This photo was taken at a couple years ago at a Halloween party at our neighbor's home. Read on and you'll find out what we used to make the very realistic beards.

In the video clip in this blog, my sister Peggy and I share some great last minute Halloween costumes and some very good advice.

(You'll notice Peggy has a beard too. In the first segment of the show she demonstrated how to make that beard. You just smear Karo syrup where a beard would be and then roll your face in fresh coffee grounds.) I've discovered a new way to create that beard and it's very "healthy." 

Did you know the Easter Bunny is going low-carb?

It may not look that way at Walmart, but it’s true. As an alternative to candy, he’s filling the hollow eggs with notes of appreciation, motivation and inspiration and you can do it too.

You know how we all love fortune cookies, well your kids will love hunting for eggs and getting note-after-note of encouragement, fun activities and surprises in the eggs they find.

Your dentist will be happy too! (Well, we hope so anyway.)

Here’s the list we got from the Big Bunny:

        This coupon is good for a foot rub.
        This coupon is good for a back rub.
        This note is good for one download on iTunes.
        This coupon is good for a book, next time we go shopping.
        Your laughter makes us happy.

This photo was taken at a recent Halloween party at our neighbor's home. Read on and you'll find out what we used to make the very realistic beards.

In the video clip in this blog, my sister Peggy and I share some great last minute Halloween costumes and some very good advice.

(You'll notice Peggy has a beard too. In the first segment of the show she demonstrated how to make that beard. You just smear Karo syrup where a beard would be and then roll your face in fresh coffee grounds.) I've discovered a new way to create that beard and it's very "healthy." 

Did you know the Easter Bunny is going low-carb?

It may not look that way at Walmart, but it’s true. As an alternative to candy, he’s filling the hollow eggs with notes of appreciation, motivation and inspiration and you can do it too.

You know how we all love fortune cookies, well your kids will love hunting for eggs and getting note-after-note of encouragement, fun activities and surprises in the eggs they find.

Your dentist will be happy too! (Well, we hope so anyway.)

Here’s the list we got from the Big Bunny.

        This coupon is good for a foot rub.
        This coupon is good for a back rub.
        This note is good for one download at iTunes.
        This coupon is good for a book, next time we go shopping.
        Your laughter makes us happy.

Easter is April 16 this year!

As we come together to celebrate the awesome miracle of Jesus's Resurrection, the sugar manufacturers have, once again, given us very colorful reminders (if we can make that mental leap) to remember what Easter is really all about. Let those brilliant Peep bunnies remind you of all the people who follow His teachings, and let that collection of multi-colored M&Ms remind you of all of your blessings. Don't EAT them, just let them remind you of how blessed you are and how grateful you are that Jesus did return in love for us all.

With that said, we really need to be careful not to buy into the sugar push in the name of this holy event. We can actually use the ubiquitous goodies to remind us that it's NOT ABOUT SUGAR. Try it the next time you're at the store. The minute your mouth starts to water because you just spied a display of Cadbury Eggs and you remember how much you love them, just swallow, pass the treats and run a quick thank you to Jesus.

I received this email and it's what inspired the subject of my blog today.

        Dear Pam,

Does it bug you when you're around someone who smacks while eating? 

Unless you’re taught to close your lips while you masticate, the sound coming out of your mouth (especially when you’re eating something crunchy) is very unpleasant for those around you. If you think about it; when your kids are little and they smack, because they haven’t learned how not to, you might say to your child, “Stop smacking!" But rarely do you demonstrate what it sounds like to smack and actually show how to fix it. Who do you know that gives anti-smacking lessons? The House Fairy, of course!

The House Fairy Program has more than 65 videos starring the House Fairy teaching children the basics of keeping their rooms neat and tidy and having good manners. She has helped thousands of kids, but some of her videos have helped adults.  See the video.

One woman wrote that when her “smacking” friend saw the video with the House Fairy showing what it sounds like to smack and how to prevent it, her friend realized she was a smacker herself and took steps to change her behavior. (She told her friend that she tends to forget not to smack when she’s really hungry, but she's getting better.)

Speaking of smacking, here’s an email from one of the House Fairy's Snuggle Bunny graduates, twelve-year-old Brady Main. It's so sweet. 

As a parent, you can nurture your children's imagination by providing good books that inspire them to imagine and art supplies that give them a way to express their creativity. If they’re musical, be sure to give them access to musical instruments. One of the best gifts you can give your kids is clutter-free space in which to create.

It’s also a good idea to encourage kids to share their dreams when you’re at the breakfast table every morning, as sharing dreams will cultivate the child’s ability to remember their dreams and learn from them. Children love to talk about their dreams, I know because whenever I get the privilege of being with a messy-haired, sleepy-eyed child, I always ask and it always turns into a wonderful and creative discussion. Try it tomorrow morning as you sit and enjoy the start of your day with your kids.

Peggy and I were known as the Slob Sisters and appeared on hundreds of TV shows. On CBS Morning news we demonstrated the crazy ways we came up with last-minute Halloween costumes for kids and how fun they were to throw together.

As usual, our television talk show hosts were somewhat speechless (that happened a lot!) when we'd shove coat hangers into tights and smear our faces with Karol syrup and coffee grounds.

The important lesson here is when we become more organized we set the stage to play with our creativity. We become creatives! Clutter gets in the way of our creativity.

Decluttering and ending your "stuff management" days will pave the way to fun, creativity, new adventures and excitement on Halloween as well as all the days of the year!

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy our ideas for Halloween Crises Costumes!

I just had to share this email with you from one of the House Fairy's Snuggle Bunny graduates, twelve year old Brady Main.

It is so touching. 

Dear House Fairy:  

This was my clean room when I was four years old. I remember getting really excited when my mom first told me about the house fairy coming to visit. I started cleaning my room a lot more too!

When I grew older, I realized that my mom was the actual house fairy. When my parents had my little sister, I began telling her about it one day when I was describing how not to smack when eating! 

We all laughed and decided to see if we could find that video again.

We are getting ready tonight to introduce my little sister to you, so thanks for the good memories!

Brady Main

Thank you Brady.

I have the feeling you've learned lessons from the House Fairy that will last your entire life.  Maybe your little sister will learn those lessons as well.

To see the smacking video Brady mentioned click on the House Fairy.  

Love,