Ice skating

Hi everyone!

Did you have a good weekend?  We had a nice time last week catching up with an old friend in the city  and hanging out with family at the ice-skating rink.  Here are some photos from the skating rink.  Although Baby Chuck and I didn't skate, we still enjoyed people watching and being with family.

Mess free toddler paint (using Ziploc bags)

Now that Baby Chuck and I've already tried one finger paint recipe, I figured we'd give another a try.  We found a nice and easy recipe for finger paints from Easie Peasie and then we learned of a great mess free trick from Housing a forest   Here's what we did:

Ingredients:
- 3 T sugar
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 C cornstarch
- 2 C water

Materials:
- saucepan
- fork
- measuring cups and spoons
- Ziploc bags
- masking tape


Directions:
1.  Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.  Warm until you get a thick goop.

 2.  Once thickened, remove saucepan from the heat and let it cool.  Then, pour your sticky goo into different containers.  Add food coloring into each container and stir until you get your desired color.  (Don't taste the goo.  It's gross.  Just thought I'd put that out there...)

 3.  Pour your paint into the Ziploc bags.  Squeeze out the air from the bags and seal them shut with masking tape.  Then, let your child squish to his heart's delight!

 Disclaimer:  Baby Chuck enjoyed squishing the paint around for a couple of minutes... and then he moved onto something else.  But not to worry, Hubby and I then had a go at the bags.  It was quite relaxing to squish the colors around.

Have a great weekend!

Make a lava lamp

Before you read this post, I have a confession to make.  I have a school girl crush on Steve Spangler.  He's so dreamy and he makes science fun.  How can any person resist? *Sigh*  Mind you, this isn't my first school girl crush.  Back in grad school I thought my stats professor was super brainy and super dreamy too.  *Double sigh*

Ok... moving on...  Last week Baby Chuck and I made this lava lamp using directions from Steve Spangler's super awesome website.  Doesn't it look cool?

 Here's what it looked like when put a flashlight behind the bottle::

Whoa- swirly sci-fi effects

Want to make your own lava lamp?  (Come on, I know you do!)  If so, read on, fellow crapter!

Materials:
- empty bottle and cap (we used a soda bottle) <-- crap!
- vegetable oil
- water
- dark food coloring (we chose blue)
- alka-seltzer tablet (divided into smaller pieces)
- flashlight (optional- for alien effect)

Directions:
1.  Fill your bottle 3/4 full with vegetable oil.  Then, pour water into the bottle until it's almost full.  Make sure to lave enough room at the top of the bottle for the alka-seltzer reaction, otherwise liquid will spill out.
2.  Add 10 drops of food coloring.  (Watch the water turn a different color as the oil remains the same.)
3.  Drop your alka-seltzer pieces one by one into the bottle and watch the water bubble and fizzle.
4.  (Optional:  Put a flashlight behind the bottle and turn off the lights to see sci-fi alien effect)
5.  Once you've dissolve all your alka-seltzer pieces, screw the cap on and tip the bottle back and forth.  Watch the water and oil roll around.  Feel relaxed.

Smiles

Oi vey, it's cold outside.  Baby Chuck and I are fighting the winter doldrums by visiting the shops and hanging out with friends at the library.  

Here are a couple of photos to cheer you on throughout the rest of the week.

Only two more days till the weekend!

Make your own rainbow flowers

Last weekend, I made these rainbow flowers.

Aren't they purty?

Wanna bring some rainbow cheer into your life? 

They're easy to make.  Plus, you get to see science at work.

Cowboy gear part 2: Cardboard tissue box cowboy hat

 Cardboard Tissue Box Cowboy Hat

And here's how you crapt a cowboy hat from cardboard...
(Directions modified from a video that I viewed here)

Cowboy gear part 1: Make your own sheriff star

Hi everyone!
Here's how I crapted Baby Chuck's Sheriff star:

Materials:
- cake tin <-- crap!
- cereal box <--- crap!
- scissors
- strong glue (I used Aleene's)
- thin permanent marker
- packing tape
- pen
- safety pin
- felt (optional)
- printout of a sheriff star

 Directions:
1.  Glue your cake tin to your cereal box.
2.  Print out an image of a sheriff star that you like.  Cut that star out.
3.  Trace the star onto the cake tin.  Trace and color over the "sheriff" lettering too.  Lift up your paper star and reveal your "sheriff" imprint.

 4.  Cut out the star from the cake tin.  Use your permanent marker and trace over your lettering and any decorative designs that you want to stand out.

5.  Use your packing tape to "laminate" your star.

 6.  Cut out a piece of felt (or cardboard), and tape it to the back of your sheriff star to secure a safety pin to your star.  (Make sure to orient your safety pin so that the star sits the right way when pinned.)

Enjoy!  Yee-haw!

Cowboy party

When we first moved back to New Jersey, I was afraid that we wouldn't find community.

Silly me.

Last week our toddlers group held a cowboy party for the kids.
Costume?  Party?
Yup.  I've found my kind of people.

Psst- Tomorrow I'll share how I crapted Baby Chuck's cowboy costume from felt, cardboard, and a cake tin. 

Cocoa! Coffee! Face mask!

Thanks MB for suggesting this recipe!

Maybe you're wondering why I chose to put not one, but three exclamations in my title.  Have I finally jumped over the grammatical deep end and resorted to adding lots! of random!! exclamation marks to increase interest! in my posts?!?

Eep.  No.

I used a bunch of exclamation marks! to convey how tingly! and zingy! this mask felt on my face.  Once I applied the brown goop, my face felt like it was on fire.  (I guess that's the effect of the caffeine?)  But don't worry, the burning sensation lessened after the first five minutes.  By the time the mask dried I didn't feel a thing. (I also couldn't move a thing.)

The recipe claimed that the mask would "decrease puffiness in the face and the eye area, brighten skin and wake up a dull-ish complexion."   Erm.  My face looked the same post-mask as it did pre-mask... except that it was a lot redder after being scrubbed with coffee grit.

Interested in trying out a mask that smells like warm, dark, gooey chocolate cake?  If so, read on.

To make 2 masks:

Ingredients:  (I modified this mask for my oily skin.  Check the original recipe for ways to modify the recipe for dry skin.)
- 1 T ground coffee
- 1 T cocoa
- 2 T milk
- 1/2 T lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Mix together all the ingredients until you have thick goop.
2.  Smear goop onto a clean face.
3.  Wait till goop hardens.
4.  Use a warm washcloth and slowly wipe everything away.  
(Word of caution:  The dried coffee grounds will definitely scratch your skin.  Does that count as exfoliation?  No idea....)


Bottom line, I enjoyed the new experience, but I'm not sure if I'll try this mask again.

(If you want to read about my previous attempts at making other skin care products, click the links below:
jello facial pore strips, chocolate face mask, Green tea matcha face mask)

Have a great weekend!

Crapty cardboard cereal box giraffe

So this is the adorable cardboard giraffe that I fell in love with.  

Meet Chloe. (Isn't she darling?)

And here she is au naturale:

This time I used a tissue box to make her.

I can't take any credit for this template.  My talented momma friend Vanessa made it up and let me share it with you.  This little giraffe was super easy to make and fun to decorate too.  (Polka dots... oooh la la!)

Best part is that little elephant Ella now has someone to play with...

Beasty besties

Just download this free giraffe template to make your very own Chloe the giraffe.

Happy making, friends!

Fun with food coloring, soap, and milk

We've now had 2 days of cold and wet weather.  Baby Chuck and I try to go out in the mornings, but we usually stay at home in the afternoons because parking spots are so difficult to find.  (Curse you, parallel parking!)

So... what's a cooped up mama and 16 month old baby to do?

Well, yesterday we tried another food coloring activity.  This time we found Steve Spangler's amazing science page.  He had a demonstration that involved food coloring, dish detergent, and milk.   Look what we were able to do:

Ooh.  Psychedelic!

Materials:
- milk  (we used whole... but I bet you could use other types of milk... but the intensity may differ...)
- bowl / container
- food coloring
- dish soap
- cotton swab

How to make cornstarch toddler paint

Now that Baby Chuck is down to just one nap a day, I'm working on finding new and cheap ways to entertain him.  Earlier this week I made toddler paint using a recipe I found at the Stay at home educator.

Here are some photos from our first painting session.    

For some reason he really wanted to hold a bottle of cooking wine... *sigh*  artists...

I was worried that he would get paint all over himself, but  he did a good job keeping it on the paper.

Tada!  Here's his finished work:

Baby Chuck Norris?  Nay... today he was Baby Chuckson Pollock.

As the paint dried it took on a thick, crumbly texture, so I don't think this would the recipe to use if you wanted to frame your child's artwork.  But, if you're looking for a fun, new, (and cheap!) experience, then I highly recommend this simple three ingredient recipe.  The paints were easy to make, Baby Chuck had fun, and clean up was super easy.  

To make your own toddler paint, just mix together

• 2 T cornstarch
• 4 T water
• a couple of drops of food coloring.  (I put in 4 drops and then dipped my finger into the paint.  Eeek.  Bad idea.  It turned blue and the color took a while to scrub off.   That's why we ended up using paint brushes instead of just painting with our fingers.)

Psst- if you have any ideas/suggestions for cheap and simple ways that I can keep Baby Chuck entertained during the day, let me know.  The cold and wet weather outside has forced us to stay indoors.  Needless to say, we're getting a bit stir crazy.

E and E wedding

I always cry at weddings and this one was no exception.

Thank you, E and E, for inviting us to join in your special day.

And thank you, dad and Grace, for watching Baby Chuck for a whole day.

DIY oatmeal face mask

I know what you're thinking.  This girl loves putting food products on her face.

Well, you've got me there.

Last week I found a nifty book called Concoctions at the library.  It shows you how to make things like invisible ink, play dough, and glue with common household items.

Cool, right?

It's like home ec and chemistry mixed into one.



Inside, I found a recipe for an oatmeal face mask.  It only requires two ingredients:
- 1 T quick-cooking oats
- 1 T hot tap water

I know, I know, it looks like Baby Chuck spat up on me.  But, it was nice trying something new (and rather slimy.)   Again, I'm not sure if the mask actually did anything for my skin, but it certainly made for an entertaining night.

Here are the directions if you'd like to make yourself an oatmeal face mask:
1.  Mix oats and water in a small bowl.  Stir until you have an oatmeal paste
2.  Spread onto your face
3.  Wait 10 minutes until mask gets stiff and tight  (Note:  Be prepared, gobs of oatmeal will fall off your face... especially if you keep laughing while you wait.)
4.  Wash with warm water

Have a great Monday.

Currently...

Baby Chuck's two favorite things in the world are keys and buttons.

Is this a stage that all kids go through?

Crapty cardboard cereal box elephant

Dear Long-time reader,

I'm no longer only crapting on Fridays.  Now that I've unleashed my craptiness, I'm just going to upload crapts any time I feel like it.  Hope that's ok with you.

-Me

Ok, now that that's over with, let the crapt begin!

Last week, a mommy friend showed me Muji's super cute cardboard animals.  She made herself a little giraffe and I was inspired to try making something too.  I had a lot of fun making my cardboard animal trophy head awhile back.  This time I ventured into new territory because I had to make my own template from scratch.

Eek.

So after many tries and fails, I finally came up with an animal that stands and a pattern that other people can use (although please note that it's far from perfect!)

So please meet Ella, my little cereal box elephant.

Isn't she cute?  

And this is what little Ella looks like naked (aka sans paint):

If you'd like to try making your own elephant, you'll just need these few materials:
- free elephant template
- scissors
- pencil or pen
- cereal box
- paint or markers (optional)

Then, you simply
(1)  Cut the shapes out.

(2)  Trace the shapes onto a cereal box.

(3)  Cut those shapes out again.

(4)  Optional- Decorate the shapes
Note:  If you paint the shapes, be sure to save a bit of the paint to fix up the scratch marks that will appear after you assemble the pieces.  If you look carefully at Ella, you'll notice that there's a bit of white by her nose.  That's where my paint chipped off.  Or, maybe you could protect your paint by coating your pieces with modpodge?  Not sure...

(5) Assemble the pieces
Note:  I tried my best to make sure that the pattern works as is... however... it's not perfect.  So you'll probably have to adjust the lengths and widths of the slits and various pieces, especially if you painted them.

(6)  Fix up any little scratch marks that assembling

Thanks for reading this tutorial.  I hope this little elephant project provides you and your family a bit of cheap and creative fun.  If you try it out, I'd love to see your results. :)

  

Homemade Green Tea Matcha Mask

Hubby's been working long hours lately, so I've been feeling kind of tired.  Last night I thought I'd relax by treating myself to a homemade facial.  

The last time I did a DIY facial, I made this chocolate face mask.   That was fun, but this time I wanted to try something new.  To continue with the foodie theme, this time I tried out Delighted Momma's green tea mask recipe  She said that it would "stimulate dead skin cells and improve tired, dull skin," which sounded perfect to me.

This is me trying to do a glam shot... haha

Ingredients:

- Matcha green tea powder 

- water

Directions:

(1)  Mix 1 tsp of green tea powder with a couple of drops of water.  

(2)  Stir until you get a thick green paste.

(3)  Smear paste onto your skin  

(4)  Wait 20 minutes (or until your face feels like it's been super botoxed)

(5)  Wipe off the mask with warm water and a wash cloth    

(6)  Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

Now, I'm not sure if this mark worked... but I have to say that it smelled really really delicious when it was on.  Afterwards I kept having the urge to eat green tea ice-cream and bake some green tea mochi cakes... mmm yum.

Have you tried any good homemade facials lately?