"How to Tell Your Parents You Got a Bad Report Card"

All parents hope their kids excel in everything they do, but the truth is--that isn't always the case.  I recently wrote an article, targeted towards youth, on how to confront parents about low marks.  In the article I emphasize the importance of being honest.  I also state that parents will appreciate a mature and responsible approach from their children. 

Read the article here.

Additionally, I'd like to say to the parents, try and be patient with your children.  It's really easy to get angry with them over things like low grades, but if you yell or do not give them a chance to explain themselves, you cut off communication.  The consequences of burning the bridge of communication far exceeds the consequences of bad grades.  If your child does not feel safe or comfortable confiding in you they may start to feel isolated, without help or hope, and may turn to other individuals for guidance--people you may not want advising your kids. 

Try and have discussions with your children.  Allowing them to open up to you may help them gain the confidence and skills needed to avoid having to talk to you about poor report cards and lead to more conversations about their personal successes.

Best of luck!

Fisher Price Fun

Goodness me!  Haven't been posting much because I've been so anxious over Julian's birthday party this weekend. It was a modest success and Julian had a great time so I'm super happy.  Anyway, now that that's done with I can focus on other things.

I thought I'd write today about the Fisher-Price website and all the cool (and more importantly, FREE) features they have for parents.  I don't know about you, but I was definitely a Fisher-Price kid growing up--so naturally it's a brand I trust for Julian.

I started going on the website a few months ago to play some of the online games they have for babies when Juju first started mashing my laptop keys.  On a recent visit though, I found they have A LOT of really cool stuff for parents!

You can check out the site yourself to see all they have to offer, but I'm going to list my favorite sections here:

Online Games
Here you'll find a bunch of cool games for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.  I really like these because I do a lot of work on my computer and when I'm home alone with Julian he often wants to get on the computer and do things with me.  I haven't tried out the toddler or preschooler games yet, but the infant ones are perfect for babies who want to be just like Mommy and Daddy!  Watch out though, because if they hit certain commands on your keyboard they can shut out of the game and start messing with other things.  Try and make sure the babes are just playing with the main keys.

Julian's favorite games are the Hide and Seek games and any of the animal games--the noisier the better!


Crafts
This is actually the page that got me excited about writing a post on this website because it's SO what this blog is about!  Here's a list of cool art projects and activities you can do with your kids at little or no cost (they even have a fishing activity like the one I wrote about!).  I'm so excited to try some of these out (and put my own spin on them too haha).  Any of these activities would be great for a boring weekend or rainy day. 

I tried to pick out a couple favorites to list here, but honestly I love them all!

Birthday Party Ideas
I'm a little peeved I checked this out the day after I have Julian's birthday party (especially since they have a dinosaur theme and that's what I really wanted to do grrrr), but I will know better in the future. :P 

Anyway, they have lots of great tips and tricks for parents on holding a successful and fun birthday party.  They also have several party theme ideas that include food suggestions and decorating and activity ideas.  All the party ideas function on a reasonable budget and seem to be real low-stress which, given the anxiety I went trough over Juju's birthday party, is definitely an awesome thing!

Playtime Guide
This section focuses on the importance of play and how different activities help baby develop cognitive, social & emotional, and physical skills.  They even have sections devoted to baby's specific age, from 1 month to 5+ years.  In addition to great tips on different ways to play with your baby they have a section for parents that focuses on everything from pregnancy worries to potty training.  This is great for nervous first time parents!  There's a section dedicated solely to grandparents as well.  This is a really valuable resource if you're getting tired of playing peek-a-boo and want to try something fresh and new. 


There are also coloring pages, online videos, and of course plenty of info on fisher-price's toys and stuff.  So if you're bored and trying to think of something new to do with the little ones take a look!

Re-purpose Those Jars!

Here's another highlight of an article I did over on HubPages!

10 Creative Ways to Use a Jar

I love peanut butter and jelly.  That seems like a random fact, but stay with me for a moment.  I love peanut butter and jelly--so, I find myself with a lot of used jars!  If I was wasteful (like a certain hubby I know, ahem) I would just throw them away--but I can't do that.  Throwing away glass, honestly, breaks my heart--especially since some jelly jars are really pretty!

So, I could use them for the basic things...store my spaghetti sauce, stick pens in them, use them as cups, put little odds and ends in them.  Essentially, just use them to store things other than peanut butter or jelly.  

But that wasn't good enough for me!  So I explored OTHER ways I could use jars--and came across some really fun projects:

- snowglobes

- mini gardens

- lanterns

- candles

- and more!!  Check it out!

My next mission is to find projects specifically relating to baby food jars since I have a lot of those laying around! D:

Strange & Different Ways to Pot Plants

So I'm a writer over on HubPages.  It's against the rules for me to publish things in two different places there (although I still kinda do anyway--just a little bit, the rule is really to stop plagiarism--but if I wrote it why is it so wrong? D:).  Anyway, this is something I wrote an article on that I think would be really cool for parents looking for something fun and cool to do.

Unusual Planters

In this article I highlight a few cool and different ways you can pot plants at home.

Some highlights would be:

- Planting in jars

- Using eggshells

- Using bottle caps

- Repurposing crocs 

There are a few others too and most would be really fun projects to do with kids, I'd say around 4 and up.  All of these ideas are are pretty basic too, so there are plenty of ways you can be creative and customize your projects!

Happy planting!

Make Your Own Monster

This is a project I did while I was a camp counselor at the Boys & Girls Club.  I had to get pre-teen boys excited about art--not very easy, especially since they were so attached to their PSPs and Nintendo DS's (even though they weren't even allowed at camp grrr).  So I made this project.

I made a simple body template for a monster.  Then the boys needed to cut out shapes from construction paper to glue on to the body and make their monster.  Some were reluctant at first, but by the end of the class the boys were happy to have made 2, even 3 monsters of their own, some even ventured away from the body template I created and designed their own.  I was so proud of them!  My only regret is not getting pictures of all the cool monsters they made!

This would be a fun activity to do at a Halloween or birthday party or to make cards or decorations.  I think children of all ages could really enjoy this, maybe even a creative teen or two if they're want to do something fun with their younger siblings.

Construction Paper Jack-O-Lantern

Here's a template I made for you to make your own construction paper Jack-o-Lanterns.

Cut out 1 Large Pumpkin piece, 2 Mediums pieces, 2 small ones, and 1 top.  Glue the medium pieces on either side of the back of the large piece, then the 1 small piece next to one medium and the other on the other side.  Glue the top at the top of the large pumpkin piece OR make long green winding vines and add lots of leaves.

To make a Jack-O-Lantern cut out triangle, square, and circle shapes for the eyes and nose and a crescent piece for the mouth.  I didn't make any template pieces for this part because there are so many different ways to do this part, it's really up to your imagination.

This is a great project for kids that may not be old enough to carve pumpkins or for parents who aren't so keen on the idea of chopping up pumpkins.

These make great cards, party invites, or decorations you can save or scrapbook later. 

Magnet Fishing

Here is a fun activity you can do with kids of varying ages (I'd say anywhere from babies to preteens, after that you might be pushing your luck).

Magnet Fishing!

This is actually an idea I got from watching Little Bill on Nick Jr. with Julian.  My husband and I are in the process of bringing in new furniture and rearranging our house so I haven't been able to try it out myself.  So, when I get around to doing this with Juju I'll be sure to share some pictures of our fun.  Or at least draw some pictures haha.

So here's what you'll need:

- A box or a fishbowl or some kind of container to act as a the fishing spot, it can be clear if you want to see the fish inside--or it can be opaque if you want it to be a surprise (for a surprise I'd say make sure there's lots of things to catch in there so you'll actually get something.

- Construction paper or colorful card stock for the fishes.

- Sticks and string for rods

- Magnets--you can take the magnets off of old magnets you don't use anymore or you can cut up those flat free magnets restaurants hand out with their menus on or you get a free events.  That's what I'll be using.  Make sure these magnets are strong enough to stick together though because sometimes they're kind of weak.  If all else fails you can buy magnet backs at office supply and craft stores.

- (optional) metal paperclips as an alternative to using magnets for either fish or hook (but not both)

- Glue

- Tape

- Scissors

- Markers, crayons, glitter, and whatever else you want to use for decorating.

- (optional) sand or marbles to put at bottom of tank

And here's what you do:

Rods

- Tie string around end of stick.

- Cut out a hook shape from two pieces of construction paper.
- Glue hook pieces on either side of the string so it is stuck in the middle
- Glue magnet piece on hook.

OR

- Tape, glue, or tie on piece of magnet (maybe cut in the shape of a hook) at the end of the string.

OR

- Tie a paperclip to the end of the string (do this only if you're using magnets for the fish--and if they're STRONG)

Fish tank

- (optional) Decorate the outside of your tank to look like an underwater or beach scene.
- (optional) Put sand or marbles in tank and maybe a figurine or two to decorate.


When everything is done, have fun fishing!

Fish

I added pigtails to my mermaid but you can cut out any hairstyle you like.

Here are some templates I made that you can print out and use to cut out your fish.  I also made one for a mermaid and octopus.  Feel free to use these templates for any under-the-sea projects!  You may alter and share these to your liking (please keep my link though or at least link back), but you may not sell these templates!  You can, however, sell whatever you make.  Fair? :)

- Cut out fish shapes (for some more fun add in an octopus or mermaid or two)
- Decorate
- Glue magnets on the mouths of the fish.

OR

- If you're using really strong magnets you can glue the magnets on the inside of two pieces of paper so the magnets won't be seen.

OR

- If you have a strong magnet hook clip paperclips on to the mouths of the fish either by just sliding them on or punching a whole and looping the paperclip on.

Please check out my hub for tips on how to make this game more fun.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yo Gabba Gabba! has to be one of the most insane kids' shows I have ever seen--and I LOVE it!

It first came out when I was in college and my initial thought was, "they let kids watch this?" (Okay my initial thought was actually "is that a dancing dildo?" but let's keep this G-rated, shall we haha)

For kicks I watched a few episodes and drove my mother and sister insane by singing some of the songs.  My favorite being, "there's a party in my tummy!"


Overall, I thought is was a really fun show--but for kids?  Not so much.  I just assumed they marked it was marked a children's program because it was so absurd it couldn't be labelled anything else.

Then Julian was born...and my opinions started to change.

There aren't very many shows that get Julian's attention (not that I'm complaining!  I'd rather he wasn't a couch potato), but when Yo Gabba Gabba! is on he is enthralled.  He stands up and dances a long with them (as much as a baby who can't walk yet can dance, anyway).  He loves music, so when they sing they have his full attention.  I think all the colors and the bizarre characters really just fascinate him.  He genuinely enjoys the program!

Now that I get to watch the show through parenting eyes, I understand it better than I did before.  It's meant to be fun, and hip, and different--but it still has all of the fundamental values shows like Sesame Street have, it's just packaged differently.  Way differently.

If you're new to Yo Gabba Gabba!  and are a little anxious about your kids watching it, I'd say--let them be!  The show encourages kids to get up and move, be themselves, try different things, and be respectful to others.  All of these are lessons I feel are REALLY important nowadays; kids need to exercise more, they are bogged down every day by images of what they SHOULD be--which makes them scared to do things different, and the amount of bullying that goes on today is sick and is sad.  If a cast of crazy characters can help today's kids actually BE kids--then I am completely on board!

And if you're a parent who HATES kids shows, I'd say give this one I try anyway--you might just enjoy it...if only because of how completely ridiculous the whole thing is.   Oh and the music, can be pretty freaking good when they have guest artists on.  Just saying.

Yo Gabba Gabba!  airs on Nick Jr.

Polymer Clay

One craft project that I have found to be successful, whether working with young children (SUPERVISED) or middle-aged adults is Sculpey clay, or polymer clay.

Polymer clay is a clay-like substance essentially made out of plastic.  It is very easy to use--and more importantly--very easy to clean!  You just take your polymer clay, mold it, perhaps paint it, bake it for just a few minutes and--voila!  You have a work of art!

I have seen all different types of projects done with polymer clay, from elaborate sculptures, to beautiful jewelry, to fun and quirky charms--some that even look like real desserts!  Yum!  

The point is it's great for any skill level and, mostly, any age.  And if your little one decides to take a little taste, don't get too worried--it's non-toxic (sadly I know this from experience of having to deal with this situation--very scary ordeal!)---although...try not to let that happen...(>_>)

I decided to share a post about polymer clay today because I'm kind of celebrating.  I'm a member at HubPages and today I earned "Hub of the Day" for a tutorial I did on how to make a cute and simple polymer mermaid charm.

If this is something that interests you, I'd suggest checking it out because it's really fun to do. I included step by step pictures to help you out, so if you are nervous--don't worry!  I intend to add more tutorials in the future, so look out for them!

I also wrote another Hub on some of my favorite polymer clay tutorials. 

 Anyway, more on polymer clay!

There are actual very many different types of polymer clay and several different brands.  One of the most popular brands I've seen in America is Sculpey and Sculpey itself comes in lots of different types.


For my mermaid charms I used Sculpey III.  This is the type I would recommend using if you intend to do this just for fun or with children.  It is soft, which makes it easier for children to manipulate (some polymer clays are SO hard you have to stick them in a blender to soften them up to use!).  Of course, being so soft is a bit of a drawback as well--it makes it a lot harder to do more elaborate, detailed work.  When dealing with kids though, this doesn't really matter all that much.

I would strongly suggest using Sculpey III if you are new to sculpting or polymer clay and then try some of the other types, like Sculpey or Fimo, once you get a feel for it.

One other thing I really like about Sculpey III was all the great colors it comes in.  For my mermaids I used Sculpey III Brights.  BUT blending polymer clay is a lot like blending paint--you just take a little of this and a little of that and mix it up.  This could be an interesting way to teach kids about colors---and a lot less messy than using paints!

Not only does it make a great art project, but kids can use it as a science experiment as well by investigating what makes it work.  I did this myself when I was first introduced to it and it's REALLY interesting!

So if you're looking for something new to do, try it out!  There are so many things you can make it's amazing!  Check out my Pinterest board on Polymer Clay for some inspiration on the types of projects you can do!