it's time to fly.

Over the weekend we decided to build some kites.  I love the way they turned out and especially like when kites look homemade rather than look like a commercial.  I found this tutorial online (which is excellent and easy to understand) but I wanted to have a more fun, colorful kite...so I changed a couple of things.

Supplies:

masking tape (we used blue painters tape because it was less boring than regular masking tape)

thin plastic tablecloth (the disposable kind you get for a party; pick a color-they are only $1.50 at walmart)

tape measure

roll of string

33"-1/8" wooden dowel

36"-1/8" wooden dowel

scissors

pocketknife

18" of cute 1 1/2" wide fabric (3-6 strips)

spray glue

Step 1:

Make a mark 10" from the top of the 36" wooden dowel.  Make a mark at the 16 1/2" mark (middle) of the 33" wooden dowel.

Lay the 33" dowel on top of the 36" dowel so the the two marks are touching and form a cross.  Wrap the midpoint with masking tape until it the two pieces are held together.

To make the middle of your kite stronger where the two dowels meet use white string and wrap the middle tightly.  Then wrap again with masking tape.  (I think this is one of the hardest parts about building the kite. It's not too difficult you just have to keep at it until it feels pretty secure.)

Step 2:

Cut a notch at the end of each dowel.  Make sure that you cut in the direction that string will go around the kite.  In the video tutorial link above he says to do the notches first.  I did that on my first kite and then it was almost impossible to line up all of the notches so that the string could run around the outside edge of the kite.  I think it's easier to make the notches once you have the kite frame put together. 

To make the notch place the dowel edge on a cutting board, using your pocketknife make a downward slice through the end going in the correct direction that the string will be able to wrap around the kite frame to make a diamond shape.  Repeat until all four ends of have a notch.

Step 3:

Wrap string around the outside edge of the frame to form a diamond.  To keep the string from falling off my kit frame I put a one inch piece of tape over the end of each dowel.  Very tightly make a knot on the bottom end of the kite. Secure it with a 4" piece of tape then wrap the tape with more tape.  it will add a little bit of weight to the bottom of the kite to that the kite will stay vertical.

Step four:

Lay the plastic tablecloth out on a flat surface and the place the awesome kite frame on the tablecloth.  Cut around the kite frame leaving at least 1" of extra space between the edge of the kite frame and the cutting line.

Spray the glue along the extra 1" of space, wait for 20 seconds,  lift and fold over the 1" piece of plastic tablecloth over the string frame of the kite.  Repeat for each side of the kite (this gets really messy! you'll want to make sure you've placed your kite onto newsprint or something that the overspray of the glue won't ruin. If you put the kite on to newsPAPER the print will come off on the kite.

Step five:

Tie a 6' piece of string to the bottom of the kite frame.  Tie pieces of coloful strips of fabric.  The tail helps your kite to fly and be the right weight for the wind.  If your kite won't stay up take a couple of strips of fabric off the kite, if it's getting whipped about by the wind you may want to add a couple of strips of fabric to the tail.

Step six:

Tie your kite flying string to the cross section (middle) of the kite frame. (We made our kite flying string from left over bits of dowel and just wrapped string around the middle of the dowel piece to create a way for each of the kids to have a way to fly their kites at the same time.)

Now you're ready to Go Fly a Kite!

*extra idea:  we were thinking about making some cute designs for our kites (which may change their weight too much...we'll see) by making flowers or butterflies out of paper or cardstock and spray gluing them to the front of our kites to add to the happy factor.

good. LIFE.

a little letter.

This post is for all of you people out there (and I've met my fair share of them...in fact, for a little while, I was one of them) who think Valentine's Day is the lamest holiday on the planet.

This is an Open Letter To All Valentine's Day Haters:

I love you.

Maybe it's just the candy talking or maybe I overdosed on sour patch kids, white/pink/red m&ms, and carmel filled chocolate (I may have eaten that much candy yesterday...)...because even though it's not Valentine's Day I am going to proclaim my love for you.  I loved you yesterday and I'm saying it today, too.

Oh Dear Valentine's Day Hater,

You do realize that no one said that Valentine's Day is the only day that people are allowed to celebrate their love for each other, right?  People who celebrate Valentine's Day also say 'I love you' in many other ways on all the other days of the year, too.  And for all of you single and unattached people, no one said that Valentine's Day had to be a strictly romantic lovers holiday.

So instead of going with all of the cliched and stereotypical versions of Valentine's day we go with our own version around here.  We make it the holiday we want it to be and now I love Valentine's Day....

For all of you who think it's lame that someone is making you pick one day a year to show your love for your one true love:

1. Decide every Valentine's Day that you will use it as a reminder to give and show love to your one and only true love(s) everyday this coming year.

2. Celebrate more than just your significant other.  Create special memories for the significant people in your life...mom, dad, brother, sister, children, grandma, grandpa, etc.  In your world, change the definition for Valentine's Day. Do something for the people you love that you really wouldn't do the entire rest of the year.  For us, I let my kids eat candy for breakfast on Valentine's day.  And it's a big deal.  They look forward to it every year.  We get all of their favorite candy and cover our kitchen table in it. They get to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

*A couple of other extra special things that we do:  I get up while the kids are still sleeping and with my ninja like stealth I make pumpkin heart shaped muffins (this is something I don't do the rest of the year...the getting up extra early part...). I set the table with all kinds of fun heart festive-ness and write them a love note (I do this everyday of the school year so I try to make it extra long) or some creative version of a love note (this year I got a heart box for each of them and wrote a bunch of little snippets on lots of different colored pieces of paper, each with a sweet thought about them, compliment, or bit of gratitude for them,etc.).

For those of you who think you can't celebrate Valentine's Day unless you have a significant other: 

Valentine's Day can be the day of the year that you decide to create a day of random acts of kindness or mindful acts of kindness for the people you love like your mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, grandma, grandpa, etc.  They will love your love...even on this forced, lame holiday. :)

Here are some specific ideas:

*choose a service project that you get involved in on every February 14th.

*write letters to thank significant people who shaped your world

*give a surprise visit to someone who doesn't get visitors (a person in a nursing home who has no family or friends that visits them)

*hand out notes of gratitude at work to those you appreciate

Valentine's Day can be whatever you want it to be.  There are no set rules as to how Valentine's Day has to be done...and if you think that there are set rules then it's time to break them...or you can just keep hating Valentine's day. :)

the end.

(steps off soap box)

(*gotta love that we are mixing holiday decor around here...the girls' birthday party decorations are still up, too!)

all morning.

Before school on the morning of someone's birthday those who aren't birthday-ing that day sneak down to the kitchen and put together a little breakfast in bed for the person (people) who are birthday-ing.  It's really nothing fancy...cold cereal, a glass of milk, a piece of cinnamon toast (the menu today) and a little birthday card.

We flip on the light and sing "Happy Birthday!" as well as you can after only being up for a grand total of 10 minutes.  (It's not something the world should be subjected to).  Sleepy heads rouse from their pillows, eyes half closed, and big smiles on their faces remembering that, "Oh ya! It's my special day. Yay for me!"

I love birthday mornings.

This morning was especially fun since it's Miriam's AND Emma's birthday. 

And because they were both taking turns singing to each other, "You say it's your birthday?!  It's my birthday, too!!"

I can't help but be really happy on the inside that I have these twin daughters who are sisters and the greatest of friends, too.  They're entering double digits and I'm hoping they get to be even better friends all through high school and for the rest of their lives.

How does it happen that your tiny little 4 and 5 pound babies grow up to be this age?  From dependent baby to grown up independent girls who have no problem telling you just what they think?

I love them with a love that I had no idea I had in me. 

deep. LOVE.

things change.

I love this calendar for the year.  My favorite thing is that you can use it every year, change it, use it for something new.  Whatever.  All kinds of options.

I love keeping my options open.

merry. LIFE.

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