Peeking out a snowy window

Our big guy loves the snow.  He sat outside all morning and was happier than I have seen him in months.

We enjoyed peeking out our snowy windows at our big boy today.

Wishing for Snow

There seems to be a chance of snow in our area this evening.  With this exciting information, we dreamed and talked about snow all day.  There is something so magical about little snow-globes with people inside.  As we sat shaking our snow-globes, we pondered what real snow might be like.  In our area, snowfall is rare.  We are wishing and hoping for a beautiful white snowfall tonight.

Warm and Cozy: Baked Apples Part II

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Have you ever heard of They Draw and They Cook?  It is a wonderful little blog where people submit drawings and illustrations of their recipes.  I love perusing the unique recipes and illustrations.  Wouldn't this be a great way to cook with your kids?  Anyway, after making baked apples a few weeks ago, I have been looking for other variations of this sweet treat.  I ran across this recipe today and thought it sounded great--especially on a cold night.

The luxury of breakfast...

Since having kids, breakfast is no longer a slow and relaxing start to my day.  It seems like a constant rush of getting everyone what they need, refilling drinks, fetching vitamins, cleaning sticky hands and having a few sips of my never-hot coffee in between.  Don't get me wrong, I love serving my children healthy food that will jumpstart their day, but I do miss the luxury of a long, slow breakfast.

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of enjoying a breakfast out...yes, out!  I only had one child with me and it was glorious.  I was able to dine with a friend who also brought her little one.  Even though we spend a lot of our time chasing and appeasing our children, we actually ate a warm breakfast and drank hot coffee!  What a luxury.

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I hope you enjoy some longer and slower breakfasts during this cold snap!

Along with a birthday comes a well-check...

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Whew!  We did it. {It took the whole family}  

After 4 pokes, a trip to the potty, hearing beeps in our ears, reading a chart, feeling a tight cuff on our arm, answering many questions and telling a few stories, we made it out of the doctor's office alive.

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Yes, we had the dreaded well-check today for my big girl.  It was a BIG one to say the least.

It is so hard to explain to a young child why an immunization is a good thing.  We have been reading this book and it really does a good job of going over what a well-check is.  It also talks about why an immunization is needed to keep you healthy.  Thank you Stan and Jan!

We absolutely love our pediatrician's office.  It is the perfect mix of experienced doctors, kind pediatric nurses (you know, the older ones that seem like a mother to the whole family) and a friendly atmosphere.  Normally our visits there are quite pleasant but today it was just horrible.

You see, this is the visit where they get the child ready for mainstream schooling.  They take many tests to make sure the child is healthy for school.  Our poor girl did great during all of it but as soon as we stepped out the back door of the office she broke down into uncontrollable sobbing.  Her feelings were so hurt.  A trip to her favorite sorbetto shop and restaurant didn't even begin to erase the memories of today.  Poor kid...

Thankfully the doctor reassured her that she wouldn't need any more pokes until she was a teenager.  {Thank heavens!}

On a side note:  It was neat to see my girl interact with our pediatrician.  She was anxious to tell him about stubbing her toe, the foods she eats, alphabet, numbers, colors and more.  The independence of the child was definitely at the fore-front of this visit.  I just ordered this cute chore chart to promote some more independence and responsibility at home.

Yo-Yo Garland

For my little babe's birthday last summer, I enjoyed creating some fabric garland.  It was neat to create something unique for her with my own hands.  I hope to use it in the future too.  So, when it came time to think about a unique decoration for my big girl's party I scoured the internet for ideas.  I wanted to do garland again because it is fairly simple to create and it takes no room to store.

I ended up sewing yo-yos and then attaching them together to make garland.

I used this simple tutorial from none other than Better Homes and Gardens.  Here is another great tutorial.  Fabric yo-yos were very popular in the 1920s - 40s because they required such little fabric.  Old clothes and fabric scraps could be used to create lovely yo-yos that were then, most commonly, sewn into quilts.

Now let me be the first to say, I am not great with a needle and thread.  I get easily frustrated with complicated sewing projects.  Yo-yos are the easiest thing and the results are quite stunning.

At the party, I ended up just using them as sort of a table runner because there wasn't the best place to drape/hang them.

At home, I hung them in our kitchen windows for the week.

They were quite cheerful, especially on this cold winter week!

Candy, balloons and hammering nails...

these are a few of my big girl's favorite things.

Favorite things was the theme of my girl's birthday party this year.  Ever since she was 2 we have been taking her to Home Depot's Saturday morning workshop's for kids.  They are completely free and so much fun.  Fun with a purpose is right up my ally and I especially love that my girl gets to work with tools and building things.  

I don't know about you but planning a birthday in the middle of winter can be challenging.  I have always wanted to have a cozy party at home but I think that might be hard at this age, especially if we can't be outside.  

As we began to think about party places and ideas, my husband mentioned that he saw someone having a party at Home Depot.  At first, I thought that wouldn't be any fun for a girl but after giving it some thought we decided it would be great for a group of preschoolers.  Who doesn't love hammering and creating?

Home Depot only allows one party a month so if you are thinking about it, be sure to call early.

My girl loved it!  She enjoyed getting to build with her friends.  Each kid got an orange apron to wear and build a shelf to take home.

We incorporated a little candy bar for the kids as party gifts.  Right now, all my big girl talks about is candy.  I guess it is from all the holidays we celebrated last fall (Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, etc.).

I purchased these fun scoops because I thought the kids would enjoy scooping candy into their little bags.  The 5 oz scoop worked well in the large cracker jars from Anchor Hocking.

The balloons are the cheapest and easiest way to add color and decor to a party!  They were a mess to untangle though.  The wind was whipping when we brought them in so they tangled very easily.  Many-a-child had to wait for their balloon as we untangled them.  

Overall, it was a fun way to spend a cold, wet afternoon celebrating a sweet girl's birthday!