4th of July Celebrations

In case you are looking for some fun things to do tomorrow, here are some options:

July 4 Parade in Downtown Waukesha

July 4, 2012, 11:00 am

Cutler Park, 321 Wisconsin Ave, Waukesha, WI | Get Directions » 

The America the Beautiful parade begins at 11 a.m. leaving from Cutler Park. The parade will begin at the corner of Maple and Wisconsin Ave., travel west on Wisconsin Ave., turn right at West Ave., follow Main St. east, turn left on Buckley, then right on Baxter, finishing at the Schuetze Recreation Center, 1120 Baxter St. in Frame Park.

**A group from WFA is meeting in front of Allo Chocolate to watch the parade together.

Waukesha Fireworks Show

July 4, 2012, 7:15 pm

Waukesha County Expo, 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI |Get Directions » 

FREE

Bring your blankets and chairs and celebrate with the City of Waukesha’s 4th of July activities with the annual Fireworks Show at the Waukesha County Expo.

The grounds will open at 7:15 p.m. with the show beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m.

The show promises to be unique and of exceptional quality. It will consist of some high aerials along with low level effects.The show will be best viewed from the Waukesha County Fairgrounds.

Carry-in of alcoholic beverages or fireworks will not be allowed.

**Come celebrate Independence Day with WFA. The fairgrounds open at 7:15 p.m., and we would love to play games, hang out, and watch the fireworks together. Please bring lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks to share.

Other area celebrations:

Bayside: Bayside's parade begins at Bayside Midde School at 9 a.m., ending at Ellsworth Park with an ice cream social and Bayside's Best Dog Competition. More on the Bayside celebration. There will be no fireworks display in Bayside.

Brookfield (city): The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on Gebhardt Road near Brookfield Central High School, turns north on Calhoun Road, west on North Avenue, south on Norhardt Drive, ending at Civic Drive. From 6 to 9 p.m. Family Fest will be held at Mitchell Park, with the band Our House, Heads Up Juggling and magician Glen Gerard. Also on tap: games, food and fireworks at about 9:15 p.m. More details

Brookfield (town): The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Elmbrook Church and runs east along Davidson Road and then south on Linden Lane, ending at Marx Park, 700 S. Barker Road. The parade is followed by activities for children.

Cudahy: Cudahy's fireworks will be at 4800 S. Lake Drive. The parade will start at noon on Lake Drive, and it will run from Grange to Armour Avenue. More on Cudahy's celebrations.

Fox Point: Fox Point festivities include the annual parade, which starts at the Fox Point Police Station. The annual softball game will also take place, featuring village residents against the Fox Point Police. Kids will have an opportunity to jump around in a bounce house, play with clowns, and get their faces painted. More on the Fox Point celebration. There will be no fireworks in Fox Point.

Greenfield: Greenfield will celebrate the holiday with daylong event at Konkel Park from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. That event will include live music, activities for all ages, plenty of food vendors and fireworks at dusk. The parade will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will feature former Green Bay Packers lineman Mark Tauscher as the honorary grand marshal and appearances by the UW Marching Band and Bucky Badger.

Greendale: Greendale's daylong celebration will kick off at 9 a.m. with Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence at Village Hall. The reading will be followed by the parade, including a separate children's parade.  The fireworks display will start at 9:15 p.m. The American Legion and Greendale Lions Club will be selling a number of food items July 2 through July 4. Click here for the complete schedule of Greendale's celebrations.

Muskego (JULY 3): The July 3 Muskego celebration will begin at 1 p.m. at Idle Isle Park, W182S6666 Hardtke Drive, opening with activities like a bungee run and rock climbing. A ski show will be held at 7:30 p.m., and fireworks (with a musical background) will begin around 9:15 p.m. More on the Muskego celebration.

Oak Creek: A parade starts at 9 a.m. at the corner of Groveland Drive and Shepard Avenue, and ends at the American Legion Post. The Legion Post will be the site of a daylong celebration featuring live music, food and more. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. at East Middle School. More on Oak Creek's celebrations.

Hales Corners:  A "Community Bash" includes a children's parade, classic and antique car show, a pie contest and open houses throughout the village. Events are held at different locations, and fireworks will begin at dusk at Hales Corners Park, 5765 New Berlin Road. More on the Hales Corners celebration.

Menomonee Falls (JULY 3): The parade begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Appleton and Elm streets, ending at Menomonee Falls High School. Fireworks shot form the MFHS football field begin at dusk.More on the Menomonee Falls celebration.

Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant (JULY 3): Sturtevant's Fireworks Festival begins at 4 p.m. July 3 at Firemen's Park, off of Charles Street between 90th and Wisconsin streets. Admission is free, parking on the grounds is $5 and carry-ins are discouraged. The day is filled with family-friendly activities, culminating in fireworks at dusk. More on the Sturtevant celebration.

Pewaukee: The 4 p.m. parade starts at Pewaukee High School and proceeds to Village Park along West Wisconsin Avenue along the beach. Enjoy food on the lakefront starting at 1 p.m. at 213 W. Wisconsin Ave., with a 6:45 p.m. ski show and fireworks at dusk. More on the Pewaukee celebration.

Port Washington: A downtown parade begins at 11 a.m., followed by a picnic in Veteran's Memorial Park Park. At the park, after the parade, there will be a ceremony to recognize the armed forces, a bike decorating contest, a watermelon seed spitting contest and a children's play area with a bounce house and live music. The lakefront fireworks display will be shot at dusk near Grand Avenue and Franklin Street. More on the Port Washington celebration.

Racine: The 8:30 a.m. pre-parade starts at the intersections of Goold and Main Streets and runs south down Main Street through Downtown then turns west on 14th Street. The parade starts at 9 a.m. and travels the same route. This is an extremely popular parade, leave early to get a good seat. Fireworks can be viewed anywhere along the shores of Lake Michigan starting at dusk. More on Racine Fourth Fest celebration.

Saukville: The Saukville parade starts at 1 p.m. starts at Rebel Road and South Main Street. After the parade, there will be activities at Grady Park, and food and beverages as well as music will be available in the park until 5 p.m. Everything moves to Peninsula Park at 6 p.m. with more food and beverages as well as live music until fireworks at dusk. More on the Saukville celebration.

Shorewood: The 3:30 p.m. Shorewood parade kicks off at Oakland Avenue and Kensington Boulevard, ending at River Park, followed by free ice cream from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the park. Live entertainment in Atwater Park leading up to the fireworks at dusk will be provided by the Shorewood Concert Band and the Tweed Funk Band. More on the Shorewood celebration.

South Milwaukee: Fourth of July celebrations at Grant Park, 100 E. Hawthorne Ave., include a decorated bike parade, races and games for kids and free ice cream and caramel corn for children. Their fireworks display is set to begin around 9:30 p.m. More on the South Milwaukee celebration.

Sussex: The Fourth of July celebration in Sussex begins at 6 p.m. at Sussex Village Park with live entertainment from Rabid Aardvarks, a top 40s cover band. Fireworks will begin at dusk. More on the Sussex celebration.

Whitefish Bay: The 11:30 a.m. parade will step off at Silver Spirng Drive and Kent Avenue, finishing at Klode Park. Activities at the park include kids games, live entertainment and plenty of food vendors. Fireworks are at dusk. More on the Whitefish Bay celebration.

- source http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/waukesha-fourth-of-july-celebration-set

Family-Friendly Fun - Freedom Fest 2012

Are you looking for some family-friendly fun this weekend?

New Life Assembly of God church in Janesville (2416 N Wright Rd) 

is hosting Freedom Fest this Saturday, June 30. 

The gates open at 11:00 am. 

 Everything is FREE except for food and souvenirs. You can also bring in your own food, if you'd like.

I checked out their website (http://freedomfestnewlife.com/) for more information:

"We are excited for our eleventh year of Freedom Fest at New Life Assembly of God. As always, Freedom Fest exists as a Christ-centered, family-friendly, alcohol-free, community event that is meant to bring glory to God and give honor to our country and those who serve and have served it.

RIDES

Each year, we continue to offer a number of rides available to children of all ages. Our mechanical rides may be reserved for the older children, but we offer a number of inflatable rides for the younger ones, too!

There’s no waiting in lines to buy tickets for more rides; we skip that part and just say, “Get on and have fun… for free.” Particularly, we are excited about having bigger and better mechanical rides than we have ever had before. This year, we will have a bigger Ferris Wheel, Ali Baba, Tilt-A-Whirl, Cliff Hanger, Orient Express, and the Sizzler.

FOOD VENDORS

We have several local food vendors that will be on the grounds during Freedom Fest. You should be able to find anything you want from burgers and hot dogs, pizza and wings, to ice cream and cream puffs.

We are looking forward to our food vendors this year: Famous Dave’s, Rollin’ Pin, Sonrise Cafe, Pizza Hut, UBake, Culver’s, and more!

FREE HEALTH CLINIC

We are pleased that Mercy Health Systems will be helping to sponsor this event once again. If you are in need of a dental check up or medical screening, visit the free health clinic at Freedom Fest from 11:00AM to 3:00PM.

STAGE ENTERTAINMENT

We are excited to announce that nationally-known recording artist Aaron Shust will be headlining this year’s Freedom Fest. In 2007, Aaron Shust won the GMA Dove Award for songwriter of the year and his song “My Savior My God” won song of the year. Currently, his song “My Hope Is In You” has been on the Billboard charts for the past 36 weeks, peaking at the number one position.

We are also excited for Mark Alan, out of Minneapolis, MN, as an opening act. In 2003, Mark Alan won the United Kingdom’s international songwriting competition for best gospel song. He is also the worship leader at Emmanuel Christian Center.

Be sure to make your way over to our main stage at some point to enjoy the great entertainment:
5:00pm – In This Room
6:30pm – Mark Alan
8:00pm – Aaron Shust
9:15pm – Pastor’s Address

FIREWORKS

At the end of the night, we have a wonderful fireworks display. After our last stage event, which will be about 9:30PM, the sky will light up on the north side of Highway 14 directly across from our property. So after you watch the stage acts, you can just stay put and be amazed! As we do each year, we strive to have bigger and better fireworks. Whether you have seen our fireworks before or this will be your first time, you are certainly in for a treat."

For more information and photos, check out http://freedomfestnewlife.com/

Looks like a fun time!

I Could Use a Laugh ...

How about you?

Kidtropolis Easter Eggstravaganza

Kidtropolis Easter Eggstravaganza
Saturday, April 7th
2 - 4 pm
at
Waukesha First Assembly
1314 S Grand Ave



Easter egg hunt with 10,000 eggs filled with candy
Games and Inflatables
Popcorn and Cotton candy

Bring your kids for a fun time!

Resurrection Eggs

Today my sister, Kelly, has written a guest post for us just in time for Easter!

************************************************

A couple of years ago, my sister in law Hope gave me this wonderful book along with a carton of plastic eggs. The book is called "Benjamin's Box" and the eggs are called Resurrection Eggs.

I think this is one of the best ways I've seen to explain the Easter story to your children.

It's the story of a little boy named Benjamin and his treasure box. Benjamin was given a box by his grandfather filled with nothing but straw, straw that came from a manger bed of a king named Jesus. Benjamin had heard that Jesus was coming into town and so he begins his journey.

As you turn each page, you and your child take a journey with Benjamin picking up treasures along the way to put into their own treasure box.

Each page of the book corresponds to a plastic egg. For example, during Benjamin's journey he hears a rumor that the priests have offered money for someone to betray Jesus. Benjamin warns one of the men following Jesus and the man tells Benjamin he will take care of it and hands him a denarius not to repeat it to anyone else. Benjamin thanks him and asks his name...his name is Judas Iscariot. Benjamin adds the coin to his treasure box.

You can start the book 12 days before Easter and read 1 page per day. You also open 1 egg each day allowing your child to place the item inside their own treasure box. {You can also do it all at once or make it part of an egg hunt }

By the time you reach the end of the story, the glorious resurrection of King Jesus, your child will have heard the entire story of Jesus' journey to Calvary. At the end of the book when your child turns the last page and its Benjamin praying and thanking God for sending Jesus, you open their last egg. Inside they see a picture of themselves and you can explain that Jesus did it all for them because He loves them so much.

*********************************************

Thank you, Kelly! This is such a great visual for kids to help them understand what Easter is really about.

Fancy That Design House & Co

I'm so excited to tell you about a brand new Etsy shop that was started by my friend, Stephanie!!

It is called Fancy That Design House & Co.



Stephanie is a mom to two adorable little boys and has been blessed with such a creative gift. She designed all of the amazing graphics for REFRESH and now you, too, can own one of her designs.

"We offer a collection of art prints to brighten every room in your home, letterpress stationery to make you smile and soon we'll have seasonal wood block prints to make every holiday a little more special." -Fancy That Design House & Co

Please check out her Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/FancyThatDesignHouse.

Congratulations, Stephanie! I think this is so awesome!!

Kool-aid Playdough

This morning we had our playdate at Sarah's home. She showed each of the kids how to make Kool-aid playdough. It was very fun and smelled yummy! :) I thought I would share the recipe with you in case you'd like to try it.

Thanks, Sarah, for the fun time and recipe!

Kool-aid Playdough

10 oz. Flour
1/3 cup salt
1 pkg Kool-aid
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water

Mix all together. Knead the dough until it is the right consistency.

Have fun playing!

Mommy's Christmas Wish List

December Playdate

It has been decided! By an unanimous vote, our Christmas playdate will be on Friday, December 9. (We'll miss you, Juliann and kiddos!) 

It will be at my home at 9:30 am. Let me know if you can come and I'll send out an email with my address and directions. 

Come for a Christmas-y time and bring a friend to join in the fun, too!!

Autumn Acorn Treats

The super talented baker of delicious things, Stephanie, is sharing a yummy tutorial with us today! She made the most adorable little treats for my kiddos last week and I asked if she would share with us how she made them. She said yes!

*******************************************

AUTUMN ACORN TREATS
by Stephanie

I saw an image for these on Pinterest. By the way, have you checked out Pinterest? I haven't totally looked through exactly what it is and what it can do, but from what I gather it is something like an online "bulletin board." If you are anything like me, you either have an overwhelming collection of bookmarked websites or a folder of saved images but no way to trace them back to the original source. I think Pinterest is a place where you can collect images that inspire you but also keep a link back to where you found them. For now, I'll add Pinterest to my never ending list of bookmarked sites to check out more thoroughly one of these days.

These little acorns are so quick and easy!

Ingredients:


Hershey Kisses (of any variety)
Chocolate Chips (for melting and topping off your acorn)
Nutter Butter Bites

Directions:

Simply melt a handful of chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring often. Place a dot of melted chocolate on the flat part of the Hershey Kiss and place the Nutter Butter bite on top. Do the same to adhere a single chocolate chip on top of the Nutter Butter Bite and...voila! You have yourself the tastiest little acorn.

Enjoy!

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Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing this tasty little treat with us! I can't wait to make some!

Let It Shine

photo courtesy of : http://faith-sisters.blogspot.com/2008/10/being-christian-is-like-being-pumpkin.html




Music video : This Little Light of Mine by Addison Road


Happy Friday!!!

Scarecrow Cupcakes

I saw these cupcakes in a Woman's World magazine recently and thought they were adorable!




The Ingredients
cupcakes:
1 cup Reese's Pieces candies chopped
1 pkg (18. 25 oz. yellow cake mix)
Water, eggs, and oil
frosting:
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, from 2 (16 oz.) packages
3 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
decorations:
Blue, golden yellow and orange concentrated food colorings
Rainbow Twizzlers Twists
6 flat-bottomed ice cream cups
2 1/2 cups All-Bran cereal
24 brown mini M &M's
Toothpicks
12 pieces candy corn
Chocolate sprinkles
Jumbo leaf-shaped sprinkles
1 Tbs. light corn syrup



Directions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
Mix candies with 1 Tbs. cake mix; put aside.
Prepare remaining cake mix with water, eggs, and oil following package
directions. Stir in candies.
Divide among liners.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool.
Frosting:
On medium-high speed, beat butter until fluffy.
On low, gradually beat in confectioner's sugar, then milk and vanilla until combined.
On medium-high beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Or use this recipe for frosting - yum!)

Reserve 1 tsp. frosting.
Tint 1 1/2 cups frosting blue, 1 1/2 cups frosting yellow and remaining frosting orange with food coloring.
Transfer 3/4 cups each yellow and orange frosting to separate pastry bags fitted with rose tip (such as Wilton #104); reserve. Spread blue frosting over 12 cupcakes; spread remaining yellow and orange frosting over 6 cupcakes each.


Constructing the Cupcakes



For each patchwork "hat", cut 9 (3/8" long) pieces of desired color Twizzlers. Arrange pieces, on top third of 3 yellow and 3 orange cupcakes, pressing into frosting.
For "hat brims", cut 2 1/2 "x 1/4" strips from Twizzlers press onto cupcakes below "hats."
Tuck cereal into frosting around Twizzlers hats and along edges of cupcakes.
On orange and yellow cupcakes:
Press on M&M's "eyes"; for "pupils", using pick, dot M&M's with white frosting.
Press on candy corn "noses."
Press on chocolate sprinkles "mouths".
Place "head" cupcakes, on sides on top of the blue cupcakes with "face" forward (about 1" in from the front edge), press down to attach.
Tuck cereal into frosting along top edge of hatless "heads".
For each cone "hat", trim and discard wide top end of ice cream cone. Pipe frosting "brim" along edge. Invert onto "head".
Pipe frosting "collars" around "heads."
Tuck cereal around "collar."
Decorate with leaf sprinkles, brushing with corn syrup to attach to "hats."


This recipe from Woman's World Makes 12 scarecrow cupcakes.

Photo Credit: Woman's World Magazine

Fall Fun

Last weekend we had our Fun Family Fall day. My parents, sisters, and our families get together and do some fun fall stuff.



This year we tried out a new place, Schuett Farms. We had a fun time and I thought I would tell you all about it, too.



We started with a hayride. Hayrides are always fun but this one was unique in the fact that they stopped midway near a group of cows and everyone could feed them corn.





After the hayride, we went through the corn maze. I have to say I'm not a fan of corn mazes. I must have a terrible sense of direction because I get all turned around and have no idea where I am. This corn maze held 6 different riddles that you needed to answer.



Last we went and each picked our own pumpkin from a big field. The kids had a great time and the field was just the right size for little legs.



We had a very fun time. You should check it out. Here is some information from their website:


"SCHUETT FARMS IS A DIVERSIFIED FAMILY FARM LOCATED ON STATE HIGHWAY 83, THREE MILES NORTH OF MUKWONAGO IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. STARTING IN MID-SUMMER WE OFFER THE BEST FRESH SWEET CORN AND VEGETABLES AT OUR ROAD SIDE STAND. IN THE FALL, WE HAVE AN ON-FARM DISPLAY AREA SELLING PUMPKINS, CORNSTALKS BUNDLES, STRAW, AND MANY OTHER FALL DECORATIONS. WE ALSO OFFER A CORN MAZE, PICK-YOUR-OWN PUMPKIN PATCH, AND HAYRIDES ON THE WEEKENDS. IN LATE NOVEMBER WE SELL CHRISTMAS TREES AT THE FARM. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE OFFER HOMEGROWN NATURALLY-FED BEEF, WHICH IS CUSTOM-CUT AND READY FOR YOU FREEZER.

The Hayrides will be open on the weekends, and large groups are welcomed with appointments. Corn Maze is open all week during hours of operation.
Please check the website for road construction details, we will continue to post updates. At this time the Highway 83 construction project seems to be on schedule, and completion should be in November. Watch for signs in the area to direct you around and through the construction to get to Schuett Farms. There will always be a way to get to Schuett Farms during road construction."


http://www.schuettfarm.com/Site/site_flash/index.html

A Day in the Life of This Mom

Ok, you know I'm desperate when I pull out the old day in the life post. I thought it would be fun to document one of my crazy days from this season of my life. I also figured if my husband ever stumbled across this post he would know "what i do all day." ;)

I chose one day that sticks out in my mind because it was the day that my husband was out of town for work. He had called me that afternoon complaining that he was all alone in a hotel room (thank goodness!) with nothing to do for 4 hours. I tried to commiserate with him but inside was secretly dreaming of what that would feel like.

This was my day:

4:00 am Hubby's alarm goes off. I pretend not to hear it because I had begged him not to wake me the night before after forcing me to stay up until after 11:00 pm to watch his last episode of Psych before he died in a plane crash. (Yes, he also had his last supper at Chili's - thank goodness it was Tuesday, kids eat free.) He is not very fond of flying.

4:45 am Wake up to the living room light shining directly in my eyes. Roll over and try to fall back asleep.

5:00 am My 2 year old wakes up coughing and miserable. Hubby brings him up to me in bed and I desperately try to get the little guy back to sleep.

6:00 am I hear Hubby leave for the airport. My son is still restless and I am trying to get one more hour of sleep.

7:00 am My alarm goes off and whether I like it or not, my day has "officially" begun. I hop in the shower and try to wake myself up.
Wake up the kids, get them dressed, remind them to brush their teeth 10 times.
Make breakfasts and lunches.
Get everyone packed and ready.

8:15 am Load the kids into the minivan and head to the girls school. Call the doctor's office on the way and make appointment for my sick son.

8:35 am Drop off the girls at school. Head to son's school.

9:00 am Take son into preschool. Unpack his backpack, encourage him to write his name and answer the question of the day. Kiss him goodbye.

9:15 am Head to Pick N Save. Save $10.00 with coupons (woohoo! - First time attempting using coupons) and decide it is worth it to take the time to deal with coupons at the store.

10:00 am Come home. Make blueberry muffins to go along with a meal for my grandparents. (My grandpa was having some testing done on his heart that day and I just wanted to lighten his load a little.)
Realize I am now out of eggs. (Boo!)

10:40 am Head to Walmart to buy eggs.

11:00 am Make a meatloaf and pack it up.

11:20 am Leave for Dr appointment for my son.

11:40 am Dr appointment. (Sinus infection) Make appointment for son's 2 year old checkup and flu shots for all the kids.

12:15 pm Head home. Make lunch.

1:00 pm Leave to pick up son from school.

1:15 pm Pick up son. Pry boys from playground and come home.

1:45 pm Arrive home. Work on flowers for Women's event.

2:15 pm Grandpa comes to pick up his meal and see the boys.
Finish flowers.
Outline class for 3rd grade Stars that night.

3:00 pm Load up the boys into the minivan once again and head to the girls school.

3:30 pm Meet daughter on the playground. Three youngest kids play on the playground while oldest daughter practices for the 5th grade run.

4:00 pm Head back to the minivan.
Pick up son's prescription.
Pick up pizza for supper.
Eat.
Finish up work for my class.
Clean kids up.

6:00 pm Head to church.
Drop off kids at classes.

6:30 - 8:00 pm Teach 3rd grade Stars.

8:15 pm Take kids home.
Get kids ready for bed.
Tuck them into bed (after they talked to dad on the phone) later than usual.

9:30 pm Decide if I should just go to bed or stay up and enjoy the quiet. You guessed it - stayed up later than I should have enjoying every minute of "me" time.

10:40 pm Drag myself to bed, ready to get up and do it all again the next day.

(And that, dear husband, is what I do all day . . . :)

Whew, that made me tired just reliving it in my head.

If you would ever want to share "a day in your life," let me know. I think it would be kind of fun to see the adventures you all have as moms and compare the different kinds of craziness we experience during our days.

Have a restful day! ;)

Playdate and Projects

Next week's playdate will be a walk along the riverwalk. For lack of another idea and to make up for our rained out playdate last time, we will try the riverwalk one more time. 

I know it's a week away but so far the weather looks beautiful next week. We will be able to enjoy the fall colors while we are walking and the kids can play at the park after, if you want.

We will meet in the parking lot of the Schuetze Recreation Center at 9:30 am. 

Let me know if you are coming so I can watch for you. 


One other quick thing ... Starting this Sunday, every week I will be posting a seasonally appropriate PDF of a coloring sheet or other preschool craft. 

I found out from my son's teacher that he needs to work on building up his fine motor skills (writing, cutting, coloring). He is not real fond of doing art projects or coloring in general. My girls lived for that sort of thing and still do. 

I never thought it would be an issue that my son didn't like to color. But because of his lack of doing such things, he has a weak grip and is having a hard time in class (along with half the class). 

His teacher said that they are seeing this so much now because babies aren't put to sleep on their stomachs and so they don't push up on their little arms like we did - in the dark ages. ;) Interesting, huh?

So, I am going to be working with him by giving him some fun projects to do. I figured as long as I was going to all this work, I would share it with all of you, too. 

I would encourage you to have your kiddos work on coloring and whatnot now so that when they are in school they won't have any troubles keeping up. A one or two year can start by coloring. A three year can use scissors and play with clay (instead of playdough). Every little bit helps. I wish I would have known.  

Have fun creating together!

Library Fun

I love the library! Not just for the obvious reason (books) either. I love the Waukesha library because they have amazing children's programs that are always free! Good, safe entertainment for my kids. Free. What's not to love?



They offer fun activities that go with the "theme" for the season. In October, they are hosting a Mystery Scavenger Hunt.



One of my favorite programs at the library is storytime. There are registered storytimes for children of a specific age. You need to register ahead of time and then you can participate in a smaller group geared for your child's specific age. There are also drop-in storytimes where you can show up as you please. On Friday afternoons from 1:30-2:00, they have storytime available for all ages. I have gone off and on over the years to Friday storytime and it's always been a lot of fun. I'm going to try to take my boys again when it starts up this Friday, September 9.



One last thing they have are shows for the kids when they are off of school. At the end of October, they are having a live, interactive show with drama, puppetry, games, and songs presented by the Milwaukee County Zoo and Kohl's Department Stores. They start handing out free tickets to the shows 45 minutes before the show starts and seating is limited. The shows are usually very entertaining.

I hope you check out all of the fun that the library provides. If you are not in the Waukesha area, look into your hometown library for programs they might provide.

The Songs I'm Dancing to These Days ...

Ok, I'm dancing mostly in my head but if I were to break loose, these are the songs that would cause it.

Listen. Enjoy. Let loose. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuoRI1YhOY0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
-MercyMe "Move"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUs4iupASz8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
-Peter Furler "Faster and Louder"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWYZ3Zy1Ri8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
-Peter Furler "Thank You"

Park and Rec

When my oldest was young, I discovered Park and Rec and it was a lifesaver. Around the time she was 4 turning 5 and kindergarten was still far off, I needed to find something to keep her busy. She was (is) an active girl and bored easily. 



By the end of that winter, I had found out about Park and Rec and the great classes they offer. I signed her up for at least 3 or 4 of them including preschool. She tumbled, she created, she had something else to do besides drive me crazy. 



The classes were perfect for us. They are relatively inexpensive. They are not a big time commitment. There are a variety of different classes to try out for all ages. 

One of the best things we did was sign her up for preschool at Fox Tales Preschool through Park and Rec. The teachers are wonderful.  They love the kids and care about each one. I have sent all of my kids there that are old enough. 



I sent my son to 3 year old preschool. It was one morning a week. He brought his lunch; it was cute. He didn't come home a rocket scientist but it started him on this path to learning. It put him in a situation with new kids and new rules and gave him new experiences that I couldn't give him. It also started the process of testing him for speech therapy. (Which he needs, more than I realized, but that's another post.)

Fox Tales preschool is now one of the sites for the district's 4K program. This means that it is now 3 days a week instead of 2 and it's FREE! After paying to send 2 of my kiddos, that fact makes me smile. :)

I would encourage you, no matter where you live, to look into Park and Rec in your area. You might be surprised at the fun things they offer.  

Rockin' Rocket Favors

I saw these treat cups in Family Fun magazine and knew I had to make them for my son's birthday party.



They were super easy to make and lots of fun. My daughters helped me make them and fill them. I changed ours slightly to say "Hope you had a Blast!!"

Fun, easy, super cute. I love Family Fun magazine ... sigh.

Materials:
Template (There is a template on their website - see side bar on left)
Card stock
Tape
Paper cup
Glue stick
Stickers
Small toys or treats

Instructions:
For each one, trace the shapes from our free template onto card stock, then cut them out.
Fold back the long, straight edge of each fin and tape the fins to a 9-ounce, plain paper cup as shown. Form the circular top into a cone by overlapping its straight edges, then secure it with tape.
Use a glue stick to attach the message label, and embellish the cup with star stickers.
Form a hinge to open and close the rocket by attaching a strip of tape between the cup and the inside of the cone.
Fill the rocket with small toys or treats.

Pinaqua

On Saturday, I threw my youngest son his 2 year old family birthday party. It was at my parents house and was supposed to be a wet and wild (swimming) party. Needless to say, it was wet and it was wild but not exactly what I was thinking.
 
It rained and was a cooler day so there wasn't much swimming (although a few brave souls did go in).
 
Anyway, I had also wanted to do a fun thing I saw in Family Fun magazine called a Pinaqua but decided against it when I had seen the weather forecast for Saturday. Instead of having a traditional candy filled, cavity inducing pinata, the pinaqua is filled with water and delivers a cool, wet treat when burst.  Perfect for a hot, August day (or so I thought).  This looks like such a cute and fun idea. I'll have to try it another time. 


Here are the instructions in case you want to try it, too.
 
What You Need:
Medium-sized trash bag (we used a clear, 10-gallon bag)
Water
Rope
Tree limb
Bandanna or scarf
Broom

Instructions:
Using your backyard hose, fill a medium-sized plastic trash bag with one to two gallons of water. Knot the top of the bag.

Tie one end of the rope tightly beneath the knot. Toss the free end of the rope over a tree branch (a parent's job) and either tie it securely or have the adult stand by to raise and lower the piñaqua.

 To play, each child takes a turn getting blindfolded, getting spun around three times, and then taking three whacks at the piñaqua with the broom. The winner is the one who manages to break the bag and unleash the tidal wave.