"Mom, I want to respect the world.""What do you mean?""I want to help poor people mom."That was a true conversation I had with Nutty just a few days ago. I'm not sure where it came from, but I am so glad she wants to give back, and I had just the thing to help her "respect the world."I discovered Operation Christmas Child a few months ago. It is a non-profit organization that inspires people to pack shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for children in developing countries around the world. Filling a shoe box is the perfect way to teach your children values such as compassion, kindness, and generosity. After telling Nutty and Tottie about the shoe box gifts, and showing them some Operation Christmas Child videos (because they just couldn't quite understand it with a simple explanation), they were all excited about packing their first box! We ran to our local Dollar Store and Target to find some gifts that not only would fit in a shoe box, but also that my girls would love to have for … [Read more...]
Gingerbread Playdough
I am on playdough duty this month at my kids pre-school. This means I have to either buy a ton of Playdoh OR make three batches of my own. I chose to make my own. I like to do this because I can add glitter, colors, smells and other things to it to make it unique. November is a perfect month for some Gingerbread Playdough! Here's the recipe.1 cup flour1/2 cup salt2 teaspoons cream of tartar1 Tablespoon cinnamon1 teaspoon ground clove1 teaspoon nutmeg2-3 teaspoons ginger2 Tablespoons oil1 cup waterCombine all the ingredients in a large pot and mix while cooking over a medium heat. It will appear very soupy in the beginning but do not fret...it will thicken up as it heats. You will know it is done when it starts to turn a darker brown color and when you think your arm is going to fall off from stiring it. Dump the dough out on your counter top and knead with your hands until cool. Place in an air tight container or plastic bag. I'm giving these away this year to some kids so I made one … [Read more...]
Pinned it, Did it- FAIL
It's Lindsi here! Jamie is off to the land of bloggy camp! She's attending a convention- in Chicago (anyone have a green crayon to color me with- green with envy)?I saw the coolest idea on Pintrest the other day and I thought "I have got to try that!" I have always thought it would look neat to hang some oversized Christmas bulbs from my window but couldn't justify the cost (they're darn expensive!). Pintrest to the rescue....or so I thought. Someone purchased large styrofoam balls a their local craft store and spray painted them in the color they wanted. Then they added string to them and viola....over-sized Christmas bulbs!Off to the craft store I went...styrofoam balls and a can of gold spray paint......some fumes, a little box and annoyance later! I tried two times but each time the same thing happened. The spray paint ate through the styrofoam balls! Totally melted them along with my excitement!I considered trying one more time...but didn't want to spend much on more styrofoam … [Read more...]
Halloween Costume Disappointment
For the past 6 years I have either bought my girls' Halloween costumes used from Craigslist or from the thrift store, or have made their costumes. I tend not to spend a lot of money on costumes that the girls will only wear for a few hours max. This year is no exception for Tottie. My sweet, little 4 year old wants to be a zombie. Where she got the idea from is beyond me, but that's what she wants to be. Sooo...I took a pair of her old pjs, ripped them up, and sewed some red fabric behind the tears. I then took them outside and stomped them in the mud. To finalize the costume I will spray some fake blood on the pjs, put Tottie's hair in crooked pigtails, cover her face in grey makeup, and put a gash tattoo on her cheek. She can't wait to see the final look and neither can I!!Nutty, however, is a different story this year. After being undecided on what she wants to be and searching through multiple used costumes for ideas, we ended up buying the above costume new this evening at … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Picking–A Family Affair
Halloween is on Wednesday! Have you picked and carved your pumpkins yet? I'll share a secret, we haven't (GASP!). No need to worry, we're going this evening. After all, if you carve your pumpkins too early they get yucky before Halloween anyway. Plus, we tend to turn our carved pumpkins around to the uncarved side after Halloween and use them for Thanksgiving decorations on our door step. If you haven't been to a pick your own pumpkin patch with your kids, I highly suggest you find one in your area! It's so much fun to watch your kids walk through the field to find the perfect pumpkin... ...and even more fun to watch them try to cut it off the vine! Walking through pre-picked "perfect" pumpkins or digging through a bin of pumpkins no longer cuts it for my family. We enjoy the hunt!Sooo...this evening we're going pumpkin picking...what are you doing? … [Read more...]
Pinned it, Did it!–Not Really…
I didn't have time this week. As much as I want to try all those fun things on Pinterest, I have a real life that requires time (shocking, I know!). Between my PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) classes in the middle of the week (remember, I'm used to only working on the weekends) and preparing for Tottie's friend birthday party on Friday evening and the family birthday party on Saturday evening, my life was CRAZY this week! I had some awesome ideas from Pinterest to do for Tottie's birthday but that just didn't happen. I ended up buying everything. Sometimes you just gotta do that for sanity sake! I DID however, manage to finish Tottie's zombie Halloween costume for her birthday party tomorrow! I'm pretty proud of myself for that one and can't wait to show you the finished look of her in it! Nutty has yet to determine what she wants to be. Guess Hubby will have to take her shopping this weekend... So how was your week? Are you prepared for Halloween? … [Read more...]
