Winter Wednesday

  Last week the weatherman warned a Nor Easter was coming.  It later would be called a blizzard but being from NY I'm going to refrain from calling it that.  We got some snow.  Inches and inches of it.  It covered the grass, the trees and cars.  It shut down roads, businesses and schools.

  Here's the pros and cons of the storm!

Pros:
Everything stops and shuts down.
Your kids are home from school for daysssss.

Cons:
Everything stops and shuts down.
Your kids are home from school for daysssss.

  It's funny because I came from snow and we kept pushing forward but NY is experienced.  More equipped.  Fully prepared with sand and plows!  I get that.  VA is doing the best that they can wit what they have when it snows.

We bundled up as best we could because it was cold!!!

Outside play is the quickest in 20°! 

Snowballs were assembled and battles were had.

Snow angels check!

Even walks around the block for some fresh air.

Snow play is complete when you can make a snowman!

Our winter is complete!  The thing left that we would love to do is ski, sled, and tube.  All that requires a hill which are very limited in my area.  I hope a road trip is in our future before winter is over.  Oh and ice skating to round it all out!

We have done a lot in the house to make up for those bored blues!  Games, crafts and cocoa makes the world a happier place! 

How are you in enjoying your winter or whatever season your in?  It's all about making the most of what you have.

Crafty Turkeys

  As the day is slowly approaching I decided it was time to make the bird.  Of course I have two eager artists but add some paint

and those eager kids are ecstatic!

They love to make art with their hands.
The paint tickles them and they think it's hilarious.

The result of two painted hands is two painted turkeys.

 The only thing needed for this craft is: paper
different color paint
a paint brush
A pair of hands
I then used a crayon to add legs and a beak and goggley eyes!

Gobble, gobble.

Now grab those kids hands and make a turkey keepsake! 

#nablopomo 

23 of 25 Days of Elf antics

  Well it has been quiet with a bunch of good days with Elf but I guess all good things must come to an end.  Elf was left unattended again.  I take that back he is always left unattended we as humans have to sleep.  So I think he is onto us. He knows when we are sleeping (he knows when your awake).  Oh wait that's someone else.

Look at what Elf gave us today!

  Even if I thought it was someone else playing a trick on someone else in the house.  Elf always seems to be in the area.  Lurking if you may.  I think to listen in on our reactions or maybe to see our facial expressions when we see what he has left us.

  Well you got us today, Elf.  I'm glad we didn't have any middle of the night runs.  This joke may not have been funny to someone trying to make a quick pit stop.

  The days are numbered with our Elf.  He should go out with a bang.  I wonder what will happen.  Also I have seen plenty of parties for elves coming and going.  I think it only fair to send our Elf off with a going away bash.  After all he has brightened this home into what it has become!

11 Days of Elf

  You know Elf is not a bad person.  If we were keeping track there has been more good days then bad.  I think we will keep him.  Today he was having fun when we stumbled across him.

  All the toys were in the middle of playing. Guess last night was game night for the toys.

Hungry hippos looked pretty intense! I'm glad Elmo and Lalaloopsy kept it down.  That is not the sound I want to wake up to.

  A nice quiet game of jump rope between a girl and her horse.

Everyone likes a game of UNO! I wonder who won?

   

Lastly was a game of bowling in my kitchen.  

It's nice to see everyone getting along.  It also was a welcoming way to wake up.   My kids immediately jumped into play action when they saw everything.   Got to love hungry hippo at 0700!  

Thanks for joining us this year Elf.  You have stirred up enthusiasm, fun and added excitement into our day.

Thanks Elf Day 10

  Good things come to those who wait!  It almost surprises me to see what elf has come up with to start the day.  Sometimes it happens before my very eyes.

  I do have to tell you sometimes Elf is hiding on me and that is a chore to go find him.  He may go missing as soon as he is discovered after his antics or just during the day; he seems to drift or be transplanted without me knowing anything about it.  So I walk around looking for him.  Sometimes the kids switch places with him so that the toys being picked on can get their revenge other times he seems to be put in time out due to his actions at the present time.

  Today was different.  My kids easily forgive and forget.  The kids woke up to a good Elf and that is more acceptable to them.

He made stairs out of legos and was climbing up the tree with our tree topper.  Apparently our Elf was going to put the star on the tree! 

Thank you, elf that was very nice and thoughtful of you!  We have yet to put our ornaments up so you putting the star up is a great start! 

  It was pretty smart of you to assemble your own stairs to climb up there. It must have been pretty hard to get those pieces to stick together.  I know when I have tried to make steps past 4 they always fall apart.

You have started out a great day for us Elf and we needed that.  Today will be a good day for everyone here, I'm sure.  Happy Holidays to you!

Date 22

  Good morning!  Another date with your kids today! Are you excited?  Did you have fun yesterday?  I know that my kids act differently when they are separated as well.  I have less problems, I hear less yelling and I ultimately have less stress.  So when I can hang out with just one it is a little fun.  Boy only children have it made.

  Today it is another date outside!  Whether it's raining, snowing or a bright sunshine day.  Kids love to go outside.  Take a trip to the park.  Not the kind with slides and swings.  This time you and little one are going to walk and explore.  Make a scavenger hunt. I have a few pinned on pinterest.  Walk around a lake or just take a short trail through the woods.

  Today's date is just providing you with an option to spend some quiet quality time with each other. I don't mean quiet as in don't talk; I just mean quiet as in focused undivided attention without the squeals going down a slide.  My two younger kids like going for walks at the park a whole lot more than my older two.  They like to see the squirrels running, a turtle in the water, count bridges on our path or just all the fresh air they are getting.

  So there you go! Go on out and have some fresh air fun.  If you have more than one child maybe spend a half hour with each of them.  It's nice to see their personality without the others around.  I like to listen to them as the describe something to me.  It's so much easier to focus on them individually.  I know they like it too.

Holidays in the air

  What type of cookies are planned for you this year?

  I personally don't know quite yet.  I just kind of decided today we are making cookies and dig out recipes!

  Do you always make the same cookies each year?

  I make a few cookies from my childhood like gingerbread, anise cookies and pressed cookies but also try to make a few different and new to us ones!

  Do you me cookies solo or do you cook with your mom, grandma, children or siblings?

  Sometimes I make cookies by myself and let my older kids make some independently!


  Tis the season to get baking!  I would love some new recipes. Easy or slightly complex.  I get Betty Crocker's 25 days of cookies sent to my email but I don't think I can handle having that many cookies around in my house.

  I would love to hear your cookie stories feel free to post pictures or recipes!

This Post Does Not Contain Coffee

 Wordless Wednesday..... my post with less words and more pictures reflects a day out with my daughter.  We were picking up a treat, having fun and using math!

  Mommy had has found a new guilty pleasure.  You all already know about my love of pumpkin, but I also love the price of saving.  Wawa I have decided is the best spot to grab my liquid pumpkin.  Best price thrown into the mix makes it the pit stop when we run errands.

 Baby girl is choosing hot chocolate today.  Normally her drink of choice is chocolate milk but she likes to change it up.

 Wawa has all these shakers to top off your drink how fun is that?  Ahh, more marshmallows please!

 You want it you buy it.  Exact change only because when you indulge you stay on top of promos right down to the tax.

Thank you and have a nice day because now with some warm chocolate in my tummy this is the best day ever!

Thank you for reading!

Check out wawa the next time it's not just about the gas! They have a huge variety of food selections as well as a hot to go made to order section.

Fall bucketlist

  We have already done alot this month and it's only just begun.  I have assembled items I would like to accomplish for fall.  This will be easier than breaking things down monthly.  I look at various sites for daily,weekly and monthly activities and events so those will get added at the bottom. My list is comprised of things for me to do as well as my kids or as a family.

Fall Bucket list
1. Apple picking -DONE
2. Cider and donut eating (we already did at the orchard but that was one donut and a small bit of cider)
3. Check out some changing leaves (leaves do not change here as pretty as there are when I drive away from the area)
4. Carve pumpkins
5. Attend the lighthousechallenge in NJ (next weekend fingers crossed I haven't made overnight accommodations)
6. Leaf crafts with my kids
7. Sewing project (beanie)
8. Shopping (score thrift store deals) Let's shoot for 2! Hoping I can reuse as gifts or repurpose.
9. Which brings me to be on the look out for Christmas presents.
10.  Finish my pumpkin challenge 30 days (not all homemade but let's focus on eating the pumpkin, lol)
11. New face! I have been wearing makeup, watching tutorials of different styles, techniques and products and hope to break into that area as well.  So far I have applied daily and am up to day 6! Pictures are on  my instagram.
12. I would like my daughter to know her money and time
13. Take a nature walk and scavenger hunt with my little ones.
14. A nice toasty night out with a fireplace would be nice ( might not happen as I like heat and my husband doesn't)
15. 1 new recipe a week (let's make it more complicated I have been doing this pumpkin challenge and all those recipes are new to me but how about 7 new vegetarian meals.  That will get me through Nov.)

Ok, I feel more fulfilled having wrote down some ideas.  Now to remember them and take the time to complete them.

Follow along as I will post updates when I have completed them and share with you how I am coming along.

Special Day Number 5

  So today I had my third daughter!  She turns 5 today and so I am guaranteed a very entertaining day.  My little ones are a lively bunch and not very self focused.  She put in a few requests to make her day extra special but I think this day just being hers makes her feel extra nice inside.

  She started her day with balloons and a new oufit.  Tradition with her also involves a tiara.  I allow this as a specialty for birthdays.  She loves it my older children not so much.  If we are not a princess atleast on our birthday then when else could we be?

  Yesterday we talked about cakes.  I thought I had swore off asking cake requests but I still asked her. She wanted a pink cake, a strawberry cake with blue frosting, and her name written in purple with a cherry on top. I don't know what the deal was with the cherry but, I can pull that off.   Then I got an idea what cake was in my cupboard versus homemade and although I didn't have blue I had some with sprinkles in it!  Bonus I would let her make the cake.

  She loved that idea. She read the ingredients needed and got them all out and ready, the temperature the oven needed to be set on, picked the pan and sprayed it.

 We sprayed the pan over the sink as we have tried many different ways and this way all the residual spray hits the sink not the floor and everywhere else. I also held the pan and spun it around as she sprayed that worked out pretty good.

 The mix needed 1 cup of water.  She noted the line where the 1 was and knew the water had to meet that line.  She poured out a little at a time to get the right measurement.

 She broke the eggs (separate bowl just like I was taught) and didn't get any on her fingers and didn't drop any shells!

 She poured her eggs one at a time into the main bowl which probably helped minimize any disasters too.

We needed this much oil.  So her job was to tell me to stop pouring when we hit the right measurements.  She did a great job.

 I cut the bag of cake mix and she dumped it in.  She loved to see the colorful sprinkles in there and couldn't wait till her cake was finished.

                     Stir the mix the cake batter.

 Stir some more and using two hands I guess to make sure you got everything.

Last step pouring the cake batter into the pan then it's oven time.  She was holding the bowl with two hands then I asked her to hold the pan with one.  I think it was an odd adjustment for her but with practice she will get used to it.

 We know had already set the temperature on the oven now we need to take note of the pan we are using and the cooking time.  37- 41 minutes.

 She needs to push the timer on and push to the right time.

 Almost there. 3-7 is what I need.

3-7 there it is! Now to wait for this cake to cook.    Good thing it's her birthday she didn't even ask how much longer as she was watching cartoons during it.

The cake is done now we just need to let it cool and then we will frost it and decorate it.
  I won't forget the cherry on top!

Camping

  A few weeks ago my family went camping.  We choose a Jellystone theme camping resort.

 I had went to them as a child and we have previously took the kids to one before.  It's an all around good time for families.  The whole environment is centered around family and fun.

  For this camp ground we drove a few hours away.  To Natural Bridge area we went on the other side of Virginia. Nothing like getting the whole camping experience with a drive and nothing but mountains and wilderness around you.  I took note of how flat the area is that we come from and appreciated the views we saw on the way.

  We pitched our tent quickly as my husband had arranged a tube ride for a child and myself.  He thought I would do better with my youngest daughter so off we went.  On a 4 mile tube ride down the James River that took me 3 hours roped to my daughters tube.  On our adventure we had catergory 1 rapids (that was enough), turtles, birds, ducks, geese and bugs.  Those were what I was lucky enough to see.  Let's not discuss what was in the water unnoticeable.

I didn't take my phone for pictures for fear It would get dropped, lost or wet.  So the only pictures I have are of when my husband went the next day with the other girls.  I managed to stay dry and noone flipped but I did sustain an injury at the end of the ride when I was trying to get out.  This was not my favorite thing to do but can not mark it off my bucket list for sure.

  We spent our days being the classic camper.  We made a campfire.  Roasted  hamburgers and hotdogs.  Even made some popcorn.

 The kids jumped on the bouncing pillow,

swam in the pool.  They had crafts daily, and of course meet and greet with the infamous bears.

 The adults were not ignored this week we were provided with a bluegrass band, BBQ cookoff and an ice cream social along with the kids!

    Everyone had a great time and we actually can't wait to go again.  Nothing bad to say about this campground.  All the staff that we ran into over the weekend we're very friendly and helpful to us.  Speaking to us or the children.  Inquiring if we were enjoying ourselves and directing us to any upcoming activities.  What little areas of trouble we had were quickly fixed.

Thank you Yogi, Boo Boo, Cindy and staff we will see you guys again!  Thank you for helping us create some great memories.

Check out this campground here:http://www.campnbr.com/