Wordless Wednesday

We were not going on the ice, she just put this on for fun.

Consignment Sale Finds

We buy the kids clothing twice a year at consignment sales because it is so much cheaper. I can average less than $2/item and end up with high end name brands. This time the kids had to come with me and I knew it would be about a 2 hour shopping trip, not exactly exciting for them. I told them if they were good we could look and see if they could find a toy for their birthday.

As soon as we walked in Sweet Daughter saw this. She proclaimed, "I have always wanted one! You have never bought me one. This is what I have wanted more than anything!" 

This is a 5 foot tall banana with dreadlocks and a reggae hat.

At the end of the trip Sweet Son decided he wanted this plane that lights up and makes noises.

They both got what they requested. Sweet Daughter even bargained to get a cheaper price on the banana because hers cost more than his toy did. They lowered the price of the banana, TWICE because she explained that it was for her birthday and how much she had always wanted a banana with dreadlocks. ummm?

Yes, she slept with the banana.

A year later and I have no idea where the plane is, but the banana is played with almost every day. It makes a great body pillow and the kids love falling asleep on top of it. We quickly discovered the dreadlocks come off easily and everything is covered in "banana hair." This leads to many strange looks when discussing in front of people who haven't seen a banana quite like this one.

Park with a Friend

We met a friend at a local park. He was younger and our kids immediately took charge - whether he liked it or not!

Showing him around the playgrounds

Teeter-totter

Goodbye Hug

(Can you guess which kid doesn't like hugs?)

I'm hungry!

Am I the only parent who gets tired of the kids always expecting food? The good news is my kids can now get their own food. Not just simple microwave stuff either. This day Sweet Daughter wanted a cucumber. I told her to go ahead and this is what happened:

After washing it, she peeled it. 

Then she cut it into chunks and ate them.

Yup, this is another phase I could get used to. She even shared with me and Sweet Son!

Wordless Wednesday

Kids playing in the car. They started by buckling the seatbelts.

They do not have any keys.

Cooking Pancakes

Sweet Daughter has discovered a love of cooking. Since Wonderful Husband and I both have a love of eating, this is perfect! Here she is making pancakes by herself (with supervision).

Mowing the Lawn

The one down side to living some place warm is you have to mow the lawn year round. Somehow our lawn stayed green and growing despite our refusal to water it or put in any effort. The next door neighbors care for their lawn - pulling weeds, watering - and it had the decency to turn brown for the winter. Luckily, the kids enjoy mowing the lawn for short periods of time and I don't care if there isn't a straight line on the entire thing.

Sweet Daughter

Sweet Son

Learning to Use a Sewing Machine

When your six year old asks to use a sewing machine, you instantly agree, right? Well we did! She was so happy to be helping. This was for a project for friends and family as Christmas gifts. You can learn more about it on tomorrow's post.

She started scared of the needle and unsure about the foot pedal

She quickly got the hang of it!

Dyed Hair

Sweet Daughter asked if she could dye her hair. Our rule is - if you take care of your hair, you choose what it looks like. If I take care of your hair, you get a buzz cut. So here we are dying her hair in rainbow stripes.

2 pink stripes

(She chose the colors and locations for the stripes)

Purple, pink and blue stripes

She loves it!

After brushing - the back

One side

Other side

Raking Leaves

Here is the way things work in our family: Each person has their own responsibilities - cleaning their own things, doing laundry, helping with dishes, etc. If you do someone else's job you can ask to be paid. We pay if the kids clean toilets, mop floors, scrub the bathtub, etc. So when the kids want to buy something, we ask if they have enough money. Here Sweet Son wanted to earn money by raking leaves. We agreed.

Putting leaves into the can

Raking into piles

Wordless Wednesday

A Tale of Two Beds, part 37

Ok, so we have tried everything to get these kids to sleep on a bed. They have done everything to avoid that. Here is part 37 in A Tale of Two Beds. I always debate what to tag these posts with - beds and sleep seem obvious, but gross motor and self-help skills? Only my kids would have a post about sleeping include those.

Poor boy has to sleep on the floor. If only he had a bed. 

Seriously? That's not how you are supposed to use a bed!

Ok, now they are clearly messing with us. They moved her twin mattress into his room, remade the bed with sheets and blankets, and then he crawled under his bed and they both fell asleep.

Why sleep in a dark room on a soft bed when you could sleep in a doorway with a bright light shining in your face?

Hah! He's not even asleep this time.

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, Part 21, Part22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36.

Cooking Pancakes

When you wake up and want pancakes, you better be willing to help. It's a life skill not just us being over tired.

See the concentration?

She is a pro!

She did help with the rest of the process, but these were the best photos. I love when kids get to do real cooking rather than just mixing. Besides nothing keeps you on your toes like handing a 5 year old a couple of raw eggs to crack.

Car Repairs

A flat tire turns into a learning experience and a family activity.

Learning to jack up the car

Taking turns

Repairing the hole

Waiting for the tire to inflate

Wordless Wednesday

We offered to pay her to clean the shower. She agreed!

Pizza Roll Ups

The kids love cooking, but we don't always have time to let them cook, so this month we decided they would do a weekly cooking project. This week they are making pizza roll ups.

4 ingredients, though we left out 1 and made them with only 3

Croissants, cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce (we skipped the sauce) 

 Unroll the dough, place some pepperonis and cheese on the long end and then roll up.

Bake following directions for croissants.

Simple and yummy!

Wordless Wednesday

They dress themselves with no help.

Here he is wearing tennis shoes, pinstripe dress pants, a short sleeve white dress shirt, and a vest. She is wearing tennis shoes, black sweat pants, a black Harley shirt, and a black sweat band. The contrast made me burst out laughing so we had to get a picture.

Wordless Wednesday

They played by themselves without help for the first time.

Kid Photographer - Our Day

These are photos from Sweet Son's camera showing parts of an average day at our house.

Daddy, take a picture of me doing yoga!

 We like geography puzzles.

If you want water, you have to get it yourself.

Workbook fun - this is NOT school work.

My kids dress themselves

I have many friends with philosophies like mine when it comes to what their kids wear. We have 2 rules about clothing - 1. It must be clean. 2. You must be covered. Other than that, we don't say anything. Most of the other families I know who follow this philosophy have kids dressing creatively: bright colors, patterns that don't match, and style with personality. My kids can't even do weird normally.

She is a princess and he is a knight ninja to protect her.

Yes, a full pinstripe suit and sunglasses to pay piano and sing.

Another day, but he's still in his favorite suit. This time he added Spiderman slippers, a workman's vest, and pencils. When dressing themselves, other kids go for crazy, mine look like they are headed for a formal event. The upside to all of this is his suits are all washable and we certainly got our money out of them!