When I said we took advantage of the nice weather, I mean it in every sense of the word. Husby even gave the boys haircuts outside! Look at little JI sitting still for his trim!
I just love spending time together with my lil family!
The kids LOVE playing with Wedgits.
A friend let us borrow her set and now my kids don't want to give them back. The idea is that you figure out how to copy designs printed on cards using the different sized blocks. It is very logic oriented. My daughter LOVES to figure out how to copy the buildings on the design cards. The boys, however, just love making tall towers and knocking them over! It's just something about boys and knocking stuff over! :-)
We are currently learning about insects and the letter I. We are making some really cool insect stuff that I will (hopefully) remember to take pictures of for next weeks Preschool Corner post!
~JI and TJ are 21 months~
This is my very Tot School post. We have been doing "Tot School" for awhile, I just have never posted about it. But I am now hoping to make it a part of my weekly posts! Since this was my first time posting about it, I didn't get very many pictures. But, the highlight from Tot School last week was playing with the bottle tops that I have collected.
I always save the little plastic bottle tops off of EVERYTHING. I use them for all kinds of things from counting to keeping the kid's paint colors separate. So, with my ever growing stash, I decided to let the babies play with some of them and some plastic containers. (I save those too!!!) :-) They played with them for at least 30 minutes!!! Then, of course, their big brothers wanted to join in!
I will try to take more pics this week!
Be sure to check out Tot School for more great toddler ideas.
Just had to share!!! I love this pic I caught of all the kids looking out the window waiting for Daddy to get home from work!
Be sure to check out Thousand Words Thursday for more great pics that are worth a thousand words!
Last week my mother-in-law was in town to visit and I took all the kids to an indoor bounce house with the ladies from my MOPS group. It was so much fun! The babies LOVED going down the slide, but it was so much work trying to help them get up there! Needless to say, I got a little workout myself! I just love this pic of KJ trying to show little bro, JI, the ropes! Would you believe that with all this bounce house fun, I thought I had lost DC? I found him...playing in the little kiddie corner with the baby toys...go figure!!!
So, I actually began posting about my "green" experience last year. One of the first changes I made was to our diet. In that post, I talked about the "Dirty Dozen," which represents the top twelve produce items that you REALLY want to try to buy organic due to the pesticides used on them. You can click here to see that post. I have not gone totally organic by any means, but I at least try to make sure that I when I purchase any items from the "Dirty Dozen" that I buy organic. But, one problem that I run into is that I can't really remember what is and is not on the list. Occasionally I remember to jot down a note to myself on my grocery list, but most times I forget. So, I was on the hunt for a little wallet sized list that I could keep in my wallet. I usually don't forget my wallet, so I figured I would be safe going that route! :-) At the Environment Working Group I was able to find just what I needed. They have a small printable version of the Dirty Dozen that you can download to keep in your wallet. Click here to download yours!
Alright!!! So, I have been on a "green" journey for awhile now. I have done quite a bit of reading, learning, and experimenting with topics ranging from food to recycling; from cleaning products to skin care and many other topics in between. I needed a place to keep up with all my discoveries and findings. Plus, I want to document some of the little things that I am doing each week. (It holds me accountable!) So, I decided to add it to my main blog here! That way, I can share my journey and what I am doing to be a "Green Mama."
(I found it brand new about a year ago at the Goodwill for about $20). Anyhow, I used it to create my background by following the instructions on the tutorial mentioned above. I did adjust the widths a bit so that it would fit with my header. I didn't really want to add all the flair suggested in the tutorial, but overall, I am pleased! So, if you are trying to figure out this whole blog design thing, be sure to check out their site. They have lots of "secrets" about blogging to share, plus lots of free premade designs!
Yesterday I took the big three to the fire department with our local homeschool group. I had no idea that they would show the kids so much. I thought they would get to see the fire truck and that would be about it. Well, not only did they see the fire trucks and fire engines (there is a difference...fire trucks have ladders on them and fire engines do not), they got to "put out a fire" with a real fire fighter hose...all while wearing firefighter costumes. After being adored in "official firefighter gear" and using the hose, the boys both announced that they were now "real firefighters!" They also had a simulation of a smoky room so the kids could practice crawling out. They got to check if a bedroom door was warm, put a blanket under the door and crawl out of a window. They pretended that their clothes were on fire and "stopped, dropped, and rolled." They even got to watch a fireman suit up in his gear. They did make a good point that I didn't even think about. They mentioned that sometimes kids get scared and run from the firefighter rather than running to the firefighter. So, the fireman put his gear on piece by piece and explained each part so that the kids could see him "transforming" into the firefighter. They said they do it this way so that hopefully the kids can see that there is no need to be scared if they see a firefighter. I never really thought about it, but I appreciate them allowing the kids to really watch the transformation. I think the part that I found most amusing was the talking fire hydrant. It was pretty cool! The kids also got see Sparky the fire dog. As I said, I didn't expect it to be so informative and well-planned out. It actually got me to thinking about the fact that we don't really have a fire plan; nor have I really taught the kids what to do in the case of a fire. So, I did some looking and I found this site. I hope to use it to teach the kids some fire safety! Btw, don't you just love my cool firefighter DC?!?!?! He didn't want to take his shades off!
Okay ladies, I have the honor of hosting my very first giveaway and I am so excited! The giveaway is from CURLS, the hair care line specializing in effortless, frizz-free curls for multi-ethnic women (CURLS), kids (Curly Q), and babies (It's a Curl), created with certified organic ingredients. GIVEAWAY INFO:
All you have to do is follow the entry requirements below and pay special attention to the rules.
GIVEAWAY MAIN ENTRY: Visit CURLS and tell us one thing: Which product would you be most interested in trying and why? Your main entry must be emailed to me at jenn.at.mamajenn@gmail.com and you must leave a comment here saying "I emailed you"
EXTRA ENTRIES: For extra entries you can do any of the following. (For each extra entry, please leave an additional comment. Main entry above must be completed before any extra entries count.)
1) Become a Follower of Mama Jenn (or let me know you already are) and leave a comment saying "I follow" (Followers widget is on right sidebar)
2) Subscribe to Mama Jenn (or let me know you already have) and leave a comment saying "I subscribe" (See top right sidebar).
3) Add Mama Jenn to your blogroll (or let me know you already have). Leave your blog link in your comment.
4) Blog about this Giveaway including a link to this post. Leave the link to your post.
***Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry***
RULES: The contest ends on Thursday, April 30th. One winner will be selected by random.org and announced here on Friday, May 1st. I will also email the winner. Your email entry (the main/required entry) will be forwarded to a CURLS representative so that they can get product feedback and so that you can begin to receive CURLS promotional emails.
So, feel free to go over and check it out. I still have tons more sites to add, but it is a work in progress. I will continue to add sites as I find them. If you have other sites that you think should be added, please feel free to leave me a comment. You can click here to check it out!
I am amazed! The babies have really caught onto this whole sleeping in toddler bed thing! I tell them it is time to go to bed and they happily run over to their individual beds and plop down. Now, there is usually a bit of crying once I close the door, but this is a VAST difference from how it was when I switched the boys over to toddler beds. It was almost as if in their very own way they were rebelling. It was months before they actually slept in their beds. I would often find them asleep on the floor...many times right by the door. But, the babies have caught on and they have caught on quickly! I am so proud of the babies! They never cease to amaze me! This is a pic I got of them during one of their naps. Yes, they did get into a few things...as you can see! They were able to pull down the big, half-empty, Costco-size box of diapers.
This is how Husby found them when he got up the following morning. We do have two toddler beds in the room. I guess they like sleeping together too!
I guess this means that my babies are babies no more! I say that with mixed emotions!
Welcome to my main blog!
