Halloween Spider Handprint Craft

If you know me, you know that I am a holiday freak.  Any holiday.  I'm all about celebration & themes.  Right now, our house is being painted.  Every room is done except for our main living space, naturally. The problem with this is that my holiday freak flag can't fly.  I can't decorate my fireplace mantle yet or string yards of Halloween banners all over each room.  Today though, I could no longer keep my freak flag lowered.  I raised that flag & puked Halloween all over any space I could.  We now have black & white chain link garland hanging & dollar store banners & window clings all over this place.  And my flag is flying proudly as if to say, "BOO YAH!"

If you know me, you also know that I am a craft queen.  I have an endless supply of construction paper,  craft paint, stickers, glue, Mod Podge, crayons & any other supply you can name.  I promise you I have it.  Now that I have kids, my crafting has taken on a whole new meaning.  I love coming up with things for Collin to create & display for the holidays.  It also gives him a sense of pride when he sees his creations hanging on our walls or the fridge.  I'm a sucker for handprint art because it's also a fun keepsake.  Collin will have so many of these when he is an adult.  Oy!

Anyway, thought I'd share with you how I did our craft with TWO two year olds & almost NO mess.  Holler at yo' craft Mama!!!

You'll need black & white craft paint or acrylic paint. I happen to have acrylic paint on hand.  Perfectly safe & non-toxic, so don't worry.  Two paint brushes, one big enough to paint the kids' hands & the other small enough to paint in the eyes on the spider.  (I only had three googly eyes, so we painted our eyes in.)  Baby wipes to clean their hands off right away.  Construction paper to put the handprints on.  Lastly, a Sharpie so you can write the names, ages, year, etc for the kids.  Also? Halloween candy. Necessary in this house.

Since I was solo, I coudln't snap any, "during," photos, but I just painted the boys' hand (excluding the thumb so I could get four, "legs") & then helped them place it on the paper.  I painted the same hand again & helped them place it again to form the spider shape.  Then I immediately wiped their hands clean with a baby wipe.  There was no residue or anything from the paint.  It wipes completely clean, I promise. 

Dude, it's hard to get these two year old to hold still.  Hard.  But you can still see how proud they are of their spiders.  Plus, they were allowed to get dirty without complaints from Mama, so it was win-win for them.

While their spiders were drying, I whipped out some crayons & coloring books to keep them entertained.  Collin didn't really care & kept asking for more, "chwoc-it."  Oops.

After the spiders were dry, I pulled some Halloween stickers from my stash & let them embellish their art.  Then I painted in the eyes & smiles since it was a little too hard for them .

Lastly, you display the crap out of the adorable little spider crafts!!!  Collin has noticed them up there at least three times today & says to me, "Hey! Dat's my 'pider! And dat's Ay-eens 'pider!!!"  And then I die.

Step-Brothers, Man

You guys, being a step-parent is hard. Hard stuff. I was never in some fairy tale world where I thought it was going to be easy; I knew what I was getting into & I would not change a moment of my life. Still, it's hard. I didn't carry Aiden in my belly & ease into having two children. Instead, I was given two boys who are only six months apart in age & instantly had to find my bearings. Collin & Aiden are six months apart in age & have been mostly going through the same milestones (potty training) at the same time. Potty training? Is hard. Potty training two? Super hard. Temper tantrums are hard. Temper tantrums times two? Shoot me. ENDOFTHEUNIVERSEHETOOKMYTOY fights? Blow.

But then? Then, there are moments like this where everything is magical & nothing can go wrong in their world. Collin has a best friend & Aiden has a best friend. Squeals & giggles galore. Splashes & face plants that don't hurt because too much fun is being had. This makes every poop filled underwear change, every, "HE TOOK MY BALL!!!" worth it.  

Step-parenting is hard, but so is parenting. I don't think my struggles as a step-mother are that much different than they were as a regular mother. I know for sure the rewards are the same. Love. 

Picnic at the Park

Collin & Aiden get seriously stir crazy on some days. We are lucky to have a park within a five minute driving distance, so I've started taking them there on crazy toddler days. We packed a picnic lunch, lots of water & a couple of shovels & let them have at the park. They really like it. So much so that it's always a giant fight when it's time to go home. The little dudes will be drenched in sweat & clearly ready to go home, but they just wanna stay & play. It is frustrating, but they always end up asleep before I even pull into the driveway at home. 

The weather here in the High Desert is starting to get less hot & a little more bearable, so I'm hoping to be able to take the boys a lot before winter gets here & it's too cold. Andplusalso? Park days make for great nap days. Just sayin'.

It's a.... (GENDER REVEAL)

I know I've been pretty absent on my ol' blog as of late, but that's just because in amidst of moving & unpacking, we have had the girls here visiting & our lives & house has just been chaos. The girls went back to their Mommy's for school today, so now I feel like we can finally start settling in, creating a routine & I CAN HAZ BLOGGING AGAIN!!! In the meantime, I update frequently on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.

Unfortunately, Aiden was with his Mama when we did this little shoot, so he didn't get to be a part of it, but he was in our hearts & minds as we got silly with the camera. Also, excuse miss MJ's chonie peepage. Homegirl was too excited for her own good.

That's right, a girl. Collin & Aiden are gonna be in for a rude awakening with all the pink & ruffles & glitter that are about to make an appearance in this house. This place is gonna scream, "Hey, we're having a girl & we're gonna vomit pink all over this house in celebration!!!"

Our Week via iPhone: June 03 - 09, 2012

Instagram // @hollydaysblog

Our Week via iPhone: May 20 - 26, 2012

Instagram // @hollydaysblog

Our Week via iPhone: May 13 - 19, 2012

Follow me on Instagram @hollydaysblog.

iPhone Photos: May 6 - 12, 2012

My pirate kid // And now the Green Lantern // Toddler wrestling // Curlz in da hairz // Collin playing in Uncle Keith's MONSTER TRUCK // Basically a boss // Chilling with the Harleys // Uncle Mike's a badass // WADERMELEN JOOCE // Playing in his new pool at Aunt Cort's house // Plumber's crack // Sticking his feet in after yelling at me when I tried to show him // Hey girl // It took him two hours to finally get all the way into the pool // Bathing suits run big on boys, no? // Just being the coolest toddler around // Mother's Day cards for two of our favorites

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Our Week via iPhone, April 29 - May 5, 2012

Getting my plan on // Morning snuggles with Goo // My pirate baby // Went to Red Robin with my Dad who is visiting town for a month or so // J passed out & the kids being crazy // Eelio Estevez in our tank at work // Dude don't even care // Last minute bingo with my Dad, Seester, Keith & still in the belleh Everett (my sister is knocked up) // At the court house // Collin was visiting his Daddy, so I took it up on myself to have an afternoon bath // Seriously the best energy drink out there

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App Happy Friday: 360 (iPhone App Reviews)

So...this is new, eh?!?! I started this last year, but never went anywhere with it because of everything that was going on in my life at the time. Now I am back with it & this time i'm prepared to rock the shit out of some app reviewing for ya'll.

Remember my vlog about guilty pleasures? In it, I talk about my obsession with iPhone apps. Specifically camera apps. I can't even organize the damn camera apps into folders because I HAVE THAT MANY. Seriously. I was one of the FIRST people to get an Instagram...the DAY they came out. I don't think I'm alone, either. I believe Mamas use their phones way more than people realize. Our trusty iPhones are so handy! Need a recipe? NBD, I got my Pinterest right here in my back pocket. Let me just pull up my, "food," board & we can get our Paula Deen on in no time. Little Billy doing something cute? KAPOW, phone out of your pocket like lightning. ANd now you can edit & add a vintage filter to the photo. I don't know about you, but I'm a regular Andy Warhol thanks to my iPhone.

I am always perusing the app store for new apps & after three years of owning an iPhone, I have a good chunk of money invested in apps by now. People frequently ask me what apps to use, which I feel are best, which ones are worth the money, etc. So, this will be my weekly guide for all things iPhone app related.

Welcome to App Happy Friday, Edition One!!! Holler.


PS: No one pays me to do these. I'm just sharing my app knowledge/opinions.

I bought this app one day when I was at the beach with Collin. I wanted to get a good panoramic shot & I'd heard there was an app that would do that for you. I bought this one for $0.99, but I almost never use this. 

I think it would be great to have on hand if you were planning a family trip...or maybe if you have more than one kid. I know it came in handy today when I wanted to get everyone at the table when we went out to eat with my Dad.

Below are a couple of examples I took today with the app. You can do a full 360 or just as much of the room as you want. I guess it is pretty cool, but I just don't really find the need/desire to use it that often.

No one has paid me for this review. All opinions on App Happy Friday are strictly my own views & only to share my thoughts with interested parties. 

You Guys? Thomas is REAL!!!

If you know my son, Collin, you know that Thomas the train is basically his sole reason for walking this planet. So, when I found out that Thomas was OMGCOMINGHERE?!?!?! I wanted to take him. Sadly, prices to see him are, well, pricey. Go figure. So, I decided I would outsmart that greedy train & just take Collin to look & take in the wonder & amazement that is Thomas the Train. But unfortunately for me, the asshole train won't let you on the grounds without a ticket.

Last night, when I found this out, I for reals started crying. Full on tears, ugly face, mascara on the cheeks, hyperventilating crying. It wasn't just Thomas. It was a fun day with his Mama. I don't get a lot of days for just FUN. Days where I can say yes to everything. Want to see Thomas? Done. Want an ice cream? Done. Want to blow the $6 whistle for hours at a time? Ok.

I'm a single Mom. I work all day & all week. When I get home, I am cleaning or cooking or catching up on laundry or cleaning up after dinner or changing Collin's peed on bedsheets or stressing about how I'll make it through the month financially or worrying about the upcoming hospital bill from the tongue incident or giving Collin a bath or telling him not to put food in his nose or telling him to stop picking his nose or telling him not to throw toys at the wall or telling him to put away his books that he tossed all over the floor or putting Thomas the Train in the DVD player for the 17th time that evening.

Basically, single parenting is hard. And it sucks working all day & then coming home to my second shift & working until bedtime & then working again doing freelance/side/school work after bedtime. I work three given shifts any given day & that doesn't leave much of me for Collin. I'm sometimes a total drag & I hate not always being able to spend the time with him that I used to when I stayed at home. I feel so sad for him. I never wanted him to have this life, but I also know that I am doing my best by him. And when something like Thomas happens...& I can't give that small piece of happy to him, I lose my shit. Because it means (to me) that all my working? All of my being a drag? Is for nothing (just how I feel sometimes).

Naturally, I called Jacob sobbing. Because it was the end of the world. Duh. And then I took my pout party to FB. I just wanted the whole world to feel sorry for me. I was venting & sort of behaving like a brat. Which is why when an amazingly selfless & sweet person called me (I ignored the number because I didn't recognize it) & then texted me offering to buy the tickets, I refused. I wasn't looking for a handout & in reality, I knew Collin would survive not seeing Thomas. But this person was persistent & refused to back down, bought me FOUR tickets, so that I could take J & Aiden too & then THANKED ME for helping their karma. I will never be able to show this person how this gift made me feel. I was sobbing & dry heaving all over the place. It was more than just the God damned train. It was a fun day. A day where Collin didn't have a Mama who was working or cleaning or any of those other ors. It was a day Mama & Collin could play & be free & meet Collin's very favorite train in the world.

This person knows who they are & I could never repay you for the feelings & memories you gave us today. This is the only way I know how to pay you back. With the look on my son's face & the excitement in his voice when he saw Thomas.

I used my cell phone a lot because we were all over the place. They had all these different stations where you could get tattooed, color, play & all kinds of other stuff. Anyways, here are the cell phone pics. So happy sometimes that I have this piece of technology. The last one is a gem.

Dude.Was.DUN. D-U-N.

I swear to God, you guys, this was one of the best days of my life. I cried, even, when I saw how stoked Collin was to see the REAL LIFE THOMAS. HE'S REAL!!!!!

Also? I didn't get one single picture of Thomas the whole day. I mean, what the HELL, Holly?!