Sewing for the kids

Usually when Jonathan asks me to make something for him, his imagination wildly outpaces my skills. But this morning we were both inspired, and look at the results!

Power Rangers!



Of course, it took all morning. But that's what vacation time is for, right? :)

Hybrid shopping

Shopping has never been something I enjoy, and shopping for clothing is the worst. But Jonathan's shoes have been pinching him, and I've simply worn out most of my pants. Something had to be done.

I noticed two fabulous coupons for JCPenney in the weekend paper. Hmm! So last night, after the kids were in bed, I spent about 30 minutes online looking through their site for options. The beautiful thing about online shopping is the opportunity to sort by size, color, style, price, etc. I found four pairs of pants that looked like they had potential, and two pairs of shoes that looked perfect for Jonathan. But pants and shoes really are the sorts of things that should be tried on before buying them! So I put everything in my cart and then printed it.



This morning I headed off with my printout (and all three boys) to Penneys. Just over an hour later, we walked out with three pairs of pants and a pair of shoes. Did I mention that I had all three kids with me? And no one had a meltdown? Not even me?

I love the fact that the "browsing" stage was vastly simplified online. I hate wandering through aisles and aisles of clothing and never finding quite what I want. Online browsing took that entirely out of the equation. All that was left for the store was finding the right section, trying on four pairs of pants, and buying the three that fit. Jonathan's shoes were even smoother: we walked in, asked for the size and color, put them on his feet, paid and walked out.

Seriously, people, Hybrid Shopping. I don't know why I never thought to do it this way before! :)

8 years is long enough to wait, right?

I finally have a Kitchanaid stand mixer. Last week I stumbled across a phenomenal deal online. And since I expected a check for almost the same amount only two days later, I bought it. :) Isn't it beautiful?



The boys were suitably enthralled.



(well, we were making St. Nicholas cookies, so perhaps that accounts for the interest.)



I'm in love. I'm so in love that I cleaned the kitchen so that it would match the beauty of the mixer.

Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Homemade Halloween costumes

Jonathan chose to be a king this year. I sewed his robe, and edged the sleeves, hem, and neckline with gold thread. He loved that. :) We used an existing purple cape (I made it for him years ago), added a belt with a sword, and he did most of the painting/decorating of his crown. Do you see the cross on the front of the crown? That was Jonathan's idea, and very important to him. Overall, I love the way it turned out!



Remember how Thomas wanted to be Yoda? We managed it! The ears turned out a little bigger than I meant them, but they're the right shape and Thomas LOVES them. I sewed his robe from some fabric that my brother Jonathan sent from work (thank you, Uncle Jonathan!) Isn't he just the cutest Yoda you've ever seen?



Josiah was adamant that he wanted to be Darth Vader this year. Since we already had that costume, I was happy to oblige! We purchased a red light saber for him, which actually works out great because the other boys have blue and green ones and Siah wanted his very own so badly.



These photos were taken last night, just before leaving for our church's Halloween Party (a bang-up event!)

My goal this year was to create awesome costumes for a minimal cost. I ended up spending $13 (including the light saber!) and the kids were entirely happy. I'd say that's success!

Conversation

Josiah: "I am."
Thomas: "I'm not."
Josiah: "I am."
Thomas: "I'm not."
Josiah: "I am."
Thomas: "I'm not."
Josiah: "I am."
Thomas: "I'm not having this conversation with you, Siah."

First day of 1st grade!

Or "real school" as Jonathan insists upon calling it. :) He's attending a private Lutheran school this year, and I think it is going to be a really good fit for him.


{please excuse the messy floor - we were trying to get out the door on time!}

The other boys didn't want to be left out of the picture taking:



Jonathan had a hard time with me leaving, so the little boys and I came to opening chapel and sat right behind the first graders. I was so proud of Thomas and Siah - they were not expecting to have to sit quietly in church, but they did SO well. Right before the end of the service I whispered "Bye, Jonathan" and took the other boys out. We sat in the parking lot for a moment and I watched Jonathan filing back to his classroom with the other kids - just like he'd done it every day of his life. Yay Jonathan!

Today was a short day, so I picked him up at lunch time. On the way home I asked him what he did, and he told me that they read a book, and had snacktime, and chapel, and made "welcome back" visors. Apparently the book is quite interesting, and Mr. Rader will continue reading it tomorrow, and this is all very exciting. :)

While Jonathan was at school, Thomas and Siah and I had our own preschool time. Siah elected to paint (of course! this is all he ever wants to do!)



and Thomas chose an ABC workbook. I'm excited about preschool with them this year. Preschool is all the fun of homeschooling with none of the pressure. :)



I think that this is going to be a good year.

Our newest addition

Isn't she sweet?



She showed up at our front door a few nights ago, and when we opened it to investigate, she walked right in. I'm allergic to cats, so (like an idiot) I spent the next 45 minutes cuddling her while talking to neighbors and trying to discover who she belonged to.



No one knew, of course, although most of us thought she was probably abandoned, because she has some icky scarring on her neck that looks like the result of abuse.



But she loved the kids, and we all loved her. And we just couldn't dump her back outside and go to bed. But...we can't keep a cat! I'm allergic to cats! (At least, I was expecting to get violently allergic...any minute now...) Eventually a cat-loving neighbor came home, and she agreed to keep the kitten for a couple of days until we could either find an owner or find a new home for her.



Well, we found a new home for her. She's living in our back yard, and apparently I'm only slightly allergic to her. The boys are thrilled with their new pet, and frankly, I'm a little bit in love.

What shall we name her?

Strawberry Orange Banana Smoothies

I think one of the best summer treats is a freshly made smoothie. Today when we came home from the park we made this one:

Strawberry Orange Banana Smoothie

Milk (probably about 3/4 cup or so)
2 spoonfuls orange juice concentrate
2 oranges
1 cup spinach (loosely measured)
1/2 frozen banana
10 or so frozen strawberries

Blend milk, concentrate, oranges, and spinach until smooth. With blender running, add banana and strawberries one at a time. I added strawberries until the smoothie just started to turn pink from green.

The boys declared it "AWESOME!"

A good day

Sometimes it is nice to look back over the day and bask in the accomplishments.

Cooking: black beans, dinner quesadillas

Baking: 2 batches of granola bars, blackberry cobbler (sadly, the banana muffins didn't quite happen)

Laundry: the hamper is merely full now, instead of overflowing. :)

Homeschooling: math, art, handwriting, maps, narration, reading (Frog and Toad: Spring)

Little kids: water play, playdough, baking "help" :)

Cleaning: complete kitchen clean

Gardening: cut all dead flowers off the rose bushes, and arranged two vases to bring indoors

Toward the mortgage: listed three sets of cloth diapers on ebay, sold breadmaker (craigslist)

AND we had a lunch time play date in the midst of all of it!

[if only every day could be this good]

Golden moments

These are the kind of pictures that home schoolers post on their blogs to make other people jealous. :)



Well, I suppose the result does not necessarily imply the motive.



Maybe we just all like sharing the golden moments.

Sick days

Sometimes I think that getting sick is God's way of getting me to slow down a little and notice my children more. Last night I came down with a nasty head cold. I'm achy and tired and runny-nosed. And so we didn't go anywhere today (although the plans had included errands and library and park). We stayed home and took life easy.

This morning I lay on their bedroom floor and read to the boys. One of the books was Mayday! Mayday! A Coast Guard Rescue. It has beautiful art, slightly forced rhyming text, and the ability to utterly inspire my sons. Jonathan spent quiet time hand-drawing the Jayhawk helicopter, copying it from the pictures in the book. We created rescue baskets with paper and string, attaching them to toy helicopters and flying them to rescue Imaginext people and Duplo cats.

I found a great coloring page online, and since the printer isn't currently working Jonathan spent some time coloring it in the Paint program. Didn't it turn out nicely? Later, Jonathan and Thomas decided that they wanted to be pilots, complete with headset and microphone. We made those out of coat hanger wire and black beads. (Jonathan has declared it "the best kind of project day!") As I'm writing, all three boys are in their bedroom, enacting a complicated rescue, complete with pilot, mechanic, and diver.

If we had done all our typical Wednesday activities, the day probably would have been just fine. But today has been lovely in an entirely different way, and I can't really say that I'm sorry I'm sick.

Buttons

A couple of days ago, I purchased a box of assorted buttons at a craft store. I didn't have anything specific in mind for them, other than that they'd be a fun manipulative for the kids (and for me!) to play with. Besides, they're pretty. :)

Jonathan and Thomas have enjoyed sorting through them, finding their favorites, and arguing over possession. They've strung beads on thread,



turned them into a bracelet,



and learned how to sew them onto a piece of felt.



They're having a good time.

Josiah, now...Josiah is in love with the buttons. In love. He wants to touch them, play with them, (eat them!) let them slip and slide through his fingers and fall on the floor. He sorts them, sometimes by color but usually by some method invisible to me. He pours them back and forth between cups and bowls and measuring cups.



This afternoon he spent a full hour doing this. Life went on around him, but he was utterly oblivious to it. About 30 minutes into this activity, Thomas' attempt to take some buttons was met with cries of outrage - but once Thomas was removed from the scene Josiah went right back to pouring buttons. Sixty-five minutes after starting, he put all the buttons back into their box and asked for lunch. Whatever he'd been working on was apparently finished.

Reading about educational theories and child development is interesting...watching it play out in your very own child simply fascinating.

Christmas projects

Uncle Phillip gave the boys awesome paintable projects for Christmas. Jonathan received a pirate ship, Thomas a rocket, and Josiah an assortment of simpler wooden shapes.



All three boys really enjoy painting. Josiah is just learning the beginnings of how to use the brush. He tends to get more paint on his hands than on the object, but hey, you have to start somewhere!



Thomas has a very specific vision in mind. He takes his time and focuses intently.



Jonathan is experimenting with multi-media. His pirate ship is partly painted, partly crayoned, and partly colored with marker. He's used both regular paint brushes and round foam brushes to create interesting effects.



Thanks, Uncle Phillip, for a really great gift!

Poor little sickies

Jonathan came down with the stomach flu yesterday. Josiah's nose is running like a faucet. Thomas says he's fine, but he's only eaten about three bites of applesauce all morning. I'm tired and run-down and coughing but (so far!) not puking!

We're hunkering down and making ourselves comfortable. My goal today: reasonably happy kids, lots of hot tea, and clean laundry. Hulu is making this endeavor much easier...did you know that there is an entire season of 1954 Lassie available? We watched the Christmas episode this morning and it is just as sweet as I remembered. TV from half a century ago is so completely different from TV today...in this episode Timmy folds his hands and asks God to "please tell Santy Claus...", a caroling group sings two entire verses of Silent Night, and the veterinarian says success wasn't from his skill, but from "these people's prayers, and the faith of a child".

So I'm happy because it is a sweet show with values in line with ours , and the boys are happy because hey, it's a movie about a boy their age and a really cool dog! I don't think they've even noticed that it isn't in color. :)

Advent, making gifts

Gifts for my family: hours in the kitchen resulting in these lovelies.



Gifts for the children's friends:







Gifts for me: humor in my day. Apparently Josiah thinks that it is Halloween.

Muppet Christmas Carol

Hey Dad, remember this?



We're continuing the tradition. Jonathan is inspired. :)

Corruption by aunts and uncles

When certain aunts and uncles,



(names removed to protect the not-so-innocent)



do this:



A few days later, little boys do this:

Peanut butter play dough

I have fond memories of running around outside on blustery days when I was a child. Sadly, my children have thus far spent their life in the land of no seasons. They are something like shocked when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. Misty wet weather, like we had last week, sends them running inside (and then bouncing off the walls!)

My mom reminded me of this fun treat a few days ago when I called her, slightly desperate for creative ideas. You take a large glop of peanut butter and add honey. Don't ask me how much - I didn't measure any of this. Until it looks right. :) Stir together, then slowly stir in whole wheat flour until it reaches the consistency of soft play dough. Serve with a variety of fun foods that can be stuck on/into the dough, such as nuts, seeds, raisins, oats, etc. Whatever you have in your cupboard!



The kids had a great time - Thomas was thrilled that he was being told to play with his food!



And it tastes like peanut butter cookies. :)



Yes, it's a little messy, but hands wash!

Technology geek

This morning Jonathan asked to listen to music on the computer. When Gabe went over to help him turn it on, he found that Jonathan had already done nearly everything. He had turned on the computer, opened the zippered cd case and removed a cd (Glenn Gould!), and then opened the dvd tray and inserted the cd into the computer. All by himself. The only thing he hasn't mastered, evidently, is using the mouse to click on the "itunes" icon.

Technology holds a real fascination for Jonathan. Gabe thinks that it may be because it is such a direct cause/effect relationship: push this button and lights turn on, push that button and a tray comes out, push this key and the whole computer shuts down. Whatever the reason, he is becoming very good at it, mostly without being specifically taught. In fact, he taught me which button on the keyboard puts the computer to sleep! He's also very good at using the digital camera, and loves to click through the photos we've taken.

I wonder how much technology is good for him. I don't want him growing up into a preteen (or younger!) who thinks that life begins and ends at the computer screen, and so part of me thinks that two years old is far too young to begin the technology love affair! Still, I can't find anything specific that I think I ought to be doing differently right now.

What do you think, dear readers? How do you handle technology with your own little ones?