I found this idea here at Ten kids and a Dog. Head on over there for her tutorial and stay awhile at her cute blog. It's got some great ideas!
We love to paint here in this house. This is basically a tape resist on canvas.
I couldn't find my masking tape, so I used some clear tape that I found floating around. I don't know what it is designed for, but tape is tape, right?
We'll see...
So, I got some cheap little canvasses. I have a ton of them, because I love them. You never know when the mood to paint something will strike.
I taped off the shape of some snowflakes.
Can you see it? Instead of one big one, I gave the girls a bunch of little ones.
Then I told them to paint away.
And they did!
L didn't want me to take pictures of hers, but she got a really nice blend of yellow and white (she chose the colors...yeah, it was basically just light yellow).
O chose blue and red.
It took her a while to understand that we were going to be taking the tape off. She initially just painted where the tape was and I had to explain a few times that she needed to paint the whole thing because the tape we were putting on the tape was going to be taken off. She got it in the end, though.
After our paint had dried overnight, we took the tape off.
Then we decided to add glitter.
Everything is better with glitter.
And chocolate.
Anyway...
I gave them a little plastic cup filled with Elmer's glue and they each got their own bowl of glitter. They were instructed to paint the glue on the snowflakes and then sprinkle the glitter over the glue.
O was very careful about the whole process.
She sprinkled the glitter very carefully and very precisely...but she still managed to get it over the entire painting. I'm not sure if she did that on purpose or not.
L, on the other hand, was not so dainty. She globbed the glue on and then dropped the glitter on top in fistfuls. And look how seriously she took her work.
Here is O's finished project.
(L didn't want me to take a picture of hers, but it was lovely too, trust me.)
My Mister is on a much needed break. He has been in nonstop school for the last year and now finally is in the midst of an almost 4-week break.
And what does he want to do with that break?
Well, we've been spending a lot of time at the park. We've been eating dinner as a family. He and I have been staying up late catching up on movies and favorite TV shows (Psych, anyone? Grimm? Once Upon a Time? Survivor?...). We've been hanging out with friends. We've been talking a lot. We have maybe been laughing a little. I haven't been cleaning the house as much as I used to. He's been doing the dishes! =)
It's been exhausting! The good kind of exhausting, of course.
Oh, and we've also been looking for a new house. Yeah. Remember when I mentioned the sudden rush of things to be taken care of? When the Mister finishes his PA classes at the end of summer, he will be ready to start his rotations: the last step of his education before he has to take a big scary test and enter the real world as an official PA.
We had anticipated that he would be assigned to do those rotations in a city that is about half an hour from here...the city we do our shopping and stuff in. You would think that I would have learned by now that when I make plans something always changes them! He was assigned instead to a city that is about an hour and 15 minutes north of here...much further away. For convenience (and money) sake, we have decided to move up there. It's just easier.
Here's the kicker...he starts his rotations on August 27. Baby boy (W) is due on August 19. Mister's finals are August 13 -17. It's a little crazy.
But, no worries. Arrangements have been made to induce labor and we are hoping to move in July. All is well, and we are excited for a change of scene, but expect a little craziness now and then. (Do you like how I say that like that would be something new?)
Anyway, I digress. I was talking about how nice it has been to have him home. It makes me think how nice it would be to have this set up all of the time. Of course, that's not how life works. We have to be responsible.
Have you ever seen Into the Woods? It is one of my all time favorite musicals. It is full of so many little life lessons and it is super fun to sing along with.
Here's a song from it that has been on my mind:
Now, please don't assume that I'm trying to say I would like a "prince for...whatever." Really using this song is a reach for the point I'm making, but it was a good excuse to listen to a good song. =)
Still, If our lives were only made up of beautiful and extraordinary moments, would we appreciate them as much? Do we give the not so beautiful moments of life enough credit?
Life really is made up of little moments. Sometimes they can seem so boring and ordinary and we forget to see how beautiful they are. I have to remind myself to step back and look at the moments of my life. The things that make up me...the things that make me happy, or even sad for that matter...the things that make me feel and try to appreciate them for the gifts that they are.
So, I'm starting my Moments series.
And in honor of Mother's Day (which I know I'm late for), here is a moment of mommyness from my life.
L is 2 years old and lives up to that in every way possible. She is a feisty little fireball with a beautifully sweet personality. She is a joy.
This is our tradition. I am cooking dinner and cleaning up the house.
She comes in and assumes this position:
Then she says, "Again, Mommy!" and I say, "Ready...Set...Go!"
And she goes!
From the living room a few seconds later, I hear "Again, Mommy!"
But, seriously, I've been so excited to get these finished and show you that I'm just not going to wait. =)
Here are my sheets of steel from Mindy Mae's Market all laid out and shiny.
Don't they just give you tingles?
Here is another project I used them for:
This is an idea that has been in my head for a long, long, long time. Really long.
I just couldn't quite figure out how I wanted to do it. I'm still not sure if this is what I wanted, so there may be some tweaking later on, but for now, this is what we've got.
It's a book.
It looks pretty ordinary, right?
Except you can't really tell that the green closure flap there, is magnetic. woo!
Now, if you open it, this is your first glance...
Keep opening, though. There's more. (And this is where it gets really exciting!)
It is an activity book!
There is a big pocket to hold big things and, of course, the fancy magnetic page.
That's where the action would happen.
Then, of course, 4 smaller pockets to hold even more magnetic fun!
Here now, is where I need some advice. I am trying to figure out what activities to fill those beautiful pockets with.
I've already started working on some magnetic paper dolls (which are awesome, by the way...keep watching for that post!), but what else might a 3 (almost 4)-year-old and 2-year old enjoy?
I don't believe I have ever known such a sweet and tender person. She is friendly. She is loving. Every person she sees, especially other little girls, are automatically, without hesitation, considered friends.
She is like me: Emotional, meticulous, a rule-follower, organized, a planner.
She is not like me: Her hair is blonde!
I love her so. I love talking with here and hearing the thoughts running through her busy mind. I love that several times a day she will call out to me, "Mommy! I love you!"
Do you ever just get so caught up in something that everything else kind of disappears?
Yeah, me too. I didn't even mean to this time! The second round for American Crafter is "House of Order" and it has got me spinning with ideas on all the order my house could be in. I am almost done with my project now, and I'm actually feeling very satisfied by it, but it is kind of a miracle that I've gotten anything else done!
I didn't realize how distracted I have been by this project until last night when I was putting O to bed. In an effort to stall her bedtime, she was making up things to tell me. Then, as I was leaving the room, she said, "Mama? Do you mind...um, can we have a date tomorrow?"
So, today, we planned a date.
While putting my things in order (not for the project, just in general...the organizing thing is kind of addicting!), I came across this little kit I bought on clearance (50 cents!) at the end of the Halloween season last year.
So, our first order of business was to decorate.
Sorry about the blurriness of the pictures. She was so excited, I couldn't get her to hold still!
Here is our mantle:
Then, we put up a "tent,"
Popped popcorn,
And watched a movie.
It was a good time.
I apologize if I have neglected any of you with my distraction. If it helps, feel free to put up a tent, pop popcorn, and watch a movie while imagining I'm there with you. I don't mind.
