Hammered flower art can be both fun and beautiful. I've seen some gorgeous prints in person and online so I decided to try it out with my girls. Here's what you'll need if you want to try it with your kids: variety of flowers and/or leaves paper (plain paper will work but not as well as construction, watercolor, or other more absorbent paper) hammer hard surface to work on such as a cutting board or piece of wood (you are going to be hammering on it) paper towels scissors tape (optional) 1) Find flowers and leaves. Walk around your yard or neighborhood and look for brightly colored flowers and leaves. They need to be fresh but not overly moist. Try a variety of things because some will work better than others. Of note, pale yellow and white flowers do not work! 2) Put your paper on your hard surface. Then put the flower on the paper. Spread the flower out and cut off the mushy/moist part that sticks up in the center. Some flowers you might have to … [Read more...]
Avocado Corn Dip
Doesn't this look tasty? My kids LOVE it and it goes great with tortilla chips. A perfect summer dip. Here's the recipe: 1 can black beans(drained) 1-16oz frozen corn 1 can sliced black olives 1 onion 4 small tomatoes 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1/3 cup olive oil 1 lemon 3 T oregano 1/2 tsp. salt/pepper 3 T vinegar 4 ripe avocados Mix and enjoy! Leave the avocado pits in the salad to keep the avocados from discoloring. … [Read more...]
Fun With Self-Portraits
Most of us moms do not like getting our pictures taken. Even if we don't mind being in front of the camera, we're usually the ones behind it. Very few of us have photos with our kids. I realized one day when Nutty was 18 months old that I wanted her to remember me should anything happen. I wanted her to have photos of us together, not just photos of mommy. Thus began my self-portrait taking with my girls. My first self-portrait with Nutty. I propped the camera on the dresser. I got tired of always having to ask people to take pictures of me and my girls. Most of the time when we were doing things there wasn't anyone else around to take the photos anyway. I learned to use the self-timer on my camera and to prop it on things to be able to take self pictures. Camera propped on a ladder. After a while, my girls began to think taking self portraits with mommy was fun and our little photo adventures became something fun to do when we were bored. Hand held … [Read more...]
The Importance of One-On-One Time With Your Child
On Monday, Lindsi did a post titled 9 Ideas for One-On-One Time With Your Child. Today, I'm going to emphasize why it's so important to do ideas like these, and spend one-on-one time with each of your children. As you may know, I recently reviewed the book, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms." In my review post I said that the chapter "Make Special Mommy and Me Time" really struck a cord with me. You see, I spend a lot of one-on-one time with Tottie. She is my youngest, isn't in school yet, and hasn't made many friends who's houses she can go to on her own. I feel very connected to Tottie because of the amount of time I spend with her. On the contrary, I spend little to no alone time with Nutty, my oldest. She just finished Kindergarten, has many friends, and always has to deal with her little sister being around when she is home. I feel like I do not have a strong bond with Nutty. To be honest, I don't think Nutty and I ever had one-on-one time after Tottie was born … [Read more...]
9 ideas for one on one time with your child
Source With 4 kids it is difficult to find time every day to devote to one on one time with each one of my kids. It doesn't happen each day but I make sure they each get special time frequently. We call it "special time" because it usually involves something extra special. 1. Bowling- when was the last time you went bowling? My 5 year old, er um 5 1/2 year old, loves this special time. Sadly, he often beats me. The bumpers in the gutters deflate when it is my turn to bowl and I often end up right there! 2. Arts and Crafts- many stores have great arts and craft ideas in their dollar section. My kids don't really know it costs only a dollar so they don't care but, my daughter especially loves when she and I have crafty time together. source 3. Ice cream date- need I say more? Well in all honesty this is one that I enjoy just as much as they do. Sometimes I pick up one of my kids from pre-school early and take them to the ice cream shop by there school. … [Read more...]
Hand Print Sunflowers
Ready for a super easy, super cute, super fun craft? Hand Print Sunflowers! Here is what you will need: a small paper plate yellow construction paper green construction paper brown construction paper (or a brown marker) sunflower seeds glue scissors Have your child trace their hand (or help them if they are too young) on the yellow construction paper and make 5-6 different tracings. Help your child cut each hand out carefully. Glue (or tape) each hand to the back of the plate leaving a little space for the stem. Glue or tape a green strip of construction paper to the base, this will serve as the stem of the sunflower. Next flip the plate over and color in the plate with a brown marker or cut a circle of brown construction paper to fit on the inside of the plate. Smear glue all over the brown part of the plate and sprinkle sunflower seeds all over. And now you have an adorable Sunflower to add to your collection! … [Read more...]
