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Feb 23 2018

big ‘ole magnet board / job chart

Posted by hayley
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We have a rule in our family about buying toys. For birthdays and Christmas, we parents will buy toys on the wish lists as gifts. Any other time of the year, our kids have to purchase themselves things they want, but don’t need. The genius of this is three-fold: we end up with a lot less toy clutter in the house, there are rarely arguments in stores about buying them things, and it teaches our children important lessons about managing their own money.

Both kids have jobs and, just like in the real world, if you do your work you get paid. Don’t feel like making your bed? That’s ok, but you forfeit your pay. Each kid has 5 age-appropriate jobs that will earn them $1/day if completed. We pay in cash each night. This keeps them motivated to contribute to household tasks in a meaningful way, as well as earn an income to buy their “wants.”

A few years back, I DIYed a job chart for Songbird. But I never got around to making one for Bug – until today! It’s massive and serves as both a chart and a magnetic board for him to keep his special papers/postcards/etc.

Here’s how you can make one too – for under $30!

Supplies: Large automotive drip pan (this one is 47″x 25″ – $14 at Walmart), white Con-tact shelf liner paper, scissors, masking tape, washi tape (Office Depot has a huge selection), X-acto knife, sharpie, large Command strips.

1. Roll out enough liner paper to cover the height of the board. The paper is already 18″ wide, which is plenty – so cut a piece a few inches longer than the pan on each end.

2. Line up the left edge of the shelf liner with the left edge of the drip pan. Use a small piece of masking or painter’s tape on both sides to hold the liner paper in place until you get it started.

3. Beginning at one short side, slowly pull the back protective paper off of the liner paper to expose the adhesive. Make sure you push it flat into the crease by the lip of the drip pan. Use your hand to make it real smooth as you go – you wanna be the tortoise here, not the hare.

4. Come back and run your X-Acto blade carefully around the crease to remove the excess liner paper.

5. Use washi tape to create 2″ boxes for the job chart. Write in the days of the week with a Sharpie.

6. Our kid’s jobs change annually, so I didn’t want to write them on permanently. Instead, I designed and printed little cards that I then self-laminated (because I’m a nerd like that) and stuck adhesive magnetic buttons to the back!

7. Attach large Command strips on the back of the drip pan at each corner and hang that baby up!

7. Completed tasks are marked with small magnets. Read the tutorial on how we turned Bug’s bottlecap collection into magnets or make cute wooden star ones like we did for Songbird’s chart.

Bug has always been motivated by money – he’s our “holes in pockets” kid. But this huge chart and all those shiny bottlecaps have just upped his level of enthusiasm for the work he has to do to earn the dolla-dolla billz.

So, while we don’t buy our kids a lot of toys… we do give them plenty of opportunity to earn the money themselves and we try to make it fun!

Tags: bug, bugs room, diy, diy home improvement
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Feb 22 2018

a collection of caps

Posted by hayley
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As little boys do, Bug collects things; sticks, rocks, hotwheels cars, those fake junkmail credit cards. But one thing he’s passionate about acquiring is bottlecaps. He finds them on the beach and in parking lots – all sorts of unsavory places. They each get an immediate “bath” with the hand sanitizer I keep in my purse and then go into a little cardboard box in his closet.

It’s like legit treasure every time he spots a new one and his excitement for the hunt hasn’t waned. So I wanted to find a fun way to display them in his new room. I considered a shadowbox or one of these bottlecap displays, but both of those options would restrict his love of handling them.

I decided to turn them into magnets. And if you have some bottlecaps laying around, you can too!

Pick up a pack of these 3/4 magnetic buttons. I found mine at Walmart, but I’m sure craft stores and Amazon have them too. There is foam adhesive version of these that I tried first, but found that it doesn’t stick well to the back of the cap.

Using industrial strength adhesive (I like E6000), first glue 2 magnets together. The depth of one magnet was juuuust shy of being tall enough to really magnetize the cap properly and stacking 2 of them keeps the sharp edges of the bottlecap up off the surface – preventing scratches.

Now glue your magnets inside your bottlecap. Be sure to read the adhesive instructions: with E6000 you put glue on each piece first, wait 2 minutes, then marry the surfaces. Give them 24 hrs to dry.

So stinking cute. But these aren’t just cool magnets – they have a purpose! Come back tomorrow to find out exactly how we’re using them in Bug’s room.

Tags: bug, bugs room, diy, diy crafts, kid stuff
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Sep 6 2017

a new chapter

Posted by hayley
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It’s officially a tradition… pictures in the trees on the first morning of the school year.
(Um… can we talk about how Bug’s feet are now just one size smaller than Songbird’s?!)

Having completed her first-phase braces this summer, Songbird is headed to 3rd grade with a big straight smile! This year will be a new experience for her as she transitions to a “switch class” format: half the day with one teacher for reading/writing and the other half with a different one for math, science, and social studies. Even more unique is that her set of team teachers are a married couple!

When I asked Songbird what her favorite part of summer was she replied, “Back to school shopping and going back to school.” LOL. I’m glad she has such a deep love of learning! And her pick for new school shoes couldn’t be more “her” (watermelon high-top Converse).

Bye bye, preschool… Bug is now a Kindergartner! In Virginia Beach, it’s still only 1/2 day but he is pumped to spend the mornings at the same school as Songbird. Not entirely sure how he’ll manage 4 hours without a snack break – this kid is always hungry!

One thing I know without a doubt is that he’ll bring his special brand of comedy along for the ride.

Handsome was able to be here for the exciting walk to the bus stop. For 3 years, Bug has watched Songbird get on that big yellow bus; now his time has come!

His smile was ear to ear as he climbed aboard – not a single tear in sight. Upon returning home, he confirmed that magical ride with no seat belts and a ton of other kids was just what Kindergarten dreams are made of.

 

 

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Tags: bug, our life, school, songbird
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Jan 19 2017

treasure rocks

Posted by hayley
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It all started with a rock that Songbird found on a playground. A rock painted like a bluebird, actually. It had been hidden as part of a new activity to cultivate joy in our Va Beach community called 757Rocks. The premise is simple – painted rocks are hidden all around town for anyone to find and bring a smile to their day. Each rock has “#757rocks” painted on the back which (when searched) will invite the finder to paint and hide new rocks of their own to join in the fun.

Well, the bluebird rock had a major prize attached! The gal who hid the rock was Christy Keane, a local professional photographer. Songbird won us a photo shoot at a location of our choice. Major score! We chose the hiking trails and sand dunes of the Back Bay nature preserve where we often get out and walk as a family.

Photos by the Bay | greyhouseharbor.com

As moms it is so important for us to get into pictures with our kids (I wrote in depth about embracing the camera in this post from 2014). Most of my attempts are goofy-faced iPhone selfies—which of course have their own merit. But what a treat to find myself on the other side of a professional lens!Photos by the Bay | greyhouseharbor.com

I wanted genuine pictures of who we are right now (what we wear, our hairstyles, etc), so I told Handsome and the kids to dress however made them comfortable, without regard for matching or fussing with details. The resulting images couldn’t be more “us” : super casual with a hint of fun.

Photos by the Bay | greyhouseharbor.com

For a mom who is always behind the camera, these photos with my little ones are such a rare gift that I will treasure forever!

Photos by the Bay | greyhouseharbor.com

Now we’re painting and hiding our own 757rocks to keep the joy going. If you’re in the Virginia Beach area, do yourself a favor and be sure to check out Christy Keane Photography the next time you too want something other than selfies with your family. You won’t regret it.

Photos by the Bay | greyhouseharbor.com

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Tags: bug, family, joy, our life, songbird
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I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

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