Things I love Thursday...Once Upon A Family

I am a big believer of traditions in families...for example, we do Friday night movie nights, Pizza every Sunday night, St. Patricks Day is actually a day that we celebrate how lucky we are to have each other, etc.  I wonder when kids leave home...what is it about their life that they take with them?  The traditions.  That's what.

What I am excited to write about today is one of my very favorite companies called...Once Upon A Family.  The woman who started this company is a mom of twins and really did a ton of research...about two years...researching "good, healthy, strong families".  What she found was that there was a common demonator in all of the good families...they all had traditions.  You see when they are older and out of the house...they don't care how many thousands of dollars that you spent on their Princess Birthday party...what they truly take with them are the traditions that you did together as a family.

Once Upon A Family is a company that is all about family traditions.  There are so many awesome ideas...for example, one of my favorite is on your daughters birthday every year...take a picture of her in your wedding dress and as the years go on, you watch her grow into your dress.  Or there is another one that is my favorite...every year on your childrens birthdays...write them a letter highlighting the year that just passed.  Store them in a box and 21 days before they turn 21, you start sending them to them...one a day until the last day when they turn 21.  These are just a couple...there are SO MANY MORE!

This is a company that offers parties in your house and then you can learn about all of their products that they offer.  The best part about the parties is that you don't actually have to buy "their stuff"...just getting the idea, you can start that tradition in your own house with your own stuff. 

I am not a consultant or associated with Once Upon A Family in any way other than a lover of their products and ideas...which is why I am sharing it with you today for Things I Love Thursdays.

This post has been linked to
"Things I love Thursdays" hosted by Diaper Diaries

Things I love Thursdays...Verseit.com

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

I have always been a party planner and have made all of my own invitations from my wedding invites (well I got the verse for it anyway), baby showers, to my girls' birthday party invites.  And I always do themed parties so the wording of the invitation is very important.  Where I go to find all of the perfect verses is called...http://www.verseit.com/  you can find a verse for any thing you need.  I actually will find one that I like and use the basis of it to make my own sayings. 
This works every year for birthday parties, holiday parties, baby showers, etc.  This website has saved me many times considering that in my opinion the invitation makes the whole event...if the invite is exciting and can draw them in, you will actually get more people to that event.
For example...this year I did a rockstar birthday party for my girls.  I really wanted concert ticket invitations so while I was looking online for the "perfect" idea that I could copy, I actually found a company that makes concert ticket invitations.  I had to come up with all the verbage and they would do the rest...they were adorable, pink and white and the seat and row numbers were all 6 because thats how old my girls were. 
Definitely use http://www.verseit.com/, you will feel really creative with a little help!

Things I love Thursday...video phone

My very favorite item in the whole world is our video phone.  This is a phone that hooks up over the internet and anyone that has this phone can see the other person they are talking to.  It reminds me of the Jetsons...My family has one and my 6 year old twins love to call Grammy and see her when they talk to her.  Erynn lost her first tooth recently and all she did was call Grammy and smile and my mom could see that Erynn had lost her tooth.  This is such an awesome way to keep in touch with loved ones that you don't get to see very often.  To buy the phone is only $99 (which I thought was going to be way more expensive) and the service is $29.99/mo for unlimited local and long distance calls.  It can actually replace your home phone.  This is the only phone we use in our house.  Another cool thing is that you can actually plug your current base that goes to your cordless handsets into the back of the video phone and your existing handsets still work. 
My mom made my girls a blanket the other day that she couldn't wait for Christmas to show me, so she called and showed me!  There is no delay, it's picture perfect and in real time.  It's like sitting in front of her.  These phones and the company were actually featured on the Celebrity Apprentice in March of this year.  To learn more about the phone...click here.
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FREE Weight Loss Website - Unbelieveable!!!

I love the website http://www.sparkpeople.com/   This website actually creates a plan for you over a specific period of time to help you reach your weight loss goals.  It creates a menu for you and tracks what you eat, how much water you drink.  It can also break down how many calories you have eaten in a day, how many carbs you have eaten, and gives you a work out routine that is specific to you.  You have to take a look.

Below is an excerpt from the website itself:  Click here to go directly to the site.

• Our weight loss program teaches people to stop dieting and transition to a permanent, healthy lifestyle. Far beyond just weight loss, SparkPeople helps everyone learn to eat better and exercise regularly—for life. And people who don’t want to lose weight can still join and benefit from SparkPeople's tools, resources and community features. In addition to informative articles and interactive tools, such as fitness trackers and meal plans, members can find support and encouragement from our vibrant, positive community of members and experts.
  All the components of our program mix in an element of fun so that our members truly do stick with their programs. With millions of members, we’ve witnessed thousands of success stories firsthand. We’ve found that using sound nutrition and regular exercise as a “springboard” for success helps our members find greater enjoyment in life and strive for even more goals, creating their own real-life adventures!

Here is why Sparkpeople.com can do this for free:

Read a note from our founder
This site really is free - with no strings attached. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world use SparkPeople.com to lose weight and make healthy lifestyle changes. Our biggest source of new members is word of mouth from existing members who love this site and tell their friends, family, and co-workers. SparkPeople can be free because my wife and I were very early eBay employees and are now using our earnings from its success to make the world a healthier place, as our way of giving back to society. Join today to see what everyone is talking about!
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