Toy Jail

I always thought my two kiddos would be the best of friends. I thought they would magically be instilled with love and friendship. Oh, was I ever naive. To be honest, they do get along better than most siblings, but they have their fair share of fights. The fights are usually over toys. Sometimes they fight over ownership of almost anything...even a scrap piece of paper. So instead of trying to figure out who is to blame, or how to resolve the issue, we simply say something like:

This toy is causing a lot of problems...maybe it needs to go to toy jail....

Usually they beg for another chance, and depending on the intensity of the arguing I may or may not give them another chance.

Toy jail used to be on top of our refrigerator, but I got tired of seeing a random assortment of annoying toys and odds and ends up there. So, now toy jail is in our garage.

We haven't figured out how long a sentence a toy should serve because usually once the toy is taken away it is forgotten. Sometimes the toy's sentence is transferred to Goodwill or the Salvation Army! :)

In all fairness, I should say I heard about this idea somewhere else...not sure where...
That is it for today...I am off to sentence a truck!

Update....I stole this concept from Parent Hack's Melissa! Here is the link..
http://www.parenthacks.com/2008/06/toy-jail-emphas.html

Paint like no one is watching!

In my fancy studio (also known as my kitchen), I have a painted fair trade coffee tin that holds all my paint brushes....

Here is what I have been working on...painting all sorts of goodies!

These signs were painted. Then I traced each letter on origami paper, and mod podged them on. Then I sprinkled glitter on them....As one friend said, "glitter makes everything better!" These were a lot of fun to make, and I hope the recipients will enjoy them for years to come. I went ahead and painted the back a solid color, and told the parents that during the kid's teen years they could paint "keep out" on the backside!

Much crafting going on over here...making lots of crocheted dishrags. They seem to go like hotcakes! Crafting is a great outlet...I enjoy walking through craft stores and getting ideas...Also I surf for ideas....

Have a wonderful weekend friends! And don't forget...Paint like no one is watching!
~Karen

Solving problems with caulk....

Kevin purchased a bottle of wood glue yesterday and then discovered it had a tear in the neck of the bottle. He used caulk to seal the tear. I asked why he didn't use duct tape, and he said it wouldn't keep the the moisture in the bottle.....

I asked Moe what he thought of this and he said "neat."

Mimi did her best 3 1/2 yr old eye roll and said it was "silly."

Have a great week!

Dilemmas & Crafting

I hate shopping unless if it is at a craft store.

I took the kiddos to Target today and got a new coffee maker. This morning I broke the carafe to our old maker. I was conflicted over my purchase. Do I spend an extra $4 for a new carafe, or do I spend less for an entire new coffee maker? My cheapness won and I saved the $4 and got the new coffee maker, but I felt guilt over the waste.

Then when I got to the car, I unloaded our junk, put Mimi in her car seat, and lifted Moe up out of the cart only to discover Moe was sitting on a shirt I had planned on buying. So, we shoplifted. I took the kids home and unloaded everything.

Later, when Kevin returned, I went back to Target and paid for the shirt. The clerk said no one ever has done that, and she couldn't believe I was so honest. Would you go back? Lots and lots of people have told me they wouldn't....And some (I won't call anyone out) have said accidental shoplifting doesn't count!! That seems like a lot of hooey to me. It is a slippery moral slope to get on.

Here is something everyone should go get:
They are in the dollar section at Target. They have several different dinosaurs and even a snake. They come with paint and a brush. They are a lot of fun. And the clean up was easy...But I must warn you: The green paint is HARD to clean up. I don't know why the green is difficult, but it is.

Okay...enough rambling...

UPDATE: I was the victim of Target's marketing ploy...The wooden toy pictured above is mixed in with dollar items, but they are actually $2.50 apiece. Still not a bad deal....

Funny

'No Values Voters' Looking To Support Most Evil Candidate

Superheroes, Flying, and Blabbies

Our good friend Sara made the kiddos Superhero shirts! Take a look:

No Superhero can fly without a cape.

Thank you Sara!

The kids are begging to fly all the time now. Moe has on his superhero shirt (and he is napping) , so I don't have a pic of it yet.

Also, we are a family who loves blabbies. Blabbies are also known as woobies, blankies, silkies....The list goes on. I finally finished Kevin's blabbie. I am so proud, and my hands will forever be disabled. At least now I can work on other crafty things without guilt!
Here is his blabbie...made from bits of leftover yarn....
Do you have a favorite blabbie? Why? What do you call your special blanket?
~Karen

Through Mimi's eyes..

Artist: Mimi
Title: My Mommy

Not sure why my ears are so large, but it is a lovely drawing on a Magna Doodle.