Saturday, January 31, 2009
How to Have a Deer Party
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
How to Catch a Break...
I am on my way to the west coast for a five day mommy excursion, with baby. The key is to find a seminar on becoming a better mother... then the vacation is justified. Justin is taking 3 days off work to watch the kids, while I vacation. SIKE!! Okay, I am going to a 2 day, change my life seminar... but with a nursing infant from 9-5. It will still be work people!!!! On my feet!
I will be back to blogging on Tuesday, February 3rd.
No one is probably reading this, but I will proceed as if they were. ;)
I will be back to blogging on Tuesday, February 3rd.
No one is probably reading this, but I will proceed as if they were. ;)
Under construction...
Okay, the site isn't under construction... but clearly the author is!! What is that to start a blog... ONE day... then leave it to rest? Yes, it is intended to be a daily blog. But, I have a daily job as mother that has been different than my normal routine this week too. All that means is I did my job, but without a camera as much of it was off the premises of our home. Here is an accounting of the weeks adventures:
THURSDAY, January 21st: How to Enjoy Colonial Times
My friend Larin, NEVER ceases to amaze me. We arrived at her home around 3pm for our weekly playgroup. We entered her home to find four people dressed like the colonists... a total surprise to us. They greeted us kindly and then told us to follow them out to "the barn" to "milk their cow, Bessie". The kids were wide eyed and excited to see the new cow! So we went out on the deck and found Bessie, a play rocking horse with a white sheet over her and black construction paper spots. Beneath her abdomen was an inflated rubber glove for milking. The children each took turns milking the glove while Larin, the colonist, poured heavy cream into the pan. When the pan was full, or each child had milked, we went back inside and poured heavy cream into quart sized jars, filled 1/3 full. Then, each child dumped in some marbles. We had them replace the cap and then shook vigrously for a while until it no longer felt like liquid. We opened the jars to find WHIP CREAM! But, had we left the heavy cream to room temperature as intended, we would have found BUTTER! (we re-did this project yesterday with success) The cream eventually hardens, then separates into a hard ball of butter and buttermilk liquid surrounding. Then we washed and dried the sweat from the butter, formed it and ate it on homemade bread. AMAZING!!
The second project was making homemade ink out of strawberries. Back in the day when strawberries were not all hormones the pigment surely would have darkened. But, as it was, light pink, Larin brought out the feathers and the children colored/painted for quite sometime. We taught them then to appreciate the ease of inexpensive markers in the latter days. :)
FRIDAY, January 22nd How to lock a pantry
Okay, so this isn't really a tale of how to enjoy your kids... advertently, but inadvertently it is. You see, my 2 1/2 year old is in to EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING I SAY!! There are days where I want to give her a full day nap because I know she and her surroundings will be safe. So, my husband, working for Black and Decker, brought home a locking Baldwin nob to replace our pantry knob. Yes, locking. Am I wrong that the less distractions and less cleaning that needs to take place... the more play time?! Or maybe not PLAY time, but quality, positive time with the children. By the way, I don't think mom's have to play with their kids to enjoy them. Work is possibly even more enjoyable, gratifying and proven method for character building. That said, we attempted to eliminate THAT distraction, only to find Mariah with the key, a chair beneath the key holder high on the wall, and the pantry open. Creativity is an endless need and virtue. :) This girl is MacGiver in training!
MONDAY, January 25th How to Enjoy a Museum, 1) Bring friends, 2) Avoid a crowd
We have enjoyed our local children's museum many times, with our membership. But, never before with friends. This time it was 3 mom's and 10 kids. Age 2 months - 8 years. It was a blast. They just happened to have a bungi bouncer and tight rope for the mom's to play on, and the hands-on exploration was endless. My personal opinion, the key to a great day at a hands on museum is FRIENDS of good nature AND a small crowd. When the museums are busy... why go? You spend the whole time panicking over where the kids went. When its just you and your gang, they are free to explore and discover all on their own. To build and inspire each other with different ideas. When its just mom and kids, they get bored easily and quickly.
TUESDAY, January 26th How to Ruin a Day
There are many ways to ruin a day... but the quickest way for our family is to start the day running errands in a hurry. Well, let's face it, doing anything in a hurry will ruin a day. But going to Kohls to find a shirt for mom, and sleep and plays for babies seems as though it would be a quick task... but PLANNING on it going quick is a BAD IDEA. Frankly, planning on it at all is a bad idea. Shopping for mom should ONLY be done online or a mom's night out. Period. I also think a creative plan on executing shopping cart logistics is vital. How do you stick 3 kids in a 2 seat stroller cart? Or better yet, how do you nurse baby, discipline two year old, untie five year olds knot it a shoe and try on a shirt in the dressing room all at once?! I did it... but have NO IDEA HOW?! It was NOT worth it. That was my big discovery. HOW to ruin a day.
WEDNESDAY, January 27th How to Shop at the Grocery Store.
"Occasionally genius may strike, but will you practice it?" Today, as we left Wal Mart, I realized that my biggest challenge was simply getting Mariah to walk fast enough to keep up with us. She is a 'stroll-er'. Well, most of the time in the store I don't care what a doofus I look like. I try to be the ONE mom not angry at their kids. So, instead I am the doofus. Which, frankly works for me. :) Today, I was telling my kids "come and get me?!!" in a taunting voice. They then giggle, chase me and follow me through the maze of grocery aisles. But, Mariah doesn't stroll because she is chasing me. See?! So, today, she had a penny in her hand. She should have known better today because of her experimenting with balls in a large vat at the museum yesterday, but she apparently forgot. She dropped her penny which landed perfectly on its side in a large 5 foot circular rolling pattern. Ever seen a dog chase it's tail? Very similar to mariah chasing her penny. It was so funny that Callie and I were rolling in laughter. We kept saying "step on it!" or "stop" or "grab it" and around and around Mariah went... eventually stumbling over her own feet and biffing it. Oh, so the stroke of genius was that as we left and they tired of chasing me, we made a big train. I pushed the cart, Mariah held the back of my pants and Callie held the back of Mariah's. Train. They make a sound like "Choo Choo!!!" Now, mom's, they KEY to making a train effective is to ALSO make the choo choo. If you are quiet and "mature" it's not fun and will thus be ineffective. If you, on the other hand, rev up your engine for a crowd shocking "choo choo" you can be sure all your little train cars will follow. Become as a little child... remember the scripture?!
THURSDAY, January 21st: How to Enjoy Colonial Times
My friend Larin, NEVER ceases to amaze me. We arrived at her home around 3pm for our weekly playgroup. We entered her home to find four people dressed like the colonists... a total surprise to us. They greeted us kindly and then told us to follow them out to "the barn" to "milk their cow, Bessie". The kids were wide eyed and excited to see the new cow! So we went out on the deck and found Bessie, a play rocking horse with a white sheet over her and black construction paper spots. Beneath her abdomen was an inflated rubber glove for milking. The children each took turns milking the glove while Larin, the colonist, poured heavy cream into the pan. When the pan was full, or each child had milked, we went back inside and poured heavy cream into quart sized jars, filled 1/3 full. Then, each child dumped in some marbles. We had them replace the cap and then shook vigrously for a while until it no longer felt like liquid. We opened the jars to find WHIP CREAM! But, had we left the heavy cream to room temperature as intended, we would have found BUTTER! (we re-did this project yesterday with success) The cream eventually hardens, then separates into a hard ball of butter and buttermilk liquid surrounding. Then we washed and dried the sweat from the butter, formed it and ate it on homemade bread. AMAZING!!
The second project was making homemade ink out of strawberries. Back in the day when strawberries were not all hormones the pigment surely would have darkened. But, as it was, light pink, Larin brought out the feathers and the children colored/painted for quite sometime. We taught them then to appreciate the ease of inexpensive markers in the latter days. :)
FRIDAY, January 22nd How to lock a pantry
Okay, so this isn't really a tale of how to enjoy your kids... advertently, but inadvertently it is. You see, my 2 1/2 year old is in to EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING I SAY!! There are days where I want to give her a full day nap because I know she and her surroundings will be safe. So, my husband, working for Black and Decker, brought home a locking Baldwin nob to replace our pantry knob. Yes, locking. Am I wrong that the less distractions and less cleaning that needs to take place... the more play time?! Or maybe not PLAY time, but quality, positive time with the children. By the way, I don't think mom's have to play with their kids to enjoy them. Work is possibly even more enjoyable, gratifying and proven method for character building. That said, we attempted to eliminate THAT distraction, only to find Mariah with the key, a chair beneath the key holder high on the wall, and the pantry open. Creativity is an endless need and virtue. :) This girl is MacGiver in training!
MONDAY, January 25th How to Enjoy a Museum, 1) Bring friends, 2) Avoid a crowd
We have enjoyed our local children's museum many times, with our membership. But, never before with friends. This time it was 3 mom's and 10 kids. Age 2 months - 8 years. It was a blast. They just happened to have a bungi bouncer and tight rope for the mom's to play on, and the hands-on exploration was endless. My personal opinion, the key to a great day at a hands on museum is FRIENDS of good nature AND a small crowd. When the museums are busy... why go? You spend the whole time panicking over where the kids went. When its just you and your gang, they are free to explore and discover all on their own. To build and inspire each other with different ideas. When its just mom and kids, they get bored easily and quickly.
TUESDAY, January 26th How to Ruin a Day
There are many ways to ruin a day... but the quickest way for our family is to start the day running errands in a hurry. Well, let's face it, doing anything in a hurry will ruin a day. But going to Kohls to find a shirt for mom, and sleep and plays for babies seems as though it would be a quick task... but PLANNING on it going quick is a BAD IDEA. Frankly, planning on it at all is a bad idea. Shopping for mom should ONLY be done online or a mom's night out. Period. I also think a creative plan on executing shopping cart logistics is vital. How do you stick 3 kids in a 2 seat stroller cart? Or better yet, how do you nurse baby, discipline two year old, untie five year olds knot it a shoe and try on a shirt in the dressing room all at once?! I did it... but have NO IDEA HOW?! It was NOT worth it. That was my big discovery. HOW to ruin a day.
WEDNESDAY, January 27th How to Shop at the Grocery Store.
"Occasionally genius may strike, but will you practice it?" Today, as we left Wal Mart, I realized that my biggest challenge was simply getting Mariah to walk fast enough to keep up with us. She is a 'stroll-er'. Well, most of the time in the store I don't care what a doofus I look like. I try to be the ONE mom not angry at their kids. So, instead I am the doofus. Which, frankly works for me. :) Today, I was telling my kids "come and get me?!!" in a taunting voice. They then giggle, chase me and follow me through the maze of grocery aisles. But, Mariah doesn't stroll because she is chasing me. See?! So, today, she had a penny in her hand. She should have known better today because of her experimenting with balls in a large vat at the museum yesterday, but she apparently forgot. She dropped her penny which landed perfectly on its side in a large 5 foot circular rolling pattern. Ever seen a dog chase it's tail? Very similar to mariah chasing her penny. It was so funny that Callie and I were rolling in laughter. We kept saying "step on it!" or "stop" or "grab it" and around and around Mariah went... eventually stumbling over her own feet and biffing it. Oh, so the stroke of genius was that as we left and they tired of chasing me, we made a big train. I pushed the cart, Mariah held the back of my pants and Callie held the back of Mariah's. Train. They make a sound like "Choo Choo!!!" Now, mom's, they KEY to making a train effective is to ALSO make the choo choo. If you are quiet and "mature" it's not fun and will thus be ineffective. If you, on the other hand, rev up your engine for a crowd shocking "choo choo" you can be sure all your little train cars will follow. Become as a little child... remember the scripture?!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How to Stain a Thumb
Expanding the mediums of art is a must.
Crayons becoming broken.
Markers dry out.
Paint brushes become stiff.
Expos stain.
Chalk looks like diaper rash cream.
(well, at our house)
Pastels are...yes, oil based.
Then there are thumbs...
which just happen to be opposable,
but are certainly not disposable.
How to Visit the Zoo for FREE!!
Callie asked today, "Mom, when are we going to visit the zoo?" Yesterday she wanted to taste the pink fluffy stuff they sell there (cotton candy) Today, I was struck with genius and answered her, "Let's go to the zoo today! Here! In our own house!" Notice the tone! You can't argue with that kind of enthusiasm. If you can... you aren't good enough at drama. Then, I pulled her close for a secret whisper. "Let's invite our friends". Then, I gave her all the responsibility of creating a zoo. This builds great confidence. I left the creativity to her, then came and helped. Our entire downstairs is a zoo, and Callie... the zookeeper. We also plan to have a popcorn stand. Our friends are arriving at 3:00 for the tour. An hour and a half of creating towards a real goal. There is a sign on our door that reads, "Welcome to Callie's Zoo" only in phonetics. My opinion? Better than the real thing... at least for today.
How to Teach the Buck by Pretend
All you need is an expensive plastic cash register, a fancy plastic kitchen, princess money, a real metal grocery cart and a purse from Prada. NO!!!!!
Actually, all you need is whatever's in your house.
We happen to have a grocery bag we got for free, Melissa and Doug learning money we got from Santa, a grocery cart from Grandma and fake food. But, all you need is plastic grocery bags, cans from the pantry, a stroller (for a grocery cart), a baby doll (for a sibling) a little bag for a purse and an imagination!!! They don't sell imaginations anymore. Sorry to break the news!! :)
First stop, was the bank. The girls came to me requesting some money. We enjoyed some good conversation, with her asking me "how long have you worked here?" Great people building skills. Then, Callie asked for 43 cents please. I helped her a little by explaining that groceries just might cost more than that. So, she went for 47 dollars instead. Their first shopping trip they spent $26.53 cents.
Then, their second trip, to the bookstore and grocery store, was closer to $120. I explained that her $20 (she had left) was not sufficient for the bill and they went back to the bank. At the bank, I explained that her account was very low and she would soon be very poor. I asked if she was sure she wanted to withdraw all her money to buy those books. "Yes!" she said. In which I replied, "well, you better tell your husband to work hard this week and get that money in the bank pronto!" Then, they were on their way with 10, $10 bills. Point being, play the bank when you play grocery. Allow them to withdraw 43 cents, then tell them "sorry" when they try and buy $26.53 worth of goods. This whole process teaches much more than you think.
A Day in the Life of A Storm
Let me begin by saying this blog came about by means of inspiration. I was going about the home in my normal way; taking pictures of the silly and fun things we do. It was then that I realized what is to be done. As a person, I want to contribute. As a mother, I want to have fun. As a friend, I want to be inspiring. As a wife, I want to be progressing. As a daughter, I want to emulate. As a citizen, I want to serve. As an entrepreneur, I want to add value. This is humble attempt at fulfilling all those things, whilst creating beauty. To start something new, unique to me, that will be useful to others but will not be compromising to my most demanding role; that of being a mother. I certainly do not claim to know it all, or even a portion. But, this is me. This is our way of living. This is how we find joy and learning. Although this not the "one true way", I'd like to believe that somehow my personal uniqueness will be a source of good to someone, someday... out there.
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