armommy - Part 2

days of the week (printable)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by rae

ever get so excited for a couple nights away (from little people) with the hubs or a group of friends and then a couple nights before your departure start to freak out about all the details that still need organizing and laundry that needs to get done and then wonder if the trip is worth all the agony?

that’s me. every time. but i know that it’s worth it and that the kids need parents that takes care of themselves and to know that they will survive, even if it means wearing a dirty uniform or eating cereal for dinner two nights in a row or (fill in the blank)….. so i go. (peace out love bugs.)

in fact, last week i left my brood for an ah-mazing women’s retreat with our church and to help calm my nerves about leaving, spent 30 minutes (or so) putting together these little notes for each day i would be gone. i included details for their day (whats for dinner, chores, etc.), and was also able to include their allowance and notes so they could find a pre-game treat i hid for each of them.

the laundry was also caught up before i left which is sort of a miraculous coincidence, and the monthly spread was a huge help because i knew the fridge and pantry was full of food… i don’t remember the last time i felt good about leaving, if ever! and the kids raved about the bags for each day so i’ll definitely be using them again and want to share them with you. keep reading for the download and how-to….

to make the days of the week bags and note cards, download the template (HERE). print the note cards (on page one) on card stock and cut along dashed lines. print the rest of the pages (according to the days you will be gone) on text weight paper and cut along the dashed lines.

once the bags are cut out, fold the sides in a little past center and seal using a glue stick. then fold the bottom up and glue in place…. adding a little between the layer of paper.

then fill out the notes and stuff the bags and you are ready to hit the road!

have any trips coming up where these bags might come in handy!? or any tips or thoughts on leaving the kids behind? we’d love to read in the comments!

oh and if you’re printer is out of ink, you may want to add it to your shopping list because i seem to be on some sort of paper kick and have another paper project planned for wednesday!

hope you had a fun weekend!

xo . rae

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Posted in DIWY, DIY, family, freebie, printable, tutorial | Tagged craft, download, free, paper, pdf, project, template | 2 Comments

hand me downs and messy closets

Posted on May 15, 2013 by rae

one of my favorite cleaning activities is to purge stuff. particularly when it comes to closets. if it’s too small, too big, doesn’t fit right, or isn’t getting worn, it goes.

ahhhh, doesn’t that feel better?

my husband johan, is not a purger. our second year of marriage i decided to giveaway a pair of his shoes…. let’s just say he didn’t appreciate my awesome closet editing skills. so i’ve learned to ask and to be ok when the answer is no and to never send him with the box of stuff for good will.

the kids’ clothing and accessories are usually handed down to family and friends and it’s always a blessing to be on the receiving end of the hand-me-down cycle. makes life so much easier.

my stuff typically goes to good will, but a couple weeks ago i brought my pile to a group of ladies going through a year long rehabilitation program. knowing who my gently used (and still cute) clothes were going to, made the cleaning process that much sweeter.

how about you…. what is your closet cleaning style and who do you give your hand-me-downs to?

xo . rae

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Posted in home | Tagged cleaning, closet, hand me downs, organizing | 2 Comments

throwback candy wrapper bracelet (DIWY)

Posted on May 13, 2013 by rae

hope everyone had a wonderful mama’s day with lots of spoilage going on!

our oldest (ozzie) had a baseball tournament (of all things, i know…. but it was really fun) so we split our time between family and the fields. however, sometime around 2 yesterday, it was clear that the littles had hit their, busy weekend without a nap, limit – so i took them home for some R&R…. and a little paper craft.

do you remember making things from candy wrappers as a kid? maybe something similar to the bracelet above using starburst wrappers? so fun, right? well, i was hoping to get the same sort of look without actually unwrapping packages of candy, so i put together this template (you can download here).

matilda (4) was able to do most of the folding and then hand the pieces over to me to put together. it’s always nice to have a project handy that doesn’t require a mess or tons of supplies!

to make your own, you’ll need this template or candy wrappers (if you really want to go old school), a printer, text weight printer paper, and scissors.

1. print a couple pages of the template and cut the rectangles out.

2. pick a rectangle and fold it in half to make a crease, and unfold. then fold each side into the middle.

3. (excuse the change in paper…. just pretend it’s still the teal dots) fold each side in again, and fold one more time in half.

4. fold in half, lengthwise. then just for the starting piece, fold the ends inside to the center.

5. next, fold a second piece of paper, but skip the second part of step 4. instead, slide the ends through the folds in the previous paper and then fold the ends up to make a place for the next piece.

continue until your chain is long enough to make a bracelet… we used almost two pages of the template.

what do you think!? might be a good craft to bring on a long car or plane ride…. we’ll have to print some out for out trip to cali in a few weeks!

can you think of any other simple crafts you did as a kid? we’d love to hear in the comments below!

hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

xo . rae

p.s. – thank you to everyone for your sweet, lovely and heart felt replies to my last post. i was so blown away by your words and encouragement. xoxoxoxo

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Posted in ARMOMMY, DIWY, DIY, freebie, kids, printable, tutorial | Tagged activity, craft, download, easy, pdf, polka dot, printable, printables, project, spring, stripe, summer, template, throwback | 2 Comments

beauty for ashes.

Posted on May 9, 2013 by rae

so, i’ve been sharing a little bit more about my family lately but have been feeling like you need to hear the whole story… how our family began.

there was a time in my life when a big family with a loving husband seemed like a long lost dream. not even a possibility. as in never. going. to. happen.

you see…. i got pregnant with ozzie at the age of 20 and the situation was not good. like a train wreck waiting to happen. my life (and dreams) unravelled right before my eyes as i got ready to welcome my sweet son into the world. those nine months and the year that followed consisted of a marriage that was broken before it started, the discovery of another child (not by me, of course), lies, poverty, and a husband struggling with addiction, and abuse.

when i finally mustered up enough courage to leave my marriage and be a single mom to the cutie above in orange stripes, i was completely broken. a mere shadow of the woman God had created me to be.

then, one evening in september i read these words:

“to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes….” (isaiah 61 - here is a link to read the entire scripture)

like white on rice those words stuck to my heart. oh how i needed beauty. and a crown didn’t sound too bad either. so i pondered and questioned and wondered until finally i flat out said, “jesus, if those words are true then take my ashes and make them beautiful.”

at the time, beauty to me looked more like talking the utilities guy out of turning off our heat, an understanding professor, and a son that would be OK, despite the circumstances.

but God had more in mind. including a fun-loving young man in a mascot suit….

who i now get to call my husband.

and three more (beautiful) babes.

although the changes began immediately it was not an overnight process. there was an in-between time that consisted of lots of praying and committing and healing and some mess-ups and overcoming and many, many blessings. even when circumstances looked bad, i could watch my well adjusted, joy filled little boy and know God was at work. it would be more than OK.

one of the first tangible things that happened was that i got a paid internship with the athletic marketing office at school. this is a miracle on many levels. for one, a paid internship at a university is almost unheard of unless you are a grad student. second, it was with athletics and i love that stuff. and third, i was able to have ozzie with me when i worked at games and it quickly became a little family for us.

i could continue with more examples, but i’m afraid this post would turn into a book!

so i will end with a cliche and say that i wouldn’t change a thing (well, maybe a couple things) because it’s made me who i am and brought me to a beautiful place. but i would also like to note that i don’t believe this was God’s plan. there was certainly a better way, but He used it for good all the same.

one of my greatest hopes after writing this is that you would look past me on this site and see Him. His beauty and creativity and goodness.

i also hope that one way or another my story encourages you or someone you know and as a little reminder i designed an art print using the crown seen at the top of this post to share. you can click here or the image to download.

i would love for this to be a conversation, so please feel free to leave a note below or send me an email (rae.at.armommy.com).

xo . rae
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Posted in ARMOMMY, family, freebie | Tagged art print, black and white, crown, download, faith, free, home, life, pdf, printable, printables, single mom | 19 Comments

diy chalkboard grande

Posted on May 8, 2013 by rae

i know there’s a bazillion and one chalkboard tutorials out there, but we enjoy (so much) having these oversized boards around our house i just had to share. plus they are versatile, don’t require hanging and are cost effective. oh, and (like whoa!) after one trip to the man store your halfway done with the project….

supplies: 3/4 inch MPF board (cut at the man store), chalkboard paint (or interior paint and unsanded tile grout — it’s powdery — to make your own), paint brush or small roller, drop cloth of some sort, acrylic paint pens for permanent embellishments (optional).

directions: decide what size and how many chalkboards you would like. then hop in the car and head to your fave man store, stopping on the way for a starbucks. once at the store pick out a sheet of MPF board, find an employee that seems nice and helpful and ask them to cut the board to your measurements or point you in the right direction.

say “gracias!’ and head home. next put a drop cloth down, wipe dust off board and apply coats of paint (homemade recipe below) with a paintbrush or small roller until everything is good and covered. finally, let the paint dry overnight before using. (the hardest part)

for homemade chalkboard paint you need: any color interior paint & unsanded tile grout.

using a paint stirrer mix 4 tablespoons with just enough water to break up clumps (think thick pancake mix), then add 2 cups paint and stir together. next follow directions above.

almost forgot…. you can also use an acrylic paint pen to draw permanent doodles. i used a gold pen to make the flags above. just for fun.