Spring Break

This is quite possibly the first spring break since E was born that I haven't actually wanted my husband to go back to work. Usually he's quite the task master during spring break, because thingsmustbedone.

And they always are done. And this year they were all done, too. But it was nicer, more relaxed. The kids are getting older, the landscaping is getting maturer, and the weather is getting nicer, all making for a nearly-perfect spring break.

Mr. Einstein finished his National Teacher Board portfolio and mailed it off (yippee!) We had E's birthday party at the bounce house with homemade knock-off Oreo ice cream cake (yummy!) at home.

We went to Seattle to visit family and Ikea (love!) and bought some new armchairs. We rearranged some furniture, and our house finally feels comfortable and looks like grown ups live here.

We did some weeding and some pulling. I dug up tons of nasty aster plants in our front planter and, sadly, had to throw some of my beloved day lilies away with them. Mr. Einstein mowed the lawn for the first time this year and got the sprinkler system all ready.

We bought seeds for the garden we're going to put in this year and replaced some weather-stripping (stupid cats).

I started to organize all my recipes online (yay!) and made a huge donation of baby stuff to the crisis pregnancy center here in town.

We filed our taxes. Yes, we are that family.

We spent Saturday in Leavenworth "hiking" along the river. We had a blast! I think we're going to start making hiking our family activity, assuming we can find some good, easy trails out here. The kids had a wonderful time, and so did Mr. Einstein and I. It was overcast and warm, but not humid. It was so relaxing, and we randomly ran into quite a few people we know. Small world! One person we hadn't seen since college. (That's more than 10 years ago!!!)

Sunday afternoon we went to Potholes State Park and hung out with some friends from church grilling hot dogs and watching our kids play (18 kids among 4 families!). The wind blew, the rain fell, but we had so much fun! What a perfect ending to a wonderful week!

And because I like to post pictures, here are a few from our day in Leavenworth. All are unedited, straight from the camera. I liked the muted colors, so I left them.

7

I tell her daily

that she needs to stop

growing up so fast.

Apparently,

she doesn't listen.

Because

she keeps getting older;

and today,

she is seven.

Happy Seventh Birthday, E!

I'm really sorry I posted this picture of you.

But, seriously, if you're not going to smile at the camera, what choice do I have?

The Difference Between Boys and Girls--The Vacuum

E has a couple of irrational fears, one of them being the vacuum cleaner. I have no idea where it came from (I didn't torment her as a baby, I swear!), but she has so kindly (and intentionally, grr!) instilled this fear into her sister.

sigh

M, on the other hand, has decided to completely ignore his big sisters' silliness about the vacuum cleaner and loves it!

Here's how a typical morning in house goes when I decide to vacuum:

C (and E, if she's home): gets excited, then panics (before I've even considered turning the vacuum on), then runs and jumps on her bed.

M: gets excited, then tried to steal the extensions so he can sword fight with them.

C: sits on her bed, laughing because I can't get her, but worriedly reminds me not to get her.

M: sits in front of the vacuum cleaner (laughing) so I'll push the vacuum into him.

C: follows me from room to room, begging me not to get her.

M: follows me from room to room begging me to get him.

Seriously! What is up with these kids? How were they all possibly born to the same parents?

The Difference Between Boys and Girls--Play Dough

Now that M is two, the differences between him and his sisters are becoming ever more apparent. The usual differences are there (M likes cars and trucks and making noise and destroying things, E and C like dolls and princesses and singing and building things), but some other, less predictable differences have come to light lately.

For example:

C and M are currently playing with homemade play dough (recipe below). Although, with M, "playing with play dough" is a relative phrase.

C: squishes play dough, rolls play dough, cuts play dough, shapes play dough, plays with play dough.

M: squishes play dough, places play dough back in canister, calls play dough "coffee," plays with play dough toys, ignores play dough.

And this happens every. single. time M "plays" with play dough. But he loves it! He asks for it weekly. He enjoys it.

I guess I have a lot to learn about having a boy.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Mix:

2 packages of unsweetened kool-aide

1/2 cup of salt

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Add:

2 cups of boiling water

3 tablespoons of oil

Stir, cool and knead for 5 minutes.

Today

Today...I woke up early

Today...I worked out

Today...the sun is shining (for now)

Today...my boy is feeling better

Today...my parents return from Hawaii

Today...I vacuumed the house

Today...I will make cookies

Today...I don't feel so overwhelmed

Today...is going to be a good day

Oscar's Apps--A Review

Oh, I love my iPad!

And my kids do, too. They love it so much, I've actually made them their very own page with games and apps just for them.

Included on this page are two new apps from Oscar's Apps, which I got a chance to review.

And let me tell you, I love them! And C, who is 3 1/2, loves them, too.

From their website:

Oscar's Apps is a fun and interactive learning environment for toddlers and preschool aged children.

My Review

I got the chance to review the Alphabet Song and 1-10 Balloons. Both are very similarly designed, with either the alphabet or numbers printed on balloons which kids "pop" in order. Both games have three options: Learn, Follow, and Play. In the "Learn" option, kids pop the highlighted balloons in order. In the "Follow" option, the balloons are all mixed up, but are highlighted in order. In the "Play" option, the balloons are still mixed up but aren't highlighted right away, giving kids the chance to remember the alphabet or numbers in order themselves.

As I said earlier, C loves these apps. The colors are vivid, the graphics are fun, and the "games" are simple but engaging.

C's been getting very, very curious about letters and numbers recently, and both of these apps from Oscar's Apps have been wonderful for her!

I personally like how the apps grow with children, from showing them, to guiding them, to allowing them to figure it out on their own. These apps are great for exploring letters and numbers! And I can't wait to start using them with M in the next year!

This post was written for Family Review Network and Oscar's Apps who provided the complimentary products for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

PunflayKids--A Review

I got an iPad for Christmas.

(Jealous much?)

And because I got an iPad, I got an opportunity to review some cool apps for my kids.

Enter PunflayKids.

From their website:

PunflayKids is a division devoted to developing apps (iPad) for young, growing children. These apps are meant to be for fun, holidays & special occasions and casual learning purposes.

They are developed with an eye to thrill, fascinate and engage the young ones' minds and provide value for money.

My Review

PunflayKids provided me with four different apps to review: Rhymes for Tots, Kandy Fish, ABC Numbers, and Puzzle Mania.

The first three apps are definitely designed for my middle child, C. She's 3 1/2 and is eager to learn.

I could only open up one of the nursery rhymes in Rhymes for Tots, but it is fun and interactive. There is an animated video of the rhyme plus five educational-but-fun activities.

Kandy Fish is C's absolute favorite! The animated fish swim all over the screen and kids get to drag them around sorting by color, finishing patterns, and drawing shapes.

ABC Numbers is probably the most educational of the four I received. In the ABC section, kids can explore the alphabet through pictures, letters, phones, and writing. There's a neat touch scroll on the side of the screen that makes navigation a breeze. In the Numbers sections, kids are introduced to basic math skills. They can tap a number to hear the number spoken and see that number of objects on the screen. They can count the objects themselves by tapping the pictures and have the corresponding number light up on the number line.

I also got to review Puzzle Mania which is more of a family app than child app. There are four different logic/math puzzles (can you tell why I was interested?) that are just challenging enough without being frustrating. I think kids would enjoy them, too, though they may not fully understand what they're supposed to do or how the puzzles work.

All in all, I am very pleased the with my iPad apps from PunflayKids! They are all fun and interactive with bright graphics and easy to use. And they're mostly inexpensive, too.

This post was written for Family Review Network and PunflayKids who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Happenings

I've been a lazy blogger lately, I know. But, in and among everything going on around here, the blog has been shoved aside.

We were in Leavenworth over New Years.

We had a check stolen from our mailbox and cashed.

We decided to change our bank account because of it.

E was sick two days last week.

Mr. Einstein was sick a different two days last week.

C and M showed symptoms of being sick, but it never fully materialized.

We've had several school closures due to snow and icy roads.

I've almost finished my very first quilt.

I've (finally) discovered Ebates.

I've been selling stuff like crazy on eBay.

I've been watching two boys in the morning before school in addition to the girl I already watch before and after school.

I've been trying to find childcare for a morning Bible study at our church (why won't anyone watch our kids???).

That's about it. Those are the happenings around here. It's been busy, to say the least.

What's going on with you?

Wordless Wednesday--View From a Sleigh Ride

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For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

M

M...

...has decided he wants to potty train. I'm not ready, but he apparently is. He calls it "Poo-poo Bubba" when he wants to sit on the potty-training seat.

...cut all four of his molars without any of us noticing. Seriously. All four. I didn't even notice until last night.

...is FINALLY learning to sleep in his big-boy bed. He doesn't always stay in it, he has yet to pass an entire night in it, he still ends up in crib most of the time. BUT he's not scared of the bed anymore. That's definitely an improvement.

...has also been joining us at the table for meals. He was still in high chair until last week, since he couldn't seem to handle having a plate. Now, however, he's getting it. Mostly.

...is all boy. He climbs everything, bangs on everything, opens everything. He loves cars/trucks/vans/jeeps/etc, keys, and pens.

...is growing up.

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be on his shoulder:

and his name shall be called

Wonderful,

Counselor,

The mighty God,

The everlasting Father,

The Prince of Peace.

Wordless Wednesday--He's Going To Make a Wonderful Father Some Day!

M got a baby doll for his birthday.

He loves babies! He loves his doll!

He's going to make a wonderful father some day!

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For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Winner!

Well, I said I was going to close my giveaway last night, but in the midst of last-minute Cyber Monday shopping, I forgot.

Sorry!

Anyway, the winner of Mama Wants Her Body Back workout DVD is Jamie! Congrats!

I'll shoot you an email, Jamie and get you hooked up. :)

Thanks, everyone, for participating!

Big Boy Bed FAIL!

He helped build it.

He played in it.

He went "night night" in it.

But would he sleep in it? Nope!

M got his big boy bed for his birthday. We thought he was ready.

He's such a good sleeper and he loves his sisters' beds.

But his own bed? Not so much.

We put him to bed Friday night in his new bed, and he completely freaked out!

He went running to the door as soon as we left his room, crying that scared cry little kids make. I picked him up, and he clung to me. I tried laying down with him in his bed, but no go.

Needless to say, M ended up back in his crib.

And now? He has no desire to go anywhere near his new bed.

sigh

Big fat big boy bed FAIL!

Finally!

After snowing most of last week,

after temperatures below zero for most of the week,

after icy roads, slippery sidewalks, and squeaky snow,

it finally warmed up enough and the snow finally became wet enough

to make this:

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Don't forget! Today is your last chance to enter to win this!