Dr. Love

I really appreciate a homemade Valentine, and if I can help it, we will be a homemade Valentine family for as long as my children will allow it (and even then, I will always make my own). There is something so special about heart shaped doilies and glitter, I'm quite giddy just thinking about it. So today, we set up the assembly line and the Crazies helped make Valentines for Goofball's class, Grandparents, Uncle Michael, Aunt Katie, and my 5th graders. After they went to nap (although, as I type this, "Sweetpea" is screaming for the 287th day in a row before she passes out from exhaustion... but that's another post).

I wanted to do something different for Gary this year, so I'm making him 100 "Love Potion Pills"... here's what you need:
* 100 water soluble pill capsules (I got mine from Whole Foods in the medicinal area... don't ask me why someone might want to make their own medicine, I'm just glad to be able to buy them)
* 100 thin strips of paper (pink, red, white)
* 100 reasons why I love Gary

First, write a special sentiment on the first strip of paper. Next, tightly roll it up. Last, open capsule and insert paper. Repeat 100 times. When I'm done, I'm going to package them up in a cute jar and he has 100 days of loving affirmations from his adoring wife. If you have a cute Valentine idea, leave the link here! I do love a good Valentine!

Bad Mommy

My boy. He's got the strep throat. After a trip to the doctor, we headed for Safeway to fill his prescription and get a little treat from Starbucks as we waited. As we're standing at the counter in the pharmacy, Goofball reminds me that he's been watching too much T.V. with the following conversation:

BuddyBoy: Mom, do you see that green box of medicine back there on the shelf?

Me: Yes.

BuddyBoy: Do you know that it's the best medicine for getting rest when you have a cough or cold?

Me: How do you know that?

BuddyBoy: That's what studies show.

Nice. Way to go advertising companies. Chock one more up on your tally board for product recognition for the five and under set. Don't worry, he'll probably be begging me for McDonald's or Coke products before we make it home.

Easy ABC Art

I am so excited to be in the midst of making over Sweetpea's room. She just got her first big girl bed and it has inspired me to complete projects I have had on my "craft to-do" list for months (years?). The first is a quilt. I have purchased the most spectacularly adorable Amy Butler fabric, but have yet to actually start cutting. The second project is this super easy ABC Art for her wall. I was inspired by a similar project I saw in a scrapbook magazine a few years ago. The whole project cost me about $10.00 and I just love it, and more importantly, Sweetpea does too!

First, I gathered my supplies.
* a canvas, any size (I had this humongo one hanging around the house from a failed "fine art" attempt I made a few years ago, then spent some time in our family room covered in some cool fabric from Ikea, now on to it's new life as ABC Art...)

* Chipboard ABC's
* patterned paper of your choice

* pictures, trinkets, stickers, etc. for your ABC pictures

How To:

1) Paint the canvas (I used a bright pink acrylic)

2) Spray paint the chipboard letters (I used a turquoise blue, then distressed the edges with some sandpaper)

3) Cut 54 squares or rectangles in your choice of paper (a mix of stripes, polka dots, and flowers are my favorite combo)

4) Gather trinkets to pictorially represent each letter (some of my favorites are the owl sticker for "o", the picture of my girl for "m", an old key from my Grandma for "k", a zebra print ruffle for "z") If Sweetpea were older, I might have had her illustrate some of the items, kid art is so awesome and would really become a keepsake. This is the fun part!5) Arrange the letters and pictures and modge podge those suckers to the canvas

6) Done! A totally cool and unique to your family piece of kid room art!

I've Got the Fever...

...Spring Cleaning Fever that is. With my trusty sidekick (my label maker) at my side, and some sparkly new rubbermaid containers, I'm organizing every last nook and cranny in this crazy house. Thanks to my friend Lisa for the great idea to use a shoe organizer in my pantry. Gotta run, my laundry room shelves are calling my name...

Lost tooth, twice

So Goofball's bottom two teeth had been awfully wiggly this last week, so last night we decided to try to pull the wiggly-est of the two. We pulled and pulled, even trying to lasso the darn thing with dental floss, with no luck. I made Goofball promise not to lost his very first tooth while he was at school today, because then his very sentimental mom would miss the monumental event. So he lost his tooth at school, of course. To top it off, he lost it! After it fell out, he told the teacher's assistant (who is a very sweet young woman, but clearly doesn't understand the erratic behavior of my pre-kindergartener!), and she told him to PUT IT IN HIS POCKET! Well, he didn't. Instead he wanted to show the entire class what they too had to look forward to. And now it's gone. I pulled myself together upon hearing this tragic news and am now composing a letter to the tooth fairy explaining this whole debacle.

The Crazies get Crazy

Up until now, finding things to do, besides just hanging out at home or the park, when Grandma and Grandpa are in town was hard to do. Our kids were too small to do most things, and you can only take guests to the zoo so many times before it becomes fairly redundant.

Monday, we went bowling. The bumpers worked like a charm for Goofball, who pumped himself up for each turn by throwing up his fist, shouting, "Victory is mine!" Goofball coined his signature "Run and Toss" bowling form. He also discovered that bowling shoes and floor are the perfect combination of slippery-ness for some seriously hard-core breakdancing. Even Sweetpea loved heaving her little 6- pounder up to the line and giving it the slightest nudge, just strong enough, to get the ball down the lane (except for that one time that her ball actually started come back at us in the opposite direction it was supposed to be traveling). At its fastest, her ball clocked a whopping 1.45 mph. Did you know the new lanes have counters that actually clock the speed of the ball? I didn't. We also rode the new(ish) Phoenix light rail train from a spot near our house to downtown's Old Spaghetti Factory. We got an eyeful of some interesting public transit folk and some great views of downtown. Both extremely entertaining.

On our last night together, we joined the Snowbirds (The "Bluehairs" as Gary calls them... any Arizonians with me on this one?!) down at the Organ Stop Pizza. Loud Organ Music for an hour. Awesome. Some super cheesy fun. The Crazies couldn't get enough.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great visit! Please come see us again soon (we have one Goofball very anxious to give up his bed again for you!)

All Dolled Up!

So, Did you notice anything different? New hairdo? No. I look like I've lost weight?! Oh, go on... but no. My new and improved BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL blog?! Why yes! Thanks to Sharon over at Redbud Designs, this here blog is all gussied up and ready for the new year! Grab my button over there on the right, and spread a little love on your blog too.

Do you love it as much as I do?