Learning our letters

Max has been working on writing his letters since he started preschool in September. We trace, use dry erase boards, stencils and even write on the walls in the shower. Since tracing can be boring we have been exploring other fun ways to practice. Yesterday we made salt trays out of items we have in our kitchen.

 

The best part of this activity is I didn't have to buy anything new! These were items that were right in my kitchen and the kids had a blast!

 



 

Rather than using the flash cards we have, I decided to use the dry erase magnet off of the fridge, that way I could model how to write each letter.

 



 

A grumpy big brother decided he wanted to participate too. He wrote his name and then decided his time would be better spent drawing pictures on his salt tray, that seemed to brighten his mood

  

 

 

 

Of course anything that Drew does Max must do as well.

 

 

 

For clean up, I dumped the salt in a ziploc to reuse later and put the plates in the dishwasher. Easy to make, FREE and easy to clean up, what's better than that?

In like a lion, out like a.....

Spring where are you??

 

I don't complain too much about the snow here but as we approach the end of March I am ready to see some grass and flowers. We want to play outside!!

 

 

While waiting for the temperatures to rise and the snow to melt I have been working on keeping my two little ones busy and productive.

 

 

 

  Earlier this week the boys and I took a snow day. In order to get the most out of the day we stayed in our pajamas and filled our time with crafts, coloring and a lot of hands-on activities. 

 

 

 

 

 First we got into daddy's shaving cream. Drew, however, only lasted about 45 seconds before he screamed that it was too messy and took off to the bathroom to clean up. Max thoroughly enjoyed himself, after experimenting with the texture we worked on writing our letters.

 

 

 After cleaning up the last of the shaving cream we moved on to Easter crafts. Each boy made two of their own bunny bags. We even made carrot popsicle sticks to "feed" each bunny.

 

 

 

 

Following lunch and some free play* (I completely neglect my children from 1-2pm M-F so I can watch my soap opera and fold laundry....shhh don't tell anyone*) we had an alphabet scavenger hunt.

 

 

Since the boys are 3 and 5 and their ability levels vary a bit. Max(3) identified the letter written on the index card, Drew(5) provided the letter's sound and we all brainstormed different words that start with each letter. Part 1 of our scavenger hunt consisted of letters a-h and these are the items that the boys found. Thank goodness for Duplo legos and all the accessory pieces they have! 

 

 

 

 

Finally, to get some exercise the boys jumped in the trampoline and we set our gymnastics mat against the wall to work on some headstands.



After taking a few tumbles Drew found his balance and was so excited to show daddy his new trick when he got home! Unfortunately, Max wasn't quite as successful and need a lot more hands-on help, hence, the lack of pictures....

 

 

Bows for the baby

 Ever since finding out we are having a girl I have gone a little crazy with the girly stuff...I have made afghans, booties, tutus and I have been honing my bow making skills. 

 

I have been at it for about a month, making different styles and sizes. Today I decided to freestyle a little and this is what I came up with.

 

 

 

 

These are the fist clips I purchased and I really like the size.

 



 

Whenever using these clips I always cover with ribbon.

 

 

 

 

I recently bought a skinny, polkadot ribbon that I think is adorable for a newborn bow. Today I decided to see what I could do with it.

 

 

 

I started with a threaded needle

 

 

 

 made a mass of loops

 

 



 

 

         topped with a button, stitched

 

 

 

and glued it to the ribbon wrapped clip.

 

 

 

I  can't wait to try all of these new bows out on our little girl, our two boys aren't too keen on modeling them for me ;) 



Today Is Your Day!

....You're off to great places!
    You're off and away!"

Every parent wants what's best for their child and there are so many books, blogs, articles etc. on parenting, but what is the best way??  Personally, I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all approach. Not only are children different, but so are their parents, throw in different lifestyles, family structure and it's a crap shoot! 

With two preschool age boys underfoot and another one on the way I am constantly evaluating the choices that I make, I continue to do what works and tweak the things that need improvement. As we await the arrival of our third child, I already know that I will breastfeed and the baby will sleep with us for the first 7-8months just like her brothers did. Since I became a mommy 5 years ago a lot of my views and ideas about parenting have changed and evolved. I haven't learned the best way to do things but I am learning what is best for us.

Below are some of the changes I have contemplated over the past couple months. Some things I have confidence we will be able to achieve and others I have already tossed because I know they just wouldn't work for us.

- Cloth diapers- My husband is not on board with this change but I am determined. I have been researching and am making the switch...plus cloth diapers are sooo cute!

-Homeschooling- This is something that Andy and I have discussed on numerous occasions. It is something I would love to do and I think the boys would benefit from it overall, I just don't think I would be able to provide them with the social interactions that I think are necessary. If I am not satisfied with Drew's first year of school I will revisit this, but for now come September he will have his lunch packed up, his boots tied tight, let's hope he don't get in a fight :)

-Our diet- I have watched way too many documentaries and read a ton of articles about food lately. It has really caused be to rethink what I feed my family. There are so many arguments for vegan, clean, whole, organic and so on. Food is such a big deal in our house, Andy and I love to eat and cook and eat some more. Some changes that I have made thus far are, more fruits and veggies, no/limited artificial sweeteners and since I haven't revamped our menu, I have just been paying more attention to all the extra ingredients in food and not buying those products. This summer I am planning on growing our own vegetables and canning. I think everyone can agree, the more veggies the better!



Butterscotch No-Bakes



 



Butterscotch No-Bakes

 

1 cup peanut butter

1 bag of butterscotch morsels

4 cups of corn flakes

Melt peanut butter and butterscotch morsels over low heat, stirring constantly. Once melted

remove from heat and stir in corn flakes. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet and refrigerate until

hard.



Our summer in pictures

We started our summer with a trip to Virginia Beach



We visited some lighthouses

and the Sand Dunes in the Outer Banks



Back home the boys love exploring new places with daddy

 

 

We tried making Jello Jigglers one afternooon....that didn't work out too well

 

 

  Going back home for Memorial Day is one of our favorite things to do 

 

 

The boys are always so excited to see their family members march in the parade

 

 

We took a trip into the Adirondacks to do some geocaching

 

 

Drew loves to use the GPS to lead the way

 

 Our cousins came up from Florida to visit so we went berry picking 

 

 

We picked blueberries, raspberries and black raspberries

 

 

Backyard camping was a favorite

\

The start of the school year came quick!
(Someone does NOT like posing for pictures!)

 

Max was very excited for his first day of preschool
 

 

How do we celebrate the end of summer? By decorating pumpkins, of course!

 

Morning Versus Afternoon Pre-K

At our house we are gearing up for a new school year. For weeks we anxiously awaited the arrival of  information on Pre-K enrollment and our school supply lists. After much anticipation we found out that Drew has been accepted and he will begin school September 5th at 12:45 in the afternoon....

I am not thrilled with the idea of afternoon Pre-K. Those hours following lunch are not the best hours in our house, especially when it comes to concentration. I really don't want to be the type of mother that calls the school constantly with issues and concerns, but I called. Now we are on the wait list for morning session.

For the sake of an enriching experience for Drew I hope we get switched. Drew on the other hand couldn't care less what time of day he goes to school. He just wants to go to the school "with the ginormous playground," and wear his new Angry Bird underwear!