Angel Wing Pinafore Dress

I happened to have some shimmery baby yarn sitting in my stash and have been trying to figure out what to make with it. I came across this pattern for a 0-3 month dress and thought it would work perfect with my yarn.

Here is the final product!

I ran out of the light pink yarn so ended up making an ombré effect by switching to dark pink for the bottom half. I think it turned out looking alright. What do you think? I made the headband to tie in the two pink colors so the outfit looks complete!

Here is the doll I bought to model my creations, although it has turned out to be mostly my daughter's baby, so I have to work quickly to get my use out of it before she takes it back. She quite enjoys when I put a hat or outfit on her and wants to keep the pieces for play time!

DIY Bathtub Paint

I think painting is so much fun, and I'd love for my daughter to spend hours creating wonderful pictures with paint, but, the thought of how big of a mess she will make since she is only 16 months old and not very coordinated, makes me steer clear of bringing out a canvass and paints for her to dive into. So, when I came across this wonderful recipe for bathtub paint on Pinterest, I just had to give it a try.

Here is what you'll need:
- an ice cube tray
- corn starch
- baby shampoo
- food coloring
- water

 

 

Mix 1 tbsp. cornstarch, 4-6 pumps baby shampoo, 2-3 drops food coloring, and 1-2 tsp water.

Place paint into the compartments of your ice cube tray and you are ready to paint!



 

 

The best thing about bath tub painting is you can strip your baby down to just a diaper or completely sans clothes so the clothes don't get dirty. Also, since this paint is made out of baby shampoo, it rinses right out of your tub and off of your baby with no problem. 

 

 

 

 

This activity will occupy my daughter for 30 minutes. She paints the walls of the tub, she can paint her bath toys, and when there is no more room on the tub, she paints on her feet and legs. Once the paint is all used up I rinse out the tub and ice cube tray, then rinse off my little monkey, and fill the tub up with water so she can have a bath. She also loves bath time, so this activity takes up another 30 minutes of our day. Watching her have so much fun is a hour well spent in my books!



Crochet Owl

My Neice had a birthday in February and my nephew just turned 4 yesterday. I made them both a little stuffed owl for their birthday presents.

I'm going to have to make my little monkey one too because she kept wanting to play with these ones as soon as I was done with them!

I used a lion brand pattern with a little modification. You can find the pattern here.

 

 

Setting a routine for your toddler

I came across this blog post by A Virtuous Woman that has an example of a schedule to follow to keep your toddler on a routine. I like the idea of having a structured day that your child becomes familiar with and knows what to expect at each time of the day. The blog also has some suggestions to keep your toddler busy while you have to take care of house cleaning, preparing supper and dealing with any younger kids you have.

Her schedule is only an example, you could add different activities and implement any other house rules or ideas into the schedule. I think its important to get your child involved in helping with house chores, so it may be a good idea to have some age appropriate chores that your toddler can do while you are working on your cleaning for the day. I found a good list here on www.growingajeweledrose.com.

Not only is routine good for your children, but it makes life easier for you too. Having special activity bins assigned for certain times of the day or for when you have specific things to get done will save you time on trying to find something for your toddler to keep busy with. It also gives them something to look forward to each day, for example, when mom has to make supper, child gets the special coloring book. If the coloring book is only brought out while supper is being prepared, the child will be less likely to get bored with it and he or she will be occupied with it and stay out of trouble while you are busy in the kitchen.

Of course things will arise occasionally that are not part of the normal routine, doctors appointments, trips to the store when you run out of milk, etc, but having any form of structure is beneficial! If you are trying to set up a routine after living each day in chaos, have patience!! It will take time to fall into a steady routine that works for your family. Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen right away. Hang in there and remember you can always try again the next day!

Crochet Rubber Boots

Spring season makes me think of rubber boots, and this crochet version would look darling on some chubby baby feet!

Unfortunately the start of spring for us is filled with blizzards and gusting winds! There won't be any puddle jumping for awhile!

On the plus side, we got to have a family day today since my husband couldn't make it to work. Roads were closed from drifts of snow up to 6 feet tall in some areas! We relaxed and stayed warm inside. So far from the look outside, tomorrow might be the same!

Homemade Coffee Creamer

My husband and I generally only drink coffee if there is flavored creamer in it. We've always bought the International Delight, usually French Vanilla flavor. Recently my friend shared with me a recipe she came across for making it yourself.

-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-equal amount whole milk (any milk will work but whole milk helps make it a bit thicker and creamier)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Mix everything together and store in the fridge. Shake well before pouring.

This is so simple and quick to make. It tastes good and is healthier then the store bought kind. Bonus!

If you like different flavors you could even swap out the vanilla extract for something different. Almond extract, peppermint extract...etc. I have only tried the vanilla but I'm sure experimenting would result in delicious results as well.

Now go make some and enjoy a steaming cup of vanilla coffee! Yum!

Window Shopping vs Browsing Fliers

Window shopping seems to be the thing to do when you don't want to spend any money, but I've come to find that even with the intentions of just browsing, we always end up buying something we really didn't need. Does any one agree?

I have replaced window shopping with browsing my local fliers! I love flier day! Each week I get a stack of fliers to peruse through, and I always find something that I want. But since I'm not actually at the store holding the item in my hand, there is no chance for me to buy it on impulse. I generally end up regretting every impulse buy I make. When I do see something in a flier that I think I want, my desire to have it is outweighed by the thought of getting ready to go up town, packing up my daughter, strapping her in the car seat, driving to the store, unloading my daughter and carrying her through the store, finding the item and buying it, then driving back home again. Once I've gone through the whole mental process of having to go make my purchase, the reasonable side of me kicks in telling me that I really don't need whatever it is. Its just a want, and ultimately not a good choice to put our limited finances towards.

I know it could seem like a huge waste of paper to receive fliers on a weekly basis, but there are many ways to reuse or recycle this paper once you're done looking through them. Here is a list of ideas to be ecofriendly:
 - Keep the paper to use for wrapping gifts instead of buying expensive wrapping paper.
 - Use it for safely packaging breakable items, such as Christmas decorations or during a move.
 - Use it for fire starter in your fireplace or for bonfires during the summer.
 - If you have cats, you can tear it into tiny strips and use it for kitty litter. (Its a little messier and has no odor protection, but it works when you're in a pinch!)
 - Use it for cleaning windows or glass for streak free results.
 - Make a weed barrier under mulch or soil in your flower gardens.
 - Wrap unripen fruit to help them ripen quicker.
 - Pack into damp or smelly luggage, stinky plastic containers or smelly fridge to absorb odors.
 - Make paper mache crafts with it. All you need is 1 part flour with 1 part water! 
Paper mache is not only a kids activity, check out this amazing website to see different projects made from paper mache. ultimatepapermache.com has different recipes and tips to create wonderful pieces of art!
 - Or just take it to your local paper recycle center.

Not only does looking through the fliers help me save money, it also gives me something to do for 15 minutes while I drink a nice cup of coffee. My daughter also loves to play in the pile of fliers afterwards (and while I'm trying to read them). She moves them and stacks them into a different pile and pretends to read them as well.