Learning the Little (important) Things

Will has been working on this skill for a few weeks now.

A proud moment at our house today.

Super Snack

Have I mentioned that I cannot do anything in the kitchen without Peter's help?

This may be his favorite thing to make. Peanut Butter Balls. I love these because they provide a yummy way to sneak quite a bit of Flaxseed Meal (easier to digest than whole flaxseed) in to my kids diet. I also add Flaxseed Meal to their smoothies.

Here's Peter showing you the ingredients... Peanut Butter Balls

• Organic Peanut Butter (about 1/2 cup)
• Flaxseed Meal (about 2 Tablespoons or more)
• Raw Honey (as sweet as you like)
• Toasted Wheat Germ (in a separate bowl - to coat the outside so they don't stick together)

I don't measure anything... so, I'm guessing here. Just mix the PB, Flaxseed Meal, and Raw Honey. Form balls. Coat in wheat germ. Keep in the fridge.

Sometimes I hide one chocolate chip (365-Whole Foods brand) in the middle of each ball. Because I'm always trying to incorporate more chocolate in to my diet. : )

Peter's so proud. Much more fun than playdough...

Watching

"Can I watch something?" comes out of Will's mouth every late afternoon.

I usually respond with a "Why don't you .... (anything but watch tv)." Which really just postpones the tv watching. The question returns. I give in. Making dinner is so much more pleasant without "help."

This is where I feel we are in a rut. We only watch about 3 different shows. I set the DVR to record the ones we like. We occasionally watch DVDs.

Hannah is not all that interested in tv, but she will sit and watch it if it's on. I recently discovered Word Girl and it's become Will and Hannah's favorite. Do you know this vocabulary super hero... from the planet Lexicon? It's pretty fun. When Will used the word tenacious correctly yesterday, I (amazed) asked where he learned it. "From Word Girl, Mom!"

Peter is a little like Hannah. He'll watch it, but he can take it or leave it. Handy Manny and Fireman Sam (puppet animation, set in Wales, firefighter adventures) are his favorites.

We have grown tired of Little Einsteins, Bob the Builder, and Clifford.

Our favorite DVDs...

Little House on the Prairie

Leap Frog Letter Factory

Leap Frog Talking Words Factory

Jana Alayra Live in Concert, #1 and #2 (LOVE this one!)

We are the Laurie Berkner Band

Real Wheels Truck Adventures

Please tell me...
What are your kids' favorites? What do you like them to watch?

The Student in The Basement

My hard-working husband has been on study leave for the past week. In a dark corner of the basement, he can be found doing this every waking hour....Yes, that is a microfiche viewer. Doesn't everyone have one? It makes my eyes hurt just to see the very small, very faded, Latin print on the screen.

He used to spend his study weeks in the Reading Room at the Folger Library...

...but he tells me he prefers the basement. Hmm.

It must be because we bring him snacks.

What does Peter do?

I get this question all the time from friends and neighbors...

"What does Peter do while you do school?"

I usually answer, "He's right there with us." Sometimes happy. Sometimes not.

This is what Tot School looked like at our house this past week...

He loves these linking cubes
(they came with Hannah's Saxon Math Kit).
Above they have just taken off...
can you hear Peter's blast-off sounds?

We sort colors.

Play with magnetic shapes.Learn letters. Lace beads. (He's not a big fan of this.) More letters. Lots of puzzles.

He's working on his laptop. I'm not sure what these are called, but he loves them. Toothpicks and little balls of model magic... a big hit. Cutting and pasting. We are learning about the five senses with Hannah and Will. And he helps in the kitchen all. the. time. Here he is teaching Hannah how to make Granola. Grin.And we spend a lot of time reading together... our favorite.

Active Kids

Look what we got over the weekend.

They have not stopped bouncing.

I'm feeling great about this purchase.

Happy Valentine's Day

the kids opening their mail...

And yummy pancakes...

About the pancakes... I use a condiment squirt bottle (that's my batter drained one below) to write and draw with the pancake batter. All you do is add a little more milk to the batter, fill, and squirt... the possibilities are endless. A few of our favorite designs.... snowflakes (with powdered sugar on top), crowns, castles, cars, trucks, airplanes, names, flowers, Christmas trees, candy canes, stars.... really, anything is possible. Also, it's fun to learn numbers and letters by eating them. Oh, and since the first cooked side of a pancake tends to be the prettiest, I usually write backwards. : )