SparkDad

Yesterday Pork Chop decided that he wanted to ride his bike without training wheels. So I went to the garage and got the tools out.

 

I did a couple of things.

 

1. Removed the training wheels

2. Tightened up the handle bars

3. Adjusted the seat to the proper height

4. Tightened up the brake lines

 

After 30 minutes of tools work and adjustment I felt that the bike was worthy of an attempt to ride without training wheels.

 

We set out on the street and showed Pork Chop how to get on to the bike, how to balance himself and how to put his leg down to support himself.

 

Then we were off! Of course for 10-15 minutes it was shaky business. He was scared. Wobbly and nervous do not mix well.

 

Finally after that he took off! Mama and I were running along side him while he rode for support and to help him stop.

 

He did it! How exciting. I am so proud of him! Within two weeks he should be riding on his own!

 

- Spark Dad

Yesterday Pork Chop and I made a Valentines box for his classroom. We took a shoe box, wrapped it in brown paper and colored on it. Well when Mama came home and saw it she said, “You are not as good as the best Stay At Home Mom!!!!!, I can’t believe…” Well you can imagine the rest. So Pork Chop and I will be redoing the box this afternoon. We will be making a cool alligator that opens up and has teeth! Much better. While looking for ideas I saw this awesome idea.

 

 

Here is the link to the site where I found it.

 

http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-heartbreaker-valentines.html

 

I will send a picture of the Valentine Eating Alligator once we are done this afternoon!

 

Great idea!

 

- Spark Dad

 

For those of us who were in Cub Scouts in our youth the Pinewood Derby brings to fond  memories of fun and speed. If you are not familiar with the derby, I will explain. Every year Cub Scout Packs around the country pass out pine wood kits. The kit consists of 1 wood block, 4 plastic wheels and 4 nail axels. The Cub Scout and his parent must then transform said block into a car that weighs five ounces or less. All of the scouts in the Pack will then race their cars down a 36 – 42 foot race track on the day of the derby.

 

The hard part is making the car. Making the car fast, stylish and fun! Skeeter has been a scout for three years now. The first year we made a spectacular car. We worked on it for a month. It was very shapely and looked good. It did not win the race, but Skeeter and I were both proud.

 

Then year two we procrastinated. I made a kit car and it showed. We won nothing!

 

This year we spent a week working on the car and it was a nice blend. It did not win the race but did come in 9th overall. So it was a good car.

 

This year we also made a car for Pork Chop. It looked a lot like a Chevrolet Camaro. Mama  designed it from a model of a Trans Am that is on our book shelf. The car was 10th over all in speed but won 5th place in the finals because it was the fastest of the siblings.

 

Skeeter was mad. Pork Chop was happy.

 

All in all our Pinewood Derby was a success, kids had fun and Skeeter and Porkchop had fun!

 

The derby is a great experience of competition and sportsmanship and is a wonderful tradition.

 

For more information about the pinewood derby see the following links below:

 

Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets: Design and Build the Ultimate Car

 

How to Book: Formula for Building & Racing PineCars

 

Maximum Velocity

 

Wikipedia Page on the Pinewood Derby

 

- Spark Dad

 

Piñata’s are a fun craft to undertake and can save you a tremendous amount of money! 

We started a couple of years ago making piñata’s for our kids birthday parties and now have a bit of reputation with our group of friends for making great piñatas.

 

In this post I will discuss how to make a skull piñata which would be perfect for a pirate birthday party or a Halloween party.

 

 

What you will need:

• Large Paint Brush or Foam Brush
• Masking Tape
• Punch Balloon
• Newspaper (Cut into 1” strips)
• 1-2 cups flour
• 5-10 cups water
• Medium Pain
• Scissors
• Black Paper
• Large Cardboard box
• 10 yards of yarn (any color)
• White crepe paper
• Plastic Container with lid ( large enough to hold 6 cups of water )
• White printer paper (cut into 1” strips)

 

Steps:

1. Blow up large balloon to skull size desired. Set aside.

2. Place 4 cups of water to boil at medium heat

3. Once water is at a rolling boil pour cold flour into boiling water, boil about 1 minute stirring constantly and then remove from heat. Let cool about 5 minutes.

4. Begin brushing a thin layer of paste about 3” wide and about 10” long

5. Apply newspaper strips over the layer of paste. The newspaper should stick to the layer. Brush on another thin layer on top of the newspaper.

6. Continue until the entire balloon is covered with newspaper. Let dry for at least 6 hours.

7. While balloon is drying cut a jawbone shape from the cardboard. Make sure the jawbone is long enough to wrap around the bottom of the balloon to form a skull jaw and nose piece.

8. Once balloon is dry. Take yarn and wrap around the balloon creating a reinforced layer of yard. The yarn should create a loop at the top of the balloon “skull” for tying the rope to the piñata.

9. Repeat step 5 and 6 until entire balloon skull is covered in a second layer. Let dry at least 6 hours.

10. Once the balloon is dry, use the masking tape to attach the jawbone to the bottom of the skull.

11. Repeat step 5 and 6, covering the entire piñata including the jawbone in another layer of paste and white printer paper. This helps cover the newspaper print for the next layer. Dry at least 6 hours.

12. Using white crepe paper cover the entire piñata in overlapping layers of paper to create the fancy outer layer.

13. Cut out eyes, nose and mouth from the black paper and use left over past to attach to the piñata.

14. Use left over paste and crepe paper to wrap around a broom stick for the party goers to beat the skull senseless!

15. Cut a small hole in the top back of the skull to put candy in. The balloon will pop but the skull should maintain it’s shape.

 

Tips:

 

Be sure to allow plenty of time for drying between steps. Humid climates require more time. If you do not allow proper dry times then the piñata will be weak and break very easy.

 

You can also read this article at eHow.com using the following link.

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_5830808_make-skull-pi_ata.html

 

- Spark Dad

 

For cake makers fondant is one of the most wonderful concoctions ever created. Fondant is a mixture of marshmallow and confectioners sugar. It is fantastic for making edible creative items for cakes.

I found this awesome cake at the OvenHaven blog.

Mama had recently used fondant to make a very cool Mario Bros. cake for Skeeter’s 9th birthday. You can see the photos below!

I have included a recipe for the fondant below, courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, divided

Directions

1. Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
2. Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.
3. Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Skeeter’s 9th Birthday Cake