31 Pins: Day 30

My kids won't eat much of anything.  I saw this idea on Pinterest at the beginning of the month and thought it would be a big hit.... they love bananas, they love pancakes, and they love syrup!

Original pin:

The ingredients are simple: 1 cup of pancake mix, 2/3 c water, 2/3 cup syrup, and one banana (quartered and sliced).  It calls for mini muffins, but I just went big.

Max was waiting so patiently... sitting at the table like a big boy.

I had a little extra batter, so I threw it in a skillet to see if it would actually make a pancake. As you can see, it was not very flippable.  Still tasted good though!

They cake out of the pan very easily.  I just flipped it and loosened with a fork.  They fell right out without sticking (I sprayed with Pam ahead of time).

You can cool these, flash freeze, and throw in a ziploc for easy storage and reheating.  

Of course, the kids would not eat them. :(  Maybe they will be in the mood later or tomorrow.  And I just might need to add some chocolate chips to sweeten the deal in the future!

31 Pins: Day 26

Now THIS is a good use for plastic eggs!

Original pin:

Elli is really into letters right now.  She is picking them out left and right.  "Mom, that's a C!  I learned that letter!"  Brings a smile to my face to know that my efforts are paying off. :D

This pin is simple, yet versatile.

Even the little ones can get involved! (with supervision, of course... these do pose a choking hazard, so be careful!)

I matched up the egg tops and bottoms (some match in color, some don't for a bit more difficulty).  The site suggested stickers, but I just went with Sharpie.  Write the capital letter on top (the bigger part) and the lower case letter on the bottom.  

Separate and let the learning continue!

Also, you could place a small treat (m&m or sticker) inside of each egg.  Tell the child to find the Dd egg.  If he/she picks the right one the first time, they get the treat!  If not, save for next time.  Also, eggs can be hidden around the house.  With multiple kids, you can keep score of  who can find AND identify the most.  Or, forget the competition... kids love hunting eggs. :)

31 Pins: Day 22

Today's Our Daily Bread fit perfectly with the pin.

I decided to be brave and do a kid + paint pin today.  I pinned this one a long time ago, but was inspired to fulfill it after seeing my cousin's wedding guest book last weekend (scroll down).

Wedding guest book:

Guests marked this beautifully designed board with their finger print and then signed their name.  I think I need some tree drawing lessons from Marc. :)

Here are a couple of other ideas you could try.

I started by drawing a tree with pencil on a random piece of cardboard (I believe this was the backbone of a pack of scrapbook paper?).  You could also trace if you found a silhouette you liked on google images or something.

 Next, I outlined with gold sharpie and filled in with brown.

Then it was time for Elli to make her mark!

She dipped her finger in different colors of paint representative of this season and put some "leaves" on the tree and on the ground.

This is what she came up with. (With some guidance). :)  

We did try the angel, but it ended up looking like a weird face or something.

So I allowed her to express herself artistically with this one.

Finally, I added a "Thankful" cut by my Cricut with the Cheerful Seasons Cartridge (Creative Memories).  Eventually this could be framed and brought out each fall to display, or kept in a scrapbook to give to Elli later on.

31 Pins: Day 14

The Sword of the Lord

This morning in our church service, the pastor talked about what Jesus did when he was tempted by satan.... he quoted Scripture!  It is our weapon against the evil one, so I want my kids (and myself) to memorize verses.  I know we will need them!

Original pin:

The blog on the other end of this pin provided a great printable so I did not need to make my own!  I used cardstock to make them sturdier (instead of wasting lamination sleeves).

Other than the printed cards, I used my rotary paper cutter and a hole punch.

This made light work of the job... and the edges are straight, too!

I punched holes, and that was it!

I was hoping to find a hinged ring somewhere around the house, but did not.  I ended up using pliers and a key ring.

Doing this pin also inspired me to organize the kids' other flash cards.  Josh and I get so irritated when they are strewn about the living room right after we clean them up!  I punched holes and am going to pick up some hinged rings sometime.  Hopefully this will solve our problem. :)

Difficulty rating: EASY

Expense rating: CHEAP

31 Pins: Day 9

Original pin:

I was looking through my pins and found this one.  I totally forgot I had pinned it and had not noticed it in my recent scroll-throughs.  It is fall, and I have an abundance of wax, so it was perfect. 

Elli and I went out searching for leaves around the yard this afternoon.

We found a few types; different colors. 

Then came time to wax them.  I had to process the wax first (click the link to view an earlier post on this topic).  Then I lightly coated each leaf in a layer of beeswax.

 The results:

I asked Elli to go find a stick we could tie them onto, and she kept coming back with tiny twigs. :)

Eventually, I had to go and help.  I found the perfect stick right at the edge of the brush.  I cut unbreakable thread at different lengths, and tied the leaves onto the stick.  We just happen to have "hook and loop tape" at the top and bottom of our door glass, so I tied some fabric bows across the stick and attached a few pieces of hook and loop tape to the fabric.  Perfect!

I am very happy with the final outcome.  Since they are dipped in wax, they are supposed to retain the fall colors.  We shall see if that is the case!

View from outside.

This was a fun, seasonal pin that got the kid(s) involved and used up materials I already had on hand.  

Difficulty rating: Moderate (using raw beeswax is interesting)

Expense rating: FREE for me :)

Check out the other days by clicking the blog title at the top of the page and scrolling down!