footprint scarecrow

It's been a while since I came up with a hand print/foot print craft. This was inspired by some fall clip art that I came across on pinterest. Check out the inspiration here.

This was a simple craft to make since I just had Claire paint and stamp her foot, and then I added on the details. She painted her heel and toes a cream colour and the rest of her foot green. She stamped it on a piece of 12x12 white cardstock.

Once that was dry, I drew on the details, which I did using the kids Crayola markers.  I started by using a dark brown marker to draw the post that goes from the feet into the ground. Then I used it to draw the hat. I used an orange marker to draw the arms and a light brown one to draw the broom handle.  I used a light and dark yellow marker to draw all of the straw coming out of the scarecrow. I drew a little face and some small patches on the scarecrow body.

Happy Fall!

halloween lunches part 3

Claire had a short school week last week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so she only had four lunches last week. I didn't realize how similar the lunches looked until I saw them all together here! I might have to start packing her lunches the day before. It's so dark here in the mornings, it's hard to get good light to photograph them. It also speeds things along in the morning if I don't have to worry about packing her lunch as well.

See previous weeks lunches here and here. Thanks to everyone who pinned my lunches from last week. It was exciting to see them pinned so many times in just 1 week!

This was one of those mornings where I was quite rushed packing her lunch! I cut her sandwich into a circle, and cut some ghosts out of a fruit chew to decorate her sandwich. I added in some strawberries, raisins, and an applesauce.

I started by cutting Claire's sandwich into stars. I have nesting star cookie cutters, so I picked out a few sizes for the sandwich. She also had some tortilla chips and clementines. The blueberries were skewered on the skull picks that I bought from Target. I made Rice Krispie squares in a mini muffin tin to include in her lunch. I made half a batch of the Rice Krispie squares, and after I greased the pan, I shook in a few halloween coloured sprinkles. Then I smooshed in the Rice Krispie bits.

Claire really like this lunch. There was a sandwich cut in the shape of a pumpkin, with grapes and an apple on the side. I added in a granola bar (homemade) for her snack. I love all of the picks that people add to their kids lunches, but I haven't ordered any yet. I cut these ghosts out of a milk carton to add to her lunches.

Lastly, I had picked up a package of halloween rings from the dollar store. Because they're so cheap, the ring back pop off, which makes them super easy to add to lunches! They snap back on so that the kids can wear them too. I cut Claire's sandwich out in a circle and added a spider for decoration. Then she had a clementine, some strawberries, and some goldfish crackers.

All these lunches are packed in my EasyLunchboxes containers, which I just love. Everything that I send for Claire fits in this one container. It just makes it so easy! (This is not a sponsored post, I just love their product.)

Linked up with: Tatertots and Jello, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Six Sisters, Skip to my Lou

fall & halloween lunches part 2

Fall and halloween lunches continue! If you missed the first round of lunches you can check them out here. We've got a short week of school this week, since it's Thanksgiving here today. Check back in later this week to see a few halloween crafts.

No special tools required for this lunch. I just cut the crusts off of Claire's sandwich (who likes the crusts anyway? Not me.) and then cut the sandwich in half, making a zig zag cut. I just used a sharp knife to do this. Candy eyes are fine, but I prefer to cut a mini marshmallow in half and stick a chocolate chip to the marshmallow. I skewered a few blueberries, added in a few grapes and an apple.

I used a pumpkin cookie cutter to shape the sandwich. I added in a few grapes and a clementine. I drew a pumpkin-esque face on the package of peaches (packed in water). I added in a few halloween smarties for a treat.

I used a ghost shaped cookie cutter to cut Claire's sandwich and added on marshmallow eyes. I gave her a clementine, some raisins, and some tortilla chips as a treat. Lastly, I drew a Frankenstein face on her applesauce container.

This one looked a little bit better in my head than it actually turned out- but alas, Claire ate the whole thing. The sandwich was supposed to be a turkey, as it's Thanksgiving here this week. I just put a foam sticker on the applesauce to make it a bit more festive.

This was my hand at making lunchables. I gave Claire some vegetable Breton crackers, a few pieces of ham, rolled and skewered on skeleton skewer and some shredded cheese. Because that's how Claire likes to eat her cheese, shredded. I put a little ranch dip in the container for the carrots and added in a few grapes.

Linked up with: Tatertots and Jello, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Six Sisters, Skip to my Lou

fall & halloween lunches

Claire just started school this year and she is loving it. She's in French immersion and it's amazing how quickly she's picking up the language. Because we live so close to the school, I get to drop her off and pick her up every day, which means I get to see my friends everyday!

Just before Claire started school, I announced on facebook how excited I was to start packing school lunches. This caused outrage, as apparently, this in not common among my friends. I don't dare announce that I still love doing it a month into it.

For the month of October, I decided to do a month of fall & halloween themed lunches. To be honest, I'm sure Claire doesn't care what the lunches look like, but it makes it more fun for me when I set challenges like this. I am using EasyLunchboxes, which I just love. Everything that I send for Claire fits in this one container. It just makes it so easy! (This is not a sponsored post. EasyLunchboxes don't know who I am, I just love their product.)

This lunch was a Wow butter sandwich (no peanut products allowed in our school), some sliced apples, pumpkin mini donuts, and an organic cereal bar for her snack. I used my Wilton leaf cookie cutter to cut the sandwich.

When I actually include an ice pack in Claire's lunch, I like to make it count. So this lunch had some star shaped, ham sandwiches, a vanilla yogurt drink, carrots and ranch dip, and some crackers.

For some reason, Claire is obsessed with these packages of applesauce. I think that she saw someone else have them at school. Probably because she can eat them so quickly and then spend the rest of her time playing. This was a sandwich cut into the shape of a pumpkin, a clementine, some chocolate goldfish crackers and an applesauce.





For this lunch I cut the sandwich into a circle. Then I used a Wilton cupcake topper for decoration on top of the sandwich. I skewered a few grapes onto the skeleton picks that I found at Target. I packed a clementine, and some oatmeal spice muffins for her snack.

Linked up with: Tatertots and Jello, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Six Sisters, Skip to my Lou

sandwich kabobs

Gah! I can't believe that it's almost time for Claire to start school. I'm trying to squeeze in as man fun things with her before school starts. Yesterday was a rainy day, but the kids were pretty excited to sit down and eat this back to school lunch.

I used these school bus print outs for a little back to school party that I hosted for Claire and a few of her friends. They are so cute. You can buy them here. They only took about 10 minutes to cut out and put the two buses together. I had cut a small piece of floral foam to fit in the bottom of the bus (for the party) and thought that I would use these again to make a lunch for the kids.

I skewered a few grapes and strawberries for Claire and Simon. I cut out a few hearts out of some brownies that I had a baked a few days ago and put those on a skewer above a strawberry. I also cut some hearts out of cheese, which would have been just as cute cut into cubes. I cut the sandwich into stars, but again, cutting it into 9 little squares would have had the same effect. You see, all food tastes better when you eat it off a stick!

back to school countdown

Day 5! I made it. Five posts in one week! This craft came together in just 10 minutes, and it's one of Claire's favorites. I'm trying to prepare Claire for school as best as I can, obviously. One thing I wanted to make clear to her was exactly when she'll be starting school. September is fairly arbitrary to her, but this chain helps her realize exactly when she'll be sitting in the classroom. (With Mommy standing outside crying.)

I used my cricut to cut out the bus. I used my cricut because if I had drawn the bus myself and cut it out, you might have thought Claire had drawn it. If you don't have a cutting machine, you could print out a picture of a bus. Or you could cut an apple out of paper. Lots of possibilities. I used red and yellow construction paper cut into 1 inch (ish) stripes of paper to make the chain. Claire liked helping with this part. It's a great opportunity to teach your kids about patterns. That's it. Every day she rips off a piece of the chain, and she's one day closer to going to school. 

Linking up with: Six Sister's Stuff &  Skip to my Lou & Weekly Kids Co-op & Flamingo Toes & Tatertots and Jello 

toilet paper roll stamped apples

Back to school crafts, day 4! In just 20 short days Claire will be in school. I find that thought a little overwhelming still. Nevertheless, we're making the most of our summer. We're headed to the beach today, which the kids will surely enjoy. I am hoping that a good dose of salt water air will tire the kids out and they go to bed early tonight! 

This apple craft is so easy to make from whatever you have on hand. 

Materials:
toilet paper rolls
red & green paint
glue
any decorations that you have on hand (we used sequins, sparkles, washi tape, tissue paper & ribbon)
crayons

We used a toilet paper roll to stamp the outline of the apples. We used both red and green paint. Once that was dry Claire decorated the apples with all of the other supplies. She glued the sequins, ribbon and tissue paper balls on the apples. She used bits of washi tape to make two apples. Lastly we used sparkle glue pens to fill in two of the apples. Claire finished off the apples by drawing stems and leaves on the apples.