The Imperfectionist's Guide to Making a No-Sew Fox Ear Headdress

Halloween may be over, but when you're a mom of young kids, pretend play is a 365-day thing. E's amassed quite a number of wings, wands, and whatnots, and is always requesting for more. Recently, her only wish has been to have Judy Hopps and Nick Fox (from Zootopia) costumes. And since it's her birthday soon, she wants her friends to be bunnies and foxes for her party, too. We've come a long way since she would fight with her friends over who could be her current favorite character. She's sharing, guys! How could I say no?

We Said Yes to Play for 29 Days—Here's What I Learned From the Experience

Last January, I chanced upon the wonderful Capture Play Instagram challenge from supermom Allie of No Time for Flash Cards. I've tried—and failed at—photo-a-day challenges before, but this one was different because it focused on one thing I love and believe in: playing with my kids.

We tried to complete all the prompts for February for our own #29daysofplay experience. Though towards the end we skipped a few days—not because we didn't play but because we were too busy playing to catch it on camera. The rules were simple: just say yes. Yes to walks, yes to books, yes to being loud, yes to being quiet, yes to imaginary bad guys, yes to unearthing long-forgotten toys from dusty shelves, and yes to making toys out of household objects I happened to have on hand.

I loved this challenge because it gave me an excuse to take photos of my kids, but also because it taught me a few things about playtime:

1) Playing is Learning.
I've heard and used this expression before but, after doing the challenge, it really became real for me. While playtime can be noisy, chaotic, messy, and a sensory overload, I'm thankful for the times this month when I was able to participate in playtime as an observer. This happened mostly with my six-month-old son, but remarkably also with my tornado of a three-year-old. I am grateful for the times when I was able to watch little fingers flexing, stretching, and curling in response to a stimulus, eyes turned upward in thought, pauses before decisions were made, or bodies pushed to their limits, one millimeter closer to achieving a gross-motor goal. It was almost as if their entire bodies were expressing a thought that was being processed—the nerd in me liked to imagine neurons firing, synapses connecting, brain architecture changing. When my daughter finishes a seemingly pointless task of creation or exploration (a rock being balanced on a toe, a tower built from mealtime table materials) and tells me, "I've worked so hard, Mommy," I don't doubt it.

10-Minute Paper Pirate Costume for Pretend Play

Avast, ye landlubbers!

My daughter wanted to be a pirate. Oh, happy day! You must understand, I come from a long line of pirates (well, my brother and I, see above) and I had been hoping even before she was born that my daughter would continue the family tradition. However, ever since she discovered Sofia the First, all I hear is Sofia this, Sofia that. So when she asked me the other day if she could have a pirate costume, naturally I said yes.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make a real pirate costume. Who knew how long this whim would last? I had to act fast or risk losing her to the princess crew forever.

I did have paper, a printer, some leftover ribbon from Christmas, and 10 minutes to spare while my second cup of coffee brewed and I needed to get back to work. So, while she napped, I hacked this quick and cheap fix. (Please remember that this took less than 10 minutes so it's not meant to be long-wearing or authentic.)

Mom-Made! DIY Upcycled Cardboard Laptop Computer

I had no plans to do a DIY project today, but a housewide decluttering session threatened the stash of old cardboard boxes that I'd been saving for "some project, some day". Use 'em or lose 'em was the ultimatum. The decluttering also unearthed an old iPad case that I'd also been saving for a rainy, nothing-to-do day (this day, by the way, was neither). So, I got to work.