Not your average toilet paper roll art

Spring break is approaching, and all the horrors joys of having the kids home ALL DAY with it. What to do? What to do? Art project!

No, I haven’t lost my mind and I don’t hate you. Trust me. This one is easy and only requires a little bit of advanced prep. I even did this with my son’s Pre-K class – 16 kids at once – and I’m still alive.

Ok, You’ve Convinced Me. Now What?

This is not rocket science. Seriously, this is all stuff I did with the TV on a few days ahead of time. It’s not a high concentration activity, and the kids can help.

Prep this stuff ahead of time:

• toilet paper rolls (remove the toilet paper first) – you’ll use about 2 per kid
• scissors or a paper cutter
• colored paper (mostly green but other leafy colors will work, too)
• white glue

Simple materials make this easy

Cut the toilet paper rolls into ½”-¾” sections so you have a bunch of little rings. It’s okay for them to be pointy on the ends; you want them to look like leaves. Just smush the tubes lengthwise and cut. I used a paper cutter, but scissors will work just fine.

Take your little rings and use some plain white glue around the edges to stick them to the colored paper. Let them dry completely. Then cut around each ring, so you now have a bunch of “leaves” with a colored backing. Set these aside for craft day.

Today’s the Day!

Here’s what you’ll need to create your art piece:

• small canvases (I buy the value packs of canvas at Michael’s & it usually works out to be about $1 per canvas). You could also use cardboard, foamcore, wood or any other stiff backing – use whatever floats your boat or whatever is easiest to get ahold of.
• your toilet paper roll leaves
• small sticks – we used sticks we found in the yard, but if you don’t have cooperative trees, pipe cleaners or other stick-like materials will work
• 

  Ready to create

  hot glue gun to attach the sticks to the canvas – this is the only part the kids can’t do

• white glue

Send the kids outside to gather sticks – one per canvas. Now go have a cup of coffee, they’re going to be a while. Score one for mom!

When the kids return, pick the sticks that will work and hot glue them to the canvas. Then stick the toilet paper roll leaves on around the stick to look like leaves. My method is to pour a little white glue into a shallow dish (a paper plate works well), then take a small paintbrush and brush the paint onto the back of the leaf and stick it to the canvas. Press it down gently and it should stick. Pressing up from the backside of the canvas will help, too.

My son’s creation – I love how the leaves reach off the canvas and how one is falling!

Once all the leaves you want are attached, let them dry then hang your masterpiece. My sample and the one my son did in Kindergarten hang in our kitchen, and I always get compliments on them when people come over.

If you’re not into leaves, we also made flowers and butterflies in class using pipe cleaners instead of sticks (perhaps some of my lovely readers will share their kid’s masterpiece from class last year – hint, hint!). If it’s fall break instead of spring, try using gold, orange and red paper for your backing. Be creative, and if you do this craft or have other ideas, please share. I’d love to see how yours turn out!

Bonus: these make great homemade gifts. So if your kid was in my kid’s class last year, and you already have one of these in your house, take note! Think grandparents … Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or whatever occasions you have coming up. Homemade art from the kids is always a hit!

My workout paraphernalia

“Exercise is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle.” So says every expert and guru out there. And of course, we all know it’s true.

But as moms, we also know it can be incredibly hard to do. And being a stay-at-home mom hasn’t made it any easier. Just because I actually have time during the day, doesn’t mean I actually have time during the day. Because I’m running errands or doing laundry or doing my volunteer work. Or maybe I’m just tired or my kid is home sick or I’d just rather watch Scandal today instead of getting workout ugly* trying to balance on my elbows in yoga class.

But today I went to the gym. Admittedly, I haven’t been in a while, and I didn’t do the yoga class (I didn’t feel I could face the perky

teacher – I really love her too much to inflict myself on her class today). I managed a respectable 40 minute, 2+ mile jaunt on the elliptical. Enough to feel like I did something, but not enough to require serious rehabilitation time afterwards.

It felt good. It didn’t kill me, and I know I did something healthy for myself. I may even do it again tomorrow. Yay me!

My actual feet in my actual shoes after my actual workout!

Now to stay  motivated. How do you do it moms? Please share what works for you! I’d love to hear what strategies you use. Perhaps it will get me off my butt and into the gym a little more. And perhaps I’ll see you there.

*workout ugly (adj.): the red-faced, hair-falling-down, sweaty mess that is me during and after a workout. I do NOT “glow,” “shine,” or in any way look good when I work out. If you do, I’m not sure we can be friends. Or at least not workout buddies. Sorry.