Kids Closet...Good Idea?

I make the kids a closet with activities. These are learning activities that I have to help with. Here are a few of them... play dough painting cutting and coloring coloring and preschool books activity books flash cards learning games alphabet blocks Sounds great, right? I am not so sure... For the last week I have been sitting with the kids doing these activities NON STOP!! I am tired and I wish they would play with their toys. Ugh. It would be nice to do one or two activities a day but one every half hour!!?? They seem to cry over these activities more then they did before them. Oh well...

Box of Love - FHE

I got this idea from The Friend. I am excited to do it with the kids. I think we will make one box and hang it up. Throughout the next week we will do little activities (make treats, cards, or secret services) and put them in the box. We will check the box at night and see if there is inything in it. That way we will be able to include Daddy. We'll see how it goes!! Box of Love Each week in February, hang this box of love on a different family member’s door. Throughout the week, put things in the box that tell or show your love for that person. You can leave a note, a drawing, or a small treat. If you like, invite other family members to add to the box and share the love! 1. Cut off the top flaps of a small cardboard box, such as a small cereal box. 2. Cut out a piece of colorful paper or wrapping paper the same height as the box. Wrap the paper around the box and secure with tape or glue. 3. Punch a hole near the top of the two short sides. 4. Tie a ribbon or string through the two holes to make a handle to hang the box on a doorknob.

Thanksgiving Cards

We made Thanksgiving cards for the Grandparents today! They turned out SO cute. We traced the kids hands to make the Turkey feathers! Nix was so excited, she wanted to make more and more! Atti was just excited about scissors. This was the first time I have let him use them and he picked it up really quickly...too quickly. Happy Thanksgiving! I am excited about every holiday with my little family because every year we try new things and make new traditions. We'll see what this year brings! I have been thinking about making a Thankful Book where we all write what we are thankful for. We'll see...

Pumpkin Carving

When Brandon's parents came to visit a few weeks ago they asked why we hadn't decorated and carved pumpkins for Halloween. I hadn't even thought to even though I do every year. Maybe it was the morning sickness...who knows. Today I had a hard morning so I decided to have a fun afternoon. We chose which pumpkins we wanted out of the garden then I took off the tops and told the kids to clean out the seeds on the inside. They didn't want to and chose to go play. I got them back and we had a great time carving and even making pumpkin seeds. Last year I made the seeds with kids oil and salt but this year I added sugar and cinnamon. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, divided

Directions

1. Remove all the pulp and strings from the pumpkin seeds, then wash and thoroughly dry the seeds.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the melted butter in a bowl, toss the seeds in the butter to coat, and pour them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon over the seeds, stir the seeds around to mix the coating, and spread them into a single layer. Bake the seeds in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the seeds from the oven, and sprinkle them with another coating of 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixing the seeds together and spreading them out as before. Bake 5 more minutes. Repeat the coating and baking step one more time, and bake the seeds for 5 more minutes.
5. Sprinkle the seeds with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, mix, and bake the sugar coating onto the seeds, about 10 more minutes. Let the seeds cool on the baking sheet before eating.

YUM!! They are so yummy although I can's eat many. ENJOY!

I love my babies!

Brandon started school last week. I am really excited for him to finish his MBA and then his CPA. Sounds good but it'll take about 4 years. I know that we're looking at a busy next couple of years with his busy and the kids getting into school and sports. I also know that in the next 5-20 years Ill look back and long for days like today. I know that these are the days. The days when I can snuggle and smooch my kids all day long and sont have to worry about treats for school and soccer practice. I can stay in my jammies all day long and I'm still Phoenix's "best friend ever." On hard days I can take the kids to the park and play all day long and they'll think I'm the coolest mom ever. These really are the days. I love my babies through and through. My mom once told me that we were her best friends. She loved being with us and playing with us. My babies are my best friends. I love to tickle and play hide and seek. I love to race around and around the kitchen playing tag. I love the days when I'm not feeling good and we get to lay on the couch and cuddle and watch disney movies all day long. I love this life. Today we played twister then followed it with juice and tortilla pizzas. The kids were so excited that they licked the oven door!! Haha!

Activity of the day

I was trying to think of something for the kids to do while I weeded the garden so I had them pick up rocks and put them in buckets. I then felt bad because I was giving them busy work just to protect my little sprouts from being stomped on...further stomped on. So I had this idea....

PRAYER ROCK

I'm your little prayer rock and this is what I'll do... Just put me on your pillow until the day is through Then turn back all the covers and climb into your bed WHACK! your little prayer rock will hit you in the head Then you will remember as the day is through To kneel and say your prayers as you wanted to And then when you are finished just dump me on the floor I'll stay throughout the night to give you help once more When you get up in the morning CLUNK! I'll stub your toe So you'll remember to say your morning prayers before you go Put me back upon your pillow once your bed is made And your clever little prayer rock will continue in your aid Because your heavenly Father cares and loves you so He wants you to remember to talk to Him, you know?

Author unknown

Rainy Day

I feel like I stuck in the book "Cat in the Hat" because it's been raining all day and the kids are looking out the window wishing they could ride their new bikes. Nix keeps saying "I ok, I no get wet." I tried doing a coloring activity with them but Atti keeps eating the crayons and Nix's attention span lasted 2 minutes. I tried an educational show but they wouldn't have that. Now they are sitting infront of Kung Fu Panda and I'm blogging. In my mind I feel that I should be folding laundry and reloading the dishwasher I just unloaded but I'm not...I'm blogging. Later.....I had the idea to make a craft with egg cartons. Here is what we came up with. Pig, Frog, Catapillar! Cute huh?

Sugar Cookies

Friday we made sugar cookies and decorated them. It was really fun because we cut letter shapes and worked on our alphabet. They had a lot of fun and made a big mess! I think the best part for them was eating the dough!

A fun game!

I talked to my mom on the phone and she gave me an idea for an activity for the kids. We traced odd objects that we found around the house onto a big piece of paper and made a relay race out of it. They had to pick up an object and run to the paper and put it on the shape we traced then run back for another object. The kids loved it! Nix had a hard time choosing which item to do next and Atti had a hard time choosing just one item.