Stained Glass Hearts

I had every intention of getting this post up before Valentine's Day. But as you can see, that didn't happen. We made stained glass hearts this year and they turned out great. Start by sharpening some crayons and catch the shavings onto a paper plate. Sprinkle your shavings onto some wax paper and cover it with another layer of wax paper. Cover with newspaper and iron. Be sure to put down some newspaper first or you'll mess up your iron. Allow to cool and cut out your shapes. We might do this again for St. Patrick's Day.

life = 4 x 12

I've taken on a little project this year inspired by one of my favorite photographers, the fabulous Tara Whitney. I'm going to take a family picture each month and compile it into a book. I'm also including 11 facts (because it's 2011) about we did during the month. I'm really excited about this project because I tend to leave myself out when taking pictures of the family. So here is our January picture. We went bowling at the beginning of the month and I used the self timer to snap this completely out of focus picture. It's not perfect, but I still think it's wonderful.

Cardboard Tube Packing Material

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

I was shipping a present to my best friend's daughter the other day and I needed some packing material. I cut up several paper towel rolls into small sections and dropped them down into the box.

Muffin Tin Monday...

It's time for Muffin Tin Monday. Here is our Valentine's Day themed tin. I really like using the square shaped tin. It was kind of cute and different! I made the heart pics myself using a heart punch and some adhesive. It's amazing how those scrapbooking supplies come in handy!

Happy Valentine's Day...

Candy Cane Heart Pops

Here's a tasty treat just in time for Valentine's Day. You'll need some wax paper, small candy canes, chocolate chips, straws or popsicle sticks. Arrange your candy canes and straws on the wax paper. Melt chocolate in the microwave and carefully spoon it into the center of your hearts. Allow to harden and enjoy!

Carnival Birthday Party

For Cole's 4th and Kiley's 1st birthday we threw a Carnival Birthday party in the backyard. It was awesome. We played carnival games and ate ice cream cone cupcakes. You can see all the details from the party by clicking here - Carnival Birthday Party.

Carnival Birthday Party - Pinata

Our last activity before going inside for some tasty cupcakes was to break open the pinata. Last yet I made the Lego pinata that we used, but this year I just purchased one. We always hang our pinata from the monkey bars on our swing set. I really like this because I make the kids stand outside the mulch area so that no one gets hit with a bat.

Carnival Birthday Party - Loot Bags

When the kids started to arrive for the Carnival Birthday Party I had a table set up where the kids could decorate their loot bags. I had markers and stickers for them as well as sticker letters for them to put their names on the bags. They used these bags to collect their prizes from the game booths in the back yard. Then these were the bags they took home with them. I loved having the kids collect their prizes from games instead of just handing them a regular loot bag.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Treasure Hunt

This was a messy game, but super fun for the Carnival Birthday Party. I took Lego bags and stuffed them inside toilet paper rolls. I wrapped them up and we buried them in our sandbox. The kids has so much fun digging for their buried treasure. I'm going to feature this over on my TP Craft site in the near future, but I thought I'd share it with you guys first.

Toilet Paper Roll Groundhog

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! Here is a fun little activity that we really enjoyed. Cole loves popping his groundhog out of the hole. We even used the reading light in his room to show the groundhog's shadow on the wall and did a mini lesson on shadows and light.

Groundhog Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, brown paint, scissors, glue stick, crayons, popsicle stick, crayons, groundhog printout

Start by painting your toilet paper roll with brown paint and allow to dry.

Print out a picture of a groundhog. I got mine from here. I printed it at 30% and it was the perfect size to fit in my groundhog hole (toilet paper roll).

Cut out your groundhog and glue him to the popsicle stick. Once he is dry, your groundhog is ready to pop in and out of his hole.

Book Suggestion: We are crazy about non-fiction books in this house. Each week at the library Cole picks out at least 1 non-fiction book. Groundhog Day is a great book to introduce young children to the holiday. It has wonderful pictures that kids will love.