Finger Paint Bookmarks

Make your own children's finger paint bookmarks. It's fun, easy to do and makes a great gift. Plus, no shipping fee with this holiday, birthday or special occasion present - it fits right in the cards and envelope.

Flower Pens - Craft Corner

Three things I love:

1. Kids

2. Crafts

3. Videos

Sun Visors - Craft Corner

Decorate your own visor.

Fleece Flip Flops - Craft Corner

Create your own pair of fleece flip flops.

Handy Art Projects

I love hand-art. It's unique. It's expressive. And it captures a moment in time, especially when you have little hands to work with.
Here are a couple quick and easy hand-art ideas ... You can do this!

Make Turkeys out of little lands by stamping the hand in brown ink or paint. We used chalk (applied with a cotton ball) to add colors to the feathers. Add legs, googlie eyes, beak, neck and and the date.

Or make a tree.
Depending on the colors you use and the directions of the stamped hand prints, it could be any tree! A weeping willow? Maple changing colors? Bright budding Aspen?
The possibilities are endless.

Don't limit your hand art creativity to paper!
My cousin made this holiday plate with her four children at her local "paint your own pottery" store.
A great way to incorporate more than one person in a hand-print project (you could even use a pet paw print for the base or star).

This canvas was finger painted first.
Once the paint dried, everyone in the family stamped their hands on it with black paint.
This work of art looked gorgeous in a black frame.
A great (inexpensive) gift idea, or fun to have on hand - no pun intended:)

Of course, traditional stamping and framing never goes out of style either.

Some other tips:

~Photo copy - I used the Turkey hand-prints as Thanksgiving cars for family. Of course a three-year-old and 16-month-old aren't interested in stamping their hands over and over. So, we did it once, and then made color copies to send as cards.

~Use other materials - stamp shirts, pillow cases, bags, make clay prints ... whatever you can get your hands on.

~Trace hands and cut them out to make objects (tree leaves, a wreath, feathers, etc.)

!Depending on the age and disposition of your child, hand stamping can be ... not so fun. Don't stress about it. If it works and is fun, go for it. But if your child doesn't want to cooperate, don't force them.

Keepin' it Cool

Cool mom, cool boys and cool ideas.

There are no two ways around it - Sara is cool.

When one of her two little men get an ouchie, she pulls out one of these chilled ketchup "icepack" to help with the pain.

Cool, right?

And that's just the start. Check out the cool way she loads her purse with diaper necessities:

Inside the purse is a mini-diaper carrier with all the changing table necessities - grab and go! This way she eliminates the "diaper bag" for a purse, but still has everything in one place for a quick change.

"It's easy to hand Parker off to dad for a change and my husband doesn't have to carry the whole bag."

The rest of her purse holds all the other things you can't leave home without, like stickers and Thomas trains.

Benadryl and an EpiPen are two essentials Sara carries, though she admits she's terrified to actually use the Pen. She found out the hard way that her little boy has severe allergies to egg and dairy products (among others).

That's also why Sara keeps "safe" snacks on hand. "I'm always on guard when we're in an uncontrolled environment," Sara says. "I've learned a lot from doing Internet research and talking with other mom's whose children have allergies." Sara also says restaurants are more accommodating than she would have previously thought.

Sara shares an egg-less, dairy-less Delicious Banana Bread Recipe:
1/2 c oil
1 c sugar
3 T water, 3 T oil, 2 tsp baking pwd (combined)
3 bananas
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS rice or soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
*Mash bananas, beat in oil, sugar and combined water, oil, and baking pwd. Add dry ingredients, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sara also uses and recommends the food allergy network.

A Stroke of Creativity

"Motherhood is creative," Dru a trained artist and mother says. "As a mom you are always creating - sharing ideas and inventing activities for kids to do."

"Crafting is an easy creative outlet," she adds. "It keeps your hands busy and when you're done you have something cute to show."

Home-made gifts are great to give and get.
"I take it as a compliment when someone gives me something they've made, because I know it took time, thought and energy."

Dru embellishes baby blankets and bibs by crocheting the edges; for step-by-step instructions click here.

Encouragement for those who think they aren't the creative type:

JUST TRY IT!

"Most crafts are a lot easier than they look," Dru says, "and if you do the same project several times, you'll get really good at, and be able to do it in a short amount of time."

The first time Dru crocheted the edge of a blanket, she thought it would take forever. But, after completing several, she swears it is "so easy!" And can whip through them in no time.

The more you craft, the easier creating becomes and the better you get at it, Dru assured me. "Plus, you'll probably gain more confidence to try something new once you see how easy it is."

Dru's mom inspires Dru with project ideas ... and Dru says she just keeps her eyes open. "Often I'll see something in a magazine or store and think, "I could probably make that, or something like it."

As a professional artist, Dru is meticulous about detail and spends hours working and reworking an image. She paints from life, nature scenes and relationships she's witnessed.

Though more demanding of time and self expression that craft projects, Dru's art art and skill has helped her become a more art-minded parent. "As an artist I look at the world differently, I notice curves, and try to appreciate nature more. That is something I hope to teach my children to do too."

Here are a couple of tips Dru shares for encouraging artistic expression in children:

1. Never force kids to do art.

2. Encourage self expression without expecting "artistic" results.

3. Teach children to see the beauty and symmetry of nature.
4. Teach children to look at, study and appreciate art.

Here's a sample of some of Dru's crafty creations to get your own "I can do that" juices flowing:

1. Baby carrier cover:

2. Bead a Binky:

3. Embellish Your Wipe Container:

Exciting Breakfast

Oatmeal is a great food for breakfast- it offers fiber, protein and lots of other good nutrients. But sometimes it can get a little boring. Here's a quick and easy way to jazz it up and get an extra serving of fruit inside your kid.

Start off by cooking one serving of oatmeal. I recommend Kashi GoLean Creamy Truly Vanilla Instant Oatmeal. It has 9 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber in one serving and it cooks in the microwave. Then get a few cubes of frozen homemade baby food that are any combination of fruit. My favorite to use is apple blueberry for the color and the antioxidants of the blueberries.
Plop the fruit cubes in and watch them melt.

Your child will love watching the colors swirl into the oatmeal.
The fruit cubes cool the oatmeal down so your child can eat sooner and it naturally sweetens the oatmeal.

A variation on this for an older child or one that is capable of eating different textures is to use a bag of frozen berries or frozen fruit. I recommend Trader Joe’s Frozen Organic blueberries or Trader Joe’s Frozen mixed berry blend. Simply sprinkle a serving of frozen fruit on top of the oatmeal and stir. The frozen berries will produce the same results as the fruit cubes both cooling and coloring the oatmeal.

-Posted By: Bethany Sebra

Baby Food

Blend your own delicious and nutritious baby food~ no added colors, preservatives or sugars ... plus it is fun!
Make simple one food purees in a food processor, or combine foods you are sure your baby enjoys and is not allergic to.
One of our family favorites is peeled apples, a little banana for taste & texture and enough water to make the mixture smooth.
Puree until well blended - more smooth for children starting solids and more coarse as your little one advances his solid food intake.
Set aside as much food as your child will eat that day, and freeze the remainder in ice-cube trays.
Cover the trays with a top or saran wrap to avoid freezer burn, spilling and contamination. Once thoroughly frozen, pop cubes out and freeze in labeled freezer bags for easy use and storage.

Bead It Up!

Here are a few ways you can use everyday beads to accessorize your little one:

1. Pacifier clip: make a loop in one end to attach to the pacifier and attach the other beaded end to a clip to latch on to baby's clothes. You can also make personalized clip holders with your favorite ribbon and a little Velcro. For pacifiers with loop holders, simply loop the beads or ribbon through the loop. Or, buy a simple attachment for pacifiers without holders.

2. Stretch bracelets: use stretchy bead wire to make a bracelet for your little one. This way you don't have to be as exact on sizing, and it is easy to get on and off flapping arms.

3. Clasp bracelets: measure your baby's wrist by making a circle with your thumb and forefinger. Adjust wire size appropriately and make allowance for the clasp.

*Always use very sturdy string or wire - if the beads break they could cause a choking hazard.

Natural Teethers

Here's a naturally delicious way to soothe your baby's teething crave ...

. Give baby sturdy fruits and vegetables to hold and suck on, like carrots, bell-peppers and apples.

Keep a close eye on your child to make sure a piece does not accidentally break off and cause a choking hazard.

My kids prefer fruits and vegetables to plastic teething toys. Plus, sucking on food rather than commercial teethers may stimulate taste-buds and help your child be more adventurous with food in the future.

Other suggestions:

1. Ashton & Parsons infants' powder, 'For Teething with a Smile." Wow! Does this stuff work and it is totally natural. The draw-back? It is difficult to find ... I bought mine in the London Heathrow airport ... here is a website that says they're in stock: boots.com

2. This is a great contraption built off of the al'natural idea. Plus, it eliminates the choking hazard and you can freeze the food - so your little ones gums will be even more relieved!

Wipe with Style

Turn your ordinary baby wet-wipes container into a diaper bag statement piece.
You'll need: a hot glue-gun, batting, fabric, ribbon and embelishments.
1. Hot glue batting to both sides of container - cut so batting barely reaches sides.
2. Hot glue fabric on top of batting, trip around edges. It is ok if there is not a perfect edge, since the finishing ribbon will cover uneven sides.
3. Hot glue decorative thick ribbon across one third of container.
4. Hot glue thin ribbon around sides of both top and bottom.
5. Add embelishments (gems, flowers, buttons) to top thick decorative ribbon.

What to do with those left over Christmas Cards

Make a photo album of left over family pictures. Children love to look at faces and recognize family and friends. Plus, no guilt if the pictures get ruined, since you would have probably thrown them away.

Other ideas:

1. make a bulletin board of pictures

2. string cards as drapes above windows

3. display cards on closed mini-blinds