the very hungry caterpillar party

i've been working hard on the boys' birthday.

the theme is the very hungry caterpillar. 

mv still loves the book and its very appropriate for a first birthday too. 

but, as always, i'm on a tight budget so we are crafting most of this party from supplies from my craft closet. 

how am i doing??

backdrop for pictures. poster board + paint. doubled as our craft of the day!

mailer invites...fold out caterpillars. cardstock + tiny brads.

tiny pom pom caterpillars to go in little jars for deliverable invites. (saves on postage! didn't cost me anything!)

mv's toeprints made into thank you notes. green paint + cardstock. doubled as our craft of the day!

mv's gift to jack (also, decor). paint + cardstock. doubled as our craft of the day!

felt pendant banner (for all birthdays). felt + length of leather, salvaged from a broken jump rope of mike's. 

so, what do you think?  

coming along nicely, eh?

just about a million more things to do and we'll be set ;)

good thing it's not till the end of september.

i am loving having the boys' birthdays a day apart...

right now...

i had a whole post planned for updates to my party planning skillzzzz...
what all i was doing
what i was crafting
what mv was helping with
how everything was coming along swimmingly

then, i had some time to breathe.

we have a routine around here.
quiet time and projects before the boys wake up.
morning jog in the stroller.
breakfast.
spanish lessons.
swimming practice with mv while j naps in the shade.
home for lunch.
outside to do our craft-of-the-day.  (we are trying to do one a day for the summer!)
naps all around.
up for brothers' alone play while mama cooks dinner.
daddy home (hopefully!) to review our flashcards and wrestle on the floor.
books while cuddling on the couch.
bedtime for the boys.
quality time with my husband and/or a glass of wine.
it might seem strange to some, but we love, love our summer routine.

so, today, when daddy got the morning off (he's been working till the am hours all week), he offered to take mv to the pool instead.  mv was thrilled, of course, and while baby j slept, i thought i could knock out a few lingering projects.

instead, i had a moment to relax and breathe and make apple crumble bread.
and just think.
think about my life and our life and listen to music and smell heavenly bread bake (is there anything better?) and appreciate this precious time that God has given us.
i walked around the house and snapped pictures that epitomize what our life is right now.
and i remembered how unbelievably grateful i am for it.

his and her sides of the table.

complete with un-ironed tablecloth, of course.

dinosaurs are always part of play.

and mama is redoing the lampshades.

classical music on all day to inspire little minds.

a need to dust.  ....but that can wait.

a solo solider in some sort of defense position, i'm sure.

a bed still tousled from this morning's wrestling with the boys, rejoicing that daddy was home.

a craft closet that has exploded from all the projects this summer.

(big sigh.  i see an entire day of straightening.)

and, of course, mama's alone time to bake slowly and pour love into apple bread.

a bit of homemade fun

We've been having a blast lately! 

I'm trying to do a craft a day with the boys (one boy. the other boy just plays in the paint and gives me adorable looks.) and so far, so good. 

All major successes!

Here's two we've tried recently. 

Shaving cream paint. MV could literally spend hours with this stuff. I recommend this be an outside craft, you do it in the nude, and there is a swimming pool/hose nearby. 

*the food coloring does slightly stain hence the nude advice.*

Empty muffin tin. 

Add shaving cream. I use sensitive. 

Add food coloring. 

Miiiiiiix. 

Go. To. Town. 

Does this remind anyone of Hook? ;)

And the after. :)

Onto a new favorite!

Erupting Kool Aid paints! Saw this on (where else?!) pinterest and had to try. I used it as a mini-science experiment as well. (Hey, get those brains working early, right?)

Pour some baking soda into containers. 

Add different colors (flavors) of Kool Aid. 

Add a bit of shaving cream and stir. You want a very thick paste. As you can see, it gets messy but smells divine! 

(My purple was weak.)

Paint, paint, paint!

(Why are my kids always naked? Don't worry, we've got fences.)

Spray with vinegar and watch it "erupt"!

It wasn't too exciting so I added vinegar straight to the paint and MV liked that alot better ;)

So much fun!

Tune in next week for more exciting crafts!

weekly wrap up

sunday: quinoa mac and cheese with fresh spinach

monday: steak and simple garden salad

tuesday: old school tacos

wednesday: pork chops ala pizziaola over wheat pasta + peas

thursday: beer battered fish + pomme frites

friday: roast chicken with herbs + red potato tomato salad

saturday: peanut butter and banana sammies (M was working :))

sunday: brisket + basil tomato orzo salad with goat cheese

what did you eat this week?

this week...

this week, we...

continued our mama/big boy Spanish lessons on Rosetta Stone together. 

went thrifting and scored! tiny Keens!

practicing in the choir loft with my new hymnal/prayer book. 

reveled in on our HUGE thyme and first heirloom tomato!

crafted tiny caterpillars and worked with teeny tiny brads for two sets of birthday invitations. 

got a bit more homeschooling prepped...

and finally learned how to swim!!!

so. proud.