Bubble blowers...

work best with pucker power.

 

 

Muppet Puppet

A while back we were able to enjoy a trip to the Orlando History Museum for the Jim Henson Exhibit. The exhibit was very imformative and interesting, unfortunatly just not as entertaining for a 5 and 3 year old. We did have fun in the kids area however. I never expected to see Noah jump right in to enjoy a puppet theatre. He's grown so much emotionally over the last year. He is not as apprehensive as before, and really surprised me by how he dove right in and had a blast. Normally Gloria is the performer but was more interested in being in the audience. I love how they keep surprising me.

We were unable to take pictures so I do not have any from the Henson Exhibit itself.

I linked the Exhibit above. If you have older fans of Jim Henson's Legacy and genious, I highly recommend it!

Easy days

Alphabet games

One of my favorite segments on Sesame Street is the Amazing Alphabet Race. I've mentioned before how I like their references to pop culture. 

I took it a step further a few weeks back and created these Alphabet cards for the kids. (Easy really with Excel) 

I had them go through the house finding something that started with each letter and then cross it off on their card. We had a blast and they learned more about letter sounds and how words start. It was really fun to see what they came up with for each letter. 

 

The following video has nothing to do with what we did, but since I couldn't find The Amazing Alphabet Race on You Tube, I thought I'd share this classic.

Portrait of a 5 year olds birthday

 

A few snapshots from Noah's 5th Birthday. Spent at Disney, then a weekend visit from my aunt and uncle to help celebrate with presents, cake and ice cream!!

Portrait of a 3 year olds birthday

Here are some pictures from Gloria's 3rd birthday. (6 months ago!)

Ch ch changes

Life certainly has been crazy the last few months. The biggest change around here is that I've taken on a full time job. It was cedrtainly not my intention as I enjoy being home and educating my kids, but with the economy etc (I am not dwelling on the negative) we decided it was a good idea that if someone offers you a job, you take it. I still work from home and I still get to spend a ton of time with the kids during the day. 

We've taken a bit of a break from our "official" schooling, but still take opportunities here and there. I still will include Five in a Row and visits to museums and parks and various other outings to take the opportunity to show my kids that it's a big world and many different types of experiences, people, culture, food and many mroe things occupy it. 

The biggest part of this decision is moving the kids into school in the fall. Since they still need someone to take a more formal approach, we decided rather than trying to do it all... for the next few formative years, we will let the fine teachers at our local Montessori school teach them the basics. I'm very excited about this decision because if I am going to put them in any type of school, Montessori is the one we are happy with. We have known the Montessori teachers long before my children were born, so we're very excited that they will be the ones to step in my place.

Because I work late afternoons into the evening, I can still take the kids for outtings during the day. And when they start school, I can still go to their school a few times a month and participate.


Let's see what this new chapter brings!

O is for Oatmeal

In our house, we have an important decision to make when it comes to oatmeal; Runny or Thick. See I like my oatmeal thick, as does Gloria. Wally however likes his runny and Noah just opts out all together. First let me say that I make all of our oatmeal, and since I've been doing this, I don't care for the prepackaged kind. I've been experimenting with some different recipes to come up with our favorite. But when the decision is split, I'm not able to please everyone. The terrific thing about these recipes is that they make a lot, are really inexpensive, and last for at least 3-4 meals.

Check out this one from Money Saving Mom. This is one of our fav's but I cut down the oil and use half oil, half applesauce and then I reduce the sugar by 1/2 a cup and it still tastes great. We've also tried this one which is an overnight crockpot oatmeal. Hubby liked this one, but it was too runny for my taste.

Either way, you can add fruit or brown sugar or cinnamon to make it your own. All of it is much better than the little packets filled with artificial flavors.

Laughing Hippos

We were very lucky to visit Homosassa Springs State Park recently and had a marvelous time with my aunt and uncle and the kids. We saw the manatees, bears, bobcats, the pinkest flamingos I've ever seen and a laughing hippo. Lu is a staple at this park for over 45 years and his "grunts" sound like he's laughing. It's the strangest thing we had ever heard!

Shopaholics

About a month ago, I was able to score this cute little play store at Target for about $15. Normally these go for $45. After Christmas, I saved all of the kids' gift cards and used them when I found a deal, rather than spending them all at once. This makes their gift cards last longer time wise and get more bang for their buck money wise. It's easy to control their spending now when they are little. I hope we can continue this as they get older. 

Follow Me

Our favorite author so far out of Five in a Row has to be Virginia Lee Burton. Noah and Gloria have enjoyed her books so much that we've even read the ones that are not a part of FIAR but still did lesson plans on them. 

This lesson we did Katy and the Big Snow. We learned about street signs, which Noah still points out and asks about. Plus we started counting by 5's. Learned more on directions and measurements. We could have covered personification but we've done that now a few times with her other books.  

This has also been the biggest lapbook we've created to date. Noah did a fantastic job with this one.

 

We also measured what the different heights of snow might look like. Of course, being Floridians, this much snow was an abstract concept!

 

 

All in all, we couldn't get enough of this book and the lessons that went along with it. 3 weeks later we're still talking about it. If you're not reading Virginia Lee Burton to your kids, start now!

Castle Glory

I went to the Magic Kingdom for my birthday and got some amazing shots of the castle.

 

The sleep habits of a 3 year old

I've been working late recently, so Wally has been putting the kids to bed. After work, I check on them to make sure they're covered up and all the limbs are placed back in bed. Two nights in a row this is how I found Gloria.

One fully settled into her hat and the second in a sleeping bag, with head wrap and all.

N is for Noah

My first child turned 5 a week ago. He's so active, athletic, energetic and never stops moving (which makes him exhausting!) He's sweet and caring, a terrific big brother (most of the time) and a great helper around the house. We're so lucky to have him in our lives. Here's his first 5 birthdays.

First birthday, before the cake!

Birthday #2

#3 spent at the Zoo

 

the 4th spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 

 

What a smartie pants, #5 spent at the Animal Kingdom.

Pay it forward

Today I am thankful for a very generous neighbor. She has been cleaning out her fun room and gave us 2 bean bags, a fax machine, a karaoke machine, 2 small tv's and a box full of rubber stamps. I was in need of a fax machine, and I always thought the kids would really enjoy a bean bag. She planned on donating all of these things and knew I had 2 small kids who might enjoy some of the things she had to offer. She gave all of this to us free of charge, just to get it out of her house. I am very grateful and thankful for her generosity.

Lately, I've been on the receiving end of someone paying it forward and donating things to us they no longer need. I even have clothes coming from out of state for both kids. Speaking of clothes, I almost never buy anything for the kids because my mom buys and sends us more than we could ever need. One of my goals this month will be going through all the things we don't need in the garage and pay it forward to someone who could use it. So far I've donated a tricycle to a neighbor. I have lots more baby items that I can get rid of as well. How have you paid it forward?