Daily Activity: Cookie Pan Art and Magnets

Today we used cookie sheets and pie tins and played with magnets.  But wait, there's more!  On circles of white paper we drew the basic outlines of hair, put the drawing on the pie tin, and then used facial magnets to create silly faces.  On regular drawing paper, we drew scenes like a zoo, a prehistoric world, and a castle, put the drawing paper on the cookie sheets, and then placed our magnets on the drawings to finish our masterpieces.

8 Squishy points...this was a great activity to actually do something with all the different magnet sets we have...and for the first time I kinda wished we had more of them.  Squishy "got it" right away and was quick to get started.  She really liked that she could carry her "picture" around the house without anything falling off.

3 Moomers points...she colored...and she played with magnets...but not really together.  When I tried to put them together, I think she thought I was ruining her activity.

0 Teegs points...I think he spit up on a few of the magnets though.

Daily activity: Homemade Wrapping Paper

Today we got an early start on Christmas and painted our own wrapping paper.  I have some rolls of plain, white, thick paper and some inexpensive foam holiday stamps.  We added glitter paint to the main holiday colors to make it a bit more fun!  Using a cardboard color might have been smarter since we wanted to do a lot of "snow" in our designs (In this case, instead I put a touch of glue and silver glitter in white paint so our snow would show up on the white paper).  In the past we have decorated the paper but wrapped the present at a later time.  Today, since I already have a huge gift, we wrapped it first so that my 6 year old could have the "prime real estate" on the package.  Tomorrow we will put the finishing touches on it (stickers, ribbons, etc...).

Overall:
10 Squishy points...you can't go wrong with painting at this age...especially something that will be seen by others and is highly coveted like a present!
6 Moomers points...fun, but messy...and she is somewhat unreliable if you actually want the final product to look nice.  For us, the thought is what matters...thank goodness!
0 Teegs points...Slept through the first half; screamed through the second.  Instead we did some singing and action songs together. That = huge smiles!

Daily Activity: Diego's Jungle Rescue

Today Diego called us.  He needed help...some animals needed to be rescued.  It was late, but it was not safe to wait until morning...they needed our help now.  So we got dressed up in hats, scarves, and backpacks.  We grabbed our flashlights, binoculars, and magnifying glasses, and we braved the pitch-black (turn out the lights) jungle to save the tree frog, monkey, and badger, among others.  Yeah, I know, a badger is not indiginous to the jungle, but this is my game and we have a serious lack of variety of animal types in our stuffed animal collection, so back off!  One-by-one we found each animal and saved it.  We put it in our "animal relocation packs" and later reintroduced them into their natural habitats (Squishy's room).  This game took about 10 minutes to set up (hiding the animals and collecting our "gear") and about 10 minutes to play (Teegs intense screaming, no doubt over being too young to be involved, may have rushed us a bit).  Moomers was confused the whole time but offered up many, "tankuuu, mama" (thank yous) as I stuffed the animals in her backpack and seemed to appreciate being included despite the fact that it was dark and she didn't get it.

Overall, I give it:
10 Squishy points (AGE 6)
3 Moomers points (AGE 22 months)
0 Teegs points (AGE almost 4 months)

Me...a blogger? Why?

I love to share my family's misadventures and chaotic fun, even when the stories come at our own expense.  I also need some accountibility for my latest endeavor.  My goal is (most days) to create or find a simple activity or adventure (art, game, challenge, sensory experience, creation, field trip or simply guided pretend play) to do with my kids that I am entirely PRESENT for and ENGAGED in.  Too often the pull of media or the threat of my to-do list or the promise of ...I-don't-even know-what gets in the way. What I do know is that I used to be fun and have fun.  Simply.  I used to be able to play.  Life and responsibilities and stress have gotten in the way of just "being" and even when I am here...I am not here.  My mind is on to the next thing I should be doing and my kids become the victims.  I find myself constantly saying, "when I get this done, then I will give them my undivided attention..." or "as soon as I get that done, then I can feel free to play..."  But the next day, there is something else that "has" to get done.  Don't get me wrong...we do tons of fun stuff, go many places, have a lot of play dates, and have tons of toys.  But something is missing...and I think it is ME.  A lot of it is happening around me but not within me.  I AM a creative person who LOVES to be a part of interacting with the world in a different way and seeing the world from every possible perspective, but I haven't allowed myself to do that lately...and I want to start by finding and DOING short, creative activities within my home.  I strive to find FUN in simple things and want to relive life through the eyes of my children.  I want the mundane to become extrordinary.  I want to be a household whose children can see possibility in every direction they look and aren't afraid to act on it.  I want life to be filled with humor and flexibility and fun rather than nagging, scolding, frustration, and disappointment.  Most of all, I want my kids to see how much I love them and want to be with them (almost) all the time. I want to make the few hours a day I am lucky enough to actually spend with them to be the very best part of their day and mine (yes, even if it involves homework) and hope to be the source of some of those moments that become memories.  I want to heal myself through my experiences with them and I want their smiles to melt away the years of built up stress, obligation, heartache, tragedy, loss, grief, worry, and endless striving.  I have become serious, impatient, and presumptuous and have focused so intently on the destination that I have sacrificed my ability to find joy in the journey.  I am always "busy" but never seem to do anything worthy of the lost time. There is so much out there I want to do, learn, and explore, but I have been sitting back accepting foolishly that I don't have the time to do it, learn it, or see it.  Somewhere, somehow I lost myself.  I miss the person I used to be...and I liked her!  I believe by following the map my children are laying out for me, I will find her again.  Wish me luck...enjoy the activities and stories that I will share...and be patient.  I am a work in progress and pretty much dedrater (a made-up word that means really bad and kind of hopeless) with technology. I think you will find me to be genuine, creative, interpersonal, passionate, compassionate, and a bit sarcastic...but don't ever expect me to be polished or concise.  I don't know how to do either!