Chore Chart

I have been trying to get a chore chart up & running for months now. I have had two issues with my plans...{1} They get too complicated for my 4 & 6 year old and {2} I have no where to hang 2 chore charts on my walls. However, I do have a HUGE magnet board on my wall. I use the magnet board for school stuff & our smileys reward system. I decided that this would be a great place to stick their chore chart. You could also stick it on your fridge.



Here is what I came up with....




I printed out the "to do/done" chore chart {just click below}. I let the boys pick out some scrapbook paper & then I used double sided tape to stick the "to do/done" chore chart to the scrapbook paper.



I had purchased The Chore Chart Kit from The Ettes and Company. It is on sale right now for $3.00. You could also use clip art {that is what the shoe picture is}. I used the different chore items that I needed & just printed them out in color.

I bought some clear decorative stones that you can get at any craft store.



I was in a hurry & didn't do a tutorial, but it is pretty easy to do. I place the stone over the design & traced the stone around the design so I knew what size & shaped I needed. I did one stone to a design at a time because each stone is a little different. After I the traced circle shape out I put the Mod Podge on the FLAT side of the stone. When I put the Mod Podge on the design...it bled a little bit. Put the circle...design side up..onto the Mod Podged {is that a word?} stone. Let it dry. Use your hot glue gun & glue on a good sized magnet on the back & then you have your chores to be done.

Their chores are:

{bed} make your bed
{homework} do your homework
{toothbrush/toothpaste} brush your teeth
{books} 20 minute nightly reading
{dog} feed the dogs
{clothes} put your dirty clothes in the dirty clothes basket
{shoes} put your shoes away
{toys} put your toes away

Each morning the chores start out on the "to do" side. As they do their chores...they get to move that magnet to the done side. I will give them a smiley for every chore that they did that day & they can redeem the smileys that they earned at the end of the week {as well as the smileys that they earned for good behavior}.

Moustache Bash

We had a fun & simple get together for my hubby's 30th birthday. I was nice & didn't make too big of deal out of the fact that he is 30 {only because I want the same done for me in a few years}. My favorite part of the party was our moustache photo booth. I used brown & black felt to make the moustaches. Then I glued them onto sticks. I just googled moustache silhouette in the images section to get different moustache templates.

I set up my camera & everyone had a blast. It was so much fun!

{I don't want to take the time to get everyone's permission to post this on the blog...so I will only post a few of the pictures, but you get the idea.}

Back on Schedule

Now that summer break is over, I feel like this is the perfect time to get back on a schedule. We had a crazy summer & I will admit that I totally slacked off on my domestic responsibilities. I am shocked at how little I cooked dinner..it was just easier to grab something or throw something simple together. So, I decided to set up a few goals of what I would like to accomplish in our new schedule.

*I will cook a real meal 3-4 times a week. {It is pathetic that this is a goal.}
*The boys will be in bed by 8:00 PM. {Our routine will begin at 7:30 PM.}
*The boys will be responsible to do chores. {SIMPLE chore chart coming soon...}
*We will resume the smiley system. {If you don't know what I am talking about...you can look here. I just need to refill our reward box.}
*Preston & I will work on different learning activities on the days when he doesn't have preschool.

I hope that by posting this...I will be held to keep my goals. Plus, I will be posting more recipes here & more kid activities over on Mommy-Guru. I hope to have my VERY simple chore chart posted on Wednesday. I just have a couple of supplies to pick up.

Biohazard

Hello, my name is Tiffany & I am addicted to freezer paper stencilling.

I am a bit obsessed with making the boys cute freezer paper stencilled shirts. I think one reason is because there are so many cute things to do for girls, but not as much for boys. I saw a REALLY cute boys shirt over at Crap I've Made. She used a Silhouette to cut out the design, but I don't have one...so I cut it out by hand. You can check out my tutorial if you want to know how to do it.

Over the summer I bought Preston a really cute outfit, but after one washing the shirt shrunk so much that I gave it to may nephew who is a year old. I have been looking for a shirt to match the cute plaid shorts that have been sitting in his drawer. When I saw the shirt from Crap I've Made...I knew that this would be the shirt to match Preston's shorts. So...here is the finished product....



I used the image below...

More Shirts...

I am having so much fun with the freezer paper stencilling. We went to Moab & I made the boys shirts to wear. The shirt says "I make dirt look good." Kaden's isn't pictured because he got sick on the way to the trail.



Then, I saw these cute "tombot" dingbat fonts & let the boys each pick their design. I downloaded them for freeeeeee from Fonts.com. I just searched tombots & tombats. There are some really fun things to choose from. I got the little "+" design off of picnik, but I resorted back to photoshop. It is just easier for me! If you want to know more about freezer paper stencilling check out my tutorial.

The boys were nice enough to pose for me! Today was a lucky picture day!!!





Here are the templates that I made for their shirts...just in case you want to use them.

The Last Days of Summer...

The last few weeks of summer have been absolutely amazing!! We have spent some time at Bear Lake...



& then a few days later...we were off to Moab! I love Utah!!



Things will resume shortly! I have been going crazy with freezer paper stencils & I am in the process of making quilts for the boys' beds.

I'll be back...

School is going to be starting in a few weeks, so I have plans to make the best of the last of our summer vacation. I will be back at the beginning of September.

A Super Party!!!

As I mentioned before...I am trying to simplify birthday parties. Our superhero party wasn't SUPER simple, but when I went the extra mile...it was for the kids. We made capes & masks out of felt for all of the kids. That was a hit! I had the capes, masks, letters, & the emblem ready to go. Each kid got to pick their color of cape & letter...then we glued them on with fabric glue.



Then, we had an obstacle course for our "Super Hero Training". They loved the obstacle course. We had a slide, hula hoops, a balance beam, & some tunnels for the kids to climb through. They LOVED it!!!



So, part of my "simplify" plan was to order cupcakes from Sam's Club. I have done this before & they are tasty & pretty cheap. I ordered red, royal blue, & bright yellow. My sweet Dad picked them up for me while I finished some things at home. When they arrived...I had a box of pastel pink, yellow, & blue cupcakes. Uh...not what every 6 year old boy wants at his birthday party. I think it bothered me a bit more than Kaden...however Preston refused to eat a pink frosted cupcake. Oh well, Sam's Club is going to make it right...so I can't complain too much. It just didn't do much for my presentation! I forgot to get a picture of all of the cupcakes before we ate them...so here they are after the fact!



I made a fun banner out of felt that I can reuse. I am going to make one for each family member.



Here is another picture of the banner & the party stuff. I love the colors!!!


I made some cute "POW!!!" & "BAM" designs to put on the goodie bags.



The biggest design went on the front & the little design went on the back to seal up the fold. You could print them out using stickers or print them on regular cardstock & use tape.