Fall crafts to make the kids happy

So it's fall and halloween is about a week and a half away. Little ones are begining to become excited. So I figured I would take time out of my busy schedule of juggling 3 jobs to do a craft for my youngest daughters' class. It's time to create a pumpkin for each child to enjoy of their very own. Here's my step by step instrauctions. Enjoy!



This is the pumpkin's humble beginings!

I had the mixing bowl, scissors, masking tape, the water to mix my paper mache mix, (which I purchased at Michael's craft store to save me some time with messing up how to mix the stuff from scratch) string, a balloon and last but not least what happens to be missing in the picture a paper towel roll.

 

This is the only time that you will use your masking tape. To tape a base together for your balloon. You don't need to tape the base to the balloon because your mache solution will hold the base to your balloon very well.

I cut the paper towel roll down to create the stem for the pumpkin. I mean what pumpkin doesn't have a stem that little ones don't make a bee line for in the pumpkin patch? Here is the time that you just go to town covering your balloon. And I recommend that you give it at least 3 layers cause when you pop the balloon you have a lot of stability after your re-inforcement is removed. And it's okay to go all around the base cause this is suppose to be a pumpkin so it should stand up when kids put them on the table or floor of their chooseing.

Yes, here I did cover the entire thing and left no place for the candy to go in, but there is a method to my mind! Place your pumpkin's in front of a fan. I recommend this because as thick as these things are it will take a week or more to dry them. In front of a box fan it takes only a day to dry them.

Cut the top of the stem and here, I placed a string around the bolloon tie off and popped the balloon. I used the string to remove the balloon. Made it easier. Now that I have the empty cavity in the pumpkin I took this opportunity to fill the pumpkin with goodies. For these balloons I filled them with lots of candy, 2 different types of books and small boxes of stickers, a pencil, flashing ring and lots of little bottles of bubbles.

The string I had to make it thicker I braided it. I poked holes in the side of the stems and ran the string through to ad a handle and then I triple knoted the ends so that the handles won't come out cause we all know that kids like to swing things. And this is why it's so important to make sure that you have at least 3 layers or more on the balloons. From there I sealed the top of the stem with what I had left over from my mache mix.

This is what you should have before you paint your pumpkin. I chose regular colors for my pumpkin and even painted the stem brown and the handle green, like a vine. The paint didn't take that long to dry at all. I had a blast creating 10 pumpkins, 7 for my daughters' class and the rest for a select few neighbors and friends. If I made for everyone I would still be working on this project in my kitchen.

Getting your mind and body fit for work

As I have mentioned on the radio show I used to be a girl over 200 pounds. Today I showed up at the gym. Hadn't been there in months and yes I'm still under 200 pounds, but today I needed extra energy to work and that only comes from exercise. Some of you might say how on earth can you get energy when your tired from working out? Well I usually stay at the gym for 2 hours. I always go in and walk the track for 30-45 minutes. Afterwards I head to the weight room and work my arms, thighs and stomach. I do different exercises throughout the week when I am at the gym and try not to do the same thing every single day. After that I hit the bike for an hour. At 9 am I'm a little tired when I head home to work in my office for my job but by the time I do get home I have a lot more energy to work. My mind is refreshed because I've spend the entire time listening to my Freddie Mercury and Queen music and thinking. Thinking about how to make something better and how to best stay out of the box.
I'm a firm believer if I can find time to get to the gym I'm there and it's got to be in the morning. If you work from home like I do you know there are a lot of things in your home that are so demanding and family is the worst especially if you home school your children. But the gym is my secret getaway. I feel like it's my dirty little secret because I don't have children knocking on the office door or a mother in law demanding all the errands that you have to go run for her. And will work get done, not so much. But my dirty little secret that I'm happy about getting time for myself helps to recharge me. I can face anything when I face my body first.
So just remember to stay healthy in your job stay healthy with your body too. Even if you can only squeeze in an afternoon walk or possibly take the family for hike as a routine. If you join the YMCA they have child care and if you have teenagers they can swim, practice tennis, racket ball and all other sorts of fun stuff. It's really worth the money.