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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

a thanksgiving circle, story and craft ideas


Every now and then I like to blog-ument (that is a combination of blog and document, in case you were wondering) the circle times we are doing lately. Mainly because I end up losing, misplacing, getting a new phone, new computer and then POOF I can't find it.

So now I am sitting in the sunshine, two days before Thanksgiving, baby is chattering next to me (and by chattering I mean seriously NON STOP TALKING) and big sister is coloring and brother is STILL SLEEPING and out on the deck the birds are swooping in for some seeds, grateful those scary people behind the glass restocked the bird feed for the winter.

And I too am grateful.

So this week we painted turkeys I drew on paper for them. And we made our Thankfulness Tree with leaves that say things we are thankful for, and we made some handprint turkeys with cut out leaves and I have plans for a paper bag stuffed turkey today. (Because its CRAFT DAY and I AM A DORK)

So this is what we have been doing for school and circle lately, to embrace this season of gratitude, as we work up the courage to face the cold (its been in the single digits already!) and get ready for winter. ENJOY!



why is your turkey green Ev?
because, he is hiding!
hiding?
yes, hiding behind a bush!
(I am not kidding, my two year old said this. HILARIOUS, right?)


 

 


Come on friends lets dance and sing! Lets hold hands and form a ring! Hold them high, and hold them low, lets turn fast, and now turn slow. Friends to the left, friends to the right, we learn and turn our smiles bright.
Circle songs, holding hands in a ring
Ring around the rosie...
Sally go round the sun...
The Farmer in the dell...

All around the mulberry bush...

 
There was a man in our town
Who went for a walk one day
But the wind blew so hard  (make blowing sound)
He turned around and walked the other way.  (Turn and change direction) (Change to hop, skip…)

 
Good morning to the sun up in the sky (in a sing song voice, with obvious actions)
Good morning to the birds, as they fly on by
Good morning to the trees so straight and so all
Good morning, everyone

This is my right hand I hold it up high
This is my left hand, with it I touch the sky
Right hand, left hand, roll them round and round
Left hand, right hand, pound pound pound! (obvious actions, right?)


I can curl up small (obvious actions, again)
As round as a ball
I can stretch up tall
As straight As a tree
I can walk, walk, walk

I can hop, hop, hop

I can dance, dance, dance

I can skip, skip, skip

And I can stop, stop, stop

 
I have ten little fingers
And they belong to me.
I can make them do things,
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight,
Or I can make them wide,
I can put them together,
Or make them all hide,
I can make them jump high,
I can make them jump low,
I can fold them quietly
And hold them just so.

 

On my head my hands I place,
On my shoulders, on my face,
On my waist, at my side,
Now behind me they will hide,
Now I’ll stretch them way up high.
Make my fingers swiftly fly,
I’ll hold them up in front of me,
And quickly clap them, one, two, three!

 

 

You twiddle your thumbs and clap your hands
And then you stamp your feet,
You turn to the left, you turn to the right,
You make your fingers meet.
You make a bridge, you make an arch,
You give another clap,
You wave you hands, you fold you hands
Then lay them in your lap.

 

(Now lets be animals…its almost winter! The animals are going to their homes!)

A nest is a home for a robin

A hive is a home for a bee

A hole is a home for a rabbit

And a house is a home for me

 

Winter is cold

(hug yourself and shiver)

There is snow in the sky

(flutter fingers above your head)

The squirrel gathers nuts

(pretend to gather nuts)

And the wild geese fly

(flap arms)

The fluffy red fox

(cup hands over head to form ears)

Has his fur to keep warm

(stroke arms as if stroking fur)

The bear’s in her cave

(form a cave shape with your arms)

Sleeping all through the storm

(fold hands under cheek and pretend to sleep)

 

(And what about the plants, they are sleeping too)

Get a play silk and lets be sleeping plants.

"Come little leaves," said the wind one day.
"Come o'er the meadow with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
Summer is gone and the days grow cold."
As soon as the leaves heard the wind's low call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all.
Over the brown fields they whirled and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.
Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,
Autumn had called them and they were content.
Soon they will sleep in their soft earthly beds
Waiting for winter to cover their heads.

 

Deep in the earth, buried deep so deep, a dear little plant lay fast asleep
Sleep little plant, so safe and warm, sleep little plant, all winter long
So the little plant slept so warm and tight while King Winter raged with all his might

Old king winter came out to play and said I am going to make a very cold day!
So he turned to the east WHOOOSH (blow at the little shivering plants under their silks)
And he turned to the west WHOOOSH
And he turned to the south WHOOOSH
Then he turned to the north and said, that's the one I like best!
For when the North Wind comes out to play we make a very very very COLD DAY
(WHOOOOOOOSH all over the sleeping plants!)

(And then, what happens in the spring, not yet, but it will happen, HA)

Pitter patter pitter patter on the window pane
Pitter patter pitter patter here comes the rain
Pitter patter pitter patter down from the sky above
Pitter patter pitter patter shower us with love! (you have to pitter patter your fingers on the kids for this verse!)
then, the sun will come out!
Sunshine sunshine warm and bright
Sunshine sunshine bring your light!
Sunshine sunshine shine and glow
Sunshine sunshine make us grow!

And now….
From down below, up up I grow (kids stand up and shed their silks!)
And spread my leaves so wide (stretch out arms)
And at the top a little room, from which a lovely flower blooms (make a little blossom with hands, then spread them out)
And opens to the WIDE BLUE SKY!


I can turn myself and turn myself and stop me when I will.
I can reach high on my tippy toes and hold myself quite still.

I can be as small as a tiny seed
Or grow tall as a tall, tall tree.
I can be as wide as the whole wide world
Or I can just be me.

 
God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and at my departing.
 
 

(This is a sweet little story and fun to act out with whatever little animals you have. I changed the original story from a fox to a cat and eliminated the caterpillar that comes after the mouse....)

~The Story of Hugin and his Carrot~

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Hugin and he wanted a carrot to make a soup for Thanksgiving to say thank you to his friends, so he went out into the garden and planted a carrot-seed and he said,

“Carrot, carrot, grow for me
Grow as big as big can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we’ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet.”

So the carrot grew and grew and nearly filled the garden. Then, Hugin went to pull the carrot up. And he pulled and he pulled… but the carrot did not budge an inch.

Then a Bear came by and asked ’What are you doing Hugin?’
And Hugin replied, “I am pulling up a carrot.

Bear, Bear pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we’ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”

 

So Bear pulled Hugin, and Hugin pulled the carrot; and they pulled, and they pulled… but the carrot didn’t budge an inch.

Just a dog came along and asked ”What are you doing Bear?” And Bear replied ”I am helping Hugin to pull his carrot.” And Hugin said

“doggy doggy  pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”

So dog pulled Bear, and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot. They pulled and they pulled, but the carrot did not budge an inch.

Just then a CAT came by and asked ’What are you doing dog?” And dog replied “I am helping Bear to help Hugin to pull up a carrot.” And Hugin said

“Hare, Hare pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”

So Hare pulled dog, and dog pulled Bear and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot and they pulled and they pulled but… the carrot didn’t budge an inch.

Just then a Mouse came by and asked ’What are you doing Hare?” And Hare replied “I am helping dog to help Bear to help Hugin to pull up a carrot.” And Hugin said

“Mouse, Mouse pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”

So Mouse pulled Hare, and Hare pulled Fox, and Fox pulled Bear and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot and they pulled and they pulled but… the carrot didn’t budge an inch. So mouse said, “But does Hugin know the right way to pull up a carrot? Did he first ask its Root Gnome if he might?”

Then Hugin bent down and put his mouth close to the ground and called,

“Gnome, good Root Gnome
May I take your carrot home?
Then on Thanksgiving Day we‘ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet?”

And at once a little Root Gnome popped up his brown head out of the ground and said, “Good gracious me, Hugin, why didn’t you tell me? All this time I’ve been pulling the other way. Now pull again!”

And he popped back his brown head into the ground.

So Mouse pulled Hare, and Hare pulled dog and dog pulled Bear, and Bear pulled Hugin, and Hugin pulled the carrot. And suddenly Mouse sat down backwards with a bang and Hare sat down backwards with a bang on Mouse, and dog sat down backwards with a bang on Hare, and Bear sat down backwards with a bang on dog, and Hugin sat down backwards with a bang on Bear with the biggest, orange, chubbiest carrot in his hands that ever anyone saw!

Then Hugin got up and said ”Sorry!” to Bear, and Bear got up and said “Sorry” to dog, and Fox got up and said “Sorry” to Hare, and Hare got up and said “Sorry” to Mouse..

And nobody was hurt, and everybody laughed “Ha-Ha-Ha“ and together the friends made a carrot soup.

THE END!!!!!!

 
What is coming soon? THANKSGIVING.!
 
Here is the turkey,    (Hand out with fingers stretched)
Hear him speak   (GOBBLE GOBBLE)
Here are his feathers       (Wiggle fingers)
And here is his beak.    (Index and thumb together)
Looking for food he pecks at the ground (Index and thumb peck floor)
He calls gobble, gobble!
And wobbles around.    (Moving hand)


I'm a Turkey
to the tune of "I'm a little teapot"

I'm a turkey, big and fat. (Spread arms out.)
I spread my tail. I walk like that. (Fan fingers like a turkey's tail; Waddle.)
Each day's corn I will not miss, (Rub stomach.)
And when I talk, I sound like this: (Point to lips; Cup hand next to ear.)
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE! (Shout.)

(Now, here is the thing, the pilgrim story is tough for me. Too much Howard Zinn in college maybe? I won't get into it but its always a dilemma, what to tell young kids? SOOO, focusing on gratitude and seeking freedom, this is the story I told recently to a group of kids in our homeschool group, not word for word, but something like this. But then, the fun part, the kids came in and acted it with me, we had a Captain, and we sailed our ship, and then sick puking pilgrims (ha!) and then shivering all winter, then planting corn and making friends with the American Indians and then having a feast together at the end. It was cute and acting it out made it much more fun for them.
Also, confession, growing up I forced my siblings every year to act out a Thanksgiving play, which is where this comes from I suppose, down to writing scripts and memorizing long passages of pilgrim's diaries from the era. I just told my mom and sisters I am going to force our kids to do the same. HA. Look out nephews!!!)

Should we be pilgrims in our ships?
(to the tune of row row row your boat)
Sail sail sail your ship
Gently across the sea
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

To be free is what we dream. (kids hold hands and "sail" their ships in pairs)

 

 
Long ago, in the early 1600s, a group of people in England wanted to pray and worship God in their own way. The King controlled the Church of England, and everyone was ordered to go to the same type of church. Anyone who dared to disobey would be sent to jail.
The group of people who wanted to free the Church of England from the King's rule, making it "pure" were known as the Puritans. To escape the rule of the King and his church, around 100 men, women and children left their homeland, with their dream of religious freedom. They were tired of being told what to think so they left that king.

They got on a big ship, called the mayflower, to travel far far far to the new world. Their captain was a brave man named Miles Standish.
These brave travelers -- the Pilgrims –had a long long long long journey. They got sick on the boat. There were bad storms. But finally they landed in Plymouth after their long six-week journey. It was December 11, 1620.

And, oh, it was cold! The cold winter had set in. The land was strange to them, and nothing seemed familiar. The winter was long, cold, and very hard for the Pilgrims. They didn’t know what to do!

But, they had some friends nearby. Some Native Americans, from the Wampanoag tribe lived nearby. They came to see who these new people were. They saw they needed help, so they helped them! They gave them food after hunting and finally finally it was warm out and so they taught them how to plant seeds and make corn grow in their new home!
The first year in their new home was hard for the Pilgrims. Many died.

But, With seeds and plants received from the Native Americans, the Pilgrims planted crops. The fall harvest was a good one. To celebrate their good fortune, the Pilgrims had a feast of thanksgiving.
Many foods were cooked for the feast - wild turkey, duck, and venison were probably served, along with fish, pumpkins, squash, corn, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims invited all of the Native Americans who had helped them so much during their first year, including their chief, Massasoit. Everyone had a good day of thanksgiving. The feast lasted for three days!

This harvest feast in 1621 is often called the "First Thanksgiving." Over the years, the day we now celebrate as Thanksgiving became an important tradition in the United States -- a day of giving thanks for all that we have.
(Sing songs of gratitude. Say a little prayer.)
 
If You're Thankful and You Know It
Adaptation of traditional songto the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"

If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.

If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"

If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.


Bless the growing of the grain, bless the falling of the rain
Bless the flower and fruit and tree, bless the sun that shines on me!

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
the Lord God made them all (you can find the tune to this on YouTube)
 
Thank you for the food we eat
Thank you for the world, so sweet
Thank you for the birds that sing
Thank you God for everything
Thank you for my family
Thank you God for loving me
For each and every child I pray
And thank you for this special day


our nature table downstairs

yes, that is king winter, lurking behind a tree!


the little gnome family I made last year and the little table and chairs dada just made. I LOVE HIM.
 
Thursday, November 21, 2013

my life, lately

snuggling missy in the grey November afternoon
I haven't been writing here much lately. Here is my life lately, in a snapshot.

I'm reading "Minn of the Mississippi" to little man for his geography/science lesson, trying to finish out our school list for the day.

He complains to me that its boring, yes, I think, 20 chapters about a turtle is a little much for me too. But I tell him to write his sentence. Let's get it done with. Draw me a nice picture about the chapter. Boom. Done.

As I'm dictating the sentence baby dear comes in. Did I tell you she has stopped napping? Oh yes, she has, and on the off chance she does nap, she is awake until 11pm. NOT OKAY. I should change her nickname from baby dear to stinker toddler. HA.

She comes in to tell me. Hi Mama. I am NAKED. Oh yes stripped down to the nude. Her latest trick.

Then she runs away, cackling. The next thing I hear is a dumping noise, as she pours out all the contents of the puzzle box into one giant heap. I LOVE THIS GAME.

And little miss is upstairs doing a "bee yoga" video (follow the link, its really really cute!) she comes down to tell me. Mom. I'm hungry. AGAIN. Every 15 minutes, it seems, this girl needs to eat. And this mama needs to go to the store. I throw some raisins into a cup. Here. SNACK.

And now naked baby comes up. "One time mama, I go to you and I have milky, and mama, I am sleepy. I want MILKY."

And the dishes are stacked up to the ceiling. And the house is a mess. And my head hurts.

And this is when I am tempted to say. MOVIE TIME. But I refrain, for now, hoping the hullaballoo will die down on its own. (Not a word I commonly use but it works here, right?)

And instead of doing the dishes or cleaning, like I should, I pull out the laptop to work on my latest book-ish project. Because for some obsessive sort of reason I am trying to do this game again. Which is truly nuts of me.

Also, I have been thinking about Christmas gifting again (link to my Christmas pinterest board!), and once again thinking of all the things I want to make. MUST MAKE ALL THE THINGS. But I desperately want to avoid Crazy Christmas Crafting Syndrome which overtook me last year.

I mention this to dada and he gets this panicky look in his eyes. "Oh please, yes, don't do that again."

HA HA HA.

Poor dada.

Oh my gosh. Naked toddler baby dear stinker heart is shaking her little back and forth telling her sister not to touch her toy. Oh, seriously if only you could see this. She's so stinker stinking cute. And now she is calling for "Mister Ayla" "Mist-uh AYLA, Mist-uh AYLA. Where did you go SIST-UH?" She does the funniest thing with her "R's" she said hair as "HAY-OW" and chair "CHAY-OW." "mama, brush my HAY-OW?" Your what? "MY HAY-OW" 

HA.

And oh, late November, the greyness is sucking the life out of me. And its cold but there is no snow to be sparkly and nice. And no distracting holidays, quite yet. Thanksgiving can't come soon enough for this lady. Totally going all out with the holiday thing this year. Except for the crafting, dear dada, in which case I will attempt REASON and RESTRAINT, to the best of my ability.

HA.

And the hullaballoo did die down. Little man is reading comic books in the chair by himself (A fluently reading child is a beautiful thing!) Stinker toddler is talking to herself, turning in circles, and little miss is laying next to me wearing old glasses. Uh oh. Stinker is getting out a toy drum. NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Oh. November. Oh. Mamas. Is it naptime yet? Oh yes, that's right, my children don't nap anymore. Stinky stinker heads.

hugging the sunshine (NOT today)

I feel like I should become a millionaire after discovering this
toddler proof wine glass! no spilling! tosses in a diaper
bag easily! (KIDDING MOM!)

studying ancient Greece


baby's first "Man" arms, legs, had, body. CUTE, right??


picking the last of my lettuce, hiding under a cold frame box covered in windows

for the days when a single mug of chai isn't cutting it

amazing gluten free snickerdoodles!!

love my three birdies. (although I look terrible in this picture!)

missy no nap stinkerpants


I NAKED MAMA

ah, bliss!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

zen parenting moment

We're going back to bed, they say.

Okay, I say.

*sips second cup of coffee in peace*


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

the strand to my heart

Have you heard of the book, "The Princess and the Goblin"?

Its a sweet story written in 1872 by George MacDonald about a princess, her king papa, and adventures they have with the goblins that live under the mountains. (You can read it for free here)

We were reading a few chapters last night, waiting for dada to come home, after a very long day. Mama was tired, the kiddies tired, baby already asleep at 6:30.

We came to this section, where she goes to visit her magical great great great grandmother, up in the high tower of the castle. Little Princess Irene had just been frightened by a goblin cat and ran halfway up the mountain road by her country castle. She comes back and immediately goes to see her grandmother. Her grandmother has been weaving for her, a delicate strand, and said she would give the finished present to her soon. After she hugs the muddy scared Irene she gives her a small ball of tightly wound thread.

The lady put her hand in the fire, brought out the ball, glimmering as before, and held it towards her. Irene stretched out her hand to take it, but the lady turned and, going to her cabinet, opened a drawer, and laid the ball in it.
'Have I done anything to vex you, grandmother?' said Irene pitifully.
'No, my darling. But you must understand that no one ever gives anything to another properly and really without keeping it. That ball is yours.'
'Oh! I'm not to take it with me! You are going to keep it for me!'
'You are to take it with you. I've fastened the end of it to the ring on your finger.'
Irene looked at the ring.
'I can't see it there, grandmother,' she said.
'Feel—a little way from the ring—towards the cabinet,' said the lady.
'Oh! I do feel it!' exclaimed the princess. 'But I can't see it,' she added, looking close to her outstretched hand.
'No. The thread is too fine for you to see it. You can only feel it. Now you can fancy how much spinning that took, although it does seem such a little ball.'
'But what use can I make of it, if it lies in your cabinet?'
'That is what I will explain to you. It would be of no use to you—it wouldn't be yours at all if it did not lie in my cabinet. Now listen. If ever you find yourself in any danger—such, for example, as you were in this same evening—you must take off your ring and put it under the pillow of your bed. Then you must lay your finger, the same that wore the ring, upon the thread, and follow the thread wherever it leads you.'
'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!'
'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way indeed, and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be sure, that while you hold it, I hold it too.'
'It is very wonderful!' said Irene thoughtfully.

That night, tucking little man into bed, I had one of those overwhelming moments of love for this little creature. He looked up at me with sleepy eyes.

"One more hug mama. Tighter. Tighter!"

I hug his neck, as he nearly chokes me. He grabs my hair, playing with it, pulling it toward him.

"Look, now we are connected," he says.

"You don't need that." I say. "We are already connected. You have a strand connecting my heart to your heart." I tap his strong chest (how is he so big already?) "It goes right here, all the way to me."

"So we will always be connected?"

"Always," I say.

"And I can always find my way back to you?"

"Always."

"So its invisible to everyone but me and you?"

"Yep."

"And no one can break it?"

"Nope."

"Good," he says.

And the little man, who was a little babe just a bit ago, (yesterday wasn't it?) goes to sleep, his heart forever connected to mine.

Yes. These moments. They make motherhood, right?



 




Monday, November 11, 2013

learning baskets for preschoolers - an alphabet basket

So little miss will turn five later this winter. FIVE. F-I-V-E.

I can't believe it.

At her age little man received all kinds of "lets-do-school" energy from me. I start to feel bad for a minute, in this realization, but then I stop because I start listing in my head all she does do with us - first circle time, which really is for her and baby, and then a story, acted out with her princesses (Sleeping Beauty is a current favorite) then group morning story times - we are working through a collection of Native American legends from tribes around the United States - then we talk about the story, little man writes a sentence about it, they both draw pictures. I have recently had her do "form drawing" exercises, based on the story. In one story a crazy coyote spins around in circles, so I have her draw loops and circles, in a pattern on her paper, learning those hand motions for pre-writing. And of course she is doing letters, her name and the occasional "I LV U MOM" scrawled in crayon on construction paper, but now isn't quite the time (in my educational philosophy at least) to start in on official letter writing. She usually then does some kind of sensory activity, playdoh, or a craft with mom, helping me bake or wash floors, counting with gems while little man does his math activity.

This all sounds very "Ooo LA LA, look at me, THE HOMESCHOOL MOM." I don't mean to. Which is why its weird to write about homeshool sometimes. Suffice to say it feels like my job, at this point in life, and I tend to be perfectionist in my work. If I am going to do it, I am going to DO IT. You know?

In any case, I wanted to share his here because homeschool or not this is a super fun and easy and cheap activity for anyone to set up for their preschooler.

It started because I wanted to give her something more, something just for her, not just simplified versions of her big brothers school work.

So I came up with this game.

We spent a morning outside looking for perfectly smooth rocks. She liked this in and of itself. "Ooh, look at THIS ONE mom. ITS SPARKLY." This could be one morning's worth of activity! Then we came in and she spent 30 minutes washing then in soapy water and then drying them. Preschoolers LOVE tasks like this!

See what I am doing here. STRETCH IT OUT. HA.

The next day I took all her rocks and wrote out the alphabet in capital letters. I used a sharpie marker and it worked perfectly. You could also use those super nifty paint pens they have at places like Michaels.

She loved the rocks and spent some time putting them in order, mixing them up again, etc.

So that night I got a sturdy basket and went around the house gathering small items for every letter of the alphabet. It was surprisingly easy. A hint. Q is for quarter. Z for a zipper I cut out of an old pair of jeans. Y is a small ball of yarn.  X is for an X from a magnetic tic tac toe game. U is for a tiny toy unicorn.

The next day I got out the basket during school time and she was so excited. She mostly just matched the object to the letter, but it could also be a game - divide the letters in half between two people, then take turns matching your letters to an object. Each turn a player picks an item and tries to match the object to a letter. Or you could reach your hand into the basket with your eyes closed to look for the object you need (maybe I could make little man do this to level the playing field for little miss.)

Fun right?

Thirty minutes. That is how long she and baby played with the basket.

I was thinking I should have several of these baskets for school days and rotate them throughout the week. I want to do one with colors next. And then maybe one with different habitats (a forest basket, a jungle basket, a farmyard basket, etc) I also started one with numbers for little man already but she could use it too. It has gems (the glass rocks you can find at Michaels for flower arrangements. I always see bags of these) and popsicle sticks with numbers written on the tips. The idea is to line the gems up on the popsicle stick to make the number on the stick. I also did numbers and math function symbols on rocks, when I did the alphabet rocks. The idea is to set up a simple problem for the kid (3+4=7) then they count out gems to the appropriate number. There is also a deck of cards in there (just google math games with playing cards, so MANY options!) and the math gnomes I made last year (for telling the sweet little math stories introducing math functions that I did with little man last year).

In any case.

Oh, hey, so in the next week or so, ANOTHER GIVEAWAY. This one is for reading curriculum! Super exciting, for the first time I was contacted by a company to do a review and giveaway for them, which normally I am not into but this is one I actually use, so, SURE!! Check back later this week for details.

Let me know if you try the learning basket idea and what you come up with!







Thursday, November 7, 2013

a day of June, in pictures

Good morning, dear earth.
Good morning, dear sun.

My day starts at 7am, but to this...

We wake up to snow. Yaaaay! Says kids. Booooooo! Says mama.

They win. We go outside anyway. Okay fine. It IS pretty.




School time. Which for missy evergreen means dressing up in underwear hats and playing dinosaurs eating my little pony.


She's on a roll today. Later I find her looking like this. I bootiful mama! Yes, that's mascara.


Lunch time. I'm so hungry, they say. Make extra Mac and cheese, they say. So I do, cause I'm nice like that. 


Notice the half eaten bowls of mac and cheese. (My bowl is chicken rice soup!) 

And this is where my mood begins to plummet. Baby is refusing naps now, all week! So I tell the kids mama is having a quiet time. Tea and Pinterest on the iPad. 


Ah, much better.

Ninja and his sister finally rally up the willpower to do the rest of their school. Ev plays with playdoh.


 The troops are released to go play.

While I make dinner, clean house, and put away the laundry.

(I just wanna play too! This is where my mood just disintegrated... I don't know why...seriously bad mood...)


Stacks of laundry. Ugh. Seriously it feels never ending lately.

Finally, bed time cuddles with this girl.


Good night, dear mamas!

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