Planning a balanced summer holiday

 
It's that time of year again.....the end of school countdown!

We have 5 weeks left so I have be reviewing my post from last year to plan a perfect mix of activities, relaxation and a smidge of creative learning for a summer of fun!

If I were to choose one word that sums up what I most hope to achieve this summer it would be:

BALANCE

And to accomplish this I am focusing on these 3 things:

simplicity

activity

and creativity

To start I have printed a free calendar from The Tomkat Studio and have begun filling in important dates, holidays, birthdays, appointments and pre-booked activities.

This year I have also designed a handy printable checklist so that I remember to look into all of the free activities that we have enjoyed in the past, as well as keep track of any new ideas that we discover.

I will be asking the kids to help me fill in the new ideas section.
I wonder what they will come up with!?

Please feel free to print off a copy of our new checklist and let me know how your summer planning is going.
Five weeks and counting....
~ joey ~ 
P.S.  If the checklist appears out of alignment in GoogleDocs, download the file and open it in a Word type document.  You can then adjust alignment if necessary and then print it.
  
Shared with: 
The Magic Onions - Friday's Nature Table
Natural Suburbia - Creative Friday
Teaching Mama - Tender moments with toddlers and preschoolers 

handmade bag inspiration

I have had the urge to try a bit of sewing lately so I thought I would share some of the clever ideas that are tempting me...

Fresh Lemons - farmer's market totes

 I could so use some pretty market bags!

A Little Red Ribbon - linen drawstring giftbag

This is just so sweet, perfect to hold summer treasures!

Bijou Lovely - pretty little pouch

I love the bold colours in this little pouch, and it's a perfect way to try a small quilting project!

 

Northreads flickr photo only

I love redwork (especially at Christmas) but look closely at the details!  The embroidery, the measuring tape ribbon and the tiny Northreads label....soooo cute! 

You Can Do That - reversible bags

 This bag may be well beyond my limited sewing abilities but you never know?  I love that it's reversible. 

If you have made any of these patterns, I'd love to see your photos/blog posts.  Or if you have links to other fantastic bag patterns please leave them in the comments below.

I think summer and sewing go hand in hand, don't you?

~ joey ~

garden of weedin'

Siberian Iris are one of my favourite flowers

After a long holiday weekend (Victoria Day) with great weather we can now look back and see the rewards of having spent many hours in the yard!

 I suppose I should have taken "before" photos for you to know what we did, but think of it this way...we could barely make out that there was bark mulch on the ground for the weeds!  It's just been one of those years where the warm Spring brought perfect conditions for the weeds to grow and grow and grow!

The concrete jungle is doing very well.  All of our fruits, veggies, herbs, teas and flowers are enjoying the warm Spring as well!

 The peas were trellised by my hubby who does it so artistically.

 Lots of strawberries flowering and the mint is growing quickly!

 We now have 6 tubes full of mason bees!

 

And the bumble bees are enjoying the Rhododendron which is a brilliant red at the moment! (can you spot the bumble's bum?)

Have you been out enjoying your garden?

~ joey ~

Shared with:

 Like Mama~Like Daughter - Eco Kids Tuesday

 Frontier Dreams - Keep Calm Craft On

The Magic Onions - Friday's Nature Table

Natural Suburbia - Creative Friday

sharing creative ideas {all weekend}

Hello and welcome to Sharing Creative Ideas {all weekend}!

 
I appreciate that you visit madebyjoey to find creative inspiration so I have created this weekly Link Up for you to share your creative projects!
All kinds of creativity are welcome. . . sewing, knitting, felting, painting, music, cooking, handwork, gardening, lesson planning, home decorating, organizing . . . it's all forms of creativity and we can't wait to see what you have been doing! So...

1) link up your post
2) leave a comment below
3) link back to madebyjoey
from the post that you have linked

I'm looking forward to seeing what you have made this week!
~ joey ~ 

Label Lessons: your guide to a healthy shopping cart

I was recently sent this free e-book put out by Naturally Savvy to review.  As I was scanning through the pages about various food products I stopped on pages 22-25 and let out a long sigh...

...is nothing left natural anymore?!

 I have a daughter who, perhaps within the next couple of years, will start using sanitary pads and here I'm reading that there are harmful ingredients in them?!  What surprised me the most was that companies do not have to disclose the ingredients in a product that is so intimate with your body!  How can that be?

A few years ago I went through and "dechemicalized" our toiletries and (not knowing anything about this) decided to switch to Natracare products as they use organic cotton.  My daughter already understands why she'll be using this brand, so my concern is for those that aren't aware of what is in these products, and are unintentionally exposing their daughters to harmful ingredients.  Scary stuff!

So today I am passing this information on to you (and to all of the women in your life) as I think that it's something that needs some further investigation.  Download the free e-book and read more about what is in our food and health care products.

And because this is mainly a creative blog, perhaps we should make it into a creative project and make our own pads?!  Here are some links on how to make them: 

Works for Me Wednesday:  Make your own cloth sanitary pads

Hillbilly Housewife:  Homemade sanitary pads 

Keeper of the Home:  Make your own cloth pads

And just to add more fuel to the fire (ha ha!) the people that wrote this little e-book have done a short demonstration video of what happens when you light the pads of fire!  Enjoy!

~ joey ~

Shared with:
 Like Mama~Like Daughter - Eco Kids Tuesday
 Frontier Dreams - Keep Calm Craft On