Tutorial: burp cloths

My all-time favorite baby gift to give is homemade burp cloths. They're something that every mom needs, whether it's their first baby or their 5th (burp cloths are used way too much to survive through more than a few babies!) I like to make a lot of these at one time so I have a quick but thoughtful gift whenever anyone I know has a baby. They're inexpensive, easy and quick to make, and who doesn't love a homemade gift?



This TUTORIAL might bore you sewers out there. This sewing project would definitely fit in the "beginners" category. But those who like step-by-step instructions for even the easiest project, read on...

Colored soups

If you've got anti-vegetable eaters like I do, then this soup is for you! Actually, if your kids love veggies then this is for you too! My kids will eat fruit by the handfuls but have become the pickiest little vegetable eaters. Does anybody else have this problem? They'll occasionally try a cooked carrot or two, but that's about as close as they get. Thus the need for our COLORED SOUPS. Last night I made "green soup" (aka broccoli soup), and they all loved it! Joe, who has become the pickiest eater of the bunch, downed his entire bowl and then moved on to his brothers. Ha! I tricked them all! And I felt pretty good about it :)



You can also make red (tomato) soup, orange (squash/carrot) soup, white (potato) soup, yellow (corn) soup, the options are endless! Here's what I generally do to make the soup:

1. Saute half an onion with a couple tablespoons of butter in a large pot.
2. When the onion is nicely browned, add the veggie (diced) and 2-4 cups of water or chicken broth (if making tomato soup you won't need a lot of water).
3. Add whatever seasonings you like then put on a lid and let simmer until the veggies are soft (30 minutes usually does it).
4. Puree the soup in a blender and put back in the pot.
5. I usually add a cup or two of milk at the end to thin it out a bit and occasionally 1 or 2 more tablespoons of butter (butter always makes it better, right?)

Pretty simple! Serve with warm bread, biscuits or rolls, and you've got a healthy, nutritious meal your kids are sure to love!

Tutorial: car shirt

The Car Play Shirt is the shirt that lets daddy stretch out and relax while playing with the kids!  They make great Father's Day/birthday/Christmas gifts (for grandpa's too!) and offer a unique and fun way to interact with your children.

I first made one of these for my husband several years ago using Sharpies, and it has become a favorite activity to do with dad when he comes home from work or on lazy Saturday mornings.

For those who want one of these shirts but do not have the time, resources or desire to actually make it, we are now selling them in our Etsy shop!  We are offering both a full color version and a black and white version that can be colored in by your kids (or you) at home.  Check us out!  And for those who are interested in the tutorial, read on...

Following is a short TUTORIAL so you can make your own car shirt.  I have printouts of the map I created and everything you'll need to know.



What you'll need:
- Plain white shirt (you can buy these at Walmart in a pack of 2 or 3 for just a few dollars each)
- Printer and paper (if you want to use the map I created)
- Fabric paint or fabric markers
- Cars to drive on your map!

If you'd like to use the map I created, the following images can be printed. Each quarter of the map needs to be printed on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. If you don't want to use my map, then get creative and design your own! I think it works best to design it on paper first, and then trace it onto your shirt (the following steps will explain how to do this).

Click on the images below, drag them to your desk top and print them.






Once you've printed each quarter, tape them together.



Then slide the paper in between the front and back of the shirt, with the back of the shirt facing up. This also protects the paint from bleeding through to the front.



Start tracing! I used fabric paint, but just a warning, it took FOREVER! About 3 hours longer than I had hoped :) Next time I make one I want to try fabric markers. It seems like they would make smoother lines and would save a lot of time.



And ta-da! You've created your very first car shirt!



**This tutorial is meant for individual use only.  Please do not use my images for the purpose of selling shirts for profit.  Thank you!

Car Shirt GIVEAWAY!

** This giveaway is closed ** But you make your own! I have posted the tutorial here.

This is probably the best gift you could ever give your husband (ok, maybe not the best, but pretty close!) And it could be yours! I made one of these for Pete a couple years ago and he has gotten hours and hours of use out of it. All it is is a map painted onto the back of a shirt for the kids to drive their cars on. If daddy comes home exhausted but still wants to play with the kids, he can throw this shirt on and get a nice 20 minute massage from the kids hot wheels. I even whipped this shirt out one afternoon when the 2 older kids were wanting to do something with me and snuck in a 10 minute power nap :)



The winner of this drawing will receive the car shirt shown (x-large) PLUS 2 new Hot Wheels cars! And since there are probably 3 or 4 people who read this blog, you have a very high chance of winning! :)

To enter the giveaway you must:
* Be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on the blog (required)
* For an extra entry you can like this page on Facebook (leave another comment on the blog)
Entries must be in by Sunday night! Winner will be announced Monday.



These make great birthday, Christmas and Father's Day gifts.
Good luck!!!

Rainy day activities

I feel like I've had a creative block the past week or two. No matter how busy we are during the day or how much I have planned, there are always those few hours of down time during the day when Joe is napping (which, don't get me wrong, I love) when we have to find something to do. And I love coming up with new activities, but nothing has been coming to me lately. So finally we broke the monotony by going to the library and getting a book that would spark some new ideas. The library is a gold mine for ideas! They've got a book for everything: crafts to do, recipes to try, science projects, paper airplanes, art projects, you name it. The book we picked up was More Mudpies to Magnets: Science for Young Children. And it did not let us down. As soon as Joe was down for his nap, Dan and John and I got to work. Here are a few of the projects we tried...

The automatic balloon blower upper

Use a funnel to put a tablespoon of baking soda in a balloon. Fill an empty bottle with about an inch of vinegar. Then attach the balloon to the top of the bottle and let the baking soda fall into the vinegar. Then watch as your balloon inflates by itself! Dan's face says it all :)

The box house

Creating box houses was one of me and my sister's favorite pastimes growing up. We moved a lot so were often left with a huge pile of boxes. And you better believe we put them to good use! Probably the best (and biggest) one we ever built included a family room, bedroom, kitchen (stocked with food and our easy-bake oven), hallway and bathroom (for pretend use only, of course). We furnished it with whatever was small enough to fit inside and even put up pictures on the walls. Hours and hours were spent on that box house. So when we were left with a huge box from John's birthday in addition to our moving boxes, I knew I had to build one for the kids. Not just 4 walls with a door and a couple windows, but a house with multiple rooms, cubby spaces, spy holes, a place for their toys, and a secret escape tunnel. It doesn't really compare to some of the houses I made as a kid, but my boys were sure excited!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

I had to post this poem. Many of you have probably seen it before, but this is pretty much the story of my life! Especially when we're trying to go somewhere... everyone needs their shoes on, and then someone has to go potty, I remember I need to change the laundry so the clothes will be dry when I get home, I decide to quickly do the dishes from breakfast so I don't have to do them when we get home, I notice a bill is due tomorrow and quickly jump on the computer to pay it... and it goes on and on and on. Finally an hour later we're heading out the door.



If You Give a Mom a Muffin

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
So she'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper for tonight.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger.)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for the checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it and hang up.

She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come over for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.
And chances are,
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Written by Kathy Fictorie