Want to know how to make a paint that is fluffy like snow, dries with a puffy texture, and is a super fun sensory experience for your kiddo? Read along for a tutorial on making Snow Paint! Materials: White glue Shaving cream Glitter Peppermint essential oil Bowl Spoon and/or paint brush How to Make: 1. Dump equal parts white glue and shaving cream into a bowl. 2. Shake some glitter into the bowl (white or silver works well for the snow look). 3. Add 1 drop peppermint essential oil. It makes it smell better than glue and shaving cream, and gives it a wintry scent. Completely optional. 4. Lightly stir…
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Top 10 Things to NEVER Say to a New Mom
People ask and tell new Moms all kinds of things. Some are well intended, some are just plain not. Before the verbal diarrhea leads you to say something snarky, or ask something nosey, please read this: Top 10 things to NEVER say to a new mom. 1. “Is your baby sleeping through the night yet?” Sleep schedules and requirements vary drastically from one baby to the next. Some babies get by with far less sleep than others. Some babies sleep through the night from day 1, some don’t sleep more than 1 hour at a time for the first couple years of life (*ahem* I have the latter). Besides this, babies go on…
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Lumberjack Party Bag
My 3 year old LOVES lumberjacks. I’m not even sure why, but she does. Today she asked me if we could make a “Lumberjack Party Bag.” When I asked her what the party bag would be for, she told me, “For my next party, of course!” There ya have it. We have her 4th birthday party theme already determined, almost 1 year in advance: Lumberjacks. I should start working on that now, because I am fairly positive there isn’t much out on the interwebs about throwing a lumberjack party. So here you go, friends. In case your kid ever asks you to make a “lumberjack party bag,” you’ll be all…
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Dear Husband Across the Room
7:30 pm, my husband and I begin the bedtime routines with our 2 girls. Our 3-year-old brushes her teeth, takes a bath, then it’s jammies, stories, and songs. It’s typically the same most nights, with the occasional derailment. Ok, we always get derailed. She wants a carrot to munch on in bed, she has to go potty for the 10th time, she needs a different stuffed animal, she wants her other water bottle with the robots NOT the butterflies, she wants the soft sheets not the scratchy ones, the list goes on. I sing her to sleep in her big girl bed, give her a butterfly kiss, then I sneak…
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To the Mom in the Yoga Pants
I walked into the grocery store… I walked into the grocery store the other day while babywearing my 6 month old and walking hand-in-hand with my 3 year old. We made it to the store in one piece, easily braving the snowy parking lot, and went in the store. It was rejuvenating, after the sleepless night we had before, and the crazy departure from the home that took 2 hours. My 3 year old asked politely to get into the cart, my 6 month old on my chest was all smiles, and I even remembered my shopping list and bottles to return. I was feeling optimistic and relaxed. Within 3…
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The Science of Oobleck-ing
What is Oobleck? Oobleck is an easy-to-make substance that has some interesting physical properties. The liquid-like slime is an example of a non-Newtonian fluid. Many common liquids like water and alcohol have a constant viscosity, but Oobleck can be liquid when held loosely in your hand. It can also act like a solid if it’s hit with something. The name comes from Dr. Seuss’s 1949 children’s book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, which is about a king who is so bored with the weather in his kingdom that he wants something completely new to fall from the sky. If you want to make this fun, completely new substance with your kiddo, check…
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You’ve Been Demoted: A Letter to All My Babies
Demoted: when someone has been given a lower rank or less senior position To All of My Babies, This letter is to my babies. I have 5 of them. Sure, three of them are “just” fur-babies, but nonetheless, they are all still my babies. Dear Bosco – the cat I got in grad school, I adopted you from a family who was moving to Australia, who almost gave you to the pound. You were there for me during one of the most difficult parts of my life. I was getting a Master’s degree. You sat on the couch next to me through all hours of the night while I studied, and said nothing.…
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Valentine’s Day “Love” Craft
My 3 year old loves to paint on canvases. Lately we’ve been having fun with masking tape and acrylic paint. We’ve created some holiday decor for the house that is gorgeous and 100% painted by her. I wanted to share the Valentine’s Day “LOVE” craft we did together today. Supplies: Sponge brush or paint brush Canvas (any size) Scissors Masking tape Egg carton Acrylic paint (red, purple, white) Paint smock Glitter Instructions: 1. Mom spells “LOVE” on the canvas with masking tape. Make the letter edges as sharp and even as you can. 2. Put paint smock on your kiddo. 3. Pour some acrylic paint into an egg carton. We…
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It’s OK to Cry Over Spilled Milk
“Don’t cry over spilled milk.” It’s a familiar statement. We were told by our parents, they were told by their parents, and it just keeps going back. While the intention of this statement is debatably a good one, I still struggle with the idea. It’s OK to cry over spilled milk. Taken literally, let’s explore the statement. A child who recently learned to use a fork and sit at a table in a booster chair, spilled her glass of milk. As parents, we try to stay calm, and we clean up the mess. If we are teaching our children to be independent, we may ask them (even at an early age), to assist…
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Toddler Clown Craft
My 3 year old loves clowns. They have been her “thing” for a quite a few months and she’s just so curious about them. She loves their wild hair, their noses, and the “creepy factor” seems to intrigue her. I wanted to make a clown craft with her that she could do almost entirely herself. Here is what we came up with: the toddler clown craft. Supplies: Paper plate Scissors Construction paper Glue Pencil Balls (I used some leftover ones we had from the holidays, making Rudolph ornaments) Instructions: Trace both hands with a pencil. Sisters were bonding here through clown hair tracing. 😉 Cut out traced hands. Mom…
