Babble

As crafts go, I'm a fairly live-and-let craft kinda gal. There are some hands-on activities that I don't quite understand -- like leather burning -- but can admit that reasonable crafters can agree to disagree. There is only one handicraft that I simply cannot get behind. Why on earth would you spin yarn from your dog's fur? Do you ...

Can't get your kids to eat any sort of fruit? Do said children like dinosaurs? Then I've got the answer for you. Make your own dinosaur swamp, which features plastic dinos and a spin on guacamole that includes avocados and tofu. While it might look a little, um, oogy to adult eyes, some kids would really groove on the idea, especially if ...

My oldest kid – she’s six – has the makings of a scientist, if only because she can’t stop asking “why?” every 30 blessed seconds. One of her all-time favorite shows (and mine, if the truth is to be told) is Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, which is a PBS Kids’ program that features an animated dog and kids who are sent out to solve problems. It’s all ...

Weirdly, I can't write about this without hearing the B-52s in my head: Commotion in the ocean His air hose broke! Lots of troubles! Lots of bubbles! He was in a jam! (He was) in a giant clam!!! Rock, Rock. Rock .... candy! It couldn't be easier to make your own, according to this recipe from Wise Craft (scroll down a ...

I have a confession to make, one that will firmly cement my status as an old lady with seriously geeky habits. Ready? I am a knitter. I love the yarn and the needles. I make all kinds of knitwear all of the time. I knit socks -- and, yes, I know I could just buy them. I knit hats and mittens and scarves and sweaters. My kids wear handknits, too, ...

On August 19, mom and blogger Kelby Carr went to Wal-mart to pick up school supplies for her daughter. Like most parents making the crayon run, Carr grabbed the list that the store provided. Only that list turned out to be not only wrong, but full of items that her kid's school prohibited. That is only the beginning of the story, ...

Embossing velvet is one of those crafts that I've seen demonstrated a couple of times. Each time I have the same response, which is, "oooooh. pretty." Then I look at it five minutes later and have the same second thought, which is, "now what?" I still don't know that I have a great answer for the second question. How ...

Sing along with me, kids:Say, has everybody seen my balls, they're big and salty and brown. If you ever need a pick, pick me up, just put my balls in your mouth... In honor of the late, great Isaac Hayes, a recipe for the world's easiest chocolate balls. You may add salt if you so desire. If you want to make your balls without ...

A couple of weeks ago, my 6-year old daughter was looking over my shoulder as I was reading a magazine. The rag in question was something innocuous like Real Simple. I flipped to a page that had an ad for some miracle anti-aging lotion that featured an unlined-but-mature woman. My girl quickly asked me, as I was about to flip the page, "do ...

Being left home alone at such a tender age certainly did no harm to Macaulay Culkin, right? He learned valuable skills like self-reliance and personal grooming during his solo time -- and grew up to be an upstanding young man, yes? I'm winking so hard here that I'm afraid I'll do some damage to my left eye. If we can't depend ...