Yep I'm behind again: Summer Blog Challenge

You guessed It i'm behind again, so here is my make up post. I will be skipping some days because they topic for the day really didn't apply to me.

July 12 Favorite Vacation.
Every year growing up my family went to Lake Tahoe, When We got older my sister resurrected this tradition and started going with her friends. A few years ago she invited my family and my mom and step dad to start coming too. Tabitha absolutely loves going to Tahoe. She loves spending time with her cousin Viv, and her Nana. She loves making sand castles with Avo and chasing butterflies. We didn't go this year, because it really interfered with Morgen's school schedule and my sister had her baby boy in June. We probably won't go for the next few years either, since next summer Morgen will be doing his internship, then we have no clue where we will end up after that. But hopefully someday we can can go to Tahoe with my sister Sara, her husband and children, my sister Jenny, and my mom and stepdad again.

Tabitha and Avo building a Sand Castle

Tabitha and her Cousin playing in the pool

Then and now pictures July 13

 

These are pictures of me from I think when I was around 14ish? Maybe 15. Oh my Gosh the almost not there thin eyebrows! But dang I was skinny! That was before I developed PCOS and gained a bunch of weight. 

These are from Mother's Day this year (the last pictures I have of myself). Well the Eyebrows are definitely improved! But I weigh a hole olson twin more than I did when I was 15. But I am down 80 lbs from when I gave birth to Tabitha so I think thats a real accomplishment, especially seeing as I have PCOS and it makes it difficult to lose weight. 

July 14th one piece of advice you want to give to your child. 

Don't be a bully, don't be a queen bee, But don't be a follower and most importantly be your self, Love yourself and stand up for yourself. Bullies don't like to pick on people who are confident, they pick on the weak, so love yourself and be yourself and everyone will respect you for it. 

July 15th was about makeup but since I don't wear any I'm skipping it

July 16th. Favorite room in your house. Right now I'd have to say my bedroom, because its where I sew and were I nurse Eva most of the time. I also spend a lot of time reading and playing with Tabitha while Eva sleeps in here. 

July 17th a random act of kindness. This wasn't specific to one I've done or one that was done for me. So the latest one was something I've done. A friend of mine recently had a baby and she is concerned about her milk supply so I've been taking her things that I find useful for my milk supply, to see if she likes them or they work for her, like coconut water and oatmeal. I also took her some meals, because who wants to cook after you've had a baby?

July 18th 5 things to do if the power goes out. 

1. if its a long power outage not just a blip, eat the ice cream.

2. gather flashlights and batteries

3. cook any food that will go bad on the BBQ

4. Read stories and play games

5. Put up a tent and sleep together. Make it fun for the kids so they don't get scared. 

July 19th If I were president for a day what one law would I change? I would put an end to indefinite detention. It violates peoples constitutional rights. People have a right to a fair trial.  

July 20th What would you do with the money if you won the lottery?

1. I would take the yearly payments, too many lottery winners blow it all within 5 years. 

2. I would put half of the yearly payout into a high interest CD for the kids for when they grow up.

3. Buy a house

4. Buy a new car, either a Chevy Tahoe or a Honda Pilot. 

5. Buy a ton of cloth diapers, I would buy 2 dozen D&G Designs fitteds, 2 dozen Glow Bug Cloth Diapers, a Dozen sibish, some Rars, and a bunch of cute WAHMs. 

6. I would buy some clothes for me! I never shop for me

7. New computers for Morgen and Me. Both get Macbook Pros, but Morgen also wants a Mac Pro and a server room. 

8. New iphones and ipads and other gadgets

9. Build Alton Browns kitchen from Good Eats complete with root cellar under the kitchen. 

10. Get the girls the coolest back yard ever! With a Cederworks playground and a bounce house and a pool and a Hawaiian ice shack!

11. Get a Cal King sleep number bed. 

12. All new Furniture

13. A new sewing machine, a serger, a silhouette Cameo, and all sorts of great craft stuff

14. and indoor pool in our new house

15 a shower with multiple heads and a fireplace on the opposite wall to keep warm. 

16. buy both girls Diono Radian Carseats

17. Buy a Baby Jogger City Select with extra seat and kickboard.

July 21 Free activities with children. We have done a lot of free things this summer. 

Hair Chalking

Making Puzzles

Paint Chip Matching Game

Park picnic and Splash park (our park has a free splash park)

Pirate Day

Making Banana Boats

Be sure to keep checking back for more Summer Fun With Kids Posts. 

Summer Fun with Kids: Paint Chip Matching Game

Hey Crafting in my Closet readers! I'm Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional! I've known Teresa for a long time, so I am soo excited to be here on her blog today with a fun (and really really easy) craft to make for your kiddos to keep them entertained! This is especially great to throw in the car for when emergency bouts of boredom hit!


It's a simple color matching game using just paint chips and clothespins. (well and a glue gun too)

 

My oldest, Sadie, had a blast matching them up-and a few of them were harder than I thought they'd be for her. She loved when I mixed them all up and she had to sort them out. "Mom" she said, "Pink is not in the rainbow, but I still like it so it's ok". Why thanks, dear.

*paint chips-2 of each color. The wider ones give you more wiggle room.
*wooden clothespins
*hot glue gun
*paper cutter, scissors, and corner punch

I simply trimmed down the paint chips so that they were 2" wide...and then from the matching chip cut squares (1.5"x1.5").

I also rounded the edges with a corner punch since they were a bit pokey. I think I might laminate the main paint chip in the future also, just to give it some more durability.

Then glue the matching chip to a clothespin! I lined them up with the silver bit on the clothespin just so they'd be as even as possible. 




Tada! Repeat for all the colors your (or your little one's) heart desires!

Thanks for having me, Teresa! Have a great summer, everyone!

 

Summer Fun with Kids!

Welcome to the Summer Fun With Kids event here at Crafting in My Closet! The idea behind this event came to me when thinking about last summer when I was pregnant with Eva and poor Tabitha had to stay inside most of the day until Morgen came home because I was just too sick to play outside with her. So My goal this summer to to have NO TV Time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Tabitaha. Right now she is in preschool on those days so keeping her away from the TV isn't hard because she plays with her friends, eats lunch then goes to school, then she comes home plays, eats dinner and goes to bed.

I've invited some of my really cool blogger friends (some of whom I know in real life too!) to help me out with some awesome ideas to help you all have a TV free (Or less TV) Summer with your kids!

I've been working on weekly themes for activities to do with Tabitha and her friends, and this weeks theme is Pirates! Tabitha loves playing Pirate and saying Argh! I'll be posting about our pirate adventure on Wednesday this week, and we have an Awesome guest post on Tuesday. On Friday I will be Showing you some of the cool idea's I found around the web for fun activities to do.

Some of our Guest posts this month will be showing you how to create games for your kids, crafts to do with your kids, cooking or baking with kids, and some area specific ideas, as well as a post on activities to do with your kids while your pregnant! Wish I had that one last year!

So Come back tomorrow to see what Erin from Simply Frugal Mom has thought up for you!

Secret Agent Spy Party Printable Review

Are your kids out of school and bored? Well I have something fun for them to do that won't cost a fortune or get anyone in trouble.

The Printable Super Sluth Secret Agent Spy Pack is a downloadable print out game that is sure to be hours of fun. You can purchase the game here for $13.99.
Once you print out your game you will need the following items: Brads, Black Balloons, Baking Soda, Crayons and Grape Juice.
After printing out the clues and materials you will decide where you hide the clues, there are 10 in all but you will also choose 20 decoy hiding spots so there are 30 total. You fill out the key locater according to directions and prepare the spy kits for each player. This is a cooperative game but you can print out more than one key locater and have two or more teams as well. Each player or team gets a spy kit which includes a filled out key locator, a cipher wheel, a morse code sheet and a wax crayon.

This would make a great birthday party game, infact you could easily make an entire party surrounding this game. Check out what other great products and tips for an awesome spy party they have at Queen of theme party games

This would be such a fun birthday party for boys and girls! If my girls were old enough for this kind of party I would definitely buy this!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.