kira and mommy bonding time- wreck this journal

Kira and Alex each received a Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith for Christmas. Alex has already done a few pages as he thought it was a really cool thing to be able to write, draw, and cut a book without being scolded. Totally up a young man's alley! 

Kira on the other hand had let hers sit and collect dust. I found a few YouTube videos and Instagram feeds on how others are wrecking their journals and thought how much fun is that? I wanted to do it. Knowing Kira would not let me play with her journal, I picked one up at Barnes and Noble and then hatched my master plan. (insert evil mommy laugh)

We could have some serious quality mom and daughter time while destroying a book!! We could go anywhere they have a table we can use. If there is food and drink, that makes it a much better choice. I put together a little destroying kit with my Thirty-One bag. It includes stickers, markers, colored pencils, regular pencils, erasers, water color paints, highlighters, colored pens, Sharpies, scissors, pencil sharpener, glue, and washi tape.

Monday March 24, 2014 we headed to Crackskull's and found a spot at the counter where we could play.

We 'may' have indulged in some hot chocolate and baked goodies. But I am not telling. Kira looked through her entire book reading all the different ways to wreck, decorate, destroy, and play. I started by numbering my pages as I like order. However, you will not be able to find the page you are looking for very easily. I started numbering my pages at page number 524 and went to 602. Then I did pages 1- 30. Then I 'numbered' the pages using the alphabet, then the months of the year. I ended up starting at page 100 and going to page 13 before I ran out of pages!! Totally random and so not like me. 

She makes some of the silliest faces!

On this page she had to draw with the marker, pencil, pen in your mouth. Pretty funny. The best part of this book. You can go back in and add to pages if you want or leave them sparse. You can create a kind of art journal with this or get rid of any stress. It is also an amazing way to have chats with your tween without having the deep eye contact that lets them open up. We had fun!!

Here is her decorated cover. I will try to get a better picture on our next adventure. She was giggling at this moment.

Here is her inside cover. The markers that we have all have different types of tips (Crayola Pip Squeaks) so they mark different ways. We had fun playing with those.

Here is the cover of my journal now that I have personalized it. We discovered we need more fun and unusual stickers to add onto our pages. As well as some office supplies. I have a small stapler I am going to add to our kit as well as some paper clips.

 

And here is my inside page. I am thinking I need to add something to the inside cover. I shall have to work on that on our next journal wrecking date. It was one of the best hour and a half I had this week.

More fun to come!!

oh yes i did!!

Scrap that is. Get your mind out of the gutter... geez. :)

I have had the photos from the end of December 2008 (yes you read that right 2008!) pulled out from their box for a few months now (read that as about 6-8 months) and have been S L O W L Y working on them. I was going to pack them up and had actually put them back in their box when I stopped, slapped myself around a bit and pulled them back out. 

Let me explain the self beating and why it happened. I first must explain that I have not printed any pictures lately unless they were going into my Project Life album and the reason for that?? I have three photo boxes F U L L of pictures that I need to scrap. The dates on these boxes go from 2002 or 2003 until early 2012. That is a ton of pictures sitting there taunting me into putting them into albums. (this does NOT include the three other photo boxes of Walt Disney World vacation photos) oh the shame.

As I was putting this tiny pile of pictures away I was overcome with a massive amount of guilt. Seriously massive. Probably because I had to take down all three of the photo boxes full of pictures to actually get into the one box where these photos should be placed (chronologically speaking). Another part of it, may have been that for the past couple of nights, the kids have been taking their scrapbooks off the shelves and looking at them. Really looking at them and laughing at what they were like when they were smaller. Alex especially thinks it is funny of the things he used to do. Unfortunately, Alex only has about 5 albums and they are not completely done (enter in the three boxes of photos I have mentioned before) so he is feeling unloved. Major mommy sigh and enormous amount of mommy guilt.

So off the races I went. I am going to scrap. I am going to scrap for me. And not only for me, but for my kids. I am happy they have found enjoyment in what I have been working on for years. I don't want that to end. So here goes... I am scrapping!! These may not be magazine works of art using all the latest and greatest tools, embellishments and paper. But who cares?? As long as the memories are in the albums and not stuck in a box, that is what matters- to me and my kids.

This one is going into Alex's album as I had already done another page to put into Kira's album using other pictures taken the same day. My title is weak but that is what happens when you are using the scraps and are running out of letters. But let's remember- it is headed for an album and not a box. Happy mommy.

This one is so cute. Look at that happy face of childhood. Placing her written letter to Santa into the Santa mailbox at the post office. I can't believe she was so small and adorable. Now she is stunningly beautiful and I have the right to say that since I am her mom! Love my girl. The letter on the bottom of the page is what Santa wrote back to her. Love it!!

I hope to keep working on this pile and the three boxes. That should keep me busy for the next 100 years!!

what's been happening

I feel so behind in EVERYTHING!! I have not had a free moment to get my thoughts together enough to blog in ages. Crazy time of year. But I do have some pictures to share of what we have been up to. At least some of the time!

We decorated the tree. This is the first year since hubby and I have been together that the tree does not contain a single Hallmark ornament!! This year for my sanity, I decided that I was not unwrapping six huge totes of Hallmark ornaments and putting them all on the tree while the kids ran around playing and ignoring hubby and I. It was a very liberating moment. Instead we purchased a few sets of ornaments at Walmart and some new white lights. The colors on the tree are red, silver, gold-ish and brown. Very pretty. I think Kira misses the Hallmarks as she would not participate in the decorating but she didn't help when we had the others either!! 

Alex however was all for helping! And a big step in my letting go this holiday season... I did not move a single ornament after he placed them. So what if two snowflakes ended up right next to each other. It is a wonderful tree and I am so happy he enjoyed decorating it with us!!

Our elf on the shelf has returned for the holiday season and brought a new friend. We now have Scout and Cookie and they have been having a great time getting into trouble and just plain being silly. That will have to be a whole series of posts to share their holiday adventures!!

On this day, they had left the kids new Angry Birds jammies!! Can you tell they like them??

We went to the annual Christmas party at the Rec Center while daddy was working one Saturday. Oh so much fun!! Kira had Rudolph painted on her cheek and was very proud to show him off.

Santa even came to visit!! The kids said he looked silly with his painted white eyebrows but still managed to tell him what they wanted. Adorable!!

Alex won one of the raffles!! This huge and soft bear is named Edgar Six (and yes there are five more bears named Edgar in our house) He was so happy!!!

We also took the kids to see Santa at the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts. I love the set up they have for Santa and they are always so friendly and kind to the kids. We love going there. The kids enjoy it because we go to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. Christmas traditions.

I LOVE this picture that the photographer captured. AMAZING!! Then they even emailed me the other three they had taken. Pretty stinking cool. I think it was an oops but I am taking it and am now the proud owner of four great pictures with Santa for this year!!

I have also been a baking fool for the past three weeks. My kitchen and I need to separate as my hubby is missing me. But totally loving the cookies!! After breakfast this morning I need to get baking again and finish wrapping presents. Going to be a busy one.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! I do hope to be around more in the New Year!! 

tis the season

Today we went to the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts to see their Santa. Personally, I think they are the BEST in the area and well worth the forty- five minute drive to get there. The best part today was there was NO LINE to see the jolly elf. Usually we have to wait for at least a half hour to see him, but today we walked right up and had a great time.

Here is photographic proof of the fun the kids had with Santa.

After they were having a celebration for Santa in center court where the kids could write letters to Santa, color in puzzles, do other crafts, make reindeer food and frost a cookie. Oh the fun we had!

Did some window shopping. Stopped in Build a Bear Workshop for a potty break and for daddy to check on the store. Hit a great sale at Bath and Body. Then went to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Lunch was great. Kids ate well and the rainstorm was faboo as always.

After we went back to Build a Bear Workshop to see Erik the penguin from the the Happy Feet Two movie. He was so stinking cute!! Need to get those pictures off the camera to post.

Anywho... it was a great day full of fun and smiles. I will ignore those moments of low blood sugar for both kids and remember the happy times. Works for me!