Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Puzzles to Vomit in 30 minutes...

It started out just fine.  Ella wanted to snuggle so I held her while Maddie worked on her puzzle.  It was a lovely time.  Then I looked down and realized Ella was fast asleep....poor thing.  Tired girl, huh.  She wasn't really feeling well so I layed her down.  Meanwhile I got Maddie her lunch. 

She didn't want it.
Today she doesn't like cantaloupe.
I wouldn't take it off her plate.
She was mad.
Piffle.
So then I hear Ella crying in her room.  She woke up coughing and as I picked her up to bring her out to the living room....she blows.
Vomit all over me.
Great.
So I clean us both up and taught her the benefits of vomiting into the toilet.  Then I sat her at the table to make some toast.  I also taught her the benefits of being prepared while you're sick.
My name is Ella and I make 103.1 look good.
One piece of toast, 1 tsp. Ibuprofen, and 1/2 tsp Benedryl and she was feeling better....

And after my thorough shower and one recipe of black beans and rice later...I was feeling much better.
Not too shabby. 

Monday, March 28, 2011

Wishing spring would return...

Tim didn't understand why I thought this picture was so brilliant.  He's clearly having a thought here.  Anyway.
We went to feed the ducks the other day before the cold snap happened...again.
Maddie was our brave girl.  She started feeding them by hand without us telling her to...she was fearless.  The others?...not so much.  But they had fun.
We had a fun spring break, I just wish the weather would have cooperated a little more.  Too many cloudy and cold days.

He's funny too.
There's a YouTube video that these guys make me think of....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ElcsvdMgaM&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP0663F5654A7B6C91
Then the other day we had sewing time.  Ella looked through ALL of my fabric.  Unfolded it all and stacked it.  I got a lot of sewing done, but for a price.
Started the quilt during the blizzard, but I guarantee I won't finish it until the temps are in the 90's at least.  At least I have realistic expectations....

Time for the second drawer to be emptied.  Must leave no fabric untouched...

Monday, March 21, 2011

Outside.


We spent all day outside yesterday.  My girls were both in their sundresses and naked toes.

Perfect.

Payton was having his Nana/Papa time, so I didn't get any pics of him, but I'm sure he was doing the same thing....
minus the sundress.


We started the day with breakfast on the porch.  Ella had her bag of "thingses."  Can't go anywhere without our neccessary bag of random crap.
















Our morning cups of Joe.  An Ella cup and a Reiter cup.
That evening was the front porch Olympics.  Maddie pretty much jumped right on top of me for this shot.





A great evening.  Today I have so many ideas for crafts....we'll see if it actually happens.  If only the universe would comply with my head.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Study time and Play-Doh

This weekend I started studying (again) for my nursing entrance exam. 

And since I won't/can't put the kids on a shelf while I study, they got to have Play-Doh time.


They dressed themselves....
Ella did good other than refusing to take her pajama shirt off.

Maddie's outfit was my favorite. 
She likes color.

Payt stuck with his Thomas Train footie-jammies.
Real men wear Thomas Train fuzzy blue jammies.
Represent.

I actually got a lot of studying done, alongside the requests to shove Play-Doh here and open that container, and where's that tool....
Times like these make me really believe I'm going to pull this off.
Fingers crossed!
Then we made fresh bread. 
My sister's kids ALWAYS ask her for fresh bread and that's a great thing for them to learn!
Just look at those loaves!
Nothing like the smell of fresh bread to cover the wet diaper, dirty laundry funk.
Random post huh?

Thursday, March 10, 2011

A box of diapers, or one step closer to Broadway?

So I found a great website for crafts you can do with cardboard boxes.  (Yea it would be courteous to reveal that website now, but I'm tired and don't remember that info right now.  Bad blogger, I know.)

Anyway, we seem to get these boxes every couple weeks so now I have a plan for it...and all you really need is a plan right?




As in the SNL skit..."Cut a hole in the box..."

If you know that song by Justin Timberlake, you understand why the rest of the song isn't appropriate for this particular craft.  Funny.  But inappropriate.








And then turn them loose with the paint.  I love a craft that takes time.  The painting kept them busy for over an hour.  That's golden.












So after the box was thoroughly covered in paint, we let the project sit for a week or so and finally finished it today.

It was a perfect hunker down in the basement kind of morning and the girls played fabric while I finished the stage.
Maddie played in this one spot for an hour...stack the fabric, talk about it, move it, and stack it somewhere else. 


Ella made me beyond proud when she turned Payton's ratchet into a rotary cutter.  (sniff, sniff)  That's beautiful stuff right there.

Finally the stage was done.  An ordinary, throw-away diaper box now transformed into a top-of-the-line theater for all my kids' shenanigans.
So let the shenanigans begin.

Begin...

No seriously....begin. 

Yea the girls had no idea what the hell it was, so after a brief Cinderella demo, they sorta understood and started playing with it. 

Why hello Rapunzel....
Okay so it's not so much a stage anymore as a window, or building, or...whatever.  The point is they're playing with a dang box and they're happy.  And should they destroy it in 48 hours (which is so entirely possible) then I'll have another box to work with next week. 

Done.