Monday, August 15, 2011

Best. Craft. Ever.

Yesterday we did our best craft yet.  The best part is that it's pretty cheap (4 ingredients...1 is water), and pretty easy to mix together.  The kids did all of it...oh yea...what did we make you ask?...SLIME!!
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/09/kids-in-the-kitchen-slime/
So that website as the recipe and instructions.  But you only need Borax (I had no idea what that was, but it's in the laundry detergent aisle.  $5 for a big box), glue (we used clear, but you can use white as well, you just won't be able to see through it), food color, and water.
Seriously, it was an awesome craft.  They were so impressed with me!
The kids were able to do each step, we just had to have a quick talk about not eating it...Maddie...
Maddie mixed the glue, water, and food color together.  This is the only step that can really stain.  Once the slime comes together the color stays put.  We had no staining what-so-ever.

So Payton poured our Borax/water mix into Maddie's glue/water/food color mix and then the coolest part happens.  It looks like you're just dipping your hands into water, but then you can pull the water up into a slime!  It blew their minds...mine too.  So pull the slime up and get rid of the extra water in the bowl.  After that it comes together and it acts a lot like Play-Doh. 


It looks like a huge mess, but you smash all together and it sticks...so you pick it up just like Play-Doh.
You can also smooth it out and when it gets thin you can see through it as clear as a window.  It is seriously wild stuff.  It had all of us, including me, mesmerized for a couple hours.


It met all of Maddie's tactile needs.  When you leave it alone, it gets smooth and glassy, it melts into itself, and when you roll it into a ball...it BOUNCES!!  So cool.

We only have two day left before the chaos of school starts.  Payton goes back on Wednesday and I start next Monday.  I'm trying to lay back and enjoy our last days, but anxiety is creeping in a bit and I'm starting to wish I could just start this so I can get it over with.  I have one more project to finish this week for my nephew's first birthday.  The countdown to Graduation shows 1 year, 8 months, 25 days, 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 29 seconds...again, providing it's a 12:00pm ceremony.  :)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Lie to me...

Luckily I have a very good imagination.  It has come in handy this last month.  In my house, I see beautiful things that I use to make believe that I actually live in a little coastal town of Maine.  It's 73 degrees outside...not 114.  Hmmm...I think we'll have fresh crab for supper, because that's what we do here in Maine.  Seriously, the weather has really taxed my imagination.  It's almost too much work to keep it up. 

But we caught a break yesterday.  It was seriously nice outside.  We had a late night storm and it actually rained enough to bring the humidity down, which doesn't usually happen.  It also stayed nice and cloudy so I was able to FINALLY have the windows open!!  Excited doesn't even begin to describe it.  Okay, you want the honest truth?...I cried.  Just a little squirt, but still.

I popped popcorn and put the game on.  Okay, so it was a rerun game from 2008, but STILL.  It was football dang it.  Windows open...football on....popcorn popped.  Heaven.

Last night it was still nice enough to do lawn Olympics.  Bathed and jammied and running around until it got dark.  What's even cooler is that it's been too hot for the mosquitoes, so we didn't even have to goob them up with bug spray.
Ella was serenading the sky.  Seriously, she was laying there and singing to the sky.  "So bluuuuuuuue and so preeeeeeetty and so bluuuuuuuuu"  Very inspired.  A future John Denver if you ask me.


I call this one, "MOOOOOOON!"

He may be a genius, but he still has a 4th grade sense of humor.

Transformers pajammies.  Manly man.


Maddie in camo.
It was a nice night.
I also found a countdown timer for my computer.  Countdown is on for graduation from nursing school.
1 year, 8 months, 30 days, 12 hours, 36 minutes, 51 seconds..providing it's a 12:00 ceremony.
Charging ahead.