Miss. Personality

These are just some pictures of Olivia posing after I curled her hair. Her hair is just like mine, it doesn't hold a curl very long.

Recipe Club

This is from the book, First Meals, by Annabel Karmel. I made it for Recipe Club this morning.

Arcelia hosted at her house and we had a great turnout. Olivia got to play with her friends and the moms got to catch up.

Banana Muffins

Sunflower nut butter and fruit spread roll-ups on whole wheat tortillas

By the way, my sister, Amy, got me these heart ramekins for our wedding. Aren't they cute?

The cow is part of my prized "Whirley Cow" collection. I've been actually using them since Olivia can pour now and wants to serve her own milk and juice.

Maria Montessori

This is a picture of Maria Montessori and some of her writings. She looks like someone my Grandma and Nana would have coffee with. I love this picture. It is very comforting to me.

Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants - doing nothing but living and walking about - came to know all things, to carry in their minds the whole of learning: would you not think I was romancing? Well, just this, which seems so fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child's way of learning. This is the path he follows. He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so passes little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love.

Montessori-Type Activities

Well, Olivia has been a real handful lately. It seems like I can't keep her busy enough. We can go to playgroup, story time at the library, driving the car at the grocery store or pushing the tiny cart full of fruits and veggies that we get at New Frontiers, baking, crafts, etc. There is no mistaking it, she's ready for preschool! Unfortunately, in our situation, that's not possible right now, but we're working on it! Keeping a positive attitude is difficult but it's key to survival in these tough times. Anyway....it's time to apply for preschools for fall (I know, early!) My friend has been checking out all of the Montessori's in town and I tagged along with her for an interview with one. I had been to one before and liked it but this was very exciting. I could see Olivia thriving in that environment. She would love it! I found a website that had some "practical life" skills you can expose your kids to with things you already have at home. I did a few of them today and she was involved for hours. I was amazed! She did her "tasks" and was so calm and sweet today.

I had the stuff to do 3 things today:

1. Place two bowls on table. Fill one with soapy water and give child a turkey baster or bulb syringe to transfer the water back and forth.

2. Pouring activity. Fill a small pitcher with spout and have child fill glasses. We took it a step further and Olivia wanted to make "tea", so I gave her a real teabag of chamomile and she had fun.

3. Transferring pieces of sponge with chopsticks. (She couldn't use them at first, but I left her alone and she taught herself.)

Stay tuned as I try more activities to keep little Miss. Liv busy!

Just Liv Lovey Collage

Sledding

The fun continues on V-Day! After a quick nap, Lila and Olivia played in the snow and pretended they were at the beach digging in the sand. They are great friends!

Storytime at Barnes and Noble

The Valentine's fun continues...After gymnastics, we met Isaac and Linus for story time. The kids got a Valentine story, made Valentine crafts and were treated to warm cookies and "hot" cocoa from the Starbucks kitchen.

Happy Valentines Day!

Hope Everyone had a great Valentine's Day! We started out by going to the open gym at Bounce and Birthdays. It's sort of like going to the park with friends which is impossible in the snow! Maggie and Lila were there and they had loads of fun together!

Valentine's Craft Club

Linus is upright!
Liv and Bailey

Olivia and I hosted the craft club last week (after it stopped snowing!) We made Valentine "scrapbooks" with handprints and tons of hearts.

New Surfer Girl Hoodie

Grandma and Grandpa sent Olivia this hoodie from Florida. She loves it! Thanks Again!!!!!

Changing Pad/Burp Cloth

I'm experimenting with making a changing pad that can be rolled up and thrown in your diaper bag. This is my first attempt. I'm not crazy about the red ribbon, but that's all I had here. I'm loving the chenille though. It's much easier to work with than the super fuzzy soft stuff!

New Boy Lovey

I got a few new "boy" or gender neutral fabrics to work with. Now I need to experiment and see what combo's look good together. I think I'll try this lovey next with the cream backing. Gotta get back to creating!

Snow Storm 2009

Here are some pictures of our yard today and it's STILL snowing!

Welcome Baby Sims!

Michaela and Elisabeth
Rachael Marie

Congratulations to the Sims family on the birth of baby Rachael Marie in 1/30/09. I went to see her on Sunday and she is beautiful, just like her sister and mama.