Fabulous Friday

Here a few things I found this week that I thought were pretty darn cool. I hope you do too.

Skip to my Lou is a wonderful source for kids craft and DIY projects. Tuesday's product was DIY Thank Yous. It falls under the "why didn't I think of that" category. My guys are too little to write their own thank yous and I've gone back and forth -- do I write the thank yous as mom or write it from them. I lend towards using their voice but don't want it to be too cheesy. Cindy has the answer. She found a free font that looks like it came out of a handwriting exercise textbook. Have your kid dictate their thank you to you, print it out and then they trace over the letters. Grandma gets a precious thank you, and you sneak in a little schooling on the side. Pure genius!

Speaking of handwriting, go here to print your own personalized handwriting worksheets. That should make homework fun. You could also use it to practice address and phone numbers or other important information your little ones need to know.

To finish out the theme, do you know how to properly use a semicolon? Get schooled at The Oatmeal. Grammar CAN be fun! My thanks to Hannah for sharing this Web site with me.

Know of something fabulous? Feel free to share.

Eat less, move more

EAT LESS, MOVE MORE ... that's my new mantra. It is inspired by the recent discovery that clothes that fit me just a few months ago no longer do. I have some cute clothes -- I don't think that Stacy and Clinton would throw ALL of my clothes into the trash, maybe just a fourth. I want to wear my cute clothes!

Plus, swimsuit season is coming up. I plan to live at the pool again this summer. It's the only time I feel the membership fee is worth it. Will loves the water; he's a little fish. And I'm betting Joseph will like splashing too. Both will sleep sooooo good at night after a day in the sun. Now, I would put on my swimsuit right now and go to the pool and not care. When it comes to the pool and kids, I know folks are watching their kids, not me. But it still would be nice not to be the biggest momma there.

I wouldn't really call this a diet. It's more about getting back on track that just losing weight. This is just another area that mommy and daddy need to set a good example.

So, how am I going to eat less, move more?

Today I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. I bounced around the racketball court some. Chris will join me there in the future.

I'm going to drink less Coca-Cola. I love my Coca-Cola. But drinking about a 2-liter a day is a bad, bad habit of empty calories. I need more water. My body would like more water.

I'm going to try moderation. Instead of 5 cookies, maybe just 2. And so I don't try to claim cookie No. 4 as cookie No. 2, I'm going to write down ever bite I take. Many studies have shown writing it down leads to actual weight loss.

Last, I plan to check in here with my progress every Thursday. That's the day I'll weigh in at the gym using the same scale to keep things consistent. I may not tell you my exact weight, but I'll share my ups and downs.

Okay, I've got a plan. Time to put it into action.

DIY: Placemat presents

Belts are being tightened everywhere these days and our house is no exception. We love the handmade Christmas presents we receive from friends -- I wanted to come up with an idea that we could make for all our friends' brithdays throughout the year.

I chose placemats because have you tried finding personalized placemats ... that are affordable?! Or even just regular ol' education placemats? Most of the stuff in stores are character-driven. I finally found William a Solar System placemat at Kmart recently. (Hey Mom, Pluto's on here but it's just a rock.)

So we had the heavy paper and markers on hand. I used a placemat we had to determine size. Will colored the back while I tried to come up with fun things to do on the front. We got the finished drawings laminated at Staples (call around for the best price in your area). Now the birthday boys in this case will be able to use dry-erase markers to color and re-color* the activities (which include blank "frames" to draw in and practice handwriting areas).

*Note, the guy at Staples said to use alcohol to get the marker off the laminated surface. I'm betting that a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will also do the trick. It's magic ... no, really it is!

So, considering that Solar System placemat was $2, was this project a money-saver? The total cost for 2 placemats plus 3 dry-erase markers came to $9. I could have bought a toy cheaper. But Will enjoyed making them and hopefully the placemats will occupy those long minutes waiting for dinner to appear on the table. At least, those minutes are long at our house!

We, of course, made one for Will. It was fun working on a project with him. He stuck with this one instead of abandoning me like usual. It took a lot of time on my end since I'm a perfectionist (hello, how hard is it to draw a plane?!) ... easily something that could be done at night while watching favorite shows.

So, it's a draw. We might make a few more this year if we have the time. If I procrastinate like usual, we'll be hitting the toy stores instead.

What about you? Any handmade present ideas to share?
Either ones you have made or received?