Bubbles Finale

Two bubble treats that are rare around here make for the perfect end to a bunch of bubble fun.

Mario Party

I had one Super Mario tablecloth left from Collin's party, so I thought it would be fun to have a little Mario Party.

 I put out plates of fruit and told the kids that each one symbolized something from Mario.  They knew right away!  I was surprised!  I thought I was way off track, but I guess not!

Strawberries = red for Mario
Green grapes = green for Luigi
Peach slices = Princess Peach
Banana slices = gold coins

 They gobbled up all of the fruit.

Later in the day, I made brownies and cut one to look like the Super Mario Goomba.  I added some details with pieces of marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

Ha ha ha - NOT perfect, but Collin and Reagan knew what it was, so who cares!!!!!!!!  It's all about having fun!

Bubbles - Part Five

Maybe because it's not typically allowed, but blowing chocolate milk bubbles is WAY more fun than you would think!  I didn't actually blow any of my own milk bubbles, but just watching Collin and Reagan have a sanctioned milk bubble blowing contest was a blast for me!!!

Just in case you are wondering who won, Collin's mass of bubbles was higher, but Reagan's bubble mass had the most coverage.  In the end, they both won because I cleaned up all of the mess while they enjoyed glasses of chocolate milk!

Homemade Face Paint Fun

Every summer we mix up a batch of homemade face/body paint.  This is our fifth or sixth year having fun with this mild paint; it's always a hit.

I didn't take a picture of the ingredients this time, so I'm using this picture from an old post.

Ingredients:
corn starch
water
mild lotion
food coloring
stirrers - one for each color (we used popsicle sticks)
applicators (we used cotton swabs)

Directions:
I use a six cup silicone muffin pan to make the face paint.  I think this keeps everything contained and makes for easy preparation.  In each muffin cup put: 1 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon water (enough so that it mixes well), 1/2 teaspoon baby lotion or whatever you use on your children (something mild), and 2 drops (or desired amount) food coloring.

Use separate stirrers to mix each color.

We use cotton swabs to apply the face paint.

Reagan and Kate had a lot of fun with the paint.  Collin wanted to paint on some warrior stripes and then he went back to doing his own thing.

 Warrior stripes???  Whiskers??????

 Reagan began by painting her nails, of course.  AND, of course, Kate did exactly what Reagan did.

 The classic Reagan peace sign.  Um, someone needs her toenails cut.

 Rainbow Princess

 Belly Paint

Off to the bath tub where the girls used up the rest of the paint to decorate the tub, and then everything, and everyone, washed up nicely.

Winding Down

Tyler, Collin, and Reagan all finished up their tennis lessons for the summer.

Tyler started football practice.

Collin and Reagan had their first soccer practices.

School supplies have been purchased.

We are anxiously awaiting class assignments.

Summer is winding down.  I'm never ready to see it end.

Bleach Tee by Reagan

Reagan designed a bleach tee.  I put a piece of cardboard inside the shirt to keep the bleach from bleeding through, and she used a Clorox bleach pen to draw on the shirt.  I meant to have her draw her designs with chalk first, but I totally forgot that step.  She went with classic Reagan designs - peace signs, hearts, suns (or fireworks, she goes back and forth as to what they are), and some awesome writing!

Once she was happy with the design, we just left the shirt in the sun for about two hours.  Then I scraped a tiny bit of crusty bleach residue off the shirt (not sure that this is necessary, but I did it) and put it in the washing machine.  I was very nervous that the bleach would spread and ruin the design, but it came out of the wash looking great!

And yes, Reagan the gymnast rocks!  LOVE her!

Bubbles - Part Four

Okay, so these aren't technically bubbles, BUT who cares!?  They have a bubble like appearance, and I have wanted to do this for the LONGEST TIME, so I fit them into our bubble theme.  What are they?  Water Beads!  They were all over blog land and Pinterest and Facebook and every other site a year or two ago.  I bought the beads way back then.  And, I forgot all about them.  Every once in a while I would remember them, but the timing just wouldn't be right.  So, here they are now!  Finally.

 They start out as these teeny tiny little beads that I think are meant to be used as vase filler.

 When you put them in water, they absorb the water and turn into these beautiful, jiggly, squishy, bubbly little balls of fun.  You just can't resist playing with them; therefore, they make for an awesome sensory experience.

 As soon as I brought them out, Collin, Reagan, and Katelyn were immediately drawn to them.  They really do feel cool and they are hard to resist.  I would love to fill a tub with them and get inside!  Hmmm...I bet the kids would love that too!

 I had to put some in a container for Collin because there was a little bit of bickering going on regarding personal space.

 Even Tyler had to check them out.

Reagan, Kate, and I put our feet in, and I think this may be the next big thing for pedicures!  It was delightful!

Bubbles - Part Three

 If you leave bubble wrap in different spots around your house, it will be popped!!  Who can resist it?  I found myself jumping on it a few times!

Summer

Is there anything more classic than playing with the hose in the summer?  Love these pictures!

Bubbles - Part Two

 We continued our bubble fun with some regular bubble play.

And followed that up with some gigantic bubbles!

It took a little practice, but once they figured it out, the giant bubbles were a lot of fun!

 Reagan's expressions in these pictures are just priceless!  I love how excited she gets about things.  She was really good at making these huge bubbles!

We will definitely do this again!