The Sunday Showcase: Farming
Hey ya'll! Things are crazy 'round here at the moment and I don't have much time to blog, but The Sunday Showcase is back this week! (Sorry about last week! It was a crazy time in Dallas with the fam!). Fall is just around the corner! Can't believe it, can you?!
I'm lovin' this Small World Play Farm from Taming the Goblin! Love all the sensory aspects of it and of course, I love that it is a farm. And Goblin did exactly what Sweet P would do and dumped everything together! Too fun!
Now it's time for YOU to link up your child-centered activities!
This is a fun and relaxed linky with a few guidelines:
- You can link as many kid friendly or child-centered posts as you'd like, however, links for giveaways, shops, or downloads for purchase, etc. will be deleted.
- Please try to visit a few other posts if you are linking up. Everyone loves comments, feed-back, pins and shares!
- I'll share some posts via Facebook, Twitter and Google +, while commenting on and pinning others.
Please NOTE: By linking up you are giving us permission to use a photo (with proper link to you!) in our featured section! If you prefer not to be featured comment below or e-mail me.
Thanks for joining us and I look forward to seeing what you've been doing this week! Don't forget to visit my co-hosts for additional features this week!
Kool Aid Play Dough
Store in a baggy in a cool, dry place or in the fridge.
NOTE: There are lots of options for Kool-Aid Play Dough, but I chose this one because it didn't call for cream of tartar (I was out). Came out great!
Sprout playing with a zippered bag of play dough!
Pretending to be Rudolph!
Bath Time Foam Faces
So one day while the kids were napping at the same time (my mind goes a bit bonkers on those days), I got to work on some foam facial features I thought she'd love for bath time. NOTE: Craft foam will pretty much stick to anything once you get it wet - it does fall off when it drys.
What you need:
- various pieces of foam
- scissors
- glue gun
I just free-handed the parts and glued some of the eye pieces together to give them depth, but you could just cut out white circle and draw pupils with a felt-tipped pen.
Simple, cheap AND provide HOURS of fun! Can't beat an activity like that. Makes it hard to get her out of the tub!
I showed her how to get them wet so they'd stick to the side of the tub, then sat back to watch her create.
The faces she made were so hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing, especially when she'd put a mustache on top of a nose. Sprout was in bed the first night we used them, but he got a kick out of watching her put together faces, too!
Around the 3rd time she played with them, she added some Boon Bath Goods
and created "octopuses." I love how her little mind works!
I showed her how to get them wet so they'd stick to the side of the tub, then sat back to watch her create.
The faces she made were so hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing, especially when she'd put a mustache on top of a nose. Sprout was in bed the first night we used them, but he got a kick out of watching her put together faces, too!
Around the 3rd time she played with them, she added some Boon Bath Goods
and created "octopuses." I love how her little mind works!
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Comfort & Harmony Mombo Giveaway Winner
CONGRATULATIONS to comment #18:
Sarah!
Thank you to everyone who entered the Comfort & Harmony Mombo giveaway!
AnonymousAugust 8, 2012 6:50 PM
I am pregnant and it had been 7 years since I had a baby. Needless to say, I no longer have my nursing pillow and I am in desperate need for one with this baby. Heard great things about the mombo. Thanks, Sarah
Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Simply Spray Project Paint Puppet Theater & Giveaway
A few weeks ago I was asked to review a pretty awesome product and I'm excited to share it with you today! Simply Spray Project Paint is a non-toxic, aerosol paint that is safe to use on all kinds of crafts projects, including kid projects! Although it's safe for kiddos, the company does recommend the product for kids 8 years old and up.
I wasn't sure what we were going to make with our paint, but then I saw these AMAZING puppet theaters from Teach Preschool and my mind was set on making one for the kids. The Farmer had several display boards from student presentations so I grabbed one and got to work!
I received 3 bottles of Simply Spray paint in red, blue and purple. Although the paint is safe to use indoors, it does spray out and I recommend doing large projects outside. We took ours outside and started spray painting. In hindsight, I thought one bottle would go a bit farther so I ended up using all 3 bottles on the theater. It sprays out evenly and covered the cardboard really well. I left it outside for about an hour to fully dry.
I had a bit of trouble with one of the bottles and although I followed the instructions for a stuck nozzle I wasn't able to make it start working again. I ended up putting the nozzle of one of the empty cans on the nozzle I was working with and got it started again.
The colors are super vibrant, which I love and while I love our puppet theater, I really wish I'd made a t-shirt, too! Simply Spray Project Paint is simple to use, safe for the environment and comes off easily from your hands with soap and water.
Once it was finished I cut out the stage with a box cutter, used a glue gun for the curtain and rounded up our puppets. I also made a few new ones!
Simply Spray Project Paint works on fabric, wood, cardboard, poster board and foam pieces. Sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, Simply Spray Project Paint comes in 8 colors: black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and white.
Want to try it yourself? Enter to win 2 cans of Simply Spray Project Paint in the colors of your choice! Giveaway is open to US residents ages 18+. Winner chosen August 20th.
Additional Entries: You are eligible for additional entries once you've completed the mandatory entry (please do this as your first comment). Please come back to leave a comment for each additional entry. The winner will be chosen from blog comments.
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The Sunday Showcase: Matthew West
I wish the photo was a bit better, but it wouldn't do the concert justice anyway!
So many awe-inspiring moments have transpired over the weekend and I am so glad I took the Plunge and came to the conference! Look forward to a more detailed post and about this awesome weekend soon.
For now, link up your posts! If this is your first time, please read this informational post for details.
This is a fun and relaxed linky with a few guidelines:
- You can link as many kid friendly or child-centered posts as you'd like, however, links for giveaways, shops, or downloads for purchase, etc. will be deleted.
- Please try to visit a few other posts if you are linking up. Everyone loves comments, feed-back, pins and shares!
- I'll share some posts via Facebook, Twitter and Google +, while commenting on and pinning others.
Please NOTE: By linking up you are giving us permission to use a photo (with proper link to you!) in our featured section! If you prefer not to be featured comment below or e-mail me.
Thanks for joining us and I look forward to seeing what you've been doing this week! Don't forget to visit my co-hosts for additional features this week!
Comfort & Harmony Mombo Nursing Pillow Review
I'm so excited to share some information about this amazing nursing pillow from Bright Starts. I received the Comfort & Harmony Mombo Nursing Pillow and Infant Positioner in Pinehurst when Sprout was a teeny tiny baby and have loved the versatility of this pillow.
I used in place of our other nursing pillow once I received it and immediately fell in love with the fact that it has 2 sides.
- Soft Side: For Lounging
- The fabric is SUPER soft and baby fits perfectly snuggled onto the Mombo.
- Firm Side: For Feeding
- The soft side lays on top of your legs while the firm side offers back support and allows you to rest your arms on top while nursing your baby.
The other feature not present in any other nursing pillow is the vibrating disc inside the pillow. It's activated by a button and gently vibrates baby when he's lounging! I loved this option, however, Sprout did not! He wasn't a fan of any type of vibrating chair, though, so I do not fault the pillow! Sweet P, however, loved it and used it as a vibrating pillow! She was fascinated by it!
As Sprout grew, we began using the Mombo for tummy time. It allowed Sprout to look up and out, which helped him enjoy tummy time a bit more than he did when he wasn't on the Mombo. He also loved feeling the fabric, which I'll say again is SO soft!
The pillow was also great once Sprout learned to sit-up. Sitting him up inside the hole while he played helped him develop the muscles necessary to prevent him from falling backward.
And perhaps the Farmer's favorite use was as a neck pillow! He loves that thing and loves to lay on it when we play in the living room.
- Purchase one of your own! Comfort & Harmony Mombo Deluxe Nursing Pillows are sold exclusively at ToysRUs. The pillows range from $39.99-$49.99 and covers are sold for $12.99-$25.99.
FTC Disclosure: I received this product free of charge from Bright Starts in order to conduct an honest review. I was not compensated in any other manner to review this product. The thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and may differ from other users of this product. I am not liable for any issues that may occur from use of this nursing pillow. Photos and images in this post are owned by me or provided by Bright Starts.
Guest Post at Growing a Jeweled Rose
I'm guest posting today at Growing a Jeweled Rose! Pop over and check out our Painting with Shoes post! Sweet P had a BLAST with it!
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You can also follow The Iowa Farmer's Wife on Twitter, Pinterest and Google+
Camp Sunny Patch: Olympic Torch Obstacle Course
We had a blast giving Amy's Olympic Torch Game from Camp Sunny Patch Session 8 a little flare of our own! Download printable instructions for the original version here.
You can view my entire post on the Melissa & Doug blog today!
We had such a blast with this and I can't wait to set it up again in the future. Need more Olympic ideas? Here are a few other activities we've done so far!
- 3 Olympic Ring Activities
- Recycled Medals
- Edible Olympic Rings
- Soccer Jersey Match & Dress-Up Dolls
- Outdoor Olympic Arena
- Olympic Family Fitness & Kids Bloggers Go Olympics Blog Hop
FTC Disclosure: I'll be compensated by Melissa & Doug for my participation as a Camp Sunny Patch Honor Counselor. All personal opinions and/or views regarding Melissa & Doug are my own and may differ from other users of Melissa & Doug products.
Like the Iowa Farmer's Wife on Facebook for updates on new posts!
You can also follow The Iowa Farmer's Wife on Twitter, Pinterest and Google+
You can also follow The Iowa Farmer's Wife on Twitter, Pinterest and Google+
Playmobil Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to:
oceanrena!
You won the Playmobil Sports & Action gymnastics figures!
Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
The Sunday Showcase: Olympics
There have been some AWESOME Olympic ideas linked up in the past of couple of weeks and this week was no different! I'm excited to share these 4 Olympic features this week!
*Note: I'll be traveling for a few weeks so features'll be on hold for a bit, but pop on over to visit my co-hosts to see what inspires them in the weeks ahead!
Clockwise from top left:
3 Dinosaurs Olympic Read, Write, Stamp, Cut & Paste Printables
Cake Pops from the Pint Sized Baker
Living Montessori Now's Montessori-Inspired Olympic Unit
Olympic Pretzels from Living Life Intentionally
Olympic Pretzels from Living Life Intentionally
What We've Been Up To:
We've been busy with our Playmobil figures! If you haven't yet, pop over and enter my giveaway!
Were you featured today? Don't forget to grab a button!
Now it's your turn to link-up! If this is your first time, please read this informational post for details.
This is a fun and relaxed linky with a few guidelines:
- You can link as many kid friendly or child-centered posts as you'd like, however, links for giveaways, shops, or downloads for purchase, etc. will be deleted.
- Please try to visit a few other posts if you are linking up. Everyone loves comments, feed-back, pins and shares!
- I'll share some posts via Facebook, Twitter and Google +, while commenting on and pinning others.
Please NOTE: By linking up you are giving us permission to use a photo (with proper link to you!) in our featured section! If you prefer not to be featured comment below or e-mail me.
Thanks for joining us and I look forward to seeing what you've been doing this week! Don't forget to visit my co-hosts for additional features this week!
Olympic Family Fitness
For the past few weeks we've been talking about the Olympics non-stop. We've made medals, rings, an outdoor arena, a torch and created an obstacle course (look for that post coming soon), but we haven't talked much about what goes into being an Olympian. My theme for Kids Bloggers Go Olympics is Health/Fitness and the Olympics was a great way to explain those to Sweet P.
While thumbing through our copy of My First Encyclopedia
, I found a page about Sports that included the Olympic Games. I set it aside and gathered a few other things we'd need for our Family Fitness activity.
In December I won a giveaway for Family Time Fitness' PE curriculum, but we haven't used any of it yet. I thought this would be the perfect way to introduce her to fitness and the importance of exercise.
The whole family went up to her room (which has a pretty big space for jumping/moving around). Sweet P and I sat on her bed (the Farmer and Sprout took the floor) and read the excerpt from the encyclopedia about the games and a portion about healthy eating. We'd also eaten the Olympic rings that day so I talked about how each of the things she ate provided vitamins, nutrients and minerals to help her grow healthy bones and strong muscles.
I asked, "And do you know who has strong muscles? Olympians!"
And then we flexed our muscles. Don't forget your intimidating face!
I explained that Olympic athletes have to work really hard and exercise almost every day to get to the Olympics. And while we aren't training for the Olympics, we can still exercise and increase our cardiovascular fitness (I'm sure my 3 year old really knew what that meant!).
After reading, we turned on some music (This Land is Your Land) and started the fitness lesson. The lesson included a warm-up, activity and cool-down. We modified it a great deal for our 3 year old's attention span, but I think she got a big kick out of all of us doing arm circles and leg lifts!
We bear crawled, frog jumped and then made a river with two ribbon belts to jump over. I talked about the importance of cooling down at the end as we stretched our legs and then she played with the river for another 15 minutes. The entire lesson probably took 15 minutes from start to finish.
While thumbing through our copy of My First Encyclopedia
, I found a page about Sports that included the Olympic Games. I set it aside and gathered a few other things we'd need for our Family Fitness activity.The whole family went up to her room (which has a pretty big space for jumping/moving around). Sweet P and I sat on her bed (the Farmer and Sprout took the floor) and read the excerpt from the encyclopedia about the games and a portion about healthy eating. We'd also eaten the Olympic rings that day so I talked about how each of the things she ate provided vitamins, nutrients and minerals to help her grow healthy bones and strong muscles.
And then we flexed our muscles. Don't forget your intimidating face!
After reading, we turned on some music (This Land is Your Land) and started the fitness lesson. The lesson included a warm-up, activity and cool-down. We modified it a great deal for our 3 year old's attention span, but I think she got a big kick out of all of us doing arm circles and leg lifts!
We bear crawled, frog jumped and then made a river with two ribbon belts to jump over. I talked about the importance of cooling down at the end as we stretched our legs and then she played with the river for another 15 minutes. The entire lesson probably took 15 minutes from start to finish.
We had such a fun time and we can't wait to do the next lesson! I'm all about teaching your child that exercise is fun!
Thanks so much to Inspiration Laboratories for passing the torch to me! I'm passing the torch to Living at the Whiteheads Zoo!
Join the Kids Bloggers Go Olympics Blog Hop and link up YOUR Olympic activities!
Edible Olympic Rings
I just couldn't let the Olympics go by without creating a Olympic-themed lunch for Sweet P. She was super excited about the rings, and I'm not even kidding that she'd eaten all but the bagel in about 3 minutes! And the bagel wasn't far behind!
Black ring: blueberries (these would have been the blue ring, but I didn't have anything else!)
Red ring: whole wheat bagel with cheese and tomatoes
Green ring: peas
Yellow ring: corn
Sprout didn't have rings, but he did eat some peas, blueberries and corn of his own!
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Wordless Wednesday: Colorado Farm
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