Super Mommy Secret~Surviving!

This isnt really a secret to my friends and neighbors, but we are moving from the Boise area to Southern California soon! 

So right now I am a surviving mommy and not really a Super Mommy.  I will soon have to keep this house ready to show at any time.  I am anti-mess and I dont want to have any decorations or clutter out either...all of this goes against what I usually post on this blog so I probably wont be posting as often...but my unused ideas are cluttering my brain so beware once we are settled in!

I have had a lot of people writing me emails asking questions about my favorite Super Mommy supplies, what are things that I keep on hand,  how I got to the point I am at in being a "Super Mommy" [let me reinforce that, to me, that just means that I like to do fun things with my kids, not that I am professing to be a perfect mom in any way : ) ]
...I promise I will answer all of the notes and questions one of these days!  I have a file of questions that I will answer as soon as we get settled into a new home.

Thanks for being Super Mommies or Surviving Mommies with me, whatever you happen to be at this time in your mommy-ing life.  Feel free to leave me comments with your blog links and/or your Super Mommy Secrets for me to check out since I wont be busy blogging much myself!   

By the way, I dont think I have ever told anyone why the blog is called Secrets of a Super Mommy.  If you ever wondered where it came from [I would never want anyone to think that it came from me thinking that I am any more "Super" than any other mom, because I certainly know that I am not : ) ] ...it is from the childrens book "Grover's Mommy"  (You can see it here) We have a copy that I got from a garage sale when my oldest son was around age 1.  If you ever happen upon it, read it to your kids.  Then they will know you are a Super Mommy too.

~Angela

10 Fun Ideas for Your Pioneer Day Celebrating

COMING SOON! (I am on vacation until Monday...)

Super Mommy Secret~Camping Crafts!

My sister-in-Law Jen always remembers to bring fun crafts when we go camping!  This is the idea she brought this year.  Pet Rocks!  She just brought tacky glue and Sharpies and the kids got to decorate their very own pet rock.

More Fun with Stars and Stripes!

Stars and Stripes Paper Crafts

These are some paper crafts my kiddos and I made last year. I think we got our ideas from MarthaStewart.com...they are simple enough for kids to really help. We had lots of fun making them and they made our patio so festive!

The Paper Lantern: this is just like the Halloween ones that we all made in elementary school!

The Stars:  Just cut three stars out of three different papers, stack and staple in the middle, then fold the top and bottom ones so they show the one beneath.

The Firework:  Just cut a 8x2 paper stip into fringe.  Then roll and tape onto a skewer stick.  These were fun to set al  around in different colors and heights on the food table! (place in the decorative cans or poke into salads, watermelon, etc)

Here is a super fun party favor.  We made one for each family to say thanks for coming!  We used red paper and blue duct tape.  The toothpick top we got from Michaels.

Super Mommy Secret~Strawberries!

This post is from Jen!  These are her Super Mommy Secrets!  Thanks for sharing these ideas, Jen.  They are the perfect activity for a summer day!  I love them..and I cant wait to make the candle holders to line our front walkway! ~Ang

Last Monday was the first day of summer, June 21st.

Summer means strawberries. At our house we love strawberries. Our favorite way to eat them is with this super easy dip. My kids know how to make it and can do it all by themselves. 

Fruit Dip

One jar of marshmallow creme

One container strawberry cream cheese

Mix both ingredients well in a bowl and serve with strawberries, or almost any kind of fruit. Store leftovers (if there are any) in fridge.  Yummy!!!!

Then, you can make these cute crafts with your kids...

(Reuse and Recycle!)

Candle Holder

(I saw an idea similar to this at a store.)

Here is how to make it: 

Wash out the marshmallow creme jar and wash off the label.

Then with some heavy gauge wire (I used 18 gauge) twist it around the mouth of the jar and then make a handle.

Here is the part my girls did, they strung on some beads on some jewelry wire and then we twisted it around the handle.

I filled the jar with white sand and a battery operated tea light. You could put rocks or any kind of filler in the jar. Then set or hang outside for those fun summer evenings outside.

Berry Fun

Here is how to make it: 

I took the empty plastic container that the strawberries came in and washed it out.

 
Then I filled it with gummy raspberries. I made a label to go on the top and tied it with tulle.
 
I made a label that I am going to write on something like "Have a "berry" fun summer" and give it to a friend.
 
If I would have done this sooner my kids could have given it to their teachers on the last day of school.
 
~Jen

4th of July Explosion!

Today I thought it would be fun to post some things that we do to Celebrate the 4th of July! 

Last year we had a couple of July parties.

I covered these cans with themed paper and ribbon to hold silverware and treats (and just look cute).

I swirled this star wire around the glasses and used themed paper to write our names on them.

My friend made this cute cake.  I put the licorice in the cans to resemble fireworks....

Each family carved a watermelon.  This idea is from Family Fun and it was so fun!

Below are some of my favorite 4th of July Decorations!

This little music box plays the Star Spangled Banner! 

It is a great time to teach it and sing it with the kiddos and talk about what it means!

This is my chipboard banner that I made.  It says SPARKLE!

(for instructions see my Welcome Summer Banner!)

My mother-in-law made me this Star Stack. 

 Just cut three wooden stars, paint and stain, then tie with a ribbon!

Super Mommy Secret~Does the DATE really matter??

Super Mommy Secret:  One thing I have decided is that the exact DATE of a celebration does not really matter to me. 

I mean WHEN you celebrate something or someone doesnt have to be the date that everyone else does it. 
Sometimes too many things fall on the same day!  I think it is funny to hear people say they missed celebrating something special but they will have to remember next year.  I say move the celebration date to one that fits with your family calendar!
Sometimes you do just have to miss celebrating things...it is hard for me to admit!  But dont be afraid to fit things in when they are convenient for your family rather than when the calendar says you have to do something...even if it is "late."  (So far nobody in our family has complained, but the kiddos are too little to know any better!)

This year we have to move our Father's Day...Last week we were out of town for a family reunion so we had a long drive home on Father's Day.  My husband and I both got to see our dads on "Father's Day", which was nice.  However, we didnt get to celebrate him.  So I decided I would help my kids celebrate their Daddy this coming Sunday instead.  I didnt want to miss celebrating him until next year just because of our other family commitments!

So this Sunday we will:

Set out our Father's Day Decorations: 
The Daddy tile (above)
A photo of him with each one of our kids as newborns
The Daddy Banner
Handmade gifts and cards from this year (and years past)

Give Him his gifts!
An envelope with a "gift of time" together with each child
1.  Go Cart Racing gift card (the other kids arent big enough yet so this is just for them)
2.  Icecream giftcard and Movie tickets (a Daddy/ Daughter Date)
3.  Motorcycle Decals (This little guy is obsessed with "dotorcycles" so he has to give daddy a motorcycle gift!  They can put the decals on and then go for a ride!)

Make some of his Favorite Foods:
Pizzeria Uno Pizza (made at home deep dish pizza) recipe
Apple Pie with icecream

And, most of all, Celebrate that we have a 

"Super Daddy"

at our house!  Because without him there would be no

Super Mommy!

Unfinished Projects~Cut off Jeans Shorts (and what to do with the leftover Legs!)

Cut Off Jean Shorts and a Fun Way to Use Up the leftover Legs!

My friend, Celeste, and I got together to make our little girlies some cute summer cut-offs with the hole-y jeans. We just made them the way I did the denim aprons, with a cute piece of ruffled fabric folded over and then sewn to the hemmed edge.

Here is a little tip though...use clear thread so you dont have to switch it out for each pair!

I think they turned out oh-so cute! And I am so happy to check the first unfinished project off my list! But before I cleaned up the jeans scraps the throw away, I noticed how cute the legs under the holes were and I thought I would attemp to make a little skirt with those, instead of throwing them away.

These shorts have a black and white polka dot ribbon wrapped in a strip of tulle and then sewn onto inside of the hem.  I always tuck little folds in as I sew instead of gathering it in a gathering stitch.

These shorts just have ribbon folded over and sewn to the bottoms.  I happened to have some ribbon that matched the flowers that were already on them!

These shorts are my favorite!  Celeste and I both made some like this for our girls.

 

The Jean Leg Skirt!

 This is the Jean Leg Skirt!  I cut the legs of the jeans off below the holes and then I cut the seams of the jeans about 1/2 inch outside of the topstitched side.  That way the cute topstitching on the jeans still showed on the skirt after it was sewn together.  I also tried to alternate the washes light and dark.  The pink knit ribbing was purchased by the inch at Jo-Ann fabric.  This skirt is perfect for her to pull on with a swimsuit and wear to the pool!

Super Mommy Secret~Summer Goals

I am on Vacation this week so I am enjoying a break from the stay at home Super Mommy-ing and I am enjoying my in-laws who are Super Grandma and Grandpa-ing my kids and their cousins while we all hang out together. 

The Super Mommy Secret that we are working on this week is our

Summer Rules and Goal Setting!

For the kids we are planning some similar goals to last year:

1.  Doing Chores to earn money.  One Fake Gold token is equal to a quarter.
2.  Make Bank Deposits...and Daddy says he will match everything they put in their accounts (I think we got this idea from my friend Amber, thanks Amber!  My kids think it is super cool!).
3.  Reading (or being read to) for 20 minutes a day to earn our library's fun prizes.
4. Writing in a journal to practice those handwriting skills...my son's teacher recommended this last year.
5.  Earning TV and Electronics time!  (They do school workbook pages or extra reading).
6.  One sweet treat per day! (I am terrible at this one!  But when we say it out loud, and make it our goal, we help remind each other.)

By making these rules and goals, it helps me keep everyone on track with what is Really important. 

And once we get our goals done for the day, we can get on with the other important stuff which, of course, is playing all summer!!!

My Goal this summer is to finish my over 30 unfinished projects that are cluttering up closets, garage space, and plastic totes!  I will be posting on them throughout the summer!

Its not too late to set your family goals too! 

Happy Summer! 

Make your Summer Plans with a Welcome Summer Banner 2!

I hope everyone out there in enjoying their summer break!  I sure am .  In case you missed this banner last week in my Super Mom blog hop with Kelli at Random Thoughts of a Super Mom.....you can check it out below!


I like for Summer at our house to be SUPER FUN, of course! 

But I wanted to be sure that we were doing the important things as well (reading, making bank deposits in their savings accounts{and that means earning money by doing chores}, and working on goals (CubScouts, Piano, etc)!  I made this banner last year to help be sure we were getting the things done that we needed to get done and mixing the right amount of FUN in with it!

First, I printed out little tags with all of the things we were planning to do this summer. 

Here is my list:

Surprise!

Something Special! (this is great for those one time things)

Extra Fun (this was for when I added something on to one of our weekly activites)

School (they went to vacation bible school and a summer play school hosted by a local preschool)

Playdate (when a friend has us/them over)

Picnic at the Park

Storytime (lots of book stores host these)

Library

Meet Daddy (sometimes we meet for lunch)

Going to a Movie (we love Regals free movie program)

Going out to Dinner

Leaving on a Trip!

Playgroup (there are several that we occasionally attend)

Party

Roaring Springs (our local water park)

Bank (they get to make deposits and my husband matches it, this means they have to do their chores)

Having Friends Over

Working on Goals

Volleyballin’ (sometimes I meet up with friends to play)

Water Day (there are lots of fun pools, splash parks, and beaches on the lakes or rivers)

And here is how they look once I cut them, punched a hole in the top, and put a piece of jute rope through the hole (this makes it easy to pull them out of  the envelope).

Next, make a pocket for them.

Fold a piece of cardstock and staple the sides.  Make a label for the front and distress it with an ink pad, then punch a hole and tie on an 18 inch piece of jute rope or ribbon (tie it onto the wide ribbon when you get to that point).

     

Then, to make your envelopes:

My SIL, Jen, and I shared a box of these from Office Max. I think there was 500 in the box. I printed the days of the week, distressed the edges with an ink pad, and glued them on. Then I punched a hole in the top and hung it from an 18 inch piece of jute rope or ribbon.

                     

At this point you could be done by just hanging the days of the week onto a thicker ribbon! 

Or you can make the whole Welcome Summer Banner to make it SUPER cute.

Heres How:

First, get some chipboard shapes (they come in a "book" of 5) and some chipboard letters (or use vinyl). 

I got mine at Michaels, but I heard you can sometimes find them at Archivers in the $1 section.

Mod Podge decorative paper onto them, turn them over and cut the excess paper off with an exacto knife.

Then sand them to get the edges nice and smooth.  Distress them with an ink pad if desired.  Glue the chipboard letters on to make your words.

Punch holes in the tops and hang onto a wide ribbon. 

Leave enough room on the ends of your wide ribbon to hang.  String one or two ribbons through your chipboard and tie it to the larger ribbon.

My kids LOVE to take the tags out and see what is in store for the day and the week!
Your kiddos will enjoy a  Summer of Fun with an easy to follow plan!

Super Mommy Secret~Last Day of School Shirt

Today is our Last Day of School, Finally! 

I feel like we are the last school in the country to get out this year! 

Jen made these cute shirts, with iron on transfers, for her kids

(and she was nice enough to share the idea and make me a transfer too!, Thanks Jen!).

Super Mommy Secret:  The Sharpies on a lanyard are such a great idea!  This would be useful at Summer Camps and VBS as well.  It is a great idea for Anytime you want the kids to be able to sign each other's shirts!
**I think they might bleed through though, so be prepared for spotted backs and bellies!!

Thanks, Jen!

Upcycled Sand Toys!

Welcome to the last day of our 6 Days of Summer Fun with the SUPERMOMS!

I hope you have learned something this week and maybe found a project or two to do with your kiddos this summer.

My final project is:

Upcycled Sand Toys

Upcycling is taking something that would otherwise be considered trash and turning it into something useful.
There are four main reasons that I love this project:

1. It's basically free

          2. It's good for the environment

                     3. If the kiddos lose or break it, no big deal!

       4. Easy clean up and storage

Plus the kiddos will have a TON of fun with it:) ****

So here is how to make your very own upcycled sand toys!

****

*First*, collect containers that you think would make great sand toys. I collected yogurt cups {my boys eat the kiddie yogurt so our sand toys have characters on them at not extra cost}, plastic juice bottles, and various small bowls. Clean out all the containers well. You could even try spray painting or decorating the containers if you wanted to. Ours were cute enough on their own, so we didn't paint them.

****

*Next*, you will need a net produce bag. Mine is from a small bag of lemons, but you could use the bigger ones that oranges come in. Use a piece of duct tape and cover the label of the produce bag. Use that space to write your child's name or to decorate the bag a little with a permanent marker.

****

*Last*, put all your new upcycled sand toys in the bag. Weave a piece of ribbon through a few of the holes in the produce bag and then tie up your bag with the ribbon. You can also tie the ribbon at the top so that it makes a handle.

Once your bag is finished, head to the beach, the sandbox, or the playground!

When it is time to leave, clean up is SUPER easy. At the beach, place all your toys back in the bag and dip it a few times into the water. If you are playing at the sandbox, a good spray with the water hose will get rid of most of the sand.
Thanks for joining for 6 Days of Summer Fun! I hope everyone has an awesome summer!

Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM!