Planning the week...

One of my friends asked how and what I plan all week w/ my kids. She asked if I could write it down and email it to her. I was flattered. I got to thinking, I would love to know what great ideas all of my mommy friends have on "planning" their week.
Honestly, some weeks are go w/ the flow, but usually I try to plan out our outings/play dates & our home activities when I can during the weekend before. That way if I need something at the grocery store when I go Monday morning, I can get it.

When I plan I try to write down 1 craft (that will satisfy or I can modify for a 4 & 2 year old), 1 cooking activity & something academic to focus on (like learning numbers or letters). I do not sit down and do flashcards or make my son write out a letter or recognize a word a million times...that is not how I want my kids to learn. We try to do a project to reinforce something or talk about it in a book.

They'll be in elementary school in no time...to me that's when the pressure starts. You only have a short while of 100% play and bonding...then academics really steps in. Spending time w/ my kids...no matter what we're doing, is my main goal at this point in our lives.

Ants...

Holt and Adly were both SO excited when we showed them the ants. They really like the magnifying glasses that are so clear, you can see the ants eyes! This has been a really neat experiment.

Superhero camp...last 3 days...

Day 3- no fussing at all...went right in...w/ his best friend by his side of course.

Day 4- a little fussing and "I'm gonna miss you", but was excited to go. I drew hearts w/ permanent marker on his palms b/c we read The Kissing Hand and that seemed to help him. He put both hands next to his cheeks and smiled before he went in.

Day 5- Last day of camp- Holt literally screamed for me as the counselor was taking him in. He had his friends right there. I don't get that, but know that he'll probably be my momma's boy for quite some time and one day I'll miss it!...I think.

Anyway, the rest of the day he loved. They had a talent and awards show at the end of the day. He got an award for "Best hunter of Cryptonite"! He talked about the camp for most of the rest of the day and told me all sorts of fun things they did. Still don't get it!...oh, well!!

All the kids really loved this camp. It was well organized and the activities all seemed very fun for the kids. Friday was "Chick Fil A" lunch...brought to them. The counselors were all very helpful and understanding on Holt's separation anxiety. Thank goodness!!

I would sign him up again for sure!...next year! www.kidventure.com

Water girls...

Adly and Livi had a little playdate today. They had fun in Livi's neighborhood pool together. Here are a few cute pics from the day...

Amazing Ant progress...

Check this out...hopefully you can see what these ants did in just 15 hours!!

Big Garden treasures...

We picked and pulled lots of garden treasures today! It was so fun. Both kids really got into it, but Holt could stay in it all day and night if you let him. He pulled our biggest carrot yet...it was about 6 inches long!! So exciting! He gets to take it in his lunch tomorrow for Superhero camp!

Look at this treasure...we picked at least 20 tomatoes and around 12 carrots. Holt named us "Super gardeners" today.

The Ants go Marching...

We finally ordered ants for the ant "farm" Holt's cousin gave him for Christmas! It's a gel ant farm and it is sooo cool! We got the ants in the mail today so John and I put them in their new home. It was a little freaky b/c they are huge Harvester ants and they move everywhere. We lost around 5 of them in the shipment, but they quickly piled those guys up for us...we'll remove them tomorrow. It's fascinating to watch. I can't wait for Holt and Adly to see them tomorrow.

I think I'll wait until after camp to show him though...don't need any more excuses for him to want to stay home!

sweet girls...

We had a little play time w/ our sweet friend Jessica today. The girls played in our little elephant pool and loved filling their cups from his trunk spray.

Little girls in swimsuits are the cutest!

Superhero camp...so far...days 1 & 2

Holt had a blast his first day at Superhero camp. His only complaint was that it was "too long"...oh and that he "missed me a lot". The morning of his second day was a little bit rough. He cried and said he didn't want to go b/c he needed me. We talked about his options...stay home w/ me and miss out on Superhero camp and hanging w/ his three best friends or go and have so much fun like he did on the first day. Thank goodness he picked the latter!!

Day two was awesome! He was just as excited, or even more and he never made one "I missed you" comment nor say it was long. Here's hoping tomorrow morning goes smooth.

Look how cute my Superhero was on his first day!

On the train again...

We went back to see "Sophie" the Cedar Rock Railroad train once again. This time we took Holt w/ us. It was another fun trip! I think their favorite part is getting their own train tickets and having the conductor punch it!

Ice sculptures...

We filled as many plastic containers as we could and put all sorts of things inside of them...dinosaurs, rocks, leaves, sea creatures, fruit loops, sticks & flowers. They had so much fun pouring into the containers and dropping all kinds of stuff inside that they didn't want to freeze it.

The next day we poured water on the outside of the frozen containers and dropped the ice into the sand/water table. They built a tower as high as they could. Adly mostly picked the pieces up, looked at them and moved them and Holt hammered the "junk" out of them! So fun!

Nitro swim lesson #2...

Well, we went back to Nitro today. Holt was a little resistant to attend, but I reminded him how cool it was that he got to start at station 3 today. That seemed to help. I also had to remind him that I would be watching and he could see me the WHOLE time. That really helped. He's my mamma's boy for now...needless to say, he did a great job during the lesson, but when it wasn't his turn, this is what I got (they're not the clearest pics, but you get the gist)...

Texas Memorial Museum

We ventured once again to the FREE Texas Memorial Museum w/ several of our friends! It was just as fun this year as it was last year. It took us about an hour to see the whole museum and we could have stayed longer.

Afterwards we had a picnic w/ the friends who came w/ us. This will be an annual trip!

small note: Our picnic wasn't what our friends' was...it concluded quickly b/c of two bathroom trips...leading us to leave early. We learned a big lesson today...always go BEFORE you leave the building!

Duncan Hines Blueberry muffin fun!

Holt & Adly love to make anything in the kitchen...even the easy 3 step boxed muffins! As long as they can pour & stir, they're happy. I let them do that part and they each get to choose their own muffin liners to put in their six muffin spots...I try to remember to buy the decorated liners...it was Lightning McQueen & polka dots for today. This activity makes them practice "taking turns"!

While I'm filling the liners I lay down a kitchen towel and give them a big bowl, couple of big spoons, cups and water and let them pour and stir...it keeps them busy!

Then we have a yummy breakfast for the morning (less what they eat right after they're cooked)!

Red Light/ Green Light, etc.

Sometimes I forget all those fun and easy games I used to play. My sister remembers them all!
Anyway, we played this today at Soccer Tots and the new coach added "blue light"...which means "go backwards". Holt, Adly and I played it together and we added fun things to it...
We called the person who yelled out the colors the "traffic light" and the people listening were the "cars", which we had to name from the Cars movie b/c of my son (I was Flo). Adly called out "NOW brown light" one time and Holt said that meant "sideways". Pretty smart for a 2 and 4 year old! It was so fun and it entertained for almost 30 minutes!

Chicken Enchilada Skillet...kids can help w/ this one!

I'm always looking for easy & good recipes for family dinner. Sometimes we get in a rut of having the same several things over and over. It's exciting to find a new one that kids can actually help with! This one was easy and good!! Next time I'll add a salad or black beans on the side.
Recipe:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces (I used tenders...easy & quick to cut)
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
2 tbsp. flour
6 flour tortillas torn into bite size pieces (the kids did this together) I used 3 whole grain tortillas & 3 flour
1/2 package taco teasoning (I added this part)
Shredded Mexican style cheese
Salsa

Heat oil in large skillet, add chicken and cook through, stirring occassionaly
Mix broth, dressing & flour untill well blened (kids poured and stirred)
Add mix to skillet gradually
Add tortillas; stir to combine. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to med/low, simmer 3 min.
sprinkle 1/2 package taco seasoning and mix, let sit for few minutes
sprinkle w/ cheese, cover. Simmer 3-5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Top w/ salsa
Makes 4 servings.

TAG!...you are IT!

If you have a preschooler, you have to get the TAG. It's awesome! Holt loves his...he got it from his MaMa this past Christmas. His favorite book is PIRATES!, but he loves all of them. It has really great word/ phonic & other reading skill learning games at the end of each book. Here he is w/ his Mimi enjoying the TAG.

Freddie

We thought we'd lost our four legged friend this past Friday...well, for 15 minutes, but still. My heart sank and I almost went into panic mode. Our sweet neighbor boy ran down the street and found him. Freddie never runs away!

It's so true...Dogs leave footprints on your heart.

We love you, Freddie!! xoxoxo

Cedar Rock Railroad

We took the girls to ride the train this morning. It was so fun! We saw lots of wildflowers & other nature. They had fun saying "choo choo" as we moved. Always a fun weekend event.

http://www.cedarrockrailroad.com/

Garden loot...

Even after the terrible hail storm our yard suffered, our garden held strong. This is the loot we picked just today! Adly usually can't wait until we actually wash the pickings...as you can see. Holt just loves to get in and pick all the ripe foods. We picked around 15 or so tomatoes and 2 green bell peppers!

Happy Helpers...

My kids have reached the age where doing chores is fun...for now...I know! Anyway, they argue over who gets to do what. So, I made a little chart for the few chores and choices they do now and it is really working. Anything visual seems to make things easier. It's not the prettiest, but here's our new chart....

(I think I need to add clearing the table soon!)

Family Lake Trip

We headed to the lake today. John's family has a little secluded spot just below their lakehouse. We took my family down to the waters and had so much fun! Holt is in love w/ any body of water, but when it involves fish and "treasures" abound...he's in heaven. Adly loves to play w/ anyone who will hold her and let her "fwim". Here are a few pics of the day...

Show Week at The Little Gym

Adly had her last class at The Little Gym. She loved this class. We took it w/ our dear friends Jessica & Diana. The girls both got ribbons on their last day and got to show off their new skills. Adly's favorite is the bars & beam. She really liked Miss Kate. She's standing next to her receiving her ribbon!

A few thoughts...

I honestly worried about not having enough things to do this summer w/ my son being home...
I can't believe I ever had those thoughts. Thank goodness we are always busy. That's what I need for this summer to go smoothly. Thank God for friends!

Nitro Swimming
Holt had his first Nitro (http://www.nitroswim.com/) swim lesson. With a small bump in the road b/c mom had to actually wait in the waiting room and not poolside, we had a great first lesson. He loves his goggles and continues to love the water. I think Nitro is going to work great as a confidence boost for this little boy.