Monthly Archives: March 2013

Mar 21

First Day Of Spring

Yesterday was the first day of Spring. In our little KS town, it felt more like the first day of Winter. We had a little outdoor activity planned, so we waited for the warmest part of the day to head outdoors.

I’ve been collecting yarn scraps for several days. They are from granny squares that I’ve been making. I made little “baskets” from the cups for the kiddos to hang outdoors for the birds.

Agnes helped collect some more yarn for the jar.

We waited until mid-afternoon when it was finally 40F, and we started in on the project.

We dumped out all of the yarn, and the kids sorted through it. They each picked out a few of their favorite colors to put in their little baskets.

We got on our jackets and headed out to the front yard.

We hung some of the baskets on the fence row.

We placed a few more in the large tree.

We’ve been watching the window for robins, we hope they find the yarn for their nests.

While we were out, the kids played for just a bit. I clipped half of the daffodils that had bloomed. We are under a Winter weather advisory through Friday, and I’m afraid that the ice and snow is going to wipe out all of the pretty flowers.

The bright yellow daffodils do look pretty in the window.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen baking. I figured it was cold, better warm up the house.

I baked a coconut cake for dessert, and banana muffins for the kids afternoon snack.

I turned the coconut cake into a Raspberry Zinger cake to celebrate the first day of Spring.

My picky eaters didn’t want to try it, but trust me it was absolutely delicious. It tasted just like a Raspberry Zinger. I guess this cake will have to be for me. Oh well…

Today the nasty weather is moving in, and staying through the weekend. I think I’ll start the kiddos on some Spring Cleaning (or maybe Winter) cleaning tasks. I think we are going to be stuck indoors for the next few days.

 

Mar 20

Activity Swap

Yesterday we were supposed to clean out the closets and dressers. I was hoping to get a start on the kids Spring and Summer wardrobe. Well the weather turned a little chilly, and the boys didn’t feel like cleaning. We though about switching the activity with the Thursday one, which is a walk to the library, but the weather stayed cold.

The kids decided to play library at home, and we went upstairs to gather a bin of books. Thade picked out a few chapter books, and we got lots of little books for Dylan and Agnes.

Thade was sharing one of his very favorite books with Dylan and I. Dylan is learning to read, and he is doing very well at it too.

Agnes loves to look at books. She points out the letters that she knows.

The library game lasted for quite a bit, and then the boys were ready to go upstairs to build.

I made Agnes a little comfy spot to rest a bit.

I crocheted a bit on Thade’s afghan while the house was quiet.

Today we haven’t done our outdoor activity yet. It is the first day of Spring, and it isn’t too warm out. It is also supposed to sleet and snow for the next few days, so I need to re-plan some new indoor activities for the kids.

 

Mar 19

Let’s Make Some Ice Cream

Yesterday’s Spring Break activity was dusting off the ice cream maker, and making homemade ice cream. Thade found a recipe that he wanted to try, and Dylan and Agnes were on board too. We went to the store and got all of our supplies.

My littlest helpers were ready too.

Thade popped in to help a bit later.

We mixed in all of the ingredients, and all of the kids took turns stirring. We split the mixture into two batches.

We loaded up the ice cream maker,  and set the timer on the oven.

We couldn’t wait, we had to try just a little bit.

Once the two batches were mixed, I put them both in a large plastic bowl in the freezer. I checked on the ice cream about every thirty minutes, and gave it a good stir to distribute the chocolate chips. I think it took almost two hours before the ice cream was at soft serve stage. We couldn’t wait though, we had to try it.

The kiddos loved it! Agnes said it was yummy.

Dylan really loved it! He wanted seconds.

Thade loved it too! He also wanted seconds.

I also really really really liked it. It was crazy tasty! I am going to have to make this again. Dylan has already requested another batch for his birthday party.

 

Mar 18

Dylan Lost His First Tooth

I think this tooth was loose during the Christmas break. Saturday was the day though, Dylan finally lost his first tooth.

Dad and Thade helped him too.

He was so excited. He couldn’t wait for the tooth-fairy to visit. He even went to bed early.

I just love that little grin!

Mar 15

Spring Break Projects

Thanks to many unplanned and unprepared snow days, I knew I needed a plan to keep my kiddos busy on Spring Break. They are all different ages, and all different stages, and they each have their very own interests. I need some activities to do at home, indoors or outdoors,  that are budget friendly too.

I had a few in mind, and I asked the oldest two for some ideas. Together we wrote down a plan to have a different activity for all of the week days during Spring Break.

We  kicked off Spring Break yesterdaywith ice cream from the ice cream truck, and running around the yard after school was out. We also picked up dinner when Dad got home, so I got a night off from the kitchen.

Today we got started on the rest of the list…

  • Friday- Outdoor project: Homemade Sidewalk Chalk painting. The weather is amazing today, and the kids are loud. We are going to spend a bit of time outdoors today.
  • Monday- Indoor project: Make Homemade Ice Cream. The weather is turning cold again, and Thade has found a recipe that he wants to make. We are going to try and make Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Sounds pretty good to me.
  • Tuesday- Indoor project: Cleaning out the kids closets and dressers. I am going to have the kids try on all of their Spring and Summer clothes and see what still fits. I also need to see what we need to get for the warmer weather.
  • Wednesday- Outdoor project: Happy First Day of Spring! We are going to decorate the trees with yarn for the birds. We’ve spotted a lot of robins in the neighborhood, and a few of them look like they might be mommies. We want to help them make their nests nice and cozy, and the kids can practice their scissor skills on the yarn too.
  • Thursday- Outdoor project: Walk to the library, and pick-up some reading books for the weekend. The little ones love to have Thade read to them, and the library is just a little walk from our house. I hope the weather cooperates.
  • Friday- Outdoor project: Pick a park and go! It’s the kids turn to pick which local park to visit. We have a few to choose from, but I think I know which one they will pick.

Today’s activity was a lot of fun, and it was messy too.

We made the sidewalk chalk paint with everything that we had in the kitchen. It was 5T of water 5T of Cornstarch, and lots and lots of colorful drops of food coloring. Mix it all together, and grab some brushes. I used some “throw away” brushes that I had on hand from painting projects.

The weather is just awesome today. It is in the 70’s and oh so pretty.

The kids had a lot of fun decorating the sidewalk.

They even shared a bit too.

We will have to do this project again soon. I think I need to make bigger batches of sidewalk chalk paint though. The kids loved painting, and it was nice to spend a bit of time outside in the sun too.