PreSchool Gear

I'm getting back-to-school flyers in the mail. Are you?  Totally gives me the willies.  I'm not ready for this yet!

But since we're on the subject, I thought I'd share two items that have been really helpful since our kids have been in daycare/preschool.

First are these Land's End tote bags.  We had the kids' names stitched onto each one.  In it, we keep changes of clothes, sippy cups, blankets, extra diapers, and whatever else they might need for the day.  It's super-easy to carry them back and forth each day.  The bags you see here are about 3 years old.  They've held up nicely. no?

Second are these Wildkins nap mats.  We had originally ordered nap mats from Lillian Vernon, but after a few washes they really started to show wear.  We ordered these soon after, and they have held up beautifully.  They are thick and plush (as far as nap mats go) and have a built in pillow and blanket.  I have probably washed them 20 times each, and they look brand new.

So there you have it! Not the most exciting post, I know, but it's something that people ask me about quite a bit.

I hope you have a great Thursday.  Thanks for reading!

Hot Car Crayons

Holy Moly, it's been hot up in herrrre!  In Pennsylvania, we are not only blessed with stifling heat waves, but also ridiculous humidity.  It is seriously like breathing underwater.

Last week, on a 100-degree day, I decided to try something I saw on Pinterest and Come Together Kids.  Hot car crayons!

I found this silicone heart mold tray for $1.00 last Valentine's Day, so I scooped it up.  Then, the kids and I (okay, mostly me) unwrapped crayons and broke them into small pieces to put in the molds.  I had read that Crayolas work best, since they melt quickly and evenly, so that's what we used.  This time, I put mostly like colors together, but I think next time I would mix colors.  I like that even better!

Then, I put them on the dash of my car and promptly forgot about them.  (Note:  my car was parked in direct sunlight, and I'm estimating it was over 100 degrees in there.  I suppose this would also work in a cooler car, but it would probably take longer.)

After about three hours, I had this.

You can let them cool on their own, or pop them in the freezer to speed up the process.  And then, color away!

Also, my friend Tracey from Art Recycles created these heart crayons as a Valentine's gift for her son's class.  Just something to keep in mind for February, although I doubt you can melt them in the car then!

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Vacay

The kids and I are away with family this week...poor Michael is still home, working.  See you next week!

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Family Room (Slow) Progress

We moved into our house in 2003.  Since then, my tastes in home decor/design have changed pretty dramatically.  My needs in terms of space (and the use of it) have changed pretty dramatically too, due to the three-kids-under-the-age-of-5 thing.

I knew that I was ready for a change, particularly in my family room.

Here was how it looked last winter:

Ugh.  I can't tell you how much I dislike it.  So boring!  Here are some things I knew I wanted to change about the space:

I want to keep the cute little kid sitting on the love seat (did you spot him there??) and, let's face it, I don't think The Wiggles on the TV are going anywhere anytime soon.  Nathan is somewhat obsessed, and I'm still wondering why Jeff is always so sleepy?  That's a question for another day, I suppose.

One thing I really noticed as I stepped back and looked at this photo is the absence of color.  Everything is just so neutral and nondescript.  COLOR is something that was sorely missing in this room.

I'm sorry to tell you that not TOO much has changed with this room, yet.  Part of the reason is because of my indecisiveness, and part of it is due to lack of time.  But the process has begun.  You'll be happy to know that I'm getting ready to turn a coffee table into an upholstered ottoman.  Look at the fabric I chose:

COLORFUL, right?   We also got a new sofa that I am LOVING.  It's gray (I know, neutral!) but I wanted a neutral couch so I could dress it up with some great pillows.  I received this Chicago Textile Accent pillow from TheFurnitureDomain.com, and I knew it would go perfectly with the couch, especially because I'm using lots of blues in the room.

It's a microsuede, and the color is Glacier.  Isn't it pretty?  I love it!  It's extremely well-made, and I know it's going to hold up to the demands of the little ones as well as our pets.  Wanna see the best part?

It's machine washable, baby!  Woo-hoo!  I also think it will look great with the new ottoman:

It's a great start to the room, and I'm going to add more patterned pillows around it.  If you're interested in new pillows, or any living room furniture for that matter, check out the huge selection on their site!

For now, I'm busy adding color to the room wherever I can:

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

Noodle Necklaces

I've discovered something about my children.  And it's not a good something.  When offered any unstructured time, their activities of choice are, shall we say, undesirable.  Hitting.  Wrestling.  Kicking.  Poking. Teasing. Yelling.  (Please tell me this is because of their age.  PLEASE?)

So I try and make sure there is very little unstructured time.

Yesterday, I relied on an oldie-but-goodie to fill their time.  Noodle Necklaces!

You'll need:

food coloring
white vinegar
ziploc bags
any type of noodles that can be strung
yarn/ribbon
twist-ties (optional)

First, put 12 drops of food coloring into a ziploc bag.  Add 2 tsp. of vinegar.  Then add about 1/2 cup of pasta.  Squish the pasta around in the bag to make sure that it's coated with the food coloring.

Then lay the pasta out on paper towels to dry.  After about 15 minutes, flip the pasta over so it dries evenly.

When it's all dry, start stringing!  Cut a length of ribbon or yarn, get going!  For an easy threader, twist a twist-tie around the end of the yarn.

Just look at my kitchen table.  You can see I was trying to keep them busy!  In addition to the noodle necklaces, they were also working with magnetic letters AND having a snack.

Here was an unexpected bonus of this activity:  I snuck some math practice in.  We worked on patterning with the noodle colors.

red, red, yellow, yellow

blue, blue, green, green, red

checking his pattern

They loved this activity, and wore their new jewelry all day!

this one loves to pose

this one needs a haircut!

**This activity came straight from the pages of Family Fun magazine!  Awesome magazine and website!**

Marshall's Score

About a year ago, I bought this print for Charlotte's room.

It's from Katie Daisy, and I absolutely adore her artwork and illustrations.  

Yesterday, I went to Marshalls with the kids.  (We were there to find a Slip -n- Slide, but I couldn't get out of there without also buying a Batmobile and Princess Supplies.)  As we were standing in line, I looked over at the notecard display, and found a whole box of Katie Daisy notecards!

What luck!  I scooped them up as fast as I could, and can't wait to frame them and put them on Charlotte's wall.  The illustrations are beautiful, but I love the messages, too.  Artwork for $5.99?  Can't beat that!

The Simple Things

Yesterday was Michael's birthday, so we decided to have a birthday picnic.  The weather was beautiful.  We ate homemade potato salad, chicken salad, and angel food cake.  The kids were happy and well-behaved.  Charlotte wore her tutu.  What could be better?

We pretended we were Harry Potter and played with wands.  This is Charlotte practicing her "swish and flick."

We played a little Frisbee, because that's what you do on a picnic.

A good time was had by one and all.  See how happy the kids are to be with the birthday boy?

See how bored the kids are to be with me?

Never fails.  Hope you had a great weekend!  Linking up here: