penny carnival

Boredom busters and kid-made Christmas cards

I have this dream of one day running my family like a well-organized, stimulating boarding school. Each night after the kids go to bed, I'll lay out the fun and educational activities for the next day, prepare healthy meals and then have time for five miles on the treadmill, a bubble bath and an Ogilvie Home Perm. 

Or something like that.

I usually snap back to reality when the microwave beeper goes off letting me know the frozen burritos are ready to eat.

When I don't have time to put my long-lost degree in elementary education to use, these are a few of the no-brainer activities I fall back on when we need something to do:

-Freeze dancing. Play some '80s music, dance like mad, hit pause, freeze, rinse and repeat. It never gets old.

-Crafts. Of course. I always have the painting easel set up, a giant jar of Crayons on the kids' table in the kitchen, and plenty of blank paper on hand. Kid-friendly scissors go over big here, too. Lately Magpie will come up to me and ask, "Can I cut?"

-Play dough. This recipe for homemade play dough is way better than the stuff you buy in the store. 

-Baking cookies. This can be dangerous, but sometimes it's worth the extra calories when the girls are begging for something fun to do. When my willpower is strong, we bring the cookies to our neighbors.

-Cleaning. The girls love being put to work. They'll gladly spray and wipe down windows, put clothes away in drawers and wash walls. The house isn't always cleaner when they're done, but they have looks on their faces like they've just cured cancer or something. 

-Go to the library. They get so excited for this, you'd think they were going to Disneyland. Note: They've never been to Disneyland so maybe that's why it works? Keep the bar low when it comes to expectations for fun? Hmm ... Anyhow, I always make sure I have a diaper on library outings because there's something about that place that makes Magpie poop.

-Don't feel like getting in the car? Push the couches together in the living room to make one giant couch and call it the library. Pile up a stack of books and read them one by one. My sister and I did this for years when we were kids.

-Go for a walk.

-Clean out a closet.

-Watch home videos on the TV. Nothing thrills the girls more than seeing how they talked and looked six months ago.

-Have a picnic on the kitchen floor.

-Exercise. Pick out the cheesiest workout video from On Demand and press play. Avoid "strip tease." I made that mistake once.

-Give the girls a bath. It's like a playpen. The fewer toys in there the better. Just give them a couple of measuring cups and a washcloth and you've got a half hour of fun. Sometimes I dangle my feet in the tub and let them give me a foot massage. Brilliant, eh?

-Get fancy like Nancy. My mom (Nancy) used to be a makeup lady so I have a ton of old free cosmetics samples from her. This is a mess, of course, so you have to be in the right mood.

-Play school. Bo loves to "read" to her little sister. And boss her around.

OK, none of that was rocket science, but it helps us make the days fun. Care to add to the list? Let's get some ideas rolling.

For the record, we do watch TV here, especially during the cold months. We have one TV. It's in the basement, so have to make a bit of an effort to watch it. I wish I could say we're TV free. I think a child's imagination can be stymied when they're constantly fed images instead of being forced to come up with those pictures themselves after reading a book or listening to a parent tell a story. But TV--especially movies--can be fun. And it can buy me three of those five miles on the treadmill.

On a related note, one project they did today was to make Christmas cards for 10 kids around the world. We're going to take part in Kids Craft Weekly's annual card swap, where you send a handmade card to 10 children and receive 10 cards from 10 different kids from all over the globe. 

I figured we'd better make the cards before signing up since I'm kind of famous for not sending cards to people I actually know. It's always my New Year's resolution to be better about that. Maybe 2010 will be the year I set out a stack of stamped envelopes on the kitchen counter and make it a habit. 

Here are a few of the girls' creations:

That's a reindeer on the right and a pissy post-op snowman in the middle. 

Speaking of Kids Craft Weekly, I bought Amber's Christmas Crafts and Christmas Cards e-booklets last week. I love everything she does. Her projects are based in reality. I love that my kids can look at her examples and not feel like total failures because their crafts don't turn out like something you'd see in a Martha Stewart magazine, as is clearly demonstrated by the photo above.

The Little Red Riding Hood birthday party

Hooray for another birthday party! Last night was Magpie's Little Red Riding Hood-themed 2nd birthday. These are getting more fun all the time--so many kids running around the house, so much excitement beforehand, so much more time for the grownups to catch up with each other now that the little ones are more self sufficient. 

Something always goes a little wrong, but that's part of the fun, right? Right?! 

Besides, the look on this face makes the mad scramble at the end worth it:

 

You can see more pictures/details on my About.com Kids' Parties site.

You might notice that she's clutching a couple of her birthday gifts there--a stuffed pig and a plastic giraffe. Almost every picture I took last night shows her with those two toys in her hands. I guess she took a liking to them right away.

She's also wearing another gift--this apron I sewed her (modeled by Lulu the lamb the other day so I didn't ruin the surprise):

 

I wish I'd had more time to make her some other handmade gifts. On my to-do list were a Mimi Kirchner doll (dressed as Little Red Riding Hood), a felt cake and a camping blanket, but time ran out. Oh, well. There's always Christmas.

Anyhoo, she was happy to get the apron, especially after having to borrow her big sister's for the last year or so. Magpie is an avid cook--I can't make anything without her "helping" these days--so I'm glad I got that project done for her.

Moving on ... to Christmas. 

I really don't see the point in decorating the house for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, but we're not going to be here for it, and why put the effort into decorating for Christmas if it's only up for a few weeks?

So we pulled out the crates labeled "Christmas" today and put a few things out. 

 

The big hit was the nativity set (the one I let them play with). You wouldn't believe the adventures Mary, Joseph and Jesus had today. My goodness. Did you know Mary is a princess? Yep. 

The best part, though, was that every time Bo would say something about "the baby Jesus," Magpie would look up and ask me for a "cheese stick." 

Pencil rolls galore

"Galore" might be a strong word for three.

This morning, I finally was able to make a couple of pencil rolls for my nieces to go along with their Christmas presents (a mishmash of crafty supplies and kits and the book DIY Kids by Ellen and Julia Lupton). With the snow trapping us all week, I couldn't get to the fabric store for wool felt until yesterday. Then we got snowed in again this morning, so I seized the opportunity to sew, sew, sew.

Pencil roll No. 3 came about after Bo saw what I was doing. She hasn't quite grasped the whole "joy of giving" thing yet and was doing her best to convince me that her cousins' pencil rolls should be her own. So I agreed to make one for her, too--a zebra, at her request.

I used a zebra outline from the "stripes" episode of Kids Craft Weekly, minus the hind legs. My printer jammed halfway through, so I can had to make up the zebra's rear end. Nice tail, huh?

I have one more to make for a good friend's 4-year-old son. They're so easy and quick and fun to do. The idea comes from Amanda Soule's book The Creative Family, although I don't follow the directions closely anymore (which might explain some wonky parts here and there).

The zigzag stitch got a little out of control on this one, especially when Bo crawled under the table and sat on the sewing machine's pedal. Twice. Sorry cousin Coco. That's supposed to be a snail under a tree.

Inside:

Why is this shot reminding me of cinnamon rolls? Have I not consumed enough butter over the last several weeks already??!

Sitting pretty

First of all, merry Christmas. What a beautiful holiday. I don't think any other is so deeply tied to tradition, whether it's a tradition celebrated around the world or just within one family. Fantastic.

Christmas Eves just keep getting better around here. Somewhere between age 13 and 30 you forget about the anticipation of the day. But now that I have kids and especially as they get closer to kidhood and further from babyhood, the feeling is back. I think I'm just as excited as Bo for Christmas morning, although I'm a wee bit concerned because several hours ago she announced that she no longer wants a dollhouse from Santa. Sorry kid. I think you'll like it anyway.

J and I have kind of a hard time with the Santa thing. It's important to us to always be honest with the girls, so going along with the story makes us feel a little uncomfortable. We made an agreement with each other to do it because we don't want to rob the girls of that part of the magic of Christmas, but as they get older and start asking questions, I'm guessing we won't be the parents who go to great lengths to hide the truth. That said, I was like a crazy woman trying to keep J quiet as we put presents under the tree. He is honestly the loudest person I know. 

I've been so excited to show you all something but have had to button my lip because writing about it in more detail than I have would have revealed a gift we were giving my parents. They've seen it now, so ... ta dah!

Remember Susannah Rodgers, the artist behind Sitting Pretty Studio that I mentioned recently? We had her paint watercolor portraits of the girls to give to Nana and Papa. We are absolutely thrilled with how they turned out. She somehow captured the girls' spirits just by looking at photos of them. I'm truly in awe and know my parents will love having these in their home.

It was such fun getting to know Susannah over e-mail exchanges, too. That is the thing that continues to amaze me about the handmade movement--the connections I'm making with other people (let's face it--other women, mostly) around the world seems to be snowballing lately. I wish I could have everyone over for a giant potluck dinner.

According to a recent blog post from Susannah, it sounds like her daughter Bella is enjoying the rainbow dress I traded for part of the price of the paintings.

There is so much more to write about--the magical Christmas season we've had while trapped in our home due to three feet of snow on the ground ... the craft action that's been happening because of it ... the food, the pretty trees, the 8-foot-tall snowman standing guard in front of our house right now, the way the snow clings to the berry clusters on the mountain ash trees in the backyard ..

But I'm going to try to get some sleep before the Christmas morning frenzy begins.

I hope this post finds you happy, rested, warm and surrounded by the people you love. Again, merry Christmas.

Smocks and boobie cookies

We are snowbound here in Spokane, covered by 30 or so inches of snow. I haven't been out of the neighborhood since Wednesday morning, but I'm not complaining.

<Interruption. Magpie just found the volume control on the stereo and is BLASTING Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music.>

We've been playing in the snow, watching those classic Christmas shows (you know, Frosty and Rudolph and Santa), baking cookies and getting our craft on.

This morning, I finished sewing one of two painting smocks for the girls to go along with an art easel we bought them. Next up are some dolls--a big one for Magpie and small ones for Bo to use in her dollhouse. Here's the first of the smocks:

the back:

Here's the pattern I used, Simplicity 4384. It was one of my Value Village finds from a few months ago.

I didn't bother with all the sweet little details the pattern suggests. These things are going to be covered with paint Thursday by about 8:43 a.m.

After last week's cookie exchange, I swore I wasn't going to bake more cookies. I've pretty much been on a cookie diet (as in, I only eat cookies) since then. But Christmas isn't Christmas without "Italian cookies," a.k.a. "boobie cookies."

I'm trying to refer to them as "snowball cookies" with Bo, but when my sister and I were young we would make these just like the photo above but with a little nipple on top. Our old babysitter Amy (for whom this blog is named) still teases us about it. I won't blame you if you cancel your e-mail updates of the blog after reading this. I may be more twisted than you thought.

They are tasty, though, and if you'd like to make some boobie, er, snowball cookies of your own, here's a recipe from the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church cookbook (the church my mom grew up in in Bristol, R.I.). I would give you the recipe my mom has perfected over the years but:

a) I think she still secretly hopes to make millions off of it somehow, and

b) I can't find it.

Italian cookies (I've seen them online referred to as "angelonies" and other variations of that spelling)

5 cups flour

2 T baking powder (the recipe actually says "6 teaspoons." Don't you love church cookbooks?)

1 cup sugar

1/4 t salt

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 T anise extract OR lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients. Make well in center. Pour eggs into well. Add milk, oil and extract. Mix to form a well-blended dough. (Or do what I did and throw all of those ingredients in bowl of standing mixer and turn mixer on.)

Place dough on lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth.

Break off pieces and shape as you wish, boobies or otherwise. (It doesn't say that in the church cookbook.)

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.

When cool, frost with a milk/powdered sugar/extract glaze. If desired, shake colored sprinkles or chocolate jimmies on top.

What is everyone else baking lately? Maybe we should do a virtual cookie exchange. It will be less fattening for me.

Anyone else's yard look like this right now?

An ornament-making party

Check out this great idea from Carol over at Kidding Around.

Now I'm already looking forward to next Christmas.

No-waste plates

Here's an idea if you're heading to a cookie exchange this holiday season and want an alternative to paper or plastic plates.

Drop in at a thrift store, buy some used holiday-theme plates, wash, dry, load with cookies and you're good to go.

I bought these at a Goodwill store today for 50 cents to $2 each. 

A bit pricier than paper or plastic, but if your party is small enough I think it's worth the extra effort and cash. 

I tried to find some over-the-top cheesy ones, but ended up liking these best. The partridge one is my favorite. In fact, that one isn't being used at the cookie exchange. It's going straight into my cupboard!

Here are the plates with the cookies I made: orange shortbread trees dipped in chocolate and cherry winks.

I'm double posting this on Dwell Well, my new blog over at The Spokesman-Review.

Kids' Christmas crafts, part 3 of 3

OK, here's the third installment of the Kids' Christmas Crafts series. Like Part 1, this project also puts to use an unwanted cardboard box.

In my last post, I hinted that this would be about a cardboard gingerbread house. Originally, yes, it was to be that. This was the inspiration--a decoration project for a holiday office party from green lifestyle guru Danny Seo.

So I announced to the girls we were going to make a cardboard gingerbread house in preparation for this weekend's real gingerbread house making. I wrapped an empty box with the unused side of the paper roll from the art table and asked Bo if she would like me to draw the main parts of the house--like the door, windows, etc.--and then she could color everything in.

She took one look at that paper-covered box and wanted nothing to do with me. There was something about being able to color on a three-dimensional object that captivated her. She even woke up this morning not wanting to go to school so she could color on the box. The funny thing is she kept calling it a gingerbread house, but her drawings had nothing to do with that at all. It was hilarious.

Can you see the faces she draws? They're upside down here. They kill me. J came in the room and asked her whether the people were smiling or frowning. Frowning, she said. Why? What does that mean? he asked, pretending to have concerns about her emotional well being. Her reply: "A, B, C, D, E, F, G ..." at the top of her lungs. Um, yeah. She's fine.

There you have it, Christmas Craft No. 3--either a gingerbread house made out of office supplies (courtesy of Mr. Seo) or a free-form coloring box (courtesy of Bo). Happy Christmas crafting, everyone!