Keep on saving! :o)
For Father’s Day this year, I wanted to continue to impress upon my daughter the importance of ownership of the gifts she gives. Gifts, thank you notes, and various cards hold more meaning to the giver and receiver when made more personable, so I helped my daughter create some cards for her daddy, and both grandfathers this year. Thus, a DIY Father’s Day craft seemed in order….
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| Lesson learned: Glue the construction paper to the cardstock FIRST, to prevent the glue from interfering with the paint! |
We sat down, working bit by bit over the span of a few days, creating these cards. I brushed washable paint over her hand to create the “flower”. (The paint acquired, by luck, at a garage sale — a pack of 10 small tubs for a quarter.) Then, while she colored on a few sheets of construction paper (to be used later), I asked her “why do you love daddy?”, recording her responses and offering prompts (basically rephrasing the question) to redirect her when needed.
She helped put down the glue for each step (reciting our glue motto of “just a dot, not a lot!”), then placed the strips with her responses on the paper. It was all glued down to card stock, to make it sturdier. The card stock also served as a quick and simple way for my infant son to put his own stamp on each card, too. 🙂
We repeated this for a single-flowered card for each of her grandfathers.
The sheets she colored were used as wrapping paper for the two small gifts we got for her daddy. (Since he had actually requested something specific, we indulged him.)
Each card was greeted with great pride by its intended receiver– so much so, that first thing Monday morning the card for her Daddy was proudly displayed at his office. 🙂
Do you have any DIY Fathers Day crafts or gift ideas to share? Please leave a comment here or contact me. I’d love to hear all about it!
I hoard containers. There — I put it out there. I save various, sturdy containers, with the idea that I could re-use it ….for something. This came in handy the other day with my 3-year-old daughter.
I’m always looking for ways to keep my children entertained, as well as offer them chances to explore and learn. If I can additionally do so in a “green” manner, even better.
For this occasion, I put red food coloring in an old throat spray bottle, blue in an old dish soap bottle, grabbed some old foam letters (but sponges would work just as well) and put a little paint in old flushable wipes containers, gathered up a few unused medicine droppers, opened some paper bags at the seems, and threw in a few paint brushes, and empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls.
In our driveway, we “painted” a large hopscotch-like path with various shapes using the dish soap bottle. Then we experimented with painting with rocks, sticks, and our fingers. When asked which she liked best,she responded “the rock — because it’s MAGIC!”
She and I had a blast, and all for pennies. More importantly, these activities encouraged her imagination, worked on dexterity (pushing the spray button, utilizing the various objects for painting, etc), and allowed for open-ended inquiry. Certainly this was a good example of “process over product”.
My next plan is to get some old, large containers to create makeshift water tubs, and let her play and explore. I already have a few containers in mind for this. When my son is a little older -perhaps later in the summer- he can join in the fun.
Do YOU have some great, cheap (and green) ways to entertain your kids? Please share, or contact me. 🙂
**Sidenote: I’ve learned that food coloring, while great for learning, does not easily come off hands — it requires a good dose of elbow grease.
A few nights ago, my daughter had her first sleepover. Other than the two whirlwind nights I spend in the hospital when her brother was born, I’ve never been apart from her for the night. So, while it was difficult for me to let me to let her spend the night away from me, I knew she was in good hands. After all, she was at my parents house. Literally down the street. And I knew it was an experience she needed to have. I needed to have it, too.
While I weep for the loss of each new stage in her life -yearning to hold on to even the smallest pieces of my “little” girl, I can’t help but feel excitement. I have nothing but fond memories of spending the night at my grandparents houses, and I want nothing more than for her to build such memories with the people she loves as well.
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
Keep on saving! :o)
–Barbara
Keep on saving! :o)
–Barbara
**This post may contain affiliate links.**
“Look, Mommy! A cloud deer!”
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
**This post may contain affiliate links.**
**This post may contain affiliate links.**
I’ve not done a “Wordless Wednesday” before, but I couldn’t resist after this scene this morning. I love my goofy kids!
How would YOU caption this one? 🙂
**This post may contain affiliate links.**
Any good couponer has experienced that invigorating coupon high, but what happens when you find yourself going to extremes, all in the name of saving a few bucks? There’s been quite a buzz in the blogosphere created in recent months thanks largely in part to TLC’s Extreme Couponing. Many viewers are left with the impression that couponing creates, or encourages hoarding, shelf-clearing of sale items, and downright obsessive behavior.*
What’s not so easy, but must be done, is taking a step back and realizing that a good deal will always come back around. As a couponer, one must take on the responsibility of keeping oneself in check, to keep from going to extremes.
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| The folding, padded potty seat |
As you may recall, I just recently finished a successful (and short) stint potty training my two-year old daughter back at the end of May. She took to the task like a pro, which gave me the confidence *I* needed to take her out and about, and know we could minimize accidents. However, my biggest hang-up had long been the dreaded public restroom.
Need I say more? A curious toddler’s small hands simply can’t contain themselves in a new environment, and -well- the nastiness that you likely conjured up at the mere words “public restroom” are enough to send one sprinting for a can of Lysol, right?
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| The bulky “on the go” potty seat — BOO! |
Furthermore, any mother will attest to the amount of STUFF one must lug around, even with a potty-trained child: your own purse, a (former) diaper bag, and miscellaneous other bags, depending on the occasion and the circumstances. For me, shopping entailed the addition of my bag full of reusable shopping bags AND my coupon binder bag. Oh, plus one highly-active and surprisingly fast red-headed toddler. Need I say my hands were already quite full?
So, to add ANOTHER bag to the mix seems rather silly. However, when potty training commenced, we had only the regular (unfoldable) potty seat (see pic to your left), which I kept in a reusable shopping bag, along with a pack of sanitizing wipes. To say this was a bit much is an understatement!
But not bringing a potty seat was NOT an option. We’d tried that ONCE on an early post-PT outing, and her tiny little boopah simply proved too small for the grown-up potty seat, even with me holding her hands for balance and support; therefore, she couldn’t get comfortable enough to go. :o(
Enter: the FOLDABLE, padded potty seat! I’d had my eye on this for a while, and had been unable to find anything comparable in the stores. (The closest I’d found was a foldable, NON-padded plastic potty seat; but all the reviews I’d read suggested they were flimsy and a waste of money.) By chance I saw it being featured one day on My Precious Kid‘s Facebook page, and decided it was time. The more I saw it, the more I was convinced this folding, padded potty seat was precisely the answer to my daughter’s potty prayers!
When it arrived, I first marveled at the small size of the entire shipping package! Upon opening it, I simply couldn’t contain my excitement — I eagerly opened it up, and showed my daughter her “new potty seat!” We hadn’t anywhere to go that evening, but I insisted we go out. Out we went, with our “new potty seat” in tow, which fit rather neatly in her (former) diaper bag. (Big plus, right there!!) Did I mention it comes with a washable bag? It also holds a travel-size pack of wipes, too.
Lo and behold, we hadn’t been at Tar-Zshay for more than a few minutes, when my daughter uttered those famous words “I go potty.”
For the first time EVER, I eagerly dashed to the public restrooms -skipping almost- as I told my daughter how we were going to get to try out her new potty seat. My excitement was contagious! From the first time we used it, it has been a gem — it folds easily, it sets up easily, and with a row of toilet paper or a toilet seat cover between the “new potty seat” and the regular one, it offers this germ-a-phobe significant peace of mind! And to be able to pack it all away in a tiny bag, which fits nicely in her (former) diaper bag is just icing on the potty-training cake!
We’ve had it for a little over a month, and I dare not leave home without it! It certainly fits in just about every toilet we’ve used, save for the old rickety one at the Atlanta Zoo, but that’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax… We had but one “accident” with the new potty seat, where I think I simply didn’t have it fitted properly inside the toilet seat. No big deal though, since I was squatting right next to my daughter — she actually just giggled about getting her boopah a little wet.
Her enthusiasm for the seat is still in tact, too. Many times when we merely walk in to the public restrooms, she’ll grin and excitedly declare “new! potty! seat!” — as I breath a sigh of relief knowing my daughter has the comfort she needs to “go” on the go, while I have the peace of mind knowing that we CAN take extended excursions and she’ll be accommodated, just about anywhere we go.
My personal thanks to Kay Green, of My Precious Kid, for providing me with the opportunity to review this awesome product; as well as for her sage words of wisdom, with all things related to child safety and potty training! (As well as my sincerest apologies for not posting this review ina much more timely manner!)
The foldable potty seat is available here, for only $11.99, plus shipping. Use the promo code 2SEPTEN for an 10% off! (Also, you can enjoy free shipping for orders over $100, by entering promo code FREESHIP100.) While you’re there, check out the entire website, for a vast array of products devoted to child safety and wellness!
Next up in the series, I’ll discuss items I highly recommend for potty training, as well as items that aren’t essential, but can make life a whole lot easier. If you have any items to suggest for this, feel free to contact me. :o)
Keep on saving! :o)
