Day 31 ~ Homemade Valentines

Valentines Day is fun. The kids love it and so do I. Every year we get cards for all their classmates and they address them and stuff them with candy. This year I wanted to make a little change. I decide that instead of spending so much time and energy on Valentines for our classmates, we would focus more time and energy on those we love. Isn't that what Valentines is really all about? Besides, kids will be delighted with any card that holds a sugar treasure.

My day started out a little off. I got something in my eye that would not come out and I walked around this afternoon like a one eyed pirate. I would hoot and holler at any random minute when the pain would just bug me enough, and yes, I even was yelling ARRRRR! My eye was so red I didn't even want to open it, and kept it closed a good part of the day. My daughter pointed out the fact that I looked and sounded like a pirate with my eye all scrunched up. If I had an option of an eye patch, I swear I would have worn it!



I had a plan to start our Valentine's cards today, so we made our way to Micheal's, the best store in the world. We got our supplies, came home, and got started. I sat down and made my own Valentines for my nieces and nephews, and the girls made some for all the family they could think of. It ended up being not just fun for them, but for me. So often I have a project for them, and I am so busy helping I don't get to sit to have fun myself. I can't wait to get these sent out and to see how our family reacts.

Today our new thing was homemade Valentine's cards, and although my eye is still driving me a little NUTS, I had a lot of fun!

Day 28 ~ Family and a Puppet

Today was a great day! I have been eyeing this family sign for 5 months now. Every time I would walk by I'd look and think, hmmmmmm I LOVE that sign. Today I got it 50% off and I was right I LOVE IT! It is a perfect fit right above my kitchen cupboards. Everytime I walk in the kitchen I can't help but smile.



Today we did a family project and made puppets. When my hubby has the night off we often make it a family night, and we all watch a movie together, but lets be honest, watching a movie really doesn't classify as quality family time. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is great sometimes but it is not the same as actually DOING something together. I enjoy doing things with the kids but projects at night are a little hard too because, I am SOOOO WHIPPED!!!! There are some nights that I don't even sit because I know if I do, it will all be over. I will sit, my eyes will sag, and the show is over. I don't go to sleep but I do just stop.

Building the puppets was great. We all worked together and the kids loved it!! It did take a little time to put together and follow directions but it was worth it in the end. Personally I think the glue gun hates me. I love it with all I got, but it has something against me, the glue jumps right off the gun to burn me every time. If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't live without it, I would chuck it across the room and right out the front door.



Once the puppets were finished, the kids ran around the house neighing and laughing. All my husband and I could do was laugh at how wild and loud our kids are. They may be wild but they are also passionate, and loving, and so precious.

Tonight I got something new for the house and the girls made some wild horses, or should I say became wild horses.

If you are interested in building your own puppet with your kids here is the link we used.
http://www.tojt.org/MakeAPuppet.html

Day 24 ~ A Good End to the Week

Today the Wild Six got together an attempted to make their own jewelry boxes. They turned out beautiful!!

Today we got together with friends and the Wild Six attempted another project together. Today they made jewelry boxes. As you can tell from the pictures they turned out so great and the kids had a blast. We even got brave and gave the two littlest their own set of paints and brushes and they were so thrilled to be a part of the whole project.



After our rough weekend, the laughter in the room was such a happy welcome. When the kids came home to sleep they crashed out in a matter of seconds, which was a sign they had a great night. I love to do new activities that allow my girls to express their individuality and to be honest seeing them smile so big makes me smile.



A new project, for a new day and a wonderful end to a hard week.

Day 7 - To the Moon or Bust

We flew to the moon tonight and had an amazing adventure.

I have had a Colormehouse rocket in my closet for 6 months waiting and saving it for a special day. The girls and I have colored the Colormehouse houses and LOVE them, but the rocket I was saving for a very special day. Today, today is that special day. In fact, every day is special. Why save things for another day, why not enjoy everyday and make every day count? You never know what will happen tomorrow.

With that I sent the girls upstairs to clean. You can imagine how happy they were about being sent to thier rooms to clean. You would have thought I sent them to scrub toilets and tubs with all the crying. When they went upstairs, I ran to the closet, got out our rocket, threw down a drop cloth, and set it up. Within 15 minutes they were asking to come down, rooms clean.

When they came down and saw the rocket, they all screamed, even Kyndall! We got out all our markers and starting drawing. The kids played in it all night and went to the moon several times laughing and screaming and giggling as little girls love to do. As they landed on the moon they would come out jumping up and down and then would head back to earth when they could no longer catch their breath. Kyndall kept yelling MORE! MORE!!

It brought me so much happiness to see them playing together and having so much fun. No TV, no Wii, just their creativity and their imagination leading the way. I plan on leaving this out for days and when it finally goes back in the closet it won't be there too long because I plan on taking many more adventures to the moon. We flew to the moon tonight and we had an amazing adventure!!!!

Day Five - A Memory Box

Today the girls and I created a memory box for 2010.
I thought if I am going to take a year on, I want something to put all our memories in. Something we can go to later in life and laugh, something we can go to at the end of the year and make a scrapbook out of it. I got a large plastic bin, got some permanent markers, stickers, and we all went to town. I told the girls we would write each thing we did on this bin, and by the time the year was over it would be covered with memories. The bin is a project that we started today, but that we would work on through out the year. My girls loved it! It was so cute to see all their faces as they added their decorations. It was even funnier to see my husbands face when he saw them with permanent markers. Today we made a memory box and I can't wait to see it at the years end.

DayTwo - Letters of Thanks

Today I sat down and wrote 10 thank you letters. I wrote 10 women in my life who have made an impact.

I love email. As soon as email came along I guess you could say I got lazy. Email has made my life easy. Just a quick type, hit a button and there ya go, you are done. Taking time to sit and write on paper and send it in the mail takes much more time, but what is wrong with taking time. Taking time to sit, to write, to say thank you for all you do and have done, to write it with your hand and not just buttons. I still have paper letters from friends, family and even one very special letter I have kept for years. This one letter was sent to me after high school from someone I barely knew and they thanked me for being nice. They said they had a hard time making friends, felt a little alone but that I was always nice to them and it made a difference in their life. People sometimes gave me a hard time for being too nice. But that letter, that letter said I made a difference, and that made all the difference in the world for me. Treat others how you want to be treated. I am far from perfect, but it is a rule I still try to live by.

So that is what I did today, I took time to thank 10 woman in my life who have made me smile, laugh or even sat and listened to me bitch and cry. I want them to know they have made a difference in my life and that I appreciate them and everything they do. I wrote it on some pretty paper, stuck it in the mail and away it went and I smiled. It felt good.