Advent Mania

So I haven't been as organized with the advent calendar this year (thus the cups in the first place). Last year I typed out cute little activities for almost every day ahead of time. This week I was lucky if I stuffed the cup before he woke up. This morning I had to distract him during breakfast and do a little surreptitious slam dunk with the loot. I caved and stuffed it with dinosaur tattoos as I didn't have any activity inspiration (or time) today. But yesterday was inspired (or so I thought).

On the first day we took out all the holiday books. We had a lot of fun reading all of them. Monkey will sit for hours listening to books. We read "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies" over and over and over and over. Monkey is enamored with the mouse since we saw the theatre version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" a few weeks ago. In the book, the mouse strings a popcorn garland so I thought it would be fun to make one too (there's also one with popcorn and cranberries in "The Littlest Christmas Tree" so he wanted to make that). I didn't have any cranberries and Monkey didn't have any interest in going to the store so we kept it simple with just popcorn. We also don't have a popcorn popper so we went old school on the stove top. Well, let me tell you - stringing popcorn that's cooked on a stove ain't as easy as you'd think. The kernels are still stuck to most of the popcorn so it makes it really hard to get a needle through - and they're dry so there's a lot of breakage. Luckily, as with

any project, it's not about the end result to Monkey (and I had to remind myself of that when I was wanting to swear at all the broken popcorn). He thought it was really cool and enjoyed eating the popcorn just as much as making the garland. We finished a little over a foot and he decided (hallelujah) that it was long enough for the birds. So we donned our coats and hung the sad little thing on the tree out front. We plan to watch and see how long it lasts with birds, critters and weather. Tomorrow the activity is "go to Grammy and Grandpa's for the weekend and watch the Santa parade". That will be a big hit - and give me some time to come up with some stuff for the next few weeks (or maybe I'll put that off and nap) . . .

Update: This morning we watched as the crows devoured the last of the garland.

P.S. thanks to Kids Craft Weekly for linking to my little advent idea. I got 500+ hits the other day - craziness! If you haven't checked out her stuff out you should.

Advent Adventure

I'm a procrastinator - always have been. So I'm usually no help to those who search blogs for crafty ideas. I'll post about them months later or too late to get it done - or not at all (you should have seen the cute witch hats we decorated for a preschool project). HOWEVER, you still have a day to complete this easy peasy project and have a fun way to count down the days with your kiddos.

Last year, I painstakingly folded origami cups and it was worth it (and really not that bad), but I didn't make them sturdy enough to be re-used (plus I wanted a little bigger pocket for loot). So I desperately tried to figure out a way I could make something quick, easy (cheap) and cute.

Voila! I present to you the quick & dirty advent calendar!

Materials you'll need to make your own:

Small cups: (I chose plain red and green punch cups) - found at Fred Meyer in the party section. They are 9 oz. I was hoping for smaller (the original idea in my head was with dixie cups) but I actually like the size now.


Numbers: I printed some in circles that I colored red and green on the computer - you could stamp or just simply write them on the cups with a pen. There are even easy number stickers you could use.

Ribbon: Joann's was having their 70% off ribbon sale yesterday - score! Or just use kitchen string or twine.

Clips: I used mini clothespins (leftover from last year's project) but you could use binder clips, paper clips, etc. You could even staple to the ribbon. I chose not to so we could take the cups down as we go. I plan to replace the empty spots on the ribbon with any drawings/projects Monkey makes during the month.

1) Affix numbers to the cups
2) Attach to the ribbon
3) Fill cups with messages, loot, etc.
4) Show to kiddies and have a fun time each morning checking out the new surprise!

I haven't figured out what will be in all the cups yet but some days will be a little treat (edible or a toy) and others will have a note about an activity we'll do that day.

Here are some I know I'll be using:

Note: Get out the holiday books

Note: Paint an ornament for the tree

Note: Go to Grammy & Grandpa's and watch the Santa parade
Note: Decorate the Christmas Tree
Note: Visit Winterfest
Note: Bake & decorate cookies
Note: go look at Christmas lights

Note: paint wrapping paper
Note: look under the tree for a surprise and we'll watch a holiday movie tonight (the surprise will be pj's for the whole fam)

"Stuff"
small dinosaurs
crazy straws (the kid loves them)
dinosaur tattoos
card game

Now go do it - it's fast and easy and a whole month of fun!

P.S. if you had to buy everything for this project it would be well under $10. Compare that with the Pottery Barn tree I've always coveted (and have thought of trying to make every year but then remember who I am!)

Involve your kids - get white cups and have them paint, draw or glue to decorate! I would have done that if I had thought ahead and Monkey wasn't at Grammy's this weekend.

If you like this - check out these great thank you cards and this easy Santa photo display.

P.S. Please share your results!

Christmas Crafting

Well, I've caught the bug again. Not H1N1 but the crafting bug. Of course it's a bit late - but I want to make another advent calendar this year. Last year's was a lot of fun (both to make and open) and the plan is to make it a tradition. If only I had made the origami cups a bit sturdier . . . I would suggest using ribbon for the handles if you make it but I didn't want to buy anything so I tried to use what I had in the house (lots of paper). Anyhoo, I've got a quick idea for this year's calendar and I'll be sure to share once it's done - hopefully prior to December 1st!

(Last year's folding fun)

I'm also excited to have a mantel this year - Mark finished it (mostly) over the summer and it's exciting to have somewhere to hang the stockings again. It also means I have some horizontal space to play with for decorating . . . agh! I was inspired by Amber over at Life and Times of Stella (check her out - she's funny and smart) to create a banner kind of like this. She hasn't blogged about it but I know she has all the materials just ready and waiting. Mine will be a bit simpler as again - I want to use up what I have in the house! I think I'll raid Monkey's glitter stash.

So that's what I'll be doing in the wee hours - what about you?

Movember

I meant to post this prior to November - but it's not too late! Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues - specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

If you've ever wanted to grow a mustache - here's a wonderful excuse that your partner can't dismiss. And if you're follicularly-challenged (I don't think that's a word but it should be) or mustache-phobic (understandable) you can support your mo-bros, raise awareness and donate to the cause! Feel free to join our team Mo Bikes.

Or donate to the cause here:

We got a bit of a late start as we had family pictures done on Monday (oops) so Mark had to shave off his fuzz and start over - so you can too! Really, it's not about the mo - it's about the conversation.

A Mo Bro starts Movember – the month formerly known as November – clean shaven, and grows a moustache all month long, garnering support from friends and family in the form of donations. What’s more, a Mo Bro is a walking billboard for the cause as his new look opens the door for him to talk about cancers affecting men – making the moustache a symbol, much like the pink ribbon is for breast cancer. Each Movember culminates in a Gala Partè in major cities around the globe where Mo Bros dress up to match their Mo, channeling the likes of Tom Selleck, Gandhi and Ron Burgandy, vying for the ultimate accolade: Man of Movember.

While growing a Mo is left to the guys, Mo Sistas (women who support their guys) form an important part of Movember by recruiting Mo Bros, helping to raise funds and attending the highly anticipated Gala Partés.

This Movember, the money raised in the U.S. will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:
• the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
• research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

To date, Movember has raised $47 million globally making it the world’s largest charity event for men. Significantly, awareness of men’s health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread important health messages directly to millions of Mo Bros & Sistas around the world.

I challenge you to join us in changing the face of men's health.

For further information, visit Movember's official site.

Fun Stealer

Looking for fun

I'm a fun stealer. A stealer of fun. Does that make me a bad mom? This is what I was accused of the other day by a scuzzy man I ran into on a street corner.

Let's back up.

It was the first day of preschool and my son and a couple of his buddies (and their moms) were getting pre-preschool doughnuts to celebrate. After the sugar infusion the boys were on the sidewalk banging on the newspaper machines and having general excitement overload. I was watching from the corner of my eye while trying to listen to my friends when a man came up to the boys and started chatting. They were out of earshot so I sidled over and jokingly said, "careful boys, don't break anything now." Or something innocuous (or so I thought) like that. Basically, I just wanted to inject myself into the conversation since I didn't know this man.

Later, I asked myself if it was because he was unwashed with wild hair, clutching a lot of bags . . . but that is just middle-class guilt clouding my vision. I know that I'd have done the same thing if he'd been in a suit.

After my comment, he wheeled around and said with complete disgust, "oh GREAT! You've just completely ruined their fun. You're just the kind of mom I'd want! They were exploring their world and you had to go and ruin it! What a horrible mother!!!" He continued to yell at me as he walked away down the sidewalk. I was taken aback of course. Confrontation always makes me sweat - and in this case, I had nowhere to place my emotions. I couldn't scream back at him (as I so wanted to do) because the kids were right there. So my fight or flight response just made me shake - good times! I even questioned myself for a minute - did I take away their fun? Am I a horrible mother? And then I really wanted to slap myself - because really that's what it comes down to. That is the mother experience in a nutshell. Constant questioning from external and internal sources - am I doing a number on my kid?

So here I was on a street corner being yelled at by a man with obvious issues and it was affecting me. This crazy guy was making me question myself and my parenting. Visibly flustered, I walked back over to my friends (they missed the whole exchange) and recounted the whole fun confrontation. One friend said something like, "Well, maybe if his mom had taken away a little more of his fun he'd be in a better place right now." We all laughed and my tension eased a bit. But later when I was reflecting on the whole experience, I couldn't stop thinking about that guy's poor mom. She was still being judged! I mean at some point can we be absolved? Or it it always going to be our (collective mom) fault?

Well, I for one will continue to be a proud stealer of fun.

Dinosaur Mania

Monkey is loving the dinos these days (they pop up in all sorts of conversations) and I thought I'd share some of the winning books and toys. We were lucky enough to get some great used books from an older boy who also loved dinosaurs (and pirates but that's another post). Here are a few books that Monkey has really enjoyed, again and again and again and again . . .

The Colossal Book of Dinosaurs - Monkey really loves chapter books and this book is no exception. Each chapter is a "day in the life" story of a specific dinosaur. I really enjoyed learning right along with him about how all the featured dinos lived. It's nice because you learn about each dinosaur via a story - not just a list of dry facts.

Jane Yolen and illustrator Mark Teague have a whole series of "How Do Dinosaurs X" books. They are short and sweet - rhyming format. The first half asks if dinos do X (all the naughty/funny things you probably shouldn't do) and then at the end it changes to how dinos really act (very well of course). The rhymes are cute but the illustrations are really what I love in this series. Each dino is named somewhere on the page as well - and Monkey loves to find each one.
















When Dinosaurs Came With Everything - written by Elise Broach/illustrated by David Small

We stumbled upon this book eating breakfast - it was free in the Cheerios box. I have to say I love that program - we've gotten some great books out of it. A few weeks ago we found it at the library so we could see it in large format. This is a great story about a boy who goes on boring "errand day" with his mom - but this day you get dinos with EVERYTHING. Needless to say, he loves it and his mom is none too happy. Great story - and I haven't gotten sick of reading it. High praise indeed!


Dinosaurs Forever - written by William Wise/illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

This book is packed full of funny rhymes about dinosaurs - some teach you things (like the three ages of the dinosaurs - Jurassic, Triassic, Cretaceous) and others are just for fun (like the dino ball or Allosaurus trying desperately to stick to her diet). I have to say I have gotten tired of reading this - but only because it's been on the menu for nap and nighttime for weeks now - and it's long! And if you skip one - he will call you out!

Last but not least - a great dinosaur set that gives good bang for the buck. It's the Animal Planet Big Tub of Dinosaurs. We got this as a gift and it's gotten so much use! I've seen it for many prices but Toys R Us has the best so far at $19.99 (and I HATE Toys R Us - but for the next dino lover's birthday party we're going to brave it). The dinosaurs aren't the most realistic - but 12 dinos for twenty bucks - plus TWO volcanoes (popular at our house) and trees (way too many trees) is a great deal. The play mat is way too flimsy - but who needs it? Lately we set up our the train tracks in dinosaur land - that's a lot of fun. So I would highly recommend this set - great for open-ended dino play and not too expensive. I've seen one dinosaur for over $20 before (very nice and all but really does Monkey care that it's accurate to the millimeter? - I think not!)

Playmobile also has a cool set with an exploding volcano - but only a couple of dinosaurs. It also comes with some scientists and lots of little, teensy equipment for said scientists (not a great toy for those with babies crawling around). It also has dinosaur bones that you can "find" and put together - fun! This set is more expensive than the "tub" but he does love to explode the volcano! We just add both sets together nowadays. Dino land takes over the living room most days.

Halloween Fun

I just stumbled upon this wonderful blog and it's perfect for this time of year! It's all Halloween all the time. Love it! I can't wait to make these great spinners. It also led me to a fun flickr group. I love Halloween!

I know I haven't blogged in a while but I hope to change that - soon. I've joined a writing group (which I hope to actually attend at least a few times a month) and sadly, I've decided to stop writing for Seattle Picks. It was a hard decision but I'm hoping it will be for the best and help me focus more . . . you heard it here first. Now if this is my last post until next year - you know it didn't work!

Enjoy the Halloween goodies!