Rainy Day Fun Part 2

Pasta Pictures:

Spirals make fun hairdos.
Spaghetti makes great houses.

Rigatoni makes terrific arms and legs.
Alphabet pasta makes for fun practice!

And, wheels (Landon's favorite)...well, they make perfect wheels, of course!

Munch: Edible Rainbows

Read.

This is a very sweet little book.

Make.

Frosting, 1 long Graham Cracker, Fruity Cheerios

Munch!

A simple, yummy little rainbow of my own.

A pond. A little sunshine. A tub of worms....

three generations of happy boys.

Pap Pap. Daddy. Bubby.

Egg-actly What I Was Looking For!

If my St. Patrick's Day activities didn't give it away...I love holidays! I love celebrating, and living up the mystery and wonder of special days with little ones around. It is most important to me though, of course, that my family knows the reasons for those seasons. If you are like me, and believe that egg hunts and an empty tomb can coexist on the same Sunday, this is a great book for your family! Michelle Medlock Adams does a wonderful job of engaging little ones, while she thoroughly covers that our Easter traditions (eggs, bunnies, pretty dresses) are all due to the resurrection of Jesus.

It's egg-actly what I was looking for!

(click to order)

My Proudest Mama Moment So Far

St. Patrick's Day Lessons

1. Shamrock Shirt was super fun and easy to make! Landon was so, so proud of it! Note to self though...next year I should try to slow down enough to remember to wear green myself. Landon broke into tears in the middle of Chic-fil-a because he was so sad that someone might pinch me. He's a little tender-hearted...

2. Lucky Charms do not make good necklaces! One, I repeat, one of the 15 shapes that make up the cereal actually has a hole to string a piece of yarn through. AND, that one piece is not even a marshmallow. BUT, being that every shape is still packed with sugar, 3-year-old little boys are just as happy to just eat them out of a bowl.

3. Green Alfredo was a hit, though it looked a bit scary, and my husband and father-in-law were great sports! :)

Monday: St.Patrick's Day T-Shirt

Step 1:

T-Shirt, Shamrock Foam Shapes, Green Fabric Paint

Step 2:

Paint foam shapes with fabric paint.

Place shamrock shape on T-shirt upside down. Press firmly.

Gently lift foam shape.

Step 3:

Smiles, definite!

Kisses optional.

A St. Patrick's Day Sneak Peek...

I have no idea if we're Irish. Maybe. Maybe not. BUT, I love holidays, so this week we'll be doing a few things to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I'll include pictures and details as we pull these things off (keeping my fingers crossed), but here's a sneak peek at what I've got planned. Please share what you'll be doing with your little ones!

Monday:

* Make Shamrock T-shirts. I found this idea here. We're going to do our own (probably somewhat Impressionistic) three-year-old version, but they should be fun to make and cute to wear on the big day.

Tuesday:

* Make Lucky Charms necklaces for breakfast. Yum!

Wednesday: The Big Day!

* Play Find the Shamrock game. I'm thinking of teaching Landon the old 'you're hot, you're cold' seeking approach. I'll probably either sew a small shamrock or make one out of cardstock for this game.

* Make green Jello Jigglers for afternoon snack.

* Green fettucini alfredo for dinner. I've never dyed alfredo before, so we'll see how it turns out. Thankfully, my husband is a good sport!

We-Gotta-Get-Outta-the-House Hopscotch

A super fun way to learn those numbers that, as Landon says, are "a lil' bit tricky!"

Teachable Moments and People Puppy Chow

On Monday afternoon I told Landon that he and I were going to be making People Puppy Chow for our neighbors (and a little for ourselves too, of course). My kiddo, who will usually eat just about anything, was skeptical...until he saw the ingredients displayed on the counter. That's all that it took to send him running to get his little stool and apron! We had such fun making this classic snack together (Landon was able to help with every step of the process), and even more fun taking baggies of it to several of our surprised neighbors. But, the best part? Snuggling on the couch sharing a little bowl of it before dinner. Sweet!

Grammy's Recipe for People Puppy Chow:

1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 stick of margarine
1 box of Crispix cereal
1 bag of powdered sugar

1. Melt first three ingredients in microwave. Stir.
Teachable Moment: pouring, number recognition on microwave.

2. Pour warm mixture over cereal. Stir gently! Repeat as necessary.
Teachable Moment: Gently....Gently....GENTLY!

Maybe this will come more naturally for your child!

3. Once cereal is well coated with mixture, scoop half of it into a doubled up plastic shopping bag. Generously pour powered sugar over the top of mixture.
Teachable Moment: Scoop. Can count number of scoops it takes to fill bag.

4. Tie up bag at top, hold the bottom, and...SHAKE!!
Teachable Moment (for Mama this time): You're never too old to have fun! Dance it up with your little one! Seeing me boogie was Landon's favorite part! :)

Coffee Can Bongo Drum

This week's art project:

Fun to make. Fun to play.

Step 1: Materials

Step 2: Add the beans (or not).

Step 3: Paint

Step 4: Ready to play!

Recommended Reading

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"The best effect of any book, is that

it excites the reader to self-activity."

Thomas Carlyle

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I've added a few of my favorite books to my sidebar.

You can click on the images to bring up purchasing information.

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Any great reads that you'd like to share?

Indoor Hockey

It's March. We still have over a foot of snow.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Introducing....Indoor Hockey.

Thank you to my sweet friend, Jamie, for this fun idea!

She understands desperation, as she also has a 3-year-old little boy...and a foot of snow.