It’s Monday again. Time for a recap of a few fabulous ideas from around the web. All of these sites were featured on my Facebook fan page last week so, if you haven’t had a chance, you should check them out. If you liked them as much as I did, take a minute and let the content authors know. Bloggers love comments; so share the love when you stop by their sites.

Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page or by following this link and then clicking the Like button. Here are the links from last week…

Taste Spotting

I love looking at vibrant blog photography; especially when the the pictures are focused on fabulous foods like the recipe links found on this great site.

The Idea Room

Want to add a splash of color to your kids’ bath and get them cleaner at the same time? Check out this cool bath paint tutorial.

Skip To My Lou

Tomorrow is the first official day of summer for my kids. I think we’ll kick things off with one of my favorite childhood FHE treats – homemade pulled taffy like the recipe on this wonderful site.

Speaking of Christmas planning, for those of you utilizing the free planning downloads from last year, I’ve updated the calendar for 2009.  I’ll add the file to this post so you can start scheduling your month of organized merriment.

If you haven’t had a chance to print out your family’s refrigerator advent calendar this year, it’s not too late.  My kids race to get dressed in the morning just so they can earn the right to color in the ornament for the day.  I haven’t had to nag all week!  How can you resist that?

If you are following my weekly Christmas plan, you’ll know that writing Santa letters is scheduled for next week.  We usually do this activity during Family Home Evening…after we’ve had a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.  We talk a lot about the Christmas Spirit and how it’s important to show our love for others all year.  When they’re writing their letters, we encourage them to skip the standard “I’ve been really good this year” sentence for a more specific “I’ve shown the Christmas spirit by…”.  This simple shift really helps my kids keep their wish lists in perspective.  Plus, it’s really fun my husband and I to read what they come up with.

To make the letter writing a little more fun and festive this year, I created some cute Santa stationery.  The first version includes a partially-written letter so my young kids can just fill in the blanks with pictures.  The second file is a more basic, lined layout for my older kids.  You can find both files available for free download below.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

So for this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your FHE input.  What strategies do you use to keep your family on track?  What websites or resources do you use to plan fun and easy family home evenings?  What’s your family’s favorite way to spend a Monday night?  As always, tor those of you who comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

As a side note, although I’m not the best source for advice on staying on top of Family Home Evenings, I can show you how to make a quick and easy chart to keep track of everyone’s FHE jobs.  I made this one a few months ago with a small dry erase board and the leftovers from my Family Big Board project.   The entire project cost me about $10 and only took about 15 minutes to make.  If you’re in the market for a new FHE board, you might want to give this one a shot.  Just thought I’d pass it on.