You know, it’s not everyday you get the chance to educate Darth Vader….

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Back in April, I told y’all about how I took my 4 year old to get her ears pierced.  Suffice it to say that it didn’t happen.  You guys gave me excellent advice on how you went about going for or waiting for earrings.  We decided to wait.

Here we are a month later and she has been asking again.  Constantly.  Telling me she doesn’t care if it hurts, she wants earrings.  We decided to go for it today, honestly thinking she’d back out again when we went there.

My pretty girl proved me wrong!  She hopped up on the chair and took the earrings without as much as a flinch!  We could see the determination in her eyes of how badly she wanted earrings.  And so… let me show you one of our little princesses and her beautiful ears….

I definitely think the key is waiting until they are 100% absolutely positively sure and so are you.  It’s okay to back off when you get there.  Even if they change their mind after the first ear.  It’s OKAY.

I felt horrible for the girl that went after my daughter.  The mom was pressuring her and there was lots of screaming, crying, and bribery.  I even went over to try and talk to the mom but she would have nothing of it.  It broke my heart.  I’m so glad we waited and my daughter is so thrilled with her earrings.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy made May 15 National Peace Officers Memorial Day and that full calendar week National Police Week. Today, we honor those who have given their lives for the protection and safety of others. Today, we honor their families who were left behind.

Looking for a way to support your local officers?  Check out our instructions for Police Officer Appreciation Week Goodie Bags.

With my recent post about making a Survival Kit for Law Enforcement Officers, I’ve received a ton of new readers on Facebook.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!  I thought it was time to introduce myself!

I’m Erin!  I’m a stay at home mom of 4 and wife of 12 years to my husband who is a Corporal with the local sheriff’s department and we live in NorthEast Georgia.

This blog was created so I can share deals and tidbits with my friends and grew from there.  We now have over 16,000 Facebook fans and I’m increasingly surprised about how many people take the time to read this little blog.

We love going camping, enjoying the outdoors, and we also homeschool.  Our days are filled with fun and adventures with a little blogging on the side.  Thanks for taking a moment to stop by our little world and enjoy the ride 😉

It’s Cinco De Mayo!  Time to pull out some food and get cooking!  Here are a few of my recipes that you may want to use today:

Crockpot Unstuffed Pepper Medley

Super Simple Guacamole

Simple Crockpot Chicken Quesadillas

Enjoy!

My husband’s grandmother drove down here all the way from New York and we have been having a blast.  Yesterday we went to Washington Farms to conquer our strawberry fix.  We picked 3 gallons of berries within just a few minutes and had an absolute blast!  Pickings are great!

Now we had to figure out what to do with all those beautiful berries.  I decided I would whip up a simple strawberry shortcake.

For starters, I washed the strawberries, cut the green off, and sliced them.  Lightly sprinkle with sugar and stir. Let them sit in a bowl for the time it takes to make the cake.  I used 1 gallon of strawberries since we had a bunch of people over, but you could easily do less.

While the strawberries are resting, start working on the shortcake.

When the cake has cooled, cut into squares.  Each square, cut in half as you would a hamburger bun so you have 2 square pieces.

Place one shortcake piece on a plate, layer with a helping of strawberries.  Place the other on top and add more strawberries.  Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

This Sunday is Easter and the first time in years that my husband will have this holiday off. We are so stinking excited!  That means tomorrow is his last day of work until after Easter. I decided to quickly whip up some cupcakes for him to take to work tomorrow.  Normally I cook everything from scratch but due to lack of time (and energy) I decided to use a store bought mix.

If you’re looking for something simple and easy to make for the kiddos or for a treat, check these out!

The only ingredients needed – boxed cake mix prepared as cupcakes according to directions.  Canned green icing spray and Peeps.  Then decorate!  I’m totally NOT a decorator, but I think they turned out cute enough!  I know his shift will appreciate them!

My almost 5 year old daughter has been begging to have her ears pierced.  When her older (now 10 year old sister) was about 2.5, she asked for earrings.  I proudly took her to Claire’s and lots of screaming later, we had earrings!  Then came the “fun” of cleaning them.  Let’s just say that a wiggly, screaming 2.5 year old is rather strong!  I think I am permanently scarred from that one.  Despite all of this, my oldest rarely wears earrings now.

We decided after that we’d wait until our little girls could completely understand everything about what was going to happen and how we’d have to care for them before getting theirs pierced.  Today after even more requesting for “princess ears”, I finally agreed to take my almost 5 year old to Claire’s.  We picked out the perfect earrings, pink flowers, and then asked about having her ears done.  They told us sure, but we were next after another girl.

We waited our turn and our super excited almost 5 year old watched patiently to see what was going to happen.  I think this was the best thing we could have done because after the piercing before us, her face went from excitement to horror to PLEASE MOMMY DONT MAKE ME DO THAT!

And I didn’t.  We promptly left and went to Sonic instead.  Here’s my beautiful non pierced daughter:

I am currently on the hunt for some stick-on “princess ears”, so if you see some let me know.

That brings up a good question.  At what age do you allow your daughters to pierce their ears?  I’d love to hear feedback on how/when you decided and your daughter’s reactions.

Disclaimer: No children were upset or angry in the above photos.  I may or may not have bribed a child with a lollipop to give me a grouchy face.  I’ll never tell.

Everyone knows that familiar sound at Disney. I’m not talking about the joy, amazement, and  excitement. I’m talking about the screaming, melting down child.  You know, when a child is thrashing around crazily and the mom is scrambling to try and get the sweaty, angry child to calm down and the dad is saying “We’re never coming to Disney again if that’s how you act”.  Or reverse the roles.  Whichever works.

I typically smile and say “There’s a Disney Meltdown!”

We’ve gone to Disney almost every year since I was little and during that time I’ve seen lots of meltdowns.  My kids have their moments as well.  Here are some tips to help prevent a Disney Meltdown.

*Plan breaks in between rides.  During these breaks, you could ride some of the milder things such as It’s a Small World, visit the Hall of Presidents, or Country Bear Jamboree.

*Take breaks often for water and snacks.  See my post about feeding your family at Disney without going broke to see what snacks you can take right into the park with you.  Many times, the children are hot and dehydrated.

*During the hottest part of the day, consider going back to your hotel for a much needed break.  You can return to the park when everyone’s well rested and hydrated.  Be willing to drop everything and head back to the hotel.  As much money as you paid to get in the park, if no one is having fun, it’s not worth it.

*Don’t stay at the park from open to close if you have small children.  That’s the fastest way to burn them out (and yourself as well)

*Plan a day during your trip to sit at the hotel and do nothing but veg, watch tv, and swim.

*Remember to put sunscreen and hats on your child and keep them in the shade as much as possible.  The only thing worse than an exhausted toddler is a sunburned exhausted toddler.

*Bring the stroller.  Even if you have a 6 year old that walks a mile every day.  There will be times your child will want to sit down and there aren’t always places to sit.

*Dress them in comfortable clothes and shoes.  Sure, they look cute in their little dress up Disney princess shoes, but after a couple hours (or 20 minutes), they are no longer so fun.

*Be patient with your children.  They are most likely completely exhausted and overwhelmed.

Have your children had a Disney Meltdown before?  How did you react?  Any tips to add, leave a comment.  

For more of my Disney posts, click here.