Small Things Are Big Things

August 30, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Fairy Gardens–Not just for Girls

I discovered Dragonfly Shops and Gardens after buying a book called Fun and Educational Places to go With Kids and Adults in Southern California. The book is $25.50 (including shipping and tax!), if you get it from the site or retails for $24.95 at book stores. You can get it at Dragonfly Shops and Gardens too! The book is like 3 inches thick and worth EVERY penny! Trust me!

In the book I stumbled across a Fairy Garden Making class.

Ummm, yes please!!

But don’t think that a fairy garden is just for lil’ girls!

See how Eli boy-ified his Fairy Garden…

First you paint the flower pot and make mini birdhouses…

All throughout the class you sprinkle fairy dust into the garden.

And yep, it’s the real deal!! (wink)

Dirt is fun for boys.

Included in the price of the class ($20) is the whole garden (pot, 2 mini plants, arbor, birdhouse, arbor, mini butterfly, frog AND ladybug) and you can buy lil’ extras from the shop if you like. (But I’m sure they can add up so if you take your kiddo you might want to set a limit ahead of time!)

Eli brought superheros and pirates to add to his garden.

The Fairy Garden has officially been Boy-ified!!!

If you head into Dragonfly Shops and Gardens, mention Eli’s Lids and get 20% off.

So I’m doing this monthly newsletter…

…and it’s pretty awesome! (my humble opinion)

About the newsletter…

~It comes out once a month. ONLY once a month. As in, I won’t be sending you daily updates on the weather.

~Each issue is short. Who has the time to actually read a big ole’ essay? (Not me!!)

~You’ll get a different Super Secret Eli’s Lids coupon every month.

~I may highlight 1 or two of my posts or a neat post from another great blog.

~AND I’ll offer 2-4 special only-for-subscriber-discounts from other great companies. This month I’m featuring deals from…

Funky Polkadot Giraffe

Illuminated Photography

AND

Creative Parties for Kids

BUT I can’t tell you what the deals are.

You’ll have to subscribe to find out!

If you click here to sign up you’ll get August’s Newsletter (because I can’t not share the great discounts from these places!!) then September’s Newsletter the first week of September.

August 26, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

New Lids!

It’s been busy around here.

A lil’ of this, a lil’ of that!

Summer, laundry, baby due in 25 days…

But mostly getting our new Lid colors finalized and made!

YAY!!

We have Midnight Navy…

Blizzard…

Blue Lagoon…

Radical Red…

and Raspberry… (this one might be my favorite but don’t tell anyone since I’m suppose to be all about the boyz!)

If you are interested in purchasing a Lid you HAVE to sign up for our monthly newsletter! Our first month has the best (secret) Lid coupon ever AND special-only-for-subscriber-deals from Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Illuminated Photography and Creative Parties for Kids!! (more on them in the next post)

August 25, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

It’s not as hard as you think!

After kiddos everything is a little harder than it used to be.

Going to the dinner or the movies on a whim? Only if the sitter is available!

A weekend trip? Only if you rent a u-haul for all the extra baby gear!

But some things are easier than you think they will be!

Like going to the beach.

When Hot hubby and I were dating/newly married we went to the beach a lot. It was close enough to ride our bikes on weekends or just to hang out after work. All we needed was sunscreen, our beach towel made for two and a few snacks. We ALWAYS spent the day there after church. Hours of sleeping in the sun, smash ball and bodyboarding!

Then I got preggers (2006). We still went…

After Eli was born everyone said our Sunday tradition would stop (2007). It didn’t…

(side note: Burying your baby in the sand is like the best way to keep them close.)

Then Cora Jane was born and we were still hitting the Sand Sundays (2008)…

(Though Hot Hubby’s bodyboarding time turned into skimboarding so he could be close at hand to watch the kiddos.)

Still going (2009)…

Then I had Cy (2010) in the Summer and we weren’t as consistent. Hot Hubby took the big kiddos while I stayed home with the lil’ leech and we went to our local lagoon or pool on Sundays instead.

This Summer we were determined to get back into the beach groove – and we are down at Salt Creek every Sunday after church. We want our kiddos to {heart} the beach as much as we do. And we can’t expect them to just fall in love with the beach when it’s “easy” for us to go!

Sure, we need to pack a bit more than our beach towels and body boards…

And instead of sleeping on the sand we play in it (or clean it off lil’ hands)…

But going to the beach isn’t as hard as you think it will be.

It’s different. But doable.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind when venturing out of your local park/library comfort zone.

~Keep it simple. Wherever you are going don’t think you have to pack for Armageddon. Sure, it’s nice if you have that one thing you may need that one specific time but stick to the necessities. Otherwise you’ll get so caught up with the I must be prepared for everything mind set that the prep will be too stressful and you won’t want to do it again. For the beach, we pack sand toys, sunscreen, towels, snacks, an umbrella and our camera. No change of clothes or extra anything. Somehow we survive.

~Keep it short. We loved our all day beach sessions years ago but our trips now are about 3 hours. As the kiddos get older we hope to start staying longer.

~Always pack snacks. But again don’t get overwhelmed. Sometimes I just throw in grapes, fruit snacks and goldfish, or we may drive thru somewhere on the way.

~Try again. If things don’t go well the first time reassess, modify and go again. You are a parent. I guarantee you’ll have all the kinks worked out by the next trip!

~Don’t stress about having the “perfect day.” Just relax. Every trip may not be magical but you can make it memorable just by going!

~Kids are kids. Get messy, have fun and know the unexpected will happen. i.e. Your kiddo will eventually stop eating the sand (And if they don’t, why not get them checked for anemia at their next well-check?).

We are passing down memories of beach fun to our kiddos.

What’s the “activity” in your family?

Camping. Morning fishing. Movies. Museums. Theme parks. Hiking.

What’s holding you back from actually doing these things with small kiddos?

If we wait till they are old enough for an easy trip (and really, is it EVER easy??) it may be too late to brainwash encourage them into liking what we like.

August 24, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Meringue Bake Shop {Wedding Cake Alternative}

(Mondays I like to share something I got. {I know it’s Wednesday but for some reason this didn’t post Monday! It’s my blog, I’ll do what I want.} We all like to share a good deal, splurge, unique find or fun activity. If you got something awesome (or lame) recently and blogged about it, be sure to leave me a link to the post in the comments!)

I love Meringue Bake Shop (except for the fact that I’m a bad speller and the word “meringue” is definitely a 10th grade level word!)

My sister got married this month and opted for cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake. Of course our only choice was Kristen at Meringue Bake Shop! Kristen had so many awesome ideas!

Here is the final outcome – Day and night views (for fun)….

Flavors were Pink Lemonade, Red Velvet, Funfetti, and Caramel. I may or may not have had one of each.

I can’t even tell you how yummy Kristen’s cupcakes are. REALLY!!!

But don’t take my word for it…

Kristen is at the Great Park’s Farmers Market every Sunday selling her yumminess. We’ve been once, and as soon as beach season is over we’ll be making the Great Park our Sunday Family “thing.” (One of the main reasons being the cupcakes… REALLY!!)

Here’s what we picked up the last time we went.

Now wipe the drool off your keyboard.

Check out everything Meringue Bake Shop has to offer on their site, Meringue Bake Shop and the Meringue Bake Shop blog and don’t forget to fan them on Facebook too!

August 21, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

InstaFriday (on Sunday)–What-evah

Linking up (late) with Life Rearranged’s InstaFriday. Post your cell phone photos and link up too!

Who needs a burglar alarm when you have Lego all over the floor???

Why are there Legos on the floor?? Because this mama is tired!!

Only about 4 weeks dill my due date!

A day in the life.

Doesn’t the smell of Crayola Crayons just make your heart smile!

My girl is growing up.

Boo.

And yay.

The big kiddos were in night VBS (at the Bridge) and it was like date night with Cy every night.

AWESOME!!

If you ever have a chance to enroll your kiddos in an evening program, you should! I know it may mess up bedtime a bit but it is soooo worth it.

Job 16:5 spoke to me this week.

“But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.”

Praying my hubby, children and friends feel that way around me.

Finally went to Over the Hump Bike Mountain Bike Race! (Thanks for telling us about it Kelly & Carrie!) Hot Hubby raced and didn’t get last… though no one ranked after him actually finished the race. We’ll be doing it again, so come and join us!

We like to visit “Daddy’s work.” Eli had his first Double-Double.

But don’t think we eat hamburgers everyday! This before and after Sam’s Club run proves it. That fruit will be eaten in 2 weeks… max.

We headed down to Laguna Beach for this year’s Pageant of the Masters. You know we love anything live (doesn’t date night at the movies get old!?!?). Add a romantic star-lit setting and beautiful art and we are in.

Our 7 year tradition lives on!

Come with us next year!

August 17, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Painting with Veggies

Eli told me he wanted to paint with veggies…

“You know mom, you can cut them up and use them as stamps or just use the outside as a paintbrush.”

My initial thought was, did he just call me “mom,” I’m still your mommy, don’t ever grow up! Bwahahahaha…

But I said, “Sounds fun, how did you get that idea?”

“Sesame Street”

So there you have it.

If you didn’t know already Sesame Street is super educational.

We didn’t have much in our cabinets but I don’t think the kiddos cared. We were painting with veggies for goodness sake!

We stamped with the cut base of celery, apples (halved & quartered), gummy bears, cucumbers. And rolled with peppermints and cheerios. Eventually we just used hands and fingers!

I only put out paint in red, blue and yellow so we could experiment with mixing colors to make new colors.

We also grabbed the markers and made picture with the stamped shapes (pirate ship and face below).

Fun and easy for an afternoon in!

August 11, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Playground Passport

Summer is just about over but you don’t have to let that stop you from some outdoor FUN!

I designed this Playground Passport. Print the cover on cardstock and loads of inside pages on regular paper. Then spend your weekends (and weekdays!) filling it up!

The passport is tiny – just the right size to keep in your purse or diaper bag! Be sure to include the date and maybe a special memory you made (bird watching, birthday party, hike, picnic…) at the park. We decorate with stickers, stamps or a simple picture.

Here is an awesome idea for venturing out of our “park comfort zone” from my friend Michelle over at Fun OC Parks…

As the editor and writer for my FunOrangeCountyParks.com blog, my park passport has over 180 "stamps" in it. However, it took me three years to fill it up! Let me act as tour guide and introduce some Points of Interest on the compass.
North
Box Canyon Park in Yorba Linda and Heritage Park Play Island in Cerritos
East
Concourse Park in Portola Hills and Pioneer Road Park in Tustin
South
Talega Park and Forster Ranch Community Park in San Clemente
West
Alta Laguna Park and Moulton Meadows Park in Laguna Beach
Harriett Wieder Regional Park and Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach
Mountains
Coastal Peak Park
Ocean
Aliso Beach Park
There are so many amazing parks that are only a short drive away. Please get out there, have fun, and spend some family time outdoors this summer!

Thank you Michelle!

If you haven’t seen the Fun OC Parks site yet, you are missing out. Michelle has done all the research needed before a park visit. Here are a few of her lists.

South Orange County Parks

North Orange County Parks

Central Orange County Parks

Orange County parks with Cars, Trains & Rocket ships

(pic above from the the second Inside the Outdoors Sunset Hike we went on. Still gotta post the awesomeness!)

If you are still looking for fun outdoorsy things to do check out the latest calendar from Inside the Outdoors! (remember the amazing sunset hike we went on?) The calendar is filled with fun kiddo/family activities.

If #4 is running late, I may do the sunset hike on September 24th to induce labor.

Any nurses wanna come on the hike too!?!?!

Seriously!

August 10, 2011 by: Kara Noel Lawson

I’m telling you…

So far Cy’s 1st words consist of “hi,” “thank you,” and “toot.” Not sure what that says about our family…