Welcome to Debbie's Domain

E loves finger painting, and M gets jealous. Unfortunately, he eats everything. While non-toxic finger paint won't hurt him, it's all chemicals, so it can't be good for him, either. I read about mashed potato finger paint, and thought it was worth trying. I put paint shirts on them, got a helper, and we went out on the patio. E tried painting on paper, but it really didn't work. No problem. She used it like playdoh and had lots of fun. E liked squishing it between his fingers. And, of course, he ate it!

I looked at a lot of other recipes for DIY Moonsand, but none of them were edible. I knew that M would end up eating it. Everything goes straight to his mouth. I didn't want him to eat sand or baby oil, so I made my own. I mixed 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of cornmeal (for a little bit of texture), and 1 cup of canola oil. The little ones loved it! E made sandcastles. M ate it. It kept them busy for a long time. Next time I may add food coloring.

It is usually really easy to buy birthday presents for a five year old boy. Most five year old boys are usually obsessed with one thing. If you know the boy, it shouldn't be a problem, because that's all they talk about. With one boy it might be horses or tractors. With another boy, it might be cars or super heroes. If you don't know the boy well, talk to his parents and find out what he likes and what he already has. A boy that is into super heroes will like most anything to do with them. The possibilities are endless. You can buy action figures and the accessories that go with them. There are often "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox" cars with their pictures on them. There are movies and posters you can buy. Don't forget video games. Just be sure to check with mom to see what system he has and what games he already has. If he doesn't have a game system, you may be able to find a hand held game he would like. He may like a coloring book about super...

This is such an easy craft, even a two year old will enjoy helping. E and I made these last year. There are so many ways to make them. Start by collecting toilet tissue rolls. We glued construction paper around the rolls; black and white for the pilgrim, and brown for the Indian. I drew the faces on with markers. This year we added two more. E loves to paint. She painted one roll black and one brown. E glued the construction paper faces, hats, collars, and hair on. I poked holes on each side. We pushed pipe cleaners through the holes for arms. And they're done. Older kids may use fabric for the clothing. If you have them, real feathers would be a nice touch. Of course, these work well for other holidays, as well. Bunnies, leprechauns, and Uncle Sam are all fun ideas. We are going to try making a Nativity scene next month.

Things you will need: Scrap paper, Brown paper bag or construction paper, Several different colored sheets of tissue paper, Elmer's glue, Water, Small bowl or cup, Small paint brush, Wax paper, Scraps of colored papers, markers, or paint for details, Tissue paper sun catchers are easy to make and cost very little. They are also a great hit with your little crafters. I help my granddaughter, E, make a craft almost everyday. It's also a good way to recycle scrap paper, paper bags, and torn or crumpled tissue paper from gift bags. (I also reuse my gift bags.) E and I are making a turkey. Start out by making a pattern on scrap paper. If you are not an artist, trace your turkey from a book or print a couple of copies off the computer. I did. You may need to improvise some to get the pattern just the way you want it. Don't worry if it's not perfect. I've seen a lot of turkeys, and believe me, they are anything but perfect. Now ladies, I'm not talki...

There are all kinds of instructions on ways to preserve a jack-o-lantern and make it last longer. Some work, some don't, some work better than others, and some are just too much trouble. If you want the jack-o-lantern to last around 2 weeks, untreated, keep it out of direct sunlight. Bring it inside when not in use, as it should not be too hot or too cold. You can put a wet towel in it, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the fridge if you want. If it starts to dry out you can also soak it in the sink a few hours. There is a product named 'Pumpkin Fresh' that you can buy at the store that will also preserve your jack-o-lantern for about 2 weeks. Keep it out of the weather, and spray it inside and out everyday. To make it last even longer, put it in the freezer for about 2 hours after spraying. Store it in a cool, dry place. Another way is to carve your pumpkin, then let it soak for 8 hours in bleach water. Use one teaspoon of bleach for every gallon of water. Spray i...

There are a lot of different ways to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween without carving it. One of the easiest ways is to paint it. You can simply paint a traditional jack-o-lantern face. That is simple and anyone can do it. However, if you would like something more creative, you can paint a cartoon face. There are several that are quite easy. Spiderman is one that is relatively easy. Paint a large red oval on the front of the pumpkin, or paint the whole pumpkin red. After it drys, paint lines for th spider webs, and copy Spiderman's eyes, also in black. There are others you can paint, like Tigger, or Garfield that don't require as much paint. Turn your pumpkin into a bat or spider. You can paint the pumpkin all over with spray paint and let dry. However, another way to do it requires only a can of some of the sparkley black hairspray from the Halloween isle of your local department store. With this, you must be careful not to smudge the hairspray. It is faster and ...