DIY Spring Sensory Bottle

Happy Spring everyone! Spring has now sprung and it’s a time for fresh growth, vibrant colors and new life! Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that teach and fascinate her. And, if I’m being completely honest, I find sensory bottles fascinating too, so let’s make one!

SUPPLIES

  • A 16 ounce clear, plastic bottle
  • A funnel
  • 1 1/2 cups of white rice
  • 3/4 teaspoon of white vinegar
  • Green food coloring
  • Miniature insect (or other spring inspired) erasers 
  • Glue (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place the rice in a resealable plastic sandwich bag.
  2. Add the vinegar and food coloring to the rice. You can add however many drops of food coloring you’d like, I added 20 drops.
  3. Seal the bag and shake well until the color is well dispersed throughout.
  4. Spread the rice onto a baking sheet and allow it to dry overnight.
  5. Place the funnel in the mouth of your bottle and use it to fill the bottle with half of the rice.
  6. Remove the funnel and add half of the insect erasers.
  7. Screw the lid back onto the bottle and shake until well incorporated, then remove the lid and replace the funnel.
  8. Add the rest of the rice and the rest of the insect erasers.
  9. Replace the lid onto the bottle and shake well again until well incorporated.
  10. If your child is older and you worry about him/her undoing the lid, you can coat the inside of the lid with glue, then screw it back onto the bottle. This will secure the lid and make it harder for little ones to unscrew the lid and create a leak or spill the bottle’s contents.

Enjoy!

Link’s Item Guide – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Link's Items Guide

If there’s one thing I do when I play a game (besides trying to relax and enjoy myself), it’s look up information. I get curious or stuck, and I find myself turning to the internet for answers. There are a lot of good guides out there that are super helpful, but what I don’t see are an abundance of simple and clean visual guides that lay out all the information in one place.

I finished playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past earlier this year and it felt good to finally find everything and complete the game! I thought it would be helpful and fun to make a couple guides on where to find all of Link’s equipment and items for anyone else who may be curious and wondering where they are.

This visual or infographic guide is for Link’s “Items” as categorized on the inventory screen. After much consideration, I decided to organize the items alphabetically by their name.

I have also created another guide for Link’s “Equipment” and action or “Do” items as categorized on the inventory screen.

Please let me know if you would like me to work on a guide for the other collectibles within The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or if there are any games you would like to see visual information or guides for in the future! I love helping people, discussing games and organizing information!

Link’s Equipment Guide – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Link's Equipment Guide

If there’s one thing I do when I play a game (besides trying to relax and enjoy myself), it’s look up information. I get curious or stuck, and I find myself turning to the internet for answers. There are a lot of good guides out there that are super helpful, but what I don’t see are an abundance of simple and clean visual guides that lay out all the information in one place.

I finished playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past earlier this year and it felt good to finally find everything and complete the game! I thought it would be helpful and fun to make a couple guides on where to find all of Link’s equipment and items for anyone else who may be curious and wondering where they are.

This visual or infographic guide is for Link’s “Equipment” and action or “Do” items as organized on the inventory screen. I will have another guide for the “Items” as organized on the inventory screen.

Please let me know if you would like me to work on a guide for the other collectibles within The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or if there are any games you would like to see visual information or guides for in the future! I love helping people, discussing games and organizing information!

The Benefits of Reading to Children

Stack of Children's BooksZoey’s Bedtime Story is a nighttime ritual I started last year, and this year, the adventure continues! I made a New Year’s resolution to read to Zoey every night this year and we have yet to miss a day!

Reading has always been very special to me. I remember my mom reading to me as a child and I believe it had a profound impact on my love for reading and books, not to mention my performance in school. I want to continue that tradition with Zoey. I want her to hear my voice, hear the diction and the pronunciation, see the beautiful images and eventually enjoy the stories. I imagine her sitting in my lap or lying cozy in her bed while I sit next to her and read, her eyes on the book with rapt attention. In reality, she sits on my lap for about five to ten seconds then tootles all over the room while I keep reading and trying to pull her attention back. I keep going because I know tat the more we read, the more she’ll settle in and pay attention.

There are many benefits of reading to children, no matter their age!

  • Increased attention span
  • Bonding between parent/guardian and child
  • Cognitive and language development
  • Creativity
  • Expanded vocabulary
  • Life lessons
  • Listening skills
  • Social and emotional development

So if you haven’t started reading to your little one(s) it’s not too late to start today! And if you’ve started reading to your little one(s) and their attention is anywhere but on you and the book don’t give up! Consistency is the key!

Please come follow along on my Instagram where I post which book we’re reading each night in my story, and every book I’ve read to her has been saved to the highlights on my profile.

I’ve started a Pinterest Board of all the books I would like to read to Zoey or share with her someday. Check it out to get inspired and please let me know if there are any children books you would recommend; we love sharing stories!

A Dr. Seuss Children’s Book Bibliography

Dr. Seuss Children's Book Bibliography

Another of my favorite children’s authors is Dr. Seuss!

See my Bill Peet bibliography here!

So many of this man’s books were read to me throughout my childhood and I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience! The artwork is uniquely appealing, his wordplay is masterful (have you read Fox in Socks?) and above all each story has a good moral that can teach all who read it!

I am starting to collect Dr. Seuss books to read to my daughter, so I’ve created this one-page handy dandy bibliography to keep track as I go! Please feel free to use it too if you need it!

POSTHUMOUSLY

Chocolaty M&M Valentine’s Day Cookie Recipe

Happy February friends! I have some chocolaty Valentine cookies for you, and whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, cookies are rarely unwelcome!

You may have heard that you can make cookies with boxed cake mix and this recipe does just that, but with a boost of unsweetened cocoa powder and M&Ms! They are delicious; rich and not too sweet. If you’re looking for something tasty to bake for yourself or someone(s) you love, please try these and enjoy!

COOKIES

  • 1 box of devil’s food chocolate cake mix
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup of butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of “cupid’s mix” Valentine M&Ms
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pour the cake mix and unsweetened cocoa into a large bowl and stir gently to incorporate.
  3. Add the eggs and softened butter into the dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms.
  4. Divide the M&Ms: Mix one cup into the cookie dough and place the other cup into a separate small bowl.
  5. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls, then dip the top of each dough ball into the small bowl of M&Ms and place each one onto the baking sheet.
  6. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes depending on the power of your oven.
  7. Bring the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack for another 5 to 10 minutes.
  8. Repeat this process until all the cookie dough has been baked, this should yield about 16 cookies.
  9. Enjoy!

Bob’s Burgers BUJO – February Valentine Spread

Bob's Burgers February Valentine Bujo SpreadI’ve been keeping my eyes open for a Bob’s Burgers planner, but I have yet to find one, I’ve decided to make my own!

I have been admiring bullet journals for the past year, and attempted my own, but hit a wall with how complex I was trying to make them. This is technically my first bullet journal so please bear with me as I learn what works and what doesn’t.

Each month will be themed for a different character or idea! I started with Bob for January and this month of February is a Valentine’s episode theme. I tried to hand draw some more pieces this month instead of using mostly stickers.

For the February weekly spreads, I decided to draw small snapshots from Valentine’s Day episodes that stood out to me. The first snapshot is Bob’s striptease for Linda in “Can’t Buy Me Math”.

Bob's Burgers February Valentine Bujo Spread

The second snapshot for the second week of February is Dr. Love’s Love Testometer from “My Fuzzy Valentine”.

Bob's Burgers February Valentine Bujo Spread

The last two snapshots are from the same episode “Bob Actually”. The first is Tina’s hilarious posture as she keeps rushing to the bathroom because of her “chili poops” and the second is a sweet moment when Louise kisses regular-sized Rudy.

Bob's Burgers February Valentine Bujo Spread Bob's Burgers February Valentine Bujo SpreadCheck back next month for a Linda themed spread!

A Bill Peet Children’s Book Bibliography

Bill Peet Bibliography

One of my favorite children’s authors is (you guessed it) Bill Peet!

I remember my mom and I would make frequent trips to the library throughout my childhood and I would always borrow as many Bill Peet books as I could find each time. Every story is entertaining and has a good moral, but most of all I love the art!

I am starting to collect Bill Peet books to read to my daughter, so I’ve created this one-page handy dandy bibliography to keep track as I go! Please feel free to use it too if you need it! We currently own Chester the Worldly Pig and Kermit the Hermit, but I’m always keeping a look out for more!

What’s your favorite Bill Peet book? It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but I believe mine is The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg.

Bob’s Burgers BUJO – Setup and January Spreads

I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a Bob’s Burgers planner, but I have yet to find one, so in celebration of the movie releasing this year I’ve decided to make my own!

I have been admiring bullet journals for the past year, and attempted my own, but hit a wall with how complex I was trying to make them. This is technically my first bullet journal so please bear with me as I learn what works and what doesn’t.

There are some main tracker pages that are currently a work in progress, so let’s focus on what I’ve completed:

Bob's Burgers BUJOBob's Burgers BUJO Bob's Burgers BUJOI began with the 2021 overview, followed by the year-at-a-glance which I will use to fill in important dates like birthdays, anniversaries and other important events.

Bob's Burgers BUJOI included a page for my resolutions, which is the iconic blackboard from the restaurant, but I am waiting for the right pen to transcribe my resolutions onto it.

The pages following will break down some of my resolutions. First a video game page, themed for the Burgerboss arcade game in the episode “Burgerboss”. This is followed by a reading page with a Tina quote from the episode “L’il Hard Dad”.

Bob's Burgers BUJO Bob's Burgers BUJOThe last resolution page I’ve completed is for planning my kitchen garden, and features a very happy Bob gardening from the episode “Late Afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise”.

Bob's Burgers BUJOEach month will be themed for a different character or idea, starting with Bob for January! I realized I was biting off more than I could chew and didn’t leave much room for artwork. I have a collection of stickers from calendars and coloring books so I used them for the weekly spreads.

Bob's Burgers BUJO Bob's Burgers BUJOCheck back next month for a Valentine’s Day episode themed spread!

Happy New Year 2021!

2021 ResolutionsHappy New Year Friends! I wish you all the best and sincerely hope all your hopes and dreams for 2021 will come to fruition; let’s make the most of it!

I believe in making resolutions; they give you the focus to complete certain tasks. Resolutions can be made any time of the year, and should be in some cases, but it’s traditional to make them for the fresh start of a new year and it’s all in good fun!

I’ve set 21 resolutions for 2021, check them out!

  1. Buy and use a solar USB charger.
  2. Eat take-out only once per week.
  3. Diagnose and treat Leeloo’s medical issue.
  4. Expand our kitchen garden.
  5. Make Monday’s meatless.
  6. Play & complete 5 games created before 2000.
  7. Play & complete 5 games I own, but never finished.
  8. Play & complete 5 new games.
  9. Reach 1000 subscribers on YouTube.
  10. Reach my earnings goal by December.
  11. Reach my goal weight.
  12. Read & complete 5 books I own, but have never read.
  13. Read & complete 5 classic books.
  14. Read & complete 5 Stephen King books.
  15. Read to Zoey every day.
  16. Refurbish the play house & give it to Zoey.
  17. Refurbish the play kitchen & give it to Zoey.
  18. Replace all the lightbulbs in & around the house with LEDs.
  19. Switch to cloth napkins.
  20. Take a DNA test.
  21. Take Zoey to Disneyland.

I’m going to do my best to fulfill each and every one of them so if you’re looking for ideas, inspiration or just to follow along in some good fun follow me here and on my instagram for updates!