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parenting

Snail Crafts

Paper bowl & plate snail craft for kids - great spring craft

 

Slow & steady wins the race.

We had a fun & busy weekend. It was my husband’s weekend off so we were able to enjoy one of our rare family weekends together. We took Mai to an animal fair that was in town for a few days. Mai dressed the part to go play with the farm animals.

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She ran from animal to animal & was overjoyed about all of the rides & other activities that the fair had to offer. She had a ton of fun, but wore out mommy & daddy. After a few hours we returned home. Still wired from her fun day, her energy did not wane. Unfortunately for her, mommy’s did. We played super heroes for an hour, but then my super powers started to fail. It was time to slow things down a bit. Quiet time in our house is a great time for crafts.

Egg Carton Snails

What you will need:

Empty clean egg carton

Paint

Pipe cleaners

Marker

Glue

Googly eyes

 

Directions:

Cut your egg carton into individual cups.

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Have your child paint the cups in colors of their choice. Let dry.IMG_9115

With a marker, draw a spiral on the side of the egg carton cup.IMG_9117

Twist & bend a pipe cleaner to form a pointy tail on one end & a head with antennae of the other.IMG_9123

Glue the pipe cleaners in place under the cup. Add googly eyes to the antennae.IMG_9131

Egg carton snail craft for the spring - cute crafts for kids

 

Paper Bowl Snail

What you will need:

Paper bowls

Paint

Construction paper

Pipe Cleaners

Marker

Glue

Googly eyes

 

Directions:

Let your child paint the bowl however they like. Let it dry.

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Cut out a shape for the snail body & glue it underneath.

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With a marker, draw a spiral in the middle of the bowl. Add pipe cleaners to the top of the head & googly eyes for the face.

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Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Stop The Judging


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I consider myself a pretty upbeat person. I smile at strangers. I sing & dance around my office at work & I try to find joy even on the days that I am feeling somewhat joyless. I try to remain positive, but it is not always easy when you are surrounded by so much negativity. I hear it at work. I read it in the paper. I see it on my Facebook feed. Even things that are meant to be beautiful get torn down and turned into something ugly. Friends are judging friends. Strangers are putting down other strangers. I am not saying that I have not done my fair share of judging. I have. I am not an innocent. In this world where we are constantly scrutinized for everything we do, what if we all could just stop judging each other?

Stop judging…

The way we raise our children – Whether I am a working mother or a stay at home mom, whether I choose to nurse or use formula, whether I follow Dr. Sears’s method of parenting or Dr. Ferber, I am a mother. I do not love my daughter less because I do not raise my child the same way that you do. I am just different. I am flawed. I am imperfect. I will make mistakes & I will learn from them. I will teach my child, love her & guide her the best that I can. Let me. 

Our grammar – Recently, I read a beautiful article in the Huffington Post. The post broke my heart, not because it was a particularly sad, but because of the comments that followed it. One reader commented that they were unable to enjoy the article because of the grammatical errors that were in it. There was a handful more comments similar to this. I found it strange that these people were unable to respect the beautiful content in her words simply because she had a misplaced comma or two. What a shame! I know that I do not have perfect grammar. I am not a writer. I am just a mother with a lot that I want to share & say. If you can relate to my words, look at my message, not my grammar.

Our political beliefs – I respect the passion that many of you have for your beliefs, but with that passion often comes close-mindedness & name calling. You do not know everything about me just because I am associated with a certain political party. Be passionate & fight for what you believe in, but don’t look down on those that do not share in your opinion because that is all that it is, your opinion.

Our choice of entertainment – The music I listen to sucks. The shows that I watch are mindless & the books I read are garbage. Who cares? If you don’t like what I am reading, don’t read it.  There is a reason that musicians & writers cater to so many different genres. There are many different tastes out there. It doesn’t make me an idiot because I like Adam Sandler movies. I am not weird for not liking country. I am just me. Get over it and worry about something real.

Our appearance – You have heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We have heard it, but yet we tend not to look inside if we don’t like the outer shell. Our race, our weight or the uniform we wear does not tell our story, so don’t try to rewrite it with your preconceived notions. If you are ready to know the whole truth, open the book.

 

The Difference Between Dating and Married

206791_1026029744268_167_nI frequently write about my relationship with my husband. I like to joke at his expense often. (Sorry honey) The truth is I know that I am no picnic. I am moody, cranky and many times I do not give him enough credit for all that he does around the house and with our daughter. I say to myself “Well, he knew what he was getting into when he married me.” Did he really though? You think that you are the same person that you were before you got married, but how true is that really?

Let’s compare…

Appearance

Dating: Bought a new outfit, shaved my legs, did my nails, makeup and curled my hair before every date. I continued to primp until he rang the doorbell.

Married: Get home from work and throw my bra on the floor. Wash all the makeup off my face, throw my hair in a bun and change into something more comfortable. “Hey, how many days have I worn these sweats on the floor?” They smell clean. I think these have one more day left in them.

Thoughtfulness

Dating: “Honey, can I get you a beer? Uh oh! I don’t have the beer that you like. I better go to the store. Let me chill this beer mug before I leave.”

Married: “You are closer to the kitchen than I am. Get your own beer.”

Bathroom habits

Dating: Excused myself to use the bathroom because I had to fart. Ran the water, flushed the toilet and sprayed air fresher to cover up the sound or any lingering smell.

Married: “The dog did it”

Conversation

Dating: “Oh my god, you are so funny” (Giggling and flipping my hair.)

Married: “I’m sorry hon, did you say something?”

Interests

Dating: “Oh Yeah, I love football. The Pats are my favorite.”

Married: “The games on? Uuugggh! I will be in the bedroom watching “Once Upon A Time”

Seduction

Dating: Gave him an erotic massage while wearing sexy lingerie.

Married: Unbutton the top button of my flannel pajamas and whisper “The baby’s asleep.”

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Patchwork Craft

Patch work quilt kid's craft

 

My mother-in-law has a wonderful talent.  She makes the most beautiful quilts. Our daughter has been lucky enough to have been the recipient of a few of her nana’s creations. For her birthday last month nana made her this eye spy quilt. I love it so much that I even made it the backdrop to my blog.

 

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Nana’s quilt was the inspiration for our crafts tonight.

Patchwork Craft

Things you need:

Construction paper

Paint

Glitter

Glue

Optional: crayons,markers,stampers, sticker, tissue paper

 

Cut different colored construction paper into six 3 1/2X 3 1/2 squares. Let your child paint, stamp, glue glitter or tissue papers to the squares to make different designs. Let them decorate them however they like.

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Set the squares aside & let dry.

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Glue the squares down on another piece of construction paper, making sure to space them out evenly.

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Draw different patterns in the spacing.

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Mai did such a beautiful job with this craft. While I watched her paint, she told me “I like doing projects with my mama.” I love doing them with you too, baby girl.

7 Reasons Why Exercise Sucks

Exercisesucks.jpgHere is something that many of you might not know about me. I hate exercise. I don’t just dislike it. I have a genuine hatred for it, which is funny considering that I was a regional manager for a fitness chain for 10 years. I know that we need exercise. I know that it is good for us & all that other mumbo jumbo & I respect those of you that do it. My husband is a marathon runner. I think it is fantastic, but when he asks me to run with him I just chuckle & offer him a very dragged out “Noooooooooooooooo.”

My husband just purchased a new workout video, the T25 workout. He asked me if I would do it with him. He presented it as something we could all do together and somehow talked me into it. He must have offered me chocolates or something, either way I agreed as it is only 25 minutes long. This weekend we started it. Even our 3 year old daughter joined in.

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It was 25 minutes of sheer hell. Suddenly, I remembered why exercise & I have always had such a bad relationship. It is because it sucks

7 Reasons Why Exercise Sucks

1. It requires moving. I am perfectly content sitting on my ass. I am good at it. I am more of an artsy fartsy sort of girl. Give me some paints & construction paper and I am more than happy. Sitting burns calories too, you know.

2. I want to punch everyone in these workout videos in the throat. I know all these rock hard bodies & six packs are supposed be inspiring, but they make me want to start chucking donuts at the TV screen. Have you ever eaten a donut? Try one they are delicious. On top of it, why are they so happy? As they all have ear to ear grins on their faces, I have to keep wiping the moisture from my face, and by moisture I mean tears. Incidentally, the happiest person on the screen is usually the one doing the modified version for people like me.

3. Sweating is gross. Do you know what I hate almost as much as the act of exercise? I cannot stand being in wet, sweaty & smelly clothes. I sweat like a pig. If I could go to the gym naked, it would be done. Try getting out of those nasty clothes as they stick to your moist flesh. It is not easy. I have gotten stuck inside of a sweat soaked sports bra before. It was not fun.

4. There is just not enough time. I see people around me that have full time jobs, keep a clean house, raise their kids & go to the gym for 2 hours a day & I think “Huh?”. Can you run my life for me, please?

5. I hate sore muscles. If it is not bad enough that I just went through the torture of cardio or weight training on Monday, when Tuesday comes I have to endure the pain of the next day’s sore muscles. Forget about 6 pack abs, get me a 6 pack of Icy Hot and a glass of wine.

6. It’s embarrassing. Even when I did work out all the time, I felt inadequate. I always felt as if I was being looked at. In my head I thought “I look stupid doing this, don’t I?” “Am I doing this right?” “Do I have a wedgie in these yoga pants?”

7. It is just not fun. Working out is boring. I know some of you out there are like “I disagree.” That is because you are slightly crazy. All those exercise endorphins messed with your head. Music makes it somewhat bearable, but if my IPod goes dead, I pack my gym bag up & go home. Guess what! My Ipod has been dead for 3 years now.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

 

 

 

Fingerprint Cherry Blossoms

Finger print cherry blossom craft for kids

 

As many of you know my daughter Mai is named after my mother. I get questioned on her name all the time.

“That’s an unusual name.”

“How do you say it? May?”

“How did you come up with that name?”

Typically, when I am asked what her name is, it comes out in one giant run-on sentence. Inhale & go…”Her name is Mai. Like a Mai Tai, but that isn’t why I named her that. She is named after my mother. It is Vietnamese. It means cherry blossom.” Exhale. Mai must have heard this story many times because she has begun referring to herself as Cherry Blossom, Princess Cherry Blossom to be accurate.

The princess & I were snowbound again for the weekend, so took advantage of our time with some arts & crafts inspired by her lovely name.

Fingerprint Cherry Blossom

Draw a branch for your cherry blossoms with a marker or paint.

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Mix a few different shades of pink.

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Have your child dip their finger in the paint & press onto the branches.

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Switch shades of pink & keep dabbing.

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A flower as pretty as my little girl.

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Slim Jims & Nuts Beer Mug & Sunday’s Best Linky

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Today is Valentine’s Day, a day for love & romance. It is also a day that I scramble to try to figure out what kind of gift to buy my husband. Hallmark, Russell Stover’s and every jewelry store and flower shop in town are kept busy with the swarms of boyfriends and husbands grabbing their clichéd Valentine’s trinkets for their wives at home. The men have it easy. It is us women that have to play the guessing game. There will be no stuffed animals or lip shaped chocolates being given to my husband. Perhaps if they made stuffed animals stuffed with bacon or chocolate covered beer cordials this might fly, but otherwise no. Luckily for me, the Patriots made things easy this year & won the Superbowl, which opened up my gift list to Patriots’ paraphernalia. Thanks guys. I owe you one. Before the Pats’ brought home the victory, Mai & I had another idea in mind for our favorite guy.

Slim Jims & Nuts Beer Mug

Tape two canisters of nuts together.

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Tape a string of mini Slim Jims together so that they are even. I used 16 of them.

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Wrap the Slim Jims around the outside of the canisters with the label facing the outside. Secure with a rubber band & then tape into place.

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On a piece of construction paper, cut out an oval & write your message.

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Mat it to another piece of construction. Dab the back edges of the paper with a glue gun & secure.

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Cut out a handle shape . Bend the edge of the paper that will secure to the mug & lightly glue into place with a glue gun. Add cotton or tissue paper to the top for the foam.

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Now on to to our link-up. Welcome to week 7 of the Sunday’s Best Link-Up.

Welcome to Week 7 of  Mother 2 Mother’s Sunday’s Best Linkup Each month we will feature a theme, this month the theme is Love Is In the Air. Smooches! Please share your favorite posts on anything or anyone that you love. This can be recipes, Valentine’s crafts, scrapbook layouts, how you met your husband or significant other, your children, how you spend Valentine’s Day etc. You decide.  


Don’t have posts that fit into the theme, link up whatever post you would like to share. Anything goes here. You may link as many posts as you would like. Each week a post will be selected and featured the following week.  An image from your post will be used on my blog the following week with a link back to your blog.  Be sure to check back to see if you’re the Sunday’s Best featured blogger of the week. 



Please meet my new co-host, Kim, and her beautiful daughter from Pinterested Parent. Kim shared a great post last week Pasta Love Bug Crafts. They are adorable and perfect for rainy or snowy day. Please check it out and connect with her.  


           Rhonda – Mother 2 Mother                                  Kim – Pinterested Parent




If you are interested in co-hosting the next Sunday’s Best linkup, please contact me for details.   

Get your post(s) ready for March.  The theme is Spring Forward. We’re looking for spring crafts, Easter decorating ideas, Easter tablescapes, recipes, anything that you love to do in the spring and would like to share.  



Here’s the rules, please connect with Kim and Me on social media before you leave or subscribe to our blogs :  


Mother 2 Mother: Please like my 
Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter,  Google+, PinterestBlogLovin or subscribe/join my blog on the right before you leave.   



The Pinterested Parent: Please like Kim’s Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin before you leave.  




 

Mother 2 Mother Blog

One last thing before we get the party started, please grab the Sunday’s Best button above and place it on your sidebar or Tweet the linkup using the hashtag #SundaysBest. I appreciate your help in promoting the linkup with Re-tweets and shares.  




The Sunday’s Best Posts are:

 



Kim selected 15 Pretty In Pink Valentine’s Day Treats by – Dreaming of Leaving


and 


 

 I selected Peanut Butter Hearts by – Dabbling Momma 
All of the posts were great, and I appreciate each of you linking up.  We honestly had a hard time making selections, and would like to invite all of you back to linkup your post again this week. While your’re here take a minute to visit these great blog and connect with Jessica and Susen.  These ladies are quite crafty.   


Now, lets link up those posts and be sure to visit a few other bloggers who have posted while you’re here. This is a great way to meet and connect with new bloggers. Be sure to PIN or share any posts that you like, we all appreciate a little love.     


 

Toddler Science Made Easy

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I must have lived a very sheltered childhood because there are so many things that I never did as a child. Having a child of my own, I have been introduced to so many things that I missed out on when I was young. It is as if I am reliving my own childhood vicariously through her. My husband on the other hand has the inside scoop on all sorts of fun stuff that I never heard of, mostly in the form of science experiments. He introduced me to baking soda volcanoes last year & then the other day when I came home from grocery shopping he was working with Mai on another one.

I walked in the door to see my husband & daughter playing with a Cartesian Diver. I am sure many of you have heard of this, but this is one I missed as a child. I must have dozed off during science class that day. It was such a simple concept and I was as fascinated by it as my daughter was.

Cartesian Diver

All you need is a clean soda bottle, water, & a ketchup packet (or in our case a duck sauce packet) Do a float test first on the packet to make sure that it floats.

Fold the packet in half the long way to insert it into the bottle.

Fill the bottle all the way to the top with water & put the cap back on.

Squeeze the sides of the bottle. The little ones will need two hands. Squeeze the bottle & watch the packet sink.

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Let go of the bottle & let it float back up.

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Mai had so much fun that it inspired a few more experiments.

Salt & Ice Experiment

All you need for this experiment is some ice, salt & food coloring.

On a baking tray, lay out some ice. You can choose to use a large sheet or cubes.

Sprinkle salt on the cubes. The salt will cause the ice to beginning melting where sprinkled.

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Squirt different colored food coloring onto the ice & watch as it seeps into the ice and follows the melted tracks. It makes a lovely effect.

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We also had some fun experimenting with oil & water this week. For more on our oil & water experiments please check out our latest article in SEEK MAGAZINE.

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Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

7 Fun Cleaning Day Activities For Kids

7FunCleaning.jpgWhen you have a toddler, cleaning your home is not always the easiest thing to do. Having an only child, I am in charge of my daughter’s entertainment, so when I am busy, she wants my attention. Today our house needed a good cleaning, but Mai wanted to play.

On Cleaning Day, there is a lot of potential for fun. Here are some fun activities for your kiddos while you clean.

1. Cushion Mountain-  Is it time to clean your sofa cushion covers? While they are in the washer, pile up your cushions in a safe, clear area & let them have some fun.

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2. Let Them Help Out- We may not like our chores, but give a kid a broom and they are tickled pink. There are many chores your child can help you with, sweeping, dishes or wiping down tables.

3. Loose Parts Play- Cleaning out a junk drawer or throwing out other odds & ends around the house? Give them to your child to play with, provided that they are clean & safe. Playing with loose parts is a fabulous way for a child to work their imaginations.

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4. Sheet Forts- Are you stripping your bed to make way for clean sheets? Use your dirty sheets to make a monster sheet fort.

5. Laundry Basket Or Hamper Fun- Laundry day is always fun for our daughter. Kids love to jump into an empty laundry basket. Our daughter has a pink collapsible hamper. When it is empty she likes to pretend that she is Sheriff Callie & ride it like a horse. “Giddy up, Sparky!”

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6. Obstacle Course- If you clean the house anything like me, you tear it apart & trash it before you put it back together. With all the moved tables & chairs, cushions & laundry baskets lying around, it is a great opportunity to build an obstacle course. Climb over the ottoman, jump over a broom, crawl under the play table and climb your cushion mountain to victory.

7. Imaginary Beach- Before you throw those sheets and blankets in the washing machine, lay them down on the floor for some imagination play. We placed a blanket down for our water & a sheet for our sand. We broke out a few shovels & beach toys and our daughter’s mind did the rest. Lunchtime? Let them have a beach picnic.

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You don’t need to wait for cleaning day to enjoy these activities. These are fun on any day.  I have to admit that I stopped cleaning to join in on some of the fun too. Before we put our couches back together, we let our princess do one more thing. The princess did not feel the pea on her royal bed, but then again I had just swept the floor. Happy cleaning.

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Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Paint Scrape Art

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One of my favorite things about my daughter is her creativity & her imagination. I love her ability to think outside of the box. Give her a box of random odds & ends and she can turn it into hours of fun. We have a container full of plastic forks & spoons that have become her most recent source of fun. A while back she traded in her paint brush for the day & attempted to paint a picture with a fork. While the fork did not quite do the job that she wanted, it did create a nice textured effect. So when Mai asked me to do a project a few days later, I thought we would pull out those forks again & create a pretty craft.

You can of course create a figure of your choosing, but for our purposes we chose a flower & peacock.
Using several different colors of construction paper, cut out different colored shapes for the petals, leaves, stem & center of your flower as shown below.

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Paint over one shape each at a time.

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Mai works ahead of me on the peacock, while mommy does the flower.

Before the paint dries, use your plastic fork & drag it across the paint to scrape off some of the paint & reveal the under color. Do this for all shapes & let dry.

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Mai’s little hands are hard at work, scraping the paint off in various designs.

Glue your pieces into place on top of a piece of paper.

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Let dry & proudly display your artwork.

For the peacock, we used the same method. We cut out different colored construction paper, 9 teardrop shapes for the feathers, 3 hook shapes for the head feathers & one the shape of an eggplant for the body. All steps were followed as above & then googly eyes & a construction paper beak & legs were added at the end.

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Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

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