Summer vacation has started and I’m already losing my mind. Atti is so much more active and attentive than he was this time last year and for the first time in my parenting life I’m understanding all the lamentations of my mom friends during summer vacation. He is constantly asking for entertainment! He’s up in my grill all day long! He wants to be fed three times a day!
The attention I’m trying to relish. I feel the clock ticking on that one big time and I’m trying to soak it up while it lasts. The food, however, I came up with a solution for.
This is really just a chalkboard project, so if you find one already made, you can skip ahead. But I got this metal frame at Michael’s and I loved that with a little spray paint it would be a magnetic chalkboard.
Spray paint as necessary, making sure to get an even application, even if you have to be patient and use lighter coats to do it.
Paint the frame to look great in your kitchen.
I used a vinyl cutter to make myself a little decal, but you could replicate this in paint if you don’t have one handy.
The hardest part of the whole project was hanging this on the fridge. The metal made it wicked heavy and a whole bunch of strategies wound up with this crashing to the floor. I finally ended up ordering a million little magnets and gluing them all around the back.
The inspiration for this project began months ago when the folks at ChalkOla offered to give me a couple packs of their chalk markers. Believe it or not, I didn’t have a single chalkboard in the house to try them out on. The anti-trendster in me is powerful. I’ve also never made anything with a chevron print and my mason jars are exclusively for canning. I’m stubborn that way.
I loved the colors and variety of sizes they offered, and the pens work great. I realized after using them the first time that chalk pens are notoriously hard to erase from a chalkboard, but I followed the instructions on the back to use windex and then made sure to condition the chalkboard well with a dusting of chalk dust, and I haven’t had a problem since. And you cannot beat the staying power without making it permanent.
They also sent me some of their chalkboard labels which came in super handy since I just reorganized my pantry. The chalkboard labels don’t even need the same degree of conditioning, they were just super easy to use.
If you have kids that can fend for themselves, a list saves you from having to answer what there is to eat 20 times a day. In my case it helps answer the “what am I going to feed this kid this time” question. And makes sure that the fresh snacks I buy don’t rot in the bottom of the fridge because I forgot to eat them in time.
There’s one little angsty summer problem resolved. Now I just need to deal with the neverending boredom and heat. I can do this.
