Corner Bookmark

Talia loves to be read to. We have a lot of books, and some of them are a little long for a story before bed. So, we use a bookmark, but until recently, that has just meant a random piece of paper (or ribbon, or hair elastic, or toy... Talia will get pretty creative with this ;)

I went looking for a fun, but easy bookmark that we could make together. I found a fun fabric bookmark idea, but have yet to try it (I'm new to sewing, and already I have a list of projects that I'm behind on!) So, today I'm sharing one you can do with your child that's really easy, and fun. I found the idea here (check it out for instructions). I remember making something similar (and even easier) when I was younger- just get an envelope, cut a corner off, and decorate ;)

We tried the origami version (also pretty easy) and used:

- construction paper
- pencil crayons

(Easy, eh?)


Talia was finding alternate uses for her bookmarks right away-
here it is as a doll hat ;)

Rag Curlers

All you need is an old sheet or some other fabric to get your hair to go from this to this:


It is so fun!

Here's what we did:
- cut strips of fabric
- spray hair with water to make it damp but not soaking
- wrap with rag, tie in a knot
- go to bed
- wake up, take rags out
- Voila!
(Now it's up to you to figure out how to style it! :)

[If you want more detailed instructions, you can find videos on youtube that show you step by step how best to roll your hair!]

Printable Nativity

Last year I shared the nativity that I laminated from a magazine which unfortunately couldn't be found online. Since then, I have found a cute, free, printable nativity to share with you, though!


At www.makingfriends.com you can find a free printable here.

You could do the same thing that we did last year, and make puppets on popsicle sticks, or whatever you like!

These Christmas printables were linked to on my Christmas Sharing Time Linky- they're by Musings of Me.

Indoor Tent

A while ago, we had a family night where we discussed emergency preparedness. We got out our 72 Hour kit and talked about the contents.



...and to make it a little more fun, we built a tent in the living room and did the whole thing inside! :)

Chocolate Marshmallow Pancakes!

What happens when Daddy makes breakfast on his day off?



The kids get chocolate pancakes with rainbow marshmallows in them, that's what!! ;)

They loved it. Not so healthy, but they loved it ;)

[If you're interested in recreating this, I think he just added chocolate syrup (like the kind you use to make chocolate milk) and mixed the marshmallows in with the pancake mix].

Countdown Chain

When Talia was getting ready to start school, we made a countdown chain for her (like this one we made to decorate the Christmas tree with last year). She got to help with cutting and gluing, and I wrote the date on each link so that I could keep track if we forgot to take one off one day. ;)



We have since done these for a couple of things- you could do it for any occasion!

Differentiating Between b & d

Talia is learning to read a little bit. She is also learning to write letters and is starting to put them together on her own to make words. It's so fun to watch her figuring it all out!

I've noticed that she has been having a hard time differentiating between lowercase b and d. I googled to see if I could find ideas on teaching it & the idea I chose was the Bed Poster approach.

I found this link with ideas and printable pages to use.



We had a b & d day, and I started by showing her the bed picture, asking her what it was, and then getting her to make the b & d with her hands. I found that it was difficult for her to make the letters with her fingers, so we tried something I found on another website- you make two fists & stick your thumbs up. That was easier for her.

Next, she practised making the lowercase b and then the d.
From there, she was so into it that she wanted to make the capital letters & then started doing the whole alphabet on her own- it was cool to see how much she has learned!



She had a few letters that she wasn't sure to do, but after today, she knows Q, V, & W.
(You can see the additions made in colour from Katrina ;)

It was a great day of learning!

Welcome Home!

A few months ago, my brother returned home from serving a 2 year mission for our church. We were so excited to see him again! So, I rolled out the paper & the girls got busy painting & gluing to give him a proper welcome home ;)

My sister & I also got in on the fun. She came over one day & we designed a clever little Tshirt to wear and a sign to hold up at the airport. He was getting in around midnight at an airport a couple of hours away, so he wasn't expecting a welcoming crew. Amber & I & our grandma made it though, and it was so fun to surprise him! Here we are, waiting for his arrival:

First Snow

A few days ago, we had our first snow!


The girls were pretty excited. I love to watch the magic through their eyes!

That day my parents visited and my dad helped the girls make a small snowman (about Katrina's height) in the backyard. That poor snowman "fell asleep" (tipped over) a day later, and is now a sleepy, melty pile in our backyard ;)

Feature at ABC & 123

Hey everyone, I'm being featured today, over at ABC & 123, one of my favourite blogs to get fun ideas from! Go on over to check the post out if you'd like, and while you're there, have a look around! They've got some great ideas there from all kinds of fun blogs!

------------------------
If you're visiting my blog from ABC & 123, don't miss some of the fun things going on here:

Yesterday's Giveaway Post.

The Christmas Sharing Time which is a great way to find and share great ideas- check it out & add your own great ideas!

Applied Labels (Review & Giveaway)

Now that I have a daughter who goes to school, I've had reason to be concerned about losing things. I was truly excited when I learned about Applied Labels. I'm so impressed with their product & the way that their labels are so versatile!



You can get a special clear label to go over top of the label you put in a shoe (as a sweat protection) and blank labels to use as a backing for clothing labels (as shown in the photo above). The regular labels can be used for anything you want to label, with the help of these accessories. I've been putting them through the dishwasher ever since I received them & they still look & stick as great as they did the first day. You can choose your font & icon.

Aside from their website, you can find Applied Labels on Twitter and Facebook .

Now the exciting part: Applied Labels is going to give one of you a set of labels for free!

How to Enter:

Leave a comment for each entry!!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit www.AppliedLabels.com, learn something about the product, and come back here to leave me a comment, telling me what you learned!

Extra Entries: (these are here to give regular readers an extra chance at winning- you don't have to be a follower if you don't want to be!)

Leave an extra comment if you're a Follower of my blog (scroll to the bottom of the blog to find the widget & click on the Follow Button); or subscribe to my RSS Feed

Leave a comment, telling me why you want to win!

Leave another comment if you "Like" Raising Memories on Facebook (this will give you updates about giveaways as well as specials with Heritage Makers)

Leave an extra comment if you Follow Raising Memories on Twitter (this will let you know when I've posted a new blog entry- that's all I use it for)

Post about the giveaway on twitter, your blog, or facebook, with a link back to the blog. (You can get 2 entries for this one, so post two comments to let me know you did it! :)

Giveaway Details: This giveaway closes on Friday, November 12th. The contest is open to the U.S. and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly from all of the comments. Winner will be contacted by email (please include your email in your comment if I can't find it through your profile). If you do not respond within 48 hours after I email you, a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on the blog on Monday, November 15th. This was not a paid post- thank you to Applied Labels who supplied the product for review.

Name Cards

Talia & I made name cards for our family & extended family's Thanksgiving Dinner this year. It was a great opportunity for her to practise printing. She mostly helped with the name writing, but when that was finished, she was ready for a change, so she glued the name parts onto the background. It was fun to see the table all set with her cute printing at each place :)