An Egg-cellent Time!!!

If you are already dangling on the edge of insanity, here is a “craft” for you!  Our Mad Scientist “Egg”speriment was a blast (or *splat* I should say).  I still can’t believe I let my kids do this!!!  Thank goodness for the new, full bottle of Clorox Clean-Up by my side.  That was the only way I made it through :0)

We put four eggs in a mason jar last Sunday, filled it with vinegar, then set them on the shelf.  I emptied the vinegar and added new every couple days.  You see, I got the idea many years ago from the Martha Stewart magazine for kids.  I think was actually the October, 2004 issue.  Yep, that long ago.  We have made the eggs several times, but apparently it has been long enough that my kids can't remember ever squishing them between their fingers.  

With it that long since I last made them, I seem to have forgotten the exact instructions :0)  I found my magazine today so we could do a couple more experiments, and wouldn’t you know, I didn’t remember exactly right.  First of all, you are supposed to keep the eggs

in the fridge *kinda important, don't ya think* 

Second, they are supposed to sit for 3-4 days…not 7 :0)  

Well, they still worked like a charm.  The vinegar eats away the shell after 3 days.  

You rinse off what remains of the shell then start playing! 

Madison was the brave one.  She reached into the jar like a trooper and egg-stracted the first specimen.

That eggie was short lived though because she dropped the slippery sucker right away...

*SPLAT*

Eli and Emmalee were then ready to give it a try!!!  

These eggs were once white with hard outer shells.  After a week in the vinegar they were squishy and watery inside.  They felt like water balloons.  I think they may have been a little more firm if we hadn't left them in vinegar so long, but not much.  We were able to play with them for quite some time.  They do break rather easily so be ready for a mess

if you dare!!!

After bouncing the eggs around a bit, the kids started rolling them.  This time the egg came within 2" of the edge of the counter.  Emmalee was having a total ball!  All three of the kids were.  They bounced the eggs all over the counter.  Screams and shrieks of delight rang through the house each time an egg came close to the edge.  I have to admit I was getting more and more anxious each time they neared the drop-off :0)

Finally mom couldn't take the anticipation of egg all over the floor any longer.  I told them the Egg-speriment was about to end. The kids began debating how to crack their eggs.  Eli tried to convince his sisters to squish the eggs in their hands so the insides would ooze between their fingers and down their arms...

Emmalee wasn't a fan of that idea.  She wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

Eli finally settled on dropping his egg from extreme heights...

***SPLAT***

Madison decided to go for squashing it with her palm...

***POP***

What a MesSSSs!!!

Poor Emmalee.  Her egg never stood a chance...

***KaBammM***

Emmalee quickly excused herself from the mess...

Madison and Eli on the other hand, I had a hard time getting them away :0P  Yuck!

Talk about pushing mom over the edge!!!

That was one mess that was rather hard for me to swallow (as a germ-a-phobe)!

I pulled out the Clorox Clean-Up and scoured the kitchen, top to bottom

***Whew***

I feel much better.  The kids laughed and talked about that "Egg"speriment all night long!

We actually did several others too.  I will be back tomorrow to show you how they all turned out.

Oh, and by the way...

Don't forget to get your messy kitchen photos submitted to Clorox by Tues!!!!

The Cook Up A Mess In The Kitchen photo contest, sponsored by Clorox Clean-up and TheMotherhood.com, ends March 29th!!!

Grand prize of trip for 4 to NYC is waiting for you!

See you tomorrow :0)

Cook Up A Mess Giveaway You Don't Want To Miss!!!

Hello ladies!  My crew and I have been commissioned by Clorox Clean-Up and TheMotherhood.com to Cook Up A Mess in our kitchen to get you excited to destroy your own :0)

Seriously!  There is a fabulous give away, grand prize is a trip for 4 to New York City.  So break out the flour and eggs and start making a mess! All you have to do is post a picture of your own kitchen escapades on The Clorox Cook Up A Mess Facebook Page and come back to vote!

The entries can only be submitted until March 29th, so Get Mess Making!!!

That, or find a disastrous photo from a while back and submit that, but definitely plan a mess for the near future.  There is fun to be had.  

I love the campaign to Cook Up A Mess! Over at the Clorox Facebook page they have ideas to get you started.  You will find lists of materials to have handy according to age group, tips for making creative play safe and easy, plus ideas for activities you can do at different times during the year.  With spring in waiting for so many of you around the country, run on over there and check out some new ideas of things to do while waiting for the world to warm :0)

  

If you have visited my blog often you know that I am not afraid of mess.  In fact, I believe it the right of children everywhere to dig in up to their elbows in mess, all in the name of creative play.  That is why we chose to make what our family lovingly calls "Goopy Stuff" for you today.  Sit back and we will show you how to make it...

Start out with 1 1/2 cups warm water.

Our first helper was Chase.  Madison wasn't quite sure about letting the 2 year olds do things themselves :0)  

I told her everything would be OK-our floors had seen worse things than water!

Then add 4 bottles of school glue to the bowl.  

This step went over really well :0)  What kid doesn't dream of emptying an entire bottle of something!?!  

Everybody got to dump their own bottle.  Luckily, there were enough bottles to go around.

Pay no mind to the brand of the glue you use.  They all work!  

While the kids are at it, throw some food coloring in the bowl too.  I would recommend staying away from red-YUCK, and really staying away from green or brown-Double YUCK, YUCK!!!

Your goopy stuff will resemble a little to closely familiar goop you won't want your kids playing with :0)

Here was our first "Mess" casualty. I didn't ask her to show me, that was how she held her arm when she realized it was dirty. Funny how my own children have no problem getting dirty.  This is Kylie.  She is less than OK with yuck :0)  Poor girl.  You picked the wrong day

 to come play at the Sew*CakeMaker house!

Emmers was having a BLAST!

I am so loven' that grin.  Can you believe we got paid to play !?!

Now give the bowl a stir.  Chas-ie (our nickname for the poor boy) didn't stop stirring his whole turn, not even for this picture :0)

Kylie...not so much a stirrer.

Emmers finished it up with her turn.  Now for the next bowl...

Add 1 1/3 c. warm water to a new bowl.

Pour like a champ...

Now take turns dumping 4 tsp. of laundry booster into the bowl of water.

Good Job Chase!  Emmalee was quite impressed with his level of skill and the form of his arm as he dumped his scoop of powder into the bowl :0)  Way to Go!

Kylie liked the laundry booster.  She must have known it originated with a need for CLEAN!

Give the bowl a good stir...

Now you have two bowls that look very different.  Pour the soap bowl into the glue bowl.

If you do it the other way around, glue bowl into the soap bowl, you loose a lot of glue.  We didn't worry about loosing soap since I think we ended up 8 tsp. after the toddlers snuck in a couple scoops when I wasn't looking :0)

Now give that a stir.  You will get goop that looks a something like this...

How GROSS AWESOME is that!?!

Can you get a sense of why you don't want green, red or brown? 

We usually go for blue or purple around here.

You can stir the two liquids together with a spoon, but why when you can use your hands!!!

Slosh the goop between your fingers until it has soaked up most of the water and is stretchy and solid.

This stuff is so wiggly jiggly you really can't help but laugh.

If you build a snowman out of it (about the only kind we can make in Phoenix, Arizona), it will stand for a second, then melt down into a puddle on the table.  Hey, that *is* like a snowman in Phoenix, Arizona!

The Goopy Stuff is also very bouncy so beware of balls being chucked across the kitchen. 

I guess that would be OK since we are out to make a mess today!

Squish, squirt, squish, squirt...

Um, we may have made Kylie feel a little uncomfortable...

but everyone else had a BLAST!!!

I guess mess-making isn't for everyone.

Eli was even able to use the goop for a little anger management.

We hadn't made a big enough mess so we really just had to dump the bowl out on the counter for a little more  um.."Creative Play" :0)

After all that fun it was lunch time.  We plucked the toddlers from the goop one at a time for a scrub down.

This was what we had left... 

 

I plopped the goop into an airtight bag so we could use it another day.  After that I set about cleaning up...

OK, Madison set about the clean up while I took pictures :0)  

Actually, I have been mixing vinegar and water to clean my counters for a while now.  Sadly, I was astonished at how much cleaner my counter felt after a wipe-down with Clorox Clean-Up!  I didn't start out on this adventure to change minds or advertise, but in the end, I have sold Clorox Clean-Up to myself!  Besides that, I have no doubt that Clorox Clean-Up gets rid of all the bacteria and viruses that lurk on kitchen counters like these.  Also, in my typical way, I forgot to take a photo first, but I sprayed Clorox Clean-Up on a stain I had on the counter.  That stain has been there the whole three years we have lived here.  I usually put my fruit bowl over the top because I never could get the stain out.  Guess what!?!  I sprayed Clorox Clean-Up on the stain and walked away.  When I came by a few minutes later, the stain was gone!!!  I am so not kidding!  It was huge too.  About the size of my arm :0)  Not any more, Gone!!!

So, thanks to Clorox Clean-Up and TheMotherhood.com for sponsoring our activity today.  We had a total blast.  Lets ask the kids...

Who here liked our Cooking Up A Mess in the Kitchen today ?!?

That is one Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Two Hip Hip Hoorays!!!

One less-than satisfied customer...

And Hip Hip Hooray number 3!!!

AAAAAhhhhCHOOoo!!!

Oh, bless you Eli :0)

Now, if only I could spray the Clorox Clean-Up in here.  Do you like the "Cooking Up A Mess" that happened in the play kitchen while I was making lunch?

Come on Clorox!  It's time to talk to Research and Development!

Don't forget to come back this weekend when our rubber eggs will be ready... 

I changed the vinegar today and was shocked at the color.  Yes, these were regular white eggs 4 days ago.  I guess that is what a 4 day vinegar bath can do to a guy :0) 

We will be Cooking Up A Mess this weekend with Clorox Clean-Up and TheMotherhood.com so come back and see how it all turns out!

Also, take a minute to check out the online resources Clorox has posted on their Facebook page to help parents get creative with their kids.  Here is a little of what you will find... 

• Creative Home Index – Online quiz to gauge your home’s Messy Magnitude
• Messy Must-Haves – Facts and tips on how to maintain a creative environment at home
• Seasonal Messy Play Newsletters – Downloadable newsletters with ideas and recipes for new seasonal activities
• 365 Days of Mess – Downloadable calendar of activities to keep kids “messy" year-round

Don't forget to post your Messy Kids In The Kitchen photo at the Cook Up A Mess with Clorox Clean-Up Facebook page by March 29th!!!!  You will have a blast making memories with your kids, plus...

Your hotel room in New York is waiting :0)