Pepper Scraps

A Craft a Day: K is for King

At first I was going to do K is for knight but then realized with Zane learning phonics this may confuse him. I decided to change it to K is for King. We are doing a lot of the same activities I’m just changing it all to be about a king instead of a knight.

If you are new to A Craft a Day

A Craft a Day gives you five activities that you can enjoy with your kids, one for each day of the week. Most of these activities work well for preschoolers, but you may be able to adapt them for your toddler.

You can learn more about the basics of a Craft a Day Here.

I will post the crafts on Saturdays so you can use the weekend to get any supplies that you may need. We are making our way through the alphabet this year so if you missed a letter you can find it here.

The Crafts:

Mini Sword Snacks – I actually used sword toothpicks that I use for the boys bentos, but if you are concerned with your children with something sharp you can use pretzels instead.
King of Kings Crown – A fun, easy and inexpensive project. I love that everything in this project you can at the dollar store. Plus it let my boys have a freedom to draw, paint, color however they wanted.
Knight Collage – I know this is more knight than king, but I told Zane that this was a King Knight. This project took a little prep on my side as Zane is still learning scissor skills so I cut out all the pieces beforehand. But if your child is learning or good at scissor work this project is great!

Paper Plate Crown – What I love about this project is that you can pull out any odds and ends you may have from other projects to decorate these crowns. You can use stickers, gems stones, marbles, pom poms, scraps of felt, and any other kinds of odds and ends.
Card Board Castle – Create a castle for your little King (& your Queen). I first saw this castle and loved it, but their isn’t very much that my boys would be able to do to create this. Then I found the colorful artistic castle created at Frugal Family Fun Blog. Perfect! You can let your children freedom of decorating their castle with markers, crayons, tissue paper, and more.
Shield Collage (Bonus Craft) – Cut out a shield from cardboard and use tissue paper to cover the cardboard. Then let your child use stickers to decorate their shield and create their own “coat of arms”. Supplies: Cardboard, Glue, Stickers, Tape

Supplies: assorted fruit, pretzels or sword toothpicks, craft foam, Popsicle sticks, decorations for crown, hot glue, elmer’s glue, styrofoam balls or pool noodle, cardboard, misc decorations for the walls,, paint or markers, craft knife or good scissors, Construction paper, Tin foil, Yellow and black pipe cleaners, Feather, Black pen or marker, Knight Template, plate, stickers, scissors or exacto knife, random craft scraps

Are you Supermom?

Now I’m not supermom and I don’t expect you to be either. We don’t always get to each activity, sometimes life is just too busy. Hopefully you may try one or two of these activities with me and my kids! You don’t have to do every single one. You don’t have to be doing preschool with your child. I just hope to give you a resource for some great fun with your kids!

Be Featured

If you do any of these crafts and happen to take a picture or write a blog post about it please make sure and share your link in the comments. Also don’t forget to link the original crafter! I may feature you and your blog on the following weeks post!

Uncategorized

Healthy Advice: Considering Invisalign

I was surprised as my new dentist informed me the problems with my teeth may be a result of my “bite”. I never thought there was anything wrong with my teeth, beside having a couple slightly crooked teeth, they seemed fine. My dentist as a child told my mom I didn’t really need braces.

My new dentist let me know that my teeth were hitting slightly off and that if I had that corrected some of the discomfort with my teeth might be fixed.

After the doctor mentioning this, my misaligned bite suddenly became noticeable. When I bite down I notice that my teeth hit then slide together. Wow I how could I have never noticed that before?!

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Fun Fact: Most people do not have naturally straight teeth; in fact, the AAO estimates that up to 75 percent of people could benefit from orthodontic care[/box]

Take Care of your Teeth!

Two years ago I was reminded about the importance of taking care of my teeth when I had to have a tooth pulled. I had a temporary crown I had let go too long.

I made a pledge to take better care of my teeth!

I started in on the process of getting my teeth healthy again! After many fillings, root canal, and tons of hygiene appointments my teeth are starting to become healthy. When the dentist talked about talking to an orthodontist I was all for it, whatever will help!

But then afterwards I thought to myself, oh no, braces.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Fun Fact: Straight teeth help an individual to effectively bite, chew and speak. Straight teeth contribute to healthy teeth and gums. Properly aligned teeth and jaws may alleviate or prevent physical health problems. Teeth that work better also tend to look better. An attractive smile is a pleasant “side effect” of orthodontic treatment. – According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)[/box]

Wearing Braces as an Adult?

I am already dealing with a lot of self esteem issues right now. I’m concentrating so much on my weight loss I’m even more sensitive to how I look: stretch marks, double chin, acne, and even my crooked front tooth mock me as I look in the mirror or at a photo.

How could I stand seeing myself in braces?! An adult in braces! I didn’t know if my confidence could take one more blow.

Then I found my answer: Invisalign!!

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Fun Fact: One in five orthodontic patients is an adult[/box]

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is an alternative to the old fashion metal braces of our childhood. Nearly invisible, removable plastic trays that straighten your teeth. Who could not want this over the alternative? I’m not only excited about the fact that I wouldn’t have to stare at metal teeth photos for a year, but that I would be able to take the “aligner” out and be able to brush and floss my teeth like normal.

Some other features I’m excited about are:

Not having limited food options or having “forbidden” food
No emergency dental appointments
Less appointments and time sitting in the chair (only every 6 weeks)

With my surgery coming up I am not going to need to be limited any more on my food and I will definitely not have time for emergency dentist appointments! I’m already struggling with getting my appointments scheduled, having a set 6 week visit with the dentist would be way better than the alternative with metal braces. Plus they are supposed to be really quick appointments!

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Fun Fact: The total treatment time with Invisalign averages between nine and 15 months and the average number of aligners worn during treatment is between 18 and 30[/box]

I Wish I was Young Again

If I had had the option of Invisalign like teens have now I would have argued with my childhood dentist and jumped on the chance to get my teeth straightened. I have always been conscious of those crooked smiles, but they weren’t that bad enough to make me want metal braces.

I love that Invisalign gives kids the option of getting straight teeth with confidence, comfort, and safety.

As a mom of a very active young boy, who I’m sure will be a very active teen. I can only imagine him playing sports and getting hit or banged with those metal wires in his mouth. I will be looking into Invisalign for him when the time comes. If you have a teen I would definitely look into this option for your kids. They even have a product that is specifically created for teens: Invisalign Teen!

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Fun Fact: 78 percent of mothers who had braces as a child believe braces are one of the best investments their parents made for them[/box]

To Be Continued?

As I’m already sharing my fun adventure of getting healthier through Weight Loss Surgery I may also share more about having healthier teeth! LOL Or at least share with you as my teeth get straighter! Wouldn’t you love it if I showed you a video of my Invisalign aligner?!

Did you have braces as a teen? Do you wish Invisalign was an option for you? If you didn’t have braces, do you think if you were offered to have Invisilign as a teen you would have tried it?

[box]I was compensated for this post by Invisalign. Opinions are my own.[/box]

Android Family

Social Media & Social Android Apps

Let’s just admit it social media is a part of our lives even if we are a casual internet browser or a social media guru. We are constantly checking in with our friends and updating our status. One way to keep up with your updates and your friends updates is having the right tools on your phone and tablets! Here are a couple of my favorites.

Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is my favorite social media app on my tablet and phone. I’ve tried the others but I love then columns and easy use of multiple accounts. But I will admit that sometimes it can be a little buggy on start-up. So if this bothers you or if you have more than your fair share of bugginess you may want to check out the next app. If you want to learn more about TweetDeck in general check out the Basics of TweetDeck.

Tweetcaster

Tweetcaster is my second option for a twitter app. I found it worked really well, I just wish I had more control of columns. I had this on my tablet when I went to a conference and I just remember it was really hard to keep up with the hashtag. Which is very important for me.

I found this app worked really well and didn’t seem to act buggy on my phone or tablet.

Google+ (not available on Tablet)

Have I mentioned that I’m a Google+ addict? I am very impressed with the first release of the Google+ App. I do wish it worked on my tablet though. With this app you can upload pictures straight to your unlimited uploads on Google+. You can also stay caught up with your notifications.

GetGlue

Have you heard about GetGlue? If not I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a movie, music, book and product social media site. Share what items you like or what are your favorites. But also “check in” what you are doing right now. Are you watching a movie, check in! Are you reading a book, check in! Also get recommendations from your likes and favorites!

Oh and did I mention the stickers? Once you get enough digital stickers you can ask them to send you the real deal! I’ve already gotten one set and it was awesome!

Crafts

A Craft A Day: Must Have Crafting Supplies

I was recently talking to a friend about her wanting to do more crafts with her daughter but she really didn’t want to buy lots of supplies. I can understand this as we are always on such a tight budget. This week we will be taking a break from our usual link of crafts and talk about supplies for you and your kids.

I thought this is perfect timing to talk about what you should have stocked up. As school children are about to rush through the doors to a new school year you are already purchasing school supplies. Or if you only have little children then this is still the best time to buy your supplies. Stores are trying to entice moms to do their school supply shopping at their location and are offering amazing prices on certain items.

Basic Preschool Craft Supplies:

white glue
markers
stickers
pipe cleaners
craft foam
craft felt
construction paper
pom poms
popsicle sticks
tape
googly eyes
scissors
crayons
paint & paint brushes
basket to organize everything

You know what’s the best thing about this list? You can find all these items at the dollar stores! That means with a $15 investment you have a great start to your crafting supplies.

Of course you may find you need more items than this, but this is a good start. Keep your eyes open when you see a clearance section at a store or use your imagination when you walk through the dollar store. Look through the ads right now as Back to School is in full force.

Or check out the clearance sections a week or two after Back to School to get even better deals. Right now I’ve found Crayola crayons and markers on sale for 99 cents and pencil boxes for 59 cents (great for organizing). Find your local store’s website and check out their ads online! It’s quick easy and you can find some great deals.

Next week we will be back to our regularly scheduled a Craft a Day post.

Bloggers you Should be Following Blogging

Bloggers you Should be Following: Nicholas Cardot

Last week I started this really fun series, if you missed the first featured blogger you have to check out Amy Lynn Andrews. In this series I’m sharing some of the great blogs and bloggers on the internet that you should really follow. Especially if you are learning and striving to become a blogger. I recommend not only following their blogs but also check out their other networking profiles.

Nicholas Cardot

I was already to feature another blogger this week when Nicholas popped up and was chatting with me on twitter about all things potty training. This is a great example of how to endure your readers to you, chat with them about more than you niche, chat with them about the everyday! To show that I appreciated the little chat I put off then scheduled post and bumped him up in my list. Yes Nicholas was already on the list!

Nicholas Cardot is the founder of the great blog Site Sketch 101.

I want to take my years of experience and pour them out so every one of you who has a desire to create amazing, appealing websites or blogs for your church, charity, business or self can get it done. – The Vision and Focus of Site Sketch 101

Nicholas is truly someone I look up to for his inspirational encouragement to bloggers to not let their blogs be mediocre but also to look at them as a piece of art that they are creating. He wants to help you make your blog appealing to your visitors.

Where to follow Nicholas

Now that you have learned a little about Nicholas from me please make sure and follow him on his blog and other social networks.

What to expect next week?

I will be sharing a new blogger with your next week. But I would love your input in the comments. What bloggers do you look up to and subscribe to? Is there someone you would like me to feature?