The Craft Blog.

So here are a few things Lara and I have done together over the last couple of weeks. A long time ago, I had committed to including more of these ideas (crafts, activities, etc.) to share with other moms. I don't think I've included anything for awhile, but now that we are really getting the hang of things with baby #2, I've had more time to do them. So here is what we have been up to:

1. Stars, Stripes, and fireworks for 4th of July. This was a project Lara did with her cousins.

2. Rainbow Fish. We read the book while doing this craft. We dropped globs of paint on the fish, then smeared it out by using a mini paint roller. Before the paint dried, we stuck on little pieces of aluminum foil to represent the pretty scales the rainbow fish finally decided to share.

3. Magic Art. Everyone knows this one, it's so simple. But little kids love this one because they never know what they might uncover. I used a white crayon to draw words and pictures. Together Lara and I brushed over the picture with water colors, and wha-lah! Ariel appeared! The key, however, is to do a very light coat of water colors.

4. Personalized cup. This one came from a class at the discovery museum. You decorate the paper however you would like, then take the cup apart and slip the paper in. The truth is, though, you have to take the cup apart every time you wash it, otherwise, the paper will get wet. A fun idea in theory though.

5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. No offense. moms, but something is wrong with your book collection if you don't have this one. Lara enjoyed making the caterpillars and pretending to have them eat the food in the book. This is nothing more than pom-poms glued onto a clothespin, with pipe cleaners as antennas. Then we put the caterpillars into a cocoon. Then we made a butterfly. Lara colored on a coffee filter then sprinkled water on it-by shaking a sippy cup over it.

Caterpillar in a cocoon.

You know we have a couple of gardens-cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, broccoli, green breans, strawberries, and blueberries. Gardens are the best activity you could do with little ones during the summer. Watching the things grow, learning when to pick, eating fresh produce! Lara will sit on her knees outside the garden, pick a veggie, then just eat it on the spot.

Now, I love to throw things away or get rid of stuff. I save important things, like, say, oh...my wedding dress. And Lara's crafts! How could I possibly throw away my sweet little baby's scribbles???