You Are Beautiful * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v9.3.14

You Don't Have To Get It Perfect * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v9.2.14

"You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going. Babies don't walk the first time they try, but eventually they get it right." -Jack Canfield

 

Characterize People * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v9.1.14

"Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words." -Buddhist Boot Camp (www.buddhistbootcamp)

 

Flat Tire * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.31.14

A bad attitude is like a flat tire.  You can't go anywhere until you change it.

 

You Can Be Pleased With Nothing * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.29.14

"You can be pleased with nothing when you are not pleased with yourself." -Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

 

Mother Theresa Keepin' It Real * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.28.14

Mother Theresa didn't walk around complaining about her thighs or worrying how many carbs she'd eaten that day.  She had shit to do.

 

Unexpected Success * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.27.14

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." -Henry David Thoreau

Shhhhhh. It's a secret.

I know.  I know.  I've been MIA the last two days.  Nothing but #DailyBrainVitamins to keep you going.  I've been working hard behind the scenes   And I'll let you in on a little secret.  Tomorrow there will be a big announcement. But for now I'm just going to give you these three photos.  And a hint: Shop! Shop! Shop!

If that's not enough, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow.  Oh, and there are only 120 more shopping days until Christmas.  Shhhhhh.  And you're welcome.  

Truth * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.26.14

If you always tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Kids Are Wonderful People * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.25.14

"You do not have to make your children into wonderful people.  You just have to remind them that they are wonderful people.  If you do this consistently from the day they are born, they will easily believe it." -William Martin

 

Wasted Days * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.24.14

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." e. e. cummings

 

Shine On * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.23.14

I admire people who choose to shine, even after all of the storms they've been through.

 

Here's Your Permission Slip * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.22.14

Kids and Clorox - Who Knew They Mixed Together So Well?

If I were to say to you, "Hey, let's give the kids Clorox pens and see what happens!" you would probably shoot me one of those "she's lost her ever-loving mind" looks, turn on your heels and walk away.  But I'm rogue like that.  I like to toss a tiny firecracker into the crowd (figuratively speaking, folks) to shake things up a bit.  
We've been highlighting (mostly) crafts this week and I've mentioned that my friend Jody came up from Atlanta a few weeks back.  She is the queen crafter (no really, you should see the embossed note cards she made me - amazeballs!) and she brought up some really fun crafts for the bonus daughters to make.  The koozie/coozies (never will know which is the correct spelling) were all her idea.  And a big hit.  She also brought up a lucha libre mask kit (click here if you have no idea what I'm talking about, of if you'd like to order a real mask of your own) and we ALL made them (pretty sure the ensuing photo will make the front of the Christmas card this year).  

Rocks can be helpful for holding the shirts down.  So they don't fly away. (????)

But I also had a trick or two up my sleeve and told the bonus daughters and the lake neighbor kids to get a colored tshirt and be thinking of a phrase or saying that's important to them (the shorter the better).  I bought Clorox bleach pens and we were set.  
Turns out these handy pens aren't just helpful in the laundry, but also keep bored kids under the age of 15 occupied for at least a solid half an hour.  

You can use other markers to enhance your design (see bow tie above).  And yes, that's wine in that glass.  For the grownups supervising the bleaching.

Here's how:
We took their shirts and put a piece of heavy cardboard between the front side and the back side, inside the shirt (just like with the tie-dye shirts, which we did the same day).  Now take your pen and carefully write your saying or message on the shirt.  It looks like this at first.

The Clorox looks very white while on the shirt, but on black at least, turns the fabric gray.

The key here is (once again) patience while it dries.  Which is harder than it sounds with ten (I think it was ten - there were tons of them and they move quickly, so it can be hard to count them) kids running around.  That's why we had the second craft - the tie-dyes.  Once the Clorox is dry on the shirt (about an hour or so), you very carefully take it to the sink and quickly wash out the bleach by running cold water straight through it at first and then a quick general soak.  Have the washing machine ready to go, so you can pop the shirts in there to get any trace of leftover bleach out.  

It almost looks Halloween-ish with the orange outline around the letters.

Key tips:  
1) Make sure you know how to spell what you want to write. 2) It may be a good idea to "sketch" out what you want to write on your shirt first.  We did it  with our fingers, just to make sure the words would fit, but you could do it with a pen or pencil. 3) You can't really do the front AND back, so choose carefully. 4) Bleach is still bleach.  Even when crafting.  So, be careful with whatever clothes you're wearing. 5) 100% cotton shirts work best.
Now, go turn your kids loose with some bleach pens, get a glass of wine and call it a day.  A win all around.  You're welcome.

Keep It Simple * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.21.14

Keep it simple.   Missing somebody? Call Have a question? Ask Want to be understood? Explain Don't like something? Change it Love someone? Tell them

What Could Have Been * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.20.14

I honestly see no point on dwelling on what could have been.  You either make it happen or you simply chase a greater opportunity.

 

Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.19.14

Your Daily Brain Vitamin v.8.18.14

"'What if I fall?'  'Oh but my darling, what if you fly?'" -e.h.

Your Daily Brain Vitamin v8.17.14

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." - Martin Luther King

Your Daily Brain Vitamin v.8.16.14

A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light who's love shows us the way.

Happy birthday to my father.