St. Patrick's Day Sensory Box (Part 1) -- Sifting for Leprechaun's Gold

Good morning! I'm really excited to share this one with everyone. I tried this fun sifting activity with my 1.5 year old a couple days ago. It was the first time I had introduced the process of sifting to her and she had a blast with it. Don't get me wrong... it took several (several, several) tries before she understood what the heck I was showing her. But, finally, she had fun trying the colander out for herself.

I prepared her sensory box during nap time, hence my blog's name Nap Time Blogger Mom.  I emptied a small tote out and filled it with baking soda. Why baking soda? No reason. You can use flour, corn meal, corn starch, etc. I used baking soda only because I know my daughter and I will reuse it in the future for some baking soda + vinegar play. Look out for Part 2 of my St. Patrick's Day Sensory Box where we add some green vinegar to our baking soda and watch the fun chemical reaction.

After the baking soda dust died down (there was much more than I was prepared for), I threw in a half a 30-pack of gold coins that I bought at the Dollar Tree. Then I wandered aimlessly around my house searching for other fun things to throw in. I ended up only finding a handful of buttons. For older kids, you can pretend-play that these are coal or other non-exciting finds. Then I ran outside and grabbed several rocks for her to have to play around. Lastly, I picked out the tools she would be using: a spoon, a small colander (from her play kitchen set), and some colorful popsicle sticks.

Now I just needed the kid. Once she was awake and ready, we sat down and she ran her hands through the baking soda. Much to her surprise she found the coins and buttons in there. I showed her the colander and explained how it worked while sifting and finding several coins/buttons myself. She enjoyed the shaking part , so be prepared for a mess (as always).

After one or two times, the sifting became too much of a chore and she used the popcicle sticks, spoon, and her hands to shovel her way through to her gold. If only finding real gold was this easy. :)

Rainbow Bath Paint

We can all agree that the longer days are a good thing, right? Especially, when it means that warmer temperatures are around the corner. But until then, a day at home with an 18-month-old can feel like forever. 

Yesterday, we desperately needed an activity that would help break up our day and last more than 10 minutes. In our house, bath time is always an thumbs-up choice for a 30 minute or more activity. To shake things up, I broke out the shaving cream and food coloring and made a not-so-cute rainbow. Why make it perfect when it's going to be messed up in seconds? 

Simply, mix some shaving cream and coloring in a separate bowls and carefully (or not so carefully) spread onto a smooth surface. I used a giant plastic lid that goes with one of my mixing bowls. 

It proved to be an excellent pre-bath activity. Since both the mess and messy child were already in the bath, clean-up was also fairly quick and easy. My little lady played with the shaving cream for a good 15 minutes before a long 20 minute bath. 

All in all, I can say this time-wasting activity was pretty successful. 

DIY Upgraded $1 Store Easter Magnets

I don't often go to the Dollar Store and now I remember why. They have a ton of awesome deals that I can never pass up because, come on, it's only $1! Well, right now they have these awesome Easter refrigerator magnets in stock. I bought one of each set: the Easter rabbit, and the 5 chicks.

As soon as we got home I opened up the package, popped them out of their forms, and stuck them on the fridge for my little one to begin playing with (why wait until Easter?). She was thrilled and immediately begin pulling them off and presenting them to me as if I had never seen them before in my life. She's pretty adorable.

While wondering if I could recycle the leftover magnet forms, it hit me (duh!) why don't I upcycle them myself?! I could cut them up and make extra (and educational) magnets for Rose. So that's exactly what I did.

I always have to remind myself not to get too fancy. Why put a lot of energy and time into something that my child will probably crumple up and ruin in seconds? So I didn't. I took some index cards and wrote out "purple", "blue", "pink", "green", and "pink" then cut them out. I cut out some funky shaped-magnets and hot-glued them to the back. In less then 5 minutes, I had made color magnets that corresponded to the 5 little chicks that I just bought. I also spelled Rose's name out and made each letter it's own magnet. Another plus, I still have 1 1/2 sheets of extra magnets left for future magnet-making.

"My Little Easter Egg" Craft

Rose got this adorable finger-puppet book from her Grandma and absolutely loves it. Since she is forcing me to get into the Easter mood so early, I decided to do a quick Easter egg craft with her this morning. I won't toot my own horn, but I didn't even get this idea from Pinterest and it turned out pretty good. Also, I love how quick it was to set up.

Simply stick some painters tape in fun designs on a piece of construction paper. Then let your child finger paint like normal on the paper. After he/she is done painting, carefully take the tape off and let the painting dry. Once dry, cut out an egg shape. There you have it. A refrigerator-quality Easter toddler craft.

Name Scavenger Hunt

Here's a fun and easy learning game to set up for your child during his/her naptime. Plus, it only take 10-15 minutes of prep time so that leaves the rest of little one's naptime for you to complete that never-ending list of chores.

Use some scrap paper and write your child's name over and over again. Then cut them out. Don't worry about them looking pretty. They're for your 18 month old and she won't care if all the angles are 90 degrees.

Then tape them up around the house where you child might see them. Once naptime is over, help your child find them around the house. Use a basket and prep for Easter hunts!

Talk about each letter and make funny noises for each. For example, when I point to the letter "R" I say "Ruh, ruh, ruh" loudly and enthusiastically and when I point to the "S" and run my finger over the curves of the "S" and hiss like a snake, etc. After making a fool of yourself, remember to finish up by saying their name slowly while pointing to each letter in turn and then repeating their name quickly. For "Rose", I have to explain that the "E" is silent. That's the English language for ya.

After all your letters and name cards have been collected you can keep them for another day. I keep some posted around the house so throughout our normal day we can stop and spell our name. It's the first step to learning the alphabet!

7 DIY Curtain Tie Backs

Several weeks ago my husband and I put up new curtains in our main floor living area. To make a long story short, we forgot to buy pull-backs for them. I did a quick Pinterest search and found some really cute DIY ideas and compiled them here:

1. Brass Clasp Pull Back -- find the DIY instructions here.

Photo/Idea Source: The Black Bird

2. Rope Curtain Tie Back -- this one looks like a lot of fun to make. Find step-by-step instructions here.

Photo/Idea Source: Cottage in the Oaks

3. Ribbon and Ring Tie Back -- Find this tie-back and more ways to add color to a room here.

Photo/Idea Source: Successful Home Makers

4. Fork Tie Back -- Get crafty with this unique fork tie back. Find how to and many more upcycled ideas here.

Photo/Idea Source: Country Living

5. Gold Chain Tie Back -- Go get that old dog chain you have been meaning to throw away and use it to make this classy and modern gold tie back. Find out how here.

Photo/Idea Source: HGTV

6. Door Knob Tie Back -- Find this rustic tie back and more upcycle ideas here.

Photo/Idea Source: Whisper Wood Cottage

7. Lace Tie Back -- Finally, this was my quick solution to our curtain problem. Find the super short DIY instructions here.

Photo/Source Idea: Nap Time Blogger Mom

Easy DIY Lace Pull-Backs

A couple of weekends ago, the husband and I decided that we needed to dress up our main floor windows. (You know... finally... after living here for 8 months). We went out to Lowe’s and bought some curtain rods and fell in love with some curtains there. 3 hours and $300 later we had them up in our living room, play room, and dining room. And, man, do they look awesome.

But, DANG IT, we forgot to get pull-backs so that they would hang pretty when we wanted some natural light. That’s alright. I ran up to my craft room and rummaged through some drawers and found some old lace I had used to make some DIY lace crowns for Rose once upon a time.  

I simply cut a length (about 13 inches for the once pictured) of lace. Then screwed a hook about 1 cm away from the trim on either side. Wa-la! It was literally that easy and now I don't have to go shopping.

List of Bunco Night Decorations and Recipes Ideas

My local MOMS group has a Bunco night once a month and this month it was my turn to host. As I do with most things, I got really excited and went crazy on Pinterest looking for Bunco or dice related recipes and decorations. There weren’t that many to be found and I had to sift through a lot of Bunco How-To’s to find some. So I thought I would quickly compile them into a list to share with everyone. Here’s what I found starting with decorations and ending with recipes:

Decorate with Dice – Fill any glass container with extra dice. I like the sunflowers in the picture and thought about doing pink tulips for my Valentine’s-themed Bunco night.

Photo/Idea Source: The Greenbacks Gal Blog

Dice Banner – How cute is this? All you need is some black paper, white paper, and some ribbon.

Source: Unknown.

Dice Toothpicks – Have some extra white and black paper left over from your dice banner? No worries. Use those leftovers to make adorable dice-topped toothpicks.

Photo/Idea Source: Stamp With Ann

Dice Tables – If you’re lucky enough to have 3 card tables that you use for your Bunco night, this idea is easy, quick, and fun! 

Photo/Idea Source: All Things Thrifty

Yard Dice – Make a set of these for your family to play with and to use for a quick decoration on Bunco night! Learn how here.

Photo/Idea Source: The Pinning Mama

Dice Shaped Money Jar -- Every bunco night needs a money jar. Why not spiff it up with some polka dots to make it look like a die? DIY instructions found here.

Photo/Idea Source: Sew Many Ways

Kleenex Box Dice -- Add a couple over-sized dice to your party decor. Hang them from the ceiling or stack them up on a side table. Learn how to make these simple dice out of Kleenex boxes here.

Photo/Idea Source: Fun Theme Party Ideas

Bunco Snack Mix – Here's my creation for the list. Click here for my own Cinnamon Sugar Bunco Snack Mix recipe!

Dice Crispy Treats – How cute are these? Simply make a pan of rice crispy treats, cut into cubes, and push chocolate chips into the sides. Boom done!

Photo/Idea Source: Beauty and the Stamper

Dice Cheese Ball – More like cheese cube. Ha. Learn how to make this adorable dish here or use your own favorite cheese ball recipe.

Photo/Idea Source: The Greenbacks Gal

Sugar Cube Dice Cupcakes – I love these. Add them to the top of some cupcakes or any other dessert to add some bunco cuteness to any treat. Click here to find the simple how-to. 

Photo/Idea Source: Every Day Donna

Oreo Truffle Dice -- Mmmm. My mouth waters just thinking about these. Find a yummy oreo truffle recipe here and dip the truffles into colored chocolate. Finally either use sprinkles or icing for the dots. 

Photo Source: Unknown

Cinnamon Sugar Bunco Snack Mix

It was my turn to host our monthly Bunco night and I wanted to add a little extra dice-related fun. So I Pinterested the heck out of Bunco recipes. (Actually, I compiled my favorites into a list that you can find here.) I found this fun snack mix idea from the Make the Best of Everything blog but she wasn't too clear on how to make them. So I did a bit more searching and found three different recipes to make this yummy Cinnamon Sugar Bunco Snack Mix! Here's how.

 First, lets start with the dice-shaped shortbread cookies. Here's the recipe for shortbread I used from Simple Bites.

Shortbread Cookies

• 3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
3. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and bring everything together with your hands. Dump into a cake pan and pat down to make a sheet of dough roughly 1/4 inches deep. 
4. Chill for 30 minutes and then cut into squares (mine were roughly 1x1 inches). 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squares on a cookie sheet (I used parchment paper) and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.

The above recipe suggested a lemon glaze, but I didn't think that would go well with cinnamon sugar. I found a better glaze from Gonna Want Seconds. The recipe is below.

Cinnamon Sugar Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• Mini chocolate chip cookies

1. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a small bowl and mix until smooth. 
2. Use a small spoon (I used a baby spoon) or knife to spread a small amount onto each cookie.
3. Before the glaze dries, add mini chocolate chip cookies in the designs of dice faces. 

Now it's time to make the rest of the snack mix. I adopted my recipe from Chocolate, Chocolate and More. 

Cinnamon Sugar Snack Mix

• 1 1/2 cup pretzels
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• Half a bag of popped popcorn; unpopped kernels removed
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon course sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Mix pretzels, peanuts, and popcorn. Set aside.
3. Mix melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 
4. Use either a large bowl or a ziploc and dump all ingredients into it to shake until everything is uniformly covered. 
5. Bake 7-8 minutes and let cool. Add your dice-shaped shortbread cookies and store in an air-tight container.