What are we doing today Mom?

Make Your Own Snow Globe - let it snow glitter!

2012-01-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

With all our snow last week outside we were inspired for an indoor snow craft...

Supplies:

A strong, waterproof glue to create the inside/base of your snow globe (we used E6000 and let it dry overnight)
A glass jar with a tight fitting lid
Sparkles or glitter + spoon to stir
Liquid Glycerin
Hot glue and glue gun - or caulking would work to seal the globe and prevent leaking

DAY 1: The first thing to do to make a snow globe is decide on what should go inside. Play around with different figures, toys, ornaments, mini trees or whatever. The ones that turned out to be my favourites were the least conventional. You will want to create a bit of a raised base for any figurines you use so they will be visible inside the glass, You can use anything that is not water soluble - pebbles, glass marbles, etc. Flip the lid over and glue items to the underside of the lid, checking as you glue that the lid will still screw onto the jar. Definitely use your strongest glue to position the items. You can also glue something directly to the inside of the clean, dry jar if you would like it a bit more suspended. (Below we did this with the little girl on the horse ornament to give more of an appearance of flying.) Allow the glue to dry overnight.

DAY 2: Next you want to mix water + glitter (not too much or the glitter clumps together) + a tablespoon of liquid glycerin. Stir together.

Take your figurines and dunk them upside down and screw the lid on. Turn upside down and see how you like the results. If there is any changes to make there is still time...when you are sure its good, seal it shut with hot glue.

Here are some of ours. The best thing for me was using all those little toys that get underfoot. And honestly aren't these pirates a lot happier? Swimming in gold dust forevermore...and standing on a pile of treasure.

This guy feels like he is discovering a new planet...(I think this is my favourite)

Footnote: We used glass jars without any breaks, but the glycerin is slippery and I think plastic would work as well and not be as fragile. Let it snow glitter!

Let it Snow!

2012-01-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

We have been celebrating today - Seattle was given a beautifully heavy snowfall overnight, and the boys were given a day off school (and tomorrow too). First thing at 8am, with snow still coming down, we hit the slopes. Well, at least tried out the park hill near our house. Besides a few picnic tables at the bottom to dodge (this park was not designed with sledding in mind) we had a lot of fun.

In a winter galaxy far, far away...

2012-01-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

We actually had our first real snowfall of the year today it snowed for only about 10 minutes and nothing stuck, .now the sky is blue. With a long weekend snow sounds really fun and it reminded me of these...

I had to share these awesome snowflake patterns that my thoughtful sister-in-law Lindsey sent to us. Clone troopers, Darth Vader and Bobba Fett are represented. Luke and I started cutting one night and hung them in the window the boys look out while they eat breakfast - they were a pretty fun surprise. Happy cutting!

Happy 2012 EST

2012-01-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

Since we are on the Pacific Coast we get to celebrate two New Year countdowns. At 10 seconds to 9PM PST, the children party like its really midnight. Sometimes we watch the apple drop in New York, this year they just ran outside and shouted as loud as they could (which was pretty loud for this crew). Quickly after, the party (for them) is over. It's PJ time and they are all tucked in for the night and the adults continue the party, it works well for everyone, especially the next day when they've had a good night's rest.

Happy 2012 to you whenever you live.
If you live on the East Coast and heard some extra shouts, that was us. Thank you so much for celebrating New Years with a reasonable bedtime.

Christmas Eve Centerpiece

2011-12-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

We are lucky enough to have real holly in our yard - berries and all :) Sometimes a simple centerpiece is my favourite and I like this one extra because the height is so low, it is great for visiting over. The lit candles are so cosy reflected in the thrifted silver tray.

What does the Mayflower bring? Placecards, Pilgrim

2011-11-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

When I saw these mayflower place card holders at 4CrazyKings I knew they would be a perfect craft for us. Luke even got in on the crafting. (and it's a good thing or our masts would be terribly tilted.)

I forgot to pick up coffee stirrers so we used bamboo skewers I had on hand. Oh and I just ran in and asked Starbucks for a stack of sleeves and they were super happy to hand some over. We were also impatient with gluing (but hot glue would have worked nicely) so we used a tape/stapler combo. The nice thing about skewers is they poked right through the masts and no adhesive was needed for that part.

Thanks for sharing your ideas MamaKing!

We remember and are thankful.

2011-11-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Remembrance Day Poppy Wreath

2011-11-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Canada it is traditional to wear a red poppy on your lapel in November to remember those who have fought (including current soldiers) for our freedoms. We also walked from a church service on Remembrance Day (Nov 11) to lay wreaths of poppies on the war memorials on main street. I liked to see red poppies in crowds of people, knowing they too are thankful for this sacrifice.

During the First World War, red poppies were seen on the war-torn battlefields of northern France and Belgium. The story among soldiers was the crimson red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders fields.

This is a simple wreath, I used a small foam core ring and hot glue. I used green felt in the back ground around the inside and outside of the ring. Here is how it looked in progress.

I didn't take any pictures making the red poppies because they are so easy, I used plain red and glitter red to give it some dimension, layers different size circles and finally added a black center. The ribbon is cream grosgrain with letter stickers. A small reminder when we enter our home of all we have to be grateful for.

Halloween recap - FBI Special Agent

2011-11-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween recap - Robin Hood

2011-11-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-11-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite things about Fall is the flavours. Try this together - pumpkin ice cream, sandwiched in ginger snaps. (I recommend Trader Joe's brand - Yum!) I'm a fan.

Apple Picking

2011-10-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Apple Picking by Raymond A. Foss

Crisp air
Ripe fruit
Heavy on the bough.
Cool in the hand.
Filling my bag.

Snap of a McIntosh
Tart on my tongue
Shared with you
Sweet on your lips.

Holding hands
Kisses behind a branch
Warm smiles
On blushed cheeks.

Cherished moments
Memories formed
Traditions started
For us.

Hickory Dickory...Halloween decor is starting

2011-10-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

So my children have been so excited to get out the Halloween decorations, we realized we were a little "preschool" and less "cool". We are adding a couple things...after a lot of cutting here is our first addition...

Kind of creepy, kind of cute...but mostly creepy. Thank you Martha for the idea. Thank you Mom for the idea to cut the mice from felt instead of paper, they are sturdier and reusable. I hot-glued some paper on the back so we could stick the felt to the stairs with painters tape). Surprisingly enough I've had several people (kids) touch them, "Wow, they even feel like mice!!"

Freezer Paper stenciling is easier than it looks...

2011-10-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

So I don't say things like this very often "easier than it looks", often I end up cursing new projects. I thought it was super easy with pretty instant results. It took me too long to try this I wanted to give anyone who was thinking about a little push. I actually did these shirts in May but finally took the "after" shots the other day to post them. By the way great gift idea for Christmas....watch for shirts on sale now.

There are lots of great tutorials to read if you search, so I won't go into too many details. My basic tips are:

1. Keep the design simple and easy to cut out - here I did the sign for fish ladder (are these signs anywhere else but near Seattle? Go salmon!) and a simplified radioactive symbol.

2. Print then trace design onto the freezer paper, use a craft knife to cut out the area where you want the paint to show.

3. Lay t-shirt flat, put a piece of cardboard or thick paper inside the shirt to prevent paint seeping through (see red shirt collar?). Put freezer paper shiny side down and iron onto the shirt.

4. I dumped the paint onto a plate then used a sponge brush to dab paint on the shirt. Don't rub the brush that will pull the material.

My kids love these shirts (oh the basic shirt is from Old Navy - ringer tees I think they were 2/$10). It fun to have a shirt that no one else has and I like the simple designs.

If you have even thought about this, definitely try it, it would be easy on totes, aprons and dishtowels. So I have to thank Melanie from the Cain Family, who left me a comment in Feb 2009 and told me to try this and how fun it was. That was the first I'd heard of it and I can't believe it took me until this year to try it! Silly me.

Your lunch is a little angry today...

2011-10-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

I stole this fun lunch idea from here. It was gobbled up, easy to make and I had most of the stuff - black olives (cherry tomatoes and carrots sticks were added to the "nest" under the bird for more veggies after the photo), cream cheese, carrots (beak), ham (ironic for the pigs isn't it?) and bagels. It was complete surprise for the boys when they opened their lunch at school - hee,hee.

Make a Birthday Card Stash

2011-09-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Do you find yourself rushing around right before your child attends a birthday party looking for a card, gift wrap, etc? Oh and then go out a buy and expensive card at the store. That was me until last year. For the first time we made a batch for the year. Last year we did pop-up cards from a kit and their group of friends started to look forward to them, that was kind of fun.

When I saw this really fun tutorial to make these lizards on Skip to My Lou, I knew it would be this year's craft. It's by Larissa, from mmmcrafts.

The boys decided that not all their little girl friends and cousins would like a lizard, so we did some butterflies too. To make things easier (since my boys hate cutting and would rather writhe on the floor in agony about it than do it - hey I pick my battles). I cut out all the shapes from Larissa's templates for the lizard and made my own for the butterfly (If you want it shoot me an email I have no idea how to link it here).

All the boys had to do was paint and glue on tongues. (She does have cool eyes and dots to punch from paper with her tutorial.) Fun and a bit stress reliving after school activity.

The butterflies we did a press and paint - where you paint one side (add quite a bit of paint), fold it over on itself and then open the butterfly for a symmetrical pattern.

This year I also scored a giant shoebox full of maps at a garage sale, so that's our wrapping paper. E has been known to doodle on the map too, adding cars, restaurants, tents, houses etc, which makes it extra fun and more personal. Oh! Let your paint dry overnight before folding as she suggests - the 3-D detail makes it super cool! (You can fold the butterfly up the middle, then horizontal between the top and bottom wings and diagonal through the wings).

Happy Birthday Party-ing!

Lost in Lego?

2011-09-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

It is no secret we love Lego at my house. Keeping it under control, easily accessible, easy to play and build with and out from under foot, is a work in progress. I thought I'd share our Lego corner with you - it has been working for us for awhile.

Since that's where all the Lego building action is, we will be starting at the ground for our tour. (Just FYI I'm going to note my resources for supplies, but I don't have any sponsors for the post) My sister Joanna sent us the labels for the shoe bins (from the Container Store ~20 bins for $35, I really love these boxes, with clear lids they are super durable and stack really well). We have our Lego sorted by colour and then a few sets are in bins by themselves and a few by theme - Star Wars, Lego Agents, Harry Potter, Atlantis or whatever. These bins are labeled with stickers and pictures from Lego.com. The blue bin (other colours too and comes with a base plate) is available at Amazon.com (which we actually found at a thrift store) is for any mini-figures and accessories, often a built police car or certain small specialty pieces.

Next above the storage bins are the tables and shelving (thanks Ikea $10 LACK tables and EKBY BJÄRNUM Shelves). I learned it is pretty important to have lots of display and play area for creations. It helps keep things off the floor and they love to show what they are working on to everyone who comes over. The creations tend to move around a lot on the shelves and are changed often. Bigger sets like the Atlantis fortress are more fun to play with and I do less repairs when they are off the ground. The tables are also great because they are mobile and can be moved to the middle of the room or another wall (two was kind of important to have once for each boy, one just didn't have enough elbow room).

I actually put up the shelves completely by myself and I'm not very handy. I liked this system because of the 1) Style is industrial/boyish 2) Price 3) Custom - You decide the length of shelves (I got 3 smaller shelves from one board purchased) and there are two depths to choose from 4) No painting, the ends are covered by the bracket.

The sorted by colour system seems to work for us. Once a project has been disassembled the pieces can be found in their matching colour, we've been able to rebuild sets easily from the instructions. It can take a little work to re-sort after a massive building session, but it is worth it and the boys are getting speedier. I promise it doesn't always look like this...maybe one of these posts I'll show you and action shot :)

Oh not pictured we have a binder 3-ring binder with plastic sleeves to store the instructions for the sets, it makes them easy to find and flip through and keeps them from losing pages.

I'd love to know what works for you to organize toys - Lego or otherwise, Any thoughts?

Happy Building!

Field Trip - Sunset Ferry Ride

2011-08-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is full of lots of field trips - so it seems that's what most of my posts are lately :)

This is the ferry from Fauntleroy (West Seattle) to SouthWorth (across the Pudget Sound), it sometimes has a stop on Vashon Island. Something about taking a ferry is magical (maybe because I don't commute on one). Sunset sort of amps up the magic. Here are some shots from our trip.

Field Trip - Bremerton, WA

2011-08-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

Bremerton is a surprisingly fun stop. We were out camping on the Olympic Peninsula this weekend and decided to take a ferry home from Bremerton. We were having so much fun near the ferry terminal that we switched to the next ferry to give us another hour and a half to explore.

The Harborside Fountain Park (bottom center and left center) is filled with giant, spouting fountains and very fun to walk around and explore. Lots of kids there were in full swim mode a very refreshingly wet.

Along the boardwalk we happened upon a Sunday Farmer's market. E protested (aka a bit of a tantrum) about how boring it was and how he hated markets - this is just at first glance. After moping through he cheered a bit with a balloon sword.

There is lots of Aquatic and Navy art to check out and I'd still be there taking pictures if I tried to capture it all.

We enjoyed watching the ships of all kinds, including giant Navy Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers, ferries and Aircraft Carriers. There is a historic Naval Destroyer called the U.S.S. Turner Joy that has been turned into a museum, but we didn't have time for that (note there is an entrance fee).

Our favourite thing was the (free) Puget Sound Navy Museum in fact we literally had to run out the door and down the dock to catch our ferry and so didn't see everything...

There is an entire children's room with activities including dress-up.

The boys loved all the hands-on activities and interesting information. The interactive touch screen about an aircraft carrier was a highlight, as well as cool artifacts, and set ups of current living settings on a boat.

A great stumble for a Sunday afternoon worth of activities. Worth a day-trip from Seattle (plus the ferry ride is fun by itself!)

Field Trip - Clyde Beach

2011-08-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Isn't there something amazingly summery about swimming in a lake? Maybe it's the Rocky Mountain Canada girl in me. If you were going to swim in a lake where I grew up it better be smokin' hot on shore, or you would be in danger of hypothermia!

Luckily the lakes around here are refreshingly cool and Lake Washington itself has some great family beaches. This is a favourite in Bellevue, Clyde Beach. Great grassy hill, fun "pirate" playground, a dock, roped off swimming area for the little ones and even a lifeguard!!!

Clyde Beach Park

Address: 2-92nd Avenue NE

Contact: Picnic Reservations: 425-452-6914

Hours: Dawn to dusk
Beach Lifeguard Schedule

Amenities: Swimming, lifeguard on duty late June through Labor Day. Rediscover Clyde Beach Park- this expanded beach park features an enchanting boathouse that will evoke memories from the past. Restrooms, picnic and a play area. 2.23 acres.

Directions: From I-405, take the NE 8th Street exit going west. Turn left onto 92nd Avenue NE. Park is at the end of the street.(The only downside is parking spots are limited)

Puzzled

2011-07-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

If there is anything I have learned this summer is don't count on summer weather to be all lovely and sunny. I can't really explain the terrible weather and I'm sure you guys have heat waves will think I'm a big whiner. I realized our normal summer "Mom I'm Bored" Jar is just not helpful. We need two, one with indoor options and one with outdoor options.

Something that has kept us busy for several hours is what we call puzzle gallery - where you put together every puzzle you can find in the house and a few you borrow from the neighbours (thanks!). The boys wanted to go around the neighbourhood selling tickets to their "art show" but somehow I convinced them to be "not- for-profit." The show did get rave reviews by critics who saw it (Dad) and heard about it (thank you relatives). Plus it was very educational, learning planets, the states and which superheros make up "the Avengers."

Low Tide Today - Giant Pile Worm

2011-07-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Check out something I saw on the beach during low tide-

Sometimes called a pile worm or clam worm. Don't let that cute face fool you he can deliver a nasty bite with those jaws, yes it is as scary as it looks. Luckily we know better than to handle any worms on the beach. This guy is about as long as my hand. Here is a great article on these worms by Sue Pike (at least the East Coast relative). :)

In the Pacific Northwest the low tide will be here all weekend - be sure to head down to the beach if you can....The Seattle Times has a great interactive site for tide times here. You can select your beach and they cover beaches all over the Northwest, even south to the Oregon coast.

Here are the Seattle low tide times (it's great to get there an hour before as the tide goes out you can explore more, it is trickier as the tide comes back in!)
Fri     29      Low 10:32 AM    -1.9
Sat    30      Low 11:13 AM    -2.1
Sun   31      Low 11:55 AM    -2.0
Mon    1      Low 12:37 PM    -1.5

Parachutes

2011-07-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Plastic shopping bags make great parachutes and our stuffies were feeling adventurous. We launched down the stairs and tried many different "jumpers". A fun rainy day activity but remember playing with plastic bags can be dangerous for little ones and requires supervision.

Low Tide Ocean Shores, WA

2011-07-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

1. There are few sandy beaches in Washington, but over the long weekend we went to Ocean Shores and the sand stretched as far are you could see.
2. Since it was low tide and not much life on the beach, we headed to the rocky jetty to find some creatures. Here are a couple of chitons (believed to go back 400 million years), feasting on rock algea.
3. Hanging Sea Anemones (closed waiting for the tide to come back in)- bits of rock and shell attached, contain stinging cells (nematocysts), green due to zooxanthelae
4. Sand ripples left by the retreating tide.
5. Barnacles and Mussels
6. Luke and Easton
7. The brown blob is tar spot algae - very flat patches on rocks, common to rocks in high-tide zone ( Ralfsia pacifica)
8. Gooseneck Barnacles - clusters of white claws, compete with mussels for space, filter feeders, higher up on large rocks (Pollicipes polymerus)
9. Giant Hermit Crab with Connor

Note - While at the beach it is so important to be respectful of the creatures that live there and their habitat. Here is a great list of guidelines from the Washington State University Beach Watchers:

Please leave all living organisms in their native habitat, where you find them on the beach.
Walk with care to avoid injuring plants and seaweed. Plants and seaweed prevent erosion, provide habitat and hiding places for intertidal organisms. They also provide food for many animals and insects.
Step on bare spots as much as possible, walking slowly and at a safe pace.
Overturn rocks with care, if doing so. When finished looking, return them gently to their original position to avoid crushing anything that lives underneath.
Kneel quietly by tidepools, taking care not to walk in them or put your hands into them.
Fill any holes you may create if digging for clams. Piles of sand left on the beach can smother other organisms.
Leave creatures attached to rocks, rather than removing them for study, since removal may kill them. Since it is natural for them to be attached, more can be learned about them by observing where and how they choose to live.
Enjoy anemones without prodding them. Anemones will often squirt water if poked, but sadly this can kill them because they need that water for survival until the next tide covers them.

I love you Canada!

2011-07-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

English Lyrics:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

French lyrics:
Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

For more info on Canada's National Anthem and to hear the song, check out the Canadian Heritage site. You can get a copy of the sheet music there. If you want to see what Canadians are doing today check out La Fete du Canada Day - by the way, that's where you'll find Prince William and Kate celebrating too!

Spittle Bugs

2011-07-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

A-mazing!

2011-06-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

In between summer busy-ness lots of active, outdoor adventures, swimming, running, bike-riding every kid (and their mother) needs some downtime. When I saw this fun idea at Bookhoucrafts I thought it would be worth a try. It turned out to be worth a couple of hours of fun constructing the mazes and then playing each others. Even after I took these photos the boys kept making more mazes. We had everything on hand too which is a huge bonus. I found some little, round pearl beads that we used for the ball in the maze and we found that a double layer of wax sticks helped the bead not to jump the "wall" Some of the mazes were fun with several balls. I'd highly recommend this.

Homemade Sushi

2011-06-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have Uncle Travis visit. Besides being a great guy, he helped us make homemade sushi. (Michael and Travis are his and Aunt Adrianne's kids - who made us sushi before)

C was so excited! "You can put whatever you want on it!!"

The boys loved it so much we tried again last night. Uncle travis was quoted many times and apparently C and E payed much more attention to the instructions than I did,

"Mom that's not how Uncle Travis said to roll it."
"Mom leave more room at the top without rice."
"Mom you need more vinegar on your hands."

C enjoyed the making process, but tentatively tried his first bite. After that he loved it!

Overall a big success and fun to make something so hands on. We'll keep perfecting our technique and still have a lot to learn. Thanks Travis!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband who did a lot of running with bikes all afternoon and to my own Dad who ran a lot beside me! Lots of love to you both.

Happy Memorial Day - Las Vegas Style

2011-05-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Taken at the Venetian in Las Vegas today.

I am thankful for those who sacrificed for our freedoms.

Photo of the week - toothless in Seattle

2011-05-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

While not quite toothless, 4 teeth seems to be a crazy amount to have pulled at once. Like a shark he was growing an extra row of teeth behind his baby ones, so the front ones had to go. I was beside the dentist chair trying not to flinch with each yank. C did amazing super tough and brave and honestly quite excited to finally lose some teeth. From my perspective there was a lot of blood and that didn't seem to faze him. Driving home he mumbled that he needed new gauze and I looked back to see him looking like a vampire finishing a feeding frenzy with blood running out both sides of his mouth, down his chin. Don't fear the picture of the week is much less gruesome and he has the cutest lisp now, I just think he is adorable - even in vampire form.

BagWorm or Case Bearing Moth Larva

2011-05-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

A strange little creature we found recently climbing our glass door
(on the outside, I'm happy to report) :

Here are some details on this guy if you want to check out more with your kids, including my go-to spots to find out about strange bugs....I found out only the male turns into a moth, the female stays in her little case until her suitor comes calling then she lays her eggs inside her case before dying.

I found a video (with music and effects added - thanks YouTube) if you want to see something like it in action, they are interesting to watch move.

I first checked out a favourite resource - Whatisthatbug.com and I think it looks like a case-bearing moth larva - anyone else?

I also turn to bugguide.net in these times to get the scoop and I'm pretty sure it is a kind of mini-bagworm. There are some pretty cool varieties that my boys wished we could find around here, but I'm not so sad about it. I like my bugs few and far away.

Clay Play

2011-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to remember the simpliest things bring hours of entertainment... you don't need much, just a few colours of dough/clay and a small idea or two.

Just Like a Kid Again

2011-04-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Even grown-ups need to be reminded it can be tough to be a kid. This table is just outside the IMAX at Pacific Science Center. It was made this giant size for a reason - so adults can experience what it is like for a child to be seated at a grown-up table. It was pretty hilarious. I thought it looked like Luke, Travis and Amber all shrunk!

Sugar Crystals

2011-04-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this science experiment for a while now - we tried growing sugar crystals! It's really easy. My kids thought it was tasty (although I wouldn't eat something that's been sitting on the counter for a few days they thought it was irresistible). You probably have everything you need already. The best thing about this science experiment is that it is only a few hours before you start to see results.

Voila! The end results (after 2 days)

There are some good instructions here, and here and I just found a fun science blog here with the same experiment, she has a download to print with instructions!

Some tips:
1. Dissolve as much sugar as you can in boiling water - ours would have worked better if we had added the sugar to the boiling water in the pan, until saturated and clear, instead of pouring boiling water into the sugar. After you have a dissolved mixture in your pan, then pour into a warm glass jar (warm because if cold the glass may break, just run the jar under hot water for a minute).
2. Use cotton or wool string - crystals will not form on some fibers. Also if you plan to eat/try eating the crystals use a weight (like a button) that is non-toxic (instead of a paper clip for example).
3. Put a light, airy cloth over the experiment to keep out dust, making the end result more edible.

Pictures of the week...Bugged!

2011-04-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

One of the community centers had an Urban Nature fair on Saturday, Today, I'm playing Photo of the Week 5. This is top one is my favourite: it looks like C barely notices the gigantic bug on the back of his neck, he is so busy checking out the boxes of bugs.

Here E is posing with his, "Can you believe this enormous cockroach?" expression.

I do like technical part of this photo best, with the focus on the big stick bug. I'm so happy I got to be the photographer and I didn't have to touch anything.

Speaking of happy, C LOVED this bug crawling up his neck, into his ear and then his hair (it was probably trying to hide from all the kids handling it and thought C's hair perfect camouflage). Just looking at this picture gives me the creeps.

Since I'm feeling grossed out writing this post, I thought I'd push it over the edge. This shot is especially for my Aunt Lorna, who should just be glad she hasn't met one of these huge spiders before.

Dragon Tee

2011-04-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

A little birthday present for the boys' friend who loves dragons, E and C helped with the design + clipart. The best part is I've seen the little boy at school twice wearing it! (Iron-on applique and red stitching). E is modeling for me.

I'm linking to:

Sugared Cookies

2011-03-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

This time for spring, we sugared the cookies with coloured sugar before baking, yum and they come out already decorated! Yes, boys are weird, black is the perfect colour for spring?? I guess if you like mud. Thank goodness for my cute neighbour G to help me balance things out with some pastel colours! Make your own coloured sugar with directions here.

A photo for the week...Ups and Downs

2011-03-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in my cool cousin's link up
(hopefully weekly on Sundays). Here is my photos for this week...

Dad's Saturday Morning Pancakes

2011-03-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Luke's Wheat Germ Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix eggs with oil and buttermilk. Stir in baking soda, wheat germ, salt and flour; mix until blended.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides, turning once.

Monopoly with Grandpa

2011-03-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

T-shirt re-do

2011-03-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

I should have taken a before picture, because these two tees don't look too exciting. The boys had some cute pirate tees they outgrew - even pirates shouldn't have their bellies hanging out. I couldn't quite let go, so I chopped them up and reapplied them to some larger, plain tees. On the left I did a reverse applique, pinning the skull on the underside of the shirt and stitching around the bones and eyes with turquoise thread. The right shirt is a simple flag style (AKA rectangle). I left out a raw edge and sewed with red thread, changing stitches on my machine as a went, some zig-zag, straight, buttonhole style even. (click for close-up)

My sentimental self was so relieved not to have to part with the old shirts :)

Spotted outside - Darth Vader, A Storm Trooper and a Jedi Mummy with poisonous blow darts

2011-03-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

Make your own coloured sugar

2011-03-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

So this is a trick my sister Nicole taught me, I thought I'd share. It is so much cheaper than buying a tiny jar of coloured sugar. It is super easy, fast, fun and you can do any colour. I use gel food colouring and I love it because you don't need very much to make vibrant colours and there are so many shades! (not a sponsered ad I just like it).

So now for the instructions:
Put the amount of sugar you want to colour in a plastic bag with a seal.
Add a couple drops of colour

Mush it/shake it around. the colour will spread through the sugar in the bag

You might see dark coloured lumps - smush those into the sugar the lumps are just the dye.

If you trust the seal of the bag, it is a great thing for kids to help with - shaking up the sugar and watching the colour change.

It is ready when your colour is even. Isn't it pretty? Great for cookie decorating!
It

St. Patrick's Day Party for kids...

2011-03-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

We had a little Irish celebration in playdate form, right after school. Decorated sugar cookies, drank green apple juice - spiked with sparkling water, and hunted for leprechaun treasures in the basement. I hope everyone had a lucky day too!

The Leprechaun Lap

2011-03-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Cold and Flu Survival Kits

2011-03-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again - anyone had sick kids, sick husband and sick self? It's the one season I'm very against sharing. Keep your germs to yourselves I say. Hand-washing goes into overdrive and tissues come out to party. I thought the boys' teachers could use some defense against the barrage of germs they face on a daily basis. I was inspired by a vintage first aid kit like this one and this one.

Supplies needed:

a box - the size is up to you, an old check box works well, shoe box, even the box your Tylenol came in would work, check your recycling bin
Felt
Hot glue gun/glue
Scissors
Get well soon, first aid card

Cover the box first. I centered the box on the felt, ran hot glue along the top edge of the box - smooth out as you go. Now fold the felt up on side - if you keep the hot glue only on the edges of the box it won't be lumpy in the middle as it drys. Cut straight lines at the corner and fold/glue the next side. You could use a felt red cross on top, but a glued the card we had potato stamped a couple of days ago.

I filled it with a super easy to make tissue pouch, Emergen-C, wet ones antibacterial wipes, Advil, throat lozenges, etc. If you do this I'd love to hear what you put in yours or any ideas you have for it.

Help is on the way...

2011-03-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Know someone under the weather?

I love potato stamping. Here is a cute, easy get well card idea. It also helps to add some other things with card when dropping it at a friends. Home made soup is great, but I didn't get that far.

..more to come tomorrow.

Conveyor Belt Sushi - The fun goes round and round

2011-03-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

If you haven't introduced your kids to sushi, here is a great way to do it - Conveyor Belt Sushi. They get to pick their own food as it goes by and they actually eat it (with kid friendly chopsticks)!

C choose his plates based on how they looked. He determined he is a big fan of the California roll Tuna rolls. E surprised me and basically choose something if it's name sounded cool - like the spider roll below and the dragon roll.

For the non-sushi eaters there is usually other plates - this noodle salad was tasty, they also had edemame, Tempura and even some chicken thing.

My favourite was a veggie roll - this had avocado, cucumber and tofu all wrapped up. I do like spicy tuna rolls too.

This is how a ninja eats sushi apparently (oh yeah and it doesn't hurt to try a new food that comes from the land of ninjas, because if those guys eat it it must be powerful stuff.)

See the row of covered plates on the conveyor belt behind us? So much to choose from...half the fun was spotting what you wanted and grabbing it as it went by, we had to make a rule 1 plate per person at a time.

E's favourite after trying the dragon roll turned out to be eel (below). yep that's right, who doesn't like a slab of eel on rice?

This is Blue C Sushi in Fremont. (not a sponsor, we just loved it). Each colour of plate is a different price, ranging from $1.50-$5.50 When you are ready for your check they count your stack.

Since eating here we have ordered sushi at other places and it's even been a pick for lunch at the grocery store. It was a great way to introduce them to something new, and they could discover their favourites. However I don't think I'll be fixing any eel at home any time soon...

Anger Management with Angry Birds

2011-02-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

Look at this cute little bird, could even be part of an Easter decoration...

(Start evil music...) Add some eyebrows...

Make an army...

Assembly line - Beaks, Pom-poms (ping pong balls would be good too and for the pigs we used balls of green tissue paper), googly eyes and eyebrows

= ANGRY BIRDS

Make towers and forts for the pigs with cups, tupperware and supplies from the recycling bin.

Oh and the pig helmets are mini-muffin cups.

Thanks Make and Takes for the inspriration and hours of crafting & playing (not in video game form). Oh and Angry Birds app - we still love you, especially on long car trips.

One more mashup of love Angry Birds + LEGO

AMAZING!

Mahalo Hawaii

2011-02-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

As with everytime I visit Hawaii I have new great memories, a new store of Vitamin D reserves, fresh sun-kissed skin, and some extra love for my husband. Thank you Hawaii - Mahalo!

Church Lady Hawaiian Style

2011-02-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have a slight obsession with church buildings, the older and more unusual the better. Something about the devotion and love that goes into building them and the worship there attracts me. Since it's Sunday, I'll highlight a few Hawaiian churches. This is only a fraction of the charming ones I spotted. Sweetly my family even stopped with me at the "Painted Church" to check out it's interior. A dedicated and rather artistic priest spent many hours covering it walls with murals depicting the life of Christ.

If anyone wants to point me in the direction of some local Seattle church highlights, I'd love it...and you might even hear a Hallelujah!

Aloha Style

2011-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

You got to love this surf shop, spotted after hours. If I were a dog, I would totally sleep on this step with my buddies. I wish I'd made it there during business hours to meet the humans that hang out here too.

Black Sand, Green Sand

2011-02-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

Something so fun about the Big Island is all the different beaches, not just your manicured, dreamy white sand beaches, but fantastically diverse full of life, unique beaches. It seemed every beach had new and interesting things to offer...

Black Sand

Green Sand

Hilo Farmer's Market

2011-02-18T00:09:00.000-08:00

A farmer's market is one of my favourite ways to experience a new place. This one is especially fantastic in Hilo on the East coast of the Big Island. The Star Bakery had some super tasty treats and I don't know what most of them were called we just pointed and added things to our bill until our hands were full. E has one of my favourite pictured below - it is sort of a rice stick candied with a plum jam maybe, wrapped in a leaf - I wish I had one right now. The boys loved these treats that looked like doughnut holes on a stick

Some other highlights besides the fresh fruit and treats....

The cute lady in the aporn is making me a green papaya salad Ratana's Thai Food. This is one of my favourite Thai dishes and hard to find around Seattle.

There was a really fun booth of musical instruments, E loved trying on masks silly boy, C loved trying new fruits.

The glass art is from Pele's Glass Creation, artist David Thomas

I enjoyed looking at the strange "Sushi" style wraps (bottom left) some made with spam slices, or hot dogs or other bizarre to me combos...

Aloha Malasadas!

2011-02-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd meet a Portuguese doughnut (maladada) in Hawaii, but I am so happy to say I did! (Thanks Jenny for the tip)
Hawaiian sweetbread is pretty great too! I'm not one to turn down a bakery stop.

Graffiti with Nature

2011-02-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

The sun-bleached, white coral is striking against the black lava rock. I think what I liked best about this barren stretch of road north of Kona was reading all the (generally) positive messages and memorials as we drove by. Better than spray paint. There were so many notes, these are the clearest photos I could get as we sped by and I wasn't able to convince my fellow passengers that it was worth a stop just for a photo.

Sand in the place where you are...

2011-02-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

Generally I'm teased for being the crafty one in the family. However, don't let Luke's aloofness fool you. The sand stood no chance against these three. Luke created 3-D names for each boy and countless sand castle creations. Everyday on the beach is a great day. I have a smattering of posts coming up about Hawaii...just to warn you. Even though we've been home a week, I just swept sand from the laundry room today, trips tend to linger with you a while and I'm going to pretend I'm still in Hawaii for a bit longer.

My new Avatar

2011-02-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

Ah, thanks E, so sweet! Happy Valentine's Day!

Aloha! A great first day in Hawaii.

2011-01-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

Flying by the Island Maui on our way to the Big Island.

Greeted by natives right away - C and E are dying to hold one of these geckos, but the little guys are speedy! (and rather pretty I think)

First stop, snorkeling beach, salt and pepper sand, lava rocks, coral, amazing and colourful fish...

...and a few beautiful sea turtles napping on the rocks (they are protected animals and this was as close as we got, really pretty amazing).

Cheese and Silly Bandz

2011-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else over-run by these crazy elastics that get caught in the vaccuum cleaner, wept over if lost and provide lots of entertainment when spread all over the kitchen table?

For better or worse, my kids like these things and I needed them to have a place to contain them. Also they are not allowed to wear them during class because of the distraction, but they still like to take them to school to trade at recess. Enter the empty Laughing Cow cheese container. After making these with my own boys we've had several playdates requesting to make them too. I think I could trade them for some lunch money at the corner of the playground, they are pretty popular. (Also great for holding trading cards, hair accessories and any little things).

I used regular adhesive backed shelf liner to cover the containers. I also have discovered that the labels peel off fairly easily, which I would recommend before covering. Because the containers are paper anything sticks to them fairly well and modgepodging can make a creative cover.

To cover the sides, any wide tape works well, then slice in half with a box cutter where the container is already opened.

Once they are covered: decorate with permanent markers, stickers whatever. They more personal, the more easily identified. For a thin, light weight container, it actually holds a lot of silly bandz and stays closed in a backpack that is thrown around, stepped on and used as a soccer ball.

Valentines Day Cards with Fabric

2011-01-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by these cards by Ellzabelle on Twelve Crafts till Christmas. She has an easy tutorial her blog. I used some leftover scraps that were too cute to throw out, but I didn't know what to do with. I made about twenty of them while watching Desperate Housewives - it really is that easy... I cut out patterns from the fabric on the flowered ones, but I really love the cute cut-out shapes she did on her cards.

Blink, like a stop motion film

2011-01-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Lately I feel like my life is much like a stop motion film. Every time I blink something changes, moves or appears. I honestly believe that between the time E got dressed on Monday and the next time I saw him after school his pants were 2 inches shorter. Christmas, New Years Eve, all the holidays are a series of pictures, thank goodness I had my camera. We had great times and I hope you did too. I'm glad to have a new year and a "restart". You should be hearing a lot more from me and I hope to hear lots from you too!

For now I'll leave you with a bit of "Change". Let's be honest any film that starts out with LEGO is awesome. I have no relation to the creators of this film, but it feels like a synopsis of my life last year.

Oh and for the record, my one resolution from last year is still going strong - I am still Diet Coke free since the end of last January (except as it appears in this video)! Hurrah for kicking an addiction!

Do unto Others Advent

2010-11-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas is such and fun and special time of year, it becomes easy to get too busy and forget to emphasize why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. The night the Savior of the world was born.

I don't know if anyone else if following this but I love the ideas on

Today she has a great idea that can be added to any advent calendar, I'm going to quickly print up her list and slip the activities into mine...what a great way to follow the example of Jesus and serve others.

Too much candy? Try some science..

2010-11-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

Last year we had so much fun doing experiments with some of our Halloween candy, here's a recap. Honestly it's worth buying candy just for the experiments, if you don't have any left.

Floating Letters

Colours and Dye

SweetTarts

LoraLee is the master of candy science, for more check out her blog.

Which White Towel is Mine?

2010-11-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

So I have a love/hate relationship with white towels. I love that they look clean and crisp, that you can bleach them if necessary and they match with everything. The problem is they are hard to tell apart. I don't believe in washing towels after each use. You should be clean stepping out of the shower and it's better for the environment. However I don't believe in sharing towels with your whole family either. I like to know which towel is mine. I promise I do wash them sometimes :)

So here is our nifty solution and I think it subtle and a little cute. I sewed different coloured ribbon loops, like tags onto the towels. Everyone knows their colour, but I still have a stack of nice white towels in the linen cabinet.

2010 Halloween Highlights

2010-11-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloweekend and way to much candy. I hope yours was also excellent.

Finally some Halloween highlights. Meet the Ninja and the Sea Monster. Does the above picture look familiar? - Connor seems to choose costumes where he can be a black blur in the pictures, although I managed to catch him standing still a couple of times.

Build an Airport

2010-11-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know a 2-litre soda bottle makes a great air traffic control tower? A covered cereal box is a great airport building. Parking paper airplanes was a problem. The boys came up with raised blocks to set them on as they arrive and depart. Making and flying paper planes is so much fun, and adding an airport adds to the fun!

A Couple of Turkeys

2010-11-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again, turkey time. It is rather interesting we make all these turkey crafts, then eat the bird, but that might be should be another post, on a different blog.

This year the boys had a more free-form challenge, I gave them a few supplies and they went to work. They each came up with something quite different, but both turkeys. After a few years of turkey making I quite frankly am out of ideas, so here are the details on theirs...

E's bird is a hand-shaped die cut but you could easily trace your child's own. He taped different coloured feathers to the fingers, glued on a googly eye and beak and twisted on a wattle (that red flap under the beak, yes I had to look up the word for this).

C used a clothes pin for his body, which turned out great because it could stand up! Taped on some feathers, then wrapped the body in pipe cleaners to hide the tape I think and "make the turkey fatter". He glued on some googly eyes and a beak.

I thought these designs were better than anything I could come up with and would make great guided craft for kids as well. Maybe we'll make our own flock...

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

Mummy I'm hungry

2010-10-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for lunch in all the wrong places? If so you probably already made this. The hot dog mummy = processed meats wrapped in processed "dough". Not healthy but easy and super fun to celebrate with..

Jack-o-Lantern of All Trades

2010-10-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

You guessed it, tonight was the night we gutted and carved us up some Jack-o-lanterns. I love that the boys are old enough to clean out their own pumpkin slime. I don't mind doing it (I still sort the seeds for roasting) but I love the facial expressions that go with the activity.

The boys designed the faces and I got to carve them up. I'm not sure why this is fun, but I really love it. I kinda wished I had gotten my own pumpkin too!

And no, I'm not dressed in costume as a fuddy-duddy librarian wait, yeah that's it Halloween costume...

Oh and tonight we read a fun book:

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Some Ghosts of Costumes Past.

2010-10-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm madly behind this Halloween, but I've been sewing like crazy, among other random, unrelated things, hopefully I'll have something post-worthy by week's end. In the meantime here is a glimpse into the costumes of Halloweens past...

Year 1: Cutest, chubbiest cowboys.

Some felt for chaps (pinned on with safety pins and decorated with silver brads and puffy paint)

A wooden oval (written on with puffy paint then spray-painted the entire thing silver)

I think I love the "boots" most - I decorated socks with puffy paint.

Year 2: Pirates

Two sashes of shiny material for a comfy hat and belt (no sewing, just knots) The boys picked the colours, I picked the socks. Black sweat pants and a white button-up shirt, untucked. A little mascara goes a long way for a beard and we practised our pirate growl "ARRGGH1". Pirates were chosen because we loved (still do) the book, "How I Became a Pirate" and the boys loved to dress-up in my bandannas.

Year 3: Super E and Super C

A simple applique sewn on that included their special power. C's was hot lava (aka fire and if the C looks familiar to all you hockey fans, yes definitely inspired by the Calgary Flames). E's was lightning and the power to control the weather. Oh yes and even superheros need jackets sometimes.

Year 4: Knights in Shining Armour

A store-bought knight with gray sweats and a sash to hold the sword - recognize the sash from Year 2?

Year 5: A Burglar and an Alien

Last Halloween: The Bat and the Spider.

E's arms are stuffed tights (with black garbage bags so you couldn't see white through the stockings). I took apart the sides of the shirt to sew in the tights. The tights are connected with thread, so when he moved his arms all his arms move. A toque with googly eyes glued on capped off the costume. The bat details are here.

How are your costumes going? handmade? I've got a ninja and a sea monster in progress...wish me luck...

An old Halloween craft, but a good one...

2010-10-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Think back to your first Halloween craft. It just might have gone something like this...

A String of Eye Balls - Something every soccer mom zombie needs...

2010-10-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

When I "eyed" these eyeballs I had to have some.

Instead of felt I used puff paint, let it dry then coloured the pupil with permanent felt pen.

No one messes with a mom zombie with a beautiful necklace of eyeballs. (2010 costume)

Run Salmon Run - Field Trip

2010-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

A really great experience is to see the salmon returning home to spawn. Here in Seattle we think about salmon all the time and it is amazing to see them in person. I highly recommend:

Issaquah Fish Hatchery
125 W. Sunset Way
Issaquah, WA 98027
Open daily during daylight hours; indoor exhibits are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you can't make it at least check out the salmon cam
and your family can cheer along - Go Salmon Go!

We are participating in

Fall Seattle

2010-10-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Being Canadian and living in "The States" (as I used to refer to it), there are some differences on holidays. One of them is Thanksgiving. Ours is today (usually the 2nd weekend in October). Thanks to my dear friend Sarah and her family for spending the time with us, I am super thankful for them!

Being a lazy cook when there are no expectations, I don't cook a big meal for Canadian Thanksgiving, but I do want a taste of thanksgiving, especially when I hear the yummy details of dinner from my family. This is the standard traditional fare at our house for the holiday....

Roasted turkey sandwiches with sage butter and cranberry sauce.
Sweet potato french fries.
Sparkling cider.

This is delicious super-shortcut for thanksgiving dinner!

The Canadian Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich.

Starting Kindergarten

2010-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

I made a little package for my niece, it had to be a surprise so I couldn't post it for awhile. Isn't she cute? Good luck at Kindergarten Josee! The bag is a simple messenger bag with her initials sewn on.

Its a Nice Day for a White Moth

2010-10-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Some interesting bugs about this time of year, but the favourite I've seen has to be this white moth below...and I really don't like moths (normally).

Bottle Rockets

2010-10-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Sarah A. and her kids, as well as Family Fun Magazine for the really fun time.

Build an Army Base with Paint Chips and Jenga Blocks

2010-09-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

These cool paint samples with the 'windows' are from Sherwin Williams. The cheapest army fort ever built and the perfect size for the little green guys from the dollar store. A little tape and you have tents and a building.

For the Love of LEGO - Puppets

2010-09-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

So this is a fun, easy craft, plus my kids love anything LEGO or Star Wars and both is a dream come true. I like the project element, cutting practice, and the free price tag. Considering all the time my boys would like to spend on LEGO.com it is surprising we haven't discovered these print-ables before. The website suggests making stickers with these image downloads, but we didn't have the right paper. E was the one who suggested puppets, so we dug out the Popsicle sticks.

The craft is easy - Print the downloadable sticker sheets you want and cut them out (we laminated ours anticipating heavy use and battles that plain paper cannot survive). Next tape or glue to craft sticks (I normally like paint stir sticks for puppets, but these are kind of small figures).

Lastly duck down behind the couch and have a great time reenacting battles and key scenes from the movie - Don't be surprised if your Star Wars loving husband gets his hands on the puppets and secretly wants his own set.

Squeezing Out More Summer

2010-09-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

Somehow out of the blue today was warm, hot even. The boys played a mean soccer game on a muddy field in scorching sun and it called for sprinklers afterward. I'll take summer anytime I can.

Capes for LEGO Minifigures

2010-09-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite blogs is Zakka Life and Jessica has come up with something fun and amazing again. I have a lot of blog-catching up to do including our last LEGO challenge winners, back to school, etc. I know you "For the Love of LEGO Challenge" lovers will love this - capes for minifigures! My boys are wild for this idea. Go check it out.

Jessica also reminded me that there is a free LEGO Club with a free magazine. It comes every 2 months and my boys pounce on it. Plus, we aren't doing any challenges during the school year and they do (plus they have really good prizes). Thanks Jessica!

You ought to...too

2010-09-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks Lacy for inspiring me and for posting this:

For the Love of Lego Challenge 8 - City

2010-08-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge is: City

The photos of your creations are due the next Monday (anytime that day) and the "judges" will review and post a winner Tuesday.

Photos can be submitted by adding them to the flickr pool (preferred) so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego,/by commenting on the Monday Challenge post, or by email (whatarewedoingtodaymom@gmail.com).

Just joining us? Welcome! Check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge for some details.

If you need a little inspiration...

For the Love of Lego Challenge 6 - Sports

2010-08-09T11:26:00.001-07:00

This week's challenge is: Sports

The photos of your creations are due the next Monday (anytime that day) and the "judges" will review and post a winner Tuesday.

Photos can be submitted by adding them to the flickr pool (preferred) so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego,/by commenting on the Monday Challenge post, or by email (whatarewedoingtodaymom@gmail.com).

Just joining us? Welcome! Check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge for some details.

If you need a little inspiration there isn't much more inspiration than the Olympic Games.

On your mark...
Get Set...
Build!!!

For the Love of Lego Challenge 5 - Aliens and Outer Space

2010-08-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

Since we are on vacation, we wanted to extend this week's Lego challenge one more week - so Aliens and Outer Space is due NEXT Monday (August 9th). Thanks for playing!

This week's challenge is: Aliens and Outer Space

The photos of your creations are due the next Monday (anytime that day) and the "judges" will review and post a winner Tuesday.

Photos can be submitted by adding them to the flickr pool (preferred) so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego,/by commenting on the Monday Challenge post, or by email (whatarewedoingtodaymom@gmail.com).

Just joining us? Welcome! Check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge for some details.

If you need a little inspiration check out NASA Kids Club

Winner For the Love of Lego Challenge #5 - Animals

2010-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

I think a lot of people were on vacation this last week. Super thanks to our diehards: Nate, and .

Isaiah with his super cool snail-turtle, to see it in action check out Queen of the Wild Things.

Denver and a great show this week with a worm

Uncle Jon made an elephant complete with a photo reenactment of the animal race scene from Swiss Family Robinson (photos copied from Flickr, sorry for the poor resolution)

Our winner this week is Nate for his cute, tiny little dog! How cute is that little dinner bowl?

See Confessions of a Narcoleptic

Congrats Nate!

To a deer friend,

2010-07-26T01:25:00.000-07:00

We just met today.
Suddenly.
Unexpectly.
Briefly.

Hours later,
I think of you.
My heart races wildly.

I was going home to be with my family.

Maybe you were too.
I wish we had met under different circumstances.
Some way that you didn't lose your life.
I'm so sorry.

I grieve,
For you.

I'm grateful,
For safety,
For safe children,
Safe arrival.

Knights and Princesses - For the Love of Lego Challenge winner...

2010-07-21T01:28:00.000-07:00

Our winner this week is Josee! Congratulations!

Look at the amazing detail she put into her castle and I love that she added furniture and princesses.

We had less entries this week so I get to comment on all of them (sorry about the big delay in posting the challenge). This is my grown-up brother Jon's. I love his choice for princess and I love that she is kissing the knight on the balcony.

This really cool castle is a collaboration between Nate and Isaiah. Lots of great towers, It looks like the knights are ready for anything. Is that a secret hide-out on the right? I love the flags and the rooftop garden.

Here is E and C's Apparently there was a murder in the front room and rats? eww. The King's throne is cool. If he looks familiar, it's because the King is really Indiana Jones in disguise, he took over the kingdom to get the treasure, the guy opening the treasure looks pretty happy about it. All kinds of other stories emerged with this build and it was a pretty fun play set this week for adventures. Besides Indiana Jones some pirates and spacemen also visited the castle. I did not see any princesses though.

This is Denver's ship. Every kingdom needs a royal navy, way to plan for defensive strategy!

I really love Lahni's, "Princess in the Tower"

I can almost hear her calling "Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Then he must say something like, "Let down your long hair...or pass me a rope."

See more pictures in the flickr pool.
Don't forget, this week's challenge - Animals....interpret as you will...

For the Love of Lego Challenge 4 - Animals

2010-07-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post the challenges every Monday, the photos of your creations are due the next Monday (anytime that day) and the "judges" will review and post a winner Tuesday.

This week's challenge is: Animals

Photos can be submitted by adding them to the flickr pool (preferred) so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego,/ by commenting on the Monday Challenge post, or by email (whatarewedoingtodaymom@gmail.com).

Just joining us? Welcome! Check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge for some details.

Need some inspiration? We love http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/. The videos are really cool and there is lots to learn in one place!

The Beach at Golden Gardens

2010-07-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is the west side of Golden Gardens. It is a fun beach with lots of sand and digging spots. There is beach volleyball too and even fires are permitted on this side. The after dark scene is a party beach so when the families start leaving take note.

First Rose

2010-07-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Lego Challenge Winner and this week's challenge

2010-07-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ack! I'm so sorry the week has gotten away from me, I'll be much better posting new challenges every Monday. So fun to see all your robots! This week's challenge is KNIGHTS and PRINCESSES - anything related, dragons, castles, jewels, etc. (send in your submission by next Monday night)

Here is the flickr pool so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego/
You are welcome to name it and put in any details in the flickr pool. (My boys wanted more details about everyone's robots ;)

If you need details on how the challenge works, check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge.

The Lego Robot winner is : Isaiah!

Everyone had really great entries and it is so fun to see what everyone builds, keep building!

For more pictures check out our flickr group. Here is a snapshot gallery of our entries this week:

Blog links and entries:
Nathan and Jaxon
Isaiah, Denver and Mom
Josee
Mia
Max H.
Zachary and Corey
Jonathan (cool vintage kit)
C
E
Max V
Jonathan - Lego Piece finder
E
C
Mia

Field Trip - Low Tide

2010-07-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today's tide in Seattle was the lowest of the year at -3.4 We ventured out with some friends to Lincoln Park beach in West Seattle. There is a pretty ferry dock right there and it was very pretty.

We had lots of fun exploring, finding all kinds of things from crabs and pretty sea stars to beached jellyfish. Oh, and a rusty piece of metal determined to be from a pirate ship...hmm, a little imagination never hurts :)

If you're in the area - tomorrow's tide is also really low -3.0 at 12:38 PM, head out and let me know what you see! You can also look at this tide table for other areas (even Olympia and Tacoma are different)

For the Love of Lego Challenge - Bugs winner and new challenge!

2010-07-06T23:16:00.001-07:00

There were so many really great entries, the boys loved all of them. You are some seriously talented Lego builders. We are excited to see what you do with this week's challenge - ROBOTS.

I've created a flickr pool so everyone can share. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovelego/

If you need details on how the challenge works, check out the 1st For the Love of Lego Challenge.

And now drum roll please... our judges this week have selected "The Scorpion" by Slade. I need to tell you this was a very hard choice.

Here are some other creations, thanks for playing along! For more angles, etc. please check out the Flickr pool. For future challenges you can either post your entry directly to Flickr or you can still link below this post or email me - whatarewedoingtodaymom@gmail.com

These are not in a particular order...

Thanks to everyone who participated + send in your pictures for this week:
1: Nate - Scoop Flyer (plus more!)
2. Caterpillar - Isaiah
3. Denver - Spider
4. Josee - Caterpillar
5. Mia
6. Max
7. Daniel - A Centipede and a Bumblebee
8. Joshua - 1 Black Ant and 2 Fire Ants
9. Josh - Giant Ant
10. Dragonfly - Jon
11. Ladybug - Lindsey
12. Alex - Ladybug
13. Joanna - Butterfly
14. C - Dung Beetle
15. E - Scorpion

A couple questions to clarify...

Duplos, Megablocks, etc. are great to enter with as well.
If you are linking, link in the comments to the post with theme challenge was introduced (today's post will have links for robots)
If you want to enhance your Lego creation with other things that's fun too, like in the bug challenge, paper wings would have worked.
All creations should be original (not from instructions or a kit) and if helped by a grown-up that's great, but please let us know.
We also have a couple of grown-up entries which is really fun - thanks for playing along (Uncle Jon, Aunt Lindsey and Aunt Joanna)! Note - grown-ups are not eligible for the prize (sorry!), but please post along with us, Lego is fun for everyone!

Firecracker Art

2010-07-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is a fun project and my kids could do all the steps by themselves.

Colour with wax crayons all over a piece of paper (we did four papers)

Paint over the crayon with black paint, I used something random from a garage sale, but I think tempura or acrylic would work best. Allow to dry.

Use something to scrape your design into the paint, we used bamboo skewers, we did this part outside to avoid black paint flecks everywhere.

2010-07-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of.
Emily Carr

Happy Birthday Canada!