Love the Faux Burger!!

This delicious "burger" was inside the boys treat bags from Pre-K - sadly I do not know which mom made this treat.

This is how you construct it:

Bun: is Nilla wafers (sprinkled with sesame seeds that can be "glued" on by brushing the top with simple syrup)
Ketchup and mustard: yellow/red frosting
Lettuce: green coconut
Burger: a Thin Mint

School Prep

After the fourth, I start "school prep" with the boys. My goal is to get a minimum of 15 minutes in a day - mostly letter formation and fine motor skills. We also watch educational DVDs together once a day such as so-and-so starts school, phonics, etc.
Yesterday the boys made a "bus." Brant used a jump rope to make a seat belt. I was the driver.

I drove them to school a.k.a our kitchen and then I was the teacher. They called me Mrs. Maley. While the boys completed some worksheets and wrote their names, I made pancakes - just in time for "snack time." Brant told his brothers to all hold hands as they sang, "Gather 'round and we shall see a community, a family. Brothers, sisters we are one." It was adorable!

Things Kids Can Do In The Kitchen

1. Stir (gently) wet or dry ingredients
2. Butter their own toast with a dull knife
3. Crack eggs. All of my kids have always cracked eggs for me. In a separate bowl of course so I can fish out shells but now that my oldest has had practice no shells at all!
4. Wash fruit or veggies
5. I measure out what I need and have them pour it into the bowl: flour, sugar, spices, liquids, etc.
6. Open up tea bags
7. Feed fruit through the juicer shoot when making juice
8. Wash plastic dishes, dry and put away
9. Press buttons: for dishwasher, washing machine, toaster, etc.
10. Put the soap into the dishwasher (with supervision)
11. Roll citrus fruits on counter so they extract the most juice for recipes, etc.
12. Unwrap butter
13. Set and clear the table
14. Fill cups/pitchers with ice cubes
15. Stand on a chair and help me fill the crock pot up with ingredients (they want to help me add ingredients to a pot on the stove. Since that is obviously unsafe this is the next best thing).