Easter Fun & Forts

Logan, Josiah & Kendall

I had an awesome Easter Break with these 3 dudes!  I cleared everything off my schedule on Friday and Monday to just be Mom and Aunt Becky! 

On Thursday, I made up a game called Prize Egg/Rotten Egg!  I filled a basket of plastic eggs (with little notes tucked inside indicating a prize or "to do" activity or rotten egg) and the boys took turn drawing eggs from the basket all day.  If we chose a rotten egg they had to occupy themselves until we could choose another egg 15 minutes later!  It proved to be a fun game and broke up the monotony of the day.  I used about 15 eggs--- 5 of them were rotten eggs and the others included prizes/activities such as:  going out for ice cream, dying Easter eggs, play water bottle bowling, going to the park for 35 minutes and playing board games for 30 minutes, etc... 

Prize Egg/Rotten Egg would a perfect activity to use during a play date any time of the year.  Plus, it takes minimal preparation.  Just make sure you are prepared to follow through on the activities that might be chosen!

Logan, Josiah and Rob

We tried three different ways to dye Easter eggs this year!    (Note:  I was lucky this " prize egg" was chosen when Rob was home on Friday afternoon :) 

• Koolaid Egg Dying--- :( thumbs down
• Egg Dying with Food Coloring --- :)  thumbs up!
• Volcano Egg Painting--- :)  thumbs up!

Koolaid Egg Dying was sure the easiest to prepare but yielded the most disappointing results.  All you do is a take one package of Koolaid and dissolve it in 2/3 cups of warm water.  We never could get the Koolaid completely dissolved so the eggs were speckled because of the undissolved powder.  Upon immediate removal, the eggs were bright but they definitely lost their color by the time we hunted them on Sunday afternoon. 

Josiah showing an egg dyed with food coloring!

My favorite way to dye eggs is with food coloring!  This method always yields the best results in the quickest amount of time!  Dissolve 15 drops of food coloring (or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) in 2/3 cup of hot water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. 

I like to buy my food coloring at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section for $1.18/bottle, whether I'm making frosting or dying eggs.  But, McCormick's 4 pack dye box yields great results too!  Use this guide to help you make lots of different colors with a basic 4 pack dye!  However, for egg dying I usually double or triple the amounts to yield bright, bold eggs! 

Logan painting one of his volcano dyed eggs!

Rob and Josiah "erupting" the color on a volcano dyed egg!

Josiah and Logan's favorite formula is Volcano Egg Dying/Painting!  I originally found the idea on Pinterest and found the best how-to directions at "Toddler Approved" blog.  You basically paint your eggs with a baking soda paste (dye added) and pour white vinegar over the eggs to make colorful designs.  You can repeat as many times as desired!  This is also the best way give eggs that marbled effect :) 

All done!
(Yes, Josiah is that much bigger than Logie)

Of course on Easter Sunday-- we celebrated Christ's Resurrection at church!  And I had the incredible opportunity to present the salvation message during Kids Church and had 2 children accept Christ for the first time!  This wasn't a first for me...but it had been a long time since I led 2 kids to Christ!  What an adrenaline rush on Easter Sunday of all days! 

Eugene popping out of the box during Revolutionary Kids on Easter Sunday!
April's set theme is "Puzzled"

We hosted a small portion of my side of the family for lunch and the boys enjoyed their Easter Egg hunt and Josiah's scavenger hunt to find his basket :) 

On Monday, I had the boys to myself again! In the morning we attempted to fly the kites they each received in their Easter baskets but there wasn't a good enough wind to keep the kites up over a long period of time.  (Shocker!--given SD's wind---) It was windy but too gusty!

So, in the afternoon--- we built 2 PVC pipe forts!  Another idea I found on Pinterest!  You can find the perfect directions for creating one at Angry Julie Monday's blog.  One of them costs approximately $35 to put together and they are ENORMOUS!!! It is basically a small playhouse vs. a fort!

Logan & Josiah helping gather the supplies at Lowe's! 
However, I'm happy to report we had to venture to Ace Hardware as well for a better selection of pipe fittings :) 

I hoped that Lowe's would cut all the pipe sections for me, however, when this girl came out carrying a little hand saw...I decided I would just take them home and DO IT MYSELF!!!  Yes, I broke out the miter box saw and did it all by myself!!! GIRL POWER!!! After I got all the pipes cut, it really was quite simple to assemble! 

A picture of the structure/frame!  (Note:  Logan was a pirate all day!)

Logan, Josiah and I

Of course, kids always want to pose for one "goofy" picture!

Muffin Tin Advent Calendar & Ideas

I'm so sorry I never made even one blog entry the entire month of November...shame on me!!   Well, I love to share, so I'm back at it!  Thanks for sticking with me!  I promise not to let you down...this entry will make up for my long absence!!!

Last year, I started a new advent tradition with Josiah.  I confess I stole the idea from other bloggers.  And he/we liked it so much, I passed the tradition onto 4 other families last year and another 7 this year. Counting our family, I created materials for 12 family advent calendar this year! 

Muffin Tin Advent Calendar

To make the advent calendar use a mini muffin tin (with 24 holes).  Then, using solid scrapbook paper, cut 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 squares and cut 2 X 2 squares out of coordinating scrapbook paper.  (Note: I like to corner round all the edges.)  Stick the squares together with adhesive tape and stick magnets on the back corners.  (I cut my magnets from a roll of magnetic strip). 

Embellish the squares with numbers and decorations!  (FYI- I bought most of mine at Hobby Lobby).  The smaller the embellishments the better because a 2 X 2 space isn't very big. 

Here is a closer look at my squares (you can click on each photo within the collage for an even closer look): 

Here is the link to access my number template, if you don't want to create your own.  Just print them on solid cardstock and punch them out with shaped punchers (circles, starts, hearts, etc...). 

Now the fun begins... you need to think up 24 activities!  Type up your ideas, cut them into strips and tuck them behind your cardstock squares. 

**SPOILER ALERT--To the families I gave muffin tins and activities to, don't look at 2011 ideas if you still want to be surprised each day**

Here are the links to access my advent calendar ideas:

• 2010 Ideas
• 2011 Ideas (I curtailed my ideas for families with 1 kid, 2 kids, or 3 kids). 

Or get creative and make up your own!!!! I am already starting next year's list :)  Of course, you can find more inspiring advent activities on Pinterst, too!

Bag of Activities

If you peeked at my lists, you noticed that most days the kids have a "present" to open.  The "present" usually contains the materials for the activity, craft, etc... Or it is a small candy or gift :) I wrap all of the "presents" and label them with the coordinating day of the activity, so they know what present to open on which day.  I provide a big sack to stick the presents in. 

It is a lot of work to gather all the materials ahead of time, but I completely recommend it!  This makes the whole process hassle/stress free for you, which is especially important during December!  It also builds the anticipation for the kids, because each day they get to sort through the bag of packages to find the right one! 

I prop up our advent calendar with a large easel.  It not only makes your advent calendar more functional but turns it into a great decoration as well :)  I found it's also important to have a little bucket or basket near your calendar to put the number squares in as the kids take them off-- or the little squares will quickly become ruined and UNusable for another year. 

This is what our advent calendar looks like this morning
after 6 days of activities.

Here is a picture of Josiah with his addressed Santa letter-- that was the advent calendar activity this past Sunday :) Thank goodness, Santa won't have any problem making his wish list come true this year!!! Since it has been an issue in the past....phew!

Dear Santa....

In case you'd still like to make an advent calendar to use yet this month, then just make one out of a regular size muffin tin with 12 holes and count down the last 12 days until Christmas! 

Also, let me know if you have any questions or need more clarification! I will provide you with all the links, directions, etc... for each activity by request. 

I would love to know the intentional ways your family celebrates advent/Christmas or if you plan to make a muffin tin advent calendar for you & yours! Or just comment on what you'd like to see next on my blog...Christmas cookie recipes, main dish recipes, more crafts, stories, etc...

p.s. An advent calendar makes a wonderful family Christmas gift!!

Taking A Deep Breath

I'm sorry for the long, unplanned break from blogging.  Our summer became more hectic than I expected.  I just keep going from one project or place to another and haven't slowed down enough to blog about our happenings.  So, this entry will catch you up on what I've been doing, thinking, crafting, cooking and planning....

I'm thankful for....God's mercy and air conditioning!  Wow, it has been blistering hot...on Tuesday it was even too hot for me to swim and sun...now that's HOT because I love the SUN!

I'm still missing...Cooper, our family pet.  I never expected to feel quite so empty without his presence. 

I have been inspired .......by Pinterest!  I love it!! It is a website in which you can catalog the things you want to make, do, read, like, buy, etc... Whenever you find something on the Internet you want to "save," rather than copying and pasting it in a word document and saving it to your computer you just click "pin" and save it to your "boards."  I have my boards separated into these categories (and will soon be adding more):  craft ideas, party ideas, recipes, quotes, books worth reading, for the home, my style pinboard, printables, etc... The other cool thing is you can follow other people's boards to see what they are "pinning."  If you want to join Pinterest, then you have to request an invitation.  It took me 10-14 days to gain access but it was sure worth the wait and is making surfing and organizing my ideas so much easier. 

We have celebrated....the 4th of July (at my parents' home), Rob's birthday, and "cousinhood".  Last week we had the privilege of hosting my niece's three children while she and her husband were in Kauai, Hawaii and I dubbed the week "Camp Cousin Week", in which I planned a whole slew of activities to do as cousins.  I will be posting all of my ideas and menu plan at a later date. 

I have been challenged....to workout more and pray more intently for Josiah.  My sister recruited me to run a 5K race in September and I reluctantly agreed to the challenge....so now I really gotta start running instead of just talking about it...ha ha :)  Lately as a mother, I have been ridden with "guilt" about parenting Josiah and during my quiet time one day, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I simply need to start praying more for Josiah vs. reading more self-help books on how to raise him and/or become a better parent. 

I have been amazed by....the continued unconditional support of our family and friends.  God has blessed us by surrounding us with so many encouraging people!

I have been reading.... to Josiah Judy Moody, which we have both gotten a kick out of :)  For inspirational reading...I have been reading Warrior Prayers by Brooke L. McGlothlin, a book that is specifically written to help mothers pray for their boy(s).  It is an e-book that costs $4.99 and I definitely recommend it.  For "fun" reading...I have recently finished Pray For Silence (a mystery that involves an Amish family) and today started Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. 

We've been listening to.... Adventures in Odyssey (radio broadcasts developed by Focus On The Family Productions for kids),  Peter Furler's new CD titled On Fire and Laura Story's album Blessings. 

I regret....that I haven't read more books this summer.  Having Josiah home and with me all summer, has sure put a hamper on book time, but of course it's an easy sacrifice to make. 

I have been wanting....a new dress and I'm really pining for this V-cut maxi dress. 

I'm looking forward to..."The Smurfs" and "Sarah's Key" movie releases!  If you haven't read Sarah's Key yet...DO....it's a wonderful story!

Some new recipes I've tried...Easy Ravioli and Cheese Bake, this wonderful Pizza Sauce, and Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  I guarantee you'll love them and won't be disappointed!!  I made some adaptations to the ravioli dish by using frozen tortellini and adding more cheese and spaghetti sauce.  It's a perfect recipe to throw together and in the oven after a day of swimming.  And the pizza sauce is AWESOME!  The recipe makes enough for one medium pizza, but I quadrupled it and saved the leftover sauce in a jar in the fridge for other casseroles, bread sticks, etc... When I was at Mom and Dad's, I was craving strawberry shortcake so whipped up pound cake to create my own strawberry shortcake from scratch to enjoy on the 4th of July.  So rich and so wonderful!!!

I've been working on....Korissa's (my best friend from college) birthday gift.  I am making her chicken wire picture frames that are so cute and versatile.  I promise to reveal how-to make your own once I give them to her!  The next project(s) I will be working on is creating Camp Cousin memory books.  After that I will be working on formatting my cookbook (pictures and recipes) so I can get it ready for printing.  I still don't have a definite timeline on when it will be ready for distribution, but I'm hoping to give you an opportunity to have an ELECTRONIC "sneak peek!"  (again, more details to follow). 

I have been worrying about....Josiah's ear.  Around Father's Day he burst his left ear drum and it has been slow in healing and preventing us from our favorite summer activity...SWIMMING!  I'm worried about the long term affects. 

I am surprised....summer will be unofficially over in less than 1 month when Josiah will go back to school!