Shrinking Plastic Adventure

The boys and I had an amazing Saturday afternoon, bonding over shrunken plastic.  We followed this tutorial from Instructables.  It has detailed steps that are very easy to follow.  Just hop on over there so that I need not elaborate on the process here.  Now, onto our adventure...

Looking for a #6 plastic was already an adventure in itself.  Who knew the number inside the triangle meant something!  We settled on salad container lids.  They still had labels on them, so we had to completely remove them along with all the sticky stuff.  

Too bad we only had a black permanent marker this time.  (Note to self:  put colored permanent markers on the to-buy list.)  Here are our drawings just before we popped them into the oven.  Take note of their size in relation to the parchment paper.

Here's a picture of the baking process.  It went so quickly that I didn't get a chance to get a better shot.

Post-baking, look at how they shrunk!  Daddy's work was too long and skinny, that it ended up into a coil.  I tried to straighten it out, but I ended up breaking it in two.  Sad.  Sorry, Daddy!  But still, we're so happy with the results.  Not only did they shrink, but they've become thicker as well.

And here are our finished products.  A new necklace for Bluey.  (Stage mom alert:  Aww, his drawings are super cute!)

 

New bag accessories for the boys.

And a new bookmark for me.

 

This adventure will definitely have a part two. 

Prince of Mischief

Oct. 8, 2011 - Navy, Prince of Mischief, how is that your mischievous smile lets you get away with anything? Today, I have bruises on my lips after you punched me and tried to push me off the bed.  My lips would be swollen for a day or two, but my love for you will remain forever.

Pedring = Brotherly Bonding

Sept. 27, 2011 - Typhoon Pedring has been raging all night. Navy woke up and mimicked the howling wind outside.  "Rrrrr!" he said while he tapped Kuya Blue to wake up. "There's a pig!" Blue said, half-awake and perhaps still in dreamland. The two enjoyed peeking out the window until the rain started to get inside, ending their morning bonding.

I ♥ Blue's Tacos

Chess Queen

Dec. 1, 2010
Blue's School Diary Entry:
Bring costume for Human Chess Game on Wednesday. Role: QUEEN.

Mom: Why queen? Aren't there girls in Chess Club?
Blue: Yes. There are 3 girls.
Mom: So why are you the queen? Do you want me to write teacher to...
Blue: But, Mom! I want to be the queen. It's the best piece!"

Dec. 8, 2010, before school
Blue gamely poses for the camera, wearing his tiara & veil.

Dec. 8, 2010, after school
Blue sees me waiting for him at the school entrance. He couldn't contain his excitement and was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Mom, we won! We won!"

Awww. My heart is smiling. It was smart of Blue to have chosen to be queen. He also didn't mind being ridiculed for being a girl. He even learned to play with a team. Who cares if he sat on the tiara and broke part of it! My boy was queen for a day, and he was, in all aspects, A WINNER!

Navy's First Halloween

Pink Navy

Oct. 30, 2010 - Navy breaks out with pink spots all over :(

Guess Where We Found Navy This Morning

Love at First Sight

Practice Makes Perfect

Who cares about the swimming pool? Have mic? Will party! Our summer outing quickly turned into a videoke session.

It's probably safe to say that there's no stage-fright in this family!

Under Water

Journaling says: It was our first time to pose for an underwater camera. Blue was a pro. Alvin and I still need more practice. Navy couldn't be submerged yet, so here is a picture of his legs underwater.

My Little Paleontologist (Day 3)

Piece after piece came out without a hitch.

easy as pie

That is...until the very last one --the skull was exposed. It took a while, and a cut index finger, before we were able to remove it from the plaster.

After the dig, building the model was equally entertaining.

Wow! What an awesome activity! We only had twelve pieces to look for and they were all contained in a plaster block. It was a glimpse into how tedious a dig could get. It must be a thousand times more difficult in the real world! I say, we can now kiss the ground that Paleontologists walk on. For Blues part, he loved the activity so much that he wishes there are other dinosaur species available. What's more, he now wants to be a Paleontologist some day. Indeed, digging is way C-O-O-L!

My Little Paleontologist (Day 2)

We were so eager to begin because more bones were exposed at the end of Day 1. Blue easily excavated the tail bones by himself. After that, the two sides of the rib cage also came out without much effort. Our lucky streak didn't last, however. While we were able to expose more bones, we couldn't pull them out as they were buried deep in the plaster. Oh well, at least we are halfway done.

My little Paleontologist gets down & dirty.

today's finds

Read on to Day 3, the last day.

My Little Paleontologist (Day 1)

In an effort to keep Blue away from TV, we tried this "Dig A Triceratops Skeleton" kit. The kit includes a special digging tool, a brush and a plaster block from which 12 "fossils" can be excavated. Afterwards, you can build a 20cm Triceratops model from the bones you have unearthed.

the kit, its contents and Blue's first fossil find

...other family members join in...

Thirty minutes into the activity, I got really impatient and took out pliers to make digging faster. The others followed suit by using a screw driver and a paper clip. I now have more respect for Paleontolgists. Man, what patience they must have!

Day 1 ends with three unearthed bones and a lot of pink dust.
Nine more bones to go!

Read on to Day 2

Camp Blue

Blue enjoys building a "clubhouse" using the sofa bed. He could stay there forever with his gadgets and toys in tow. Last night, I felt privileged that he asked me to sleep beside him there.

I must admit it was hard on my back. I also had to sleep with my feet sticking out the tent's "door." Another added difficulty was having to check on the baby outside every now and then. It's definitely not on my list of the most restful nights.

BAH, who cares? It was so much fun! I felt like a kid while trying to fit in that tight space. The Ben Ten night light was extremely cool. I felt so giddy that we played with video games until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. The best part was seeing how happy Blue was when he woke up with me still inside the tent. What a heartwarming experience!

the makeshift tent

Blue sound asleep

Brothers

Blue just came home from school. He entered the bedroom and greeted me, the baby and the dog...

"Hi Mom!"

"Hello, little brother!"

"Hello, dog brother!"

He's Coming Soon!

at 29 weeks

at 31 weeks

We had a tough time getting clear 3D ultrasound results. So many things were blocking our view of our little boy. We went back 5 times over a period of more than a month. It was only getting harder as my tummy got bigger. Hence, we had to settle for blurred photos. Oh well!

In hindsight, our purpose was for Blue to get involved in the coming of the baby. At least in that department, we know we scored big time. Here's a short essay that Blue wrote for his project on contractions...

"I can't wait for my brother to come out. He's coming very soon. He'll arrive anytime in November. I'll be sad if Mom and Dad go to the hospital while I'm in school. But I'll be visiting and we'll all be happy. We're all excited for that day to come."

Signs of Life

March 23 - Officially, this was the first day of summer vacation. After a hectic 3 weeks, my zombie/robot mode is over. I suddenly realize my period is delayed. I'm never delayed.

March 26 - Alvin brought home a home pregnancy test kit. The moment of truth. The boys expectantly stare at the test strip to see the results. Alvin begins to check the clock. One minute...nothing. Tic... Toc... Three minutes...still nothing. The instruction says the lines should have appeared by now.

Blue said glumly, "We're not gonna have a baby, are we?"

I finally decided to add one more drop of urine. In a flash, two purple lines were clearly visible.

It's POSITIVE!

Blue is smiling from ear to ear. I start to cry. We have a family hug.


That night, Blue whispers to my tummy, "Hello, I'm Kuya Blue. Do you know that I love you?"

April (the whole month) - I was too nauseous...too tired and weak. My bestfriend, Kath, says my hormones are on track. Me? I feel so old and so not ready for the baby.

May 7 - Reality Check. I had my first ultrasound to date the baby's arrival. Up to now, I still couldn't believe there's somebody in my tummy.


Seeing the baby for the first time was sheer joy. Alvin felt the same way, too.

As for Blue, he grabbed my legs, opened them wide and said, "Baby, come out now!" Hehe. We know how impatient Blue would be in the coming months. He'd have to settle for baby's ultrasound photos for now. See you in November, baby!

Of Boys And Bottle Caps

Friday
Blue comes home with a pocket-full of plastic bottle caps.

Alvin and I think, "Hmmm, our son is imaginative. He's inventing new ways to play with simple everyday objects."

Weekend
Blue dumps the bottle caps in our dresser drawer and forgets about them.

Alvin and I think, "Drats! Our son brought home more trash. Blue should get rid of them soon."

Monday
Blue comes home with more bottle caps and a 1 and 1/2 inch long wound on his face. Upon investigation we find out that Blue and his friends looked for bottle caps inside trash bins. In one of the bins, he poked his head inside to get a closer look. The cover accidentally fell and scratched his face.

Alvin and I are dumbfounded. We couldn't think.

What Does A Mom Know About Bidaman?

My husband and I am strongly opposed to buying Bidaman toys. (The same goes for Zoids and any other toy that requires intensive assembly.) Why? I won't even get into how little educational value comes with playing with the toy. We reason that if Blue buys a Bidaman, he has to be able to build it himself.

Unfortunately, Blue manages to get his hands on them when he goes to the mall with Lola. He starts building them when he gets home with very little success. These toys have millions of little parts (ok, I exaggerate, maybe just about a hundred). Just getting them out of the plastic brackets is already a tall task. When left disassembled it would be a sheer waste of money. (A small set costs P700, and that's even on sale!) Which leaves us poor parents no choice but to put them all together. And today, this detestable job fell on me...(imagine me shaking my head as Blue says in his oh-so-sweet voice, "Mom, I'm going to be needing your help with this.") Let me just share what I had to endure:

the instructions:

the parts: (this is just 1/4 of the set; scissors not included)

the mechanical part:
caution- not for dummies
I actually finished putting the whole gun together before we realized that the trigger was not functioning properly. I had to do it three times before I got it right. And then there was another mechanical part (Blue said it was for rapid fire...whatever!). I had to do that one twice!

the finished product:

I had fun putting the stickers, but in general I kept saying to myself, "I'm not cut out for this." Thank God for quality time, but no thanks for Bidaman!