Here's a fun idea for your next bash! The next time you're thinking about doing goody bags or party favors you have to try these! Plus it's a lot more fun when there's popping involved.....packing bubbles, balloons, gum!!! Once again here is a quick and simple tutorial that even the kiddos can help with. First Step: Drive, walk, or skip on down to Wal-Mart (where I got mine) to get some fun Push-Up Cake Poppers. They should be in the party section. Step 2: Go crazy grabbing fun stuff that'll fit inside the tubes for your event. Don't forget the confetti!! Step 3: Check out. Step 4: Go home. Step 5: Once inside rip open the fun and start stuffing the push pops. Step 6: Throw a PARTY AND HAVE FUN!

I hope you enjoyed my DIY and humor. Check out my blog for other fun DIYs. Heather Where I linked up this fun DIY. Thanks to the following for hosting! :) Crafting Along Link Party  Share It Saturday!  Saturday Spotlight @ Classy Clutter Serenity Saturday @ SerenityYou Craft, Create, & Inspire Linky Party @ Live Love Create

I'm bringing back an oldie from 2011. My glow in the dark night bowling!!
Glow sticks in water bottles Line 'em up and knock 'em down! A basketball works great!

Too much fun!!! Night bowling was a hit not only with my boys but the whole neighborhood.

Now go try it before summer is over!

My boys love to use hangers as bows and pretend they are shooting invisible arrows at whatever they are hunting or being chased by. I decided while watching them play that I'd make them "real" lethal weapons to play with!! Then I had a vision of Fat Amy saying, "Mmmm, better not." Then I decided to make them "play" bow and arrows. ;)

Here's what you'll need

1. Old plastic hanger

2. Hand Saw/Or bread knife if you're okay with that

3. Colored Duct Tape

4. Empty Toilet Paper Roll

5. Scissors

6. String

7. Mad Taping Skills

Alrighty. First you're going to cut your hanger in three areas as shown in this image. Set aside the bottom part of the hanger. It will be your arrow later on.

Next, take your empty toilet paper roll and cut a straight line down it's center as shown. Wrap the roll around the center of the upper part of the hanger in the middle. This will be the hand grip. Take your  duct tape and use it to cover and attach your roll as shown.

I took a piece of duct tape and folded it to make a pointed arrow piece that I then attached to the end of the bottom piece of the hanger.

The last thing I did was tie the string onto my bow and tape the pieces in place.

And BAM!!! EASY Bow and Arrow in less than 15 minutes for the kiddos to use for hours of fun!

 

 

 

Where I Party:
Someday Crafts, No Minimalist Here, Sew Much Crafting, I Gotta Create, Seven Alive, Live Laugh Rowe, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, Trendy Treehouse, Sew Much Ado, The DIY Dreamer, If It's Not Baroque, Hickory Trail, My Turn For Us, Funky Junk Interiors, Create, Craft, Love, Simply Dream & Create, Suburbs Mama, Raising Memories, Classy Clutter, I Should Be Mopping, Under the Table and Dreaming, Keeping It Simple, Piggy In Polka Dots, Homemaker on a Dime, Alderberry Hill, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Crafting My Way to Success, A Peek into My Paradise, Create With Joy, Natasha in Oz, The Gunny Sack, Better With Age, Crafty Confessions, Elizabeth & Co., Katherine's Corner, Lamberts Lately, Uncommon Designs,

It's National Sugar Cookie day!!! Or...another excuse to bake cookies! Okay, so my reasons *might* be the latter. Haha!    

Did you know that the first sugar cookies ever made have been traced way back to the mid 1700's? Apparently in Pennsylvania! Before they were the typical round-shaped cookie we know now, they looked a lot like pretzels. They were also known as jumbles and were popular because they could be stored for many months. Here's a look.    

I have to say, I prefer a fun cookie cutter and some frosting! I hope you have fun making your cookies and celebrating such a great traditional treat.

Here's my oldest thoroughly enjoying this treat!

 

 

 

As parents, most of us have had the experience of suddenly realizing we have no idea where our child has gone. They were just beside you and now they are no where to be found. Red alert has set in and you're now asking everyone around you if they've seen your little one. Luckily, most children are found rather quickly. Even luckier, most children survive the reaction of their parents when found. ;)   I've been raising two boys in possibly the biggest and busiest travel destination in the world for the last couple of years. During that time, I've learned a thing or two about keeping them safe and there are a few precautions that I take to help my peace of mind.  

1. The most important thing to do before you get to your destination, is to talk to your kids about where you're going and what you'll be doing. Remind them what you've told them about strangers. Make sure you set some rules about keeping close to you and not running off. Talking about this before you get to a crowded place helps them to focus on your words and not everything else around them.    2. Find A Mom! During my big speech before we hit our destination I always remind my boys who to go to if they do get lost. I've always felt safest telling my boys to "Find a Mom". They know that if they get lost they should find a mom with kids and tell her they're lost. I feel like I can trust another mother to help keep my boys safe and help them find me or my husband.   3. Dress them in bright clothing, matching shirts, or wear family shirts. Obviously it's a lot easier to look for and spot a neon green shirt in a crowd.   4. Take a photo of your children in what they're wearing that day. As soon as we get out of our car and before we take anymore steps toward where we are headed, I line my boys up and take a clear photo of them. This way I have a 'just incase' updated photo of them with what they are wearing and it's easy to just pull out your phone and ask someone if they've seen your child and show them a current picture from that day.   5. Hands on rule. We have a rule with our boys when we are in a crowded area that they must always have a hand on Mom or Dad at all times, until we give them permission for hands off. They must be holding one of our hands, latching my bag(so I feel the weight of them and know they are still beside me), or holding one of our shirts. When we are in the a busy grocery store I usually have the hands on rule with the shopping cart. It has worked really well for us.   I know every kid is different. Sometimes things get overwhelming. I still recommend the above tips and tricks and also suggest maybe getting a wrist or body leash. It sounds silly at first, but I do know parents that wouldn't have been able to travel without a child leash. It is better to be safe than sorry. ;)   I'd love to hear your own tips and tricks!   I hope you enjoyed this post! I love you all! :)    

Sometimes I get these ideas and think, "I'm a genius!" Then I look online, see that several other people have already thought of it long ago, and hear a Fat Amy voice in my head saying, "Mmmm, not really. Nice try though." Ha Ha Ha!   So , I guess what I'm saying is that these snack necklaces are not an original idea of mine. It's been done...and redone. But as far as I know, they've never been done the way I specifically make them!   I don't want my boys to be all sugared up for my mental sake. I decided that fresh fruits and veggies wouldn't work so well. Then BAM! I thought, "Why don't I use my dried fruit snacks?" My boys love to snack on the dried fruit that we have as part of my food storage that we've purchased from Thrive. Super yummy stuff! Don't add water...just eat. If you're interested in learning more about Thrive, my friend Natalie is a consultant, so you can go check out what Thrive has to offer. The other thing I thought of doing that I haven't seen done before is using floss instead of string. I'm a lucky mom and my boys love to floss. :) I tied one end of the floss to a clean needle and we poked our way through the dried fruit and cheerios.





Now you can make a healthy snack necklace for your kiddos to munch on during movie nights, church, and maybe even the Fourth of July festivities. I know I will. They'll be getting some necessary servings of fruits and you'll get to avoid the sugar highs and inevitable crashes. Win win!            

Sounds so fun, right? :) It's super easy and cheap, too!


Here's what you'll need to make your own glow-in-the-dark sprinkler!

1. An empty plastic bottle.


2. Duct tape


3. Glow sticks/necklaces


4. Knife and Craft Table or somewhere sturdy for poking holes. Can you tell in the picture below that my craft table is well used? :)


First you're going to want to rinse out your plastic bottle, especially if it had anything other than water inside it. You don't want to attract ants! If your bottle has a label, take it off so you'll get the full glowing effect.

Next, take a knife and punch about 4-6 slits in the container. You don't want huge holes or you won't have enough pressure build up to have shooting water like a real sprinkler. I hope you can see the slits I made in the bottle in this photo.


Once it's dark activate your glow sticks and put as many as you desire or will fit inside the bottle.

For the next step, you'll probably need an extra set of hands. Duct tape the bottle to your hose. Make sure the tape goes about three inches down the hose so it's secured.

When you first turn on the water, start with low pressure. When we turned on the water for the first time, we had it on full blast. The bottle turned into a rocket and flew off the hose! Haha! Once the water is spraying through the holes you can turn the water on higher to get taller sprays.

Here's a picture of what it looks like during the day without glow sticks. Even our bird enjoyed it!



 So much fun!!! I hope you have fun making this for your own kiddos. :)





Where I Party:
Someday Crafts, No Minimalist Here, Sew Much Crafting, I Gotta Create, Seven Alive, Live Laugh Rowe, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, Trendy Treehouse, Sew Much Ado, The DIY Dreamer, If It's Not Baroque, Hickory Trail, My Turn For Us, Funky Junk Interiors, Create, Craft, Love, Simply Dream & Create, Suburbs Mama, Raising Memories, Classy Clutter, I Should Be Mopping, Under the Table and Dreaming, Keeping It Simple, Piggy In Polka Dots, Homemaker on a Dime, Alderberry Hill, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Crafting My Way to Success, A Peek into My Paradise, Create With Joy, Natasha in Oz, The Gunny Sack, Better With Age, Crafty Confessions, Elizabeth & Co., Katherine's Corner, Lamberts Lately, Uncommon Designs,