Homemade Crayons

When I asked Logan what he wanted to give his teachers as a thank you, he enthusiastically said "CRAYONS". I couldn't see myself handing the teachers a box of Crayolas, so I had to get creative. 

Why not MAKE crayons? (I said in my head)

Super simple AND super fun!

Peel your old crayons and break them into small pieces.

just pretty

I sprayed both a silicone baking mold (squares) and a metal tart tin (circles) with Pam cooking spray and started dropping in crayons. Logan was serious about creating color combos he liked.

Ready to go in the oven. I put them in at 300 degrees and watched them closely. 7-10 minutes depending on metal vs. silicone.

This pic is about halfway through cooking. Once the lumps are gone and they look melted, pull them out and let them cool completely. I used a toothpick to swirl the colors a bit before they set.

BEAUTIMOUS! Such a fun project that the kiddos can help with.

Thank You...Thank You Very Much

I was trying to come up with something fun for Logan's teachers at the end of the school year...instead of a blank thank you card.

I decided to use the worksheets that they had worked on all year to spell "thank you". I added an adorable little man, snapped the picture, and:

We packaged them up with our gift...HOMEMADE CRAYONS!!! (watch the blog next week for a step-by-step)...and they turned out super cute. You could also do this card in variations: maybe with birthday gifts as a thank you after a party...I just saw one online yesterday with a little girl and boxes of girl scout cookies thanking everyone who ordered from her.

Green Bunny: Notes to my Boys

Sometimes, one photo (usually of nothing incredibly spectacular) will send me into an emotional-please don't ever grow up-mommy tailspin and I feel the need to write about the little things in life. The quirks that I don't want to forget about my boys. Here are two such layouts:

I definitely encourage you to keep track of the little things that make your kids tick. Someday, you'll really wish you could remember that silly thing they used to do! Another idea I had for preserving all these delicious childhood moments can be found here: You've Got Mail...Kids.

Mother's Day Craft

So if you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE my kids' hand prints. There is just something so adorably innocent about them. I made these 12x12 pictures for the grandmas last Mother's Day and loved them so much that I made one for myself too. 

I used Crayola Finger Paints, crayons, and some cute 3-D bug stickers I had laying around. I would have wanted this to be more diverse in the color of hand prints (it makes sense for their feet to be green since they are the leaves), but at the time Logan LOVED green and there was no way around it. He was NOT gonna be talked into a red or orange flower! Oh well, I guess I'll always remember how obsessed he was with the color green!

Hello Spring!

Just sharing a couple spring things that have recently caught my eye...

Can't take credit for these flowers...my mom made them for me. She used milk cartons, fabric, wire, and beads and I love pulling them out every spring!

Family Fun Magazine's March issue has how-to instructions for this Cupcake-Liner Lantern. Love it.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow cupcakes from Parenting.com. Logan saw this picture and said, "Mom...you HAVE to make those!" Super cute.

Always inspired by Hostess with the Mostess. Check out these bright & beautimous eggs :)

Love the idea of these Pottery Barn drink dispensers. Wish they were cheaper. Target seems to have a couple of decent knock-offs. Costco has one for $20. Sarah and I are considering splitting the cost and sharing it...

Martha's craft ideas usually make me say, "yeah...right", but these little chickens are pretty darn cute!

And, finally, the 'why didn't I think of that?' idea of the day - Paint Chip Easter Garland by Amy Atlas.

Happy Spring!

Bunny Handprints

CONFESSION...I totally and completely stole this idea from my friend, Melanie. She is an amazing mommy and always has the cutest ideas :)

The only thing I had to buy was the googly eyes (which I usually have, but I think we used them all on crafts last Halloween). I got a small pack at Target for $1.99. You can probably find them cheaper at a craft store, but I was there with both kids in tow and decided $1.99 suited me just fine!

I started with 8.5x11 Kraft cardstock and ran it through my printer to get their names. I used the Digs My Hart font from kevinandamanda.com. She has a great blog and offers free font downloads!

Then, I painted the boys' palms and only their pointer and ring fingers and pressed them down on the paper:

Once they dried, I added the eyes and whiskers. Melanie used what looked like pink puffy paint for the nose, but I happened to have the adorable little fuzzy pink brads. I gave them a colored cardstock background and added a matching ribbon and that's it. So easy and SO cute.

Green Bunny: Our Boys

Just finished this one up a couple days ago. I love the idea of journaling about what the boys are currently doing. It will be so much fun to look back and remember the little quirks. I also email the boys all the little things they do and say. If you missed the You've Got Mail post, you should check it out!

How Gross Is it?

So, we've all been the NEW MOMMY who is insanely obsessive about the hands/items/animals touching our teeny little bundle of joy. The crisp, clean linens, the sanitized bottles, the scrubbed tables, the toys that have been sprayed with Lysol ten times in one hour. The hand sanitizer police in full-effect! Then, with time (and more kids), we start to shrug our shoulders a bit. Maybe it's a learning process, maybe it's pure exhaustion just trying to keep up, maybe it's SURVIVAL!

Eh...the binky hit the floor and the kid is screaming and I NEED these groceries.

Eh...the blankie is being dragged across the daycare floor and I don't have time to wash it before nap.

Eh...the table didn't get wiped between meals and I spy a smear of crusty ketchup being mixed with new goldfish.

Eh...the dog is french kissing the toddler, but I'm up to my elbows in the baby's poopy diaper.

Eh...three kids just licked my son's lollipop.

Eh...my little guy is eating dirt for the umpteenth time, but I physically can't bring myself to stop him ONE MORE TIME.

Let's face it: it is nearly impossible to keep everything spic and span with kids in the house. There are things we just have to let go. I'm not saying there aren't freak-out-worthy moments to be had...poop in the tub still grosses me out! So, when is it ok to shrug our shoulders and when should we be concerned?

How Gross Is it? - Parenting.com



Photo from Parenting.com



Twirly Whirly Pizza

Let me start by saying that this is nowhere near the gourmet recipes that my co-blogger posts...(go ahead and pity me now). But it was fun! And, an easy Friday night meal that the kids liked, so that counts for something! I tore the recipe out of a parenting magazine a LONG time ago and just recently tried it. Logan had fun helping & giggled about the silly name a bit.

Twirly Whirly Pizza
1 tube of pizza dough
1/2 C pizza sauce
Italian blend shredded cheese
baby spinach

First time out, I used all store bought products and kept it simple with only the listed ingredients. You could definitely make your own homemade dough and sauce and add any toppings your family enjoys.

Roll out the dough. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings:

Roll pizza up like you would cinnamon rolls:

Grease baking dish. Cut into 8 even rolls. I used a regular butter knife:

 Bake at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes:

Quick & simple & a big hit!



Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse!

Carter was all about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when he turned one in July. We hosted a backyard BBQ with lots of fun decorations and food...




I made the invites using the Cricut Mickey and Friends cartridge and two circle punches. I also downloaded a Mickey font for the inside info.



Amazing Mickey cake made by Sarah!



Specifically planned this party in the AM so we could have Mickey mimosas (a fabulous idea from a friend)! I found a small Mickey cookie cutter for a couple bucks on eBay and used it to cut Mickey out of cantaloupe to add to the mimosa glasses. I also used the cutter for fruity pebble treats (pictured below). Sarah created the deliciously adorable cupcakes...great to have a friend who bakes!



I framed an invite and placed it on a plate stand on the table along with a stuffed Mickey, sunflowers, and the mickey-shaped fruity pebble treats. Some of my bright Fiesta pieces came in handy for the color scheme.



This party was so colorful. What fun! I went with Mickey-themed supplies for the kids' table, but was able to purchase bright reds, yellows, and blues for extra plates, napkins, balloons, etc. Solids are much cheaper and more practical for future use.



I had saved this HUGE Disney store shopping bag (because I knew it would come in handy someday) and used it to decorate the play area with some multi-colored balloons. The sandbox was a birthday gift for Carter.



I made this banner that matched the invites for Carter's high chair.



The birthday boy with his banner & cake. I made the Mickey balloons behind him for the guests to take home. What a blast! I definitely suggest a Mickey (or Minnie) party if you have a young one. Look for great ideas on Disney.com and Disney Family too.



Green Bunny: Little Photographer

Somehow, this layout takes me right back to the moment more than others do. And what a wonderful moment!

The summer Carter was born, Logan was two and a half. He was obsessed with cameras...taking pictures...having pictures taken of him. Saying "cheese" was a frequent occurrence. I put together a backpack for when he came to the hospital with grandma and included two disposable cameras. I thought it would be fun to see this experience through his eyes. He LOVED it and actually did a great job.

These are a couple shots from his camera...his view of the day his little brother was born...