Kids are Just Like Dogs

It’s funny how much kids are like dogs. They can’t feed themselves, they want constant attention and they both tend to have big smelly poops. Dogs need lots of exercise, especially when they’re young. If a dog misbehaves, trainers almost always start by recommending more activity. Kids are no different. Thirty minutes of TV can buy some much-need peace (and sanity), but as soon as the show is over, the kids are bouncing off the walls again because they need to get up and get moving. That’s why I treat my kids just like my dogs!

• Fetch: What better game for a rowdy 18 month old boy than fetch? You sit in one room, get him all excited about playing with the ball, and then throw it in the other room and have him go find it. I find this provides lots of fun and lots of exercise.
• Wrestling: There is no better way to bond with your kids than to get on the floor and wrestle with them. They love to be picked up, thrown around, and most of all they love to climb all over you. It’s a wonderful way to burn some energy after dinner. • Sit: I find that my kids absolutely love Simon Says. I tell them to
• Sit. They do. I tell them to touch their noses. They do. I tell them to jump and down. They do! What a great way to help them with their attention span and get them off the couch.

 I love my kids and I love my dogs and I love them even more when they’ve both had plenty of time to burn up all that excess energy!!

The Importance of Crafts and a Fun Thanksgiving Craft That Even I Can Do!!

As most of you saw in my last post, I'm very challened in the craft department.  However, I'm scrappy and determined that I'm going to figure this out.  I have enlisted the help of Susan Case, who is a fellow blogger and has her Masters in Family and Child Development.  She is the author of a wonderful book called Kindergarten: Tattle-tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs, and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents and taught Kindergarten for many years and I'm so thrilled to have her help!  We did a quick interview:

• Creativity and imagination
• Sensory integration: Children love learning using the five senses
• Fine Motor by picking up objects, cutting, pasting
• Self-Esteem: Earning praise for accomplishments
• Self-Confidence—harder tasks in future will be tried and        accomplished
• Thinking/Cognitive skills
• Language: Express what you are doing and encourage children to  talk about the experience and their feelings
• Following directions in sequence develops math skills
• Reading skills: Read what is printed on craft containers as you run your finger under the words going left to right
• Writing: Let children see you write a list of supplies needed
• Reading/Writing Connection: Children can cross words off list when   supplies are acquired
• Bonding: Spending quality time with your children instills trust that  they are important to you and loved."

• Glue gun —only to be used by an adult. Remember to unplug it         when not using and to glue over newspaper. Glue is hot but can be peeled off surface when dry.
• Glue—liquid and sticks of glue
• Paints –washable
• Brushes—inexpensive and various sizes
• Markers –washable
• Crayons– inexpensive is fine because children like to  break them
• String or yarn
• Colored and Manila paper—can be purchased at the best prices        right before school starts
• Fiskar scissors are a good brand —fit children’s hands and are not   sharp but will cut paper
• Adult scissors
• Craft sticks—“tongue depressors” come in different sizes and colors  or buy plain and let children paint or an adult can spray paint
• Fuzzy sticks (used to be called “pipe cleaners”)
• Cheap plastic tablecloth to protect table or use old newspapers

Thanks Susan!!!  Okay, back to me.  First things first.  Of course we had to play with the feathers right after we got them out of the bag:


Then we got down to business.  Yes, the kids are in their pajamas and Munchkin Girl is wearing a stocking hat.  It's her latest obsession.  She wears it everywhere, including her bed.  

Susan advised me to use a clear jar, but I didn't have one so I looked around my house for something else to use.  I selected an empty coffee jar from Trader Joes.  I covered it in brown construction paper, using tape.





Most people would probably do this project at the table.  Not us!  We chose the floor because Little Buddy likes to plop down in my lap and I think it's fun to have him there.  See his little feet?  I'm sitting cross-legged and he's in my lap.  Anyway, I laid out a strip of blue contstruction paper with glue and let them glue on the feathers. 


Then we glued on the eyes and beak.  Munchkin Girl held the eyes on until the glue dried:



We did two strips with feathers and voila!!  We had a finished turkey!!



It ain't pretty but we had a lot of fun!  And like Susan said, I truly am thankful for books.  Real books that make me think and get me out of Mom and work mode for a short period.  I read every night before bed, so in the spirit of being a good role model with real books, I will start posting what I'm currently reading.  I'm in a Book Club so we read a lot. 

Thanks so much to Susan for her help and encouragement on this project.  I'm looking forward to more fun things.

PS...Don't forget, Susan's book about Kindergarten Basics might make a great Christmas present to Moms or even better, for grade-school teachers!

I'm terrible at crafts

I've never been good at art.  Or crafts.  Or anything that involves glue, glitter, or paint.  In fact as a kid my art teacher kept calling my Mom and complaining that I wasn't even trying.  My Mom assured her that I was trying really hard and just truly was bad at art (I learned this much later in life.  At the time, I kept bragging about my art projects.  I guess I was slightly deluded even as a child).

Anyway, I've been trying not to dwell on this because I really feel like maybe I'm not qualified to be a "Mom blogger" if I can't do crafts.  There are so many amazing sites out there with all these super creative activities and I'm very challenged in this department.  Let me this illustrate for you.  Last Christmas one of my friends invited us over to do Gingerbread houses.  I was so excited until I discovered that she baked the pieces herself and we had to assemble them.  She provided a bowl with frosting and the Moms put the houses together while the kids waited. 

Poor Munchkin Girl.  She waited patiently for me.  The other Moms expertly placed the pieces in the right spots, used the perfect amount of frosting to hold them in place and they looked they'd been bought at a store.  Then there was mine.  I tried, I really did, but the pieces kept falling down so I kept using more frosting.  Pretty soon we were out of frosting and then I didn't have anything left for the sidewalks.

Munchkin Girl started decorating and as she was pushing the first piece of candy on the roof, the roof fell down.  She screamed and I scurried over to get the roof back in place, which was tough since I was now out of frosting.  To her credit, she had fun anyway and I let her do all the work.  Just like her Mommy, her self-confidence and/or delusion carried her through and she didn't notice that ours was lopsided, falling down, and missing pieces. 

See how the sides of the roof aren't even touching each other?  I'm sure glad this isn't my house!  It would be very cold to live here.

Despite the fact that I'm art-challened, I've recently been convinced of the importance of creativity.  Through blogging I've made a good friend, named Susan Case, who used to teach kindergarten and also writes a great blog.  She's been very supportive and I've asked her to write a blog for me on the importance of crafts.  She's also going to come up with an idea for us to try for Thanksgiving.  I'm excited to give this all another try. 

PS...If any of you fabulous Mommy bloggers have a good post about an easy craft, send it to me!  I clearly need help!! :-)  Otherwise, stay tuned for Susan's post on crafts...I'm going to get to Hobby Lobby this week for my glue gun!!

Envy for warm climate: Yes, you're lucky if you live where it doesn't snow...

A few of my friends and family have moved away to warmer climates.  They love to point out how great it is to live where it never snows and you barely need a coat (You know who you are :-) ).  This definitely makes me envious, mostly because I hate wrestling the kids in an out of coats and into carseats. 

However, as most of you also know about me, I prefer to look on the bright side.  I'm reading a book by John Steinbeck right now and you know how sometimes you read something that really hits you and makes you so happy?  Read this passage from Travels With Charley:

"I've lived in good climates and it bores the hell out of me.  I like weather rather than climate...in the humid ever-summmer how can a mind not to go back to the shout of color, to the clean rasp of frosty air, to the smell of pine wood burining and the caressing warmth of kitchens.  For how can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?"

I love these words and they really hit home to me the other day when we built a leaf pile and kids came running from everywhere to join in the fun.  Pretty soon the leaves will be gone from all the trees and everything will look bleak and I will dream of visiting my friends and family in the South, but for now I will bask in the beauty of the bright reds and oranges of our trees.