Here’s another activity to add to the list of things to do with the kids this Summer — Make your own water pistol target range! Emily and Clara had such a GREAT time with this, and it’s super easy to set up. Start by stacking some paper cups into a pyramid shape, as shown below. […]
Favorite Fall Recipe and.. A Giveaway!
October 10, 2011 by
Last night I thought it would be fun to try something different for dinner, so I picked a new recipe from the Slow Cooker Classics from Around the World cookbook — Chardonnay Pumpkin Sausage Sauce. It was a BIG hit!! I loved it because it was quick, and very easy to make. It’s perfect for […]
Our Summer Bucket List
July 8, 2011 by
I thought it would be fun to share our Summer Bucket List today — which seems to grow longer by the minute, as I keep adding things to the list! Many of these activities are either very low cost or free (yay!!), and the kiddos are really looking forward to crossing things off of the […]
Easy Space Walk
August 19, 2010 by
This afternoon I made up some simple stencils for Emily to make up her own outer space scene in our driveway using sidewalk chalk — we had so much fun!! We traced some plates for planets…. … and colored everything in, and then it was time to……… ……launch into OUTER SPACE!!!! Weeeeeeeeeee!!!! Look out for […]
Pretend Car Wash
August 18, 2010 by
Inspired by Emily’s recent request for a car wash toy, both of the girls were kept busy for a long time with this pretend car wash activity, and they had a lot of fun! To make up the cars, I pressed down on a sheet of inexpensive craft foam with car and truck shaped cookie […]
Look What Came in the Mail!
June 22, 2009 by
A few days ago, I signed Emily up for a letter/artwork exchange with a 3 1/2 year old girl named Lu from 4 Crazy Kings. Mama King has a fabulous blog over there, and it is definitely worth checking out. Emily was so excited to receive her letter, and quickly went to work on a […]
Homemade Hockey Table
February 26, 2009 by
This is how we spent our morning — designing our own hockey table, and it was so easy! Emily had a blast, and is still planning to devote the rest of the afternoon to table hockey. A few years ago, one of our neighbors had a moving sale and sold this fabulous coffee table to […]
Frugal Fun with Music
February 20, 2009 by
This afternoon we made musical instruments from recyclables. This was a big hit and Emily is still making lots of new sounds with her drum, guitar, and shaker. We made the drum with an empty oatmeal canister. If you saw this post, you would understand why we have a lot of these! This version of […]
Indoor Sandbox
February 15, 2009 by
One of the things Emily misses the most about Spring and Summer is playing outside in her sandbox. I created an indoor version that was a big hit for both of my girls. You might already have an inflatable pool (most likely it is hanging out in the garage for the winter). We brought ours […]
What Valentine’s Day Is Really About…
February 10, 2009 by
This afternoon I took the girls to a retirement community to give the residents there some much needed company this time of year. In return, Emily and Clara received TONS of attention. Emily made a Valentine placemat with some construction paper and stickers, and then proudly showed it off to the residents while they were […]
The Money Garden
February 7, 2009 by
Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? This $10 seed investment boasts that it can yield over $650 worth of vegetables on just one tenth of an acre! For more gardening tips, see my recent post Garden Planning.
Frugal Fun Outdoors – Snow Painting
February 6, 2009 by
This afternoon, Emily and I took some spray bottles filled with a few drops of food coloring and some water to do snow painting. This was a big hit! I had to bribe her with some hot cocoa to get her to come back inside. I helped her spell her name out in the snow… […]
Frugal Way to Occupy Kids During Football
January 18, 2009 by
Trying to watch the football game on TV and looking for a frugal way to keep the kids entertained? I thought this would be a fun topic, since the Super Bowl is coming up! Thanks to ThriftyCraftMama for posting about this fabulous frugal activity that will keep kids occupied all through the game. (Worked well […]
Thrift Store Finds — Woo Hoo!
January 17, 2009 by
I have been on the look-out for next year’s holiday dresses for the girls, and at the thrift store today I found these gorgeous dresses (in next year’s sizes)! Aren’t they beautiful? Emily’s cost just $4.99! Clara’s was $3.99, but they had a sale for 50% off all blue tagged merchandize, making this cute dress […]
The Invention Kit
January 16, 2009 by
Several of the crafts Emily and I create are products of the Invention Kit. We love recycling materials and finding new uses for things, so we set aside a separate box with things that might be useful for future projects. Here are some of the things we keep in the Invention Kit: Egg Cartons […]
Family Drawing Time — Portraits
January 12, 2009 by
Wow! This is my 100th post already!! Want to know how your kids really see you? Try a family portrait day! Each member of the family takes turns drawing everyone else. This makes for some interesting artwork, especially from the little ones. Here are some of Emily’s drawings: From Left to Right: Me (what […]
Audacity — Create Your Own Audio Books on CD
January 7, 2009 by
This past Christmas, my mother-in-law made a fabulous set of audio book recordings on CD for Emily. I consider these priceless heirloom gifts. Emily calls the CDs “Grandma Music”. Char choose three or four bedtime story books and recorded herself reading them using a program called Audacity. You can download Audacity for free by clicking […]
Family Painting Time
January 6, 2009 by
Looking for some good quality time spent together as a family? Try scheduling family painting time! All of us look forward to this when Mark comes home from work. After dinner, we clear off the kitchen table and spread out the paints, brushes, and paper. Altogether it was about an hour’s worth of creative time […]
