Teacher Christmas Gift: DIY Crayon Wreath

Trying to come up with an original, heartfelt teacher gift can be tough.
Here's a fairly easy, super thoughtful craft that would look great hanging in the classroom.
A Crayon Wreath.

It's colorful and you can add any cute, personalized kid art.

This particular wreath has two wooden embroidery hoops (6 and 10 inch),
two and a half 24 pack crayons, some ribbon, a few wooden shapes and plenty of hot glue.

I made one of these last year for his preschool teacher and gave it as an "end of the year" gift.
I basically used the same technique, with a few minor changes.
This time I tied the ribbon that would be used to hang the wreath to the actual hoop.  Last year I hot glued it.  Ryder colored the wooden heart, added his name and picked out the apple and owl to personalize it.
Definitely lay out all the crayons first to make sure they are straight and you have enough.  I had to dig in to our reserves, as I only bought two boxes.  Luckily I had some unused ones on hand.
And be careful not to touch the tip of the hot glue gun to the crayon wax. I learned the hard way that the color will transfer to anything else it touches.
It came out great and I know she will love it!  
I think rulers and/or pencils would be cute too.  Maybe next time.....

Also, here is what I did this year....Teacher Christmas Gift: Cookies in a Jar
I will happily answer any questions, so feel free to fire away...

Update September 2014:
My sister in law got a new job as a guidance counselor at an elementary school.  What better gift to spruce up her office?!  So I made another.  ;)

 

 

 

They are all over the web now so I got a few tips and added some accessories. Perfect!

Major Milestone

I believe I've said before that if given the opportunity The Meat would win a speed crawling contest.  The boy is fast and only getting faster.

But..... 

we may cross over to an upright position before he reaches top crawl speeds of 88 miles per hour. 

This week he's been standing...

On his own...

For almost whole minutes at a time.

He's 9 and a half months, so think it's safe to say he will be walking before his first birthday. 

 

  SO BIG.

 

We say, "How big is Tyce? (pause) Soooo Biggg!"  

He raises his arms above his head to show us just how big he is.  

We used to do the same thing with Ryder when he was a little tike.

It is one of the absolute cutest things of all time.  

What's even cuter is when his big brother says it out of the blue while he's using the playroom couch for leverage. Right on cue, he just raises 'em up.

  Just like that he's standing!  

On his own!

 The look of surprise on Ryder's face is priceless....it says it all.

Our very first kindergarten parent teacher conference

Ryder.  He's such an amazing child.
As a baby Ryder was very needy.  As in, always "needing" attention, always wanting to be engaged in an activity with another person and always wanting to learn.  He is still like that.  He loves to interact and share his findings and information.  He is constantly memorizing names of creatures and habitats. Whether he's learning about ocean animals or fictional moshlings, it's amazing to see his little brain stock piling all the information in front of him.
He started playing on the computer when he was two.  And back then it was mostly playing.  I would have to sit with him and navigate the pages.  He quickly caught on to the mouse and playing simple games on websites like pbskids and nickjr.  By four years old he was pretty much self sufficient.  Occasionally he needed a parent to read a tidbit or two, but that was it.  Words like 'log in, scroll down, click, website and .com' were in his everyday vocabulary. 
He would sit and listen to as many books as you would read.  Sometimes 4 or 5 in a row, fully attentive the entire time.  It's quite remarkable.  Now with a few months of kindergarten under his belt, he's learning to read.  I believe his desire to play all the computer and nintendo ds games on his own motivate him more.  I can hear him sounding out words from the other room on his own without being prompted.  It makes me so so proud.  Words cannot really justify the feeling, Like a peacock all puffed up showing off his feathers, that's how I feel.
Math seems to come easy as well.  I think all the sesame street and nick jr helped jump start this as well.  The basic sorting and counting that they are covering now are things Elmo and Mickey have been teaching him for years.
But there's nothing like getting the conformation from his kindergarten teacher.
As parents we think he's the smartest, funniest and best kid EVER!  When the teacher has nothing but great things to say, the proud parent feathers totally puff out.
Not only is he one of the top of his class, but he's polite, stays still and attentive and shares lots of stories with the class. 
Two stories in particular stood out with his teacher, Mrs. Pena.
One was a story about a mother chimpanzee taking care of a wound on her young.  The story was great, because Mrs. Pena was having a teacher observation day and the subject matter was animal families.  Ryder's story was relevant and in full detail.  Good job, buddy!
The second story was also relevant and quite comical to the entire class.  They were talking about firemen and their jobs.  Ryder shared the story of a time before his second birthday, when he got a potty training toilet seat stuck on his head.  Danny was working over an hour away so my mother and I had to call the fire department to help get it off.   He remembered all the details.  From describing the seat to the fire truck.  What I remember most is that as soon as the seat came free, Ryder looked up with a tear streaked face and in the cutest tiniest, voice said, "Thank you, Mr. Fireman."

I asked how hard of a time she has getting him to sit still and stay that way.  She said, "Ryder?  I never have to remind him to sit down or stay still.  He's so well behaved.  If I could I would take him home with me."   I couldn't believe it.  He's so active, constantly dancing around.  But now it makes more sense....all day he holds all that energy in.  He's focused and engaged.  When he gets home he's got a lot to release.  (A LOT)
We also learned that he is loved by the upper class kids, teachers and staff. 
In a nutshell our first ever parent teacher conference was a smashing success.  Our oldest boy is shining like the sun.
We are thrilled for him and love him so so much.
Keep up the good work buddy!  You're the best!
 And you gotta love those huge school picture smiles. :)  "Say Cheese!"

from the dropbox

Half of October is already gone..
I can't believe how fast things are moving.
While I know I'll have a post after Halloween, I didn't want the whole month to pass without one word or picture documented.
Time is not on my side so this one will be short and sweet.   I've already had to get up 4 times to get Tyce.  He's getting faster and more curious every day.  He's so fun, but now I have to reserve his nap time to get regular house things finished.
Kindergarten has been great so far.  Ryder's learning to read and problem solve very quickly.  His teacher is great and I've already been to two SAC (student advisory council) meetings.
Alrighty,  I just put the baby down for nap #2, so let me move on the the pictures from the dropbox so I can get a quick summary in with each one.

Here's the Meat helping me with the laundry.  He loves the laundry room.  Whether his trying to eat the dog food or get into the washer, the laundry room has all sorts of fun things for a baby on the crawl.

Emily had her 6th birthday party at Monkey Bizness and both kids had a great time.  What kid doesn't love crawling all over a huge jungle gym?

Ryder had his first season of T ball (fall ball).  He looked so cute in his little baseball pants and cleats. All the kids seemed to get better and it was very comical for the parents too.  Now that we've got all the basics down next season should be more "game filled."

Ryder's best friend from VPK, Charlie invited us to his 6th birthday.  We were so thrilled to get this invite!  These guys are like two peas in a pod and since they don't go to the same school anymore they don't get to see each other.  It was awesome to see them play and interact like two long lost buds.  We have plans to do more fun stuff with Charlie and his family. 

 

Tyce likes to "share" things with the dog.  It's so totally gross, but definitely worth documenting for future laughter.

 We took Devin and MomMom for their 1st ever SeaWorld visit and had a wonderful time.  I don't think I will ever get over the amazement and awe I feel seeing all the magnificent animals.  And I love when that joy can be passed to an 'unexpecting' observer.

Let 'em cry it out...

I've been trying to find time to get on here and give an update..but Tyce is on the move.
At 7 months he has completely mastered the crawl.  He could probably win the gold in a baby crawl race.  He's also pulling up on EVERYTHING.  The coffee table, the couch, the bar stools, the cabinet pulls, the kid chairs, the shelves....everything.
It's quite cute.  Once he pulls up he looks for the nod of approval then proceeds to bang out a mock drum solo on whatever surface is available.  I suspect that he will be an early walker.

Tyce loves his big brother.  He goes bananas just at the sight of him.  If you happen to be holding him, he gets all slap happy and beats you up during the crack up.   Ryder is assuming the roll and becoming more and more helpful.  He's able to keep an eye on him for a few minutes at a time, so I've actually been able to pee alone.  It's great.

The big, big news to share is that Tyce is sleeping through the night.  Yes, you heard right...sleeping all the way through the night!
About a month ago, he began regressing in the sleep department.  He went from waking every 3-4 hours to waking every 1-2 hours.  It was completely exhausting.  I thought I was going to loose my mind.  I mean, I hadn't really slept a solid night through in a year.  When he was in my belly I had to wake up to pee or just change positions.  At 6 months old, I thought I would at least be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Instead he was waking up more.  Insanity.
I knew the waking was just out of habit and comfort.  There were a few exceptions, but mostly once I went in there and picked him up, he was back asleep with in 5 minutes.  He didn't even always take a bottle.  I was at a loss, I had tried the "cry it out" method with Ryder and couldn't do it.  I couldn't even last 15 minutes.  The screaming killed me and I felt like a horrible mom.  But...Ryder also was progressing to longer and longer stints of sleep on his own, so it wasn't a necessity.
This time something HAD to be done...immediately.
So, one night I just said, to heck with this, I'm gonna let him cry.
And cry he did.
Did I say cry?  I meant scream.  Screams like I've never heard.  Luckily, I have a video monitor so I was able to see that no one was actually in there ripping his arms off like the sounds alluded.  One hour...one hour is how long the first episode lasted.  Utter torture.  About 3 hours later, it started up again.  It literally took every thing in my power not to go in his room and pick him up.  45 minutes was the second episode.  About 2 hours later it started up again....another 40 minutes. By this point you can imagine, I was sitting on the floor clutching my knees and rocking back and forth like a loon.  Finally, it was 7 am and he woke up and I rushed in to get him.  I thought he would start screaming in my face, ya know, because he was mad that I left him in there all night.  Nope. All smiles.  Hmmmm?
Nap times were usually the same routine as night.  I would rock him with a bottle, then when he fell asleep I would put him in the crib.  Sometimes he would wake back up and I would pick him back up and rock him some more.  Since the episode at night, I thought lets just see what happens if I don't pick him up.  So I laid him down.  The crying started and I shut the door and sat on the couch.  8 minutes later he was asleep.  I couldn't believe it.   I did a mini jig.  This could work.
Night #2 was mostly like the first night.  More screaming, more of me feeling like the world's worst mom.  But in the morning, all smiles.
Night #3 only had 2 long crying episodes...
Night #4 he woke up 3 different times and only cried for about 10-15 minutes each time.
That's it, the end.  Now he sleeps all night long.  It's been about 3 weeks and we are still going strong.  A few nights in between, he woke up and whined for a few minutes but that was it.
We are still working on nap time, but making progress.
He takes three hour long naps a day and mostly at the same time give or take a half an hour.  In the beginning of this "training"  he would fall asleep in my arms and as soon as I laid him down, boom, awake. So, like the night, I put him in the crib and shut the door.  He would cry anywhere from 10-30 minutes.  Now, as soon as I see the signs of fatigue,  usually the eye rub, I give him a bottle and lay him down.  Sometimes he goes right down and sometimes he just kind of hangs out for 20 minutes or so then eventually just goes to sleep,  Occasionally he will cry for a while, but I just leave him to it.

It's totally crazy that this worked but it did.  And I can't believe that I made it through, but I did.  I think it was more out of desperation than anything.  I just needed the sleep. 
So, while I write this blog for a variety of different reasons, I really hope this helps at least one mom get some much need sleep.  Know that it totally pays off and your baby will not be mad at you or hold a grudge.  In fact, they may even be happier because of the great night sleep they had.
:)

Summer summer time

Well, it's been a while since I've caught up with the blog.
Lots of big things have and are happening.
We moved, went on vacation and Ryder starts kindergarten on Monday.  It's been a whirlwind kind of month.
We are just about all settled in our new house.  We just need a few shelves in a few necessary places and I can get the last of the boxes unpacked.  The boys now share a bedroom and have a playroom.  I'm so thrilled with the playroom.  It's one of the spaces that is in serious need of shelves...but it will be a designated area just for them.  A place were they can make a mess and I won't have to worry about cleaning it up every night.  A place were they can watch Disney Jr, PBS kids or Nick Jr, without monopolizing our TV.  It's going to be just glorious.  And the bedroom will stay nice and organized.  So Thrilled.
The Hubs totally liquidated garage items, so he can also be organized and have a "man cave" aka garage all to himself.  My big space will be our closet, we are getting new shelving put it and I think it's going to be fantastic.  I love the idea of being so organized.  Let's just hope we stay on track. This house is a scosh bigger,but definitely doesn't have nearly the amount of storage space.  You don't realize how much junk you can shove away until you are forced to pull in out and shove it into a smaller space.  When I say junk, I mean junk.  I have no idea why I was storing/saving all that stuff.  We had a yard sale and called the local charity and I immediately feel lighter on my toes.
The new house is great.  It's super light, bright and airy, very exciting.

In the middle of the moving, we went on vacation.  Our destination was Panama City Beach.  It's the perfect middle spot for my parents and I to meet for a vaca.  It rained more than we would have liked, but we had a blast anyway.  It gave us all some very much needed R&R.  Not to mention, that the beaches up in the panhandle are stunning.  The water really does have an emerald color.  All the boys (baby, Ryder and Hubs) loved it.

There's my parents.  As you can see my Dad is very, very cool. ;)

Your classic beach photo, although I forgot to add my ice cold Miller Lite in the shot.

Daddy and baby catching some ZZZ's on the breezy balcony.

The Ryderman is not really into the photos these days, too much fun to be had.

We did have to go up and down to avoid a few of these bad boys.  They roll in fast.

So, in the mix of moving and vacation, we have been trying to prepare for kindergarten.  Although Ryder went to Pre-K last year every day for 3 hours a day, he's very, very skeptical and nervous about kindergarten.  I think with a new baby, a move and now real school, it's just a lot for the little guy.  We are trying to vocalize all the feelings and thoughts to help him transition.  How all kids get nervous on the first day, maybe even the teachers.  How much fun he's gonna have meeting new friends.  How excited he is to learn to read (and get the prizes for his progress).  How it's Ok to miss your family while at school. How big he's getting. How proud we are.  Ya know, the usual big deal stuff involved in a 5 year old life.  I know it's all gonna work out just fine, but I do feel bad for the little guy.  He's so emotional and loving, big changes are a big deal to him.

The Meat has been a handful.  He is in full swing crawl mode....and he's fast.  Hence the no blogs, I only have time to chase him around and pull him off the dog.  He totally loves the dog, it's like an obsession.  The fur, the paws, the tail, it's all so mesmerizing.

He's eating real food along with cereal now and loves it.  His living up to his name and lets you know (very loudly) when it's time to eat.  We eat often, so it's pretty much always loud, unless there is a nap.

I'm hoping to keep a photo record of the before and after of the changes and additions we will be working on in the near future.  I'm also hoping that I'll have the time to document it in blog form.  Kindergarten will keep one busy, but I have a feeling the other one is going to take advantage of the one on one time and become even more mobile.
Maybe I'll finally shed that extra weight he helped me put on.  ;)

The Birthday Cake

We had a very successful 5th birthday party!  I highly recommend a pool party, the kids loved it.  I practically had to drag everyone out of the water to do the cake and the pinata.
The two big stars of the show were the birthday boy, of course, and the Cake.  I got tons of compliments and questions, especially when the guests realized that it was homemade.  I thought I'd share the tricks since they are way easier than anyone thought they would be.

My mom made all my birthday cakes, so she has all the tools for decorating, icing, etc.   If you don't have them, they are a one time purchase, so still economical.
Ryder went through a lot of themes for this party and we never actually decided on one specific character or theme.   The cake, however, was definitely going to be "Ice Bird".  (Ice Bird is an Angry Bird for any of you who have never played the game)  After a quick Google search I knew we could do it.  For all of you non artsy types, like myself, trust me this is totally do-able.
I wish I would have thought about taking more pictures while we were making the cake, but I guess I was too focused on the task at hand. :)
We made our icing, but you could just as easily use a store bought container and add food  coloring.  Once we figured the base color we put some plain white aside so we could make different mixtures for the colors of the bird.  My mom has this huge cake pan, which takes 3 boxes of cake mix. It's perfect for birthday parties, it feeds about 50 people.  I would recommend Pillsbury, we used Duncan Hines this go round and while it was delicious it wasn't quite as moist. 
So the big trick to this is finding a good image that you can enlarge and print.  And by enlarge, I just mean on a regular 8x11 piece of paper.
After printing,  I simply trace the outline of the bird with some black store bought gel icing and "stamp" it on the cake.  Wa-La, I have an edible outline on the cake.   Everyone thought I drew it free-hand. 

The time consuming part is filling in the image, but I think it came out pretty good.  And most importantly the birthday boy was happy.
We also did this two years ago for his 3rd birthday which had a Ninja Turtle theme.
The cake was a Leonardo face.  It had a little more detail than Ice Bird cake with some decorative border around the outside.

Before I go, I'll share a few other images from the party.  It really was a good time.

This pinata was fantastic.  I got it on Amazon.  The reviews said that it lasted through a bunch of kids, but I never expected it to last through all of them.  How cool, right?!
I was about 12 kids ranging from ages 2-8 and they hit it with an aluminum kids bat.  I loved it because it went through the whole rotation (each kid got 3 swings) and back around to the birthday boy who ended up busting it open.  It was filled with 72 little dinosaurs (also from Amazon) and Airheads.

The red, white and blue strawberry idea came from The sisters Cafe  via Pinterest.  The ones they made look much more professional, but this were delish nonetheless.

The birthday boy and his cousin

The birthday boy hanging with some school buds

 A special Thank You to everyone who came.  It was a wonderful party filled with food and fun!  We always enjoy hanging out with friends and family, you guys are great!
And a very Happy Birthday to my 5 year old!  I couldn't ask for a more loving and passionate boy.  You are the best, buddy!