Since Mother’s Day is only a few days away, I thought that I would post one final craft that you can do with your kids. I actually thought of these when I was at the grocery store and I was passing the flower department.  There were small terracotta pots with paint brushes and paint sold in little paint your own flower pot kits.  This is a great idea and you can either buy the kit or simply grab the items yourself. 

What you will need:

• Terracotta pot (try to go with a lighter terracotta so you won’t need to apply as much paint to cover up the pot)
• Acrylic paint (you can buy it at the dollar store or you may have some handy since you have been doing some of the crafts I have already listed)
• Sandpaper
• Paint Brushes
• spray sealer

What you will need to do:

1. Clean off the terracotta pot and sand the rough spots and bumps.
2. Have your child paint the terracotta pot.  You can do just about anything with them.  One suggestion, however; is to apply a base coat to the pot prior to actually painting on the designs.  Make sure you allow the paint to dry completely between coats
3. Allow the pot to air dry.  This usually takes a few hours but it is better to give it a full day  before you finish it off.
4. Spray the outside and inside of the terracotta pot.  Usually you will need about 2 to 3 layers.
5. Wrap and give to mom.

To add a little bit more to this gift, you can place a plant in the pot and not only will you have a beautiful gift for mom, but you’ll have the flowers to go with it.

Sirena Van Schaik

• Craft Project: Ice Cube Painting One of the best activities that I have ever done in my class is ice cube painting.  It is fast, fun and children can do a lot of things with the experience.  It is a perfect craft for those hot summers when you want to do something creative while providing......
• Father's Day Craft: Footprint Poem With Father's Day coming up next month, I thought now would be a good time to get started on posting a few Father's Day Craft.  I decided that I would start off with a real tear jerker of a gift idea.  This is one that I made for my husband......
• Mother's Day Craft: Whimsical Bath Salt Bottles You have probably seen these at countless children's festivals or even in stores.  Those nice jars filled with colored sand to create a little 3D art piece.  There are actually two ways to make these but I thought I would use the work of art that can be used for......
• Craft Project: Building a Volcano Well, since I did a cheat sheet on volcanoes and I have talked about them a few times, I thought I would give you a how-to on building a volcano. This is actually a pretty fun activity and many kids can take advantage of this when they need a science......
• Craft Idea: Flower Painting I have been in a spring mood for the last few days and it is a very good thing since spring is after all upon us.  I have purchased my daffodils from the Canadian Cancer Society and they are sitting on my desk at this very moment, filling the air......

• 7 Ways to Help Get Your Security Deposit Back Moving is usually stressful, but you can help yourself a little by making sure you get your security deposit back. There are a number f things you can do to help leave your rental in tip top shape and ensure that you have that 'extra; money coming your way. Thoroughly......
• Lie by Lie: A History of the Iraq War Over at Mother Jones, they have an incredible resource that tracks the history of the Iraq war, and all the lies that led up to it. They go through each step leading up to the war, who said what, and when it was said. From the site: "Lie by......
• How to Save on Paint for Home and Craft Projects Having a whole house to ourselves, Penelope and I often feel like a couple of kids when the parents are absent. We play fetch with the dogs in the hallways and let slobbery tennis balls bounce off the walls. We push furniture around and rearrange the rooms on impulse. We......
• Trapp Candle No.13 Bob's Flower Shoppe 7oz User Reviews Send this to a friend Trapp Candle No.13 Bob's Flower Shoppe 7oz Manufacturer: Customer Rating: List Price: Varies based on product options Sale Price: View Sale Price Availibility: View Product Availability Buy Now Product Description Product Details No details are available for this product Video Reviews No......
• Money Tip - Do Not Use FTD To Have Flowers Delivered. Seeing as how Mother's Day was a few days ago, we of course had to send flowers to Mom. And living 3,000 miles away from her, it is not really possible to deliver them myself. So we used FTD.com to buy flowers and have them delivered, as the local place......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you have decided to dip into the wallet instead of creating some homemade gifts (and yes, both are appreciated), I have put together a few ideas, which are listed below, for finding that perfect gift for mom.

• The Old Standby: Flowers are an excellent choice of gift for anyone and can be a nice thing to wake up to on Mother’s Day morning but it can become too much of a good thing if you find that all your special occasion gifts are bouquets.  If you want to punch up the old standby just a little, try purchasing a bunch of perennials and annuals for the gardening mom in your life, instead of giving her some cut flowers that won’t last very long.  If you are worried about choosing the annuals for her, make a nice trip to the garden center with mom and foot the bill after she chooses all the flowers that she loves.  I know that she might like a little company when she is out flower shopping, and it’s only one day.
• Things that sparkle:  I know jewellery is a big thing for Mother’s Day, although I don’t really get too many jewellery pieces since I tend to lose them.  There are tons of items out there that can provide something special for mom.  I know jewellery stores have charms with mom on them, family rings and just about everything.  One of the nicest pieces of jewellery that I ever received on Mother’s Day was a Wish Pearl.  It came in an oyster and with a hearth shaped cage locket.  The whole premise behind the Wish Pearl is to open the oyster while you make a wish, fish out the pearl (there are different colors signifying different things, I had rose) and you put the pearl in the locket and wear it for good luck.  Another nice idea for jewellery is the Treasure Ring.  I just found these in a magazine advertisement but I think it is really special having my kids names and birth dates engraved on the inside of the ring.  Whether I get one or not really depends on whether I could be trusted enough not to lose it. 
• Pampering goes a long way:  One gift that is appreciated at any time of the year are gift certificates to spas or salons.  Treat mom to a nice facial massage, get her a spa package for an hour, day or if your really nice, a weekend.  Even treating her to a hair cut is a nice way to say, “You do so much, why not take a break and do something for yourself.”

Only three ideas but from there, you can come up with hundreds of ideas.  For most moms, simply taking the time to say, “Happy Mother’s Day,” is worth more than any expensive gift that you could find.  After all, a mom just wants to feel appreciated for doing everything she does. 

Sirena Van Schaik

• A Poem by Helen Keller I am ghostwriting a few chapters on child development right now and found that I needed to fact check a few of the points that I was writing this weekend.  I have boxes upon boxes of reference materials as well as all my notebooks and textbooks from when I was......
• Mother's Day Craft: Painted Flower Pots Since Mother's Day is only a few days away, I thought that I would post one final craft that you can do with your kids. I actually thought of these when I was at the grocery store and I was passing the flower department.  There were small terracotta pots......
• Crafty Recipes: Super Bubbles With summer here, kids are going to be outside a bit more than they were during the winter months and that means that parents will need to have a few more outdoor activities for their kids to enjoy. Since everyone loves bubbles, why not have a recipe ready to create......
• Foster Parent Plan I have mentioned in previous posts that I and my children are foster parents to a child in Kenya.  You can read the article here.  We have been sponsors now since February of this year and although we haven't really received anything from being foster parents, it has been a......
• Helping Myanmar I was going to write a post on child development today but I wanted to take a few moments to mention the cyclone that has killed thousands and has left millions displaced.  Estimates have put the expected death toll to 100,000 and the number could grow as the weeks go......

• Got Last-Minute, Frugal, Mother's Day Tips? Win $25! I totally spaced on Mother's Day this year. I had been running around my job, new dog, and this blog. That doesn't give me a lot of time to research some frugal Mother's Day Gifts. So I figured I'd run an experiment... a little contest. One person who leaves me......
• Challenging Gift Ideas It is always challenging when buying gifts. If you are like me raising two boys alone, you know that sometimes gift buying is challenging. Kids nowadays demand video games, music, and other gifts verses the toys that once made a smile appear. Men are even tired of getting shirts and......
• The Gift of Beauty Ideas Both men and women like things that make them feel good about self. In this highly polluted world, we deal with chemicals, pollutants, media, televised disturbances and so forth. Women and men alike are competing to maintain health, weight, skin, while stopping aging and looking good. One of the leading......
• Its Not So Difficult To Find Creative Gift Ideas! Confessions of a 'Dysfunctional Gift Shopper' I utterly detest shopping for gifts. Although I enjoy gift-giving,  I spend hours going around in circles not quite knowing in the first place what it is I am looking for. I end up buying the same mundane assortment of practical staples like neckties,......
• Children of the Recession: How to Insulate Kids From Financial Fears With unemployment and foreclosure numbers climbing, chances are high that you have friends or family members affected by this recession. When a close friend or family member loses their home, or their job (or both), it is frightening on several levels. You begin to wonder if the same could happen......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What you will need:

• 3  cups of Epsom salt (you can pick this up at any drug store)
• 1 cup baking soda
• a essential oil in a desired scent like jasmine (you can use several and make your own scent but if you aren’t sure how oils blend, I would suggest only using one type.)
• Food Coloring (3 of your desired colors)

Directions:

1. Combine the Epsom salt and the baking powder and stir.
2. Add in the essential oils until you get the desired scent.  Usually 4 or 5 drops.
3. Separate into 3 bowls and add 1 food coloring to each bowl.
4. Mix until the mixture is not clumpy and is a soft powder instead.
5. Take a nice jar (which can be purchased at a craft store or dollar store) and pour the bath salts into the bottle in a design. 
6. Take a knife and slide it down the side of the bottle so the layers of bath salt blends in with the other ones is the occasional spot. 
7. Wrap and give to mom.

On a side note, it is important to pour in enough salt so that it is within a mm of the top of the jar.  If there is too much space in the top of the jar, the bath salts will blend together and the beautiful effect will be ruined. 

Sirena Van Schaik 

• Mother's Day Craft: Handprint Garden Stone I know that Mother's Day is still a month away but it can take some time to decide upon (or create) the perfect gift.  I wanted to give everyone a chance to get started or to have a few options to choose from so I will be putting up a craft each......
• Crafty Recipes: Face Paint With Halloween a little over a month away, I like to start planning out some things for Halloween. It is a great time of the year, one of my favorites and in a few short weeks, if you celebrate Halloween, you will be getting costumes ready and all the other......
• Craft Idea: Flower Painting I have been in a spring mood for the last few days and it is a very good thing since spring is after all upon us.  I have purchased my daffodils from the Canadian Cancer Society and they are sitting on my desk at this very moment, filling the air......
• Crafty Recipe: Ewww....Snot! Today, I thought I would get back to supplying everyone with another fun recipe to make with your kids and decided that maybe what we need is something really gross.  Nothing can be much grosser than snot and I have two recipes that you can use.  One is for older......
• Crafty Recipes: Milk Paint Okay, this is a very interesting paint since the end result provides a very shiny finish to the painting. It isn't a paint that you will want to save but much like tongue painting, you can have a lot of fun with this paint. It is very easy to make,......

• Choosing Between Popular Perfume Brands Have you ever purchased a popular perfume based on a friend's recommendation? I've done that before, and lived to regret it. No matter how much your best friend or fashion and scent soulmate loves a popular perfume, it's no guarantee that you won't absolutely cringe when you smell it. There's......
• 10 Free DIY Bath & Body Recipes! From TracyReneesTreasures.com Try your hand at your own do-it-yourself bath & body recipes! 1. Apple Tart Soap 4oz. Clear, Unscented Glycerine Soap 1 Tablespoon Liquid Soap 1 teaspoon Liquid Glycerine 1/2 teaspoon Apple Fragrance Oil 2 Drops Red Food Color 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon Melt soap in small pan over......
• Simple Blueberry Muffin Recipe It amazes me every time I see a Muffin Mix in the store. Their seems to be no since why you would use a packaged mix when it is so easy to create them from scratch. This Simple Blueberry Muffin Recipe is tops. Very easy to make and is......
• Where to Shop for Cologne When it comes to choosing a cologne fragrance there are literally thousands of choices to pick from. With so many choices it can be hard to decide on a fragrance. You see fragrance scents everywhere you go so how do you know the best places to shop for cologne? Here......
• Gensen No Tanoshimi Hot Springs Bath Salts Assortment Pack from Nihon no Meito (Ten 30g Packets, 300g total) User Reviews Send this to a friend Gensen No Tanoshimi Hot Springs Bath Salts Assortment Pack from Nihon no Meito (Ten 30g Packets, 300g total) Manufacturer: TSUMURA Customer Rating: List Price: $12.99 Sale Price: $12.25 Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Now Product Description Enjoy famous Japanese......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Mothers’ Day Gift Booklets

What you need: 

• A4 paper, coloured or white

• Glue

• Transparent tape

• Good scissors

• Old cards

• Old Magazines

• Wrapping paper

• Stickers, glitter, and rubber-stamps (optional)

Method:

1. Go through magazines and find pictures, prayers, quotations, puzzles, that you like.

2. “Cover” one sheet with wrapping paper on either side.

3. Bind the edges with tape, and set aside.

4. Fold each sheet, including the ‘cover’, in half.

5. On each page, stick a picture and a recipe, or quote, or puzzle; the latter may overlap the former.

6. When you are ready, attach sheets on top of one another down the centre to form booklet; attach cover last.

7. Find letters from feature articles that spell out the message you want to convey, and use as necessary.

8. If you want, you can decorate further with stickers, rubber-stamps and glitter.

9. It is vital to include the occasion and the year on the front of the card, and optional to include the name of the recipient and the date.

• Craft Project: Building a Volcano Well, since I did a cheat sheet on volcanoes and I have talked about them a few times, I thought I would give you a how-to on building a volcano. This is actually a pretty fun activity and many kids can take advantage of this when they need a science......
• Craft Projects: A Cornucopia of Thanks I know, Thanksgiving isn't for another few months, well actually it isn't for a month for those celebrating it in Canada, which is part of the reason why I am starting to post a few craft ideas.  This always seems to be the busy time of year when everyone is......
• Mother's Day Craft: Painted Flower Pots Since Mother's Day is only a few days away, I thought that I would post one final craft that you can do with your kids. I actually thought of these when I was at the grocery store and I was passing the flower department.  There were small terracotta pots......
• Craft Project: Bubble Painting #1 Bubbles are often a hit with children and I have yet to meet a child that didn't love bubbles. For this reason alone, bubble painting is often a big hit with kids and there are a number of ways to do bubble painting. For this activity, I am going to......
• Craft Projects: Lifesized Frankenstein Wooooooo! The wind howled through the trees and warned of all the evil thrills that graced the night. It was Halloween and everyone from spooks to mice were excited by the events that would unfold... Of course it isn't Halloween yet but I thought I would kick off the Halloween......

• Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days. Some of us are always looking to......
• Stamps on Cover [/caption]To those of you out there that are new to the stamp collecting world, much like me, you may wonder what exactly stamps on cover are. I know I was curious, so I went searching for some information on stamps on cover, and found it to be very interesting. A......
• Condition Guide of Stamp Collectibles Condition The condition of stamp collectibles is a description of a stamps paper, gum (when dealing with mint stamps), and ink characteristics. The most adequate description of a stamp should be concise but still use as many words as necessary to properly describe the stamp. For example, a early British......
• Stamp Booklet Stamps -> Europe -> Germany & Area A stamp booklet is now a popular way for countries to sell postage stamps because they're smaller and easier to handle that a sheet of stamps or loose stamps. In the United States however, the booklet has given way to a folded sheet......
• Dealing with Drywall Damage A common result of when you have a plumbing problem or a leak is water damage to the drywall in your home. However, because water damage will not simply go away, it is a home repair project that should absolutely take priority on your agenda. Trying to spot water damage?......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What you will need:

• Large men’s sports socks (preferably brand new and they should always be clean and white)
• Flax Seed
• Fabric Paint
• Funnel
• Scoop
• Lavendar or some other essential oil (this is optional)

Directions:

1. Take the large sock and allow your child the time to draw beautiful pictures on the sock.
2. Allow the sock to dry completely, it will usually take a day or two for the fabric paint to dry.
3. Place funnel in the opening of the sock, and scoop the flax seed into the sock.  Leave about a quarter of it unfilled for tying.
4. Place in a few drops of essential oil (optional)
5. Knot the end of the sock.  Do not place anything on the end since these socks will be microwaved later.
6. Wrap up and give to mom with the directions.

To use these neck wraps, all mom will have to do is place it into the microwave and warm it for about 30 seconds (possibly longer but it should only be heated in 20 – 30 second increments).  After that, simply place it around the neck for a warm compress to sooth aching neck and shoulder muscles. If you prefer cold to heat, you can place it in the freezer for about a half hour or longer and use it as a cold compress.

When I first tried this activity, I wasn’t exactly sure that they were as wonderful as I had been told but I have tried a neck wrap myself and they work wonders.  They also hold the heat for a significant amount of time. 

This is also a great gift for dad on Father’s Day but we’ll talk about that after Mother’s Day.

• Mother's Day Gift Ideas With Mother's Day less than a week away, many of you are probably thinking about what you need to get your mother or possibly your spouse on behalf of your kids.  I am a firm believer that a spouse should pick up the reigns of Mother's Day or Father's Day if the......
• The Volunteering Mom Ever since I was a young girl I swore that I would never be "one of those women."  The ones that went to PTA meetings, bake sales or anything that dealt with being a stay at home mom like Mrs. Cleaver.  I was constantly bombarded with images that being "one......
• Mother's Day Craft: Whimsical Bath Salt Bottles You have probably seen these at countless children's festivals or even in stores.  Those nice jars filled with colored sand to create a little 3D art piece.  There are actually two ways to make these but I thought I would use the work of art that can be used for......
• Teen Pregnancy This last week I came across an ad featuring the latest headlines from OK! Magazine. Normally, I would glance at the headlines, roll my eyes and wish for a world where we are not obsessed with celebrities. They are, after all, only people who have done exceptionally well in their......
• Mother's Day Craft: Painted Flower Pots Since Mother's Day is only a few days away, I thought that I would post one final craft that you can do with your kids. I actually thought of these when I was at the grocery store and I was passing the flower department.  There were small terracotta pots......

• Lemongrass & Orange Aromatherapy Candle- 24 hr. burn time- made with 100% pure essential oils User Reviews Send this to a friend Lemongrass & Orange Aromatherapy Candle- 24 hr. burn time- made with 100% pure essential oils Manufacturer: Customer Rating: List Price: Varies based on product options Sale Price: View Sale Price Availibility: View Product Availability Buy Now Product Description Product Details No details......
• Essential Oil Lemon 0.50 Ounces User Reviews Send this to a friend Essential Oil Lemon 0.50 Ounces Manufacturer: Customer Rating: List Price: Varies based on product options Sale Price: View Sale Price Availibility: View Product Availability Buy Now Product Description Product Details No details are available for this product Video Reviews No video reviews......
• Frankincense & Patchouli Aromatherapy Candle- 24 hr. burn time- made with 100% pure essential oils User Reviews Send this to a friend Frankincense & Patchouli Aromatherapy Candle- 24 hr. burn time- made with 100% pure essential oils Manufacturer: Plantlife Customer Rating: List Price: $8.95 Sale Price: $7.45 Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Now Product Description Our aromatherapy candles are made with......
• 50 Free DIY Bath & Body Recipes From TracyReneesTreasures.com Click here for the first 10 recipes! 11. Bath Cookies 2 cups finely ground sea salt 1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 cup cornstarch 2 tbs. light oil 1 tsp. vitamin E oil 2 eggs 5-6 drops essential oil Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix together all the ingredients.......
• Feng Shui Use of Essential Oils Rodika Tchi from About.com has written a one of the most informative articles on  feng shui energy and essential oils... Here's are some of your essential questions that are about to get answered: What type of essential oils are perfect for bedroom to create good feng shui energy? What......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

 The first craft is very simple and really doesn’t take that much time.

You will need:

• Cement or Plaster of Paris (If you are putting this outside, use cement since it will need to withstand the weather.)
• Mosaic Stones, gems or little charms
• A plastic cake lid from the bakery (the deep round ones or if you can’t find those, purchase some of the round plastic plant trays)

You will also need a bucket and a stick to stir the cement.

How you make them:

1. Mix the cement according to the directions on the bag. 
2. Pour the cement into the cake lid.  The amount usually depends on the depth of your cake pan but usually you want to fill it about a quarter full (at least 2 inches)
3. Smooth out the top with a stick but also tap it to remove any air bubbles.  Be careful when you do this since the dish can crack if you tap it too hard.
4. Leave it to set, usually about a half hour to an hour. 
5. Place your child’s hand in the cement and then allow them to decorate with the mosaic stones, gems and other goodies
6. Take a popsicle stick and write your child’s name and age on the stone for memories.
7. Allow the cement to set fully in a dry out of the way area.  Try to avoid moving them too much since movement can ruin the images.  Usually it should take 2 to 3 days for the cement to set.
8. Pop out of the dish, wrap and give to mom.

If you would like to color the garden stone, you can either mix cement dye in when you are mixing it or your child can paint an image on.  If the stone is being placed in the garden, I would strongly recommend the former since the paint can fade and flake off if left to the elements. 

Whether she is a gardener or not, any mother would love to receive one of these beautiful garden stones.

 Sirena Van Schaik

• Cheat Sheets: Toads Well, it's time for another cheat sheet for parents to add to their little resource library of things their children are going to encounter. I felt that toads are a great example because most children experience a frog or a toad and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference......
• Crafty Recipes: Milk Paint Okay, this is a very interesting paint since the end result provides a very shiny finish to the painting. It isn't a paint that you will want to save but much like tongue painting, you can have a lot of fun with this paint. It is very easy to make,......
• Crafty Recipes: Face Paint With Halloween a little over a month away, I like to start planning out some things for Halloween. It is a great time of the year, one of my favorites and in a few short weeks, if you celebrate Halloween, you will be getting costumes ready and all the other......
• Mother's Day Gift Ideas With Mother's Day less than a week away, many of you are probably thinking about what you need to get your mother or possibly your spouse on behalf of your kids.  I am a firm believer that a spouse should pick up the reigns of Mother's Day or Father's Day if the......
• Mother's Day Craft: Relaxing Neck Wraps  This is a great little craft to make any mom who enjoys unwinding in the tub or propped up on the bed with a good book.  They are easy to make, are fairly inexpensive and can be made by any child of any age. What you will need: Large men's......

• The Country Garden Touch Are you trying to create the unique touch of a country garden in your own garden space? Do you want your backyard to emanate that country landscaping touch? You can absolutely have exactly what you are looking for in a country garden, and no, it does not require you to......
• Human rights activist tries to stop death by stoning for Iranian woman [/caption] A veteran Iranian human rights activist has warned that Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, could be stoned to death at any moment under the terms of a death sentence handed down by Iranian authorities. Only an international campaign designed to pressure the regime in Tehran can save......
• Outdoor and Gardens Buying Guide Gardening is interesting activity related with practice to growing useful plants. Ornamental plants could be vegetables, herb and fruits. Despite that plants, flowers can be planted in garden, however to plant a flowers, you should know what type of flowers able to live in your area, since climate and temperate......
• Linda's Gluten-Free Rice Chex Crust Cheesecake (This is a wonderfully innovative and delicious recipe that serves about 10 people.) [/caption] Crust:      Crust Ingredients: 3 cups of crushed Rice Chex cereal. * G-F Brand. 1  and 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. 3 tbsp of melted butter. * G-F Brand.      Crust Process: Mix all the......
• Cute Country Landscaping Ideas If you are designing a country garden landscape, you are probably already aware of the fact that there are an endless myriad of different things that you can do to turn your landscaping endeavor into something that is truly unique. There are all kinds of different elements in your landscaping......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.