Queen of the Castle

Seasons Change

2010-04-02T22:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I get a little carried away. I go through periods in my life where I feel like I don't have enough to do - so then I take on too much. When I started QotC, I was having one of those moments. While I've loved sharing ideas and getting feedback from everyone, this project is just a little too much right now.

Business has been booming over at the Dumplin Design Studio - so much that I even opened up my own online portfolio to keep up with all the work I've been doing. Staying busy with my on-the-side business, a personal blog, a home management blog, and my crazy life has just become too much right now. For this purpose, I'm simplifying.

Don't worry, though. I'm not going off the grid completely. For home management, parenting, and baby/toddler/kid ideas and articles, you can follow my personal blog, Randomness by Shay. For freebies, productivity hacks, and web finds, you can follow my portfolio, shaybocks.com.

I hope you all will stick with me as I simplify and make things a little bit easier for now. I've got some big things to share soon - including Ronnie's 2nd birthday party and more toddler learning activities, so keep reading, just not here. :)

Taking a break

2010-03-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

From time to time a wife and mother must evaluate her priorities and make a few changes here and there. At this time, my family requires my undivided attention, so I will be taking a break from blog-world for a couple of weeks. I apologize to all of our readers for leaving ya'll hanging the past couple of weeks, but a lot has been happening around here and I haven't been able to focus on blogging. For a quick overview: my husband found out last minute that he had to go to Louisiana for 3 weeks, my son will be having surgery on his ear next week (while the hubs is gone, of course!), and I have recently developed sciatica - unfortunately.

So, we're dealing with things as they come and I'll be back soon. Stay tuned for more royal content in the near future!

52 Weeks at Home with a Toddler: Week

2010-02-22T11:35:00.001-05:00

Monday

Orange Day: Focus on all things orange for today. Some ideas are:

Wear orange. Dress yourself and your toddler up wearing orange clothing. Make a big deal about your ORANGE shirt!
Add to your Color Book. Using a blank book (like a scrapbook or journal), allow your toddler to create an orange collage on a 2 page-spread. First, allow him/her to color the pages with crayons or markers, then have him/her paste pictures of orange things onto the page. You can either find orange pictures in magazines or print them from your computer.
Serve orange snacks - like oranges, cheese, carrots, cheese puffs, or goldfish.
Play with orange play-doh.
Cut or tear orange paper.

Photo from sonictk

Tuesday

Cooking Bagel Smiles: Take a bagel and cut it in half. Allow your toddler to spread peanut butter on the bagel with a knife - but stay close and supervise accordingly! Put some marshmallow "teeth" along the bagel and then place the two halves into a smile shape. Enjoy!

Wednesday

Painting with Oranges: Slice an orange in half and then dip the flesh side into some red, yellow, or orange paint. You could also use a paint brush to apply the paint to the orange. Press the orange down onto a piece of card stock and repeat until you get a fresh piece of art. Talk about how red and yellow mix together to make orange and how the orange paint is the same color as the orange fruit.

Thursday

Why do we brush our teeth?: Try out this cute little activity at Our Montessori Story to show your toddler why we brush our teeth. Dip an egg in soda and leave overnight. When you wake up the next morning, the egg will be all brown and yucky. Have your toddler use a toothrbush and toothpaste to brush the egg and get it clean. Now have him brush his own teeth and count to 5 on the bottom and 5 on top. Now your turn to brush his teeth - count to 5 on the bottom and 5 on the top. Repeat 4 times.

Photo from Our Montessori Story

Friday

D is for Duck: Follow this tutorial at No Time for Flashcards to make an adorable duck out of the letter D. Added bonus, she has a little video to show you how to sing a catchy song about ducks!

Photo from No Time for Flashcards

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Maintain

2010-02-20T20:10:00.001-05:00

Photo from *Ann Gordon

Stick to A Routine

One of the best things you can do to be more productive is to get into the rhythm of a daily routine. A routine doesn't have to be strict - its purpose is only to serve as a general guideline for how your day should go. I rarely ever do everything on my routine right on time. We all know we've got to have a little give in our schedule to allow for all the little distractions of our day. Although, it does help to sit down and create an outline of what you need to get done and when. You'll find that you actually have more extra time in your day while getting more done. Here's what our daily routine looks like:

6:30 - wake up, diaper change, cartoons, check emails
8:00 - breakfast
8:30 - morning dash, weekly tasks
10:00 - errands, appointments, or outside time
12:00 - lunch
12:30 - nap time / design & blog
2:00 - snack, learning activities & crafts
3:00 - free play
4:30 - afternoon dash
5:00 - start supper
6:00 - supper
6:30 - bath time / family time
7:30 - story & bed
7:45 - design & blog / time with hubby
11:00 - bed time!

Use the "dash" system

When I was in college, I was going to school full-time and had two part-time jobs, so the time I actually had off was precious. Take away the time I spent studying and there wasn't much left. Because of my hectic schedule, I had to have things perfect all the time. I needed to know exactly where everything was and have a serene peaceful place to concentrate. But when did I have time to clean? I quickly came to the realization that I needed to get things done fast and so the "dash" system was born. The idea behind this quick system is that you choose a time, once or twice a day, and do everything you need to get done as quickly as possible. Basically, you're dashing around the house to get it all done. Of course, living on my own in a little apartment only warranted 20 minutes of dashing. Now, I spend at least 1 hour twice a day. It may all get destroyed five minutes after I'm done, but my house was actually clean for five minutes. I also conveniently complete my afternoon dash just before my husband walks through the door - I like him to come home to a clean house. Here's my "dash" schedule:

Morning Dash (around 8:30am - just after breakfast)

make beds
empty dishwasher
reboot laundry
tidy bathrooms
get dressed

Afternoon Dash (around 4:00pm - just before I start supper and my husband walks through the door)

tidy living room
tidy bedrooms
reboot laundry
load dishwasher
wipe counters
sweep
take out the trash

Weekly tasks

To keep on top of the things that don't need to be done everyday, I use a weekly tasks system. I complete these tasks along with my morning dash so I get them done before I get sidetracked through my day.

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

Simple Mom has a great article on this technique. Get those dreaded chores out of the way so you can enjoy your day. Here's my weekly task schedule:

Monday

change towels & bath mats
change sheets
wash dirty linens
wash couch & dining chairs
vacuum bedrooms

Tuesday

clean toilets, tubs, and sinks
flush sinks with boiling water
wipe microwave and stove
sweep and mop all floors

Wednesday

dust surfaces
clean mirrors and windows
wipe hand prints off doors
vacuum living room
reorganize 1 closet/cabinet

Thursday

clean out the fridge
wipe down fridge front
pay bills
file/shred paperwork

Friday

plan menu/grocery list
clean out the car
prepare for date night

Saturday

grocery shopping
create blog posts

Sunday

vacuum living room
weekly planning
clean up home management binder (this tends to get pretty junked up throughout the week)

Give yourself a break

The last tip I have is probably the most important. You have to know that you're not going to do it perfectly all the time. Some weeks are better than others and that's okay. Find out what works for you and stick to that. If you've got little ones running around, there's no way that your house is always going to be clean and picked up. Just do what you can and don't get discouraged. Even if you follow all of my guidelines, you'll probably have a slump from time to time. I do. I needed this week to get my house back in order. But now that I have a clean slate, I can maintain it for a while without getting overwhelmed.

I hope my tips were helpful! If anyone has anything to add, please do so in a comment. :)

Your Turn: Getting Out of the House

2010-02-19T14:55:00.001-05:00

Currently, my son is in a period of development that requires him to be very active! With snow on the ground and no appropriate gear to play in, hanging out in the back yard isn't an option. He's taking it out on my house - in a big, crazy toddler kind of way. Next week, I'm dedicating every morning to be spent out of the house doing something - preferably something that will tire his butt out. I have a few ideas, but would love to hear what you think! Please feel free to leave your suggestions as a comment in this post.

What does your family do when you need to get out of the house?

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Friday

2010-02-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

So, its finally time for the finishing touches. You've all been working hard this week getting your home cleaner. I'm proud of our progress, but there's just a bit more to do. Got your music up loud? (I'm currently listening to my "Party in the USA" station!)

Maintain your work:

Unload and re-load the dishwasher.
Clear off and wipe down the kitchen counters.
Tidy up the bathroom and bedrooms floors.
Quickly clear off and wipe down the bathroom counters.
Take out the trash.
Make the beds.
Tidy up the living and dining areas.
Tidy up your desk.

Grab the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a rag and start wiping down light switches, door handles, outlet covers, appliance/electronics buttons, and anything else you touch on a regular basis.
Now, using the same rag or a magic eraser, get down and wipe up your baseboards. No matter how clean your home is, there's always something on the baseboards. Just take a few minutes to go through the house and get them all. It shouldn't take you but 5-10 minutes.
If you have ceiling fans, now would be the time to dust the tops of them. You might want to use the vacuum for this, depending on how dusty they are.
Take your ceiling light covers off and give them a good rinse. Wipe off your dusty lampshades, too!
Now, take a trip to the market and pick out the prettiest flower you see (within reason, of course). Take them home and arrange them in a vase on your dining room table.
Light a candle, take a seat, and enjoy the fact that your home is clean!

Thanks for following along with me. Sometimes, it really makes a difference to go through and do it all. Now, you can just focus on maintaining your clean home - check back tomorrow for details!

Let Me Introduce You To...

2010-02-18T11:06:00.001-05:00

OUR NEW LOOK! This week at Queen of the Castle, we're focusing on a cleaner home, so it seemed fitting that we clean up our look a bit. Before, we were using a free pre-made template created for anyone to use. Now, we've got a sleek and svelte look that matches us. With a Tiffany blue color scheme and crisp, clean lines, this new look is the perfect theme for our site.

If you're currently supporting Queen of the Castle on your own blog, please update your code with our new button!

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Thursday

2010-02-17T08:00:00.008-05:00

Time to finally clean up that home office (or desk, if you don't have a room dedicated to it).

Maintain your work:

Unload and re-load the dishwasher.
Clear off and wipe down the kitchen counters.
Tidy up the bathroom and bedrooms floors.
Quickly clear off and wipe down the bathroom counters.
Take out the trash.
Make the beds.
Tidy up the living and dining areas.

Gather up all the loose paper floating around & create 4 piles (for most of us, this could take a while):

File - These are items that you need to keep and file away.
Action - These are items that need your attention within the next 2 weeks (bills, to-do, etc.).
Trash - These are items that you no longer need and do not contain sensitive information.
Shred - These are items that you no longer need and have sensitive information, like account numbers, social security numbers, or any other identifiers.

If you're not sure if something should be kept or discarded, here's a few tips:

Taxes - keep at least 7 years.
Bank Statements - keep for 1 year. If you bank online, you can shred them monthly.
Credit Card Statements & Bills - keep the most recent one and shred the rest.
Receipts - shred after you check them against your account, unless you need them for tax purposes (then just file them with your tax paperwork).
Pay Stubs - keep until tax time and then shred them after you've compared them to your W-2.

File all paperwork that you have deemed important enough to keep.
Shred the sensitive stuff and toss the trash.
Place the actionable items in a folder or basket so you can easily find them when you need to.
Tidy up the floor and surfaces.
Gather and organize all craft supplies. I know mine get mixed up all the time, so I have to go in and get it all straight again.
Dust all surfaces and clean your computer and other electronics. If you need to, get the q-tips out and clean out your keyboard. Pull your CPU tower out and dust off the back of it (this will help your computer run better). Give your office chair a good scrub, too!
Vacuum the floor and any upholstered furniture in the room.
Now, sit down at your computer and take a little time to clean it up. Go through your documents, downloads, music, and pictures folders and delete anything you don't need or want.
Clear up some disk space. You already have a Disk Cleanup function on your computer if you run windows, but I prefer CCleaner because of its added functions. You can clean up disk space, fix registry issues, remove programs, and change your start-up programs all in one place and its really easy to use.
Defrag your computer. Again, you can use Window's defrag option, but I prefer defraggler. This could take some time, so let it run while you go do something else or even wait until you go to bed tonight and let it run while you sleep.

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Wednesday

2010-02-17T08:00:00.004-05:00

photo from renedepaula

Get ready to tackle your living and dining areas. Is your music up loud enough to pump you up?? Alright then, here we go...

Maintain your work:

Unload and re-load the dishwasher.
Clear off and wipe down the kitchen counters.
Tidy up the bathroom and bedrooms floors.
Quickly clear off and wipe down the bathroom counters.
Take out the trash.
Make the beds.

Tidy up your living and dining rooms. Get a laundry basket and fill it with anything that doesn't belong. Once the basket is full, take it all over the rest of the house dropping of these misplaced items. Do this until everything that doesn't belong is out of these rooms.
Throw away any magazines laying around. If you've got some that you're planning to read - limit it to 2 or 3.
Thoroughly wipe down your dining room table and chairs. Use an all-purpose cleaner first then a furniture polish.
Dust all surfaces in the living room, dining room, and bedrooms. Don't forget picture frames, electronics, and knick-knacks.
Vacuum all furniture and floors.
Spray hydrogen peroxide on your carpets. Only a light mist is necessary to kill all those germs.
Fill a bowl with hot water. Add 1/2 cup vinegar. Dip a rag into the bowl and wring it out. Scrub down your couch, chairs, and any other upholstered surface.
Tidy up bookshelves and entertainment center. Too many books or movies? Add a few to your bag for your local Goodwill or FreeCycle.
Reorganize your hall closet(s). Wipe down the shelves and vacuum the floors.

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Tuesday

2010-02-16T08:00:00.006-05:00

Photo from brooklyn

Today, let's focus on bedrooms, laundry, and linens. Crank up that music and let's get started!

Maintain your progress from yesterday:

Unload and re-load the dishwasher.
Clear off and wipe down the kitchen counters.
Tidy up the bathroom floors.
Quickly clear off and wipe down the bathroom counters.
Take out the trash.

Strip all the beds and start the sheets in the washer using hot water.
Pick up everything off the bedroom floors and surfaces.
Vacuum mattresses and floors.
Spray the mattresses with hydrogen peroxide.
Reboot the laundry. Start a new load with any rugs, shower curtains and/or window curtains you have.
Work on the closets:

Remove everything from the closet floors and vacuum. Put everything back, editing as you go.
Hang up any stranded clothing.
Put together at least 1 bag for your local Goodwill or FreeCycle from all the closets.
Line up shoes and organize handbags.

Reboot the laundry. If all the sheets and other linens are clean, start a load of clothing.
With your dry sheets, make the beds. No need for hospital corners here, but you do want it to look nice.
Got toys? Quickly go through your kids' toys. Put together a few toys to add to the bag for your local Goodwill or FreeCycle. Look at the toys and remove any broken or dirty ones. Throw the soiled toys in the dishwasher for easy sanitation.
Tidy up your linen closet. Take the time to fold any loose towels and organize your meds and beauty products.
If you're anything like me, you've got a lot of laundry sitting around - clean and dirty. Spend the rest of your time today tackling those piles. Try to have every piece of laundry washed, dried, and put away before the end of the day.

One Week to A Cleaner Home: Monday

2010-02-15T08:00:00.012-05:00

Photo from jek in the box

Today, we're starting off in the kitchen. In most places, the kitchen is the heart of the home, so it seems fitting to get things on track there first. To kick things off, turn on some music. You can go to pandora.com and start a radio station with your favorite music - something that's going to get you pumped up! Here we go...

Unload and re-load the dishwasher. If you have leftover dishes, wash them by hand now and put them away.
Take a tip from the Fly Lady and shine your sink, only more efficiently and eco-friendly. Follow these steps:

Make sure you're starting with an empty sink. Clear off the back of the sink as well. Rinse it out and pat dry.
Sprinkle some baking soda all over the sink and scrub. Make sure you get the inside, sides, faucet, sprayer, and the back of the sink.
Once the baking soda is pasty, spray vinegar on it - you want it to foam up. Scrub again. Rinse thoroughly.
Pour a few drops of dish soap in the sink and scrub all over. Rinse thoroughly.
Spray again with vinegar and wipe it dry with a clean towel. Keep the towel nearby for wiping up water spots throughout the day.
Replace any items you keep on your sink; however, I suggest limiting this to only a soap and lotion. Store any extra cleaning supplies in a basket underneath the sink.

Clear off everything from your counters.

Spray with all-purpose cleaner and wipe down. Don't forget the back-splash, wall, and outlets.
Spray the counters with hydrogen peroxide.
Wait 30 seconds and spray with vinegar. Wipe down with a wet rag. If you need to, run your clean towel over the counters to remove the moisture.
Replace all the stuff from your counters, editing as you go. Tip: the front 2/3 of your counter should be clear to make your kitchen look cleaner. Limit as much as you can and push everything you need to have out to the back of your counter.

Wipe down all appliances: coffee pot, microwave, stove, oven, refrigerator, toaster, etc.

For the coffee maker, you can run a pot full of water and 1/2 cup vinegar to clean the inside.
To help loosen up the gunk in a microwave, put a bowl of lemon juice (about 1/2 cup) into the microwave for 2 minutes. Wipe immediately for the best results.
If you don't already use foil liners on your stove top burners, it might be a good idea to start now. For only a couple bucks, you can save yourself a lot of scrubbing. I replace mine about once a month, unless one is particularly messy.

Unload the dishwasher. Try to remember to load your dishes immediately after using them for the rest of the day. You can start the dishwasher before you head to bed.
Take a few minutes to tidy up your cabinets. Straighten up your canned and boxed foods. Having labels facing forward and lined up in nice rows makes things look cleaner. Wipe down any particularly messy shelves or drawers. Tidy up your towels, rags, silverware, and such. Wipe down the cabinet doors, but don't waste too much time here - just a quick wipe is fine.

Photo from pantagrapher

For now, we're going to move on to the bathroom(s), but we'll be back in the kitchen to finish up a few things in a minute.

Start by removing any dirty laundry or emptying the laundry bin. Remove all the towels as well.
Clear everything off the sink/counter.

Spray with all-purpose cleaner and wipe down(using the same rag that you used in the kitchen). Don't forget the back-splash, wall, and outlets.
Spray the counters with hydrogen peroxide.
Wait 30 seconds and spray with vinegar. Wipe down with a wet rag. If you need to, run your clean towel over the counters to remove the moisture.
Replace all the stuff from your counters, editing as you go.

Repeat this process on the bathtub and the outside of the toilet. Toss the rag into the laundry when you're done.
Grab your toilet brush and swish the bowl.
Take a few minutes to tidy up your cabinets.
Sweep the bathroom and kitchen floors.
Get down on your hands and knees with a rag and all-purpose cleaner and wipe the floors. This is much more efficient than a mop and its really not as daunting as it sounds.
Put fresh towels in the bathroom(s).
Take out the trash in the bathroom and kitchen.

Step back and look at what you've accomplished. Are you proud of yourself? See you for a new challenge tomorrow!

52 Weeks at Home with a Toddler: Week 7

2010-02-14T20:19:00.001-05:00

This week will be a bit of a review for some of the things we have done before, but it will be a nice break for your little one to do some familiar activities.

Monday

Today is Presidents Day, George Washington's birthday. Printout this coloring page at crayola.com to spark a discussion about presidents. Keep it sweet and simple, though!

Tuesday

Encouraging Literacy: Take a trip to the library. Check out some books about a topic you're currently working on with your toddler. Here's some of my picks:

Hands Are Not For Hitting by Martine Agassi
A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz
I Love You Through and Through by Burnadette Rossetti Shustak
Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! by Mo Willems
Peas and Thank You! by Big Idea, Inc.

Wednesday

Transferring Activity: Grab two plastic cups and some dry macaroni. Fill one of the cups with the macaroni and show your toddler how to pour them from one cup to another. You may want to have a big bucket to catch any macaroni that doesn't make it in the cup. Don't have macaroni on hand? Use dry beans instead of macaroni.

Thursday

Shape Matching File Folder Game: Try downloading this free game to help your little one with math (shapes) and language (direction words).

Friday

Pom Play: Use this practical life activity to help your toddler learn how to sweep up a mess. Spread some poms out onto the floor or table. Give your toddler a broom and dust pan to sweep up the poms and dump them into a bowl or bucket. You may want to demonstrate this once or twice first. Is your kid a pro already? Take it to the next level - have your tot sort the poms by color.

One Week to A Cleaner Home

2010-02-14T19:49:00.003-05:00

If you're anything like me, you sometimes get into a cleaning rut. As much as I try to make sure my house is taken care of, I just can't seem to get on top of it sometimes. I am challenging you, along with myself, to complete a handful of tasks every day this week to get your house back on track! Each day, we'll be focusing on certain rooms, but that doesn't mean we'll be doing everything in that room on that particular day - we may come back to a task later in the week. I'm all about efficiency, and I'd rather pull out my duster once a week rather than every day.

You'll need to set aside 2 hours every day and gather a few supplies. Grab a bucket and fill it with these items:

microfiber cloths or rags (about 4 or 5)
dish soap
natural all-purpose cleaner (my favorite is BabyGanics: The Grime Fighter)
spray bottle of distilled white vinegar
spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide (you can buy little spray bottles of peroxide at the pharmacy)
scrub sponge
natural furniture polish (or make your own with olive oil and lemon juice)
lemon juice
baking soda
optional: natural glass cleaner (like BabyGanics: The Sparkle Maker) and magic erasers

Additionally, you need:

a broom
a vacuum cleaner
toilet brush
dishwasher
laundry washer and dryer

Ready to get started?

Monday: Kitchen and Bathrooms
Tuesday: Bedrooms, Laundry, and Linens
Wednesday: Living & Dining Areas
Thursday: Home Office
Friday: Finishing Touches

We Have A Winner!

2010-02-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Congratulations to Steph @ somewhatsimple for winning the Basic Blog Design package from Dumplin Design Studio!

Thank you to everyone who entered! Remember, you can still get your blog design by ordering at www.dumplindesignstudio.com.

Fab Find: Tech Your Children Etiquette

2010-02-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I saw this idea, I fell in LOVE! My son isn't quite ready for etiquette lessons, but I figured I'd share this idea with the rest of you mom who have older children. Angela, at A Bushel and a Peck of FUN hosted an etiquette night for her girls. She first printed out Martha Stewart's downloadable place-setting practice then asked them a few questions about etiquette. To finish off the night, they had a light meal where they could practice the what they just learned. I could see this being so fun and you could really play it up!

Any more ideas on how to teach your children proper etiquette?

Adorable Printable Love Coupons!

2010-02-11T08:44:00.003-05:00

Lindsey, from colorarmy.com is one of my favorite designers and she has impressed me again! Check out these adorable "Love Coupons" she made for her husband. You can download them for free here.

Dumplin Design Studio Giveaway [2 more days to enter!]

2010-02-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that there's only 2 more days to enter the Dumplin Design Studio Basic Blog Package giveaway! See details and enter!

DIY Valentine Treat Bags

2010-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Materials:

colored cardstock
white cardstock
printer
scissors or paper trimmer
hold punch
ribbon
plastic bags
treats

Step 1:

Download the Treat Bag Pattern.

Step 2:

Cut out the pattern and use it to cut card stock into the two pieces. Fold on dotted lines.

Step 3:

Overlap the two pieces at the bottom and secure with tape or glue. Fold up the sides and fold over the top of piece one to close the bag. Once attached, it should look like this:

Step 4:

Using a hole punch, make two even holes in the top of the bag (the hold should go through three layers).

Step 5:

Fill your plastic bags. Attach the plastic to the inside with a piece of tape. Close it up and pull ribbon through the holes at the top. Tie a bow and attach a valentines card. I'm including the .psd file I created for ours. Feel free to use it - just replace my son's name with your own. :)

Valentine Cards .psd

Modern Update For Your Dining Room Table

2010-02-09T11:34:00.002-05:00

A while back, I was browsing through Apartment Therapy, where I saw this amazing idea to restyle a wooden table with oil cloth. I love the idea because, since my little one became a toddler, I'm having to clean my table upwards of 4 times a day. That's rough on wood and I've got spots and rubs to prove it. This is a great stylish way to protect my table and my toddler.

I went out on a search for oil cloth, but since the town we live in is so small and we've only got 1 fabric store in the whole county, I couldn't find it. I had almost given up on the idea when I found a simple vinyl table cloth on sale at Target for two bucks. I figured, why not? In fact, the table cloth is PVC free, whereas the oil cloth wouldn't be.

Want to try it out for yourself? All you need is a table cloth, scissors, and a staple gun. Check out this tutorial at Ohdeedoh.

More tables like mine:

Photo from Little Doll Face.

Photo from Apartment Therapy.

Photo from Ella and the Monkey.

Photo from The Yvestown Blog.

Valentine Marshmallow Treats

2010-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you didn't already know, I'll go ahead and tell you that marshmallows are very posh right now. I see them all over the party and wedding blogs. While I'm not quite ready to take my stab at homemade marshmallows, I decided to at least candy coat some for Ronnie's valentines. I was amazed at how easy it was!

Materials:

candy melts or chocolate chips
popsicle sticks
large marshmallows
sprinkles
wax paper

Step 1:

Line your marshmallows up on the wax paper. Insert a popsicle stick into each one. Melt your candy or chocolate according to package directions (we used the microwave=easy).

Step 2:

Dip a marshmallow into your candy coating or chocolate and swirl it around to cover all the sides.

Step 3:

Hold the marshmallow over a bowl of sprinkles a then sprinkle them onto the marshmallow, turning to get all the sides and the bottom.

Step 4:

Place it back down onto the wax paper and repeat until they're all done.

Check back tomorrow to see a great way to package these bad boys!

My Valentine's Day Inspiration Boards

2010-02-08T00:40:00.000-05:00

Here's the lineup of crafts, recipes, and handmade gifts I'll be using this year for Valentine's Day.

Gifts & Activities

You Complete Me pillowcase iron-on transfers at Creature Comforts.
Casablanca courtesy of Netflix.
Printable Mickey Candy Box from Family.com.
Conversation hearts seem to be Ronnie's new addiction.
The hubs has been wanting this game for a while but didn't want to spend the $ on it - that's what wives are for. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
Family Spin the Bottle: play spin the bottle with your family. Instead of kisses (well, some kisses are fine), say one nice thing about the person it lands on.
Sweet Tooth at Twig & Thistle.

Breakfast

Valentine Sugar Buns recipe from Scrumdilly-do!
Love Potion recipe from Family.com.
Strawberries, photo from Anushruti RK.

Lunch

Heart Box Lunch at Katherine Marie Photography to include PBJs, cherry tomatoes, and veggie chips.
Homemade Chocolate Milk recipe from Seasonal Ontario Food.

Supper

Red & White, photo from marthastewart.com.
Heart Ravioli recipe from Vegalicious Recipes.
Garlic Baguette from Alexia Foods (our fave!).
White Roses, photo courtesy of Blossom Wedding Flowers.
Small Batch Cupcakes recipe at My Madison Bistro.

52 Weeks at Home with a Toddler: Week 6

2010-02-07T21:33:00.001-05:00

Monday

Red Day: Focus on all things red for today. Some ideas are:

Wear red. Dress yourself and your toddler up wearing red clothing. Make a big deal about your RED shirt!
Add to your Color Book. Using a blank book (like a scrapbook or journal), allow your toddler to create a red collage on a 2 page-spread. First, allow him/her to color the pages with crayons or markers, then have him/her paste pictures of red things onto the page. You can either find red pictures in magazines or print them from your computer.
Serve red snacks - like apples, tomatoes, strawberries, or raspberries.
Play with red play-doh.
Cut or tear red paper.

photo from Anushruti RK.

Tuesday

Heart Tracing: This is a great beginner's tracing activity. Take a piece of construction paper or card stock and draw a heart with glue. Show your toddler how to put conversation hearts on the glue. Allow him/her to finish off the heart and then praise success!

Wednesday

Valentine Transferring Activity: Grab a few heart-shaped supplies to set your toddler up for a fun transferring activity! I got this heart ice-cube tray at the dollar store, but any tray will work. Try using foam hearts and/or pink poms poms with a spoon or tongs. Show him/her how to do it once or twice then set your toddler free.

Thursday

Make Valentines: Just because your toddler isn't in school, doesn't mean he/she has to miss out on all the fun. You may not have a class to make valentines for, but you do have family and friends. Try one of these neat ideas and get your toddler to help with the coloring, gluing, cutting, and cooking!

Love Buckets at The Idea Door.
Conversation Candy Bar Wrappers at Creature Comforts.
Colorful Valentines Day Cards at The Long Thread.
Chocolate Play Dough at A Foothill Home Companion.

photo from Creature Comforts

Friday

Heart Sun Catcher: Follow a tutorial at Our Crafts 'N Things to make this adorable sun catcher. Take the opportunity to talk to your toddler about love. For Christians, look up these bible verses:

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." - John 13:34
"Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them." - Matthew 22:37-40

photo from Our Crafts 'N Things

A Valentine Playdate

2010-02-06T07:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a great playdate for your kid - no matter what age! Host a Valentine cookie decorating playdate. You'll need:

sugar cookies
cupcakes - here's a great recipe!
icing
sprinkles
cupcake toppers - you can download some at Skip to My Lou
conversation hearts and/or m&m's
fun decorations - handmade is always better than store-bought!

For the place mats, I just used a piece of white card stock and attached a foam heart with the child's name written on it. On the right is a little bowl of pink icing, with a popsicle stick for spreading.

One fun decoration is this little pennant. All I did was cut triangles out of card stock and scrapbooking paper and strung it all together with a piece of ribbon.

Set the kids free to create their magic and see what you get!

by Shay

Your Job as A Home Manager

2010-02-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

photo from Jaymie K

One of my favorite bloggers, Tsh Oxenreider, recently wrote an article on (in)courage titled Your Family: the Best Company to Work For. This article embodies my views exactly on motherhood and home management. I love how she points out that some of us have "bonus" jobs, but our true profession is that of home management. Our homes should run like businesses and, when you realize how important your job really is, you take it seriously and take pride in your work.

Read the Article: Your Family: the Best Company to Work For [via simplemom.net]

by Shay

Love Book: Gift for your Baby or Toddler

2010-02-03T09:53:00.001-05:00

Ronnie and I are learning about LOVE this week, so we made this Love Book to show him all the people that love him. I was inspired by a post over at Hearthstone House, which gives direction on how to make a Colors paper bag book. I just adapted it to make our Love Book!

by Shay