Keep'em In The 10 Range!

We are still potty training here at Toddler Trails and Tails. Currently we are working on improving our son's aim. I know several mommies that have used cereal for target practice, so I decided to give it a try. I had a stale box in the pantry anyway. (Yes, I have one of those kids that gets four different cereals and opens them, never to eat them in time. But that's a story for another day.)

I noticed a while back that our son likes peeing on things in the potty, so I figured he'd be on board with the cereal practice. We decided to make a game out of it. I put the cereal in a jar and then pasted one of Daddy's bull's eye targets on top. When he goes to the potty he gets to throw "a target" in the toilet and then aim and fire. He is having a blast with this! And thankfully for us, his aim is getting better.

Happy shooting! Have a great weekend and remember, keep'em in the 10 range!

DIY Hand-stamped Cards

 

It's been a long week here at the Turberville house. We've battled rain-induced bad attitudes, stir-craziness, computer (technical) difficulties (a.k.a. This thing better work before I throw it out the nearest window.), and had a truck break down. Adult life is so much fun.

 

So let me get to the post because honestly I don't know how long my computer is going to be "agreeable." Cross your fingers!

 

We have been doing a lot of crafts lately in preparation for Father's Day. Nugget & I hand-stamped these "buggy" cards for Daddy & Poppie. Nana always sends him Grow Pills to throw in his bath. We love to watch these magic pills grow into creatures. Last time around she sent bug Grow Pills, and we ended up with spider, fly, worm, snail, ant, and roach sponges. But I never just throw these sponges in the trash once we are done with our bath time play. I squeeze the water out and let them dry so I can use them as stamps.

 

For this craft you will need:

 

Cardstock or thick paper

acrylic paints

leftover Grow Pill sponges (You can easily find Grow Pills at the dollar store or any big retail store.)

 

Fold cardstock in half to make the card. Then squirt some paint onto the paper so your child can dip the sponges easily into the paint. After that, let your little artist go to town stamping different shapes and colors. It will get messy, so have some wipes nearby and dress in old clothes. Once the card dries, let your little one pen a message inside. Our cards say "Happy Father's Day from your love bugs!"

 

The last card we stamped was from Easter-themed Grow Pills and they yielded an awesome Easter card for our Ma-Ma. Everyone always loves receiving these cards. They are so much more personal than a store-bought greeting card. And honestly, since you are repurposing the sponges and using craft supplies that you probably already have on hand, they are far more cost-effective.

Happy stamping! And Happy Father's Day to all the great Dads out there!

Rainy Day Sensory Art

It's been a long, rainy week. And with an active outdoors-loving toddler, that's always a perfect recipe for a bad attitude and trouble. Needless to say I had to come up with a lot of easy, creative projects to keep Nugget entertained. We did a lot of art projects. He loves creating art! But instead of just giving him watercolors or acrylics, I opted for mixed media projects, so he could play with different textures, colors, and application techniques.

We did several pom-pom projects. We took some bright orange cardstock and glued a discarded game board punch-out on top. Then Nugget decided where he wanted to glue each of the colorful small, medium, or large pom-pom balls. After that he broke out the glitter and colored rice. It's a good thing for him that I'm not one of those anti-glitter Mama's, because he sprinkles it EVERYWHERE. We color our own rice at home. I put a cupful of white rice into a plastic bag and drop in liquid food coloring and mix until I get my desired color. Then I let it dry overnight.

 

After the rice dries, I take some of every color and combine it in an old sprinkle container. This makes it easier for my son to apply it to the glue. It's also good hand-eye coordination practice. And he has a blast making it rain rice. On the above art project, he also broke out the red inkpad and stamped his fingerprints all over the paper.

We had a great time doing these rainy day sensory art projects! And all of the art supplies we used are readily available at your local dollar store. So stock up for a rainy day and get creating!

 

Adult Beverage Alert! Death By Margaritas

 

 I can't believe that it is already June. As usual, I'm still playing catch-up from last month. If only I could have half of my son's energy...then I might be able to get everything done! Oh well, at least Summer's in full swing around here now and the grass is bright green and sun's warmth is calling everyone outside. We've been grilling out a lot this week. And what goes better with a family cookout than a cool, refreshing adult beverage.

 

My Mom's margarita's have long been infamous for the killer amount of alcohol they contain. Seriously, they should be the poster child for not drinking and driving. Which you'll want to advise all of your guests to do after they have this deadly concoction.

 

Here's what you will need to make a small pitcher: (4 glasses)

 

1 cup of tequila

1 cup of triple sec

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar + water heated to combine, then cooled)

 

Pour everything into a small pitcher and stir to blend. Serve over crushed ice. If you want to make the blended frozen version, just fill your blender with ice and add ingredients and blend until smooth. This will decrease their potency slightly, so you may or may not want to add more tequila.

 

 

So good and so simple! And so deadly! With half a cup of alcohol in each glass, you'll want to limit your intake. And once you have had one of these babies, you will never look at other margaritas the same again. They have ruined me! I am always disappointed now when I order a margarita in a restaurant. There's just no comparison.

How To Up-cycle An Old Tee Into A Stylish New Scarf.

I saw this on Pinterest originally by icreativeideas.com and like some pins I was skeptical of the result. But I really enjoyed the way my up-cycled scarf turned out. I can't wait to wear it. I also made my son one out of a tan shirt. Better yet, it's a no-sew project. YAY!

Here's what you will need to make your scarf:

an old tee
scissors
a ruler or straight edge (I just eyeballed it.)

First, cut your tee straight off just under the arm sleeves. Then cut even strips vertically for fringes where your made your first cut. (Anna has step-by-step pictures on her website Plan B.) Then take each strip and stretch to make it longer. Join fringes together by twos and knot. Make sure you are knotting side-by-side and not front-to-back. I goofed on mine the first time (mostly because I was wrangling a wild toddler & tying at the same time) and tied the front to the back. Oooops! But at least it was a simple fix and I got it right the second time around lol. Anna takes it a step farther in her tutorial and adds another row of knots. But I stopped with one knotted row because I preferred a simpler design.

 

When I showed my finished product off to my hubby, he had thought that I had purchased it from a store. And it's a great way to repurpose those sentimental clothing items that are ripped or too worn out in places to wear anymore. It would also be a fun, stylish craft for tweens or teens.

 

 

I hope you enjoy your new up-cycled scarf as much as I do mine!



Banana Corn Cakes

Everyone loves pancakes. But some of you may have never heard of their Southern cousin, the corn cake. With a slightly heavier texture and a more savory taste, they are generally served alongside meals instead of with syrup for breakfast. I renovated an old classic corn cake recipe so I could serve these for the morning rush.

Ingredients:

1 8.5oz box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

2 tbsp. melted butter

3/4 cup milk

2 small bananas, peeled and mashed

Preheat pancake griddle or pan. Place bananas in a large bowl and mash them. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Batter will be a little lumpy. Spoon onto griddle and flip corn cake when bubbles appear and edges are set. Makes 10-12 cakes.

Grab a fork and your favorite honey or syrup, pile them up, and dig in! These cakes can also be made ahead of time and individually frozen on a cookie sheet placed in the freezer. When frozen, just place in a freezer bag and pull out and reheat as you would your favorite frozen convenience pancake.



Sending warm wishes and positive vibes to those of you that are currently struggling! Hang in there, the sun will shine again soon!