Monday, January 7, 2013

Party time

Last week a couple of kids in our Toddler Time group celebrated their second birthday.  Their mommies were so nice and brought cake, cookies, and a whole bunch of birthday fun to our group.

You know what?  Even though it's super exhausting to be a mommy, one of the perks is that I get to see the world through a set of fresh, new eyes.  Through Baby Chuck's eyes, everything is new and amazing.  Take a look at the birthday hat and bubbles, for example.  Baby Chuck just loved them both.







Friday, January 4, 2013

Crapty DIY galaxy light jar

You know how there are TONS and TONS of beautiful craft posts floating around online?

Well, this isn't one of them.

This week's crapt is a DIY galaxy light jar... and it came out looking a tad... crapty.


Don't get me wrong,  making this galaxy light jar would be a really fun activity to do with a young child.  And if you squint your eyes and tilt your head just so... the jar and lights do sort of resemble the night sky.  But, sadly mine just didn't turn out as cool looking as the one from this Design Mom post.  Perhaps I needed a stronger LED light?  Or a jar with a wider mouth?  Hmm....


Anyway, if you love the night sky, or if you have a child that loves staring at the stars and space, maybe you'd like to make one of these? Here's what you'll need:

Materials:
- scissors
- tape
- skewer
- 1 small LED light (I just used our bicycle light)
- jar (with opening large enough to fit your light)
- disposable cake tin <-- crap!

Directions:
(1)  Smooth out your cake tin (I just rubbed the scissor's handles against the metal to flatten out the ridges)

(2)  Cut out a rectangle from your cake tin.  Make sure that it's tall as your jar (it reaches from the bottom all the way to the lid)

(3)  Trace the bottom of your jar onto the cake tin and cut the circle out.

(4)  Use a skewer to punch a bunch of holes into your rectangle and circle.  (You want to see lots of starry light, so you'll need to punch a loooot of holes.)

(5)  Tape your metal circle to the bottom of the jar

(6)  Roll your rectangle into a cylinder.  Tape the cylinder so it keeps its shape.  Squeeze your cylinder into your jar.

Yup.  It's looking crapty already....
(7)  Turn on your LED light and drop it in the jar. (Make sure the light faces the bottom of the jar.)  Screw on the lid.

(8)  Turn off the lights in your room. Orient the jar so that it's resting on the lid.  Enjoy your very own mini galaxy.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Mommy date

A couple of days ago I went on my first date in New Jersey... my first mommy date that is.  Another mommy and I planned to go out for lunch by ourselves (without the kids!) and I was kind of a nervous wreck.  I felt like a pimply faced boy going on his first unchaperoned date.

As I got ready, a whole slew of questions popped into my head.  Some questions were a bit easier to answer...

What do normal women wear when they go out?
Is this shirt too dirty to wear out?
Do I have time to wash my hair?
How should I do my hair?  
Will I look like I'm trying too hard if I paint my nails?

And others questions pointed at deeper worries...
What if I'm too boring?
What if I have nothing to say?
What if I forgot how to just be... me?

Hubby was really sweet and gave me a good pre-date pep talk.  He also helped me to pick out an outfit.


And  look, I even wore an accessory!







We ended up going to a nearby restaurant and having a really fun time.  
Sometimes it's nice just being me... instead of mommy-me.

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering- here's a picture of my hot mommy date.  :) I look forward to going out with her again soon.



Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Hello 2013

"Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book.  Write a good one."  ~ Brad Paisley

Happy New Year!  
Here's how we celebrated the beginning of 2013:

Baby Chuck tried to open our sparkling apple cider
We were pleasantly surprised by the fireworks outside



Monday, December 31, 2012

How to make heart (and other) shaped bokeh Christmas lights

Ever wanted to make different shaped bokeh Christmas lights?  Inspired by our Christmas snowmen-light sunglasses, I thought I'd try my hand at making our Christmas lights look heart shaped.  And then, once I figured out how to do that, I had to make some other shapes as well...

How to Make Different Shaped Bokeh Photos

how to take heart, cat, star, arrow and different shaped bokeh photos
Heart, star, cat, and arrow shaped Christmas lights


Keep reading to see how I made different shaped bokeh!