kirstencan

Snippets of last week

Last week was fun, but busy.  Aaron had the week off, so we got some things done and also had a couple fun outings with the kids.  Unfortunately, my memory card died or something so I only had my little camera to document.

Anyway, here's just a couple snippets of our week.

I broke out my fun cookie cutters for some neighborhood birthdays (and a needed 'get well' - and now I wish I'd frozen some of those to keep on hand).

We finished up a couple of Colonial projects, including writing with a quill pen!

(I can't believe that's how Jane Austen and Charles Dickens wrote their (long) novels!)

We spent a morning at our new Natural History Museum.  It was pretty fab, but PACKED with field trip groups.  We're kinda anti-crowd... but it was still cool.

Drove from the museum to the zoo  - where it started snowing so we had the place to ourselves!  Almost literally!  Kinda awesome. 

Luckily the (real) elephant was out, otherwise there would have been tears.

Just a few years ago we couldn't have done two 'field trips' in one day!  And we couldn't have stayed so long at either place.  My kids' ages ROCK.

Not pictured: 

More subbing for the basketball coach (The girls finished undefeated!  On to region - again!).

A couple trips to the park with dad.

Several chemistry experiments with dad.

A couple of times eating out.

All the everday chauffeuring/appointments/activities/playdates.

'The Secret Life of Arietty' - it was wonderful.  Also inspiring - for a possible easter dress for the girl and Halloween costume (Mom?).  All of the kids loved this movie!

Anyway this week ... will be Crazy.  But I'm going to make Aaron give me one of his memory cards, so I'll feel... not in camera withdrawal!  Also because I have a couple of projects to show you!  Back soon.

All signs point to go

Here's my calendar for February (with my cute niece - she makes me smile).

Notice something?

There is one day (tomorrow!) that is empty.  I've kinda been eyeing that space out of the corner of my eye and waiting for something to appear there... nope!

It is my ONLY day with nothing scheduled!  I know it looks like I have Sundays free, but I stopped writing on them because church responsibilities/choir are always there. 

But tomorrow - I'm free!  Have a great weekend!

Our Valentine's

I was straddling a line this week:  stay laid-back/lazy/simple vs. go a little out of my way to make some fun Valentine's treats/traditions in an already busy week.

I think it ended okay.  I won some and lost some.

Getting up a little early to set out treats at the breakfast table (and little truffle cups of skittles or fruit snacks in a few school boxes).

A valentine just from me tucked in with their school stuff, and some fun V-day puzzles and jokes.

I can't find our heart garland for the mantel.  Actually, I was really mourning our lack of any heart-type decor on Monday.  Then I got to work with what I had: baker's twine, washi tape, paper and doilies.

We did our annual family night love-fest the night before.  This year I hung the hearts on my necklace tree as a decoration.  This was the first year we didn't have to help the boys write at all!  It ended up making a very festive centerpiece.

In the background you can see where we hung up the valentines we received/made each other.

The girl made these cute pencil arrows for her cards.

Thomas helped me make chocolate lego minifig's for his.  We packaged them with a chocolate heart and a '"Lego" my heart, Valentine!'  tag.  We made an extra batch to take to cub scouts (where they were building with Legos as their activity today).  Generally I much prefer non-edible valentines, but I had to use this minifig mold sometime, right?

Monkey made very traditional doily + red heart + stickers cards.

We invited our cute neighbors who are off-track (year-round school) to come over for a little party.  The girls played a board game while the boys played a video game.

We decorated and ate cookies.

Looking at this makes my teeth hurt.

We made Shrinky dinks (still have plenty of supplies from Monkey's party).  This is pre-baked.

I set up my camera and gave the remote to the kids to do a photobooth.  They had a ball.

Their heads ARE in some of them, I promise.  And they're all pretty hilarious.  I can't say enough good things about this activity.  Kids always love it.

They had fun and my kids got a 'class party'.  I was glad I invited them.  It doesn't take much to make a party.  In this case, a few snacks, some blown-up balloons and some fun friends. 

What didn't make my list: 

I didn't make sugar cookies.  I wanted to, and I am filling-in for the new coach of my basketball team so I wanted to make them some like last year.  But I ditched it and bought some.  Luckily my awesome neighbor made some for the party.

We didn't end up watching Charlie Brown (hulu).  Oh well, we can do that tomorrow.

We didn't do our post office. 

I wanted to make heart-shaped cinnamon rolls or ebelskievers for breakfast - but I bought donuts.  Did my kids care?  Heck no.  Not even a little bit.

We didn't send out cards to our family!  I was sad about that, but we did a little e-card thing.

And in case you're wondering who my kiddos gave Valentines to, since they don't have to take them in to school:  they make cards for each other, and for a few friends on our street.  We usually send them to cousins/grandparents, too.  Since Thomas had speech today, he took a couple in for his teachers.  Often, most of the kids on the street will give to my kids as well, and they get cards from grandparents and cousins.

I think it was a fun day - and just enough celebration and tradition - yay!

This is more like two quick tweets

1 - The turn signal in my husband's car blinks to the beat of Coldplay's 'Yellow'.  I learned this today when it was on the radio.  There have been many times that I THOUGHT the blinkers were in time to a song, but then they weren't.  Today they were. 

 

2 - You know when you pause a show and sometimes you catch the actors in a seriously funny or awkward moment?  I love a good pause.  Got a great one a bit ago when I went to brush my teeth:

The show may kinda suck now, but Rainn Wilson is still awesome.  Apparently.

Have a good weekend!

The End.

Random

I laughed when I saw in Sarah's post she said: I got nothin'.

Because that's what I've felt blog-wise this week.

I'm not making anything awesome at the moment, but I'm pretty feeling pretty successful with the whole kids-dressed-fed-educated thing.  That does keep me pretty busy.

I have been brainstorming for the girl's spring birthday party (can you believe it will have been two years since her 80's one?) and I'll need to pare down my ideas for sure.  At least a little. 

Did you see the Target weekly ad this week?  To that I say: REALLY, Target?  REALLY? 

Downton Abbey is still amusing, but way more soap-opera-y this season, don't you think? Last year's was better.  Plus there is no sense of passage of time.  It's been six years?!

Speaking of TV, I have a few newer shows that I don't love, but are amusing enough to watch while excercising or folding laundry.  For example:  Alcatraz, Suburgatory, Parenthood.  Sadly, Castle just got bumped to that list, too.  Do you have shows like that?

We did School At The Library yesterday.  For some reason Monkey really wanted to spend the whole morning at the library (actually, that's not surprising - what he asked for for his last birthday was his own library card) so we took our backpacks loaded with what school is portable and headed off.  I'm not doing that again.  It was too warm for me, and smelled funny.  Also, it was a good reminder as to why Thomas isn't in school.  That kid could NOT concentrate at the library.  Oh well, we tried.  Back to our quicker weekly library trips instead.

And OK GO?  You always amuse me (and the kiddos love you).  Just showed them your newest video (wow!) and we had to watch it twice in a row.  You can't watch it just once.

Snow Morning

Not a snow DAY.  Just the morning.

But the kiddos were thrilled to wake to snow.

Not quite enough to hit the sledding hill (boo) but enough to warrant delaying all things school to dig, explore and play.  We've had so little snow this year, this might have been the most we've gotten so far.

The red-head kept saying he wanted to go inside, so I made him go for a walk with me (and his brother).  We walked to the grassy area nearby and trudged a 'Fox and Geese' game path (what do you call that?) and played for a bit.

Also, he can get most of his snow stuff on by himself, but it took us 15 minutes together to get those gloves on.  I was not about to let him go in yet!

When will it be summer?  is the question he asks a lot - mostly while putting on long-sleeves, socks, sneakers and pants.  Today also gloves, boots, hat, etc.

He likes shorts and crocs.

We waved to all the kids trudging off to school while we shoveled.  When they got home from school, the snow was gone.

So, the groundhog said six more weeks of winter, huh?  We'll take it!  We've got to use our new sled at least once!

Hearts

I am working on a little photography project and wanted to try this method of making heart bokeh.

First, to see if I'd made the lens cover right, I pointed it at my computer monitor - at this picture.

Hearts!

Then I spent a little time outside trying to find places where this would work.  It would be really easy in the summer, with all the leaves, but winter is ... bare.

The next two are at a park.

Anyway, I don't know if it will work for what I was thinking of, but it was a fun experiment to try!

Love is everywhere.