I'M AWESOME! - Part 1

One of my favorite children’s book authors is Sandra Boynton.  She is able to pack so much into her tiny little stories.  Some of our favorites are Snuggle Puppy (you must sing it), Fifteen Animals! and Blue Hat, Green Hat.  But one of our absolute favorites is Yay, You!  It celebrates you and your kids.  What’s better, right?  One of my favorite lines is, “And whatever you do--now or later, big or small, loud or quiet--whatever you do, don’t worry.  Just try it.  Whatever you do, whether near or far, I know you’ll be great.  You already are.” 

Matthew received a cookbook for Christmas last year and has been dying to use.  So today he made a grocery list of things he would need for recipes he thought sounded delicious.  With the list in hand we headed to the grocery store and stocked up.  When we got home Matthew and James decided that the mini pizzas sounded the best.  So we gathered around the island and got to work.

Matthew loved being the one to read the recipe and tell us what came next.  And it was fun for the younger ones to have a hand in preparing lunch.

The craft I’m going to share is something a did a while back, but I think would be fun for anyone.  I got this online somewhere and I cannot remember for the life of me where.  So I apologize in advance for not being able to give credit where it is due.  We made handprints and footprints on canvas.  Take the size of canvas you would like and put however many coats of paint on it that you would like (the fewer, the whiter your prints will be).  I did two very thin coats, I like the brush marks.  Then when the paint is still wet press your child’s hands/feet on the canvas.  Press them down firmly and try to get them to be very still.  With an 18 month old it was near impossible, but it isn’t supposed to be perfect, just fun.  I wrote on the back of each canvas each child’s name and the date the painting was done.  And you’ve got a very personalized piece of art for your home.

I'M AWESOME!

Image from here.

The moment I became I mom, I knew one thing for certain.  These little babies that enter our lives and broaden our families come as they are.  As parents we mold and teach our children to be good people, but their personalities, their quirks, those are already there.  My oldest son decided after 23 hours of labor that he was finally ready to grace us with his arrival.  Once in my arms, he thought there was probably a better way to nurse than what I or the nurses were attempting to show him (wouldn’t take a bottle either).  Finally, after about 5 days, he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t come up with a better technique and decided a full belly was better than an empty one.  It took me over a year to potty train him.  It took my husband and I over 2 years to get him to stay in his bed at night.  He questions everything and tries to figure out a solution on his own.  At times this can be an extremely frustrating trait, but he isn’t persuaded easily and doesn’t let anyone push him.  He wants to find the answer and has enough curiosity to do it.  That is an excellent quality to have.  I wouldn’t trade those 23 hours or 5 days for anything.  They taught me about my son, his strengths, I got to know who he is.  

So we thought it would be fun to dedicate this week to the personalities that are our children.  Teach them that who they are is just right.  Celebrate being different or being the same.  It’s what makes the world go round.  I want my kids to look in the mirror and never see flaws or wish for something different.  They are who they are, and they’ll do great things!

So this week our theme is I’M AWESOME!

Pirates and Princesses - Part 3

Henry and the Bunny Buccaneers by Carolyn Crimi 

and Illustrated by John Manders

Henry is not a typical buccaneer bunny. Instead of performing his proper pirating duties, he would rather read the books that he took from other ships. His father, the captain, is not proud of his son and the rest of the crew makes fun of him. When they are shipwrecked on a deserted island, however, it is Henry and his book smarts that save the day. 

This is a very cute story about a bookish buccaneer named Henry.  Having his nose in a book is the worst possible thing he could do, according to his dad.  But maybe it’ll be what saves the day.  My kids loved this one, especially since you have lots of opportunity to read in a pirate’s voice and a nerdy voice.  That cracked them up.  

Today we went on a treasure hunt.  We had to do it early before we hit triple digits, but had a lot of fun.  

First I printed off a treasure map on a brown paper lunch bag that I cut to size.  I found the template here and made a few of my own adjustments.  Then I burned the edges a bit to give it an aged look (I’ve realized how much I enjoy burning things.  It also reminded me of when Lindsey and I were younger and we’d make fancy letters.  We would burn the edges and seal the letter with wax.  In our bedroom alone.  When we were in the 3rd and 4th grade.  Awesome).  My kids thought that was pretty cool.  

We couldn’t sail the seven seas unarmed, so we made swords from an old cardboard box.  I cut the sword shapes out and then used aluminum foil for the blade.  Off we went...

We fought a giant, invisible serpent in Serpent’s Pass.  This is when my almost 7 year-old said, “I hope nobody sees us.”  I replied, “Well, if they did they’d be envious we’re having so much fun.”  He just laughed at me.  

The rest of our journey brought us through Mermaid Cove (basketball court), Dead Man’s Cave (garage door), Barking Dolphin Way (backyard, we have a dog), and finally to an oasis in the middle of nothing (our overgrown garden).  

We found our booty!   Hahaha.  I’m a mom and that always cracks me up.  I filled a little chest with Rolos, Kisses and Chocolate coins.  Chocolate...  That’s better than real gold, in my opinion.

AAAARG!

Pirates and Princesses - Part 1

Roger the Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist

Roger, a "lousy pirate," is derisively given the nickname "Jolly Roger" by his shipmates. Although he tries to be a proper buccaneer, he is inevitably sent below deck whenever there is serious marauding to be done. When the Admiral attacks the ship, Roger is once again sent to the hold. In an attempt to win the favor of his crewmates, he bakes a cake in a cannon he mistakes for a pot. The explosive result-Roger flying above deck amid flour, smoke, and powder, looking exactly like a screaming skeleton-sends the Admiral's men leaping off their vessel convinced that the pirates have a ghost on their side. In recognition of his feat, his shipmates stitch up a flag that has gone down in history as the "Jolly Roger." 

This was a fun and lighthearted tale.  My boys really enjoyed and have requested it several times.  The pictures are great and we got a kick out of them.

We have a week full of piratey fun planned, but we can’t do it without our pirate gear.  So today we made pirate t-shirts.  Well, I made the t-shirts, the boys just watched.  In honor of Roger the Jolly Pirate, we chose the Jolly Roger for our design.

Materials:

T-shirt

Fabric Paint

Brush

Freezer paper

Picture of what you would like to paint

Scissors and/or Exacto knife

Steps:

Find a picture that you would like to use for your shirt.  We did a free clipart search online.  Print out picture and trace onto freezer paper.  Remember to have shiny side down.

Cut out picture.  An exacto knife makes the cutting a lot easier, especially using it for the initial cut.  Just don’t forget to do it over a board.

Place stencil on shirt in the right location, shiny side down.  Iron on.  The freezer paper will stick right on.  I stick a piece of paper underneath the area I will be painting, so that the paint doesn't soak through.

Paint in the stencil.  Because we were painting white on black, it took a few coats.  

Wait until dry and then peel off the stencil.  Now you’ve got a custom t-shirt!

Only one of our shirts was dry in time for pictures.

Pirates and Princesses

Image from here.

Arg, me mateys!  Are ye ready for a week of jolly good fun and a bit of scurrrrrvy?  No scurvy?  Hmmm...  I think we can work with that.  What about a week full of ruffles, diamonds and dainty activities?  How about we combine the two and have a week full of Pirates and Princesses.  Perfect!  A little something for everyone.  So come back tomorrow and join us for some fun... 

Image from here.

Colors - Part 3

I am big fan of Eric Carle.  The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar is one of my favorite books from childhood.  But today, we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  My kids love this book and I do as well.  The colors are great and we always pick out our favorite animal.  Mine is the purple cat (purple is my favorite color, not such a fan of cats though).  This is a great book to use to teach colors.

We live in a hot, hot desert so outdoor activities are few and far between.  If we want to do anything outside, it has to be early or late.  Even then we don’t really escape the heat. But I have been wanting to get outside, so we went out early this morning to have some fun.  

My kids love sidewalk chalk.  They usually end up scribbling or making new designs.  Today, we made sidewalk chalk paint.  Here’s what to do:

2 TBS Cornstarch

2 TBS Water

Food Coloring

Mix the ingredients together and you’ve got yourself some paint!  I only used about 5 drops per color and that seemed to make dark enough hues.  Grab cheap paint brushes and a big cup of water to use for rinsing.  Head outside and put that artistic itch to work!

My boys ended up splashing paint around and making random brush marks, but they loved it.  Until we all started sweating.  Seriously, nobody should be sweating at 8:00 am.  

Colors - Part 1

Color Chaos! by Lynn Rowe Reed


Something quite strange is afoot at Colin's school. The new substitute principal, Mr. Greystone, has a million rules. He becomes so furious when students draw on his bulletin board that he bans colored art supplies, which has an eerie effect on the once-vibrant school. But Colin's crayons don't want to stay put in the trash can, so they plan an escape. Will kaleidoscopic hues return to Hughes Elementary?


This is a fun and very colorful book.  It even teaches kids about colors and has some fun activities in the back.  

My kids have not always been big fans of coloring or drawing.  This was such a puzzle to me.  I am not an artist at all, but I have always wished that I were.  I love doodling, painting; coloring books aren’t even safe near me.  Why wouldn’t anyone like painting or coloring?  Well, my crazy kids didn’t.  Until they did.  That’s how fast it happened.  All of a sudden my oldest was a drawing/coloring machine.  My second followed close behind.  They are always begging asking me if they could paint.  Remember how I said that I love painting?  Well, I don’t love cleaning it up.  So I rarely gave into the pleading.  All that might change after our activity today.  The mess was completely worth it.

I was trying to find a fun art project to do with my kids and came across marble painting.  My son informed me that he did it at school, so he was kind of an expert at it.  Right then I knew we were in good hands.  

I had a canvas that I had attempted to paint once (good intentions, right?) that I was no longer using.  I lightly sanded it and spray-painted it white.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  That’s me, Mrs. Green.  Anyway, so I cut a cardboard box up, lengthwise and taped it around the canvas.  This prevents the marbles from flying all over the place during the process.  I poured our paint into paper bowls for easy access.  I could not find marbles, so we used gum balls.  Do not reuse those.  My boys were disappointed with that suggestion.  (My baby didn’t listen and popped one in his mouth.  It was covered in yellow paint.)  

I almost forgot to put aprons on my kids.  This is a MESSY activity.  Put them in old clothes or a smock.  You won't regret it.  And make sure they go to the bathroom before you begin, too.  Unless you enjoy cleaning paint off of toilets.  I don’t so much, but didn’t heed this step.  

Now the fun begins.  Dip the marbles/gum balls in the paint and roll them all over the canvas.  Those little fingers are going to get messy.  I brought out paper towels to clean up the occasional mess.

Pick up canvas and tip it every which way, this gets the colors mixed around.  Do this until your masterpiece is complete.

And there you go, a beautiful painting made just for your home.  Color chaos...

Linking up to 30 Days...

COLORS!!

It’s Monday!  Time to introduce our new theme for the week.  We thought it would be fun to have a week full of COLOR.  It’s easy to find books about colors and most of them have wonderfully vivid pictures.  So get ready for lots of crafts, activities and great recipes...

Adventures and Road Trips - Part 4

When I graduated from high school one of the books I received was Oh, the Places You'll Go!  It's an inspiring book that tells us of life's ups and downs.  Slip ups happen and we have to find success within ourselves.  It's a book that is great for any age.  Moving up to any grade is nerve racking and exciting all at the same time.  But before you move onto your next adventure in life you have to survive the summer.  You can recreate yourself.  How many people have you met that come back from summer vacation a different person?  My 3 year old daughter at the beginning of last summer was a bit socially awkward when it came to playing with other children.  She would stand on the side lines, watching, wanting to join in but didn't know how.  But after a summer playing with cousins she was able to learn to play with others.  On and on you will hike.  And I know you'll hike far, and face up your problems, whatever they are. 
Enjoy your summer!  Improve who you are.  And will you succeed?  Yes!  You will, indeed!  (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

I decided the best way to start a fresh summer was with a new dress.  My girls love dresses, especially my 2 year old.  When I put pants or shorts on her she says "ouch!"  They love to dance and twirl.  It's so much fun for me to watch them love something i have made.

My daughter wears 2T-3T.

I'm going to call the large purple piece the main piece.

The purple strip I will call the ruffle.

The orange strip I will call the strap.

And the Orange piece I will call the bust.

Take your 4 bust pieces and sew 2 of them together, matching the right sides together.  Now you should have 2 bust pieces.  Turn right side out.  (like pictured below.)

Then match those 2 pieces together and sew along the sides, leaving the top, under arm, and bottom open.  See picture below.

I did not take a picture of this, but I sewed the main piece together by matching right sides together and sewing, making a tube.  Across the top sew a gathering stitch and gather the main piece until it is the same size as the bust.  Pin them right sides together and sew (pictured below). 

Here is how your dress should look so far.

Now take your strap and fold it in half, iron, and open it back up.  Fold one side in to the crease, iron (pictured below), then fold over the other side to the crease and iron.

Do this for both straps.

Sew a gathering stitch along your "ruffle" after folding it in half and gather it until it is the length of the strap.

Place the ruffle inside the strap (like a hot dog in a bun).  Pin and sew along the edge.  I found this to be very difficult and if I make this dress again I would try to sew this differently.  You have to make sure the ruffle doesn't slip out from the strap.  I found it was easier to hold it in versus pinning.

Fold the top part of the bust in.  I folded the back piece in a little further than the front piece.  I don't really know how to explain this but I hope it makes sense.  It is pictured below but it is hard to see.

Place the straps inside the front piece, pin and then put the into the back piece and pin.  Try the dress on your little model and adjust the straps as necessary.  Sew a top stitch across the top.  Hem the bottom and you're done!

My measurements went as followed.

I measured just under her arms (20").

For the main piece width I added 8 inches to the bust=28" and for the length I measured from that same spot I measured under her arms to my desired length.  Which was 20".  So the main piece was 28"x20"

The bust I took her bust measurement (20") and added 2".  For length I think I cut it 5 inches.  It just depends on how big you want that bust piece.  At this point it was a 22"x5".  Then I cut it in half making it 11"x5"  To make the under arm area I folded the 11" piece in half and made a tiny cut 2" on the side and 2" from the top and then cut in a curve.  You can skip this step.

I didn't really measure the straps or ruffle but I think the ruffle was somewhere around 3"x16"  I think the strap was somewhere around 1.5"x10" (in the photo the strap is wider than what I ended up using).

Enjoy!

I also made a purse bag, I'll add that tutorial later.  It's my birthday so I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my day by relaxing by the pool!