Mama saigh's diy: Summer fun for the entire family.

This week, I was on The Jason Show over at FOX 9. I can't believe it's been over 7 months since I was last on-air. For this segment, I threw on my DIY hat, to make some fun summer games and activities for the whole family.

CLICK HERE to watch the video of the entire segment!

Here's my "how to" on making your own mermaid tail, giant Jenga game, and giant Kerplunk game...

MERMAID TAILS

Thank you, Paytin, for modeling a Fin Fun Swimmable Mermaid Tail on The Jason Show!

My 4-year-old daughter and our neighbor girls are OBSESSED with the Fin Fun Swimmable Mermaid Tails. These amazing creations allow kids' (and adults') imaginations run wild, and they come in all colors, styles, and designs. If you want to save money, and get a little crafty, you can make your own mermaid tail at home...

Supplies (I found mine at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft in Minnetonka): A yard or so of a stretchy swimsuit material, heavy duty template plastic, flip flops, scissors, thread, sewing machine, pins, stretch needle (helpful but not required), Gorilla Glue (water-proof/resistant), and chalk or dry-erase marker.

Tip: Buy fabric when it's on sale for 40% off, and get your flip flops on clearance.

I "eye-balled" this by looking at photos of mermaid-tail fins online. Use a dry-erase marker/chalk
on the plastic piece, so you can wipe away your mistakes until you get it right. Then, cut out the fin.

Glue flip flops to the plastic fin.

I had my 4-year-old lay down on the fabric (folded in half, so when I cut, there were two identical pieces), and eye-balled a mermaid tail shape from her rib cage, to about 12 inches past the bottom of her feet. You'll want the mermaid tail to fit tight on the body, so trace the design about an inch outside the outline of your child's body (leaving enough material to sew pieces together). Again, use a dry-erase marker, or chalk.

Once you've cut out your mermaid tail, and have two identical pieces, place the front (sparkly/pretty) sides facing
each other, so you are looking at the back side of the fabric on both pieces. This is how you will sew the two pieces together.
Do not sew the top (waist) of the mermaid tail together, and only sew about an inch past the bottom corners of the tail together using a sewing machine. Starting with the heels of the flip flops (attached to the fin), fit the fin inside the fin part of the mermaid tail. Now, your kiddo can step into the top (waist) of the mermaid tail, slip his/her feet inside the attached flip flops, and pull the mermaid tail up to their rib cage. You are officially a mermaid!

DIY GIANT JENGA GAME

Supplies (I found all of my supplies at Fleet Farm in Carver): Hand saw or circular saw, 4 - 2x4x16 pieces of lumber (cut into 72, 10.5-inch pieces), stain or paint (if desired), sandpaper.

Other than sawing the lumber (I had my husband do that part for me), this is such an easy project. Saw the lumber into 72, 10.5-inch pieces. Sand each piece, then stain (optional). I only stained about 1/4 of my pieces a cedar color, and left the rest
"natural". Stack 3 piece, switching the direction of the wood 90-degrees with each level. If you're having a difficult time removing the wood pieces while playing the game, rub each piece with wax.

DIY GIANT KERPLUNK GAME

Supplies (I found all of my supplies at Fleet Farm in Carver): 4 - 16-inch 2x4 boards, 4 - 10-inch 4x4 boards, drill, screws, spray paint (optional), anchor wire, wire cutters, staple gun, staples, 40 garden stakes, and ball-pit balls.

Use your drill and screws to connect 2 of the 2x4 boards to the 4 - 4x4 boards, to create the base.

Use your drill and screws to connect the remaining 2x4 boards to the top of the base. Spray paint if desired.

Form a cylinder with the wire caging to fit the base, and secure with anchor wire. Use staple gun to connect the wire cylinder to the base. Stick stakes in the wire cylinder (as shown), then dump the balls on top.

Enjoy!

Baby jimmy: The first 6 months.

It's incredible how babies can set you off on a roller coaster of emotions. Our sweet Baby Jimmy has been in our lives now for half a year, and time is flying by way too fast.



Jimmy, age 4 months.

My sweet boy.

The first few months of Jimmy's life were pretty rough on me, as I struggled with my role as a mom of two, while battling postpartum depression/anxiety. But now, I feel like I've finally found my groove, and I'm in a very sweet spot with my kiddos. While Jimmy isn't as great of a sleeper as his big sister was (and she still is) at his age, he's finally getting the hang of sleeping 12 straight hours at night. Well, he's getting there. For the past few months, Jimmy would go to bed at 7 p.m., after downing a 7-8 oz bottle of breast milk or formula, and wake up like clockwork at 3 a.m. to eat. He'd go right back to sleep and wake up again around 7 a.m. (often earlier). At his 6-month check-up, Jimmy's pediatrician was concerned about Jimmy's weight-gain, as it was declining (he hadn't started solids yet), and he was only in the 20th percentile. She said that Jimmy was waking up at night because he was hungry. He's been eating 2-3 meals a day (fruits, veggies, oatmeal cereal, quinoa, yogurt, etc.) for the last couple weeks, along with a 6 oz bottle after each meal, and has really started to fill out. While he was still waking up at 3 a.m., he'd only drink about 2 oz., and then go back to bed. We started cutting out the 3 a.m. feeding entirely, and giving him his paci ("wah") instead. Surprisingly, it's worked! Jimmy now eats dinner around 5 p.m., has a bath, plays a bit, drinks a 7-8 oz. bottle before he falls asleep around 7 p.m. Now, if we could only get him to forget about waking up to say "hello" at 3 a.m.

 

Papa Saigh reading to the kiddos.

Jimmy was exclusively breastfed via pumping for the first five months. I had saved a good amount of milk in the freezer, and could keep up with his feedings by pumping just 3 times a day from 3-6 months. Pumping is incredibly time-consuming, and while it is a labor of love, it was really affecting my stress-level, patience, and parenting. But, for some reason, I REALLY struggled with completely quitting pumping. At 5 months, I went down to pumping 2 times a day, and then to just pumping in the morning. Although I wanted the ease of switching Jimmy to formula, I was apprehensive about it. I think it's because I made it a year giving Linna only breast milk (she never had formula), and part of me felt guilty about not making it that long with Jimmy. However, switching to formula was one of the best decisions I've ever made. While formula is expensive, it is SO convenient! I also didn't have to buy formula for an entire month, because I requested samples from companies, and my pediatrician's office. Jimmy's pediatrician told me that all formula is basically the same, so we weren't set on a certain brand. Every time I went in for one of the kids' appointments, I'd ask the nurse if they had any formula samples on hand. I seriously made it over a month before I had to buy formula!

(6-month-old Jimmy is excited about swinging at the park!)

 



(6-month-old Jimmy cracking himself up.)

 



Jimmy is the most expressive little guy. Whether he's excited, happy, worried, or just interested in what's happening around him, his eyes are always wide open, and he doesn't want to miss a thing. You can't help but laugh and melt when Jimmy smiles, because he smiles with his whole face. He loves when people talk to him, and he will smile at just about anyone. Jimmy is such a sweet and happy baby, except when he's tired or hungry. He gets so excited when we say "water" or "milk", but then cries until you stick a bottle in his mouth. Our high-maintenance little man prefers to be fed in his bedroom, with the sound machine on, lights low, while being rocked. He falls asleep on his back in his crib with his two "lovies" up against his cheeks. He slept in our bed or in his bassinet, up until he was about 4 or 5 months old.

(Jimmy's first food at 5 months - Avocado.)

 



(Jimmy at 4 months old.)

 

(4-month-old conversations.)

 





Bath time is one of Jimmy's favorite parts of the day. He's a super messy eater, so I put him in the tub almost every night after his dinner. His little legs and arms start going crazy as soon as he hears me turn the water on. It's so cute! Hopefully, Jimmy will be a water baby just like his big sister Linna. Speaking of Linna, Jimmy is completely infatuated with his big sister. His entire face lights up when he hears her voice. I had to move the kids' car seats closer together, so Linna was in Jimmy's eyesight at all times. While Linna does get jealous of her baby brother sometimes, she is such a loving big sister. A few weeks ago, Linna was watching the Rugrats Movie, and there's a scene where Tommy (the older brother) starts yelling hurtful words at his baby brother after he becomes frustrated with him. The baby starts to tear up watching his big brother's anger toward him, and when Tommy sees this, he realizes how much he really loves his baby brother. Linna started sobbing during this part of the movie. She's such a sensitive little bean when it comes to her baby brother.

(Jimmy's pout. Quite the expression for a 3-month-old baby!)

 



(This happened ALL the time before I moved their car seats closer together. Jimmy

is 3 months, and Linna is 4 years old in this video.)

 



Unlike his big sister Linna, Jimmy has become a little petri dish for every virus he comes in contact with. Linna and Jimmy go to the childcare center at my gym (I rarely took Linna to places like this when she was little), and Jimmy has already been on antibiotics twice. At least he's building a strong immune system. He still hasn't had any teeth pop through, but we can see the white nubs under his gums. Jimmy started sitting up on his own at about 6 months old, and loves to roll around to get his hands on things. He is already picking up puffs and cheerios with his hands and putting them in his mouth.

Jimmy has also had two haircuts in his first five months of life. This kid has an incredible head of hair, and people are constantly commenting on it when we're out in public. He's started to sit up in the grocery cart too, so he draws a lot of attention when we're out shopping.

Our baby boy has been an incredible joy in our lives, and is the perfect addition to our little family. I am so excited to watch him and his sister grow up together! Look at how much Jimmy has changed in just 6 months...

 

Our new favorite snack: Elli quark.

A few weeks ago, a former co-worker of mine posted a picture of an Elli Quark container on Facebook. While this cheese snack isn't anything new to my German friend (apparently it's been a popular snack in Germany for years), I had never heard of it, and was intrigued. Elli Quark is a spoonable cheese snack, that is similar to yogurt. It has almost half the calories, and 15% more protein than Greek yogurt. Plus it has a less sour taste, no added sugars or artificial sweeteners, and still contains probiotics. Papa Saigh is a big fan of Greek yogurt, but has been getting bored with his regular flavors. So, I picked up a variety of the Elli Quark flavors at Target, and put them to the ultimate test: Pleasing our 4-year-old's picky palate. Here's her verdict...

(Linna trying plain Elli Quark for the first time.)

 

(Linna trying mint chocolate Elli Quark for the first time.)

 

 

Linna's other favorite flavors are vanilla, pineapple, lemon (so good), and cherry. We both tried the red velvet flavor, but we aren't fans of that one. While they are a little more expensive (about $1.79 at Target), they are filling, yummy, and the 4-year-old only eats half a container at a time. Papa Saigh takes them to work for lunch. Even Baby Jimmy likes the plain flavor (although we normally feed him full-fat Greek yogurt)...

 



(6-month-old Jimmy eating plain Elli Quark.)

If you go to Elli Quark's webpage, you can get a coupon for a free Elli Quark to try it for yourself. Our family is a big fan, but I'd love to hear what you think!

 





Linna's first dance recital.

This weekend, our 4-year-old performed two dance numbers at her first dance recital in Minnesota. For the past year, she's been taking a once-a-week class at The Dance Warehouse in Chanhassen. After her dress rehearsal earlier this week, I think all of the dance moms in Linna's class were a little nervous about how the girls would do at the actual show, because our 4 and 5-year-olds looked like deer in headlights when they stepped on the stage for the first time (see videos from dress rehearsal, below). I'm happy to say that the girls completely shined on stage at the show (we were only allowed to shoot video at the dress rehearsal), and they looked absolutely adorable. Linna was so excited to have all 4 of her grandparents, Uncle Scotty, Auntie Paige, Mama, Papa, and Baby Jimmy cheer her on at the recital. We are so proud of our tiny dancer!

(Linna's dress rehearsal for her tap dance to "New York, New York".

She's the tiny one, second in on the right.)

(Dress rehearsal for Linna's jazz dance to "I Move My Hips".

She's the fourth in from the right.)