Popsicle Stick Flag Magnet

Ava loves spotting American flags as we drive around town.  She points out every flag she sees.  There is a HUGE one near our house and she always asks if we can drive by it.  When I saw all these Popsicle stick flags on Pinterest, I knew she'd love to make one.  I decided to make it into a magnet because magnets are one of Ava's other favorite things.  All day, she makes art projects and then tries to find space on our fridge to hang them up.  Here's what our fridge looks like today:

Here's what you need to make your very own magnet:

- Popsicle (craft) sticks
- Small wooden stars (I found mine at Michael's)
- Red and white paint
- Paint brushes
- Small piece of white card stock
- Small piece of blue card stock
- Magnetic adhesive strips
- Glue gun


To make our flag magnet, Ava first painted the Popsicle sticks red and white and she painted 3 stars white.

While Ava was busy painting, I cut a piece of white card stock.  When the Popsicle sticks were dry, I glue gunned (is that a verb?) the backs of the Popsicle sticks to the card stock.

Next I cut a piece of the magnetic adhesive strips in half and Ava stuck them to the white card stock.

While the stars were drying, I cut a small piece of blue card stock and glue gunned it to the front of the flag.  When the stars were dry, I put glue on the back of the stars and Ava stuck them on the blue card stock.

She was so excited to show everyone her new magnet!  Happy 4th of July!

Shutterfly Photobook Giveaway!!

I love Shuttefly.  Love. Love. Love.  And I'm not being paid by Shutterfly to profess my love.  I am so excited for this GIVEAWAY.  If you haven't discovered Shutterfly yet, read on.  Here are all the reasons that I love Shutterfly:


I upload all of my photos to Shutterfly and use them as a back up for my numerous other back up devices.  The best part is that you can store all your pictures on Shutterfly free of charge.  There are no restrictions and they will never delete your photos.


Another Shutterfly feature I use and LOVE is their Share Site.  I share our photos and videos and other photo projects and updates with my friends and family on our personal Share Site.  It's very easy to use and update.


There are so many great products that Shutterfly offers.  I have created many photo books, coffee mugs, mouse pads, note pads, stationary cards, address labels, holiday cards and ornaments.  I also purchase prepaid print plans so that I can order all our 4x6 prints for our photo albums for just $0.09 each.


In the past year or so, Shutterfly upgraded their photo book software and it is AMAZING!  I'd love to go on and on about all the features, but I'll just get to the GIVEAWAY and let you discover it for yourself.


HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET YOUR FREE 8x8 PHOTO BOOK:
1.  Join my blog - Click on the link that says "Join this site" in the top right hand corner of my blog.


2.  Comment - Leave a comment on this post before Sunday, June 24nd at midnight.  I will randomly select 5 people who will receive a free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly!


Unfortunately, this offer is only available to people who have never made a photo book on Shutterfly.  The winner will be announced on Monday, June 25th.  Be sure to check back!

Brave

Pixar's latest movie, Brave, opens in theaters on June 22nd!  Did you know that this is Pixar's first movie featuring a female lead character?  Her name is Princess Merida and as you can see from the picture, she has some archery skills.  I'm not sure why there are so many movies and shows focused on archery.  I wonder if this will bring back the sport?!?!

Meatless Monday: Caprese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Good news!  We planted two basil plants in our back yard and one of them is doing great!  We think the other basil plant was eaten by a little critter or deer because the whole thing is missing.  But look at how huge and delicious the other basil plant looks!

With all this yummy basil, I was inspired to make The Steamy Kitchen's Caprese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette.  Let me tell you - IT WAS AMAZING!   I thought I had perfected the Caprese Salad with the Balsamic Reduction, but I was mistaken.  The Basil Vinaigrette takes the cake.  If you make this, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes, sliced into thick slices
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced into thick slices
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper


For the Basil Vinaigrette:
1 small shallot, roughly chopped (substitute with 1 tablespoon chopped onion or 2 garlic cloves - I used garlic )
2 slices fresh chili pepper
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons good white wine vinegar (I didn't have white wine vinegar so I used Rice Vinegar instead.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1.  To make the Basil Vinaigrette, add the garlic (or shallot or onion) and chili pepper to the blender. Next add the basil leaves, water, vinegar and salt. Blend. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you are blending.

2.  The vinaigrette will appear a bit runny.  That's okay.  It's still delicious!



3.  To assemble the Caprese Salad, layer the tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. In between each layer, season with a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle the basil vinaigrette on top.

You can store extra basil vinaigrette in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Father's Day Crafts & Gifts

Tim and I are not big on surprising each other with gifts (with the exception of my New York trip - thanks babe!).  If we need something, we just go out and buy it.  For Father's Day, Tim is going to the Cardinal's game with some friends that are coming in town that weekend.  So my Father's Day gift to him is a night off!  Priceless!  But I do enjoy giving crafty presents to Tim from the girls and me.  Last year I found this cute card idea on Pinterest:

 Front of card from Ava

 Inside of card from Ava

 Front of card from Sidney

Inside of card from Sidney

There is also a cute "kid interview" card on Pinterest that Ava did for Tim's birthday last year.

In case you're wondering, Tim does not wear earrings - those are his cheeks above his ears.  And he does not have 3 eyes either - that is his forehead.  Gotta love kid drawings!

Click here if you'd like to download a copy.

This year I found another idea on Pinterest, of course.  I bought the white "D" and "A" letters at Michael's for $4 each.  Not bad, especially if you have a 40% off coupon!  The letters also come in black but they're a bit smaller.  I took pictures of the girls holding the letters and used the pictures to make a card.  Here's how it turned out:

To make the outside of the card, I printed wallet size pictures at Walmart and pasted them onto white card stock.  Then I pasted the white card stock onto a piece of folded green card stock.  To make the inside of the card, I printed the text on a piece of 8.5x11 paper and cut it down so you can see the green card stock.  Then I taped it to the inside of the green card stock.


I also got an email from Shutterfly a long time ago for a free mug so I decided to make a mug for Tim for Father's Day - he drinks coffee every morning.  One side of the mug is shown in the picture above and here's the other side of the mug:

I LOVE Shutterfly.  I upload all my pictures to Shutterfly and I have a Share Site where I share pictures and videos with my family and friends.  I also make all of my scrapbooks on Shutterfly - they upgraded their Scrapbooking software program in the past year and it's AMAZING!  I especially love that they are always sending me emails with free stuff and promotions.  I highly recommend Shutterfly (and no, they don't pay me to say that!).  


There are also some cute books that star Daddy that the kids could give to him:

Happy Father's Day to my awesome husband, my loving Dad, and my wonderful father-in-law.  My life is so much better with you in it!

Tips for Traveling with Kids

It's officially summer vacation time at our house!  Every summer my family takes a vacation together.  We usually stay within a half day drive from home because everyone has kids, but I still have to prepare long in advance to ensure we have enough entertainment to keep everyone sane in the car.


I've done a lot of research online so I thought I'd share the best tips that I found for road trips and airplane travel with kids.


SET THE STAGE
I like to try to set the stage for a peaceful trip using BRIBERY!  Sometimes my girls need a little incentive to be good when they're facing tough situations.  Family Fun Magazine has an idea  for Vacation Vouchers.  Good behavior is rewarded with special treats and surprises!  Another mom wrote an article in Family Fun Magazine about her Cranky Coupons.  She made a few coupons for each family member that "entitles the bearer to 10 minutes of whininess, irritability, poutiness, grumpiness, crankiness, sulkiness and/or other general disagreeableness".  You can print out your own Cranky Coupons here.

Another common pitfall with kids (mine included) is the sudden need to have everything they see.  Toys, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc.  As if the vacation isn't enough!  One mom created a "Trip Jar" that the family decorated with stickers and pictures from previous travels.  They add money each month when the kids do chores or good deeds.  When vacation time rolls around, they bring the jar and spend the contents on snacks and souvenirs.  Another family travels with rolls of nickels, dimes and quarters that they use to reward good behavior, patience, courtesy to other and accomplishments on the road, such as memorizing a poem or reading a book.  Whatever the kids earn becomes their souvenir spending money.


PRINTABLE TRAVEL GAMES & COLORING PAGES
Mom's Minivan: This website has lots of free printable games including: Road Trip Bingo, Tic Tac Toe, Travel Scavenger Hunt, License Plate game and lots more.  There are also links to coloring pages and silly song lyrics and printable "Travel Tickets".


Free Puzzles: This website has some free printable games as well including: Hangman, Car Bingo and Mazes.


License Plate Game: This website has a great printable of all the state license plates.  Cross off each license plate as you spot it.


I Spy: This blogger created printable "I Spy" travel games for toddlers and older kids that are super cute!


DIY Scavenger Hunt: Family Fun Magazine has a great DIY game for spotting familiar objects on a road trip.


PBS Kids: The PBS Kids website has links to all the PBS shows, like Barney and Sesame Street.  When you click on a particular show, it will take you to printable coloring pages and other printable activities.
  
Nick Jr.: The Nick Jr. website has lots of printable games and activities for all of your little one's favorite shows.


Disney: When you click on the link to "Characters and Stars" there is a drop down box that allows you to choose your favorite Disney character.  You can then download lots of activity packs and games related to that character.  Perfect for Disney vacations!

TIP: Use a 3-ring binder and clear plastic sleeves for games like Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman that can be used over and over with a dry-erase pen.  You can also use a 3-ring pencil bag to hold the dry-erase pens so they don't get lost.

TRAVEL ACTIVITIES
1.  String Cheerios on dental floss, then you'll have a necklace you can eat!
2.  Go to the library before your trip to pick out some new books and rent some new videos if you have a portable DVD player.
3.  Play A-Z: While in the car you pass many signs. The idea is for the family to look on signs for each letter of the alphabet (in order). Start with 'A', once someone sees an 'A' on a sign, license plate, or anything else, you move on to 'B'. You cannot get 2 letters from the same sign/license plate/etc.  
4.  Play 20 Questions: One person thinks of something and others try to guess what they are thinking by asking questions. The goal is to guess what it is before 20 questions are asked.  Start with wide questions: "Is it a Person, Place or Thing", and then narrow down the questions as you go.
5.  Put together a Busy Box for your little ones.  Include things like a note pad, Postape, glue sticks, noodles and string, crayons, Popsicle sticks, stickers, bubble wrap, pom pom balls, small puzzle, toy cars/trains, flash cards, Popsicle stick puzzle, pipe cleaners, etc.
6.  Similar to the Busy Box, make a Dress Up Purse.  Include some jewelry, a scarf, sunglasses, etc.
7.  Load a new app on your iPhone.
8.  Mark the miles: Hang little numbered tickets above each child's car seat, one for every hour of the trip.  Let the kids redeem the tickets each hour for little treats or toys.
9.  Make a Dry Erase Workbook.  See my post here on how to make.
10.  This mom blogger has TONS of great ideas and tips.  Check out her two travel posts here and here.


TRAVEL PRODUCTS I LOVE
1.  gogo Kidz Travelmate
When Tim had to work out of state for a summer, Ava and I flew up to see him most weekends.  Getting both of us through the airport was tough.  Ava was young and would think nothing of wandering off.  To keep her contained, I used a gogo Kidz Travelmate.  It attaches directly to most car seats and allows you to wheel your child through the airport.

2.  Travel Pillow
If I was lucky enough to have a child that could sleep in a car or on a plane, I would for sure get this travel pillow.  If I did not have to care for my kids while traveling, I would love to use a travel pillow to snooze too!

3.  Safety Harness
Some parents may frown upon these, but if you were at the airport alone with your child and a variety of bags, a car seat, stroller, etc., what would you do if your kid bolted on you?  Abandon your belongings and run, I guess.  I was unwilling to risk this.  So I used a Safety Harness on Ava when I traveled alone with her.  Don't judge.

4.  Portable DVD Player
My kids know that the DVD player is only used on special occasions so it's still a novelty.  When we turn it on, the kids are silent.  Beautiful.

5.  Book Holder
It seems like the car can become so disorganized very quickly on road trips.  I like this book holder for books, coloring books and DVD's.

TRAVEL TOYS I LOVE
1.  Water Wow Doodle Books
I love these books.  They can be used over and over again and water is not messy to clean up in a car or on an airplane.  I've found them at craft stores, like Hobby Lobby.

2.  Learn to Dress Monkey
This is a great toy for little ones who are working on developing their fine motor skills.

3.  My Quiet Book
Another great toy to keep little hands busy!

4.  Card Games
Card games always seem to make time fly by and they're great for air travel!

5.  Invisible Ink Activity Books
You don't have to worry about marker all over your car!

6.  Stamps
My kids love to decorate their drawings with stamps (and stickers).

7.  Tag Reader
We have the Tag (for Ava) and Tag Jr. (for Sidney) and they love it!

8.  Color Wonder Activity Tote
Again, no worry about the mess of markers in your car / on the plane.  I also love that it provides a hard surface for kids to color in the car.

TIP: If you don't have a lap desk for your kids, you can use a cookie sheet.  They're great for coloring, playing with magnets, reading, and eating snacks.  When it's not in use, it fits in the back pocket of the seat!


GREAT WEBSITES FOR MORE RESOURCES
Traveling with Kids: This blog is entirely devoted to traveling with kids.  There are some great suggestions.  Here's a few that I liked:  Basic Guide to Flying with Kids, 10 Useful Products, and Top 7 Activities and Toys to Bring.


Parenting: This website has a good article on 50 Ways to Entertain a Kid on an Airplane.


My good friend Jenna (Mommy in Manhattan) was asked to be a guest blogger on mommybites.com.  She wrote and article about helpful products when traveling with kids.  You can see her post here.


Bon Voyage!