Thanksgiving Craft

I was determined to make a craft with the girls for Thanksgiving this year. Normally, I don't have the patience, but I had to suck it up and put on my big-girl panties! It was quite easy to do and very inexpensive...all you need is:

Pinecones

construction paper

pipe cleaners

buttons

glue

First, trace your child's hand on the construction paper. I let them draw on the hands after tracing them. Cut out the hands.

Next, stick the hands in the back of the pinecone. Take the pipe cleaner and fold it into, bend the front down and glue the buttons on the tops for eyes.

Stick the pipecleaners in the front of the pinecone.

There you have it.....a pinecone turkey!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

The DNA Model

The teenager finished his DNA model. It took a lot of poking and prodding, but he did a fairly decent job. Since the styrofoam balls were so expensive, he used craft wire and modeling clay.

He had to write a 1-paragraph report on the functions of each part of the DNA and why he used the materials.....You would have thought she had asked him to compose a 20 page report complete with color graphs. Suck it up, son, put on your big-girl panties, and write the danged 1 PARAGRAPH!!

The model was supposed to be 26-36 inches.....it was 18. It's not like, whoops, we were off an inch or two....NO, it was a full 8 inches off! BLAST! That'll teach me not to stand over him like a hawk! I just hope he gets a decent grade.

In other news, my hubby is on a business trip this week. My sweet mother came and stayed the night to help out this poor, frazzled, mom. Those kids wore her out! I begged her to stay the rest of the week, but she shot out of here like a jack rabbit with it's tail on fire. Wow.

So, here I am....alone....with all these kids. And, while I am eating hamburger helper, my sweet husband is eating creme brulee, swordfish, and other fancy food items. Must be nice.

Insert "Witty Title" Here

It's been one of THOSE weeks. You know....when everything and anything just puts you further into a funk!

Case in point: My 3 year old has been sick all week with ear infections. Yesterday, she felt well enough to go to our mothers morning out program. I decided that I would go to the local WalMart and pick up the items my son needed to construct a dna model for his science class. This model is worth 2 test grades, so it needs to be great. He had already decided that he wanted to use styrofoam balls, craft wire, and craft sticks....so, I set out, with my 1 1/2 year old in tow, to purchase the items.

Our family is on a very tight budget right now....we have 3 children and I am a stay-at-home mother....need I say more? I bebopped back to the craft section with a smile on my face and a spring in my step, because I was out of my prison, uh, I mean "house" for a little while. The smile quickly disappeared from my lips when I realized that the styrofoam balls came 6 to pack and were an ungodly amount....I mean, were the things made out of gold, for heaven's sake? He would need waaaaay more than 6, or even 18.

Ok, new plan. I'm a reasonably intelligent person, surely I can come up with something. So, now I set out on a mission to find anything that my teenage son would not deem "lame". As I am perusing the aisles, my precious daughter is beginning to find it difficult to sit still for 5 measly seconds. I try giving her cookies, milk, sunglasses, cellphone....anything to keep her occupied so I can THINK. She promptly throws each to the ground, squealing with a high-pitched voice that could peel paint from the walls.

I take her out of the front of the cart, and place her hiney in the basket. I don't care what that drawing with a circle and line through it says on the seat! They obviously have never had to deal with a tantrum-throwing toddler.

I call my husband on my now busted up cellphone, and tell him that this was not as easy as I thought. He can clearly hear baby girl screaming "phone!", and tells me to "Please, for the love of God, leave Walmart!" He will take the teenager after work and get the supplies he needs.

MY HERO!

Wordless Wednesday - Is She Really Picking Her Nose Right Now?!

For more WW photos, visit MomDot, 5 Minutes for Mom, and WW Headquarters.

Bless My Heart

I've been trying to come up with a clever way of saying....."Yes, I've neglected my blog, but I am so happy that you stuck around!" Hmm, I guess that will work.

Anywho, I'm back.....did you miss me? I sure missed you all! And, to show you just how much I missed you, I would like to poke fun at myself. See how truly sorry I am?

I like to call these...."Bless My Heart Moments". We all have moments when we are obviously not the brightest crayons in the box. Well, maybe you don't....but my family sure does! Here's the proof......



Never use kitchen shears to cut the tip off of a tube of krazy glue. As my husband is trying to pry the shears apart, he says to me, "So, tell me, Semi-Happy Homemaker...how did THIS happen?"
Never put the lid of the food processor onto a hot stove. It will melt the lid, and then the lid will not fit correctly, but we are NOT buying a new food processor, because we just bought this food processor less than 2 weeks ago. So, we will just keep this food processor, and spend our time getting frustrated because the stupid lid will not fit correctly!

Never use your bare hands to pull anything out of a hot oven. This will cause lots of uses of colorful language, blisters, whining, and a good amount of "awww, poor baby"....that is, after your wife has gotten up off the floor from laughing.

Never give a 3 year old a marker, pencil, crayon, or any other writing utensil, and expect that she will NOT write on every surface in her room.

If you let your teenager weedeat....do let him know that the plants in your garden are NOT weeds. Even though there is a fence around the garden, and the plant has peppers growing on it....

Don't try to teach your daughter how to hopscotch in flip flops. Or, when you hop, be sure that you actually HOP and don't slide your foot, which WILL result in your flip flop turning under your foot and your knee hitting the concrete resulting in a severely scraped knee, and uses of colorful language in front of your 3 year old. *smile*

When your bride of 1 month says "NO" to dipping during your husband and wife dance to Etta James' "At Last" at your wedding reception in front of 100 people.....for the love of pete, LISTEN! Otherwise, she will spend the remainder of the reception laying on a couch with her leg elevated, in severe pain, and embarrassed beyond belief....because she twisted her knee in the middle of said "dip" and landed on her uncoordinated behind!

Never...EVER...drink coffee while playing with your brand new, less than two weeks old, computer, that your wonderful husband gave you for Christmas. No amount of crying with snot pouring out of your nose, will make that one any better.


Now then, don't you feel better about yourself?