Things have been super busy around here.  But, I thought I would take a moment and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  I will back soon with some fun things to show you!  

It's Christmas time!

Yesterday I was on the biggest caffeine high ever! Thanks to a yummy gingerbread latte picked up on the way to zoo. As a result, while the kids were napping and I was working on stuff to that nights big craft night, I was spinning...or else moving so quickly to get everything done that I probably looked like someone pushed the fast forward button. As a result were these super cute Christmas cards!

Printed Paper: me and my big ideas mambo pack
Card stock: pixie pink and real red, stamping' up
Ribbon: pink from stampin' up and white from my stash
Christmas tree: printed from stamping up digital download home for the holidays

Caramel apple tartlets

So, I am trying out the new blogger app for iPhone to write this post. I am also running out of battery power and brain power resulting in a short post.

I am having so much fun cooking for my friends at Pampered Chef parties. Saturday I hosted a Christmas baking party and demonstrated these amazing...and I mean Amazing tartlets! They were so easy too!

Caramel apple tartlets
Adapted from pampered chef

Ingredients:
1 pkg of pie crust (2 sheets)
2 granny smith apples, chopped
2 tbs flour
1 jar of caramel sauce
1/2 cup Peanuts, chopped
caramel bits

Lay out pie crust flat. Cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter. Place each circle in a mini muffin tin. Use tart tool to press each circle into the pan, creating a pie crust bowl. In a medium bowl combine apples, about a 1/2 cup caramel sauce and flour. I would just eyeball the caramel sauce until the apples are evenly coated.
Spoon apple mixture into each pie crust and top with chopped peanuts and 2 to 4 caramel bites. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until pie crust is a nice golden color.

These were awesome!
A

Advent starts tomorrow

I haven't posted anything new lately. . . trust me. . . I tried.  I have had a huge case of writers block combined with motivation and business.  But, I am back. . . I think.  I have my second Pampered Chef Party tonight and I am super excited! (On a side note, if you are interested in having a party in December. .. they are shipping quickly so it's a great opportunity to get some Christmas presents for free or stock up your Christmas baking tools).

Sometimes, I feel like we get too busy.  But this week, despite the busy calendar, we have been doing lots of cuddling and taking walks in the fall leaves. . . it's awesome!  But, tomorrow I am super excited because we get to start something totally awesome at our house. ADVENT.  I am really excited because I have been on the hunt for a good advent activity that focuses on Christ's birth rather than Santa Clause and getting gifts.  I found this one the other day and am super impressed.  In fact, I think it was completely worth spending 4.99 on.

This advent focuses on different parts of the Christmas story with full scripture references that help a preschooler understand what Christmas is all about.  Plus, each day they get to make an ornament.  I am considering going to the dollar store to see if I can find a cheap tree just for Ethan and the advent ornaments.   I really liked this one, because Ethan is very hands on and LOVES (as in begs for) crafts.

So, I am not being paid to tell you this, but I wanted to share this resource with you, because it's awesome and I am impressed with it.  I am really excited to start this up tomorrow!  Yay for Christmas!

oh yes, did I mention that it's a PDF, so you can get it immediately and there are no shipping charges. . . even better!   I will also note that I even bought a advent chocolate calendar, too!  I loved them as a kid, and I know that my chocolate loving 3 year old is going to, too!

What kinds of things are you doing to share Christ's love with your children this Christmas season?

Banana Bread Scones & a New Venture

Today is one of those days that I just want to be done.  Or maybe the week. . . can we have a do over?  Oh well.  I am sorry it has been so long in blog updates, I just can't figure out where my days have gone (oh wait. . . last week was filled with pumpkin patch visits!).  

I have also taken a leap of faith.  For at least a year, I have been trying to find away to make a little bit of income just to help our little family.  Jon is amazing and lets me stay at home with the kids and do my crafts and baking!  He's just amazing!  Saturday I was invited to a Pampered Chef Party (I love them!) and I was really intrigued about consulting.  I love Pampered Chef products and I do think there is a demand out there. . . we all need to eat.  Plus, I already have a lot of their products (they are great!!!!!).  But, I need to have about 4 parties before the end of the month and am having a hard time finding people who actually have an interest in booking a party.  The incentives for having one are great, because you can get a lot of free products!  So, if you are in the market to update your kitchen gadgets. . . give me a call.  They are also great for a fun girls night out.  If you know anyone who is interested, send them my way.  I could use some business to get started.  

Okay, enough about that. I tried this yummy recipe.  You all know how much I love banana bread and how much I love scones.  (I keep ripe bananas in my freezer. . . which really hurt if they fall out and land on your toe. . . just sayin!) and one day when perusing the land of Pinterest, I found this recipe. . . and oh, man. . . they were amazing!  The combination of 2 of my favorite things to make just makes my day!   I think the glaze over the top of them made them 10 times better.  So moist and delicious!  

Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze
adapted from the kitchen,

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas (about 8 oz or 1 cup once mashed)
2-4 tablespoons milk, whole or 2%
1/2 cup  Greek plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the glaze:
1 tablespoons  salted butter
2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Mash the bananas and then add enough milk to make one total cup (if necessary). Stir in the yogurt and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut the butter into several pieces. Work it into the dry ingredients using a fork, pastry cutter, or your finger tips until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea.

Pour the banana-yogurt mixture into the bowl with the flour and stir just enough to incorporate all of the flour. This will make a fairly wet dough, a little bit more wet then typical scone dough. 

Line a dinner plate with a piece of wax paper and turn the dough out on top. Pat it into a disk about 1-inch thick and cover with another piece of wax paper. Freeze the scone dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel off the top layer of wax paper and invert the scones onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peel off the second layer of wax paper. Slice the scones into eight wedges and pull them apart a little to give them some room to expand. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are firm to the touch and turning golden-brown on the edges. Cool completely and cut apart any scones that baked together with a sharp knife.

To make the glaze, melt the butter and the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and vanilla, and stir until the sugar has melted (heat for an additional 30 seconds in the microwave if necessary). Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, starting with 1/4 cup. Add more confectioner's sugar if desired to make a thicker glaze.

Just before serving, drizzle the glaze over the scones. The glaze will harden after setting for a minute or two, and can be served right away or packed for a later snack. The glaze can make the scones a bit sticky if kept for longer than a few hours, so store any scones to be eaten later un-glazed. Extra un-glazed scones can also be frozen and re-heated in a microwave or toaster oven.

Toddler Time: Letter of the week: Ii

Several months ago, I started spending some time doing activities that centered around a letter.  It eventually developed into a Letter of the Week time in our home.  It usually takes place in the morning while Weston is down for his morning nap.  Ethan loves this time.  He calls it "craft time" and begs for alphabet activities.  It brings me great joy that he has a love for learning.  

We are making a letter book.  This week our I looked like an ice cream cone.  I didn't take a picture of it, but here for some ideas.  

We are also  using some of the letter of the week activities from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

We did this activity:

source: confessions of a homeschooler

 We also made this inchworm.

and this igloo. 

We also read the Bob Book for I.  We are using these books to help with our reading skills:

{Cookies} Heath Bar

I don't have a whole lot to say today. I' started this post last week. . . yes, last week!  I guess I have been kind of a slacker. . . oh well. I am allowed.  The baby is teething (2 on the bottom) so sleep is slightly overrated right now (although I am totally not complaining. . . he's almost 9 months and Ethan was close to 4 when he started).  It's also the week before Halloween, so we are knee deep in pumpkin activities, including a trip to a local pumpkin patch and IHOP for some "scary" pancakes for Ethan (I am so hungry for French toast!).  Plus, this weekend is Ethan's last Soccer game (Hooray!!. . . okay, so we have really enjoyed the entertainment of 3 year olds running around on a field breaking all the rules of soccer.  But, we are done.  Even more so, Ethan is done.  He's all about the tunnels, snacks, and his new friend, Jacob.)  So I am going to leave you with this amazing cookie recipe.  Heath Bar Cookies. . . you won't be able to eat just one!   

Here's the recipe:


Heath Bar Cookies
adapted from Bakedbree.com


Ingredients:
1 cup room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 bag Heath Bar pieces
3 Heath Bars, crunched


Directions:
Cream together sugars with butter for about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time.  When they are all blended, make sure you scrape the bowl so everything gets mixed together.  Add dry ingredients together.  (I just realized after I was typing them all that I totally made these wrong. . . . but they still turned out great go here to see her recommendation.)  Add Heath Bars and mix until combined.  Spoon (or scoop) onto your lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Eat 1. . . or 2.  Share some. . . they are delicious!  


Have a great week!  I hope that I get on here soon, if not. . . I am still here, just busy having fun!  

Toddler Time: Color Matching Game

My son is completely in love with games.  He is also completely in love with learning.  So, I started making file folder games for him. . . he loves them!  A few months ago, we were at Home Depot getting some paint picking out paint colors for our Master bathroom (we still haven't picked a color) when Ethan noticed the Disney samples that were in the same shape as Mickey's Head.  We grabbed a few, but not 2 of the same colors for him to play with, and he started trying to match the colors, but couldn't.  So . . . back to Home Depot we went to get matching colors.  I stuck 1 of each color on with clear contact paper and covered both sides of the matching card with contact paper and we had an instant game. . . and the best part. . . didn't cost us anything (we already had a pack of file folder games and the contact paper). 

Here's the game. . . cool, huh?

Ethan matching the Mickey Mouse Heads. 

I am having so much fun watching my 3 year old learn.  He just soaks everything in. . . like a sponge.  It makes the teacher in me very proud!   Have you done anything creative with Paint Chips?  

Button Love

Have I mentioned my new love (and maybe, addiction?) for Pinterest?  (side note: you can follow me if you are interested in seeing what I am inspired by or just think is plain cool if you want).  I am finding all sorts of inspiration there. . . it's great.  Plus, I can just pin things to save the ideas for later so I don't have to try to remember where I saw a cool idea from.  It's great, really. . . it's great!  

So, for my friend's wedding (my son was the ring bearer!), I saw this card and decided to try it out.  I grabbed my jar of purple, pink, and red buttons (you can buy small bags of coordinating colors of random buttons at JoAnns for a couple of dollars), a bottle of modgepodge, and a red marker.  I layed it out to see if I could even come close to arranging the buttons in a heart shape.  Then, I slowly glued each one on to my cardstock.  I wrote love in my prettiest handwriting . . . I was so sure I was going to mess this up! And finished it off by rounding the two right side corners.  

I think I like how it turned out. I've seen a lot of ideas with buttons. . . . some great gift ideas out there.  I'm thinking I am going to have to try some out. . . after my year commitment to not overcommiting is over. 

And since, I am on the topic of how cool Pinterest is. . . here is a link to an amazing breakfast recipe for one. . . it is awesome and quick. . . Apple Pie Oatmeal.  Doesn't that just sound wonderful?  It is . . . it really is!  Plus I wasn't hungry an hour later, which is a BIG problem for me. 

Have a wonderful day!  

Autumn Salad

Fall officially hit last week with a wonderful shower of rain.  I love this weather because I can finally pull out the pumpkin and sweatshirt and just be cozy!  Here is a amazingly tasty salad. . . just for fall.  I've made it several times in the last 2 weeks and it is so yummy!  

Autumn Chopped Salad
adapted from Espresso and Cream

1 to 2 heads of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 to 2 pears, chopped
Handful of dried cranberries
candied walnuts
sliced, chopped bacon (I recommend fresh, pouched kind gave it a funny flavor)
feta cheese to taste
Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
Baslamic Vinaigrette*

*70 percent poppy seed to 30 percent Basalmic Vinaigrette.

What are you doing to bring in the fall?

A new banana bread recipe

These warm days and bananas just don't mix.  Ethan has been asking for banana bread for a few weeks and we had the perfect amount of bananas just crying out to be used for some banana bread.  Unfortunately, I was completely out of sour cream so I had to look elsewhere for inspiration.  Have I mentioned how much I have enjoyed using Pinterest?  I am finding so many fun ideas and recipes that it will probably take me years do them all.  But, it was a great place to look for a new recipe for banana bread.  All I did was type banana bread and hundreds. . . if not thousands of pictures came up with links to different recipes.  One of the first recipes I tried, was this recipe with a yummy streusel top.  Who doesn't like a crumby top?  mmmmm. . . it was good! I highly recommend it.  It was quite tasty.  I still like this recipe best, but this one was fun and tasty and completely worth baking. . . more than once!

You can find the amazing recipe here. 

Toddler Time: Apple Week, part 1

The past 2 weeks have been spent filling our home with apple-y goodness.  The last weeks of September are perfect because they think Johnny Appleseed's birthday lies somewhere around Sept. 26th. We have been having all sorts of fun, that it took 2 weeks to do everything  I had planned, and even then we still didn't finish everything.  

 Check out these apples, made with paper plates.  The one on the Left is finger painted and the one on the right is paper scraps glued on.  Both projects, Ethan had a blast doing.  

Apple Prints:  We cut an apple in half and dipped it into paint.  He had fun "stamping" the apple all over the page.  

 We went here and found all sorts of free apple activities to do.  There was a really fun sorting game that I made into a file folder game.  

We read these books:

The story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki

Little Apple: a book of thanks by Brigitte Weninger and Anne Moller

Apple Picking Time, by Michele Benoit Slawson

Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell and Michael Terry

Apples Apples Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

Big Red Apple by Tony Johnston

Max and Mo Let's Go Apple Picking by Patricia Lakin

Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss

A Apple Pie bny Gennady Spirin

Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter

Ethan and Abi turn 3

My son, Ethan, and his very best friend turned 3 last month.  I absolutely love planning his birthdays and this year was so much fun because I joined forces with Abi's mom (one of my best friends!) to throw a joint party.  Both kids love monkeys. . . especially Curious George, but we really don't like commercialized themes. . . it's just so blah.  We went with a turquoise and yellow color scheme that really accented our brown monkeys nicely.  And our friend Chris, let us borrow a her monkey cartridge for the Cricut.  Here are some of the highlights:

 Parade of Balloons. . . so much fun and so easy.  We threw the party in Stephanie's backyard and used this cable wire that stretches the length of their backyard (typically it's an annoyance to them, but it was perfect for hanging these balloons.  How to: blow up balloons with air (not helium).  Take needle and thread and string together.  We strung about 10 at a time. . . easier to transfer up there in smaller batches. Tip: Our party was in the evening. . . we hung them up around 2:30 and had to redo it all right before the party because it got a bit warm, the sun was at it's height and they popped. . . most of them. . . kind of a bummer, but really, it didn't take too much time to redo it.  

 This was them, before the tables got set up. . . . most of these one's actually popped.  It looked just the same when we redid it. 

 We had blow up monkeys scattered around the backyard. . . hanging from the trees.  It was really fun.  This one welcomed everyone to the party. 

 I made cute signs that we hung from the tree marking their gift tables.  

 Here's Ethan's.

 The favors:  We did banana candies and small monkeys in a jar games.  

 Ethan had to have a 3 shirt, of course.  I had some sock monkey fabric laying around.  He was quite festive. 

 We had a chalk station.  So much fun!

 The banner. . . I used cardstock from the DCWV Citrus Stack.  I loved the way it came out!

 More of the banner.

 Some more of the banner. 

 Photo Booth. . . palm trees and monkeys.  Fun times!

 The birthday cake (made by Stephanie)

 Cake balls

The cake table.  

The party was so much fun!  I really think everyone had a great time.  We had a craft table that the kids got to make picture frames with monkeys on them, too.  I am already starting to gather ideas for Weston's first birthday. . . 4 months away. . . I can't believe it!  

But first I am going to go to bed. . . I am tired. . . Have a great night! 

card and gift bag {For baby girl}

Today is one of those days where I could sit here, fingers on the key board, and pictures posted, with not a whole lot to say.  I am working on cleaning my kitchen. . . the counters are slowly making an appearance (that's what a week of laziness and a weekend of baking will do to it!) and cleaning the rest of my house so that I can have some fun and do some things just for me.  I am really excited about that!

Here is a card I made for Lisa's shower last month.  I loved the colors and I even got to use my cricut!  Super excited about that too!  I am not sure what the paper is, but both prints are a glossy cardstock that were on clearance at Michael's one day (sometimes i collect scrapbook paper. . . who doesn't, right?)  I love the way the colors went together.  The stamps used were by Stampin' Up! and on the little baby pajamas I colored it in with my blender pen and chalk (SU! also).  I added a library clip (SU) for something extra. 

I also added something to the bag.  Target started selling brown craft-style bags with pretty grossgrain ribbon handles.  Super cute.  I like to add a little something to them, so I added some pink and purple baby carriages from my Nice and Narrow set (SU!) and backed it behind purple and pink paper.  

A close up. . . 

So. . have a wonderful day. I am going to go and look for my kitchen. 

Toddler Time: Check this out!

So, last week I talked to my fellow MOPS moms about the importance of literacy through reading, writing, and art (I think I may have mentioned that in my lat post).  One of the really awesome blogs that I often visit for inspiration is this blog:

So, to encourage my fellow moms in their quest for reading books and doing art with their children, I want you to go check out the very awesome giveaway they are hosting.  Seriously. . . It's awesome.  There are 3 very cool October themed books and a fun crafty kit.  I highly reccommend going and visiting them here . . make some fun comments. . . become a follower even.  Have fun! 

First day of Fall {bucket list}

Did you know that today is the first day of Fall? I wanted to try to balance an egg. . . it didn't work.  I may have waited too long. . . the people of Noodles and Co. tried it and said it worked.  Maybe it only works in Colorado.  Maybe it only works at 2am when people should be sleeping.  I don't know.  Did you try it?  Just curious.

(picture from here. . . it's actually a free printable. . check it out!)

Anyways, today is the first day of Fall.  We celebrated with spaghetti at the Spaghetti Factory.  I actually don't think that had any thing to do with it, but it sounded good.  After dinner the car told us that it was 100 degrees out side. . . at 6:30.  No. It is not fall.  The majority of the leaves are still green.  I can't wear a sweatshirt to my son's soccer game in the morning.  And I certainly am not going to be spending $5 on a delicious pumpkin spice latte to only cause me to sweat at 10am.  Yep.  I may just be sick of summer.  Oh well.  We can still play outside, swim, and enjoy the weather until it ends. . . soon. . . I'm hoping.

But not only that, today is the FIRST day that I am only committed to 2 things.  Number 1:  My family.  Number 2: MOPS as in coordinator.  Not bad.  I am ready for today.  My husband actually put my on a sewing/craft hiatus for 1 year.  Yes, it still means I can get my craft on, but only for me (or my family).  I had been so busy working on gifts for other people that my own children don't have quilts made by their mother.  I have projects started for them that I intend to finish (and show you of course!).  I am super excited.  I am learning to say no. And I am learning to delegate.  So excited!

I finished up the last commitment last night. . . it was awesome. . . and slightly nerve racking.  I had an amazing opportunity to speak at our MOPS group about literacy (something I have a huge passion for) at home with preschoolers.  And by preschoolers I mean, any kid not in school . . . birth to 6 (or so).  Most of the stuff I spoke about applies to school-age kids, too.  I hope I didn't intimidate my fellow mom friends by all the stuff I do with Ethan.  I love what I do and he loves it so much he asks for it (I'm not complaining!).  I am going to try very hard to post more things for my toddler time section, because I think that doing creative activities centered around literacy is so very important for the growth and development of language, reading, and writing.  If you want to see my power point presentation send me a message and I will email it to you.  It's not very long at all.

taken from here.

Here's my fall bucket list:
:: Go to pumpkin patch
:: Make as many things pumpkin as possible.
:: Savor my Bible Study, Saying Yes to God, by Lysa Terkeherst.
:: Continue my quest of thankfulness
:: Take in some zoo tot time with the boys
:: Continue my quest for home organization.
:: Make my own laundry soap (yep. . . I'm gonna try it out!)

Not too long.  See you next week.  Relax and enjoy your first fall weekend!

Countdown to 3!

My first born turned 3 last week.  In all honesty, I can't believe how quickly the last 3 years have gone and how much has happened in such a short time span.  Ethan is an amazing gift and a joy to be around.  He loves anything that mommy and daddy love. . . that makes me so happy!  He is so much fun to bake with and craft with.  In fact, this year, he asked for a pair of running shoes so he could go on runs like his mommy and daddy. This year, we started a new tradition based on the Christmas countdown paper chains I made in elementary school (I am sure you all know what I am talking about!).  

We counted down from 15 days, which was a lot of fun! He couldn't wait to tear it off and count how many were left every day.  If we forgot, he would remind us.  We will definitely be doing this every year.  We will most likely countdown to Weston's first birthday next Feb, so Ethan can help count for his brother (he's a good helper like that!).

This was so easy to make.  There was hardly any prep work at all, especially since you can cut several pieces of that really thin construction paper (ours comes from Target) at a time.

Materials needed: construction paper, paper cutter, glue, sign. I made the sign on the computer with a fun font and a graphic that I googled and made black (we were out of color ink at the time).

Quilted zoology {for baby}

 My best friend just had a baby. . . well 3 months ago (you met Mr. Tanner here).  I finally got his quilt made.  I absolutely fell in love with the fabric.  Most of it comes from Michael Miller's zoology line, but the aqua with grey boxes comes from Sherbet Pips line. I backed it with white chenile and tied with some grey yarn.  Pretty simple.  I loosely followed Lotta Jansdotter's pattern for her play quilt (found in the book Simple sewing for baby).  It is one of my favorite patterns because it's so easy and quick to make.  

 I also made here a lion tag pillow (shown below).  It was a lot of fun.  I found the tutorial here and made a few adjustments.  I had stitched the eyes, nose, and mouth with felt and embroidery floss.  LOVE the way it came out.  I will have to post a close up soon.  You will have to go check out that tutorial, because it is hilarious to read her take on the taggie patent that drives all sewers crazy.

Things are starting to slow down here.  I promise.  After this week is over, I can sit down, put my feet up and read my Food Network magazine while Ethan plays in the pool (because where I live, we will be swimming for at least another month!).

prelude to my September

Okay, so things are pretty busy around here. . . A LOT is going on over the next 3 months.  I apologize ahead of time if it appears that I am abandoning my blog. . . trust me I am not.  

Here's a few things that are going on:

:: MOPS starts next week and am with out a publicity member of the leadership team, so I am doing both jobs. 

:: Ethan's 3rd birthday is in 1 week (is party is in 3).

:: Ethan is the ring bearer in a wedding in a week and a half. 

:: Our annual Labor Day trip is just a few days away. . . preparations are happening. . . I think.  

My favorite thing that has happened is that I have finished all gifts (handmade, that is) and have been put on restriction by my husband.  I am absolutely not (no matter the circumstance) allowed to sew for anybody except my family and myself.  Sounds selfish, doesn't it?  Well, tough.  I haven't gotten much time over the last year to sew for my family and it is my goal to have 2 completed quilts for my children (and maybe one for myself), by Christmas.  As well as some other fun projects I have lined up.  Expect to see some cool things posted soon!  

Today, my very best friend cashed in her birthday present. . . a kid free lunch with me.  We had so much fun! We went to a local tea house for lunch and fabric shopping (we had a Livingsocial coupon that was just begging to be used), and dessert at another local bakery.  'Twas the most wonderful afternoon ever. . . we really aren't sure if we have done that since we have had kids.  It was great.  I am so glad I got to treat her to lunch!

So, I leave you with this quote. . . enjoy. 

And a question (homework, if you wish) (or maybe a plea to comment):

What is your favorite PUMPKIN treat?????

Toddler Time: Oobleck

Sometimes I feel like we are going through life hanging on to the seat of our pants!  We are so busy around here, but we are having a blast!  Last weekend, we took the time to do a family literacy/science activity.  I was planning on doing it, but when I was telling my husband about oobleck, he had never done it . . . so we had to. . . it is just that cool.  

To start out, we read Bartholomew and the Oobleck, by Dr. Seuss.  The story is about a king who gets tired of the same weather patterns every year (rain, snow, sun, clouds, dark) and calls his magicians together to come up with something new.  They go away and makes some sort of potion and the next morning, it starts to rain small drops of green goo (oobleck).  As the morning progresses, this goo grows into HUGE drops and starts to ruin everything.  Bartholomew, a little boy who works for the king, sets out to save the day. . . and I am not going to finish it for you, because you  will just have to read it yourself to find out what happens.  

 I will note, that it is a very wordy book. . . and kind of long.  Too long for an almost 3 year old boy to sit through, so I read it in exciting paraphrase form.  He loved it!

 Don't they look like they are having fun?

 After the story, we headed to the kitchen where we got out the cornstarch, food coloring, water, and cups. Here's the recipe.  Oobleck makes this great substance that is a liquid when you lightly tough it and a solid when force is put to it.  It is really fun to play with!

 Ethan thought it was cool, but he was kind of scared of it.

Ethan now talks about oobleck quite often and likes to show me the book.