Easter Banners

More Crafts? Heck Yeah! Like I said, this crazy back-to-back timing with Easter and St. Patrick's Day's has been inspiring me (plus I'm a little stressed and crafts help me unwind). I made 2 Easter banners. I did a super easy one for the archway and a more complicated one to hang on the fence for the egg hunt.

Here's the template for the easy one: Easter Banner Printable.

Easy Easter Banner

Materials

• Template Above
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Gluestick
• Crop-a-dile/Hole Punch
• Yarn/Ribbon

Click on my pictures to see them bigger. Just print out your banner directly onto cardstock. I didn't have any white left so I printed it out on printer paper and glued it to black cardstock before I cut it out. Just cut your pieces, punch holes and string them. I used some pretty multicolored yarn. I love the little bows at the bunnies paws. Plus, I traced the bunny silhouette onto an old Shutter Fly envelope to use as a template for my next banner. Tie your bows and hang it up! Easy Peasy!

DIY Bunny Banner

Materials

• Bunny Template (cut from the first banner) & a slightly larger one
• Cardstock
• Spring Words Document/Spring Magazine Pictures
• Scissors
• Gluestick
• Crop-a-dile/Hole Punch
• Craft Cutter
• Patterned Scrap Book Paper
• Buttons
• Fabric Glue
• Yarn/Ribbon

Here's the tutorial for the bunny banner: Easter Banner Printable (from Happy Clippings).

Start by tracing your larger bunny onto folded cardstock. I chose pink and purple for the background bunnies. I cut eight bunnies.

In the tutorial she typed a page of spring related words in different fonts and printed them out. I decided to cut magazine pictures instead. Cute stuff, right?

Now just glue your spring words/picture bunnies onto the cardstock bunnies.

Now for the banner bunnies to get their tails. I copied the tutorial exactly on these. I chose a pink patterned scarapbooking pattern and a solid spring green cardstock. I used one of the stock patterns in my Sillouhette software to cut 8 flowers on each paper. Once I had 16 paper daisies I glued them together alternating which color was on top. On my banner all the pink bunnies have patterned petals on top and all the purple bunnies have green. Once you've assenbled a tail for each hoppy friend, add your buttons to the center. I used yellow and cream colored buttons. Fabric glue works best for adhering them. Make sure to give the flowers ample drying time before you movie them around. Once they're dry bent your petals upward.

Add tails to your bunnies than punch your holes. I used a wide violet ribbon to string mine.

Ta-da!

Treasured Moments

A tragedy occurred and sucked all the oxygen from the world. A dear friend lost her child. She was 18 and starting college in the fall. She hadn't done anything wrong. She's just gone. It hurts me on every level as a mother, a friend and a human being. I started typing a long winded post as I wept into my keyboard, but I changed my mind. This isn't the time or place to grieve. We were lucky enough to spend the day with our little friend while his parents attended his sister's funeral.

These kids have known each since they were a few weeks old, but they're growing up and seeing each other less. A whole day together was such a gift. When I told Riley we would be spending the day with our friend she said "That's so special, Mom! That is specialing me out!!" It was wonderful.

Instead of focusing on the despair, I watched my favorite kids play on the playground. It was a beautiful sunny day (even if jackets were required). In a matter of days they'll start going their separate ways, but not today! Today they laughed and played. Today they enjoyed each other. That's the only way to survive being a parent, one happy playground moment to the next.

Paper Shamrock Banner

Crafty time? Heck Yeah! This crazy timing with Easter right on St. Patrick's Day's heels has been inspiring me to make decor. I decided I wanted to do a simple banner for the infamous archway. Here's my Pinterest inspiration: Click.

Materials

• Green Cardstock
• Cutting Board/Scisors
• Stapler
• Gluestick
• Crop-a-dile/Hole Punch
• Green Yarn/Ribbon
• A little o'ye Irish Spirit

I chose a kelly green and an olive green card stock to make alternating colors of shamrocks. I highly recommend using double sided paper like I did to avoid all the white showing in the Pinterest example. I cut my strips approximately 1.5in wide. You need 4 strips for each Shamrock.

Now you fold your strips into heart shapes. Fold the paper in half (paper will form a V shape when un-folded). Then you fold the top ends in towards each other to form the top of the heart. The first picture was a test I did with patterned paper (you can see why double sided is best for this project). After you've folded your shape just staple once as indicated in the picture. The second pictures shows you all my finished hearts.

Now attach your hearts together in groups of four. Staples work best.

After I assembled the leaves of each shamrock I added a stem. I used patterned paper or green paper that I used a paper edging scissors on. I just folded the paper in half, put glue on both sides, and then slid it into place and squeezed the hearts together.

Next punch a hole in the "V" at the top of the heart, the wall the hearts share and the the "V" of the second heart. This hole configuration helps the shamrocks keep their shape. String them with whatever yarn or ribbon you choose. I liked my simple.

Finding Oz

We recently watched a Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode in which the main character was "disabled." Technically, all disability and disease has been eradicated at this point in the future. This woman is native to a planet with very low gravity which makes it very physically exhausting to get around in normal gravity. I know how she feels, Damn Gravity! Seriously, I love the idea that a low gravity planet exists! I would love to go there. When I was a little girl I always wished I could live underwater.

So, this capable young woman finds the station's doctor smitten with her and of course he has a plan to fix her. Collective groan from my disabled readers. Although not as overdone or ridiculous the sitcom stand by of meeting a girl you like and then finding out she's (gasp!) disabled and having angst about perusing her, this plot's been done. My favorite example of this plot is actually a subplot in The Poisonwood Bible. A book that when presented to me as a gift bore the inscription "Can't wait to see you play Ada in the movie." Ada's is the disabled character who falls for a neurologist. Her doctor succeeds in "fixing" her and then one of my favorite audition monologues ensues. The gist is that she's not sure who she is anymore and how arrogant the able-bodied are always trying to "fix" people.

In Star Trek's version the doctor falls for her before he tries to fix her unlike the the asshole in the book. Other than that it's fairly similar. She undergoes the first round of treatment and experiences euphoria at her temporary change. Then she feels all the discomfort that goes hand and hand with a major change to your physicality and she starts to doubt herself. I emphasized with her struggle. She is already a strong beautiful woman who's struggles have made who she is, in her case a Star Fleet officer. In her situation though there is the added element of never being able to return to her home planet for any length of time once the changes are permanent. Another character compares her to the Little Mermaid which is funny after my underwater comparison, but completely apt. All the sacrifice and pain to be other than you are (each step is like walking on broken glass in the original fairy tale)and you can never go home.

I enjoyed the episode other than a fleeting moment or two of yelling at the screen. I understood her. I, like her have never asked to be "fixed", but there were some moving moments related to this in Oz the Great and Powerful (not spoilers). As he's performing magic tricks a wheelchair bound girl in the audience asks him to make her walk. He refuses, apologizes and flees the theater. At that early point in the film I was attempting to roll my eyes at the cliche, but his reaction to it was so human, I couldn't. Later, in Oz, he meets a little China doll whose legs have broken off. He produces super glue and that girl does walk. Again, I wanted to roll my eyes, but it was so real (feelings not circumstances) I couldn't. It is a shallow victory because she has her legs, but she's lost everyone she loved.

The china doll was a character I could relate to. Only her body was fragile, everything else about her was tough. She was braver and more resilient than most. She becomes an important part of the group, but the Star Trek character like so many disabled TV characters leaves the show after one episode. I think the it would have been fascinating if the doctor had married her. Than they would have had to navigate being military, living in space and her unique physicality. On top of which the doctor would allows be trying to fix her and it would cause all kinds of tension.

I'm not saying I would watch a show because it had a disabled character. I'm just saying we have lives and adventures too. It would be nice if television used disabled characters to further interesting plot lines and complicate character relationships rather than as token minorities for "movie of the week" style writing.

Happy Birthday, Leeloo!

My furry baby is one! Happy birthday big lady!

The Pre-School Precipice

I toured a preschool today. It was entirely different than the kindergarten last week. I felt more confident and not at all out of place. It was their job to impress me. I didn't worry much. It would work out or it wouldn't. I was hoping it would go well, but I knew I'd figure it out. I've been spoiled for a long time which makes a difficult task that much more frustrating. You simply can not replace the irreplaceable. You can only move forward even if it's at a limping pace.

When I did my research I was optimistic. The phone call that followed confirmed this was a possible option. I even spoke to a few parents who have/had kids in this program.
Their website describes them thus:

The [Someone I've Never Heard Of]Approach guides children’s learning through the use of a negotiated curriculum directed by the interests of the child, with an emphasis on ongoing projects. This model is based upon the following; children must have some control over the direction of their learning, must be able to learn through the experiences of touching, moving, seeing, and hearing, and must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.

I arrived right on time for my tour. Most of my questions had to do with class size and logistics. The kids seemed happy and engaged. Most of the classroom had 3-4 small groups working on different activities. The rooms all had wonderful artwork and craft projects on display. It seemed like a fun place to learn. So fun in fact that there wasn't a single opening in Riley's age group. The max class size is 15 and all the rooms had at least two teachers.

I had assumed when I told her on the phone that I was looking for something right away and she didn't immediately tell me that was a problem that there was a spot. It turned out there was one coming up, but nothing now. I deflated like a balloon. I thought the distance and adjustment to a 5 day a week school schedule were going to be the only obstacles. I pressed on with my questions, but felt discouraged. I wanted to run away crying, but I shook her hand and promised to get back to her shortly.

I bemoaned not knowing where Riley would be in a few weeks and then started to go over the options we'd already ruled out in my head. March is an awkward time to change schools because the academic year is almost over and summer session is a few months away. I decided to pick up Riley early again. Part of me was glad she won't be away from me five days a week anytime soon. I like our routine and I enjoy Riley's company so much.

By the end of the day I was able to work out Riley's situation and convince Mike that the distance would actually work in our favor. I'm calling in morning to let her know we're taking the spot. I'm so grateful that I will have a transition period before both my kids are at school all week. Don't you love/hate being on the verge of things changing forever?

Nerd in Training

Riley dressed herself head to toe this morning. She picked out and put on everything you see in the picture. She even got those tights on correctly. When I told her she looked cute she said "Oh, good! I so wanted to wear my star wars shirt!"

Unfortunately Mommy wasn't as on the ball as little Roo this morning. It wasn't until walking through the library doors that I remembered there was no story time this week.So, we picked out some books and then headed out to the playground since it was such a nice day.

Riley made some new friends and seemed to really enjoy herself. At one point she was chasing her friend around the playground yelling "I'm a Jedi!I'm a Jedi!"