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Playroom Update: New Magnetic Center!

I'm not sure if this is true for every one's stainless steel fridge, but mine is not magnetic.  What!?!? Now how am I going to hang fun letter activities and things for the boys?  Well thanks to Pinterest, I found my answer.  If you haven't checked Pinterest... run there now.

Anyway, while reading lots of Tot School posts, I'd often see the leapfrog magnetic refrigerator game.   I love everything Leap Frog and I immediately wanted it for Munchkin.   The answer... a new homemade magnetic center in the school area in the playroom.  This is the before, if you want to see.

See this!

Pinterest via preschoolsuperstars.blogspot.com

I love the idea!!!  What do I love even more?  It was so inexpensive!   The cookie sheets were only 98 cents from Walmart!  The command strips that I hung them with were more expensive.  Anyway... take a look at my version.

 I was going to spray paint them bright red... but the hubby was like "is that non-toxic?"  Lol, I started imagining peeling red paint chips, or scratches from rough play (I do have to little boys).   Needless to say I left them shiny silver.  Not exactly what I had in mind... but I love it nonetheless.  I'll save the red spray paint for the spice rack shelves I'm gonna add.

First I laid them on the floor to decide how I wanted to hang them.   I measured the space to try and get them centered... and uh... they're still a tad bit off center... oh well.

They are the perfect height for Munchkin and Little Bear.  Lol, Little Bear isn't really interested in the Leap Frog Magnetic Zoo (what else is new?)... he prefers to bring them to the little Elmo table, eat them, hide them... You get the idea.

Thanks for reading!  

I'll be linking to 

A Bowl Full Of Lemons

Clean&Scentsible

Mudroom Update.

Remember my bare mudroom, and messy closet.  Well I took care of the closet... Check it out here, and I have finally gotten around to fixing up the rest.  It's still a work in progress.  I'm working on some fun family art for the walls, but take a look so far.

 I've added two rail hooks. I wanted to make sure Munchkin had easy access. I'm trying to teach him to hang up his things.

I scored the umbrella stand from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for %40 off.   Don't you love clearance!!!

I also got to use my %20 off coupon on the door mat.   Hoping this baby saves my wood.

Stay tuned for some fun family wall art that I'll be adding.  I'm just looking for a frame that will work.

Thanks for reading,

The Pink Lady

Tot School Update

 Little Bear is 13.5M

Munchkin is 32.5 M

Wow, it's been ages since I've posted about Tot School, and not because we haven't been tot schooling away!  Anyway here are a few highlights of what we've been up to.

Let's start with Little Bear.  When I do my plans for the boys I usually have a color of the week.  Munchkin is very good at colors so I focus mostly on Little Bear for these things.  I've started making color baskets each week.  Munchkin gets to review because I send him to find objects to add to the basket.  Here is our yellow basket and Little Bear exploring it.  Once he got bored of one thing I gave him another, trying to remember to name the object and the color each time.

I think we added: Hot Wheels cars, a foam lacing square, a happy meal submarine, a triangle bean bag, and a lemon that I only left in the basket while we were having school time.  Little Bear mostly liked banging the cars together.

One day I made a smooshy bag (I have no idea what else to call it).  I just squirted some corn syrup and yellow food coloring into a little baggie and sealed it.  This had to be closely monitered because LB is into biting everything now.  Luckily it was cheap and easy becasue LB was totally uninterested.  He did love that lemon though.

Munchkin has a blast with tot school.  He's always asking to have ac-tib-bities!  For a while I couldn't get him to do some of the activities himself.  He always wanted me to place everything or do all the tracing, so I would.  Model Model Model.  Well all the modeling paid off,  he will now trace, sort, and even glue with little guidance from me.  

Typically he'd want me to color the letters that he'd point to.  This time I only had to do two before he was saying "let me do it!".

We do a lot of Tot School before we even get dressed.

We did lot's of art activities.  Munchkin loves to paint, but instead of painting with brushes everyday we used different tools.  One day we used cork bottle tops.. from.. uh.. wine that I sip every week once in a while.  This actually started out as a finger paint activity, but who knew my boy wouldn't would be into getting his hands dirty.

 We also used sponges and made fall leaves that we hung in the playroom.  I had to help a lot, I think I cut the sponges too small and he got frustrated (mad) that it was taking so long to fill in the leaves.  The finished product was cool though.  I just drew some leaves (and letters and a clock at his request).  Once everything was dry I cut them out.  Fun and easy!

For Halloween we made ghost feet.  Munchkin's daycare did these when he was about 6 months old (no, I wasn't always a stay at home).  I still have them in his box.  LOL, Little Bear was not too crazy about having his feet painted, he had the funniest look on his face when I was doing them.  I used black craft foam sheets and white acrylic paint.  When they were dry I added wiggly eyes and drew a mouth with a Sharpie.

Munchkin's favorite activity by far is the scensory bin.  He asks to play with "the beans" just about everyday.  Right now it's a fall bin.  I found a lot of cute little fall things to add at %50 off at Hobby Lobby.  I also found these tiny plastice pumpkins from the dollar section in Target.  Erasers from the Dollar Tree finished off the bin and it is loads of fun for Munchkin, and Little Bear as long as I watch him like a hawk.

Munchkin loved helping to make the new scensory bin.

%50 off at Hobby Lobby, I think they came to about $1.50 ea.

Dollar Tree Erasers and pom poms I already had.

He loves making pretend meals for me.

In case your wondering... yes this gets very messy, but surprisingly easy to clean up.

I added a muffin tin one day for some fun sorting practice.

 Thanks for stopping by.  I love sharing our activities and reading about what others are doing.  You can checkout 1+1+1=1 for more great Tot School Posts, and learn what Tot School is all about.

The printables Munchkin is using came from these great sites.  Check them out!

Confessions of a Homeschooler

1+1+1=1 Tot School Printables

http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/TotSchool.html

Friday Five: Things I'm Thankful For

So this may seem cliche for November, but my first Friday Five for this month will be all about things I'm thankful for. I have some fun ideas for the rest of this month, but thankful is up first. So here they are in no particular order.

1. My family, I mean I love them with every ounce of myself. I am thankful for every argument, every temper tantrum, every poopy diaper. I know some people wish they had these things. Yes, I get frustrated and angry just like everyone else, but I love having my own family and everything that comes along with it.

2. Being able to stay at home with my kiddies! If you asked me three years ago what I'd be doing in five years it would most definitely be married and the principal of a school. Now, not so much. Now I want to bake cookies and muffins. I want to do art projects, I want to see every step and be there to kiss every boo boo. I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to stay with them.

3. Country living, it's so peaceful out here. Yes... Yes.. We are at least 30 minutes from the mall, and a good 15 minutes from the supermarket, but I truly love the quietness. I'm glad my boys can see deer walk through the back yard a few times a week. Or see a hummingbird zip around while they splash in the little pool (true story).

4. My childhood, as I've matured and grown I have realized that I was lucky to have what I had, and also to not have everything I wanted. Does that make sense?

5.  Modern day technologies, lol.. yes there are other things more important, but lets have some fun.  Could you live without your computer or phone.  I feel all empty inside when I leave the house without my phone... lol I feel totally cut off.  My iPad is like my friend, and my phone keeps me connected.  I love talking to Siri (have you seen the commercial, it really is that cool), and what can I say about good ol' Mac.  We love you.  LOL!

What are you most thankful for (serious or funny)?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Home Tour With A Twist: The Office and Playroom

Welcome Back to my Home Tour With a Twist Series.  There will be links to the previous stops on the tour at the end.  Today I will wrap up the first level of our home.  We will stop by the office and revisit the playroom.  I have lots of ideas and projects in mind for both rooms.  Let's take a look.

The Office

This room is our home office.  Mostly the hubby uses this space when he works from home or when he's researching something (he's addicted to google searches just like me).   I have also allowed Munchkin to use the computer for Starfall.com (excellent reading and letter resource, I used to use it in my classroom).  Any how it's painted the same Clary Sage as the kitchen.  It's located to the right of the family room.

When I met my husband he had this same desk but it was literally covered in papers and clutter.  It's been fun helping him to get organized.  Yes it does have moments of messiness still, but it's much easier to clean up when everything has a specific place to go.

We bought the Billy Bookcase from Ikea shortly after we moved in.  Both of us have always wanted an in home library so that's the look we were going for.  We have been slowly adding to our book collection and hope to all the shelves filled at some point.  I love that we still have room to expand it if we need to.

The left wall is a total blank slate.  I'd like to add some inspirational quotes or framed posters, as well as our degrees on the wall.  To keep it fun I also want to add some of Munchkin's and Little Bear's framed art.  I've been stalking pinterest and I've found some super cute ideas.

The back wall is also a blank slate... (what's new? this is my big ol' empty house we're talking about).  At some point I'd like to add a homework area for the boys, but I know that will be a long way off.  I also considered a futon or set of chairs.  Don't ask why the radio is there.  it's probably something he's had since college and he can't let go... smh.  I think I've mentioned before that hubby is a pack rat.  The amount of storage in this house has saved us from quite a few arguments.  One day it will disappear into the basement where it will continue to collect dust and not be used.

The Plan Summarized:

Find some great inspirational quotes, and some great frames at the thrift shop.

Decide on a cute art project for the boys that they can both handle and will compliment the space.

Find the floor plan of the house and frame it... I just think that will be cool.

Actually take my degrees out of the envelope and add them to the wall, sheesh I worked really hard for them!

I need your help!  

What should I do with that back wall where the radio is?  Beside losing the radio, I'm all over that.

The Playroom, Welcome Back 

I swear my house isn't as dark as it seems!

If you walk out of the office and go through the living room, you'll come to the playroom.  I am soooooo glad we have this room (there aren't enough o's to express this), it helps to keep my home clean, no... it keeps my home clean.  Technically it's called the conservatory, but who actually says that?   I have a few friends in our development with similar floor plans, some use it as a grown-up playroom complete with stocked bar and pool table.  Some use it as the family hang out room.  My husband actually thought it was going to be his man cave, you can see how that turned out.  I originally posted about my playroom here, but I thought I'd show it again since I have kind of rearranged it, and I have some cool ideas for the space (at least cool in my head, ever wonder why things don't come out as awesome as your imagination dreamed it would?).

From the doorway, the left side is all about play and fun.  I decided to take the pics as is.  Clean playrooms are fun to look at, but mine only stays magazine clean while there are no children in it.  It still gets messy since I've organized, but it's so much easier to clean up and easier to get Munchkin to help.  He loves looking at the pictures and playing the match game.  I know I need to get tons more storage, but if you haven't already realized I don't spend money like crazy.  I save or pick up things little by little, which is why you may notice some of the trofast bins chillin on the floor, the entire Ikea trofast system will have to wait.

FYI, the Triple Fun ExerSaucer is awesome we've used it since Little Bear was about 4 months old, and both boys love it.  It's growing with them so it's totally worth the money.

He loves that train whistle, and what's funny is that he can't quite make it work yet.

See the books up there.  They will be finding a new home once I get my reading nook in order.

I added some fun art and a thrift store clock up on the wall.  The art is finger paint made with corn syrup and kool-aid packets.  It makes a cool shiny product once it dries, but be careful, in humid weather it will start to drip even after it has "dried".

The opposite side of the playroom is my school area.  I try my hardest to get the boys to keep cars and trucks out of that area, mostly in vain.  Ideally I would like to get some type of furniture divider.  It'd have to be low so there was no risk of falling over.  I just think a more concrete line or division will help the boys understand the difference between the two sides.

This is my art area, I moved the easel to this side of the room but I feel like it's missing something.   I use the wall here to hang their art and on the floor are puzzles.  I want the boys to have easy access to them, but it doesn't look so hot.

On the middle wall (where the alphabet is hanging) you can see that we're up to letter x in Tot School.  I have this cool idea to add some painted cookie sheets on the lower part of the wall for a cool magnetic center.  Again, in my head it's an awesome idea... I'm still working out some kinks like how to hang them and what colors to paint them.  I know I want to stick to a red and blue color scheme but still wondering if I want the cookie sheets all one color or some type of pattern.

This corner is my attempt at a reading zone.  I want to add a tree behind the rocker, and do some cool letter art on the wall.  I also want to cover the pillows and chair with some kind of fabric to make them match.   I saw a cool inexpensive way to display books thanks to Jen at iHeart Organizing.  Can't wait to do this project, but again can't decide how to do the colors or precisely where to put the spice book racks.

The old TV sits on the floor because I'm afraid to put it on a stand and the boys knock it over.  Sometimes they play in here without me, so this space needs to stay very toddler friendly.  They usually watch Baby Einstein videos here, but i'm sure before I know it they'll be asking for some sort of video games.   One day when they are older they will get an upgrade, but for now this works fine for them.  My husband and I are in agreement that they will not be getting TV's in their rooms.

So here is my summarized plan:

Add some letter art for each section of the room - CREATE, EXPLORE, LEARN...  Wooden letters can get expensive so I'm devising a thrifty plan.  I'll let you know what I come up with... but I'm leaning toward cardboard.

Cover the pillows and rockers with fabric.

Add painted cookie sheets for magnet fun.

Purchase some more storage at some point, including a room divider.

Create a fun letter tree in the reading corner.

Help Me Please!  

I'm still trying to figure out what my art area needs... right now it's basically just the easel and the Elmo table.  Keep in mind, Munchkin is 2 1/2 and Little Bear is 1.  Art supplies CAN NOT be kept with in their reach.  I just feel like it needs something.

Well, thanks for reading and your help.  I can't wait to get started on these spaces.  Next we'll go upstairs and check out the bedrooms.

Here's the rest of the home tour room by room if you want to check it out.

The Mudroom

The Laundry Room

The Kitchen

The Family Room

The Living and Dining Rooms

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night...

No really it was... but I'm going to start at the beginning, before the night and before the storm.

I went to my first Mary Kay workshop on Saturday. The day was filled with great inspiration (there were like 6 pink Cadillacs in the parking lot) and fun girlie time (everyone seemed genuinely nice).  It was also wonderful to get out of the house for something other than grocery shopping and minus the kiddies. Any way I decided to go even with the looming winter fall storm.  How bad could it be?  It's October for goodness sakes!  When I left early that morning I ran out with out an umbrella or a coat and of course wearing a cute dress and heals... Have an idea where this is going?

Around 1 or so the heavy wet snow started.  I didn't worry much, I've driven in snow before and around 3 it seemed to be tapering off. Well around 4:30 when I was ready take the hour drive home it had started up again.  I wasn't worried about walking through the parking lot with no coat, or sloshing through slush in my heals. It was trying to dig out my car with no coat and heals that really... You know! Once I got my car out of the parking lot I figured I was home free... Not so much.

After driving very slowly for about 2 hours I was starting to breath easier knowing I was just fifteen minutes away from home. Closer to home... Great news! Except for the fact that I live in a heavily wooded area.  Beautiful in the fall, dangerous when heavy snow is causing trees to fall down. I was driving carefully, literally watching huge branches break away from their trunks. I thought I was in the clear, now only ten minutes from home, until I came to a fallen tree blocking my path. A careful u-turn and directions from my navigation sent me down a narrower and less plowed street. I drove along this road for a good twenty minutes until I came to another fallen tree. So as you're probably guessing, I'm now scared.  The tree branches are hanging so low the leaves are brushing the windshield as I drive, and I must have passed at least two trees leaning on power lines.

One more u-turn and more directions from my navigation send me down a street I had no business driving on. You know how your gut tells you turn back... Well, I should have listened. I was praying hard as I have drove and half slid down this tiny steep street. Then I saw the trees (yes trees in the plural sense) lying across the street.  On a dry day or even just a rainy day I'd have had time to stop, but on this day all I did was slide. I summoned all my knowledge way back from drivers-Ed about not slamming on breaks and I suppose this stopped me from spinning and sliding into or over the guard rail. Luckily I didn't slam hard, and wasn't injured at all, just really shaken.   I don't think I've actually ever shaken uncontrollably like that before.

Anyway a very nice tow truck driver came to my aide.   We had to leave my car due to a combination of more fallen trees, narrow streets, and snow.  I didn't care, I was just glad to not be alone anymore.  After a few hours at a gas station, and countless phone calls to cab companies (one who actually laughed when I told them I needed a ride) my mommy came to rescue me for the second time that night.  Hubby wasn't able to come get me because A. We share a car, the same car stuck in the fallen tree on the road and B. he had our babies and there is no way I'd have let him bring them out in that weather to come get me. So my mommy came... She drove a good 1 1/2 hours to get to me. (side bar, mommies always come to the rescue... Don't they?)

I stayed with my mom that night and in the morning she drove me to retrieve my car (she deserves a metal right?).  The closer we got to my house the more we saw just what the storm had left. There were so many power lines down, and trees and branches were scattered everywhere.   I couldn't help but notice how blue and peaceful the sky was.  Isn't it always like that after a storm?

My car, some how survived with only a few scratches (they fit in well with the other scratches that already live on my car).  Just after I got my, hubby called to see how I was making out and to inform me that we and no power.   Wonderful!  When I got home I was just so happy to be back with my family that my cold house didn't matter.

We decided to try and find a room since for us no power not only means no heat, but no water as well. Has anyone out there ever tried to find a room when there is a power outage?   It's nearly impossible.  We finally found a room at a B&B near us. We stayed until Monday and even got home in time to do some late trick or treating.

Crazy weekend right? Now, this blog isn't named Rosey Glasses for nothing. I like to try and find the good in things, and it's helpful to me, when I'm going through a stressful time to remember that it could always be worse.

So on the bright side:

1. Munchkin got to take a "trip" (something he's been asking for ever since hubby went away on business)
2. I didn't have my babies with me on that snowy slippery night (I am and will continue to be thankful for this).

4.  I was able to give some glamour goodies to the nice ladies who worked at the Inn.
5. Our power is already back on... Some won't have power till the end of the week.

Thanks for reading my vent... I'll continue the Home Tour on Thursday, and add an update on our Tot School too! Today I need to rest and reclaim the mess that is taking over my house.

Oh yeah.. Little Bear is now a walking boy! We are so excited, first steps warm my heart on even the coldest day.