The One With Sensory Water Bottles

So in a moment of desperation the other day I just let the babies with my half-empty (I mean half-full) water bottle. Favorite. Toy. Ever. I love that kids love cheap random stuff that isn't meant to be a toy. They loved to slosh it around and crinkle it and gnaw on it all over. So I decided to fill other water bottles full of random household crap and give it a fancy name, "Sensory Water Bottles".  Works for me!

Here's what you need:
1. Empty water bottles (any size, even 2 liter bottles would work!)
2. Hot glue
3. Random household crap (not literally)
4. Electrical Tape
5. Food Coloring

The hardest part of this project was waiting. I'm the kind of person that once I get the "craft bug" I must create RIGHT THEN. If I'm feeling creative I will paint or re-arrange a room at midnight. But sadly, I needed to wait until my water bottles were COMPLETELY dry.  This took over 24 hours. Boo. I even tried to speed up the process with a hair dryer on the cool setting. Nope. If you don't wait until they are completely dry, would will have a cloudy and possibly moldy bottle.

Once the bottles were dry, I filled them up! I used:
-red food coloring in water
-green food coloring in water
-uncooked spaghetti noodles
-some random jingle bells I found
-colorful fuzzy pom pom balls
-uncooked beans

I tightened the bottles as tight as I could, then hot glued them to seal them closed.  Then I got paranoid and used electrical tape to super seal the lid on.  I'm still paranoid of them somehow choking on a bean or jingle bell, but I'll watch them. I really don't think that they can open them at this age. *

*please don't sue me if you make these and your Houdini baby somehow opens these up unsupervised

My babies LOVE these.  

Here are some fun aspects about sensory water bottles:
-They make all sorts of different noises (sensory input)
-They are different weights (the bean bottle is not full and heavy, yet the pom pom bottle is full and very light)
-They are super sealed and can float in the bathtub
-The girls love looking at the world through the colored water
-They can fit in the cup holders of their carseats/stroller for entertainment
-They were basically free to make

Hope you guys make some! They are fun! :)


***Also: You can also do this with 2 liters for older kids. Fill it up with mostly rice and add extra random things inside and ask them to find them. "Can you find the yellow button? Or the silver screw?" etc It's like a fun treasure hunt!

The One Where I Choose Joy

As you have probably gathered, my days are pretty hectic. There are poopy days, sleepless days, barfy days, booger days, days where I'm a circus sideshow at the store yet nobody will help me. I always heard it was lonely being a stay at home mom. It's true. And you'll never really understand it until you've been there. Some days I have little adult interaction.  I talk in my mommy voice all day. I've developed embarrassing habits like watching The Today Show and wearing pajamas until almost noon.

Sometimes I have a pity party for myself when I see people with their big houses and big cars and nannies and housekeepers. I'm extremely jealous of friends that have their family live nearby.  It's an 8 hour round trip to see grandma here.  Our families can't pop over and be a part of my children's lives. We have to get friends to help watch the girls if we need a break. We've only gotten out of the house 4 times by ourselves since they were born. But there's something that keeps running through my mind that helps me get through the day. It was a big motto at the camp I worked at.

Comparison is the thief of joy. 

It really is. That statement can be applied to all stages of life. (I think teenage girls probably need to hear it the most!) Comparison is the thief of joy. You know what? I might live in this 1,000 square foot house for the next 5 years. I might drive a 4 door sedan till it breaks down. I will never afford to have a housekeeper or nanny or other fancy things.  And I'm finally genuinely okay with that.

What a refreshing feeling! Today I was sweeping the thousandth Cheerio off of the floor and I couldn't stop smiling. I love my life.

What an absolute joy my children are!  How thankful should I be that I am able to stay at home and raise them? I get to see them grow and develop and change into beautiful little girls. They are already nearing a year old. It has been the hardest year of my life, but it is truly rewarding. I have the tendency to get mopey and emo sometimes, but now I choose joy. I choose to smile while sweeping the thousandth Cheerio. I choose to laugh when I'm covered in barf. I choose to rock my baby back to sleep and sing her hymns when she wakes up in the middle of the night. I don't ever want my children to grow up with a distant mother, or especially to think that they were the cause of my emotional distress. They only get one mother.  I now consider it my greatest honor to raise these girls, and I want to be as much a blessing to them as they are to me.

Today I scrounged up some coins in my car and had an iced tea during happy hour at Sonic. The girls were in the backseat munching on some graham crackers. Simplicity. Then we got home rolled around on the ground playing with hand puppets and reading books. Yes, there was a poop explosion and some crying, but it was a perfect afternoon. I'm so thankful for this season in my life.


Some great verses I lean on:

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.   Hebrews 6:10


Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

So whether you eat or drink or [change 50 poopy diapers!] whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31