Big Lebowski Baby Shower

 My best friend, Marcie, is prego with "Baby Bean," and she is absolutely in love with the movie

 The Big Lebowski. 

If you love Seinfeld, you will probably like this movie (there is a LOT of cussing though), but it's a movie about nothing really.... a man who loves bowling, gets his identity mixed up with another man named Lebowski, has his favorite rug stolen, ends up becoming a hired agent in a ransom deal that goes wrong... and the list goes on. It's pretty funny though. 

Anyway..... I took the bowling aspect of this movie and ran with it for the baby shower.

I even went to the local bowling alley in my town and asked if I could buy a bowling pin.  They didn't have one for sale, BUT they gave me a used one for FREE!!! I just repainted it and had everyone write a little message to the little Bean. 

I forgot to get a pic of the signed pin! Grrr.... but the blocks are the due date.

I wanted a relaxed environment, where guests could mingle, craft, and play games, but didn't have to if they didn't want to.  (and none of the boring baby games...or gross ones.)  We had:

• Wii bowling.  This was especially fun for and with the 4 year old little girl who came to the shower.

• Onesie Making.  This was AWESOME!!!!  A lot of people who came were graphic designers or had some craftiness to them so that helped with the success, but one thing I made sure to do was to bring lots of iron-ons.  All guests could feel successful and decorate easily with iron-ons.  Painting was just an extra option.

Lots of iron-ons and steam a seam! That stuff is awesome!

More iron-ons and stencils I made with my Cricut..which no one needed.... to crafty for stencils :)

 

 

I love this little Viking!  Iron- on that Melissa painted in using fabric pens!

Onesie Making time (lots of space required)

• Bowling Alley Food.  This consisted of Frito Pie, cheese and crackers, cupcakes decorated with bowling theme, chocolate covered pretzels, and little pizzas made on pita bread.  YUM!! Sorry I forgot to take pics of all the food. 

The little trophy was filled with nerds and had Champ written on it.

Loved the fun straws!  Just plopped them into a little paper popcorn holder with permanent markers so everyone could write their names on the cups.

The pins were wood shapes I found at Hobby Lobby.  I just painted them white (except the part that touched the food) and used a red permanent marker to make the stripes.  A gobstopper is the bowling ball.

I need one of those bumper stickers that says "My time and my money go to Hobby Lobby."  Kinda similar to the ones that say, "My son and my money go to A&M."  Yep.... I need that bumper sticker...

Anyway, I was able to buy all the fabric (1/2 yards was PLENTY), iron-ons, paint, onesies, and all the onesie making stuff at Hobby Lobby, along with the carnival looking decorations.  It was the closest thing I could find to a bowling alley. 

By the end of the shower, Marcie not only had a ton of gifts, by 10 new onesies, all hand crafted especially for Bean.  We laid them all out and took a vote to give a prize to the winner:

Iron on and colored in with fabric markers

Fabric with Steam a Seam and iron on letters

Fabric ironed on with Steam a Seam with paint outline

Iron on rocket with paint

Used Create a Monster Iron on but cut the green body to make a tic-tac-toe board.  TOO Creative!!!

Hand drawn and colored in with fabric markers.  Paint outline

 

 

 

 

Fabric ironed on with Steam a Seam

Little Viking hat that went with the onesie! Meant to be!

iron on

Fabric with Steam a Seam and outlined in paint

The winner was the black onesie with the tic-tac-toe board.  So adorable!  It was an awesome shower!! If you are wondering what to do, I definitely recommend doing this!  Iron-on is the way to go for sure!!!

Happy Baby Shower Time!!!

May the FORCE be with you....

That's what we have been studying the past couple of weeks- force and how and what balanced and unbalanced forces do to an object.  I really wanted to hit home the fact that force depends on mass or the height something is released.  I can say it all I want, but when the kids do it... and observe what happens... it makes it so much more meaningful.   Here is a brief (sike! I am never brief..) snapshot of the 2 labs we did:

Lab One 

1. Use a 50g mass and tie a 1meter string (cotton twine) to it.  
2. Tape the string to the desk so the mass is just barely above the floor.  This is now a pendulum.
3. Use a wooden cube (mine was about 2in x2in) and place it just in front of the pendulum.  Place a piece of tape where the block starts.
4. Pull the pendulum 15 cm off the ground using a ruler.  Make sure the string it taut.  
5. Release and have the pendulum hit the cube.
6. Measure the distance the cube traveled. 
7. Repeat 3 times
8. Find the average distance.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 but this time release the pendulum from 30 cm. 

The kids loved this lab, and everyone played an important part.  We were able to discuss variables as well why as scientists we only change one variable in an experiment.

The other lab we did today.  All you need is 1 pencil (if you still have any left!!! My kids keep on losing theirs... like that's anything new...) 2 cm rulers, 1 meter stick, and washers.  Prior to the lab day, you will need to hot glue some washers together.  You need a set of 2 washers glued together, 3, 4, 5, and 10.  You will also need a single washer.  You can do this with pennies if you would rather, but the washers were a size bigger than the penny, and I didn't have to worry about greedy fingers....

Lab Two

1. Place a ruler on top of a pencil that is at the 18cm mark on the ruler.  This creates a sort of see-saw. 
2. Place the single washer on the end that is touching the table.
3. Hold your meter stick up next to the washer.  This guy is about to fly and you need to see how high it jumps.
4. Release the 2washers that have been glued together from 30cm (the height of the 2nd ruler) and have it hit the other ruler, thus making the single washer jump up.
5. Repeat 3 times.
6. Find average.
7. Repeat Steps 4-7 except use the other washers.  

The students loved watching the washers fly and were really responsible with everything.

By doing both of these 2 labs, students were able to see that force depends on the height something is released from or how much mass it has.

In closing... I showed this lovely little video to the kids about Isaac Newton and his 3 Laws of Motion.  I LOVE it when I can put a famous scientist into the lesson.... we even made a little foldable book on him after watching the video.  Click on the picture and it will take you to the link :)

May the force is with you!!!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!!

It should say from December through February!!!  I wish I could give the excuse that I was abducted by aliens and that's why I have not been blogging.   Ahhhh life.... it has a way of interrupting my blogging world.  Sorry friends for my lateness.  I am TRYING to get better about posting.... I know you can't tell.... but I have set a goal for at least one post a week.  Did I say that back in November??? Yikes!!!

Here are some changes happening in my world that have taken my time from blog land:

1. I became the Children's Director for my church and teach every Sunday for Children's Church and Wednesday nights.   More lesson planning, but I love it!
2. Everyone I know seems to be pregnant except me.  You know what that means.... baby showers!!!!  I have been super busy going to them and planning them.  (see post on that coming soon)
3. VBS is fast approaching and I have about a billion ideas swarming in my head that I cant wait come into fruition. 
4. Zumba workouts!!! Do you Zumba??? Oh. My. Goodness.  LOVE IT!!! Can already feel my waist coming back and my butt lifting up.  Look out summer.... here I come.
5. My husband is a gamer and plays Skyrim.... and I am obsessed with watching him play.  Who else is going to warn him when he is about to be killed by dragon??  Plus its quality time we get to spend together.  I really look forward to it. 

Blah blah blah.  Enough of that.  Well that's all I have to say on that... guess I will write another post on that baby shower I did last week.  

Hope y'all have an awesome week!  And please don't give up on me!  I promise I will get better.....promise!!!