So It’s my birthday!!! Here we go 33! Yep, I’ve got another birthday notch in my belt and I’m now up to 33! That’s so weird because I don’t think of myself as that age! Anyways, to celebrate I actually wanted to give away a ‘gift’! I wanted to put all of my sheet music on my website on sale for $1! That includes my Christmas Songs, Women’s Trio, Violin & Piano Duet, and more! So go ahead and splurge, since it’ll only be available at that price for a limited time!

Also, I’d like to share a music video of one of my favorite arrangements, ‘Jesus, Lover Of My Soul.’ It was one of the first songs that I wrote when I began writing music again, so it is special to me! I hope you enjoy listening to this, and hopefully you can feel the message of love in the music.

Thanks for your support and love, especially on my birthday….it’s extra special!

XOXO,
Amy

The song is special to me because I was able to have my younger sister Amanda perform as the soloist! It was a dream come true to be able to work together and share her amazing talent as a vocalist! I hope you enjoy it!

Amy

School Supply Shopping & Tips

The Dollar Store

Target

Apparently my daughters take after me, and they thoroughly enjoy shopping in any form! It felt a little like Christmas with our lists out, too! We checked them twice and made sure to get everything the teacher required.

Tips

I have few tips for your shopping to make it a little smoother and enjoyable, too:

1. Make sure to have your list handy, and even try having your children be in charge of crossing off the items as you put them in your cart!

2. Try the Dollar Store first! They’ve actually got a lot of decent supplies and you can say ‘yes’ to your kids since it’s just a dollar, right?!

3. Take advantage of sales! Target was having a deal where you buy $30 worth of school supplies, and you get a $5 gift card back! We got to take advantage of that deal

4. Stick to the items on your list Sometimes it’s tempting to go all out and buy all the fun,shiny and   coordinating scissors, tape dispensers, planners, and desk accessories—but it’s best to buy what’s needed on your list first!

 

I hope you all have a fun time getting ready for the school year to start! Happy shopping!

I had the chance to do a fun photo shoot this week as part of my SwimZip Giveaway! These suits are seriously awesome, especially for little ones who don’t want to put on sun screen and burn so easily! It’s a mama’s dream. Check out my Instagram to enter!

And don’t forget to take a look at all these awesome photos done by the fantastic Aimee Carver.

Enjoy!

Isn’t the Fourth of July such a fun and patriotic holiday?! We had a great weekend filled with family, friends, food, and fireworks!! So you can bet we had a fun time!

One thing my family likes to do is to is head to the pool and get together for a family swim day over the holiday! So yesterday we all went swimming! Even grandma and grandpa got to come with us!

Before we get in the pool I always make sure to spray my kids with natural sunscreen and then I feel like they’re protected from getting burned. My little Ava Jade always puts up a fuss because she is so excited to jump in the water! But yesterday she only had to get a quick sunscreen on her face, because I found this adorable new swimwear line from SwimZip! Their swimsuit material is 50 SPF, and it covers and fits perfectly! Ava was so excited to wear her new ‘suit-suit’ (swim suit in 2-year-old language) because she like the colors and the cute little ruffles and ties!

I liked it because of the sun protection and the cute material is very substantial, so my baby won’t wear it out by the end of the summer!

Next week we’re headed to the lake and I’m sure to pack this suit for my little one!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Keep making fun memories the summer with your families!

XOXO,
Amy

• 4 cups water
• juice of one large lemon
• 2 -4 TBS of Stevia or more to taste

Welcome to my summer series of posts! I’ll be posting every week with new recipes, activities, and how to really enjoy the summer with your kids!

Woo hoo summer is here and we are jumping headfirst into the fun and activities already! Some of our favorite things to do is to go swimming and splashing in the pool! My girls also love to play outside until sunset!  But summer weather does not always allow for outdoor activities, and so it’s nice to have some indoor alternatives for entertaining the kiddos!

I have come up with a list of 10 things we like to do when it’s too rainy, or if the kids (and perhaps mom) just need a break from the sweltering sun! 

1. Movie Time

Whether it’s dollar theater or the brand-new Disney movie coming out, kids love going to the movies! Many theaters offer a summer series of kids classics at a discounted rate and are usually earlier in the day for a matinee! Kids always love getting popcorn and treats to make it fun and special! 

2. Have A Playdate

Whenever we invite a friend over for a Playdate, my kids are guaranteed to have a great time! Often times we will just do a fun activity–perhaps watch a movie or play games and toys! But with friends around it’s double the fun! Oh and Mom’s make sure to have your kids clean their room and do their chores before their friends come over! Go ahead and bribe 😉

3. Art Time

We love arts and crafts at our house! Sometimes if we need a little activity inside I’ll get out all the markers and colored pencils and crayons and stamps. Then I make sure they are stocked with paper and set it on the table. After that, their cute imagination takes over and it’s so fun to see what they create! If they need a little inspiration you might give them an idea for a subject…..like how about everyone draw mermaids or dinosaurs?! And remember to display and save your little Picasso’s masterpieces! 

4. Indoor Swimming

If it’s a rainy summer day and the kids really want to go swimming, go ahead and take them…. to an indoor pool that is! Often times indoor pools have fun slides and splash toys that are really entertaining!

5. Build A Fort

Building a fort as a special treat at our house! When the kids get my permission they can build a fort out of the couches and the cushions, and blankets and pillows! I also try to help them in the construction a little bit to make sure that the fort doesn’t fall down! It’s amazing to see how creative they get! They also like to bring their favorite stuffed animals and pillow pets into the fort. 

6. Cooking Time & Picnic Time

Another indoor activity is to have cooking time where you can bake a treat or a snack together with your little ones. I picked up some cute little chef aprons from the dollar store for all of my kids to wear while they’re helping me cook and they love it! Perhaps have your children decide on what you make?!

After your food is ready, spread out a blanket on the ground and have a fun little picnic and enjoy the treat you made together! 

7. Aquarium

When my children are really lucky we will head to the aquarium! We like to go to the Living Planet Aquarium and it is so fun and interactive for the kids, and some days we don’t even get to see everything during our visit since there’s so much to see! Just be prepared with a stroller and snacks since it’s usually a long day! 

8. Go See A Play

Taking your kids to go see a play is yet another easy and neat indoor summer activity! Last week we went to go see the play, ‘Charlotte’s Web’ at BYU, and it was a really cute production! My ten-year-old and seven-year-old sat through it wonderfully, but my two-year-old had to have a potty break or two! Since it was a matinee there were lots of other children there so we felt right at home with a little background noise, ha ha! 

9. Puppet Show

Something new to try with your kids is a puppet show! You could either have your kids make paper puppets out of paper bags and color them, or you could have them just use little stuffed animals and have them talk according to how your child wants to act it out! An easy stage would be to pull the couch out and have the kids behind the couch with the puppets on top! Oh and Mom’s be sure to film your children’s puppet show for fun memories! 

10. Home Read-A-Thon

You know how your kids get so excited for read-a-thon’s at school? How about hosting your own read-a-thon at home? Let your kids wear their pajamas, make a comfy reading spot with blankets and pillows, and prepare a few tasty snacks! Then they can pick out their favorite books and you’re set! It might last for 30 minutes or a few hours, who knows? But any reading is good right?! 

Well I hope that these ideas are helpful for you to try on those days where you just need a fun, and a little out of the box indoor activity with your children! Have fun making memories this summer! 

Xoxo, 

Amy 

What a fun, whimsical, and dreamy photo shoot I got to do with the talented, Charissa! She is simply wonderful and would be the perfect photographer for your upcoming wedding, event, or family shoot! We were at it again, only this time we did updated pictures of me featured on a lovely Steinway piano at the residence of my friend, Maddy (who happens to be an amazing makeup and stylist for my latest music video!).

I felt like I basically got to play dress up for the afternoon in my fancy peachy dress–it was a blast!