A Thousand Threads of Love

Father's Day Mementos

2009-06-08T10:07:00.004-06:00

This Father's Day make gift giving simple! Pick some things that remind you of dad or of things you do together and wrap them up! (For us it's Go, Dog. Go! by PD Eastman that brings the memories flooding back.) When dad opens them have the kids explain (or you could attach little notes to each gift) why that reminds them of their dear old dad. Not only will you not spend money but it will also give you an opportunity to let dad know why he's loved and what he does that is so great!

Happy Father's Day to all those great dads out there!

Graduation Cap Treats

2009-06-08T10:00:00.006-06:00

Aren't these so cute? And perfect (perfectly easy!) for a graduation party for any age, preschool to high school!

All you do is buy mini peanut butter cups, chocolate covered graham cookies and fruit roll ups. To assemble put a little dollop of peanut butter on the bottom of the peanut butter cup and place the graham on top. Then cut a little piece of the fruit roll up to look like a tassel and attach it to the graham.

That's it! They are sure to be a hit!

(This picture courtesy of FamilyFun.com.)

Novell Children's Discovery Park

2009-06-08T09:47:00.003-06:00

Here is a fantastic park to check out! It is located at 1550 North 100 East in Pleasant Grove.

There are a thousand things to do at it! It also has picnic tables in shade right next to the play structures.

We spent hours here the other day and the kids hated to leave!

Go check it out!

Mother's Day "I Love You" tubes

2009-05-04T14:07:00.011-06:00

Here is a simple, easy gift for all the sweet, wonderful moms out there. And the best part is dads and kids can totally handle this thoughtful gift on their own (aka: with no help from mom)!

Pick a store like Target or Walmart where you can do one stop shopping. Grab a cart and first off, throw in a white mailing tube. Then cruise the store looking for mom's favorite things or things that remind you of mom that will fit in your tube. Think things like: her favorite candy, lotion, a new pair of socks or earrings. You get the idea.

When you get home decorate the tube just for mom and throw in additional items like a drawing of mom, a list of the things you love best about her, and anything else that comes to mind. You could even throw in a gift card to her favorite store or restaurant. Any mom will love this simple and thoughtful gift!

Toothbrush Timer

2009-05-04T13:46:00.002-06:00

Do your kids need help brushing their teeth for a long enough time? I know we have that problem. Try making it fun by using a game sand timer to time them brushing their teeth! It gives them independence and they will enjoy watching the sand drop down as they brush. And you won't have to fight them anymore to brush their teeth for just a little bit longer.

Earth Day - Got Garbage Bags?

2009-04-23T12:44:00.006-06:00

This Earth day make a difference! Grab a bag and fill it with garbage. Pick your neighborhood, a (safe) street by where you live, or an area you've noticed has collected some junk and fill your bag with trash. You can have a race to see who fills their bag fastest or turn it into a garbage scavenger hunt (who can find a bottle, a newspaper and a candy wrapper?). Grab some gloves and make the world a little greener!

Sidewalk Racetrack

2009-04-21T11:25:00.007-06:00

For quick fun pull out some sidewalk chalk and turn your driveway and sidewalks into a racetrack. Ask your kids where stop signs should go and where to write words like "slower" or "faster" or "turn here." You can then do your races with bikes, scooters, or your own two feet!

Water Balloon Flip Flops

2009-04-13T07:48:00.009-06:00

Here is a fun and simple craft (idea courtesy of my mom). There are two examples here of how you can use water balloons to make these cute flip flops - using solid colors or multi colors.

For kid sized flip flops you will need approx. 100-150 water balloons per pair.

For adult sized flip flops you will need approx. 150-200 water balloons per pair.

Now all you do is take your balloon and double knot them around the flip flop. The closer you push the balloons together the more bunchy and full they will be.

You should be able to find about 200 water balloons for around $1.50. Look around if you find them more expensive than that.

Have fun making these for gifts, an activity at birthday parties, church functions or - like us - just for the fun of it!

Indoor Picnic

2009-04-03T10:57:00.007-06:00

The weather outside STILL is frightful which makes it the perfect time for indoor fun. To help avoid cabin fever this spring have an indoor picnic. Throw a blanket down on the floor and try a few of these ideas:

-Lunchables (kids love these - and this week at Macey's they are only $.91)
-Fun music playing in the background (like the Beach Boys or the Beatles)
-Card games (kids always love "Go Fish" or try out a new one like "Slamwich" available for $5 at Target)
-Rent a movie from Redbox (go to their website for free codes on Mondays!)
-Make cookies (or have another special treat) and let the kids eat as much as they want!

Don't forget to talk about what you will do this summer. Make plans with the kids about where you would like to have other picnics.

Rainy Days? Make your own cheery "Spring" indoors!

2009-03-23T17:17:00.010-06:00

We have had a bit of good weather here in Utah lately but the warm is gone and has been replaced with rain, snow, wind, and cold. But we don't need to despair! With this easy craft you and the kids will feel like spring is just around the corner. My kids and I have made Snow Globes of all sorts. Here is my spring take on them!

Spring Snow Globes

What you need:
hot glue gun
jars with lids
things that remind you of spring (such as plastic flowers, fun spring beads or buttons, or perhaps little plastic butterflies or other insects - or whatever is bright and cheery hanging around the house)

Put your spring things in your jar and fill it with water. Get your glue gun hot and put glue around the rim of your jar (on the threads where the lid will go - this is a parents job). Quickly put the lid on the jar and let the glue harden. You're done! Make sure you talk to your kids about why they like spring and why they like their jar - and also what's inside their jar that makes them happy about spring! After all, it will be here before we know it!

(I found this picture at Family Fun.com. They call theirs a Spring No-Snow Globe. It's cute but a little more advanced then what I was thinking. Glad to find a picture of what I was thinking though!)

Irish Brown Bread

2009-03-16T12:36:00.008-06:00

We made this recipe last year for St. Patrick's Day and it was surprisingly yummy. My kids loved stirring the ingredients together with their hands. If you don't have buttermilk simply add two tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk as a subsitute for the buttermilk.

Eat the bread warm with a little butter.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day and don't get pinched! =)

Irish Brown Bread
	2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
	2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
	1 1/2 cups rolled oats
	1 teaspoon baking soda
	1 teaspoon salt
	1 tablespoon sugar
	2 1/2 cups buttermilk 1. Heat the oven to 400°. Combine everything but the buttermilk in a large bowl and stir the ingredients with your hands. Make a well in the mixture and pour in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk. 2. Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining cup of buttermilk as you combine the ingredients. The resulting dough will be wet and very sticky. 3. Dust your hands with flour, shape the dough into a ball, and place it on a floured cookie sheet (I cooked our bread on foil sprayed with Pam and then placed on the cookie sheet). With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball, widening it with the sides of the blade as you cut. 4. Bake the bread until it's golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Makes a crusty, dense loaf about 7 inches in diameter. This recipe is from Family Fun.

Easy Popovers - Yum!

2009-03-12T16:02:00.007-06:00

Here is a fun and easy recipe to try. And the best thing is I guarantee you will have all the ingredients in your pantry!

POPOVERS

2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 TB butter

Heat the oven to 450. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt until they are mostly combined. (A few lumps is okay.) Cut the butter into 12 equal slivers and put one piece into each cup of a nonstick muffin tin. Put the tin in the oven until the butter is melted which will take about a minute or maybe two. Take the tin out and fill each cup about half full with the batter. Then bake the popovers until they are puffy and brown - about 15 minutes.

The trick to popovers - and the part kids love - is watching them "pop!" To help them pop make sure you keep the oven door closed until they are done baking. I guarantee your kids will love watching these bake in the oven. It's like magic!

(This recipe is from Wondertime magazine.)

A good day for bubbles!

2009-03-09T10:35:00.009-06:00

Everyone loves bubbles so why not whip some up today? Here is a recipe for homemade bubbles.

Mix 1 1/2 cups water with 1/2 cup Joy dishwashing liquid (Joy works best). Then add in 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon corn syrup. Stir and keep in a sealed container.

For even more fun add a drop or two of food coloring to your bubbles.
(It's probably a good idea to blow your bubbles outside!) Have fun!

Celebrate Dr Seuss' birthday!

2009-03-02T13:55:00.002-07:00

Today Dr Seuss would be 105 years old!

Here are a few ways to celebrate one of the world's favorite authors.

-Read Green Eggs and Ham with your kids. Then make a rhyming book about where you like or would like to read books. For example, "I would read them in my bed, I would read them on my head." You get the idea. Have fun drawing pictures on the pages to match the places you wrote about.

-Make Cat in the Hat hats. Get a paper grocery bag and decorate it anyway you would like - with crayons, markers, stickers, pompoms, pipecleaners, etc. Then, roll up the bottom edges of the bag like you would if you were cuffing your pants. Try the hat on to get the right fit and then staple it so it won't fall over your face. Put your hats on, and read some Seuss! Fun.

Welcome!!

2009-02-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog!

I have thought for a while that I should share my love of doing things with my family with others. The purpose of this blog is to share with you great ideas that I think will help you create your own beautiful family tapestry.

The name of the blog comes from a talk given by LDS apostle James E. Faust. You can read his talk here:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=2b862ee01e31c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1)

It is about the best talk I have ever heard - and it makes me want to be the best that I can be. It is the reason I finally decided to do this. I want to contribute good things to a world that seems increasingly depressing - and the best way to do this is to raise the best kids possible!

Pres. Faust says it this way, “Whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children and you must hug your children and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House but on what happens inside your house.”

I don't care who you are or where you are - that statement is so true! And with that said, this blog will have a base in LDS principles but I think those principles are shared by great parents and kids and families through out the world. I won't be concentrating on religious ideas.

I will share simple things I try do with my own family, including activities, thoughts, crafts, foods, etc. that I think can contribute to a happy, fun family environment. (And may I clarify, I do not think I have the "perfect" family you should model yourselves after - I am only sharing with you the things I find helpful and fun in my own family.)

Please feel free to share this blog with all your friends and family. Hopefully it will be worth their time to check in to!

Enjoy! Here are my first few ideas you can try!

Activity: A pet rock

2009-02-27T13:27:00.002-07:00

We have all heard of pet rocks. And there is no sense buying the one pictured here! Pet Rocks can be a simple and free activity to do with your kids, anytime.

Go outside and pick out the perfect rock for a pet. Bring it in and wash it if necessary, and dry it thoroughly.

Now pull out some markers (using markers alone is a privilege at our house) and have the kids decorate their pet rocks.

While they are decorating ask your kids questions like, "what is your pet rock's name?" "what do you like to do together" or "what games does your pet like to play?"

Talking about it gets kids to think about what they are doing and it also gives you a window into what your own kids interests are. This activity works for all age groups - older kids can decorate their pet rock more intricately while younger kids will think it is cool to color on a rock.

Last summer we did this a couple of times. We had pet "Jenny" around for quite a while - and it was perfect to have a "pet" that didn't have to be taken care of by mom! =) And when you do get sick of the pets in your kids rooms, tell the kids you have the best idea ever and that is time for their pets to guard the garden or the swing set or even the driveway! =)

My Left or Yours?!

2009-02-27T13:16:00.002-07:00

Learning left and right can be hard for a kid, right? It's no fun being left behind is it?

Here is an easy way to teach your kids their left from their right. To show your kids how, follow these simple steps.

1. Have them put their left hand up like they are saying "stop."

2. Have them put their fingers together with their thumb sticking out (thumb pointing to the right).

Ta - da! You are done! They are now making the letter "L" with their pointer finger and thumb. Kind of like the "loser" sign with your fingers. But I would probably leave that part out to your kids. =) (When they look at their fingers it will look like an "L" from their view point - doing the same thing with their right hand will look like a backwards "L". You may have to point this out to younger kids as some do not understand that we form letters and words in a fixed way.)

Now when you are talking left and right with your kids and they ask questions, you can say, "Hold up your hands - which one makes an "L" for left?" This also is great for kids because it fosters independence as they learn directions.

Getting kids interested in fruits and vegetables

2009-02-27T13:08:00.003-07:00

Here is a fun way to get kids interested (and perhaps even liking!) more foods that are good for them.

Go to the store on your own, or if you are feeling ambitious (or realisitic) take the kids with you, and each pick out a fruit or vegetable you have not tried before. Go home and taste test them together. Even if it turns out you have not discovered anything new to love, at least you have given it a try and it is introduced to the kids in a fun way.

Our family bought a coconut from Macey's (on sale this week for $.99) and that is what we are trying out. The kids are enjoying shaking the coconut to hear the milk slosh around and we are all excited to figure out how we are going to get it open.

To Do: Can You See What I See?

2009-02-27T12:49:00.002-07:00

To Do: Go see the Walter Wick Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art

Here is a little bio: Walter Wick began his career in the 1970s photographing products for catalogs and advertising. An interest in puzzles and optical illusions led to work for Games magazine in the 1980s. Wick’s playful photographs of toys and household objects came to the attention of veteran writer and editor, Jean Marzollo, and in 1991 the two collaborated on I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles. Wick and Marzollo went on to create over twenty I Spy books. Wick also pursued his own creative ideas with the camera resulting in A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder, Optical Tricks, and the popular series Can You See What I See?

The exhibit is on now thru Aug 1st and guess what!? It is free! Yay. You can check out the BYU Museum of Art's website for more info. (http://moa.byu.edu/) There is something called Wick @ Nite: Discover the Fun on Thursdays March 12, March 19 and April 2nd at 7pm.

We went yesterday and the kids had a great time checking out the familiar scenes from some of their favorite books! It is also fun for us adults to see Walter Wick's pictures of optical illusions.

And if that is not enough there are other exhibits there as well - including one by artist Dan Steinhilber using garbage as art - packing peanuts, duck sauce packets, garbage bags, and tubing. It is fun and pretty cool too. Check it out!