O's Dance Bag

When we signed O up for tap/ballet classes last week her teacher told us she would need a dance bag. My first inclination was to make a drawstring bookbag with an embroidered ballerina or fairy on it. Then I remembered that I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant and feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and a little irritable. I decided to take the easy way out and applique DANCE onto a canvas bag from Hobby Lobby. This bag was quick and easy to make, and O was thrilled.

O now thinks that all bags should have words on them...she took her bag with a stethoscope and "shotmaker" (syringe) with us to my midwife appointment yesterday (for her baby dolls), and she said it should say "nurse" on it :)

See more on my applique obsession here, here, here, here, and here.

Breakfast Cupcakes :)

We haven't had a "Muffin Tin Monday" in a very long time, but I almost always fix O's breakfast in these silicone cupcake liners. She loves it, and it's fun :) On this particular morning, she had Honeycomb, peaches, watermelon, and blueberries. She also had a cup of yogurt and a refill of her watermelon cups.

Paper Clip/Craft Foam Color Match

We've done several paper clip color match activities, and this is the most recent one. The idea for this activity came from another blog, and as usual I can't find it on my starred items on google reader (that is what happens when you have over 800 starred items!). To make the color match activity, I cut strips of craft foam and hooked them together using a brad. I showed O how to match the paper clips to the craft foam by sliding them onto the foam strips.


This activity was very difficult for O because the craft foam is very bendy. I will probably remake this activity for her using cardstock.

Seashell Sailboats

O and I recently had fun making seashell sailboats to float in the lake. She put a ball of playdough in each shell (we used our homemade chocolate playdough) while I cut the sails out of craft foam. I stuck a toothpick through each sail, and she stuck the toothpick in the playdough. We also made a few boats using bottle tops. Most of the boats did not float...we used too much playdough :) Also, it would have worked better with clay. The playdough dried out and fell out of the shells. The idea for this activity came from Family Fun magazine. The boats we made last summer out of sponges and straws worked MUCH better :)

Martha Stewart Kids' Craft Kits On Sale

I just wanted to let you know that Martha Stewart Kids' Craft Kits are on sale at Walmart. These kits were anywhere from 50 to 75% off. I'm looking forward to making birthday cards with O for upcoming birthdays, making the frames with O for the baby's room, and saving the puppet kit for a quick and easy craft for us to do together after the baby is born.

Handmade Thank You Cards

Last year we used O's gigantic chalkboard to make thank you notes, and this year we decided to make postcards. I cut pieces of cardstock in half and cut the corners with my corner rounder for a more finished look. I wrote the thank you messages on the cards and drew the address lines.


While I was at work, my mom read the thank you notes to O. O thought about the recipient, decided which color they would like best, and painted a picture on the front of the postcard. She was very thoughtful when painting her pictures, and I'm so proud of her.



Now I just have to gather addresses and send them out!

I Survived...

2 very long work days...leaving our house before 6:30 am and getting home a little after 6:30 pm. I am SO glad that I decided to start back to work at the same time as the other school psychologists as it has allowed me to be a part of the planning process for this year's procedures (they change EVERY year!). I would've been SO lost if I'd waited until October to go back to work. It was great to see all of my work friends, and I had time to run errands after work (while waiting for Elliott to get off work since we ride together). I went to the thrift store by my office for the 1st time since May, and that was very exciting. I bought too many children's books and a cute pair of gymboree shorts (for 50 cents). Today I found some great deals at Wal-mart (more on that later) and used a gift card that O was given for her 2nd birthday...oops! Meanwhile, O has had a GREAT time with Guh-guh, and Guh-guh has washed 9 loads of laundry!!!

I'm working on Monday, and I hope that Little Kicker will be born soon after that :) Then I'll only have 37 more days of work for the rest of the school year. Hooray!

How to Make an Air Blower...

O and I made an air blower on Tuesday for our weekly science project. To make an air blower, you need a ziploc bag, 3 or 4 sponges, a straw, and masking or duct tape. O put the sponges in the bag and put the straw between the sponges. We zipped the bag closed, and I taped it closed around the straw. Then we took turns hitting it with our hands and stepping on it to make it blow various objects. It works better with a shorter, straight straw.

We collected several objects from around the house and predicted whether or not they would move when blown. This was a fun and easy experiment :)

Vintage Bunny Baby Shoes

I cringed as I wrote "vintage" since these were MY baby shoes :) However, they are from the 70's (late 70's!), so I guess they may be considered vintage! I was SO excited when we found the 2nd shoe while cleaning my mom's house a few weeks ago. (we found the 1st shoe when O was a baby, and I've been hoping to find the 2nd one ever since.) My mom cleaned them with oxyclean, and they look brand new. I can't wait for Little Kicker to wear them. I think these shoes will probably go into a shadow box once she outgrows them :)

Back to Work

I'm going back to work today. At first I was a little excited about seeing my work friends again before the baby comes, but right now I'm just really tired and wondering how I'm going to make it through the next 13 hours until we are home again. Maybe the extra activity will motivate Little Kicker to come on out and meet us!

A Family Reunion Activity

We hosted our annual family reunion at our house this past weekend, and I don't think anyone was surprised that I had an activity planned for everyone :) I made a sign with the questions "Did you know...?" and "Do you remember...?" on a piece of cardstock along with blank notecards and markers that I put in a basket. I instructed everyone that each person was expected to write at least one notecard with a little known family fact or a family memory. O even wrote a card and read it to everyone. It said "O loves to read," (her version of this :) and she sang and danced as she sang "O loves to read" over and over again. I think my family was shocked that shy, quiet me has produced such an outgoing little performer :)

I was very surprised and pleased by how well received this activity was. Conversations were sparked when people were thinking about what to write, and further stories and memories were sparked when I read the cards after lunch. I plan to put the notecards in a scrapbook and add to it with new memories and facts each year. This activity was inspired by a similar activity in Family Fun magazine.

It's all about Location!

O is always more interested in her toys and activities if they are off her shelf and on a work surface. I rotate various items off of the shelf every few days or so, and put them on this work surface. She hadn't completed this puzzle in a LONG time, but as soon as she saw it on the work surface, she was ready to do it. She was so proud that she made all of the "humans" by herself :)

Decorating Onesies

For our last art project for on Saturday, O and M decorated onesies with fabric markers. I framed off a section of each onesie with masking tape and put a piece of cardboard beneath the top of the onesie. Then the girls started drawing with the fabric markers.

O wanted me to trace her hand on hers.

I need to iron the onesies to set the artwork, and then they'll be ready for the Little Kicker!

Art for Little Kicker

After the girls painted my belly, the girls and Guh-guh painted canvases for Little Kicker's room.

They had lots of fun, and I'm very happy with the results. I think Little Kicker will love them!

Belly Art

After we finished the belly cast, my sister thought we should paint my belly. That sounded like fun to me, so Melanie and the girls got to work! The girls were SO excited!!! They used the tempera paint that O has at her easel. Elliott and O wrote in the paint with their fingers :)