Sunday, July 31, 2011

Life With Boys.....

If you know anything about me, you know I don't like bugs of any kind....I mean even ants freak me out! So this morning while doing laundry, I saw a black thing jumping around in the basket.  I screamed and jumped back and Nathan says "Geez Mom it's just a little cricket."  

I said "I don't care if that cricket's name is Jiminy and looks like a cartoon, get it out of here"

Nathan then says, "well you might not want to put your hands in any of my pockets later, cause there's lots of Jiminys in there."

Ew!

Well, I can't say he didn't warn me....

Friday, July 29, 2011

Nathan is Sharing Some of His Favorite Crafts Ever Today

Nathan wanted to share some of his favorite art projects with everyone today.  

On his birthday when I asked him what his favorite things to do were, craft time was his number one...followed by playing with the wii...playing with friends....reading books and eating cupcakes.  I asked him what some of his favorite projects were and he ran to the computer and said "Show me them on your blog and I'll tell you." haha

Here are his picks for favorite arts and crafts (click on the craft title for the link to the project).....



The project was inspired by the book I'm The Best Artist in The Ocean by Kevin Sherry.



This was a project we did, while practicing our ABC's (SSsss Snakes).  I'm sure there is perfect book that could go with this craft, even though we didn't use one.



This one wasn't inspired by a book either, I just saw another blogger post the craft and thought my kids would love doing it too (and of course, they did).



This adventurous day was inspired by the books I Love My Pirate Papa by Laura Leuck and Don't Mention Pirates by Sarah McConnell.  

We did many fun activities for this project.  A treasure map, followed by a treasure hunt...made our own pirate flag...parrot pets...pirate hat, etc.  The boys loved this idea so much that we have actually done it several times since (including recently as a theme for Nathan's birthday party).





The crafts were inspired by two books called Sunflower House by Eve Bunting and Cardinal and Sunflower by James Preller.  These little projects have since developed into other fun ideas that we will be sharing soon.  The boys also planted sunflower seeds this summer as their own attempt of a "sunflower house".

FYI...The Dollar Tree is selling the yellow doiles again in their autumn/fall section {{wink wink}}



This craft was inspired by the book Little Cloud by Eric Carle. 




These cute projects were inspired by the books Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard and A House For Birdie.



Of course, this isn't a craft per say...but, it's fun to make, play with and eat your creations when done.




This was a fun project that had our house smelling like "fall" for weeks.



This craft was inspired by the book Rainbow Fish to the Rescue by Marcus Pfister.

And there you have it, Nathan's Top Ten Favorite Crafts.

Have some crafty fun with your little ones today, for more ideas check out the Arts and Crafts for Kids - Kids Books and Themes and some kid friendly Recipe ideas too.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

six

Today is Nathan's birthday.


He's 6 now

The other night as we cuddled in bed, reading his bedtime stories, he said "Hey Mommy, I'm more than a handful now."  LOL....truer words could not be spoken!

 
This past year has been a big year for him, so to honor him, I am sharing 6 things that he learned or did this year.

1.  He went to kindergarten....




2.  He learned how to read




3.  He learned how to play tee ball




4.  He learned how to make his own snacks.



5.  He had his first school concert.



6.  He learned how to conquer his fears and reach new heights.




Happy 6th Birthday Nathan

we love you 

Monday, July 25, 2011

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway -- Closed!

If you love Shabby Apple dresses, then I have got a treat for you!!

I get to give this dress away to one lucky winner

(don't you just love the detail of the rosettes and the bright sunny color - gorrrr-geous)


and as an extra treat I have a coupon code that all of you can use {{squeeee}}

The coupon code is mommyland10off
This is good for 10% off for all of Adventures In Mommy Land readers.


Haven't heard of Shabby Apple before? Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that sells the most beautiful dresses ever.  They also sell bridesmaid dresses, swimwear, maternity wear, jewelry and accessories, little girl dresses and even aprons.  Take a look at all their lovely designs......






How to enter:

1. leave a comment, telling us why you would love a new dress.
2. for extra entries worth one entry each...like Shabby Apple on facebook and twitter and Adventures In Mommy Land on facebook, twitter or GFC.

Good luck!


* the winner will be drawn on Monday, August 1 at Midnight EST  *the winner must have a US shipping address.  *there will be no exchanges for the winning dress.


This giveaway is now closed....winner will be announced soon
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* Disclosure:  I am an affiliate with Shabby Apple, so I could get a small portion of sales.  keep in mind they are having a summer sale (excludes swim), where you could save even more and get free shipping too....happy shopping!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

An Oldie, But Goodie

I did a guest post for Multiples and More last year and never shared it here.  But, I thought it might be kind of fun to post since it's about school and separating (or not separating) twins and unfortunately back to school time is approaching...faster than I'd like.

They had the name of my blog wrong and said I was Charlene from Half a Dozen Kids, but it's me!

Let me know what you think . . . .  

Do you have twins, triplets, quads? Are they in school? Did you put them in separate classrooms? Here's my answer.

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Today’s guest blogger is twin mom, Charlene, from Half A Dozen Kids!

There is nothing sweeter than the bond of brotherhood, except that of twins. Being a twin myself, I remember all to well the bond I shared with my brother, although it didn’t stop me from sometimes wishing I had a sister twin, instead of a brother. When I first found out I was pregnant with twins, I was overjoyed. I thought it would be great to have same sex twins. It took me a few months to let it sink in that having boy/girl twins was just as special and in my case, it made me realize that I could relate to their needs and the differences, much better than most other moms.
Right from the start my husband and I could see the special bond that was forming between our twins. At night, we would lay each twin at different ends of the crib and every morning we would find them slumped together. Later, when we put them in separate cribs, they quickly learned that they could climb out of their cribs and walk/crawl across their dresser (which was in between the two cribs) and climb into each other’s cribs. They just liked being together.
They had formed a bond so strong between each other, that they also learned how to be each other’s crutch. When Zachary had trouble forming words for things he wanted, Sarah would jump in and tell us what it was. Sarah had some anxiety issues and Zachary was a calming presence in her life. They needed each other. When they were due to start kindergarten, I received a phone call from the principal asking if we wanted them to be in the same classroom or separated. I quickly said the same classroom.
It was great having them in the same classroom, from a mother’s perspective. I always knew what was going on with them, from homework assignments to class trips, between the two of them I knew more than I needed to know. They also protected each other, defended each other, and leaned on each other for support. I thought it was one of the best decisions we had made keeping them together in school.
Then, two years ago, without calling me the school decided to separate Sarah and Zachary. They went through several bouts of anxiety of whether they could handle being separated from each other. I told them I could call the school and try to get them back together in the same room or they could give it a try and see how it worked out. I must admit I was worried about it too. The funniest thing about it was that Sarah wrote a letter to Highlights magazine (it went something like this – Dear Highlights, My twin brother and I are being separated this year in school for the first time. What should we do?), I guess she just wanted to get her feelings out there without having to express them specifically with us or get another’s opinion that wasn’t directly involved with the situation.
Sarah and Zachary decided to stick it out and on the first day of school, they walked off to different classrooms. It was hard at first, but they adjusted well. They each made new friends. They did well with their assignments. And they both learned to cope and grow without each other. Overall, it turned out to be a great experience for them. They are separating on their own and becoming their own individual persons. But the bond that was there from the beginning is still there. They still lean on each other, despite doing different things. They support each other, as well as fight with each other, much like all siblings do. But there will always be a bond that will never be broken. I’m glad we kept them together during those formative years. It was a great decision and one I would chose again, if given the choice.
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You can click HERE for the link to the original article.

I felt so famous the day it was published hahaha! Maybe I should work on another one.


Sharing some pics because, you know I have to.....Right?










Can't believe they are 13 now....where does the time go?

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Swim Swim by Lerch


Swim Swim by Lerch is a delightful tale of a lonely fish named Lerch, who wants to find a friend.  His first attempts do not go well as he tries to befriend such inanimate objects as the pebbles in the bottom of his tank, bubbles and a deep sea diver tank decoration.

Finally, a furry "friend" comes along and Lerch is confused by the fact that his new friend keeps calling him "Lunch"

The cat plucks "Lunch" out of his fish bowl and puts him in a new home with a new friend named "Dinner"....who keeps reminding the cat that her name is actually Dinah.  Now, both Dinah and Lerch can be friends....but for how long remains to be seen with a furry feline as their "friend".


For this super fun and cute craft, we used poster paints, three paper plates, construction paper of various colors, wiggly eyes and of course glue.


Cut the fluted edge off the paper plates, leaving the smaller inner circle, making sure to save a small part of it for the tail of the fish.


While Nathan painted two of the plates as fish, I cut out a fish bowl using a larger sheet of blue construction paper.


Nathan painting Lerch.....



Amanda made a cute hat for Lerch.


And a ribbon for Dinah


We glued Lerch and Dinah to our fish bowl with some cut out heart bubbles.


We used the third plate to paint a cat.  We cut ears out of the fluted edging and glued them to the back.  Nathan wanted his cat to be rainbow colored.

(Take notice of the tab, we left on the plate.  We used the tab to glue the cat to the paper).

We glued the tab of the bottom of the cat to the back of the fish bowl and glued wiggle eyes, a nose, mouth, whiskers and a tongue to the cat.


We finished it off by gluing wiggle eyes to the fish.


Our finished craft - Cat, Dinah and Lerch


Soooo Cute, Don't you just LOVE it?

linking to...

Shibley Smiles