I'm Drumming

We've officially hit the, "I'm drumming!" stage, which really means picking up any long object that can remotely be used as a drumstick and smashing it anywhere and everywhere- including while we're eating in restaurants.  Actually, especially in restaurants.

Usually, our restaurant experiences are filled with totally chaotic moments of little ones crying and spilling and generally being messy; but now that the boys are the "drumming" stage, our restaurant outings having taken on a whole new adjective: noisy.  So, in the interest of sharing some helpful tips, we recently discovered something that works pretty well.  Instead of every utensil being used as drum sticks- and with 4 of us, there's 12 opportunities for that, we've smartened up and started asking for extra straws.  And wha-lah, we have ourselves 2 sets of quiet drum sticks that keep them occupied for the majority of the meal.

Here's how it went this weekend:

They always start out so well mannered, but 10 minutes in, we're on the brink of serious meltdowns.

Tip #4

We have always been very fortunate to be able to purchase books for our children.  Every once in a while, we'd somehow find ourselves "doubled up" on books, in particular, ones with Elmo and Sesame Street friends.  I think it's because as the first book became "loved" and pages started getting tattered and eventually ripped, we would have a spare one waiting in the wings, this meant that there were no tears when the worn out book would be retired.

As we were updating our office/coloring room, I decided that Cullen's favorite book, Elmo Loves You, needed to be included somehow.  Since we had 2 copies and one was primarily being used as a "rip up" book, I decided to create some artwork and I think it turned out pretty well.

Here's what you will need: frames, paint (if necessary), pictures from a "well-loved" book of your choice and hooks to hang the frames.

I started by painting the frames that I got for about $2 from Micheals.  Next, I cut out some of my favorite pictures from:

$3.50 via Amazon

Next, I cut the pages to size and put them into the now dry frames.  Then I used some 3M picture hangers, which are easily removable, chose a wall and went for it.  Here's how it turned out:

The total cost of the craft was approximately $10, including the cost of the book.

I hope that next time a book has seen better days, that you're able to create something memorable.

** This craft/tip will also be featured in the post tomorrow that outlines how I made over our office in one day for under $350.

Tip #3

Here's a quick, easy and inexpensive way to showcase the art work that your children create!

What you'll need: yarn, clothes pins, hooks.

First, you need to install the hooks on the wall- I chose to use the 3M wall hooks that are easily removable.  Next, I cut off enough yarn in order for there to be a little "slack" after hanging it between the hooks on the wall.  Finally, I attached some artwork with the clothes pins I purchased and wha-lah an instant art gallery for less than $10.

** This craft/tip will also be featured in the post on Wednesday that outlines how I made over our office in one day and for under $350.00.

Tip #2

I'm a pack-rat, except when it comes to my kids and their treasures; then I'm a full blown hoarder.  Which really means that I keep and then grow attached to every schnibble of construction paper with random crayon slashes.  So, in an attempt to become more organized, I've devised a system-- which really means that I saw this on Pinterest but I actually did it, so that counts for something and is the reason why it's now my tip.

Tip #2: When my children bring home notes from their teachers or create meaningful artwork, I throw them into a box.  Then about every other month, I put them into a plastic sleeve in a binder that I keep for each child and  wha-lah; a perfectly organized little art portfolio for all of their masterpieces.

Before = a messy pile that could sit on our kitchen island for weeks.

After = artwork in plastic sleeves...

Compiled into individual binders.

Where's Elmo?

When I started having children, people had a lot to say; advice being the most prolific thing shared.  I learned from that experience that I'd never give advice (unless I thought there'd be some life threatening consequence if I didn't) and that I'd only offer help when I was asked.  However, I never minded when people shared simple tips that made their lives easier.  Over the past 2 1/2 years, I've come across my own tips that have worked well and so I thought I'd start sharing a few.  I know that sort of sounds like advice, but trust me, it's not; that's why I'm calling them tips.

Tip #1:

In order to make my children look at my cell phone camera, I put a sticker of a recognizable character on the back of my phone near the camera lens.  A while ago, I purchased Sesame Street stickers in mass quantities from the Target dollar spot and realized this was a great way to use them.  So, now when I'm taking a picture, I say, "Where's Elmo?" and both of my kids look and if I time it just right, I can snap a picture before they point to him.  However, that's not always the case and I have quite a few pictures (mostly of Arden) where someone is flat out pointing at Elmo.  

I hope this works as well for your family as it has for mine!

Like I said, sometimes it works and sometimes, it doesn't.

Pointing at Elmo.

If I can even get Cullen to look at the camera, it's a successful endeavor.