bingo! :: valentines

download your free bingo cards from simply fresh designs. xoxo

s'mores on a stick :: baking with kids

like i've mentioned before, we have "dessert night" once a week at our house. more often than not it's spent baking chocolate chip cookies or some variation of that. not sure what happened to me once i turned 30 but i can't get enough! anyway, not only do i hold this tradition so that our cookie jar is always full, but also so that my boys will have memories of baking with me in the kitchen. a draw back to being over 30 is that i have pretty much lost all motivation to cook a nightly meal. i'm too busy and too tired and too bored. there is absolutely no creativity in cooking any more because none of my boys like anything that is the least bit different.

but desserts... that's something i can experiment with and the boys always devour. so, we spend these moments destroying the kitchen and then, in the end, we sit around our table and enjoy our creations together as a family. it's one of my favorite nights of the week!

this time, in honor of the autumn season, we made s'mores on a stick. did you know you can buy graham cracker crumbs?! seriously. this dessert took very little effort. i basically set up the 3 stations (poke pretzel into marshmallow, dip into chocolate, and dip into crumbs) and the boys took over.

if you try this, be sure to store any leftovers in sandwich bags or tupperware... the marshmallows will get stale and hard... and that's no fun.

xoxo

canopy picnic :: kid projects

here's a fun weekend project!  if you have kids, you might even have all of the supplies lying around already.

"the monster" has been practicing reading quite a bit this summer and sometimes that's difficult to do with a little brother around.  i originally made him this little canopy for a quiet reading spot, but it has actually transformed into their new favorite place to eat lunch.

supplies:

• hula hoop
• shower curtain
• curtain hooks
• ribbon or cord
• pillows or round bench

the diy:

1. tie 4 pieces of ribbon onto the hoop at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 so that it will hang level
2. gather all 4 ribbon ends and tie one big knot.  then hook knot onto tree branch
3. now add the shower curtain using curtain hooks
4. make cozy with a pillow or two

this little oasis literally took me 10 minutes.  it's a simple and easy nook that kiddos can enjoy all summer!  enjoy your weekend friends... xoxo

sidewalk chalk scavenger hunt :: kids

a fun, outdoor game that is secretly educational?!  teehee, i'm so sneaky with my boys.

last week, "the monster" and "bump" had a friend over.  after riding circles around our garage on their bikes for a couple hours, i brought out the sidewalk chalk.  we traced our bodies, drew on funny hats and then i told them we were going do a scavenger hunt.  i think just the word "hunt" got them excited!

this was a great game for each of their ages because it forced the oldest to practice reading each assignment and the younger boys practiced counting & learning their numbers.  we went all the way to twelve and i sent them looking for such things as rocks, sticks, leafs, toys, worms, and trash.

do you have a favorite outdoor game that is also educational?

birthday face :: kid project

"the monster" turns seven today.  he has a giant day of celebrating... a party with every friend and a treat with every party.

a couple days ago, we had all of our art supplies out and were drawing on large posterboard.  we decided to have a little contest between the family to see who could draw "the monster" the best.  "bump" was to choose the winner.

well.  in a run-by judgment (literally), "bump" chose "the monster's" self-portrait.  i think we all know that my rendering was the best.  however, never a sore looser, i relinquished my clear win to my son.  after all, his birthday was coming up.

things that are special about my little-big boy at seven years old:

• he has a faux-hawk
• both of his two top-front teeth fell out at the same time, leaving a gapping gap
• he is loving and empathetic
• he is tall and awkward and clumsy
• he can ride a 4-wheeler better than me
• also, he can beat me at pretty much any video game
• he can eat more junk than anyone i've ever known and almost never get sick
• he enjoys art, reading, gym & math.  make him do either of those though and he won't.  you have to make absolutely everything a game.
• and that game can only last 15 minutes
• he's oddly good at sorting and picking up, but super sucks at actual cleaning.
• he'll play in the mud, cover himself with it, but won't touch a piece of garbage that fell out of the can on the way down the driveway.
• he has a nose like no other.  the boy can sniff out a cookie baking miles away.
• he's becoming a little man much too fast

hot air balloon candy dish :: diy :: party inspiration

yesterday, for the us kiddos class at the shop, we looked 'up' for our inspiration! we made hot air balloons, airplanes & butterflies... all to the delight of 8 (yes, i said 8!) young children.  it was a busy & crazy morning, so i knew we would need a little sugar fuel to keep us going.  how perfect this little hot-air-balloon-themed candy dish fit our needs!

p.s. washi tape makes everything better... don't you agree?!

bokeh canvas :: diy

a friend of mine's sweet little sister is having a baby!  she chose a bokeh design for her shower invitations and so her big sisters are following that theme through for the shower decor.  think big round balloons, circular shaped fruit, cake pops.. etc.  fun, right?

anyway, i thought these would make a great addition for the shower decor and then as a gift for the babies new room.  double duty and handmade... can it get any better?  i think not.  see below for the diy to create something similar...

 - you'll need:

• assorted tissue paper,
• canvas(es)
• circular objects of different sizes
• scissors
• modge podge & paint brush for applying
• a bit of glitter (optional)

 - the diy

1. trace circles of varying sizes onto your tissue paper and cut out.  
2. glue onto canvas.  be sure to overlap the circles to achieve interesting color depth
3. splash with glitter

indoor clouds :: diy

indoor clouds?! what?!  yes.  aren't they fun?

here's what you need & how to make them:

• white paper lantern
• glue gun & glue sticks or spray adhesive
• stuffed animal stuffing
• clear string

1. assemble your paper lantern
2. fluff your stuffing and adhere around lantern with hot glue or spray (spray adhesive is faster but messier)
3. hang with clear string

some people dare to put lights in them, but i fear fire so i opted out.  if you figure out a safe way though, let me know because i'm sure it would be beautiful!

xoxo

alphabet rocks :: diy :: kid project

how about rockin' your kiddo's world sometime soon?!  "bump" is learning the alphabet so i combined his love of rocks with a little lesson in letters.  both the rocks & paint markers can be found at any craft store.  after the paint dries, you can even glue magnets on the back for a family fun spelling competition on the fridge!

how fun is that?!  xoxo

kiddo inspiration :: kid projects

lately, it seems i've been inspired by the kiddos in my life... plus anything little and tiny makes me happy and i sometimes want to squeeze them.  what?

i saw this done on a blog a while back and i'm sorry i can't remember where.  it was a home tour, not a diy.  anyway, i simply wrapped the back of the chair in felt and then used fabric glue to adhere the monkey's face.  so cute!  this could be done with a brown chair to make a bear, black for a panda, green for frog, etc etc. just remember that animals with beaks don't work too well.

i found this wood piece at goodwill - score!  i have no idea what it was used for before, but it screamed dollhouse to me.  i sanded the piece a bit to give it a shabby chic feel, then cut cardboard to fit the shape.  i then traced the shape of each room and glued paper to the cardboard so it would appear as wallpaper.  i found the little mirrors and blank wood people in the miniature section of the hobby store.  finally, i painted them with acrylic paint to give them personality. isn't' it lovely?!

this idea i found on pinterest (of course).  the number one cause of thrown out pants for my son is knee holes.  he hardly has a pair long enough to grow out of them (and he grows fast!).  the kid is a ninja-fighting wrestler at recess and the knees just don't last long.  so, i patched them up as monsters during work one day and excitedly drove home to present my too-cool son with my creative work.  you could see in his face he didn't want to hurt my feelings...

me:  "so, you want to wear these to school tomorrow?!"
him: "no... that's ok"
me: "what, you don't like them?  i thought you'd love them"
him: "i will wear them on saturdays... when no one will see me.  ok?"

so my advice for this project is to only use this technique for boys under the age of 5.  then i think you'll be good.

xoxo