Sun Crayons

Result will very based on your geological location. This is our results (in the Middle East). We sorted crayons into a muffin tin with paper liners. The paper was just to make it easier to remove them when they were done; the crayons do leak through the paper and so the tin will be forever crayon-y. We set the crayons in the sun on our front steps and I also set a thermometer out there too. The thermometer maxed out at 120F and could not handle the heat so it is no longer working and trashed. After an hour the wax was all melted and we brought them in to cool. Now the kids are having fun experimenting with the marbled colors and drawing fantastic pictures. We call these our Kuwaiti Sun Crayons.

Fels Naptha for the Laundry

I like my home made laundry soap, but I don't always like grating the bars of Fel Naptha. Over the weekend, a friend mentioned she had heard someone put her bar in the microwave like one can Ivory soap (this make a big fluffy cloud of soap if you haven't heard). It was time for me to make some more laundry soap, so naturally I had to try it. 2.5 minutes later - Voila! Maybe not as poofy as Ivory gets, but it is fun to watch it puff, and when you let it cool completely (it gets HOT) you can easily crumble it with your hands into a nice powder for your soap. SO much easier, and SO much more fun!

No more table work...well, maybe sometimes

Options. That is one reason we chose to home school. Options. As a former public school teacher, I have a tendency toward "desks" but I have been very interested in alternative seating for students for a while. This week I had an epiphany: My kids had options and were utilizing them. I just needed to get the tables out of the way...but not too far out of the way. We are a family of book worms. Even my son who isn't a "reader" loves to curl up with a good book frequently. So, naturally I let my readers curl up to do their independent reading. Usually they choose to curl up in one of these great comfy chairs or on the couch...or in their beds...or in the car...you get the idea. I have one child that often has a difficult time sitting still, so she has been allowed to stand while she works -as long as she can write her neatest. Before, a regular height table worked well. She could stand and the table height was just right. Then she grew and this adjustable computer table became a favorite. It is a bit tippy, so hopefully we'll find another alternative soon. She also has a tendency to find her way onto the floor. She sits, lays, curls up...whatever. My concern is whether or not she understands the work, so if she is writing neatly and showing appropriate comprehension, I say "whatever works". I also realized, she wasn't the only one. My other kiddos may not move around quite as much, but they enjoy the ability to get comfortable when getting their work done (even if that means a tutu). I even got them big clipboards they can use as lap desks. These boards are large enough to support a fully open workbook or notebook. The tables still get used, so we keep them to the sides so they can easily be utilized, but out of the way when they are not. We also have a laptop for some of their work, but it stays at the desk. The reason for this is for the protection of the laptop, and so I can oversee their computer usage. When I moved the tables out of the way and let them take full advantage of the options they had, I was delighted to see how naturally they shifted around the room to get into a comfortable but found appropriate places to do each task. I was also delighted to find that there was a lot less complaining about the work that had to be done. The didn't get things done any quicker, and there is still bouts of procrastination and day dreaming- no more than before, but no less either. They simply didn't seem as grouchy by the end of the day, and as a Mom to 4, I can say I'd move more than tables just to get that result right there.

Packing for vacation

Rolling outfits together! Why hadn't I done this before? I've packed their outfits in baggies but they are so slippery and then the baggies seem to litter every where and get lost, and I always feel like I'm just wasting the bags. I done other methods...but this one really worked. I rolled a complete outfit (including undergarments and socks) and packed them in their suitcases on our most recent trip. (We were traveling to a colder climate or the rolls would not have been so bulky) Extra layers and pajamas fit nicely on top. When it was time for showers or to get dressed, my kiddos could just pick out one roll and they had everything needed. I had the kids help me construct the roll before the trip began, but half way through the trip I had to do laudry. No problem, I just stacked the clothes and rolled up the outfits again. Suitcases stayed neat and tidy (this is BIG for me). My younger two have smaller bags, but the rolls still fit nicely with room for pajamas and an extra jacket. I was able to fit 7 rolls in each kid's luggage.

Home-Made Family Christmas

One of our family Christmas traditions is making home made gifts for each other. Over the last few years I have seen my kiddos get more and more excited about giving gifts. They get so excited that they can't always keep it a surprise, but we're working on it.

I sometimes have problems coming up with ideas of gifts for my youngest (3 years old) to make. This year I had the sudden inspiration to have him make recycled crayons for his sisters. It worked out great. He loved peeling the papers breaking the big pieces and filling the muffin papers. I did have the oven a little too hot so there was some separating of wax and color, but they still turned out well. His big sisters ooo-ed and awe-ed and he beamed.

My 5 year old decided she wanted to make ornaments this year. I handed her some felt circles, glue, sequins and colored feathers and she went to town. I had to help with the glue because my fabric glue is getting kinda old and hard to squeeze. She had a blast making them and they really sparkle on the tree.

My 7 year old loves to bake her presents. This year she wanted to make ginger bread houses for everyone. Daddy loves to bake too, so he helped her make them with real ginger bread. She was super excited to pull them out for dessert before we opened presents (another tradition we have is opening presents on Christmas Eve).

My oldest (9 years old) wanted to make felt dala horses this year. She has never done any embroidery work before, but really wanted to give it a try. We found some directions for different stitches, and after practicing a few she went to work. She even stitched each siblings name onto one side of their horse. I think they turned out great. Her little brother is even sleeping with his. I love to watch them get excited about giving, and really appreciating the gifts they get, knowing someone took their time and effort to make it for them. It may be just a little family tradition, but it means something big to us.

Thankful Chain Tradition

Over the last several years we have developed the tradition of making a "Thankful Chain" on Thanksgiving. Simply put, during a meal, we go around the table and each say something we are thankful for. Each thing is written on a separate strip of paper.

We keep going around the table till we can't think of any more things to write down, or we run out of paper. These strips of paper are then taped into a long chain. Finally, we hang this up as our first Christmas decoration of the year.

The rest of our decorations haven't caught up to us yet, but our chain has been hung so we are beginning to feel a bit in the spirit of the season anyway. Happy Holidays to one and all!

Today's Textile Therapy

I have wanted a tree skirt for our Christmas tree for a while. But in years past it just wasn't to be. Today, the family went on an outing to the fabric souk and discovered many wondrous finds. Among these finds were these fabrics.

Hubby and I did some quick figuring to determine how much I needed to make a tree skirt and we figured 4 meters would be more than enough, and I could use the spare for a runner or something (or somethings).

When we got home I did some more figuring, measuring, re-figuring, and double checking those figures. Then I had Hubby check my math to make sure (this wasn't cheap stuff, so I didn't want to blow it). I really appreciated my Jr. High math teachers today!

This is the end result. Now if our household goods would just arrive so I can put it around the Christmas tree, it would be complete.