Practical Solution

This post is WAY overdue.  Back at the beginning of our MOPS year (in August 2010) I was presented with a problem.  A majority of the kids who came did not have their bags or cups labeled.  I myself...guilty as charged!  It made it difficult for the nursery workers who were trying to determine which bag/cup belonged to which child.  I even experienced the same problem a few weeks earlier on Sunday morning while in the nursery.  The only way we figured it out was by comparing the size/type of diaper the child was wearing to what was in each bag.  There's got to be an easier way though, right?

Of course there are these very cool monogrammed bags you can purchase.

(PotteryBarnKids.com)

But not when you have to have them in mass.

And these cup tags....

(inchbug.com)

Again....Super cute, but not in our budget to buy enough for every mom.  (Yet they are microwave/dishwasher/lots of other cool stuff safe.)

So here's what we came up with.  The diaper bag tags...

 These are just the ones I have for my boys.  I wish I would have gotten pics of all the ones the ladies made.  They all came out really cute.  We purchased the plastic ID covers from Wal-mart.  They come in a pack 12/$2.50.  (Sorry no pic.)  Then we used small rubber bands to loop through the ID cover and then around a strap on our bag.  It's pretty much like a luggage tag.  I've seen sturdier ones out there, but these worked great since we had to make them in mass on a small budget.  Plus they were personable!  If your child has any type of food/medicine allergies you could also write that on the tag somewhere.  I know not every mom likes their child's name/info being proclaimed to the world, so like I did with Blaine's...put the name on the side that faces the diaper bag and just a cute design on the other.  You could also tuck or attach the tag to the inside of your bag somewhere.

Now for the cups...

We simply bought a pack of 1/2" wide rubber bands.  They come in a pack of approximately 45/$2.00.  I couldn't find them at Office Max, but they did have them at Staples.  (Complete side note:  they smell kind of stinky when you have them in mass.)

(staples.com)

I was hoping we could decorate them and make them real cute, but nothing seemed to stay on.  I tried permanent markers and paint markers.  After a few hours of being handled it would rub off.  If anyone tries anything else with success let me know!!!  You can use a regular ball point pen or a permanent marker.  You just have to re-write it occasionally.  They work great!!!  {LOVE them.}  The nursery workers love them too!  They were so excited when I did the "trial run" on Colin's cup that first time.  They fit multiple size sippy cups, plus the bottles we use, and I can just slip them on and off when needed.

Dirt Bike!

One of the things I've been wanting to do with the boys is to have some special one-on-one time with them.  With Tim bringing in some "extra dough" right now I figured I could put a little aside to cover a babysitter so I could take them on a date.  I already had one with Ryan and I had my first one-on-one date with Colin last Friday!

The plan was to go to the park, the Yamaha store, Applebees for lunch, and maybe another store or something.  Well, it was a tad chilly for my preference at 9 AM, so we skipped the park.  I figured we could go to one of the other stores I had in mind or to Wazoo's (an indoor play place with nothing but those big inflatable jumping cages).  Come to find out...nothing is open at nine in the morning.  Ten o'clock seems to be when the world comes to life.  So we ended up at McD's (my favorite, *lots of sarcasm). 

Colin has always been a little hesitant to go in the play places at restaurants.  He's gotten much better, but I wasn't sure how he would do without Ryan to follow around.  He went in, then about one minute later came back out and was just kind of pacing back and forth looking at it.  I knew he was going to need a little extra encouragement.  So in I went.  Those things are dirty!  It's not my first time climbing in one of those but for some reason the thought of getting some Lysol wipes and cleaning it out occurred to me.  I wonder how often the inside gets cleaned??  Anyway.  I realized the reason he came back out earlier was due to a high "step" inside the play place that he couldn't get onto; hence, not being able to make it to the slide.  I went through a few times, but then decided to show him a different way to get up onto the step.  Mom can't last that long.

We hung around just till 10 then decided to head over to the Yamaha store.  I am supposed to be getting a helmet so I can ride with Tim when he gets home.  Colin LOVES all things bike, so I knew he would enjoy going to the store with me.  When we pulled up he started kicking his legs, and clapping, and shouting "yeah!!!".  He was very excited!  :-)

No luck finding a helmet worth purchasing at this point.  (Given the limited "nice, girl" designs I am working on the idea of buying a plain one and coming up with my own design.)  Still worth the trip though.  Colin tried on helmets with me.  He sat on 4 wheelers, motorcycles, mo-peds, and dirt bikes!  Needless to say...it was hard to leave.

After that we went and bought some flip-flops and a bouncy ball.  Then to Applebees for lunch! 
We even had a brownie and ice cream for dessert.  Colin gasped out of delight when he saw our waitress bring it out!  (He used to do this all the time when he was offered Cheeto Puffs! hehe) 

I think one of the best things about our date days is that we get to take Daddy's truck!  It's always a treat when we get to ride in Daddy's truck.

I was horrible and didn't get any pictures of my first date with Ryan; nor did I blog about it.  This time I at least got two/three pictures.  Striving to do better next time!

He's Rolling!!!!!!

Half-way at least.  Blaine woke up about 6:15 this morning upset about something.  I gave him some time to cry it out, but instead of going back to sleep, he got more upset and he had is mad cry going; which normally means he's hungry.  When I went to get him I found him on his back!  He did this three times right around his 2 month birthday, but haven't seen him do it since.  Well this afternoon he did it for real!!!!  Multiple times in a row!!!!  Granted it's tummy-to-back, but I'm confident back-to-tummy is coming soon!  (We've been practicing.)  I even captured his first "official" roll on video!  Then we called Daddy right away and he got to see him do it about 4 more times!

Man..he's so stinkin' cute!!!!

Book Review: Boxes for Katje

I try to take the boys to the library on a regular basis.  We're still trying to get back into the swing of it since we've added Blaine to the picture.  We used to go once a week.  Now it's like every 2-3 weeks.  We have a lot of books at home already, but it's nice having some variety.  The boys don't mind reading the same thing over and over and over again..but I start to dread story time. 

Normally when we go we try and pick out any books that have our letter of the week in the title.  I've tried having a list of books I want prior to going in, but 99.9% of the time our library doesn't have them.  I've tried using the inner library loan system, but last time I requested two books, it took about three weeks for them to come in.  That would require A.LOT. of prior planning that I'm just not ready for.  Anyway.  All that to say...selecting random books off the shelf gives me a 50/50 chance of getting a "good" book.  We've had some cute ones in the past, but one of the ones we picked out this last time would be one of the better ones we've gotten. 

                                                                                                    

(amazon.com)

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming is based on a true story about the physical needs of a family in Holland after WWII and a family in America who felt led to support that family.  (I know Ryan and Colin have no way of understanding the truth behind the story we read, but it almost had me in tears.)  I deeply want my boys to be compassionate toward others, to put other's needs first.  I want them to understand and be thankful for the bountiful supply of food and clothes that surround us.  I want them to have a heart for those less fortunate than us.  This book promotes those things.

Father God, I pray you would give Tim and I the wisdom to teach our boys about service.  Let us lead by example.  Give us opportunities to minister and open our eyes to see not only the physical needs of people but the spiritual needs as well.

Fleur-de-lis

My friend Jenny was gracious enough to host a girls night last week.  Her hubby and daughters even went out of town for the weekend so we could "party it up".  ha.  (We love girls night around here!)  But this wasn't just any girls night.  Jenny added a little twist to make it a painting party!  Half of these ladies argued that they weren't creative and couldn't paint...but you look at the results and join me in telling them they're CRRRAAAAAAZZYYY!!

 Man, I LOVE these ladies and I relish any time I get to spend with them.  (And double thanks to Matt, Sarah's husband, for watching my boys for me so I could attend!!!)

The following two are the ones I ended up doing.  I didn't get a whole lot done that night.  I pretty much walked away with just the base coats on each.  I've realized lately that I don't "craft" well with company.  I always do more chatting then crafting. So I finished these over the next few days.

This is my tribal Fleur-de-lis. { I love.} 



Want to make your own?  Or want to host a girls night painting party?  Very simple!  Jenny recruited me to help her with some of the details, so now I'll share with you.

Supplies needed: 

blank canvas

acrylic paint

paint brushes

computer w/Internet

computer paper

Pencil

copier (optional)

freezer paper

exacto knife

Clear acrylic gloss spray

Step 1:  Google "Fleur-de-lis pictures"

Step 2:  Look through the image results and choose one you like.  Or two or three.  :-)  Open it up.

Step 3:  Put a piece of computer paper up to your computer screen and trace the design!

Step 4 (optional):  If you have a copier at home as part of your printer then you should have the ability to enlarge the image.  You can also take it to any office supply store and have them do it for you as well.

Step 5:  Once you have the image enlarged to the size you want lay your freezer paper over it and trace it onto the non-sleek side of the freezer paper.

Step 6:  Use your exacto knife and cut out the image.

Step 7:  Paint the base coat on your canvas.

Step 8:  Take the stencil you made and trace it with a pencil onto your canvas.

Step 9:  Paint away!!!!

Step 10:  Spray with the clear acrylic sealer and hang to enjoy!

If you want to host a party you can make a variety of stencils in different designs and sizes.  Jenny bought some actual stencil paper she found on sale that we used for a few, but the rest we used freezer paper for.  Jenny bought all the canvas' and paints for us and we just paid her a "cover charge" for the cost of the materials.

Other random comments: 

• We used 11x14 canvas', but you can choose whatever size you want.  You could make a set of smaller ones. 
• For the smaller size Fleur-de-lis I made them fit inside a 5x7 that way you could fit four of them evenly on an 11x14 canvas
• If the image on your computer screen is the size you want it without having to enlarge it, just use your freezer paper and trace it onto there. 
• Don't limit yourself to Fleur-de-lis!!!  Think about all the AMAZING cross designs out there!!!  Or whatever else your heart desires.
• I used a small crafting exacto knife.  You can get a basic one at HL, or similar craft store, for $2/$3.  I prefer my Cutter Bee knife though.  I actually got it at Walmart in the scrapbook section.  It has a retractable feature on the blade which is a little tricky to figure out. (I actually bought two.  I thought the first one was broke so I exchanged it for the one I currently have.)  Anyway.  I think I paid closer to $10 for it, but it also came with 5 extra blades.

Our Valentine Party

This past week we hosted a little Valentine's Party for some of our friends.  I got a few shots of the fun...but I'm also sending you over to my friend's blog.  She got a few pictures that I didn't.  Some of our goody bags and all the artwork.

The boys anxiously awaiting the arrival of our friends.

I had a little craft project set up for the mom's to do with their kids when they first got there.  We just got some finger paint and had them paint their hands and position them into the shape of a heart on some cardstock.  I did Ryan's & Colin's a few days earlier and put them in some frames.  I was hoping to use them as some Valentine home decor, but it didn't quite come out like I wanted.  Maybe it needs a different frame, maybe some red buttons around the handprints, not sure..but it didn't "pop" like I wanted it to.  Anyway..back to the party.  Our guests enjoyed it.  Some of them came out super cute.

It was a little easier to do the baby's feet then his hands.

He thought it tickled.  haha.

 Then we had some sugar cookies for the "kids" to decorate. 

Enjoying the fruit of her mom's labor...

And our grilled cheese, pretzels, and strawberry living room picnic lunch.

I think we had 14 kids (including babies) and 6 moms.  We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again!

Three boys, three attemps, one picture. Kind of.

We are sending out a Valentine's Card to some of our family and I wanted to try and get a picture of all three of the boys together.  MUCH easier said than done.  Although Blaine can hold his head up very well, he doesn't always look up.  I tried getting all three of them to lay down and I shoot from above...well Ryan complained about it being too bright and wouldn't open his eyes.  (Even when we attempted the same shot inside with just window light.  Go figure.)  So for three days, I tried getting a picture of them.  For three days, they all wore the same clothes (with one wash inbetween).  This is what I got....

 I did manage to get a few decent shots of Colin & Ryan though.

 And Ryan managed to get a few good shots of Blaine & me!