Upcycled Button Toothbrush Cup

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturalGoodness #CollectiveBias

Hello friends!

April is Earth month, and it has me thinking. We have spent a lot of time trying to get as many chemicals out of our home as possible. I make our laundry detergent (link) and cleaning sprays. We use cloth diapers (most of the time), and I try to keep the kids' soaps and products as natural as possible. We're not perfect, but we try.

I've also been working on getting our home more organized. It seems like the first step to any organizing project is going out and buying some new storage item. Now, don't get me wrong, I love good storage, but I don't think that running out and buying something new needs to be the first step every time!

This was a great little project for Abbey. She got to make a project, and now she has more ownership over keeping her bathroom counter clean, because it's her work she is using!

Tools for Stopping the Tattling

Hi friends!

What is it about Kindergarten? Abbey has hit full-blown tattle tale status, and it is making me absolutely CRAZY!

I am a firm believer in the use of all sorts of tools when addressing a behavior concern. I can explain why it is a bad thing until my face turns blue, or I can read a few stories and show her a video. If that's what works, I say go for it!

So, without further adieu...my favorite tools to stop the tattling!

Honey Lemon Sore Throat Pops

Hi friends!

Who has been battling the sickies this winter? We've been lucky and haven't been hit with anything too hard, but have definitely had our fair share of snotty noses. Abbey had a sore throat a couple weeks ago, which got me thinking. Cough drops aren't a great option at her age, and she would probably hate most of them anyway. I wanted something that would help her throat, and be a treat to help her mood, too! These are just perfect.

No Prep Kids Crafts

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited to be partnering with Wayfair and other Homemakers today to bring you some fantastic kids crafts. We're big craft fans around here, and there is some seriously great stuff on this list. Even better, you can do all of them with stuff you probably already have on hand! I don't know about you, but having to run to the store for that one thing an activity needs pretty much means we aren't doing that activity today. No such problem with these!

Fizzy, Frozen Snow Dough

Hi friends!

When Abbey was little she hated getting her hands messy. Play dough was a rare event, and she didn't finger paint until she was 4. She has gotten much better recently, and now we get to try out all sorts of fun doughs! This one mixes two fun things: play dough and science experiments! Who doesn't love that? Bonus points: we got to build snowmen from the warmth of our dining room! 

DIY Lego Table

Hi friends!

I am so excited to share this with you! This was my very favorite Christmas project this year. It was also my first time painting and repurposing furniture. Yay for trying new things! I knew I wanted a LEGO table for Abbey, but we are limited on space. This ended up being the perfect size!

Airplane Birthday Party: Owen's Flying 1st!

This boy is one.

One!

Who, me?

A year ago we were still reeling, and he was this little bundle of comfort and happiness. Every month the 21st and 22nd are inextricably linked by life and loss, but having this little reminder of life makes the loss seem more bearable. 

When Daddy is a pilot, what other choice do you have than to throw an airplane party? You know me. I love a good theme party, and I love doing it in a reasonable, budget conscious way. This party fits that bill, and was so much fun to put together! 

Our 2014 Advent Book List

Hi Friends!

Christmas is upon us! I can hardly believe it. We are pulling out the decorations tonight and I am SO excited!

We're starting a new tradition this year. An Advent book basket!

Get Moving with LeapTV

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. All opinions are 100% my own.

Hi friends!

Has November been crazy for you? It's been crazy for us! I think this time of year just moves in double speed.

The snow arrived yesterday. Boo. I'm sitting here watching flakes fall from the sky outside my window. Nothing is accumulating yet, but it's coming. We live in an apartment with no playground nearby, so getting active play in can be tricky on a good day. Add in the cold weather and it gets even harder! Impossible? No. But an every day occurance? Probably not. That is why I love to have a good arsenal of indoor active play ideas.

Good thing LeapFrog has me covered!

Creating Simple Holiday Traditions and GIVEAWAY

This shop has been compensated by #collectivebias, Inc. and its advertiser. 

All opinions are mine alone. #northpolefun

Hi friends!

I'm talking about Christmas today.

I KNOW!

It's coming whether you're ready or not, so we might as well pretend like we're ready, right? Right.

I love holiday traditions. There is something comforting about knowing that in all the chaos that can come with the holidays, there are some things that are the same every year. We didn't get to do a lot of our holiday traditions last year because we were still trying to find normal. I want to get back to them this year! Every year for all of my life we have had advent calendars. You know those German cardboard ones with the perforated doors and the molded chocolates? Yep, those. LOVE them. Every so often my mom would step up her game and we would do something fancy, but those cardboard ones were there every year without fail.

Those simple traditions are the ones that stick.

How To Throw A Simple Frozen Party Without Losing Your Mind (or blowing your budget!)

 Hey there friends!

Abbey turned 5 last month. FIVE!

And, like every other 5 year old girl on the planet, she wanted a Frozen party. I love throwing themed parties. I really do! They give me a direction for planning, and get my creative juices flowing. Her rainbow party was so much fun to do! However, it can be so easy to see all of those beautiful parties on Pinterest and get a little jealous. I can't ice custom cookies, I don't have 15 cake stands, and let's be honest...those parties take a budget much larger than mine! They are beautiful, and lots of fun, but you can absolutely throw a great themed party with an every day skill set, and a small budget.

Get Ready for Kindergarten with LeapFrog!

This post is sponsored by Leap Frog. All opinions are 100% my own.  

Hi friends!

At this point it's pretty much common knowledge that we're big LeapFrog fans around here. When I learned about the new Get Ready For Kindergarten series I knew it was going to be fantastic! The new series includes a game cartridge for the Leap Pad, as well as books and activities for the Leap Reader pen. Both series center around four students, Chris, Pilar, Daniel and Grace, who are starting Kindergarten. Throughout the games the learn new skills, explore their new classroom and have lots of fun!

Chalk It Up

Hi friends.

Sidewalk chalk season is in full swing around here. Abbey loves it, and between our balcony and the sidewalk out front it is out almost every day. I don't know about you, but I can only draw so many flowers, write so many names, and create so many hopscotch boards before I'm out of ideas. I'm not an artist, like, at all, so I need all the help I can get! Here are 10 fun ways to move beyond plain old chalk drawings.

Exploding Sidewalk Chalk Paint from Growing A Jeweled Rose: This looks like so much fun! A combination of a classic science experiment, chalk art, and the perfect amount of anticipation!

Grid Art from The Educator's Spin On It: What a great project! Turn any picture you want into a grid and transfer it, square by square, onto your sidewalk. This would be perfect for an art birthday party, or even just a group of neighborhood kids. You can also make it easier or more complicated simply by changing the picture!

Glitter Chalk Paint from Still Playing School: Oh my goodness, Abbey would love this! I love that it is just as good on paper as it is on the sidewalk. Good for rainy and sunny days!

Scented Chalk Paint from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: Don't have a glitter fan? Add fun scents to your paint instead! Think of all the options! 

Nature Mandalas from Nurture Store: These are absolutely beautiful. Find flowers from your yard, or take a nature hike and make these. It's great for little ones who are working on their colors, too!

Mess Free Sidewalk Chalk from De Tout et De Rien: This is perfect for those kiddos (and mamas!) who don't like the feel of chalk on their hands. They also store so easily! I may be making some of these soon.

Chalk and Tempera Painting from Buggy and Buddy: OK, so this one isn't a sidewalk activity, but it was too cool not to include. Again, I'm not an artist, so things like this are new to me! I love how using the white tempera paint leaves you with a watercolor effect. So cool!

Wet Sidewalk Chalk Art from Happy Hooligans: This one is so simple that you're going to smack yourself for not thinking of it yourself. It is amazing how one little thing can change the entire look of chalk drawings!

Fizzing Sidewalk Paint from Kids Activities Blog: More science fun! This one let's kids create what they want, then turn it into fizzy fun!

Sidewalk Puddle Art from Lemon Lime Adventures: You can either do this one after a great summer rainstorm, or bust out your hose and create your own puddles. Either way you'll end up with the prettiest puddles ever!

How do you get creative with chalk?

Have you tried any of these before?

Be blessed!

Heather

Painted Garden Markers

Hey there, friends!

Have you started planting gardens where you are? We finally have good enough weather, so we decided to get some herbs planted. I have been trying to encourage Abbey to do more handwriting, so I had her help me make some garden markers!

What you need:

• craft sticks
• craft paint & brushes
• permanent marker
• seeds

She started out by painting the craft sticks. I set her up with some paint and let her go to town.

Once those were dry I gave her a permanent marker and had her write the name of each herb we were planting on the sticks. This was a great chance for her to practice her handwriting.

She had to look at each name and decide how big her letters should be. Some words were little, while some words like "lavender" took up more space.

She also had the chance to practice copying text. Rather than spelling out the names for her, I handed her each seed packet, showed her which word to write, and let her copy it on her own. She did a great job!

I think she did a great job! In case you were wondering, those drawings at the bottoms are seeds. Her own artistic interpretation. ;)

Then we got to planting! As I grabbed each seed packet, she found the right stick and stuck it in the dirt. Reading practice! Bonus!

I have one proud little girl! It took a while for her to understand that it will take a while for our herbs to sprout. She checked them at least 5 times this afternoon! I can't wait to see her face when they sprout!

What are your favorite herbs to plant?
Do you dry them and keep them, or just use them fresh?

Be blessed!
Heather

Homemade Sensory Play Mat

Hi friends!

It's time for more Ultimate Baby Blog Hop fun! Guess what...

I made a quilt! 

Let that sink in for a second.  A quilt. With a top, and a middle, and binding. Binding! It also turned out exactly like I had it in my head, which pretty much never happens. I'm pretty proud of this thing, not gonna lie.

Owen is almost 6 months old now (hold me!), and he wants to explore everything! He's not mobile yet, but he spins like a clock hand when he's laying on his tummy. I wanted him to have a play mat that would let him explore all sorts of sights and textures.

Here is what you need for a 36 x 36 inch play mat:

• 1 1/2 yards total for top fabrics (I used quilting cotton (airplanes), flannel (stars), and minkee)
• 1 1/4 yards backing fabric
• 1 1/4 yards quilt batting
• bias tape or quilt binding (I used satin)

I chose different fabrics for different reasons. I knew I wanted minkee because it's soft and dreamy, and the bumps add a nice texture. I loved the flannel because the stars stand out really well against the white background. When I saw the airplanes they were a given because my husband is a pilot, so we airplane all the things. It doesn't hurt that they're adorable!

I wanted each stripe to be a different size, so I quickly sketched out what I wanted and made sure my total added up to 36 inches. Then I added an inch to each strip to account for a 1/2 seam allowance. Cut strips. Sew strips. Easy peasy. I added ribbon loops between the center strips to add some fun texture. Owen can grab them, or we can attach toys to them.

The bottom strip has some buttons sewn onto it. I wanted to make sure they were really going to stay put, so they are stitched through both the fabric and the batting. They give Owen something else to explore, and stand out nicely on the white flannel. 

Once the top was stitched together I cut a 36x36 square of both the batting and the backing fabric. Then I sandwiched them all together and zig-zag stitched straight down the seams in the top. No fancy quilting here.

Once the whole thing is quilted together, add the binding. You can use plain bias tape, but I really like the satin binding. It added one more texture to the whole thing, and I love how the satin contrasts with all the softness of the rest of the quilt. I had never done a mitred corner before, but they're actually pretty easy! SewNews has a very easy to follow tutorial.

And you're done! Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. All said and done it only took me a few hours. 2 naps, tops! Now you have a nice soft place for your little one to explore. Lots to look at, lots to feel, lots to learn! Since it's relatively small it is also super portable. Perfect for outings or playing in the back yard with big sister.

It is also excellent for exploring your toes.

This guy was a total grump for all of these pictures. Not a smile to be had! Apparently fussing his way through a 2 hour nap didn't do it for him today. Are you ready for the grumpiest blog model ever?

Tadaaa!

Look at that face! He just laid there like "what is happening, and why am I here?" #keepinitreal.

Go, make this play mat! It is so much easier than you think, and you will be so proud when you are done!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today is a very fun day in the blog hop. Everything is about play! Take a look at all the goodness going on across the web!

*Sensory Play

30+ Baby Safe Sensory Play Ideas - B-Inspired Mama

Mirror Play for Babies - Still Playing School

Fun and Safe Sensory Bins for Babies - The Eyes of a Boy

Jewelry Sensory Box - Trust Me, I’m a Mom

*Gross Motor

Encouraging Sibling Play with One Awesome App - Lalymom

Baby Play: Newborn Exercise - True Aim Education

Combining Gross Motor & Art - Bambini Travel

20+ Motor Play Ideas for Baby - Pink Oatmeal

Tummy Time Entertainment - Hand Made Kids Art

Simple Activities for 6 - 12 Month Olds - Powerful Mothering

Tummy Time: Why & How? - The Inspired Treehouse

Baby Play: Rolling a Ball - Wildflower Ramblings

How to Encourage Baby to Crawl- The Realistic Mama

*Busy Boxes & Baskets

Natural Spring Treasure Basket for Baby - Natural Beach Living

Montessori-Inspired Mini Discovery Boxes for Babies - Living Montessori Now

5 Fun Busy Boxes for Baby - Squiggles & Bubbles

14 Treasure Bins for Baby - Wildflower Ramblings

*Outdoor Play

5 Ideas for Playing Outdoors with a Baby - Barefeet on the Dashboard

Outdoor Play Ideas for 0 - 12 Months - Winegums & Watermelons

*Arts & Crafts for Baby

9 Tips for Painting with Infants - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide

Smart Art for Your Burgeoning Mini Monet - Conceiving Piper

And there's still time to enter the giveaway! Get on it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be blessed,

Heather

My Favorite Educational Printable Resources

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure page for more information. 

Thank you for your support!

Hi friends!

Even before I knew for sure that we would be homeschooling, I loved finding great printables for Abbey. She is my workbook/worksheet/seat work girl. We have been doing things like do-a-dot pages, pre-handwriting sheets, and puzzles for years. Now that we are homeschooling, I love printables even more! They make pulling together Abbey's curriculum so much easier. When we started out this year Abbey fell somewhere between Pre-K and K, so it was hard to find a full curriculum that was a good fit. We have been piecing things together as we go, and these sites make it so easy!

3 Dinosaurs

These were the very first printable I ever found! We were flying to Arizona to visit friends, and would be going on a Polar Express train ride. I wanted some activities for Abbey to do on the plane and in the car, and I found this pack! I've been hooked on her site ever since. She has printable packs for just about anything you can think of. I was sad for a while because Abbey seemed to be growing out of these, but now the updated packs are great for older kids, too! Lots of different math skills, which Abbey loves. They make putting together unit studies so easy. We're about to start using the Bug Pack. Cassie is amazing, has consistent quality and I know we'll be using these for a long time. 

This Reading Mama

I found Becky through Cassie! They have been working as a team for some time now putting together fantastic FREE printables to go with the Bob Books early readers. Our entire reading/writing curriculum for the year has come from these pages! Abbey loves the different games, puzzles and activities and the quality is impeccable. 

We are also huge fans of the other resources on her page. Having an early reader, it can be hard to find books that work for Abbey, but don't get her too frustrated. Becky's book How To Choose "Just Right" Books is a huge help! She also has some great reading and spelling resources! We've also been having fun playing her Word Bump game, which you can get for FREE on her facebook page!

Meet Penny

I actually got to hang out with this lovely lady this past weekend at 2:1. She's fantastic! She has an amazing deal on her site that you HAVE to know about. If you join her membership program, you will have access to all of her printables and ebooks over $3.99 FREE FOR LIFE! Yes, that's right. Sign up as a member once, and have access to anything that comes in the future!

Also, if you join between now and the 12th, she is having a 40% off sale! That makes lifetime access $15 instead of the usual $25. A smokin' sale on top of a smokin' deal? Yes please!

^^ Click here to sign up! ^^

There are so many other great printable sites out there, but these are my first 3 stops. These really are all purpose activities. You don't need to be a homeschooler to use these in all sorts of ways. Road trip? Print some out. Need activities on the go? Print out some of the puzzles, laminate them, and throw them in a bag. Want to help bridge students though the summer into next school year? These are great!

Do you have a favorite place for printables?

How do you use activities like this?

Be blessed!

Heather

5 Fun Ways to Feed the Birds

Hi friends!

I am in LOVE with this print from The Wheatfield! I want it for my mantle!

It's finally bird chirping weather! Well, it's starting to be at least. Here in Chicagoland winter just will. not. let. GO! But, the birds are back, so that means that spring can't be far behind. I've rounded up 5 of my favorite bird feeder crafts for you. There's also a great list of ways to watch and observe the birds you attract!
Check 'em out!

1. Molded Bird Feeders from Eighteen25
2. Plastic Lid Bird Feeders from Frogs, Snails, & Puppy Dog Tails
3. Bread Bird Feeders from Teaching Mama
4. Fruit & Grain Bird Feeders from Happy Hooligans
5. Pine Cone Bird Feeders from Fancy Little Things

Tips:

• Can't use peanut butter? Use your favorite nut butter! (also, 1, 3, and 5 on this list are PB Free!)
• Hang your feeder near a window so you can watch as the birds come by
• Use a great bird watching printable like this one from Lara's Place. She also has a great list of bird watching materials.

Is it bird chirping weather where you are?

What is your favorite way to feed the birds?

Be blessed!

Heather

The Gratitude Jar

...gratitude...

It's hard. It doesn't always come naturally, and sometimes it can be hard to find things to be grateful for. Our daughter is 4, and we're still doing more prompting than we would like to get those "Thank You"s. I want gratitude to be all over our day. It's a discipline, and it is a habit worth working on. We've started working on it pretty hard at our house, and part of that is our gratitude jar.

{Read more at Fancy Little Things}

My Favorite First Foods

Hi friends!

I can't believe it, but Owen is already starting to eat solids! 

I'm a big fan of homemade baby food for two reasons:

     - I know exactly what is going into it

     - it saves a ton of money

I remember reading somewhere once that no baby food company has been found to be completely honest about what goes into their food. Whether that is completely true or not, I would much rather know exactly what my little one is eating. That gets much harder to do as they get older, so I'm going to do it while I can!

Also, have you seen the price of baby food lately? Holy COW! No way. 

So here they are, my favorite first foods!

     

Applesauce
Vitamins: A, C, Folate 
Minerals: Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium 
Prep time: Zero! I usually grab a jar at the store. Just make sure it doesn't have added sugar. It is sweet enough on its own. Making applesauce is super easy, too. This one is super chunky and not great for first eaters, but I peeled and sliced some apples last weekend, threw them in the crock pot and cooked them until they were mushy. Perfect applesauce!

Bananas
Vitamins:  A, C, Folate  
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Magnesium, Calcium
Prep time: Zero! Mash and serve. Bananas are also great because you can get them pretty much anywhere. Even gas stations have them, so if you find yourself out and about without baby food (or you left it on the counter which, of course, I have never done) you won't have to look far.

Avocados
Vitamins:  A, C, Niacin, Folate  
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium
Prep time: Zero! Just like bananas, mash and serve!

Sweet Potatoes
Vitamins: A (tons of it! ), C, Folate 
Minerals: Potassium, Sodium, Selenium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Calcium
Prep time: 30-45 minutes. I prefer roasting sweet potatoes in the oven. The get super sweet and delicious, and they keep a great texture. You can also boil them or, in a pinch, microwave them. Then just mash and serve!

My Favorite Tips
     - Make large batches and freeze them in ice cube trays. Easy single servings, ready to grab and go!
     - Mix in breast milk, formula or water to thin out foods for early eaters.
     - If your child doesn't like something, keep trying! It can take over 10 tries to enjoy a new food

     - Try new foods one at a time, with a few days in between. That way if your child does have a reaction,           you will know which food caused it.
     - When in doubt, mix it with sweet potatoes! Little one not a fan of peas? Mix them with sweet potatoes.         Spitting out spinach? Mix them with sweet potatoes. Seriously. They're made of magic.




Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical professional or dietitian. Just a mom who has done this before. Most pediatricians recommend starting solids between 4 and 6 months of age. There is all sorts of research that debates starting solids and development of food allergies, but this is the recommended window. There are also some developmental things that need to happen for babies to even be able to attempt eating solids, and most of those have happened by this age as well. In all honesty, we started a little bit early, but Owen was showing every sign of being ready, so we gave it a shot. He had been extra hungry, and was SO interested in our eating. We figured if he didn't take to it we would wait a while and try again later. He took to it like he had been eating off of a spoon since he was born! We also don't have a family history of food allergies, and have stuck with low-allergen foods. When in doubt, talk to your doctor.

Have you ever made your own baby food? 
What are your favorites?

Be blessed,
Heather

Stained Glass Shamrocks {and what they taught me about perfection}

Hi there, friends!

I am so sick of gloomy skies and snow. It was 37 and sunny the other day and I was this close to throwing the windows open! We need some color when we look out the window, and these fit the bill perfectly.

So this was my plan. Fill up a piece of contact paper with torn green tissue paper, trace some shamrocks on it, cut them out, and hang them on the wall. Easy peasy, right? We'll be done in, like, an hour, right? Right.

Plan: Fill a piece of contact paper with torn tissue paper.

Reality: A patchwork of tearing and sticking for small amounts of time over 3 days. Concerns from the 4 year old including, but not limited to: It's too many, what if I don't finish before dinner, that piece is too big, that piece is too small. Responses from Mama including, but not limited to: You can do it! Dinner is in 5 hours, you can do it. That piece is perfect, you can do it.

Jobs appear really big to her. We have learned that we need to break big things into smaller pieces, or she gets overwhelmed and doesn't know how to start. She's a bit like her Mama that way.

Plan: Trace shamrocks onto contact paper and cut them out. Follow the lines, of course. You know, because fine motor practice and life skills.

Reality: "I just want to cut a circle around them."
This is where I got stuck. I really wanted her to cut on those lines. I encouraged. I offered her the bigger one with bigger curves. I cut out the bigger ones to show her how simple it was. I pushed. And still, "I just want to cut a circle around them."

Ok. Here's the thing. She gets overwhelmed. She is absolutely terrified of making mistakes. It's hard to find the balance between encouraging her to do her best work, and letting her set her own standards of success. Will there be times that I need to set the standard of following the directions correctly? Of course. Was this one of them? Not even a little bit.

So I don't have a window full of perfectly cut out shamrocks (because, let's face it, that was my plan). What I do have is something that Abbey can look at every day and see success. She finished a project and it made our house prettier. And because she felt successful, she wanted to do more

It's not spring without a rainbow, right?

.

"Now it looks like spring all the time!"

Yes it does, baby girl, yes it does. And you did it!

Be blessed,
Heather