In response to peeing in her diaper, our daughter had a recent revelation.

“My body is leaking!”

–Clover, age 2 1/2

As a kid, fabric design wasn’t all in my radar. Even with as much time as I spent with my mom in the fabric store, it never occurred to me that there were actual artists behind the graphic textiles that became our clothes and pillows. Well, thanks to Spoonflower.com, my own children will not only not be kept in the design-dark, they can also create their own fabric anytime they want! Spoonflower is an online resource for custom fabric, which allows you to either choose from their library of graphics or upload images of your own.

Inspired by some designed-by-children fabric being showcased on the site, my son Tristan drew-up his own concept: the first design in his “Ninja Collection”.

An upload and couple of weeks later, and he had his fabric (along with a sweet note, giving him props)! Thanks to some coordinating fabric and the help of my trusty sewing machine, his ninjas are now a part of a pillow for his room.

The second design, a shamrock ninja motif for his sister Clover, is being printed up soon. I know a certain 2 year old with a custom dress in her future!

xx, Vickie

When you work for yourself, you never stop working.

I’d love to see your Working Mom Moment snapshots, too. Share a link!

xx, Vickie

Strawtastic Jewelry

1. Super-simple, straw jewelry

Lid Magnets

2. Recycled Lid Magnets

Idea Journal

3. Idea Journal

Hand Drawn Tees

4. Hand Drawn Tees

Friendship Bracelets

5. Japanese Woven Bracelets

Check back here throughout the summer, for more craft ideas for the kids.

Enjoy!

xx,

Vickie

Father's Day Frame

Father’s Day is on Sunday, so it’s time to get crafty! Here’s a quick-and-easy project I designed for PBSParents.org. All your child needs is a frame, glue, some of my Sheep(ish) yarn, and some help from mom to create a photo memory that’s perfect for pops!  Get instructions here.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I ‘ve  been working with Momversation and Ragú® Sauce on an initiative to start a dialogue amongst us mothers about issues surrounding mealtime. So far, the Mom’s the Word on Dinnertime video series has included conversations about Funny Mealtime Moments, What to Do with Picky Eaters, Meal Inspiration Ideas, Table manners and more. The topic that’s closest to my heart though, is the importance of family sitting down to dinner together as often as possible. I truly believe that the dinner table is the conduit of familial communication, so in our home we eat dinner together every night possible. Here’s why:

My Top 5 Reasons Family Dinnertime is Important

1. Enforces Good Eating Habits. When we take the time to sit down as a family, it’s much easier to monitor what our kids are eating (Are they actually eating those vegetables or just hiding them?) and how they’re eating it (Are they shoving the food down in a hurry, or chewing bites relatively carefully?) Encouraging our kids to eat well now, paves the way to their dietary future.

 

2. Teaches Table Manners. It’s not news that kids learn more from practice than they do from being preached to, right? Well, the meal table is like a rehearsal lab for etiquette. Whether it’s how to set a table, the best way to ask for something, what constitutes inappropriate conversation (in our house, that means no “potty talk”), or how to excuse yourself–dinnertime lays the foundation for how kids will behave when they’re invited to friends’ homes now, or on dates in the future!

 

3. Makes Time for Daily Check-in. It’s really easy to go a whole day without asking our children how their day’s going, what they learned that day in school, who they played with on the playground, or how they’re feeling in general–we’re all just so busy! Sitting down at a table together, creates a time on the schedule to do just that. The more checked-in we are with our kids, the more valued they feel.

 

4. Sets the scene for “real” conversations. Making the dinner table a daily, techie gadget-free zone (no texting allowed!) also creates a consistent space where families know that they’ll have each others’ captive attention. This provides the opportunity to have conversations ranging from important (recent conversations at our table included bullying and puberty), to less serious topics (we like to talk music with our kids–most recently we discussed great, cover songs).

 

5. Makes Family a Priority. Spending time with each other while enjoying great food (btw, great food doesn’t have to mean complex meals that require loads of prep-time–healthy, take-out works, too!) is the heart of the family body. Even if you can only swing it a few days a week, making family time a priority sets positive patterns for generations to come!

 

Do you sit down with your family at mealtime? If so, why? Join the mealtime conversation on the Ragú® Sauce Facebook page!
xx,

Vickie
T: @vickiehowell

” My purse is not your playground!”

In the early 1960′s, my mom worked as a live-in nanny to a wealthy, studio-exec’s family. During those years she absorbed all kinds of methods of finery including, the proper way to set a formal table.  When she became a parent, she passed the basics on to us kids.  It wasn’t until I was a young adult though– out on restaurant dates with men who left napkins on the table and looked blankly at which of the multiple forks to use– that I realized what an advantage that little piece of knowledge, gave me in life. Armed with table etiquette, I’m just as comfortable dining with CEO’s at a 5-star bistro, as I am hanging out at pizza joints with my kids. Now, as a mother myself, this is an advantage I’m working to pass along to my own kids.

The current webisode of Ragú® Sauce’s Moms the Word on Dinnertime, explores the relevance of enforcing table manners with our kids. Some of us feel like the table is a great training ground for life situations, others feel like worrying about the small stuff falls way low on the totem pole.

How to you feel about the topic? Do you require your children to sit down at a family table, or are you more of a, “just say ‘thanks’ as I hand you a TV tray” kind of parent? Ragú® (well, and me, too) wants to hear your table manner philosophy and methodology. Type on over to Facebook/ragusauce, and join the conversation.

Happy dining!

xx,
Vickie

Candlelight, soft music, luxuriously long bites of extravagant foods–ladies, these are not the things that family dinners are made of! Alas. No, with young kids sharing our nightly dining experience, quiet moments of culinary nirvana ain’t happening. That doesn’t mean though, that dinnertime with the fam, isn’t memorable. Enter the topic of the next installment of Mom’s the Word on Dinnertime, brought to you by Ragú® Sauce. Check out this quick vid of us three moms, sharing a moment from our respective dinner tables, then head on over to the Ragú® Facebook page and share your favorite mealtime memory with the FB community.

See you there!

xx,

Vickie

Twitter: @vickiehowell
FB: facebook.com/vickiehowell
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/craftrocklove