Mattress Consequences

Remember how they ripped apart Sweet Son's mattress? Ever since he has been sleeping on the floor. Granted, more than half the time before that he also chose to sleep on the floor. However now that he doesn't have a choice it's very upsetting for him. He just sat down and wrote his first sentence ever. (He has written sentences with the movable alphabet before, but this is the first one he has ever sat down and written out without looking at the letters, etc.)

"Sweet Son liks to slep and bed."
(He wrote his own name, not actually Sweet Son, but you get the point.)

Playroom Tour (Kid Photographer)

Sweet Son took all of the photos in this post. These are, according to him, the best parts of the playroom.

The Game Shelf

You can see three floor puzzles (farm, fire truck, and Lorax), a sequencing game, a position game, the SomeBody game, a shape game, and CandyLand. The Somebody Board Game has been a favorite since we got it. It has 4 sheets that look like bodies and 4 sheets of removable stickers covering many organs. There are a couple of different sets of cards and multiple ways to play. 

Train Table

The frustrating part of this is the table is used for storage rather than the storage bins underneath. Then he builds tracks on the floor.

Play Kitchen

Both of my kids love to pretend to cook even more than they like to really cook.

Wordless Wednesday

Barbaloot - photo by Sweet Son

Kid Photographers - Class Photos

Last Thursday I shared Sweet Daughter's photos that copied their school picture day. Of course later that week they also took class photos. These are her versions of those.

First Day of School

It's that time of year again. Here are our first day of school photos. The kids are going into PreK. Though since it's a Montessori school they are staying in the same classes as last year (3-6 year olds). Sweet Son's teachers are the same, but Sweet Daughter's teachers have changed as her previous teachers moved on. Here's to a great school year!

She's standing on her toes to be taller. Like mother, like daughter. :)

He's not wearing shoes and his socks don't match.

Conversations with Kids

I suggested Sweet Son might want another hair cut to keep him cooler. His response, "No, Mommy. I don't want my hair to be orthogonal."

Can't argue with that. No hair cut for Sweet Son. How long could this last? (A year later and it's still growing though his reasoning has changed multiple times.)



 Sweet Daughter's upset because her teacher called her a "smarty pants." (I'm guessing it's the teacher's way of saying smart aleck, but without getting in trouble based on the rest of the story.) When I asked Sweet Daughter why it was a problem - after all she likes pants and being smart - she replied, "because I'm not wearing pants. I'm smarty shorts!"

I don't know where she gets it from...




I read my kids The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow a couple of weeks ago. I'm guessing that's why they are now playing soldiers and farmers... "The red shirts are coming!" "You ride on a horse and I'll hide behind a fence."

Yeah, some details are off, but they did get the general idea - besides they do have red shirts to wear, but we don't have any coats out in August.

Kid Photographers Picture Day

During picture day at school the kids had their individual photos taken as well as sibling photos. Later that day, Sweet Daughter arranged and took the following photos.

Wordless Wednesday

Barbaloot - photo by Sweet Daughter

Time for a Close Up

Another session of Kid Photographers. This time they were taking close up photos of each other.

Photo by Sweet Daughter

Photo by Sweet Son

A Tale of 2 Beds - Part 15

Once again, here are the links to the previous 13 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.

If you have forgotten just how destructive my kids can be check Part 3 (destruction of a bed frame) and Part 5 (destruction of everything in the locked closet). A year and a half since any massive destruction and we thought it was over. Nope, not even close.

They ripped apart a mattress. You can see pieces of the foam laying around the room. The cover is torn and on the floor. The springs have been picked clean. The only reason we realized this had happened was when she got her sock stuck on the springs. He is sitting off to the side of this picture and looks very proud of himself. Of course after taking the photo, we had to know why they would take a mattress apart. He very calmly explained that he wanted to know what was inside a mattress. She just helped. UGH

The logical consequence of this is that he lost his mattress. We did not go out and buy him a new one. He slept on the floor for a month. Her punishment was not being able to share a room with him. They were both upset. I keep this blog a year in the past for many reasons. The ability to laugh at this type of behavior wasn't my plan, but it's a really nice side effect.

Kids Sayings

You never really know what kids are going to say.

Me: "Don't put the pig up there. She could fall and get hurt. How would that make you feel?"
Sweet Daughter: "It's ok. She's stable."

Not a complex word, just not one I expected from my 3 year old.




Sweet Son: "Mama, if flowers have needs, how come they don't have wants?"




Sweet Son: "Look Mommy I drew lots of right angles."
(He really did. I'm proud. Not many 3 year olds know what a right angle is.)

Kid Photographers

Just a couple of random photos from my kids' cameras.

Photo by Sweet Daughter

I don't know why she covered her bed with the large comforter. To be honest, I don't even remember why she had the large comforter in her room. I need more sleep. haha

Photo by Sweet Son

He said this is a picture of his favorite room in the house. Only the best for our kids. :) Those empty boxes were used for many months before they were destroyed.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Did you know the Dallas Museum of Art is free?

Piano

When playing piano it is important to watch hand position and not let your wrist sit on the piano. The trick the kids learned in piano class? "Knees to Keys" They put their hands on their knees and then hold that curve position as they move their hands to the piano. So simple and it's a good way for the kids to remember. Putting it into practice every single time is a bit more challenging though.

Photo by Sweet Daughter

Klyde Warren Park in Dallas

Dallas spent a lot of money and built this incredible park over an interstate. After hearing rave reviews from many, we decided to check it out. This is a large park and we only took photos in the playground area. There's also a splash pad, food trucks, dog park, running trail, and a place to check out games (chess, frisbees, etc).

The kids love spinning and getting dizzy.

A toddler climbing structure.

A look out area

Big kid climbing structure (there is a child in the photo, I promise)

I'm a big kid too!

Musical toys

The park is directly across the street from the Dallas Museum of Art which is FREE. It's also a block away from the Crow Collection of Asian Art which is also FREE. There are so many great activities around the area for kids that are free or cheap. One of our favorites is the Nasher Sculpture Center, which isn't free, but is worth it.

A Tale of 2 Beds - Part 14.

Once again, here are the links to the previous 13 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

We decided maybe we separated them too soon.We let them try sharing a room. Really our goal is just for us to all get enough sleep. If only they could make this easy.

They pushed their beds together and then he fell asleep on the floor. I don't know why.

Her bed started against the wall, but not by the window. His bed started on the opposite side of the room. 

Just about the time you think at least it's been over a year since they have destroyed something, I promise it is coming. Part 15 of this series is another one for the memory books.

Bounce House

We bought a bounce house for when it is too hot to go outside. We decided to get the cheapest one we found. This is a great idea except it's not bouncy. So if you are considering buying one, go for one that is actually bouncy. The kids still use it to run on, but they can't really jump on it. When they jump up the material stays with their feet and when they land they just sink back down.

Sweet Son laying inside the bounce house. Photo by Sweet Daughter

We let them play in it when deflated also. Photo by Sweet Daughter

Taking turns inside so they don't hurt each other. Photo by Sweet Son

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

This is how I would hold both of them on my lap at the same time when they were infants. Now they are big 3 (almost 4) year olds.

Backpack Storage

We don't have an entry way closet or any place to put our coats/backpacks when we come home. We started by hanging a mirror with hooks, but this quickly became full and they kids were trying to take down their own things and that was dangerous.

Photo by Sweet Son

I had this Deluxe Dress-Up Storage Unit that we had previously used to hold costumes. I bought it at a warehouse sale and the kids have been using it for years. Then the kids stopped cleaning up their costumes and they were taken away. (The costumes are still in the garage a year later because they haven't proved they can keep them cleaned up.) We shifted the coat rack to just under the mirror and it has been the perfect solution. The kids hang up their own coats and backpacks. They get their own things ready and put them away. This opens up more space for the adult jackets on the mirror.

Ice Skating

The best activity when it is over 100F (38C) outside? Ice skating obviously.

I can't skate, so it's up to Wonderful Husband to teach the kids.

They are both getting better at skating on their own.

The independence is great so they don't have to take turns on the ice.

Here the three of them are racing toward the camera! hehehehe

It's also a great way to exhaust the kids, which is a running theme around here.

Back to School Supplies

After being a teacher for more than a decade, I am still in the habit of looking for affordable school supplies this time of year. I learned about UI School Supplies through a blogging group and wanted to share it with you. They have a large number of items perfect for preschool supplies, teacher supplies, and at home educational supplements.

In order to compare prices I picked a few items that we have. The Avalanche Fruit Game we love and I have posted about before is only $19.99. The Latches Board that builds fine motor skills is $24.99.

Then I moved on to looking at things on my current wish list.
Globe (the kids broke ours, so I need to replace it)
Kanoodle
Multi-Use Pocket Chart

What back to school supplies would you like this year? Had you ever heard of UI School Supplies before?

**This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.**

Asia

This is what happens when you buy a puzzle of Asia (affiliate link).

Sweet Daughter: "Mommy is this the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal?"




Sweet Son: My favorite part of Asia is Stan.
Me: Stan?
Sweet Son: Kazakh-Stan, Uzi-Stan, Turkey-Stan, Kri-Stan, Tajik-Stan, Afghan-Stan, Packing-Stan

Not a bad summary of all of the "stans" in Asia. We may need to do a little more work on the real names, but that was fairly close. Packing-Stan is my favorite from his list. :)




Sweet Son: "Mama, can you stop teaching me things? I just want to see if I can name all the countries in Asia."

I should note this was in response to me asking if he wanted to use his dinosaur stamps.

(He only missed 3 countries btw - Bhutan, Malaysia, and Palau.)