Newborn Photos

Here are newborn photos I took of Baby Girl. Babies grow so fast so I really wanted to capture some sweet newborn photos. These are some ideas I got from Pinterest and from just searching the internet.  During my search, I found out that some of those adorable newborn pics you see from friends and family are photo shopped. That is not what I wanted. I just wanted sweet, realistic, and fun photos I could take myself. A few tips that worked for me: take photos right after baby has their bottle, keep baby warm, and use natural light.

Jewelry Onesies

How cute are these?! Thank you A Couple of Craft Addicts for such an adorable idea! I used fabric paint and dipped the eraser end of a pencil and the end of a marker to make the necklaces. Then I added some ribbon I tied into a bow. You could also add a flower. . Be sure to wash the onesies first so they shrink before you paint them. Can't wait for Baby Girl to wear them!

A few cheap, easy and quick activities

This activity took very little prep. I made these on cardstock. B loves rocks so that is what we use but you can use pom poms, coins, or raisins.

Here is another wonderful activity from Mine for the Making. I used Melissa and Doug magnetic letters and placed them on a white paper. Then I took a picture and printed and laminated it. B can now match the letters. I have also seen this done with a baking sheet so the magnets don't move. B requests to do this activity often.

Got this awesome idea for a counting book from Nursery Rhymes and Fun Times. Just folded some paper in half and wrote numbers on each page. Then B and I added the stickers. Of course we used car stickers.

Colored Shaving Cream Bags

You know I love cheap and easy activities! This is a great way to practice letters, numbers, colors, shapes and fine motor skills from Mine for the Making. Just put shaving cream in a ziploc bag with some food coloring. Tape the top of the bag just to be sure it won't open up. Never underestimate a toddler's ability to open something and make a huge mess!! Then pick a concept you want your child to practice and write it on the bag.

Color Cars Matching

Another idea I saw on Pinterest. Don't you love Pinterest?! It comes from The Princess and the Tot. When I saw this, I knew it would be perfect for B. He LOVES cars! He also loves colors and matching. I cut out different colored squares from construction paper and glued them on a piece of black paper. I glued some white strips to make a road. Then I went through B's massive car collection and found cars that matched the colors. Another cheap and easy activity!! He enjoys doing this activity and asks to do often.

Stuffed Animals Picnic

During the summer, I was trying to find as many activities as I could to do with B before Baby Girl got here. This is an easy activity to do, even at 37 weeks pregnant. A take off of Teddy Bears Picnic. I grabbed a blanket and some of B's favorite stuffed animals and snacks. I set up a picnic while he was playing in his room so he was totally surprised when he saw it! We had a grand time and B even shared some of his snacks with his "friends."

Belly Painting

I feel very brave baring my pregnant belly for all to see! I was always looking for ways for B to be more involved in preparing for baby. Since he is 2 1/2, it is hard to know exactly how much he understood. I got this idea from someone in my birth group. I thought it was such a cute idea so I had to try it with B. It took him awhile to get into it but once he did, he had so much fun! These are memories and photos I will treasure forever. And I can show them to Baby Girl one day!

Busy Bags

Look at all of our busy bag activities from our exchange!! Bug catching, pipe cleaner and beads for fine motor practice, play-doh, patriotic activities, mini felt board, star numbers, color matching, stick puzzles, lacing cards, clothes line, and more! We plan on doing a holiday themed busy bag exchange. If you would like to exchange bags with us, please join our Facebook group.

Road Sheet

I saw an idea on Pinterest from lil Mop Top about making a road out of an old pair of jeans. I got a pair of jeans from Hubby and made some different shaped roads for my son to drive his cars on.  I found an old sheet and glued them on it. I made this when I was 38 weeks pregnant and I was too lazy to sew them. Of course the glue didn't last so I will need to sew them on anyway. B loved driving his cars on it!  I used items I already had so it didn't cost me a penny!

Dinosaur Ice Age Dig

I did an ice age dinosaur dig with B. I bought little dinosaurs at Dollar Tree, put them in an ice cube tray, and put them in the freezer. Then I gave B a wooden hammer and let him dig the dinosaurs out. I love that this activity is so cheap. Just paid $1 for the dinosaurs!

Car Wash

Did a "car wash" with my son. Just got some of his hot wheels, used shaving cream as soap, and dipped them in water to rinse. He loved it! Cheap and fun activity!

Big Brother Party

We threw B a Big Brother Party. We wanted him to be excited to be a Big Brother and realize what an important job it is! I ordered a Thomas Big Brother shirt from Heather Rogers Designs. I made the sign and printed out a Big Brother certificate while he was napping. I picked up a Big Brother frame and book and baked a cake. We had the Grandmas come over and  everyone showered him with attention and gifts. He loved it!! He felt so special!!

Chalkboard Painting

B is still obsessed with letters so I am always looking for letter activities. I wrote the letters of the alphabet on his chalkboard and gave him a paintbrush and some water. He then traced over the letters with the paintbrush and the letters disappeared. Great way to practice letter recognition and fine motor skills at the same time.

Baby Loss Bookmark's

I made a bunch of these bookmarks for Pirate Power's baby loss bags. I got the idea from this, bookmarks from paint chips! The only thing I like better than an easy project is a cheap one! I went to Home Depot and got a bunch of paint chips. I found the lighter colored ones work better than the darker ones. I went to JoAnn's and got the butterfly stamp and ordered the stamp with the phrase from rubberstamps.net. Then I stamped away and added a ribbon at the top. I had trouble with the ink smearing so I pressed the stamp lightly on the stamp pad and that helped. Give them plenty of time to dry before you add the ribbon.

Birthday Countdown

Made this for B! I got the idea from something I saw on Etsy. I figured I would just make a much cheaper version since I already had everything I needed. I printed the checkered flag design from the internet, got the Lightning McQueen chipboard from Michael's, used post its so I could change the numbered days easily, and wrote "days until my birthday" on red construction paper and Voila!!

Baby Feet

As soon as I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it! It is from Stamped Silly. This is my version with my 7 week old daughter's feet. Would make a great gift for Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day, or Father's Day.

Busy Bag Swap

I am organizing a toddler/preschool busy bag swap by mail. In case you don't know, a busy bag is a ziploc bag containing a simple, sometimes educational, activity for your child to do either with you or while you need to get other things done. I think these will come in handy when baby girl is here! If you would like to be a part of the swap, please join the toddler/preschool busy bag swap group. All details will be posted there!

Summer Bucket List

There are so many fun things to do over the summer. I decided to put together a toddler summer bucket list!

1. sidewalk chalk
2. make a snowglobe
3. kool-aid slurpees
4. make smoothies
5. sensory tub activity
6. shaving cream slip n slide
7. flower painting
8. ice cube painting
9. play with glow sticks
10. water painting
11. frozen banana pops
12. have a picnic or tea party with stuffed animals
13. go swimming
14. make ice cream
15. make popsicles
16. bake cookies
17. make s'mores
18. go to farmer's market
19. go to drive ins
20. make dump truck brownies
21. make a sensory bag
22. fly a kite
23. water table play
24. go to library
25. root beer floats

What do you plan on doing with your kids over the summer?

Baby Shower Gifts

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This is the gift I put together for my gift exchange buddy in my birth group. We are both expecting girls!! The gift includes a frame, baby foot cookie cutter, monthly onesie iron ons, ice cream bowl with baby items, and a few spa items for the mom to be. I got the idea for most of this from Pinterest.

The frame and baby foot cookie cutter came from Oriental Trading. The cookie cutter would make cute favors for a baby shower. I printed the iron ons from Tip Junkie. They have pink, blue, and orange iron ons. I printed them on Avery Printable Fabric that I found at Office Max. The iron ons can be put on onesies for monthly pictures. I decided not to put the iron ons on the onesies because you never know what size baby will be wearing each month.

I saw the ice cream bowl on Etsy and figured I could make something similar. The ice cream bowl includes oneises, bibs, and wash cloths rolled up to look like ice cream. I also included a baby spoon. The last part of the gift is the spa items. I thought the mom to be deserved some pampering so I decorated a Starbucks box and put lotion, bubble bath, and body wash inside each compartment. This is where I got the idea. I have put onesies, bibs, and wash cloths inside the Starbucks box and just given that as a baby shower gift too.

Sure I could have just put all of these items in the box and shipped it but I think putting them together in different ways adds a personal touch.

Ice Cream Kit

I made this ice cream kit for a co-worker. It was so simple! I got the inspiration from this. I used an old photo box I had and added ice cream cones, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. It just needs ice cream. It makes a great gift for summer time!!

Baby Girl Onesies

I made these onesies for Baby girl! Aren't they cute? I have been making onesies for baby shower gifts for years, but I always used plain white onesies. Then I saw someone on Facebook make the same onesies, but she put the iron on decals on to colored and striped onesies. Why didn't I think of that?! So I went to Goodwill and got some cheap onesies. I bought the iron on decals at Michael's. JoAnn's also has some cute ones. Be sure to wash the onesies first so they shrink. Then just follow the directions on the back of the iron on decals. Makes a terrific baby shower gift!!

Baby Shadow Box

I have been wanting to do this since B was born 2 1/2 years ago and I finally did it!! I love how it came out! I am getting rid of B's clothes in preparation for Baby Girl, but there are some items I just can't bear to give away. I have been trying to come up with creative ways to use some of those emotionally attached items. One way is to have a quilt made with some of his clothing. I definitely plan on doing that but it is very expensive so it will be a little awhile before I can do it.

The other way is to do a shadow box. I decided to use the outfit he wore for his birth announcement, a copy of his birth announcement, and a wooden letter B. I got the shadow box at JoAnns and the wooden letter B at Michael's. I painted the wooden letter B and let it dry. I glued some scrapbook paper in the back of the box. Then I hot glued the outfit, the B, and the birth announcement on to the scrapbook paper. It really was easier and faster than I thought it would be! I will also be making one for Baby Girl! Anyone else have creative ways to show off some of those adorable baby clothes?

Art Binder

I am always looking for creative ways to save B's artwork. I don't like the idea of throwing it all in a box for no one to see. So when I saw this idea for an art binder, I knew I had to make one. I love that I can leave it out so family and friends can flip through it.

Baby Shower

There was a decorating onesie station. Look at all of those cute oneises my baby girl will be wearing!

 

 

 

 

 

My friend used her present of clothes, bibs, and toys as decorations. What a great idea!!

Look at these adorable favors! The paper says, "This is a gift for you today, So when I'm born you'll light my way, And when that happy day is here, burn this candle and spread some good cheer."

And more adorable favors. These are bath salts made by my friend. She used baby food jars and spray painted the lids. Then she glued the butterflies and scrapbooking paper to decorate the jars. Not sure if she made the bath salts or bought them.

One of my gifts was a Date Night Basket. It has a soda stream, quesadilla maker, popcorn, brownie mix, and a Toy Story puzzle for B. Another great idea!!

My co-workers threw me a baby shower this week!! There were so many cute things there that I just had to share them all! Hope these give you some inspiration for the next baby shower you attend!

Snack Box

B started preschool about a month and a half ago and he is still adapting to it. He is finally participating in the fun activities but he isn't eating there. We tried bringing Lightning McQueen dishes for him. Still wouldn't eat. Tried bringing him a bag of snacks from home. Still wouldn't eat. I saw this snack box idea on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try. The box is actually a bead organizer from Michael's. I made sure to get one where the dividers could be taken out. I also got some stickers while I was there for his name. I put car stickers under each snack as a little reward for eating. B got very excited when he saw the box with his name on it and all the snacks inside. Hopefully that means he will actually eat some of the snacks at preschool. Wish me luck!!

Letter Cookies

My son is obsessed with the alphabet.When I saw this on Pinterest, I knew he would love it. I printed out the alphabet card from teaching-tiny-tots. I found the alphabet cookies at Whole Foods. B LOVES these cookies. He picks up a cookie and says the letter. We are still working on matching the letters on the board. He likes to just point to the letters and say them. I also printed out his name so we could work on that too. Now I am looking for other letter foods that we can use to practice the alphabet.

Thomas Binder

Do you have a little one that loves Thomas the Train? I do! My son loves Thomas. He is always asking me the names of the different engines. I don't know about you but I can't remember all of their names. Some of them even look alike which makes it more difficult. So I made this Thomas binder. I printed out pictures of the different trains from the Thomas and friends website. Then I put them in page protectors and put them together in an old binder I had. Now we can look up the train names together.

Color Red

color activities

color bag

red collage

red food-strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, strawberry granola bar and fruit twists

 

 

 

red painting

Brandon's preschool focuses on a different color every week. Last week the color was red. These are the activities we did at home to practice the color red. We actually do these same activities for every color. 

1. Color bag-I fill the bags with dice, pom poms, counting bears, linking cubes, and anything else I find around the house. I got the bags from Oriental Trading. 

2. We make a collage using feathers, pom poms, letter stickers, colored sticks, buttons, etc.

3. I plan a meal that includes foods with the color of the week.

4. B paints only with the color of the week.

 B's favorite is the collage. He especially liked the Lightning McQueen stickers!

Another Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea

As I mentioned, next week is Staff Appreciation Week at B's preschool. Wednesday is bring edible goodies day. I saw this cute idea at Mommy's Kitchen. I found the containers at Dollar Tree and filled them with M&M's. Then I added some ribbon and the label. The label says:

You’re My M&M

Green: is for the inspiration you give

to me each day.

Blue: is for your patience in showing
me the way.

Orange: is for your warmth and
caring smile.

Yellow: is for the way you can always
make me smile.

Red: is for my life that you have touched
this year.

You’re a very special teacher just like this jar,
that’s clear!

You place knowledge in your children’s hands
and melt into their hearts and lives forever.

You’re a “Magnificent” and “Marvelous” teacher!

Thank you for being my M&M!

Teacher Appreciation Gift

Next week is Staff Appreciation Week at B's preschool. Parents are expected to bring something in to go with the daily themes. Monday's theme is flowers and plants. I didn't want to get them flowers or plants because I figure most other parents will do that, but I wanted to stay within the theme. So I decided to make flower pens. I have received many of these from students over the years and I love them. I bought a pack of pens, silk flowers, and floral tape. I made the stem shorter and taped the flowers to the pens with the floral tape. So simple and inexpensive!!

Volunteer Appreciation Gift

We had our volunteer tea today at school. (Not really sure why it is called a tea. We don't serve tea.) This is what I made for my parent volunteer. It is a variation of a Mint Mug which I saw here. It has spearmint gum and peppermint candies. I tied a green ribbon around it and put a label on it. The label says, "Thank you for your invest"mint" of time to help our classroom run smoothly. It really "mint" a lot to me." The best part is it only cost me $4.00!!