Wordless Wednesday: Sunday Valentines

For the last day in February: My little ones being silly after church in their valentines best. They refuse to pose for me and have decided that regular smiles were so two weeks ago...

 

 Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

This post is participating in Wordless Wednesday!  Join in the fun!

5 Minute Craft: Peek-a-boo Puppet

My daughter is obsessed with baby dolls.  She is so obsessed with receiving baby dolls as gifts, that she thinks that every present she receives (or anyone else for that matter) is going to contain a doll. Life can be disappointing sometimes. Especially when a prettily wrapped present does not contain a baby.

This is why I thought she'd get a kick out of this 5 minute craft that I whipped together during nap time.  What I put together was really intended to be a prototype, but it turned out cute enough, that I decided to just take pictures of it.

Peek-a-boo Puppet:

 paper

pen

clothespins

glue

markers

scissors

First, I sketched out a little present and a baby doll.  Behold my amazing drawing skills...

Next I cut them out and glued them to the clothespin:

 Easy Peasy!

When Jellybean got up from her nap and saw the little wrapped box she whispered, "Baby." When she saw that there was, in fact, a baby doll inside, she smiled and exclaimed, "My Turn!"

Success!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Ridiculously Easy: Apple and Yogurt Salad

 

This is a quick, easy, fresh and tasty side dish that you can add to almost any meal. Perhaps this is even too simplistic to blog about, but it is one of my favorite salads (and apparently a favorite with my nieces and nephews as well) so I decided that I'd get it out there.

What you'll need:
Yogurt (I prefer raspberry and pre-mixed works a little better as well)
Cool Whip
Apples

 Method:
1. Cut up a few apples (or more. Fuji apples are my preferred apple for this)
2. Pour a carton (or two) of yogurt over apples
3. Add Cool Whip to taste.
4. Mix well.

Like I said, pretty easy.  You could just mix up the yogurt and Cool Whip and use it as a fruit dip, but I prefer it this way for maximum yogurt covered apple goodness.  Yum.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Teaching the ABCs: A Resource Guide

If you give a Lego box to one little boy, he'll most likely build something: a tower, a car, or even a spaceship. If you give a Lego box to my little boy, this is what he'll build:

At 16 months of age, my son became enamored of the alphabet and more specifically the letter "O". By 18 months my son could identify all of the letters (upper and lowercase) and by 20 months he could tell you their sounds as well.  Now at 3 1/2 years old he is actually reading. I have become "one of those moms," smugly showing off my son's talents at every opportunity.
Reading "A Fly Went By" from A Happy Song on Vimeo.

My purpose in this post really isn't to brag (well mostly).  Over the last 2 years, friends, family and even strangers (who I have shown off to), have asked us how we taught him to read.  I'll be honest, I don't feel like we did very much in the way of actual teaching.  Buddy is VERY interested in letters.  We did however provide encouragement and many tools to facilitate his learning.

I've taken some time and compiled a good resource list for parents who are interested in encouraging their child to read. These are many of the tools that we use daily.

Books, Flash Cards & Puzzles:

Books:
Never underestimate the value of having lots of books around. I know that most parents have heard it a thousand times, but I'll state it again.  I believe it is imperative for a child to be read to, to have books around and accessible, and also for them to see their parents reading.  We make it a habit to visit the library every couple of weeks. I am an avid reader and often have books on hold there to be picked up.  We also enjoy taking trips to the bookstore.  A trip to the bookstore has proved to be a good reward for potty training success and also a great place to purchase gifts for birthdays.
The first Alphabet book I ever purchased Buddy was Charley Harper's ABCs.  He loved the illustrations and it was the jumping off point for his love affair with letters.  I have been a collector of children's picture books for years and now his letter obsession has become mine.  We are slowly amassing an impressive alphabet book collection. Z Goes Home and Alphabet City are good examples of books that use the alphabet in new and unique ways. What I haven't purchased myself, we borrow from the library. I've listed all of our favorites in AHappySong.com's store.

Flash Cards:
My favorite two sets of flash cards are Eric Carle's Animal Flash Cards and My Favorite Things Flash Cards. I love that these two sets are larger and chunkier than the standard card set.  They have beautiful illustrations and they are easier to clean-up after play. Another set that we've enjoyed is Scholastic's Hand's On Learning Touch and Feel Cards.



Puzzles:
Buddy loves alphabet puzzles.  I make it a habit to check out consignment sales to see if they have any puzzles. I'm especially happy if I can find a large floor puzzle.  Floor puzzles have a bigger impact and are easier for toddlers to put together (and for me). One of our favorites is the My First ABC Floor Puzzle. Buddy and Jellybean both love the Melissa and Doug alphabet puzzles (peg puzzle pictured right) and Buddy also likes I Spy A is for Jigsaw .


E-Reader:
I purchased a V-Tech VReader for Buddy two Christmases ago.  These are great gadgets that allow children to read on their own without the need for parental help.  I love that the stories are interactive and that the words are highlighted as the story is read. My son enjoys the games that come with each cartridge and there is a ton of content that can be downloaded from the V-Tech website. 
  
You can find more recommendations on our AHappySong.com's Store Site.

Websites:
Starfall.com
Starfall.com is a free educational resource that teaches the alphabet through interactive games and stories.  It has learning tools appropriate for toddler age children and up.  My children have spent hours on their main ABC interactive game which is now available as an app.  We've also enjoyed their free alphabet printouts and short video clips that teach reading concepts.  If you find that you are really enjoying it, they have even more content available to parents and to educators at more.starfall.com for a minimal membership fee.  Last year we got our money's worth so we renewed our membership this year.

Bembo's Zoo 

Bembo's Zoo is another great interactive alphabet site.  It is very well done and the flash animation is stunning. 

PBSKids.org

Every parent should be a regular on the PBS Kids website.  That's where we go to find great games and video clips from all of my kids' favorite PBS shows. PBS Kids also has video player app available.   

Sesame Street.org

 Create a My Street account and save your favorite video clips from Sesame Street.  My kids love the songs and interactive games that are available on SesameStreet.org. 

Preschool Pioneer
Preschool Pioneer is an online library of early reading resources made available through the Utah Educational Network. I imagine that there are similar websites available in every state.  We've found great printouts, games and stories here.  

Funschool

Funschool.com is similar to Preschool Pioneer, but more game driven. Many of the games are holiday themed and can be great supplements to holiday activities. Buddy absolutely loves Haunted Alphabet search and find game.  It combines his love of letters with his love of all things spooky.

You Tube

 Yes, even YouTube can be a great resource for teaching the alphabet.  I've posted here our ABC Favorites video list.  A word of caution on this: You Tube is not a site you can allow your child to play on freely like the sites listed above.  It requires parental supervision.  There are a ton of videos that are not child safe and are too easily accessible for a computer savvy child.  I've even run across videos that appear to be children's videos and then turn into something entirely different.  I've discovered the only way to make it safe for my child is to make sure that I'm always in the room when he is watching and to create appropriate playlists with strict instructions that he isn't to click away from the approved list. 

Apps:
We have found a great number of apps for our Iphone, Ipad and Android that are worth mentioning. This is a list of our VERY favorites. Those that are not free, are well worth the money. Some have lite versions that you should definitely download and try out.

 
Our Favorite Apps:

Pi'ikea Street Interactive Alphabet

Dr. Seuss's ABC Interactive Book

Curious Puppy ABC Train Song

Magnetic Alphabet

Alphabet Tracing

Duck Duck Moose's Fish School

Baby Flash Cards Lite

Paul McDougall ABC Storybook

Starfall ABCs

Baby Pad ABC Lite

iTouchiLearn Words

My First Puzzles: The Alphabet 

Television Shows:

I know that a lot of parents believe that it is best to forgo television.  I believe that, while there is wisdom in limiting television (or screen time) in the home,  there are some pretty valuable shows out there that have enriched my son's learning experience.  He has been able to understand and learn concepts through a television program that I had difficulty teaching him myself.  Television, of course, should never be used as a substitute for teaching your child yourself or as a babysitter (though I am guilty of using it for the latter more than I'd like to admit).  


Here is a short list of the shows that we've found valuable in teaching early reading concepts:
Super Why (Buddy LOVES Alpha Pig), Word World, Word Girl, Leap Frog's Amazing Alphabet Park, Sesame Street and The Electric Company. I was amazed when my son understood the concept of "sh" as well as silent "e" after listening to two different songs on The Electric Company.  Most of these television programs are available on Netflix or at PBSkids.org. 

Other Activity Ideas:

Songs:
Singing is natural way to teach your child about words.  My son loves to sing and to be sung to. One of Buddy's first (and current) favorite songs is the ABC song.  We have found several different versions of it to different tunes.  He loves to pick which version we'll sing.  It's also fun to use alternate words to well known songs.  Buddy was very enthusiastic about having the ABCs on the bus when we sing, "The Wheels on the Bus" (i.e. The Bs on the bus go buh, buh, buh).  He was also surprised to hear that there were ABCs on "Old McDonald's Farm" (...and on that farm he had an "A" E I E I O...).
Word Play:
We like to play word games at our home as well. Sometimes we'll take turns making long lists of words that begin with the same letter.  I always try to be a little outrageous with the words I choose. This builds his vocabulary and makes him giggle. (i.e. K- Kangaroo, "Kapow", Kung-fu, Kite, Kick, Kamikaze, etc.) When learning sight words in the Summertime, I would use sidewalk chalk and write out simple commands like "Run", "Spin", "Jump" and then have him do whatever I wrote down.
Nature: 
Once Buddy began understanding and recognizing the shapes of the letters, I was stunned when he began seeing those shapes, in the environment around us, when we took walks around the neighborhood.  One stick looks like a "Y", that crack in the sidewalk looks like an "R".  This has become a fun game for us on walks. My kids love searching for letter shapes in the everyday objects around us.
Alphabet Art: 
We love having alphabet art hung up in our children's rooms.  My favorite prints have been found through Etsy and through Studio6. Go online and find something to your child's taste. 


I hope that this resource guide will prove valuable in encouraging your child in a love of letters and of reading. If you have additional resources to add (websites, apps, books, activities, etc) Please leave them in the comment section.

As always, Have a Happy Day!

~MJ 

This post is participating in:
Wow Us Wednesday-Savvy Southern Style 
Mingle With Us- Happy-Go-Lucky

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Wordless Wednesday: Reading Together

 

Buddy and Jellybean spending some quality time together.  She loves doing everything he does. 

For more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

 

Valentine's Shirt Project

Yes, this V-day craft is about a week late, but in my defense, I had it completed on the day.

This is a project that has been going around. I found it in Family Fun Magazine and decided to expound on the theme.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I found some $2 shirts on my thrift shopping adventure. I used one of those shirts to create this masterpiece.

Materials:
t-shirt
craft paper
paper doilies
fabric paint
paint brush
glue stick
cookie cutters

First, I took a sheet of craft paper and put it on the inside of the shirt (I didn't want paint going through to the other side.

Then I took my doilies and place them where I thought they looked nice. I put a small streak of glue-stick glue on each doily to keep it in place.

After I had painted through each doily and peeled them up, I thought to myself, "It needs more..." This is never a good thought.

I found a few heart shaped cookie cutters and went crazy!

Read the instructions on the fabric paint and make sure you give it enough time to dry.

Jellybean loves her shirt and while she refuses to let me take normally posed pictures of her, she was still pleased to show it off.

I'm sure we'll get a lot of use out of the shirt this spring. I'm thinking this project would work really great with round doilies as well.

Try it out and have a Happy Day!

~MJ

I'm linking up with:

Change in the Wind

Some of you may be wondering what in the world is going on with the design of this site. So, I thought I'd update you.  I've decided that the blog was in need of an overhaul.  You may have noticed that not only is the look slowly changing, but the domain name has changed. I am now a proud owner of a .com.  The template and layout will continue to change until I am happy with the feel and look of things.  It may take some time, but it will get there. I hope you don't mind it being wonky now and again.

Why am I changing things?  I have found over time that not only have my interests changed, but my audience has changed, too.  I want to reflect that change here and broaden the content that I am posting.

When I began blogging in 2008, I was posting pictures of my newborn son for the grandparents.  Things have changed since then.  Last year, I added simple recipes and diy projects to the mix.
This year, I have begun thinking about how I am just starting to find my voice as a mother and as a blogger. I find myself wanting to share more of my life here with you.  I hope that my contribution will prove valuable to the blogosphere at large.

So, welcome to AHappySong.com.  I hope you will find something here that will make you smile.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Reading Nooks

I've been thinking a lot about creating a reading nook for my son in his new big boy room. Now I'm just back from Pinterest with some great inspiration:
I love this little reading nook. So lovely, sunny and tucked out of the way.

via

I think I'm definitely going to attempt the next one. I would have loved one of these when I was a kid. I had to settle for the floor of my closet and a flashlight.

via

Finally, I love this comfy little spot.

via

Have a Happy Weekend!

~MJ

Thrift Store Shopping and a What Would You Do?

I'll start by saying that last week was maybe the second time I have ever stepped foot in a thrift store. I don't know why I feel a little funny admitting that. The first time was for a high school dance. We needed some Hawaiian shirts and it's a pretty good place to get them. Since that time, I think the combination of clutter and disorganization has made shopping thrift a difficult experience for me. I'm overwhelmed easily when shopping, so I find it extremely difficult to sift through stacks or racks of clothing (and with children in tow? Impossible).

Well, I had a project that I wanted to complete for Valentine's day that required some plain t-shirts. So, I finally decided to bite the bullet and do some thrift shopping. I just couldn't stand the idea of spending a lot of money for something I might end up ruining. Which is not at all an unlikely scenario when talking about my usual DIY project results.

We have a local thrift store right down the street that has a nice variety. I know this, because I donate to them often. Fortunately, I was able to find three shirts quickly that fit the bill for my project and cost a mere $2 a piece. I was with my children so this wasn't going to be a short in and out trip. We wandered around for a while and discovered some fun children's books (I can never deny my children books, especially when they are each $1.)

Finally, we ran across this children's bench:

My children loved it, wanted to sit on it and begged me to purchase it. $5 later the bench was ours. So, I'm trying to decide what to do with it. My children won't be small enough to be able to sit on it forever.

So many questions: Should I paint it and put it in one of my kids' rooms? Should I weather proof it and put it out on the back deck for the summertime? Should I paint it with an eye towards using it as a front porch decoration in the future? Wouldn't it look cute with some potted plants on it?

How would you use this little bench? If it was yours, what would you do to it?

I'll leave you with that food for thought.

Have a happy day!

~MJ

5 things you didn't know about Spider Man

I seems my life lately has been dominated by super heros. Over the last few days I've learned a lot about Spider Man. I already had the 1960's theme song down, but I had no idea how dynamic this guy really is.

5 things you didn't know about Spider Man:

1. Spider Man loves to show off his muscles. All that web slinging really builds up that body. I mean, Wow!

2. Spider Man is a little bit vain and likes to check himself out in the mirror... a lot.

3. He plays with action figures. The action figure of himself is his absolute favorite.

4. He likes to wear a bib and get jam all over his face when he eats dinner. That's right, so don't mess with him.

5. Finally, I don't have photo proof of this, but I have it on good authority that he even sleeps in his costume, which, I can only imagine, would make trips to the bathroom just a little bit awkward in the middle of the night...

To super hero moms everywhere. Have a happy day!

~MJ

My Sweetheart

Today is my Sweetheart's birthday. After nine years of V-days together, I have gathered from him that nothing will inspire a dread of Valentine's day like being born on Valentine's day.

From the time we began dating, I would purchase him birthday gifts on this day and he would buy me flowers. I'll be honest, I have always felt guilty about receiving flowers on a day that should be all about him. (Though, I do enjoy receiving flowers, don't get me wrong.)

This year I heard on the radio, that flowers are practically given away on the day after Valentine's. While I should have realized this years ago, I rushed home to tell my Sweetheart that he wasn't to purchase me flowers on V-day and that if he enjoys buying me flowers that he should do it on the day after. He just smiled and pretty much stated that if it was what I wanted he'd do it. I guess we'll see if he sticks to this or not.

When we were having our family holiday pictures taken, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time that we had had a photo taken of the two of us; just the two of us. I was really pleased with the result.

Happy Birthday to my love! I hope it is a good one.

~MJ

Kindle Cover

Remember this sneak preview from a few posts ago? Read on for the big reveal.

I am bound and determined to make some goals for the year. First goal on the list?

Make Something.

I left it intentionally vague, just in case I let the whole year slide and had to make something up. (why would I do that? I don't know, but it nevertheless sounds like something I would end up doing.)

I decided to use my awesome White sewing machine and get going on a little project that I found on the internets. Here's the tutorial from Charm Stitch. It's a fabulous tutorial for a simple Kindle slip cover and their end result is a lot more impressive than mine.

This is what I came up with after an amazing amount of trouble.

Issue 1: My "awesome White sewing machine". It turns out, it is not quite as awesome as I remembered. It has basically been in storage for the past 10 years and has only seen the light of day for a few projects over that time. So, it has terrible tension problems now and I'm looking into sending it in for repairs. Every seam on this Kindle cover (luckily you can't see them) was either a)not straight or b) wonky from tension problems. In short, I did an amazing job! Very professional.

Issue 2: The tutorial is for a Kindle Fire. I only have a basic Kindle, which is smaller than the Fire. I'm not so excellent with measuring, so I was really winging it here. When the project was completed, I was truly afraid that it would be too small for my Kindle. Fortunately, I succeeded in making it the exact right size....which I didn't write down, so I can't share my wonderful measurement guess work with you. Sorry.

All in all, not a bad attempt from someone who in no way claims to be a good seamstress. As a bonus, it actually works. I used just what fabric I could find/coordinate from my scrap fabric bin. The button was from my box of found buttons that I inherited from my mother. I think it adds a touch of whimsy.

Note: If you can read the first line of text on my Kindle...I was not reading a smutty novel. I was actually reading "About a Boy." Which is a great read and a very enjoyable movie.

Note 2: I love my Kindle. After only having it for a couple of weeks, I would definitely recommend it. I've found enough material to borrow from both the library and from Amazon Prime, that I'm already feeling like it was worth the money.

Note 3: I don't actually believe that this ends my obligation to "Make Something." I have several more projects in mind for the year. Though, it is nice to have one under my belt.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Wonder Woman

I loved, loved Wonder Woman when I was a little girl. After a peek on Pinterest, I was pleased to see that I'm not the only one that still loves her.

Just a few of my favorites:

Great poster print from Society 6.


Kitchen Aid, Wonder Woman style = Awesome.


I really want this Wonder Woman lunch box from Retro Planet.

What Wonder Woman post would be complete without a clip?


Have a Happy Weekend!!
~MJ

Home Sweet Home

One of the things I love best about our new home is the fact that now the kids have plenty of space to play. They especially love being able to play in their cardboard house now that it can be out 24/7.

In and out of the house all day long.

Something about this reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.
There's so much tape on this thing that I'm wondering if it can be recycled any longer.
Yep. Home sweet home. Just a great quiet place to contemplate the finer things of life.
Have a Happy Day!

~MJ