Roberta, the Better Editor?
Okay, to take my mind off of my ultra-strict new teacher I decided I wanted to get involved with one of the extracurricular projects at school this year and I thought that the yearbook committee might be the thing for me. You know how much I love crafting, right? I was hoping that I could get on the art team for the yearbook and help lay it out, and choose pictures and images. The only thing is that Booger is the editor this year and he’s got some pretty weird ideas. The theme that Booger wants to go with is ‘Anatomy of an Academy.’ What??? He says that he wants to do a section on each program in the school, like math, and science and history. He says that we can lay it out like a science lesson and have lots illustrations and pictures for each section, with labels like in a scientific diagram. But who is going to want to read an anatomy of anything? You know it’s just because Booger is into all that science stuff that he thinks that’s a good idea. I really think I could do a better job editing the yearbook than Booger. I … Read more
Roberta’s Rough Day
Hey everyone, Roberta here…and boy am I feeling rotten. I don’t think I’m sick (although I might like to be, if it means missing school on Monday). I think I’m just SUPER tired. See, Reid wakes up every night around 3:00AM and cries for about an hour. And then I have to try and get back to sleep around 4:00AM, and wake up for school at 7:30. And did I mention that I can’t sleep until about 11:00PM, because Reid usually has another crying spell around 10:00PM? I tried taking a nap this afternoon but it was surprise, surprise, interrupted by Reid. So now I’m here, trying to get my homework done (because if it’s not done perfectly, I’m sure Ms. Stripes will yell at me just like she yelled at Sparky last week), and Reid is fussing again. Maybe I’ll call Cowabelle and go to her house. We can commiserate about Ms. Stripes and it’ll be quiet over there. Ugh.
Checking in on Reid
Oh, hi! It’s me, Roberta. Sorry I haven’t checked in lately but, well, this big sister thing hasn’t exactly been going according to plan. Reid has been really colicky lately. That means that he’s fussy and crying all the time because he probably has a sore tummy. Dr. Quack says it’s fairly normal. I do feel sorry for the little guy, but seriously – I don’t know how much more of this I can take! He never seems to stop! And I don’t even have it the worst. My mom and dad said I could sleep downstairs in my craft room if I wanted so that I wouldn’t have to listen to Reid cry at night, but they don’t have that option. They’re both like zombies, wandering around in a daze, with big dark circles under their eyes. My mom said it’s not really that bad, that it’s just a phase and Reid will get over it soon enough, but I have to say – this is not how I imagined it would be to have a baby around. I thought it would be all cuteness and cuddles, not screaming and crying all the time. … Read more
Reid Rabbit: how is he doing?
I love being a big sister! My new baby brother is adorable! It’s really, really fun except when he cries. But when he does cry that’s okay too, because it just means that he needs something. Like a diaper change, or a feed, or he has gas and he needs to be burped. My mom taught me a trick when he needs to be burped. She showed me that you sit down and place him across your lap and then you stroke up his back. When his tummy presses against my lap, that makes him burp! My dad always says that he likes to do it the old fashioned way and holds Reid up to his shoulder and pats him on the back. But the other morning, my dad was all ready to go to work and was wearing his best suit when he decided to burp Reid ‘the old fashioned way’, but when Reid finally did burp, he spit up all over the shoulder of my dad’s best suit! It was really gross! I think I’ll stick to my mom’s way.
Roberta’s Baby…?
This has got to be the greatest moment of my life! I just left the hospital after meeting my brand new baby brother! I’m kind of shocked. I really thought it was going to be a girl, but it is a tiny perfect boy bunny named Reid. He is absolutely the most precious thing I have ever seen! My mom is doing fine, other than being really, really tired. When I got to the hospital they were both sleeping in the bed. I didn’t want to wake them but then Reid opened his little eyes and looked right at me! It was almost as if he knew I was his sister. When he started to fuss a bit, my mom woke up and she was so happy to see me. She asked if I wanted to give Reid his bottle. Um… YES! He is so tiny and delicate. I held him and when I put the bottle in his mouth he stared into my eyes as he fed. His puffy little cheeks went in and out as he sucked. Oh, he really is the most perfect thing! I have a baby brother! I have a baby brother!
Roberta’s Mom goes to Hospital!
Oh. Wow. Okay, this is big – really big! This morning I was helping my mom do the breakfast dishes when suddenly she made a funny little squeal and put her hand on her tummy. I asked if she was okay and she just told me to go get my dad. I ran to get him and when I came back she said “Robert, I think it’s time.” It’s time! It’s time!!! My mom already had her suitcase packed so I ran upstairs and got it while my dad helped my mother out to the car. Luckily Cowabelle’s house is on the way to the hospital so my dad called Ms. Cowoline to let her know what was happening and they dropped me off on the way. My mom didn’t say too much – she just kept making these weird breathing noises. Now they’re gone. I feel sad that they are gone but really excited too. I know my whole life is about to be turned upside down!
Roberta’s Craft: Homemade postcards
Roberta here with another fun craft! Here’s how you can make your very own homemade postcards! What you need: Cardstock cut into (size), markers, stamps, pens What you do: Decorate one side of your cardstock with a picture – you can draw your home town, a familiar landmark, or anything you like. On the other side, make three lines on the right half of the card (this is for your friend’s address). Write a message on the left side. Be sure to leave a space for the stamp on the upper right corner of the back of your card. Mail your card to surprise a friend!
Roberta’s Craft: Make your own stickers
Today at camp we had SUCH a great time! We got to make our own stickers. It’s pretty easy to do and also? A TON OF FUN! Here’s how we did it. What you need: Cardstock in different colors (this is a great way to use up old cardstock), scissors, double sided tape, craft glue, sequins, wiggle eyes, any other embellishments you want What you do: I sketched my sticker ideas out on scrap paper first, just to make sure they looked the way I wanted them to. I cut out my background first, and then pasted on pictures and icons to make the stickers. I added details with markers. When my stickers were dry, I added double sided tape to the back. When I want to stick my stickers, I just have to peel off the double sided tape backing and I’m good to go!
Roberta’s Craft: Homemade Beads
Making homemade beads is one of my favorite things to do. It’s so relaxing! Sometimes I make mine out of paper, but often I’ll mix up a batch of dough and make them out of that. Here’s how to make your own beads! What you need: 1 cup of flour, 2 tbsp cream of tartar, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, ½ cup salt, 1 cup boiling water (have a grown up help with this), bowl, wooden spoon, grown up assistant, oven, cookie sheet, small straw What you do: With your grown up’s help, put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and start mixing them up. When you’ve got the dough mixed up, take it out of the bowl and squash it around with your fingers to make sure it’s really well combined. Roll little balls to make beads. Poke a small straw through your beads to make holes (don’t leave the straw in the bead). When you’ve made your beads, pop them onto a cookie sheet and have your grown up put them in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes (until they’re dried out). Let your beads cool off. When the beads … Read more
Roberta’s Craft: Wrapping Paper
Roberta here with another fun (and easy) craft! Here’s how you make your very own wrapping paper! What you need: Empty soda bottle (as large or as small as you like), tempera or acrylic paint, large piece of paper What you do: Pour the paint into a shallow dish or tray. Dip the bottom of your soda bottle into the paint. Stamp the bottom of the bottle onto the paper. It looks like flowers! Now you’ve got your own flower-themed wrapping paper!
Roberta’s Craft: Flower Prints
You guys will NEVER believe the fun I had at craft camp today! I had the best time making a painting out of flowers. Sounds interesting, right? Here’s how to do it yourself! What you need: Flowers with different colored petals – we used purple, yellow, red and pink; flat rock, two pieces of white paper What you do: Put down one piece of the white paper. You’re going to want to do this craft outside (on concrete is the best place). Sprinkle your petals all over the paper. Put the other piece of paper on top. Start banging your rock around on your paper. This should release the colors in the flower petals. Lift up the paper to see how the colors look. When you’re happy with the result, discard the petals and proudly display your floral print! One special note: be careful when you’re banging your rock – don’t let your fingers get in the way!
The Almost Big Sister
Oh, wow! Let me tell you – it’s not easy being an almost-big sister! This can be very stressful! The baby is due, like, any second and last night my mom started having these pains and I thought this was it! I was running around, boiling water and trying to find clean sheets, (isn’t that what they always do on TV?) when my dad told me to calm down. Calm down? Hello, mister?! There’s a baby on the way!!! He told me to be quiet and stop yelling (I was yelling?) because my mother was on the phone with the doctor. Her pains had stopped by then and the doctor said that it was false labor. Ugh! Now I know what Molly is talking about when she says Millie gets on her nerves – I mean, how could my new little sister or brother do this to me? Then my dad told me that when the time comes I don’t need to boil water or get clean sheets because the hospital will have all of that. And then he made me tidy up the linen closet. Geez – I was only trying to help! Oh, I don’t know how much … Read more
Roberta’s Craft: Craft Stick Easel
Today’s craft is totally fun and adorable. And easy! You’ll be able to create your own little art gallery if you make a bunch! Here’s what you need to make your own craft stick easel: Small cardstock triangle, three big craft sticks, one small craft stick, craft glue, cardstock rectangle (this will be your canvas), larger rectangle with the middle cut out (this will be your frame) What you do: Glue the three craft sticks to the cardstock triangle, one overlapping each corner. Let the glue dry. When the glue is dry, bring one craft stick back (this is what props the easel up) and leave the other two at the front. There’s your basic easel! Now glue on the smaller craft stick so it can hold your canvas and frame in place. Cut out a rectangle from white cardstock. This is your canvas. Draw a picture on your canvas and glue a frame on. You can make as many easels as you like. You can paint your easel before you put a picture on it, if you like!
Roberta’s Craft: Rock Bug Collection
We had such a great time at craft camp this morning! The counselors told us we were going to make a bug collection, and initially I was a little grossed out. When they brought out trays of rocks and acrylic paint, I realized we weren’t talking about real bugs! Here’s how to make a (fake) bug collection of your own! What you need: Rocks in all different shapes and sizes (choose ones that remind you of insects), acrylic paint in all different colors, paint brush, craft glue, wiggle eyes, paper or plastic plate where your rocks can dry Optional: glitter, permanent marker, pipe cleaners, sequins What you do: Decide how you want each rock to look – what bug can you make from each rock? You can glue rocks together if you like (to make something like a caterpillar). Paint each rock and let it dry. When the first coat of paint is dry, add any details on with more paint (or a permanent marker, if you’re trying to add really fine details). Add wiggle eyes. Display your bug collection for all to see!
Roberta’s Craft: Fake Campfire!
Hey everyone! Roberta here with a super simple and wonderfully FUN craft! Today I’m going to show you how to make a fake campfire! What you need:Three paper towel tubes, brown craft paint, paintbrush, black craft paint, brown construction paper, yellow construction paper, red construction paper, orange construction paper, craft glue, scissors What you do: Cut out a brown construction paper circle for each end of each paper towel role. Glue them in place. When the glue is dry, paint each paper towel tube brown. These are your logs! When the brown paint is dry, paint on black lines to make the logs look like they have bark on them. When the black paint is dry, glue all three logs together in a campfire arrangement. Cut out orange, red and yellow flames from the construction paper. Glue the flames together and then glue them in place on your logs. For extra fun, I got a pencil and painted it brown to look like a stick. I then got a Styrofoam marshmallow and stuck it on the end! Now I can pretend I’m camping anytime I want!
