Dough Fun

The high on Sunday was 32 degrees.  Ick!  A very cold and windy, 32 degrees.  We attempted some outside play, and lasted about 20 minutes with "L" and 30 minutes with  "K," so it was time for some indoor fun!  After all, we had all those new play doh toys to enjoy!!

The boys rolled, stamped, sculpted and shaped their dough creations for about an hour.  It was so blessed!  The only thing Mr. Fixit and I had to do, was pick up items that fell onto the floor.  We are still learning about the fact that things can roll off of the table ;)

"K" really like the "blue wheel" the best.  So, he tried that tool many times.  "L" seems to really like the stamps the best.  Oh, and "L" still loves putting small objects into bigger ones, so he is a really good cleaner-upper!! 

Show Me the Dough

"K's" first birthday gift arrived a little earlier, and honestly, I cannot express how awesome it has been!  You see, the weather has been horrible, and the boys have already figured out how all the Christmas toys work, so we needed some new things to try out.  Plus, this birthday gift was also for "L" too!

Check out all the toys that in that box!  There are stamps, rolling pins, a wheel, animal molds -- and wow, so much fun waiting inside that box.  I am doubly excited because the toys say "3 and older" which means that a real-live 3-year-old can actually operate all the tools himself.  Yes!  Super success!

We are thankful for our friend EM who sent them our way, and we look forward to many, many hours of creative doh play!  If you are in the neighborhood, stop by, we have room at the table for friends to join us!

Spring Tease

The most happiest moment of my recent days was the snow --- MELTING, disappearing completely!  Oh happy day!  I was actually able to get a run in, and it was marvelous.  I had to wait until the swampland (aka our yard and gravel roads) dried, but it was worth it!

I love spring!  The couple of days we had just makes me think that we can't be too far from the real deal.  My goal is to start running again, and be able to run each night.  Daylight is returning, slowly, and that certainly makes it more inviting as well.

So, for all you winter lovers out there: I hope you got your fill this year.  Next year, perhaps, we can tone down the snow request prayers??

Dinner Survival Tips

Typically, the boys and I arrive home around 5:35 - 5:45 p.m.  Needless to say, kids are tired and hungry.  "K" usually exclaims, "I want to see the food!" when we walk through the door.  Thankfully, Mr. Fixit gets off work an hour or so before we do.  So, operation dinner, begins!

Generally, I plan about 6 meals per week.  Normally, I make 4 of those meals over the weekend (Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday lunch and dinner).  Then, I try to have 2 easier items planned for week night prep.  This will usually get us through to the weekend, when I am a kitchen chef, once again.

I plan the menu, write the grocery list and purchase items for our week -- once a week.  I dash out over the noon hour, and get back in time to find parking before the next round of classes starts.  I write my list according to the store layout.  Mr. Fixit has even commented on this - so yeah - he noticed!

As far as dinner prep, I have everything out - pans, utensils, pantry items, etc. ready for Mr. Fixit to prepare.  I leave instructions on the dry erase board, and times for everything to commence.  Generally, it works well.  We are ready to eat at 5:45, and then I am usually finishing up dishes at 6:45.  What a night!

Family Pic

It is really challenging to get a family picture!  I usually am the photo taker, so that allows me to take partial family pictures.  However, it is really nice to have some photos with all 4 of us in them.  This photo was happenstance.  So, here is the story of the Christmas family photo!

We stayed home this year for the actual Christmas holiday.  It was really nice!  We were able to enjoy Mass at our regular church, and were able to sleep in our beds, and open gifts on Christmas.  It was really marvelous.  I almost wonder if we shouldn't do this again next year?

After Mass, we decided to take the boys over to the Manger.  They both enjoyed looking at baby Jesus, and the animals.  A family friend asked if we would like our picture taken.  So, here it is.  It is not the best picture, but it is a recent family picture! 

Two-Fisted Paci Boy

The pacifier habit has really, almost, but not quite -- gotten out of control!  "L" loves his pacis, and he tends to beg for one frequently.  Generally, "L" has one in his mouth and one in hand.  At night, I lay one on the crib rail, so when he wakes after having lost the original one, another is ready.

I admit, I likely contributed to his obsession with the bink.  However, I was constantly of the mindset: we do not want another thumbsucker.  The pacifier habit is so much easier to break, right?  Well, hmmm, now - how do we go about kicking the binky habit?

We now have an 18 month old, who needs to say bye-bye to the pacifier.  So, operation paci goes into effect during Spring Break.  It is going to be hard (on both of us), but my goal is to break the habit by the second birthday.  So, we have "T" minus six months to get this accomplished.  I will keep you posted on the progress!

In the meantime here are the 18 month stats:
Weight - 24 lbs (32nd %ile)
Length - 30 inches (54th %ile)
Head - 19.2 inches (77th %ile)

So we are off and growing!

Play-Doh Mania

The boys love playing with Play-doh!  I have tried off brands, and I must say, the Play-doh brand is a definite win.  The dough seems to stay pliable longer, and it does not crumble as much.  This makes for a much easier clean-up!

"K" likes to roll his out (with help) and "L" likes to pull little pieces off and place them in a container.  So, we have many varieties of sculpture art occurring at our kitchen table. ;)

Since Play-doh is very popular, I am going to order some actual play dough toys such as a rolling pin and maybe some molds.  It might be easier for them to do things by themselves this way.  As for the actual dough?  Well, Easter will be here before we know it.  Hopefully, that Easter Bunny will bring some our way!

Winter Art

We have had a LOT of snow, and I mean a LOT!  To the tune of 17 inches this month -- oh wait -- we had one more inch yesterday, 18 inches.  Plus, it is only February 12th.  Needless to say, everyone is ready to be able to go outside.  However, negative and very cold temps are keeping us in.

So, time to get creative!  There are not many art things that a two-year-old and a one-year-old can do, but I have been coming up with a few ideas with what I have in my supply stash.  Play-doh has been very popular, and we have been creating several times a week.  Finger painting has also been popular.  We have certainly played with snow in the sink, and have been doing some bingo dauber art as well.  I cut out some construction paper, and the boys used cotton swabs to apply glue to the pieces.  Then they made collages!  Finally, the standard coloring has been tried as well.  As you can see, we have been busy.

I have been taking pictures of some of the work, as it is easier to save a picture than the work of art, in some instances.  So, "K" now announces, "Mommy take a picture of this one!" after nearly each item he creates.  This photo happens to be of some type of Play-doh sculpture!

Something to Cheer About

I truly miss my previous professional world of youth, and many of the activities associated with it.  My current work world simple is not the same, so I try to volunteer when I can, to help out at some of the kid events.  This particular event is one of them.  I love this January/February event!

One of the things that I get to do, is assist in the poster and tattoo station.  I purchased new markers this year, as the ones we have used for the previous years, were getting a bit on the dry side.  I created some stencils for kids to use in the game day poster designs.  It is fun to watch what kids create!  I did apply one tattoo this year, but I put it on upside down!  So, I think is best that I stay away from that job.

The picture is of our table, ready for kid sign creators.  We cheered really loud during the basketball game, but were not victorious this year.  So, I think I might have to make some better signs next year ;)!

Art Time

I think it is not a secret that Mr. Fixit and I are both fans of recycling.  Between the two of us, we can usually find a second life for almost anything that comes our way!  It is fun to see what the boys can create with the resources we discover.  We love free art supplies!

Back home for me, Bingo is a huge hobby for many.  Many players use bingo daubers (tubes of ink with a sponge tip) to mark their playing cards.  When the daubers were nearly empty, or the foam tips are worn, many discard their daubers.  They really do work well for art too!  So, I collected some of them.

We decked the boys out in paint shirts, and Mr. Fixit founds some cardboard.  Then we let them create.  We added a bit of paper to their art space, which helped to keep the mess manageable.  This picture was created by "K."  I think we all had fun!

A Baby Visit

We were blessed to have one of my bridesmaids' visit with her little one.  They were in the area for the wedding, so they spent the night with us!  The boys sure enjoyed having a baby around.  I think little "C" missed out on some zzzzzzz's because of all the excitement!  Both boys insisted upon giving her many toys. ;)

"C" was 5 months old at the time, and it is neat to see all the things a 5 month old can do.  Each month gets more exciting, as they learn more new things!  I think had "C" stayed longer, she would have learned more -- such as -- how can I get to that block tower over there?