Valentine's Fun

Now that Morgan is in KG we are enjoying all sorts of new experiences...like the Valentine Box project. I looked on Pinterest and Google for ideas and most were so ornate and fancy I was like 'meh.'  I don't want to put a ton of time and money into something that's going to eventually be destroyed, cried over (me, not Morgan), and thrown away. We found some ideas to make a castle and Morgan like the idea. Family collaboration (Jack mostly was there to annoy us by getting in the way but that still makes him part of the project) resulted in this:

Materials used:

Box taped shut. 

Gold/silver post board (it was gold on one side, silver on the other).

Foam stickers. 

Scissors. 

Glue gun. 

Exacto knife/box cutter. 

Marker. 

We measured and cut poster board to fit and glue to box. I started out with Mod Posge which almost always makes me angry so I busted out the glue gun. For the side towers I cut details then rolled up and glued together, then glued to box. Michael (who is much better with sharp things than me) used an exacto knife to cut door (for cards to go in). I used a marker to draw a few details like windows and write Morgan's name. Morgan decorated with the foam stickers. Done. 

With leftover poster board I made cards to send to family:

We each dipped our thumb in red paint to create a 'heart.'  Cheesy and adorable. I'm shocked and pleased Michael participated. 

Easy DIY party decor

I love going all out for my kiddos' birthdays. My husband has to give me a budget and remind me to keep things under control otherwise I would buy unicorns and kidnap superheroes. 

So I've learned to be creative with party decorations. Most of them I make myself. 

For example:

Pardon my poor photography skills but working with a cranky old iPhone is a challenge. 

The banners add something special and kids love them. I took an index card and made a pattern to trace, traced onto pink and purple computer paper that I had leftover from my days of teaching high school, cut out the banner, hole punched, then used yarn through the holes. So simple. You can also write on them:

I wrote the birthday girl's name on this one. The ends have paper doilies threaded on. 

I also like to use tulle for decorations. And lots of balloons. 

I weaved bright pink, light pink, and purple tulle through the light fixture and added balloons to the top. Morgan thought it was magical. I keep the tulle to use for other projects. 

The best part about this is that you can do any color combo and you're not at the mercy of whatever a party store has to offer. 

Create a Christmas 'wish list' without a bunch of 'stuff'

It's almost Christmas!!!! I love this time of year!  Everybody is so happy and generous (unless you are at Walmart on Black Friday at 4am fighting over an X-box). And it's my favorite clothing season: long sweaters, leggings, boots. 

It's also that time of year when I start seeing Facebook posts like 'what do you buy the kid that has everything?' or 'anybody have suggestions on what to get a 5 year old for Christmas?'

First of all let's be so grateful that our children have way too much. 

And then let's take some of it away. 

I'm not kidding and I'm not evil. 

I've read several articles and books by John Rosemond about 'common sense parenting' that have really helped open my eyes. One of the main things that really hit home was the fact that when children have a ton of toys, they play with none of them. Why? Because it's overwhelming!! Think about how you feel walking into a Yankee Candle Store; so many smells!  It's overwhelming!  And there's not just a simple 'apple' scent (my favorite) - there's pumpkin apple, apple pie, apple spice, red apple, green apple, rotten apple, happy apple (okay so I don't know exact names of scents but you get the idea).  I smell them all and then my nose gets confused so I leave the store and go buy a cinnamon pretzel instead. 

That's how kids feel when they have too many toys. They can't decide what to play with, so they play with nothing. 

I know we live in a competitive society where we want our children to have the same things as every other kid (and more!) and some of us feel like buying our kids crap expresses how much we love them.  Or some of us have children that can work that guilt - 'mommmmm if I owned this I just know I would love it forever and it would be special and every time I play with it I would think of you' (well I might be translating 'mom I want this' all wrong but that's how my brain works when it comes to my kids) - so you buy it and then it gets tossed into the mound of untouched toys in your home. Sigh. 

So I've been majorly downsizing our toy collection this fall. My rule is if doesn't get played with more than once a month, it gets sold through online yard sale sites. Many of these transactions have been secretly done right under my kids' noses and I'm getting so skilled at this I feel like a drug dealer. Of course as soon as you try to get rid of a toy it becomes your child's 'favorite toy in the whole world and they can't go on living unless that toy is part of the unplayed toy mound.'

Trust me; they get over it. They usually don't even know those toys are gone. 

So what do I suggest keeping for you kiddos to play with?  Well I'm a teacher with lots of childhood education and development courses under my belt, my mom just retired from teaching 40 years of KG and 1st grade, and John Rosemond is my parenting guru; so with a combined knowledge from these resources here are my suggestions for Christmas:

1.  Toys that I consider 'educational' or 'I'm raising a future engineer' - toys that require kids to THINK and use their imagination and their hands:

-wooden building blocks - even babies can stack them up and knock them down. It's great fun apparently. 

-Legos / Mega Blocks - these come in all sizes for all ages!

-kinetic sand - this stuff is so cool! 

-Lincoln Logs

-Tinker Toys

-puzzles

2.  Artsy fartsy stuff. Toys and crafts that encourage creative and imaginative thinking skills and helps with hand-eye coordination:

-paper - Yep; simple paper. Lots of colors and textures. Lined paper to help them practice writing skills. Plain paper for them to draw on, paint on, cut up, glue, fill plastic ornaments with, etc. 

-stuff to use on all that paper - penciled, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, chalk, glue, blunt scissors, stickers, stamps, etc. 

-any other supplies to use for art projects - glitter, popsicle sticks, cotton balls, scraps of fabric; you would be amazed at the stuff little ones can create when given a selection of supplies. 

3.  Toys that I consider 'role play' items:

-dinosaurs - boys and girls go crazy about dinosaurs! 

-baby dolls - for girls AND boys!! Boys that play with babies are being daddies! 

-doll house with simple furniture - my daughter and son both love playing in my doll house Santa brought me in 1987. 

-Barbie style dolls - Morgan has the entire disney princess collection. The princesses spend the majority of their life naked though so be prepared. Kids love stripping clothes off dolls. 

-train table - for boys and girls!! Both of my kids love their train table. 

-cars, trucks, trains - once again, boys and girls enjoy pushing these around. 

-stuffed animals

-dress up clothes - for boys and girls!  So much fun to dress up like a fireman or porn star (okay so she was a fairy princess but I swear she looked more like a drag queen porn star that evening...)

**important public service update: items in the 'role play' category tend to be items that end up in the toy mound. Be sure to keep quantity under control or the little humans will get overwhelmed. 

4.  Outdoor toys

-bikes, tricycles, big wheels, scooters, wagons; anything with wheels that can be ridden, pushed, pulled. 

-sand box table - love the table option because they can stand and play 

-water table - what kid doesn't love a water mess?

-trampoline - purchase at your own risk. Many parents are against buying one but I love them. They are calorie burning kid exhausters. 

-bubbles - ummm bubbles make kids go looney 

-swing set

-play house

-dump trucks, shovels, pails, anything that they can dig and pile dirt into.

-sidewalk chalk

-hoppers - those ball things that kids jump on. I let my kids use it in the house. It's a kid exhauster. 

-balls, ball gear - soccer, kick ball, basketball, football, etc. 

5.  Electronics - don't be in denial. My kids had my iPhone masters by 6 months. We live in a world full of technology and your kids have to keep up. 

-Leap Frog anything - great stuff. We love the LF readers - the books with reading wand. 

-kindle, iPad, nook, whatever else is out there that I don't know of. Morgan got an iPod touch as her 'big sister gift' when she was 3 and a kindle last Easter when she was 4. There are soooo many educational apps and games and you can find great stuff for them to watch on YouTube (check out the British series called Numberjacks). 

-video game systems - there's nothing wrong with letting your child play wii or PS or X-box. It helps with hand-eye coordination. However; please monitor how much time your child spends playing games. Morgan is 5 and is terrible at video games and we don't have time to play Mario Kart just so she can watch, so for now our wii, X-box, and PS3 are used to play movies. 

-computer - not that your child should have his/her own PC but they need access to one because starting in KG they will be using computer skills. 

6.  Brainy toys

-books!! Any and all books!! Both of my kids love books and have their favorites. Jack is obsessed with a DK My First Dinosaur Book and Morgan has always been a fan of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

-games - we introduced board games to Morgan when she was 3. Candyland, Giess Wjo, Chutes and Ladders are all favorites. Of course there are also games like Doggy Doo Doo that kids love and parents hate. Our dog is always constipated. 

-telescope

-microscope

-globe, wall map

I'm sure I've left out lots of stuff in each category but ya'll get the idea right?  Get your kids stuff that inspires them to use their imagination and be hands-on. Some popular toys this year are Doc McStuffins dolls that walks and pulls her medicine cart (uhhhh okay...so my kid can watch the doll walk? That's it?) and Lalaloopsy diaper surprise where you feed the doll and she poops out a charm for a bracelet (wait WHAT?!). I think I will pass on both of those. 

Also encourage your kids to enjoy 'practical things' - Morgan wants a bedside table for her room. It's her main request this year because she's 'tired of not having anywhere to put her tissues next to her bed.'  Jack got a 'big boy bed' for Christmas because he's 2 and doesn't know any better. 

Keep it simple! Don't overwhelm your kids with STUFF. 

Monster Munch nom nom nom

So Morgan is in KG this year which brings lots of exciting new things, like snack time!  There are 27 kids in her class (poor teacher) and they rotate who gets to bring in snack each day. Morgan got to take a snack first day of school so we got on Pinterest and she selected some complicated snack where you build a robot using a juice box and applesauce and a few other things. We drew and taped and stacked the robots in a box and they basically all fell apart by the next day and Morgan didn't even get to enjoy the snack because she sprained her ankle and I had to pick her up early. Sigh. 

Well this past week it was Morgan's snack day again and since it's close to Halloween, we researched some themed snacks that mommy could master and settled on a modified version of 'monster munch' that kept popping up on Pinterest. 

My version of Monster Munch:

2 bags of pretzels (twisty or straight or both)

1 box honey nut Cheerios type cereal

1 box honey Chex cereal 

1 box Cheezits

1 can mixed nuts or peanuts (obviously check for allergies or you'll be crucified)

2 bags mini marshmallows

2 bags candy corn

1 bag candy pumpkins

In a big bowl mix it all together. Done. 

You could also add raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, whatever you think might make a good munch. 

Then we divided it all into 27 baggies that we had decorated to look like monsters by cutting out teeth and eyes to decorate and glue on. 

Voila:

They were decorated by a 5 year old who had a blast. And lots of eyes and teeth fell off by the next morning because I need to find something other than a glue stick for these projects. 

Morgan says it was a big hit other than the fact that I forgot to send napkins. 

Hey, I'm not perfect. 

Lazy couch cleaning

When we bought our first home 4 years ago we were all excited to upgrade our furniture. Our living room set we had in our townhouse apartment consisted of a couch my husband bought off a college professor that had no legs and a broken arm held in place with a 1980s side table wedged up against it, matching 1980s coffee table, and recliner that I swear was found on the side of the road even though Michael insists it came from a yard sale. 

Fancy stuff, if you live in a frat house. 

So when we bought our house and decided to purchase grownup furniture we found a nice sectional, coffee table, and corner tv stand. We trained the cats to stay off of it and swore never to eat on the couch. 

Then one kid turned into two kids and life got crazy and the next thing I knew my nice new couch started getting covered in snot trails, crusted pizza sauce, dried bananas, and some very questionable substances, not to mention the smells that rub off stinky kids and husband who woller all over it. 

I always worry about using cleaners because they can sometimes leave spots and are full of chemicals that make my kids itchy. Plus I don't have time to spray, scrub, and dry. 

I figured out a simple easy cheap way to clean my microfiber couch. 

Fabreeze

Baby wipes

That's it. 

First remove all trains, princess dresses, and bottles of vodka. 

Next lightly spray your entire couch and pillows with Fabreeze. Don't soak it because your family is standing in line waiting to jump back on there.  

Then use simple cheap baby wipes to wipe it all down. We use member's mark wipes from Sam's Club. Be sure to scrub hard on those crusty spots. I promise they will come right out! 

Then you're done. 

Couch smells fresh and looks new-ish again. 

If you let your kids run around with Sharpies and scissors then I don't have any advice on how to fix those couch problems. Just drink more vodka. 

Organize those toys (be crazy like me)

I love organizing things. Some would say I'm a little obsessed. Back in my teaching days my sick drawer was organized by color...and socks were folded. Before you roll your eyes, just think about all those times you were running late and digging through your drawers looking for a pair of black socks and then you ended up wearing navy. Imagine pulling out a drawer filled with perfectly organized socks; where navy and black were on opposite ends to avoid confusion. Still rolling your eyes?  Yeah you probably are and that's okay. 

Having kids has brought challenges into my weird world of organization. At first it was okay because baby toys and gear is big and takes up half your house so you really don't have to do much other than avoid tripping over it and clean slobbers off it (ironically I just cleaned slobbers off my leg after typing the world 'slobbers'). 

Then the toys get smaller. And gather in large quantities. And heaven forbid all those small pieces get mixed together; how could anybody play with mixed up toys?!

My kids have way too many toys, I admit it. But they honestly play with everything. My daughter is 5 and is at the age where toys get small and come with even smaller pieces, and my son is 2 and likes to see how many pieces he can fit in his mouth before he gets caught. 

So here's some of my organizing strategies:

1. Plastic containers with lids. I use Sterlite brand that I purchase from Family Dollar. 

2. Canvas style storage bins. 

3.  Pretty, but durable, baskets. 

I use the plastic containers with lids for all of Morgan's small collections: Polly Pocket, Barbie shoes, Lalaloopsy minis, Disney Magic Clip dolls, Disney Palace Pets, and so forth. They are mostly stacked up in her room in random places and aren't adding anything pretty to the decor but it's better than tiny pieces all over the floor (have you ever stepped on a Barbie shoe?!) and better than throwing it all mixed together in whatever container. 

I also have larger plastic storage bins that fit under her bed that contain American Girl accessories, Barbies, and Barbie accessories. 

Canvas style storage bins can be used for larger toys collections: My Little Pony, medical kits, dress up items (crowns, purses, wigs). 

Shelves placed inside closets are great for more storage bins, boxes with puzzles, containers with collections that aren't used often (like the nature collection my mom insists my kids have...dead animals mostly). 

Crayons, markers, glue sticks, scissors, and all other art supplies are always on the table ready for my daughter to use and safe away from the toddler hands of my son. 

And since most of my son's toys are still bigger, I use storage baskets all over the place to throw his stuff in while he's not playing with it. 

And yes, my kids actually play with this stuff pretty much on a daily basis. And I am usually sorting and cleaning several times a day.  I do make them help me as much as they can but I noticed if I am constantly on my daughter about cleaning up her toys, she just won't play with them to avoid having to clean them up later.  She plays so creatively with all of her collections, I don't want her to avoid playing out of fear of having to cleanup. After all, they are only little for a short while. Someday I will miss all these little messes. 

Kid Par-tays

You remember birthdays when we were kids?  Cake, usually made by our moms, Kool Aid, maybe some chips, sometimes some balloons, basic plates and napkins.  We ate cake, opened gifts, and played outside until everybody went home.

Simple and fun.

WHAT THE #$&% HAPPENED?!

Have you been to a kid's birthday party lately?  Bounce houses, camel rides, buffets of sugary delights.  And don't forget the THEME.  The theme is extremely important.  It dictates your entire color scheme, activity scheme, and sometimes even food scheme. 

Go on Pinterest and search for any birthday party theme and your jaw will drop at the examples. 

Who are these moms?!  How do they have the time and money to pull off these parties?

After you get over the shock, you give yourself a new goal in life...

become THAT mom.

Why?  Well, because your overly spoiled child who has enough toys to stack to the moon and back will OBVIOUSLY appreciate a special birthday party right?  Let's get this straight; it's not for your kid.  It's for you.  It's a personal challenge to see if you can DO it.  Can you pull this off.  Obviously other moms can do it.  The proof is on Pinterest and Facebook.  Can YOU do it?

I have been to some amazing birthday parties and have been wowed every single time. 

Soooo you wanna see what I can do?  Huh huh huh??

For Jack's first birthday we went with a Superman theme.  He's our Superbaby after everything he went through in the NICU.  I wanted ORIGINAL Superman, not the 'man of steel' stuff that came out with the current movie.  His birthday is the first big one we've had at our house.  We usually do birthdays with friends and family in my hometown.  But we've lived here long enough that we have enough good friends to celebrate with now.  AND Jack has a summer birthday.  YAY! 

So I couldn't find any original Superman party supplies...I had to make them.  I bought red, yellow, and blue plates and napkins and such.  I made the decorations using cardboard and yarn.  I made his party hat.  My husband made red, yellow, and blue cupcakes.  I made the cupcake holder.  I made a tutu and hair bow for Morgan. We rented a bounce house.  Honestly, it was a blast planning and preparing and decorating.  Here are some pictures:

It was a lot of fun!  We had about 40 people over for a cookout.

Then it was Morgan's birthday and I decided to try to have a party for her at our house.  Out of all of the themes she could pick from (Frozen, Rapunzel, pink princess) she decided on Sheriff Callie's Wild West, a brand new show on Disney Jr.  Sigh.  I had to get creative.  I went with a brown/pink theme and obviously cowgirl.  I shopped around at party stores and online and pieced together a Sheriff Callie party for her.  Here are some pictures:

AAAAANNNND we had an ice cream sundae bar:

Go me right?!  I am absolutely addicted to making those flag streamers out of scrapbook paper by the way.

Jack turns 2 in 2 days.  I had big plans to do a Wreck It Ralph theme birthday for him....and then I realized I'm tired.  It's been a crazy couple of months around here.  We have no party, no presents, nothing planned for the kid.  

Fail.

But ya know what?  He's 2.  He won't remember right?!  We will do something special for him, and we are planning a family party sometime in the next month 'back home' but I was really excited to decorate for a Wreck It Ralph party....