WW- Form and Function

Serious concentration here. Love the pouty lips.

Long lashes and peanut butter jelly cheeks.

Come join the Wordless Wednesday fun.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Water Gem Play

We were hit with a double whammy on Monday.  It was rainy outside and Buddy was sick.  So, we were stuck inside for the bulk of the day.  I'd seen a suggestion on another blog regarding water gems. I purchased a bottle of them and have had them waiting in a cupboard for quite some time.  Today seemed like the perfect day to get them out.

Water gems are really cool. They are little gel like balls that balloon up when they are left in water. I guess they are mostly used to make flower vases more decorative. You can purchase the water gems in dehydrated packets, or already hydrated in a bottle. I got mine at Michaels, but I imagine they are available at almost any craft store.  The hydrated version is a bit more expensive, but I decided to pay for the convenience of having them already ready and waiting for me. I'm not very good at planning.

I just poured some in clear tupperware and brought out spoons and cups. Then I added a tad more water. The kids loved them. We played with them for at least an hour. They enjoyed putting their hands in and feeling them, spooning them up and putting them in their cups and then pouring them out. They especially got a kick out of an occasional escapee. The gems, we discovered, are a bit bouncy.  I also brought out a flashlight and turned out the lights. It was fun shining the light through them.  I really wished that I had a light table. These would look awesome sitting over a light source. I'm going to rig one up for next time.  Maybe something like this. These would also be great in a sensory bin.  Clean up was a breeze. I just poured off some water and put them back in their bottle. I'd definitely suggest getting some water gems to keep around for indoor play.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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I Can Teach My Child

We don't get out much

We're what you would call homebodies.  We don't socialize very often, but sometimes we have to leave the house just so our neighbors don't think that we're weirdos (at least I don't think they've figured that out yet, or maybe they have...).

Anyway, our local ward hosted a neighborhood luau party on Saturday.  Buddy and Jellybean were very excited about it, so D and I begrudgingly decided to attend.
The weather had been rainy all day, but turned surprisingly beautiful.  We decided to walk.

This picture is deceptive. It looks like Jellybean has only one doll with her.

Guess again. 

Oh man, now she wants me to carry her and her three dolls.

Finally, we caught up to D and Buddy.

An aside: So, the house you can see behind D is supposedly the most beautiful house in the neighborhood. I haven't been able to verify this myself. The thing that worries me is the dry grass hill that is behind it.  Not a good thing during fire season. Just saying.

We arrived and received our requisite plastic leis. The kids really enjoyed their hawaiian haystacks.

Can't you tell?

You see that face Buddy is making?  The people sitting across from us thought that it was cute.  I didn't think so.  This was his, "No, I won't do a real smile for you, Mama" face. I wasn't amused.

After dinner, the kids thought they'd try out the face painting. 

Jellybean chose an angel design, which turned out surprisingly recognizable. Buddy decided to go with that rad skull and cross bones tattoo.  Later that night, he decided that he was frightened of it and requested that D put a bandaid over it.

We're kind of party-poopers. So, we skipped out on the limbo and other planned party games. After a cookie we were on our way home.

It was fun while it lasted. Despite that, I imagine we'll stay firmly at home for any further social activities until maybe trick or treating. Like I said, we don't get out much.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

WW-Yoga

"Mama, I'm doing yoga."

That's hilarious, let me try.

Now it's your turn.

Now go join the Wordless Wednesday fun.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Red Toenails

Just hanging out with my favorite girl.  Our first time sharing the joy of painted toenails.

Buddy commented: "Boys don't paint their toe nails, but they do grow beards."

Good luck, son. Don't be too disappointed if you happen to take after your father and find that you can't grow a beard.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

One of the nice things about having more cupboard space is that I can finally purchase some kitchen gadgets that I've been wanting and actually have somewhere to put them. So, last week I finally purchased myself an ice cream maker. I was in a hurry to make some ice cream, but didn't have the correct ingredients. I did however, have 3 very important ingredients for making some frozen yogurt.  

Only 3 ingredients and oh my goodness was it delicious. Sweet, tangy and especially yummy with graham crackers crumbled on top.  In fact, I'm thinking this would make a fantastic frozen pie. just pour it in graham cracker crust then top with a few more crumbs and fresh strawberries. 


Strawberry Frozen Yogurt w/Graham Cracker Topping
3 6oz containers of plain greek yogurt (I used the Chobani brand, it's my favorite)
1 small carton Fresh Strawberries ( I didn't actually use the entire carton, as my strawberries had almost reached the end of their freshness.)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk


Prep strawberries by cutting them each in half and placing them in your food processor. Process for a few seconds until nicely pulverized. Mix strawberries, condensed milk and yogurt together in a small bowl. Now just follow the manufacturer's instructions on your ice cream maker.  
Crush some graham crackers for topping and enjoy! We definitely did.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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Neighborhood Parade

Nice shades.

We had a nice July 4th yesterday.  One of the first events of the morning was a small neighborhood parade.  We decided that instead of participating in it this year that we'd go out and cheer.  It was good that we did. That small troupe needed some encouragement. 

Waiting patiently for the parade to begin

More waiting

Here they come! Buddy and Jellybean were ridiculously excited to see the parade coming. Buddy wondered if it would be as loud as the parade on Caillou.

This small neighborhood parade even had some royalty. Buddy and Jellybean even cheered on the last of the bicycles.

Even though the parade was small, my children were not disappointed.  They loved it.  I look forward to them participating next year.

I purchased the last 2 stars in the city.

On the way in, I had to take a picture of my sad attempt at patriotic porch decor. I had envisioned a really awesome star theme, but shopping on July 3rd turned up a pretty sad number of stars. Also, the large, red star keeps being blown away by the wind... We'll do something better next year.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Happy July 4th!

July 4 2010

We'll be celebrating the 4th by doing the following today:

-Watching Wall-E

-Eating pop-tarts

-Cheering for our neighborhood parade

-A quick trip to Walgreens

-Bagels

-Naps

-Homemade frozen yogurt

-Burgers, maybe at Five Guys (since we don't have a grill)

-Throwing snaps in the driveway (since D dislikes fireworks and the children are afraid of them)

-Going to bed

Exciting!

What are your plans for the holiday?

Me and Jellybean July 4, 2010

Whatever your plans, Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Fizzing Planet Art

Jellybean's complete planet with extra cheesy grin.

We had fun with a new rainy scorching day activity this last week.  This was inspired by an art project that I've seen several times floating around Pinterest.  The nice thing about this project is that all of the materials needed were already in my pantry.  

Buddy and Jellybean working on their creations.

The concept is simple: you fill a pie plate with baking soda.  Then you tint vinegar with food coloring.  We used some ramekins to hold our color. It's so fun to see the baking soda and vinegar fizz each time some color is added to the pan.  It's also fun because the color stays where you put it.

Adding more and more color. Jellybean started adding baking soda to her ramekins so that the entire thing would fizz.

Unfortunately, the one tool that would have made this more fun would have been an eye dropper.  Since I didn't have one available, I had the kids use straws to drip the vinegar into the baking soda. It works in theory, but in practice, this method is pretty frustrating for a 2 and 4 year old. So, I took away the straws and handed them each a spoon. That's when the art work took a serious turn.

Plates transforming into alien planets

Now they were adding a lot of color to the plate. The baking soda still provided some great fizz and added a base so that the color would somewhat stay where it was placed. Buddy started talking about his moster planet and the different monsters that live there. Jellybean was pleased with her pretty alien planet and enjoyed sampling the vinegar color (ick).

Buddy putting the final touches on his monster planet.

This is a great activity for a day when you can't be outside.  They spent a good 45 minutes to an hour on their fizzing planets.  Buddy is already excited to make another one. In fact, if I'd had more baking soda, we would have made more that day.


So, what are your favorite rainy/scorching hot day activities??  


Have a Happy Day!


~MJ

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Princess Festival 2012

Jellybean and I went on a mom and daughter outing last Saturday.  We went to the Princess Festival.
Here she is dressed in her finest princess garb:

Jellybean doesn't go out for the Disney princess look. She has her own style.

We met some beautiful princesses who told their stories and posed for pictures:

Meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel

Jellybean tried on a new outfit...yeah, it freaks me out a little, too.

I'm a little confused about why the arms don't match...

Face painting by one of my old high school friends (go figure). I tried to convince Jellybean to choose a more elaborate design.  I wanted to get my money's worth, but this is what she picked.

She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

They had several craft stations set up.  Jellybean was a little young for some, but she loved making her own hair bow and coloring bookmarks to give away to other children. Such a kind princess.
Jellybean also enjoyed building a sand castle and joining in the dance party with Princess Sonrisa and Little Red Riding Hood.

 Before we left, we had to get Jellybean's nails painted.  This was the first time for her. She was so excited. 

She sat so still. Gotta love the hot pink.

We had a blast. I loved every minute of hanging out with my daughter; just us girls. I get such a kick out of my funny, amazing little girl.

One last carriage ride before departing for home.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

WW- Water Play

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Have a Happy Day!

~MJ