Frugal Friday Fun Style...

Please buy us weird Christmas gifts...they rock...I love these "plastic road flares" my parents got my kids from the drug store. They have lit the interior of many a fort...and given MomE many a needed quiet moment...okay...maybe not quiet...but fun...definitely.
I finally bought a roll of easel paper. What took me so long...it's cheap!? The kids had a blast being traced...and coloring themselves! They chirp on and on (and on) about it!!

Emmer-bean tales and Charting Chores...

First, I must begin with this picture. My Sweet Girl has become quite the little artist lately...and each picture has a story. So fascinating...how fast this developmental change has happened...and the stories themselves...both fascinating!

This picture is of Emmy walking with her brother Lubby. It is starting to rain (see the blue in upper left?)...and she is helping him to walk into the sunshine (see the red sun at his feet?)...and our house was far away (that's why it's so small...see red and blue houses?)...and there was a snake and a red cardinal bird in the grass (oh, my...eeeek)...
Now that you have enjoyed an Emmer-bean story...I thought I'd show you our charts...I picked up the free downloads from Simple Mom...here! I had been thinking for a while that the kids needed to start having chores of their own...We think we are going to give pennies for each x...haven't really decided. Don't worry...we'll decide by Sunday...when payment is due.
Frankly, why is money necessary? They like putting the x mark...that's reinforcement enough right now! HA! I covered them with plastic page protectors and I'm using dry erase markers. That way...I don't have to print them off every week. In case you can't read it (har, love my pictures...) they get an x for helping put away the silverware, making their beds, helping with laundry, helping in the kitchen, helping set the table, cleaning up before nap and before bedtime, and extra nicenesses.
This is hard for perfectionist MomE...really hard...the beds are decidedly bumpy...but I didn't fix them...are you proud of me??
Once I get used to it...I'm sure it will look cute to me...and it won't be so much extra effort. Right now, it takes at least three times as long to do things...but it is good to build independence...right?? *sigh*

Letter of the Week...K...is for Koala!

I suppose you could complain that K...is a branch...but it's for a Koala...so work with me!! This would have made a good frugal Friday post too...cardboard pieces for the trunk, leftover eucalyptus, gray tissue box pieces...
...we needed to look at a Koala in one of our books to remember what they looked like...
Pretty cute! Awww!

Friday Funny!

Letter of the Week...and a bonus letter!

The letter of the week is J...
J...for Jellyfish!!

Since we have a little cold...we watched Nemo...and talked especially about the jelly fish section...MomE might have skipped forward to that part...
Then we broke out our new finger paints. Man, Crayola paints have a pungent perfume smell...am I the only one thinking so?? It's not unpleasant...just surprising.

Didn't they turn out cute!?
Emmer figured out how to put blank paper against already painted pictures...and make copies. Anything to use up white paper faster!! I think it's currently her life's calling.
This week the bonus letter is X...because while preparing their lunch I heard the X song on Sesame Street...and decided to be creative! They were very impressed!!

Game Night with Preschoolers? Oh, yes!

DadE and I decided that Friday nights would be pizza and game night this year. I make pizza (special no dairy pizza for Lubby, meat pizza for DadE, and personal pizza for Emmy)...and then we play games all evening the whole hour and a half til bedtime.

I wasn't sure this was something we could do with little kids. Yet, it has turned out to be a highlight...and we're not even to the end of January yet! I must say Attack UNO is the current favorite. Both kids do pretty well with number and color recognition...and love being made to push the button...we have to make sure they only push it once! Now...the other game...
Yes...you're right...it's RISK; my sweet husband's favorite game. The one I refuse in a very obedient submissive kind of way hahaha to play with him. World domination...you know *yawn* the one... He lets them set up the pieces and pretend to take over territories. I have never laughed so hard. Emmy says, "MomE, I's taken over North America!" Good grief...hehehe..*wheeze*!

It's Thursday...there's still time...wanna have game night and pizza tomorrow night? Okay, you can order the pizza!! But...it won't taste as good!

A Beautiful Bustle Butt!

So, my Sweet Girl got a new dress lovingly handed down play clothes from a friend at church. She LOVES it...but was rather puzzled with it's large bustle.

She asked me, "Why does it stick out like dis?"

I told her that it was called a bustle and that ladies, like Cinderella, thought it made a dress much prettier.

She thought for a bit...and then declared, "Yes, you's right...I have a beautiful bustle butt!"

*Oh, dear...she is keeping me in fits of laughter lately!*

Friday Funny

MomE hilarity...

I try not to laugh at my kids...especially when they do childish things...but the other day I had to walk away and shut myself in the bathroom and laugh 'til I got a grip... See, Emmer Bug has been carting around her Angelina and Alice dolls lately. She makes them dance...and really enjoys them. She reads them stories about themselves...and she dances too. Very cute.

So, I walked past her room...where she and her brother were playing...and she said...

"Hey, MomE...guess what?" I said, "What?" (I know, real original there)

"Cabub, he wuz touching my diarrheas!!" ...holding it in I said, "He did? He just wants to play with you. I think you mean...ballerinas."

And she says, "Yeah, he wuz touching my diarrheas!" It was at that point that I scuttled away and had my fit of MomE hilarity! I love her to pieces!!!
My Mom told me to put this story in her baby book...but let's face it...this blog is going to be a much better baby book than the two sitting gathering dust downstairs. HA...at some point...I'll pay billions to print it out and have it bound!

Letter of the Week: I is for Vitamins...hahaha!

We started a vitamin regimen last year. We love it and think it works...another blog for another day. My Grandparents (jokingly dubbed vitamin cultists by some in our family) got us thinking about it. They are some of the healthiest people I know...even among young people...which they aren't...hahaha! Man, I'm just cracking myself up today...anyhew...We got a Puritan's Pride order...and a whole box of...packing peanuts!!!!!!
So, since you can't have packing peanuts and no way to play with them...we used them to make the letter I. MomE chickened out on coming up with an animal for the letter I...and went Valentine's early...with I...love you. Come on...get it?!!!

I. LOVE. YOU.

And...there's a whole lot of packing peanuts left over for another time!!

Memory Monday...

Sometimes I like to look through my pictures. Do you?? These are all from when we had just become the proud parents of TWO children! Life sure changed fast! You can see that although my Mom was very interested in her new grandson...Emmer...not so interested in her new brother! Hospital rooms are sooo interesting.
She thinks...he doth protest too much! She was trying to love him!!
She read him stories...what a good sister!!
I'd forgotten how the boppy ended up being used...as her personal recliner. Awww...I forgot what a baby she was when he was born! *sigh*
See what happens when you try to obey your mother and kiss your new brother!? Sheesh!

Finally Friday...with some snow and birdseed...

Thankfully, I don't feel like this every week...but today...I'm glad it's finally Friday! My children are like me...they love the snow...to look at from inside! There was great anticipation as it fluttered down from the sky yesterday. All morning little voices chirped about going outside to play in the snow with their snow pants...to make snow angels, snowmen, snowballs...
In reality...we were outside a total of 5-10 minutes. No. joke. And, for the record, it took A LOT less time to remove the snowsuits...then it took to put it all on in the first place. Ugh...*sigh*...
We did make some nifty bird feeders...after a few flopped attempts. As you can see...the cardinals in particular really love them!
Here's a close up! Nothing like a seeded pinecone to make a few birds happy!

These are the flops...They are called Birdseed Bisquits. I was drawn to the recipe because it doesn't require peanut butter. As many of you have probably figured out by now...my Sweet Boy is deathly allergic to peanuts. So, I tried this recipe HERE! I'm not sure what I did wrong...but it ended up looking like...
...a pile of bird seed! Bummer...everything else I've ever tried from Family Fun has turned out perfectly. I'm thinking my birdseed is too coarse.
Okay, DON'T PANIC...I didn't lose my mind and break out peanut butter. This is soy butter...mixed with cornmeal (to prevent the poor birds from choking)...and a teeny bit of oil. I nuked and added oil until I achieved the proper viscosity. Ooooo...to you like my use of the word VISCOSITY...yeah, that's a Loverbrain word...after six years of marriage he's finally wearing off on me! Anyhew...I digress...
You coat the pinecones (from our yard) in the mixture...VERY MESSY...ALERT!!
Sweet girl packed the seeds all around it...very compact. Then we put them outside to get hardened...and attached them to the trees with yarn. Fun birdwatching! AND...happy FRIDAY!

Snowball Cookies...er, Brownie Crinkles...

It was snowing this morning...so we made SNOWBALL COOKIES...okay...
...BROWNIE CRINKLES...it was soooo fun!
Yes, I know licking the spoon is a risk...but well every kid has to lick the spoon at some point in their life...and it's chocolate...come on!!! They were delicious...

Brownie Crinkles Recipe
1 Brownie Mix
1/4 c. water
1 egg
Mix...if not stiff enough at a teeny bit of flour.
Form into balls...and drop into bowl of confectioner sugar.
Completely coat in sugar.
Space on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 min.
Fudgy and oooooo so good! I love how the sugar sticks to your lips!

Letter of the Week: H...for Hippo

Mr. Lubby wasn't interested in getting his picture taken with his hippo...so...you get a beautiful smile for Sweet Girl instead.

Tube Tuesday: I'm watching you Dad...

I've had several comments about Tube Tuesday recently...about truly developing it as my Meme, my creation, adding Mr. Linky, etc. I thought about it...and decided I'd throw the opportunity out there...to see if it's worth going to any hassle. So, leave a comment if you'd like me to make this Meme official...give me a link to your favorite Tube Tuesday. My desire in creating it was more to share the quirky, eclectic side of me...and for an excuse to browse about You Tube and Tangle..but we'll see...

Impromptu Puppet Show...

We made puppets today...from snipped up magazines...we found eyes, noses....
...mustaches, hair, mouths...
...and chins! We've never had so much fun with leftover magazines, glue, paper plates and Popsicle sticks before!
I was having trouble getting a picture of the puppet show...so thought I'd do a video...
Yes, she's playing, "I'm hungry MomE"...cuz ever since she's had the stomach bug that's all she says...making up for lost time, I guess. Yes, we had a Happy (blah, blah, ewww) New Year! We are now...Thankfully Restored...