While living in the lovely sea of on-again off-again nausea the last few weeks, I have found that sitting lazily on the couch with my laptop open offers quite a great distraction (and my couch is just really comfy too). Yes, I have read way too many blogs and played way too many solitaire games. But I have also accomplished a few small design projects (yay me for actually doing something productive ;)
1) Lullaby Cards for Caroline
Let me explain. Before nap-time and bedtime, Cares gets 2 stories sitting with mom or dad in the rocking chair, then lays down in bed with the lights out while we sing her 2 songs. Lately, she has decided that she gets to choose her very own songs (she must be 2 or something...) This worked out fine for a few weeks until she started saying, "I choose my own song. Ummmmm... ummmmm... ummmmm...etc..." If I started singing anything she hadn't chosen I was immediately interupted by a naughty little "No! I choose it." Well, needless to say, we had some bedtime battles beginning and our splendid routine was going right out the window. So, last week I made a list of Caroline's favorite lullabies and then made picture cards to represent the songs. Now she gets to choose 2 cards from the pile and hold them until the songs have been sung. Then we put them away, say goodnight and close the door. Ahhh, it has been working so well--I feel a little smug, I have to admit (even though I am sure she will find a way around them soon enough).
Caresie's Lullaby Cards (before cutting them out). Can you guess which song goes with each picture? There are definitely some randoms :)
2) Bean Table "I-Spy"
I borrowed this idea from my crafty little friend Camille who made a Bean Table for her own kids. It sounded like the perfect activity when we were needing something new and exciting to do last month. After picking up a 20 lb. bag of pinto beans and sturdy tupperware at Wal-Mart one morning, I rounded up the objects I would hide in the beans from around my house. Once the kids went down for naps, I photographed all the little items to hide in the beans and then made "I Spy" cards for each object we would search for. My kids have had a lot of fun with our Bean Table and they still feel like it's a special prize to get to play with it after they have eaten all of their lunch/dinner, picked up toys or taken great naps :)
Digging right in to that Bean Table!
And here are a few examples of the "I Spy" cards:
And now you can think that I am a total design star (which I would love to be but in my humility I will keep from stealing that thunder from my hubby. In all honesty, he actually IS a real-life designer so just think what he could've made of these projects?!!)
13 comments:
You're such a clever and caring Mom! You have learned a lot from your designing hubby, and are pretty creative yourself these days--your lucky kids!
fun ideas. I am going to take photos of the things in my bean thing too! Stealing your (and everyone elses) ideas...
Okay I want to know what lullaby matches to which card. I am guessing I love to see the temple for the temple card and twinkle twinkle little star for the star one. Ha ha I don't know the rest my brain isn't that creative! I am especially baffled b y the hourse one.
Okay wait I didn't see the card beneath the text- for them I guess beautiful Savior for the Jesus card, Families Can Be Together Forever for the family pic, and Rockabye Baby for the rocking chair. I can just picture Cares holding the card while you sing. She is a crazy cute mush
ha ha okay this is my last comment. Child's Prayer for the girl praying, and then that song that goes "Whenevr I hear the song of a bird" for one of the cards although I am not sure which one- possibly one of the bird ones.
That Bean table was such a hit with my kids up at the cabin...I am going to have to make one for our house!
Love the idea of making cards to go along with each lullaby. Those will be helpful with the next kid because you can sing and hold up the picture so that your child learns early on how to associate the image with the music! Very creative of you!!!
O and Baby Mine for the swaddled babe... Now tell me the rest!
For you Heid (you got so many right!):
Baby-Baby Mine
Temple-I Love to See...
Star-Twinkle Twinkle OR I am Like a Star
Parrot-Pretty Bird
Pigeon-Pigeon Doors
Moon-Moon, Moon, Moon
Horse-Sweet Baby James
Frog-Speckled Frogs
Stream-Give Said the Little Stream
Rocker-Rock-a-bye Baby
Rainbow-Somewhere Over the Rainbow OR I Like to Look for Rainbows
Jesus-Jesus Once Was a Little Child
Girl Praying-I Am a Child of God
Dad and Kids-I'm so Glad When Daddy Comes Home
As you can see, some of these are not the most calming of songs but Cares loves them all :)
Oh ha ha I got some wrong too, fun I love that idea!
Way cute ideas. I think Gracie would love the bean table. Maybe I'll try that for her (even though I'm scared she'll just start chucking beans around the room). Love the lullaby cards too. You're a design star in my book.
Hi, i am glad you found my blog. that bean table is very cool. I heard about taking Half a unisom and half a b6 from a bunch of woman and so i tried it (cause i was so sick that i couldn't even get out of bed) Let me just tell you that it has been amazing i can now actually function during the day. It stops working by night but it is so much better during the day.
and in answer to your question about providence, a year before your son go to kindergarten start watching the website and enroll him when it says you can. www.providencehall.com
Love it. You are a brilliant star!
O I am so glad you did the bean table! I love that you did cards to go with it! How fun!
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