Sum- sum- summertime!

No matter what the calender says, Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer for me.  I love summer...there is just so much to see and do! It's hard to fit in everything before Labor Day (the end of summer in my mind), but we sure are going to try this year.  To keep us on track, I made a (Pinterest-inspired) kid-friendly summer fun list to keep track of our goals and plans. 

The list includes visits to three zoos, three festivals, two theme parks, several area attractions and one water park.  I also listed stuff to do, such as watch a movie in a theater, make snow cones, go for a bike ride, and more.  There's 25 things to do and places to go on that list. Summertime fun will be ours!

The kids' summer to-do list was so fun to make that I made a to-do list for me in the same style.  While most people might find their summer fun hampered by to-do's, accomplishing big projects gives me such a great feeling that I had to plan some for the summer.  My list includes painting rooms and furniture, tackling huge projects like the garage and basement workroom, and catching up on the kids' scrapbooks and photo albums.  My list isn't as long as the first one, but I'm sure as some projects are checked off, other ones will be added.   

With the start of summer, we already got to cross one thing off of the summertime fun to-do list...we watched the Memorial Day parade.  My Little Guy was more than happy to mark the occasion. 

Then Little Miss kicked off summer in her own way by putting her purse on her head.

That's just how she rolls, I guess.

What do you have planned for this summer?  Do you plan or do you just go with the flow?  Whatever your plans may be, I hope you have a fun (and safe) time.

Happy planning and happy summer!

St. Patty's Day fun

Today, I want to share some fun St. Patrick's Day ideas that I've pinned:

I'm loving the homemade shamrock shake, the mint chocolate chip cookies and all the fun treat ideas for kids. 

In case you want to have some St. Patrick's Day fun of your own, there are some great FREE printables on the Catch My Party blog.  I am really liking this "Preppy Plaid" collection from MJ Paperie, especially the beer bottle labels.  Cute!

I hope everyone has the luck of the Irish with them this weekend!

A TMI PSA: don't drink and drive.  Or text and drive. Or drink and text.  Well, maybe that last one isn't so bad, but still, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Resale mania!

There are several children's clothing resale events in the Fox Valley area over the next few weeks, and I am excited about every single one of them.  As you know, I am a big fan of resale, thrift stores, garage sales, etc.  It's a great way to find gently-used kids' clothes, supplies, housewares, books and more for a fraction of the original cost.

Little Miss, having just had a birthday, is all stocked up on spring and summer clothes. My Little Guy is a different story, though...he is growing like a weed and will probably need a all-new (well, new to us!) clothes for this summer.

Here's where you can find me searching for Boys 6-7 spring and summer clothes:

John Shields and McDole Elementary PTO SPRING/SUMMER CLOTHING & TOY RESALE

Friday, March 9th, 6-9pm and Saturday, March 10th, 8am-1pm

at the Sugar Grove Community House, 141 S. Main Street in Sugar Grove

Items include: spring/summer clothing (including infant, children’s and boys' through size 16, girls' through junior size and maternity wear); infant and children’s shoes/sandals, spring coats, pajamas and athletic apparel; infant and children’s toys, games, puzzles, books, videos, jewelry and sports equipment; baby gear including strollers, highchairs, pack 'n plays, nursery room décor, etc.
 
Note: Please bring a laundry basket to hold your purchases while you shop.  Cash and Checks only.
For more information, see their facebook page:  www.facebook.com/johnshieldsandmcdoleresale

Tri-Cities Mothers of Twins and Triplets Club CHILDREN'S CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT & TOY RESALE
Saturday, March 17, 8am to 1pm (Half-price yellow ticket sale is 11:30am to 1pm)
at the Mooseheart Field House at Route 31 and Mooseheart Road between North Aurora and Batavia

Items include:  baby equipment & furniture; season-appropriate children's clothing (sizes infant thru Preteen); shoes; outdoor equipment, toys, games, DVDs, books; dress-up; bedding; and much more!  Beverages and delicious baked good available for purchase.


For more information, visit their website: http://www.tcmottc.org/TCMOTTC.htm

DuPage Doubles Mothers of Multiples Club SPRING/SUMMER RESALE
Saturday, March 10th, 7am-1pm.  Doors close at 11:45am and reopen at Noon for half-price pink tag sale.
at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, Main Exhibit Hall, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton.

Items include: baby equipment and furniture; children's clothing sizes preemie through teens; maternity clothes; shoes; outdoor equipment; toys, games, videos, books; bedding, and much more!

Note: Admission is $1.00 per person. No strollers allowed, bring a laundry basket for purchases. Cash and personal check only.  For more information, visit their website: http://www.dupagedoubles.com/clothingequipmentsale2


Curly Q Consignment's FIRST SEMI-ANNUAL CHILDREN'S CONSIGNMENT SALE 
Friday, April 27, 10am-7pm and Saturday, April 28, 10am-3pm (half-price sale)
at the Kane County Fairgrounds, Trades 1 Building, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles.

Items for sale include:  clothing and shoes (infants through Juniors); toys and games; indoor and outdoor play equipment; nursery items; baby equipment; linens; books, CDs, music; seasonal items; maternity clothes/items and much more!

Note: Admission is free. Bring a laundry basket or tote for purchases.  If you need more information or are interested in consigning your childrens' clothing/equipment at this sale, please visit their website:  http://www.curlyqconsignment.com/Home_Page.html

Happy shopping, everyone!

Cards and kids

I've been on a craft kick lately, and I'm trying to get my kids into the act.  Fortunately, they are happy to color, paint and draw, which makes for some fun art projects. 

We did some hand print cards for Valentine's Day:

The thumbs, fingers and sides of the palms are supposed to form the shape of a heart. We didn't quite get there, but that's okay because my kids had a lot of fun making these cards, and that's really all that matters.

Notice the entire roll of paper towels in the background. Just in case!

I like to buy plain white 5x7 cards/envelopes in 25- and 50-packs from JoAnn's and Michael's.  They make perfect canvasses for send-able artwork.

Here, Little Miss made a birthday card for the Big Guy:

I'd like to emphasize at this time that Crayola Washable markers are, in fact, truly washable.

The Little Guy used Crayola watercolors for his card for the Big Guy.  Also totally washable.

The kids really enjoy their craft projects, and I like being able to send their fun pictures to friends and family.  Plus, I'll never need to buy another birthday card again! 

Need a rainy day (or any day!) craft project for your kids? Pick up some plain white cards/envelopes at the craft store and let them do their thing!

Valentine's Day printables

In years past Valentine's Day has not gotten its due at the TMI household, but now that I have two small children who get excited about any holiday that involves candy, Valentine's Day is becoming a big deal. 

We are making homemade Valentines for Little Guy's preschool class, as well as for Little Guy and Miss's friends and cousins.  Additionally, I'm decorating the house a bit.  Always mindful about budget (Little Miss's birthday parties right around the corner so I need to save my pennies for those) and time (I have none to spare), I found these free, easy and gorgeous Valentine's Day printables featured on Catch My Party.

All you need to do is download, print, cut out and enjoy.  Voila! Valentines for everyone, and all is right with the world. There are 13 sets of free Valentine's Day printables at Catch My Party, and I had a hard time choosing my favorite.  Here are my top five collections in no particular order:

First up is this "Sweetheart" collection from Paper and Pigtails.  Her invitation, banner and tent cards are completely editable so you can personalize these items for your party.

The "So Sweet" collection from Anna and Blue Paperie is just that--so sweet!  Little Miss is totally into polka dots right now, and I know these printables are going to be a huge hit with her.

The banner is going over my mantle, and I might use these candy stickers for workplace treats:

The "Happy Heart" collection from Magnolia Creative Co. offers another great banner and some cute Valentines cards, among other adorable things.

This next collection has a soft pink and gray palette which is a more sophisticated take on the usual red and pink Valentine's Day color scheme. "So Sweet" by Love the Day includes a heart-shaped treat holder and cute Valentines.

The entire "Cupcake" collection from Green Apple Paperie is adorable, but I especially like the tented cards with the soft pink striped background.  These would make perfect treat signs for a Valentine's Day party.

With these easy printables, I am all set for Valentine's Day.  Thanks to all the designers for sharing their work, and thanks to Catch My Party for hosting all the downloads.  Hugs and kisses for everyone!

Manda Monday--The 2nd Annual Super Souper Bowl

The 2nd Annual Super Souper Bowl was a huge success and a ton of fun!  We had five entries and everyone had a great time.  Three of the entries were from new competitors...if this keeps up, I might have to get a bigger kitchen island in a few years!

Entries included a traditional chili, a pork chili with ditalini, jambalaya and bacon-infused potato soup.  All were delicious, but this was the winner:

We provided appetizers, drinks and desserts for our guests.  Here's the dessert table:

I made dipped pretzels, cupcakes, cookies and a pretzel-jello dessert not shown because it was in the fridge. And I have to admit, the eclairs are store-bought.  It happens sometimes.

These cookies, however, were not:

Decorated sugar cookies are always a hit, and these are quickly becoming a family project.  The kids and I make the dough, the Big Guy rolls it out, the kids do (most of) the cutting, I bake everything, and then the Big Guy and I decorate the cookies.  My plan is to withdraw bit by bit from this process over the next few years, so eventually I'll be able to supervise from the couch while eating bon-bons and reading magazines.  And maybe napping.  Good times!

I hope everyone had a great Sunday afternoon/evening, whether it involved watching TV or not.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed birthday

Last February, we attended a darling little boy's first birthday party with the theme The Very Hungry Caterpillar and it was adorable! 

Yes, as this same child's second birthday is looming over me, I am just now posting this.  I know, believe me, I know. 

The cake, cupcakes and centerpieces were all made by the birthday boy's mommy (Hi, Deena!) and she did a great job.  Take a look:

I was really baffled by how Deena shaped the cupcakes like real apples until I bit into one:  she frosted the cupcakes, put a mini-donut on top, and frosted some more. Brilliant!

For the centerpieces, Deena put the Caterpillar image on foam board, and placed it in a cute box with realistic grass and flowers.  These looked wonderful, and I was really impressed that such a professional-looking product could be home-made. Great job, Deena!

If you have a fun birthday or party theme you'd like me to feature on The Martha Initiative, then please invite me to the party.  I'll bring my camera and my appetite...like the hungry caterpillar, I'm always ready to eat!

Mag-neato!

Here's yet another great thing I saw on Pinterest and replicated: an oil drip pan magnet board for the kiddos.

Like most households with small children, we have a ridiculous amount of fun magnets.  My kids play with these a decent amount, but for some reason they played the most with the magnets just as I was starting to make dinner every night.  As you can imagine, having two small children parked in front of the refrigerator during meal preparation time was not convenient.  Especially when I am rushing to get a meal in the oven before those two small children turn into ravenous wolves.

In addition to battling the kids to stop playing with magnets long enough for me to get in and out of the fridge, the magnets themselves were tearing up my walls when the fridge door was completely open. Not cool.

Tee hee.  I said "cool" while talking about my refrigerator. See what I did there?!

Enter one oil drip pan. I bought this at my local Super-Walmart for $9.96--it was in the automotive section.  It had an oily coating (no doubt to make it easier to get actual oil off) but that came off easily with a de-greasing cleanser. 

Big Guy secured the drip pan to the wall with screws, and it is located under our huge cork board communication center. The kids can still play with their magnets in the kitchen, but now they are not directly underfoot.  Score!

This magnet board was an easy and inexpensive solution to a small but vexing problem.  And now that the kids' magnets are gone, my refrigerator front looks so much more organized and clean! 

Right?! Well, maybe not...the stuff that's left is mostly mine.  I'm working on it, okay?

Puppet Masterpiece Theater

A year ago, Handy Freddy and Big Guy brought home a huge TV left on the street by a neighbor.  It didn't work very well, so it sat in our basement for quite some time.  My idea was to have Handy Freddy gut it and turn it into a puppet theater for the kids.

Fast forward to November: Little Guy was sick and laying on the couch and said to me, "Mom, do you know what would be cool? A television that I could climb inside and do puppet shows."

Jaw. Hit. The. Floor. "Wow, what a great idea! That would be really cool!"

Little Guy has actually been inside a huge television doing a puppet show before.  It was last November, when the Jim Henson exhibit came to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  The exhibit included a huge television that could fit a dozen or so kids, plenty of puppets, backgrounds and costumes, and small television monitors inside the larger stage television so the kids could see their production as the audience saw it.  It was an awesome exhibit and a fun experience. Little Guy talked about it for days.

Now, in all fairness, I might have mentioned the possibility of turning the broken television into a puppet theater once to the Little Guy over the summer.  I truly don't remember.  It could be that he remembered the Jim Henson exhibit and wanted to recreate the experience--after all, Little Guy is very into puppets and play acting.  I do know that I decided that this should be the big Santa gift sometime in the fall, and it certainly wasn't discussed with the kids past that. 

So whether Little Guy came up with the idea on his own, or remembered that I said something about it months ago, this gift is obviously going to be a hit.  He even asked the Blackberry Farm Santa for a "television he could climb inside and do a puppet show in."  Score!

Handy Freddy gutted the television last month, and I spray painted the inside over the past few weeks. It took several coats of white primer and a few coats of color to get it smooth and even.  MOM2 made cushions and curtains for the theater in coordinating fabrics.

The above picture shows the fabric, but the curtains aren't in yet. They'll be held up by a tension rod just inside the frame of the television. Everything will be fully assembled tonight. 

Little Guy has also been asking for elf and reindeer puppets.  Done and done!

The elf puppets are from the Fiesta Toy Company.  I looked all over for handmade elf puppets, but had no luck.  Luckily, I found some adorable reindeer puppets on Etsy.  These are from Val's Various Creations, and she did an amazing job with them.  Lovely Val even sent a nice note with the puppets, saying she hoped my kids enjoy them.  I am sure they will, Val!

Needless to say, I am so excited for this Christmas, maybe even more so than my kids!  Little Guy is going to get exactly what he asked for from Santa, and I am so happy that I can give it to him.  I realized this does leave Little Miss out a bit, though she loves playing with puppets just as much as Little Guy does.  Little Miss is still too young to understand everything, and since she is still mostly babbling she hasn't made any specific Christmas requests.  I hope that they both love this puppet theater, and maybe next year when Little Miss is speaking clearly I can make a wish come true for her as well.

And I owe a huge thanks to Handy Freddy and MOM2 for helping me make this very special request become a reality. Thank you! 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays to all.  Whatever you celebrate, I hope all of your dreams and wishes come true.  Have a wonderful holiday!

Christmas wishes

We've seen Santa Claus twice this season. The first time was at Blackberry Farm's Polar Express event. 

We immediately stood in line to see Santa, only to have Little Guy chicken out when it was almost our turn.  We rode the train a dozen times, saw Santa's sleigh, attended a reading of The Polar Express and finally worked up the nerve to see the Jolly Old Elf.

Little Guy delivered his Christmas letter (that's what Mrs. Claus is reading) and told Santa he wanted a television set he could climb inside and do puppet shows.  Santa said that was a very unusual request and that he'd have to get some special elves to work on it. 

We saw another Santa at Phillips Park Zoo.  There, the Little Guy asked Santa for elf and reindeer puppets.  Just an FYI: Little Miss is not yet talking coherently (at least, we are the only ones who can understand her language), so while she babbled away to Santa, we really have no idea what she asked for.  Let's hope it wasn't a pony, because that's not going to happen.

But what is going to happen is the television-turned-puppet-theater with the elf and reindeer puppets.  I'll give you the details tomorrow!