Our Newest Family Member

I would like to introduce our newest family member, Bluey the betta fish. We are officially a two-pet household now. Mia has been saving her money for quite some time in order to purchase Bluey and all of his necessities so this is a very BIG deal. Bluey's tank -- complete with pink pebbles, two plants, and the small decorative glass fish and glow pebbles -- were found at garage sale back in the spring. This has been something she had been thinking about for months.

Then she got distracted from her goal and spent all her money on LEGO Friends and jewelry back in the fall. When she saved up a second time, I knew she was pretty serious about getting a fish for a pet. Yesterday we went to Pet Supplies Plus and picked up some Betta food, a net, a blue dolphin decoration, and the all-important water treatment (so the fish won't immediately die from whatever may be in our well water).

Ever since cleaning everything and getting it set up, Mia has bugged me to go back for her fish! She didn't have school today, which was perfect for another trip to the pet store. It didn't take her long to settle on the the most colorful betta fish available. She originally planned to name her fish "Rainbow" no matter if it was a boy or a girl, but once we were on the way home she announced that "Rainbow" was not an acceptable name for a boy fish. And so, Bluey got his name.

{Proud New Fish Owner!}

Bluey appears quite comfortable in new home, which I have to admit is a relief. I haven't kept fish in years, so I was a bit apprehensive about making the transition to keeping fish again. It's hard not to worry just a little bit, especially since I'm not the only one who will be disappointed if it suddenly dies. So far so good, and as a bit of comfort to worried mamas everywhere, it's nice to know that we can keep the receipt and return "the body" should anything unfortunate happen to Bluey within the next seven days.

{Bluey checks out his new digs and his dolphin pals.}

The only thing that has me concerned now is that Mia tells me that today is Bluey's birthday -- since it's the day we brought him home -- and we need to celebrate! Huh? How on earth do people celebrate birthdays for fish?

No Tricks, Just a Healthier Halloween Treat

Finding a healthy Halloween treat for Mia's class party turned out to be a tricky proposition. I thought if I just turned to the trusty Internet, I would find TONS of great ideas. Not so, but I did eventually come across this idea for mandarin orange cups made to look like jack-o'-lanterns, which I decided I needed to borrow. It really was the only remotely healthy snack idea I could find. Normally, we don't buy a lot of canned fruits because it is tricky to find them in juice or water instead of syrup, but I decided this was still better than cookies, candies, cupcakes, and so on. I am sure the kids are going to get plenty of those treats on Halloween. Before shopping, I saved all the coupons I could find and then ended up purchasing the Kroger store brand with my catalina coupon since it was the best deal. The best part about this craft is that it's very simple because all you need are mandarin orange cups and a black Sharpie marker. If you can draw a basic jack-o'-lantern face, you can do this project. If you are feeling creative, you can even make different faces for all the mandarin orange cups. If I weren't worried about costs, or if I knew we would have very few trick-or-treaters, I would even consider making these to pass out for Halloween treats. For now, though, I hope Mia's kindergarten friends enjoy their healthier classroom treat.

{I am excited for my healthy and cute classroom treat!}

Say It Three Times

I've noticed that I repeat things a lot lately. Apparently, I think that if I say something three times in rapid succession it will have more impact. It doesn't seem to make a difference, but I do it nonetheless.These are a few of the words I have caught myself saying again and again.

• No! No! No!
• Stop! Stop! stop!
• Careful! Careful! Careful!
• Wait! Wait! Wait!
• Logan! Logan! Logan!
• Mia! Mia! Mia!
• Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!

As you have likely guessed, most of them are said when I'm upset. So, a new goal for myself is to start praising, praising, praising!

Summer Sunflower Craft

Completed sunflower made by Mia, age 3 1/2

Finished Sunflowers

Materials:

• paper plate
• brown paint
• yellow construction paper (about 2 sheets per flower)
• pencil
• scissors
• glue

Optional:

• buttons
• bubble wrap (I didn't try this, but you could paint on the bubble wrap and then press it onto the flower's center to make a print.)
• ink pad (I didn't try this but you could make thumb print art in the flower's center- possibly for younger children)
• sunflower seeds or dried beans (I didn't try this, but the texture would be neat, and you could make interesting patterns in the center of the sunflower.)
• yarn (I didn't try this, but I am envisioning a long spiral starting in the center of the flower and working outward.)
• green construction paper (Our flowers don't have them, but you could include stems.)

Directions:

1. Turn paper plate upside down. Paint center of paper plate brown. Let dry.
2. Cut petals from yellow construction paper. 
3. Glue buttons or other embellishment, to center of paper plate, if desired.
4. Glue petals onto plate so that they touch the brown center section. Work around in a circle until white part of paper plate is no longer showing.
5. If desired, cut strip of green construction paper and glue to back of sunflower.
6. Allow to dry completely and display your finished sunflower project.

Notes:

• I made two different sized petals. For the flowers with small petals, I folded the paper into sixteenths and then cut into strips. For the larger petals (quicker to finish, possibly better for younger children), I folded the paper into eighths and then cut into strips. 
• I made templates for the two different sized petals, cut them out, made a pile of about 6 strips, traced template on top strip, and then cut out petals. I repeated this until I had all of my petals cut out. It saved a lot of time rather than cutting each petal individually.
• My petals were drawn free-hand. They don't need to be perfect. They took up most of each strip of paper.

Close-up of flower with larger petals

Close-up of flower with smaller petals. I think this is more realistic.

General Crafts Tips:

1. I like Aleene's Tacky Glue. It works for most craft materials and dries clear.
2. I use the sponge type paintbrushes for most of Mia's projects. They have a large surface for holding paint, wash easily, and are very affordable (so if one gets ruined, I don't feel bad throwing it away). You can find them on sale at Michael's and stock up (20 for $1, usually).
3. I usually use acrylic paints for projects. They are relatively inexpensive (I recently saw them at Michael's, 3 for $1), come in many colors, and quick-drying. The main downside to acrylics, is that they stain clothing so I usually have Mia roll up her sleeves and wear a paint smock.
4. I like to use old plastic divided trays from microwave dinners for mixing paints. They have lasted for years and it keeps something from ending up in a landfill! If I know we will use more than a couple of colors, though, I like to use egg cartons. They're a nice size for holding little amounts of several colors and keeping them separated, if that is what you want.
5. While waiting for paint to dry, I sometimes have another project for Mia to begin. Otherwise, a hair dryer works nicely to speed things along. 

This project was adapted from: http://mama-jenn.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunflower-crafts-galore.html