Okay, I’m sorry. I’ve just been dyeing to do that. No, seriously. I’ll stop. It’s late and I think I’m exhausted from spending the day pulling up carpet, padding, staples and nails All.By.My.Self. I’ll post pics of that tomorrow.

For now, check out this fun craft that I finally figured out how to do. Colored rice! I’ve been wanting to do this forever. So I made three batches tonight after the girls went to bed since tomorrow is a “home” day and I’m trying to do more open ended and non-plastic fun. It works for pasta too (so fun to string up on yarn for necklaces and bracelets) and you can do as many colors as you can think of. It’s fun, easy, cheap and great for sensory experiences, pre-K math concepts (i.e. measuring, more than & less than), imaginative play and more.

Want to give it a shot? It’s so simple.

1/4 C. Alcohol or Vinegar
Food coloring
Rice or Pasta

Add alcohol and food coloring to plastic ziplock bag. Add enough rice so that the rice is moist but not completely soaked. Shake up in the bag. Pour onto cookie sheet and dry in oven at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes (or air dry).

**updated: I LOVE this! The girls have been playing with the rice for the last 45 minutes. They are quiet. They are happy. And they aren’t even watching TV! Granted, I will be cleaning rice off my floor for a while this afternoon, but that is so much easier than cleaning sharpies off children or my good make-up off the bathroom floor or whatever else they tend to do when looking for a creative and/or sensory experience!**

Okay, so don’t judge my skills too harshly. I taught myself to knit this weekend using some online instructions. I was hoping to make a dishcloth, but my needle gauge was too big and I cast on too many stitches and didn’t have the patience to knit it as tall as I had made it wide. But, here it is. My first piece of knitting ever. A bit too widely woven rectangular wash cloth thingy. Still, I love it as if it were perfect and I can’t wait to knit my next piece!

tonight at the Chinese restaurant said, “A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share.”

Hmmmm…

have someone punch you in the stomach and then take a 126 minute nap. I promise you’ll enjoy it much, much more.

that I love it when pin pads at stores call it my “secret code” instead of my pin? I just get the biggest kick out of it…

I’ve taken my friend Chris’ advice and will be trying my level best to post these on Fridays. I can almost always guarantee at least one something ridiculous. Got something ridiculous you said this week? Share it in the comments! (This definitely does NOT only apply to parents. I have said some pretty ridiculous things to grown adults!)

Please take your toes out of your mouth.
We don’t put stickers in our eyelashes.
Take that tree limb out of your mouth.
Walk away from the rotten egg.
We never ever ask people whether they are a boy or a girl.
I said, TAKE THAT TREE LIMB OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!
Because it’s Easter and Jesus wants you to wash your hair!

yeah, I know the picture kind of sucks, but I didn’t have the patience to take a pic with my digital camera and spend the time importing it. I will take a better one and post it only because I know Thomas will freak out when he sees such a crappy pic on the site.

Anyways, here’s our playroom make-over. It’s a creative and unconventional new look (painted sub-floors and a towel stapled to the fort as an awning) but I think it works. The girls love it and I am actually really enjoying hanging out in the new room.

I read this article today about “Spirited Kids.” I now feel less wrought with worry and more hopeful. Any parents out there care to comment on strategies that have worked with their “spirited” kids?

Subject: Become a CSI Thomas!

I learned this last night in an attempt to learn a finger exercise that would help develop dexterity in Kai’s little hands. I’ve heard knitting is an excellent pre-writing exercise for children (especially those who seem to be ambidextrous like Kai) and I thought this would be a good way to teach the basic concept before introducing needles and also keep her little hands busy.

So, I read a simple WikiHow to Finger Knit and now I’m hopelessly addicted. It is so easy and super relaxing. I made a little scarf-let for Kai this morning and she was pretty interested in the whole thing. We even put it on her hand for a while and let her do some of the “knitting.”

Anyways, if you’re looking for a fun and relaxing new craft to try I highly recommend checking this out!