Our New Children's Garden and Worm Sanctuary

Dick: "Momma, petty. . petty" (as he lovingly pointed at my lavender plant)

Me: "Yes sweetie, they are pretty"

Dick: "Me? Me?"

Me: "Yes, you may pick one. . but just one.  Don't they smell nice?"

The next thing that happened is the motive behind today's post. As my adorable two year old boy attempted to "pick" a single lavender flower from the cluster of purple he mistakenly grabbed the entire bush and ripped the whole thing out of the ground. I would love to say that this was a single offense, but unfortunately I can't. We just lost a fruit bearing strawberry plant to his mighty grip not 10 days ago. Sooo. . Instead of banning my sweet little boy from enjoying my garden that he loves so dearly I decided to build him his very own garden to tend to (and to pick the petty fowers from). 

While this decision may not have come from the best motives, I am glad that I went with it. Building a children's garden has been a blessing for both me and my kids. My daughter Jane has been excited about this project since the suggestion first came up. She right away begged me to take her to the store to gather supplies. She enthusiastically picked out each flower and vegetable plant that she wanted to go in their garden and was quite exact with where she wanted them to be planted. With doing so she unintentionally taught herself each plant and veggie name by plant recognition. (wow) My son was just happy to have flowers of his own and even helped dig many of the holes. I was pleasantly surprised that this garden has given my kids a sense of accomplishment and pride. It has also given them a sense of responsibility and a material of bonding. When they are working on the garden, watering the garden or looking for worms to feed the garden they aren't fighting. . they are working together and as a mother I couldn't ask for more! 

Meet Fancy Nonsense : Our Sponsor

We are feeling so blessed that so many companies and blogs have stepped forward to help support and promote our little blogging project. You are all amazing! Today we would like to introduce you to one of these sponsors, the blog Fancy Nonsense.

Fancy Nonsense blog is the dream-child of writer Lauren-Marie. Lauren describes her blog as being a haphazard homemaking blog that acknowledges that life is messy.  

"I strive to put the fancy back into the nonsense of life.  I’m a do-er, a make-er, and a rule-break-er.  I don’t fuss over details (or recipes) and 9.5 times out of 10, the results are amazing.  I’m quick to share my failures and struggles and I love to celebrate successes.  I have 3 kids, 3 and under, and am trying to stay sane in this “stage” of life.”"

A few of Fancy Nonsense's best blog posts:

http://fancynonsense.com/deconstructed-vintage-quilt-and-burlap-bunting/
http://fancynonsense.com/pant-hanger-to-chip-clip/
http://fancynonsense.com/these-are-my-confessions-4/
http://fancynonsense.com/tuesday-treasure-at-trader-joes-ice-cream/
http://fancynonsense.com/egg-hunt/

Ways to connect with Fancy Nonsense:

http://fancynonsense.com

https://www.facebook.com/fancynonsense
http://pinterest.com/fancynonsense/
https://twitter.com/fancynonsense

Thank You!

<3 Dick and Jane

GoGo Squeeze : Lets Play #gogoplayfully

I can remember when I was a child I would jump out of bed on a warm summer morning, barrel past my breakfast and rush out the door looking for my amazing adventure of the day. There were no structured games, sports or daycamps to attend. It was just a day full of imagination and friends. I can remember riding my bike down to the corner candy store with a dollar in my pocket and then stopping to watch the neighborhood boys play street hockey on the way home. That was the life. 

Unfortunately my happy memories are not the memories of some children. Some children live in fear and pain. Research shows that when a child has been abused and feels afraid they loose their ability to play. 

A childhood without play? That just isn't right. 

Because we think all kids deserve a chance to play and heal we have decided to join GoGo Squeeze on a very important mission; helping kids learn to have fun. With this campaign GoGo Squeeze has graciously offered to donate $1 (up to $100,000) to the Life is Good: Playmakers for every share of the campaign’s #gogoplayfully hashtag or ANY of the multimedia content on GoPlayfully.com. 

Gotta Get Junk'n!

Today I wanted to share with you a little re purpose project that I just completed. I wanted you to see that turning junk into something functional can be easier than you think. For this project I found an old wire plant stand at my local Goodwill store for $2. I also found an odd candle holder thing at a garage sale for $1. Yard sales and the Goodwill are great places to look for re purposing items, but you can also find free things on the side of the road. You wouldn't believe what people will just throw away. 

My friend Sara calls picking things up off the side of the road "Roadside Rescue". I think that's a much cuter way of saying "dumpster diving". lol. It sounds much more dignified. 

I tend to collect things that I find interesting looking. When I am out browsing yard sales I look for things that catch my eye. These things can be broken, old or just a piece of something that used to be. . it doesn't really matter. If it has a cool color or has an interesting shape, I'll pick it up. Then I can later go into my stash and hold things together and wait for an idea to pop into my head. Sometimes just tilting your head and looking at something a little different than the norm can help to spark your imagination. 

How to Easily and Effectively Cut a Watermelon

During the summer months my kids obsess over watermelon. They will snack on it almost everyday, all day. The weird thing is though, they wont eat it during the winter months. . . explain that nonsense to me. . 

Either way. . any time my kids ask for a fruit or veggie to eat I make it a point to get it for them. I am all for supporting healthy eating habits. So a few years back when my daughter asked for watermelon in the supermarket I bought one for her, no questions asked. However after I got home I had plenty of questions. Mainly, what on earth do I do with this thing now? How do I get the yummy center part out?

 What followed was something straight out of a horror movie. I grabbed a large knife and started hacking into that watermelon like a crazy person. When the massacre ended I was left with mostly watermelon juice, a few mangled chunks of fruit and a cut finger. agghh.