A Sweet Activity

It seems like this time of year, my kiddos are in the mood to do a craft any given moment of the day. As I am elbow deep in making pumpkin rolls or up to my eyes in wrapping, my 5 year old boy will say sincerely (and with gusto), "mom, I am feeling creative. Can I pleeeease do a project?" Aargh. Mom guilt. I cringe as I think.... There is no way I can go pull a project together for my kiddos right now with all MY projects going on!!!!

Problem solved:
Last year, I found a big square box (12X12X12) and then cut a piece of cardboard that would fold in half to make a roof. After hot gluing that together, I cut out two triangles to fill in the empty spaces under the roof and hot glued that on too. Then, armed with lots and lots of graham crackers, I hot glued and hot glued until it was covered.

I made sure to use the homemade icing that really dries solid. The storebought icing is too greasy and never completely hardens. Then, I left the enormous gingerbread house out on a little table with the icing (tightly sealed) and bags of a variety of different candies that I bought from the dollar store. The kids spent some jolly time designing it and every time a friend came over, it was a ready-to-go activity that they really enjoyed. Probably because candy was involved; however, the house turned out darling. After Christmas, I stored it in a bubble wrap in a big plastic tub and when we opened it this year, it was perfect! There is another side left to cover, so I'm thinking next time I get that craft project question, I'll know exactly what project they will be doing. Look at Works For Me Wednesday for more great ideas!

The Truth about My Emotions

My emotions are....

...like a river: trickling, flowing, roaring

...like a hot and wicked fire: hard to put out

...like looking down from the top of the Empire State Building: breathtaking

...like a sore hip: always bothering me

...they are as deep and serene as a shipwreck

...they are as free and empowering as hangliding

...until that hanglider hits the ground hard... and crumbles

My emotions are a worship song... my emotions are a mad dog...

They are the lonely cry of a bird on a cliff side

The are the constant hum and the buzz of the subway

My emotions are at once dark and beautiful

They are God-given, lifelong companions

that help me and haunt me

that shackle me that strengthen me

One thing! My emotions never abandon me.

My emotions?

The thorn in my side, that I realize...

make me who I am.

Works For Me Wednesday

I have been checking out the very cool blog Rocks in My Dryer for a long time now, and there was this great great post just the other day. Love it! Check it out! But the thing that is really fun about her site is her Works For Me Wednesday feature, in which lots of bloggin' moms post their best tips and tricks. I can scan through her site and pick up new ideas every Wednesday. So, after months of just reading, I am actually going to take the plunge and try it out. Here goes:

What works for me is Freecycle.org. Seriously, folks, this is an AWESOME site. I just joined a few weeks ago, and it has been a smashing success so far. The mission of this non-profit group is for people to reuse what could be refuse. That is, instead of sending something to the landfill, to use message boards to find someone who needs it.

Case in point: My sister had a very large freestanding swinging chair that she wanted to part with when she moved. Goodwill would not take it. What to do? I said, give me some time. I posted an OFFER on Freecycle and within minutes, I had about 30 emails, and in 2 hours, it was gone - picked up from her curb. More importantly than that, it went to a lady who has a disabled son, who just so happens to love feeling motion of a swing. Wow!

Then, I found out one of my cousins was moving in her first apartment, but had nothing to eat breakfast on. No kitchen table or chairs. I posted a WANTED message, and the next day, my husband went and picked up a round table with 2 leaves and 6 chairs that was in great condition. It's was an 80's set, but Kristen doesn't care! She just wanted somewhere to eat her Cheerios.

We also gave away a garden bench, a child's table and chairs and a TV armoire. And, I picked up a big tub of Legos from someone who didn't want them anymore! Woo Hoo! I'm going to post a new message today: WANTED - skateboard (for my little skater dude!) We'll see what happens So far, this site is working for me!!! So, browse on over to her WFMW post, and you will see me as #101!!!