Mama

Minne-Mama is on Facebook! 'Like' us to stay updated on our fun crafts and activities!   Thank you for stopping by!    This simple feathered turkey contact paper play is a perfect last minute Thanksgiving activity. If you need some time for final preparations and are looking for something fun to occupy your little one, give this a try! All you need is colored construction paper (or you could draw the turkey shape onto a piece of white paper), contact paper, tape, and feathers (which could also be made out of paper).    To make this fun activity for Skyler, I cut the turkey pieces out of construction paper, quickly used a glue stick to put him together and taped him straight onto our glass door. Then I taped the non-stick side of a small piece of contact paper over him, peeled off the backing to reveal the sticky side, and we were ready to play in just a few minutes!

Minne-Mama is on Facebook! 'Like' us to stay updated on our fun crafts and activities!   Thank you for stopping by!   Between the snow that started earlier this week (and the extremely cold temps we will be having in Minnesota for the next several months) and the upcoming arrival of baby boy #2 any day now, I am more concerned about keeping Skyler well entertained and not plopping him down in front of a screen to pass the time. We love the occasional episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and some educational iPad apps, but I want to make sure that I am still providing Skyler with a variety of learning activities at a time where we will be cooped up at home and with a new baby that will require a lot of attention. The timing could not be more perfect for the book I am reviewing today! When I found out that Asia of Fun at Home with Kids was working on her first book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!! I have been a huge fan of Asia and her incredible blog since she...

Minne-Mama is on Facebook! 'Like' us to stay updated on our fun crafts and activities!   Thank you for stopping by!  Care package two was successfully shipped and received! We found out that Joe got approved for leave and will be home for Thanksgiving before returning to his stateside training. I chose to do a Thanksgiving theme and had a lot of fun making this package. I wanted to include Skyler in the decorating of the package as much as possible. We had a lot of fun making sticker turkeys, hand print turkeys, and a big feathered turkey to decorate the inside, flaps, and top of Joe's care package. Skyler loved feeling involved not only in making the care package, but helping me pick out the things that went inside of it.  Similar to our last package, I mostly just sent snacks for Joe (with plenty to share!) since he didn't really need anything yet. I also included a letter, and on the morning I was going to send it, Joe asked me to send the arm band for his phone, so ...

Minne-Mama is on Facebook! 'Like' us to stay updated on our fun crafts and activities!   Thank you for stopping by!  This garbage truck play was a spur of the moment activity that ended up filling our entire morning! We were spending some time playing in the living room and after watching Skyler quietly make several laps around the room with his toy recycling truck, I asked him if he wanted to make a road for his truck. He looked at me like it was the best idea ever, so we quickly got out the black tape and started making a curvy road for his truck. Every time I ripped off a new piece of tape Skyler would giggle and say "Oh! Good one, Mama!" He had a great time helping me place the tape around the carpet to complete the road. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I grabbed a few small toys to act as the 'garbage' for his truck. We had been listening to his Kindermusik CD earlier in the morning and had to pull out all of his shaker eggs af...

Minne-Mama is on Facebook! 'Like' us to stay updated on our fun crafts and activities!   Thank you for stopping by!  Going into this month, I didn't know if I would write about this, but I started Minne-Mama not just for the crafts and activities I do with Skyler, but as a place to show what we do as a family. The military has been, and especially right now is, a huge part of who we are and how we live. We had to say goodbye to my amazing husband this month in preparation for his deployment. It was a hard week away from home as we went to going away ceremonies, and in the week he has been gone, we have just been trying to get into our new routine for the next several months. He is gone a lot, so Skyler and I are used to being at home just the two of us, but I am trying hard to make life feel normal for us before the baby arrives and our lives change drastically again.  My husband is my best friend, and has been for over ten years since we met in high school. I like to thi...