Treasure Hunt For St. Patrick's Day

 My fellow crafty and very good friend, Gwen, sent us golden nuggets at Christmas time. They were filled with sweet treats and little treasures for the kids. When these arrived in the mail I hid them in the yard and Emma and Grayson went on a golden nugget hunt. They thought this was wonderful and so did I!
These adorable little gems have been on my list of art to-dos for months now and I knew I would find the perfect reason to make them. I think a golden nugget hunt is the perfect activity for some St. Patrick's day fun.

materials needed:
walnut shells (remember to try and keep the shells in tact when cracking)
gold paint
hot glue gun
tiny treasures and sweets

Once you have shelled all your walnuts, lay the shells out on some newspaper and paint them gold. Let dry completely before filling with your goodies. The kids helped me paint these gold, but I had them get into some clay while I filled them. I used some teeny tiny figurines, charms, coins and of course some sweet treats. For the unwrapped edibles be sure to wrap them in a little piece of tissue or wax paper before placing in the shell.
Now to close the shell add a few drops of hot glue on the edge of the shell and close. This will be just enough glue to keep it closed, but also to allow those little fingers to easily pry the shell apart and giggle with excitement as they find their little treasure.

Thank you Gwen, for this great idea and even more so for your great friendship!

The Snowman Game!

 A few years ago I declared that our usual Christmas Eve family gathering become game day! Because my family is so awesome, there was no hesitation (although I bet my pregnant sister-in-law dressed as a snowman above never expected her photo to appear here for all to see, good thing I'm her favorite!)

One of the games we played that year and continue to play every year is the snowman game. The family all splits into groups of three or four people and each group is given a supply package containing 2 rolls of tp, construction paper and tape. One member of each group will get dressed as a snowman by the other team members. We set a ten minute timer and when the time was up all the snowmen lined up to be judged by Grandpa.
I can't tell you how fun and silly this game is. So many laughs and great memories have been made. I highly recommend making your holiday gatherings a declared game day!

Pledge to Hide and Seek!

Today I pledge to play hide and seek. When life gets too serious, when I have a million things to get done, when my kids are cranky, bored, restless and just need me - I pledge to stop what I am doing and play hide and seek.
It is amazing what it does for a cranky child...and mama too! It brings laughs, fun, love, ends sibling bickering (for a moment at least,) and reminds me that dishes and emails can wait because at this very moment I am connected with my children; making memories and being just happy. 

Pledge with me!

xoxo
green owl mama

Toddler Art and Fun

It is so interesting to see what keeps a toddler interested and engaged. Grayson likes to feel like he has a job to do and something to figure out. My friend Laura taught me this one when Emma was a little one like this. Now Grayson is a big fan of jars and lids as well. It's that simple.

Could painting get more fun? Yes. With pudding, painting is a toddler dream! Surprisingly he actually painted more than he ate. This was a fun and messy morning, especially after I added some sprinkles to the mix!

 

Empty milk jug and some small figurines, marbles, beans or anything that can fit into the jug will go a long way. When toys were not cutting it one evening during dinner prep I handed this over to my busy boy. I think something new and different will always grab the attention of a toddler looking for some action.

 We save our empty yogurt cups to use in many different ways. Paint cups, snack cups, to stock the shelves of our pretend market.....but, on this day they were simply to stack.

Felt Christmas Tree

Our family gatherings always include lots of games and crafts. I thought a felt tree would be fun for the kids this year. Last night I cut a tree and ornaments out of felt, this will go on the children's table and they can decorate and redecorate as much as they want. I can't wait to see all those little hands over this tree. I had planned on having Emma fancy up the ornaments with glitter glue today, but she was so excited to play with the tree when she saw it that the glitter glue never happened. It still looks great just as it is.

Homemade Gifts- Toddler Chef

We finished our gift for a sweet little one year old today. We made a box full of bakery fun!
First I made the sweetest little felt cookies. I do not like to sew, but these are very simple and easy to do with felt sheets and an embroidery needle and thread. I cut out rounds of felt, different toppings and used cotton balls to fill them. We got a simple box that Emma painted polka dots on using the cap to a water bottle. We found a teeny tiny apron at the fabric store and an adorable apple applique that is just an iron on...so simple! Emma did the same polka dots on the apron with fabric paint.

Lastly I added a couple little wood tools, wooden spoons, measuring spoons and a bottle of sprinkles that I emptied and added tissue confetti to. Is this cute or what!? Perfect for the sweet one year old in your life.

Homemade Gifts- Memory

This year we are really trying to do as many homemade gifts as we can. I think it is important to show children that not everything comes from the "big red bulls eye." By creating gifts with their own hands, creativity and lots of love it allows them to appreciate the process of making something special for each person they love and removes the commercial big box store out of this holiday (well, at least for the kids.) Take that marketers! You will not take over my child's imagination with your psychedelic million dollar campaigns!

We made our own memory game this week using these sweet little wood kraft rounds, stamps and a little wooden box to hold it all. Took us under ten minutes to complete. A very special little girl in our lives is going to love this.