Our hand-me-down lawnmower(that we are VERY grateful for, I might add) + our hand-me-down bike trailer(also another fantastic gift) + long grass = a hilarious way to entertain our children (and neighbors)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
How we roll
Our hand-me-down lawnmower(that we are VERY grateful for, I might add) + our hand-me-down bike trailer(also another fantastic gift) + long grass = a hilarious way to entertain our children (and neighbors)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Creativity & Preschool
(We still incorporate some worksheets- but then we turn the paper into another creation- the kids loved cutting these up)
I'm not a very creative person. I have to work hard to come up with ideas for my girls and for our home. I'm a listmaker, and like to follow a plan instead.
So when I decided Emma needs to be challenged a little more at home, and decided to start doing preschool with her, I was a little nervous. But then I found a website with some great worksheets. I thought, "I can do this!"
After further research(see, again with the planning), I realized that worksheets are NOT the way I want have my children educated. I think they are beneficial to some extent, but I don't want to have them learn primarily from tracing their letters, numbers and shapes. I despised those things as a kid, so I don't know why I would force them on my kids.
Anyway, so I have been scouring the internet for ideas. And my friend Charlotte, suggested THIS website. And I already love it. We have done one discovery box already and it was a huge success. I love her ideas and feel like that is much closer to how I want to teach my children.
I have found that as I relax and try to be more creative, it has become easier for me to come up with lessons.
As my girls participate in the activities, I've seen a huge change in them, too. They seem more confident and more independent. I love watching them discover and learn new things. One of my favorite things is watching how their thought processes differ from one another.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Our Night
We spent the evening in Idaho Falls yesterday, walking around the temple grounds and the greenbelt, and then we went to the Chukars game. It was a lot of fun! Maddie is a ham and always poses for pictures and Emma refuses to pose. They love to smell the flowers so we spent a LOT of time looking at the different flowers on the temple grounds. The last three pictures make me laugh because they are so typical... in on Emma is looking away, the next Maddie is looking away and in the third Jared isn't looking at the camera. If you imagine the three combined it makes for a perfect picture. :) 
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
21 Ways to Enjoy Being a Mom
I've had thoughts like this running through my head for a couple of days, and when I came across THIS article I related to many points the author made.
These are some of our favorite simple things to do that truly help me enjoy motherhood even more.
Please leave a comment and share your favorite ideas with me! :)
1) Build a fort- I like to do this when I move the kitchen chairs into the living room so I can mop. I just grab a couple of sheets or blankets and drape them over the chairs to make a quick, easy fort. Some days we have picnics under there, too.
2) Go to a park with sand and take beach toys(shovel, bucket, etc.). My kids think it is so fun to bury my feet.
3) Put a shoebox together of random junk and leave it out for them to find. The girls love unloading and loading it, combining the objects together, and putting them on.
4) Cook with them. They also help me set the table. Sometimes I get out a pot or a big bowl and spoon and just let them "pretend" cook.
5) Dance parties. Turn on some fun music and just rock out.
6) Pajama parties. When Jared is gone for meetings, we put on our PJs early, pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Love it!
7) Putting them in the bathtub in their swimsuits.
8) Go for a walk and have them identify things they see. Sometimes we gather flowers, leaves, rocks, etc.
9) Dress-Up. There are a lot of fun, cheap dress up clothes you can buy, but my girls enjoy my shoes and necklaces just as much.
10) Cuddling. Occasionally instead of putting both kids down for naps or bedtime, I give them some extra time and let them lay in bed with me instead. I usually do this one-on-one, but it's lots of fun with both of them, too.
11) Clean with them. Maybe it's because they're still little, but if I equip them both with sponges or dust clothes they go to town and it is fun to do with them.
12) Even though I know my workout won't be very productive, I let them do yoga or aerobics with me. We usually end up laughing on the floor after doing lots of silly moves and poses.
13) I let them brush/comb my hair and then give them my brushes and they pretend to put make-up on me and on each other. We also trim and paint our fingernails and toenails all at once.
14) This summer, I have been craving snow cones. So I get a big one and we head home, sit on our front steps and enjoy it together.
15) Books, books, books!
16) Hide and seek.
17) Ring a round the rosies, the hokey pokey, head, shoulders, knees and toes. Any songs with movements are our favorites.
18) Running through the sprinklers.
19) Playing pretend. We like to pretend to be sleeping, pretend like they are my pillow and the other day they wanted to hide in the closet for some reason. So we sat in the dark in the closet for ten minutes giggling and telling stories.
20) Playing the piano. We do mini recitals and clap when someone gets done playing a "song".
21) Play-doh, coloring and any kind of craft. They don't have to be fancy or overly planned crafts!
These are some of our favorite simple things to do that truly help me enjoy motherhood even more.
Please leave a comment and share your favorite ideas with me! :)
1) Build a fort- I like to do this when I move the kitchen chairs into the living room so I can mop. I just grab a couple of sheets or blankets and drape them over the chairs to make a quick, easy fort. Some days we have picnics under there, too.
2) Go to a park with sand and take beach toys(shovel, bucket, etc.). My kids think it is so fun to bury my feet.
3) Put a shoebox together of random junk and leave it out for them to find. The girls love unloading and loading it, combining the objects together, and putting them on.
4) Cook with them. They also help me set the table. Sometimes I get out a pot or a big bowl and spoon and just let them "pretend" cook.
5) Dance parties. Turn on some fun music and just rock out.
6) Pajama parties. When Jared is gone for meetings, we put on our PJs early, pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Love it!
7) Putting them in the bathtub in their swimsuits.
8) Go for a walk and have them identify things they see. Sometimes we gather flowers, leaves, rocks, etc.
9) Dress-Up. There are a lot of fun, cheap dress up clothes you can buy, but my girls enjoy my shoes and necklaces just as much.
10) Cuddling. Occasionally instead of putting both kids down for naps or bedtime, I give them some extra time and let them lay in bed with me instead. I usually do this one-on-one, but it's lots of fun with both of them, too.
11) Clean with them. Maybe it's because they're still little, but if I equip them both with sponges or dust clothes they go to town and it is fun to do with them.
12) Even though I know my workout won't be very productive, I let them do yoga or aerobics with me. We usually end up laughing on the floor after doing lots of silly moves and poses.
13) I let them brush/comb my hair and then give them my brushes and they pretend to put make-up on me and on each other. We also trim and paint our fingernails and toenails all at once.
14) This summer, I have been craving snow cones. So I get a big one and we head home, sit on our front steps and enjoy it together.
15) Books, books, books!
16) Hide and seek.
17) Ring a round the rosies, the hokey pokey, head, shoulders, knees and toes. Any songs with movements are our favorites.
18) Running through the sprinklers.
19) Playing pretend. We like to pretend to be sleeping, pretend like they are my pillow and the other day they wanted to hide in the closet for some reason. So we sat in the dark in the closet for ten minutes giggling and telling stories.
20) Playing the piano. We do mini recitals and clap when someone gets done playing a "song".
21) Play-doh, coloring and any kind of craft. They don't have to be fancy or overly planned crafts!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Our free "zoo"
There is a zoo in Pocatello, and I was so excited once we knew we were moving here so we could take the girls. We still haven't been there yet, but we have gone to McKee's pet store and petting zoo for free several times. Someday we'll make it to the zoo, but for now we're enjoying McKee's! :)
There is also a little playground and coin operated rides that they love.
There is also a little playground and coin operated rides that they love.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ultrasound, Take 3
Dr. #1 couldn't find the heartbeat, so he had me get an ultrasound at 12 weeks to be sure everything was ok. Then I had my standard ultrasound at 18 weeks.
Last week when I went to Dr. #2 again, he ordered another ultrasound because my 18 week ultrasound indicated a condition called Placenta Previa.
I'm still a little frustrated that Dr. #1 didn't tell me there could be a problem.
However, I'm feeling grateful that Dr. #2 is competent enough to catch that and proactive enough to get it all checked out.
We have never had an ultrasound past 21 weeks, so it was AMAZING to see our little guy today. You could clearly see all the chambers of the heart, hair on his head, facial features and much more.
So here is what I learned:
1) I do not have Placenta Previa, the placenta has moved up higher in the uterus and there are no problems there.
2) This kid has a LOT of hair on his head. Seriously, if there is enough to be visible on an ultrasound, you know there's a lot.
3) He will be big. Looks like he is over 5 lbs already and she guessed he will be 8-8 1/2 lbs at birth.
4) The heart, brain, bones, spine, kidneys, bladder, fluid in the sac, etc. look just like they should.
5) We are so blessed. He is adorable and I can't wait to meet him... and see him in color. ;)
Last week when I went to Dr. #2 again, he ordered another ultrasound because my 18 week ultrasound indicated a condition called Placenta Previa.
I'm still a little frustrated that Dr. #1 didn't tell me there could be a problem.
However, I'm feeling grateful that Dr. #2 is competent enough to catch that and proactive enough to get it all checked out.
We have never had an ultrasound past 21 weeks, so it was AMAZING to see our little guy today. You could clearly see all the chambers of the heart, hair on his head, facial features and much more.
So here is what I learned:
1) I do not have Placenta Previa, the placenta has moved up higher in the uterus and there are no problems there.
2) This kid has a LOT of hair on his head. Seriously, if there is enough to be visible on an ultrasound, you know there's a lot.
3) He will be big. Looks like he is over 5 lbs already and she guessed he will be 8-8 1/2 lbs at birth.
4) The heart, brain, bones, spine, kidneys, bladder, fluid in the sac, etc. look just like they should.
5) We are so blessed. He is adorable and I can't wait to meet him... and see him in color. ;)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Summer Fun
We've spent a lot of time exploring parks since moving, and I managed to remember to take my camera and take a few pictures a couple of times. So here are pics from 2 of our favorite parks! And a random one of the girls being cute when they were swimming at our house one day. :) 
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