How to Apply Sunscreen to Wiggly Kids (and not get it in their eyes!)

photo by play4smee

It's a fact. My kids are wiggle worms. So putting sunscreen on them while they are making a bee-line for the pool is no easy feat. Applicaion needs to be quick, comprehensive and make as little mess as possible. Enter the Swim Goggle and Spray Sunscreen! I have the kids put their goggles on before the sunscreen and I spray them from head to toe! That way, I don't have to worry about getting it in their eyes. Once I'm done, I touch up the under eye area if needed! Presto! Full Coverage. No Mess. No Burning Eyes.

When Grief Interupts

The Angel of Grief as captured by designwallah

Today I learned some very sad news. Friends from our bible study lost their precious unborn baby daughter to Trisomy 13, a rare heart condition just a few days ago. My heart is heavy as I contemplate how to share the burden of grief with this family. I have been praying steadily since learning several weeks ago of the baby's condition. I have pleaded with the Lord for a miracle, while also accepting His will for this little life that would be inevitably born into heaven. Now, I am struggling with how to love them and yet also respect their privacy. I have never lost a child, but I have experienced loss. It is unlike any other feeling I know. It tears at the heart.

When little baby "n" was first diagnosed with Trisomy 13, another friend of mine thought up an incredible idea to encourage, comfort, and minister to the struggling family- Make a compilation CD of music. She asked friends and family to give her the name of a song that they wanted to pass along to the family as well as the "why" for choosing that particular song. She downloaded the songs to a CD via iTunes and presented the family with the CD. Sometimes, I think when words aren't enough to calm a heart, music has a way of speaking to us, especially when that music points us to God.

I contributed this song to the CD:

Good To Me (I Cry Out) by Craig Mousseau




Other songs, not included:

Every Season by Nicole Nordeman

Homesick by Mercy Me

Do you have any songs that have spoken you when you have experienced a loss? Leave a comment below, I would really love to hear your thoughts.

Ojo De Dios or God's Eye Craft

I have become some what fascinated with the beautiful simplicity of the Ojo De Dios. The Ojo has roots in the ancient Huichol Indians of Mexico. Early account of the brightly colored combination of yarn and sticks is said to symbolize the all seeing eye of God and represents the power of seeing and understanding unseen things. I think the Ojo De Dios (translated from Spanish to "Eye of God") is a beautiful reminder of God's watchful eye on us as we navigate life.

Ojos De Dios are relatively easy to make, which is another thing I love. Their simple construction makes them a perfect kid's craft (although I would suggest this for ages 5 and older-but it's up to you.) You'll need a few things to make one.

~Assorted colors of yarn.

~Small craft sticks

~Scissors

~Super glue (optional)

Here's how to make an Ojo De Dios:

Step 1:

Hold two sticks together with your thumb & forefinger. (You can also super glue the sticks together so it makes it easier to handle.). While holding the sticks, wrap the yarn around the sticks diagonally two to three times and then two to three times the opposite directions.

As shown below:


Step 2:
Next, wrap the yarn around one side of the cross, as shown:




Step 3:
Carry it over, diagonally following the line of the previously wrapped yarn

Step 5:
Continue to wrap the yarn over each side and across diagonally (see video below for further visual explanation). It should begin to look like this.

Continue wrapping until you reach your desired number of rows

It should look like this, so far...


Here is a short video of the wrapping technique in action:

Step 6:
When you are ready to change colors, tie the two pieces of yarn together and continue wrapping. I snip the ends off and tuck them away so they only show on the backside of the Ojo.

Here is my progress so far. I've switched to yet another color.

Last Step:

When I have reached my desired color combo and length, I take the yarn and at one end of the craft stick, I tie it off loosely. It doesn't look like it holds, but it does! The little bit of extra yarn is perfect for hanging the Ojo. You can also add a little super glue right at the tie off to secure. I thought about knotting it off, but I though it wouldn't look crisp and clean.

Here is my finished Ojo De Dios. Bright. Cheerful. And a beautiful reminder of God's loving watchful eye over me!

Here are a few more I have made...

Yay! So pretty!

References:

Wiki's Ojo Page,

ojo-de-dios.com

christiancrafters.com

Muffin Tin Monday

Are you new to Muffin Tin Mondays? Let me fill you in! Muffin Tin Monday is a weekly blog carnival (held here at Her Cup Overfloweth), where we post about a Muffin Tin Meal we made for our kid(s). Sometimes there is a theme. Sometimes, there isn't (see my sidebar). What's a Muffin Tin Meal, you ask? It's simple: a meal in a muffin tin! And my motto is: You can be a basic or as detailed as you want! In other words, there is no wrong way to make a muffin tin meal. If you want to know a little more, be sure to check out the Muffin Tin Monday FAQ. Now, on to today's Muffin Tin Meal, there's no theme for this week, so here's what we did:

One 12 cup muffin tin shared...m&ms, fish crackers, apples, sliced ham kebab, strawberry kebab, sting cheese cut into circles, all x2, except for the berries, my son would prefer more cheese!

Who doesn't love strawberries? Especially cut up and put onto cute party picks...

Wanted to show you some of my "stash", that I've collected since I started doing muffin tin mondays. The star silicone "tin" is new (got it on clearance!)...pretty fun stuff!

There is still time to sign up to participate in the Muffin Tin Monday Swap! click on over to the MTM swap info page. The deadline to enter is July 31st.

Did you make a Muffin Tin Meal this week? Won't you share it with us? Enter your blog post or link to a photo in the form below!

No Need For The Sunday Paper

Happy Sunday to you all!

Have you signed up for the Muffin Tin Monday Swap yet? The deadline to enter is July 31st, so hurry up and send me that email with your info as outlined on the swap info page! I am so excited about it! We already have 26 participants!

And speaking of Muffin Tin Monday, for tomorrow's MTM, there is NO THEME. That means you can do whatever your little heart desires!

So, how about those sunday links:

More Mom Time: Summer Shadow Art and Matching Activity for kids. This activity is so easy and a wonderful way to spend a summer day!

Our Homeschool Fun: Mosaic Tile Kids Craft. This is such a colorful, cute and clever idea! It would make a great activity for those hot days when you need to stay indoors (or anytime really!).

Handmade Gone Wrong: A new blog find of mine that in it's own words is "saving the good name of handmade through mockery." This blog follows in the grand footsteps of such "mock-blogs" (yes, I made that up...you can mock me if you want), as Cake Wrecks and Craft Fail. Go have a look see!

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Scripture for Sunday:

Matthew 14:22-36

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Things I Googled This Week Vol.2

(photo via "T" Altered Art's flickr photostream, Creative Commons Attrib. Lisc.)

This may or may not become a regular thing, but I couldn't resist sharing, again, with you the randomness that is born out of my google searches! So here we go:

Things I Googled This Week
(in no particular order)

1. NCIS (there was a marathon on USA, I had to get the lowdown on next season)
2. Hobnocker (as heard on an episode of iCarly...my daughter new fave show...)
3. Altered Art (this was more of a Flickr search...there are a host of objects out there, waiting for alteration!)
4. Trisomy 13 ( A friend's unborn daughter has just been diagnosed. I am praying for a miracle!)
5. Deluxe Inflatable Pool (We went to a playdate where they had one with a slide and a spray feature. It was so much fun! They are a little pricey, though! I was looking for the super small version, but never found what I was looking for!)

So, there you have it. My randomness, in all it's glory!

What did you google this week?
Leave a comment below!

Shameless Plug: Jumpstart's New 3D Virtual World

Jumpstart, the children's educational gaming brand name behind award winning children's learning based computer games has launched an online 3D Virtual World at jumpstart.com!

I cannot say enough good things about jumpstart.com! We are enjoying our online membership immensely! I'll break down my "shameless plug" into 3 parts.

Ease Of Use

When you first enter the site, you are greeted with an energetic video explaining what the new 3D world is all about. Once you register and create an online account for your family-you can enter up to five names per household, you can start exploring! We learned best by just diving in and exploring as we went along. We are a bunch of kinesthetic learners!

The kids had a little difficulty at first attempting to navigate the keyboard to get around, but once they figured it out, they haven't looked back! I think that was mostly due to my kids not being very used to playing on the computer. Jumpstart occasionally provides visual prompts (like "Use the space bar to jump up.") and those really helped!

Also, there is a map detailing out the Jumpstart world-which has become a "go-to" for my kids. If ever they are unsure of where to go or what game to play-they head to the map and presto!-it's all right in front of them!

The entire worlds is geared for 3-11 year olds, but is broken down into lands that focus more on a particular age group.

The Fun Factor

When you register and create an account for your child, your child will get to create their very own "Jumpee" which becomes their online personality (similar to the Wii's Mii persona). This Jumpee interacts all over the Virtual World and is integral to interaction in the world. Jumpee's come with a limited basic wardrobe and the more you explore the world and play the educational games, the more coins you collect to be able to use at the virtual clothing store-JS Threadz!

**One of my daughter's favorite parts of the Jumpstart 3d Virtual World is the "Movie Theater", where they show short videos and songs! She knows them all and loves to sing along!

**My son loves to take "snapshots" of the different lands with the virtual camera (works like taking a screenshot of the computer-but way more user friendly!)

Educational Content

True to what Jumpstart is all about, learning is infused into every aspect of the 3D world! You hardly realize there is learning going on with all the fun that is being had!

From the Jet Pack Game, where using your jet pack, you fly into letters to practice letter and phonetic identification to JS Threadz, where you can spend the "coins" you earn from playing games on brand new virtual clothes for your Jumpee-learning is a part of it all!

Membership to the site gains you access to the many downloadable games where you can extend all the learning possibilities and fun!

Your child's progress can also be tracked online and even emailed to you! I received an email just a few days ago detailing out which games my daughter had completed and what learning aspects they worked on (like shape and letter recognition)!

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Jumpstart also has a blog attached to the 3D world and it is full of tips, tricks, and ideas for parenting as well as the Jumpstart site! The ping pong ball game inspired me!

There is so much we have yet to unpack at the Jumpstart 3D Virtual World. My kids are making use of their membership everyday! It has, unintentionally become a great discipline tool. It's their favorite thing to do right now, so we get a quick response, if their is a chance it might be taken away!

Creative Ideas For A Playdate

Having a friend over for a playdate? Here are a few ideas to get you started or keep you going!

1.Meet at a park for picnic lunch, but visit one you and your kids have never been to!

2. Go see a movie at the dollar movie spot or participate in a kids summer movie program at your local movieplex!

3. Visit your local firestation for a meet & greet with firefighters and a tour of the firestation

4. Visit an indoor playplace (Some in our area are: Pump It Up, My Kids Clubhouse, & Playwerx)

5. Visit your local municipal airport- often times they give free tours and your kids can see small 2 person airplanes up close!

6. Host a themed playdate. (How about Arts and Crafts? Everyone can bring art supplies to share!)

7. Visit your local library for children's story hour and host lunch or a snack at your place afterward!

8. Have a friend over for Muffin Tin Monday!

9. Visit a local museum of any kind (trains, town history, art, children's museum) and have a "fact finding" scavenger hunt (this might be more suitable for the older set).

10. Go on a walk around your block. Play "I Spy" along the way!

11. Make a mini "parade" with wagons, strollers and bikes. Decorate your transporation and bring along a "boombox" to get the parade pumpin'! Stop at neighbors houses with cookies and well wishes!

12. Do you have an indoor Mall in your area? Take your strollers/wagons and power walk as you window shop!

13. Learn how to make something together-as a group or in teams.

14. Get to know a mom blogger in your area - I did! Steph of A Pocket Full Of Buttons met for the first time two weeks ago and we had so much fun! We've become fast friends! You never know what mom bloggers may be living near you!

My little miss and A Pocket Full of Button's sweet pea hamming it up together!

15. Make it a "Backyard Boogie"! Play Flipflop's & Applesauce's Sticker Tag, Break out Make & Takes' Water Sponge Toys, play with the slip n' slide or inflatable pool, play with sidewalk chalk, or just run around!

**Making a one time playdate an ongoing thing (aka "playgroup") is a great way to build friendships for both you and everyone else invlolved!

**Many of these ideas can be modified for a Playgroup. In fact, some places you visit might offer a group discount!

**There are some things you should consider before hosting/going on a playdate. Visit this article: 22 tips for a successful playdate for kids, to get the rundown on the "what not/what to do's". While I found it extremely informative-make sure you do what works for you and your family!

What about you, dear readers? Do you have any playdate ideas? Leave a comment and share it with us!

Muffin Tin Monday Swap!

I am putting together a little swap for all Muffin Tin Meal lovers out there. This swap is open to anyone and everyone who wants to join in. If you decide you want to participate you will be paired up with another participant who have children around the same age.

A very special thank you to Stephanie of A Pocket Full Of Buttons for creating the great MTM Swap button for us! She rocks! Stop over to her blog to tell her so!

Here are some of the fine details:

~The deadline to enter is July 31st. ***Deadline extended to August 2!!

~To participate, you must send me (via email at vistamommy(at)yahoo(dot)com) your address, names (optional) and ages of your kids that will be enjoying the swap package, and a brief Muffin Tin Meal "wish list". You must also include the button above (linking back to either Her Cup Overfloweth or this direct post. ) in your sidebar from the time you sign up to the time the swap is over. If you are unsure of how to do this, email me!

~ You will recieve an email by August 3rd with your partner particiapnt's info.

~You will then purchase Muffin Tin Meal accessories between $10-$20 + shipping. No more than that. I chose this amount because of the price of muffin tins. You do what you can afford. We all understand these hard ecomonic times. Below I will give some suggestions for you to make it more cost effective.

~You will have until August 18th to purchase/create your muffin tin monday swap package and send it out!

~On a date yet to be deteremined, I will be doing a MTM Swap Feature where we can all link up and see each other's swap packages.

~This swap IS open to international participants. Please indicate if you would be willing to ship internationally.

~You also do not need to have a blog to participate, just send me an email and I will connect you with another participant!

Sound like fun? Then shoot me an email!

Here are some ways to make your package more budget-friendly.

~Even before you know who your partner is, be scouring thrift stores and garage sales for muffin tins that are clean & in good condition. They can be 12 or 6 cup (or whatever).
~Tooth picks cost about $1 and you can add super cute tags with a little paper and glue to the ends.
~Disposable muffin tins and cookie cutters also can be found at the dollar store.
~ Discounted tins can be found at Walmart right now (star-shaped wilton 6-cup) in the 4th of july clearance for $4.50.
~Michael's and Joann's both sell cookie & cake decorating supplies and both accept each other's 40% off coupons! I purchased my flower silicone muffin cups there for 40% off (of $9.99) at Michael's.
~Party Supply stores carry cute food picks and forks and much more.
~bento box supplies are also a great way to go-"google" bento box supplies to see what's out there-they have rice and egg molds, colorful paper muffin cups, and much more!

What suggestions to you have? Leave a comment on this post with any great muffin tin meal accessory finds.

Muffin Tin Monday - Theme: Dips & Sauces!

This week's theme for Muffin Tin Monday is Dips & Sauces. Basically, create a tin around foods you can dip with and the dips and sauces to go along!

If you are new to Muffin Tin Monday, you can click over to the Muffin Tin Monday FAQ. However, in a nutshell: It's a blog carnival hosted here at Her Cup Overfloweth, where a bunch of us grown-ups get together and serve a meal in a muffin tin to our kids! Super fun!

(Sun Chips and Salsa, Apples and Yogurt, Ritz and Peanut Butter)

Note to self: always photograph muffin tin meals in the light, near a window-they look much more appetizing! Looks like a snack tin, but it was actually a late dinner for the kids. We had a crazy schedule of outings today that made for some equally crazy meal times-hence the "before bed muffin tin meal". They were hungry, I obliged. On a side note....apples and yogurt for dipping is so good! Oddly enough, my daughter was okay with the yogurt if there was an apple to dip with! Silly girl!

I am also proud to welcome all the super great moms from thebump.com's toddler forums! You ladies rock and I have enjoyed getting to know you through your forums and your love for MTM! Feel free to add your links, if you so wish!

**Oh, and check back here later today as I will be posting all the lovely details about a Muffin Tin Monday Swap (swapping fun muffin tins & accessories for MTM!)**

Did you make a muffin tin meal for your little one? Won't you share it with us?

No Need For The Sunday Paper

Welcome to another edition of No Need For The Sunday Paper!

I love browsing the web for great ideas, tips, and tricks to try at home, here are a few of the sweet things I found this week:

1+1=1: Tools For Tots: Use water and soda bottle tops to help kids learn to spell their names (and other words!). Insanely clever and easy to implement!

Scrapbook.com: 101 Giftbasket ideas. I have read through this a few times and I love all the ideas! There's something in it for every person on your list! Perfect for anytime you need to throw together a thoughtfula nd creative gift-but need a little jumpstart for ideas!

Organizing Junkie's Flickr Pool: French Memo Board Jewelry Organizer. Where we live, I can't hang anything on the walls (don't ask...), so when we move, I am sooo doing this!

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Who needs the Sunday Paper, when you have the word of God!

Here's a verse from the Bible to meditate on this week:

1 Corinthians 2:6-13

6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him"

10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Gift For An 8 Year Old Girl!

What do you think? I think she will like it! It's for a dear family friend's 8th Birthday.

DIY "Color & Create Your Own" Messenger Bag. ($9.00 at Walmart in the kid's crafts section).

I bought her extra colored Sharpies just in case!

Journal Made by me (paper covered compostition book)

Colored Pens for her journal.

UPDATE: She loved it! Yay!

More Bumble Bees!

After our Bumble Bee Beauty Salon Day, the kids wanted to do more activities revolving around bees. So, I decided to make a few cut outs for playing, counting, and the flannel board ( I could have just used felt, but I didn't have any black!).

I made my own bumble bee template using common household items.

I cut out the bodies with scissors...

I made the strips from black circles of the same size as the body.

I mounted the strips using a glue stick.

I addded bubble wrap wings, a cute smile and laminated them (make sure you let any glue dry before you laminate!).

I added a self adhesive velcro square (the rough side) so we could use it on the flannel board.

And speaking of flannel boards...Here's the back of mine, to show you that it's just a piece of foam core with a yard of flannel (bought at 1/2 price, that's why it's brown!) and some duct tape.


These little bees are perfect for counting, stories, and songs!

**tip: you could change up strips and create a matching game, you could number the bees, or only have each bee have a sertain number of strips. Endless possibilities, I tell you!

Things I Googled This Week

Just thought I would share the random things I "googled" this week, in case, out of curiosity, you are wondering.

1. How to cook asparagus (dinner tonight)
2. Ojo De Dios (up coming craft post)
3. 10 News San Diego (where I live)
4. Kittens (for my daughter)
5. Harry Potter (we are going to see it tonight!)

What did you google this week?

Serve Sorbet in a Sugar Rimmed Glass!

Your summer party guests will enjoy their sweet treats a little more with this simple garnishing tip: Rim your dessert glass and/or bowl with coarse decorating sugar! In fact, why wait for summer party guests? Your family will appreciate this simple addition as well! If you want to know, here's how:

1. Find coarse decorating sugar and put it in a shallow bowl or pan. I bought a pre-made watermelon flavored cocktail edger at my local grocery. Worked great!

2. Choose your serving glass and/or dish. Clear is preferable. Wine glasses make perfect single serving dishes for desserts!

3. Using a very damp cloth or sponge, swipe the edge of the dish. (you can also cut a wedge of a small piece of fruit, like a lemon or a lime and use that to rim the glass-best to do with unflavored sugar).

4. Very quickly dip the dish into the sugar, giving it a little turn to cover all the missed spots.

It should look something like this (the very tip of the rim is recommended for drinks):

5. Add a cool and refreshing dessert (mine is raspberry sherbet, the creamy sister of sorbet)

6. Top with two freshly chilled raspberries and a sprig of mint! Simply delicious! And it's a dessert that packs a lot of "wow factor" for very little effort! Happy Entertaining!

Muffin Tin Monday - Theme: Big/Little

Welcome to another edition of Muffin Tin Monday! In case you are new here and asking yourself "Muffin Tin What?" Let me enlighten you...

Muffin Tin Monday is a weekly blog gathering (aka: blog carnival) here at HCO (that's me), where we get together and post submissions via Mr. Linky of the Muffin Tin Meals we have made for our kids! Sometimes there are themes (like today's theme of Big/Little) and sometimes there aren't. For theme updates see my sidebar (it's that way<----------).

We seem to be on a bit of a "muffin tin snack" kick these days. It's due to a lot of things (none of which I will bore you with today). So today for the Big/Little Theme I decided to do Big/Little toppings for our strawberry yogurt. My kids aren't big yogurt eaters, so I was trying to entice, nay, bribe them with yummy toppings. Here's what we ate:

"Big" Teddy Grahams/ "Little" Teddy Grahams

"Big" M&M's/ "Little" M&M's

"Big Choc. Chips/ "Little" Choc. Chips

Served in mini muffin cups!

You can also go the "just mini" route, as pictured below:

Need some inspiration? How about:

Foods inspired by the "Big" Apple!

Foods inspired by "Little" Italy

Foods themed around the children's rhyme "The Isty-Bitsy" Spider

Did you make a Muffin Tin Meal this week? We love seeing and sharing both themed and non-themed tins! Enter it in the Mr. Linky form below!

No Need For The Sunday Paper

It's the afternoon edition of No Need For The Sunday Paper!

Here they are:

Moda Bake Shop: I am simply drooling over this fabulous "piece of cake" apron. I love how it has a detachable pocket in front!

Craft Fail: I nearly peed my pants the other night when I discovered the blog/site Craft Fail. Ever wonder where all those crafts you've made that didn't turn out well go to die? It's here. I could totally relate on so many levels! It's my new compulsive click!

Domestic Dork: I love Holly Noelle's writing style and she has a great post on not only how to increase traffic on your blog, but also what goes into publishing a good blog with good content! Check it out!

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Here are some of my favorite Bible Verses. They make me think of not only my precious children, but how truly treasured I am by My Maker and Creator.

Psalm 139: 13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

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(Preach it, David!)

The Bumble Bee Beauty Salon

We pulled out all of our "beauty gear" recently and played "beauty shop". It was a fun diversion from the occasional "I'm bored!"

We gathered our beauty supplies:

-brushes

-rubberbands

-play mirrors

-empty containers for pretend hair care products

-old make up brushes

We called our clients...We knew they would love a free styling.

We got to work! First up, a wash, blow dry and a good hair brush was in order!

Next up, the curling iron, for that "just so" look!

As always, a good time was had by all. After our clients, we decided to give each other makeovers (Sorry, no photos of that-it was pure hideousness!). It was called "The Bumble Bee" after our aprons and table cloth!