School Supply Cakes (2 to choose from)

Well I thought I would make something fun for the teachers (Cole is going to be in 3rd and Caden starts Kindergarten).  I've been seeing these amazing School Supply Cake's on Pinterest and thought I had to make one.  But then I thought I had to make one for each teacher.  You know me I can't do the same for both so I found a different type to make also.

The first one I found cute School Supply Cake on Carries Scrapyard that she made.  I took the picture and ran with it.  NOW if I read her whole post I would have found she found instructions on the Butler's site (yup I didn't so mine is a we'll my own).

Supplies Needed:

(1) Plastic Container - You could use a Roll of Paper Towels also

(5) large rubber bands 

(6) 24 count Crayons

(4) 1-Subject Spiral Bound Notebooks 

(10) Bottles School Glue

(6) Small Glue Sticks 

(20) No.2 Pencils 

(1) box of Kleenex Tissues

Wood Cut-outs (I picked up 2 apples, 1 worm & 1 bus - Michael's)

Ribbon (Apples - Found it at Michael's)

Packing Tape

I took a plastic container placed the spiral bound notebooks around it and one rubber band around it to hold it in place.  Then I added the crayons and glue sticks around the bottom, grabbed another rubber band and secured it around those to keep them in place.  I took the Glue bottles on put them on top and once again took a rubber band to secure them.   On top I stuck a Kleenex Tissue box in the center (half of the box will be behind the notebook paper.  I placed 5 pencils on each side of the tissue box (held on with packing tape).  I found some cute ribbon with apples on it that I added to each tier to hide the rubber bands.  The top tier I tied a bow and then added in the wood apples, worm and bus.

Next on my to do list was one a little bit more "boyish" per Cole :). He picked out this School Supply Cake I found on Come Together Kids.  I had to make it fit to our needs and played around with it a little bit.  The bin I found was a little large so that changed the design a little bit. 

What you need:

(7) Kleenex Boxes

(1) Bin 

(20) Pencils

(6) Glue Sticks

(2) Crayons

(4) Hand Sanitizers

(1) School Stickers - Found at the Dollar Store

(1) School Paper Borders - Found at the Dollar Store

(1) Package of School Cut outs - Found at the Dollar Store

Packing Tape

I took 6 Kleenex Boxes and taped them together, I added the paper School Paper Border around it (use tape to secure).  Add the bin on top, I taped the pencils on the front and then added the border around that also.  Cole added the Cut-out Apple and Stars to the side of the bin.  I then added 1 box of Kleenex on top of the bin, added the box of school stickers in front.  Added the crayons on the side and filled in the gap with the glue sticks.  Added the school border and secured with tape.  We also added on 4 hand sanitizers (taped together) on top.

It took a little bit of time but my helper Cole did a great job and he was very excited to bring them to school to show them off.  I'd say they were a success, what do you think?

A little Mission Help

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather so I quick post.  The boys attended a GREAT VBS last week at a local Baptist church were the them was "Amazing Wonders Aviation".  So of the boys where thrilled they love all things about planes.  It was a GREAT 4 hours instead of the normal 3 hours and they just loved it.  One of the things the VBS was doing was collecting  school smilepacks as their mission project.  They asked that people bring one item but I wanted the boys to be able to pick out the whole kit with the money they have been earning to help out someone else.  They were very excited to be able to build the kits and take them to the class.  I'm sure the party they got if they got 20 had nothing to do with it, I'll just go with the helping others.

Our Kits cost about $10 Each but well worth it.

How much can you do in one day ...

I can tell you this because today we fit as much as we could in one day! This morning started with an early rise from Caden, nothing new here! I got the boys up a little later so they could at least sleep since I no longer get that pleasure. I made a nice breakfast, you know pulling out all the stops with toast and scrambled eggs. I know hold on to your apron Julia Child's I'm moving in! Then I put on my apron once more for a wonderful lunch of Tuna fish sandwiches. I thought I'd take the kids to the zoo today and being the thrifty (penny pincher) that I am thought I'd pack lunch instead of paying the $6 for a little chicken sandwich or whatever else they try to sell you. So I pack my cloth bag (look at me being all earth wise, really you need to stop rolling your eyes @@ they may stick that way) with the sandwiches, juice boxes and water. I pack everyone up and try to usher 3 boys in the car. Ok so I'm running 1/2 hour behind what I said I would be but at least we're all in the car. Wow is all I can say 3 boys is so much fun to get out the door everyday, I can't wait until school next week!

We picked up the other exchange student and headed to the zoo. Something must be going right I pull up to the zoo and find a spot right in front. Then we unpack the car, Cole says he wants to walk so I only take the sun stroller. Cole then tries to do his independent stunt which of course make everyone look at us. Oh please we were starting off so well! I get him to calm down we walk in right behind a guy who is smoking like a chimney since you can't smoke in the zoo, after he flicks his cigarette in the bush (yup real thoughtful). We then start our tour, I think we're doing good I may ditch the trash talking guy and his loud obnoxious family but nope they follow the same path. At least this time it isn't my kids being looked, he's taking some of the glances off us. We then stop for lunch and guess who is right behind us, yup you guessed it! The kids of course don't want tuna fish, so they pick up some food and my boys get tuna. Well at least I tried to have them eat tuna, of course since the others were eating french fries tuna wasn't good enough. So my saving ways actually cost me because if I would have just skipped using the 3 CANS of tuna I could have just bought the fries I ended up buying and oh yeah the polar bear cup too! Fun Fun! But the best part was my friendly neighbor guy who decided that the "Don't Feed the Birds" sign didn't apply to him and started to chucking Cheetos (healthy) and sandwiches everywhere. Anyone for Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds", yup that was the scene we had in the eating area. Thankfully again dirty looks and comments were directed to them, so my kid screaming that he didn't want tuna just passed right over! Yeah!

Back thru the zoo we go, let's leave now before they get up and go this way they won't find us! Who am I kidding all of a sudden I hear a lot of screaming and look over at the other hill going to the spot we're trying to get to and what do I see? My friendly guy with his kid sitting in a old school metal wagon flying down the hill! Oh yeah and almost hit a girl, that was in a cast!!! Welcome to the zoo where you see all types of animals. We ended our trip after that quickly after that since now Cole is tired and wants to ride after calming telling him I didn't bring the wagon for him to ride in since he told me he wanted to walk! We ended our trip with one last stop at the merry-go-round. And oh yeah the gift shop because the exchange students want to buy stuff, I'm happy to report we didn't break anything we just got looks from people because Cole of course found the one toy that made the most noise! Now where is that guy when I need him?

Some fun pictures from our trip to the zoo:

Merry-Go-Round:

What I don't get to go on the Merry-Go-Round?

And this is what happens when you get home from the zoo:

One doesn't even want to get out of the car.

You can't even move your legs to get all they way on the couch.

After a quick nap we get a call from my friend Casey for a dinner date, hey why not let's do that also. So we meet up at Applebee's for dinner and have oh so much fun. You know between Caden whining and Cole doing his thing. Poor Roy what an experience to come into, welcome to America. After giving our dinning experience an hour, it's time to leave! This is what happens I forget what it is like eating out with the kids so every 6 months I try it and swear to never do it again. Hey check back in 6 months I'm sure I'll have another fun story!

Since it's now what 7:30 why not go to Wal-Mart to get our school supplies, you know it's only Saturday and school starts Tuesday for Cole and Wednesday for Roy! Sure it sounds like perfect timing! So we head to Wal-Mart to find the bins are completely empty? What empty don't they stock this stuff? Well sure they do you just need to go up and down isles and look thru a war zone that looks like the toy isle after Cole is been there! Guess what the one thing they don't have PINK erasers? Really what an odd item to run out of, guess we'll pick that up tomorrow. So after that lovely day I think it's time to go home before my legs give out, the walking is finally starting to get to me.

Have I lost my mind?

Really I think I have, because I'm just walking around in a dream world and just saying and doing whatever I want. Today I decided I better call the PreK that Cole starts oh you know next Tuesday! You know it would be nice to find out what school supplies he needs, because shopping this weekend won't be crazy at all. Knock Knock did I just sleep thru my experience at Old Navy this weekend. Then oh yeah when is that BBQ you have for the family before school, oh this Thursday no problem at all! Oh yeah when is my first payment due? This Thursday also, you got it not a problem at all. What happened did I all of a sudden morph into June Cleaver? No problem hunny would you like a night cap with that too? Don't mind me while I dust, make dinner, shop for the kids and oh yeah have a full time job and the rest on my plate! Let's just add on last minute shopping for school supplies and oh yeah the dress code! By the way you need to bring a box of individual packet chips for the BBQ. Hold on world I think I may just morph into Godzilla soon!

Then I get home clean up, do some laundry even though I did 2 loads yesterday and start some dinner for everyone. Then I just got settled in and got on my computer to write this blog. Well this blog did start at 8ish, but I'm telling you it's ending closer to midnight! So here I am exhausted and totally spent for the day. Around 8ish I get a call from the host people, they are in a jam and need someone to take a 11 year old boy. Sure I think that would be fine, when will he be coming? Oh tomorrow? Sure not a problem at all, oh you need me to pick him and his cousin up from the airport tomorrow at 1:30pm! That would be fine, then I hang up the phone and realize what the heck did I just do? Rick isn't even home and I just agreed to have a host student come tomorrow, the room isn't ready and either are we. I put my tail between my legs and call Rick, he took it better than I thought. He came home ate a quick dinner and we got to work on the room, we moved Caden's bed out, cleaned up Cole's toys and condense Cole's room to move Caden in. After cleaning up the now guest room, don't even ask about the closet, it looks like the closet from that movie that I can't remember the name for the life of me. We took apart Cole's bunk beds thankfully for mom and dad it's a great bed that is really like two beds stacked on top of each other. To move this new bed we had to take both doors off and then figured that didn't even work we had to take the headboard off too. Talk about a nightmare, Caden fell asleep on the couch and Cole of course bounced off the wall. He truly was bouncing, now that he didn't have a bed above his bed it became a bouncing room. Geez, I'm not even going to talk about the food items I found under Cole's bed. So here it is almost midnight and I'm putting the boys into there new room. The new guest room is clean and set up, hey he only 11 so the closet doesn't need to be open right?

Oh boy what have I gotten us into ... LOL! It should be fun, plus hey another boy! I told you all that if I had another kid it would be a boy, since even the fish is a boy I'm way out numbered now. Well off to bed I go, I'll keep you posted on our new housemate.