Train Play Shirts are in!

I'm excited to have my Train Play Shirts designed and ready to sell in my Etsy shop!  These shirts were designed with the little train lover in mind and provide a fun way to interact (and relax!) with your kids.  Just in time for Christmas!

The Alphabet Tracing Shirt

 I am so excited about these Alphabet Tracing Shirts!  I just posted them in my Etsy shop today.  Who doesn't love a little back tickle, right?  Wear it to the park, at home, or after a long day, then sit down with your kids and relax :) 

Arrows and numbers show the correct way to write each  letter.

I got the idea for this shirt after watching my kids write letters on their daddy's back.  They would write a few letters, then he would try to guess what they were spelling.  The kids thought it was fun, and my husband loved how it felt, it was a win-win!

I'm selling a women's shirt, that is fitted, and a men's shirt, that is a standard-fit size.  Both have the same design on the back with nothing printed on the front.

The colors I chose for this shirt were inspired by the classic chalkboard.  I chose a heathered dark grey for the shirt, and crisp white lines for the letters.

Enjoy interacting with your kids in a new, creative way!

And don't forget about our other shirts!  Also available in the Shop.

From left to right:

Car Play Shirt WITH SIGN that can be customized

Car Play Shirt

Car Play Shirt OUTLINED, for kids to color in and make their own

And coming soon... A TRAIN PLAY SHIRT!

Car Play Shirts for Father's Day

There's a reason I haven't been posting on this blog much lately (besides keeping my 4 children alive and somewhat happy).  I've been working on the design and production of my Car Play Shirt!  It's been a lot of fun (and a lot of work) designing this shirt and working out the logistics, and I'm excited to announce that these shirts are now for sale in our Etsy shop!  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 and offer a unique and fun way to interact with your children.  

A couple years ago I posted my tutorial for the car shirt and since then have had an overwhelmingly positive response.  So I decided to redesign the shirts and sell them to those who want one but do not have the time, resources or desire to actually make it.

I made two different versions of the shirt: one in full color that is ready to be worn and played on the moment it arrives, and a black and white version that can be colored in with fabric markers or paint, then given to dad/grandpa as a semi-homemade gift.

Both shirts have a welcome sign that allows you to personalize the car shirt by writing in the last name of your family.  "Welcome to Jacksonville!"

With the black and white version the kids can make it their own.  Kids always love playing with things that they put time into making, right?  

And my kids love giving gifts that they help create.  They could hardly wait to get their hands on this shirt.

Start by putting a piece of cardboard or poster board in between the front and back of the shirt so the markers/paint won't bleed through.

Pull the fabric tight around the board and use clothespins or tape to hold it in place.

Pull out your fabric markers and let the kids go at it!

Within seconds of showing the kids the shirt they were choosing the buildings they each wanted to color.  John picked the store and one of the houses, Dan the gas station and the other house, and Joe was assigned the hospital by his brothers.

And I couldn't let the kids have all the fun!  I helped by coloring the fire station.

Give to daddy and let him rest and relax while the kids give him a message with their cars :)

Wood crayon holder

For our Christmas homemade gift exchange, Dan picked Joe's name.  When the kids are a bit older, we'll let them go at it on their own, but this year Pete helped Dan with his project.  They made a wood crayon holder.  I had originally seen one of these at an art fair and thought it would be easy to recreate.  It's simply a piece of wood with holes drilled into the top.  Dan made it a bit more personalized by writing on the side, then Pete traced his letters with a wood burner.



Now when Joe is coloring, he can see all the colors at a glance.  And taking them out of the holes and putting them back in is half the fun! 

Simple wooden growth chart

A growth chart.  This is something that will be so fun to look at 20 years from now.  My sister Brittney made a vinyl growth chart for me a couple Christmas's ago, but unfortunately the vinyl does not seem to be surviving in a home with 4 little boys.  But the kids have had so much fun standing up to it every so often, measuring themselves to see how much they've grown, so I knew we needed one that could withstand the test of time.

This wooden growth chart proved to be a very simple and quick project.  If I had made it 6 years ago, I probably would have sanded it down, used stencils for the lines and numbers, painted slowly and carefully, and stained it.  Maybe I would have even added some kind of mounting device to the back so it could be attached to a wall.  But times have changed, and it can be a challenge to set aside even an hour to work on a project.  So don't look too closely at my crooked lines and hand-painted numbers.

I bought this piece of wood at Lowe's and had someone cut it there to 6 1/2 feet.  Then I did all of my measurements in pencil (this was the most time consuming part) and used my transfer paper technique to draw on the numbers.  Then I went over everything with black paint and called it good.  I guess I went for the natural look, didn't bother sanding it or staining it.  But I quite like how it turned out.


I love the knots in the wood.  I intentionally chose a piece of wood that had them.

All ready to measure these fast-growing kids!  I'm planning on measuring everyone on their birthdays each year.  That way we can compare everyone's height by age.  Now I just need to find a good way to mark their height... markers? paint? wood burning?... I might need to experiment a bit.

PVC Builders Kit

It's been way too long since I've posted anything on this blog, but I have so many ideas and thoughts I have been wanting to share!  Life got busy, and still is, but I'm going to attempt to share more often.

We had a very fun holiday season.  We went to Utah for the first week of December, but spent the rest of the holiday alone with our little family.  One new tradition we started was to have all the kids draw names and make gifts for each other.  John, Dan and Joe played an active role in making something for their secret person, but Will's project was pretty much all me.  There's not too much a 9-month old can do.  Will ended up with John's name, so I decided to make him a Builder's Kit using PVC pipes.  It was very simple and took about an hour to complete.  I bought the pipes and a bunch of different connector pieces from Lowe's, then cut the pipes to varying lengths.  And that's it!  John gets to make whatever he wants with them.

I used an old pillowcase to make a drawstring bag to keep everything in.

The PVC pipe building didn't stop there.  I later used some to build an ice skating walker for the kids.  My mom helped me, and we came up with a design that works well and can double as a soccer goal in the summer (once I figure out a good way to attach a net to it).  They can hold onto it while they're learning to skate, which makes things a lot easier when we take all the kids.


We most recently used the pipes to make a marble run.  This was Joe's idea, and everyone loved it.


John wanted to make crutches to go along with Dan's Doctor kit.  A little slippery on wood and cement, but work great on carpet.


One of my favorite projects with pipes were the bows we made last summer.  The kids loved running around with them playing war and hunting for animals.  Really, the uses of these pipes are endless!

Have you tried building anything with PVC pipes?

DIY Marble Run

A marble run is one of those classic toys that every little boy has to have, don't you think?  I first saw a homemade marble run similar to this one at a friends house and knew I had to make one.  And with Joe's birthday coming up, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Unfortunately I didn't take pictures along the way... so if you want to make one, you can do the same thing we did and wing it (sorry).  But I do have to give Pete the credit for this one.  He bought the supplies, measured everything out, and put the screws in... so pretty much everything.  I sanded down parts, stained it, and helped with the measuring.  All I know is this thing is a rock!  Pete built it knowing that 4 little boys would be playing with it for many years to come. Well done Pete.

A close up of one of the corners

And here it is in action:

Babysitter notes dry erase board

I got this idea from a small boutique in our town a few months ago. A dry erase board for babysitter notes. Why haven't I thought of this before?! Brilliant. You write all of the information that isn't going to change right on the paper, then stick it in a magnetic frame and use a dry erase marker to write what time you should be home and any special instructions (what to have for dinner, bedtime routine, etc.) If there's an emergency or if the babysitter has a question, she can simply refer to this.



Feel free to print mine, or create your own!

Nesting: night time baby station

I've always had my newborn babies sleep right next to me (not in the same bed... in their own little bed) for the first few weeks before moving them to a separate room. I would probably have them stay in the same room as me longer than that, but I have become a super light sleeper since having kids, and I eventually wake up to even the slightest movement of the baby. So for my own sanity and needed rest, I put some distance between us early on, and I figure if the baby really needs something I will easily hear him from one room away.

With the first two boys we borrowed a basinet to use. But with this one I thought I would simply use what we had and make it work—maybe it will work even better. I transformed our port-a-crib into this baby station. I really wanted everything I might need in the middle of the night and wee hours of the morning within reach, so I made this pocket storage to go on the front from an old curtain we weren't using. It houses the diapers, burp cloths, diaper cloths, lotions, change of clothes, pacifiers, bedding and a few other things I might need.



Inside the crib is a changing pad that the baby will sleep on, extra blankets, and a basket for the wipes and my books. I always read when I nurse and already have a growing stack of books just waiting to be read. I'm rather excited to have something to force me to slow down and pick up a book.

Doctor Dan

We celebrated Dan's birthday on Tuesday, and after seeing this little nurse kit that my friend made, I knew I wanted to make Dan a doctor kit. Since Pete is a doctor I thought this gift would be most fitting. Dan can dress up like daddy!


I started out by making this little white coat. Pete donated an old white coat for my cause, so all I had to do was adjust it to fit Dan. Much easier than starting from scratch.


These candy pill bottles were the biggest success in the kit (of course!). Made from old spice bottles.

Popsicle Stick Puzzle Carrier

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

My sweet sister made the boys a bunch of popsicle stick puzzles for Christmas. They are all church themed, and the kids have loved playing with the sticks and putting the puzzles together during church. She gave us 9 sets and, as you can imagine, they get all mixed up and end up all over the bench and floor. So, in an attempt, to keep them a little more organized, I made this carrier. I used felt and bias tape (of course!... I could really be happy putting bias tape on everything) and it ended up being a pretty fast project. Each set of sticks has their own little pocket, and then the whole thing can be rolled up, tied, and tossed in the church bag.



Thanks Brittney!

Check out other fun ideas at the Classy Clutter Linky Party

Lego House

This might be as close as our family ever gets to owning a doll house (unless things change down the road and we actually conceive a girl!) My boys LOVE Legos and have for quite some time, so when I saw something similar to this on Pinterest I knew I had to make it. And the great thing about it? I didn't spend one penny! We just happened to have a couple sheets of this "wood" (I'm not sure what else to call it... it's not pure wood) in our garage. We don't have many power tools, so I ended up using a hand saw and an exacto knife to cut it, then wood glue to put it all together. Oh, and some of the kids blocks in each of the corners to help keep it sturdy. Pete helped cut some of the pieces and John helped sand, so we were able to get it done in just a couple days. So far the kids love it. We are now in the process of furnishing the house... something that is fun for even me to do!





Check back tomorrow for a fun Valentine's Giveaway!

20-Minute Santa Hats

Last week, while John was at school and Joe was down for his nap, Dan suggested we (I) make some Santa hats. We had about an hour before John was going to get home from school, so I set to work and came up with a hat that could double as a hat to wear out in the cold. I had some fleece leftover from the kids Christmas PJ's, so I used that. It even came out looking somewhat Santa-ish, and I was finished with all 3 in 1 hour! Dan and Joe wore their hats for the rest of the afternoon and have worn them on many outings. Joe has even taken a couple naps with his hat on, so I consider it time well spent.




Read ahead for the tutorial...

Family artwork

Over General Conference weekend, Pete, the kids and I worked on creating some art to put in the kids' bathroom. I found these frames at a garage sale for $1 each, then painted them red with some leftover paint from another project. I saw some similar artwork at a children's hospital and used that as the inspiration. Pete drew the smaller one for Dan to color, and I drew the bigger one for John. But half way through coloring, the kids decided they wanted to work together so they could finish faster (I don't think they understood that that wouldn't save any time in the end... oh well). I love how they turned out! The kids LOVE to color, so this was the perfect project to keep them somewhat busy so we could listen to Conference. And now their bathroom displays some very cheap (yet priceless!) artwork.