Twiggle Box

Backwards Birthday Party Pinata!

2011-04-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Backward Party Pinata! We made it inside out, of course, with the candy on the outside! And on the inside too. The candy on the outside sort of padded the pinata...so it was pretty hard to break! Dad ended up throwing the candy out...but it turned out to be a great picture!
Our other party activities were a backwards relay race; goose, goose, duck; pin the donkey on the tail (where the one furthest away is the winner). We made name tag keychains out of shrinky dinks, where the names were written backwards. The girls loved watching them shrink in the oven! And since they're see-through, the name was printed correctly on the other side!

The we enjoyed upside down cake, and ice cream with the cones on the top, plus soda pop with a straw stuck in the bottom of the can...all under the table! The whole party was fun and easy!

Backwards Birthday!

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

My Daughter wanted a backwards birthday party, so we had a new challenge...the upside down cake! Of course, we couldn't settle for a pineapple-upside-cake!
This cake was actually pretty simple. I made the bottom layer our of rice crispy treats, and had a 3 inch PVC pipe running up the center of the bottom 2 layers, to support the weight of the top layer.
The trickiest part of this cake was the candles...which we put in upside down, of course! But the candles kept dripping and putting out the flame! We kept trying, and ended up with a lot of smoke, and huge burn marks up the side of the cake. The kids all loved this! I'm just glad the smoke detector didn't go off!

Rapunzel Birthday Party

2011-03-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our Rapunzel Birthday Party turned out very cute! We played 'pin the braid on the tower,' and had a relay race with Pascal (the chameleon from the movie Tangled), which were plastic lizards. The Pinata was super cute, and super easy...just a oatmeal box painted gray, then sponge painted darker gray. The top is purple construction paper cut with fringes, and I glued a small yellow braid to the side.
In the movie, Tangled, Rapunzels parents release lanterns every year on her birthday, so we decorated lanterns. Another easy craft was chalk drawings. At the end of the party we released balloons (instead of lanterns), and ended with the cake, which you can see here!

Rapunzels Tower Cake

2011-03-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

For my daughters 7th birthday she wanted a Rapunzel Party, so the fun challenge for me was making the cake!

The project started about 2 weeks before the party...and was pretty much all consuming until it was complete...

I think it turned out pretty cute, even though I know it's sort-of bragging to say so.

I'm almost as proud that I finally posted on my blog as I am of the cake! This one's for you sis!

It's been a long time

2011-01-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, It's sure been a while since I posted. I'd blame it on my 5 kids, or our recent move, or working on our business, or any other excuse that I'm sure would get some sympathy from my readers (like anyone is reading me at this point!), but the truth is, I HATE the internet. It sucks all my time. Even now, while I take 2 minutes to write this, I'm sure my children are tearing up something they're not supposed to. Besides, It only took 2 minutes to write this, but I've actually been on-line for 30...I feel the life getting sucked out of me. So, I gotta run, and can't promise when I'll remember to add another post (I actually have lots of cool crafts and party's already done, with photos and everything, just too lazy to upload them!), but it will be sometime before the end of the world. Of that I AM certain! Have a great day surfin' the web, and I hope you can find time for the truly important things (like me, I have to rescue my 10 month old from playing in the toilet).

Cali

2010-09-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of our whole trip was a surprise visit to Grandma and Grandpa in California.....We had told them we weren't coming, since we were so short on time, and then called Grandpa and arranged a surprise meeting in San Diego. I don't know if the kids were more surprised, or if Grandma was more surprised! Our oldest, Racer, figured out from the tidbits she picked up on by eavesdropping on our conversations....not really her fault. It's hard not to overhear each other when you live in a sardine can!
So, After our surprise meeting, we spent the next day with Grandparents at Sea World...since our new motto is "Don't take 5 Kids to an Amusement park without Help." We're very, very grateful that our parents are so willing to help with the kids, and even with all the extra help, we still lost Bubber for a few frightening minutes. But, here he is, obviously enjoying himself with all his 4 year old personality and charm! The kids loved watching the shows, and seeing all the animals. I was only bummed out about one thing....they only had 1 time to feed the dolphins (you actually go up and pet them, and feed them...we got to watch, but missed out on participating), and we missed it. Oh well, next time. This is another one of my dreams (along with rafting the grand canyon); Swim with Dolphins! Maybe someday the price will come down....or maybe I can swim with some wild dolphins for free....maybe....someday. For now, it just goes on the bucket list!

Arizona

2010-09-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Grand Canyon. This is one of my favorite places. One of my dreams/goals is to go rafting through the canyon....someday when my kids are bigger. I woke up the morning we were here and took my jog out to the rim of the canyon. As I got closer, I could feel tears start to well up in my eyes. I came here with my family when I was 16. It's just one of those places where you can feel how insignificant you really are. A place you can really appreciate the wonder of the earth, and the power of the creator. I'd come stay for a week if I could, and hike below the rim, and take a helicopter ride, or a burro ride...
My kiddo's, however (and my husband), were all tired of walking by this point, so we took the 'short' version, and hiked about 2-3 miles along the rim. We also had to take off and keep trucking, so we could see what we could in the limited days we had left.

After the Canyon, we traveled to Sedona, and played at Slide Rock State Park, which was very fun! All the kids went with Dad, but only Racer was brave enough to go alone!

Bubber Got to show off his climbing skills + Spiderman muscles!
Look closely at Limbers face....she's about to cry!
And Even Mom got in (which was pretty miraculous considering the water was FREEZING!). I, however, had to act tough, and pretend not to shiver, to convince the kids to slide down!

Colorado

2010-09-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here I am with the beautiful Pikes Peak behind me....we elected NOT to get all the kids out of the car, which turned this into a 5 second photo op instead of a 15 minute one!
However we did all get out on the TOP of pikes peak....over 14,000 feet high! I guess there's 32 mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet, but this is the most visited. It truly is a beautiful, beautiful state. My kids wanted to make sure they were at the ultimate high point, so they found the tallest rock in the parking lot area and stood on it. The bad news is that by the time we drove to the top, it was completely in the clouds, so we didn't get a view at all. The awesome news is; on our way back down, we got caught in a beautiful thunderstorm....we were right in the middle of it. Lightning was striking all around, and hail was pounding down on the car. We pulled off the road, and rolled our windows down to enjoy it. We sat through about 10 minutes until the 'pikes peak patrol' car came and told us we had to move off the mountain. This was one of the coolest thunderstorms I've ever been in. And, truth be told, thunderstorms kinda-of scare me when I'm alone. But when I'm with my hubby, I know he'll protect me (either that, or we'll get fried together), so I can relax and enjoy the show.
After Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs, we headed south west to Mesa Verde....This is truly an exceptional national park, and please, please, please go and visit if you get the chance. Anyone who lives in the west coast has no excuse. You're within driving distance, so make it happen. Trust me, it's worth the drive! There are multiple cliff dwellings to visit and walk through, and the kids and I enjoyed speculating about the people who lived there, and why they built there homes where they did, and so on. The park rangers have there own theory's, which they present as fact, but the truth is they don't really know....nobody does. Can you imagine discovering something like this? I think if I found it, I wouldn't tell anybody....I'd just be selfish and enjoy it all by myself.
I know I'm rambling on and on (and on), but this is the last Colorado Picture....The 4 corners! I made my hubby come here even though it's really just a flat spot in the middle of nowhere. Where else can you be in 4 states at once? Nowhere else!

No, We're not dead!

2010-09-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am a really, REALLY bad blogger....I know everybody probably thinks we're dead or something, but we actually made it home safe and sound....and had a blast on the rest of our trip. I'm just really lazy when it comes to the internet. I hate getting on, it seems like such a time sucker. At any rate, I am going to finish the posts from our Super Awesome trip in the next couple days, or maybe a week. Your probably sick of our Texas post, since it's been up for over a month, but here's the Alamo!Don't my kids look happy!?! It was actually a super hot day, and San An was very crowded. We were all exhausted, but I'm glad we drove the extra 2 hours down and back to show our kids this beautiful landmark and share a little piece of texan, and American, history with them.

Austin, Texas

2010-08-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

We pretty much drove from North Dakota to Austin, Texas....a long, long time in the car! But, one of our best stories so far happened here, on Lake Travis. We wanted to check out the lake, so we looked up the state park online, and drove over. It was called "Hippie Hollow," and when we pulled up, the lady asked us

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Nope."

"Well, Hippie Hollow is a clothing optional State Park."

Well, we turned around pretty fast, and went on down the road to the family oriented state park! I don't get the whole nudist thing...I mean, does anybody look good naked? Maybe if they had weigh-in's, or some sort of pre-nudity test to insure that everyone on the beach wasn't going to be scarred for life after looking at your naked body, then maybe I'd go......however, I don't think I'd pass anyway (nobody wants to be looking at the un-clothed body of a mother of 5 kids, that's just wrong!)

Anyway, if you are in the lucky 0.5% of the population who looks good in the buff, you might want to move to Austin!

North Dakota

2010-08-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Do we look happy here? Mostly, no! We spent an EXTRA 11 hours of driving so that we could get a picture with this sign....here's the close up:
Why did we do this? Pretty much just so we could torture the kids! No, really, when we started this trip we didn't think we'd make it to every state, but when we were in Chicago we realized we were going to hit all 48 continental States, except North Dakota (and, this is the only state my hubby hasn't been to). SO, to make a long story (and drive) short, we decided that we'd be missing out on MAJOR bragging rights if we didn't come here....and someday our kids will thank us, because we brought them to North Dakota, so they'll never have to come here again (no offense if you live here....but we really couldn't find anything to do here).

Niagra Falls

2010-08-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

We stopped by Niagra Falls, but didn't have too much time to spend here, since we have to sort of hustle home. So, we didn't make it over to the Canadian Side of the falls, where the views are much better. But the American side is also interesting, and it's really amazing to stand at the top of the water falls where you can see and feel the power of the water rushing over the edge. It made my stomach drop when I got close to the edge.

And, I like this photo, since I'm holding the Baby in front of me....you can't see my left-over baby gut, which is Still hanging around, despite the past 3 months of running my guts out every morning. Our little Bubber (3) patted my stomach a few days ago and told me "Mom, I think you've got another baby growing in there!" Thanks buddy!

New York State

2010-08-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken in a small town in upstate New York called Palmyra. It has historical significance for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which we are members of. The Kids look happy here, but really there trying to avoid touching any of the bushes, since the tour guide told us they had Poison Ivy growing everywhere! I'm not sure if there was really Poison Ivy, or if they were just trying to keep people on the path...either way, we stayed out of the bushes!
I had to put in this cute picture of Bushkin. She looks so sweet! In reality, she was showing her independence and trying to get out of following the tour group by pretending she couldn't hear me.

Spontaneous Awesomeness

2010-08-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

While scouting for lobsters (see yesterdays post), we came across this....the worlds largest armchair? I'm not sure...but it is pretty cool....How many people do you know who have seen this puppy? I'm thinking, 7.

Maine Lobsters

2010-08-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Of Course we had to get some fresh Lobster in Maine! But, since we went through in the morning, no restaurants were serving lobster for breakfast! Instead, we bought our own and decided to cook them ourselves for dinner.
The Kids were excited to try them, but not so excited about the 'boiling alive' part. We let each of the kids take turns holding them before dropping them into the pot while I sang "Lobst-a Kill-a!" (Go see the Movie Julie and Julia if you haven't already :)
Although they look excited to eat the little bugger in this picture, none of them were very impressed. I'm not sure if it was the idea of eating the little creature they had just kissed goodbye, or if they really didn't like the meat. The only one who ate any (after he initial taste), was little Bushkin (2), who porked out! The other kids ate cereal for dinner instead!

"I'll Get You my Pretty, And your little Dog Too!"

2010-08-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Salem, Mass.....The Witch trials! My kids were not very excited about this stop. But, as all you other parents can relate to, we enjoy torturing our children every once in a while for there own good! So, we forced them to watch a short history on the Salem Witch trials at the Witch History Museum. It was very interesting, and I think they watched the whole thing...with there ears plugged just in case! Besides, the other museums in town claimed to be run by "real" witches. Um, yeah, we avoided those.

It's a pretty cool looking building, but it was covered up for restoration while we were there, so we couldn't get a picture. Instead we took a picture across the street with this statue who my kids thought was a witch, but when I read the plaque I realized it was a statue of one of the first Pilgrims, and a puritan.....I'm sure he rolled over in his grave when I told my kids he was a witch....oh well, what they don't know wont hurt them!

Old Ironsides

2010-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Also in Boston, we toured the worlds oldest commissioned ship (there is actually a ship older, but it's in permanent dry dock, and it's not in the USA), which still sails about 4 times a year. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides," because the wood was so think that cannon balls would bounce of the sides without doing any damage. It's actual name is the USS Constitution, and we got to go inside, plus explore one of the best museums that we have been to on this whole trip...All about the ship, and the museum had a great interactive kids exhibit. They learned all about being a sailor; what they ate, wore, how they slept, and worked on the ship, it was a very wonderful museum. You can see how much it inspired Bubber by his sweet karate moves!

One if by land, Two if by Sea

2010-08-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got the Boston pictures uploaded...We had a wonderful time exploring the "freedom Trail," and teaching the kiddos about Paul Revere: "One if by land, two if by sea, and I on the opposite shore shall be..." This first photo is in an awesomely old Cemetery that the girls and I explored while Daddio waited with the littlest ones, who were sleeping in the stroller. I only wish I had thought to bring some paper and crayons to show them how to do grave rubbings, but there were pre-revolution graves here, and it was very neat.
Behind us here is the Old North Church, where the lanterns were hung so that Paul Revere, and others, could ride out to warn there fellow revolutionaries, "The British are coming!" As you see, both Brandon and I are in the photo, meaning we had a stranger take the picture. Stranger + technical camera = bad photos....oh well! I tried to mess with this one on photoshop, but this is the best I could do....at least you can see us now, where the original was so dark you couldn't tell who was in the pic!
And here's the Revere Home....he was actually a silversmith, and made a killing during the revolutionary war making canons. He also made bells. Interesting. He bought this home when it was 90 years old, so it way pre-dates the revolution, and is now the oldest home in Downtown Boston.

Exhausted

2010-08-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was trying to upload pictures of Boston, but it wasn't working out. I don't have very much technological patience, so if something doesn't upload in like 10 seconds, I give up. So, that's pretty much what I did tonight. But I did get this photo of my hubby and the Baby uploaded. These lucky buggers got to take a nap, while I took the girlies through Paul Reveres House. Also, Bubber and Bushkin slept in the stroller, but I didn't get there pic's.

At this point in our 'vacation,' this is how we all feel almost everywhere we go. If you've ever traveled anywhere with kids, I think you know what I'm talkin' about!

WARNING: Do NOT try this at home

2010-08-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Before I begin this post, I have to issue my WARNING: We are professional travelers...please, do not try this at home....

Yes, we are touring New York City with 5 KIDS! Crazy? Most likely. This was definitely
freakier than Disney World, and I was constantly counting all the kids, but we only spent 1 day here, so it wasn't too bad. Above is Times Square, and Below is the Statue of Liberty.
I love this picture of the kids looking at the beautiful lady liberty. Our little Bubber was the most excited to see this statue, since we had brought our oldest (Racer) here last November, and she had told all the other kids about the 'Giant Statue.' Well, of course the word "Giant" peaked his interest, and he kept asking if her toe was as big as our van.
The bad news was the wait to get onto the island was over 3 hours.....Good one. Waiting anywhere for 3 minutes is enough of a challenge with the 5 little ones. And, When I went on-line to buy tickets a couple weeks ago, they were all sold out for crown tickets (yes, you can go up in the crown, but you better plan like 8 months in advance--only 250 tickets per day, only 4 for family, only kids over 8), and they were also sold out of pedestal tickets, so basically it was a 3 hour wait to get onto the island, but not allowed to go into Lady Liberty or even into the museum there. BUT, there was no wait to go on the harbor cruise boat, which pulled right up in front. Plus, we got a boat ride, a narrated tour of the harbor, and we all got to sit down for 45 minutes instead of waiting, standing, in the hot sun, for 3 hours. I really enjoyed the cruise ride, and would do it again in a heartbeat, unless I had tickets to the crown.
The other favorite part of the day was riding the subways. Even of MORE interest to the kiddos was looking for rats in the subways, and we found plenty.
I know, I know, I've already gone on WAY to long, and everybody is tired of reading, if you even lasted this long, blah, blah, blah.....But, I loved this photo, so I wanted to stick it in, and I figure the kids Grandmas are enjoying the commentary, even if your not. But, if your not enjoying my little side notes, you're not reading my apology anyway, so it doesn't really matter...does it?

Independence Hall

2010-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

We drove from Washington D.C. to Philly, PA. You have to have tickets to tour Independence Hall, and we, of course, hadn't planned ahead enough. They do have tickets available every day, but they start giving them out at 8:00am...good one! Like We're going to make it there with the kiddo's! However, they were doing an open house without tickets in the evening, so we lucked out and got to tour it anyway. I'm so grateful to the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and all they sacrificed for the birth of our country.
The other American Icon here is the Liberty Bell, which used to hang in Independence Hall. You can Tell our little Bubber is not having as much fun as the rest of us. He's tired of going all these places where we have to tour, and walk, and keep quite, and not touch anything! He keeps asking "is this our last campground?" "When is our trip over?" Sorry, Bub...someday you'll thank us!

Mount Vernon, Washington's Home

2010-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

This was one of our favorite places the whole trip! George Washington was such an amazing man, and it was interesting to learn more about him. Plus, the estate is kept in wonderful condition, and they had a little scavenger hunt for the kids to participate in. The home is so simple, yet beautiful, and the tour guides were all well informed and very interesting. Brandon and I love old homes anyway.
Our other exciting thing was Limber lost her tooth here. She put it under her pillow, and the Tooth Fairy left her a note on a dollar bill, telling her all about Washington is the man on the dollar, but he didn't take good care of his teeth, so they all fell out and he had to use wooden ones! She thought that was pretty funny!

Washington DC

2010-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful day to visit Washington DC, a little overcast, so it was perfect for all the walking we had to do.
The bad news of the day was our littlest guy pooped all over his clothes, so he spent most of the day naked! I kept getting dirty looks from other moms and grandmas when it started raining. You know the look, the one that says "if you can't handle keeping your kids dressed in public you shouldn't have had so many."
But, despite the kids being completely finished with tours, and traveling, and walking, we had a wonderful day. It was sort of lucky that white house tours, capitol tours, and washington monument tours weren't available for the day (you've gotta plan months in advance, so FYI, if your coming, and contact your senator for tickets), because I think we would have had a mutiny! But we did enjoy the smithsonian, Ford Theater, Lincoln and Washington Monuments, and viewing the White House and Capitol buildings. There we're tons that we Didn't get to do, but considering our time frame, and our patience, it was a very full day.

Colonial WIlliamsburg

2010-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Visit colonial Williamsburg, and enjoyed walking up and down the street. We didn't actually pay for admission, so we couldn't go into the candlemakers shop, or the blacksmiths shop or things like that, but at this point are kids are tired of touring everything we see, so we only spent about and hour there. And, with 5 kids, admission costs add up quick...so we can't do everything.
My Hubby didn't really like it, but I had fun! The kids enjoyed it as long as we had plenty of water! Like I said earlier, there favorite part is looking for an ice cream shop!

Charlotte North Carolina

2010-07-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Charlotte, North Carolina....Home of Nascar. The kids enjoyed playing on this Race Theme Playground, but there were no races this weekend...we wanted to go to the Nascar Hall of Fame, and we even had free tickets....Thanks Dad! But due to my lack of planning ahead, and the fact that we have to lug our 34 ft. trailer around with us everywhere, we had to pass it up.
It will have to wait for next time we take a trip over here....with more time and less babies.

Greenville South Carolina

2010-07-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Greenville, South Carolina, for the night, and started looking for inexpensive things to do. We found this beautiful waterfall park, and spent hours playing in the water. There was a little nook behind the waterfall that the kids crawled behind, and the little Bushkin and Bubber were drinking the water like there was no tomorrow. Now, at this point in our vacation (and, basically, in my life), I'm far to worn out to worry about a little bit of dirty water, so I just let them drink away. I figure it's immune building.

But here's the kicker...as we're leaving the park Racer notices a sign that says "WARNING: Bacteria levels have been found to be above safe levels. You may become sick from swimming in the water." Three days later....Puke Fest, 2010! Bubber and Bushkin were up ALL night, throwing up over EVERYTHING. Pillows, sheets, sleeping bags, Mom, Dad, Couch, Brother, Jammies, Carpet, pretty much everything got doused EXCEPT the toilet. Anyone want to buy a used trailer?

The Varsity, Atlanta

2010-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it's been WAY too long since I updated my posts.....we've been booking it through the east coast the past couple weeks, and at night I'm pretty well exhausted. At any rate, we got to visit with our awesome family (Hey Ya'll), in Atlanta, Georgia, and they took us to "THE VARSITY," a awesomely famous Hot Dog Restaurant in the heart of Atlanta, across from the college.
So we pretty much all stuffed our faces, as you can see! Even our little guy got in on the action! The best part of the weekend with our family was they all wanted to hold the baby and play with the kids, so Brandon and I sort of got a vacation from our vacation...which was really nice. Also, special shout out to Claire, who figured out our baby's favorite song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." The 'Wee-ma-ways" work every time!

St. Augustine

2010-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

St. Augustine, FL claims to be the oldest city in the USA, of course, so does Jamestown, Plymouth, and some town in Texas....I guess history is a little bit subjective. It depends on whose telling the tale! We did enjoy learning about this old town, and walking the little street shops and (my kids favorite), looking for ice cream shops!
I love walking through old buildings and structures and thinking about the people who built them, lived and died in them. Maybe in 300 years future generations will walk through one of my homes and feel the love and happiness that I enjoyed there with my family.

Surfs Up, Dude

2010-07-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Surfs up in St. Augustine! We rented a Surf board so all the kids to try it out. The beach was perfect, small, long rolling waves. Brandon took all of the kids out, and then I took a turn as well. Go mamma, go mamma! All I can say, is it's a lot harder than it looks.
Of course, if little Bushkin can do it, then so can I. Funny little thing, she insisted on surfing as well. I LOVE this picture! It was a perfect day at the beach, the kind you never want to end.

Lost Tooth

2010-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our little Limber lost her first tooth! I can't believe she's getting so old. The neat thing is she lost it while we were at Disney World, so we figured Tinker Bell herself probably helped the tooth fairy pick it up.

Epcot Center

2010-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the worlds largest golf ball....at least that's what Epcot always reminds me of! By the time we made it here (our 4th day), every one was exhausted, hot and almost miserable. We took a ride on all the attractions, and made it 1/2 way around the world showcase before we threw in the towel and headed home. Of course, we couldn't go home too early, since the seven of us shut into a trailer, plus grandma and grandpa, is less than comfortable.
One of my favorite parts of Epcot are the awesome fountains. This one arches right over head, jumping from one fountain pad to the other. The kids loved playing in the water and trying to guess where it would jump next.

Disney Animal Kingdom

2010-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

None of us had ever been to Disney's Animal Kingdom before, but we all enjoyed it immensely. I think my favorite part of the day was the safari, (pictured is our close encounter with a giraffe) and the bird show. Initially I saw the bird show, and thought it would be a great excuse to sit down in the AC for 20 minutes....it turned out to be an outside show (no AC :(.... but it was well worth it, and was one of my favorite parts of Disney overall!

Disney World!

2010-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

We surprised the kids, and took them all to DisneyWorld! They were very excited, but more excited when Grandma and Grandpa showed up at our door!
Our first day we spent in the Magic Kingdom, and in spite of the crowds, heat, and humidity, we had a perfectly magical day! Of course, the day would have been a lot LESS magical, and more frustrating without the 4 extra pairs of hands we had in Grandma and Grandpa. It only took about 5 minutes at Disney World for Brandon and I to question our sanity in attempting to bring 5 small children to Disney, and 6 minutes to realize how invaluable it was to have Grandma and Grandpa with us...almost 1 adult per child!

The WORST and the BEST

2010-06-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

The worst thing that's happened on the trip so far: My 3 year old decided he could swim without a life jacket. If I make him wear it, he refuses to get in the water, and just sits on the side to watch. Now, in the long run, this is actually great, and he is becoming a great swimmer really fast. But, selfishly, this totally ruins my pool time, which wasn't that relaxing to begin with! I used to be able to get the baby to sleep, and the Bushkin distracted by something not int he water, and then I could read for a few minutes. But NOW I have to watch Bubber the whole time, since I'm freaked out he's going to drown.
The BEST thing that's happened so far: the Baby is sleeping through the night! Just look at that face, how could you not love him? Mom and Dad both are a LOT happier and well rested!

Camping in the Keys

2010-06-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

We got to camp in this cute little campground on Gieger Key, just about 10 miles from Key West. It was pretty small, but they had a little restaurant with a steel drum player, and our trailer backed right up to the ocean! It was fun to have a relaxed day with no where to go, and no driving. I took a vacation from cooking, so we had key lime pie (of course) and watermelon for lunch!
We spent the day snorkeling with the kids, and found so many awesome treasures! I've never found so many wonderful, beautiful things at the beach! The girls were so excited every time they found a shell or a starfish, and Brandon helped them dive deep enough to pick up the treasures themselves. I think we were far enough away from public beaches, that the waters here hadn't been picked over. They also found an old sunken treasure box, which they pulled out and discovered it was actually an old crab pot, with a lobster and some shells inside. Of course, I didn't remember to take a photo of it. They felt like real pirates, discovering treasure. In the photo with us is one of the little friends we made!

Key West, Florida

2010-06-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Key Largo, Montigo, baby we don't we go to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mamma.......something I don't...... how to get to Coco-mo, that's where we wanna go to get away from it all......." Yes, we did torture our children by singing this, or at least our partial version of this song, all the way from Key Largo to Key west! We had to get our picture taken at the "Southern-most Point" in the USA! I think the Northern, Western, and Eastern points are all in Alaska! Maybe someday....it's the only state I've never been to.
Every night they have a 'sunset party,' with street venders, performers, and food! The kids had a lot of fun watching the fire juggler, sword swallower, and the tuba player who was really bad, but had his dog collect all the money, so my kids loved it! And some random guy was there with a parrot, but at least he didn't charge us for a picture!
And not the best picture of the sunset, but you never know what you're gonna get when you ask a fellow tourist to snap a photo for you! After this picture was taken, we turned around to watch the last rays of the sun. Little Bubber was excited, "Oh, so that's where the sun hides!" We also walked the streets a little, but it's hard to browse through shops when you have a double stroller and 50 little sticky fingers touching everything! I told my hubby, 'this would be so fun without kids!' I think we say that everywhere we go! Of course, it's fun with our kids too, and I'm grateful for the memories we're making as a family. And all the work is worth it every time the kids eyes light up about something new we're seeing, doing, or tasting!

Sea to Shining Sea

2010-06-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Atlantic Ocean! We got into the Fort Lauderdale, FL area around 6:00 at night, unhooked our trailer, and had to drive around for about an hour until we found a public beach. We swam and played for about an hour, and the kids had a blast finding shells and cool rocks and such. The water was so warm, the waves were small enough that everyone got to swim!
So now it's official, we've made it across the entire country! Of course, we didn't start on the west coast, but we did take our kids to the Oregon coast a year ago, so now they've all been 'from sea to shining sea;' except for the baby! Someday he'll reach the pacific, and then it'll be official for him! We really live in an amazing country, I hope each of us will do our part to keep it so wonderful! So look around your area for somebody you can help, or even just share a smile with....and don't forget your own family!

Weeki Wachee Mermaids

2010-06-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to see some real live mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, in Spring Hill, Florida. We got to have our photo taken with one, and watch them put on the play "The Little Mermaid" in there underwater theater. The sad news was the show had to end early because of technical difficulties....my guess is a shark swam up into the spring!
We also got to take a little river cruise and watch an animal show, where we learned about alligators, toads, and snakes that are native to Florida. Then the kids got to pet one of the baby alligators! We just spent a couple hours at the park, which was plenty of time. It was fun, but also a little run down. They do, however, have a mini water park where you can go swimming, but it was over twice as much for admission, so we just opted for the mermaid shows. If I was going to do it again, we'd do the water park and everything.

Giant Turtle!

2010-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dad found this awesomely huge turtle on his run this morning, of course upstaging the turtle that I found a month ago! Oh well! We're in Sarasota, FL....and our campground host informed us that they have a couple alligators living in there lake! The kids were excited because we told them the first one to see an alligator gets a t-shirt. Of course, it makes me nervous, so I wont let the kids outside without me. But, I do hope we get to see him before we take off!

Thomasville, Georgia

2010-06-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

When we were in Tallahasee, we took a quick day trip up to Thomasville, Georgia. It's a cute little shopping town, and they have different festivals throughout the year. Of course, there's not much going on in the summer, since it's the 'off' season here....not very many tourists are crazy enough to brave the high humidity and heat of the Florida Summer! And even though I have never sweat so much in my entire life, we try to look for the positive! Like, how much easier it is to loose weight when you sweat off 5 pounds a day, and also what a great excuse to search out all the ice cream parlors wherever we go!

Helen Keller's Birthplace

2010-06-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Our 8 year old had learned about Helen Keller this year in school, so she was excited when we got to come see her house. We learned a little bit more about her and her family, and what an amazing person she actually was, and super smart!
Of course, I have to sing the praises of Annie Sullivan, who was her teacher, and companion until the day that she died. It wouldn't have mattered how smart Helen was if her parents hadn't found such a competent and patient lady to help Helen learn. Here we are at the famous "Water Pump," where Helen learned her first word "water," and began to understand the hand signs Annie had been teaching her were actually the names of things, and a way for her to communicate.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

I get to pay tribute to 2 great men in my life today! First, the Father of my kids, who does so much for me and our family! I really don't know what, or how, to say all of the things he does for us. This picture pretty much wraps it up! Actually, he's got it easy in this picture....usually he's corralling all the 4 big kids, and all their stuff, while I get to hold the baby (notice, he's even smiling!). He puts the kids and myself first every day, every minute, in everything. I wish there was more I could do for this wonderful man, and wonderful father. I'm so grateful. I thought I knew what a wonderful man he was when I married him, but every year I grow to appreciate him more and more!
And, of course, a tribute to my own father! Shown here with my youngest, and his youngest grandchild out of 11! I would have put a better picture in, but he has a goofy camera smile! (sorry dad, but you do!) I can't say enough good things about my own dad, who I gain more and more appreciation for now that I am a parent! All my childhood memories are full of love and happiness. My dad always put his children first, and he always had time to play with us. I'm grateful for his patience and wisdom that have guided me, and helped me become the person I am today. Hopefully, as I continue to grow up, I can become more like him. I don't know if you're reading my blog today or not, but I love you, daddy.

I hope all my readers are having an equally awesome Fathers Day, and hopefully you all have wonderful men in your life to celebrate as well.

Vinyl USA map

2010-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

We try lots of different things to help our kids learn about where we are and what we're doing, and one of our favorites is the Vinyl US map on the side of our trailer. It helps us keep track of where we've been, and gives the kids a visual on where we live, where we are now, where grandma and grandpa are, stuff like that! The only down-side is the kids all want to put every state on, and since Dad and I can't remember who did what state last, we get a little arguing! Sometimes Dad even sneaks out and puts the state on before the kids remember....I know, I know, we're bad....but our mental health counts for something!

NASA Space Center in Huntsville Alabama

2010-06-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

We stayed only over night in Hunstville, and we're not able to go into the space center due to time, but we walked all around and saw rockets, space ships, and this bomber jet....or whatever it is. My husband always like to do 'karate' poses to support our little 3 year old...so that's whats going on here!
And, we had a better picture of the whole rocket, but there was a glare or something, so our heads were blocked out by whitish something....I'm obviously not a photographer, and although I have a nice camera, it can't compensate for my ignorance! Anyway, once I found out how much the Kennedy space center costs ($50-$80...yikes!), I wish we would have gone here, where admission is $25 for adults, and $18 or something like that for kids. So, if you're traveling to or near alabama, it's probably worth the stop!

Ginormous S'mores

2010-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent a little care package for the kids that included these GINORMOUS MARSHMALLOWS! The photo doesn't even do justice...they are at least 4 times bigger than the normal marshmallow. So, we had a family s'more roast, and everybody got good and sticky!
These Marshmallows are made by "Campfire" and are called "Giant Roasters." I have no idea where she found them, but I'm sure you could find some on-line. Anyway, these are not only giant, they are also the best marshmallows I've ever had...and super soft, they are easy to roast to perfection! So, If you're planning a camping trip this summer, these are a must!

Family Bonding

2010-06-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

As with any family vacation, after a few days, or weeks, as the case may be, everybody starts getting on each others nerves. Especially when you're all living in a sardine can! My poor kids all sleep in this one tiny room at the back of our trailer in bunk beds, so they really have no personal space. Especially little Bubber, whose bed is consistently invaded by little sister Bushkin. She has not learned how to stay in her bed yet, so getting everybody to sleep each night is always a challenge. Once the door closes she goes on a rampage. Pulling down her big sisters blankets, pinching her big brother, crawling all over her big brother, getting into big brothers treasure box, dumping out all the socks, undies and jammies.....you get the idea! Usually this only goes on for 10 minutes or so, and then she falls asleep, but heaven forbid she should take a nap---then she could be up for an hour or two! This happens at least once a week!

And our poor little guy gets the brunt of it! Sometimes he falls asleep amid the whirling dervish of death (I have no idea how), and then Bushkin will crawl up into his bed and sleep with him!
Sometimes I feel like I spend my whole day scolding, or correcting, or time-outing, or refereeing, or what-ever-elsing that's not pleasant....then I get little moments like the 2 above, and I figure it's all pretty much worth it. And maybe I'm not such a bad mom after all. Or maybe it has nothing to do with my mothering, and everything to do with my 5 wonderful kids, who pretty much are the best kids in the world, in spite of me!

Corvette Museum

2010-06-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Bowling Green, Kentucky. I just think that's a beautiful name. It sounds British or something. In fact, we weren't planning on going into Kentucky yet, if at all, this summer, but when I read Bowling Green on the map I wanted to come here! Since I'm the navigator (me and our GPS) we came!

We brought the kids to the Corvette museum...we wanted to take the Corvette factory tour, but you have to be at least 7 years old, so that pretty much ruled it out! We did get to learn about corvettes, and pictured is us with an original 1953 corvette! You have to admit, they're pretty cute!

If I look tired in all these pictures, it's because I am. All you mom's know what I'm talking about! We're all having fun (me included!) but it's exhausting for Dad and Mom. We've been on the road for about 5 weeks and I'm ready for a vacation!

President Lincoln Birthplace

2010-06-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

The kids enjoyed visiting Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace at Sinking Spring Farm in Kentucky. The bummer was that the memorial building where the 'one room log cabin' is was closed for renovation. The Super-Bummer was the National Parks department recently discovered that the cabin they have on display (the one we didn't get to see), isn't the original log cabin. Oh well!
The fun thing was seeing the "sinking Spring" for which the farm is named. Very cool! I wish I had this where I lived! It was just beautiful, and I could imagine myself gathering my water for washing and drinking here!
Then we drove about 8 miles to Lincoln's Boyhood home on Knob creek. Here, as a boy, he almost drowned, and was saved by his best friend. The cabin pictured is the original cabin of his friend, which the parks department moved here to the Lincoln farm. After the Lincoln's left here, they moved to Illinois, where most people believe Lincoln is from....probably because they claim to be "The Land of Lincoln!"

2010-06-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

We got to spend the weekend in Cave City, Kentucky. It's actually a pretty cute little town with lots to do. Mini golf, amusement park, dinosaurs, stuff like that! But the main attraction is Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth cave is the longest cave in the world, over 350 miles...I don't remember exactly. Sometimes it's hard to hear the tour guide when you're watching 5 kids :) It was very interesting...we learned about how the cave used to be mined for salt peter, which is used in Gun Powder. There are still mining tools, pipes, and boxes from pre-cival war era in the cave. In mining salt peter they use water to filter through the dirt until it's all "petered out," which is where that term comes from!

We've been reading "Tom Sawyer" to the kids at night, so they were imagining how scary it would have been for Tom and Becky to be stuck inside the cave, with no light. Our little Bubber kept wanting to go to where the lights ended and stare off into the void....he thought the total darkness was pretty scary!

Jackson, Tennessee

2010-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Jackson Tennessee is home to the Casey Jones village, where you can learn all about how Casey Jones gave his own life to save the lives of the many passengers on his train. There is a museum there, and Casey Jones home, which you can tour for about $5 per person. The village has several train cars around, a few shops, and the cutest little country store, I wanted to buy everything! Luckily for my husband, we are greatly limited on space in our travel trailer!
We also visited another train museum in the town, which was free. We like doing all the 'free' things, since with 7 people admission prices add up really quick! This museum was small, but cute. Located in the original train station, we got to look through an old passenger car and caboose, pull the train whistle (way to many times), and learn all about trains! They have mini electric trains that drive all around one room, with scenes, people, train yards, and villages where you get to play "I spy" using a list they have prepared. My kids loved this. You have to admit, trains really are cool!

Mississippi River Model

2010-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

This was a really cool thing in Memphis, and totally free...if you don't mind walking across the footbridge. They also have a monorail that takes people across for a small fee, but we walked over, and it wasn't too far.

It's on a little island in the middle of the Mississippi River, and is called "Mud Island Park." It's full of biking trails and such, but we spent our time playing in a scale model of the Mississippi River. It's very detailed, including elevations, cities, bridges, dams, flood areas, spillways, and where the rivers that feed the Mississippi come from. At the end of the river, in New Orleans, is the delta area, a fountain, and a pond where you can rent paddle boats. It was the perfect way to cool off after a long, hot and humid day! So, next time your in Memphis, make this a planned stop!

Graceland, baby

2010-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

No visit to Memphis, TN is complete without a tour of Graceland! It was interesting to see the Home of Elvis Presley, purchased when he was 22 years old. It's actually a very modest home, considering who owned it!
We got to see a lot of his costumes, and also his groovy 'street' clothes, plus the 'jungle room,' decorated in faux fur and green shag on the floor AND the ceiling!
His 2 airplanes...the awesomest being the 'Lisa Marie,' with dining room, 3 TV's, and seat belts plated with 24 Karat gold. Even the queen size bed in the back room had a seatbelt going all the way across...plated in gold!

My kids just kept saying how they thought their uncle looked just like Elvis (this is due to his frequent Elvis impersonations!). I fixed Elvis's favorite 'Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches' for lunch, which went over pretty well! The kids all enjoyed the day, but by bedtime they were pretty much fed up with me insisting they say "Thank you, thank you very much," in there best Elvis Accent every time their dad or I gave them something!

June Calendar

2010-06-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here's My Calendar for June! The picture didn't work out as well as the actual calendar, it's a blue swirl background filled with sand and seashells. I wish I had some more sea shells to put in....next year! My favorite Calendar page is actually my July Page, so check back next month!
And here's the one for May...I forgot to put it in last month. I used 4" Daisy's from Twigglebox.com. Only .99 each, or $8.99 per dozen, these are on a clip, so when your done with your calendar page, you can use them for your hair!

For a Calendar tutorial, see how I made mine Here!

Have a great day!

2010-05-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Of course we had to buy Mardi Gras masks in the french quarter of New Orleans. I hope I get to come back and enjoy this interesting city someday soon without kids! Walking up and down old streets and browsing shops in 100 degree weather with 90% humidity is not fun with 5 little ones!
But we did get to enjoy a river boat cruise, and learn a little bit of history about the war of 1812.
Frog Legs, Alligator, Turtle Soup and crawfish for dinner? We made the kids try them all, and I'm surprised they actually did! Of course, we didn't tell them what they were eating until after it was down the hatch!
Mom wanted to spend some time in one of the old cemeteries, which are so interesting and beautiful! The above ground tombs make the cemeteries quite the site! My kids were good sports, even though I think they were scared spit less. I think this graveyard brought back memories from the Scooby-Doo movie "Big scare in the Big Easy," where they're chased through a graveyard like this by mean ghosts!
They were more excited about the Sculpture garden in New Orleans City Park, where nothing is scary! I wanted to make sure our family got a picture by this famous "Love" statue.....but FYI, your not supposed to climb on the statue. I'm glad we got our picture before we found out!

2010-05-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is where I want my new home to be! We got to tour this marvelous plantation, and drove by to view several more. The "Oak Alley" plantation is my favorite because of the beautiful setting. I wish I could live here!

Viewing all these beautiful building made me wish I could travel back in time and take a riverboat ride up the Mississippi river, which used to be dotted with plantations and sugar cane farms on either side. Now the river levees are so high it blocks the view of everything on the river banks. Too bad.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2010-05-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

We went to visit the Old State Capitol Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The photo above is of the beautiful stain glass windows in the ceiling. Also, just this year they were doing remodeling, and they found a hidden room behind one of the walls that had been converted into a cell during the civil war. It's not part of the main tour, and only available to show upon request, so if you're going to visit, make sure to ask about the cell in the "dungeon!"
Outside of the Capitol building they have this beautiful Virginia Live Oak tree, which we enjoyed climbing on with the kids. I want one of these trees in my yard! Too bad they take 300 years to get like this!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Randomly selected Winner of our $40 CSN gift card is (drumroll!)

Stephanie!

Check out her Blog, which features giveways, HERE (http://thegrantsgiveaways.blogspot.com/) Thanks, everyone who participated...I've tried to visit all your blogs and leave comments, but I haven't gotten to everybody yet. I hope you'll stay my "friend" and keep checking back to find out about our travels, and future promotions for our on-line store and giveaways coming up! Thanks so much!

2010-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Our favorite part of the trip so far...SWIMMING! Everyone loves it...except maybe The Baby! It's the best way to escape the super-humidity of the south! Right now we're in Louisiana, and headed to New Orleans.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a $40 gift card to CSN stores! Have a great day!

Day whatever...Hot Springs, Arkansas

2010-05-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

We left Little Rock for Hot Springs, which I was afraid would be stinky, like most hot springs are, but surprisingly, these springs don't smell at all! Which was wonderful. Here are my kids sitting by one of the springs. We tried to put our feet in, but it was too hot for us! The earth truly is incredible. I'm constantly amazed at all the natural diversity here in our country.

Here's the kids at the original bath house...where people would come to be 'cured' of anything from a cold to paralysis. Good luck! Of course, the bath houses now don't claim to cure anything, and offer all sorts of spa services. We didn't actually take a bath, my kids were to enthralled with Radio Disney on site (which is why they're not looking at the camera in the first picture).
We enjoyed music, dancing, and games with a crew from Radio Disney, and won some stickers, bookmarks, and other prizes. It was fun, but also very hot, so it wasn't too long before we retired to the pool!

Travel Tip: Look OUTSIDE candy Jar!

2010-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so after 3 weeks of traveling in the car, almost every day, I started feeling bad about all the beautiful, interesting, fun and exciting things that my kids were missing out on as we drove by. They were too busy watching a movie (not that I'm knocking DVD players for the car, I love them!), coloring, reading, vomiting, or arguing with each other. If Dad or I pointed out something interesting, by the time they actually looked out the window, we had passed it. So my hubby, awesome dad that he is, came up with the Jelly Bean Jar Idea!

The Rules are pretty basic. The kids try to find interesting things OUTSIDE of the car, and if they're the first person to see something cool, they get a jelly bean! Of course, Dad and I are the ULTIMATE judges of what is really cool, and (sorry Limber) signs and trees DO NOT count! I painted a jar with the words "I Spy, See my Eye," since that's what Bushkin (2) says whenever we play I Spy.

This has really opened my kids eyes to see the beautiful things around them. However, I caution any readers who use this idea. It can be irritating when your 3 and 5 year old yell out every half a second whenever they see a sign; "look, a sign with a bear on it," "Look, a sign with a letter A on it," "Look,....you get the idea! But it's worth putting up with the silly stuff (which they don't get rewarded for), since we found a way to get them to interact with the world around them.

Day 20 & 21, Little Rock, Arkansas

2010-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

We got into little Rock Wednesday evening, and enjoyed a beautiful bike ride along the riverfront, where they have great bike paths. The next Day was Rainy (again!), but the afternoon cleared up and we took the Kids to see Central High School (pictured above), which is the school famous for the desegregation battle in 1957. I'm sure you've all seen it in school. It was a great opportunity to teach our kids about equality, and how far our country has come. It was a good reminder to Brandon and I of all the things we take for granted, not only equality, but all the blessings of our country. We live in such an 'easy,' wonderful time, it's hard to remember the sacrifices made by thousands before us that make our lifestyle today what it is.
Well, I loved the little rock riverfront bike path, and Central High was interesting, but the best part of Little Rock was definitely this Old Mill! It was in a beautiful little park, and we had dinner here, and probably spent 3 hours just relaxing and looking around. It's actually a replica, but was built in 1930, and was in the opening filming of "Gone With the Wind." I wish I could build my house right next door! This is definitely worth the stop!

Oh, and here's a picture of the little guy, requested by Grandma! He's getting so big! I tried to get one of his cute smile, but he wasn't going for it! Love you.

Day 19, Fort Smith Arkansas

2010-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have a nice day! We actually had a couple sunny days in a row! My kids found a bunch of blackberries by the river that ran through our campground. We spent the morning picking berries, and got to eat them for dinner, and in muffins the next morning.
Some of us didn't make it back home with any blackberries, but we sure enjoyed eating them along the way!

Never Shop When Your Hungry!

2010-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to pick up a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread at the store, and I ended up coming home with all of that. This is especially bad since we live in a trailer, and I have to fit it all into my limited pantry and fridge space (shown below), both of which were already full.

But, I'm happy to say I fit it all in! Well, I might have cheated just a little bit, I moved some of our bulkier and less used stuff, like flour and sugar, into a bottom cupboard, and stored some of the cereal bags under our bed, but you do what you gotta do!

Caterpillar Birthday Party Decorations

2010-05-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is my last post from the Caterpillar Birthday Party. My 3 yr old Bubber actually made this up all on his own! He came up with the idea, and taped all the balloons up. I drew the face, but everything else was completely him!

Day 17, Eureka Springs

2010-05-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

We Stayed in the Cute little town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. But, I forgot to take a picture, sorry! It's a got a cute little shopping district, and it's a small town in North West, AR, a cute stop it your in the area!

However, I did find this little turtle on my morning run. I saved his life because he was trying to cross the highway, and was about 30 seconds away from becoming Road Pizza. The kids enjoyed playing with him for a couple of hours until we had to leave, and we let him go--far away from the road!

$40 Giveaway with CSN Stores!

2010-05-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to offer all my readers and customers a chance to WIN a

$40 gift certificate

to any CSN store. They have over 200 on-line stores, and you can use your gift to purchase tons of different products, from Health and Fitness, to Kids, to Furniture and housewares, to home improvement items like this awesome pendant (my favorite color is Orange!), which is actually part of a track lighting set. Go figure! But, if you love this pendant as much as I do, or even if orange isn't your thing, go check out their stores, I promise you'll find something perfect for you or your home!

It's easy to enter! You just have to be my follower and comment on this post that you're following me.

If you want more than one chance to enter, follow my facebook, twitter, or sign up for my eNewsletter at twigglebox.com. If you want 2 entries (wow!) post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post! Then leave a comment and let me know you posted this giveaway, with a link back to the post on your blog. So, leave your comment below, and Good Luck!

This Giveaway starts Now, and ends next Thursday, May 27th. The giveaway is only open to US and Canadian residents. To the Winner- Please remember that there may be shipping charges or international fees for certain products when ordering your item.

2010-05-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to upload pictures of our stay in Branson, Missouri. We had a great time there, and there is plenty to do! I don't know about all of you, but we're BIG Dukes of Hazzard Fans in our family, so we were excited when we saw Cooter's store full of Merchandise and Collectibles! Here's one of the Dukes cars...Limber wanted to climb in through the windows, but she had to settle for climbing in the window of our van!
And here we are at the Dixie Stampede show. We had to pick one show, since it gets a little pricey taking all of us anywhere! And besides, our 3 little ones have very short attention spans! But we took them to this dinner show, where there is a big arena, and you get to eat with your fingers (perfect!), and watch real horses, pigs, chickens, dancers, lot of things going on! Even the little Bushkin made it through!

Caterpillar Birthday Party Cheese Ball

2010-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

I made these Cute little Cheese Ball Caterpillars for treats at the party, and served them with Triscuts and Wheat Thins. I would include the recipe here, but the main ingredient, Rocca Blue Cheese, is made by Kraft Foods, and they discontinued that line of cheese....so if anybody has a good cheese ball recipe, I'm interested! The antenna's are raisins on toothpicks. Easy, and Yummy! I also made little ice cream caterpillars out of pistachio ice cream, but none of the pictures I took of those turned out. Maybe next time!

Caterpillar Birthday Party Invitations

2010-05-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

I made these for the invitations to my 2 yr. olds birthday. Sort of a spin off on the Very Hungry Caterpillar. It says:

On Monday, the Very Little Caterpillar ate ONE Raspberry

On Tuesday she ate TWO Peaches

On Wednesday she ate THREE Blueberries

On Thursday the Very Little Caterpillar ate FOUR apples

On Friday she ate FIVE Strawberries

On Saturday she had a birthday party at 10:00 and she invited YOU!

and then she ate one piece of cake, two bowls of ice cream, three brownies, four cupcakes, five cups of punch, six bars of chocolate, seven pieces of candy.....

On Suday she had a tummy ache, so she ate one nice green leaf, and went to bed!

RSVP Hollie: and my number
Here's the "Envelope" I put it in. I cut out two sheets of paper in the shape of a leaf with a bite taken out of it, and then I sewed around the edge with green thread. The invite folds up acordian style, and I slipped it in between the sheets. I was really pleased with the way it turned out. Hope you like it too!

2010-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I finally get a chance to post some 'craft' posts, since we're not doing anything in this ginormous rain storm! Here's my 'Caterpillar Cake' from my Bushkin's 2 year old Birthday party. It's made out of the 'mini ball pan' by Wilton, and was super easy, only a little time consuming. But I made one caterpillar segment for each guest, and it turned out really cute. The only problem was the cake board....I wanted to cover it in green fondant, but I had to make it so large to hold the cake, that it just didn't make sense. Anyway, the board is cut like a leaf with a 'bite' out of it. Our party Theme was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," and the party was simple, but fun!

Day 12, St. Louis Missouri

2010-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a Beautiful day in St. Louis! We got to discover what a beautiful city this really is. I definitely want to come back someday soon....there is so much for families to do, and most of it is FREE! Here is Bushkin watching flamingos at the St. Louis Zoo. This is probably the most beautiful Zoo I've ever been too, and it's completely free! We had a wonderful time.
Here we are at the St. Louis Science Museum (also completely free!), watching a giant Ball shoot....I'm not sure what the 'technical' name is, it's like a giant marble maze, roller-coaster thing! We spent hours here learning about arches, buildings, earthquakes, tornados, dinosaurs, and lots more! You don't even feel bad about paying for parking ($9), since everything there is Free, and excellent. It's totally hands on, there are also optional exhibits, and and Imax that do cost money, but there was plenty to keep my kids busy, and they already want to go back. One word of advice...don't go during school hours....we had to 'compete' with HUNDREDS of school children, so if you've got the chance, go after 2:00!

Today we're in Springfield, but we can't enjoy any of their parks or fun places since it's pouring rain, and is supposed to rain for the next 4 days (flood warnings!) It kind-of ruins the trip when your stuck inside a tiny trailer, with 5 kids, for 3 days! I think everybody's patience is wearing thin, expecially moms! Next we're headed to Branson, and then to Arkansas. Anybody know of great places we should stop in Arkansas? Any place where it doesn't rain---EVER!?!

Day 11, in Missouri

2010-05-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday We went to Hannibal, Missouri, which is the birthplace of Mark Twain, Author of Tom Sawyer. So, Here we are in front of his boyhood home, whitewashing the fence! Just like in the book! They also have a fun museum, a tour of his home and 'becky thatchers' home, and 1 mile down the road is the Mark Twain Cave, and another cave that you can tour. This was a cute stop, but if I was to go again, I would plan going for one of their festivals like "Twain on Main," memorial Day weekend, or their 4th of July Celebrations.

Yesterday We enjoyed the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and learned a little bit more about Lewis and Clark. It's hard to get a picture of the whole arch, but we gave it our best shot!
We rode up to the top of the arch in one of these little 'pod' things....not the best photo of my kids, but it was hard to get a decent one!
Here we are at the top of the arch, 630 feet up! When we but our little Bushkin up there, she Freaked out. She cried and whimpered. Then I looked over, and it made my tummy drop! It didn't even phase the other kids. We all enjoyed it, but I think the kids liked the ride up and down, when we got to eat taffy that we had bought at there little 1880's gift store.

Happy Mother's Day and Travel Day 8

2010-05-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a wonderful mothers day! My gifts ranged from Bubber giving me a rusty hose end and a flashlight (his treasures), to Racer's book she wrote for me, and my 6 yr old, Limber, taking me on a walk to release her pet butterflies.

Today we spent in a restored 1840's town called Historic Nauvoo, in Nauvoo, Illinois run by the LDS church. The kids got to learn about making candles (we got to take some home!), clothes, bread, rugs, lots of other things! We made our own rope (we got to keep!), learned about barrels and wheels, watched a blacksmith make a horseshoe (which we got to keep), and leaned how the bricks for the city were made (we got one of those too!). We also learned about the people who built and lived in the town. Very interestering and interactive.
We also got to see the Restored Nauvoo Temple, and here is the beautiful building. I hope you all had a wonderful mothers day too!

Day 7

2010-05-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday and today were travel days...with a lot of time behind the wheel. Luckily, just when we were about to have a breakdown, we found these stickers that our friends gave us in a 'travel care package' before we left. Thanks Shelece! I think they kept little Bushkin busy for about an hour!

At least of little guy slept the whole drive! And so did our bigger guy! He looks comfy!

I think my kids have some sort of disorder, where they can't sleep in past 6:00am. I'm not sure if this is a permanent condition, or a temporary issue that goes away once they become teenagers. I just want to know when they learn the meaning of 'Saturday!' I think I slept about 3 hours last night.

2010-05-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

So, here we are at the Badlands National Park...I wasn't sure what to expect with a name like that, but if really was beautiful! The only think Bad about it was the 20 miles of dirt road we had to drive through...I should have taken a picture of our van and trailer, they were covered with mud. It took my hubby at least an hour to wash it off when we pulled into camp. The day was overcast, and the picture doesn't even do justice, it was a beautiful national park. I am constantly amazed at the beauty all around me and throughout our wonderful country.

And the moment you've all been waiting for! The Corn Palace! The entire side of the building is covered in corn...corn husks, corn cobs, it's really very beautiful. Then the top has these cement, painted finials (my husband took this picture, he's great at a lot of things, but I guess not at photography!). Anyway, it's a pretty neat stop if you're ever in the middle of South Dakota with nothing else to do!

Thanks for keeping up with our adventures. If you know of a place or attraction you'd like us to review, let us know. If we can, we'll stop by and see it!

Children's Handprint Necklace

2010-05-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Level: Easy! Time: 30 min

This was a fun craft to make with my kids! Again, if your short on time, it makes a quick, easy, and inexpensive mothers day gift.

Supplies:

Shrinky Dink Paper (make sure this is the rough type, that stamps work on)

Necklace Chain

Jump Rings or "O" rings

1. Stamp your childs hand onto the shrinky dink paper (Rough side). Do as many prints as you'd like. I did 3 of each of my children's hands, for me and for their grandma's.

2. Cut out as close to the print as possible, and punch a hole in the palm of the hand, near the edge.

3. Bake according to directions (I love this part!)

4. Attach to chain using Jump Rings, or "O" rings.

5. Tell your mom/grandma/friend "World's best Mom, Hands Down!" Get it!?!

Mothers Day Craft, Super Easy

2010-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is a Super Easy, cheap, and quick Mothers Day gift. So, just in case you haven't gotten anything for your mothers yet (or grandmothers, or if you need to tip off your hubby and kids), this only takes like 10 minutes. All you need is:

A photo

A Mat and Frame (mine was under $10)

A stamp pad

Have everyone in the family ink up their hands, then stamp them on the mat. If you're family is smaller than mine, have them stamp multiple times....if they're bigger use 2 colors of ink, and overlap the hands.

I like the stamps better than paint because it shows all the prints. The little ones are tricky, you may need help! Have fun, and don't forget to make one for yourself (I did!)

Day 4

2010-05-05T19:51:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the FREE dinosaur park in Rapid City. If you've never been to Rapid City, this is a MUST for everybody. Old, young, big families, small families...there is so much to do here, and we have enjoyed ourselves immensely, despite the freezing weather. I think we could spend a month here and never be bored. Today we enjoyed the dinosaur park, and panned for gold, where we met the most interesting man who used to be a stunt double! He talked, and talked, and talked, and talked (get the picture), then when we left, he gave his autographed picture and his address. I'll have to send him our Christmas card. The kids loved panning for gold, but somehow I lost the photos, or maybe I just thought I took them, but didn't really...I love digital, but I Hate it too.
This is Wall Drug, who survived the depression by giving away free water, and now there just a huge store, with weird things all around, like this dinosaur who comes to life and roars every 12 minutes. My girls where scared to death, but the Boy used his Spider Man, Karate moves to scare the dinosaur and put him back to sleep. Whew, thanks buddy! Onward and upward....next is the badlands national park and the Corn Palace...ever heard of it? You'll have to come back to find out! (P.S. Happy Cinco De Mayo, We had burritos for dinner)

Day 3

2010-05-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rushmore! This would have been more fun if it wasn't FREEZING here. We woke up this morning to 2 inches of snow (global warming, anyone?). The temp today was about 40 degrees, with super high winds, so our stay at Rushmore wan't as long as we had hoped. You know what else Freezing temperatures mean? 5 Kids INSIDE our 32 foot Trailer. This was the first test of Mom's patience...I was hoping it wouldn't come so soon.
Mt. Crazy Horse, we got to visit here after Rushmore. It wasn't any warmer (obviously), but one can hope. Tomorrow is supposed to be colder, we shall see! Don't forget to vote here, top left, on if you think we're crazy, awesome, or wish you could come! I voted for awesome, but now I'm thinking, Crazy :)

Day 1 and 2

2010-05-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

These 2 days were mostly travel days, the First Night we stayed in the small town of Reed Point, Montana. I ran around the entire town 5 times in 29 minutes. No, really, this is not an exaggeration. And, I'm not a very fast runner. Our trip so far has been pretty uneventful (if you don't count 2 kids throwing up in the car, baby diaper blow out, baby spit up, and my hubby dropping the stroller on my head when he was getting it out of the car---I think this was an accident).
The second day we stopped at the Battle at Little Big Horn Monument. You can see my 3 yr old, The Boy, doing Karate Moves in all these photos. I think we can pretty much expect this for the entire summer. He told me "Mom, I'm trying to shoot webs like Spider Man, but I can't shoot real webs." My 8 Year old, Racer, told him, "Oh, that's because Spider Man didn't learn how to shoot webs until he was 12." Of course, this was a perfectly rational explanation for a 3 year old, and I only wondered why I didn't think of it first!

Twiggle On Tour

2010-05-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

I haven't been posting lately, because I have been getting ready for THIS! Our family (and business) is hitting the road this summer to promote our website, expand our Personalized Hair Barrette line, and Share the beauty of our wonderful country with our children.

So we're traveling from May 1st to September 1st, with our 5 children (ages 8, 6, 3, 1, and 2 months old!) Some people think we're crazy, some think we're Awesome, and some wish they could come along! Stay tuned for our posts and see where we're traveling and what we're experiencing.

I'll still be posting crafts periodically, but for the summer the blog will mostly be about our travels. So please join us! Oh, and If you happen to see our obnoxious van traveling your way, grab our FREE SHIPPING code off the side! We're currently headed toward Mt. Rushmore! See you there.

Giveaway with I'm Topsy Turvy!

2010-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a giveaway for a great new Craft Blog called "I'm Topsy Turvy" at imtopsyturvy.blogspot.com. All you have to do is visit my website, twigglebox.com, to sign up for our newsletter and let Ashlee at I'm Topsy Turvy know what colors you'd want in the comments! We're giving away a Fairy Wing, Tutu, and Personalized Hair Barrette set! Perfect for Birthday's, Dress up, or Gifts! So follow the links to enter, and I hope you win!

Book Purse

2010-04-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Level: Medium Time: 1 hour

I LOVE this! I couldn't decide which book cover I liked best, so I made lots! I can't claim this idea, because I saw it on another blog, but I can't remember the name...Panda something, so if this was you, let me know and I'll link this post up with yours.

Anyway, if you know how to sew, this is pretty easy.

Supplies:

A hard back book (I bought mine at the thrift store for .50 each)

About 1/2 yard of fabric (I'm not sure, I just used scraps)

E600 craft glue

1. First, tear all the pages out of the book. This is painful, I know, but there are plenty of book pages crafts you can use these for!

2. Lay the book out on your fabric and measure it. I just traced it with a disappearing fabric pen. I forgot to take a picture of this. Then make sure you ADD 1/2" TO EACH SIDE for a seam allowance. I cut out 4 pieces for the book cover (2 for the front, 2 for the back), 2 for the spine, and then 2 triangle pieces for the purse sides. You measure the width of the spine, go up at a 90 angle the width of the cover, and then decide how far you want to purse to open and make the "top" of the triangle that wide. Then cut a straight line from the top to the spine (don't forget to add 1/2 inch to each side for a seam allowance.).

3. Sew the pieces together. Your actually making 2 'purses,' and then you'll sew those together at the end to make sure all seams are enclosed. I sewed the spine to the 2 triangle sides, then sewed the book cover pieces (front and back) to these...the corners can get a little tricky, but just do your best! Now you should have 2 'purses.'

4. Make the handles by sewing 2 strips of fabric, 2 1/2" wide, by as long as you want your handles to be. Fold the strip in half long ways, then fold the rough edges under 1/4 inch, and topstitch near the edge.

5. Place your 2 purses right sides together, one inside of the other. Pin the handles INSIDE the two purses and on opposite sides of the purse.

6. Add velcro or a snap to the top center of the purse to keep it closed.

7. Sew around the top, leaving a 2-3" space along one of the sides to turn the purse right side out. Trim the corners, then turn the purse. Top stitch or slip stitch the hole closed. Now you have a completed purse, and an empty book...we just have to get them together! Get out your E600 craft glue, and apply to 1 surface of the book at a time. I started with the spine. Apply glue to the edges, then fill in the middle, then press the 'purse' into the spine and allow to dry. leave overnight, or for a couple hours, then glue the book cover to the purse the same way. Allow to dry. Once dry it's pretty hard to get this glue off! Now, enjoy your purse!

I ended up making several, and picked my favorite then gave the rest to friends. I recommend starting with your least favorite, figuring out what mistakes you made, then go for it! I enjoyed making these, and plan on keeping my open for cool old books to use in the future!

I'm linking up to THESE parties!

New Hair Cut for Summer

2010-04-23T20:20:00.001-07:00

Here's my new haircut for the summer! I always like to get a fresh look after I have a baby and loose a few pounds of the baby fat. I love it because it takes about 10 minutes to do! My Hubby's just glad I got rid of the "Fullet" (this is his term for a really bad hairstyle...a mullet that goes all the way around!). Don't mind the dark circles under my eyes, after all I haven't slept for 7 weeks! Don't worry, more real posts coming soon.

Sleepover Favors

2010-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's The favor bags, put together by all the things the girls made and did...better than a bag of candy any ol' day! The purses, embellished with 4" gerber Daisy Clips, their pair of no-slip socks, emery boards, their choice of nail polish colors, and topped off with the cutest gift of Personalized Hair Barrettes for them to take home! You can find the flowers and barrettes at TwiggleBox.com, or by clicking the links above! The girls had a blast, and my birthday girl told me it was the best party ever! Which is great, since it's also the easiest party I've ever thrown!

Next party? By 2 yr. old 'Bushkin's" Caterpillar Birthday is coming up, and I must say the invitations are spectacular!

Nail painting!

2010-04-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Of corse no slumber party is complete without nail paints! I purchased a bunch of different colors in cheap sets so I wouldn't feel bad when they all got destroyed, which they pretty much did. The point of this activity was to let the girls (7 and 8 yrs.)do their own nails, but most of them got frustrated and wanted my help. If I was to do this again I would in list help from some teenagers or moms! And don't forget the drop cloth or grubby blanket, because we had paint everywhere! Check out our other activities: purses and socks, the Sleepover Cake, and the Pillow invitations!

No Slip Sock Craft

2010-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

These 'no slip socks' were made from $1 store socks and puff paints...I don't know what happened to the cute samples I made (I suspect my husband, the garbage man!), but here are the ones made by my girls. All the little girls at our sleepover had a blast making the socks. If you do this at your 'sleepover,' or 'non-sleepover,' just make sure it's the first activity for maximum dry time!

Sleepover, Slumber Party Birthday Craft

2010-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

We made these cute Purses for my daughters Party...I just bought them pre-made and let the girls glue ribbons, buttons, beads, and such on them. Then they took these home as a party favor, and they all had a blast making these! Even my 1 year old was in on the action!

Daisy flower clips, only .75

2010-04-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just got these new 4" Daisy flower clips in at our online store, www.twigglebox.com. Order by the dozen, or singly. They are on an alligator clips with teeth, so "in," so trendy, so cute, and so cheap at twigglebox! Our April coupon is 20% off your entire order, so this is a great time to try us out! Just enter coupon code: Spring

Hope you'll stop by! To keep up on our giveaways, deals, and promos, sign up for our newsletter below!

Join Our Mailing List

Yummy Edible Nests

2010-04-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Level: Easy! Time: 30 min

I've seen 'edible' nest made out of chow-mein noodles and chocolate, and they are super cute, but I don't consider them 'edible!' I wanted to make a cute nest that also tasted good! So I modified this recipe I got from my sister, she uses it to make home made 'almond joys,' but I omitted the chocolate covering, and added mini cadbury eggs instead. What's not to love about coconut, chocolate, and sugar? Here you go!

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 Cup Sugar

6 Tbls Flour

4 Cups Sweetened, Shredded coconut

Oven: 350

Mix Egg whites, Sugar, and flour until well blended. About 3 min. You do not need to form still peaks. Stir in Coconut. Prep cookie sheet with PARCHMENT PAPER. (This is the most important step...I tried it without, and ruined a whole batch!) Drop cookies onto in a round shape. Bake aprox. 12 min, or until coconut is lightly browned. Remove from oven and press 3 candy eggs into cookie so it resembles a nest.

See, super easy, and super yummy! Way better than crunchy chow-mein and chocolate. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Check out ore easter crafts at these blogs!

2010-04-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

I posted the invite to my little girls 'non-sleepover' party in February Here, but haven't had time to post about the activities we did, so I'll be doing that for the next couple posts. Here's her Birthday cake, which was super cute and easy.

Just bake a cake in a 9x13 pan, cover in frosting of your choice for the 'sheet.' My little one wanted pink! Then lay Twinkies down, and cover them all with a blanket of fondant. If fondant scares you, just try it! It's like edible playdough, you just roll it out with a rolling pin. Then I cut the pink flowers out of fondant with a small cookie cutter, and added dots of white frosting to the centers. The little girls are Nilla Waffers with fondant hair. Oh, I also used big marshmallows cut in half for pillows, but the heads were to big to see the pillows, so you could probably skip that!

Anyway, give it a try, and send me your link if you make this! I'd love to see it!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this beautiful Easter Sign my sister made for me. The letters were pre cut out, and she used decoupage to clue scrapbook paper on the face. I love how it turned out, don't you! Scroll down to see all my easter crafts and posts! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope the easter bunny brought you some fun things as well!

April Shadow Box Calander

2010-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my cute calendar for April. I'm not going to put all the directions here, just the picture of what I did! My background is grass paper, and the filler is mini cadbury eggs....I locked them in here to keep from eating them all! (actually, I've already snuck some out....naughty, naughty). For complete instructions view my post HERE.

Easy Jelly Bean Bracelets, for Easter or Anytime

2010-03-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Level: Easy! Time: 5 min

These are fun to make with the kids, but very sticky! And, you use a sharp needle. I ended up having my kids lay out a pattern, and I strung them on the string to avoid blood and tears!

Supplies:

Jelly Beans (we used small)
Stretchy jewelry making string .5mm
Tapestry needle

Super easy! Tie a knot 2" from the end of the string. String 10-15 jelly beans depending on wrist size. Tie ends together, and enjoy! My girls liked laying out the pattern, and my little boy picked all black!

Cute Easter Carrots

2010-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Level: Medium Time: 40 min

I don't have step by step pictures for these...I did these last year, pre-blogging days! I was going to make up some more for pictures, but ran out of time, so use your imagination!

Step 1: Form a carrot shape out of floral foam, or styrofoam (sometimes you can buy cone shapes).

Step 2: Cut a 'grass shape' out of felt and secure in the top of carrot.

Step 3: Start at tip of carrot, and paint about 1/2 inch at a time with decoupage. Wind embroidery floss or skinny yarn around carrot, continuing to paint with decoupage as you progress upwards.

Sorry for no pictures...maybe next year! But these are super cute, and I've enjoyed them!

Easter Egg Tissue Topiary

2010-03-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Level: Medium Time: 45 min

Supplies:

Blown Out Egg (For how-to see HERE)
Small pot
Dried moss/grass/or raffia
Floral Foam
2 wooden Skewers
Tissue Paper cut into 1/2" square
Glue

Step 1: Cut a small piece of floral foam and place into pot, maing sure it's nice a tight so it wont fall out. Using a Hot Glue Gun (adults only please!) top with dried moss, grass or raffia.

Step 2: Break one skewer to desired height of the topiary (the skewer should run through the bottom hole of the egg, all the way through the egg, and stop at the inside top). Use a Hot Glue Gun to secure skewer to the egg.

Step 3: Pour out a small pile of glue. Using the blunt end of the other skewer, wrap a tissue paper square around the end. Dip into the glue (not too much!) and secure to the egg. Continue until the entire egg is covered. You may need to take a break in the middle for 'dry time.' If there is too much glue, the tissues will push each other around.

This was a fun craft, my 8 year old and 6 year old girl helped me with these....even my 3 yr old boy got in on the action with a "Spider Man" egg! I wasn't sure what to do with these....so I decided to tie a tag around the pot and use them for place cards at our easter dinner. Wherever you use them, they are super cute! Have fun!

Find more great crafts at these blogs I've linked to:

'Bling' Glitter Easter Eggs

2010-03-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Level: Medium-Difficult Time: 30 min

Supplies:

Blown Out Egg (for How-to click HERE)
Silhouettes (aprox. 1")
Graphite Transfer Paper
Glue Pen
ultra-fine glitter
tape
ball point pen
soft bristle brush
optional, prepare egg for hanging (for how-t0 click HERE)

Step 1: Find silhouette images you like on-line and print out to a size of aprox. 1" by 1" ( I just did a silhouette search on google images for flowers, bunnies, deer, chicks, birds, I forgot to do lambs....whatever you like)

Step 2: Cut out image, and transfer paper, then tape to egg. (I cut the transfer paper slightly larger than the image so the tape would hold it in place...since the egg is round, cut slits through the image and transfer paper where there is plain white space to help the image 'bend' around the egg.)

Step 3: Trace around the edge of sillouette...firm enough to have image transfer, but don't crack the egg!

Step 4: Pull off tape, paper and transfer paper. Use a small eraser to remove extra graphite that may have transferred to egg (don't worry about graphite tracings left inside of the silhouette image since those will be covered).

Step 5: Using a fine-tip glue pen, trace around edge of sillouette and fill in the middle (This and the next step have to be done fairly quickly, since the glue pen dries rather quick).

Step 6: Sprinkle Glitter (make sure it's ultra-fine!) over image, and shake off extra. Then allow to dry.

Step 7: Brush over egg gently, using a soft bristle brush, to remove extra glitter. Mine is a make-up brush! Make sure the glue is completely dry, 25-20 min. I just finished all my eggs, then went back and brushed them all off from 1st to last, and they were just fine.

Now you're done! Hang on a Twig 'Tree' or place in basket or bowl and enjoy for easter! If you do this craft, leave a comment here and the web address of your post. I'd love to see how your turns out, and I'm sure others would as well!

Check out more Easter Ideas at these blogs:

How to Hang An Egg

2010-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Supplies:

-Blown out egg with holes through top and bottom

(For how-to-blow-out-an-egg click HERE)

-Ribbon, string, or fishing line

(I use ribbon here for visability, but fishing line on most of my eggs for ease and non-visability...just depends on the look you want!)

- small beads (slightly bigger than hole in the bottom of egg)

-wire with loop in one end, or long tapestry needle

1. First stick wire or needle
(I used a wire, since my needles were not long enough for my large sized eggs) through the top of the egg to the bottom (loop on wire, eye on needle should come out the BOTTOM of the egg.

2. Thread a bead onto the ribbon or string and push to the middle.

3. Thread BOTH ends of the ribbon or string through the loop or eye of the needle.

4. Gently pull through the egg, being sure to leave ribbon ends long enough that they do not fall out when pulling through the egg. Don't pull too fast, or you could crack the egg.

5. Tie a knot at the top of the ribbon and trim off excess.

6. Hang! If you're decorating before you're hanging them, be careful not the let the ribbon or string fall back through the hole! You can also run a bead through the ribbon for the top, if you like. Just a personal preference, but it gives a balanced look.

Best way to Blow out an Egg!

2010-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Level: Easy! Time: 2 mins.

This is easy, and many of you probably know how to do this, but I have some awesome easter egg ideas coming up, and I wanted to post this first, so I could reference it in future posts!

Supplies:

1 egg (or however many you want!)

1 sharp tipped knife

1 nasal Aspirator (we like to call it the 'snot sucker')

1 bowl

1 straight pin

1. First, chip 2 holes in the top and the bottom of an egg.

(Here you might want to decide what your doing with the egg...if your hanging the egg, chip a hole in the top and bottom....if your putting the egg in a bowl, you may want to chip a hole in the top and SIDE, then you can cover the hole on the side with whatever your decoration is, or fill it in with some white plaster or air-dry clay, then 'presto' it looks like there was never a hole to begin with!)

2. Poke the Pin into the hole on the bottom (I know this is on the top...it's just so you can see it) and wiggle it around to puncture the yoke sack, and make it easier for the egg to come out.

3. Hold the Nasal Aspirator up to the top hole and gently squeeze....forcing air in and egg out!

This is a lung and mouth saver, but if you force the air in too fast, you WILL crack the egg, and the effort is wasted....so be patient. You may have to periodically poke to pin back up the hole on the bottom to help keep the yoke coming out.

4. Rinse under warm water, and allow to dry completely before decoration...this may take up to 2 0r 3 days, depending on the size of the holes.

(the egg pictured here has a side hole, just so you can see what I was talking about earlier in step 1)

Give it a few tries, it takes a while to become quick and efficient at this. But now I keep my aspirator in my kitchen baking utensil drawer, and whenever I have extra time when I'm baking, I blow out the eggs I'm using (because I hate waste), and save them for a future craft.

Giveaway Winner!

2010-03-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

And the Winner is....... Sandy!

Go check out her blog at

Thanks everyone for playing, and stay tuned for our next Awesome Giveaway! (Sorry this took so long to post....I'm blaming it on the new baby, but really I just forgot, and then I had blog problems (see post below), and then I just felt lazy.....you know how it goes!)