Chalk Board Wall

For the past couple summers I have been neglecting my aspiration to make the kids an outdoor, moveable chalkboard wall but this summer I was finally able to scratch the task off the to-do list. Yay!

I did a little blog research to find out how others accomplished this same pursuit. I was mostly taking note on what type of wood people were using but once I was at the home improvement store I ended up leaving with a bedroom door as a canvas for my soon-to-be chalk board. This actually worked out really well because unlike the wood planks I was considering, the door was already primed, the inside was hollow so although it was somewhat heavy it was hardly impossible to move and the price was well within my budget.

The door I picked out was 3 feet wide and we had one of the workers cut off a couple feet in the length of the door making it about 4 and a half feet long. This means, even though I am just over 5 ft tall, I can carry the board around lengthwise without too much difficulty.

When I brought home the supplies for the project, I figured the kids would be breaking out the chalk after lunch the next day but I didn’t consider the 4 hour time gap required between coats (I think I painted 3 coats just to be safe) and I really didn’t expect the 3 day time gap required before conditioning and writing on it but maybe that was just the brand of paint I bought which I purchased at Home Depot. For a finishing touch I painted the edges of the board with pink acrylic paint. I quite like the way it came out. (These photos aren’t the greatest but you get the idea. And don't worry, chalkboard writing is not as dangers as the pictures make it appear, my kids like to alternate chalk board writing with their skateboard riding—hence the helmets.)

Although I originally wanted this to be for outdoor use, we’ve enjoyed it indoors just as much and it does make a pretty sweet photo back drop as a bonus. 

Hello Spring: Ladybug Release and Brunch

To welcome spring, we decided to have a ladybug release party and brunch with all our friends.

The brunch was pot luck style so everyone brought something yummy to share. The ladybug portion of the celebration involved the release of 2,000 ladybugs. The second I cut open the net bag they had been stowed away in, the bugs were crawling out all over me then one by one they started flying off into the air or unto the body of one of the many preschoolers who surrounded me.

Once all the bugs had evacuated the bag, I carefully sloughed off my body, any remaining bugs and the kids went ladybug hunting, searching the grasses with magnifying glass at hand.

We also had bug rubbing plates as an additional activity or for those who didn’t appreciate the possibility of being covered with the spotted insect but most of the kids didn’t mind at least getting within an arms length of bug examination.

I think this ladybug activity is seriously one of my most favorites to date! Since the food was pot luck the event cost a mere $10 for the bag of 2,000 ladybugs which I picked up at my local garden store. Worth every penny indeed!

A word of advice: if you do this acivity at home make sure all the kids are gathered around ready with their empty baby food jars and magnifying glass at hand before cutting open the bag. Those lady bugs won’t be waiting around for an audience before flying off into the wide world…(or a couple feet away in a sunny patch of grass). Also make sure your camera is charged and strapped around the neck of an assigned photographer. That way you won’t have to send one of the parents in your home on a camera hunt while the ladybugs have their best camera face on. (Of coarse I am coming up with this scenario completely off the top of my head, I have a good imagination ;)

Most pics here were taken by a couple friends of mine, Katie Murihead and Trent Covington, who were both gracious enough to take photos of the event.

Bird Feeders and Old Ovens

We had a great time at our first official make creating bird feeder biscuits. I was a little frightened that the whole project would be a bust when I saw the million year old oven we had to use to bake our biscuits in. As it turned out though, I was just being oven-ageist, the ovens worked just fine—they just needed a while to warm up...(like an hour).

Anyway, if you were able to attend, thanks for coming. If not, we'll see you next time! Check out the following pics from the event.

One more thing, to those of you who had to take off before the biscuits were done baking, you can pick up the feeder in the church kitchen. Sadly, some of the creations crumbled after sitting over night. If your child's feeder was among the causalities I can give you some birdseed to create a new one at home.

If you were unable to attend but think you might like to create your own, see recipe, (snatched from the February Family Fun Magazine), below.

You will Need: 3/4 Cup birdseed, I Tablespoon Flour, 2 Tablespoons Water, cookie cutters, cooking spray, foil, cookie sheet, straw, and yarn or ribbon for hanging.

Mix ingredients together until pasty. Spray cookie cutter with cooking spray and set on a foiled cookie sheet. Spoon mixture into cookie cutter, insert a cut straw to create a hole for hanging after baked. Bake in oven at 170 degrees for about an hour. After cooling you can string up the biscuit and then hang in a tree for the birdies to enjoy!