With all of the exhaustion that comes with pregnancy, I've been letting M go on TV benders. With those benders comes a lot of guilt about being a negligent mama, so I'm trying to come up with more constructive ways to spend our time. One of those ways has been crafty time with "Mama's markers". Those special markers are my permanent Sharpies, because who in their right mind would let a toddler play with permanent markers? This crazy lady, that's who!

After explaining to M the markers should only be used for special projects, firmly letting her know that she may only open 1 marker at a time, and that the markers are not to leave her drawing table, she got the gist and the coloring frenzy began.

This particular project involved me obsessively cutting the clear plastic lids from holiday card boxes down into squares that were about 6 inches each side. M was allowed to color as she wished, mostly in broad patches of colors. Because I knew the more color on the surface, the better they would show up on the tree, I pitched in by adding a few patterns. Those patterns seemed to encourage her to color all over the page rather than in on spot.

Once dry, I took over with the sharp instruments that M is definitely not allowed to use (scissors, needle and thread) and formed the pinwheel, using a button in the front to hold it all together. As we finish them, M gets to pick a spot on the tree to hang them.

We must have about 12 so far (we send out a lot of cards at work) and will keep up the fun so long as M stays engaged!

Do you have any fun holiday crafts you're doing with your little one? Share your ideas, I'm sure I'll need new ones soon!