Fun with Paint and Canvas

The thought of my three-year-old and splattering paint originally gave me a bad case of hives. But when I replayed the story in my head again, only with a slighly rosy tone, it all worked out great. And oddly enough, in reality, it all worked out great! How often does that happen?

I realized I've lived in my "new" house almost a year now, and still have lots of bare walls. That's what prompted me to run out to Michaels and pick up some cheap artist canvas for a fun little project with the Pumpkin Boy. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to buy this or this or this from some of my favorite Etsy sellers but, well, money doesn't grow on trees and so I opted for the homemade art option.

Canvases were 40% off so this one was about $13. Then we hit Menards (like a local Home Depot or Lowes) and picked up paint samples (little jars, perfect size for this project) in three colors. Those ran about $3 each. So for under $25 we have this awesome artwork for our office. One thing I should not have done -- but I'm a control freak and can't help myself -- is I did kind of steered him toward these colors. I really should just take a deep breath sometimes. But now that I know how fun this is, I think we'll make a few more and next time he can pick the colors without steering from me.


We took our supplies home and then Pumpkin Boy and I went about dripping our paint on our canvas. We took turns, and it was really a lot of fun. I had to help him not mix the paints together (a natural instinct, I think), but otherwise he was a pro at picking up one brush at a time and watching the paint drip all over. At a few points he dripped such a huge gob on that we had to pick up the canvas and let the drip slide a little, but that made it all the cooler looking, I think.

Have you ever tried a project like this with your kids? Do share, because I'd like to do more. How about decoupage? Is it a huge mess? I was thinking it'd be fun to have him cut up paper and decoupage it on the canvas, then drip paint over the top...we'll see if we ever get there.

Where Have All the Leaves Gone?

My toddler is in complete denial about the end of summer. He asks every.single.day whether it's a "long sleeve day" or a "short sleeve day" even though the answer has been "long sleeve day" for at least three weeks consistently now. So, in rebellion, he asks me to roll his sleeves up. When he puts his pajamas on at night he pulls the pantlegs up to his knees, presumably turning them into shorts. The footie pajamas are never chosen. The winter jacket is refused mighily.

Who can blame him, really? Even though I go on and on (and on) at length about how great Fall and Winter are, do I really mean, "Oh, I know, I'd rather be in shorts and tee shirts, too. Sucks, doesn't it? It'll be a long, cold time before we see shorts again!"


Well, I at least partly believe in the joy of the season. I do admit that Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays, and it's a known fact that I could spend the entire season locked indoors fattening up anyone who comes near with all the baked goods I'd happily crank out. And the holiday decorating and crafting? Absolutely my favorite. Going outside in the cold? Not so much.

Last weekend I braved the cold (okay, more like slightly cool) weather to take my Wee Pumpkin out for a "nature walk." Unlike his boy counterparts the world over who LOVE to play outside regardless of the weather, this boy has wanted to be inside playing for MONTHS. I had to talk him into going, mostly, I think, because of the wardrobe requirements (hat, mittens, jacket, pants pulled down from their position around his knees).


Once we got there, and I helped him see the fun in being outside, he got it. I ventured off the nature trail, overturning logs, peeling bark off decaying trees, examined mushrooms -- basically acted like some other person -- until he started to follow suit. And you know what? I think he liked it! He and I started to notice things, like the fact that not a single leaf had managed to cling to a single tree after our crazy wind storms of a few weeks back. Or how old stumps get soft and squishy and you can leave your footprint in them if you step down hard enough.

I'm glad we broke the ice and got outside. I'm glad we braved the winter gear. Because if I'm stuck inside with this child until next April, I may just go insane.

Have you gotten outside lately?

To a Boy Who is Three

My little man is turning three today. It seems like he's been in our lives forever, but just three years and a day ago, it was just the hubby and I, wondering what life with a baby would be like. We wondered endlessly about how things would be different.

Would we ever get out for dinner together again? Would our baby be colicky, or calm? Would we be good parents? Would our friends still be our friends? What would our son look like? Would he have my hair...dad's eyes?

When he came, we'd sit up at all hours of the night watching him, or listening to all his little sounds. As he got older, we just kept saying to ourselves, "isn't he nice?" and thinking how much we missed our old life, but would never give up our new life.

Little Pumpkin, you are so sweet, and so smart and so loved.

Doted on by us, no doubt. We can't believe what a big boy you are today. Full of joy and smiles and laughter and jokes and a love of chocolate and trains and your John Deere tractor. Happy Birthday, little man! You are my sunshine!

Potty Talk

My little guy is about to turn three. I've been reflecting a little bit on what amazes me about him the most. Right now, I'm amazed at how big he is, but mostly that's in relation to the new little TINY arrival at our house. But what's really big about him right now is his vocabulary and his ability to basically carry on a conversation with just about anyone on almost any topic. Take for instance a conversation we had this morning in the bathroom.

Me: "Good job, buddy! Way to go on the potty and not in your undees."
Little Pumpkin: "Yeah mom! I made a poop for you!"
Me: "You sure did! Awesome! It's no fun to poop in your drawers, much better to go on the potty!"
Little Pumpkin: "Look! My poop is like a banana! Yum!"

No kidding. I know, gross, right? Oddly, this is not the first time he's spontaneously made up a poop analogy (the first had to do with a bird's nest). And it's definitely not the only analogy he's made up on his own, either. The others were not so gross, such as "I'm sailing like a ship" when he went down the Slip-N-Slide. I had no idea that two-year-olds could make up their own analogies! Amazing! And with such flair...he really keeps me entertained.

I guess I'll keep up the reading regimen since I can see the rewards in his creative language skills. I can't wait to see what he's talking about by the time he's four! It's sure to be a thrilling year full of bananas and bird's nests and who knows what!

Some New Things / Old Things

I whipped up a couple of new items for my shop this week. I've been going gangbusters sewing lately I think mostly because I know I won't have time soon. I've been saving up quite a stash to list on Etsy little by little. This past weekend, I decided to part with two adorable pieces I've been saving for the perfect project. I'm sure they were intended for a quilt or something, but I think they look pretty cute appliqued on these, too.

The first is a little 4T tee shirt with a kitty cat, and the second is a little pink onesie with a cute little girl in a bonnet. I see these little bonnet girls around a lot...do they have a specific name? I just think they're sweet. Maybe I'll make some more... it's been fun trying to come up with girly things for the shop. It's given me a little time to adjust to the idea of being a mama to a girl.

I don't know why, but having a girl freaks me out a little. I'm not much of a girly-girl myself, so hopefully I do right by her. I haven't bought her a doll yet. Am I a bad mom? Ha! This girl better like diggers and trains, or none of us will know what to do with her!

Anyway, here's to hoping I can crank out a few more projects before I'm deep in diapers again!

Toddler, M.D.

Our kiddo, like many toddlers, loves to put on bandaids. But lately he's moved beyond that and wants to be rescuing people all the time. He's often heard saying "push me down" or "mama, fall down" and then he springs into action to start "stretchering" you, or you stretchering him. I decided that he needed to have his own medical kit, stat. So I did what I always do, and bought one on Ebay. The old Fisher Price kind like I had when I was a kid, with the syringe, blood pressure cuff and the little plastic case to carry it all in. For $5, now he can be a real doctor.

However, it wasn't until I got him the white shirt and made him a bowtie to go with it that he really felt like a doctor. He said "just like Doctor Jill" (who is our pediatrician, and a woman) and raced around the house, checking everyone's pulse ("let me listen to your ears"). I'd say for the $5 medical kit and $1 bowtie, it was a price well worth paying. Now hopefully he follows through on it. I'd love to have a doctor in the family!

I decided the tie was cute enough that I'm going to sell them in my shop. I should have them up in a week or so. So your guy can be a doctor, too!

Easter Pants

My little guy loves his mama-made pants. And for that, I'm grateful. He's so opinionated about what he wants to wear it's sometimes a bit of a crap-shoot. Some mornings he wakes up and absolutely INSISTS he must change his pajamas immediately. And he refuses to just put on clothes. He MUST have a different pair of pajamas on. And then there was the perfectly nice pair of slippers I bought him that were refused and then were outgrown. Then there was the sweater I spent 9 years knitting and wore once, the second time around claiming "I don't like it."

Just last week we sat down together in front of the computer to pick out some sandals on Endless.com (Have you tried it yet? Free shipping!) on which there are ENDLESS numbers of shoes to choose from. He saw one pair he liked and when they didn't have his size, it was a no-go on any sort of second choice. Luckily by the time we dragged him into Sears, he had changed his mind and wanted car shoes which they had! And they lit up! Bless Sears for carrying them -- even though my son has never seen the movie (It's a movie, right?) he loves cars, and therefore loves the shoes.

That's how it is with him. All clothing must have some sort of vehicle on it. Train, truck, car, etc. Now pajamas are an exception. But this fabric I scored at Crafty Planet called Wheels by RIley Blake just fit the bill for an opinionated little bugger. I used McCall's pattern 5284 as a template and it was great. This one has cargo-style pockets that I just opted not to use. And the pattern also has dresses/jumpers which would be mighty cute and easy to whip up.

He loved the pants and wanted to wear them right away. WIth his John Deere sweatshirt of course. Good thing there are lots of great transportation-themed fabrics out there. And good thing we're having a new baby soon, because infants are considerably less opinionated about what they wear, right?

Retro Kid's Kitchen a la Craigslist

As I mentioned before, I am a newbie to Craigslist. Mostly because of my husband's skepticism. So after two successful purchases without being ripped off or murdered, I think we're on a roll. This second one was this beautiful retro 70s play kitchen. We already have a play kitchen cupboard we found in the garbage last year, but now that we're going to have two kids, well one play kitchen simply isn't enough, right?

Now to fill it up with empty egg cartons, cereal boxes and other fun things!! It's already been inhabited by our Melissa and Doug sandwich set, on loan from my sister's girls. What more could a kid need?

Be Out There

Here's a scary thought. According to some research from the University of Michigan, kids today spend an average 4 - 7 minutes outside per day. That's basically a walk to and from the car and maybe to and from the bus to school. Ugh! The National Wildlife Federation has reacted to the facts with a new campaign, called Be Out There, which encourages parents to get their kids outside through tips, ideas and activities for kids. Check out the Be Out There website. If you're committed to getting your kids outdoors, take the Be Out There Resolution.

I spent lots of quality time outdoors with my family, ice skating on a little pond in our backyard and eating wild onions out of the woods next to our house. We made about 1,000 snowmen and spent many weekends on the dock at our cabin. Now that I have my own kiddo, I am going to have to get out of my "city mouse" mode a little more and get him out fishing, camping and exploring the outdoors. I'm looking forward to the ideas from NWF and putting them to use!

What were your favorite outdoor memories as a kid? Any you can't wait to share with your kids?

Bottlecap Game

Our friends in Iowa got us this awesome John Deere bottle opener that we installed in our kitchen. It even has a little basket that catches your bottle caps. The other great thing about it is that with all those bottle caps in easy toddler reach, we are forced to find something to do with them.

Thus the bottlecap game. You may be more familiar with a game played at babyshowers (or at least one I was at) where you put a clothespin between your knees and try to drop it into a Mason jar. In this version, we got a little stool out and dropped the bottle caps into a little container. I didn't have a Mason jar handy, but any glass or cup will really work. We had lots of fun playing this game, and I love how there's virtually no supplies (unless you consider garbage to be a supply), preparation and almost no clean up. What's more, your kiddo can play it right in the kitchen while you're getting dinner on the table.

Got any good games going at your house lately?

He's Crafty

My hubby is not the most crafty person I've ever known. In fact, he's usually downright uncrafty. Maybe the most crafty he's ever gotten is to take a permanent marker to one of wee Pumpkin's onesies and write some silly thing on it. He doesn't really build stuff, either. So that's why I was so incredibly shocked and amazed when I learned that he had set to work busily crafting this little step stool for our little guy's new bathroom!

This wood was just laying around out in our garage, and somehow he just put his mind to assembling it into the worlds cutest little stool. And he got wee one to bust out his tempera finger-painting skills to decorate it. He clear-coated the whole thing, put some felt on the bottom and it's good to go. And the wee Pumpkin is EXTREMELY proud of the stool he painted, too. So now what am I going to do with three crafty types in this house? It could be ugly, folks. PIpe cleaner wars. Doily knit-athons!

I'm actually ecstatic that hubby has a new handy hobby. Now how can I keep the interest up? Any ideas are welcome!

Run, Cookie, Run!

When we moved to our new house, we were talked into subscribing to some mega-super 80 million channel cable package. Now, it's strange, because we don't spend much time watching TV at all. I mean, when we're not making butter with our toddler, or knitting sweaters, we're on the internet or painting our house! But, the salesperson was convincing, so we went for it. We quickly discovered the Kids on Demand feature and, subsequently, Nick Jr. On Demand, which brought us to the magic that is Little Bear. Have you seen Little Bear? You should.

Little Bear is this sweet, funny little cartoon with some of the most relaxing music ever. It puts our daddy bear to sleep every night, in fact. We were particularly inspired by the episode in which Little Bear and his friends make gingerbread cookies and then are forced to chase after them when they take off out into the snow. We decided we had to make some gingerbread ourselves. I used this recipe and was very happy with it. They were easy to cut out, and very spicy and crunchy.

We've unfortunately run out of new On Demand Little Bear's to watch, as well as the local library's collection. But, it's good enough that we will probably just go back and watch them all again. And watch those gingerbread men (and gingerbread stars, and bulldozers and doggie bones and hearts) disappear.

The Verdict: Toddler Butter Making

A few days back I posted some ideas for keeping your wee ones busy during these long, cold months. I have been working on testing each of them out. First up was making butter. I remembered making butter I think back in fourth grade back at old Frank Allis Elementary School when one of our classmate's mom's came in to teach us how it was done in the old days, so I was naturally inclined to want to try it again.

My tot's interest came from the book Thomas and the MIlkshake Muddle that he checked out from the library. I don't want to ruin any big surprises if you've got this one ready to read on your bookshelf or anything, but in the book Thomas ruins all the milk from the dairy by driving too fast and shaking it into a butter state. Now, if I were conducting a Myth Busters-style experiment, I would have insisted we get our butts on a train and see how fast it'd have to go to turn milk into butter. I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure Thomas would have to have been going mach 80 million over gravel to make this possible.

For our non-scientific activity, we simply poured a little heavy cream into some clean baby food jars and shook (and shook. and shook.) until the watery part separated away and left behind some yummy butter. Of course we had to peek a few times first, and taste test a little.

Here's the verdict. My kiddo is 2. He liked this activity for about the first 4 minutes of shaking it. He liked the part where we strained out the watery stuff. He liked tasting. But the hard-core shakin' your booty part, not so much. Even though we set this activity to music, it still did not hold his attention the whole time. But it was fun, and we did get some tasty butter out of it! Mmmm, butter. I'd definitely recommend it, maybe for older kids. With older kids you could even try some butter varieties like garlic or honey!

If you try it, be sure to post your results!

Toddler Indoor Activities

In winter, I vacillate between being so eager for spring I can hardly stand it and reveling in all the indoor fun I’m “forced” to succumb to, like baking, making and reinventing my surroundings. This winter is a little different, having just moved, but essentially it’s the same. The most different part, really, is that whereas last year our little one was just learning to walk and hardly spoke any words at all, this year he is a fully formed person who wants to play, explore, learn and chatter from one end of the house to the other. Coming up with activities that we all enjoy is a formidable task. And learning how to break the activity into very small chunks so as to keep the attention of a toddler, a must!

Since many of my friends are also “trapped” indoors with toddlers this winter, I decided to compile a little repository of fun indoor activities to do with a toddler in the winter, or really whenever inclement weather keeps you inside the house. These are just things that appealed to me personally – but by all means there are many more ideas out there. I just happen to gravitate toward creative or crafty projects or things to do in the kitchen.

I’d love to hear what others are doing to maintain their sanity this season. Aside from indoor play gyms and the like, what are you doing with your shorties right now?

Teach your kids to make pasta

Making butter with kids

Make your own lollipops

Making Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Making Homemade Finger Paint

Cork Race Game

5 Instruments to Make with Kids

Secret Keeping and Gift Making

My two-year-old is a genius. It's true. Yes, I know, all us mothers say that about our children. But this time I really mean it. My toddler has learned to pin and iron and sew. Carefully, carefully supervised, of course, but nonetheless, he made his daddy's birthday present, then helped me wrap it up. And the best news -- he loved every minute. In fact, now he sometimes puts down the Thomas the Tank Engine and says he wants to do some "ironuning" and pinning. Here's some suggestions for including your toddler in your crafting projects.

My first word of advice is to choose a project that's small and has lots of short steps -- sitting around pinning for 10 minutes is really just going to end up with someone getting a pin stuck in their foot, or nose, or whatever. Then, get some sort of kid-proof container for the pins. I liked the fact that the pins were not being opened and closed (and landing on the carpet, only to be found again by bare feet) without me controlling it. Again, who wants a pin in their eye? I also recommend not involving the toddler in the cutting at all. Unless you have some child's safety scissors, I just don't think you, your project, or your child's clothes/appendages will survive it.

With the ironing, I suppose it depends on how well your toddler understands hot and don't touch. As I mentioned previously, my son is a genius, so he understands them perfectly. Ahem. Almost. What I did was set the iron on the lowest heat I could to make it work. Then, I explained in as graphic a detail I could that, if he touched the hot part, he would get a really, really bad owie. Here is where you can call on your long-suppressed desire to be an actress and mock-touch the hot part of the iron and recoil in horror. I also adjusted the ironing board so it was at the perfect toddler hight. Then, I showed him how to take the handle and run it up and down the ironing board. He did manage to touch the hot part of the iron for a split second, and more so for dramatic effect than anything else, I then rushed him downstairs to put ice on it. He then definitely got the message that the hot part is hot, and not to touch it!

For sewing, I set the little guy on my lap while I sewed. I also explained that he must not put his fingers by the needle or move any buttons (which, of course, was not a direction that was completely followed). I did give him two "jobs," which seemed to be enough to keep his interest. As a side note, if you have not yet started giving your tot jobs, try it. Our kid thinks it's the coolest thing ever if it's called a job. His jobs were to remove the pins as I sewed and put them back in the box and, upon command, push the reverse button to double back on the stiches.

When the project was done, I let him wrap it and choose a bow. He's been carrying the present around from room to room since yesterday when we finished it. Obviously he's extremely proud of his work, and cannot possibly wait two weeks until daddy's birthday.

Next up: toddlers learn needle felting. AHhhhhhhh...maybe I'll hold off on that.

Know any other great projects for kids?

Choo Choo Applique

I have been having so much fun using clip art to make craft projects lately. A month or so ago I printed out a horse and embroidered it on a shirt for my niece. Now, I printed out a train and used it to create an applique for a cute little red hooded sweatshirt for my Wee Pumpkin. I'm really not that great at applique, so this one looks a little "fuzzy" around the edges, but hopefully with some more practice, I'll perfect the technique. I think my big fault with this one was that the pieces are a bit too small to applique with a machine. I really should have done it by hand.

I can't wait to try this on the Wee One and see how it looks. I was happy that when I showed him the work in progress, he at least knew it was supposed to be a train.

New Pants

My little guy is growing like a weed. He doesn't seem to ever grow wider, just taller. Which makes it hard to find anything to fit him. Every pair of long-enough pants have him running around, looking like the teenagers I see hanging around my neighborhood. Which meant I hit the sewing machine last night and finally got around to using some awesome fabric I added to my stash after a trip to Crafty Planet this summer. It's reversible, and although I admit I didn't really make good use of that quality, I did add the cuff at the bottom using the inside of the fabric.

I ran across several really easy patterns online, which I'll share below. I also think the key to a nice pair of handmade toddler pants is to take a pair that fits well and give them a rough eyeball. I always add more to the top part that will get folded over and elastic threaded through -- the rise of the pants seems like it can always be more generous on a diaper-butted child, am I right?

Here are some references for making infant or toddler pants:

--Rookie Moms directions for using an old t-shirt
--Sew Mama Sew instructions for modifying a pattern to fit better
--Handy Home Projects instructions for pants with a cuff detail (this isn't the way I did mine, but it's another option)
--Julie K's instructions for making kid's shorts
--Balancing Everything's instructions using a pair of pants that fit (as I mentioned above, this works well)

I love making kid pants. It's easier and quicker than a drive to the store to buy pants. Really! And so much cuter. Mr. Pumpkin and Wee Pumpkin met me at the bus stop after work today, and when I saw Wee One in his new little pants, I let out a squeal. They are just as cute as can be and fit perfectly. Ah...I guess that means I need to make some more!

Car Shirt Complete!

Here's my little pumpkin, just turned two years old, answering the question, "How old are you?" He crosses his fingers and says, "Choo!" All that combined with the new shirt I just made him and I could pretty much just eat him up. Scary to think, though, that now I have to think about things like "a big boy bed" and potty training and cutting out all the cursing (or for sure it will be repeated back to me when it's the most inopportune moment possible).

Older kids in our neighborhood are starting to think about going back to school. Our little pumpkin will be starting school of sorts this fall, too. It's called Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and I'm excited to hear what it's all about. Apparently the kids play with the parents in the room for the first part and then daddy pumpkin will go do "adult learnin'" while the wee one continues on with an ECFE instructor.

We'll see how it goes. Of course, I'm 100% sure he's the smartest child on earth, so I'm sure he'll totally ace ECFE. And if not, at least he'll be dressed well.

Dog Days

It sure hasn't felt like a "usual" summer around here. I haven't had the air conditioning on more than twice and I haven't felt inclined to stick my behind in the freezer or spontaneously turn the hose on myself at all. It's sort of like cheating. Global Cooling. It's feeling more like fall then I can ever remember summer's past feeling.



The bad news is we haven't yet hit the neighborhood pool. The good news is every other thing we've done this summer has not been done in a pool of our own sweat while we alternate sunblock and bugspray. It's actually quite pleasant to be outside enjoying summer. What a concept!



Tonight we hit the Dog Parade in our neighborhood and, although all the local merchants had little bowls of water out for the pooches, no one was at risk of heat stroke and everyone could enjoy being in the direct (although setting) sun to watch them swagger, run, sniff, ride and meander by, sniffing for treats and ear rubs.



It was a very short parade and the costumes lacked a bit, but hey, it was good, local, free fun and we got to pet a lot of seriously cute dogs that were seriously more well behaved than our own. I've already started thinking about how to dress two Schnauzers for next year. Batman and Robin? Sonny and Cher? Hmmm. I need some ideas here.



Happy Friday and good weekend to you! I hope you're getting some lovely summer weather wherever you are.

Little Pumpkin Turning TWO!

I can't even explain how it happened. I mean, one minute we were like "oh, yeah, it might be cool to have a kid" and the next, we are doting parents to an adorable two-year-old. Like seriously: blink and you're parents.

All those annoyingly "wise" people who tell you how fast it goes by are right. It unexplainably does. Just in the yesterday I heard him say two new words ("bike" and "people"). That's in addition to the 100's of words he already says like "tattoo" and "garbanzo bean" and the sentences he's starting to string together like "mama dig more". Before I know it he'll be transitioning to phrases like "Mom, are you seriously wearing that out in public?"

But, no matter. I've been making a conscious effort since the beginning to PAY ATTENTION to all of it. I've been documenting every single breath he takes with either my camera, my journal or my video camera. Just in case I missed anything or start to forget, I can just rewind the tape or take a look through the album! I hear second and subsequent children are much less photographed. Probably because we've all worn out our cameras by then with all the photos! Oh, and the blackmail material I have amassed so far is incredible. Bring on the future girlfriends.

Anyway, it's my kid's second birthday this weekend. I made him a special shirt with his favorite thing -- cars -- on it and I'm hoping we can spend the day doing things he loves like digging in the sandbox, taking walks and maybe even eating some cake. It's going to be low key, and I'm going to try not to get too freaked out by the fact that two years have gone by since he was first just a tiny little helpless thing coming home with me from the hospital.

FYI -- this fabric is Alexander Henry's Traffic Jam in Mint. Crafty Planet appears to be out of stock. The buttons I purchased on Etsy and the pattern is vintage.