I’ve felt a bit like I lost my crafting mojo lately among all the dishes and laundry, and I was inspired by Jean over at the Artful Parent to plan an activity a day for the month of April*.  Jean’s ideas all sounded like such fun and just what I needed great way to really [...]

We’re feeling much, much better, and thank you all so much for your kind comments and emails.  The week of recovery gave us a little extra bit of quiet time and some much-needed peace.
Friday, though, the weather was so lovely and the kids so stir-crazy that after lunch we packed up and headed to the [...]

I use clothespins for everything.  I’m still working off a shoeboxfull that came with our vintage fifties ranch so I haven’t had to buy any for a long, long time.  That said, I was getting a little tired of the old, not so cute ones so we decided to pretty some up with buttons snatched [...]

We have plenty of toys, but in our rearranging and decluttering I’ve found that there are just a few that we really couldn’t do without.  Right at the top of this list is our set of gears.

The pieces are big enough that the littlest kiddio in our house doesn’t risk choking, simple enough that our [...]

We’re looking forward to another windy, snowy day tomorrow after a few lovely ones in a row. The kids’ energy has just been building and building and we’re going to need something to burn a good bit of it off if we’re going to be stuck inside all afternoon. How about an indoor [...]

I love those little sugary conversation hearts that you find at Valentine’s Day — they’re sweet and tasty (in a delightfully chalky way) and bring me right back to childhood. We made giant ones out of home-mixed playdough.
Best Homemade Playdough
1 c flour1/4 c salt2 tsp cream of tartar2 Tbsp oil1 c waterfood coloring1 tsp [...]

A couple of months ago I shared a list of some of my favorite activities for keeping toddlers occupied for a bit when you need to cook dinner, check your email, or (goodness me!) take a break on the couch for a few minutes.  Well, it was such a hit that I thought I’d better [...]

Some days you feel like supermommy, ready to be engaged, read books, listen to inane stories, play school, and babies, and restaurant… but all too often you just need a few minutes to check your email, chill out on the couch with a magazine, or get dinner started. Here’s a list of things that [...]

I swore it wouldn’t happen, but here I sit. Summer is half-over. School starts in less than six weeks and we’ve barely accomplished anything on my ‘things to do this summer while the kids are little and fun’ list. I’m sure my extended roadtrip (and the extended recovery time) contributed, as will [...]

The blog Unplug Your Kids posted a couple of fun ribbon bookmark ideas, one a wide ribbon with sequins and buttons glued on, the other woven with pipecleaners and ribbon, with beads on the end. (Josie, 5 has been into the weaving idea but most weaving projects are a little too big for her, [...]