Testing Katie's Theory

These are my brother's new super cute puppies. I already forgot their names. But I know they were kinda lame but he says he can't change them because the dogs are already use to them.




I hope this works. If it doesn't I am going to poison her dog with toad juice.

Foto Fun Weekend

So this weekend I got to do something that I absolutely LOVED! I went out with my good friend Tiffany to take pictures. I recently got into photography but living in this god forsaken desert I really have not gone out and explored the town due to the fact that my camera and I would melt. I had SO much fun and learned a lot. The main thing I learned is that I still have SO much to learn. I was not impressed with what we found. The east valley really doesn't have much to offer. Next weekend I am kidnapping my uber hip little brother and making him show me all the 'cool' spots and also do a little modeling for me. I hear he's a cute kid.

Here is what I got.

I can't figure out how to get these the right size so most of them are cut off on the right. Sorry.

When good art projects go bad

I wasn't feeling very crafty this weekend. I still wanted to do something constructive with Jacq so I thought sponge painting would be an easy, fun idea. Boy was I wrong. I'll let the pictures explain.

Here is my pallet. I took a big sponge and squirted a few colors on it. Then took a normal sponge so she could paint it and then dab it on the poster board. It started out well.







This is where it started to turn.





This was the point of no return.





She had a lot of fun though. It was straight to the bath after this activity. It's only tuesday and I already feel like it is thursday. By thursdays, I am DONE and can't wait for friday to be over. I don't know why I am so tired and have no energy. Don't worry, unfortunately I'm not pregnant. But it would make all the tiredness at least worth it. Oh well, maybe this time next year. Keep your fingers crossed!

ETA: Photobucket is REALLY pissing me off. I have re-uploaded and re-sized all these pics 3 freaking times and a few of them STILL aren't posting right! WTF?

Make Your Own Bathtub Fingerpaints

I saw this recipe and thought, "huh, why not make one more thing for my kid to create a mess with?" The beauty of this one is that the main ingredient is soap! So really she is making a mess and cleaning it up all at the same time.

What you need:
-1 cup of handsoap for each color you want to make. Clear or white.
-Cornstarch
-Food coloring
- Container for each batch you make. I was puzzled as to what to use. After perusing the aisles at the dollar store, I settled on those squirt bottles you use for condiments. Red for catsup, yellow for mustard and a clear one. That way Jacq could squirt the liquid out and it was already in a storage container to use again.



First, get a bowl and add one cup of soap. One softsoap container equals one cup. Add one teaspoon of cornstarch.



Add a few drops of food color. I added 4 drops per batch.



Mix it all up. I had to work it pretty well to get all the clumps out of the cornstarch.



Then I used a funnel and poured them into the condiment containers. Red in red, yellow in yellow and I did blue in the clear container.



Jacq had a blast with these in the tub. She used some foam brushes and her fingers. There was no staining on the tub or on skin!





Just make sure to give your tub a good rinse after you get your little one out. There was quite a bit of soap reside and could cause your little one to slip the next time they get in the tub.

Ongoing Project: Contact Art

This is a great project for busy toddlers. Very easy and little mess involved.

What you need:
-Contact Paper
-Scissors
-Scrap paper, tissue paper, stickers, pom poms, etc
I cut out some pictures from magazines, used some goggly eyes and pieces of yarn.
-Masking tape

First cut up tissue paper, wrapping paper, magazines, construction paper, use whatever you have in your craft supplies. I used an empty wipe box to put them in.



Next, find a low, blank spot of a wall. Cut a piece of contact paper (any size you want), tape it to the wall with the sticky side facing out.



Let your little one explore the fun of 'sticky' and adhesive surfaces. Jacq stuck the papers and other objects all over the place.





She didn't try to peel anything off except for the pom poms. So I don't think I'll use those next time.

Here is what it looked like when she was done. I am actually going to leave this up for a few days and keep the box on the floor so she can add to her masterpiece when she feels like it. When it is done I will add another piece of contact paper over it so I can save it.

Craft Time: Grandma's Goldfish Pond

Today my mom and my step dad came over. My mom use to work with little ones so she had this great craft idea. Jacqueline had a blast and got to spend some quality time with her grandparent's.


What you'll need:
-paper plate
-blue paint
-paintbrush
-aquarium rocks
-glue
-goldfish (i used the colored ones)

First, paint your paper plate blue to act as water.


Next cover the bottom 1/4 or so of the plate with glue.



Start adding the rocks. I added a few round glass stone thingys that I had.





Then put a few drops of glue around the rest of the plate and let your little one stick the goldfish on.



The finished product.



It took a few hours to dry completely. My mom recommended that we punch a hole on the top and use some string to hang it from the ceiling. Thanks mom, we had a great time today!

The Terrible Two's: the video diary

Jacq had a great time at The Terrible Two's show last night. Here are some videos that prove it. For more on the show, and some pictures, see post below.

Reason #3,798 why my kid rocks!

Last night I took Jacq to her first show. The band is called The Terrible Twos. The singer for the band is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Jacq had a great time. She danced the entire show. Here are some pics.













I had so much fun. I really admire the singer, Matt Pryor. I have been listening to his music for over 10 years. It was really special for me to be able to share this with Jacq and for her to respond so well to it. It is defiantly something we will do again.

Can I Please Have Some More?

Can I Please Have Some More?
Originally uploaded by savestheday5580

I really like this picture. She wanted more chocolate ice cream and thought pouting would get her some. It didn't but she did get to go in the pool so she forgot she even wanted ice cream.

Ladybug, ladybug fly away home

I found this great craft idea here.

You need:
Red Paint
Paper Plate
Black Construction paper (which I didn't have so I painted white paper black)
Paint Brush
Scissors
Glue
Black pipe cleaner

First let your child paint the back of the paper plate red.



Next cut out the pieces of the body with black construction paper. You'll need a head, some dots and a line that will separate the body.



Then you set all aside and let it dry completely.

Next glue all your paper pieces to the plate. I let Jacq help me with this and she went a little crazy with the glue stick.



Poke 2 little holes for the pipe cleaner and make some antennae. I added googly eyes for fun but it still looks cute even without them.
Here is the final result!

Carwash

Jacq hasn't been feeling well this weekend so she hasn't got out much. Last night she got a sudden burst of energy. Marc was going to wash his car so we decided to let her help. She had a great time helping dad.