Turkey of Thanks

This is a great way to teach your children all of the different things there are to be thankful for and a wonderful yearly tradition to start.  I found this idea on Parent's Magazine website last year.  It was too cute to resist!  Wrapping the dark brown yarn around the larger styrofoam ball for the body was tricky, but after a while I figured it out.  The key is to wrap in circles and keep the yarn as close together as possible.

 

Materials:
Dark Brown Yarn             9 inch styrofoam ball
Light Brown Yarn             4 inch styrofoam ball
Orange Felt                    Red Felt
Google Eyes                   Toothpicks
Construction Paper          Small piece of Cardboard
Scissors                        Hot Glue Gun

How to make it: Cut a 1-inch sliver off the bottom of a 9-inch styrofoam ball. Wrap it neatly in thick dark-brown yarn, covering surface completely; knot on bottom. Make a 4-inch ball from light-brown yarn and attach to body with a toothpick. Create the turkey's features using felt: orange triangles for the beak, and long red felt teardrops as the wattle. I also cut little legs out of the orange felt. Use hot glue to attach the beak, wattle, and eyes.  Glue the legs to toothpicks and insert into bottom of turkey to help it stand up. Make a template feather shape from the cardboard. Trace however many feathers you need onto different colored construction paper. 


If your family is far spread and you won't see everyone at Thanksgiving you can mail them all a feather, have them write what they are thankful for and their name and mail it back to you.  Once you receive the feathers back, use the hot glue gun to glue toothpicks to the bottom of each feather and insert them into your turkey.


If you will see your family on Thanksgiving, just have the feathers ready to be filled out and insert into your turkey!

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Drop-Off Playhouse Opens in Washington Township, NJ
New space offers childcare option for stay-at-home and work-at-home parents

November 2, 2010 (Washington Township, NJ)--Looking for a great place for your children to play--while you have some uninterrupted time? Mommy’s Time Out, a new drop-off playhouse in WashingtonTownship, offers 4 play sessions per week for children ages 18 months - 5 years.

For parents, Mommy’s Time Out offers quality childcare in a safe, loving environment. For children, Mommy’s Time Out is a magical playhouse with 6 unique play centers, story time, art and games.

Mommy’s Time Out, LLC, is the brain child of Allyson Finelsen and Alice Weisshaar, long time friends and co-organizers of a local playgroup. Both Allyson and Alice are working women turned stay-at-home mothers and have struggled in the past to find quality, part-time child care.

“From our own experiences, we saw a need for part-time childcare that would provide something above and beyond babysitting,” said Alice, who is a former elementary school teacher and the mother of three boys.

Mommy’s Time Out is also a perfect solution for the work-at-home Mom who runs her own business or works part-time from her home office.

“Many of our mom friends are entrepreneurs and run companies from their home. Finding part-time childcare is a major challenge,” said Allyson, who is a former daycare teacher and the mother of two boys.

“This is a fantastic solution for my family, “ said Amy Dion, owner of Sweet Pea Pictures in Mickleton. “As a full-time mom with a business, I am always looking for creative and economical solutions for part-time childcare.

”Mommy’s Time Out is open Tuesday and Wednesday for two 3- hour play sessions from 9am-Noon and1pm-4pm. During the holiday season, the playhouse will have special extended hours and Black Friday sessions to give parents an opportunity to shop.

The playhouse, Mommy’s Time Out, is conveniently located in Washington Township, NJ, close to Route 42 and Route 55. For a free parent-child trial session, call 856/481-4889 or email mommystimeout.info@gmail.com.

More information and a registration form is available on the company’s website, www.mommystimeoutinfo.com.

Thanksgiving Place Mat

Looking for something to occupy an hour or so of your child's time?  Here is a great Thanksgiving craft idea that helps show your child all of the things they have to be grateful for.  Here's what you'll need:

Old magazines
Child safety scissors
Poster board
Glue sticks/paste
Clear contact paper

Directions:
Give you child the magazines and have him cut out things he is thankful for.  Have him glue the clippings onto a place mat size poster board.  When he is all finished help him cover the place mat with clear contact paper.  Now he can use it throughout the year and it can easily be wiped clean!

Attention Holiday Shoppers!

It's that time of year again, time to shop til you drop! In all of the craziness of the holiday season, when do you find time to shop for all those gifts you gather under the tree?

Picture this: getting you oldest onto the school bus and off to a half day of Kindergarten, then rushing out the door with your 2 year old in tow! You haven't got a second to waste, that bus will be back in a little over 3 hours. You get to the first store and your toddler is screaming that he doesn't want to sit in the cart. Next comes your 15 minute battle to get him to sit down, finally ending up in settling for in the basket instead of buckled in the seat.  After 20 minutes he is climbing out of the cart and running all of over the store, and you are spending more time chasing him than you are shopping. Sound familiar?

Well, this year you are in luck! Mommy's Time Out is here to help you make that time not only easy and convenient for you, but also fun for your kids.  Simply call us to schedule a date and time to drop of your little ones and leave the rest to us.  Kid-free shopping at your fingertips!