I love to sew but even I can appreciate simple no-sew craft projects. Since I was running short on time last week I didn't want to lug out the sewing machine to sew up some draft snakes so I decided to get creative, and now I can't see doing these any other way.
A draft snake is a tube of fabric filled with batting, fabric scraps, or another insulating substance like rice, or buckwheat. Actually rice and buckwheat are BETTER than batting or fabric scraps because the weight anchors them in place. You place draft snakes at the base of drafty doors to stop the air blowing in or on/in windows to do the same. They insulate your house and plug drafts. And they are SOOOO easy to make.
To make mine I went to a local thrift store and bought a couple pairs of girls cotton tights. Long socks, leg warmers and the arms of sweaters would work well too. Long socks and tights work the best if you don't want to break out the sewing machine though.
I took a pair of black, cotton tights and cut the leg area away from the crotch piece. Then I put a twist knot [...] Continue Reading…

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A new toy my kids have been enjoying and the neighbor kids have been itching to try. A Labyrinth Balance Board. It is a wood disc with a maze or labyrinth and it has wooden balls that you can nagivate through the maze by shifting your weight using your feet which are perched on each side of the disc.
I like that it is wood and therefore sustainable but I really like that it gets kids up and moving and working on their balance, agility, and problem solving.

I have posted about cardboard toys a couple times before.. I just love em! In addition to being fun they are essentially an eco friendly arts and crafts project as well as a toy. We recently got to review some of the cardboard play houses from the Imagination Box Company and while they aren't as original as say the cardboard tree house or the castle we got this year… I am liking these better.
For one thing they keep it simple! The instructions on some of these cardboard toys can be very hard to decipher but these were assembled very easily. They are also throwbacks to more simple times. The cottage has a lovely ethereal, old fashioned feel to it with the cobble stone, wood framed door ways and windows, climbing vines, etc. It is exactly the kind of house a fairy (or me) would choose, so it made the perfect house for my daughter's wooden fairy dolls.

Other cardboard toys we got came with markers and these toys came with watercolors paints. I love that. It made the decoration phase just a bit easier for the kids, cause who can stand to color with markers for 4-5 hours BEFORE you [...] Continue Reading…

I have been enjoying these first lazy days of winter and the holiday season immensely. The kids and I have been getting crafty… watching some good movies, and generally just enjoying our time together. While they have been at school I have been doing some SERIOUS cleaning. I mean scrubbing the baseboards with a toothbrush type cleaning. My husband has been afraid to walk in the door for fear I will rope him into some sort of cleaning "project". I think the cleaning is coming to a close though… my carpel tunnel (which is so bad I usually cannot hold a pencil for longer than 5 minutes) is flaring up AND the kids and I will be going out of town for awhile… a week, maybe two. I hope it snows soon… we want to go sledding.
But I can't help but smile when I see my little guys snuggle up on the couch with wool blankets, watching movies that make them laugh so hard their sides ache (G-Force). The house lights are off but the Christmas lights are twinkling and providing ambient lighting. Every now and then the toddler gets bored and decides to remove ornaments from the tree… [...] Continue Reading…

Hubby and I were talking recently about our how our nearly 6 year old daughter seems to be maturing so fast to the ways of the world. Already we have been hearing things come out of her mouth that are clearly to mature in content for her to know about. One time she almost caused her feminist grandmother to blow a gasket when she mentioned that wives who stay pregnant all the time don’t have to work. Last week she mentioned that kids can move and get their own place if they are unhappy with the house rules. In all instances she learned about these things from television or modern kids movies.

It got me to thinking about what I watched when I was young and most things that came to mind were very old shows… shows that would have been old even when I watched them. I have to hand it to my mom… somehow I grew up watching old classics and loving them. I watched the Mickey Mouse Club.. the black and white version with Anette Funicello. I watched the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills. I was over the moon for Tommy Kirk from The Shaggy Dog and [...] Continue Reading…