Church Quiet Books

Do you have kids like mine were at 8 and 6 yrs. old still can't sit still through 1 hour of sacrament (church) meeting? I hope I'm not alone. I've always brought coloring books and crayons for them but last year my husband thought they were getting too old for those so I changed to church magazines like the "Friend". But that doesn't seem to hold their attention any and so about a month ago I started working on a new project....

These are my kid's church bags with their new quiet books

the main things I wanted this project to have is ease for the kids to use, something that we can change overtime to meet their age need and that it won't be too expensive or hard to make for me. Because after all, my sanity is important too, right?!

Anyways, I started off with two small binders (size about 8 x 6") found at the thrift store. I decided to not alter or decorate the covers because if the kids decide that they don't want to use these anymore, I can still create something for myself with the binders.

I measured the inside of the binder and sewn a pocket page from felt for each book. On one side they can store their markers and pencils and on the other side housed a pack of index cards, kept together with a binder ring and a piece of felt fabric which they can use to erase their markings.

The first thing I did for this project, before putting together the binders was to go to the LDS. org website and downloaded some clip arts and activity sheets. I printed them landscape orientation in word so I can do two cliparts/pictures per sheet of paper. I tried to personalize the pages by picking artwork that had boys in it for Marcus' and girl ones for Maddie.

I only have about seven sheets for each book but with the felt pocket with markers and index cards, the book looked pretty full and bulky.

as for the sheets, after cutting them to size and putting two sheets (back side together) together, I added contact paper around them so it'll "laminate" the sheets. I did it this way so that the papers can be used over and over again. After the kids are done coloring it with markers, they can use the scrap fabric sheet to erase the markings and start over again.

I made the bag to keep everything together. I just measured the size of the binder book, cut it out twice on fabric and then sewn the bag plus some handles. We've brought it to church twice already and they have worked like a miracle. The kids are quiet and I can listen to the talks without any disturbance.

So there you have it.I hope this little showcase inspired or helped you come up with an activity book that will keep your little ones occupied when you need them to.

Till next time,
Grace

3rd Grace Science Project

First off, Thank you for all the kind words left here and in my facebook page about our challenge right now. I feel blessed to have so many friends and family that understand our plight and are willing to share their insights with me. Thank you.

Today I want to recap our 3rd Grace Science Project process. This is our first year to be dealing with this and at first Marcus had some grand ideas. He wanted to build a ROBOT! Now I didn't want to discourage him BUT knowing him I knew that I would play a very big part in the project and I just didn't have the brain power to make a robot with him. So after talking with the Science teacher, she gave Marcus a super easy question to answer. The question was...what part of the body has the strongest sense of touch.

It took us about a month doing research and then in January we did the experiment...

the first one was getting two same length pencil and gently poke certains parts of the body to see if the person being poked can feel one or two points. Feeling two points usually indicated that that part is more sensitive.

Next we did a feeling test. Here the kids placed their fingers in a bucket of ice for 30 seconds then tried to touch the rice on the plate. The ice numbs the fingers therefore affects it's sensitivity to objects.

 After the experiment, I typed up Marcus words and findings then we put them together in a presentation board.

 Here's Marcus showing off the finished board, the night before we turned it in.

and last Tuesday, then had a Science fair where he got a "participant" ribbon and a metal paw (their school's mascot is a wolf hence the paw). It was neat seeing what everyone did for their project and it definitely gave us some ideas on what we can do next year. And no we are not going for the volcano!

Till next time,
Grace

Latest links and projects

Happy Monday everyone. As promised from yesterday, here are some crafty projects and links that I think are a must for you to check out today.

Paper Bakery Kit March #1 sketch was revealed today....

I'm so looking forward to the Spring season and the colors and accents on this sketch was inspired by that.

and here's a peek at the layout I made based on the sketch. You can see more of this page,  take another look at the sketch and learn how you can participate in the sketch challenge here.

and last week, Glue Arts posted this layout of mine on the blog in this post. We had teamed up with Little Yellow Bicycle and they sent the design team their TWIG line. Super fun collection and was the perfect backdrop for some snow photos of Ms. Maddie.

I hope that you'll stop by the links I gave cause you will find more inspiring projects there.

Have a great start to your week everyone.

Till next time,
Grace

The four letters that changed our lives forever

Hi everyone. First off, I'd just like to warn you that this is going to be a personal post. It's been on my mind for almost a month now and I felt like this is the rigth time to share it with family and friends. So if you are expecting a paper or crafty share today, this won't be it. BUT I will have some great projects to share with you tomorrow so I hope you can come back for that. :)

Our son Marcus was diagnosed by a pediatrician early February of this year with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or as we all know it...ADHD! Ever since Marcus was young, I've always had a small hunch that he was not like all the boys in his class/age group. But then I had the hopes that he will grow out of his issues. And then 3rd grade came and for some reason, this year has been quite rough for us. He was just not transitioning easily like all of his peers. I prayed and worked with him and tried to find the balance but then an incident happened in school two days before Winter Break was to start that made me think that this issue is beyond my control and I needed to seek medical help for him.

and so that's what we did. After spending the holidays in California, I called our pediatrician, made the appointment, told her of our concerns and we started what would be one of many tests that we will have to go through for him. The result was the ADHD diagnosis. We still have to meet with another doctor and see if we can rule out Autism in this situation and I'm crossing my fingers that we can.

The whole month of February was a blur to me. Not only because there was so many events, activities and obligations that I needed to take care of but mostly because I was finding out anything and everything I can learn about this diagnosis. Mitch and I strongly agreed that we will not put Marcus under any medication because we fear of what it might do to him in the long run. (If by any chance I have readers that are going through this or something similar in their life and are in medication, if it works for you great but please don't bash me for the decision that I have made in behalf of my son.)

Instead we are finding ways to help him in the nutrition and education aspect. I have been in contact with his teacher and the school councilor and we have made some arrangements for accomodations for him. We have also got his homework down to a manageable size. That was a major deal for us because there were nights that we would spend 5 hours on homework because of the shear amount of things to do plus his inability to sit down and focus on his work. I had about cried on the first day that we started his new homework plan bec. in the 4 years that he has been in school,we've never had homework in one day that only took 45 minutes. That was a happy day for all of us.

As you can see, our battle with this issue has just began and that's another reason why I decided to finally come out and speak about it here in the blog. I know I'm not the only one out there that is experiencing this and if you have any tips,tricks, techniques, books, websites or any information that you think might be helpful for me, please don't hesitate to comment on them. Right now I'm feeling overwhelmed but having the knowledge that God doesn't give us challenges without Him knowing our capabilities to act on these trials makes me feel hopeful that we can survive this or at least find a solution to better manage it.

Marcus doesn't even know of his "condition" and diagnosis. Everytime we talk about it or have to go to the doctor, I just tell him that we are there to help him focus. I don't want him to think that he is different from his peers and use his challenges as an excuse to not work hard and push through his adversities. This will not be his crutch!

I love my son and today, I think about the blessing he is to our family. We know that he is given to us for a reason and that we all chose to be a family here on earth while we were still living with our Father in Heaven. Our family will get through this and all I pray for at this time is that the Lord can lead us to the path that will best help Marcus. However hard that road might get sometimes.

So that's what is been really going on in the Tolman home. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I wish you and your family a blessed day.

I might also add that eventhough we all have the right to express our feelings and opinions, I will delete comments that I find not helpful for me at this point. You can judge me all you want and how I have a hand on how my child is growing up BUT if it's not going to help me, I will not let it stay on this blog. Please be considerate when you leave a comment.

Till next time,

Grace

*Photos of our son taken at the Huntington Beach Pier, California in December.

Creative Memories Enchanted Blog Hop

Welcome everyone to my little place in the blog world. If you are coming from Laurie's blog, you've come to the right place and if, by chance, you came by and wondering where the party started, click here.

So for my contribution to the Enchanted line "eye candy", I decided to go with a layout...

Dream Big

This layout was inspired by the title sticker. I also loved all the journaling blocks/papers that I made sure they had a place in my layout.

Asians are known for their "jump shot" photos and once in a while I like to be goofy in front of the camera and this photo was one of those moments. :) This photo along with the title lead me to journal about the "big dreams" I'm slowly getting accomplished. I truly feel blessed to be able to call what I'm so passionate about my "job".

I wanted the sticker to to stand out so I layered it on a journaling block with a black frame, adhering it with foam adhesive. I also added some epoxy stickers on the corners.

I also enjoyed playing with the paper flowers and bling in the Enchanted Power Palette. I layered them here, adding some of them with foam adhesive to give them the dimensional look.

Supply list:

Carstock- Enchanted Embossed Paper

Pattern papers, flowers, bling, journaling block, title sticker and ribbon- Enchanted Power Palette

Black dual tip pen

Border Maker System

Scallop Stitch Border Maker Cartridge

Tape Runner

Foam Adhesives

and because I can't just make one project with this gorgeous line, I made a card with some of my scraps...

I love the textured cardstock! It gives the background a subtle design.

Once I pulled out the border sticker, I got this dot/diamond design and I decided to add that to my card as well. Nothing gets wasted!

So there you have it. I hope you're enjoying your hop and finding all sorts of inspirations from the design team. Now hop on over Nicole's blog here.

Oh and don't forget the important code to get from this blog is.....A

1. To find out more about becoming a Creative Memories Consultant-- click here
2. To find a Consultant in your area-- click here
3. New March Products-  click here

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Till next time,

Grace

Crafting with the kids

Last Thursday morning we woke up to this...

It was an unexpected snow day for the kids. We didn't plan on it and the kids, if they had a choice, would just sit in front of the TV all day. So to combat the "couch potato" syndrome, we baked some whole wheat carrot muffins and banana bread in the morning and then made some crafts in the afternoon. Thank you to Pinterest, finding something easy and that contains supplies that we already have was easy breezy with just a few clicks of the mouse.

So after lunch, we made some yarn bookworms and foam pencil toppers. Here are some photos of our crafty afternoon....

We didn't have big craft sticks as used in the link so instead, I cut out 1" wide strips from cardboard and with some scissors rounded the corners. I also had some foam sheets (from ages ago) that we used for the foam pencil toppers.

For the yarn bookworm, we needed 24 8" yarn strings and I had Marcus cut all of his. He did a great job.

 Maddie was very serious when putting together her bookworm.

Some of the foam sheets we used had designs on them so I was able to cut out stars and circles for the kids to use.

when we were making our foam pencil toppers, we had cut the shapes too small, therefore it wouldn't work for a pencil so I just grabbed smaller craft sticks and made little puppets. The above foam puppets are of Maddie's. Notice the eyelashes?! She's so girly in everthing she does!

It was definitely a good day to stay indoors!

Till next time,
Grace

*Don't forget the Creative Memories blog hop tomorrow. Stop by here tomorrow for more details :)

Twist Card Trio

Hi all. Today's post is a card share featuring the new TWIST cardstock line from WorldWin Papers. This is an interesting set of papers. It is sturdy which is perfect for any crafty project and there's a bonus....it has a textured side. It feels fuzzy,like a combination of cardstock and mulberry papers. So cool! Here's what I made with it....

We were challenged to use some photos in our cards. I was extra grateful for the challenge cause I was able to use up some extra photos. Back in the day, I used to print smaller photos in wallet sizes which meant that I get four prints of one photo. I would only use one for my pages but kept the other prints because, well, I just can't toss a photo away! And now I found a use for them.

here's some more close ups of the cards......

I used some photos of hubby infront of the Queen Mary for this travel/wish you were here card. I made this card a 6.25x 6.25 size.

(card size- 5 x 7")

I love these photos of my then 4 year old son. How I miss his chubby cheeks! With this card, I went simple putting emphasis on the photos and adding a fun die cut sun that I cut from the Cricut machine. Yes, these cardstocks might be sturdy and texturized but it can still go through the Cricut machine which for me is a double plus!!!

(card size- 4.25 x 5.5)

and this last card combined some die cutting techniques and stamping. I love how the colors makes this card exude the tropics. Don't you think?

So that's it. To learn more about this line and all the othe products that WorldWin offers, make sure you check their site out here.

Till next time,

Grace

Project 365 Week 8

Here's the latest edition of my Project 365.....

Happy Tuesday!

Till next time,
Grace

sneek peeks and links

Hello everyone and I hope your week is off to a great start. I am committing myself to tackling half of the things in my to do list today. Ambitious, I know but I'm feeling so pumped today and motivated to check off a lot of stuff on my ever growing list. :)

Speaking of getting things done, I got a few projects done last week and I'm share some sneek peeks of it for you today along with must check out links. So let's get started...

The WorldWin Cardstock blog went live today. Make sure you check it out here and don't forget to add your name on the "follower" list so you can be the first to know of updates on new products and projects like this sneek peek of a layout I made this month feautring some new paper. It's called Twist and it has some pretty cool texture on it. I'll share more soon.

I need you to mark this Friday (Mar 2nd) on your calendar because Creative Memories is having their very first blog hop and I'm beyond ecstatic that I get to be a part of it. Here's a peek at the project I made for the hop. There's some cool prizes in store and I want you guys to get in on the fun. :)

and finally it's Monday and that means that my blog post is up over at Paper Bakery Kit blog. Check this layout at in this post along with more detailed photos.

so that's it. Blog post for Monday checked!

Till next time,
Grace

Field trip to the Fire Station

Valentine's day happen to fall on a Tuesday this year and that meant that Marcus had Cub Scouts. But it was an extra fun meeting because the boys, along with their families, got to visit a local Fire Station. Maddie and I got to tag along on this trip (Mitch had a meeting to attend) and I brought my camera to capture the experience. All of us have never been stepped foot in a Fire Station before so I wanted to document the event. Here are some of the photos I got....if you've read my blog before, you know that I don't like to post photos of other kids in my blog without their parent's permission so the following photos have more things than people. :)

the boys sure had many questions for the Fire Fighters and the generous men answered every question, even if sometimes it was a little silly.

We learned the difference between a Fire engine and truck. We also got to see where the fire fighters eat and sleep when they're on shift.

I feel so blessed to live in an area where Fire Fighters are easily accessible and they are fully equipped and trained to help.

We even got a little demonstration on how the fighters put on their gear. They are expected to put on the shoes and clothes in less than 90 second. The whole night was truly interesting.

So that's our most recent field trip. We've been plagued by cold and snowy weather this past two weekends so we haven't really gone anywhere to explore. I'm sooo looking forward to some Spring time weather soon.

Till next time,
Grace