DIY Lace Flower Pots Tutorial

Aren't these deliciously girly?

Learn to make your own flower pot pretties here.

Mother's Day Handprint Bird Card Craft

 This is the cutest simple-craft idea I've seen in maybe forever.

Sunday Sweetness: Adorable Baby Snails

Yes, it's true... baby snails are CUTE!

*Photo via CuteOverload*

Free Mother's Day Cupcake Topper Printables

So cute. And free for the printing at Fresh Linen.

Coolish Moderny Wordle Craft

This is what we made for Mother's Day this week in our Preschool In Nature class (but you could easily adapt the idea for dads, grandparents, friends, etc .) This craft isn't just supercute & fun; it incorporates color, shape, and size identification, and (best part!) it gets kidlets thinking about how to reuse things creatively.


Here's What You Need:
A picture frame
Recycled random buttons
Glue
Mom-themed wordle
Cardstock
Paint
Brush
Adorable little kidlet hands
Hand wipes


Here's What You Do:
1. Glue buttons to your frame, and let dry.
2. Ask kidlets to list "describing words" (adjectives) about their mom.
3. Create your own mom adjectives wordle (or use mine) and print it out on cardstock.
4. Paint one kidlet hand and press the handprint onto your wordle.
5. Let your paint dry.
6. Insert the wordle into your frame.
7. Admire the happy, colorful, moderny goodness.

We used these Mother's Day wordles:

Matchy Music:

(For Alt-Folksy Moms:) Mother and Child Reunion mp3, The Morning Benders cover version (via Rollo & Grady.)

(For Alt-Rocksy Moms:) Treat Me Like Your Mother (live mp3), The Dead Weather (via Troubled Souls Unite.)

Mother's Day Baby Animals Preschool Song

This circle time song is supersimple for kids to catch on to, and when accompanied by felt letters, it's also a fun-sneaky way to help teach letter recognition, too. Just point to each letter as you sing it :)

M-O-M-M-Y (sing to the tune of B-I-N-G-O):

"There's someone who I love a lot

And Mommy is her name-o

M-O-M-M-Y

M-O-M-M-Y

M-O-M-M-Y

and Mommy is her name-o"

Animals Connection: To avoid my own personal boredom since the children like to sing this song multiple times (and to make things more nature-related), I insert animals into the song, and use pairs of little mom & baby animal felt critters ("there's someone turtle loves a lot...") I put the mom critters on the feltboard, and hand out the smaller-sized babies to the kids so when they hear their animal called, they can match up the moms & babies on the board.

Happy Mother's Day

Matchy Music: Love Song For My Mom mp3, by Moby (via Indie Paws.)

Lovin' in the Oven

Celebrating a superspecial day? Whether it's Mother's Day, Valentine's, a Birthday, or an Anniversary, ...why not shower your very favorite loved-one with edible, yummy hearts like these Martha Stewart pancakes (just shape the batter heartsy-shape-style, or grab your kitchen scissors...)
...or use a fancyshmancy shape cutter (or cookie cutter, or even your own impressive knife skills) to transform normal foods into happy, heart-shaped french toast, sandwiches, brownies, rice krispy treats...

...or fruit & veggie nibbles (like these from cumberfest...)

...or shape dough & bake up cutesy heart pizza, pretzels, or crescent rolls...

Yumtastic!

* Reminder for Pet Parents: Please remember that many human foods contain ingredients that can be tough on a pup's tummy. If you're looking for a special way to treat your dog, there are lots of great cookbooks these days with appropriate recipes made especially for canines :)

Last-Second, Kid-Crafty Mother's Day Gifts

It's no secret that most girlygirls love getting a heartfelt, handmade somethingorother. Wondering what you & the kidlets can make using materials you already have at home? Try whipping up some of these supersimple gifties (perfect for Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day, Birthdays, Unbirthdays...)

Fingerprint Fairy Flower Jars, from Amanda Formaro @ Kaboose (toddler tip: have those wetwipes ready!)

Pretty Painted Pots, from That Artist Woman, and Gussied-up Picture Frames, from Plum Pudding (go extra-gussy by gluing on buttons, shells, etc.)

Easy Peasy Bead Coasters, from Ramblings of A Crazy Woman (be sure to supervise those tiny fingers & curious mouths...)





Family Photostrip Bookmarks, from Marie @ Make and Takes.



other awesome ideas:
*Certificates of Time and Love, from Martha Stewart (use her free printable template, then decorate with markers, crayons, stickers, stamps, & whatnot.)
*Baby Sock Drawer Sachet, from Wondertime (an especially sentimental sweetie for Grammies.)

*Tiny Teacup Votives, from Zakka Life.

*Big, Bold, Model Magic Bead Necklaces, from Four Crazy Kings (Oh how I love that Model Magic stuff!)

Cuddly, Cozy Canine Moms Count, Too

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and it seems like some of us were really, truly... born to be moms. Jasmine, the lovely rescue greyhound pictured here, works as a surrogate mom at the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary. As of last year, she's volunteered herself as an adoptive mommy 50 times over, not just to pups, but to fox, bunnies, birds, and even deer! She's never been trained to take care of these orphaned, abandoned, and often-ill little ones, it simply seems to be her natural calling. Click here for Jasmine's entire story, complete with all the supersweet, smile-inducing details.

Baby Animal Naturey Books

Kidlets just love hearing about baby animals, and who can blame them (baby animals are quite possibly the cutest things on the planet!) These are two of my very favorite "moms & babies" nature-themed books:

Safe, Warm, and Snug, by Stephen Swinburne. I mean, the title alone is adorable enough, right? You'll love the cozy illustrations, too, of various mommy (and daddy) animals protecting their babies, each in their own, unique ways (snakes coiling around their eggs, kangaroos with joey-filled pouches, etc.) Besides snakes & roos, kids learn about bats, sloths, fish, toads, insects, and seahorses, and some of their wonderful adaptations. Fun (and educational!) A sweet, sweet book.

Owl Babies, by Marin Waddell. Another truly sweet, sweet book, with really lovely illustrations. This one's about a family of owls (three babies and a mom.) While Momma Owl goes out to fetch some food, the babies get nervous ("I want my Mommy!" is the refrain, here.) In addition to being a great introduction to owlish topics (What are nests? What do owls eat for food? What does "nocturnal" mean?) this book is a great starting-off point for discussing how families are different (there's no mention of a daddy owl in this book.) I especially like to use this book at the start of the school year, when some kidlets are feeling apprehensive about being away from Mom for the first time (Momma Owl comes back at the end, and the kids make that connection.) After reading the book, and without prompting, the "older, wiser" 5-year-olds always, without fail, comfort the younger ones by sharing their feelings with anecdotal stories along the lines of "when I was little" (heehee) "I was so scared whenever my mom would leave me, but she always comes back, and now I don't get scared at all!" Reassurance from peers speaks louder than anything grownups come up with. This book is great on many levels :)

May Day Heys

It's May Day! Why not get the kidlets together and conspire to surprise someone with an unexpected, little bouquet of flowers & a happy hello? Imagine your loved-one finding flowers on their porch, doorknob, or desk... how very sweet! Tie your blossoms up with ribbon and slip them in a paper cone, recycled can, mason jar, or basket. Skip to My Lou even has pretty card & cone templates for sharing (shown here.)

...here's one more (from Celtic Lady, made with a simple paper cup, yarn & pipe cleaner...)


...and another from Old Fashioned Living using a napkin-lined thrifted basket...

...now go spoil your friends, moms, neighbors, pastors, coworkers, teachers, trainers (ahem...) Traditions like these are so very sweet, and make childhood especially special... Yay For May!

Girly Butterfly Birthday Baskets

Laura @ bugsandfishes came up with the prettiest idea for spring birthdays! I'm thinking these would be lovely for Mother's Day, too, don't you agree?... Or maybe even centerpieces for a bridal shower...or baby shower?... What girlygirl could resist the lure of flowers, giftlets, butterflies, and... PINK?! Stop by her blog for instructions, tips, tricks, & templates (she also has a wonderful etsy shop with adorable woodland masks & birdy broaches.)

Matchy Music Pick:
Butterfly Nets mp3, by Bishop Allen (via letters have no arms.)