Fine Motor with Little Tikes

I am always looking for something to do with Arianna when i am trying ot make dinner.  She is usually hungry around that time and needs a small snack to get her through to dinner.

The other day I gave her an empty egg carton and some Apple Jacks.  She had to use her little fingers to pick out her snack.  This kept her busy for quite awhile.   

Lunch Time with LoLo

Everyday I ask Ariel what she wants for lunch.
Everyday she said, "I'll have what I oojally (usually) have.  You know what it is."

She likes apple slices or grapes, turkey sandwich, and a piece of floppy cheese.  She used to be okay with a slice of american cheese, but she has now discovered provolone.
Provolone is a little pricy for a 3 year old when I buy it in the package.  Today I got smart and had the deli slice it super thin for me.  I got a ton more slices and it was cheaper!


I let Ariel eat her lunch while she watches TV.  She is a pretty slow eater so this way she isn't at the table forever.  Plus its kinda of a special thing she gets to do when she is the only one eating lunch (Arianna us usually taking a nap at this time).

Basement After

Awhile ago I posted some pictures of our basement before.

My mom spent some time over here painting for me.  If I were to do it, it would get done in about 3 years. 

We have the walls painted and now I am working on things for the walls and other deocrations.

I decided to paint the walls a grey.  This looks more blue, but it is grey.  Either way I really like it.  It brightens up the basement so much - perfect for a playroom.

I LOVE pink and green (they are my girls life colors) so my dad came over and taped off stripes and my mom painted them.

This area looks a little cluttery, but what can you do?

I acutally took out the alphabet mat - a 1 year old just doesn't seem to want to keep it put together.

We also added a tall lamp behind the playhouse.

On the wall above the kitchen we have a sparkly butterfly picture that my mom got for me.  When I showed the girls, their mouths fell open.  They loved it!  I also hung a couple butterflies from the ceiling.

I found this paper garland on clearance at Target and new it would be perfect in the basement.

We also added one of those paper lanter lights above the book shelf.

I created a TV area for the girls.  We have tons of VHS tapes so we like to have a TV/VCR combo.  They are actually hard to find when you need one.  They also don't last very long when you do get one.  I have the TV on a shelf with cloth bins full of videos.  Behind the couch is a chest that my Grandpa built for me.  I am planning on making some cushions for it. 

 

Don't you love how bright and fun the basement is?

Fine Motor Fun

I like to do some fun things with Ariel when Annabelle is at school.
I picked up 2 boxes with lids and 2 big boxes of salt.
I dumped salt into each box.
I made some cards with shapes and doodles.
I gave Ariel a stick and had her makes the picture that was on the card.

I plan on having Annabelle practice her sight words in her box.

Annabelle

Annabelle is in Kindergarten at ZQuest in Zeeland.

I know my girl and I know that she learns quickly. 
I'm not being biased toward my own child.  I have seen a lot of children and a wide range of abilities when they start kindergarten. 
I have worked with Annabelle quite a bit before she went to school and I could tell that she caught on quickly to what I was teaching her.
Anyway, her class is made of up 25 kids in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade.
She had been doing her reading group with the other kinders, but recently her teacher moved her up to a 1st grade group. 
I love that there is the opportunity to be challenged and not have to stay where most of the class is.
We were so proud of her so we got her a little present.

 

We don't plan on giving a present everytime the girls do something like this, but we do feel it is important to let them know we are proud of them for working hard and doing their best in school.  I am sure she would have been happy with a few M&M's, but she recently decided she loved panda bears and wanted to collect them.

Take a few minutes and let your child know you are proud of them.  If your child struggles, let them know are proud of them for not giving up.  If your child excels, let them know you love how hard they try.  There is always an excuse to let our kids know we are proud of them!