I usually start surfing the blogs at this time of year, looking for easy projects to do with my kids,ones that look good hanging through thanksgiving. I do love the projects that come home from school, but lets be honest... the glued feathers and pine cones to paper plates usually fall off and start looking shabby a few weeks in. :) (not that I don't LOVE them)







What you will need: (I know...can you believe this is all???)

~1/2 yard of burlap- you can get this at Joane's fabric for around 3 dollars a yard!



~any color of neutral craft paint and foam brush



~black sharpie (Lindsay will have to buy a new one since these are stricken from her new home!) ;)



~Jute or black ribbon



~glue gun



You can make these for your kids rooms with their names, or for birthdays, holidays, or even weddings!.. so fun and easy!



Mindy is giving away a Joannes Fabric gift card for $10 for one lucky Earth monkey mom reader so you can buy the supplies to make this project!!   It's simple to enter...1) "like" her  Pretty in Paint FB page, "like" Earth Monkeys FB page (if you don't already)  and leave a comment below that you did, and one lucky random reader will be chosen to win!!!

For those of you that don't know Mindy...  she is the mother of two children, a wife and creator of all that is beautiful~along with her business of making any piece of unloved furniture amazing, she inspires others to try their hand at adding character to their own homes. Her blog "Pretty in Paint" is a fun and inspiring look into her world. You can also find her on facebook at www.facebook.com/prettyinpaint

Mindy from Pretty in Paint made this little doozie!

I saw this idea of a blessings board on another blog somewhere and I knew I had to do it. Usually sweet flowery things make me want to throw up a little in my mouth, but this little crafty poo is a sweet kick in the teeth.  So... I am writing a blessing on  post-its and sticking them to a board in my room ... so every time I want to have a pity party or complain... wham... it can kick me in the teeth and say, "Hey selfish, annoying, whiny lady... look at all of the amazing things you have in your life." Today I posted 7 to the board and here they are:

1. {Sibling Rivalry...} I guess I'll I just need to repeat costco, costco, costco... over and over in my head  so I'm not tempted to pull a Thelma & Louise during what seems to be NEVER-ENDING-FIGHTING! (costco)


2. {School Clothes...} My amazing big sister took all three boys shopping today and got them shoes and pants and shirts and socks... who does that?? My big sister!! That's who!:) I love you Abbers!


3. {Great Friends...} I swear I have the best friends ever... they love me for me and put up with my non-stop verbal vomit... they are some pretty darn amazing women (and some guys too:)) and I am so beyond blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people!


4. {COFFEE!!!} Seriously... this needs no explanation!


5. {God's Amazing Grace...} woops maybe I should have put this first... I was a little caught up in my costco moment... But He is so good... all of the time...


6. {The right words, when I need them} My hubby just has a way with words... this is what he texted me the other night while I pulled a mini Thelma & Louise at Costco (well I guess it was just a Thelma because Louise was at the coast) ... "You are beautiful... this is the life we GET to live." reminding me that we are so incredibly blessed to be parents to these special boys... even on the rough days. 


7. {An Amazing Family...} How amazing is it to have a HUGE and by HUGE I mean GINOURMOUS group of relatives that we would actual choose as friends even if we weren't related. We have the best family and don't take any of them for granted for even one second. 

Jami... is a mom to teenaged quadruplets and wife to her best friend, her knight in dented armor. Her "almost 15" year old crew consists of one girly tomboy and 3 strapping young men, one who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 7th grade. With kids now in high school [the same school she and her hubby shared a locker in!], keeping up with everyone keeps her busy as a stay at home mom. Being "on call" for the lanky, bright, and fiesty son has kept her from rejoining the paid work force as of yet. Her passion for God/teens/sports is a perfect combination for her position as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes weekly Huddle Leader.

{3}While your jewelry box is drying, get your fabric of choice ready. Cut your fabric to fit your cardboard backing. Don't forget to leave enough material on all sides to glue down on the reverse side.

{4}Using a hot glue gun, run glue down the edges of the reverse side. Immediately pull the fabric tight and press it down onto the hot glue.

{5}Once your Shadow box is dry screw the hinges back on and place your fabric backing inside the box. You're ready to put your jewelry in!!!!

{6}This design is created to lay on a flat surface vs hanging it on a wall, so display options are unlimited! For those with a lot of jewelry, find shadow boxes that will stack (in a pyramid shape) giving each type of jewelry it's own box and create a pyramid of color!



To donate and be entered into the giveaway, click here: http://maryandnathanthew.blogspot.com/

This week I made a special toy to share with the Earth Monkey Mom community!!! I call it the Super Fabulous Sporty Activity Center, but you can call it whatever you like. My main “ingredients” in cardboard box toy making are: a cardboard box, a box knife, colored duct tape and a hot glue gun with a good many glue sticks. I usually have a plan in my head of what I want to make, but the toy really takes shape as I start and I usually think of extra things to add or other materials to use as I’m making it.

In case you can't tell those little dollops of cement are actually burnt cookies.

You may have heard me refer to myself as the "Anti-Martha" before. It's not a badge I wear proudly, and it's not by choice... it's by DNA. Growing up I think the best way to describe my mom is "June Bundy-Crocker" All of the domesticky goodness of June Cleaver and Betty Crocker with a little Peg Bundy smooshed in the middle to account for her funny sassiness. My sisters are clearly Betty and Junes but apparently Peg was the only one home when I was born ...

What you actually thought it was going to be clean clean??? Have you met me?? Well maybe you haven't, but still you should know better!! I will say though, at least for the 45 minutes surrounding this picture, I think our house was actually bumped back up into the "It might be messy, but it's clean underneath" category... good enough for me:) Project #1 ... Complete!

I love all things Vintage! Repurposing furniture and old funky "junk" into something i can use is so exciting! Its a fun and fairly cheap creative outlet. I decided on showing you all how to make a chalkboard. I've seen these in antique stores for upwards of 50 bucks! Once you invest in the chalkboard paint, you can make so many fun projects for next to nothing.

Emilie... is a mom of three boys. She is the founder of both Jackson County Parent to Parent and Families For Community, non-profits that exist to equip parents who have children who experience disability to be the very best advocates for their kiddos that they can be. She began her advocacy work both locally and at a state level in 2007, when her youngest, Parker, was diagnosed with autism. She is immensely passionate about empowering and equipping families experiencing disabilities. She is also a consultant for thirty-one, a company that sells super cute purses, and organizing accessories.

I hate the rain. I hate to drive in the rain. I hate that my butt gets wet while I am frantically trying to buckle my youngest into his car seat. And I don’t like the smell of wet boys OR wet dog. Rain means the kids unable to run outside and play, and a houseful of boys for days on end usually equals in tears for all of us. But I have a secret weapon. I am crafty. I have Construction Junction.



Construction Junction was something that my mom used to have in her elementary program and she introduced it to my boys this past summer. I am all about providing opportunities for craftiness (I am kind of a craft-whore, don’t judge), and ALL of my boys go nuts when I bring out the Construction Junction box.

Construction Junction is recycling meets adhesive. It is low-temp glue guns, rolls of colored tape, scissors (optional) and whatever you choose to save. Favorites in our house are toilet paper tubes, washed out applesauce cups, corks, egg cartons, frozen juice lids, etc. Occasionally, I will purchase pom-poms, pipe cleaners, or googley eyes; but we try to keep Construction Junction about giving the boys opportunities to be creative with things that we would normally throw away. My house ranges from an almost 11-year-old down to a 5 year old that experiences autism. EVERYONE loves Construction Junction and it can mean HOURS of entertainment and creative play.

Some of you are sweating right now at the idea of setting your child loose with a glue gun. Never fear!! Today, low-temp glue guns are easy to find at any craft store and while the glue is hot, it will not burn. Just as we take the time to teach our kids that we use a fork to eat with, and not to shank your brother with (What?! Only in my house?!), we should also teach our kids that glue guns are for gluing stuff (paper, tubes, pipe cleaners), not siblings, the dog, or furniture.



Construction Junction is not a new concept, but sometimes as a mom I need to be reminded that certain activities are a great idea. This is one of those great ideas! Construction Junction is the ultimate cold/wet weather indoor activity in our house, and hopefully soon it will be in yours!

Picture by Maria Alexandra Photography

Ahhh, Christmas time in the McPhail household... brace yourselves people, this could get ugly. Last year was the first time I had attempted to do advent activities with the boys. It was a nightmarish debacle on an on all accounts (I wrote about some of the nightmare here if you need something to make you feel like mother of the year), and I'm pretty sure I swore off ever doing another craft with my children again... or maybe I just swore... or maybe both, I can't remember.



You would think since last year's activities were filled with tears, shanking attemps, f-bombs and pooping on the floor, I would rethink repeating the same offenses this year... but I am bound and determined to make my kids remember Christmas time as being amazingly special, and magical if it kills me darn-it! Luckily my kids are easily pleased and somehow block out the crazy... and that's just enough to give me hope that this year can be better.



Every year growing up Christmas was magical. My mom just has this way of making everything fun and festive... it seemed so effortless at the time, but now I know with 5 kids and bucket loads of crazy, it was all hard work on her end, and apparently she didn't enjoy a lot of it:):) Anyway, being the "Anti-Martha"that I am makes me  the black-sheep of the family in the domestic department. The genetic code that was given to my mom and sisters that makes them naturally wonderful and June Cleavery (well, sometimes June Cleaver on Crack, but still June-Flippen-Cleavery) was not deposited in the Lindsay Bank... it seems like the harder I try to make things special, the worse it gets. Either he kids don't want to join in, or they're fighting or I didn't read the directions (shocker) and put the head where the butt's supposed to be.