Monthly Archives: March 2013

Surprising Art

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

I’m making my blog post today as a tribute to my daughter’s art.  It’s a blog art gallery for her.

The other day she was quietly working on the dining room table.  She was drawing, coloring, cutting, and gluing away.  I simply thought that she was doing one of her wonderful drawings, but boy was I ever wrong.  When she finished she surprised me with this piece:

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Is this call 2D or 3D art?  I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s absolutely beautiful.  I was speechless and in awe when she presented it to me.  By the way that’s me under the rainbow!  Do you love my red lips?  🙂  I asked her how she came up with this idea and she responded by saying that she had seen her arts and crafts teacher doing this project with another class so she decided to make one of her own.  Simply fabulous.  We looked at it and I, of course, took several pictures.  Then my daughter realized that she didn’t include her daddy.  I told her if you want to include more into your masterpiece, go ahead.

IMG_4260text Here’s the finished project:  She drew her dad, sister, and herself (on top of the rainbow).  Oh, she also gave me a lollipop in my hand.  Now, it’s complete!

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The artist, Olivia!

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This last piece she drew yesterday.  She used stickers and made little flowers out of them, drew a cool airplane, connected the star stickers, and as you can see one of her characters is sad.  Why?  Well, that’s her and she’s sad because she’s running a fever and next to her is me.  I love how she made me shorter than her (I’m short, but not that short.)  We’re battling germs again, but she’s getting better.  Taking her medicine and drinking lots of water, plus resting.  Since it’s spring recess, I’m happy that she’s able to get better without missing school.

So there you have it.  I hope you enjoyed this short, but sweet art gallery presentation by Olivia.

Encourage art and you’ll be presented with amazing creations.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

A wiggly tooth

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silverlicious

Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

My oldest daughter has her first wiggly tooth.

I thought that was supposed to happen around the age of 6.

Oh wait, she’s turning 6.  In June.  Of this year.

Time really does fly.

PLEASE slow down a bit.

😦

Take good care all.

Until next time…

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http://www.canadianfamily.ca/kids/pregnancy/your-childs-loose-tooth/

My dad is not computer savvy

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  My dad’s birthday is coming up and he’s the hardest person to shop for in my family and that’s only because if you ask him (I stopped asking him a long time ago) what he needs or wants for his special day, he’d tell you to save your money because he doesn’t need anything.  Your presence is worth more to him and I love that, but I want to give him gifts.  Many, many gifts.  Yet, he gives me no hints, no clues, so I’m on my own.

My dad is the kind of person that you always want by your side if you’re ever in trouble.  I haven’t been in any trouble yet, knock on wood, but if I ever needed support from someone other than my husband, he would be the first one I’d call.  He was by my mother’s side EVERY SINGLE DAY after she fell ill two years ago (he only went home at night when visiting hours were over and as she progressed he went back to work and was quickly by her side after work at the hospital and then at the rehab facility until she came home).  He loves being a grandfather and hearing my girls call him Pop Pop.  He wears the t-shirts, that I make him with the girls pictures, with great pride.  He does have his flaws.  Who doesn’t?  He can be impatient, a “sunday” driver, and he’s stubborn as heck, but he’s my dad.  The man who still loves my mom after many years and always went to work because he had a family to support.  I want to give him gifts.  Many, many gifts and even though they’re not expensive, I know wholeheartedly that he’s going to appreciate every single thing that we give him because he’s a great man.

I went to my second home, Target, and walked around the Mens Department.  I love this freaking place.  I was able to pick up several items and then I went to Payless and got him some cool slip on shoes.  I wanted to share a picture of what I got him and because my dad is not computer savvy at all, there’s no risk of him ever seeing this before his birthday.  He totally balks at the notion of being online, but at the same time calls me to book him a flight to Puerto Rico and find him the best deals on something that he needs.  🙂  He’s funny that way.

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Target: Mossimo Supply Co. short sleeve v-neck striped shirt, Merona 6 pack 100% cotton handkerchiefs (my dad carries a handkerchief with him every single day, he’s so wonderfully old school), 2 pair Auro Goldtoe socks, and a Merona Navy Canvas Dopp bag.

Payless: Airwalk Men’s Cale Slip-On shoes in Grey http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?catId=cat10089&subCatId=cat10295&skuId=130421070&productId=72845&lotId=130421&category=&catdisplayName=Mens

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I found a birthday card (Target’s $1.00 card section) with beer on the front.  How great and perfect is that for any man who loves a pint of beer?  Best card ever I say!

This post is intended to give you some gift ideas for men and it’s also for my dad, whom I love very, very much.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Egg-celent Day!

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

Today was the first day of my daughter’s Spring Recess and to kick it off, I decided to dye our first eggs at home.  Yes, it’s another egg story.  🙂 I took their yellow Little Tikes table to the kitchen because it’s the brightest room in the house plus the cleaning supplies are there too, just kidding, not really.  Yesterday, we purchased this kit at Target.

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I chose the Marble Magic effect.  Inside you’ll find an egg dipper and color tablets.  Instructions are on the back of the box.

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I chose to add vinegar to the tablets for a more vibrant color per the instructions.  I hard-boiled four of the eggs.  The other two were emptied out by my husband the day before.  I dissolved the tablets and got green, blue, and pink.  Then I added ½ cup of water to each.

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We dipped the eggs and my oldest daughter decided to use her M & M’s toy fan to speed up the drying process while my youngest was fascinated and kept looking into the cup.  I had to watch her closely in case she decided to take a sip.

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We dipped some of the eggs into two colors and achieved somewhat of a marble effect.  It looks more speckled to me, but the girls were happy with the results and that’s all that matters.  The Peter Rabbit egg holders were very handy.  Aren’t they adorable?

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Olivia took her markers and got even more creative.  It’s a girl holding a basket with an egg.  Love it!

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She also used glitter glue to decorate the eggs.

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Here’s the Peter Rabbit basket made out of cardstock.  It was super easy to make and absolutely adorable.  I glued the characters to the basket, but used masking tape for the basket itself.  If you want to make one for your kiddo click here http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/peter-rabbit-egg-basket.jhtml

I had a lot of fun dyeing these eggs with my daughters and we’re going to be making more because my husband was working today and missed out.  We Skyped him at his job, once we finished, so he could see the results and he was super happy to see us and our marbled/speckled eggs.  This will be my last post on eggs, I promise.  I do hope you guys enjoyed our adventure in egg land.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

DIY Easter Decorations

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  I love making my own decorations for the holidays, especially when there’s a ton of ideas online.  I’m currently decorating for Easter and found a great banner idea as well as adorable DIY paper carrots.  I combined those ideas and included some plastic eggs and created this banner for the hallway outside my door.

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You can see the instructions and printable template for the easter egg banner here http://www.creationsbykara.com/2012/03/easter-craft-easy-easter-egg-banner.html and pictures of the paper carrots here http://www2.fiskars.com/Crafting/Projects/Holiday/Easter/Easter-Egg-Hunt#.UUiNKlqMHUM

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I used card stock to print out the template for the easter egg banner.  I then used several decorative papers for the banner and used construction paper for the carrots.  To hang these up I used pink and white baker’s twine.

At nickjr.com, there’s a whole bunch of crafting projects and I made the peter rabbit holiday garland (http://www.nickjr.com/printables/peter-rabbit-holiday-garlands.jhtml) because my youngest likes Peter Rabbit.  I also printed out egg holders (http://www.nickjr.com/printables/peter-rabbit-easter-eggs.jhtml) and an egg basket (http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/peter-rabbit-egg-basket.jhtml) for when we start dyeing our easter eggs at home.  Since my daughter dyed her first eggs at school, she’s super excited to do it again.

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When I picked her up from school yesterday I brought her a basket so she could carry home her masterpiece dyed eggs.  She’s in love with them and wants to keep them forever.  🙂

There’s definitely more egg stories to come.  I’m also planning my youngest daughter’s birthday at a snail’s pace.  So far, I only have a theme, Nickelodeon’s Bubble Guppies, and I’m planning on using the free printables on nickjr.com to decorate.  Again, I’m leaving everything for the last minute, but isn’t that how it’s really done?

Take good care all.

Until next time…

30 Day Spring Cleaning Plan

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking a look.  I really appreciate it, especially when you guys LIKE a post or leave a comment.  It’s quite addicting I have to admit so thanks, for the likes, that is. 🙂

It’s springtime and you know what that means: SPRING CLEANING.  I know, “Ugh,” but it has to be done (in my case for the sake of my children and the air they’re breathing in) and I’ve been looking for plans on how to spring clean my home little by little because that’s how I like to do things.  I tackle one big thing, one day at a time or maybe two days.  It depends on my mood or level of laziness.  Luckily, I received an email from homemadesimple.com with a great 30 Day Spring Cleaning plan that looks pretty good and I’m going to try to check things off day by day.

If you want to take a glance at this plan, check it out here: http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-US/Cleaning/Pages/30-day-spring-cleaning-plan.aspx?utm_source=email&utm_medium=single%2Bfocus&utm_campaign=30%2BDay%2BSpring%2BCleaning

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Welcome Spring!

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

Some mornings are very hectic in my household even when I try to have things laid out already.  Time is a sneaky little monster that jumps out horribly at you when you’re trying to put shoes on, zip up sweaters, wrap scarves around, and place hats on two little girls with ants in their pants.  Oh, and don’t forget bundling yourself up.  Today was a good day.  I was able to leave the house on time and actually walk my daughter to school instead of jogging/running with her there before they slam close the doors.  She doesn’t mind the fast pace though because in her case she BOUNCES her way to school with excitement practically every day.  My kid doesn’t do walking, unless there’s three feet of snow in which then she wants to drag her feet and bask in the glory of snow heaven.  Other than that, it’s all running everywhere.

This morning my daughter was EXTRA excited because they were going to dye eggs in her classroom.  Her teacher asked that the kids bring in two hard-boiled eggs and I was brainstorming yesterday night on how I was going to transport these eggs without them cracking in her bag.  I thought, “Why not use the egg carton itself?” so I cut off one of the ends of the styrofoam carton and placed the eggs like this:

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Then I put it into a food storage container that fit perfectly and off to school she went with her eggs safely in her backpack.  I don’t really remember if I ever dyed Easter eggs with my mom or even in school, but this year we’re definitely going to be dyeing some eggs come Easter week-end.  I just have to remember to be patient and have fun, no matter what messes occur.  Let the cracked eggs and spilled paint fall where they may.  That’s what brooms and paper towels are made for, but just in case I will repeat silently this little mantra, “Just let go and make sweet memories.  That’s all that matters!”

Today is the start of Spring so lets welcome it with open arms even if we’re still bundled up over here in Brooklyn.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Hippity Hop, Easter’s on its way!

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  Next week is spring recess (schools are closed), but before that happens my daughter’s class is going to have an Easter celebration this Friday coming.  Her teacher asked for students to bring in a treat to share.  I decided to do the same thing I did for Valentine’s Day.  I just changed it to Easter.  I went online and googled easter bunny coloring page and picked this image:

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http://www.ikidspage.com/55-happy-easter-from-bunny

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I printed out six bunnies to a page and cut them out.  I inserted one bunny and a pack of mixed fruit gummies into a treat bag for my daughter’s classmates.  Now they can enjoy a treat and color a cute bunny with an Easter egg.  Simple and hopefully everyone will enjoy!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

I don’t want to see you, love sis

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  Yesterday, it happened!  I’ve heard stories about this, but didn’t think that it was going to happen for a while, but yesterday it did.  It went down in the Mercado household.  My daughter wrote her first “I’m mad at you” note to her little sister!  It’s not funny, (but it actually is a tiny bit) because my daughter was serious.  They were playing in our hallway, but then little sis didn’t want to listen to big sis so she went into her room furious.  A couple of minutes later you heard big sis asking us, “How do you spell blah, blah, blah?”  My husband and I were in the kitchen and we looked at each other and said, “Uh oh.”  He went off to assist her.  A few minutes later, my serious daughter came into the kitchen and handed me this:

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These words convey so much emotion (that’s why technically it’s not funny, but I did giggle to myself in private because it’s amazing how she thought about doing this on her own, writing out her feelings) and her drawings as she explained to me were of herself and her little sister, sad and crying.  She was sad and crying because little sis didn’t want to listen to her and little sis was sad and crying because she didn’t want to listen to big sis.  I’m simply astounded with my daughter and how she felt it necessary to let her sister know exactly what she was feeling, even though little sis can’t read at the moment.  She just wanted to get her point across because as she tells me, “she has to listen to me because I’m the big sister.”  RESPECT!  Of course I HAD to take a picture of her note so she can see it in the future and hopefully laugh about it and little sis can finally read it in case it gets misplaced.  Everyday is something new, whether a funny or serious sentence is said or written.  I love this part of parenthood.  The little, but meaningful surprises that children gift us.

Take good care all.

Until next time…