I saw the most awesome idea over at Eclectic Chica last week! I couldn’t wait to paint some of our own photos.
I went through some of our photos and printed out a few in black and white and put out some tempra paint and different size brushes.
This was a really fun. The girls spent a long time painting their photos.
I put the extra black and white print outs on the art table with crayons and markers for later. Such a simple idea–I love it!!
I first saw this idea at Irresistible Ideas For Play Based Learning. I LOVE this blog and get so many great ideas from them!!
First we drew a picture or design with a glue stick on some paper. Then we covered it with salt and shook off any excess.
Next we used eye droppers or pipettes to drip some color over the salt. We used liquid watercolors but I am sure food coloring would work too.
It was so exciting to see the salt absorb the colors.
We loved making these. A project I am sure we will be doing again really soon.
We are still here in case you were wondering!! I have been in a blogging slump and a cleaning slump and an organizational slump and well, you get the picture! But we did make some stickers the other day!
We cut out pictures from magazines …. but you could totally color your own.
Then I mixed 4 Tablespoons of hot water with 2 Tablespoons of gelatin. I used unflavored (knox)… big mistake! They tasted too horrible to lick! So use flavored gelatin!! Stir until blended.
We brushed the gelatin mixture onto the back of our pictures.
Then let them dry for about a half an hour or more. Then we licked the backs and almost puked so we brushed some water on the backs and stuck them down.
Viola! Homemade stickers!
The chef and I have been very busy in the kitchen this summer!
I have always wanted to make my own yogurt but never found a recipe that looked easy enough. Until now!!
This is the recipe I followed.
It was ridiculously simple.
Because this is unsweetened I have been using it like sour cream as well as yogurt. Over the top of grated cucumbers with lots of salt and pepper Mmmm-In smoothies, over fruit with a little maple syrup. Oh boy-a half gallon of milk’s worth of yogurt did not last long around here!!
Are there any home made yogurt experts out there that could answer some of my questions??? Like in addition to starter can I add more probiotics to make a super cultured yogurt? I am not sure if they would grow. I am also interested in making some non dairy non soy yogurts…Oh the possibilities!!
Here is what I am loving these days……….
Do you have Inspiration Overload? Um–yeah, I totally do! So I thought like a song that is stuck in your head–I would unload some of what is in my head and in my Google Reader these days!!
Child’s Play has a whole new place!
I will be using some of my mint to make THIS
If ever you can’t find me–look Here
I am all about dirty, hippie children!!
More inspiration at this pretty blog
And if you are looking for the perfect little cookie to make over this 4th of July Here are my favorite patriotic cookies
Or some patriotic jewelry and accessories!!
Happy, Happy 4th of July!!
I have a new mantra, “Just say yes!” And it is working out wonderfully!
When my kids were young I remember hearing, “pick your battles” more than once. In those early years with little kids I did whatever I needed to do to get through the day (or night). So picking my battles made so much sense! I never felt like I was spoiling my kids by meeting their needs and trying to say, “no” as little as possible. Yet those “no’s” almost seemed inevitable, “no,no don’t touch” “Billy! NO!” It’s no wonder it’s one of babies first words. And when they start using it for what seems like everything, we as parents get pretty irritated.
As my kids and family size grew so did my impatience! “No” had become my knee jerk answer. “Can I ……NO!” “Will you….NO!” I started sounding much like a toddler with a new and powerful word and I imagine it was really irritating for my kids! Soon my predictable yet arbitrary NO had lost its power. I may have responded with a NO but my kids knew that if they started badgering me, most of the time they could get me to change my answer. My NO didn’t have much credibility even when I really needed it to.
After some thought and reevaluation I decided to replace my typical negative response with a more positive YES! It was pretty easy actually. Why not say YES more often? Even when I needed to say NO I would begin with a YES response. It keeps the lines of communication open and the environment positive when you start off with a YES.
So, when my almost 15 yr old son asks for the 1 millionth time if he can drive home, I say YES – when you have your temps. And when he asks to drive around a vacant parking lot, I say YES. When my kids ask for ice cream for breakfast, I say YES- because you only live once and what really is the difference between good ice cream and a bowl of cereal or a yogurt? Both are Dairy and sugar…. maybe some fiber? When my kids ask to have a friend spend the night, YES on Friday. Instead of the typical, NO! It’s Tuesday night and your Dad has to and I have to and blah blah blah…(I bet I lost them at NO). Yet when I say YES, even if it is YES tomorrow, YES next time, YES I’ll ask Dad, YES when the moon falls from the sky…..They hear YES. It buys me some time to decide if I really need to say NO or can I somehow make this happen for them.
Saying YES is a meeting in the middle and my kids are really appreciating this. I would love to be able to give my kids everything they want, even their crazy, ridiculous requests! And each time I begin with a YES it feels like I can, even if it is when pigs fly.
I wrote this post back in March for another blog but was thinking a lot about it yesterday. I needed the reminder to take a deep breath and start off with “Yes” instead of the arbitrary “No” Old habits die hard-or maybe it’s the heat getting to my brain!
My two older kids learned how to hoop years ago. They have taken a few hooping classes and practiced on and off for years. They can do some tricks and walk around and keep the hoop up and going around effortlessly for hours.
These photos are from a few years ago at circus practice. I on the other hand never could get the hang of hooping. Even as a kid I just couldn’t get the hoop to stay up. It always looked so fun but I also felt self conscious that I couldn’t do it so I didn’t practice at it much. And just figured I was just someone who couldn’t hoop.
Now fast forward to this year. One of the great things about the internet and blogs is being able to see how other people live. I have been loving the new wave of unschoolers that have taken their lives on the road. I have been living vicariously through these families whose blog updates I anxiously await just to see what “we” are up to in our customized RV! I so wish we could pack up and go–live an adventure on the road. But alas-my family says NO! So as I sit here and dream I notice that many of these women have taken up hooping. They look like they are having so much fun.
And then Sara posted this giveaway and I entered thinking Molly would love a new hoop. But as I began clicking around her post I found that Lara and Superhooper were taking their hoops on the road and heading towards Ohio. Without a second thought I contacted Lara and invited her to Columbus. And with that I decided eff it I was going to learn to hoop. I didn’t care if I looked foolish. For three days my kids tried to teach me. Nothing. I watched countless how to hoop videos on Youtube and even checked a hooping book and DVD out of our library. I was dreaming about hooping. Then it happened!!! On day 5 finally I could keep the hoop up for a minute or two. And each day it gets easier and I don’t have to make such huge exaggerated movements to keep the hoop up anymore!!! YEAH for me!!
Ginger learned too. But she is learning much faster and is working on tricks already. She literally went from not being able to hoop at all to using 2 full size hoops in less than a day.
One of our hoops broke and with 4 hoopers and being down to 1 hoop we needed more…we had to have more! So we went to Lowes and bought our supplies. (There are instructions and tips all over the internet.)
irrigation tubing 160 psi 3/4 inch
3/4 inch connectors
various colors of electrical tape and duct tape (we found some metallic tape at a craft store.)
you will also need a hack saw and a blow dryer
Don’t be intimidated this is super easy
Measure your tubing –your hoop should come between your navel and your nipple. The bigger the hoop the easier it is. Mark it and cut it with a hack saw.
Heat one end with the blow dryer to soften up the tubing so the connector fits in easier. This only takes a minute or two. Once it is warm shove the connector in half way.
The girls wanted their hoops to make noise so we added rice to the tube
Next heat the other end and connect the tube together as close as you can get it. Then we wrapped a bit on electrical tape at this point to keep it together snugly.
Next–decorate your hoop however you want using electrical tape and duct tape. The duct tape is a little slippery and wrinkly for hooping so electrical tape is recommended but we used both.
As soon as we finished we went and hooped in the dark in the back yard! There just isn’t enough room in the basement for three hoopers—unless we stand on the furniture!
Looks like we are set now! The white hoop in the front is actually an LED hoop that my husband made for Molly for Christmas a few years ago. If you are local and are interested in joining us for free classes with Lara let me know!!! She will be here next weekend. Happy Hooping!!
