April at Our House

4/1/14 {Responses to our April Fools' Dinner}
L: "Tricky meatloaf is yummy!"
L: "I don't want to eat cardboard."
M: "Brown E's... I get it! Good one, Mom!"
That was a fun evening!

4/4/14
Me: "Why are you walking into me?"
L: "I'm playing bumper cars!"
Right. I should have known that.

4/5/14
At her first full-length musical, State Fair (featuring her friend, Maggie!), Mia turned to me at intermission and asked, "Is this halftime?"
And this is my first clue that she spends more than enough time watching sports with Daddy...

4/6/14
M: "I want another pickle for breakfast!"
I don't even know what to say to that. Ew. Just ew.

4/8/14
M {upset}: "They wrote this backward."
Me: "They wrote what backward?"
M {points to "LOVE" on her sweatshirt}: "This."
Me: "Oh. They didn't write it backward. It just looks that way in the mirror because you see the reflection.
Yep.

4/8/14
M: "Do you think fish know how to smile?"
In general? Maybe. At our house? Not so sure... We're having a streak of bad luck with keeping them alive. I didn't mention it here yet, but Orangey died last Friday. This means that we are on our third betta fish in less than five weeks.

Mommyism: "Don't use the baseball bat to hit dog poop!" (4/8/14)
Yes, I am the mother of a boy. This probably should NOT have surprised me.

4/9/14
L {points to dead bird that he found}: "Mom, what kind of bird is that?"
Me: "That's a grackle."
L: "What do grackles do?"
Me: "Well, they fly around and... drop dead in our yard, apparently."
Yeah, I need to get better at answering this type of question.

4/14/14
L {describing the sound of a peacock from the nearby farm}: "It sounds like a animal is saying 'help' or 'ow!'"
I totally get that, although I have always thought they sounded more like big cats.

4/14/14
M: "Uh, Mom... You might need to help Logan. And you'll be surprised when you see him."
This is what I discovered: he was stuck with his feet up in the air, between the arm chair and the wall. Turned out that he had dropped a toy back there and decided to retrieve it head first, but then he didn't know how to get back up. Also, he likes mismatched socks.

{That's my goofy boy.}

4/15/14
L {biting into a black bean}: "Hey, there's a potato in it!"
Well, sure, I totally put a potato in there -- whatever gets you to eat it.

4/15/14
L {trying the taco soup that he initially refused}: "Nummy yummy! When I say, 'nummy yummy' that means really good!"
Thanks for the clarification, but I actually figured that one out on my own.

4/15/14
M {on why she slipped and fell in the kitchen}: "I didn't do it on purpose. It was the floor's fault!"
Obviously.

4/16/14
M {while we were reading Froggy Plays T-Ball}: "It's called home plate because it looks like a house."
I never really thought about it before, but if that's NOT why it's called that, then it really should be!

4/18/14
L {on springtime allergies}: "Sneezing causes snot to come."
Unfortunately, that is true.

4/21/14
M {toweling off her hands after digging in the yard}: "Mud is NOT for us. Mud is for worms."
Thank you for sharing. Now please go inform your brother of this revelation.

4/24/14
Logan overheard me talking to myself and asked, "Why did you call yourself Meg?"
Me: "What should I call myself?"
M {chiming in}: "Mom!"
Yes, as a matter of fact, my name IS Mom.

4/24/14
M {on Brett's choice of the number 3 for his softball jersey}: "You should have picked 1 and then you could be the rock star dad!"
Yeah, why didn't you think of that, Dad?

4/26/14
M {on Brett's use of the new hedge trimmer}: "Wow! Look at that rectangular prism bush!"
Then, pointing to an untrimmed bush, she added, "Can you make that one look like Mickey Mouse?"
I love that she thinks that he magically developed the ability to transform overgrown shrubbery into topiaries. Way to dream big, little girl.

4/27/14
M {dancing around before bedtime}: "I feel like I should do yoga. I don't know why. Wait, what is yoga?"
Wait, she wants to do something but she doesn't know what it means?! Should I be concerned?

4/27/14
L: "Monsters -- when they're dead -- can turn into dirt and grass. And dinosaurs' bones turn to stone. Do dragons have bones?"
Me: "Um, I guess."
L: "So their skeletons turn to stone, too!"
Apparently so. He would be more of the expert on this subject.

4/29/14
L {on why the orange centipede was trying to get away from him}: "Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek!"
Riiiiiiiiight. Or maybe he heard that ours is the house where fish come to die and he decided to get the heck of out Dodge. Either that, or he learned that you were the boy who pulled the curtain rod out of the wall -- and that just can't be good for a bug. It simply cannot be. In other news, he didn't get the memo that dirt is NOT for us.

Rollin' On...

I now have two children who can ride two-wheel bikes without training wheels! How is that even possible? On Saturday, April 19, Logan requested that Brett take the training wheels off his bike. I was in the house at the time and didn't even know that this was happening until Mia came running in to tell me that I "might want to see this!" Apparently, he got right up and started riding like it was no big deal. Um, you think I might like to see that? And take photos and video!

{Tongue out in intense concentration as he gets started...}

{And he's off. Look at him go!}

Proud mama right here, folks. I guess all that practice on the Strider really paid off. He knew how to get started, balance, turn, and stop all on his own! With tons of confidence. And when he falls down (which is hardly ever) he just gets right back up. I am so amazed!

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In other news, I am pleased to announce the results of the giveaway sponsored by Path Publishing! Congratulations to Liz! Liz, I will be in touch with you soon.

Teddy Bear Toast

I saw a picture of this on Facebook and decided to make another cute breakfast this past weekend. (In case you missed it, I had made Easter bunny pancakes the previous weekend, so I may have started something...) Anyway, this cute toast was quick and simple to make, and it made Mia really happy!

Ingredients:

• 1 piece of toast
• peanut butter (or nut-free spread or butter, if you live in a nut-free house)
• 3 slices of banana
• 3 raisins

{Does your breakfast make you smile?}

Directions:

1. Spread peanut butter (or nut-free alternative) on a piece of toast.
2. Place three banana slices on top -- two at the top corners for ears, and one near the center (ours was slightly lower) for the muzzle.
3. Add three raisins -- two for eyes and one placed sideways on top of the banana slice for a nose. (You can "glue" it in place with a dab of peanut butter, if you wish.)
4. Enjoy some tasty and adorable teddy bear toast!

P.S. Don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway. You don't want to miss out on winning a free recipe book or other blank book of you choice -- from Path Publishing!

Natural Dyed Eggs Experiment

We've decorated Easter eggs in a variety of ways over the years, and for something new, I decided to make our own natural dyes this year. The results were not as great as they could have been, but I have figured out the basics for making homemade dyes, and I now know what to do differently next time. Up front, I should have prepared the dyes the day before we wanted to dye eggs since this was a time-consuming process. Since I felt the time crunch, I didn't let the dyes steep nearly as long as I could have (and probably should have) in order to get deeper color saturation. Also, I would have liked to try to make more variety of colors, but for my first attempt, 3 seemed like plenty!

{Left to right: spinach, beet root, carrot, plain white egg}

The first color that I tried was red/pink. I used my beet root powder that I've been using to make lip gloss, blush, and eye shadow. (And as an aside for anybody who is wondering, yes, I love all of these homemade makeup recipes and I wear them daily!) There may be another way to make dye, but I kept it super-simple. I just put a small amount of beet root powder in a bowl and then added some water. I stirred it until the beet root powder was dissolved and let it set until we were ready to use it. I thought that this would produce the most intense color on the eggs, and I was surprised that it wasn't the winner in that respect.

Next up, I wanted to make green out of some fresh spinach. I pureed the spinach (maybe two cups?) in my blender and then placed it in a pot on the stove top. I added a couple cups of water, and brought it to a boil. Then, I put a lid on it and simmered it for 1 1/2 hours. (This is one that most likely should have simmered longer, but again, I had that time crunch -- children who were ready to color eggs!) In retrospect, too, I wished that I had strained it because this dye left green flecks of spinach on the egg shells, which didn't look as interesting as it might sound -- more like they were kind of messy. So, note to self: have cheese cloth on hand for next time. The good news, however, is that this was the clear winner for most intense dye of the three that I made.

Lastly, I attempted to make orange dye using fresh carrots. This is another one that likely needed to simmer longer. It produced the faintest dye of the ones I tried. Most of the color came from the flecks of carrot that were left on the egg shells. (So, perhaps this one needed to be strained, too?) I chopped 4 medium size carrots and pureed them in my blender along with some water. Then, I placed them in a pot with more water, and brought it to a boil. After that, I simmered the pureed mixture with a lid on top for 1 1/2 hours.

{Natural Dyes from Beet Root, Spinach, & Carrots}

To dye the eggs, I put some of each homemade dye into a bowl, added about a teaspoon of vinegar to each (possibly unnecessary?), and let the kids put the eggs in to soak. We tried letting them sit in the dyes for 5 minutes and for 10 minutes, without noticeable differences in color saturation. (I can't even identify which is which for you in the above photo, but one row is the 5 minute-colored eggs and the other is the 10-minute colored eggs.) Anyway, the takeaway here is that you may want to leave eggs in the dyes for much longer if you want more vibrant colors! Also, we tried this on both white eggs and brown eggs, and it pretty much goes without saying that this worked better on the white eggs.

Just looking at the dyes, I thought that we would have better luck getting vibrant eggs. The good news, however, is that these dyes are completely safe -- if not all that intensely pigmented. I knew exactly what went into them. And, none of them -- beet root, spinach, or carrots -- flavored the eggs in any way. (Admit it, you were worried about that, right?) So, even though they weren't as bright as my kids and I hoped for, it was still a win and worth trying out.


P.S. Don't forget to check out my review and giveaway sponsored by Path Publishing! The giveaway continues through tomorrow, April 28th, so you still have time to enter to win your own blank book of your choice.

Easter Bunny Nose & Whiskers Craft

Here's a super easy project that you can quickly make with your kids. Older kids can do this on their own and little ones can do it with some assistance. Mia made this all by herself last week when we were at church on Good Friday. It's not exactly a mask, but it's the same idea, and it's way too cute not to share!

{Cute and Simple Easter Bunny Craft!}

Materials:

• craft stick
• pom pom
• three pipe cleaners
• white glue

Directions:

1. Glue a pom pom (your choice of color) to the end of a craft stick.
2. Wrap a pipe cleaner (your choice of color) around the center of the craft stick, below the pom pom, so that there it each end sticking off of the craft stick is approximately the same length. Repeat with two more pipe cleaners, one at a time. You can trim the pipe cleaners if desired. (Alternatively, you can switch the order of the first two steps and glue the pom pom on TOP of the twisted pipe cleaners. Your choice.)
3. Allow glue to dry before modeling the bunny nose and whiskers.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to enter to win my giveaway sponsored by Path Publishing, which runs through Monday, April 28, 2014!

Spring Wreath Craft

Mia recently made this wreath at church, and I wondered why we had never made a wreath with tissue paper before. We have made a few wreaths in the past including this hand traced one for fall, this egg wreath for Easter, and this toilet paper tube holly wreath. This version is both beautiful and very simple, making it perfect for even toddlers to help create!

{Pretty Easter Wreath by Mia, Age 7}

Materials:

• paper plate
• scissors
• white glue
• tissue paper (in your choice of colors)
• ribbon/yarn for hanging
• hot glue gun (optional, for attaching ribbon/yarn)

Directions:

1. Cut the inner circle out of a paper plate. Do not discard it because it makes a perfect glue holder.
2. Cut tissue paper into small rectangles. (Tip: If you want your child to practice scissor skills, she may be able to help with this step. If you are doing it with a large group, it is best to do this in advance. Another option is to have kids tear off pieces of tissue, but again, it's often best to prepare in advance.) Our pieces of tissue paper were about 2" x 2" I believe, but you can make yours bigger or smaller, depending upon your preference and the ability of your child. (Tip: Don't buy new tissue paper! Just reuse that old stuff that came in gift bags. If you have to buy tissue paper, though, don't spend a lot. You can find it at Dollar Tree and most grocery stores.)
3. Pour a small amount of glue onto the inside circle. Have your child bunch the tissue paper up, dip it into the glue, and the apply it to the paper plate ring. She will keep doing this until it is filled up (or until she gets bored and decides it's finished).
4. Cut two lengths of ribbon (or yarn). Tie one into a bow and use a glue gun to apply it to the front of the wreath. Ours it at the bottom, but you can place it wherever the child wants. Make the second piece of ribbon into a loop and adhere it to the back of the wreath for hanging. (Tip: If you don't have a hot glue gun or you don't want to use it around young kids, you can also use glue dots or a stapler. I wouldn't recommend white glue for this job, though, since it's not really sturdy enough.)
5. Let all glue dry before displaying the wreath.

Since you're here anyway, please check out my review and giveaway, sponsored by Path Publishing! The giveaway goes through Monday, April 28, 2014, which means that you still have plenty of time to enter to win your very own blank book. With lots of options to choose from: recipes, kidisms, gardening, and more, you will definitely find something to make your life a bit easier. Thanks for visiting.

Easter Eggs for the Birds

I found this idea in the the April 2014 issue of FamilyFun magazine (page 36) and it reminded me of the hanging birdseed treats we had made over the winter. The recipe includes the same ingredients, but in slightly different proportions. I had the idea to make these eggs into hanging treats, but the embroidery floss didn't stick in them very well because when we opened the plastic eggs to take the treats out, the embroidery floss came out as well. Not a big deal, though. We just found places to set them and make an Easter egg hunt for our feathered visitors. (I can't help but wonder if this would have worked with the recipe used for the hanging birdseed treats? We may have to try it some other time.)

{An Egg Hunt for the Birds}

Materials:

• 2 packets of unflavored gelatin mix (We used Kroger brand.)
• 1/2 cup hot water (I used boiling water.)
• 2 1/2 cups birdseed
• cooking spray
• 12 plastic Easter eggs

Directions:

1. Dissolve the gelatin in hot water.
2. Mix in the birdseed. (Kids can help measure, pour, and stir.)
3. Spray the insides of plastic Easter eggs well with cooking spray.
4. Spoon the birdseed mixture into the eggs and press down firmly, filling both sides of the eggs. (Kids can do this step.)
5. Snap the eggs shut and let them set overnight. (We placed ours on a cookie sheet and left it in the refrigerator like we did with the cookie cutter birdseed treats mentioned above, but this may not be necessary.)
6. In the morning, remove the birdseed eggs and place outside where you can watch the birds enjoy them. (Kids will love helping with this step!)

{Happy Easter!}

Don't forget to head over to my review and giveaway to win a free blank book from Path Publishing. (One book that you can win is the Kidisms journal, where you can record all the cute and quirky things that the kids have to say.) The giveaway goes through April 28, 2014, so you still have time to enter!