Show and tell

Today was another show and tell day at school for our daughter, Ella. Coming from the Dominican Republic I didn't know exactly what it was. Basically what she does is to bring an object from home to school and talk about it. 

The jack in the box sock monkey. Because is cool to be surprised.

One of her first show and tell items was her xylophone. She played Twinkle twinkle little star.

 We like to bring things that could be interesting and cool for the rest of the children. We need to keep the audience paying attention! We usually try to pick objects that appeal to the senses, allowing her to perform in front of her classmates, like for example, her small xylophone. When she played Twinkle, Twinkle little Star her teacher said that everybody was paying attention and applauded at the end. We felt so proud we had to share it!!!!

Goodbye branches

Today we are posting a little later than usual, but we couldn't wait till Friday to let you know that we finally trimmed the tree limbs that were over the house. Some of them were even a safety hazard like the ones of the tree leaning towards the house right over Ella's room. Now we feel safer, the house is much brighter since we are getting more sunlight and it looks nicer too.

There was a crew of about 6 to 7 people working on this. Some of them were trimming, loading a truck, others holding the branches with ropes and cleaning the leaves they left behind. It was a new experience for these new homeowners. Oh! Sorry for the rushed pictures friends. 

Now we can see the sky.

Routine login

The Internet, our XXI century slavery? Well I don't know if it enslaves us but between social networks, blogs, emails and many other sites we keep ourselves busy for many hours of the day and in front of our computers.  

We are actually a little old fashioned and we really don't use many technologies that are common nowadays, like texting or tweeting. Of course we do have our everyday login sites, mostly we use these tools to keep in contact with our loved ones that aren't close and for work. And of course, our blog to share our life experiences with others.

We all have heard about Internet addiction as a real health problem. I'm sure that most of us are not addicts but is really important to disconnect ourselves from our dear laptops for a while, go out and take a stroll through the park.

Doodles on your body

This is what happens when your kid doesn't feel like playing with toys? Well, you just have to improvise! 
I'm sure all of you drew on your toes, chin, hands and belly when you were kids. "La boquita" (which is how we called the mouth upside down) was a really funny one. 

I wanted to share this with Ella and show her how many characters we could create. There's the french chef, the family of five, the running lady in a towel, la boquita and the thing. And all of them talk, walk or move in a funny way. 


Another fun activity to do with your family. Oh!  And Ramon got some doodles on his belly too!

Quicker than I thought

On Monday I showed my dissatisfaction with our living room since it was missing places to sit. We are having people over for the next few days and we wanted them to feel comfortable.  But then... yesterday we took a trip to Ikea. We looked for chairs that were good looking, comfortable and most important affordable, and we found them. 

We found these two discount chairs. There's nothing wrong with them, they were displayed in the showrooms so they sell them as used furniture. We didn't mind, it was a good price, they look good and they were already assembled.    

You might think I'm crazy but I like all the patterns mixed in the living room and there's like a nature theme going on. We love how it looks!

How much would you pay?

I never thought that finding a chair was such a hard thing to do. We need more seating in the living room since all we have is the sofa. We really would like to buy two affordable and comfortable chairs with nice bright colors. We have found several nice ones here and there but the adjective they are missing is AFFORDABLE, at least for our budget. We don't want to overspend money in chairs. 

Solution? We don't know yet, let see what happens. Do you have any suggestions dear readers?

Dry clean only?!!

I got a very nice used winter coat from a thrift store, it's made of three materials: suede, polyester and acrylic. The care instructions in the tag tell you to only dry clean it by a leather professional, but I really didn't want to spend all that money in dry cleaning (yes...I'm that cheap). Plus they use chemicals that are harmful for the environment. 

I've been searching on the Internet and the material that should not get wet is suede. Suede is a type of leather with a fuzzy surface. Now, I spent a while considering taking it to a dry cleaner but didn't make up my mind, winter is getting close, the weather is getting colder even here in Florida. I wasn't going to wear it dirty ether, especially coming from a thrift store. I was also afraid to wash it myself, but at the end I dared to do it! I knew I could fail or I could succeed. 

I washed it in the machine with cold water, used baby shampoo and hung it to dry. I think it still looks good.

Outdoor family time

In order to complete Monday's post about doing things together with your child, I will be sharing the fun afternoon Ella and I had yesterday.

We began our outdoor time finding the hidden treasure (which was only a box I hid in the backyard, no big deal) but yet really fun for her. We went outside with props and toys and played many improvised games (made up by ourselves). We collected some leaves and seeds. We made bubbles and took many pictures of nature but the best thing of all... Ella took her own pictures too.

IDEA: Give your child the camera, let him choose and take pictures by himself, that way you can see what is interesting for them. 

It was a great day and great family time.

Do it together

Doing different activities together is one of the things that makes a family be happy and healthy. Like most kids, one of our daughter's favorite thing to do is paint and color. But she enjoys it the most when Ramon or I join her. 

Got my hands dirty painting with the little one. 

TIP: Display the things you do together, whether is a craft or piece of art, anything you and your child create. I display the drawings we make on her bedroom door. She is proud of the things she makes by herself but we also feel she is proud of the things we have done together. 

Timber!!!?

Don't worry, we are not bringing down any trees (I just wanted to give an interesting name to this post), but definitely we want to trim the branches of the trees around our house. Some of them represent a danger to our safety especially one that leans towards our house from the neighbors backyard. Because living in Florida we often get hit by hurricanes, we thought it was smart to trim the dangerous branches that are over the house. Also, the numerous amount of leaves they shed is killing the grass. 

This is a picture I took of a random falling tree in our area.

I started digging on the Internet and there are interesting things about tree trimming that are important to know:

Tree trimming is not used only for safety but also for aesthetics and even for health reasons. First of all, if a tree is causing damage to your property you're not permitted to go to your neighbors house and cut down his tree, but you're allowed to trim the tree branches up to your property line. You know who the tree belongs to by where the trunk is located. 

Also, if your neighbors fallen leaves are damaging your lawn know that there is nothing you can do about it but to trim the branches or rake the leaves everyday. 

The burning flame

Ahhh... candles. We love them, they make our homes look cozier, feel warmer, the scented candles make your house smell like many different aromas from lavender to apple pie. They create a mood that a light bulb will not achieve... candles are great for your home.  But at the same time they concern us a little since a burning candle in your home is a big risk of fire.

These rocks hold the wax that drips from the candles.

Here are some precautions:

The first precaution and the most important one for me is to never leave the candles unattended and always AWAY FROM CHILDREN. We prefer lighting them when our little one is asleep.

We light our candles in candle holders made specifically for candles, is the safest way to burn them.

Do not place candles near fabric or paper, there should be an appropriate distance between the candle and these materials.

Have the right kind of candle holder. The best materials are ceramic and glass (they don't melt like plastic or heat up like metal).

Keep your candles away from drafts.

We love them too much to stop using them so let's take precautions instead. 

What's in your bag?

Since I was a little girl I've always liked to hang around with bags full of all sort of stuff, even if I was staying at home. Now I'm older and my bag is still a big bag full of things but not precisely unnecessary things.

Always consider what items you really need to have in your purse. For every person these items vary (since each person is different) but there are always some essential things that everyone needs.

For people with beauty routines, make up, brushes and tissues are essential.

People with hygiene routines, don't forget the hand sanitize, toothbrush, soap or deodorant.

When you're on medication don't forget your medicine and of course a bottle of water. 

For adventurers a multi-task tool or a Swiss knife. 

For creative or inspired people don't forget art sources (music player, camera, and of course the handy notepad).

For people with children don't forget there is a whole other list: 

*Snacks (crackers, fruity snacks, juice box, etc).

*Something for entertainment (colors, paper, some toys).

*Neosporin and band aids (in case they fall).


NOTE: Don't forget your house keys and always remember your wallet with your ID...oh! And never leave the house without money. 

Do you work better in order or in chaos?

I ask this question because as strange as it may sound, actually some people feel more comfortable working in a chaotic and messy environment. Probably because keeping an organized work area or office is not an easy task. I mean, how do you keep everything in its right place when you have to work on the computer, call the client, take notes, print samples, and at the same time you need to grab a snack, and hold the doll your kid is giving you.

The work space (when it's clean).

I actually know people that say they have a system and are able to feel comfortable working in their own mess. They know where everything is...tossed!

If you are not messy because you like it but, like me, it just gets out of control, then here are some ideas that might help:

1. Keep a trash can close to the desk. 

2. Use a calendar, a planner and a notepad for to do lists or any information you need to write down.

3. Have a bin for things that don't belong in your work area. 

4. Have a phone line in the office. (If is the wireless then you might leave it there and forget to charge it).

5. Use shelves, bins or drawers for storing and organizing papers.

Good luck keeping that space clean!

Fun upcycling

We like to recycle the cardboard boxes and packages but once in a while we get creative and make up a game or a toy using our trash, especially cardboard which is our favorite.

The secret door in the tree made made out of cardboard trash.

You can upcycle your garbage and turn it into fun and useful items. Plastic bottles are great for many recycled crafts even for decorations for the home. We have used also those cardboard tubes that are inside the paper rolls, they are very popular for crafts and have many uses.

Here's an old project we made back when we lived in the apartment. The purpose was to control some wires in Ella's old room.

We covered the cardboard tube with fabric to make it look better.

And this was the result. Yep, I didn't get what I expected but... you get my point, convert the waste materials into items you and your family can use and at the same time have fun crafting these ideas.

Boredom

We know that today's life doesn't allow you to feel bored. But even that way we find ourselves involved in boring situations, like stuck in traffic, doing the dishes, waiting in the doctor’s office or waiting in line. Well, none of these activities have to be boring if you know how to take advantage of the situation.



Illustration of Ella and I made in a waiting moment.



For example, if you're waiting for the bus you can use this as an inspiration moment to look around you and realize the inspiring things you can find, study your surroundings and turn them into a creative idea. 

You can make it interesting using these situations to imagine ideas for a photograph, a TV commercial, a short film, ...something creative. Use this moment to sketch, draw or even write. Is fun and it also could be useful. Also try listening to music, which is very uplifting and at the same time helps you develop your creativity in many ways.

TIP: Hang out with a large purse or bag and fill it with everything you need and you think you don't need. Be ready for these moments of boredom. You should have pencils, notepads, a music player and anything else you think could avoid a void moment.

There should be no reason to feel bored, everything has its purpose find fun in everything you do. I know is hard to avoid routine and make every day be a different day. Then let's try routine with a twist. Carpe diem and appreciate every moment of your life, is the great gift.