I Spy…domestication.

I feel like a school marm.
Or maybe even a grown-up mom.
Either way…it’s strange.
What’s even more strange is that I found myself having a grand old-time.

I made my daughter an “I Spy” album made up of her toys, clothes and everyday items. I saw the idea on I Can Teach My Child and loved it. With my day off close at hand I set to being domestic, boy, it’s a strange change of pace.

The first one I made was animals. For some reason I thought we had more animal toys but I guess not. I’m an awesome parent. To supplement the lack of toy I printed off a couple of photos and tossed them in with the ones we had.
(I Spy…Lady Bug, Parrot, Turtle, Barn, Koala, Panda, Kitten, Bunny, Goose, Guinea Pig, Grizzly Bear, Ostrich, Lizard, Creepy Octopus, Spotted Seal, Puppy, Cow, Goldfish, Elephant, Starfish, Pigs, Sheep and a Horse.)

Next I did food, because…well that’s what I do. I take photos of food. I like food.
(I Spy…2 Pears, Cereal, Spoon, Bowl, Mustard, Ketchup, Milk, Yogurt, Peanut Butter, Banana, Knife, Pineapple, Orange, 2 Eggs, Rotini, Spaghetti, Blueberries, Pretzel, 4 Chicken Nuggets, Walnuts, Corn, 3 Strawberries, 2 Potatoes, Fork, Bread, Cheese and a Plate.)

Next up, clothes and accessories.
(Coat, Jessie the Cowgirl Pants, Wipes, 1 Sandal, Tiara, Thomas the Train Toothpaste, Bunny ears, Body Wash, Pink Snow Boot, Red Jessie the Cowgirl Hat, Black Ear Muffs, Tooth Brush, Sunglasses, Diaper, Owl Pajamas, Tinkerbell Purse, Shorts, Necklace, Lotion, Shirt, Jeans and a Green Shoe.)

Then came Disney characters.  This wasn’t hard to find considering all of these things (and more) were already stuffed in her Buzz Lightyear tent under her Buzz Lightyear sleeping bag right next to her Toy Story 3 sippy cup and her stuffed Nemo that is roughly the size of our dog. Somewhere, there is a Disney-Pixar employee that has my daughter to thank for their salary.
(I Spy…Pluto, 101 Dalmatians, Woody, Lightning McQueen, Nemo, Beauty & the Beast, Mike Wazowski, Lightning McQueen Sippy Cup, Jessie the Cowgirl, Snow White, Bullseye,  Bugs Life, Up (Kevin as it’s known in our house), Ratatouille, Tinkerbell Purse, Lion King and Toy Story 2. I’ll play this using Characters: I spy… Buzz Lightyear. I spy… Frances the Lady Bug. I spy…Simba. Otherwise she would be done in absolutely 5 seconds flat.)

Things that Go!
(I Spy…Fire Truck, Orange Train, Horse, James the Tank Engine, Lightning McQueen, Monster Truck, the word Car, School Bus, Keys, Turtle on Wheels, Sail Boat, Train Car, Helicopter, the word Vroom, Thomas the Tank Engine and Train Tracks.)

Letters and Numbers.
(I Spy… Every letter in the alphabet and numbers 0-9. If you want to throw colors in there too more power to you.)

I happened to have some 4×6″ photo paper, color ink and brightly colored 5×7″ stock cards lying around so I printed the photos and trotted myself (and the rest of the family) right on over to Mardel and laminated them for a grand total of $0.27! Finished them off with a hole punch in the corner and bound them together with an old bracelet she’s never used.

And voila! I did something a real-life mother might do! I feel all tingly inside. Best part? She actually played with it for about 4 minutes before throwing it across the table and playing with her plethora of Disney-Pixar toys. Shocker. This will be great for car-rides and long waits in places. I hope to keep making more so I’ll post the photos as I go for a thicker album!

So that’s the story of how this little purple haired, pierced, chuck taylor and ray-ban wearing mom became just slightly more domesticated and had a little fun.

I spy…life as I know it disappearing.

Becki