spring tissue paper wreath

It's SPRING and the cherry blossoms, dogwoods, and bradford pears are all in bloom! I planned on making a handprint-trunk, tissue paper-blossom tree artwork with A this morning, but she had other plans.

Marble Painting

We painted with marbles! It's as easy as (and less messy than) it sounds.

Best Get Well Book... for a cold or a crash!

I was driving home from work on Friday when a car spun out of control on the interstate and slammed into me at about 60 miles an hour.

I'm sore, but alive and with all bones and organs undamaged. As my mother said, "God bless the engineers of the Dodge Grand Caravan!" 

My children were NOT in the car with me and after seeing how horribly A's car seat failed, I cannot praise God enough for His protection on my family! (I'm shopping online today for new - safer! - carseats for the girls.)

I have been showered with love this weekend, as I recover from the bruises and stiff muscles. My husband is taking great care of me and the girls, and we've had so much food dropped off, I'm bound to gain 20 lbs during my convalescence. My husband's Great Aunt Jean (one of the best gift-givers alive) also dropped off the newest Caldecott Winner:


A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead

Such a sweet, gentle book! Amos McGee spends each day the same: going about his duties at the zoo, keeping the animals company. He plays chess with the elephant, races the tortoise, keeps the shy penguin company, and reads stories to the owl (who's afraid of the dark). But when Amos is too sick to go to work, the animals seek him out and reward his friendship by helping to care for him.

The illustrations are truly Caldecott-worthy, but it's the lesson of friendship and empathy in the story that make it great. A perfect gift for anyone feeling under the weather!

Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Where'd all my bows go?

E doesn't have many hair bows and clips. She did but they've nearly all disappeared... somewhere. Rapunzel to the rescue! Inspired by this one from Mommy Meatloaf, I made a Rapunzel Hairbow Holder for E's surviving hair accessories.

What you'll need:
- cardboard
- polyfill
- fabric
- lots of yarn
- hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Trace a circle on the cardboard and cut out. (I used a salad plate as a stencil.)

2. Cut your fabric (I used an old t-shirt) in a larger circle.

3. Place the polyfill on the cardboard and stretch the fabric across, hot-gluing it to the back of the cardboard.

4. If you want to make it prettier, glue a circle of cardstock to the back to hide the extra fabric.

5. Cut strands of yarn for the hair. Mine were about 4 feet long, which is definitely LONG, but this is a Rapunzel hairbow holder, after all. Divide the strands into three even groups and tie to secure. (The picture shows my first attempt of 10 strands each, but I ended up doubling that amount.)

6. Braid! If you're really adventurous, you can secure the yarn to your fridge and try to teach your 5 year old how to braid. After a few frustrating minutes of me teaching and her not getting it, E turned to me and said, "Mom, why don't we work on it together." Excellent idea. She did one side and I did the other.

7. Glue the braid to the face and add the remaining hair. I didn't get any pictures of this part because my fingertips were too burned to pick up the camera.

If you can figure out how to press yarn into hot glue without sacrificing all of your digits, please let me know.

8. Glue a ribbon loop to the back for hanging.

9. Set Rapunzel in her tower and get ready to accessorize!

If you're wondering why poor Rapunzel is faceless, I plan on adding fake eyelashes once I can get to the store to buy some. I think they'll look darling, but I didn't want to add other features until I see for sure. To be honest, I think she's good as-is, but my everything-must-have-a-face daughter insists I'm not done.


Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm

You know when you see that shiny gold medal that the pages of a book will be filled with wonderful illustrations. The pages of this Caldecott Award winner reveal this classic fairy tale in the style of Italian Renaissance paintings. The story is long for little ones, but grade school children will enjoy hearing the story and examining the rich and detailed illustrations.

This was my favorite fairytale as a child (I think I've always been a little vain about my blond hair), and I'm happy to have found a book that allows me to share it with my own little blond!


I'm linking up to:
- SOYS @ Fireflies & Jellybeans

A Plush Mouse

You won't mind having this little rodent hanging around your house! Isn't he cute? I found the pattern on Craftzine.com. Their example mouse is about 100x cuter than this guy, but that's hardly surprising considering I can barely sew.

The directions are clear and simple and I love that the pattern itself is adorable. (I think my aversion to sewing patterns comes from the 80s-ugliness of most of them.) The mouse took me a couple hours to make while I was watching a movie, but I bet you could whip it up in a quarter of that time if you knew what you were doing.

He's the perfect size to act out your favorite mouse story... say, The Lion and The Mouse. (Today, the role of the lion will be played by brilliant actor and beloved pet, Miles Page.)

Winner of the 2010 Caldecott Award, it's no surprise that Jerry Pinkney's book is GORGEOUS. The pictures will leave you spell-bound, immersed in a story told only through pictures. A subtle and nuanced retelling of Aesop's fable, the illustrations are remarkably realistic renderings of African animals while still conveying a range of human emotion. It's a worthwhile read for children of any age.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz

I mentioned yesterday that the bugs are out early and that includes mosquitoes. We hatched prehistoric mosquitoes this year. I swear I have never seen them so big. In the evenings I grab the kids and we make a mad dash to the car, praying we can get in and buckled before the mosquitoes swarm us. The experience reminded me that we have just the right book for the season:


Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema


In this classic "why" fable, a mosquito tells a lie, setting off a chain of events that eventually leads to the sun failing to rise. When the animals get together to figure out what caused this calamity, they realize the mosquito is to blame. Although they call for her to be punished, sneaky mosquito escapes. To this day she still goes about "whining in people's ears: 'Zeee! Is everyone still angry at me?" The answer? "KPAO!"

What I love about this book are its incredible illustrations. I'm not surprised it was a Caldecott winner, just look at these scenes:

The white outlines and gradient colors are so unique, I wanted to try something similar with my girls. For A I took the wax crayon that came with our egg dying set and traced a coloring book owl. Then I let her sit at the table and paint. Yes, I'm insane. Who in their right mind gives a 21 month old a paint brush and paint?!? We did really well for about 5 minutes and then she decided it was much more fun to splash in the water cup, fling the wet paintbrush around the room, and paint her sister's arm. Eventually it turned into a full blown tantrum and craft time was over.

I filled in some of the white space, but overall I think the picture turned out pretty good. We might try it again when she's a little older.

For E, I wanted to do one of those coat-a-painting-in-crayon-and-scrape-away-to-draw. I remember doing those as a child, but this one failed miserably. The crayon did not scrape away. Do you need a special kind of paper? We tried to salvage the art by creating a mixed media collage.

Honestly, it's a good metaphor for the kind of day we are having.... I keep trying to salvage the day, but I think I just need a small vacation from the kids! Anyone want to come over and babysit?

I'm linking up to:
- stART at A Mommy's Adventure

Marshmallow Bunnies

Aren't my Marshmallow Bunnies adorable?!? I think this shot looks like something out of Watership Down, but that's not our book of the day. I'll show you how to make your own marshmallow bunnies, but first... a book about a bunny named marshmallow!

Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry


I hope you grew up with this wonderful story, but when I met it in the Easter display at B&N, it was our first introduction. Written in 1943, Marshmallow has the same feel as other classics like The Little House or Blueberries for Sal. It's a slow, gentle story about a tabby cat named Oliver and Marshmallow, the new bunny in the house. At first Oliver isn't sure about Marshmallow, the shy quiet rabbit that Miss Tilly brings home. But Marshmallow's delightful personality eventually wins over Oliver.

The story is a little long for toddlers, but I believe preschoolers and kindergarteners will love this well-written and sweetly illustrated tale of two unlikely friends. I especially enjoyed the little poems sprinkled throughout the story that Miss Tilly writes about Marshmallow.

Marshmallow Bunnies Recipe

I'll admit it. Martha and I are not always on speaking terms, but when I ran across this recipe for MYO marshmallow bunny "peeps" I knew I had to try it. As with most Martha recipes - and pretty much everything else I try - it ended up being way more work than I had anticipated. Still, they turned out awfully cute!

I copied the recipe below from marthastewart.com but have included notes of my own.

Ingredients

• 1 package unflavored gelatin (2 1/2 teaspoons)
• cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• vanilla (my suggestion)

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Allow gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.
   
   
2. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water and sugar, and stir over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and place a candy thermometer into sugar water; wipe sides of pan with a wet brush if sugar crystals have splattered up. Boil sugar until temperature reaches the soft-ball stage (238 degrees). Remove syrup from heat; add to softened gelatin. Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, hand-stir the mixture a few minutes to cool; place bowl on the mixer stand. Beat on medium high with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form and the marshmallow mixture holds shape, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
   Here's where I have a bone to pick with Martha who just assumes that everyone has a $250 Kitchenaid. I do not (hint, hint, Kitchenaid!), so I used a hand-mixer and it ended up taking closer to 12 minutes to reach the desired consistency.
   
   I would also suggest you add a splash of vanilla to the mixture once the sugar has cooled down. I was surprised the recipe didn't call for any and ended up being disappointed by the lack of flavor of the finished marshmallows.
      
   
3. Transfer marshmallow mixture to a large (14-inch) pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (No. 11 Ateco) tip, and use immediately.
   
   Um, yeah. Grab a ziplock bag and snip the corner. Make sure you put all the marshmallow in the bag or else it will harden in the bowl and be un-usable.
    
   
4. Fill a rimmed baking sheet with fine crystal colored sugar.
   
   I used plain ol' table sugar.
    
   
5.  Pipe a small marshmallow mound onto sugar, about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch tall.
    

 
6. Pipe two smaller mounds on either end for the head and tail.
    

 

 
7. Pipe the ears, starting from the top of the head onto the body, pulling forward and off to finish.
    

 
8. With a damp finger, pat down any marshmallow spikes formed from piping.
    

 
9. Immediately sprinkle sugar over the entire surface of the bunny. Allow a few minutes for the shape to set.
   
 
10. At this point Martha suggests you pipe royal icing for the eyes, but I was done with making icing and I was really done with piping. Instead... Melt a handful of chocolate chips in the microwave and use a toothpick to add eyes and a nose.

Be warned: this is a messy project. By the end of the process my hands, arms, and camera were covered in marshmallow!  (Don't worry, it didn't get on the lens.) Like I mentioned earlier, the recipe left something to be desired for flavor, but the finished product is undeniably adorable. Can't you just see this guy right at home on top of a green-frosted cupcake?

If you try making your own bunny peeps, link back to me. I'd love to see the results!

Check out all the other great projects at:
- DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land
- Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

More Thailand for Toddlers

Sawadee Ka! We're learning about Thailand this week. Last night, we talked about how children in Thai mountain villages sleep. I explained to E how people build houses up on stilts and keep their pigs, chickens and roosters under the house. The kids lie on grass mats under mosquito nets and listen to the animal noises as they fall asleep.

Just before bedtime, we created our own pretend village hut. E loved pretending to be a Thai village child. Daddy and the dog weren't as excited about their roles.

The pretend play was a perfect lead-in to our bedtime story:

Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho

This prequel to Peek!: A Thai Hide-and-Seek follows a similar format. A Thai mama hurries around her home telling the different animals to be quiet because her baby is sleeping. (Having slept in a Thai village myself, I can attest that it is a noisy place!) The rhythms and repetition are wonderful:

"Wee-wee, Wee-wee," A small mosquito.
Mosquito, mosquito, don't come weeping. Can't you see that baby's sleeping?
Mosquito, Mosquito, don't you cry, My baby's sleeping right nearby.

The baby, of course, does everything but sleep, climbing out of his hammock and following Mama around the house. Kids will love trying to find the hiding baby in each picture, as well as enjoy learning the different animal calls in Thai.

For another related activity, I worked with A to build this Paper Plate Elephant. A came down with hand-foot-mouth disease and is absolutely miserable from all the blisters on her tongue and gums. I tried to distract her this morning with this simple craft. Using this template, I cut out the pieces and gave them to her to put on the plate. She chucked the ears at my head, so I did those for her and then she got the idea and helped with the nose and googly eyes. The googly eyes were a huge hit with her. I swear I only turned my back for a second!

Tomorrow I'll show our attempts at an ancient Asian art form.