We started this weekend with our habitual donuts 🙂 I decided to try a new one that was banana granola flavour. The girls went for something much plainer 🙂 They were excited to receive their Toucan Boxes in the post and we did one of the crafts. They had to make a racoon mask and tail 🙂 My daughter was very amused by the fact the craft pack contained “a smelly sock” for the assembly of the tail 🙂 When they were finished, the tails tied around their waists on ribbons 🙂 It was an effortless craft and provided plenty of entertainment afterwards when they dressed up 🙂
The girls were delighted about the snow yesterday and we ventured out into the garden as soon as we were dressed 🙂 They scooped up all the snow in our garden to make another miniature snow creature. I don’t think we have ever made a full-sized snowman (partly because of the lack of snow, partly a lack of patience on the girls’ part :)) Since the snow “hamster” was so small, we used almonds and cashew nuts for its eyes, nose and mouth 🙂 The girls were convinced the birds ate them off the last snowman’s face as a snack 🙂
I got out a tray of rice with some silicon bun cases and scoops for the girls to play with. They used to do that a lot when they were toddlers, but apparently they haven’t outgrown it 🙂 I might have outgrown cleaning it off the floor though 🙂 They made me lots of “cakes” with experimental flavours and generally made a mess, but they were absorbed by it 🙂
We decided to take advantage of Valentine’s Day approaching to make some themed crafts 🙂 Yesterday, we made little heart hangings 🙂 They were so easy to make – you just thread beads onto pipecleaners, twist the pipecleaners together where the heart meets at the top and then form it into the shape of a heart. Then we added some wool to hang them up 🙂
I’ve still been using Activity Village for print-outs for the girls. I definitely think it’s worth the annual fee of £20 for the number of ideas and resources 🙂 We printed out the Valentine’s bunting project. You just cut each triangle, with flaps to fold attached and glue them onto string, tying it at the ends. It turned out well considering it was just made of patterned paper 🙂
The girls finished their craft afternoon with aqua beads. We had bought a kit a while ago that was languishing in the back of the cupboard, so they made a tree (or rather, the girls started to put the beads on and then left me to finish it off :))
When I had some peace last night, I did some more painting. I’ve been enjoying painting places recently. I love making bright pictures too – it just lifts my mood 🙂 I ordered an art print from an artist called Shayna Klee and I’m so excited about its arrival – it’s just like a burst of colour on a dark day.
I had ordered little colouring cards for the girls for Valentine’s Day from Etsy. They came with crayons attached and I thought they made cute presents 🙂 I also got them little cones filled with sweets to surprise them with at breakfast time (not for breakfast – but they were consumed not long after it!) We watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s and they enjoyed their treats.
Afterwards, I made a little love notes treasure hunt for Valentine’s Day. I just wrote little complimentary messages about the girls on paper and folded them in half, drawing hearts on the outside. Then, I hid them around the house and let the girls search for them and work out what they said by themselves 🙂 I printed out some Valentine’s dominoes from Activity Village and cut them out for the girls. I find cutting things out strangely soothing 🙂
I had seen some little Valentine’s houses on Pinterest, so we made them too. I just used some cardboard and drew the different components for the girls to paint. If you don’t have cardboard, you can just use up whatever you have (I used an empty pizza box :)) The girls painted a heart-shaped roof, a chimney, windows, a door and another little heart decoration in different colours. Then, I added some white glitter to them while the paint was still wet. While they were drying, I got the girls to glue lolly sticks onto another piece of cardboard for the front of the house. When the paint had dried, we cut out the different parts of the houses and the girls stuck them on. I added some pen to define the windows. It was straightforward and the girls were so happy with them 🙂
Tonight, we had a special dinner from a local restaurant. You can order it in advance and pick it up on the day. The girls had their first ribs and enjoyed them (even though it led to a discussion about where they came from/possible vegetarianism!) and we shared some sticky toffee pudding and chocolate tart. I had some coffee and the girls had some little chocolate heart sweets 🙂 I’ve never been a fan of Valentine’s Day, but I find when I shift the focus to making it about my kids, I enjoy it far more 🙂
The Funky Thrifter 