Father’s Day Gift – Part 2

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jennifer

In addition to the printables the boys filled out for Derek, we put together a few snacks for him to take to work.

I bought 3 of these containers from Target

Filled them with snacks: honey roasted peanuts, “kisses for Dad,” & sweet candies

Wrapped a ribbon around the sides – secured with tape

Alex created some labels for each jar: Super Dad, #1 Dad, We love you

I desperately wanted to edit the labels Alex created by enlarging the word size, changing the font but I held back. How it looks is really not the point. In the end, Alex was so proud of his labels and so was I.

I chose these containers because they are stackable and would take up less space on Derek’s desk at work

At Target we also found some firework paraphenalia – pops & confetti bombs

So we made personalized sign covers for them. Cheesey I know.

Pop sounds like Derek is 75 years old but we just went with it

Here’s the final Father’s Day gift: the 3 containers, the father’s day printables, the dynamite gifts, and messages written on hand tracings. (Some people are having trouble printing out the printable. Please email and I will send you a copy if that happens.)

Andrew’s says, “You’re my best dad.”

For the record, Derek is Andrew’s only dad. 🙂

Summer’s Here

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Jennifer

Summer starts in our house at 3:15 this afternoon!

These 3 are definitely excited

The Gift of Mowing?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jennifer

My 9 year old mowed the lawn as a gift to me.

When he “completed” the job, I mowed the lawn again.

I received several “work coupons” for Mother’s Day. I decided to turn one in this weekend since our lawn was looking quite neglected.

As I watched him cut the grass, I realized he must have a method to his madness but it completely eluded me.

I believe the path he followed was something like this….

Next time, I should probably be more specific with my contractor.

1. Please cut all of the grass. This is not an art project.

2. The neighbors like straight property lines. They’re kind of finicky that way.

Can’t wait to see the results of my “cook a meal” coupon.

Father’s Day Printable

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jennifer

Father’s Day printables are flying around blogland but I decided to create my own.

Alex and Andrew filled out their “All About My Dad” forms and will give them to Derek on Father’s Day along with a story they are writing.

I wrote down Andrew’s answers for him.

If you’d like a copy of the Father’s Day printable please visit my etsy shop.

Thank you.

How are you celebrating those special dads in your life?

Lego Mini Figure Party Boards

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Jennifer

For Andrew’s Lego party we created large wooden character boards.

During the party we took pictures of each guest behind the boards. When Andrew sent a thank you card in the mail, each guest also received a photo of himself as a Lego mini figure.

Below you can see Andrew is “Jay” from the Lego Ninjago sets.

On the back side of the boards are different characters I painted for our Halloween party. Since we already had the boards cut, it was a simple tracing and painting process to complete this set.

Below – “Penguin” from Batman Lego sets

Steps to Create Lego Party Boards:

1) cut board into desired size

2) use a tracer to copy image directly onto board

3) cut out head section

4) paint

5) cut large blocks for legs so the structure will stand up.

“Batman and Robin” mini figures

Below: The large board slides into the ground blocks in order for the structure to stand.

In case you missed it, we also played Lego Bingo – go here for a copy.

One more Lego party post coming soon!

Glamor-not!

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Jennifer

What are three words that describe being a mommy you ask?

Glamor, glamor, glamor.

Let me share with you a rather glamorous night at our house.

The day started rather uneventfully, just a typically school day. Everyone came home from school, had a snack, started homework, and played.

For snack, Andrew had fruit and fruit juice. He had been complaining of stomach pains due to constipation for about two days so he was on an all fruit and fiber diet. Caroline, on the other hand, had the opposite problem. She was on antibiotics for an ear infection so she had the runs.

Remember, all glamor at our house.

We met Derek at lacrosse practice where he handed me a jar of milk of magnesium. Andrew, Caroline, and I headed home to start dinner. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and pickles were on the menu. Fruit and yogurt for Andrew.

Once we got home, I encouraged Andrew as he drank small amount of the medicine. Every few minutes he would take a tiny sip followed quickly by some fruit juice. About thirty minutes later he really started complaining about stomach pains. I encouraged him to sit on the toilet and just “try and go.” Sitting on the bathroom floor holding his hand, I made pushing faces and sounds with him. Well, a few minutes of this, and he became hysterical. Any time he felt some pain, he would have this look of terror on his face and start screaming. I felt like an FBI negotiator trying to talk him down – “Andrew, you can do this. It’s going to hurt for a moment but you will feel much better once you go.”

After several unsuccessful tries, Andrew determined he needed to play with some Legos and wait. I changed Caroline’s runny diaper and decided to call the pediatrician’s after hours service. Maybe they would have an idea. I felt so bad for the little guy since he was in such pain. The after hours service picked up quickly but I only got a receptionist. I left information giving the reason for the call and waited for a nurse to call back.

In the meantime, I managed to start the tomato soup and started putting together the grilled cheese sandwiches. I got out some plates, started filling cups with water, and managed to start unloading the dishwasher.

As I was putting silverware away, I was startled by Andrew. Running and screaming he made a beeline for the bathroom. I quickly followed but was met by a closed door. I heard a load scream and then nothing for about 3 seconds. All of a sudden there was yelling and singing, “I went poopy! Yeah! I did it!” I, in turn, started dancing and singing, “He went poopy! Yeah!” Once I was allowed in, the relief on Andrew’s face was clear.

For me the relief only lasted a minute when I turned around and realized Caroline had pulled down her pants and was pulling at the tabs of her diaper. Thankfully she only undid one side before I got to her. Of course, she was messy again so I went to change her.

The phone started ringing just as I finished changing Caroline so I ran to get it. The nurse was calling back to find out about our problem. I quickly explained that the situation had been resolved and we were doing the “poopy dance.” Strangely enough, the nurse seemed quite familiar with the “poopy dance” and didn’t need much of an explanation.

Feelings of happiness and joy were plentiful until I noticed a funny smell. I ran to the kitchen where I discovered the tomato soup had burned.

I quickly grabbed another pot, another can of soup, and remade it. Thankfully, this time I didn’t burn it. I did burn one of the grilled cheese sandwiches but I’m sure that’s the way Derek likes them anyway.

Much later that night, I was awakened by Alex.

“Mom, I threw up.”

Sitting up in bed, “Are you okay? Is it all over you?”

“No, it’s not on me.”

“Good. Let’s get you some water.”

“I made sure to throw up on the ground.”

“On the new &^%$#@ carpet!!!!!!” I think to myself.

But I say, “It’s okay. We’ll clean it up.”

So… like I said…being a mom is full of glamor.

Constipation, diarrhea, and vomit…those are definitely glamorous in my book:)

Eastery

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Jennifer

Here’s a funny little nugget I never posted:

On Easter morning after our Easter egg hunt, I took the boys to church. We sat in the back row and people watched until the service began. Alex quickly located a woman wearing a sundress which tied at the shoulder. Normally, this would not grab his attention but this woman happened to be completely covered in tattoos.

“Mom, mom, there’s a lady who has lots of tattoos.”

“I see her.”

“Mom, she’s got an eagle and some other things on her back.”

“Uh-huh, she does.”

“That’s not really Eastery.”

Andrew – “It’s not Eastery. She should have bunny and egg tattoos.”

Just Say No

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Jennifer

Never say yes to your children. Whatever it may be. Just say no.

I should have followed my own advice on Monday night.

Typically Mondays are crazy nights for us. We usually have several activities going on at the same time. Because of rain on Sunday night, our field activities were cancelled leaving about an hour of playtime we typically don’t have. The boys begged to go outside and ride bikes.

I looked at my watch, calculated there would be 45 minutes of bike time, 15 minutes for dinner, and then we would be off to Andrew’s music class.

Before going out I placed frozen meatballs on a cookie sheet and some marinara sauce in a pot. Quick and easy meatball subs for dinner was the plan.

All 3 kids rode bikes up and down our street for 30 minutes.

Caroline and I were in the garage when Alex rode in.

“Mom, I need a styrofoam ball for school tomorrow.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re making the sun and I need to bring in the ball for my group.”

“How long have you known about this?” my voice getting loud

“Just today.”

“I don’t think so. A teacher’s not going to ask you to bring in a styrofoam ball with 1 days notice.”

“My group just decided today that we were going to make the sun.”

“What’s everyone else in the group bringing?” my voice getting louder

“Lucy is bringing paint pens and Hoyt is bringing a picture of the sun.”

“Why are you bringing the styrofoam ball? When did you plan on getting this? Why didn’t you tell me about this when you first came home from school.” my voice getting even louder

“I don’t know.”

I grab the phone and call my husband. In an extremely irritated voice I say, “Your son needs a styrofoam ball for school tomorrow. Can you go by the craft store on your way home? Here talk to him. I am so annoyed.”

They discuss the situation while I calm down.

I decided to start dinner so I gathered the kids and tell them to stay in the garage. “Get off your bikes and stand here. I just need to go in and put the tray of meatballs into the oven. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay mom.” Also known as, “We haven’t heard a thing you’ve said. Nor do we care.”

I walked into the house, into the kitchen, grabbed the tray of meatballs, and put them in the oven. I was turning around to walk back outside, when Andrew came in running, “Mom, Caroline is crying and her chin is bleeding.”

In disbelief I say, “What? How did she get hurt?”

Alex (walking in calmly while his sister can be heard screaming in the background), “I was pushing her on her bike and she turned the handle bar quickly and fell off.”

I quickly think to myself – 1. she’s not supposed to be on a bike, and 2. you are not supposed to be pushing her!

I grab Caroline and inspect her chin. There is quit a bit of blood and I can see she’s got a gash. I quickly way the pros and cons of taking her to the hospital – on one hand the hospital visit will be expensive but on the other hand I don’t think she will especially enjoy looking like a turkey when she’s older.

I grab a bag of ice, throw everyone in the car, and call Derek. “We’re on our way to the hospital, meet us there.”

After arriving at the hospital I must retell the story of how Caroline hurt her chin probably fifteen times. Each time I try to emphasize certain parts of the story to lessen the chances that CPS will make a visit to my house – I was inside the house when she fell off her bike BUT SHE HAD A HELMET ON. I don’t know if she hit her head on the concrete BUT SHE HAD A HELMET ON.

I think I managed to evade a home visit but just barely.

Turns out Caroline only needed a band aid on her chin. I can’t wait to get the bill for that band aid.

While waiting to be discharged Derek mentions he got a styrofoam ball. With his hands, he demonstrates it’s about the size of a baseball.

I look at Alex. Alex looks at me then turns to Derek, “But it has to be bigger. It’s supposed to be the sun.”

Now it’s Derek’s turn for his voice to get louder. “You didn’t tell me it had to be big.”

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaad, it’s for the sun. The sun is huge,” whines Alex.

So after taking a post hospital trip to the craft store for a $15 styrofoam ball, we went home, ate cereal, and put the kids to bed.

Oh, and I threw the bikes in the trash.

At least I wanted to.

Lego Man Cake

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Jennifer

Alex had a Lego party for his 9th birthday. Derek suggested making a Lego brick for the cake but I quickly dismissed that suggestion since it did not seem like a challenge. Alex provided me with this figure as inspiration for the cake. So I went for it and think it turned out all right.

Step 1: You need: 2 boxed cake mixes, frosting dye, and 5 large containers of frosting. No, I don’t even consider making my own frosting.

Step 2 – Place both cakes side by side and then carve out the general Lego man shape. Follow up with an initial layer of frosting. Place the cake in the fridge – it’s easier to put the next layer of frosting if the first layer is more solid.

Step 3 – Create the bodysuit? armor? training clothes? with orange icing. I used clear icing bags and a basic frosting tip for the rest of the icing.

Step 4 – Use gray icing for the equipment and part of helmet. I started questioning my cake decorating abilities at about this point – hmmm… 2 hours till the party, I wonder if the grocery store could make a lego brick cake in such short notice?

Step 5 – Using a wider icing tip I created the white sections of the helmet

Step 6 – The first attempt at making “Lego skin” was too pink (very bad in the eyes of a 9 year old boy) so I tried again and got a brown color. Good enough.

Step 7 – I added the black icing sections.

Step 8 – I added the red sections and called it done.

There were certain parts of the cake I wasn’t thrilled with but Alex was excited with the cake and that’s all that counts in the long run.

Display Board for Kids Room

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jennifer

Do you have a large frame you haven’t used in years? We have several and I decided to turn two of them into something useful for the boys’ room. Since our marathon displays have been in a closet for probably five years I decided it was time to change them up.

After taking the back off of the frames, I sprayed them with red paint. The boys have red beds in their room so I decided the frames would coordinate nicely with those.

I had some chicken wire lying around and decided to use it. Yes, I know. We do not live on a farm and I just happened to have some chicken wire lying around. Last summer I was going to make a jewelry holder using a frame and the chicken wire but I never got around to it. So, yes…I had the chicken wire just sitting around.

The frames were 22 x 26 inches so we cut out a piece of wire that was 24 x 28 inches. This gave an extra inch on each side for bending and stapling.

I declined to include pictures of our bloody hands from the wire. This was for the benefit of everyone with a weak stomach.

Derek bent the wire edges roughly 90 degrees using pliers. The bent section was the extra one inch of wire initially added on.

He then stapled the wire in place.

We hung the boards on the wall using the same wire that was originally on the frame.

The boys were able to each place their special papers (drawings of their imaginary soccer teams) and ribbons on their own board using clothespins. (We didn’t make a cork board for the boys since having the push pins around would have been dangerous for Caroline.)