Carving Doesn't Have to Start With Wood

My Next Craft Post is up on ParentSavvy! 

If you want to see a different version of this post visit parentsavvy.com

Isaak loves carving. I actually found this out from my Dad. He had a project he spent hours on at their house.

I decided that our next craft would be carving related. I've seen that you can cut any hard rooted vegetable into half, then carve into it. We decided to give it a try.

Any potato, radish, or rutabaga will work!

You say, "Potato".

I say, "Sweet Potato".

The boys hate sweet potatoes. Say what? I love them. Isaak dislikes them so much so, that he didn't want to carve into one. I said, "You're not eating it. If you hate it so much I'd think you'd want to carve into it. Then you don't have to eat it." He said, "Ok then!" Ha!

Parent: Cut really straight! It's going to be a stamp. If the kid starts carving, messes up, you can just cut off the area they were carving straight again. They can just start over.

Have some wood carving tools handy!

Cutting into a vegetable is softer than other things like linoleum or wood. There is less give. Even though it's easier to carve into, it's a little more slippery. It's best to have a simple design. Isaak started out with a really complex design that we had to cut off because it just wasn't working.

He ended up with a triangle on one side, and a heart on the other.

It's a good idea to mix your paint. We went with a red because of the heart. Paint it on the stamp flat with a brush, foam brush, or foam roller. Don't over do the paint!  

Have your paper flat, and ready to stamp on. You can use colored paper to stamp on to get different results.

Heart Stamp

Good to remember this one for homemade Valentines if you get into doing that. I could also see using a stamp to make your own wrapping paper.

Triangle Stamp

With the triangle one I said to Isaak, "You should make the triangles into different things." He used colored pencils to add to the stamp.

He made a pizza:

He made an ice cream cone:

He made a tipi:

We didn't keep Isaak's stamps, but if you'd like to you can store them in the refrigerator for short term use, or freezer for long term use.

Have you ever make a carving of any kind? What would you carve into a rooted vegetable? I think I'd go with chevron stripes.

WW: Fire {Linky}

We went camping for the first time in about 3 years. Yep my allergies, and nose were so bad prior to my my surgery that I just didn't even want to try to camp. It's not that my allergies are perfect, but I can breathe through my nose now. I'm not walking around with a migraine headache 24/7.

We did it. It was kind of a spontaneous decision.

What did you do on Memorial Day?

 Travis teaching the boys how to make a fire without matches:

Isaak collected sticks, and Mica was the smore maker.

We all like our marshmallows burnt. Of course I'll eat them any which way. How do you like yours?

 An up close fire shot:

How Changing Your Hairstyle Enhances Your Personality

You can make your presence felt in a gathering by enhancing your personality and adding style to yourself. Just by making small changes, you can make great differences and can stand out in a gathering completely. Apart from updating your dressing, you can bring great changes in your look if you change your hairstyle as well. Many working women wear their hair simple and straight every day to their desk jobs, however, if you add slight changes to your haircut and hair styles every day, you can not only feel good but you will also become the inspiration for many to wear their hair well.

I'm thinking about a new haircut, but haven't decided what cut I prefer. My hair is still like the picture below. Just a little longer.

Hairstyles and haircuts keep evolving with fashion, there are some cuts and styles which are classic and can stay in fashion for a very long time. Even though, the classic is the best, however, if you don’t change your haircut or hairstyle for a long time, you yourself become bored and exhausted of looking at it every other day. New haircut and hairstyles bring out a lot of positivity and freshness to a person. With the change in your overall look, you feel more confident and motivated about yourself. Some people tend to get a haircut only because it is in fashion and their favorite model got the same hairdo. However, little do they realize that every person has their own face cut, hair texture and they should be getting a haircut according to their own hair texture and face cut. My New Hair Style has a collection of tips and ideas for those who want to get a haircut and change their hairstyle.

Hair is indeed the most neglected part of a person’s body despite being the most exposed one. Your hair give the personality and add charisma to you. Therefore it is very necessary that you pick your haircut very wisely. The correct selection of haircut will not only add to your personality but will also help to enhance it. Keep in mind your face cut and hair texture, you can choose the hair cut for you wisely. There are cuts which are especially for people who have round faces and they help to make their faces look slim and long. Similarly, the people with slim and thin hair want to have cut which will not make their face look much longer but can help to give it a refined cut.

An average person, do not get the same team to prepare you for the public appearance every morning like a celebrity and model gets each time before they appear on the television. Therefore, it completely relies on you that how you choose to flaunt your personality and enhance it by choosing a different hairstyle every now and then. Not only enhancing your look but a hair style also becomes a part of your introduction. If you choose to change your look often that will also become a part of your personality and can declare you as the dynamic one among all and won’t be the same boring one like others.

@GoliathGamesUS Review

We love games!

The First Game Goliath Games sent us is Googly Eyes - The Family Game of Wacky Vision

It's a fun game for sure! This is the game I liked watching my kids play the most. 

Lenses:

It comes with glasses where you can switch the lens in and out of. They are easy to switch in and out after a few practices.

There are 3 sets of lenses. Each set of lenses are different with how you see. One you can see fairly well, but things are blurry, another is even more blurry and the other is so blurry you can hardly see.

Isaak's eyes are big already, so it cracked me up with each set of lenses he put on. He just looks so cute and funny!

Game:

This game is more fun with additional players. I should have gotten it out at Isaak's birthday party. Teams work great! Is a drawing game. The more players on a team, the more people to guess a drawing.

Players take turns drawing different things with their switched lenses. The first team to reach Finish wins. For 4-16 players, ages 7 and up. We played with just taking turns.

Game Contents:

• Colorful Game Board 
• Tablet Timer 
• 162 Challenge Cards 
• 1 Die 
• 1 Pair of Glasses 
• 3 Changeable Lenses: Easy, Medium & Difficult

 

The Second Game Goliath Games sent us is Mastermind For Kids - Codemaker Vs. Codebreaker

I couldn't find a direct link on their site for this game. It is in a lot of retail stores. 

This game was Isaak's first choice to play! 

Game:

Use matching, logic and destructive reasoning skills to locate the jungle animals in this challenging Mastermind For Kids game from Pressman Toy, an awesome opportunity for a truly tense duel. For 2 participants Age: 6 years & up.

Game Contents:

• Plastic base featuring Rocky Mountain Tray
• 72 Jungle Animal Pieces Spanning 6 Varieties of Colors
• 15 Red Scoring Pegs 
• 15 White Scoring Pegs 
• Game instructions 

This game had the least fighting going on. Have I even mentioned that my boys have some of the same interests, but they are 2 1/2 years apart. There is power struggles, and somethings one child can do better than the other. It helped that this game was in fact for 2 players.

The Third Game Goliath Games sent us is Build or Boom - Build it Fast Then Make Theirs Blast

This was Mica's first choice to play! 

Game:

The big boss is looking for the best builders! In my house the best builder is Mica.

Build your structure quickly yet carefully on your platform according to the card chosen. Mica was steady, and Isaak would go too fast, only to have it crash down.

Once it's built SMASH your boomer to send your opponent’s structure tumbling.

Ages 4 and up. Helps build STEM skills such as analytical thinking and shape recognition. Doesn’t need batteries!

Game Contents: 

• 4 Boards 
• 4 Blocks 
• 4 Triangles 
• 4 Arches 
• 4 Cones 
• 4 I-Beams 
• 4 Barrels 
• 2 Builders 
• 30 Blueprint Cards 
• 2 Platforms 
• 2 Boomers 
• 2 Air Hoses 
• 1 Card Holder Complete Instructions

Which game do you think you'd like to play the most?

Disclaimer: Goliath sent me these 3 games to help with this review. They in no way influenced what I wrote, or my opinions.

Ways to Keep Your Child's Brain Sharp

Parents, especially young age moms, are always on the lookout for some effective ways to keep their child’s brain active and sharp. It is a ‘need of the hour’ article because children today are getting excessively exposed to technologies and networks and it becomes mandatory for parents to find creative ways to engage their child’s brain. There is really not any specific secret formula for sharpening the children’s brain, but we can arrive at certain possible options which could work in a better way. There are several brain-stimulating activities that boost the mind of the kids, and they all work wonder during the first ten years of birth.

Bid bye to gadgets

When talking about stimulating brains, in the first place the technology and the gadgets have to be removed away so that the brain gets free. Naturally, only after evacuating the insignificant things off their mind, we can fill it with constructive choices. This may sound ambiguous to many parents, but it is indeed possible to pull off gadgets from their children, at least to a great extent, if not completely.
The only thing to ensure is to get children engaged in activities that amuse them more than what gadgets do to them. It may be a big deal for parents to find such activities, but it is obligatory to sharpen the brain. Well, focusing on soft skill activities and origami can help to build a strong concentration as well as a mental focus for the growing children. For instance, you can explore Origami Way so as to get some exciting origami diagrams for your kids.

Brian sharpening Foods

In addition to giving amusing activities for kids to sharpen their brain, it is significant to ensure that parents are giving right foods to their children. Though emphasised n number of times elsewhere, this still needs a repeated mention that says no to junk foods, as they make kids brain blunt and health at high risk. Healthy food options such as eggs, nuts and seeds, fruits, milk and yoghurt certainly help to keep the child’s brain sharper.

Good news for the children and parents is that even dark chocolates help to keep the kids’ brain active. Even some natural herbs help in activating the brain cells in young children, which can be taken under proper medical guidance.

Sports activate brain cells

Sports activities such as swimming, karate and brain gym programs profoundly help in activating the kid’s brain and to maintain a good mental and physical health. Outdoor activities are highly reduced these days, but it really helps the children to be energetic all day long. Sports also helps in good appetite and sound sleep for the children, which indirectly gives good mental health for the growing kids. Highly physically active kids seem to be sharper in academics also.

Reading sharpens brain

Reading is such a blessing for children to keep their brain and their emotions active and sharper. Parents must inculcate the habit of reading in children at a very young age and make it a practice at home. Reading is entirely different from academics, which many children today do not understand. The more the kids’ read, the more, the wiser they become. Every parent has a great responsibility in bringing the culture of reading in their children. This is such a great treat for kids’ brain.

Everything is simple and easily implementable, however high patience and perseverance is required to execute a new habit in children.

Goat's Milk #Soap Review

For washing our hands we usually use liquid soap. For washing our bodies in the shower we use bar soap. I love bar soap so much! It just that I can't see my boys coming in from outside to wash their dirty hands, and having muddy yuckiness left on the bar. I like bar soap much more because it has less chemicals in it.

What soap do you prefer: Bar or Liquid? 

I got a bar of Goat Milk Soap to review. I'm in love with how soft if makes my skin feel!

Where to Get it:

https://elitecreed.com/product/goat-milk-soap

Cost:

$6, which is a great cost in my mind!

What's in it to Make My Skin so Soft:

• Saponified Organic Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Castor Oil
• Shea Butter
• Goat's Milk 

What They Left Out That's Harmful to the Skin:

• No Sulfates 
• No Phthalates 
• No Parabens 
• No Synthetic Colors 
• No Petroleum

I never have understood why we (the US) has to put so much color into this. Don't get me wrong I love color (I teach Color Theory), but it doesn't make the product better to be say bright pink.

Sulfates bother my skin, so I try and stay away from them.

What I Think:

I love how this soap makes my skin feel! Have you ever used a soap that dries your skin out? That's not this soap! It helps with things like eczema and psoriasis. Although I do think many skin problems have to be helped from inside the body as well. When my kids had eczema probiotics helped! Some people need diet changes as well.

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. I only review things I think will benefit my readers, and family. This post has my honest opinion.

Mama's #jewelry for #mothersday #anyday

I know it's after Mother's Day, but I got something special for the day. It's a Mother's Ring. I've wanted one for awhile, but Travis is always too busy to make one. It does take time! 

I decided to go with NANA Princess Mother's Ring. 

 

Stones: It comes with 1 to 6 birthstones. I got 1 Peridot (Mica's August Birthday) and  1 Emerald (Isaak's May Birthday). The cost is the same as you go up to 6 stones. It is cheaper to get imitation stones, which I did get. 

Metal: Sterling Silver, 10k or 14k White, Yellow or Rose. I like White Gold best, second up is Yellow Gold, and my third choice would be Rose Gold. Each metal does make the cost of the different. What metal would you choose? 

Since we're on a medical budget (my surgeries and Mica's surgery) we've been watching what we spend. For now I get a sterling silver ring. Later on I'll get a white gold ring. 

Cost: It really depends on the kind of metal you choose, and if the stones are imitation, or not. If you go on the lower end the ring is $79, and if you pick the real stones for 6 stones and yellow gold for the metal the cost keeps going up.

I'm happy with it. It's kind of cool that both my boys have stones in the green family. The boys like that I got it as well. Isaak's asked to look at it up close. Mica's asked to take it off to try it on. I'm fairly cautious, but so are they. Isaak puts on and takes off my earrings all the time. He's so careful! 

When I'm not wearing my Mother's Ring it sits here:

Have you ever bought a Mother's Day Ring? 

Mama's Jewelry: 

Mama's Jewelry has been designing rings and pendants for moms for 30 years, and we have no intention of slowing down! Our company is committed to creating exceptional mothers pendants, rings and earrings at affordable prices.

A key benefit to shopping with us is our fast turnaround times. As soon as we receive your order, our CAD technicians and certified jewelers get to work designing and building your custom item. All of our processes follow strict quality control measures. Everything that comes from us has our seal of approval. If we wouldn't give it to our loved ones, we won't send it to you!

Most orders for mothers rings and pendants are able to be sent out within 3 to 5 days, reaching you about a week later. If you're shopping at the last minute, Mama's Jewelry will take care of you and ensure that you get a custom made item that looks like it took months to make! For More Information Visit: https://mamasjewelry.com/

Save:

Mother's Day Special Offer - Save $10 Off already low prices. (minimum purchase $59) @MamasJewelry has been designing rings for moms for 30 years committed to creating exceptional mothers pendants, rings and earrings at affordable prices. Visit: https://mamasjewelry.com/

Disclaimer: I got a Mother's Day ring to write this follow up post. This company did not influence me on what to write.

WW: May Birthdays {Linky}

We celebrated May birthdays at my house on Mother's Day. It was busy! My nephew Evan turned 13, my son Isaak turned 10, and my nephew Edison turned 4.

Isaak was excited to get some $1 bills. He thinks he's rich when he gets $20.

We gave my nephew Evan a harmonica. He plays the flute, so I think he can figure this out.

We gave my nephew Edison a Plasma Car I won. My sister thought it was pretty fun. Edison liked the box, while it was being set up.

What have you been up to?