Christmas tags

A quick little blog tonight to get back in it- it’s been a long time since I’ve uploaded anything, but I’ve got some good stuff coming.

Getting Christmas cards in the mail makes me giddy, especially photo cards.  They go on our “wall of love” as seen here…

…and after the holidays, it’s a tradition to turn them into a cool craft I’m sure I’ll blog later.  The traditional Christmas cards may not get the same display space, but we love them too.  By punching out tag shapes and cutting out large images, we turn them into next year’s gift tags.  Here’s the pile it produced this year.


I hope everyone had a full and happy holiday!  Thanks for looking.

The Infamous Snack Bowl

   
 We all have one of those huge, space-hogging punch bowls, lying in wait for a baby shower or retirement party.  Put it to good use already!  Whenever we go to Costco and load up on a cubic yard of goldfish and pretzels, I come home and divvy it up into snack bags.  Throw in some granola bars, dried fruit, and leftover parade candy, and you've got THE INFAMOUS SNACK BOWL!!

Why we LOVE the snack bowl:

-  First and foremost, kids can help pack their own lunches.  They grab a fruit, juicebox, and snack by themselves.

-  DIY 100 calorie snack packs for mommy.

-  Snacks stay fresher longer.

-  No more 5 pairs of grubby hands sharing germs in the bottom of a chip bag.

-  No one will eat the last little bit of cereal in the box, but put it in a snack bag and they fight over it.

-  No storage issues for huge bags of chips.

-  Far fewer crumbs and spills on the floor.

-  Portion control for the kids.

-  I don't refill it until its mostly empty so nothing goes to waste.

-  Although its not very "green," we reuse snack bags whenever possible.

-  VERY easy to grab-n-go on the way out the door.  Throw a couple in the purse to avoid meltdowns.

Super Mario Birthday Party

Happy 5th birthday to my sweet Savannah-banana!  It's safe to say Savannah is a bit Mario-obsessed, even commenting on his handsomeness.  So we didn't really have a choice on birthday theme this year.  I brainstormed the design of her party invite by printing off some Mario clipart to see what we could do with it.  When she started playing with them like paper dolls, I wondered what she would do if I put her face on Princess Peach.  And there we have it.  I popped Mario and the mushroom with 3-D foam squares, stickled it up, and the back has the party information and gold coins.

For a crafty person, I struggle in the kitchen so when there's an occasion when cupcakes will do, I jump on it!  The red/green mushrooms in the video game made the easiest cupcakes ever.  Thank God!  The only commercially marketed Mario do-dads I could find were these two candy tins at Michael's.  For an impromptu center piece, I turned my cupcake carrier upside down and cut off some ribbon from the balloon bouquet.  Weak, but it did the job...

As summer approaches, Michael's puts out the bulk items for camps and Bible schools.  I got red (Mario), green (Luigi), and black (the bad guys, Waluigi and Wario) for just over a buck each.  You have to be quick because as the 4th of July approaches, the red caps become really hard to find.  I hot-glued a white felt circle with puffy-painted letters for each cap.  However, if you want to be 100% authentic, the puffy paint should be the same color as the cap.  As for the mustaches, PaRtY cItY, baby!  I love that place.  I got the 'staches on clearance right after Cinco de Mayo, but there is a year-round "Fiesta" themed section that also has them.  (This is my soon to be 7 year-old.)

The party was held at Kidz Play in Winchester, VA. It's an AWESOME place with a variety of climbing/bouncing structures as well as some Little Tyke action for the little ones.  That's the birthday girl (AKA Princess Peach) on the middle of the plank.  (And just in case you're wondering, their basic party package is OVER $100 cheaper than Pump It Up's in Leesburg.)

Mommy and Savannah-  For a baby with a rough beginning, look at you now!  I can't wait to see what the next 5 years has in store for you.  Who said the middle child doesn't get any attention?  : )

Lazy mom activity #43

Let's be honest.  We can't always be Bobo the clown, swing-pusher, artsy, Mary Poppins in one neat little mommy package all of the time.  Sometimes we need a couple minutes to check Facebook with a cup of coffee BY OURSELVES!  (Interesting concept for my kids.  I haven't shut the bathroom door since '03.)  Here is a favorite new activity that I will juice until my kids get bored with it- which they haven't yet.

Ingredients:
Bag of mini marshmallows
Box of toothpicks

Directions:  Build

Course this is for the older toddler set, not for little ones that still put things in their mouths.  My kids like to see how long they can make their row of houses before they run out of supplies (usually marshmallows.)  Happy building!  (and Facebooking...)  : )

Car Wash Tears

If your 2 and 4 year old want to "help" wash the car, let them.  Just be sure to use some sort of no-tear formula soap.  Trust me, everyone involved will be happier for it.

Kiddie Pool Snow Dump

This one actually comes from my sister, Mandy. We've got almost two feet of snow, and it's still coming down. The kids haven't gotten out in it yet (pic is from last year), but when they do, I'll be the one dealing with 4 sets of snow clothes (3 kids and a husband). Mandy puts a kiddie pool inside her front door, in our case it would be the enclosed porch, to collect all the wet snow gear. Then you can hang it up when you get around to it, which could be never. : ) Great idea, Mandy!

Preschool Halloween Party

This one is for all you preschool room moms looking for ideas for the classroom Halloween party. Being that the attention span of the average 3-4 year old is akin to a gnat, I'd recommend stations they can come and go from freely. My favorite 3 Halloween stations are...


Station #1: Witches Brew
For this station you will need one of those huge black plastic cauldrons, a box of gallon zip-lock bags, and at least 2 large stirring devices like a soup ladel or plastic shovel. Ahead of time I have the kids sign up to bring a "brew" ingredient, such as

• cheerios
• teddy grahams (all flavors)
• chocolate chips
• raisins
• Coco Puffs
• mini pretzels
• mini marshmallows
• Kixx cereal
• butterscotch chips, etc.

Basically, each child gets a turn (2 at a time if you want) to dump in her ingredient and stir the brew. Sometimes we sing silly Halloween songs as we stir, or you could quote some 'Macbeth' if you're feeling nerdy. Once it's all been stirred in, you've got the class party snack. ladel into little black plastic bowls, and while they're snacking, divvy up the rest into gallon ziplock bags to take home. It seriously makes a ton, don't skimp and go sandwich baggie. It's not hummus and carrots, but it's healthier than cake and cookies.
Station #2-Halloween craft.
This is wiiiiiide open, because there are TONS of Halloween craft ideas. My favorite go-to site is Family Fun Magazine. However, one of our faves is the glue ghostie. Allow the kids to push a small puddle of Elmer's glue around on a sheet of aluminum foil into a ghost shape, then drop on some googly eyes. Let dry.
Station #3- Dress up the teacher (see pic)
Mrs. Jones isn't likely to fit into your daughter's 4T Sleeping Beauty costume**, so I'd recommend limiting the dress-up stash to accessories (our favorite is the gas mask/rainbow clown wig combo). Add some facepaint grease pencils, and you have at least 15 min. of entertainment for the kids. Of course, the teacher has to be a willing soul. And it's especially fun when you can get the principal/center director involved- especially if he's male- and especially if he's bald. What a beautiful art canvas!
**although my 22 year-old brother managed a 2T tutu (don't ask.)
Happy Halloweening, ya'll!!

First Day Tissue Box

I have to give credit to my sister- the Creative One- for this idea, but it fits nicely into our mantra that anything with a blank, flat, or ugly surface is deemed decorable. We all have to send in tissues on the first day of school, so what a great way for the teacher to get to know your student and how s/he spent the summer. Have her personalize the box with photos, art, stickers, whatever. 3-D objects might not make it through Sept. and an easy way of ensuring the photos stay on is to wrap the whole thing in packing tape. (Our other motto- "anything worth doing is worth overdoing.)

Forget the Knife

Unless you have a degree in geometry, carving a watermelon can be a fine science, not to mention messy. To cut time and mess, I use an ice cream scoop and gut that baby in 2 minutes flat. The kids can help and there is almost zero mess (except for this kid). Save the knife for fishing Barbie shoes out from under the stove.

Tip #2

Another Smelly Tip:

They say your sense of smell is the sense most closely related to memory. Before you go on your next big vacation, buy a perfume you've never worn before and wear it the duration of your stay. Every time you wear it thereafter, you'll be reminded of your getaway. For me, I'll always equate Lancome's Miracle with Europe (and being 50 lbs. heavier, so maybe not such a good thing...)

Tip #1

Tip #1: When car fresheners start to die, put them in your purse!

I was convinced that my daughter's recent asthma flair-up had to do with my Yankee candle burning and car air-freshener. I didn't have anywhere to put the freshener, so I stuck it in my purse until we got home. Of course I forgot about it, so now every time I'm rooting for something, I get a fresh burst of coconut-y paradise. Ahh!