Archive for the Category »My Crew «

March

No, I’m not about to blog about last night’s Oscars. I’m blogging about crayons.

My two older kids are coloring snobs and will no longer color with crayons. They have moved onto bigger and better instruments like twist-up colored pencils and fine-tip markers. So, we were left with an entire drawer full of beautiful Crayolas.

When I found this…

…while shopping this past weekend, I knew that I wanted to make Cap’n Jack Henry his first set of crayons, using all of those old, forgotten, discarded wretches pictured above.

Here’s how I did it…

First, remove the paper from the crayons.

This would be a good job to enlist some older kids to help, but unfortunately mine were busy. Bonny Annie was making soap, and Dirty Harry was playing baseball with his dad, so I was on my own for all of the crayon peeling. I thought the pile of crayon paper shavings was very attractive and tried to think of some creative craft project for them, but I couldn’t get beyond hair for one of those Fandango paper bag puppets, so I just threw them away.

Then you will need to break up your crayons in 4-5 pieces each and place then in the muffin cups.

As you can see, I went with more monochromatic tones for Jack Henry’s since he doesn’t even know his colors yet, but one could get wildly creative with all kinds of combinations, depending on what colors of crayons you have on hand.

Then you just pop them into a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Obviously, oven temperatures vary from household to household, so just start keeping an eye on them at about 15 minutes in. The crayon pieces need to be completely melted. Also, since I was using a silicon muffin pan, I placed a cookie sheet underneath to prevent spilling the hot wax.

When they are melted, you will then need to let them cool completely. This took about an hour. With the silicon trays, they came out rather easily, but I think you could have success with a regular muffin tin as well.

I loved how they turned out! So bright, so swirly! (But I was a little bothered by this picture where the orange one is not point-to-point with the others. I didn’t realize that until I was uploading the pictures. I apologize for the imperfection of this site and its author.)

Jack Henry, at fifteen months old, is probably a little young yet for crayons, but we tried them with him anyway.

I found the star shape to be perfect for his little fingers. He liked holding and feeling them just as much as coloring with them. These types of muffin tins are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I’ve even spotted some seasonal ones in the Target dollar section from time to time. Wouldn’t egg shapes be the perfect thing for an Easter basket? When I find some more, I’ll definitely be experimenting because I think a set of these would also be a great birthday gift, tied with some pretty ribbon and accompanied by a thick pad of drawing paper or a fun coloring book.

You had to know this was coming, but the Cap’n did think they were edible. But then he thinks everything is edible these days.

Aren’t we all glad that crayons are non-toxic?

He did make some scribbles on some paper and giggled at their effects.

I gave him two of the stars, and he enjoyed clapping them together.

And then, of course, he did a little more taste-testing.

They turned out so well and were so easy that I made six more colors this morning: teal, pink, brown, white, black and gray. I’m going to look around for a nice little tin to keep them in, and I’ll have one more activity in my arsenal to keep Jack Henry busy while we try to do our lessons.

I was originally inspired for this craft by the website www.dollarstorecrafts.com . When you have a minute, you should browse around this site. They have a lot of handy ideas for things to make and do using very inexpensive materials.

Now, go forth and have a meltdown. (I’ll bet you won’t hear that again!)

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry, crafts Tags: crayons, silicon muffin pans, stars, toddler crafts 9 Comments

Boot(y) Scootin’ Boogie

February

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I haven’t posted anything new in a week. Sorry.

I’ve done this before and then given you a myriad of excuses. I have some excuses this time too. They include a mini-weekend vacation, a sinus infection, four worthless hours of “American Idol,” and of course, my old standby: laundry. But, actually, the real reason I haven’t blogged in a week this time is because of this…

Is that not the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen? (And I’m talking about Jack Henry’s floor movement…not my mountain of clutter in the chair in the background. That is our drop-off chair where I always sit down the diaper bag, my keys, the baby’s blanket, my jacket, etc., etc., etc…)

I thought Cap’n Jack Henry was skipping the whole crawling stage. Well, technically, he is skipping it because you can hardly call sidling around like an injured hermit crab crawling. He’s been pulling up and cruising around holding onto furniture since around Christmas, so I was thinking we’d be seeing his first steps around this time, but no. We have booty scooting. Fast booty scooting. I can hardly get anything done these days, except chase his little booty around and try to keep him out of trouble.

Yesterday he had his fifteen month check-up, and his pediatrician asked me if he was walking yet.

“Ummm…no. Not really,” I replied.

“Well, is he trying to get around?” she queried.

“Oh, yes. He gets around,” I said. I then launch into an explanation of his maneuvers, complete with leg and arm motions, which get some eye rolls and snickers from his two older siblings.

“Oh. Well, I see,” she answers. She then goes through some little muscular tests with him. He does everything she wants him to do easily.

“Well, I don’t see any problems with him. He’ll walk when he’s ready,” she concludes.

I should have told her he has pirate blood, and a pirate will always use his booty.

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry Tags: hermit crabs, pirate's booty, scooting 7 Comments

FBF: True Story…Scout’s Honor!

January

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Welcome to Flashback Friday!

Once, a long time ago, Big D saved his older sister’s life. I have heard this story many times over the years, but just recently came across a fun visual to go along with the story.

My sister and Indiana Mimi were on the phone, and for fun, were googling all of our names to see what came up. Well, when they googled Big D’s name, they found this…

What you’re looking at is page 41 of Boy’s Life Magazine (a publication of the Boy Scouts of America), the February 1980 edition. Big D vaguely remembered that this was printed but did not have a copy. Big D’s mom is a little unsure if they ever had a copy of it since they were being transferred from overseas back to the States near the time of the publication. So everyone had a lot of fun looking this over and remembering that eventful day.

I was unsuccessful at being able to copy the pictures, even though the page provides you with a copyable URL and an embed code, so being the technological wizard that I am, I simply photographed my computer screen. The quality is probably a little off, but I think you get the general idea of what happened….

First, Amy’s (who is looking an awfully lot like Bonny Annie with short hair instead of her usual long, brown, straight self) poncho caught fire, which is strongly emphasized by the publication.

Then, Damon, using his Boy Scout instincts, went to help.

He successfully put out the fire by rolling her on the ground and beating the tar out of her…something every eight year-old boy dreams of being able to do to his older sister.

In the end, that cute kid was awarded the Medal of Merit.

Every time this story ever comes up, though, Amy always maintains that Big D kept thumping her long after the flames died away. She always says it with a chuckle since, after all, she is still alive and not charred like a crisp piece of bacon.

Good job, Little Damon….er…I mean Big D!

Category: Admiral Big D, Flashback Fridays Tags: 1980, Boy Scouts of America, Boys' Life Magazine, fire safety, Medal of Merit 5 Comments

Pants on the Ground, My Version

January

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The other day when Cap’n Jack Henry was playing in the living room, I had an inspiration for a ground-breaking new song.

Here’s how it goes…

“Pants on the ground…

pants on the ground, …

lookin’ kinda’ cool with your pants on the ground…

New teeth in your mouth…

Your little frown turned sideways…

You’re lookin’ kinda cool with your pants on the ground…”

You know, I have the strangest feeling this song could be a hit!

(…and if you are one of the few Americans left that have no idea what I’m talking about and think I’ve actually lost my mind, here ya’ go…

Or, if you prefer, here is the formerly Super Bowl-bound Brett Farve singing it in the locker room…

Unfortunately, that little ditty didn’t help his performance against the Saints.)

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry, The Pirate Mom Speaks Tags: American Idol, Brett Favre, Pants on the Ground 4 Comments

Bonny Annie’s Dream-Come-True

January

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Last week Bonny Annie went to a weekend camp with our church. She was soooooo excited.

Why was she excited? Well, there were many reasons. The fact that this was her first time to go away to camp was at the top of the list. Other reasons included…

Being able to meet new friends…

Praise and worship sessions…

The challenge to draw closer to God…

Hanging out with and getting to know better some of the adult volunteers from our church…

Getting to be on the same Foosball team with Pastor David…

Yes, all of these reasons caused her to anticipate the trip. But do you know what she was most excited about? What she was most looking forward to experiencing?

Her first ride on a REAL school bus!

I tell ya’…these home schooled kids are so deprived…

…and weird.

(A special thanks to Big D for going on the retreat too and providing all the photographs seen here. There’s nothing quite like going to youth camp with your photographer dad trailing you like the papparazzi.)

Category: Bonny Annie, homeschooling Tags: Foosball, God, school bus, youth camp 7 Comments

Spaghetti…Oh!

January

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Okay, I get it now.

We’ve all seen them. Pictures of kids eating spaghetti. Making a total and complete mess. Getting more food on themselves and their surroundings than actually in their mouths.

I never understood the concept. I would just look at those pictures and think, “Well, yeah. Cute kid and all, but that is a bona fide mess. I’ll never let my kid do that.”

And I didn’t. But then Bonny Annie and Dirty Harry have never liked spaghetti. Never. So the opportunities for a noodle-and-sauce-free-for-all were limited. Not that I cared or thought I was missing anything.

Until now…

Oh…when you have a kid who likes spaghetti, and is really getting into it at dinner time…well, it is kinda cute.

You find yourself unconcerned about the stains and the fingernails and the sauce that’s now matted into his eyebrows. You just keep laughing and snapping pictures and ladling more spaghetti onto the highchair tray. Like an idiot.

All for the sake of cute. Sheesh.

And then you wonder, as he slurps noodle after noodle through his rosebud little lips, “Whose the real “sucker” here? Me or him?”

Don’t answer that, okay?

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry, Grub Tags: eyebrows, idiot, mess, spaghetti 6 Comments

Shop Class

January

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Last Thursday turned out to be a doozy of a day at our house.

Thursdays are always a bit of a challenge anyway because it’s Bonny Annie’s long tutorial day, so I can never plan much for her school-wise since she’s gone from the house from about 9:00am until about 1:30. But on this particular Thursday, our friend, Mr. Vern, was showing up to work on our dining room floor, and since the dining room is also our classroom, I thought serious schoolin’ for that day was going to be a wash.

But I was wrong.

We’ve known Mr. Vern for a number of years. He goes to our church. And he recognized Dirty Harry’s interest in the job right away, and he tapped into it. He casually just started giving him little jobs, running him back and forth to his truck for odds and ends, even taking him on a quick run to Lowe’s. The next thing I knew Dirty Harry was chest deep into our crawl space, thinking that this was even better than Legos, and my plans for attempting a math lesson on the living room floor were abandoned.

When we bought our house new a little over eight years ago, the builder installed a French door that had already been fitted and installed into another house into ours, since ours had sold and we had a fast-approaching move-in date, and the other one had not. We had always noticed that the door had some minor problems since we always had to slam it to get it to shut properly, but we didn’t know, until just a couple of years ago, that the seal on the door was faulty and that the floor all around the door had some water damage. Fortunately, the damage was not severe or widespread, but we had reached a point where the floor had to be fixed and the door replaced, or someone was going to fall through into the crawl space. The only family member that possibility appealed to was Dirty Harry, and at under 65 pounds, he was not likely to make that happen.

Here you can see where the floor had gotten spongy all along the door jam…

So, Mr. Vern’s job, along with his trusty helper, Dirty Harry, was to cut a whole in the damaged floor and put in a temporary, but functional, patch of plywood flooring. Eventually we’re going to lay Pergo flooring on the whole downstairs. Maybe over the summer…. (Did you hear that Big D??? The summer???)

Dirty Harry’s favorite job was using the hammer and other various tools to whack away at the damaged flooring.

I love the above picture because, for some reason, Dirty Harry looks five instead of nine. Not that there’s anything wrong with nine, but if you’re a mother reading this, then you probably understand. There’s just something special about five….

I also love that while this project was going on I heard Mr. Vern having Dirty Harry work relevant math problems as it pertained to cutting the floor. I also loved that at one point they were having a scientific conversation about the results of friction. I also loved that Mr. Vern shared a gruesome story about an eye injury he once suffered in an attempt to scare Harrison into leaving on his work googles instead of wearing them on his head. I also loved that Dirty Harry was working so hard at one point that he was sweaty. I also really, really loved that Mr. Vern noticed in time that Dirty Harry was, at one point, pounding away at a non-damaged floor joist and stopped him. And, of course, I love the fact that my floor is temporarily repaired…

…even if it is a bit unsightly at the moment. I love that, even now, Big D is planning the door replacement and permanent flooring project. (Pssst….Big D? Still listening???)

So, the next time your school schedule gets turned upside-down by….whatever….don’t fret! Embrace the situation as a school elective, and let your child learn something of a different nature.

Trust me….they won’t be worse for wear.

Category: Dirty Harry, homeschooling Tags: hammers, home repairs, Pergo floors, shop class, water damage 7 Comments

The GOOD Toy: Busy School Activity Cube

January

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Back some time before Christmas, I bashed toys in general here on my blog. While I was a little tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing, there is some truth in what I was trying to say. As parents, we do spend too much money on toys when our kids would really rather play with our cell phones or our car keys. However, I am not anti-toy, and we have a houseful of them to prove it.

Some of the toys that we have purchased over the years have been passed on to other families or our church nursery. Some of them were sold at yard sales. Some of them are in pieces under beds. Some of them are now gracing the shelves at Goodwill. Yet some of them are played with often. Some of them have value. Some of them are GOOD toys. So I thought that when I come across a GOOD toy now and then that I would share that info with all you parents out there, so you can finally reclaim your measuring cups.

For Christmas, I bought Cap’n Jack Henry the Parents Busy School Activity Cube.

I was walking the aisles on day at Costco when it caught my eye. Jack Henry, being a preemie-sized infant, has been a bit behind in the large motor skills area, and I thought this would be a great benefit and encouragement to him to start pulling up and cruising. I was right. He’s pulled up on it several times and regularly makes his way around the entire hexagon exploring all the toy’s bells and whistles.

On the top it is a the model of a school yard and is maze of beads and chunky, movable figures.

Is it just me, or does the school teacher (despite being Hispanic) look a little like Indiana Mimi?

The top of this toy alone will keep your toddler busy for quite some time, but the toy also has six sides, instead of the standard four of most cube toys, that offer even more fun activities.

First of all, there is a school bus with movable kids and numbers…

Now, while it may be fun and colorful on a toy, you might want to teach your child to never go anywhere with a middle-aged man wearing a Cat-in-the-Hat stovepipe hat in the colors reminiscent of Freddy Kruger’s sweater. Just sayin’…

One panel teaches the ABC’s…

On another side is a tree with movable, colorful birds…

One of Jack Henry’s favorite sides at the moment has a spinning color wheel…

Another fun side has colorful shapes…

And, finally, the last side has a cute game of tic-tac-toe…

If your toddler doesn’t appreciate this side yet, your older kids might. Dirty Harry and I spent a happy thirty minutes the other day playing this game using a Nerf gun. Well, it was happy for me anyway because I won. Dirty Harry may have another take on it, but I have seen him using it for target practice since, so I’m probably in for a rematch in a day or two.

The toy is very sturdy too. It’s virtually impossible for Jack Henry to pull this thing over, and if he does topple over, the makers even made sure that the hardware was not exposed and that the corners were rounded off.

Unfortunately, it looks like this toy is not available for purchase right now. I couldn’t find it at all on Costco’s site. I found it on Amazon here , but it looks like it is currently unavailable. It also looks like Target carried it at one time. There are no signs of it being discontinued though, so maybe it’s just a case of having to build up more stock after Christmas. Even if you can’t find this one in particular, I found several compatible options in my searching.

What toys do you find are worth emptying your wallet and cluttering your home for? Which ones are the GOOD toys?

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry, The GOOD Toy (toy reviews), The Pirate Mom Speaks Tags: activity cube toys, Costco, Parents toys 4 Comments

My Musical Child

December

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Jack Henry has shown signs very early on that he has a bit of a musical bent. So, I’ve gone to great lengths to expose him to all sorts of genres, trying to figure out if he has a particular style that he responds to more than others. The other day I sang to him all the various and ecclectic made-up songs I have in my arsenal. You may recognize a few, as I tend to “borrow” some melodies….and some lyrics….when I must.

Observe…

I think I have a fan. Just ignore that crying part at the end, if you made it that far, okay?

But it was later in the day, I discovered the music that spoke to him, that touched his soul, that made him move…

And let me just tell you, it is humiliating to be upstaged by rodents.

Category: Cap'n Jack Henry Tags: Alvin and the chipmunks, dancing baby, music 4 Comments

An Odd Tale

December

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