Boy Terrain

Gourd Painting

2010-08-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I let the boys loose with some gourds and paint.

They happened to have their little race cars outside and asked if they could use them instead of paint brushes.

I figured it couldn't get any messier and gave my consent.

Hello beautiful art!

Googly Eye Craft

2010-08-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Googly eyes and glue (or double sided tape!) make for a simple and fun activity that provides endless possibilities! The supplies can easily fit in your bag or be kept in a car door for those long, boring times where the kids need something a little extra to amuse them.

Birthday Boy Idea

2010-06-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Who says boys can't have cute crowns and capes to commence their birthdays too?!

This crown is a cinch to sew up - cut a basic crown shape in felt, add elastic to the back and voila!

Dress it up with their initial or their age for some personalization.

I added a cape to make it extra special!

Play Fighting

2010-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

I love to encourage my boys imagination and I realized very early that they were born with this natural inclination towards swords and guns and fighting bad guys.

Having observed many other mothers go through this same struggle with their boys I decided to follow in the steps of a dear friend and encourage the playful imagination of my young boys but encourage them to be chivalrous. They are not allowed to play fight against me but are instead encouraged to protect me from the dragons, monsters and bad guys. Thus far they have done a marvelous job as I have yet to have any scarring effects from the adventurous I have been through at the hands of the enemy.
They have slayed dragons, dinosaurs, monsters, alligators, bears, cows, butterflies, trolls and generic 'bad guys'.

They are still young enough to not quite get sword fighting against each other - they would much rather fight together against an imaginary enemy than fight against each other. But I know the day is coming and in preparation for that day I have armed them with the best weapons - felt swords. Or daggers. But we call them swords. A sword that makes them feel like valiant warriors without any risk of injury.

These are so simple to make - I cut out a very rough shape in the felt and then sewed it together, stuffed it and they were ready for battle! I used some extra felt to color code their swords and I made matching arm bands that they can use to hold their swords.
.

And from what I have observed the swords are useful for other business too.

Glow Stick Art

2010-05-19T05:17:00.000-07:00

This is a super fun, minimal effort activity that I have done many times with the boys - glow sticks in a dark room.

It was made even more fun by bringing my tripod and camera into the room to capture their creativity. They loved performing, in pitch black with a handful of glow sticks, while the camera was on a slow shutter speed. When they heard the click of the camera they'd run over to see what they had done with the light.

The above picture is Judah doing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" - I simply love that you can actually see a circle where his head is!

This one of Wesley captures him SO perfectly - a wild confusion that spreads out in every direction.

Funny how even in glow stick art their personalities shine through!

The Dollar Tree is my favorite place to pick up glow sticks - they have the best price and a huge selection of styles!

Lunch Ideas

2010-05-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to start a list of lunch ideas - both to inspire other moms for their lunch ideas and also for myself to reference in the future. With Paul being gone a lot I make a lot of dinners for just the boys and myself and I tend to keep things rather simple. When Paul is home for dinner I always make enough so the boys can have leftovers the next day.

Here are some of the meals the boys have had this week, most of which also included a 10oz green smoothie.

1. The above clown face (just done for the picture!) It included (though not all pictured) for each of them 1 carrot, 4 eggs, 3 strawberries, handful of corn and a couple pieces of pepperoni. The boys eat a lot of eggs and both love "spicy hot" sprinkled on top.

2. Small bowl of yogurt, strawberries, plain tortilla wrap, a couple pepperoni slices and a carrot.

3. Homemade peanut butter (made with a bit of coconut oil and freshly roasted peanuts) and banana smoothie.

4. Seasoned (salt, pepper, spicy hot) chickpeas, banana, orange.

5. Egg sandwich on a tortilla roll.

6. Carrot sticks, fried flour tortilla, hummus.

From time to time I will continue this list of lunch ideas and would love for you to add the lunches you've been serving your kids!

Sharing at Tasty Tuesday

Green Smoothie for Kids

2010-05-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am running a series of post on my other blog on Green Smoothies and while I don't intend to share current posts between the two blogs I wanted to share this movie of the boys making a Green Smoothie.

We added Teddy Grahams and a lot of milk to the smoothie which we have never done before but I wanted to demonstrate how you can use fun, recognizable items that the kids already love and blend them up along side foods such as nutrient rich Kale and Avocado.

If you do try introducing Green Smoothies to your children by using cookies or other treats in the drink you can easily cut back the amount of sugary treat you put in the smoothie each time until you have weaned them off the treats and entirely onto the Green Smoothie.

The drink we made in this movie was not very sweet and you couldn't taste the Teddy Grahams so you might want to adjust for tolerance levels - maybe add some honey and less Kale. Or start with spinach instead of Kale. You want your kids to love Green Smoothies, not cringe at the thought of them.

Our Kid Friendly Green Smoothie in the video used:

A firetruck (just kidding!)
A few handfuls of Kale
1 avocado
1 banana
2 cups of milk
5 oz frozen strawberries
small bowl of Teddy Grahams - .5 cup maybe?!
1+ cup of ice
2 cups of milk
1 cup of water

Learning from Failures at Home

2010-05-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

"Your home should be a place where your children can fail and learn from their failures."

-from Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Dr. Kevin Leman

I am reading through Dr. Leman's book right now and am really enjoying it. I read the above quote a couple of days ago and have had it on my mind ever since.
I have been thinking about what it means as a parent for my home to be a place where my children can fail and have so far come up with three things that I think are important in order for my home to be a place where the children can fail and learn from their failures.

1. My children need to see when I fail. Human beings are flawed, sinful beings. I make mistakes, fail to accomplish things, fail to have the right attitude. I certainly don't think parents need to tell their children all the ways they fail all the time but I also don't think parents should put on a persona of having it all right all the time either. My children need to know that I fail so that they can know it's ok that they fail too. They also need to see me exemplify how I learn from my failures so that they, too, can use their failures as a means to grow.

2. My children need to know what failure is. In order for a child to know he has failed he needs to know what is expected. There needs to be a standard. An absolute. And if it's not met - if they fail - the standard cannot be lowered to spare their feelings of failure. (Obviously if you set the standards unrealistically high then you would lower them, but that, I believe, is a different matter.)
I don't think any parent wants to see their child not do well at something, let alone have the child feel like they didn't do well at something, but if the standards we set out for our children continually get lowered because we don't want them to fail they will never learn from their failures. They will never get better.

3. My children need to know that they are loved when they fail. My love for my children is not based on their performance. I want them to do well. I want them to grow and to learn. But when they fail at something my love for them does not change. I do not expect them to fail, but I know that they will.

What do you think of the quote?
And what are your thoughts on creating a home where children can fail and learn from their failures?

Originally posted early 2010 on my other blog.

Activity for a Rainy Day

2010-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dirty pennies + White vinegar + Baking Soda =

Happy giggly, thoroughly entertained boys and clean pennies.

I let the boys play in the kitchen sink and they were in fits of giggles over the "explosive" baking soda and they enjoyed scrubbing down the pennies to make them shine. I had thought of letting them use old toothbrushes to scrub the pennies, but I know Wesley would have stuck the toothbrush in his mouth, so I just gave them dish cloths to scrub with.

It would have been a fairly hands off activity for myself except for the fact that I enjoyed watching their response to the baking soda and vinegar so I spent the entire time watching them play instead of working on other things in the kitchen.

Hand Drewed Battery Pack

2010-04-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, this is my battery pack. I drewed it."

Boys are definitely unique. Beautifully, creatively unique.

And I think they should be celebrated.

I am toying with the idea of creating a Linky for proud mama's of little (or not so little!) boys to link up their funny stories and unique moments with their boys - but it is still just an idea.

For now leave a comment about some recent antic your little manly man has done that has made you laugh. Or cry.

Finger Puppets

2010-04-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have a deep fondness for the Dollar Tree that - upon discoveries like this - borders on love.

Little Red Riding Hood finger puppets!!

I bought these before Christmas but they are still at our local store, along with a set for The Emperors New Clothes and Aladdin - neither of which thrilled me as much as this one.

When I introduced the finger puppets to the boys for the first time they sat in awe of them.

They listened to the story, then each picked a character for their own finger and we retold the story together. And since then we've had many variations of the story.

They have enjoyed these finger puppets so much I have bought them three more sets. I haven't yet introduced them to them, but some day soon I will pull out the other ones and see where their imaginations take them.

Finger puppets are an excellent way to not only tell a story to children but to let them retell a story using their own imagination, create voices for each puppet and work on their story telling abilities.

I have picked up two sets from Ikea that we love too.

Decorating a Boys Bedroom

2010-04-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

With both boys now in twin size beds I have been inspired to finally decorate their bedroom. It's a slow progress as I am wanting to add only things I truly love, find functional or fit the space - and all on a small budget.

Back in January Paul and I made a trip to Atlanta and went to Ikea. I found the above racks in the kitchen section but immediately knew they'd be perfect for all the little things boys collect.

Like balls.

Race cars.

And my favorite - finger puppets!

The top shelf - out of reach of the boys - holds their hair stuff. Combs, mousse, surf spray.

Each basket hangs easily over the rod. There were 2 different sizes for the basket and I believe there were a few different lengths of rod too. I meant to keep track of the exact cost for this for those interested, but it was about $15 for all of it.

These hobby baskets have been in their room for a week now and we all love them. They have easy access to their favorite little toys and play with them a whole lot more than they use to. They also do a great job cleaning up after themselves - I think they find it fun seeing the bins full of their toys.

I haven't fully developed the look for their room - I'm not going for a theme so much as a look. I want a somewhat industrial look. I removed the doors to their closet and put in what was once my closet organizer.

We bought this ages ago and I love it. If you can afford a closet organizer for your kids closet I would highly recommend putting one in - or making one yourself! I know it looks rather messy in the picture (I suppose I should have taken a couple minutes to fold the clothes!) but messy or not it is well organized and it is so easy to find things and put things away. Everything has it's own place.

And the final touch I am revealing today is this art I made:

I was just playing around with it and didn't actually plan on putting it in their room, but on a whim I put it up and it's there to stay for a little while at least.

It might be awhile, but updates on the room will be blogged as they occur.

Couch Time - My Solution to Two Boys and Nap Time

2010-04-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Couch Time has been a wonderful way to get both boys to have quiet time each day. I still put Wesley down for a nap in his bed every day and he is expected to sleep, but Judah is a different story. He started protesting nap time about 5 months ago - the protesting included egging his brother on during what should have been nap time so neither of them were sleeping. Couch Time was a developing idea that has turned into the perfect solution for us that we have been practicing for the past 3 months.

Each day after lunch Judah uses the potty, is diapered (he is only day time potty trained and since he is on our couches we don't want to take chances if he falls asleep!) and is then told to pick out a handful of books and/or a quiet toy and given the choice as to which couch he would like to sit on - the back porch couch, the family room couch or the living room couch. He loves deciding where he wants to sit and while he is free to chose as he likes he is not allowed to change his mind once he is sitting on the couch.

We give him a blanket and then sometimes someone will sit in the room with him if we are reading or working on the computer but more often than not we just leave him in the room on his own as it tends to be more of a distraction to him to have someone there. On occasion I will read him a book or two at the beginning of couch time but I have found this tends to make him request more and more books and be unsatisfied when I limit it to one or two, so I don't do it often as I don't want him sulking during Couch Time.

We remind him each day of what the Couch Time rules are -
No talking and No getting off the couch - and sometimes we need to remind him several times about the no talking rule :)

He will generally read through his pile of books over and over again and then starts to play with the blanket. He ends up falling asleep about 4 out of 7 days of the week.

Couch Time lasts the duration of Wesley's nap, which is anywhere from 2-3 hours long.

Couch Time has become a peaceful alternative to nap time. At the beginning Judah was thrilled with the idea of Couch Time and actually looked forward to it. Then the novelty wore off and he began to complain about it. I took to heart the advice of Dr. Kevin Lehman from New Kid By Friday and when Judah complained about having to have couch time I didn't open it up for discussion and simply picked him up and made him spend the duration of nap time in his bed. I have done that twice in 3 months and no longer have problems with him when it comes to Couch Time.

It is so relaxing to have a system down that includes each boy getting some much needed rest and giving me some down time to get reading or computer projects done.

If you are looking for a solution to getting a baby and toddler -or in my case I suppose it is a toddler and preschooler!!- to have a quiet time or nap together at the same time each day I would recommend giving Couch Time a shot and seeing if you could tweak the idea to your families needs.

Painting the Clean Way!

2010-04-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

I was given these Crafty Dab Kids Paint Markers before Christmas and wanted to recommend them to moms for stocking gifts but never got around to it. With all the activities surrounding Christmas and then the traveling and times we've been sick since then I am just now getting around to writing about them. But the good thing about that is that I have had plenty of time to use these (3+ months) and so when I tell you these paints are amazing, they truly are amazing! They smell good, dry quickly, encourage creativity and sparkle!

Judah (age 3) loves using these for his arts and crafts. They are simple enough for him to use with minimal supervision, but really, these are so fun to play with that I usually paint along side him.

I have shared these with moms with older children, grandmas and teens and this product has been a hit with all those age groups. These paint markers really are a great indoor activity!

You can order these for yourself at the Crafty Dab online store.

Welcome!

2010-04-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

If you are coming over from the Ultimate Blog Party WELCOME! I am so glad you are here and hope you enjoy the activities, crafts, dress up clothes, food and occasional mom moments from our daily life that I am collecting here.

My name is Jessica and I am a stay at home wife and mom. I cherish my role as wife and mom and seek to honor Christ through my day to day routines.

My husband serves in the US Army and we couldn't be more proud of him. While he remains state side he is often away from us for days, and sometimes weeks, on end. When he is gone I consume more ice cream than one person should ever admit to eating, get tragically behind on the laundry and catch up on chick flicks from Red Box.

Judah is my three year old. He is a thinker, a giggler, a reader of books, a shooter of bad guys.

He calls grocery carts garbage trucks, when he passes gas he tells me he's shot another bad guy and has one of the sharpest memories I have ever seen in a young child.

Wesley is almost two. He is my dare devil, the initiator of giggles and my bruise and scar clad child.

He hollers "hey" to every car that drives by our house, he eats more food than me and he prefers to lick tongues with a person than kiss them on the lips.

They are into all things boy and this blogs purpose is to be an inspiration to other moms of boys who need some manly men activities for their young ones :)

I Don't Want Him To Be Your Friend

2010-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Can I share a secret? The influence I have over my children sometimes scares me. It's an influence I am honored to have, but sometimes the responsibility of it all is overwhelming.

The things I make priorities, the words I chose to say, the attitudes I have - they are all things echoed by my boys.

I found this trunk at the Thrift Store a couple weeks ago for $5.

The fact that it was wooden more than made up for it's less than desirable character motif and I knew it would be an easy project to repaint it - in fact it's sitting on my back porch now one coat away from completion.

The Sponge Bob design on it made for a humorous exchange with Judah, but at the same time shows the enormous influence I have on the way he thinks of things.

As I was loading the wooden trunk in the car Judah says to me;

"Mommy, what is that thing?"

-"It's a trunk Judah."

-"Oh. Well, who is on it?"

-"No one."

-"NO! It's someone. I saw it. Who is it?"

-"No one you need to know."

-"No, no! He's my friend. Who is he?"

-"His name is Sponge Bob. And he is not your friend."

-"Yes. He is my friend."

-"Judah, you didn't even know what his name was. He's not your friend."

"He is my friend. I like him. He's my friend."

(pause)

-"Mommy, what are we doing with him?"

-"I am going to paint over it so it matches your bedroom."

-"NO, NO! You can't paint him. He's my friend."

-"Judah, mommy doesn't like Sponge Bob. Mommy doesn't want Sponge Bob to be your friend - and mommy is going to paint over him."

-"Ok mommy. He's not my friend."

And that was that. He even watched me paint over Sponge Bob and didn't say a word about his 20-second friend disappearing under a thick coat of Secret Passage colored paint.

Dress Up Clothes - Boys Kilt

2010-04-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to have my friend Sarah share a tutorial on how to make a kilt for little boy dress up. Great dress up clothes for boys are so hard to come by and when I saw a picture of this on Facebook I knew I wanted to add it to my boys assortment of manly men dress up clothes and asked her if she would mind guest posting and sharing it with everyone. She has provided clear, detailed instructions and great pictures to lead you through each step - and how gorgeous is her son Magnus?!

Be sure to stop by Sarah's etsy shop for an assortment of hand crafted goodies. Thank you so much Sarah for providing this wonderful tutorial!

Hello! I am so excited to be a guest blogger for Jessica and to show you how to make an easy, incredibly adjustable, truly manly dress-up, the kilt! My Magnus is 2 and has a 3year old sister, whose great delight is dressing up as a princess, a ballerina, or both at the same time. As my son loves to do whatever she does, we substitute "prince" or "knight" elements for his costumes, but he still gets to dance around, jump off couches and wave things around in his very special outfit, just like Susanna.

The kilt has up to 4 inches of adjustment in it so it will be good for years to come, and the sample ones I've made will fit 2-5 years. And there is no zipper! Although I am a generally proficient sewer, I'm afraid I have not mastered the zipper. It is basically a simple pleated wrap skirt and has very little in common with real kilt-craft, the art of which I could only admire from afar.
Cost: about $7

You will need:
*A length of cotton plaid. You need about 12 inches for the kilt (longer based on your child) and 3 inches for the waistband so I bought 15 inches. Seam allowances included.
$3.99-$4.99 a yard at your local Joann's, it is washable and comes in many colors and is about 41 inches wide. Price $2.08, but print off one of their easily obtainable coupons for 40% off and it's $1.25!
*1-5/8" button, from the button box
*1-4-1/2in piece of 1/2" elastic, I have it on hand or it is about $2 a package
*1-4in piece of 5/8" sew-on velcro, also about $2 a package
*1 kilt pin- $1.79 for two available at your local craft store near the safety pins
a bit of felt, placed on the back side of kilt front, to keep the pin from tearing cloth

Wash and dry your fabric. There is no right or wrong side on this cotton plaid.

Cut a 3 inch strip off lengthwise for the waistband and trim it to one-and-a-half times your child's waist (M's waist is 20", the waistband is 30")
Use iron to press 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance down both long sides of waistband strip. Also press same seam allowance both ends. Fold waistband in half lengthwise and press.
Fold bottom of kilt cloth (12" by 41") over 1/4in twice for hem and pin. Sew hem. Remove pins. This is the bottom of the kilt. The ends of your kilt cloth should be selvage, and should not need to be hemmed.

Place a marking pin the distance of half your child's waist (10" for me) from each end of the long kilt cloth. You need to pleat and pin the fabric between the pins, making the cloth shorter and shorter until it is the same length between pins as on the ends (10" for me).

So now the cloth is even thirds, for me 10"to first pin, 10" pleated fabric, 10" from last pin to end. Total length should now be equal to your pressed waistband length so make any adjustments now until they are equal. Sew straight line down pinned pleats 1/2" from the top of fabric to baste the pleats in place. Remove pins.

Fold the pressed waistband over the raw edge top of the kilt and pin. The two halves of the waistband sandwich the whole top edge and the basted pleats. The pressed seam allowances should be tucked under the back, front and both ends.

Sew through all layers end to end about 1/8" from bottom of waistband.
Iron your pleats from top to bottom.

Insert end of elastic 3/4" into right side of the waistband (the right side when looking at the inside of the kilt, when the folded hem is visible).
Stitch across waistband to anchor elastic in place.
Sew the free end of the the elastic to prevent fraying.
Snip 4 slits in elastic 3/8" long down it's length. These are the button holes and provide adjustment.
Test each hole to make sure button passes snugly.

Sew button on the inside of the waistband. As you try it on your child the pleats go in back, the elastic end of the kilt goes across tummy to button on their right side. Place the button where the waist size is comfortable when buttoned at the smallest size (using buttonhole closest to kilt). Thus there is room to grow as you use farther buttonholes!

Sew on velcro. Loop side will be on the inside of the waistband at the end, where the right side flap covers the left side flap on the front of your child. The hook side should be placed carefully on the front of the left side flap. Place it where it will still meet the loops even as your child grows and uses expanding buttonholes.
Attach your kilt pin, using scrap of cloth or felt behind the kilt cloth to prevent ripping. I don't pin the kilt layers together, it just makes it harder to put on and off.
Please Enjoy!

More about Sarah: I am a joyful wife of one and mother of two living outside DC. I get to stay home with my children and I get some kicks and a lot of identity moonlighting as an ED nurse. I love many things, some of which are; reading, road-tripping, out-doorsing, stitching, giving good gifts, cloth and paper, library book sales, theology, candy, advocacy for choice in childbirth, housekeeping, corresponding, libertarian politics, and string lights.

See my shop at www.simplysarai.etsy.com. If you aren't up to making your own kilt I'm selling some there.
The pictured wooden sword can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/SmileMoon and it's sheath is here: www.etsy.com/shop/birchleafdesigns

Thanks again Sarah! If you have any questions about the instructions feel free to ask in the comments and I will pass them on to Sarah. If you make one we'd love to know about it!

Easy Ziplock Omelets

2010-04-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

A friend e-mailed me this recipe for Ziplock Omelet and I was excited to try it out with the boys as it seemed like a great hands on recipe for the boys to help out with. Not only was it really fun to prepare with the boys but it was also a pretty decent omelet and really easy to make!

To make these you will need:

A Quart size Ziplock Freezer bag for each person

Omelet fillings (bacon, ham, peppers, onions, cheese, etc.)

Salt and pepper

2 eggs per bag

Permanent marker to label the bags

Start our with labeling the bag.

I had the boys add their cheese, peppers, onions and bacon to the bag next - if the eggs were put in the bag first the boys would likely have spilled them on the floor and/or put their hands in them. So I highly recommend putting the filling part in the bag before the eggs if you have young children doing this.

I cracked the eggs and put them in a glass and then let the boys pour that into the bag. I sealed the bag, making sure to get out as much air as possible then I handed the bags to the boys and told them to squish. I wish I had gotten that part on video - listening to their giggles erupt over squishing eggs was so cute!

Once everything was well squished together I stuck the two bags in a pot of boiling water. The instructions in the email said that you can put up to 8 bags in a pot of water.

Leave in the boiling water for 13 minutes and then open the bag and let the omelet roll out.

Paul makes the most incredible omelets ever so these will not be replacing omelets in our home, however these will find their own place in our menu rotation. I think these would be really fun to prepare if there were a lot of guests over for breakfast - the bags, minus the eggs, could be prepared the evening before to each persons liking and the next morning you could add two eggs and stick them in the water for 13 minutes - add some fruit and some bread or muffins and it's a quick and easy breakfast for a crowd!

Or, as we did this time, the boys and I will likely make these for ourselves when Paul is out of town and not able to make us his gourmet omelets.

My Africa

2010-04-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

I read a quote on a friends blog regarding David Livingston's calling to Africa and the amount of time he devoted to that country and I haven't been able to get the thought off my mind all day.

This is the quote I read;

"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa...Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in, and for, us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which HE [Jesus] made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."

I think it is beautiful.

And then I think of my calling.

To be his mother.

And his mother.

And then suddenly the quote is no longer simply beautiful but entirely challenging.

I will never face dangers like David Livingston faced - but my calling - my "Africa" - is my home. My husband. My boys.

And I wonder - am I cultivating an attitude of joy in my service to God that at the end of my life I can say with all honesty "It was never a sacrifice, it was a privilege."

*reposted from my original blog

Spoon People

2010-04-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I couldn't like these quirky spoon people any more!

They were so much fun to make with Judah (age 3) and somewhat of a pain to make with Wesley (1.5) but we did have a fun time sitting around the table together even if Wesley kept stealing all the googly eyes.

These really are easy and inexpensive to make and I would recommend it for age 3 and up - obviously the older the child the less hands on the parent has to be.

I picked up a couple packs of wooden spoons at the Dollar Tree. Each pack comes with three wooden spoons in three different sizes. Have kids that will squabble over who gets the tallest spoon? Buy two packs and then give them each the ~~shortest~~ tallest one from each pack. Problem solved!

The other supplies we used were:

Googly eyes

Permanent marker

Sea shells

Yarn

Twine

Ribbon

Beads

Glue

These spoon people are rather easy going and would be grateful to be dressed in whatever you have laying around your home.

I started out by drawing faces on the front side of the spoon - Judah didn't want to draw his own and Wesley lacks certain coordination skills to draw his own.

Wesley wanted two different size eyes on his person and Judah wanted his frowning.

(I actually didn't glue the eyes on until the end as it made it easier to work with the spoons without worrying about drying glue!)

The boys picked out the color pipe cleaner they wanted and worked on wrapping the pipe cleaner around the handle of the spoon. Arms were easily formed using a second same color pipe cleaner. For the pants they picked a different color and then wrapped it around the spoon too.

Judah chose to use this sea shell as a hat for his spoon person. I copied the idea and did the same for Wesley.

Judah's spoon person.

Wesley's spoon person.

My sister Esther's spoon person.

My spoon person.

Welcome to our lives spoon people! I will do all that is in my power to ensure you are never eaten off of.

Forgetting What Simple Is

2010-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

While the boys slept I filled their Easter baskets with the simple items I had chosen for them and then made a ribbon maze around the house. Each boy had their own ribbon leading from their bedroom door and they wound downstairs, outside, under the table and all the silly places Paul and I could think up. The other end of the ribbon was tied to their basket.

Neither of them got it. They kept asking where their balloon was.

Brilliant boys I've got.

They know what type of ribbon balloons from the Dollar Tree are tied with.

Their innocent request for a balloon at the end of the ribbon made me pause and think -

Why, exactly, did I set their expectations so high for all the following Easters when a simple balloon would have made them giddy with excitement? It certainly wasn't on purpose. In fact, I intentionally tried to keep it simple- all that was in the baskets was bubbles and books.

But I missed the mark.

Compared to the elaborate baskets being sold in the stores it was simple.

Compared to the pictures you see on TV and in magazines it was simple.

Compared to some of the plans I have read on varies blog posts it was simple.

But I was comparing. Not intentionally. Not judgmentally.

I just forgot what simple was in reference to two little boys.

My two little boys.

Next year we will do the ribbon mazes again.

It was a lot of fun!

But next year at the end of their ribbon will be a balloon.

*we did our Easter baskets Saturday morning as Paul has to work Sunday*

Dress Up Clothes - Indian Warrior

2010-04-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple years I have noticed a serious lack of affordable, manly men dress up clothes for boys. Now that my little manly men are entering the world of imaginative play I have been on the lookout for ideas I can replicate on the cheap.

I love how these Indian headbands (or hippie band as it tends to look on Wesley's head!) turned out. It cost under $5 for the two of them with enough supplies left for 2 or 3 more.

I picked up a bag of leather scraps at Hobby Lobby for $2.50. I also got a bag of long feathers for $2.

Being that these were scraps the wider pieces of leather were uneven and some had markings on them. The markings add to the 'wild' look and I easily straightened the edges - it won't matter if it is perfectly straight or not.

I held the wider piece of leather around their heads to measure the how long it should be and cut it a bit shy of that. Using sharp scissors I made a hole on either end of the leather large enough for an eyelet - I'm not sure which size they were, but I made the hole large enough for what I had on hand.

This was hard work to get the perfect size hole in the leather and I was quite thankful that my sister helped me out with it!

I used an eyelet tool kit to set the eyelets and then used the smaller pieces of leather to tie the two ends together.

I stuck a feather in the back of the headband and called it an Indian Warrior Headdress.

He sharpened his stick so he could pierce the (imaginary) bad guys.

I kid.

The stick was found sharp.

Giving his fierce warrior face.

Still looks kissable to me.

I am left wondering - is there a way to secure the feather to the back of this? Would hot glue or super glue bond the feather and the leather together forever?

I have been listening to entirely too many rhyming songs lately.

The next costume I want to work on is a knights helmet and shield - I saw an incredible idea for the helmet in a high end kids catalog (I think it was about $60!!) and then happened to find a wooden shield at the thrift store. Have you seen or made any great boy dress up costumes? I'd love to see!

Color on the Table

2010-04-02T16:50:00.001-07:00

*This was written in 2009 and we used it for our '09 Thanksgiving with great success. We have used it many times since then and truly love it!*

While on a family trip to Lowe's I found a huge roll of Contractors paper (about $9) and had the idea to buy it and use it for our Thanksgiving 'tablecloth' - complete with crayons incorporated into the centerpiece so everyone could color along with dinner.

I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving and last week I used some of it to test out my idea - it was a huge hit with the boys (Paul included!)
Monday evening we had four of our friends over and they loved it too - in fact they covered almost the entire surface of our table with their drawings.

The orange dude here is my favorite!

We had some riddles.

And one of the guests drew his plate of food - but got his fork and spoon on the wrong side :)

We played a few different games and kept score right on the table - it was lots of fun!
And cleanup was a breeze, we just rolled it up and threw it away.

Hospitality With Children

2010-04-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

What role do your children play in hospitality to others in your home?
Our boys have never met a stranger, and when we're having someone new over to our home we really like that our boys welcome everyone into our home like they've been coming over forever. The boys are great ice breakers and entertainment.

At age 1 and 2 there isn't a lot they can do to be involved with hospitality. Judah helps me set the table. They both greet people at the door. Wesley offers the guests his unwanted food - he's generous like that! And then when they head off to bed they give the company goodnight hugs and sometimes ask the guest to read them a story.

Sometimes it is easier to put the boys to bed before the guests show up - if they skipped nap and are a bit cranky or if we're planning on playing games - the evening goes smoother if we have our full bedtime routine with the boys and then the company comes over once the boys are asleep. Of course that then makes for a later evening, which can be tiring! But we often will go that route when we have planned a game night.

We want to raise our boys to be intentional with hospitality - but we're still figuring out what that means for us and our family.

Making a Flipbook

2010-03-30T18:42:00.003-07:00

I had SO much fun doing this activity!! I found the template and instructions Here at First Palette.
Judah is a bit young to play with this book on his own, but he enjoys playing with it with me.
I printed 7 or 8 sheets and colored characters that he likes - swimmer, cowboy, soldier, nurse, etc. He only colored one himself.

When he is a bit older I think I will do this one with him again, but let him color all the characters himself. He's just a bit young for that part right now.

Celebrating a Promotion

2010-03-30T18:42:00.002-07:00

The boys and I had a lot of fun planning Paul's promotion dinner celebration for Friday night. It was just for the four of us celebrating Paul's recent promotion to Staff Sergeant (E6) and it was a nice, laid back evening at home.

We started the evening with a game of "Staff Sergeant Daddy Says..."

Judah toasted his daddy's accomplishments with some tasty Apple Cider.

Judah and I made this centerpiece earlier in the week. He impressed me with his craftiness! Judah tore up the paper and attached it to the cardboard and then attached all the Army men with double sided tape. I added the sticker flag attached to a Popsicle stick stuck in a mound of Play-doh.

Some of the other table decorations.

Paul grilled steaks and pork chops for dinner. I'd marinated them in a coffee marinade and they were *amazing*!!

As a nod towards the Army I packaged our dinner in tinfoil and then placed them in these MRE-style bags. I designed and printed the labels on the computer and then attached the labels to brown lunch bags.

Congrats Babe for all the hard work you did to get to where you are!! xoxo

Rainy Day Race Track

2010-03-30T18:42:00.001-07:00

I saw this idea while blog hoping a while ago and I can't remember where I saw it but I love this idea!! It is the perfect rainy day activity to do with two little boys.

I started the tape in the middle of our stair case and it goes in front of the couch, loops in a circle, goes around the side table and then back down behind the couch.

Parts of the track have black lines down the center to resemble a road - making the lines was part of the fun for Judah!

We have been using this all morning for cars, balancing, chasing, coloring, rolling - there are so many activities to be done with a roll of painters tape!

The only bad thing about it is that I used Paul's painters tape (sorry babe!!) I think the Dollar Tree sells some and while it's cheap quality it would be perfect for this activity!

Fish Food (Jello!)

2010-03-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Another fish related activity that I did with Judah this week was to make an edible fish aquarium. I found this fantastic see-through blue container at the Dollar Tree as well as the plastic water animals.

I washed those items really, really well before anything else :)

Then Judah and Wesley helped me make jello - this container held three packets of jello! We did it in layers and added fish on each level.

I added three straws at the very beginning and once all the jello had set I trimmed the straws so they only came as high as the jello and I stuck pipe cleaners in the straws to look like seaweed-y/grassy stuff. I know. It looks nothing like seaweed-y/grassy stuff. But use your imagination :)

Our final step was to add an alligator, seal, turtle and frog to the top of the jello.

Here it is from a side view:

I loved doing this activity with Judah - not only did it include "cooking" together, but he also got to learn the names of some water creatures he didn't previously know about (Seal!). We had a friend over for dinner the evening we served this and Judah was quite excited to show off his plate aquarium and his Jello aquarium.

Fish Aquarium Craft

2010-03-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

We spent a week studying fish - as deeply as a 2.5 year old is able to study anything :)

One of the activities I did with him was to make a fish aquarium - it was so simple and I love how it turned out! We made two of them and put them back to back and hung them over our dining room table.

To make your own you will need:

- Two plates (I used blue to look like water)
- A baggie large enough to cover the hole you cut in the plate
- Scissors
- Double sided tape
- stapler
- fish stickers/shapes for them to color
- glitter glue (to make the waves and fish bubbles)
- ribbon for hanging

Cut a hole in the center of plate 1 and, using double sided tape, attach the baggie so you have a "window."

Attach fish and glitter to plate 2.

Staple the two plates together - making sure to staple the ribbon to the top and center. All done!

Where the Wild Things Are Snack Pack

2010-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Even though we didn't take our children to see Where the Wild Things Are in theater due to the adult nature of it I thought I couldn't pass up the release of the movie without some celebration - we adore the book and were disappointed it wasn't a more child friendly movie! I made this Monster Munch snack pack for them to enjoy anyway.

I included some Teddy Grahams and a Pretzel Mix.

Some green Gatorade that got relabeled as "Monster Slime" with a "drink at your own risk" label.

I also included a fruit roll up that came in a box labeled "Wild One" - the box has a variety of "wild" prints on the actual candy. I thought it was cute and tied in well with the Wild Thing theme.

All of this was put in a large zip lock bag, with a label stapled to the top and another one taped to the front. A friend of ours gave us this adorable Max doll and I have Max sitting on the shelf holding the bag of treats just waiting for us!

Easy Birthday Gift for a boy

2010-03-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

We made this for Judah's friends 5th birthday.

I took mini matchboxes that I picked up at the Dollar Tree for $1. (There were about a dozen for $1)

I only need 5 boxes.

The boy is turning 5.

So 5 boxes it will be.

I took all the matches out of the matchbox. As certain as I am that a 5 year old boy would love 5 boxes of matches, I still want to stay friends with his mother. So out go the matchsticks.

Then I cut out 5 pieces of paper that flowed together. I wasn't looking for matchy-matchy.

Two prints got used twice. My favorite line says;

Boy, n. a noise with dirt on it.

I wrapped them all up fancy like and used some rub on numbers to put 1-5 on the front of each box.

That's the easy part.

Deciding what to put in these manly man boxes is a whole 'nother challenge. Seeing as it's from Judah I thought we could try putting Judah's things in it - each box would hold 5 of the treasured item.

But after coming up with rubber bands, pretzels, balloons, paper clips and quarters I thought his friend might just cry when he saw the gift.

And Judah might cry when he realized he was GIVING those items away.

So I thought a bit more. And am going to use money inside of it instead.

5 nickles

5 dimes

5 quarters

5 $1bills

And then 1 $5 bill to end it all off .

And a special note to all givers of gifts to my children: they truly would be overjoyed with a rubber band ball, a big jar of paper clips, some shiny quarters, pretzels - stale or not - and balloons.

Be warned: If you gift them any of those items you must stay to watch their full enjoyment of the gift. They are hysterical.

Salvaging the Fragments

2010-03-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Salvage Fragments.

I love the idea behind this simple phrase. The thought has really challenged me to not wait for big chunks of time to accomplish tasks but to take advantage of the small moments, the fragments, that are made available to me throughout my day.

It is easy as a young mother with two active and creative boys that think they can fly to feel like my time to do things are limited to when they nap or when they are in bed for the night.
It is overwhelming to think about sitting down and spending the time studying God's Word or making a phone call to encourage a friend or cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms or bedrooms WHILE the boys are up. I love them to death, but they require a lot of attention.

Which is why the concept of "salvage the fragments" resonates so well with me - I have fragments of time. I have lots of fragments, scattered throughout my day.

There is the time that boys like to linger over breakfast, making bubbles in their milk.
There is the time that Judah sits on the potty and Wesley sits in his bouncer watching. (That is a minimum of 10 minutes right there!)
There is the time right before nap where I sit in their room hushing them.
There is the time where they get so engaged in playing with each other they forget about trying to fly down the stairs.

Those fragments of time are maybe 5-15 minute stretches of time that have previously been wasted as I hadn't intentionally been thinking about salvaging the fragments of time. But now those precious moments are the chance for me to do a speed cleaning, read several verses, spend time in prayer, send a text message to a friend or even write a quick letter.
They are small fragments of time, but they are fragments God has given to me and it is my desire to glorify Him in even the simplest moments.

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."
Colossians 3:23

Double Stroller Review

2010-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

*This review was not compensated in any way. I wrote it simply because we found a double stroller we love!*

After Wesley was born the ladies at church hosted a baby shower for us and the group gift was this double stroller. Paul and I spent some time researching double strollers and testing them out in the store - it was important to find one with high enough handles for Paul to comfortably push and one with plenty of storage space.

This Tandem stroller met the bill and beyond. We have had this stroller for over a year now and still love it.

Highlights:
*The seats can be positioned in 4 different positions. I LOVE this feature so much. 99% of the time I keep the boys facing each other. They chatter to each other, make faces at each other and entertain themselves (and me!). But anytime they get ornery and start picking on each other I flip one of them around so they can't look at each other. When they are facing each other their feet are all over each other as there isn't a lot of space for them to both be facing the same way, for some reason my boys don't mind this.
It also comes with an infant car seat bar that you can put on and then just put the car seat on top of.

*There is lots of storage space! There are two deep cup holders and a key holder built into the handle bar. The key holder is quite spacious and can hold my keys and phone and cash. The basket underneath the stroller is as long as the stroller frame. It is easily assessable from the back (where the handle bar is) and from the front end, but it is a little more challenging to get anything that ends up in the middle of the stroller basket - which really isn't a big deal since it is a perfect spot for things like shopping bags or beach towels that aren't immediately needed.

*It folds up easily and compactly - or at least I think so. We have an Aztec and it fits very easily in the back of our vehicle with plenty of room to spare. The seats need to be taken off each time you fold the stroller up, but they snap off and on quite easily that it really isn't a big deal.

*Because it is long, and not wide, it easily fits anywhere. There have been a few situations where the length of it has required us to back it up in a tight situation rather than be able to turn it around, but it pushes quite easily and fits almost everywhere.

*The seats recline for the kids to nap - not that my kids nap in public. But if my kids DID sleep in public the seats do recline quite nicely and it's a nice feature. And the shade covers cover up quite a bit - all but their toes get covered.

The Not So Great:
*It is a bit on the heavy side. I quickly checked out a few other double strollers and their weights ranged from 34-45lbs. This one is 53lbs! In the early days after I had given birth it was HARD to pick this up and put it in the back of our car. It's definitely not a lightweight stroller and takes some effort to move. But on the bright side, you can count it as an arm workout when you load/unload it - right?!!?

*The wheels seem cheap. The wheels snap into place and while we haven't really had issues with them, they just seem cheap and like they could have been better constructed.

*The seats are lined with a felt type fabric and it seems like a really hot/sweaty fabric to have on a stroller behind their heads and necks. There is a neck pillow that comes with it made of the same fabric and I removed it since they were just sweating with it in place.

*There is a safety bar that snaps into place in front of them (the seats have a 5 point harness) - if you mindlessly snap the safety bar in place it is VERY EASY to pinch your finger. And it would be easy for little ones fingers to be pinched too.

I have put off reviewing this stroller as I wanted to see how much I liked it after we'd had it for awhile - and after one year of use I can honestly say that I am very pleased with our choice and grateful for this gift!! I would highly recommend this stroller to anyone else looking for a double stroller.

Pipe Cleaner - Great for Quiet Time

2010-03-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Pipe cleaners make for excellent toys that inspire the imagination. The Dollar Tree has the best price on them and they usually carry seasonal and holiday colored ones which I like to grab too. Pipe cleaners are a staple in my craft closet and are often grabbed when I need a quiet toy for them for waiting rooms or other public places.
I like to form letters and/or numbers from them and use it as a fun way to teach the boys. When they tire of that we make airplanes, snakes or weapons. :)

30 Ideas to do With Little Ones

2010-03-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last summer I ran a 30 day series of post about activities and ideas to do with little ones. Here is a round up of the posts;

1. Keeping him busy with physical work.
2. Unloading the dishwasher.
3. Trying new spices.
4. Getting head massages.
5. Mail for the boys.
6. Playing with boxes.
7. Playing with toilet paper rolls.
8. You-tube
9. Where they eat messy food.
10. Singing songs.
11. Keeping myself sane.
12. Nap time.
13. Teaching them to do things themselves.
14. Keeping a simple schedule.
15. They eat what we eat.
16. Appreciating Paul's parenting style.
17. Appreciating Paul's parenting style pt 2 & exercise
18. Bedtime.
19. Intentionally playing with my kids.
20. Swimming diapers.
21. Guest Post - chore chart
22. Stay flexible - do what works.
23. Make learning fun.
24. Shooting guns.
25. Playing with gifts beforehand.
26. Seeing a child's love.
27. Burning energy outside.
28. Toys.29. Cheer myself up.
30. Cherishing our children and showing them Christ.

Busy Bins

2010-03-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of kid-ish looking containers and bins, and at the same time I am not a fan of my children destroying my baskets, so using paint buckets to hold art supplies, flashcards and other things like that both looks fun and boy-ish and is pretty much indestructible :) I have 5 paint cans, and they are lined up on a shelf in our family room. (*this was originally posted in 2009. They have since been moved to a shelf in the kitchen.)

This one holds stickers and paper and string.

This one has alphabet, counting and word flashcards.

This is my favorite bin!

All crayons and pencil crayons are called "colors" by Judah, so I thought I would label the bin that... it would drive me nuts to have it labeled "crayons" and have pencil crayons and markers in there too, so by labeling it "colors" it solves that problem! :)

The final one is still blank and is empty - I haven't decided what to put in it yet, but I am sure it'll come to me eventually!