Boy oh boy, do I love this boy!
Seriously, I just can't get enough of this baby. He's got the smooch marks to prove it.
November 30, 2023
November 29, 2023
Sweet Beginnings
Like many Americans, I succumbed to the allure of decorating the house for Christmas as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers were put in the fridge. To be fair, it's just easier to decorate over a long holiday weekend with Chris off from work rather than trying to cram things into a typical Saturday or evening.
Actually, things started earlier last week, when we pulled out the Christmas books, which inspired Soren to want to create a gingerbread house (I'm specifically referring to Gingerbread Mouse, a sweet book he's currently obsessed with).
Despite being a Martha Stewart-o-phile, I know my limits. No homemade ginger bread here, just a kit picked up at the grocery store.
He really enjoyed the process, including sampling the candy. I piped on the icing, and he added the bling.
In the end it didn't look too bad, though a smaller piping tool would have been more helpful. However, I didn't entirely read the directions and the roof was slipping off as we were adding candy. Oops!
Soren has already asked about building another, but we'll see. It kept him busy for a while, so it might be a nice diversion on a rainy day.
Have you started decorating for the holidays yet?
Actually, things started earlier last week, when we pulled out the Christmas books, which inspired Soren to want to create a gingerbread house (I'm specifically referring to Gingerbread Mouse, a sweet book he's currently obsessed with).
Despite being a Martha Stewart-o-phile, I know my limits. No homemade ginger bread here, just a kit picked up at the grocery store.
He really enjoyed the process, including sampling the candy. I piped on the icing, and he added the bling.
In the end it didn't look too bad, though a smaller piping tool would have been more helpful. However, I didn't entirely read the directions and the roof was slipping off as we were adding candy. Oops!
Soren has already asked about building another, but we'll see. It kept him busy for a while, so it might be a nice diversion on a rainy day.
Have you started decorating for the holidays yet?
November 24, 2023
Thankful
Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of deliciousness, companionship, and gratitude. I certainly have so much to be thankful for this year, and will be reflecting upon it today with my family.
Enjoy your day and yummy treats!
Enjoy your day and yummy treats!
November 23, 2023
First Meal
I've been in no hurry to start solid foods with my little JuJuBee. However, at nearly 5 months old, Jude has been eagerly watching us when we eat, so it seemed as if he was ready to try some foods of his own.
Last night, I pumped some milk (ugh, I forgot how much I hate pumping) and mixed in a bit of rice cereal for his first meal. And boy, did that kid go to town!
He eagerly lapped up that watery cereal and surprised me with how easily he was able to take it in. When Soren first had rice cereal, it probably took no less than a week for him to manage to keep it in his mouth, rather than push it out with his tongue.
I was amazed that Jude seemed to understand the technique from the get-go.
In fact, he was really interested in the spoon, and was even holding it himself and putting it into his mouth.
Lest you think I'm bragging that my kid is somehow going to be a winner of a James Beard award, think again. It's more that for once I feel like I made the right decision as a parent; I followed Jude's lead and readiness in starting foods.
I considered waiting a minimum of 6 months, but it just seemed like the right time. How fitting, that our biggest dinner-day of the year in the US is tomorrow. Not that he'll be dining on any of it though.
On that note, I wish my American readers a very warm and filling Thanksgiving! (PS, I know that photo is kind of offensive. But Soren just loved that he made all that in school, though he does think it's a pilgrim outfit.)
Last night, I pumped some milk (ugh, I forgot how much I hate pumping) and mixed in a bit of rice cereal for his first meal. And boy, did that kid go to town!
He eagerly lapped up that watery cereal and surprised me with how easily he was able to take it in. When Soren first had rice cereal, it probably took no less than a week for him to manage to keep it in his mouth, rather than push it out with his tongue.
| Soren's first taste of rice cereal, 2008 |
In fact, he was really interested in the spoon, and was even holding it himself and putting it into his mouth.
Lest you think I'm bragging that my kid is somehow going to be a winner of a James Beard award, think again. It's more that for once I feel like I made the right decision as a parent; I followed Jude's lead and readiness in starting foods.
I considered waiting a minimum of 6 months, but it just seemed like the right time. How fitting, that our biggest dinner-day of the year in the US is tomorrow. Not that he'll be dining on any of it though.
On that note, I wish my American readers a very warm and filling Thanksgiving! (PS, I know that photo is kind of offensive. But Soren just loved that he made all that in school, though he does think it's a pilgrim outfit.)
November 22, 2023
#CraftAndTell with @Elmers and X-Acto {Plus Giveaway}
This weekend, our little "mom's night out" group met at my house, where I hosted a crafty soiree complete with loads of Elmer's and X-Acto products.
I've worked with Elmer's products in the past, not just here at Katydid and Kid, but in my pre-kid days teaching and making art. Their products never disappoint, whether it's their many varieties of adhesives or their paper goods.
So naturally I was super excited when I was contacted about the chance to host a get-together using Elmer's and X-Acto products, and that the guests would be able to take some home too!
I nearly fell over when the Fed Ex man brought this huge, heavy box to the back door.
It was filled to the brim with everything one would need to create something pretty amazing (and maybe some things that were just ho-hum too).
I love the punched-out details on the box, like the Elmer's and X-Acto names and a silhouette of their signature products.
I'm a sucker for details and extra effort.
Back to the craft supplies: For the Moms' Night, I thought it would be great to create some Christmas Countdown Calendars, or Advent Calendars for those of you who are more religious.
Each participant received a selection of Elmer's/X-Acto signature items, including a Retractable X-Acto Knife, Craft Glue Stick, Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Glue Dots, and a Bi-Fold Foam Board.
There were other supplies to share as well, like Tacky Glue, 2 Rotary Cutters, Round X-Acto cutters,
Decorative Scissors, Paint Pens and Gel Pens. It was pretty incredible, having so many great supplies on hand.
We moms brought along Christmas papers, stickers, ribbon and other items to decorate our calendars.
Then we got to work:
I was regretting having such a small kitchen and small kitchen table, but we managed to have enough room to create our calendars.
We used the Elmer's Mini Bi-Fold Foam Board as a backing for the calendar, and covered them with wrapping paper or decorative scrapbook paper using a glue stick.
The Retractable X-Acto Knives came in handy for trimming the paper from the edges of the foam boards.
And the Rotary Cutter was great for making quick work of all those little 2"x2" paper squares for the box tops.
Once we had our mini boxes folded (I got them from Uline.com), we glued the paper squares with glue sticks to the top of the boxes. I added a decorative band around my boxes too, cut with the Decorative Scissors.
When the boxes were decorated, we arranged them on our foam boards.
Once we were satisfied with our pattern, we glued the boxes down with Tacky Glue.
I cut out and my numbers from paper earlier that day, then glued them onto the boxes with Glue Spots. However that evening, the ladies and I we simply wrote the numbers on the boxes with Paint Markers in order to save time.
To adhere to the board, we added Tacky Glue
then made sure the boxes lined up. I decided to mix up my numbers, rather than arrange them in numerical order.
Once our boxes were glued down, we adhered a wide ribbon on the back for hanging using Tacky Glue or Glue Spots.
Here are some of the other calendars from the group:
We moms had a great time trying out so many amazing Elmer's products, all while relaxing during our night out. And I know our kids are going to love these too, come December. I plan on filling the boxes with little ornaments, candies, and fun things for us to do all month, which I wrote on paper.
Phew, what a post! Now here's my final result:
Since you've hung in here all this way, I have a little reward for two of you!
Each kit includes:
Visit Elmer's and leave a comment here about something you'd make from their website with this kit.
Extra Entries (you must complete the first mandatory entry before doing the extras. Also, leave a separate comment for each one):
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link (2 entries)
~Subscribe to my updates
~If you're a Fan of Katydid and Kid on Facebook leave a comment letting me know
~If you're a Fan of Elmer's on Facebook, let me know
~Share this giveaway on your Facebook page and leave me the link
~Follow my blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
~Follow @Elmers on Twitter and leave me your Twitter handle in the comment
~Follow @katydidandkid and tweet this giveaway, leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: #WIN an amazing assortment of @Elmers products for a #CraftAndTell party (2 Winners) http://goo.gl/fb/Rvf7T @Katydidandkid #Giveaway
You must do the first entry in order to enter ("I want to win, thanks!" comments will NOT be considered). You will have until Sunday December 11th at 11:59pmEST to enter. The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email.I'll also post the winners on my blog HERE. If I don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.
I've worked with Elmer's products in the past, not just here at Katydid and Kid, but in my pre-kid days teaching and making art. Their products never disappoint, whether it's their many varieties of adhesives or their paper goods.
So naturally I was super excited when I was contacted about the chance to host a get-together using Elmer's and X-Acto products, and that the guests would be able to take some home too!
I nearly fell over when the Fed Ex man brought this huge, heavy box to the back door.
It was filled to the brim with everything one would need to create something pretty amazing (and maybe some things that were just ho-hum too).
I love the punched-out details on the box, like the Elmer's and X-Acto names and a silhouette of their signature products.
I'm a sucker for details and extra effort.
Back to the craft supplies: For the Moms' Night, I thought it would be great to create some Christmas Countdown Calendars, or Advent Calendars for those of you who are more religious.
Each participant received a selection of Elmer's/X-Acto signature items, including a Retractable X-Acto Knife, Craft Glue Stick, Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Glue Dots, and a Bi-Fold Foam Board.
There were other supplies to share as well, like Tacky Glue, 2 Rotary Cutters, Round X-Acto cutters,
Decorative Scissors, Paint Pens and Gel Pens. It was pretty incredible, having so many great supplies on hand.
We moms brought along Christmas papers, stickers, ribbon and other items to decorate our calendars.
Then we got to work:
I was regretting having such a small kitchen and small kitchen table, but we managed to have enough room to create our calendars.
We used the Elmer's Mini Bi-Fold Foam Board as a backing for the calendar, and covered them with wrapping paper or decorative scrapbook paper using a glue stick.
The Retractable X-Acto Knives came in handy for trimming the paper from the edges of the foam boards.
And the Rotary Cutter was great for making quick work of all those little 2"x2" paper squares for the box tops.
Once we had our mini boxes folded (I got them from Uline.com), we glued the paper squares with glue sticks to the top of the boxes. I added a decorative band around my boxes too, cut with the Decorative Scissors.
When the boxes were decorated, we arranged them on our foam boards.
Once we were satisfied with our pattern, we glued the boxes down with Tacky Glue.
I cut out and my numbers from paper earlier that day, then glued them onto the boxes with Glue Spots. However that evening, the ladies and I we simply wrote the numbers on the boxes with Paint Markers in order to save time.
To adhere to the board, we added Tacky Glue
then made sure the boxes lined up. I decided to mix up my numbers, rather than arrange them in numerical order.
Once our boxes were glued down, we adhered a wide ribbon on the back for hanging using Tacky Glue or Glue Spots.
Here are some of the other calendars from the group:
We moms had a great time trying out so many amazing Elmer's products, all while relaxing during our night out. And I know our kids are going to love these too, come December. I plan on filling the boxes with little ornaments, candies, and fun things for us to do all month, which I wrote on paper.
Phew, what a post! Now here's my final result:
Since you've hung in here all this way, I have a little reward for two of you!
WIN IT!
TWO Lucky readers will each win their own Elmer's Craft & Tell party kit!Each kit includes:
3 X-ACTO Retract-a-Blade knives
3 CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Sticks
3 CraftBond Tape Runners
3 Mini Bi-fold 9x12 Foam Board packs
1 Painters Markers pack
1 X-ACTO Decorative Edge Scissors pack
1 Circle Cutter
1 X-ACTO Self-Healing Mat
1 Glue Dots pack
2 Photo Corners packs (various colors)
A Gel Pens pack
Tacky Glue bottle
To Enter3 CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Sticks
3 CraftBond Tape Runners
3 Mini Bi-fold 9x12 Foam Board packs
1 Painters Markers pack
1 X-ACTO Decorative Edge Scissors pack
1 Circle Cutter
1 X-ACTO Self-Healing Mat
1 Glue Dots pack
2 Photo Corners packs (various colors)
A Gel Pens pack
Tacky Glue bottle
Visit Elmer's and leave a comment here about something you'd make from their website with this kit.
Extra Entries (you must complete the first mandatory entry before doing the extras. Also, leave a separate comment for each one):
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link (2 entries)
~Subscribe to my updates
~If you're a Fan of Katydid and Kid on Facebook leave a comment letting me know
~If you're a Fan of Elmer's on Facebook, let me know
~Share this giveaway on your Facebook page and leave me the link
~Follow my blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
~Follow @Elmers on Twitter and leave me your Twitter handle in the comment
~Follow @katydidandkid and tweet this giveaway, leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: #WIN an amazing assortment of @Elmers products for a #CraftAndTell party (2 Winners) http://goo.gl/fb/Rvf7T @Katydidandkid #Giveaway
You must do the first entry in order to enter ("I want to win, thanks!" comments will NOT be considered). You will have until Sunday December 11th at 11:59pmEST to enter. The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email.I'll also post the winners on my blog HERE. If I don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.
November 12, 2023
Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage Playset
This is no joke. It seems like you give any inanimate object a personality, and suddenly Soren claims it as his new best friends.
This morning at the farmers' market, he saw these brussels sprouts. After telling him that daddy likes them (mommy's not a big fan), he wanted to buy some for Chris, which I thought was so sweet.
When we got home, I unpacked our haul, including the sprouts and a large cabbage, which I said was the mommy or daddy to the sprouts. What commenced was about 20 minutes of focused play, a rarity on a Saturday morning in our house.
He's also using the paper park that we made yesterday on a visit to my former place of employment, a local art museum, which recently reopened after a major renovation.
This just goes to show me that I never know where or when imagination will strike.
Hope your weekend is filled with unexpected finds too!
This morning at the farmers' market, he saw these brussels sprouts. After telling him that daddy likes them (mommy's not a big fan), he wanted to buy some for Chris, which I thought was so sweet.
When we got home, I unpacked our haul, including the sprouts and a large cabbage, which I said was the mommy or daddy to the sprouts. What commenced was about 20 minutes of focused play, a rarity on a Saturday morning in our house.
November 10, 2023
The Beginnings of Thankfulness
Ushered in by the winds and falling leaves, November evokes a desire to cozy up inside and look inward, which is a natural starting point to reflecting on thankfulness and blessings in our lives.
For years, I've wanted to create a photo wall with images not just of family, but of inspirational people. I've finally carved an area out of a nook in our living room, which used to house what the neighbor kids called "ninja writing."
It's actually a Japanese scroll with what we think is the sentiment of "do your best." At the time we were thinking of creating a Tokonoma of sorts (a Japanese home alcove used for flowers and scrolls). While we like the calligraphy, I was just ready to move it elsewhere in the house.
So one morning while Soren was at preschool, I pulled out all of our photos and a hodge-podge of picture frames I had on hand, ready to assemble a collage of pictures.
Some of the more obvious ones include our wedding photos and baby pictures, but I also added a silhouette of Soren I made a few years ago.
So I picked out some of my favorite photos, popped them in the frames, and arranged them on the floor until I found a design I liked. Then I transferred it onto the wall. One easy way is to lay down butcher paper, lay the frames on it and trace them, then tape the paper to the wall. But I was lazy and just eyeballed it, enjoying the imperfection of not lining everything up perfectly.
This is just the beginnings of a thankfulness corner, which was suggested by Chris. He even came up with the idea of making it sort of Mexican or Indian folk-artsy with the Christmas lights (actually clearance patio lights from Target).
I'd like to sew a banner that says "thankful" and add it to the wall, as well as do some sort of interactive thankfulness bowl or branch, where we could add items that we're grateful for on slips of paper or the like. I'll keep you posted.
We're hoping it will be an easy and meaningful way for Soren and us to nourish a sense of gratitude in our lives, particularly in the weeks preceding Thanksgiving.
For years, I've wanted to create a photo wall with images not just of family, but of inspirational people. I've finally carved an area out of a nook in our living room, which used to house what the neighbor kids called "ninja writing."
It's actually a Japanese scroll with what we think is the sentiment of "do your best." At the time we were thinking of creating a Tokonoma of sorts (a Japanese home alcove used for flowers and scrolls). While we like the calligraphy, I was just ready to move it elsewhere in the house.
So one morning while Soren was at preschool, I pulled out all of our photos and a hodge-podge of picture frames I had on hand, ready to assemble a collage of pictures.
So I picked out some of my favorite photos, popped them in the frames, and arranged them on the floor until I found a design I liked. Then I transferred it onto the wall. One easy way is to lay down butcher paper, lay the frames on it and trace them, then tape the paper to the wall. But I was lazy and just eyeballed it, enjoying the imperfection of not lining everything up perfectly.
This is just the beginnings of a thankfulness corner, which was suggested by Chris. He even came up with the idea of making it sort of Mexican or Indian folk-artsy with the Christmas lights (actually clearance patio lights from Target).
I'd like to sew a banner that says "thankful" and add it to the wall, as well as do some sort of interactive thankfulness bowl or branch, where we could add items that we're grateful for on slips of paper or the like. I'll keep you posted.
We're hoping it will be an easy and meaningful way for Soren and us to nourish a sense of gratitude in our lives, particularly in the weeks preceding Thanksgiving.
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