When we woke up this morning, we were greeted by these….. …. sprouts of basil from our indoor herb garden!! To celebrate, we read the book Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. What a fabulous find this book turned out to be, and I highly recommend it if you have any junior gardeners in […]
Junior Stamp Collecting
September 28, 2009 by
This little gem of an activity was inspired by a recent package that arrived for Mark all the way from Hong Kong. Emily was enthralled with the stamps, so I thought I would introduce her to my old stamp collection from when I was a kid. My dad has a much larger collection, so it […]
Indoor Herb Garden
September 24, 2009 by
Starting this indoor herb garden was such a fun project for Emily and me, and we are especially looking forward to having some fresh basil to add to our homemade pizzas! Thanks to a few items from Target’s $1 section, this was very inexpensive and surprisingly not nearly as messy as I had anticipated. The […]
Sunday Snapshot — (Parent-Powered) Blanket Swing
September 13, 2009 by
And in other news… We are looking forward to some impromptu (and frugal) celebrating for my birthday! This post is linked to Family Friday.
Review and Giveaway — Printies Design Studio Kits
September 12, 2009 by
When I was contacted by Printies Design Studio Kits to do a review and giveaway, the concept intrigued me. Emily was able to create her own stuffed animal with very little help from either Mark or me and she was quite happy with the results! Here’s how it works: First, your child gets to design […]
Write to Grandma Kit
September 9, 2009 by
Emily loves writing letters to Grandma, so we put together a little letter writing kit to encourage this important task! This is a fun way to celebrate Grandparent’s Day (Sept. 13th). Somehow I had accumulated a tremendous amount of stationery over the years, and Emily enjoyed going through my collection to pick out cards and […]
Rainy Day Fun — Reusable Art Mat
September 8, 2009 by
Emily wanted to draw with sidewalk chalk this afternoon, but Clara was taking a nap so I didn’t want one child outside while the other was indoors. So we compromised using a shower curtain liner as a reusable art mat. It worked beautifully! The vinyl shower curtain liner was only $1 from Big Lots, and […]
Poor Man’s Planetarium
August 28, 2009 by
It was a cloudy, wet, and rainy evening here. That didn’t stop us from doing a little star gazing! The stars were so close… we could almost reach up and touch them! Coming up… more fun reviews/giveaways from our new sponsors, including some delightful pretend play toys from www.AllChildrensFurniture.com. Their website features fabulous children’s bedding, […]
Light-Up Fireflies
August 25, 2009 by
This was a fun before-bedtime craft that Emily enjoyed. It’s easy, and mess-free too! She loved seeing all the fireflies light up in the picture! To make your own light-up fireflies, you will need: black construction paper, yellow tissue paper, scissors, chalk, and tape. Cut holes out of the black construction paper for the bodies, […]
Easy Flower Painting
August 24, 2009 by
We have been enjoying these beautiful little pockets of time when Clara is taking a nap (hooray for naps!) and Emily and I find a fun project to work on. Emily enjoyed this simple painting project so much that she made two of them! To make your own flower painting you will need: a cork, […]
Crafting with Recyclables – Napkin Rings
August 21, 2009 by
Here’s a craft that is sure to make meal time just a bit more fun! Emily fell in love with this cherry-printed ribbon the minute she first saw it. The red napkins were a clearance bargain from Target during their after-Christmas sale. To make your own napkin rings, you will need a paper towel roll, […]
More Fun with Post-Its
August 5, 2009 by
Inspired by Color Me Katie, we did our own version of a fun photo shoot. Emily loved this! Who knew Post-Its and a wall could be so much fun??
Rapunzel, Rapunzel…
July 28, 2009 by
Emily has been asking me since yesterday if we could please make this craft found in the lovely book Crafts From Your Favorite Fairy Tales by Kathy Ross. This was one of the first books Emily borrowed from the library with her new library card! When she plays with toys like this, she does this […]
Glittery Gem Dough
July 27, 2009 by
If your child loves bling, glitter, or all things sparkly (who doesn’t??), here’s an activity that sure to be a big hit! To make your own glitter gem dough, you will need: 1 cup rock salt 1/4 cup glitter glue 3-4 drops food coloring Emily did all the measuring for this, with the exception of […]
Easy Block Printed Letterhead
July 26, 2009 by
Ever since we made block prints using foam meat trays, Emily has been asking for more stamping projects. This letterhead stationary is perfect for letters to Grandma, and we plan to use some for our Super Summer Swap too! To make your own block printed letterhead, you will need: Large Craft Sticks Small Foam Stickers […]
Celebrating Milestones
July 23, 2009 by
Two very important milestones were celebrated today: 1. Emily’s very own library card!! We finally got to the point where all of her books were cutting into my quota. Having a card of her own means she can check out plenty of materials, teaches valuable lessons in responsibility, and promotes lots of free and educational […]
Pretend Play on a Dime — Movie Day
July 22, 2009 by
After Emily and Clara went off to bed last night, Mark and I got to work on this ticket booth made from cardboard, masking tape, a tension curtain rod, an old curtain, some scraps of gold wrapping paper, a foam meat tray, and some LED Christmas lights. When Emily found it this morning, she was […]
