More butterflies…

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Tessa

While research butterfly activities I cam across this beautiful project. I knew we couldn’t do exactly the same thing since I didn’t want to spend money on that awesome Martha Stewart butterfly punch or on canvas, and hot glue isn’t a standard part of our crafting activities yet, but I wanted to try something similar. Yesterday we painted paper. Easy peasy.

This afternoon we started cutting out butterflies. I thought this would be fun, but turns out the kids were pretty bored. I think we all would have had more fun with the butterfly punch :) I was thinking of a beautiful mobile or something with the butterflies, but since only one side was painted I decided that wouldn’t be as beautiful as I’d imagined. Then I was thinking of chaining them together… but we ended out getting out the glue instead. Give my kids a good glue stick and some paper (or not) and they are happy crafters!

Cutting butterflies. Not quite as fun as a punch, but I enjoyed it.

Butterfly cards

Watch your mailbox, some of these butterflies may be heading your way…

Summer Schedule 2011

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Tessa

I have other ideas that I may add here as well, such as our theme for the week, field trips, upcoming changes, etc.

I was hoping to have a summer schedule posted and ready before the school year ended, but that didn’t happen. Then I told myself it’s good to have a few days “off” before implementing the new schedule. Sure, that sounds good. Wednesday night I posted our new schedule, most of the way completed. Thursday was an “off” day because we had a WW meeting and tons of errands and car troubles. The kids both looked at the schedule, whined about their Thursday chores, and that was about it. I spent the day mentally debating about how and when I should start following it (I keep thinking “enforcing it” but that sounds a little too intense for summer vacation!) and then I began wondering if we really need one at all. I like the idea of chores but I’m just not motivated to enforce them and I’m still unsure what to do when the kids flat out refuse. I don’t want to fight or punish and we don’t (yet) have a motivator, such as an allowance or reward. That may come, or it may not, I’m not sure.

This morning we were playing Sorry and the clock in the living room chimed. Suddenly Lex jumped up and ran into the kitchen. I asked what he was doing and he said “Just checking the schedule!” The schedule which, he quickly noticed, had not been updated for Friday :) I updated it and they got super excited about today’s chores. Huh?! It was past chore time but both kids agreed they needed to be done, so upstairs we went to do chores. Eve got bored part way through, but with some gentle help and encouragement she made it to the end. Lex happily dusted the whole upstairs, at one point even announcing “Chores are fun!” I wish I had that on tape!

Perhaps my worries about how and when to follow the schedule were for naught. Perhaps, like the Field of Dreams, if I post it, they will follow. At least the reading-and-rule-abiding boy will follow and hopefully the eager-to-be-with-big-brother girl will tag along :)

As for themes (this week is butterflies), I decided to let the kids be involved in that decision as well. Next week we will be vacationing in the country and I was thinking bugs or lakes, but Lex decided that we should learn about flowers. So that will be our theme for next week. Flowers. I think there is a lot we can do with that theme!

Some photos from the week…

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Tessa

Fun in the neighbor’s kiddy pool…

Three big kids and one little pool.

Isn't she elegant? In this moment :)

I love the braids!

sharks!

Strawberries…

Our little strawberry plants are growing like crazy! The kids pick them as fast as they ripen though :)

A crafty day…

Eve with her "helmet"

First thing this morning the decided to finish making the sunflower craft project they started at the library yesterday.

Little flowers

This afternoon we did the butterfly project (below). It was a crafty day. They also made necklaces and bracelets for themselves and for me. So far I love summer vacation :)

Butterflies

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Tessa

This summer I decided we’re going to have a daily schedule (more on that later. it’s similar to last year’s only this year it includes chores!) and a weekly theme. I wanted to have this all ready before school ended, but alas I did not, so now we’re kind of winging it! On that note, this week’s theme is butterflies. We picked out a few books about butterflies from the library yesterday and today we did a fun butterfly coloring project. Eve wore her wings for awhile (taped to her back) then “hid” her butterfly on the chair, saying that it’s blue wings were camouflaging it on the blue chair.

Eve working on her butterfly.

My butterfly

Mine and Lex's, flying high. These are the camouflage undersides. Did you know that many butterflies and moths have camouflage on the outside and bright colors on the insides? It's a defense mechanism.

I didn't get a very good picture of his. I'll hang Eve's tomorrow and try to get a picture of all three together. They are pretty. I'm kind of proud of this project :)

They learned the differences between a butterfly and a moth, the various ways butterflies and moths protect themselves from predators (including camouflage), and what their predators are. We also talked about the life-cycle, which is something both of them have talked about in school before. Tomorrow I have a WW meeting and I just now printed some butterfly coloring pages and activity sheets for them to do at the meeting. I also found a few painting projects that we’ll probably do tomorrow afternoon and Friday. I love the Internet :)

I have a long list of other weekly theme ideas, including camping, construction, photography, nature, ocean, etc. I’m going to fit some of them in to weeks we already have plans and others will just fall into empty weeks. So far I have 15 themes in mind so we probably won’t get to all of them this summer :)

Almond Cake

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Tessa

My friend Elizabeth had this cake at her house one day when we were over for a playdate. It was so delicious I asked for the recipe. Then I made it for the memorial service this weekend and it was so delicious two other people asked for the recipe! I didn’t take any pictures of it (imagine that!) but those at the memorial know what it looks like and the rest of you just need to bake it yourself. Here’s the recipe:

Almond Cake

Ingredients
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp almond extract (I think most any extract would do, almond or hazelnut, lemon or orange, or just vanilla)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
pinch of salt
sliced almonds

Directions
1. Grease and flour a 9″ round pan
2. Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and extract. Mix in flour and salt.
3. Spread almonds on top
4. Bake 30-40 minutes in a 350° oven
5. Cool completely, then turn out (put a plate on top of the pan, hold them together and flip the whole thing over, remove pan)

Serves 12.

Serve with fresh berries, sliced strawberries, shaved or drizzled chocolate, or just plain. The flavor is sweet and mild so it stands alone or works well with company. I wish I had a piece now to go with my hot tea.

Note to weight watchers… while this cake is totally delicious, you do pay for it in points. I’m sure it could be “lightened” but as is each slice is 8pts!

Artsy Eve

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Tessa

Eve impresses me daily with her artistic abilities and interests. She’s so expressive in general, but she also has a knack for translating it into art and dance. It is amazing to watch each of the kids grow and have such unique interests and abilities. Stating the obvious, I know, but no less amazing to observe.

Eve drew a picture of her dog and wrote her name "Suzy" underneath. Suzy is standing in a hail storm, but she is wearing a helmet so she is ok. I love how drawing keeps her busy for a good long time and she comes up with quite elaborate stories along the way.

We had a lunch playdate at the playground last week and it was 60° and super windy. Brrrr.... we bundled well and kids like the playground in most any weather.

Memorial service

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Tessa

Amanda and her family pulled together a beautiful memorial service for Lynn this weekend. It was held outdoors and the weather was perfect, warm and breezy. The location was beautiful. The grownups were comfortable and the kids had a great time exploring the property and discovering treasures (rocks) and radiance (marbles). The ceremony was beautiful and touching. I learned more about Lynn than I had known before and had the chance to relive some fond memories as well. I think she would have really liked it.

I put all of my photos online in a Picasa album. Click the little picture below to view the full album.

Lynn's Memorial Service

If anyone else wants to add their pictures to this album just let me know and I’ll make it so.

Last day of kindergarten!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Tessa

Today is Lex’s last day of kindergarten! He’s pretty excited for summer vacation (we all are!) but it was so cute to see his whole class this morning at drop off. They were all bouncing and full of energy. Lex brought his teacher a gift and he was so cute when he gave it to her. He said “This is a present for you for being such a great teacher this year.” :) He picked it out, Eve wrapped it and decorated the paper, I wrote a thank you note. The teacher LOVED it! We got a set of connecting octagons, similar to what we have here, except, as Lex told his teacher, “These are octagons and mine at home are hexagons.” Lex also brought in his yearbook to have everyone sign it. I guess one of the boys (with an older brother!) was doing that yesterday at school and Lex thought it would be a good idea. I can’t wait to see it. I was going to plan a special last-day-of-school something… playdate or outing or something, but we have been so super busy these past few weeks that I think we all just want some downtime. And I have a Board meeting tonight anyway, so it would have a been a rushed “something” anyway. Instead we’ll have snack and make pancakes for dinner and just chillax! Looking forward to it… on that note I have to go meet him at the bus stop! Last time for two years, I think!! (Because of Eve’s preschool schedule next year I think I’ll be picking Lex up at school every day)

Quick Update: He got off the bus today very sadly. He started right in telling me that they celebrated two summer birthdays today and went outside to eat popsicles. I thought that sounded like fun and asked why he was so sad about it. Apparently he had been planning to get all his classmates to sign his book at choice time, but they went outside for popsicles at choice time instead, so he was only able to have a few people sign it on the bus. He was so sad. I wish I could cuddle away all of life’s little disappointments. Sigh. I’m pretty sure he was over it by the time we finished snack though, so it definitely falls under the “little” disappointments category!

Block-tac-toe

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Tessa

Thank you notes

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Tessa

It has been far too long, I know, but we are still working on Lex’s thank you notes. I’m a mean mommy and I make him do his own :) The other day I told him that he doesn’t have to make them fancy, he just has to get them done. He said, “But I want them to be nice. I want people to like them and be happy.” So the process continues. He worked from 3:30-5pm this afternoon and got two done.