Foamerator

I saw this idea on Family Fun and had to try it. They call it the Foamerator. It was simple super to make! Simply cut the bottom off of a water bottle. Then attach a piece of towel to the bottom of the bottle and secure it with a rubber band. Dip the end in water, then into a shallow bowl filled with dish soap and then blow!!
My 2-year-old loved it.

The 11-year-old loved it.

The 7-year-old sucked the bubbles into his mouth somehow and proceeded to gag and choke for at least 10 minutes.

And the 5-year-old started a bubble fight. The kids had fun throwing the big suds on each other and smearing them everywhere. I would say they played with this for over an hour.

We kept our bottles so we can play with them again. It's definitely a fun summertime activity. Next time we will break out the sprinkler and the swimsuits before we suds up!

Who Do You Love, FHE

We did a really fun family home evening this week. I cut out a ton of colored hearts and we talked about what it means to love someone. Then I had the kids draw a picture of or write on the hearts all the people they loved. They had so much fun! I then took them and hung them up in our living room where we will leave them until Valentine's day is over, that way the kids can remember all the people they love!! We have Grandma & Grandpa's, cousins, aunts & uncles, friends, and even grandpa's dog. It was super easy and super fun!

Homemade Butter-Didn't Get to Try It Though-read to find out why.

I remember making this in elementary school and had so much fun doing it. I thought my kids would think this is really cool. I don't want Thanksgiving to get lost in the Christmas shuffle. At church a couple of weeks ago the lesson was about Thanksgiving and turning it back into what it use to be. I found the recipe here and had to try it out.

This got me to thinking about what I do to make Thanksgiving a good time for my kids to learn about gratitude. It is really hard for some kids to grasp this concept. I want my kids to SMELL thanksgiving, to FEEL thanksgiving, to SEE thanksgiving, and to TASTE thanksgiving, and HEAR thanksgiving. The smells of the great food cooking. The feel of the nippy air and some times some snow, the touch of the crunchy leaves under your feet as you walk to familys doorsteps. To be able to see all of the many blessings that we have. We really have so much more than we think we do. I want my kids to be aware of all that. To taste the wonderful food that has been prepared, the taste of hot apple cider to warm you up after playing football outside. And to hear the laughter, talking, the blessing of the food that is always so wonderful.
So many wonderful memories of Thanksgiving are held close to my heart. And I want my kids to know of the Pilgrims and the gratitude I have for them. So what better way to teach about pilgrims than Homemade Butter.....

IT DIDN'T GO TO WELL!!!!!!!! WARNING!!!! THE JAR COULD BREAK IF DROPPED.

In Logans hands.........right before.........

So much for trying to be a good mom! So glad I wasn't a pilgrim, I definatley need a store to buy my butter. :) Bay was heart broken, maybe we will try it again some day.

Fun With Bubble Art

We had so much fun with this this afternoon. It just seems to help so much doing a craft after school to help the kids wind down. This is also a great time to get the kids to talk to me about their days. Then we jump into homework.

I got this great idea from Kiddio, and my kids loved it.

The supplies are:

Shallow glass bowl

2/3 C water

1 T dish soap

straws

paper

food coloring

First note!! Make sure you do not INHALE only EXHALE!!! Place water, soap, and food coloring in bowl. Blow into the straw and create bubbles. Place paper flat on top of bubbles and the bubbles popping will create cool artwork.

I think the best part of this activity was watching them blow bubbles through their straws. I always tell them at the dinner table that if they are going to use straws they can't blow bubbles. So, today they thought it was cool that they were able to do it and create art at the same time.