Trying Something New

I was looking at one of my favorite crafty blogs, Let's Explore, and saw a Chore Bucket that she had made for her kids. I figure it's never too early to start teaching them responsibility, so I decided to make one, too.


I used a small coffee container, covered it with pretty paper, and then filled it with pieces of paper with small chores written on them. Things like, "Straighten up the bookshelf" and "Help fill Harley's water bowl". Once a day, we'll have chore time and Summer will draw one or two chores to do. I figure Camryn can just help Summer for now.

While I had all of the paper out, I cut up some of it for them to make collages with.


Look what Joe brought home today!


He saw it in a customer's garage, asked the guy about it, and he gave it to him! I am totally excited over what I can do with that thing. I think I'm going to sand it down and paint it to match their new playroom. They LOVE it. Summer even wanted to sit there to eat her dinner. We need to find another one, somehow.

We also made a weather wheel today. They have been learning about seasons and weather, so I thought it would be fun for them to look outside and move the arrow every day according to what they see. I might re-do it though, I think it would look better if the snowman and rain drops weren't upside down.

Soooo...meet Remy:


We weren't looking to get another cat so soon, but we did feel like something, or someone, was missing. So when my friend asked if we wanted a kitten that she couldn't keep, we said okay. She is 6-months old and really sweet. Joe has always wanted a black cat so I surprised him with her yesterday. She's been spending a lot of time under our bed but seems to be venturing out more and more. I can understand her wanting to hide... Jack and Harley and the girls are an intimidating bunch!

I had a few requests for the Italian Zucchini and Bell Pepper soup recipe. I found it here. (second recipe down)

A few recommendations...

Cut your bell pepper strips up so that they will fit on your spoon.

After you add the peppers and zucchini, cook it for longer than 30 minutes. Make sure the zucchini is pretty tender or it won't taste just right.

You could probably add penne pasta or even diced cooked chicken to this soup. I might try that next time.

House Update: We are OFFICIALLY closing Thursday at noon. Hallelujah. Can't wait can't wait can't wait.

Have a great weekend!!!

Adventures in Crafts with Toddlers

I thought I would be a good mommy and do a craft with the kids this morning. With a 1 and 2 year old, you're somewhat limited to what you can do to keep their attention, but I found a recipe for paint somewhere on the web and decided to give it a try. I followed the directions, with Summer's help, and stirred the mixture together on the stove. It resembled biscuits and gravy at that point. I added some water and got it to a consistency that was at least thinner, and poured it into little containers and added the food coloring.I rolled paper out over the table, got the girls in their seats, and put the paint on the table.

Camryn was really hesitant at first, but then after realizing she could eat it, sat there licking it off of her fingers. Summer was a bit more adventurous and painted a "peacock", a "baby", and a "frog".



They sat there for about 30 minutes, creating masterpieces. The "paint" was kind of gross and clumpy, but they enjoyed it. When they were done, I threw them in the tub for a quick bath and they are now eating lunch quietly.

**Please excuse my bizarrely yellow tinted pictures. I have yet to figure out how to set my camera to take good ones.**

Here's a video of them in the tub a little while ago. I probably won't leave it up since I don't want weirdos seeing my kids in the bathtub, but I thought it was cute, especially Camryn blowing a kiss at the end.


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