Last Week of March

Pretty much anything can be made into a guitar as you can see from the picture above. The kids think of the garage as their stage and put on concerts. I'm not sure how much the neighbors appreciate their loud singing, but I guess I don't much appreciate their loud stereos in the summer, so I guess we're even.

We've been trying to get out every single day and pretty much accomplish that goal, even if it's just playing in the backyard. This week we went to a small playground next to the library. They did some of this...

...and this

and this...

We usually try to get to the library once a week, especially in the colder weather. Sometimes it will be a quick stop, but more often than not, we head towards the children's section, and sit around reading on the couch, or play with the legos, kitchen set or puzzles. Even if we can do all that at home, just the act of getting out of the house helps when we seem to be getting on each other's nerves.

Sunny days has also brought about a drawing with sidewalk chalk craze. Large pictures now decorate the asphault in the back. The buds are on the trees, we can see the birds begin to build their nests, and the breeze flows through the windows in the house. How I love spring!

Daddy's Birthday

We celebrated Steve's birthday with extended family on Saturday, March 27th. The day before both Jared and Alexa helped make the fruit salad. They pretty much did the entire thing, cutting up the strawberries and melon, and pulling the grapes from the stems.

Steve's sisters, brother-in-law, and parents were there, along with my side of the family, including cousin O. His brother's family came two and a half hours later. I had cooked up two crock-pots full of BBQ beef, so that plus store-bought potato salad, the fruit salad, and rolls, made dinner very easy.  After dinner, everyone was so helpful with cleaning up (we met at Steve's parents house since our house is tiny and wouldn't hold everyone), that I didn't even realize everything was cleared until I had finished eating.

Steve's family has a little tradition of carrying the cake out, blowing out the candles, opening up presents, and then eating cake, in that order. So, that's just what we did. Of course, the kids, including the cousins, loved blowing out the candles too and licking them afterwards.

Some people went in together and bought Steve a tiller for the garden (which I selfishly love, too!). He also received a smoker, so that will be fun to do this summer. Steve never will buy whole coffee beans for himself, he thinks it's a luxury not a neccessity, so several people bought him whole beans.

On his real birthday, the 30th, the kids and I spent the whole day getting ready for a little family party when he came home from work. Usually for our birthdays, he takes off work, but with Good Friday at the end of the week, and all the travelling he's been doing lately, he has so much to get caught up on at work.

The kids and I went to the store and bought balloons, birthday cards, small presents (Jared bought Steve a new Sudoku book, Alexa bought him more coffee beans from Starbucks, and I put some money in a card towards clothes), and wrapping paper. We headed home and spent quite a while drawing and coloring a Happy Birthday banner, wrapping presents, and cooking a birthday dinner - shepherd's pie and zucchini. Alexa was very proud to help peel the potatos. Then we played with the balloons a bit before Steve came home.

After dinner we had yet another cake, and then Steve opened his cards and presents. We wrapped up the evening with a game of balloon volleyball. Happy Birthday, Steve!

Jared picked out a Batman card that played the theme song. Definitly more for himself than for Steve!

Oak Lawn Children's Museum

On March 25th, we went to a new children's museum, at least new to us. The Oak Lawn Children's Museum is only ten minutes from my mom's new house. I had been wanting to check it out for some time, particularly now that it's so close to my mom's house and will make for a great place to go when the weather gets colder later in the year.

Like I said, it's a ten minute drive from my mom's house, although we wound up getting a little lost. I had written down the wrong directions, but thanks to cell phones, we made it there pretty quickly. The wind was horrendous that day, bitterly cold and leaving my sensitive skin cut and and bleeding (on my hands, that is). We had to park at the top of the parking garage, and it seemed like it took forever to get the kids in the building, but once we were inside, I was pleasantly surprised.

The place is not quite as large as the DuPage Children's Museum, but it has many exhibits you'd only find at the Chicago Children's Museum or Khol's Children's Museum, and a few unique to this museum as well.

After running around a bit just to take in everything, they settled first on visiting the pretend store. Khol's Children's has an awesome pretend store, and although this one was only about a third of its size, it still was a huge hit with the kids, especially Alexa.

She absolutely loved playing cashier (I've got to put a cash register machine on her wish list!) with the other kids. The Khol's museum has a scanner that actually beeps, but it still was fun for her to take the other children's money and help them check out.  Even Grammy got in on the action.

Jared had more fun with me downstairs rolling golf balls down an angled surface....

...and watching pennies spin down the funnel.

Alexa spent quite a bit of time play veterinarian. She loved putting the stuffed dogs on the scale, listening to their heartbeats with the stethoscope and putting them back in their cages.

They both had fun playing at the water table. There was also a sand table that looked really cool, but we didn't get to it on this trip.

While my mom stayed downstairs with Jared, Alexa and I went back upstairs for some more pretend play with costumes and puppets. I'd highly recommend this museum. It's not that big, but there is just enough variety to please most all kids.

Nature Hikes While Mommy's Away

This year I was once again able to attend the InHome Conference March 18th-20th in St. Charles held at the Pheasant Run Inn Resort. It was awesome. Some of the presenters I was so blessed to see included John Taylor Gatto, Allison McKee, and Resa Steindel Brown.  

On Friday, I was away from home from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.  Then I was gone Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The only other time I had ever been away from the kids that long was at last year's conference. It felt so strange to have so much time to be alone, to read a lot, and just to sit still for long period's of time. I definitely needed it, but I'm so glad that it hardly ever happens because I really missed the kids and Steve a lot.

While I was gone, the kids did a lot of fun things with their daddy. On Friday, it was a beautiful, sunny day, so they met up with Steve's parents for a hike at the Graue Mill and to feed the ducks.

Alexa took this wonderful picture below of the rest of the group.

They also went to a playground, visited the library where Alexa read Steve a forty page Amelia Bedelia book straight through, and had lunch at McDonalds.

They next day brought another fun hike, although it was very different from the day before.

Crazy, huh? Sunny skies and light jackets one day, snow and snowpants the next. They were a little disappointed not to spot any deer, but they did seem some tracks.

All in all a great weekend. I had a much needed break and inspiration, and they kids spent a lot of time with their dad, something they really needed lately with all the travel Steve has been having.

Fun Around the House in March Part 3

We're very flexible with when the kids go to bed at our home. We definitely do not have a set bedtime. Generally, it depends on the day. If the kids have been up since 6:30 or 7:00 and have not wanted to lay down for a little bit, they tend to go to bed earlier. Alexa, almost always, will ask us to put her in her bed on her own. If she has been up early, this is usually between 8:00-9:00 p.m. We tuck her in, sing and pray together.

Jared, on the other hand, is different. He can be up just as early and will still be up at 10:00. He'll go in the room with us when we tuck in Alexa, and then he almost always drifts out to the living room. Usually, he'll watch something with us, but often he and Steve will have a special project going on. The picture above is of the two putting together a Lego robot kit. Some nights he wants more stories, or to put together a puzzle with or without someone. Other nights he'll line up his pirates, knights, and Indians. When he looks sleepy, we carry him to our bedroom, and more often than not, tell a ghost story. Sometimes he wanders back out again, and then we give him more time before trying to tuck him in our bed again. She rarely sleeps with us in our bed unless she's sick; he almost always does. You really have to go on the individual needs of each child. They'll let you know what they need.

There was a rare night where Alexa stayed up later and they put together a puzzle.

Nights almost always include book reading before bed. Alexa loves to be the one to read to all of us, lately. We have an ongoing novel or very long chapter book that we usually read together for about an hour or so while we eat our lunch, but at bedtime we read special picture books, or Alexa will read us some of her chapter books. For the past month, there has always at least one Batman book, too, per Jared's request.

A few weekends ago, Steve's parents came over in the evening, and we had dinner together - Mexican food and stuffed mushrooms. The kids had a blast blowing bubble outside before eating. I love when the seasons change and we bring out new things to do, especially outside things. It's like they're brand-new again.

We've also had quite a few Memory game sessions this month. I guess I should say Alexa and I have. Jared usually plays with his little figures next to us. He's really enjoyed playing by himself more these past few months, just moving his figures around and making up stories.

Another newly rediscovered outdoor activity has been painting the porch. Last year, while painting outside on their little table, they began to paint all over the porch, too. We just basically gave in, (it's supposedly washable paint), and let them go a little crazy. The porch still has paint on it from last year. So, they went for it, painting the porch, basketball net and asphalt. I know some people might think we're crazy for allowing this, think it looks sloppy and unkempt, but looking at that paint makes me wish time would move more slowly.  Someday the porch will be very clean, but I'm really not looking forward to that day.