Finger Painting Recipe

One of the most messy but still very fun crafts I've done with my children at any age is finger painting, or even footprints with the baby.

Finger paint

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. (leaving out the food coloring until later)
2. Cook the mixture over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and thick. Once the mixture has thickened remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely.
3. After it's cooled, divide the finger paint into storage containers depending on how many colors you would like.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring to each container. Mix the coloring in very well. Your paint is ready for play!
5. Cover tightly when storing.

Tip

I use old baby food jars to store the paint in. Your children can help mix the food coloring in by shaking the tightly closed jars.  It was very easy to clean up and only left the slightest tint on the baby's foot, but not the hands. (weird, I know) Nothing that a good bath time wont get rid of.

Book Sneeze

As a blogger I recently signed up for a free service called Book Sneeze. It's a great program that gives a complimentary copy of a book for bloggers to become an online reviewer of. In some cases you may even receive advance copies before they even hit store shelves. The bookworm in me was quivering with excitement when I discovered this service.

As part of the program you're not required to give a positive review about the book , just an honest one. They do have a few easy guidelines to adhere to while writing your reviews. When finished you just need to post your review on your blog, the Book Sneeze website and another suggested consumer website. Your reviews must state that you did receive your book as a complimentary copy. (this is due to FCC regulations)

I was very excited to receive my first book and am thoroughly enjoying this unexpected read. I am an avid reader so the Book Sneeze program thrilled me to take part in. Although I can speed read a larger book in less than 2 hours I am enjoying the chance to throughly engulf myself in this book.

Look for my book reviews in the future.

If you are a blogger and interested in trying Book Sneeze just click on their link in the sidebar and sign up. In a few short days you too can also be a book reviewer.

Babies Don't Keep

One of the women from my motherhood forum posted this and it really made me smile. This poem really is how I feel most days. Everything else can wait because my baby wont always be a willing cuddle bug.

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother,
come shake out your cloth,
empty the dustpan,
poison the moth,
hang out the washing
and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house
is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery,
blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little
Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done
and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing
will wait till tomorrow,
for Children grow up,
as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep......