Katydid and Kid

Cabbage Rose Customized Necklace with Martha Stewart Jewelry

2013-05-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

I love making jewelry, though it's taken a back seat to other crafts in the last few years, mostly because of little hands grabbing at little things that might end up on the floor, like jump rings, chains, and teeny beads. However, I recently pulled out my tools and supplies again to work with a new line of jewelery making materials from Martha Stewart Jewelry from Plaid and available

The Fun Uncle

2013-05-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

Did you have one growing up? Or many, as I did? That fun uncle who plays cars for hours, takes you swimming when your parents think it's too cold to bother, and tosses you over and over onto the bed. Soren and Jude have 4 uncles on my side who spoil them with attention (and gifts). This weekend, we spent some time with Uncle Jeff, mucking around in the bay near the beaches in Delaware, a

Hands, Paper, Sun Craft with Elmer's Naturals

2013-05-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Elmer’s. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. With Father's Day quickly approaching, I've been thinking of ways to celebrate the dads in our lives, including my husband. Since my eldest son's preschool ends this month, I can't rely on his

Open Door Policy

2013-05-17T09:56:00.002-04:00

Growing up, I recall my parents, especially my dad, constantly shouting to my brothers the tired phrase "shut the door, we don't live in a barn!". Or something like that. Which was promptly met with deep eye-rolling from us, thinking that phrase was so silly, and probably confusing to us, since we lived in a neighborhood (albeit in a teeny, rural town). It's true, most people don't live in a

Mother's Day and First Lettuce (and a Recipe)

2013-05-13T22:48:00.000-04:00

Sadly, this should be a Mother's Day rehash post, full of gorgeous photos of homemade presents, flowers, and a picnic in the park, in honor of my womb. Oh, well, what the heck, I'm throwing you a bone here with a few photos. Here I am above on a walk with my eldest. Coffee was involved in the destination. Then I went on another on a walk with my youngest later that afternoon, as seen below.

The Sweetest Place on Earth

2013-05-09T20:01:00.003-04:00

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Hersheypark in lovely Hershey, Pennsylvania many times when I was growing up. My family didn't live locally (we were about an hour away), however I probably

Graco FastAction Fold Jogger Click Connect Travel System

2013-05-08T12:42:00.003-04:00

Living in town with only one car, we rely on our stroller a lot to get around. Whether for a quick walk to preschool or the park, or a longer stroll around town, our strollers get a lot of use in our family, especially that Jude is too heavy to carry now. One challenge of living in town is the number of sidewalks we have to navigate. Considering that most of them are at least 20 years old,

A Monthly Art Excursion with Wummelbox

2013-05-07T14:27:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed the fun trend of monthly arts and crafts subscriptions for children? I'm quite jealous that I didn't come up with it, but at the same time I'm happy that these delivered-to-your-door boxes incite creative and imaginative activities for families to engage in. And it's extra exciting when your child receives a package in the mail filled with actitivies geared just toward him or

Sweet Sleep Time with Pampers {Giveaway}

2013-05-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

Bedtime for both of my boys has always been a priority in our house--consistent naps, bedtime routines, and reliable diapers make sleep a restful and rejuvenating time for our kids. There's nothing worse than having to change a leaky diaper midway through the night (store brands, I'm looking at you), which is why we rely on Pampers for Jude's nighttime sleep. It's rare that they leak when we

The Great Outdoors

2013-04-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

I can't stress the title enough--it's been such a relief to hang out in the great outdoors, well, if you can call our 1/16th acre yard "great". After an extremely long winter and chilly spring (the high today is only in the low 60s), we've been soaking up as much time as we can out in the sun. Our garden is mostly planted, and I've been peeking every day at the pea and lettuce sprouts poking

Mother's Day Finds at Minted {Giveaway}

2013-04-26T10:17:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays, especially that I'm now a mom. I like that it's a low-key holiday where you can sleep late, have breakfast ready for you, and forgo changing dirty diapers all day, at least if you have a husband like mine, who makes the day a relaxing one for me (I do the same for him in June). Though I love the homemade cards and drawings from my oldest son, it's

Green Goodness for Your Belly

2013-04-21T21:51:00.000-04:00

This weekend I posted a few recipes on a friend's blog, highlighting the tasty and nutritious greens that are making their way into our farm markets. I'm going to repost here, hoping my readers will enjoy these dishes. Because she's traveling, my friend shared her box of produce from a local co-op in exchange for using the items as inspiration for creativity in the kitchen and sharing what I

Lunch on the Go with Uncrustables {$150 Giveaway}

2013-04-21T12:03:00.000-04:00

If you're a parent, it's likely that most of the minutes in your day are already allotted for, whether it's from taking care of your children, your home, your job, or if you're lucky, yourself. While I stay at home with my kids, I do find that there is very little time in the day just to sit and relax (and it seems like when I do, it's the time when someone needs something). Occasionally I'm at

GetUncommon Mother's Day Gifts {Giveaway}

2013-04-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I'm fond of kids' artwork, having worked as an art teacher before having my own kids. This year has been especially exciting for me, seeing Soren enjoy drawing and painting more, and depicting more representational in his pictures, as evidenced in my recent birthday card that he drew. Here he is having fun doing an eraser dot "painting", exploring materials and new ways of

Shower Salad

2013-04-17T10:37:00.002-04:00

No, I haven't started a Kramer tradition from Seinfeld, saving time by preparing salad while showering. I'm back to the no 'poo experiment, which I tried unsuccessfully two years ago. Despite its unfortunate name, it's an interesting method of ridding shampoo from your shower routine and scalp. Let's take a look at the method below: When I shower, I pour a solution of 1 cup water +1 tbsp

Spring Releases from Scholastic Storybook Treasures {Giveaway}

2013-04-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

Springtime brings more than just flowers--new releases from Scholastic Storybook Treasures, which are some of my favorite DVDs since they support reading and introduce children to books they may not have read. First up is The Springtime Collection, featuring the title story, Max's Chocolate Chicken, from Rosemary Wells, part of her popular Max and Ruby series. Though Easter has passed, it's

Through Fire and Water

2013-04-11T11:32:00.003-04:00

Finally! A week spent outdoors, without coats, shoes, mittens or hats. And in water! It's amazing how a few days of sunshine and 70+ degree temperatures can change a mood, particularly one of frustration and mental exhaustion that has plagued me all winter. Add to that the blazing tempers (both mine and the boys') that rise up often in the indoor months and you have the fire part of this

Grilled Vegetarian Tikki Masala Kabobs

2013-04-10T11:33:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've shared a recipe here, but that's not for lack of cooking. In fact, I've created so many tasty dishes in the past few months, but just haven't had much time to photograph or blog about them. But I made a damn-good dinner last night that the Mister insisted I take time to photograph and write about--grilled tikki masala kabobs. You may have heard me declare my

Wedded Bliss

2013-04-09T10:29:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like a wedding to make you appreciate family and life's significant milestones. This past weekend, the boys and I participated in my youngest brother's wedding. Despite the stress of managing two energetic kids, it was a wonderful occasion for us. And little boys in suits just melt my heart. As well as little brothers getting married. Not to be outdone, here's both boys,

Piggy Paint: Natural as Mud on Fingernails

2013-04-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Nail polish and little girls go together like piggies and mud. But what about little boys? My 5 year old likes color, whether it's on sprinkles or his clothes (he's much enamored of purple at the moment) so why not on his fingernails? My husband is man enough to not be bothered by a little nail polish. :) I'd be more concerned about putting heavy-duty paints and polishes on kids' nails than

Quick Craft: Easter Egg Snowflakes

2013-03-29T09:56:00.005-04:00

Despite its paradoxical name, Easter Egg Snowflake, this craft is quite appropriate for this winter/spring here in the Northeast. We're still freezing, stuck indoors most days. But that hasn't stopped us from keeping busy with supplies from the craft cabinet. To make these super-simple Easter silhouettes, you just need two things: scissors and paper. It requires a bit of folding, just like

A Lego Birthday Party

2013-03-27T11:57:00.004-04:00

The key to a successful birthday party in my opinion are three things: balloons, cake, and a bounce house. We had all of those at S's fifth birthday party on Sunday and the kids couldn't have been happier. But do you think someone as obsessed with crafts and decorating as I am would leave it at that? Of course not, so I did spend some time planning and creating some party stuff with a Lego

Lego Party Lanterns

2013-03-26T08:24:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned, we just celebrated Soren's fifth birthday this weekend, and of course you probably have guessed we had a Lego theme. So predictable for my Lego-obsessed boy. It was a fun party to plan, from the primary colors color scheme to an easy Lego brick cake. I'll post more about the party in the next few days. These lanterns are a festive way to bring minifigure-yellow into your

FIVE

2013-03-25T10:31:00.001-04:00

After what equally feels like an eternity and a heartbeat, there is now five years space between the birth of my first child and now. This parenting thing really messes with your sense of time and memory. I blinked and now Soren is just days shy of five years old. We had a party for him yesterday, and after the medical ordeal we went through this past fall, I couldn't help being extra happy

An Undersea Adventure at Adventure Aquarium

2013-03-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

Octopuses, sharks and sting rays, oh my! Yesterday, my sons and our friends experienced a very special treat: a day at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey (just across the bridge from Philadelphia). We visited specifically to view the Turtles: Journey of Survival exhibit, which is at the aquarium until this weekend. Land and sea turtles can be found throughout the aquarium, with lots of