The Blog Graveyard- where blogs go when they die

OK, so I try to keep things upbeat most of the time.  

This is not the beginning of a series of depressing posts by any means.  I am just curious about some of the blogs I follow and I wonder about their longevity.  I don't want them to go away 'cause I enjoy reading them but I have come across many that have folded up and closed shop recently.  Also, I have come across many that croaked months before but their pins or posts or presence is still online with good content, making me wonder- "Where are they now?"

Did they just decide one day to stop posting really awesome stuff or did something happen in their life that caused them to pick something else over blogging?  I know at the beginning of the year, I saw my fair share of moms deciding that their kids were more important than posting on time or going live with a giveaway.  I agree.  There for sure has to be balance.  I learned this right away! 

I wonder though if they realize that having a blog is like owning real estate?  Your blog is your online piece of land and no one can buy it out from under you or sell it with out your consent.  Last time I checked, imminent domain only pertained to real property not people's websites.

I am glad to live in America and have the right to blog and the right to post what I want to post when I feel like doing it.  Also, there is hope for those dead blogs too.  They can be resurrected and bloggers can get back to blogging when they are able to or choose to.  In the words of Martha Stewart- "that is a good thing."

So happy blogging- stay alive, stay upbeat, stay safe and keep crankin ' out the bomb posts! Because I am still reading.

DIY Pretty Boxes -cheap

 This was a super easy and super fun post and I will tell you why.  

I have lots of boxes around the house.   Lots of boxes- mostly diaper boxes.  I used to have a huge collection because I used the boxes  as covers for photo albums that I made but I threw them away to clear up space and soon regretted it.  But since I buy diapers and wipes etc for the kids, I decided to start saving a few boxes here and there.  Good idea because I am one of those people that believes that everything has its place.  

So if I have more than 1 cord or more than 1 of anything, I consider it lonely and think it is best to group it with another buddy and put it in a box or bag or something.   That way when you are looking for it, it is easier to find... 

In come my boxes! 

 I started off making like 2 or three then became addicted like a crack feign and had to make like 100 of them.  All I did was measure the circumference and then cut with scissors and wet it under the faucet and rubbed the material together to get it nice and sticky.  I let it sit for about 5 minutes.  It was rainy here and humid and I feel like it took away some of the stickiness so after a while, I let it sit for only 30 seconds or so then applied it.

I used wallpaper that I purchased really cheaply at the thrift store.  It is a really heavy weight wallpaper and the fun thing is that I can paint on it.  I used it for my cabinet doors in the laundry room earlier in the year.   I looked the company up to buy more and I don't think they are still around.  Bummer.  Sometimes I think the quality of products are not as good as they used to be and wish it was easier to find a good replica at a decent price but oh well.  I am glad to have the roll that I have, so moving on. 

 I have never wallpapered a room but saw my dad do it years ago and all I did was follow directions and added some pretty tape on the outside along with some fabric embellishments for curtains/lamps etc. 

 If I make more, I think I will add wallpaper to the inside to make it a little prettier but I have already put them to use in the armoire in the kitchen and it does not bother me that they are not dressed up on the inside.  I can always add material later as well. 

 I mitered the edges and then used hot glue to add fabric on the inside to cover the rough edges.  I initially folded the fabric down with out cutting it but soon decided that I would cut the material that folds over each flap on the top so I would not have bubbles appear.

I am pleased with the outcome and I like the colors too, kinda like 4th of July colors with the red, white and blue!  Do you think you will recycle some boxes soon and re-use them in a pretty way?

A mother in love with ABCmouse.com

*Financial compensation was not received for this post. A sample product was gifted from ABCmouse.com so I could share my opinions with you. Opinions expressed here are my own and boy am I excited to share!*

I am actually very excited to share ABCmouse.com with you as a teacher and as a mother who gets joy from seeing her children learn and have fun while doing it! So here is the story:

My husband saw a great commercial on TV and it was for ABCmouse.com.  This is a children's learning academy website that is interactive.  He mentioned it to me and said he thought it looked really great from the commercial.  He even opened up the website for me and told me to take a look.   He loves the fact that I am homeschooling our kiddos and often gives me carte blanche with their learning.  That is why I thought it was neat that he was so persistent about this program.  I did not think much about it and went to bed.  At some point over the next day or so, there was a big storm, there was ice, there was sleet and down went our tree that we share with a neighbor through a fence.  I know, it's kind of weird but we have a wooden fence that has a big gap in it with a tree growing through it that is smack dab in the middle of both property lines.

Well half of the tree is down, on our side and half remains but either way I unplugged all of the electronics during that storm and that is when the bookmark of ABCmouse.com was lost.  It was about a week later that I also saw the same commercial for ABCmouse.com and looked it up and thought, wow, this is good!  Now I know why my husband thought I should check it out.  I initially went on the website and signed up and received a free month to check it out and see what I thought.  I liked that they did not ask for credit card information at the time but just allowed me to sign up.

So I sat down with the twins and gave it a go.  Oh my goodness, they both took off with it right away.  This is a miracle because they both have a learning style that is unique and they learn very differently from each other as I can see so far.  But, they both really liked it and over the course of the week asked for it every time they saw the commercial and heard that catchy bell-ringy sound that comes on when you go to the website.  Sometimes when I turn the computer screen on, the sound comes on and they run over to get a dose of it and I have to tell them that we will have to wait a little while so I can check my email then we can go on it.  I have since turned the volume down because when they hear that bell they are ready to learn.  Don't get me wrong, this is a great thing but hey, I gotta check email first, right?

This program is fantastic for me because they really are excited to learn on the computer.  I am also excited because for at least a year or more, I won't have to purchase many physical homeschool things.  I already bought a laminator and have printed countless charts with letters and numbers etc, etc, but they are really liking this computer thing so I will hold off on printing from other websites and start looking for printables from ABCmouse.com instead.

It is funny because my daughter who does not speak in too many full sentences cracked us up when she said "come on mommy, abc dot com"  I thought, did she really say "dot com"?  I will have to thank the commercial writers who have obviously penetrated the minds of young toddlers so well.

And if I forgot to mention, ABCmouse.com is intended for kids from preschool through kindergarten which is a good length of time especially if you start now.  They have a tutorial that helps kids to understand how to use the mouse on the computer so they can click and point on their own but that is a feature I will hold off on and I don't mind pointing for them and helping them learn how to use the mouse as we go.  They have printables, songs that are sung as a book is read while the letters on the screen are highlighted so kids can see the reading process in action and they have tickets that the character mouse dispenses after each lesson is completed so you can purchase things to build up your virtual world.  For instance, my son loves music, so we have bought a guitar, drum set and ukulele so that when we go to his room on the website, we click these instruments and they make fun sounds to further teach what different instruments can do.

ABCmouse.com helps them to learn in a multi-faceted way.  It may seem like they are working on colors, but at the same time, they are working on shapes and memory recognition and a whole lot of other things.  Give it a try and tell me what you think.  There are lots of learning styles out there and lots of learners and I am glad to have landed on this one.  I also have a free code to give to 1 wonderful winner, for a 1 year free subscription so you can take a test drive for yourself.

Also many teachers are using this with their students in the classroom so you may have a teacher friend in mind who you can win this for! 

Hope you enjoy it. Thanks a bunch!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring time hair clips/brooch

I love to wear my hair up year-round, especially in the summer when it gets really hot in the OKC (Go Thunder)!

So I decided to make some cute spring/summer hair clips that were a little girly-er than I would normally wear.  My daughter loves all things girly and my husband and I are blown away by it since I was such a tomboy.  She wore a clip and thought she was the cats meow for a few minutes!  

I also have been known on occasion to take my barrette out and put it on my shirt if I decide to wear my hair down momentarily, like for a picture or if it gets chilly.  That is why I decided to use this type of clip to dress up, because it can slide onto my shirt easily for a cute accessory look.  

 I think they came from Sally's (a beauty store) near us.  You can probably get them lots of places that sell hair clips but I think they are designed to hold hair back when you are getting a perm or straightener or color so the hair stays clear of the processed hair. 

 In this set I just took the clip and hot glued a Houndstooth fabric to it and then added green stripes and a pink heart and bow.  They are made of felt and I think they came from Hobby Lobby.  I love that place.

 On this style, I glued the pretty ribbon and then wrapped it over the top clip.  Thinking back I wish I had weaved it in and out for a cooler effect.  I then added the hearts to it.  Simple, except for the fact that I manage to get burns every single time I hot glue.  I wonder if there is a separate DIY'er health insurance policy that I need to look into!

 This one was just a thick metal clip with teeth that I added twine to and then a flower and cute little round sparkly things at the end. 

Now I just need to get outside, pull my hair up with a clip and go run some errands!  Or stay here and keep pinning on Pinterest.   Have you ever made a hair clip or a clip for your shoes or purse?  I think they can be interchanged pretty easily.

In times of trouble

Psalm 37:1-10

Happy Friday Videos

I don't think it matters how many times I see these videos on parenting, I still laugh a little more each time.  If you have not seen them, they will put a smile on your Friday face for sure!  Happy Weekend everyone!

Moms VS Dads

Which one do you think is funnier?

My Fridays are like Jazz and my Saturdays like Donna Reed

As I write this, I am listening to Dave Brubeck play the piano with his jazz quartet and having my kids paw all over me as the ask for more "Friday Night Goodies" on our "Friday Party Day".

This Friday is no different than any other... routine during the week and then "we all let loose" and stay up late as we leave toys all over the house and have our fill of pizza and music and other libations.

The kids are only 2 and a half but they know what Friday means.  It is a day where mom lets all the rules fly out of the window and dad gets a little slack too and they can make a mess and there are less repercussions.  It is also a day of Netflix or Apple TV (and we just got cable) and lots of smooth Jazz and Bossa Nova tunes blasting out of the living room and either Austin City Limits playing with some new cool band or making music of our own.   We take fun pictures and play with things we usually don't get the chance to play with, knowing dad's presence will disrupt any feuding over much sought after toys.

We also practice our instruments for a bit.  Dad's on guitar, son is on drums, mom is on the (very) occasional flute and daughter is on dance patrol.

What else could you ask for on a Friday night or a Saturday morning?  What types of traditions have you implemented or thought of that would be amazing if you could make your Friday the best night of the week? Or do you have another favorite day/night of the week due to your work schedule?

This was not my first Rodeo

Well, technically, it was my first rodeo.  I grew up in Tulsa, OK and you would think that I had been to many a rodeo but if memory serves me correctly, I have been to a high school dance club called "The Rodeo," with dancing girls and guys in boots and jeans and doing the 2 step, but not a place with real cowboys and cowgirls and dirt and hay and horses-and danger!

Lady doing tricks while rodeoing 2 horses barefoot, barrel guy to distract bull- different than the rodeo clown, All the pretty company horses

My husband's job was one of the sponsors and he generously was given tickets a week before the rodeo.  Normally I think he would have given them to his parents but since having  kids, outings like these are more exciting and we are a bit more adventurous, hoping to see how the kids will respond to all the sites and sounds.

Little buddy patting the police officer's horse!  Better than the zoo

So we went and we had a blast.  Who would have thought it would be so much fun?  On a serious note- a man almost died and that was the scariest thing I have seen in a while- his head hit the ground and he laid unconscious after he was bucked off of a horse due to his foot getting caught in the stirrup.  Miraculously, he got up after a few minutes of crowd prayer- shook it off and we hope he is OK. 

Appaloosa horses, cute sheep, babies having fun

So, grandma and grandpa came along with us and we arrived at our local fairgrounds and were amazed for three hours straight.   When we arrived, we were greeted with some sheep and horses and police officers on horseback and the chance to ride a crazy looking sheep for 5 bucks.  This opportunity was for little kids only or you would see pictures here of that poor sheep after I got off of his back!

GM and GP, babies, Mom and Dad having a ball

If you have never been to a rodeo, let me break it down for you as best I can and with the aid of my husband, who is no country boy but is descended from a line a tough country rodeo-ers.

We saw in no specific order: barrel racing, bull riding, stunts, a  horse chariot, steer roping,
and team steer roping.

Texas Long Horn, a man tying the legs of a calf, a bull about to find the guy who just fell from his back

Riding a sheep for 5 bucks a pop

There rodeo was mostly male dominated except for the women who were the horse-riding- flag- waving advertisers and the woman and her daughter who did the trick stunts and the barrel racing event.  I was fine with the lack of women in the actual rodeo due to the nature of the danger.  There were plenty of other women and families as spectators- this was a comfortable place for me by far- as a spectator.   In the end, I am not exactly sure who won, but some fortunate guy is going home with over 3 thousand dollars and some bumps and bruises for sure. I got to go home with some cool memories instead.

Team steer roping, barrel racing,crazy bucking horse that guy just rode

After the show, we had another chance to play with the animals and take some parting shots before going home and looking at all of the pictures we just took!

It was a great outing and I would not be opposed to going again in a few months!
Have you ever been a'rodeo-ing?

what to wear to a rodeo: just plain stuff that's comfy

Did anyone get hurt real bad or do something wild that you remember?  Would you ever go back?

Linking up here:

Sundays in my City

I am a total kid at heart

I love all things that kids love because it brings back great memories of playing around outside  and being creative as a kid.  I also love things that I think will make my kids swoon with joy.  I enjoy their giggles as they experience something new and fun and exciting!  In fact at church on Sunday, I checked in with the kiddy daycare just  to see how many kids were there and to see how it looked and I saw a bounce house being aired up out of the corner of my eye and I promise, I startled the door attendant as I screamed out, "oh my gosh, a bounce house, no way.  Honey come look at this!"

All to herself

We did not end up leaving the kids there because I freaked her out too much...I could tell - she feared me and my excitement!  Oh well.  There's always next Sunday.

And it should come as no surprise that aside from loving kid things like bounce houses, I also love libraries and all the kiddy books just waiting to be explored and the outside playgrounds filled with kids screaming and laughing and falling and huge playgrounds that are like 5 minutes away that I had no idea about until this past weekend.

Let me clarify.  Me and my kiddos and husband often drive around the neighborhood scouting out houses to peek into-legally.  We are both in real estate and love open houses and seeing different neighborhoods near us.

We drove down the street to see the local YMCA being built that will be HUGE and will have an Olympic size pool and a water slide that goes out of the building and then back into the building!  You see why I am so excited!  With kiddos, this YMCA being built 5 minutes away is a GODSEND!

So as we were checking that place out, we saw some other structure in the park that we had not seen before.  We got out and looked and BOOM, it was a new playground that they had put up within the past year that they forgot to tell me about.  I am a letter writer and they will be receiving one from me  soon on the implications of not telling me this was brand stinking new and in my neighborhood.

So, with iphone camera in hand and enough fun to last me the week, I submit to you- playtime with the Thompsons!

 We had a ball and we will be back again soon and I am linking up with Claudya from Unknown Mami and her Sundays in my city series.

Happy playtime everyone!

Kid / Parent Bedtime Journal...Have you made one yet?

My kids, as you guys already know are old enough to draw and paint with assistance, but not old enough to write legibly.  I am not wishing their lives away, I am glad to wait until this new stage hits.  In the meantime, I am planning to make some journals with them that we can all use together one day.

I was at a home school conference a few years back and one of the speakers was a woman who is on staff at a local church here- Life Church- where the You Version Bible app came from.

I have been to the church and it is great, but not my home church.  However, one of the ladies held a seminar at the home school convention where she said she uses journals with her kids to communicate.  She said that often when they get older, they may stop sharing as much as they used to due to feeling like parents might yell or judge them etc.  She started with her son and daughter if I am not mistaken, and it was a hit.

The goal is to have your kids write in it either a response to your question  or a question of you they might have and then simply leave it under their bed!  In the morning you get it from under their pillow or wherever they stored it and you read it and put in your comments and then put it back.  This way you are both listening and responding with out cutting each other off or talking over each other or worse- making them feel belittled etc.

If you already have a great relationship with your kids then it may be good to try it and see if those communication lines can stay open.  I am going to experiment with the journals by having the kids  draw their feelings with faces.  When they are older, I can  have them work on their writing like momma!

With this idea, know however,  there may be some causalities.

The woman who mentioned this style of  journal in class said she was startled to find out what her daughter wrote in response to her question.  The mother asked what she as a mother could work on.  She thought,

What possibly, could my 11 year old daughter really  have to say to me about this?

Well, unfortunately, the daughter said that she wished her mother would stop yelling at her.  Ahem, uh, I am unfortunately guilty of this at times and have already started to work on it when I realized it.  For that mom, it was not too late but a wake up call.   I am glad to have resources already in my hip pocket before the kids are verbal enough to tell me the same (hopefully).

It will be a fun experiment / craft activity anyway.  Expect a future post on it when the kids get a bit bigger!

So speaking of this style of journal, have you done anything similar?  With a boss or a spouse? Or with yourself?  I am interested to know and see pictures!

Mom, Woman of Faith 3-23

This week, I have been asked to reflect on a question of my choosing  for the Mom, Woman of Faith series through Nancy, at her blog, Do small things with love. I immediately chose this one as it resonated with me so strongly.

How has God worked on your heart and changed you since you became a mother? 

Here is my response and some of the other ladies who bravely decided to respond as well!

Welcome back to "Mom: Woman of Faith".  Each Saturday a group of moms respond to a question essential to our lives as Christians and Mothers.  It is our hope that this series will spark reflection and growth for all those involved.  Please feel free to add your thoughts here or on facebook.  Thanks for being here, and for sharing in our journey as Christians and mothers.  We are always looking for more contributors!  Email nancy if interested.

This week's Question:

How had God worked on your heart and changed you since you became a mother?

Nancy

Small Things

The one positive (although painful) change I can say I have definitely undergone since becoming a mother is that God has asked me to surrender my pride.  Not only am I often doing things I once thought myself too proud to do (mostly involving poop), but I also am living a life I once looked down on (although I never would have admitted this!).  

As a stay at home mom, my job is laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, nursing the baby and playing trucks with the toddler.  Rarely do I get to read the latest book, let alone see the latest movie.  When friends get together and are talking about these things, I am clueless...when just a few years ago I prided myself on always being in the know.  Instead, the Lord has asked me to live a very humble life.  When I was teaching before I became a mother, I often felt overlooked and under-appreicated, but the truth is that I was constantly getting praise and feedback.  I was a person of authority and knowledge.  Now, the feedback I receive comes sometimes in a hug, but more often in a fit or spit-up down my back.  the Lords has asked me to become like his mother.  I must become smaller so that my children can grow.

I have come to love my life, and I praise God that through this life I have become more child-like.  Without (or, with less of) the adult pride I used to have I feel that I am able to love my children better--and love the Lord better too!

Larua

Storybook Reality

Before I had my first baby a friend of mine told me how having her children exposed so much of her own sinfulness.  I never quite  understood that until I had children of my own.  I see my own sinfulness reflected in them but more so in the way I respond to them and others.

I am more tired, have less time to myself and do more "dirty" work than at any other time in my life.  Gone are the days of dressing in heels and pearls for work.  Wait, scratch that.  I never did that.  But you know what I mean.  As Mother's we trade a life that can be pretty self-centered to one that becomes much more family centered (obviously both being God-centered).  Motherhood is hard.  Parenthood is hard.  It is basically putting the needs of your children above your wants.  I would have loved to have napped today.  Or read a book.  Or even sat down alone for 10 minutes.  But it just didn't happen.  And I can choose to repsond to days and situations like that in love or another way.

I think that is why the blogging community CAN be so encouraging for mothers.  If you are honest it does help others to see that sometimes you don't manage to shower.  Or that you ordered pizza twice once week because you just couldn't handle making diiner!

One of the biggest ways God has changed my heart is in the way I see Him, especialy as a Father figure.  When I think of the love that He had for us to sacrific His son for our sins I am blown away every time.  It's not like I didn't understand this concept before.  But now when I think about my babies and how I am heartbroken when a little kid looks at them the wrong way, let alone choosing to sacrifice them....I am just awed at the deep deep love of our Father in heaven. 

Ulimately Motherhood has made me slow down.  I try to be slower to anger....I try to slow down to enjoy those picture perfect moments....and mostly I'm slow because it takes me forever to get all three of us out the door :)  But i'm learning!  And I know God will continue to mold and make my heart into that of a Godly Mama!

Kelly
Joy and Gladness of Heart

Because change happens so gradually, sometimes you don't notice it until you are asked to think about it.  This is the case with me at times.  Reflecting back, I can think of the first time I noticed God changing my heart.  I was 2 or 3 months pregnant and I had the hormones of both estrogen and testosterone surging through my body.  All of the sudden I loved watching football with my husband but also liked getting dressed up and wearing jewelry to accessorize.  Both of these things are not very typical of me outside of being pregnant.  I was watching the news with my husband in our bedroom when they began showing coverage of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  There was a young woman, a mother, trapped underground, under piles of rubble, and worse- she was pregnant.  They showed her crying and pleading for her young life while taking sips of water through a straw that they managed to get to her through all of the debris.  I lost it.  I sobbed and could not control my tears at the thought of her being responsible for a new life and the thought of not being able to take care of herself after such devastation.  

I felt her pain and the pain of other women and children who were victims of that particular devastation.  Aside from that, I just began to feel more empathy and sympathy for others in general.  My focus went from my needs and even my husband's at times, to what my kids were going to need and how I could meet those new needs.  

It goes with out saying, but it is not abnormal for my needs and sleep to get pushed aside as I give my last piece of cake to my daughter or lose rest because I let my son kick me in the back all night.  These are things I will gladly give up for the joy that comes along with the rest of the package and the giggles that I hear all day as they grow into the kids God created them to be - with my help.

Thank you for being a part of this week's Mom, Woman of Faith.  For next week's question click here.

How has blogging changed my life you ask?

This  week I am linking up with  Sugar Bee Crafts , trying to explain  How Blogging has changed my life.  This is a fun post to write and probably right on time.  Where do I start?  Well, when I was five years old, and trying to figure life out, just kidding.  I will fast forward a bit for sake of time.  I think I wanted to start a blog a couple of years ago, but just could not sit down long enough to think of a title.  Finally in late December 2012, I sat down and came up with the title and a first post!  Although I have been blogging for less than 4 months, I have learned a lot and grown in a bunch of ways and I wanted to share them with you.

Let's back up a bit.  As a mom of little kiddos, my typical day revolved around going to bed late, waking up early and trying to find projects during the day to take my mind off of the clock- and the countdown until dad came home.  During that time I would try to conquer little projects around the house that needed attention mostly to give my brain and creativity a boost.  I love my kiddos and I know I am literally shaping minds and changing worlds but let's face it- they are twins and have their own language and I am not using any of the words that I normally use either.  My biggest word around the house was reduced to juice or milk or poo-poo.  I needed an outlet where I could use big words again and quick!

I started following a couple of blogs out of the blue for some reason and then thought what the million of other moms or gals think, " you know, this looks fun, I should start writing a blog too."  So, I did.  I saw how people were interacting with others through comments and concerns and showing others their projects and fell in love with the whole thing.  From that point on, I just tried to take it one day and a time, hoping that I will continue to blog for the long-haul and focused on slowing down and taking my time- a new and very foreign concept for me.

In the past 4 months, I have treated my blog like a blank canvas and the code as paint.  I have tried to make the buttons and other embellishments, reflect my personality and create a space for myself.

In fact, while watching the Oscars, one of the winners, Leah Dunham-who I am not familiar with, who has a show called Girls, said it best and summed up what I was thinking.  She was giving her acceptance speech and said that the show had made a space for her in the world.  I thought that was right on because when you decide to write a blog and post and edit and re-arrange things, you are creating what you want to see and it is your right and privilege!  So go for it!  In a short time I have learned how to better organize, say no a little, say yes some more and be accountable in other areas.  It has taught me to never give up even after my 4th hour of trying to figure out some small coding detail that has my head spinning, because after I figure it out- my head is in the clouds and I am excited that I surpassed another hurdle!  I love it and am excited for the future!

How has blogging changed your life and what do you love about it.  Visit Sugar Bee Crafts and let them know and check out some other stories while you are there.

Spring- here I come!

This Springtime Glog I made was super fun and I had a blast making it.  There was although a point when I accidentally made the whole Glog into this picture of my daughter, when I meant it to be much smaller.  I went with it though and liked the way it turned out, (especially since I couldn't undo it).

I  want to make a few more with some fun scripture that I want to memorize or a cool chart that teaches the kids to clean up their toys after a full day of play.

There are a couple of ways to make a Glog and I listed them both here.  I made this Springtime one on Glogster(edu).

This is were educators can go to sign up for an account to use Glogster in the classroom as an instruction aid.  Teachers are using it to teach all sorts of things since it is interactive (if you click on my pictures, they enlarge).  Students can also have access to the things their teachers teach since it is all stored online.  I have a 30 day pass here and you will probably get the same unless you are a current teacher.  I had to stop assistant teaching for Special Ed when I had the twins, although I am homeschooling so I thought I would see if they would let me join.  I also saw where they are gearing up to let parents start Glogs with the intentions to home school.  I signed up for an email reminder for when this becomes available.  Hopefully it will kick in when my trial period is over. 

I also signed up for an account here Glogster(for anyone).

This is where you can sign up for an account and you can just be a member of the general public.  It seems like there are a few more options on the non-educator site since it is not necessarily intended for teaching but rather for sharing and showing. 

After you make your Glog, you can embed it into your blog like I did and I used the full picture rather than the one intended for a blog since the width of my blog is wider than most.

If you get a chance, sign up for their blog  to see other Glogs in action.  They also have a community where you can learn and share info and techniques with others and gain points for sharing your Glog.  It is really a creative way to spend a couple of hours during the day.  Happy Glogging!

My husband makes me look bad in front of the kids

My husband is a nice guy, real nice. He does however, show me up all the time.  He comes from a family of competitors and sports spectators and these things run through his veins. He will tell you it's not true but this is my blog and my speculations.

A collaboration of our great toy making powers

Case in point.  When we watch TV at night with the kids, we are always on the floor playing with their toys.  We have these cool things that link together like Lego's but are rounded on the sides.

I will make something that looks like a first grader put it together and he makes things that look like they were constructed in a factory and mailed to you already put together for display.

These are mine:  I have 1 daisy crown, 1 singe rose and a weird worm

Oh Yes, Can't forget my skull cap- every kid needs one

I can't forget my robot too

 On the other hand- here are his latest creations.  He makes things like the single axle motorcycle, or this double wheel motorcycle.  I am just glad the kids are too young to know mommy can't compete with dad in the drawing and creation category.  He wins hands down.  He tries to make me feel good, and humbly says something like, "oh, that's nothing." What he really means is "Boom- how ya like them apples?"

His motorcycles

His Elton John sunglasses and a car that looks straight out of the Cat in the Hat!

Oh well.  I guess I will just take notes from dad when he builds things and maybe one day, one day, instead of a simple flower, I can come up with something the kids think is cool!

In closing:
Do you suck at making toy shapes and other fun stuff?
Does your husband look at you like a loser while pretending to have sympathy for you?
If so, blast him in your blog and I bet he will dumb it down a little in front of the kids. 
So- less creatively inclined toy maker-women of the world-UNITE!

Mirror Makeover with wreath

I have been wanting to make a cute wreath for my bedroom for a while but did not know where I would hang it.  I also found a horribly decorated mirror with 2 million seashells plastered down all over it.

DIY disaster

Epic Fail

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  You guessed it. Mirror re-do with added wreath coming up!

So, I am planning to paint the Master Bedroom a really pretty cool blue-since that is my favorite color, and every wall color already in the house, practically.  

I needed to paint the mirror a white-ish color so it would pop when the walls are finally painted.

Here are my walls at present.  Last spring I tried out a few colors but could not decide which color was best.

I think I will go with the lightest blue all the way to the right

I would not mind if the walls were white but they are an almondy color which is a little too bland for me.  I love to see white in other people' s homes but not so much in my own for some reason.

I  thought I would make a ribbon wrapped wreath since I have not made one before but I knew I did not want it to necessarily be springy- because those are not the colors of my bedroom .  I needed it to match the drapes and walls etc.  I also thought I would go for a bit of femininity.  I usually don't prefer girly looking things but with diaper bags and cremes all around, I thought I needed a change.

So I chose a red, white and black color combo that I think will suit all of those needs in the long run.  I also used Plaster of Paris and mixed it with the color paint I chose, to give a textured look like chalk paint.  When I removed the shells on the mirror, there was a green textured paint underneath and I knew I wanted to totally cover it up with out having to prime it first.  The chalk paint acts doubles as a primer, as it has a texture to it and still covers the greenish color also.  I may sand some of it to expose some of the wood or other color underneath to give it an aged look down the line. 

I used 2 tablespoons of P.O.P. and mixed it in with the paint color and just used a regular brush to make sure it got in all of the nooks and crannies.

I love the way it makes the room look larger and adds light and lets me know when my outfit is total fail, all at the same time.

It is super heavy- maybe like 30 pounds.  I scored it on half price day at a local thrift store.  It was maybe 2 dollars pre-makeover.

Now it's priceless because it's been de-shelled, painted and got a pretty wreath to match! 

I bought a wall hanging anchor that is good for up to 50 pounds just in case.  I always hate the thought of broken glass on the carpet or something falling and hitting someone.  It's probably irrational but I went with the 50 pound anchor anyhow.

I am really loving it and I may actually make new wreaths for the season and change it out as long as it matches the bedroom.  

I have to admit, I made a wreath for the living room door years ago, with my other favorite colors, orange, yellow, red (harvest type colors) and it stays there year-round.  I always enjoy when the weather gets colder because then I feel my harvest wreath won't be so out of place.

Do you have a favorite wreath that you use as a year round wreath or unlike me- are you more on top of things and change it with the seasons?

 Have a great week,