Monday, August 26, 2013

Baby Nursery in progress

With the arrival of our baby girl in a couple months, I have been anticipating putting together a nursery for her. I thought I would share our current Baby Nursery in Progress. I painted the room we will use as the nursery the last year when I was painting my sons room and I love the color so much I am keeping it. Here is how my son's room turned out with the color. It is Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams.
With my walls painted and ready to go I have been able to do the fun part of planning how I will decorate. First off...the crib bedding. There's a little history here. When we were first married (before kids) I ran across this bedding set that I fell in love with. Yes, I wasn't pregnant or was even trying at the time, but I saw this bedding and it just reminded me of something my Grandma would have made. I had to have it! My husband thought I was a little crazy, who buys a baby girl bedding set before you even have kids?  Well, long story short...I didn't buy it. However, it went on clearance and my hubby bought it for me as a surprise. 
I was thrilled and tucked it away in hopes of using it one day. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

DIY Kids Chore Charts- Part 2

Today I am sharing part 2 on how we assembled our DIY Kids Chore Charts. If you missed part 1 on how the system works go here.
SUPPLIES:
  • Cardstock for printing
  • Computer for finding images
  • Printer
  • popsicle sticks for prizes
  • velcro sticky tabs (I used over 65 for my sons chart alone)
  • laminator (or take it to staples)
  • pencil
  • sharpie
  • ruler

First off determine what kind of theme you want. For my son's first chore chart, we chose a barn theme. We chose about 7 or 8 farm animals and decided their goal would be to make it into the barn. As my son has gotten older, his interests have changed and so we switched to a new theme, dinosaurs. He decided their goal would be to make it to the volcano. He also toyed with the idea of ocean creatures trying to make it back to the ocean. For my nieces, they love strawberry shortcake and princesses so we chose strawberry shortcakes home, and a princess castle as their goal destinations. Be creative, look at your child's interests. You could do sports theme, animal themes, cars, etc.

After deciding on a theme, we went to the internet where you can find lots of free images to use for personal use. I let my son go and select various types of dinos he wanted to use and I then uploaded and resized them in photoshop to print. (or you can use free editing software) We also found a volcano he loved that would be his goal area for his dinos. You will also want to choose an image to use on the front of your daily and weekly rewards so you can keep them straight. For our dino theme, we used a palm tree for daily rewards and a volcano for weekly rewards. If you don't want to print images...you can look at your local craft store and find die-cuts or stickers to use by mounting them on cardstock and continuing on the process.
For the girls charts, we did a similar process of finding figures they liked and wanted to use. For strawberry shortcakes daily rewards it was an image of a strawberry and weekly rewards it was the house.
 Princesses had a crown for daily rewards and the castle for the weekly reward.
 If you cannot find free images that will work with your theme, you can look at stock images or photos to purchase. This gets pricey though! 

To make the grid chart, we got 12x12 sheets of paper and measured them out according to how many tasks we would need to fit. For my sons, I had to trim the side and attach it to the bottom to make it long enough to fit the designated amount of weekly chores I wanted to use. 
My sister was able to fit hers on the 12x12 paper which worked great because she was them able to attach it to a file folder with the chore chart grid on one side, and the goal on the other. So long story short...you'll have to figure this out on your own based on your amount of chores! We found it easiest to just draw on the grid using a sharpie and a ruler. :)

After we had all our images selected, we put them on an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper and resized them all to fit into the chart (grid chart where figures will move forward each day) we drew by hand. We had to make sure the figures would fit into the spaces on the page. We also printed out the volcano, castle, and house on an 8.5 by 11 sheet as well. 

Once we had them all printed(figures, goal sheets, rewards), we cut them out. At this point you will write on the back of the weekly and daily rewards cards. 
You will also want to determine what the chores on the chart will be. I typed mine up and printed them out so that I could change them out on the chart as necessary. (Some weeks my son may need to work on no tantrums...maybe some weeks eating his veggies at dinner!) After you have all your pieces ready to go you will laminate it all so it can stand the wear and tear of daily use. 
 For the daily and weekly rewards we taped them onto popsicle sticks to make them easy to fan out and select for the children. For the rest of the pieces we bought sticky velcro tabs to attach to the chores, figures, and their spots on the charts and goal sheets. We had to let the velcro set on the laminated charts or else the velcro will just rip off. Also, still be careful since the velcro is such a shiny surface you can easily rip off the velcro if your not careful. And there you have it, super fun customized cute chore/behavior charts.
Go check out Part 1 to learn how this system works.

Want updates and spoilers on projects and ideas?  Come like me on facebook , twitter, and Google + to keep up on whats up next!
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
I'm join these fabulous link parties each week:   I heart naptimeUnder the table and dreamingNot just a housewifeThe Project Queen, , Sumos Sweet StuffThe Kurtz Corner Krafty KatPolly want a CrafterBlue Cricket DesignSouthern LovelyGinger Snap Crafts,   Laugh, Love, Craft,  Clean and Scentsible,  House of HepworthsSomewhat SimpleThe Shabby Creek CottageThe Shabby Nest,  Tatortots & JelloSimply DesigningChic on a Shoestring,  ,Someday Crafts,   The Idea Room ,Between U and Me,    Positively Splendid,  Raising 4 Princesses , One Stop Shoppe,  Its OverflowingThe D.I.Y. Dreamer ,Serendipity & Spice,Crafty blog stalker CSI Project, 36th AvenueReal housewives of Riverton ,The rustic pig Clever Chicks Blog Hop , Skip to My Lou Real thing with the Coake Family

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

DIY Kids Chore Charts- Part 1

Are you looking for a fun way to teach your kids that doing "chores" can be fun? I am sharing my DIY Kids Chore Chart System. I came up with this system about 4 years ago when my son was 3 and it has worked. :) Today I will share part 1- How it works, tomorrow join me for part 2- How to assemble
 
We recently switched from a barn animal/farm theme to dinosaurs/volcano theme, and I also helped my sister put some together for her little girls so this was the perfect time to share the process and how this system works! This is the perfect system for younger children to learn about responsibility and behavior.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Back to School Giveaway! #BTS2013

Welcome to the Ultimate Back to School Bash #bts2013! Blooming Homestead has teamed up with 3BoysandaDog, A+ Interactive Math, and some fabulous other brands to bring you this giveaway!
Back to School Bash 2013
Prizes:
A+button125site
  • A+ Interactive Math - 1 year FREE Online Full Curriculum - A+ Interactive Math - 1 winner (choice of: grades K - Algebra I) Value $124.99 . A+ Interactive Math is dedicated to making math enjoyable and learnable for all ages. A+ Interactive is perfect for homeschooling parents or parents that just want to give the child some extra math help. A + Interactive Math offers full curriculum books, workbooks, online education and interactive math CD's. You can purchase A+ Interactive Math or view their catalog here.
    Door Prize for all participants:
    Multiplication for Elementary & Middle School - download (value $21.99)
    Code: enter 3DOGSMATH upon checkout

Monday, August 19, 2013

Family Command Center

It's the first day of school here, and I wanted to share the Family Command Center I created to help keep our family organized. You can find all of the details in my post on I Heart Naptime today. :)

Want updates and spoilers on projects and ideas?  Come like me on facebook , twitter, and Google + to keep up on whats up next!
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Friday, August 16, 2013

Toy Organization

Today I am sharing my quest to conquer our Toy Organization. I have tried so many different types of storage and organization for toys and we FINALLY found what is working for us.
 We don't have a ton of extra space for toys in our current home, so they mostly reside in the kids closets. However, our toys were taking over our home! I thought that with the storage bins we had that they would be organized, but to be honest...it just wasn't working! We had to come up with a new system.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Back to School with Duck Tape®

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's that time of year again when we all head to the store to pick up those school supplies. This year my son had to buy several composition notebooks and he thought they all kind of looked the same. Well, I found this idea for a custom back to school notebook with DuckTape® at Inner Child Fun and problem solved! Go here for a step by step tutorial on how to make these notebooks.

 Duck Tape® is seriously the most awesome thing ever! You can do so many things with Duck Tape®, embellish or decorate desks, lockers, school supplies, make cute teacher gifts, even incorporate it into homeschool activities by cutting it into shapes or make a colorful learning wall. The possibilities are endless! It's a definite "Must Have" on those back to school lists! And as a bonus, Walmart has full assortment of Duck Tape® in both the craft and paint department so it will be perfect to add a little fun to the back to school shopping trip!

 buy Duck Tape at Walmart

If your kids are like mine...they won't be able to wait to get home and pull out the Duck Tape®

For more inspiration follow @TheDuckBrand on twitter for tons of creative inspiration!

 

Visit Sponsor's Site

Remodeling Attic Room

We have the Cutest room above our garage we call our attic room. It is a good size unfinished space with adorable dormer windows.  I love this room and for the past 2 years, this has served as an extra storage area where we left unpacked boxes, unused decor, and my craft supplies. Not gonna lie, its kind of resembled a hoarders room. :) Enter our current home project: Remodeling Attic Room!
Here are some befores of how its looked these past 2 years.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Summer Smoothie Recipes

Back to school time is here, but I couldn't help sharing a few more delicious summer smoothie recipes before the cold weather hits!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Back to School Roundup

 Welcome to the back to school round-up! I've gathered some awesome links to share with ya'll. 
Below are a collection of 34 fabulous back to school parties, printables, ideas, lunchbox jokes, checklists, decor ideas, gifts, and more! Check out what these talented bloggers have been up, you can click on the source for each photo to go to their site and get more details!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Back To School: Snack Organization

 It's crazy to think its back to school time already! Once school starts it seems like things just get crazy. With all those other things that come along with school that keep us busy we find it helpful to keep our snacks ready and organized to grab on the go.
I thought I'd share a little snack organization system that works really well for us. (This also helps when packing lunches.) I bought these bins at bed, bath, and beyond and they have been so helpful.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Lunch Jokes for kids

I can't believe its back to school time already! I am excited to share with you these fun little Lunchbox Joke printables today. I made a few lunch jokes for kids and included them in my son's lunchbox last year and he loved them, so I decided to make some more and share them with you all!
I made two joke sheets with 10 jokes per sheet. I decided to laminate mine to reuse for the future.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Blendtec Winner

In case you missed it, the winner to the Blendtec Giveaway has been chosen! 
Congrats!

Want updates and spoilers on projects and ideas?  Come like me on facebook , twitter, and Google + to keep up on whats up next!
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Friday, August 2, 2013

Bedding Fail

Have you ever saw something and thought...I have to have that! When I saw this bedding on overstock, I had one of those moments. Is it not gorgeous? I have also seen this go on sale on zulilly.
It really is beautiful bedding and I got the whole comforter set for around $100 which is a great deal. When it arrived, I was very pleased, even in person it is quite lovely. I knew it would be perfect for our guest bedroom. Now here is where this gets tricky...
 
BLOG DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS