I wish I could take credit for the following adorableness, but I have to give all credit to my friend Susan who is truly and out-of-the-box creative mom. The best part is that she doesn’t even realize just how cool she is, but she comes up with some really neat things for her four boys to do. It’s like year-round summer camp at her house.

Yesterday, K and I joined our friends at a Christmas in July party complete with decorations, projects, a gift exchange and an indoor snowball fight! We had such a fantastic time, I had to share some ideas to throw your own Christmas in July party. Follow these simple, but creative steps for a Christmasy good time in July!

1. Invites – With your evite invitations invite the kids to bring a present for a gift exchange from the Target $1 spot. Invite moms to bring cookies to share.
2. Food – Serve all your favorite Christmas cookies. To keep the kids busy, make plain butter cookies in various Christmas shapes and create a cookie decorating station (outside) for the “big” kids.
3. Decor – Give your Christmas decorations a break from storage. Decorate a tree with beach themed items from around the house – flip flips, shovels, pool toys, sunglasses, etc. Pull out Christmas books for reading/decoration, and play all of your favorite Christmas carols. You can even bust out the Christmas-themed toys that only see play once a year.
4. Art project – Cover your kitchen table with giant sheets of paper and draw Christmas-themed shapes and characters creating a giant Christmas coloring book for the kids. (It totally helps to be able to draw here, but you could always Google Christmas images, print them out and tape the sheets all over your table.)
5. Snowball fight – This is where my jaw hit the floor. At some point during the party, Susan started an all-out snowball war in her living room! With snowballs made from nylon filled balls of stuffing, these snowballs were softer than the real thing. Even my timid toddler got into the act of collecting and tossing snowballs. It was all out fun with lots of laughter.
6. Finally the gift exchange. As each child arrived, have them deposit their packages in a basket, and as each child leaves allow them to select a present to go. We took an Elmo book and received an animal puzzle. Each gift only cost $1, but it brought HUGE smiles!

In between the Christmas fun, the kids ran around and had a typical play date while the moms caught up. It was a fun day filled with several creative extras that made it extra special. So, if you are planning to have some little ones over, throw convention out the window and create Christmas in July (or August or whenever) party. The kids will love and the moms will be in awe of your creativity!

I love to create. While I wouldn’t consider myself an artist, my love of creating my own art projects began when I was little and continues to this day. I love to scrapbook, make greeting cards, hair bows, sew, party decor and more – I love to create. Nature or nurture, I will never be sure, but I do know that my mom nurtured this, umm, talent in me, and I plan to do the same with my daughter. In fact, I look forward to doing the same with my daughter.

At two, my daughter’s art projects mainly consist of coloring (scribbling), but I use her “art” to create Thank You Notes, Birthday Cards and more. So, when I came across an opportunity to receive a gift pack of Glue Dots from Twitter Moms, projects with my daughter flashed through my mind.

Our first project was a 4th of July project for Mimi. (Mimi hosts a big 4th of July party.) This was a fun project to do with her, and so simple to set up. While ours was 4th of July, you could do this for any holiday or just with fun shapes!

Mommy Tip – Google the shape(s) you are looking for with “outline,” and use the images tab. For example, I Googled “Star Outline” (images) and found a perfect star shape, which I proceeded to print, cut and use as a template for my shapes. You can find pretty much any shape you are looking for.

After cutting out red and blue stars, I let my daughter color a white sheet of paper and the stars. Finally, I helped her put the glue dots on the backs of the stars and let her place it on the page anywhere she wanted. She thought it was so cool that they stayed! It was adorable.

For this project I used the large, permanent Glue Dots. They also come in mini and in repositionable. Not only did the Glue Dots eliminate mess – I am so not interested in using glue with a toddler – they hold well too. (I’ve used Glue Dots for my own projects in the past!)

In a matter of a few minutes (minus cutting out the stars) she had a masterpiece to present to Mimi for the 4th of July.

Learn more about Glue Dots on Facebook to see how they can be used in your family projects.

Disclaimer – I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

The little tomato plant that could! We went away for the 4th of July weekend, and look what I came home to.

When I saw it, I was sure that the plant was still trending down, but WOW! I have my first AND second tomatoes on the plant! Check out the bigger of the two!

Plus, the leaves that were withered are perking back up. Yeay! The craziest part is that this little plant really wants to live. When I picked up the plant I realized everything has turned up – toward the sun – from the laying down position. Plus, all the way up the step on the side of the plan that was down roots sprouted! This little bugger was self correcting! Mother Nature is so cool!

This week, I have to get a bigger pot for my little plant. It needs one! The journey lives on!

I swear, I am not trying to kill this plant, but I may be doing a good job at it… My poor little plant. I am notoriously forgetful, so I keep forgetting to water it, for like a week at a time. In my mind, all the rain should keep it happy, but we’ve had a dry week. My helpful husband bought these water globes on Woot.com to help keep my plant hydrated, but it’s just not enough (oopse).

So this week, I am going to be an good plant mom and make sure I water it everyday to help it come back to life… I wonder if this little plant will ever see tomatoes?

This post is a long time coming. I made 30 pairs of ears for my daughter’s second birthday party back in March. When “designing” the ears, I looked all over the Internet for a good guide, but everything I found was too complicated or too simple. I wanted something reasonable, but super cute. So, as I created my own “design.” I detailed my process with pictures planning to share it. Unfortunately, everything else has taken precedence, and I am just now posting more than 3+ months since I made the ears. Oh well, better late than never! I hope you enjoy my guide, and if you make some, please share your pics and/or experiences!

Materials -

• Headbands – look for about a 1/2 inch wide, any color because you are going to cover them. I found flexible ones at Publix that won’t break! Cost – $2 for 5 headbands, and I used coupons and got for free! ($5 off $50 purchase, so I bought them over time using my $5 coupon for 2 pairs each coupon.)
• Black Felt – I purchased felt made out of 100% recycled water bottles, cheap and eco-friendly! (Don’t forget your 40% off coupon if shopping at Joann’s or Michael’s)
• Foam Sheets – I bought the ones with sticky on one side, it was helpful. There were 2 thicknesses at Joann’s I bought the thinner ones and doubled up. (Again, use your 40% off coupons for these and buy a bulk pack because color won’t matter.)
• Circle Tracer – I used a circle tracer from Scrapbooking materials I have, but you can use anything that you want to trace the right size. Circles approx 3 inches and 3.5 inches will be needed.
• Scissors – sharp enough to cut felt smoothly.
• Chalk pencil in white – to trace your shapes on the black felt to be cut out.
• Sharpe marker – t0 trace your circles on the foam to be cut out.
• Hot glue gun – LOTS of glue!
• Ribbon – This is for Minnie Mouse bows, so you can skip if all Mickey Mouse. You will need 1.5 inch ribbon for the bow and a thin ribbon 1/8 inch to tie it on with – preferably in the same color.

Step 1 – Cover the headband – The dimensions used in this step vary based on the headbands purchased. You will basically need to measure enough felt to be wide enough to wrap the headband and long enough to close on either end. Roughly 2.25 the width of your headband and 1 inch longer then the length.

Since I am always nervous abut cutting fabric and wasting it, I recommend cutting 2 strips that you think will be the right size. Test one and use the other as a pattern for the rest of your strips, adjusting bigger or smaller if needed.

To cover your headband, place a line of hot glue down the center of your strip. Then starting with 1 end of the headband, rock your headband down the center of the glue until you reach the end (be sure to leave a little extra fabric on either end of your tip to close up – about 1/2 inch). Remember, when working with hot glue, you want to press with your finger as you go so you don’t end up with lumps.

Next, bring one side around and seal with another line of glue down the edge. Finally, wrap the other side around and glue down. Note – there will be lots of bumps and lumps, once cool, you will want to go back and fill in with little squirts of glue to seal flat. For the ends, put a little dot of glue in each end and pressed closed with my fingers. Once cool, cut off any extra fabric.

Step 2 – Cut foam circles – The foam circles will stiffen your felt ears so they  stand up nice and firm on their own. Since you will totally cover your foam, any color works. I made my mouse ears 3.5 inches in diameter. This size works well for toddlers – adults, but you can adjust if you like. You will need 4 foam circles for each pair of ears – remembered I doubled my thin foam to make stiffer. The foam circles will be 3 inches in diameter.

When cutting out your foam circles, it is not necessary to be exactly precise. As you can see from my pictures, my foam circles are not pretty – jagged and you can see the Sharpe marks. It won’t matter because they will totally be covered.

If you purchased the thin foam with adhesive, go ahead and stick your foam circles together in pairs.

Step 3 – Cut your felt ears – When creating your felt ears, you will create 2 circles joined together by a small rectangle (see picture). The purpose of this shape is to wrap the ears onto the headband. The circles will each be 3.5 inches in diameter. The size of the rectangle between the circles depends on your headband, the rectangle should be approx double the width of your headband (already wrapped in felt). Again, cut a pair to test and adjust accordingly.

Cutting perfect circles is not an easy task. I did my best to make them look nice and round, but I didn’t kill myself making perfect circles. Remind yourself that these are handmade, and people will be impressed with that. Plus once they are on, you won’t see tiny imperfections in your circles

Step 4 – Create your ears – Once you have everything cut out, it is time to assemble your ears. (Note, cutting is the longest process, I cut all my pieces out over several days because if you are making 30 like I did, your hand will get tired!)

Starting with a foam circle (doubled), use the sticky side to attach to the center of one side of the felt ears. Next squirt a generous amount of hot glue all over the top of the foam circle and fold the other side on top.  Again, squish as flat as you can. Note, in order to avoid large lumps you want really hot  glue, yes, you will burn your fingers a bit Sorry.

Go ahead and glue all of your ears. Be sure to leave the rectangle area unsealed (for now).

After your ears have cooled, go back and run a thin line of glue on the inside edge of each ear to seal.  Again, not on the edge with the folded rectangle.

Step 5 – Assembly – Now it is time to put your ears on the headbands. Slide your headband through the loop created by the rectangles at the bottom of each ear. Once you determine where you want your ears, squirt glue into loops securing ears to headband. (I attached mine a little less than 2 inches apart – this is rough because I did each pair to look.) As you are securing your ears, be sure to pinch the ears down firmly to the center of the band. Add as much glue as needed to seal.

Step 6 – Minnie Bows – To create your bows, cut a length of ribbon approx 9 inches long. Fold the two ends back until they over lap in the center, and then pinch all three layers at the center. This creates the look of Minnie’s bow. Next take the thin ribbon (in matching color) and tie around the pinch at the center. Vola, a bow! Next wrap the thin ribbon around the top and bottom of the headband and tie off. Then glue the ribbon flaps down, and use a squirt of hot clue behind the bow to secure.

That’s it. Minnie Mouse bows in just 6 steps. This pattern could be modified to make bear ears, dog ears, etc. The hardest part about the project is cutting straight felt circles and working through each time consuming step – if making multiples. Good luck!

I already knew I was clueless when it came to my little tomato plant project, but I have now realized just how clueless I am…

My tomato plant has outgrown its little stake,  it just isn’t cutting it any more. Poor plant was falling over, again. So, my wonderful husband offered to pick up a tomato cage at Target on his trip out to pick up lunch. Judging from the size, we both agreed on a small tomato cage.

My little plant is so spindly, I broke a leaf steam getting it into the cage. But it looks secure, and I was pretty happy with how my plant is doing until…

Visiting my friend Amy, who is the inspiration of this whole project, I see that her plant is GIANT! OMG – I almost spit out my water when I saw her plant. It is about twice the height of my weakling and the stalk is like 10xs as big around! She even has a little tomato growing! It is THRIVING. So now I not only feel lacking in my plant skills (again), but I realize that the pot and cage I have are going to be too small if this plant ever really gets growing. Man, I have no idea what I am doing here. I wonder if my little plant will ever produce fruit?

But it is still alive and growing…

Oh no. My tomato plant has fallen, and it can’t get up… I guess I waited too long to find a support for my little plant.

Luckily, I had the perfect stake on hand. (I can’t throw anything away, so when a slender wooden stick was part of an art project from a fair, I kept the wooden stick because I knew it would be good for something!) So, I dug through my “stash” and staked my plant back up right. It was still standing on its own yesterday, so I don’t think any damage has been done. But since my plant is already taller then my stake, I think I will have to purchase a tomato cage sooner rather than later.

I have achieved step 1 in raising my little tomato plant – I re-potted it in a bigger pot. (And I didn’t kill it!) We went to Target last Saturday, and while we were there, I decided to get a pot and tomato cage, which I am told I will need. When I went to put the cage in the cart, my dear husband said, “Why don’t you wait to buy that until you know you need it.” Gee thanks, love the subtle uncertainty of my ability to keep this thing alive.

In the end, I went with his idea and left the cage. So far, total investment $1.99 for a pot. (We already had potting soil leftover from a tree project the husband is working on…)

I wonder if I should sign up to attend Home Depot’s Do-It-Herself Eco-Friendly Gardening workshop in June? It features Martha Stewart Living (♥) – June 3, 7-8:30.

While I have a green heart – I try to live a green lifestyle – I don’t think of myself has having a green thumb. But I love the idea of growing my own veggies. So, when Amy offered me one of her tomato plant seedlings, I was happy to give it a shot. I guess I am going to be looking for some garden tools coupons – I totally used to stick these right in the recycle bin!

While we watched the girls play, we discussed what will go into growing the tomato plant. First, I need to replant my seedling into a larger pot. Next, I need to get a tomato cage and twine so I am ready to stake the plant as it grows. (To take the pressure off the tomatoes, of course.) In approx thee months I will need to fertilize my little plant, but not too much because we will be eating the fruit. Oh and if the little blossoms fall off, it needs calcium - so toss in some crushed egg shells. Wheeew… this little plant is going to be a lot of work.

So, this summer I will be attempting to grow my own tomato plant. Since my friends and neighbors have seedlings too, so I have other plants to mark my journey. I really hope this tomato plant journey ends with us eating delicious tomatoes…

Sunday I will have to comb through the circulars for some gardening deals…maybe Target coupons or Home Depot’s ad. If you garden, where you do find your gardening supply deals?

Disclosure – This is a sponsored post, but the tomato journey will continue.

Once upon a time, nearly two years ago, a night out with the girls meant a chance to unwind, talk about work, talk about travel, drinks and laughter. Before my daughter, I would have never pictured myself on a girls night out in a kitchen learning to decorate a cake, talking about household cleaning products, discipline, schoolsand other such suburban things. But a couple of weeks ago, that is exactly what I did on a great night out.

It’s funny because that is what prompted me to start this blog in the first place, just how much life had changed. From looking forward to a fancy weekend trip to having fun a kid’s second birthday and talking about household chores. Life sure has changed, but one thing has stayed the same. This Suburban Mom still loves a night out with good girlfriends, and said night out always includes lots of laughter!

Before you judge the images below, please remember this was our first time ever decroating a cake. So, they actually turned out well… considering. I don’t think this will be my new DIY project – I am having my friend (the host/teacher of this event) make the cake for my daughter’s birthday - it is safer in her hands. I will stick to the paper and cloth crafts. (By the way, keep an eye out for some fabulous Minnie Mouse DIY coming your way.)

Ahhh… life as TheSuburbanMom – I LOVE it!

What’s your favorite girl’s night out activity? (In other words, what should we try next!)

Yep, that’s me – hard at work.

(This is my cake, so pretty… sort of!)

All the lovely cakes.