Leap Day… What will you do with your extra day?



Today is February 29th… Leap Day.

What exactly is Leap Day anyway?

Leap Day is the extra day that is added every Leap Year to the shortest month, February.

Why do we have Leap Day?

Leap Day is added to the calendar because the Earth is a little slower than our calendar year. In truth it takes the Earth a little more than 365 days to travel around the sun. I can relate. I am almost always a little slow at getting things done too. The problem arises because our calendar is 365 days and if we ignore the extra time it doesn’t actually go away. I try this strategy in my life often, and I can assure you that when you ignore something it does not go away, in fact it usually gets worse.

Get worse is exactly what would happen to our extra time problem if there was no Leap Day. Our calendars and seasons would be completely out of whack. Days would shift and over time seasons would start later and eventually we could be celebrating Christmas in July… or something like that. Can you imagine decorating the tree in the summer? Singing Christmas Carols poolside? I don’t think so. And what would we do with all our Christmas Sweaters???

In order to keep everything aligned a very long time ago the extra day was added, however Leap Year was not enough to keep the calendar in sync. In 1582 the calendar was behind 11 days. I am usually many days behind in everything so that might have worked out for me. However, I guess,  it didn’t work for the people back then and the powers that be were not pleased. In order to fix the problem Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar that year so it would skip 11 days. The calendar skipped from September 2nd to September 14th. Could you imagine that in today’s world?  Think of all of the deadlines, meetings, and endless things we do everyday. Would it be possible to just skip 11 days? I don’t think so. And forget about if it was one of my kid’s birthdays! They would have had a fit!

Apparently 1n 1528 you could lose 11 days on the calendar and it wasn’t a big deal. The modern calendar we use is called the Gregorian calendar to honor the Pope who straightened it all out. In addition, turn of the century years are only Leap Years if they are divisible by 4- Divisible probably haven’t heard that word since high school math class.

Well that is it in a nutshell. Everything you never knew you wanted to learn about Leap Year. The question is what will you do with your extra day? I wish it really were an extra day but in reality it really is just another day filled with responsibilities and chores. However, maybe for a minute we should take a step back from our very busy lives and think of Leap Day as an extra day. It is after all an extra day that we didn’t have last year which makes it special. A day that we should take time out and appreciate our lives, and the special people we love who make it all worthwhile.

I think Leap Day should be an extra day for appreciating all that is good in our lives.

We can go back to griping about our fast-paced busy lives the other 365.


Sexy Thriller Sale

Looking for your next good read? 

But then I stumbled upon AND THEN HE.  

 With a cover like that hard not to stop while your scrolling. And what’s even better is it’s only $.99 for a limited time.

Author, Kim Briggs, SLASHED Ebook price on AND THEN HE, her New Adult Dark Thriller!!

AND THEN, Sunday, Dec. 6 to Monday, Dec. 7th, it will be $2.99. 
Best to get your copy, sooner rather than later! Makes a great gift for the holidays too. Purchase your copy here.


AND THEN HE is downloaded and ready to read on my kindle app. Can’t wait to read it. 


Gobble Gobble Turkey #Cupcakes



Gobble Gobble Mini Turkey Cupcake

These turkey cupcakes are perfect for dessert on Thanksgiving dinner or for a school party. They are adorable and super easy. This is a great recipe to do with the kids because they are so easy.

You will need a box of cake mix, mini cupcake linerscandy corn, brown food coloring, and icing– I like to make my own buttercream icing but a can of icing works too.

1.)Prepare the cake mix as directed.

2.)Place the cupcake liners in the mini cupcake pan. Then spoon in the cupcake mix and bake for five minutes. For even and consistent cupcakes I use the Pampered Chef small scoop.

3.) Bake at the temperature directed on the box, but keep your eye on them they cook in about half the time. You know they are done when you touch the middle of the cupcakes with your finger and they pop back up.

4.) Let the cupcakes cool before decorating. Tint the icing with the brown food coloring. To decorate pipe stars with a Wilton tip 18 and cover the entire cupcake. You can use store bought icing or make your own buttercream.

5.) Place three candy corn white side up on the cupcake for the feathers. Put one candy corn for the face white tip down.

6.) Pipe the eyes with Wilton tip 3.


Mini Turkey Cupcakes

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Which Literary Monster Are You?

In honor of Halloween a quiz from Grammarly

I got Frankenstein… not too sure about that.

What did you get?undefined


Easy to make #HalloweenCupcakes

Looking for an easy to make Halloween cupcake?

Here are two of my favorites that are sure to impress.

photo 1

Boo Cupcakes


Bake the cupcakes as you normally would.




Graveyard Cupcakes

Graveyard Cupcakes


Bake the cupcakes as you normally would.




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Homework Help: 7 Tips to Make Homework Time A Little Easier


Do you dread the afternoon just thinking about homework?

I see posts on social media all the time about homework. Parents are frustrated with homework and I so often hear moms and dads complaining about their child’s homework.

Here are some tips to try to make homework time a little easier.

  1. Timing – Set aside a specific time everyday for homework. Homework should be the priority and not an afterthought. Right afterschool is the best time to do homework. I realize with busy schedules this may not always be the case but as close to afterschool as you can is key. Children are still in school mode immediately afterschool and they are more apt to remember what they learned and be able to apply the skills taught. images-52
  2. A Special Quiet Spot– Create a special space for your child to complete their homework. This can be a desk or even at the kitchen table. Try to avoid places that will have a lot of distractions like the television or lots of talking. Ideally they should keep their phones and iPads off, unless they are needed for the homework assignment.  They should also have easy access to all the supplies they need things like; pens, pencils, glue sticks, paper. A good idea is to stick those items in a caddy that can go away in a drawer or closet when they are done with their work.images-51
  3. Check It Off– Have your child check off their assignments in their agenda or homework assignment book as they complete them. Checking off assignments as they are completed ensures that they don’t miss any assignments. It also gives your child a feeling of accomplishment each time they complete an assignment.
  4. Do The Hard Stuff First–  Don’t save the harder assignments for last. Get them done right away . Tackling harder assignments first is better because your child will be fresh and won’t yet be fatigued by the other assignments.books
  5. Check Their Work – It’s okay to check your child’s work and have them make corrections. It’s not okay to do their work for them. Nor should you be spending tons of time reteaching the material at home. Especially with Common Core Math, you will find that you have no idea how to solve the math  problems the way your child was taught. If you find your child can’t complete the assignments because it is too hard you need to contact the teacher immediately. If you correct the homework every night it is hard for the teacher to understand where your child needs help. Teachers use homework as a way to assess students. If the homework is always correct the teacher will have no idea that your child is having trouble.images-49
  6. Set a Timer Homework has to have an end time. There is usually a policy regarding how much homework the children should have. Check out the homework policy at your child’s school. If your child is spending hours on end completing homework it is just too much. Depending on the age of your child set a time limit. For example 4-6th graders should take no more than an hour to an hour and a half. If it is going on for hours, just end it. Then write a letter to the teacher and let them know how much time it is taking your child to complete the homework.
  7. Keep It Positive – Homework is not a punishment and should not be causing frustration or tears. Try to stay positive and be an advocate for your child by supplying them with a time, place, supplies and contacting the teacher when need be.

Easy, Inexpensive DIY Evil Step Sisters’ Costume

Out of Halloween Costume Ideas?

Looking for an easy and cheap Halloween costume?

Drizella and Anastasia

Drizella and Anastasia

Last Spring I hosted a DisneySide Villains costume party and was pretty impressed by my friend’s ingenuity. She whipped up Drizella and Anastasia with one quick trip to the dollar store for plastic table cloths.

Cinderella's Evil Step Sisters

Cinderella’s Evil Step Sisters

The concept was so brilliant and so simple at the same time. Purchase colorful plastic table cloths. Color suggestions are pink, green, blue and purple. Cut a neck hole in the tablecloth and fasten with strips of the other tablecloth to create ribbon belt. You can use excess tablecloth to make a hair ribbon.

Top  view of Drizella and Anastasia playing Disneyside Bingo

Top view of Drizella and Anastasia playing Disneyside Bingo


Side View
