Happy Mother's Day!

What would we do with out our Mother???  I, for one, would probably be in the crazy house if it weren't for my mom helping me with my kids on those days when we're all driving each other crazy.  In fact, I think one of the smartest things I've done since becoming a mother is moving to be closer to my mom.  My mom and I think so much alike - I always know that my girls are in good hands.  Tim's mom has been a huge blessing too.  She has such a calm personality and can diffuse almost any situation.  I feel so lucky to live so close to both sets of grandmas (and grandpas).  My kids are so loved and there's nothing more important than that!


Here are some nice mom quotes:

I love you Mom!!!

Milestone Challenge Game

If you live in St. Louis you have probably heard of the Parents As Teachers program.  The program was started in Missouri in the 1970s and has since expanded to all 50 states and 7 other countries!  Unfortunately, a lot of programs were cut due to the economic downturn.  We feel very lucky that our city's program is still in place.


Among many other things, our Parents As Teachers Educator comes to our home on a regular basis to assess the develop of my kids and give me guidance and support to help me further their development.  It's always a fun visit that my girls and I look forward to.


During our last visit, our Parents As Teachers Educator brought a game.  The game was educational, but it was also fun!  It was intended for Ava, but Sidney couldn't resist joining in.  The girls had so much fun so I recreated it.

First, I created a bunch of cards in Excel with skills that I'd like my kids to work on.  Click here for a link to the Excel file.  I printed out the cards and cut them out.  

On the blank side, I numbered the cards from 1 to 6.  I have 6 cards for each number for a total of 36 cards.  I also glued colored shapes (or stickers) next to each number.  For example, next to the number 1, I glued one red heart.  Next to the number 2, I glued two yellow triangles.  And so on...  Then I laminated the cards so that they'll last longer.  There is a store in St. Louis called Bradburn's Parent Teacher Store where you can laminate things for $0.75 per foot!  It cost me less than $4 to laminate all the cards!


To play the game, your child must first sort out all the cards by number in piles from 1 to 6.  They can use the shapes or the numbers to accomplish this.  This will help them learn numbers, shapes and colors.

Next, place your big foam dice on the low end of your board.  I found the big dice at Bradburn's and I went to Home Depot to get the boards.  Your child steps on the high end of the board to "roll' the dice.  Then they must figure out what they rolled and then find the corresponding card.  Mom or Dad can read the instructions on the back of the card.  If you run out of a particular number, the child can just pick from any of the remaining piles of cards.  It is very easy for Ava (4 years old) to "roll" the dice.  Sidney, who is 2 years old, can "roll" the dice but is not quite as coordinated as Ava yet.  This will help develop balance as well as coordination.


Do you have any educational games that your kids like?  We're always looking for new ideas!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Did you know that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week?  What a great opportunity to say thank you to the teachers who make a difference in our kids' lives!  Ava has had the same teachers since she started preschool.  We love them so much.  I saw this cute idea on Pinterest.  

I decided to go with basil rather than flowers because I'm obsessed with basil right now and because it's yummy and useful!  I found the pots at Hobby Lobby - they were 50% off!  To make the signs I taped the "Thank you for helping me grow" sign to red card stock and then taped it to a fun pencil and stuck it in the soil.  I had Ava sign her name and she also drew pictures for them.  I hope they like it!

Meatless Monday: Tomato Basil Capellini

I cannot get enough tomatoes and basil in my life right now.  I guess it could be a weird pregnancy craving.  Maybe this baby will take after the Italian side of my family.  Anyway, this meal is very simple - not many ingredients.  The only thing that will take some time is cutting up the tomatoes.  I'm very picky about diced tomatoes.  I don't like any of the slimy, seedy insides to mix with the crisp outsides.  So it takes me longer to dice tomatoes.  But otherwise, this meal is very simple.  Here we go:

Ingredients:

5 medium tomatoes and 5 Roma tomatoes, diced (I like to use Roma tomatoes because there have less slimy, seedy insides to deal with, but you can use any tomato you'd like)
14 ounces angel hair pasta, freshly cooked
½ cup olive oil
15-20 basil leaves, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried basil flakes if you don't have fresh basil
½ cup pine nuts (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan


Instructions:

1.  Dice tomatoes, chop basil and mince garlic.
2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil to the pot.
3.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. 
4.  Add the garlic and pine nuts to the oil and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. 

5.  Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don’t break up.
6.  While the tomatoes are cooking, add the capellini to the pot of boiling water and cook for 4 7.  minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
8.  Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
9.  Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and Parmesan and toss well. 
10.  Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. 
11.  Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.



This will serve 6 people!


I'm sure this isn't the last you'll see of my tomato and basil obsession.  We already have a few teeny tiny tomatoes growing in our little garden!  And our basil is looking really good too.  When those tomatoes are ready to be picked, things are going to get out of hand!

I Heart Zappos!

Is it just Ava or do other kids have super sensitive feet?  I feel bad because I'm sure I've inflicted this on her.  My feet are TERRIBLE!  I can barely wear a 1 inch heel and do so only on very special occasions.  Most shoes don't feel good on my feet.  Apparently Ava has my feet.  I dread having to buy her shoes.  Until now!  I just discovered the convenience of Zappos.com (I know I'm late to the game).  Zappos is great because you don't have to pay for the shipping on the order or the return.  So...I ordered THIRTY FIVE pairs of shoes for Ava to try on in the hopes of finding two that will work.  And I was successful!  Here's what Ava decided on:

 Pediped

See Kai Run

I made Ava wear them around the house for a few hours just to make sure she didn't decide that they hurt her feet.  These two brands seem to work well with sensitive feet.  The downside is that they're not cheap (around $50 a pair).  Anyone know of any brands of kids shoes that are comfy and less expensive?

Dollar Crafts: Nature Masks

I love the dollar section at Michaels!  They have the best, inexpensive craft projects for kids.  I found these cute butterfly and ladybug masks and knew I had to get them for my girls.  They love to paint.  We use Crayola Washable Fingerpaint and Melissa and Doug paint brushes.  I love the paint because it washes off anything - clothes, hands, furniture, etc.  And the paint brushes are great for kids because they're easy to grip.


Here are some pictures from the afternoon:

 Sidney glops all the paint colors together - it becomes a brown mess by the end!

 Sidney painting away.

Ava is careful to wipe her brush on the newspaper so her colors don't get mixed together.

Ava is always so proud of her projects.  Her teachers tell me she's this way at school too - he he!