Some fun links from around the web to spice up your marriage!

• Date of the Month Club
• Date Night in a Bag
• Coupon Book
• DIY 52 Reasons I Love You
• Read this book and implement
• Give a Marriage Survival Tool Kit
• DIY A Year of Date Nights
• Show them (and the world) they rock
• DIY Lovopoly Game
• Food from the Heart

Coming soon: 

That Works For Me: Tried and True Tips From Works From Me Wednesday

P.S. there were mixed comments on the picture or text linky. So, I think I’ll alternate, it’s a win-win.

WMFW: Fun Ways to Say I Love You is a post from: We are THAT Family

It’s called That Works For Me: Tried and True Tips from Works For Me Wednesday and it’s featuring hundreds and hundreds of the greatest tips from you.

Can I get a woot?

For the first time, the best tips from carnivals over the past several years will be organized in a searchable, categorized easy-to-use ebook!

It will be released Spring of 2012.

If you participate regularly in WFMW, please check your inbox (or comments if you don’t have an email on your blog) for a time sensitive email in case one of your tips was chosen for the ebook.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Mercy House.

[Updated] I forgot to mention that my portion of the proceeds are going towards our savings fund to bring our kids back to Africa with us this summer to do our annual staff development, skill training and develop our new community program for single moms.

I hope you’re as excited as we are!

Because that works for me.

AND—to celebrate this fun news, I’m mixing it up with a thumbnail picture linky instead of what we normally do. I’ve been thinking about trying it. Make sure you leave your preference in the comments: regular linky or picture.

WFMW: Works For Me! {Ebook Announcement} is a post from: We are THAT Family

I love the new site: Craftsy.

Have y’all heard of it?

It’s for knitters, sewers, quilters (people with real skill), but it’s also for people like me who are wicked with a glue gun.

Craftsy is the fastest growing online community for Crafters!

Craftsy users love:
1) Terrific online classes from amazing instructors for beginning, intermediate and advanced quilters, knitters, crocheters, seamstresses, jewelry makers, and other crafters.
2) Fantastic good deals on crafting supplies: organic yarn, lovely fabrics and high quality needles, etc..

It’s free to sign up and be inspired.  (If you sign up for online classes and tutorials, there are class fees). I like hopping on there and looking thru ideas for Mercy House and my daughter who says every other day, “Got any crafts for me to do?”

Take a look and get craftsy!

*affiliate links are in this post

WFMW: Get {Craftsy} is a post from: We are THAT Family

When she doesn’t want to be, she wants us to do things for her.

It’s just part of having a strong-willed child.

But she’s learning so much and asking questions relentlessly. It’s such a fun age!

She can get dressed by herself, even socks and shoes. But she still struggles with her left and right.

I finally figured out how to help her independently put her shoes on the right feet!

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Cut a sticker into two halves and place each half into a shoe: I told her to make a heart with her shoes and when she did she would know which shoes goes on the right foot. It works like a charm! What works for you?

WFMW: Preschool Shoe Tip is a post from: We are THAT Family

“A watched pot never boils,” the saying goes.

But in our house, the saying is, “An unwatched pot always boils over.”

Ahem.

It never fails, it doesn’t matter if I’m boiling eggs (a favorite snack in our house), potatoes or noodles, the pot usually boils over. I get distracted, answer the phone, help with homework, exercise (kidding) and I forget I’ve got water on the stove.

I heard about this tip over the holidays and I put it to the test: place a wooden spoon over the pot and the water won’t boil over.

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It works!

*UPDATED* While this tip did work for me, please do not leave boiling water unattended. Apparently, there are many naysayers it has NOT worked for. Some say it works for pasta, not rice, etc. Boil carefully, people. And if you find out HOW and WHY this *sometimes* works, there’s a lot of people who want to know!

What works for you?

WFMW: The Boiling Pot is a post from: We are THAT Family

[Have you run out of tips to share? January's suggested theme: share an organization tip, old or new]

I don’t know about you, but I’m on a bit of a cleaning spree. There’s just something about taking down all the Christmas decor that gets me in the mood to purge. I’m out of control. I walk in a room to hang something up and end up reorganizing an entire closet and stumble out an hour later. It’s both awesome and exhausting.

Here are a few tips to get your new year organized:

• Make piles to trash, to keep, to give and then actually trash, keep and give the piles
• Repurpose old furniture for storage solutions (old dresser above without drawers serves as entryway shoe storage and old dining room hutch now stores arts and crafts supplies below).

• Organize up: use vertical space to store and organize (dining room turned home office)

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• Focus on one space at a time: it can be overwhelming to tackle the entire house, so do a little at a tim
• Once you’ve got a room organized, don’t allow anyone in it. Kidding! Be realistic and don’t let it snowball out of control again.

What works for you? 

WFMW: Tips for an Organized New Year is a post from: We are THAT Family

But it’s cute, that should count for something, right?

Although if you stop by, it won’t look like that. [hint: piles]

My big kids are in charge of their own laundry (which is a fancy way of me saying, once a week, I ask them to bring down their basket, put it in the washer, oversee their soap-usage, remind them how to start the washer, tell them when it’s time to move to the dryer, add in the dryer sheet they forgot and tell them to now fold and hang up. It’s a work-in-progess).

I’m always trying to look for ways to tidy up the laundry room (since I’m only caught up about 45 seconds a week-FREEZE, everything is clean. Ok, moment over).

I love this idea:

What’s your best laundry tip for the New Year?

edited repost

WFMW: Laundry Brilliance is a post from: We are THAT Family

These quick, easy and delicious Rolo Pretzel Turtle Cookies are the perfect last minute gift.

Three ingredients: pretzels, Rolos, pecan halves:

We made over 100 of these in less than a half an hour for five amazing neighbors…

1. preheat oven to 250 degrees and unwrap the Rolos (you can only eat one)

2. spread out the pretzels on a cookie sheet and add one Rolo to each pretzel:

3. bake at 250 just until chocolate gets soft (less than 5 minutes) and press pecan half into melted Rolo. Let cool.

4. share on a fun plate (these awesome silver trays are only $3.74!):

5. to give away!

These are seriously good.

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* Jesus Is The Gift – Metal Tray

WFMW: The Perfect Neighbor Gift is a post from: We are THAT Family

Just a quick tip! (Thanks to a reader for letting me know) Friday, December 16th is known as “free shipping day” for thousands of online stores…It’s the last chance to get many items mailed in time for Christmas. You can check out ALL the many participating retail stores here in case you aren’t done.

Are you finished Christmas shopping?? I am. Wrapping– that’s another story.

WFMW: Last Minute Online Shopping Tip is a post from: We are THAT Family

Lately, I’ve been feeling super guilty about breakfast.

Yes, you heard me right.

I’d gotten in a bad habit of handing my kids a granola bar or filling up their cereal bowl. I mean, sure, sometimes that’s an okay breakfast, but Eggo waffles were becoming the norm.

Y’all know dinner is a big deal to me.

And I decided I was missing out on a great chance to help my kids get the best start to their day via breakfast. So, for the last two weeks, Momma has brought breakfast back. It’s not fancy, but it’s hot and fresh and (mostly) healthy and all three of my kids have separately and quietly thanked me.

We’ve done bagel egg sandwiches, pancakes, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs and toast, all kinds of muffins, etc…

But by far, this breakfast has been the biggest hit (we’ve made it for dinner too!) and even changed it up a bit.

You can click to get specific instructions, but here’s my version: I cut a circle out of a piece of wheat bread (I used a glass cup). I sprayed the muffin tin, placed the bread in the bottom, cracked an egg over it and added salt and pepper. I didn’t have bacon the first time, so I added a mini sausage (YUM) and baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes.

Mine:

Y’all, it’s a winner!

Here’s a fun, quicker variation that my hubby came up with. Cut the hole in the bread, spray a skillet with Pam, crack an egg in the center of the bread and cook on low until the egg is done.

P.S. We sometimes do paper plates at breakfast. Baby steps.

Yummy, hot breakfast works for them, which works for me!

WFMW: The Breakfast That Makes You Mom of the Year is a post from: We are THAT Family