Category Archives: Fun, friends and family

My First Grader And What the Heck To Feed Her

My sweet little buddy began first grade on Monday:

I am kind of alarmed that my first born is already in grade school. I mean, didn’t I just have this kid?

And she is growing so tall so quickly and her metabolism is wicked (and enviously) fast that I often find myself asking:

“What the heck do I feed this kid?!”

I love how I have battles with deciding what to feed  my kid.  I suppose that is better than being without and worrying that she will have to go hungry at night. I sadly know some families that are going through this. Kills me.

But that isn’t the point of this post today.  I wanted to share a really awesome resource that I was literally just told about today.  It is perfect for  families like me who are on a budget and are also trying to eliminate  processed foods from their families plates and cupboards and institute a love of real food.

Doesn’t that make you happy?

Madi is so excited she can’t wait to tell you about it! So here you go!

Hi Everyone! This is Madi, the totally hyper, outgoing and girly firstborn daughter of Mommy. (Well, Tiffany to you folks.) Now let’s get something straight here. I like lunchables, especially the pizza ones, chocolate milk from Starbucks and special shakes when I go on dates with my daddy.  But Mommy is on a whole “let’s get our family healthy and take care of our bodies because God made them” kick that she told us those favorite foods of mine are on the “Once in a while Treat” list. Boooo.

The good thing is when my Mommy goes shopping, she lets me come along and pick out what fruits and veggies I want to try and she lets me help cut stuff in the kitchen. Because I love to help. And I try to ignore Mommy when she says she would like to cut celery in peace….whatever that means.

Umm Mommy is staring at me so I guess I just need to tell you to go check out 100 Days of Real Food. Bye!

Okay I will explain more!  I love this site because honestly, like you guys, it can be a challenge to come up with real food for our kids that will be sustainable in their lunch boxes and that compete with the junk food that the schools often offer.  I love this site because it breaks down cost, has a free meal planner and tons of recipes. Again, perfect for families.

And whenever I love something, I tell you guys. Sharing is caring.

I am sure there are a ton more websites like this, but I was just drooling over the site so I had to post it. And what perfect timing too now that Madi is back in school.

Do you guys have any favorite meal planning websites perfect for families? Please share!

Tiff~

Friends & Social Media

I love Social media. I absolutely do.

Let me be clear that I know it can be a time sucker. Some folks spend way too much of their precious moments in front of a computer screen or on their phones.  I have been known to lose track of time when chatting up on FB or reading and commenting on my favorite blogs.

But when I get to meet those I have met through Twitter and FB?

Priceless.

It makes me absolutely giddy.

This evening I got to meet my Coach and fellow Pastor’s Wife, Michelle Myers.

Absolutely made my weekend!  Friends, she is even more beautiful and sweet in person!

When I signed up as a Coach, I had no idea what to expect.  But she has become a dear friend to me. We had a lot in common! She understands the strains and joys of ministry, motherhood and owning a business.

She prays for me and I pray for her.  Who knew that social media could create such a friendship?

Loved getting to hug this girl’s neck today. Cannot wait to hug some more friends.

Thank you so much Michelle for dinner and for spending time with me and my crazy fam.  You are a gem!

What about you guys? Have you been able to hug some social media buddies yet?

Tiff~

Celebrating The Fourth

I know I am a little late on the update for what happened on our 4th of July, but I needed to recover.

We had Sean’s birthday at the Diamond Bar 4th of July Blast event and it was so fun.  Definitely a lot of work involved in order to make sure we had what we needed  for the kids and for ourselves but worth it.  Mine and Dan’s parents were there, as well as my brother and sister Sheena and her husband.  So much fun!  The kids were excited!

We decided to have Sean opening our gifts before the event so we would have less to carry back.

Let me tell you. That is a toy called True Heroes and Dan was very excited about it.  I think he was a tad more excited than Sean was. Sean loves it, but Dan might love it more. But you did not hear that from me.

We parked our stuff down at the school and had our picnic and really just enjoyed hanging out and being together.  It was probably the most low key party ever.  And yes, my sister did bring her dog.  Sweet Zoey.

Sean showed off his skills by hanging off a goal post.  What you can’t tell by the picture is that Sean was hanging on for at least 30 seconds.  It was freaking us out how his hands could hold on for so long.  That’s my boy!

We had birthday cake (of course!) and  my mom brought her famous cheesecake.  Since I don’t get it very often, I definitely indulged. As well as had some funnel cake.  Normally, I have pretty good self control. But I was excited and let loose for a little bit.

Then it was time for fireworks! Our favorite!  Sean was scared and excited at the same time.  He kept pulling the blanket over his eyes then removing it so he could see the lights. It was hilarious. Madi enjoyed watching them as well and she chose to sit on her Uncle Jeremy’s lap.  I sat by myself.  Ha!

I can’t believe my baby is three.  And in a few weeks I turn 31.  Yikes!

Have a great Saturday!  What did you do for Independence Day?

Tiff~

Why I Love Summer

I took the above photo about 5 seconds before I ran and jumped in with my kids.

I absolutely love summer time because of this. Swimming. The water. The sunblock.  LOVE it.

Plus it is my favorite way of getting in some exercise without it feeling like, well, exercise. I have fun with my kids. They love it when I go in the water. They don’t worry about whether or not my abs are perfectly formed, or about my cellulite or if my bathing suit makes me look big.

They just want me in there with them acting like a complete goofball.

And I enjoy it.

Bonus? They take a nap afterwards because swimming wore them out. WIN!

What is your favorite non-traditional workout?

<3

A Girly Day Out

Today I got to hang out with a bunch of girls.

Madi, my sister Sheena and I headed out to Old Towne Orange to check out The Perfect Circle Cupcakery. Their adorable, Breakfast at Tiffany's themed bake shop was on Food Network's Cupcake Wars this past week and they won!

So of course there was a line for their cupcakes. And oh my gosh was it so worth the wait. The cupcakes were delicious!!!!! Check them out if you are ever in Orange County.

Madi was so excited to meet the girl she rooted for on the show. Her reason for the owner being her favorite?

She was blonde. Easy enough right?

Sheena and I loved the vintage feel of the shops. I think next time we will go with just the two of us to get our shop on. Hehe.

I think I need more girly dates in my life. I adore being a girl ;) .

What did you do this Saturday?

Tiff~

A Girly Day Out

A Girly Day Out

A Girly Day Out

It’s About My Family (Photo Heavy)

A couple of weeks ago, my SIL Carrie rounded the entire Harper clan together to capture us in photo.  We have expanded over the years with little ones and she noticed that the last family photo we had together was for our (Dan and Tiff) wedding!  

That was six years ago.  So much has changed since then.

This is just a small portion of my family, Dan's side.  As you can see, there are quite a few of us.   

Introducing the Harper's (all photography by Amy Salessi Photography)

Harper-51

Mom and Dad Harper with their boys:

Harper-60

Mom and Dad H. with all the grandkids:

Harper-58

And here are a few photos that I just love of my little family:

Harper-3

Harper-20

Harper-31

Harper-34

Harper-35

The best part about all of these photos?  They were a gift for Mom and Dad H.  Two large prints of their grandkids and of their boys. And then a 16 x 20 canvas that will be arriving soon.

Mom was in tears.  *smile* 

I hope you had a beautiful Christmas with your family!

Tiff~

What a weekend!

This past weekend was spent moving boxes into our new home. We have not officially spent the night there yet as there is no fridge (we bought one on Saturday and will be there Tuesday) and no food. And I really don’t want us to eat out any more than we have to. So essentially we will be at my InLaws house for just a couple more days.

Then we are on our own.

I am ready to create (remember my word of the year?) a home for my family. To create memories, meals, laughter an so much more in this new little house we have.

My parents, my sister Sheena and her husband Jeremy came over to help us clean up a little bit on Saturday. My mom was so happy about the place we got. Because of the location Dan works in, it is pretty expensive in housing. Not that anywhere else in California is really cheap, but just add an Orange County zipcode and holy cow.

For awhile there I doubted we would find anything.

But can I just say God is faithful??!! Oh Yes He is! And you can’t tell me otherwise!

I have some photos of Madi and Sean so far in their new environment. It is no surprise that Madi loves her new home. She is ready to claim her domain. And Sean….he just wants to crawl and (almost) walk everywhere. He is fast the little booger.

By the way, can I just tell you all that I loathe baby toys? Especially the ones you jav to assemble? That darn bouncer took me FOREVER!

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend. What did you do?

Tiff~

What a weekend!

What a weekend!

What a weekend!

What a weekend!

Most Social 3 Year Old Award

My niece Jenna wrote a sweet essay about her cousin Madi, awarding her the Most Social 3 Year Old Award. I absolutely loved it and I asked Jenna if I could share it with all of you.

Enjoy!

Imagination Station by Jenna Harper

One day at my grandparents house all the cousins were invited to come and make cookies. One of the younger cousins, Jared, doesn’t like chocolate. So we couldn’t make chocolate chip cookies. Then Maddie said to Jared, “You don’t like chocolate? Well Dylan likes chocolate.” Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Dan, Maddie’s parents, both asked Maddie,” Who is Dylan?” “Maddie responded,” He is my boyfriend,” said Maddie. Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Dan stopped dead in their tracks, looked at each other and smiled. Madison Taylor Harper is my 3 year old cousin. Everyone in the family calls her Maddie. She is a dramatic, outgoing, girly, a social butterfly and keeps everyone smiling. That is why I am giving her the Most Social 3 year old award.

​One of the reasons I think Maddie deserves this award is because she has great verbal skills, especially for a 3 year old. She has an amazing vocabulary. One time, my Aunt Tiffany asked Maddie, “What is your favorite color?” She responded,” Pink, purple, and red, preferably pink.” The whole family was surprised when she said this. Preferably isn’t usually in a 3 year olds vocabulary. But not that day. She was clear and progressing as she talks every day

​Also, Maddie constantly talks to herself into the mirror. At my grandparents house there is a huge mirror at the end of their starcase. Maddie just stares at herself and talks like she is talking to someone on the other side of the mirror. She also dresses up like a princess and pretends to rule her kingdom. She wears a plastic crown and uses a towel as a royal gown. She has such a vast imagination that she can rule her kingdom as long as she wants. Well at least till naptime.

​Finally, she is so talkative she talks to walls. One day Maddie had nothing to do so she went to go find her mom. She wasn’t paying attention and she ran into a wall. Then, she said to the wall, “Watch where you are going!”She stood there and waited as if the wall was going to give a response. Sometimes Maddie can be hilarious without even knowing it.

​When the family came together for a family reunion we were going to make chocolate chip cookies. Then my younger cousin Jared said he didn’t like chocolate. Then Maddie said “Dylan can have your chocolate chip cookies.” Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Dan asked Maddie,” Who is Dylan.” “Oh” Maddie responded, “He is my boyfriend”. These stories show that Madison Taylor Harper deserves the Most Social 3 year old award. When Maddie does something funny the whole family remembers it. Something she says, something she does or something she pretends to do. Maddie is so creative her mind is just like an Imagination Station.

Tiff~


Most Social 3 Year Old Award

Hey There!

I have an interview up at http://leadingandlovingit.com today. Come by to say hello and learn a little more about my role as a Pastor’s Wife and Illuminate!
Plus, you will get to meet some other really amazing women. So if you are a PW or a women in ministry, come on over!
Tiff~

Disneyland

On Friday this little family went to Disneyland. We are so grateful to people in our church who bless us with gifts and this was one of them!! So thank you Koz and Wayne. We had such an amazing time!

As for Disneyland…as you can see Madi met her princesses. That was the first thing on her agenda. She was so excited!!! I love watching her eyes light up when she sees or does something she loves.

This was Sean’s first time and he was so good the entire time! No meltdowns from either child….even when we had to go home.

Folks that is a miracle right there!

Disneyland=fun for sure!

How was you weekend?

Tiff~

Disneyland

Disneyland

Disneyland

Disneyland