Peeps Diorama Contest 2013

Do you remember the Peeps Contest that I participated in last year? You can read about it here. If you have no idea what I am talking about, let me tell you about all the fun! My local library hosts an annual contest called, Peep Into My Favorite Book! Basically, you make a diorama in a small box depicting a scene from your favorite book using Peeps (the marshmallow candies) as the characters. It is so cool to see how much creativity goes into each one.

This year I entered the adult category with a scene from Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I didn't place in the contest, but I did receive an honorable mention.

I also entered the family category with my 8-year-old daughter. We did a scene from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and ended up winning first place!

                                                         

 My oldest daughter entered the teen category with a scene from Divergent by Veronica Roth and she also won first place!

Here are some of our favorite dioramas from the contest:

Happy Holidays from Olympia, WA

DIY Advent Calendar

Every year I watch as my friends post cool and crafty advent calendars they’ve made for their kids. And every year I vow that “ next year” I will make one, too. Next year rolls around, and I forget until I see those photos from my friends.

This year I made one! I thought of multiple different ways to make the calendar. My issue was the cost to make three calendars, one for each kid. It’s no secret: I’m frugal.

Finally, this is what I came up with –

I also had to consider space for three separate calendars, so I chose one sock for each day. The socks are large enough that I can slip three different treats in each one. It’s simple, cost-efficient, and eco-friendly because the kids get to wear the socks when the calendar is complete!

What I did…

I decided to go to the dollar store and buy four packs of holiday socks and then two 3-pack of white socks. My total cost was $6.00. I had two pairs of socks at home that I planned on using, so in all, I had twenty-four single socks.

I took two sheets of red card stock and made 24 tags, and added numbers on each tag using stickers. Everything I used to make the tags came from my craft collection.

I cut a long piece of ribbon and strung it from one side of my mantel to the other. I hung each sock & tag with a clothes pin (bought a large pack at the dollar store)

My total cost for the advent calendar was $7.00!

Product Review: FREDS SWIM ACADEMY SWIMTRAINER "Classic" Orange

SWIMTRAINER is available in three different models for children ages 3 months to 8-years-old. I chose the “ Classic” Orange model for my son who will be three-years-old next month. We haven’t had much luck with the typical swimming aids so I was eager to try the SWIMTRAINER. What appealed to me about this product is the overall design that focuses on both safety and helping children learn to swim.

It was very easy to inflate and to put on my son. No struggling like with previous swimmers. The SWIMTRAINER has two different clip fasteners, and everything is adjustable, ensuring a snug and safe fit for your child.

As soon as my son entered the pool, he was thrilled. The first thing I noticed was how well the safety belt worked by preventing him from tipping forward. The safety belt comfortably covers his abdomen and gives him the support to stay afloat. He had fun holding onto the side of the pool and kicking his legs as though he were swimming.

He is happier during pool time because he has a bit more freedom to move his arms and legs in the kid’s area of the pool with his SWIMTRAINER. I am a lot happier because I know my son is experiencing the beginning skills in learning how to swim while being protected.

I would highly recommend this product to any parent searching for a swimming aid for their young child. I can’t rave enough about the quality of this product.

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Peep into my Favorite Book

I want to start off by saying that the Olympia Timberland Library rules. There is constantly something fun planned for adults, teens, and kids. One of the events this month is Peep into my Favorite Book: a Peeps Diorama Contest. As soon as I told my kids about it they were eager to create a diorama.

My oldest daughter Emily is 11-years-old and a big fan of The Hunger Games. It was no surprise that she chose to do a Hunger Games diorama. She wanted the central focus to be on the cornucopia. If you aren't familiar with the book (or movie) then you probably have no idea what I am talking about. In the Hunger Games the cornucopia is filled with weapons, food, medicine, and various survival supplies.

Bella is my 8-year-old daughter who loves Amelia Bedelia and all of her kookiness. She instantly knew which book she wanted to choose for her diorama project.

We filled our table with craft supplies, crayons, and shoe boxes. While Emily began to draw trees onto the sides of her shoe box, I started forming the shape of the cornucopia out of tin foil. Next, she worked on Katniss' braid and coloring the lake while I hand-stitched mini felt backpacks and sleeping bags.

Bella's diorama was themed around the book page that read, "Remember?" said Amelia Bedelia. "You said these books needed jackets. So I made a jacket for each one." 

Bella made the mini books while I cut out felt jackets to go with them. She decided she wanted "Peep" Amelia Bedelia to be knitting behind a desk so I reused our Peep box and made a desk and chair. We broke a toothpick in half and covered both pieces with tin foil for Amelia Bedelia's knitting needles.

I am really proud of the work the girls put into their pieces. It was great to see how in awe they were of how each diorama turned out. I safely packed up the dioramas and I am excited to say that they survived the 3 city bus rides it took to get them through some errands and finally to the library.

Tonight we are going to the Olympia Library where the winners will be announced. Both of the dioramas were entered into the Family category. Wish us luck!