The ABCs of 52 Brand New … and this week’s Kids Co-Op Linky!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Laura

There are A LOT of kid-friendly/mommy blogs out there … but the idea behind my featured blog this week is quite unique!  In 2011, Danielle realized that she needed to reinvent herself … so she tried 52 new things (one each week).  She discovered so much and had so much fun that this year, 2012, she and her KIDS are doing 52 Brand New things.  I highly encourage you to follow their adventures!

The ABCs of Danielle from

Age 37
Bed (size) Queen
Chore you Hate Vacuuming
Dogs? None
Essential start of the day My kids running into my room, practically dragging me out of bed
Favorite Color red
Gold or Silver? silver
Height 5’3” on a good day
Instrument None
Job Stay at home mom, but will go back to teaching elementary school in the next year or two
Kids 2 amazing ones! Ages 6 and 4
Where do you Live? New Jersey
Favorite Movie The Hangover, or any other ridiculous movie that can make me laugh
Nickname I don’t really have one
Overnight hospital stay Only when I gave birth to my children
Pet Peeve The only thing I am closed minded about is closed minded people
favorite Quote “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -H. Jackson Brown
Right or left-handed? right
Siblings? one brother and one sister – I am so lucky to have them in my life!
Time it takes to get ready Not sure, but I always need 5 more minutes than I have!
Underwear I have a million pairs – depends on my mood – but mostly cute and comfy
Vegetable you hate brussel sprouts
What makes you late? My complete lack of time management
Xrays you’ve had none that amounted to anything serious
Yummy food that you make quesadillas
favorite Zoo animal Tigers – so sad they are nearly extinct

And now, for this week’s Kids Co-Op Linky!
The Weekly Kid's Co-op


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Compost Cup Snack

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Laura


By far not original, but oh-so-yummy and fun!  I took this spin on the well-known dirt pudding for Henry to bring as snack for kindergarten.  They have been learning about composting in class, so we figured this would be perfect.

I bought a massive box of chocolate SnackPack pudding (which really helped keep the price down AND allowed for the pudding to already be made and in individual containers; It also doesn’t need to be refrigerated, so I didn’t need to worry about that either!)  The “dirt” was chocolate graham crackers that Henry enjoyed smashing up in a ziploc bag.  And, every good compost bin needs worms … so we added some gummy crawlers!

Henry had fun teasing the other kids that they were REAL compost bins with REAL dirt and REAL worms.  It was fun to see their reactions, but the BEST part was that Henry and I had so much fun creating this snack together!

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Celebrating Mother’s Day 2012

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Laura

I’m a spoiled Momma!  My Mother’s Day was more like a Mother’s Long Weekend!!!

Thursday – Honor came home with a present wrapped (in paper she had stamped herself!).  I opened it up to reveal …

A Beautiful Butterfly!

Friday – I went to a Mother’s Day Celebration that Henry’s kindergarten was putting on.  It was LOVELY.  A beautiful table was set for me …

It included a drawing placemat,  beautiful fresh flowers, a corsage made from a tracing of Henry’s hand, a “recipe book” that include each child’s favorite thing their mom makes (mine was cinnamon muffins … I’m glad he didn’t mention the box part!), a multi-colored mushroom made out of Model Magic, a handmade book with the text & pictures from the song, “May There Always Be Sunshine”, and a super cute hand-painted Sunflower wall hanging.  Henry even took my order and served me lemonade and strawberry shortcake!  His teacher, Mrs. Walch, read us a great book and then the kids sang us some beautiful, love-filled songs.  It was pretty hard to hold back the tears!

And to top my fabulous Friday off, my mom took the kids for the night so my husband and I could enjoy a date night!  WooHoo!

Saturday – A fun-filled day of playing with the kids and my mom!

Sunday – My husband and the kids gave me 2 small boxes at breakfast.  Each held one new Pandora charm!  A hedgehog and a gold heart in a circle!  (Henry picked out the hedgiehog … for more on that check out the video Henry made a couple years ago!)

The morning continued to be relaxing with some time to myself and then we headed out to lunch to meet up with all my family.  It was great to see everyone, celebrate my mom and grandmothers, as well as my paternal aunt and cousin (who is also my daughter’s godmother!).


I think my Grandma especially loved the handprint art that all the current great-grandkids made her!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day too!

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Keepsake Questions to ask kids on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, … or ANYDAY

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Laura


A few years back I found this list of questions on a Facebook note (if anyone knows the original source, PLEASE let me know!).

  1. What is something mom/dad always says to you?
  2. What makes mom/dad happy?
  3. What makes mom/dad sad?
  4. How does your mom/dad make you laugh?
  5. What was your mom/dad like as a child?
  6.  What is her/his favorite thing to do?
  7.  What does your mom/dad do when you’re not around?
  8.  If your mom/dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
  9.  What is your mom/dad really good at?
  10.  What is your mom/dad not very good at?
  11.  What does your mom/dad do for a job?
  12.  What is your mom’s/dad’s favorite food?
  13.  What makes you proud of your mom/dad?
  14.  If your mom/dad were a cartoon character, who would she be?
  15. What do you and your mom/dad do together?
  16.  How are you and your mom/dad the same?
  17.  How are you and your mom/dad different?
  18.  How do you know your mom/dad loves you?
  19. What does your mom/dad like most about your dad/mom?
  20. Where is your mom’s/dad’s favorite place to go?

Since then I’ve been asking them to Henry every year … usually around Mother’s & Father’s Day.  I love hearing his honest, candid answers.  I also love to look back at the previous years to see how he’s developed … and how our relationship is changing.

I also frequently use this list as an assessment of parent-child relationships in my work as a child therapist.  It’s very useful when I need to gather more information on how the child perceives their parents and how they view the relationship.  (important!  depending on the moment that the questions are asked, answers can change drastically … so always remember to take answers with a grain of salt and to look at the whole bigger picture when using the questions in this manner!)

I shared this post with …

PhotobucketClassified: Mom

 

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The ABCs of Mamascout … and this week’s Kids Co-Op Linky

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Laura

So, after a week off for Screen-Free week I’m back to my weekly ABCs feature that coincides with my post of the Kids Co-Op Linky.  This will actually be my ELEVENTH ABCs feature.  If you’d like to see all of them, click here.  For more of my favorite fellow bloggers, visit my Pinterest page, Blogging Buddies!.

This week I’m super-psyched to feature Amy from Mamascout.  Not only does she have an amazing blog filled with beautiful photos and the fun things she does with her kids, she’s also the extremely talented creator behind Mama Merit Badges.  If you haven’t heard of these before … well, I’ll allow you to stop reading this post right now and go check it out (but then come right back, ok?).  Mama Merit Badges are JUST want they sound like … merit badges (just like the ones from scouts) that parents earn for the duties of parenthood.  Awesome, right?!?  So, here are the …

ABCs of Mamascout

Age 38 or 12
Bed (size) Double, and I sometimes wake up with not only my husband, but two other boys, a chihuahua and a cat. A bigger bed might be in order!
Chore you Hate Putting laundry away!
Dogs? old, deaf mutt and the afore mentioned chihuahua
Essential start of the day french press coffees and Nag Champa incense
Favorite Color black
Gold or Silver? silver
Height 5’8”
Instrument Sadly none, well – maybe rhythm egg
Job homeschool mama and mama merit badges
Kids yes -3! ages 10, 8, and 6.
Where do you Live? Central Florida, between the sea and the swamp and near a certain famous rodent.
Favorite Movie so many, but how about Harold and Maude
Nickname moooooooooooom!
Overnight hospital stay 3 times when my children were cut out of my body!
Pet Peeve people who do not take responsibility for their lives
favorite Quote “i imagine that yes is the only living thing.” e.e. cummings
Right or left-handed? right
Siblings? one brother who is also my neighbor and a pretty great uncle (he just built a slack line for my 6 yo!)
Time it takes to get ready 10 minutes to get dressed and primp and 3 hours to drink coffee, do my morning reading, organize my to go bag, make a phone call, do a quick craft, clean up a mess, chase the dog down the street, look up something about two headed turtles for my son, bandage someone up, help find shoes, fill a water bottle….
Underwear black and comfy. help me if i ever have to wear a pair of white pants – i am not prepared!
Vegetable you hate okra
What makes you late? trying to cram too many books and journals into my purse. i feel like i need to be prepared in case i am stuck somewhere for 2 weeks.
Xrays you’ve had all sorts of joints, checking for arthritis damage
Yummy food that you make gazpacho
favorite Zoo animal any great ape

And, now … the weekly Kids C0-Op!
The Weekly Kid's Co-op

Posted in Kids Co-Op, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Taking the time … for a nature walk

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Laura

Henry and I had the most wonderful, impromptu experience the other day.  I took him with me to vote on a local school board issue since he was interested in the issue (it will directly effect him) and to help him understand the process.  He got exposure to all that … but we also experienced MUCH more.

Since we are new to the neighborhood, this was my first time voting at this location.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a NATURE CENTER.  So, not only did I vote … but Henry and I had a wonderful, relaxing walk on one of the adjacent nature trails.  Just the 2 of us, nature, and my iPhone to capture our observations.


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Easy Mother’s Day Gift

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Laura


Need a super simple Mother’s Day gift … one that little hands can create … one that is easy to mail?  My kids have been making customized frames for a couple years now.  We have always used $1 unfinished wooden frames from the craft store.  In years past they have colored/scribbled on them (or … themselves) with markers or painted them with tempera or watercolor paint.

This year I wanted to do something a little different.  I found some great felt flowers … so we used them!

Cinderella (aka my daughter, Honor) really enjoyed being able to put the glue and flowers on ALL BY HERSELF!

So easy you can make them in mass quantity too!


Once the artwork is complete, I put a recent photo of the kids in the frame.  I also put the date on the back and have the kids sign it.  Then, I mail them off, or hand-deliver them, to the important mothers in our lives.

I shared this idea at …
Tuesday TotsPlain Vanilla Mom

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What We Did During Screen-Free Week

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Laura

Wow!  That week was NOT at all what I expected.  I thought it was going to be hard … for the kids and for me, most especially for me when I needed to get things done and didn’t have a screen to “put them in front of”.

But … it wasn’t hard at all.  It was wonderful.


We cuddled * I let Honor paint her own nails * I played Qwirkle with Henry * Honor made lots of spin art creations * We got a goldfish * We made peeps s’mores * Honor and I made funny faces with playdoh and google eyes * The kids pretended to be doctors for dolls and animals * We played Monopoly Crazy Cash * We played U Build it Monopoly * Honor played with Crayola colored bubbles outside * We made chalk drawings in the driveway * We splashed in puddles * Henry picked bouquets of dandelions * We went on a walk * We played on the swings (A LOT) * We had a sleepover with my cousin * The kids had a glow bath with glow sticks * We made Nature Bracelets with the neighbors * We wrote out and sent Michigan postcards to our blogger friends * Honor made an orange picture for her pen pal, Nico * Henry and the neighbor boys battled bubbles (in full armor!) * I raced Matchbox cars with Henry * Honor helped me in the garden * Henry rode is bike * Henry drew pictures * We read LOTS of books * Played that the swings could magically transport you to anywhere you wanted * Henry created an activity where he would add to the picture he was drawing and we would have to guess what he added * We played with Model Magic * We made GreatGram a Mother’s Day Gift * I went to the farm with Henry’s class * We did some glue/salt/watercolor paintings * I played Thin Ice with Henry * Henry and I played Uno Attack * Henry played “slap the sight work” and sight word baseball * Henry started t-ball.

Now that the week is over, I’m having a hard time figuring out how (and if) I want to transition back into screen time.  For the kids, it will be easy.  My husband and I saw how much easier it was to deal with daily routines during the time of being screen free … and we realized how out of control screen time use had gotten.  We came up with plan that includes limited and restricted use for the kids that started being enforced today.

As for me … I’m torn.  I love writing and taking/editing photos.  I love sharing the fun things I do with the kids.  I love the community of bloggers that I know.  BUT, I also really loved all the extra time not looking at a screen … and just being in the moment instead.

So, moms … how do YOU do it?  How do you strike the balance between your family and your interests?

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We’re Going Screen-Free this Week

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Laura

You won’t be seeing any new posts on the blog … or Facebook updates … or new pins on Pinterest this week … or even the Kids Co-Op Weekly linky and my ABCs feature.  We are participating in the Screen-Free week that runs from April 30 through May 6th.  That means no Wii, no Princess movies, no Nick Jr or Disney channel, no playing on the iPhone, and no computer (other than for work for HutcH and I).  So … don’t let our silence worry you!  We’ll be back in one week … and I’m sure we’ll have TONS to share!

If you’d like to know more about the Screen Free Week, here’s the link.

And, if you’d like to have some screen free alternatives, check out the great posts from Awesomely Awake and 100 Fun Kids Activities for Screen Free Week from the Nurturestore.

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April Showers bring … Rain Art!

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Laura

Last week I was browsing through the ideas on the Weekly Kid’s Co-Op Linky and saw a Rain Art post from Freshly Planted.  My daughter saw it too, over my shoulder, and insisted we do it, “Right now!”  It was perfect timing, because it was raining.  So, we did!

                     

                    

I got out the paint and paper … and she got to work!  After each painting was complete inside, she took it out on the back deck for the raindrops to complete the art.

She didn’t want to bring them in when it was time for bed, so in the morning we were only left with blank pieces of paper.

Here’s a video of our lovely experience, put a fitting piece of music by Enya.

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