Upcycled Jar Project #1

This project was full of trial and error, as some most Pinterest ideas are. When I originally started this project, I was going to paint a label on each jar and decorate it to my liking. The paint I was using wasn’t quite coming out the way I wanted so I scratched that idea (figuratively and literally) and started fresh. I found gray chevron wrapping paper I saved from a gift someone gave Lily and cut a piece the size of the label.  I used Modge Podge in a glossy finish and adhered the paper to the jar. That didn’t quite satisfy my eye either. I decided to try gluing the paper inside the jar for a cleaner finish.

Supplies:

-Glass jars (mason, pickle, salsa, etc)
-Candlestick holders (mine are from the Dollar Tree)

-Wrapping paper (or any type of scrap paper you have)

-Modge Podge (I used Glossy Finish)

-Hot Glue Gun

-Paint brush

First, I washed the jars in the dishwasher to rid them of their pickle and salsa smells. I then soaked each jar in a bucket of water to make the label peel off easier. I know there must be a trick, but I simply used my exacto knife to scrape away all of the remaining label. It was almost therapeutic.

I then cut my paper to the size and fit I wanted. I spread some Modge Podge along the inside of the jar and positioned my paper over it. This step was by far the trickiest and most frustrating. If you use too much glue, it bubbles or pools at the edges. It’s also a tiny space to work with so my hands were cramping and covered in glue. I smoothed out the glue to the best of my ability then let it dry. The finish look still has some bubbles, but overall I am satisfied with this finish the most. 

The last step is to hot glue the jar to your candlestick holder and VOILA! A cute jar for whatever you heart desires. If we had more counter space in our bathroom, I’d probably throw in some q-tips or my eyeliner and mascara. For now, I think I am going to put some fake flowers in them and add them to one of Lily’s shelves in her room. I would love to redo her room with grays and pinks so these jars might end up in there as an inspiration for me.

Happy Crafting!

Mother's Day Projects

A few weeks ago, I downloaded the A.C. Moore app for my phone and was rewarded with a 55% off coupon. The possibilities were endless. I chose a pack of 7 canvasses to use for projects with the kids. I figured once the weather warmed up and we were able to play outside in our patio cage, I could throw some smocks on them, bring out paint and let them go wild! I decided to use a few for Mother’s Day presents from Tristan and Lily. I am quite pleased with the results, and they could not have been simpler to make!

The first one was a trial run with this technique. Using blue painter’s tape, I taped off some lyrics from the Old Crow Medicine Show song “Wagon Wheel”. I used masking tape first, but it kept falling off the canvas and I knew once Lily started painting on it, all my hard work would be lost. (You could also use precut letter stickers, but where’s the fun in that)? I broke out the water colors and let her use whatever color she wanted and she created quite the masterpiece! After it was all dry, I removed the tape and traced the outline of each letter with a black Sharpie to make it pop. I love how it turned out!

For our second canvas pieces, we used water colors again, but this time I only let them use blue to make a sky background. Once those were nice and dry, I painted an arc in yellow in the bottom left hand corner for the sun. Then I painted their chubby little feet yellow and we stamped them on the canvas to make the rays. Using a Sharpie once again, I wrote out “You are my sunshine” and dated the project. I can’t wait to hang these new art pieces up and brighten up our room! 

It's not a diet, it's a seven day challenge..

I saw a seven day diet challenge on the internet and I thought, why not? This could either kick start some healthier living, or after seven days, I’ll binge eat like a mofo. I asked Jordan to join me on this weeklong journey just to see if he could do it as well. I decided that if I posted this challenge to the internet, I’d have to be accountable for what I ate.

THE RULES

NO soda

NO bread

NO red meat

NO alcohol

NO pasta

NO sweets

Citrus fruit daily

6 bottles of water/day

Green veggies

Fish/Chicken daily

30 minute workout

Day One

Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg with hot sauce (hey, I didn’t put in cheese so that’s a plus)!

Snack: 5 baby carrots (raw) with Tribe original hummus

Lunch: Lunch meat turkey and cheese and 1 ½ clemintines

Dinner: Chicken and quionoa stir fry with lentils, snap peas, and teriyaki sauce

I started using the MyFitnessPal app on and off from before Lily was born and then again after, when I was trying to lose weight. From my highest high (not including pregnancy), I have lost about 30 pounds. I fluctuate in a 5-7lb spread weekly, but have managed to keep myself in check by recording what I eat each day. Don’t get me wrong, there are days I am double the calories I am supposed to be eating, and I don’t ever record alcohol or even non-water drinks. But it has worked to keep me on track for the most part. Now that summer is approaching, and it might be the last one I’ll ever want to wear a two piece for (I say that every year), I would like to get my weight down to under the 5-7 swing mark and aim to lose and keep off about 10-15 more pounds before our vacation in July. I try to take the kids for a walk each day, weather depending, and pushing the two of them uphill in the double stroller can make for quite the workout. The hardest part for me will be giving up sweets. And of course, bread. I don’t eat ¼ of as much bread now living here, but growing up we had fresh bread at every meal. Which I put butter on and dipper in ketchup. Crap. I gotta talk myself down from making THAT as my snack today. 

Well, wish us luck! If nothing else, it'll be a cleanse of sorts!

Biters Anonymous

I have to say that I get my patience from my mom, and I do have a lot more of it than most people. I am also human, and I do grind my teeth, clench my jaw, and growl on occasion, but as far as running around after two kids under 2 all day, every day, I’m pretty confident in saying I have more patience than most. Or at least I have more than Jordan! I like to compare my patience to a glass of fine wine. Monday is like the day you purchased said bottle. It’s full, still corked, and you almost don’t want to open it. By Wednesday, the bottle is half gone and so are your pants. By Friday at lunch, the bottle is bone dry and you’re digging through cabinets contemplating drinking cooking wine.\

    That being said, it is nap time on Friday. And we’ve had two ‘munches’ so far today, and a few more than I’d like to count this week. I am very glad it is Friday, and this weekend I need to really sit down and make actual lesson plans for next week. When we stay on a semi-strict schedule, I feel they do better and are less antsy. I started reading up on biting and how to stop it, and this basically sums up the situations I have observed when Tristan bites. He’s not doing it at all times because he is frustrated, but it is his way of saying “I can’t tell you how I feel right now, so I’m just gonna nibble.

•   They're frustrated. Biting, like hitting, is a way for some children to assert themselves when they're still too young to express feelings effectively through words. To your child, biting is a way to get back a favorite toy, tell you that he or she is unhappy, or let another child know that he or she wants to be left alone. –WebMd

So how do we teach young children to express themselves better? There are only so many times you can say the phrases “Use your words” or “We don’t bite” before you just sound like a broken record, especially if the child is still biting. I have been keeping teething rings rotating in the fridge and I use redirection on a daily (if not hourly, minutely) basis for both children. I know that biting is a combination of not being able to express himself and teething and having to share everything with Lily, but I am just not sure how to stop it effectively. It is also hard since Tristan is not my child. I am not sure what I would do if the shoe was on the other foot, but T doesn’t bite at home (because he’s alone with Mom and Dad) which means I have no previously set punishment to use. I have been trying to use the pack and play as a time out zone (mainly because he can’t leave that spot while I get ice and take care of the victim). But the P&P is right near the window so he just looks out and laughs. I thought about using the high chair but if he’s angry and put in there, he can twist and throw himself around and essentially get out. I could bring down the Bumbo chair and squeeze him into that, but I don’t want to squish him. I need to sit down first with Ash and RJ and see what they think the punishment/plan of action should be and go from there. Ash was a biter as a kid, so I am hoping this is just a phase until his teeth come in.

While they are resting...

I have been majorly slacking on this whole blogging thing. Even when it is on my weekly to-do list, it seems to get put on the back burner. Last week the Georgia Peaches were up for the week for their spring break so we were a little busy playing with the girls. We did the aquarium, a walk to get ice cream, and the moms even got at home massages! It was a fun week, but I got way off track.

This week I have tried to keep up with my basic daily chores, but I also decided I am over cold weather and my dark sweaters, so I pulled out my spring pastel pants to try on. That led to a severe drop in the temperature midweek. Thanks mother nature. None of my pants from last year fit, but for the first time in a long time of switching clothes, they are all too big! The only downfall is that I am broke so new clothes are going to have to wait! I am really trying to buy a few staple pieces that I can mix and match through spring so it appears that I have more clothes than I do. My shorts also all fit nicely or are way too big, and I am very pleased at that! My room is now a mix of unwanted clothes and shoes in boxes, craft projects I am half done, Easter basket madness, and the ever present clutter that just won't go away!

Today the kids were quite cranky. Lily woke up early because it was cold in her room and her feet were like ice blocks. After being awake for about an hour, she informed me she was tired and around 9:30 Tristan looked like he was ready for a nap, but I made them wait it out until 11. I know early naptime means longer afternoon, and I knew I did not have the patience for that today. We did our exercises about 4 times, walked around the house, ate a snack, and did a little Easter footprint project all to keep us awake. After nap and lunch we even took a quick brisk walk because, to put it bluntly, they were driving me insane.

Lily is at the stage where she does not want to share her toys, or her mom, 24/7. And Tristan’s in a phase of teething/biting whatever is in his way. I take many deep breaths throughout the day, and we do a lot of redirecting. My next post will be of our new schedule and our daily routine...hopefully to be up during the weekend. I've been using my old daily sheets from the daycare to make my own schedule and lessons. It makes me feel like there is more structure, and it makes those long stretches of mornings and afternoons go by a little faster!

Hope everyone has a fun and happy Easter!

Flannel Board Story

Since the kiddos are becoming away more active and can easily crawl over the ottoman we use to keep them corralled, we have started to follow more of a schedule. We have breakfast in the morning and then it’s on to some free play while I get the kids dressed and ready for the day. It’s getting harder to get them to want to come into the room for this task so I usually ask them what toy they’d like to play with first. I have also been trying to bring out a ‘new’ or rarely used box of toys to entice (trick) them. After we are dressed, we clean up and do some flashcards. I bought a few packs at the dollar store a while back and they absolutely love doing them. We have little routines with some of the cards, and it cracks me up to watch when I skip a routine to speed things up, and they do it anyway. For example, when we get to the teddy bear card, we say the rhyme “Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around. Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground!” and touch the ground. As soon as that teddy bear card pops up, they slap the ground and say GROUND! My little sponges!

This week we got a very exciting new toy to work with! G-pa brought over a huge flannel board that the church no longer needed. I looked up some story board ideas and decided to use 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. It’s one of my and Lily’s favorites, and I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to recreate. I went page by page and using the felt (that I have an abundance of from my Busy Book), I cut and hot glued shapes together to make the items in the book. It came out pretty cute, and I could not wait to try it out.

I had the kids sit in front of the board and I started to tell the story and place the felt pieces onto the board. They both got so excited that they couldn’t sit still. I finished the story and let them touch the different pieces. The second time around, I handed them each an item or two to put up on the board. This excited them even more. Then we had some free play with the caterpillar and the different types of food while I snapped pictures of my handiwork. Lily picked up the book and started checking my work to make sure I got it all. I am so glad this went over so well and I cannot wait to do another book! I’d like to be able to do a book a week, and have them help me tell the story by the end of the week. 

I also plan on using it to practice our shapes and colors, and I might even make some sort of weather chart that we can do each day! I think mornings will be reserved for circle time and afternoons will be projects and once it gets warmer, outside time! They're at such a fun age now that I count my blessings every day that I get to spend all day with them both and watch them grow. 

Simple Dr. Seuss Projects

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday this past weekend, I decided to take a break from the shapes we’ve been doing and do some Seussical projects! We’ve been reading all the Dr. Seuss books that Lily has in her collection. The group favorite is Dr. Seuss’s ABCs. We’ve read this so many times that I can recite it by heart, which now comes in handy when little hands want to hold the book and turn the pages. Or take the book and run from the room.

We have been doing a different hand or foot painting project each day. We started out making Thing 1 and Thing 2 by using a handprint in blue to show the Thing’s crazy hair and a footprint in red for the body. I sketched the faces and names and glued them together but with older kids they could make the faces themselves. Yesterday, we talked about the Lorax and had fun trying to say his name. We used handprints in yellow to make his silly mustache. Once again, I helped with the drawing of the body. Today we read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and made some corresponding artwork by turning handprints into fish. If I had a laminator, these would make adorable little homemade books for the kiddos to read and share! Maybe I’ll grab some contact paper and see what I can do.

I think tomorrow will try to make Horton the Elephant made out of a gray hand print, and if I can get organized, perhaps a Seuss-themed Photo Shoot Friday! I usually start planning those earlier in the week but we'll see what can be thrown together!