Family Fun - Suburbia Unwrapped

Summer Activities for Kids: Create a Toyrarium #MiracleGroProject

May 22, 2013 by Diane · 1 Comment

This Summer Activities for Kids article is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Well, today is my kid’s last day of school and then we have 2 1/2 months of unstructured summer fun. Oh, sure, they have a few camps and a family vacation to look forward to but there will be endless hours of free time as well. During that free time, I will hear an unending stream of ‘I’m bored’, ‘there’s nothing to do’ and from my son ‘I’m hungry!’. So, what is a mom supposed to do when here kids are home all day during the summer with nothing to do? Find some easy summer activities for kids, of course! There are a ton of ways to keep kids entertained without plugging them into the TV, video games or other electronic delvices. When I was browsing through a list of easy summer activities for kids I really liked this one because it combines my own love of gardening with my children’s love of getting dirty and having fun.

The Miracle-Gro website has a great selection of easy garden projects that you could get your kids to help you with. The Gro Project has step by step directions and photos for the Toyarium but also has other projects like a Ukulele Garden and an Origami Garden. Thesefun garden projects are a great way to keep your kids entertained this summer without plugging them into electronics.

Summer Activities for Kids: Toyrarium

So, how do you make a Toyarium? It is a very simple project that uses Miracle-Gro soil, an old fish bowl, and whatever toys and plants you want to use to create your masterpiece.

1. Cover the bottom of the container with rocks

2. Fill it about 1/3 full with Moisture Control Potting Mix

3. Use a spoon to plant your flowers or succulent cactuses in the bowl. Add more soil if needed.

4. Set the scene with small toys

5. Give the bowl a small amount of water. Make sure to not add too much. If you use cactuses you will need very little water.

6. Sit back and enjoy!

You can choose whatever ‘theme’ your child loves to create your toyarium. Add plastic bugs and small flowers to simulate a garden. Add small dinosaurs and cactuses, or even a collection of tiny fairies to make a fairy garden. The possibilites are endless! To learn more about Miracle-Gro and their easy garden projects, check out the Grow Project video below.

Check out Miracle-Gro online to access their library of articles and videos full of expert gardening tips for both beginners and professionals.They also have a number of online tools to help growers solve common garden problems and find the right products to help them keep a healthy and beautiful garden. Follow the Miracle-Gro Pinterest page or like them on Facebook for more information!

Do you have any other fun summer activities for kids that you would like to share?

Filed Under: Family Fun · Tagged: craft, family life

How to Dip Dye Your Hair Using Kool Aid

April 19, 2013 by Diane · 4 Comments

I am the mother of an 11 year old girl who thinks I am the meanest mom in the entire world. Why? Because I will not let her go to the salon and get her hair dyed! Many of her friends are dying their hair…which honestly floors me completely because they are only 11! Usually they just get a strip of hair done or just the tips but I am too paranoid about the health risks associated with hair dye to let her get it done. In an effort to find a ‘happy medium’ so she does not hate me forever I told her “Learn how to dip dye your hair using Kool Aid and you can try it”. Well, off she went to her friend Google and started doing some research and it seemed pretty easy. Here is a brief summary of how to dip dye your hair with Kool Aid if your daughter (or YOU) want to give it a try! The color may not be as dramatic or long lasting as traditional hair dyes but personally, I think there is a lot less risk involved!

How to Dip Dye Your Hair Using Kool Aid

1. First, wash and condition your hair as you normally would. Air dry or blow dry until all of the moisture is out. To ensure the color lasts as long as possible you want to avoid washing it for 48 hours after you dip dye your hair with Kool Aid so start with clean hair!

2. Divide your hair into smaller sections using elastic bands. Do not try to gather it into one pony tail to dye or it will come out uneven. My daughter divided her hair into 6 smaller sections and placed the elastic bands about 3 inches up from the bottom.

3. Choose your Kool Aid color…the darker the better for best results. My daughter chose grape, hoping for purple tips but with her light brown/dirty blond hair it came out more of a maroon color.

4. Make the Kool Aid: In a large glass measuring cup, add 2 cups of water and microwave for about 4 minutes or until almost boiling. Add in 2 packets of Kool Aid and stir until dissolved.

5. Now comes the fun part of actually dip dying your hair using Kool Aid: Put the Kool Aid in plastic cups so it is several inches deep. We went with 2 cups at a time with 2 sections of hair in each cup. We repeated until all of the sections were finished. After you place your hair tips into the Kool Aid, settle in for a bit to wait. Times for dying range anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes depending on hair color and how patient you are. My daughter was not particularly patient and barely made it the 15 minute minimum. As a result, the color in her hair isn’t quite as dramatic as she would have liked.

6. After you have finished with your ‘incubation’ in the Kool Aid dye, rinse the tips thoroughly with cold water and apply a small amount of conditioner to the hair that was dip dyed with Kool Aid. Leave the conditioner in for 2 minutes and then rinse and pat dry. Let you hair dry naturally and avoid washing it for the next 48 hours to help ‘set’ the color.

Have you ever tried to dip dye your hair using Kool Aid? Did you have any luck? We would love some tips on how to do this to get a more vibrant color.

Filed Under: DIY, Family Fun, Fashion, Life in the Burbs · Tagged: DIY, fashion

Easy Spring Craft: Make a Mushroom Fairy Circle and a Fairy Hobmother may visit! #sp

March 21, 2013 by Diane · 10 Comments

This easy spring craft idea is brought to you by the Fairy Hobmother and Appliances Online. All opinions expressed are my own.

When my daughter was younger she was obsessed with fairies. She watched Tinkerbell, read fairy books and even made a tiny fairy bed to keep on her nightstand in case the fairies wanted to come visit her at night. I guess she was hoping they would get tired and decide to take a nap with her! This easy spring craft is a great way to use up all those empty toilet paper rolls I know you are stashing in your art closet. You can find decorative muffin papers at most craft stores and other than a bit of paint, that is all you really need. In real life, a fairy circle is a ring of mushrooms that occurs naturally in woodsy or forested areas. Mythological history says they are gateways into elfin kingdoms. According to wikipedia: A fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears. It will disappear without a trace in less than five days, but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, he or she may be able to capture it.

If you have a little girl as wild as mine was about fairies, this easy spring craft should be just the right way to keep her busy!

Easy Spring Craft: A Fairy Circle!

Materials:

Toilet paper tubes
scissors
assorted paints
paintbrushes
newspaper
paper muffin cups in assorted colors
hole punch

Directions:

1. Using scissors, cut your paper tubes to the desired heights.
2. Lay down some newspaper to prevent messes. Paint each tube with a variety of paint colors. Let dry and do a second coat if desired.
3. Using the hole punch, cut holes scattered around the muffin cups.
4. When the paint is dry, set up the tubes wherever you would like your fairy garden to be located
5. Place 2 different muffin cups on top of each one, staggering the holes so the bottom cup shows through a bit

You can add some fake moss from the craft store and a tiny fairy figurine for decor if you like! This is an easy spring craft for kids to do with very little supervision.

Why did I decide to tackle this easy spring craft this week? I was inspired by a real life fairy! I recently got a visit from a fairy named Matthew Mitchell who is otherwise known as the Fairy Hobmother. If you haven’t ever been visited by this lovely fairy, his job is to spread love about the blogosphere in the form of Amazon gift cards. Matthew is in charge of a lovely website called Appliances Online and in hopes of driving some traffic over that way, he reaches out to bloggers to help spread the word. I wonder if Matthew is drawn to fairy circles like the one we created? Maybe if you build one, he will come visit you!

Want to Receive a visit from The Fairy Hobmother and get your own Amazon Gift Code?

Leave me a comment below about your own thoughts on The Fairy Hobmother. Do you believe in fairies? Don’t forget to leave your blog link so he can find you!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Filed Under: DIY, Family Fun · Tagged: craft

Easy Easter Crafts: Egg Shell Candles

February 20, 2013 by Diane · 12 Comments

My family buys their eggs from a small, local farmer and come spring, the chickens are laying a LOT of eggs! Eggs are a great way to get more protein without actually increasing your meat consumption. However, what do you do with all the eggshells that are left over after breakfast? I will frequently use them in the garden to deter slugs or just toss them in the compost bin but there are a lot of creative ways to use them to decorate your house. Making Egg Shell Candles is one of the easy Easter crafts that I enjoy because it is also a great way to use up leftover wax from candles that are just about empty. Here is how you make them:

Egg Shell Candles

Easy Easter Crafts

Materials:

Clean egg shells
Acrylic paints and brushes if desired to paint shells
Candle scraps
Tin can for melting the wax
Cookie sheet
Old birthday candles
Newspaper to prevent messes
Directions:

1. Save your cracked in half eggs from your last meal and wash them in warm water. Make sure to run your finger along the inside to help rinse out the inner membrane. Rinse thoroughly and let dry. If you want your candles to have colored egg shells, paint them with acrylic paint and let dry before continuing.

2. Place scraps of wax from old candles into a clean tin can and place on a cookie sheet in an oven set on low (200 degrees). Swirl gently every few minutes to help the candle scraps melt. You can toss in candles that actually have wicks on them still as well. Just use a pair of tweezers to remove the wick before pouring the wax into the shells. Do not heat wax too hot and never leave it unattended. You can also melt wax in the bottoms of glass candle jars by just setting them on a cookie sheet in the oven.

3. Carefully remove the cookie sheet with the container of melted wax and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

4. Cover your work surface with newspaper to help with cleanup. Place the clean egg shells into an egg carton. Pour melted wax into the egg shells to fill it about ¾ of the way full. Let the wax harden for about 5 minutes.

5. Gently insert one used birthday candle into each egg. You can shorten the candle with a pair of kitchen shears if it is too tall. Then, carefully fill the egg to the top with more melted wax. Let harden for several hours before displaying them decoratively and lighting.

Want more egg craft ideas? Check out these easy Easter Egg Crafts on Pinterest!

What are some of YOUR favorite easy Easter crafts to make?

Filed Under: Family Fun · Tagged: craft, easter, spring

How to Blow Out an Egg for Decorating

February 18, 2013 by Diane · 9 Comments

I realize that it is only February but I am already thinking ahead to Easter and creative ways to use natural decor items around my house. One of the things I really want to do is start decorating hollowed out eggshells. That way, I can save them from year to year and never again buy another neon colored plastic Easter egg. The first thing I needed to figure out, though, is how to blow out an egg. We have attempted this in the past, although it has been a long time and I have memories of it going badly! Today’s experience went fairly well and I thought I would share what my husband and I ldiscovered while learning how to blow out an egg.

How to Blow Out an Egg for Decorating

1. Let your eggs warm up to room temperature before starting. Cold eggs are much harder to blow out and trust me, you want to make this process as easy as possible! I left mine sitting on the counter for a few hours before we got started.

2. Find a very long pin. Trial and error this evening has taught me that paper clips do NOT work and neither do pointy bamboo skewers. Learn from my mistakes…a sharp, very long safety pin is the best way to go.

3. Enlist the help of unsuspecting family members. Blowing out eggs is a fair amount of work and it will be MUCH easier for you if you don’t have to do it all by yourself! My husband reluctantly agreed to help me out on this project. He was a little bit worried about blowing his hernia right out but he seems to have survived unscathed.

4. Poke a small hole in the top (narrow) portion of the egg and a slightly larger one in the wider bottom of the egg. Be gentle but firm. You will need to make the hole bigger than the diameter of the pin head itself so just chip away at the holes slowly.

5. Make sure you scramble the yolk! Using the long pin, basically just stir the yolk around inside the egg. Use a long pin so you can get almost through the entire length of the egg. This will make actually blowing the gook out a lot easier!

How to Blow Out an Egg? Enlist Help!

6. Start blowing! Place your egg over a bowl to catch the egg innards. Put your mouth on the small end of the egg and BLOW. It will seem like the stuff isn’t going anywhere but just keep the air pressure going and eventually you will see egg white coming out. Take a breath or two while you worry slightly about the possibility of giving yourself Salmonella poisoning. Take a moment to giggle at how silly your egg blowing teammates all look. Then start blowing some more. If the yolk won’t come out after the white is done, take your pin and gently stir it up again. Keep blowing until everything is out and only air is coming through.

7. Rinse the eggs under warm water and let drain before decorating. You can use egg dyes, decoupage, ribbon, or whatever else strikes your fancy. When Easter is over, just carefully wrap your eggs in newspaper and save them for next year.

I hope this info is helpful for those of you who wanted to learn how to blow out an egg. If you have any creative egg crafts you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment and link so I can check it out! Now that I have all these blown out eggs, I want to get crafty with them! Check out Egg Crafts on Pinterest for some inspiration for your own Easter decor!

Filed Under: Family Fun, Life in the Burbs · Tagged: craft, easter, spring