Snow, Sleet, Rain, Slush Day

The Cardinals came in today since I put out the sunflower seeds...I just love their color against the white snow...so pretty.

Out Back...

Hope Mr. Squirrel is cozy in his house!

We've had a pretty day full of snow, sleet, and a little rain/ice forming....I was a wimp and stayed inside, watched the birds & drank hot chocolate. I think that Tyler Schools were not canceled today; we had school here at home in front of the fire. Nice & warm & cozy! That's me! I promised the kids that they could play out in the snow in the morning if we get a good snow tonight. Today the snow barely covered the ground, then melted quickly to slush. The snow is starting to come down again now, so hopefully they can have a snowball fight or two tomorrow. We're supposed to have lunch with friends at 11:30, so I'll be happy if the roads are good by then...hint, hint Mother Nature!

It's Homemade PlayDough Day!

Nature's Playdough: Here's what you will need: Large pot, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup water, 2 T Oil, 2 T Cream of Tartar & I used food coloring for the color, but you can use beet, spinach, or carrot juice if you want to go all natural. It's super easy & takes about 10 minutes for me to make; Caleigh & the boys helped, so it took around 20 since I let them measure, pour, stir, etc. I also add a little Vanilla extract to make it smell good! YUM!
So, mix the flour, salt, oil & Cream of Tartar & slowly add in your water. Cook over medium heat stirring until your dough becomes stiff. You'll know when it's ready! It forms a nice ball right in the pot! Just keep on stirring!
Add your food coloring last, then turn out onto wax paper and knead the dough with your hands until you're satisfied with it's consistency. It will feel a little softer than regular playdough & it is really easier to work with for the little ones than store-bought. I had to make this for the boys when they were little because they would break out in asthma attacks from the strong smell of regular store bought playdough.
Let cool, then use it as is or divide into balls / ziplocs to save some for another day (or in case your boxer eats it! haha!) Little hands love it!
Happy girl with her new "blue playdough"!! Of course she picked blue!

This post is especially for all my Vietmom blogger friends currently on day #3 or 4 of being snowed in! Thought you could use another fun craft today!

February 9, 2010

All in a day's work....ready for our school day.

She reminds me of a little Statue of Liberty in this picture with her flashlight held high.

About to do her somersault.

Blake: Gun or plate stand...you decide!

Bryce: I See You!

Bryce: Concentration baby!

Woodworking wasn't on the plan for the day, but why not? They had fun taking this apart & putting it back together with their little multi-task tools.

We stayed in today...everyone is feeling better today, but I didn't want to push it by going out with them too soon. Plus, it was VERY cold! So, we had school & then played around the house and I caught up on some laundry & delivered some Scentsy orders.

I thought some of you might like to see what we're doing at home right now for the boys' school. In the Fall I plan to buy a curriculum that is all-inclusive except for Math. For now, I'm still pulling from different resources & we are reading, reading, reading & doing a lot of Math. So, the top picture is my "lesson plan" for today. We started a study of Aesop's Fables this week & it is turning out to be really fun to have them guess the moral/application of each Fable after we read it ;)

Boo for the Sick Fairy!

One opened window for the germs & the sick fairies to escape....

Plus one bundled up with blankets & Saltines plus a dose of Tylenol

Add in another kept at a distance with gatorade, crackers & his own private tissue box....

....and there you have it: a sick day. Boo! Keeping Caleigh as far away from both of these two as possible (very hard by the way!) Luckily, she chose to nap today, so she's tucked away for at least a couple of hours. Blake has the sneezes & the blowing of the nose. Praying his is just allergies & won't turn into a full blown cold. Bryce woke up throwing up at midnight & again at 5 am. Nothing yet today, but he decided to turn on a fever around noon. Boo! I was hoping it was the bbq chicken wings James grilled outside...guess not. Hoping it's a quick little bug & no-one else gets it. I opened the windows up before the rain hit & let the sick fairies fly out after I gave the rooms & bathrooms a good Lysol bath! And I was just telling my friend how healthy these two have been this year....you should never, ever say that!

SuperBowl Sunday

Some little Goldfinches came to visit this weekend...it's the first time they've visited my feeders.

Did you make these peanut butter pine~cone feeders when you were a kid??? Caleigh LOVES making them & hanging them out for the birds & the birds love her for it! Luckily my neighbor has big pinecones! Thanks Becca!

I thought I would make something new to go on my front door. It turned out pretty I think...and the birds like the berries!

Saturday

The waterfall at the entrance to The Dallas World Aquarium.

Caleigh did NOT like all of the noisy birds flying around....she stayed like this on her daddy for the first 1/2 hour of our visit.....

She perked up at the flamingo exhibit....

Trying to stand like the flamingos!

We saw almost every single thing that we studied about last week! It was so neat! Beautiful aquariums & so many things to see....we were there for 4 hours & I'm sure probably missed something.

Looking down on the shark tank...you can see the people below in the walk thru~I thought it made for a cool picture.

At the entrance to the shark tank walk thru....Note to self: the boys cannot wear the size 6 jeans out in public anymore! They're just too short! I can't believe they're finally in a 7!!

Checking everything out!

Trying to choose a "treasure" to take home.

We had a full & fun day at The Dallas World Aquarium today. It wasn't too crowded and we were able to get up close & see everything. I didn't realize how many different kinds of animals they had there....all kinds of birds, otters, alligators, fish, sharks, rays, salt water creatures, penguins, flamingos & the list goes on and on! Caleigh did not like the open rain forest area...the birds are free flying & very noisy...she hid on her daddy's shoulder the whole way though. After that, she was fine & enjoyed the rest of the day. The boys were amazed at how many of the animals we had read about last week & they recognized & were able to name & tell me all about...I must admit, that part was fun for me!~ They listen! Lunch was yummy & affordable. When we ate at the Houston Downtown Aquarium it was SO expensive! I was pleasantly surprised today. If you get a chance, I recommend it. The pathways are small, so don't take a huge stroller if you can avoid it. I'm sure we'll go back some day~we all really enjoyed it.

February the 5th...Friday! TGIF!

Yumminess to the Max!

I just love how she turns her do-nut icing down to maximize the amount of frosting she's tasting! She's so funny! We had a do-nut party for our Fun Friday & an ICEE after piano lessons! It turned out to be a "sugar Friday"! I'll have to load up on the veggies tonight & tomorrow for these kiddos! Regardless, it was a fun day even though we didn't technically "do" anything. We had a laid back school day, but got in our reading & Science & studied thermometers & temperature today. We are heading to The Dallas World Aquarium on Saturday...we've been studying underwater sea creatures all week for Science & they have a lot of the ones we've been learning about....so, I call FIELD TRIP!!! Hooray!

February 4th

PlayDoh RULES! New PlayDoh is something to be marveled! Heaven in the eyes of a 2-year old! She's learned all of her colors now & can point to each & name it. Very cool! We had a fun outing today...we went to meet some friends at McDonald's to play....Robin came with her 5 kiddos (all under the age of 9 mind you!). Her youngest who is about to be 3 was just adopted from China last week! He is a cutie! It was nice to get out even though it was pouring down rain & chilly. The kids had fun & I guess that's all that really matters ;) Personally, I could have stayed home in my PJs by the fire all day!

February 3, 2010

It still amazes me how it came to be....from one little town in Southern Vietnam....to our home. And is still amazes me how much they all three look alike....I guess it always will....

February 2, 2010 Thank Heaven For Little Girls

She was watching her pretend TV in her room. haha!

Surprised to see me with the camera!

She ran & hid behind the couch & got the giggles when I found her...

So she hid under the table in the living room....can you see her little baby tooth peeking through? the fourth on the bottom row...she actually cut it last week...at 27 1/2 months! Crazy!

'If I can't run away from you, I'll hide under my blanket!'

Or maybe just look at you sweetly...maybe then you'll quit chasing me with the camera.

Thank Heaven for little girls.

Monday, Day 32/365

Wake Up! Wake Up You Sleepyhead....

...Get Up, Get Up, Get Out of Bed!

It's A Beautiful Day....

....everything's going your way.

I can remember my mom singing this little rhyme to me to wake me in the mornings for school. Caleigh decided to sleep in this morning & I had to wake her up at 8:00 because we had to leave for Co-Op at 8:30. I always feel so bad when I have to wake her....you know, the whole "Don't wake a sleeping baby" thing & all. She was super sweet & kept throwing her blanket over her head telling me the flash on the camera was "too bright"! She finally perked up & gave me a few smiles :)