Who's your daddy?

Some kids are about to start kindergarten. 

When I had daycare kids that age, I thought it was a good idea to review their parents' names. You know, just in case. 

The conversations often went like this:

Me: "What's your daddy's name?"

Little one: "Daddy."

Me:  "I mean his name."

Little one: "Daddy."

Me: "OK. You know your grandma is your daddy's mom, right?"

Little one: "Yes."

Me: "Well your grandma didn't name her newborn baby, Daddy."

Little one: "Yes she did."

When a conversation gets to this point with a preschooler, you just have to give them the facts and revisit the topic another time.

And so I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea for young children everywhere to be reminded their parents' names.

Phone numbers, too.

Have a lovely day!

Friendship bracelets for end of summer

It's the end of summer. 

Do you have a houseful of bored nocturnals milling around looking for something to do? 

Perhaps you also have some barefoot neighbor kids thrown in the mix, too?

Celebrate their summer alliance with friendship bracelets. All you need is some yarn. And maybe a few beads.

Tape three stands of yarn to the table and space the strands.

Then begin braiding.

Add a bead or two if you want to be fancy.

Then, just tie the two ends together to make a bracelet! 

If the strands are really long, you can drape it on the arm, then twist and double over. (you know, like when a necklace is too long). This makes a thicker bracelet. 

The end of summer is such a bittersweet season.

Have a lovely day!




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Artsy-Fartsy Mama

Fruit fly don't bother me

Fruit fly don't bother me.
Fruit fly don't bother me.
Fruit fly don't bother me.
For I belong to somebody.

Well, that's not exactly how the song goes, but it's what I've been singing lately.

I learned how to trap fruit flies a few years ago and this tip works every time.

FRUIT FLY TRAP

Just put a few tablespoons or maybe 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a cup.
Add a couple drops of dish washing liquid.
Then fill it to the top with water to make a deadly snow cone for the little buggers.

Sometimes the process needs repeated the next day. Put a cupful in every room where fruit flies are a problem.

Fruit fly don't bother me!

Have a lovely day!

The party is when?

You know how it is.

Maybe you forgot a get-together. Or one of the kids neglected to tell you about the school BBQ and you're supposed to bring a dish to share.

Keep this recipe in your back pocket and the ingredients on hand. You never know when a party will sneak up on you!

AMBROSIA - QUICK AS A WINK!

Ingredients:

3 cans of chunk pineapple
3 cans of Mandarin oranges
1 jar of Maraschino cherries
Couple handfuls of mini marshmallows
16 oz (two normal tubs) whipped cream
Optional: shredded coconut, pecans, walnuts

Instructions:

Drain the fruit
Mix all ingredients, except whipped cream, in a pretty bowl
Gently stir in the whipped cream

Then, cover the bowl and hop in the car!

Have a lovely day!

A is for animals

When I had an in-home daycare, we focused on one letter of the alphabet per week.

I made this memory game using our pets' photos. (A is for animals!). It took no time at all to put this game together.

Since we have lots of photos of Mr. Cool, Little Weirdo and Kitty Baby, I just found one picture of each of them. Then I printed two copies of each photo.

Depending on the ages of the kids playing, you may want to "laminate" the photos. I cheat-laminate by covering fronts and backs with packing tape; and I definitely needed to laminate these photos, because the players of the game were all three and younger!

To play: flip all the photos over so the pictures are hidden. Then, as in the classic game, Memory, just flip one photo at a time while trying to find its match.

You can add photos of other animals like lions, giraffes, fish, etc. Keep the game simple with only four or six photos or add a lot more to create a challenge for older kids.

Have a lovely day!



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Mad in Crafts
Flour Me with Love