Give me all the rainbows!

Noah's always been into rainbows.  And who can blame him, rainbows are so pretty!  While we've made our fair share of St. Patrick's Day and rainbow crafts (Fruit Loops Rainbow, Rainbow Pot of Gold, Rainbow Clouds), we couldn't resist making another one this year.  Last week, we grabbed our scissors, glue, and sheets of card stock in all the colors of the rainbow and got to work!  

Back in December, my mom showed Noah how to make those paper chains and he absolutely loved it.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make another paper chain... this time as a rainbow of sorts.  I measured out 2 inch strips onto each color paper and Noah did all the cutting.  As long as Noah takes his time, his cutting skills are top notch.  I then helped him glue each of the strips into rings, connecting them all in rainbow order.  Noah is a pro with the rainbow colors (partly because of Mickey Mouse Club), but this would be a great activity to help your child learn the colors and the order.  Then just to make sure they were secure, I also added a piece of scotch tape.  

Finally, we added a little pot of gold to the end of our rainbow chain.  I freehanded the pot and then used the cap from a bottle of water to trace the gold (yellow) coins.  Noah glued the coins to the pot and then added some gold glitter glue for some extra sparkle.  I cut out a short strip of black card stock in order to attach the pot of gold to the rainbow chain.  

We debated quite a bit on where to hang this chain.  I wanted to hang it in front of our kitchen window, but Noah was adamant that it's in a place that people had to walk through and see.  Since I didn't want taller people running into it, we compromised and hung it in the doorway leading from our living room to the kitchen, but put it towards the side.  I was getting a little frustrated at how particular and stubborn Noah was getting about this.   My mom however was cracking up at the whole situation, saying that Noah is exactly how I was as a child (and even today) lol.  

And speaking of rainbow crafts.  While I'm usually the one to do crafts with Noah, I'm always surprised and impressed with the things Chris and Noah sometimes come up with.  While I got the construction paper for them, they came up with the plan for this rainbow all on their own.  And just as Noah doesn't always agree with my artistic visions, he was also debating with Chris on how to execute this rainbow.  He didn't understand Chris' idea to make the red the largest semi circle and keep adding smaller semi circles in the remaining colors.  But once he understood, he was on board and they made this really cool rainbow!  So simple to make and really great for your child to practice cutting and gluing.  

And just like in 2015, we had a Rainbow Pancake Breakfast.  Since our last pancake breakfast, I've been making quite a few pancakes.  It's one of Noah's favorite breakfasts and requests them to either be in the shape of Mickey Mouse or to be a certain color.  While we stick with one color on a regular day, we enjoy making all the rainbow colors for St. Patrick's Day.  I use the Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix (I get the big bag from Costco) and simply add some gel food coloring.  It really could not be any easier!  My only issue is figuring out how to keep them warm while I make them all.  Should I put them in the oven??  I would love some suggestions!

I mixed the batter together, which is really just adding water, and then Noah helped mix all the food coloring in.  Chris and Noah then showed my mom all of their new "games" while I made the pancakes.  Currently I'm just using a large frying pan, but now that I'm making pancakes more often, I really think I need to upgrade to a large skillet.  I just can't decide whether to get the kind that sits on the stove or one that plugs into the wall.  Any recommendations???

 ^^^ Noah was showing off everything he got at the parade ;)

And we obviously had to wear our matching Flinn shirts!  Chris' parents got us these back in 2013 for Noah's first St. Patrick's Day.  This was the first year that Noah's actually fit!!!

What will you be doing this St. Patrick's Day??

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Giraffes Can't Dance

Giraffes Can't Dance has been one of our favorite books since Noah was born, even before that.  My mom gave me the board book version at my baby shower and it was one of the first books we ever read to Noah as a baby.  Maybe that's the reason Noah has always had a soft spot for giraffes, at the zoo and the stuffed animal variety. So when I heard that Raising Fairies and Knights was doing Giraffes Can't Dance for the February book and craft, I was very excited to revisit an old favorite.  

While Noah still loves art and is constantly creating, he has really started to have his own ideas and isn't always interested in me dictating the craft.  So this time, we tried something new.  One night, we were reading Giraffes Can't Dance and I told him to think about what kind of craft he'd like to do while reading the book.  As we were reading, he picked out two pages that he wanted to recreate.  The next day, we went through our colored paper and picked out the supplies we'd need.  While I'm confident Noah would have made an excellent giraffe, since it wasn't a normal giraffe shape, he asked me if I would draw the outline of Gerald flipping over backward.  I happily obliged, even though I wasn't super confident in my own drawing skills.  I think it came out okay, but I'm especially impressed with how Noah finished it.  

I loved watching him color and adding every detail of Gerald the Giraffe.  I didn't realize how often he switches back and forth between his left and right hand until I was going through the photos.  I find he predominantly uses his left (other than with scissors... he always cuts with his right hand), but he is very comfortable with both.  As someone who has a very weak left hand, I love that he appears to be ambidextrous.  

We knew we wanted Gerald to be against a dark blue sky, but I worried that you wouldn't be able to see Gerald well if I drew directly onto the dark blue card stock.  Instead, We drew Gerald on regular white printer paper and then cut him out and attached him with some glue.  Using a white crayon, he added the moon and the stars.  

Next up, Noah wanted to copy a scene from earlier in the book.  As he was doing this, I was distracted by an outside conversation.  I had watched him draw the tree, but was really impressed with the giraffe and other animals he drew all on his own.  I just wish that he had used a darker color for the giraffe so it would stand out more against the yellow paper.  I am constantly amazed at his art skills and hope that it's something he continues to love and develop.  My art skills are very juvenile and I have no doubt that he will surpass me very soon!

If you have a younger child and are interested in making your own giraffe, here's a really fun craft involving a paper plate and some paint that I did with Noah back in 2015 (when he was only 2).  While our craft projects aren't the same as they used to be, I really love how they are evolving.  I love that Noah is expressing his creative side and has a true passion for art.  His new favorite game at restaurants is to draw a picture and have one of us copy it.  

You can find more ideas here.

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Valentine's Day Craft | Watercolor Hearts

Valentine's Day is just about 3 weeks away.  While it's safe to say that I decorate way more for other holidays, I still enjoy pulling a few of my favorite Valentine's Day pieces out each year.  I really love adding a few touches of red, pink, and hearts to my mantel and dining room sideboard.  And thanks to Noah and his artistic side, I am adding a new one of kind art piece to display each year.  Last year, I had Noah paint a canvas using the tape-resist technique.  Not only do I love that it says LOVE, but I also love that Noah's little handprints are all over it :).  This year, I decided to try something new.  Noah is becoming more and more precise with his coloring and painting skills, so I thought it may be time to try something a little more advanced than just mixing paint all over.

LOVE Canvas (from last year)

I found this watercolor hearts idea on Pinterest and knew that if Noah wasn't interested in doing it, that I would be doing it myself.  I really loved the look of it and couldn't wait to see how Noah made it his own.  

Materials:

White card stock (or other thick paper) 

Pencil and ruler (to draw the hearts)

Watercolor paints (in whatever colors you like)

Black Sharpie (optional)

Frame (optional)

Instructions:

If planning to frame, cut your card stock down to 8X10.  

Using a ruler, I plotted out 5 even spaces to draw my hearts.  This is where some basic math skills will be helpful. 

Using the ruler as a guide to stay straight, I drew 5 hearts across the paper.  This doesn't need to be perfect, so just do your best drawing hearts.  If your kids are older, you can even have them help with this step.  

Paint in the hearts with watercolor paints.  

Once dry, if the hearts need some more definition (due to not staying perfectly within the lines), you can use a black Sharpie to outline the hearts.  

Now you can frame (or not) and display!  

When planning this craft, I had envisioned using different shades or red, pink, and purple paints.  But Noah was kind of against it being a "Valentine craft" and wanted to paint it rainbow colors instead.  He's becoming more and more independent with his crafts and often has a very clear artistic vision that is different than mine.  I want to foster this creativity, so I'm letting him take the lead.  I did however warn him that I didn't make enough lines to have all the rainbow colors, but he seemed okay with having to leave purple out.  

While Noah was very careful, he is only 4, and ended up painting a little outside the lines a bit.  Some of his hearts looked a little more like a blob, so I suggested outlining them with a black marker, and he thought that was a great idea.  I love how it turned out and I love seeing it framed on my mantel.  And since he did decide to do rainbow colors, I think I could get away with displaying this all year round!  I think it would look great as part of our gallery wall in the playroom part of our basement!  

This craft was so simple and fun that I'm still tempted to do one myself.  I think painting a bunch of hearts could be rather cathartic!  

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Do you like creating holiday artwork with your children?  Either to give as gifts or to display in your own home?

Winter Fun | Indoors & Outside

Winter is here and in New Jersey that means it is pretty darn cold.  For us, that means that we are spending more and more time inside.  The only time we really play outside from January to March is when there's snow on the ground and we are actually playing in it.  The rest of the time I'm counting down until Spring arrives from the comfort of our heated house.  While Noah would be fine just playing with his toys and watching TV all day, I feel like I need some variety to keep our days inside a little more interesting.  So while it helps that Noah is in school 3 mornings a week, I decided to come up with a list of fun activities for us to do when we are at home.  I did include a few snow related activities for us to do when the weather "cooperates", but for the most part, they are things we can do inside.  We've already done a bunch of these things, like building with Legos, baking, and even having a picnic lunch in our living room. And with almost ten weeks left of "winter", I'm pretty confident that we will accomplish everything on our list... and I'm pretty excited about it!  Keep reading, because at the end of the post I've shared my list in case you are looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this winter as well.  

And while I know there are many people who don't experience cold and snowy winters like we do, the great thing about this list is that it is so versatile.  For instance, if you can't make a snowman outside, you could easily make one out of playdoh.  And while our picnics will be reserved to our living room, if you live in a mild climate, how about head to a playground and have a real picnic lunch outside.  And since Noah loves playing hopscotch on our driveway in the summer, I think I will surprise him and make one inside with painters tape so he can hop around all he wants.  Maybe it will help tire him out for bedtime!  No matter what your winter looks (or rather feels) like, you're sure to have fun with your little ones!

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5 Tips for Hosting a Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Decorating a gingerbread house.  I think most people have this activity on their "Christmas bucket list" of fun things to do with their kids.  While the whole process can easily turn chaotic and messy, I have a few tips on how to make it a fun and enjoyable experience!  

5 Tips for Hosting a Gingerbread House Decorating Party

1.  Buy the pre-built gingerbread house kits!

I grew up where you had no choice, you had to build your own gingerbread house.  And what I remember is that it was constantly collapsing.  So instead of spending our time being creative and decorating the thing, we were focused on rebuilding it time after time. I honestly think I'd skip the whole gingerbread house tradition if we had to build it from scratch.  So imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw that they now sell pre-built kits.  Last year was our first time doing it and we got ours from Costco.  For under $10, I didn't have super high expectation, but was extremely impressed with what's included and the quality.  The houses are well made and very sturdy.  I love that in addition to the icing and candy decorations, that they come with a door, a chimney, and some little gingerbread men.  And for those that need some decorating inspiration, they provide multiple examples right on the box.  Trust me, save the aggravation and your sanity, and just buy the kit!   

2.  Set up is key

While the kit really does give you a lot, there are still a few extra supplies that will make your decorating even more successful.  

First up, I knew that we were bound to get messy when kids and icing are involved.  So I picked up this wipeable tablecloth at Target.  I loved that it's sturdier than a regular throwaway plastic tablecloth but also easily wiped clean.  I also appreciated that it's more winter themed so I can use it other times than just Christmas.  

I also made sure to save a few pieces of cardboard from my many Amazon deliveries.  While cake stands are super pretty, covering a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil works better on so many levels.  First off, I don't have to worry about a young child breaking one of my cake stands.  But on top of that, chances are most of the kids don't live at your house, and it's easier for them to take it home when it's all done.

Last year, I wasn't expecting the candy included to be good, and ended up buying a ton of extra candy.  I quickly learned that the candy in the kit is really good.  This year, I stuck with their candy and instead just picked up some little condiment to go containers to neatly organize each kid's candy. While not at all necessary, Noah did decide he wanted to add a few extra decorations like mini marshmallow, pretzels, Fruit Loops, and white chocolate chips... all things I had on hand in my pantry.

While the candy is great, we weren't huge fans of the icing.  They come in bags with some piping attachments.  While in theory this sounds great, last year the kids had a hard time squeezing hard enough to get it out.  So instead, I picked up a container of vanilla icing for each of the kids and gave them a plastic knife and spoon.  I find that it's best to give each child their own personal supplies to minimize fighting.

3.  Keep your guest list small

This is a good rule of thumb whenever kids are involved, but especially when doing an activity that can easily get messy.  For our "party", it was just Noah some of our family friends.  While Noah and his friend were able to decorate their houses with very minimal help from us, our 2 1/2 year old friend needed more help from her mom.  It's a good idea that you have enough adults to assist when necessary.  

And while not a "tip" or even necessary, we thought it would be fun for the kids to come dressed in their pajamas.  The kids were comfortable and they looked extra festive for all the photos I took.  

4.  Let the kids be creative and have fun

This probably won't apply to everyone, but for my type A personality readers, this might be difficult for you.  Our kids are at the age where they might need some help executing things, but they really have no desire in you telling them how to do something.  They have strong opinions on how they want their house decorated and it usually doesn't look anything like the pretty house you've seen on Pinterest or even the side of the box! Try your best to leave your OCD tendencies at the door and stay calm.  Remember that you are doing this so your kids have fun and have a fond memory.  So let them decorate the house however they want, even if it does look a little wacky!  Chances are they will lose interest before it's fully decorated and you can jump in and finish it.  And if that doesn't happen, maybe buy yourself an extra kit that you can decorate exactly how you want to.  Gingerbread houses don't have to be just for the kids.  They really are fun and can be quite therapeutic to decorate.  And now that I think of it, this would also be a fun party to host with your girlfriends!

5.  Don't forget about transporting

While Noah's gingerbread house was staying here, our two guests needed to bring theirs home.  And the last thing you want is for the house to tip over in your trunk and get icing all over your car!   Thankfully I had saved the boxes that the kits came in.  We simply unglued one of the side seams, slid the decorated house back in the box, and then taped the side back up.  

Is decorating a gingerbread house one of your Christmas traditions?

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