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Mix a new iPad for Mother's Day with one little boy who can't get enough pictures of himself, and this is what you get:

I Heart Social Media

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I like social media. It's a good way to see if that friend from high school ever accomplished all those wonderful big dreams, or to be shocked when you find out that "ZOMG! THEY got married?" (I think that is the first time I have ever typed that)!

Alas, my nosiness aside, I love social media for another reason too. It helps you find awesome like-minded people that are interested in things that you are interested in even if they are all the way around the world. That being said, I decided to give this little old blog it's very own Facebook page.  Feel free to head on over OR click the link on the side of this blog. If you let me know that you are following me, I'd be happy to follow you back, if I'm not already!

(Also, I've noticed my Google Friend Connect has been having some problems. Right now, it is blank. Does anyone know how to fix it)?

Make your own sidewalk chalk paint

When we were playing outside the other day, Logan requested sidewalk chalk. We have a ridiculous amount of sidewalk chalk. I bought some at a local big box store when they were having summer clearance, and I don't suspect that we will run out anytime in the next few years. But I need to admit, I was sick of drawing with sidewalk chalk. So, I uttered my famous, "I have an idea....." phrase to Logan and he was quickly excited about attempting something new.

The other day while reading a post at {Share and Remember}, I found a recipe to make sidewalk chalk paint. If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you probably know that Logan loves anything involving painting. The messier this kiddo can get, the better in his book. This recipe cost me nothing to make, since I had all of the ingredients already on hand. I took a 1/4 of a cup  of cornstarch and 1/4 of a cup of water and added it to a container. Then I added around five drops of food coloring and stirred it up until it had no clumps left. I only made two colors my first time around: 

When painting the colors go on pretty brightly, but they do dry close to white.  I had to use our sidewalk though, since I don't have a paved driveway (one of the many things still on our to-do list) yet. I bet on a darker surface this would be less of a problem. I probably should have added more food coloring, but I was worried about staining clothes.If you attempt to do this activity, I have just a bit of advice. As it sits, sometimes the paint starts to get thicker and more clumpy. I just added a bit more water and stirred it. It seemed to solve the problem. 

As soon as we got outside, we both took a brush and got to painting: 

The paint ran out long before Logan's interest in the activity did. 

Once we had used up every last bit, we extended the activity by filling up a watering can and watching the paint wash away. We live on a bit of a slope, so Logan was fascinated by the way the water rolled down the hill, and washed away different parts of each of his paintings.

Since this was such a popular activity we have already made this recipe again. I think it is definitely a new favorite!

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http://quirkymomma.com/2011/quirky-kids-snacks/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TipsForMomsActivitiesForKidsByQuirkyMommas+%28Tips+for+Moms%2C+Activities+for+kids+by+Quirky+Mommas%29

Stuff my kid says #10

I asked Logan what he was making while he was digging intently in the sand table. "A grotto," he said not even looking up. A few minutes later he found a stick and sunk it into the sand. Without me asking, he pointed to it and explained, "That's a property line."

Day out with Thomas

We recently had a family outing to have a day out with Thomas the Tank Engine. Logan is not a huge fan of the television show, but he knows Thomas from his cousins who have a huge love of Thomas. Once we arrived at the train station, Logan was so excited! Thomas was the engine that took us on a train ride. (Since there were A LOT of other people in the picture, I decided not to post it). As soon as we got there, we were able to get our picture with Thomas and his friends.

Next, Logan went for a ride on his first ride. He really doesn't like any rides, but he did want to try this one. He was excited until the ride started. Then, he looked like this for the remainder of the ride:

Logan also had another first. He was able to get his face painted. He sat perfectly still and showed off his train  to anyone that would pay attention. He was very sad when he had to wash it off before bedtime.

But he perked up when he came across a clown who was making balloon animals! When the clown asked him what he wanted, Logan quickly responded with, "A donkey!" But since the clown never made one of those, he settled for a pink dog.

Right before our train ride, the sky opened up and it down poured. Luckily, we were under a tent and then on the train ride the remainder of the rain storm. Logan was amazed by the train. He loved every minute of it!

It was such a wonderful day. We were able to spend some much needed time as a family. Most importantly, there is no greater joy in life than seeing the joy in your child. 

Drawing with melted crayons- Kind of

A lot of people have written about painting with melted crayons. I couldn't wait to do it. The results seemed amazing, kind of like indoor tie dye for the toddler set. Unfortunately, I ran out of plain white paper today. I had some card stock, but I didn't know how well it would work with a thicker paper. So I decided to wait until I picked some more up tomorrow. Then I saw that you could do this activity without paper. Of course, I was excited, and I had an extra plate. While I was microwaving the plate, I had Logan pick out a couple of colors to start with. Not surprisingly, he picked pink to use first.

I put the plate in for about two minutes. I thought it would be enough, and the crayons did melt, but they didn't get that vibrant color that I have seen in other pictures. Next time I try it, I definitely will leave it in for longer.

However, it didn't really matter to the my little boy. He had a lot of fun.

And it did wash right off with soap and water. My plate looks as good as new! 

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http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2011/06/link-learn-11.html

A child's play garden

Our sand and water table has been out for about a month now. We've been using it almost everyday. Even I enjoy getting my hands in the sand and building something. While I was weeding the other day, the little guy was inspired to use the sand table in another way. He decided to make his very own garden. He went around picking flowers and adding them to his garden.

Then, he added water.

After I was done weeding and trimming, he added some of the branches to his garden. He played at this game for quite a while. What other ways do you use your sand box?

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