Harry Potter Party - simple ideas!

Happy.
Tired, but happy.

This is how I'm feeling after my daughter's 12th birthday party- Harry Potter theme.  I've never been inclined to do a "pinterest" type themed party for any of my children, but this year, I was inspired. We've been reading together, which led to watching the movies, which led to browsing pinterest, which led to ... the rest of it.  I do not consider myself crafty, and I spent next to nothing on it, but I think it turned out pretty awesome!

I thought it might be fun to show you what I did.  (Check out this board for more inspiration!)

First, hot glue is my new best friend! It lets you just glue stuff to stuff, just like that! Wow!

Like... green fluff on baby heads, to make baby mandrake cupcakes!

(The green stuff is cheap garland I had in my Christmas box, and I found the babies at Hobby Lobby for $2.)

Packaged cake mix.

Ground Oreos sprinkled on canned frosting.

A box, a Sharpie, and more hot glue:

Brown paper and a sharpie,

books from Hogwarts!

Butterbeer!

There are recipies out there, but my princess doesn't like carbonated beverages.

Plus, we went sledding that afternoon.

We opted for hot cocoa, with butter, and whipped cream on top.

Chocolate butterbeer!

An old sheet, a sponge, and red acrylic paint, and a sharpie:

Platform 9 3/4!

(Note: my helpers and I watered the paint down too much we we went along- it is hard to be consistent! It does look better with some texture though!)

Each child brought a book to exchange-

we did this by drawing names out of our "Goblet of Fire!"

(Someone else made this awesome candle for us for Christmas. It has an LED candle inside. I added the names, cardstock, with the edges burned for effect. The boys thought this was SO COOL.)

Next,

Washable red paint on the mirror.

(I looked for bright red lipstick first... whaddya know- I have NONE in this house!)

(Note Moaning Myrtle on the mirror- she spent some time on the toilet lid too!)

Cake:

The Monster Book of Monsters!

And finally, the candles.

The Internet told me to use TP rolls, but they didn't fit my LED candles.  Instead, I rolled up cardstock (1/4page) around the candle and hot glued them in tubes. 

Then, thread, and masking tape for the ceiling.

Let me just say, I know they are off balance. And I am pretty sure this is driving my husband nuts. 

He will probably refuse to eat in this room until the candles are removed or straigtened.

But that's part of the fun, for me :)

I am just not that kind of person who is detail-oriented enough to make 20 floating candles balance perfectly. My fingers are a little sore from the glue burns, and there were cobwebs of clear glue all over the dining room, and one may have gotten briefly glued to a chair, but all is well now.

This room looked awesome with real lit candles.

Also, I printed out some of our favorite quotes and put them all over the living room!

Here's a quick walk-through so you can see it all put together!

Art Therapy

It started with a little act of kindness from my son.

It was one of those nights... when I ran out before bedtime. It was a night of "Sorry, kids, I know I said I'd read to you but I just... can't. I'll be in the bathtub."  And they didn't mind, especially since I let them watch an extra cartoon.

Then, right there in the bathtub, I got a special delivery:

"I hope you feal better soon." From PIGEON- one of my favorite characters EVER!

No, I did not correct his spelling.  

Instead I hung it up, and every time I see it, it makes me smile like crazy. 

We love all the books by Mo Willems, and I also love seeing the creativity in my budding artist.

A few days later, we were faced with another snow day. 

Another. Snow. Day.

Another opportunity for family bonding.

Another chance to exercise all of my stress-coping strategies in a single hour.

So, I decided to follow the example set by my son.

For the kids, it was craft time. For mama, it was art therapy.

And the kids' reaction, 

We gathered every one of our Mo Willems books for inspiration.  Some traced, some drew.  The crayon that was "pigeon color" was nearly used up.

It felt good to express my frustrations.

And make the kids roll their eyes: 

Lorraine reminded me that she's excited for her birthday sleepover.

Aggie drew a scene from her favorite book:

And Seth was irritated with the kids playing in the hot tub, so he drew this and hung it up in the window where they could see it.

We ended up with a shrine to Mo Willems! 

And it makes me smile :)

This was definitely one of our healthier coping mechanisms.

What are you doing to survive this never-ending winter?

My heart song

My friend Amy just made this wonderful sign for me!  

I am so excited to hang these words that have become my heart song in my home!

(Would you like one of these, or another custom sign? Contact Amy at Blue Sky Originals!)

Kindness week: Inspired by Scripture and Pinterest

"Kids! It's not polite to beg for three cookies when someone gives you two!"
"Don't hit him with the shovel! Take turns!"
"I understand that you like that bike too, but what is the KIND thing do right now? Will you share with your brother? Wait, no, don't hit him! SHARE!"
Sigh.

They fight like these guys:

It's hard to teach kids to be kind to each other, isn't it?  We teach, we discipline, we tell them all about starving children in Africa, and still, they refuse to get their fat, greedy hand out of the cracker box so little brother can have some.

Why is this so hard?

Compassionate Craft Idea

Last week, the girls and I made signs for this contest at Epilepsy Blogger. 

 If you have children between the ages of 5 and 11, please consider doing this with your child! It is very easy to enter- please see the site for details.

Whether or not you know someone with epilepsy, use this opportunity to talk with your child! 

What is a seizure?  ("An electrical storm in the brain," is a good, simple explanation or children.)

Should we be afraid of someone who has seizures? 

What should I do if I see somebody having a seizure? (for the kids- keep calm, protect them from hurting themselves, and tell an adult!)

How should we treat kids with seizures, or with other special needs or medical problems? 

How would you want to be treated?

Aggie knows that she had seizures and she got better. When we talk about other kids with seizures, she usually assumes they will get better soon, too. Sadly, that is not always the case. In fact, one girl at our school has had seizures for years, and so far they have had very little success in controlling them.

So we prayed for her, and  we prayed that God would give us opportunities to be kind to her and others that might need special kindness.

As usual, the girls were ready and willing to brighten somebody's day with their artwork!

Father, 
Uphold and help all those who struggle with seizures. Send help, relief, and healing according to Your will. Strengthen those who wait, those who treat, those who give care, and those who research.


Teach all of us to be compassionate and kind to those with epilepsy and all who struggle with trials of body or soul.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

----

Please keep us in prayer as well this week, as we (me and the girls) head back to Cleveland for an appointment with Aggie's tumor doctor! (We already have her MRI results, so we are not expecting any surprising news!) Please pray for safe travels, and plenty of mother-daughter bonding time!

The calm jar

I actually did this thing I found on Pinterest, and it worked out quite well.

Introducing: The Calm Jar

(To learn how to do this, click here.)

Shake the jar and watch the glitter slowly settle.  Not only is it shiney and pretty, but it is a great object lesson.

"Calm yourself down. When the jar is calm and you are calm you may get out of the corner."

easier than a gingerbread house...

Gingerbread houses stress me out.

They require so much chaos, 

so much candy,

so much mess!

Especially with six kids as young as mine.

(Aggie made the one in the other picture with her class)

I have come up with a much easier alternative.

Snow people.

Marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and toothpicks.

If I am feeling extra kind, 

chocolate chips,

and maybe frosting.

The baby can just sit and snack while the children create.

He doesn't mind at all.

 Marcus said his snowman was rolling in the mud!

bounce flowers

This was a fun craft for grandma!

Bounce flowers!

All you need are dryer sheets, pins, and pipe cleaners!

We dyed a few blue with food coloring and water, but that is not necessary.

1. Cut the dryer sheets in squares.

2. Pick 3-6 squares and stick a pin through the center.

3. Wrap the green pipe cleaner around the pin.

4.  Decorate "petals" with crayons or markers, if desired!