VIP Plate Video

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Jenn and Laura hit the streets to get answers to some age old questions that have been plaguing the sexes for decades.

Summer Bucket List

 

Today we are putting together a 

Summer Bucket List. 

Have you heard of these?

It's where you make a big old list about all of the awesome things you definitely want to do this summer, cut the list into strips, put the strips into a BUCKET, and draw out an activity a couple of times a week.

Then you go and do whatever activity you pull!
How genius is that?
Love, love this idea.

(If you aren't exactly the spontaneous type, and you need some extra time to pull your activity together, you can always pull the activity the night before so that you can plan for it. It's always fun for kids to have something to look forward to.)

Here is the list of things that our family came up with:

ALL DAY ACTIVITIES:
Go to the Zoo
Go to Discovery Gateway
Go to the Aquarium
Go to Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum
Go to the Bean Museum
Go to Seven Peaks Water Park
Go to Lagoon

HALF DAY ACTIVITIES:

Go Bowling
Miniature Golf
Go on a picnic
Go to an outdoor movie
Go out for ice cream
Visit a new playground
Visit a new playground
Visit a new playground
Go to the Art City Museum
Go to an activity day at the library
Visit Krispy Kreme
Fire Station Tour
Go to yard sales
Camp
Go berry picking
Have an art party
Roast marshmallows
Have a backyard camp out
Make popsicles
Make s’mores
Make wind chimes
Go to the duck pond
Go to the Reservoir
Go to a fun Swimming Pool

What activities are YOU going to be adding to your summer bucket list?

fun with cookie cutters.

Make lunch time interesting this summer with the help of your stash of cookie cutters. Kids love seeing their food take on different shapes and personalities, and hey, with an eater as picky as mine, it's all about doing what works.

You can use  cookie cutters to shape watermelon, jello, toast, and even your kiddo's PB&J. I used mine to make fun turkey and cheese sandwiches today and the kids loved it!

This crown cookie cutter is great for making your daughter princess for a day, and also would be fantastic to use when serving little sandwiches as a princess tea party.

Rooster toast was a hilarious addition to our breakfast table. {Goes great with eggs!} The toast pictured below has cinnamon and sugar and would serve as a great mid-morning snack!

Watermelon is fun, but messy, so you may want to "cookie-cut" your watermelon slices outdoors so kids can just have fun and won't have to worry about making a mess. Simply cut watermelon into large, round slices and dole them out to the kids. They can also carve their own designs with a butter knife for one of a kind creations!

Summer Art

Looking for something unique and creative to do with your kids during these long summer days?
Get artsy with these fun ideas:

Art picnic in the park:

1. Go to your local library and check out books about all different kinds of artists.
2. Pack a small picnic with snacks, art supplies, easel, art books, and a blanket.
3. Go through the art books with your kids. Teach them {briefly} about the impressionist and abstract styles using examples from artists like Monet and Picasso.
4. Encourage your kids to try creating a painting using the styles they have just learned about:

What would this duck pond look like if it was painted by Monet?
Can you make a self portrait in the style of Picasso?

Sidewalk Chalk:

Take to the driveway and let your kids' imaginations run wild with a little help from mom and dad. Ask questions like:

1. What would you look like if you  had the hands and feet of a giant?
2. How many different kinds of bugs can you draw?
3. Can you draw the four seasons?
4. If you were a superhero, what would you look like? What would your powers be? Can you draw a picture of you using your powers for good?
5. Can you make up a game we can play on the drive way? What are the rules?

{Of course, these exercises can be done with markers, crayons, paints etc. Use whatever medium your children prefer, or try all sorts of different ones to find out what they like best!}

{Sidewalk chalk art ~ in the style of Monet.}

VIP Plate

Enter to win a FREE marker plate kit!
Update: And the winner is... Rayburn Memories!
{we will be contacting you via email for mailing information.}

{Details at the bottom of this post.}

As two VERY busy moms ourselves, we know that parents today are swamped. So our goal here at ifamily is to bring you simple, creative projects and ideas that are achievable within small increments of time while also using supplies that are easy to access.

In keeping with that theme, today we’re going to share a wonderful family tradition in the making, and all you need to get started, is a plate!

These days, parents are busier than ever. We have jobs, errands, sporting events, dance classes, birthday parties, school projects, and “TO DO” lists that are NOT for the faint of heart. With all of this hustle and bustle, we sometimes struggle to find time to connect with our kids and make sure that they feel special and celebrated when they experience even the smallest victories.

That’s where the VIP plate comes in. But how does a simple plate serve to bring your family closer together?
The VIP plate provides a daily opportunity to celebrate your child’s accomplishments, and reminds frazzled, busy parents everywhere to slow down and celebrate the small things.

The premise is simple. When one of your children accomplishes a goal or makes a good choice, they get to use the VIP plate that night at dinner. From being a good sport at their ball games, to working hard in school, or even showing kindness to a sibling and completing a task the first time mom asks, there are dozens of small things to celebrate every day. And take it from us, this small gesture WON’T go unappreciated.

We wanted to share this tradition with you because both of us have nostalgic, happy “VIP plate” memories from our childhoods. The VIP plate truly is a tradition that your kids will remember fondly for years to come.

And the best part is, it’s so simple that many of you can start this tradition by dinner tonight.

There are no rules when it comes to acquiring your family’s VIP plate. If you’re an avid crafter, you can easily design and create your own!

Glass Etching
You’ll need:
a clear glass plate
a paintbrush
contact brand vinyl {but we have a cheat if you want to use a stencil you already own}
a jar of glass etching cream

Cut out the stencil letters and any designs you plan to use, then use Elmer's Glue {our "cheat" item}to secure them onto your plate. {You don't need to let it dry AT ALL! In fact it need to be wet so you can rinse it away after the etching process is complete. We just didn't want to splurge on contact vinyl {because we're cheap}so we used the Elmer's Glue as a sealer to keep the etching cream from bleeding outside the lines of the stencil.

Once your stencil letters and designs are secure, take your paint brush and stroke a heavy layer of etching cream over the stencil.

Let it stand for five minutes, and then rinse with regular tap water.

{Don't touch the cream with your bare hands! It will eat the skin right off of your fingers!}

As always, follow the specific instructions on whatever bottle of etching cream you purchase.

Marker Plate
Another great idea is a marker plate. This one is so simple and safe that your kids can help. {That is, if you're the carefree sort...} You can find kits for these at just about any craft store. Draw, design, and let it dry, and you’ve got a one of a kind celebration plate for your family.

Another fun take on this theme is to let each child design their own plate, OR have mom and dad design special plates for each child with hand-drawn images of their interests and favorite things.

Thrift Store
And if you don’t have a crafty bone in your body – don’t sweat it. You can still have a special V.I.P. Plate ready by dinner time tonight. Just visit your local thrift store and pick up the brightest, funkiest plate you can find. That way, it will be different from the rest of the dish sets you have at home, and shouldn’t cost you more than a dollar or two. You can even use something unique out of your own kitchen cupboards.



Online
You can also purchase a "You're the Best" plate here. 

Zoom (2)

So try incorporating the VIP plate into your family traditions today.

And  you don't  have to call it a "VIP" plate either.

“You’re the Best!”
“You are Special.”
“Good for you!”

or any other encouraging saying will work great!





Enter to win a free marker plate kit!
*For ONE entry, leave a comment complete with your email address.
*For TWO entries, become a follower of our little blog.
* For THREE entries, share this post on facebook. {It's super simple, the little "f" icon thingy is right below!}
*Leave a separate comment for each entry.
*Don't forget your email address, and good luck!

Five Things to do with a Sheet.

It's rainy inversion day activity time, folks!

Because rainy? Not so much.

But sunny with a 99% chance of toxic haze? You betcha! 

So here are 5 are inversion day activities to do with your little ones using 

ONE 

simple item that every household has:

A sheet. That's right.

A sheet.

Here we go!

#1 Build a fort!
This is one of Kortland's all-time favorite things.
At his insistence, his fort was made with his comforter, but you could totally use a sheet.

Some additional ways to enjoy your sheet fort are:
a. Watch a movie in there! Kort loves to build them in the living room and watch cartoons from their openings.
b. Have lunch in your fort.
c.  Encourage your child to take stuffed animals and toys in there. They can role play being a little family, OR hold a session of school in the "school house" {a.k.a. fort,  *wink, wink*}
d. Have a tea party.

#2 Make a sheet hammock.
Kort loved this!
The hubs and I nearly threw our backs out trying to satiate his ravenous hammock swinging hunger!
With little ones, make sure you keep it "low and slow" so if there are any tumbles out of the sheet, they only fall a few inches. Also, watch out for furniture - play in an open space!
This is a great activity for when dad gets home.

15 minutes of your time, and your kiddos will think they have died and gone to heaven!

#3 Blow Bubbles!
Blowing bubbles has been STRICTLY an outdoor/summer activity at our house... until now! If you cover your carpet and furniture with sheets - you can let loose and blow bubbles all the live long day. Kort was REALLY excited to demonstrate this one for all of you!

You can also blow them in the bath tub, if you're not looking forward to the soapy sheet laundry...

#4 Have a picnic!
This doesn't have to be a major production.
Stick a couple of snacks {fruit leather, crackers, gold fishes, cheerios} in IKEA bowls and let 'em have at it. Kort asks to have picnics roughly...EVERY day. So it's a treat, and can make even something small feel special.

Another variation on the "sheet picnic" is to have a popcorn party.
Set an air popper {if you have one} in the center of the sheet, and pop a batch of popcorn WITHOUT the guards on. Popcorn flies everywhere and your little ones will get a huge kick out of it.
They can pretend they are animals {puppies, goats, frogs...?} and crawl {or hop}around eating the popcorn off of the clean sheet.

The final idea is {not pictured, but that is my FAVORITE picture of Tennyson CRACKING up!} but it is:
#5 Sheet parachute!
You all know this one. They are awesome {and sort of hard to photograph}.
Get a BIG sheet, throw it up in the air, dive under it and pull the sides down around you. Now, sheets don't hold air the way that those awesome REAL parachutes do, but your little ones won't mind. Believe me, if they've got their mom laughing and diving onto the floor with them, they are going to be happy.

So, there you have it!
5 things to do with a sheet.
Did I miss something?
What cool things do YOU do with sheets?