Fort Days

We've been cooped up for a few days.  In order to make it easier for the kids, we built a fort in their room.

 We had some high-tech fancy stuff going on with this. 

 Namely, clothespins and clamps!!  We left it up for a couple of days, but took it down before it turned into a horrible mess.

 Something else inspired by Pinterest-I used masking tape on a blanket to make a bunch of roads.  Now we just fold up the blanket when we're finished- talk about easy clean-up.

Rainy Day

Thanks to Pinterest, we had something to do this afternoon while it was cold & wet outside.  Spy Training! 

 She kept 'improving' it.  Sometimes the dogs or little brother would tear through it.  She was getting it just right for someone special..

 Daddy!  Being the ultimate Spy, Bry-D was able to get through it and bring his precious Diet Dr. Pepper too!

 Though it wasn't without difficulty.

I have a rule for Pinterest-I can't get on unless I plan on doing something I see there.  I have an idea that I'm knocking around my head.  Once I figure out all the details I'll share with you.

Hours and hours of fun

Just add water to dirt

 Your kids will play all afternoon in the backyard

 They'll even skip their nap!

 You can probably guess how all this ended, right?

 Soap MoHawks, Yes!

Rainy Days

Bry-D says that we need this all this rain to clean the salt and grime off everything.  I suppose that's true, however, I haven't been very inclined to go out in it.  Not sure why, maybe b/c the rainy gloom came immediately after the snowy gloom.  We've been hanging around in the house lately, not doing anything very exciting.

Young artiste's at work.  He is constantly telling me that the white and grey crayons are "Boke". I have yet to convince that they are not "boke" they are just difficult to see on light paper.

He never says orange is broke.

Finished work

Eliz has gotten really interested in drawing things from pictures.  Though she never tries to draw the exact picture, she usually changes something about it to conform it to her personality.

She used the watercolor pencils for this Easter Basket, though I don't know if she ever painted it.

Color in motion!

Such concentration

Reading.  She's getting braver and braver about reading books herself.

She kept telling Eeyore, "Be still, I'm trying to lay on you!"  She was to comfortable to adjust her skirt when I told her it was flipped up.

A basin, two small cups, and water.  All he needs for a good time.

That towel was soaked by the time he was done.  Clean up was easy-he thinks the dishwasher racks are a train, so I tell him to put stuff in the train, and then he choo-choos it for a few minutes before closing the door.

Maybe next week we'll venture out into the mud again-if I get us rain boots.

Looks like it's going to stay this way

These were taken last week, right after the ice melted, but before more snow came.  I didn't get more pictures for two reasons-the kids kept getting stuck in the mud and losing their boots, and the all the AA batteries were dead.

 She wanted to fill up the hole in the corner, but discovered that was not going to happen without alot of work.

 I think the mud on her behind came from her boots when she was running around.

I wish I had gotten a picture of Lex's face the first time he tried to step and his foot stuck-absolutely classic.   Have batteries now, and with the storms ripping through right now, we'll have plenty of mud for a few days at least.  It's time for mud pies and dirty floors!

He's lucky he's cute

Being cute has saved this little guy's life more than few times.  Those are bobbins.  For people that don't sew, you just need to know that they are little tiny wheels that hold a couple(or more) yards of thread. See that ball of thread?  It only took him 5, maybe 10 minutes to make that... 

 The unnatural quiet should have tipped me off more quickly.  How to use a bobbin, toddler style:  Take a bobbin, put it in the bobbin case lid, and pull the thread.  Then you watch the bobbin spin and spin and spin.

 He probably could have done this for a half hour or more. Quietly, and without bothering his sister.

I never did get a picture of the threads wrapped around his legs with the bobbins following him like cans on a newlywed's truck.  Or the ball of thread that was bigger than my fist.  Had Eliz seen it, she would have wanted to keep it b/c it was a rainbow ball.

I've been feeling yucky off and on for the last 3-4 weeks, and had I felt better, I might have been more inclined to anger.  However, I just didn't really have the energy for it, so he got to sit still while I unraveled/cut the threads, then helped me clean up.  He did get to keep the bobbins he had emptied, I realised that they're just the right size for hauling and dumping with his construction trucks.  He likes the noises they make.  This has also convinced me that I need to get a key for my desk-it has a lock so as to proctect the contents of the drawers from little hands, but I lost the key very quickly after purchasing it.  Anyone know, do I go to a locksmith for that?

Guide for outdoor fun in winter

People have commented on how often we're outside.  I had a friend say once that she was solar powered, and needed the sun.  I would say I'm fresh-air powered; I need to breathe fresh air to feel right.  I know that most people think going outside in the winter is miserable, but I love it as much as being outside in any other season.

The key is knowing how to go about it. It doesn't take much preparation, nor much time. First off, take a few minutes and think about some things. The weather-is it severe or mild? High winds or negative temperatures are reasons to stay indoors, esp with toddlers and preschoolers. Also consider this-are you or your little people in a funk, or actually sick? The winter air can be helpful to some colds, but fever and aches need to stay inside. If the weather is right and you need to get out, the next step is to get the necessary items for an outdoor excursion. As for clothing, 3 layers are best, 2 fitted under layers & a waterproof outer layer.

Next you need a small backpack. Why small? Why a backpack? Small so that you don't try to carry to much, a backpack so your hands are free. Now then, what to pack. A list of basics- travel size first aid kit, water bottles, snacks, cellphone & house keys, extra gloves, socks and pants. The pants should be sweatpants or fleece, and if you use them, it's time to head home. You can add to that a nature guide, camera, and a small towel.

But what is there to do in the cold, you ask?  Plenty.  When there's snow, you can look for tracks-animal, people, vehicle.  You can also make tracks, using sticks, toys, whatever you can think of.  Have the person with the biggest stride take the longest steps they can, and then everyone else tries to walk in their footprints.  Hard packed snow can be slippery, so be careful, but you can also have slide races to see who can go the farthest.  Snow has a quieting effect, stand still and listen, walk quietly and hear the sound of your feet.  There are different consistences of snow, soft and powdery, wet and slushy, and few others.  You can make snow men, snow animals, snow angels.  When it's the right kind of snow for packing, you can attempt to build a igloo.  Of course, there's always sledding.

When there's no snow and it's just cold? Regular outdoor games, as well as nature walks are fulfilling ways to spend time. Ice can be hours of fun, just be sure to have spare gloves. You can make sculptures, use pieces as windows, play foot hockey, and just enjoy looking at what's frozen inside of the ice. 

How long to stay out is a good question. There are outdoor preschools that stay out in frigid cold and all types of weather. If you're not used to being outside, start slowly, for your sake and the kids. Under 4s shouldn't be out for more than a half hour; work your way up the time scale, just remember to be dressed appropriately. Some people would say that it's not worth going out because you spend more time getting ready than you do actually out of doors. And yes, in the beginning, it is like that, however, you'll quickly become adept at getting ready, and that process will go faster. Also, just because getting ready takes a long time doesn't mean it's not worth it-the benefits of  being outdoors for even just a few minutes are many and varied.  If you keep putting off going outside until all circumstances are "just right" you'll miss many fun hours of outdoor play.

For those of you that are book lovers, like me, I recommend these books-

Nature's Playground, by Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield-This is the only book I've found that offers ideas specifically for cold weather play, which is unfortunate.
Sharing Nature with Children, by Joseph Cornell-learning activites that can be used in cold weather, and just a great outdoor book.  You should read Sharing Nature with Children II, it expands on how to use Flow Learning a wonderful teaching method for children or adults. 

  There are several others, these are just the ones I happen to have in my collection.  I've also got a number of outdoor activity books that are out of print-all of them were found at Goodwill and garage sales.

Being outside in cold weather provides just as many fun experiences as warmer weather, with same amount of planning s going to the pool or the park for a picnic.  Look forward to it, plan and dress right, and make memories.  Since I'm posting this at the end of winter, you've got 3 seasons to pump yourself up to have some winter fun!

Time outside

We've been having more colds this year than in years previous, and have spent way to much time inside.  It was time to get outside, before we cught a bad case of cabin fever.  Around the corner from our house is a meadow with a walking path, retention pond, and creek.  We took our plastic buckets, since woven baskets get eaten by our dog Kaya, and did some exploring.

 The terrain can be difficult for Lex, but if I'm not close his sister is always willing to help to him.

 One part of the walking trail gets flooded when it rains a lot, and probably b/c of all the melting snow it had flooded, and then froze when the temperature dropped again.

We didn't have spare gloves so we didn't play with the ice much.

 We did find grass that had turned to icicles.  They make a wonderful crunch when you step on them.

 A leaf caught floating on the ice.

 We stopped for snack,

 But quickly returned to searching nature.

Because of his mittens Lex couldn't get things into his bucket on his own.  He started shaking his bucket close to something while saying "Wat dat?" or "Dis!"  and Eliz or I would put it in his bucket for him.  There's a wooded area that is rather treacherous to get to (lots of thorn bushes) but we braved it and found a tree growing sideways. 

 Lex tried his best to push it back into place

 Then his sister gave it her best, but it wouldn't budge.

What sort of treasure did we collect?  Rocks, branches with berries, leaves, moss, twigs, and lots of dirt.  I think we'll make mobiles out of our finds and hang them on the lilac bush.  Since our ice wreath has melted.