While washing my sheets at 2:30 in the morning after waking up to one of my cats barfing on my head, I knew it was going to be a very special kind of day.
I managed to dodge the offending cat barf, but my bedding did not. So as I was dragging my kibble soaked Rough Linen sheets down the stairs at 2:30 in the morning to wash them, I thought about all the loving mothers out there who do this every flu season with their kids many times over. Only instead of cat kibble on the sheets it's meatloaf and Kraft Dinner and red licorice and that putrid smelling bile. And I think deep down from the depths of my soul that these kind hearted, warriors of the world, these mothers with no sleep and germy homes, who pat the sweat soaked foreheads of their barf smeared babies ... really should have just got a cat.
Also cats rarely grow up to be strippers.
The one mother I thought of in particular is my niece who started having kids as soon as she got married, knocked 3 of them out in a row and every winter has to endure the barfing household syndrome. Luckily her kids were easily trained. They, unlike my cats, learned to throw up in a bucket, not on their sheets from a very young age. (although there is the odd sheet casualty)
Her very best, CHAMPION bucket thrower upper is her middle child, Ollie.
It was that very Ollie's birthday a few weeks ago and he, like every other child that has seen my incredibly famous Birthday Advent Calendar, hinted that's what he wanted to. He would have been perfectly happy with my pink, sparkly version but since Ollie loves baseball ... that's the direction I went.
I'll give you the quick version of the directions here but if you want in depth directions on the basics of making a Birthday Advent Calendar read my original post on it.
This time around I figured out that it's a lot easier to cut the holes out of the foam core board by using a hole saw as opposed to an Xacto knife.
So you cut your holes out, then glue tissue paper on the backside of the board. Those are the cool little holes that the gift recipient will punch through to get to their gifts! It's all very Price is Right.
The easiest way to turn this into a baseball themed calendar was to add baseball doors. These are just styrofoam balls I got at the dollar store, cut in half.
Use a sharp knife and just slice through them. Then draw stitching marks along the sides of all of them with a Sharpie. Real baseball stitching is red, but I went with black. Because I had a black Sharpie on hand. That's the same reasoning that led me to eat an entire bag of cherries and half a bag of potato chips for dinner the other night.
Fill your plastic cups with birthday whatnots and then hot glue them to the back of the board right over the tissue paper holes.
This particular calendar has chocolates, bubbles, cozy socks, money, glow sticks, silly putty and more fun things. About 20 more as a matter of fact.
The holes are all numbered from 1-30 with the help of sparkly number stickers and my two agile fingers.
Each baseball "door" is just stuck on with some 2 way tape. So to gain access to the tissue paper punch out, the fantastically lucky recipient of this gift (barfing Ollie), just has to pull away the baseball and punch through the paper. Then the baseball can be stuck right back on the calendar.
After the doors and cups are done it's just a matter of tricking it out however you want. Usually by this point you're getting pretty tired of it all and rolls of washi tape are usually the easiest way to get it done.
The huge letters for the name are just sparkly stick-on letters from the dollar store with ...
... the odd chicken thrown in for good luck. 'Cause it's me.
The DIY birthday baseball advent calendar. Guaranteed to not induce barfing.
Mindy
This is super cute.
Barb
Fun! Great countdown to opening day as well. But I think I will do this for my son's 21st birthday. He is working for the Texas Rangers this summer and is on the staff at Oregon State. It will be perfect. Thanks for the inspiration!
Karen
Working for the Rangers! Dream job for a 21 year old! ~ karen
Laura Bee
Fantastic -this should be all over Pinterest in a day or so... :)
Marna
So cute! Wish I had known about this when my boys were little, they would have loved it!
Kimberly
So great! You're the best aunt ever.
Renee
gonna do this for both my daughter and dilly!! love it
Barbie
LOVE
Frank
Love the idea, might give it a try.
Ruth
I would have made a paper template of sorts for that curved line on the balls... hold down, trace with Sharpie, rise, repeat... because - my word! - that must be the most sleep-inducing part of the task. Looks cute though.
I may do this for my son's next birthday.
Ruth
rinse**
Theda
Dogs barks,
Cats vomit!
Mary W
I'm so making this for my 19 yo granddaughter turning 20 in 6 weeks. Gives me time to make, fill, and present 30 days ahead of time. She will love it. And the 7 yo that sees it has a birthday in April so I have plenty of time to get hers done, also. Hopefully. I know that she will remember it and remind me. She loves 70's music and knows it better than I do so that will be the theme but now I need to do a little research to make it really fun. For Christmas she got a classic old 45 Kinks record!
Karen
If something doesn't fit into one of the cups Mary W, you can just add a note saying where she can find the gift (like a scavenger hunt). ~ karen!
Mary W
You think of everything. A record, broken up to fit inside, just wouldn't be the same. LOL
Jan in Waterdown
And speaking of barfing as a kid, this brought back, as opposed to brought up, memories of my mom teaching me to kindly do it in the big saucepan beside the bed rather than in the bed. I learned well. Thanks Mom. ?
monique
Adorable auntie karen.
judy
I know you are brilliant,more industrious that a cat covering Poo on a marble floor and veddy classy with your perfect haircut but my Gawd Woman the patience factor is off the scales! How long did it take to make all of those dotted lines?
Karen
Not that long, lol. But it did get boring after ball #15. ~ karen!
marilyn
thats so sweet
jainegayer
That's a great idea! I'm doing that for my grandson.
MrsChris SA
My granddaughter's second birthday is coming up in September - I best get busy!!
Kathleen
Lovely idea. Best I start now for my granddaughter's 4th Birthday in December... or just make her one for Christmukkah, as it's known in our house. My Dilly (daughter-in-law) is Jewish. :)
Thandi
Kathleen, is her name actually Dilly or is that just the best name ever for a daughter-in-law (d-i-l)?
Kathleen
Hi Thandi, its just what I call her. And she now in turn calls me "Milly" (mother-in-law) :)
Thandi
I love it! :-D
Ann Brookens
Dilly and Milly-- that's great!
Pat S.
Love this! So fun! I have a grandson turning 3 in January - it will probably take me that long to get it all together.
So do you give it to him 30 days before his birthday, so he can count down? Or on his birthday, so he has a month of fun ahead?.
Karen
On his birthday Pat S. :) So he/she has 30 days of FUN ahead. If there's a holiday within that time (this month it was Canada Day) I make sure to include a relevant present for that day. So he got a Canada Flag. :) ~ karen!
TucsonPatty
Too awesome! I should have done this for a baseball loving friend, whose birthday was Saturday! She loves stuff like this, and just because she turned 33, doesn't mean she doesn't need it or wouldn't want it! Clever, and the hole saw is kinda genius!
Karen
Thanks Patty! As a bonafide adult I would LOVEEEE to get one of these, lol! In fact, I don't know any adult that wouldn't at least secretly want one. ~ karen!
Stephbo
Just think of all the small, fun things that could be hidden in the cups! Nail polish...candy...diamond earrings... gold necklace... diamond ring... keys to a Porsche...