$4 Fun

What do you do when you find  a package of adhesive mustaches for $3.99?  You buy them of course!

I "mustache" you a question!

 I "mustache" you a question!

 I "mustache" you a question!

Don't I just have the most adorable silliest kids EVER?
They ran around the house for two days with mustaches telling me.
I "mustache" you a question!  Do you love me?
YES!!! Yes I love these two crazy kids!  It was well worth $4.
I "mustache" you a question.
How do you spend $4?

Rainbow fairies

 Charlie loves the Rainbow Magic Fairy books.  We have read a total of 21 books so far.  For Charlie, they are great stories.  For me, not so much.  They are all the same.  Jack Frost (the bad guy) steals something and hides it.  The girls (Rachel and Kirsty) must go find it and return it to the fairies.  But, Charlie LOVES them.  So, I encourage her and her imagination.  She made these adorable fairies all by herself with help of my scrapbook supplies.  These are the rainbow fairies. 

 We have a total of 6 sets of books: rainbow, jewel, magical animal, night, petal and sport.  Each set  has a map in the front cover that shows where the story takes place.  I am going to try and make a play mat for each of the different maps.  I am trying to decide if I want to paint them on a sheet or make them out of felt.

Either one is going to take a while.  I am leaning more and more towards the sheet.  I think I will make them each as big as a poster board so that she can lay them on the floor to facilitate play.

International Mud Day

 Today is International Mud day.  My kids LOVE the mud.  They love it so much that we had to make Monday Mud day at my house so that they would quit ruining clothes.  I can not tell you how excited they were that there is a day devoted just to playing in the mud.  So, Here are our mud day pictures.  ENJOY!

To Follow the intent of the law or follow the Law

I don't tend to let my kids "play" much unsupervised.  I don't know if it is the control freak in me or the worrier but I am always afraid they are going to get hurt or get into something.  But, Grandma lets them roam unsupervised in the yard.  Most days this is not a problem.  They stay within grandma's acre and don't do too much damage.   The last time my two wonderful children were at grandma's they experienced roaming in the field behind grandma's.  They thought that was so great to have that freedom.  With this freedom come the lesson of barb wire hurts and cows will spook.  The last time they were at grandma's they also got some unsupervised play in the yard.  They decided to get down to their panties and diaper and have a dirt fight.  Really I don't know what it is about these two, but they love throwing dirt and mud.  So, Sunday when we went to grandma's and knowing my two I told them:
"C and B, you can play in grandma's yard but NO DIRT fight.  We are going to see oh' grandpa's.  And leave your clothes on."

 We let them play outside for 30 minutes. It was time to go see Oh' grandpa.  I went out to get them.  They are NO where to be found.  Grandma and Grandpa come out.
Grandpa: "Don't worry they are just in the pasture.  They are fine."
Me-"This is why I don't let my kids play outside.  They get into too much."
Grandma:  "They can't hurt anything.  They are just in the field.  They never go near the pond."
And where, oh where were my kids.  Not near the pond.  Oh no, they were IN the pond.  THANK God for no rain lately.  The pond was only waist high to my two year old.  Who was having a BALL in the Mud.  Not water but MUD.

 Dusty tops the hill to the pond seeing them in the middle covered from head to toe in mud.  They are laughing and throwing mud at each other.  Dusty proceeds to tell them that their mother (ME) is going to kill them.
Charlie says, "But why Daddy?  We are not throwing dirt and we kept our clothes on."
Sure enough both kids had taken off their shoes and left them on the bank.  They had every stitch of clothing on.   My kids chose to follow the law.  I am going to really have to get better about explaining the why of the  "Law."

We got to see Oh' Grandpa it was just a little later than we had originally wanted.

Happy Ground hog's day!

I have this incredible husband.  But, he is a little silly.  His second favorite holiday is Groundhogs day.  Why?  I have no idea.  This year we were blessed with a snow day.  He and C got up at 5:00 to watch Phil.  I had so much fun making these for breakfast.  You can find them here.

 This our picture of the day for today.

 And here this silly man is having a conversation with his ground hog about the weather.

The kids took turns talking to their ground hog as well.  We were laughing for a good 10 minutes over the weather reports from the silly donut hole ground hogs.  I LOVE this man!!!

Mother vs Father

I was going to get better about blogging when it was new.  That did not happen.  Maybe that can be a resolution.  Dusty the kids and I were eating our lunch "as a family."  This is very hard to do with our work schedule so we only fit it in a couple times a week.  Charlie attempts to catapult a piece of ham across the table.






I, the mother, begin my "lecture" about proper table manners.  Dusty pops up with a science lesson.  "Charlie, in order to have a catapult that works you need to have a fulcrum."


I asked the kids (and D) to wait until lunch was finished and then I would give them an entire bag of marshmallows to practice with.  Here, D is instructing B how to hold his mouth in order to catch the flying marshmallow.


The fun followed!   As did 35 minutes and many, many marshmallows that flew across our dining room.  :)

Advent tea

Working at the Catholic School has been a faith blessing for me. I have found that in the 7 years that I have taught there I have examined my faith against theirs and have been given huge blessings. I have kept many of my one traditions and adopting some of their traditions as well. One of the things that I have learned about is the Jesse Tree. When preparing for our latest family night on your faith during Ordinary times I came across a post about Advent Tea. This "Tea" is one that is a food representation of the different stories read during the devotion of the Jesse Tree. I decided to try it. (This is so not something I am good at--hosting. It is out of my comfort zone. I seem to be getting out of that zone a lot lately.)

I sent out invitations. Got a menu ready. Went shopping. Made food. Hosted the tea. I had so much fun, especially when Charlie started asking about the food that I was preparing. She got her Bible and began retelling the stories. Some of these stories we had not read in a very long time. I had a nice presentation of the food but forgot to take a picture. I hope this will become a yearly tradition with friends.

We started out with four things on our plate and ran through the stories. Then I added a food and read the verse. I think that next time I will do the whole thing like that, one story at a time. I know that B did not get much out of it. But, I do think that if I keep doing it, he will get something new each year. I hope that my friends were blessed by the tea as much as we were.

Adam’s Apple

Apple slice w/ a gummy worm serpent

Genesis 3:6

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Noah’s Ark

celery boat w/ peanut butter, 2 animal crackers and a skittle rainbow

Genesis 9:12-17

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Abraham’s Stars

ham lunch meat cut into the shape of stars w/ small cookie cutters

Genesis 15:5-6

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d^] be.”

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Isaac’s Bundle of sticks

8 pretzel sticks tied into a bundle

Genesis 22:6

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,

Jacob’s ladder

untie the pretzel sticks and create a ladder

Genesis 28:12

12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Those two stories were told together. Once they had their ladder made they could eat the pretzels.

Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors

corn tortilla cut into the shape of a coat, spread w/ peanut butter and topped with colorful sprinkles

Genesis 37:3-4

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate^[a^] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

The Burning Bush

broccoli covered in thousand island dressing

Exodus 3:2-3

2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

Moses’ Tablets of the law

Milano cookies w/ roman numerals written on them in black icing (the ones on the internet looked so much better than mine)

1 The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

Jonah and the Whale

a bowl full of whale crackers and a little people counter (I could not resist.)

Jonah 2:1-2

1 ^[a^]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said:

“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.

The Root of Jesse

Carrot sticks (b/c they are a root vegetable)

Isaiah 11:1 and 10

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

David’s Star

I did not understand how this story related to the star of David.

Cut large star shapes out of flour tortilla's sprayed with butter sprinkled w/ cinnamon sugar and baked.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Bethlehem, House of Bread

biscuits cut into quarters and baked to look like a roll

Matthew 2:5-6

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’^[a^]”

John the Baptist’s Honey

honey (for the biscuit)

Luke 1:41

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:3

3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”^[a^]

Angelic Messengers

angel hair pasta w/ sauce

Luke 1:26-28

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Flowers of Jesse

rose chocolate suckers

My mother-in-law use to make candy with Dusty and Mistie so Charlie made these with her one weekend.

Isaiah 11:1-3

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

I really do hope that this becomes a tradition for us sometime during the Christmas season.

Super parents!

D and I made Christmas tree cake pops tonight for Charlie's girl scout party tomorrow. We had fun. Cake pops are defiantly something you want to do WITH a friend. We lost a few but I think they turned out well. And we used all products w/o peanuts!

Silly String

I don't know about your house but at my house silly string is HUGE. Well, to one kid. Charlie LOVES the stuff. Under all that string and hair she is laughing asking for more.
B, not so much!

National Play dough day

What do you do on a Saturday when the little one is sick? You find mommy's post it flags and use them for whiskers. That is what you do. No, maybe you....

You make play dough birthday cakes. We have a bowl of colorful shape buttons and small flowers that the kids like to use to make cakes. This week we also added a box of birthday candles. If you don't want your kids to use candles you can always cut pipe cleaners into smaller pieces or use colored toothpicks. And, by the way, Happy National Play Dough Day!!!

Oh, and the kittens used my post it markers to make whiskers. I love their imaginations.

Bricktown, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I love to just do crazy things with my kids. Saturday was the perfect time to do this. I LOVE scavenger hunts and walking, and I LOVE Bricktown. Dusty on the other hand does not like any of these things. He had to work this weekend. We did not have anything special planned because he was at work, so the kids and I went to Bricktown with a clip board and a camera. We had the BEST time! Here is our list of thing to find... a boat, a buffalo, a bridge, a horse, a statue, a baseball player, Sonic, a bench, a trolley, a waterfall, a fountain, and guitar. We have added a few things to our list for next time: a person with a camera, a duck, a pigeon, and animal prints. We rode the trolley (which is free now). We rode the blue line. The kids just had the best time. It was a great day. We ate dinner at Sonic.

More Mud

I had a class Wednesday. When I called Dusty at lunch time to ask him a question he told me about his "mistake." "Honey, I sent the kids in the back yard." My first thought was "has the mud hole dried up." But I did not say anything but oh. There clothes are ruined but they are having a great time. I didn't realize it was muddy. My husband is very smart but not when it comes to long term planning. He just doesn't think about the future. We have an area in our back yard that is all dirt b/c the kids dig in it. I am okay with this but I have to remind myself of such hole when it rains. And it has been raining here a lot. Which is why I have not let the kids out. I don't want to clean up the mess. Doesn't this guy just look like a clay statue?




And this one here. He is taking a bath, a mud bath.


In this one you can see the mud dripping off of Charlie's skirt. And, that she is ankle deep in the mud. I don't think this mud hole will dry up anytime soon.


But this is the one that just makes me laugh. B is giving Charlie a bath. He is trying to wash her will mud. How funny is that? The best part about this story is this: My amazing husband took pictures, gave the kids a bath, mopped the floors, and cleaned the bathtub. Who cares that their clothes are still sitting on the back porch. I don't know that I could get them clean anyway.

Sound Garden

I don't know if I have told you before, but I have an amazing husband. Why is he so amazing, you ask. Because he humors me. I love this blog by Teacher Tom (a preschool teacher in Washington). Most days I just think what he does is really cool. But some days...

I just have to try out his stuff. He posted about a sound garden. I loved it. So, we made one.

Isn't he great! He made this great sound garden with the kids. Thanks honey. You are the Greatest!!