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Zach’s Room Re-do

- Mama 7 Comments

A few months ago, I was browsing pinterest and saw an over-the-top inspiring pin. I stopped everything I was doing, and ran in to show my mother the image that had caught my eye.

It was a very simple, very chic bookshelf. It was visual, it was bold, and it allowed children to see the covers of books. It was the perfect shelf for Zach’s room, and I knew I had to have it. But when I started telling people about my idea, everyone kept saying “you want to do WHAT exactly?”

I wanted to put a set of rain gutters in Zach’s room. As a bookshelf. You read that right.

My initial inspiration came from the beautiful photographs from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats (linked in image below):

And from reading her article, her inspiration came from the fabulous blog, Raising Olives (also linked below). Raising Olives had an amazing step-by-step tutorial that I wish I would have read before the project, but alas, we figured it out based on the original inspiration photograph alone.

If you look at Zach’s room before, you’ll see the trouble that we’re dealing with. He has a small room, with the door to both the hallway and the closet on the same wall, a window opposite those, and, as I already mentioned very little space.

In this picture, you’ll see that we have all of the books piled up in the corner in a box. Any time Zach and I would go to read a book, we would face two problems.

  1. We could only read the books on top. If we tried to dig deeper for the other books, the whole stack would topple and books would be everywhere.
  2. We couldn’t even see what books he had- everything was a mish-mashing of books and you couldn’t see titles, covers, or anything.

I considered bookshelf options, but bookshelves have a large footprint, which doesn’t work for a small room, plus kids often end up pulling a bookshelf down on themselves trying to get a book… and I didn’t want that to happen. I also considered creative bookshelf ideas, like putting the books in a little red wagon, but that again took up a lot of space… and have you seen little red wagons these days? They’re not the cute metal ones of my childhood, nor are they in my price range.

I had a total of about $50 to spend on the project… and that meant getting a new piece of furniture (the blue couch was way too big for that room) and the rain guttering. I had a few thoughts going into it:

  1. I wanted to spend as little as possible, but still make a big change… there was no room for Zach to play or for us to read together.
  2. I wanted that blue couch out of there. It became a catch-all for laundry that I didn’t want to put away, and didn’t really allow for us to spend much time in there.
  3. I wanted his room to be useable. I imagined days where we could go in there, turn on Sesame Street, and play in the floor, or curl up with a good book in a big cushy chair.
  4. I wanted to re-coup as much of my costs as I could.
  5. I wanted to be able to do the whole change, as well as re-organizing his room and closet, in a weekend.

Our process started when an amazing couple from church decided to get rid of a chair… it was the perfect choice, a cushy brown leather recliner, perfect for Zach and I to curl up in together and read. They were so nice and giving that they just gave it to me! The chair was perfect, but the chair being free? Even better. Their generosity was just amazing… and it’s really what helped my room come together.

If you’re wanting to design on a dime and don’t have someone who will give you a perfect chair out of the kindness of their hearts, you do still have a few options on how to get one.

  1. Try Freecycle. A lot of people will give away furniture that is in excellent condition- all they require is for you to pick it up. One time I was able to score a huge red rug for my dorm room, completely free, because the original owners just wanted it out of their storage area.
  2. Check garage sales. That’s another source of excellent cheap furniture (and it’s how I got a lot of my furniture for college).
  3. Ask your friends and family to keep an ear out for one- the more people who are looking, the more likely you are to find what you’re looking for!
  4. Join a local group on facebook. For my hometown, we have a facebook page for women who are 21+ where we can recommend local businesses, sell items we no longer need, and chat about upcoming social events and functions. That has become an excellent resource for getting things at a good discount (especially when it’s not garage sale season!) Church groups and mommy groups on facebook can also be really good resources.
  5. If all else fails, check Goodwill/Savers/Salvation Army/etc. They often have used furniture at reasonable prices. Make sure you sniff it- if you’re a smoke-free home and it wasn’t in one before, you’ll be able to tell.

I had already gotten the perfect chair, and since it was a gift, my budget of $50 remained intact. You’d be amazed at what a little re-arranging can do! We moved the blue couch out (right now it’s in the sunroom of our house, which tends to be our family gathering room), and moved the chair in.

Because Zach’s room had a fresh paint job before he was born, we really did not need to repaint it. His other furniture was also staying the same- his bed was staying, and so was his changing table (before he was born, I updated it with spray paint from a brown wood that didn’t match our bed, to a bright orange that went with the bedding inside. Perfect!) His dresser would remain inside the closet. All of that was constant. We decided that an easy way to make more space was to move everything. We switched moved the changing table and bed to the other side of the room, and put the chair near the closet (we did make sure that the closet could still be opened, and that the recliner could go all the way back in a reclining position). I also put a hamper next to his changing table- I had found the hamper downstairs in our storage area, and thought it was much better than his clothing just tossed in a pile in front of the changing table. His second car seat unfortunately has to sit out in the open- there’s just no other place to put it.

Finally, it was time to start on the actual bookshelves, which would be the new focal point of the room, so we made the trek to Home Depot. We headed to the back of the store (yes, they keep guttering in the back corner at the locations near us, and it seemed like the walk took forever… especially if you walk it holding guttering on the way back). We looked and looked, and they had the guttering, but no endcaps (they were sold out). So, the next day we made the journey to the Home Depot on the other side of town. We got our gutters, and we got our endcaps.

Because for projects like this, my mother and I are a little bit clueless, we asked Home Depot if they could cut the 10′ long bookshelves down to 5′, which fit our room better. They took us over to the electric department and cut them to our size- perfect!

I do want to note here that I chose vinyl bookshelves because the edges aren’t as sharp, so if Zach got wild and crazy, we’d be covered.

We brought them home and got to work. Dad started by gathering the items we already had- like leftover screws from the deck, with washers that would anchor the bookshelves in tighter, in case Zach did try to climb or pull on them. Then, dad found the studs in the wall (I’m not quite sure how… I’ve been looking for studs for years and haven’t had much luck! Sorry… girl humor…) which made excellent anchor points. Anchoring into studs works best because they are the firmest points- if you put it in to sheetrock alone, they could be pulled off a lot more easily. Dad chose to anchor each shelf into three studs- one on each end and a stud near the middle.

We measured Zach’s largest book as a jumping off point of how far apart we wanted each shelf. Zach’s tallest books were a foot tall, which means we’d want about 12″ from the top of one bookshelf to the bottom of another to make sure that his books could be easily snagged out of there.

After all of the measuring, stud-finding, screwing, and cleanup… the shelving was done. I decided to accent Zach’s room with some decals I had left over from the other side of the room, which I had received as a gift at my baby shower. I love how the project turned out.

(I did tack the cords back that are by the changing table- I accidentally took the photo BEFORE I had done that. Additionally, we’ve hung the picture on the changing table on the wall by the window, so it’s up, too… that’s what I get for taking my After’s before it’s truly “After”).

I also decided to work on Zach’s closet during the renovation… I did not snap a before picture, but I did shoot a few after shots.

I have to tell you a few things about me in terms of his closet… first, you’ll find a lot of diapers in various sizes. I have diapers all the way up to size 5 (he’s in a size 3 now). I tend to buy diapers when they are on a really good sale at Target (and combine them with gift card deals). When Target has diapers on sale, and has a deal where you buy a certain amount of diapers and get a gift card free, I tend to take them up on that… but when I get plenty in his current size, I start buying a size up. I save the gift cards for any time we’re in a real budget pinch, which I HAVE to get something, but simply don’t have the money in the budget right then (or for when our Target budget has to be spent on an unexpected emergency, like a car repair). I also pre-buy diapers for several reasons. For one, there has been an instance where he outgrew what I had on hand, and I had to rush to the store to buy the next size up. Because I now have diapers in a couple sizes up, if he outgrows one, I’m able to move up to the next size, knowing I have it on hand.

I also pre-buy toys sometimes. Whenever I find a really good sale on something that would make a great gift, either for him or someone else, I tend to purchase it. For example, Melissa and Doug wooden toys that range $20-$30, I’ve purchased at around $6 each. When something is on an amazing sale, I go ahead and get it, and stash it at the top of my closet. It means that I’ve had to do zero shopping lately. Additionally, when he gets books that he isn’t quite ready for (as in, paper books he would tear now, etc) from our parenting groups or organizations, or when I spot them on a super sale (literally pennies), I stash those in bags at the top of the closet, too, for inclusion in gifts later on. Pre-buying means that even if I don’t have the budget later, I still have something. If his birthday month gets really budget-tight for me, at least I already have his birthday gift planned out (and purchased when I have the money).

You’ll also notice conventional baby food, even though I make mine homemade. I do like to keep a few jars on hand in case there is some sort of emergency, like with the electricity, where the food I have homemade for him isn’t an option. You’ll also notice his favorite snacks- organic puffs from HappyBabyFood and Plum Organics, and some cereals.

But back to my final note about the bookshelves. At the top of his closet, you’ll see boxes. Some of them contain clothing he doesn’t quite fit in at the moment, but that middle box, the brown one, it contains books. I decided when making this bookshelf that I would have a set plan.

You see, the top shelf contains all of our “Classic Favorites.” It has a book that grandma recorded for him, a book that grandpa recorded for him, and the book that everyone who attended my shower for him signed (in lieu of a guestbook, we had them sign a story book). Additionally, it contains Jeffrey’s favorite book as a child, and a selection of my favorite books as a child. These are books that have been passed down from us (and some of them from me to Jeffrey to Zach) that are true treasures in our family.

The second shelf right now has a selection of Sesame Street books and a selection of books about the bond between a mother and child. The second shelf is probably going to stay put for now, but as his interests change, the Sesame Street books may change to something else, as well, and as he grows up, we have plenty of Sesame Street books that will join the fold.

The third shelf is our theme shelf… this selection will change regularly, based on the seasons, or the holidays, or a certain theme relevant to our lives (for instance, going to the dentist, growing a tooth, or losing a tooth could lead to us having some tooth related books there, and at Valentine’s Day, we’ll probably have V-Day themed books). This theme could even be completely unrelated to the season or holiday or life theme, but could just be a fun category (for example, dinosaurs).

Today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, so our first themed set of books is our collection of Dr. Seuss classics. Many of these are treasured copies of books (The Foot Book is the first book I learned how to read as a child), and these all relate to the central theme… Seuss!

The lowest shelf will be the shelf Zach is able to reach first, which is why it contains a selection of his favorite books. These books are books that are safe for him to have (right now he’s in a book-chewing phase) and are books that, when given a choice, he tends to select for himself (You are My Cupcake and Spot Goes to the Library are his personal favorites at the moment).

The gutters and endcaps cost me a total of $40.57. I was able to recoup a lot of this cost by selling items Zach no longer needed. That means that my room re-do literally cost me less than $10. It truly is a design on a dime moment. When your kids see a new room re-do they love, and you need the budget for it, try asking them to go through and decide what they are willing to part with in order for the design to be more affordable.

In the end, our room design met my requirements- it added space, it didn’t cost me a lot after I recovered the costs from selling things we no longer needed, and it took less than a weekend to complete. The bookshelves don’t take up more than a few inches out of the wall, which is perfect for our room. Now, Zach and I are able to get enjoyment out of our room, and we spend a lot more time back there than we ever did before.

He is able to see the book covers so he can find his favorites any time he wants them. As he grows, it will be much easier for him to select books to read and get them on and off of the shelf himself (how many times have you gone to a bookshelf, tried to pull one book, and pulled out several because they all shift and fall?) and he won’t accidentally pull the whole shelf down on top of him.

It truly is a great room design for us.

Have you tried a unique and innovative room solution? Door for a headboard? Bookshelves out of a found object? Picture frames made from an old window? How have you used something for a new purpose in your (or your child’s) room design? I’d love to see you link it up in the comments! I’m always looking for new inspiration!

A Review of Citrus Lane’s February Box: Play To Learn

- Mama 2 Comments

I know, I know, I’m way later than usual in posting this. For being a short month, it’s been a REALLY long month.

First off, I just want to tell you, Citrus Lane has pretty much the best customer service ever. A few of my items arrived damaged (well, the popcorn bag kind of… popped… in transit, and stuck to some of the other items). I tweeted Citrus Lane and they solved the matter ASAP– on a holiday weekend, no less! It seems the lovely people at Citrus Lane never rest until all of their customers are happy!

If you’ve read my posts reviewing the boxes before, some of this is going to be a touch of the same, but I’ve found google sends a lot of people my way who haven’t read my review posts before, and so I just want to tell everyone this: getting a Citrus Lane box is like literally receiving a box of sunshine on your front porch. I’m not kidding.

The box is brown with a yellow stripe saying “Citrus Lane,” (because, I mean, what else would it say?) and as soon as you open it, there’s bright, sunshiny, yellow tissue paper. This was the first item Z headed for. He grabbed it, waving it around like a flag, crinkling it up, tossing it around. He thought that paper was the coolest thing ever.

While Zach explored the paper, I got into the stuff inside the box. Here’s what came with it.

 

P’kolino Fishing Hole Size Sorter, $24.99

This sorter is really cute. It comes with the actual aquarium part, and 6 fish (2 of each size). The fish are painted to correspond with the slot they fit in on the top- the blue fish can fit in the blue slot, etc. Because the toys are made of natural wood and non-toxic water-based finish, it’s okay for Zach to gum the living daylights out of the fish without worry that he’ll get sick or have some sort of gross stuff enter his system. Right now, Zach likes to gum the fish, or to pull the fish out of the open back on the sorter. I imagine when he gets older, he’ll learn more about sorting by color and size, but for now, he is able to enjoy it. I like that it’s a toy that will grow up with him, giving him options for play right away, and options for play in the future. I also like knowing that it’s safe for him to gum, because he’s at the age where everything goes in the mouth first. This is definitely a hit in our book- 5 stars!

P’kolino also provided a 15% off code for Citrus Lane subscribers, which I’m certain I’ll be using to get another fun item for Zach (I’m eyeing their multi-solution puzzles for when Zach gets older).

Baby Bug February Issue, $33.95 for 1 year subscription (Making this issue about $2.83).

Baby Bug magazine is a book-like magazine with bright illustrations and songs and rhymes to read together. Essentially, it’s like a story book in the mail each month, sometimes with some various shorter stories and poems in it. It’s cute, and it’s printed with non-toxic ink (and since Zach prefers chewing books instead of reading them, this is a plus), but it’s not really sturdy enough that we can read it without him trying to tear pages. Zach is going through a phase where he loves to tear and crinkle paper… which means unless it’s board book thickness, it won’t hold up unless he’s too sleepy to grab at pages. The magazine is cute, and I’m sure we’ll read this issue over and over… but I don’t see us subscribing to this. My only reason is this… I can spend $33.95 for a year of this magazine, which is cute, or I can spend that money on books for a year, that Zach and I have picked out to fit our own desires and needs (board vs. paper, etc). To me, at this age, I’d rather buy the books I know we’ll read for years to come, than for us to get a magazine. Perhaps it’s coming from my personal bias against magazines at the moment (since pinterest came along, all of my magazine subscriptions have gone by the wayside… in fact, the few that still arrive in the mail are instantly thrown into the art bin). To me, I just don’t know that the subscription would be worth it to us.

For those who would feel like the subscription would fit their family, there was also an offer code for $9 off of a year subscription in the box.

You Are My Little Bird CD by Elizabeth Mitchell, $12.00

This was a really good CD. It’s peppy, but still calming. I love that there’s a lot of action in the songs, but also a calm vibe to it. It’s very folksy, which is nice. I’ve been railing against CDs like Kidz Bop for years, because I feel like, morally, they aren’t the best choice for kids, and musically, they really aren’t, either. I like introducing adult music to Zach, but I like it to be child-friendly. This CD is all of that- it’s kid-friendly, but it has ACTUAL music, and in my opinion, it’s perfect. I don’t buy CDs often, and in fact, we had to slip it into a DVD player to listen to it because we don’t use a ton of CDs. I typically put things on Spotify or something. However, this CD is making the trip out to the car- my low-tech space- because it is devoid of all the hi-tech satellite radio stuff and instead, it’s become my CD haven. I think this CD will definitely be traveling many miles with us!

Petite Lemon Art Print, $24.95 for 16×9 personalized print (Box contained 8×10 non-personalized print)

This is an adorable alphabet print. I absolutely love it. Petite Lemon has some really fun personalized art prints that really make a room brighter, and they have all different themes for boys and girls. They’re modern and funky, but still classic. They don’t just sell art prints, either- they also have wall decals and growth charts! I think the print is cute, and will look great framed in our reading area, or possibly in our guest bathroom when that gets re-done. I love the print!

There is also a code for $10 off of a $40 purchase in the box, which will be really nice for getting some more cute decor!

479 Popcorn in Fleur de Sel Caramel, $1.99

I’ve saved the best for last. I mean, yes, the toy is awesome, and a lot longer lasting, but this gift that is just for mom, well… it’s perfect. I am being honest. I did the polite thing and shared a piece with my mom and brother. Really, just one piece for each of them. That was about all I could bear to part with because oh my gosh. This stuff was awesome. See, the 479 popcorn is coated with caramel, and a little bit of sea salt. The sea salt brought out the sweetness of the caramel. It was… wow. I mean, the popcorn may have literally been the best thing I’ve ever eaten, ever. The pouch was only 100 calories, but it was far more generous than the 100 calorie packs I’m used to. The popcorn actually made for a pretty filling snack (as compared to other 100 calorie packs where you get like… 2 cookies). I’ll definitely be ordering more popcorn from this brand in the future. I’m especially wanting to try their popcorn featuring truffle oil!

 

In addition to the great items included in the box, the booklet that talks about what each product is also talks about how babies learn through play- by touching, hearing, smelling and tasting, and seeing. It gives you key phrases to connect with your child by talking about the colors or textures they’re experiencing, for example.

The booklet also offers some ideas on music for kids that still keeps parents happy (instead of listing to the clean up song from Barney ad nauseum). They suggest fun musicians like They Might Be Giants, which offer great songs for kids that are entertaining for adults, too.

All in all, this is yet another box that I give 5 stars. I think the box contained a lot of AWESOME things- and they were more than enough to make up for things like the Baby Bug magazine, which didn’t fit our family, but I’m sure many other parents loved. As you can see by the prices on the items included, you can tell the value was again FAR over $25.00, and since you get free shipping, you’re really getting a good bang for your buck.

(Plus, how cute are these pictures? You know you want some pretty yellow paper photos of your own!)

The bottom line on Citrus Lane is this: I could easily go and spend my $25 on things for Zach and I. However, I prefer Citrus Lane for very specific reasons:

  1. I get more bang for my buck. Obviously, what they send me is valued at a much higher price than the $25 I’m spending.
  2. They curate the goods so I don’t have to. They specifically find brands that I may not be familiar with… Citrus Lane introduced me to Skip Hop, and now it’s one of my favorite brands. P’kolino is rapidly becoming another brand I love. I’d never purchased Stella and Dot jewelry before my first box, but now I know that I love their jewelry.
  3. They tailor it to my child’s age. This month, Zach received the P’kolino sorter because it was age appropriate for him. Other ages got a stacking sorter or a cutting foods set, because it’s age appropriate for them. The items in the box vary based on what your child’s age needs that month- and I love that. I love that the boxes will grow with him. A 3 year old’s needs for play are very different than a 7 month old’s. I love that Citrus Lane tailors it to our needs at the age he’s at.
  4. It comes in the mail… and it’s not a bill! Seriously, though. How often do you open your mailbox to see something fun and exciting? When is the last time you were mailed a fun gift? If you’re like me, your mailbox is stuffed with those little white envelopes asking for money, but it’s highly unlikely you’re getting something that is totally fun, totally exciting, and totally cool for you and your child to dive into together! Citrus Lane brings that… it’s WAY better than a bill. Trust me.
  5. They have awesome customer service. Like I said before, they solved my problem. On a weekend. A HOLIDAY weekend. That’s pretty awesome.
  6. They have a pretty cool blog, and lots of fun contests. Who wouldn’t want to participate and support such a FUN company?
  7. Citrus Lane makes me feel like the hippest, most on top of it mom ever. Seriously. I always have the newest, the coolest, the latest goodies for me and my child. I’m not kidding. Subscribing to Citrus Lane has made me a bit of a go-to person amongst my friends with kids when it comes to mommy or baby needs. I was the first to have the adorable Zutano clothing (hat featured in the December box) and the Dolphin Organics and Episencial lotions in my friend group. Zach’s toys (like his tugboat from GreenToys and his Fishing Hole sorter from P’kolino) make him the envy of playgroup. I never thought that I’d be able to afford this stuff as a single mom, but instead of budgeting for each and every item, I just make sure I have $25 to spare in my budget each month for Citrus Lane. That’s it- no shipping, no hidden costs, nothing. It’s actually something I can afford, and it keeps me on top of the latest trendy items for both Z and myself. That to me, is totally worth it.

Trust me, I’ve looked around. I’ve tried finding a better deal than this. There isn’t one.

Have I sold you on Citrus Lane yet? Cool. Here’s my referral link so you can go sign up, too. http://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Jennifer.Schoenberger and, if you use the code CITRUSFRESH, it’ll give you $10 off your first month (or any multi-month package).

Gettin’ Crafty: Heart Chain

- Mama 1 Comment

I am what my mother refers to as a “Holiday Junkie.” When a holiday comes close, she does everything she can to pull me away from Pinterest and hide my scissors and glue, because I go all. flippin. out. For Christmas, I did two advent chains- one with scriptures telling the story of Christmas each night, verse by verse, throughout various books of the Bible, and the other including activities that our family could do together, like dancing to Christmas music in the dark (only Christmas lights were on!) and making snowmen pancakes and Christmas tree waffles.

For Valentine’s Day, we decided to add to our paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling by cutting out pink paper hearts. Zach loves to sit in the sunroom and watch the hearts and snowflakes twirl as the air current from the heater hits them.

I got another great idea for a craft, though, from one of my favorite blogs. Those of you who read my frequent reviews of Citrus Lane (LOVE them!) probably know I’m a huge addict when it comes to their blog, as well.

They posted a really cool craft in conjunction with Petite Lemon. And, all you need is a stapler, some strips of paper, and some scissors! (Well, and a printer helps, too). There’s virtually no cleanup involved!

Image Linked to Citrus Lane's Original Post

Now, isn’t that adorable? You see why I absolutely had to do that craft, right? Especially because I love crafts, and I love holidays, and, well, you know how it is.

Even better, the cute papers included in the craft are on the Petite Lemon blog, FREE! I love the cute patterns that Petite Lemon has- truly inspired printables!

Image linked to the Petite Lemon blog post.

Petite Lemon printed theirs on cardstock, but we opted to print ours on plain printer paper. Either would work, honestly, as long as it’s foldable and flexible!

Petite Lemon’s patterns are SO cute, but for my craft, I decided to choose some patterns that fit our house a little bit closer… so I used a retired kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs, called When You Need a Friend. Sweet Shoppe Designs is an amazing site- if you’re a digital scrapbooker or use any digital and paper elements, this is a very high quality site. It’s one of two sites that I visit in digiland to get my supplies.

Anyway, back to the tutorial. I selected five papers from that kit of varying patterns and colors that I felt complimented each other. I used photoshop to crop the 12×12 papers down to 8.5×11 papers, and printed them out.

Then, I recruited Jeffrey and mom to cut the papers into strips, about an inch wide, so I had 5 pages of about 11 strips, that were 1×8.5.

Once the strips were cut, we folded each colorful strip in half, so it makes a point. Then, for the first heart, you gently turn the strips into the center, towards the point, so that way the patterned sides touch each other. I tried several times to get a good picture of this, but honestly, in our kitchen, there isn’t a ton of great light, so I just didn’t get a shot of it. If you head over to the tutorials I linked you to, they can give you a visual for this step!

Pick up another folded strip, and slip it onto the heart. Then, repeat the stapling process again, and BAM! Another heart. Do this again and again and you’ll eventually have a chain of hearts.

We tried to alternate our patterened papers in a sort of organized chaos- we didn’t want two of the same pattern together, but we also didn’t want the patterned papers to go in the same order every time. I just tried to randomly shuffle the patterns in.

And voila! It’s a chain! 55 links was too long for our large opening between our sunroom and kitchen, so we split the links between that opening and our big window opening between the office and kitchen… hearts everywhere!

I snapped a quick shot so you could see it in our home… I’m seriously hoping we can redecorate soon and get some better lighting! Yikes! It seems no matter how I adjust my camera, the lighting is still just… blah.

Anyway, that’s my quick and easy craft for today. If you can wield scissors and a stapler without inflicting too much damage, you can totally do it! Let the uncrafty among us rejoice!

Plus, you can totally use whatever papers you want to. You can head over to Petite Lemon and print theirs off. You can select a digital kit that matches your home or the season and print out papers from that. You can check your paper stash and see if anything is calling to you. Heck, you could take plain white paper and let your child draw and color all over it, then cut it into strips and hang it up that way.

 

Special thanks to Citrus Lane and Petite Lemon for the amazing project inspiration, and to Sweet Shoppe Designs!

 

Homeschooling: A Week In Review

- Mama 3 Comments

It’s that time again, and it’s hard to believe we’ve now completed our first full official week of homeschooling! We did a lot of activities this week, as well as hitting the basics.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, we’ve chosen to write Jeffrey’s homeschool curriculum ourselves, using many resources from the internet, the library, and our own personal knowledge. We incorporate a lot of different methods, including the traditional (Math U See, Grammar books, etc) and the less traditional (learning fractions through baking, watching Good Eats and incorporating those ideas into science and math studies).

This week, we finished up reading Chocolate Fever, by Robert Kimmel Smith. It’s a book that really discusses moderation, in sorts. It’s a lighthearted story about a boy named Henry Green, who likes chocolate in EVERYTHING. Chocolate and pancakes? Yup. Chocolate and milk? Check. Chocolate and mashed potatoes? Totally. This kid is a choco-holic to the extreme, and one day, it kind of comes back to get him… he breaks out in little brown spots, in a case of CHOCOLATE FEVER! It’s a great book to teach kids about eating things in moderation, and how too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. It’s also a good book to discuss what to do when you’re afraid or nervous, or to discuss the effects of some foods on our bodies. It’s actually also a great book to read silently, or read before bed as a story together… the chapters are great bite-sized chunks. Definitely a good book for kids!

We also worked on a mini unit involving M&Ms. For our research skills, we learned that the company that makes M&Ms, Mars, also makes 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, all Wrigley and 5 gums, and even pet food! We also typed an email to Mars letting them know about our study of chocolate using M&Ms, as part of our typing practice.

M&Ms were a part of our study the entire week, and one of our fun projects involving M&Ms was a cool camouflage game! We took 10 of each color M&M- Red, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, and Brown, and poured them into a bowl with candy corn (which, we know are colored Orange, Yellow, and White).

Obviously, the Red, Green, Blue, and Brown M&Ms stand out a lot more than the Yellow and Orange! We didn’t tell Jeffrey what the plan was at all, or the lesson- we simply said “Pull out the first five M&Ms you see. Mark them on your graph, and toss them back in.” He did this, and each time would pull out the first five M&Ms. After 6 or 7 trials, we noticed that he had only pulled out 3 total orange or yellow, but over 40 total of the other colors! This was a great way to introduce that some animals and insects camouflage themselves to their surroundings by adopting the colors their surroundings, or sometimes even try to look like objects in their surroundings. We talked about chameleons, who change color to suit their surroundings, and Jeffrey brought up the examples of leaf bugs and stick bugs, whose bodies are very clear representations of their surroundings! It was a great discussion about how animals keep themselves from being hunted. Jeffrey also came up with examples like the arctic fox, who are white like the snow, and blend in with their surroundings. If Jeffrey were the hunter, and M&Ms were the prey, the yellow and orange did a pretty good job of protecting themselves!

Another science activity we played, using candy from the Mars company, was a Sink and Float game. Jeffrey considered the fillings of Milky Way, Milky Way Midnight, Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, and 3 Musketeers, and figured out whether they would sink, or float. Jeffrey hypothesized that 3 Musketeers would float because of the air filling (in the commercials, the bars are light and airy, and are shown to float even in the air, so it was a reasonable bet that, in water, the air trapped inside might make it float!) He believed that Milky Way and Milky Way Midnight would probably both sink- because the fillings are the same, if one sank, the other would, too. He thought that the heavy peanuts in Snickers could make it sink, but the light nougat could make it float, so he wasn’t sure how to hypothesize about the Snickers. The M&M, he thought, might float, because of it’s shape, and finally, he thought the cookie inside the Twix was light enough to make it float.

One by one, we dropped candies into the water.

Milky Way and Milky Way Midnight bot sank, just like Jeffrey thought. The 3 Musketeers floated, which he also accurately hypothesized. The nuts won out over nougat in the Snickers bar, because it sank like a rock, and even with it’s odd shape, the M&M sank, too. The Twix, though, that one made us laugh. Remember, Jeffrey thought it might float because of the light, airy shortbread cookie. Well, we dropped the Twix in, and it sank… but then it flipped over, so the cookie was on top! So, Jeffrey was kind of right- the cookie WAS airy enough to float, but the caramel and chocolate weighed it down.

We also incorporated M&Ms into a weights and measures activity, to practice using a balance for future science projects, and to talk about accuracy- sometimes, 24 M&Ms were too light, but 25 were too heavy, so it had to be somewhere in between the two measurements. We weighed M&Ms against many household objects, like a pencil, glue, tape, a cell phone, and a pair of scissors. We also figured out that if we knew how much one object weighed, and we added another object, we could take the total weight minus the weight of what we knew, to figure out the weight of the other object.

We discussed how, in ancient times, cacao beans were used as money in some parts of the world. One way that we ingrained this topic was by making monster cookies using M&Ms.

After we made the monster cookies, each of us dug into two of them, extracted the M&Ms, and used various equations to find out how much our cookies were worth based on our M&M “money.” It turned out that mom had the most valuable cookie, and I had the one with the least value… Jeffrey’s cookie was in between! Not only did we get a history lesson by discussing how currency around the world, and in different time periods, isn’t just like our money in America today, but we also worked on writing out a numeric equation based on a word or story problem, and we worked on measurements for cooking. A lot of the activities we do really incorporate several different subjects, to the point that sometimes it’s hard to say “This was our math lesson,” “this was our science lesson.” Many of our lessons are just that… “learning lessons.”

Some of our projects this week didn’t involve M&Ms at all, though. One of the particularly interesting topics we covered was based on part of the Field Museum’s curriculum regarding chocolate, which I found on their website. For this particular study, we discussed who grows chocolate, and how it affects their lives. We talked about the kind of life that the people who grow chocolate live, and how sometimes it can be a hard life. For example, we learned that many times, children younger than Jeffrey are recruited to work with the cacao trees and cut pods off of the trees, instead of going to school and studying. We also learned that sometimes, they don’t get paid much, but that some chocolate companies make sure that the people get paid fairly for their work, and give them ownership of the fields. Finally, we talked about what would happen if the world suddenly stopped eating chocolate (they would lose their jobs, and a lot of their lifestyle would be gone. Some of them could even have trouble affording food and shelter, and might die). We also talked about what would happen if the world suddenly started eating a lot more chocolate (they would have a lot more income, but also a lot more work to do. We would need more cacao trees, which also means we might have to cut down other trees to plant them).

We also discussed what basic needs people have, such as shelter, food, water, and clothing. To illustrate this, we gave Jeffrey the example that he would have to live in the park nearest our home. I asked him what he would do for food, clothing, and shelter. He mentioned that for food, he could always hunt squirrels or birds, fashioning arrows from sticks in the park. He also said that, since there are grills at the park, he could cook them on the grill using dried grass and stones to start the fire. He said that there were drinking fountains that would give him water, and a gazebo that could provide shelter from rain, or, he could rest at the top of the playground equipment, in a section that is covered and has the sides covered, as well. He carefully thought out important things like where he could use the restroom, and what clothing he might bring with him from home. He talked about how it was important to choose things that were cheap or free, and to choose things that were closely available. Obviously, if he was living in a park in Kansas, he would have to hunt squirrels, rather than polar bears. We talked about resource availability, and seeing what was closest to us.

We also discussed the Maya and the Aztec, and their connections to chocolate. They named it Theobroma Cacao, or, the Food of the Gods. They believed that their gods had left it here for them, and that they were to give it back to the gods when they returned to the earth. When the Spanish explorers came to their civilization, they believed that they were gods, and gave the chocolate to them, which later led to them bringing it back to Europe. We also discussed how chocolate was mostly for the wealthy, like the kings. I chose to skip the part about how, before a human sacrifice, the person being sacrificed would drink chocolate mixed with blood… ew! We also talked about how chocolate was almost always in liquid form during that time, and was consumed as a hot drink. We made our own Mayan Chocolate Drink, and determined that modern hot chocolate tasted MUCH better!

Jeffrey also spent some time researching the actual tree, and it’s growing conditions.

Did you know that monkeys are a big part of making sure we have plenty of cacao? They are one of the biggest spreaders and fertilizers of the cacao tree… a monkey will eat the cacao pods, digest them, and poop out cacao seeds, which later, can fertilize the seeds into a tree. Jeffrey liked to say this week that, when you eat a chocolate bar, you really should be thanking the monkeys for their poop.

We also learned that cacao trees would not produce their fruits without the help of a tiny little mosquito like insect, known as the midge. The midge is the sole pollinator of that species of trees, and without that midge there to pollinate it, the trees wouldn’t exist as we know them!

Another plus of homeschooling? Jeffrey is able to do all of this research in his pajamas and robe! He’s pretty happy about that…

We did have some beautiful weather at the beginning of the week, so we were able to spend some time playing outdoors.

And, for a little social time, Jeffrey was even able to jump into a one-time gymnastics class at a local gymnastics studio, which was a nice chance for some P.E.

We wrapped up the week with a little bit of review- by playing “Review Sorry!” In our house, one of the video games we all love is Sorry. We play it all the time, and it’s a big part of our lives. We adapted the game for review by saying that each person had to answer a review question correctly in order to draw a card and move their turn. The questions ranged from questions about the book we read this week, to requests to define vocabulary words, to working on describing objects in detail (we’re working on using descriptive words and expanding a single sentence into a more detailed paragraph). We also discussed facts, like the monkeys pooping out the seeds. Each week, we will take our old review questions, and add new ones in, and play a game, until, at the end of the unit, we have a whole flock of questions in our arsenal.

Homeschooling isn’t without it’s occasional tears or stress, but honestly, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made for our family. We find that we are learning so many things, not just Jeffrey, but our entire family. As we’ve been going over math skills for Jeffrey, we’ve realized that mom and I are improving our math skills, as well. We really have worked together as a family to improve our minds, and we are all excited about what next week holds in our homeschooling adventure.

Oh, and for the record, Zach has school work to complete, too… see?

Have a good week, everyone!

Homeschooling: A Week In Review

- Mama 1 Comment

Nope, I’m not dead. I’ve been a little bit busy, though, which is why I haven’t blogged…

Thursday marked the first official day of classes for Sonshine Christian Learning Center, our legally-registered private school… also known as our homeschool.

The beginning wasn’t without it’s stress and tears, which are bound to come with someone starting homeschooling in the middle of his school career. Many times during his first day, he would ask “What time is it?” only to respond, “Oh. Right now my friends are ____.” It was hard to break those ties with his old school routine and realize new year, new school, new system.

Amidst all of that, however, a lot of great learning took place. Our first unit is covering the great, divine source of so much that is happy in the world… CHOCOLATE! This means math, science, reading, well, it’s all about chocolate this time around.

Thursday, we were mostly getting our feet wet. We did some story problems involving chocolate, read part of our book, Chocolate Fever, and worked on vocabulary. Of course, we also did logic problems, and worked on a lot of our other “daily work,” that isn’t related to chocolate (Math U See, Creative Writing, and more).

For our creative project, Jeffrey had to design a miniature golf course. He was given a piece of paper, and was told to be creative. We left the room, and he was up to himself to do it. I am more of a writer personality. I do my best work when I’m able to write something out, so if I were given that project, you better believe I would have come up with an amazingly detailed written description of the park. My mother is a lot more visual than I am, and she had in her head visions of drawing this miniature golf course. However, when my brother returned to us with his completed project, we were in awe… he had created a three dimensional model of a mini golf course, constructed entirely from paper and tape. It was incredible. Loops, swirls, parts of the course that bent up for added challenge… it was a masterpiece. We realized at that moment that each person in our family has a different style of learning, which really keyed into the main reason that homeschooling is so important in our home. Think about this. A teacher can teach 25 students, but there is limited ability to give children the freedom to do a project in their own way. Written assignments are written. Drawn assignments are drawn. Kids may not be able to express their full creativity simply because the time and energy isn’t there for it. It’s hard to allow 25 kids to each go their own way, especially because that could come up with some wildly different variations. But, in a class of one, it’s a lot easier to allow those freedoms in differing learning styles.

Now, our school is set up on a four and a half day week. Mondays through Thursdays, we cover all of the subjects, and spend the day working through those. On Fridays, we focus on science, reviewing what we learned over the week, and catching up on any assignments that weren’t completed on our Monday through Thursday work week.

For this Friday, since it was our first week, there was really no review to be had, and he completed all of his work before Friday, so it wasn’t necessary for him to make anything up, either. Friday, we decided to have a little fun with math.

One of our focuses this term is on fractions, including multiplying and dividing them. For a little practice in dividing fractions, Jeffrey had to make pancakes, from scratch. However, we had written out the full recipe, and he needed to make a half recipe. He did the math in his head, without a calculator, obviously, and the real test of whether or not he got it right? Well, that was all in the taste! I have to tell you, these were DELICIOUS pancakes. And, a little math work doesn’t hurt, either. Who knew math could be so delicious?

Check out a few photos from our Friday lesson.


Here’s a photo of mom going over the assignment with him, and discussing the fraction division.


Measuring out the flour…


…and the baking powder.


In go the liquid ingredients!


Stir, stir, stir!


Playing the waiting game until it’s flip time…


And he’s a flipping pro!


Final verdict? “Math is DELICIOUS!”

I’m so excited to begin next week’s adventure into homeschooling! Homeschooling may mean a few less blog posts around here, but I truly hope you’ll stay tuned into what’s going on.

In terms of my growth project, I’ve been really considering it’s meaning in my own life. I feel like I really am growing, but at the same time, in order to grow, I have to do a little pruning. I’ve been working on that, because I think pruning a little will help me get where I need to go. I’ve pruned down my closet (I purged anything that isn’t working with my new style aesthetic. I donated anything that was still good- just because it’s no longer my style, doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else!). I also pruned my hair- yesterday, I got a new cut and color, so I’ll have to post pics of that as soon as I have them.

I hope in the next few weeks, I’ll be able to share more about my one little word, and my journey with that. Blogging may be sparse this week because I have a lot going on in the next week, and I’m anxious to share it all with you when things get a little less busy.

Have a great week, everyone!

I Love Watching Him Sleep

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I seriously don’t think there is anything more amazing in the world than watching your child sleep. Zach has been laying here asleep for about an hour and a half now, and he just looks so peaceful. Every once in awhile, in his sleep, he’ll get this little grin on his face, and it’s just contagious.

He always looks like a little angel while he sleeps. I think he looks like one moreso now, because it’s hot in the house, so he’s stripped down to a diaper. He has this awesome little belly button that is halfway an innie and halfway an outie, like it can’t make up it’s mind as to what it wants to be. His little baby fingers and toes are so adorable, and so tiny! His eyelashes are growing, and his hair is a bit of a mess right now, sort of trying to do a faux-hawk. His nose looks just like mine, and just like my mother’s, and it is just so tiny and perfect. His ears have this delightful curve, the perfect little lobes to them. I love everything about this kid. He has this focus and peacefulness when he sleeps, and it’s just so incredible to watch. He lays there, out like a light, and takes these adorable little breaths, and every once in awhile, he takes in a huge sigh. I couldn’t love him more if I tried.

11 Years Ago Today

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Yes. 11. Not 10. Everyone is going to be talking about what they did 10 years ago today. But quite frankly, I’ve already talked about what I was doing 10 years ago today, and it’s time for me to talk about what I was doing 11 years ago today.

11 years ago today, it was 105 degrees outside, but I couldn’t feel the heat sitting inside the nice, cool hospital room. I wasn’t sick or hurt. I was there with my mother, and my father. And, after a 9 month wait, I was finally getting to be there with my brother, too.

After a planned C-Section, and a lot of waiting, I got to greet my amazing brother. I got to hold his tiny body, all wrapped up, and see his amazing, precious face. I got to gaze into his beautiful blue eyes. And I got to talk to him.

Shortly after that, I realized that a baby was a frustrating thing. Sometimes babies cried. Sometimes, they pooped. They smelled. They were aggravating. Sometimes, though, they were sweet. Sometimes they smiled. Sometimes they gnawed on your fingers. Sometimes they did really cute things and made really cute noises.

I remember 10 years ago, when we decided due to personal conflicts, like school, we would celebrate my brother’s birthday on the 10th, instead of the 11th. We did. He had a birthday cake that looked like a bear. It was a birthday cake that took hours of careful, detailed work with a star tip. I would know. I decorated it. We celebrated, without knowledge that the next night, most people in America would be glued to their TV, watching the aftermath of the attacks.

10 years ago, I came home early from school and watched the attacks unfold as I put together Jeffrey’s new puzzle-piece floor treatment, and also put together his playset for his room with my mom and dad. I remember spending time with family, and with my brother, as it should have been.

9 years ago, I remember his second birthday. I remember his Bob the Builder themed party, the next cake I had decorated, dressing like Pilchard the Cat to make his party special. I remember how much he had grown and changed between the ages of one and two. I remember thinking he was growing insanely fast.

8 years ago, I don’t even remember the party. I remember being in amazement of how much Jeffrey was growing and changing.

7 years ago, he was in preschool. He was growing up before my eyes. He was finding his own likes and dislikes, his own friends, his own life. He was learning to be compassionate, learning to be the genuinely amazing person he still is today.

6 years ago today, my baby brother was starting kindergarten. I was starting college. It was crazy to see the difference between the two of us, and yet see the similarities. It was so impressive to see how smart he was, how clever and witty he could be.

5 years ago today, he was growing and changing. He had best friends. He had friends he played with often. He had interests and ideas of his very own.

4 years ago today, he was growing up, getting bigger, beginning to change into a new person.

3 years ago today, I was amazed at the kind of boy he was becoming, happy that he was so much like me and yet so different in so many ways.

2 years ago today, he had a cool Star Wars party with Star Wars games and his best friends in the world.

1 year ago today, I was shocked that he had already entered the double-digits, but at the same time, he still felt like a kid to me.

But today, he’s not a kid anymore. He’s a little man. He wears deodorant! He shares his passions with people. He is a star soccer player who got MVP on his team last year. He’s a Tony Hawk fan. His favorite soccer player for Sporting KC is Chance Meyers. He has his blond hair cut into a “skater cut.” He loves his skateboard, he loves FIFA video games, and he loves to play Crush the Castle on the computer. He likes to listen to K-Love. When no one is looking, he’ll bounce Zach’s bouncy chair. He gives. And he is shy about receiving. Today, I offered to buy him a milkshake, any flavor he wanted. And he said “No, it’s okay, you don’t have to get me one…” He is mindful of other people’s wants and needs. He’s soft-spoken, but also LOUD! He is so amazingly smart. He loves shows like Good Luck, Charlie and Shake It Up. He loves the computer. He loves loves loves soccer. He wants to be a professional soccer player someday.

He is getting so big, so smart, so amazing. And I could not ask for a better little brother.

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey.

I love you.

I believe that we have won!

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Yes, that’s right. My team is now FIRST in the Eastern Division for MLS. Today, I attended my first Sporting KC game, and it did not disappoint. When we first arrived at the park, we were greeted with a beautiful stadium. I now understand why Livestrong Sporting Park has been voted one of the most beautiful soccer stadiums in the world. It’s impressive.

After arriving and entering right as the gates opened, we started out by doing a little shopping, and walking around the park. We also got to watch our boys in blue practice and warm up before the game, which was pretty awesome.

Then, finally, it was game time. Near the beginning of the game, Kansas City scored it’s first goal, Bunburry assisted by Zusi, who, of course, I adore. I was the one who arrived at the park with a “Marry Me, Zusi!” poster. He didn’t respond to my proposal, by the way, but I think he’s strongly considering it. Ha!

The game was fantastic, and exciting, and then, BAM! Half time. After half time, we returned to play, with Zusi doing quite a few corner kicks right by me. :swoon:

We kicked butt with another goal, I believe also by Bunburry. A lot happened then. The other team played really dirty. Things got heated. The refs didn’t call and didn’t call and the crowd booed. Loudly. Finally, later, things got to where they HAD to do something, and BOOM! Red card on Houston Dynamo. Of course, we all freakin’ cheered. They deserved it after some of the horribly play they did. I thought when one of the players hit Chance and flipped him, my brother was going to go out of the stands and hurt someone on the field. He doesn’t take Chance getting hurt very lightly. After the red card, we scored a third goal, which added insult to injury. Sapong rocked the third goal.

The game did end 3-nil, and it really was a fantastic game. These points were enough to bring KC to number one in the Eastern Conference at the moment.

The real fun of the game, though, occurred after the game was over. On our way out, we heard a commotion in the member’s area, so we decided to go in and see what it was all about. We were greeted with about 150 people cheering, chanting, and raising heck. The standard ooooooaaaaaoooooo cheer was going on, drums were pounding, hearts were racing, people were jumping and running… it was amazing. The spirit was just fantastic. And finally, they starting in with an I!
The crowd chanted back “I!”

The leader responded “I believe!”

The crowd repeated “I believe!”

The leader yelled back “I believe that!”

The crowd, in it’s glory, yelled back “I believe that!”

The leader cheered “I believe that we!”

The crowd responded with a loud “I believe that we!”

Then everybody started jumping and screaming “I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WON! I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WON! I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WON!”

Guys ran around the room with their children on their backs. People waved flags. The whole crowd jumped like some sort of tidal wave, all the while continuing to yell “I believe that we have won! I believe that we have won!” I’m not kidding when I say the crowd energy of the park is just fantastic. It truly is amazing.

As this was my first experience at the park, I really felt that it was truly worth going to. Unlike Chiefs games, which get ridiculously rowdy and violent, and unlike Royals games, which I find miserably boring, Sporting KC is truly a fantastic family experience. The 2 month old smiled through most of the game, as did the 50 year old. Our whole family was delighted and had a fantastic time. We’re already looking forward to our adventure to Livestrong Sporting Park on October 15th when we battle the Red Bulls.

And I’ll definitely be bringing my Marry Me, Zusi sign back. You know, just in case he missed it the first time around.

Eating to Live- Or How My Cravings Improved my Health

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All my life, I’ve had specific food cravings when I needed something. If I was having a serious hankering for raisins, if I would go to the doctor, blood tests would confirm I needed iron, something that raisins provide. If I needed protein, I would start eating eggs non-stop. I would often crave specific things based on my body’s needs. I always have.

Lately, in the past two or three months, I started desiring blueberries. I purchased a pint of them when they were in-season and on sale. I ate the pint before the day was out. The next day I went to the store and bought two more pints. They were gone within a few days, as well. Since then, I have been buying about four pints a week, except while I was in the hospital. In addition to that, I’ve wanted foods that included blueberries… muffins, smoothies, pastries… anything with that little blue ingredient. But mostly, I loved them plain. Raw, fresh blueberries… delicious.

Yesterday, after eating a full pint yet again, my mother and I were talking about my intense love for blueberries. In particular, we discussed this moment at the dinner table.

My mother said “There aren’t many berries left. Would anyone like to eat them?” I stared at the berries. She pushed them closer. I continued to stare lovingly at the berries, as I said “I’m so full… I don’t want them…” I just kept staring. Looking, longingly. At berries.

My mother said later that she had never in her life seen a person stare at food with such love and desire as I stared at those berries last night. She said that I should figure out why I wanted berries so much, why I desired them so intensely.

It didn’t take a lot of research last night before I discovered that blueberries actually lower blood pressure. For those of you who have been around the blog for the last… week… you know that I had some serious cardiovascular problems during the end of my pregnancy, including high blood pressure, as well as congestive heart failure. A quick talk with one of my hospital nurses made it clearer that eating blueberries in such large quantities could have helped to save my life by keeping my blood pressure just low enough. I still, of course, rely on blood pressure medications and other medications to keep my heart problems in check, and yes, eating too many blueberries can make a person very sick, or even cause death. BUT, the right amount of blueberries each day can do a significant amount of good to the heart, and to other parts of the body. Blueberries even lower the risk of certain types of cancers and promote healthy digestion!

I know that the food is going to be a staple in my diet. I also learned that certain cravings for food can really fill a need you may not even know your body had. In the future, I’ll spend a lot more time listening to those healthy cravings my body has, and fill those needs… and maybe even find out what’s causing me to need those foods in the first place!

What are you craving today?