Still In the Process…

Okay, I am still in the process of playing around with my sidebars.  Both of my children have been pretty sick.  Cole has an ear infection and a nasty cough.  Charley has a double ear infection and croup.  I haven’t been doing much computer stuff. 

Before I had buttons from some of my favorite blogs.  Well I have a ton of blogs that I like and want to share with you.  So I am going to be adding some buttons to the sides very soon.  :-)

Now there is one problem, though.  I have quite a few great blogs I read that I want to share with everyone.  But they don’t have buttons.  So I have decided to steal an idea from Allie at No Time for Flash Cards.  Allie is so wonderful!  I want to be just like her when I grow up, too bad I am older than she is.  :-(   I’m getting off course.

Sundays are going to be a showcase of my favorite sites that do not have buttons.  Each Sunday will have a new site.  I will also put a reminder to check out the buttons I do have displayed.  While I don’t have a ton of traffic to offer, I have my support.  Hopefully some of you will venture over to the other sites to check them out.  Who knows, your site may be the next one.  :-)

Kim

New Look for Rainbow Brite

                    

I am not the only one getting a new look around here.  Remember Rainbow Brite from your childhood?  If you are too young to know who Rainbow Brite is, you are no longer allowed to come to this site.  I am just kidding.  :-) 

I was given the opportunity to help spread the word that Rainbow Brite is coming back, and back with a new look.  Instead of looking like a 4 or 5 year old, Rainbow Brite and her friends look more like 7-8 year olds.  Still very sweet and cute looking.  It is nothing too grown up.

MomSelect and Hallmark sent me 10 CDs with Rainbow Brite games and activities on them.  They asked me to review the games/activities and Rainbow Brite’s new look. 

Unless Rainbow Brite’s new look consists of driving an excavator and having a talking dog, it is going to be of much interest to my test subject (my 3 1/2 year old boy).  My daughter is just too young.  So I gave one of the CDs I received to a girl in my son’s preschool class.

She is 4 and very into pony characters (you know the ones) and other girly things.  Her review of the CD was a BIG thumbs up.  She kept thanking me for the games.  Her mom told me that the games and activities were great and she liked the new look of Rainbow Brite.  The mom agreed that the look was more up to date without being too old and inappropriate for very young girls. 

Now for the remaining 9 CDs of Rainbow Brite games and activities.  Would you like one of them?

Well as usual, just fill out the form below.  Just to reiterate, this information is ONLY SEEN BY ME.  It doesn’t go anywhere but a goggle spreadsheet so I can have the entries numbered to determine the winners easier. 

Someone is going to win, it might as well be you!  Complete the form below before 9 pm CST on Wednesday, March 3rd to enter.  9 winners will be randomly selected and notified by email.  The winners will have 3 days to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.

And the Silver goes to…

I am trying to watch the Olympics.  I am trying to get my son interested in some of the different sports.  Right now all he thinks is cool is, “Skiing really fast down the hill and jumping in the air.”  Makes my heart skip a beat just to think about him doing that.  AH!

So we have different pillows and cardboard pieces on various pieces of furniture to be “Jumper Skiers”.  We have even made medals.  All of ours are silver, though.

Do you recognize these?  If you do, you are my kind of woman.  These are the ends to tubes of cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls.  I just kept unrolling the package until the cardboard rolled out. 

   

Now you can use construction paper or get your child to color regular paper.  Draw lines on the paper and have your child cut along the lines.  It is very good practice for them and you might be surprised at how well they do.  Littler guys obviously will need Mom to do this. 

Tape the strips together (we did 3 strips) and tape the lid to them.  We found someone in our house that was willing to do the tape.  I wonder who it could have been?? ;-)

     

Tada!  You have an official silver medal for the Pillsbury Olympics.  Not really official, and no this is not affiliated or sponsored by Pillsbury, but you knew that. :-)  The kids have a blast performing the medal ceremony.  Mine get such a feeling of accomplishment.  It really is a lot of fun.  Try it.

Watching my children get excited about earning a medal in a pretend Olympics for pretend sports might be silly to others, but brings me a lot of joy.  That is why I am sharing this on Just For The Joy of It at Good, True, and Beautiful.

Kim

Sippy Cup Coozie

Okay, you guys are going to laugh at me, everyone does when they see my child with this (well they laugh at me for many other reasons, too). 

I put a coozie on my child’s sippy cup.  No, it’s not a brand named beer coozie.  Just some promotional pieces I have from various things over time.
Now as it is sinking in more, you see how useful this can be?  Friends laugh then they think about it and start doing at home, too.  It is nothing genius or monumental, but keeps your kids’ hands from freezing in the cold weather and keeps their drinks cooler in the warm weather. 
Insulated cups work great, until you put them in the fridge.  Then they are cold all over, not just inside.  So this is what I do.  It works for me.  Try it.
Since we are talking about kids taking drinks, who was the first person to give your kids a sip of soda? 
To my knowledge, it was me.  Now you tell…

Try and Tell:Tape Dispenser

My son has an obsession.  You see, he has an obsession with tape.  His preschool class has one of these.

Stock photo from Discount School Supplies

He has single handedly annihilated their tape supply.  He has started a trend in his class, too.  All of the boys make these crazy creations of tape, and then wrap them.  I have bought replacement tape for the classroom, but his need to create has now spilled over to our house.

The above tape dispenser is really neat, but did you know that the dispenser alone is $25-35?  Really?!?  He doesn’t even use the toothed little strip to easily cut the tape.  He prefers to cut it with scissors. 

I bought some rolls of masking tape at Walmart for $1 each, but he was having trouble getting it to unroll easily while he held it.  So I started looking around the house trying to figure out a solution.  Ah-ha!  A wire hanger.  Stay with me.

 

First I made sure it was a hanger with the looped hook, so there are not sharp points.  Then I turned the hook to be straight forward (90 degrees) instead of sideways.

 

I took off one side of the cardboard tube.  I slid the roll of tape onto it and reattached the cardboard tube.  Now my son can hold the hook with one hand and pull the tape with the other.  The hanger even keeps the open end of the tape in one spot so he can get more without Mommy finding the end on the roll.

He makes these lovely creations.  I have no idea what they are, but he loves them.  His creativity and excitement make me very happy. 

So now I encourage you to give your preschooler some masking tape (not clear tape or duct tape) and let their imagination run wild!  Try it.

Now I would love to see what you have to share.  Please link up your post below.  Please be sure to link back to Try and Tell so your readers can find other neat ideas and their readers can find you.

Guest Post on Real Life

I am very open about my name and my children's names.  I don't hide my life, but I don't really talk about it on this blog.  Today I am sharing a personal story on Real Life.  You can find it by clicking here.  It is about a very important decision on our part to pursue adoption. 
Have a great day and a great week. :-)

Bersica:Stain Free Clothes? Review

I was approached by Bersica Futurewear to review their new line of childrens clothing.  The email said “virtually stain-proof”.  After I scoffed, I replied and agreed to review it.  I was sent a shirt for my son and pants for my daughter.  I was set on giving these clothes a test!

Down to it. Because I know you are dying to know.  I put my son in some pants that would show stains, but I didn’t mind ruining.  The shirt was a Bersica Futurewear shirt. My daughter was opposite, Bersica pants and our shirt.  Here is the video of our test.  If you are reading this in am email or reader, click on the post title to come watch the video and enter below for the giveaway.  It’s worth it!  I promise.

It may look like I am completely missing my son, but the drinks were just running right off of the shirt!  It was crazy!  Now here are the before and after shots of the items. 

 

Here are the before and after pictures of the tops.  The green shirt is Bersica Futurewear and the other is just a regular shirt that my daughter has.

 

Here are the before and after pictures of the bottoms.  The pink bottoms are the Bersica Futurewear.  Isn’t that AMAZING?  I followed the washing instructions by washing in cold water with no fabric softener or bleach.  I let the items hang dry.

I have to say I am completely impressed and overwhelmed by the performance of this clothing line.  There are so many neat features of this line, including UV ray protection.  Please go over to their site at Bersica Futurewear to find out more.  There simply isn’t enough room to include all of them.

The only thing I have that I would improve on with Bersica Futurewear is the color selection.  I would expand on the colors offered, but they are a very new company and I am sure that more colors will follow their success.  I am certain of their success, because they are truly remarkable clothes. Oh, and how about some Mom shirts?  I tend to have more stains than my kids. :-)

How would you like to have your choice of a shirt or bottom for your little one?  You would?  I thought so! 

This giveaway has ended.  Thank you so much for entering.  The winner is Mary P. !

Winner will be notified by email and have 3 days to claim their prize, or a new winner will be selected.

Disclosure: I did receive two items to review from Bersica.  This had no effect on my honest review of the product.  Bersica was very generous to sponsor a giveaway when I asked them to.  No compensation was ever exchanged or discussed.  All of my statements are my own and based on my experiences reviewing this amazing product.

Try and Tell Tomorrow

Every Tuesday we will have Try and Tell Tuesday.  Try and Tell is like show and tell from when we were little.  Here is your chance to share a great recipe, a neat tip, or just show off anything you’d like (like those pictures super cute pictures of your kids).

The post will be up around 9 pm on Monday night (CST), so feel free to link your post up.  Please remember to link back to the Try and Tell post so your readers can find other neat blogs and their readers can find you.

If you do not write a blog, this is a great way to have a bunch of great ideas come to you.

I look forward to seeing what everyone has to show tomorrow.  I hope you do, too.

Say WHAT?

 

“The dogs on t.v. can’t hear you.  Please stop barking at them.”

If you read this blog enough, you know that my children, especially my son, love dogs.  My son pretends he is a dog at least twice a day.  We have the sound of barking fill our house all day long, and our dogs don’t bark much at all. 

I made the mistake of renting the movie “Puppy Party”.  My “puppy” sat there and barked repeatedly at the television.  So then I said the above statement.

Chalk another one up to things I never thought would come out of my mouth.  What have you said lately?  Share it with us.  Don’t make me feel all alone. :-(

Rice Cake Revamp

Here is a neat way to combine a healthy snack with creative fun.  All you need are rice cakes, a small can of evaporated milk, food coloring, a container, and a brush.  Now I realize that most of you are not going to have evaporated milk or rice cakes in your house right now, but next time you are grocery shopping pop them in your cart.  Trust me it is worth it to see your kids have this much fun with healthy food.  Any age child can do this, since everything is edible.

   

I poured some evaporated milk into an ice cube tray.  Evaporated milk is a little thicker and sweeter, so it works better than regular milk.  I added a couple of drops of food coloring to each compartment.  For my toddler, I just put a small amount into a cup.  She only got one color.  I handed out the rice cakes and clean paint brushes and told them to have fun. 

   

My son experimented with the colors, then he started to paint on the rice cake.  My daughter was so excited to be participating.  This is the first time I have given her a paint brush and “paint” like this.  I was amazed at how great she did!  I am telling you guys, she thinks she is three.

   

The kids got so into decorating and painting, that I had to remind them it was food and they could eat it.  I told them that this was our snack today.  It was entertaining to watch them lick and test the paint.  They weren’t too sure about the rice cakes, either.  But soon all reservations passed and it was time to chow down.

I really had a great time watching my children explore their creativity and try a new snack.  They are both in a phase right now in which they are not eating much, so this was a huge accomplishment!  Try it.

What food did you finally give in and try out?  Did you like it?

Try and Tell: Lowes Kid Clinic

If you have a blog and would like to link up at the bottom, I would love it.  If you are one of the many out there that do not have a blog, well you are in for a treat!  At the end of this post, you can just click from one blog to another finding neat things that other women want to share.  How fun!  Try and Tell will happen every Tuesday and is like a virtual play date for moms.  Think of it as Show and Tell from our school days, but for grown women.  No you do not have to be a mom of a young kid, or even a mom.  All women love to talk and share with friends.  We are all friends, so share away!

Today I am sharing our experiences of the Lowes Build and Grow Clinic.  We absolutely love them and I have told a lot of my friends about them.  These workshops are completely free and happen on scheduled Saturdays from 10:00-11:00 am. 

 

The actual project is work at your own pace, but has never taken us longer than 10 minutes.  I will say that Lowes recommends that children participating be 1st grade and up.  I called my local Lowes store and asked them if if would be alright for my son to participate.  They told me they had no problem with it as long as an adult was there to supervise and assist.  So if you have a younger child (like my son) don’t think you can’t go.  Just call your store and make sure they don’t have a problem with it.

  

Each child gets a project kit, goggles, hammer, and an apron.  The project has very clear instructions, necessary nails, and wood with pre-drilled nail holes.  They make it so easy to do.

    

The projects are fun and the kids love to hammer.  You can just look around and see each child excited as they build their masterpiece.  Well, you could see it before I tried to take a picture.  You know how that goes.

   

When you are all finished, they give each child a certificate, a patch, and you get to keep your apron.  I have sewn on the patches to my son’s apron, but hot glue or liquid hemmer would work, too.  As you can see we have done 6 of them so far.  As long as I remember, I plan on going to every one they offer.

You can click here and go to Lowes Build and Grow Clinic page to see what clinics are coming up in your area.

Just for the record: I wrote about this to share with others.  Lowes did not ask me to write about this and they have no idea that I have.  In fact, I hope I do not get in trouble for writing about this without their permission…yikes.  I am sure this blog is way too small to make it on Lowes’ radar.

Now it is your turn to share!  If you have a post you would like to link up, please do.  Please make sure you put a link back to Try and Tell in your post.  That way your readers can find other cool sites and their readers can find you.  I have found some of my favorite sites this way.  If you just want to find neat things that others want to share, click away and have fun! 

I can’t wait to see what you brought to share with us!

Bobsledding Basics

As the world turns to watch the Olympics, I bet you are doing it, too.  Here is a fun way to teach your kids about one of the events and beat the winter blues.

All you need are some kids and a laundry basket.  I am pretty certain you have those around the house.  :-)  Pop the kids in and run up and down the hallway.  WARNING: This is a workout, Mommies!  Be prepared to be out of breath.

If you are reading this in a reader or by email, you will need to click onto the post to watch the video.  You can see me getting my workout in for the day.  Whew! 

Try it.

This post was linked with others on Your Life, Your Blog at Real Life and Olympic Dinner at Hoosier Homemade.  Check them out.

Say WHAT?

 

“Do not pick your nose with your claws.”

If you missed Thursday’s post about making tiger claws for Chinese New Year, you might want to take a look to get what claws I am referring to.

Other than that, it is kind of self-explanatory.

Chalk another one up to things I never thought would come out of my mouth.  What have you said lately?  Share it with us.  Don’t make me feel all alone. :-(

Fast Fruit Fixes

We eat a TON of fruit in our house.  As you may know, my daughter is 17 months old.  She has her first set of molars in, but I still cut up certain fruits…like grapes.  They are a huge choking hazard and I refuse to give them to her without cutting them in half.

I have a trick that I learned from a friend that took some culinary classes.  She had to cut a large amount of grapes at one time for a dish.  Her instructor taught her this trick and she shared it with me. 

Now stay with me here, trust me.  You will like this if you have to cut a lot of grapes for a fussy toddler a.s.a.p.

     

Grab two lids.  Any lids.  It can be margarine lids or food storage lids.  Put the first one down with the flat side on the countertop.  Place your grapes inside the lid.

     

Put the other lid on top of the grapes.  Place the lid on top of the grapes just as you would on the container.  It should look like a lid sandwich.  Take a sharp knife and cut between the lids.  Be sure to hold the top lid firmly to avoid slipping.

Take off the top lid and BOOM you have cut grapes all ready for your little one to devour.

This post is linked with other tips on Works For Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

Try and Tell:Holding a pencil

If you have a blog and would like to link up at the bottom, I would love it.  It can be a new post or an old post.  If you are one of the many out there that do not have a blog, well you are in for a treat!  At the end of this post, you can just click from one blog to another finding neat things that other women want to share.  How fun!  Try and Tell will happen every Tuesday (post will be up around 9 pm CST on Mondays) and is like a virtual play date for moms.  Think of it as Show and Tell from our school days, but for grown women.  No you do not have to be a mom of a young kid, or even a mom.  All women love to talk and share with friends.  We are all friends, so share away!

Me first, me first!  [Jumping up and down with my hand waving wildly]

You all know that my son is 3 1/2 years old and attends preschool.  Up until 2 weeks ago, he had absolutely no interest in writing and barely any in drawing.  He just liked to paint, cut with scissors, and use the glue stick.  So I asked him why he didn’t like to write or draw.  He told me it was too hard to do.  So I watched him try to do it.  He was holding the marker in his fist and smushing it into the paper.  He was having a hard time moving the marker around like this.

So I asked his teachers if they had a suggestion for helping him to learn how to hold a pencil/marker.  I was trying to maneuver his finger to show him, but it was extremely frustrating for him and me.  She shared this tip with me and within 2 weeks my son wants to practice writing and is drawing!  So keeping with the theme of Try and Tell, I am sharing it with you.  Here is the video. [If you are reading this in an email or reader, you will have to come to the site to view the video, sorry. But hey, you want to be here any way so you can click on all of the neat ideas others have brought to share with you. :-)]

Now all of you with little girls probably aren’t having as much difficulty with this.  My daughter is only 17 months and is already starting to hold a crayon extremely well and trying to draw.  But little boys are just wired differently.

Please remember that every child develops at a different rate.  This is just a tip to use when you feel your child is ready.

Now it is time for you to tell.  Leave a comment to share your thing for today or add your link below.

Say WHAT?

“We do not eat the pudding that we just dug out of our nose.”

 

Does it really need explaining?  Probably not, so I won’t. 

Chalk another one up to things I never thought would come out of my mouth.  What have you said lately?  Share it with us.  Don’t make me feel all alone. :-(

Leave It To Beaver

No, not the show.  This is a cute way to collect Valentine’s cards or anything that your child collects.  Because let’s face it, they collect stuff.  I got this idea when I kept seeing cutie animals made out of tissue boxes for Valentine’s Day card holders.  I went to my cabinets and could not find anything that would work like the pictures I saw.  So I improvised.  I found this box.

       

I had my son paint it brown.  He did it super fast with a neat little roller (idea courtesy of Allie at No Time For Flash Cards).  While he painted, I drew the hands, feet, and tail on brown construction paper.  The paint dried really quickly (while we ate a snack).  Then we glued on the hands, feet, and tail.

        

I wrote his name on a piece of paper and asked him to copy it.  He did it!!  We made some eyes and teeth and glued them on, too.  Here is what our beaver turned out like.  He is holding a sign with Cole’s name on it that he wrote!  I am so proud of my little man!!!

       

Now we are ready to store all of our small collectibles.  Try it.