A SCOBY Named Petunia

This is our SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). I've decided to name her Petunia. But since it's a colony I guess it's technically Petunias. We've been hovering over her for about 10 days now waiting for her to get big enough to brew into a kombucha (a delicious and healthful fermented tea).
It's so fascinating because she gets a little thicker every day!
She's a little icky looking but I feel like a proud mama!
Grow Petunia, grow!!!

The Freezer From Heaven

See that divine light shining between my organized little containers of scrumptiousness?
That's right. My freezer is FINALLY organized.
Last September, our family started doing once-a-month freezer cooking to prepare for baby Livie who was born in November. Basically, you spend one day of the month shopping for food for the ENTIRE month and the next day cooking all the food for the ENTIRE month.
It's hell.
But at the end, I have pretty much everything I need for the ENTIRE month's meals.
Which leaves more time for scrapbooking, gardening, playing with my kids, cleaning the house, working on home projects, etc. and less time scrambling to make meals.
Not only was yesterday Big Cooking Day but I also finally cleaned and organized both freezers for the first time since Livie was born. Yikes! There was stuff from October lurking at the bottom of the big freezer!
I did want to pull out all my hair at a couple points but now it's all clean, organized and ready for labeling.
Here's what's in the freezer:
Shepherd's Pie
Chili
Mini Meatloaves
Italian Chicken Pasta
Cheeseburger Macaroni
Lasagna
Burritos
Chicken Nuggets
Mexican Quinoa Skillet
Pizza
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
BBQ Chicken Hot Pockets
Chicken Curry

And it's all made from scratch...homemade tortillas, pasta, dough, sauces...yup. Awesome.

Eat your heart out Betty Crocker. :)

Building Bridges

Today we built our first bridge: a beam bridge!
It's been so much fun experimenting with a base, making it crash, re-enacting "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" and listening to the trip-trap sound it makes as toys go across.
Next we will try a suspension bridge with pipe cleaners but we'll probably need some help from daddy!

Here's what we've been learning:

Theme: Bridges: Beam, Arch and Suspension
Number: 15
Letter: P
Color: Green
Shape: Oval
Vocabulary Word: Beam, arch, suspension
Scripture: 1 John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd."

Chrysalis Is A Chrysalis

Our scrubby little caterpillar (Carson named him Chrysalis) actually turned into a chrysalis!
So amazing!
And just in the nick of time.
The night we noticed the change, I had planned on releasing him back into the backyard because I was tired on feeding him!
His chrysalis is really beautiful. It's this rich deep redish color but you can't really tell in the picture.

O Bountiful Harvest

Well...kind of bountiful.
Three beautiful radishes! First picks out of my garden this season!
Kind of spicy. Very crispy. Yum!
Can't wait to put these on a salad!

Real Food Chicken Nuggets

We haven't eaten Mickey D's in FOREVER...
And thank goodness!
But since starting our real food journey, it's been tricky to create a real food version of everything my toddler used to love.
Namely his favorite lunch: chicken nuggets.
But I did it!!!
And these nuggets are soooo good!

Here's the recipe:

You will need:
1 large egg
1 TBSP grapeseed oil vegenaise
2 cups of cooked organic chicken
1/4 cup shredded organic cheese
whole wheat flour for coating
salt and pepper or seasoned salt to taste

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pulse chicken in a food processor until finely chopped. (But don't over do it!!!)
3. Combine remaining ingredients with chicken in a bowl.
4. Scoop by rounding tablespoonfuls and drop a few at a time into a bowl full of whole wheat flour and coat each nugget.
5. Place nuggets on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I usually take this opportunity to mash them down a bit and shape them into cute nuggety looking nuggets...if that even makes sense...
7. Bake for about 18 minutes turning them over halfway through.

I love to make a double or triple batch and freeze them (flash freeze on a cookie sheet before placing in a freezer bag). Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes from frozen. Way better than Tyson nuggets. Watch "Food Inc." and you'll never want to eat another Tyson product again!

Family Adventures: Touch a Truck

We love to spend time together.
And we spend LOTS of time together. Saturdays are special because my husband generally doesn't have to work so we really try to have some sort of family outing.
Here's what we did yesterday:
Touch-a-Truck
The number of vehicles available was amazing!
Carson LOVED it. Here he is touching an auger truck.

Man Towels

"Man towel...it is for the man."
-Carson Sites, 2 yrs. old (and a man)

Man Towel Criteria:
1. Must be larger than a washcloth.
2. Must have a RED stripe, not blue.
3. Must come from the dollar store.

Baby Towels, you have been put on notice:
Your kind is no longer welcome. We will not grace your fluff with our sticky pineapple Man Hands.
For in this house, dwell MEN...
...well, Mommy too...
...and a baby sister...
...ok, you can stay...But don't even think about coming near Carson's placemat.
Or you will be promptly thrown to the floor.
In. Dis. Gust.

A Caterpillar Named Chrysalis

Something has been eating the turnips in my garden.
And I caught him red-handed...or rather brown footed: a scrubby-looking little caterpillar.
Lucky for him, our unit has been on butterflies so he now resides in our house and we spoil him rotten.
I got the idea for growing a caterpillar into a butterfly here:
http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2012/03/caterpillar-to-butterfly.html?m=1
There are kits you can buy but this is the frugal way to do it. The trick is knowing what kind of caterpillar you have because they are very picky eaters and often starve if not fed the right foods.
Luckily for him (unlikely for me) know EXACTLY what he eats: turnip greens, broccoli, radishes...pretty much everything in my garden.
And now for the name:
I asked Carson what he would like to name his caterpillar...Thomas? Elmo? Freddie?
He thought about it..
"Caterpillar name is...Chrysalis."
Ok.
THAT won't be confusing.
But you gotta admire this kiddo's love for words.
Here's Chrysalis, our fat little Variegated Cutworm (he's actually going to be a moth not a butterfly):

The Brownie That Changed My Life

This is the brownie that changed my life.
Literally.
Somedays are THOSE kind of days.
The days where I collapse in the comfy chair at the babies' nap time.
And yearn for a Dr. Pepper.
Or an entire bag of miniature peanut butter cups.
Or something crunchy and cheesy and neon orange.
This brownie is the buffer zone between me and a food choice I don't really want anyway.
It's delicious and fast and perfect for the 10 minute window I have before laundry folding must begin.
One minute.
5 ingredients.
Heaven in a bowl.
(And because I use organic, real food ingredients I don't feel the teensiest bit guilty.)

1 Minute Whole Wheat Brownie:

2 TBSP melted butter or coconut oil*
4 TBSP whole wheat pastry flour*
4 TBSP sucunat*
2 TBSP cocoa powder
2 TBSP water
Dash of salt (optional)
Teensy splash of vanilla (optional)
Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)
Microwave safe mug or small bowl (I use a very small Pyrex one)

1. Melt butter or coconut oil in the microwave safe mug or bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients minus the chocolate chips and stir until blended.
3. Top with a sprinkling of chocolate chips.
4. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Your brownie may still look wet in some places. That's okay. It sets up as it cools. Add 15 seconds of you think it's too wet.
5. Allow the brownie to cool. Eat with a spoon.
6. Happily fold laundry.

*You can always sub vegetable oil for the butter or coconut oil, white flour for wheat, sugar for sucunat...it will be just as tasty but not as wholesome.

Its Raining, Its Pouring

This is the second week of our rain unit and we actually had a few days of rain!
We got a few rain books at the library but one really stands out: "Rain Train" by Elena de Roo.
Carson has requested this book over and over again!

From a toddler point of view this is why he loves it:
A) Its about a train!! So it combines something he loves with something we are learning about which is rain.
B) It's got a great rhythmic poetic style or in toddler world: there's rhyming lines he can quote easily like, "All aboard the rain train!"
C) There are sound effect parts on every page like "pitter patter pit."

I love it for all the same reasons if course but it is also beautifully illustrated. And it has a great way of winding down quietly at the end which makes it a great just before nap story!

Adios to Boxed Baby Cereal

Blah.
That's what I think of boxed baby cereals.
Even when I was feeding rice cereal to my son when he was a baby I thought the same thing. But had NO IDEA that I could actually make it.
And that it would be super easy.
And actually taste good!
Now that I know better, no more boxed cereals! Olivia is getting the good stuff.

So here it is:

1) Make up a batch of rice powder by grinding brown rice in a food processor, blender or I used a cheap coffee grinder that I use just for this purpose. Store rice powder in an air-tight container.

2) Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a pot. Add 1/4 cup rice powder to the water. Stir vigorously to break up lumps and turn down to low. Simmer for 10+ minutes or until rice is super soft.

3)For babies starting out:
Add breast milk or formula
For older babies:
Add fruit or veggie purée or a pinch of spice like cinnamon or nutmeg
For toddlers:
Add milk, honey or sucunat or sugar and some spice

It is SUPER yummy. Just like cream of rice/wheat.

Trouble-shooting:
Since all machines are different and may grind to different finenesses (if that's even a word!) you may need to cook a little longer or add a bit more water. I did.

Storage:
Cooked rice cereal can last a few days in the fridge and can even be frozen using the ice cube tray method. Just remember freezing can change the texture.

The Birthday Pook

Today my Little Pookie is 2.
And what a wonderful Pook he is.
When he got up this morning, I gave him his first birthday present:
"Happy Birthday, Little Pookie" by Sandra Boynton which he has been asking for, for a VERY long time!
And then I made him whole wheat Pookie pancakes like Pookie gets for his birthday breakfast.
With chocolate dipping sauce.
Which probably cancelled out the whole wheat factor.
But you only turn 2 once!
"So here's to a child who is joyful and clever. Happy day. Happy year. Happy always and ever."
--from "Happy Birthday, Little Pookie"

A Visit to the Duck Pond

"Niddy noddy goes her tail and quack goes her head."
--from "Dimmity Duck" by Jan Yolen
Carson has been quoting this part of the book to me since we visited the duck pond. A few weeks ago we finished our Duck unit but it was much too cold to try to go look at actual ducks.
So when my husband got horribly sick and had to be taken to the urgent care, we took advantage of the sunshine and duck pond around the corner instead of sitting in a hot bath of germs.
And it was delightful.
There's nothing like an authentic experience to boost a child's learning.
We all came away with something that day:
The baby had a lovely nap in the sunshine.
Carson learned some new duck vocabulary.
And my poor sick husband who had been dropped off at the urgent care came home with the flu.
Don't worry, he's better now.
And the kids and I didn't get it because we had our flu shots!
So you can enjoy these beautiful pictures worry-free:

March 1st Resolution

This year in addition to having a few New Year's resolutions I read somewhere you can have monthly resolutions through the year that are easier to keep. What a great idea!
In January, we committed to eating in more and adding fruits and veggies to every meal.
In February, we made all of our breads and pastas from scratch out of whole grains. I even experimented with grinding my own flour toward the end of the month.
And now that we've established some solid healthy eating habits, this month I resolve to...drumroll...
Eat healthy on a budget.
$500 to be exact.
That's a little over $100 per week and I'm hoping it will include toiletries and our Sunday out-to-eat meal.
We shall see.
Here we go!

Whole Wheat Waffle Brownies

Whole wheat brownies.
Made on the waffle iron.
A-ma-zing.
I've seen brownies made in the waffle maker on Rachel Ray. So when I finally found a whole wheat waffle recipe I liked, I decided to merge the two to make one sweet brownie-waffle love child.
These are so fantastic for so many reasons:
A) It's a REAL food but it's fast.
B) Brownies take about 30 minutes to bake but you can have one of these in your hot little hand in more like two minutes.
C) This is actually a dessert but it wouldn't be the end of the world if you ate these for breakfast!
I tweaked the original recipe to make it more waffle iron friendly. Here it is:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon solid coconut oil
2/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg

1. Mix dry flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine solid coconut oil and honey and microwave until melted. A minute or so.
3. Combine melted mixture, vanilla and egg to flour mixture.
4. Heat waffle iron and butter generously.
5. Put a heaping tablespoon of the brownie batter on the iron and close.
6. Check after a minute. Cooking times will vary so I'm going to just advise you to keeping checking.
What you are looking for:
Brownies won't fill the entire waffle mold and that's fine. Smaller is more manageable.
You're not trying to brown the brownie-just make sure it's cooked through.
7. When you feel like it's "done", unplug the waffle iron and flip it over to dump it out on a plate. Don't even try to use a fork- this brownie recipe is more crumbly than most.

Like most brownies, these taste best when cooled completely. Drizzle with chocolate syrup, top with ice cream, serve with a dollop of almond butter or just scarf them down plain.
You're welcome.

Monkey Wants a Cracker

I took BOTH kids to the zoo BY MYSELF. I'm either brave or crazy or just too sleep deprived to know that was a nutty idea.
But we had a blast!
We went to the petting zoo.
Saw the flamingos.
And had a picnic by the monkeys.
One of the monkeys came right up to the glass and looked longingly at Carson's cheese crackers. I would want some too if I were her!
Here's the link for the recipe:
http://postcardsfromthepillowfort.blogspot.com/2012/02/healthier-homemade-cheez-its-and-more.html
And here's a picture of poor Miss Monkey wishing she had a mouthful of Healthier Homemade Cheez-its:

Where There Is Smoke...

...There wasn't actually a fire. But when I opened the door, the house was filled with smoke. And it was really poor timing for the house to be filled with smoke:
A) Because Carson had informed me,"Ready pee!" several times on the way home from the store.
B) And Livie woke up from her nap as soon as I put her in the car and cried all the way home to be fed.
Soooo...this was not the best time for the house to be filled with smoke.
But it was.
And I was very afraid.
But come to find out, it wasn't a fire.
And thank God it wasn't a fire.
Sometimes you need something in your day to remind you to stop being so inconvenienced and start being grateful. The kids were a little wet and hungry but they were just fine.
It was this:
A sippy cup that fell down on the dishwasher's heating element.
It still smells smoky in the house and I've run the dishes twice to get the smell of burnt plastic out.
But I'll take that over a fire any day!

Healthier Homemade Cheez-its and More

I miss Cheez-its.
And Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.
But I don't miss additives and eating something that can sit on the shelf until the end of time.
And then I found a super simple recipe for homemade cheese crackers.

So here's my slightly tweaked healthier version of that recipe:
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (it's so worth it to grate your own-tastes better than the bagged stuff)
4 Tbsp. water

Directions:
1. Add flour, salt and butter to your food processor and pulse until it looks grainy/sandy.
2. Add cheese a cup at a time and continue pulsing until it resumes a grainy/sandy texture.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms into a ball.
4. Wrap in plastic, and chill for a few hours. It helps the butter to set up.
5. Roll the dough out to 1/8 in between sheets of parchment.
6. I used a pizza cutter to cut 1 inch squares. Use a fork to press around the edges and poke in the middle to give them the "Cheez-it look".
7. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. If they get too warm and sticky put them back in the fridge to set up a little bit before baking.
8. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
***post update! After making these I've decided that next time I would roll them slightly thinner and bake closer to 20 minutes to get a crisper effect***

But wait! There's more...
Because Monday was President's Day, we took the day off...and yesterday too... but here's what we are learning the next two weeks:
Theme: Horses
Number: 13
Letter: M
Color: White
Shape: Rectangle
Vocabulary Word: Colt
Scripture: "Love one another."
1 John 3:23

Mommy Time Outs

Sometimes I need to put ME in timeout! Especially with potty training madness going on.
I try to take at least 10 minutes a few times a day (and sometimes I set a timer to make sure I do it) to do something *I* want to do.
Read a magazine.
Take a bubble bath.
A few minutes of TV.
Call a friend.
Sometimes just sit.
One of my favorite blogs http://www.babywisemom.com reminded me of this with a giveaway she's doing for a book called "A Minute For Me".
I think I'll go take a timeout right now!

Worlds Tiniest Snowman

Snow! We haven't seen much of it so far this winter so it was so exciting when it snowed earlier this week!
We collected snow, did a couple snow projects. And saved the rest in the freezer to pull out for an indoor snow day!
Here's the World's Tiniest Snow Man complete with googly eyes and bobby pin arms.

My Funny Valentines

Yesterday I woke up feeling festive. Like we needed to have a Valentine's Day party. All day. So we did.
Call it the teacher in me.
We made Valentine cards.
We did Valentine crafts.
We read Valentine books.
We had an indoor pizza picnic. (Still obsessed with picnics around here.)
And best of all...
I spent the day snuggling my funny Valentines.

Potty Training Leg Warmers

Right now, little potties and tiny undies are a BIG deal at our house.
Yes, we're plugging along at the big PT.

Potty training.

Which means no pants.
Which means chilly little legs.
So I've been putting a pair of my husband's old socks on Carson to keep his legs warm.
And he loves it!
Honestly, I think he's more excited about "big socks" than Thomas the Train underwear!
But I thought I'd jazz them up a little bit. With monsters of course.
But nothing so fancy that I'd be disappointed if they fell apart after a few washings.

And here they are: Monster Leg Warmers made out of old socks, felt and googly eyes.

I'm a genius.
He may never take them off!

Temper Tantrums and Dinosaurs

This morning we had a very unfortunate event...dun, dun, DUN...
A tantrum.
In the library.
People watching.
Gulp.
It started out with wanting to use the big kid computers and when his way was not to be had, my less-than-two-year-old...Lost. It.
My precious. My angel. My smartie. My "always such a good boy" threw a fit.
I was embarrassed.
But I remembered my wise neighbor tell me once that tantrums (though not acceptable behavior) is a natural part of development. And this is the quote I repeat over and over in my head, "There's not something wrong if he throws a fit. I would worry if he never threw a fit."
Whew.
So I'm not a bad mother, it's just part of a being a little person learning to deal with big feelings. But it's still not appropriate behavior.
So I put on my big girl pants and said, "We don't throw fits in the library." And we left.
We he calmed down, we talked about it. And he said (heart melt) "I'm sorry I throw a fit, Mommy."
Being a parent is definitely not for wimps. I've felt a little stressed since The Event but I picked up this book for Olivia's nap time story and it made me laugh: "No T-Rex in the Library" by Toni Buzzeo
How appropriate.
It's about a little girl, Tess, who gets in trouble for her "beastie behavior" at the library. She unleashes a dinosaur from the pages of a book and sees just what her own naughty behavior looked like!
I'll be reading this to my little T-Rex before we go to the library again!

How To Make Yogurt in the Crockpot

I adore homemade yogurt.
I started making it when Carson was eating his first foods because YoBaby seemed kind of pricey.
And I just never quit! We love it with a drizzle of honey and some berries and nuts sprinkled over the top.

It's not work but there is some waiting involved. But I PROMISE it's well worth it. Read the back of your yogurt label. Even good quality yogurt has some weird stuff added in. Know that your yogurt will contain only milk and cultures once you get started!

What you need:
1/2 c. plain yogurt that says it contains live active cultures (good quality like Stonyfield Farms and after your first batch save 1/2 cup of your homemade yogurt to be the starter)
1/2 gallon WHOLE milk

How you make it:
1. Cook milk on low in your crockpot for 2 1/2 hours.
2. Then unplug and let the milk cool down for 3 hours.
3. Next take out a cup or so of milk from the crock and mix in your yogurt in a separate bowl.
4. Return yogurt/milk mixture back to the crock and stir.
5. Cover unplugged crockpot with two thick towels and leave overnight.

How to make it thicken up:
1. In the morning, you the milk should have thickened up. To make a Greek-style yogurt line a stainer with coffee filters or an ultra-thin dish cloth and place over a large bowl.
2. Put it in the fridge and leave until the following morning.

Here's my yogurt making schedule:
Monday at 4:30: I put the milk in the crockpot.
Just before dinner at 7: I unplug it.
Right before bed at 10: I add in the yogurt and cover with towels.
Tuesday around 9 or 10 I pour the yogurt into the straining bowl and stick it in the fridge.
Wednesday: Enjoy! And for us, a batch lasts until the next Wednesday.

Rainbow Noodles...Accidentally

I intended to make homemade whole wheat noodles tonight but got a little more than I bargained for:

Whole wheat RAINBOW noodles.

Rainbow noodles? How?
Well, let's just say it's not a good idea to let a certain toddler help you roll out the dough when they have an open bottle of rainbow sprinkles in their hot little hand.

The noodles were scrumptious!
And kind of pretty with little flecks of red, green and blue running through like teeny jewels.
It made me smile.

This is the recipe I used: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-whole-wheat-pasta

Minus the sprinkles of course.

To Grandmas House We Go!

This week our thing has been picnics:
An outdoor muffin picnic Tuesday.
A daddy-has-to-work late indoor picnic at his shop yesterday.
And today a picnic at Big Grandma's house.

Here's what was in our pic-a-nic basket Boo Boo:
Lasagna
Broccoli
Whole wheat rolls
Cute little clementine oranges
Monkey bread

Carson was so excited to go I could barely get him dressed! We had a blast! Big Grandma said she felt like a princess.

And she told us some picnic stories of her own: She and my grandpa would go on picnics at the park and the lake. They would cook steaks in a cast iron skillet over hot coals, spread out a blanket and enjoy her yummy potato salad too. That sounds fun!

I guess picnic-love runs in the family!

The Muffin Picnic

We made the most scrumptious muffins today: Lemon Poppseed. They are sweet, fragrant, crunchy, little heavenly muffin puffs.

And they tasted even better outside.
On a beautiful day.
Breeze blowing.
Snuggling on a blanket.
In the clover.

Yes, we had a muffin picnic.
And it's the very best kind of picnic in my opinion.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1-2 tablespoons lemon zest (depending on how lemony you like it)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 400.
1) Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2) Mix flour with the poppy seeds, salt, and baking soda in one bowl.
3) Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a separate bowl.
4) Beat in the eggs.
5) Beat in the lemon zest, yogurt, and vanilla extract until well blended.
6) Stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Do not over mix.
7) Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.
8)Bake 18 – 20 minutes.
9) Spread a blanket on the grass.
10) Enjoy warm muffins and beautiful weather.

Makes 12-15 muffins.

Over the Moon for the Moon

The past two weeks have been a love affair with the moon at our house.
Reading about the moon, singing about the moon, making moon food...

Here's a review of what we've been learning the past two weeks:

Theme: Phases of the Moon (We just learned full, half and cresent.)
Number: 11
Letter: K
Color: Black
Shape: Cresent
Vocabulary Word: Full

And here are some of the moon activities we have enjoyed:

Comparing a full moon to a cresent moon on the learning board:


Reading and rereading this beautiful book: Moon Dreams by Ruth Martin


And making moon food: Phases of the Moon Mini Pizzas!

It's super easy!

What you need:

English muffins

Pizza sauce

Shredded mozzerella
Pepperoni slices

Kitchen scissors

What you do:

1. Split one English muffin.

2. Cut one side in half. Use the one half as a half moon then cut the other to form a cresent moon.

3. Top with sauce and toppings. We cut our pepperonis into smaller bits for "craters".

4. Stick under the broiler until bubbly and serve with white grapes, corn, etc. for "stars".

The Aftermath of Sick

Taking a kid to the doctor is kind of like taking your car to the mechanic...it never seems to do for them what it did for you.
Today when I took Carson to the doctor there was no fever, no green boogers, no tears. He seemed like a happy kid with just a runny nose. So he's on his way to well. In the aftermath of sick, there was a lot of work to do today.
Scrubbing.
Spraying.
Washing.
Washing sheets, clothes and dun, dun, dun....Carson's beloved Wocket and Teddy.
He was NOT happy about his two buddies swooshing around in the washer. We checked on them to make sure they were okay.
Twice.
When they came out of the dryer he examined them carefully, sniffed them , hugged them and he's been carrying them around all evening. Then we read the best book for a bedtime story: "Little Rabbit Gets Messy" by Kathleen Amant. It's about little rabbit lovey that gets covered in pea soup and has to be washed. Adorable.
Tonight Carson is sleeping on clean sheets with a sweet-smelling-back-to-their-original-color Wocket and Teddy. Can't beat that.

Sick Day

Today is a sick day. I'm not sick but the kids are. :( Livie had her two month shots yesterday and Carson has the cruds.

So today was more of a TV-watching-book-reading-snuggle-in-blankets kind of day. And we have read and read and read books!

One of Carson's new favorites is this book: "I Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch.

It's a beautiful story about unconditional love. But it's so sweet I get a lump in my throat every time I read it. Every time. While I read it this evening I hugged my two sick little bears tighter in my lap remembering these moments are fleeting.

And when Carson said, " I Love You Ever...read again?"

I said, "Sure!"

Letter of the Week

The letter is K. But before I tell you about the letter, I need to explain that it's not actually the Letter of the Week No.
It's the Letter of Two Weeks.
Meaning we study the unit fit two weeks.
A) Because my son is only 22 months old so he needs extra time for reinforcement.
B) Because we are super busy and I don't get to a lesson every single day.
But Letter of the Week sounds better.

Here's what I used:
Foam
Glue
Fuzzy little pom poms
Velcro

I cut the letters out of foam. Stuck Velcro on the back and glued pom poms on the letters to make them "feely".

Touch is an important part of learning for little brains so adding a texture to the letter adds to the learning experience!

And fuzzy things are just plain adorable.

Graham Crackers!!!

We bake nearly every day. It's one of our favorite things to do together. Carson loves to help with mixing and it's such a great opportunity for teaching in the moment: counting, measuring, temperature. Plus if he makes it, he's more likely to eat it. When we bake Livie is usually asleep but today it was during her wake time. So she helped. And when I say helped I mean she looked adorable and cooed.

Today we made homemade graham crackers and they are amazing! The house smells delicious!

Here's the recipe:
http://weelicious.com/2010/09/01/graham-crackers/#

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter, chilled & cubed
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor or mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
3. Add cubed and chilled butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.
5. Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
6. Roll dough out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes.*
7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

We made ours a little over 1/4 inch so it was more cookie-ish than crackery.

Number of the week and a Helicopter

Our number of the week next week is 11. I made it out of foam, googly eyes and stuck some Velcro on the back. (If you are wondering why there's more eyes on one than the other, it's to demonstrate place value. I know, I know, he's only 22 months old but the teacher in me couldn't help it. Plus, when he is old enough to learn place value I'll have a set of numbers ready to go!)

Googly eyes are just more fun to count than dots! And it gives a number much more personality.
It almost looks like a little critter.

And here is 11 on my fancy smancy learning board. I'll post our letter of the week tomorrow.

Okay, and this is just random: This little helicopter was 97 cents at Walmart and it made an awesome project for Art Time. A fun way to teach parts of a helicopter and practice fine motor skills with the paint brush.

Learning Board

This is one of those projects where I've seen something on the Internet and thought, "I could totally do that...and maybe even better!" And so I've made this pretty fantastic Learning Board.

What is a Learning Board?
It's a display board you can use during Learning Time to post items you plan on learning for the week. For example, a weekly letter, number, shape, color and vocabulary focus are what will we be putting on the learning board.

What does Learning Time Look like?For my 22 month old Learning Time is a specific time of the day (usually before lunch) where I set aside a few minutes (about 10) to focus on some specific things I want my son to learn through the week. Its where I introduce the concept and we extend learning throughout the day.

What you will need:
A display board (like you use for the Science Fair)
Felt, foam, construction paper or whatever you choose to cover the board with
Glue or adhesive spray

I made mine using felt. And I'll post more later on the items that will go on the board using Velcro.

Here we go!

So I love New Year's resolutions. Love. Love. LOVE. There's something so magical about the feeling of starting fresh and making a big change. The only problem is actually following through. Blah. This year, one of my resolutions was to start a blog to share with my friends some of the sweet little moments and the big adventures we have at our house. This blog is all about what we love to eat (and how we make it), what we are learning each week, wacky ways we play, how we do chores joyfully and some of the fun things we do as a family. So here we go!