What to do with tons of crayons? Especially those cheap brand crayons that dont work as well as Crayola crayons? Try this! Get a candle or tea light, peel the paper off your crayons, and get some good thick paper. I used watercolor paper. Then hold the end of the crayon over the flame (not in the flame, itll burn the crayon). Quickly put the crayon to paper! Youll have to heat he crayon every time you dot, so it is time-consuming but totally worth it! Heres what we did: I made a number and alphabet poster for Emma. 🙂 You would be surprised how inspiring this is for little learners! The wax is smooth and raised, and the colors so vivid you cant help but touch it. Emma actually started tracing the letters with her finger, saying their names and sounds by herself without my prodding. She loved it!…
What preschooler wouldnt go crazy for hard-boiled eggs shaped like a little bear or car? They turn out just as cute as it looks like they would, too img source I am so putting these on my Amazon wishlist! 🙂 The price is right, too under $5.00 shipped for a set of two! Get the Kotobuki Fish and Car, or the Kotobuki Rabbit and Bear from Amazon.com.
First, let me say that Im loving the new flood of dystopian novels coming into the young adult fiction market. I loved The Hunger Games and cant wait to see what comes in its wake! The first book on my list of new(ish) dystopians is Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt. Revealing Eden has an interesting premise. First, it takes place in the future, when the world has been ravaged by global warming. Many many people have died from what the sun has done to them, mostly those with the whitest skin, and now those that are dark-skinned dominate the earth. Almost everyone lives underground for protection. Its so far into the future that white people are outcasts some of them even cover their skin in a dark pigment so that theyll look black. In this world, only dark skin is beautiful. This is where we meet Eden Newman, almost 18,…
Im one of those moms who cant bear to see certain things go after my kids grow out of them. Isaacs first tiny booties. Emmas sweet classic Pooh bib with the ruffle. Some of our favorite onesies and baby blankets. There are some things that are irreplaceable, you know? You have pictures, but being able to touch them really brings the memories flooding back. For a long time, Ive been planning on making Emma a quilt with her old baby clothes but Ive never made a quilt before and didnt want to practice on those items. So I turned to a company that makes professional quilts, Campus Quilt Company. And I am SO glad I did! But before we get to the great reveal (Im so excited to show you!), I want to show you the process, and how easy it was to have done. This is the kit they…
Okay, I dont have a before photo for you, but Im sure you can use your imagination and picture in your mind what it looked like. Legos, play food, small animals, stuffed animals everywhere in Emmas room! I was trying to keep all of her toys in her little wooden IKEA toy box, and it so wasnt working. First, not all her toys would fit in it, and second, she didnt play with any of her toys because they were too hard to find! You know you need to do some organizing or go through your toys and get rid of some stuff when that happens. So thats what I did. First, I went through the toys, and discovered that we dont really have too many its just that she has a lot of play sets with small pieces that are hard to keep together. Off I went to Target…
I caught this video of Isaac trying without success not to fall asleep in his high chair the other day Do you have any videos like this? Where is the funniest place your child has fallen asleep?
Who knew there were so many recipes for dishes that could be made in a rice cooker? I sure didnt! I was recently given the opportunity to review this awesome cookbook 300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes by Katie Chin. I love my rice cooker, so I was looking forward to trying some of the recipes and seeing what the book is all about! First, know that there arent many pictures though there are two sets of a few glossy photos of recipes in the middle of the book. Although not top priority for me, glossy pages and pictures with each recipe are one of the things I love in my favorite cookbooks, so I cant help wishing there were more photos in this cookbook. However, that just means there is more room for recipes! The recipes are separated by breakfasts, appetizers, salads, soups, stews and chilis, main dishes and one-pot…
My little guy is 1 year old today. It has been quite the journey getting to the big ONE. I wondered if I would survive his babyhood. He was not an easy baby! In part, that might be because he wanted to be held constantly. It was tiring, but also well, hes a cuddle-bug! How can I not love that? He can be rocked to sleep, he loves to nestle his little head into my neck. He loves his family. Hes such a fun little guy, he makes me laugh every day! He loves to tease and be teased. Lately he has this silly furtive expression he looks down at the ground then peers up at me through his lashes and smiles slowly until hes grinning at me. Its so silly and so heartbreakingly CUTE! Heres a peek at his birthday party: We kept it small, just a short little…
If youre a Facebook fan, you know that Im hosting a giveaway for an Amazon.com gift card on my Facebook fan page! Ive been wanting to do something special for my fans who have been faithful about commenting on my updates, but I also have another reason You see, my Facebook fan page hasnt been too exciting, mainly blog updates. But Im changing that! My new priority is going to be making it a place where I can interact and get to know you all, and where we can talk about whatever enters our brains. I hope youll join me! If my updates on Facebook are hidden, sadly you wont see my gripping status updates OR my flash giveaways. 😉 But Im hoping youll give me a chance to prove my awesomeness and unhide my updates by the way, to do that all you have to do is go to…
Do you like to thrift shop? I admit that I dont have a lot of guts when it comes to elbowing people for a good deal, or showing up at the right times during the week to get the best deals. I dont always know where to go, who to talk to, or even what a good deal is. Well actually, I know more after today. You see, Ive been thinking of getting some summer clothes for Emma before the heat wave hits (okay, way before), and, well, I love shopping. I also love deals. What I dont love is germy thrift stores. Is it just my imagination, or does it seem after youve put your hands on hundreds of pieces of other peoples clothing that your hands are well, almost weighted down with dirt? Note to self: Next time, bring hand sanitizer. So I decided to make a day…