Digital Reflections

It's August and that means one thing...

2011-08-05T10:07:00-05:00

For most of us it means, Back to School...

What a fun and exciting time for our kids as they begin the process of preparing to return to school. All the new supplies have been lining the shelves in stores for weeks already, the emails with back to school wardrobe ideas have been filling in boxes and parents begin to make lists and preparations while sneaking in as much fun in these last few weeks as possible... It's a great time, and we are enjoying the process around here, but in a very new and different way for us. After a lot of consideration, input from each of our 4 kids, and a lot of research, we are joining the ranks of homeschooling families everywhere. So our preparations began weeks ago with curriculum research, approach considerations, and a school room set up. We allowed our children to have part in the discussion and decision making process, after all this is THEIR education. We had already pulled out our 3rd grader during the school year last year as a result I detailed over at SaveRecess. After my daughter was pulled from art/music/recess without parent consent or permission for MONTHS, we experienced firsthand the detriment that this test driven approach can have on a child. The approach that making a certain test score equates to mastery of content is false and misleading, furthermore, the approach that sitting stifled in a desk for 7 hours makes for better students can't be more off course from what our children need. Homeschooling is not for everyone, I know, I met many who question my rationale and undermine my abilities. I have been confronted with a barrage of questions and challenges and I respect each opinion, but in the end my husband and myself are alone the ones responsible for the rearing of our children and we take that responsibility very seriously. We also feel fortunate that we are in a place where I can take on this new role and we do have this option when so many have no choice but to leave their children in the public school system. I do want to make clear one point, my opposition to public school where my children are concerned has an awful lot to do with the school district we are in, as well as the state of the education system in America. The focus to 'reach for the top' overshadows the true goal of education and that is to encourage life long learners. In the course of one years term a principal who allowed her focus to be skewed to SCORES only, single handedly turned children from eager and excited to bored and frustrated. It is our hope that as we learn and grow together and challenge our children academically that we foster a love for learning and exploring their world. I think homeschooling is a great fit for us. I found a blog post puts it all so well, 5 reasons we homeschool. That post really did put many of my thoughts out there.

This blog will be taking on a whole new transformation over the coming month as we transition into our new normal. Hope you'll come back and visit and follow along with us on our journey.

Back to FAMILY FUN - 100 things to do with your kids this summer!

2011-06-06T12:08:26-05:00

Since my last posting, life took a spiral turn into accidental advocacy but I wouldnt have ever changed the course because of the good things that are to come from this year. In August our school principal cut RECESS, maybe not such a big deal to some, but as a mother of 4 elementary school students it is a big deal to me. And fortunately, it was a big deal to almost every parent I spoke with in our school and district. You can read all about our fight to save recess at my other site here:

SAVERECESS.ORG

Needless to say, much effort was put into a year of taking on a school board, advocating across the state and becomming involved with amazing organizations like KaBoom and Playworks. I look forward to advocating as a part of IPA for my state this next year as well. I didnt expect my role as an accidental advocate to take up so much of my extra time, so much so that this blog was put on hold while I spend countless hundreds of hours in research and networking.

But its summer and that brings me back to one of my most popular posts:

100 Things to do with your kids this summer

I hope this list encourages you to get out there and be active with your kids. We will have lots of fun updates here all summer long as we continue our annual summer family camps with fun themes, like visiting France, reliving the roaring 20s and many more. In addition, our family has signed up for the KaBoom's Park a Day Summer Challenge. So everyday, we will embark on a new park and then head over to the KaBoom website and upload details, photos and more. We love summer so much around here and hope to share some of our family time with you.

Running like a mother.....

2010-08-17T00:56:01-05:00

Nope, this isnt in reference to the crazy chaotic life that engulfs us from sun up to sun down tending to the needs of our kids, or in my case prepping everything for the first day of school. This actually has to do about RUNNING. Specifically, about me and running. Two things that have not always been strangers, but definately two things that happily coexisted on alternate universes for the last dozen years. I read a book here a few weeks ago, and to say it has left an impact on me would be the understatement of the century. I have always devoured books, been a learner at heart, but this book I was so engulfed with, so engaged and inspired beyond measure. In the past 5 years most books lining my bookshelves have been about teaching, kids, parenting... lets see looking up here:

Raising Repsectful Children, Bringing Up Boys, Living SImply with Children, Magical Child, Raising a Reader, etc... get the point... That is my focus, has been my focus... and that has its place and is well BUT.. I ordered A Weekend to Change Your Life from Amazon when I needed to add one more thing to get free shipping (cuz who doesnt love free shipping)... I usually keep my TO READ's in my cart at AMAZON just for this purpose... and it worked out that I was ready for this read.

I began running earlier this year, and had to put it on hold for health reasons, but missed it, then fell back into the, oh well, when I can again I 'might' run some more, stage.. you know when you start thinking well, maybe I didnt love it as much as I remember. The "maybe the heat, the sweating, the being sore wasnt really worth it" self talk took over. But I read and read and read this book again, its hard to describe the various aspects of the words in this book that spoke to the core of my being, but I think so many things were occuring simultaniously to get me to this point, so I was open to the words. Sitting at the park reading the book while the kids were playing on the playground, I felt free, and I wanted to RUN. Right then and there I found myself. But what gets better is during the run, I found more of me, and each time I run, I find more...

and then comes Run Like A Mother the book and Run Like A Mother, The Blog ...

and wouldnt you know I found a bit more of ME. Each time I read a story I am connected to the writer in some aspect of their journey, as it mirrors some aspect of mine. I am soooo glad Cathy Zielske is sharing her journey, because that is how I found RLAM. And "Run like a Mother, Sting Like a Bee, and Live with Purpose" is my new moto.

For the past 12 years since my first failed pregnancy I was living with a mother mindset, one that was skewed incorrectly, seeing things through glasses that were not mine to wear. Not a slave to the position of being a mom, but neglecting who I was because of the role I took on as a mom. 4 healthy beautiful kids a few more failed pregnancies later, I didnt know ME anymore. Dont get me wrong, my kids -man do I love each one of them, good days, bad hair days, crazy attitude days, I love their snuggles, and their growing and curiosity, I love their personalities developing and the people they are becomming. I love that they are a gift to me, LOVE LOVE LOVE... them.. but in the process I quit loving ME.. It was about THEM 24-7 and that is so easy to do. So you can see how recently, it being ABOUT ME, is a PRETTY HUGE deal.

Balancing life is more than tricky at best, and doing it well, I tip my hat to the moms that do it ALL... I try to do the best I can with what I have, and in that I try to open up every possible opportunity to my kids to help them develop into individuals that live with passion and purpose, serving the greater good, but also being satisfied in themselves. But I can only give them as much of me as I am able to KNOW about ME. I cant give them happiness if I am not happy, I cant give them empathy if I am not empathetic, I cant give them a sense of belonging if I feel out of place. So what justice am I doing by living in the humdrum of daily life if I am not whole full and complete enough to give them ALL of who I am - who I was created to BE.

Everyone has layers, masks, roles they play in life but the one with the most importance is the one we are when there are no eyes watching, when we are alone, when there is no task to be tended to, no dishes to be done, no meetings, no PTO, no frustrations, no bad dreams to sing away.... and when you RUN, when I RUN -its just THAT its just ME! Its the real, raw, revelation of who I am and who I have become and what I want to be.

so many possibilities...

Back to school: get organized

2010-08-10T17:06:37-05:00

There is so much to do, so many lists running in my mind, on paper or on our calendar. It's a fun but very busy time of year. Being organized is key in lowering the stress level that comes with getting 4 kids prepared for school. I will share some ideas and better yet, some links for some great ideas to help you start the school year off on the right foot.

1. Get a good calendar system: whether its a traditional dry erase calendar or some of these cool chalkboard wallies... cork boards are also good to help keep everything that comes from school in one place. Last year I finally got in the habit of reading the school flyer with my dry erase pen in hand, and transfering dates, deadlines, and events right onto our main board and then tossing those papers in our recycle bin. It kept down on a lot of clutter.

2. Find a place for everything...

Whats not to love about Pottery Barn Kids...

Big units like this all the way to desk top organization is a big plus when trying to keep several kids "stuff" in one place, easy to find and get to and easy to put away and maintain some sense of order in the world.

Organize.com offers great products, and I love seeing sets that come together.

* Create an inbox/outbox system for each child. It has helped us when needing to locate papers that are due or money that needs turned in for school pictures. Their school papers come in and go in the "in box", when I get a chance to go through them I can sign them, attach a check or whatever needs done and then move them over to the "out box". It is a time saver in the evening as we pack backpacks. This could simply be a folder for each child, a magazine holder or a nice stationary box if you have the room for several of them.

* Have a designated "drop" zone. If your house gets as crazy at 3:45 as mine does, this can be a huge relief. We have a drop zone right by the kitchen, the kids can just drop all their backpacks, lunch boxes, kick off shoes, jackets it doesnt matter. After snack we then collect the things that need gone through, each child is responsible for clearing out their lunch boxes and we usually sit in the kitchen to go through their backpacks before they head to the table for homework. I realized quickly with 4 kids each, exhausted from school and needing some unwinding time that it is best that I am not barking reminders as to where to put everything right off the bat, rather I would just enjoy the time to hear their stories from the day and allow us all to settle into our evening routine.

3. Start labeling...

One of my favorite finds came via Cool Mom Picks. My kids could already tell you how much I love my lable making machines and tools around here. It is always fun to create that little personalized touch for their items. But Mabels Labels takes it to a whole new level, and I just love these great products.

4. Laying it all out...

Probably one of our biggest back to school struggles is the whole "what to wear" challenge. We nipped this in the bud last year. A simple closet organizer like this and each of the kids had 5 days worth of clothes picked out on Sunday night. We left nothing out, in each compartment is the outfit (unless it is still on the hanger in which case it is next to the closet organizer) socks, shoes, hair accesories, etc. It takes some time to sit in each child's bedroom on Sunday night and pick out clothes for the week, but the times that I let it slide proved to me how invaluable this aspect of being organized can be.

5. Lunch to go...

With our using a bento style lunch plan this year that could be an aweful lot of prep time. What we came up with was this great chart I spotted over at MarthaStewart.com. This is going to be especially helpful with my little kindergartener and first grader. Once I get our all laminated and up on the fridge I will get a photo to show how we changed it up for our menu plan. We will have about 6 items in each lunch -with smaller portions and emphasis on percentage of protein (a vegetarian eater among them) and fruit/veggies and grains. We get a lot of inspiration from this site... Whats for lunch at our house. Last year we quit purchasing ziplocs and sewed our own washable and reusable napkins and we will continue to do that this year.

Check out Martha's whole back to school selection here. Martha Stewart: Back to School

Check out Cool Moms Picks back to school selection here. Cool Mom Picks: Back to School

Check out Family Fun's back to school selection here. Family Fun: Back to School

more again soon....

Gearing up for School..

2010-08-04T11:59:48-05:00

Can you believe that is my header this time.. gearing up for school ALREADY! I know if summer flew by for me, it did for the kids as well. And as long as it was memorable and filled with learning opportunities it was a success. But now that I have 4 munchkins heading off to school my mind has definately changed gears so we can be as prepared as possible for that first bell come later this month.

So, what are we doing to prepare:

Making Our Fall Calendar.

Cleaning out Closets -donating clothes, backpacks, and school supplies.

Re-establishing routines, bedtime and reading time, bath schedules and chores.

Getting backpacks set up, checking the school supply list and the sale ads.

Visitng the school playground and going over ground rules and helping our kindergartener feel comfortbale in his new surroundings.

Taste testing lunch ideas, trying new recipes and planning menus.

Reviewing what we learned and continued to practice this summer, such as site words and math facts.

Re-organizing the game room to include more study spaces and a reading nook.

And no blog post would be complete without some links - todays topic: LUNCH OPTIONS for school.

I am in love with these eco friendly (BPA free) reusable snack pouches. I first learned of them from

Cool Mom Picks and if you check out the posting at Cool Mom Picks you will see a code good for 20% off your order.

Itzy Ritzy Snack Pouches

Laptop Lunches are another huge favorite. This is the way I want to package my kids lunch, totally reusable, no waste lunches. We switched from any type of juice containers or milk cartons last year as well as not purchasing zipper storage bags. So we are well on our way to a waste free lunch.

Land of Nod Lunch Punches are making an exciting entry to our lunch routine this Fall. You can also check out the Lunch Punch website for more designs.

Also an option for resusable and kid friendly and BPA free are the EASY BENTO STYLE LUNCHBOXES. These fall among the most affordable of the options.

Want some blog inspiration and some photos to stir your imagination check out these links:

Whats for lunch at our house

Lunch In A Box

O Bento Lunch For Kids

and my favorite thing to check out is FLICKR - here is a link to the general search for kids bento.

Tomorrow's post: Organizing school supplies, school areas, and what to do with all the "things" that come home with your child during the school year.

Before I go I had to talk outloud for a minute, its how I process things best so bear with me and feel free to leave me some input. Last year the Fall flew by in such a whirlwind that I rarely slept, caught my breath, or even blogged. But that has changed because well, all 4 of my kids are heading off to school (though I will still have the joys of toddler fun a few days a week)... So I want to find my niche here in the blogasphere.. I continue to challenge my kids throughout the year with their school work, I dont think it is enough to send them off and expect someone else to train them up and teach them all they need to learn. I also supliment their school lessons (and themes) with field trips and hands on learning that is for the most part being left out of the classroom these days. But I am also venturing into the world of cooking more, from scratch, home canning, meal planning, natural, organic and vegan (when I can). I came a cross a blog by way of a friend, literally two days before the Blog writer took it offline I was so inspired by GREENANDCRUNCHY blog and it disappeared. One of the many things I loved about her blog were her posts using section plates for her kids lunch. I was so in love with the concept and with the imagery of it all. So I have been on a hunt for stainless steel section plates for our snacks and weekend eating. I cant wait to start sharing photos and recipes. It is empowering to teach in all aspects of life, but being able to teach my children to grow what they eat and then understand the true nurishment of thier bodies and that it doesnt come from overly greasy 1000 calorie fast food meals is so rewarding to me personally. We are also very crafty around here and like I mentioned in my last post we are already working on handmade Chrsitmas gifts, so there will be plenty of crafty ideas, shared resources and lts of links to places like FAMILY FUN, MARTHA STEWART and CRAFTY CROW, but also to the dozens of blogs I turn to to find a quick, fun, educational, or charming craft project. I will also get the chance to try products and review them, read books and share my thoughts, it is getting fun.

All this to say, stay tuned the blog may be finished with BIG SUMMER FUN, but we arent done having FUN around here. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read about our journey, I would love to hear from you if there are things you would like to hear about or see.

Christmas in July...

2010-07-28T11:31:39-05:00

I cant help it, I walk into the local craft and hobby stores like a kid walking into a candy store... The Fall and Christmas decorations just make me smile. So what better way to add some fun crafts in July than to start preparing for the seasons ahead. With 4 kids all in school this Fall, I figure this is a great way to get a head start on personalized (handmade) class gifts, and gifts for our friends....

So, here are some great Christmas ideas to add to your make-it list this year...

These handmade alphabet bean bags are number one on the list this year, we are all excited to be working on our version of these for a few special little ones in our life.

Little Blue Boo -handmade alphabet bean bags

Stitch and Craft -story dice tutorial

Make It Do - Make a Snowman Kit

The Thrifty Chick: Handmade Personalized Checkers

Coleys Corner: Snowman Candy Wrappers

Scrappybetties Note Card Holders

Ali Edwards Advent Boxes Idea

Crafty Crow Christmas Links/Ideas

The Artful Crafter -Altered Altoid Cans (we are making these for classmates this year for my kindergartener, inside each tin will be a set of Alphabet Matching Cards using some of my favorite digital scrapbooking supplies from designerdigitals.com.

We also are making these for some friends we visit during the Christmas season:

These are lightbulb reindeer, simply made with burnt out lightbulbs, craft paint, and a few craft supplies like pipe cleaners, craft pompoms, etc. my kids really loved painting these and then I would apply the hot glue and they would adhear each of the other items.

I think in general the Holiday season is easily buried in the mantra to buy more, to get the PERFECT gift, to overindulge, which all usually brings on stress, wasted time and spending an aweful lot of money. We have really reevaluated things around here this year, and getting back to some of the basics means finding ways to use our creativity to be a blessing to others. This year our gifts will be handmade, which continues what I shared last week, the kids are learning to knit and sew and we are canning fruits and jams, all things that will be meaningful and heartfelt gifts that they have put so much time and effort into. I have a sneaking supspission that they will enjoy Christmas even more this year when they see the joy they are able bring others by giving gifts that they crafted and created themselves.

And you can always check out the 'big' sites for lots of inspiration and ideas:

BHG Christmas Crafts

Family Fun Christmas Crafts

Martha Stewart Handmade for kids

This is also a great time of year for giving, giving back and lending a hand. It is normal during the holidays to feel the urge to donate to local food pantries or shelters. But this time of year is quite difficult for some families in need, so why not consider participating in a school supply drive, or donating backpacks and canned goods to local charities and shelters now. Why not bake a pie and take it to a neighbor, or mow the lawn down the block. Today, tomorrow, this week its just as a good a time as any to lend a hand to someone in need, to show a little light in the world, to offer some help, to share from your world to others.

Looking for more fun summer ideas, how is your summer 'bucket list' going... dont forget I have created a list of 100 ideas to do with kids this summer... Hope you have marked some of them off the list and are enjoying everyday to the fullest... (I filled out our calendar for August and am sad to see summer dwindling away so quickly, so we are busy having some more fun this week and have GREAT plans for next week) stay tuned...

Spell Out Loud: Preschooler & Playdough

2010-07-22T21:13:51-05:00

Have you played today.......

Spell Out Loud: Preschooler & Playdough.

Spell Out Loud: Preschooler & Playdough

10 things all kids should learn...

2010-07-19T11:03:19-05:00

A mini whirl wind these last days has been fun, invigorating and down right tiring. But thats the good part of summer, we can spend the next little bit recuperating and then keep on going. We finished our Egypt week and then did a few smaller nondescript things on our summer fun list...and spent a great deal of time outside, with visits to the park, a long hike along the creek, and lots of slip and slide time. Sometimes its great to break away from so much structure and just enjoy being together. Along those lines I just found out this am that our plans have to change for next week so I am revamping another week of our summer to accomodate. Not a big deal, just a shift from planned to unplanned - good things can always happen when you least expect it right.

On to this week, most of my kids are enjoying VBS, so this is some valuable down time, but I have have a houseful to entertain and its raining and grey. So this week, we are going to be working on a new list of sorts, one that I have been giving a great deal of thought to lately.

10 things all kids should learn before they become a TEENAGER...

Granted I am a few years from this, I firmly believe that if we approach these things now, they will be more like second nature and habit by the time my kids are basking in the glory of the strong willed independent raging in hormones cycle that awaits us in a few years. So what are these things:

1. All kids should be able to cook a meal... and shop for that meal, plan the meal -there really is a lot that a kid can and should learn about this whole process, plus everyone should be able to bake bread and make a mean pie crust (to name a few)....

2. They should be able to make their beds. (this one silly enough has been hard for me because I always had the preminition that I would be that pollyanna mom who drops her kids off at school and comes home to make beds (and leave mints on their pillows, lol) and basically walk around in my aapron all day tending to our beautiful home.. dont laugh I really thought that is who I would be.... fast forward 13 years + 4 kids, (plus several that arent mine) and the laundry piles up daily, its usually lunch time before I get the dishes unloaded, and I dont make the kids beds, shoot my husband makes ours... but I know how to make a mean hotel fold, and my kids will learn it too. I will never forget being in high school and having a friend come over I was told I couldnt leave until my room was picked up and my bed was made (I thought it was utterly ridiculous, but that was before I was a mom)well, my friend hopped into my bed pulled the covers around her neck and slipped out the side, PRESTO she proclaimed, it took 15 seconds and I learned right there that my NOT making my bed had little to do with TIME...

3. They should be able to sew, whether its a button or a hem, boy or girl, you gotta be able to mend your own issues, right!

4. They should be able to manage their money. We are talking allowance which is another hot topic around here, we finally settled on the kids age for allowance given at the end of the month IF their chores around the house are completed without ATTITUDE!!! Now, around here there are chores that are done because our kids are part of a family unit and this unit must work together to be successful, then there are chores that arefor the sole purpose of their allowance, WHY one main reason we do want to teach them to be responsible with what they are given monetarily. Ii am working on the 'envelope' system with the little ones and actually have set up accounts for the older ones so we can begin the process of balancing a bank account and reconciling at the end of the month, etc. There is a chance to earn more (of course my kids prefer the tooth fairy method, but they are runnig out of that option soon)... So with earning, they have to learn giving and saving...

5. Wash clothes, because despite popular theory in our house, the do not wash themselves and magically reappear on hangers while away at school or camp or dreaming...

6. Basic housekeeping... this is all inclusive but aside from chores, why would a child want to know this, well they may not, but they still need to know how to maintain a clean environment.

7. Basic home repair, I think this is something we miss a lot these days with technology being the only thing that has needed repairing in our house lately. I remember swinging an ax and hammer at a very young age, yet I am not sure any of my kids could do the same... I think this summer is a perfect chance for some getting dirty and some hands on learning of how things work.

8. Manners Matter... plain and simple can they answer the phone politely, can they be helpful with a kind response, should the boys open the girls car door, will they know a proper place setting and how to cut their food gracefully...There is a lot that they can learn and a lot of this happens naturally, but in todays day and age, my kids have probably never answered a telephone and only on a rare occassion do I ever place a full place setting at the table, the car doors are automatic, get the point.. so many basic teaching opportunities are missing in this day and they are still valuable skills that each kid should know.

9. Now not so much along the common sense 'practical' approach, but definately a life skill children need to learn is COMPASSION, I dont think its inate in us as beings, I think it is modeled for us as our own needs are met as infants and toddlers, and I think its something that by the time middle school is reached is soon forgotten.

10. Time Management.. this is important because its something I need to work on myself. Distractions come at us all the time, we are focused on a project (me at my computer) the kids engrossed in a show, things that keep us from living each moment fully. I hope to help my kids learn this summer than planning and organizing their time will get the most out of their lives.. (dont worry I am all for spontaneous things) but I also know that time management will help them in so many areas of their life as they move forward into college, work and marriage.. its important now to show by example and to help with teaching them how important time is.. I really liked this little internet read on Time Management for Kids

I think everyone can make this list for their own kids and all our lists would be different..Here are some great reads if this is something you want to give more thought ....

Planning with Kids -10 things I want my kids to know

Zen Habits 27 skilly your child needs to know

50 things everyone should know

Other things on our list to share this summer:

Growing a garden

Canning our food

Knitting

Writing / Memory keeping (this is big around here, I am an avid scrapbooker, and my kids are keeping scrapbooks in their own words with their own pictures and I know it will be treasured by their children and grandchildren, the way I would cherish something like that had my own granny been able to share that before she left us.)

Serving the greater good (community service is not something you are sentenced with when you break the law)

Random Acts of Kindess -should be a way of life not an ACT of occasion...

Water safety (as a part of taking swimming lessons its important that the kids know how to be safe around water)

Fire Safety (I think we will visit our local firehouse for a tour and a talk with the firemen this summer)

More simple summer ideas can be found here:

Simple Summer Fun

Still Finding Cash: Camping Tips (#6): Creative Camping

2010-07-17T21:05:31-05:00

Still Finding Cash: Camping Tips (#6): Creative Camping.

Still Finding Cash: Camping Tips (#6): Creative Camping

Planning a camping trip this summer with

your family be sure to check out this

series on Camping...

Spell Out Loud

2010-07-08T10:29:17-05:00

Spell Out Loud.

Spell Out Loud makes ice cream with fun printables too.

Discovering Ancient Egypt...

2010-07-06T11:54:27-05:00

We are off to Egypt this week in our quest to keep from boredom this summer. We are excited about what we can learn and all the fun that is in store. Seriously, you start talking mummies and pyramids and the kids are all over it.

There is a lot we can discover in Egypt and about Egypt but here is a quick summary of things we hope to cover.

Hieroglyphics

World Atlas Map of Egypt

Cool interactive embalming activity keep in mind the process in mummification is quite grotesque and may not be appropriate for the littles in your life. My oldest (at age 10) can handle this because of his understanding of history. My littles (4 and 6 -and even my 8 yr old) find this almost scary - so we are approaching it in a little different way which we will share with you later in the week.

Archeology's Interactive Site

Salt dough pyramids

Paper pyramid

Paper Pyramid template

A kids life in Egypt

Cobra Headress

Added to our library this week:

We are excited to get started with our studies. Check back here this week for our progress as we dive into the histroy of Ancient Egypt as well as discover a bit about life in Egypt today.

Here are a few more sites with helpful info ...

Wikipedia's Egypt search page

A-Z Homeschooling Blog Article on Egypt

I will try to post a little each day about our activities and have a giveaway coming this weekend, so stay tuned!

Fun for the 4th means Sharing Links...

2010-06-30T16:28:37-05:00

We are falling quickly into holiday mindset here, and that means crafts, decorations and fun. Which usually means we spend some time looking for ideas on the web. I have debated about posting links to some of my favorite blog finds all at one time each week, but with our various themes going on it seems easy to just keep them going within each of my posts... But since we have a holiday coming up, I decided I would link up to some great crafty goodness for you and your kids.

Irish Folding Star for the 4th from Marvelously Messy cute red white and blue star createdusing a folding pattern. Instructions and samples.

Patriotic Tea Lights from The Paisley Cupcake cute ways to decorate jars perfect accent for a 4th of July table.

Todays Creative Blog I think visiting this site is like hitting the jackpot.. On a regular basis she links to great creative blogs she discovers, but what I ran across is 'Get Your Craft on Tuesday' where visitors can link up their blogs with a single photo and tag line -so its like thumbnail heaven of crafty goodness.. You have to check out the blog as well as the links, I have just added it to my reader.

Still Finding Cash Aside from ongoing ideas of how to live well without spending the bank, this blog has great craft and holiday ideas. This blog is one I already visit as often as she posts.

Red White and Blue Cupcakes from this tidymom oh if nothing else click the link to see this yummy goodness!

Crafty Crow this link is to the 4th of july ideas page, but meander around the crafty crow.. I always find ideas and inspiration here, my kids even know to check out crafty crow if we are looking for fun new craft ideas.

Here are some things we have been doing to prepare around here (some from last year too)..

I made this bunting with some scrap fabrics - its a no-sew project just using the hot glue gun and took about 10 minutes including cutting out the triangles..gotta love that...

This is a traditional fare to go along with the cookout.

And this -we make this every year.. so good... we have it when we get home from fireworks.

And then we used extra fabric in an old frame for the hutch.

And these headbands for the girls, and they used popsicle sticks to make flags..

And they are sitting at the table making firecracker crafts right now, so I hope to add that to this post later on.

We will have a wrap up post on our 1960's activities by the end of the week, it has been more of a stuggle this week to find activities that tie into this decade so we have enjoyed a movie or two, playing outside when the weather allows, and doing our 4th of July crafts.

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