Things That Make Me Smile 7/13/12

Happy Friday! We went geocaching on Monday, spent the day with my grandma on Tuesday, had friends over on Thursday, spent today at my parents' today, and we'll be at my brother's tomorrow. Such a great week full of lots of fun, lots of memories, and lots of smiles.

1. Me, while sitting in a meeting after church: {whisper . . . whisper . . . whisper}
Zac, holding finger to lips: "Shhhhhhh."

2. How to tell when your child is a good reader - when he can hold a book with one hand and fight with his little brother with the other, all while reading fluently.

3. The kids were pretending to be Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda by hanging a spaghetti noodle under their noses. We were all laughing until Zac started making funny noises and wrinkling his nose. He had just taken a drink, so I thought he got juice up his nose. As it turned out, it was his noodle! Leighton held open Zac's nostril and tried to grab the noodle. We watched as it popped out of his nose a bit, got sucked back in, popped out, sucked in, over and over again as Zac laughed. I tried tweezers, but they just broke off bits of the noodle. He kept making a gargling sound because the noodle was so far in his nose and tickling his throat. Finally, he sneezed a few times, sending the noodle out his nose a few inches and shooting noodle-snot right into my hair. Leighton instantly pulled the goopy noodle out. We were all laughing so hard. After all, it's not every day you get a 5-inch noodle up your nose!  

4. Jake: "Mmm! Do I smell banana bread?"

Me: "No, just bananas. We don't have enough to make banana bread."

Zac: "Are you sure about that?"

5. Zac said to me about Tyler, "That's my baby. You can share with me."

6. Alyssa, talking about freshly baked cookies: "They're very, very hot. They need to cool . . . until tomorrow."

7. Jake: "When is baby Tyler going to get his first haircut? . . . Did you see that?!? He made this face {makes silly face.} I think he doesn't know what a haircut is yet."

8.

9 Me, jokingly: "Who's going to clean this messy kitchen?"
Jake: "Mommy!"
Me: "Mommy?"
Zac: "I will help you clean it!"

10. Zac: "Mommy, can I squeeze your face?" {squishes my cheeks together} "Aww, you look like a fishy!"

11. Jake, while learning about the continents: "Europe? That sounds like syrup. Why don't they just change the name to Syrup?"

12. Jake: "Homesick is when you're home for a long time and you really want to leave, but you just can't."

13. Alyssa: "Grandma, when are you gonna have kids?"
My Mom: "I'm all done having kids."
Alyssa: "What happened?!?"

14. Jake, singing Amazing Grace: ". . . saved a ranch, like me. Why did he save a ranch? What kind of ranch? Like a cowboy ranch?"


What made you smile this week???

Pantry Surprise 7/7/12

I've been wanting my kitchen cabinets re-done for a while now.


This isn't exactly what I had in mind though.

I was thinking more like painting them.

I suppose plastering the cabinets with stickers would work too.



Want to see other crazy surprises? You can find them HERE.

Things That Make Me Smile 7/6/12

It's been a fun, smile-filled week. I've been following along with the 8 weeks to a less cluttered home plan. I love organizing. Love it. Cluttered and stuff and junk seem to pile up without my knowing it though. We've accumulated way too much stuff over the years. Following this plan is very easy and keeps me accountable. I've already purges tons of stuff this week alone! I had 7 whisks. Seven! I can't wait to see how much we'll have removed from our house by the end of the 8 weeks.

Less stuff is definitely a big smile this week! Here are a few more.


1. Jake: "I think I know why God gave cobras those big, sharp teeth. To look cool. And to impress Adam and Eve."

2. I was making a One Step muffin mix that I got for free after a sale and coupons. The directions on the container say to "shake vigorously." I couldn't get all the powder off the bottom, so I took it to Leighton who was giving the kids a bath. Apparently he doesn't know his own strength. As he was shaking vigorously, he popped the top off, sending muffin batter all over everything. 
 
3. Alyssa came in our room in the middle of the night, crying because of a bad dream. "I did something really, really, really  bad. I touched a triangle. And ate it."

4. Jake: "It looks like pancake mix. I wouldn't eat it if I were you though!"

5. Zac, talking about Tyler: "My baby! My baby's awake!"

6. Before church, I left the kids playing in the gym for 20 seconds. I then found Zac with his shirt wide open, missing 2 buttons. I tried to get an explanation as to why, but he was too busy jumping around and laughing. Typical toddler. I proceeded to ask around for some safety pins as he followed behind, proudly showing everyone his chest. Ten minutes later, Alyssa handed me a tiny white button. "Where did you find this?" I asked. She replied, "In my hand." She started crying and explained that they had been playing tag. She tagged him and somehow ripped off the buttons. I think he got the short end of the deal. In exchange for 2 buttons, he got to be "it." 

7. I was reading the kids Big Black Bear and read the author's name, Wong Herbert Yee.

Jake: "Funny name."

Alyssa: "Is it real?"

8. Jake wanted to help me mop the floor, so I was showed him how to use the twist mop.

Me: "Ok, now you show me how to do it."

Jake, innocently: "But I thought you already knew how."

9. Alyssa handed me something while we were standing in the bathroom. As I set it down on the counter, it fell onto the floor. I said, "Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop that." She said, "That's ok. You didn't drop it. The counter did."

10. Jake: "Ooh, that smells cold."

11. Me {whispering}: "I love you."

Zac {yelling}: I LOVE YOU!!!! . . . {chuckling} I was so noisy."

12. Alyssa: "Mommy, I love you all the way to Florida."

13. Jake: "What's for breakfast today?"

Leighton: "We decided we won't be feeding you at all today."

Jake: "You know, we are really skinny."

14. Alyssa, while watching fireworks: "We don't have to cover our ears 'cause we have long hair."

15. I left the room for 30 seconds and came back to find the baby's head all sparkly. So of course, I asked, "Zac, what did you put on Tyler's head?" "Butter," he answered. Butter? I picked up Alyssa's cream lip gloss that was lying on the floor nearby. "This?" I asked. He excitedly responded, "Yes, butter!" I'm not sure if he was planning to eat the baby or what. One thing that I do know . . . Tyler sure did look pretty.


What made you smile this week?
 

Theory Thursday: Ice Excavation

What better way is there than to spend these hot summer days playing with ice???

Playing with ice and applying science, of course!

This activity requires time and easy prep. You'll need some sort of container, many miscellaneous trinkets, water, and various excavation tools.

Start by pouring a small layer of water in your container and place it in the freezer until frozen. Add another layer of water and a few trinkets. Put it back in the freezer. Repeat the process until the container is completely full or until your desired fullness.

Some trinket ideas are buttons, coins, paper clips, rubber bands, twist ties, Legos, foam shapes/letters, beads,  screws, pom-poms, keys, balloons, rocks, marbles, and whatever other little things you can find lying around. Long items like rubber bands and twist ties require more chipping and patience. While small items like beads and buttons are easier to extract and produce quicker satisfaction.

Once your ice block is completely frozen, remove it from the bowl, gather your tools, and head outside. 

 We used warm water to melt the ice.

 We tried pouring the water through a tiny funnel to concentrate on a certain spot.

We sprinkled on salt to dissolve the ice and make it easier to chip away. The salt left the ice pitted with little holes.

We also used other tools such as spoons, forks, and picks to dig into the block.

But their favorite was definitely the hammers!

Every time they'd hit the block, ice flew everywhere! Whether it was a big chunk or little specks, it was exciting to experience. 

We even flipped the hammer around and used it like a pickax. That really sent the ice soaring!

There was a surprise tool inside one of the blocks. Once Alyssa freed the screw from its frozen prison, we used it and a hammer to chisel away the ice.

We inspected the objects and the variances in the ice. Some parts were smooth, some had cracks, and other areas had tiny bubbles.

It was so exciting when we'd get a portion of an object partially excavated. The kids would grab it and try to yank it completely out of the ice. When that didn't work, they'd have to go back to chipping away at it.

They had so much fun with this ice excavation. Jake extracted all of his objects, convinced Zac to let him help with his, and tried to sneak a few items from Alyssa's block. He declared that this was "one of the best things ever!" He's asked at least 2,000 times - give or take a few dozen - if we can do this again.

Definitely.

 

Linked to I can Teach My Child, Living Life Intentionally, Science Sparks, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

Wordless Wednesday 7/4/12

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July! We're having a great day celebrating America's independence. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Right now, Leighton and the kids are outside in the pool. Tonight, we'll have bbq ribs that are making my house smell divine, macaroni salad, cheesy potatoes, watermelon, cornbread, and sweet tea. I prepared everything last night so I could just relax and enjoy my family today. 

 

Today is not about good food and good fellowship though. It's about our great country and what  made us great. Here are some quotes about America that I shared last year. Now more than ever, America needs to remember the truth for which our forefathers fought.

 

America needs to return to God and the Bible. 

 

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." - Patrick Henry

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." - Thomas Jefferson

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - George Washington

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." - George Washington

"The Bible is the rock upon which this Republic stands." - Andrew Jackson

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book." - Abraham Lincoln

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. ...Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit." - Woodrow Wilson 

"The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul." - Harry S. Truman

"The future and success of America is not in this Constitution but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded." - James Madison

 

30 for 30 Challenge: Days 8-30

It's hard to believe another week 2 3 weeks have already passed. We're continuing with our challenge of playing 30 minutes with our kids each day in the 30 days of June. (You can see what we played the first week here.) Here's what we played the past 7 14  21 days.

And that's as far as I got with the post. I started it at then end of the second week, but never finished. Then on week 3, I updated the time frame by crossing off the incorrect numbers, but still didn't write up the post. Can you tell I had good intentions of completing it???? Here I am 3 days passed the end of the challenge and I'm just now finishing recording what we played. Oh well, I guess the important thing is that we did play. Here's the short version.

Day 8: hide and seek 

Day 9: outside

Day 10: church

Day 11: created our own stories

Day 12: Legos

Day 13: Trios

Day 14: outside

Day 15: Battleship

Day 16: Polly Pockets

Day 17: church

Day 18: painting

Day 19: Geotrax

Day 20: playdough

Day 21: puzzles

Day 22: Legos

Day 23: tea party

Day 24: church

Day 25: cars

Day 26: outside

Day 27: Legos

Day 28: Toydle fort 

Day 29: Wii games

Day 30: LeapPad games


We definitely had a lot of fun this past month. I'm thankful that playing was a priority. Life gets so busy. It's nice to just slow down every now and then and take time to fully enjoy it. My kids are always happy when I set aside my chores to play.


Did you join the challenge? What are some things you played?