scenes of our memorable experience.

When I first heard of the collaboration for the Largest Live Nativity, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. My daughter and I had done extra work for Just Let Go (coming out in 2015) so I knew that Lily would be up for the challenge. We bundled up in our white clothes and were thrilled for slightly warmer temperatures that day. Lily was able to wear my baptism dress one more time. Loved this since she is already outgrowing it and won’t be able to wear it for her baptism day next June.

Joining the long line of angels at Rock Canyon Park in Provo, my little angel spent the time waiting and twirling to her heart’s content. Patience is definitely needed as an extra and Lily is getting pretty good at entertaining herself! My favorite part of the waiting was getting to know the people around us. We practiced words to the beautiful song you heard in the video, exchanged stories, and bonded together in the cold. Looking back, I wish I had gotten their names. The name of the kind women who loaned Lily her jacket on the hillside. The name of the mother/daughter duo who we laughed with in between camera takes (how we were wishing that we had Snuggies in white!). The name of the teenagers who were kind and laughed at all of Lily’s jokes while we waited in our formation with the LED lights. All good people!

The first part of the evening was the actual breaking of the Guinness Book World Record for Largest Live Nativity. Lily adores animals and was in heaven petting the lambs, camel, and donkey.

Next came practicing with our LED angel costumes. Since Lily was under the age of 12, we had originally only signed up to be part of the World Record. I was a little disappointed to not be part of the video, but didn’t know how much Lily would be up to doing at the park. She did amazingly and begged to stay when they asked for more volunteers. So we were in! This little gal did so well following the directions and waiting patiently even when the temperatures dropped after the sun set.

Lily and I loved checking out the technology used for the video shoot. She was fascinated by the giant balloons that held the cameras during our light scene. The drone on the hillside was pretty cool, too! The sheer organization and man power it took to organize this successful attempt a the World Record was incredible. Each of our spots was marked out on a grid on the ground for the aerial light scene at the end of the video.

When I signed up for this experience, I went into it as a blogger and as a fun experience to share with my daughter. What fun to sing with the Tabernacle Choir and be in a music video!  I came away with so much more. Even if you look very close, you probably won’t catch sight of Lily and I in the video (you can catch a quick glimpse of us 3:08 and in the picture below), but I know we were there and I know what we felt. What a privilege be a part of such an undertaking to share the true meaning of Christmas.

As we sang on the hillside, I couldn’t help but be overcome by emotion. What joy the heavens must have felt when the Savior of the World was born! Lily asked me if we might have been angels at the Savior’s birth long, long ago. I told her that I didn’t know for sure, but that I sure hoped so! Lily sang her little heart out and quickly memorized the words to the song. Watching her sing Gloria time after time after time, filled my heart! That night we went home full of excitement at what we had just had witnessed and experienced.

This one experience captured an important lesson in life for me. We each have an essential part to play. Some are angels. Some are shepherds. Some are directors. Some are cameraman. Without each person in the cast of over a thousand, the world record and music video would not have been possible. As it is with life, we show up – ready to do whatever is asked of us. Sometimes we need to experience the same things repeatedly in order to learn the full lesson being taught. Sometimes the weather or other variables don’t cooperate with what we are trying to accomplish, but we unite in prayer and keep moving forward to the end goal. In the end, something beautiful and inspiring is created. Every cold moment,  every dark moment, every moment waited is worth it. And the reason it is worth it is because of what our Savior Jesus Christ has promised us.

May we all keep moving forward in our life’s goals and stories together and remember to #sharethegift this holiday season. If you would like to see more inspiring videos about the true meaning of Christmas please visit this web-site. You can download a free track of the beautiful song from the music video at this link. Please share!

What is your favorite Christmas memory this year?

The post World’s Largest Live Nativity and an opportunity to #SharetheGift appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

This year I was finally prepared for the Halloween candy aftermath! I was up before dawn with my trusty Scotch Thermal Laminator and Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches (these have been worth their weight in gold this year!) making Halloween candy math games and studying candy experiments. If we’re all going to be on a sugar high the day after Halloween – we may as well learning something while we are at it!

My quick work did not disappoint. All three children (ages 3-7) had a blast doing Halloween math games and Halloween candy experiments. It easily held their attention this morning and was completely adaptable to each of their grade levels.

First up was candy graphing with M&Ms and Skittles as pictured above. I used this 2 inch printable graphing paper from Classroom Jr – perfect size for candy counting! And then I laminated those babies so that we can use them again next year! Before we started graphing with the M&Ms, we each guessed which color we would have the most of. The winner – orange! Interesting, huh?

After the graphing, we took a math break and did some candy science. We attended the BYU Chemistry Magic Show a few weeks ago and the kids loved it! (PS if you are in the Utah County area in October – you’ve got to attend!) I knew that doing our own candy experiment would be a hit.

I gave each child a small glass of water and instructed them to a put a skittle or M&M in the water. We then guessed what we thought would happen and eagerly watched to see if our guess was correct.

They correctly guessed that the color would come off of the candy, but they were so surprised when the letters, S & M, floated to the top. Definitely candy magic!

We also discovered that the skittle reacted much more quickly with the water than the M&M did.

And here’s another shot of the S floating to the top. Very cool when you are a five year old!

Next up was more laminated fun with M&Ms. I laminated these quick and easy math pages from the Mama Miss. Both my kindergartner and second grader had fun figuring out different ways to add to a certain number with their candy pieces.

Surprisingly, my kids didn’t gobble up all the candy. They were having too much fun doing the Halloween math games! I think having access to their candy in the morning and having fun with it helped to dull their immediate need to devour the entire bag like some years.

One aspect of this post-Halloween learning time that I loved was that my kindergartner began making up his own games. If you remember from my Halloween Pumpkin Learning Activities post, this boy loves to make patterns! Perfect way to use those M&Ms and Skittles again!

We had so much fun together this morning and I am thrilled to have them laminated for next year. I’m sure we will use them throughout the next week or so and then save them for next year (or the next time we have an influx of candy!)

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

How do you handle the Halloween candy in your house?

The post Four Ways to Use Up Your Halloween Candy – Math Games & Candy Experiments! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Date night just got spookier Utah! The husband and I attended a VIP event at Evermore Park Pumpkin Fest on Saturday and were blown away by the haunting details and stunning technology. This is not your average haunted forest and pumpkin festival peeps! Here’s a little sneak peek to what awaits:

Think choose your own adventure meets Halloween haunt meets Victorian time period. Did I scream like a little girl and push  my husband ahead of me in the twists and turns in the mausoleum – oh yes! Did I stop to oogle all the ah-mazing costumes when I was done screaming – that’s another yes!

The Evermore Pumpkin Fest includes an exhilarating jaunt through a haunted cemetery where you can complete one of four different quests (or keep going back to complete all four!) This was my husband’s favorite part. An interactive haunted quest – sign him up! I liked that it was subtly scary at times rather than in your face scary all the time. This totally makes it more spooky to me. All inhabitants of the tavern and cemetery are in character and interact with you. I believe it is the first time I have talked with someone on a haunted excursion before!

Word has it that the always in character residents of the tavern and haunted cemetery are very accommodating to all ages. But if a haunted cemetery isn’t your thing, there is plenty for the little ones to do as well! There are hundreds of jack o lanterns all designed and displayed in a unique fashion from the entrance archway to the giant pumpkin character at the end of a hay bale maze.

Don’t miss the street entertainers while you are checking out the pumpkins! You may even come across a 20 pound blood python or the birds of Evermore which were definitely crowd favorites amongst the kids and adults.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. TONIGHT (Wednesday, October 29th, 2014) is the PERFECT night to go to Evermore Park because not only will you be treated to all of the above, but there will also be a music festival starring Mindy Gledhill, Fictionist, and more! Get tickets online in advance for $5 off. Steal of a deal for a haunted excursion and a concert!

My husband and I had a blast at  Evermore Pumpkin Fest and definitely think it is the new haunted place to be in Utah. If you are looking for a fun activity to do with family or friends this week for Halloween, look no further. From college students to the littles, it’s fun for all ages.

One of my favorite parts of our VIP experience at the Pumpkin Fest was hearing from owner and visionary of Evermore,  Ken Bretschneider. While the grounds of Evermore hold the Pumpkin Fest this year, tentative plans are underway to begin construction on a multi million dollar adventure theme park that is both interactive and immersive. John and I marveled at the miniature set of the park that included a  graveyard and hedgemaze, a high-tech hotel, a water park nestled into a cliffside castle, a Victorian village straight from Dickens, a church complete with catacombs to explore underneath, a derelict pirate ship and hideaway cove and much, much more. Be sure to follow Evermore Park on facebook to keep up to date!

To say we are excited for it is an understatement! But for now, my husband is ready to go back and choose his next quest at the Evermore Nightshade Cemetery! Head on over tonight and catch Mindy Gledhill! Remember, tickets are $5 off if you preorder online. The Pumpkin Fest runs through November 1st and is located off exit 275 in Pleasant Grove.

The post Evermore Pumpkin Fest – Choose your haunt! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Let it Go. Let it Go! Have you heard that delightful song as much as I have this year? My daughter loves Frozen and so do her cousins! When we went to Walt Disney World, her cousin was lucky enough to score an Anna dress to take to the Bibbidi Boppity Boutique! Isn’t she a darling Anna? Something tells me that these costumes are going to be hot for Halloween this year! Excited to share some Frozen Hair Tutorials at the bottom of this post (skip to them if you just can’t wait) and also let you know about a FABULOUS sale on 8/28 on zulily that you cannot miss if you have a little Elsa or Anna wannabe! But first … these shoes.

Seriously. Adorable.

My sister-in-law and I did some shopping before our big trip to help keep the costs down. One of my favorite places to score deals on Disney merchandise is zulily. I scored this adorable swimsuit and cover-up for under $25! The savings for the Frozen sale are just as amazing – up to 60 percent off! Save those extra pennies for my next Disney vacation! (PS – if you are getting ready to book your 2016 Southern California vacations – check out Get Away Today for amazing deals! Use my special code – KMFWM – to get $10 off your vacation package!)

Let’s get a closer look at the adorableness. I also picked up swimwear for my boys as well from zulily.

Love saving on adorable vacation wear! So here are the details for the zulily Frozen sale TOMORROW (Thursday, August 28). We’ve got 8 weeks until Halloween so it is time to get shopping! Not to mention perfect the goodies from this Frozen sale are perfect for Christmas presents or getting ahead of time for your trips. The sale will have apparel, toys, and gear – everything on your little princesses list! So click on this link and get to shopping! To get you and your little one in the spirit of the sale, zulily has put together some special tutorials on how to create the magical updos and braids of Anna and Elsa. Better get practicing so you have it perfected by the time the dresses arrive!

Happy Braiding!  

Who do your children want to be for Halloween this year?

Are you dressing up? Who are you going to be?

Tell the truth, how much of your Christmas shopping do you have done?

The post Frozen Hair Tutorials + a Frozen Sale! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Once upon a time I received a dreamy box full of glitter in the mail. My daughter and I knew our weekend of Christmas crafts was about to become much sparklier! Our biggest project – giving Santa’s cookie plate an upgrade.

Our first step was to gather the supplies and select which glitter to use for the border.

Lily choose Gold, Snow, and Citron from Michaels Recollections Glitter Collection. The extra fine glitter was perfect for our project! You can buy the glitter individually or you can also get them in pretty sets. The prices start at $3.99 and, let me tell you, the glitter lasts forever! My six year old applied the glitter liberally several times and it barely put a dent in the containers.

Other supplies you will need include:

Paint Brushes – a wide one and a smaller one for touch ups

Crayola Chalk

Painter’s Tape

Chalkboard Paint or Spray Paint

Modge Podge

Plate

Once we had all of our supplies together, Lily helped me tape off where the chalk board paint was going to go.

Because we were taping a rounded edge, I tore the tape off in several-inch long pieces and then laid them down overlapping until we surrounded the entire edge of the plate. I then used my little sharp tool to make an even cut around the entire edge. I did this step myself, but Lily helped with the rest of the process.

Next came the fun!

Lily started by painting the outside of the circle and then finished with the middle. This helped her to not getting any of the paint outside the circle. We let the chalkboard paint dry over night and it was ready for a second coat in the morning.

It was time to move on to the SPARKLE! We poured the modge podge into our glass cup and then used both the smaller and bigger brushes to spread it on the plate. The smaller brush was for the inner ring. We did it in sections so the modge podge did not dry too fast.

Lily knew the best way to apply the glitter. Pour, pour, and pour some more! I started applying it much too thinly. The sections where she literally dumped the glitter looked much better. For the first coat of glitter, we sprinkled all three colors from the Michaels Recollections Collection. The glitter we used was very fine, but Michaels also has chunky and tinsel glitter available which may be fun to use as well!

We let the glitter dry and then we went over any sparse patches with another layer of modge podge and more glitter. Putting a poster board underneath the plate allowed us to catch any glitter that fell off. We funneled the glitter into a plastic bag and then poured it on for the second coat. You will want to spray a sealant on keep the glitter in place as well.

Lily was THRILLED with our final project.

She quickly wrote her thank you note to Santa and now she can’t wait to make cookies Christmas Eve. This was the perfect craft for Lily and I to work on together! We are already thinking of ways to use our glitter from Michaels next!

My boys also got in a little glitter fun when Lily was at school. I made them snow bins and sprinkled in the Peacock extra fine glitter. They loved making mini snow men inside!

Thank you to Michaels for making this post possible!

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I am so excited to be part of Crafty Night Owl’s 30 Days of Christmas series!

Isn’t there something magical about reading under the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree? It’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Now that I have three children of my own, I love recreating that love of learning during the holidays. As you can see from my pumpkin math for Halloween and pop it sight word games for the Fourth of July,  every holiday is an excuse to learning something fun in a new way!

One of my favorite literary traditions for the holiday season is to individually wrap 24 days worth of Christmas books. My children love unwrapping presents and they love reading stories so it is something they look forward to every night. Each year we add a new book to our collection and then I supplement the days that are left from the library. My library only allows two children’s holiday books out at a time, so I put myself on the hold list for some of our favorites. By the time we have read our first two, the next two are typically ready. Get yourself on the hold lists now!

On some of the days, we pair a craft with the book. Love these pics from two years ago of my then four-year-old silly Lily making snowflakes to go along with her Christmas book. Dying that I don’t know the name of the book to share it with you all! Anyone recognize the snowflake instruction page, pretty please?

Here are some of our favorite books that we will be reading this year:

The Polar Express is one of our absolute favorites. On the day we read this book, we like to watch the movie and have a hot chocolate night as well. Sometimes we put together a sensory bin with bells and other Christmas items to go along as well.

My children adore the book Snowmen at Night. The perfect activity for this book is – you guessed it – going outside and making snowmen! This year we are going to play a roll a snowman activity, too. It is simple, fast, and easy! You assign a snow man body part to a number on the dice and make a key – this would be great for an older child to do for you. Once the key is made, you give each child a dice and with each roll they add a new snow man part until they’ve made an entire snowman. Simple way to add a little math and art into reading time.

I love the illustrations in There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve. The poetic rhymes in this book match the beauty of the water color illustrations. I may let my children create their own water color Christmas masterpieces on the day we read this lovely book.

What Christmas books do you read in your family?

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

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Believe me when I tell you that Cornbelly’s has something for everyone in the family! My daughter adored the Pumpkin Princess Playland. We arrived just as story time was starting. From dressing up as a fairy to mounting a noble steed to playing store, this section of Cornbelly’s is every little girl’s dream!

My youngest was pleased as punch to discover so many play things his size at Cornbelly’s. Kyler could have spent all day shooting basketballs and nerf sized corns into hoops and goals. That area was definitely a hit with the boys – and my daughter as well. We spent at least 20 minutes rearranging the life-size chess set. Add a bouncing horse for Kyler to ride and at least a dozen slides – my two-year old was a happy camper.

My four-year-old Cort was very into the ‘pooky parts of Cornbelly’s. This giant blow up monster was just his level of scariness. He also loved all the wooden play structures and slides. The amount of play structures seems to double each time we come.

As a mom, I had the lots of fun riding the cow train with my little ones. The area by Thanksgiving Point is beautiful and it was relaxing for this mama! I also got a kick out of watching the littles school their daddy in dodge ball. But my absolute favorite part of Cornbelly’s is how tired my children were on the ride home. They played hard and had a blast!

No matter what your age – Cornbelly’s has something for you!  Cornbelly’s will be giving away tickets on their facebook page so go and see if you get lucky! The Halloween fun doesn’t need to end on the 31st – you can still head over on November 1st and 2nd for the annual Pumpkin Destruction Days. There will be pumpkin bowling, candy cannons, and even helicopters! Don’t miss out on the family fun!

I received a family pass to Cornbelly’s in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own and I only write about experiences my family personally loves!

Did you go to a pumpkin patch or corn maze this year?

How are you going to carve your pumpkins?

The post A day at Cornbelly’s appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

This year I traveled up from Orem at the beginning of October for a blogger’s night out courtesy of My Craft Channel.  We were treated to the delightful antics of Lucinda the Witch and a special presentation from puzzle folk-artist Eric Dowdle.  After that we were unleashed on Gardner Village. Oh how I love to browse and shop to my heart’s content in such a picturesque setting.

I wanted to take this dazzling skeleton from Down to Earth home with me. Before I started coming to Gardner Village’s WitchFest, Halloween was losing it’s sparkle for me and seemed more appealing to the candy-munching kiddies. Gardner Village will definitely renew your Halloween spirit while still providing fun for the younger set. From the petting zoo to the witch scavenger hunt – your children will have plenty to do while you engage in a little retail therapy.

My visits to Gardner Village have convinced me that my entire home needs to be decked out for Halloween from the bed spread to the children’s toys. Shopping at Gardner Village definitely takes Halloween decorating to the next level!

In the midst of the seasonal shopping, you can always find classic gems as well. I want to outfit all of my children entirely from the fabulous finds at Spoiled Rotten. I have yet to stop in Spoiled Rotten and not come out with something I love for my children. From home decor to toys to fashion – Gardner Village has something to satisfy everyone’s tastes. What I love most about the shops at Gardner Village are the unique and high-quality products. Seriously a shopper’s dream!

Gardner Village Witchfest continues through the 31st so be sure to stop by soon! I will be making one last trip with my family. Be sure to catch the Elves at Gardner Village who will start appearing on November 22nd and stay through Christmas!

I did not receive monetary compensation for this post, but I am grateful for my swag bag from Riley Blake, Eric Dowdle, Miss Mustard Seed, My Craft Channel, and Gardner Village.

You can find out more about Gardner Village and My Craft Channel via their web-sites and social media channels:

Websites – www.gardnervillage.com  mycraftchannel.com

Blogs – http://www.gardnervillageblog./com  http://mycraftchannelblog./blogspot.com/

Facebook – facebook.com/gardnervillage  facebook.com/mycraftchannel

Instagram – @gardnervillage @mycraftchannel

Pinterest – @gardnervillage  @mycraftchannel

Have you been to Gardner Village?

What are your favorite Halloween decorations?

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The post Halloween Learning Activities appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Ready for some Fall Festival Deals?  I have put together a fun list of Corn Maze Coupons and Fall Festival savings nationwide.  Download valuable coupons for Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches and Fall Family Activities and head out for some fun with your family!

One of our favorite fall family traditions is going to Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest at Thanksgiving Point. Each year they add new attractions and activities for adults and children. My kiddos love it and we can’t wait to go this year. Currently there are 40+ attractions including the Pumpkin Princess Pageant, Scary Tales & S’mores, and – my little boy’s favorite – the pig races! Check it out and download your coupon at the link below!

Utah
Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest

Arizona
Schnepf Farms – Queen City

California
Forneris Farms – Mission Hills

Colorado
Anderson Farms – Erie
Flat Acres Farm – Parker
Fritzler Maze – La Salle
Sunflower Farm – Longmont
Mile High Farms – Bennett
Wishing Star Farm – Calhan
Harvest Farm – Wellington

Texas
Devine Acres Farm – Devine
Fiesta Farm – San Antonio
Yesterland Farm – Canton
South Texas Maize – Hondo
Dewberry Farm – Brookshire
Brazos Valley Maize– Brenham

Louisiana
CM Farms – Dry Creek

Georgia
Lane Southern Orchards – Fort Valley
Poppell Farms – Odum

Michigan
Farmer Charley’s Corn Maze Adventure – Monroe

Indiana
Amazing Fall Fun – Waterloo
Harvest Tyme Pumpkin Patch – Lowell
Hobson’s Fun Farm – Rockville

Illinois
All Seasons Orchard – Woodstock
Kuipers Family Farm – Maple Park
Odyssey Fun Farm – Tinley Park
Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm – Lockport

Maryland/DC
Summers Farm – Fredrick County

Massachusetts
Sauchuk Farm – Plympton

Missouri/Kansas
KC Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze – Gardner
Shuck’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch – Pleasant Hill

Mississippi
Seward Farms Maze – Lucedale

Minnesota
Afton Apple Orchard – Hastings

Montana
The Maize at Grandpa’s Farm – Billings

Nebraska
Camp Fontanelle – Nickerson

NewJersey
VonThun Farms – Monmouth Junction
Sahl’s Father Son Farm – Egg Harbor City

New York
Wright Family Farm – Warwick
Harbes Family Farm – Mattituck

North Carolina
Patterson Farm Market and Tours – Mount Ulla

Ohio
The Corn Maze at the Sharp Run Market – Millersburg
Meadow View Growers – New Carlisle

Pennsylvania

Hurricane Hill Farm – Coatsville
Triple B Farms – Pittsburgh
Reillys Summer Seat Farm – Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
Confreda Greenhouses & Farms – Hope (Western Cranston)

Virginia
Cows-N-Corn – Midland
Wayside Farm Fun – Berryville
Belvedere Plantation – Fredericksburg

Utah
Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest – Spanish Fork

For Daily Updates on these coupons and coupons for other family attractions please visit and bookmark: http://www.usfamilycoupons.com /

The post Corn Maze and Fall Festival Coupons appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

One of my favorite fall activities is going to Gardner Village with my sisters and mom. Seriously love this place. From the shops, to the spooky decor, to the food – it is seriously the highlight of my Halloween season. Let’s be honest, Halloween lost some of its magic to me once I moved past the trick or treating stage of life, but Gardner Village has made Halloween memorable for me once again.

I jumped at the chance to check out the Halloween festivities courtesy of My Craft Channel. Loved spending the night with some of my favorite bloggers! I talked to all the owners from my favorite shops and I’m excited to be telling you more about them on my blog. So stay tuned! But for now enjoy these pictures of the “treats” I found at Gardner Village. Be sure to head on over to Gardner Village this week as part of your Halloween festivities!

The post Holidays at Gardner Village appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

I was so excited when a package from Oh My Crafts full of these lovely items appeared on my doorstep as part of their Bloggers Craft Challenge. With such a variety of fun products, my daughter Lily and I have visions of many a craft project, but were specifically inspired by this Halloween paper by Michelle Coleman.

I’ve been wanting to do a Halloween banner for ages and loved that these paper cut outs would be the perfect size.  My trusty helper assisted me in cutting them out and then it was on to decorating.
To decorate we used buttons, flowers, and lots of little trinkets from an embellishment set. The crafting tape provided by Oh My Crafts worked perfectly to get everything in the right place.

To personalize it to our family, we decided to do thumb print monsters using some leftover paint I had from another project. Stamp ink would have worked better, but it was a make it work moment! After the paint dried, we each drew our own monsters onto the thumb prints.

We ran into a minor snafu when my three year old refused to have anything to do with the thumbprints. Instead, he decided to paint his card. Everyone is allowed their creativity, eh?

Next we hole punched the cards and strung our ribbon through. Voila – a simple, personalized Halloween banner for our stair railing.

Next up, I need to decide on a fabulous way to use the plate from the Blogger’s Challenge Kit.

Working on the banner got me in the mood for Halloween decorations! I found some fun inspiration poking around Oh My Craft’s web-site. Check it out:

Loving these Martha Stewart Creep Candelabras. 

We do a murder mystery party for Halloween and these would be the perfect touch!

Love me some glitter! This  Martha Stewart Carnival Glitter 
may find its way on to my pumpkins this year.

Oh My Crafts also has several classes each week. You can even learn how to make these darling witches feet!

If you are interested in finding out more about Oh My Crafts you can check them out at:
(just save me some of that Martha Stewart glitter!)

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oh-My-Crafts/31250764811
Website – http://www.ohmycrafts.com/
Twitter – http://twitter.com/ohmycrafts/
Ebay – http://stores.ebay.com/Oh-My-Crafts/
Blog – http://ohmycrafts.blogspot.com/
Channel – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/oh-my-crafts
http://www.ustream.tv/user/OhMyCrafts/videos?page=2

What do you think I should do with my gorgeous plate?

*I received a craft kit to complete this post, but I was not compensated in any other way. The creation and opinions are my own and my five year olds :).

The post Children’s Halloween Banner appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.