tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18347424077815846542024-02-19T05:00:37.156-08:00Easy Stay-At-Home FunMessy, fun, and easy activities for toddlers and preschoolersCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-60493892328215194642011-08-22T09:00:00.000-07:002011-08-19T11:00:55.727-07:00No Money for a DS? No Problem.<div style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, my niece and nephew recently each received their own Nintendo DS gaming system. My daughter (who's 4), has seen them use them and has requested one of her own. She will not be getting one, for various reasons that I won't get into because, you don't want to hear that rant. So, she used her creative little brain today to get her hands on her own DS (which she referred to as a "CBS" and stated to her little brother, "No one's allowed to touch my CBS").</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMHTdsF2lTgcqNMlhtd5dmJEZ9YoZENNeL0V_WoAN9gQQgAaj6OJpqzexdR2tV3k_mB6kPCbVLji_O3LNjcJDWkFIupXjguhZ0W4a3FBlvejFzDEH9OZaCDNjonEqPprwkd1QK6ff31aq/s1600/ds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMHTdsF2lTgcqNMlhtd5dmJEZ9YoZENNeL0V_WoAN9gQQgAaj6OJpqzexdR2tV3k_mB6kPCbVLji_O3LNjcJDWkFIupXjguhZ0W4a3FBlvejFzDEH9OZaCDNjonEqPprwkd1QK6ff31aq/s640/ds.jpg" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Thank goodness for cardboard, markers, and pencils (there's a little hole that holds the pencil that she presses the buttons with). Oh, and she's obviously still in her 'make a face for the camera' phase. </span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-87842687147148469752011-08-19T10:51:00.000-07:002011-08-19T10:51:54.273-07:00Kill 2 Birds with One Stone OR How To Get Your Kids to Do Your Dirty Work<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Here's an activity that benefits both you and your children. It not only keeps you children occupied and feeling important, but gets your BBQ clean for the first time in 2 yea</span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">rs!</span> </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are your needed supplies:</span></div><br />
<div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Dishsoap</div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Water</div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 Empty plastic containers (good time to recycle here and feel good about yourself)</div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 scrub brushes</div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">1 dirty BBQ</div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 Eager children </div><div style="color: orange; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">An alternative activity for you, such as cleaning the kitchen, phoning a friend, or reading People magazine</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Steps:</span></div><br />
<div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. Lay out all supplies beside filthy dirty bbq</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. Begin to scrub</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3. Let them come to you. Trust me. They will come.</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. Show them what to do</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5. Now, walk away to your alternative activity</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a picture in case you're not sure of the steps</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGuD0UHTxCwzKuFo_-aP18hl1uz6VHQ1oGy77ichBr-bCVQnZoLbrADsafmsHeIUhGHUumEndjKEby-4UAxltBuw_5kab9KqJ-GcF1ttnU4jfXEQPxqX9v0IfXwVGhjjFDksMe54rfGcK/s1600/bbq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGuD0UHTxCwzKuFo_-aP18hl1uz6VHQ1oGy77ichBr-bCVQnZoLbrADsafmsHeIUhGHUumEndjKEby-4UAxltBuw_5kab9KqJ-GcF1ttnU4jfXEQPxqX9v0IfXwVGhjjFDksMe54rfGcK/s640/bbq.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Note in the picture that this can be done on a semi-rainy day. Children don't melt when rained on.</span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-78476925352561568862011-08-15T17:06:00.000-07:002011-08-19T06:09:35.781-07:00How to Fight Evening Exhaustion<div style="color: purple; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Note to self</span></b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">When feeling extremely drained after the supper hour, plus depressed about the massive mess that surrounds you, here's what you do (as experienced this very evening):</span></span></div><br />
<div style="color: #b45f06;">Announce to the children that Mommy needs to lay down.</div><br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">Lay on the couch.</div><br />
<div style="color: #741b47;">When the children begin to climb on you, announce (loud enough for your husband to hear):</div><span style="color: #741b47;">"I'm going to my bedroom, because I have a feeling this is not going to end well."</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">Turn a 30 minute movie on for the kids (or just walk upstairs and let your husband to do it, because he's tired too and just wants to veg on the computer).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">***By no means are you to feel guilty that they are watching (another) show, as they'll (probably) still turn out fine when grown-up.***</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #8e7cc3; text-align: left;">Lay down in your room for 15 minutes. Maybe even lightly snooze for 5 minutes. This ensures you won't have that icky heavy-tired-groggy feeling from sleeping too long that only serves to make you crankier. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: left;">When you wake (because your husband barges in and lays down beside you and begins to immediately snore), make yourself a tea. But ensure you sneak to the kitchen so the kids don't know you're 'awake' yet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #741b47; text-align: left;">While drinking your tea (or maybe wine if you have any just laying around, since it's faster than tea), think about all the things you did right today. Here are mine:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #3d85c6; text-align: center;">When my 2 year old was having a massive, over-the-top, sorta-kinda-scary toddler tantrum, I calmly told him to go to his room. When he said no, I calmy put him in his bed with his blankie and closed the door. While listening to his screams, I said to myself, "Be the one in control." And I was. I entered the room 5 minutes later and told him he could leave his room when he was done crying. He decided he was done crying when he heard that. And we concluded the moment with Mommy not joining his tantrum!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Or there's this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi2wucqVY-j0doIipNTTbLyGp92MfgCvWJt9nzQLX4mch-188bHTl01u1kznCD_m3hrmHNqP-PnMJrvsSsxxqUX7DFVcq8F951OlXJqEpitbS_Ticgw0cIWj8c2girmr3_FdORB9K1SC-/s1600/polka+dot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi2wucqVY-j0doIipNTTbLyGp92MfgCvWJt9nzQLX4mch-188bHTl01u1kznCD_m3hrmHNqP-PnMJrvsSsxxqUX7DFVcq8F951OlXJqEpitbS_Ticgw0cIWj8c2girmr3_FdORB9K1SC-/s640/polka+dot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">We made polka dot wrapping paper for my niece. And it turned into polka dot water painting on the deck! </div><div style="color: #6aa84f; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #6aa84f; text-align: center;"><i>Okay, confession. We didn't actually do this activity today. We did it two weeks ago. But it was a good moment. So it's okay to reflect on it two weeks later.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: left;">We try to make all of our own wrapping paper. We got a roll of paper from the local paper mill (it's called a "Butt." True story). It pays to know people who work there. And then we cut strips off and paint it any way we like. Super cheap. Super personal! Super fun!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #c27ba0; text-align: left;">We like to paint the deck with water using regular paintbrushes too. I use my no spill paint pots so my 2 year old doesn't promptly dump it out. This is PERFECT when trying to accomplish something in the kitchen. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Okay. Where was I. Oh! Right. 15 minute rest and reflextion.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">By this point, you will be 100%!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;">You will have enough energy to put the children in the tub, in bed (hair braided), clean kitchen, sweep floors vacuume rug and even blog!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: large;">How to survive Motherhood: Always revert to the 15 minute rest in the evenings!!!</span></b></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-37561882942512516672011-04-18T15:20:00.000-07:002011-04-18T15:20:00.375-07:00Getting your child to bed without a fuss<div style="color: #a64d79; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Want to get your child to bed without a fuss?</span></div><div style="color: #741b47; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #741b47; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Then transform their room into a hotel, and they'll be <span style="color: #6aa84f;">begging</span> to <span style="color: #bf9000;">go to bed!!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">This post is based on ACTUAL events:</span></b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tonight, Rachel requested a hotel in her room. I asked her how we were going to do that. She indicated all we needed were some chairs, her snow white (snowman) blankie, her 'real' blankie, and that was all! I suggested we add a TV, so she drew on a shoebox. She told me that we needed a remote, so we taped together some popsicle sticks and she added the buttons with her marker. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5rYfzxkL5Ooow-rQ9Tez5nIIujno9tCGwgd0io4eYubTWEc5kcKcdj-9lRc23Khq0At0odWc9kN5ozfv5Tznovgw3CzeozMk11jt3z7JWxhtTLQGGG76Wrcjcjkis2zDya0O4qzgurBl/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5rYfzxkL5Ooow-rQ9Tez5nIIujno9tCGwgd0io4eYubTWEc5kcKcdj-9lRc23Khq0At0odWc9kN5ozfv5Tznovgw3CzeozMk11jt3z7JWxhtTLQGGG76Wrcjcjkis2zDya0O4qzgurBl/s400/IMG_1105.JPG" width="400" /> </a> </div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">When her hotel bed was created, she asked enthusiastically, 20 minutes before it was even time to get ready for bed, "Mommy, can I please go to bed RIGHT NOW!?!?!?" Sometimes it's just so hard to say no *sigh.* I told her she could only go to bed if she paid me money, because it costs a lot of money to stay at a hotel. She dug out all her pennies and handed them over happily. She was so excited to go to sleep, she actually forgot all about watching tv and left her tv on the kitchen table!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyIEaQfxgDGgNl0aBWrS6zifYYxP4MrCsgWrIQt6Hk3VTXfneGIlHjqFCpZUVO_BS1_VtZ0NXH5rr2v9NDS4mWjEdZox6D7g5shp6I3xTwEaQXgtmbEQDxW3dciutda3M-vzLnRuzhOxL/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyIEaQfxgDGgNl0aBWrS6zifYYxP4MrCsgWrIQt6Hk3VTXfneGIlHjqFCpZUVO_BS1_VtZ0NXH5rr2v9NDS4mWjEdZox6D7g5shp6I3xTwEaQXgtmbEQDxW3dciutda3M-vzLnRuzhOxL/s640/IMG_1104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This was the nice pose. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And then . . . </span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Mxsa3bgDM7zbPnes_wJGP8gUzxKeJeJ0bN8QY1ItTtj0qRrSwI5_hWJm0V9IUTHgMGiuGLA1Hr01zBkeYOpyYyt-SKA_ghkTENiqZam9DtcgwLi9Rg39zRhkk82jMeFLNyvmTZwHJ9if/s1600/IMG_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Mxsa3bgDM7zbPnes_wJGP8gUzxKeJeJ0bN8QY1ItTtj0qRrSwI5_hWJm0V9IUTHgMGiuGLA1Hr01zBkeYOpyYyt-SKA_ghkTENiqZam9DtcgwLi9Rg39zRhkk82jMeFLNyvmTZwHJ9if/s640/IMG_1103.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> This was the silly face pose, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">which she has recently become so fond of. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are some more examples of her fondness of it, just for fun!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVeAlaIHT3sQamCWbFIt-nAAQJW1xiQdJA1vnJd5pK2XIZjf2XRemFJ4WmXwltII_k6sptT8xmG1hqfbhMgUCrxgdQ9fY-2hx2EiA6MmRQoJkHo00WnJqqhcH14BmEkLNdjxYnuGc3Bf1/s1600/IMG_0956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVeAlaIHT3sQamCWbFIt-nAAQJW1xiQdJA1vnJd5pK2XIZjf2XRemFJ4WmXwltII_k6sptT8xmG1hqfbhMgUCrxgdQ9fY-2hx2EiA6MmRQoJkHo00WnJqqhcH14BmEkLNdjxYnuGc3Bf1/s320/IMG_0956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WGb1wYir_2OgPuhc3PcmLvVfNyzZX0tmc12HejxjudG1GX31jJYWzpiW05j04Pbi4m3TFdxdJvaZd9_WZXYImVMWQZh7GOsdlNyv-Px7Ndclm5D2kwwtL8UBaWbOX717g8OxRtfjdTQP/s1600/100_1284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WGb1wYir_2OgPuhc3PcmLvVfNyzZX0tmc12HejxjudG1GX31jJYWzpiW05j04Pbi4m3TFdxdJvaZd9_WZXYImVMWQZh7GOsdlNyv-Px7Ndclm5D2kwwtL8UBaWbOX717g8OxRtfjdTQP/s1600/100_1284.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9Lk8k-Y-lzT-Y9_lCuueL8OtWme8n_E008FwstgRRAQPFepb37wpDjQqFRiq5m0PYlzs_shyK5wykJUtAkIVETmJBf7ASOEp8XtMu_mWf77SIE3_KYVl5lTfFCT6yKTyNJISgyR-YTk4/s1600/IMG_1026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9Lk8k-Y-lzT-Y9_lCuueL8OtWme8n_E008FwstgRRAQPFepb37wpDjQqFRiq5m0PYlzs_shyK5wykJUtAkIVETmJBf7ASOEp8XtMu_mWf77SIE3_KYVl5lTfFCT6yKTyNJISgyR-YTk4/s320/IMG_1026.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxi7_AbZUM2RtbhRKnOZTKwK5N5xxSRwoR3lOcy7qG9lo44V9zF01CaCoevWC3cYY4f_lFMzQEt94pfg-P1QOsfVOwm24kWQ4vJdb3StmWuR7xF2b3bNMrJmo5Ld1h4OfYw1NZjz_w3GA/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxi7_AbZUM2RtbhRKnOZTKwK5N5xxSRwoR3lOcy7qG9lo44V9zF01CaCoevWC3cYY4f_lFMzQEt94pfg-P1QOsfVOwm24kWQ4vJdb3StmWuR7xF2b3bNMrJmo5Ld1h4OfYw1NZjz_w3GA/s640/IMG_0970.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my fave'! We actually have a progression of photos of her making various silly faces in this moment, and it is very entertaining to flip through them quickly! Cheap entertainment baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-65226640195382178372011-04-14T15:20:00.000-07:002011-04-14T15:40:23.574-07:00Keepin' Lunch Time Fresh and Fun!<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is your child tired of boring old sandwiches? </span></div><div style="color: #bf9000; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">No longer interested in lunch? </span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Then try </span><span style="color: #073763;">. . . </span></div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #073763;">"The Circle Lunch!"</span></span></div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LzHmRlYZoxA19_ylYtg6grY8CC72PPniiJQGRhqOXysAAglPiKg4ML3DMFe8fgZ9Yugrd6BVAbT3JXL5sh6VjV7zmPgqPaIQwL-H2ukzqqp5Edh1fUKxJibhM99Bt7QStKd28Em8R5IN/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LzHmRlYZoxA19_ylYtg6grY8CC72PPniiJQGRhqOXysAAglPiKg4ML3DMFe8fgZ9Yugrd6BVAbT3JXL5sh6VjV7zmPgqPaIQwL-H2ukzqqp5Edh1fUKxJibhM99Bt7QStKd28Em8R5IN/s640/IMG_1091.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">This lunch can then be followed by a delicious round <span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">cookie! </span></span></span></div><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-55002839922459740852011-03-21T12:05:00.000-07:002011-03-21T12:05:18.043-07:00Rice Krispies Re-Created<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">My daughter wanted to make Rice Krispie Squares this weekend. It occurred to me that someone out there has probably re-invented the rice krispie square to make it healthier. I love making my baked goods have some nutritional value and lower sugar content if possible. Thanks to nutritionist Joy McCarthy who posted her version <a href="http://www.thatsfit.ca/2010/05/26/healthy-rice-krispie-square-recipe-sweet-almond-butter-rice-c/">here</a>, we were able to do just that! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4HnrYq2aEUrMP4B7LQBRWV98AkaCdle1f303D9rPHuB2pUb-nS4TNNiYdmEkKpzmI1u1intMZE-04EwCvH_-X7yLmI2M2bMhT10fPYSJdIGK9y68sP4DQOF5ora02yVrW_efrgbZJ356/s1600/krixpir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4HnrYq2aEUrMP4B7LQBRWV98AkaCdle1f303D9rPHuB2pUb-nS4TNNiYdmEkKpzmI1u1intMZE-04EwCvH_-X7yLmI2M2bMhT10fPYSJdIGK9y68sP4DQOF5ora02yVrW_efrgbZJ356/s640/krixpir.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="color: #bf9000; text-align: center;">I modified the recipe slightly by mixing in half a cup of sunflower seeds, as well half a cup of wheat bran. I'll probably add more of each next time. I sprinkled ground flax on top, then <span style="color: #351c75;">added sprinkles on top <span style="color: #990000;">because when you're 3, <span style="color: #38761d;">everything needs sprinkles. </span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">These Rice Krispies were DELICIOUS, and hard to resist. </span></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">I'm thinking this is a great birthday party treat, and honestly, with sprinkles on top, what kid is going to know that these are actually a source of protein and are low in refined sugars?????</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Hope your family gives this healthy twist a try together!!!! </span></span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-77084992724131103292011-03-12T02:57:00.000-08:002011-03-12T02:57:07.206-08:00Feature!<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">My last post was featured on:</span></div><br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://best-toys-for-toddler.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20paw" target="_blank"><img alt="Best toys for toddlers" border="0" src="http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af280/MichelleWillow/highpawlogo.jpg?t=1293963068" /></a></center> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Check out </span><a href="http://best-toys-for-toddler.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Best Toys for Toddlers</a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> for more great ideas!</span></span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-8163759995198513722011-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:002011-03-15T07:48:42.852-07:00Building with recyclables<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit75JtONt6Artra82DknKP839SVNshNPzLjbuKNCXGIbKn1sURuHldBSMh4HFUYAKJXipcTxr2jNHLS3GZdvHF6rWFvwJorbJS5jHTfndlxkK2NfOfkeNECCPkOjZFlCfLwR_FW_QPTwNx/s1600/micah+building.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit75JtONt6Artra82DknKP839SVNshNPzLjbuKNCXGIbKn1sURuHldBSMh4HFUYAKJXipcTxr2jNHLS3GZdvHF6rWFvwJorbJS5jHTfndlxkK2NfOfkeNECCPkOjZFlCfLwR_FW_QPTwNx/s640/micah+building.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="background: 0% 50%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Who needs blocks? </span></div><div style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">A staff member at school, who's husband hates to throw anything out, brought in boxes of extra large empty peanut butter jars, as well as coffee cans, for us to build with at preschool. We replaced our standard wooden blocks with this alternative for a month and a half. The possibility of what to do with multiple sized containers that stack, roll, open and close are absolutely <i>endless. </i>These are a MUST HAVE resource if you teach preschoolers OR have a toddler at home! </span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eventually, we switched back to our standard blocks. We don't have any room at school to store these, so I decided to store them at home in my storage room. But first, I let Micah at them, who is now 21 months. He's been having a blast stacking them, and knocking them over. </span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">The same affect can be accomplished with empty ice cream containers or large mayonnaise jars. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</div><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Yay for recycling!</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Now all you need to do is find your local hoarder/environmentalist who can't throw anything out, and you'll be set!</span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-75453940394817257842011-01-21T10:40:00.000-08:002011-01-21T10:40:00.292-08:00Homemade Mop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYY7Flz0rnZIIoAD1_5ok3nTvJA8I8Izvf4HFPw302nrbcC7ZbY7OxKknk-JvVbNND45HgUWaYWL-7Pufix0bZ4q47QRyadSdXuZUfH9Q3ApUmFO1nVFPtAzqoWUaNqRBsuZk46N0V0XIA/s1600/January.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYY7Flz0rnZIIoAD1_5ok3nTvJA8I8Izvf4HFPw302nrbcC7ZbY7OxKknk-JvVbNND45HgUWaYWL-7Pufix0bZ4q47QRyadSdXuZUfH9Q3ApUmFO1nVFPtAzqoWUaNqRBsuZk46N0V0XIA/s640/January.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So mopping can be a challenge when you have an 18 month old (he's actually 19 months, but I don't like to say that). He just gets in the way, and tries to take the mop from you. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So thankfully Daddy had a pile of old white t-shirts that I could tear into strips, then tie together with an elastic. I tied the bundle onto the stick with elastics too. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He stayed occupied until I was done mopping. Then his sister mopped after him. SO, my floors were the cleanest they've ever been!</span></span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-26168490366053116092011-01-19T10:38:00.000-08:002011-01-19T10:40:37.965-08:00What to do on a snow day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFwMYMx4Y6LubLHMdZglAnQSFtbUFuK_zv6-7S1JiyNOFW-U1JpTfFtvfABiqe-L_cJfMSS_ayZkHom_gZyZMRD40prOsKUCFeXG4Ac7p1ouZRl_DTIkJ03BSM6Xraqy4-yem0LtsM8jn/s1600/2011-01-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFwMYMx4Y6LubLHMdZglAnQSFtbUFuK_zv6-7S1JiyNOFW-U1JpTfFtvfABiqe-L_cJfMSS_ayZkHom_gZyZMRD40prOsKUCFeXG4Ac7p1ouZRl_DTIkJ03BSM6Xraqy4-yem0LtsM8jn/s640/2011-01-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GEGsChoVV0rDdSue-z0VbCqkg6PuB0y1FYhSpQnU90VxmHGlV_SYgmDzhBdSany9wHqbtkFCdHS3FjE8BpZEeHe0KZU7kiYsJDq4CFP5q688YBfYa5lUEP0djP1XNrQGvJ7BoMqAF6Jw/s1600/2011-01-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">We had a snow day here in New Brunswick (well actually, more like a rain day - freezing rain and messy roads). So what to do with a whole day ahead of you, where you can spend time <span style="background-color: white;">together instead of being at preschool? Well, you can . . .</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="background-color: white;">*Play Restaurant. Take an order. 'Write' it down. Pay your money. Eat a delicious lunch!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">* Skate on Cake Pans. 'Nuf said. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">*Make puppets out of toilet paper rolls. Then destroy them an hour later (if you're Rachel)</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">*Play catch with a cold pack (and laugh hysterically for unknown reasons while doing it)</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">*Make a double batch of <a href="http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/01/homemade-chewy-granola-bars-and.html">granola bars</a>, and lick the spoons when you're done. These are a staple in our house. I always freeze a batch for later (or my husband will inhale them). We add ground flax, pumpkin seeds, and a variety of nuts to ours. And don't drizzle chocolate on top, because chocolate's not allowed at preschool. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">*Practice your Picasa skills for work (Mommy)</div><i><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now we're going to make rhubarb crisp to go with homemade hamburgers for supper, just to stick our tongue out at the winter weather. And I might read a few chapters from my current book (Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman). And throw a load of laundry into the mix, just to make my day complete :o)</span></i></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-45186867868152277502010-12-22T18:07:00.000-08:002010-12-22T18:07:37.896-08:00Playdough Art<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Instead of sitting at an easel and paint, why not sit at an easel and sculpt? That's what Rachel decided to do today while she was playing playdough. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fd4LN5dc4OArbu1sDj0jIjPakflw_sg8SqZQq0_WFpwKCAnZ81kiP1f-9pXx5fVGVEE6y8NkXtuJFrZ5izdVAE3mVx1L2oTTRXjQVKRrW95Zbr4cw4fJbbPZLqc_jkQ3Xn8pz7a_Ql39/s1600/IMG_0841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fd4LN5dc4OArbu1sDj0jIjPakflw_sg8SqZQq0_WFpwKCAnZ81kiP1f-9pXx5fVGVEE6y8NkXtuJFrZ5izdVAE3mVx1L2oTTRXjQVKRrW95Zbr4cw4fJbbPZLqc_jkQ3Xn8pz7a_Ql39/s640/IMG_0841.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3O7yeMIUQZfGIHxh1a_mpHsyTjn3V3bx1Gyrh6EBWJdYLdRHN5r-p5q1J46kaLYmTV9_MHmLPbFM383nmSfsMT-XrTFtVIPhKpT2tllfTGhuQbFyVxHnTfmrhl05CYuoC3YA73juQFeK/s1600/IMG_0840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3O7yeMIUQZfGIHxh1a_mpHsyTjn3V3bx1Gyrh6EBWJdYLdRHN5r-p5q1J46kaLYmTV9_MHmLPbFM383nmSfsMT-XrTFtVIPhKpT2tllfTGhuQbFyVxHnTfmrhl05CYuoC3YA73juQFeK/s640/IMG_0840.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a person (with no body, just legs, mind you). The circles around the head are actually hair. And two of those circles are earrings. And the nose wouldn't stay on. So she's a non-smelling, body-less person. Who is completely orange. And so darn cute!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Once again, playdough entertains!</b></span></i></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-41194349457054978772010-12-01T02:12:00.000-08:002010-12-01T02:12:11.857-08:00Bottle Caps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBt48Me-CSIF0Ac83C05FMWrM1VW6lxgLcYUiAEmocnc9yKWKZ7P-9KKV0pwnpDQxYaHMmC-z-MT3vNlDzbtBluqi529atYltjYuGbF-UOcjEz_vlMvR-4yL-0gRyjqxCcVrbqRo-IKyB/s1600/IMG_0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBt48Me-CSIF0Ac83C05FMWrM1VW6lxgLcYUiAEmocnc9yKWKZ7P-9KKV0pwnpDQxYaHMmC-z-MT3vNlDzbtBluqi529atYltjYuGbF-UOcjEz_vlMvR-4yL-0gRyjqxCcVrbqRo-IKyB/s320/IMG_0812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, I'm a bit of a hoarding weirdo when it comes to keeping random things I see a lot of crafting potential in. It probably stems from my obsession of being frugal and using materials around me instead of spending money. Or perhaps it's just a burden that all early educators bear (I'd love to hear your support if you're like me)! Like that big plastic pipe from my <a href="http://easystayathomefun.blogspot.com/2010/11/toddlers-playdough.html">last post</a> that we put balls, cars and water down. The instant I saw it, I declared: We can use that for something! And I wouldn't let my co-teacher throw it out and we came up with the fabulous idea that we did, and it was HUGE success! (We've since brought it outside and propped it up on the play structure and run rocks down it as well as spent a good deal of time screaming inside of it. Now THAT'S true pleasure!!!<br />
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My latest hoarding obsession has been plastic bottle caps. I read a post over at <a href="http://www.sillyeaglebooks.com/2010/04/more-bottle-cap-animals.html">Silly Eagle Books</a> quite some time ago and always thought I'd like to do that, so I've taken my time collecting different colours and sizes. For a long time, my tea cups on my window ledge were full of them, as I didn't bother to put them all in a baggie (like a normal person would do). One day when Rachel declared she wanted to make a craft, I dug them out.<br />
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It really turned out similar to our rock people, but this time, Rachel was able to do a lot more herself, as the surface was flat and she's doing a lot more on her own. I was also brave, inspired by <a href="http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/if-you-touch-this-part-it-will-burn-you.html">Teacher Tom</a>, and dug out the hot glue gun for the first time and let Rachel squeeze on the glue while I put the eyes in the glue. She got to experience a burn at one point (so did I), and miraculously, she survived. She didn't even cry actually (Teacher Tom is a great one for demonstrating that kids can survive taking risks)!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEwnOm-cDO_k-pg7t0YKuWa0piptAIZlcd14R-Oq9jWGCTfiCLBeSnZOQLDRG7EibbtKEDC6uyod2QdUAiABpZO7HQKUOCvVMftlOXgWlCCEJqD4-xmLXy_cfya6ZUcZUfd-tz_LIYdXX/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEwnOm-cDO_k-pg7t0YKuWa0piptAIZlcd14R-Oq9jWGCTfiCLBeSnZOQLDRG7EibbtKEDC6uyod2QdUAiABpZO7HQKUOCvVMftlOXgWlCCEJqD4-xmLXy_cfya6ZUcZUfd-tz_LIYdXX/s640/IMG_0813.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monster Cap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLiD4tnUPyz-AQ2V5orJzB33YO7U2s9lJ8KUMZFKVUEXCNmMHD6A85uBqErGVYlb0sYuI4avfARBdLfRPNhqxJ7RP0rg-m8_jFnLtjDvGmHADKMpfyQ4lIHcZM-Sb0dDaH7pCzya3I2By/s1600/IMG_0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLiD4tnUPyz-AQ2V5orJzB33YO7U2s9lJ8KUMZFKVUEXCNmMHD6A85uBqErGVYlb0sYuI4avfARBdLfRPNhqxJ7RP0rg-m8_jFnLtjDvGmHADKMpfyQ4lIHcZM-Sb0dDaH7pCzya3I2By/s640/IMG_0814.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see past the "Fresh Cap" label on this one, but do you see the little frown paired with the sad eyes and the downturned eyebrows?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZlbbIsVe3cWevX0jSIPCWG4Kx4reBjhyphenhyphenZb_r0ZbBFoiFMKMHxkqROViKUN6u1YROJeZvUaxsEfxr5CZXY_mn-VhUhhdmwbdNEqdsuAIhKnVoNDKqtp2Lb5jV9fH1i4Mxip93WIKKJg0n/s1600/IMG_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZlbbIsVe3cWevX0jSIPCWG4Kx4reBjhyphenhyphenZb_r0ZbBFoiFMKMHxkqROViKUN6u1YROJeZvUaxsEfxr5CZXY_mn-VhUhhdmwbdNEqdsuAIhKnVoNDKqtp2Lb5jV9fH1i4Mxip93WIKKJg0n/s640/IMG_0811.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of Rachel's cutie's. She spent a lot of time creating these, then glued that all (with white glue) to the back of a cereal box.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">And lastly, what's the point in craft time if I don't get to have a little fun?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxmwKTgDDMsmlDhxZ7l530-r1kd0QE7AN2-4h-xvBYqXv5WAv-E5ECouWWm4xayJAyltmMGp1c_mDjW_DbK09e0mJGKyp_XJxaNPhSHYe3WCJkyFzQbq433cqVdbidaXU83lqUNNYRMrV/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxmwKTgDDMsmlDhxZ7l530-r1kd0QE7AN2-4h-xvBYqXv5WAv-E5ECouWWm4xayJAyltmMGp1c_mDjW_DbK09e0mJGKyp_XJxaNPhSHYe3WCJkyFzQbq433cqVdbidaXU83lqUNNYRMrV/s400/IMG_0829.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-6311724415792806962010-11-16T17:21:00.000-08:002010-11-16T17:21:15.168-08:00Toddlers + playdough<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">I have been a slacker blogger. To all of my followers, I am sorry. I haven't posted since August, but I do have a good excuse!</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">At the end of August, I began working part-time at <a href="http://www.touchstonecommunityschool.ca/">Touchstone Community School ,</a> ignoring the blog world to put all of my energy into this elementary school's new Preschool classroom. This has been a vessel for all of my creative energy. And the best part is that my daughter joins me every morning for preschool, so we still get to participate together in fun activities!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">Such as . . . <i>(Note how easy it is to do these simple activities at home too ) </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHDFoHmOqc6oV1b9DIFCk2beehmMNb1arO4tGxrWApdzzzB5HBQERBAD1YunZ0RuVt4c1IlB546NhOYmObIt7Y-QWQVlwHqGjTXUIhyGzmSPQis10Eb9MRkgCyFmmOYa3_B2utqkGQOHl/s1600/100_0690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHDFoHmOqc6oV1b9DIFCk2beehmMNb1arO4tGxrWApdzzzB5HBQERBAD1YunZ0RuVt4c1IlB546NhOYmObIt7Y-QWQVlwHqGjTXUIhyGzmSPQis10Eb9MRkgCyFmmOYa3_B2utqkGQOHl/s320/100_0690.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Propping a pipe found in the back of a storage room on a stool and 'racing' balls, cars, playdough and water</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIihwSUbnE46BYcvxL_UyMb-b1W1D2Rct0q2_zgo-19bnWUiDy7EWx2wY9iF8xMQHlFAjp1gkj-cbp-CgtwVLYtUpi9r7iM8luzvu_mKsE_Wgnl1Keza9Ro3i9T83AuU8ll0rKEQhFEfx/s1600/100_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIihwSUbnE46BYcvxL_UyMb-b1W1D2Rct0q2_zgo-19bnWUiDy7EWx2wY9iF8xMQHlFAjp1gkj-cbp-CgtwVLYtUpi9r7iM8luzvu_mKsE_Wgnl1Keza9Ro3i9T83AuU8ll0rKEQhFEfx/s320/100_0680.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing our fine motor skills with poker chips and a baby formula can with a hole cut in the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsTynmFDxO4r2WXyd0IlcA0P0rRm3COVyMe8eC68b2YyhVoxNKyWUxsJG4fr5W-nNTgH7BHt5Vzv3j24JPWT-uECQuuf0rkAYGJgOjNeI2_3nj1bnqwKPqCoj8v-ZHc6RiNv5ur1APDEe/s1600/100_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsTynmFDxO4r2WXyd0IlcA0P0rRm3COVyMe8eC68b2YyhVoxNKyWUxsJG4fr5W-nNTgH7BHt5Vzv3j24JPWT-uECQuuf0rkAYGJgOjNeI2_3nj1bnqwKPqCoj8v-ZHc6RiNv5ur1APDEe/s320/100_0622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More fine motor with chop sticks and pom poms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3BFL9MItHMs1sGU9lS6FYQCkt1Wt3JtaLAdcojCQxLQDIr66r1LsH5NHsboEREFQOP55SU7smgl8gIhvDv9Gtbbm9QuL6A3VrLAg7nO5mvh_sgIhLwfzknjg6F0zn9Bk2ZQOXlkqvYHz/s1600/100_0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3BFL9MItHMs1sGU9lS6FYQCkt1Wt3JtaLAdcojCQxLQDIr66r1LsH5NHsboEREFQOP55SU7smgl8gIhvDv9Gtbbm9QuL6A3VrLAg7nO5mvh_sgIhLwfzknjg6F0zn9Bk2ZQOXlkqvYHz/s320/100_0907.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making shadows with an 'old-fashioned' overhead that none of the teachers use because the other classes have smart boards!</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">Then in the afternoon, I get to be at home with both Rachel and my son Micah.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">Micah has recently discovered the joys of playdough. Some would be reluctant to let their 17 month old play with playdough, but, you know me (plus, it helps that he's not the type of kid that's very interested in putting much in his mouth). What he's been enjoying the most, since he's obsessed with balls, is rolling playdough balls of random sizes that I've made, off the table.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSmW8TgAGGpVWZSue6rlcj2RDpTwerw2-T6H7BDk-HONvEh0iHHeFkurNgx2icIm7GkyqH3BFYt4Q9mSRVSzguIJ0mw848q34F8GoMXJcO2T465uaTeeJdmwrjd3P9SlvJleBEU3O1Lz0/s1600/IMG_0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSmW8TgAGGpVWZSue6rlcj2RDpTwerw2-T6H7BDk-HONvEh0iHHeFkurNgx2icIm7GkyqH3BFYt4Q9mSRVSzguIJ0mw848q34F8GoMXJcO2T465uaTeeJdmwrjd3P9SlvJleBEU3O1Lz0/s200/IMG_0792.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Recently, he discovered the simple joy of sticking pencils in the playdough, taking them out, putting them back in, etc. etc. ! Who needs fancy playdough toys??????</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDI4t6r39wkc_-Vui-tTCQPMW-qf9Q6WKy6bwoJgjCN4VDhr-YOBBwQY6ZcEMFfq6lS-8sJm1VMNv78PhKvYxZ9rNxzRc0i2IvT8QZUo1hMG02rVPBdErOjZpp-iE58S8u4tRu7UUNceA/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDI4t6r39wkc_-Vui-tTCQPMW-qf9Q6WKy6bwoJgjCN4VDhr-YOBBwQY6ZcEMFfq6lS-8sJm1VMNv78PhKvYxZ9rNxzRc0i2IvT8QZUo1hMG02rVPBdErOjZpp-iE58S8u4tRu7UUNceA/s320/IMG_0790.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">This is an activity that required intense concentration (as can be seen by the tongue at the tip of his lips)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDIb_KJtuiZ8qZdYjDNX5VB3iNh907AWzOZADqKYnbeYrMnvXRiKQpyA5RcBSsDYC2PtqZ_W0fRj_s1j4OgTYtGhpgjaIDWVWa6zqF07k1cBYBOkoAQtPR7qr5HmjnZNdZ1hfd3jAfgfj/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDIb_KJtuiZ8qZdYjDNX5VB3iNh907AWzOZADqKYnbeYrMnvXRiKQpyA5RcBSsDYC2PtqZ_W0fRj_s1j4OgTYtGhpgjaIDWVWa6zqF07k1cBYBOkoAQtPR7qr5HmjnZNdZ1hfd3jAfgfj/s320/IMG_0796.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and created happy results!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzGx9P49UMRVWEl5Dk1lpCdPjW72FiaXc-vVi6tdhphSn4o4vh-3pTUv_BMh3sMRfZXW1cMeHChMutDlx5scrhn0bZrMDAP-PtxEQlMMJg4NIPrpCA3jNSq5u-lDYDhvOHErf2r0fJ0QQ/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzGx9P49UMRVWEl5Dk1lpCdPjW72FiaXc-vVi6tdhphSn4o4vh-3pTUv_BMh3sMRfZXW1cMeHChMutDlx5scrhn0bZrMDAP-PtxEQlMMJg4NIPrpCA3jNSq5u-lDYDhvOHErf2r0fJ0QQ/s640/IMG_0794.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-67256256023848415672010-08-25T17:08:00.000-07:002010-08-25T17:08:29.461-07:00Scrap Wood and Rock People<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Remember when we did <a href="http://easystayathomefun.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-kick-off.html">this</a> to my deck?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6EEc32m3qKlPoVC6kxjjWz22t7is7VYWSW31J35FRiWzMqY7PMmmMHXEA7M5L1b5YFCKtrKL11ooz2AJtPyc-WFXdT5u3NW87CxyJO7tJZ9wcqhSysAdx7BmSn28e73NWYH2YUV9ORrf/s1600/IMG_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6EEc32m3qKlPoVC6kxjjWz22t7is7VYWSW31J35FRiWzMqY7PMmmMHXEA7M5L1b5YFCKtrKL11ooz2AJtPyc-WFXdT5u3NW87CxyJO7tJZ9wcqhSysAdx7BmSn28e73NWYH2YUV9ORrf/s320/IMG_0306.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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My husband tore it down this summer (a day after we painted it actually), and is now in the process of creating a new one. What do we do without a deck in our backyard? Build with all the scrap wood of course! All the little pieces are great for making towers and houses, and even for pretending they're pieces of bread (Rachel came up with that on her own). We built a house yesterday, and it was immediately apparent that we needed people for our house. So, we dug out the hot glue gun, googly eyes, and a sharpie to make a rock family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwttRXZgxGvZ9H47cj6I_dp6zOltTC4BaZvFsfIWiVJkUW8Chr-tR875gAnU892BndzrXau8kloovyv5o-SmsWHGvFsF3FQasrsMrg2VzRmP9-_TxMAfjHmKFC5WhmbKaaLW9VpRUBMqF/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwttRXZgxGvZ9H47cj6I_dp6zOltTC4BaZvFsfIWiVJkUW8Chr-tR875gAnU892BndzrXau8kloovyv5o-SmsWHGvFsF3FQasrsMrg2VzRmP9-_TxMAfjHmKFC5WhmbKaaLW9VpRUBMqF/s320/IMG_0454.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy Rock</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUWjroVeSUbtyaLpz_YDKGel2n4E7LuPxY4xmsT98z1HOTzTzBHUutnTUBMHO9u_DIgQXoO8u3KTY2jhuw9JU_ShoAY3kR5qYZgmFmjEwKOH0zoO1D4iLZQpUT937c28rA0aOq6wvCjj7/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUWjroVeSUbtyaLpz_YDKGel2n4E7LuPxY4xmsT98z1HOTzTzBHUutnTUBMHO9u_DIgQXoO8u3KTY2jhuw9JU_ShoAY3kR5qYZgmFmjEwKOH0zoO1D4iLZQpUT937c28rA0aOq6wvCjj7/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Rock</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7VwklbskbEVjWeGRIew3CkQt8XxN2KlUd5OR67X_9IqYcSeflVxUczN5VC81beWjyKnG5XyEOsx1XGXbrEx1knbhBkPNmTAB26UBGaD_weCtFd1eZKsz1d5USEmG9AGHYQPyUuXkvr3r/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7VwklbskbEVjWeGRIew3CkQt8XxN2KlUd5OR67X_9IqYcSeflVxUczN5VC81beWjyKnG5XyEOsx1XGXbrEx1knbhBkPNmTAB26UBGaD_weCtFd1eZKsz1d5USEmG9AGHYQPyUuXkvr3r/s320/IMG_0456.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micah Rock</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy Rock, snoozin' on the bed (he lost his eyes early on). </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUABrboSOIAX9auN4Wmpdq7x3KV7Uierwxd85Y2GfT-4Vo_wr5NPgUP0ixt3vXbpTlST6vuDMqF8ARJP08TPxt-V9XG8bHfRxqVLNBbl2xZi0UbzqEkBlTeGPugy-ie4VdwdlqOZskCylX/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUABrboSOIAX9auN4Wmpdq7x3KV7Uierwxd85Y2GfT-4Vo_wr5NPgUP0ixt3vXbpTlST6vuDMqF8ARJP08TPxt-V9XG8bHfRxqVLNBbl2xZi0UbzqEkBlTeGPugy-ie4VdwdlqOZskCylX/s320/IMG_0453.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting together on the couch, watching the giant. . . </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLk4iMVbWl9uRT12o68S5MUW_iQrabCnEMVCgZL1BLsEoj2Go3Xtv2CEZHHM8bW6tuNTImvRvmOCTaGyc6wF-iz3VRQ0Ign_i6x7VviNJvnJ-vNktxzaAKSr8P5pHOkUnwZfLynm7x3rN/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLk4iMVbWl9uRT12o68S5MUW_iQrabCnEMVCgZL1BLsEoj2Go3Xtv2CEZHHM8bW6tuNTImvRvmOCTaGyc6wF-iz3VRQ0Ign_i6x7VviNJvnJ-vNktxzaAKSr8P5pHOkUnwZfLynm7x3rN/s320/IMG_0457.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...TV!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-21878331685412161472010-08-12T12:39:00.000-07:002010-08-13T08:10:15.777-07:00Painting with cars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nothin' like another 'classic'! Even the baby can do this one. This is definitely an outdoor activity *grin* <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRM7X9R_QOIo1XYMUbs8hk4kzzcvVcX9DQ9a4fVb504CkNwg7hYz0UH58_LLTWc8jSffSMjFrUyab6JGqhQzs-xnVk_qm8vIwqpVIpKdse38v2pHOQiwR7Ci_BpUD-1uP0n0bsI1R78TI/s1600/IMG_0390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRM7X9R_QOIo1XYMUbs8hk4kzzcvVcX9DQ9a4fVb504CkNwg7hYz0UH58_LLTWc8jSffSMjFrUyab6JGqhQzs-xnVk_qm8vIwqpVIpKdse38v2pHOQiwR7Ci_BpUD-1uP0n0bsI1R78TI/s320/IMG_0390.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjGwQ3nUysvNlglLiKm6_SFWqyFsnqzghnA1IJSuTx0dQtRvDUx_mz7t2i1ul6UeOh3aa7GfWlzeJQUYyO4VT-wOSQMoTc1GqWS9blphgCDApV1tPQ2Tv_dp_Q4UK96oXoWOAyV5YKqSo/s1600/IMG_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjGwQ3nUysvNlglLiKm6_SFWqyFsnqzghnA1IJSuTx0dQtRvDUx_mz7t2i1ul6UeOh3aa7GfWlzeJQUYyO4VT-wOSQMoTc1GqWS9blphgCDApV1tPQ2Tv_dp_Q4UK96oXoWOAyV5YKqSo/s320/IMG_0398.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYCBPRxCANnDmKXFLRDt6KN6eYICYl1iIDf6vdd1TZt-_qpcR64tWtsJtdNNB4Yq4nsPKhpXCaotxbbvBpD4FPZWCuRtRWvhoyjTG_oxz0A2dS6e_lBeIq7INll89c2xP2p5xiiBwfweM/s1600/IMG_0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYCBPRxCANnDmKXFLRDt6KN6eYICYl1iIDf6vdd1TZt-_qpcR64tWtsJtdNNB4Yq4nsPKhpXCaotxbbvBpD4FPZWCuRtRWvhoyjTG_oxz0A2dS6e_lBeIq7INll89c2xP2p5xiiBwfweM/s320/IMG_0397.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOqw_XlgtpkSJ0-ayLRa-tx9_ub7xeY5EuNqvq0K6L30JyRZaB9m3rY4Ay57dLvV-tVB1f32OvlVeCK28UQatcyJNmQ_KulCx6pFdGhawrO3l_BJE6yrb3SDhqxbMgSvQyGVLfqmNxLhp/s1600/IMG_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOqw_XlgtpkSJ0-ayLRa-tx9_ub7xeY5EuNqvq0K6L30JyRZaB9m3rY4Ay57dLvV-tVB1f32OvlVeCK28UQatcyJNmQ_KulCx6pFdGhawrO3l_BJE6yrb3SDhqxbMgSvQyGVLfqmNxLhp/s320/IMG_0387.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUPqBITWJ29XelD8rBGLJlCr_UjzL0HKfLTvSj_6h8w0rPEb2eg1nDYKH4P4es20cAZsytv7yWNiSV1cJeM6heV693Gy6SGyg4Ftoxmc31SWHvTzYjStCAcKozyMWeE-SH5upkRVtmbm1/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUPqBITWJ29XelD8rBGLJlCr_UjzL0HKfLTvSj_6h8w0rPEb2eg1nDYKH4P4es20cAZsytv7yWNiSV1cJeM6heV693Gy6SGyg4Ftoxmc31SWHvTzYjStCAcKozyMWeE-SH5upkRVtmbm1/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyWalGxUO9vK4xoLPro7jYNlHxTV6PbT4pgJsm3cOMLfGcRTCEsAPx6LW6EUSGjb4uPe5RS5RQ0y9ZU2p37RzuKwdi5RQsnRk3LMHnF8ePHd4DPuAi0xuBF1zFsyBD-MlWikSxyc1aUm1/s1600/IMG_0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyWalGxUO9vK4xoLPro7jYNlHxTV6PbT4pgJsm3cOMLfGcRTCEsAPx6LW6EUSGjb4uPe5RS5RQ0y9ZU2p37RzuKwdi5RQsnRk3LMHnF8ePHd4DPuAi0xuBF1zFsyBD-MlWikSxyc1aUm1/s320/IMG_0392.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLMGxEWe-rceqdCDCafW7CYy_ItSfvy8gvOLYjcmu3s014SEANY3m6Nk4rGG35wZCPdkVZwFn-OQIiuSQpVujws9hSnJ16NLlYC2S4raynswjdIijUTEIkvX-C9gJlUZxIvv6yPpFznuz/s1600/IMG_0388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLMGxEWe-rceqdCDCafW7CYy_ItSfvy8gvOLYjcmu3s014SEANY3m6Nk4rGG35wZCPdkVZwFn-OQIiuSQpVujws9hSnJ16NLlYC2S4raynswjdIijUTEIkvX-C9gJlUZxIvv6yPpFznuz/s320/IMG_0388.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span id="goog_1309220563"></span><span id="goog_1309220564"></span>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-23556650142988604402010-07-29T17:09:00.000-07:002010-07-26T17:10:04.167-07:00Basket sleeping?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I went to wake Rachel up from her nap and found her like this:</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZBxHkE3wa6p01ifxW3Y-fNNwnozMYe_nr2pSxhETjjNYK7QvnhFK0enmLGFTWXQFd77Ctt72x8zDh1-79l9HF-ZOwDzTbk93dlefLBn4Dm2cpe2GbB5z1iego7my7CvUq_FnNc0bpRV_/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZBxHkE3wa6p01ifxW3Y-fNNwnozMYe_nr2pSxhETjjNYK7QvnhFK0enmLGFTWXQFd77Ctt72x8zDh1-79l9HF-ZOwDzTbk93dlefLBn4Dm2cpe2GbB5z1iego7my7CvUq_FnNc0bpRV_/s400/IMG_0434.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">I have no idea why, but one can never understand the mind of a 3 year old!</span></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-49581130874141927142010-07-28T16:44:00.000-07:002010-07-28T16:44:00.072-07:00Snake day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t2OKEWAcXIGiWV6XfOIunj1ymoUn5W9tSqTfI45kSlVz1xQvU_cXpS4Ss_rw9TTlaQFGKcZMSZ2Z-vaFyDL8qA1Xr2Jm3SoL0FYJIv3BpGOFpSYwXNsfTnMpe_Mv1Hg9VRze630Gwo2y/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t2OKEWAcXIGiWV6XfOIunj1ymoUn5W9tSqTfI45kSlVz1xQvU_cXpS4Ss_rw9TTlaQFGKcZMSZ2Z-vaFyDL8qA1Xr2Jm3SoL0FYJIv3BpGOFpSYwXNsfTnMpe_Mv1Hg9VRze630Gwo2y/s400/IMG_0428.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We made a couple of snakes simply by chance when we had some snipped straws as well as some corrugated cardboard from a fan box. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When I saw the cardboard 2 weeks prior come out of the box I knew we would be able to use it for <i>something</i>, so I put it on the counter and just waited for the perfect opportunity. When Rachel started snipping a green straw I had visions of a green snake, and I knew we could turn the cardboard into another snake!</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKODTNOhfbJb3gSmoV0Z8IKiK2PqFhug2_Pd2Pxu_gnBG5hJlu8Cfnu3ae5KQZT64R42UEFmrRiNL7MNqcZiviwN0osxh55ecqcy2_QSy7DXXOfJxhh0Q52-F1iI2ERH18KWn9B2twL07b/s1600/IMG_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKODTNOhfbJb3gSmoV0Z8IKiK2PqFhug2_Pd2Pxu_gnBG5hJlu8Cfnu3ae5KQZT64R42UEFmrRiNL7MNqcZiviwN0osxh55ecqcy2_QSy7DXXOfJxhh0Q52-F1iI2ERH18KWn9B2twL07b/s320/IMG_0430.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He even has a little smile!! Hee Hee!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here's our straw snake:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM6FNnhRba4i3C0evBpDOSrdwZa_Zje4YJPWFO_0v5tGLwiKA0grAz_cBC3DevBwMuPQSYnEBEoQo1OhKV1AhMyELrwRRWAaUzTp9lTGbsOKv3hMlz1u1uZtQ1i8CtYk5ZXMfrd2bHUgy/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM6FNnhRba4i3C0evBpDOSrdwZa_Zje4YJPWFO_0v5tGLwiKA0grAz_cBC3DevBwMuPQSYnEBEoQo1OhKV1AhMyELrwRRWAaUzTp9lTGbsOKv3hMlz1u1uZtQ1i8CtYk5ZXMfrd2bHUgy/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvGLi4S4XDQ3DdO8ZGXC7GJKxDB_ui6Uhc7S-7xCSBKclhVXj7-WWDHqbPYJhBdyenTOPTRAg5z9_jLWpmEH3S-N9Vn59oLqkRTmTTBOM7RHbEK1UPCgBk8w9zlc7CU7yWkmvhR8h8IX1/s1600/IMG_0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvGLi4S4XDQ3DdO8ZGXC7GJKxDB_ui6Uhc7S-7xCSBKclhVXj7-WWDHqbPYJhBdyenTOPTRAg5z9_jLWpmEH3S-N9Vn59oLqkRTmTTBOM7RHbEK1UPCgBk8w9zlc7CU7yWkmvhR8h8IX1/s320/IMG_0404.JPG" /></a></div>And a green necklace:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjtiXjOjs13JqtM8J108G0B7bOPUl-_TNzWgLm0RQGYPQ5pdBR2xNIDPJNS7L5NJFxzNSQ1eqBmiZ5uOBpwidioOKcMt_31EBv72RSLkPMiGq0cucvdb3XoNuiPoyLaY_SMcEnaDsJFNc/s1600/IMG_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjtiXjOjs13JqtM8J108G0B7bOPUl-_TNzWgLm0RQGYPQ5pdBR2xNIDPJNS7L5NJFxzNSQ1eqBmiZ5uOBpwidioOKcMt_31EBv72RSLkPMiGq0cucvdb3XoNuiPoyLaY_SMcEnaDsJFNc/s320/IMG_0407.JPG" /></a></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-2554362823024352482010-07-27T16:36:00.000-07:002010-07-27T16:36:00.108-07:00Bowls on our Head<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsN9epnak-XrkY6zMm4_7CD9Ferk9uufWgvVXKTJDIqQMtwuXodWb9UrJXoi5DpEltLbKFjyxu9e_TgIQcBOX6fyV96AVtgJvvVeyBmNAEuVlPd3NCKp7SzVqc0uyHMVUS-bhGu5SzYch4/s1600/IMG_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsN9epnak-XrkY6zMm4_7CD9Ferk9uufWgvVXKTJDIqQMtwuXodWb9UrJXoi5DpEltLbKFjyxu9e_TgIQcBOX6fyV96AVtgJvvVeyBmNAEuVlPd3NCKp7SzVqc0uyHMVUS-bhGu5SzYch4/s400/IMG_0409.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't get better than a bowl for a hat, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When in doubt, grab a bowl and have fun!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb31G4fykctphksGaT3if_LGGc8VJBD6zKJLg9321KahXQZwUJtqNi6BSwAeCNJRneR7p3tPXdGHrHf9BVydE6jycLP5mseKDiKo4XzIJTo2_Jp3rK7kQwfXn_0U_N0fMAELAVoenDZU0r/s1600/IMG_0410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb31G4fykctphksGaT3if_LGGc8VJBD6zKJLg9321KahXQZwUJtqNi6BSwAeCNJRneR7p3tPXdGHrHf9BVydE6jycLP5mseKDiKo4XzIJTo2_Jp3rK7kQwfXn_0U_N0fMAELAVoenDZU0r/s400/IMG_0410.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mommy maybe had a little too much fun . . . </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLSmIxJdXkD8F9NLa42YJIvoTIPCFpTbGcuMEtQ7PoseLsqQIyTPQbQF7BIpxR3Xp85JKalkvmzexVcINEZsgkUFrFOqm17tshCgOyk_71-1ouaNzZBRNt5-GYTphccSPadl6KCzhW3sz/s1600/IMG_0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLSmIxJdXkD8F9NLa42YJIvoTIPCFpTbGcuMEtQ7PoseLsqQIyTPQbQF7BIpxR3Xp85JKalkvmzexVcINEZsgkUFrFOqm17tshCgOyk_71-1ouaNzZBRNt5-GYTphccSPadl6KCzhW3sz/s400/IMG_0416.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-48608033601763730632010-07-26T16:33:00.000-07:002010-07-26T16:36:44.715-07:00Drawing on Kitchen Tiles!I bought Rachel Crayola Whiteboard Crayons this May for her birthday (I got them at Michaels). They're this new thing, and I loved the concept because no matter how hard I try, she always forgets to put the caps on her whiteboard markers and they quickly dry out and it's hard to keep them on hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbAwd4KYewrRyMVJhoWwu0O-4h4fb-p6Uh_YkhFvlhMl5tL-POYF9Bf0xwZlnwODKxUSRh_oBRAfxeM0zbUa4INJ2OYiRW6M63RDf4qaT3wuBZXpg8KSaAEe0Nt3JkhSWpImb5ZdPGut7/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbAwd4KYewrRyMVJhoWwu0O-4h4fb-p6Uh_YkhFvlhMl5tL-POYF9Bf0xwZlnwODKxUSRh_oBRAfxeM0zbUa4INJ2OYiRW6M63RDf4qaT3wuBZXpg8KSaAEe0Nt3JkhSWpImb5ZdPGut7/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" /></a>We've been enjoying them on her whiteboard,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">but one day Micah discovered that they also worked on the kitchen tiles, so we had fun drawing on the floor (Rachel made the above picture, not my one year old. Ha ha)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswvb5ixsFcWGlSXqyqSykpNl5IqHY6sBbGRbxYJKPytSykvG23ml2SZvS3VnRoHyoZgmW0XlEfXDLE2KCNk1x101YZpPPyrgAoBLdWwCtieVO6rv8-zyQVvXcJwfBnE-sMZNomehOEi9P/s320/IMG_0385.JPG" /></div><br />
They cleaned up easily with a damp cloth with no residue behind! Now Rachel has been asking me if she can draw on the floor :o)Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-90875050359304714002010-07-24T17:08:00.000-07:002010-07-26T16:19:46.428-07:00What was Barbie doing?I swear to you, one morning I woke up, and found Barbie exactly like this, behind the bathroom door.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRpvxgPJw1zkp40Ma_m5k5Y6ZDmswpyyC7EISLnoymj_hmlBO6mQS1Md6-J9bXcIGyJAp2g_FxJUtb4CR9fXvMXMnNsrxlIyF7YIZj-GptKMTT0mA-FPbmtrKax_F_10GVByeSUmhbsuV/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRpvxgPJw1zkp40Ma_m5k5Y6ZDmswpyyC7EISLnoymj_hmlBO6mQS1Md6-J9bXcIGyJAp2g_FxJUtb4CR9fXvMXMnNsrxlIyF7YIZj-GptKMTT0mA-FPbmtrKax_F_10GVByeSUmhbsuV/s400/IMG_0346.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Please note that she is wearing Princess Belle's dress, but this is not Belle. Not wearing her own clothes, sleeping on the bathroom floor. . . . looks like Barbie had a little too much to drink while we were all sleeping . . . Tsk tsk!Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-4791186361939259352010-07-13T14:00:00.000-07:002010-07-13T14:00:02.075-07:00Sidewalk Chalk Games<div style="text-align: center;">Okay, so I'm quite proud of this game I created. It came out of nowhere one day when we took out the sidewalk chalk. It's supposed to be a game about feelings. However, two of my 'feelings' ended up being 'Hairy' and 'Sunny,' and I know those aren't real feelings, but we had fun, and Rachel knew which was which, so whatever, right? So it started with me drawing a couple of 'feelings' faces, like this one.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2dOM86FOwr1298CrcAOfTDi6_F5BgyTjDJhFY3knXyLVbgUGIraLAkmYpAHcYij24R6pzcRHAA447_fsoJ5q2RpyvHGCNlmLat2qAAVhO_UcaJTbhB4QakEmV0DQNbgZGn9R84RkcvAf/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2dOM86FOwr1298CrcAOfTDi6_F5BgyTjDJhFY3knXyLVbgUGIraLAkmYpAHcYij24R6pzcRHAA447_fsoJ5q2RpyvHGCNlmLat2qAAVhO_UcaJTbhB4QakEmV0DQNbgZGn9R84RkcvAf/s320/IMG_0377.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">He's actually looking a little more worried than angry, but it's a bumpy driveway, so what can you do? Anyway, the idea is to ride your tricycle to the faces I say (Ride to the happy face! Now ride to the angry/worried face!). Then (more genius on my part), I drew lines in between them, like this:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ikxxEHTZcYUxZiQn0NWJaLrnxyQuXP1f3tGULc1Z8ofVxVARr9URDUP2_Iyhb7uGWS2k8IbJYr4dDUFK3-9iAnrF3cZwSHhu_3NQ-kbzeU3RhHn06r1ZRyw8rHSitPnfl3SJ76_TDJ5_/s1600/IMG_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ikxxEHTZcYUxZiQn0NWJaLrnxyQuXP1f3tGULc1Z8ofVxVARr9URDUP2_Iyhb7uGWS2k8IbJYr4dDUFK3-9iAnrF3cZwSHhu_3NQ-kbzeU3RhHn06r1ZRyw8rHSitPnfl3SJ76_TDJ5_/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Each face had a different kind of line attached, so Rachel followed the lines (with feet, not her bike) AS WELL as learned the names of different kinds of lines (wavy, straight, zig zag, spiral). Nothing like adding a little vocabulary lesson to your physical movement, eh? Here's some more of my delightful artwork for you:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUjq6tMsZ2wYj6_8f99As5eG0ycp20U89FBpjU0zcSHFMCGWzz6H5xfl-FE8cPh7mpNvnOeXMiffHIzVNM32bU06LPnNRU6YhvtRKGk28Xk6BNlDc5O0nPAgaIQ5BtiDx2IHROhMKeQ2v/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUjq6tMsZ2wYj6_8f99As5eG0ycp20U89FBpjU0zcSHFMCGWzz6H5xfl-FE8cPh7mpNvnOeXMiffHIzVNM32bU06LPnNRU6YhvtRKGk28Xk6BNlDc5O0nPAgaIQ5BtiDx2IHROhMKeQ2v/s200/IMG_0373.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N0g6-_J5-qDFOygZeOwg734WeR8g0e2OFYtw1LFkvc4kC5Ti0aCW-XK8IAshdfiMwxLVb_Au-94vUJAxq0OKVIe3LPd66x1saXAREdOox4Jq7dSxp1Dz59807zZyPxtogp_ntdlt55l8/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N0g6-_J5-qDFOygZeOwg734WeR8g0e2OFYtw1LFkvc4kC5Ti0aCW-XK8IAshdfiMwxLVb_Au-94vUJAxq0OKVIe3LPd66x1saXAREdOox4Jq7dSxp1Dz59807zZyPxtogp_ntdlt55l8/s200/IMG_0374.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEr6eg_IyFFNn5B_y7vn-KMgTFp0uJSZ1gxfiRS_6ckgstBGN0PppjmDP9r9jkPiY3xTAsa90Sigu6MIZ1l1em1B_tsYcaeiovvyeJMQBibaDwCaRMptaYCApgdD-bS5k6votKA7o5wNF/s1600/IMG_0380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEr6eg_IyFFNn5B_y7vn-KMgTFp0uJSZ1gxfiRS_6ckgstBGN0PppjmDP9r9jkPiY3xTAsa90Sigu6MIZ1l1em1B_tsYcaeiovvyeJMQBibaDwCaRMptaYCApgdD-bS5k6votKA7o5wNF/s320/IMG_0380.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">As you can see, I wrote 'Hairy' on the left top of the picture. Rachel wrote it on the right in Rachel writing. Looks a little Arabic if you ask me. She's probably a genius. Here's her picture:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFB-MXHgmZoq7QQyc-VUzj13jKlVLnraD0MGOXpknSNj3XR639jLcue6i3V-LrC-JQXBhjzRFZhW5jBnyWuVzRkDKtEmjyY2jvetYhtfbV6iaSMNCZVriMiLFIfhquajtqIvqw-rqfsr/s1600/IMG_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFB-MXHgmZoq7QQyc-VUzj13jKlVLnraD0MGOXpknSNj3XR639jLcue6i3V-LrC-JQXBhjzRFZhW5jBnyWuVzRkDKtEmjyY2jvetYhtfbV6iaSMNCZVriMiLFIfhquajtqIvqw-rqfsr/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I don't remember what feeling it was. I just remember that she told me. Sorry. Mommy brain!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maybe it was a picture of someone throwing up? The feeling would then be, 'Sick' I guess!</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-67060290379921440272010-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:002010-07-11T14:00:00.593-07:00ME!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdLeTFCIcJAYd68Tb1idRVqawZxGe6fwibiDjKII5fX0N5aF8IFUslM5O7jHr8hlXCYPyDoLGt2400UaIa4FQfs5A6N7HKY041MISDs-2rPsi12EiHEB7OpkV2hdVu1mvDRmyHa7pXuex/s1600/IMG_0278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdLeTFCIcJAYd68Tb1idRVqawZxGe6fwibiDjKII5fX0N5aF8IFUslM5O7jHr8hlXCYPyDoLGt2400UaIa4FQfs5A6N7HKY041MISDs-2rPsi12EiHEB7OpkV2hdVu1mvDRmyHa7pXuex/s640/IMG_0278.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hee hee! Isn't Rachel's 'self-portrait' adorable! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It wasn't until AFTER I took the picture that I realized the colors she was wearing matched her portrait (and that her pants are on backwards). Her hair is actually usually as messy as her portrait. *grin*</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-11969724177021580062010-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:002010-07-10T19:31:25.146-07:00Pine Cone Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh50Yd-hUkXCrMM_-bxIN9CUV_-elFXnKl8Zy8fzBTX3-u7AGsozdTGma-MZzzSSs-WtLm3Scz0Jajm78JgRUNfi1jN2NKRyl1Q-9A8Ul81mD1o2i6vAD5oJCcBfmU9MigKovv4338jjV/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh50Yd-hUkXCrMM_-bxIN9CUV_-elFXnKl8Zy8fzBTX3-u7AGsozdTGma-MZzzSSs-WtLm3Scz0Jajm78JgRUNfi1jN2NKRyl1Q-9A8Ul81mD1o2i6vAD5oJCcBfmU9MigKovv4338jjV/s320/IMG_0369.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">We love collecting pine cones when we go for a walk. Rachel told me when we got home: "Mommy, we need to paint these." The glitter was my idea, as well as shaking the pine cones in this box when they were done (but not dry) to make it into a gift box. So she can't take ALL the credit for this one ;o)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWAFMpB8ukTmf4tJHSZk0FQItB_P0y58Y3B0R3YAiAFk0VBjHcDczfett_iKXQ5qufIVqJok67_GvbjTe42y4LHEz9FOXmMSwHdlsKX8fKDnGeM2ub1imUbak7AQY2IgGLYxreJd5AvHb/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWAFMpB8ukTmf4tJHSZk0FQItB_P0y58Y3B0R3YAiAFk0VBjHcDczfett_iKXQ5qufIVqJok67_GvbjTe42y4LHEz9FOXmMSwHdlsKX8fKDnGeM2ub1imUbak7AQY2IgGLYxreJd5AvHb/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The pine cones are now in a vase in the middle of the table as a decoration, and I think she's rather proud!<br />
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P.S. - I'd love to hear if you've tried any of our activities on the blog. Feel free to leave a comment on the ones you've tried at home! </div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-28858025565027332722010-07-01T16:03:00.000-07:002010-07-01T16:03:37.283-07:00Snack Time Treasure Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69uvfSJ_RnX_jLd9SEmZ1WJo1-hFRm-8QAEzKsqeQuPYGPuVv5b6jf_9ibtzN3lxH5r-9_p2tbbt7vD4DPL6u82dBeiIjTN8pfBdhimgSuuKrPDklE9TSxq5cWd1i4YEuDsNJHPlZMJo9/s1600/IMG_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69uvfSJ_RnX_jLd9SEmZ1WJo1-hFRm-8QAEzKsqeQuPYGPuVv5b6jf_9ibtzN3lxH5r-9_p2tbbt7vD4DPL6u82dBeiIjTN8pfBdhimgSuuKrPDklE9TSxq5cWd1i4YEuDsNJHPlZMJo9/s320/IMG_0359.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Today my nephew was over, and while he and Rachel were out playing in the sandbox, I made up a yummy snack, then hid it in the woods beside our house with a big 'X' on top. I made a quick map of our property...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fl6nDXFyVzwWNtT40ZDbmWemBF2_t-MDp4_Ye7dhldhcEMd-Kk-rklA2ceGcViQl2ZmmJdYwXf4S15Jye2qB3nVH0WHJVZraNuKl_9adGouyCgSzoanlpxJjRsBlHkx_TxniEjHVRdu6/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fl6nDXFyVzwWNtT40ZDbmWemBF2_t-MDp4_Ye7dhldhcEMd-Kk-rklA2ceGcViQl2ZmmJdYwXf4S15Jye2qB3nVH0WHJVZraNuKl_9adGouyCgSzoanlpxJjRsBlHkx_TxniEjHVRdu6/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUYcID7Cp-mGSIqG2mKAmzXaK7B3Y2X6P0WNvfpw8uNFTBKtH5jetMB1cEDZRDIOH0O-8tRKRxn2KTdrehVomXTnwJsCQKB46AomXJqPPodJKCfuGINpYA3oXpTMwiWVeoR4jhR9WD5k9/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUYcID7Cp-mGSIqG2mKAmzXaK7B3Y2X6P0WNvfpw8uNFTBKtH5jetMB1cEDZRDIOH0O-8tRKRxn2KTdrehVomXTnwJsCQKB46AomXJqPPodJKCfuGINpYA3oXpTMwiWVeoR4jhR9WD5k9/s320/IMG_0349.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">...then stuck it in an envelope with a skull and cross bones on the top.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtab_L5FS-H3iUrB8_3bPZLP37GXG2QC4lvURh1T1h3x8qFkQafaEIaHf8VcmGMYF3xgxpBkMal_siG3yF6MEUYlt6Q7wryNKx_a-7i74OGLOYAuqtiQDWpuGjoLbpYJFy2JyqXxtesxbZ/s1600/IMG_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtab_L5FS-H3iUrB8_3bPZLP37GXG2QC4lvURh1T1h3x8qFkQafaEIaHf8VcmGMYF3xgxpBkMal_siG3yF6MEUYlt6Q7wryNKx_a-7i74OGLOYAuqtiQDWpuGjoLbpYJFy2JyqXxtesxbZ/s200/IMG_0350.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> I told them snack was on the table, and when it wasn't there, we discovered it had been stolen by pirates and they accidentally left their map to its hiding place on the table! We have a little toy compass kicking around the house and I stuck that in the envelope too. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eGvT5m1J2W2KPoinSpedrQvrj94PLapgUw6K53MfyXANMBbJ_fmzXoGMeHeSfxTATZ-nwaqyROqnnGFhboL9r_06aF3Upv5YG6ax_Hu9yuysCJ0WoKoOC9JuYaPZrSI94Bf_RkQdTA71/s1600/IMG_0352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eGvT5m1J2W2KPoinSpedrQvrj94PLapgUw6K53MfyXANMBbJ_fmzXoGMeHeSfxTATZ-nwaqyROqnnGFhboL9r_06aF3Upv5YG6ax_Hu9yuysCJ0WoKoOC9JuYaPZrSI94Bf_RkQdTA71/s320/IMG_0352.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">They both took off running outdoors. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP86wAdTFNwIxpI8SWaHzWygAWqFCEdxfw9GpUs2TvWLbTu7M4KpS6XXE67uauEXVgZ5EatN-8wpxpyndtj89kg5a3t5afk753irKj0_0KF7db5Nt8oByZCAIu2jE7R50oI9uCoxnaDxfC/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP86wAdTFNwIxpI8SWaHzWygAWqFCEdxfw9GpUs2TvWLbTu7M4KpS6XXE67uauEXVgZ5EatN-8wpxpyndtj89kg5a3t5afk753irKj0_0KF7db5Nt8oByZCAIu2jE7R50oI9uCoxnaDxfC/s200/IMG_0353.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHcQlL6KAyE5h-X6uxb7cRIgxAcqI4NXqlWf9KfTFHcu1k8T5OTcSUpb1R9pZDsbW3_JxAvCiLH1I6aK1QgLYCFwpY9gF-041oAFvgcC8e3-lcEMHJHt3Ap2cXrrsYYFR8aw3AkFad42u/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHcQlL6KAyE5h-X6uxb7cRIgxAcqI4NXqlWf9KfTFHcu1k8T5OTcSUpb1R9pZDsbW3_JxAvCiLH1I6aK1QgLYCFwpY9gF-041oAFvgcC8e3-lcEMHJHt3Ap2cXrrsYYFR8aw3AkFad42u/s200/IMG_0354.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We stopped on the pathway and worked out which way we should go from there and discovered the treasure. We brought it inside and enjoyed our yummy treasure!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92LyqNYmhUAPJnVvRiq-KvHzVSIWwUCwHwQ8TA2UXW51_PZVqD4bVipniAJ2R5lM4PoW8CnyRv7Yt1aELSYyhk8QvNbs91CJa-GWASKW5MzxefFeEezuqBMiMLXtAFEAhj2VjDr8ZMVBl/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92LyqNYmhUAPJnVvRiq-KvHzVSIWwUCwHwQ8TA2UXW51_PZVqD4bVipniAJ2R5lM4PoW8CnyRv7Yt1aELSYyhk8QvNbs91CJa-GWASKW5MzxefFeEezuqBMiMLXtAFEAhj2VjDr8ZMVBl/s400/IMG_0360.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1834742407781584654.post-19438308686772148152010-06-28T18:03:00.000-07:002010-08-25T16:52:02.342-07:00Summer Kick-Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BOvqJcsfamFxq7rTxNYyizdrk_00W5seJbjzJ7-UbhKJ1qXmiLKLFAJYPkeW4dxAoZQSZ04KxoQ2pnOAwKl8azI4PzvZDJ0r4fAD1m5ugEHY378e-sUqTOmGtFRfxowVaN2YX3nkxg6h/s1600/IMG_0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BOvqJcsfamFxq7rTxNYyizdrk_00W5seJbjzJ7-UbhKJ1qXmiLKLFAJYPkeW4dxAoZQSZ04KxoQ2pnOAwKl8azI4PzvZDJ0r4fAD1m5ugEHY378e-sUqTOmGtFRfxowVaN2YX3nkxg6h/s320/IMG_0305.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">What better way to kick-off summer break than with a big mess?</div><div style="text-align: center;">My husband had to tear our rotting deck down this weekend, so we seized the opportunity to use it as a giant canvas before the destruction! Even babies were allowed. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8Nwi0k1He1MOCs2RS1SYEf04lGsCA9rG9u1alyuH0ReCokIR_O6OmJGs1XW7F6R8j7aWQ-CETow7eVYEgw9gdqzZFdynf26PlCoSuL3ndRDDV0O-HVIWioDAh3JQ670qoKU9gEbedhja/s1600/IMG_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8Nwi0k1He1MOCs2RS1SYEf04lGsCA9rG9u1alyuH0ReCokIR_O6OmJGs1XW7F6R8j7aWQ-CETow7eVYEgw9gdqzZFdynf26PlCoSuL3ndRDDV0O-HVIWioDAh3JQ670qoKU9gEbedhja/s320/IMG_0306.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah2mXhWUfFR33jVNh0teSJjTxLzdgBqvFs4VIc17FP85g0CRobAil6B7lXvRbwpOIDjIXMyJBhqzslp5hsQtsTMChMj6rBlEs5ktjC2uoyoFEaGDXfqNVMt_voM964gUWJvAFnO3vM-_D/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah2mXhWUfFR33jVNh0teSJjTxLzdgBqvFs4VIc17FP85g0CRobAil6B7lXvRbwpOIDjIXMyJBhqzslp5hsQtsTMChMj6rBlEs5ktjC2uoyoFEaGDXfqNVMt_voM964gUWJvAFnO3vM-_D/s320/IMG_0310.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even my boring tomato plant pots were livened up in the process.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSqeeSZycEbZoRohX2F0VKFVoNueUuMaOqAxKNkM3fNxKdMGgVOcMQQrRKlj1d2xdPuGq07zcxWA2buev7QI5m6HG7oe8N2_Lj6_l0jiLoafKkk-qMugwY-v414gWK1q8Fj-obeP7TrVi/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSqeeSZycEbZoRohX2F0VKFVoNueUuMaOqAxKNkM3fNxKdMGgVOcMQQrRKlj1d2xdPuGq07zcxWA2buev7QI5m6HG7oe8N2_Lj6_l0jiLoafKkk-qMugwY-v414gWK1q8Fj-obeP7TrVi/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We decided to add to our mess by getting out the shaving cream. My sisters kids were terrified of it, but we doused them a little anyway. Rachel, being 3, went to town.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBcKG6FGw4l9D1PGQFVIz1_TZ1YI-dPezhJJje1SdyzXzoD6-AsozdWTwG1NB_4Yuij1U_UnSQdR9D7I44UrWH_Z8ToxkolQdS9y4Gt1mMz_FBs0ezjZMEasqt3mFi5yfvmUlrniQQnY6/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBcKG6FGw4l9D1PGQFVIz1_TZ1YI-dPezhJJje1SdyzXzoD6-AsozdWTwG1NB_4Yuij1U_UnSQdR9D7I44UrWH_Z8ToxkolQdS9y4Gt1mMz_FBs0ezjZMEasqt3mFi5yfvmUlrniQQnY6/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My sister enjoyed it too</div><div style="text-align: center;">(I didn't ask her permission to post this photo . . . Oops :o)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-vPdCLlKSE-ajX_q3FLM_PdnfCGPhNaa8opPGkm6MK-l62jJCi_7QH81ktY3LVLX50oOYGwWjEAYh2j7qYaYdxt2yfhdDM-lT-vwKp4icuUfmSKoQXKheoUgPcOMNVcn7MgnYwG4eNHh/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-vPdCLlKSE-ajX_q3FLM_PdnfCGPhNaa8opPGkm6MK-l62jJCi_7QH81ktY3LVLX50oOYGwWjEAYh2j7qYaYdxt2yfhdDM-lT-vwKp4icuUfmSKoQXKheoUgPcOMNVcn7MgnYwG4eNHh/s320/IMG_0318.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
We cleaned it off in the kiddie pool and the sprinkler.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZoAy_Ba7EBy2YstV8ibGz4HtX9fW_UaBtTyb6WgalpbG7xpTobgDJ_5rrxJCZfx7kIHvk2JPC4RenkoaQ9N4j7VOMTL4QzonMEqfQqSLSUcURdvQpsq47y9Neu_0g3ZrFKmyJCmUVKKV/s1600/IMG_0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZoAy_Ba7EBy2YstV8ibGz4HtX9fW_UaBtTyb6WgalpbG7xpTobgDJ_5rrxJCZfx7kIHvk2JPC4RenkoaQ9N4j7VOMTL4QzonMEqfQqSLSUcURdvQpsq47y9Neu_0g3ZrFKmyJCmUVKKV/s320/IMG_0321.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It was definitely a day of awesome for the kids, and clean-up was painless (I promise)!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13342519745086449282noreply@blogger.com1