Day 116... Lakefront Property

It has been raining a lot here and our house is in the center of our block. It seems all the water gathers in our yard. I looked out today and couldn't believe we had this much water. The scary thing... it is supposed to rain all week! Yikes!

Day 115... Superhero Phonics

Got these great phonics readers from the local library today. My son loves heroes, so it is great motivation for practicing reading together. These are a bit on the hard side, so I would recommend them for kids who have been doing phonics for awhile, not those just starting out.

Day 114... Easter Egg Coloring

My sister has a great egg coloring kit. My kids love when we get to go to her house at Easter time. Both my kiddos colored eggs today after a big yummy dinner. I know what we will be eating all week. LOL!

Day 113... Egg hunt!

Had an Easter egg hunt with friends today. It was a lot of fun. The eggs were filled with lots of goodies, everything except candy. Yay! We get enough candy at holiday times. My cousin coordinated it all and it was lots of fun. Thanks Autumn!

Day 112... Pizza Playdate

Went to lunch with our buddies today, my cousin and the kids she nannies for. The restaurant has this cute bear near the front door. The kids thought he was so cute, they wanted to hug him.. So, I grabbed a quick photo of them giving him a big hug!

Day 111... Just the facts Maam!

My son is very imaginative and creative. He loves to dress up in various outfits and hero clothes. Today, he decided to be a police officer trying to solve a mystery. Some toy was missing or something, and he was on the look out. Too cute!

Day 110... Bunny Pancakes

Getting in the mood for Easter around here, so I made Bunny pancakes today. I topped the chocolate chip pancakes with whipped creme and a round veggie sausage. They were cute and yummy!

Day 109... Tulips

Mom brought these beauties home from the garden center today. They are soooo pretty. I love the color. They will really help get us in the mood for spring around here.

Day 108...Toy Story Art

My daughter recently saw watched Toy Story 3 on DVD. We had seen it at the theater last year. She enjoyed seeing it again so much she ordered a bunch of Toy Story books from the local library. One of the books was a book on how to draw the characters from each film. She immediately got started drawing and painting the main characters. She did a great job of it, so I thought I would show you some of her work.

Day 107... Ice Cream, Yummy but Messy!

Took the kids out for a treat after church today. We headed to 31 Flavors for some ice cream goodness. It wasn't long before my son was a mess. There was chocolate from his nose all the way down to his lap. But wow, it was yummy! We went strait home afterwards and I hosed him down. Wink!

Day 106... Spinach Artichoke Dip

Now doesn't that look yummy?! I think so. I get this dip from my local Trader Joe's. Now it isn't the same as eating out, but it is pretty darn good and a close second to the recipes they use at places like Chili's. I even loved that I finally got a chance to use the serving dish I got from Mom for my birthday.

Day 105... Door of Art!

Wall space is sparse in our home. There are many doorways and closets, mirrors and pictures my mom has decorated with through the years. So, I had to be creative when we started homeschooling so that I could find a place to display school work and art. I started using the fridge and had to resort to the bathroom door in our kitchen. Now I am wondering where we will hang our world map for homeschool geography next year? Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Day 104... No room for candy!

We got this adorable easter basket for my daughter when she was just a wee one. Over the years she has gotten cute little stuffed critters from her aunties and us. Now, her basket is so full that there is no room for candy. Too funny! We will have to lift some of these goodies out to put a bit of chocolate in there. LOL!

Day 103... Grand Prix Cars

These are the finished cars for the big Awana's Grand Prix race. I think they turned out pretty good. My daughter painted most of her own, and my son painted the his car black. I added the other details and my husband put on the fin and the wheels for them. While we didn't end up winning for speed or style, each year is a learning experience in sportsmanship if nothing else. There were no meltdowns this year. Yay!

Day 102... Cinnamon Popcorn...Who Knew?

We made a recipe from the American Girl calendar today. It was popcorn with cinnamon and sugar. It was surprisingly really yummy! I even ended up mixing salt and cinnamon and sugar... and yes, that was yummy too. It reminded me of Kettle corn. 

Day 101... Pine box cars part 2!

My husband carved the cars for this kids to paint for this week's pine box derby. My son will be creating some Batman themed vehicle, and my daughter is going with a kitty cat and pink camo theme. I will post more pics when they are done, as well as the results of the race.

Day 100... Five in a Row!

What a lovely day today! The sun was shining and the weather was unusually warm. So, I spent some downtime on an adirondack chair in the front yard reading a textbook while the kids ran through the neighbor's sprinkler. I had planned next year to use a curriculum for homeschool called Moving beyond the Page. But, while really well thought out, it was also very expensive ($650). So for only $35 I bought Five in a Row. It accomplishes the same things and has a proven record of results. I love it because, like the other curriculum, it is literature driven. I will no doubt post more about this on my other blog in the future.

Day 99... Basking Frog

Had a Sunday School planning meeting at church today. After it was over, we headed down an outside walkway to the parking lot. On the way down from the third floor, where our church rents 4 units in this business complex, my kids asked if they could walk down by the koi pond next to a banquet hall that is in the same complex. When we got over to the pond, we found this little frog basking on a rock. He patiently allowed my planning partners and I take turn clicking his photo. 

Day 98... Psykopaint fun!

Old photo, but recreated today using Psykopaint. It is a fun free website that lets you paint over existing photos or create original works of art using their software. My nephew put me onto the site and it is really fun. I keep going back and creating new photos!

Day 97... Signs of spring!

Some of the first flowers to bloom in our yard each spring are the blue scillas and the daffodils. I figured I better snap a photo before these babies are wilted and gone. My mom planted these daffodils long before I was even born, and I am 44. We also have plants in our yard that my grandmother even planted. This house has been in our family for over 85 years. It is fun to think of the history that is here! 

Day 96... Pine box derby block!

Somehow we missed the memo at Awana's that the Pine Box Derby was next week. They must have sent home the notice the week my kids were out sick. So, I asked a club leader tonight and was told it is next week. Yikes. Crunch time. My husband will be carving the shapes this weekend and then the kids and I will paint them. More to follow!

Day 95... My son... the nut!

My son is a nut like me. Actually, we are all quite a nutty bunch in general. He likes to pose and dress up funny. He sings and dances and jumps around the house. He wanted me to take this picture of him with a net on his head from a bag of Cuties we had bought. He is a cutie indeed, so it fits! LOL!

Day 94... Dino Muffin Tin

We are learning about dinosaurs in homeschool right now, so I made a dino muffin tin meal for the kiddos to enjoy. It turned out really cute and I had a lot of fun making it. We also had a few laughs while eating it. We read some dinosaur riddle and joke books and giggled a bit. Such a great day!

Day 93... Getting crafty...Penguins!

The kids were feeling very crafty this weekend. On Saturday we made stick puppets together and on Sunday they made these cute penguins from toilet paper rolls. They saw the project on PBS Kids Sprout's website. I wonder what they will make next. LOL! I am thinking we haven't been doing enough crafts in homeschool and I need to maybe step up to the plate. 

Day 92... Polly Pocket meets Batman

My 2 kiddos often play together. My son loves everything hero and my daughter loves all the traditional girlie stuff. I love it when they find a way to meld their two loves and play together. Today, my son was playing with his bat cave that we assembled from his Trio blocks yesterday, and my daughter joined him. Her Polly Pocket became part of the heroes family and moved into her own room in the bat cave. I love it!

Day 91... April Fools Ice Cream

Mmmm.... mashed potato flavor, my favorite! I had a blast making silly food for the kids to eat for dinner tonight. I made a meal where nothing was as it seemed. Fishstick cookies, apple french fries, jello fruit punch, sausage patty brownies, and mashed potato ice cream. The kids loved it and it was fun to watch them eat it.