The First Hair Cut

A lot of parents have pictures from their kids' first hair cuts. It's normal.

For my 8-year-old daughter, that first hair cut happened today.

Several weeks ago she told me she wanted to cut her hair before school starts. I wish I could remember the conversation. I'm sure I'm the one who mentioned donating her hair, because it was so long, it seemed the natural thing to do. She was immediately excited about the idea. She wanted to help other kids.

We did a bit of research about places that take hair donations, like Locks of Love, Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, and Wigs for Kids. After talking about what these organizations do, my daughter chose Wigs for Kids because the organization helps kids regardless of the reasons for hair loss.

A couple of weeks passed between her initial mention of cutting her hair and the actual appointment. I wanted to make sure she was sure this is what she wanted to do. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision. But she told me she wanted to do it, and she told me she wanted it done on July 31. So I made her appointment for 4:30 pm on July 31.

This is her hair the morning of her appointment.

Tracy making that first cut.

Two pony tails ready for donation.

Shoulder length and ready for 3rd grade!

A big huge thanks to Tracy at Tracy's Hair Studio for making our donation possible. Tracy did a great job, and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a stylist.

Tracy's Hair Studio

20 Music Square West

Nashville, TN

615-248-8006

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-30

Summer Hibernation

When it's 100+ degrees outside, we hibernate. The park is way too hot and with the sun beating on the playground equipment, there's just no enjoying it. We do have a kiddie pool, but even it's not enjoyable until after dinner.

We did brave the heat for a recent visit to the zoo. We just had to see the baby giraffe and clouded leopard cubs. It was hot, but we stopped for ice cream on our way home.

This baby girl is just over a month old.

A total of 5 cubs, they are 4 and 5 months old.

So we look for indoor activities. The girls have really enjoyed playing with their "Barbie" dolls this summer. And we've done a few crafty activities together.

My oldest asked me at the beginning of the summer if I could make a pillow for her. I reminded her of the 900 other pillows already in her bed. And she answered that she didn't have a pillow that I made. How could I resist that? So we made pillows this summer. They picked their fabric and trim, and they helped do some of the pinning for this project.

In addition to the pillow sewing project, I made a curtain for the bunk bed. My youngest sleeps on the bottom, and she asked us to hang a blanket there to help her not be afraid. I'm not totally sure how it helps her fear, but I replaced the blanket with a curtain for her. If nothing else, it gives her a private little spot for herself.

The girls made some clothespin fairies from a craft store kit. They turned out pretty cute, and as always, I enjoyed watching their creativity work. They didn't have a choice in the hair or skirt color, but they made their fairies unique as they painted the clothespins and drew the faces with a sharpie.

I spent a good part of the last couple of days ironing Perler Bead projects. They made an owl, a rainbow, a cupcake and other desserts, a teacup, a colorful square, monkey, and much more. It's what they're doing right now.

Another project this summer were the mini stepping stones we made. This, too, just came from a craft store kit. The kit came with enough concrete to fill the two square forms. The forms had butterfly and ladybug imprints and once it was dry, the girls painted the stones and we covered them with sealer to protect the paint. Very quickly -- my thoughts about this Busy Kids-Kids Camp Mini Stepping Stones Kit -- the picture on the box shows ladybug and butterfly shaped stones, not square. It was those shapes that attracted me to the project in the first place, so I was disappointed in the square forms. Plus the completed stones seem really fragile and the concrete weak, so we'll have to be careful where we place them. I guess that's just me being nit-picky, but I'm not so sure I'll be buying any more Busy Kids stuff.

We also made some bracelets. Have you ever seen one of these bracelets? Each color represents a part of God's plan for Salvation.

I made this bracelet years ago, probably when I was a teen.

The girls and I found some nice beads, cross charms, and clasps on sale at Joann's and Hobby Lobby to make slightly different versions of the bracelet.

Our bracelets start with a yellow bead, which represents Heaven. Next is the black bead, representing sin, which keeps us separated from God and from an eternity in Heaven. The red bead is next, representing Jesus' shed blood on the cross - the cross charm follows the red bead. Jesus' death and sacrifice cleanses our sin and removes the barrier that separates us from a Holy God. The white bead represents the cleansing and purity. The Bible says though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. The final bead in our bracelet is the green bead, which represents growing - as Christians, we spend time reading the Bible and in prayer - talking and growing closer to a God of grace and mercy and love - a relationship that grows and prepares us for an eternity in Heaven. (The bracelet I made in my teens also includes a blue bead, which represents baptism, but we didn't include the blue in our bracelet.)

In between the color beads we added silver filler beads, and finished it off with heart toggle claps. The heart reminds me of God's love for us - it was because of His great love that He sent His son to die for us so that we could have fellowship with Him. Without love, there would be no story to tell.

In addition to our crafts and play, I tried to keep the girls reading this summer. I encouraged them to read at least one book a week. For my oldest, who is 8, the book had to be a chapter book, and she has averaged 2 books each week. For my youngest, who hasn't yet learned to read, we worked on a set of beginning reader Bob Books. They are earning $2 for each book they read, up to one book a week, and we'll have a little shopping trip before school starts so they can spend their money if they wish.

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

Craft Review: Busy Kids' Kids Camp Modeling Clay

Whew! It has been a busy summer! One might think with the kids home from school, we might be spending extra time on projects at our house, and that you might be seeing more blogs from me. But that has certainly not been the case.

The other day the girls and I were at Jo-Ann and my daughter saw this modeling clay on the clearance rack and really wanted to try it.

Now I admit I've not worked a lot with clay, and I don't know much about what's good clay and what's not. But I am really disappointed with this particular product. And I'm really glad we didn't pay full price for the stuff.

That being said, my daughter enjoyed making her project. She put some time into it, and she was proud at the results. But her creation has not kept its form as it dries. At first she was really upset. But she's the kind that can find good in things.

We only purchased two colors. Pink and black. She made a pig. She did a great job! When she first completed him, he was much bigger than this (I didn't get a picture right away) - his body about double what you see in the above picture. The instructions say the clay should air dry - drying to the touch overnight and completely in 72 hours, depending on the thickness of the completed project.

But while we wait for him to dry, his body has succumbed to gravity and we noticed he was smashing into the table. I remember hearing my daughter exclaim "Mommy! He's MELTING!!" Even though he was still pretty soft at that point, we weren't able to fix him without the clay cracking.

Because of the way he was drying and shrinking and smashing, I suggested to my daughter that we place him on one of the higher shelves in her room, like he's looking down at her, and when she looks up at him she can actually see his face. She thought that was a great idea and we've placed him there to finish drying.

So if you're looking for modeling clay to keep little hands (ages 3+) busy on a rainy day, but you're not particular about keeping the project (you can put the clay back in the resealable bag to reuse on a different rainy day), then this clay might work for you. But it's definitely not made for a large creation. If your child is wanting to create something permanent, you might want to get regular modeling clay, and not this Kids Camp stuff.

And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. Isaiah 64:8