hallmark

No Chocolate for YOU!

February 10, 2012 By kborchert 12 Comments

: Mrs. C the Birthday Queen

Seth has a very clever teacher this year. She is funny, full of sass and doesn’t take any funny business from these 2nd graders. She is perfect for him and we love her. After his awful experience with his teacher last year, I was really nervous about him going to public school this year. Mrs. C has been an answer to so many of our prayers and we just adore her. I had been thinking about what to get she and Amelia’s Kindergarten teacher for Valentine’s Day when she sent out this email

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to give you a math problem from the teacher…

If Mrs. C has 22 adorable children and each child gives her chocolates and candies for Valentine’s Day, how quickly will Mrs. C outgrow her school clothes?

I admit, I may have let out a loud guffaw at that one.

I really didn’t want to get candy for my kids’ teachers anyway, but don’t have the time right now to make them aprons like I had wanted to.

Then, I was watching TV one night and saw this commercial

Blooming Expressions allows you to deliver love, appreciation or admiration, again and again, to the important people in your life. For Valentine’s Day or any day, you can surprise someone special with a flower that blooms at the press of a button. Each includes a different sentiment like “I love you” and “There’s only one you!” The full garden of Blooming Expressions is available at local Hallmark Gold Crown stores and select Hallmark retailers – I have even seen them at the grocery store by the Hallmark cards!

The website has 4 different phrases available, but Hallmark stores and grocery stores will have more – so you are sure to find the perfect one for the teacher/wife/mom/sister/friend in your life.

I am so excited to get the women who love my children so much, something that will remind them year round how much they mean to us.

What are you doing for your kids’ teachers for Valentine’s Day?

This is a sponsored post from Hallmark as part of the Life is a Special Occasion campaign. I am so thrilled to be working with this fabulous company this year and to have the opportunity to share ways to make everyday occasions special.
For the latest on Hallmark deals and ideas, be sure to sign up for their newsletter, you just might see me there from time to time.
Also, if you are going to Blissdom, be sure to find Hallmark! They will be set up helping us all learn how to make special occasions out of everyday events.

Filed Under: hallmark, Life is a Special Occasion, Valentine's Day Tagged With: blooming expressions, hallmark, life is a special occasion, teacher gifts, valentine's day

What Memories are Made of

January 25, 2012 By kborchert 4 Comments

“When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life.” -Christopher Morley

As a child, I could often be found lost between the pages of a book. I would become Claudia from The Babysitter’s Club, or Jessica (or Elizabeth depending on the day) from Sweet Valley Twins. I could picture myself living on a prairie in rural Nebraska at the turn of the century, or as a youth in the 40′s. I believe my love of acting was born from my love of reading.

When I was in college I started buying books for my future children. I wanted them to have an abundance of books to choose from. I wanted them to have a story at their fingertips at all times.

My goal has become a reality. My children have books, and books, and books. They love to read, be read to, and best of all, act out what they have read.

From the time Seth was about 2, he has used his imagination to make his favorite books come to life. For about six months, he was Roo, I was Kanga, Jeremy was Tigger and Amelia was “Pliget”. That obsession then morped into Toy Story, Star Wars and then How to Train Your Dragon.

While all of those titles are movies, only two of the obsessions came from the movies – Toy Story and Star Wars. Seth fell in love with the How to Train Your Dragon books before he saw the movie…we all did. He loves that we have Norwegian ancestry and is just sure my ancestor, Thor, was a Viking…thus making HIM a Viking!

He still loves Star Wars and How to Train Your Dragon, but now he has fallen under the spell of Hogwarts and is often found wearing his black robes and waving his wand…he is Harry Potter.

My children are regularly seen playing as if they are the characters from their favorite book. They don’t necessarily act out what happened in the book, instead they make up their own stories using those characters they have come to love.

I absolutely adore this. The use of their imaginations! It is one thing to act out what you have seen or read, just as you have seen or read it. But to create your own stories, plot lines, problems and solutions, that is an entirely different skill, and I love watching it happen.

I love that my children love books. I have always wanted them to love to read and to have the stories come to life.

It has been said the best gift you can give is a book and I wholeheartedly agree. Where else can children escape, become pirates, vikings, princesses, anything their hearts desire. And that is the stuff memories are made of.

:::

I am so excited to be partnering with Hallmark again this year. Hallmark is not only in the business of celebrating the special occasions, but celebrating Life as a Special Occasion. Hallmark and I will both be at Blissdom this year! Come find me as I am a Community Leader, and go find Hallmark (you might see me there too!!) to learn more about how to make Life a Special Occasion!

Filed Under: hallmark, kidlets, Life is a Special Occasion, my life, the baby girl, the boy, the girl Tagged With: acting out books, books, hallmark, imaginations, life is a special occasion, reading, reading to kids

Christmas Traditions

December 1, 2011 By kborchert 4 Comments

When I was young, Christmas was so magical. I loved the lights on the tree, the visits with Santa, the snow falling, the fires in the fireplace. Listening to John Denver and The Muppets sing The 12 Days of Christmas on the record player (I was always Miss Piggie in my imagination…bah dum dum dum) and sneaking molasses candy wrapped in wax paper.

I loved when my Grandparents would come to visit and the packages beneath the tree would triple. Counting each gift to be sure that I had as many as my brothers and sister. Wondering what each package held and what was on Santa’s Sleigh.

Christmas Eve was a big night at my house. My Grandparents and often Great-Grandmother would come to visit. With 5 children and 5 adults opening gifts, we started on Christmas Eve. We would first act out the Nativity, I was usually Mary as my older sister graciously would be the Angel. After singing and acting out the Nativity, we would excitedly take our seats in the family room.

What's that? Mary didn't lift up her nightgown and have Baby Jesus fall out?

With the fire blazing, one lucky kiddo got to be “Santa” and pass out the gifts. We would then take turns opening presents, youngest to oldest, one at a time. My oldest brother would somehow always end up squirreling away gifts so he always had more to open at the end because he skipped his turns. We loved opening our treasures of clothes (lots handmade by Grandma), toys, gadgets and candies.

Exhausted, we would stumble to bed, sometimes in our own beds but more often than not, we would all cram into one room and whisper the night away. I remember my older sister and brother, who always got to stay up later, coming in and getting us to play the quiet game so we could fall asleep.

Christmas morning would come and my little brother and I were inevitably the first ones up. We would run into the living room and see the tree all lit up with new gifts under it’s boughs. We would then run into my parent’s room and tell them excitedly that Santa had come. My Mom would get up (the only time of the year she got up before the sun) and with her Tab in hand, get her cinnamon rolls in the oven.

Santa always hid stockings at our house, so while we waited for the big kids to get up, we two little ones would search for our stockings. When everyone was awake we would open our stockings and gifts from Santa (and Mrs. Claus). Then we would feast on homemade cinnamon rolls, Christmas morning casserole and wassail left over from the night before.

Christmas was always so magic for me. Steeped in tradition, I couldn’t imagine a Christmas in a different way. Anything not happening the way I knew it and grew up with just wasn’t right.

When Jeremy and I got married I insisted we keep things the way my family had always done them. He couldn’t remember any traditions his family had, so I just instituted mine. In the last 10 years our Christmas traditions have morphed and changed and I am sure they will continue to do so as the years go by. Some of the traditions of my childhood we have kept (smoked turkey and wassail on Christmas Eve as well as doing the Nativity), others we have changed.

We are helping our children make their own memories, their own traditions that they will then want to pass down to their children. I just hope they remember their Christmases with as much joy as I do.

What are some of your Christmas traditions? How have they changed from when you were a child to now?

This is my final post in a series of posts for Hallmark. I have been helping them celebrate and get the word out about their campaign, Life is a Special Occasion for the last few months. I have been so honored to have been asked to do this for them, and have truly loved every writing prompt they have given me.

Be sure to sign up for their emails to get great deals and fabulous ideas for crafts, activities and ways to celebrate the special everyday moments in your life.
While I was compensated for this post, the words are all mine and can not be bought.

Filed Under: hallmark, my family, my life, sponsored post, the kiddos

Gratitude

November 15, 2011 By kborchert 4 Comments

It is that time of year again. The one where the world pauses to take stock of our lives. We think about what we are grateful for, our blessings, and try to be better people. We listen to others a little more carefully, our compassion grows, and we look for ways to serve others on a daily basis.

I try to do these things year round, but I admit that I am guilty of really stepping it up during the holiday season. Not only am I more conscientious of what I am doing, but of what my children are doing. I try to teach them always to be grateful for all they have. We are so blessed and talk about it often. We have a home, we have clean water, we have good food, they have toys, clothes, a good school, a family that loves them…the list goes on and on.

I wanted to do an activity with them to help them really understand how blessed they are. To help them put into their own words all they have.

We sat down with a colored piece of paper each, and wrote things we are grateful for. I told the kids they could draw pictures, write, whatever they wanted. These are now on display in the house, and after Thanksgiving, I will put them in a binder for safe keeping. We are going to do this every year so we can have a physical reminder of what we are thankful for. Also, it will be really fun to go back and read these in 10 years!

While their thankful lists ranged from Legos (can you guess who?) to friends, to Mom (awww..), they each really thought about what they were grateful for.

As for me? I am grateful for them. Every one of my babies who make me want to be a better person. I am grateful for my health and the health of my children. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who makes this journey of life so much better. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for my friends…including each of you.

What are you grateful for this holiday season? How do you help your children realize how blessed they are?

This post is part of the Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion Campaign. I have been lucky enough to blog for Hallmark for the last few months. This month our theme is Thanksgiving/Family.
Be sure to sign up for Hallmark emails to get great deals throughout the year. Who knows, you just might see me there too!
Check out the other Hallmark bloggers and what they are writing about. It really is an amazing bunch of writers and you are sure to be inspired!
While I was compensated to write this post, all words (as always) are mine. You can’t put a price on this awesomeness!

Filed Under: hallmark, my family, my life, thanksgiving

Halloween; Prairie Mama Style

October 14, 2011 By kborchert 8 Comments

Once upon a time there was a boy and girl. They met and fell in love. They got hitched and 6 months later found themselves expecting a wee babe.

The girl was always very fond of Halloween, so when it came that year and she was ohso pregnant and really loved wearing her MuMu any chance she got, she decided they should go as Ma and Pa.

Pa was so skinny that Ma had to stuff her overalls with pillows to keep them on Pa. It worked, they had fun.

The next year they had grand plans for Dr. Evil and Mini-Me with Daddy and the wee babe.

But that wasn’t meant to be, so they decorated and celebrated Halloween like this

The next year brought a miracle, and they went as Kanga, Roo and their Tree House.

As the years have passed, so have the costumes.

There was the year of the horse

Then the year of Pooh Corner

Then the years and the dress ups start to get muddled together because their children LOVED to dress up and would wear costumes any time they could.

2007- Roo, Nebraska Cheerleader, Scuba Boy, Superman w/ Pigtails, Super Why, Super Roo, and Cowboy. Still not sure what he decided on for Halloween.

2008- The year of Little Red Riding Hood and Obi-Wan.

2009 - My Jedi turned Wall-E, little Ladybug, and sweet Fairy Princess.

2010- The Year of the Storybook Characters. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Dorothy and The VERY Grouchy Ladybug.

Every year brings something different. This Mama never knows what the children will want to be until they have finally walked out the door on Halloween Night. Right now there is a pile of fabric waiting to be made into costumes for this year. If they end up not wearing them on Halloween, that is okay, because she knows they will wear them another time. Because, much like the girl who is now their Mama, these children love to play make believe and know that everyday is a great day for playing dress up.

Do you love Halloween? What are you and your children being this year?

This post is sponsored by Hallmark’s Life is a Special Occasion Campaign. I am one of the luckiest girls I know getting to write about the Special Occasions that happen daily in my life the rest of this year.
The month of October I get to write about Halloween and celebrate the fun of imagination!
Be sure to sign up for their newsletters. Who knows, I might even pop up in one of the newsletters! Also, at the bottom of the page, you can see all the Hallmark Bloggers and read what everyone has to say. It is truly inspiring reading!
While I am compensated to write this post, as always the words are all mine and can not be bought.

Linking up with Miss Elaine-ous Monday!