Sunday, March 20, 2011
Fun in the Sun
The boys and I haven't been doing any "lessons" this week. Just getting outside as soon as possible to enjoy the good weather and fresh air. Everyone has been getting reaquainted with the "outside" toys, we went to the zoo - just thoroughly enjoying the sun. It's been AWESOME!!!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Seedlings
My mom is quite the gardener and grows seedlings every year. I mean she has these special lamps, she talks gibberish to them, the whole bit.
This year she brought a tray of seedlings to grow at my house and of course we got the boys involved. We talk about how much the plants have grown, how they smell, what they will grow into, etc. I'm amazed at what topics have come up just from us taking care of these seedlings - its been great. They love to water them too. We are going to obviously use these seedlings to plant a garden this year, which I'm excited about. Possibilities are endless as far how the boys will help me tend to the garden and what lessons they will learn.
This of course goes along great with our "bug" theme this week.
On a different note, Joy actually used a handful of seedlings this year as placecards for her cocktail party. She beautifully painted small pots then stuck a flag in the pot that had the person's name written on it. I thought it was a great idea. It was a seasonal gift and brought color to the table.
The boys were very excited to "share" their seedlings with aunt Joy-Joy.
This year she brought a tray of seedlings to grow at my house and of course we got the boys involved. We talk about how much the plants have grown, how they smell, what they will grow into, etc. I'm amazed at what topics have come up just from us taking care of these seedlings - its been great. They love to water them too. We are going to obviously use these seedlings to plant a garden this year, which I'm excited about. Possibilities are endless as far how the boys will help me tend to the garden and what lessons they will learn.
This of course goes along great with our "bug" theme this week.
On a different note, Joy actually used a handful of seedlings this year as placecards for her cocktail party. She beautifully painted small pots then stuck a flag in the pot that had the person's name written on it. I thought it was a great idea. It was a seasonal gift and brought color to the table.
The boys were very excited to "share" their seedlings with aunt Joy-Joy.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Gettin Buggy With It
On Friday my husband recorded A bug's Life for the kiddos. My boys are all excited about it and want to watch it every day. It's a cute movie but there are a couple of scenes where "stupid" and "shut up" are said. Whenever those scenes come up, the boys and I address how talking like that is against our rules, how we don't talk like that to people, etc.
Here are some other ways that I have embraced watching A Bug's Life.
1. We got out a few of their favorite bug books and identified which bugs are both in the movie and in the book. We also read bug books at bedtime.
2. The boys and I play "grasshopper chases the ants" up and down our hallway.
3. We visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum today. Aunt Ja-Joy has a membership so we just had to pay $9 for my mom. I found street parking so I didn't have to pay for parking either - I was pretty happy. It was our second time there and of course had a blast. We went straight for the Istock Family Look-In Animal Lab. We talked about which bugs were in our books and in the "bug movie." The boys were very excited to see the stick bugs and the tarantula. We caught the tail end of a worm workshop this volunteer was hosting (PERFECT for our bug week) and she was so great. She let them dig, with a small shovel, into this tub of compost to look for worms. Brant was so excited when he found one. Thankfully the woman was a pro with kids because Jaxon snatched it so quickly and almost ate it. The woman saved the worm and saved me from throwing up. Phew!
She held the worm and let the boys gently pet it. The volunteer asked good questions such as, "how did the worm feel when you touched it? Was it kinda slippery?" The woman also gave all three boys pictures of a worm for them to color.
We also ran into a volunteer that let the boys pick out binoculars and look out this huge window. They saw geese, a rabbit, birds - the boys were thrilled. They felt like true adventurers with those binoculars!
We went into the Butterfly Haven, which is Brant and Mason's favorite section. During the fall, Jaxon was terrified of the dried, dead leaves. He would run away screaming if the leaves blew in the wind toward him, especially if they scraped the concrete and made a bunch of noise. I wasn't sure how he was going to do in the butterfly room but he didn't seem to mind when the butterflies flew near him.
4. Tomorrow we are going to color our worm pictures and do a bug craft project of some sort.
Here are some other ways that I have embraced watching A Bug's Life.
1. We got out a few of their favorite bug books and identified which bugs are both in the movie and in the book. We also read bug books at bedtime.
2. The boys and I play "grasshopper chases the ants" up and down our hallway.
3. We visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum today. Aunt Ja-Joy has a membership so we just had to pay $9 for my mom. I found street parking so I didn't have to pay for parking either - I was pretty happy. It was our second time there and of course had a blast. We went straight for the Istock Family Look-In Animal Lab. We talked about which bugs were in our books and in the "bug movie." The boys were very excited to see the stick bugs and the tarantula. We caught the tail end of a worm workshop this volunteer was hosting (PERFECT for our bug week) and she was so great. She let them dig, with a small shovel, into this tub of compost to look for worms. Brant was so excited when he found one. Thankfully the woman was a pro with kids because Jaxon snatched it so quickly and almost ate it. The woman saved the worm and saved me from throwing up. Phew!
She held the worm and let the boys gently pet it. The volunteer asked good questions such as, "how did the worm feel when you touched it? Was it kinda slippery?" The woman also gave all three boys pictures of a worm for them to color.
We also ran into a volunteer that let the boys pick out binoculars and look out this huge window. They saw geese, a rabbit, birds - the boys were thrilled. They felt like true adventurers with those binoculars!
We went into the Butterfly Haven, which is Brant and Mason's favorite section. During the fall, Jaxon was terrified of the dried, dead leaves. He would run away screaming if the leaves blew in the wind toward him, especially if they scraped the concrete and made a bunch of noise. I wasn't sure how he was going to do in the butterfly room but he didn't seem to mind when the butterflies flew near him.
4. Tomorrow we are going to color our worm pictures and do a bug craft project of some sort.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Toddlers N Toothpicks
A cheap, easy way to make food fun and interactive is to use toothpicks.
I have used any and all - the umbrella kind, the sandwich kind, seasonal, you name it we have tried it in the Maley household.
I found bamboo forks in my baking cupboard and gathered Brant, 4, and Mason, 3, around the table. Before we eat fruit or juice it I always make sure I have one of the boys identify the fruit and the other tell me what color it is. Today I had grapes, strawberries and raspberries.
I told them we were going to stack our fruit onto a stick. The boys were really excited about this and actually pretended they were putting "marshmellows" on a stick to roast over a "campfire." Brant could fit three or four pieces of fruit on a stick at time and he ate about 4 sticks worth. Both boys enjoyed the process of it all: picking the fruit out by themselves and seeing how many pieces of fruit they could stack at a time.
I have used any and all - the umbrella kind, the sandwich kind, seasonal, you name it we have tried it in the Maley household.
I found bamboo forks in my baking cupboard and gathered Brant, 4, and Mason, 3, around the table. Before we eat fruit or juice it I always make sure I have one of the boys identify the fruit and the other tell me what color it is. Today I had grapes, strawberries and raspberries.
I told them we were going to stack our fruit onto a stick. The boys were really excited about this and actually pretended they were putting "marshmellows" on a stick to roast over a "campfire." Brant could fit three or four pieces of fruit on a stick at time and he ate about 4 sticks worth. Both boys enjoyed the process of it all: picking the fruit out by themselves and seeing how many pieces of fruit they could stack at a time.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Growth from a surprising toy
Getting my kids to eat anything that isn't yogurt, fruit or PB &J is a struggle. When they were infants I made all kinds of baby food from scratch and they ate every bite. I often worry about their nutritional balance.
I have been trying different things over the past year: talking and reading about the food groups, they help me pick out produce at the store that we are going to "juice", we color pictures of fruits or veggies, etc.
Lately I have been talking about how big and strong they will be if they eat vegetables, drink "ice water", eat fruits, etc.
My mom took them to the dollar store and bought them a sting ray that grows when it sits in water for like 96 hours or something.
I thought it was gross. It was slimey - all I could think about was keeping it away from Jaxon's mouth.
Well on Monday I forgot to drain the tub and that sting ray sat in tub water all night. The next morning when I saw the filled tub, I drained it and left to make breakfast. Mason came screaming out of the bathroom. He was so excited that I could barely understand him.
I followed him to the tub and saw this HUGE sting ray. The boys were beyond THRILLED.
So I took the opportunity to say that the reason the sting ray grew so much was because he drank water. I said, "if you guys keep drinking water, eating fruits and veggies you will grow every day just like that sting ray did. One day you will be big just like daddy."
Brant was amazed. He said, "WHAT?!" As if I had been holding out on some big secret. I couldn't believe the look on his face.
I said, "yeah. How do you think daddy got so big and tall? He ate his snacks!"
Seeing your child make a connection to something first hand was so rewarding. I had no idea that all I had to do was buy this toy for a buck. And if I knew it was going to help them connect eating food with growth I probably would have planned it better like had half eaten broccoli stems sitting by the sting ray.
The next morning Mason had two carrots for breakfast and a big glass of ice water so he could "grow big muscles like daddy."
From this experience we started a growth chart in their doorway. They are always pleased to see that they are growing into big boys every day.
I have been trying different things over the past year: talking and reading about the food groups, they help me pick out produce at the store that we are going to "juice", we color pictures of fruits or veggies, etc.
Lately I have been talking about how big and strong they will be if they eat vegetables, drink "ice water", eat fruits, etc.
My mom took them to the dollar store and bought them a sting ray that grows when it sits in water for like 96 hours or something.
I thought it was gross. It was slimey - all I could think about was keeping it away from Jaxon's mouth.
Well on Monday I forgot to drain the tub and that sting ray sat in tub water all night. The next morning when I saw the filled tub, I drained it and left to make breakfast. Mason came screaming out of the bathroom. He was so excited that I could barely understand him.
I followed him to the tub and saw this HUGE sting ray. The boys were beyond THRILLED.
So I took the opportunity to say that the reason the sting ray grew so much was because he drank water. I said, "if you guys keep drinking water, eating fruits and veggies you will grow every day just like that sting ray did. One day you will be big just like daddy."
Brant was amazed. He said, "WHAT?!" As if I had been holding out on some big secret. I couldn't believe the look on his face.
I said, "yeah. How do you think daddy got so big and tall? He ate his snacks!"
Seeing your child make a connection to something first hand was so rewarding. I had no idea that all I had to do was buy this toy for a buck. And if I knew it was going to help them connect eating food with growth I probably would have planned it better like had half eaten broccoli stems sitting by the sting ray.
The next morning Mason had two carrots for breakfast and a big glass of ice water so he could "grow big muscles like daddy."
From this experience we started a growth chart in their doorway. They are always pleased to see that they are growing into big boys every day.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Manicotti/stuffed shells recipe
I made my grandma's spagetti meat sauce and had maybe 2 cups left over. I bought manicotti and it turned out so amazing! It was insanely easy to do too. I had to share it!
Most manicotti recipes call for meat in the filling but my sauce was already so meaty with ground beef and Italian sausage...this dish reminded my tastebuds of lasagne. You take a bite and it's layered: meat sauce, noodle, filling and noodle.
Other recipes also state that sauce should be on the bottom of the pan when you place your filled noodles in it and then topped with more sauce. I didn't have sauce on the bottom, just a little noodle water. My plan was to further cook the stuffed noodles by steaming them with the meat sauce on top. It worked - not sure how nothing was burned but it was awesome!!
- Set the oven to 350.
- I boiled the manicotti for a few minutes, just softened them up a bit.
- In a bowl I mixed (with an electric mixer on low) the following: fresh basil and parsley (about 1/4c each, chopped), 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 2 TBL parmesan cheese, 2 TBL softened cream cheese, 1 egg, 1 small container of ricotta cheese and S&P to taste. I put the blended ingredients into a ziplock bag, snipped a corner and began piping the filling into the manicotti.
- I topped the stuffed manicotti with whatever sauce I had left over (about 2c), 1 c of mozzarella cheese and about 3 TBL of parmesan cheese.
- I cooked it for about 30-40 minutes.
Most manicotti recipes call for meat in the filling but my sauce was already so meaty with ground beef and Italian sausage...this dish reminded my tastebuds of lasagne. You take a bite and it's layered: meat sauce, noodle, filling and noodle.
Other recipes also state that sauce should be on the bottom of the pan when you place your filled noodles in it and then topped with more sauce. I didn't have sauce on the bottom, just a little noodle water. My plan was to further cook the stuffed noodles by steaming them with the meat sauce on top. It worked - not sure how nothing was burned but it was awesome!!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
You are 34 when...
As I tried to come to terms with the fact that I was offically 34, I took notice of the things I did on my birthday morning that clearly confirmed my age. The list below occurred over the course of maybe 90 minutes.
Here's to 34! *clank* Cheers!!
1. Blasted Radiohead...in my minivan
2. Considered writing a complaint letter to Card Party Outlet for asking me what my phone number was as a line of customers stood behind me (can't they use a zipcode like everyone else?)
3. I was on "I'm-a-mom-without-kids" time; I went to four different stores in an hour
4. I laughed out loud in the store when I saw a set of napkins that read, "Enough of the damn juiceboxes mommy needs a cocktail!"
5. I laughed out loud in a store by myself
6. I took pictures of these napkins that were cracking me up
Here's to 34! *clank* Cheers!!
1. Blasted Radiohead...in my minivan
2. Considered writing a complaint letter to Card Party Outlet for asking me what my phone number was as a line of customers stood behind me (can't they use a zipcode like everyone else?)
3. I was on "I'm-a-mom-without-kids" time; I went to four different stores in an hour
4. I laughed out loud in the store when I saw a set of napkins that read, "Enough of the damn juiceboxes mommy needs a cocktail!"
5. I laughed out loud in a store by myself
6. I took pictures of these napkins that were cracking me up
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