Our Little Lion King

Last week, we went to a Halloween Party at The Little Gym in Summerville with our play group. It was a warm day, but luckily they had the air conditioning going inside because Camp was going to wear his lion costume no matter what! This was our first trip to The Little Gym or anyplace like it, and Camp had a blast! He was crawling and climbing everywhere. He also really enjoyed gnawing on the padded equipment, despite my attempts to direct his attention elsewhere. They had bubbles, balls, and a big parachute for all the kids to play with in the open gym. I think Camp's favorite part was chasing all the colorful balls around the wide open space. He spent quite a bit of time chasing around the girls, too!

"How you doing, Little Red?"

Bubbles!

The Lion Escapes! *Photo by Brooke Becker

Sweet Little Ladybug

Yum! Gym equipment...

Dancing Lion

Lion in a pit!

Mini Minnie Mouse Princess

 

Sweaty lion boy...oops!

"Kind of over this party, mom."

Pop Goes the Campster

Camp has always loved opening and closing the lid to his hamper. Today, we took his curiosity to a new level. Hilarious! (You may want to turn the volume down...I'm pretty loud :-))

One Dollar Wednesday: Camera Phone Improved

Happy Wednesday! Here's another edition of One Dollar Wednesday, which almost became One Dollar Thursday. Today's neat idea is for the budding photographers out there (or anyone who just likes to take pics with your phone).

I got an e-mail from Parenting magazine with a link to this article with tips on taking better pictures with your phone. While I prefer to take most of my photos with a "real" camera, sometimes the DROID is just more convenient. So, go to the dollar store and get a cleaning cloth made for eyeglasses for 1 U.S. dollar. You may even be able to score a set of two cleaning cloths like I found, cha-ching!

Use the cloth to clean off the lens on your phone's camera. Download a fun camera app like "Camera360" for free and ABRACADABRA: CAMERA PHONE IMPROVED!!!

I played around with the funky features a little because I'm new to all this fancy stuff. Stick to the classic or black&white setting for pictures that will make an impression. Now get to taking much better pics of your sweet family, cute furry friends, or home improvement projects/creative jack-o-lantern ideas.

One Dollar Wednesday: Squishy Gel Bag

It's baaaaack! At least for this week, we are back with One Dollar Wednesday! I have actually had this one ready to type up and post for a few weeks now, but planning Camp's first birthday party and sleep have won out over the weekly posts. Sorry 'bout that, fans.

This is another idea that I originally found on Pinterest through a few different blogs. It's easy, peasy. Get a bottle of bright green hair gel from The Dollar Tree. Add about 3/4 bottle to a quart sized baggie. Throw in a few plastic frogs or other fun toys. Seal it up with clear packing tape or duct tape on all four sides, and ABRACADABRA: Squishy Gel Bag!

After having a few minutes with the gel bag to myself, I was kind of hooked on it. It feels cool to the touch and is perfectly mushy and squishy. It's an amazing stress ball substitute.

I just knew Camp would enjoy smooshing it and moving the little froggies around. Well he seemed to enjoy it, but he mostly just wanted to put it in his mouth. This was a terrible idea as he has 6 sharp teeth and most definitely doesn't need to get a big glob of hair gel in his mouth. I tried giving him the bag several times with it turning into a teether. Folks, the squishy gel bag is not ideal for infants or anyone who is still interested in mouthing everything. I think we got away without any actual swallowing of hair gel so don't fret.

My four (almost five) year old cousin, AvaRose, came for a visit today. I thought the Squishy Gel Bag would be perfect to keep her entertained for a little while, and she would hopefully know better than to eat the green goop. She was curious, although not overly excited. Less than a minute into her time with the bag, she reached out her wet hand and declared that it must have a leak. Sure enough, green gunk on her hands and my countertops. I am considering this a Pinterest fail, or maybe it was just a Ziploc fail. Then again, I do have a little alligator on my hands...CHOMP!

Beckett's Country Birthday

Last Saturday, we got to celebrate little Beckett's 2nd birthday at Country Adventures in Blythewood, SC. It was a charming little farm with a covered wagon to crawl around in, stables with horses, petting zoo animals, a pumpkin patch, and a bonfire picnic area. Camp went on his first hay ride and got to "pick" his first pumpkin! We really enjoyed the time catching up with friends and being part of Beckett's special day. Thank you, Elizabeth and Scott!

Happy birthday, Beckett!!!

"This one looks perfect for me!"

Country boys

Happy Fall, Y'all!