More Fun Kid Science

I really do love doing science projects with my kids, we keep it simple so that they can fully understand the process. They're always amazed with the things we do. I don't just do science projects with the kids either, though they are my favorite because to them, it's like magic. Really from a psychological point of view, Bubba tends to enjoy the science projects and chemical reactions a bit more than the girls do. To me, that's evidence in itself as to why boys do tend to do better than girls in Science class. It's just more understandable to them I suppose. Maybe it's just that they're more into blowing stuff up and making messes. Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails and all that. Several of my friends have really liked the other kid science projects I've posted and linked to so I thought I would do another one, here it is.


Bouncy Balls:

• 1/2 tsp Borax (found in laundry section) You may have some left over if you made the laundry detergent.
• 2 TBS warm water
• 1 TBS corn starch
• 1TBS glue (clear glue makes a see transparent ball and white glue makes an opaque ball)
• 2 small mixing bowls or cups
• a stirring stick (plastic spoon)
• food coloring (optional)

mix together the warm water and borax till the borax dissolves. In your other mixing bowl/cup add the glue, 1 tsp of the borax/water solution you just made and the cornstarch. Wait 10-15 seconds before stirring. Rolls around in your hands once mixed until it forms a not so sticky ball. This will dry out after a couple of days but it's a fun project. You can add the food coloring with the borax/water mixture for a solid bouncy ball or wait till the last second after you've mixed everything to create a swirly effect like the ones you buy- just don't over stir the food coloring or it will completely blend and become solid.


Acid Based Reaction to Blow Up a Balloon:

• baking soda
• vinegar
• small funnels
• empty bottle like a soda or water bottle

Fill empty bottle(s) about 1/3 of the way full with vinegar. Use your funnel to fill your balloon about half way full with baking soda. Attach the lip of the balloon to the top of your bottle- be careful not to spill your baking soda yet. Have your child hold the balloon to the bottle and then, when you're ready, have your child lift up the balloon- dropping the baking soda into the vinegar. This creates an acid based reaction that creates carbon dioxide to fill the balloon. It's not helium and it's pretty much the same thing as blowing them up yourself.



Density Project:

• 1/4 c. dish washing liquid
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1/4 c. karo syrup
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

Carefully pour these one at a time into a bottle, using a funnel. You want these to try to hit dead center without touching the sides. Each of these things will layer together. Seal your bottle with an air tight lid and shake it. Watch and see how long it takes each to separate, if they do.


Hot/Cold Balloon:

For this project you're learning how the air around us will expand and contract when exposed to hot and cold conditions. You could even use the balloons you blow up from the project above. Your tires do the same thing by the way, that's why it's important to know how to air up your tires.

First you'll need to measure your balloon at room temperature. A fabric measuring tape works best for this, which you can find in your sewing/fabric aisles- that's what they're normally used for. Mark down your measurements throughout the project.

Expose your balloon to heat first, a hair dryer will work perfectly for this, just point the blow dryer at the balloon for a few minutes, allowing it to heat up. Be careful with this, it may pop with the expansion. Quickly measure the balloon and mark down the measurement- it should have gotten larger.

Then, using the same balloon, pop it in the freezer for let's say 15 minutes. Take it out and quickly measure it again, it should be smaller. Then allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to make sure it's completely back to it's original temperature and measure again. Is it the same size as your first measurement? Discuss your findings with your child.

Playroom School House/ Play House

Well, I did manage to get a lot done during my "weekend" I decided I wanted to make a playhouse for the kids to put in their play room. Now, their playroom is the laundry room as well. I want to get some magnets to stick to the washer and dryer as I'm not sure I want to move both of those appliances into the kitchen yet. This is just part of what I'm going to do, as these are the supplies I had available. Before I start, if you're curious as to what the front of the house is made of, it's drywall. Yeah, we had a ceiling problem that got fixed eventually and it was left over. Seeing it started the idea process because it's sturdy. I then remembered the particle board desk we had in the garage, and the kids did need an entertainment center for the TV.



I started out by tracing the holes I wanted, as you can tell they're not perfect, and I didn't want them to be. Then I cut the holes with a steak knife. Why? Because a serrated blade is best for drywall and I didn't have the special knife so I improvised. Yes, my hand was sore afterwards but it wasn't as hard as you'd think. I didn't take pictures of that part of the process. Sorry, I forgot. But then, I found some red paint in the garage and began painting (with an old towel I was going to throw away anyway. Why? No paint brush. Stop asking stupid questions). Then I decided to trim the door and window with white (also found in garage). It reminded me of an old school house, so I went with it.



I really felt that it was still missing something, so I went ahead and painted a picket fence across the bottom. I wanted to add grass and flowers too but guess what? No other colors were suitable in the garage so I moved on.



Here's a picture of the kids in the playroom next to the desk. If you'll notice in the cabinet of the desk are VHS tapes. I like these best because it seems that no matter what I do all the DVD's I buy for them get destroyed. I love the little closet behind Bubba, it's got shelving like that on both sides and is perfect for their toys and games and such.



Here's the almost finished project, after attaching the school front. I did this with tub caulk/sealer. It's easy to remove if I have to but it's not going to fall off either. I have no idea where that sock came from, I'd swear it wasn't there when I took the picture.



The finished...well, almost finished project! After some minor argument with Brandon I got him to bring in the TV for me (it's so heavy) and put it on top. I'd really love to add a "roof" still, with some broken down boxes and black construction paper,but I haven't decided yet. Also, I have a mailbox in the making for the front, as well as some curtains and a door. I'm going to try to locate a set of Christmas lights to string inside for light.






Here's a picture of mine and Brandon's entertainment center. We're never going to use it again as it's purpose because all the televisions we now own are way too big to fit in it. The boxes are a "sneak peak" at one of my next project for the playroom. I love this thing because it has two drawers at the bottom to hold their mega blocks that they love so much. I'm also currently collecting old clothes to crochet a rug out of for the floor, boxes to put up like a chalkboard (BECAUSE CARDBOARD IS FREE), and a tension rod style payhouse/ puppet theater for the closet door. Oh and the reading nook is going to be a huge surprise for the kiddos. My inspiration for this project came from all the entertainment center turned kitchens pictures floating around, which I still wanna do for the girls in their room. Kind of like this one, it's my favorite so far.





These are the solutions that I've come up with for my small space. Money is always tight at my house so I do my best to make every thing that I can and utilize what we already have. I'd be interested in seeing what other people have done with their kids to save money if you'd like to leave it in a comment! Or just click the follow button to get updates on all my posts!

Toddler Chores and "Chore Sticks"

I've finally came to a conclusion on the chores subject with my kids. I was unsure at first about issuing chores to them, and worried that they were too young to do much. I debated with myself over this for a while but then I decided that they didn't have to do much, but they should have to do something. I've even decided on getting them each a piggy bank so they can have an "allowance". With an allowance I'll be better able to teach them about money and how to use it properly. Here's what I've come up with so far for a list of chores that they can split up.

Chores:

• picking up their own toys
• collecting dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper
• dusting with socks on their hands to make it fun  (though this may require spot check)
• window washing (mom had me doing this early, it's fun even though it needs spot checking!)
• collecting dirt dishes and putting them in the sink
• throwing away trash
• "spot" vacuuming... they're trying to learn this one and doing pretty well
• washing or dusting base boards (just the right height for this!)
• wiping down the lower cabinets
• help add to the compost pile
• weed
• water plants (they love doing this)
• "making" their own beds
• emptying the small trash bins (like bathroom)
• unloading some of the groceries
• sorting laundry (dark and light)
• fold small laundry items, like washcloths
• "mopping"
• feeding snickers
• rinse the unbreakable dishes

I think that's really enough for the three of them, they're just not big enough for much else yet. The trick to getting them do these things is praising them and not adding too much on them at once. I'm going to come up with a more detailed schedule for this and of course divide the chores up appropriately. Livvy can't do every thing the other two can and Bubba tends to be better at one thing where as Tobi is better at another. Some may think that this list is too extensive considering Tobi is 4 Bubba is 3 and Livvy is 20 months, but believe me, between the three of them they've already learned to do and are fully capable of completing every thing on that list. This is just a way to get it organized.

I really like the idea of chore sticks. Basically you get a bunch of popsicle sticks and keep them in a little container like a vase or mason jar and on each stick is a chore. To keep them seperated I'm going to dip each of the sticks in four different colors. Each of my little ones will be assigned a color and there won't be any issue getting it done! The fourth color will be a chore that any of them can accomplish. The chore sticks will look something like this:

I'll do what I can to keep everyone updated on how well this works for us! I'm still not sure how we're going to start our learning about money. Basically we've got a few of the coins and dollars memorized and we know that we need money to buy stuff. Tobi is grasping some small basic addition and subtraction but that's it. We will press onward though, I only teach my children at their pace. Each child learn differently.

I'm a huge believer in having structure for children, and I'm striving to get us into a good healthy schedule. Rules are important. I'm not huge on rules at all, but they are important. I've seen people my age that were never made to follow rules or never taught how the world works and it never turns out well for them. I don't want that to happen to my kids- trust me, it's kinda scary. If any one else has any ideas of what other chores could be added, feel free to add a comment!

Bubbles?! BUBBLES!

What kid seriously doesn't love bubbles? My kids love them that's for sure and it's such a fun and easy way to keep them occupied while mommy does mommy things! I love bubbles too. When I was a kid my Nanna would make bubbles for my cousins and me. We thought it was the most amazing thing. It wasn't until I got older and had kids of my own that I realized how easily bored we were and how hard it must have been to cope with hellions like us. Bubbles (and homemade ninja turtle masks) were Nanna's go to recipe for peace on earth! I now use the same things to distract my kids and get a little quiet time. Much like the pillow/blanket fort, however, bubbles have evolved again. You can get bubbles that are colored, bubbles that glow, regular bubbles, bubbles that are hard to pop and even bubbles with flavor. I just want to pause here and let you all know that I don't think I would ever even try flavored bubbles. I stopped trying flavored stuff that wasn't supposed to be flavored after the edible paper. That's gross by the way. Ok, back on track- as you know I try not to pay for anything that I can make at home so at one point last summer I looked up all of these recipes and now I'm going to share them with you!

Regular Bubbles
8 T dish soap
1 Quart water

Bouncing or Un-poppable Bubbles
1 cup water
2 tablespoons light karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid Mix together and have fun!
The glycerin and kayro help to make a thick solution that works better than just soap and water.

Glow in the dark Bubbles
1 cup water
2 tablespoons light karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid 1glow stick
snap or cut the glow stick and add the contents to the basic bubble solution. This will last only as long as the night stick holds it's glow.

Colored Bubbles

3 cups dish detergent

3 cups water

2 cups glycerin

several drops of food coloring or washable paint

just mix

As far the flavored bubbles go, I can't find a good recipe so I'm going to make one myself. Keep reading and after I figure it out you guys will be the first to know!

1. If bubbles pop easily or solution does not work well, add more water.
2. Dawn and Joy seem to be the best choices for bubbles. It is the antigrease agent.
3. Bubbles work best on an over cast day.
4. Bubbles love moisture so right after a rain also works well.
5. To catch a bubble just get your hand wet.

6. Glycerin or Kayro is added to the mix to make the bubbles more durable. The more you add, the stronger they'll be!

As far as bubble storage I saw a ridiculously cute idea on Pinterest. You just store your bubble solution in a drink container with spout for easy access! That would be great for storage while in use by the kiddos but for long term storage I would use empy plastic containers like milk jugs and juice containers.

And have you seen the different ways to blow bubbles?! Jeez, the old school bubble wand has gone to the dogs!

The Bubble Pool:

Just fill a kiddy pool with bubble solution, have someone stand in the middle and have others lifta  hula hoop from the bottom over the person!

The Bubble Snake:

The way I understand this is that it's bubbles in a bottle with the end cut off and a sock secured to the end. Here is a link for the full project.

The Classic Bubble Wand:

Here is a link to a project where you can make your own. Here is a project where you can make super bubble wands for gigantic bubbles. Bubble wands and accessories come in all shapes, designs, colors and sizes. I've seen bubble pipes shaped like old tobacco pipes, tubes, something that I think was supposed to be a kazoo. If you can remember to do it, go to your local Walmart or dollar stores right about the time summer is going and fall is coming in and you'll find masses of bubble wands in all different shapes and sizes, even bubble guns, on sale for 50-75% off. Always shop for next season!

Keeping the Kids Busy

The house we're moving into has a fenced in back yard that's actually pretty large. It will still be too cold for a while though to go outside. I like finding different activities we can do inside; the kind you can do when it's too cold, or raining. It keeps the kids busy and allows me to do whatever it is I need to get done. With the new move it's gonna take a lot of work to get every thing in the shape I want it in, with the bedrooms mainly. We still haven't been able to get in touch with the landlord about the toilet in the first bathroom or the kitchen sink being stopped up. These are things I'm going to have to fix completely myself if I can't reach him. I won't sit and wait and we'll talk about paying me back or taking it off the rent afterwards. Anyway, these type of activities are going to come in handy BIG TIME while I'm trying to accomplish all this. They're also cheap- which you guys know I love.

Smashing Balls:

1 C. water
1 C. Flour
food coloring

mix together, the mixture should be kind of thick and add whatever colors you'd like. Cover the cotton balls and bake at 300 degrees for around 45 minutes. They may have some annoying flat edges, if you don't like these you can snip them off with some scissors. TIP: line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for an easy clean up. When they're done and kind of hard hand them over to the kiddos with a kid hammer or rubber mallet and let them go to town. They can also stomp them to bits. Some people say there's no real educational value here but I can find it. It's scientific, explaining how the chemical composition of the gooey mixture changes with heat and becomes hard. There's also the question of density which is why the cotton balls aren't always colored all the way through with this mixture where they would be with water and food coloring. There's also the subject of fine motor skills here, let them use tweezers to pull the cotton balls out of a bowl.These are ALSO great therapy for aggression issues. Seriously though, it's a game. It's just fun. Get over yourself. I used to throw rocks at the side of a barn. Mom didn't question the educational purpose behind that and I can assure you that I turned out just fine. Oh, and go follow the blog I linked in the title, she's awesome.




Masking Tape Race Track:

Basically for this activity you just need a floor and some masking tape. Which, if I'm not mistaken can be bought in lots of different colors. Painters tape is also a good option and, in all honesty, is pretty much the same thing. Here's the pin I saw this on originally:


I can't seem to figure out who to give credit to for this so if you know, please let me know. It's a wonderful idea, it really is, masking tape is cheap, it pulls up easily and can provide hours of fun, not to mention a different track each time. Upon googling this I found even more similar ideas (yet never the original) that really were awesome.

Here  (at Maddycakes Muse) is a picture I found that was about a race car/ race track themed birthday party. This is made out of black plastic table cloth and masking tape:

I have a friend who's son is race car crazy and she's gonna love this

Isn't that great? Go show her some love too, she did this party for a wonderful reason and there are several other ideas on that particular post. She seems to be a very good hearted person.

This (from Motherly Loving) is also a great idea, using the same concept and is also for a little boys birthday. Being from Corvette City, I loved the car in the driveway :)


Honestly, I went crazy with ideas with masking tape after seeing all this. Other things you could do would be hopscotch, tic tac toe and any game you could play using chalk on the sidewalk or driveway. It's really more versatile than I realized until today.

Discovery Bottles:

Discovery bottles are geared specifically toward learning. The way I look at it, the more you jump start your child's mind into thinking the more they learn, it's just like reading really. These really focus on sight, sound and smell. They make your child turn and twist or shake the bottle, making a different reaction each time and jump starting their little minds. Here's my favorite but this blogger has so many on her site, I believe I'll create every single one.

It's just some pipe cleaners in a glass jar with a magnet to make them move. It's simple but it takes me back to the little magnet shaving faces where you could add hair to the blank face on a board- does anyone else remember these? I loved them. Seriously though, click that link- go show her some love too, these are amazing. Magnets can be bought here, horseshoe 6.25/12 and will be useful for other projects as well.

Balloon Ping Pong:
Bouncing a small ball around the house can always turn into trouble. I don't know about your kids but mine would most certainly break something. So, the solution is, turning the ball into a balloon. It's hard to break much with a simple balloon. Tobers, Bubba and Livvy are all obsessed with balloons. They're a big deal at my house. They're also really cheap. If you're kids are as in love with them as mine are go check out Oriental Trading where you can get them (and so much more stuff) cheaply. The ones I linked to are 144 for 5$. Basically balloon ping pong is your basic ping pong game using popsicle sticks (500 large ones for 7.25 at OT) glued or stapled to paper plates as the paddles and the balloon as the ball. Lots of fun for the kiddos.




More Great Links:
SavingStar- 10 activities for kids I absolutely love this, and it's got 10 more links to 10 more places for great ideas, check out the ocean in a bottle. That makes me so happy and wouldn't that be a great idea to use keepsakes from a beach trip?
Oriental Trading they have just so much stuff for really cheap, go check it out. I can't say enough about this website. They have stuff for everything from decorations for any party to soap and candle making to paints, crayons, and markers to costumes to anything. It's really great. It's also a great place to get soap dye for those homemade bathtub crayons

Bath Time, Fun Time

Bath time is a big deal at my house, the kids are definitely in love with water. When Tobers was still little I found some little tablets that changed the water different colors without staining our tub at walmart. I also bought them some bath crayons. Those didn't work out too well because of their age at the time. They spent more time eating the crayons than coloring on the wall. However, to make them even more comfortable with the move, I've decided to go back to that type of thing and I've begun looking up recipes for the same type of stuff I used back then. I'm thinking that the more fun they have the more comfortable they'll be and we actually have space to move around now. So here are some of the recipes I'm going to try if you'd like to try them with me!

Homemade Bubble Bath:

• 750ml/3 cups of liquid Castille soap
• 15g/2 tbsp fine sugar ( confectioners or caster)
• 20g/ 4 tbsp glycerin (vegetable)
• optional: 1 level tsp of beet powder to make it pink, turmeric to make it yellow, or woad to make it purple
• essential oils for sent (optional)
• glass, ceramic or metal mixing bowl
• large bottle
• a funnel

Stir together all the ingredients above (except the essential oils) and add the optional coloring if you want it to have a color. Once the sugar has completely dissolved,  place the bowl in a cool, dry place for approximately 24 to 30 hours. Once the mixture has been allowed to cure, add the essential oil fragrance combo of your choice. You'll only need a few drops. You may either add them now, or you can add the essential oils separately to each bath- it’s up to you.

Jelly Bubble Bath -NOT EDIBLE:

• Packet unflavored Gelatin
• 3/4 Cup water
• 1/2 Cup clear liquid soap or bubble bath
• Fragrance oils (optional)
• Food Coloring of your choice
• Plastic jar with lid (you can use a cleaned out empty peanut butter jar)
• Mixing Bowl

Empty the packet of gelatin into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Warm water until it begins to boil. Immediately remove water from heat source. Carefully pour the hot water into mixing bowl and gently mix with gelatin powder. Allow gelatin to completely dissolve. Be patient! This may take a few minutes.
Very SLOWLY and gently stir in the liquid soap to the gelatin mixture. Add a drop of food coloring and 5-8 drops of fragrance oil. (Be careful not to beat mixture, bath jelly will become foamy if you do.)
Pour your bath jelly into a clean, clear container.
Refrigerate Bubble Jelly until set (about 4 hours).
To use, scoop a small amount of jelly into your hand and hold under warm running water for a bubbly bath-time treat!

Body Glitter:

Tobi loves this stuff. Just mix aloe vera gel and glitter, rub on with fingers.

Bathtub Crayons:

• Clear glycerin soap base cut into cubes
• 3 or more soap color dyes (or food color dyes)
• Essential oils in your favorite smells (optional)
• Glass measuring cup for melting soap
• Spoons for mixing colors and fragrances
• Ice cube trays or round crayon molds

Separate the soap base cubes; one pile for each soap color dye.
Have the children place the soap cube for the first color in a glass measuring cup and melt in microwave in short bursts.
Once melted, have the children add soap color a drop at a time, mixing well after each drop until you get the color right.
Then, add a couple of drops of essential oils and mix well.
Next, have the children carefully pour the color soap into ice cube trays.
If you see any air bubbles on the surface of the soap, spray it with rubbing alcohol.
Have the children repeat the same soap crayon making process with the rest of the colors.
After that, allow the soap to set until it is firm. This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.  When the soap is close to firm, feel free to place the soap in the freezer to speed up the hardening process.
When ready, have the children pop the soap crayons out of the trays.

Bathtub Paints:

• 1/3 cup mild clear Joy dishwashing soap or baby shampoo
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• food coloring

Mix cornstarch and liquid soap in bowl.

Pour into ice cube tray, filling about 1/2 full.

Put 4-8 drops of different food coloring colors into each section and mix till blended.

I usually use toothpicks to mix when in the ice cube tray.

Give to the kids and let them at it!

This washes your child, and will wash off the walls too!

I picked these recipes specifically because of the science behind them. I've found that the bubble bath recipes without glycerin don't really bubble up as well. They're usually just shampoo mixed with water. I was also particular about hunting down recipes that had no indication of staining as I just got that bathtub perfect, I don't know what I'd do if it was suddenly rainbow colored. Be sure to comment and let me know how you liked the recipes, I know my kids are going to love them.

Bath time themed books (we sometimes read while in the tub, I'm big on reading ask my mom :)):

1. What Floats? By Julie Aigner-Clark
2. Bath Time By Sandra Boynton
3. The Fish is Me: Bathtime Rhymes By Neil Phillip
4. Bathtime Peekaboo by DK Publishing
5. Splish Splash Fun-In-The-Tub: Bathtime Science Activities for Kids by Jordan and Diane Ohanesian
6. Clifford's Bathtime by Norman Bridwell
7. Bathtime for Biscuit by Alissa Satin Capucilli

Scary Monster Spray

So, moving day is getting closer and closer. It's starting to make me a little nervous, I feel like I'm not fully prepared for all of this yet. I'm working on it though. One of my main concerns with the kids, besides getting their rooms together, is monsters. My kids sometimes think that there are monsters in the dark. Gamma (my mother) got them glow pillows for Christmas to kind of help with that but I'm still worried they're going to have problems. They don't do this often but when they do it they are usually under stress, like moving into a new place or spending the night in a strange place. Before, when they've spent the night there I convinced them that Brandon's roommate's dog, Tigger, ate monsters. However, that same roommate is moving out and taking Tigger- and therefore our protection against monsters- with him.

Then I remembered an awesome pin I saw on Pinterest. Monster Spray. Here are the pins:

                                                                 

I love this idea, especially if I can convince them that it works. Basically you just spray it around the room and voila! it scares the monsters away. It basically is monster repellent, like bug repellent. I've also seen where someone decorated an air freshener bottle for the same purpose. Empty spray bottles can be purchased really cheaply through your local grocery store, I got mine at Rose's for a dollar. I think they're roughly a dollar at Walmart as well. You could also reuse old spray bottles from cleaners, just wash them out thoroughly. I'm currently using all of mine for cleaners and I really wanted mine to be clear so I went and bought one. To remove the printed labels on plastic bottles just pick up a bottle of pure acetone (located near the nail polish remover) and soak a rag in it, wrap the rag around the bottle and in just a few minutes the label should completely come off. I'll post on this later with pictures of how it worked for me. I'm pretty sure nail polish remover would work as well, it is acetone I just think it's diluted. Not sure on that. So it would take a little more rubbing to get it off but it would work. Make sure to wear gloves when you do this and be in a well ventilated area.

As far as what goes in the bottle, water will work, so will febreeze. In my Monster Spray I put a mixture of febreeze and water. When I get a chance to get some more glitter I'm considering putting a small amount of that in there as well.

My Monster Spray

I haven't tried it out on the kids yet but they know how bug repellent works so I'm pretty sure this will work. Do you like my artwork? I think my monster is more cute than scary but oh well, it's still a monster. We're going to work on "good monsters" too. I saw a book once on good monsters and what they do- that they're our friends. I don't remember the name or title but I'm sure I'll be able to find it. Monsters Inc. will help as well because who could really be afraid of Mike and Sully?

Tobi and Livvy Share a Room

I smile because you're my sister... I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!

                                       

For the girl's room I was obviously, again, on a tight budget. Livvy and Tobi like a lot of different things- like Bubba, but they tend to focus on the basic princess flower type of genre instead of being all over the place like their male counterpart. Again, I'm going to have to be generic. Character stuff is just way too expensive these days just because it's from a kid's movie or show. The girls, being that generally focused, were a lot easier to come up with ideas for. I've decided to go with an outside kind of theme. Sort of a field full of flowers type of idea.

As far as their ceiling goes I'm still undecided. I like the idea of draping fabrics a lot like what's in the picture below. I feel like it would add a lot of much needed color. However, I'm really really in love with the idea of doing just your regular sky. The cloud mobile type hangings would be perfect for the field of flowers theme. The ceilings are kind of low in this house because it's older so the draping of the fabric may also make the room appear very small to us adults. Another reason I seriously want the clouds is that I can completely cover their ceiling with glow in the dark stars. Walmart also sells a remote control moon. A moon you guys, and it's only around 20$. It's basically a night light, but guess what else it does? Go on, guess! Not only does this moon double as a night light and operate easily by remote but it goes through all the moon cycles too! Is that not the coolest thing ever?! Yeah, gotta have one of those for each of the kids rooms.

                                                                  


As for the wall decorations I would really like to do butterflies "flocking" and paper flowers. Both very cheap and inexpensive. I really like the idea of slowly collecting butterflies to put on a random wall kind of like Bubba's eclectic wall. I see butterflies of all kinds at thrift stores and dollar store around Spring. There are the old plastic ones that used to be in style and brass ones and of course the cheap metal ones meant for gardens. I really do love the butterfly stakes you see that are made out of a stocking type material. I want all different styles and sizes of butterflies for that wall. The flowers I'll make myself.
                                                                  


I'm also going to put up cute canvases in their room, like Bubba's. Just more girl oriented.
                                                               


Over the girl's beds I'm going to put mosquito net type hangings made out of tulle and hula hoops. Both my girls share the same initials so over the center of their night stand I'm going to put up yarn wrapped pink, purple, and yellow letters. I'd like to pin strings of little paper or felt butterflies to the mosquito nets too.

                                                           


So what do you guys think? Do you think my girls will absolutely love it? Won't it be cute?

Bubba's Room

BUBBA AND MOMMY!

Every thing has been so hectic getting moved. We're trying to figure out our new schedules, room placement and where we're going to get all the furniture we'll need. To be honest I've got that last part figured out already. Thrift stores! Yes, you should have seen that coming. I thrift store almost every thing! Even though we haven't gotten moved yet I can't help but to think about how I'm going to decorate the kids rooms now. The creative side of me does not allow me to not think about it. I have to. It's like a mental deficiency. If I don't plan these things out they'll keep me up at night. Even then they might still keep me up at night! So, I've been planning out the rooms.

Unfortunately, I have a very tight budget. A very tight budget. That's what makes me me though! I adapt to my situation and being "thrifty" is how I adapt. Re purposing and creativity also helps a lot. Right now I've got friends saving me their diaper boxes because I know I'll use them in decorating somehow. Brandon is really good at woodworking so that solves that issue!

Bubba's room is going to be a little harder for me. He's interested in so much stuff. Bubba likes bugs and super heroes (Iron Man, Batman the Hulk and Spiderman mainly), cars (and the movie), sports and just about everything that's boy related. Right now I can't afford to buy the nice character stuff so that knocks that out. I think we're going to have to stick with a general mish mash of generic boy type stuff. Bubba is very eclectic so I think that's how I'm going to make his room.

I've only found a couple of ideas so far, which I'll supplement with thrift store finds.I really like this baseball picture. It's psalm 96:12 and says "Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it". I love that!

I also really like this Peter Pan silhouette that I found through Google images. You can attach this to the top of a lampshade and when the lamp is turned on it will look like Peter Pan's shadow is on the ceiling- just like the movie!

this is definitely going on his wall!

I also want to print out a couple of cute sayings in a cute font probably KristenITC and frame them for his wall. I like this one "Boys will be boys or so they say, but I'm raising my boy to be a man one day. Shouting is not nice, and kicking hurts. No one likes their face in the dirt. So boys that fight, and kick and shout will be boys that sit in TIME OUT!" I feel that if you knew my son you'd see how perfect that is. I also like this one; "Brothers Are Forever. I'll look after you and I'll always take your side...Even though we grow up and travel far and wide...But I'll let no one hurt you or tease you today...'cause I'm your brother and beside you I'll stay."

As for the furniture I really want to stay eclectic. I like the way this night stand is painted for him, I could do this easily with a thrift store find, and some paint. He would love this! I'm thinking I might already have a night stand that's perfect for this type of project. I'd also like to go to Lowe's and buy some decorative knobs in a sports theme to go on it. Maybe a football and a soccer ball. I'm probably going to do the Lego table at the top around the same time, and keep it on the other side of the room with his toys.

This lamp will be going on the baseball night stand. Well, not this lamp exactly, but one just like it. He's gonna love this! This  firetruck lamp will be on something for sure because that is just too cute and can be done super easily with a lamp kit from a hobby or craft store!                                                                   

I'm definitely going to be putting this on his wall, most likely under the cute little framed sayings. It will look very eclectic when I'm done but I'm hoping I can tie it all in together. Packages of three of four canvases can be purchased really cheaply at walmart. The little tubes of paint that I like to use are less than a dollar as well. On another wall I'm just going to be eclectic completely. In the center I'm going to put up yarn wrapped letters that say BUBBA. One will be brown and made to look like a football, another one will be green with those little plastic frogs and leaves glued to it, there will also be one made to look like a race track, a monster and a snake. Around the BUBBA will be all the random things. What I really, really want to do is find a way to get a plaster mount to hang. Preferably a rhino. Why? Because I saw one once and couldn't stop thinking just how "bubba" it was. I still have no idea how I'm going to go about making that, but I'll figure it out. I always do! I've also got my eye on a football shaped rug at Walmart, but it's 40$. I'm hoping I'll be able to find something else before I have to spend 40 bucks on a little rug. It is awfully cute though! However, I am totally willing to spend 28$ on this basketball bean bag chair. I sure am. Walmart also sells a material that's got holes in it, think like the

same material professional football jersey's are made of. I'm going to make curtains out of that. Yeah, I've put a lot of time into this, but not as much as it seems. Not at all, this is what I'm good at! Just wait till you see his bed! If I can't find a car bed or something similar for cheap (craigslist!) then I'm going to make something out of cardboard. That's a big secret though and will be another post. All I have to do after that is accent with some fun throw pillows and blankets and voila!