Welcome to The Creative Mama. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! .jpg) It took me a long time to fully embrace the camera on my iPhone. I felt like I should be only taking “real” pictures with my DSLR. I would lug it on field trips, soccer games, and ultimately it would spend more time in the bag than getting used. I think that I felt that the resulting pictures from my big camera had to be perfect. Perfect lighting, thoughtful composition, and perfectly dressed and groomed little subjects. The thing is – there will always be a place in my heart and my life for my “big camera”, but the reality is that my life is captured using my iPhone. I have been able to capture so many little moments, sweet memories, and our everyday life because my phone is always on me.
Technology has made it so that the camera in my phone has more metapixels than my first DSLR, and shooting and sharing photos is instant. It has changed the way that I see the world. The ease of my camera phone has translated into so many more images and brings me so much joy. I love being able to snap a picture at preschool graduation and text it out to our family all over the country in a matter of seconds. I love what iPhoneography has brought to my life.
I am not the only one. Our founder, Angie Warren, has written a truly wonderful e-book called Snap Filter Share. In it, she shares tips and tricks for getting the most out of mobile photography. This 50 page e-book shares insights on how to get the most out of your camera phone, the best apps to use, sharing and printing, and so much more. Whether you are just starting to embrace your camera phone or a seasoned IGer, there is something for everyone.
Click here to purchase Snap Filter Share.
 My youngest little guy does not like to finger paint. He does not like to have his hands messy. I totally get it, I really do, I don’t love gooey or goopy hands either. The thing is, he needs to strengthen the muscles in his little hands for writing, and finger painting is a great and fun way to do that. We have been working really hard all year on getting him to do it. We have made great strides at home, school, and with his OT. And I am happy to report that most days, finger painting is a go.
This recipe from the Dixie Crystals is really easy to make for a craft afternoon or a rainy day. You can easily buy finger paint, but you can make it for pennies. Not only that, you know what is in it. When they are little, everything goes in their mouths, including finger paint. When you make your own, you can guarantee that they are not eating something full of chemicals.
While he was at school, I made the base, and let it cool completely. I divided it into three bowls, and let him swirl in the food coloring. When all of the kids got home from school, I set out some paper and they were happy to create some sugar art. Their favorite part, mixing the primary colors to make new and interesting colors. But like most kids, they ended up with brown. It is still beautiful to me.
.jpg) ***I used gel food coloring because that is what I had. It is very strong in color and strength. We all have color stained hands today. It doesn’t bother me at all, but just want to warn you. You can use use the grocery store liquid food coloring and use about 4 to 5 drops, it should not stain as much.***
4 Tablespoons Dixie Crystals sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.
Pour in water and whisk to combine.
Heat mixture over medium heat, whisking, until mixture begins to thicken. *When the mixture begins to bubble, you are there.*
Divide the mixture into 3 bowls.
Add food coloring to each and stir until the color is evenly distributed.
Edible Finger Paint 2013-06-05 08:38:13 Edible finger paint that you can make any color you like! 4 Tablespoons Dixie Crystals sugar 1/3 cup cornstarch 2 cups water Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Pour in water and whisk to combine. Heat mixture over medium heat, whisking, until mixture begins to thicken. *When the mixture begins to bubble, you are there.* Divide the mixture into 3 bowls. Add food coloring to each and stir until the color is evenly distributed.
Fingerpaint keeps in the fridge for one week in an airtight container.
Adapted from Dixie Crystals Kids Kitchen
the creative mama http://thecreativemama.com/
**This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals, doing sponsored posts with companies let us keep the lights on and do our best work here at The Creative Mama. All opinions are 100% our own.**
Smore’s are one of my favorite things on Earth. I love everything about them. I love how gooey they are and how much fun they are to make over the campfire. When I am pining for a smore’s and there is not a camp site in sight, I make these easy Smore’s Bars. They take no time to throw together and are just as gooey and delicious as what you remember. I do not like a lot of chocolate in my smore’s, I know that some people might find that weird, but I like a heavy marshmallow to chocolate ratio. I like to use chocolate chips or wafers instead of Hershey bars, but you could use them instead.
These are heaven straight out of the oven, but you can microwave them for a few seconds and they will be gooey and warm.
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips or 2 chocolate bars
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl, until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.
Press half of the dough into a greased 8×8 pan.
Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme.
Top with remaining dough.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
Smore's Bars 2013-06-03 08:56:28 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/3 cups flour 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk chocolate chips or 2 chocolate bars 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Press half of the dough into a greased 8x8 pan. Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme. Top with remaining dough. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
These are amazing straight out of the oven, but you can make them gooey again bu microwaving them for about 10 seconds.
the creative mama http://thecreativemama.com/
A couple months ago I had a “moment.” You know what I am talking about. That “moment” when you realize something is really wrong and life has to change if you are going to move forward with any sort of positivity. THAT moment. It was my “Dear self, you better start taking care of YOU because your family is feeling your unhappiness stronger than you are, so get yourself together, STAT” moment. Have you ever had one?
Well, I did. & the two months since that moment have been just what my soul needed to find a little slice of calm in my crazy, hectic life. I found myself getting short with my kiddies. Tired & worn out. Cranky & feeling weak. & I decided it was time. Time to get my favorite activity back in my life. Time to get back to YOGA.
Is that a scary word for you? The more I talk about it, the more I realize that it really seems to be for a lot of people! & having done yoga on & off for 14 years, I do know why it can be intimidating and confusing. But when you find the right teacher/style match, it’s SO empowering. It is quiet and strengthening—mentally AND physically. So I’m going to help you navigate through it. There are really three parts to a successful yoga practice:
1. Find a studio that makes you happy & that you want to be in. This was the hardest part for me. My FAVORITE yoga experiences were back when I was in college–it was legit–Berkeley, incense burning, hairy armpit, crazy hard yoga that was sooooo good. But now that I have kids–these underground/downtown studios are pretty much all out of the question because of their lack of childcare. Gym yoga is hit or miss–and it’s only been recently that I found a good yoga practice in a gym. If you can find a gym with a yoga studio that is soundproof, you’ll probably be in good hands. I have found my local Lifetime Fitness takes yoga seriously. Is there one near you? If not, call or visit your local gyms & ask about their yoga studio! A good one will be quiet, private and have the ability to be heated.
2. Find a teacher you like. Yoga is COMPLETELY teacher dependent. A good practice is only as good as a good instructor. She should get off her mat and adjust you, so you don’t hurt yourself and talk you through minor body adjustments that will improve your practice. You’ve got to like her voice and her music. You have to feel challenged, not bored. You have to feel encouraged, but not intimidated. Your yoga class should always be beyond your ability–[read that again!!]–because you can always modify to make it easier. A good teacher will give you variations for each series–making it easy, harder, and sometimes darn near impossible…for now. Try every teacher you can until you find one you really like. Then make his or her class your priority!
3. Find the right style. There are SO many styles of yoga out there, but we can make it easy and divide it into two categories: Relaxing yoga & Powerful yoga. Both serve an important purpose and can even BOTH be a part of your regular yoga routine, depending on your mood or stress level! So here’s what to look for when you are deciphering class schedules:
- Relaxing yoga: This kind of yoga will focus on breathing & stretching. It is a great place for beginners to start, as you can very slowly/gently learn the key poses that every style of yoga builds upon. This will not likely make you sweat, but is great for helping you breathe. Look for classes labeled Hatha, Yin, or Restorative. Iyengar is another form that will teach you each pose in detail, often using props, but at more of an intermediate speed than a relaxing or power style–it’s a great place for beginners, too. Iyengar is typically “long and strong” as in, the poses are held for a long duration of time. None of these styles will likely give you a cardio type of workout.
- Powerful yoga: Know there are some huge variations here. Most “gym yoga” will just be called something like “power yoga,” and will typically be a combination of two styles: Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. You may see these styles combined into one class, as that is not uncommon. Ashtanga yoga is considered the most physically demanding yoga. It includes “vinyasas” (or a set of repeated poses) and flows at a very fast pace. Vinyasa yoga tends to flow with similar vinyasas (also called sun salutations, youtube it if you’re confused!) but you hold each pose a little longer. I have also found my vinyasa classes focus a bit more on inversions and bendy/weird poses than my ashtanga classes do here in Texas. Maybe it’s a Texas thing? I don’t know. But I do know that my faaaaaavorite kind of yoga is fast, challenging Ashtanga. If you live near a Lifetime Fitness, I recommend the “Yoga for Athletes” class. They also offer a “yoga sculpt” class that incorporates weights into yoga–my dream come true!! But if you are looking for a sweat, definitely look for an Ashtanga Vinyasa type of practice!
[my kids love to practice with me! well. one of them, anyway. ]
Do you have any questions? Anything else to offer that may help encourage another mama to start or re-start her yoga practice? Please chime in!
If I could leave you with just ONE piece of advice, just ONE from everything above, it is to try a lot of teachers. A practice is 100% dependent on the instructor and it is REALLY hard to find a good one, so don’t give up!
Namaste.
Today our country celebrates Memorial Day, we remember those brave men and women that have died in active military service.
“As a military mom, I know how a simple act of kindness can make a difference to a soldier. It is our sacred duty to honor the service of those who sacrifice for our country – and we can all play a role with a simple act of service.” – Dr. Jill Biden
If you have a few moments today, go to the USO website. They will deliver a note of encouragement and support to an active military family.
TGIF! Before a holiday weekend! Woo HOO! And to those of you starting summer vacation — WOW! Have a blast!
I thought I’d share a little fun thing I just learned how to do — create an animated gif. Ever seen one? Well, here’s mine to share:This is my son doing the running long jump at his elementary school track meet.
I won’t go through a tutorial, as I learned it from a great tutorial from a friend of mine, Xanthe. If you have Photoshop, you can use her tutorial here. If you don’t, then there are a variety of free sites that you can use to create your gif animation. Its lots of fun. Just use your burst mode on your camera to capture a series of images in quick succession. Then follow the tutorial or use some of the software and create something a little different and fun to share! One key tip I learned — if you are posting it to your blog, you may need to be very careful about the size of the images PRIOR to making your gif. You must resize them to the pixel width of the blog you are posting to (at least if it is a wordpress site) or it won’t display. Resizing after loading to wordpress will NOT work. (thus why this post is late since I had to remake the gif to fit TCM!)
Have a fabulous holiday weekend Mamas! And make yourself a little GIFT.
At our house, we like to keep birthdays simple. That doesn’t mean that they are not special, just simple.
Growing up, birthdays were a big deal at our house. I don’t remember over-the-top birthday parties, bounce houses, or tons of presents. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, but that just wasn’t how my mom rolled.) But what I do remember is that my birthday made me feel special. I remember my mom making me my favorite dinner, a special cake, and loving my birthday more than anything.
Now that I am a mom, I want to do the same for my kids. Turns out, you don’t have to do a lot or spend a lot to make that happen.
When my youngest recently turned 5, my husband and I decided to make it especially low key. His class is really big, and we just didn’t have it in us to do a party this year. Even though I usually do make a cake, the birthday boy asked me to buy cupcakes. He really likes the rings in them, I can’t compete with that. He made a few birthday requests, which we were happy to oblige, and it was a great day for all of us.
How did we make the birthday boy have a simple, but special birthday?
1. Wear something special – I was sent this adorable shirt from Petit Lemon and gave it to him when I was getting him dressed. He was so excited and it was a great way to start his birthday. It doesn’t have to be a big deal – but a favorite shirt, a colorful hair bow, something to make them feel like it is their day. You could even make one.
2. Do something special – At Clay’s school, the birthday kid gets to bring in a special snack. Most people bring cupcakes, but he wanted doughnuts, so we made a pit stop on the way to school at Krispy Kreme. 2 dozen glazed. Easy and inexpensive.
3. Eat something special – Clay loves hamburgers, and that was his choice for his birthday dinner. I made sliders and oven fries and he was happy as could be. I bought some cupcakes and we had a nice family dinner together. He will not remember that the cupcakes came from the grocery store, but he will remember that we had a special dinner all for him.
4. Gifts, but not a ton – When your child sees colorfully wrapped presents with their name on them, it doesn’t really matter if there are 3 presents or 30. We opt for a few smaller gifts and call it good. A few small toys, a book, and some clothes.
5. Involve family – We live away from all of our family, so we spend birthdays with just the 5 of us. But the phone dings and rings all day. Clay got to talk to all of his favorite people that day and he loved that they were calling just to talk to him.
This is what works for our family. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Or anything expensive or even fancy. But birthdays are a big deal to a kid. A few simple things make them feel special and loved on their big day. We try to make their birthday about them, and not about the party. There is nothing that makes me happier than when I tuck them into bed after their birthday and they tell me that they had the best day ever.
**Disclosure: Petit Lemon gifted me a birthday t-shirt. All opinions are 100% my own.**
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