Magnetic Tree Frogs

Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart. ~Russell Page

Ah yes, now this week is my kind of weather!  And it must be great for the tree frogs as well because it's this time of year that we see an influx of them attached to our windows.  Just yesterday the boys and I were watching one of the cute little fellas leave us a present as he was suction cupped to our back door, so I decided to put a magnet Science idea to use that I came across a few weeks ago. 

We talked about magnets and tested out what was 'magnetic' and was wasn't.  Then we made our own special 'Magnetic Tree Frog'

Paint a small paper plate green

Add spots if you'd like; hole punchers work great for small circles too

Our next step was to clean up the almost 100 cut holes that fell to the floor because it was hard for them to stop at just a few; saving them to use for other projects of course :)

Add the eyes and legs and you have a great little tree frog.  You can add a second plate stapled to the bottom and paint blue and add orange/red hands to complete the tropical tree frog look, but my boys just wanted red toes, have fun and make it your own!

I then hot glued a piece of magnet to end of a pipe cleaner.  I just cut some pieces from those free magnets you get on the front of telephone books, nothing fancy.  Then hot glue the other end of the pipe cleaner to the inside of the top plate.

My little guys were occupied for a while collecting flies for the frogs... paperclips :)

These would even be a great game to use at a birthday party to see which frog could catch the most flies!

Pre-K 4's for Gavin today!

Now it's Gavin's turn for Pre-K to start!  So proud of my big 4yr old!  No tears for anyone today, including me! 

Someone was raring to go this morning!  So much for my shy little guy!

Drop off couldn't have gone smoother today!  Both were super excited and eager to get going with their class!



I couldn't say the same so I made sure to keep busy while they were gone- doing laundry, paying bills, making phone calls I otherwise couldn't with my 2 loud speakers that are usually in the background.  I thought had done it, gone a couple of hours without both of them on my heals and my heart wasn't aching... that is until I stopped at the post office and the teller asked, 'No kids today?'  That was all I needed to hear, I missed them now... bad, standing there all by myself, not playing I Spy games while we wait in line, or having them to help ring the bell at the counter.  I actually felt guilty they weren't with me. 

Thankfully it was my last stop and I only had 15minutes of that feeling until I had to pick the 1st one up from school.  That was a test for sure, and I know now I have to keep busy, and to avoid places with familiar faces for the next week, like the Bank too, that might do me in if they offer a lollipop and no kids are there to receive one! 

But of course it's always worse for Mom than it is for the kids, their smiling faces and glorious stories of new experiences and friends always make growing-up a wonderful thing!  I can only savor these days and try not to look ahead to the future school and college yrs too much, it's a learning experience for me too and I'm glad we're all in it together!



Carter's Big Day!

Wednesday was a big day for Carter... his 1st day at preschool! He was so excited the day before and morning of and even a great sport about wearing the new uniform! I could see a little nerves were mixed into his smile in the morning, this was a new adventure and I'm sure he didn't know what to expect. But in the back of his little mind he had to know that it would be a fun because everyday Gavin went to school last year Carter kept saying he wanted it to be his turn, well, now it is!

As soon as he went into the school he greeted his teachers with arms extended for a big hug, told them 'Good Morning' like telling a good friend you hadn't seen in a while, and then stood in line and gave me one of the biggest smiles... he was soooo ready for this!


He was a pro at staying in line, singing their 'wheels on the bus' song they sang on their way to the classroom and even blowing a kiss to Jesus when they passed the cross in the hallway. I saw such a big guy walking away from me that day, it made me cry just like seeing Gavin on his 1st day, but this time it was for all different reasons. Gavin cried and they had to carry him or help hold his hand the 1st week of school until he knew the routine, where Carter was ready and willing and couldn't wait from day 1.

Such a proud little guy!

As with Gavin I had a freebie book bag from my Mother-in-Law that I was going to use for Carter but had to at least spruce up something. Carter also chose a 'cookie doggie' to put on his name label inside his bag.

And being our second yr at this wonderful school and having the same wonderful teachers I just had to give them a 1st day of school gift. I saw this saying somewhere and after jotting it down on Word and adding a photo clip, opted to have Carter help me make it for his teachers.

I also had a template for a mini popcorn box I printed out and had Carter help me color two. Then after taping up the seams, tying on the notes, and adding some mini cookies, there was a great little gift they were sure to enjoy!

If I had more time I would have made the cookies myself but I did have some refrigerated cookies on hand that I got for less than a dollar, boy I love utilizing coupons and Safeway sales together, we've spent tons less on so much this year! And I found if you cut the little circles into 4's and baked them for a shorter amount of time that they made the perfect size cookies for the little holder.

Now we'll see what's in-store for Gavin after Labor Day with his new school! All this fun excitement all over again...I can't wait!!!

School's on the horizon

Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans. ~Marcelene Cox



We've been playing school this week in preparation of Carter's 1st time at preschool next week so I had to post some shots of the kiddos in action; and now that I look back I'm glad I got a picture of them in their pj's and rain boots the other day, I didn't realize at the time how cute they were!


I had divided our paper into 4's and got them trying to paint different patterns in each square. They were excellent listeners and really did imitate what I showed them; love that the fridge is now my teaching board!

Oh, the concentration they both had!

On the lines of painting and drawing, this is Carter's picture he drew all by himself last week, of course I helped him with his name, it' a rock monster from the Vegietales movie :)

They were even taking turns being a teacher, teaching each other letters and numbers all on their own after we reviewed some flash cards

We ended the week with a trip to Target to get the list of school supplies needed for Carter's classroom and came across a neat ice cube tray. The bottom of each cube has a silicone spot so you can push out the cube, ingenious! I decided to try out juice pops 1st just to see if it indeed was easy to pop out.

Love the tip of covering the tray with plastic wrap so the toothpicks stand straight, wish my Mom and I knew this when I was younger and making our own frozen treats :)

They came right out!

It worked great! Can't wait to try our using it as a mold to make candies next! Next it's off to get Gavin ready for when his preschool starts after Labor Day! They are so excited to make new friends, and I have say I'm excited about the same, it's always great to connect with other parents, meet at parks for the kids to play after school, and know there are life long relationships being built!

So grateful I can be home to enjoy all of these precious times! One day they'll be a distant memory but right now they're so much fun to partake in!

Blueberry Betty

It started with the purchase of a blueberry bush last week, then a great Safeway sale this week- 2 lbs of blueberries for $5, and then an online search for a new blueberry recipe to try out.

I came across many torte's, pies and jams but the recipe title 'Blueberry Betty' caught my attention, mainly because Betty was my Grandmother's name on my Father's side. Now granted as I sit here and think about it, I never thought of her when I saw 'Betty Crocker' or 'Brown Betty' recipes so I don't know why it stood out but it did so I had to make it.

If she were still here I would have loved to ask her if she ever had people call her Betty Crocker or if she tried any Brown Betty recipes since they indeed titled her name, but alas, she met the Lord a few years ago, but I'm sure she would have loved to try out this recipe!


*I didn't have leftover french toast so I opted to alter the recipe and it still turned out great! I dipped the bread in french toast batter (mine includes: eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar & cinnamon), layed bread on top of cooked blueberries, poured remaining batter over layers, and still sprinkled with powdered sugar and nutmeg.


Blueberry Betty


This uses leftover French toast. Make your French toast with challah for a special dish.

• 3 cups blueberries
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• French toast
• Powdered sugar
• Grated nutmeg (freshly grated is best!)

Method

Cook blueberries, sugar, salt and lemon juice for 10 minutes.

Pour into shallow baking dish and arrange slices of French toast on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and nutmeg.

Bake in preheated 425°F oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with cream if desired.

Serves 6.



I'm sure next time I'll defiantly use the recommended challah bread- that stuff makes anything taste good! But this go-round was pretty darn good, Big Grandma would defiantly approve!

Reusable lunchware

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~Emma Goldman



Ah... it's finally summer, no full calender of pre-school activities or homework to worry about... so what am I doing thinking of the Fall already?!?!

I think it has to do with me always being extra prepared with everything I do, especially when it comes to the kids. The day before the infant doctors appts. I had the bags packed with all we'd need so there was no rushing the morning of, months before the birthday parties I already knew what theme to decorate with and most of the time already purchased the essentials, and always try to be ahead of what's on the calendar and make it fun for everyone instead of rushing and forgetting things.

But I think enrolling the boys in a summer camp didn't help either! Pre-school is half day, no need to worry about packing a lunch b/c we get to fix one together so when we get home we can talk about what exciting new things happened during the day. But in signing them up for something only 3 days in June and July to keep the idea of a routine in the back of their minds, their day is a little longer and they have to bring a lunch. Yay! But totally bummed I wasn't able to pre-search for cute lunch boxes for them to bring :) Bagged lunch will probably work out better in the long run, from experience working with little ones I can't expect a 3 and 4yr old to remember to bring home lids to containers!


But it did get me searching info for when Gavin goes into Kindergarten next Fall, yay... more pre-planning!!!

I've always loved the Pottery Barn Kids line, anything from there is great quality and super cute!

And a few yrs ago I saw in their catalog the Spencer Bento Box, awesome for kids portions and not having baggies to buy!

I have a feeling their first lunch box won't be the metal one that I grew up with but a more eco-friendly style that will last longer and won't dent or rust :)

So that got me looking into what is out there for lunches and thought I'd post a few things I found to be really neat!

Reuseit.com has some great stuff like these sandwich bags to replace a ziplock baggie that sits in the landfills for yrs!

These are great for little ones too so they know what's inside each bag. I wish I had the mystery one when I was little, I loved the excitement of opening my lunch to see what Mom packed me that day!

Then there are these SUPER-CUTE lunchies from Skip-Hop! They have a fox lunchbox, really??? Where were they when I was a kid!!!!

Now that preschool is in the picture for both boys this Fall I am so excited to see what new themes will come out for all the school supplies!

Lemon Tree

I was so excited when I purchased my Meyer Lemon tree a few months ago from a local nursery! I bought it a new gorgeous pot and reminisced about picking citrus in Florida with my Grandparents when they lived down there and couldn't wait to pick my own and make good use out of it! That is until a few weeks ago...

One word... squirrels.


The tree had so many little lemons, green and looking more like limes at the time, but tiny capsules of liquid gold to me. But unfortunately it just happens that un-ripe lemons look and kind of smell like un-ripe walnuts, who'da thought? Needless to say I saw some squirrels on the back porch one morning playing kickball with 2 of them and they must have plucked and played basketball with at least 6 more because I saw them scattered all over the property.



I'm sure one bite and they weren't interested, but to pluck them... I was devastated. There goes our homemade summer lemonade and lemon tarts I was so syked about. But those pesky little creatures did leave me one. So I'm nurturing it like I grew it from a seedling and am almost at the point of putting it on display instead of cutting into it when it is ripe because of all the time and money put into protecting the little guy (though I haven't named him yet, guess that's a good sign).

(Hubby's quick fix solution for the tree)


This week I did see more blooms and as of yesterday there are 4 more on the way! Though I have to mention that the seedlings inside the bloom are extremely fragile! I brushed up against them when there were still blooms and knocked the second from the left completely out of the the middle of the flower! The flowers reminds me of honeysuckle when it grows, though DO NOT touch, pick or possibly even blow too hard on the long stems in the middle of the flower when they're growing, they're attached to the base of the lemon and eventually fall off when the baby lemon is a little more established. Found this out the hard way :)

Here's a tidbit of history and cultivating if anyone's interested.



The Meyer Lemon is the most popular of all the citrus. In 1908, Mr. Meyer imported the first Meyer Lemon tree from China, where it is grown as a dooryard tree. Meyer Lemon is compact enough even for urban balconies and limited-space gardens. This lemon tree will begin bearing large, juicy, thick-skinned fruit at an early age! Without any fruit, this evergreen would be attractive enough to grow as an ornamental. The leaves are lush and glossy, the small white flowers often bloom indoors in late winter, just when the house needs some color and scent. The flowers are intensely fragrant, and the tree has a habit that is upright and well-branched. Depending on the size of the container and pruning you give it, this tree could reach 8 feet high and 10 feet wide, but can also be kept smaller. Container size is very important. Choose a container that is ample for the tree. A 10-15 gallon container will allow for a 10-feet-tall tree under perfect conditions. Under average conditions, a tree can reach 7-8 feet in a pot this size.