One of my wreaths from my etsy shop got onto a random blog:
http://diyonthecheap.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-latest-love-burlap.html
I should have taken a better picture of that wreath. And it looks crooked in the picture. I guess I should get working on my etsy shop again.
We're still alive over here...
My husband just got a new job!!!!!!
We are so excited. In a bad economy like this it's been a bit rough, but after almost a year of job searching (and struggling) we made it.
So now starts the list of things that we need:
*A new washer that doesn't make banging noises on the spin cycle
*A car that holds more than 4 people (no we are not expecting any new family members) and that neither me nor my husband drove in college
*A vacation. We have not been on vacation together (just my husband and me) since long before my almost three year old was born. I can't even think of the last time we did anything just the two of us
*A maid. Just kidding (but wouldn't that be nice)
I think right now we are just relieved that we are finally going to be able to afford life.
We are so excited. In a bad economy like this it's been a bit rough, but after almost a year of job searching (and struggling) we made it.
So now starts the list of things that we need:
*A new washer that doesn't make banging noises on the spin cycle
*A car that holds more than 4 people (no we are not expecting any new family members) and that neither me nor my husband drove in college
*A vacation. We have not been on vacation together (just my husband and me) since long before my almost three year old was born. I can't even think of the last time we did anything just the two of us
*A maid. Just kidding (but wouldn't that be nice)
I think right now we are just relieved that we are finally going to be able to afford life.
Grilled cheese with butternut squash
I had such a busy past month that I'm really far behind on this blog from where I wanted to be. So I decided I needed another post today. And it's another food one!
I made this recipe for lunch today. It was really easy to make. I'm going to be honest, I didn't have very high hopes for it. I don't like grilled cheese sandwiches and this recipe calls for that gross soft tub margerine plastic that people seem to think is a butter equivalent. I also haven't had great luck cooking with butternut squash.
I think I have pretty much given up on attempting food photography. So if you're wondering why I am just posting pictures of the recipe book, that's why.
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sweet potato or butternut squash puree
1 tablespoon of previously mentioned plastic food substitute
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 slices of whole wheat bread
Nonstick cooking spray 1 teaspoon olive oil
I started this recipe by baking the butternut squash. I cut it in half and faced it flesh down on a baking sheet for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees. I scooped it out of the skin when it was done and put it in the food processor until it was smooth.
I mixed 1/2 cup of the squash puree with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I should have added the plasic food substitute here but I left that out entirely since no one needs to eat that. I didn't think the sandwich would need any more flavor since the salt was being added to this mix. I spread half the cheese/squash mixture on one slice of bread and put a plain piece of bread over the top to close the sandwich.
I put the sandwich on a frying pan that was sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. The recipe says to put olive oil on the pan but I didn't think that was necessary because I was using a nonstick frying pan. I just grilled the sandwich until the cheese melted and cut the sandwich into little squares so my kids could eat them.
The result: I loved them. I thought the squash made the sandwich taste really good and I have never really liked butternut squash. My kids... well... to be fair, they don't like any sandwiches and never eat them. I also fed this to them just before nap time so there wasn't a whole lot I could have fed them that was going to make them happy. But when they get a little older I'm going to make this for them again because I thought it was a great alternative to regular grilled cheese.
As a side note, I packaged the rest of the butternut squash into plastic bags in 1/2 cup portions and stored them in my fridge to use for future recipes or more grilled cheese sandwiches.
Mac & cheese
I got this book for Christmas:
The interesting thing about this book is it encourages parents to puree vegetables and sneak them into foods your kids like eating. That's kind of the main idea of this cookbook.
Pros: You get your kids to eat more vegetables if they refuse to eat them. The recipes are quick and they tell you how long it's going to take to make each recipe. The ingredients are pretty basic and ones most people generally have around or could easily get.
Cons: I'm not super impressed with the recipes themselves. They are almost too simplistic to taste that good. Also, I was hoping for more recipes about how to get the vegetables to taste good. Hiding vegetables in food doesn't encourage life long vegetable eating habits. There's also no nutrition facts listed with the recipes. One minor complaint is that this book encourages the use of margarine from a tub. I refuse to cook with that stuff, but it's easy enough to just replace that with real butter when I make these recipes.
This is a good book if you don't know how to cook. Basically, it's for a very busy Mom who needs simple meal ideas that may or may not taste that great. There are some basic recipes for dinner and dessert ideas but nothing in this book is particularly outstanding. If you ever considered getting this book I would suggest just adding pureed vegetables to recipes your family already likes and it will probably work much better for your family.
I will give a few of these recipes a try and let you guys know how they turn out. Reviews on Amazon complained that the pureed vegetables altered the taste of the meals at times.
Last night I tried this recipe:
I changed a few ingredients but I used this basic recipe:
Macaroni and cheese 1
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
4 oz (almost 1/4 cup) cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Cook the noodles. Coat a saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium. Add the oil, then flour and cook, stirring constantly until a paste is made, 1-2 minutes. Add the milk and cook until mixture is thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar and cream cheese and seasonings. Stir until mixture is smooth. Mix with cooked macaroni and serve.
What I changed: I didn't add paprika because my spice shelf is a mess and I couldn't find it. I didn't add pepper because my husband doesn't like pepper. I changed the puree to one pureed avocado because it's what I had. I'm also concerned my kids aren't getting the DHA omega-3 they need since I don't like fish and therefore we never eat it. So avocado was the veggie of choice.
The results: For a really quick homemade macaroni and cheese, it was actually pretty good. My husband did complain that every few bites was extra avocado tasting (he hates avocado so that wasn't such a good thing) but I didn't notice that. My kids ate it just fine. It didn't turn the macaroni green- there were only a few green specks so that wasn't so bad. I didn't use the low or non-fat version of the cheeses or milk and that did make the meal a little heavy. If I had the non fat version of each of those on hand I would have used them instead.
Overall, if I'm in a hurry, I would make this meal again. It was very quick to make since I didn't have to bake it and most of the ingredients I usually have on hand. And since I REFUSE to serve my kids macaroni and cheese from a box, this is a good quick alternative.
The interesting thing about this book is it encourages parents to puree vegetables and sneak them into foods your kids like eating. That's kind of the main idea of this cookbook.
Pros: You get your kids to eat more vegetables if they refuse to eat them. The recipes are quick and they tell you how long it's going to take to make each recipe. The ingredients are pretty basic and ones most people generally have around or could easily get.
Cons: I'm not super impressed with the recipes themselves. They are almost too simplistic to taste that good. Also, I was hoping for more recipes about how to get the vegetables to taste good. Hiding vegetables in food doesn't encourage life long vegetable eating habits. There's also no nutrition facts listed with the recipes. One minor complaint is that this book encourages the use of margarine from a tub. I refuse to cook with that stuff, but it's easy enough to just replace that with real butter when I make these recipes.
This is a good book if you don't know how to cook. Basically, it's for a very busy Mom who needs simple meal ideas that may or may not taste that great. There are some basic recipes for dinner and dessert ideas but nothing in this book is particularly outstanding. If you ever considered getting this book I would suggest just adding pureed vegetables to recipes your family already likes and it will probably work much better for your family.
I will give a few of these recipes a try and let you guys know how they turn out. Reviews on Amazon complained that the pureed vegetables altered the taste of the meals at times.
Last night I tried this recipe:
I changed a few ingredients but I used this basic recipe:
Macaroni and cheese 1
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
4 oz (almost 1/4 cup) cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Cook the noodles. Coat a saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium. Add the oil, then flour and cook, stirring constantly until a paste is made, 1-2 minutes. Add the milk and cook until mixture is thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar and cream cheese and seasonings. Stir until mixture is smooth. Mix with cooked macaroni and serve.
What I changed: I didn't add paprika because my spice shelf is a mess and I couldn't find it. I didn't add pepper because my husband doesn't like pepper. I changed the puree to one pureed avocado because it's what I had. I'm also concerned my kids aren't getting the DHA omega-3 they need since I don't like fish and therefore we never eat it. So avocado was the veggie of choice.
The results: For a really quick homemade macaroni and cheese, it was actually pretty good. My husband did complain that every few bites was extra avocado tasting (he hates avocado so that wasn't such a good thing) but I didn't notice that. My kids ate it just fine. It didn't turn the macaroni green- there were only a few green specks so that wasn't so bad. I didn't use the low or non-fat version of the cheeses or milk and that did make the meal a little heavy. If I had the non fat version of each of those on hand I would have used them instead.
Overall, if I'm in a hurry, I would make this meal again. It was very quick to make since I didn't have to bake it and most of the ingredients I usually have on hand. And since I REFUSE to serve my kids macaroni and cheese from a box, this is a good quick alternative.
Beads on a string
My sister told me about how well this activity works with her students but I thought my two year old was too young. Also I was concerned about the choking hazard- do watch out for that. But today, my two year old found the container full of beads and brought it to me thinking it was candy. I explained that they were beads and she was anxious to give this activity a try. So we did.
It's a great way to build fine motor skills. And keep your kid occupied for a bit.
Sorry these pictures are terrible. We'll pretend I'm a decent photographer for now. Anyway, I took a shoelace and tied a knot at the end. Then I showed her how to put the beads on the shoelace. She loved it and insisted on doing it "all by ahh self!"
It's a great way to build fine motor skills. And keep your kid occupied for a bit.
Random thoughts
Wow! Things have been BUSY! I guess the holidays can do that to you. And my kids are still sick. My one year old just threw up again this week. Go figure.
As soon as life calms down I have a bunch of new things to try out and post about.
My sister who is a special education teacher gave me a new book about activities to do with toddlers. I'm so excited to try some new things out from it.
For Christmas, I got a cookbook about hiding vegetables in your kids food. You know, the one by Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica. As much as I (sort of) try, my kids really don't get enough vegetables. I'm really excited to try some of these recipes out. And of course blog about it.
And one day a week I will be babysitting some kids for a neighbor so I will have some new test subjects for some of these foods and activities. And rumor has it, one of these kids will not eat vegetables. We'll see what we can do about that.
As a final thought, I found this blog and laughed so hard I cried. So if you need a good laugh and you have a few minutes, give it a try. Also if you either like or dislike snuggies or wooden blocks with words on them, you may find this mildly amusing:
http://itjustgetsstranger.blogspot.com/2011/12/snuggie-texts.html
As soon as life calms down I have a bunch of new things to try out and post about.
My sister who is a special education teacher gave me a new book about activities to do with toddlers. I'm so excited to try some new things out from it.
For Christmas, I got a cookbook about hiding vegetables in your kids food. You know, the one by Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica. As much as I (sort of) try, my kids really don't get enough vegetables. I'm really excited to try some of these recipes out. And of course blog about it.
And one day a week I will be babysitting some kids for a neighbor so I will have some new test subjects for some of these foods and activities. And rumor has it, one of these kids will not eat vegetables. We'll see what we can do about that.
As a final thought, I found this blog and laughed so hard I cried. So if you need a good laugh and you have a few minutes, give it a try. Also if you either like or dislike snuggies or wooden blocks with words on them, you may find this mildly amusing:
http://itjustgetsstranger.blogspot.com/2011/12/snuggie-texts.html
Rotating toys
We have too many toys at our house. With Christmas coming up, it's just going to get worse.
Awhile ago I got tired of picking up toys. All day. Everyday. All the time. So we packed them into totes and put them in our garage.
Lately I've been busy trying to make some homemade gifts for my family. And I've been working on things for my Etsy shop too. And as much as I have loved the non-stop showing of the Strawberry Shortcake movie at our house, it was time for something new.
So we pulled out one of the totes.
It's been fun to watch my girls re-discover their old toys again. And it's kept them busy.
When they get bored of these toys we'll rotate in another tote of toys. Or Christmas will come and it will be time to pack up more toys into the garage. Either way, it's been good "toy control" at our house.
And it's been fun for my girls.
Awhile ago I got tired of picking up toys. All day. Everyday. All the time. So we packed them into totes and put them in our garage.
Lately I've been busy trying to make some homemade gifts for my family. And I've been working on things for my Etsy shop too. And as much as I have loved the non-stop showing of the Strawberry Shortcake movie at our house, it was time for something new.
So we pulled out one of the totes.
It's been fun to watch my girls re-discover their old toys again. And it's kept them busy.
When they get bored of these toys we'll rotate in another tote of toys. Or Christmas will come and it will be time to pack up more toys into the garage. Either way, it's been good "toy control" at our house.
And it's been fun for my girls.
Shapes
I'm so far behind. On everything I think.
Today my two year old and I worked on sorting, counting, and colors. I cut out a bunch of shapes in red and green paper.
She got so excited and named all the shapes and the colors. She even decided all on her own to make a snowman. They must be working on that at church with them because we haven't talked about snowmen at home.
They were talking on the radio this week about a study that said simple toys such a blocks are much better for kids than any electronic learning toy because it allows them to be creative. We got my two year old a Leapster 2 from Leapfrog and gave it to her a few weeks ago. Maybe we should have just stuck with blocks. Or shapes cut out of paper.
Today my two year old and I worked on sorting, counting, and colors. I cut out a bunch of shapes in red and green paper.
She got so excited and named all the shapes and the colors. She even decided all on her own to make a snowman. They must be working on that at church with them because we haven't talked about snowmen at home.
They were talking on the radio this week about a study that said simple toys such a blocks are much better for kids than any electronic learning toy because it allows them to be creative. We got my two year old a Leapster 2 from Leapfrog and gave it to her a few weeks ago. Maybe we should have just stuck with blocks. Or shapes cut out of paper.
I just quit my job.
My kids are just too sick. My 1 year old woke up with a fever this morning. I can't keep finding subs for my shifts or people to take the kids until they get better. And I sure can't listen to my 1 year old scream while I'm at work because she doesn't feel well.
So... on to the next adventure. And more blogging about kid activities. Because now we're going to be spending a whole lot more time at home!
My kids are just too sick. My 1 year old woke up with a fever this morning. I can't keep finding subs for my shifts or people to take the kids until they get better. And I sure can't listen to my 1 year old scream while I'm at work because she doesn't feel well.
So... on to the next adventure. And more blogging about kid activities. Because now we're going to be spending a whole lot more time at home!
Winter colds
I think my girls picked up a combination of every cold and flu symptom there is.
I think it comes from working at a child care place and bringing my kids along. This morning I went into my kids' room and found a puddle of vomit in my one year old's bed from last night. That, along with her terrible coughing, fever, runny nose, and probably a series of other ailments she can't tell me about has made her really fussy and clingy. Sadly, my two year old just went through this same thing a few days ago.
I suspected my 1 year old was starting to take a turn for the worst yesterday. I was working with the older kids (2 and over) and my poor little one year old just cried and cried from the baby room. I know my kid and knew that it was more than a separation anxiety for her that was making her upset. The people working in the room just kept telling me that it was fine and if I came and held her that it would just make it worse because she learns that crying will get her held by her mom. It's kinda frustrating when you know your child and you know that there is something wrong. Ugh. A few times I just ignored them and held her anyway. It's my child, after all. Today while I'm at work my girls are going to be with their grandma. I'm just hoping my 1 year old gets better by tomorrow (wishful thinking, right?)
I think it comes from working at a child care place and bringing my kids along. This morning I went into my kids' room and found a puddle of vomit in my one year old's bed from last night. That, along with her terrible coughing, fever, runny nose, and probably a series of other ailments she can't tell me about has made her really fussy and clingy. Sadly, my two year old just went through this same thing a few days ago.
I suspected my 1 year old was starting to take a turn for the worst yesterday. I was working with the older kids (2 and over) and my poor little one year old just cried and cried from the baby room. I know my kid and knew that it was more than a separation anxiety for her that was making her upset. The people working in the room just kept telling me that it was fine and if I came and held her that it would just make it worse because she learns that crying will get her held by her mom. It's kinda frustrating when you know your child and you know that there is something wrong. Ugh. A few times I just ignored them and held her anyway. It's my child, after all. Today while I'm at work my girls are going to be with their grandma. I'm just hoping my 1 year old gets better by tomorrow (wishful thinking, right?)
Celebrating religion
We're not Jewish.
But you wouldn't know that from our decorations this month.
We have a Christmas tree up, but somehow we missed getting a nativity scene anywhere in our house. Or pictures of Christ.
My husband is concerned that we are not emphasizing Christianity enough in our home. I'm a huge proponent of teaching a variety of ideas and world ideas, but somehow I missed our own religion.
What Christ centered activities do you guys do with your young children?
But you wouldn't know that from our decorations this month.
We have a Christmas tree up, but somehow we missed getting a nativity scene anywhere in our house. Or pictures of Christ.
My husband is concerned that we are not emphasizing Christianity enough in our home. I'm a huge proponent of teaching a variety of ideas and world ideas, but somehow I missed our own religion.
What Christ centered activities do you guys do with your young children?
Alphabet letters
We're back!
What a week it's been. We survived Thanksgiving and a birthday- my youngest girl turned 1! What a fun time we had with relatives and shopping and celebrating.
Our lives are back to normal now or until Christmas at least. With things calming down, my husband and I decided we needed to work more on teaching our two year old the alphabet. Today I cut out letters of the alphabet on red and green paper (for Christmas of course) and put them up in our dining room.
I didn't do a professional job by any means. I figure in about a week (or a day...) it will be covered in pen, crayon, or some other kid markings. We'll do another alphabet in a few weeks I'm sure. We had another alphabet up in our dining room a few months ago but took it down when the kids did their damage to it. With these alphabets, we ask my two year old several times a day what each letter is. A lot of times she goes through what she knows of the alphabet all on her own.
This wasn't too much of a project for kids, but my two year old liked pretending like she was gluing paper and really liked pointing out the letters. Depending on your child's age, they may want to help.
What a week it's been. We survived Thanksgiving and a birthday- my youngest girl turned 1! What a fun time we had with relatives and shopping and celebrating.
Our lives are back to normal now or until Christmas at least. With things calming down, my husband and I decided we needed to work more on teaching our two year old the alphabet. Today I cut out letters of the alphabet on red and green paper (for Christmas of course) and put them up in our dining room.
I didn't do a professional job by any means. I figure in about a week (or a day...) it will be covered in pen, crayon, or some other kid markings. We'll do another alphabet in a few weeks I'm sure. We had another alphabet up in our dining room a few months ago but took it down when the kids did their damage to it. With these alphabets, we ask my two year old several times a day what each letter is. A lot of times she goes through what she knows of the alphabet all on her own.
This wasn't too much of a project for kids, but my two year old liked pretending like she was gluing paper and really liked pointing out the letters. Depending on your child's age, they may want to help.
Holiday vacation from blogging
Hi Everyone!
If you haven't noticed, I'm taking a Thanksgiving holiday/I started a new job vacation from blogging. I will be back next week!
Jenn
If you haven't noticed, I'm taking a Thanksgiving holiday/I started a new job vacation from blogging. I will be back next week!
Jenn
Edible paints
I've had my craft paints out for awhile while I'm working on some projects and my two year old has wanted to play with them so badly. So I thought a new painting activity would be fun for her today. I saw this idea for edible paints and I thought I'd give it a try!
I had originally planned on sitting my two year old up at the table and letting her paint different foods, but then I thought better of it. I could just see my carpet covered in colors in a matter of about 5 minutes. So if your kitchen table doesn't have carpet under it, this would be a great painting activity at your table. I decided for the sake of cleaning up, I'd try this one out in the bathtub.
Supplies:
Ice cube tray
Toothpicks to stir
Food coloring
Milk
Paintbrush
Food to paint on such as marshmallows (in our case, we just painted on the bathtub wall)
Put milk in each compartment of the ice cube tray.
Add food coloring to the milk.
Stir the colors into the milk with the toothpicks.
Now it's time to paint.
We turned these into finger paints and painted the bathroom walls. Ideally, however, these paints can be used to paint paper, foods, and whatever else you can come up with.
And if your child eats the paint, there's nothing to worry about.
I had originally planned on sitting my two year old up at the table and letting her paint different foods, but then I thought better of it. I could just see my carpet covered in colors in a matter of about 5 minutes. So if your kitchen table doesn't have carpet under it, this would be a great painting activity at your table. I decided for the sake of cleaning up, I'd try this one out in the bathtub.
Supplies:
Ice cube tray
Toothpicks to stir
Food coloring
Milk
Paintbrush
Food to paint on such as marshmallows (in our case, we just painted on the bathtub wall)
Put milk in each compartment of the ice cube tray.
Add food coloring to the milk.
Stir the colors into the milk with the toothpicks.
Now it's time to paint.
We turned these into finger paints and painted the bathroom walls. Ideally, however, these paints can be used to paint paper, foods, and whatever else you can come up with.
And if your child eats the paint, there's nothing to worry about.
Newspaper Hats
I was lying in bed last night and a thought came to me. When I was preschool age, I thought it was so fun to make newspaper hats. We could color them and add decorations. I wonder if my two year old would like to have a newspaper hat.
First, I had to remember how to fold them. I did a little research and here's what I came up with.
This is my 11 month old. My two year old refused to put the hat on at first, but she warmed up to the idea over time.
Here's how I folded the hat:
Take one piece of newspaper and have it lying flat.
Fold it in half.
Fold both top corners toward the center fold.
Fold the bottom edge up (only the top layer of newspaper) to hold the previous folds in place.
Flip the newspaper over to the other side.
Fold both bottom corners into the center. This can be adjusted to fit the size of your kid's head.
Fold the bottom edge up to hold the folds in place.
And there you go! One thing we learned is that you may want to tape the hat together. Our hats came apart pretty easily.
Here's my daughter coloring her hat. Other decorations can be added such as stickers, colored paper, etc.
First, I had to remember how to fold them. I did a little research and here's what I came up with.
This is my 11 month old. My two year old refused to put the hat on at first, but she warmed up to the idea over time.
Here's how I folded the hat:
Take one piece of newspaper and have it lying flat.
Fold it in half.
Fold both top corners toward the center fold.
Fold the bottom edge up (only the top layer of newspaper) to hold the previous folds in place.
Flip the newspaper over to the other side.
Fold both bottom corners into the center. This can be adjusted to fit the size of your kid's head.
Fold the bottom edge up to hold the folds in place.
And there you go! One thing we learned is that you may want to tape the hat together. Our hats came apart pretty easily.
Here's my daughter coloring her hat. Other decorations can be added such as stickers, colored paper, etc.
A new job for me!
So... I just got a job!
It's going to be a huge change from the jobs I'm used to. But I'm excited.
Instead of cleaning up after monkeys, rats, and other science projects, I'll be cleaning up after kids. I consider it a step up in the world. :)
I'll be working at a child care center. The best part is I can bring my kids with me. I'm looking forward to a new adventure in life and hopefully have some new ideas to post.
And we could use the money. Did I mention that my husband's car broke down last week? It was almost $800 to fix. His car isn't even worth that much. There's nothing like buying your own car back. Twice, essentially.
And I know I said I would post more kid activities this week. My sister is sending me a bunch of things she has done with her students and is still compiling that list for me so I can try them on my kids. It's been a busy week for her so new activities are coming soon! Hang in there!
It's going to be a huge change from the jobs I'm used to. But I'm excited.
Instead of cleaning up after monkeys, rats, and other science projects, I'll be cleaning up after kids. I consider it a step up in the world. :)
I'll be working at a child care center. The best part is I can bring my kids with me. I'm looking forward to a new adventure in life and hopefully have some new ideas to post.
And we could use the money. Did I mention that my husband's car broke down last week? It was almost $800 to fix. His car isn't even worth that much. There's nothing like buying your own car back. Twice, essentially.
And I know I said I would post more kid activities this week. My sister is sending me a bunch of things she has done with her students and is still compiling that list for me so I can try them on my kids. It's been a busy week for her so new activities are coming soon! Hang in there!
Happy Veterans Day!
As the country celebrates and recognizes those who have served our country proudly, we are celebrating with my husband's day off of work. Yay!
Today we are taking our kids to Kangaroo Zoo if they ever stop throwing tantrums. I'll try to post pictures if the batteries in my camera don't die like they did when we went to the aquarium a few days ago.
Happy Veterans Day! Make sure to thank those in our military today and their families for all they give for the rest of us.
Today we are taking our kids to Kangaroo Zoo if they ever stop throwing tantrums. I'll try to post pictures if the batteries in my camera don't die like they did when we went to the aquarium a few days ago.
Happy Veterans Day! Make sure to thank those in our military today and their families for all they give for the rest of us.
Glow sticks in balloons
This was a really easy activity/toy for my kids. And yes, it's another glow stick thing. I think I mentioned this activity in a previous post but didn't have pictures or get around to actually doing this for my kids.
I bought a ton of glow sticks on sale after Halloween at Walmart. I got them for 23 cents a package. The balloons I've had around for awhile.
All I did was activate the glow sticks and put them in balloons. Then I blew up the balloons.
This activity is probably best when it's dark outside. I had a hard time finding a dark room in our house.
The kids still loved it. It's great for an indoor/rainy/snowy day.
I bought a ton of glow sticks on sale after Halloween at Walmart. I got them for 23 cents a package. The balloons I've had around for awhile.
All I did was activate the glow sticks and put them in balloons. Then I blew up the balloons.
This activity is probably best when it's dark outside. I had a hard time finding a dark room in our house.
The kids still loved it. It's great for an indoor/rainy/snowy day.
I need a day out!
Today I had planned to have my kids do some bath tub painting with food coloring filled ice cubes. But the last adventure with shaving cream finger paints left such a mess that I decided to not deal with a new bathroom mess today.
I think instead we are going to go to the Living Planet Aquarium (I guess both painting AND Living Planet Aquarium are possible in one day but the latter requires less clean up).
I'm in desperate need of a get-out-of-the-house day.
I think instead we are going to go to the Living Planet Aquarium (I guess both painting AND Living Planet Aquarium are possible in one day but the latter requires less clean up).
I'm in desperate need of a get-out-of-the-house day.
Shameless self promotion
One of the things I didn't want when I started this blog was to do paid promotions for things. Well... I'm not getting paid for this so I guess I'm still okay!
I joined the masses and started an etsy shop. I don't have too much in there yet but it will just be filled with my own projects and things I make when I get a spare second (this is why there isn't much in my shop yet). You can see my shop here. I do have a few more projects that are about half way done so hopefully they will be up by sometime next week.
Right now I have a few burlap Christmas wreaths listed. If any friends or family or anyone who reads my blog (the anyone category probably just goes back to the friends and family category) would like a Christmas wreath, I am offering a pretty good discount to those of you who ask (the amount of the discount depends on which wreath and the cost of materials for any customizations- but the discount will put the total to just over cost). Contact me if you are interested.
I'm also trying to get some practice with my Silhouette Cameo. I bought a bunch of womens shirts that are sizes XS-XL in creme color from DownEast Basics (I LOVE DownEast basics shirts. If you've never tried them you are missing out!). If you want a custom shirt I can make one for just the cost of the shirt- $3, plus shipping (unless you live close and then there's no shipping). I would love the practice with my machine.
Anyway, enough shameless self promotion. We'll get back to kid stuff now. Thanks for reading through all this. :)
Jenn
I joined the masses and started an etsy shop. I don't have too much in there yet but it will just be filled with my own projects and things I make when I get a spare second (this is why there isn't much in my shop yet). You can see my shop here. I do have a few more projects that are about half way done so hopefully they will be up by sometime next week.
Right now I have a few burlap Christmas wreaths listed. If any friends or family or anyone who reads my blog (the anyone category probably just goes back to the friends and family category) would like a Christmas wreath, I am offering a pretty good discount to those of you who ask (the amount of the discount depends on which wreath and the cost of materials for any customizations- but the discount will put the total to just over cost). Contact me if you are interested.
I'm also trying to get some practice with my Silhouette Cameo. I bought a bunch of womens shirts that are sizes XS-XL in creme color from DownEast Basics (I LOVE DownEast basics shirts. If you've never tried them you are missing out!). If you want a custom shirt I can make one for just the cost of the shirt- $3, plus shipping (unless you live close and then there's no shipping). I would love the practice with my machine.
Anyway, enough shameless self promotion. We'll get back to kid stuff now. Thanks for reading through all this. :)
Jenn
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