Dear Mom,

Sometimes I wonder if anyone else will care for me the way you do. I’ve been looking up to you for years and trying my best to be like you, but I know I can only be half the woman you are.

You are the best, Mom!

This Mother’s day, I hope to share with you my thoughts and prayers. I hope that through this letter you will feel the depth of my love, and I can touch you although I’m so far away.

Do you remember when I was younger, you used to tell me that not everything will go my way. And that I have to be patient and work hard to really get what I want? You were absolutely right. I know now how hard work and patience will always bear fruit in the long run.

Whenever I feel impatient, frustrated or lonely, I only need to think of you and your unending devotion to us, your children, to feel inspired.

I cannot thank you enough for the lessons that you taught me.

Mom, always remember that even if you can’t be by my side now, I’ll still be here for you. I will always be here for you, even if I’m busy or wrapped up in my work. You will always be special to me and I thank God for giving me a chance to live life with you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Your Daughter

The easy way is to throw them all out during your spring cleaning. The wise choice is to convert them into crafts. Part of making an effort to be environmentally friendly as a family is making sure you don’t throw away too many of your household items, even those you’re not using anymore.

Your kids will love creating artwork out of household items. Popsicle sticks, newspaper, paper plates, buttons, plastic bottles and egg cartons are some of the many items which can be utilized for fun and inexpensive art projects at home. Choose crafts that kids from grades 4 to 6 can enjoy. Let younger children be part of the craft experience as well with some help from older kids or parents.

The “Look What You Can Make With Dozens of Household Items!: Over 500 Pictured Crafts and Dozens of More Ideas!” craft book is part of the successful Look What You Can Make With series and incorporates eight previous books of the same series. The new compilation is spiral bound. Each individual book is labeled with a tab for quick and easy access to each topic.

This craft book is a great resource for rainy days or even birthday party fun. The materials needed are inexpensive and easy to find within the house.

The book details over 600 craft projects. Each book contains between 80 to 90 color photos and clear step-by-step instructions. Non-readers will need to be supervised since there is only a picture of the finished project.

Here are two craft projects you and your kids can try at home…

Sock Puppets

Small children, even babies, love to see puppets. Instead of spending a lot of money on puppets, why not let your child make their own? If your house is like most, you probably have all kinds of unmatched sox sitting in a box or bag in the bottom of your closet. With glue dots, wiggly eyes, colored felt, and some yarn, your child can make their own puppet friends.

The look of their puppet is entirely up to your child. They can choose the type of sock – striped, with lace on the bottom, or whatever is on hand – to create a one-of-a-kind toy. Using glue dots, put on the wiggly eyes, add a moustache or teeth, if you have fake eyelashes, they can add those, too.

Have Mom or Dad find a large box and cut a hole out of it to make a puppet stage. With a little bit of imagination, your child can have many hours of puppetry fun.

Finger Painting

For a child, is there anything more fun that getting their paint covered hands, arms, and elbows into their artwork? When they’re usually told to keep their hands clean, finger painting allows children an opportunity to get dirty and have fun all the while. Water-based paints are available at most department stores as well as at craft stores around the country. If your child can’t find a color they want, this is a great opportunity to help them learn about which colors make which when mixed together.

Don’t forget to have your child wear an old shirt and be sure to have plenty of newspapers on the surface where they will be painting. Let them have fun and make a mess; it’ll clean up with soap and water.

Another option for cleaning up is to spray some shaving cream on the table. Not only will this be an additional bit of fun for the kids, it will also help your table end up clean as a whistle.

Whatever crafts you allow your younger child to do, get down there with them and have fun. You may have been told for years that you have to act like a grown up. You may have been told to act your age. When you have craft happy kids, who says you can’t act like a kid? There’s no telling the amount of fun you’ll be able to have with your children as you create sock puppets or finger paint. It’s also quite possible you might strike the spark of creativity that has been missing from your own life.