Sanity via glue bottle

The days are long....

The years are short....

Lately the days have been long for me as a mother.  Ed has been working hard, often late or on weekends.  He also treated himself to a golf get away, well deserved.  And I had Grandma Charlie here a few days to tag team with.  But the days do get long. 

The other evening I pulled out a craft for us to do and I actually sat down and did it with them instead of getting them started and then unloading the dishwasher.  And it was peaceful, it was calm, and it was enjoyed by all.  Henry got to control his own big boy glue bottle, stock up now while they are $0.25!  I cut a bunch of squares for them to create apple trees with...here in MN it is apple season.  

And an evening that was never-ending soon ended too soon.

Works-For-Me- Wednesday : How much is too much TV?

We have had a good run lately and the TV has not been the most demanded form of entertainment in our house.  But we do go through chunks where "Can we watch a show?" is the question that is asked and whined over and over during the day.  The last time that it really started to get on my nerves I came up with something to try to manage our TV watching.  I was also stressed that they were spending too much screen time.  So for just a few days (not always, and forever - just a few days) I put this system into action.

We had two cups.  One held three Popsicle sticks that Charley decorated.  The other said TV cup on it.  (I know super creative!)

In the morning he got to put his three sticks in the plain empty cup.  During the day when he wanted to watch a show he had to take a stick and bring it to me and put it in the TV cup.  By doing this he was aware that he only had one or two sticks left.

The first day he was in tears because he used them all up in the morning.  But soon he learned that he needed to spread them out throughout the day.  During this first experience with this I also banned TV from 8 until 12:30 each day.  I figured one cartoon to wake up to....and then he could watch one in the afternoon during Henry's nap...and one around supper time when I was making dinner.  It worked slick.  It gave him the power over his TV shows - and we all know how much they love to have power.  And when the whining about a show began I told him to go get a stick - and if there weren't any sticks left - he had himself to deal with. 

I have the cups tucked up on our kitchen counter and Charley asks to "do" them every once in awhile.  I also noticed after we first used this strategy that my kids didn't watch "too much" TV.  It just seemed like it to me...because I am a mama that gets paranoid over screen time.  I have also used them to monitor the combined screen options in our house...video games, computer, and TV.

How do you deal with your child's need to watch a show?  The whining? Demanding? and your own personal restrictions on how much you want them to have in front of the tv?

You can go here for more Works for Me Wednesday posts.

Thinking outside of the box....the lunch box that is...

It's Friday...we have had a long week.  We are looking to spice up life here on this FREEEEZING Friday.  So I got out two muffin tins and served lunch Muffin Tin style....

Homemade Mac and Cheese

carrots

grapes

ketchup

half a hot dog

a piece of cheese

I got this idea on another blog I read...but I can't find it now.  It isn't a new idea...but if you are like me...you don't always take the time to think out of the box to put a different spin on getting your kids to eat or making lunch fun.

Smiles were big.  Everything was devoured.  We'll do this again soon!  Maybe a Muffin Tin Monday Lunch tradition is something to start.

Another fun way to feed the kids will be coming soon!  Stay tuned!

Update:  found the link.

What to do when you are two....

When your big brother is at school then it is time to play with mama.

So we got out some cars....

red ones,

blue ones,

and yellow ones.

And we lined them up - a little boys heaven!

Then we established some parking lots.

Finally, we worked on parking the cars on in the correct parking lot.

Working on our colors.

Kind of tricky and kind of fun! 

Why not?

This morning we went outside and played in the snow for an hour.  Then we came in and the boys took a warm bath.  We collected some snowballs while out in the snow...we brought them in...and BAM!  Bath time was new and exciting for....about a minute...since they melted really fast.  Why not?  It was fun!

Book Box...

Something to do one of these cold fall days...have your children dig through their books and pull out the holiday books and if you don't have any ....GO TO THE LIBRARY! I know I have a slightly obnoxious amount of them from my classroom. But it is so fun for the kids to just sit and look at them or ask you to read books that celebrate the season. Right now we have our Halloween, Thanksgiving, and fall ones out on our hearth ( I think that is what this part of the fireplace is called...actually I don't think that is what it is called...damn)....anyone...anyone....

A Parenting Staple...

If you are a parent you probably already make this...but if you don't you should try it. Kids love JELLO. Well, most do. There are some kids that hate it. I have a feeling that Henry will opt out tonight. It has been awhile since I made it. But Finger Jello has been a treat that I have grown up with. My mom used to make it often. She would cut it up into small squares...yummy. It isn't full of nutrition but there are plenty of snacks that are far worse! So here is the finger jello recipe that I grew up with. It is NOT the recipe on the box. When people make the jigglers on the box I am not impressed. They usually are mushy, and aren't great for kids.

Try these! We cut them out into shapes using cookie cutters. There is even a restaurant on our way up to Ed's parents that has jello on their kids menu. They bring you a plate with some cookie cutters...perfect for an appetizer for kids...keeps them busy! Sadly, they must use the jello box jiggler recipe because the last time we ordered it you couldn't even cut out the shapes. I should send them our recipe! Here it is...

Finger Jello

2 packages of knox unflavored gelatin (I always have several boxes in my pantry)
1 6 oz. package of jello or 2 3 oz. packages
2 1/2 cups of water

Dissolve unflavored gelatin in 1 cup of cold water - set aside.
In a pan bring 1 cup of water to boil.
Add jello.
Bring to boil and remove from heat.
Add gelatin mixture. Stir and add 1/2 cup of cold water.

Pour into a greased pan (I use a 9x13 glass pan). Set aside in fridge for ONLY 2 hours! That's all it takes...you can leave it in more but some jello recipes take 4 hours...so I am bragging that these only take 2! Cut into squares or shapes using cookie cutters. Store in air tight container in fridge. Don't throw away the scraps....they are just as yummy!

With the flu season starting up I hope this recipe can be in your back pocket. We're having it tonight with our pineapple / ham homemade pizza! I'll add a picture when we have one to share!

Choo Choo Bob's

Could I be more in heaven watching my boys enjoy story time so cozy.

I am always looking for new, fun, free, things to do with my boys. And this morning we packed up and went to story time at Choo Choo Bob's Train Shop. It was our first time at the shop and we were NOT disappointed. We got there early and they opened the doors to us because they could see we were excitedly waiting for them to open. The back of the store has at least 6 train tables with different train sets set up and ready to play with. We will return with Mama's book because I could totally read while they putter for an hour! Then we got to meet Engineer Paul who read stories, played his guitar, sang, and did a little lesson on counting. It was awesome. We went with our friends and all four kids (including Henry) sat in the front row completely entertained for the 40 minute story time. WE WILL GO BACK!

When it rains...

Save the worms!



Today McKenna popped over to play. It rained steady all day! There was finally a break in the rain so we hustled outside. Not sure what we were going to do. Then it came to me - SAVE THE WORMS! I presented the issue of rainy days bringing out the worms but then they can't get back to the grass without some help. So we wandered our street and both Charley and McKenna picked up a bunch of worms...with my help. Then they deposited them back in the grass.

Hunting for treasure...

My friend Molly shared with me a little activity her mom did with her when she was little. And I gave it a try up at the cottage. I wrapped up some little treasures in tinfoil (not necessarily new but match box cars, little animals etc.) You have to make sure they weigh enough to sink. Then I tossed them out into the water and Charley and his friend CJ had to hunt for them. They sparkle like treasures. Once they found them they got to excitedly open them to see what treasures they uncovered. It got them in the water! Then they ended up wrapping up things and tossing them back in. Success!

shaving cream + sunny day =

A happy boy! When I was teaching we would do shaving cream spelling. I had high hopes of doing some letters and sight words with Charley this afternoon. But I ran in the house to grab something and when I returned he was very busy .... covering himself. I think I will just let him have at it and then run through the sprinkler. For those of you who need a fun way to get your kiddos ready for school. Shaving cream and a finger will be the ultimate way to practice spelling words, letters, sight words, math problems...and more. The dollar store sells it for a dollar a large can!

The Foamerator!

One of my favorite monthly parenting resources is Family Fun magazine. A subscription for it isn't very expensive and usually once you order one you can order another one for five bucks...so if you don't get it ...talk to a girlfriend before ordering so you can take advantage of the deal. In the August issue they featured "The Foamerator!" Ed's aunt Katie also let us know that it worked and her daycare kids loved it. By cutting off the bottom of a plastic water bottle, securing a damp washcloth to the bottom with a rope or rubber band, and then dipping it in a shallow bowl of dish soap - you can have loads of fun. Charley is still working on blowing deep breaths for this one but it was a hoot.