The parent lab: 2010

8/02/2010

Personalized Beach Towel

what a great way to prepare for some time at the beach or pool!
Happy crafting and keep cool!

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 7 and up

Kids can make this fun and funky personalized beach towel for their summer's trips to the beach and pool!

Be sure to check out our summer craft selection, our camp crafts, classic crafts and scout crafts!

What you'll need:
Beach towel
Ocean themed foam stamps
Fabric paint, or acrylic paint plus textile medium
Large paintbrush
Cardboard

How to make it:
If you are not using fabric paint, mix together 2 parts acrylic craft paint and 1 part textile medium.
Wash and dry the towel, do not use fabric softener. Place cardboard underneath the towel to catch any seepage.
Use foam stamps to decorate towel with fish, shells, and starfish. (See photo.)
If the paint is not very prominent, use a paintbrush, using a dabbing motion, to add more paint to the design. (See photo.)
To make the water, use a dabbing motion with a large stiff bristled brush.
To write your name, use a stiff bristled brush.
Allow to dry completely before using.

via: http://crafts.kaboose.com/personalized-beach-towel.html

7/30/2010

What a way to show your love

Now, here is a creative mom if I've ever seen one! Love the idea and am just blown away by her creativity!
What a keepsake for Mila one day!

Silly bands as a discipline?

It is more then likely safe to say, that if you have kids, you have heard of silly bands.
They are of course a huge hit at our house as well and while I at first did not quite understand the reason behind this mania...I have found a wonderful use for them!
My son has tons of them. He has been wearing an average of 15 at a time. No matter where we go, so go the silly bands.
Because our summer has been filled with so many activities out of the house, disciplining him has at times been challenging.

Here is how I use the silly bands as a disciplinary action:

He gets to put on all or some of his silly bands every morning (not like I need to remind him of that...) and as we go through our day I watch out for signs of disobedience. After he does something that deserves a punishment I get to take one of his silly bands.
At the same time I am using them as positive reinforcement, because for every kind and nice thing he does, I return one of his silly band to him.

There you go. Quick and doable everywhere!

Enjoy the silly!

Do you have any questions for me?

Take a moment to smile

A husbands nightmare...A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bath room door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world did I do today?" "Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."