Score

On the way home from soccer games yesterday, I stopped at a few garage sales.
I was super excited to score this bed for $40 for Q, who is currently sleeping in Reese's bed, or sometimes on her crib mattress that's on the floor. I had plans to build her a bed, but $40? Scratch the carpentry plans, I probably couldn't buy the lumber and hardware for $40. So, parts of it are OSB, but the drawer faces, headboard, footboard and side rails are oak. Good enough for me.
I love that it has drawers and a little cabinet for shoes, stuffies, backpacks, etc.
But I didn't particularly love the stain, or the mysterious sticky red candy dripped all over it, or the words, "I hate me" penciled on one of the drawers. (sad, right? Most kids would tag their name, or if it's their brother's bed, write "stupid" and an arrow pointing to the mattress. Does this bother anyone else, or is it just me?)
I happily washed it off and gave it a fresh coat of antique white.

above: headboard and footboard below: base, siderails not shown but they're pretty standard. I'll post a picture when I have it set up in Quin's room.

Mattress shopping tomorrow. Quincy is so excited to have a big girl bed of her very own!

I also purchased this Little Tykes picnic table for $10. I've been wanting a second table for my preschool, so the kids aren't crammed together at snack time. They don't seem to mind, but I think it will be nice to have two tables. This one is a little larger than the other table and would seat 6 kids comfortably. It's in great shape, has a little hole in the top for an umbrella, and it collapses flat for storage when it is not in use. Bonus!

Ten bucks. Awesome.

I'm pretty excited about this

I've wanted a pergola for a long time.
Like ever since I saw this pergola in the Sept 2007 Cottage Living Magazine.

One of my students gave me a gift card to Lowe's on the last day of preschool, last year.
(I know. Sweet, right? I told you the kids at my preschool were the bestestest. I'm spoiled by awesome parents as well!). Anyway, It didn't take long for me to spend it! I ran out and bought all of the hangers, footers, and lag bolts (thanks, buddy!). Then I ordered the lumber from a local hardware store (that delivered for free and saved me the stress of figuring out how to get a bunch of 16 and 20 foot boards home).

Then it got hot and I lost my steam.

Then it cooled off a little and I got started again.

But I measured wrong and the result was crooked and disastrous.

I cried and didn't look at the project again for a month.

On friday, we got started again, but one of us left a hammer sitting on top of the ladder. And then the other one of us (me) hastilly picked up the ladder to move it, and sent the hammer flying down and right into my face. Ouch.

It's a miracle I don't have a fat bruise or a black eye where the hammer smacked me. My face was hurting pretty badly by Friday night, but other than some swelling that has already gone away, I'm fine. I did turn my face away every single time I moved the ladder, yesterday, though!

As for yesterday,yesterday, I was victorious. We took down the sloping, crooked mess, remeasured, and finished the job.

And finally,

I have a pergola.

(yay!)

Next:

-clean up the yard. (notice the bed to the left. No, we don't sleep outside, it's the next project on my never ending list)

-install the screen door on the slider.

-maybe add some cool trim around the posts.

-stain the pergola to match the fence (that also needs to be stained).

-plant an awesome creeping viney flowery type plant---I have no idea what, yet.

-find some of these outdoor globe lights on a season end clearance sale...but perhaps of the shatter-proof variety. I love the look of globe lights because they remind me of the fisherman's wharf.

-get some crusty old wooden/awesome patio furniture.

-have a BBQ where no one's hair catches on fire.

Sooooo I need your help, please.

-paint or stain? If paint, what color? I'm leaning toward stain, because once I paint, I really can't go back without a lot of labor.

-what kind of plant should I grow on it? I live in a perfect place for rapid plant growth in the spring, because of all the rain we get, but I'd love something that won't die every year. I'd also like something that flowers, but isn't thorny or some kind of honing device to attract masses of bees to my home (we've already had one of those plants). Any suggestions?

Welcome Autumn Party

On Monday, we had our 3rd Annual Welcome Autumn family night.
We ate homemade pizza,
and baked an Autumn dessert.

This recipe comes from the Splenda Brown Sugar blend that I had in my cabinet.

It was so nutty and delicious. I will absolutely make it again.

(spelnda) Apple Crisp

1/2 cup Splenda brown Sugar blend
2 t All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon ground
4 cups Apple sliced thinly
-- topping --
1 1/4 cup oatmeal, quick cooking
1/2 cup Flour , all purpose
1/4 cup Splenda brown Sugar blend
3/4 cup Walnut chopped
1/2 cup Margarine melted

1. Preheat oven to 350. lightly spray an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. set aside.

2. Combine 1/2 c of splenda brown sugar blend, 2 Tablespoon flour , cinnamon in a large bowl. Add apples tossing to coat. Spon into prepared pan. Set aside.

3. Combine oatmeal, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup of splenda brown sugar blend and walnuts in a bowl. Stir in butter. Mixture will be crumbly. Spoon over apple mixture.

4. Bake 45 minutes or until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

Yum.
This year, the girls each decorated a haunted Halloween house.

and our traditional Halloween Tree sits on our porch.

Anyone know where I can find some little crows (or birds to spray black) or owls to put in our spooky porch tree?

PS-this tree is much cuter in real life.

Happy Autumn!

I Can Eat Healthy Foods

A catch up post. Scroll down to see what we did at school, today.
29th I Can Eat Healthy Foods

Share: Bring Something to Taste with your friends (we had quite the smorgasboard or cheese, trail mix, popcorn, bananas, star fruit, mango, and jello fruit cups)

Color: Red
Books: Gregory The Terrible Eater By Mitchell Sharmatt, The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle, There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams

The kids really loved reading this classic book out loud as a group shared reading. I have a great big board book and we pushed the plush caterpillar through the holes of all the foods he ate.
"but he was still hungry..." I had this book as a child and it is a forever favorite. Gregory, a goat lives in a junkyard and eats so much junk (tires, radiators, scrap metal, glass, aluminum cans) he gets sick. He learns to make healthier food choices.

Shape: Oval
Fine Motor: Potato people. The children had fun putting body parts and silly faces on Mr. Potato head and his veggie pals.


Dramatic Play: What’s Cookin’? Provide play food, chef hats, and dishes. Encourage the children to play restaurant together in the kitchen
Fine Motor: Don't eat like Gregory the Goat! What's your favorite healthy food? Draw a picture of it. Sensory: Oodles of macaroni noodles Snack: Share-bring your favorite snack to share? Which foods are sweet? Which taste salty? What part of your mouth helps you taste foods? What else does your tongue help you do?

Art: Cut Vegetable paint/stamp art

Science: Under the Magnifying Glass-how do the foods we eat everyday look up close? We examined a piece of bread, a carrot, a potato, a tomato, a banana, raisins, and some crackers.

Language: Sign Language “Eat”

Practical Life: Table Manners/My body needs healthy foods to grow.

Music & Movement: There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly: This is a great book that comes with musical sing along CD. The illustrations are die cut pages and her stomach "grows" as she eats bigger animals.

I also have this set of fabric animals to go with the book, and the children took turns sticking them onto a velcro old lady on the flannel board as each animal was mentioned in the song.

Friendly Frogs: Mice

This was my favorite moment today:

Jace grabbed a glove, and he and Max had a pickup tball game. The kids in my class are so cute! I'm really glad they are all such good friends and play so well together.

October 2010

Songs: The Five Little Pumpkins, The Leaves on the Trees
Spanish Words: amigo
Sight Word: see
Number: 3
Letter: M

6th Mice
Color: Grey
Shape: Heart
Share: Bring something that begins with letter M

Book: Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson

Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Book: Mouse Count, Mouse Paint, and Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh

In Mouse Count, a greedy, hungry and sneaky snake takes juicy, warm, tasty and sleepy mice and counts them one to ten into a jar. Thankfully, one mouse wakes up, and tricks the snake, who leaves momentarily. The mice rock the jar from side to side to escape the greedy snake. As they escape the jar, they uncounted themselves. Fun way to count!!

Dramatic Play: Dress Up! At various times, today, we had a bride, Sleeping beauty, a fairy, a doctor, a farmer, a super hero, a giant lizard (wearing a blue tutu and sunglasses), a construction worker, Tiana, Snow White, Grandpa, and Aniken Skywalker in our class.

Fine Motor: Magnetic rods and marbles

Sensory: Magnet wands and colored paper clips

Cooking: Let's bake! Raspberry and Apple Cinnamon Muffins, coming right up! Each child had a specific job to do to get the task done, be sure to ask them about it.

Snack: M is for Muffins!

Art: Mice from folded paper hearts. Aren't they cute?

Math: Counting and sorting rubber mice into a glass jar after reading Mouse Count. Lookout for the snake!
Phonics: Creating a list of M words. So far, the children have come up with: magazine, medal, Maa (Jace's blankie's name), Minnie Mouse, monkey, mermaid, Mrs. Meg, Max, and muffins. We will add to this list all month long.

Science: What things are magnetic? (or as the boys call it, using "The Force")

Practical Life: Real vs Pretend
Can mice really talk? What parts of the books we read today were real, and what parts were make believe? I always like to cover this topic in October, when the children start to notice dressed up characters and fictional characters (witches, ghots, pumpkins that sing, etc).

Music & Movement: Practice Halloween Songs (5 Little Pumpkins Poem, 10 Little Ghosts, The Leaves on the Trees)

Gross Motor/Outside Play

Goodbye Friends

Weekend Update

The kids are loving soccer. Reese has figured out that she's pretty fast and keeps up with the pack. Quincy would rather cheer and eat snacks from my bag than go to her own practice, but played in her first 3 on 3 scrimmage today and did great! Corbin just runs around on the grass kicking and carrying soccer balls and shouting, "Ball", "NoNoNo" (favorite word) and GO!"
Reese enjoying an extracurricular sport = awesome.

We stopped by the library after soccer, tonight, for "bedtime stories" because Reese's teacher, Mrs. Rogers was one of the readers. She dressed as Thing 1 and read Dr. Seuss books. Reese was so excited to see her teacher outside of school.

Her principal was also there. He dressed as a pirate and read Pirates Don't Change Diapers.

Teachers that volunteer at community events = awesome.

Reese went to a fancy birthday party for a little girl from school, on Saturday.

The party included a train ride at the outdoor mall

and a trip to Build a Bear! Since I don't particularly love stuffed animals, I've never taken my kids to Build a Bear. Reese loved it and is already asking when she can go back.

Little Reese. She is so tiny. She's only 2 months younger than the birthday girl (left of reese), and she's a full head shorter.

I finally bought a new wallet to replace the old one that fell apart.

I'm determined to find some shoes in the same color. Actually, I'm determined to find a lot of things in this same color. I love orange.

I'm borrowing Hip Hop Abs from my friend, Lara. It's not as effective as the P90X video I've been doing with my friend, Darcie, and I'm not crazy about some of the workouts, but the hips, buns, and thighs disc is great. The last 8 minutes are really what makes the video. It's a good little burn for the booty. It doesn't matter how many times or how often I do this workout, my butt is sore after every. single. time.

We began the hunt for a new laptop this weekend. We are both SO over viruses, and our current laptop dies about 20 times a day. It's super annoying. We might go with a Mac this time, but the thought of spending another 1100 on a laptopmakes me a little crazy. Anyone have a Macbook that they are totally in love with? Is it worth it? Convince me it's worth the extra cheddar.

LDS General Conference was this weekend.

We sat around in our jammies all weekend long and listened to counsel from living prophets of God. I printed some awesome packets from this website to help with the girls' attention spans. I know they can't understand all the words that were shared, but I want them to feel the Spirit that is present when the prophet speaks, and I want them to understand that Conference is important to us.

Great weekend!

It's a Dead Man's Party...

Oingo Boingo's got nothing on this guy.
I think these pajamas rank high among the best purchases I have ever made.