Hungry Caterpillar Process Art

This easy Hungry Caterpillar Process art project is perfect for preschoolers and elementary aged kids. It gives them a chance to create an adorable picture to go along with story time. I don't know about you, but I love storybook crafts for kids!

This project is perfect for fall. We used fresh apples that were too bruised to eat, and painted these cuties with them. If you have an abundance of apples. maybe you will want to put one to work for this art project.

We have lots of apple crafts on site! 

These cork and button apple trees are a favorite fall craft for kids of all ages.

Corked Stamped Apples are an adorable craft for kids.

Apple Tree Window Clings are a fun budget friendly project.

3D Paper Apples are a good project for using up scrap paper.

Apple Tree Addition makes for a fun way to learn math.

Supplies:

An apple 

Green, red , yellow, black paint.

Paper Plate

A pencil

A knife

Paper

Slice an apple in half

Pour a large dallop of red, green and yellow paint onto a paper plate.

We kind of mixed a little green and yellow together to create a cool effect.

Offer a small drop of black paint.

Offer the child an apple and encourage the child to dip the apple into the paint, and stamp the apple, so that the circles touch one another, going across the page.

Have your child give the caterpillar 4 or 5 segments.

Then encourage the child to dip the other apple half into the red paint and stamp the apple to form the head.

Next, dip the pencil into the black paint and create the eyes and mouth of the caterpillar.

Next, dip the pencil into the yellow paint and finish the eyes.

Now, I know what you are thinking.

Why not use a paintbrush?

Well, we did try that, but it smeared the yellow and black together. We found that the pencil was much easier to work with; and it gave Harper the chance to paint with a non traditional object. We both enjoyed that! You can kind of see in the mouth of the caterpillar that it is a little messy; that was the paint brush. 

Next, grab the stem from the apple and dip it into the green paint.

Give the caterpillar some antennae.

 

 Allow to dry completely. 

Display and enjoy this cute Hungry Caterpillar craft!

Tree Silhouette Place-Mat Craft

Once school starts, I am ready for fall. Bring on the warm days and cool nights, the changing of leaves and all things pumpkin!  If my family isn't home together enjoying summer break, let's move on to the next best thing- FALL!

Mr. Sweet Silly Sara had to return to work to get the school library set up and ready for the students on Monday. Rolf has another week before he is officially in school. We are trying to make the most of these lazy end of summer days together.

Yesterday morning, the kids and I were restless. It was cool outside and the grass was very wet with dew, so we decided to savor the time and let the sunshine do its thing to warm the day up and dry the grass before we headed out to play.

To make the waiting more enjoyable we decided to get crafty and make this great tree silhouette placemat. This was so easy to make and my son did a great job on his! I knew I had to share this with you guys!

To make a placemat with your kids, you will need to gather a few basic supplies and then let your creativity flow.

Supplies needed:

2 pieces of transparent contact paper, cut to 5" wide and 8" long sections.
Assorted construction paper in the colors of your choice. We used black, pink, purple and blue.

Instructions:
Begin by having the kids tear up the construction paper into small squares and strips.


Keep the colors separated for easy application of colors.
Next, you will want to carefully peel the back off of one section of contact paper.
Lay it sticky side up.
With a few strips of black paper, make the outline of the tree.

Next, begin applying more strips of paper around the tree. We made our tree placemat to look like the sun was setting, with the colors we often see in the evening sky.

Continue to stick your strips of construction paper to the sticky side of the contact paper.

After you have filled in all of the blank space on the contact paper, peel the backing off of the other section of contact paper. Only expose a small strip! This will make it so much easier to line up.

After you have lined up the beginning of contact paper section #2 to the first section, begin peeling the backing away while smoothing the first second section onto the first. {Does that make sense?!}

Then you have an easy to wipe off and very handy placemat for your little ones!

My son loved that he MADE this place mat. It was so much more important to him than the ones we have that came from a store! I loved how it turned out! It is such a lovely work of art!

This project is great because it is affordable to make. You could make 6 or 7 of these at least for a mere $2 if you buy your supplies at Dollar Tree.

It is also a great way to get your kids using fine motor skills. They will develop the small muscles of the hand with the action of tearing paper. This later plays into handwriting skills among other things.

Asides from that huge benefit, making place mats with your kids offers them the chance to express their creativity and make something they can use and admire and feel proud of!

You might also enjoy this Lemonade Craft idea!

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

The perfect fall cookie is easy to make in your home kitchen with this recipe for maple brown sugar cookies. This recipe creates cozy, warm cookies that are perfect to make and share.  Bake a batch with the kids, or surprise someone special with a dozen. Everyone will love these maple brown sugar cookies.

I love to bake and share my creations with neighbors and friends. I have fallen head over heals for maple and brown sugar flavors so I knew I had to bake cookie that captured them perfectly. I feel like maple should be an official flavor of fall. What do you think?

This recipe starts with simple ingredients like butter, flour, sugar and Ohio maple syrup. It creates a cookie that is bakery quality. You are going to love the burst of buttery, maple flavor each bite offers.

 Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Cookie Ingredients:

2 ⅓ cup flour

1 stick of softened butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup of sugar

1 large egg

⅓ cup of maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoon maple extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Cream butter and both sugars together. Beat for 2 minutes.

Add egg, continue to mix for 1 minute and then add maple syrup.

As you are mixing add the vanilla and maple extracts.

Begin adding the flour, baking soda, salt. During this step I like to switch from my mixer to a mixing spoon to stir as the dough will be very creamy and soft and a little sticky.

Chill in the refrigerator for 90 minutes.

When you remove the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use a cookie scooper to form balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet, 2” apart.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

Icing Ingredients:

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons of milk

2 teaspoons of maple extract

Combine all the ingredients in your mixer and blend over low speed until smooth.

Drizzle over cooled cookies.

These are so good with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. They feel warm and cozy long after they have cooled off.

I am sure you will agree this maple brown sugar cookie recipe has a great crumb and a delectable buttery vibe going on that makes them perfect. 

If 3 dozen cookies sounds like too much for you to eat, you can freeze this recipe. Just scoop the dough into balls onto a cookie sheet. Pop it in the freezer for 2 hours or so until the dough is frozen, from there you can place the frozen cookie dough into a freezer bag. Mark the bag with time that they need to bake and the time to bake. Then you can pull a few cookies out as needed. 

You are sure to love these maple brown sugar cookies as much as my family does.

Find more great recipes here:

Golden Graham Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Easy Ombre Painted Pumpkins

This easy pumpkin painting idea brings the style of ombre to your fall decor.

I love to decorate pumpkins! In years past I usually carved them, but we painted a lot of pumpkins on our facebook live show on Quirky Momma and I have to admit, I was hooked on the options painting brings to pumpkin decorating!

This was one of my favorite pumpkins! The pumpkin was a tiny one, and the technique was simple. With a brush, 3 colors of pink paint and some mod podge, this little beauty came together in just a few moments time and was admired by all who saw it in our yard!

Supplies needed:
A Paint brush
A Pumpkin
Mod Podge to seal
3 shades of paint (I used 3 shades of pink)

Directions:
Begin by painting the bottom the darkest shade of paint you want to use.
Use the second paint in a shade a little lighter than the bottom shade
Paint the top portion in the lightest shade.
After the paint has dried, use the mod podge to seal your pumpkin so that the wildlife is disinterested in eating it, and the weather doesn't wash your efforts away!

There you have an easy ombre pumpkin for fall decorating!

You can find all of my Halloween ideas here.

Favorites include:

Paper Plate Witch

Mumkins

Easy Apple Tree Stained Glass Window

Cute and easy to make, this kids craft adds a pretty touch to any window, just like stained glass!

We love to craft with contact paper, it is so much fun to use in so many projects! But, one of my favorite uses for it is to make 'Stained Glass' or window decals! These are so cute!

With fall being on the way, our thoughts drift towards the apple orchard almost every weekend. We head out for the time together as a family, harvesting fruit, eating fresh donuts and playing outside. In anticipation of the fun fall weekends that are to come, we made these easy as pie Apple Tree Stained Glass projects.

You will need:
one square of transparent contact paper per decoration
assorted colors of tissue paper, we used green and yellow
one strip of brown construction paper

Lay your contact paper sticky side up
Place your brown paper on the sticky paper to form a trunk
Next cut small circles of yellow or red tissue paper for apples
Place the apple cut outs around the tree
Fill in the leaves using green tissue paper
Leave a few sticky places without paper to easily affix to the window for displaying.

Popcorn Candle DIY

Fall is on the way and I am itching to decorate, bake and savor the cooler weather and the bounty of last of the season produce that I will scout out in the coming weeks! This year I want to keep my decorations for autumn simple and my costs at a minimum. I am gathering inspiration from nature to make my home feel warm, inviting and seasonal.

I have been experimenting with natural supplies to create stunning additions to my decor. This super simple candle holder is perfect for adding something naturally lovely to your home this fall on even the tightest budget!

All you need is a bag of popcorn kernels and a LED tealight and a clear glass candle holder.

Simply fill the candleholder with popcorn kernels then add a battery operated tea light!

I made a short facebook video to show you how lovely this is. I love the simple touch of natural beauty this easy project offers. You could also wrap a simple burlap ribbon around the candleholder also to add another sweet touch to the finished product.

4 Effective Tips To Help Your Newborn Sleep At Night

 This author receives a commission through recommended links in this content.

The journey of motherhood is a beautiful one. However, it is safe to say that it can be challenging, especially when you have a newborn. Newborns do not run on your existing schedule, making sticking to your regular routine challenging. As a mom, you need to get as much rest for the tough days ahead as you need to conquer, but this can be challenging with a baby who struggles to sleep at night. Fortunately, you can get your newborn to sleep at night with the right tips. Here are a few ways to do so. 

1. Keep your baby’s crib close by your bed

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According to experts, one way of ensuring that your baby gets a good night's sleep is to let them sleep in the same room as you. This is not to say they would have to lie on the bed. Instead, you can simply move their bassinet or cot into your room. With them sleeping by you, you can check on your child periodically. This encourages safe sleeping as you can determine if the baby is uncomfortable and resolve it immediately. It also prevents the risk of injury and fatal phenomena such as sudden infants death syndrome (SIDS). 

2. Ensure they are snug and warm

Just like you, your baby would struggle to sleep at night if they are uncomfortable in their cot or bassinet. Therefore, you must ensure that their mattress is soft and baby-friendly before purchasing or before the baby comes home. Additionally, you should ensure that the room is sleeping-inducing. For example, a cooler temperature would likely make your baby more comfortable. For some babies, swaddling helps them fall asleep faster. Swaddling is simply wrapping the baby up in light, breathable material, such as muslin swaddles, to keep your baby calm and sleepy. When swaddling your baby, be sure not to wrap them up too tightly, and remember to place them on their backs when swaddling.

3. Watch out for signs of tiredness

To ensure your baby sleeps at night, you must determine if they are tired enough. The last thing you want is to place your active baby in the crib because they won’t fall asleep soon. An effective way of determining if your child is ready for bed is by watching out for signs of tiredness. Babies have several signs to indicate they are tired. These include rubbing eyes, fussing, and crying. Responding to these signs swiftly would ensure your baby gets to bed and begins sleeping early. 

4. Create a routine before bed

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Your newborn baby doesn’t know the difference between day and night time. Therefore, they can sleep at any time during the day and be wide awake at night. In this case, create a routine with your newborn, especially before bed. For instance, you can give them a nice warm bath before bed or ensure you feed them before to prevent them from waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger. You should also consider singing them a lullaby each night to keep them relaxed for sleep.

Easy Paper Apple Craft

Every day, my little girls says, "Let's make a craft!" I love her enthusiasm and always encourage activities we can do together. On this particular day, we were anxious to get into some fall themed crafts, and we are always super excited to kick off fall with the harvesting of apples!

This craft was so incredibly fun! It was a bit of a challenge for my almost 4 year old, but we worked together to get it right.

You will need:
A square of heavy white paper {Ours was about 6'' x6''
A piece of green, red or yellow construction paper
School Glue
A tiny strip of brown paper for the stem

To begin we made thin strips of green paper that were 4 inches longer than the square of paper
Next we began folding those strips of green paper so we had 2 folded edges per strip
We glued these on the white paper
Working in a circle we kept gluing both sides of the strips on to the square, being careful to not disturb the other strips of paper
At the end, we added a tiny stem to the top.

We liked this apple craft because it was challenging, a good exercise in patience for both Harp and I. It was also really cute when it was finished! This was a fun craft to follow up with apple slices as a snack!

Shiny Happy Pumpkin Craft

I know it is early into the month of September. I get it, it is still summer technically, but you guys... I can't resist making some awesome pumpkin crafts with my kids!

Today, we were ready to jump into the fall theme of things, so we surveyed our craft supplies and made these Shiny Happy Pumpkins! My almost 3 year old loved these large sequins and thought they were beautiful! I have to admit, this is the shiniest fall craft we have ever made, they do look happy too!!

To make a shiny happy pumpkin you will need:
A Paper Plate
White School Glue
Black Construction Paper
Scissors
Large Sequins in Brown, Burgundy and Orange

Apply glue to the paper plate, be generous!

Start filling in the plate with the large sequins. This is a great fine motor activity for kids of all ages! The sequins stick together and working them apart is great for little fingers!

As you fill in your plate, cut eyes and a mouth for your shiny happy pumpkin. With glue apply the facial features to the sequined plate.

And there you have a Shiny Happy Pumpkin!

Summer Slim Down Guide

So, how did spring quarantine treat you? 

I gained weight. So much weight that I am in SHOCK still. 25 pounds? Yes, easily. None of my clothes fit and I am miserable. Out of necessity, I am making an effort to walk more, eat less and drop all 25 of those pounds by the time fall rolls around. If I don't, I am likely to roll into fall at this rate.

I thought I would share with you some of my favorite products for living healthier with you, as well as what efforts I am making to drop the weight I have gained during covid. Samples were received and affiliate links have been used.

First, I stopped buying FAMILY SIZED BAGS and instead started buying multi-packs in bulk for all of our snacks. While it might cost a little bit more to buy a 40 pack of little bags than it does to buy a few family size bags, but it really helps with portion control on snacks. 

I started buying bigger bags of vegetables at the grocery store. If I buy it fresh, I will find a way to use it because I despise food waste. This leads to bigger servings of veggies with dinner and less room on my plate for extras.

I fast.

From 10 pm to 12 pm, I do not eat or drink anything with calories. Although I sometimes waver around 10 am with an iced coffee. I try to keep my calorie intake under 50 calories during my fasting period, so I keep that in mind when adding a splash of creamer, to keep my calories down. I think it is too early to tell if this is effective for me, but 6 days in, my pants feel looser. I will update you on this later.

I stopped weighing in daily.

I was feeling discouraged the first week I started trying to cut back. I saw no movement on the scales, and then that made me feel like, why am I denying myself anything? I am now hungry and overweight.  Instead I now weigh in two times a week, in the morning. I have seen my weight drop by 3 pounds, which is a wonderful start.

I started switching out for better snacks and higher quality meals. 

I know from personal experience that lifestyle changes come in steps. We usually dine out 3 times a week, so I reduced that to two meals out the first week.  I started adding more healthy proteins like salmon to my meal plan, and I started looking for lower carb options. 

Some of my favorite healthier snacks are Good To go Bars. These are great because the flavors are light and the texture of the bars is unique and pleasant. These are one of my favorite things to toss in my bag for in the car snacking without the guilt. Order them online, at about $24 for 9 tasty bars. I love vanilla almond and the blueberry cashew flavors the most.

When you think about cutting back and getting healthier, you probably imagine saying buh-bye to cookies. But, Made Good has a line of soft baked mini cookies that are perfectly portioned for an indulgent treat minus the guilt. I love that they are organic and offer a ton of nutrients in a sweet snack. Find the store locator to get snacking with Made Good! They also have awesome granola bars. 

A diet that leaves out treats, is a diet that is likely to fail. I have been treating myself to The This Line from Blissfully Better. I love that these tasty treats are portioned perfectly for a sweet to share, but also, they have minimal ingredients for a better product that tastes like real candy! I couldn't pick a favorite, because they are all noteworthy, indulgent and several are even low glycemic. Order them online  at Amazon or Blissfully Better in 4 or 10 packs.

I have never been an energy ball person but, I am a snacking person who likes real food. These energy bites from Metaball are actually really tasty and perfect for after a long walk with my dog when my appetite is peaked. I loved the cinnamon apple crisp balls! So good! Order them from Metaball for about $15 for a trial box to try them all.

Being more active means I need to keep hydrated. After a long walk, I like to wash down my healthy snack with a Greater Than Sports Drink. These are packed with electrolytes and have no added sugars. They have a great line to try, including watermelon and chocolate. Order a variety pack from Greater Than for about $44.