DIY Burlap Door Hanger

I have recently developed an affinity for front door decorating - though I've really never liked wreaths. That's possibly attributable to working at Michael's in college and selling a million of the circular stick variety and seeing soooo many old ladies purchase ones with the broken faux flowers we swept up at night glued on.

When door hangers came out, I thought, "now there is something I'd buy." And then I actually went and priced them and got weak in the knees that they were WELL over my "acceptable" price range. 

So my heart door wreath is made of burlap I already owned, red spray paint I already owned, hot glue, and plastic trash bags from Kroger. Seriously?  WOW!  I cut out a heart, sprayed both sides with a few red coats (sprayed the front side the most), hot glued it except for an opening, stuffed it, and voila!  Now, truth be told, if you get really, really close to it, you can see the difference between mine and one from Hallmark.  Theirs tend to be super saturated in colors, however, I think that is just how many coats of paint you use.  But $50 is still in my pocket and that is all there is to say about that!

Next on the door decorating list: cupcake!

Waldo's been found

Some evenings are easy and most are hard. I'm trying to figure out what makes the easy ones easy...moods of the parents? (uh hum, the Mama?) Whether the child has had a good nap?  What we had for dinner?  Who knows. Slowing down, trying to do less, trying to be more intentional - those are a few of my goals for coming home from work. When all that happens, I'm able to catch more moments like this one - which is one I don't ever want to forget. 

All too often, I'm the one rushing, demanding, (ordering?), frustrating.  I'm the one asking too much of a little guy who is just glad to be home all together.   This Waldo picture occurred while bath water was running, phones were ringing, and I was watching the clock for how late it was getting.  But I'm so glad I stepped back for a second and took the time to interact - to promise to make him a red and white striped shirt - and to laugh at Waldo finally being found.

Back to school

I find joy in these pictures of Calvin heading to his first day of preschool. I planned to snap a photo or two on the morning of his big day, but I just had no idea he'd ham it up so much. He was turning, posing, lifting hats, squealing with delight. Who wants to send that kid to school? Just keep him home and hug him all day instead. I was the only parent present for the show he put on and I kept looking around like "why am I the only one here?" I'm the mom, though, and there's something a bit special about being the only one there to witness your sweet and precious son being a goof.

Chocolate soup

This is an activity I did with Calvin when he was a bit shy of 2 years.  He's now well into his 3rd year and he still requests the "balls with the water and spoons."

All you need is the wiffle type balls with holes, a towel, a strainer or spoon, and then a collander or other bowl.  A young child has a pretty fantastic time stirring the balls and working on the coordination skills needed to scoop them out.  An older child will do that, and then he'll make chocolate soup out of the whole concoction - adding salt and pepper and asking you to do a taste test. All in all, a great activity the first time we did it & it continues to be a good thing to pull out every now and then.

Child's Wall Art

I love displaying Calvin's art from school & home, of course, but it can quickly overwhelm one's fridge. This clever idea was found in Family Fun Magazine (was it April or May 2011?). I just spray painted some cheap old frames & took the glass and backing off.  Hang those on the wall.  Then, hang a little nail in the top center of the frame with a tiny binder clip hanging off the nail.  Now you have a way to display your child's "newest" art pieces in a way that won't junk up your fridge. Genius, Family Fun Mag - I do love you so.

Play Tent

Found this cute, easy project via http://mycakies.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-frame-tent.html. I'm glad to have the "kangaroo climber" phased out at our house and have this sweet little tent in its place. And we already read books in it before naptime today.

Valentine's Day Baking

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays (but not in the cliche way, I promise).  I just really like all the cute, sweet things you can make for this holiday, and, I like doing something for my child and making it a special day for him.  Valentine's Day also lends itself to two of my most favorite things: sugar cookies and garlands! (What's better, exactly?) My post is late, which is a sign of what all is going on in our household of late.  We are moving to a bigger house (yahoooo!) and our current house is in a tailspin of being packed, cleaned out, and prepared.  All that to say, there are great Valentine garland tutorials online for the crocheted garland pictured below. One is here and one is here, and both are super easy to learn and follow! 

These Valentine suckers are really super cute in person. I was impressed.  Got the idea here (and also in this month's Family Fun Magazine). I made 6 and only had two successes, but, I was tired and I don't ever work with candy. Now that I've tried some and know how the candy behaves, I'll be better equipped next year. It's hard to try new things when you are tired, as I'm sure you know!
 

Car Garage

Made from a cereal box and toilet paper rolls, this has been a fun little toy for us this week. I've had the supplies to make this for, hmmm, over 2 months? But I only just sat down and glued it together right before Christmas. The TP rolls are covered in craft paper and all parts were hot glued.

One interesting observation (from my house): I really like to set up little play areas and arrange things in a way that is creatively appealing. When I first set this toy out, I did not do this; I just put it on the living room rug and it didn't get much attention. Then, my son moved it to a little toy chest in his room, and that is where it has been ever since. Since he moved it, I've seen cars arranged on it daily, cars on the window seal, cars on the air vents . . . so cute, he set up this little play area all on his own. But I think it is a good reminder that a cluttered environment can be hard to play in (especially if your child leans toward the tidy side). This toy has now lasted a lot longer than expected, and, since it was free and took 10 minutes, that makes me happy!