Nerf Birthday Party: 9 Year Old

When my son told me he wanted a nerf birthday party, I immediately began thinking of games and targets we could assemble around the house and yard to make it fun.  He then told me that he didn't want any of that... he just wanted to play nerf wars with his friends... no gimmicks!  OK.  But he also let me know that he wants the birthday to feel special and fun.  My assignment... to make a nerf party that was fun but not gimmicky!

I ended up ordering safety glasses for the shooters in a variety of colors.  I also printed out "target" symbols on colored paper stock, cut out the targets and arranged them on the gift bags and table.  The gift bags also included a bundle of "ammo" and "gunpowder (Pixi Stix candy)".

Then I bought some yellow streamers and put them around the house like Caution police tape.

We had an array of guns and ammo, and the kids also brought their own favorite nerf guns as well. The cake had 9 nerf bullets arranged like candles (I put a toothpick in the cake and then put the bullet on top of the toothpick so it would stand).

Such great kids and a great party!  It felt just "grown up" enough but still fun, festive, and ... just a little bit crazy.

Motor Sequencing and Planning: Games for Kids

My 8 year old son has been in Occupational Therapy off and on for many years related to his autistic spectrum diagnosis.  One of the things he often works on is motor sequencing and motor planning.  This involves his ability to put multiple movements together without having to think of each step first.  This can be an area of difficulty in the spectrum, and for many individuals with other developmental conditions and features as well.

Instead of just doing exercises, it is fun to use games that require sequencing. 

Lately, we have been having fun with hopscotch:

We are in mid-winter here, so we actually are using the inside tile floors as a grid for our footwork.  We often don't play exactly by the traditional rules.  We may change up the order of the feet or the number of tiles in between the feet.  We may sing a rhyme while we do it, or try to name colors as we jump.  There are so many possibilities, and it is fun to have him involved in making up a sequence that we try next.

We have also started play hand clapping games:
Remember those good old games where you would chant or sing-song while clapping in a variety of sequences.  They are great for this skill, and can be made as simple or complex as needed. I have been remembering some oldies but goodies, and introducing my son to this style of game.

Here is a great website for ideas and rhymes.  Check it out!

Fun Clapping

And last but not least, stair hopping.

If you have carpeted stairs, try doing hopping sequences up and down the bottom stair.  For example, your child can try right foot up, left foot up, right foot down, left foot down (10 times).  If you have an older child, they may have the strength to hop up with both feet and down with both feet.  Then you can combine for extra difficulty: up with both, down with both, up with right, up with left, down with right, down with left, and repeat. 

Holiday Home Decoration Idea: Kid Friendly

My parents have a large window facing the street in front of their home.  When we were growing up, we would tape a message cut out of Christmas wrapping paper: "Happy Birthday Jesus."  Each letter was cut the size of one of the small windows, and when assembled, could be read from the street.

This year, my parents made a Thanksgiving decoration for the window.  They put pictures of family members on each limb of the Thanksgiving tree. 


This is a great idea for decorating your home for the holidays, either in a window, or on a wall in your home.  Little ones can help with the cutting and taping of this project.  You can use many different types of paper such as brown shipping paper, construction paper, tissue paper, or holiday wrapping paper to make your design. 

For Christmas, you could do an idea similar to the Thanksgiving tree, using a Christmas tree and putting family pictures inside the presents under the tree. 

Be creative this year, and involve the kiddos in some great family traditions!

How To Train Your Dragon: book series review

Am I the only one who didn't realize that the How to Train your Dragon stories were based on books!  My 8 year old son and I came across Cressida Cowell's book series at the library.  The first book was published in 2003 and there are currently 11 books published.  My son and I started with the 11th book (because that is what was at the library) How to Betray a Dragon's Hero, published in Sept 2013.  At the end of the book, the author notes that the 12th book is coming soon, and will be the final book in the series. Check out the book series website howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com.

I was so blown away by the book we read.  It was artfully done with skilled prose and pencil drawings.  The book moves alone quickly, and we always had a hard time stopping at the end of a chapter.  The 17th chapter, Sword Fight, was so wonderful, I took it to work and shared it with many friends.  It was all about what makes a hero, a king, a leader.  It was about hatred and forgiveness, and about identity and what choices we have when someone else has what we want. 

 

The books embody great character and morales, wonderful prose and illustrations, and the timeless epic tradition of books like the Narnia series and The Lord of the Rings.  Now, mind you, they are different in many respects too...but there is a journey across many lands, with multiple types of dragons, and the battle between good and evil.  The hero endures trials and overcomes obstacles, until he becomes more and more the king he was destined to be.

My son is 8 and is able to read the books alone, although I do think he misses a lot that way because of the vocabulary used.  He seems to get more out of it when we read together.  I love the books, so they are definitely appropriate for anyone about 3rd grade and older, depending on reading level and proficiency.

Monkey Birthday Party for Kids

 My son wanted a monkey themed party this year.  The cupcakes are chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache frosting.  Then I made a basic sugar cookie, cutting the batter out around a tablespoon before baking.

After baking, they looked like this:

I assembled the monkey cupcake by putting the cookie on the face like the monkey snout.  I put a dab of white frosting with mini chocolate chips on top for the eyes and drew on the nostrils and mouth with chocolate frosting.  The two ears are mini cookies I found at the grocery store.  I ended up putting a small banana candy on top of frosting for the mouth.

For the gifts bags, I used brown bags and printed off a monkey picture, putting each child's name in the placeholder.  

I added a dab of color with markers and hung some monkeys on the side of each bag.

The inside goodies included monkey tattoos, mini banana candies, a monkey keeper lego, monkey bracelets, and small monkey toys.  

It was a barrel of fun for the kiddos!  Hope your party is fun too.

Great Fun with Jigsaw App

I really enjoy jigsaw puzzles, but there are some drawbacks to getting one pouring out the pieces on your floor or table.  The pieces get lost, you lose interest in the picture, you get stuck and give up, or it takes so long to complete you have to put it all back in the box undone. 

I recently discovered the Jigsaw Collection HD app from iTunes.  I paid for the 2.99 premium version, but there is a free version as well with some puzzles included.  

The premium version lets you upload any photo you want and turn in into a puzzle, for endless personal puzzles of your choice. You can also buy packs of themed puzzles from iTunes.  

Some nice features are that you can save puzzles you are working on, and have several puzzles in process at one time.  You can choose the type of pieces you want...such as traditional puzzle pieces, waved squares, or flat squares.  You can choose how many pieces are in your puzzle from as low as 12 to as high as 288.  You choose the color of your background puzzle table.  You also have the choice to have the pieces right side up at all times, or rotated in random ways to make it harder.  You can have the app separate all the edge pieces for you and bring them onto the table first.  In other words, there are many ways to make the puzzle personal and adapted to your difficulty preferences!

Celebrating the Holidays with Special Needs Children

Trees, lights, decorating cookies, shopping, visiting family, school vacation, wrapping and opening presents, singing traditional songs of the season, and church services...

The best things about the holidays, right?

We all have our favorite part of the holiday season.  It usually comes wrapped with childhood memories of what was or what we wish had been.  We try to recreate scenes from Christmas past.  Capturing those great pictures of the kids for Christmas cards.  Surprising people with gifts on Christmas morning.  Visiting Santa and watching favorite Christmas movies on TV.

For children with special needs, all or most of the above may be very difficult and not enjoyable at all.  My dreams for the season are often not my son's dreams.  He is 7 years old and in the autistic spectrum.  Every year, I'm surprised by how much he struggles during the holidays.  Just this year, I spent some time crying at a coffee shop as I took a break from trying to cook for Thanksgiving.

As I try to regroup, these are my thoughts...

1. Anticipation and Surprise
For most of us, anticipation and surprise is what Christmas is all about.  But for my son, anticipation feels like anxiety.  He prefers to know what is coming.  He likes a predictable schedule.  He can seem "off" from before Halloween until after Christmas break.  "Off" could look like meltdowns, crying at small things, wanting to be constantly close to a parent, or wanting to be isolated like under a "tent" in his room or behind a chair.

** One thing we have tried is to ask Joshua if he wants to know the "schedule for the day" even when school is out.  This let's him know what unusual things may be in the schedule, or what usual things are cancelled because of the holidays.  Sometimes we ask him if he wants to draw out or write out his schedule.  Other times, he just wants to hear it. Here is an example of a visual schedule.

**Joshua wants to know what he is getting for Christmas ahead of time.  Yesterday, he and I ordered his gift together over the internet.  Now he feels good that he is getting something he will enjoy, but he doesn't have to manage that nervous energy until Christmas morning.

**You could also develop a social story like the ones at this link.

2. Crowds, Commotion, and Loud Noises
There is a lot more activity during the holidays than other times of year.  Even at his "typical" activities like fencing and school, there are Christmas songs, concerts, and his school even takes all the kids to a store to buy toys for charity.  These activities can be overwhelming because of the noise, scents, bumping, and bustling.

At any time of year, Joshua can be loud and physically active; however, sometimes this is most noticeable when he is actually overwhelmed.  When he is crashing through the house and can't stop, I know he is having a hard time.  There was a time when I thought he needed to "run off" this energy, but now I know that he most often needs help with calming during these times.

**He may need us to set up a quiet place like an indoor tent.  He can go inside and watch videos or play an app on a tablet. Try these ideas for creating a cozy resting place.

**Deep pressure and proprioceptive input can be also be calming and centering.  Try these sensory strategies OR these!

3. Diet

Holidays often have lots of treats, traditional dishes, and a deviation from normal diet.  In addition, Joshua follows a gluten free, casein free (dairy) diet to help manage his autistic symptoms.  Joshua typically does best when he has enough protein and very little simple sugar as well.  We try to cook healthy and organic as much as we can, but still have treats for Joshua at every holiday and special occasion.

**Joshua eats a lot of healthy foods, but he often rejects new or unusual foods.  Many of the traditional holiday foods are out of our typical routine (e.g., most of the Thanksgiving dishes).  While I may be working very hard to make stuffing, gravy, etc. Joshua often wants his usual dishes.  Or, he may ask for holiday dishes because other kids talk about them, but then often reject them when they are on his plate.  This Thanksgiving, Joshua ate coconut milk ice cream and that was it.  He rejected each of my Thanksgiving offerings.  I have to just anticipate that he may want his usual foods; I need to choose which ones I will make in combination with a few holiday dishes for us.  

**We try to really focus on protein and healthy eating, so sugar rushes don't add to his symptoms and struggle.

4. Little Bits at a Time
**We try to enjoy little bits of the holiday at a time.  Our church holds Christmas service during the week before Christmas, so we are able to go to service and then not plan anything else that day.  

**We don't have family in our area; rather than driving 8 hours to see family and stay in their home, we opt for a quieter holiday in our own familiar setting.  

**We spread out his presents across multiple days, rather than opening all the presents Christmas morning in a flurry of craziness.  So, he opens one large present on Christmas morning (of course he already knows what it is) and then across the following days, we dole the rest of the small presents over time.  

5. Take Care of Ourselves

As I was crying in the coffee shop this year, I remembered that taking time to myself is really important.  I can't do it without breaks and a chance to regroup.  So I either need a to find a babysitter, a willing neighbor, or take turns with my husband to get out of the house and breathe.  

Homemade Lip Balm: A Must Try!

This summer, I tried the recipe I found here: Homemade Natural Lip Balm at ourbestbites.com.

And today...I just used the left over I had from that first batch, remelted it, and refilled my containers (12 tubes).

This is a must for the winter and year round.  I used to buy other natural lip balms, but they were about $3 for one stick and rarely went on sale.  Once you invest in the ingredients, these balms will last a long time and are easy to refill.  And, they can be made in different scents and are great for gifts!

I got the beeswax pellets through Amazon and also ordered these tall slender tubes while I was at it.  I already had coconut oil in the house, and did use Vitamin E but found it hard to squeeze into the batch.  I used some oils I had in the house like peppermint.  Although I did invest in the decorative tapes, the trick was to be able to make them stick with all the oil and balm on my hands!  

Celebrating Halloween with Special Needs Kids

Celebrating any holiday with special needs kids can feel overwhelming.  There can be a lot of adrenaline and intensity at holiday times, unusual changes in diet, and noticeable disruption of routine.  There is also usually a big enphasis on cultural specific ways of celebrating, some of which your child may be unable to participate in or tolerate. 

Here are some Halloween tips:

1. Sensory Issues
If your child has sensory symptoms, pick a costume that makes sense for your specific child.  Avoid things that are itchy, smell "funny", or are too tight.  In contrast, maybe snug parts of a costume feel good to your child.  A hat or turtleneck may help some kids feel more centered and secure.  Having them carry a weighted backpack or some type of accessory with the costume that is heavy can also help kids feel calmer.  Some kids might avoid face paint or masks, while others may like that feeling on their face.  Do the best you can to select what makes sense for your child, and know that you will do your best to plan...and then be flexible when costume time comes if your child won't wear what you had picked out.  Have some options in your head just in case... like plan B...C...and D.

2. Anxiety and Inflexibility
Try using social stories to prepare your child for the unusual things about the holiday.  For example, what happens differently at school or home.  If the child is old enough, have them write a story with you or tell you the story. 

3. Extra Calming Times
Plan extra calming times into your routine a few weeks before and after the holiday.  Maybe your child feels better when they can lay under a table with a heavy blanket and watch YouTube videos.  Maybe they like to play LEGOs in their room with a dim light on. 

4. Learn to Recognize what Behavior Means
For some reason, I'm usually surprised when my son has trouble before and during the holidays.  Even this year...I was not expecting some of the behaviors that have "come out" such as anxiety, wanting to touch and climb on visitors, melting down if he loses a game.  My son can also "lose his words."  Although my son does talk, when he is under stress I hear myself saying more and more "use your words please" and "have you lost your words today?"  My husband reminded me that we need to expect some changes before any holiday or change in routine (e.g. traveling, the beginning or end of school, etc). 

5. Dietary Needs
My son follows a gluten free and casein free diet to help manage some of his autistic symptoms.  We have a game now, that he goes trick or treating, brings back "a stash" and then he comes to my "candy store."  I pretend to be a shop owner and he comes in wanting to trade some of the candy he can't eat, for other treats I have in my store.  Then he has choices and can choose what he likes. 

6. Be Flexible
Sometimes we have high expectations for any holiday and how it should look if it is "good."  We might feel very disappointed if our child doesn't want to wear a costume or leave the house.  Maybe our child prefers to hand out candy rather than going from house to house.  Maybe they won't pose for a picture or meet their friends outside.  Every holiday may be different...every year may be different.  Take pictures when you can and build what memories you can, but let the rest go.  Let it be good in it's own way.  If your child wants to stay home and hand out candy, embrace it.  If they just want to wear face paint but no costume, go for it.

7. Take Care of Yourself
As a parent, you are doing the best you can.  Some other parents may give you advice or feel critical of your child for not looking and acting like everyone else on Halloween.  Maybe your child is nonverbal or won't wear a costume.  Maybe they can't choose a piece of candy from such a huge variety in a large bowl.  It could be that they have trouble self-regulating and grab too much impulsively.  Perhaps they melt down in front of others. Not everyone will understand, but some will.  You may feel alone, but there are a whole community of parents out there who support and embrace you. 

buildwithchrome.com: Lego plus googlemaps

Have you played around with the site "buildwithchrome.com?" It reminds me of minecraft in a way.  Google and LEGO worked together to use a map of Australia and New Zealand which allows people to build LEGO structures, publish them on the map, and view what others have built.

Vacation or Staycation?

Sometimes decisions about vacation or staycation get made on the basis of money alone.  Maybe the decision should also take into account the temperament and needs of family members as well.  Some of us get "filled up" by traveling to beaches, historical places, or rugged terrain.  Others get filled up by reading a good book, going miniature golfing, or camping in the backyard.  Think about what will be the most filling for you and your family, and plan around that.  Remember too that each year may be different!  Ask yourself the question--"What does my family need this year?  What will our rest time look like?"

If you are planning a staycation, consider some structure, so the time doesn't waste away.  

1. Day One:  Relaxation
Maybe the first day is one of rest and relaxation.  What does it feel like to be pampered?  Maybe make a spa day for the ladies/girls with pedicures, naps, and reading a book on the deck? Maybe the boys choose golfing, playing softball, or playing video games.

2. Creation
If you are a creative family, you might want to create on a day or two.  This could include things like building a treehouse, trying new recipes/grilling ideas, artwork, redecorating the kids bedroom, or sewing.  

These are things I "created" lately that turned out well:
Raw Key Lime Tartlets found at detoxinista.com

and Homemade Lip Balm at ourbestbites.com

3. Friend Day: You might plan a day when you invite families over for a cookout or do something with some of your close friends/neighbors.  Decorate the deck, buy sparklers, and watch the sun set!

4. Field Day: You might consider having a sports/field day.  Maybe put a tent in the backyard at night.  

5. Visit local fun spots and try something new: Check out local venues like bowling, miniature golf, rolling skating, ice skating, or paintball. 

6. Movie day:  Maybe plan a movie marathon in your house where every person gets to pick a favorite movie.  Add popcorn, movie theater candy.  

7. You might consider including a day to help the community.  Volunteer as a family to help with a local project.  

Do you Volunteer?

Now is the time of year that parents are thinking about how to keep their kids active, engaged, and learning over the summer.  Have you considered getting your kids involved in volunteering opportunities?

Check out volunteermatch.org, a website that matches where you live, what types of activities you would like to engage in, and what opportunities are in your area.





Another interesting site to check out is volunteeringinamerica.gov. This shows the layout of the United States including the demographics of who volunteers (parents are high on the list), what types of volunteering people tend to do most (e.g., fundraising, delivering needed supplies), and what states in the USA top of the list of individuals volunteering in their community. 

And how about Volunteers of America.  They were formed in 1896 and continue strong today. 
According to their website:
Volunteers of America helps more than 2.5 million people in over 400 communities in 46 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico through programs that are staffed by full-time, paid professionals who have adopted this same ideal of service as their full-time mission.  However, that does not mean that we do not also depend on an army of modern-day "volunteers" who offer their free time to support our volunteer programs nationwide.  In fact, in 2012 nearly 60,000 volunteers devoted more than one million hours to hundreds of Volunteers of America programs and activities nationwide--and we can always use more volunteers!


How have you taught your children to give back to the community?

Great Mother's Day Gift Idea: Tagxedo.com

I am very excited about finding Tagxedo.com. This is a free site, although I believe you can pay for a more premiere membership with additional fonts, etc.  At the site, you can create your own graphic with a certain shape (as above), font, and color scheme.  You type in all the words you want to be included in the graphic, and the program does the rest.  You can then save your graphic file.  You could use it as your profile picture on a social media site.  On the Tagxedo.com site, you can also connect to see what gift items you can buy with your graphic on it. 

For mother's day, I am making a unique graphic for each grandma, saving the file, and creating gift items.  You can go to a variety of sites to use your graphic, but I ultimately chose VistaPrint and created  personalized note cards to order, so that the grandma's can use them as stationary, thank you cards etc. You can also put the graphic onto mouse pads, t-shirts, aprons, carrying bags, ornaments etc.  What a great way to honor the women in your life this Mother's Day!

Scavenger Hunts with Kids at Varying Ages: In the Car and On Foot

Here's an idea for a kid friendly activity you can perform even when it is raining!  I remember when my son was about 3, and we just wanted to get out of the house, however that looked, but it was cold and a little on the drizzly side.  I got out a paper and drew 10 things in marker that we were going to look for on a local drive.  Then we planned that if we found the things (I tried to choose things that would give us a fair drive around but also be achieveable on our hunt!), I had a little prize at the end.

Those ended up being fun rides because he would sit in his car seat with a marker and cross through things once we saw them.  I would drive around to where I thought we could get some hits, and after about an hour we were home.  I would draw things like an American flag, a dog or cat, a bicycle, a red car, the letter A, the number 2, etc.  In those days it was a fun way to have some time out of the house even when the whether wasn't ideal!

Last week, we had a nice spring day.  Probably our first hint of spring weather!  I got out a sheet of paper and listed (now my son is practicing his reading) 15 items I thought he and the baby sitter could find on a walk around our local neighborhoods. 

lawnmower
out of state license plate
small garden statue
ball
flowers
chalk drawing on sidewalk/driveway
etc. 

I told them that if they found 12 of the 15 items, they could walk to the dollar store and my son could pick out a prize.  My son also got a kick out of it because he took an old digital camera we have (maybe 9 years old?) and I asked him to take a picture of each item they found.  He got to show me all the pictures when they returned home!

Options for Capturing Your Child's Thoughts and Words

I have a niece that is smart, funny, and precocious.  I love to talk to her on the phone, and believe me, she could talk forever.  I decided to get a book for her and my sister called Q&A a Day for Kids: A Three-Year Journal available at +Amazon.com.  It really could be used with kids at a variety of ages, although perhaps about 4-10 may work best.  The parent can fill in the writing, or the child could write their own answers. 

One nice thing about this way of capturing your child's thoughts and comments, is that this book offers the prompts of specific questions.  This may generate even more interesting answers.  Of course, it does not chronicle the more spontaneous gems we all love.  Each day has 3 spots on the page to answer the same question.  Theoretically, the same child, will answer the same question across 3 years and see how the answers differ.  

I also wonder if it would be fun to chronicle a different child in those spots.  For example, my other sister has 3 children, and she might enjoy comparing the oldest boy's answers with the youngest for example.  They all 3 have such unique personalities, that I think that would be interesting.  Examples of questions include: "What is the best thing about your life right now?", "What is the last thing you built/made?", "The best thing about being a grown up is...."






Another thing to consider are apps for this purpose.  One app someone recently recommended to me is the Posterity app for capturing family quotes.  It currently costs $1.99 and has gotten good reviews so far.  Parents seem to enjoy the photo option that joins with the quotes.  Many say they are wanting a video option to put capture their child's thoughts as well.







Another way to chronicle your child is to take videos of him or her in action and upload the videos as private +YouTube entries; these can then be shared with a few special family members and kept in your YouTube account for long term keeping.

And finally, there is the photo book option.  Many internet sites offer photo books for you to create and order (e.g., +Walmart, +Shutterfly, and Michaels are just a few options).  If you include your wonderful quotes, along with pictures, this would make not only a great memory book (imagine giving a copy of the books to your kids at their graduation, wedding, etc), but also a great gift for grandparents and other family members.

Family Puzzle Projects

When I was in graduate school, my roommate and I were so busy that we felt like we were always coming and going to a class, job, or meeting.  At one point, we started putting crossword puzzles out on the main table.  We would try to fill in a few items as we were "coming and going."  It was simple, and fun, and we connected a bit even when we weren't in the same place. 

One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving celebrations at my house growing up is time with a big jigsaw puzzle spread out on a table in the family room.  Again, people were coming and going, cooking and cleaning, watching football, visiting...and in the midst, there was this core activity that we all worked on in between and during our other connecting.  By the time the Thanksgiving weekend was over...the puzzle was complete!

And last but not least...the LEGO assembly! When you have an avid LEGO enthusiast in your house, you spend a lot of time hunching over piles of LEGO pieces trying to put together complex structures for a birthday present, Christmas, and what not...

After our recent birthday party for Joshua, we had a few weeks of illness and busyness.  I find that we have a 7 year old asking when we can help him put together the LEGOs he received for his birthday.  I have an idea!  I am going to put them out on the table with the instruction booklets.  Then we can assemble as we come and go, everyone contributing, as we see it taking form.  We don't have to wait until we have 3 hours!  We can use our "in between time" to create something wonderful...together.

Vordak the Incomprehensible: Book Review

My son just turned 7, and he is beginning to read simple story books on his own.  This is a book that I have been reading to him, because it is geared for 4-8th graders.  The subject matter, though, is right up our alley.

The premise is that the evil super-villan Vordak has written a book to help his snivelling readers aspire to greatness as evil rulers of the world.  Each chapter helps the reader understand the importance of selecting a dastardly name, choosing minions and henchmen, building a secret evil lair...well, you get the picture. 

There are a total of 3 books in this series including Rule the School and Double Trouble. 

The writing is very funny, and we are enjoying it.  There are many "big words" in this book like "villany" and "incomprehensible" and "dastardly." That is why it is for older readers, but we are doing fine with me reading it to him and then explaining some of the words. 

You can even check out the the Vordak website which includes Vordak's blog, information about books, and activities/games. 

Enjoy!

Pinterest Projects that Failed

I'm a great Pinterest fan, but I often pin things to try later...and then never actually put aside time to complete the project.  I do get a laugh at the sites like Pinterest Fail.com because they highlight some of the projects they have tried that don't quite work out.  I guess we can't all be Martha Stewart, and we don't all have time to craft, design, and build.  Oh well.

Check out some of these Pinterest fail photos from the web:


 It sure is hard to capture love and peace when 3 sibs get together for a photo!

I haven't tried this one, but I have seen it on Pinterest.  I guess it is harder to

pull off than you might think!

And one more photo op.  I saw this pumpkin photo idea on Pinterest too and

wondered how they got their baby to look so peaceful and cute! This baby sure didn't like it!

I love it when I realize we are all human...not just me!

JibJab: Video ECards with a Personal Touch and more

My husband recently had a birthday and my parents sent him a JibJab e-card.  I have to say, I laughed out loud!  Completely hysterical.  I remember that they sent a Christmas ecard and I loved it as well--I need to start using this site. 

What is it?  Well you go to jibjab.com and see an array of ecards with face cut-outs.  Then you use digital face photos from your own library to insert into the ecard which then dances to music or tells a story.


So, go onto your computer and pick out some good face shots of friends, family, or yourselves and check it out.  You might make a video card that looks like this:

 JibJab snow race card
 

Also at the site, jibjab is announcing their new children's site called StoryBots.  It looks like a site built for fun and education in which you put your child's photo into the applications so they see themselves while playing the game or learning new information. 

They also advertise apps--They have a behavior game where kids earn points during the day and can loose points according to behavioral goals.

Another app is one that captures kids quotes with their photos in a cute display for messaging others.  Here's an example-- 

Many of the features seem fun.  I am going to check them out!

Children's Artwork Into Keepsakes

My son's school uses Art to Remember every year as a fund raiser for their arts program.  This is the one fundraiser I actually look forward to every year.  They take a piece of artwork that he has created at school and then you can order gifts/products that feature the artwork.  It always happens in the Spring and I love to order things for Mother's Day and Father's Day, as well as things for our home.

I ordered large magnets last year and they are so durable, beautiful, and don't get lost.  I also ordered the grandparents magnets and erase boards with my son's artwork featured.  This year I'm looking at even more kinds of things like flower pots, aprons, notecards, ceramic tiles, and mouse pads. 

Another site that features ways to turn your child's art into gifts is Snapfish.  They have multiple products and photo book options.  I have decided to start scanning my son's artwork into the computer and then making photo books that feature the artwork.  There are some great examples at Snapfish. 

What do you do with your child's artwork?