By far the creepiest scrap technique ever!!!

I was watching Scrapbook Memories on tv today and I saw the most disturbing thing I have seen and a while - and I am a mom of boys.

They woman who teaches the digital technique of the week was using the morphing tool on Photoshop today. She was turning pouts and pusses into smiles. But not normal, natural-looking smiles - no way! These are Stepford looking smiles.

Here, check it out and how creepy it is for yourself. As for me I will just keeps the pictures of the pouts and pusses as signs that my children are real, live humans.

 http://www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com/projects/900/913_4.htm

One Punch Wonder

There are some scrapbookers who have a million tools and embellishments in a room that they devote entirely to their craft. I don’t have either. I am just a regular mom. I scrap because I want the stories and objects that go along with the pictures preserved together in whole memories. My pages aren’t perfect but they are perfectly me.

This is one I really like. It is simple, easy, and clearly the focus is the pictures. I used just three sheets of cardstock (two sided orange and yellow), one punch, and a pen. (and glue) I punched all around the edges of the pages and backed them with strips of orange. Then I took all the bones that were made with my punch and wrote out the title. The date bone and the journaling were made from the scraps from the backing.

This was a fast, easy, 15-minute page.

Favorite Book of the Week

This week Favorite Book Friday has been moved to Saturday (sorry out there - I’ll take swimming with the kiddos over blogging any day.

Learning at home is not just for homeschoolers - when it is so fun and interesting that you find yourself discussing math before bed it is a very good thing. This week its “Probably Pistachio” by Stuart J Murphy. This is part of the “MathStart” series which I highly recommend in total.

This is a level two book, which I think is for ages 7-8, but I think the age range should be much broader. With fun pictures and an interesting story about a little boy even my 2 year old sat and listened. All three of my kids loved it and my 5 year old daughter learned a new concept along the way (probability in case you hadn’t guessed.)

Nothing goes right for Jack all day long. He can’t find his favorite sneakers, he spills milk on his math homework, and worst of all, he gets tuna fish for lunch. Will things ever get better?

Readers will learn how to tell when something is certain, more likely, less likely, or impossible as Jack keeps hoping his streak of bad luck will break. Maybe, just maybe, pistachio ice cream for dessert will do the trick. But will it happen? Considering how Jack’s day has been going, PROBABLY NOT!

Begining Scrapbookers - Lakeside Layout

It is so hot that I wish I was up at the Lake. Which made me think of my layout about the Lake. We spent a wonderful day at the lake about a month ago and I had so many pictures I wanted to use but I didn’t really want to make two pages. I have three kids so a lot of my pages have six pictures on them - that’s all I can seem to get on a page without doing a collage or something of that sort.

Remember, scrapbooking is about preserving memories not about being fancy for impressing people with $15 worth of stuff on your page. You can make a perfectly nice page that looks like what it is - mommy remembering - for very little money and no special skills whatsoever.

This page started out as this sketch. I wanted to use the background to say as much about the lake as the pictures so I used the light blue wave that I bought in a kit for a little over $2.00 in Wal-Mart’s scrapbook department. and then I overlaid it on a piece of darker blue cardstock and traced it so it wasn’t quite lined up and outlined both with a sparkly gen pen. Then I drew some freehand mountain shapes and cut them out, and a green row of trees that I made like you would paper dolls. The letters were cut out of sad printed paper that I downloaded from Epson’s page for digital scrapbookers.

When I was finished there was no room for journaling - and I think that is the most important part (otherwise just get a photo album and save yourself the time, right?) So I cut out a large tree shape from the rest of the sheet of green cardstock (again freehand) and wrote the journaling there - it lives in the page protector behind the layout.

When is too much?, Pt. 4 Definitely too much.

Yesterday, J1 (the seven year old) came over to play. My daughter is already starting to complain about how often they come over and how we never go over there anymore. “They just play with our stuff - not us.” she pouts.

Well, she may not have to worry about it anymore. While they were outside playing in the (fenced in) backyard unsupervised for a few minutes  they decided to start throwing landscaping rocks (the little tiny white ones) over the fence. What they didn’t know was that our neighbor keeps his spare tuck in his side yard which is on the other side of our fence. He was not at all happy and said so over the fence when I went back out to be with the kids.

Every single on of my kids got a lecture on not doing something bad just because someone else does it. (Fittingly, we had studied the story of Adam and Eve that morning - which led to an interesting dinner discussion when one asked what would have happened if Adam had told Eve that he was not going to share the fruit.) And every, single one of them got a time out (even the two year old) and J1 got sent home - AGAIN - this time I didn’t call his mom but sent him home with a note.

Dear J,

The children were caught throwing rocks over the fence. All of my children are in time-out so J has to come home,

Me

If calling her to come get her kids when they are disobeying caused the last to-do a note is probably infinitely worse.  Having someone tell you your kids are being bad is unpleasant and embarrassing but it is part of being a mom. I don’t understand why she can’t handle it. It happened to me - my kids were bad. Did I blame the neighbor?  No.  I addressed the behavior and when their time-out was over I marched them over there to apologize in person - that’s what normal people do.

all she is getting with her “non-stifling” nonsense is a family of kids who are the worst behaved on the cul-de-sac and who are getting increasingly too old for bad behavior to be overlooked.

P.S

None of the J’s came over today.

It’s 101 degress - time for an updo.

I am not someone who know, or cares, a lot about fashion but I am always looking for something easy and do-able. Well here are some do-able summer updos I found this morning. Anyone else have long, heavy hair that is getting in the way with all this heat?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/02/earlyshow/living/beauty/main556623.shtml

http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article%7C10001%7C10051%7C/HallmarkSite/HallmarkMagazine/Inspire/INS_TRY_HAIR

http://www.instyle.com/instyle/general/gallery/0,,1185001_2,00.html

Inspiration for other New Scrapbookers

Its the 4th of July and we will all be taking a ton of pics, I’m sure. So for those of us who are new to scrapbooking or those of us who are just too busy to make ultra-fancy pages here is some inspiration. This is my page from 2005. I really like how simple it is and yet how fun and festive the bright colors. (Actually, I hated the paper at first - it came in a pack with others I liked on clearance and Michael’s - but I think it looks good paired with the solid red.)

Mothering challenge - teaching what you don’t know.

There is one thing that every mother regardless of parenting style tries to teach her children - patience. We all say, “Mommy can’t help you right this second, or You have to wait your turn, or Try and be a little patient honey.” Some of us succeed and some of us fail.

But it is good for all of us to remember how hard a life lesson it is. I was reminded last night. I checked my blog after the kids got put to bed at 6:00 (earlier than usual - and as it turned out way too early but that’s another story) and I had 99 hits. I was told that most people did something special to commemorate their 100th hit so earlier that day I had written one (which was surprisingly hard) and I just wanted to post it so I wouldn’t forget. I kept checking and checking throughout the evening as I did other things becoming increasingly impatient the whole time.

I ate dinner - still 99.

I homeschooled my nightowl - still 99.

I read a chapter of my husbands book into a recorder for him - still 99.

I read some of my favorite blogs - still 99.

I dealt with my almost 4 year old who had just gotten up from a nice “nap” - still 99.

I got ready for bed - still 99.

I was just as wiggly and antsy as any child and I would have nagged and whined like they do if there was anyone listening. I am glad that I had a glimpse back at a major childhood challenge - especially since today is a holiday that does not start until dark. There will be a lot of impatient little ones in my house today - and one mommy who understands.

100th Hit

It is so exciting to me that 100 people have come to read my blog in such a short period of time. To commemorate today’s post is 100 Things About Me

1. I am a mom
2. I have three kids
3. I have two boys and a girl
4. I am from the northeast (although that is not where I live)
5. I miss my home state even though I hate it
6. I love spending everyday with my kids
7. I wish I saw my family more
8. I love my mom
9. She and I are very similar as people
10. She and I could not be more different as moms
11. I think she did a great job raising me
12. My life changed the day my daughter was born
13. My shortest labor: 90 minutes - baby #2
14. My scariest labor: baby #2 - fast labors are not worth being jealous about
15. My longest labor: 8 1/2 hours - baby #1
16. I had all three kids within 35 months
17. I was pregnant, nursing, or both for almost 5 years
18. I am an only child
19. I was so freaked out with pregnancy #2 about having to raise siblings
20. I read half a dozen books about sibling relations
21. I learned more by doing than I ever could have read
22. My kids get along well
23. I do not have a favorite child
24. I have a preferred child and any given moment - generally the one who is not fighting, complaining, or needing something
25. I home school
26. I only agreed to homeschool because my oldest was so young that I figured I would have plenty of time to see if it worked for us before she was to start kindergarten
27. My mom freaked out when she heard that my daughter was due on January 5
28. I was hurt by her reaction - until I tried to plan a birthday party between Christmas and the New Year - Impossible
29. I love to homeschool
30. My kids are smarter than average
31. I love to watch the light go on when they get a new concept
32. I wanted to be a teacher when I was in school - but never even thought of becoming one because I knew I could not handle dumb, unmotivated, or disruptive children
33. I think I will become obsessed with blogging
34. I have been on the Internet since 1992
35. I think that AOL was a scary place during the dawn of the internet (I think that now - 15 years ago I thought it was cool)
36. I am glad that I know what kinds of things are out there
37. I feel it makes me more prepared for when my kids are older
38. My kids will never have a computer in their rooms
39. I still know one of the first people I ever chatted with online
40. I set an alarm for 30 minutes before I want to wake up because I love being able to fall back to sleep
41. It has been six years since my little ones have let me get a full night’s sleep (something always happens)
42. I can’t believe 100 people have visited my little blog in just 5 days.
43. I used to be a day-trader. Actually, my husband and I did it together.
44. I survived PPD.
45. I am finding it really hard to come up with 100 things about myself that are even remotely interesting.
46. I have had the same blanket on my bed since college.
47. I was once a neuroscience major.
48. I went to Catholic school.
49. I loved wearing uniforms - easy and fast.
50. I have learned more gymnastics terms this year than in the rest of my life put together.
51. I love that my kids are interested in things totally outside my influence - clones are boring.
52. I wish I dressed better.
53. I wish I looked better.
54. I wish I was 1/10 as cute as my kids.
55. I have a calendar with a sticker for every day that I work out.
56. There aren’t more than 5 stickers in any given week.
57. I would rather be fit than thin - and I see it as more attainable.
58. I love pepperoni pizza.
59. My favorite pizza ever is from Rockos in NJ.
60. I was soooooo disappointed when I returned after many years to find that it had closed.
61. My favorite dessert is cheese cake with sprinkles.
    
62. I love the smell of the Downey fabric softener with the green cap.
63. I have no idea what it is called.
64. My favorite movie of all time - Braveheart - what is better than Mel Gibson in a kilt??
65. My favorite actor (to look at) is Val Kilmer.
66. I have watched a lot of bad movies just to see him.
67. I love going to the movies.
68. I haven’t been to a movie in over a year.
69. My main goal for this year is simply to get organized enough to complete a to-do list (just one would be fine)
70. I love my children - but I miss my life before them too.
71. I miss dating - it was much more fun than being in a relationship in a lot of ways.
72. I am so glad that I was an early-twenties mother.
73. I will never understand the joy in head-butting someone (maybe I will ask my sons when they are old enough to give and intelligent answer - if there is one)
74. I think blogs with colors are more visually interesting then ones that are just in black.
75. My favorite TV chef is Alton Brown.
76. Second favorite is Rachael Ray - but her show makes me nuts sometimes.
77. I love TiVo - I could kiss the guy who invented it.
78. My TiVo was installed on 9/11.
79. The guy hung around to watch the coverage.
80. My dad was in the city that day.
81. My dad always wanted a son - got two grandsons instead.
82. I love to read historical fiction.
83. I especially like stories of women who learn to cope in less than ideal marriages.
84. I love LeapFrog they make the best toys.
85. I love Fischer-Price because they will replace parts - even if it is the main part like to motor.
86. I read to my kids all the time.
87. They read to me to - but it makes me a little crazy sometimes.
88. My mother hated to be read to by kids too.
89. I believe in love at first sight and knights in shining armor.
90. I believe that one should marry her best friend.
91. I believe that my children are about to learn social skills without going to school.
92. I hope my children only marry once and know true, unconditional love.
93. I believe unconditional love is one of the greatest experiences imaginable.
94. I think the desert sky is beautiful - especially at night.
95. I don’t want to live to be 100.
96. I want to meet my great-grandchildren.
97. I can’t believe how fast I got to 100 hits.
98. I imagine a big conference room like the ones cheesy seminars are held in and everyday more and more people arrive - some in pajamas, some in regular mommy (or daddy) clothes, some looking nice, and some naked (lol - just kidding - if you are reading my blog naked please don’t tell me).
99. I am exercising my competitive nature by competing with my husband over who gets more hits - its pretty close.
100. I truly love getting hits - I cheer for all of you.

4th of July PreK-K Unit Study

Being that tomorrow is the 4th of July I thought I would put together an Independence Day unit study. Yeah, I probably should have thought of this last week but better late than never, right?

My kiddos are 5 and younger so the activities are for that age group. This is all new to me. I am generally a school-at-home teacher but I am getting bored and thought this would be fun. We’ll see how it goes

.

Here is what I think we will be doing:

July 4th Activity Book

3D Star Craft

Color By Word American Flag

The Star Spangled Banner