Advent for the Little Ones

This year I was asked to contribute a devotional to our church's Advent booklet.  I was honored and a bit flabbergasted, as I still consider myself a silly child and not yet a "real" adult.  Shhhssss, don't tell my children that!  Anyway, I kept thinking of what I hope to teach my children and the following is what I came up with:

Last year, we introduced an Advent calender to our children.  At first they wanted to pull out all of the pieces and play with them, but we explained the purpose of slowly preparing the manger for Jesus while counting down the days to Christmas.  Every morning, my daughter would ask what we would add to the Advent nativity that day.  One day it was a small fuzzy lamb, once it was a wise man clad in purple and gold finery, and once it was a single shimmering star.  Each day we talked about what that particular element meant to the greater story.  It was a joy to watch their faces as the story of Jesus unfolded day by day.  On Christmas morning, when baby Jesus was laid amidst His carefully arranged surroundings, the picture was, at last, complete. 

In the “outside” world, we are bombarded during Advent: 12 more shopping days until Christmas!  Order your holiday meal now!  Get the latest must-have gift here! 

Inside the Lord’s house, we are taught something profoundly different:  Reflect, hope, prepare, love.  Learning to keep this counter-cultural perspective during the Christmas season has resulted in a deeper and more careful approach to the holidays.  I want my children to understand that we are celebrating the coming of Christ, that His love and presence in our lives is the true “gift” of the season. 

Prayer:  God of love, God of hope, hear us as we pray.  Help us to share in this Advent season, filling our hearts and communities to bursting with the joy of Your priceless gift, at Christmas and throughout the coming year.

It really was fun to write and inspired me to hunt out a more permanent Advent nativity than our paper cut-out one.  They are surprisingly hard to find!  I did finally find a beautiful (and expensive) heirloom-quality one but I could just imagine my wild monkey of a son instantly destroying it.  Maybe in a few years...

Then, I stumbled upon this set in Barnes and Noble.  It is a fold-out nativity with each day represented by a small book that tells a part of the story of Christmas.  The books also have gold thread so that they  hang on the Christmas tree after you have read them.  So each day this Advent season, we have pulled out the correct number book, read a small slice of this wonderful story, and then hung in on the tree. 

 My children are learning about Jesus's birth in manageable snippits, having fun hanging them on the tree, and learning to wait patiently for the promised "finale."  Plus, it's a great counting tool!  What a fun way for pre-schoolers to participate in Advent, thank you B&N!  Of course, it's a little late this year but if you are like me, you will snatch this little beauty up on clearance after Dec. 25th and have it waiting for next year!  One day I'll have that beautiful hand-painted nativity, but for my family right now, this is perfect.

"Upcycled" Crayons

My son loves crayons.  He loves breaking them, eating them, peeling them, and stabbing things with them.  He really doesn't care much about coloring with them, but he can certainly destroy them.  So I have ended up with an entire box of broken crayon bits.  I had been planning on melting the bits and making "new" crayons for a while but today we finally did it.  So, here's the steps:

Start with a non-stick muffin pan, preferably in a cute shape.  I had hearts.  Disregard the potatoes, they have nothing to do with the crayon project!

Liberally coat pan with cooking spray, unless using a flexible silicon pan.  It will help them come out easier.

Fill each cup in pan about 3/4 full with broken bits of crayon, paper removed.  Put those kids to work sorting the crayon bits!  I told you I had a lot!  It helps to use a variety of colors in each cup so that you come out with rainbow crayons. Heat oven to 225 degrees and about 15 minutes or until soft and partially melted.  Turn oven off and remove crayons.  They will continue to soften and cook on the counter.  I have made the mistake of over-cooking before and this will make the crayon solids separate from the oil, pretty much ruining your "easy" project.

Let crayons sit and cool for at least 30 minutes.  Be patient, taking them out too early will also ruin your project.  Clearly, I have some "trial and error" behind me here.

When crayons have fully cooled, slip a thin knife into the side and gently pop crayons out.  Arrange nicely on a plate and marvel that they actually turned out really well.  Or maybe that's just me...

Give to kids and watch them have an entire new set to maul.  Enjoy!

Here's a bonus tip:  I store the kids' crayons in an old wipes container.  It works really well because it allows the kids to reach their hands in to get the crayons without spilling easily.  Really, these little babies are great for storing all sort of stuff!

Autumn time is fun time...

A few days ago we went for a walk down to the pond at the end of our street and into the adjoining woods.  It was one of those perfect fall days with the crisp cool air that is just right for leaf jumping.  We picked cattails and whacked them on the ground, releasing their seeds into the air.  My son could have stood for hours at the edge of the pond tossing in small pebbles while I tried to unclench and let him enjoy himself rather than imagine his drowning in 1 ft of murky water.  Then we went into the "scary woods" as my daughter calls it.  Marching around in the tall grass we saw yellow butterflies, beautiful fall leaves, and the tracks of something that may have been a raccoon (a Girl Scout I am not).

This day reminded me of the importance of taking small moments to spend with my children, letting them just "be."  As a mostly-SAHM you would think I would have all of this time to spend with them but the truth is there is laundry, dance class, grocery shopping, playdates, kitchen clean-up, and about a 1000 other things to do all day that involve not being tuned in to my kids.  Not to mention the daily "Can you just give Mommy 5 minutes, pleeeeassssee?" time that I comes up.  Surely I'm not the only one!

 
 At the doctor's office today for my daughter's 4 year check-up, I watched her sit up and answer the nurse's questions like such a big girl.  She is growing up so much and it is amazing to watch.  I am glad I took 30 minutes to walk in the woods with them.  The laundry was still there when I got back but so what?  I need to remember to take more time for things that don't have anything to do with "getting stuff done."  I hope I always make time for a walk in the woods with my children, and I hope they always want me around for their walks in life.

A Christmas Tradition

We buy real trees.  Always have.  In many ways, it's completely ridiculous, not to mention messy.  For a logical list of reasons why, you can check here.   But the "real" reason is just because I love it.  One of my favorite Christmas activities has always been heading out into the forest (actually a "choose and cut" farm, we're not that rustic), picking our tree, and sawing the thing down.

When I was a child, my dad and I would go in his completely-restored, green 1954 Chevrolet pickup truck.  I loved feeling once a year like I was in a Norman Rockwell painting.  Now we just take Hubby's regular old truck, but it's still a fun family activity.




So last weekend, we headed to Goddard Tree Farm to find our tree and bring it home.  It's a good thing last year's hats and mittens still fit because it was cold outside.  We saw a few "Charlie Brown trees" and a few "monster tall" trees.  The kids chased each other around and around the trees while Hubby and I haggled over size and shape.  You see, he's concerned with things like "How heavy is this thing?  How straight is the trunk?  Living room or dining room?" and so on while I just want the "perfect" tree.  Finally we settled on the right one to bring home and sawed him down.  My son seems to have acquired the innate need all men have to stand and observe other men doing work.  Sigh...  My daughter was right there hitching up her sleeves to help a guy out though.  Push, sister!

Once the tree was hauled home, it turns out that he was too big for our dining room, a good spot for the kids because they tend to leave it alone there.  Soooo, we set him up right in the living room and hoped for the best.  So far, the "best" is a semi-permanent ornament triage in which Hubby the super glue ninja must repair 2-3 ornaments a day!  Praying for my own sanity to get me through the next month.

Merry Christmas from my crazy to yours!

Mini-Vacay and a Museum

Whew, it has been a busy time in Mommy-land lately!  I just haven't had the time or really the "inspiration" to blog as much.  You know this time of year: trying to choose cards, gifts, decorations, all while cooking some pretty substantial holiday dinners and traveling to see as many relatives as possible and teaching children about the "real" meaning of the holidays, and making sure you are stocked up on guest dish soap.  It's enough to give a girl heartburn!  Anyway, I'm making an attempt to "catch up."

One of the great things my family did over the Thanksgiving break was to go see my sis and her family in Texas.  She is a science teacher and knows all of the great fun and educational kids things to do.  Really, I should just make her write this silly blog but her "to do" list is as long as mine + a full-time job.  So, you're stuck with me.  On this trip she took us to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.   This place is "shut the front door" Amazing!  In my area we have a spectacular natural history museum and a spectacular science museum.  This museum was like BOTH of those crammed into one with the addition of amazing architecture, an IMAX and about 100 other super cool things.  Seriously, you could spend an entire day there.

 One of the highlights was a short "movie" about the history of Texas from the beginning of time to present day, complete with 3D "spitting" dinosaurs and interactive seats that make you feel like you are in a time machine ride thorough history.  Warning, not exactly for the faint of heart!  I'll admit that I actually squealed when a giant, realistic T-Rex literally roared into our faces.  My 4 year-old loved it!  Crazy girl.

Heeellllooooo!

Next up, we headed to the gift shop.  They had a great and unique selection of creative and educational gifts, not to mention a giant dinosaur slide made entirely from recycled materials.  My daughter could have spent the entire visit just on the slide!

This museum also has lots of great outside art, sculpture, and activities.  I cannot wait to go visit in warmer weather.  Mr. T-Rex greeted us at the door, then we headed off to conduct some experiments.  Centrifugal force?  Aerodynamics?  Weather?  Careers?  You name it and you can learn about it here in a huge amount of fun and creative activities.  My daughter just about flipped when she "flew" her paper balloon in the wind tube.  We had so much fun in this area that we never even made it to the second floor.   Like Arnold said "We will be back!"

Thankful Turkey...or As Crafty as I Get!

This year a friend gave me a great idea: make a turkey craft where you write things you are thankful for on the feathers.  What an awesome lesson in a house where we often have to discuss gratitude and graciousness!  My friend found a turkey template on the Internet.  Done!  Then she had her kids decorate him.  Done!  Then she "free-handed" some really great looking feathers for the kiddos to write all the things that they were thankful for.  Um...roadblock!  I'm a terrible artist and even worse with scissors.  Once my daughter asked me to draw Santa Claus and when I was finished she said "Mommy, why did you draw a dog?"  I blame it on being a "lefty."  But, I can trace and cut along the lines, so we made turkey feather hands.  This actually turned out to be pretty cool.

I traced each family member's hands and then we had forty "feathers" for us to write on.  Plus, it will be a nice keepsake of the kids' hands when they were ensy wensy little kiddos.  Sorry, had to throw that in!  So, here's what you need:

1 turkey template (or draw one if you are that skilled)
Crayons or markers for coloring and writing
Fall-colored construction or craft paper
1 pencil
Glue stick

Trace hands on construction paper and cut out.  Have each person write 10 things that they are thankful for on their finger/feathers.  My son was thankful for the dog that bit him, motorcycles, trains, God and Jesus, about in that order.  He was not thankful for his sister, no matter how many times I suggested it.

Glue hands to the back of the turkey.  It helps to start at the top with the smaller hands and fan out with the larger hands.  Tape finished product to coveted spot on refrigerator and admire its loveliness.

Not bad, right?  The kids had fun making it and I thought it was a good way to introduce the "real" concept of Thanksgiving to pre-schoolers.  Incidentally, if you are looking for a slightly more grown-up craft, check out this awesome fall wreath!  It looks so cute and simple that I'm actually considering giving it a shot.  Maybe...

A Day at the Museum

Today was the grand opening celebration of the Stuart Wing of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.  I've been pretty excited about going and the heavens actually aligned for all of us to be free on this beautiful Fall day!  Off we went to the OU campus to search for a parking space with all of the other alumni families wanting to relive their college days (or something like that).  On the way across campus we came across a favorite statue and had to stop and tickle some enormous toes.  Luckily they didn't wake him up!

Once inside the museum, we had to take a quick tour through some old favorites before checking out the new stuff.  Truly, the new wing is a work of art itself.  It is simple, modern and soothing with large wooden stairways with hand-carved details and a three-story wall of slim cables reminiscent of a waterfall.  A short video we watched explained the architect's vision of tying in elements from the earth such as wood, sky, water and air.  And it absolutely works!  One of my favorite parts is the glass wall of pottery through which you can see classrooms in the art school.  It is an important reminder of the true purpose of this wonderful university.

The museum houses an extensive and diverse collection, including modern, Native, and ancient art along with an astounding impressionist collection and many sculptures.  In the Stuart wing, there is space to showcase some of the museum's extensive Native art and artifacts collection.  My daughter loved the stained glass on the wall and I hear that it is truly something to see driving by at night.  Between that and the crazy-eyed mustang, it's a wonder there aren't more wrecks on Boyd!  

You must see these colors in person!

For extra fun, there was a professor playing native flute music and a visiting artist in one of the galleries demonstrating pottery staining.  I'll have to admit that my little ones had the occasional crying, "falling on the floor" moment at being asked to just wonder around and look with eyeballs instead of hands but overall they did really well.  This is a museum I highly recommend.  If you are slightly attention-span-deprived like me this museum works because each gallery houses something completely different than the last.  Whatever your particular art tastes may be, you will find something representative of it here.  Plus, admission is only $5 most days and is free every Tuesday and on many other days throughout the year (like today).  Get out and check out your local museum!

Cookie Cutter Pumpkins

A couple of years ago, I had a newborn, a young toddler and a burning desire to do everything just right.  Can you say 4th trimester hormones???  So, one morning I suddenly decided that we just had to carve a pumpkin.  The problem was, I am not well blessed in knife skills myself and I couldn't figure out how to allow my daughter to carve a pumpkin without putting a death instrument into her chubby, clumsy little hand.
Suddenly, I had a moment of brillance!  For some reason I have a ton of cookie cutters.  It's doubly strange because I do NOT bake.  We leave that to Hubby in this house.  So I busted out some star cookie cutters in various sizes, strapped Baby in his bouncy seat and got myself set to "carve" a pumpkin.

Here were my supplies:

1 small to medium pie pumpkin
Paper, for the goo
1 large spoon, for scooping
Several metal cookie cutters
1 small, sharp knife, for touch-ups
1 meat mallet (In revisiting this idea again this year, I discovered that I did not invent the wheel on this.  Here is a great link with extra carving tips.  Note that they use a rubber mallet.  We will be trying this method this year as the metal mallet sometimes can damage the cookie cutters.)

Cut the top off of Mr. Pumpkin and hand the spoon over to your toddler.  They love this part, mucking around in all that stringy pumpkin goo.  Once pumpkin is clean, choose the cookie cutter shapes you like.  I used stars for the first time and it turned out really cute.  I have also used a candy cane as a crooked smile and small Easter eggs for eyes.  Really, you can use anything and see what you come up with.  Give your cookie cutters a good inspection and see what else you can "see" in their shapes.  Gently tap cookie cutter into the flesh of the pumpkin.  I used the cookie cutter to cut all of the way through the pumpkin but you can also use it just to make your outline and then finish up with a knife.  You may want to use the second method with a larger, thicker-fleshed pumpkin.  Either way, you should end up with a cookie cutter design on your pumpkin.  You can create "faces" with the cutters or just simple designs.  Here is an example of our first attempt:

 Not bad for a crazy sleep-deprived mom of "two under two!"  If I can do this, anyone can.  Break out those cookie cutters and carve yourself a pumpkin!  Happy Halloween!

Fancy Nancy Dinosaur Dig!

Grammie created Fancy Nancy!

Nope, that is NOT a typo!  This is what happens when you ask a 4 year old what kind of birthday party she wants.  Well, let's see...she's part girly-girl princess, part rough and tumble adventure girl.  Sooo, I should not at all be surprised when she asked for a Fancy Nancy dinosaur dig party.  Surprisingly, it came together fairly easily thanks to the help of some great friends and a lot of luck.

The first thing we needed were dinosaur bones.  You know, for the dig.  Our wonderful neighbor happens to work at the local Natural History Museum and was more than happy to start sending us a steady stream of not-quite-perfect museum replica bones.  We had vertebra, jawbones, and a lot of other miscellaneous bones courtesy of the upcoming baby apatosaur exhibit.  Just for extra fun, I bought the dollar store out of small plastic dinosaur skeletons as well.  I mean, I really thought the museum bones were a superb find, but I figured those tricky pre-schoolers might be more impressed with a dinosaur they could actually see.  Next up, we poured several bags of sand into an already-blank spot in our landscaping, buried the bones and waited a few days for them to develop a "weathered" look.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (ranch house that is), we had to work on the Fancy Nancy aspect of the party.  I sent out eVites this year with an image from Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire and lots of extra fancy language (one of my daughter's favorite parts of the books).

I did some research and found lots of wonderful ideas for activities like decorating your own purses or hats and other very "girly" things.  Problem was, half of our guests would be boys.  So instead of girly accessories, we made "explorer boxes."  Basically, they were cigar boxes (again, provided by my neighbor) painted with gold metallic paint.  Inside there was a paintbrush (for dusting bones), a magnifying glass, and a pack of flash cards for dinosaur identification.  I bought Hobby Lobby out of clearance stickers and each child decorated their own explorer boxes.  Then it was on to the dig!  What fun the kids had rummaging around in the sand pit and unearthing the bones.  My son spent pretty much the whole party in the sand, digging and re-burying the bones.

If the kids got tired of the dino dig, we had the handy bounce house running at full throttle.  Truly, there is nothing better for entertaining kids than a bounce house.  Next it was time for "refreshments" as Fancy Nancy would say.  Pink and purple cupcakes, with sprinkles of course.  Fancy Nancy would never dream of a cupcake without sprinkles!  We also had fruit salad, PB&J dinosaurs, and Fancy Nancy's extra pink, extra fancy pink lemonade (recipe to follow), with bendy flower straws of course.

Overall, it was a great time.  The activities went over very well and my daughter had a blast.  Plus, the entire thing probably cost less than $100.  Like I said, luck was on my side with the dinosaur bones and the free bounce house.  But it did take some creativity and tips from helpful friends on pulling off an extra fancy, girly-girl yet boy-friendly party!  I guess now I can rest easy for another year.

Extra Fancy, Extra Pink Lemonade (From Fancy Nancy, Explorer Extraodinaire):

1 Concentrated can pink lemonade
1 can water *
1 bottle cranberry juice
1 Cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Mix and sip, daintily, with pinkie up if you please!
* This recipe really needs more than one can of water.  I diluted it a little and it was much better that way.   The kids loved it both ways though!

Merci to everyone involved, my Fancy Nancy loves you all!

A visit to the Pumpkin Patch!

Recently, my mom came to spend the day with us.  I love Grammie day, and so do my kids.  On Grammie day, we go out to lunch, usually do some shopping, and play, play, play!  I'm pretty blessed with an amazing mom who is responsible enough to be a great mentor but kooky enough to be a small child's superhero.  Way to go mom!!!

So this last week, instead of hitting the mall, my mom and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch at a church in our hometown.  Rumor has it that there is a pumpkin shortage this year, so you'd better stock up while you can!  The McFarlin pumpkin patch is so cute and the perfect size for little ones to explore and chose a pumpkin for their very own.  I let each kiddo choose one decorative pumpkin and one carving pumpkin.  I don't know if I will be brave enough to allow carving this year or not, but we're prepared just in case.  My daughter chose a green pumpkin called a "Cinderella" pumpkin...surprise, surprise.  My son "chose" the one my daughter shoved at him and said "Here, this one is YOURS!"  Luckily, he seemed happy with it so I let it go.  Then, of course, we had to do the wagon rides!  I think they are suppose to be for the real pumpkins, but my little pumpkins loved it.

Pull, brother!

So, now we have a porch full of pumpkins that I have to try and keep is relatively good shape for another month or so.  Wish me luck!

Here's a side tip:  When my son was a newborn, I determined to carve a pumpkin.  With a newborn.  And a not-quite-two-year-old.  I just had to make sure that my daughter not miss out on fun holiday stuff just because there was a new baby in the house.  Can we say "4th trimester hormones?"  Anyway, I ended up discovering a a neat trick:  Using metal cookie cutters instead of knives.  Just use a meat mallet or something else heavy to pound them in.  Sweet and simple!

Awww, look at that face!

Sculpture Walk

The weather this week has been so lovely that I really wanted to do something fun outside.  We are lucky enough to live very close to an awesome and beautiful university campus, the University of Oklahoma.  For those of you not in Oklahoma, you may be used to hearing the word "football" after that particular title but I assure you that there is a lot of other great stuff about OU, which is saying a lot considering I am an alum of Oklahoma State University!

Annnnnyyyyway, one of my favorite things about OU is the amazing public art, including a huge variety of sculptures, intricate gardens, fountains, ect.  Some of it is beautiful in that classical sense.  Some of it is very modern and abstract.  Some of it is even controversial, but the mix is what makes it all the more interesting.  So I gathered up cameras, snacks, friends, and off we headed for our very own self-guided "sculpture tour."  We started with the ballerina sculpture, 'cuz we had two four year old princesses in tow!  Pirouette, girls, pirouette!

Next up, we headed down the road to check out a sculpture of a Native American woman, then did a tour of the rose garden outside of the library.  Of course, we couldn't just go past the library!  Ahhhh, the lovely smell of books, books, books!  Nerd, you say?  Yeah, I came to grips with that long ago.  The "old section" of Bizzell Library is, in my opinion, the most beautiful building on campus.  There's all sorts of crazy stuff going on with that building; it's a work of art itself!  We visited with my former professor/boss from when I was in library school (yes, there is such thing) and then headed back out to explore.

Peek a Boo!

All in all, we probably ran across about 20 sculptures and hidden little gardens, not to mention just checking out the cool architecture.  The kids ran around outside and see some cool stuff, the mommies strolled and chatted (with a bit of kiddo chasing thrown in) and we all had a fun time.  This is one activity that is definitely going into the regular rotation!

God for Little People

Last month I did something that pre-Mommy me would have rather ripped out her toenails than do:  I taught preschool Sunday school at my church.  And I liked it!  It's possible that I may have even volunteered for a second round in the near future.

We started with the beginning, as in "In the beginning was the Word..." sort of beginning.  We talked about God creating plants and trees, birds and fish, and the Earth, ocean and sky.  All with helpful flashcards, silly songs and buzzing bees, of course.  When asked what their favorite plant that God created was I got answers like "ice cream" "candy" and "chicken nuggets."  It took some convincing but eventually I garnered some appreciation for trees, juicy apples, and beautiful flowers!  I even took those little wild things outside for a mini field trip around the church's garden.  With about four extra wonderful helpers, of course...I'm not that crazy!

Overall, it was really chaotic and slightly crazy.  It was also amazing to see their little faces when they realized something amazing, like that God made everything.  Everything, can you believe it?  Kids said they were thankful for their mommies and daddies, that they thought their big brothers needed extra prayers, and that their favorite "creation" was Spiderman.  It really was reaffirming of my own faith to get to see the beginnings of a small child's religious journey.

This week I was back to just plain ol' mommy and not teacher-mommy.  I asked my daughter how she liked her Sunday school class.  "Great!" she said with enthusiasm.  Then I asked her what they talked about in class.  She didn't even have to think about if for a second when she said "God....again."  Well, sweetie, He's kind of a big deal!

Al Fresco!

It was another Saturday work day for me, something that is becoming increasingly tiresome for myself and the family.  Still, I managed to slug through eight hours and came home to find homemade brisket, salad, and jalapeno poppers.  Oh, and did I mention a bounce house at full throttle?

The first thing my daughter said when I walked in the door was "Can we eat outside Mommy???"  Well, sure, that sounds like a splendid idea!  Here's me with a beer in one hand and a giant bottle of magic bubbles in the other.  Yessir, we know how to have a good time!

I love to dine "al fresco" but the truth is that it often seems like a better idea then it actually is.  It's too hot or too cold or too windy or the flies are everywhere.  Today we had a rare "perfect" day in Oklahoma.  Low wind, clear skies, and wonderfully moderate temps.  This happens for a week or two every season change, right in between "hotter than hell" and "the worst blizzard of the decade, except for the one last year."  So, we'd better enjoy it!

After a lovely dinner thanks to Hubby, the kids and I took a spin in the nearly-new bounce house that my great friend gave us.  I love a bounce house.  What I really love is a trampoline, but I'm pretty sure they call child services on you if you buy one of those these days so the bounce house will do.  This one really isn't supposed to accommodate adults but I gave it a whirl anyway.  My daughter loves this thing, she has even figured out already how to switch it off and on by herself.  My son, well, he's still on the fence about it but he'll come around.  

This look says "I worked eight hours at the public library, came home, drank a beer, ate too much food, then had a romp in a kiddie-sized bounce house.  You're welcome!