Little Dude Plays Hockey

He was borderline too small; but he was so adamant that I went ahead and let him try out the Hockey floor at Marbles Kid's Museum.

Boy, it is hard letting your kids grow up. I was so scared he would get hurt, but I think instead I should have been scared of him hurting others-he was quite the scrapper, diving for the puck, swinging his stick, and actually following the rule that the stick couldn't go in the air.



Quite proud, he was, and quite proud, I am.

Boys Can Play Dress Up, Too

A few of my friends-that don't have boys-have lamented about how I am missing out on dress up time because I don't have a girl.

And sometimes, when I see the sparkling princess dresses on other little girls, I do really wish I could buy one. And sometimes I do, for my little neighbor or the above mentioned friend's little girls.

But let me tell you, boys can play dress up every bit as much as girls. Just in a different way. We don't have princess tea parties-instead we have fires to put out and tree houses to build. And dragons to fight and treasure to bury.

Actually, I am quite surprised with how much the boys love playing dress up. Coming from a house of girls, myself, I just never expected boys to play dress up.

But they do. Or mine do. And it is super fun to spend time getting rescued by my personal fire fighters and home improvement men:

Life And Science Museum of Durham, NC

We went to yet another museum this week-this time we made the trip to Durham to visit the Life and Science Museum-IT IS AWESOME. Well worth the drive and everyone with kids of ANY age should take them.

There was a super cool train ride-much better than the one at Pullen Park, if you have ever been there, and an amazing dinosaur walk that had all the little boys going crazy. Little Dude, Linus, and JR were SO excited about the dinosaurs. The best part was the fossil digging at the end of the trail-I could see spending many hours there.

The museum was so huge we didn't even get to see everything-they have a mini zoo there with native animals and a barn yard-that was a HUGE hit. The butterfly house was 100 times bigger than the one at the Science Museum in Raleigh-and we didn't even get to see all of it because the outdoor air one was closed for the cold weather. Emily LOVED that; the boys loved chasing each other.

They even had a butterfly gift shop-ohhhh, I could see spending too much money there!

So, needless to say, it was AWESOME. They have a whole indoor part too, with weather, space, BUGS-ewww!-and a music room. I can't even tell you everything that was there.

We will be back for sure-and the great thing is that kids under 3 are free and parking is free, SO the 12.50 for me and 9.50 for Little Dude to get in and wander around for a few hours was well WELL worth it. Also, the museum is DEAD in the afternoons, so it was just us and my wonderful bloggy friend Abby, her son, and a handful of other people.

My suggestion though, if you don't live in Durham, make sure you head home by 4, because traffic SUCKS getting back to Raleigh from there. We left around 4:30, and I ended up SITTING for a good 20 minutes around Miami/Page Road, which made our almost hour drive home even longer-ugh. So, lesson learned here; I will have to be more diligent about leaving early.

Overall, I liked this one better than Marbles; however, it is a long drive from my part of town, so I would probably go to Marbles more often. Marbles is awesome for little kids, but for preschool and school age ones, I would choose the Durham museum as the best. Everyone should go check it out at least once.

*This is my opinion, I was not compensated to give this review or share my thoughts, I just wanted to let everyone know how cool it was *

Leaving On A Jet Plane

It was cold, foggy and rainy today. So the boys came up with a fun game.

They gathered their bags:

The posed for "goodbye photos":

And they boarded a jet plane:

Fourth Of July Kid Safe Activity

I LOVE the 4th of July, and back when I taught preschool on of my fellow teachers shared this activity with me. I don't know who came up with it or where it is from, but it is SO FUN and great I just had to share it. Little Dude is amazed every time we do it. And you can do it any time of the year with different colors, like red and green at Christmas, or red and purple at Valentine's-you get the idea. I really enjoy watching it, too, because the experiment is just so very fun! It actually looks like magic.

So, without further ado, here is what you need:

* Large, tall clear jar filled with water, the more the better!
* Blue, red and yellow liquid food coloring
* 2 or 3 tablespoons cooking oil
* Smaller jar
* Spoon or stir stick for mixing
* Clear Pyrex measuring cup

What you and your kids do:

1. Fill the jar with tap water. Place it on a table where your child can watch it from several angles. If your child is older, they could even do this step.

2. Invite your child to pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a clear Pyrex measuring cup-your kids will have a blast, and honestly, they can't put too much in. Just make sure you have at least 2 tablespoons, less and it won't work with that much water.

3. Next have your child put in drops of each food coloring into the oil, about 5 drops of each color.

4. Have your child pour the oil into the jar all at once. At first, the oil will be spread around in globules, but keep watching: right before your eyes, the oil and food coloring will first float to the top, and then the globs will “find” one another and come together. SO COOL!

5. Now the “fireworks” begin! The food coloring will begin to separate from the oil and move back into the water, in long streams of each of the three colors. The colors will separate from one another as if they never mixed in the first place, and stream through the water in the three original colors that you began with; it is REALLY amazing!

Movie Night With The Neighbors

I'm quite blessed to have awesome neighbors all around me and many of them have kids or grandkids pretty close in age to my children, so that is even better! I have to say though, my son is in love with two of our little neighbor friends who also have a stay at home mama that I love, so it turns out to be perfect for us all when we have play dates!

Our latest was yesterday evening and it was a PJ movie night! It was so fun and came at perfect timing, because I was feeling a little depressed-bored-what-to-do-tired-of-the-park funk coming on. Caroline, one of my said awesome neighbors and mother of the two adorable kids my oldest son loves, brought over her kids, right after dinner and baths, along with a huge bag of popcorn and all of us in our PJs (us mamas, too!) sat down to watch Pinocchio. It was SO fun and reminded me so much of when I was little and having movie nights with my sisters.

The kids loved it, and really enjoyed hanging out with each other and eating popcorn like at a real movie theater! A fantastic and free way to break up the nightly routine into something fun.
Here is JR with his sippy cup, all ready for the movie to start:

Here is the gang, from left to right: Little Dude, Cole, Caroline and Keely. Note that there is also a wine glass; adding wine to any play date makes it super fun, esp when you get to share the wine with a wonderful friend!

Washable Poster Paint

Since I have two little kids that get up at the crack of dawn AND I stayed up all night trying to get caught up at work, I am re-sharing (is that a word? My brain stopped working around midnight...) one of my favorite WFMW suggestions. Enjoy!



It is another Works for Me Wednesday! Yay!

As you may not know, I have been a daycare provider for babies-toddlers and preschool ages 4-5, so I have a few tricks up my sleeves to share! Here is one of my favoirite, cost effecitive, easy clean, paint recipes:

Detergent Poster Paint

You will need:
small jars or plastic containers
1 tablespoon clear liquid detergent per container
2 teaspoons powdered tempera paint per container

In each small container, mix together 1 tablespoon liquid detergent and 2 teaspoons powered tempera paint. This recipe makes enough for one painting session.

For even every young toddlers and older babies (those that can sit up), this recipe is great AND EASY TO WASH OUT OF CLOTHES!!! Children usually love feeling different textures, and the intorduction to new textures is a GREAT sensory learning experience for kids of all ages.

I would undress the younger kids down to diapers, and the older kids I would request the day before that they being some old clothes to school along with wearing one of my kid oil cloth aprons while painting to keep the clean up as easy as possible. However, it never failed someone would get paint on someone else, on me, or the carpet.

This recipe has always been super easy for me to get out of my clothes, even after drying and staining all day long at the preschool before I could even think about washing it out. FANTASTIC! Also it is great because you can just make the amount you need, instead of storing jars and jars of different colors of wet paint just waiting to dry out or tip over.

The Tempera paint and some really great, sturdy paint jars you can get at Michaels Crafts and though the jars are a little pricey, for the fact they are so hard to knock over and stackable, they are well worth the extra money. Besides, you will save a lot buying the tempera powder colors as apposed to getting new Crayola paint all the time.

Keep in mind the age of your child, younger ones need thicker paint and brushes, and you can thicken this recipe up by adding a little cornstarch (melt it in some hot water first, like you would for gravy, and then, of course, don't let you kid paint until it has cooled).

Not all kids love sensory experiences, like painting, the first time (or even five) that they try it. However, keep trying, and perhaps, if you have been undressing the child for the painting session, try keeping old clothes on, or even just putting one of your husbands old t shirts over him/her because part of what may be upsetting your child is being cold. If your child still doesn't like it, keep trying to make it fun by getting in there and painting yourself, but certainly don't make your child do the project if they are super upset, just put it away for another day and try again, or move on to another sensory activity, like playing in a sensory box.

Well, that is what Works for Me! Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for other great tips!

Adventures at the Library

So we went to the library for a few hours yesterday because it was raining like crazy ALL DAY and I just needed to get out of the apartment. The libaray is my favorite go to place on a rainy day-not much can top spending time reading books with Little Dude, talking to the librarians (adult contact, yay!) and finding great new reads for me (I am loving the Outlander series-fantastic!)

So where did the adventure come into my library visit? When I lost my keys.

Yes, you read right, I lost my keys. At the library. Right before lunch and nursing time. And Bill works AN HOUR away. Needless to say, I was ready to panic.

I asked everywhere, no one had found them. Then it dawned on me...perhaps I locked them in the car!!! I usually lock the car with my remote button, thus ensuring I can't lock the keys in, but this time I specifically remembered doing it manually because I had so many books, the sling, Little Dude and everything else in my hands...

So, I ran out to the car, IN THE DOWNPOUR, with BOTH the kids to desperately look in the windows to see if, in fact, I would need to be calling a locksmith and bugging Bill at work. Since I didn't see them, I actually panicked more, because, if they weren't in my car, then WHERE WERE THEY?

Well, you would all be proud of me, because I remained calm, ran back to the library (remember it was raining hard) and retraced my steps all the way back to where I had been when I first realized I was missing my keys.

And you know what? There were my keys!

Right there. On a book shelf next to the book I had wanted to check out before I realized I didn't have my keys (which has my library card on it).

Nice. Super nice. So, all three of us, soaking wet, finally got to check out books and then we went home, since, now that I had keys, we could get in the apt. Figured I should go and get in the house before I "lost" the keys again....

Can I still blame this brain dead moment on "pregnancy brain" or is 4 months after birth to late?

Shaving Cream Finger Paint

This is a repost of one of my favorite toddler/children activities. Little Dude just loves it and spent hours yesterday playing with the shaving cream, coloring, and just having a blast! Here is how to do it:



It is another Works For Me Wednesday hosted by Rocks In My Dryer! This time around I will share a fun fingerpainting alternative for preschool aged children (or children that are no longer trying to eat every new thing they see).

Shaving Cream Fingerpaint

I wouldn't advise this activity for children with sensitive skin or those prone to licking their fingers! If you like, substitute whipped cream or instant pudding if you are worried about the kids trying a taste.

Take:
Shaving Cream
Food Coloring or Tempera Paint

Squirt some shaving cream (or whatever you decide to use) onto a table top, highchair tray or piece of paper. Add a few drops of food coloring or sprinkle a bit of powdered tempera paint for instant fingerpaint fun!

Also, this is a great way to introduce letters and numbers to those of you with children 3 or 4 and up. You can put the shaving cream on the paper, spread it out, and show your kids out to spell out their names, initials or count up members of the family by using their fingers as "pens" in the cream. This is great for kids that are ready to move to learning letters and numbers, but just not quite at the motor skill level to hold a pen, crayon or chalk very well yet.

And this is a great way to make learning fun-just as it should be, esp for young children! This is also a FANTASTIC activity for a rainy day or to even do in the bathtub, with or without water. Just put the shaving cream on the tile walls and let the kids go to town. (watch the dye if you have white grout, as it might stain, you may prefer to just use plain shaving cream or pudding in the tub.)

All my preschoolers loved writing in the shaving cream and picking out the colors they wanted the cream to be, and it is also a great way to show how primary colors, when mixed, can create dozens of other colors!

Well, I hope you all have fun with this project!

Feather Printing-WFMW

It's time for Works For Me Wednesday! This week I will share and activity my 4 year old preschool class LOVED:

Feather Printing (ages 1-6 this is great for)

supplies needed:

sponges
scissors
liquid tempera paint (or finger paint of some kind)
water
paper

What you do:

Cut feather shapes in various sizes out of sponges, being sure to inclue the stem on the end of the feather shape you cut. Wet sponges, squeeze out, dip into paint, and press onto large sheets of paper. The different sizes and colors of feathers create a nice effect. This is terrific for younger kids.

For older kids, you can use real feathers, dip them into the paint, and carefully lay the feathers on the paper for the imprint of all the feather wisps. You can use real feathers with younger children as well, but I find that they usually end up getting the feather so wet and tangled that it becomes a "stick" shape and you loose the cool effect layering different paint colors in this project creates.

This is also a fabulous indoor activity for the hot summer days! Get creative with it too; use whatever shapes your child is most interested in, like cars, butterflies,or whatnot. You can even work on shape recognition by layering squares, circles, rectangles, etc with bright paints!

But most of all, have fun together!

Easy Clean Poster Paint Recipe

It is another Works for Me Wednesday! Yay!

As you may not know, I have been a daycare provider for babies-toddlers and preschool ages 4-5, so I have a few tricks up my sleeves to share! Here is one of my favoirite, cost effecitive, easy clean, paint recipes:

Detergent Poster Paint

You will need:
small jars or plastic containers
1 tablespoon clear liquid detergent per container
2 teaspoons powdered tempera paint per container

In each small container, mix together 1 tablespoon liquid detergent and 2 teaspoons powered tempera paint. This recipe makes enough for one painting session.

For even every young toddlers and older babies (those that can sit up), this recipe is great AND EASY TO WASH OUT OF CLOTHES!!! Children usually love feeling different textures, and the intorduction to new textures is a GREAT sensory learning experience for kids of all ages.

I would undress the younger kids down to diapers, and the older kids I would request the day before that they being some old clothes to school along with wearing one of my kid oil cloth aprons while painting to keep the clean up as easy as possible. However, it never failed someone would get paint on someone else, on me, or the carpet.

This recipe has always been super easy for me to get out of my clothes, even after drying and staining all day long at the preschool before I could even think about washing it out. FANTASTIC! Also it is great because you can just make the amount you need, instead of storing jars and jars of different colors of wet paint just waiting to dry out or tip over.

The Tempera paint and some really great, sturdy paint jars you can get at Michaels Crafts and though the jars are a little pricey, for the fact they are so hard to knock over and stackable, they are well worth the extra money. Besides, you will save a lot buying the tempera powder colors as apposed to getting new Crayola paint all the time.

Keep in mind the age of your child, younger ones need thicker paint and brushes, and you can thicken this recipe up by adding a little cornstarch (melt it in some hot water first, like you would for gravy, and then, of course, don't let you kid paint until it has cooled).

Not all kids love sensory experiences, like painting, the first time (or even five) that they try it. However, keep trying, and perhaps, if you have been undressing the child for the painting session, try keeping old clothes on, or even just putting one of your husbands old t shirts over him/her because part of what may be upsetting your child is being cold. If your child still doesn't like it, keep trying to make it fun by getting in there and painting yourself, but certainly don't make your child do the project if they are super upset, just put it away for another day and try again, or move on to another sensory activity, like playing in a sensory box.

Well, that is what Works for Me! Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for other great tips!

Easter pictures and JR kidneys

Hi, Everyone! We are happy to say that JR looks great! SUPER YAY! His kidneys are still large; however, my Dr. is not at all worried as they are still smaller than the size where he would worry and there is nothing wrong with the tubing to the kidneys, so there are no obstructions or anything causing them to not be functioning at birth. GREAT NEWS! I am so very relieved and happy to have the great news. We will still be checking the kidneys again later in my pregnancy and probably through ultrasound after he is born just to ensure everything still looks good, but otherwise, the Dr. wasn't worried. YAY!!!

So, as for the Easter egg hunt Friday-Little Dude was SO EXCITED he dropped his basket and started running around laughing as soon as the announcer said the kids could start finding eggs.

The Town of Clayton put out 6,000 eggs for each age group, 3 and under and 4 and up. We were, of course, in the 3 and under age group. Little Dude had so much fun just running around and watching the other kids! Once I showed him with one egg how to put them in his basket, he was transformed into a Competitive Easter Egg Grabber! He was so super smiley and having such a great time! When we got home I counted his eggs-16!! That is super good for a little guy that didn't even start grabbing eggs until late in the game!! Also good for me, as they all had candy in them so I benefited in eating the caramel and chocolate. Yay!

Easter weekend was wonderful, our family and dear friends came by to visit, and Bill cooked the best ham ever! We had tons of fun after dinner letting Little Dude dye eggs. I think we had as much fun watching him dye the eggs as he did putting eggs in the cups! His little eyes just filled with wonder at the dye tablets in the vinegar and then they got even bigger when he realized that 1)he could stand in a chair and 2)he could shove eggs in a cup and 3)he could mush the eggs in the cup!!and 4)the eggs changed color!!!!!! I don't even know how to describe his excitement, and the pictures really don't do the event justice, but you'll just have to see for yourself.


Here is Little Dude running around; this is after he has discovered the fun of putting the eggs in his Easter basket.

Here is Little Dude putting eggs in his basket while scanning the grass for the next egg to grab.

Here he is dying eggs-he had such a blast! This would be a great rainy day activity, though notice there are no clothes on him...

More Easter Egg dying fun-he was amazed with the colored dye!

Our family

Works For Me Wednesday

Well, this is my first Works For Me Wednesday post and I am quite excited to share!

As the mother of a VERY energetic toddler; I am always at a bit of a loss on rainy days. So, I am going to share a rainy day activity that Works for Me!

Little Dude loves playing in the dirt and sand, so the perfect indoor activity is to bring the sandbox INSIDE. Yes, I did say that, but it is not what you think. NO SAND INVOLVED. All you need is a cardboard box or plastic baby bathtub and fill it up with puffed wheat, rice cereal, uncooked rice, or even dried pasta.

Children enjoy playing in the sandbox with cups, spoons, bowls, buckets, scookps, shovels, cars and other toys and containers. A funnel and scoop that can be used to fill an empty plastic soda bottle with sandbox material will also be a HUGE hit. An old sheet, shower curtain or plastic tablecloth place under the "sandbox" will make clean up a bit easier. I always set mine up in the kitchen and then Little Dude "helps" me clean up by sweeping with his kiddie broom while I try to navigate around him and actually sweep.

Here are some suggestions for indoor sandbox material that gives a great sensory experience for toddlers and young children AND can be bought quite cheaply in bulk:

*water softener salt
*birdseed
*dried beans
*oatmeal
*cornmeal
*shredded paper
*cedar shavings
*deer corn
*foam packing peanuts
*flour
*confetti dots from a hole puncher
*sea shells (small, I get mine for free from beach trips and save them in a craft basket)
*cut up yarn (cut into small enough strips that it could not possibly get around a child's throat)
*potting soil (this one is messy; however, if you do the play in the bath tub, the mess is controlled and once sensory time is over bath time can begin!)

Take into consideration if your children has issues with textures and sensory reception; choose items and amounts you deem appropriate to slowly introduce him/her to different sensory experiences instead of doing a lot at once.

And also, keep into consideration that not all the suggestions I made above are safe for kids to be putting in their mouths. You will know what is appropriate for your child and you while exploring this sensory play.The items are all ones I have tried with Little Dude or my preschool class back in my teaching days and all have been huge hits with kids ages 10 months to 6 years.(older kids might enjoy it too; however, my knowledge of entertainment and learning ideas ends with children past 6 years.)

That is what Works for Me! Check out Rocks in my Dryer for more fun tips; I hope you all enjoy your next rainy day!

Rainy Day Activities

Well, today it is raining, which is GREAT for us and the drought; however, not great for the parents of an energetic toddler. So, today I must entertain my monkey with indoor activities, which are sometimes very hard to come up with for kids still young enough to eat whatever art items you might try out. The following activities are a good staple I have used on rainy days for him a few times already and they have worked quite well for me!

First, I will put clear wrap, tin foil, and contact paper on the kitchen floor with tape (in long strips, wide enough to walk on). Then, as we are playing or running around the house, we can explore the different feels and sounds of the different surfaces! He loves it, esp. the contact paper since it sticks to his feet and makes him laugh.

Second, I will put food color in some milk and dig out my paint brushes (paint brushes that have NOT been used for painting, only for food item things like this) and I will let him decorate 4 or 5 slices of bread to his hearts content. It makes a little mess, but so far everything I have washed the food color has come out of; however, be careful to put your child in clothes you don't care about. After he is done decorating, put the bread in the toaster, and voila! you have created painted toast that is super fun to eat for breakfast, snack, or even with dinner. You can even write messages in the toast as the kids get bigger and work on letters and numbers.

Third, I will get some pillows from the couch, beds, wherever and create a huge pile in the living room. Next, I will show Little Dude how to go run and throw himself on the pillows. By this point, he already anticipates what I'm doing as soon as I put one pillow down, so I no longer need to show him, but still jump in every so often. He will do this for a loooongggg time-and usually he is ready for a nap afterwards! It is a great way to run off energy inside without getting hurt or running the risk of breaking anything!

Fourth, I have to say that color wonder finger paints, markers and crayons have saved me many times. He is old enough to love it, but to young to realize what a horrible thing it would be to paint on Mommy and Dadddys newly painted walls...so as to not even risk the chance, the Crayola Color Wonder (you can find it at target and walmart) has passed many a minutes of fascination.

Fifth, PLAYDOUGH. There is nothing better and he loves to help mix things in. I will pull a chair up to the counter, and let him help me put all the ingredients in and stir. While we are mixing things, I boil the water needed. He loves to help and it is super quick. I usually already have a batch ready and cooled from the last rainy day, so I break that batch out and put the batch we made together in the fridge to cool and harden. (you must let it cool before you play, otherwise it is a sticky mess for awhile.) Here is one of the super easy, and EDIBLE play dough recipes I have collected over the years of teaching preschool. The Kool Aid will make it smell good and you guys can have fun sniffing the dough. Try not to let him/her eat any as that isn't a good habit for when they are playing with playdough that shouldn't be eaten, but with this recipe, there are no worries if some gets swallowed, unlike the store bought kind:

KOOL AID PLAYDOUGH -safe to eat, but you probably wont want to by the time your toddler is done with it.

1/2 c. sugar

1 sm. pkg. Kool Aid (you can also skip the kool aid if you don't have any and just add a lot of food coloring, but add it to the wet ingredients)

1 c. flour

2 tbsp. oil

1 c. boiling water


Mix dry ingredients together. Then add oil and water. The flavor of the Kool Aid determines the scent and color of the dough. Knead until smooth.

I find the easiest way to play with play dough is to use a rubber place mat on the table. I got some cute ones at target for a $1 after valentines. The play dough doesn't stick to it, and it keeps a nice smooth surface for your child to work on. We have a wooden table, so play dough ends up in little dimples in the wood, making it a pain to clean. The plastic place mats have been awesome.

You can also use all kinds of house hold items to make patterns on the play dough, like spoons, forks, cookie cutters, rolling pin, potato masher, straws, even markers when the kids are much older to draw on their creations! (though of course then the play dough is no longer edible)

Well, happy rainy day guys!