Funnies on Fridays

Every Friday, I will try to post something that I find funny and amusing.  I hope it at least brings a smile to your day.

This week, I have been laughing at my Buddy, now 8yo.  He is insisting on wearing white undershirts all the time.  He wears them alone, under other tees, and even under his pajamas.  He says it's because, "That's what a man does.  And I'm almost a teenager, which is almost a man."  
When he was about 3 or 4 years old, he went through a phase in which he had to wear socks at all times.  Day and night.  The only time you could get him to take his socks off was to take a bath.
My Sweet Pea, now 6 years old, went through a phase just a year or two ago, in which she would only wear dresses.  Because "princesses don't wear pants."  She even told me I was just a "regular queen," not a royal one, because I wore pants.  I can't wait to see what my little Sunshine will come up with. 
What funny phases have your children, grandchildren, or other kiddos in your life gone through?

Remember...if you can't laugh at yourself, laugh at me.  :)

A Few of My Favorite Things

In my journey of being a mom and being a homeschooler, there are a few things that I don't want to do without.  Oh, I can do without a lot of things, but I am certainly thankful for the small blessings that make my life easier.  My Top 5 Favorite Things are in no particular order...I love them all.  I highly recommend these items if you are a mom, a homeschooler, or work with kids on a regular basis.  Drum roll please.....

#1 ~ My Thermal Laminator

I love laminating!!  I'm a laminating junky, I confess, but only since I bought my Scotch Thermal Laminator.  You know, the one they sell at Walmart for about $25?  Yep...that's the one.
If you don't want to spend the money on the laminator and the added cost of the laminating pages, you can use clear contact paper.  I've been there, done that.  It works.  But...in my humble opinion, it was such a pain.  I actually laminate quite a lot of things so that posters will be sturdier, and downloaded homeschool units will be reusable...saving me paper and ink.  Since the laminating pages are a bit expensive...around $15 for 50 sheets, I do try not to go overboard and spread the laminating parties out over time.  But, overall, it saves me time and a headache, and that's worth every penny to me.



#2 ~ Dry Erase Crayons

In my homeschool area, you will find a traditional chalkboard hanging on the wall, not a whiteboard.  The main reason for this is because, as easy as the dry erase markers wipe off of a whiteboard, they do NOT easily come out of clothing or off of walls and furniture!  When you have small kiddos, they WILL get it on their clothes and/or drop it, causing marks to get on the table or walls, or whatever.
But, last year, Crayola came out with dry erase crayons...yes, crayons!  Not only do they easily wipe off of whiteboards and laminated sheets, but they don't get all over my kiddos clothing or my furniture.  WIN~WIN!  I might even replace that chalkboard someday. 
I will say this...just last week, I found actual WASHABLE dry erase markers at Target.  Maybe enough moms and teachers had the same complaints.  I haven't used them yet, though, so I make no promises on them.  But, by all means, get some dry erase crayons for your kiddos or classroom!

#3 ~ Ziploc Bags

Ziploc Bags~not just for food!  I cannot tell you how many times I go to the Ziplocs when I need to store small toys or school supplies.  They are perfect organization tools for small spaces.  You can store a lot of them together in a larger container.  You can see see through them at a quick glance.  You can write right on the bag, or use tape to label.  And if/when it actually wears out, just go to the box and pull out another.  Cheapest storage containers ever!  We have stored everything in them...action figures of all kinds, small girly toys, crayons, flashcards, batteries...you name it.  If it can fit in a Ziploc bag, we've put it in there.  And the wonderful storage bags do come in different sizes to meet any number of your needs.  My son even caught a live bee in one the other day...but that's another story.  Yes, always keep these wonderful bags on hand!  (And, no, I don't always buy the name brand, it was just easier to use that name for the sake of the blog.)

#4 ~  Disinfecting Wipes & Baby Wipes

The wipes have to be mentioned at the same time.  Disinfecting wipes (such as Clorox) are great for quick clean ups in the kitchens and bathrooms, and wherever else you may need them.  They are essential during flu season to keep those door knobs and light switches cleaned, not to mention telephones and keyboards.  And, they are safe enough for my 6yo daughter to use when she wants to help clean (yes~she actually loves to clean & dust), but I don't want her to use the more powerful and therefore, more dangerous cleaners. 


Baby wipes are great for quick touch ups after your children have eaten a peanut butter sandwich or other wonderful, but messy, foods.  You surely wouldn't want to use the Clorox wipes on their delicate skin!  We keep them in the baby's room, in the kitchen, and in the car...and wherever else we need them.  We panic if we leave home without them.

#5 ~ My Keurig

Last, but not least, I give a shout out to my Keurig coffee maker. I am inept when it comes to making coffee.  I've tried, but it usually turns out so strong, it can get up and walk away by itself.  Therefore, I never had coffee in the mornings. So, a couple of years ago, my husband bought me a Keurig for Christmas.  It has been wonderful!  Ours came with a "MY K~Cup" unit that you can use with your regular coffee grounds instead of having to use individual k~cups all the time.  I like the different k~cups, but I also like the option of regular grounds.  If you do have a Keurig, this little gadget is worth looking into.  Now, this is a little more expensive than the other items I've listed, and if you know how to make a good pot or cup of coffee with a regular coffee maker, have at it.  But, this is my list of things I don't want to live without, and I definitely don't want to live without the Keurig again! 

So there you have it.  My top 5 things this mommy doesn't want to be without and highly recommends to all the other moms out there to make your days just a little bit easier.

God bless!!

Baby Sock Bouquet

When we were planning a baby shower for my sister, I came across instructions for the cutest baby sock rose bouquet.  Of course, I HAD to make one!!
I bought a 6 pack of baby socks, in solid colors, so I could make a full dozen.  All the supplies and instructions you need can be found at http://www.plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com.

It was a bit tedious and the hardest part for myself was step #10~wrapping the floral tape around the sock and the wire.  Make sure you hold the sock tight and wrap it securely. Don't skimp on the amount of tape you use.  You don't want it to fall apart before the mother-to-be receives it.  I added fresh leaves and baby's breath to complete the bouquet. 

They looked so real, I actually had to tell my sister to really look at them before she realized they were baby socks and not real rosebuds!
What lady doesn't enjoy receiving a dozen roses?  You will be the talk of the shower and definitely a favorite guest of the mother-to-be when you deliver the cutest bouquet~a Baby Sock Rose Bouquet. 
And don't forget to follow my blog for more crafty ideas!

Diaper Wreath

A couple of years ago, my family was planning a baby shower for a cousin.  We wanted to do something unique and my sister found directions for making a diaper wreath at Inexpensive Baby Shower.   Perfect!
We decided to decorate with Winnie the Pooh...and Tigger, too, since that was the chosen decor for my soon-to-be baby cousin's room.
With my sister, my mother, and myself working on this, the Diaper Wreath still took a couple of hours.  So, if you decide to take this on, make sure you give yourself plenty of time.

Here is the completed project.  Very cute, if I do say so myself.

As you can see, we added wash clothes, baby spoons, and other useful items for the mother-to-be.
My dear cousin loved it and everyone commented on how fun it was.  I know yours will be a big hit, too.  You can find many other great shower ideas at Inexpensive Baby Shower.  Check it out.

Tutu's for my girly girls

Not to be out done by the other mom in my 5yo dd's ballet class, (but, certainly inspired,)  I was determined to make her tutu for the Christmas Open House mini recital, myself.  Pinterest to the rescue. 
I found a couple of sites that give great tutorials for making your own tutu.

You Seriously Made That!? is the one I chose to use for this particular project since it uses elastic, which is what the other mom uses.  It is so easy.  The only time I used a needle and thread was to quickly sew the elastic together.  (Once I figure out what the zigzag stitch is on my sewing machine, it will go even quicker.)  Here are a couple of pictures of the tutu that I made...

The site mentioned above, gives awesome, easy-to-follow directions, so I won't even bother to go into that.  The only thing I altered was the length of the tulle, so that it was the same size as the other girls' tutus.  I will also say that I used a 3 ring binder, probably a 1 inch, to hold the elastic while adding all the tulle.  I have no idea how much tulle I used.  I had a 100 yard roll, and used well over 1/2 of it.  But, the binder gave it enough stretch while adding the tulle, that it was perfectly full and thick when I finished and pulled it off the binder. 
This site, Modern Day Moms, makes the tutus with ribbon at the waist instead of elastic.  I think this is a cute variation and will be trying it in the future.

I stocked up on tulle of different girly colors at Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off, so I can make many more for both of my dear daughters, nieces, and little girly friends.  


To save the best for last...here is the tutu, being worn by the cutest 5 year old ballerina ever. 

Enjoy!!