Slow Down, Gym Shoe!

Rub-a-Dub Dub, Two Shorties In the Tub!

Poor little Pufferfish has been so sick lately! She went to the doctor yesterday, and it turns out she has a severe ear infection, plus her lungs were all blocked up. So now she's on albuterol (making her a real Pufferfish!) plus an antibiotic, plus pain kilers!
With that in mind, I didn't want to make any big plans for the day, so we just saw where the day took us. And it turned out to be an awesome day!
In the morning, we made bathtub paints, and both of the girls got nekked and fingerpainted in the bathtub! This is an easy activity you might want to keep in mind any time you have a dull day that you want to brighten up! I made the bath paints by filling paper cups with baby soap (such as Johnson' Head-to-Toe) and then adding a few drops of washable poster paint to each cup. (You can also use food coloring, but we didn't have any!) i then set the kids free in the tub with the paint and let them go crazy! Its the one place where spills are perfectly okay, painting your body is okay, painting with your feet is okay, and as long as you don't actually eat the paint, anything goes! (Remember to click on the pics to see them full-sized!)

 

You can also make prints of your bathtub art by laying sheets of paper over the painted surfaces of the tub. That way, you have a way to keep your art work... and the prints turn out pretty cool!
 

The best part is, since they're painting with soap, there's very little clean-up afterwards! Actually, when the kids were done painting, all I did was turn on the faucet and hand Little Bear a wash rag. While I got the baby dried off and dressed, and fed her breakfast, Little Bear scrubbed down the entire bathtub until it was sparkling clean! I think she loved that part as much as the painting itself... she was so happy, singing to herself about how clean she was getting the tub!

Also, Little Bear had been asking me if I would get her a doctor's kit so she could play animal doctor with her stuffed animals. I looked for a cheap doctor kit at the store, but couldn't find any under $25.00! So instead I spent $4.50 on a first aid travel kit that came with antiseptic wipes and all different types and sizes of bandaids, and I let Little Bear go crazy with it! She loved that! She doctored up some of her stuffed animals, but she also put bandaids all over herself, me, and Pufferfish. (And all day long, when people asked us what happened, Little Bear told them we got attacked by a dog, a shark, an alligator, and a blackbird!)

We spent the rest of the day in a leisurely way... We went to the mall and played in the play area for a while, came home and had lunch, and then took a walk to the park. Little Bear's and Monkeyboy's dad just came and picked them up for his weekend visit with them, and since Pufferfish didn't take a nap at all today I just layed her down a while ago and she fell right asleep... giving me some time to blog! Hurray!
I love days like this, don't you?

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Look Who's Walkin'!

Little Pufferfish turned eleven months old yesterday. She's been working really hard at walking! I managed to get this video of her on my phone (usually as soon as I try to video her walking, she wants to play with the phone so she starts crawling to get to it faster) but she can actually walk much better than this, even! She can walk all the way down the hallway! Check this baby out!

Cafe Playgroup

Today Little Bear and Pufferfish and I went out to breakfast with our playgroup at this little bakery in a neighboring town. We've been there once before... its a really neat place because they have a section set up for kids with a whole bunch of toys, and they're really kid-friendly. Little Bear always claims she doesn't want to go there, but then when we get there she loves it! And Pufferfish was walking around like there was no tomorrow! She's just learning how to walk, but today she took more steps in a row than I've ever seen her take before. I'm sure in a week or two she'll be running around after Little Bear all the time!
I tried really hard to get a video on my phone of Pufferfish walking, because she was doing so great... but every time I tried to video tape it, she'd fall down or start crying! Maybe next time! I did get a few pics on my phone though. Not of the best quality but oh well... (Remember to click on them to see them full-sized!)

 

Like I said before, I enjoy these playgroups because I think its really good for Little Bear and Pufferfish to be out in the world, and hanging out with other kids, instead of always just being with me! But I am really not good at socializing. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but i have pretty severe ADHD and Executive Functioning Disorder, which didn't get diagnosed until I was an adult. When I was a kid I was always the outcast, the weird kid who nobody wanted to hang out with. Now, my close friends swear that they can't tell I have any problems at all, but I still feel like I stick out like a sore thumb when I'm around new people. I worry how that's going to effect Little Bear and Pufferfish as far as making friends, and as far as how others see them. Also, I'm not a really strict caregiver. Our family is pretty relaxed in ways that many families aren't. For instance, if its a day like today, kinda in-between warm and cool, a lot of times at the playground moms will be scolding their kids to keep their jackets on. And Little Bear will take hers off and throw it in the stroller, and I won't make her put it on. If it was 20 degrees out, yeah, I'd tell her to keep her jacket on. But if its a nice day out, I figure she's the one running around and playing, and if she's cold she'll come put her jacket back on. And I'll let Pufferfish get down and crawl around in the grass, while most of the other parents keep their babies strapped in strollers or carriers. I figure I want Pufferfish to get something out of the experience too, and she's going to get something out of crawling around and exploring, not being strapped to me the whole day! Things like that. Sometimes I worry that the other kids' parents are looking at us like we're sort of trashy or something. Plus we live in one of the poorer towns of an affluent county, and the other parents there seem to come from the more affluent towns, so we have that going against us too. Sometimes Little Bear meets kids at the playgroup that she gets along really well with, and she wants me to ask their parents if they can come over and play at our house someday... and I'm nervous to ask because I'm afraid those parents aren't going to want their kids to come over to our house. I don't want people to judge Little Bear and Pufferfish like that. They're really awesome, beautiful, funny, smart, free-spirited kids, and I'm nervous that people are going to just think of them as those poor girls in the playgroup with the crazy auntie!
Oh well, I'm probably just being paranoid... What do you think?

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Playground Playdate

Last night we were all at a family Mother's Day party until pretty late. This morning, Pufferfish woke up all congested, Little Bear was sneezing and coughing and said she had a sore throat and a headache, and even I had a sore throat!
Here was my dilemma... Usually on Monday mornings the girls and I go to our playgroup, which meets at a different playground each week. How we treasure these playdates! Little Bear isn't in school this year, and she doesn't have a lot of chances to play with kids her own age. I mean, she has a few neighborhood friends: a little girl a year older than her, whose parents think my family is complete white trash and don't really like their kid to play with Little Bear; and a little girl two or three years older than Little Bear. At the playgroup, Little Bear gets to play with kids her own age... the same kids each week! She gets to make real friends, instead of forging temporary friendships with random kids in the McDonalds PlayPlace! The playgroup also goes for a long walk after playing each week, often through a forest preserve.  I think its good for Little Bear to have that regular chance for physical activity and being in nature and fresh air and all that!
Plus I just enjoy being around some other grown-ups. Even though I have absolutely no social skills, it still feels good to get to hang out with someone over the age of 5!
So this morning I thought to myself, "Hmm, should we just stay home for the day?"
I also had to consider the fact that Monkeyboy had a day off from school today, so he would be hanging around, which can make the day more difficult since he and Little Bear could spend the entire day fighting!
Little Bear and Pufferfish were cheerful and not tired. I asked Little Bear if she'd rather stay home and rest, and she said, "No, I want to go to the park!" And Pufferfish was absolutely blissful, more so than most mornings! She was just laughing and playing the whole time, even when I got her dressed, which usually makes her scream!
So I dosed Little Bear up with some Children's Motrin, dressed both the girls in warm clothes, and off we went... and Monkeyboy too!
I'm glad we went. The kids had a great time! Here are some pics to prove it! (Remember to click on them to make them bigger!)

So, do you hate me for bringing somewhat sick children to the playgroup?

Nice Outfit, Kid!

We're always trying to get Little Bear to do things for herself. Usually she'd much rather try to get someone else to do things for her... whether its getting her a snack from the refrigerator, cleaning up her toys, or getting something for her from another room. Up until a few weeks ago, Little Bear often even pleaded for someone to help her get dressed! That may have had something to do with the fact that she sees us dress the baby every day, and she wants a little of that extra attention for herself!
Anyway, Little Bear has come a long way in the last few weeks. Now she not only dresses herself completely, but she even picks out her own outfits! Sometimes the results of that are pretty wild. The other day when we went to the Children's Museum, Little Bear wore a blue and white T-shirt with a kitten on the front, pink pants with flowers on them, and a pink tutu!
Yep, a tutu!
Another day she tried to wear a pair of shorts as a skirt, with two legs crammed into one leghole, and the other leghole flapping in the breeze behind her.
And today's outfit? See for yourself! (Click the pics to make them bigger.)

Pretty flashy, huh? Coupled with my lack of hair-styling skills (today I let Little Bear wear her hair down, but on other days I attempt pigrails, ponytails or braids) I'm sure she sometimes looks like she escaped from some sort of miniature looney bin... but who cares! I think she's cute, no matter what! How about you?

Thesaurus Rex?

Little Bear loves to repeat big words she hears on TV... although she rarely manages to use them in context. In fact, sometimes she'll just blurt them right out. You can be combing her hair, and she'll suddenly sigh, "Contemporary."

Me: "Little Bear, where do you hear all of these big words? You sound like a thesaurus!"
Little Bear: "Roar!"

Visit My Treasure Jar Store!

Just wanted to let you all know that I've created an online store called Angel's Treasure Jars where I will be selling Treasure Jars!
A Treasure Jar is just what it sounds like... a jar full of treasures! They are sometimes also known as Journal Jars or Gift Jars. I plan to create many different Treasure Jars, but right now the only one I have up in the store is the Treasure Jar For Kids! Its meant to be for kids who are going to be traveling, because it has things inside that will keep them busy, such as activity pads, stickers, glow sticks, small toys, and novelty candy. It also contains slips of paper with quotes, trivia, jokes, conversation starters and boredom busters typed on them. (Those are what are usually found in Journal Jars!)

In the future I'm going to make different kinds of Treasure Jars as well. I have a plan for Angel Jars, which will have all sorts of angel-themed treasures inside!

So... thats my project of the moment. Let me know what you think!

Day at the Museum

Little Bear, Pufferfish, Monkeyboy and I went to the Children's Museum today! Monkeyboy actually ditched school to go with us. Shhhh... don't tell! We had a lot of fun! I took a bunch of pictures I thought I'd show you. (Remember to click on them to see them in full-size!)

There is this scale there that you can stand on to see how much you weigh in gallons. For some reason, Pufferfish loved that scale and kept climbing on and off of it! She would have stayed there all day!

 

Pufferfish also loved this little rocking chair!

Here she is launching herself off the rocking chair when she was done with it!

Little Bear loved the Pet Vet!

Monkeyboy pretended Pufferfish was a pet, and gave her a rabies shot!

The kids also loved playing in the Clifford Exhibit...































and the water room...











and the music room!






(Little Bear was actually pretending to be a pilot in this photo while she listened to the headphones!)


















What a great day! I wish I could afford a membership to the Children's Museum so we could go all the time! With a year's membership, you can actually get into all of the Children's Museums for free!  That would be really cool because it would mean we'd always have an option for something to do, even for an hour or so!  Oh well... maybe when I'm rich!

Tackle It Tuesday Again!

Tackle It Tuesday is here again, and I'm on a roll! I tackled two organization tasks today. And I even have before-after pictures this time! Check this out! (Remember you have to click on the pictures to make them bigger!)

Here is my desk before Tackle It Tuesday...

 

And here is after!

Now here is one particularly cluttered area of my room before Tackle It Tuesday...

And here is after!

Pretty good, huh? Tackle It Tuesday may be the best thing that has ever happened to me as far as organizational skills go!

Cinco de Mayo!

Hope everyone had a great Cinco De Mayo! We did! We went to our playgroup in the morning, which involved playing at a playground and then going on a hike through the woods. We actually did hike, on a dirt path, hauling strollers and toddlers and everything! It was lots of fun!
Here's a picture of Pufferfish on the swing... the only thing she can really do at the playground besides try to eat the woodchips. (I actually didn't get any pictures of Little Bear, because she was busy running around with her friends, and because I had Pufferfish in my hands the whole time!)

(Remember to click on the pictures to make them bigger so you can see them!)

We also tried hard to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! The holiday is important to us because Monkeyboy's birth father was Mexican, and we try to teach him about his heritage in whatever ways we can. He was at school all day today, but I did things with the girls anyway. We read a book about the meaning of Cinco de Mayo and how it is celebrated in Mexico, and we listened to tapes of Spanish children's music in the car.
We also made maracas. A very easy way to make maracas is to take two plastic or foam cups. Fill one about halfway up with rice or beans or something else that will make noise. Glue the second cup on top of the first one, mouth to mouth. (I also like to tape over the crack to make it more likely to stay closed!) You can also decorate them however you like.
For a different sound, make a long coil out of tinfoil, and put it in the cup before you pour the rice and beans in!
Here are some of the maracas we made...

And here is the picture of Pufferfish trying to eat the maraca I made for her!

Finally we went out for Mexican food and fried ice cream!
A great time was had by all!

Did you do anything to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?