Lady Create-a-lot

Free Online Job/Chore Chart

2013-03-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

Hey you moms and dads with messy kids out there, this is a MUST read!

I've been wanting to find a new job system for my kids before summertime hits my house (yeah, you totally know what I mean)! I wanted to be a step ahead--having a good system in place so I don't have to nag at my kids when we should be making the most of our time together. I can't even tell you how EXCITED I am to share this post!

Yes, there are so many cutesy charts out there in Pinterest/blog-land that may work great for some of you. I'm not putting them down in any way. I've seen some REALLY cool, impressive systems and I think they're all great! But for me...well, I'll be honest. Most of them require too much maintenance on MY part. I'm a great starter...until it becomes too much work for me to keep up with it all. I don't like laminating charts, updating jobs, monitoring progress, flipping over magnets, sliding in chore cards, tallying up points, trying to remember who's supposed to do what on which day, trying to find a good wall for these charts to hang on, keeping track of the dry erase markers, and all the headache that goes along with paying up and trying to be consistent and fair. I have five busy kids and am in school full-time. This new system was an answer to prayers.

FAMILY MEMBER LOGIN EXAMPLE PAGE

Let me tell you-- this system is hands down the best one I've ever seen. (No, I'm not paid by the company--I'm just so in love with it and want to share my success with everyone!)My awesome friend enlightened me to it's magic and now I'm sharing it with you...

It's called My job chart.

It's free and so easy to use! Here's how it works:

You take about an hour or so, depending on how many jobs/kids you have (that's about how long it took me), to set it up. Believe me, it's so very worth your time.

The kids can access it from any computer, ipad, ipod, tablet, the wii, some phones, and probably other electronic devices I'm not thinking of ...maybe even from their DS (haven't tried that yet)!

It puts them in total control and is great for all ages. Even my little 4 year-old can do it all by herself!

Once you get it set up, there's very little maintenance on your part. And the cool thing is that it feels like a game to them. My kids are beyond excited and have been cleaning like crazy!

Here is an example of what their job screen might look like-->

JOB CHART EXAMPLE

1. The kids do the jobs, which earns them points as they check them off.

2. They get to "spend" their points on whatever privileges or $ amount I put in there for them to choose from.
3. Once they've chosen, I'm notified (your choice-- email or text) to pay up...and I love that it's not always in money! It's wonderful!

REWARDS PAGE EXAMPLE

So, there you have it! So easy, fun, and VERY effective!

Ok, parents, let's kick summer's butt! Yeah, go us!

Halloween Gory Feast

2012-10-26T09:52:00.003-07:00

I LOVE Halloween!

Actually, I'm pretty much a huge fan of every holiday. Any excuse to have a little party or add a little flair to your daily routine is okay with me!

But Halloween...ahhh. :) There's just something about thinking out-of-the-box and making everyday things gross, scary, and gory! I just LOVE it!

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Halloween flair-

I just prepared my spaghetti & sauce like usual, but I combined them before serving so it would look "bloody". For the meatballs, I used store-bought meatballs (yes, I roll like that these days). I baked them as directed, but in the last 5 minutes or so, I added a slice of a mozzarella cheese stick round on top of each meatball and topped it with a piece of an olive and baked it until melted. That's it! Give it a fun, gory name and your kids will think you're a rock star!

Steamed Broccoli with Halloween flair-

Yes, the stems are edible...and delicious. Probably the sweetest part of the broccoli. I admit I'm guilty of not using them as often as I should...wasteful, I know. It's easier (and faster) to cut up the tops and throw away the stems. But this time I took the broccoli (stem and all) and peeled around the outside of the stem with a potato peeler (to get rid of the stringy, woody parts). I sliced from the bottom of the stem first, working my way up to the florets in long lengths. I just steamed them as usual and gave them a fun name.

We also had breadsticks that I tied the ends of before baking to make them look like bones, but I forgot to take a picture of them before they were devoured! I found a picture at The Hillbilly Chicks blog showing how to make them:

Image from: thehillbillychicks.blogspot.com

Cute, aren't they? They didn't last long at my table.

Happy GORY EATING!

FREE Printable Simplified Primary Songs

2012-09-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

I was so excited today to find these FREE, printable simplified piano songs!

My kids LOVE playing primary songs. These ones are especially great because they're FREE (take note of the copyright section and make sure to be honest in the way you use these), the arrangements sound great, and they even have newer songs, like "As a Child of God". These aren't just for kids, by the way. These are also perfect for adults who are wanting to learn to play the piano, as well. These are the songs they have listed:

-As a Child of God

-Nephi's Courage

-I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

-Hosanna

-Baptism

-I Will Be Valiant

-I Feel My Savior's Love

-Love One Another

-Families Can Be Together Forever

-I Love To See the Temple

-I Want to Be a Missionary Now

-Silent Night

Download and print them here: PRINTABLE SIMPLIFIED PRIMARY SONGS FOR PIANO
I just found out from a friend that they've been printing these simplified versions in each Friend magazine recently! HERE's the link to the Friend magazines. I'm so excited to be able to print a new one each month for my kiddos! :)

How many of you recognize this book? This group of books are some of the ones I learned on as a kid! I totally loved them. I've had the privilege of passing them down to my kids now. They seriously can't get enough of them. It's so fun for them to learn these familiar songs. If you don't have any, you can order them HERE.

No, I'm not paid by Primary Passages. They're just so great, I think everyone should own them!

Shabby Chic Jewelry-holder tutorial

2012-07-06T13:41:00.001-07:00

This is such an easy and thrifty solution to hang your jewelry from. If you're like me, you want to be able to see them so you can easily choose which piece you want to wear. And like most people, I had more wall space than I counter space, so this was a great solution for me!

I found an old picture frame at the thrift store (the one with the velvet in-lay). This isn't the one, but I forgot to take a "before" picture--and this one's pretty close to what it looked like. I paid $1.00 for it.

Next, I bought a subtle off-white paint sample at Home Depot. It was an "oops", so I paid $.50 for it.
I painted the whole thing a few times--taking special care to liberally coat the velvet. As soon as all coats were dry, I lightly sanded the edges and detail to give it an aged look. Then I drilled 5 evenly spaced holes in the velvet part.

Also at Home Depot, I bought the cheapest wooden knobs I could find and painted them.

This is what they looked like scuffed and installed. Cute, aren't they?

Then, I stretched a piece of fabric (cut 1" bigger on all sides) over Dollar Store foam core using hot glue on the back.

I decided at the last minute to add more hooks on the bottom.

Here's the finished product. I also made one to hold my hair accessories by gluing vertical pieces of ribbon on it.

That's it! I have been absolutely loving it! Not only is it very functional and cleared up quite a bit of space for me, but it's such a fun way to add pops of color to a drab wall!

I'm moving!

2012-06-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that our family will be moving next month! We are buying an aged, lovely, spacious home in need of our love and "elbow grease"! We couldn't be happier about this move and I'm so looking forward to transforming this house into our forever home. I'll take you with me on my journey! Though my blog posts may be sparse over the next couple months, watch out, because the wheels in my head are turning! I can't wait to show you this place as it progresses!

DIY Father's Day Plaque

2012-06-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

I made this plaque for my husband last year. I went through my files and found some precious pictures of my husband with our kids. I used picnik (which no longer exists) to tint them, but my favorite is now Pic monkey. It's very similar to picnik.

Instructions-
I cut a 1/4" thick piece of wood to 13" x 16" and painted it black (any kind of paint will do). Next, I printed and cut 14 pictures to 3"x3". Then I made an 8x10 with the quote- "Blessed is the man who fills his Arms with his Children" (I personalized it by adding Happy Father's Day and the date). I cut it to 6 1/8" x 9 1/8". I layed the pictures out before gluing them down and made light pencil marks to give myself a guide. I used Mod Podge to glue them down. Once they were dry, I thinned some Mod Podge with a little water and painted over the whole plaque, leaving a light texture (I used a wad of paper to lightly pounce over the plaque). Aaaaand, that's it! When it's finished, there's approximately (it's not perfect all the way around...and that's okay!) 1/4" around the whole outside edge.

Have fun!

Father's Day Printable

2012-06-16T11:20:00.004-07:00

Here's a coloring page I made for our primary kids to use this Father's Day.
It's nothing fancy, but I thought it might be useful to someone else.

So, here you go!

To use image, right-click and save as (whatever you name it). Open a word document and insert image.

Happy Father's Day!

Patching a HOLE in the wall- TUTORIAL

2012-06-04T21:48:00.002-07:00

If you have kids, particularly boys, you may have a wall or two that looks like this-

I found this lovely hole hiding behind a bookshelf in my boy's room. I'm guessing someone took their tantrum out on the wall with his foot. Haha! No problem, it's an easy fix!

The first thing you do is scuff it up a little with sandpaper or a sanding brick.

Can you see the layers of color? Haha! I see lime green! This room used to be the dragon fly room before I re-painted the whole thing a creamy sage a couple years later.

Okay, so go buy one of these metal wall patches. I bought mine at Home Depot for like $4 or $5. Literally just peel and stick. Make sure the mesh side is facing you.

Next, you'll need some joint compound. I usually have a big bucket of this stuff handy (it's way cheaper to buy a large amount), but you can buy these little ones for about $5. It's enough to patch quite a few big holes.

This part's like frosting a cake. Just take your joint knife and spread a thin, even layer across the metal plate. Let each layer dry before sanding and applying the next coat. I did 3 coats. You can't tell in this picture (because I cropped it), but my finished patch is about 3 inches bigger all the way around than the metal plate itself. Let it dry and sand it smooth.

If you're patching orange peel-textured walls, buy a can of spray texture. I set the dial somewhere in the middle. It sprays a little chunkier than you expect, but it's ok. Practice outside on a box or something until you get the right texture. Once it's dry, lightly buff over it using your sandpaper. Not enough to where you're taking the texture off, just soften it a little. Finish with a couple coats of paint. That's it! Good as new! Except now, you can stick a magnet to the wall in that spot! Cool! :)

Happy Patching!

Scrap Paper Clock Tutorial

2012-04-25T14:23:00.002-07:00

I started with my color inspiration. These are the colors of my kitchen...

So I found some scrapbook paper in my stash that coordinated.

I tore them into random pieces...

and distressed the edges with stamps.

I bought this at the thrift store for $2.

In it's former life, it was a lazy susan that used to reside in the middle of someone's kitchen table.

I cleaned it, painted it, and removed the outside ring. I also drilled a hole in the center.

Using Mod Podge, I glued each piece down individually (paying close attention to smooth out bubbles). No rhyme or reason.

Once my clock was covered, I lightly sealed the whole thing in Mod Podge.

I glued the outer ring back on. If you don't have one, I bet you could cut one out of posterboard and decopage that on, too.

I bought these numbers, painted them black, then lightly sanded the edges.

Then I glued them down starting with 12 and 6, then did 9 and 3.

I used these pencils to help me position them, then I eyeballed the rest.

Ready for the clock gears!

This is what they look like. I paid about $6.00 for this gear set.

It's easy to put together (they come with instructions).

There you have it--my customized clock!

I set it on an easel. I just love checking the time now!

Single Serving (or extra batter) Cupcake

2012-04-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Smart tip-

*Do you ever find that when you're making cupcakes, you sometimes have enough batter left over for another cupcake or two...or would you like to make an individual serving?

Pull out a 1/2 cup metal measuring cup and bake it right in there!

Work's great!

You can also do this to make single servings!

Single Serving Cake Mix Recipe

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Single-Serving-Cake

1/2 cup Betty Crocker cake mix
1/3 cup water
1 tsp oil

Bake at 350 in two 1/2 cup measuring cups for about 10-15 minutes. Cake is done when it bouces back when lightly touched. Makes two cupcakes.

A GOLDMINE of FREE Online Music Education games, videos, and printables

2012-03-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo excited about this post. I've been looking for ways to supplement my children's music education...and my own for that matter. With MUSIC being my first love (besides my husband and kiddos), researching all this awesome free music education has been a total labor of love. Everything I've included in this post is completely FREE education. I've included links to music on-line games, video tutorials, and printables.

FREE MUSIC EDUCATION GAMES-
Most of these games were designed for very young kids, but can still teach some great basics to people of all ages! Actually, there were some that I really enjoyed. I could sit and play Mission to Learn for hours! I've played every game on here and have written a brief review of my top picks. The first 11 were found directly from Playhouse Disney! Wow! Who knew, right? Gotta love those Little Einstiens!

Image from ovguide.com

1. Rhythms in the House is a pretty fun one. It reminds me of those cool percussion ensambles. It teaches how to layer different sounds (which are played at different rhythms that all work together) to make a cool, syncopated musical piece. You can record your song, too. It's pretty fun for about 5 minutes, then it gets old.

2. Mission to Learn is AWESOME! If your child likes watching Little Einsteins, this is so cool. Even if they don't they may love this. You click on what episode you'd like to learn more about, and it tells ALL KINDS of FUN FACTS about these super-educational shows! It's not just music education- it teaches art, geography, history, performing arts, and so many other random fun facts...most of them in relation to music/composers. This game is seriously a GOLD MINE. You can also watch each episode from there.

Image from mouseclubhouse.com

3. Ocean Treasure Hunt is great for teaching your child the NAMES and SOUNDS of each instrument. It teaches quite a variety, such as: a wood block, snare drum, bass drum, castanets, bass, violin, french horn, timpani, tuba, bassoon, piccolo, trumpet, cello, cymbals, xylophone, accordion, oboe, trombone, steel drum, saxophone, clarinet, harmonica (which doesn't really sound like a real harmonica, btw), harp, guitar, tambourine, trumpet, etc. It also teaches about famous paintings, their names, and the names of the artists. Awesome game! I'm so glad I found this one!

4. Quincy and the Magic Instruments is a shape/sound matching game. The kids match the instrument with the sounds it makes. It teaches how different types of instruments lend themselves to certain styles of music. This is great! You may want to have them play Ocean Treasure Hunt before this one so you can quiz them on the instrument names. After playing this game, maybe try listening to different instruments and have your child see if they can pick out what instruments are being played in the song.

5. Leo and the Musical Families teaches kids how to identify the different musical families (Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, and Percussion). The object of the game is to help each lonely instrument find their correct family. On the first level, they visually identify each one as well as by listening. On the second level, they identify the correct family by sound alone. On the third level, two instruments play together (it explains that it's called a duet), and you have to identify both musical families.

6. Echo Time with Annie teaches kids about notes in relation to one another. They use the computer keyboard as a 12-note piano and can make up their own songs. Once they have played it, they can hear their new song played on different instruments (marimba (which sounds awful), trumpet, and piano) and with other silly sounds (a frog croaking, cat meowing, dog barking, and a pig oinking). They may start to recognize that music is EVERYWHERE after playing this game. They can also play a note echo game. It's very similar to a Simon says game. FYI- This game may really bother children with perfect pitch...and can tend to get a tad bit annoying to the mom in the next room (you may want to get headphones). Haha! All in all, I think it's pretty cute and a fun learning game for tiny musicians. My little girl got such a kick out of hearing the kitty meow the song, Mary Had a Little Lamb!

7. My Masterpiece doesn't really teach about music, but I thought I'd include it because I liked it for my kids. The kids simply create their own art background for their favorite Little Einsteins characters while listening to classical music. They can change the song, too. The thing I liked the most was that it lets them used more techniques than other similar games. There's sponging and airbrushing, as well as different sized paintbrushes.

8. Leo's Barnyard Baton Your child can have a go at conducting. It helps them understand how tempo, dynamics, and layering sounds are used to make a great performance. They can follow along and conduct using their mouse.

9. Silly Song Machine- I wasn't CrAzY about this one, but it's still kinda cool. Each Einstein kid is ad libs along to famous musical pieces. You choose who gets to "solo" at what time and record your masterpiece.

10. The Great Sky Race is kind of a fun one to listen to your child play. They play while listening to great composers (Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and George Bizet). This teaches mouse control/hand-eye coordination. They also learn what allegro means as they pass through the allegro tunnel and speed up. They also briefly follow along to the rhythm as the "pat, pat, pat..." to the beat with the space bar.

11. World Music with Manny teaches children some culture by playing music from all over the world, such as: Hungary, Ireland, Austailia, Spain, Scotland, India, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Germany, China, Indonesia, and more. They have to match up the music to the correct country it comes from. You are also given the option to print a world map, showing each country's music they've featured.

12. Music Match is a great one to help your child with sight reading on the piano. They are timed and scored, which is great for incentive to beat your last score.

13. Barnyard Friends (Game 2) is an interactive flashcard game. The child is shown a card with a note on on a staff and has to find the names of each note. (I had problems with games 1 and 3).

14. Repeat the Melody is another "Simon Says" game. You have to repeat the melody you hear on the virtual keyboard. Each note is labeled- Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. You can also make up your own melody while watching it's placement on the staff and play it back.

15. Note Reading Quiz is great for teaching to be able to read notes on a treble staff. You are timed and scored to help you work to increase your note reading speed.

There are also some fun dance education games on there in the music games section. Kids can learn about different dance moves and create their own dance.

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR PIANO
Piano lessons on-line? YES! Check these links out, they're amazing. I do want to give her (Anne, the creator of these videos, etc...) a plug for all her hard work she's done. Though it is all free, she has a "donate" button on her site. If you feel so inclined to donate toward her efforts, please do! I can't believe all she's done at no cost to the public.

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Basic Rudiments Videos-
Ledger Line Notes, Sharps, Flats, and Naturals, Semi-tones and Whole tones, How to build major scales, How to build the Circle of Fifths, Major and Perfect Intervals, Minor Intervals, How to build Triads.
Intermediate Rudiments Videos-
The Circle of Fifths- Major keys, Double Sharps and Double Flats, Relative Minors on the Circle of Fifths, Minor Scales, Technical Degree Names, Augmented and Diminished Intervals.

Ipad Rescources- She's thought of EVERYTHING! Check it out!

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Printable Theory Sheets and games-

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

42 FREE Printable Theory Sheets. Each Sheet includes an mp3 explanation of each page. Rhythm Blocks, and Alphabet Cards.
Piano Teaching Aids Activities- Includes 22 different games you can play with your kids/students. Some of which give a youtube explanation of the game and free printables (Levels 1-8).
Printable Piano Technique Books- (Levels 1-8) She includes a typed description of the content of each book. She also includes a youtube video briefly showing you the content of each level. So awesome!

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR GUITAR
This site holds an incredible weath of knowledge. This guy (Sherm, the creator) really knows his stuff! If you or someone you know has ever wanted to learn to play the guitar, here's your chance! I'm in awe of the time and effort he has put into this website at no cost to you. I'm trying to talk him into adding a "donate" button, too! Check it out and tell your friends!

Clear, Step-by-step chord construction videos-
Major Open Chords- A major, C major, D major, E major, G major, and F major.
Minor Open Chords- A minor, D minor, E minor, and F minor.
Understanding notes on the fretboard-
Lessons 1, 2 & 3
Printable Chord Charts- To print, click on each chart image within these links and go to file & print.
12 Major Chord Charts
12 Minor Chord Charts
12 Diminished Chord Charts
Major Open Chord Charts
Minor Open Chord Charts
Open 7 Chord Charts

Printable Scales Charts and Modes-
12 Pentatonic Scale Charts (blues scales)
12 Ionian Mode (major) Charts
12 Dorian Mode Charts
12 Phrygian Mode Charts
12 Lydian Mode Charts
12 Mixolydian Mode Charts
12 Aeolian Mode Charts (minor)
12 Locrian Mode Charts

Printable Warm-ups and Excercises-
Schradieck Excercises- (Section 1, Excercises 1-10) This is one of his biggest secrets to building chops and fluidity! He calls them "Shred"iek excercises. :) He uses Schradieck's school of violin techniques to help build chops and fluidity. They are written for violin, but he has added guitar tabs to these awesome excersises. He suggests you warm up with one each day.
Permutations of 4 Excercises- (24 Permutation sheets) This is a classic warm-up sometimes called the 1,2,3,4 warmup. He says, "If we use all these different combinations as we warm up we can teach our fingers a new level of dexterity and limberness".
Scale Excercises- He says, "...These exercises can be very beneficial for someone who intends to improvise or write solos using scales".

Jam Tracks-
This website is AMAZING! He's also recorded midi jam tracks to practice along to in each key.
Pedal Tone Bass and Drum Tracks in all 12 keys- These are also great for building your improvising skills.
Folk Song Tracks- Each song is recorded at different tempos and keys to help you adjust as your skill level increases. It also includes printable guitar tabs of each song.
2-Chord Folk Songs and 3-Chord Folk Songs.

MORE FUN MUSIC EDUCATIONAL IDEAS
How to make Homemade Chimes
Homemade musical instruments
More music games

How to Organize Children's Bookshelves

2012-03-30T09:39:00.003-07:00

This was one of our bookshelves just a couple weeks ago. I had the other one on a different wall, but only took this pic, so picture this times two. That was the amount of books that lived in my 3 boys' room. Both were packed to the brim and we had no sense of organization whatsoever. I can't tell you how many times I had straightened the books up just to have them look like this again within days.

So, I was helping out in one of my son's classrooms and I couldn't help but notice how nice and organized her bookshelves were! She had a bunch of labeled bins and they looked so nice! I went right home and started looking up bookshelf organization ideas. It made so much sense!

The key is to make it easier to keep it clean than to mess it up. It's so nice and easy for kids to pull out a bin, flip through until they find the book they'd like, take it, then push the bin back in it's place. It's much better than looking at the spine of the book (kids like to see the fronts, anyway!), then pulling out a whole slew of them until they've decided on the perfect book, leaving a pile of un-wanted books on the floor. Why hadn't I thought of this before??? I've been a mom for 10 years. I've been battling with organizing my kid's bookshelves nearly evey day of those 10 years! What a waste of time; it kills me to know how much easier it could've been for me!

Let me introduce you to our new, organized shelves. I know you're thinking- Where are all the books? There's no way you fit what was crammed in the picture above (times 2) in these shelves. But it's TRUE! I DID! I only threw away a few books that had totally fallen apart and were missing pages. It's amazing how much extra SPACE we have on the shelves now!

Below is a picture I took AFTER a full day of the kids pulling out and reading books. Hardly a mess- and it only took seconds to put back.

I decided to test this new system out and see how well we could keep it up...and here we are two weeks later with perfectly organized bookshelves still!

Since I knew it was something we could maintain, I decided to make labels for each category. I was out of my laminating sheets, so I used packing tape.

Here they are after labels-

Looks better with the labels, doesn't it?

I categorized them as-

Chapter Books, Early Reader Books, Rhythm & Rhyme books, Abc books, Bedtime Stories, Religious books, Non-fiction, Scriptures, Holiday books, Animal books, Little Golden books, Disney, Seuss, Muppets, and misc. Some of the labels were placed on the edge of the shelf itself.

I used these wash basins from the dollar store-

And shoe boxes-

I found this bin for the books that didn't fit on the shelves-

Ah, organization! :)

I was having so much fun, I decided to put new labels on some of our toy bins.

Double yay for a system that finally works for us! I'm so happy, I could just...I don't know...go organize something else!

Now, I'm off to the girl's bookshelves!

The Contraption Clean-up Game

2012-03-30T06:43:00.002-07:00

I have 5 kids. And yes, they are messy. And yes, they resist when it's time to clean up. It can be exhausting trying to get them to do anything. Well, a few years ago, we came up with a little game to help make cleaning up a bit more fun. We call it "Contraption Clean-up"...and my kids love it!

First, gather up a bunch of "contraptions" from around the house. In this picture, I raided the kitchen utensil drawer. I have a wire sieve, a ladle, wooden salad fork & spoon, small cheese tongs, big tongs, and turkey lifters. Sometimes we'll grab measuring cups, pliers, wrenches, a brush & comb, really anything. Make sure to choose instruments you're sure your kids can use safely. *Those turkey lifters are kind of pointy, but I made sure to only let my older kids use them. They're actually great for picking up laundry. Use what works for your kids.

Rules-
1. Try your best not to use your hands. You have new contraption appendages now!
2. No using contraptions on siblings.
How to play-
Have each kid grab their tool of choice (if they seem to fight over a certain gadget, explain that they'll be taking turns).

Set a timer for 5 minutes and begin the cleaning (keep track of which kid is working the hardest or keeping the best attitude). When the 5 minutes are up, all contraptions go back in the basket. The best cleaner gets to choose their new gadget first (but not the same one they had last time).

Repeat until each kid has tried each tool and you're satisfied with the clean-up. If it's a really big mess and they're losing interest, it's time to change it up. This is when we start TEAMWORK CONTRAPTIONS. Give each kid a partner. They now have to work together, using their contraptions to clean an area. Keep setting the timer and rotating tools. It's amazing how fast they'll work when there's a certain tool they really want to use the next round.

I have found that it's best to walk them through what needs to be done in the room before you start. For example- Clothes in hamper, cars in their tote, trains in a certain bin, books on shelf, legos in their bin, etc. If there's a place for everything, the kids work MUCH better. They'll probably need reminders while working, so stick around and supervise (or help).

Make sure to encourage them as they go. It's amazing how positive words can FUEL them and keep them pumped about cleaning.

Tongs-

Wire sieve-

Ladle-

Salad spoon & fork-

Ladle-

Turkey lifters-

Wire sieve-

Yes, even my 3yr old enjoys cleaning up with this game. I sure love these little helpers.

Bless their little hearts, I now have a spotless upstairs!

Happy Cleaning!

Easter Wreath

2012-03-26T17:51:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting a new Easter Wreath. Especially after seeing the cutest idea from Pinterest. I had a spare morning today, so I decided to make a new Easter wreath. I was inspired by my daughter's birthday party color scheme from the weekend. I loved her colors so much, I decided I definitely wanted them on my door. ;)
Tutorial-

Step 1

I gathered old plastic eggs from last year

and ribbon that fit the colors I was going for.

Then I made a wreath using a pool noodle

(Got the idea HERE- it's so smart.)

Step 2

I grabbed some flannel and tore it into 3" strips.

Starting at an angle, I hot-glued the end and

wrapped it around. I ended up using 4 pieces.

No bigs--you can't tell when you're done.

Step 3

Next, I wrapped it with thin ribbon on a diagonal one

way, then did it again the opposite way making sure

they cross on the front. Then I glued ribbon on the eggs.

Step 4- THE BOW

Make a loop- pinching between your thumb and pointer finger.

Make another loop toward you, pinching in the center (or base)

of the bow. Add another, making the bow evenly balanced.

*THE SECRET TO A NICE BOW IS KEEPING YOUR

THUMB FIRMLY AT THE BASE THE ENTIRE TIME.*

While keeping your thumb in place, the under-side will be held

alternately by your pointer and middle finger (the strongest fingers).

As you accept a new loop, use the finger you didn't use in the last

and trade off for every other loop. Keep practicing...you'll get it.

Step 5

Make as many loops as you'd like. I made these ones bigger than

I usually do. If you'd like tails, take the end and coil it onto itself.

I looped it twice here so I could have 4 tails. Secure with wire.

Pipe cleaners or string work, too. Fluff/arrange the loops of bow.

Step 6-ADDING TO THE BOW

I sometimes like to add loops to my bows using different ribbon.

Make bunny ears, securing in the center with wire, then fold up.

Lift original bow's loops and add new loops to the base w/ wire.

Repeat as many times as you'd like. I added 4 "bunny ear" sets.

Step 7

Decide where you want the bow, add a dab of glue, and place it.

Wrap around the back with wire. Trim tails and fluff your bow.

I know it looks like a WAY HUGE bow, but it trust me-

It needs to be so we have room to nestle all the cute eggs.

Step 8

Now you're ready to add the eggs. Really, just glue and place.

If you're placing them on the sides of the bow, it's best to make

sure the egg's secured to the wreath itself, too. Otherwise, just

spread loops apart, and glue close to base. This is the fun part.

Here it is finished. Look how different the colors look inside my
house as opposed to outside on my door. I prefer the sun-
kissed version--looks more "Easter-y"! I so love these colors!

Have fun with it! If you decide to make this wreath,

send me a link to your blog and show me!

I'd love to see your variation!

I'm linking up to-

Topsy Turvy Tuesday at I'm Topsy Turvy

Get Your Craft On at TCB
Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee
Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch
Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife
Tuesday Tutorials at The Kurtz Corner
Turning the Daunting into Do-Able at The Project Queen

The Leprechaun's SECRET to GOOD LUCK- Service Project

2012-03-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's St. Patrick's Day TOMORROW. Wow, it kinda snuck up on me. I promised a friend I'd hurry and do this post before then, so here I go.

Ok, so let me start by saying- WE LOVE HOLIDAYS. Give us ANY reason to celebrate and throw a party and WE WILL. St. Patrick's Day is no exception. It seems to be one of those overlooked holidays, doesn't it? I think it's fun to learn the history of how the holiday came to be, so my family and I started a tradition a couple years ago that I'm going to share with you.

First, we listen to Irish/Celtic music all day long. Here's a playlist of our favorite Irish/Celtic Irish/Celtic music from Grooveshark.We're really into music of all different kinds, so it works for us. As we get into the spirit of the day, we teach the history behind the holiday to the kids. I've included the links we use: The history behind St. Patrick's Day and fun facts about the holiday, clovers, the Irish, and St. Patrick himself. I like these versions (from Kaboose) because they're fun and easy for kids to understand.
As we eat our breakfast, (see my recipe for Green Pina Colada Waffles here), we make a game plan as we think of different acts of service we can do for people in our area. For one of our projects last year, we weeded a small garden for a neighbor (we did it while they weren't home) and left a treat and a note:

To use this image, right click and save as picture to desktop.
In a word document, insert this pic (from file-- desktop), resize, and print.

Actually, we left a little different version, but I changed it up a bit for this year.

(I sure hope they don't see this, or our cover's blown!)

Sorry about the blurry pic.

My kids- finding joy in service.

Not sure he's likin' it yet. Notice the jacket... WITH shorts and flip-flops. Yeah, I know.

He's got a big one...and a dirt smudge on his head.

No, he's not a contortionist. He's just holding his handful of weeds awkwardly.

Rainbow marshmallow pictures was another activity we did.

FOOD-
Some times, we go authentic and eat traditional Irish food, which I love! Tons of recipes found here.

But most of the time, we just eat green food (my kids eat it better). Click here for my BLT Club Wrap w/ Avacado on a Spinach & Herb Tortilla recipe. Click here for my Fruit rainbow-topped jello. Click here for my Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe.

After a long day of service, we enjoyed a nice, candle-lit green meal-

For this particular meal, we had those wraps mentioned above, Guacamole chips, brocco-flower, celery, green grapes, kiwi, and green-colored Sprite. We also had a green salad (not pictured).

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone.

The Articles of Faith Helpsheet Chant/Ditty/Song

2012-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

It's so important that our kids know the Articles of Faith. They are essentially our beliefs in a nutshell. If you get a chance, read this SHARING TIME from lds.org on the Articles of Faith. It's so awesome. It tells how they came to be and why they are important. In this particular article, President Monson tells a powerful and inspiring story about a young girl who taught our beliefs to an inquiring adult by reciting the A of F's, resulting in his and his entire family's conversion and baptism! All because a little girl knew her Articles of Faith well enough to be able to share them. Pretty awesome, right?

So anyway, I have been asked by some friends if I'd share my little Articles of Faith Chant/Ditty/Song (whatever you want to call it). My family and I came up with this a few years ago during Family Home Evening to help us remember what each Article of Faith is about. It's worked like a charm (even for me). I love to quiz my kids on it. They can tell me on the spot what each is about now. We also used it for a couple years in my previous ward's primary. And let me tell ya, those kids know their A of F's!

To use image: Right-click on it and "save picture as..." name it and save it somewhere you'll remember.
Open a word document and insert image. Re-size to fit your page. Print.
*If you'd like a better quality copy, leave a comment with your email and I'd be happy to send the pdf.

I'm thinking about making a YouTube video so you can hear how it goes. Not sure if it's really needed or not. Let me know what you think.

The best I can tell you without a video, is to add a small pause when you see the . . . 's.
Most of these ditty's are said in 4 counts. In fact, #'s 1,2,3,4,7,8,9, and 13 are said in 4 counts and are pretty simple. Numbers 5,6, 10, 11, and 12 are said in 8 counts. On number 6 (it's kind of tricky), you say "Six, Six" in 2 counts, "is no surprise" in 2 counts, and then you have to jump the gun on "tells" (like a grace note), and say "how our church" in 1 count ("how" being on the downbeat), "was and is" in 1 count ("was" on the downbeat), and "or-ga-nized" in 2 counts (evenly spacing the 3 segments of the word in 2 counts...kind of like a triplet, only said in two counts instead of 1). If you snap your finger as you say it, it's much easier.

See also- General Conference Activities. In my post, find the "Saturday night Priesthood Session Activities" segment, idea #11. It talks about how we've turned our learning the Articles of Faith into a game show.

Teaching/learning the gospel can be so much fun! Teach/learn with a vengeance!

Enjoy!

I'm linking up @ Blue Cricket Design, Lil' Luna, Mo momma, Crafty Confessions, Southern Lovely, I'm Topsy Turvy, and Gluesticks.

Valentine's MINUTE TO WIN IT game printable

2012-02-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

So, I was searching for a fun Valentine's activity for my son's class and found this cute Minute to win it idea from Pinterest! Yay! That will be perfect for my "center's" activity. Here's the blog with the original idea. She has a printable, too. But I changed mine a bit because I didn't totally understand what to do on the math part. Hehe. Anyway, I thought I'd share incase someone else wants to use it.

To use image: Right-click on it and "save picture as..." name it and save it somewhere you'll remember. Open a word document and insert image. Re-size to fit your page. If you'd like a better quality copy, leave a comment with your email and I'd be happy to send the pdf (since I'm not really very technically savvy and don't know how to upload a printable pdf on my blog yet). ;)

TO SET UP- Place one piece of licorice, one Pixie Stick, and a Hershey's kiss each in their designated spot on the page. Pour 25 M&Ms into a small container and set in front of contestant.
TO PLAY THE GAME- Set a timer for a minute aaaaaaaaand, GO!
1. Fill each circle with an M&M.
2. How may of each color are there?
3. Open a Hershey's kiss with one hand, eat it, and put the garbage in it's spot.
4. Empty pixie stick onto heart.
5. Bite ends off of licorice and blow pixie powder outside of the heart.
DONE! How'd you do?

IF YOU'RE NOT KEEN ON MESSES AND ARE PLAYING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN-
1. Use two hands instead of one on #3 above.
2. Skip #5 all together and have the child blow a "do-do-DO" in their licorice to signal the timer's stop.
Much less messy and helps out on the time.

We did this in my son's class and let me tell ya, they LOVED it!!!

Thanks so much, Stacy Julian, for your super fun idea!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so after actually playing the game, I realized the spot for the licorice was too small and it actually took 2 minutes to accomplish all that. Either that, or I'm just really slow. Haha! Anyway, I decided to fix my page. So here's the new 2 MINUTE TO WIN IT page! Also, I added a spot for the contestant's name, and their time. I gave a special prize to the kid with the fastest time... which was 1:22!

Enjoy.

Repurpose baby blankets

2012-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

I made myself a blankie. Yep, this one's mine. All my kids have their own "snuggle" blankies. I thought it was about time I made one for me!

It's extra special to me because I made it out of my youngest daughter's crib bedding. I didn't feel the need to keep all that bulky bedding around, but it was still sentimental to me. So I reluctantly cut it allllll up.

I couldn't find a picture of her bedding, so I found this one, which is pretty close.

I got this image from-
http://www.distinctivenurseries.com/Lola-by-Maddie-Boo--4-Piece-Crib-Collection_p_3357.html

I actually bought her set at Target about 4 years ago. Does anyone remember the cute Lola dots and stripes collection? Loved it.

Still do. :)

I cut it into 10" squares, arranged and sewed them together, backed it with pink Soft & Comfy Bubble Velour (A.K.A. Minky), and tied it with white string. I didn't even use batting. It really didn't need it (I live in a very warm climate, though. If you DO want to add batting for warmth, I suggest Warm & White Cotton).

NOW, you should go & dig up those old blankets and get workin'! :)

Online Story Time for the kiddos

2012-01-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yay! I'm just so excited about this little discovery!

This website HERE (brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation) is full of books your kids can enjoy. It's awesome! The books are read aloud by real people--holding the book--as if they are reading to your child.

It also gives you the option to have the words visible so they can follow along. BONUS!

Now, let me just say, I still plan to read to my kids regularly. And THAT is by far the very BEST. But lets face it, how many moms park their kid in front of the TV or computer once in a while just so they can have the chance to take a shower? ME! I'm so happy to have found this site! So much better than the alternative!

I remember this cute book from my childhood <3

Just thought I'd share. I've also heard that Barnes and Noble has one (on-line story time), too. Haven't checked it out yet, but I will!

Teacher Supply Cake

2012-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest! Can you tell? Haha! I love it! No shame!
Anyway, I was looking for some cute ideas for my son's teacher. I'm a room mom in Mrs. Olson's class, and we missed her birthday (it was near the beginning of the school year), so I decided we'd surprise her with an UN-birthday party! Here's her cake!

I sent a note home to the parents, and quite a few sent money so I could do all this! Awesome!

I combined ideas from THIS, THIS, THIS, and THIS pin on Pinterest. Also, I got the free (awesome, right?) fonts from HERE and HERE...also from Pinterest. I am also a beneficiary of said free fonts. :)

See this girl here? (Don't mind the glittery thing covering her eye.) I adore her. She has taught 4 of my 5 kids in Kindergarten. Let me tell ya- It takes a special person to teach Kindergarten for 20+ years and still love every day. She is the sweetest, most loving, compassionate teacher. Perfect for my clingy, needy 5yr old. And after so many years of teaching, she really knows her stuff! I'm so thankful for all she does and has done for my kids. LOVE her.

There's no way I was going to let her get away without a birthday party!

I'll post more about the other things we did today during her party later...

Heart attacks, Fancy Dinner, and Chocolate Fondue

2012-01-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

We had such an awesome Valentine's day last year! We spent it with our WHOLE family and was seriously the BEST!

We started out by giving a couple of "Heart Attacks"! This has become a tradition of ours.

We took pretzels, stuck heart-shaped strawberry marshmallows on them, dipped 'em in chocolate, then topped with sprinkles. Here's an earlier post I did about these treats. Once the choco-mallow pops were cool, we fixed plates, cut out hearts and let the kids write on them.

Then, my husband took the kids to deliver the goods.

We couldn't think of any one better to attack than our widowed Great Grandma Brady (my mom's mom) and Great Grandpa Anderson (my dad's dad). We couldn't let them be alone on Valentine's day!

They silently attacked houses with hearts and left a plate of goodies. Grandma B. had no idea! When they had gotten every heart perfectly placed, the kids and Joey rang the doorbell and hid. When grandma came to the door, they jumped out and surprised her! She got kind of emotional. She said we made her day! Doesn't get much better than that! They stayed a little while and told her how special she is to them.

They did the same thing to Grandpa A., only he caught them in the act! He saw them out the window! Haha! The kids finished while Grandpa, with a full heart, watched them. They stayed and talked while he shared oranges and chocolate-covered peanuts. He was so appreciative! He left his hearts up proudly for a few days.

What a fun little service project!

If you don't want to use tape, you can use a magnet for their door (most doors are magnetic), or glue each heart to popsicle sticks and peg all over their lawn!

So, while they were gone, I was home setting the mood...

The ambiance is key! I wanted it to feel special without breakin' out the fine china (I only have enough for 4 of us anyway), so I used cute paper plates and napkins. I placed them on silver platters to make it look like they were on fancy chargers. I hung beads from the chandelier and whipped out the red candles (and red hot candies). Not too bad. The kids absolutely LOVED it! We ate in candlelight the whole time. VERY romantic. ;) For a recipe for the Sweetheart Salad with a sweet and tangy Peach Balsamic Vinegarette, click HERE.

MY VALENTINE'S!

These are the faces of the people who make my life so wonderful. <3

Dinner was a hit!

But as fun as the day was, I have to say that DESSERT was the BEST!

And it was so easy! Just take anything you'd like to dip in chocolate and load it on a plate! We used Dollar Store "Heart Picks" for our skewers. So fun! For the chocolate- just take a bag of chocolate chips and add your favorite creamer (my favorite is coconut <3). Melt in a sauce pan & dip your goodies! I'm sure any creamer would be awesome. We have quite a variety-- we LOVE to use them in our hot chocolate and Pero.

The kids had a blast coming up with their own little concoctions. There's just something fun about dipping your food, huh? Then, we all decided to tell each person one at a time what we loved about them. We went in a circle until every person had been told by all 6 of the rest of us. BEST PART OF THE NIGHT! Sweet, emotional mommy moment... I discovered that despite all the arguing and pestering, my kids really DO love each other! Very, sweet, perfect end to the night.

Here's a beautiful short video to help your family get into the spirit of Valentine's day- LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Happy Valentine's day!

Check out this PDF for tons more Valentine's Day ideas!

Easy Ribbon Wreath Hanger Tutorial

2012-01-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

How to lengthen your TOO-SHORT, boring dollar store metal wreath hanger and turn it into a ribbon hanger. Easy.

Much cuter, don't you think?

First, put a little glue on the top and attach a piece of ribbon (wider than your hanger).

Next, straighten out the "hook" part of the hanger.

Put a dab of glue near the bottom of the hanger and stretch the same ribbon onto it.

Now, loop the end through your wreath/frame.

Glue the end of the ribbon on to the back of the hanger.

Turn it over and glue a bow on the front.

That's it!

You can make it as long as you want it!

Happy Crafting!

Click HERE for tutorial on how to make this wreath.

Felt & Fabric Flowers with Feathers Wreath in a Frame

2012-01-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Tongue twister!

No, that's not why I put an F on my wreath...

just coincidental. Haha! ;) Our last name is Foster.

Here's a little tutorial I've put together for ya. Complete with instructions/links on how to make each flower on this baby.

This is the finished product.

This is what it looked like before I decided to add a little to it. I thought it needed more presence.

I've been told I can't leave well enough alone. Oh well!

THIS is what it looked like yesterday when I got it.

I intercepted it as it was destined for the thrift store.

I couldn't wait to transform it!

I peeled off it's pink tinsel layers and found the wreath to be like new!

I loved that one part was thicker than the rest, too! Perfect place to put the flowers.

I wrapped it in 2" wide black satin ribbon,

gathered my fabric/felt/ribbon/feather scraps,

and made these flowers.

The tutorials for these are

HERE (Big Ruffled Silver one),

HERE (Two-toned Red & Black ones),

HERE (Black Petal one on far left)

HERE (Small Rolled Rosettes), and

HERE (Fluffy, Loopy Felt ones).

I hot glued them right on the ribbon.

Here are all the flowers on it.

Then I added the feathers.

This was originally the finished product.

By the way,

HERE's a tutorial on how to turn your regular, short, plain dollar store wreath hanger into this ribbon hanger.

But then I decided I wanted to add an "F" for Foster.

So, I (very sloppily) cut it out of some pre-used foam core.

The pics uploaded sideways. Oh well.

I wrapped it in torn fabric strips,

then added a flower and some feathers.

I glued the F onto the wreath, and hot-glued the wreath onto an empty picture frame.

And now it hangs on my door.

Petal Felt Flower Tutorial

2012-01-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is a fun one, too! The picture doesn't do it justice. It really is a cute flower!

First, cut out a bunch of petal shapes.

Put a line of glue on the bottom of the first petal.

Roll up and add a couple more petals, doing the same thing. This makes your center.

Continue to add one petal at a time...pinching the base of each petal together before adding it to the flower--to pucker it a little.

Add as many as you'd like. I made my flower kind of small--only because I ran out of felt. Haha! I'd normally run to the store, but I do most of my crafting in the middle of the night while my kiddos are sleeping.

I added a pearl to the center so it would match my project.

HERE's the finished project, if you'd like to see it all together.

Ruffled, Singed-edge Fabric Flower Tutorial

2012-01-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

This is one of my FAVORITE fabric flowers ever!

For this one in the picture, I used taffeta, but you can use any fabric that will singe.

First, you tear a 2" strip. I probably used about 24" in length for this big flower here.

Singe the edges...only be kinda messy about it.

I love the rustic look of these edges! Especially when made into a flower!

Next, sew a basting stitch down the center. Don't worry if you're off a little.

I think it looks better with a little irregularity to it-- more natural. Ya know?

Now gather it.

Fold it in half length-wise, using the stitching as your fold-line. I folded the gray sides together. You can lightly iron it if you have a hard time keeping your fold together.

Now, put a dab of glue on your starting edge, and coil it to form a center.

Continue to glue and coil until desired size is reached. Glue bottom of flower to a felt circle...to keep it clean and give it a little extra integrity.

Done! Fancy, eh? I especially love two-sided fabrics for these!
Click HERE if you'd like to see what I ended up making with these.