Cardboard Car Garage

I tackled a fun little project last night with my son Patrick to create a garage like structure for his "matchbox" cars out of cardboard. I got the idea from Pinterest in a series of photos that showed many different projects for kids all made of cardboard. Some were more ambitious than others, so I decided to start with one that looked relativity easy. We grabbed one of the many shipping boxes I had lying around. I think the original pictures used an old shoe box, ours was of similar size.

As we started construction, I realized we may need a little more material, so rather than cut up more of my shipping boxes, I saw some foam core board I had in my overly large pile of crafting supplies. We switched over and it worked great! I think it would also be a possible alternative material to cardboard for many of the other projects. Another bonus is that it it fairly inexpensive, I got mine at the Dollar Store. I would maybe even prefer it to cardboard because of all the possibilities of detail you can add to your project, as it is white, or just let you kids go crazy coloring it.
Our project turned out quite good if I do say so myself. We spent a total of 30 minutes on it and it was a lot of fun! Now my son is only 3&1/2 so I did most of the construction and all of the cutting myself, (be careful with you Xact-o knife) , but he still had a blast!

For the materials we used:  
                           1 small to medium cardboard box             (think shoe box size)
                              1/4 sheet of foam core from the Dollar Store
                              1 Small crafting razor knife/Xacto knife
                              Basic crafting all-purpose Tacky Glue (Elmer's would
                              work also)
                              Sharpie Markers (Black, Red, Blue)

All in all I would say it was a Pinterest success! And would recommend trying this or something like it for anyone with kids. Patrick's endorsement, "It was AWESOME!"

Here is the link for the original inspiration from pinterest: http://boysgerms.com.au/2012/04/25-ideas-for-a-cardboard-box/
                 

A dilapidated barn, and a toothless gentleman... I'm so there.

You know what show I am super into lately, American Pickers. It gets me all jazzed up when they go to some creepy dude's house dig up something dirty and tell me some American history about the piece, and consequently what it's worth. I even enjoy all the car or motorcycle parts and memorabilia. I myself would love that job, and be great at it, if I do say so myself. Well, that is, if it wasn't for the being on the road away from my kids part. Oh, and the I'm afraid of those crazy people part. Other than that we are cut from the same cloth, me and those pickers.

I am my father's daughter...

As I'm getting older, not only do I realize I am capable of an early midlife crisis, I also realize my dad and I have more in common than I had previously thought. I find myself searching craigslist for VWs, just to see what's out there (or V-doubleya as my pappy says it). I have more of an appreciation of classic cars than I did when I was younger, bored by the numerous car shows and cruises that were our family vacations. I currently am lusting after a Squareback. I want to find one and restore it, that's right, I'm ready to get my hands dirty. The other common thread we hold as father and daughter is love for the Portland Trailblazers. Who would have known I was capable of holding my own in a sports conversation with my dad. When I'm feeling really confident I'll even cross over into some NFL convo, just to see how long I can keep up. Not long. Anyway, here's to you pappy, love you tons, you girl, Amber.

Motivation

I have a weekend ahead of me with a to do list that goes on for miles. Unfortunately I also seem to be afflicted with severe mental block when it comes to tackling this list. Seems like good intentions only take me so far, inevitably I find multiple excuses to take breaks, fuel up, slow down, etc. I always feel great when I get projects done, I love seeing progress of hard work, yet I can't seem to find enough motivation to get started. I have a good friend who can paint, rearrange furniture, feed and bath kids, get dinner, and pay bills all within a matter of hours. No, she is not a drug addict. But whatever crazy energy is running through her veins, I'd like a shot of that right about now. Well, here goes nothing, I shall go and attempt something that resembles movement.

Moving... bleh...

It seems like I'm breaking down cardboard boxes, yet as I look around my "new" home, I am still drowning in loads of boxes and crap as far as the eye can see. Moving is rough, and I've done it a handful of times. This time there are small peaks of excitement in between the moments of bleh. For example, my crafty area is coming along rather nicely, and Patrick's room is even cooler than before. Yet, it seems we have a lot of stuff, and it is overtaking me. My go-getter attitude quickly dissipates when am stepping over cords, boxes, and trying not to trip all the while as there are many oddly placed steps all over the house. The house we moved from was a similar size, I once thought, now I'm not so sure. We have way too much seating somehow, like a couch and two chairs too much. I will keep on trudging through, as I have faith that in the not too distant future it will be beautiful again.

Joining the reindeer games...

I've been watching the old holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Truth be told, I really don't enjoy them all that much. I think it's more something you put on in the background while you're decorating for Christmas. I was sitting with my 18 month old son watching them, feeling like it was something I had to do, tradition and all, not something I wanted to do. Patrick was not all that impressed either. He got upset at one point and I thought it was because he was frightened by the Abominable Snowman, but I looked down to see he was just unhappy the noise keep waking him up, as he had already been bored to sleep. This is not meant to be a major dis on these movies, they have held up quite well over the years, but I think I just need to know their place in my holiday life. I will still watch them every year, and enjoy parts, all the while doing something else while they are on.

Just Dance... sounds easy enough

I've found a new favorite Wii game. Which isn't actually that hard considering I've only ever liked a handful Wii games. That being said, this games is like a good ol' fashioned shin-dig. It's a dance game, where you move and sweat to some rockn' beats. I've only tried Just Dance 2, but am excited to Just Dance (first version). They games are officially on my Xmas list. It's a great work-out, and a dazzling party game. The only drawback is that after multiple dances with one Wii controller in your hand, you may experience a bit of tennis elbow. To combat this just throw a second Wii controller in your other hand and problem solved. Then just dance your way to a new fab body, just as I plan to;)

You can't please everybody. That's a hard phrase to swallow when you happen to be a people pleaser in you heart of hearts. Ugh.