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.

Pictured Grocery Tour Today

Today was one of those days when only half of the things you plan work out. Our day was packed with appointments starting with Soren's speech therapy, my lab visit at the hospital on post and already there we were struggling. If it takes you almost half an our to find an parking spot just to drag your toddler inside a hospital and get poke with the needle your motivation is leaving you. Finding out that the parking spot search was for nothing because  you ar enot in the computer in the sustem is down and the doctor not present doesn't help the fact that you are supposed to repeat all of it on Monday again.

Now I was still supposed to drag a toddler through the grocery store. Fun time. I don't think either Soren nor me were looking forward to it. But we did need a few items.

So of we went and did get a parking spot in front of the BIGGEST grocery store in the area.

Lately I really try to improve my photography skills and also to shoot in manual mode and read and learn more, not this morning. This morning I turned on the AUTO mode and it was time for Snap Shots.

Welcome to the comissary!

Soren of course wanted the BIGGEST shopping cart, surprising in the color red not blue which is his favorite. He seriously wanted to be buckled in for about three minutes. It was not even worth the trouble adjusting the buckles for this big kid.

I had no intentions on weighing any of the fruits or vegetables, but Soren did, once and twice almost all of them. I let the cashier doing it, but Mr. Soren thought it was just too cool. Now if he would eat all the produce he weight I would think it would be really cool.

Since our last visit in the comissary the hopscotch is must there. We didn't get a complain yet, when we do it and if then for heaven's sake remove it from the floor. If you put it there you have to use it, RIGHT?

Break or just impossible to ride the correct way in a shopping cart? Have your own guess. but I could give you the answer if you want to.

That's a special picture for all my German visitor: Do you see how much the want for Wienerle and that out of a jar? Might be normal or not I rather wait until I get fresh ones from the butcher to enjoy or just keep passing buy as always or taking pictures and have people laughing at me.

There's my little helper again. He was busy with jars today throwing more as I wanted into shopping cart and busy putting the same chicken bouillon can over and over on the register band. It would have never reach the cashier without intervention. lol

The comissary has baggers, no matter if you want or not that bag your stuff. You actually have to insist if not to, but they bag your groceries and cart it out to your car and pack it into your trunk and you pay them a tip.

Yes, I rather would do it myself and save the money, but it is there only payment and sometimes you are happy when you don't have to deal with it when you have a running toddler. Now Soren is older he is helping packing and loading the bags. Once a while depending on the bagger he is getting a ride on the cart to the car hanging on and the always taking over the payment job. Luckily he was happy just getting a snack in the car and didn't ask getting paid himself after all his help.

Bug Chasing

Yesterday afternoon it started raining and truly I don't mind. I LOVE it. I miss that we don't have real patio doors to open up or a covered patio, but that might be different someday. Something is already different, the space in our garage, we got huge shelves to ger everything better organize, hopefully less cluttered, too, eventually and yesterday we cleaned everything in between. Perfect timing.

Because right now I am sitting comfy on the old couch in the garage with the wide open door while Soren is a happy bug chasing boy in the driveway. Everything wet even it stopped raining for now, the birds are chirping and the bugs are our and rolly pollies everywhere, he is in heaven.

Just two days ago I talk with my mom that we should get him a little insext box with magnifing glass and Leland and I mentioned it this morning when we watched him. Then I remembered that I do not need to wait until I get into town to the dollar store or Wal-Mart for the little bit better ones, but that I already had something like it as a gift set I once bought at the Disney store fora gift just in case, because it was neat and you know, I am up for a bargain and need one or two present for parties in petto.

And there it was a whole gift set with binocolars, insect box with magnifing glass, net, twizzers, flash ligh, whizzle, tools, ... - Soren was all equipped, happy, busy, NOT WHINING, what a change to yesterdays little monster.

 

The pictures are cricket, the sun is not shining, we are still in PJs, but the day is as perfect as it is.

I LOVE rainy days.

Texas Bluebonnets or sneaky Soren?

Soren for sure did NOT want to take pictures, that was very obviously. Usually when we are outside and walk up to the empty lot next to us he is always ahead of us exploring. That day, he dragged his feet. No bog deal. Eventually he will arrive at the beautiful mount of Bluebonnets at the side of the neighbors fences. But no by the time I got the time I got the camera out that little stinker already turned around on his feet and stomped backed down the hill. No way.

We could not NOT taking pictures finally after living since years in Texas and never having done it.

Aren't they beautiful?

Now we should be finished right? But of course as soon as I want to take pictures of the girls alone Mr. Soren is in the front and we just have to laugh about him.