Pattern work

Evan was playing with some colored popsicle sticks and worked on making a pattern....

Lemonade Stand

Lyn and her friend have a lemonade stand set up. Of course Evan and Eliot wanted to go get some. I think they actually made $2.

What did you find in your yard today?

I was putting some rock back around my plant bed after dad cut the grass. I spotted something bright hiding out in my fennel plant. I called Evan and Eliot over to check it out. Three fat caterpillars were hanging out. What did you find in your yard today?

Another fun day at the library

I took Evan, Eliot, Lyn, and Annika to the library to see a short Scoooby Doo play. Of course a day with Scooby Doo would not be complete without pizza. The library provided a little pizza party afterwards.....

Spring is here!

It is officially Spring! The weather has felt like Spring for a long time but now it is actually here. To celebrate we headed to the park and playground at the waterfall in Old Towne Helena. The kids had fun and when we got home we had a surprise waiting for us. Each child had a basket nest full of goodies set out for them. We don't celebrate Easter but we like to incorporate some of the old fashioned fertility symbols like eggs and rabbits into our welcoming Spring activities. Lyn dyed some eggs and Connor and Evan (with Ben's help) played the Wild Craft board game. The eggs made it on one round of hiding before they all were eaten.

Cloth diapering

I am dreaming of cloth diapers again. I recently bought some newborn homemade diapers off of Etsy. they were cute, unique, made from old fabrics, and so cheap!!!! I have washed all of my prefolds. I have a few wool soakers and a few diaper covers. I am almost all set. since I will be home more with this little one I plan on using more cloth. I would love to commit to elimination communication but I am not sure I am up for it. There are so many cloth diaper options out there and some are very expensive. I really like old fashioned prefolds. Now I have come across some patterns on making your own prefolds!!! I so need to learn to sew. Maybe I can talk my mother or mother-in-law in helping me. check out the diapers I just bought..... (Annika was my photographer)

The wonderfully talented person that made these can be found on Etsy at PeanutPants

St. Patrick's Day

The sun was shinning and the kids played hard. I took the 4 youngest to the St. Patrick's Day party at the library. Ben was a bit challenged by all the excitment.I was going to start taking him to group storytime at the library but he may not be ready for it yet. It would be one thing if he went to daycare everyday and wqs used to structored group activities with other todddlers but he stays at home. We will probably just stick with more informal play groups and play at the library. After the story at the party the kids could choose to eat some snacks or work on some craft projects. Of course food came first. I did not know there were so many artifically colored green snacks out there to tempt children. Ben was still a bit agitated so I held him as Annika, Evan, and Eliot worked on making leprachaun hats and bookmarks. We played in the preschool section for a little while afterwards but the kds were pretty tired even though we weren't there very long. Ben fell asleep on the way home and slept about 4 hours. Since the weather was so nice I encouraged the 3 little kids to play outside. They had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and orange slices for lunch outside. When they became a little bored I brought out the ice for ice play. I showed them how to 'paint' with teh melting ice and just plain have fun with it. To put a St. Patricks Day twist on it I added a little green food coloring. They played for hours more......

And now some ice play pictures................

Almost Spring

The weather has been great lately. It has been warm and the kids have been spending more and more time outside. Evan is digging a hole, Eliot is helping Annika with her container garden, Ben is exploring the play tent, and Annika is great at handstands.

Making homemade herbal vinegar cleaner

I have tried using distilled white vinegar for some cleaning needs but I am always put off a bit by the smell. The other day I came across a recipe for herbal infused vinegar for cleaning purposes on Pinterest. I decided to try it. I infused some while vinegar for a few days with lavendar and thyme. Eliot and Lyn helped me out with draining it and placing it in a used clean water bottle with a sports bottle top. I added some drops of lavendar essential oil and voila! It works pretty well. It still smells like vinegar but not as strong. The thyme added a rich reddish color and the lavendar mutted it with a slight purple color.

Trouble in the cul-de-sac

Lyn started a caregiving project this week. She is taking care of a "baby" egg. She made a little video explaining what she is doing.

http://youtu.be/LwN5cvZ2QUA

She was supposed to be taking it with her everywhere. It came with us to the store and the playground. She took it with her when she went out to play with her friends. Well, there are a few boys, and a girl or two, that we ask the kids not to play with. Frankly, they are just bullies and it is a challenge sharing a neighborhood with them. A few of the boys snatched up Lyn's "baby" tore it apart and threw it down. I did not see it happen and have to just trust what my child told me. I just cannot believe that kids can be so cruel for no reason. I went to the mom of the children and told her what happened. I kept it civil and just told her what I was told. Other boys came to my door and handed me an egg and said that they were sorry. They said they did not realize that the "thing" Lyn was caring around was a project for school (that is what I told the mother). I guess since they thought it was a school assignment gave them more guilty? Regardless if it was for school or not where is the respect for other's property or interests?

Lyn's garden

Lyn's garden project is getting underway.... beans, peas, squash, kale, and lettuce are all in the ground.

At a playground again

i am so glad that I am able to spend more time with children since I work part time now. The weather was so nice yesterday that we went to a local playground at the waterfall and creek in Helena. We go here all the time. The playground is always in the shade so we can play there till the weather just gets unbearable later in the summer. The water level at the creek was pretty high. Ben is a bit afraid of the water. I wonder how he will do this summer when we go swimming. The park is bordered on each side by two train tracks. The kids got to see a train go by. They also spotted a snake on the bank.....  a good day.

Creating their own play

I love it when kids take their environment and create their own play. As they remember playing in the "river" in the backyard I am sure it will be remembered a lot bigger than it is.....

Lyn getting her garden ready

The weather was so nice today that Lyn started working on her garden. Last year she had quite a few vegetables growing. This year she is going to try and plant more. We are planning on adding a raised box garden. When a friend stopped by she went for a walk and came home with a small box perfect for a small garden. What luck!! She got it set in the ground and I think with some poles added it will make a great bean garden......