Lunch Idea

Sheep Lunch

This is an awesome idea for a fussy kid who doesn't like to eat their lunch. Its just fun and who wouldn't want to eat a lunch that looks like this?

To get the idea of sheep you really need to use white bread. But the meat on the inside can be ham, turkey or whatever your child likes so long as it provides a contrast to the white bread. Each sheep is garnished with green beans carrots cut fancy like flowers (this is easier than it looks) and cheese cut out like little hearts. The veggies used can be substituted as well as the flower shaped kiwis.

Easter Egg Lunch Hunt

I found this on pinterest and thought it would be such a fun idea.
All you need is:
An empty egg carton
12 plastic eggs
Kids favorite food
Instructions:
You fill each egg with something your child may eat for lunch. Some ideas would include gold fish, grapes, berries, PBJ sandwich, cheese
After all the eggs were found the kids could pick and choose what they wanted to eat and create a plate for themselves (or even more fun eat from the eggs)

DIY Tiered Cupcake Stand

As always I found a fun idea on pinterest. This is one that will take years to complete but thats so simple and will be a great memento when your kids grow up.
Materials
Scissors
Hole punch
Paper
Hand Laminate
Directions
1. Trace your child's hand each year on the first day of school. 2. Once it is traced you laminate it (you can find hand laminate at staples)
3. Cut out the hand.

Once the hand is cut out you place it on a ring and each year you add to that ring. Maybe you keep it someplace special that you see each day or even in a scrapbook. It will be fun to show your kids when they grow up and have kids of their own.

Original Web Application In Review

I find it very hard to come up with an original idea for web applications. Everything idea I came up with was quickly squashed once I googled and found out it already existed. I found this to be a similar issue with the web applications that others came up with as well. With just a bit more research I found that they did in fact exist and they weren’t original ideas. The internet has come so far since I was even in high school. The speed and the availability of information have more than doubled. A majority of my friends didn’t even have internet now everyone walks around with cell phones that can access it in seconds. The days of dial up are long gone and it takes a special person to come up with the next popular form of technology.
The days of Steve Job and advances in technology seemed to have sprouted in such a short time. I wonder will there be another Steve Jobs out there that will be able to come up with web applications and advances as strong as him? If they are up to the challenge I say go for it. I on the other hand have no idea where to even start when it comes to an original web application.

Old Onsie Idea

1. Is made using the Cork                            2. Is made using the Q-tips                     3. Is made using the Paint Brush

Sometimes after the many times your child has spit up on a onsie or just stained it you feel like there is nothing left to do with it than throw it away. Well, pinterest to the rescue again. Someone posted a great idea that you can do with an old onsie (or even a run down t-shirt)
Materials
1. Old onsies or t-shirts
2. Bleach
3. Cork
4. Paint Brush
5. Q-tips
6. Masking tape
3-6 aren't all needed, just depends what look you are going for
7. Cardboard or newspaper
Steps
1. Place a flat protecting surface inside the onsie (newspaper or cardboard will do the trick) to stop the bleach from leaking through to the back.
2. Take the item you are using to create the design and dip it in the bleach
3.  Use the item to create the shape on the material (if using the cork you will get a large polka dot pattern) also keep in mind that it will not change immediately the bleach will need time to set into the fabric
4. Once you have completed the design run the shirt through the rinse cycle in the washing machine to be sure all the bleach has been removed (also be sure not to was with anything else so you don't ruin other clothing)
 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I found this and thought it would be extra cute for the spring time. It is making you very own caterpillar and can go along with reading the book. Not to mention it is super easy to make.
Is seems as if this woman used scrap booking paper, but you can also use construction paper or old wallpaper samples.
Materials
Circles (Various Shades of Green)
Glue Stick/Glue
Wiki Sticks or Pipe Cleaners
Markers 

Steps (You can always start with reading the book too!!)
1. Cut out 11 circles
10 in shades of green and 1 red for the head (if you have older children you can make one tracer and they can cut it out themselves)
2. The kids then will glue the circles onto a bright colored piece of construction paper overlapping each circle just a little bit.
3. Using a bright colored marker the kids will draw on legs. (the number isn't important)
4. The eyes can be made using pieces of construction paper or drawn on with marker or crayons
5. To give it the final touches add two pieces of either the wiki sticks (which will stick to the paper on their own) or pipe cleaners for antennae

Where are you?

Again I found this idea on pinterest and thought it would be cool to do with your kids. I think this might be better suited for older kids (5-8yo) would be my best age guess.
Its called "me on the map"
The largest section is Our Solar System because that is the biggest and it goes down to the smallest section which is your home (or the child's room)
1. Solar System- on this page the child would draw the planets (preferably in order, a parent or adult could help with this)
2. Our Planet- The child would draw a large picture of earth and label it.
3. Our Continent- It suggested to use a printed map of North America... again have your child write North America on their own
4. Our Country- It suggested to use a printed map of the United States... again have your child write North America on their own
5. Our State- This will vary but it would be best if you use one with the states symbols
6. Our City- Children can draw various things that remind them of where they live.
7. Our Street-  Children can draw various things that remind them of their neighborhood.
8. Our Home- Children can draw a picture of their home and practice writing their address.
9. Cover- Me on the Map- Children can draw a self portrait or a picture of their bedroom.
10. To expand this you can have kids add something on the back of each page, maybe a fact about a planet or something fun they have done in their city. Or even a trip they may have taken out of their state. This can be dictated by an adult or older children can write it themselves.

Paper Tube Farm Animals

 
Like always I am wandering/searching pinterest and a friend of mine had posted this as an idea for her daughters birthday party. I just thought that it may be cute to do with kids. 

Supplies:

Toilet paper/paper towel tubes

Pipe Cleaners

Paint (various colors)

*if you are making pigs you may also need a few buttons

I am going to walk you through the steps on how to make a cow because right now my son really thinks cows are just the best thing ever.
Steps:
1. Paint the toilet paper tube white (you may want to prep the tubes before doing this with young kids because the animals come out nicer when the paint is dry).

2. Use pink paint to create the area around the mouth
**Tip**(is you only have one paintbrush always start with the lightest color and work your way to the darker color as to not make the paint look dirty)
3. Use a black paint to create the spots, mouth, eyes and nose. (you can also use a black sharpie to get the same effect)
4. Use a pencil to wrap the pipe cleaners around for the legs repeat twice (this will give you the spiral effect as seen in the picture)
5.  Roll two more pipe cleaners to create the ears.
6. Hot glue gun them onto the tube.

Then you have your very own super cute cow.

Playdough

Making your own playdough has never been so easy and most people already have everything they need right in their cabinets. Playdough was/is my go to fun activity for a rainy, just can't go outside kind of day. Even the kids can help to make it. There is a cooking step to this recipe, but there are many more out there that don't involve any use of the stove.

To Begin you will need to gather some ingredients:

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Water

2 Teaspoons Cream of tartar (I have had a hard time finding this in the store, this can be skipped, its only to make the playdough last longer)

1/3 Cup of Salt

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil (or Canola Oil)

Food Coloring

*In a 2 quart saucepan, add 1 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tarter, and 1/3 cup of salt.

*Add 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

*Turn your burner on medium/low and stir. It will be a little lumpy

*Keep stirring until it starts getting a little solid. If there are still a few lumps, that’s ok – you can work them out later. If your stove is already hot, this may only take 20-30 seconds, but it may take 2-3 minutes if it’s still heating up.

*While still mixing add in the food coloring

*Keep stirring until the dough gathers on the spoon, that's how you know its done

*Then allow it to cool a couple of minutes before letting the kids play with it

Feedback Page

I found it very interesting creating a feedback page and what goes into it. I specifically liked learning how the drop down lists are made. I didn't realize how repetitive it becomes. Although, its really cool to see how it gets from a simple notepad document to an actual website.
If you would like to check out the form I made click here
When I first began this class I was a bit overwhelmed and didn't think that I would ever wrap my head around it. The more that I have learned in this class the more I enjoy it!

Reusable Shopping Bag

Another pinterest find, I hope none of these ideas are copyrighted. I thought this was a great idea especially after helping my mother clean out her closet. It was a bit out of control with the number of pillow cases she had. So, I set out to find a way she could reuse them. I mean lets be honest who really wants some of those old 70's style pillow cases on their beds anymore. The part that I liked the best is it didn't take much effort or skill to actually make these.
The original person who pinned this idea made the steps really simple to follow.
1. Fold the pillowcase in half length way making sure the opening to the pillowcase is on top.
2. Cut the cures for the handles on either side. (they don't have to be perfect)
3. You  should end up with 4 handles.
4. Then you sew each set together and around the sides to give it a finished look.
Then you have some trendy, fun bags to bring with you when you go to the grocery store.

Pinterest

This week in class we are talking about various web applications and as I am sure many of you have noticed Pinterest has seemed to be the new favorite thing of my blog. I am finding all sorts of new fun ideas that I never would have thought of on my own. To make it even better they are so simple to do and most of the time inexpensive. Which, being a mom and a student are two of my favorite words simple and cheap!

The purpose of this site and I am quoting is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting." I feel that they are holding true to their statement. I am finding plenty of activities/ideas that I find interesting on there that others some that I know and some that I don't know also find interesting.

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to 
discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

 At first I wandered the site trying to decide if this was something I would even find useful and I even turned away from it for a few months until others started telling me the fun ideas they found on there. Knowing DIY is something I really enjoy they urged me to check it out more and now I find myself finding something new that I would like to try almost daily.

I seem to focus mostly on the craft ideas that they have on their website, but there is so much more. It gives you ideas on where to hike, or vacation. What are simple easy recipes for dinners. How to make your wardrobe more interesting. It also allows you to "follow" your friends and see the different ideas that they like and have maybe even tried. If they truly are a real friend you certainly are going to have something in common with them so you will be able to use those ideas too.

I highly recommend this to people who like to try new things or share things that they have created or explored.

Rubber Ducky Punch

Again on Pinterest I found this really cute idea, this time for a fun drink at a baby shower.

Ingredients

• 1 packet blue, unsweetened Kool-Aid
• 1 (2 liter) bottle Ginger Ale
• 1 (64 oz) bottle White Grape Juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 scoops pineapple sherbet
• 2-3 Rubber Duckies
• maraschino cherries (optional for garnish)
• orange slices (optional for garnish)

Instructions

1. Chill ginger ale and grape juice over night
2. Remove sherbet from freezer about 1/2 hour before serving punch to soften
3. In a large bowl, combine Kool-Aid packet, sugar and chilled juice. Stir to blend.
4. Slowly add chilled ginger ale.
5. Float 8 scoops of softened sherbet on top
6. Add Rubber Duckies (don’t forget to wash before using)
7. garnish cups with cherries and orange slices

I Thought this was such a cute idea I can't wait to make it at a future baby shower.

Follow up to the race car mat/blanket

As I posted last week I found a wonderful idea on Pinterest about a DIY race car track. I had the opportunity over the last couple of days to actually make this. It wasn't as simple as I was hoping (I am good a DIY projects, but sewing is a whole different story), but either way my son already loves it.
1. I found a simple green background
2. I used iron on paper to adhere the tracks as well as the different backgrounds to the green fabric.
     (for the background I cheated a bit and used a John Deer fabric that had a country setting)
3. Once everything was ironed on I used yellow ribbon 1 inch in length spaced 1/2 an inch to create the lines in the streets.
4. When everything was set in its place I stitched everything on using a sewing machine. The stitched don't have to be even because the design isn't.
5. When everything was sewn in place I added the backing. For this I used fleece with a fun space scene

    (since my son is really into space right now, but you could use race cars or even a plain fabric)
6. I sewed the materials opposite sides together sewing 3 sides completely and leaving approximately 8inches open on the 4th side so you could reverse the materials back to the correct side.
7. When the material was back on the correct side I simply just stitched the open part
    (I am sure there is a name for this stitch, but again not really good a sewing)
8. Finally to complete this mat/blanket I stitched around each rectangle so that the fleece would remain in place.

It didn't take long for my son to find one of his race cars to use on his new race car mat/blanket!

For the little race car lover

My son has recently developed a love of race cars and everything that has to do with them. Right now we rent and don't have a ton of space to store things such as tracks or rugs that go along with them. So I found this easy to make mat on pinterest. It will also make it easier for taking the cars along with us.
I have yet to try making this, I hope to try it this weekend. Although from reading the directions this isn't a project for someone who doesn't know how to sew.

For the DIY'er

I am a craft addict and I have WAY too much craft stuff and have been looking for cheap inexpensive ways to store stuff. A friend of mine pinned this on pinterest and I have decided I will probably be utilizing this for my kid friendly art supplies. You can use little metal flower pots of empty paint cans. It all depends on how much space you have. Using a piece of wood (shape is your preference) you attach the cans using a screwdriver or gorilla glue and them you fill it with what you please. All you have to do when you need it is take out the wood plate and place in the area where crafts are being done.

Wire hanger hang up

I don't know about everyone else, but I hate wire hangers. I really don't have a good reason, but I just don't like to hang my clothes on them. I always throw them out, not anymore I found this great idea on pinterest for hanging flip flops on these wire hangers.
 1. First, grab a handful of the flimsiest metal hangers you can find in your closet. (You want to be able to bend them with your hands, if possible.) You'll also need a pair of needle-nosed pliers.

2. Cut off the bottom section of the hanger like so

3. Now take your pliers and roll up the two edges, like this

4. Now, using both your hands and your pliers, bend your hanger into this approximate shape

 

 

 

5. Then you take whatever ribbon you please and hot glue it to the hanger.

6. Then you are ready to hang your flip flops

Another Pinterest Find

I found another awesome craft idea on pinterest today. It uses those paint sample chips and a fun shaped large hole puncher. It looks so simple and can probably be used for a variety of things. The Materials needed are: 1. Fun Paint Sample Chips (colors are up to you) 2. The shape you choose to use hole puncher 3. A thick thread (not just string you would mend your pants with) 4. A sewing needle Steps to creating this 1. Hole punch the shape you prefer 2. String them threw the shape 3. Hang them up to decorate as you please Now that I have seen this I think I may make a chain like this for an upcoming baby shower, birthday and bridal shower. Doing this is so inexpensive and if you already have the hole puncher free. What a great was to make simple/cheap decorations.

Pinterest

I have developed a new love for a website called Pinterest. Basically its full of all types of fun craft ideas and anything anyone could ever be interested in. My main purpose of joining this site is for the fun craft ideas provided. They have everything from ideas for weddings to places to travel. There is one activity I recently saw that is so simple and fun. If you have a room you need to organize or just shelves in your child's room this is cheap and it looks cute. These little bins are sold at the dollar store and the ribbon you can get for less than $2 at a craft store. You can make the cute circles with a sharpie or even some acrylic paint. You can use various sized containers to fit your needs.

This website is perfect for the DIY type of person. That is certainly what I am. Only downside is you need an invite to join.