A cake fit for a 3 year old!
Sometimes you just gotta mix things up a little.
Add something extra. Water play + food coloring= FUN!
November 13, 2009
October 21, 2009
Green water play
October 15, 2009
Apple art :: Apple crisp
We tried two painting projects this week- our extension of ‘apple week’ from last week when a sick Mama just couldn’t get around to all the fun things she had planned with her 2 year old. First we tried tried the classic apple printing- cutting an apple in half to reveal the star shaped pattern the seeds make and using that to make prints with paint. That was fun until Jude felt wet paint on his hands and decided that wasn’t alright with him- so we wiped off and started our next painting project with me reminding him that it’s alright to get our hands ooey-gooey! (I have yet to convince him to finger paint with me!!) I drew a picture of a tree and then he made apples on it by dipping the end of a cork into red paint and dotting on the tree. He liked this as well, and then moved on to his watercolor paints which are his favorite these days- especially using the color green which he announced was his favorite recently.
Speaking of apples… I’m working through my last box of apples from our apple picking day and plan on making more dried apple chips, a pie to pop in the freezer for later, and a yummy apple crisp this weekend. Here’s my favorite crisp recipe- easy and delicious. I add cranberries when they are in season and it gives it a perfect tartness.
Easier Than Pie Apple Crisp
4 or 5 medium tart cooking apples
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
cinnamon & nutmeg
Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well mixed and sprinkle over apples. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
October 8, 2009
pumpkin spice play dough
I have so many memories of my Mum making play dough with various colors and scents for us and her classes at school. Last week I made some pumpkin spice play dough using the basic recipe below but adding pumpkin pie spice (my own blend- mostly cinnamon) and a little food coloring for a pumpkin orange color. Jude has had so much fun with it and it lasts for a lot longer than the store bought kind. The only thing is, it smells so good you just might want to eat it!!
*Basic play dough recipe (cooked version)
*Lots more creative play dough recipes (including some edible ones!)
October 5, 2009
A is for apple, P is for punkin’
A little encouragement using the
ever cute & fall-ish pie pumpkin
October came and I didn’t even notice! It finally feels like fall with cold nights and a chill in the sunny days. I need to get the scarf and glove box down off it’s shelf! It’s Apple Week in our house~ Jude and I picked up as many different apples from the farmer’s market as we could find and we’ll be doing apple prints, (with the apple cut in half so you see the star pattern of the seeds) apple tastings, baking, reading and other art projects all related to apples and the letter A.
September 29, 2009
Autumn :: Bringing Outdoors In
Apples from a walk in the woods that made a yummy crisp last night and a bowl full of Autumn- my take on a ‘nature table’- a big beautiful bowl filled with findings from the outside world on our walks this fall.
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which
God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.
~George Washington Carver
What abut you? Do you have any ideas for bringing the outdoors in
or celebrating the beginning of cozy fall days?
September 3, 2009
Boredom buster jars
A little idea to help us mama’s out when the going gets fussy, or bored as it starts with my almost 3 year old… there are several mornings a week when Judo can’t seem to find something to do by himself and turns to being fussy and whiny as a result. One morning last week as Andrew and I were trying to have a little time to chat and read before he left for work Jude was doing just that, and it took all my patience to encourage him to find something to do or else go where whiny boys get to go in our house (sitting in their rooms for a time out!:). I prayed that God would give me creativity and wisdom in dealing with this (often a prayer of mine) and he did just that- this idea came into my head and now we have an alternative to the times when Jude just simply can’t figure out on his own what he wants to do- the boredom buster jar. Cutely decorated for mama, filled with fun and interesting things to do for Judo. Some slips have a bonus treat of chocolate milk or a sticker just for fun, all of them are things Jude would like to do but are different in some way than our normal play. This jar won’t come out every day, so that Jude can still find things to do on his own, but as needed to turn around those challenging days that come here and there.
We are looking forward to a long weekend with Andrew around- doing fun things here locally, picking 16 pounds of (pesticide free!) tomatoes to make sauce for winter months (I can make 10 pints for about $15- pretty good I’d say!), and eating out as a family (a rare treat for us). Tonight I have a bunch of 6th and 7th grade girls coming over from our youth group and I’m stoked to spend time with them and get ready for a fun year with them ahead.
But first some train driving with my Judo…
July 22, 2009
Can we do art Mama?
Those words are music to my ears, & my sweet 2 1/2 year old uses them at least once, if not twice a day. The kid has a serious artsy side, which I am thoroughly enjoying! This week’s project was paint & torn tissue paper. More crafty ideas to be found at Kid’s Craft Weekly!
July 6, 2009
Andrew’s Bench
Now inviting us to sit a while in the shady corner of our backyard.
May 27, 2009
Learning & Growing
We drove over to my parent’s house for a fun, long, and relaxing weekend. We got to see lots of family, Jude LOVED playing with his little cousins. Andrew even got to take in a Mariners vs. Giants game (he wasn’t rooting for the home team:) with my dad. The boys are great little travelers and we are so thankful we got to have a weekend away.
Life feels full and busy, but in a good way. Besides being totally blessed to be Jude and Owen’s Mama I’m trying to squeeze in a lot of learning, growing, and doing in my spare time.
The list includes:
*Tending our growing garden. Now sprouting- beans, radishes, lettuce, and zucchini. Andrew just finished making and setting up a compost system out back- more on that to come.
*Reading and soaking in a book called ‘Living for what Really Matters‘ by Stacy and Paula Rinehart. The subtitle is ‘Long terms values in a short term world’. This book has been so good for me- challenging me to look at how I raise my children, spend money, make decisions, etc. in light of eternity. Am I living for only the here and now, or am I looking to what matters in the long run, in eternity? How does this affect my every day life as well as my long term plans?
*Also reading ‘The Busy Person’s Guide to Preserving Food‘ which is packed full of freezing, canning, and dehydrating advice for veggies and fruit. Great resource, I’ll be using it to help me ‘gather the harvest’ this summer and fall to use in winter and spring. I’m trying to move towards even more seasonal eating and also eating from our stocked pantry and freezer in the winter and spring to make the most of our grocery budget, health, and time.
*Trying my hand at making yogurt. I just realized after owning my food dehydrator for about 4 years that I can also make yogurt in it. It’s much cheaper and so easy to make at home so I’m trying my first batch today and plan on sweetening it with a little maple syrup and some peach sauce from last year’s peach harvest.
I am cherishing this baby season with Little O and trying to think of creative, fun things to do with Judo, who seems to soak in and say new long words every day, always wants to be out and about, and loves to make art and of course play cars and trains. Yesterday we were weeding the yard and he came over to me with a bit of grass in his hand and said, ‘look at the delicate spider!’ Too cute. Andrew and I are looking forward to a more relaxed summer schedule and more time together as a family, especially on long summer evenings. We are also very excited about Andrew’s upcoming trip back to The Philip Hayden Foundation Orphanage in China this August. Read more about the trip on his blog!!!
