The Fine Art of Jewelry Making

And by fine art, I mean chenille stems and jewels (also known as pipe cleaners and plastic beads).

Charis and I were talking about having a giving heart and being kind to others. So we decided to make bracelets for a few people. Brian and our 9 year old neighbor named Joey were on the list, but I wasn't sure how either would feel with a bracelet. Brian might feel conflicted to wear man jewelry all day as not to hurt her feelings and Joey...well, he'd probably just be confused.

This is also a great activity to practice motor skills. Threading is tough work for a 2 year old! We took our craft outside to enjoy the nice weather (and to avoid microscopic beads rolling into every nook and cranny in the house). I debated on whether or not to drag everything outside, but Major gobbling up every bead that rolled his way like they were little mini doggy treats and me, awkwardly chasing 1000 self-propelled jewels across the kitchen floor (over and over and over) helped solidify my decision.

Eventually she just had fun dumping beads. :)


She's proud of her bracelets!

The finished product!

S'mores!

I've been waiting for an ultra-hot summer day that is also cloud free, but unfortunately those days have been few and far between. It's the only time so far this year I've wished for temperatures in the upper 90's. See, I have this super fun activity to do with Charis---s'mores that bake in the sun!! Get yourself a pizza box, aluminum foil, s'mores ingredients, and you are ready to go!

Unfortunately, the sun, weather, Brian's schedule, and my patience have not been cooperating. So....we decided to make them in the oven. If you haven't done it before, here's how it goes:

Step 1: Gather supplies and lay out your s'mores on the baking sheet. Oven should be set around 375 degrees.Step 2: While assembling, taste the ingredients for freshness and taste.
Step 3: If you are Charis, you taste again by gracefully shoving a marshmallow in your mouth with one finger. Step 4: Bake for 4-6 minutes.

Step 5: If you are trying to avoid the squishy, chocolaty mess (it will squirt out the sides) from getting on your furniture, I suggest consuming them at the table. But, if you are looking for fun and a little danger, try spreading out a few towels on the couch or floor. That's what we did. I know, I'm wild and crazy like that. ;)

Step 6: Happily devour.

Camping Preparations!

Brian and a few other guys went camping in West Virginia this past weekend. Brian had been looking forward to this trip for a long time.

In preparation for his outdoor adventure, he set up his tent in the backyard and he and Charis played. She was VERY excited. She pulled on the Moo-Cow boots and was ready to go!!

At first the tent was all fun and games.

We found out that she happens to like the dirt that goes along with camping about as much as I do.

Which is not much. Oh, I like to dream about being adventurous. In my mind I think Camping with the family! What's not to love? And then I think about it...heat, sweating, lack of shower, catching my hotdog on fire over the campfire, burning my smores, waking in the middle of the night and praying the bears don't eat me while I stumble through the woods to find the bathroom...I could go on and on. So right now I'll let Brian enjoy the wilderness and I'll enjoy tent camping...in my backyard. Maybe by the time I'm 30 my adventurous side will "kick in."

Big Girl Bed!

When Atalie was born, Charis was 19 months old. She was so comfortable in her crib that we hesitated to make the transition to a new bed at the same time a new sibling was coming into the picture. This week we made the move to a new "Big Girl" bed with Charis. The first week...love love love. She was asking...no, begging...to go to bed. The second week? "I yike the crib. Where can crib be?" (yike= like, just in case you weren't sure.)

And today?

As soon as I walked out of the door, this happened:

Charis: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Me: It's time for a nap. If you need something, you don't need to scream. Just say, "Mommy I need you."

Charis: Mommy, I need tumping. (something)

Me: What do you need?

Charis: (long pause) uh, chocolate chips??

Me: (about to burst from holding in laughter, yet speaking in my best fake firm voice) It's time for a nap.

I understand, though. I often need chocolate chips, too. ;)

I love that they love each other!

They look like 2 little old ladies getting ready to go shopping!

The girls had so much fun dressing up. Thanks MeMe for a great dress up box! I think I had just as much fun as they did.

Oatmeal starfish and more!

Charis and I have started Theme Weeks. Our first week's topic: the beach! I dug out all my beach and water books and we learned about a different animal each day. We started with starfish. We read a book on starfish, made our own starfish by cutting out a star on blue and red paper (yes, some starfish are really blue), and gluing oatmeal to the outside to make it bumpy in texture. Tuesday we made a crab, Wednesday a jellyfish, Thursday we painted fish, and Friday we made an Ocean in a Bottle. ( crafts.kaboose.com/ocean-in-a-bottle.html) We had a sea shell hunt in pink sand (woo-hoo for Crayola sand!), hid seashells in the house to find, and examined real starfish, sand dollars, conch shells, and coral. We made sand pictures and played in her sandbox outside and dug for hidden treasures in the sandbox (our own mini beach). Some fun stories we read were The Rainbow Fish, The Fidgety Fish, and The Clumsy Crab. Digging for seashells!
After we found the shells, she decided to get in the bowl.

And some sand in the hair... which, incidentally, I am still finding.

She had a great time! (And so did I!) Next theme....bugs!

Fun (and tears) in the Sun!

There are so many great things about having my parents live close. The kids love them, I really enjoy seeing and talking to my mom, it's cozy and inviting, they always seem glad to see us. I could go on and on. I've never really been crazy about the pool, so it hasn't been on my list of highlights. I need a hot day with an even hotter pool. I'm talking 90+ degrees. You know, a gigantic hot tub. Everyone insists that the pool is there to refresh you. My opinion? It's hard to feel refreshed when you are shivering and have to do a tip-toe dance just to get used to the water. You know the dance. You hop in, arms pulled up near your chest, fists balled, up on your tippy toes, stomach sucked in, a poor attempt to keep the cool water from touching your bare stomach. And don't forget the agonized facial expression. Yes, that sounds like fun to me.

Charis and Brian do not share my opinion.

Charis wanted to jump off the diving board first...

She was very excited to jump into Brian's arms. I think she did this about 100 times.Then it was Atalie's turn! Her first time in the pool.I think she shares my opinion.This was long after she'd dried off and warmed up. Still upset that we had subjected her to that type of torture.I feel your pain, girly. From now on Atalie and I will be spectators instead of participants. And I just found my new excuse for not getting in.

"I would, but someone has to stay with Atalie."