Saturday, October 24, 2009

Strawberry Shortcake

  • Mica's big into looking through toy catalogs.
  • He told me today that he wanted all the Strawberry Shortcake things.
  • Grandma and Grandpa Spiehs have all my old Strawberry Shortcake doll's at their house. He's played with them there.
  • I just had to laugh. As always, I said, "Well we'll add it to your Christmas list". I say this with everything he wants. But...he won't get everything he wants. He also likes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs dolls.
  • Other then those things, he's all boy!

Mica Got a Hair Cut

  • Daddy cut Mica's hair tonight (sides and back).
  • He spiked it up a little after he was all washed up just for fun.
  • For sitting good, he got some ice cream. He didn't cry at all during the cut!

Mashed Potatoes

Lovin' Potatoes
After Isaak Rubbed the Potatoes into His Face
  • Isaak had a spoon at dinner, and he still managed to get mashed potatoes all over his face.
  • He loved them!
  • It was all good until he started rubbing his face with his hands.

Target Ball

  • The boys get so excited to go to Target because of the big "Ball" that is in front of the store.
  • If you look up close, you can tell Isaak is saying, "Ball".
  • They always have to go up and touch it.

Grumpy!

  • Isaak woke up 4 to 6 times last night. We seriously lost count.
  • He's cutting 2 teeth.
  • Travis got up with him, and rocked him for an hour.
  • I had him with me for awhile, then I got up early with him to let Daddy get some zzzz's. I'm not sure he was able to sleep too much with the boys up though.
  • We gave him Motrin, natural teething meds, TLC, we let him cry, the cry turned into a scream and nothing seemed to work.
  • Grumpy boy was walking into all kinds of things this morning. He's got a bump on his head to prove it.
  • He usually sleeps through the night, but this week he hasn't.
  • We're starting to feel like new parents all over again. I don't know about Daddy (because he's at work), but I was dragging today.

Bed Time

  • Here's what it looks like when it's bed time.
  • Mica tries to cuddle with Mommy, while Isaak is on top of Mica or Mommy.
  • Look at that sly smile Isaak has. It's a, "I'm up to no good smile". He looks like Mommy in that picture. Maybe Mommy is up to no good. LOL

Friday, October 23, 2009

H1N1 and Mono

  • We offically have Mono and H1N1 floating around the school I teach at.
  • Fun times! NOT!

Testing Their Brains!

  • I gave out an art exercise today to my students, without giving much verbal instruction.
  • They had a handout to read.
  • I couldn't believe how many students turned it in half done.
  • I had about half the class up at the front of the room, rummaging through the papers to find theirs because they had to add more to it for full points.
  • Maybe I should do this more often. They need to learn to follow instructions.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

I Won a Book of Stamps!

Pumpkin Crisp Recipe

  • I'm getting a lot of requests for this recipe. I've made it twice this fall since we had a pumpkin patch growing in our backyard, we had to find uses for the pumpkins.
  • I never thought I'd say this, but I thought pumpkin crisp was better then pumpkin pie.
  • Ingredients:
  1. 1 c. evaporated milk
  2. 1 c. sugar
  3. 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  4. l (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  5. 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  6. 1 (18.25-ounce) pkg. butter-flavored yellow cake mix
  7. 1 c. chopped pecans *I used chopped walnuts because that is what I had
  8. 1 c. butter (or margarine, melted) *I used only 1/2 c., 1 c. was just too greasy to me
  • Optional Ingredients:
  1. Whipped Cream on top
  2. Sprinkle Nut Meg on top of the Whipped Cream
  • Directions:
  1. Stir together first 5 ingredients and pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
  2. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle pecans on top.
  3. Drizzle butter over pecans and bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Remove from oven, let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with Whipped Cream, if desired. Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired.

Classic Toys with Babalu. GIVEAWAY!

  • Go Graham Go is having another toy giveaway!
  • Babalu (FeltTales) and Kazoo Toys (WJ Fantasy) are sponsoring this giveaway.
  • One lucky reader wins their choice of FeltTales or WJ Fantasy Toy (Shadow Books, Do-Re-Mi Musical Building Blocks, ABC Building Blocks, My Busy Day Blocks, or My Tool Box).
  • Sign up to win!

Artista Creative Safari Sweepstakes

Relax. Recharge. And reignite your creative spark.

  • I really love the company Acacia. My sister Angela introduced me to their site. They have great clothing, furniture and art.
  • They are having a giveaway on their site for a Creative Safari that includes all the things below! I've been putting my name in everyday in hopes that I will win. The contest is over on December 31st.
  • You do not need to be an artist to go. You just need to have a creative mind.

  • One lucky winner (and her guest) will receive:
  • Roundtrip airfare to Monterey, California
  • Three night's accommodations at the Cypress Inn
  • Ground transportation
  • Daily art classes
  • Daily yoga classes
  • Massage
  • Daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Stossel in the Classroom

  • John Stossel has a website that has free DVD's for teacher's middle school level and higher.
  • I have not gotten my free DVD, but registered for one.
  • If it's a good video; I'll recommend it for the whole staff at The Creative Center (where I teach) to watch.

Sibling Rivalry

  • Isaak's been really needy in the evenings! To the point where he's annoying. He's fussy and wants his Mommy all evening to himself.
  • He is cutting more teeth, and has woken up in the middle of the night every night this week.
  • Daddy decided to take Mica out after dinner tonight. They went to Whole Foods. Mica gets really excited to go there for some reason.
  • Isaak's behavior changed drastically after Daddy and Mica left!
  • Isaak didn't have to compete for my attention, so he was an angel. He played on his own, helped me pick up, put the soap bubble in the dishwasher to help me run it (usually this is Mica's task), and he sat on my lap to read stories without squirming and fussing.
  • I got Isaak down to sleep shortly after Daddy and Mica got home.
  • Then I had a half hour to just spend time reading, Little Bear to Mica without Isaak interrupting us.

Pink Bears for a Cause and More at Hatley!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Parent Teacher Conferences

  • We went to Parent Teacher Conferences last night for Mica at preschool.
  • It's always interesting to hear what they have to say.
  • Mica does participate in groups way more then he did last year. He still is the worst in participating compared to the other kids. He is still the youngest in the class.
  • Mica also branches out a whole lot more this year compared to last year. Last year he only wanted to put puzzles together.
  • He likes playing at the home station, art station (painting not coloring), reading station and the puzzle station. I guess he loves the space shuttle too. The teachers said that Mica shows them where puzzle pieces go, instead of the other way around. He's good with knowing his numbers, letters (upper and lower) and likes to hop.
  • The teacher's like Mica's soft side. He grabs the wand and turns his teacher's into a prince's just about every time he comes in. He gives hugs a lot, and likes to sit in his teacher's laps to read books. They mentioned that Alison is still Mica's girlfriend.
  • He has trouble skipping. He gets numbers 6 and 9 mixed up. Alternating foot to foot on steps is hard (they said a lot of kids had problems with this). Getting dressed with the play clothes by himself is difficult for him. He has no problem going to the bathroom by himself, when other kids need help. He's still weak with holding a writing utensil (better then last year).
  • The school district has still not followed up with us on getting someone to evaluate him on his arm, hand strength. It's been a whole fall ordeal. It's one of those things where we had to talk to one person, then another and now another. His teachers are glad we're trying to have him evaluated though.
  • I did find out one thing funny, Mica does not participate with cleaning up at preschool. The kids are told that they will be able to be the caboose on the train line if they pick up the best. Mica skips picking up and stands over at the back of the line, where the caboose would be. He's been pushed up many times. There was only one time he helped clean up, and didn't do too good of a job. The teacher let him be a caboose that time, just for positive reinforcement.
  • I'm thinking of getting one of Mica's preschool hats, and filling it with clean up duty's. Each day he'll pull one out, and have to do that chore. It could be one that we have to help him with. At this point he has to take his dishes to the sink, bring up one thing from the car when we get home, he runs the dishwasher, he takes the recycle things down to the garage, we pick up toys, but not every day. I'll need to push this a bit.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Pre Conferences Play Time

Mica and Isaak in the Playroom
Mica and Cousin Evan Hard at Play
Isaak and Cousin Elijah Sitting on the Play Furniture
Cousin Elijah on the Slide
  • Aunt Terra and uncle Tyson went to cousin Evan's conferences first, so Daddy and I watched all four kids.
  • Of course there was a whole room full of toys, and the toddlers went for the balls right away. They'd be happy if "balls" were the only thing they'd have.
  • I had to get a shot of each boy in the play house.
Mica in the Play House
Isaak in the Play House
Cousin Evan in the Play House
Cousin Elijah in the Play House

Pre Conferences Dinner

Evan and Mica at the Farmhouse Cafe
Isaak Trying a Lemon
Isaak Trying a Lemon Take Two
  • Since we didn't have too much time between getting off of work and conferences, we went out to dinner with aunt Terra, uncle Tyson, cousin Evan and cousin Elijah.

Where the Wild Things Are in Limbo

  • I have to admit that I'm kind of disappointed in the fact that I'm reading reviews saying that this is not a kids movie. I was so excited to take Mica to see it. I don't want to take him if he's going to get scared, and be uninterested. He likes the book, and so do I.
  • Mica never gets scared with other things. Heck, he's watched Transformers (the first one) at home with Daddy and loved it! Transformers and Spiderman are not exactly movies I'd pick for Mica to see, but he has seen them. We have never let Mica see Spiderman 2 or 3; I simply thought they were too graphic and scary. Where the Wild Things Are, is rated PG.
  • Maybe I'll wait until I can buy it on DVD, review it, and then decide if he can watch it. Of course that would be nothing like watching it on the big screen.
  • I'm such a children's book junkie myself, that I was really excited to see it.
  • I was also disappointed how Maurice Sendak responded to a Newsweek interview! I love his work, and the way he has responded just disappointed me so much!
  • This brings up another point, should you like someones work if you really can't stand their actions? I think so. I don't exactly like how Brad Pit cheated on Jennifer Aniston, but I still think he's a good actor. There are many other cases of actors and artists that I've felt negative towards their behavior, but really liked their work.
  • “In a recent Newsweek interview, Maurice Sendak was asked what he would say to concerned parents who feel the new film adapted from his children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” may be too scary for children.”

    “ ‘I would tell them to go to hell. That’s a question I will not tolerate,” Sendak said. “If they can’t handle it, go home. Or wet your pants. Do whatever you like. But it’s not a question that can be answered. …‘ ”

  • That's not quite the answer I was expecting from such a profound children's book illustrator and writer.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Kitty Cat

  • Mica was asking for a Kitty Cat. I knew what he wanted, our Halloween candy, but I pretended to not know. I said, "We don't have any Kitty Cat's".
  • Then he pointed out what it was that he wanted, a Kit Kat.

A New Way to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

  • A few years ago Aunt Laura bought us a quesadilla maker.
  • We've used it, but I found another use for it today. I sprayed it down with butter spray, plopped in a cheese sandwich, and a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich was made in the matter of a few minutes.
  • It grilled both sides at once, and I loved the added crispy cheese around the edges! I did not clasp it because it was too thick for that. Many times we don't clasp it for making quesadilla's either.
  • It was great for the kids because it was made fast, and imprints fun designs into the bread. I gave Mica the guitar imprint.

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The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

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