Home-Made Fun

since "Winter" (it has been VERY mild this year... almost keeping us inside seemingly more than it it was snowy) has been keeping us indoors my boys have been getting ancy to run, jump and hop around...
We honestly have TONS of toys.. way more than any two children will ever need... but after a while they need something new... after searching around the house for something "new" to play with I remembered my mom told me how to make "sticky paint"just things laying around the house...
a few tablespoons of clear Karo syrup

and a few drops food coloring...

makes "sticky paint" the paint is fun to touch and to use your hands to paint on the paper. When it dries the pictures are shinny and look neat.

tape is also something we use a lot to create new toys/ activities.... Today was an obstacle course....

Home -made paint and obstacle course... free fun! and Imagination!

-Momma

Real Moments: Riley

Bible time before bed last night I was reading to Riley from a book given to me by my Grandma and Grandpa Heatwole Christmas 1984....
I let him flip through the pages till he see's a picture that interests him and that is how we start... maybe not the most efficient... or the "best practice" BUT I am once again giving him a choice and it works for us.

The picture that caught his eye was a picture of the crucifixion... three almost naked men on a cross... He pointed to Jesus and asked "what's dis?" I explained that it was Jesus on the cross.
He asked again so I explained again.... then I read him the study... in the study it explained that Jesus had his hands and feet nailed to big pieces of wood so he would die. It asked what would it feel like if you were hanging their with nails in your hands. It explained that Jesus was punished for your sins and he died because he loved you. Really really heavy stuff! Riley (2) kept looking at his hands and said "nails in it?" "nails in it" I answered yes and explained that that was not the end of the story and that after 3 days he came back, and he is heaven today and waiting to be in our hearts... again Heavy Heavy stuff!.. he seemed really intent and listened to what I was saying... I asked him if he loved Jesus   he simply said "No I love you"

In our world today we censer everything.. from the politically correct to the violence rating... did I feel like I should do the same with this story? after all he is only 2 years old.... I felt like the honesty of the statements made in the book the story seem.....well.... scary.... did I feel like I needed to change it? yes, did I feel like I wanted to cover their almost naked bodies, and sugar coat the fact that Jesus was tortured and then killed while people watched and laughed.. Yes I did but I couldn't... It was the truth and I don't like to lie to my children... no Santa in this house no way... If I lie to them about a thing like Santa how could I possible tell them the truth about a man who died and rose again... Riley didn't have nightmares... He seemed like the same healthy kid the next day.. We had a real moment... Riley hearing the story... and looking at his own hands.... making the connection...

I Love my little Man!

Yes that is a singing cupcake... Thanks Aunt Christina!!

Valentine's Day: Our Way

Valentine's day is often said to be an "over rated",  "made up" holiday that is only around to force men to buy their wives/ girlfriends expensive gifts...

Source: bluenile.com via Kiersten on Pinterest

Source: zales.com via Kiersten on Pinterest

I would not be opposed to the idea of expensive gifts.. BUT I do feel it is totally unnecessary...
I feel like any chance we have to remind ourselves to tell the others around us how much we love them we should take it... even a silly made up holiday like valentine's day.

Today the Boys and I decorated the play room with hearts... I cut and they ran all over placing them in silly places... like the TV... and the walls...

We made paper valentines to hand out to one another at dinner ( I was gonna have them do it today and hand out tomorrow.... BUT they were too excited) ... Connor wrote his name and the name of the person he was giving it too on the valentine he did a great job!.. BUT he was not too happy about it... it felt like school work he said... home-school? ... hummmmmm I dunno!

Riley's valentine's day cards

Connor's valentine's day cards

Then it was my turn... the way to MY man/ little men heart's is through food.... specifically JUNK FOOD

I decided to bake them a cake... FROM SCRATCH... mostly because we didn't have any cake mix in the house... My little men did help me mix and bake the cake and it was really simple! My grandmother had given me a cook book a bunch of years back, I really like it it has lots of recipes in it that I use from time to time, mostly baking recipes, things from scratch..things I have no idea how to do with out a recipe!!
It was really simple trust me I am no Amy Baker Greer :)

To top it I made some peanut butter frosting and for that recipe I just googled it and I found a great one.

I hope everyone has a great valentines day tomorrow and is able to let the ones around them know they are loved, we never know what life will bring our way, so charrish ever moment no matter how "made up" and "silly".. WE DO!

Here is to Looking Forward!

Winter is not my favorite time of year... I like Christmas... But that's about it...
I also don't really mind the snow.. as long as it comes one day and is gone the next... or there is enough to play in.. I like making forts, going sledding, or having a snowball fight.

Last night I realized that it was still light out at 5:30!! crazy!

I became really excited for summer...
flip flops..
sun dresses...
camp fires...
fresh veggies...
the smell of sun tan lotion...
fresh mowed grass....
the smell of fresh cut hay...
riding bike...
fire flies...
trips to the cabin...
trips to the beach...

... so much to look forward too!!

 Summer evenings...

 spending time with family...

 Trips to Dutch Wonderland....

Playing baseball...

 

 Beach trips...

Spending time together and making memories.. I can't wait!

All the Small Things

Sometimes I get so caught up in stuff that I forget to take time out for the ones I love the most. It is easy to just live life ... how easy it is to forget the small things that make each day special.
Yesterday Riley woke up with a stuffy nose... he came downstairs when Husband was making breakfast and Husband asked if he would like to blow is nose and "blow it out?" Riley did BUT was still stuffy he looked at Husband and said "blow it up" and sniffed super exaggerated to stop is runny nose...How I smiled and laughed when I heard the story, it made my morning!

The boys and I went to pick up a mower for my father- in -law.. at an Amishman's shop... I was greeted with a smile by another Amish customer. After Connor asked why there needed to be a back room and why couldn't they work on the machines where he could see them, I gave him the answer that way they could work with out customers getting in the way. The Amishman smiled and said to Connor we wouldn't want you getting hurt. Riley was walking around he kindly patted him on the head, I was just very impressed with the genuine kindness of this man, It honestly made my afternoon.

At supper I made an old standby: cheeseburger pie (I probably make this too often...) last evening I chose to make french fries as the side dish... Husband complemented me on the dinner he thought that was a great combination. I really appreciated this small gesture.
I want to make the conscious choice to remember the Small things that make life special.. Even though I hear: "my car"  "NO! My car" "Mine" "MINE"... "MOMMMMMMMA!".. I choose to remember the small things...

The People that you Meet When you are Walking Down the Street

The people that you meet when you are walking down the street.. OR in a grocery store...

I met two very "interesting" people today in the grocery store.. both older gentlemen.. somewhere around their 50's... My boys were taking up the entire isle at the store so I asked them to "come touch my cart" to get them close and not out in the middle..then explained to them that they needed to stay close and not take up the entire isle because other people wanted to get through... another guy in the isle said "ahhh a good parent!" then turned to me said "I am so glad to see that there are good parents out there.. take what I am saying as a complement I was an elementary school teacher for 35 years and you are wonderful" I said "thank you very much" and we all continued on our way.. I was feeling quite good about myself and my parenting at this point.. I chose to continue shopping... not that I needed anything else but we were trying out a new discount grocery store and I just wanted to look around...

The boys and I headed down another isle and they squeezed through a shopper and a worker and I said "Connor, Riley you need to stop Momma can't fit through there" I was about to call them back when the customer moved so I could get through, as I passed I said "thank you" My boys and I were headed to another section and the gentleman we just passed poked his head around the isle and said " you could have just asked me to move.. that was not a suggestion!" I was stunned!? ... I checked the faces of my boys they did not even notice him and were excited to try out the freezer section... So of course we did... Should I have said sorry? should I have said excuse me?... I just don't even really know... I don't know what to do or say in situations like that... why do people feel the need to be mean to others? everything nice the first gentleman said I feel like went right out the window and I was the rudest person in the store...

First Snow of the Year

First snow of the year (2012) and the Boys were LOVING it!.. I was woken up to Connor informing Riley that it snowed last night... "look outside Riley... here I'll help you up"... (Riley is a little too short to see out the window in the upstairs hall.. but if he stands on the radiator he can see just fine)

This picture is from the living room I didn't have my camera in bed to capture the boys on the radiator

all Connor could talk about was getting his 4 wheeler out and driving it around in the snow...

I made some breakfast (these boys have really been eating a lot recently... half a dozen eggs today *well that was including Steve and I...  BUT... 2 bowls of oatmeal yesterday plus toast all for Connor...more on that later)... and we all bundled up....

 Riley enjoyed every bit of the snow.. even eating it...

Yum..?

Daddy worked on our sidewalk.. and a few of our neighbors sidewalks as well... WITH the help of our next door neighbors snow blower that she kindly bough "for us"... WELL not actually for us..  She purchased one for herself and since she does not have a garage so she asked if she could keep it in ours... and we would be welcome to use it whenever we wanted... Well sure we said... and so now "we" have a snow blower!..

The boys and I went exploring..took a sled ride out to the "cabin" checked on the mingo's living out there...

We built a fort and had a snow ball fight..

 

the 4 wheeler in the snow didn't work quite as well as Connor had pictured... he got stuck almost immediately...

 Poor Riley his wouldn't go at all....

 

 And of course we had to have some hot chocolate once we were inside...

 I enjoy playing in the snow with the boys.. especially on a Saturday when I have nowhere to go and nothing to do... Its a gift from God, like a now toy to play with, I am once again filled with thanksgiving for all these moments I am able to spend with the boys... making memories...

This picture is not blurred due to any editing... It is just the old glass in my window that made the effect...
~ Momma