Magnetic Paper Dolls

I have a great project for a rainy day. You and your little girl can have a blast making and playing with these magnetic paper dolls!

Supply list:
Betsy McCall Paper Dolls
Sticky backed magnetic sheet (any craft store)
Scissors
Printer
Paper (thick paper is best)

With the above Betsy McCall link you can download as many paper dolls and from whatever era of fashion you want! It is super fun to look at all of the funky paper dolls from the 50s and 60s.
I put mine into paint and cut and pasted them closer together and then printed the off on cardstock paper.
Once you have them printed off cut them out with a nice thick white boarder and stick them to your magnetic sheet.

Then, cut them out creating a thinner white boarder. It is alot easier to cut if you cut on both paper and magnetic sheet, and I think having a white boarder on the finished look looks the best.

You can use them on the fridge, an old mint canister or get creative on a thin sheet of metel. I am planning some kind of framed metal sheet so I can incorperate a bed and other household items.

 

 

Letter Eggs

Easter themed learning activity!
James is doing really well with the sounds of the letters but is still having trouble recognizing the uppers and lowers as the same letter.
This activity is great for learning which letters go together, patience, and a dash of color matching! 

Lillian has a better idea as to how to play this game!

Egg Carton Counting

I found a great use for an old egg carton! I added numbers to the bottom, 1-12, and gave James a pile of Cheerios. He loved it and really loved getting to eat the cherries as we finished the rest of our school work!

Miss-matched painted toddler shoes

Oh what a little creativity and a cheep mommy can do!

I love the Chooze brand of miss-matched kids shoes but I am so not paying 45.00 bucks for kids shoes! Yes, yes I know I am cheep!

Anyway! I ran across some white canvas Mary Jane style shoes at hobby lobby and decided to get crafty with my bad self and make some!
Cut to an hour later and a paint pen fume headache, and "voila!" fabulous shoes!!

All you need are some canvas shoes (hobby lobby), paint pens, and some clear spray paint sealer.

As a side note the paint pens can bless so watch that and don't get the spray on the soles, it makes them super sticky

Baby leggings

I love me some baby legs, the brand that is. Unfortunately, I want more colors and patterns than they have, I also am really really cheep so I don't want to pay for them!
They are super cute under a skirt and are the bomb for potty training.
I also really want some with legs but you can't find them! So i am making my own new and Tiffany improved baby legs!

You need:
-Knee high women's socks (I find them 3 for around 6 bucks at walmart)
-sewing machine
-needle and thread
and a roll of tulle if you want to make the tutu legs

Cut out the middle (use a current sock for measure) and then sew the toe and body of the sock together. Easy peasy!

Another fun one is a Tutu baby leg!

I am seriously it love with these bad boys!

Get the women's knee high sock of your choice and cut off the foot. If you want to leave it with out the tutu sew along the edge with a zig-zag stitch pulling as you go. It makes a nice wavy edge and is really cute.

 

If you wan the Tutu edge leave it raw and sew together two elastic loops your kids approximate ankle size.



Then just like if you were making a full size tutu loop strips of tulle until the elastic is covered.

Last, but not least, hand sew the tutu to the bottom of the sock.

I suggest sewing from the bottom as apposed to down the middle of the tutu. It hides the stitches and keeps the tulle out of your way. 

Dr Seuss Birthday Week

In honor of the great writer and illistrator that we all have learned so much from, we are having a Dr Seuss week of crafts, stories and learning games topped off with a party at the Shoals Children's museum.
I think Dr Seuss has a place in everyone's heart! He is a wonderful artist and writes deceptivly deep liturature. I know I want to collect all of his books for my kids to enjoy and learn from.

Our own finicky fish in a bowl will be watching over our Seussian mayhem!

 

One fish, two fish hands

Seuss inspired rhyming match game.

 

Truffula tress using tissue paper and stickers and a fun game of magnetic fishing!

 

 

 

If you are in the area join us at the Children's Museum of the Shoals for Dr Seuss Birthday Party!

 

 

Read aloud book

Reading to kids it a wonderful way to promote literacy, to grow a love of learning that will serve them the all their lives. My husband and I have always read to our little bits, even when they were too little to understand! We both love to read and think it is the best gift, besides a love of the Lord, that we can give to our children.

I love reading the little bedtime books, some of which are truly wonderful, but I would really love to read something with a little more story. So I am going to starting a reading a chapter book aloud. I tried this before and it didn't really take off. I looked up read aloud books and picked Peter Pan, I even showed him the movie to get him in the mood for the book. Unfortunately it is a very old book and while I am sure the kids of the time found the style and wording very enthralling, my kid did not, I even found it a bit tongue tying at times.
So this time I picked My Father's Dragon. It is about a little boy who goes off the the Wild Island to save a misused baby dragon. (sounds just about right for my little Attila the Hun!!)
I am happy to report that he loves it so far and is already play acting the first couple of chapters that we read today.

Nailed it!





www.goodreads.com
If you are interested in a good chapter book for your little bits this is a great site. It has wonderful list and links to book buying sites for when you have found the on you want. It also looks like you can create your own lists of future reads.

Ants Alive!!!

We are doing My Father's World kindergarten curriculum this year. We are working at it more slowly because James is only 4, so I am hoping to finish around Christmas. Even so I am behind in the live animal portions of the lessons. The bug lesson (which we have already passed) called for an ant farm. Well procrastination ensued until I have FINALLY got the ants and put them in their home.
I am really glad I didn't wait any longer to open the package than 2 day because the ants were live ants not eggs or something, which is what I assumed they where. We all know what happens when you assume! Haha!
Anyway James was terrified and wasn't going to help me. (Back story: I thought he would find the story of man eating ants in Africa weird and cool not nightmare inducing)
Long story short we stuck the ants in the fridge for 10 seconds to calm them and QUICKLY deposited them into the ant hill. Full disclosure mom was a little freaked out too!
All we have to do now is watch them and hope they don't stage a revolution in the night...seriously I am a little concerned.

Universal studios trip

We had a fabulous time at Universal Studios in Orlando! My Parents and I ran ragged having an epic amount of fun with the kiddos.
We got to go to the park for 3 days and went to see the Blue Man Group! It was so great to have all that time at the park! We didn't feel rushed and could come and go and see everything with out feeling too run into the ground.
We also picked the best time to visit. It was great weather and there were very very little crowds, so some mornings it felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. The other perk to it being less crowded is of course the lack to wait times. We rode all the rides we wanted and rode them multiple times. I can't tell you how many times in a row the kids rode The Cat Hat ride!
Also, I would totally recommend the Blue Man Group. If you ever get the chance to see them, DO IT! The music is great and they are way fun and funny. I saw them once before in a concert and that seemed to be more music, at Universal they also incorporated more sketch type comedy. It was a blast!

Water taxi that we took back and forth from the resort, I think

the kids thought it was a ride all by itself!

Swimming and playing in the B-E-A-UTIFUL pool area

The Ball Factory in the kids zone at Universal. That and Seuss landing was the kids favorite. 

MIB ride! So much fun shooting the aliens!

 

Hot dogs, marshmallows and star gazing

Finally had a day warm and dry enough for a fire in my swanky new fire pit. We broke out the marshmallows and hot dogs and had a dandy time. ;)
We also got to look at the stars with our new iPad app Night Sky. It is the most fun! You just point the screen at it shows you the names of stars and constilations. It also shows satellites and constellations on the other side of the earth. It is way fun! :)

roasting hot dogs

MMMMMMM! Good!