Fun Flubber Recipe {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

What kid doesn't like to feel goo ooze through their fingers or make bathroom noises at the table?

I know mine do! We had a HOOT laughing and visiting as we played with our Flubber, and made silly sounds  :o)  The play ideas with this medium are endless!

 

Add a tall, plastic cup to the mix and you get OUT LOUD LAUGHS!

(remember playing with Flarp and making rude noises???)

It's quick and simple to make and kids want to play with it f-o-r-e-v-e-r! (which is nice on a cloudy fall day when you are stuck indoors with a cold)

The three ingredients that you need to make this are Water, Glue, and Borax*.

To add color or a bit of sparkle, you may use paint, food coloring and glitter, if you choose.

We made 2 separate batches of Flubber 

Jo's Flubber: 

White glue, water, Borax, and yellow and orange poster paint to add some color

Mo's Flubber: 

Clear glue, water, Borax, green and blue poster paint and purple glitter

To make one batch of Flubber you need to prepare:

• a small bowl with 1/2 cup water in it.
• a medium bowl with 1 cup water in it.
• 1/2 cup school glue (clear or white Elmer's glue works great)
• 1 teaspoon powdered Borax* (20 Mule Team brand Borax can be found in the laundry soap isle at your local grocery store)
• paint or food coloring to add color to your Flubber (we used poster paint)
• glitter to mix in if you are using clear glue (it won't be seen well if using white glue)

Jo mixing in his paint.

Flubber Instructions:

• Mix your 1/2 cup glue in the small bowl with the 1/2 cup water. Stir well.
• To this glue/water mixture, add your paint or food coloring and glitter

• Mix your 1 teaspoon Borax* into the medium bowl with 1 cup water. Mix well

• Dump glue/water mixture from small bowl into the Borax/water mixture and swirl with a spoon or your fingers. You will see it begin to gel together. Wanna see it in action? Check out Mo on our YouTube video!

• Scoop the Flubber out of the water and place into a third bowl or onto a plastic mat, to let the excess water drain from it. Knead the Flubber a bit and it's ready to go!

 

I hope that you and your kids have as much fun as we did. Clean up is easy and if it does get into clothes or carpet, I read that regular white vinegar will help remove it.

To store your Flubber, place in a Ziploc bag to play with another time!

God bless you abundantly,

***Borax is harmful if swallowed and may cause eye irritation if it gets in a child's eye. Please use caution when using this ingredient and wisdom when allowing your children to play with this medium.*** 


I'm partying with some great ladies over at:

 

Creative Salt Play {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

If your kids like to play and be creative as much as mine, I'd like to share a GREAT play idea with you.

Got a dollar? Here's what you do....

Head to  your local Dollar Tree (or your pantry cupboard) a grab a container of SALT!

Go outside with your kids and set them up with a container to play in, the salt, and tools for creative play (paint brush, spoons, popsicle sticks, beads, chopsticks, cookie cutters, small boxes, cars, trucks, and anything else they will have fun in the salt with). The sky is the limit as to what they can use to play with in the sand.

I laid a couple pieces of colorful paper in the bottom of each tray. This adds color to their play!

 

 Let them dump all the salt into the tray and have fun! The fun play will last quite a while, just beware... if you let them play for too long and they tire of all that salt, it may end up in the air and in their hair  :o)

If you come across some, I know that your kids would enjoy a shoebox lid full of colored sand! I found a couple craft bags full and we added glitter and various beads to ours, then broke out the cars, trucks and marbles. The variety is endless!

Whatever you do with your children today, enjoy their creative minds and innocence. They are growing up too fast!

Blessings,
 

Making It! {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

Thoughtful Momma Monday

We are making it through a hot, Texas summer. It hasn't been as horribly hot as I remember past July and Augusts to be, and I'm sooo thankful! Because I'm carying more around this summer... in my belly!

38 weeks with a sweet baby boy!

Picture taken 8/12/2013.

 

I have been nesting like crazy - making messes of piles and then re-organizing and cleaning as I go. I am finally ready to rest, put my feet up (or rather go for a walk around the block) and wait with expectation for my newest little love to arrive.

 

We also started a daily home school routine and it has been lots of fun! Thank goodness for the internet (and for generous, book-buying grandmothers)! There are so many great ideas out there for home school mommas of preschoolers. We have been enjoying taking our time through the alphabet - learning to write each letter and learning the sounds that each makes. My girl is a great student! She loves to learn and is always hungry to know more!

 

 

Focusing hard - circling her favorite/best letters.



 

Also, my sweet momma has moved in with us while my dad ties up some work back in Oregon. Having her here has been a blessing through and through. She loves to cook and bake and we are reaping the benefits of her delicious talent! We enjoyed fresh blueberry pie, fresh peach crisp and a made-from-scratch chicken pot pie all in the same week! Whew!

 

I find myself very often emotionally overwhelmed and tired but I'm looking forward to sitting back and holding my new baby soon. Sometimes I wish we knew the exact day and time to expect our baby, but the Lord has kept it a surprise, probably so that we will wait on Him and gain our strength from Him... daily! Even though I'm a tad "prego crazy lady", I feel loved and cared for. Each day I pray that God give me peace and joy... oh, and patience (I feel a bit short on that fruit of the Spirit lately).

 

Our lives are OVERFLOWING with God's blessings and joys. He is truly making something beautiful out of our messes. Here are a few pictures of what we have been making...

 

 

Homemade kites and lemonade at school!

 

Noodle necklaces  :o) 

 

Queen and King crowns for the royal couple.

 

Pie, pie and more pie with Grammy!

 

Progress! She finished learning her alphabet with flying colors!

A tasty stop for a celebration lunch!

 

New discoveries at the Children's Aquarium.

 



Fun memories at Moriah's surprise "Alphabet Party"!

We played fun alphabet games and ate some tasty treats to celebrate her

finishing what she started. She kept calling it her birthday party  :o)

 

 

We are making it.... we won't give up! We will continue to learn, grow, accept challenges and run to Jesus. Above ALL this momma needs to run to Jesus throughout each day. He is so able and willing to help me with any struggle I face. I am realizing my need for Him more and more.

 

 

I leave you with a verse that encouraged my heart today:

 

 

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him."

~ Lamentations 3:25

 

 

Here's to waiting for and seeking the Lord! He is so faithful!

 

 

 

May God bless you abundantly,

 

 

A Little Tape = Lots of FUN! {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

Thoughtful Momma Monday

Here's a way to have a little fun with your kids in your living room (or any carpeted area) this week! It's also a great tool to teach young ones to "stay-in-the-lines", or how to problem solve.

I used painter tape, but masking tape would work great!

We walked on the lines with our feet, and in between the lines - trying to get from the entrance to the exit. We also used cars and drove them through the maze!

Enter here!

 

Moriah pretended it was the corn maze that she heard about at the pumpkin patch (but never got to go in). 



The possibilities of designs with tape are endless. What a great way to learn to spell one's name or to learn numbers!

A little tape + some creative thinking = LOTS OF FUN!

Have fun with your little ones and have a blessed week,

Homemade Play Dough {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

Thoughtful Momma Monday



I thought that I would reserve Mondays for posting something to encourage moms, because that is the season I'm in! I hope to share something that blesses my children or helps me care for them

After breakfast, and before heading out to run errands or do a project around the house, I like to tidy up my kitchen. Sometimes I welcome little helping hands with unloading the dishwasher, but sometimes I just need to get the job done. That's where play dough comes in! It's keeps them entertained for a good while and is actually a fun medium to use anytime!

Day 1: Nice, colorful ball of dough to play with!

 It can be a bit sticky at first.

"Mommy, what is that sticky stuff?"

Day 7: Still pliable and lots of fun!

I use the store bought play dough at times but find that it dries out so quickly! Moriah and I made our own and it smells SO good (we use strawberry-banana flavored Jello) and retains its moisture well.

This is a great recipe to make together! It doesn't take long and it doesn't have to be measured perfectly as you aren't going to eat it (but if a little one takes a taste it won't hurt them and you will have peace of mind knowing what's in the play dough!). The Jello powder adds a beautiful color and a delightful smell to your homemade play dough!

There are lots of great tools to use with play dough that you can find laying around your kitchen! Here are some ideas: cookie cutters, a rolling pin, straws, toothpicks, garlic press (makes great "hair"), or even coins!

Without further ado, here's the recipe!

Jello Play dough

(Found here)

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of salt

2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 cup of warm water

Three ounces of Jello – any flavor/color you wish

Directions:

Combine ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a ball.

Take out of pan and let cool on a plate for a few minutes.

Knead until cool enough to play with. Takes about 8 minutes.

Refrigerate in a Ziploc bag. It should stay moist and pliable for a few weeks!

Enjoy your homemade play dough with your own kids or give it away as a gift (to the little ones on your Christmas list)!

Each time I play with play dough I am reminded of our awesome Creator! Our children were created in His image and we have the awesome responsibility of loving and teaching them!

Genesis 1:27

"So God created man in His [own] image;
in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them."

Isaiah 43:7

"Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Have a blessed week,

A little video of us having fun with our homemade play dough!