Learning Our Days of the Week

Mary Catherine is 3 now and Jake is 2 so they can both sing the "Days of the Week Song."  They love to sing it, but it became obvious that they did not quite grasp the concept of the seven weekdays.  Mary Catherine is extremely curious and she is always asking me, "Mommy, what are we going to do today?"  I found that it was really helpful for her to know what was coming up in the week so we decided to make a picture calendar of our typical week together.  I didn't want to turn this into a work of art that took 3 hours so I simply cut a rectangle out of poster board and divided it into 7 sections.  From there we looked through magazines and used markers to draw pictures of what activity we do on each weekday.  Here's how it turned out...

We hung it on her closet door so she can see it when we wake up each day.  As you can see Saturday and Sunday have happy faces because my kids refer to the two days Daddy is home all day as "Super Happy Fun Day."  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are school days.  Tuesday is ballet and Thursday we go to the Fun Zone (an indoor jumpy place if you hadn't already figured that out).  Like I said it is not exactly a masterpiece, but it fits the bill.  She loves looking forward to the next day and she is really getting the concept of the seven weekdays.  Have fun with it!

Petit Fours For Dummies

I don't know about you but my kids love anything miniature.  I am not much of a baker and fondant is certainly out of my realm.  This is a quick and easy way to make "fake" petit fours for your kiddos.  These are great to take to school for a birthday or to make for a fancy tea party with your favorite little princess.

You will need:

• 1 Angel food cake (look for the rectangular one not round- its easier to cut into small cubes)
• Food coloring
• White icing
• Starburst candies
• Small decorative cutters (all I had on hand was circles, but you can find little flowers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Cut rectangular cake into 1 1/2 inch thick slices.  Then cut each slice into four to make 4 small rectangular mini cakes. 
2. Arrange mini cakes on a cooling rack that has been placed inside a baking sheet lined with foil.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring to white icing (I used 3 drops of red to make pink).  Stir well and microwave for 15 seconds.  Stir again and microwave again for another 10-15 seconds.  You want icing to be very thin and runny otherwise it will not pour easily.
4. Slowly and carefully pour icing over angel food cakes.  Go slowly and make sure to pour around edges to cover sides well.  If your icing gets too thick stop and microwave again.  Repeat until all cakes are covered.  Place cakes in fridge for 10-15 minutes to set icing.
5. Microwave individual Starburst candies (without wrapper people) for 8 seconds.  Using your palm, press candy into thin layer on counter top.  You may use some non-stick cooking spray if you find it too sticky.  Then use the small cutter to cut out a shape and place on top of cake to decorate.  Use your imagination and have some fun!

Food Toppers

I have seen this idea before, but it was not until a Saturday morning trip to the doughnut shop that I decided it was time to make some.  The doughnut shop had a plastic topper that they put on the kids doughnuts and they seriously argued for 10 minutes over who got to hold it.  I figured I can make some of my own and we tried them on breakfast this morning.  It worked like a charm and the kids ate every last bite of their pancakes.  Do you think I can put one on broccoli?  Hmmmmmmm?

You need:

• Craft punch (I used a 1 7/8" round)
• Card stock
• Stickers
• Toothpicks
• Hot glue gun or double-sided tape

It is pretty self explanatory after seeing the picture but you basically sandwich the toothpick between 2 card stock circles.  Pick a sticker and go for it!

Gift Tags on the Cheap

My kids are always getting invited to birthday parties and I am always scanning the house for an extra gift tag or birthday card.  A while ago (when I only had one child to spend money on) I ordered some personalized gift cards for my daughter.  They were cute, I admit, but kind of expensive.  I found these blank gift tags at the craft store in a pack of 20 for $1.99 and I got the fire truck stamp for $2.99.  I never knew the craft store had a whole stamp section.  You can find anything you could imagine... trucks, dinosaurs, fairy wands, happy faces, etc.  I got a few for girls and boys and now I can make a cute gift tag in a second.

You will need:

• 1 stamp
• 1 pack of blank gift tags
• ink pad (any color you choose)

Wind Chimes

We have a covered back porch and I was in the mood for some wind chimes so this idea seemed to fit the bill.  I knew I wanted to use an old can, but I  figured out the logistics as I went along. 

You will need:

• Chimes (I used 5)- if you can't find them, buy a cheap wind chime and take it apart.
• 1 old can
• Sharpie marker
• Drill
• Natural twine or string
• Colorful beads
• Acrylic paint and brushes
• Hook (for hanging the wind chime in the tree)

Instructions:
1. Wash out an old can and remove one side.  Let it dry out well.
2. Have your kids paint the can with acrylic paint so it will last.  If you have younger kids, I suggest providing one or two colors max (otherwise it all gets mixed).

3. Drill holes in pairs of two in a circle pattern on the top of can.  You will need two holes per chime.  I had 5 chimes so I drilled 10 holes. Make sure to drill holes in a small circle.  Otherwise the chimes will hang too far apart and they will not make music easily. 

4. Drill one hole in center of circle pattern.
5. Thread your chimes through the twine.  Pull each end up through the drilled hole on the can lid and tie and knot at the top.  Check your length to make sure the chime will hang below the can.  Repeat until you have finished all 5 chimes.

(I drilled too many holes because I was learning as I went along.  This pic is still helpful to see how to knot off the twine at the top.)

6. Thread a single string from the center hole and tie a knot at the top.  Hang a bead (I used a large wooden ball bead) from the string so that it sits in the middle of the chimes.  Suspend it from string by tying it off with a knot.  Then hang 3-4 beads from the bottom of string for decoration to hang down below the chimes.
7. Drill 3 holes equidistant around top outer edge of can for hanging.  Thread with twine and decorate with beads if you like.  Tie it off at the top with a hook to hang it in the tree.

Enjoy!  We love our and we made an extra for our Mimi... it makes a great gift for grandparents.

Things I Love

I have to write about my new find.  I am always looking for art tools for children that are easy and low-mess.  Half the time I feel like I spend 20 minutes setting up an art project for the kids and they spend 5 minutes doing said project.  It hardly seems worth the effort except I know they truly enjoy it while it lasts.  That's why I LOVE these...

They are called Do A Dot Art!  They are simply sponge tip paint applicators and they are genius.  They require no cups, no brushes, and best of all they make no mess.  You can use them on any paper and you can even find a Do A Dot activity book to use with them.  My kids love to make posters with them and I can pull them out anytime and put them away in a second- no set up. 

You can buy them here if you can't find them at a store:

Do-A-Dot Rainbow Art Set (Set of 6) 

Do-a-Dot Art Brilliant (set of 6)

Fancy Flip Flops

As many of you know my daughter is a total frilly girl.  The more sparkle, the better.  She adores Fancy Nancy and she loves to call everyone "darling."  She was my inspiration for these fancy flip flops.  They look impressive but they were cheap to make and they took me 3o minutes to do (not counting time for the glue to dry when you are finished). Total cost was less than $10!  You can make yours like mine or you can use your imagination to make any version.

You will need:

• 1 pair plain flip flops (I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.59)
• Gorilla Glue
• Pre-made bows ($2.99 at Hobby Lobby in the kids section)- If you are more talented you can make your own with gross grain ribbon.  These were on hair clips for kids so I just pulled the alligator clip off and kept the bow.
• Some sparkle for embellishment.  Pick anything you like.  I found  these tiny crystals that come in pre-cut strips especially for flip flops at Hobby Lobby for $3.99.  They are called "Flip-Flop Bling" and they had a sticky backing so I didn't need any glue for them. Any adhesive rhinestone strips will do the trick and make the job quick and easy.  

The rest is sort of self explanatory once you look at the picture.  The secret here is more in the supplies.  Use your imagination and when you finish the decorating I used gorilla glue to stick the big bow to the center.  Clamp it with a clothes pin and wait 1-2 hours.

Giving A Boost To Kid's Artwork

I don't know about other moms, but I have a fridge covered with all sorts of art that my children have made.  I hate to throw any of it away, but let's be honest, most of it is just chicken scratch.  At age two and three my oldest kids love to watercolor and so that seems to be what I have the most of.  Here is a way to reuse some of their art and to give a thoughtful "thank-you" to a friend...


You will need:

• Craft knife and mat to cut on
• Blank card and envelopes (I found a pack of 8 for $3.00 at my craft store)
• Double-sided tape
• Some extra kids artwork

Step 1 Go on your computer and type the message or find a design you want to appear on the card cover.  You can do your kid's monogram, the word "thanks" or a simple design of a fish, etc.  The possibilities are endless. Print the words in bold and make sure they are big enough to fit nicely on the card you selected.
Step 2 Tape the card over the printed words/image on a window so you can use the natural light to help you trace the image.  If you have a light box- even better! Trace the image in pencil.
Step 3 Put your card on a cutting mat and cut around pencil outline.  Take time to cut carefully and cut outside pencil lines.
Step 4 Cut out the portion of your kids art that you want to show through on the front of card.  Use double-sided tape and sick it to front of card so that the art shows through the stencil you have just cut.  Viola, you are done.

Your friends will LOVE to get these cards and I write on the backside, "Cover art by: (Insert your child's name)."

Freezer Paper Shirts

Okay, so I certainly cannot take credit for this idea. It has been around for some time, but recently my cousin inspired me to take a crack at it. She made the most adorable shirts for her boys and her skills far surpass mine.

To learn the details there are tons of online tutorials available. Here's the basic idea...
Step 1 Find an image you want to use. I searched online using google, but make sure to keep the image simple.
Step 2 Trace image onto freezer paper using a pencil.
Step 3 Cut out image with craft knife. Toss the positive and use the negative as your stencil.
Step 4 Iron stencil onto shirt (must use a dry iron.
Step 5 Use brush and paint over stencil with fabric paint.
Step 6 Remove stencil and voila!

These shirts are super simple to make, quick, inexpensive and look adorable. I certainly messed up my share while learning. Here are my tips so that you may avoid some of my mistakes:

• Do not use too many coats of paint. Two to three is max!
• Make sure not to use any steam on the iron.
• Peel away stencil slowly as soon as you finish painting.