Kid Photographer - Close Ups 2

Sweet Daughter's interest in taking close ups isn't just limited to our faces. Here are some of her toys as seen through her camera.

A plastic cup and um... something red in the background.

Legos in a very orderly fashion

Our calendar and circle time area

Sweet Daughter Riding

While Sweet Son loves athletics, Sweet Daughter excels in every sport she tries. Here is a photo and short video of her riding on the second week back.

Why would you hold on while riding?

It's only a 9 second video, but I'm impressed. Balancing like that is difficult, but keeping your heels down while doing it is amazing to me.

Marbled Egg Decorating

Normally we decorate eggs 3-4 different ways each year. This year we were busy and ran out of time. We only decorated them one way, our favorite way. Marbled eggs using shaving cream. You need shaving cream, food coloring, a straw or stick, and eggs. We do this on aluminum foil so it is easier to clean up, but that is optional.

 Step one: Spray a lot of shaving cream on your work area.

Step two: Drop 8-10 drops each of two different colors around the surface.

Step 3: Use a straw or stick to swirl it all together.

Step 4: Place the egg on top.

Step 5: Roll the egg making sure it all gets covered.

Step 6: Let dry overnight - the longer the better.

Step 7: GENTLY pat off the excess.

You end up with beautiful marbled eggs and a nice fresh scent in the house.

Kid Photographer - Me

These are all photo from Sweet Son's camera. I am often the target subject since I'm around while Wonderful Husband is at work.

Eating a quick lunch.

I didn't know he took this one. Yes, I eat pizza rolls. My kids refuse because they aren't healthy, but I can't help it.

We love waffles and pancakes and buy the mix in bulk. Usually Wonderful Husband makes them, but here is proof I do occasionally make them.

Wordless Wednesday

Kid Photographer - Close Up

It's time for a close up, only Sweet Daughter seems to have a different definition than most. Rather than having someone's face take up most of the photo, she picks one part of a face. Sweet Daughter took every photo in this post.

Wonderful Husband's mouth

Wonderful Husband's Ear

My eye

Wonderful Husband's nose

A Tale of Two Beds - Part 21

Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20.

With the exception of Sweet Son actually sleeping in his bed, this is fairly typical. Clean clothes on the floor, dirty clothes on the floor, toys, and blankets spread out all over.

Doesn't she look cold and lonely? She stuffed everything in her room at the end of her bed. Her pillow, blankets, and stuffed animals are all crammed in there while she sleeps alone.

This is a fairly typical arrangement for Sweet Daughter. Everyone organized and tucked in. She rearranges them multiple times before bed to make sure they are not next to others that will get them in trouble.

Kid Photographer - the Selfie

Some selfies are better than others. My kids not knowing how to delete photos from their camera means two things: #1 I have to search through many photos of absolutely nothing to find a picture with something in it #2 I get to laugh at the failed attempts at photos.

This is a fairly good selfie by Sweet Daughter

This one wasn't quite as good. I love those chubby cheeks though!

This is a great one by Sweet Son.

Out of focus, but hilarious - Sweet Son

5 Unique Baby Shower Themes

It seems like every baby shower is the same. Once you have attended one, they all start to run together in my mind. Here are five unique baby shower themes to keep life interesting because once that baby or babies come, everything is going to be much more interesting!

Teddy Bear Theme - This theme is good for a boy, a girl, or multiples. I love these cute ideas for bear snacks. Bento style foods are perfect for a baby shower. They are cute, small, and easy to prepare in advance. With the food taken care of, the decor is easy to create around this theme. Just remember the family probably doesn't need everyone to bring the baby a different bear. Something more useful, such as a blanket, burp cloth, or diapers would be appreciated by the growing family.

Convertible Car Theme - This theme is perfect for the car lover. With the growing popularity of couples baby showers, this is more likely to be interesting to all of your guests. Personalized baby blankets with satin trim are always cute. My kids still use the ones they got when they were born. The personalization also make these a baby keepsake for mom. If you are more talented than I am, I have seen some really cute ways to make a pile of diapers look like a motorcycle. If you can gather some kids tricycles, the adults can race on them for a fun, and funny, party game.

Green Theme - Yes, the color green as a theme. This is perfect for a baby shower where the sex of the baby isn't known yet. Aren't these lanterns cute? Of course any color would work as the theme, but some colors make for easier food options than others. Salad, green eggs and ham, and limeade would all be perfect, though not necessarily together. Margaritas for the adults who aren't pregnant certainly make the party more festive.

Ice Cream Theme - Perfect for a Summer shower. This is another theme that is perfect for any type of pregnancy or adoption. This would be ideal for a shower with large numbers of families and children are invited. You can set up a few lawn games and a sundae bar and you are set for an easy outdoor party. Aren't these socks from BabyBlankets.com awesome?

Welcome to the World Theme - This theme is perfect for the family that loves to travel. You could set up snacks from different areas in the world, traditional games from various countries, and so forth. I would decorate the room with homemade posters explaining traditions related to a baby being born in different countries. I would try to focus on the countries that are specific to the couple, ones they were born in, traveled to, etc. You can find many embroidered baby blankets online that would tie in with this theme as well.

 I hope this has given you some ideas for the next baby shower you arrange. What other unique themes have you seen for baby showers?

This post is sponsored, but all opinions are my own.

Wordless Wednesday

Kid Photographers - Solar System

It's time for another installment of kid photographers. This is where I search for pictures on my kids' cameras and try to write posts about them. Today's was easy - all about the solar system.

These are all decorations on our living room wall. Here you can see the phases of the moon.

Picture by Sweet Daughter

Constellations by Sweet Daughter

Sweet Son with the sun/seasons in the background.

Photo by Sweet Daughter

The entire area - You can see the planets, asteroid belt, various stars, etc.

Photo by Sweet Son

My kids love the dentist!

My kids love going to the dentist. They always get a toy and 3 stickers in addition to the new toothbrush, toothpaste, and animal shaped flosser. Today was also picture day at the kids' school, so they were dressed in their best. I let the kids pick what to wear for picture day because I'm not buying the photos anyway. Sweet Son went in a full pinstriped suit. Sweet Daughter picked her fanciest dress. So that is how we arrived at the dentist.

First they did x-rays and my kids sat and let them. Sweet Daughter was giving a fancy ring to match her dress. Sweet Son was given a small monkey toy and a small alien toy. Then they got to pick out a toothbrush (princess and cars). Then they had their teeth brushed while watching tv. Sweet Daughter requested they just turn the tv off. Apparently that's not a normal request. Both kids got to pick 3 stickers (princess, princess, Mickey for Sweet Daughter and happy face, Goofy, and potato head for Sweet Son). Then the kids got time to play in the playroom while they waited on the dentist.

Not at all overdressed for the dentist...

The dentist did her thing (a mirror and floride were involved). The kids were so good that she gave them 2 coins to use in the machines to get prizes. The kids also got the toothpaste and flossers. They were also given report cards - both kids got an A. We got many compliments on how well our kids brush their teeth and how healthy their teeth look. They also had their blood pressure taken and are both at the very low side of normal. The kids trade their coins for a mustache and bracelet for Sweet Daughter and a lizard and ring for Sweet Son. We scheduled their next appointment in 6 months and were back in the car less than 45 minutes after we arrived. The kids are already asking when they can go back to the dentist.

There's my evil genius. :)

Piano Festival, part 2

Yesterday, I showed the video of Sweet Daughter's turn playing for judges at a music festival. Today I'm featuring Sweet Son. For those wondering, he is 4 years old.

He starts with 2 warm ups (the same warm up in 2 different keys). A short easy song and the first movement of his Sonatina. He did great. He got a bit off when one of the judges coughed, but other than that it sounded great. We always get a bit of enjoyment out of trying to follow the focus of his eyes when playing piano. Even the judges noted that he rarely even looked at the piano, haha.

Music Festival

While Sweet Son had played in a couple of music festivals for judges, this was Sweet Daughter's first time. She had to go in by herself, hand the judges her music, and perform for 3 strangers. She is a natural performer and was a bit disappointed there were only 3 people listening, haha. Still, it's a lot to ask for a 4 year old and she did great.

She starts with her warm up and then plays her solo. She struggled with memorizing the solo and actually did better for the judges than she ever did in practice. Sorry for the quality of the video. I wasn't allowed "in the room" so I'm around the corner behind a half wall.

Wordless Wednesday

Nerdy Kids

After we did circle time and balance benders (algebra with shapes instead of numbers/letters), I made the kids do their piano practice. Then Sweet Son had some music theory to do in his workbook. (He's already completed books K and 1, so now he's starting book 2.) I let him go for awhile, but after an hour I stopped him (1/3 of the way finished with the book). He complained that I never let him do anything fun - like more than an hour of music theory at a time. So now he's back to doing more piano practice. Way to prove a point little man. :)

Meanwhile, Sweet Daughter wanted to do some workbook work also. She's not ready for music theory so she's working on a 1st grade language book. I cut her off after 30 minutes because it is really difficult for her to sit still for that long. After running around for a bit, she has now settled down and decided to do art. She is taking the pieces of the US puzzle map out one by one and tracing them. She writes the name of the state on it. She is making her own US map.

The kids ask what they should do. I told them to play and have fun. Sweet Son's practicing piano and Sweet Daughter's tracing and labeling her own map of the US. Yup, they are nerds. :)

Donating

I have written more than once about how our kids divide their earning into 4 categories - save, spend, invest, and donate. As they get close to $5 in the donate, we start to talk about what they could donate. For the first time, they made different choices. She wanted to donate books to kids who don't have any.

After some quick research, we found that Half Price Books was hosting a book drive. They were also matching so for every book donated, they would donate one of their books. She was able to buy 9 books, so a total of 18 were donated. She picked the books herself, paid, and then put them in the donation box. She also used some of her spend money to take home one book for herself. I am so proud that my kids give to others and understand they are lucky to have so many things that others don't have.

Long Hair

Many of you have noticed Sweet Son growing his hair long. He has had many reasons at various stages. It started with not wanting his hair orthogonal (we used to do buzz cuts). Then he wanted to look like a musician. Then he decided he wanted a pony tail. Every day for months he would have me try putting his hair back. This was our first slight success.

It's actually two different pony tails. One at the top and one with the hair at the bottom. Not exactly what he wanted, but he could at least see progress. Of course Sweet Daughter wanted her hair just like his - two pony tails.

There's a lot of debate in the parenting world about what is appropriate for kids' hair. Our rule is you must keep your hair clean. If you can't, then it's our choice of how to cut/style it. Other than that, we let the kids decide on their own hair styles. There have been certain points when we, as parents, haven't liked their choices. The key here is it's not our hair. They aren't hurting anyone and they are proud of making such important decisions. Besides if you can't experiment with different hair styles when you are 4, when can you?

Horseback Riding

Spring horseback riding season is here! The kids were very excited to get back into the routine.

Sweet Son leading his horse.

 Sweet Daughter putting the saddle pad on her pony.

Sweet Daughter starting her ride with a smile.

Sweet Son starting his ride. This is the universal look for "Mom, put down the camera!"

Wordless Wednesday

A Tale of Two Beds - Part 20

Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19.

 Look how organized! He even tucked in his Bugs and Gorilla.

 She managed to tuck everyone in and still keep two blankets for herself.

 

When it's not one extreme, it's the other.

 Seriously. It's either perfectly organized or thrown all over the room. 

Advertising for the Literal Minded

This has nothing to do with kids or parenting, but I needed to share my thoughts on this. 


I repeatedly saw an ad (written) that says, "Call your drunk friends a taxi."
All I could think is, "You're a taxi." "No, you're a taxi."


It's like at the movies when they used to (maybe they still do??) have the sign that said, "Please patronize these businesses..." I had a friend in college who would always say in baby talk, "What a good business you are. Yes, you are. You are such a good business."