I’m Getting Crafty! Painted Pebbles

It’s probably no big surprise but I’m not very creative, unless I’ve had a skinful of wine!  It’s not that I don’t enjoy crafts; I just have troubles coming up with the inspiration.  I’ve spent a lot of time on the internet trolling for ideas but I always come a cropper when it comes to having the right supplies in the house.

I’ve always been intrigued by the craft ideas that @redtedart posts on twitter so I’ve asked the lovely Maggy to drip feed me an idea each week that I’ll try.  Our children are similar in age and she’s tried the activities with her own children so I stand a chance of having success!  If you haven’t already you should check out her site….she compliments every craft idea with a children’s book review.

Here was my first craft challenge Painted Pebbles.  However, I prefer to call them Rock People!  I really liked the idea of moving the eyes around to make different expressions.

Note: make sure you have all of your supplies before you start…I had to make a mad dash to Wilko’s as I didn’t have any googly eyes or bluetack!  It did give our rocks a chance to dry though.

What do you think of my first attempt?

Then we decided to throw caution to the wind and adlibbed a bit.  I think they’re fab, we all enjoyed making them and we just finished showing our rock family to Grandma in Canada on Skype!  Thanks Maggy!

Do join in and give it a go!  I’d love to see what you come up with.

Would you pierce your toddler’s ears?

I took Madame swimming this morning at a place we’d never been before.  It was great. However, I saw an inordinate number of toddlers with earrings, not just studs but loopy ones.  I really don’t know what possesses people to do such things.  It strikes me as being a bit barbaric and possibly against the child’s free will.   Does it really matter if people mistake your little girl for a boy???

I have nothing against piercings and I have had quite a few myself, but this is something I chose to do when I was a bit older.  If Madame wants to get her ears pierced when she’s a bit older (10-12 yrs), I have no issue with it; however, I can’t see myself agreeing to it any earlier.  If I pierce her ears now, what’s she going to do to rebel and show her independence with when she’s a teen; Branding, Skull Studs or Tattoos???

[polldaddy poll=3676427]

Another post that may be of interest:

The Sardine Tin:  Earrings for babies- for or against

The Negotiator

Photo Credit

I’m not Samuel L. Jackson but I find myself engaging in negotiations on a daily basis with my nearly 3 year old.  ‘If you go on the potty I’ll give you a treat, if you eat your dinner you can have ice-cream, if you get dressed we can’……

Am I on a slippery slope, making a rod for my own back or is this a normal parenting experience???

Toddlers and iphones???

I was reluctant to let Madame play with my new iphone as she was already facing a life in front of screens, I didn’t realise there was any educational merit and I was sure she would damage it.  Boy was I wrong.  I’ve only downloaded a couple of toddler apps ‘iGoTo Farm’, ‘Shapes’, ‘Baby Piano’ and ‘Wheels on the Bus’ but have been truly impressed.  She knows her basic shapes, even though she doesn’t demonstrate it in this clip, but within seconds she learned crescent, oval and hexagon!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjjbw0_JjM

Do you have any other recommendations for Toddler iphone Apps, preferably free?

For those of you worrying, that Madame will spend hours of endless time on it, you don’t need to as she’s just gone out for a long bike ride with her dad!  I’m a strong believer of anything in moderation, except for red wine of course!  ;-)