How to Make a Marbleized Crayon Egg (Tutorial)

Even though I've been flying under the radar lately, that doesn't mean I haven't been procrastinating by doing things like peeling paper off of crayons in order to make melted crayon eggs. I can't wait to put these in the kids' Easter baskets.

Making them was really inexpensive. I didn't have to go out and buy egg molds. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have had to go out and buy crayons either. But my kids don't draw enough to have a ton of half-used crayons without wrappers. The part of this project that took the longest was probably unwrapping all the crayons. But it was worth it, because I'm kind of obsessed with how cute these crayon eggs are.

To make them, first you have to hollow out some eggs. Save the yolks and whites. Make an omelet or two.

To hollow out eggs, poke a hole in one end with a nail. You can hammer it in, holding the egg in your hand, or just push really hard. (After the first two, you won't break anymore, I promise.) Poke a bigger hole in the other end with the nail, peeling away shell until you have a hole about 1/2 an inch in diameter. I poked the small hole in the top of the egg and the large hole in the bottom. It doesn't really matter how big the big hole gets. You're going to stuff your crayons in here anyway. Holding the egg over a bowl, blow through the small hole. The insides will end up in the bowl, and you'll end up with a delicate eggshell. Put that in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes to kill any bacteria.

After the eggs are hollowed out, boiled and dried, tape up the small hole with masking tape. Make sure to seal it really well or the wax will leak out. Coat the inside of the egg with petroleum jelly by sticking your finger in the big hole and rubbing it around the inside. (Sorry, there's just no pretty way to say that).

Next, peel your crayons. If you're smart, you've saved all of the crayon bits your kids leave in the bottom of your crayon bucket, and you won't have to spend time (and fingernails) doing this. Since I bought new crayons at the dollar store, I steamed them over the boiling egg water to make the paper easier to take off.

Next, seat your eggs in a tin foil nest. I did this in some ramekins, but you can use a muffin tin if you're doing a lot at once. Take a wad of foil, place the egg in the center, and bunch the foil around the egg, then nestle it into the container in which you'll bake it. (Make sure the container is oven safe).

Cut up or break your crayons and drop them into the hole in the egg until they reach the top. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the wax is completely melted. See the melted wax in there? You'll have to top it off with some more crayons. This time, put it in the oven for only 4-5 minutes. It will melt faster. Do this until the wax reaches the top of the egg, then leave the eggs out for 24 hours to cool and harden completely. I used about 6 crayons per egg, I think.

Now for the unveiling! After 24 hours, peel away the egg shell.

Drool and fawn over your beautiful marbleized eggs before giving them to your kids and letting them mess up all of your hard work.

Last-Minute Valentines (Free Printables)

If you were planning on putting together an adorable craft with your kids for Valentine's Day but just realized it's in 2 days, don't worry. I've got you covered. These free printables require minimal crafting, but they look really crafty and cute. A good resource for cheap supplies can be used with Office Depot coupons.

Just print, cut, and paste!

Click on the image below for a printable PDF.

Want more free printable valentines? Sign up for the newsletter in the side column to the right. Anyone who subscribes by the end of the day on February 14, 2012, will be emailed four more free printables to share with their favorite valentines.

Happy Valentine's Day!









Check out more craftiness at:



Disclosure: Some of the links on this post are paid advertisements. But I wouldn't put them here if I didn't think you could use them!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: DIY Christmas Gifts

I had all of my holiday stress right before Thanksgiving. All self-inflicted, of course. I was getting together with family, and we were exchanging gifts for the kids. So naturally I had to make most of my gifts. Some were more complicated than others, but they were all inexpensive (or free) to make.

If you're lucky, I might elaborate on some of these at some point, but for now, check out these pictures of some DIY Christmas gift ideas for kids.

Cookie sheet, magnet clip, coupon file, and food storage container from the dollar store. Scrabble tiles from a game on sale at Walmart. Super glued magnets (from a magnet strip bought at Walmart) onto the coupon file, scrabble tiles, and plastic container and painted the cookie sheet with chalkboard paint. I put crayons, chalk, index cards (to stick in the magnet clip and draw on), and a paintbrush into the coupon file. Baby T really liked using the paintbrush to blend his chalk drawings. This is perfect for the car.

100 Things to be Thankful For

Amanda from Let's Take the Metro writes a weekly gratitude post, and this Thanksgiving, she has challenged us to write 100 things we are thankful for. I wrote 50 on the Green Baby Diaper Service blog (along with Liz), but I wanted to do something different here. (I was also supposed to post this last Thursday, but I've been overwhelmed with life lately).

I often find myself complaining a lot. How often do you say, "That's my biggest pet peeve" and then you realize you have about 100 pet peeves?

I also often think when I'm in the middle of a particularly difficult situation, "Why is my life so hard?" And then I kind of punch myself for feeling that way because certainly my life is pretty great. But I do often try to consider how my life could be easier, and I've thought about making a list, just so I can help myself streamline and simplify.

This gratitude post is a version of that list. But I'm taking everything I complain about and finding the gratitude in it.

Nursing the Holidays

When I had Baby T, I was still working full time, and I looked forward to the holidays: They were a time when I could just be with my baby, nurse him whenever I wanted, and stop pumping. Even with all the traveling and hustle and bustle, managing the holidays with a breastfeeding baby was easier than working full time with a breastfeeding baby.

Plane Travel with a Nursing Baby

HAPPY HALLOWEEN: A Garbage Man and a Trash Bag Walk Into a Bar...

Baby T has been talking about his Halloween costume for a few weeks now. When we were waiting for my friend's husband to finish his Iron Man race this weekend (Go Z!), Baby T was telling the people around him, who were holding trash bags filled with the race participants' items, about his and his brother's costumes.

But the evening did not start off great. Baby T woke up with a mild fever and was a little bit cranky. It was a good thing that he didn't give us his typical "I only want to wear TJ's (PJ's)" tantrum. We maneuvered him into some green cargo pants and the rest of his costume without much of a fuss.

But he wasn't happy when picture time came.

How to Make a Trash Bag Halloween Costume Tutorial

All you procrastinators--here is a quick tutorial for how to make a spherical Halloween costume--you know--if you're making a pumpkin costume, Mr. Potato Head costume, or trash bag costume. This costume basically transforms you or your child into a giant, stuffable ball. Use your imagination and go crazy.

Baby T is going to be a garbage man, so Little M is going to be a trash bag. This is how I made Little M's garbage bag costume.

Save Money by Using What You Have

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Surprisingly, I am decent with money. It’s not because I’m organized or Type A, I assure you. Nor am I obsessively frugal. I try really hard to do things like create a budget, micromanage my finances, use only cash, and clip coupons. But in reality, I have a general idea of what I have to spend every month, I splurge on things I really want need, I use my credit card for almost everything (although I pay it off monthly), and I rarely clip coupons.

So how was I able to leave a job where I was really comfortable and still afford my mortgage, my two kids, and my new grill? I’m resourceful. I save my money where I can so that I can spend it on the things I really need.

MONDAY MOMENTS: Halloween Costumes in Pairs

And...It's Tuesday. But I'm a day behind because of the holiday (and my scattered brain). This post is linked up on Capital Mom's blog. Every Monday, she posts about a parenting moment. This week's theme is Costume.

We have been debating what to do for Halloween for the kids. I'm not a huge holiday person, but as holidays go, I really like Halloween. We had a lot of fun as kids choosing our costumes and foraging around at neighbors' front doors for food.

We have recycled the same cute cow costume that my sister crocheted for Baby T 2 years in a row. It's time we got off our a$$es and got creative. The sad part is--this is how my scattered brain works--I'm sitting here racking my brain trying to remember what we dressed Little M up as last year.

Oh yeah. He wasn't here yet. How time flies.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: FOURTH OF JULY SPARKLERS!

Baby T's and Little M's cousins came to visit this weekend. After Baby T was in bed, his cousins played with sparklers. Paranoid mommy didn't think Baby T was old enough. Mean mommy.

These pictures are pretty cool, though.

Mother's Day

My first mother's day with Baby T outside of my belly was perfect. It was a beautiful spring day and we spent it outside.

We woke up and played in the garden. Baby T is quite a helper.

Big T worked on a potting bench that he made for me for mother's day. He had been working on it in the garage all week and keeping it a suprise.

It even has a gutter and downspout to direct rainwater into my watering can!

Here are my boys:

 

We went to the pool after Baby T's 3 hour nap. That was a great mother's day present, Baby T.

 That's pretty much it. Baby T played outside some more with his "car":

And today I have to go to work. I'm going to miss my boys. I had the best mother's day ever.

A Break From Reality

Our Trip to Punta Cana

Baby T, Big T and I spent last week in the Dominican Republic for some much needed R&R. I think it goes without saying that it was amazing. I didn't think about work until Tuesday, when all I thought was, "Wow--people are working right now, and I'm not. Ha!" And then I continued to down my pina colada and bask in the sunlight.

We met up with my parents, and my sister and her kids. It was a blast. I don't think I have ever seen Baby T happier. He loved everything: the water, the beach, his cousins, his aunt and grandparents.

Our little guy is quite the swimmer. The pools at the resort were the kind you could wade into, with a sloping bottom. Perfect for Baby T. He would crawl around in the shallow end, and when he got too deep and his face went under, well, he would try to keep going. He never inhaled any water or choked. He knew that he needed to hold his breath. And the best part was, he didn't care that his face was in the water! I think we have the next Michael Phelps on our hands (only better looking). And with more of a potbelly.

On the beach, Baby T was so independent. He loved playing with the sand toys and smashing sand castles. He didn't care that he had sand up to (and in) his ears. When his cousin A gave him a great big hug (i.e. tackled him and pushed him face down into the sand), he came up smiling.

He grew up a lot on this trip, too. The baby who was barely eating solids before we left ate just about everything I offered him at every meal. Since it was buffet style dining, and we sat down to 3 meals a day together (ok, we pretty much spent the entire time eating if we weren't at the pool or on the beach), I think Baby T got used to seeing people eat. And he wanted to eat too. The little man is still a huge fan of bananas, but tried beans, grilled chicken, lamb (loved it), plantains - fried sweet ones and mashed savory ones, mashed potatoes, carrots... He also became a big fan of the snack trap. So did I, for that matter. Did you know that a snack trap and some cheerios can keep your baby entertained for hours at a time?

Baby T also perfected his waving and pointing skills.

Everyone at the resort--employees and guests alike--would stop in their tracks when they saw him. They would wave to him and say hello, hug him, kiss him. It was unbelievable. So he figured out that he could sit by the edge of the pool and wave to everyone that walked by. He would raise his hand and yell "AH!" (which means "hi" in  Baby T speak). If someone walked by and didn't say hello (which happened rarely), he would keep his eye on them, wondering what their freaking problem was. "Um, hello? I'm cute over here?" The little man loves attention. It's possible that he's practicing for a future in politics. Or as a religious leader.

TANGENT--When T was 3 months old, I brought him to my friend's wedding shower. A 3 year old there kept calling Baby T "Baby Jesus". I have no idea why.Then, a few weeks ago, at a restaurant, a woman stopped in her tracks and commented on "What a little angel" Baby T was. At the resort in the DR, one of the employees called him "An angel from God". And when we got back, when my neighbor was watching Baby T on Tuesday, I guess he was talking up a storm and waving his arms around, and her 4 year old son said, "He's preaching!" Is someone trying to tell me something? Maybe my little guy is just going to be quite influential. Maybe he'll be the next Stephen Gaskin. I always wanted to live on The Farm.../TANGENT

Now that we're back from our vacay, reality has hit us like a ton of bricks. I'm not a fan. The boogers are back, laundry and dishes are piling up, idiots keep calling complaining about their free stuff, and I keep forgetting to buy cat food. Bring me some sun and sand and a pina colada, though, and I'll be fine.

Happy Holidays!

*Sigh* So I am finally able to sit down at the computer now that the holiday season is drawing to a close. We were busy: traveling to Memphis for Thanksgiving, preparing for Baby T's first Christmas, and trying to get some sleep on New Year's Eve.

There is something magical about this season when you're a kid. Your whole family is together, you wake up early on Christmas morning, and you spend the day cozy inside your childhood home. Once you're older, you're busy visiting different family members or wishing you could all be together. You try to sleep as late as possible, and you pack up the car several times--with presents to give, and later, presents to bring home. It's different than it used to be.

On Christmas Eve Big T and I were scrambling to decide where Santa would leave the presents. Our stockings were hung on the entertainment center above the TV. We don't have a fireplace. We decided that we didn't want Baby T thinking Santa comes in through the TV, so we decided to leave the presents by the back door. Thus begins the tradition. Who needs a fireplace anyway? We made it easier for Santa.

Baby T opening his first Christmas present ever:

A little overwhelmed by all of the presents:

My little elf:

And our little Christmas miracle--Even though we had been waiting for Baby T to start crawling on Thanksgiving, since he had been dragging himself around the room on his elbows for several weeks now, he finally did start crawling on Christmas day: