I got an email this week from Martha Stewart (yes,
THE Martha Stewart. She and I are like peas and carrots, didn't you know?) Actually, I have no clue how I got on her mailing list, but the message was about summer activities to keep your kid busy. Most of them I skimmed over, but one idea did jump out at me: sponge balls.
Julianna loves water balloons - what kid doesn't - however, I hate filling water balloons. There I said it. Confessions of a bad mommy. The filler thingy they give you never fits our faucets. I usually have to stretch it over my laundry room utility tub faucet, inevitably having most burst while filling, which ends up in only a few successes. (Generally because I'm wet from said busted balloons and in a foul mood, so the number of attempts is greatly reduced.) Then, you go out for the battle and what happens? The balloon bounces off of her and breaks on the ground. Grrrrr!
Hence, Martha to the rescue.
In a nutshell, you take the rectangular sponges, cut them into strips, stack them on top of each other, tie with a string, fluff and voila, the sponge ball is born. They soak better and can be reused! Win, win!
Here is my pictorial of the creation of the sponge ball!
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| Cut up sponge strips |
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| Stack the strips |
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| Tie with a string (or yarn) |
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| Fluff the sponges |
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| Don't fluff too hard. Oopsie! |
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A happy little sponge balls
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Yes, friends, that is a shattered touchscreen. Weep with me. I'm not ready to talk about it. It's still usable.
We just returned from a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the third year we've rented this particular vacation home and we just love it. Anytime you go can get away as a family it's nice, but this year, it just seemed like our time was extra special. Not sure why it felt any different, but we live in a very hectic area of the country (and since we are so close to the central political arena, it can be volatile at times, as well), so going somewhere that is totally peaceful...with the exception of the cows and the other sounds of nature...is a welcomed respite. The private pool isn't too shabby either. I have more pictures, but I have to upload them from my phone. :-) 
