Cool Girls Christmas Crafting: I'm Just Wild About Animal Crackers

Last year we started the tradition of using the Friday after Thanksgiving for a Christmas Crafting Day with me, Mama Cool, and Sista Cool. This year, Mama Cool showed up with pink and white felt, beads, and Mother's Circus Animals animal crackers. Yes, the ones from your youth covered in pink and white sugar-wax and sprinkles. We drew our inspiration from the pattern in Fa La La La Felt, and by the end of the day I had made 4, Mama Cool 2, and Sista Cool 2. We were pumped, and planning kits for friends and family. Best Christmas Craft yet!

The toughest part for me was randomly placing the beads. If you look closely at the elephant, my first one, the beads are very evenly spaced. I worked to become more random, and was eventually helped by pulling out a cookie and copying its sprinkle placement. Any craft with cookies as an inspiration is a winner!

Cutie Pie Saturday: Vanquished

From earlier this month, our brave young hero prepares to vanquish any orcs that hang around. In reality, he has been a bit vanquished by a runny nose. In any case, even though we are late, we would like to say thank you to everyone who reads the blog!

Stay-At-Home Mom Files: Velcro Stage

Thanks to my new Toddler's Busy Book, I continue to find ways to pass our non-park wintertime. This idea involved gluing velcro to a piece of wood, and then the opposite velcro to some small figures.

Mr. Cool kindly supplied the wooden base, McD's and Arby's supplied the circa 1980s figures, and a glue test led to superglue forming the bond of choice. He has been happily ripping and sticking his bear/elephant friends onto the stage all morning!

Cutie Pie Thursday: Busy Week

I helped mom clean up around the house.

I walked on the treadmill with dad.

I was my usual cute and charming self, still obsessed with hats.

I ruggedly modeled my new snow boots.

And I stacked blocks together all on my own.

Stay-At-Home Mom Files: Flannelgraph Mat Man

Don't be scared, dear reader: this is a flannelgraph of one of Lincoln's favorite storytime activities, Mat Man. We sing a song about Mat Man's various body parts, and I thought this was something I could make fairly simply. So, $3 of felt from Hobby Lobby later, Lincoln was bopping along to his home version.

Here he is checking it out.

Without any prompting from me, he realized that the mouth/smile fell off.

Again, without any prompting, he put it back on the face.

Ta-da! Genius! I'm planning to make more smiles/faces/beards/hats, etc.

Mystery Christmas Knitting #5 & #6

What are they? Who are they for?

Cutien Pie Thursday: Gettin' His Grub On

As his bib proclaims, it's chow time!

Lincoln puts his growing fork skills to the test on a beef pastie.

Sometimes, though, you have to two-fist it. A spoon in each hand leads to a lovely squash/yogurt mix.

As he so sweetly says, "yum!"

Cutie Pie Thursday: Just Like the Adults

I like to read before bed.

Sometimes it's hard to pick a DVD to watch.

I find Crocs easy to put on and walk around in. (And for those out there judging, mom says those aren't bags of trash, but bags of clothes she's donating to the ARC.)

I have to get computing done fairly regularly.

You will note that in all shots he's busy and not looking at me--currently, that's about the only way to get a shot of him in which he's not trying to grab the camera.

Mad as Heck for the 400th Post

Good morning, friends! I hope you all voted yesterday, but I'm not mad about politics. For my 400th post, I'm mad about sports. I was reading an article in the SI about concussions and the NFL's new stance on helmet-to-helmet hits, when I came across this passage:

"Even the Players Association was angry about what seemed to be an attempt to make the game safer. 'The skirts need to be taken off in the NFL offices,' said union president Kevin Mawae on ESPN Radio."

What? Seriously? URGH!