A Fairy Garden

Miss O has recently entered into the world of fairies. I must admit, I find this phase super cute and fun. We have been reading fairy books and watching fairy movies.

So, my parents decided to get her the fixings for her very own fairy garden. This was a great opportunity for them to create something together, and make some memories. 

 

 We have informed Miss O that the fairies here in Southern Arizona are nocturnal. This does not keep her from going outside most mornings to check. I love getting to hear her calls of  "Fairy....come out, come out."

All you have to do is believe....right?

Ribbon Rings

Sunday afternoons after church can be a challenge for us. I view this as a time to spend with family and to rest. However, that is not how it goes. I am usually alone with the kids, and the last thing my pre-schooler and toddler want to do is rest and relax. It is so easy to say "sure, watch movies all afternoon." Although the afternoon passes by smoother, Miss O will spend the next week trying to convince me she needs to watch movies all the time.

To combat movie marathons, I decided to try something a little different this Sunday. I made the kids ribbon rings. All I needed was two wooden rings and strips of ribbon. I tied the ribbon to the rings. I turned on the radio and the munchkins started a dance party.

This activity keep my kids busy for awhile. I wish I could say that this was my idea, but I saw kids playin with these at Miss O's school and it just looked so pretty and fun. I have to say that my kids agreed. It got serious when Miss O had to go and change into one of her "dancing dresses" for this activity. They danced and twirled around with those ribbon rings, and laughed and giggled while doing it. It made a momma's heart proud.



Gearing Up For The Holiday Fun

Have I ever mentioned to you guys how much I love being a mother? I don't just mean I love my munchkins (which I do very much), but I love being a mom. One of the many awesome things about being a mom is that I get to make and plan kids crafts and other learning activities. I always have craft ideas for my kids, and if we are not crafting we are baking. If it were not for my munchkins, I would feel silly going into the craft store to buy the foam sticker, pom poms, and pipe cleaners that I just can't resist buying. Plus, nobody should eat all those baked goods by themselves.



Something else I greatly love is the holiday season! The kids and I are starting to jump into Christmas a little early because Miss O got tired of making turkey crafts. They kiddos were so excited when I started pulling out different supplies. They loved to see the bright colors of Christmas, and the sparkle of glitter and sequins.

I have been pouring over Pinterest for weeks looking for fun Holiday activities for us. Last year Miss O was just a little too young to be excited about the fun leading up to Christmas, and Short Round was a handful ( That is an understatement). I am bursting with excitement over all the fun we are going to have this holiday season.

What fun things does your family do in the weeks leading up to Christmas?

A Busy Bag Party

Sorry for the super late post today. Things around here have been crazy. I am just now getting the opportunity to sit down. I have been busy with crafting(details and news to follow soon), VBS, and getting the garage cleaned up. (so the car can be parked in there during the warm months)

 

Recently some good friends of ours moved back to their hometown in South Carolina. This was a sad occasion for us, because they were some of the first friend we made after moving here. They have a little girl who is just a few weeks older than Miss O, and we have know them since the girls were about 6 months old.

 

A cross country tip can be stressful with a toddler, so our friend organized a busy bag exchange party.

I made lacing cards, and the mess left behind was beautiful. It took me forever to clean up all of the dots from the hole punch.

There were 8 other participants, which means.....9 busy bags total!! Check out all of these goodies! These are going to be great on days when the weather is crappy and Miss O can't really get outside; and with monsoons coming up, some indoor activities will be necessary.

 



What We Made

I did not get the chance to make or bake as much as I wanted too this Christmas season; Short Round keeps me pretty busy these days. However, there was a fair amount of crafting that happened, and really who ever gets their list of holiday crafting finished!?!?

I was super excited about this Christmas season, because Miss O is totally into glueing, and painting. We made some tissue paper wreaths, and decorated some paper Christmas trees. She had so much fun, and next year I will really plan things out better so that we have more items for her to make.

I did not get all of the knitting done that I wanted to, but I got a couple of really important things made. Such as the scarf for my mom, and Miss O's snake (which she told me was her favorite gift and it melted my heart!)

The only sewing I did this year was a purse for Miss O, and not much happened in my kitchen as well. I did make some orange slice ornaments (I also burned a lot of oranges in my oven because I forgot about them! OOOPS!), and some white chocolate covered pretzels.

Overall, I would say that when making a list of the things we did, it really was more that I thought it was. I got a lot accomplished, while learning a lot, and have a bunch of fun doing it!

 

Yummy Decorating

The Christmas season this year has been so much fun. Miss O is learning so much about Christmas, and is at a great age to do lots of fun activities leading up to the holiday.

Marcy, or neighbor bought Miss O this super cute gingerbread man decorating kit. So, the other day while she was hanging out with her best buddy, we spread out the pizza blanket,  (the blanket used to spread out on the floor while eating in the living room)gave the kids popsicle sticks to spread out the icing, and let them go for it.

They decorated for awhile, then it became fun to just mix the red, green, and white icing all together. Just to let you know it turns into a nasty looking brown color! Then of course we all watched Mickey Mouse and ate the funky brown colored gingerbread man! They loved it!

Thanks Marcy!