Map project

Here is a map project I'm doing with Thing one for our map unit.  I've added this to learning his address in the information part of the amazing preschool curriculum I'm following.

I'm using the following to try to explain maps. (that's an abstract thought for a young one)

And I got the following map project from my sister.  My niece made something similar in preschool This is not the finished project.  I'll have to update when this is done.

You draw out outlines of the continents, and with a safety pin, punch out the continents.  This will be a long going project I know.  After they are all punched out, I'll have Thing 1 paint a large piece of paper blue, and we'll attach the continents with rubber cement.

Summer Bucket List

     So I was inspired by another blogger's awesome idea of making a Summer Bucket List for the kids.

     Today's springy weather got me talking about my Bucket List with my next door neighbor, great friend, "aunt" who often helps wrangle my children so we can go out on adventures.  I will take, want, need all the help I can get.  She's awesome.
 
     Here's my Short List...  This will hopefully grow as I find things to do.  (Still trying to picture how I will make this a fun visual thing for the kids.)

• Sculpture Park
• Walk to local Ice Cream store for cones
• Decorate Bikes/Trikes
• Picnic at the Park
• Living Room Sleepover
• Baseball game?
• Sno cones
• Water balloon fight
• Children's Museum
• Water park
• Como
• Treat Tuesday
• Craft Thursday
• Catch fireflies
• Bonfires (hopefully lots, at least with Thing 1)
• Write letters
• Make forts
• Sonic happy hour
• Lake Harriet walk around with ice cream after
• Local city swimming area

Have any other ideas???

Whines and Thankfulness

     Today's post is brought to you by the letter C for "cold", as in the cold my lovelies have given me.  I have been battling this cold since Saturday-ish, and thought I was on the uptick till I woke up this morning.  I had even set my alarm to get up and go to the gym this morning. 

     Yeah, that didn't happen.  I woke up feeling like a truck hit me.  Shut off my alarm and went back to sleep (thankfully).  Woke back up an hour later with the kids, made DD his breakfast sandwich, poured some Honey Nut Cheerios for the rest of us, then plopped down on the couch.  (I set up my little nest before I plopped).

     So here's my whine.  I am SO TIRED OF GETTING SICK FROM MY KIDS.  I feel like I have been sick more than I have been healthy this winter.  I thought my secret weapon of drinking Emergen-C every day would help me fend off the germies like it seemed to last year.  Yeah, either it was a happy stroke of luck and coincidence, or they're making it different this year.  Is it possible that I seems to have these lovely colds longer than my children do???  I swear it feels like I do.  Every cold I get seems to sign a long term lease with my sinuses.  I feel better than I did earlier this morning, but if I move around too much, I get that overwhelming I feel like yuck feeling.

    I was supposed to get the house clean today.   I had talked about lunch with a friend.  This cold did not get my memo apparently.

     OK, now my list of Thankfulness.  

• I am thankful my job allows me to still be in my jammies.
• I am thankful no one in this house cares they are still in their jammies.
• I am thankful I save back toys after each Christmas and bdays to pull out on days like today (thanks sis - the block/crayons are a big hit with both of them!).
• I am thankful my kids play together so well.
• I am thankful for my humidifier and liquid Vicks (generic of course)
• I am thankful I have leftovers both for lunch and for dinner tonight.
• I am thankful it will be nap time soon enough.
• I am thankful for PBS and Disney Jr.
• I am thankful for the time to (hopefully) work on my Sunday Evenings at Grace stuff and/or read some.

Not designed by a parent

Today as Thing 1&2 and I were leaving our MOPS (Mother's Of Preschoolers) group, we had a bit more excitement than normal.  As usual it's always a tad of a struggle keeping Thing 1 with me as he wants to stay and play (and run around crazy) with his friends, while holding Thing 2 because, though she can walk, it's much faster if I carry her.  I kept the train going by telling Thing 1 he could push the elevator buttons if he got there before I did (he loves pushing buttons including mine :o as most boys his age do).  The three of us made it inside the elevator and I set Thing 2 down as it was starting to feel like I was carrying, well a 25 pound squirming child.  Thing 1 pushes the buttons like he should and of course Thing 2 wants to "help" too.  And what button does she push?  The button that was the most accessible to her small little hand.  The button that was in bright YELLOW.  The "Call for Help" button. (Did I mention the RED "Alarm" button was right above it?) 

Why, would the designer of this panel of buttons decide to put the most fun buttons which a child would be drawn to push where they are most accessible?

It's not like I didn't try to stop her.  But realistically, she was closer the buttons, and when a small child wants something, it is amazing how fast they can move. 

Now nothing bad happened.  I went to the office and told them what had happened so they could call the alarm company.  Not a huge deal.  I was told by another parent who I was regaling the story to, that it happens nearly every time we meet.

Clearly this panel was NOT designed by a parent!

I am the mom...

I will NOT lose my temper. I will NOT throw things. 

I will NOT have a temper tantrum.

   I will always be good.  Because I am the mom. 

I am the mom.  I am the mom…..

Poor Ma Ingalls

So today is a full moon (I think, or so I've been told.  It looked rather large yesterday morning).  And I think my kids got the memo.  Thing 2 was very whiiiiinnnnnnny all day and Thing 1 was just a pill.  All day. For instance, one of his daily tasks is to feed our two cats.  This has never been a problem before today.  If the cat food container is nearly out of food - he tells me.  He's fairly responsible with this task - until today.  I asked him to go feed the cats after breakfast (like normal) and to let me up after (we keep them contained downstairs at night).  The cats were so annoying all morning.  I asked Thing 1 several times if he had fed the cats (three times, I'm pretty sure) and even asked him to show the cats that they had food (For years, I fed them.  They're still getting used to Thing 1 feeding them).  He did.  So at this point it should be clear - the cats have food, they're just being a special brand of annoying today). Finally I went downstairs to do some laundry and noticed....the bowls were EMPTY.  I was already irritated at Thing 1 for asking me for the 100th time "can I play Wii", "can I have a chocolate muffin with my snack".  This did not leave me in a continued "best of moods" mood.  And all day, I was apparently Thing 1's go to for entertainment, though I told him like usual "you are in charge of your own fun."  So this brings me to my point.  Poor Ma Ingalls.  At the end of the day (before daddy got home) I finally told Thing 1 to put the TV on.  I just was done with it.  And it got me thinking.  Poor Ma Ingalls.  When the kids were driving her bananas, she didn't have the TV to flip on to save her poor mind from losing itself.  When it was blizzarding outside, what did poor Ma Ingalls do?  She just lost her mind a little more....  Poor Ma Ingalls.