Nativity Advent Calendar Idea for kids

(image from about.com)

Hi friends! Hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous!

I'm excited to share a fun and simple idea! At church they gave each family a Nativity Advent or countdown calendar complete with 25 vinyl images that when put together, construct the nativity scene.  Each day, our family is supposed to read a few designated verses from the Bible and put one of the stickers on our poster that helps construct the nativity scene.  It is a fun way to countdown to Christmas while focusing a little each day on the birth of Christ.

I wanted to share this idea with you, but I know many of us don't have a vinyl cutting machine.  So I have found a plan B and it only requires a printer and basic supplies you probably have on hand!  I want to be clear, this is not my idea. I found this article by Rachel Bruner on about.com  Rachel's article includes some simple printable nativity illustrations so that you can make your own calendar. I am just sharing the link to her illustrations and sharing the scripture passages that coincide.

Print and cutout the nativity images from Rachel Bruner's article from about.com (click here to print colored illustrations, or click here for the black and white illustrations). Beginning on December 1, read the designated passage from the Bible and cut out and attach one the designated nativity images to magnet or poster board or even a big piece of paper.

Here is an example of how to run your advent calendar,  though you could change it your liking:

Dec. 1 - Read Luke 1:26-27  put up the stable 3 pieces: 2 sides 1 support beam)
Dec. 2. - Read Luke 1:28-29 ,then put up the stable roof ( two pieces)
Dec. 3 - Read Luke 1:30-31 then put up a palm tree
Dec. 4 - Read Luke 1: 32-33 then put up am palm tree
Dec. 5 - Read Luke 1: 34-35 then put up a bird
Dec. 6 - Read Matthew 1: 18-19 then put up a bird
Dec. 7 - Read Matthew 1: 20-21 then put up the nest
Dec. 8 - Read Matthew 1: 22-23 then put up the sheep
Dec. 9 - Read Matthew 1: 24 then put up a lamb
Dec. 10 - Read Luke 2: 1-2 then put up a lamb
Dec. 11 - Read Luke 2: 3-4 then put up the donkey
Dec. 12 - Read Luke 2: 5-6 then put up Joseph
Dec. 13 - Read Luke 2: 7-8 then put up Mary
Dec. 14 - Read Luke 2: 8-9 then put up the manger
Dec. 15- Read Luke 2: 10-11 then put up an angel
Dec. 16 - Read Luke 2: 12-13 then put up an angel
Dec. 17 - Read Luke 2: 14-15 then put up the star
Dec. 18 - Read Luke 2: 16-17 then put up the big shepherd
Dec. 19- Read Luke 2: 18-19 then put up the shepherd girl
Dec. 20 - Read Matthew 2: 1-2 then put up the shepherd boy
Dec. 21 - Read Matthew 2: 3-4 then put up the camel
Dec. 22 - Read Matthew 2: 5-6 then put up a wise man
Dec. 23 - Read Matthew 2: 7-8 then put up a wise man
Dec. 24 - Read Matthew 2: 9-14 then put up a wise man
*Optional- Also put up baby Jesus on Christmas Eve or put him up on Christmas Day

Incorporating books in seasonal decor

I haven't pulled out the autumn/Halloween decorations yet, but I'm thinking very hard about it.  One simple and fun element I always like to include in my seasonal decor is picture books. We choose a book with a seasonal or holiday theme.  It must have great illustrations and a good story.  I display it on a table or shelf in a little vignette along with our other seasonal decor.  Of course we  pull it down from said display and read it a dozen times.  We pack the book up in the same box with the decor at the end of the season.  It makes for a fun discovery the next year.

For Fall, we display Pumpkin Soup.  It is the sweetest little story about friendship and teamwork and soup.  The illustrations are as delicious as I  imagine the pumpkin soup to be. You can flip through a few of the pages here. I picked it up at Barnes & Noble, but it is available on amazon.com  (for $6.95) and probably a dozen other places.

Do you have a favorite fall or Halloween book?

Etsy Love: Mibo

(image from Mibo on Etsy)

I was thumbing through...o.k., I was clicking through one of my favorite online magazine, Sweet Paul Magazine, when I spotted these little gems:

(image from Mibo on Etsy)

Friend, meet Mibo.  Is it love at first sight?

It was for me.  Mibo is a design studio that creates amazing paper products sold as downloads that you print and assemble yourself.  The price is right at less than six dollars per kit. Their products are all available for purchase on Etsy.  They would be great in a nursery, for a birthday party or in the classroom.  Wouldn't it be a fun holiday activity to assemble these sweet little Christmas Creatures with your little creatures?   View all of Mibo's adorable paper creations here.

(image from Mibo on Etsy)

Cowmooflage car seat (shopping for a convertible car seat)

Isn't it remarkable how children grow, quite literally, overnight? The infant car seat that my son fit in on Friday, was too snug by Saturday.  I knew the time was coming to transition to a convertible car seat and I should have been shopping before now.

Have you heard the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on car seat safety? They say children should remain rear-facing in their car seats until age two.  It's not easy, in fact, it's a total pain. Obviously though, safety is more important than convenience.  When I think of the higher risk of spinal cord injuries and other serious injuries for little ones facing forward, I can deal with rear-facing for another year.

So, we are in the market for a convertible car seat.  We are looking for one with a high weight limit so he can be in it until college for a long time, a 5-point harness,  and a convertible model than can face forward or backward in the car. My daughter has a Britax Marathon seat and I have been really happy with it.  I guess the simple thing to do would be to buy the same seat for my son.  I'm leaning toward the Cowmooflage fabric (it's too funny to pass up).

Before I  buy a seat, does anyone have any recommendations for a  convertible car seat they LOVE?  Also, where do you shop for the best price on car seats? I always love to get recommendations before buying so I would appreciate your comments!

Thanks, friend!

Reusable Zoo Pals Plates (sort of)

Sing it with me, "OINK! OINK! ZOO PALS! BUZZ! BUZZ! ZOO PALS! QUACK! QUACK! ZOO PALS....."  That darn song from the Zoo Pals commercial haunts my dreams.  My daughter has been begging for the cute little animal-shaped paper plates lately. They are fun and paper plates certainly have their purpose (I think we could make some great crafts with them). However, for regular every day use, a pack of Zoo Pals wouldn't last a day at our house. So I was delighted to find this sweet little pack of plastic animal plates from Harriet Carter. They are dishwasher safe, come in a pack of three and are a little more environmentally friendly than their paper competitors.

Quick and Colorful Kids' Garden

Necessity is the mother invention and I am the mother of a compulsive flower-picker.  So what started as a bit of a problem, turned into a great summer project for our family.

This is my daughter, then three years old and passionately caressing our spring blooms. To say that my girl loves flowers would be a big, tulip-hugging understatement. While it's pastel tulips she loves in the Spring, she favors pink Martha Washingtons in the Summer and adamantly insists on orange pansies in the Fall.  While I've been happy to oblige and plant her favorites, I soon learned that the favorites didn't last long. She would secretly and lovingly pick each bloom.  In an effort to cultivate her love of flowers and still protect my peonies, our solution was to make her very own garden where she could plant, dig and pick to her flowery little heart's content.  We loved this project so much, it has become a summer tradition.

By helping your kids make a small space in the yard specifically for them, you can keep them entertained this summer, teach them responsibility, increase their confidence and keep your plants intact. This project is very simple and completely customizable to your budget and your space ( you could even do it in a pot or planter box if you don't have a yard).

As I mentioned, this is a project we've done before.  

                            

Last year we started with a big kids' garden full of marigolds, petunias, tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini all enclosed in a perfectly pink picket fence.  My mom, a true gardener, even helped out. It was a lot of fun, but since we are in the midst of landscaping this year, we've down-sized the kids' garden and relegated it to a small, dusty, yet-to-be-addressed, corner of the yard.  Kids don't seem to mind where the garden is or how big it is, as long as it's theirs.

                                                     

                            

Kids' Garden Supplies

• 1-2 packages of garden fencing, available at gardening stores, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart ( the amount you will need depends on how big you plan to make your garden).
• 1-2 cans of spray paint ( let your kid choose the color, of course)
• Flowers, plants and/or vegetable plants of your child's choosing
• Gardening supplies: little shovels, gloves, watering cans, etc.
• Optional: a personalized garden sign, garden ornaments (finally, a home for the lawn gnomes that didn't sell in last summer's yard sale).

Instructions to Make Your Kids' Garden

1. Parents spray paint the fencing on a drop cloth or scrap of cardboard and let it dry.  Two or three coats on each side should do the trick (we left our fence out in the elements last winter, so it's looking a bit rough and definitely in need of new paint). 

2. Mark out the spot where your fencing will go and set it aside.
3. Help your kid(s) plant their plants within the marked area.
4. Together, put up the fence around the plants and secure it ( you can attach the fence sections to each other with plastic zip ties if they won't stay together).

5. Kids can add a sign, a garden ornament or stepping stones and decorate it-this is their space!

6. Enjoy a summer full of adventure, ooh and ahh at each day's new blooms and maybe even sample some summer vegetables!

Kids' Garden Tips:

• Remember the kids are calling the shots on this one.  Let them make as many of the choices about the garden as possible.  This gives them a feeling of ownership over their garden and confidence by allowing them to make the decisions.

• Have the kids do a little research before buying their plants.  Using the Internet or books, and your guidance, they can learn which plants are compatible in your zone, which prefer sun or shade, etc. (they'll be learning without even knowing it).

• Let the kids add some vegetable plants. It's much simpler than a full-blown vegetable garden, but with the benefits of learning about growing your own food ( this also makes for more fun summer activities like finding recipes that will use up the 10 lbs of zucchini you've surprisingly grown in that little kid garden).

• If you've got a flower-picker on your hands, consider a cutting garden made up flowers that bloom frequently.

• Resist the urge to water their plants for them, unless they are really little. A garden is a great way to teach responsibility and help them understand the consequences of their actions: bright, beautiful blooms or burned up begonias. 

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Oh buoy, he's one! {whales and sails birthday party}

Despite my objections to the contrary, my baby boy turned one, friends. I wanted his first birthday to be special and memorable, but still relatively simple. So I employed the help of some clip art, a trusty printer and some very basic party supplies, to whip up a sweet, printable, personalized first birthday party with a whales and sails theme.

Basic supplies:

Polka dot plates, napkins and blow-outs from Dollar Tree

Cups, balloons and colored plastic utensils from Wal-mart.

As I mentioned, I chose an ocean/nautical themed party.  I originally began looking on party supply web sites for decorations, plates, cups, etc. with that theme.  They can be found, but I wasn't in love with any of them and there is a hollow feeling that comes from spending more on paper plates and disposable tablecloths than say, your utility bill...or shoes. So I opted to make my own party supplies to get the look I wanted and be able to personalize the items.  

I started hunting for clip art I could use to design and print party decorations.  I discovered that Etsy is a great source for clip art-who knew?   I found this sweet little nautical clip art set from Pink or Blue Designs and purchased it for $5.

Jana from Pink or Blue Designs was so great to work with and so fast and accommodating.  I had my clip art files almost instantly after paying for them. If the thought of using Illustrator or Photoshop or doing any DIY projects on the computer terrifies you, DO NOT DESPAIR! You can find a myriad of pre-made printable parties online. Pink or Blue Designs has some darling options and there are many to choose from on Etsy as well. In addition to convenience and cost savings, printable parties are great because you own the files and can re-print them for another party or other use.

Getting back on track, I started by making the party invitations.  I made them using Adobe Photoshop.  The design is pretty basic with some stripes in the background, circles to look like portholes and the clip art...oh and a photo of my sweet little guy. 

I liked the stripes and port holes look, so I incorporated those elements along with the number one in with the clip art to make the designs for the rest of the party.

I made birthday bouquets by simply printing out the designs, cutting them and taping them to bamboo skewers. I tucked them into patterned containers ( baby formula cans covered in patterned paper that I also made from the clip art).  I used the formula cans for a few different purposes.  It seemed fitting since we are celebrating the end to buying formula!

I framed a very simple little welcome sign with a few nautical puns...

  

I found some blow-outs at Dollar Tree that were the right colors, so I taped some of my clip art circles over them too.

I taped another happy little whale to the front of this clear plastic napkin holder from Dollar Tree and used it to hold the plates.

Let's talk about cakes.  In short, my talents lay elsewhere, but I still wanted to make a cute cake.  So I cheated.  Really, who made the rule that everything on a cake has to be edible? I wrapped the base in 1/2 yard of ribbon (the frosting held it in place) and made a quick birthday sign printed on card stock and taped to a bamboo skewer to top the cake. With a classic number candle, the deal was done. Fast, cute and removable for when my son destroyed the entire cake, per first birthday tradition.

Once upon a time I made this little dessert stand.

Once upon another time, I broke the top layer off.  It turned out to be a happy accident.  I needed two stands for the party, so I stacked my severed stands on some simple red platters from a very exclusive store called Wal-Mart. Done and done.

I forgot to get a good photo, but in the bottom left, you can see the star-covered formula can that I filled with napkins and utensils.

I added personalized cupcake toppers as well.  Clearly, I went overboard with the clip art circles on bamboo sticks idea, but I like it anyway.  We served strawberry cream cheese cupcakes with cake batter ice cream and grasshopper cupcakes with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

  Speaking of ice cream, here is a cool trick that I discovered: Dreyer's round ice cream containers....

...fit perfectly inside decorated formula cans- who knew?  It was a fun way to serve the ice cream in a decorative but simple container.

To dress up the plain paper cups, I made and printed little drink wrappers that are very basic, then cut and taped it to the paper cups.

The birthday banner was my favorite part.  I originally planned to make a pennant banner but two things stopped me: 

1) It's been done (by me and thousands of other DIY aficionados).

2) I ran out of time.  The though of cutting, gluing layering and stringing more shapes together was more than I wanted to tackle.  I am lucky to have access to a big printer, so I used essentially the same design as the invitation with a few changes and made it approximately one billion times larger. The banner was 26 in by 30 in.

Whether it was the decor or the unrestricted access to his own cake that won him over, Asher was impressed with the party.

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Spring Pancake Art

We had far too much fun with this project.  By filling squeeze bottles with colored pancake batter, you can draw just about any shape you can imagine and enjoy colorful pancake perfection. 

Cruising for Chicks

I'll be honest, I'm running out of ideas to keep children entertained indoors. However, we don't seem to be running out of cold weather (save me, Spring!)

One of the last ideas in my bag of tricks, was a trip to Cal-Ranch (our farming supply store) to see the sweet little baby chicks they sell in the Spring. If you have a farming supply store in your area that sells such fuzzy cuteness, you should pay them a visit. But be forewarned, apparently there was a significant salmonella outbreak last Spring just from people handling chicks, so this is a look-but-don't-touch activity and a mom-just-slathered-me-in-hand-sanitizer-just-to-be-safe activity.

I have many projects to share with you, but for now all I seem to accomplish is the chasing of children and the management of their never-ending eat, sleep, poop cycle. I'll have something new to share soon!