Weekend Makes

I can proudly say that I held off on buying Halloween candy until just a few days ago and it's been deeply hidden away, waiting to see the light of day until tomorrow. But, between our recent move to a more residential neighborhood and the kids finally being old enough, I think we're set up for some serious trick or treating this year. Which means that I also need a plan to deal with all the candy that is going to flood in after I hand out our stash (other than me eating all of it). Thus, candy Weekend Makes. Happy Halloweening!!

1 / love this idea breaking down Wayne Thiebaud compositions -- maybe a little advanced, but I think we could try it.

2 / use a small candy box to make an instant comfort box like this! I know one little lady that would love to have something like that at school.

3 / you'll have to adjust based on your candy haul, but I love the idea of this edible cell for a good science lesson.

4 / paint with Skittles!

5 / a good science experiment for the younger set -- will the candy sink or float!?

Project 52 -- Week 43

The kids had school off last Friday for parent-teacher conferences so we set out adventuring like the good ol' days. We stopped for lunch at one of our faves, DGS in DuPont Circle, and then had a glorious sunny time at the fountain for a bit.

Spooky Oobleck!

My guys have been chomping at the bit to make a fall sensory project (see our favorites round up here) and I thought it would be fun to loop in a little science at the same time (it's on our Fall Bucket List after all!). So we decided to make a batch of spooky oobleck!

Pumpkin Picking at Sharp's at Waterford Farm

I generally love adventures to new places, but I have to say, in the past several years, visiting farms for "you pick {insert seasonal item}" have been among my least favorite trips. I think it's the tendency of some of these spots to charge expensive admission fees, and then additional money for mediocre activities (like feeding overfed animals) that the kids beg for. And that doesn't even include the price for whatever you actually pick. Plus, crowds.

Weekend Makes

We're continuing with more spooky makes this weekend! Last weekend's STEM projects were a hit, but we've rounded up some great art makes to keep your littles busy. Happy weekend!

1 / we loved these monster collages we made a few years ago (perfect for that deluge of catalogs that I'm sure you've been receiving this fall too!) 2 / I love these playdough monsters 3 / spooky halloween trees with blow painting 4 / our edible jack o'lanterns are still a fave of mine 5 / spiderweb resist art! 

Project 52 -- Week 42

Oy this week. As it always seems to happen, things break or go wrong in clusters. Both our washing machine and refrigerator/freezer have broken this week. And it's got everyone in a funk. Oh well, thank goodness for laundry service and wine fridges! In any event, I didn't get a great photo of these two this week. This is this morning at breakfast, where I encouraged a little robot dance party to get everyone in a good mood.

Marble Monoprints

We've been making slow but steady progress on our Fall Bucket List and Cam was so excited to try out a new kind of paint printing. Inspired by the balloons at Kane's 7th birthday party, we set out to make a set of swirly marble prints. LOVE! Head over to Honest to Nod to see what's what with the what.

DIY Kiddo Costumes

It's almost here!! Are you ready? We're doing another family costume this year and there was no way I was making four costumes, so we've already purchased ours. But in case you haven't or you're not finding anything you like, here's a roundup of my favorite DIYs this year. Some are more realistic than others, depending on your DIY skills. But I love each of them!

1.  Kane would love to help customize a robot costume!

2. I'm kind of obsessed with Iris Apfel (have you seen the documentary about her? It's on Netflix, do it) and I think Cam could pull this off no problem.

3. Kane is all about b-boys at the moment. He'd dig this.

4. I'm pretty sure Cam would lose her mind if I could get it together to make her a sushi costume.

5. This looks like a really wearable pineapple costume (if that's even a thing).

6. Cotton candy love.

7. Who wouldn't want to celebrate a birthday on Halloween?

8. E.T. Yesssssssss.

9. The only thing better than a DIY LEGO costume is a StarWars LEGO costume.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

Our kids have been total snack monsters lately. From the moment I pick them up from school until dinner hits the table, they are asking for something to eat. And I try to use this opportunity to get them to eat healthy things they'd otherwise leave on their plate. When I spotted this low-sugar recipe, I knew it would fit the bill for our fall smoothie bucket list item. It's an easy recipe that kids can help with and a great snack option!

Weekend Makes

Our kiddos are deep into Halloween mode. We finally have a home with a front yard to decorate and they've been adding and adding to it all week long. I cut them off from purchasing any more pre-made decor, so they've been working wonders on cardboard. Needless to say, I'm in the mood for some different makes this weekend. These Halloween STEM activities should do the trick!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Project 52 -- Week 41

Technological connection.

Kane's 7th Board Game Birthday Party!!

We went majorly simple with Kane's birthday party this year and it was such a good move. He had just a few friends to one of his favorite games stores, Labyrinth Games on Capitol Hill, and spent a great afternoon learning new games and snacking on Kane's favorite treats. It was perfect!

DIY Wooden Bead Gems

Looking for a fun way to sparkle up your Halloween costume? Head over to The Land of Nod's blog today to check out our DIY Wooden Bead Gems -- they were the perfect primer to get our budding actors in the mood for story playing.

And thanks to The Land of Nod for gifting us the awesome costumes!

Project 52 -- Week 40

Meditative scootering.

Italian Drunken "Noodles" + 30 Days of Dinner

I generally try to share my most "family friendly" recipe of the month as the featured dinner. And, for my kids, that is almost always some form of pasta and meat. Despite the fact that we had to have yet another chat about not behaving like animals at the dinner table, and further affirmation that you do indeed have to eat your vegetables with no promise of dessert in sight, this meal was a winner. I served the kids' over papperdelle pasta and mine over ribbons of butternut squash "noodles."

Weekend Makes

It's fall storm season and we're in prep mode on the East Coast in anticipation of Hurricane Joaquin (love, love the name!). While some in our household are most concerned about the possibility of Sunday's Eagles game being canceled, I'm slightly more focused on how we're going to spend an entire weekend indoors (which I'm also secretly excited about because we've been so busy lately!). Here's what I'm thinking ....

1 / rain sticks with washi tape! 2 / shaving cream rain clouds -- love the idea to use all the colors 3 / our "hurricane" printing technique 4 / we love spin art! (and this one's particularly seasonal) 5 / hurricane in a jar 

Project 52 -- Week 39

A little pre-dinner playtime in the park.