In The Kitchen: You Capture

The theme for You Capture is your kitchen. My Kitchen! Yikes. Okay, so at first I thought I would be creative and take some pictures of my kitchen in a small amount of disarray with the skillets still on the counter from last nights dinner (cleaned but not put away) and the dish drainer still sitting out, but then I thought. Naw, I'm not that brave and I also saw other mommies airing out their dirty dishes and they had me beat by far in the creativity department.

So I grabbed my camera and started looking around. This is while Lorelei says "Mom, why are you always taking pictures of stuff?" My reply "Because it's fun!"

One of these contains the flour my family uses for Christmas cookies! (that's not the only time I use them, but the fondest memory.)

The basic sink. I am constantly wiping and cleaning and it is almost never kept up even after all my hard work.

Lorelei and Hannah love pink lemonade! Just letting it air out to make some more!

Sharing is Caring

We have been pretty busy around here lately. I'm dropping in to say hello and share a little bit of what we have been up to. I will post pictures maybe tomorrow. We have a festival in town so we have been out and about enjoying it as well as the company of family and friends.

I have just been having a blast and I know the girls have too. Lorelei has been talking about every experience, friend and family member. She was so excited to ride carnival rides by herself as well. Oh the joy on her face. I wouldn't have missed that for the world. She skipped and danced her way off of those rides like she was a fairy princess.

She even got to meet a couple Princesses the other day as well. She met Snow White and got a picture with her as well as meeting Jasmine. She wanted to meet Cinderella, but she seemed to be unavailable.

Kids day was a blast and I was very happy to see all of the free activities for the kids. They could run from game to game and watch shows and get balloon hats and animals. She got her face painted with a butterfly and a hippo on the other cheek (leave it to my girl to stump the poor high school student who volunteered to paint children's cheeks).

This morning was the parade too. That was great. I loved watching Hannah wave at everyone and she started bobbing her head to some of the marching bands music. So cute to see. Lorelei really liked the marching bands too. She has been telling me that she wants to be in a high school marching band when she grows up.

We are still not finished yet. We are going to have a BBQ in a bit with friends and try to make it to the fireworks and more carnival rides tonight! I'll keep you posted and I will share pictures of our adventures soon!

Dedicated to My Mom

I suffer from a peripheral vision impairment. Well not really, but it seems as though I spend every thought and bit of energy on my girls. I focus so much on their needs that I can't see what is going on around me. Between the mile long walks (which I enjoy too), beach days (I also enjoy), craft projects (sometimes enjoy), playing games, building things, crafting things, what to eat and when to eat, when to use the potty and change the diapers, etc. (the list goes on).

I can't seem to see the mess we are creating with our whirlwind day or week. Then all of a sudden my blinders come off and viola! Mess! This is even after picking up numerous times a day, vacuuming at least every other day, mopping, toilet bowl cleaning, numerous dish washing throughout the day. You name it. I do it all day long. After all of that the day comes where I notice somehow I have let everything go. How does this happen?

I'll tell you how. All my kids do is eat, sleep (rarely), poop and make a mess of dishes and clothes and toys. Yikes. I kid you, but it seems like the universe is playing some kind of trick on me. "You want to be a good mom and spend all moments with your children teaching, playing, nurturing. Well ha! You have to spend half of that time if not more cleaning up after your dog, husband, self and two kids. Now find time to relax and be carefree with the family."

I remember as a little girl just resenting my mother when she stayed in when the rest of the family went outside to play. What could she possibly be doing that was more important and more fun than playing outside with us? Cleaning! Either that or goodness forbid mom needs a nap.

Speaking of naps, I have been trying something new. My girls share a room with each other and I have always put them to bed at different times as to not wake the other. Lately I have been trying to get them to fall asleep in the room, in their own beds at the same time. This is proving to be difficult.

Hannah falls asleep now all by herself as does Lorelei of course, but together is a whole new story. I put Hannah down while Lorelei wanted to sleep in her tent (an indoor tent shaped like a tree). I walked out to finish up some of the laundry I had been trying to fold. After all I was only a few feet from their door. It was completely quiet so I assumed they were on their way to sleep. All of a sudden I hear "Hannah no. Mom can you come and get me out of this crib?"

Have I shared that the new thing is Lorelei climbing into Hannah's crib and coaxing her into jumping. Well apparently that has changed to trying to sleep in the same bed with her. Lorelei had put her pillow, blanket and numerous guys in the crib as well as herself. I guess it wasn't as easy getting out of the crib as in.

This morning while helping Lorelei to the bathroom (the door has a toddler proof nob) Hannah tailed behind. She sat down outside the bathroom door to wait patiently like she almost always does. (Either that or she tries to steal her sisters underwear and run off to put them on.) This time I look behind me assuming she is still in the same spot and she was gone.

Walking out of the bathroom I assumed I would find her quickly, but nothing. I couldn't find her anywhere. I realized quickly that the one day I left the slider open with only the screen blocking her to the patio she had gotten out of my site. I freaked out running from room to room. My heart fell to my knees when I finally called her. "Hannah." Just as I finished her name I see her pop out from under the desk and say "Boo." Now you must be kidding me. How can my one year old be that sly?

A few days before that we had ate our dinner and decided to go out for ice cream and the park. What a treat. The girls had so much fun and were exhausted by the time we got home. Since we had left so quickly for our desert I had some unfinished business with the dinner dishes. Hannah was on one side of the room playing with her Dora chair while Lorelei was in the play area minding her own business quietly playing.

If you're a parent you probably smell something with the slight sent of mischief. Well you would be correct. Lorelei seemed to have gotten a hold of her water bottle and was pouring all of the water on her toys. This spot she had chosen was just out of sight of where I could see her from the kitchen. Her excuse was that they needed to be cleaned. I guess I can give her a "golden star" for cleanliness.

All in a days work for this momma. Thank you to my mommy for putting up with my mischief, but I'm sure I never created any (she says with a wink).

A picture of my mom and I chatting it up at Lorelei's party.

Nap Time Debate: Homeschooling vs. Public Schools

Swimming, sand, hot sunny days and Popsicles dripping down finger tips. Camping and S'mores all fun summer activities filled with joy and laughter come to an end and the school year vastly approaches. Summer is at it's half way mark and all I can think about is where to send my daughter to school.

She is still working on potty training, though we took her to her first preschool open house back in February or March. Excitement isn't even an accurate description for how Lorelei feels when we walk by the preschool and stop to play on some of the equipment (shhhh, don't tell). She is working hard on potty training, but doesn't seem to have the knack for it as she'd rather be playing right along with her sister, which doesn't quite add up to being ready for preschool.

The girls and I sit together to do endless craft projects, learning letters in work books and cutting out shapes and making puzzles. We do so many learning activities in this house; I even add in learning when we're going for walks or on the beach just by simply asking questions or pointing objects out.

All of this has made me wonder what is best for Lorelei and Hannah in the near future. What is going to be best for my girls? Does homeschooling or Public Schools have the best structure and learning environment for them to flourish and grow?

Homeschooling leaves so many doors open and seems to me to be a much more nurturing environment. It's my responsibility how the day goes and what they have learned by the end of the week. How they view learning and what they learn would be completely up to me. I can send them to summer camp or Library functions or decide to start a homeschooling group for parents and children or I can join a group.

Sending my daughters to a public school offers daily peer interaction and possibilities of ever lasting friendships. Learning from and trusting an adult other than a parent. There are things a public school offers that I simply can't. Learning how to get along with a teacher or peer on a daily basis and coping with their environment; if that may be the case. Odds are in the many years of schooling the children will come across a teacher or peer they just don't understand or get along with.

A child learns to thrive outside the home and learn how to follow their given schedule and earn grades and be admired and seen by peers. It can teach them how to handle a bully or even an assignment they'd rather not participate in.

On the other hand children may feel stifled and left behind their peers if they stay home with their mommy. They may feel uncomfortable in such a fast and structured environment in school.

Are these things I want my children subjected to? Just because it is the norm to attend public school and to learn how to thrive or survive doesn't mean my children need to be subjected to that type of lifestyle. Just as much as keeping my kids home "sounds" like the more nurturing option doesn't mean I need to keep them home with me. After all it takes a village right?

I have so many different arguments on this subject I can't simply decide. Not yet anyway. I'm not sure if I'm the right teacher for my children or have what it takes to guide them into living a happy and fulfilling life as adults. The last thing I want is to look back and think I made selfish decisions. I chose to send them to public school so I didn't have to feel the pressure of their education on my shoulders or I kept them at home with me because I wanted to nurture them and keep them close..too close for their liking.

Expect to see more on this subject in the future as I simply don't have a "winner" for this debate. Both schooling styles seem to be viable solutions to raising children. I hope I can make the right decisions for my children as the years go by. Any advice or opinions, please share!

For some homeschooling information go to http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com. Don't be afraid to look into it yourself. Google it!

For Homeschooling vs. Public Schools Part 2 please click here.

Projects to Do With the Kids

There are the ever most popular and beloved finger paintings, coloring books, water color paintings, crazy shape cutting, and many other basics we can do with our kids, but sometimes it's fun for me to make something special from all the basics or beef them up a bit.

We have used old diaper boxes and made them into baby doll beds and school buses for 'L' so her guys could ride around inside them. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of this escapade but I can explain.

Bus

1. Let the toddler/preschooler apply glue to one side of the diaper box after you folded in or cut off the top flaps yourself.

2. After the side of the box is saturated undoubtedly in glue help apply the choice of color your child chose for their bus. We chose yellow. (Repeat this step until all sides are covered)

3. While the glue is drying help cut out rectangles for shapes. I made long strips out of basic construction paper and let her cut across to make the rectangles. Also make larger shapes for the front window and back windows.

4. Let toddler/preschooler apply glue to the backs of the rectangles and help guide them to where the windows should go. Let them have fun. If one is out of place let it be. It'll still be a bus to them.

5. If you are comfortable with your drawing skills ask your child who they want to drive the bus and ride in the back. Draw faces of animals or family members in the windows. In our case Daddy "drove" the bus and the family as well as many animals rode in back.

6. Add any personal touches like sparkles or stickers if you'd like. This would also work for the people riding the bus if you'd like.

7. Finishing details like dividing the doors with a line and adding handles, lights etc.

Your bus is complete! Let your child enjoy their new homemade toy they had a hand in making.

Baby Doll Bed

1. Using an old diaper box you now have two options. You may cut the corners half way and fold or cut the remaining flaps to make shorter sides or you may later add a pillow to fluff up the middle. We made both beds.

2. Choose the color of the baby doll bed and let your toddler/preschooler apply glue to one side of the box and help apply the paper. Repeat until all sides are covered.

3. Choose stickers, paints, crayons or cut out more shapes and glue to the sides to let your child express themselves.

4. Finish the project with your own personal touch. I added a small beach pillow for the mattress and let her use her old receiving blankets for baby doll blankets.

All done! Let your child enjoy her reward after all of her hard work; the baby doll bed!

Another project we ventured in was a bouquet of roses or daffodils. This was a lot of fun because she got to collect some things from the beach and I used what I had lying around the house.

Fake Flowers in a Vase

1. Choose your vase. You can use an old one you have lying around, a plastic cup or one of your kids cups. I had a plastic, pink vase lying around after receiving it as a gift when 'H' was born.

2. Go to the beach and have fun! You can go to the beach, park, playground or your backyard, but make it fun. Let your child choose all of the fun stuff like rocks or shells to go inside the vase to hold down your small vase.

3. Go home and collect the rest of your supplies. I used bendy straws for the stems but you can use colorful pipe cleaners if you'd like. For the pedals we used baking cups in the traditional size and the small size for tiny cupcakes.

4. Fill your vase with all of your goodies. You may clean whatever you found first if you wish.

5. Mom, poke holes in the center of your baking cups after counting out how many flowers you would like to make. You can double up the baking cups to make numerous pedals or just use one per stem. Let your child decide.

6. Let your child slide the baking cup onto the bendy straw. We cut a bit of the tip off being that it would stick out too far through the flower. The baking cup will stick well to the "bendy" part of the straw if you did not make your center cut too large.

7. Add any personal touches like leaves made from more pipe cleaners or construction paper glued or taped on. My daughter didn't want to make leaves but wanted to add pieces of straw in the bottom with the rocks and shells so more flowers had a chance to grow.

Sit back and take a break. Display your childs beautiful vase of flowers in their room or in the center of your table. 'L's is still in her room to this day.

You can also make maracas out of old water bottles. For little fingers you can use macaroni noodles and let them drop them in. Older kids might like using a funnel and spilling in rice. You can decorate the outside with stickers, paper or even paint. Another favorite is making masks out of paper plates. We enjoy making crowns out of construction paper. I'll even ask 'L' for an animal and I will cut out a frog for instance, but add a construction paper band for a crown. She ran around in this crown until it fell apart. Which in some cases may be very quickly!

I hope you enjoyed some of these ideas. Don't forget to check out more sites like www.babycenter.com or other mommy sites for more projects and check back here for more crafts in the future. You can come up with your own ideas too! Make them kid friendly and they don't need to be gorgeous but they do need to be fun and age appropriate. Enjoy the time with your children.