First Snowman!!!!

Our snow is usually the dry powdery stuff so when I woke up this morning and saw the huge wet snowflakes coming down I knew what we were going to do this morning. My son has been asking for snow lately anyway so I knew when he saw it we'd be outside right after breakfast!

He had fun rolling and picking up "Frosty's head". "I can do it all by self." was fun to hear right before..."Heavy Mommy! Help with the head! No fall!" So he did it mostly by himself!!!

"Snowman eating rocks Mommy!" Since that's what we used to make the eyes and mouth. We tried to arrange the leaves that stuck in as buttons down the front! Then, he stood back and looked saying "eyes, nose, mouth, arms. I know a hat!"

What frosty is finished without a hat - the first one I found was the one my hubby uses to mow the lawn - it seemed to do the trick.

Then we had fun throwing snowballs and walking around the block. Since there wasn't much snow left in our front yard!

Seeing Ashlee's post the other day about Frosty in her freezer reminded me of something we used to do as kids. We'd put snowballs in the freezer and get them out on the 4th of July. They become more like ice balls in the freezer but it was always fun to play with them while they melted in the summer heat! So we'll be doing that this year too!

Thanks and winner

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday's activity festival! All of your ideas were so creative and since many of you listed a bunch of ideas I'm beginning to think that spring is just around the corner!

Thanks again! And the winner of a can of peaches is....Stephanie from Stop the Ride! Congrats Stephanie and just shoot me an email with your address and I'll get those out to you soon. (Probably not until Monday!)

Winter Activity Festival

Mornings are a bit touch and go depending on the day around here so I thought I'd get this up tonight.

Welcome to the Winter Activity Festival where we can share some of our new or old ideas for winter fun with our kids. We are sharing ideas for winter activities, games, or crafts for any ages. You know, the fun stuff that puts the sunshine back into these bleak days.

You can post on your own blog or leave your idea in the comments whatever you'd like. You also may leave as many ideas as you'd like to. If you post on your blog leave me a link in the comments and I'll update the links at the bottom of the post.

If you do post on your own blog your name will be put a drawing for a chance to win a can of peaches. One of the ones that we picked and then canned. I thought it might be a fun thing to add since today I got my first package in the mail from a fellow blogger and I just loved it! There's something about getting something from someone you've never actually met face-to-face that is really meaningful. Thanks Stephanie (Adventures in Babywearing!!)

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I'm sharing a silly game that my son and I have made up over the last couple of weeks. It's something he likes to call Running High Five. And the title really does sum up the game pretty well, I sit on the floor with my arms out and he runs in circles around me giving high fives on each pass. Yeah, it always works out that I get to play the part of the stump on the floor! It works out well for a tired 11 week prego Mom!

We play with switching directions and counting the number of times he can high five in a row. He laughs most of the time and it usually ends up becoming a game of Mommy trying to catch and tickle him. He will ask to do this multiple times a day now and it will last for about 20 minutes or so with some hugs here and there for breathers. I've found that it gets out some of that - little boy pent up energy - quite nicely and ends up being great bonding time for us as well.

Can't wait to see what activities you have to share!

"Children think not of what is past, nor what is to come, but enjoy the present time, which few of us do." Jean de La Bruyere

5 minutes for Mom
Owlhaven
Life With All Boys
Stop the Ride
The FlipFlop Mamma
Baseballs and Bows

Party stuff!

This sounds like too much fun to pass up so I'll be partying with Janice and Susan at 5 Minutes for Mom along with all of you. I'm looking forward to finding even more blogs to read..LOL! It's seriously so much finding a connection with all these other Moms (And Dads) out here in blogdom!

And if you didn't make it to the end of my rather long winded post the other day I'd love it if you'd like to play along with me in sharing a winter activity at my Winter Activity Festival on Tuesday the 23rd! We are sharing ideas for winter activities, games, or crafts. Fun stuff that you do with the kids indoors during these long cold days. You can post on your own blog or leave your idea in the comments whatever you want. Of course if you post on your own blog I'll put a link in the post to yours.

Don't worry I'm not delusional thinking I'm going to get a million of these I know I don't have that many readers! My goal is for 10 since there will be about 9 weeks left of winter and that would be one new activity a week until spring, plus one extra. Hope you want to come play too!

Time Well Spent

Awhile ago my very good friend sent me this wonderful link which by the way just made me teary reading it again for at least the 4th time! If you have a few minutes to read this link I promise it's worth your time.

I just love this perspective. I am just as guilty as the next Mom (more so even) of trying to find something to occupy my son (Mr. Roger's Neighborhood) while I fix dinner quickly - even though he loves to help me. I do feel that I spend a lot of time with my 2 year old son but I also find time to justify why there’s not as much quality in that time.

Along with simplifying life around the Butterfly home I am putting an effort forth to spend even more quality time with my son. After all in about 30 weeks (can we hope for 28.5!) he's not going to be getting all of Mommy's attention anymore. Why not lather it on now!

In these early years of my son’s life I’ve wanted to give him everything that he needs to succeed in life. If only I can realize and really bring into the forefront of my parenting the extent to which we (his parents) are absolutely everything he needs.

Today as I was starting this post and doing some reading, a post at Overwhelmed With Joy said pretty much exactly what I was trying to say. Finding ways to spend time with my child that builds up our relationship not necessarily involving toys. (Even though plenty of our quality time involves throwing, catching, rolling, counting, bouncing, swatting, kicking or grabbing at a ball.) Since Owerwhelmed's post asked for things we do with our kids I'm going to list a few - even though most will probably be duplicates of hers.

We do tons of reading around here usually before nap time was lost again during a quiet time in the afternoon and before bed. Some days we may fit some books in other places as well.

We visit the library often for their music and movement class. It's typical for us to leave with about five books (so Mommy can keep track) but lately one of them has to be the Berenstain Bears.

We listen to all different types of music. We dance together and get silly! We'll also play on the piano (he does this most with my hubby) or we'll play the harmonica together or shake rattles to the music. We've also been known to make a trumpet out of a paper towel roll and drums out of many things but chopsticks are his favorite drumsticks. (Sorry, I guess this one used toys but I think music is important.)

We do some fun yoga poses together. Mostly the animal poses: lion, the dogs, cat, cow, etc. It's fun for him to add the sounds to each pose for some added silliness!

We go out and check the mail after walking around the block. Listening for dogs barking, looking at geese flying over, and waiting patiently for tulips to be blooming!!!

I think I'll stop here and ask if anyone would be interested in playing along with me say next Tuesday January 23, 2007. I would love to set up a Mr. Linky (if I can) or just link to everyone who leaves comments. We can all share a post about a fun winter activity or craft. It can be anything you do during the many indoor hours this time of year for any and all ages. I know we can't be the only ones who go stir crazy so I thought it might be worth it to swap ideas. Then we'll have a new arsenal for the last couple months of winter! And for those of you who are frozen solid I hope you get a thaw soon!!!

I hope you’ll come back on Tuesday and join in for a Winter Activity Festival!