The kids were home from school for President’s Day so we had our own Olympic games. Each child chose a country and then made a mascot and got a flag. We had a parade, a lighting of the “torch” (candles), a celebration with snaps and confetti, and made the medals. Then the events started: water balloon throw, paper airplane folding and throw, fishing, balancing an object on head, shooting targets with toy gun, drinking water contest, tiddlywinks, and others. To wrap things up we even had a medals ceremony. So much fun! The kids really enjoyed watching some events on TV, too.
Olympics for Kids!
February 18th, 2010Making Valentines
February 13th, 2010Homemade Dolls and an Alien
February 8th, 2010What to do on a cold, dreary winter day? Make homemade dolls with a made-up pattern and any materials you have around the house, of course!
I used eyeliner and lipstick for the doll faces and we cut off leggings with holes in the knees to make dresses for them. I didn’t want my son to feel I was favoring the girls, so I let him design an alien pattern and helped him sew it up. I think the girls may have had more fun playing with the batting than they had with the dolls!
Illustration Friday: Muddy
February 5th, 2010Homemade Peppermint Patties
February 4th, 2010I made these with my son and they were really yummy, (and messy!), but fun to make. The peppermint filling can get very sticky, however, so use lots of cornstarch to roll it out on. I also refrigerated them when they were finished to let them set. I tried rolling the filling into balls before dipping into melted chocolate and that works really well, too. They would make a yummy valentine’s treat! I’ve tried a couple of different recipes, but here is the one I tried when I took the pictures: Peppermint Pattie Recipe (Click on any of the images to view larger.)
Playing in Water
February 4th, 2010Illustration Friday: Focus
January 31st, 2010Valentine’s Day Last Year
January 30th, 2010Last year for Valentine’s Day I made felt crowns and little skirts for my girls. SO much fun! My husband made my son a wooden rubber band gun like his grandpa used to make for him. I made my son a little gun holster and a pouch to hold a bunch of felt “disguises” that I made for him. Grandpa even tried on the beard. It looked so funny! I didn’t have any patterns or anything, so they are definitely not “perfect,” but they were so much fun to make and surprise them with. Especially while they are young and think that things made of felt are cool! We had a pancake dinner with whipped cream and pie cherry filling to top them off. I need some good ideas for this year. Any suggestions?































































































