Recycled Catch

An evening a couple of weeks ago, as has often happend this Summer, we were all playing outside. My son had his baseball in one hand and a dirty water jug missing a bottom in the other. I could see his brain working, the bottomless jug had become a funnel for the sand box last summer and lived there ever since.

Watching his face as he put the wiffel ball into the open end and then threw the unit up toward the sky as if he knew this dirty plastic had a bigger purpose. Then he caught the ball safe, back in its sand caked trap. After awhile, he came over to me and making sure he had my full attention explained that some changes would make it work better.

You know what, he was right! He took his finger and showed me where there needed to be a difference in the shape of the bottle, it needed to angle down on both sides and scoop down in the front. He actually supervised my use of the scissors as I snipped the old dusty plastic saying, "Yup, that's good, that's good."

After seeing how much fun he was having with it he encouraged me to make three more (all just as supervised) so we all could play together. And you know what, we do! The best part about it is that he figured out what he wanted for a new game and how to make it for FREE!! Both resourcefuI and creative now that's my boy. Yeah, he gets it from his dad mostly but still... ;-)

Laundry Happens!

Art is created!

This morning my son and I were playing Candyland when my husband walked in with the piano tuner. It was a very long game for some reason and after a few minutes I suddenly felt very grateful to have this moment with my son to talk about colors.

Our piano tuner is blind - born that way- so it was one of those smack me across the face moments that he never got to do that with his Mom. He's in his 70's now so I think he's made it just fine, I'm not pitying him he's told us much about his life and he is a wonderful man. It all just seemed so ironic, my son and I sitting chatting about colors and he in the other room chuckling when my son said NO when I asked if he wanted to help me fold laundry as we cleaned up.

When he was finished he and Adam engaged in some small talk about the piano, its smooth finish etc. and I hear Adam say, "it's also a really nice warm burgundy, sort of a cherry, color." And the tuner said, "huh, it's not a black one."

How on earth would you describe color to someone who had never seen it?

Pick Up the Checkers!

I'm on the move!!!

Let's go fishing!

When we were in Las Vegas this summer visiting my Mom in law we went to the FAO Schwartz store in Caesars Palace. There I saw this fishing game and knew my son would love it. He pretends strings, ropes even my hubby's cell phone ear piece are fishing lines but I couldn't justify the 20 something dollars for a bunch of cardboard fish and things that I knew my boy would fold and crumple. Plus when I showed it to my hubby and his response was "Oh, we can make that so much better."

So one of my last nesting projects 6 and a half weeks ago was making this fishing game for my son. I found a small tupperware bin at a local thrift store and decoupaged the inside with strips of light blue tissue paper. The bin is large enough to store all the pieces and to play by fishing the pieces out of it. I had Adam drill holes in four dowels and painted each one a different color for each different player.

I tied string to each dowel and dabbed the knots with super glue to make it extra secure. At the opposite end of the string I tied a magnet with the help of hot glue to secure it before I tied it, then reinforced the knots with super glue as well.

For the fish I printed pictures that I found online (i.e. clown fish, crab, blue whale etc.). I also printed the names of all the fish and taped them to the backs. After slipping on a paper clip I covered both sides of each cut out fish with self laminate to prolong their life span.

It was really pretty fun to make and for $15 I made two of them, one for my nephew also - I think a pretty good bargain! I have been thinking that if you printed the fish on cardstock you could use packaging tape to cover the smaller size fish instead of the laminate which was the most expensive component. With older kids you might not even have to laminate at all.

We are just having fun learning how to take turns but really your imagination is the limit. I think it would be fun to fish for letters and make words or with words to make sentences etc.

If you want to participate in the Make it from Scratch Carrnival Stephanie from Stop the Ride is hosting this week and she's got a theme. She wants to know where in the world we are - country or state. Get your post up and submitted by Sunday for next Tuesday's carnival!!

Hours of fun!!!

Some random thoughts that I have been stretching my brain to remember.

A few weeks before we moved Adam read a scripture reading at church, when he was walking up front my son stood up next to me to see him better. Then he looked at me and very loudly said, "That your honey, Mommy that your honey?" I didn't know whether to turn beat red or start laughing!

I also like how lately he'll ask to talk to his Dad on the phone and ask him "Where are you going for?" I'm not sure if he means "where are you going" or "what for" or maybe both - who knows.

Things that worked to keep my 2 year old son entertained on a 10 hour drive. (The way there we split up into two days so it was a bit easier but the way home we did the whole thing in 11 hours total so we were pushing it.)

• Having some little "guys" and matchbox cars for him to play with worked for a little while
• Three disposable super 8 motel cups bought about 30 - 40 minutes of stacking and creating caves for his cars and guys.
• Silly putty was the biggest hit, he'd pass it up to me to make a snake or a ball over and over again in between playing with it himself. I'd say he did this for at least an hour each way.
• A smaller sized magna doodle was also a big hit - it was a new toy for him that he'd only played with friends houses.
• Stickers - tons of stickers - I bought one of those books with 1000 stickers in it. They clean up easily enough and we'd ask him to stick them on body parts or he'd just play sticking them all over the carseat.
• A roll of scotch tape. This may have worked a little better if he were a bit older and could rip the tape himself, but even though he couldn't tear the tape he still had fun unrolling the roll and I would tear it for him when he wanted. He just made tape balls and shapes, I suppose if you were very organized you could actually bring something for them to tear and tape together - might work on an airplane with the sky magazine? Who knows!
• A movie. On the way home he lasted 5 and a half hours before we offered the movie which even though both Adam and I feel that we survived with out them on many long car trips, Curious George was mighty nice about then.
• Each way 20 minutes of fussing was required before the total knockout! He actually did nap both ways - imagine that!

Eating meals in the car on the way home helped to take up time too, and of course snacks. All in all our little guy was a trooper and the little girl didn't decide to move and kick like crazy too far from a rest room!!!!

'Puter Time

It wouldn't be a normal day around here lately without my son asking to use the computer. "Mommy want to click on Clifford." Or Teletubbies or Elmo or whoever from the PBS website.

I'm amazed at how fast he's able to use the mouse and click on things and figure the games out. Not to mention that I think he's too little to be playing games on the computer. Oh, well! I know that he's happy to now be able to have his own time on Mommy's computer!

The Life

My son's current favorite thing to do is play outside, if we're not out there he's asking to go. Today most of our day was spent in the back yard and I'm loving it...he's even taking naps again!!!!

We have a pond in the back yard that's about 18 inches deep so I feel that he still needs supervision out there but if I'm extra tired, I can lay on a couch and see him playing in the sandbox or on his toys. I'll also open a window so I can hear him - which prevents me from falling asleep!

Ahhh, if only we could do this everyday - when our house sells I suppose we can, at least more often!!!!