It seems like no matter how hard you might try, it is nearly impossible to avoid the toxic social and political environment in the U.S. right now. There is so much hatred, hostility, injustice and ignorance that, at times, it feels like we are living in a parallel universe. I have unfollowed numerous Facebook friends whose posts are so abhorrent that it took great strength to remain silent in the face of their asininity. In fact, having just unfollowed a good friend is what has inspired this small musing. 

I have strong convictions about everything that is going on in the world right now as does everyone. We are experiencing great turmoil and confusion. This does not generally bring out the best parts of our species. When any animal is scared or confused they tend to lash out in an irrational manner. Humans are no exception. I have decided to exercise my self control and, to quote a famous ice queen, "Let it go."

I'm going to reconcile myself with the fact that, in most cases, my well-worded and fact-based opinion will not sway their hate-filled and ignorant ones. I will allow myself to simply take a deep breath and try to comfort myself with the thought that this, surely, isn't real. The crazies won't win. Reason will triumph, people will calm down and the political climate will mellow out. 

​So, to help you navigate the rough water that is calming down in the face of frustration, I recommend the following steps:
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1. Take a deep breath
2. Slowly repeat the word "Letting" as you inhale
2. As you exhale repeat the word "Go"

I found this great mantra at divination.com and it has been very helpful for me. It is described as something that helps instill "a feeling of peace" and to help serve "as a reminder that letting go of thinking is the key to a clear, open mind and tranquility."

If that doesn't help you can find your own mantra by searching the internet. I found a few other great ones like this one at mindbodygreen.com that comes in video form. It is also shared with a very insightful quote that I feel is appropriate:

I also found this article at intentblog.com very helpful with understanding how to mentally let go.

Finally, if that doesn't work, you can always blast that oh so popular song, "Let it Go" and sing your heart out. (I know it always makes me feel better.) Who knows, maybe our worst fears will actually come true but, stressing yourself out about it by dealing with people that are TRYING to incite more hate definitely won't help. And, if the United States does fall into insanity, Finland is always an option. I hear they're pretty happy.

So, embrace the moments you have that are good and let the bad ones fall away. Dance, sing and be silly with those that you love and know that those are the most important things.

I found a super simple and FREE DIY Drake shirt over at Brit & Co. I just could t help myself and had to have one! I did end up modifying the sizes of their free printable by screenshotting and manipulating the images in a PowerPoint. I wanted a little more control over the sizes of Drake. I used dark shirt iron-on transfer paper, cut it out while watching Hulu, and heated up the iron. It was the best kind of craft, cheap, free and awesome!

​I finally found time to put the finishing touches on Lillian's PVC playhouse. You can find out how I made it here. For my finishing touches, I added curtains, window boxes, tie backs for the entry and shingles on the roof.

The Window Boxes:
I cut out felt flowers by simply free-handing them onto the felt and cutting them out. I wanted them to look childish so perfection was definitely not a goal. After cutting the flowers, I measured how large the window box would need to be and cut out a trapezoid shape. Then I hot glued the flowers together and glued them onto the trapezoid shape. I then glued it beneath the window on the house.

The Curtains:
I used some leftover curtain material from a previous project (it was from curtains that I purchased at target). I measured how long I wanted them to be and then cut them to that size. Then I just hot glued them on the inside of the window of the playhouse and used some turquoise ribbon to tie around the middle.

​The Entry Tie-Backs:
I cut a small slit where I wanted to place the tie-back. Then I threaded a piece of the same turquoise ribbon used for the curtains through the slit, making it equal length on both sides. When they are untied the ribbon just dangles. It works really well.

The Roof:
I was going to cut out white felt scallops and glue them. Then I got lazy and didn't want to do that. So, I simply took a piece of white chalk and drew them on! It worked great and more than a month later still looks perfect! I love it when something great comes from laziness don't you?

I modified my normal method for Mommy Camp this time to accommodate the busy-ness that accompanies this time of year. Instead of picking themes and having focused lessons on a specific topic, I simply created a list of 24 activities that relate to Christmas. This way, if I am really on top of it and we manage to do something every day, we can. Otherwise, I will have plenty of activities to fill the season. 

The activities I chose range from science, to art, to math. Some are messy. Some are not. But, they are all fun, easy and cheap! You can download my Christmas Mommy Camp below. The file includes lists of materials for each activity, a photo of the activity, a link to the original inspiration and step-by-step directions. Enjoy!

If you search on pinterest, you'll see all sorts of adorable family photo ideas for the holidays. Last year I tried my hand at one like this:

I found it here.

Mine turned out pretty cute but also slightly different. 

This year I tried it again but was more prepared. I purchased matching pajamas for both kids. (Major planning. I know.)
I think it turned out really cute and it really only took a few minutes. You can read my tips for a great mini photo session below.

I didn't use a fancy camera. I just used my iPhone 6. I did, however, use a great photo app along with the photo editing capabilities in photos on my phone.
My Tips:
#1 You want to take the picture in a dimly lit room to create the shadows that make it great.
#2 You don't have to actually wrap the kids up or have any rhyme or reason to it. Just throw some lights on them. If your kids are like mine, you don't have much time to make this work.
#3 Don't make them do it. If they are in a bad mood you should just wait. You'll get genuine smiles and wonder if you are patient.
#4 Once you take the photo, edit it in the iPhone photo editor and adjust the light and color until you are happy. My original pictures looked like this:

By adjusting the light in the photo you can make a big difference. 
#5 Download the free photo app called "Rookie Cam". It has some really unique and awesome filters. I used "delight" first and then applied a tiny amount of "ruby". I've used this app a bunch and it is free so it can't hurt to give it a whirl. 

I hope my tips help you take some great pics! If you get a few good ones comment with them below so I can give you a virtual high five!

I wanted to create an advent calendar this year for Lilly and found a great one here. I loved the idea of jokes for each day instead of activities. Sometimes we don't have time or don't feel like doing the activity given. So, I decided to use the joke idea but, I got rid of all of my red christmas decorations and wanted to keep it that way so, I created my own advent calendar and kept the jokes from my inspiration.
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I just printed it out on card stock and then cut them out. I hung them by punching holes in the top of each ornament and stringing them with ribbon. I attached it to the wall with washi tape and made a washi tape star for the top.

The photo really doesn't do it justice. I used glittery backgrounds and patterns. It's super cute! You can print mine out by downloading below and you can find the jokes I used at the link given above. Enjoy!

I decided to change my Christmas decor this year. I wanted to make it light and crisp so I got rid of all of the red and opted for white, cream and metallics instead. I 'm really happy with how it turned out. 

I even made some art prints for my walls this year. The first one, the car, I simply found and had printed at Walgreens. The second I made. I used canva.com to create the image and had it printed at walgreens. Then I glittered the words and glued it to a gold poster board before framing. I am really excited about them. You can get your own print of "feliz navidad" here!

For Lilly's room I placed a tree decked with colorful lights and tinsel next to her play house. I also found some battery operated lights and strung them on her house. So cute!

Hosting a Thanksgiving with friends has become this big, new thing that lots of people are doing. We started doing it 9 years ago for our foreign friends who had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving. We called it Thanksgiving with Friends and even though it is referred to as Friendsgiving for many others. We're sticking with what we have always done. So, here is how it went this year.
We use Alton Brown's roasted turkey recipe and have used it for nine years. It is the bomb! You end up with a super juicy and flavorful turkey because you soak it in a brine solution overnight. Seriously, it's amazing.

I always make sure we have places for everyone to sit that are not on the sofa so, we moved our desk into the dining room and made it a buffet and then placed folding tables in our breakfast nook  for our guests. I covered the tables with brown butcher paper and then drew place settings at each seat. I topped the tables off with some evergreen branches and cream candles. It looked pretty and was easy as well. 

For the kids table I did something similar but also wrote their names on the "plates", added some cute turkey masks that I made and some "corn" which was simply a ziplock baggie filled with Kix cereal and wrapped with green tissue paper and twine to look like corn on the cob. I also placed a bucket of crayons in the center and a dancing turkey.

For silverware and plates I decided after our fourth Thanksgiving with Friends that I couldn't handle that many dishes so, we use paper now. This year I took it up a notch and created these utensil holders. I found a template for the holder and created my own logo. Then I simply cut them out folded, glued and stuffed! It was great. I also bought microwaveable take home containers and made stickers for the top of each one so guests could make a meal for later. It was really handy, especially when I wanted a little of everything the next day but didn't want to open up 7 different containers of leftovers. I made the logos at www.canva.com. It's a free graphic design creation site and it is Ah-May-Zing!

The turkey masks were both easy and adorable!
DIY Felt Turkey Mask:
- brown, yellow and red felt
- mask template (I found mine on google images)
- elastic string
- hot glue and glue gun
1. Using your template, cut out the mask from the brown felt.
2. Cut out beaks (I just drew some triangle shapes on the yellow felt and them cut them out.)
3. Cut out the waddles. (I again, drew it on the felt and cut it out.)
4. Hot glue waddles and beaks to mask.
5. Cut a small slit on either side of the mask and thread the elastic through, finishing it with a knot.

Everyone had a great time and can't wait until the next party!

So....This is a little late but, we had a ton of fun with mommy camp for Thanksgiving! We did some experiments with corn, conducted an apple taste test, made a mini mayflower and did some painting! Check it out!
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First we learned about the pilgrims and how they came to America. Then we made Mayflower handprint art and mini Mayflowers out of apple sauce cups inspired by this blog. However, our boats did not float. It was disappointing.

After we discussed the Mayflower and the pilgrims arrival, we learned about how they lived once they arrived and talked about the differences in how they lived then versus how we live today. I showed her this video about life as a pilgrim and she really enjoyed it even though it is a little long. I even had time to give her brother a bath while she watched it! Once she finished the video we made butter! I used the directions and printable labels found here. It was really easy and super delicious. We have made it many times since.

DIY Butter:
- heavy whipping cream
- lidded glass jar
- 1 marble
- sugar, salt, cinnamon, sugar (optional)
1. Fill jar 2/3 full with heavy whipping cream.
2. Add desired seasonings. (We added a little of each listed above to make cinnamon sugar butter. Yum!)
3. Add marble to jar.
4. Shake!
5. It only takes a few minutes and you will end up with a whipped cream consistency. Once you refrigerate it the consistency firms a little and is more like spreadable butter. Great for toast!
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After learning about the Pilgrims and the reason for Thanksgiving we needed to make an apple pie, a classic dish for the holiday. So we first conducted an apple taste test. I found the free printables here. Lilly really enjoyed this activity and it was great for her to practice writing. Plus, I know which apples she will be most happy with.

Popcorn was our next science activity! First we analyzed the unpeopled kernels and the popped ones and formed hypotheses on why they looked so different and also the reasons for their differences. Then we watched a super cool slow-mo video of a kernel popping and applied the information to our understanding of the differences between popped vs. un-popped. 

After that we formed a sink or float hypothesis about both versions and conducted our experiment. Lilly was upset that she was incorrect about which would float and which would sink as seen in the below photos. We finished up by simply playing with the kernels. I gave them funnels and cups and mini shovel toys and both of them had a blast. We did this part outside btw. Arthur cannot be trusted with anything that could potentially make a disastrous mess. 

We, of course, did a few math and reading worksheets that had a Thanksgiving theme. I found both at education.com. They have great worksheets for free!

We learned about corn and apples so we HAD to learn about cranberries! We started out by talking about cranberries and if we liked them. We looked at one and cut it open. I even got her to try a raw one. She wasn't a fan. Then we watched a video about how cranberries are grown. After that, I made her a mini cranberry bog in a dish pan inspired by this blog and let her manipulate the cranberries for a bit. Finally, we made cranberry muffins and she helped by grating the orange and counting the cranberries for each muffin. We decided 6 was a good number.

I also made a quick felt turkey for our felt board. They had fun with it and it only took a few minutes to cut out a bunch of different colored feathers, a round body, head and top hat. I did hot glue the beak, hat and feet on so they wouldn't get lost.

I had a few other activities that we just didn't get to but I'll save them for next year! Now it's time for Mommy Camp - Christmas!