Back to Blogging

Back to Blogging

I have been gone almost a year from this blog.  I was kinda in survival mode for the past year.  Nothing terrible happened.  We have all been blessed with health.  Our lives are good.  I just got dragged down by the day to day and could not pull myself back out, I guess.  I was not really reaching out.  I am determined to get back to blogging.  Back to creating.  Back to making each day shine.

 

Don't worry, everything will be amazing.  This is from a card that I gave my daughter during her first week of 7th grade this year.  I saw it recently when she was showing off her locker to me.  I like it. 

 

DON'T WORRY

EVERYTHING WILL BE AMAZING.

 

JENNNY

 

 

 

Hanukkah Candle Candy

This is a super simple activity that is completely adored by my girls.  We have also made these chocolate covered pretzel rods and called them magic wands for several Harry Potter parties.  In the past we have used white chocolate chips or melting candy and blue sprinkles for Israel.  This year we just went with what we had in the cubbard.

What You Need:
-  pretzel rods
-  chocolate chips or melting chocolate
-  sprinkles and/or other toppings (shredded coconut, small candies, chocolate chips, etc)
-  waxed paper or parchment paper
-  cookie sheet

What You Do:
-  Place waxed paper or parchment paper onto a cookie sheet
-  Dump the whole bag of chocolate chips into a small to medium pot
-  Heat on low to medium low.  Stir often.  Be careful not to let it burn. 
-  After chocolate has melted, dip a pretzel rod into the chocolate.  Use a spoon to place melted chocolate up higher on pretzel. 
-  Place pretzel on cookie sheet
-  Let kids go crazy putting sprinkles or other toppings on pretzels
-  Place in tray in fridgerator for a short amount of time until the chocolate has set
-  Done!

Take Care!

Jenny

Chrismukkah Countdown

Chrismukkah?  What is it?  It is a the merry mishmash holiday for children and grown children from religiously confused families.  One parent a Christian, one parent a Jew?  Feel an internal struggle at the holidays?  Perhaps I will ire people on both sides.  For that I am very sorry.  But please, don't judge.  Maybe this quote from the O.C. will help: 

Seth:  So what's it going to be, huh? Do you want your menorah or candy cane? Hm? Hanukkah or Christmas?
Ryan: Uh...
Seth: Uh uh. Don't worry about it, buddy. Because in this house you don't have to choose. Allow me to introduce you to a little something that I like to call Chrismukkah.
Ryan: Chrismukkah?
Seth: That's right. It's the new holiday Ryan, and it's sweeping the nation.

Ok.  So with any big holiday, we have to have a countdown.  So this is what we are doing at our happy house:

Each loop has an activity that we will do as a family that day.  I just reused Christmas and Hanukkah wrapping paper. 

These are our activities:

1.  Holiday festival in town
2.  Go to a gymnastics meet
3.  Decorate the tree
4.  Make Hanukkah "candles" - pretzel rods dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles
5. Get hot chocolate and drive around to look at holiday lights
6.  Play Hanukkah bingo
7.  Make Hanukkah cards
8.  Make a Hanukkah crown
9.  Make onion rings (to meet the "fried" element representing the oil in the temple)
10.  Play dreidel
11.  Make holiday cookies
12.  Get hot chocolate and drive around to look at holiday lights
13.  Decorate cookies
14.  Make ornaments 
15.  Go see Winnie the Pooh play
16.  Go to eat fancy brunch and see spectacular Christmas trees at Herbert Hoover presidential library/museum
17.  Make gingerbread houses
18.  Make holiday candy
19.  Get hot chocolate and drive around to look at holiday lights
20.  Sing holiday songs
21.  Watch a holiday movie
22.  Take treats to neighbors
23.  Make snowflakes
24.  Watch Polar Express
25.  Christmas

-  I had to pick activities that I could pull off during the 1.5 - 2 hrs between us getting home at the end of the day during the week and Ladybug going to bed.  I put the holiday lights activity on for the nights that girls  have dance and gymnastics until 8 pm.  We would not have time on those nights to do a more elaborate activity.  

What kind of activities do you do?  Anyone else do the loops?  I think I may have gotten that idea from Family Fun 10 years ago.  

Take Care,

Jenny   

Easy Bracelet Gift!

What you need:

(This is called floral wire.  I found it at the Dollar Tree.  I was initially worried it would turn my skin green or something.  That did not happen.  So I made one for someone else and her skin did not turn green either.  So I think it is okay.  I also found some different types of floral wire jewelry through Google.)

What You Do:

 -  Make a loop/circle big enough to slip over your hand and fit your wrist comfortably.  Wrap the end of the wire around the circle.

 -  Keep wrapping the long wire around the circle.  I keep the big end of the wire in the loop it came it and smush it flatish so that I can pull it in and out of my bracelet circle.

-  Keep going.  I start out putting some distance in the                                        wrapping around the bracelet. 

-  Keep going around.  I wrap the wire around the bracelet a second time.  The second time I increase the times I wrap around.  I also fill in the spots from the first time.  There is less space between the wraps.

 -  After the second time around.  I go ahead and just wrap the wire around over the spot where I started.  I then cut the wire leaving a short tail that I can kinda tuck underneath. 

 -  Done!!!  I often make two bracelets from one package of wire.  That makes a .50 bracelet!  Not bad!  Would be a cute gift add-on.  Wire also comes in different colors.  I have made a set of them before as a gift.

-  Sorry about my bad pics.  :(  I know that I really need to get better.  I also am going to put learning HTML as a goal for 2013. 

Take Care,

Jenny



Bubble Pop Walk Activity

The Bubble Pop Walk is actually an activity that my mother and Grandpa David came up with when I was little.  My Grandpa even once had giant bubble wrap that was so big we used a broom handle to pop the bubbles.  I just taped a strip down on the kitchen floor.  Ladybug and I hopped, ran, and danced on the bubble paper.  Ladybug loved this project and it kept  her entertained for a little bit.

(yes, my house was kinda messy like that!  :(   )

Jenny

Letter Necklace

This is a project that was inspired by the Ladybug.  So she is obsessed by doggies and puppies.  Has more stuffed animal doggies than real doggies at our local animal shelter.  And that of the next two counties over.  IT IS EPIC.  Right now she also really likes learning about letters.  She really likes these letter tiles and has been pulling out all the D's.  D for doggie and for her name, Diva.  She has actually been going to sleep with a little D tile in her little fist.  Wow - right?  So she was misplacing all the little D's and I was in fear of the day we could not find a D.  So necessity prompted this project.  I think this would also make a great stocking stuffer!

What You Need:
-  a letter tile (ours came from an old spelling game)
-  a round bail plate (the little silver disky thing)
-  glue gun
-  some type of cord (or whatever you want to hang it on)



What I Did:
-  I measured against Ladybug how long I needed the cord to be.  I then cut it to that length.
-  I just used the hot glue to stick the tile to the bail plate. 
- Then I threaded the cord through the loop on top of the bail plate.
-  Finally I tied a knot on top.  I put a bit of the hot glue in the knot for extra strength.
-  DONE!!!


SAFETY -  This is obviously a possible choking hazard.  So if you child puts things in his/her mouth a lot, this may not be a good idea.  Also you may want to be careful about the cord.  I asked daycare to take the necklace off before she went outside or took her nap.


Just 2 More Thoughts:
- This is my first attempt at blogging.  I need to learn more.  My goal for this comming year is to learn HTML.  So please, pardon my lack of style and such.
-  I planned on blogging more this week but the week has gotten away from me.  But please tune back Saturday and Sunday for some holiday gift ideas and a fun kid idea.


Jenny
 









Green Friday

-  So we rocked Green Friday.  We just did a few homemade projects and watched part of a movie on sustainability.  We wore our pj's all day.  We stayed inside where it was was warm.  Green Friday is our kick-off to the holiday season. 

I will be including more information about the projects we completed.  And better pictures but here is some information if you want to get started.

The gold crown is a salt dough ornament.  Please see the tutorial here from Delighted Momma.  The Ladybug must have made a dozen of these ornaments.  I also made a keepsake of her hand (I will show the picture later).  This was a really easy project that kept the Ladybug entertained for a long time.  I think the ornaments will look great attached to presents and on trees!

The cardboard ornaments on the side are from a book.  I will get that information to you soon.

Another thing I wanted to do is spend time on Friday talking to Loki about reusing what we have and our impact on the environment.  I am going to put a disclaimer up later - but I am not the most green person ever.  I drive a small SUV (but I am getting a more fuel efficient or hybrid car next time).  Ladybug uses disposable diapers.  I didn't go to any Black Friday sales, but I really did not need to go.  The girls did not need more movies.  We do not need a new game system.  My computer is going to quit eventually, but I decided to wait.  We have the luxury to have a Green Friday and reflect on sustainability, etc.  I just want to raise children that are aware and good citizens of the world. 

To promote our learning we attempted to watch No Impact Man.

This is a really interesting movie.  You get to see how a family cuts out just about all consumer goods including toilet paper and energy.  They actually cut off the power to their apartment!  However, the parents use language that if Loki repeated, she would be grounded forever.  And ever!  So we shut this one off pretty fast. 

However, Loki and I did watch this movie recently which she seemed to relate to better.  This was a very positive movie about two people who have a contest to see who can throw out the least amount of garbage in a year and not purchase anything.  (There are some pictures of dead birds that Loki said were "disturbing.")

CHECK BACK HERE DAILY (OR ALMOST DAILY) FOR AFFORDABLE, EASY DIY HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS!

Jenny