Boys will be boys

Have you ever heard the expression 'climbing the walls'?

Well since summer break started, Sid has been climbing the walls not having recess to help burn off his extra energy.

Sleeping like a baby

My neck hurts just looking at this.

Another step done on my beast.

Okay so it is really late at night right now, but I am a little excited about what I completed tonight. I worked on carving the nose out of Styrofoam balls and trying to make the eyes even. The eye sockets dried really uneven and puckered. One eye was higher then the other too. So I am trying to compensate. I still need to paper mache over it and then add furrowed eye brows above the eye socket. Also eye lids.
Take a look

Willy Wonka

My boys are in love with the Willy Wonka movie. As they watched it I couldn't help but wonder what the moral of the movie was?
I decided that the moral was, your kids are good or bad according to your parenting. If I were to assign my kids one of the characters, JR would be the fat kid. The one who falls into the chocolate lake. I can't help it, he really is a glutton for chocolate milk.
I would say Sid is really most identifiable with Charlie, but of course every parent would hope their kid was Charlie.
This lead me to question what made Charlie the 'good' kid instead of a 'naughty' one? Well he is poor (check- got that one nailed), doesn't eat in excess (double check), isn't a gum chewer (beware the delinquent gum chewing kids! I wonder how Ol' Willy would view Sid's daily battles with hoards of zombies, if gum chewing offends him? Lets pretend he would be delighted with Sid's inventive and imaginative mind) and that leaves us with too much TV, pushy, loud mouth kid... not Sid.
Lastly, I decided to have really excellent kids, as parents, you need to live with your parents and sleep in one large family sized bed... Hey Ronell and Julie, is your stick house done yet? It has one of those larger then king, family sized beds in it! Let's make a deal.

Lullaby

Right now Daddy and Sid are playing the new Mario Galaxy game for the wii. Sid loves it because he can be the little icon that collects stars and freezes bad guys- but cant kill the main player in any way- just helps out. JR watches too. And since he can't help in any other way, every time they are fighting a big boss, I hear him start singing, "go to sweep. go to sweep. go to sweep widda monsta" (or replace monster with any number of foe. Including 'hot lava', 'Bowser' etc.) over and over. He genuinely believes he is helping and so it is a family victory.

The power of video games leads to family bonding at my house... if you know Daddy, that isn't shocking.

Love your bugs

Sid has been obsessed with bugs lately. He found these out back as I was gardening. You would've thought he discovered buried treasure if you had heard his bliss filled shrieks. He requested that I take pictures. Thought you might enjoy what brings a little boy happiness...

Not even half way done, but taking shape.

I reinforced the neck

Cut out the lips. Secured them with tabs

Cut out the eye sockets and rotated them, so that they were indented.

Tied a string to make the nose pull in, between the eyes.

And then MORE paper mache

Finally moving along

Sid helped me celebrate the deflating of the exercise ball.

Put the face on

Memorial Day

I had to resist the urge to put all of the pictures I took of Tim & Megan's family so they have a little something to post, if I ever finish sending them all to them... sorry.

Yes, that is Sid's little tighty whities poking out. He was quite upset to have no dry ones to put on when we were done. Live and learn.

Jake refused to take off his floaties when it was time to dry off.

DING, DING, DING!!! We have a winner!!!

BRITTANY! You guessed it. I am making Carol from Where the Wild Things Are for Tim.

Amber's idea about using the foam blocks inside is genius. My sketches are pretty complicated.

I wont get any further until Friday. So that is all for now on my not so mystery of a project.

So a couple weeks ago I saw that I had FOUR whole followers. And as pathetic as it sounds, the fact that four different people followed my blog really excited me. That explains why I was posting almost everyday. Gotta give the people what they want... all four of them.

This project, as cool as it will be (hopefully) has really slowed down my blogging. I keep looking things up since it is way out of my comfort zone. I pretty much haven't worked with ANY of the materials I am attempting to use (except paint- if I ever get that far). It's starting to take up so much of my thoughts and spare moments -not doing it mind you, just studying it- that I dont even take the pics off my camera. (I promise to get memorial day pics on tomorrow- probably).

I need some supplies- so I am at a stand still. But I will give you more answers...
Scott and Amber were right with the Halloween guesses. Tim is CRAZY for Halloween. With two little boys, and a very detailed project I am starting way in advance to assure finishing in time. I really hope it isn't a FAIL. Especially now that my loyal four followers have heard all about it. lol. Scott was also right in thinking it to be a head to a costume. Right now I am working on how in the world I am going to make it secure to a persons head and not wobble all over the place. I have some sketches, but nothing solid.

Here are some of the future materials needed:
styrofaom balls
more paper mache crap (BORING)
paint
foam core board
tag board
and the big clue item... (drum roll)... FUR!

Mystery Project

Still adding layers and letting them dry 24hrs.
still...

I found this on youtube- this woman is my soul mate when it comes to paper mache (except substitute the coffee for a sugar high).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dTAOvW_ZB8&feature=related

I don't know how to do one of those fancy hi-tech posts with the video. You will have to teach me that Tyler, if we ever make it up there to visit you guys.