Like any typical two-year-old, Evelyn gets stuck on repeat a lot.
I'm pretty sure this is what goes on in her mind:
What happens if I climb on the chair at the kitchen table and try to reach for the cereal boxes? Mom says, "Get down," then she walks over and pulls me down.
So... what happens if I climb on the chair at the kitchen table and try to reach for the cereal boxes again? Mom says, "Get down," then she walks over and pulls me down.
So... what happens if I climb on the chair...
The routine occurs until Evelyn gets bored of that particular experiment. Then it becomes...
What happens if I climb on the computer desk chair and push buttons on the computer keyboard? Mom says, "Get down," then she walks over and pulls me down.
So... what happens if I climb on the computer desk chair...
In a typical day we cycle through Evelyn climbing the kitchen chair, climbing the computer desk chair, pulling books off the bookshelves, banging on the bird's cage, and squishing crackers or cereal into the carpet. (Side note: I hate carpet, absolutely hate it. The next place I live is going to have hardwood floors.)
It's like I spend all day talking, but all I ever say is, "No. Get down. Leave that alone. Get out."
November 14, 2011
November 12, 2011
Fall Tree Paper Craft
I worked on a project with Evelyn to pass some time this afternoon. She's been interested in having her hands and feet traced recently, so I came up with a fun craft that involved enough steps to keep her busy for half an hour or so.
And I must apologize now for the poor quality of the pictures. I took them with my cell phone. I've just been lazy about grabbing the regular camera, and I wanted to focus on spending more time with Evelyn than arranging a photo set-up. Anyway...
I traced Evelyn's hands and arms onto a piece of paper. They are supposed to look like tree branches and tree trunks. Since Evelyn has been so interested in the tracing, she was quite good about keeping her hands still.
I cut up a few different colors of scraps of construction paper into little rectangular shapes, and I got out the stick glue.
Evelyn still isn't sure of how to use stick glue (it resembles chapstick a little too closely, which she is also obsessed with). So, I put some glue on the paper for her and let her pick out the scraps of paper to glue down.
After a little while of carefully gluing one piece at a time, she decided to dump a handful of the small pieces onto the picture. She covered her hands completely, but I still like the outcome. I'll just consider it fall colored trees at their peak, before the leaves begin to fall. (The colors of the paper in the picture below aren't quite right.)
November 11, 2011
Too Good to be True
This week started out wonderfully. Evelyn was still sleeping in her crib. She was entertaining herself for longer periods during the day and whining less. I thought maybe, just maybe, we could have some smooth sailing for a little while.
I've decided it's time to just give up hope. My child is too spirited, too stubborn, too rebellious, too strong-willed to allow for any dull moments in this house.
I suppose since the week began so well, Evelyn decided to reverse the harmony and end the week on a very high, screeching note.
Last night was night #2 in the toddler bed. Evelyn did really well sleeping in her bed during nap time yesterday, although it was likely due to the fact that she initially fell asleep in her car seat while I had to run a last-minute errand. Thankfully, moving my daughter from the car seat and into the bed went without any problems.
When it came time for bed, Evelyn readily got dressed in her pajamas and brushed her teeth (that should have been my first clue something was off). She flipped through one book on her own (she's typically read two books before bed), then practically asked me to turn out the lights and lay her down. I thought to myself, "It can't be this easy..." I laid her down in her bed, surrounded her with stuffed animals, covered her with a blanket, and left the room. I didn't hear so much as a peep from her.
Minutes later my husband got home from work (it was a late day). I mentioned I had laid Evelyn down only moments before, and that he would probably be okay to go in and say goodnight to her. He went in, rocked her for a few minutes, read a book to her, then laid her back down in her bed. Again, there was not so much as a peep from her.
My husband and I sat in the living room together, trying to figure out what we wanted to do for the rest of the evening. Twenty minutes later, we hear Evelyn's bedroom door creak open. Evelyn stood in the doorway (a gate blocked her from being able to leave her room) and for a few minutes happily babbled to herself. Then she got upset that no one was coming to check on her and she began to cry. This was about 8:00 p.m.
I spent the next hour leading Evie back to her bed probably a hundred times. The first time I took her back, I talked to her and made sure to tuck her in. After that, I led her back to her bed without a word, laid her down, covered her with her blanket, and left. She thought it was a funny game, so she kept doing it over and over and over.
By about 9:00 p.m. I was really tired of this game that obviously was not going to end. So, we set up the gate so Evelyn couldn't leave her room, and disappeared into our own bedroom to let her work things out on her own. An hour of blood curdling screaming later, Evelyn finally began settling down in her bed.
Any parent knows how stressful it is listening to your own child scream. Every minute seems to last for eternity. When Evelyn finally quieted down a little after 10:00 p.m. I settled into bed, but it took quite a while for my nerves to calm down enough to get to sleep. I think I finally fell into a deep, restful sleep at about 4:30 - 5:00 a.m. this morning. I had dozed off and on throughout the night, but kept waking up and spending long periods of time getting back to sleep. Of course, my daughter having gone to sleep late meant that she woke up earlier than usual. By 6:30 a.m. I was stumbling out of bed with Evelyn wide awake.
I don't really know what is in store today with both Evelyn and me being over-tired, but I don't have any hope that this day will end well, only that I can merely survive it.
I've decided it's time to just give up hope. My child is too spirited, too stubborn, too rebellious, too strong-willed to allow for any dull moments in this house.
I suppose since the week began so well, Evelyn decided to reverse the harmony and end the week on a very high, screeching note.
Last night was night #2 in the toddler bed. Evelyn did really well sleeping in her bed during nap time yesterday, although it was likely due to the fact that she initially fell asleep in her car seat while I had to run a last-minute errand. Thankfully, moving my daughter from the car seat and into the bed went without any problems.
When it came time for bed, Evelyn readily got dressed in her pajamas and brushed her teeth (that should have been my first clue something was off). She flipped through one book on her own (she's typically read two books before bed), then practically asked me to turn out the lights and lay her down. I thought to myself, "It can't be this easy..." I laid her down in her bed, surrounded her with stuffed animals, covered her with a blanket, and left the room. I didn't hear so much as a peep from her.
Minutes later my husband got home from work (it was a late day). I mentioned I had laid Evelyn down only moments before, and that he would probably be okay to go in and say goodnight to her. He went in, rocked her for a few minutes, read a book to her, then laid her back down in her bed. Again, there was not so much as a peep from her.
My husband and I sat in the living room together, trying to figure out what we wanted to do for the rest of the evening. Twenty minutes later, we hear Evelyn's bedroom door creak open. Evelyn stood in the doorway (a gate blocked her from being able to leave her room) and for a few minutes happily babbled to herself. Then she got upset that no one was coming to check on her and she began to cry. This was about 8:00 p.m.
I spent the next hour leading Evie back to her bed probably a hundred times. The first time I took her back, I talked to her and made sure to tuck her in. After that, I led her back to her bed without a word, laid her down, covered her with her blanket, and left. She thought it was a funny game, so she kept doing it over and over and over.
By about 9:00 p.m. I was really tired of this game that obviously was not going to end. So, we set up the gate so Evelyn couldn't leave her room, and disappeared into our own bedroom to let her work things out on her own. An hour of blood curdling screaming later, Evelyn finally began settling down in her bed.
Any parent knows how stressful it is listening to your own child scream. Every minute seems to last for eternity. When Evelyn finally quieted down a little after 10:00 p.m. I settled into bed, but it took quite a while for my nerves to calm down enough to get to sleep. I think I finally fell into a deep, restful sleep at about 4:30 - 5:00 a.m. this morning. I had dozed off and on throughout the night, but kept waking up and spending long periods of time getting back to sleep. Of course, my daughter having gone to sleep late meant that she woke up earlier than usual. By 6:30 a.m. I was stumbling out of bed with Evelyn wide awake.
I don't really know what is in store today with both Evelyn and me being over-tired, but I don't have any hope that this day will end well, only that I can merely survive it.
November 10, 2011
Toddler Bed Transition
I was not ready for this, for my daughter to transition out of a crib and into a toddler bed. Well, she sort of transitioned out of her crib. It converts to a toddler bed, so she's still sleeping in a familiar space. But the difference is now she can wander at will in her room.
Why must my daughter insist on growing so fast? I'm trying to enjoy toddler-hood, but I'm afraid with my daughter's rushing to get older I'm going to blink and suddenly have a five-year-old standing in front of me.
Last night was Evelyn's first night in her "big girl bed." She did great. She went to sleep without any complaints and without even trying to get out of bed.
Today will be Evelyn's first nap in her "big girl bed." I don't have as high of hopes that she'll settle down for her nap like she did for bed last night. She's been trying to give up her naps, and I've been trying to insist on sticking to the routine. The timing of the toddler bed transition could not be worse for the naps.
I guess at some point I had to go through this part, right? I might as well get through it now rather than later.
Why must my daughter insist on growing so fast? I'm trying to enjoy toddler-hood, but I'm afraid with my daughter's rushing to get older I'm going to blink and suddenly have a five-year-old standing in front of me.
Last night was Evelyn's first night in her "big girl bed." She did great. She went to sleep without any complaints and without even trying to get out of bed.
Today will be Evelyn's first nap in her "big girl bed." I don't have as high of hopes that she'll settle down for her nap like she did for bed last night. She's been trying to give up her naps, and I've been trying to insist on sticking to the routine. The timing of the toddler bed transition could not be worse for the naps.
I guess at some point I had to go through this part, right? I might as well get through it now rather than later.
November 9, 2011
Be Fair Warned
Not all safety bed rails are created equal.
Evelyn fell out of her crib today. I heard the thump, I knew right away it was my daughter and not any of the stuffed animals or books she had in the crib with her, and I went flying up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, I could hear Evelyn start to cry. I got to her door, swung it open, and there she was, standing right in front of me. As soon as I realized she wasn't hurt, my heart started beating again.
My daughter quit crying moments after I picked her up. And as soon as the crying stopped, she began to giggle. I guess she was a little proud of her new accomplishment of being able to fling herself from her crib. I called my husband and informed him that we had to convert our daughter's crib to a toddler bed and buy a safety rail TONIGHT (so she won't roll out of the bed).
Not realizing that not all safety bed rails are created equal (I wasn't exactly ready for the "big girl bed" transition so soon), my husband and I picked one up that looked to be in good shape from a consignment store. It was the only one with instructions attached, too. As my husband began figuring out how to attach the bed rail, he realized that the metal tubes that run under the mattress (holding the rail in place) were a bit longer than the bed is wide. Looking in the instruction booklet, he read that the safety rail wasn't designed to be used with a toddler bed, but a regular bed (meaning nothing smaller than a twin, which toddler beds are, including those converted from cribs, and nothing bigger than a queen). Of course, we had waited until just before our daughter's bed time to assemble everything. My husband offered to run to Target to see if they had any rails, while I entertained our increasingly tired two-year-old at home.
When my husband got home, he informed me that the only bed rail Target had was the Safety Toddler Bed Rail. Knowing now that there existed a difference, my husband searched the packaging to determine whether this particular rail could be used with Evelyn's bed. In a small warning label, he read to NOT use the rail with a toddler bed.
Most bed rails actually designed for toddler beds cost more money than the others. I was able to find one brand that had the toddler bed safety rail on sale and closer in price to the others. I'm curious how many parents today buy a regular bed for a 2- to 4-year-old child, how many buy a small toddler bed, and how many have convertible cribs. My guess is that enough parents at least have convertible cribs that the cost of a toddler bed bed rail could more closely match the cost of the regular bed bed rail.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank the Munchkin company for naming their non-toddler bed bed rail the Safety Toddler Bed Rail, and thank other companies for calling their safety rails for regular beds toddler bed rails, as well. It's not confusing at all. Nor misleading in the slightest. And if the small warning label on the packaging for the Safety Toddler Bed Rail says its not for toddler beds, maybe that should be mentioned on the Amazon site as well. (I just noticed it while searching for the toddler bed bed rails.)
Evelyn fell out of her crib today. I heard the thump, I knew right away it was my daughter and not any of the stuffed animals or books she had in the crib with her, and I went flying up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, I could hear Evelyn start to cry. I got to her door, swung it open, and there she was, standing right in front of me. As soon as I realized she wasn't hurt, my heart started beating again.
My daughter quit crying moments after I picked her up. And as soon as the crying stopped, she began to giggle. I guess she was a little proud of her new accomplishment of being able to fling herself from her crib. I called my husband and informed him that we had to convert our daughter's crib to a toddler bed and buy a safety rail TONIGHT (so she won't roll out of the bed).
Not realizing that not all safety bed rails are created equal (I wasn't exactly ready for the "big girl bed" transition so soon), my husband and I picked one up that looked to be in good shape from a consignment store. It was the only one with instructions attached, too. As my husband began figuring out how to attach the bed rail, he realized that the metal tubes that run under the mattress (holding the rail in place) were a bit longer than the bed is wide. Looking in the instruction booklet, he read that the safety rail wasn't designed to be used with a toddler bed, but a regular bed (meaning nothing smaller than a twin, which toddler beds are, including those converted from cribs, and nothing bigger than a queen). Of course, we had waited until just before our daughter's bed time to assemble everything. My husband offered to run to Target to see if they had any rails, while I entertained our increasingly tired two-year-old at home.
When my husband got home, he informed me that the only bed rail Target had was the Safety Toddler Bed Rail. Knowing now that there existed a difference, my husband searched the packaging to determine whether this particular rail could be used with Evelyn's bed. In a small warning label, he read to NOT use the rail with a toddler bed.
Most bed rails actually designed for toddler beds cost more money than the others. I was able to find one brand that had the toddler bed safety rail on sale and closer in price to the others. I'm curious how many parents today buy a regular bed for a 2- to 4-year-old child, how many buy a small toddler bed, and how many have convertible cribs. My guess is that enough parents at least have convertible cribs that the cost of a toddler bed bed rail could more closely match the cost of the regular bed bed rail.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank the Munchkin company for naming their non-toddler bed bed rail the Safety Toddler Bed Rail, and thank other companies for calling their safety rails for regular beds toddler bed rails, as well. It's not confusing at all. Nor misleading in the slightest. And if the small warning label on the packaging for the Safety Toddler Bed Rail says its not for toddler beds, maybe that should be mentioned on the Amazon site as well. (I just noticed it while searching for the toddler bed bed rails.)
November 8, 2011
Trampoline Park
I took Evelyn to a place called Skyzone Sports today. It has an indoor trampoline park, and it's great.
I don't know how many years it has been since I last jumped on a trampoline, but my guess would be about 14. It was so much fun to feel like a kid again. Evelyn knew right away what to do when she stepped onto the bouncy surface, and she didn't stop bouncing until it was time to go two hours later.
If you have one of these near where you live, I recommend going. We went during the toddler jump time, and we only had to pay $4 per person to jump. I certainly got my money's worth, and with how much Evelyn played, it almost felt like a steal for her.
I don't know how many years it has been since I last jumped on a trampoline, but my guess would be about 14. It was so much fun to feel like a kid again. Evelyn knew right away what to do when she stepped onto the bouncy surface, and she didn't stop bouncing until it was time to go two hours later.
If you have one of these near where you live, I recommend going. We went during the toddler jump time, and we only had to pay $4 per person to jump. I certainly got my money's worth, and with how much Evelyn played, it almost felt like a steal for her.
November 3, 2011
Sewing 101
As if I don't already have enough "projects" I try to work on (photography, scrapbooking, writing, etc.), I've decided to give sewing a try.
I remember as a teenager (15 years or so ago... and I can't believe I just wrote that number...) I wanted SO BADLY to make my own clothes. I always had design ideas in my head, and I could never find the styles I wanted to wear.
My brain no longer produces the design ideas it used to. Maybe it's due to a lack of exercise in that area, maybe my brain is too full with other stuff, maybe I'm too distracted by my two-year-old, or maybe I ran out of ideas. I don't know. But what I do know is that I still want to sew.
So, I bought a sewing machine.
It's an old one (likely made before I was born), but it's a workhorse. And it came with a sewing table, which I didn't realize until I stood in front of the machine connected to the table, was absolutely necessary. Okay, maybe it's not absolutely necessary, but I know it will make my life a lot easier.
I did my first little bit of sewing tonight, mostly to test if I could thread the machine without looking at the manual (I successfully did) and test if I could sew in a straight line (another success). After that I stopped. I didn't want to ruin the good mood I was in by making some horrendous mistake or realizing how much more I have to learn. For now, I am content with my small victories.
And I don't know if I'm reaching too far already, but my first project (goal) is to make an apron for my daughter. I have a pattern. I don't have fabric. And there are still a couple more things left to learn, but I think I can do it, and soon.
So, here is to some sewing success, and me not completely f***ing up this first project.
I remember as a teenager (15 years or so ago... and I can't believe I just wrote that number...) I wanted SO BADLY to make my own clothes. I always had design ideas in my head, and I could never find the styles I wanted to wear.
My brain no longer produces the design ideas it used to. Maybe it's due to a lack of exercise in that area, maybe my brain is too full with other stuff, maybe I'm too distracted by my two-year-old, or maybe I ran out of ideas. I don't know. But what I do know is that I still want to sew.
So, I bought a sewing machine.
It's an old one (likely made before I was born), but it's a workhorse. And it came with a sewing table, which I didn't realize until I stood in front of the machine connected to the table, was absolutely necessary. Okay, maybe it's not absolutely necessary, but I know it will make my life a lot easier.
I did my first little bit of sewing tonight, mostly to test if I could thread the machine without looking at the manual (I successfully did) and test if I could sew in a straight line (another success). After that I stopped. I didn't want to ruin the good mood I was in by making some horrendous mistake or realizing how much more I have to learn. For now, I am content with my small victories.
And I don't know if I'm reaching too far already, but my first project (goal) is to make an apron for my daughter. I have a pattern. I don't have fabric. And there are still a couple more things left to learn, but I think I can do it, and soon.
So, here is to some sewing success, and me not completely f***ing up this first project.
October 29, 2011
Daytime Trick-or-Treating
This year, because we moved to a colder climate, I found daytime trick-or-treating events to take Evelyn to. It allowed us to be out during the warmer parts of the day, and I was able to layer clothes under my daughter's costume and feel secure that she was warm enough without a coat. We've actually had better fall weather than I expected, and it would not have been bad to plan to go trick-or-treating Halloween night. But I've had enough of trick-or-treating at this point, so we'll be at home, passing candy out together.
I learned that daytime trick-or-treating has some disadvantages. We took Evelyn to an event at our local farmer's market, and we took her to an event where shops at an outdoor shopping area were handing out treats. Each event was sort of fun, but I'm not sure they were worth the effort. The problem is etiquette, or a lack thereof. At today's event in particular (the outdoor shopping area), it was difficult to let my daughter walk on her own. Because she is so small, she would easily be overlooked by kids and adults alike, and I constantly worried about her being stepped on. When we would try to enter a store to trick-or-treat (why all the stores participating didn't set up tables outside where it was less crowded and easier to keep the crowd moving, I don't know), both adults and kids would cut in front of us as we opened the door and waited for our slower toddler to make her way in. You would have thought that the stores were handing out $20 bills rather than Dum Dum suckers and bite size Tootsie Rolls with the way some people tried to rush through. And nobody could blame their actions on the weather. It was a very pleasant, sunny 50 degrees outside.
Perhaps in the future I'll stick to more traditional trick-or-treating (doing it around the neighborhood Halloween night), and maybe try to find a Halloween party to go to rather than daytime trick-or-treating. It's not to say that it hasn't been fun this year. I just don't like big crowds of people who don't care to cooperate with one another.
I learned that daytime trick-or-treating has some disadvantages. We took Evelyn to an event at our local farmer's market, and we took her to an event where shops at an outdoor shopping area were handing out treats. Each event was sort of fun, but I'm not sure they were worth the effort. The problem is etiquette, or a lack thereof. At today's event in particular (the outdoor shopping area), it was difficult to let my daughter walk on her own. Because she is so small, she would easily be overlooked by kids and adults alike, and I constantly worried about her being stepped on. When we would try to enter a store to trick-or-treat (why all the stores participating didn't set up tables outside where it was less crowded and easier to keep the crowd moving, I don't know), both adults and kids would cut in front of us as we opened the door and waited for our slower toddler to make her way in. You would have thought that the stores were handing out $20 bills rather than Dum Dum suckers and bite size Tootsie Rolls with the way some people tried to rush through. And nobody could blame their actions on the weather. It was a very pleasant, sunny 50 degrees outside.
Perhaps in the future I'll stick to more traditional trick-or-treating (doing it around the neighborhood Halloween night), and maybe try to find a Halloween party to go to rather than daytime trick-or-treating. It's not to say that it hasn't been fun this year. I just don't like big crowds of people who don't care to cooperate with one another.
October 24, 2011
DIY Halloween Costumes
My daughter was a month old for her first Halloween. I remember people asking in the week leading up to the holiday what her costume was going to be. I guess between the sleepless nights, trying to get through the rigors of breastfeeding a newborn for the first time in my life, and planning my shower schedule so I could get at least one in per week, I hadn't thought about making or buying a Halloween costume. Besides, I wasn't really into the idea of dressing up my daughter if she couldn't participate in the festivities. It seemed like too much effort just so other people and I could watch my daughter do what she normally did (eat, sleep, and poop) while dressed as something silly like an elephant or caterpillar. I did, at least, put my daughter in Halloween-themed pajamas that night.
For her second Halloween, my daughter was thirteen months. She was already a walker (had been for three months at that point), so I knew I wanted to take her trick-or-treating, even if it was only to a couple of houses. But I really did not want to spend $20 (or more) on a costume from a store that she would wear once, maybe for five minutes, but definitely not for more than a couple of hours. I finally settled on a Red Riding Hood theme.
I bought a homemade red cape that was stylish and not so costume-y that she could wear it on other days, with regular clothes. I dressed her in a plain dress with cute leg warmers, then I gave her a small basket I pulled out of storage that she could use to collect candy in. It was perfect. The only money I spent was on the cape, and it was a piece of clothing I could have her wear again and again, for as long as it fit.
For her second Halloween, my daughter was thirteen months. She was already a walker (had been for three months at that point), so I knew I wanted to take her trick-or-treating, even if it was only to a couple of houses. But I really did not want to spend $20 (or more) on a costume from a store that she would wear once, maybe for five minutes, but definitely not for more than a couple of hours. I finally settled on a Red Riding Hood theme.
I bought a homemade red cape that was stylish and not so costume-y that she could wear it on other days, with regular clothes. I dressed her in a plain dress with cute leg warmers, then I gave her a small basket I pulled out of storage that she could use to collect candy in. It was perfect. The only money I spent was on the cape, and it was a piece of clothing I could have her wear again and again, for as long as it fit.
I wanted to go a bit bigger with this year's Halloween costume, and I decided to make it myself. I looked through costumes at a few different stores, and I couldn't find anything I liked very much. Besides, many costumes seemed to be designed more for warmer weather, and I wanted something that I could throw a jacket over without completely losing the look of it.
I finally settled on the idea of making a cute ghost costume. I had a few white, short-sleeved onesies I hadn't used, so I painted a ghost face onto one of them with fabric paint. Then I followed a no-sew tulle skirt tutorial, and created a tutu of sorts, using white and black tulle. To make the costume warmer, I layered a white, long-sleeved shirt under the short-sleeved one, and I put black leggings on under the skirt. I also have a black jacket I keep on hand to throw on if it gets particularly chilly. And since my daughter is only two years old, I'm able to attend daytime trick-or-treat events with her, allowing her to be outside during the warmer parts of the day.
I think I am going to try to make my daughter's Halloween costumes each year from now on, at least until she gets older and vehemently opposes the "uncoolness" of a homemade costume. And I now have a sewing machine, which will hopefully allow for more versatility in deciding what to make.
October 23, 2011
Pumpkin Painting
I decided this year for Halloween to buy a pumpkin for my husband and I to carve, and to buy a pumpkin for my two-year-old daughter, Evelyn, to paint.
I wasn't sure, though, how I was going to go about having my daughter paint her pumpkin. I wanted to let her have as much control over the creative process as possible, but I also wanted a pumpkin that looked cute. As much as I love my daughter's "abstract" (and sometimes very minimalist) art, I love it even more when I can incorporate it into a more finished design.
After looking through some examples of alternative pumpkin decorating, I came across the idea to use masking tape to create a silhouette or other design. Paint is then applied to the pumpkin, and after it dries, the tape is pulled off to reveal a picture or pattern in orange. I thought to myself this would be perfect. I would create the design with the tape, Evelyn would paint over it, and it would be a cute collaboration.
My husband thought it would be fun to do a cat silhouette and a moon. So, I put strips of masking tape on the pumpkin, covering the area where I wanted the cat and the moon. I drew the cat's silhouette and the moon on the tape, then I used an Exacto knife to cut the excess tape away from the design.
I then set my daughter up with a little painting station outside (the weather was too nice to not take advantage).
I used an egg carton to place the paint colors in. It worked great!
And I gave my daughter foam brushes to apply the paint to the pumpkin.
I realized right away in the painting process that I had the wrong kind of paint. It would just kind of slide around the pumpkin without soaking in. I either should have initially spray painted the pumpkin with a matte gray or white to make it easier for the kid paint to stick, or I should have done my research and bought the right kind of paints for a pumpkin.
Evelyn had a lot of fun with the process anyway, and her dad and I stepped in to give the pumpkin a more even coat of paint. (We ended up dabbing the paint on rather than brushing it. It wasn't great, but it worked well enough.)
My husband mixed a little bit of the paint with some water and "poured" it over the top of the pumpkin to create a streaked look. The pumpkin started out a bit of a mess, but in the end, we made it work.
And I apologize for the not as good picture of the pumpkin its final final stage (with the tape ripped off). I took that one with my phone. I was too lazy to grab the better camera. I plan to try this idea for painting a pumpkin again next year, and at least I know better than to just try to apply any old paint I have on hand. But I still think this one came out all right. It wasn't a total loss.
October 17, 2011
Story Book Placemats
While reading the RSS feed for some blogs I follow, I came across the idea to use pages from story books to create placemats for your kids. I love the idea, especially since my daughter, Evelyn, tore apart a board book that was mine as a baby. I stored the pages away in a drawer, figuring I would find something useful to do with them, and hoping that the idea would come sooner rather than later. Thankfully, it did. I really did not want to get rid of the book entirely. Unfortunately, I am out of laminating sheets, but as soon as I pick some up and complete this project I will post pictures.
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