Pst - Awesome summer tip in Killeen!!!

Check it out. Soren and Olivia had a blast and for a little while even were the only ones at the the Spray Pary in Killeen. It is located inside the Long Branch Park close to the Pool and best of all it is FREE.

It easily can be turned on by the push of one button and lots of different sprinklers start and the kids scream and screetch louder as you can imagine.

The water canon from the pirate boat was Soren's biggest joy and somehow only the kids got it to work even Starr kept trying again and again. Yes, the park is big enough for moms and dads, too.

Our two little ones had so much fun that we will be going back especially since now the BIG girls really want to go, too.

And with the temperatures going up and up nothing says no to more splashing and fun.

I want to eat you up!

Barely a few days passed after Bella's science project was finished and brought to school that Chiara comes home with an empty shoebox in her arms. "I have to make an ocean in the shoebox!" And she kept babbling some more about rainforests and other zones and .... I had no clue what she was talking about what was she was supposed to do. "Chiara, do you have a paper in your folder?"

Eventually I got the note and learnt she was supposed to pick a zone and make a diorama. Aaah. What the heck is a diorama exactly? I never heard that word before. And my third grader never talked about it before neither so this was definately new for me. But after tackling a science project for Bella we can whisk up a ocean diorama, can't we?

Day One: Lots of blue paint sounds like fun, so the first afternoon Chiara was just painting away and deciding which way to turn her shoebox.

Day Two: Oceanfloor was on the program. We have no more sand in the yard, but we have a gravel driveway and don't our kids love rocks and dust. There you go. Lots of Elmer's Glue a paint brush,dust and rocks, a kid having funmessing around and not forgetting to add the toddler help made the groundwork.

Then again as always 'GOOGLE'. Seriously what would I do without google. So thanks to google. Because otherwise your phone might be ringing of the hook me asking hundreds of questions all the time.

Day Three: Now the diorama need something else. We could have gone really elaborate especially as much as we all love crafting, but it was Chiara's project and should reflect her imgination and work. So Bella and me were the helpers and Chiara was in charge about what to add and get done in the shoebox.

If you look closely at the shark on top which I truly think turned out AWESOME. He has some similarity with the one in the book "Commotion in the Ocean", even the eyes. LOL. Instead of just cutting or printing out the creatures and plants Chiara wanted she drew them. They all have personality. And are very colorful. But the book gave her ideas and prevented the whining and 'I don't know how'.

Chiara decided when she was done and now all that is left is the transport to school. We used LOTS of glue, but all the glue in the world might not make this shoebox survive a second trip on the school bus tomorrow so the mom taxi has to be called in service.

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Besides working on school projects and in the yard we also had many cooks in the kitchen one evening. Just wondering when too many cooks are too much?

Try to crack an egg in house alone. Or even making scrambled eggs by yourself.

Sorry you are out of luck. Too many cooks. 

Summer plans in the Making

The girls are already having all kinds of crazy ideas for summer. Small ones and big ones. Some you really just can shake your head and tell them right away you are totally nuts and others I just "OK, we can do that." And they look at me with disbelief. and start grinning after a moment. Silly girls.

For the hot days to come we might take off to the lake for a few hours. It's a little way to drive, but the a couple feet of itty bitty pool we just can put up here this year just don't do it for really cooling off. But i regard for safety of our curious toddler we are not even considering getting a bigger pool. We finally got a fence up to keep him locked in the backyard, so we are not locking him out of the back yard because of a pool. And lounging at the lake, feeling the water splashing at you and a light breeze sounds just like vacation. For that we drive the extra miles.

But there will be other hot afternoons that need some activities for indoors when the kids don't think SIESTA is the best idea.

CHECK THIS OUT

Kathy Barbo's website is filled Art Project for Kids of all grades. These are more artsy and not just crafty and a little different. Some of the projects are similar to works of great artists and gives the kids to learn more about them, too. And just as a little add on  - usually you don't need much for these project and there is not much of a mess neither.

You might have quiet working kids as I can imagine Bella by herself or all giggling, noisy, silly ones as soon as Chiara is around, too.

What to do this summer?

I could easily say -  DON'T EVEN ASK! - just because I have a to do list longer as I even can imagine,

but there is this tiny little word but

that makes the BIG difference.

We are pretty much staying home this year. In our own home. All of us. That is the very first. We do have lots to do. We do not know when all of us are off, but if we get the chance we might take off for a day or two or just be lazy at home. That might turn out wonderful or it will turn us all insane having three kids home nonstop.

So my head already starts spinning and thinking and collecting ideas.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO ADD SOME.

I have three fun and creative kids and  crafty project can keep them busy. They are always up for exploring and of course for everything that has to do with ice cream, candy and water.

If you keep following me here you might find the links to ideas I find and  get to see what we do or I will have to put up with if I want to or. I try just to enjoy it, they are in a fun age and they do grow so fast and who knows what will be going on next summer.

So I decided this year is going to be an awesome summer.

Hot, wet, colorful and lots of fun. 

Just a day

- Olivia and Soren  yesterday in Lampasas-

Today was one of those days. It could have been a really nice day. Being home all day with only one appointment here at the house and no running around. Getting work done. Catching up at house. Finishing more in the yard. Perhabs even finding time just to sit outside or getting crafty again. But no, a migrane bugging me badly all day makes you just miserable. But in the evening Soren and me took half  an hour to lounge in the hammock in the garden. He is amazed by the moon as of so many things he finds outside. Amd I am amazed by my little boy who is growing up so fast.

Late Night Review

When was the last time you watched Dirty Dancing or better the first time? Long time ago? It is running on TV right now and I came across it just by accident, but it is one of those old movies that can always run even you know exactly what comes next. Hard to believe I was just a teenager and this was the first recorded movie I once had and that the actor already passed away. I am getting old.

I had no intentions of writing a word about Dirty Dancing when I pressed 'New Post', but more about our day in Austin and about. A whole lot of crazy traffic. But that was not the reason why it took us a lot longer to get to Austin's First Renegade's Craft Fair. We simply stopped in Georgetown to feed three hungry tummies before heading into downtown Austin. It was a good idea, the kids were fed and in a good mood loving already the downtown sight and skyscrapers and finding neat houses on the way to the palmer event center.

We country bumpkins love big buildings and traffic, too, as long as it is not in Cove or Killeen (the traffic).

The Renegade Fair was big and had all kinds of interesting booths and shops and artists and I would have loved to explore them more as just by looking them over, but with all three kids in tow or ahead of me or better having them all close it is kind of hard, so we did what we could and just enjoyed it as we could.

We tried out all the crafts - had to - because this we you get MY kids hooked to a fair like that, they made mini buntings out of fabric all three of them, decorated wood - and Soren was all into it! We tried screen printing from the Stitch Lab and took OldSchool Pictures and started and ended with the Photo Booths.

That were just the activities. These already gave us ideas for future birthday parties, so who needs Chuckie Cheeses?

The artists there had beautiful items for sale, gorgeous. Neat ideas. But you just have to see for yourself. Tomorrow is still time.

These were two silly girls today.

On the way back we stopped in Roundrock and ate dinner outside. We were the only once sitting outside on that beautiful evening. We must be crazy not choosing the cold A/C inside when there is a beautiful breeze out on a patio and especially with kids. The girls begged for dessert and me for a stroll through Ikea next door. DEAL. The girls had the Ikea "raod map" and Soren jumped full of energy from one arrow to the next, so there was no way to get lost on out way through the store. The parking lot was a different question. LOL

 And that was left was driving home into the sunset.

We are gonna go to ...

My three rug rats and me will make our way into downtown Austin tomorrow to check out the Renegade Craft Fair. It sounds awesome and Austin always has something going on. So for once we make the trip to get right smack in the middle of it and enjoy our day.

Wanna go, too?

Just a little

There is literally not much time for crafts or sewing right now. Once a while we squeeze a tiny bit in and I do miss it, but we are just busy.

We are almost finished putting up the fence in the yard. Just a few things left to do, but the gates are already closed. If it would have been after the kids the poles and the gates was all what we needed. The literally walked all along the property line to get back to the gate to enter the yard instead of just going through the openings in between the poles. That would be no fun. Now even Soren spent a couple minutes outside before we left this morning and also since we are back I am still waiting for the rattling on the gate that now limits his adventuring and our searching and running.

But he is the best yard helper of all three of my kids. Always right there in his boots and with his shovel when I am starting to dig another hole to plant something. He loves being outside and being busy there.

We did spent a Saturday evening opening our button factory again and the girls are getting more and more creative with FIMO. Soren instead is in charge of the pasta machine. He squeezes everything through he gets his little hands on including me finished button - thanks, little pasta machine monster. But he also makes cute little snakes.

It was not done in a day, but after wanting to try out mosaic since ever and having a small kit here, I did finally do it. A mosaic trivet out of a beautiful tile with tuscan print. Just a tiny bit of Italy. I love doing it even I need to get more practise with grout - from the right consistence to spreading it nicely. It was a first time.

What don't you do for potty training?

Mmmh. That is definitely still the BIG question here in the house.

We are trying everything imaginable to convince Soren that using the potty is a good idea, but most of the time he cares less. There are exceptions, there are fits and there are also small successfull events in between.

I know you are supposed to wait until your child shows the signs of being ready. BUT we do have asmart child that just doesn't really want to talk much, but more act, so we try it anyway. Also it would be quite useful for signing him up for school in fall which he would have a blast to go to.

Soren truly is a copy cat. Also regarding potty IF there is a kid his size visiting. He tries, he really does. So school should help, and we could just wait - except bathroom visit are only alone possible not copying there.

We are working with incentives from stickers to candy and besides our already existing collections of potties we added one more. Persoanl selected by him at the store. He even would have bought two believe me, he loved the frog one, green, big, but we do already have two that sit one the floor. Now he picked a CARS seat that you add on top, just like the big kids and he loves that piece. He literally was driving it through the store and so busy with it thathe ran everybody over. But happily and how could anybody be mad at him if he was all happy because of a potty seat!!!

Yesterday I let him pick some more underwear which we try to use at home, i refuse to use pull-ups if necessary because I don't really see the sense or the difference  as of a diaper in it. Perhabs if we still need to by school start, but after Diego underwear can not be found anymore he went with CHOU-CHOU a la Thomas. He knows what he is supposed to do with it, but still needs help and lots of practise to put it on and off by himself, but his own version works quickly all by himself.

Luckily it's summer and we can just use underwear outside in the yard for practising, but we take any tip and trick with this little stinker.