Summer Alphabet Adventure - Prep

Back when I was a kid, my Mom had this great idea to entertain my younger sister during the summer.  She created an alphabet jar and allowed her to pick a letter out on special days in the summer.  Then, they would create a day filled with activities to match the letter of the day.  Fast forward about 20 years and I have my own preschooler who is starting to learn to read (not sure how that happened, one day she was all of a sudden reading me an "I Can Read" book), the summer is quickly approaching and I feel like we definitely need some type of structure to survive!  So, I pitched the idea to my two girls and they got on board right away.  

I started the prep work by purchasing a smaller Project Life album and page protectors from Michaels so we could document all our adventures. This way, Michaela and Avery have an ABC book filled with great memories when we are all finished.  Pretty shortly after getting those supplies, Michaela woke asking if we could work on our special project, so we started right away.  First, I had her write all the letters onto a big sheet of paper (this activity already got her practicing writing and remembering her letters) and then she did her favorite part, cutting out all the letters into strips.  Finally, she folded them up and placed them into our letter bowl.  We have also been brainstorming some of the letters ahead of time so that we have a few ideas before we get stuck with a letter and have no ideas.  Can't wait to see where this summer alphabet adventure takes us!

Prepping for December Daily

I wasn't sure if I could logistically commit to participating in the December Daily project this year.  My workroom has turned into Avery's bedroom, the girls commute with me every work day now, and we have our house up for sale which means cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning.  Then, as I was pulling our Christmas book basket together I was so happy to be able to add my first December Daily album.  I realized how much I love the project and I had to do my best to make it happen, but I also realized I had to make it as simple a process as possible.  So, after my work on Avery's baby book using the Project Life system I thought I would order a few more "plastics" and make that work for my December Daily as well.  I decided I liked the 6x12 size and made the album myself by making my own cover/back and adding rings.  I filled the book with design H, design I (the instagram size...definitely excited about incorporating instagram photos because I take pictures with that app so often!), and I can also use the regular 6x12 size if I choose.  In addition to making the album simple, I wanted to try and use supplies I already had on hand.  The snowflake on the cover of the album came off of a gift bag we were given last year.  It came together so easily that I am thinking I can actually make this work and keep up with it...we'll see how that part goes.  Happy December!