You Color My World

J's birthday is tomorrow, so we have been working hard on gifts to give to Daddy. Jake has been studying for his recertification exam, so we decided to create a bookmark for him. Exhibit A:

A piece of cardstock, some markers, the use of Picnik (R.I.P.), contact paper, ribbon, and a hole puncher...there you go, ma'am! Elianna was quite proud of her creation! It's the handmade gifts that make the greatest impact. Don't you think so? Soon to follow...keep your heads' up! Apples falling!

DIY Magnetic Board/Chalkboard

A few posts ago, I mentioned that our refrigerator is not magnetic. This surprises me, because it is stainless steel. The only portion that is magnetic and exposed is the top left of the refrigerator, a location our two-year-old cannot reach. So, I was on the hunt to find something that would work for us. Via Pinterest (WARNING-highly addicting), I found an idea for a magnetic board (http://pinterest.com/pin/58265388898617958/). I went to our local Walmart, perused the auto section, and picked one up for about ten dollars. I decided to take this project a step further and make it into a partial chalkboard as well. So, I also purchased chalkboard spray paint (AWESOME), and I let E pick out a colored spray paint for the second half of the oil drip pan to make it blingy. Or, I had planned to hype up the bling factor. There were all sorts of beautiful, fun colors - red, lavendar, turquoise, mint, bright orange. What does my little E choose? A muted taupe that matches our kitchen. Sweet peaches. :)

I used some painter's tape to section of the chalkboard paint from the blah colored spray paint. I also added sticky velcroe to the back to hang it on the wall.

Take a look...




She has had a lot of fun with it. The only downfall is that there is contstantly chalk on my kitched floor. I thought I had taken care of that by purchasing a little cardboard box/cube that I painted to match the board and to which I adhered magnets. Still, E feels the chalk is better stored on the floor. :)

OOTDT - POP

Outfit of the Day Thursday....a good reason to change out of pajamas.

A POP of red?

Good thing beans aren't currency, because I cannot take a picture worth beans.

Stick It To Me

E's Grandma stopped over on Valentine's Day and brought the kids special Valentine's Day gifts. Oh, how I wish I had a grandma when I was growing up! Sadly, my grandma's passed away by the time I turned one year old. I realized at a very young age that I was really missing out. (Grandparents' Day in grade school was awful. Who wants to celebrate Grandparents' Day when they don't have ANY grandparents? Boo.) It wasn't until I became an adult that I realized how very sad that was for my parents. How very, very blessed I am to have my parents and my in-laws. I truly think of my blessing every day.

Well, on to the fun stuff! SOOOO.....Grandma brought E a bunch of stickers which made E so very happy. Not to mention, E received a few stickers from Auntie Gayla (my aunt) in the mail!

But, what's a kid (two year old) to do with a bunch of stickers? I was finding them on my sleeves, on the walls, in her pony tail, on the baby.....

I quickly, and I mean quickly, came up with some sticker-scapes for them. Please keep in mind that I did this is ten minutes...no joke. I used construction paper, double sided tape, and a scissors here and there. I did eventually laminate them.

This post is taking me longer than the scenes did.

Mommy is happy, because the stickers are in one main location. E is happy, because she is making her own pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Valentine's Day this year! I know our home is filled with love, especially today!

We began with cereal in the shape of hearts and little Valentine's Day gifts. We will wrap up the day with a special Valentine's Day "menu."

Enjoy!

Potatoes and Valentines

We made a few valentines this year, as well as some decorations. Our favorite was when we used a potato as a stamp. We cut a potato in half, carved a heart into it using a ballpoint pen, carved the around the heard with a knife so that the heart is raised, dipped it in paint, and pressed onto a paper bag. It worked well, and E had so much fun doing it! Just make sure no one eats the potato.

OOTDT

Utility.....
and a toddler....
in the bathroom...

Little Mouse, Little Mouse...

are you in the ________ house?

To help E learn colors, I made this little game. I printed some black and white houses that I found on google. We colored them (red, green, yellow, blue, and purple). I then printed a mouse, and we colored him. I laminated them, added a magnet, and we were good to go.

We hide the mouse under a house, and then say, "Little Mouse, Little Mouse, are you in the ___________ house?" E points to a house, and is the color we say.







I had planned to put them on the refrigerator, but quickly learned that our refrigerator is not magnetic on the front. ?????? I have a solution...

OOTDT

It's Thursday! You know what that means! Please ignore the mess in the background. SJ is transitioning out of the bassinett and into a crib. My room is in disarray.

To be continued....crying baby

A Two Year Old and Her Jacket

It's true. A two year old (new two year old) can dress herself! Yes, in this photo her jacket is on upside down. Yes, in this photo she is wearing a fleece jacket, and it is winter in WI. Yes, she is in her jammies still. (It's not Thursday.)

It's easy to do. Just ask a two year old. First, E grabs her jacket from a low hung rod in the closet. Next, she lays it on the floor in front of her, upside down. The neck should be at her feet. She then bends down and puts her arms into the arm holes, flips her arms/jacket up over her head, and shrugs it on. So simple, a two year old can do it. Or, a caveman.