Creative Ideas

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:40:00.001-08:00

25 days of Christmas projects didn’t go as planned, or should I say my children’s health throw us a curve ball this year? Two rounds of the stomach bug for Benjamin, bronchiolitis for Hayden and a “Merry” Christmas Eve from the Urgent care for Benjamin…soooo yah…crafts weren’t very high on our list.

Santa made two little boys’ day a whole lot brighter :)

The boys gave me an WONDERFUL & AMAZING gift, 8 HOURS OF SOLID SLEEP AND THREE HOUR NAPS AT THE SAME TIME!!!! I’ve been sleep deprived, I was at the point I was becoming delirious and sick myself…SLEEP IS GOOD!

Stomach Bug- Day 13

2011-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

I received a text message from my husband around 9am; Benjamin was vomiting and my husband called off work to attend to our sick "baby" boy. Needless to say today's Christmas activity has been postponed but I can share two yummy recipes. Snickerdoodle Muffins- I made these for Benjamin's snack day at school. Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! It's so simple and easy, I recently discovered it can be made in the crockpot (toss all the ingredients in a crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours) which is better yet :)!

Play-Doh Gift Tags- Day 12

2011-12-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Instead of handing out candy for Halloween, we handed out mini containers of Play-Doh; we had a lot left over and I decided to give them out as “gifts” to Benjamin’s preschool friends. I created labels, using double sided tape I affixed them onto the Play-Doh lids.

Labels

Christmas in the Big Woods

Avent Sunday Week 3- Day 11

2011-12-11T05:50:00.001-08:00

Luke 2: 10-11
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

There are many ways to serve God and other this season, embrace new means of celebration to breathe new life into the holidays.

Lumina- Advent Project
Lumina is the Latin word for "light". This advent season from November 27-Christmas Eve donate Visa gift cards or monetary donations to support the ministries of Lumina, a Lancaster organization supported by many United Methodist churches that serve in places where poverty and despair are common in people's lives.

Food Drives
Donate a few cans or even a bag of groceries to help feed those in need during the holiday season.

"Adopt" a child for the holidays
Bring a smile to a child in need by purchasing a present for an underprivileged child. Work with a local charity that organizes events to bring gifts to children in hospitals or in foster care.

Bring some joy to a public servant
Police offers, fire fighters, military personnel, doctors, nurses... many of these workers do not get off for the holidays. Threat these people to something enjoyable when they may be missing their own festivities. Cook or cater a meal for a fire house, deliver cookies or put together care packages for military personnel.

FEAR NOT, GOOD IS WITH US!

Bedtime story day 11- The very first Christmas

Christmas Cookies- Day 10

2011-12-11T05:47:00.000-08:00

Every year a great group of girls that I've known since high school get together in December for our annual Christmas, we've been doing this since 1998. Last year we started a new tradition of awarding a golden spatula (an inexpensive kitchen spatula spray painted gold) for the best recipe that year, it was decided the golden spoon would be awarded for best Christmas cookies in 2011. Last year I won for my peppermint patty recipe; last night I gladly handed over the golden spatula to this years winner for her cookie truffle (I came in second).

This year I made Pecan Sugar Cookies and dark chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.

Pecan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
1/2cup butter, softened
1/2 cups hortening
2 cup ssugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pecan Filling
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

Press a rounded teaspoon of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 24 ungreased 1 3/4-inch muffin cups.

For pecan filling, in a bowl beat egg, brown sugar, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter until combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each pastry-lined muffin cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Cool slightly in pan. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 24 cookies.

Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip (or sugar cookie) mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 egg 1
1 package Wilton dark candy melts

Directions
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, orange extract and egg until soft dough forms.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts uncovered on High for 45 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are melted. Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on waxed paper and let stand until chocolate is set, at least 2 hours. To quickly set chocolate, refrigerate cookies 15 minutes. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Bedtime Story Day 10- The Little Shepherd Girl: A Christmas Story

Hersheypark Christmas Candylane- Day 9

2011-12-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

"The magic of the holidays comes to life at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy!"

I leave you with one of our family tradition, Christmas stocking pictures; my mom knitted all of us personalized stockings and requested I take a picture of the boys next to their stocking ever year.

Bedtime story day 9- Clifford's Christmas

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8

2011-12-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8

I'm "cheating" on today's post, this is from 2010...hey, magic reindeer is a yearly activity!

When googling reindeer food poems I came across this warning "please do not use any non natural ingredients. These may harm birds and other animals looking for food during the cold winter days." Adhering to the warning I ditched the oats and glitter recipe and came up with my own recipe with ingredients in the cupboard.

Materials
Oats or Bird Seed
Colored Sugar Crystals
Baby Food Jar
Crushed Colored Cereal (we used Trix)
Tag (print template file)
Ribbon
Scissors
Hole Punch
Love, Hope and Faith

Directions
Layer ingredients in a baby food jar for a "sand art" look. Place lid on jar, cut out tag, punch hole and attach to jar with the ribbon. Sprinkle the magic reindeer food on your lawn Christmas Eve after dusk.

Tag Template

Bedtime story day 8- The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book

Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7

2011-12-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7
Planning with Kids

Materials:
Mini Marshmallows
Melting White Chocolate (I used Wilton)
Wax Paper
Cellophane Bags
Ribbon

Instructions:
1 Heat chocolate on high for 45 seconds in a microwave safe bowl, stir.
2.Heat on high for further 10 second intervals until completely melted.
4.Line a small tray with wax paper.
5.Dip a marshmallow into the chocolate, so it is covered with about 3mm chocolate on the base.
6.Place marshmallow onto the wax paper and begin making row of 5 marshmallows. Gently press marshmallows together as you build the tree.
7.Continue this process, making rows of 4, 3, 2 and 1.
8.Add the final marshmallow to the base of the tree. Keep excess chocolate.
9.Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
10.Take marshmallow Christmas tree out of the freezer and peel off baking paper.
12.Place the tree gently back on to the baking paper and place in the freezer for a few more minutes until the chocolate has set.
13. Place the marshmallow Christmas tree into a cellophane bag and tie shut with a ribbon.

Bedtime story day 3- Olive, the Other Reindeer

Hot Chocolate- Day 6

2011-12-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Need something to go along with all those yummy Christmas cookies, why not a warm cup of homemade hot chocolate?

Ingredients
Half a milk chocolate Hershey bar, broken into pieces
2 cups milk
Whipped cream, optional

Directions
Heat milk and chocolate on low heat until chocolate is melted, stir occasionally so chocolate doesn't burn. Garnish with whipped cream

For the over 21 crowd!
Ingredients
4 cups milk
4 pieces milk chocolate Hershey bar, broken into pieces
2 Tbsp Creme de Coco
3 Tbsp Amaretto
Whipped cream, optional

Directions
Heat milk and chocolate on low heat until chocolate is melted, stir occasionally so chocolate doesn't burn. Garnish with whipped cream

Bedtime story day 6- A New Improved Santa

Festive Paper Pines- Day 5

2011-12-05T16:21:00.001-08:00

Festive Paper Pines- Day 5

Materials
Red and yellow paper (or other colors you like for lights)
Green card stock (we used construction paper)
Scissors
Hole punch
String or ribbon
Glue
Printing Pattern from below

Instructions
Sandwich the red and yellow paper between 2 pieces of green card stock. Using the pattern cut out a tree shape.

Remove the red sheet and punch a few random holes through the 3 remaining layers. Then remove the yellow sheet and replace the red one. Punch several new holes through the stack.

Glue the layers together in the following order, green, yellow, red, green.

Use the pushpin to poke a hole through the 4 layers, about 1/4 inch from the treetop. Thread a length of string or ribbon through the hole, knot the ends of the line to create a loop for hanging.

Bedtime story day 5- If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
A book for the moms- The Handmaid and the Carpenter

Avent Sunday Week 2- Day 4

2011-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

For the last twenty-seven years our church has given crèche figures to the Kids Konnection program; today the kiddos received their nativity piece. Each age level receives a different piece of the nativity beginning with the two year old class, six graders receive the stable completing their set. 2 year old class receives baby Jesus, 3 year olds- Mary, 4 year olds-Joseph, 5 year olds- shepherd, Kindergarteners- sheep, 1st grade- donkey, 2nd grade- cow, 3rd grade- kneeling king, 4th grade- camel, 5th grade- king with box, 6th grade- king with vase and stable.

I love this tradition; it is so meaningful on many levels and reminds adults and children the reason for the season. Luke 1: 28-33 The angel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Bedtime story day 3- Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale

John Deer Country Santa & Painting- Day 3

2011-12-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

I’ve been told many times that Benjamin should have been born into a farming family, he LOVES digging, dirt and planting; when he and Hayden received their John Deere Gator over the summer, I had two little boys who thought they were in toy heaven. A few weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an afternoon outing at our nearby John Deer Country (we live in farming [Amish] country), I marked my calendar, I knew it would be something my boys would love!

They boys had a blast at the John Deere store; they enjoyed the tractors more then seeing Santa. Hayden is terrified of Santa this year, unfortunately I won’t have my yearly photo of my boys together with Santa :( and when Benjamin saw the John Deere reclining chair seated next to Santa he refused to sit on Santa’s lap.

If you’re looking for something for the kiddos this year, a friend referred me to personalized video from Santa, Benjamin LOVES it…he made us watch his video at least five times in a row.

Ornament Painting

Materials:
Premade unpainted wooden cutouts (I purchased ours at AC Moore for $0.20)
Paint Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Cup of Water (for rinsing paint brushes)

With the exception of painting himself, or trying to eat the crayons/makers/glue/paint/etc, I’ve quickly realizing Hayden will not be an artist, he rarely wants anything to do with my craft/art projects; Benjamin was only to happy to paint Hayd's cutouts. Once the cutouts were dry, Benjamin had the idea to use rub on stickers for the snowmen; I plan to have my husband drill holes in each of the snowman to be used for ornaments & decorate Christmas packages for the grandparents.

Bedtime story day 3- Merry Christmas Stinky Face
Saturday family movie night- Polar Express

Holiday Craft Night- Day 2

2011-12-02T16:35:00.001-08:00

Holiday Craft Shop- Day 2

Tonight, Benjamin's preschool hosted a holiday craft shop/night.

Bedtime Story Day 2- Elf on the Shelf

What's Been Happening

2011-07-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

It’s been forever since I updated; I’ve been very busy and when I finally have time to sit down in front of my computer…well, that’s the last thing I want to do!

After approximately 2 1/2 years working M-F 5am-10am, then being unemployed (laid off) for 11 months, I was fortunately to find an employer hiring in my field and began working full time on February 14th. For the most part I enjoy my job, like any place of employment there are small things that can slowly irritate an employee; I quickly realized, though I greatly cherished my SAHM time with my children, I am not a long term SAMH! However, now that the weather is FINALLY getting nice and we have a pool pass I’m finding myself longing to be outside with my boys instead of cramped up inside.

With staring a new job I don’t officially get vacation days (two weeks) until my one year anniversary in February, however after my six month anniversary I’m allowed to borrow a week. We decided to forgo the family week vacation this year in order to save as many days for 2012 (I’m hoping we can go to Kingston, Canada or Savannah, Georgia where my brother-in-law is stationed); I/we decided however to take two days off this year. We’re going to Sesame Place the end of August and the other day is so I can be present for Benjamin’s first day of preschool.

We’re all doing well, John’s EXTREMELY busy with firefighter training course classes (after four years of talking about it, he finally volunteered with the local fire company); I became a member of the support group (auxiliary) and joined the local Rec Center. We’re spending a lot of time at our local community pool and playing outside every minute possible…overall just crazy busy! I've been doing special activities/adventures with the boys while John's in class, it keeps them busy and from driving me batty ;) .

Benjamin had pink eye three weeks ago, poor little guy woke up freaked out because his eye was “glued shut”; John took him to the doctor ASAP. Big brother Benjamin lovingly shared his pink eye with Hayden a week later, unfortunately the doctor wouldn’t just call in a prescription stating she needed to see Hayden to diagnose him herself, even after explaining multiple times that his brother had it the week prior and Hayd has the same symptoms…so yeah, we got screwed with a $$$ bill for two doctor visits.

Benjamin, who is three years old, 42” and 35 lbs, thinks his firefighting daddy is the coolest thing ever, “daddy’s my hero!” Ben baby loves to hang out at the fire station, sit in the trucks and go for rides. He started Swim America classes over the winter and I’m thrilled to say they are paying off, Benjamin is able to swim; he swims 8-10 feet underwater and the doggie paddle! Benjamin starts preschool on August 29th, I’m excited for him to begin this new chapter but incredibly sad that my first born is old enough to be a preschooler.Benjamin is inquisitive as ever, he enjoys taking things apart, putting them together, everything is hands on with him, wants to know how everything works and a total outdoors boy. Benjamin has also taken to photography, he loves to carry around Leap Frog Click n' Create Digital Camera and take pictures. He’s been helping me with our vegetable garden and with minimal assistance, I allowed him to pick out flowers, dug his very own flower garden under our deck stairs (we have a daylight basement) and plant the flowers however he chose. God has been working through Benjamin to reach me, out of the blue Benjamin started asking to go to church; thanks to my little man we’ve become regular attendees at church again.

Hayden, whose 21 months, 29lbs and 34 3/4”, has become my wild NO FEAR child…holy moley; he’s a three year old trapped in a one year olds body! ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that big brother does, Hayden has to do, when I try to stop him- he’ll have a mother of all temper tantrums. He tries to jump into pools, plays soccer & football, climbs rock walls, counts to two, sings part of happy birthday and twinkle little star, bounces on beds and sofas, talks/babbles non-stop…I’m constantly looking at him and saying “really Hayden, really, you’re ONE!” Hayd transitioned into a big boy bed (toddler bed) about 2 months ago, we had no problems what so ever with the transition…he took right to his “new” bed; since the transition the boys have had sleepover in Hayden’s room. We decided not to enroll Hayden in Aqua Tots (sorry buddy, the joys of being a second child ;-P ), main reason is we figured could the techniques we learned from Benjamin’s classes and “do-it ourselves”; I’m thrilled he’s taken to water just as easily as his big brother…LOVE MY WATER BABIES! Hayd puts his head underwater, blows bubbles, floats on his back with very little adult contact and with the assistance of his Puddle Jumper, able to doggie paddle to wherever he wants to go.

Brotherly Love

Cooking & Baking

Crafts

Outside Play

Benjamin's Photos

Family Bucket List

2011-06-26T17:12:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to document my family bucket list for sometime, but for whatever reason never got around to it. Some of the things on my list are activites my family enjoys doing ever year (marked with an *), there are also activites on my list that we've done with Benjamin and not Hayden (I'm putting them back on the family bucket list).

A friend recently wrote asking for ideas stating "you tend to have good ideas for kids activities"; I figured since I wrote her a list, I might as well jot them on here. I was honored that she felt she could ask me for ideas, especially when I wonder from time to time if my boys are getting enough "adventure" in there life.

Hershey Gardens
Lancaster Airport air show-August 20-21, 2011
Sandy Point State Park or North Point
Sesame Place
Lake Tobias
Tucquan Glen*
Gifford Pinchot*
Baltimore Aquarium
Port Discovery
Please Touch Musuem*
Smith Kids Play Place http://smithkidsplayplace.org/
Camping
Family bike ride on the Lancaster (E-town) Lebannon trail*
Long's Park petting zoo*
Hershey Adventure Sports
Landis Valley Museum
Toy Train Museum*
Train Musuem*
Strasburg Railroad*
Schreiber Pediatric Rubber Duckie Race http://www.schreiberpediatric.org/ducks/
Renaissance Faire
http://www.eastlandalpacas.com/events.shtml *
Columbia Bridge Bust
Gettysburg
Philadelphia Zoo
Washington Zoo
Visit Philadelphia
Visit New York
Visit Washington DC
Visit Arizona- I want the boys to see where their mommy grew up :)
The Caribbean- The boys can experiance beautiful crystal clear blue water
Knobles
Bowling
Mini Golf
Whitaker Center
Lancaster Science Factory
Disney World
Central Market
http://www.cherryhillorchards.com/
http://www.shenkberryfarm.com/
http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com/
http://www.wolfsancpa.com/
Hayride & Corn Maze http://www.countrybarnmarket.com/

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

2011-02-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Instructions
½ cups water (add more water later if required)
½ cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup oats

Directions
Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.

Biscuit Donuts

2011-02-20T12:11:00.001-08:00

Biscuit Donuts
My husband shared this recipe with me years ago, it's from his Boy Scout days.

Ingredients
Refrigerated Biscuits
Vegetable oil

Directions
Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees. Open biscuits, separate, place a hole in the center. You can use the holes for donut holes or roll them into a few large donuts.

Have an adult place the doughnuts in the deep fryer one at a time. As you see them browning on one side, carefully flip them over and let them brown on the other side. Once both sides are brown remove from oil and let cool on a paper towel, you can then coat the donuts (powder sugar, cinnamon & sugar, glaze, chocolate frosting...)

Valentine's

2011-02-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, I'm sure it doesn't help that my birthday is two days later and knowing that I'll be showered with love, happiness and smiles at that time; however two years ago Valentine's took on a new meaning. On February 9, 2009 my husband and I were ecstatic to find out we were pregnant, a few short days later I started bleeding (not spotting, bleeding with clots), I frantically called my OB/gyn. Every other day for the next few days I was at the doctors' having blood test done, on February 14th I received a phone call from the practice informing me my hCG levels weren't rising like they should, they wanted to see me early morning on February 16th (my birthday) for another blood test and ultrasound in the afternoon. The doctor then tells me that they believe since my numbers did go up slightly that most likely it's an ectopic pregnancy, ending the conversation with a HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. February 16th I rushed to the lab, had blood drawn then impatiently waited by the phone; around noon my OB/gyn called with the BEST birthday present ever...the hCG levels more then doubled, the baby I was carrying was growing in my uterus! That night my birthday dinner turned into a celebration of life, after everything we had been through the previous week we decided not to wait any longer and share the news with our parents (my mom already figured it out). God answers prayers, today that little baby I thought for sure I had lost is now a happy, healthy, smiling, curious little 15 month old; "I love you yesterday, today and tomorrow too"!

I cheated on Valentine’s cards this year; I’ve been extremely busy (more on that below) and needed a craft that wouldn’t require a lot of time, off to A.C. Moore we went. I found Creative Hands sm’ART Kit, it made 24 “Glitter Too Cool Hearts” and best part according to Benjamin…STICKERS! Benjamin placed the sticker faces on the hearts, on the back of he drew pictures for his friends and I wrote a short message wishing them a happy Valentine’s Day.

On the menu for Valentine's Day
Breakfast- Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Lunch- Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Sandwiches & Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake (my husband made the cheesecake for me for a family dinner on Saturday)
Dinner- Braciole
Dessert- Raspberry Souffle

I’m thrilled to announce that I accepted a job offer and begin working on Monday, I’m beyond excited to be back in my career but it is also accompanied by anxiety when I think about being away from my babies 40 hours a week. To slightly help ease the anxiety, I’ve loved on my boys extra special this past week and planned special activites together. One of the days we went to Babies R’ Us and Build A Bear to pick up a leave at the sitter fuzzy blankie for Hayden and a Bear for Benjamin. Since I’ll be missing out on early afternoon cuddles and story time I picked up All the Ways I Love You, this will allow me to “read” to my babies while I’m at work.

My husband and I have solely raised the boys, I’m finding it difficult to hand the reins off to someone else for 6 hours a day. My sister is going to watch the boys; she’s WONDERFUL with kids making this process a lot easier! I can honestly say I'm not worried about leaving them with her, I know Benjamin will be just fine (daily interaction with other kids his own age will do him good) but Hayden is a MAJOR mommy’s boy and has been clinging to me for dear life (he knows something is up); Hayden has only known me as a stay-at-home mom. We have Benjamin on the waiting list for a 2-3 day a week full day preschool program, which I think he’ll really enjoy.

I’ve enjoyed and cherished the time I’ve had with my boys, being there for their firsts and I’ll miss the field trips, crafts, afternoon cuddles, play dates, etc. But I’m ready to start my career again (I paid a lot of money for a degree and I don’t want to lose my skills) and I truly believe in my heart that this is the best thing for everyone in my family.

Baggie Painting

2011-02-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

February means oodles of birthdays; today I gathered my assembly line (aka kids) for card making day. Hayden did great finger painting, for oooo...two minutes, and then began eating the paint. It just didn’t seem fair that he couldn’t join in on card making day; I remembered hearing or reading about a fun activity for little hands, unfortunately I can’t give credit where it is due since I can’t remember where I heard about this activity. Take a plastic sandwich bag, fill it with paint, seal and let your little one mush the colors inside the bag together with their fingers.

My little artist

Apparently paint is yucky!

Honest mommy, I wasn't eating paint!

Baggie Painting

Snow Fun

2011-02-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Young children love snow but they usually don’t love being in the cold for every long. Here are some ideas that you can do inside.
Toddler Gym

Paint Snow- Lay snow on a tray. Let your child paint the snow with watercolors.

Shaving Cream Snow- Give your child shaving cream to play with on a table. This is an excellent way to begin drawing shapes and letters! Beware…this is messy but smells great!

Cotton Ball Snow- Have a snowball fight with cotton balls! Try to see who can get the most cotton balls across a line or into a bucket. You can even use sand toys for shoveling!

Happy Snow Day!

Easy Berry Ice Cream

2011-01-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Easy Berry Ice Cream
You Can Cook by Annabel Karmel

Ingredients:

1 lbs Strawberries
8 oz Rasberries
8 oz Blackberries
1 cup Superfine Sugar
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 to 3 Tbsp Confectioner's Sugar

Directions:
1. Wash your fruit, pick out any bits of stalk, and hull the strawberries.

2. Put fuit and superfine sugar in a pan, cover, and cook slowly for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. When the berries let out their juices, turn up the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Let the fuit cook. then blend it until it's smooth.

5. Pour the blended fruit through a strainer to remove the seeds.

6. Pour the strained fruit into ice-cube trays and freeze until solid.

7. Put the cream in a bowl and whip it until it forms soft peaks when you lift the whisk.

8. Let the frozen berries thaw for 5 minutes, then roughly chop in a food processor. Add the cream.

9. Whizz to combine. Add confectioner's sugar to taste. Serve now (it is very soft), or freeze for an hour before serving.

Sorry for the horrible picture, I had to use my crappy cell phone
camera since I left my Canon Rebel in another area of the house.

Indoor Camping

2011-01-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Mesa, Arizona where the average winter temperature is 41 degrees, I despise South Central Pennsylvania winters; I HATE being cold and trying to dress a 14 month old for the snow is like fitting a square peg into a round hole (11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids- Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems. 1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh. 2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning)! I’ll admit I like one measurable, sleddable, snowman building snow a year but after that I’m ready for warmer weather…well, we’ve had snow and I’m ready for spring, kiss the cabin fever goodbye and send my kids outside into the wide open.

To change up the indoor play routine I dug out and dusted off my old 2 man tent from my collage days, set it up and the kiddos and I had an indoor camping experience. We piled pillows, blankets and sleeping bags into the tent, we read books and for lunch I served a camping style lunch of hotdogs, trail mix, fruit and macaroni and cheese.

Since warmer weather doesn’t appear to be in the forecast, another winter wonderland front is scheduled to arrive tonight, the boys and I are off for a little change of scenery at the Hands on House.

After the Holidays

2011-01-09T15:49:00.001-08:00

After 25 Days of Christmas Projects I needed a break from organized/planned projects, while taking a break we’ve been

playing with our Christmas toys.

Reading books we received for Christmas.

Enjoying the popcorn popper pop-pop (grandpa) gave us on New Year's Day.

Learning to climb step ladders..oy!

Playing, eating and learning to walk in snow.

And we made Cake Pops

I’ve been reading a lot about Cake Pops on food blogs and on Family Fun, I decided to check the book out of the library. The recipe was super simple, with just a little bit of help from myself, Benjamin was able to make all the Cake Pops himself.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

WOW, we had an AMAZINGLY AWESOME Christmas; there truly is nothing more enjoyable then experiencing Christmas with Children. Having young children (1 & 3), every Christmas is more exciting then the previous year; this year Benjamin began to understand the concept of Christmas and Santa which brought much joy and cheer into our house. I’m teaching my children the true meaning of Christmas, I don’t go over board on Santa and presents, however I do want to have the magic of Christmas in my children’s lives. I attempted to have a fairly simple Christmas, majority of the presents where things the boys needed (flannel sheets, toothbrushes [Tomas the Tank Engine spin brush], socks, underwear, bath soaps/crayons…) and things they love/enjoy (add-on to Benjamin’s Train, books and toys that make the noise for Hayden). When family and friends asked what the boys need/want I simply responded "to donate to a charity in their name", well…the boys ended up with more toys then they needed (my husband and I put toys away for later in the year)…sooo yeah, the boys made out INCREDIBLE well this year!

Christmas Eve we watched Children’s Christmas classics (Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, etc), we baked Christmas Eve cookies for Santa, I made a nice family dinner, we drove around looking at Christmas lights, sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn, put the magic key on the door for Santa, tracked santa (celebrated when Santa arrived in Germany where my brother-in-law is stationed), placed cookies on the counter for Santa and my husband made chai and brandy lend oomph to apple cake.

Christmas morning, I woke up to the sound of Benjamin talking about Santa in his room, while I was getting Hayden changed Benjamin burst into our bedroom joyfully yelling “wake up daddy, wake up, presents” for the first time in his short history of Christmas…talk about a warm fuzzy feeling! We finally made our way downstairs and much to my surprise Benjamin didn’t notice presents under the tree for a good 3-5 minutes, which lead me to believe he doesn’t fully understand Christmas yet but when he did finally see the gifts he lit up! My husband spent much of the morning assembling toys, setting up train tracks and we all played together with the boys’ new gifts. We had lunch at my parents and then to dinner with my husband’s family; we all crashed shortly after returning home that night.

December 26th my husband and I had a LOOOOONG overdue date night, we dropped the kiddos off at my parents and headed out for a nice, quiet, catch up on conversations dinner; afterwards we headed to our first IMAX 3d movie…WOW, TOTALLY AWESOME!

Because I LOVE photos & graphic design, I wanted to share the gifts we (meaning I ;-P ) created for the grandparents, star ornament and every year we give them a photo book.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hayden is a major mommy's boy, he wasn't to keen on Santa holding him...notice the "quivering" lip. Benjamin is busy telling Santa about trains.

Birdhouse- Day 25

2010-12-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Birdhouse- Day 25
Hayden's first painting project...ending in Hayden's first paint eating experiance ;-).

Materials:
Premade unpainted wooden Birdhouse (I purchased ours at A.C.Moore).
Paint Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Cup of Water (for rinsing paint brushes)
Wire

Instructions:
Attach wire to birdhouse(s) so it can be hung, paint the birdhouses and let it dry.

Benjamin and Hayden each painted a small birdhouse for our Christmas tree; Benjamin painted two large birdhouses for each of the grandparents for Christmas.

Christmas Eve Cookies- Day 24

2010-12-24T14:08:00.001-08:00

My little family's second annual, Christmas Eve cut-out and decorate cookies for Santa!

Handprint Santa- Day 23

2010-12-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Handprint Santa- Day 23
Family Fun

Materials:
Red craft paper
Glue stick
Plain notecard or card stock
Tempera paints
Paper plates
Googly eyes

Instructions:
Cut Santa-hat shapes (minus the pom-poms and white trim) from the craft paper, then glue one onto each card. Glue a pair of googly eyes a fingertip's width below each hat.

Pour white tempera paint onto one paper plate, and a dollop each of red, black, and pink (mix some red and white) onto another. Stamp white handprint beards, then use fingertips to stamp the trim on the hats, and a nose, mouth, and cheeks on each face.

Snowman Gift Bag- Day 22

2010-12-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

Snowman Gift Bag- Day 22
Family Fun

Materials:
Paper bag
Pencil
Glue
Card stock
Fake gems
Marker
Snowman Template

Instructions:

Print the Snowman Gift Bag template. (Family Fun used 8 1/2-inch-tall bags here, but you can alter the parts for larger bags, if necessary.) Use a pencil to lightly mark 2 lines across a white paper gift bag, 1 1/2 inches and 3/4 inch from the top.

Glue red and black card stock shapes below the lower line for a hat, brim, and band.

Add an orange paper triangle for a carrot nose and 1/2-inch black paper circles for a mouth. For the eyes, glue 2 small white paper circles to 2 black circles, use a marker to add dots for pupils, then glue them to the bag.

Glue fake gems to the snowman's hat. Let all of the glue dry completely, then place a small gift in the bag and fold along the dotted lines.

Check out these other adorable gift bags
Reindeer Gift Bag
Christmas Tree Gift Bag

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments- Day 21

2010-12-21T12:50:00.001-08:00

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments- Day 21
Kaboose

Materials:
1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white school glue (like Elmer's)
Bowl
Plastic food wrap
Rolling pin
Wax paper
Cookie cutters
Ribbon or yarn for hanging
Straw

Instructions:
Mix cinnamon, applesauce, and glue together in a bowl. The dough should be as thick as cookie dough. Add a bit of water if the dough is too stiff.
Remove from bowl and knead. Put it back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for at least a half hour.

Remove the dough, knead again to make sure it's smooth. Flatten/roll the dough between waxed paper until it's between 1/4" thick and 1/8" thick.
Cut out desired shapes, use a straw to punch a hole for the ribbon to hang. The circle of dough will pull out with the straw.

Gently place the shapes on a piece of clean wax paper. They will take 3-5 days to dry, and you will need to turn them over a couple of times a day for them to dry evenly and flat.

Don't be surprised to see that the ornaments get smaller during the drying process. Keep this in mind when you pick out the cookie cutters for your designs. You will also notice that if you do not turn the ornaments over often enough while they are drying, the edges of the ornaments will curl.

When dry, thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole to hang.

SHAPE IDEAS: Tree, Apple, House (gingerbread), Bell, Heart, Goose, Gingerbread Man, Star...

Optional Painting ideas - use acrylic paints or fabric paints to paint details, like white 'frosting' on a gingerbread man or gingerbread house, or eyes on a goose.

Holiday Potpourri- Day 20

2010-12-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

Holiday Potpourri- Day 20

Materials:
Tulle
Potpourri
Ribbon

Instructions:
Cut squares or circles out of tulle, let your child put a handful of potpourri in the middle of the tullee. Pull up the corners of the tulle and tie it shut with a ribbon; if desired attach a tag/note to your potpourri bag.

Rudolph and Co. Holiday Ornaments- Day 19

2010-12-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

Rudolph and Co. Holiday Ornaments- Day 19
Family Fun

Materials:
Craft glue
Craft sticks
Several shades of brown felt
Scissors
Googly eyes
Red and brown pom-poms
Off-white felt
Ribbon

Instructions:
Glue 3 craft sticks together in a triangle, allowing some overlap on two corners for antlers, as shown. Glue 2 more craft sticks to the triangle, one on each side between the overlapped sticks, and let dry.

Next, glue a triangular piece of brown felt to the craft stick triangle and trim so the edges of the felt match up with the sticks. Glue on googly eyes, a pom-pom nose, brown felt triangle ears, and a small off-white felt triangle blaze to the reindeer's forehead. Add a loop of colorful ribbon on the back to hang this festive fauna.

Most of the projects are too difficult for Hayden, but he's been present
for majority of them...usually getting into "trouble" behind the scenes ;).

Holiday Treat for the Birds- Day 18

2010-12-18T05:26:00.000-08:00

Holiday Treat for wild life- Day 18

Materials:
Cranberries
Cereal- Good way to get use up all that marshmallow cereal...you know the kind your kids ate all the marshmallows but not the healthy stuff.
String
Plastic Needle- I believe there called bone needles; they aren't sharp and won't puncture a young child.
Popcorn- It’s not very easy to string; we ended up just eating it ;)

Instructions:
Cut thread to desired length, tie a knot in one of the end and attach the needle to the other end. Start stringing cranberry and cereal one at a time by inserting the tip of the needle into the center of each piece. Keep sliding fodd further down on the thread making room for more; it's best to slide the cranberries and cereal to the end of the thread to prevent knots. Tie off the needle end, make sure that it is well-secured and then gently attach outside. I placed our cranberry-cereal garland on the fence along the back of our yard; it allows the squirrels and birds to enjoy their winter treat without creating a mess for me to clean up later ;).

Santa's Magic Key- Day 17

2010-12-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Santa's Magic Key- Day 17
DLTK's

Materials:
Cardstock, Construction Paper, Cardboard, Craft Foam or Regular Paper
Glitter
Glue
Scissors
Hole Punch
Ribbon
Key Template
Santa's Magic Key Poem

Instructions:
Print out the Key Template and Santa's Magic Key Poem. Using the key template as a pattern, cut out shape on cardstock, contruction paper, cardboard, craft foam (what we used) or regular paper. Brush glue on the key and sprinkle with glitter and let dry. Hole punch the key and the poem, use ribbon to tie the two together. On Christmas Eve place the key on the outside of your front door.

For the record-I HATE glitter, but Benjamin loves it
Seriously, I'm going to be finding glitter EVERYWHERE
for the next few weeks/months.

Bear Ornaments- Day 16

2010-12-16T05:50:00.001-08:00

Bear Ornament- Day 16

Materials:
Brown Craft Foam
Craft Pom Poms
Wiggle Eyes
Ribbon
Bear (Print template)
Any other craft item your child wishes to use to decorate their bear.
Glue
Scissors
Marker

Instructions:
Using the bear template, cut out the pattern on the craft foam. Have your child glue on the wiggle eyes and decorate the bear with pom-poms, markers, crayons, paint, etc. When finished attach ribbon to the back of the bear and allow to dry before hanging on your Christmas tree.

Bear Template

Meaning of the Candy Cane- Day 15

2010-12-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Meaning of the Candy Cane- Day 15

Materials
7 Red Beads
7 Green Beads
Wire
Ribbon
Scissors
Hole Punch
Tag (print template file)

Instructions:
Cut wire approximately 4 inches long; at one of the ends wrap the wire around the end four times. Add beads alternating colors, when all bead have been added wrap the wire around the other end four times. Bend the wire to make a "J" (candy cane) shape. Cut out tag, punch hole and attach to "J" (candy cane) with ribbon.

Tag Template

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 14

2010-12-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 14

Tag Template

Ceramic Christmas Ornaments- Day 13

2010-12-13T05:52:00.001-08:00

Ceramic Christmas Ornaments- Day 13

I know, I know, I said No breakable ornaments on our tree this year, but when grandma dropped off these adorable ceramic ornaments...well we had a craft project that needed done ;)!

Materials:
Paint Your Own!! Ceramic Christmas Character Ornaments

Instructions:
Follow instructions on package/kit.

Sun Catcher Ornament- Day 12

2010-12-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

Sun Catcher Ornament- Day 12

Materials:
Sun Catchers (I purchase ours at Dollar Tree)

Instructions:
Paint on a flat surfaces so the color will be spread evenly. If the layers are too thin, the color may streak. Wash the brush with water when changing color. Allow the paint to dry completely after painting.

Mr. Sandman- Day 11

2010-12-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

Mr. Sandman- Day 11
Family Fun

Materials:
Sandpaper (finer grits are easier to cut)
Glue and brown construction paper
Cinnamon stick and whole nutmeg
Gingerbread person cookie cutter
Pencil and scissors
Cardboard
Puffy paint
Hole punch
Ribbon, 1/8-inch wide
2 1/2- by 8-inch strips of paper (one per invitation)
Envelope

Instructions:

To cover the unglamorous back of the sandpaper, coat it with glue, press on the construction paper, and flatten it under a book to dry. Rub the sandpaper hard all over with the cinnamon stick and then with the nutmeg; this will scent it deliciously.

Now make a template by tracing around the cookie cutter onto cardboard and cutting out the shape. Trace around the template on the back of the sandpaper and cut out as many people as you need (we got about four gingerbread people per 9- by 11-inch sheet of sandpaper).

Use puffy paint to add details and decorations and let the paint dry. With a hole punch, make a hole in the top of the head and one in the hand, then thread a length of ribbon through the head and knot.

Now write your invitation on the strip of paper, roll it scroll-like, and fit it through the cookie person's hand. Flatten the scroll slightly and pop the cookie person in an envelope.

Holiday Baking- Day 10

2010-12-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Holiday Baking- Day 10

A group of friends that I went to high school with have been getting together every year at Christmas since 1998; every so often we introduce a new tradition to the Christmas party. This year is the first annual golden spatula award (an inexpensive kitchen spatula spray painted gold), it was decided the golden spoon would be awarded for best Christmas cookies. Since the Christmas party is December 10th, my little helper Benjamin and I were busy baking today. Our recipes Peppermint Patties, Aut-yum Leaves (we used a Christmas tree cookie cutter instead of a leaf) and Coffee Spice Cookies.

Tomorrow the playgroup the boys are involved with is hosting a Christmas party, I volunteered to bring White Chocolate Cranberry Bread however we made muffins instead of loaves of bread.

*UPDATE- Benjamin and I won the golden spatula for the peppermint patty recipe!

Perler Beads- Day 9

2010-12-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

Perler Beads- Day 9

Materials:
Perler Beads Kit
Iron

Instructions: Perler Beads
Working on a flat surface, create your design by placing beads one by one on a Perler pegboard. Follow a patternor be creative.

Adult: Preheat a dry household iron to the medium setting. When carrying the bead design to the iron, be careful not to tip or bump the beads from the pegboard!

Cover the beads with the ironing paper. Keeping the iron level, gently iron the beads in a circular motion for about 10 seconds to fuse the beads evenly.

Once the design is cool, peel off the ironing paper. Lift your design from the reusable pegboard and flip the design over onto your ironing surface.

Cover it with the ironing paper and iron the other side to fuse it evenly.
WARNING: The ironing must be done by an adult only. Some irons may emit steam. Please keep children at a safe distance.

Pinecone Bird Feeder- Day 8

2010-12-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Pinecone Bird Feeder- Day 8
kaboose

Materials:
Pine cone
Paper plate
Butter knife
Smooth peanut butter
Birdseed
Ribbon or yarn
Scissors

Instructions:
Cut a long length of yarn or ribbon to hang the bird feeder.
Tie the ribbon in a knot around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down). Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon. Use the knife to get a large clump of peanut butter on the paper plate. Use the knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges. Sprinkle the birdseed over the pine cone.
Roll the pine cone in the birdseed that is on the plate. Hang the bird feeder on the tree.

*Apparently this activity also makes a tasty afternoon snack*

Christmas Tree Ornament- Day 7

2010-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree Ornament- Day 7

Materials:
Green Craft Foam
Brown Craft Foam
Yellow Craft Foam
Ribbon
Craft Pom-Poms
Glue

Instructions:
Using template, cut out shapes on each designated color. Glue craft pom-poms on tree (green craft foam), attach brown craft foam to the back of the tree with glue. Place the ends of the ribbon near the top of the tree, place glue on the star and place ontop of ribbon. Allow to dry before placing placing ornament on tree.

Template

Gingerbread House- Day 6

2010-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread House- Day 6

Gingerbread house with a 1 year old= epic fail but tons of laughs and many memories :)!

Materials:
Gingerbread House Kit (I purchased our kit at BJ's Warehouse and paid around $10 for it).

Instructions:
Follow directions in kit.

Thank you Photoshop contacts sheet in helping
document our gingerbread house making accurately! :)
File/Automate/Contact Sheet II

Hand and Footprint Reindeer Shirt- Day 5

2010-12-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hand and Footprint Reindeer Shirt- Day 5

Materials:
Iron on Transfer Paper for T-shirts
Iron
White T-shirt in appropriate size
Washable Brown Acrylic Paint
Paint Brush
Plain White Paper
Paper Towels or Baby Wipes for cleanup

Instructions:
There are different ways to go about making these shirts, I chose to use my computer and iron on paper to reduce the risk of “oh no’s”

Paint both of your child’s hands and one foot; firmly place painted hands and foot onto paper, allow paint to dry. Scan prints, using a design program (I used Adobe Photoshop) merge hand and footprints together to form a reindeer shape, add a nose and eyes; you can also add text. Print the image (if you use text the image has to print mirrored) on transfer paper, iron onto t-shirt (follow transfer paper instructions for both printing and ironing).

Shrinky Dinks- Day 4

2010-12-04T05:35:00.000-08:00

Friday nights are pizza and movie night in our house; it completely slipped my mind that I needed to post the project of the day...at least I have a good excuse, FAMILY TIME! :)

Shrinky Dinks- Day 4

Materials:
Shrinky Dinks (I purchased ours at Five Below)

Instructions:
Draw or trace a picture onto the provided plastic (read Shrinky Dink direction) and color the picture with colored pencils. Cut out the colored pictures. If you want a hole in your Shrinky Dink, punch it through the plastic before you bake it. Remember that the hole shrinks a bit when it bakes, so make it large enough for your purposes. Place the cut outs on a clean cookie sheet with the colored side facing up. Ensure that the Shrinky Dinks don't touch each other on the pan. Bake the cut outs at between 300 and 325 degrees for approximately 3 minutes. Attach string and hang on Christmas tree.

Magic Color Scratch Ornaments- Day 3

2010-12-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

Magic Color Scratch Ornaments- Day 3

Materials:
Magic Color Scratch Ornaments

Instructions:
Take the supplied wooden scratching tool and scratch away the top layer to reveal the bright colors underneath! Tie ribbon (supplied) to the ornament and attach to your Christmas tree.

Angel Christmas Tree Topper- Day 2

2010-12-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Angel Christmas Tree Topper- Day 2

Materials:
White Felt
Craft Foam
Iron on Transfer Paper for T-shirts
Iron
Zip Tie
Scissors
Craft Glue
Hot Glue

Instructions:
I Chose a full body photo of my children, opened the file in Adobe Photoshop and created a clipping path around their bodies. I found angel wing clipart (tattoo) on google and merged the wings with the body shots. Printed the image on iron on transfer paper, ironed the image onto the felt (follow transfer paper instructions for both printing and ironing). Using craft glue, I glued the felt (image facing up) onto craft foam, let dry for 24 hours. Cut out my angel children, hot glue the zip ties onto the back of the craft foam. Using the zip ties, I attach my angels to the top of the Christmas tree.

Paper Link Christmas Tree Chains- Day 1

2010-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Paper Link Christmas Tree Chains- Day 1

Materials:
Colored Paper
Scissors
Glue

Instructions:
Cut the paper into strips, 1" by 6".

Sort the paper in piles according to color - green here, red there and so forth.

Put glue on one end and loop the piece back to form a ring.

Insert another piece of paper through the ring, then put glue on one end and loop around to make the second link.

Continue until the chain is long enough for your tree.

Allow the glue to dry before hanging the chains on the tree.

You could also cheat, like I did and purchase Red And Green Christmas Tree Chains.

25 Days of Christmas Projects

2010-11-29T05:49:00.001-08:00

This was Christmas 2008, Benjamin was 13 months

This is Hayden at 12 months

Overlooking the fact we have a Charlie Brown looking artificial tree because well…it fits perfectly in our house and until the boys get a little older I don’t have the strength/time to take care of a real tree. For the record, my parents gave us their 7’ fiber optic tree this year but well…lets just say it’s safer staying in the basement for at least another year. Back on track- this is Christmas 2010; notice the boys dismantling the tree as my husband and I are assembling.

Which leads us to the point of my blog title “25 days of Christmas Projects”, a few weeks ago I started thinking about Christmas; remembering what Benjamin’s 2nd Christmas was like and the constant Benjamin vs the tree, I knew we had to have a child proof tree for 2010. In my brainstorming I came up with the idea- my kiddos make the Christmas decorations, there will be NO heirloom/keepsake/breakable ornaments on our tree this year. For the next 25 days I'm going to post a Christmas activity each day; coming from a mom that struggles to keep ontop of cleaning, laundry and meal planning this is definitely going to be a challange!

I leave you with one of our family tradition, Christmas stocking pictures; my mom knitted all of us personalized stockings and requested I take a picture of the boys next to their stocking ever year.

Thankful for simplicity

2010-11-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving; I hated the thought of the day ending, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. It’s been a stressful year and I’m ready for 2010 to be over, but there have also been praises to God for answered prayers and I have much to be thankful for. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, my family was able to spend an entire uninterrupted day together; no computers, phones, knocks on the door or anywhere to be other then a family dinner. The boys didn’t have share their daddy with work or a community (nightmare) project; it was just the four of us!

I woken up in the wee hours of the morning with a little boy opening our bedroom door asking if he could cuddle in bed with my husband and I, a few hours later Hayden joined us. We had breakfast in bed while all snuggling together watching the Macy’s day parade, afterwards it was a lot of playing together on the living room floor, family craft project, watching a movie, reading books and an afternoon family nap. We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with my husband’s family (in-laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins…), though it isn’t written in stone we all have a specify item we bring; my husband makes canadels. The best way to explain a canadel is "stuffing ball"; but with more ingredients and there spicy. It’s a family recipe that has been passed down for generations, I’m not sure what the origin of it is but it’s delicious and so not healthy (fried in bacon grease). The recipe is primarily made at Thanksgiving and Christmas; my husband took over the role of making canadels in 2002. The joke in our house is our Christmas cookies are canadels. Though it seems my six year old Canon Rebel XT picked last night to begin its dying process, I was still able to capture a few special (blurry, out of focus) moments of my favorite Thanksgiving thus far.

Red Maple Design Review

2010-11-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

Take a moment to read the review Deal Wise Mommy wrote for Red Maple Design; don't forget to register to win a $15 store credit.

Benjamin's Artwork

2010-11-20T06:14:00.001-08:00

I’m so proud of the pictures Benjamin’s drew last night that I had to share them with you! He drew his daddy and little brother; I’m amazed by the “detail” in his pictures…granted Hayden has three eyes but Benjamin drew hair and a smile, the picture of daddy has a head, arms, hand and legs!

On the topic of exciting- Hayden learned to spin around in circles last night (a night of many "firsts"), he giggles when he gets dizzy. ♥

Title: Daddy

Title: Hayden

Teddy Bear Den

2010-11-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Every bear needs a den to hibernate, including teddy bears…right?!?! After reading Leaves by David Ezra Stein I realized that Bear didn’t have a place to sleep and Benjamin had to fix this little problem; to solve this issue we created a den for Bear.

Materials:
Cardboard box
Packing Tape
Scissors
Glue
Leaves

Instructions:
Tape box closed, cut a hole on the side of the box, large enough to place your child’s bear inside. Have your child glue leaves onto box, be sure to cover box. You might want to line the inside of the den with some dry leaves or fiberfill to keep teddy nice and cozy.

You can make a sign for the face that says “Good Night, (name)! See you in the spring! Don’t worry about not seeing your teddy bear for several months. Bears often wake up during the winter months and come out and wander around a little before going back to sleep.

Flat Stanley Project

2010-11-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

Flat Stanley Project- the international literacy and community building activity for students of all ages, teachers and family.

About the Flat Stanley Project
In 1995, Dale Hubert, a Grade 3 teacher in London, Ontario, Canada, began the Flat Stanley Project. He invited other teachers to take part by hosting flat visitors and to encourage their students to write their own Flat Stanley journals. Jeff Brown, the author of the Flat Stanley book, was delighted with the Flat Stanley Project as it renewed interest in the book which resulted in a sequel almost 40 years after the original. Jeff Brown stayed with Dale when he visited Wilfrid Jury Public School in London, Ontario as a guest author and hosted Dale and his family for a wonderful two week holiday in Connecticut. Dale and Jeff remained good friends until Jeff's death in 2003.

How It Works
One of the many advantages of sending flat visitors is that they can visit friends by travelling in an envelope. Students' written work goes to other places by conventional mail and e-mail. While it is similar to a penpal activity, it is actually much more. In a standard penpal exchange, students rarely know how to begin or what to write about, but, with a Flat Stanley or one of our other flat characters from the Template Gallery, it's as if the sender and the recipient have a mutual friend, and writing becomes easier and more creative.

This isn’t a project my household directly participated in but I loved the activity and felt compelled to share it with others that might not have heard of the famous Flat Stanley! A few weeks ago my mom received an envelope in the mail from my niece’s school; upon opening, she discovered a “little boy” that would be her traveling companion for the next month. My mom colored Stanley and took him EVERYWHERE she went (bike riding, vacation, out to dinner, feeding squirrels, to work…) taking pictures of him along the way; when she dropped Stanley off at my niece’s school last week she had the pleasure of talking with the teacher; in my niece’s class, Flat Stanley had visited Hawaii, Austria, Iraq and Russia.

Fall, How I Love Thee

2010-11-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

I love fall; it’s my absolute favorite season, I love the smells, colors, weather and FOOD! I can’t explain it but every year around this time something magical seems to happen; I feel as though I’m glowing and filled with an abundant amount of love and happiness.

I’ve truly enjoyed the past week with my family; as the temperatures drop we’re bringing out or fleece jackets and blankets, we’re curling up on the sofa watching movies, sipping hot chocolate and playing together on the floor. The hustle of the previous season has died down, no where to be other then together as a family and enjoy the beautiful scenery God has provided for us.

Oh how I love cold weather food! Saturday morning I made cinnamon waffles with caramelized apples. Sunday morning we attended a semi-annual all you can eat pancake breakfast, Sunday evening my husband cooked a whole chicken using our grill rotisserie while Benjamin and I made a pumpkin pie. Tonight I made a pot roast, garlic knots and a pumpkin roll.

The boys and I attended a Halloween party on October 29th where I realized Benjamin inherited my (lack of) dance skills…I’m so sorry baby boy! We went trick-or-treating later that night; this is the first year Benjamin fully grasped the concept of Halloween, he was very excited to be able to visit with all the neighbors and for “ANDY”! Though Hayden didn’t completely understand what was going on or why his big brother took off running with him in the stroller while mommy and daddy were putting on coats (apparently we were taking to long and Benjamin anxiously started down the sidewalk without us), he loved being outside, seeing all the costumes, smiling at everyone and helping hand out candy.

Saturday night we went to Corn Cob Acres; the boys enjoyed their first hay ride, barrel rides, moon bounce and GIANT corn bin. Sunday was all about trains, after our delicious pancake breakfast we headed to Strasburg Railroad and ended our day at the Toy Train Museum.

I’m not sure what the up coming weekend has in store for us but I’m pretty sure it’ll involve pumpkin spice pancakes and Alpacas.

Halloween Activities

2010-10-26T02:06:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Taco Biscuits

Ingredients
1 lbs Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning Packet
Canned Corn
Taco Cheese
8 Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits

Instructions
Prepare ground beef according to taco seasoning packet directions. Roll buttermilk biscuits until approximately 1/8” thick; place one biscuit into a small round dish (such as a ramekin dish), place a few spoonfuls of taco meat, corn and taco cheese on top of biscuit, top with another biscuit. Cut a jack-o-latern face out of the top biscuit. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until biscuits are no longer doughy.

Craft Foam Pumpkin

Materials
9”x12” Orange Craft Foam
Craft Foam Stickers, Crayons, Markers, Paint…

Directions:
Using a pumpkin stencil I designed, I traced the shape onto orange craft foam, cut out the pumpkins and had the kiddos decorate their pumpkins however they chose.

Template

Pumpkin Painting Party

I have the boys signed up for a playgroup; October 12th one of the moms hosted a pumpkin painting party. The children each brought their own pumpkins, art smock or old shirt; the host provided the painting supplies, snacks and apple cider.

Cat Hand Prints

Materials
Construction Paper
Googly Eyes
Crayons, Markers, Paint…

Directions
Trace child’s hand print onto construction paper, cut out. Make a face shape on construction paper and cut out; you can use a circular object such as a cup and add two triangles for ears. Glue cut out hand print and head together, add googly eyes and let your child color/design their cat.

The designs we used to carve our pumpkins; I found these silhouettes on Google.

Hayden's 1st Birthday

2010-10-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

My bright blue eyed, smiling, giggling, sweet, adorable, 24 ½ lbs, 31” baby is officially a one year old walking toddler {sniff}. I can’t get over how quickly the last twelve months have flown by; it’s almost a blur. While Hayden is curious about everything and very observant, he’s just as cuddly at twelve months (sounds better then saying 1 year old, which I’m still in denial about) as he was at birth. As much as I hate seeing my children in pain, I have to admit I’m digging the late night teething wake-up calls and holding him close as he falls back to sleep in my arms; Hayden is totally a mommy’s boy, after a few minutes of being held by someone else he’s reaching is arms out to me, calling “mama” and when he’s upset daddy just isn’t good enough…only mommy can calm him ;).

Though parenting has its frustrating/overwhelming moments, I love being a mommy; watching Benjamin and Hayden play together always brings a small to my face. Benjamin can be a bit of a bully at times but there is no doubt in my mind he’d protect his baby brother if the situation ever arises; one of the first things Benjamin asks in the morning is “see Hayden”, and he’s constantly hugging and kissing his brother. Both my babies were playing soccer together last night (ending with a knot on Hayden’s forehead); watching them, I had an overwhelming feeling the boys will be very close and best friends.

Hayden’s birthday party was October 16th, a few days early to work with the grandparents’ schedules. I had a Halloween themed party for Hayden; I asked the kids to dress up in costumes and adults to wear festive shirts, also incorporated the theme in the decorations and food. I kept the menu fairly simple and prepared as much of the food as I could the day before; my husband grilled hot dogs, I set out a vegetable platter, chips, dips, salsa, candy corn, snack-o-lanern (recipe I used: 20 ounces can pineapple chunks, drained / "guts from oranges / 1 cup mini marshmallows / 1 cup coconut flakes / 1 jar marchino cherries / 8 oz Cool Whip) , punch (7up and Hawaiian punch mix) and apple cider. For Hayden’s smash cake I made a rainbow cake decorated like a jack-o-lantern and for the guests I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting decorated with chocolate shaped bats.

I invited a lot of “older” kids to Hayden’s first party, to keep them occupied I purchased Halloween craft foam stickers from the Dollar Tree along with 9”x12” orange craft foam which I cut out in the shapes for pumpkins; I had the kids decorate their pumpkins with stickers & crayons. Benjamin and I made a pinata a week or two prior to Hayden’s birthday, I painted (kids don’t leave much free time to cover a piñata in crepe paper) the piñata like a jack-o-lantern; I filled it will popcorn balls, glow sticks, Halloween straws and miniature candy bars. For party favors I molded chocolate into Halloween shapes and gave the kiddos miniature pumpkins.

Almost all the decorations, plates, cups and utensils were purchased at the Dollar Tree; I made a photo banner of Hayden’s first year and blew up and strung balloons together the night before.

Hayden’s actually birthday was October 20th, I took the kids to Pine View Dairy for ice cream and pet the calves; when daddy came home from work it was off to play at the park and dinner and more fun at Chuck E. Cheese.

Invitation

Birthday boy, he wouldn't wear the head piece to his bear costume

photo banner

Pinata

Craft Foam pumpkin cut out and craft foam Halloween stickers

FOOD!!!

pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

rainbow cake

Molded chocolates

Mini pumpkins

Chocolate Bat Template

~CLOSED~Happy Birthday Baby Boy! ~CLOSED~

2010-10-20T06:51:00.001-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Sew What?

In honor of Hayden's 1st birthday, I'm giving away one Picture Frame Bracelet; the winner will be chosen on October 26th.

For one entry leave your first name, last initial, and your email address.
Example:
Name: Jane D.
Email: janed@email.com

For a second entry like Red Maple Design on Facebook.

For a third entry tell your friends about Red Maple Design; writing a blog post and send me the link.

Red Maple Design

3rd Birthday Party

2010-10-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

{sigh} My first born is the big 0-3; I found myself drifting back to October 2, 2007, going through the motions of that day in my mind. Two days after Benjamin turned 3 my husband and I quickly noticed our toddler was “changing”, he’s testing boundaries every chance he gets and we’ve had to come up with new ways to discipline (horrendous 3's is an understatement). Though my little man has become a little rebel, I’m enjoying his newfound cuddliness; which somewhat makes it easier to swallow walking into his bedroom to discover he had torn down his wallpaper boarder, bullying his baby brother, talking back, peeing on a toy, snapping my wireless mouse/keyboard receiver in half, refusing to wear clothes…

I kept Benjamin’s 3rd birthday low key; invited a few family members and neighbors for cake, ice cream and munchies; when I started thinking about his birthday party he was going through a Curious George phase and choose that for his theme.

We started off the day with waffles served with grandma’s homemade strawberry jelly, topped with whip cream and a birthday candle. After breakfast we headed to Please Touch Museum; all four of us had a BLAST, thanks to my father-in-law for purchasing an “American Children’s Museum pass for the boys’ birthday we’ll be going back along with checking out other nearby museums. Though we could have spent more time at the Please Touch Museum we had to head home around 3:30pm for dinner and Benjamin’s party. For the party I made Monkey Mix, Monkey Munchie Cupcakes, punch (7up and Hawaiian punch mix), Circus Peanuts and chips. Oh- I found an AWESOME tip for making cupcakes to cut down on cake batter splatters and to allow your child to help; cut a 1/4"-1/2" tip on a corner of a sandwhich bag (I used a clean squeezable container), place batter inside container and squeeze into each wrapper.

Birthday Invitation- Someone didn't want to participate in mommy's photo shoot.

Birthday Breakfast

Please Touch Museum

Monkey Munchie Cupcakes

Awesome wrappers I found at the grocery store, Reynolds StayBrite

Very Hungry Caterpillar

2010-10-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle
Very Hungry Caterpillar

Materials
Finger Paint
Brushes
Empty Toilet Paper Rolls
Googly Eyes
Pipe Cleaners
Headband
Aluminum Foil
Any other “crafty materials” you have lying around

My neighbor and I are both stay-at-home moms and though we love being home with our kiddos, she and I will admit-we sometimes NEED A BREAK! My wonderful and smart neighbor came up with a terrific idea, kid swapping; for one day I’ll watch her daughter and the following week she’ll watch my oldest son for a day. It’s an amazing, wonderful, relaxing… experience being able to grocery shop, run errands or clean without a “helper” or the horrendous three temper tantrums (yes, as of yesterday my “baby” is a three year old, but more on that in another post). The last time I watched Little Miss Alexa I had a theme day planned for the kiddos, Very Hungry Caterpillar; I made caterpillar antennas for each child using a headband, pipe cleaners and aluminum foil. We read “Very Hungry Caterpillar”, then headed outside where I had the kiddy table setup with materials for the kids to make their own caterpillar. Once their caterpillar works of art were complete I reminded them that the Very Hungry Caterpillar turned into a butterfly, I painted their hands and using their handprints we made butterflies. For lunch I served frozen peanut butter & jelly in the shape of a leaf (okay, it was actually a spade cookie cutter but the kids didn’t know that), ants on a log (peanut butter celery with raisins), strawberry shaped fruit gummies and for dessert autumn leaves.

Autumn Begins!

2010-09-22T17:26:00.001-07:00

Magic Pumpkin Seeds
Preschool Rainbow

Materials
Pumpkin Seeds
Small Pumpkins
glue
Glitter

Directions
While your children aren't paying attention, decorate pumpkins and seeds with glitter.

Take kids outside, hand each child a pumpkin seed and inform them the seeds are magical. Make up a dance (we jumped on one foot and spun around in a circle) and have them toss the seed onto the ground. Give each child a small amount of glitter, explain that it's magic sparkles; if they sprinkle the "magic sparkles" on the seeds while saying the magic words, "bippity boppity boop", tomorrow when they wake there will be a surprise waiting for them.

After your children go to bed, gather the seeds up and put small pumpkins in their place.

Magical pumpkins and seeds

Magical pumpkins

"bippity boppity boop"

Magical seeds "planted"

Acorn or Marble Leaf Painting
Suite 101

Materials
Large sheets of paper
Paint– fall colors such as orange, red, yellow, brown
Large box, box top or container at least 1 inch deep and large enough (a box lid from a box of copy paper works well)
Spoons– one for each color of paint
Acorns, nuts or marbles

Directions
Cut out large leaf shapes from the large sheets of paper. Place one leaf shape in the box. Spoon a bit of different colored paint into each of the four corners of the box. Preschoolers place an acorn or marble into the box. Preschoolers hold the box and move the box around so that the acorn or marble rolls into the paint and across the leaf shaped paper. Allow children to decide how long they want to continue painting with the acorn or marble.

Autumn Leaves
Hello, Cupcake!

*Melted chocolate is HOT; little helpers need to use caution!*

Materials
Maple Leaves
1 cup Orange Candy Melting Wafers
1 cup Green Candy Melting Wafers
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Melting Wafers

Directions
Wash the maple leaves with warm water and pat dry on paper towels. Line several cookie sheets with wax paper. Place the orange candy, green candy and milk chocolate melting wafers into separate microwavable bowls. Microwave each bowl separately, stirring occasionally, until the candy is smooth, about 1 minute. Using a small, clean craft brush or your fingertip, paint spots in the 3 different colors of melted candy in an even layer (not too thin) over the top side of each leaf. While the candy is still wet, swirl the colors slightly to blend. Place the leaf on one of the collie sheets, coated side up. Repeat with the remaining leaves. If the candy becomes too thick, reheat in the microwave for several seconds, stirring frequently. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator until the candy is set, about 5 minutes. Carefully peel the leaves from the hardened candy. They come off surprisingly easily. Use a toothpick or clean tweezers to remove any small pieces of leaf that may remain. The leaves can be made up to 5 days in advance, covered and kept in a cool dry place.

Frozen Peanut Butter & Jelly

2010-09-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

If your kids are anything like mine and love peanut butter and jelly but unfortunately end up wearing half the gooeyness on themselves, then do I have a wonderful little tool to share with you. Thanks to the wonderful people at Pampered Chef there is a solution to this problem without having to spend $$$ on Crustables; Cut-N-Seal® will allow you (or you child) to cut perfectly sealed PB&J sandwiches that can be thrown in the freezer. I pick up a cheap loaf of bread at the grocery store and pop out a couple weeks worth of sandwiches with the loaf.

Though I advice you to follow your doctor's advice on introducing peanuts and nuts to your child, these sandwiches make a great frozen teething relief. Hey- when your 2 year old "shoves" a spoonful of peanut butter in his baby brother mouth and there is no allergic reaction, that indicates to me he doesn't have a peanut allergy.

Grandparents Day

2010-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our Grandparents Day craft originated at the playground, I took notice of fallen leaves and the gears in my brain began to turn. We gathered up leaves, took them home where I designed a tree trunk and branches on a 4.0625”x9.125” (fits into a #10 envelope) piece of paper. Wrote the name of each family member on a leaf with a black maker (example: grandma, grandma, mommy, daddy, aunt, etc) and Benjamin glued the leaves onto the tree. Our "family tree" was a HIT with the grandparents!

Teddy Bear Day

2010-09-15T13:19:00.001-07:00

September 9th is known as Teddy Bear Day and since I’ve been busy with tons of other project I’m behind on activity posts…please forgive me.

The Origin of the Teddy Bear:
During the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt was in office as President of the United States. He was a hunter. While hunting in Mississippi in 1902, he refused to shoot a small bear. The Washington Post picked up on this story, and made a cartoon of the event. Toy store owners, Morris and Rose Michtom, wrote to President Roosevelt for permission to call their stuffed animals "Teddy Bears". Teddy bears became wildly popular. Their company went on to become the Ideal Toy Company, one of the largest toy companies in the world.

Benjamin, {gasp} my soon to be three year old, has a beloved teddy bear named Bear; actually to be accurate Bear technically belongs to Hayden, {louder gasp} my soon to be one year old. A week or two before Hayden was born my husband and I took Benjamin to “Build A Bear” to make a teddy bear for his baby brother; Benjamin fell in love with the bear formerly Known as Bubbles.

Having a scheduled play date at the Hands on House didn’t leave much time for Teddy Bear activities but I did manage to find a way to incorporate it into our day.

Breakfast consisted of teddy bear pancakes

Teddy bear sugar cookies for an afternoon snack.

Incase anyone thinks I'm Martha Stewart...THANK YOU Pillsbury Dough Boy for making life slightly easier!

Because their so cute, I leave you with these.

Bubble Fun

2010-09-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to put a twist on swimming? Add kid friendly bubble bath solution to a kiddie pool; as the kiddos splash around the more bubbles produced.

Another idea I’ve heard but have yet to try is filling a kiddie pool with blowing bubble solution; give a bubble wands to each child for them to blow bubbles using the solution inside the pool. To create a mega bubble, one at a time inside the kiddie pool, have a child stand inside a hula hoop; raise the hula hoop up over the child to make a giant bubble.

~CLOSED~ Giveaway ~CLOSED~

2010-09-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Though it is still a work in progress as I continue to add more products over the next month, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my online store! After hours of research and love for all things design and art, I just couldn’t contain my excitement any longer and had to announce my site.

In celebration, I’m giving away a Footprint Collage; I'll be choosing TWO lucky winners who will be chosen randomly on September 10th at 9am EDT

For one entry leave your first name, last initial, and your email address.
Example:
Name: Jane D.
Email: janed@email.com

For a second entry like Red Maple Design on Facebook.

For a third entry tell your friends about Red Maple Design; writing a blog post and send me the link.

Red Maple Design

Watermelon Pops

2010-08-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Pops
Family Fun

Materials
Watermelon
Popsicle Sticks
Cookie Cutters

Instructions
Use a cookie cutter to cut juicy star shapes from 1-inch-thick slices of seedless watermelon. Insert a Popsicle stick into each star, then set the pops on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Cover the stars with another sheet of foil and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

We made half the watermelon cut-outs into popsicles and took the remaining along to a family gathering; our relatives were impressed with my son's work for art. While my two year old prefers fresh watermelon, my teething ten month old is digging the frozen fruit on his gums.

Ball Drop

2010-08-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ball Drop
Baby Play (Gymboree)

“Balls, bowls and anything that bangs are big hits with older babies. How can you get all those elements into one playtime? Just provide your baby with some lightweight balls (like whiffle or tennis balls) and a big metal bowl or plastic basket. Then show your baby how to drop the balls into the container. When the balls hit, they each make a different and interesting sound. Your baby will be intrigued by this simple activity and will gain and understanding of cause and effect. “

My First Photo Album

2010-08-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

My boys were given a cloth photo album for Christmas (similar to this) ; with the hustle and bustle of the holidays it was tucked away and forgotten until I recently stumbled across the album while preparing items for a semi-annual children’s consignment event. I decided it was time to add pictures; I used our home printer to print out photos and then cut the photos down to size. This was an instant hit, the boys love looking at pictures of themselves and our family and I've been hearing giggles from both of them.

Muddle Puddles

2010-08-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

An unplanned but a kid exciting activity, our inflatable pool sprung a leak causing the water to steadily pour onto the deck, down to the grass below- creating a lovely waterfall like flow and a nice muddle puddle. While my two year old was more interested in playing in the extremely wet sand in the sandbox, my baby was all about splashing in the mud.

Over the past two years I’ve hung up my neat freak apron, realizing boys will be boys and if their wearing the same clothes they started the day in…well then it was a boring day. :)

Teething Relief

2010-08-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

At nine months my baby boy has a whopping ZERO teeth! While I don’t see or feel any bumps in his mouth, he’s been less smiley, slightly fussy, sucks/gums on anything and everything (including our family dog)and my poor little guy has a horrible diaper rash. All these signs lead me to believe that teeth are in his near future. *Sigh* I’m going to miss his adorable toothless smile; I guess its part of accepting the fact my baby is closer to being a toddler then an infant.

Yesterday morning a light bulb came on, Hayden is a thumb sucker and we ended up with a lot of unwrapped but unused pacifiers; I decided to try a little “science experiment”. I filled a bowl with water, took a bunch of Nuks (and Soothies), squeezed the pacifier end under the water to fill and placed them in the freezer. Hayden doesn’t like pacifiers but he’s digging the “frozen” Nuk.

Searchlight

2010-08-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Searchlight
Baby Play (Gymboree)

Increased mobility brings with it a whole new range of games that involve chasing and catching. Most of these games have you pursuing your baby. But he can play the pursuer when you show him how to “catch” a flashlight beam. Wrap and secure a layer of colored tissue paper around the end of a flashlight, shine the colored light on the floor, on the wall or on low furniture and encourage your baby to “go get it.”

Scoop up Some Ice Cream

2010-08-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Scoop up Some Ice Cream
Highlights High Five

Materials:
Construction Paper
Glue
Scissors

Instructions:
1. To make the cones, cut brown triangles.
2. To make the scoops of ice cream, choose four colors. Cut circles from each piece of paper.
3. To make the cherry, cut small round circles.

Make a Picture
Glue the cones to a piece of paper. Glue the scoops of ice cream on the cones. put the cherry on top of the ice cream cones. Use crayons or small pieces of paper to add sprinkles.

Make a Game
Place 16 scoops in a bag. Give each player a cone. Take turns drawing a scoop from the bag. If you draw a flavor that you don't have, add it to your cone. If you draw a flavor that you already have, return the scoop to the gag and pass the bag to the next player. The first player to scoop up all four flavors gets wins.

Totally Tubular

2010-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Totally Tubular
Baby Play (Gymboree)

"Your baby may not have entered an ocean, lake, ore even a kiddie pool yet, but large swim tubes (*I purchased ours at the “Dollar Tree”*) provide plenty of fun on dry land, too. Sitters and crawlers alike enjoy using the tubes for sitting support. Or Play a game of peekaboo in the rings. Just sit him/her down in one on a soft surface, stack the rest of them up to his/her chest, and lift them off while calling “peekaboo!” enthusiastically. Babies who are more mobile will take pleasure in creeping and crawling in and out of several tubes placed on the floor.”

Father's Day

2010-06-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

Craft projects have been nonexistent lately due to summer outings; WE LOVE SUMMER and BEING OUTSIDE! I’m a little late on this post seeing as how Father’s Day came and went; however this project can be useful for almost any special occasion. As much as I’d love to show you an awesome Father’s Day gift craft project, it just didn’t happen this year…we resorted to (gasp) store bought gifts!

Card

Materials:
Card Stock
Crayons, markers, paint…
X-Acto

Instructions:
Using Adobe Indesign I set up a document that that was 8”x6” (card will fold to 4”x6” fitting into an A6 Envelope [4-3/4” x 6-1/2"]) for the grandfathers and an 8 1/8”x9 1/8 (card folds to 4.0625”x9.125” fitting into #10 envelope [4 1/8" x 9 1/2"]) for daddy. Page one on the right side I created a star burst with a 1/2 point rule, on page two on the right side I added a photo in the exact same coordinates as the starburst on the front cover and added text above and below the photo. Printed out page one, flipped the card stock over printing page two on the backside. I then Folded the card in half and let Benjamin color on the front of the card, once he was done I used an X-Acto knife to cut out the starburst allowing the photo to show through. I saved the starburst cutout for a name tag on the wrapped gift.

Wrapping Paper

Materials:
Large roll or sheet of paper
Crayons, markers, paint…

Instructions:
Let your child finger paint, glitter, markers, crayon…whatever his/her preference of the day on the paper, then use decorated paper to wrap gifts.

Jello Fun

2010-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Jello Fun

Materials:
3-6 large boxes of Jello
Large bowl(s)
baby bath tub or large container

Instructions:
Prepare Jello according to directions on package, once jello is firm place in baby bath or large container, take outside and let your child(ren) play in it. You can give the child(ren) spoons, measuring cups or any other household items to use while playing with the Jello.

Five Minutes' Peace

2010-06-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

My final book of the week is for all the moms out there that need “ME TIME”, I think everyone can relate to this story. I apologize I don’t have any pictures, besides the poor quality camera phone picture, or activity to occupancy this book.

Five Minutes' Peace
by Jill Murphy

"Mrs. Large just wants five minutes' peace from her three rambunctious elephant children, that's all. But what meets her eyes one morning when she enters the kitchen? "The children were having breakfast. This was not a pleasant sight." Pure understatement for a mealtime mess that includes an overturned cereal box, a dripping jar of honey, crushed soft-boiled eggs and on the littlest one, the wearing of a once-full bowl of corn flakes. So Mrs. Large lumbers off to the bathroom, tea on tray, newspapers in bathrobe pocket. But her bubble bath isn't soothing for long; she's soon joined by three visitors. Lester wants to play a tune for her on the flute. "Must you?" Mrs. Large asks. Laura wishes to read out loud. "Just one page," says Mrs. Large. The toddler offersand he will not be refusedall his bathtoys. Then they hop into the tub. Mrs. Large heads for the kitchen and finds exactly three minutes and 45 seconds of peace. This book is pure joy, one that parents, not just children, will want to keep on hand; Murphy's frazzled mom will find a soft spot in every reader."

Lets go on a Mommy Date

2010-06-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

A couple years ago my mom recommended Karen Kingsbury, yes-she also writes children books, and I quickly fell in love. My first Karen Kingsbury book was “Let me Hold You Longer, I've enjoyed all her books that I've read thus far...then again I enjoy almost any book that has me in tears by the end :). I had a difficult time deciding which of her books to include in my book week but then I remembered how I very much enjoyed the message of the this book:

Let's go on a Mommy Date
by Nancy Tillman

On the Night You were Born

2010-06-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

Another favorite in our house, the first time I read this book I was reading through tears.

On the Night You were Born
by Nancy Tillman

Harold and the Purple Crayon

2010-06-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

If you haven't guessed by now, we choose books that can be made into activities!

Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson

Pete's a Pizza

2010-06-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Pete's a Pizza
by William Steig

Green Eggs and Ham

2010-05-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

An "oldie but goodie" book that can be read and then turned into wonderful weekend breakfast (Green Eggs and Ham Recipe) fun with the family!

Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss

I Love You Through and Through

2010-05-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

What child doesn’t love books; in honor of the littlest book worms, I give to you BOOK WEEK! My first choice is a book I hold near and dear to my heart, my sister presented this book to Benjamin upon his entrance into the world, the cardboard pages are worn but we continue to read it at least once a month. Knowing the time was coming that I would have to tuck the “original” copy away in Benjamin’s memory box and a new copy would need purchased; I stumbled across O My Family's blog and a seven month project is underway. I ABSOLUTELY loved her idea of posting pictures that reflect the words from the book, the light bulb turned on and I began working on a “I Love You Through and Through” photo book for each of the boys and plan to give them their personalized book on their birthday.

I Love You Through and Through
by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

Create Your Own Coloring Book

2010-05-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Create Your Own Coloring Book

My toddler absolutely LOVES to color, it's one of the few activities that will occupy him for 45+ minutes at a time, my only problem with his coloring addiction is he goes through coloring books like there’s no tomorrow or paper ends up all over the house. I came up with the simple solution of creating a coloring book, I Googled coloring pages of his favorite shows (Thomas the Tank Engine ["Tommy"], Bob the Builder and Curious George), merged all the files together creating an 80 page PDF document and I designed a simple but nifty personalized cover. I sent the files to a local printer, requested 100 blank pages added to the back and spiral bind the "book"...instant coloring book that cost a few bucks, while cutting down on paper clutter.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2010-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Shake, Rattle and Roll
Baby Play (Gymboree)

"By six months, your baby has a pretty good sense that his hands are connected to his arms and has pretty good control of the movements of both his arms and hands. Now he wants to use his hands to explore his environment, whether by patting, stroking or grabbing at nearly everything around him. As he discovers the properties of the objects he touches-there shape, weight, texture and of course taste- he'll be particular amazed by the various sounds they make. You can help his early experiments by providing an elementary maraca made from a plastic bottle filled with something that will make noise. Show him how to shake it- but once he gets the idea, it may be hard to get him to stop!"

Material
Sealable Containers
Sand, dried bean, pebbles, noodles, etc

Instructions
Fill container with something that will make noise, tightly secure container and let your child shake.

Mini Caesar Salad

2010-05-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mini Caesar Salad
The Toodler Cookbook

Ingredients
for croutons
3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
2-3 slices White Bread

for dressing
1/2 clove garlic (optional)
6 tbsp Mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Lemon Juice
4-5 drops Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp cold Water

for salad
2 hearts of romaine or 4 small bibb lettuces, leaves washed and dried

Directions
Using a small cookie cutter, cut shapes into bread. Arrange breadon a tray, toast under a broiler. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese over toasted croutons, place back in broiler until cheese is melted. Crush the garlic, put in a salad bowl with other dressing ingredients and remaining Parmesan, mix well. Toss lettuce with dressing, place croutons on top.

Try it...
with chicken
Griddle 2 chicken breasts that have been marinated for an hour in olive oil, a little lemon juice and a clove of crushed garlic. Slice and scatter over salad.

with Bacon
Broil 8 strips of bacon until crisp. Crumble and scatter over the salad.

Personal Pizzas

2010-05-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Personal Pizzas
Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual

Ingredients
4 English Muffins
8 oz Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese (as much as you like)
Parmesan Cheese (as much as you like)

Topping Suggestions
Mini Pepperoni
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
Scallions
Ham
Black Olives, sliced
Sweet Pepers, sliced
Garlic

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully split open the English Muffins, place on a cookie sheet. Open pizza sauce, spread 1-2 tablespoons of sauce evenly on each muffin. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, place desired topping on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Watering Can Greeting Card

2010-05-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

Watering Can Greeting Card
Family Fun

Happy Mother's Day! I am truly blessed to have my awesome mom and wonderful boys; a special thank you to my dear loving husband for making me a mommy of two adorable, loving, happy, amazing... boys that are my everything!

I had a completely different Mother’s Day project in mind for my 2 ½ year old, however I failed to read the instructions beforehand (hey-it’s Mother’s Day, I’m allowed to mess up) and didn’t realize I needed 24 hours to do the project…onto plan B.

Materials
Silver card stock
Scissors
Seed packet
Tape

Instructions
Print this watering can template on a piece of card stock. Cut out, let your child finger paint, glitter, markers, crayon…whatever his/her preference of the day is, then cut a horizontal slit across the front. Slip in a seed packet (add a piece of tape at the back to keep it in place), then write a message on the can.

Cards

2010-04-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Cards

I’m a fan of anything that will keep my children busy and happy while I work, I came up with the idea of homemade cards…and who doesn’t love a homemade card from a 2 ½ year old ;). I’m a graphic designer, using Adobe Indesign I quickly set up a document that is either 8”x6” (card will fold to 4”x6” fitting into an A6 Envelope [4-3/4” x 6-1/2"]), or an 8 1/8”x9 1/8 (card folds to 4.0625”x9.125” fitting into #10 envelope [4 1/8" x 9 1/2"]). Using google.com I’ll search for quotes/sayings for the card(s) (example: birthday card quotes), place the text into my document and hit print. Cut the card down to size, give the paper to my toddler and let him design the front cover using finger paint, glitter, markers, crayon…whatever his preference of the day is.

This card idea came from a catalog, unfortunately I can't remember which one.

Play Dough

2010-04-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Play Dough

Materials:
2 cups flour
2 cups water
3 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup salt
2 Tbsp. oil
food coloring (optional)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled; will last for a long time.

Masking Tape Road

2010-04-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Masking Tape Road
The Toddler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your One and a Half to Three Year-old Busy

Materials:
Masking Tape

Instructions:
Place masking tape onto carpet to make a pathway, always test with a small strip of tape first to be sure it won’t damage the carpet. My son LOVES to use the pathway for his cars, but you could also use the lines for games (example: follow the leader, hop scotch, etc).

Paint Pallet

2010-03-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Paint Pallet

I often use “Athens® Mini Fillo Shells” for quick desserts; the shell packaging is a plastic container with small wells. Having a feeling the containers would be useful I saved them…ta-da, one use for them is a kid friendly paint pallet! I pour a little paint into each of the wells, let my little artist go to town, when he’s finished I rinse the container and stick back in the paint basket. Sorry for the pour image quality, I had to use my camera phone.

FYI- Crayola smocks are great; inexpensive and washable.

Handprint Lilies

2010-03-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Handprint Lilies
Family Fun If you haven't guess already, I LOVE this magazine!

Materials
Pencil
White card stock
Scissors
Green Construction Paper
Hole punch
Green Pipe Cleaner
Tape
Yellow pipe cleaner
Hot Glue

Instructions
Have your child trace his hand onto a piece of white card stock (regular paper works too but isn't as durable) and cut out the shape. Cut two double leaves from green construction paper and punch holes in the centers where the leaves meet, as shown. Curl the paper fingers and leaves by wrapping them around a pencil.Wrap the hand around the top of a green plastic straw and secure it with tape. Slide the leaves onto the straw and tape them in place. For the flower's stamen, fold half of a yellow pipe cleaner in half and curl down the ends. Insert the folded end in the straw.

I used this activity for Valentine's Day. I traced my toddler's hand, ran off copies of the print. I created Valentine labels/tags on the computer and had my toddler paint and glitter the back. Finished product to the right.

Winter Sun Catcher

2010-03-13T03:11:00.000-08:00

Winter Sun Catcher
Family Fun

Materials
Ice cube tray
Food coloring
Round cake pan
Ribbon
Plastic cup

Instructions
First, create colorful ice cubes by adding one to three drops of food coloring to the water in each section of the tray. Use only a few matching colors, as they will run together in the pan later. Freeze the cubes completely.

Fill a round cake pan about two-thirds full of water. To make the hole for the ribbon, set a plastic cup full of water in the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for an hour or so. Put the colored ice cubes in the pan, then let all the liquid freeze solid. Remove the plastic cup, flip the sun catcher out of the pan, then hang it outside with ribbon.

Pasta Doodles

2010-03-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Pasta Doodles
Family Fun

Materials
Construction Paper
Cooked Pasta

Directions
Boil pasta until soft, but not mushy (a little oil added to the water keeps pasta from clumping). Drain and rinse with coold water until it is cool enough to handle. Now your kids can pput their noodles to paper, shaping them into flowers or faces and stretching them into scenic landscapes. If a child wants to keep a favorite drawing, cover it with waxed paper and top with a heavy book so that it will dry flat (the pasta will adhere even after it hardens). Other pasta shapes also work well, keds can make a poodle out of elbow macaroni or a fire truck from a lasgna noodle and wagon wheels.