Astronauts and Spies
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| Astronaut Practice on the Trampoline |
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| Antennae for Better Reception? |
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| Spy Chicks |
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| or, “Are you making me breakfast, yet?” |
On Quiet Houses
Today is the first day of school!
My 3rd, 8th, and Kindergartner
I spent all night making a nap mat cover for Mr. Jac.
I didn’t use a pattern, just sort of winged it from the nap mat my mom had made me in kindergarten (yeah, I still have it.) I put two stretchy circles of fabric on the end to tie it all up with, and Em made the pillow. I was happy to use the fancy star stitches my machine can do around the blanket. Fun!
I didn’t use a pattern, just sort of winged it from the nap mat my mom had made me in kindergarten (yeah, I still have it.) I put two stretchy circles of fabric on the end to tie it all up with, and Em made the pillow. I was happy to use the fancy star stitches my machine can do around the blanket. Fun!
All Rolled Up
Alien on the Blanket
All my kids are in school this year, and Cole and I don’t know what to do.
He wouldn’t stop barking when Jac was getting his clothes on like he was saying, “You can’t make HIM go too, it was bad enough when just the two big ones went!” My reluctant kindergartner was fine until I said “bye” in the classroom. I haven’t had a call yet, so wish us luck.
The house is too quiet.
Hot Springing It
This weekend my eldest one had to do her SCUBA open water dives for her certification. The big event was to be held in Lake Ouachita, so we decided to make it a weekend.
Me, being a moron when it comes to Arkansas weather (I know, STILL! It’s only been like 18 yrs since I’ve lived here, right?) decided we should camp by the lake since “it will be cooler than it is in the city.” Ahem…
It was NOT. It was HOT! And the “neighbors” in the campsite across from us let their kids stay up SCREAMING in the bathrooms until about 3am, while they drank much liquor and talked very loud. (Needless to say the next morning we woke up to take E to catch the diveboat and proceeded to take down the tent and I started calling hotels.)
We rented a party barge for the day and took the boys out for some fun. Next visit I think we’ll take a boat and camp on the lake edge in the woods.
Leaving the Marina
Swimming with the Fishies
Jumping Off the Boat!
We hit the Mid America Museum and the Pirate Cove Mini-Golf (boys’ choices.)
Pirate Peg-Leg Just Hanging Out
Hole in One!
Eat at J’s Italian Villa if you are there! FANTASTIC! Hot Springs is a fun place. Lots to do for the entire family (museums, hiking, art galleries, hot spring baths, lake, race track…)
Kids Make the Darndest Things #1
I’m joining in on a new linky-thing called “Kids Make the Darndest Things” over at Jen’s. Sounded fun because my kids are ALWAYS making things. I have 3 kids, so storing/keeping all these masterpieces is a challenge. I have gotten better and do actually throw some of the minor works away. Then I have 3 professional portfolios I bought at an art store that are about 3’x 4′ that I wrote their names on and put the better works in.
Some new works:
Close up of his “death penguin”
OK, this needs an explanation… Max has sensory issues and the school allows him to doodle during lessons. I went in one day and the ENTIRE closet door was covered with his doodles. This was what was left when he brought it home. The middle says “Max Rules” and the rest is a hodge-podge of creativity. He was really excited because he designed their class surfboard for field day and the design won for the entire elementary school!
Their board is the one on the right with the kids
Emily won a contest at school too. She designed the new middle school t-shirt! She is a fantastic artist and I imagine that will be her career path (if not science.)
My little dude is big on making “mad scientist stuff.” I find potions and experiments all around. My freezer is teeming with frozen mixtures of “I don’t want to knows.” Recently he took a test tube and filled it with “flour, and a bunch of stuff” he says. I don’t think it’s flour, but it made a tornado in a tube which is actually really cool.
What creative, crazy things are your kids making? Come join up and tell us!
Not so Wordless Wednesday: Kindergarten Woes
Yesterday Jac had to take his kindergarten “entrance exams.” (Yeah, I know.) He is REALLY not wanting to go to school, which starts in July by the way. Being the youngest of three, he knows most of the kids & teachers at school already. First he wouldn’t get out of the car. He was not a happy camper and then refused to go into the room to take the test.
We tried:
- Bribery with lunch with mommy & Max
- Told him he could feed the snake in the science room
- Told him he could see the chinchilla in said science room
- They told him they would make a volcano with him
- Bribery with candy
You know what worked? (Hint- None of the above!)
I had to go get Max from his classroom to go with him to take the tests. They did make a volcano and I think they both ended up having fun. (Thank you for sweet, patient teachers!)
I took the boys to lunch at Your Mama’s, a busy “blue-plate” diner nearby.
Can you tell we don’t eat beef at home?
“Mom, these are the best rolls EVER!”
Later I asked little man if he was excited now about being at school with his brother and sister- his response was…
“NO WAY! I’M NEVER GOING TO THAT SCHOOL!”
My thinking is that they don’t have the playground installed/purchased yet. I mean, I don’t want to even go to a school with no playground. All I can really remember about kindergarten was baking, playing dress-up, getting in trouble at naptime, and playing on the playground (chasing boys.) I think it’s a sad state of affairs when No Child Left Behind has taken away all but the playground part, and most of that. Being a parent of a now 8th grader who started kindergarten when this wonderful education plan started I can’t tell that it’s improved anything.
Snow Days and Sewing Stuff
View up the street
The kids were so happy to finally have a “snow day” yesterday. We had about 2 or 3 inches of sleet then last night had some snow start and got maybe an inch. Talk about happy kids! I don’t think we had any last year. Haven’t had much for five years I know- the year Jac was born.
Don’t get me wrong, I like snow, but am SOOO glad I don’t live somewhere cold where we’d have it everyday. I couldn’t handle the wet little feet prints and 20 pairs of socks from changing every time they go in/out all the time.
My dog especially loves it and wanted to spend the entire night in the snow! Nut.
Our dog Cole and his buddy Bucky
Crazy Cold-Toed Kid
Yesterday I took advantage of my homebound boredom (and small burst of energy) and broke out my new sewing machine!
I have been wanting to make the boys a closet door/ puppet theater since I took off their closet door. (They kept banging it against their other door and making huge dents in it.) I saw this great one in Pottery Barn Kids book Kid’s Rooms awhile ago and have had the page bookmarked! I used a curtain I’d gotten on sale at Land’s End for $4 made of navy canvas and cut it in half and used the second half for bits and pieces I needed.
Pottery Barn’s Version
My version
I have to get a curtain rod still (thinking an expandable spring rod,) but this is what I came up with! The boys want me to applique some things on it, we’ll see!
Inside Pocket for Finger Puppets