Noah's Ark Lesson + Animal Craft

It's been awhile since I've done a book and craft combo with the kids, so when I spotted a box craft set of paper plate animals on super sale at Michael's I went ahead and grabbed it to stow away for a rainy day. A few weeks later, I came up with an animal-related lesson we could do and found a Noah's Ark book
while at the library.

After a massive toy swap out in their play room, I remembered we actually had a Noah's Ark toy in their box of Little People stuff so I pulled that out and used it to explain who Noah was and what the ark looked like. The kids each held two animals of their choosing while I read the book to them, then I slid the boat around the table and let them each march their figurines into the ark "two by two" before we started our craft.

I'm not one to shy away from putting together a set of craft supplies myself—and I keep several craft drawers stocked with random supplies to rummage through for just such an occasion—but it really did help that everything I needed came in the box.  The quads were able to peel the paper backing off the foam sticker pieces themselves and I would show them how to copy the photo on the box to assemble their respective animals. Coincidentally, two made a zebra and two made a monkey.

They were quite proud of their finished pieces and show them off to anyone who comes over since I hung them on their art boards in the play room (along with their super cute Father's Day card my mom helped them make, complete with flowers!).

After the craft, we watched our Baby Einstein's Baby Noah DVD—yes, we still have many of our Baby Einstein DVDs because they still love them—and it held their attention for the entire 38 minutes. That's like five years in toddler time, right!? I actually emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it, completely uninterrupted and without up to eight hands wanting to "help me." Plus, I think between the craft, Little People toy and DVD, the concept of Noah and his ark was very much solidified in their minds because they've repeated the story a few times since.

Mission accomplished.

DIY Bunny Shaped Crayons

So there was a phase that Kailey went through during which she preferred not to color, but rather to tear all the paper off the crayons and break them into pieces. It kept her extremely occupied—sometimes as long as 20 minutes—so I endured because it provided the opportunity to throw dinner together or finish cleaning something. Over time, though, the broken colors all just got shuffled into the mini buckets of crayons I keep handy for the kids to use. I got fed up with it eventually, though, and sorted through everything and tossed all the broken pieces into a ziploc and shoved them into my craft closet.

Thanks to Pinterest, I hung on to the broken crayons so I could try making new ones with them. I found  this Wilton bunny silicone mold, stripped the paper from any pieces that Kailey hadn't already torn off, broke or smashed larger crayon pieces and filled up all the bunny molds. 

I put it on top of a lined baking tray just in case something spilled or melted over, because I had no idea how this would actually go. Turns out, I could have really packed the molds full because the crayons melted waaay down and turned out thinner then I wanted. Next time!

They took 30 minutes on 180F degrees, then I carefully put the silicone tray in the fridge to speed up the cooling but you can just let them cool down on the counter, too. I popped them out and tested them on some paper and they worked great! I'll be putting a handful of bunny crayons into clear cello bags with an Easter gift tag to put in my kiddo's Easter baskets as well as some for cousins and friends.

Check out these free Easter gift tag printables as well as more Easter crafts and decorating ideas on my Easter board on Pinterest!

Update: I put together a page of printable gift tags of my own using some free clipart from the web, you can download them for free right here!

DIY Simple Wood Crate Side Table

We've reached another big milestone in our house! No more baby gates! In a hurried frenzy of productivity this past Wednesday while the kids were at my parents house, I began organizing toys, cleaning out storage space, labeling bins and took down the gates that barricaded the play room. We will slowly begin transitioning it to a more official living room and play room combination—I'm already loving it and the kids were beyond thrilled at their official household freedom.

Many of the toys that were in the play room stayed, and I just moved things around to create a reading corner, a kitchen corner, a space for Harrison to play with his cars and used the train table as a sort of coffee table in front of the love seat and recliner (I dragged the latter down from upstairs all on my own!). I also plan to leave less toys out and use bins and bags to organize and store them so the kids only have out a few things at a time. My quad mom friend, Amber, does this with great success, which helps minimize the mess and clutter in her house. But more on that and the new play room later! For now, I needed a quick and easy side table to throw into the mix as I was feeling brave and wanted a place to put a lamp, drinks and stash books and magazines so adults could both relax in there and also easily read to kiddos that climb up in our laps.

no more baby gates!

I was out running errands that morning and spotted wooden crates at Michaels when inspiration struck. With my 40% off coupon, the crate was only about $8 and change. (Even Wal-Mart isn't that cheap, I think their's are $10.) My errands happened to take me by a second Michaels so I stopped by there to grab wood glue and a second crate with the coupon, since you can only use the coupon on one item per visit, and headed home. 

The small paint pots are from Target, which is their own paint brand, and the sponge brushes are cheapies from Wal-Mart. I threw them away when I was done because the wood tore them up a bit. And after all my work I realized that I probably could've saved myself some time and effort by just spray painting the crates but oh well! 

I painted the turquoise on the inside first then followed up with the darker blue. Then I went back with a smaller brush to correct any mistakes where the dark color got on top of the turquoise. There's still a few spots I'll need to touch up, especially on the sides that I glued together that are missing paint. I didn't bother for it to be perfect as I wanted a slightly rustic look. Some of the boards inside the crates aren't fully saturated with paint since I wanted it that way. I also just let it all dry before putting it to use, but might spray it with a sealant later on. And for now, I like the brighter colors for the play room but can always repaint later!

A liberal amount of wood glue, a set of clamps and some Coke boxes for weight and the whole thing was done! It was dry by the time I finished rearranging the play room so I brought it in and added a spare lamp from the guest room, some food magazines and tot-friendly books.

It's provided the perfect place for me to set my tea and a magazine when I need to rest for a few minutes  in between potty training, which we are doing full force this weekend!! More on that later! For now, I hear a toilet seat slamming and must investigate...

...time for more wine!

Getting on the Valentine's Day Bandwagon

I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day. Not because something happened that made me dislike it or because I don't like hearts or something weird. I probably fall into that category of folks that says "I don't need a certain day of the year to celebrate my love" because the husband and I do small things for each other at random throughout the year. However, I'm not one of those people that says "every day for us is like Valentine's Day" because that would cause me to gag on rose petals, heart-shaped chocolates and pink tissue paper. Ha.

So a happy medium had to be found. Because now I have these cute little toddlers that make every single freaking holiday infinitely more exciting than it ever used to be—except my birthday. My birthday has always been a very exciting time of year for me, plus this year I want a big party to ring in turning 30! The husband is already feeling the pressure.

Christmas this past year was awesome—the kids were able to understand the concept of gift giving, Santa Clause and all the fanfare. Which means their upcoming birthday at the end of May, when they turn three years old, will be even more amazing than the ones prior. So I decided to get over my dislike of all things Cupid, Valentiney and heart-shaped and to begin incorporating things for the holiday for the sake of my children. The things we do as parents!!

We started off by handing out little treat bags with mini M&Ms and fruit roll-ups to everyone in the kiddos' class at Mother's Day Out on Monday. And handmade Valentine's Cards to their wonderful two teachers!

Then my mother-in-law brought over a super cute Valentine craft she did with the kids this week while she watched them so I could get out for a little bit by myself. (Alone time is one of the most valuable things anyone can ever give me!!)

Then we got an awesome surprise in the mail when I opened up these paint-your-own-cookies from my triplet momma friend, Mary! She even included two maze cookies for the husband and I—and they really work! Her sweet treat biz, Sugar Coma Cookies, is the best and we use her delicious, rockstar-status desserts to celebrate all sorts of occasions in our household.

I added the cookies to the quad's Valentine's bags I'm giving them this Saturday. They turned out super cute and I can't wait to see the kids pull everything out. The girl's peach baskets came from Hobby Lobby, only about $2 for each on clearance! They love having their own bins or containers to haul around so I know they'll love these. I also scored pretty blue princess nightgowns—which they're all crazy about right now—for less than $7 apiece on sale at Carter's—as well as coloring books and mini sticker books for a buck each at Wal-Mart (a brave day that I went there, eek) and puzzle packs and board books for a dollar each at Target.

Harrison is getting a similar gift, but in a manly Transformers bag with the cuuuuutest button-up shirt ($11, also from Carter's) and boy-themed stickers, book and puzzle. I can't wait for the weather to stay warm so he can wear his new shirt with khaki shorts and his Sperry-esque boat shoes!! Until then, jeans will pair just fine. 

In my efforts to establish Valentine's Day as an officially recognized holiday in our house now, I told the husband we should each exchange gifts and a card. His gift came in the mail earlier this week and I just know he's going to love it. But since he actually reads my blog from time to time (I know, right!?) I won't share it here. You'll have to wait for our Weekend Recap to find out! I'll also be sharing the recipe and photos of a special meal I'm making for us, that we'll be enjoying with wine and candlelight after the kids go to bed Saturday evening. 

Now it's time to get a quad-worthy lunch on the table and then cut out paper shapes while they nap later so we can put together a simple Valentine craft this afternoon. Yep, I told ya....I'm really committing to Love Day celebrations! Be impressed.

Weekend Recap (and Super Bowl Quad-Style)

I promise I realize weekends are traditionally Friday through Sunday, but just like my last Weekend Recap post I'm kicking this one off on Thursday. Date night! Our former nanny had some availability this spring in between her busy semester so she's back with us on Friday mornings as well as the occasional special event—like a muuuuccchhhh needed date night! The husband and I enjoyed steaks for dinner then caught a movie (and snuck in some wine) before calling it a night well enjoyed.

Friday morning, we all got ready and loaded up for the Perot Museum in Dallas. It was the quad's first time to check it out and I hadn't been since I was probably a kid myself. They loved the little kid's area, the Moody Family Children's Museum, and we spent the majority of our time there aside from a visit to see the dinosaur exhibit—which they loved. My girlfriend and her sweet boy joined us for the adventure.

The husband met us all for lunch at the Museum cafe then we called it a day and got home in time for naps. I was tired! That trend continued because Saturday didn't afford us much more energy, either. We spent most of our day around the house, the husband and I both taking turns watching the kids while the other ran a couple quick errands. Thank goodness for Melissa & Doug sticker books and tons of crayons and coloring paper to keep everyone occupied!

Recently, we got the girl's new boots—Natural Steps Stampede boot in tan—and they're obsessed with them! They wear them around the house often, even with pajamas, and the insides are lined with a comfy floral fabric so they don't even bother with socks if we aren't going anywhere. Harrison already had a pair of camo and brown boots I scored at Wal-Mart and now the girls are thrilled to have their own as well.

This morning we all slept in because everyone's been pretty run down, especially the husband and I. After breakfast, I snuck out for a quick pedicure that I was inspired by on Pinterest. Perfect for Valentine's Day but not so girly that the pink makes my eyes water. ;)

I also scored some new PJs on clearance at Target for the girls for just $6.48 apiece. Loving the button up shirt and pajama pants style, Harrison already had some similar ones handed off to him from a buddy that outgrew them so all four were matching and super cute!

Super Bowl Sunday has been pretty low key. I mean, what...your Super Bowl party doesn't consist of a Pip-Squeaks Marker Tower, giant cardboard blocks and DIY Valentine's cards? Clearly you're missing out. Which is exactly how we spent our late afternoon and evening...

(and yes, the majority of us stayed in our jammies most of the day.)

I love the cards, I really do. Especially since the kids were pretty involved with them from start to finish. I just took white card stock and cut some cute scrapbook paper to size then glue sticked it on. Next, the husband help me put dot after dot of glue on the front of the cards for the kids to stick their desired papers, tissue pieces and other items to. As a finishing touch, I used puffy letter stickers to spell LOVE on each card. We can't wait to hand these off to their teachers at school and send some to grandparents and cousins. 

My trip to the grocery store (after my pedicure and Target errands earlier) yielded all the culinary supplies I'll need for this week's menu plan, which kicked off with a delish spicy Asian chicken noodle soup I adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe. It was a hit for dinner tonight, including the kids.

And that's that! We DVR'd the last half of the football game to finish after we put the kids in bed and are watching the final minutes—eek! Then I'll set out all the lunch boxes, folders and supplies for us to get ready for school tomorrow and get out the door in a reasonably timely fashion. For a mom with toddler quadruplets, anyway. Looking forward to getting in a good workout at the gym after I drop the crew off at school, followed by a peaceful yet project-oriented morning at home. ALONE.

Sometimes you just need some moments to yourself, or to start your weekend on a Thursday....