Rainy Day Schedule:: Duct Tape and Cardboard.

it was rainy all day.

but nothing a little neon duct tape can't handle.

 

 

a cardboard village kept the kids happy and gave me enough time to get some work done ☺

Happy Valentine's Day for CRAYON out loud!

Making rainbow crayons was the next activity in line out of the 

I'm Bored Jar. 

Then I happened upon a Valentine's addition on pinterest, so we had to copy and make them for Cason's preschool class. He was very pleased with them.

 

If you haven't made your Valentine's yet, this is so fast.

And the best part for me... I already had everything on hand!

Chop up a bunch of crayons and arrange them in an oven-safe mold. 

  

 Bake 230 for 15-17 minutes. 

Let them thoroughly cool before removing from the mold.

Print off a Valentine and stick crayons on with Glue Dots. 

Wrap them up, and DONE.

Happy crafting, and 

Happy Valentine's Day!
(for crayon out loud)

The clubhouse, reinvented.

How cute is this idea from Country Living?
Someone has reinvented the in-house clubhouse!
No more blankets, couch pillows and kitchen chairs.
I'm filing that away for a rainy day.
Or the Bored Jar, perhaps!

I can't wait, so fun!

Doggy doggy, where's your bone?

It was the next thing he picked from the bored jar... one I have been putting off for a long time (only because it requires effort on my part).

Our next door neighbors have a German Shepherd, Ty, that Case watches everyday from our kitchen window. He desperately wanted to make him a treat.
Then he started naming all of his doggy friends.
So we got to work.

He delivered them to all of the neighbor dogs. Word is that they all loved the treats and want more.

Doggy Treats
Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brewer's yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Combine flour, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Place canola oil in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to oil in 3 additions, alternating with 1 cup stock; mix until combined.

2. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes. Transfer to baking sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating sheets and lightly brushing with remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock halfway through. Turn oven off, and let stand in oven for 40 minutes.

Makes about two dozen.
Can be stored at room temperature for up to one month.

A few images from our week....

We had to bury the gold fish instead of flush,
by request of the four-year-old pet owner.

Weakness.

Daffodils in the kitchen make me sooooo happy.

I love these colors.
And paired simply with some olive oil and rosemary salt... yummm.

A spring-time "I'm Bored" craft (we saw it on Special Agent Oso):

Pinecone Bird-feeder
A pinecone on a string
covered with peanut butter
then rolled in bird seed.

Hang it from a visible tree and watch the birds flock.

*****

Another great week is coming... I can feel it.
10-day forecast says 50-60 all week.
That's what I'm talking about!

They were bored AGAIN.

Today it rained, then hailed, then sunned, then rained again.
I consider that progress. Especially because we've been enjoying 50+ (even 60 once!) degree weather this week. (Do you ever get sick of me talking about the weather??)
It's still not totally outside play weather, so our "I'm Bored!" Jar is still getting lots of attention (the boy begs for it).

Alien Egg.

Kind of gross but they love it! (especially boys.)

Place a raw egg in a glass jar. Add enough white vinegar to cover it:
screw on the lid and put it in the refrigerator.
The next day, pour out the liquid, cover it with fresh vinegar and place it back in the fridge.
On the third day, remove the egg and rinse it off.
The shell will have dissolved and the egg will be plump and rubbery. It will also be transparent-- roll it side to side and watch the yolk roll around. The acid in the vinegar eats the shell and gradually absorbs through the membrane to make it plump.
PS. White eggs work best.

Table Setting Placemats.Kids can teach themselves where to put dishes and utensils at mealtime, and maybe they'll even enjoy setting the table!

Use a colored marker to trace outlines of dishes, glasses and flatware in their proper places (we kept these ones simple) onto brown craft paper.
Let the kids color them however they wish.
Have the mats laminated so they can be used over and over again.

Make Your Own Coloring Book.

SO not original or creative, but this is my Cason's favorite thing to do.

Draw pictures in black ink only to be colored in later.
Perhaps make the pictures go with a theme.
(or at random and on demand as above-- how do you feel about my artistry? yikes)
Place all the pictures in a binder to be colored whenever the Crayola bug strikes a fancy.

Happy Boredom busting!
Signs of Spring are starting to show,
which means it really is coming and that we beat another winter!
Sigh.

Still bored...

The weather has been better this week. But my bones still ache every time I go outside... I was sitting here checking email and suddenly thoughts of a warm breeze entered my mind, I can't wait. Anyway, my little guy begs everyday to "do something out of that jar"; here are a few more things that have been keeping my kids [temporarily] entertained:

Indoor Hopscotch.
You will need:
masking tape or duct tape

Use tape (you can find fun colors at hardware stores) and stick it to your carpet to make a hopscotch court. Get creative with the number and position of the squares. Enjoy hours of fun without worrying about chalk rubbing off. We've had ours up all week, the kids play for some time every day. Not so great for the aesthetics of my family room, but it gives them something to do!


Paper Tops.
You will need:
A toothpick
5-6 pieces of paper cut into 1-inch strips
Quick setting glue

Glue one end of a 12-inch long strip of paper, just above the toothpick's tip.
Roll tightly and secure the end with glue.
Glue on another strip to the end you just glued and continue rolling.
Repeat about 5 times to make a disk about 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
Press the coiled paper between thumb and finger to shape the top and twirl away!

I'm Bored!!!

My little boy picked this phrase up somewhere, and since little sister is a copycat, she says it too! With these frigid temperatures smack-dab in the middle of winter, we all have a raging Cabin Fever! Boredom is never a good thing, so we sat down the other morning and put together an "I'm Bored!" jar. A bunch of ideas and jump-starts for projects or games to get their imaginations and creativity flowing. It's something I started forever ago, before I even had kids, which made it easy to put together. I am a chronic magazine clipper, so coupled with some ideas I came up with and memories of my own childhood, we have a pretty extensive jar of boredom busters.

Its easy to make... all you really need is a jar and paper.
If you want to make it cute, well, that's up to you!
Here's what I did--- 
A quart-size mason jar works perfect, and preferably one with a wide mouth.

As for the insides, I wish I could somehow upload my file to make it printable (I'm not that tech savvy). Instead, I will share the ideas with you as we do them. So far, we have done one every day!
Here's one to get you started:

{The Button Game}
Poke a tiny hole in the bottom of a paper cup with a sharp pencil.
Thread a 13-inch piece of ribbon or string through.
Knot a button onto both ends of the ribbon.
Now, see how many tries it takes to fling the bottom button into the cup!

They key to making this jar successful is making sure you have all the materials and ingredients on hand that each idea requires-- mostly basic craft supplies and pantry staples.

Using the jar is not as easy as putting a show on so I can get things crossed off my to-do's (I am way too guilty-- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is their fave), but it forces bonding time... just think of all the fun memories those kids will have! {I hope.}

What are your best Boredom Busters??