It’s Monday! Here’s your Patriotic Challenge for the Week!

July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In the spirit of the Fourth of July, our challenge this week is All-American inspired!  For many families today the Fourth of July has become a holiday all about good BBQ and Fireworks, don’t get me wrong, that stuff is delicious, but what about this year challenging yourself (and your family) to know some of the facts behind the real reason we celebrate the Fourth of July.  For example, some trivia questions to ask yourself – who is considered to be the author of the Declaration of Independence? Or what famous American proposed the idea of becoming independent from Great Britain?  There are so many other fun facts to learn as well as teach your kids, such as, why we celebrate with fireworks, the meaning behind the Star Spangled Banner and so many more!  So, you are challenged to fully appreciate the meaning behind our Independence Day this year in hopes of having truly great and meaningful holiday!  Need a place to start? We’ve got ‘em:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Independence-Day.shtml

http://www.independencedayfun.com/269/facts-about-the-declaration-of-independence/

http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2011-07-01/Editorials/13_facts_for_Independence_Day.html

We hope you have a fun and safe holiday!

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Monday Morning Challenge – Read your way to the Ball Park!

June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Happy Monday everyone!  Your challenge this week is to make sure that your children’s brains don’t turn to mush over the summer!  The Phoenix Public Libraries are making it easy to do so by providing an awesome incentive –  FREE Diamondbacks tickets!  Kids from birth to age eighteen are able to participate in the program, either by reading themselves or having others read to them.  All participants will receive a voucher for a ticket to a Diamondbacks game – talk about a nice prize for using your brain a bit this summer!  More information about the program can be found on the Phoenix Public Library website.  Happy reading!

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Happy Monday! We Challenge you to be In-The-Know!

June 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Happy Monday everyone!  We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and for those celebrating, a great Father’s Day!  This week we are challenging our readers to spend a week dedicating themselves, albeit just a little bit, to knowing what is going on in the world.  This challenge is prompted from the fact that many times my husband comes home from work asking me, “Did you hear about so and so…?”  So often my answer is no, and when it is yes, it is usually because I saw it via someone’s Facebook status.  Coming to this realization, I figured I should challenge myself to knowing what is going on in the world around me, even at a very base level.  I certainly couldn’t tell you what the stock market did last Friday and I certainly couldn’t tell you who was on the cover of this month’s Time Magazine.  But I figure, maybe I should know why gas prices have gone down a bit, how the real estate market is doing in my area and what the latest info is in the upcoming Presidential election.

So this week I challenge myself and all of you to spend a mere 30 minutes a day educating ourselves on the goings-on in the world.  Whether that be tuning in to your local news, watching the headlines on CNN, looking on Google news, or sitting down old-fashioned-style and whipping out the newspaper; this week, be in-the-know!  I have a feeling I’ll be amazed at all the stuff that is going on out there, especially the stuff I had no idea about.  Who knows, could make for some interesting dinner table conversation and maybe I’ll know an interesting factoid that my husband will be clueless about for once :)

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Happy Monday! You’ve been Challenged!

June 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Can you believe that it is June already?  The summer is officially upon us!  For us Phoenicians the challenge everyday now is simply concealing the back sweat that is beginning to appear wherever you go.  However, seeing as it is Monday we figured we’d give you something  a little more exciting to challenge yourself to this week.  The challenge this week is a on a rather serious note, but such an important one.  In 2011, tragically, over twenty children drowned over the swimming season.  I see these stories on the news and am just devastated not only at their loss but also that I know that it takes just one second of taking your eyes off your child.  Although horrific, hopefully these children show parents and guardians that they need to be prepared for anything when you are dealing with kids and water.  That is why this weeks challenge is simply to educate yourself for this summer season.  By knowing First Aide and CPR you as a parent can prepare yourself in the event that something happen to your loved ones or even others.  So often parents have pool parties for their friends and family; by knowing what to do in the event of an emergency you can feel confident that anyone in your home, family or friends, will be safe around water.  Don’t know where to go to get started?  Here are some helpful websites to get you started:

http://www.valleyymca.org/schedule.cfm?class=103

https://heartsaversinc.com/

http://www.azpremiermedicalsolutions.com/

http://azcprtraining.com/

Have a fun and SAFE swimming season!

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Monday Morning Challenge: Memorial Day Edition

May 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In honor of Memorial Day and all of our fallen heroes, we would like to dedicate this week’s challenge to the brave men and women currently serving in our military.  As we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, we as you take a moment and visit the site  www.give2thetroops.org.  Our challenge this weeks is to support the troops in any way you can.  You can send a card, make a donation or collect goodies for care packages to be set overseas.  Please visit Give 2 the Troops for more ideas or to get involve.  Happy Memorial Day!

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Monday Morning Challenge! Eat up!

May 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you are anything like me, your weekly grocery store trips are pretty standard, and therefore so are your meals.  We are pretty predictable around my house, Tuesdays are always taco night, Thursdays are always an easy Stouffers meal I can just throw in the oven, wanting something easy in anticipation of the weekend.  Well this week Ties & Tutus challenges you to try something completely new!  Blow the dust off those recipe books, check your Pinterest boards for all those yummy recipes you always dream of making and get out and do it!  Now, there always is a chance that things in the kitchen could go terribly awry so I might suggest picking up an extra frozen pizza at the store when you are buying your ingredients, just in cases.  (Not a grammatical error, anyone know the movie reference?)  So good luck and eat up – you’ve been challenged!    If you need some good places to start here are some awesome sites that will get your inner Julia Childs working:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/quick-and-easy/index.html

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/main-dish/daily.aspx

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/courses/dinner-recipes

And of course, my personal fave, Pinterest!

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It’s Monday, Are You Ready for a Challenge?

May 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

With the weather heating up here in the Phoenix area, most of us are hightailing indoors, but this week we are challenging your to abandon your a/c and get outside with your family.  Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to play soccer at 2:00 in the afternoon on black asphalt.  This week’s Ties & Tutus challenge is to take a family walk every night after dinner.  I know my family and I love to pull out the wagon and dog leash, get some fresh air and meet the neighbors at sunset.  The heat subsides and it’s a great time to spend some quality time with the family, so get out there!

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Monday Morning Challenge – Let Your Child Cook Dinner

April 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Well, it’s Monday again.  I know, I know.  Nobody needs the reminder, but do not fret, we’ve got a fun way to start your Monday morning here at Ties & Tutus.  Are you ready for our second Monday Morning Challenge?  This week’s challenge is to allow your child(ren) to cook dinner for the family.  If your kiddos are too young to do this challenge independently, take the opportunity to have them in the kitchen with you, helping in any way they – stirring, measuring, learning, interacting, watching.

At the end of the week we’d love to hear how it went.  Are you raising a future chef?  Did somebody burn the house down?  Were you presently surprised or were you gagging through dinner?  This is sure to be a funny memory for both you and your children.

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Monday Morning Challenge – Pay it Forward!

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s Monday!  Now I certainly know that the biggest challenge of Monday is truly just getting out bed…but, Ties & Tutus wants to start giving your Monday morning a fun twist!  Each Monday we hope to post a little challenge for our readers to accomplish over the week.  Nothing crazy, just fun, and hopefully, gets you out of your comfort zone every so often!  For our first challenge we want to inspire random acts of kindness!  Ever heard the stories about the guy that buys the coffee for the woman behind him and then she for they guy behind her and so on and so on?  Human kindness is out there, sometimes it is hard to see it though.  Ties & Tutus wants that kindness spread everywhere!  So today we are challenging you to Pay it Forward this week!  Nothing fancy, maybe just $5.00, but do something for someone with no expectations in return.  Maybe you buy someone’s coffee, maybe you buy a donut for the woman who looks a little forlorn in the coffee shop.  Maybe you know your friend is in desperate need of a pedicure, so you show up to babysit on a Thursday evening (hint, hint to all my friends).  Doing something nice for others is a miraculous feeling; when you know you’ve got an amazing gift for someone, the anticipation as they’re opening is one of the most exciting feelings there is!  So get out there this week and pay it forward, even better we’d love to have you post your experiences to inspire others.  Tell us about unique ways you have paid it forward, or if it has been done for you!

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Spring (Cleaning) is in the Air!

March 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

For those of you who are subscribed to our newsletter you are already aware of the March Challenge we presented to you!  For those of you that aren’t read below for our first Ties & Tutus Challenge.  Every month we will be challenging you in a different aspect of your life, this month, organization! DUN DUN DUNN.

March Challenge -

Each month we hope to have a new and exciting challenge for you, your family and your friends.  These are going to (hopefully) be fun and exciting ways to get you out of your comfort zone, things to get you trying something new and sometimes things that help and support others in the community.  So this month it’s all about you…getting organized!  We all have (at least I hope we do) that one junk drawer/closet/room/garage and just looking at it gives you that “I should probably take care of that feeling…”  Well this is the month to take that feeling and run with it!  A couple of week’s ago we had a post on Ties & Tutus about organizing the tupperware cabinet.  The feelings of elation I got from that 1×1 foot of space being organized; I can hardly imagine the sheer joy that will come from taking care of the office closet!   So for this month: Organize Your Space!  You have a months time and what is even more exciting, you could even win a prize!  Take a picture of your “junk space” for your before shot and get to work. When your organization is complete take an after shot and mail it in.  All entries will be posted on our Facebook page where our fans will vote on the most improved organization space.    Even though you may win an extrinsic award, do it for the intrinsic value, because an organized space is a happy place!  (I just made that up!) Send your before and after pics in to marisa@tiesandtutus.com by Friday, March 30th to enter.

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