We’ve been blessed with beautiful weather lately! You know, the kind of weather when it feels like a crime to be spending any amount of time indoors?? Yeah, that kind. As I was just about to do my usual boring reheat the leftovers from last night’s dinner for lunch thing, I looked at Clara and […]
Flip Flop Fun
May 11, 2011 by
Do you like to kick off your shoes at the end of a long day?? Grab a pair of flip flops or other loose fitting shoes, add a hula hoop for a target and voilá — instant lawn game FUN!! Emily loved this excuse to kick off her shoes over….. ….and over….. …and over again! Great active […]
Outdoor Mud Pie Kitchen
May 10, 2011 by
This outdoor mud pie kitchen set was simple and easy to set up. It made my almost 3 year old SO happy to create her own mud pie creations over and over again! Here are a few ideas to make an outdoor mud pie kitchen set of your own: I loved making mud pies as […]
Outdoor Color Match
May 9, 2011 by
For a fun time, put paint chip cards of different colors on a binder ring, and punch a large hole in each shade. Go outside and try to match all the colors!! Clara is always up for any excuse to go outside, so this activity was an instant hit! We brought our swatches to a […]
Sunday Snapshot — Rock Star Gardening!
May 7, 2011 by
Know what makes working in the garden seem like a lot more fun?? Cranking up the radio and gardening rock-star style!! Also?? I play a mean air guitar with a shovel! 😉 Wishing all the mommies a very Happy Mother’s Day!!
Invisible Graffiti
April 29, 2011 by
Love painting, but not a fan of the mess?? Ever have an overcoming urge to paint graffiti around your neighborhood, but don’t want to risk getting in trouble with the law?? Then invisible graffiti is for you!! It’s a piece of white cardboard cut into the shape of a palette with completely dried nail polish […]
Let’s Build a Word!
April 27, 2011 by
A very warm welcome to our newest sponsor, WordWorld!! You may recognize WordWorld from the hit PBS Kids television show, but did you know that they also have several free printables and free eBooks available on their website that are designed to promote early literacy skills? They even have a WordWorld iPhone app available for […]
Happy Earth Day!!
April 22, 2011 by
Emily and I visited a local playground today to pick up some litter and be kind to the Earth. We brought along our friend “Bob”, the trash-eating dinosaur!! Hear him ROAR!!!! Long before we had kids, Bob lived in Mark’s dorm room in college, so he’s a long time friend of ours. Picking up trash […]
Fun Activities for Screen Free Week
April 20, 2011 by
Need a few fun activities to get you through the rest of Screen Free Week?? Here are some of our favorites to get you off the couch and outdoors! Basketballs are soooo over-rated. What you really want to do is play a game of Invisible Basketball — lots of fun!! One of our favorite outdoor […]
Painting with Water
April 14, 2011 by
When I was a kid, I remember walking through the house with a clean, dry paintbrush in hand and in my mind I was totally painting the entire house in bright hues of sky blue, mandarin orange, cotton candy pink, and lime green. On my imaginary bedroom wall, hundreds of “masterpiece” murals were painted!! Fast […]
Sidewalk Butterfly Garden
April 12, 2011 by
Know what makes me very happy??? A brand-spankin’ new box of colorful chalk pastels!!!!! Honestly, I have been waiting ALL Winter to open them so we could…. …create a butterfly garden along our sidewalk!! Emily and I absolutely love sidewalk chalk art! Each section of sidewalk is like a huge canvas, and I would have […]
Cheap Thrills — Lava “Lamp”
April 5, 2011 by
The rainy days of Spring are the perfect excuse to try some easy science experiments!! For a little science fun, fill a small plastic bottle with water and vegetable oil leaving a few inches of space at the top of the bottle. Add a few drops of food coloring, then slowly add a few effervescent antacid […]
Sunday Snapshot — In the Garden
April 3, 2011 by
We have been hard at work on our rented garden plot, and getting ready for Spring! Lettuce, broccoli (Emily’s favorite veggie), and onion seeds are all in the ground… up next, peas!!! Five Reasons to Start a Garden 1. Organic gardening is good for the planet. 2. Cancel that gym membership — gardening is great […]
Weekend Rewind — Catching Leprechauns
March 12, 2011 by
St. Patrick’s Day will soon be here! Here’s a festive and frugal activity Emily and I did last year, and it made our neighbors and letter carrier SMILE. Have fun!! In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we thought it would be fun to lure some leprechauns into our house for good luck. Armed with a […]
Sunday Snapshot – Imagination Takes Flight
February 27, 2011 by
This weekend we used our Makedo kits to build planes from empty diaper boxes! The girls had great fun as flying aces! Oh, the excitement!! The adventure!!! They soared so high! It was death-defying!! Check out the look on Clara’s face after coming out of a loop!! Have fun!! More Screen-Free Fun for Kids: […]
How to Take a Mini Vacation
February 24, 2011 by
Looking for an inexpensive vacation?? Want to just get away from it all?? Tired of being treated like cattle at traditional airports? Then it’s time to take a mini vacation! Here’s how… in just 10 easy steps! Step 1: Pack your bags!! — This is crucial to that feeling of leaving it all behind, and […]
Build a Flower Activity Set
February 23, 2011 by
Inspired by this post on Made by Joel, I thought Emily would enjoy a flower building toy of her own. There was just one small problem — I’m not skilled at woodworking…. yet! Though I have plans to explore that little hobby soon! But I didn’t let that stop me…. It’s basically a recycled cardboard […]
Creative Ways to Play with Ordinary Toys
February 22, 2011 by
I had a wonderful time visiting NBC’s studios in Philadelphia this morning to demo new ways to play with old toys on The 10! Show!! Special thanks to Molly, a sweet girl from today’s audience, who was a big help with this. I think you’ll love how she rocks out on our homemade rhythm set! […]
