Home-Made Finger Paints: A Review

Well, since the weather's turning into summer and we're getting a beautiful 77 degree day, I thought it would be a good morning to test out the DIY finger paint recipe I found on Pinterest. I used the recipe from the Easie Peasie blog, and it went as follows:

3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c corn starch
2 c water

I mixed all the ingredients in a small saucepan, warming it until it thickened at med-low heat. This, of course, did not happen. I had to add at least another 1/4 cup of corn starch to get the desired thinkness I wanted. Once the mixture cooled down, I poured it into those empty baby food jars I have a ton of, added some food coloring, and mixed away. I used the basic Spice Time food colors you can get at a dollar store.

So now, the real test. I gave MonkeyBoy some brushes and poured a little bit of the different colors on paper for him so he could draw. I also laid down a cardboard box so I wouldn't have too much of a mess to clean up after.

Verdict:  Well, I was slightly disappointed at how much more cornstarch I needed to use, but I'm always modifying recipes to suit my needs, anyway, so I got over this.

The food coloring ended up being very vibrant with just four to five drops. I mixed red/yellow for orange and red/blue for purple.

Safe and non-toxic if eaten, so that is a huge plus, but he was not interested in eating this particular paste, which surprised me.

We painted with brushes and hands for about 15 to 20 minutes before he seemed to get upset that it was drying kind of thick all over his hands. He would then rub his hands all over his legs and torso. This didn't bother me in the least, since we stripped him down to his diaper so he could have-at-it (hence the warm weather reference).

The big disappointment was the staining, which I was kind of expecting. AND BOY DO THOSE FOOD COLORS STAIN! We'll have to do an extra long soak in the tub tonight, and I only hope his Smurf hand will disappear.

Will I do this again? Totally since it does wash off eventually and it's non-toxic. I just won't do it  before a playdate that I scheduled in order to have a photoshoot with other toddlers. Live and learn; that's all I seem to do on a daily basis.

On to the next...

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Bless My Beautiful Baby Boy

Happy Sunday and good night everyone!

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Just to Prove I Actually Do the Things I Find on Pinterest...

No, granted, not as nicely presented as from the source of this recipe, but just as delicious, I am sure:  Neopolitan Rice Krispie© Treats made with regular Rice Krispies©, Cocoa Krispies©, regular marshmallows, and Strawberry Fluff© since I didn't have time to hunt down strawberry flavored marshmallows. Dee-lish and a great Easter treat! Plus, a bonus, I now have a surplus of Cocoa Krispies© that I guess I'll just have to eat.

The next thing I made for our after-Easter meal was this sunflower cake made of Peeps©. I just made a basic white cake mix and used canned chocolate frosting. I piped sunflower seeds in the center with a Wilton #12 tip and just made a ring of Peeps to form the flower petals. Simple, delicious, and a fun presentation for spring. Although, chocolate chips would have worked for the seeds, too....next time.







I'll be a great home-maker yet.

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Zip Storage Bag Painting

MonkeyBoy is getting harder to entertain these days, becoming quickly bored with the usual suspects (monster trucks and dump trucks), so I've been scouring the web, and by the web I'm mean Pinterest, for great toddler ideas to enhance cognitive development and curb the whinies. One such idea was this nifty one from *No one has more fun than the Adams'  blog:  Zip-Loc© Painting on windows.

I chose the basic yellow-and-blue-makes-green concept. He was entertained for about 30 seconds, but I did put the bag up right when the sun was glaring down on the poor kid. So maybe later this afternoon he'll have more fun being able to actually see what he's doing.

"I'm blind, mama!"

Well, on to the next....

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

I Like Creeping Out My Bestie

Wanted: Personal Assistant/Live-in Au Pair

My life feels more out-of-control and busy now than it did when I was commuting four hours a day to a 9-hour-a-day job I hated. I'm sitting here finishing up a crocheted celery bunch when it dawns on me how much I'm trying to accomplish:

Raise my son
Finish my website
Blog more than once every six months
Take down the wall paper in my diningroom
Paint said diningroom
Sand down the spackle and touch up paint the kitchen cabinets
Sand down and spray paint the baseboard heating covers for the bathroom we're remodeling
Remodel bathroom
Learn the guitar
Rake and mulch down 10 acres of leaves in the yard
Try to become an extreme couponer
Crochet a TON of play food for an inventory
Start my own company with said play food and crocheted wares
Develop a business strategy/marketing strategy
Develop website for said company
Laundry
Teach my son to STOP SCREECHING!
Playgroups
Doctor appointments
Knit a pair of 18th century women's mitts for a friend
Learn to knit
Sick husbands
Make breakfast, lunch, dinner every day
Become a piano virtuoso and teach my son
Make Easter dinner

and last, but not least, make my ass look like this:

© Lifeplusfitness.blogspot.com

Here's to wishing for my fairy godmother to show...

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Facebook: Necessary Evil or just Evil?

Until about four or five days ago, I was a generic FB user. I wouldn't go on a lot; just post pics of my babe for my distant friends and family to see his progress, make a quirky comment or observation here and there, but that was it. Since Gardens of Time, that has all changed. I started playing this game when my son was just two or three months old, but I never posted my "progress" so as not to annoy everyone with constant posts. Now, it seems the evil programmers have made it in order to progress, you have to post to your wall in order to get Time Crystals.



I'm obsessed!!! My wall is just beggings for Time Crystals. This new portion of game play expires in one day. But those cursed programmers will find another reason for us to beg for Time Crystals, I'm sure.

I suck! I know! But maybe those that aren't hooked-lined-and-sinkered into Gardens of Time can just block my postings from this app, and please, please, please keep me as a friend for all the other wonderful musings I post.

Thank you, and I apologize for the inconvenience,
–TYG