Something 2 Learn Today

From Pooh to Planets

2009-09-12T00:33:00.004-05:00

This lamp used to be in my daughter's room but it has been replaced by a more grown up sort of lighting. I was going to donate this one but I just couldn't bring myself to part with it. It was my baby's lamp!!!

Then I found a brand new, still-in-the-package lampshade at the thrift store for dirt cheap. That gave me the inspiration I needed to change this from Pooh. Here are the details on the base before the make-over...

A little sanding, a coat of spray primer, a little spray paint and Shah-zam! Here's what it looks like now...

Poor Pooh, he's all gone!

My son loves the moon and we have glow in the dark stars all over his ceiling. The colors in his room are blue and green, so this fits perfectly in his room. He loves it. I'm considering putting glow-in-the-dark paint on top of the images on the shade. Hmmm, can't decide.

Easy Kitchen Crafting

2009-08-17T08:07:00.007-05:00

My salt and pepper got a make-over today. I use a refillable grinder for each. Both of them have a big "S" on the front. This annoys me. I know, I know. There are much bigger things in life. The "S" is for the brand name but to me it looks like I have two containers of salt. I forgot to take a picture before I began. I realized after I'd completed the salt that I might want to blog about it. So here's a shot of the pepper with the big "S" on the front. (Instead of a "P" like my mind says it should!)

I cut out coordinating scrapbooking paper with a laminated finish on it. I ran both pieces through my Xyron to make it adhesive. Then I stuck it around the exterior covering the store labels. Finally, to remedy the double "S" annoyance that I have, I put a "P" sticker on the lid of the pepper and an "S" sticker on the lid for the Salt.

My kitchen is painted grey but the accents are red, yellow, green, and blue, so the colors of the scrapbooking paper match perfectly. I also love how they look on my new garage sale find. I found this lovely cake plate this weekend at the one garage sale I stopped at. If you flip it over, it's a chip and dip bowl. I love it!

It will spend most of it's life in the center of my table as a catch-all for the salt, pepper, napkins, and the bottle of conversation starters.

Ranger's Apprentice Giveaway!!!

2009-07-29T15:44:00.004-05:00

Deanna, over at Mom Musings is hosting a giveaway. She's giving away a copy of The Seige of Macindaw, Book 6 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I haven't read any of the Ranger's Apprentice books but they are on my "to read" list. I have two friends that have recommended the series and I really want to read it. Perhaps if I won, it would prompt me to begin on this series.

If you love reading and want to find some good reads, check out Deanna's blog. She's an avid reader and loves sharing her thoughts about the books she's read. Her blog is a great mix of book reviews, family activities, and with 6 kids, there's no end to the interesting topics this super - mom could post about. In addition to her reading and family adventures, she blogs about the journey she's traveling as a mother of a beautiful child with special needs. Check out her blog, you won't be sorry you did!

Oh, and don't forget to enter her book giveaway!!!

Favorite Things

2009-07-17T07:51:00.003-05:00

My friend, Deanna, tagged me for this meme: Favorite Things. I'm a little late posting this. It's been sitting in draft since May. I've been a bit of a absentee blogger lately.

These are the rules:
1. Mentioned who tagged you.
2. List six unimportant things that make you happy.
3. Tag six more blogs, then go and comment on their blogs. Let them know that have been challenged, and invite them to play along.

Here are 6 unimportant things that make me happy:

1. Coffeehouses - I do love a rich mug of Mocha topped with whipped cream or a tall Cappuccino with tons of froth. However, more that the coffee, I love the coffeehouse. The atmosphere...the aroma of beans being roasted, the heat from my mug warming my hands, the sound of beans being ground and froth being whipped, the eclectic mix of people to watch... it's a fantastic sensory experience!

My favorite coffeehouses are those that are in beautiful old buildings that formerly had a different life. I love to visit my favorite coffeehouse here in town that used to be a Pure Oil Gas Station. Growing up in town, I remember it being a barber shop. In a time when perfectly good buildings are demolished to make way for yet another building, I appreciate owners that can find new life in old buildings preserving the history of a community.

2. The Beach - Here I go with another sensory experience that makes me happy, but it does. Sand between my toes, the sound of the waves and the gulls, the sun on my face and the wind tangling my hair... all things that make me happy.

When the weather is warm enough, swimming brings me a lot of joy. My parents have always said that my brother and I should have been born fish. We love the water so!

3. Baby parts (particularly fingers and toes) - Oh, tiny babies are so perfect. Their tiny features all smooched up in baby pudge! I love ((LOVE)) baby parts.

While the fingers and toes are my favorite to examine, my favorite to squeeze is their chunky little thighs! Growing up, our family referred to this region as "hunkers." My two year old gets a daily dose of "hunker" squeezing along with his crazy momma's daily proclamation, "O-o-oh, I just love your hunkers!" Weird. I know.

4. The County Fair - Actually, any local community event makes me happy but I particularly love the fair. All of the learning opportunities for city kids to learn about agriculture are right there for them. Where else are us city slickers going to get up close an personal with a goat?

In addition to the agricultural aspect of the fair, I have a few other fair favorites: Cotton Candy, the Ferris Wheel, and the Demolition Derby. Did I ever mention that I competed in the Demolition Derby with my then future hubby as my passenger? We lost in our first round but you'd have thought we won. When the last car was left standing, instead of exiting as disgraced losers, we jumped up on top of our crumpled car and hooted and hollered as if we had won. Indeed we had, for simply being in the midst of all those crashing cars was enough of a prize for me - a happy memory!

5. Jody Rocks- Ya, I know, I rock! Hehe. Traveling as a family in the big ole' station wagon from South Dakota to Florida, I got to see a lot out the backseat windows. As we would travel that long road to Grandma and Grandpa's house, my favorite view, for as long as I can remember, are the walls of rocks that have been cut to make way for the road to come through. They tower above the road making a beautiful display for traveling families with curious kids passing through.

I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but whenever anyone in my family sees the rocks, they exclaim, "Look, Jody Rocks!" To which I reply, "Ya, I know!" Even my husband now graciously plays along and refers to them in the lingo. Jody Rocks are a part of our family vocabulary and the sight of them does indeed bring me joy. Joy in the sight but also in the family memories that they evoke!

6. Children's Books- I've always liked to read and I've always been surrounded by a bunch of avid readers. My mom and both of my brothers are reading freaks and a good friend of mine is now falling into that category too. Compared to those four, I don't read much at all yet, I still really enjoy a good book.

My favorites are Children's books. I took a Kiddy Lit class in college with a friend who was an elementary education major as well. In that class, I was introduced to so many wonderful novels and picture books that I did not know had existed. This friend and I spent tons of time that should have been spent on our college studies at Borders, searching out great Children's books. We convinced ourselves that we were going there to better prepare ourselves for our future teaching years but the reality is that we both found great pleasure in searching for authentic literature in that Border's children's department.

I am currently challenging myself to read all of the Newberry winners. I have had a lot of fun doing this. I had already read many of them but I am rereading some and also enjoying ones that I had never read before. My favorite Newberry book has always been Bridge to Terabithia but I recently read A Single Shard and absolutely loved the book. I would love to have every Newberry book in my home collection. Reading and collecting them has been fun but I still have quite a long way to go!

So, there you go, 6 unimportant things that make me happy.

There are so many great blogs out there. I'm not sure who to tag. So, if you're reading this and want to play along, consider yourself tagged!

Confessions of a Garbage Picker

2009-07-08T07:55:00.006-05:00

So, I must confess. I'm a garbage picker. I don't do it often.

Honest, I don't.

But sometimes I see something and I think, "Surely they are not throwing that away?!?!?" Then, I have to stop. I have to rescue the discarded treasure from the landfill.

This happened recently. One problem... It was one of my neighbors. I saw an easel propped up against their garbage can. Normally, if one is picking through someone else's garbage, you can hop in your car and drive away and remain anonymous. When it's a neighbor, it's not so easy. Until now, I have resisted garbage picking in my own neighbor hood. I don't want to be the neighborhood garbage picker. But this easel was screaming my name. I saw it out my front window and resisted at first. But I kept peaking out to see if it was still there. I waited until most of the neighbors had gone to work and then I ran out there and snuck it home. It was covered in paint and pretty grimy but hey, it's mine now. A little elbow grease and a hose later and I am so happy that I rescued this easel. Could you resist? Take a look at it...

It has a dry erase side and a chalk side with a clip at the top for holding paper.

It has removable trays with compartments that hold all the art supplies in place.

The only thing that is missing is the brace on one side. I'm going to see if I can get a replacement for it online but the one remaining brace holds it just fine...

The beauty of it is that it folds up easily for quick storage. Both sides can be raised or lowered to adjust the height for shorter or taller children. The other great thing about it is that it's lightweight and I can move it outside with ease for a quick wash down with the hose without ruining it.

The kids love it. They were my helpers bringing it home. At first my daughter was shocked by how messy it was. Then, after we got it cleaned up, she couldn't believe that someone would throw it out. I thought my hubby would wonder why we needed it since we do already have an easel in our home. His response was perfect, though. He said, "You could use this one downstairs while you're homeschooling the kids." Love that man.

One last thing, the trays were filled with old art supplies - mainly wet chalk - that needed to be thrown away. But to my surprise, there were some profession paint brushes in there. They took a lot more elbow grease to salvage but I got them clean and they're for me. Yippee! And it was all for FREE! I'm glad I learned to overcome my fear of the neighbors thinking I'm a crazy garbage picker!

Guitar Party

2009-07-07T00:10:00.003-05:00

I just realized that it's already July and I never posted about the June boy's birthday party. Oops!

On his actual birthday, we did a few of his favorite things. We took a nature walk - his choice of activity and it was a gorgeous day.

We let him pick dinner - "pizza wit' meat".

During his nap, his big sister helped me make cookies for him. It was her choice. She knows how much he loves cookies! The frosting and sprinkles were her idea and a nice touch.

Then, we gave him his present. He loves his big sister's guitar but it's pink and oh-so-hard to share. So, he got his own guitar and he LOVES it.

For the guitar loving little boy, we had a guitar themed birthday party a few days later for family and friends.

We used an old burned out guitar with missing electrics for a Pin the Pick on the Guitar Game. I just covered the burned parts on the body with scrapbooking paper and made a matching blindfold by covering cardboard with the same paper and attaching elastic to it.

(In case you're wondering, I don't have any idea why the guitar was burned in the first place. It was given to my husband by a co-worker who was throwing it out. He has high hopes of rebuilding it someday.)

Then, we used a piece of left over wood to make a beanbag toss. We just traced one of our guitars on the wood, cut it out with a scroll saw and then spray painted it. We used a rubber band to attach it to a guitar stand and it worked nicely.

The beanbags were made with leftover material from the quilt the boy received for his birthday last year from his grandma. I filled them with rice instead of beans because it's what we had on hand.

Next, we had Bozo buckets - guitar style. I used the cardboard box that his birthday gift came in. I traced his guitar and colored it in with crayons. I hot glued star jello molds along the guitar and put sticker numbers into the center. Instead of tossing a ball, the kids tossed guitar picks into the stars.

Our craft was to decorate a guitar. I cut out the shapes from poster board and the kids got to decorate them with an assortment of buttons, sequins, feathers, etc.

The party was complete with a cupcake guitar. It's not exactly as I had envisioned it. I had a really hard time with the frosting for the strings but the boy loved that it was a guitar and that's all that mattered.

Instead of treat bags, each of the guests went home with a guitar shirt made with freezer paper stencils.

It was a fun week of birthday celebrations!

Kids' Art Silhouetted for Daddy's Day

2009-06-25T08:21:00.008-05:00

Recently, I had the kids paint their silhouettes for their Daddy. I got the idea from this blog. I didn't follow those directions exactly. Instead of tracing the silhouette onto the contact paper before cutting, I just placed the silhouette photo over the contact paper and cut through both pages. It worked fine. I used the contact paper that I had on-hand which was not specifically removable, but I didn't have any trouble peeling it off. I used water color paints on drawing paper. I am so pleased with how they turned out.

Here's my daughter...

And, my son...

I love how they look hanging together on the wall...

Last year, I gave my husband silhouettes of the kids. I think this may be becoming an annual tradition!

A Quick Make-over

2009-06-25T08:21:00.005-05:00

For some reason, Blogger is turning some of my pictures sideways again. Instead of being frustrated with it and not posting like I have been doing, I'm going to post anyways... wonky pictures and all. Just turn your head sideways. Hehe.

My mother gave me this shadowbox. I wanted to hang it on a white wall and the white frame just didn't look good on the white wall.

A little bit of spray paint later and I am very happy with my frame makeover! The black frame pops on the white wall. Boy, do I love easy and quick little projects!

Therapy through drawing

2009-06-20T23:48:00.004-05:00

The end of last week brought about some pretty heavy thunderstorms. The tornato sirens started going off and we headed to our crawl space to wait out the storm. The power went off and we had dinner by candlelight/flashlight. There was no tornato but it did rain buckets!!! We personally know five families who were/are bailing out their flooded basements.

All of this really bothered my 4 year old. She was very concerned about the thunder and lightening. She was worried about what would happen to her playroom if we flooded. She was very worried about our friends who live in the area where a possible tornato was spotted. For several nights, we slept cuddled together. She asked tons of questions and really had a difficult time dealing with her fear.

One morning, after the storms, I came into her room and found her quietly lying on the floor, drawing on her Aquadoodle.

She drew our home, a firetruck, our neighbors home, and in the middle she drew a tornado touching our house.

At the top, she drew the thunder and lightening.

She finished it off by drawing her and her little brother being led out of the house by the firefighter.

This was such an eye-opener for me. She loves to draw. I never thought of using her drawing to help her work through her feelings. I know that therapist often use drawing to help children but I never thought of using it with my own children. The drawing became a springboard for her to really discuss her fears with us. I know that we will be encouraging her to use her drawing to express her emotions again.

They've Flown the Coop

2009-06-15T00:08:00.002-05:00

Remember the nest and eggs that we've been watching? Well, they hatched!

We have had so much fun observing, journaling, and reading about Robins!

The babies could be best observed through the space between the floorboards of our deck. The above picture was a common sight at our house. My bird-loving girl sure did enjoy our visitors. Whenever she would peek down on them, they would do this...

They seemed to think that she was their Momma and were looking for food from her. She LOVED this and did indeed want to feed them. But, look Momma, they want me to feed them! (No, I didn't let her.) She learned that if she found a place a safe distance away from the nest to observe, she could watch them get fed by both of their parents. Did you know both Robin parents return to the nest to feed the babies?!?!? We did not know this but we actually were able to observed both parents at the nest at the same time. That was cool.

Well, as you can see in the pictures, there were three baby Robins. Now, however, there are none. The babies have left the nest. While my little ones are sad that their feathered friends are gone, it sure was an exciting adventure. And, in a unique blessing of well-timed nature, on the day that the birds left the nest, a caterpillar that we had collected from our backyard made a chrysalis in the jar that we were observing it in. One nature observation ending and another one just beginning!

We learned so much about Robins. Here is a link to a great site with tons of information on the American Robin. Enjoy!

2 Years Ago...

2009-06-02T23:58:00.004-05:00

I love you through and through!

Sweet Endings

2009-05-27T15:55:00.002-05:00

Children sleeping in their beds, iced mocha in our hands, and our minds wrapped around a new game.

A sweet ending to a perfectly lo-o-ong weekend.

Little Red Wagon

2009-05-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

I've had this little wagon for a long time. Long before children. In fact, long before I was even married. I held onto it hoping that one day I would have a little girl who would pull her little dollies along in it. Guess what? I got the little girl and (suprise!) she's never really used it much. She wanted to be pulled in it. (and found it's too small.) She used it as a stepping stool. (and it rolled out from underneath her.) The only times she has put dolls in it was at my suggestion. Frankly, she just doesn't have much interest in playing with dolls. She'd prefer art supplies and a blank canvas over a doll any day.

So, now I've got a little boy and guess what? He uses it all the time. He loves this little red wagon. On a daily basis, he can be seen hauling his latest treasures around the house in it. So what if it's not filled with dolls. It's filled with Lego's and dumpees. (That's construction trucks for those who don't speak almost-2-year-old-eese.)

I snapped this picture this evening as I was heading to bed and it just made me smile to see the remnants of his play setting there so peacefully. It was a precious reminder of the lesson that I continually need to learn... to allow my children the freedom to express themselves without letting my preconceived ideas get in the way of their natural creativity.

Our Springtime Visitor

2009-05-18T16:00:00.004-05:00

There has been a lot of activity under our deck recently. We've seen a Robin flying in and out making numerous trips a day with a variety of natural items clutched in her beak. My daughter has been fascinated by this and has eagerly anticipated the baby birds that will be born here.

Her nest is in the perfect spot for a curious 4-year-old to observe. It is several feet away from our outdoor toy box that we use daily this time of year. Yet, this mama bird was wise enough to put the nest just beyond the reach of those curious hands.

Several times a day, we sneak over (not too close, of course) and check on her and listen for the sounds of the babies chirping. I couldn't ask for a better observation and prediction activity for my bird-lovin' little girl!

Inspired by Art: Van Gogh

2009-05-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

I just have to share my favorite homeschool activity that we have done so far. This was such a great activity and my 4 year old LOVED it! I am so happy with how it went... we are definately going to continue this activity with other artists.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine (who is a homeschooling mama) called me from an estate sale. There was a set of 16 Time-Life Library of Arts artist books. She knew I would be interested. The price was $40. That's $2.50 a book. Not a bad price but not a steal either (in my opinion). Another problem - I only had a $20 bill and a few singles on me. We were in the car and the sale was in the direction we were headed. My hubby and I had a few minutes to discuss whether or not it was worth the investment. We hemmed and hawed and finally he suggested seeing if they would take $20 for the set. One problem - I hate to dicker. No sooner had I let those words out of my mouth and the phone rang again. Same friend is on the other end and she says, "Because it's raining, they want to shut the sale down. They'll take $20 for the set." I said, "SOLD!" We drove there immedietly and picked up our set of books! I love it when a friend does the shopping AND the dickering for me!!!

For our first lesson using the books, we studied Vincent Van Gogh. She loved looking at the pictures of him when he was a boy and then again as a man. The picture below is of Van Gogh when he was a year older than I. When I told her that, she said, "He looks much older than you! he looks like a grandpa!"

She loved hearing about what his interests were and discussing with me how she was like Van Gogh and how she was different.

Here are a few of the similarities and differences that she noted:

Same:

Blue eyes
Liked collecting beetles
Liked looking for bird's nests
Was good at inventing games
Loved to read
Loved to paint
Had a flower garden

Different:

Boy
Red hair
Freckles
Had younger brothers and sisters
Painted naked people (this she found very funny)

Finally, we took one of his paintings that already hung on the wall of her playroom and we looked at all the details in it. The piece is called Field With Cypresses - Champ Aux Cypres. We hypothesized why type of medium she thought he might have used. Her responses were much like this, "I don't think he used markers because the colors aren't bright enough." Without much prodding, she came to the conclusion that he used paints. We looked for the brush strokes throughout the painting and guessed at how he might have created the different parts of the piece. Then she collected what she would need to reproduce a similar painting and set to work to create her own Field of Cypresses. She diligently worked on this until she had her completed work. The pink and purple flowers: She said that a yellow field just isn't as pretty! I love that she was willing to make the picture her own by adding those colorful flowers.

This was such a great activity for my little artist. We will definately be doing more activities like this!

A Raindance and a Buzzing Surprise

2009-05-15T21:42:00.006-05:00

It was a beautiful evening. The clouds were rolling in. The storm was fast approching. As a family we went out on our deck to welcome the rain.

The kids did a rain dance. The oldest one even sang a song to encourage the rain to fall. Midway through the song, it did indeed start to rain. To which she exclaimed for the whole neighborhood to hear, "It worked! I can't believe I made it rain!"

What was to later turn into a storm, began as a drizzle. We continued to dance in the rain. The deck got slippery and the littlest one slipped and fell flat on his back. Boy, did he cry! We whisked him inside and set him on his changing table to figure out the extend of his injuries.

As we hugged him and checked his body for injury, he kept trying to say something. In between tears, he would blurt out "eeeeeee!" We thought he was saying "me," in response to our question of what hurts. Finally, he trust his clenched fist up towards my face and said it again. As I opened his fist, I learned that it wasn't the "m" that was missing in "eeee;" it was a "b" as in B-E-E!!!

He had a honkin' big Carpenter Bee clutched in his palm!!! It was still ALIVE. His fall and our search for injury had hindered him from showing off his precious treasure! That's why he was crying. He wasn't hurting at all. He was simply proud to share his find with us and we weren't letting him.

Thankfully, male Carpenter Bees do not have a stinger and the females only sting if provoked. I'm pretty sure this was a male since the bee was all squished up in my little guys hand. The bee was still a-buzzin' and the kiddo didn't get stung. Whew!

Children's Book Week

2009-05-14T23:23:00.003-05:00

This week is Children's Book Week. I thought it would be a good time to post a link that I found a while back...

100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Starting School.

I found the list really interesting. There are a lot of really great titles on the list. My favorite from the list is Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Both of my children have LOVED this story. We read it over and over and over again! There are many others that I haven't read and I look forward to reading real soon! This list is coming with me on our next trip to the library. With one of my kiddos starting Kindergarten this year, this is a perfect list for our summer reading.

The Pony Express

2009-05-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

So, I was sorting through a box of old stuff. You know, that stuff that has no where to go so it finds it's way into a box and gets tucked away and forgotten? I'm sure I'm the only one with that problem, right? Hmmm.

Well, I came across a book of stamps. Considering the rate went up yesterday to $.44, I think I'm gonna need a few 1 cent stamps to get me through. That's 12 one cent stamps to be exact - for each stinkin' envelope. Gag! I need 240 one cent stamps to go with this one book of 20 stamps. Yikes!

They sure are pretty though. Perfect for spring!

D' ya think the Post Office will give me matching 1 centers since the whole envelope is gonna be covered by the 13 stamps needed to mail it?!?!?

Perhaps I should just hang onto these for another year or so. With the speed at which the post office has been increasing their rates lately, it won't be long until two of these oldies will be at the going rate. How long do you think it will be before it costs $.64 to mail a letter? I hate to admit it but I'll probably be around to see that day. I'll look at the young whipper snapper mail carrier and say, "Back in my day, I remember when one of these beauties was all that was needed to mail a letter." The mail carrier will look at me and imagine I'm talking of the days that a rider on a pony delivered the mail.

That, you see, is how my mind wanders. A box of old junk brings me to the Pony Express. So, the lesson here is that I need to deal with my junk in a timely fashion. Oh, but stuffing all that junk in boxes is just so much easier that dealing with it!

Rice Fun

2009-04-22T00:40:00.001-05:00

We're waiting for the weather to cooperate so that the kids can consistently play in their new sand and water table. Until then, I was inspired to try an idea I've wanted to try for a long time. I dyed rice!

I followed this recipe . It was super easy and it turned out great.

I spread out a sheet on the kitchen floor, put the rice in a container, and let the kids at it. I gave them mini shovels and plastic Easter eggs to use for scooping, pouring and making music shakers.

I think they could play in this stuff for hours!!! They played with it very well together. They scooped and poured together without fighting. They loved the feel of it running through their fingers. If fact, I love this sensation too. It's a great sensory activity.

I'm definitely going to need a bigger container. I've got 25 pound of rice just waiting to be played in!!! Next fall, the sand and water table is going to emptied of sand and brought inside to our playroom. This is going to be part of our winter sensory play.

I just had to share this last picture. Being that it's rice, it just had to be tasted. Thankfully, it's all edible! I don't think he'll be trying that again anytime soon!!!

Nature Table Additions

2009-04-21T23:28:00.005-05:00

A sure sign that Spring is on it's way... Pussy willows on our nature table!

Recently, we were able to enjoy a beautiful Spring day. It was warm enough to only don our jackets and it wasn't raining. Perfect! I love Spring walks. It fills me with such joy to be able to emerge from winter's hibernation and go out and explore with my kiddos. We love looking for signs that Spring is preparing to release itself. Pussy willows are one of those signs for me. They signal that Spring is nearly here.

My bird loving kiddos were more than pleased to find some feathers to add to the nature table as well. They fit in perfectly with the nests and eggs that I made for the kids' Easter Baskets. One nest is made out of yarn, loosely following this idea. The other is made from a hallowed out avocado. I made two yarn nests but I was pretty sure my son would destroy his. They need to be handled gingerly... not a talent he is yet to possess! So, after making guacamole, I popped a hallowed out half of an avocado into my dehydrator on a whim. It actually turned out! ::shock:: They eggs are simple wooden eggs from the craft store painted with acrylic paints to look like Blue Jay and Robin eggs - two regular visitors at our backyard bird feeders. My daughter loves matching them up to the pictures of eggs in her bird book, but now she wants me to make eggs for each species in her book. Hmmm, I might need to recruit a certain 4-year-old to help me tackle that project. We'll see...

Sand and Water Table

2009-04-11T15:51:00.003-05:00

A family friend was recently looking for a home for their no-longer-used sand and water table. Thankfully, they thought of us!

Yes, my kiddos have been out there playing in the sand with hats and gloves on. They LOVE it. Cold weather isn't going to stop them!!! My daughter keeps asking, "Is it warm enough to put water in it yet?"

They like it so much better than their more traditional sandbox that rests on the ground. This one is raised and it is a lot easier for them to use standing up...especially for the 1 year old. A lot less mess for Mom too since they're not sitting in the sand!

We are going to be getting so much use out of this when summer comes. I think we'll clean it out in the fall and use it though out the winter inside as a sensory table in their playroom.

My April Fool

2009-04-01T22:33:00.003-05:00

My husband is such a good sport. I put him through so much heck for my own enjoyment. April Fool's Day would be one one of those times.

It's such a fun holiday. You get a free pass to annoy those around you and then laugh at their annoyance.

Today my hubby awoke and stumbled half asleep into the shower to find the showerhead turned upside down. As in, spraying at the ceiling instead of at the tub.

April Fools!

Then, he got to find that his underwear had switched places with his t-shirts.

April Fools!

In addition to his regular lunch, his lunchbox included a tupperware bowl full of crepe paper and a pair of fingernail clippers. Yummy!

April Fools!

He couldn't drink out of his waterbottle at work because there was saranwrap pulled tight under the lid. He said this one got him the best.

April Fools!

Yep, I know I'm mean. But did I have fun? You bet. Did he have fun? Well, he certainly had a smile on his face as he retold his frustration with each encounter. I think he can tolerate it for a day but he's thankful it doesn't last all year!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Day 3

2009-03-31T15:27:00.003-05:00

We read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and did a few activities. Of course, our snack had to be goldfish crackers and the kids loved that!

We played a magnetic fishing game that we already had. My little guy loves this game. The pole has a magnet at the end and each of the fish have magnets on them. It's easy for his little hands to manipulate successfully.

This isn't one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books but I like the use of numbers and colors through out the book. We counted fish as we caught them on our pole and identified their color. Then, we spread out our play parachute and matched the fish to the colors. My daughter thought this was too easy but she had fun helping her brother place the fish in the correct place.

He called every color pink or white. This would make his big sister laugh and he was proud of how funny he was. Then, we ditched the fish and I would call a color and the kids would have to run and stand on that color. Both kids loved this!

Finally, we took our stuffed fish from The Cat in the Hat and used the parachute to launch him up into the air. We counted how many times we could toss him up and catch him without letting him drop onto the floor.

As I said before, this isn't one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. It seems like he took a bunch of ideas for different books and combined them into one. The story doesn't' flow from the start of the book to the end. Despite my dislike for the books, we had fun learning our numbers and colors.

Men...What To Do With Them?

2009-03-28T17:40:00.002-05:00

I have a ceiling that is open to the clouds.

The rest of my bathroom looks like a bomb exploded.

This mess was created by two men... my husband being one of them.

So, what do you do with those men? Here's what my mail said when I went to the mailbox today.

I laughed out loud when I read this. I know it has another meaning but how funny is that?!?!? Should I take a torch and just light the whole repair project on fire? Hmmmm.

Nope, I do appreciate the work my husband is doing but boy, do I hate it when our home is in the middle of a project. I'll certainly be glad when all the banging, expense, and mess are over.

Plus, I'll have a bathroom that won't leak. Thanks, honey. I promise I won't ignite you on fire despite what the mail encouraged me to do.

Those Sneaky Little Leprechans

2009-03-25T22:38:00.001-05:00

Ok. OK. I know St. Patrick's Day was over a week ago. I know I'm slow to post but I wanted to record what the Leprechauns did at our house on St. Patrick's Day.

First off, this note greeted my children as they came to the table for breakfast...

Then, they were off to search for the "Leprechaun gold" that was hidden throughout the house. The other side of the Leprechaun's note had a circle that corresponded with each coin that was hidden. When all the circles were filled, they had found all of the gold...

Then we sat down for breakfast and as my daughter brought the milk from the refrigerator, I curiously looked at the milk jug in her hand and asked her what was up with the milk. She glanced down at the milk jug in her hand and ran to the table, quickly set it down and then anxiously backed away as if it were poison...

The Leprechauns had turned our milk GREEN! After her initial shock, she was willing to test the milk and happily declared, "It tastes NORMAL!"

When we were finished with breakfast, she ran to the refrigerator and pantry and looked through everything to see if they had turned anything else green. They had not but it did give mom an idea.

Later, when she returned to the fridge to help me retrieve yogurt and blueberries for our snack, she discovered that the Leprechauns had returned...

And, they returned again for dinner...

Her four year old mind is just reeling as she is trying to figure this all out.

How did they get in here?

Why didn't we hear them?

How many are there?

How did they know what we were going to eat?

Oi! I had so much fun with this!

Who would have thought that this silly little activity would have much of an impact but the little guy has been pointing to things all week and saying, "GREEN."

I have no idea why I chose a goblet to dye the eggs in but it sure did look pretty.