Gets 'Em Every Time

Regardless of the weather, all I have to say is “Scavenger Hunt!” to get the kids interested in venturing outdoors.

When they were younger I would make the lists for them and draw pictures for clues since they weren’t reading. They still aren’t reading but now they create their own lists complete with pictures.

I write the words for my 3 year old and she draws the pictures. She added a happy blue version of herself (lower right with wild curly hair) and said "Look! I on da list! We have look for Sara out there!"

My Kindergarten boy carefully sounds out the words and gets the letters on his paper, wonderful practice activity, by the way.

No, we didn't go out in search of bears, he is writing "berry"

They thought I was fooling when I suggested we search for ice but they humored me and wrote it down anyhow. Then, despite my encouragement otherwise, they put on their light jackets (Sara only had on a sundress to start with.... sigh) and we headed outside.

Ice was the first thing they found and of course they wanted to crack it. Fascinated by the bubbles frozen inside and the cracks from the rocks hitting the ice, my budding scientists peered into the bird bath. When they were looking closely, they noticed something special:  rainbows! They were delighted and Momma was impressed.

It's hard to see but several colorful prisms of light appeared in the fissures

Wonderment over the rainbows was quickly replaced by determination to crack that ice. William decided rocks weren't doing the job fast enough so he ran off to find something more serious.

What is it with boys and tools?

Behind that ice there is a grin

We trekked into the woods behind our house, William with his handy hammer, Sara in her sundress and Mom following with her camera (wearing a warm coat and scarf, by the way, it was freezing)!

We didn’t find everything on the list (all of the spiders are tucked in for the winter so no webs were to be found) but we walked in the woods, chased each other, and ran around so much that none of us got cold after all.

Something New for the New Year

I only recently learned what a blog hop is and honestly, I'm still kind of figuring it out. So far, it's been a great way to find new projects and new blogs while inviting others to see what we've been up to here. I posted Sara's Fairy Princess Accessories but now it looks like my graphic link is broken. Oh well, I'm learning. Anyhow, take a look, hop around and have fun...

Growth and Hope

Two amaryllis bulbs + two pots + expanding soil = two curious kids eager to track the growth of their chosen bulbs. Cuckoo Grandma brought these fun gifts for the kids; Sara chose pink and white while William picked the bright red one. Little did he know that the red variety blooms later than the other… at least we hoped that was what was going on as we witnessed her bulb shooting up quickly (sometimes an inch a day) while his quietly stood by.

We measured Sara’s bulb a few times and recorded our findings but our little scientific experiment was overshadowed by William’s disappointment. I explained that this was part of the process and sometimes bulbs and seeds sprout at different times and sometimes they won’t even grow at all but to not give up on his bulb yet. When glorious blush-colored flowers as big as Sara’s head proudly started opening, I knew it was time to take action.

Upon closer inspection (ie. yanking the non-performing bulb out of the soil) we found considerable root rot. After plucking off all the soft brown bits we left behind 4 or 5 nice fresh white roots, said some encouraging words to the red amaryllis bulb, buried it again, and hoped. Two days later we were still hoping but on the third day we saw a glimmer of life! One of the sprouting leaves looked slightly taller and a new green tip was also starting to show. I am so happy to report that in one day William’s bulb grew at least a half inch and has continued at a remarkable rate. It is now a promising 7 inches tall and we’re still enjoying the gorgeous pink flowers of Sara’s plant. Now William explains to everyone (as I have been saying in an encouraging tone this whole past month since planting), that once Sara’s is all done, we’ll have pretty red flowers to look at so it’s cool that his was slower. Phew! Close call.

A Lesson Learned

Handmade gifts are the only way to go. Beyond thrilled with their homemade costumes (Princess Accessories and a SWAT Team Vest), Sara and William have been telling anyone who will listen about their “fancy clip clop princess shoes” and “cool police gear” their Momma made for them. It’s the first thing they mention when asked about what they received for Christmas. Yes, I am aglow with joy every time this happens and next year I’ll give myself way more time to craft and create for my children.

The C.S.I. hat from an evidence collection kit (a gift I had forgotten about) turned out to be perfect with his vest

Furiously writing us all "tickets" (even though there were still a bunch of gifts to open)

"Now I can get out da window like Punzel!" (The long ribbons dangling from the back of her crown reminded her of Rapunzel's super long hair)

"I can wear these outside, Mom?"

I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure this out, perhaps insecurity about my own design talents (or lack thereof) but the joy with which my handmades were received will forever erase my hesitation. Curiosity about how I put it all together was another benefit – the kids wanted to know what materials I used and how I put everything together. Once they heard how things were made, they were inspired to make magic wands for a couple of friends…. and this was on Christmas day when they were surrounded by new toys to play with! Yes, another aglow with happiness moment.

A whole other level of handmade beauty also came my way this holiday. My incredibly talented artist friend, Michelle Willows (watch for her in the future, people!), surprised me with these exceptional hand drawn portraits of my kids.

What a personal, thoughtful, brilliant gift. I will be forver grateful. I'm not sure I can ever return the favor at the same caliber but thankfully this beloved friend is a fan of glittery pinecones, homemade granola, and paper stars. Thank you, dear girlfriend, we love you!

First "Real" Movie

Forget Frosty, we have a new favorite Christmas movie. Not only was Arthur Christmas one of the most charming and funny holiday films I’ve seen, it was also the first movie my children have seen in a movie theater so it will always be special. I’ll never forget their look of wonder staring up at the big screen and their joy with the fancy springy seats and “oh my gosh, Mom, cup holders right on our chairs!”

In awe of the candy selection (we kept it simple with just popcorn)

After spending the morning visiting with her and another dear friend and her daughter, my former employer and the kids' Fairy Godmother Paula treated us to this impromptu matinee. I could tell she was a little shocked that I had never taken the kids to a movie theater but when I explained that I simply haven’t felt that the enormous screen and surround sound is necessarily good for their ears or brains, I think she understood. Plus, you never know how much sarcasm or bathroom humor is going to be included in kids’ movies these days (not age appropriate for a 3 and 5-year old if you ask me) so I’ve just chosen to avoid it.

But I have to say that there couldn’t have been a more perfect first “real movie” than Arthur Christmas. With just the right balance of plot and action, it kept my kids engaged and entertained throughout. Futuristic touches made it “cool enough” for my boy while the friendships and cute factor made it great for my girl. Both of them laughed hysterically at several parts. Only a couple of scenes made Sara ask to hold my hand and William just came and sat on my lap once…. pretty good for a couple of kids who have never sat in a vast dark theater while a big screen whisked them away to another world.

Too bad it doesn’t have much longer in the movie theaters at this point (sorry, we’re a little late to hop on the movie bandwagon) but this will be one we watch for on DVD to watch every year together.

Christmas Greetings

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!

Last Minute Costume Gift Making

Feeling guilty that there wasn’t a handmade gift under the tree for my boy, I went commando craft-o while Daddy took the kids out today.  Since last Halloween, William has wanted a S.W.A.T. team costume that he saw at our friends’ house (and has borrowed a couple times since). I decided to make him one of his own.

S.W.A.T Vest
The store bought costumes aren’t all that elaborate, just a black vest with SWAT written on it and usually some pockets and fasteners. Once again my strange abundance of crafting supplies came in handy. I used a large sheet of firm black felt for the front of the vest and a rectangle of soft black felt for the back (now it looks bulletproof from the front but it’ll still be soft and comfortable to wear). Trusty glue gun in hand, I turned it into an over-the-head vest with two strips of felt across the shoulders, attached a couple of felt pockets, some old badge clips, and modified an old black pocketbook that was just collecting dust in my closet. The change purse and interior slots for credit cards and a checkbook will be a great place for him to store a pen and pad of paper in case he needs to write someone a ticket. Old wires and broken chargers from cameras and cell phones were a nice touch too. I put one toward the top so he can pretend it’s some kind of headphone and clipped another one lower, to use like a radio. The finishing touch was a big S.W.A.T. painted across the top front. I used acrylic paint because that’s what I had on hand but fabric paint would have been better (letter stencils would have helped too but my boy won’t care that the letters aren’t perfect).

S.W.A.T Helmet
Grammy might recognize this when William opens it on Christmas morning… it’s actually from a set of plastic Kitchen Aid bowls she gave me a few years back. It’s so lightweight that it was never great for mixing but it does make a superb helmet. The smooth surface was a little harder to paint and I’m not thrilled with how it turned out but it’ll be a fun addition to the costume. Glue gunning on a weird plastic doodad from some kind of a container made a nice breathing mask in case the little pretender encounters any poison gases.

Bad-Guy Catching Cuffs (not pictured)
When searching for a box, I came across the lightweight cardboard “sleeve” supports that came with his last pair of Bogs boots and remembered with him playing with them when the boots were new. Starting with those as a frame, I wrote SWAT on each one and glue gunned on some black tech-y looking items left behind from broken toys, an old buckle from a car seat (the red button will look like something important, most likely some kind of weapon), and some weird bits we accumulated the last time we went to Creation Station up in Lynwood (more about that place on another day, it’s a great destination for inventive kids).

Follow up Note:  Click here to see how it all turned out Christmas Morning.