S'mores Life

Not only am I proud of the multitude of crafts I made (AKA two crafts, but whatever) for Clara's birthday, I had some amazing vendors and purchases that helped make her birthday party extra special. Maybe this will give you some ideas for your little one's next party. Recipes/food will be coming in an upcoming post. Also, we're insane and planned to do a huge 1st birthday bash, with mostly adults in attendance...Her second birthday party is going to be a frozen pizza and maybe some diluted juice for the three of us. WHOOP WHOOP. Photography - We had Clara's 1st birthday pictures taken a couple weeks prior by Tracy Marshall Photography . If you are in Anne Arundel Country, contact her! She has taken our family pictures before and is not only incredibly talented but is also a dear friend. By looking at the pictures, you would have never known Clara was NOT in the mood to have her pictures taken, Tracy's three year old was not in the mood to have his mommy pay ...

Most of you who know me IRL (in real life...I like acronyms. AKA ILA. Figure that one out.) know that I am not crafty...I know how to get down with a glue gun and I love glitter (who doesn't?) but my future sister in law can attest that I am not a painter or artistic - just ask her about the Pic n' Paint plate disaster of 2009. Some of my close friends in Alaska can also tell you about the time (the first occurrence was in 2000) they tried to teach me to crochet and I asked if this is how you made string, and if I could just laminate my project together. If you don't believe me, check out some of the infant crafts I have done with Clara on this blog...in particular, t he Easter one where I may have given a bird a beak...and a mouth. Twice. No big deal. So anyways, while my pinterest followers may think that I am the next Martha Stewart based off of my pins, but really I am just an optimist and like to think one day I will be able to DIY it all. We all know we only do abo...

I recently discovered the Play-at-Home-Mom's blog , and I am in luuuurvvve. There are so many great ideas on that site and I'm excited to try some more as Clara gets older. Alaskan Water Bed This one is inspired by the Redneck Water Bed , since it uses so much duct tape but I am partial to the name Alaskan Water Bed...I believe Alaskans are rednecks at heart (and I say this with love!) and will use duct tape to fix anything. This is actually the smaller version that I was inspired to try. Maybe I can't call myself a true redneck or Alaskan (gasp! never), but I think I was a little too conservative with the duct tape. It broke in a matter of minutes. The fear of that happening is why I didn't add food coloring or a ton of water for this "test run". When it gets hotter out (you know, 95 instead of 80) I will try the larger version in our yard and see how Clara likes it. Sensory Board This project was a much bigger success. And I'm prou...

It's another pinterest infant crafty post! If you didn't get enough of my crafty skills from our Valentine's Day project, we're back for more! I don't have inspiration links this time because I just searched for "Easter hand projects" and got these ideas from scrolling through the search results. Please refrain from telling me that our chick does not need a pink mouth as chicks have beaks...I just thought she needed a little extra something. ;) We sent these out to grandparents and godparents on Monday. So are these activities really for baby, or for mom? ;) Here's a tip: When doing infant art that is more involved for the adult than the baby, use Gerber puffs to bribe the baby. ;) Clara's palm, ring and pointer finger make an Easter Bunny! :) Yes, that chick has a beak and another mouth. Happy Easter from my Easter Bunny!

At the most recent MOPS meeting I attended, we went over homemade cleaning products and remedies that are easy and safe to use, and save money. I am going to try the dishwasher detergent that she showed us; I have attempted it before but mine wasn't effective.I'll blog about that after I've tried it. I mentioned to the other moms that I've made our laundry detergent for a few years now. I think I spent $35 on all the ingredients three years ago and still have about half of the ingredients left, so I'd say it's definitely paid off. I used to make it about twice, sometimes three times, a year but now with Clara I have had to start making it more often. I will probably end up making it four times a year...they weren't kidding when they said the laundry never stops once you have a kid! We use a different kind of detergent for her cloth diapers, I purchased it but am considering making a special kind when that runs out. Anyways, here is the link to the original ...

Since most of the recipients of this project (Clara's grandparents and Godparents) have probably received this by now, it's probably safe to post this. Seeing as I am addicted to pinterest, her Valentine's day project came from the site. The inspiration is pictured here . Ours did not turn out *quite* as nice looking. Or nice looking at all. But I'm sticking with "it's the thought that counts", especially when it comes to infant craft projects.  Here is Clara with her red feet, waiting patiently to make her cards: And our attempts at a heart shape made from her footprints. I made more than we actually needed so we had some to choose from. Sadly, even our best choices were nowhere near close to our inspiration...but anyone who knows me wouldn't expect much different. ;) I especially love that blob on the purple piece of paper on the left. The final product:  "From the tips of my toes to the depths of my heart, I love you!...