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This lamp used to be in my daughter's room but it has been replaced by a more grown up sort of lighting.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.

Leprechan's Gold Addition Game

2009-03-19T22:41:00.004-05:00

Here's another quick game we've been playing this week in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Take two small containers. Place shamrock cards in one and gold coins in the other. (The shamrock cards have green stickers on the back.)

Take out two shamrocks and flip them over. Count the dots and take out the corresponding number of coins for each dot. Add the two numbers together.

2+3=5

This game is quick to set up is a good independent activity.

Irish Memory

2009-03-19T22:39:00.005-05:00

A quick game that we have been playing this week... Irish Memory.

I took three different pieces of St. Patrick's Day scrapbooking paper and cut out two squares of each. I laminated them on my Xyron. That's it. Done. Easy peasy.

Place them face down on the tray.

Flip over two at a time until you have a match.

My daughter has loved this game! I thought that the patterns might be too similar for her to tell the differences in matching them. But, she had no problem. She also learned what the leprechauns put at the end of a rainbow, what Ireland's flag looks like, and what the Claddagh stands for. I wish that I could find more paper but these were the only three patterns that I could find.

My Personal Chef

2009-03-09T23:58:00.003-05:00

I'm a little jealous of the rich and famous who have a personal chef that cooks whatever their heart desires. Wouldn't that be nice?!?!?

Well, I don't have a personal chef but I do have a hubby who's darn good in the kitchen! His birthday was last month and I gave him a 4 in 1 grill. We had his parents over to celebrate his Dad's birthday this weekend. My fabulous husband cooked everything.

He made Paninis loaded with chicken Breast, Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and pesto (frozen from last summer's garden).

On the side was a pasta dish that could have been a meal all by itself. It was delicious with a creamy white cheese sauce over chicken, tomatoes, and broccoli.

Thanks, honey! It's like I have my own personal chef... only with benefits!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Day 2

2009-03-03T21:55:00.000-06:00

The view from out the window today, was this...

...a gas truck and an excavator digging a hole in two of our neighbors' front yards. This led to lots of questions about the what and why of what was going on outside our window. So, rather than answering the questions, we pulled out Oh, the Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss.

This is a book about the silly things that you can think up. Here's our favorite picture from the book...

We decided that we want a floating balloon swimming pool like Kitty O'Sullivan Krause in our backyard too.

After reading the book, I encouraged my daughter to use her imagination to come up with silly things that the men outside our window might be doing. I thought that this would be a fun activity for her. She generally loves using her imagination. Not today. She had to know what they were really doing before she could be silly. After I explained what I really thought they were doing, (Honestly, I wasn't sure.) she was able to imagine silly ideas about them. She thought that they were digging a swimming pool and that the excavator was a giant hungry animal who was eating the dirt. Ah, her imagination is working... I was a bit worried.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Day 1

2009-03-02T22:45:00.004-06:00

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, we're celebrating him and his books every day this week. Today, we read The Sneeches and Other Stories.

This book contains four stories...

The Sneeches
The Zax
Too Many Daves
What Was I Scared Of?

We read all of them except for Too Many Daves. It's not one that I particularly like and I thought my 4 year old would get lost in the story of why a mom would name all 23 of her sons Dave. I can imagine the questions!!!

The Sneeches is a story that address issues like trying to fit in and appreciating differences in others. We had fantastic conversations about similarities and differences in people. The story has two sets of characters those with stars on their bellies and those without.

We went to the craft store with Grandma and bought supplies to make a craft inspired by the story. My daughter picked buttons, ribbon, and a wooden star. She made the star above with her grandma since the little guy fell asleep and needed Mommy with him. Now whenever we look at it, we're reminded that everyone is different and that's what makes us special.

She really enjoyed The Zax. This is a story about two stubborn individuals who wouldn't budge. Here is the picture we liked most from the story...

The two Zax were so stubborn that a whole roadway was built around them and they still wouldn't budge. This story illustrates stubbornness very well. It's a silly story with a lesson behind it. When asked what the Zax should have done instead, she thought they should have stepped aside and then drawn a picture to make each other feel better. Here's the picture that she drew to give the Zax...

Butterflies, sunshine and a rainbow... yep, those would brighten my day if I were a stubborn Zax!

The final story we read was What Was I Scared Of? This book is a silly story about a character who is afraid of a pair of pants and in the end, he learns that the pants are afraid of him too. We talked about fear and what she's afraid of. We talked about silly fears. We talked about ways to overcome her fears.

It's amazing how a silly book about Sneeches and Zax and scaredy pants can lead to such important conversations.

Making Wrapping Paper

2009-02-26T09:37:00.006-06:00

Here's an easy, fun, and inexpensive way to make wrapping paper...

We took the roll of paper off of our easel and rolled it out on our kitchen floor. I scattered art supplies around and let the kids at it. Since the kids were making this paper for their Daddy, I wrote "Daddy" randomly numerous times along the the paper. This gave my daughter the encouragement to practice writing the letters herself.

Both kids LOVED this activity. They worked on it all morning. Because the paper covered so much of the floor, there was no fighting over space. And the best part is that they were so very proud of the wrapped packages that they helped create.

Happy Birthday, Honey!!!

A Thrifty Find

2009-02-25T14:37:00.006-06:00

On a recent trip to the thrift store, I made a great find. I found these...

Seven books from the series of Scholastic First Discovery Books. I already own three of these and my kids, particularly the 4 year old, love them. The illustrations are beautiful. The information is in depth without being confusing for the younger learner. The best feature of the books in this series are the transparent pages. Each see-through page reveals an interesting change to the pictures in the book.

Here are the titles of the books I just bought:

Atlas of Plants
Boats
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Endangered Animals
The Universe
Whales

While these books definitely aren't brand new, I would label them as "gently used." You can tell that they've been read but there is no damage to the books whatsoever. What a find! Each of the pages is laminated, so I can run a Lysol wipe over each page to clean them right up without damaging the books.

The price for one of these books is $11.95. That would cost over $80 for all seven. They were bundled together to be sold as a lot for 2 bucks!!! Seriously, 2 bucks total!!! I'm thrilled!

Eric Carle Inspired Art

2009-02-24T16:09:00.004-06:00

We love Eric Carle at our house! Today my daughter made a picture inspired by his work. She sat down at her desk and initiated this project all on her own! She was having trouble cutting out the shapes as she wanted them so she asked me to cut out a heart and a flower. (At this point, I still had no idea what she was creating.) She decided that the flower looked more like a cloud. (I agree.) She cut out her own mountain. She colored all three pieces and glued them on the paper. She then drew two people. She says that this picture is of "Mommy and me climbing a mountain on a cloudy day because we love each other."

Eric Carle, mountain climbing, and loving her mommy all in one picture...be still my heart!!!

Save Those Valentine's Candy Boxes!

2009-02-23T22:52:00.000-06:00

If your valentine gave you a box of chocolates, don't throw out the box!!! Last year, I ended up with a collection of boxes (not from my valentine!). I used them to make two games.

One is a counting game with heart clips and dice.

Roll the dice and clip the number of clips that corresponds with the number on the dice.

My daughter has loved this game and has even been doing basic addition by adding the clips from one side with the clips from the other.

The second game is one that my husband made. I saw this idea somewhere and he thought he could make it. It's a wooden puzzle heart.

The pieces fit inside the heart box for storage.

Sorry the pictures are turned again. I can't figure out why blogger sometimes turns them!

Happy Valentine's Day, Kiddos!

2009-02-16T22:52:00.009-06:00

I did a little sewing of some softies for my kiddos for Valentine's day. I used a quarter of a yard of two discounted Valentine's prints that I had found. A nice inexpensive project!

My son received a Valentine's guitar and LOVED it! My mother-in-law helped me a little on stitching the bottom together to close it up after stuffing it. I had to stuff it really full to get the neck to stand up. That made me question how strong my hand-stitching would be. She came to the rescue and helped me out.

Here's how the front looks...

And the back...

My daughter got a heart person. She says it's very "cuddly" and named her "Alecia." I had no problem with this one and I just top-stitched around the whole thing to reinforce the arms and legs and to close the opening.

Here's the front...

And the back...

The face on the heart and the sound hole and the bridge were all painted with fabric paint on freezer paper stencils. The letters on the back of the heart are adhesive felt. These are the first real softies that I have made and I am pleased with how they turned out. (Except for the fact that one arm is on upside down!)

Happy Valentine's Day, Kiddos! I love you on every day of the year... it's just fun to play with our love on this lovey-dovey holiday!!!

The Day it Rained Hearts

2009-02-16T22:52:00.006-06:00

I'm a little late but I have a few Valentine's Day activities that I didn't get to post before now.

The first is a craft activity that we did with the book, The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond. The story is about a girl named Cornelia Augusta. She was walking along one day and hearts started raining down on her. She caught a bunch of the hearts and used them to make valentines for each of her friends. Each valentine she made with the recipient in mind.

After reading the story, we brainstormed what supplies Cornelia might have used to create each valentine. Then, we collected a variety of art supplies that we thought Cornelia would have used. My daughter used the materials to make her own versions of the cards made in the book. Here are the valentines that she made, along with the picture from the book that was her inspiration...

This was a very fun activity that she really enjoyed.

Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

2009-02-11T14:15:00.002-06:00

I stayed up way too late last night making this...

The silhouette is from Martha Stewart and I found it here. She intended these poppies to be used for paper cutout cards but I thought they were perfect for a freezer paper stencil. I hadn't done anything with freezer paper since December and last night, I saw the Poppy template and had to make it.

I didn't get started on it until after 11:00 last night. Crazy, I know. But, now I have a shirt to wear in honor of St. Valentine! Happy Valentine's Day to me!!!

Overnighter

2009-02-07T00:33:00.003-06:00

My baby girl spent her first night away from home this past week. She packed her own suitcase with all the essentials for a night at Grandma and Papa's. She asked a million questions about where she would sleep and what she would do. She had us confirm over and over again that if she needed to come home, we would come and bring her back to her own bed...pronto. She was so excited but none of the adults were sure that she would make it the whole night. We fully expected to get the call in the middle of the night to come get her.

That call never came.

She did just fine with out us. I, on the other hand, had a tough time walking by her empty bedroom. I felt an empty feeling when I went to bed without kissing her goodnight.

My baby's growing up! Here she is all set to go with her suitcase and Lambie...

Gosh, did I learn a lot today! I learned just how far away the half a block to the Grandparent's house is. I learned that my kiddo is OK without me. I learned that each night that I am given the opportunity to kiss both of my kids goodnight is a blessing. Going to bed without that kiss makes me cherish it so much more!

Origami Birthday Card

2009-02-07T00:31:00.006-06:00

Martha Stewart had some "Antique-Style Valentines" in her Craft of the Day section of her website. I don't know about the antique part, but to me they looked like origami fun. I love origami and we had a 5 year-old's birthday party to go to on Saturday, so it was the perfect project for me.

They were super easy to make. Martha's direction are a little confusing. In the comments, there is a link to a video tutorial on another blog that make it so much easier to understand.

All you need is one square piece of paper. I used a 12"X12" piece of scrapbooking paper.

In the picture above, you can see how the finished project looks. It folds into itself and becomes its own envelope.

Here's how it looks when it's opened up. Blogger won't let me turn the picture straight! Sorry! I used paper that had a bar code and brand name written on the back, so I cut a 4"X4" piece of coordinating paper to cover the writing on the finished card.

At the party, I had so many parents asking me how I made it, that the birthday kid's mom brought out a piece of paper and asked me to demonstrate. Talk about pressure! I had to rack my brain and make it work on the fly. Luckily, my memory didn't fail me and was able to duplicate it without the tutorial in front of me.

A cool thing that I learned about these is that they truly are "antique-style valentines." The tutorial says that these are called "puzzle purses" and that they were exchanged as early as the 1790's. I love the history behind it. That makes a successful valentine even sweeter!

All Wrapped Up

2009-02-05T23:49:00.007-06:00

It's been a long time...

My sick little guy has wanted nothing other than to be cuddled and held. His poor tummy just hasn't felt very good. I wore him on my back much of this morning and he was so content. It's been a long time since he's been willing to ride back there without us being out and about. It felt good to have my baby boy on my back again snuggling into the back of my neck. I love the closeness of having him in a wrap on my back or front, sharing our warmth, feeling his sick body relax into contended peacefulness knowing that he is safe next to his mommy. I love that little guy!

The wrap that I am wearing is a Sky Blue Indio Didy. It originally held dear little Grace and I have the privilege of using it to hold my child. What a beautiful history this wrap holds!

One of Those Days

2009-02-04T15:17:00.011-06:00

Have you ever had one of those days?

One of those days where your patience is tested to the limit?

One of those days where quotes like these two are particularly true...

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. -- Harold Hulbert

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. -- Franklin P. Jones

One of those days that you swear it must be a full moon until you look out the window in the middle of the day and are bummed to see that you can't blame it on that...

One of those days where you really could use a nice stiff drink but you settle instead for the buzz that you get from drinking way too much coffee and this caffeine laced stuff...

Well, today was one of those days at our house. It was rough. It was tough. But, by God's grace (and a whole lot of Dr. Pepper), we made it through the crabbiness and tantrums and lack of naps.

We eagerly welcomed Daddy home from work and as a family discussed how we could make the evening better than the day. Our daughter suggested that we have a fire in the fireplace and read stories. She says that this makes her "peaceful." We were too exhausted to haul the wood in for a fire so we settled for 3 pillar candles in the fireplace instead.

We had a peaceful time by the fireplace. The children played and we read stories and both kids were in bed by 7:30. I wish I could tell you that this was the pleasant end to my day. I wish that I could say, "...and they lived happily ever after." But here is the real life end to our day.

After tucking the kiddos into bed, my hubby and I had just sat down in front of the fireplace to relax before heading to bed when we heard a cry. We both knew that cry and bolted up the stairs. Our son was in the process of getting sick all over himself. Our peaceful night turned into one of changing sheets, giving a bath, changing clothes, starting laundry, researching symptoms online and cuddling a sick little one.

So, it was one of those days but the kids grouchiness was telling me something. Now let's just hope it doesn't spread through all 4 of us!

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-03T11:20:00.003-06:00

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

Yesterday, the furry little prognosticators predicted 6 more weeks of winter! I figure if Punxsutowney Phil and Woodstock Willie can rouse themselves in the dead of winter for a silly tradition, surely I can get my lazy butt out of hibernation and start blogging again. Yep, I'm back. But while the groundhogs may predict the weather, I have my own prediction...blogging daily was a great challenge for 2008, however, I predict that in 2009 I will not blog daily! 2009 on Something 2 Learn Today will have no rules or restrictions, just blogging when I feel like it.

Building a Table

2008-12-02T15:47:00.007-06:00

Today, my four-year-old taught me how to build a table.

First, you take the milk crate that Mom has filled with hats, scarves and mittens and you dump out the contents.

Then, you take four scraps of wood of similar lengths out of Daddy's workshop.

Place the wooden "legs" through the corner holes in the milk crate.

Borrow one of Mom's tin signs and place it on top of the four legs.

Finally, pull up a chair and enjoy your new table!

Today, I was inspired by her ingenuity. She was determined to build a table. She walked around with her tools looking for inspiration. Several attempts failed but she persisted. In the end, she was so proud of her table. Her little brother enjoyed it too... it's just the right size for him and she was willing to share. Everyone wins!

The Beautifulest Christmas Tree Ever

2008-12-01T23:16:00.006-06:00

We woke up this morning to this...

Yippee! I just love the snow! What a way to welcome December!!!

Last night, a branch had fallen out of our Cottonwood. So, our daughter, fresh off of our Christmas Tree hunt, decided that this fallen branch would work for a reenactment of our tree hunt. We dragged that branch all over our backyard, pretending that we were trekking through the Christmas Tree Farm. Then, she decided that the "Christmas Tree" needed to be decorated. We used bungee cords to attach the branch to our backyard bench. Then, she raided her outdoor toy box looking for anything that had a handle she could hang on the branches. The above picture is her finished product. I just love the big hippety-hop ball at the very top.

Here are some close-ups of her holiday work of art. I wonder what the neighbors are thinking!!!

When she was finished, she declared, "This is the Beautifulest Christmas Tree ever!" She was so proud of her backyard tree. I am proud of her creativity. I love to see her use her imagination so creatively!

On a different note, you may have noticed that I learned how to change the template of my blog to something other that what Blogger offers. I'm feelin' mighty festive here on my blog! I got the template from this site. It was super easy to do and free too. Gotta love that!

We started the rest of our Christmas countdown activities today. Along with lighting the Advent wreath, we are reading from The Advent book, a wonderfully illustrated book by Jack and Kathy Stockman. It mimics the advent calendars where you open a door each day to reveal a prize. Behind each of the 25 doors in the book, there is a picture and part of the Christmas story.

We're also removing links from a paper chain and then counting how many are left until Christmas.

The last two activities that we are doing nightly are ones that my daughter and I made together. My mom gave us a kit for a Christmas countdown calendar. We used all the supplies from the kit but we made our own design. We didn't like the original plan that came with the kit. I'm happy with how it turned out. Sometimes kits can be great because everything you need is right there.

Inside of each day's pocket is a piece of scrapbook paper. On it, I have (or soon will) write an activity to do for the night. Most of the activities will be things that we would be doing anyways. For instance, I am saving some of my Christmas decorating to put as an activity. One night, the kids will get to help put out the nativity. On another night, we'll decorate the tree. On another, we'll bring out the basket of Christmas books. I think that this will be an activity that we'll all enjoy. Hopefully, it will become a yearly tradition.

The last thing that we're doing each night is Christmas Countdown Blocks. I took two square blocks of wood and my daughter and I wrapped them in wrapping paper. Then we took green and red cards and put number stickers on them. Every night after counting how many links are left until Christmas, my daughter will have to find the digits that make up that number. This is a skill that she needs to work on anyways.

If you try this activity, there is a trick to it. Both blocks need the numbers 0, 1, and 2. This is necessary for making numbers like 22 or 10. Every number that you make will need at least one of these digits as you're counting down. The remaining numbers get divided between the two blocks. However, when I was doing it, I finished and had one number left off. I could not figure out what the problem was. I knew that I had seen these in the store, so I knew there was a way to do it. I scoured the Internet and finally figured it out. 9 and 6 are only one number... you just flip it upside down for the one you want. So, on one block we have 0, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6(or 9). On the other, we have 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. That's the trick to figuring it out!

Advent

2008-11-30T23:47:00.002-06:00

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. We follow the tradition of Advent in our home. My parents celebrated it with me and my sibling since we were really small. I appreciate it so much more as an adult. In this day and age of Christmas being such a commercialized holiday, Advent is a beautiful celebration that redirects our attention on the meaning behind Christmas.

While searching online, I found a site called Following the Star. It is an online devotional for Advent. Each day's reading includes 5 parts:

Presence of God
The Word of God
Devotion
Conversation with God
Benediction

Each section is really small so a huge amount of time does not need to be invested in it. I am going to try to follow this every day of Advent. It is not age-appropriate for my small children but for me, it will be a time of redirecting my focus so I don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle of December. (Yikes, I can't believe December starts tomorrow!)

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2008-11-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

We have a family tradition of going to the Christmas Tree Farm with some dear friends of ours. We have several local tree farms to choose from so the location isn't the tradition but the friends and tree are. We have been doing this for nearly 10 years.

In years past, we haven't planned ahead very well and both families end up scrambling to clear schedules to find a mutual time that works. Not this year. We set this tree excursion up weeks ago. It was so nice to have it already planned and on the calendar.

We have never gone in November before but that's what worked, so we went with it. I'm glad we did. The weather was glorious! Usually, we trek through mud and slush with the wind blowing through our layers of clothing and chilling us to our bones. Not this year. The weather was perfect. The kids were well behaved...all 5 of them from the two families combined. Because we had planned ahead, we also planned enough time afterwards to go out to lunch together and try a new restaurant.

Oh, what a lesson to learn from this. A little planning truly does go a long way!

Good times! Now the Christmas season has truly begun.

Black Friday!

2008-11-28T23:58:00.003-06:00

Today, I learned all about Black Friday. I don't have much experience in this area. As much as I love a good deal, I hate crowds even more. Unfortunately, we had to take our vehicle in to Sears. So while we were there, waiting for it to be fixed, we thought we would check out the sales. It was impossible to move the cart through the store. I felt like I was in some sort of demented department store scavenger hunt. We left with nothing but a fixed car.
On the way home, I decided to stop with my daughter at Kohl's. I had seen their ad and there were a couple of items that were amazing prices for things that I was already looking for. Well, that was a bad idea. Their sale ended at 1:00 PM and we were there shortly after noon. The lines were unbelievable as people tried to get in line to make sure their purchase was rung up before the sale ended. The people that were waiting to check out had to be there for hours! The lines at both check-out areas meandered all the way from the front of the store to the back! I looked at the line and thought, "you have got to be kidding me!" Needless to say, we left with nothing. After we got home, I hopped online and found that most of Kohl's "door buster" sales were available through their website. While they only lasted until 1:00 PM in the stores, they lasted until 4:00 PM online. I got everything but one thing that I had hoped to get in the store. And, I did it all in the comfort of my own home...that's my kind of Black Friday!!!
Never again will I venture out on the day that should be spent with family relaxing and digesting all the delicious food from yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T22:32:00.003-06:00

I am so thankful! I have so many things in my life for which I am grateful. Today is the official day to declare that greatfulness. What a great holiday... a holiday of thanks!

Our family has been keeping a "Thankful Tree." It is filled with statements of what we are thankful for. It has been a constant reminder for our family to keep an attitude of gratitude. One of the best effects of having this tree on our kitchen table has been the fact that it is a visual reminder for our daughter. On numerous occasions, the tree would catch her attention and she would turn to me and say, "Mom, what are you thankful for today?" Now, that's a lesson to learn every day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Time Crafts

2008-11-26T23:17:00.003-06:00

We had a craft marathon today. I had only planned to do one craft today but my daughter was up and wide awake at 6:30 this morning. I figured we'd take the opportunity to do a messy craft while her brother was still sleeping.

Hands and feet were dipped in paints and turkeys were made. She had three of these turkeys made before we had even eaten breakfast!!! I learned a little about being flexible with my "schedule" of how I think our day should go.

Now, both sets of grandparents get their own footprint/fingerprint turkey for Thanksgiving. One, of course, is going to stay here with us. When the baby woke up, he was enthralled with the turkeys. His big sister has tried for weeks to get him to say, "gobble, gobble, gobble" and he finally did it! Her turkey craft was what he would point to each time he made the sound. His big sister was really proud!

Later in the afternoon, we decided to do an art project that both kiddos could do. We finger painted. This one is the 4 year old's...

Blogger turned the picture but if you tip your head, it says "MOM" and "DAD." Here is the 17 month old's...

I think he had more paint on his face than there was on the paper. I learned today that my little guy likes the taste of finger paint!!! He also loves taking the globs of finger paint and flinging them around the room...fun!

After the little guy went down for his nap, his sister said that she didn't think the hand print feathers really look like feathers. So, we got out some feathers and made another turkey. For this one's body, she traced her shoe on brown paper and I cut it out. Then she drew feet on it and glued feathers all around. I love how it turned out.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!!!

Art with Pattern Blocks

2008-11-25T23:49:00.005-06:00

I had to work this morning and my mom came over and watched the kids for me. I had a couple of errands to run and she was willing to spend a little more time with the grand kids so that I could get a few things done after work. One thing I had to do was stop at a store. This store happens to be right next to the thrift store, so she suggested that I stop in there. (She knows how difficult it is to peruse the thrift store with kids along.)

I bought nothing but things for the kids. I got some brand new teacher's supplies. One of the things I got was a set of wooden pattern blocks. We did a few matching activities and shape activities with them. However, my 4 year old LOVED building with them.

Here is a picture of my favorite. It's called me and my brother in the forest...

This one is a funny person...

What is the triangle in the center of his body, I ask. A bellybutton, of course! I am so proud of her. She did these completely on her own. I love how she worked so diligently on them turning each shape until it created a picture.

As we were working with the pattern blocks, we talked a lot about the shapes. For the life of me, I could not remember the name of the red one that looks like a triangle with it's top cut off. My hubby figured out what it was... a trapezoid! Yep, I remember now. Geometry was a LONG time ago.

Stuffed Pumpkins

2008-10-29T00:51:00.001-05:00

This evening I went over to my Mother-in-Law's home so that she could teach me how to make these adorable pumpkins. She had learned how to make them in a quilting group that she's a part of. She offered to teach me how to make them as well. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to make. I whipped these two up in about an hour. Amazingly fast for such a cute end product. I am so blessed to have a Mother-in-Law that I get along with and who has interests similar to my own. I know many who are not so fortunate with their in-laws.

Green Tomatoes

2008-10-28T14:34:00.002-05:00

There was frost in the forecast for last night, so we picked all the veggies still in the garden. We have a total of 86 tomatoes and have to do something with them all. I found this link and this recipe and another recipe so I could find a way to use all of these green tomatoes. Tonight I made fried green tomatoes. This is amazing since I HATE tomatoes!!! It was super easy to do...slice the tomato, dip in cornmeal, then fry in veggie oil until brown. Before I tell you the verdict, I must tell you about the tastes in our family. We are a family where the males enjoy the taste of tomatoes while us females detest the taste especially the texture. Well, I was the only one that liked them! I shocked myself! I was surprised to find out that green tomatoes are very tart. My hubby even asked me numerous times if I put lemon juice on them. Both kiddos made sourpuss faces after their first (and final) bite. I actually enjoyed the tart taste. I think that this would be a good side dish in the middle of the hot summer. The tartness would be very refreshing. Who'd a thunk?!?!? I like fried green tomatoes!

Ironed Leaves

2008-10-27T01:02:00.004-05:00

I was talking with a friend recently and she mentioned a craft involving a way to incorporate the beautiful fall leaves. She told me how to do it and my response was skeptical. (Sorry, Deanna!) My response was, "Seriously, you iron them?" and "Are you sure you use wax paper?" She assured me that this was the correct process and so I gave it a try.

We gathered all the necessary supplies.

We folded a leave between the wax paper.

We put a towel over the wax paper and ironed it.

Then, I cut out a construction paper frame and we glued it over the wax paper. Then, I had my daughter write each member of our family under one of the leaves with a white crayon.

Don't they look fantastic hanging in our front window?!?!? Here are the individual shots of each of the leaves...

Tuscani Pasta

2008-10-26T09:56:00.004-05:00

Today we celebrated Pastor Appreciation Sunday by sharing lunch together. The meal was from Pizza Hut. They have new Tuscani Pastas and they are delicious. They have three kinds...Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese, Meaty Marinara or Creamy Chicken Alfredo. I tried all three and they were all really good. I was impressed that pasta from Pizza Hut could taste so good. I would definitely order this again.

Cinderella

2008-10-25T09:15:00.003-05:00

Tonight I went to a Michael W. Smith and Stephen Curtis Chapman concert. They are on tour together. It's called The United Tour. It was an amazing concert! I have seen both artists separately on several occasions. I even met Michael W. Smith a few years back...but that's another story!
Being a PK, I've been to a lot of Christian concerts and this was like none that I have ever been to before! First of all, seeing two pioneers in contemporary Christian Music together on the same stage was amazing. They both exhibited such respect for each other. Secondly, both of them had a son playing in the band. The son of MWS was playing keyboards and SCC's son was playing guitar. How cool is it that they have passed on their talent and love of music to their children. Finally, I have never cried so much at a concert. Chapman spent a great deal of time sharing his personal struggle after the loss of his daughter earlier this year. He was very open and honest. I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience.
I find it hard to write reviews. However, I found this review online and it really captures the essence of the concert.
The most memorable moment of the concert was when Stephen Curtis Chapman sang "Cinderella." If you haven't heard this song, go now and listen to it. It is life changing. It makes me want to strive to hold my little ones just a little tighter and let those moments linger just a little longer.

Chicken in Spaghetti Sauce

2008-10-24T09:14:00.002-05:00

Today, I made up my own recipe. I took some chicken breasts and put them in my crock pot. Then I took a jar of spaghetti sauce and covered the chicken with it. I cooked them on low for the entire day. Shortly before serving, I removed the breasts and added water to the spaghetti sauce left in the crock pot. I brought it to a boil and added pasta. After the pasta was cooked, I drained it and served it alongside the chicken. It was delicious and so-o-o easy. All four of us loved this meal!

Cicerone

2008-10-23T21:53:00.001-05:00

I learned today that a man that I serve on a committee with is receiving schooling to be a Cicerone. I had never heard of that term before so I was completely ignorant when he started talking about it. It turns out that a Cicerone is to beer what a Sommelier is to wine. I had no idea that such a position existed. An old friend of my husband's is a Sommelier, so I was aware of what that was but I had never heard of a Cicerone. Here is a link to more info on what a Cicerone is.

DIY Door Stop

2008-10-22T09:15:00.001-05:00

Recently, I saw a doorstop at a friend's house that I thought would be a good idea for our little door slammer. He is fascinated with opening and closing doors. I am so worried about him slamming his little fingers in the door.

Today, I was throwing away some foam packaging material and I got an idea. I decided to try to make my own door stop. I used a knife and chopped away at that packing foam and now, I have a removable doorstop. I must admit, it is pretty ugly. But, hey, it's a lot prettier than fingers slammed in the door!

Unique Gourd

2008-10-21T11:40:00.013-05:00

Yesterday, at the craft fair that we went to, I ran into a friend that I haven't seen since before I had children. We used to work together and I miss the friendship that we once had. I was so pleased to be able to introduce my children to her. They were enamored with some pumpkins and gourds that she had decorated her craft booth with. Since it was nearly time for her to take down her booth, she let both of the kids pick one out to take home.

My daughter picked out a "princess pumpkin." One that looks like the pumpkin that turned into Cinderella's coach.

My son picked out this one...

I thought it was a beautiful gourd and I was curious to learn what kind it was. My friend did not know so I came home and looked it up. I got my answer here. It's called a Turks Turban (Cucurbita maxima) and although we only plan on using it as a decoration, we learned that it's edible too!

Reading the Fine Print

2008-10-20T11:40:00.003-05:00

I received this tin as a gift recently. It had the cute little spatula, cookie cutters, and a sugar cookie mix included with it. I failed to read the packaging! Today I read it and found out that it included a card for a free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens. Whoo - Hoo, what a surprize! I learned that it pays to pay attention to the packaging...I didn't realize what it said until I glanced at it as I tossed it into the garbage can! So glad I read it, that card is in the mail now!

Harvest Party

2008-10-19T16:20:00.010-05:00

Today, we went to a church sponsored harvest party at a member's farm. We had great fun! We had pot-luck lunch in the barn, horseback riding, a hayride and a candy toss.

Both of the kids got to ride on the horse. They thought that was the greatest thing!!! Our daughter got to ride on the horse by herself with Daddy walking beside her. She was so proud sitting up there all by herself. She looked so-o-o little up on that big old horse!

I rode with our son in the saddle with me. He LOVED it! Every time we would make our way around the arena and come close to the gate were others waited, he would frantically sign, "more!" Most of the people watching interpreted his signing as clapping and thought that he kept clapping his hands with glee. Although that wasn't what he meant, he was indeed a happy boy!

The hayride was fun, too. Daddy and daughter got to get up into the cab of the tractor and drive the hayride for a while. It was like a dream come true for our daughter. She loves vehicles...cars, trains, construction trucks, tractors, etc. So, to be able to drive one was an amazing experience for her!

So, what did I learn? Believe it or not, I had never heard of a candy toss. They made the assumption that everyone knew what it was. I did not. As we were gathered around waiting for the candy toss to start, I realized that they were almost ready to begin and there were no instructions going to be given. I quickly asked someone nearby to explain and she briefly did. It turns out that a candy toss is just that. People toss candy down on you and you scoop it up and keep what you gather. The kids loved it. I was a nervous wreck. Lollipop sticks flying at my kiddos and big kids diving for candy had my heart pumping. Fortunately, the kids eyes were averted downward looking for candy on the ground avoiding the flying lollipop sticks. And, the big kids were kept in check by vigilant adults. We had quite a bag of loot to take home with us.

The little guy fell asleep while we were driving home, so his big sister suggested that we take a drive down to the beach so he could sleep longer. We agreed and took a detour. Daddy and the sleeping beauty stayed in the car while the two of us took a walk down by the water. When I told her it was too cold to get in, she wanted to take her notebook and fuzzy, purple, feather pen with her.

After exploring a bit and picking out some rocks to take home, she plopped herself down in the sand and started writing. She drew everything that she had seen...

She wrote about the waves and the sailboat that sailed by and the tiny hole that she discovered in the sand. Beauty through her eyes... a joy to me!

Fun Fall Day

2008-10-18T11:40:00.008-05:00

Whew! Today was a busy, fun-filled day. Where do I start? How about a list of things I learned or tried today and a picture for each one...

I learned from a hard-core fisherman that fish in the pond behind our house are biting on "Rooster Tails." Despite all the stuff in there, we don't have "Rooster Tails" in our tackle box.

I learned that both kiddos tire of fishing when there are no fish being caught and the wild outdoors bid them to play.

I learned (while the hubby tried to fish and we went exploring) that my daughter can climb a tree. Yep, all. by. herself!

I learned that wandering aimlessly through a corn maze with a sleeping 16 month old on your back is REALLY tiring. Wandering through with some friends and their family makes up for it though.

I learned that when there is nothing to look at but corn at your sides and wood chips at your feet...look up! The clouds were magnificent today!

I learned that some hens and roosters like to perch on evergreen tree branches. Now that's an interesting site.

I've never seen a hen with her chicks tucked under wings except for in pictures. It was the cutest thing! The chicks didn't peek out from underneath her, they poked their heads right up through her feathers.

I got to meet this little guy. Can you guess the name? This is Tina Turner...
We met Grandma and Grandpa at a festival in a local park. From the moment we arrived, our daughter noticed the big blow up bouncy things. She really wanted to play in them. However, there were just too many kids trying to play in them. And, they were big kids who were being really rough. Instead of crying or throwing a fit, she simply said, "Could we go play at the park instead?" Once we were at the park, she looked at me and said, "This is much more peaceful, isn't it?" I sure do love that girl!!!
I learned from a crafter at the craft fair who was willing to share tips on how to properly cut gourds. This is a skill I have tried but never mastered. I have so many dried out gourds around here that I hang onto in hopes that I will figure it out. This talented lady inspired me to try again. Here are some pictures of the ones I bought from her...

Wow, it was a busy day... fishing, the pumpkin farm, and the community festival. I feel exhausted but content. I love my family and days like these are so much fun to spend together.

Toddler Table Activity

2008-10-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for ways to keep my little one occupied and busy while I attend to a few tasks that a mom must do. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing with my little ones but there are times when a task needs to be done and it needs to be done with out the assistance of a one-year-old. For instance, loading the dishwasher full of dirty dishes. The little guy want to unload everything. Not only is this counter productive, it's also rather disgusting to have him touching all over the dirty dishes.

(In the picture above, he is helping me with the clean dishes. While my back was turned, he climbed right up. Once he was up there, I couldn't resist taking a couple pictures. My hubby about fainted when he saw the pictures!)

A while back, I found that pipe cleaners were a great activity to keep him busy. Since then, I've been on the lookout for other activities that he can do in his highchair for short periods of time with minimal supervision.

Look what I found. It's called a Crayo-Craze Crayon and it's made by Liquid Mark. I bought it a Walmart.

It has 6 crayon nubs around in a circle. There is no right side up so no matter how he holds it, he can color. We've been using it for about a month and he loves it. I bought it so that he could do "work" while his big sister and I are doing "school." Currently he eats regular crayons and this one makes it more difficult to do so. At first, he would still try to eat it but I was right there with him to redirect.

Today, his sister was using markers at the kitchen table. He wanted to get into those markers badly. So, I let him use his Crayo-Craze independently. I taped a large sheet of paper to the table and pulled up his booster seat. He sat right across the table from his big sister and scribbled away!

While the two of them were drawing at the kitchen table, I got the dishwasher emptied and reloaded, cleaned the stove top, and vacuumed under the table. Pretty impressive, eh?

I love this new gizmo. I wish that I would have had it when my daughter was younger. She would have loved it too.

BOO!

2008-10-16T11:40:00.002-05:00

I saw this idea for Boo Garland and thought I would give it a try. The link has free clip-art letters that you can download. I tried that and was having trouble, so I just used my own Word fonts and printed off the letters. So incredibly easy! Just think of all the garland you could make for each holiday. I already know that I am making one that says "JOY" for Christmas. Wouldn't "THANKS" be a great reminder for Thanksgiving. It's a great way to interest my 4 year old in letters and words. She thinks it's pretty cool that she can spell BOO!

Placemat Apron

2008-10-15T01:07:00.004-05:00

Last month, I picked up a couple of placemats out of the clearance shelves at Target. I thought that they would make really great placemats for messy art projects. They are made of a material that would be easy to wipe up. I figured I could roll them up and stow them away with the art supplies and get them out for messy projects. Later that week, I ran across this post over at Flip Flops and Applesauce. Imagine my surprise when I realized that she had used the very same placemats that I had just bought! She had used them to make aprons for her girls. What a great idea!

Well, today I tried my hand at the project. I didn't follow her project exactly, I only used hers for inspiration. I had left over bias tape from my recent curtain project. I used my sewing machine to attach the bias tape to the folded area and left enough at the top to tie the apron around the neck. Then, I took more bias tape and attached it to the hip to tie the apron around the back. I liked that in the original idea she had used buttons so I decided to add a few funky ones that I had on hand. This was by far the hardest part of the craft. It was so-o-o hard to push the needle through two layers of the thick material plus the bias tape. I wanted to put two more buttons at the top but my fingers hurt to much so I stopped. Maybe later.

Anyways, I am very happy with how it turned out. I'm glad I bought two of the placemats because now I want to make another so both kiddos have one.

My hubby looked at it on our littlest and said, "Now we've got his Halloween costume...Can you make a chef's hat?" Not a bad idea. Now, I've just got to find a pattern for making one of those.

Children's Classics

2008-10-14T23:09:00.012-05:00

A friend of mine blogged today about 5 Minutes for Books. First of all, I had never visited this site and already, I love it. They state on their site, "At 5 Minutes for Books, we hope to build a community of people who love books and reading." What a great hope!

Currently, they are discussing Children's Classics — Newbery Medal Winners. They are asking bloggers to review one of the Newbery books. My friend posted about her favorite Newbery Medal Winner, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. This is a book that she had given me as a gift and I loved it. It is a great book and I would highly recommend it.

As I looked at the list of Newbery Medal Winners, it made me itch to read them. I've read quite a few but I would love to read them all. Wouldn't that be wonderful?!?!?

As I looked through the list I tried to decide which is my favorite. That is hard!

When I was teaching, I had a goal of reading all of the Newbery winners and honor books. I never made it. Here are the books that I have read:

A Year Down Yonder by by Richard Peck
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
Holes by Louis Sachar
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
Doctor DeSoto by William Steig
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
The Fledgling by Jane Langton
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Abel's Island by William Steig
A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond
The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Incident At Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert
Sounder by William H. Armstrong
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Cricket In Times Square by George Selden, pseud. (George Thompson)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
Kildee House by Rutherford Montgomery
Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Calico Bush by Rachel Field
The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth

So, which is my favorite? That is not hard at all. My all-time favorite Children's book is Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I love this book. It was recommend to me by a good friend of mine while I was a senior in college. We had been Elementary Education majors together at the same college and he had already graduated and was in his first teaching job. He thought I would like the book and he was correct. I was so enthralled with the story that when I finished reading it, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I threw the book across the room and called my friend to tell him how deeply the book had moved me. It was the first book to ever make me cry and it is the only book that I have ever thrown across a room. (Something that I would not normally advocate!)

If this friend of mine and I had met when we were much younger, I envision that we would have been very much like the two main characters in Bridge to Terabithia, Jess and Leslie. It is a story of a very unlikely friendship and the bond that develops between these two friends. Together, they create their own magical kingdom where they let their imaginations soar. In the Kingdom of Terabithia, they learn to overcome fear and free themselves of the cares of life. In Terabithia they gain inner strength and learn how to be carefree. As in any friendship, there are highs and lows. Jess and Leslie experience both of these and the reader experiences joy, hope, sadness, anger, and frustration. There are points in the story where I hated Paterson for choosing to take the story into some unexpected twists. I felt let down as the reader and wondered if the book could even be salvaged. In the end, Paterson closes in a way that makes the reader feel a deep connection with the characters. It left me feeling warm and uplifted. It's a story that celebrates friendship and love despite differences and challenges.

Because of some deeply troubling events, I would not recommend this book for younger children...not even as a book read to them by an adult. I would recommend it for upper elementary or junior high children.

My least favorite book from the list of Newbery's I've read would have to be Missing May and Shabanu. I just simply did not like either of these stories at all.

I'll close by sharing my top five favorites under Bridge to Terabithia...The Giver, Wrinkle in Time, Number the Stars, The Bronze Bow, and Because of Winn Dixie.

The Laundry Room Saga

2008-10-13T23:08:00.001-05:00

A week and a half.

That's how long I've been without a dryer.

If I had to choose, I would pick the dryer going out rather than the washing machine. I'd hate to hand wash my clothes or haul them to and from a laundromat. But, even so, it's not fun. It's not warm enough outside to dry clothes in the breeze. So, my home has been overtaken by drying laundry. The railing for the stairs, every doorknob, the shower curtain, on top of doors, wall sconces...everything and anything that I can hang laundry on has had clothing on it. Ugh!

No longer.

Today, my hubby fixed the machine. Rather than paying an exorbitant amount for a repairman just to walk through the door and then paying for parts and labor on top of that, he figured it out himself.

I'm so proud of him. He had the whole machine taken apart. I've never seen the inside of a dryer. Of course I've seen inside the dryer but I mean the real inside of the dryer. Did you know that a tiny belt wrapped around the drum and connected to a motor is what keeps the drum turning? I didn't. I thought there would be a huge strap of sorts that made it go but no, it's just this thin little belt.

Anyways, the machine is now fixed and the broken part only cost $50. I say only in comparison to what it could have cost if my hubby wasn't a do-it-yourself-er. Only $50 is actually weird to day when the part that cost this much was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I vacillated from thinking, "What, that little thing cost $50?!?!?!" to "Thank goodness that only cost $50!!!!!" I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

My perspective right now is thankful. Thankful for a resourceful, handy husband. Thankful for not having to dip into savings. Thankful that my home is no longer cluttered with drying laundry everywhere. I am most definitely thankful for a dryer that works!

Stack of Books

2008-10-12T22:00:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, a stack of books could totally stress me out.

Take, for example, my freshman year of college. I wandered all around campus for several hours looking for the bookstore. I could have asked where it was but I was too embarrassed, too shy, too proud to admit that I couldn't find it.

After finally finding the bookstore, With the help of two very kind upper classmen girls, I nearly broke my back lugging all those books to the cash register. Then, I nearly fainted when the cashier rang up my total. Yes, indeed, that was a BIG shock! After forking over the money, I hauled by load of books out to my beat up Dodge Omni, placed them in the passengers seat, locked the door, closed the door and walked around to get in the driver's door.

It was then that I realized that my keys were setting on the passenger's seat next to that enormous pile of books. Crap. I just locked the door!

Campus security tried unsuccessfully to open the door before calling the police who were also unsuccessful at opening the door. Finally, the police officer offered to drive me to my off campus residence in his patrol car to retrieve my spare set of keys. He told me the only problem was that if he receive a call that he had to attend to, he would have to drop me off on the side of the road. I rolled the dice and took the free ride home. Not too difficult to choose when your choices are 1. a free ride or 2. break the window.

When the whole fiasco was over, I remember looking at the stack of books and just feeling so bitter about them. They had caused me so much pain...physically, financially, and my pride was hurt too. I vividly remember picking up the book titled Hermeneutical Spiral and just laughing at the entire situation. I was laughing because it was the only thing keeping that homesick freshman that I was from crying.

So, that long story is to document just how much pain a pile of books can cause.

Not today though. Today, I look at that enormous pile of books and I long to read each one. I envision many relaxing hours curled up on the couch with a warm drink diving into each book. I haven't had that many new-to-me books at one time since college. I learned today that I no longer loath a pile of books, I embrace it!

In the last week, I have accumulated 10 new books! And, I am thrilled about each one.

5 were received as very thoughtful birthday gifts.

1 came in the mail as part of my MOPS membership.

2 are on loan from a friend who is a former pre-school teacher.

2 are from our church used book sale. ($1 per book...yippee!)

I look at this pile and I am filled with anticipation. I long to read each book RIGHT NOW. Where do I start? Should I read more than one at a time? Which do I pick? The fiction? The craft book? The cookbook? The inspirational? The factual? The educational? Such tough decisions...much better than the stack that sat locked in my Dodge Omni!

Don't get me wrong, I've always loved a good book. It's just the piles of books waiting to be read that used to intimidate me.

By the way, I don't recommend The Hermeneutical Spiral unless you need some serious help for insomnia.

Car Sickness

2008-10-11T23:07:00.002-05:00

Today, I learned that my daughter gets carsick. Previously, I've refused to believe it. I've explained away other unfortunate situations. You see, this is something that we have wondered about but have never been quite sure of. Today, I am confident of it. We had a 2 1/2 hour drive to a 3 year old friend's birthday party. When we were 10 minutes from our friends' home, she started to feel really hot and then all of a sudden thought she was going to throw up. She had that look...you know, that look. Luckily, we were off the tollway and we were able to pull into a shopping center. Getting her out of the car, breathing some fresh air and walking around did wonders for her! And, once we arrived and the party was underway, she was back to her usual self.

I looked for info online and if you have a child that suffers from carsickness, here is a link for you. They even have a link to a site where you can buy your own YakPack for those unfortunate situations when carsickness hits before you can pull over. That is so funny, yet so-o-o not funny!

Crock-Pot Chicken

2008-10-10T23:08:00.003-05:00

I am trying to make good use of the chest freezer that we got this year. I'd love to make more double meals and freeze half. I am working on this but we still have tons of room. I try to stock up on meat when it is on sale. One thing that I have been doing is freezing cooked chicken breasts cut into strips. We can unthaw as many or as little as we want. I can put them frozen in my husband's lunchbox and by the time he eats his lunch, they're thawed. They're perfect for tossing into a salad, putting into a tortilla with some veggies, or making a quick meal for the kiddos. It's definitely healthier that giving them frozen chicken nuggets!

Anyways, as successful as this has been, the chicken has been very dry. I've done the chicken on the grill and after it's thawed out, it needs some sort of sauce to balance the dryness of the meat. I thought that using my crock-pot might help alleviate this problem. I looked online and was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of recipes. I just wanted a simple way to cook the chicken not a full blown chicken dinner. So, I called my friend, Deanna, who has been using her crock-pot a lot, for some advice. I have never done chicken in the crock-pot but she has. Per her suggestions, I placed 3 pounds of chicken breasts and two chicken bullion cubes in about 4 inches of water. The results were fantastic. The chicken was moist right out of the crock-pot (of course!). Now that it has frozen, I tried a piece and it seems to be better. My hubby says that he misses the grilled taste but that the moisture content is closer to normal.

Cheers!

2008-10-09T23:27:00.003-05:00

Dinner, drinks, and a coffee house plus a mom who's willing to watch your kids so that you and hubby can have a night out equals one happy momma!

It's been over 2 years since I've had an alcoholic drink. I've never really been much of a drinker. But, I do like to have a fru-fru drink every now and then. A little over two years ago, we started thinking about having a second child. From that point, through the pregnancy and through the breastfeeding stage, I have avoided alchohol for the obvious reasons. Well, tonight was a night of celebration and I had a margarita. Mmmmm. There's nothing like relearning how tasty something is after a time away from it!

After dinner, we headed across town to our favorite local coffeehouse. We were happy to see that "our spot" was open. We love this particular table because it's seated next to tall windows overlooking the harbor. While sitting there, we noticed that the water appeared to be boiling in spots. As we peered to look closer, we realized that in the midst of this "boiling water" periodically, a fish would jump up and slap the water. We were very curious about this. So after our mochas were finished, we took a walk on the boardwalk so we could see this phenomenon up close.

It turns out that the "boiling water" was fish preparing to spawn. Based on what we learned from a local fisherman, they are probably Coho Salmon coming into the harbor to spawn. We also learned that in order to fish in the dark effectively, some fishermen use lighted bobber. I had never heard of such a thing. It sure did look funny watching the fisherman prepare to cast while a very large firefly buzzed around his head. It took us a while to figure out what was going on with that too.

It was such a beautifully clear night. Walking beside the water by the light of the moon with the man that I love was the perfect way to finish off my birthday.

Scalloped Potatoes

2008-10-08T21:10:00.003-05:00

This morning my dad stopped by with some food for our family. That's one of the blessing of having family so close! He and my mom had made a ham and had more left-overs than they would be able to eat. He also had a bag of potatoes that had more than what they could eat before they would go bad. So, we benefited from this. He arrived bearing the left-over ham and a half dozen potatoes. He said that he was going to make scalloped potatoes for dinner for him and my mom this evening. I thought that was a great idea but I had no idea how to make it. I found this recipe for Scalloped Potatoes online. I actually had every ingredient on hand (unusual for me).
It was a perfect recipe to do with my 4-year-old. I chopped the potatoes, ham, onion, and green peppers and she took the chopped pieces and put them in the measuring cups. She loved taste testing the ingredients and we found out that she likes to eat raw onions! Then, she stirred the liquid ingredients together. But her favorite part was layering the ingredients into the baking dish.
The results...we loved it!!! Well, everyone but the 4-year-old. I think she ate too much ham and onions during the prep time because she hardly touched it at dinner. The 1-year-old loved it! This may well be his favorite meal. He kept asking for more!
This is definitely a recipe we will make again. It's a great way to use up left-over ham.

T-shirt Bag

2008-10-07T11:39:00.003-05:00

I finally did a project that I have been wanting to do for some time. I made a bag out of an old t-shirt. It was so-o-o easy!

I roughly followed this tutorial but there are millions out there on the web. It literally only took me about 5 minutes to make this bag. All you have to do is sew the bottom hem together, cut off the arms, and cut a scoop around the neck. It is the easiest project. Now I've just gotta make a few more so I can have a set for grocery shopping. I really and truly can't believe how easy this was!

Here's the "before" shot...

And the "after" shot...

Excel

2008-10-06T07:43:00.002-05:00

I've got a really big project that I am in the midst of and today it just got much bigger. I learned that for this project to be successful, I need to sort through and disseminate a huge amount of data. That means that I have to manipulate the data on an Excel spreadsheet. I haven't used Excel since before kids and that's been over 4 years! When I did use it, it wasn't very in depth, just your basic spreadsheet. A friend and team member on this project has experience manipulating similar data. He took the time today to explain it to me and walk me through some of the steps.
So, pretty boring, but today I learned how to manipulate huge amounts of data through Excel.

Terrible Two's

2008-10-05T07:40:00.005-05:00

I teach Sunday School at our church. Last year, I taught in the 3 year old room. This year, I was switched to the 2 year old room. Let me just say, what a difference a year makes!!!

Imagine this...me, in a classroom room with 6 two year olds, trying to teach them a bible story about God creating light and dark. Imagine the lights dimmed and a flashlight being used to illustrate the dark and light concept. Now imagine me sitting these 6 angels down to play with play dough to illustrate how our hands can create just like God created. Now, imagine me giving all the children a black piece of construction paper and white chalk to draw with to illustrate God creating the light in the dark sky.
Can you imagine it? I thought I could. It seemed like the perfect plan for 2 year olds. I was wrong!

Here's what I learned from my day in the 2 year old classroom...

Having a helper would be real handy.
2 year olds don't stay in one place for long.

2 year olds think play dough is edible.

2 year olds can't focus when their environment changes drastically. (ie. lights out/flashlight on)

2 year olds want their own flashlight.

2 year olds think chalk is edible.
2 year olds don't realize that chalk shatters when it's thrown across the room.
2 year olds think sharing is grabbing a toy from another kid and running in the opposite direction.

2 year olds are, well, 2 year olds.

Now, I've learned my lesson...hopefully. I had a super fun time with them but, boy am I exhausted! Next week, I'll be back in there again with a new plan in place.

Returning to Normal

2008-10-04T07:35:00.002-05:00

This past week we have been incredibly busy - a good kind of busy but still busy none the less. Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the weather was perfect. A sweater or sweatshirt was all that was needed for sufficient warmth.

We headed outdoors, all four of us. We took down the canopy that was gracing our backyard. Then, we relaxed. We enjoyed each other's company. The kids played in their playhouse and enjoyed their snack outdoors on their picnic table. We got some much needed relaxation...

Now, I've just gotta learn to make time for this more often!

Brown Baggin' It

2008-10-03T07:39:00.009-05:00

Several years ago, my mom bought me a cookie press for a gift. I thought it was pretty neat...a little piece of art atop a useful kitchen tool. I even made cookies for family members the following Christmas using my new cookie press. My cookie press inspired me to learn how to make shortbread...my mom's favorite. My mother was so impressed by my new found cookie making talent that when the next gift giving holiday rolled around, she gave me another cookie press. My brother caught on as well and he and my mom have continued to add to my growing collection.

Whenever any guest in our home sees my cookie presses, they ask about them. I've been resistant to say that I collect cookie presses for two reasons... 1.) I never set out to collect them, I just kind of fell into it and 2.) it just seems so-o-o domestic, like a collection that Martha Stewart would have and I am definitely NOT Martha Stewart.

Well, today I received a gift of two more cookie presses, two cookie molds, and a companion book(from Mom, of course). I now have to admit it... I am a cookie press collector.

This made me realize that I ought to do a little research on this and see what I am really getting myself into. Most of my presses and the 2 molds that I receive today are Brown Bag Designs. It turns out that these are highly collectible and most of them are actually retired. The company now only releases one design a year and that design is used, according to their website, to "make a difference in the world." The design is inspired by a charity and a portion of the proceed go to that organization. Pretty darn cool! Last year's design honored Habitat for Humanity and this year's design is for Heifer International. I had never heard of Heifer International before but after looking through their website, I am inspired. Rather that just throwing money at the problem of world hunger, they share livestock and then the recipient passes on the offspring of their gift to another needy family. The gift literally keeps going with each generation of livestock born. Wow. Who would have thought that my little cookie press collection would lead me to learn about an organization trying to end world hunger?!?!?

My daughter wanted to help with the photo. The presses kept rolling so she came up with her own solution and got some ribbon to hold them in place...Love that kiddo!!!

I also learned through a book that my mom included with my gift today that cookie molds can be used for so much more that just cookies. The book is called The Brown Bag Cookie Art New Idea Book. In it, it gives directions for using cookie molds to make molded chocolates, fondant, butter, marzipan, paper casting, gift tags, greeting cards, beeswax ornaments, cinnamon pomanders, salt dough ornament, and of course, lots of cookie ideas. Who'd have thought my little collection could do so much?!?!?

So, I am indeed, officially a cookie press collector. How did that happen?!?!?

Why Believe?

2008-10-02T06:58:00.001-05:00

I read this quote on another blog today and I've been thinking about it all day...

"Belief in God is not insurance against pain, but a resource in the event of pain."

Backyard Event

2008-10-01T14:26:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow night, our family is hosting a gathering in our backyard for candidate for US Congress. Hopefully, we will be joined by others in our community who would like to learn about their options in the election. The weather this week has been unpredictable and it looks like it may rain or at the very least be a little chilly. My hubby mentioned this to a co-worker who offered to loan us a 10x20 foot canopy and an outdoor heater. What a blessing! Tonight with the help of the co-worker, his girlfriend, my father-in-law, and my hubby we got it all set up. We just happen to use outdoor hanging lights in our playroom, so we moved those outside under the canopy.

I've never used a propane heater before but it sure does send out the heat! It reminds me of what I would imagine it to be like if you were to warm your hands on a jet engine. Now, we have a dry place to meet with a source of heat and plenty of light. The stress I was feeling yesterday about this event is gone. Now, all I need to do is get the tables and chairs under there, get the food and drinks ready and hope that people come...I can't wait!

Rockin' like a Big Kid

2008-09-30T14:27:00.003-05:00

Today, I learned that my one year old can climb onto the rocking chair in his room all by himself. He can climb on the couch and other chairs that are stationary but every time he's tried to climb on the rocking chair, he turns away. As soon as he touches it, it glides and he doesn't even attempt to climb it.

That all changed today.

His sister was sitting in the rocking chair reading a book. He grabbed a book for himself, toddled over to the rocking chair and climbed right up to be with her. He wiggled his little bottom into a spot beside her and proceeded to read in the rocker just like his big sister. Bless her heart, his big sister took the book that he had brought with and "read" it to him. The contented smile on his face let us all know that that was his intention all along. He wanted to climb up and have his big sister "read" him a book.

Pipe Cleaner Fun

2008-09-29T13:00:00.003-05:00

Today, I had some time alone with my one-year old son. His big sister was out feeding the ducks with her Grandma and Great-Great Aunt. I don't have much time to play alone with my littlest one which is kind of sad for me. I feel bad that he is often neglected of the one-on-one time because he is the second child. So, rather that feel bad about it, I try to make the most of the one-on-one time when we do get it. I got out a few supplies to allow him to explore various textures. He was immediately drawn to the pipe cleaners. He didn't want anything to do with anything else - just the pipe cleaners.

He had so much fun feeling the fuzziness of the stems, banging them together and on the table, twisting them, and throwing them. We played together with these for an extended period of time. He had so much fun.

Later, I pulled them out again when I needed to load the dishwasher. He sat in his booster playing independently at the table with the pipe cleaners while I got the entire dishwasher loaded. That never happens! I never would have thought that he would have so much fun with such a simple activity but he sure did. I guess I needed the reminder to keep it simple. The best learning happens in those simple moments when children are just allowed to explore.

Modified T-Shirt

2008-09-28T14:03:00.002-05:00

I recent saw belly bands and nursing covers like these or these and thought that they looked easy to make. So, I grabbed a t-shirt, cut a straight line from the base of the armpit to the base of the other armpit and whah-la...

...a free, recycled belly band!

And, I think it looks pretty good for getting the layered look without all the bulk.

Freezer Stencils...AGAIN!

2008-09-27T23:14:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I get crazy ideas in my head at the worst possible time. Yesterday, I decided that we needed matching shirts for our trip to the pumpkin farm TODAY!

I only had two shirts at home to paint. So, since I had to run to Walmart anyway, I picked up two shirts so that each of us had one to wear. I had to then wash the shirts, dry the shirts (without a dryer since ours just died), and then put freezer stencils on them. This project would have been much less stressful if I would have done it a week ago. Sometimes I think I work better under pressure.

I realized long after the rest of the family had gone to bed that the orange paint that I had was puff paint. Not exactly what I needed but I thought I would give it a try. Late at night, hours before you need to actually wear the shirts, there isn't much time for changing plans. I tried it and it turns out that puff paint doesn't puff when you brush it on the fabric. It turned out just like regular unpuffy paint. Pretty cool, eh?

Here's how they turned out...

And here are the action shots...

We had a ton of fun and wonderful weather!

Here's my mighty mouse...

Isn't this pattern beautiful? We loved that the "hearts'' formed a "star" in the center...

Oh, so many pumpkins...

Get me higher so I can see everything...

The two kiddos worked together to find the perfect pumpkin...

I just realized that I didn't include any pictures of my hubby. That's because he decided that just having an orange shirt was enough for him. I tried to convince him but to no avail. I think he just wanted me to wrap it up and get to bed. Ah well, at least he had on an orange shirt to match us. Yes, indeed, we were a matchy, matchy family!

Debate: Who to Believe?

2008-09-26T09:38:00.004-05:00

Tonight, we watched the Presidential debate. I hate to admit this but it was actually great fun. We had four generations sitting in our living room sharing the experience together...my children, my hubby and I, my parents, and my great-Aunt visiting from out west. It was a lot of fun to share our different perspectives and opinions on what each of the candidates said. It probably would have been more fun if we weren't all so like-minded!

If you didn't have a chance to watch it here's a transcript of tonight's Presidential Debate if you're so inclined to do that much reading.

Afterward the debate and after saying goodbye to the extended family and after getting the kiddos in bed, I hopped online to see what others had to say about the debate. I wanted to hear the "spin" if you will. I ran across two very interesting links that are probably old news to many but they're new to me.

Both of these links take the statements made my the candidates and put them through the truth test. They compare what they say with how they've voted, previous statements they've made, and the proposals that they have made. After comparing all the info, the reader can decide, based on the facts given, if they are they telling us the truth. Isn't that what we really want to know anyways?!?!?

Patience is a Virtue

2008-09-25T01:13:00.001-05:00

We're having trouble with our tires. I have shelled out more quarters for air this summer than a normal human being should have to in their entire life. We thought the problem was fixed a month ago when we took the car in to have the tires fixed. This week, the problem recurred.

So, knowing that we need to have the car fixed before our long drive to the pumpkin farm this weekend, I volunteered to take it in to have them re-fix the problem. My husband estimated that it shouldn't take too long since they already know what the problem is. There is a McDonald's next store to the tire repair place, so here was the plan...

Drop off the car at the tire store shortly before lunch.

Shop for shoes for the kids in Sears since it is next door.

Walk to McDonald's to have lunch with the kids.

Pick up the car.

Go home.

Nap time.

Here is what the day looked like...

Drop off the car at the tire store shortly before lunch.

Shop for shoes for the kids.

Buy shoes for the kids.

Walk to McDonald's.

Eat lunch.

Take a trip to the bathroom.

Take a walk around the strip mall.

Take a long rest on the park bench.

Walk around Sears.

Test out all the riding lawn mowers.

Walk around Sears some more.

Play with all the pillows in the bedding department.

Walk around Sears some more.

Pick out paint sample chips.

Walk around Sears some more.

Look in every. single. washer, dryer, and refrigerator in the appliance department.

Walk around Sears some more.

Dance to the music videos being played on the 20+ big screen TVs.

Walk around Sears some more.
Take another trip to the bathroom.
Walk around Sears some more.

Test out the exercise equipment.

Bandage Mommy's bloody foot that got smooshed by a little girl on said equipment.

Walk around Sears some more.

More paint chips.

More TV.

More lawn mowers.

More pillows.

Did I mention we walked around Sears?!?!?!?

Pick up car. (3 hours later!)

Go home.

Nap time.

Be greeted by grateful husband bearing a Mocha Blast.

Enjoy every last sip.

The kids were amazingly well behaved. I felt like I was in some really bad dream where you just can't leave the mundane. I felt like I was in the movie The Terminal or Groundhog Day.

So, what did I learn? Don't trust a mechanic who says, "Eh, it should take us about an hour.

More importantly, I learned how important it is to show your appreciation. All that waiting was so worth it because my hubby truly appreciated the fact that I did it. The Mocha Blast was a nice touch but hearing him say how bad he felt about how long it took and how tough it must have been for the kids made it all worth it.

And, as an added bonus, tomorrow morning we can sleep in since he won't have to rush the car in to get fixed before we begin our busy day. That is, if the kids let us!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce!!!

2008-09-24T23:57:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I used tomatoes from our garden to make spaghetti sauce. However, I cheated a little. I used Mrs. Wages Spaghetti Sauce Tomato Mix instead of making it from scratch. I am so happy that I did it that way. This is my first year canning and I found the thought of it daunting. However, we had an overabundance of tomatoes in our garden this year and I had to do something with them. The packet made the whole process so much easier for my brain to handle.

Well, the tomato plants haven't stopped producing and I am trying my darndest to keep up with them. So, today I made spaghetti sauce for dinner and I made it from SCRATCH!!! I did not have a Mrs. Wages packet on hand and I figured since I had gotten my feet wet already I might-as-well jump right in.

I loosely - very loosely - followed two recipes in my Better Homes and Garden's cookbook. Why 2 recipes? I first thought that the Tomato and Basil sauce sounded yummy but after I started cooking, I thought the marinara recipe sounded even better. So, I took a little of this from one recipe and a little of that from the other recipe and came up with my own variation. Then, I threw in some ground Turkey for good measure.

I love that so much of this meal came from our garden...tomatoes, basil, onion. I should have thrown in some green bell or banana peppers. I didn't think of that when I was cooking. Ah well, next time!

We had it over Whole Wheat Rotini. The 4-year-old loves the spiral shape and the 1-year-old can get a better grip on the spirals compared to other pasta shapes.

Here's the best part... EVERYONE like it!!! Both kiddos had more that one helping...shock! My hubby ate several helpings - but that's normal for him with any meal. The man likes his food! I definitely liked it the least but I don't like tomatoes or onions that much so the fact that I even ate it is good progress for me.

The only problem with the meal...baths were a necessity afterwards. Our youngest had spaghetti sauce everywhere that was not covered by the bib. His hair was especially disgusting. What a mess!!!

Duck...Duck...Duck...GOOSE!

2008-09-23T20:26:00.003-05:00

Today the kids and I went to the park to meet Daddy for his lunch break. While we were there, we saw ducks and geese in the water. The one year old was fascinated with the waterfowl. Thankfully, the playground area is fenced in so that he can look at the water without wandering to it.

Currently, we are signing a lot to our little guy. His big sister thinks this is great fun! He grunts and points to what he sees and we try to provide the sign for it. Our daughter knows a lot of signs but today we realized that none of us knew (or remembered) the sign for goose. I am sure that we learned it but we must have forgotten it. So, while we were at the park, all the geese were "ducks" since that was the closest sign that we knew.

When we got home, we quickly got out our sign language dictionary and learned the sign for goose...

Then, the funniest thing happened. Every time she does the sign for goose, our daughter covers up her face with her arm while she attempts to make the sign.

Why? Take a look at the page in the sign language book.

All the other pictures have heads on the person signing. For some reason, the goose picture is headless. So, she figured she would make the goose head her own.

What are you doing November 4th?

2008-09-22T23:57:00.009-05:00

My husband and I went to see former Illinois governor, Jim Edgar speak tonight. He gave a great speech full of stories and anecdotes. I would like to share a quote from him that inspired me. He currently serves as a distinguished fellow of the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. He said that when he speaks with students today, he is filled with hope for our future. He said that most people would assume that he would want to persuade young people to be Republicans since that is his party affiliation. However, he said that he tells people, "If you're not going to be a Republican, then be a Democrat." It is such a simple statement but so very true. Voting is a privilege that we have in this country and everyone, no matter their affiliations, should participate in that process.

I heard him say that and I it stirred a memory in me. On January 30, 2005, Iraqi voters went to the polls to vote for the first time in 50 years. They dipped their fingers in ink to cast their vote. Despite threats and violence all around them, they were willing to risk their lives for the opportunity to go to the polls to vote. They left with stained fingers, proudly bearing the mark of their expression of freedom. I was inspired that day by the pictures of men and women holding up ink-stained fingers. I haven't thought of that image for quite some time but I thought of it tonight. Voting is so easy for us. We fear no violence as we go to the polls. It is easy for us. We can vote absentee, we can early vote, we can go to the polls on election day...yet so many Americans don't bother. Why? I don't have an answer but whether you're Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, etc. we all should exercise that right and cast a ballot on November 4th!

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

2008-09-21T07:10:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, way back in high school, I knew how to make a button using a button maker. Some friends and I tried our hands at being entrepreneurs and made buttons to sell. We made a variety of "Support our Troops" and "God Bless America" buttons. It was our little way of taking our minds off the Gulf War. (I remember fearing that the draft would be reinstated and all of my male friends and family would be gone.) We sold those buttons to all our friends and family and we even spent our weekends sitting in the grocery store entrance trying to sell our our patriotic buttons. We made a few bucks but not too many. We probably gave away as many buttons as we actually sold.

I haven't thought about that entrepreneurial adventure in years, but the memories came rushing back to me today. I found myself once again making buttons. A friend of mine recently had surgery and was struggling to get ready for the start of the school year while balancing pain management and three small children. I offered to help and this was my assignment... making button name tags for her students and parent volunteers. Her button machine is much different that the one that I used 17 years ago. So, today I learned how to use a fancy modern button making machine. I made 40 buttons... 38 for her classes and 2 for my kiddos.

My daughter was fascinated with this whole process. The two that were for my kiddos were made and designed by her. I told her that she could make one for her and her brother. She worked diligently designing them and picking colors. At the last minute, she decided that if she could only make two, she would make one for her brother and one for her daddy. Here's the button for Daddy...

I ask her,"Who did you draw in your picture?"

"That's me and Daddy on a date," She answers emphatically and my heart melts into a pool of mush!

Daddy was proud too. He showed his pride by mowing the lawn proudly wearing his bright pink button honoring his special dates with his daughter.

Terrabyte

2008-09-20T20:49:00.006-05:00

This evening, my husband was looking at a hard drive online. When I asked him if he was thinking about getting a new hard drive, he said, "This one's half a terabite. That's more that we'd ever use!"

A terabite?!?!? What the heck is a terabite?!?!?

A terrabyte, he informs me, is 1000 Gigabytes. So, this hard drive that he was looking at had 500 Gigabytes. Apparently, that's a lot!

So, this made me a little curious about this lingo that I know nothing about. I looked it up and found my answer on WikiAnswers. There is a whole language out there that has to do with bytes. I really only thought there were Bytes, Megabytes and Gigabytes. That is where my knowledge stopped. It's like a whole place value system for computer bytes. It goes like this:

1000 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte
1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
1000 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte
1000 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte
1000 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte
1000 Petabytes = 1 Exabyte
1000 Exabytes = 1 Zettabyte
1000 Zettabyte = 1 Zottabyte
1000 Zottabyte = 1 Brontobyte

To make sure that I had all my info straight, I read this chart to my hubby. He pointed out that I forgot to include bits. The only bits I know about are Kibbles 'n' Bits. That's not the bits he's talking about. In his lingo, 8 bits equals one byte.

I don't think I'll ever use this info again. But typing the word "petabyte" made me hungry for my favorite restraunt...Pita Inn. I want a petabyte of hummus...yum!

YouTube Commercial

2008-08-28T15:58:00.006-05:00

Today, I received and email from a person whom I sit on a committee with. I learned that his son made a YouTube commercial for McCain.

I'm sharing it because it is something that I learned about today but I am also sharing it because I am proud to know this soldier. I prayed for him and his brothers as they were serving our country overseas. I listened with great saddness as his father described his injuries that he suffered while serving in Iraq. I anticipated each update that kept us abreast of his progress that he was making in his recovery. I prayed, along with so many others, for his healing. Then, I proudly shook his hand when he returned home. I thank the Lord that I was able to thank him in person for the sacrifice that he made for our country...that he made for me and my children.

It's election season. Everyone has an opinion. I've already stated that this is a McCain commercial. If it's gonna tick you off, then I invite you to read another post or even go visit another blog. You may watch the video below, but please, no negative comments. I love to have healthy discussion. I love to learn about the issues and other viewpoints. But, I've seen ugly hate spewed all over blogland. Feel free to disagree but if you comment, please do so respectfully. This one's personal and no matter which side of the aisle you're on, we can agree that in this great country we are each given the freedom to express our opinion. Here is his...

Writing with Rocks

2008-08-27T23:31:00.001-05:00

There aren't many beach days left of this summer, so we took the opportunity this evening to bring our dinner down to the beach. It's sad knowing that this may be our last time swimming at the beach for the season.

I found this rock along the shore and showed it to my daughter. We used it to write on a nearby boulder. She was fascinated by the fact that she could write with the rock. She had so much fun writing each of our names across the boulder.

I used to do the same thing as a kid on this same beach.

Somedays, I wish I lived far away in some exotic location perhaps with mountains or waterfalls or valleys. Sometimes, I long for new experiences. Then, a simple rock can remind me of how much I love the familiarity of my little life. Watching my children learn and explore in many of the same ways that I did when I was a child, reminded me of that. Yes, I'd love to travel the world but for right now, I'm learning to embrace the familiar and look at it through the eyes of my children. Because for them, what is old and boring to me is new and exciting through their eager eyes!

Google Hits

2008-08-26T23:08:00.002-05:00

This evening, my husband and I went to a fundraiser and found out about how organizations pay to have their websites brought to the top of the list of results for Google searches. We learned about how they use AdWords to try to direct more hits to their site. It's funny, I'm so naive. I never really thought about it but I guess I just thought that the most popular results come to the top of the list. I didn't realize that there are organizations literally paying for each click that comes to their site. Call me stupid, but I didn't know any of that.

Gas Mileage Calculator

2008-08-25T23:13:00.001-05:00

Hubby and I are trying to plan a family vacation. There are so many things to consider when deciding where to go. Cost? Plane, train, or automobile? Cost? How long can the kids sit in the car? Cost? How many potty breaks will be need? Cost? Should we just stay close to home? Cost? How far away can we go and not lose our sanity? Did I mention...COST?!?!?

We had a little discussion about the cost of airline tickets and the cost of gas. With the current outrageous price of gas, we were curious if flying would actually be more cost effective than driving. This curiosity led my husband to find online sites that actually calculate how much you will spend on gas based on where you start and end, your car, current gas prices, and what type of gas you get. Drive Pricing has an easy one to use. If you don't know your MPG, it links you to fueleconomy.gov to figure it out. What a great tool!

On my search, I also found this handy tool. You click on your state. Then, you click on the city closest to where you live and it will give you the prices of gas a various gas stations in the area. Pretty cool.

So, what did we decide? Our final decision had nothing to do with gas and everything to do with having children. We are going on vacation close to home for the pure reason of saving our sanity. What use is a vacation if it stress the family out so much that you need a vacation to recover from the vacation? As long as we have fun as a family, the distance from home doesn't matter.

Learning about Lemurs

2008-08-24T06:50:00.001-05:00

OK. I'm gonna talk about the Zoo again. We really enjoyed the Lemurs at the zoo. Today I took some time to look up some information to share with the kiddos.

A Google search led me to this picture of a newly discovered Mouse Lemur. Isn't he cute?!?!?

I also found a whole page called Just For Kids at the Duke Lemur Center. More great kids information is at Lemur Lane.

The Brookfield Zoo also has some great info on their website about the Mongoose Lemur and the Ring-Tailed Lemur.

Going to the Zoo-oo-oo! How about You-oo-oo!

2008-08-23T23:34:00.000-05:00

We went with some friends to the zoo today.

We learned a lot. I'll let the zoo signs and photographs tell you some of the most interesting things we learned. (To read a sign in a larger size, click on the picture)

We learned about how rhinos mark their territory. Yuck...

What a way to pick a place to live...

The strange ways that Kangaroos rest...

We learned how the Zoo helps penguins...

We learned about how Lemurs are fed in captivity...

We learned about the Zookeepers jobs...

We learned that bats could hold the cure for heart attacks and strokes...

Of course we learned about one of my favorites, the goats...

And, how to brush them...

We learned about fish, inside and out...

We learned how to identify different types of sharks and stingrays...

Daddy and the 4 year old learned what they felt like too...

Even my cup of Dr. Pepper taught me fun facts...

All four kiddos from both families learned that elephants are BIG! That is the one animal that our daughter requested to see. While we were walking toward the elephants, she exclaimed, "How come they're so big!"

She has only seen them in pictures and she told us that she thought they were MUCH smaller. She was truly amazed at their immense size.

The baby just kept pointing at them and saying, "Oo - oo!" He kept making the sign that he uses when he wants something. He was rather disappointed to learn that he would NOT be touching.

I AM EXHAUSTED! It was a fun day but there were ZERO naps taken until our car ride home. Morning and afternoon naps were missed. The kids were incredibly well behaved but I am all tuckered out. Good Night.

Sewing Machine Tension

2008-08-22T23:13:00.007-05:00

I have been working on a gift for a friend. I started a week and a half ago and I am having a terrible time with my sewing machine. The stitches on the top of the material look great but the stitches underneath are a jumbled mess! Here I sit, merrily sewing along, blissfully unaware that underneath my project trouble is brewing. This blissfulness is interrupted by an abrupt stop of my needle. The machine completely stops and either moans at me or the thread snaps...either of which is not good.

I have been to too many sewing websites than I care to count. All have offered me tons and tons of troubleshooting advice. I called and called and called the Singer helpline and every time I called, the message told me that they were only available during certain hours and that if it wasn't those hours to call back during those specific hours... never mind the fact that is WAS within those hours! I have even gotten the sage advice of my mother-in-law who is quite the seamstress. All to no avail!

However, I have learned all about the tension of my machine and how to adjust it. I have learned how to remove the needle plate, clean the feed dogs, and how to clean and lubricate the hook in the bobbin case. (I learned what feed dogs are!) I relearned how to thread the bobbin (just in case that was the trouble) and how to thread the upper thread (just in case again). I've relearned how to change the needle.

I learned all that and somehow something worked. My machine is now working and today I was able to finish this project. I have no idea what the problem was but one of the million things that I tried actually worked and now I can sew!

The project that I have been working on is a Gratitude Wrap following the free pattern by Soulemama. Thank goodness it's done!

The pockets of this wrap are supposed to be filled with some items intended for writing notes of gratitude. However, this is headed to a friend who has a close friend moving. I am hoping that this, in a small way, will help to make the distance between these two not seem so far. So, this is not so much a gratitude wrap as it is a friendship across the miles wrap.

I included a set of note cards embellished with scrap booking paper and stickers...

A notebook recovered with scrapbook paper, brown tape and a bow...

Every time I read what's on that notebook, I think it says, "Oh the joys of wild living!" Funny.