Shower Curtain Playmat

A couple weeks ago, we had a week filled with rain... totally abnormal for this part of the country.  Reminded me of being in the northwest again.  I welcome the gray, drizzly days.  And I think people around here like a day or two of rain, but after a week, most of 'em were sick of it!  We needed a rainy-day activity.  I'd seen this idea for a shower curtain playmat here and had a couple extra white shower curtain liners in a closet just waiting for an opportunity.  We pushed aside the dining room table, laid out the shower curtain, grabbed a black Sharpie, and drew away...

I let my two bigger kids draw the lines in the middle of the streets.

Gotta have a church...

We started coloring with markers, before I realized that the ink would make a mess.

Jack spent his time drawing a monster truck racing course around the town.

Crazy dancing girls...

Kids' Passports (For Overcoming Shyness)

My older two kiddos both inherited a bit... or a LOT... of my shyness.  Both have a hard time speaking to adults whom they don't know well.  I thought they both should at least develop basic conversational skills, so when someone says "Hi," they will say "Hi" back.  Better yet, if someone asks them a question, they'll stop turning to me immediately, and instead answer the question.  I saw the idea somewhere to create passports for kids who trying to reach a goal.  Our goal?  To make the kids understand the importance--and the harmlessness--of conversation.  The passports have three pages, each with a prize at the end and space for ten stamps.  The prizes are simple: cookies, McDonald's, and a five-dollar bill.

Jack and Kate each picked out their own stamp to use on their passports.

Kate was all smiles after she had her cookie page filled up.

Flower Applique Shirt

Another applique shirt for another birthday present!  This time, a simple flower with a cute button center. 

MOPS "A Beautiful Mess" Table Centerpieces

I started a new teaching job this fall.  It's totally part-time (just ten hours a week), but still.  I've been a stay-at-home mom for the past seven years.  In that time, so much in the education world has changed.  It has taken all my extra time and energy to keep up with lesson planning, common core standards, professional development, and a gradebook.  Something had to fall by the wayside!  I haven't been able to craft much these past six weeks.  I'm hoping that, as I adjust to working again, I'll get back into crafting. 
I've also been getting ready for the upcoming MOPS year!  The DGLs and I met to put together these table centerpieces for the 2013-14 theme, "A Beautiful Mess." 

We filled mason jars with all those little things that make our lives a beautiful mess: crayons, marbles, LEGOs, play-doh, hair accessories, beads, nail polish bottles, matchbox cars, and other random toys.  We used chalkboard labels on the front for our table names (Splendid Shambles, Fabulous Frenzy, Marvelous Mayhem, and Dazzling Disarray... all synonyms of a Beautiful Mess!).  For the tissue paper flowers, we used this tutorial.  I think they turned out super cute!  Can't wait 'til our first meeting on the 23rd!