{What We're Doing Today}

For more Wordless Wednesdays stop by 5 Minutes for Mom. On Thursday, check out the linky party for 52 Weeks.

{Tissue Boxes and Toilet Paper Rolls}

Some weeks ago, a friend was over and saw my bottlecap and cork collection in a kitchen cabinet. When she asked what I was saving them for, I told her that you never know when you'll wish you'd been saving things to make something else. What I didn't tell her was that I was also collecting toilet paper rolls for the same reason. And tissue boxes. And peanut butter jars.

You see, I live with an obsessive crafter. Okay, she's five, but she needs supplies.

And since we had a few rainy days last week and a few days of mommy's-sick-and-not-going-anywhere-days, this is what eight toilet paper rolls and a tissue box makes:

Although, while I was saving tissue boxes, and toilet paper rolls, I had to find places to store them, or use them in the meantime. And I found some real uses for them:


Toilet paper and paper towel rolls make great craft room organizers! I:

*Roll loose ribbon around;

*Use them like napkin rings to keep fat quarters and remnant fabric pieces stored in baskets.



Tissue boxes can be found in my:

*bathrooms, under the sinks to keep grocery bags for when I empty the wastebaskets;

*laundry room, to stick dryer lint. If I keep this til winter, I'll have free fire starter!

See more Works For Me Wednesdays at We Are That Family
See more Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom
See more Kid Friendly Fridays at I Blame My Mother

{Out Sick}

Be back soon.

{Getting in the Picture}

Have you heard about 52 Weeks?

Besides being the number of weeks in a year, in Blogland, it's a year long challenge for Moms to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We're always the ones behind the camera. And Carin from Forever in Blue Jeans is challenging moms to get out from behind the camera and get in the photos WITH our family.

Jump into the challenge whenever you can, and visit Carin's blog every Thursdays for a Mr. Linky party!


And since Carey's has been doing it, and Amanda's been doing a year-long photo challenge, I'm jumping in this week:



and to show I'm not playing faves...here's one of Baby from the same day...


How do you capture everyday moments for the sake of making memories?

{Here's How I Do Giveaways-Bjorn Slip Cover #2}

Last week, after I posted my Baby Bjorn Slip Cover,

care said...
How much are you selling them for? Can I place an order?

I don't plan giveaways, but I {LOVE LOVE LOVE} comments. And if my project was cheap enough and easy enough, and you liked it enough to comment, you just may find something in your mailbox sometime later...



...it also doesn't hurt to be my cousin who just had bouncing baby boy number 3.

{Wrapping Up The World of Little House}

or Little House Lesson Plans for Weeks 4-10,
but that makes me look like I dropped the ball or something...

Week 4- We read Winter Days in the Big Woods, made "Thimble pictures" (drew in salt in a pie plate with a thimble on our fingers), tasted warm rolls and played "Hide the Thimble."


Week 5- We read Dance at Gramdpa's, strung beads on hemp twine for necklaces. Then we feasted on winter prairie party foods- sour pickles, beet pickles, dried fruit, hot apple cider and cookies. I asked the students, knowing the time of year Grandpa hosted the party, why was all the food preserved, pickled or dried? Next semester, I may try to teach them a waltz...


Week 6 - We read A Little House Birthday, painted wooden toys and discussed the differences in the gifts we received for our fifth birthdays and the gifts prairie children likely received.


Week 7- We read Prairie Day, made covered wagon models ($1.99 from craft stores) and "packed our wagons" according to the weights from this site. This was a fun, full class. Typical westbound wagons could carry 2000 pounds on the average 4 month journey. I had students work in groups to determine what supplies they would need without going over the weight budget.

Week 8- We read A Little Prairie House, made a scrapbook paper quilt and lincoln log pioneer town. I used this site's information to discuss what typical buildings were in pioneer towns. Amazon and other online stores have 700 piece sets for under $20 (search Yukon Express or follow that link). This was our kids Christmas gift last year!


Week 9-We read Summertime in the Big Woods and cross-stitched projects to be entered into our Class County Fair next week.

Week 10- We read County Fair. This was such a fun book to end the semester. We made ribbons to award ourselves! Some of the girls brought treats for us to "judge." One brought an apple pie-quite impressive for 2nd grade, I must say! We also tasted jams, jellies, preserves (which I now know the differences in, thankyouverymuch, good teacher that I am). Then we took the fair outside to run some three-legged races and potato sack races.

{Spring Art:: Rubber-band Prints}

This morning, after a record breaking whirl of schoolwork, the kids and I made rubber-band prints.



We each drew a simple picture on a piece of heavy cardboard. Then "drew" over the picture with a glue stick. When our picture is good and sticky, we used bits and pieces of rubber-bands to outline the image.



I'm thinking of doing this again with Boo with letters as our images. He's quite into letters at the moment...he sees them in everything!



Once the glued band pieces dried, we painted over our stamps with tempera and stamped them onto card-stock.



One thing occurred to me while cleaning up after this little project. I wonder why I have the hardest time getting into sceince projects for my kids. To me, science is too messy. This project was no cleaner than any science we've ever had to do, yet I hardly noticed all the paint-covered fingers. And seriously, I was freaking out about the water splashing all over the floor when we did the Sink or Float experiment. Yet if the water is to wash our brushes, BRING IT ON! I guess that is reason #216 that we are part of a co-op, with other moms who are science-bent!

{Thanking with Succulents}

Monday was our last day of our homeschool co-op for the spring semester! That seems early, but I was ready. The stuff needed to teach two classes and send three kiddos to classes for 6 hours, is overwhelming. I start packing Sunday afternoon and don't stop until we're on the road with my two travel mugs of coffee in the cup holders Monday morning.

Okay, enough whining. Every other mom who is a part of our co-op works just as hard at making the experience as enjoyable and beneficial to each child. So, on this last day, I brought little mugs of thanks for the moms who teach my kids and the moms who assisted my classes. (stay tuned for pics of how we wrapped up the Little House class)


Mugs were from the Dollar Tree, where I am pretty certain every homeschool mom frequents on a regular basis. Succulents and ferns were from Lowes. Each gift was under $5.

And, I had to give myself some love....


For more succulent inspiration check out the Nesters post where she used old milk glass containers she'd collected over the years.