Like I said in my instagram stories, I was torn between going all out like it was a room in my house and also realizing that this is a BOYS' FORT in a garage. It was hard to reign in sometimes and I probably did more than was necessary, but it was a fun project that the kids got to help with and I am happy with how it all turned out.

BEFORE

There were some loose boards that were laid out across the ceiling joists that had a tarp over them. It did not cover the whole area, but it was enough to store a few things up there. Things we rarely used.

The roof on the north side was in okay shape but the south side was Swiss cheese. Because of the holes, wasps had taken residence for years. Luckily it was March when we cleaned it out so the 50-ish nests were empty.

This is the view from below looking up at the loose boards acting as the floor.

The first thing we did was to re-enforce the ceiling joists so we could add OSB boards for a floor. The existing joists were 2x6s so we might have been okay to leave it as is, but it wasn't a big deal to add more support just in case. After the OBS boards were added and an opening for the stairway, I went to work patching the holes in the roof.

Once the patch work was done, we covered the roofing tar with hardboard. After the panels were done we caulked along the edges. This process took so long!

On either end, there were gaps between the boards. I lost count of how many tubes of caulk we went through, but it was a lot!

Shane also added a window to one end. It is a window that was original to our house. I like that we could reuse it :)

Lots of light coming through the gaps!

I used a sprayer to prime and paint the walls and ceiling. Originally I was going to do black or gray so that if there were any water leaks, you wouldn't see brown water stains. But there is limited natural light in this space so I didn't want it to be too dark. After priming it and seeing it all white, I decided to go with a bright white paint.

We have had a few big rainstorms and so far, no leaks!

We decided to go with sheet vinyl for the flooring. It was the cheapest option and would be pretty fast to install. The pieces were large, heavy, and a bit awkward to move into place once the glue was down, so Shane helped out with that. It took all afternoon, but looked like an actual livable space after it was all down.

I had an idea as we were adding the OSB boards down for the floor. Instead of a skylight (I didn't dare cut into the fragile roof) I added cutouts in the floor right above the garage windows. This allows light to come up into the attic from below. Since they are along the edge, you would have to lay down and scoot or roll over to even lay on them. Even though it would be very hard to hurt the thick plexiglass windows because of their location, I added a "bumper" along the edge for safety. A 1x3 on its edge all around the perimeter to stop toys or little scooting bums :)

The opening for the floor window. You can see the garage window below.

Let's start the tour of the finished space!

The Reveal of the Garage Attic Makeover

Fun facts: The attic space is 17 feet by 21 feet. The highest point it 5 foot 8 inches so my youngest 2 and I can stand but the others in our family can't. The garage is 82 years old.

The stairs! I didn't want my kids (and the neighborhood kids) to have to climb a ladder to access their new fort. I wanted nice, sturdy stairs. I spent extra to get metal stringers. I ordered them online at Home Depot and had them delivered along with the other building materials. In order to have it so you entered the attic at its highest point (and avoid hitting your head) We needed to split up the stairs and add a landing. It took a bit to figure out since the cement garage floor is cracked and anything but level. But these stairs are very sturdy! We do need to add a little hand rail for safety still, but other than that, we are good to go!

I told the boys they were be responsible for cleaning the fort so it was up to them to decide if they wanted to take shoes off before they went up. They hate sweeping so they opted for it to be a shoe free zone. I made a mat to serve as a reminder. I spray painted a plain doormat.

Remember those metal card catalog drawers I painted this spring? This is where they were meant to be! Filled with all sorts of boy treasures.

The one thing my boys asked for was a small desk where they could draw or tie flies for fly fishing (which is their latest hobby). I made a VERY simple desk out of the old attic floor boards.

This darling green chair was Shane's grandma's office chair. When she passed, this is one of the items we picked. It is perfect for this colorful space.

Here is the main area!

You can see the floor windows along the edges

They mostly play games and read up there. I like that it is an electronic free space. We even do family scripture study up here occasionally.

Because heat rises, and it gets really hot here in the summer, I bought a small AC unit that is on wheels so they can move it where they need it most. Now that it is cooling off for Fall, they can probably get away with a fan.

Recycled Furnishings

I went over my (small) budget when building the space so I really wanted to make sure I didn't spend much on decorating it. The storage bench used to be in our office, the yellow love seat was free and once went in our living room, the chairs we use inside and out as needed when we have guests, the rug was in our living room at one point, and the coffee table/game table is the old dining room table top that we out grew. Remember I built a new top?

The only things I ended up buying for the space were the string lights, a couple of faux plants from the local online garage sale site, hairpin legs, and 2 IKEA pillow covers.

It has been very rainy here so it was tough to get a good bright photo, but luckily the string lights help. Aren't string lights so fun?

It has been a big hit with the kids. They even had a small party with neighbor kids. We also have an air hokey table the kids bought with lawn mowing money for the space that gets stored along the edge where you can't sit or walk. We take the legs off and it is completely out of the way!

I think my favorite thing about the garage attic makeover was the work involved in actually doing it. The kids learned new DIY skills and we had a lot of fun working on it together. I think our quarantine project was a success!

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Since I was making four ( and I love them so much I might make even more!) I wanted them to be as simple as possible but still provide comfy seating.

Outdoor Movie Theater Seats Tutorial

Like I said before, I wanted these to be as simple as possible in case I ended up making a ton of them.

1. I cut plywood that I had on hand into 24 inch by 18 inch pieces. The cushions were about 17 inches wide so that is why I made them a tiny bit bigger.  For every seat you want, cut two boards.

2. Then I primed them with a tinted primer I had on hand. White primer would be fine as well. I primed them because plywood is SO porous and soaks up a lot of paint. I didn't want to go through a million cans of spray paint.

3. I used hinges to attach the two boards together. I used two hinges per seat. Thicker plywood is best for this project for the fact that the screws will go all the way through the board if it is too thin.

4. I had some 1x2 that I cut to fit on the inside of the boards. I cut two pieces per seat. I screwed them onto the inside of the bottom. I then screwed a 5 inch screw all the way through the 1x2 piece. These get pushed into the ground to make sure the seat doesn't move when you lean back on it. There were four (one on each bottom corner) per seat. Then I painted the 1x2 piece as well.

We went super casual and added a crate as our "side table" and mason jars for the drinks.

Outdoor movies aren't just for kids! Why not have a girls night?

Because of the hinge, you can adjust these outdoor movie theater seats to any height you want. You can sit up or make it open more so you are laying down more.

Does your family ever have outdoor movies? Have you ever thought to do it as a couple's night? Or a girl's night? I would love to hear your stories!

Why chickens?

Well, it is pretty simple. I grew up in the country. We had horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks. We also had an occasional other farm animal if I batted my eyes at my dad and pleaded while doing a head tilt. My husband also grew up in the country. And I want my kids to experience a little bit of what it was like even if we do live in a "city". I think having animals to care for as a child teaches you so many things. Here are my top reasons why we have chickens.

*Teaches children responsibility

*Getting to watch eggs hatch (for us it is ducks and not chickens since we can't have roosters)

*Fresh eggs (Organic baby!)

*Low maintenance pet (Food is cheap and we just have to have a neighbor kid feed them when we leave somewhere. Pretty easy!)

*They eat bugs  (We sometimes let them loose in the garden to eat slugs and earwigs)

If you are thinking of getting chickens there are some things to consider.

Make sure that your city or town allows them. Also decide what type of pen or coop you want and if you have enough room. Different types of chickens have different types of temperaments. Some are more prone to pecking each other and some are so laid back they don't really. Our neighbors had some that literally pecked each other so much they all had huge bald spots and scabs. After much research I chose Buff Orpingtons. They are so mild that they say that if you have them, to not have other types of chickens because they won't even peck back in defence. They let my kids pick them up and pack them around. We also like silkies. They are very sweet as well and get along with our Orpingtons :) What are the predators in your area? Do you have coyotes, snakes, weasels, foxes, or anything else that might steal eggs or harm your chickens? That may determine whether you want to have them or at least how to construct your coop. Another thing to consider is your climate. Some are not as well suited for cold.

This is the chart I used way back when we were decided on what breed to get. It tells you all sorts of information about the most common breeds. I also love the site called My Pet Chicken.

So basically I am telling you that just like with any other pet, you should do your homework.

The Coop

Since it takes up a bit of space, we have tried to make it look as nice as a chicken pen can look. I still have a few things I would like to do to make it even better but let's be honest, a chicken pen is not high on my to do list. Especially when my basement is unfinished. But we have made it pretty decent so far.

My husband and don't fight a lot but one of our biggest arguments was over the design of the chicken coop. I wanted a glorified doghouse that was simple and easy to build. Mr. Architect drew up plans for a 3 level chicken condo (Not really, but it was very elaborate). I realized it was our first building project at our new house and his first chance to design something for us, but we were planning on having four chickens, people. Four. They didn't need guest rooms for visiting relatives. Now if you look at the coop we ended up with you would think I won that argument. But not exactly. Our budget won.

After buying a house and moving from out of state we didn't have a lot to throw at a chicken coop. Especially when our house needed so much work. We actually used wood from a shed my dad had built a LONG time ago. My mom no longer has horses so she had the scouts tear a lean-to and a shed down on her property. We also had some 2x4s that we had ripped out of our house. And when we moved in we found a pack of shingles in the garage left over from when they re-shingled. We painted it with leftover paint from painting the trim on our house. So we really only had to buy the trim and the chicken wire for the bottom.

Keeping things "Clean" and Fresh

Since I had had our whole marriage up until this point to think about one day when we would have chickens, I also had a lot of time to think of the perfect chicken coop. I wanted the chickens to have a lot of room to roam but I didn't want poop in my grass and everywhere else. I didn't want to have to walk into a stinky chicken coop either. So I decided I wanted one that was small and didn't require you to walk in in order to get the eggs. So a small coop and a large pen (to contain the poop) was the perfect setup for us.

On the topic of containing the poop..... We have a plastic bin full of "chicken coop shoes" just outside the pen. They are really just my husbands old sneakers. You have to wear them in the coop and then they go back in the bin.

I also use our garden tiller and till up the dirt in the pen several times a year to keep it "fresh".

We made the roof lift up by using a piano hinge all along the seam. There are 4 nesting boxes along that side. The other side (that doesn't lift up) has a 2x4 for roosting.

The bottom has two layers of chicken wire so that the poop can fall through. We dug a pit below. Then once or twice a year we tip the coop on it's side and shovel the poop out. P.S. I can't believe I am writing a post about chicken poop....

Along with raising backyard chickens, we also have a couple of ducks. Why ducks? Because they are stinkin' cute. We use to have a smaller house, that really did look like a dog house, that they slept in. But once we built the lean-to last year they didn't really use the duck house any more. A word of caution...Ducks are messier than chickens so if you don't want to deal with that, stick to chickens.

I had a lot of small scrap pieces of old fence pickets left over from past projects. I made reclaimed wood floating shelves, the barn wood cabinet, added some behind my dining room mirror, and many other little things. So I decided to use them to cover the plywood side of the lean-to.

Would you ever consider raising backyard chickens? Do you have chickens?

Do you have any other advice? I would love to hear your thoughts!

The down hall area was a mishmash of bad decisions.  The walls were a boring tan, the texture was harsh and pointy, there were three different carpet colors, and there were not any baseboards. While I don't have a picture of the hallway once you turn the corner at the end of the stairs, it looks the same as this picture. Mint carpet and tan pointy walls.

Phase 1 of the basement renovation is to makeover both existing bedrooms. Shane and I have moved to the unfinished part of the basement for now and we will be splitting the boys up into the two other bedrooms.

Phase 2 will be to finish the unfinished side of the basement, turning it into a master bedroom and some storage space.

So far I almost have one bedroom completed and I also have the hallway done!

I was surprised at how much it brightened up the space simply by painting the walls white. I love the new flooring as well. I think my favorite thing was adding the baseboard though. It was such a great finishing touch.

Once the walls were retextured, painted, and the flooring installed, I was finally able to add the art hanging system I bought YEARS ago. It is actually meant for hanging curtains, but when I saw it, I envisions all my children's artwork hanging on it.

It is from IKEA and is called DIGNITET. I used needle nose pliers to remove the little hook from the clips. Since I was not using them for curtains, I liked the way it looked and worked without them.

I got the runner rug from Wayfair. I fell in love with it at first sight! All three bedrooms will have blue in them (my whole house does actually) so the color was perfect.

The fiddle leaf tree has lived quite the life. I bought it 4 or 5 years ago and one spring I thought I would let it get some sunshine out on the porch. I forgot about it and it spent a very cold night outside. It lost most of its leaves. In fact, it only had two (mostly brown) leaves at the bottom and 2 small leaves at the top of each trunk. It looked so pitiful that I almost threw it out a couple of times. I didn't throw it away but I did banish it to the corner of the laundry room for two years until it started to look decent. I am so happy that they seem to be thriving again. Even if they do look like they are doing their best palm tree impression :) The cute basket the tree is in is from IKEA.

I need some help deciding. At the bottom of the stairs there is a blank wall with a window. Then there is this blank wall across from the children's art. I can decide it if would be better to leave it blank (that is what the minimalist in my head says to do) or add one large framed....something. A large framed nature print? A large family photo? Or maybe I could flex my painting skills and paint an abstract painting in blues and grays.  What would you do?

My kids have all comments (some multiple times) at how cool they think the wire system is that their art hangs from. They love the idea of being able to switch it out easily. I smile everytime I walk down the hallway and I see all the colors.

Do you display your children's art?

Sources:

IKEA Wire Curtain Hanging System

IKEA Basket Planter

Wayfair Blue Runner Rug

Wall Color: Popped Corn by Behr

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My youngest picked out a 99 cent stuffed mouse from IKEA one time when he was about three years old. He named him Mousey and he has been his friend ever since. Actually we are on Mousey #3 since they can only be washed about 89 times before looking really sad. I think my son likes to imagine that he is alive and his little buddy. He carries him in his pocket all the time. He even sneaks him to church sometimes. My son loves to read books about mice and especially loves The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  He even requested a mouse birthday party last year!

He and his brothers also like the book The Indian in the Cupboard, where a toy Indian figurine comes alive when placed in a special cupboard. Since my son is at that age where he is not a fan of things that are "girly" and pink, I thought that creating a house for his mouse that was like the magical cupboard in the book would be a fun twist.

I headed to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to look for a cupboard. While I didn't find one the size I wanted, I did find a whole wall of cabinet doors. I found one that I liked and figured it would be easy to build a box and shelves to go with it. I shared pictures on my Insta Stories of the wall of doors. It was quite impressive!

I picked a tall door so I would have enough space for three rooms. I didn't want it too big because I knew that he would want to move it around. He likes to play in whatever room I am in  or where his brothers are.  I think 6 inches deep and 2 feet tall is perfect!

I used Minwax's Dark Walnut oil based stain for the door and cabinet box.

Once it was dry, I painted the inside white. I really wanted the house to have a lot of fun details so I added real wood floors! I cut the ends off of popsicle sticks and used wood glue to adhere them to the top two floors.

I figured Mousey is a pretty trendy mouse, so I went with a gray toned floor that seems to be so popular right now. I used one of my go-to colors of stain, Weathered Oak. It is such a pretty color!

I also stained some wooden beads that would become the feet to make swinging the door open easier. When the cabinet box, door, feet, and floors were all dry, I sealed them with polyurethane. I waited for the first coat to dry then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper, wipe it down, and added a second coat.

Once they were all dry, I added the feet and added hinges to the door. I really wanted a knob with a keyhole to be like the actual cupboard in the book, but I settled for this old looking pewter one from Hobby Lobby.

It didn't take long for Mousey to feel at home!

He has a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom!

My favorite things in the living room are the gallery wall and the TV with a tiny remote! The drawer on the table opens and the remote fits inside. I made some of the items for the house out of clay and others I ordered (like most of the furniture). I had fun creating and printing off tiny art for all the frames.

This kitchen! I loved the little set of appliances I ordered but they were all white. I didn't want them to blend in with the mouse or the walls so I painted them silver (stainless steel). I love that the stove and under the sink open and can be used to store the extra pots and pans as well as dishes.

I made some food out of polymer clay while watching Hallmark Christmas movies. I think I will make some more so his poor little fridge won't look so bare :)

I stayed up one night (because I could only work when my son was gone or sleeping) to sew bedding, the apron, the chef hat, and this night cap. While I don't love sewing, I have to admit it was pretty fun!

We are a family of readers so it is no surprise that Mousey likes to read as well.

I was obsessed with dollhouses and all things tiny when I was a little girl. Since I have all boys, I didn't think that dollhouses were in my future. When my son asked for a house for his mouse, I knew it would be so fun to make that happen.

Minwax has more project ideas on their site as well as more details about their Made With Love Campaign.

Do your children or grandchildren have a dollhouse? Or did you play with them as a child? I'd love to hear your stories or memories!

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This post was sponsored by Minwax but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own!

Outdoor Movies

It has become a tradition that as soon as school is out, we start the outdoor movies. We happen to have a projector screen, but a white sheet works too! Blankets, bean bags, camp chairs, or these easy DIY seats are all great seating options. Get comfy and grab some popcorn!

Play Tent

My kids are constantly building forts. They build them in closets, under beds, and with blankets. Why not make them a play tent? Or better yet, give them the supplies and have them create the tent themselves!

Yogurt Bars Or Homemade Popsicles

Summer and popsicles are a match made in heaven. My kids love making them, especially these blueberry ones!  We come up with all sorts of flavor combinations. Popsicle molds are inexpensive and not only is it a treat, it can be a fun activity!

Clay Beads

Polymer clay is one of my favorite craft items. Okay, I admit, I don't have a ton of "craft" items to begin with (I hate glitter...), BUT this clay is so dang useful! My kids like making all sorts of things with it like these beads.

Rainbow Garden

I have a love of gardening that I would love to pass on to my children. I decided to create a rainbow garden one year and now growing rainbow veggies has become a tradition! One year I even had my kids make the signs. This is a summer long activity with great rewards :)

Lemonade Stand

Take your lemonde stand up a notch by adding fresh fruit and mint as mix in options for your customers! I bet you could even charge more ;)

Paint Cookies

A work of art they can eat when they are done? Your kids will love painting giant sugar cookies as much as mine. Food coloring or natural food dyes can be used as "paint".

Bird Feeders

We first did this for national bird feeding month in February but you can do this any time of the year. Plus, in the summer you are outdoors more often and have a better chance of seeing the birds eating! We have some bird feeders in our tree right now.

Homemade Play Dough

My mom made homemade play dough for us when we were growing up and it was one of the things I couldn't wait to do when I had kids of mine own. What kid doesn't love play dough? And this kind smells GOOD!

Fruit Pizza

I love fruit pizza! I make is several different ways but this way was pretty fun because of the things I used to make it look like a real pizza. Can you guess what the "cheese" is made of?

Rainbow Crayons

My boys have always loved to draw and color. I started making these rainbow crayons when my oldest two were tiny. I figured they were not only a good use of those tiny broken bits of crayon but a fun new way for my boys to create pictures.

Flower Pot Cakes

Yes, these flower pot cakes could just be a fun treat your kids help you make, but they could also be served and a tea party you have with your kids and their friends! They are super easy!!!

Homemade Graham Crackers for S'Mores

We are HUGE campers and we even have a fire pit in the backyard so we can get the feel of camping whenever we want. We go through quite a few packs of marshmallows in the summer months. Last year I made some homemade graham crackers that were delicious!

Alright, I've spilled some of my best summer activities, not it is your turn! Help give me some ideas to keep the kids happy for the next few months :)

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For the past couple of years we have talked about making bird feeders but just never got to it. This year we decided to make it a priority. It is really simple to do, so I feel silly we took so long to do it.

I had read on several sites that you should use plain gelatin. I used two of the little packs from the box (I used the Knox brand) and added 1 cup of water. I heated it in the microwave and then added the bird seed.  I didn't want it to be too runny but I think I ended up adding a little bit too much because the more delicate cookie cutter shapes didn't hold up as well as the chunkier ones did.

I added the seed mixture to snowflake cookie cutters and to snowflake silicone molds. Place a straw into them to create a hole. Let them sit overnight to dry.

I really love my Snowflake Silicone Mold. You can get them on Amazon. (affiliate link)

We had fun hanging them all over the yard. The boys got out the binoculars and waited for birds to come. They sat for over an hour (getting along and happy) watching and chatting about birds. It was fun to make them and it provided an activity after as well. Win, win.

Do you have any bird lovers at your house? Have you ever made bird feeders? I had considered making the peanut butter ones and wonder if the birds might like them better. If you have experience with either kind I would love to hear!

I wanted these to be as simple as possible in case I ended up making a ton of them. I cut plywood that I had on hand into 24 inch by 18 inch pieces. The cushions were about 17 inches wide so that is why I made them a tiny bit bigger.  For every seat you want, cut two boards.

The I primed them with a tinted primer I had on hand. White primer would be fine as well. I primed them because plywood is SO porous and soaks up a lot of paint. I didn't want to go through a million cans of spray paint.

I used hinges to attach the two boards together. I used two hinges per seat. Thicker plywood is best for this project for the fact that the screws will go all the way through the board if it is too thin.

I had some 1x2 that I cut to fit on the inside of the boards. I cut two pieces per seat. I screwed them onto the inside of the bottom. I then screwed a 5 inch screw all the way through the 1x2 piece. These get pushed into the ground to make sure the seat doesn't move when you lean back on it. There were four (one on each bottom corner) per seat.

Then I painted the 1x2 piece as well.

And because you can't have a movie without popcorn, I made a family favorite....

Almond Joy Popcorn!

Pop some popcorn, add some unsalted almonds, and then drizzle melted chocolate over it. Then add some unsweetened coconut flakes. If you are doing a small amount of popcorn, make it in a bowl. If you are making a large batch, spread the popcorn and almonds on a cookies sheet and then add the chocolate.

For even more coconut flavor, add coconut flavoring to the chocolate!

Now you are ready to enjoy it during your outdoor movie!

Does your family ever have outdoor movies?

My oldest turned 9 this month! Since he is too big for the cutesy stuff like pin the tail on the donkey, and musical chairs, we decided to do a detective party. I figured the kids would be old enough to read and figure out the clues. I think this is my favorite party I have ever done! ( although I have a tendency to say that every time) Here is what I did for the invites.

I used stencils and rubber stamps on the Manila folder. Inside was the paper with the details of Case #9 (since he was turning 9). I downloaded the typewriter font from dafonts.com for free. They have a lot of fun fonts!

I made brief cases for every kid out of cereal boxes. I glued the boxes shut with my glue gun and then spray painted them (Krylon Satin Finish in # 2903Earth Tierra). I had also cut 1 ½' strips out of another cereal box to be the handles. I then used an X-acto knife to cut the three sides so it would open. I used Velcro to be able to close them. To attach the handles I used a glue gun and brad fasteners. Not only do the brads give the handles extra support to stay on, they give that extra detail that helps it look like the real thing!

Inside each briefcase was a notebook, mustache, pencil, magnifying glass, decoder watch, and sunglasses. The magnifying glasses were bought at The Dollar Tree. They were very well made. The mustaches and sunglasses were from Oriental Trading. The Notebook was from Wal-Mart.

I made the decoder watches. I cut out a black circle and a white circle that was slightly smaller. I used an X-acto knife to cut the small squares out of the white circles. I fastened them together with the brad and then wrote the numbers and letters as I rotated it. I then glue gunned it onto a band. They had Velcro on them so the kids could take them on and off.
When they arrived they were greeted by Agent last name here.

I was the Director of the detective agency. I briefed them on the case. I introduced them to our suspects.

Jimmy "The Weasel" & Professor Sticky Fingers & The Pretty Boy Bandit
I am sure you  have figured out that these are all the same person. I took these shots of my husband a few days before the party and had them developed as 5x7s for the suspect board.

 

Aren't they cutest detectives ever??? P.S. I forgot to mention that I also got them all detective hats from Oriental Trading. They were surprisingly cheap and you could pick the amount you buy instead of them coming in a pack of 1 dozen.

In the kitchen we realized that the cupcakes were missing. There was a note instead. It was written in teeny tiny writing. Good thing they had magnifying glasses!
The clue said he had gone out by way of the basement door. It also said he loved chocolate cupcakes which was a clue from the info given earlier about the suspects.

On our way down we got a message from Agent last name here via walkie talkie that an eye witness had come forward and said that the thief had dark hair. They figured out that eliminated The Pretty Boy Bandit as a suspect.
The note that we found was just outside the basement door crumpled up. It was written backwards. We  went into the down bathroom and held it up to the mirror. It said that he had parked his getaway car at the nearest parking lot.
While we were walking across the street to the parking lot we got another message on the walkie talkie. The eyewitness said the thief drove an old truck. My husband had parked our old truck in the parking lot of the school earlier that day and left the clue under the windshield wiper. This clue also helped them narrow down who it was because of info given at the briefing. They had figured out that is was Jimmy "The Weasel". They thought for sure he was hiding in the truck eating our cupcakes.

The truck was empty! The note on the truck was written in a code.

The kids used their watches to crack it.

It said "Gotcha! I need some milk to go with these cupcakes." It took a while for them to crack the code. This gave my husband enough time to get changed into his Jimmy costume and get things set up back home.

And this is what they found! Jimmy eating our Oreo cupcakes.

I don't think I have ever laughed so hard as I did at those kids' reaction. It was so fun! They got to throw him in jail too. I used PVC pipe and cardboard spray painted grey. I made it to fit inside the door frame of our office.

After eating and presents, I gave them our thank you goodie bag. It had smarties, dum dum suckers, and extra mustaches.

It was so much fun! The boys stayed in character the whole time. They looked at everything as if it were a clue. I looked out the window and saw two of the neighbor boys playing detective later that day. I love sending home hats and things like that because it is like they are taking the party home with them.
I want to also mention that tons of things went wrong. I was sleep deprived ( as in 2 ½ hours total of sleep)due to a teething baby, I had a primary program rehearsal that day, and  a few other little things. I had to nix the ID cards I was going to make for each kid. I had no makeup on. I didn't have time to iron my shirt and I couldn't find my short black skirt. And I had to hide my dirty dishes and stacks of bills in the office because I didn't have time to get to them. But you know what? The kids didn't care. They had a blast and this is what it is about. It's not about us as parents. It isn't about things being perfect. It is about having fun! Oh, and being cheap. This whole party cost me under $60.00.

I have compiled a list of some of the things that we have done at our house. These are tried and true boredom busters!

And for even more ideas, follow my KIDS pinterest board!

I have included some inside activities as well because we lived in Las Vegas for 4 years and I know that it is too hot to even think about going outside during the day. We had to get creative indoors back then :)

#1 Make a play tent

You can make one that is reusable like this one made from PVC pipe and a tarp, or you can use blankets and your picnic table. But is there anything more magical than a for or playhouse when you are young? (Click the above link for a video tutorial!)

If it is too hot outside, then stack up pillows and make a fort inside :)

#2 Treasure Hunt

I use to make treasure hunts for my younger brother growing up and now I make them for my kids. I get a treat or something fun and put it in a shoe box. Sometimes I decorate the box to look like a treasure chest. The I hide it somewhere in the yard. A few time I even dug a hole and buried it! I either make a map ( if they are younger) or give them a clue on a piece of paper that leads to another clue and so forth until they find the prize. It is a fun way to keep them busy for awhile.

#3 Go For A Hike

We like to start out early since it get so hot here in the summer. We are lucky enough to be a very short drive away from the canyon. But even if it is more of a walk than a hike, find a place in your area you can get out and get some exercise. Leave the devices at home and enjoy the scenery!

#4 Make popsicles

This is one of our favorite homemade recipes. We do all kind of fruit, not just blueberries. There are literally hundreds of recipes online, so find one that looks good to you and have your kids help you. Sometimes it is hard for them to wait for them to freeze, but they will love that they got to help make them :)

#5 Make clay beads

My kids love all things army, but you could make these in any color. Click the link above to see the full tutorial. Super easy!

#6 Grow a rainbow garden

I explain it better in my post (click on the clickable title #6 -above) but a couple years in a row we planted a rainbow garden in a section of our garden plot just for the kids. I had to order most of the seeds online but it was so worth it! And you can even make garden markers.

#7 Paint Rocks

Instead of lemonade stands as a kid, I painted rocks and had a rock sale. There is something so fun about painting rocks! If you have never done it, it may sound weird. But I promise your kids will love it :) Wash them really well and let your kids paint away! We use acrylic craft paints. Turn them into bookends, paperweights, door stops, or just display them on a shelf.

#8 Have A Paper Airplane Race

Almost all my scrap paper gets used up by my boys in the making of and perfecting of paper airplanes. They love to have races! It can occupy up to 3 hours of their time as long as no one argues. I even get the markers out and let them decorate them.

#9 Build a tape city

We started doing this when our oldest (who is now 12) was super tiny. We lived in Vegas and it was so hot outside. I grabbed the masking tape one day and made roads all over the carpet. I added some toy buildings and Voila! A city. We still do this but now painter's tape is usually the tape of choice :)

#10 Make chin faces

I remember my brother and I doing this growing up. It still cracks me up! Make sure to draw on their faces with non toxic washable markers. Put on some music for a lip sync too! Film it for future entertainment.

#11 Bubble Blowing Contest

Whether it is soap bubble you blow or chewing gum, have a contest to see who can blow the biggest bubble. Maybe the bubble that lasts the longest. Or the smallest, or the most. Kids are fascinated with bubble of all kinds and will be entertained for a long time.

#12 Outdoor or indoor movie

Instead of just putting a movie on for the kids, turn it into an all day event by having them make cars for the "drive-in" before hand. They can help make a treat for the movie too. We made these cars a few years ago and they lasted over a year! And yes, I am sure you have seen the stolen version of this photo on Facebook. I guess that just proves it was a good idea :)

#13  Make homemade clay

I never played with store bought clay growing up. I am not sure if I even knew that there was such a thing. The clay we made growing up smelled like salt. My sister found a recipe that calls for Kool-Aid and it smells yummy!

#14 Let Your Kids Take Photos

Let you child take your phone or camera and take pictures of whatever they want. You may be surprised at how good they are! Or you may have to play the "what is this?" game when looking through them :) Since we live in a digital world, it doesn't cost anything for them to snap away!

#15 Microscope fun!

I love that my oldest asked for a microscope for Christmas about 4 or 5 years ago. We have looked at all sorts of things. The boys love gathering specimens around the yard and house. You can even sneak in a science lesson or two.

#16 Magic Show

We have a book full of easy magic trick for kids. Sometimes my kids like to put on a magic show for the family. You can also look up tricks online and even watch videos. Or maybe you could put on the show for your kids! Glittery hats are optional....

#17 Home Depot Kids Workshops

On Saturdays throughout the year, Home Depot offers kid workshops where they get to build something like a birdhouse, truck, or catapult. My kids have loved going in the past and still wear their tool belt/apron around.

#18 Backyard Camping 

We love to camp and my boys would love to go every weekend. But it is a lot of work and sometimes I don't want to load up everything but the kitchen sink into the van. So we started doing backyard camping trip. We set up the tent and make breakfast in the morning over the firepit. Less work, clean bathrooms, and just as much fun.

#20 Toy "Car Wash"

Set up a car wash and wash all of your outside toys that tend to get filthy. Bikes, those plastic "Flintstone" cars and trucks and get all clean in the name of fun.

I love to have the birthday kid dress up to match the theme. It sets them apart and makes them feel special. And isn't that why we have these parties anyway? I bought an over sized green tee shirt at Wal-Mart. I think it was $3.00. Then I cut the bottom so it was jagged. We used black pants and a belt. I made a hat out of felt. I used fabric glue since I am a novice when it comes to sewing. I happened to have a red feather in my box of tricks but you could easily make one out of paper.

For the cake I made a crocodile. The whole reason we even had a Peter Pan theme was because he loved the crocodile. For more info on how I made this cake click on the crocodile cake link on the side bar.

I set up my backyard to look like different places in Neverland. The first place we went was the Lost Boys Hideout. I used a big cardboard box to surround a pine tree. When we went over I opened it to reveal the game. We played pin the tail on the lost boy.


Next we went to the Indian Camp. I had made a tee pee using a painters tarp and some 1x2 boards. When I started I really had no idea what I was doing. I started with the boards and some rope. I tied the tops together going over and under and through. There really wasn't any rhyme or reason to my method. Then I draped the cloth over. I had to use a needle and some embroidery thread to "sew" the cloth onto the boards. I just did a stitch here and there. Nothing major. I am sure there are easier ways to create a tee pee. But as the mother of 4 boys, I wanted something that would last so we could play with it for a long time. We put old shirts on the kids and let them paint the tee pee with poster paint. I bought big paint brushes for very cheap at the craft store.

After that we went to Pirate's Cove to play the cannon ball toss. I used black balloons filled with water for the cannons. I didn't fill them up all the way because I didn't want them to pop very easily. I had control over the tote of cannons so it wouldn't be a free for all. They then were split into 2 teams. They had to throw the cannon balls into the buckets. Which ever team had the most in their tote won. They loved this one. I told them after the party was over they could come back and try to pop the balloons. Since we hadn't put our yard in yet it wasn't a problem.

The last place we went was Crocodile Creek. I told them that the pesky crocodile had eaten the treasure and we had to get it back. I ended up making my pinata because I waited too long to order one from online. It defiantly ended up being cheaper, but was kind of a pain to get it the right shape. I am a fan of homemade pinatas. The only reason I was going to order this one was because of it being so difficult to make. I used balloons, toilet paper cardboard rolls, and egg cartons to achieve the finished product. (I paper mached over them, of course)

It was a fun party for a little boy. If you had girls attending or the party was for a girl, you could include Tinkerbell, the Mermaid Lagoon (some sort of water game), and Wendy's bedroom ( story telling area).

He wanted a lion cake. It doesn't get much easier than this!

When the kids arrived I was waiting for them on the porch. I had a desk set up and I was there to check them in. I stamped their passport and gave them a malaria pill ( M&Ms in a prescription bottle) in preparation for our little trip to Africa. They then went inside where my mom was waiting for them. She dressed in a navy suit and had on a name tag with the Airline logo on it. I wanted it to seem like they were on a plane. I had chairs set up in rows and we even had an in flight movie showing - Lion King. They watched this while we waited for everyone to get there. I used a cardboard box and one of our DVD players out of our van. I had a baby monitor receiver hidden. My husband was downstairs where the monitor base was. He spoke in his best pilot lingo telling the kids that is was time to land and that the flight attendant would help them exit the plane. (walkie talkies would work as well) The kids were amazed and I have to admit that it was probably my favorite part of the whole party.

We left the front room and went into the dining room that is attached to the kitchen. I had an extra table set up. School had just started so I thought it would be fun to make a charm to hang from their backpacks. We used Shrinkie Dink to make them. If you have never used it before you are missing out! It is the coolest thing ever. You can buy it at Michael's or Robert's craft or directly online. It comes as thin plastic sheets. You draw on it using permanent markers, cut it out and bake it in the oven for a couple minutes and it shrinks! It also becomes thicker. The kids got a kick out of watching it too. To make things as easy as possible, I had drawn different safari animals on paper. I cut the shrinkie dink sheets in half. Then they taped (so it wouldn't slip) them on to whatever animal paper they wanted and traced it. I had a lot of different colored markers for them to color them. My mom and a friend helped me with this because some kids needed help cutting the animals out. We hole punched them so we could fit a metal key chain ring through it later.

When we left the kitchen area we went outside. We gave them a safari hat and binoculars, both of which came from Oriental Trading.

We had elephant races. It is called that since elephants hold on to each others tails when they walk. You will probably understand it better from the picture than from a description. We had two teams. They raced from one end of the yard to the other and then back again. It is hysterical to watch!!!

The last game was going on an animal safari. Ideally, I would have used a four wheeler and a trailer decorated like a safari jeep to take them around the yard where the cardboard animals were hidden. But I didn't have access to a trailer. So I made up clues by describing the animal. They had to look around the yard to find that animal to get the next clue. At the end were gift bags full of plastic safari animals and treats. I got the animals at Wal-Mart in their cheap toy isle for $1.88 a bag. I bought a few bags.

If the strawberry doesn't lay flat (most don't) then cut part of it off.

I melted some chocolate in the microwave and then put it in a sandwich bag with one of the corners cut out. I held the strawberry to put the head on and then laid it down on the wax paper.

I added dots and antennae. When doing the antennae, go over them twice to make sure they are thick enough to survive being taken off the wax paper later. Make sure they are completely set up before you try to take them off. Make more than you will need in case you have some break.

I made these for a garden party to go with some finger sandwiches. They would be cute food for a tea party as well or would be darling on top of a cupcake.

A play tent!

I made the mistake of asking my (architect) husband how he thought it should look...... But in the end we were able to agree on a SIMPLE design. :P

I used duct tape, PVC pipe, and a tarp.

Here is a little video tutorial on how to make it. (it is my FIRST video tutorial :) )

For more ideas of what you can make with the new patterned and colored duct tape from Scotch you can visit their gallery.

The Lady Bug Cake

This cake is super easy! I poured one cupcake and then the rest of the batter went into the round pan.
I used frosting for the dots but you could also use mini Oreos. The eyes are just big blobs of frosting. Pipe cleaners make good legs and antennae. You can buy them in all black or all brown packs. I probably should have gone with brown to match the chocolate frosting, but oh well! It still turned out pretty cute.

You can also visit my helpful hints cake page.

The Worm Cake

I am the mother of 4 boys. We like bugs at our house. So it didn't even phase me when my son asked for a worm cake. It was pretty easy too. I baked the cake in a bundt cake pan. I cut the cake into three pieces and turned two around the other direction so instead of a circle it was a squiggly line like a worm. I carved one end to be pointy and one rounded. I put it on a cookie sheet and then spread Oreo cookie crumbs all around to look like dirt.

For tip, visit my helpful hints page.

Visit my helpful hints page for more tips and tricks.

The Popcorn Cake

This cake got a lot of attention. It was pretty easy to make too. Instead of using a cake mix like I usually do, I made a pound cake. Cakes that are dense stack better. I baked it in a 9x13 pan and then cut it into squares. Before I started stacking them I added a dollop of frosting onto the tray so the cake would stick and not topple over when moved.

I frosted in between each layer and then crumb coated it. I stuck it in the freezer for awhile (the fridge would work also) so the crumb coat layer would get hard. It makes frosting it so much easier.

While the cake was in the freezer I made the popcorn. I melted some white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds. I spooned it into a sandwich baggie and cut the tip off of one corner. I squeezed drops into a pan of ice water. The ice needs to be "pellet" ice. I don't know what it is really called but if you can't find it bagged, you can go to a gas station and buy it in the cups by the drink machines. There needs to be more ice than water.

This is what it looks like! Pretty cool, huh?

When you are done with frosting the cake then you can pipe on the stripes. Don't worry if the cake isn't straight or the lines are a little wiggly. It is a BAG of popcorn. Chances are a real bag of popcorn wouldn't look straight either. And kids aren't going to be critiquing you on your technique. They won't see past the fun idea of it. I am about to suggest something that I never thought I would. If you are nervous to pipe the stripes on, or you start and can't get them straight, you could use fondant. I think the stuff tastes nasty and that is why I never use it but it wouldn't be bad just as stripes. Roll it out and cut the stripes with a knife.

When you are done with the stripes you can add the popcorn on the top. Use frosting as glue. Then for the butter I used yellow frosting that I painted on with one of my kid's clean watercolor brushes.

The Cereal Cake

I was asked to make a groom's cake for a wedding. The guy is OBSESSED with cereal. As in he eats it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hopefully that will change now that he is married  :)
Anyway, I don't like to use fondant because I think it tastes nasty. I want my cakes to look nice, but I want them to taste good too. I am not sure what kind of a party this would go with. . .  sleepover maybe??? Or maybe for a kid who is obsessed with cereal too! I don't know. But here it is any way.
I was so super stressed about this cake that I forgot to take pictures of how I made it. I doubled my cake recipe. Everything BUT the sugar. So I had to make a new one and was up until 3 am. I baked the cake in a large sauce pan because I didn't have a glass bowl large enough. The pan had tapered sides like a bowl so it worked. The "cereal" is white chocolate. I melted down some white chocolate chips and added food coloring to them. I spooned the melted chocolate into a baggie, cut off one corner, and dropped it into some ice water. To see what the heck I am talking about, see my popcorn cake. I have pictures showing the process. Make sure when you take the "cereal" out of the ice water that you put them on a paper towel to dry so they don't get sticky.
To make the spoon, I did the same thing with the chocolate chips. Melted them, added black food coloring, put it in a baggie, and cut the corner. Then I squirted it out onto wax paper into the shape of a spoon handle. I did the same thing with my tea pot cake.
I just had another idea! Yep. Right now as I was typing :)  Instead of making cereal, you could squirt the letters of the alphabet and make it alphabet soup! ( I am totally humming "Animal crackers in my soup") That would be cute for a toddler's ABC party. I have one in the works. Yeah! Now I have a cake idea.

The Princess Tiara Cake

The cake was just a basic round cake. I crumb coated it and stuck it in the freezer. I ended up forgetting to take it out and finish it before I had to leave for church. When I got home it was obviously frozen. I went ahead and frosted it. That is why the frosting is so smooth and flat. It wasn't my original intention but it looks pretty good. The crown is made out of sugar cookies. I drew a pattern on paper , cut them out, and used them to cut the dough. It took me three tries. I am terrible at making sugar cookies. So even if you don't have the knack for making them either, there is hope. Because if I can do it, you can too!

I wanted it to look like a real tiara so the frosting needed to be gray to look like metal. When I added the black food coloring to the white frosting it came out lavender. To fix it I added one tiny drop of yellow. It was perfect.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as silver sprinkles until I went looking for those silver ball things and stumbled across these. I love them!

For the jewels you could buy some candy. That would be the fastest and easiest way. I am not sure what kind of candy would make a good jewel, but I am sure if you looked around you could find something. I decided to make mine. While the cake was baking I made the candy part of this cake. I put ½ cup of sugar, ¼ a cup of corn syrup (Karo syrup) and ⅛ cup water in a sauce pan and brought it to a boil. I don't have a candy thermometer so I use a trick my mom taught me. I have a bowl of ice water next to the stove and when it starts to get thicker and I think it might be ready I use a spoon and put a little in the water. If it hardens and cracks when I break it then it is ready. If not, stir a little longer and then try again. I make candy often with my kids and this has always worked. If you want a more exact way or if you already have a thermometer then it needs to reach 295 F. I also added flavoring. Don't add the flavoring until you have turned off the heat and allowed it to sit for about 30 seconds. I used a spoon to drop it onto the tin foil. I wanted different sizes so this was perfect. When it starts to cool you will get these little string things, but they snap off easily and they aren't a problem.
Even though I had baked the cookies to the point of being hard, I cut a slit in the cake. I didn't want to chance them breaking. I also want to point out a mistake I made so you won't do the same. I didn't shake the loose sprinkles off the cookies before trying to put them on the cake. You can see the sprinkles on the pink frosting. It was a pain to fix. So remember to gently shake the cookies!

I piped some frosting to fill in the gaps. The I dumped some sprinkles out, pressed my finger on them until they stuck, and then dabbed my finger onto the frosting. Then I used small dabs of frosting to adhere the candy jewels to the crown. Have fun coming up with other ways to decorate this fun girly cake.