~ Learning to Sew ~

My son Zach has wanted to learn to sew for awhile now and it was one of his friends birthdays this week and I just happen to see this little penguin and it was the perfect project for both learning to sew and a birthday gift.

First we traced our pattern on some felt. As much as I love the luscious feel of 100% wool felt its just too spendy. I find that the eco felt, made from recycled plastic bottle does a perfectly good job when it comes to projects like this.

Next, Zach cut out all the pieces he would need to make his penguin. He chose all the colors and traced the pattern on to the felt himself too! We did some sewing machine work, I ran the pedal and he guided the fabric. This project could easily be done by hand if you have the time. Then he stuffed him full of cotton and sewed up the bottom.

This was the final project and he was really proud of the little penguin he had made. I also made a little hobo sack real quick to put the penguin it. He had lots of fun learn to sew and is ready to tackle the next project, a penguin for himself.




March’s Families, Create! challenge was filled with awesome animal-themed posts. From Mo Willems to monkey finger puppets, our writers and crafters kept busy getting creative with the little animals in their lives.

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our April theme is "Fantasy" - childhood is a fascinating time, filled with magic around every corner. What can your family imagine and create?

Please take time to read the March submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Lizz at Am I a Funny Girl turns a family outing at the zoo into a picture book to keep.

• Maman A Droit shares her easy pattern for a felt monkey finger puppet with you!

• The kids at Living Peacefully with Children celebrated the emergence of Spring with butterflies. Check out their Coffee Filter Butterfly mobile and Pipe Cleaner Art.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes offers helpful ways for a child to remember calming techniques with a “Calming your Beast” basket.

• Most of us have monkeys running around our house at times. Or lions. Or elephants. Make your child's creative animal play even better with stuffed animal tails! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares an easy tutorial.

• Galit Breen at These Little Waves shares an easy way to get creative with Mo Willems' "We Are In A Book."

• Maman A Droit shares her pattern for a felt bunny finger puppet-a perfect Easter basket filler!

• Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares a look at butterflies through metaphor, books and a coffee filter craft.

• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children knitted some simple Nugget Bunnies for her children's Ostara baskets while practicing a new technique.

• Amy at Anktangle shares photographs of crocheting a lovable stuffed turtle for her son to play with.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes knows a few ways to bring beneficial birds to the garden.

• Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias shares a fun little first sewing project.

• Lauren at Hobo Mama has a fun and easy game to make to stimulate your preschooler's memory.

• Using her children's artwork as inspiration, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children woodburned wooden eggs for them to color in honor of Spring.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes is making nature bags or field bags for nature journals and the other things we may need as we explore our planet.

• Animals are the inspiration for this set of handmade clay items for an I Spy bag at Living Peacefully with Children.

~ Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed ~

This months theme for Families Create! is Heroes and Heroines and again we have found the perfect book. Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson illustrations by Fumi Kosaka.

"You see, when Mrs. Bishop made muffins from Mary's blueberries, not only the paperboy, Billy Parker, but the other four people, too, made five people smile, and those five did, too, and after a while - in only fifteen days- love was sent to every person everywhere!"

If we were to do one nice thing for one person and that person did one nice thing for 5 people and those five people did one nice thing for five more people, in 15 days 6,103,515,625 people would have something nice or kindness shown to them. Pretty incredible!!

And, to go along with our story the kids and I made blueberry bread. They wanted to make muffins but the muffin papers were gone and all I have is aluminum muffin tins so blueberry bread was the next best thing.

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins/Bread

6 eggs

5 tbsp butter or coconut oil melted

6 tbsp coconut milk or whole milk

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp rapadura

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp bourbon vanilla

1/2 c sifted coconut flour

1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 c frozen blueberries

Whisk together liquids and the add the dry. Whisk really well until all the lumps are gone. Stir in blueberries. Pour into a glass loaf pan and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Lesson Plan for Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deeds

Shared at:

Real Food Wednesdays

Simple Lives Thursday

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Fight Back Friday

February brought many heroic crafts to the Families, Create! Carnival. Check out some of the wonderful posts from last month's participants below, and be sure to visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival.

• The Artsy Mama made a personalized birthday hat for her son's first birthday. Learn how to make a Hero's Birthday Hat for your hero or heroine with very few sewing skills.
• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children found inspiration in books for some I-Spy items in her post, I Spy Items - The Last Olympians and The Lost Heroes.
• Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found out how one random act of kindness can shower the world in kindness in the book Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed.
• It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Kieran! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares the Superhero Capes she made to celebrate her son's heroic qualities.
• At Z Everyday Things, Mama G made easy and quick Super Zs!, personalized superhero appliques on shirts, for her children. Easy and quick!
• Lauren at Hobo Mama has a son who loves to dream up stories and one heroic imaginary friend. Read her post about Space-Alien Hot-Dog Monster & Silly Guy .
• Heroes are often everyday people. Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was inspired by the gift of a sock in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, prompting her to make Dobby's Sock as part of her Harry Potter ornaments.
• Galit Breen at Three Little Waves used the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as a springboard for a sensitive discussion and a fun origami project for her whole family in her post Families Create: Heroes and Heroines.
• Need a creative gift idea for a toddler or preschooler? Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares a simple Tutorial for a Two-Sided Felt Playmat (one side is outer space, one side is a jungle scene).
• Literature and adventure inspired Mandy @ Living Peacefully with Children to make these Treasure Bags for Imbolc.

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our March theme is "Animals" - what animals are your favorites and why? Get creative and share with us how animals are a part of your and your children's lives

~ One Snowy Night ~

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival.

This is one of our absolute favorite stories. In this particular version the hat has the velvety coating to make it soft so it is fun to feel. This is a great story to help show kindness and compassion for one another.

To go with our story I made this little amigurumi hedgehog and red hat. The kids loved him and call him Hedgie. He snuggles right down in his warm little hat. We are off to read our story so I will post more pictures of the kids and Hedgie tomorrow.

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• What's the perfect way to snuggle up on a cold winter night? Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes knows the answer: make the perfect soup!

• Simply decorated jars by children bring warmth and light to cold Winter's days at Living Peacefully with Children.

• The ArtsyMama teaches us how to create a no sew fleece throw inspired by your favorite snuggle time book.

• Movies made from books are often pretty poor representations, but this family-made movie from Dionna at Code Name: Mama is monster-ific!

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes created a cozy for her Kindle, to protect it from little hands that think they need to cuddle with it.

• What better way to cuddle and get cozy than in new jammies made by Mama G @ Z everyday things?

• Inspired by her family's love of the Harry Potter series, Mandy at Nestled Under Rainbows shared a reflection on and a celebration of snuggies, lovies, cuddlies and specials.

• Little Hedgehog got a wonderful idea when his red hat from Father Christmas didn't fit, and Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias got a wonderful idea to knit a sweet hedgehog!

• Monster-inspired artwork by a monster-clad kid. Despite the growling, he really is cuddly! Monster love courtesy of Dionna at Code Name: Mama.

• Arpita at Up, Down & Natural shares a quick tutorial on how to make your very own Pippalily inspire pouch sling, with zippered pocket & key ring, and a matching nursing cover to boot!

• Amy at Anktangle finally completed something cuddly and warm for her son Daniel: his very own afghan, crocheted with love by Momma.

• Who'd want to cuddle with a cuttlefish? Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes thinks you might want to cuddle up with this sweet plush cuttlefish!

• In an attempt to slow down and relax while watching her children, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children decided to give knitting another chance.

Join us in February to create something with (or for) your own family. Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out more about February's "Heroes and Heroines" theme.