Disney Disney Disney

My little Princesses

Ya'll know how much I love Disney World!

It's my real life happy place.

Nothing bad happens at Disney, right?!

(Oh yeah, except when my kid got the stomach flu there the last time and we spent 3 days of our vacation in the hotel room with her puking her guts out.)

But never mind all that.

I am excited to tell you that we will be going to Disney World again this November, and OHHH how excited I am!!

We'll get to try lots of new things this time because 1. ) they are opening a whole load of new stuff like the Be Our Guest Restaurant from Beauty and The Beast, Celebrate The Magic, Enchanted Tales With Belle, and Under The Sea- Journey of The Little Mermaid, (click here to find out about all the new stuff!) and 2.) because both girls are tall enough to ride almost every ride at every park now!!

Plus, that feeling, when you walk into the Magic Kingdom, is indescribable.

The first time we took Addy, I cried.

Why?

Because I'm an emotional basket case.

But also because I think taking your kids to Disney World is something that almost every parent dreams of.

I never got to go as a kid and I always felt like I was missing out on a kind of right of passage.

And I just knew that when I became a parent, I wouldn't let them miss out on that opportunity.

(BTW, don't feel too sorry for me.  I got to do lots of other fun vacations as a kid, and even go to Italy when I was in High School.  Rough life, I know).

So when we walked into The Magic Kingdom with her, it was as if I had fulfilled that promise to myself and was able to make one of her very first dreams come true.

Our first visit with Addy when she was 4

And that's what Disney is about.

Making dreams come true.

You want to be a princess?

Then that's what you are!

How about a Pirate?

Yep!

And you want to spin in a saucer, fly on an elephant and ride a magic carpet?

You can do all that, too.

It truly is Magical.

And also, we are getting a great deal.

Which makes it Magical for our bank account, also.

If you are interested in planing a Disney trip of your own, check out their site here.

(And I am NOT an affiliate or making any money off of this recommendation!  I just REALLY love Disney!)

So tell me, have you been to Disney World?  Are you a Disney freak like me?  What's your favorite part?  

Ten Ways To Give A Gift Without Spending Money

I LOVE to give gifts.

I have said before that it is a gift to me to be able to give someone a gift that they really love.

And often, we think we have to spend a lot of money to make someone happy.

But often, the best gifts cost us nothing at all.

Here are Ten Ways to Give A Gift Without Spending Money:

10.  Offer to Babysit!  If you have children, you know what a treasure it is to have a date night and know that you won't have to pay a babysitter.  And don't just put it out there and offer, actually have them give you a list of dates that work, and choose one (or more) that work for you!

9.  Make a Meal!  Sometimes it's nice to get muffins or cookies.  But what really helps out is when someone delivers an entire meal to your door.  No cooking and no having to pay for dinner.  Awesome!

8.  Do some Housework!  Oh the luxury of having a housekeeper!  That is something most of us can't afford.  BUT, if a friend would be willing to come and do it for you, that would maybe be the best gift ever!

7. Write a Note!  Sometimes, the people we care about just want to hear the words.  Take time to sit down and write a letter and tell them what they mean to you and why.

6.  Become a Photographer!  Everyone loves great family photo's, but photo sessions can be pricey.  But with a decent camera and good editing software, almost anyone can capture at least a few great pics.  Offer to accompany them and their family on an afternoon outing and be their own personal photographer.

5.  Get Crafty!  Knit a scarf, repaint a frame to look pretty, or put together a really cool wreath.  We all love those cute little things we see on Pinterest, but we rarely have time to do them.  Try doing one of them for a friend!

4.  Give a Lesson!  Maybe you know how to sew, but your friend doesn't.  Or maybe you're a really good cook and she can barely boil water.  Whatever skill you have that your friend may want to learn, (but maybe is afraid to ask you about), is a great opportunity to give of yourself!

3.  Coupons!  This one is a no-brainer.  It has been around a while, and for good reason...it works!  Write a coupon book that the receiver can exchange for items.  We did this with our girls one year for Christmas and they loved it.  Some of our coupons were for: 30 minutes of staying up later, ice cream for breakfast, having a friend spend the night, and getting to choose what we have for dinner.

2.  Make a Scrap Book!  This one is great for anyone, but especially family members.  Collect old photo's, write down memories, and be creative.  We did this for my Father-In-Law's Birthday one year and I think I loved it as much as he did because I got to learn so much more about him while I was putting it together.

1. Give them Your Time!  If the receiver is anything like me, it's your time that means the most to them.  Take a whole day and spend it doing fun stuff with your friend.  And it doesn't have to cost a lot (or anything!).  Hiking, cooking together, watching TV movies, or just sitting and chatting are great bonding activities.  OR, if it's a guy your giving to, let him have a day just to watch sports or listen to his favorite band.

Do you have any other good ideas for ways to Give without spending Money??  If so, Please Share!!

I will be linking up with Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings and WFMW at We Are THAT Family!

The Monday Soup Swap

It's Here!

The Monday Soup Swap has officially begun!

AND, to start it off, I am sharing one of my favorite soup recipe's with you!!

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup:

3-4 frozen Chicken Breasts
2 cans of diced tomatoes (or 2 cans of rotel, which makes it a little spicier).
1 can of corn
6 cups of chicken broth
1 pkg. of taco seasoning
1 pkg. of ranch salad dressing seasoning
1 can of cream of chicken soup

Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream (optional)
Chopped Cilantro (optional)

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, go ahead and pour the tomatoes and corn over the chicken. After that, you can mix the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, ranch seasoning and taco seasoning together, and pour over the chicken. (or do it in reverse order...it will taste exactly the same.  It's almost impossible to mess this one up!)  Cover and simmer on low for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken breasts and shred them with two forks.  Place them back into the slow cooker, stir, and cover.  Cook on low for another 30 minutes. 

Place tortilla chips in a bowl, sprinkle a little cheese on them (or a lot if you're like me!), and ladle the soup over the chips.  You are now about to get the most melty, gooey, yummy cheese....mmmmmm.

And, just before I eat it, I like to place a small dollop of sour cream on top.  It gives it that little extra creaminess.  And if you're REALLY feeling crazy, go ahead and add some fresh snipped cilantro!

There you have it!

Now it's time for you to share a yummy soup recipe! 

Link up below the direct link to your soup post.

And after you link up, make sure to visit some of the other links too...we could all use another soup recipe and a little blog love! 

Oh!  And while you're at it, go ahead and grab the Monday Soup Swap button below and add it to your page to let your readers know you linked up!


<center> <a href="http://familyfunmom.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k502/rickiyoungkin/BeFunky_VintageColors_2SOUPSWAP.jpg"/></a></center>


And just so you know, I'LL be linking up at Still Being Molly,

and at The Brassy Apple

Random Friday: Stuff About Me

-I like tuna sandwiches but only when I have frito's to go with them




-I sleep with an ice pack every night because I have this thing called costochondritis.


-I am going to buy a good camera soon, but I can't decide on which one is best (any sugesstions??)

-Sitting in front of a bonfire or on a beach are two of my favorite things.

-I got a sewing machine for Christmas last year and I have yet to use it.

-If I were rich, my #1 luxery would be to hire a housekeeper.

-Not really a fan of caramel apples.

-I am obsessed with celebrity news.

-I have a fear of heights.

-If I didn't have an alarm clock or kids, I would probably sleep past noon every single day.

-I don't really have a favorite song...there are too many to choose from.

-Sometimes I think about adopting a little boy.

-I used to be a super political person, but now I can hardly stand to talk about it at all.

-I have never taken my kids camping....and I may not.  Ever.

-My favorite dessert is Chocolate Lava Cake.

-This blog has started to feel like a personal friend of mine.


I shared.  Now go ahead and tell me one random fact about you!

Who Wants Some Soup?

Doesn't everyone love soup?? 

I know I do!

In fact, during the fall and winter months, we have it at least once a week. 

One of the things I love most about soup is that it makes a lot and I can eat it one night for dinner, and eat the rest of it all week for lunch.

OR, I can serve half for dinner and freeze the rest for another week.

And BTW, I consider all chili's and stews a soup also.  So LOTS OF STUFF can fall into my soup category!

And the thing is, I can never get enough soup recipes.  I would love to try a new soup each week!

Which has lead me to the decision to start a Soup Swap on the blog! 

Next Monday will be the official kick-off!  You'll be able to link up all of your soup recipes and share with the soup loving community!

It can be an old or new blog post, but make sure you're linking up your *own* recipe.  (ie, don't link up someone else's blog post please!).

And be creative. 

It can be a detox soup, your grandma's favorite beef stew, or a chilled soup.

Whatever it is, link it up so we can check it out!

And if it goes well, who knows...

maybe The Monday Soup Swap will become a regular link up.

So get to cookin'!! (and maybe take some pics too)

And we can all be eating delicious soup all winter long :)

I am linking up with We Are THAT Family for WFMW

Add caption

For The Love of Reading: Sacred Marriage

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our ten year anniversary.

All the time, people comment on our marriage. And they wonder how we stay strong, and how we stay happy.

 Let me share a secret.

This past year has tried us on almost every level.  But I feel like our marriage is truly better and stronger than ever.

And part of the reason, is a book we have been going through called 'Sacred Marriage' by Gary Thomas.

We started this book with a few other couples in our house church who were also interested in taking their marriage to the next level. 

I really think it's one of the best decisions we've ever made as a couple.

This book challenges the idea that marriage is meant just to make us happy, but rather that it is more to make us holy.

Whoa...BIG CONCEPT!

For almost all of us, we go into marriage thinking that the other person will, in a sense, complete our lives.  We buy into the lie that 'happily ever after' really exists.  And then, when it isn't all happy and wonderful, we think that we must have made a mistake and give up.

"Marriage shouldn't be so hard."

"I don't have any feelings for him/her anymore."

"I deserve to be happy."

"I fell out of love."

These are all things I've heard before.

The person leaves the marriage and when the next guy/gal comes along who makes them happy, (for a time), they decide they are in love.  Maybe they get married, or maybe they don't.

But guess what happens?

Real life creeps in, the flaws start to show, and ultimately, they don't make you happy anymore.

But think about this:

What if God didn't intend for your marriage just to make you happy?  What if, instead, He intended it to make you more like Him?

Let me explain it a little...

As humans, we are pretty much all about making ourselves happy.

We surround ourselves with people and things that make us comfortable.  And when something or someone comes along that challenges that or makes us uncomfortable, we start to change things so that it works out that we are again happy and comfortable.

BUT,

what is instead of doing that, you took a different approach?

What if you stopped and thought, "hmmmm, maybe I'm not always supposed to be comfortable.  Maybe God wants me to grow.  Maybe He wants to get my attention.  Maybe I'M the one that needs to change here."?

And then, instead of removing the people or things in your life that are making you 'unhappy' or 'uncomfortable', you decided to see in through, and see what God wanted to teach you?

Imagine what would happen.

Instead of always looking at your spouse's flaws, you remember that you, too, have flaws and are so thankful for the grace God shows you, that you realize that you can show that same kind of grace to your mate.

And after a bit, you decide to go a step further and not only do you start showing your spouse grace, but you start to actually look for ways to serve them.  To make them happy, even when it makes you uncomfortable, and even when you don't think they deserve it.

You know who this is beginning to sound like?

Jesus.

And that's the goal.

Marriage is meant to be a reflection of God's relationship with us.  And if we truly want to be more like Him, then the best place to start is in our marriages.

And the crazy thing is, when we actually do these things, WE are the ones who end up happy!!  Crazy, I know! 

This idea has changed the way my husband and I view our marriage.  And in return, we are stronger than ever. 

Does that mean we don't argue anymore?

Nope!

Does that mean we have perfected our marriage?

Far from it!

But does it mean that we are committed to our marriage, flaws and all?

Yes!


So tell me, have you read this book?  If so, what are your thoughts?

If not, have you struggled/are you struggling in marriage/relationships?

What do you think about the ideas above?

I will be linking up with WFMW at We Are THAT Family. 

Add caption

I Love My Followers {Giveaway}

As most of you know, this has been a pretty depressing summer for me.

BUT, one of the brightest spots has been this blog.

And recently, I have had a lot of new followers, and especially, a lot of new 'LIKES' on the FamilyFunMom Facebook Page.

Sooooo, to celebrate, and to thank you, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!!!

Want to know what you can win??

A $50 Visa Gift Card!

That way, you can get exactly what you want!

How do you enter to win??

LIKE the FamilyFunMom Facebook page...

and then,

make sure to leave a comment letting me know you like the familyfun mom page!

That's it!!

How easy is that?? 

Ohhhh, you want more chances to win?

Okay then refer a friend to like FamilyFunMom on FB and when they do, leave a comment letting me know you did (and their name!)

You can also tweet about this giveaway (also, leave a comment), or link to the giveaway on your FB page (you know the drill....leave a comment).

The Giveaway will go through September 30th, and on October 1st, I'll reveal the winner!

Good Luck, and thanks again for reading this little blog of mine that makes me so happy :)