Crafts: Spring Flower and Little People

I forgot to post last week's craft from MetroFamily Magazine. This is one is in celebration of Spring. I love seeing the flowers popping up their little heads. It always makes me happy.

Click here for instructions on how to make a coffee filter flower.

This week's craft is pretty neat. I had a lot of fun making this with my 5 year old son. Each one represents someone in the family. We need to make two more for the brothers.

Click here to make a toilet paper roll person.

Product Review: My Comfy Critters Huggable Hooded Blanket

I was recently introduced to a new line of products available from My Comfy Critters Huggable Hooded Blanket. My 12 year old really likes to use blankets on the couch when watching television and he was happy to try it out for me. I have a 5 year old too but he wasn’t too interested however after some time he has enjoyed it as well.

My Comfy Critters Huggable Hooded Blanket look like pillows or a fun stuffed animal but they are a blanket that can unfold for some snuggle time. The cute little stuffed animal transforms into a hooded blanket with a neat little places for hands and made with soft fleece that makes snuggling so comfy. The critters come with Velcro spots to keep the pillow from coming undone when folded up. They would be great for a long car rides, slumber parties, nap time or anytime your child needs an extra friend.

The Comfy Critters are available in all kinds of animals like Seymour the Shark, Unity the Unicorn, Lily the Ladybug, Dexter the Dog, Petunia the Pig, Percy the Penguin and Milo the Monkey.

They have also released a new line of critters just for Easter. The Easter Bunny in blue and pink, Easter Chick and Easter Lamb.

They can be purchased online at http://www.mycomfycritters.com/. The retail for $19.99.

Giveaway Instructions
This giveaway is closed.   

Leave a comment below or on my Facebook page. 

For extra entries. (leave a comment to let me know you signed up, if you can't leave a message here please email me. CreativeParenting2012@yahoo.com)

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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends Wednesday, April 4 at 9am (CST). Winners will be randomly selected. Winners will be notifies by email.

Only one entry per person. Creative Parenting is not responsible for lost or misplaced prizes.

Planting Seeds with Kids

The spring brings new life of flowers, plants, herbs, baby birds and growth. It’s amazing to see the new growth after a winter. The plants and sun bring a burst of new life and new beginnings. 

This is the time of year to bring out the seeds and plants and start your own beginnings. Hopefully you can start your own garden for fresh food.

Me and my son took yogurt cups, dirt pellets and a couple of veggie seeds and started our first plants for the garden that we hope to get up and running. We picked green beans to grow because they seem to grow fast and they are easy. After a week they are starting to sprout.

It’s fun to grow your own plants whether is be flowers or vegetables. Take some time with your children to start growing your own seeds. It’s neat to watch them develop. It’s something you can say you started and made by yourself.

Here’s what you need.

Pot

Seeds

Potting Soil or dirt pellets

Water

Sunny spot

Take your potting soil and fill your pot up with it. 

Next take the seeds and plant them according to the directions on the package. Write the name of the seeds on the pot or make a marker. 

Add water to the pot and sit in a sunny spot and watch them grow. Make sure you look at them daily and water as needed. 

Our green beans after a week. 

 

10 Spring Break Activities

 

1. Plant something. It’s that time of the year to plant flowers, vegetables and herbs. If your looking for something to grow fast beans seem to do the best.

2. Measure the rainfall. See who can guess how much rain we will get. Put out something to measure. Will the back yard or front yard get more rain? Go outside and play in the rain. Splash in the puddles.

3. Play board games or card games. A great way to learn and play together.

4. Go to the public library. Encourage your child to find books on the subjects they like. Ask a librarian for help. Check out the programs they have for all ages.

5. Fly a kite. Find an open space so that your kite doesn’t get caught in a tree.

6. Go for a nature walk. There’s nothing like enjoying the great outdoors. Take a camera along and take pictures of animals and insects. Send an email to your friends and family to show them what you saw. Take a Ziploc bag with you too and gather items along the way.

7. Take a bike ride. Look for a local trail and remember to wear your helmets.

8. Visit a museum. There are plenty to choose from and some have free admission or discounts. Check their websites for more information.

9. Go to the park. Find a new park to visit or visit your favorite park. Have a picnic or fly a kite, catch some bugs or take some friends along.

10. Make a collage. Get out your old magazines and allow the kids to cut out pictures of their  favorite things. Glue them onto a piece of paper.

Craft: St. Patrick's Day Picture

Here's a fun and easy craft to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This cute little rainbow and pot of gold is sure to make any little person happy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Don't forget to wear green, nobody wants to get pinched.

Click here for the craft at MetroFamily Magazine.

Book Review and Giveaway

My 5 year old loves to learn about new things. His favorites are space, bodies and animals. The new books and DVDs from Zonderkidz are great for the curious kids in your family.    "Wilderness Discoveries" and "Ocean Adventures" are written by the host of the Smithsonian HD Channel’s "Critter Quest", Peter Schriemer. Children and adults alike will love the books.

Both books are filled with fascinating facts about each animal, colorful photos and captivating stories.

Did you know that a whales have a pattern on their tails that is different on every whale. Just like your fingerprint is different from anyone else.

Did you know that one gecko foot attached to a piece of glass is strong enough to support 888 pounds.

Learn more in these amazing books and the DVD series, "Nature of God".

Visit Zonderkidz. 

Giveaway Instructions Contest Over 

Leave a comment below with the title of the book you would like to win.

For extra entries. (leave a comment to let me know you signed up)

“Like” Creative Parenting on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter. 

“Like” Zonderkidz on Facebook.

Become a follower of this blog. Look over to the right of this page.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends Wednesday, March 21 at 9am (CST). Winners will be randomly selected. Winners will be notifies by email.

Only one entry per person. Creative Parenting is not responsible for lost or misplaced prizes.

One Proud Mommy and Astronaut

Yesterday at school my son got an award called "The Hawk that Rocks". It’s an award they give to kids who show that they are trying to succeed and do their best.

This is a big thing for my son because school can be very difficult for him. I was so excited that he got rewarded. He has an amazing teacher that works well with him with his Sensory Processing Disorder. She tries so hard to make school successful.

They also celebrated Career Day. My son wanted to be an astronaut. I being the coolest mother ever I decided to make a costume. However this project became a little overwhelming. I had to call on my creative team (my family) to help.

I took a gray hoodie coat and transformed it into an astronaut costume. I think any coat that looks like a hoodie would work. 

Here’s the supplies I used to transform this coat. I got almost everything from Hobby Lobby.

Patches

Fabric glue

Felt

Fabric paint

Hat

Buttons

Blue bandanna

Label maker and one very talented person who can do art work.                

I started by positioning the patches. I used fabric glue to apply them. I didn’t iron them on because the material might have melted and the glue might allow me to take them off later. I sewed the buttons on and then made a name plate. I used a label maker and glued his name to a piece of blue felt so that I could glue it to the jacket.

I had my very talented niece paint the NASA emblem on the hat and a piece of fabric that I glued to the jacket. 

Here is the end results. He was so excited to wear it and told me he is going to wear it everyday. 

Trying to be Healthy

Get up and go to kitchen. Look for healthy food. Go ahead go look. I’ll still be here when you get back. What did you find? If you’re like me you found a bunch of junk.

I decided it’s time for me and my family to start eating better and I need to loose some of my weight. Let's get started. Most of all I just really want my family to eat better.

I just started my journey this week and I must say it’s hard. I never realized how much junk I had in my house until yesterday. I went into my kitchen to find something to eat for lunch. I opened my cabinets to find macaroni and cheese, packages of rice and instant potatoes. Than I went to the freezer and found tater tots, french fries, waffles, ice cream and pot pies. The refrigerator let me down too. I found nothing but a whole lot of processed foods and fatting snacks. I was really sad. I guess I never really looked at my pantries that way before. 

I thought we were doing good. I mean I use ground turkey instead of hamburger. I serve at least two vegetables at dinner. Isn’t  that good enough.  So in my despair I opted for the pot pie from the freezer for lunch. I know it’s an awful choice but what else was I suppose to eat. Oh, I could’ve had a peanut butter sandwich. That would have been a better choose but I didn’t think of that.

I decided it’s time for me and my family to start eating better and I need to loose some of my weight. It’s time to get started. Most of all I just really want my family to eat better.

So last night before bed I got onto Pinterest and started looking for healthy choices. There are a ton of alternatives to all that stuff I have hidden away in the cabinets. I was surprised at how many things I forgot about and things I’ve never thought about.

It’s my goal from now on to make better choices. I’m not planning on changing over night or taking everything out of the house that is bad but I do want to offer things to my family that are better. I want to at least try. Even if it’s just having fresh veggies and fruits available all the time, that is a great place to start.

Here’s to make better choices.

What does your family enjoy? Are you making good choices for your family? What are some of your favorite snacks or meals?

Craft: Save the Daylight

This weekend is Daylight Saving Time. I love and hate this time of the year. I love that the sunlight will be here longer but hate loosing my sleep.

Here's a great craft to help teach your children about time.

Here's the link to my latest post on MetroFamily Magazine.