Two Cups of Coffee

The Hiking Bag

2009-05-12T14:49:00.003-04:00

We're a hiking family. We love to spend time out in the woods. We love to find cool bugs, mushrooms and rocks and we love to take some of our findings home with us. My pockets were tired of being filled with rocks and leaves and all of the other treasures my kids find. When I saw this hiking bag, I knew that I would be making two!
I purchased the pants at the thrift store, used webbing that I had intended on using to make belts for the kids (which is a stupid idea. Kids don't need belts, they need elastic especially when they are potty training!), and Sadie's bag got backed with a Japanese Kawaii print that I got on etsy. The kids filled their bags with very useful things that one would need on a hike: their water bottle, a bug catcher, a magnifying glass, a journal, a camera, a net, and a Cinderella figurine. Very easy. Very useful. Very fun!

Worm Farm

2009-05-05T13:34:00.003-04:00

The kids spent yesterday digging. While they were digging, they discovered worms. Lots of 'em. Lots of little tiny worms and a few juicy fat ones!So we spent the day learning about worms. How they are natures composters and that they aren't "icky" but instead very helpful. We made a quart jar worm farm made with layers of mud, oatmeal, and sand with about 20 worms added. You can find the complete directions here. Now, we just have to be patient and wait about a week or so to see what those worms do! Find more earthworm facts:
National Geographic
The Adventures of Herman the Worm
Composting with worms

Secret Messages

2009-04-27T15:20:00.004-04:00

After Easter's egg dying, I got to thinking of things I could do with that wax crayon they include in the egg dying kit. I thought that a secret message would be the perfect thing.
You will need:

wax crayon (or a white crayon)
paper
water color paint

While the kids napped, I wrote a secret message to each of them using the wax crayon (going over each letter several times assures a clear message). Then, I set up the table so they would find it when they woke up. I told them that I had written them a secret message and that they needed to paint over it to see what it said.The messages were quite simple, and actually a picture may have been better since neither of them can read. But, they liked revealing the message either way.

You know you're a "Housewife" when...

2009-04-22T13:47:00.002-04:00

...you blog about amazing dish towels. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm in love with my microfiber dishtowels and I feel like I need to spread the word about their amazing-ness. They're from Casabella, makers of home cleaning products that promote eco-friendly cleaning.

Here's the story: I was shopping at my local World Market and they had the Casabella microfiber kitchen towels on super-duper clearance. So, I bought one thinking they were still a little more than I wanted to spend on a dish towel, not to mention that I already have a closet full of them, and I've had other microfiber towels, but just wasn't that impressed with them. Well, let me tell you, I tried it out and it picked up every drop of every spill, wiped dry each of my dishes even the last one, and just felt so soft that I went back to World Market the next day and bought up every last one of them. Now, you won't see me in my kitchen without one of those babies tossed over my shoulder. I think I would even pay full price for them. They're just that awesome.

Cut to two months later, I was again at World Market (you gotta love that place!) and they had the microfiber glass cloth and the microfiber dusting cloth on sale so I bought both of those. The glass cloth is amazing. I don't even have to use any cleaners, I just dampen a corner and wipe the glass and they're clean WITHOUT STREAKS, my glass cleaner can't even do that. And the dust cloth, well, it picks up just about every speck of dust in this house. It's just that good.

Casabella also sells floor-dusters with washable heads that I'm tempted to buy. Man, you just got to love a company that makes you feel so good about cleaning your house! So, there you have it. As you can see, I need to get out more so I can tell you about amazing music, or shoes or... anything but cleaning products.

Discovering New Things On a Hike

2009-04-20T14:20:00.001-04:00

I'm a big fan of the Take-Along Guides series of books for kids. These books are perfect for younger kids as they are not so jammed full of information that kids can't find what they're looking for, they cover only the animals (or trees, flowers, etc. depending on the topic of the book) that you are most likely to see, and the illustrations are clear and helpful. Eli and Sadie recently got the book Tracks, Scats, and Signs. We brought it with us on our latest "hike" to Prairie Oaks Metro Park. This is a great park because it has prairie, forest, river, wetlands, and relatively short un-paved trails (and the fact that it has a playground and bathrooms doesn't hurt either). The park meets all our needs and it is filled with a wide-range of wild-life, not bad for a 15 minute drive from our house!We set off on our hike and the first thing we found was some very furry scat. This scat was probably the most interesting that I've ever seen as it contained an entire foot with bones and claws still attached. I'm guessing that it used to belong to a rabbit or perhaps a squirrel. We quickly paged through our book to find that the scat probably came from a coyote:It just spent four days raining in a Columbus so tracks were very easy to find and identify. The first we spotted came from a deer:Down by the river we identified a perfect raccoon hand:And we think that this print might belong to a muskrat:We also found signs that a beaver lives near by:I'm including this picture because we have seen a lot of them lately mostly in grasses or wetlands areas. They look papery, but are more spongy and they look like they would be very sticky, but they're not. I'm guessing they belong to some kind of insect, but if anyone knows, I'd love to know:We also found a perfect blue and black striped feather from a blue jay, which is perhaps my favorite find of the day. By the end of the trip, Eli was able to tell us a lot of the animals that lived in the park that we didn't actually see, but saw signs of. It was a great day for a hike and a great day to see tracks, scats and signs!!

Hey, I got nothing to do today but smile...

2009-04-20T13:53:00.004-04:00

You know when you hear the first notes of a song and it instantly brings you back to a moment in your life? Like every time I hear the first notes to Devil Inside it instantly reminds me of the smell of our schools gymnasium and seventh grade cheerleading try-outs. Eternal Flame somehow reminds me of being in the back of the Burley's van (get your mind out of the gutter)belting out tunes with the girls. Hey, Jealousy will always bring me back to driving around in my BFF's red Honda Prelude the summer before our senior year.

Simon and Garfunkels Only Living Boy in New York was my song of the summer 1996. I was living with my BFF in a cool old down-town apartment in the town where we attended school. I was working at Target, but barely. I didn't have any money and I lived off of popcorn, beer and clove cigarettes. I had nothing to do most days "but smile" and I would sing "the only living girl in Grand Forks." (clever, right!?! ha, ha) I checked the weather and decided what to do from that: go to the pool, head to the coffee shop to read, go for a bike ride, etc. The reason I bring this up is because lately I've been singing "I get the news I need from the weather report" because with kids my big question for the day is: can we go outside or not? The weather report determines our entire day. Will today be an indoor game playing, movie watching, picture coloring sort of a day or a run outside, play in the dirt, go to the park sort of a day? Today is a pouring rain, ride the bus to dad's work and eat lunch in the cafeteria kind of day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a sunshiney, sunglasses, sunscreen and flip-flop wearing kind of a day. But, it's spring, the weather is unpredictable and I need to just go with the flow. After all, I have nothing to do today but smile (and take care of my kids)...

The Butterfly Release

2009-04-17T13:22:00.002-04:00

The butterflies emerged before I was ready for it. The first one was born inside it's little cup because I was still waiting for the lurker to build it's chrysalis (which it never did and has since passed on) so she has little wrinkled wings. I promptly moved the rest of the chrysalises into the netted cage so they could have a safer place to live. The rest emerged unscathed and were so beautiful to look at. Here you can see the empty chrysalis and underneath their is some red goo on the mesh netting that came from the wings and the chrysalis. I'm not really sure what it is.

The butterflies should have been released a lot sooner, but it has been pouring rain in Columbus and we didn't want to send them off into a wet world. We waited until yesterday when the sun was shining. Here's Eli slowing unzipping the zipper.Three of them quickly fluttered away on the wind, but our little damaged wing lady had a harder time. She could hardly get off the ground but she eventually disappeared from us as well.I'm really tempted to order another set of caterpillars and do some journaling with Eli. It was so much fun the first time to watch the changes!

Homemade Shrinky Dinks

2009-04-10T14:31:00.004-04:00

I've read about making homemade shrinky dinks using #6 plastic on several different blogs and have been waiting patiently to cross paths with the take-out boxes that use #6 plastic. Well, it finally happened. I had finished eating my birthday dinner and the waiter kindly boxed up the rest of my food. Then, he placed a lovely #6 plastic container in front of me. I was tickled. It was the best birthday present ever (dare I say, almost better than the yoga bag that I got from my dear children).
Sadie and I decided to make egg-shaped necklaces for the up-coming holiday. I punched a hole at the top and we colored on our design using permanent markers. Here's a good idea of how they looked before they went into the 350 degree oven:And two minutes later we had (sort of) egg-shaped necklaces:

Man, I love this. I wish I had more plastic take-out containers. Note to self: go out to eat more!Go here for the complete instructions.

The Caterpillars Came!!

2009-04-06T13:51:00.003-04:00

And they've already entered the Pupa stage! Here they are hiding out in their chrysalis:We picked up a butterfly house at Target several weeks ago and sent in the enclosed coupon for caterpillars. They arrived about a week later from a company called Insect Lore. The caterpillars came with food in a sterile cup, so we didn't have to do anything but wait for them to crawl to the top of the cup to make their chrysalis. Once they've all made it to the top (we still have one lurking...) we can move them into their butterfly house. We should have painted lady butterflies in about a week. I'll keep you posted throughout the metamorphosis.

Getting the Table Ready

2009-03-30T13:57:00.003-04:00

My children never ask me to paint. Never. But, I want them to like arts and crafts so I lead them to water, so-to-speak. When they go down for their naps, I put out some sort of creative activity for them to wake up too. It's amazing how quickly they sit down and get to work on an artsy-craftsy project that has been laid out for them. I guess it's hard to resist once it's right in front of them!

Meet the Egg People: Growing Grass Inside Eggshells

2009-03-23T13:28:00.002-04:00

For this project you will need:

eggs
egg carton
grass seed
soil
markers and scissors

Directions:

1) Very carefully cut off the top of an egg. (Put the eggs aside to make omelets later.) With warm soapy water, gently clean out the eggs and allow to dry.2) Carefully, fill the eggs about 3/4 full with soil. Add the grass seed. Then cover with more soil.

3) Add water, then place in the sun and wait patiently for about a week, watering as needed. Once the grass has started to grow you should still wait a little longer until you have a good head of "hair".4) With a damp cloth, wash all dirt and debris from the egg. Draw a face.
5. Start to "trim" the "hair".6. After receiving their hair cuts. Put them back in the sun and allow their hair to grow back.

7. Repeat steps 5 &6.

Meet the Wood Family

2009-03-16T21:50:00.004-04:00

Remember back many moons ago when I mentioned that finishing these little wooden dolls were on my to-do list? Well 10 months later, I can finally cross these little guys off my list. I finally finished the little details and applied the last coat of varnish (after my children had already played with them, hence the scuffs). It is without hesitation that I introduce you to my family. Yes, that's Dennis, Sharleen, Eli and Sadie: This little family was made to represent some good friends of ours. This is Michelle, Gabriella, Robert and Alexey:

The BV Gang:And the whole Wood Family:

Yes, I got a little carried away making little wood friends for my little wood children. But, it was well worth it as these little wood people were well initiated today. They were buried in the dirt, tossed for hopscotch, passed from one neighbor kid to the next and held in grubby, chocolate laced hands. This is a good lesson in attachment for me. I'm trying to let it all go, but I think I'll apply one more coat of varnish after scrubbing them clean!! Then, I'll feel better.

Instant Gratification Sunday

2009-03-10T13:53:00.005-04:00

Sadie has really been into accessorizing her outfits lately. She loves purses, belts, extra layers, tights, jewelry, and special hair thingies. She is such a girly-girl which is a good thing for me because she keeps me crafting. A new headband was desperately needed to keep Sadie's ever-growing hair out of her face which is probably driving me more crazy than her. I purchased the pattern off of etsy from deidrewicks and I found the instructions immediately in my inbox. Gotta love the instant gratification in that and I had all of the materials that I needed in my house! So, I got started right away and sewed while watching The Rage in Placid Lake on Hulu (which I thought was an excellent movie, by the way). I made the headband reversible and I shrunk the pattern down a little to fit Sadie's head. I just love the feeling of accomplishing whatever you want to accomplish without having to leave your house. Sewing and movie watching instantly? It feels so gratifying.

Lemondade Award!

2009-03-09T14:04:00.003-04:00

Hey all! I was just given the Lemonade Award from Becca over at Chocolate Eyes. The Lemonade Award is an award given to those who inspire. Aww, shucks, thanks. I'm touched, so I'm going to pass it along.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

Here are my nominees:

5 Orange Potatoes: An Ohio homeschooling mom inspires with her creative activities for her children.

'Tis a Good Life: A crafty Canadian mom who finds inspiration in the everyday.

Skin Deep

2009-03-06T13:39:00.003-05:00

Today was the first 70 degree day of the year. We met our playgroup friends at a park for a little romp. We had a blast, but I noticed when we got home that we all looked a little pink-cheeked and somehow my freckles have quadrupled. I forgot the sunscreen. Rats!! I sort of thought we were safe, but I guessed wrong. That sent me to Skin Deep a data base of research on the safety of cosmetics and skin care products sponsored by the Environmental Working Group. There they have a list of all of the sunscreens they tested and how the sunscreens were ranked for safety by measuring toxins in the sunscreens themselves as well as how they actually protect you against the sun. This list is a little intimidating because the ones that ranked the best are a) hard to find and b) expensive. But, after going through the list I found that CVS has a moderately hazardous ranked sunscreen, as does Trader Joes which are both easy enough for me to find and inexpensive. Last year I used the CVS sunscreen with zinc oxide 45+, but I can't find it on their website this year. I can only find the sunblock +30, but I'll check in the stores and see if they have it.
I got a little long-winded just trying to tell you to check out your family's skin-care products at Skin Deep to see how they're ranked. It might just surprise you at how toxic your child's shampoo might be. (Darn that "fragrance"!)

Tie-Dye Cookies

2009-03-04T13:42:00.004-05:00

We made tie-dye cookies yesterday and they were a real hit. You can find the recipe here where they are called play-dough cookies, but I like the name tie-dye cookies a whole lot more. These were really simple to make and I didn't even have a freak-out mommy moment when we made them. The dough is really easy to work with and not sticky at all so the kids were able to make the balls, then roll them into snakes, then coil them into snails with little assistance.

**edited to add: Thanks Jennie for the heads up. The link to the cookie recipe has been changed!

Low-Carbon Lent

2009-03-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

In case anyone else wants to follow along with the Low-Carbon Lent, here are this weeks:

• Monday – Share this week’s Low-Carbon tips with a neighbor, coworker, or friend.
• Tuesday – Turn down your thermostat down by one degree.
• Wednesday – We are asked to give up meat on Friday’s during Lent. The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet.
Consider giving up meat an extra day this week.
• Thursday – Climate change isn’t a distant threat – it’s affecting poor communities now. Pray for those helping vulnerable communities adapt to the changing weather.
• Friday – Give your dishwasher a day off or promote it to an Energy Star rated appliance.
• Saturday – Unplug your mobile phone charger: it uses electricity even when it’s not charging.

Lent 2009-- Doing More

2009-02-27T12:34:00.004-05:00

Wednesday marked the beginning of the Lenten Season-- the 40 days that helps us prepare for Easter, our Salvation. It is a time for prayer, self-reflection, sacrifice and giving. Now, I'm not the most religious person in the world by far, and I'm not even a very good Catholic. This year, however, I'm trying to make more of an effort this Lenten Season to grow as a Catholic and as a person. I didn't grow up Catholic so "giving something up" for lent feels awkward for me. I don't really see how giving up chocolate is going to make me a better person, in fact, it's only going to make life worse for those around me and it will make me miserable. Yeah, yeah I understand that it's all about sacrifice, but wouldn't doing more during Lent help me grow more as a person? I think so. That's why this Lent I'm attempting to do three things that will hopefully help me grow as a human-being, help others and help the world.

1) Each week during Lent I will volunteer my services to an organization. Our church provides sign-up lists for opportunities to serve. Usually these are for working at the local shelter providing meals, building a Habitat for Humanity home, working at the St. Vincent De Paul, and the like. This week, I'm volunteering to help with the blood drive that is being held at my church.

2) Participating in Catholic Relief Services' Operation Rice Bowl that helps raise money to help fight global-poverty. CRS provides a calendar of events for each day of lent that helps raise awareness of poverty around the world. The calendar provides prayers, Bible study, opportunities to give, and introduces you to people from all over the globe who have benefited from Operation Rice Bowl along with fasting recipes from those countries.

3) The church bulletin is giving ideas for a "Low-Carbon Lent" in which they provide one "green" idea a day to help reduce our carbon footprint. This weeks ideas are:
• Ash Wednesday – Remove one light bulb (without inviting danger) and live without it for the next 40 days.
• Thursday – Check your door for drafts with a ribbon or feathers. If it flutters, buy (or make!) a draft stopper.
• Friday – Tread lightly – whether that’s by foot, by bike, on to a bus or the gas as you drive. Find a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions when you travel today.
• Saturday – Are you recycling everything possible? Really –everything? Look into it today. Visit earth911.org to get started.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. Hopefully, this Lenten season will be a time for change for me.

Oh, and because Catholics are asked to abstain from eating meat and fasting on Fridays during lent, I thought I'd add some links to some of our favorite vegetarian meals:

Curried Potato and Vegetable Soup: Seriously, this is an awesome soup. I serve it with rice. The first time I made this soup Dennis said, "I love this soup. It reminds me of Nepal." Hey, if my cooking can help bring back memories, then it must be good!
Red Kidney Bean Curry: Seriously easy, seriously tasty!
Lentil-Tomato Soup: An old stand-by at our house. Great for cold, wet days!

Sadie's New Threads

2009-02-24T13:16:00.003-05:00

I've had my eye on some super-cute applique shirts over at Mini Boden for Sadie. But, for the price, I decided to make them on the cheap at home. After searching for plain colored shirts in department stores (why can't I find bold non-girly colored pocketless shirts anywhere?) I ended up buying some American Apparel shirts for a sort-of reasonable price and appliqued the designs on. I have three more shirts that I'm still deciding what to do with. I think I'm going to stencil-paint dandelions on one, but the "pattern" I have in mind looks a little too intricate.These skirts are from a simple, free pattern from Oliver + S. The blue skirt turned out cute and Sadie loves to wear it. The fabric is from Amy Butlers Daisy Chain Collection. Even with the baubles on this skirt, the brown and green is not princessy enough for Sadie, but she was happy to wear it for a lollipop! Should have known better...

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

2009-02-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

I made this recipe for company the other night. I have no idea if it is authentic or not, but it certainly is delicious and the leftovers are even better. It's super easy too. There are a lot of ingredients and it takes a little planning ahead and all day (but only because you're soaking beans), but hands-on time is about 10 minutes so in my mind this is a "simple supper". Serve it with a salad and dinner is served.
This recipe calls for epazote, which I had never heard of before. It is an herb traditionally used in Mexican cooking. I borrowed some from my Mexican neighbor who said that it can be hard to find (especially fresh), but you can get epazote at Penzeys and Mexican markets. She also said that with such a small amount it would be ok to omit without making too much of a difference in the taste.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice from Penzey's One Volume 3, Issue 5, 2009
Ingredients
1 pound dried black beans (about 2 cups)
12 cups water, divided
2/3 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used 1/2 green and 1/2 red)
4 cloves garlic, minded
1 whole bay leaf
1 T. dried Mexican Oregano
1 T. epazote
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 T. salt
2 T. sugar
2 T. red wine vinegar
3-4 cups cooked rice
lime (optional)
cilantro (optional)
avocado (optional)
corn tortillas (optional)

Directions
1. Rinse the beans well, discarding any debris or floaters. Put the beans and half of the water (6 cups) in a large stockpot and soak for at least 5 hours or overnight. Just before cooking, drain and rinse the beans. Place in a pot with the remaining water (6 cups).

2. Add the olive oil, wine, onion, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, epazote, cumin, pepper, salt and sugar to the pot. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered, for 45 minutes or until the beans are soft. Add the red wine vinegar and simmer, uncovered , to thicken the beans until ready to serve, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Optional: mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon.

3. Serve with rice, lime, cilantro and corn tortillas.

Valentine's Day Stuff

2009-02-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

We've been busy doing Valentine's stuff from around blogland. Here are some links of what we've been up too.

Making heart shaped lollipops from leftover candy canes at Skip to My Lou
Making Flower Valentines at Skip to My Lou
Making Butterfly Valentines also at Skip to My Lou (Eli has two parties!)
Making Snail Valentines at Zakka Life
Growing heart shaped crystals from Mom In Madison
Valentine color container painting at Scrumdilly-Do
Making purple kool-aid playdough with red glitter (This is the playdough recipe I have used since I started teaching, minus the kool-aid with food coloring added to the water. I cook it in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so until it is no longer wet and forms a ball. Add the glitter when it has finished cooking.)

MIA, Hotdishes and Orange Cranberry Muffins

2009-02-05T13:39:00.005-05:00

It seems that posts are slowing down a lot around here. I've discovered that the less I post the better I'm feeling about life. Not that posting makes me feel bad about life, but just the opposite. It seems that the less satisfied I'm feeling about life, being a stay-at-home-mom and thinking I should get a paying job, feeling bored, feeling down about all the things I should be doing and aren't, I tend to post more to help me feel better about myself, like I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm doing a good job at being a mom, a wife, a person who cares about the Earth and humanity. So I post more so I can see what I accomplish during the day in black and white. When I'm feeling great about life, I still do the exact same things that I always do, I just don't feel the need to post them. So, the bottom line is when you don't hear from me for a while, know that life is grand and that I feel at peace with my situation. Maybe this is also very selfish as it seems by what I've just written that this blog is more for me than you!

I think I'm going to be posting more recipes this year, which means less pictures, because I am not a food stylist and all of the pictures I take of food just make the food look unappetizing, which it isn't because if it was I wouldn't be posting about it here. Anyways, I have dubbed this year "the Year of the Casserole" as I am trying to find really easy, make ahead meals. So, not everything will be a casserole but it will be fast, or make ahead or a one-pot meal. I have checked out lots of books on the subject of casseroles--"hotdishes" as those who grew up in the north land call them, and I plan to make a lot of them, though I don't plan on using a single can of soup. I'll be posting lots of recipes or sending out to favorite food blogs for super-fast suppers.
Here's a couple to get you started:
Chicken and Rice Casserole This is a delicious, relatively quick recipe to put together. You can make it ahead of time, it doesn't call for any "exotic ingredients" and my kids ate it. Bonus!

Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew This recipe is absolutely delicious. It was way better than I anticipated. Though the ingredient list is long, this came together fast in ONE pot (plus the couscous pot, which doesn't count). It's a vegetarian meal, which we're trying to eat more of. The kids would not touch this. Rats!

And now the Orange Cranberry Muffins, as promised... I love these muffins and would eat them everyday if I wasn't so lazy to make them. Not that they're hard, I'm just lazy.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

2 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
zest from one orange
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups and edges.

2) Stir together: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baling soda and salt. In another bowl mix together: buttermilk, oil, egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Add wet to dry. Stir until just combined. Add cranberries and nuts.

3) Spoon batter into cups. Bake 15-20 minutes.

4) Cool 5 minutes in pan before removing from pan.

Homemade Non-Toxic Cleaners

2009-01-30T20:39:00.002-05:00

I've been using "environmentally friendly" cleaning products for several years, ever since I realized that cleaning the shower would give me a gigantic headache. It was either stop cleaning the shower or use products that didn't give me a headache. (I seriously considered the first option though!)
If you haven't noticed, these "environmentally friendly" products are usually quite a bit more expensive than their Earth damaging counterparts. Making my own cleaning products is cost effective, environmentally friendly, and fun! I've been messing around with some different options for cleaning and here are a few things that I came up with: a dusting aid, a window cleaner, a multi-purpose and I still use my laundry soap. There isn't a homemade cleaner for the toilet, shower or a dish soap. That's because I tried the baking soda and vinegar thing in the toilet but found that I had to clean my toilet several times a week to keep the pink stuff from growing and I just don't like cleaning my toilet that often so I'm using Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner instead. I'm using Seventh Generation in the shower too, because when you use pure soap in the shower, it leaves one heck of a soap ring that is hardly dented by homemade stuff. I did give up my beloved Comet for straight up baking soda to scour with and I think that it works as well. As for dish soap, I tried to convince my husband that using Dr. Bronner's Castile soap cleaned the dishes just as well as the foamy soap, he just wasn't convinced so we compromised on Seventh Generation Dish Soap (I also love Trader Joe's Dish Soap because it smells yummy but the dishwasher (aka Dennis) thinks that it doesn't work as well). You would think that this is an advertisement for Seventh Generation. It isn't. I just use them because I can get it at most supermarkets and at Target and I've been pleased with the results. As for the floors, I just squirt a bit of Dr. Bronner's into warm water and scrub on my hands and knees. This is not an advertisement for Dr. Bronner's either. The guy may be a bit wacky (just read the the label), but his soap is pretty good!
I bought a few ingredients to get me started. Here are the ones that are the most helpful, some you probably already have in your kitchen:

baking soda
vinegar
Arm and Hammer washing soda
Borax
Murphy's Wood soap
Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap
essential oils: tea tree, sweet orange, lavender, and peppermint are a good assortment

I bought the spray bottles at the dollar store and made the labels myself by using (really fun)sticker paper. Have fun and let me know what you think!!

Dusting Aid

1/2 cup Murphy's Soap
3/4 cup water
5 drops orange essential oil
15 drops cedar essential oil

Window Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. castile soap
8 drops essential oil

All-Purpose Cleaner

1/4 tsp. washing soda
1/2 tsp. castile soap
2 cups water
10 drops essential oil

Color Mixing: Rainbow Goo

2009-01-26T13:16:00.005-05:00

Here is a fun color-mixing science activity!
You will need:

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch
4 cups cold water
red/blue/yellow food coloring

Other Materials
3 bowls
spoons
whisk
pot and stove
zipper bags

Instructions:
1) Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a pot. Heat until the mixture begins to thicken (about when it starts to boil), stirring constantly. Cool.
2) Divide the mixture into the three bowls. Add food coloring to mixture so you have one red, one blue and one yellow.
3) Put several tablespoons full of each color into a zipper bag so you have the following combinations: red/yellow, yellow/blue, red/blue, and red/blue yellow. Tape the bag closed.
4) Knead and mix the colors.5) Talk about the new colors you made.When you are finished mixing the colors, use your goo filled bag as a writing tablet for practicing those letters or just for scribbling!

Iceberg Rescue

2009-01-21T13:23:00.004-05:00

Oh, No! Some animals got frozen into a gigantic iceberg and need to be rescued before they lose their air supply. Super Eli to the rescue!It's a good thing that Super Eli has the right tools for the job and he uses a towel so he doesn't make a mess: a super hero every mother can love!Can he do it? Yes he can.

1202009

2009-01-20T19:34:00.003-05:00

I have been looking forward to today for a long time. It is with great pleasure that the USA bid adieu to 8 years of "W", a man who was painful to watch and listen to and who has embarrassed me and my country in numerous ways. Today, we have a new President. A president who inspires, challenges, and promises change. Today, I am proud to be an American. Today, I am hopeful for the future of my country. I am really looking forward to the next four years. President Obama, please don't let us down!
In honor of Inauguration day, I made myself a little Obama Icon. You can make one for yourself over at Obamiconme. Thanks for the tip, Meves!

A Little Something I Won

2009-01-18T13:56:00.002-05:00

Photo courtesy of: Mountain Mom Alison

Way back in December (yes, I'm a little slow), I won a beautiful covered journal (the blue plaid) from Mountain Mom Alison at her blog Lazy Morning. You can check out more of her handiwork in her etsy shop: LazyMorning. Thanks Alison!

Paper Plate Snowman

2009-01-12T13:21:00.002-05:00

It's winter. There's snow on the ground, but you're just too lazy to spend 45 minutes to get your kids ready to go outside and make a real snowman. Instead you sit inside in the warmth and make a snowman at your kitchen table. And this snowman promises to be around long after the snow has melted.

For this project you will need:

2 different sized paper plates
pipe cleaners
construction paper
an assortment of buttons, ribbons, pom-poms, googly eyes, and the like
a piece of scrap material
glue, scissors and a stapler

1) Mom: attach the head (sm. plate) to the body (large plate) using the stapler. (Don't worry, it will get covered up with the scarf).

2) Kids: design the snowman by adding a face and by decorating the body with the buttons and ribbons that are are provided.

The Only Homemade Gift This Year...

2009-01-06T20:57:00.003-05:00

...was for my new little nephew, Reid. I made this simple little quilt from felted sweaters that I purchased from the local thrift store. The pattern (not that you really need one) came from Betz White's book Warm Fuzzies. It is my first ever quilt and I'm delighted with the way it turned out.

I was purging old clothes from my closet and found 5(!) very old 100% wool sweaters. They all went into the washing machine on hot. Now, what should I do with my new felted goodness??? I'm thinking Christmas Stockings for next year.

Totally Random: Colorblindness

2009-01-05T21:21:00.004-05:00

I have too much catching up to do after arriving back home several days ago. I haven't had time to download pictures from my camera, nor have I had time to do anything crafty for me or with the kids. So, to tide you over, I'm going to post about colorblindness.

You see, Dennis is red/green colorblind. Which means that if you and I see red flowers in the green grass, all he can see is green. Or if he sees something purple, he will call it blue. I always wondered how exactly Dennis sees things. And now I know.

I discovered this website that alters your pictures so it appears the way a person who is colorblind would see the exact same picture. Below are two pictures, the first is a picture that I took. The second, is the way a person with red/green color blindness would see it:Dennis tells me that these pictures look the exact same to him. Get out of town! Crazy. This totally explains why his favorite color is brown; it's the only color he knows! The weird thing is, he can tell me pretty accurately what colors these balls are. I'm floored. I'm amazed.

An Anniversary

2008-12-30T15:39:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Dennis and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Only 6 years??? It seems a lot longer than that. Dennis and I dated off and on since I was 19. Neither one of us were ready for anything serious at that point and we both had a lot of living to do. We remained friends through two Peace Corps stints, two master's degrees, first teaching jobs and various moves. We have boxes of letters, numerous postcards and a couple of traveling journals to document our friendship and blossoming love. We finally decided that if we were ever going to be together that we needed to be in the same place at the same time. So, I made the move to Arizona, only to be proposed to a month later and married 3 months after that! I have to say that marrying your best friend is worth waiting 8 years for! Thanks Dennis for all of the laughter and love. Love you.

Holiday Favorites #3: Richard Scarry

2008-12-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

This year I was paging through the Magic Cabin catalog and I saw Richard Scarry's The Animals' Merry Christmas. The last I checked, this book was out of print and hard to find. I was tempted to buy it for the kids, because I loved this book growing up especially the story about the goat that wore his red long-underwear and played Santa Claus for all of the other animals that lived in the barn. I called my mom because I wasn't sure if our book made the move when my parents moved from my childhood home. Guess what? It did. Now I can read all of my favorite Christmas stories to my kids.
Now I'm signing off for a few days. Merry Christmas, everyone! Have a safe, joyous, fun-filled holiday.

Holiday Favorites #2: Lefse

2008-12-23T11:18:00.000-05:00

I grew up in eastern North Dakota in a small town (by small, I mean less than 1,000 people). This town, like most towns in eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota were first settled by the Swedes and the Norwegians, those hearty Scandinavian people that were accustomed to waist-deep snow, freezing winds and below-zero temperatures. I don't think Scandinavians are really known for their food, except for Swedish Meatballs. However, there is another Scandinavian favorite not well-known in most parts--LEFSE! Lefse is a large flatbread made from potatoes that is rolled out very thin and cooked on a circular griddle and is flipped by a special long-stick. Growing up, we would get our lefse from the elderly women at the Lutheran Church in town and it was the tastiest of treats. Now we get ours from the grocery store from a company called Freddy's Lefse (Why it's not called Ole's or Swen's or Lena's, I have no idea.). Lefse can be served with lutefisk (not that I would touch that stuff). Usually, I just slather a layer of butter and a sprinkling of sugar onto the lefse, roll it up and eat it.
My paternal grandmother would make lefse and once taught me how to make it. Trying to roll out mashed potatoes is one of the most frustrating tasks I've ever had, but we managed to make a batch before I threw in the towel and they tasted wonderful. Luckily, my mom still has my grandma's lefse griddle so one day (when I live in a house that is larger than a shoe box) I'm sure my mom will be happy to let me have it (she's not Scandinavian) and maybe, just maybe, I can teach myself how to make lefse. Until then, I'll settle for Freddy's because it's a holiday tradition that I would hate to do without.

Holiday Favorites #1: Chippers

2008-12-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Every time I come home for the holidays there are a few "musts". You know, the things that you can't get every where and those special little things that make the holidays the holidays. Well, one of my all time favorites are "chippers". Chippers are chocolate covered potato chips and while I've recently started seeing them around in other parts of the country, they've always been a part of my holiday memory. I know that chocolate covered potato chips might sound kind of disgusting, but trust me, they really are divine. They have the right amount of chocolate with a little crunch and a little bit of salt. You can buy them year 'round, but I only eat them at Christmas time. We used to buy them at a little mom and pop candy store in Grand Forks, ND called Widman's. They are still open (alas, no website!), but my parents have since moved from my childhood home and have moved to the big city of Fargo. Luckily, a fourth generation Widman opened a store there so I can get chippers at Carol Widman's Candy Shop and enjoy them without making the drive north. Now, I must go and satisfy my chipper craving!

Our Christmas Greetings 2008

2008-12-22T14:50:00.001-05:00

edited to add: I forgot to mention that we send e-cards for Christmas as our way of trying to be a bit greener and a bit more generous over the holiday season. We usually send over 120 Christmas cards, that's a lot of paper considering we always sent a picture and a letter. We save about $150 doing it the e-card way. Then, we take that money that we saved and donate it to Heifer International in honor of our friends and family. This year, the kids picked out a goat, a flock of chicks, and a bunny.

The Best Kiss Cookie Recipe

2008-12-21T10:52:00.004-05:00

I know that everyone knows the original Kiss cookie recipe. (I have the same recipe at home from Dennis' mom, the year says 1961...) It's a holiday classic and a favorite at our house. However, every time I made this recipe, I thought a) that they are way too sweet and b) that there isn't enough peanut butter. Last winter, I discovered the following recipe over at Penzeys. It's just about perfect; the right amount of sweetness and peanut butter and they're super soft and chewy.

Peanut Butter Blossoms adapted from Penzeys
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 TB. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag kisses
extra granulated white sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix together room temperature butter and peanut butter. When blended add white and brown sugar, mix again, then add egg, milk, and vanilla; mix again. Gently stir in flour mixed with baking soda and salt. Chill the dough for one hour or over night. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, roll in granulated white sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Place a Kiss in the center of the cookies right away, pressing gently. The cookies will crack, that's fine. Remove from pan, let cool.

On Holiday

2008-12-20T16:41:00.003-05:00

My family and I just finished our trek to the Dakotas right ahead of blustery weather. It seems we're snowed in for now. Anyways, posts will be sporadic the next couple of weeks until we return home after the New Year.

Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-12T14:11:00.003-05:00

Eli, Sadie and I made a Gingerbread House from a kit. I was in charge of the frosting, Eli was in charge of decorating and Sadie was in charge of dumping all of the candy onto the floor. It turned out kind of cute. The candy didn't get too excessive. The kids are like Hansel and Gretel now. Every time I turn around they are nibbling at the house!

Last winter my mom (the felt queen) and I put together this little felt gingerbread house. I was inspired by this little number and decided that with my mom's help it would be easy enough to make. I purchased an already made paper mache box in the shape of a house that I just happened to find at Hobby Lobby (sorry I can't find the exact one on-line). We covered the house in wool felt by just tacky gluing it onto the box, added some frosting-like trim and cut out hundreds of candy pieces. It took some time, but it wasn't really that hard. I think it's even cuter than it's inspiration. Plus, I can store all of the pieces inside the house. I love decorating the house and sometimes I even let the kids play with it.

Presents for Teachers

2008-12-10T13:45:00.003-05:00

Eli markered up these two wooden ornaments to give his pre-school teachers for Christmas. He is very proud of them and I hope Miss Molly and Miss Lucy love them as much as I do.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-12-09T13:06:00.003-05:00

The weather has been a bit nippy here in Columbus and nothing is better than soup to warm up my insides. This soup is a favorite around here and graces our table frequently. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup adapted from Cooking Light August 2004
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
2 stalks lemon-grass, peeled**
1/2 onion, sliced
1 carrot grated
2 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
4 ounces uncooked pasta (angel hair, ditalini, orzo, little stars, chuck soba, etc.)
6 button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add water and broth; bring to a boil. Add carrots, chicken, pasta and mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until chicken and pasta is done. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard lemongrass. Serve the cilantro thru green onions on the side and add them to the soup right before serving. Makes 8 (1 cup) servings.

**I've never actually made this using lemongrass stalks. Instead I use Gourmet Garden Lemon Grass found in a squeeze tube in the produce section of most well-stocked grocery stores. I squeeze in a good 2 Tbsp.

Coffee Filter Snowflakes

2008-12-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

I just finished decorating our windows with these easy coffee filter snowflakes. Yes, you could use regular paper, but coffee filters are already a perfect circle so it makes the job a little easier. Just fold your coffee filter into eighths by folding the circle in half (making sure the rounded edge is lined up with each fold) four times. Then trim away, unfold, and ooh and ahh over your pretty snowflake.

My Christmas Wish List

2008-12-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

I guess the great thing about having a blog is that you can write your Christmas Wish List with the idea that you are showing other readers your current style and interests, but with the secret hope that your husband will read it and buy you something from that list. Ok, that was a really obvious hint wasn't it?

My 2008 Christmas Wish List in no particular order:

A book: Acupressure's Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments

A Yoga Fan

This simple necklace

One of these beautiful felted treasure bowls

A pretty serving bowl

A couple of these large re-usable produce/bulk-food bags

Some new winter boots (for all the snow we get in Columbus, Ha ha!)

A roasting pan with rack

Since this is a wish list, some over-priced slippers

While I'm wishing for over-priced items. This, this and/or this sweater from Boden

And since this is a "Wish List", I may as well wish big. Let's go for a camera or a car or heck, even a house (ok, so I'm not moving to Portland and it's a little bigger than what I would want to clean, but check out the great room and the kitchen. Love it.) will do!

I'm guessing I get the books...
What's on your wish list??

Toddler Christmas Tree

2008-12-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

We are in full Holiday mode at our house. The kids are working hard at getting the house decorated and are starting to get into the holiday spirit. Sadie decorated this simple little tree with stickers all by herself. You gotta love projects like that!

The Ornament Christmas Tradition

2008-12-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

One of my traditions with the kids is to buy them each a new ornament every year and give it to them the day that we trim the tree. I try to choose an ornament that represents who they are or what they liked that particular year. I write their name and the year on the bottom of the ornament. So, when they grow up and leave home they can have a few ornaments to take with them to put on their tree. I'm hoping that eventually they start looking forward to receiving their ornament and reminisce about the ornaments as they put them on the tree.
This year, I really wanted to get Sadie a moose ornament because whenever she hears one of us coming down the stairs she says, "I hear a moose coming." This is actually the second ornament I got Sadie. The first one was a moose riding a motorcycle. Sadie looked at it, said "That's crazy!" then dropped it on the ground and it shattered into 15 pieces. This one is not as fragile.Eli is into Matchbox Cars. He loves "love bugs" as he calls them and he loves cars with big wheels. This was the perfect ornament for Eli this year!
What are your favorite Holiday traditions?

Our Advent Calendar

2008-11-30T13:33:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of December and the kids will get to put their first ornament on the advent Christmas Tree and one new ornament each day thereafter until Christmas. I know it doesn't look like much, but there is history to this Christmas Tree. This was my advent calendar that my mother made (I'm guessing here) around 1980. It's about 18" x 30" made out of felt and shimmery green ric-rac. There are 4 pockets along the bottom, cleverly hidden as snow to house all of the ornaments until they are placed on the tree. She made all of the felt ornaments. There are only 24 ornaments though. I don't know if one is missing or if there were only 24 to begin with. Either way, I think I'm going to make a few new ornaments to replace all of the "Holy Trinity" ornaments.
Tomorrow, the star will go on the top of the tree as that was always the first one to go on and the manger will be the last. Here's hoping that this advent calendar will become one of their favorite Christmas traditions as it once was one of mine.

No Such Thing As Too Much Turkey: Cuban Picadillo

2008-11-26T20:11:00.003-05:00

I love (almost) one pot meals. Meals where the meat and vegetables marry into a superb tasting supper without a lot of fuss, time or major clean-up. That's why stir-frys, casseroles, jambalaya and soup are consumed frequently in our house. This recipe for Cuban Picadillo is easy and super-tasty. I can make the whole meal during nap and it can simmer it's little heart out until it's time to sup.

Cuban Picadillo
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup green olives (about 15)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1) Brown turkey with a little bit of oil in a dutch oven. Drain and set aside.

2) Saute' garlic and onion until soft 3-4 minutes. Add peppers and carrots cook 3-4 more minutes. Return turkey to pan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a slight boil, reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice.

Two Days 'Til Turkey Day

2008-11-25T13:20:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. I had all of these really great intentions to post several more Thanksgiving activities, but it seems I've almost run out of time. My children have been not-so-interested in "projects" lately. So, I've been playing trucks, hockey,wrestling and tea party instead of cutting, pasting and coloring.
On the home front: My son, it seems, has entered the terrible 3's. It's been pretty stressful around here. He can throw a mean tantrum over socks and coats and seemingly nothing at all. Last night, he pulled his first lay-down-on-the-floor-in-a-public-place-and-refuse-to-leave maneuver. It was really awful and the night only got worse from there. It seems that ignoring all antics and speaking in a really soft voice works well to get Eli under control. Problem is that ignoring and speaking really soft is NOT what I want to do so it takes an immense amount of control on my part to be the mommy instead of joining in and being a 3 year old! Here's hoping that this phase is a quick one.
Did I mention that I'm also potty-training a two year-old? We've been going strong for two weeks now and Sadie's doing great, staying dry most days. Yesterday was the first time she actually told me she had to go pee before the floor was wet, so that was awesome. The big thing is that she's been dry at night numerous times, which is more than I can say for her three year-old brother! I'm really looking forward to being diaper free. I love the Fuzzi-Bunz, but it's time to end the washing of the diapers and move on to big-girl underpants. The only drawback with Sadie using the potty is that it seems my son now thinks he has to wipe his penis every time he pees. **Sigh** One step forward, two steps back...
On the camera front: After much hemming and hawing I decided on the Nikon Coolpix s210 over the Sony Cybershot w-120. I ordered it on Target.com because they have free shipping and, most importantly, the color I wanted so I'll let you know how I like it once it arrives and I get to play around with it a little bit!
I'm hoping I can get on tomorrow to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but in case I don't... Happy Thanksgiving!!

More Turkeys and Time For A New Camera

2008-11-19T13:35:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure that hand-print turkeys have been around for about 200 years, but it's a fun activity to do every year. We turned ours into Thanksgiving cards for the grandparents. I already have a hundred of these hand-prints all over my windows and walls so someone else should share my wealth!
On a completely different subject, I think my camera is totally crapping out on me. All of the pictures I've taken in the past week have been really really hazy. I would like a really nice SLR camera, but feel I should just get a point and shoot camera for everyday use and keep wishing for a SLR camera say when we finish paying off our student loans in thirty years. Does anyone have a camera that they absolutely LOVE?? I'd love to hear about it.

Coffee Filter Turkeys

2008-11-17T12:41:00.003-05:00

Sorry, about the pictures. I don't know what's going on with my camera...Materials:

coffee filters
watercolor paint (or markers and a spray bottle filled with water)
brown construction paper, cut into a turkey body shape
red construction paper, cut into small wattles
glue
googly eyes (optional)

Directions:

1) Paint the coffee filters using water colors (or with the markers and spray bottle, like we did when we made butterflies). I don't have the cake water-colors. We use the squeeze-tube kind and add water to it, which works better for the little kids as not everything turns brown. Allow the coffee filters to dry.

2) Fold the coffee filters not quite in half, but so it looks like the turkey has two rows of feathers. Add a little glue to keep the coffee filter halves together.

3) Glue the brown turkey body onto the center of the coffee filter.

4) Add the eyes and the wattle.

Gobble, Gobble!!

Free Rice

2008-11-13T11:06:00.003-05:00

Did you know that 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related problems? Well, here's a small way you can help. Go to www.freerice.com and play a game. For each question you get right 20 grains of rice will be donated to the UN World Food Program. Excellent! My plan is every time I let my children play with food, I'm going to visit the site and answer a whole bunch of questions. Feed my mind and feed the World. What a great idea! You can read more about FreeRice and their mission here.

Yoga With Kids

2008-11-11T15:17:00.001-05:00

I'm new to Yoga. It's a whole new world for me and I love it. I practice some at home in the afternoons and sometimes the kids are around to watch. Well, wouldn't you know that the kids just joined right in? Kids are naturals at this stuff. Eli makes up his own yoga moves and gives them silly names, but oftentimes they are actual yoga moves.As soon as the kids started showing interest, I frantically started searching for "Yoga for Kids" books. I found a really great book and dvd combination called Yogakids. It's a Yoga Program for kids developed by Marsha Wenig, a certified yoga instructor.

What I like about the Yogakids book is that it gives parents step-by-step directions to each pose, tells you why it is important, and gives you silly information and other activities to try while doing the pose. It also gives you helpful hints on ways to help your child with the pose, some dos and don'ts and more information on helping your child use yoga during more trying times in their lives. For example, taking deep breaths when you are feeling anxious, thumping their chest when they are feeling sluggish, etc. And Ms. Wenig wants it to be fun and admits that it can get kind of crazy and out of hand and that that is perfectly ok.We checked out the dvds from the library and they follow the book, and have some interesting songs. Eli and Sadie both join along and try the poses that they feel comfortable with and Sadie sings "Namaste, namaste, namaste". Kids learn so fast too. I can tell Eli to get into Cobra, Down Dog, or Lion and he can do it without batting an eye, though his favorite pose is the pose of the child. I have to admit that that's my favorite too.

A New Necklace

2008-11-10T09:11:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, a girl's gotta buy herself some jewelry. Funny thing is, I pretty much never wear jewelry, but I really wanted some kind of mommy necklace. So, I splurged and bought myself this necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs. She has many different pieces of jewelry to choose from but they are all hand-hammered and hand-stamped simple yet beautiful sterling silver pieces. I love my new necklace and I don't just admire it in the box, I actually wear it. Yea for jewelry. Yea for Lisa Leonard!

Sadie's Birthday

2008-11-05T13:13:00.004-05:00

Sadie's second birthday has come and gone. I tell you, it's tough being the second child. Do you remember Eli's big birthday party. Well, Sadie only had 3 friends along with their parents over for pizza and **ahem** store-bought cake. And you know what? It was the best birthday party I've ever thrown. I got to enjoy Sadie, her friends and their parents and I was not the least bit stressed out. It was great. I don't think Sadie minded too much either.This is Sadie's birthday crown made from a pattern found in Soulemama's book The Creative Family. This is the second time I've made this little crown. You can see Eli's here. Let's just say that I like the crowns more than the kids do. Maybe next year, it'll be a winner. Every two year old girl needs a tea set, right? Problem is that they are either porcelain which breaks too easily, tin which dents too easily or thin plastic which cracks too easily. So, I looked and looked to find a cute, solid plastic tea set and this is what I found. It's made by a company in California called Green Toys Inc. which makes all of their toys out of recycled milk jugs. Very cool. Plus, I found it on Ebay for half-price, so I got a really good deal on it. I made little sugar cubes with a little help from a friend. She cut out 1/2 inch cubes for me and I painted them white, then added a glitter glaze as the last coat so they're all sparkly like real sugar cubes. I also made the little tea bags out of felt and ribbon. I stuffed them with poly-fill that had a little essential oil on them so they smelled a little bit like real tea. I made a lemon tea bag, mint tea bag, cinnamon tea bag and a berry tea bag. (Though at this point they all smell the same...) And the good news is, after all of that, Sadie loved it. Yea!!

Fall Activity #15: Making Applesauce

2008-10-31T13:49:00.003-04:00

We had some apples left from our apple picking, but they were getting a little wrinkly and soft so we made applesauce with them. Eli helped cut the apples and Sadie put my cut apples into the pot. They also helped measure out the spices. I deviated from our usual applesauce recipe and we were all a little disappointed. It sounds good on paper, but is much too rich to eat plain, though I thought it would be really good on icecream. Eli wouldn't eat any, but Sadie ate two bowls full.

Chunky Chai Applesauce from Cooking Light (November 2008)
Ingredients
1/2 cup apple cider
2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Combine cider and apples in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients; simmer 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture is thick. Cover and chill.

Fall Activity #14: Halloween Counting Books

2008-10-30T13:34:00.001-04:00

We got some cute little Halloween stamps from the Target One Spot (which is one of my favorite places to shop) and Eli wanted to stamp all over everything. I decided that it would be a great time to make an easy counting book. I took three half-sheets of paper, folded them in half, and stapled the edges to make a book. I named it a really original name "My Halloween Counting Book" and left a space so Eli could write his name. Then, on the next pages Eli picked the stamp he wanted to use and I wrote the number and whatever was on the stamp: 1 skeleton, 2 pumpkins, 3 ghosts, 4 cats, and 5 aliens. Eli stamped the corresponding number of stamps onto the page:When he was finished, he had a book that he could read all by himself. Plus, he got to do a little math: one-to-one correspondence with numbers, and number recognition. Yea!

Fall Activity #13: Homemade Puzzles

2008-10-29T12:38:00.003-04:00

1. Google "Halloween Coloring Page" to find a coloring page. Print the coloring page onto card stock.
2. Color the picture.
3. Cut the picture into puzzle size pieces. This could be 3 or it could be 20 depending on ability.
4. Assemble the puzzle.

Fall Activity #12: Popcorn Cake

2008-10-28T13:44:00.002-04:00

Before I post the activity for the day, I have so say that today is Sadie's birthday. #2 is two today. Sadie is a such a sweet little girl. No one enjoys life as much as she does. She warms my heart with her beautiful smile, great sense of humor, and independent spirit. Every day is a joy! I'll post more about her birthday party later, when I don't have "fall activities" to post about!

My mom used to make popcorn cake in the fall when I was growing up. I had kind of forgotten about it until I had a craving for popcorn balls which is basically made out of the same ingredients only is much more time consuming because you actually have to make balls instead of just dumping the ingredients into a bundt cake pan. This recipe is very satisfying. It's sweet and salty and gooey. The perfect treat.

Popcorn Cake

1/4 cup vegetable oil 12 cups popped popcorn (plain, unsalted and unbuttered), about 1 cup unpopped kernels
2 cups M & M candies
1 cup lightly salted peanuts
1 stick unsalted butter
1 pound marshmallows

Directions
1. Grease a large tube or bundt cake pan with butter and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the popped corn with the M & M candies and the peanuts.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, 1/4 cup of oil, and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally or just put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. When melted, pour over the popcorn mixture, and stir to combine.

4. Pour into the prepared cake pan, pressing down to fit. Cover with aluminum foil to keep moist and let rest until firm, at least one hour.

5. To serve, invert the cake pan onto a large cake plate or platter. Shake gently to release. Serve at room temperature.

Fall Activity #11: Paper Bag Monsters

2008-10-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

Do you want to know how to scare your dad when he gets home from work? Put on one of these scary paper bag monster masks that you made and jump out from behind the door and yell "BOO!" really really loud. I promise it will work. Honest. Your dad will be really really scared.

Fall Activity #10: Rattlin' Bones

2008-10-24T13:44:00.004-04:00

We've been reading a Halloween book called Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa. My children love this rhythmic book especially because they get to hear their mom turn on her white-girl Eminem rappin' skills. I'm that good. Word. What would my rapping name be? Eminemma? Ha ha ha...
Anyways, we made these bone shakers to shake along with the book. I drew a bone shape on a piece of cardstock and cut out two of the same shape. I stapled around the bone leaving some space so we could fill them, the kids helped me fill them with rice (Yes. I'm a hypocrite.), and I stapled them closed.
Even if you don't have the book, you could sing some "piggyback" Halloween songs (that's fancy teacher talk, for a made-up song that's sung to a familiar tune.) found here or here and shake dem bones along with the rhythm. "I'm gonna shake, shake, shake dem bones now. Shake, shake, shake dem bones now. Shake shake dem bones now. Shake dem Halloween bones." Shooby-dooby-do-wah. Yeah!

Fall Activity #9: Ghost Cookies

2008-10-23T13:26:00.002-04:00

My kids dig cookies like every American kid should. And these cookies are pretty darn good. While the kids did help make these cookies, I must admit that it drives me crazy and my patience is normally gone about 10 minutes into the process. If I was smart, I would do most of the work myself and have them do the decorating. Instead, I let them help me: make the dough, roll out the dough, press the cookies and decorate them. This usually means that flour gets all over the floor, something gets spilled, egg shells fall into the batter, they fight over the cookie cutters, and I end up thinking that I will never ever make cookies with my children again. **sigh** Then they end up loving it so much that they run to their dad the moment he gets home from work and say, "We made cookies shaped liked ghosts. Do you want one?" Well, how could I not make cookies with them again? Next time, they can just decorate them.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies from Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Fall Activity #8: Lantern Ghosts

2008-10-22T13:27:00.002-04:00

I know we just made ghosts yesterday, but I'm going with the theme here. This is an activity for the older kids as there is a lot of straight line cutting. You will need: 1 piece of white construction paper/cardstock, white streamers, 1 white pipe cleaner, scissors, glue, and googly eyes (optional), ruler and a pencil.
1.Fold your paper in half so it is now roughly 4 1/4 x 11. Using a ruler, from the fold in, draw lines about a ruler's width apart stopping about 1/2 inch from the other side.

2. Cut on the lines you just made, making sure you do not cut all the way across.

3. Unfold the paper and connect the long sides of the paper forming a cylinder. Either glue or staple the sides together.

4. Add eyes by drawing them on or you can glue on googly eyes.

5. Glue about 5 streamers along the bottom of the cylinder.

6. Attach the pipe cleaner at the top to make a handle.

You can also use the same lantern shape to make a skull or a pumpkin as seen here.

Fall Activity #7: Paper Plate Ghosts

2008-10-21T14:12:00.002-04:00

I admit these ghosts look a little like an octopus, but they really are ghosts. This project is easy enough for a not even two year old to do. All you need is a white paper plate, white streamers, googly eyes and a glue stick. Quick and easy, what more could a mom ask for?

Fall Activity #6: Apple (and other fruit and vegetable) Prints

2008-10-20T14:51:00.003-04:00

Did you know that if you cut an apple through the middle (versus through the stem and bottom part) that there is a little star hidden inside? Somewhere there is a story about that... Let me find it... Here it is. Using the apples we picked, I showed the kids the star inside the apple without telling them the story, because I just remembered that now (obviously)! We used the apples as stamps: dunked them into paint and printed them on big sheets of paper (that my husband very wisely pulled from the trash). Because I was making fajitas for supper, they also used pepper tops, lime and onion and some Indian corn (not that I put that into the fajitas) to make prints. My kids love this kind of activity most of all. They don't have to think too creatively, yet it looks kind of cool and they can make a huge mess.I just have to mention something that bothers me with projects like this and others that involve food (sorting beans, stringing Cheerios, etc.). I feel so guilty using food as a manipulative, art supply or toy. While I use food because it is inexpensive and readily available I also know that somewhere in the world (maybe even in my neighborhood) someone would love to be eating what I let my child play with. I wonder what the hidden message is that I'm sending my children? That it's ok to waste food? That food is to be played with? I guess I don't have any answers. It's just something I think about. Sorry to be such a downer. Just makes you want to do apple prints doesn't it!?!

Fall Activity #5: Apple Picking and Apple Pie

2008-10-17T14:28:00.005-04:00

This time of year the apples are perfect for picking and the kids love to get in on the action. We pick at a local orchard called Lynd's that has a variety of apples to pick during September and October as well as pumpkins and pears. We went when we could pick Melrose and Suncrisp. The Suncrisp apples are yellow and tart and are perfect for eating and making pies. The kids did not help me make the pie, but they did help me eat it. Apple Pie with Crumb Crust
For single pie crust crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 tsp. salt
4-5 Tbsp. cold water

Roll out and put in a 9" pie plate.

For Filling:
6-8 tart apples (6 cups), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Combine and spoon on top of the pie dough.

For Crumb Crust:
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 Tbsp. chilled butter

Combine until resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apple filling. Bake in a 350 degree oven on a rimmed cookie sheet for 50 minutes to an hour or until the top is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Fall Activity #4: Painting Pumpkins

2008-10-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

I never promised that these activities were going to be creative! But, well, there you have it: another activity to do with your kids when they are driving you up a wall from all of the loud screeching noises they seem to making lately. I think you could go crazy with this idea: big pumpkins, little pumpkins, stickers, ribbons, googly eyes, or glitter. My grandma taught me that there is no such thing as too much glitter!

By the way, natural cures for mosquito bites include: toothpaste, a paste of baking soda and water, tea tree oil, lavender essential oil, ice, and meat tenderizer.

Fall Activity #3: Leaf Collage

2008-10-15T07:53:00.003-04:00

With the leaves we collected from our Nature Walk, the kids assembled this collage by sticking the leaves onto Contact Paper. I suppose they could glue the leaves on paper, but for a 3year old and an almost 2 year old, this is definitely the easiest way to go! We hung it in the window and it is a very cool effect to see the sun shining through the leaves.Totally off subject, why are the mosquitoes so bad in Ohio in the fall? I don't notice mosquitoes all summer long, but now we can hardly go outside. Eli looks like he got into a fight with a hundred of them. He has about 20 bites all on his face, which makes his face swell. His eyes are swollen and he looks awful. I broke down and bought some bugspray yesterday, but I hate putting it on his face. I'm not fairing much better. I itch like crazy. I'm searching for relief. Anyone know of any natural remedies?

Fall Activity #2: Nature Walk and Collection Necklace

2008-10-14T06:24:00.003-04:00

Fall days in Columbus are so beautiful. I love this time of year. The weather is perfect: sunny, cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon. It's the perfect weather to take a little nature walk and explore the changing leaves, nuts, seeds and berries. We went to a local arboretum that is just a stones throw from our house and collected leaves (for a project I'll post tomorrow), seeds, acorns and whatever else they found to be interesting, but mostly berries. The kids love berries. I love this little collection necklace that we made by sewing two bowls together. Every time Sadie bent over she spilled everything out of her bowl, so we spent a lot of time picking up the spilled contents of her collection necklace. The necklace is very fragile. Do not wrestle while wearing the necklace. This picture was taken after said wrestling match; it looks a little smooshed and I had to staple it back together. In case you're concerned, Sadie does not have some sort of rash or infectious disease on her arm, she just stamped all over them!

Fall Activity #1: Fall Tree Handprint

2008-10-14T06:06:00.004-04:00

Ummm.... Yeah. This is a little late. I meant to get this up yesterday but the forces were against me. After working the whole weekend, Dennis had the day off for Columbus Day so we had family time down in Hocking Hills. I had yoga last night. (yea, yoga!) Dennis was using the computer for school work and writing up job applications and he was up far past my bedtime. Excuses, excuses...
But, better late than never so here are directions for Fall Activity #1: Fall Tree Handprint. Paint brown paint on your child's hand and a little down her arm. Press her hand and arm onto a piece of paper. This makes the tree. Then, she dips her little fingertips into paint and puts small dots on the tree, in the air and on the groun for the leaves. Enjoy!

I'm Back

2008-10-10T14:01:00.002-04:00

Hi Two Cups of Coffee Readers! Sorry for the break. It got a little longer than I intended and I even contemplated not starting up again as it has been so nice to do activities with my kids and not have to worry about taking pictures! But, after much thought, and lots of "I never finish what I start" lectures to myself, I'm going to give it another go. As a way of making up for lost time, starting next Monday I'm pledging to do a fall/Halloween activity a day (Monday-Friday) through the month of October. That's 15 activities for you to do with your kiddos. Now, I'm not promising that these will be great, revolutionary activities, but they will be quick and easy! So, stop by often, the coffee's always on!

Also, thank you for your warm thoughts and prayers for my family. My grandfather passed away on September 18, but my grandmother is still holding strong. I'm so glad that I had the chance to visit with them both. It was a hard visit, as I've never seen either of them looking so sick, but it was worth it. My nephew, Reid, was also born while I was visiting. I'm so thankful I got to meet him. I'm his Godmother and was able to be there for the baptism. He's super cute and such a good baby. He even smiled while the priest was pouring water over his head during the baptism.

Taking A Few Weeks Off...

2008-09-02T21:45:00.002-04:00

...My grandmother is quite ill. Hospice has stepped in to help. We flew at a moments notice to ND to visit her one last time. She's never met Sadie. We'll probably be here for several weeks. The good news is that my brother and his wife are expecting a baby any day now, so I'll be here to welcome him into the world.

Our Favorite "Go-To" Activity

2008-08-28T13:45:00.002-04:00

When the kids get bored, the first activity that comes to my mind is usually cleaning objects with a toothbrush. Ok, that's a total lie. It's usually going outside to play followed by putting on a video if I'm feeling particularly lazy. Luckily, they don't get "bored" too often yet. I don't know why the kids love washing things with a toothbrush so much, but they do. It involves water, soapsuds, a small tool and accomplishing a relatively easy task.
Here's the Sadester washing seashells that we collected from the river. This particular river is totally nasty, so the seashells really needed to be cleaned and probably should have been bleached too:Washing rocks in the pool:Eli's carwash, er' tonguewash:

Simple Shape Prints

2008-08-26T13:13:00.003-04:00

If you are a Kid Craft Weekly subscriber, you will recognize this print project from this week's newsletter. If you are not a subscriber, you should be. It's free and the newletters come in the form of emails direct to your inbox. You don't even have to go outside to your mailbox; it's that easy. Kid Craft recommends that you use all sorts of different sized boxes (toilet paper roll, Toberlone Chocolate box, matchbox, etc.), but that just seemed like way too much work especially when you have one of those great Tupperware shape sorters. They wash up really easy too if you use washable paint.The kids actually did a pretty good job this time keeping each shape in it's own paint. That's a first, usually the colors get mixed up pretty quickly. Another first: Eli and Sadie enjoyed this project more than me! Yea!!!

A Mini Obstacle Course

2008-08-21T12:56:00.006-04:00

We discovered a new way to waste time in our backyard: build an obstacle course. It's been a blast watching the kids create their own, theirs' usually being a lot more creative and difficult than mine. Please excuse the blurry shots. It's really hard to get good pictures of moving kids.
Here's the whole set up. You start at the tunnel and end at the basketball hoop (not pictured): Crawl through the tunnel:Over the table:Crawl under the pool:Go down the slide:Race across the lawn on the "bike":Finally, shoot (and make) a basket:
How have you been keeping busy in your yard this summer?

Muffin Tin Monday

2008-08-19T13:08:00.004-04:00

Mommies all over blogland have been doing Muffin Tin Monday for forever. OK, maybe only since June, but in blog time that's forever. Well, yours truly finally hopped on the bandwagon last week and provided this meal for lunch on Monday, of course:
The meal included: Bug Bite cookies, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, black olives, grapes, letter-shaped pasta, mixed veggies, ranch dip, blueberries, marinara sauce, broccoli and cauliflower, and goldfish crackers.
Eli and Sadie thought that this was the coolest thing ever. They loved the choices. They loved that they could eat their cookies first. They loved that they could eat their entire meal with their fingers. They loved that their food was compartmentalized. I loved that they ate almost every single bite (except for the veggies for Eli as he won't go near those with a 10-foot pole).

Yesterdays meal was a little less healthy but we were finishing off leftovers from the party: yogurt, blueberries, pasta salad, tomatoes, corn, watermelon, hotdogs, black olives, potato chips, grapes, ketchup, and carrots.

Check out these blogs for more muffin tin inspiration: Sycamore Stirrings, Little White Schoolhouse, Mama Said..., Make and Takes, Muses of Megret.

Eli's Bug Themed Birthday Party

2008-08-17T21:38:00.011-04:00

I survived yet another birthday party. You know how these parties make me a nervous wreck, but I can actually say that I remained quite calm, cool and collected at this party. I tried not to over-plan anything. I put "smile" as number one on my to-do list instead of the last thing and I think that made a world of difference. Hubby said he could actually see "Buddha Mom" coming into play as he knows I've been trying to take a whole new approach to my parenting and, well, life in general. But, I digress.

Let's talk about Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs!

The invitation was made using Microsoft word and clip art. We (meaning Dennis and I; I told him what I wanted and he made it happen all while I was breathing down his neck.) put four invitations on one 8 1/2 x 11 card stock. We cut them into postcard size and mailed them.

The cake was a 9x13 cake (from a box) with green tinted frosting (again, bought). The dirt was crushed Oreos without the creme filling. The grass was made by tinting coconut using 2 T. milk tinted with food coloring added to 1 1/3 cups coconut and stirred together until it was the right color. (I thought this looked a little too much like lettuce.) The bugs and other decorations were made using marzipan tinted with food coloring and sculpted like you would with play-doh and then painted with corn syrup to stay glossy. The animals turned out cuter than I expected and were also much easier than I anticipated. The cake inspiration came from here, here, and here.
Party favors were bug keepers and nets purchased at the dollar store.I had several games planned, but it turns out that 3 year olds are not that into games so we only did one. We played "pin the antennae on the butterfly" our buggy version of "pin the tail on the donkey".
The highlight of the party was the caterpillar pinata lovingly made by my very talented neighbor who graciously volunteered to make one for Eli. Isn't it too beautiful to whack with a bat? We destroyed it anyways. It was a great day. The weather cooperated. We ate simple picnic food. The company was good. The kids played hard. And most importantly, Eli had a fabulous birthday.

I Should Not Be Blogging Right Now

2008-08-15T13:37:00.003-04:00

My girlfriends told me on Tuesday night that they wanted my blog to be "more real" and "less super-mom". So, I'm going to work on that. I promise to blog more about my imperfections because everyone loves to hear about other peoples problems! I might even post a picture of my hall closet just for Jennie so she can see that there are parts of my life that are total chaos and a picture of my shower because it is the most neglected part of my house as the black will surely point out. Actually, my whole mind is in full chaos mode as I prepare for Eli's b'day party this weekend which is why I should not be blogging. I need to be putting glitter on a butterfly, making a grocery list, and making insects out of marzipan. Don't ask me how this is going to turn out, I've never made marzipan insects in my life, but I need them for the cake that I'm making, which is really why I'm freaking out. I should just buy a cake like a normal human being or make a cake and then put plastic bugs on the top (which is plan B if plan A fails). But, my mom made beautiful birthday cakes for me so I'm making them for my kids dammit!! Eli's fire truck birthday cake from last year was a complete disaster, but his fish cake was sort of a success if you forget about the melting frosting. Sadie's cat cake turned out real cute, but my mom helped with most of it. Maybe I should take a class. Anyways, I'll let you know how it goes on Monday. Now, I must go and put glitter on a butterfly...

Friends, Fondue, and Fun

2008-08-13T13:04:00.005-04:00

What do you get when you take 3 pots of cheese, 4 loaves of bread, 4 pots of chocolate, a ton of fruits and vegetables and other yummy goodness AND 10 starving moms desperate to have a night out?

ONE ROCKIN' MOM'S NIGHT OUT!

I've already mentioned that I have the coolest mommy friends ever and it was once again reiterated last night. Every month we have MNO (Mom's Night Out) hosted by one member of the group. We usually go out to dinner, but last night we had a pot-luck fondue party in a room we rented at a community center followed by bowling and bubble tea. Each lady brought something fondue-ish to share, which meant that there was way too much food, but everything was absolutely delicious. The conversation took all sorts of twists and turns from showering with husbands (sex has to mentioned at least once every MNO's. It's an unwritten rule.) to problems getting pregnant (so heartbreaking) to blogging (of course!) and we got to do it all without any interruptions from our children. Yea! We all walked away filled in every possible way. Some of us even had our pants unbuttoned but still managed to eat 3 more brownie bites covered in chocolate and drink a milk thai tea with bubbles. Here are some highlights.
Chowing down:
Me getting into some serious bowling action. Don't worry. I only scored an 85 or something rediculously low like that. I tend to be a gutter-strike-gutter-strike kind of person:A kiss for good-luck:

Enjoying (or not) the bubble tea:

I think karaoke is next!!!

P.S. Thanks Alyssa for letting me steal your photos!

A Little Gift For A Sweet Girl!

2008-08-11T13:04:00.004-04:00

We had some dear friends visit us this past weekend as they were passing through to spend the next year in Vegas. Gabriella shares a birthday with Eli and she will be 4! Because her dad is a writer and because they are going on a very long car trip and because she's a very smart and creative little girl, I decided that a notebook and pencil holder would be perfect. I am amazed at how fast I whipped this little thing together. Dare I admit that I'm getting a wee bit better sewing.Eli picked out the notebook:
P.S. I think she loved it!

Sadie's Sun Catcher

2008-08-06T13:03:00.004-04:00

Sadie is a short nap taker and her brother is a long nap taker which means that Sadie and I have a lot of alone time in the afternoon while we wait for Eli to wake up. Yesterday, Sadie made a sun-catcher out of contact paper, tissue paper, and glitter. This was an excellent project for her because she didn't need my help. She ripped the pieces of tissue paper and put them onto the sticky contact paper: She added some glitter:
After putting another piece of contact paper over her finished product, it was ready to hang up:

Activities from Around the Internet

2008-08-04T12:40:00.002-04:00

There are so many fun activities floating around the blogosphere that we've tried here at home. Here are some of our favorites:
Spin Art: What a fun activity this is. It's easy and satisfying. It makes a contained mess, unless you have a toddler that chooses to dump paint on the floor instead of on the paper inside the salad spinner. I used washable paint and it came off the salad spinner easily. You can find directions at PlumPudding here.

Betz White has two fun water toys. One is the foam-erator and the other is a sponge ball.

Re-purpose your gallon milk jugs by making a milk-jug catch game. (thanks Alyssa for the tip)

Once last plug: on last week's Speaking of Faith Krista Tippett interviewed Stuart Brown, a physician and director of the National Institute for Play. He discusses the purpose of play and it's importance for teaching children empathy, trust, and limits and for the prevention of violence. You can download the podcast here.

Painting Clouds

2008-08-01T12:56:00.004-04:00

This activity is a blast. It's messy, but clean-up is easy. The hard part is keeping the mixture out of the kids' mouths because it looks a lot like marshmellow fluff. Keep a bucket of soapy water nearby for easy clean-up.Mix together equal parts shaving cream and white school glue. I used 1/2 cup of each and it was enough for 4 kids to make a couple of pictures each. Paint away. (I must admit that Ienjoyed painting way more than the kids did.)
Let dry. It takes several hours but the result is a soft fluffy cloud!

**If you wanted to tie this into a book, you could always read It Looked Like Spillt Milk by George Shaw.

Edible Magic Wands

2008-07-30T12:50:00.007-04:00

It all started when we went camping and Eli wanted to hear a story. I told him Cinderella and got really dramatic with the magic wand "bibbity, bobbity, boo" part. Here is my version of the Fairy Godmother's Magic Wand.

Ingredients:
* pretzel rods
* colored candy melts (found in the baker's aisle at the craft store)
* sprinkles

1. Melt the candy melts according to instructions on the package.2. Pour the melted candy into one side of a shallow pan. Make sure the pan is long enough to lay the pretzel down flat without covering the entire pretzel with the cany coating.

3. Roll 3/4 of the pretzel in the candy, coating it well.

4. While candy coating is still wet, add the sprinkles.

5. Lay the completed magic wands on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Place them into the refrigerator to harden.

6. Think long and hard about the magic spell you're about to cast.

6. Enjoy!

Argh!

2008-07-28T12:18:00.004-04:00

I'm so far behind on this blogging thing. Sorry for being lame and not posting much lately. I promise things will be changing soon. Dennis will be starting his pharmacy rotations this week so our lives will be more scheduled and there won't be any last-minute camping trips coming up any time soon.

We are in the midst of planning for Eli's big, bug-themed birthday party that will be coming in a couple of weeks. I was really hoping for a laid-back party at a park with a couple of friends, but it turns out that Eli wants to invite every single person in the neighborhood so we're just going to have another big backyard barbecue with about 50 people or so. Last year I swore I was not going to have another big huge party again, but here I am doing it again. Oh, well. It's good to get the neighbors together every once in awhile even if I have a big huge panic attack while it's happening. My goal this week is to get the invitations made.

My sister-in-law is having her baby shower on Saturday so I've been busy making swaddling blankets, burp cloths and bibs. The shower is in Minnesota so I won't be able to make it. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog so I'm not worried that she's going to see these pictures. The bib pattern is from Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing. The burp cloth directions come from here. The swaddling blankets are just squared flannel pieces with the edges hemmed.A friend of mine told me of this genius idea to keep the kids occupied in the backyard: give the kid a pair of scissors and let them trim the grass. I love this idea. No wasting paper and it helps build up hand strength for all those fine motor skills. By the way, I got these child safety scissors in the back-t0-school section at Target. All plastic scissors with no metal blades are really hard to find, so I snatched up a couple of pairs. No more worries about Sadie cutting her finger off.

I'm starting a yoga class this week. I've never done yoga ever in my whole entire life. I'm really excited and am looking forward to devoting an hour to my health every week!

Coming up later this week: cloud painting and edible magic wands!

Tips For Camping With Pre-Schoolers Or Toddlers

2008-07-24T20:36:00.011-04:00

Long gone are the days when Dennis and I could throw our camping gear in the back of the pick-up, drive until dark, pull over onto some random gravel road, and sleep in the bed of the truck. Long gone are the days of 15 mile hikes that took all day, but led you to the most awesome viewpoints. Long gone are packpacking trips into the wilderness where you don't see anther soul for several days. We've entered a new phase of our outdoor lives. It's the "camping with young children" phase and it's been exciting and exhausting all at the same time.

We haven't attempted anything too rugged yet only car camping in state parks, which has given the kids a good feel for tent camping. I think we might be ready to do some backwoods primitive camping, but we're no where near doing any backpack camping with the kids and probably won't be until Eli is old enough to carry his own stuff!

On the car ride home from our last camping excursion, Dennis and I compiled this list of tips for camping with your pre-schooler and/or toddler:

1. Have a practice campout in your backyard (or someone else's backyard) before you go-- camping comes with all sorts of noises: rustling of sleeping bags, tents unzipping, owls, crickets, footsteps, nuts dropping as well as sleeping with family members on the hard ground that your kid may or may not be used to. It's good to see how your child will handle this situation. It's better to try when you are at home and can escape by going inside instead of when you are at a campground and it's 3am and you're worried about your toddler screaming her head off and waking other campers.

2. Pick a park that has activities that the whole family will enjoy-- Entertaining your wee ones won't be so challenging if they have things to do that they enjoy. We try to pick locations that have good hiking for us and swimming for the kids. Playgrounds at the campgrounds are also a plus and so are fishing, canoe rentals, and ranger talks/activities.

3. Pick your campsite wisely-- Is it close to the bathrooms? Near water? Away from other campers so it's more quiet? Also, make sure that it is safe for your children: no steep drop offs, large pools of water, too close to a busy road.

4. Expect all schedules to be off-- As with all vacations, your child's schedule will be different than usual. Plan for an afternoon drive and plan to stay up late as it's really hard to go to sleep at 8pm in a tent when the sun is still beating down on you and other campers are having a good time. Even if you go to bed late, your toddler may still do laps inside the tent before she finally falls asleep.

5. Have kids help with camp chores -- It's never too early to teach your children how to set up camp. There are plenty of jobs around the camp site that your kids can help with: gathering kindling for the fire, unloading the car and washing dishes are good ways for the little ones to help. Our rule when we camp is to leave the camp site cleaner than we found it so everyone must pick up at least 5 pieces of trash before we leave.

6. Bring a complete first-aid kit-- Make sure that it includes extra band-aids, allergy medicine, ibuprofen, and anti-itch ointment as well as sunscreen and bugspray. It's amazing how many tumbles little ones take when there are random rocks and tree roots thrown into their path.

7. Dress your kids in layers-- It can get kind of cold some mornings when you're sleeping in your tent even in the middle of July. Bring long pants, long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and even hats and mittens (if it's early or late in the season) for unpredicatable weather. Also, bring several extra items of clothing to prepare for accidents (potty-training toddler, leaky diapers, falling in mud, etc.).

8. Encourage your kids to look for little details-- One of the things that Dennis and I love about hiking with our kids is their ability to see things that we would have hurriedly walked right past. We love that it takes an hour to walk 1/3 of a mile and delight in their excitement over gigantic mushrooms, blackberries, big black bugs, croaking bullfrogs, and "crazy" water.

9. When it comes to packing toys, less is more-- I strongly encourage you to leave the children's toys at home. There is so much to do out in the wilderness if you give them the opportunity to discover all that there is to do. We usually bring a soccer ball and that's it (though we always kick ourselves for forgetting sand toys). Teach your kids new games or songs or make up new ones. On our last camping trip, the sun was at the perfect angle the we could see perfect shadows of ourselves. We had an impromtu dance off complete with head stomping and everything. And my husband always jumps at the chance for a rousing game of "shoe kick".

10. Teach your kids to pee and poop in the woods-- This just makes camping a whole lot easier.

**If you want tips on camping with a baby, I am not the one to ask. We took Eli camping once when he was a baby, but I was 7 months pregnant with Sadie and peeing every 2 hours and it was almost impossible to sneak out of the tent without waking Eli. And we didn't go camping at all when Sadie was a baby because she was a really hard baby and the thought of camping with her just made me sick with anxiety. The thought of going anywhere when Sadie was a baby made me sick with anxiety!

And the Winner Is...

2008-07-21T13:25:00.003-04:00

#4 Artistmama!! Congrats, you are the winner of a handy little dinner planning notepad and a handful of recipes. Drop me an email with your address and I'll get it out to you sometime this week. Thanks everyone else for entering. If you are really interested in one of these notebooks, drop me an email and I can send you the document.

Just in case you're interested: Last week's grain was wild rice and we had this wild rice salad from Simply Recipes. This week's bean are lentils and we're going to make Rhubarb Lentil Soup from Cooking Light. I have put a couple more books on reserve on the library. It seems that whole grain and bean cookbooks are a hot item as there are pretty lengthy waits for both of them. One is 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans and Grains and another is The New Book of Whole Grains.

What have you been cooking?

Mushrooms

2008-07-20T13:53:00.005-04:00

I think mushrooms are one of the coolest things on earth. Fungus, in general, fascinates me unless it's growing in my shower or the back of my refrigerator. I have never taken a class in collecting mushrooms though I'd love to. While camping, Eli and I (and Dennis and Sadie, though they weren't as into it as Eli and I were) went for a mushroom walk. We found some good ones and took a lot of pictures. It turns out that Mushrooms love southern Ohio because we didn't have to look very hard or walk very far.

Cute Dress Alert

2008-07-15T13:08:00.004-04:00

Isn't this a cute dress? No, I didn't make it, but I wish I did. You could win it. Just visit Play Is the Thing and enter the giveaway here. It's so easy.

Speaking of giveaways, I know I said that I was going to close my little notepad/recipe giveaway this Wednesday. But, we've decided to go camping so I'll be away. I'll close it on Sunday, June 20 and announce the winner on Monday.

Melty Goop

2008-07-14T21:06:00.005-04:00

I'm pretty sure every adult has made "Melty Goop" at least once in their lifetime probably in their Junior High science class. If you have never made melty goop then you are in for a treat because this stuff is so much fun to play with. You see, melty goop is a non-Newtonian substance which means that a liquids viscosity changes by the force that is applied. (I normally would not know this, but I have a husband who used to teach HS science. Kindergarten teachers can call it "melty goop" and not really care a whole lot about it's physical properties.) Melty goop is a mixture of cornstarch and water. When you squeeze this mixture it forms into a ball, but as soon as you release the ball it melts in your hand. You really should try it, it's about the coolest thing ever. It's fun for all ages; I promise that you will have just as much fun as your child.Instructions:
Put 1/2 cup corn starch into a mixing bowl. Slowly start to add water stirring as you go, you'll need between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. Your mixture is ready when it feels sort of stiff as you stir it, but if you touch it, it hardens up. You should be able to form it into a ball and it should melt as soon as you stop rolling it, so add more cornstarch or more water as needed.

For clean up: just add more water and wipe up!You can learn more about non-Newtonian fluids and why this happens here.

Resolution Update and a Give-Away

2008-07-09T18:28:00.005-04:00

Edited 7/15/08: Yikes, we've decided to go on a last minute camping trip. The giveaway will close on Sunday, July 20 instead. I'll post the winner on Monday, July 21.

It's been a week since I made my Mid-Year resolutions and I've made some progress so I thought I'd give you a little update. Please forgive all of these pictures; they're all horrible, but that's what I get for taking pictures late at night!Let's start with Resolution #2 (because that's how my pictures came up and I'm too lazy to rearrange them).

Resolution 2: To do more art activities with the kids.

1. Get ideas: I went to the library and checked out a few books. Most of them are by MaryAnn F. Kohl. First Art, The Big Messy Art Book, Scribble Art, Snacktivities, Storybook Art, Preschool Art and Play and Learn by Parents Magazine.

2. Organize an art space: I bought a vinyl table cloth so most work can be done at the kitchen table. My kids love to stand and work though, so I've been using the benches for our table instead and this works great. I've been trying to have them do most of their art outside right now as the weather is nice and clean up is easier.

3. Purchase and organize art supplies: Because our one and only storage closet is filled to the maximum, I bought a $5 vinyl shoe rack at Target to hang over the back of the closet door. This works perfectly; I can see where everything is, it's out of the way yet I can find everything I need in a snap, it has 24 pockets so it holds all of our supplies plus there's room for more, and the kids can see it so they've been asking to do "projects". I had to buy only a few items: paintbrushes, watercolors and some paper.

4. Let the kids be artists: I'm working on it. I still cringe when Sadie wants to put the red paintbrush in the yellow paint, but I'm working hard on just letting the kids experiment.

5. Display art: I'm still working on this too. Right now, work goes on the fridge. (see picture below!)

For one week, I've made some progress, but a lot of work still needs to be done especially as far as me going with the flow when the kids are being "expressive" with their work.

Resolution 1: To make one new recipe per week. This recipe must contain either a whole grain (barley, bulgur, couscous, oats, quinoa, etc) or beans.

1. Find recipes: I checked out a book The New Whole Grains Cookbook by Robin Asbell and have used several recipes. I think I will be continually looking for new recipes depending on what ingredients I have, what's in season and what I'm craving.
2. Make a meal calendar for each week that has a place to write the ingredients I need so I can make sure that I am indeed trying one new recipe per week! Done. I know this picture isn't very clear, but I took a half sheet of paper and added boxes for each day of the week along with a box for a grocery list. I took it to Kinko's and had it made into notepads, put magnets on the back and stuck it on the fridge (it's the blue notepad):

3. Buy ingredients for the particular recipes and keep the pantry stocked with dried beans (ready to be cooked and stuck in the freezer) and a variety of whole grains: Done! And well, not done, I will buy ingredients as needed.

4. Actually cook the meal that I have planned instead of resorting to something like Mac-N-Cheese: Ha, Ha! I can only say that I have made a new recipe for last week (buttermilk wheatgerm pancakes) and this week (zuppa fiorntina--soup with barley and spinach) . I'm hoping I can make whole grains and beans a regular part of our meals without working too hard at it!!

I'll keep you posted. I promise.

And now for the Give-Away. I just happened to make an extra "What's For Dinner?" notepad because I thought that one of my faithful readers might be interested in organizing their family's meals. So, that is what you'll get. One "What's for Dinner?" 50 page notepad (without the magnets) and several hand-written recipes for you and your family to try out. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post by midnight Wednesday, July 16. I will have the Random Number Generator pick a number and I will announce the winner on Thursday, July 17. One vote per person, please. Good luck.

By the way, I'm leaving late tonight on the trip my kids got me for Mother's Day. I will be gone 4 days, just me, myself and I. This will be my first day off since August 17, 2005. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait. You won't hear from me until then. Ciao!

Toddler Art: Bubblewrap Prints

2008-07-08T09:28:00.008-04:00

Bubblewrap prints are a fun and easy painting activity for the younger crowd. The bubblewrap is very pleasing to paint on and the kids are excited to see what their prints are going to look like.

Materials:

bubblewrap
paint
paintbrushes
paper
tape

1. Securely tape down all sides of the bubblewrap to the table.

2. Paint on the bubblewrap.

3. Place a piece of paper over the painted bubblewrap and rub gently. Carefully, lift the paper.

4. Ohh and Ahh over your finished print.

30 Minute Mozzarella

2008-07-06T14:13:00.002-04:00

I did it! After several failed attempts and several gallons of milk, I finally made the 30 Minute Mozzarella that I've been dying to make. I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. In the book, Kingsolver describes how she and her family spent a year eating only the food that they had grown/killed themselves or that they could buy locally with the exception of coffee, chocolate, and nuts (because they're not totally crazy!). In order to have cheese around, they had to make their own. The cheese-making process sounded so pleasing and so simple that it was there and then that my obsession to make my own cheese started. I ordered the kit and bought the milk only to discover that the organic milk that I had purchased was ultra-pasteurized, which is not good for making cheese. That batch had to be trashed as it never solidified properly. Then I bought this milk, a local milk that has not been ultra-pasteurized and has the cream on the top, and it all worked out much better. I'd recommend following the recipe on the website instead of the recipe that comes with kit as there are slight variations and after emailing the help-line found that those slight variations are actually huge variations when making cheese.
The process was very easy and very satisfying. It came together so easy and it really did only take 30 minutes. We kept some plain and to some we added olive oil, garlic and herbs. It was delicious. We ate a pound of cheese in about 30 minutes! I'll be making it again soon, as the kit makes 30 batches of cheese.
By the way, I just heard Barbara Kingsolver on Speaking of Faith, the American Public Media radio show, discussing the ethics of eating. You can download the podcast or listen to it here.

Book: Living Simply with Children

2008-07-03T20:29:00.007-04:00

I recently finished reading Living Simply with Children: A voluntary simplicity guide for moms, dads and kids who want to reclaim the bliss of childhood and the joy of parenting by Marie Sherlock and thought it was worth sharing with you. This book guides you through ways to "downshift" your life in order to live more simply and have more free time to spend with your family. Time to explore interests together, volunteer together, do chores together. Time to get to know each other, learn from each other and enjoy each other.

From the very beginning of the book, the author asks you to question America's idea of success -- wealth and the accumulation of stuff. She goes on to say that most people will say that family is the most important thing in their life, but where most people spend their time and energy is not at home with their family, instead it's at work chasing the almighty dollar. Yes, you do need money to meet your living needs, but just how much money does one need? That is why this is a "voluntary simplicity guide". She wants you to ask yourself how much money do you really need and then to start simplifying from there. Can one parent quit their job and stay home? Can you reduce your work hours? Can you work from home? Retire early?

Ultimately, having less money means that there will be some sacrifices that need to be made. Ms. Sherlock questions if these things are really necessary anyways: a 3,000 square foot house, brand-name clothing, going out for dinner several times a week, or getting everything you want right now. She encourages you to avoid following and teaching the values of the American "consumer culture" and instead to follow and teach the things that you value: compassion, love, family, charity, respect for people and the earth, honesty, peace, tolerance, and responsibility, to name a few. She leads you step by step through the simplifying process as you do some soul-searching, brainstorming and goal-setting. She also lists techniques for dealing with peer-pressure, speaking with family members about your decision to live simply, ways to limit the TV, and teaching kids to be better consumers.

Simple families have many things in common: they care about the planet; are conscientious consumers and buy less; spend time in the outdoors biking, fishing, hiking or camping; are very involved in each other's lives; volunteer; limit outside activities; have down-time, quiet time, and guard family time; have family rituals; and enjoy simple pleasures.

Before I read this book, I knew that living simply is how Dennis and I want to live and raise our children. It probably helps that we are both naturally frugal people and that we were both raised pretty simply. Dennis is a lot better than I am and sometimes he kiddingly asks me if my desires are a "want or a need" only because he knows I'm working on it (otherwise, he would sound like a really cruel husband). Currently, our financial situation is forcing us to live simply. We still go on trips (usually to visit friends and family), go shopping (at garage sales), and eat out (on picnics)! But, with Dennis being a student it allows us to spend summers together and it allows Dennis to leave later in the morning and come home earlier in the afternoons than most people can. Advance planning and student loans mean that I can stay home too! I don't feel like we're deprived of anything. In fact, we are very blessed.

This book gave me loads of resources to turn to during the trials and tribulations of simple living and also gave me some great ideas for discussions to have with the kids, and teaching about the powers of the media. I think this would be a useful read for anyone who is contemplating simple living or for anyone who is in the midst of it and needs a little extra support. It's nice to know that there are others out there living like you are and are trying to slow down and enjoy every moment that life has to offer!

Mid-Year Resolutions

2008-07-01T21:08:00.006-04:00

The fam. and I have made it back from our trip to North Dakota with a short side trip to the Upper Peninsula. The trip was awesome. The kids traveled well thanks to the portable DVD player and a bag full of rocks that we collected along the shores of Lake Superior (below). It's always great to see family and friends and it helps when the weather cooperates. Sorry posts were few and far between and I hate to tell you that they're going to be that way until I can get things caught up around here. The house is a disaster, laundry is piled to the ceiling and I have two kids who are having some difficulty falling asleep by themselves after two weeks of co-sleeping. Good thing I bought coffee because I think I'm going to need it~more than two cups of it!Being that mid-year is here, I decided that it was time to review my New Year's Resolution for the year and perhaps make another one or two just to keep me on my toes. Since you didn't know me then, my resolution at the beginning of 2008 was to bring my own bags while shopping instead of using plastic bags. I have been pretty successful. I have not purposefully taken a plastic bag though sometimes the baggers at the grocery store like to wrap my meat in them and I don't catch it until I get home. Remembering my bags hasn't been a problem. The times I forget, I use paper bags instead or I just throw it all back into the cart and toss it into my bags once I get to my car. (Can you believe that they let me do that?) I have 6 large grocery-size canvas bags for my groceries that I keep in my trunk and I always carry my trusty backpack/diaper bag with a larger linen bag tucked inside just in case I buy too much. This system works great for me. There is still a fair share of plastic bags at my house because my husband did not make the same resolution.
Because I am already meeting this year's goal, I'm ready to challenge myself with two more.

Resolution 1: To make one new recipe per week. This recipe must contain either a whole grain (barley, bulgur, couscous, oats, quinoa, etc) or beans.

Rationale: I love to cook and try new things but my family's diet has really suffered because of Dennis' very busy class schedule this past year. I've been too busy and tired to cook and try new recipes so we've been eating more processed foods then I'd like. I'm worried about the kids only wanting to eat blueberry bagels and peanut butter and jelly. I feel that by introducing these foods to the kids early enough that they will eat them more readily. Whole grains and beans are good for you, perhaps some of the best food out there. They are protein rich, full of vitamins and minerals and pretty tasty too. As an added bonus, the inexpensive cost fits nicely into our "living off of student loans" budget.

Game Plan:
1. Find recipes: check out whole grain recipe books from the library, search through back issues of Cooking Light, and search the Internet. Make a list of recipes that I think we should try.
2. Make a meal calendar for each week that has a place to write the ingredients I need so I can make sure that I am indeed trying one new recipe per week! Plus, I'll have the other meals figured out and my grocery list too.
3. Buy ingredients for the particular recipes and keep the pantry stocked with dried beans (ready to be cooked and stuck in the freezer) and a variety of whole grains.
4. Actually cook the meal that I have planned instead of resorting to something like Mac-N-Cheese.

Resolution 2: To do more art activities with the kids.

Rationale: I worry too much about the "product" and don't focus enough on the "process" when doing arts and crafts with the kiddos. I want them to explore art their way using different mediums and techniques and just let them go for it and be creative while, hopefully, enjoying it all.

Game Plan:
1. Get ideas: check out art books and read blogs (I think the Artful Parent will be my main resource). Keep an idea notebook for a resource.
2. Organize an art space: I'm not sure how this is going to happen because we have absolutely no extra room in our house, but I think if I got a vinyl tablecloth for the kitchen table or just let the kids have free reign of the backyard picnic table for easy clean-up that could work just as well and will have to work with our limited space.
3. Purchase and organize supplies: I have a bunch of supplies, but it needs to be sorted and stored so it's at the kids reach or at least sight. Again, this will be difficult because of our lack of space, but perhaps supplies can be stored in a plastic over-the-door shoe organizer.
4. Let the kids be artists: Encourage the kids to try various art techniques and use different mediums all while sitting on my hands and let them do the creating.
5. Display art: find a place to show off art. I have a small wall that I could hang up a few fishing lines with clothes pins so the kids could have an ever changing art museum.

There you have it: my two new resolutions for 2008. I'll keep you updated as time goes on.

Coffee Filter Butterflies

2008-06-25T20:57:00.006-04:00

I'm always looking for really easy craft projects for Sadie to do. She likes to paint and color and do all of that, but for whatever reason, I like to have a finished product. Note to self: it's not the product, it's the process. Must. Work. On. That. Anyways, I found a really easy and fun way to make a butterfly out of coffee filters from a really great tutorial on Sycamore Stirrings here. The kids loved it, especially spraying the coffee filters with water and watching the colors bleed. It was too cool and easy enough for the Sadester. Our very small butterfly garden:

Freezer Paper Stenciling

2008-06-23T20:48:00.001-04:00

It seems that I caught the bug that is floating around the blogging world. I finally dug out some old t-shirts and tried freezer paper stenciling. I must say that it is a very satisfying craft. It's quick and easy, but looks like you worked harder than you actually did. I did not buy fabric paint because I couldn't find any, not that I was looking hard, I had two little helpers at the craft store and they kept grabbing everything off of the shelves so I found the closest thing I could and got the rock out of dodge. Instead I used a medium that converts acrlyic paint to fabric paint and it seems to be holding up on our t-shirts just fine, though I can't speak for the quality of fabric paint. For a summary of instructions visit Amy at Angry Chicken here. I found most of my stencils by googling specific images and using clipart.

By request, Eli's purple triceratops:

Sadie's bird and tree: My I'm-not-so-impressed-by-this-one t-shirt:
A gift for a birthday:

How To Make A Felt/Flannel Board

2008-06-16T20:13:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of the felt board I made for my kids for Christmas. It's a large size about 17" x 23". Because we are going on a long, long car ride, I decided to make a travel felt board so the kids have something to do besides saying "Are we there yet?". This tutorial is for making a small felt board, but the same principles apply for making a larger one, only the larger size is much easier to make.
Materials:

one bulletin/cork board with a frame in whatever size you'd like (I'm using a small chalkboard)
solid color felt (you can also use flannel), preferrably with a wool/polyester blend that you find on the bolts in the fabric store cut to about the size of the bulletin board you will be using
scissors
butter knife

1. Cut the felt so it is about the same size as the frame of your bulletin board. You will want to have extra because inevitably it will go in crooked and you don't want to be short sided.

2. With the butter knife, start to push the felt in-between the cork and the frame. It will be a tight squeeze, so it will stay in place nicely. You will need to smooth the felt and trim the excess as you go.

Voila! That's it. It's that easy. It will take you all of 5 minutes to make!

Notes on felt board pieces: You can always make your own felt board pieces using craft felt cut to the shapes desired. However, this is very very time consuming especially if you want to do something like Goldilocks and The Three Bears. I have cut out my own very simple shapes (cars, trees) and I have not been happy with the results. It was easier for me to get a few books on felt board activities from the library, copy the pictures onto cardstock, color them (or have the kids color them) and attach the felt to the back of the pictures. Here are a couple that I used: Felt Board Fun For Everyday and Holidays, and Felt Board Fingerplays. However, the kids like to create their own creatures using basic shapes which are really easy to cut out.

To see another idea on traveling felt boards using cardboard boxes visit Plum Pudding.

Going On Vacation

2008-06-13T21:12:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to let you know that we are going on vacation for the next 18 days. We are driving to North Dakota to see our family. Posts may be really slow, but I promise that the felt board tutorial is scheduled to show up on Monday and I'll try to sneak one in here and there. Wish us luck on a 1,000 mile road trip with an almost three year old and a 19 month old!

Photo courtesy of Dusty Davis

Felt Board Animals

2008-06-13T12:36:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned how easy it is to think of activities from Lois Ehlert's books. Her newly released book Oodles of Animals has colorful collage illustrations with the animals made up of simple shapes accompanied with a short poem about each animal. The animals range from insects to frogs, alligators to birds, bears to lizards. Here are some of the insects:
I decided it would be fun to cut out basic shapes for the kids to design animals with. I used craft felt, my pinking shears and scissors to cut out various shapes in many sizes and colors. Here are some of the animals they came up with:
Don't have a felt board? You can always use paper. Or you can stop back later this week and I'll show you how to make your own felt board!

Author Of the Week: Lois Ehlert

2008-06-12T13:08:00.005-04:00

Lois Ehlert is an award-winning author/illustrator with many books under her belt. She is known for her bright, bold collage style illustrations. You might recognize her artwork in the popular children's book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. She is also a noted author in her own right with sweet, simple and often rhyming text that matches each of her colorful collages perfectly.

As a *former* teacher, it's really hard to pick up one of her books and not instantly think of a fun activity to do after reading them. In fact, you may remember me planting a rainbow with my kids after reading Ehlert's book Planting A Rainbow. After reading Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z a great activity would be to have a tasting of some of the more exotic vegetables she mentions. An obvious activity for Leaf Man is to make a person or animals out of leaves. Make vegetable soup with your garden's bounty after reading Growing Vegetable Soup. The ideas are endless. Tomorrow, I will show you an activity inspired by Ehlert's book Oodles of Animals.

Even if you don't have an activity in mind when you read Ehlert's books, they're enjoyable to read and even more enjoyable to look at.

Make Your Own Windsock Out of Recycled Materials

2008-06-10T13:01:00.004-04:00

Here is a quick and easy craft project that uses things I guarantee you already have at your house. I'd like to thank Halo for being my model. My kids helped me make a windsock for my dad for his birthday. We hung it up outside to make sure that it worked. Halo saw it and everyday since she has begged me to help her make one. Today, I finally agreed. I think this would make one awesome Father's Day gift.
Materials:

thick plastic bags (like garbage bags, not the thin grocery bags)

an empty juice or 2 liter soda bottle, rinsed well

yarn

scissors

duct-tape

hole punch

1. Cut your juice bottle into a ring about 4 inches tall.

2. Cut the plastic bags into streamers that measure about 2" x 18". You'll need about 6 strips.

3. Roll out the duct tape with the sticky side up, but don't cut it yet. Lay your plastic streamers colorful side down onto the bottom half of the tape leaving about 1/2 inch between streamers.

4. Line up the bottom of the plastic ring with the bottom of the tape that has the streamers and roll the ring along the tape making sure that there are enough streamers for the size of the bottle. If there are not enough streamers, add more. Cut the tape.

5. Roll out more tape sticky side up, do not cut. Line up the top of the plastic ring with the top of the tape and roll covering the entire ring. Cut the tape. (This step is purely decorative, if you can call duct tape decoration.)
6. Punch 3 holes in the plastic ring at the top of the windsock. Trying to place them an equal distance from each other.

7. Tie a string to each hole. Tie the strings together so it forms a tri-pod in the center of the windsock with a longer piece to tie the windsock up with. (Sorry I don't have a better picture of how I do this, but I think you get the gist.)

8. Hang up the windsock. Voila! One beautiful windsock for your family to enjoy.