7 lbs of BEANS?! Make a sensory table!

I had 7lbs of beans and NO clue what to do with them....
so today when the babies (Scooty and Girl Pal) were going crazy trashing my house it dawned on me I could use them to keep them busy!

Materials:

-7lbs of beans

-underbed chest or big bin

-scoops/containers or whatever from around the kitchen

-we also pulled out some dump trucks and scooper trucks

-wide open space to play in

instructions:

Dump all the beans in the bin, have fun!

We played on the kitchen floor because it was easy to clean up beans, but if you do it on carpet, you may want a blanket or sheet underneeth for easier clean up.

you can store the beans in the bin, but since I dont have a place to store mine flat, I scooped up all the beans and put them in an empty/clean ice cream bucket with a lid. And we can use them again another day!

Merdollies...take 2

I *finally* finished Sassy Pant's Merdolly!

Only took me an hour to finish her up and Sassy is just SO happy!!

Here are both merdollies together! I'm so glad they're done, now I can move on to other projects...FINALLY....

Check this out...a sling out of a bedsheet...

Megan posted this on her blog and it blew my mind. A sling out of a bedsheet?! Now where the heck was this youtube video 2 years ago when I was trying to get Scooty to love my OTSBH?! (he HATED it btw...I ended up borrowing a bjorn for him because he was an uncooperative little booger) I still have my OTSBH...and I've inhereted a 2nd one... but hey who needs that when you can use a BEDSHEET!

this is what happens when...

..you skip your nap and are forced to go grocery shopping with mom...

thankfully mom had her camera stashed in her purse and was able to take a picture of my cuteness.

p.s. do I need a haircut? Grandpa says I'm starting to look like a girl...
mom says its cute and loves my little fly away curlies

the merdollies...take one...

So I decided I was going to make Sassy Pants a dolly. I've been known to be crafty, so why not, right? Sassy Pants is obsessed with 3 things- not in any particular order- Mermaids, Fairies and My Little Ponies. I decided it would be fun to make a mermaid doll.

I gathered my supplies, googled a bit to find a pattern to follow and got started. Kink number one- no such pattern exists anywhere on the Internet. So I found a doll pattern and a mermaid outfit pattern and morphed the two together creating my own pattern. (go me!) No fabric, and no budget for fabric, so I pulled out the giant bag of felt scraps my mom had given me. SCORE! Thank you mom- every single color I needed to make not only ONE *merdolly*, but TWO *merdollies*. Sassy pants decided it would be a good idea to make a doll for "the new girl" (aka Baby Sister)- you know...so she doesnt feel left out. Sure...why not? Its not like I have anything else I'm doing...wait a second...

After about 20 hours (ok maybe not...closer to 10 maybe lol) of hand stitching, stuffing, and more hand stitching, merdolly #1 - for Baby Sister- is complete.

That.thing.took.forever. She turned out pretty cute though! There's nothing on her that can be bitten off (she's felt and embroidery floss and a bit of ribbon and that's it), so I figure she's ok for the 3 and under crowd, right? I made Scooty a taggy blanket when he was a newborn...maybe I'll make one for Baby Sister to drool all over too and save this for her 2nd birthday...

I don't know what I'm thinking if I think I'm ever going to finish the 2nd doll. I've started on her. I've invested a good 10 hours in her already. I decided she'd be more detailed- you know...for a *big girl* like Sassy Pants...somebody who's not going to try to EAT the doll...

That's all that's done. Beading, hand stitched details (like scales)

Yep- merdolly has a beaded bracelet (stitched directly into the arm), earrings, a "hairclip", beaded bodice and yep, beaded/sequined belt or whatever the heck that is....

Whats left? Stuffing her and stitching her shut. What's stopping me? Its TEDIOUS!! Plus now Sassy says she doesnt even *LIKE* the stupid doll! UGH! How come, you ask? Because she has too much "stuff"...oh- you mean all the "stuff" you ASKED me to add????

So she sits in a ziplock bag on my kitchen table until I'm ready to try to finish her. She's awful cute- I don't know what mermaid obsessed little kid wouldn't want a dolly like that?!

So if I ever finish her...I'll try to remember to post a photo of the finished doll and hopefully a very pleased Sassy Pants.

...the home streatch...

This is it! 12 weeks to go- I'm officially in my 3rd trimester!!

and here's a belly shot to commemorate my roundness. Holy cow that thing is big!

RAVE: Best Fridge Toy Ever!

Ranks in the top 3 for us!
Scooty bought this with his birthday money last week. He has the Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal set too, and since it was a hit, we figured he'd love this too.



Its called the Fridge Wash & Go Magnetic Vehicle Set.
It comes with fronts and backs of a car, a fire truck, a boat, a plane and a train, and the object of the toy is to match the front and back together. The toy is totally cute and sings to your child wether they make a match or not. TOTALLY CUTE! And Scooty gives it two thumbs up!

Same concept as the Fridge Farm (which Scooty got for Christmas last year, and still plays with and loves), but insted of matching animal fronts and backs, you match vehicle fronts and backs. We love both toys!

Here's Scooty enjoying his new toy!







Yay, I made a car!


Highly reccomend for any "things that go" fan!

Dear Sassy...

my Dearest Sassy Pants,
Please stop referring to your baby sister as "the new girl".
You haven't been replaced. She's not your competition. She's simply the final addition to our family- and she just happens to be a girl. I thought you were excited to *finally* be getting a baby sister.... you know after being stuck with "all those boys" for so long?

Yep, in a few months you're going to be over shadowed by a cute, brand new version of you, but you're still cute, and most of the time you're sweet, so you're not likely to be forgotten. (Who can forget about you?! You're the first girl in this family- and currently the *only* girl on both sides, and on daddy's side you're the only girl in 2 generations! You have nothing to be worried about!)

She's not going to be super fun at the beginning anyway. When she comes home she'll be floppy, so she won't be fun to hold for long. She's not going to do anything but stare at you when you talk to her. Plus there's all the pooping and yarfing she'll be doing. Not to mention the crying. You really want to compare yourself to that? You're pretty self sufficient and I love that about you. You've grown into quite the fabulous little girl. One that is capable of making herself a sandwich, dressing herself, taking herself to the bathroom, and doing multiplication in her head. Can your baby sister do that yet? Umm...NOPE!!

Give her a few months and she'll cute up a little. She needs time to learn to sit up and interact with you. Maybe learn to smile and coo at you. When she's a little sturdier maybe you can help dress and feed her. But don't count on doing her hair anytime soon...you kids don't seem to grow hair for a very.long.time. Then in a year or so she'll be your little friend- someone you can have tea parties with (umm...sorta? Plan on her trying to eat the teacup, not actually try to drink out of it..and don't count on her wanting to wear gloves, necklaces and tiaras for a couple of years...), and she'll follow you around wanting to be your little shadow. Your built in best friend. You know...the one you've been wishing you've had for the last few years...give her some time and she'll be the sister you've always wanted. Just please remember that she's actually a person, not a toy...there's only so much doting upon that she can take before you make her scream...

And...you can't send her back. You're stuck with her for eternity. No give backs. Sorry. So if she bugs you? Don't worry- you'll both outgrow it eventually. She's the baby sister you've been begging for. It took almost 20 years for me and Auntie to get along as well as we do. And you know what? I begged for a little sister too, and got one. And now that she's living on the other side of the country, I miss her.

Think of Baby Sister as a gift. The gift of a built in best friend. Someone who will always be there for you whether you want her there or not. Someday you'll thank me.

Love always,
Mom