Low Key and iPad Free

Our week was pretty low key in that we didn't really do much out of the ordinary. Ryleigh had her very own play date with a girl her age on Monday--she was so very excited to do so and they had so much fun! The kids had another play date on Friday and went to a birthday party on Saturday. Baseball was cancelled due to rain. (Woohoo for rain!!) Sunday was a stick-to-the-house day due to rain.

We declared Sunday a no iPad day, and it turned out okay. Jip and RJ made a Lego zip line and a Lego rubber ball catapult. Ryleigh painted with water colors. We watched Big Hero 6. Naps were solid. RJ even said at the end of the day what a good day it was.

RJ made his bed and helped Ryleigh make her bed on Friday since we were having guests. He did a pretty good job, but I need to give him a few pointers. I should have taken pictures. Saturday, Ryleigh made her own bed and I did manage to get a picture of that. She was so proud of herself! The comforter is only half on the bed, so she used her princess blanket to make up the difference. A for effort, Ms. Ry!

I took on a few paper projects this week. I made lots of paper crowns for play dates (Ryleigh used her paints to embellish them.). And, I made a couple cards. The garbage truck card was not hard--someone else designed it for a cutting machine, so I just had to have the cutting machine cut out the various pieces and then employ some glue skills. (The garbage can moved up and down, too, thanks to a little foam to lift it up.). The Transformers card was one I designed using my cutting machine software. I love how they all turned out.

We don't have much planned this week except Jip has something big on Sunday--his first half-marathon! Please wish him luck! We'll have a picture or two of the big occasion next week.

Freshbeats and baseball

For those of you who don't know who the Freshbeat Band is, don't worry, you're okay without owning their greatest hits album.  They are a Nickelodeon group who have their own show and tour around the country entertaining kids and families.  I honestly think they're about to reach the end of their run because their show hasn't made any new episodes in a while and the live performances are not as popular as before.  They've recorded some good kids' songs and they have lots of energy on stage.  In fact, we took the kids to see them in February last year, but had seats WAY far way.  This time, the venue was different and we decided that we'd take them again since they both like the music.  When purchasing the tickets on line, we thought we'd selected tickets for the second section back on the left side of the orchestra section.  It turns out that there was not a section in front of us as we had seen on the computer and we had front row tickets!  The kids had a great time and it was fun to see "Twist," "Shout," "Marina," and "Kiki" so close up.  Both RJ and Ryleigh got several direct looks and waves from the singers during the evening.  RJ even had a high five with "Shout."  Here's a photo of the stage before we began followed by some photos the kids watching the show.  We weren't supposed to take pictures of the performers so we stuck to just the kids.

Wow, we're close!

The Hamster "grinning" for the camera.

RJ giving a heart symbol back to the cast at the end of the show.

Not much else to report during the rest of the week besides baseball again this weekend.  Ryleigh was much more aggressive and RJ was his usual social self paying more attention to his teammates than to the ball.

Lastly, and mostly because I'm still a math geek inside, I saw this on Facebook and had to share.

I hope your week was good.  Until next time, have a great one!

-Jip

Happy Valentine's Day (and More)

First things first--the kids' Valentines for their classmates.  A couple months ago when we were eating at Stacked, the hostess handed the kids Wikki Stix to play with.  For those not in the know, Wikki Stix are like wax pipe cleaners that can be shaped into whatever the imagination desires.  But, they are better than pipe cleaners because there isn't a pesky wire to pop out and snag your finger or your clothes.  The kids had so much fun with them that I immediately checked Amazon when we got home and found that they carried the gift packs like the kids received.  So, I ordered a bunch and got my Silhouette fired up to make the kids' cards for their classmates.  I used the Silhouette pens to write (not print--the machine actually writes what you have on the screen) the words then changed to the blade to cut out the heart shapes. RJ also signed his cards, but Ryleigh didn't--she's not really ready for that.  Anyway, I think they turned out totally cute!

Saturday was so nice and leisurely.  The kids had week two of baseball on a beautiful afternoon.

Watch the video below where Ryleigh almost single-handedly takes out an entire team with the swinging (throwing) of a bat.  

Sunday was another beautiful day and we took advantage by throwing the bikes into the car and heading out to a park with good sidewalks and no vehicular traffic to spook the kids.  They enjoyed some playground time, too--helmets and all.

We hope your Valentine's Day was great!  The good candy should be gone by tomorrow, then Mom and Dad get the leftovers.  Yay for us!

Baseball is upon us again!

A busy Saturday for the Mosman clan.  In the morning, we went over to the monthly Home Depot kids workshop and let the kids hammer nails, their thumbs, the wood around the nails, and Mom's or Dad's thumbs to build the little wood Valentine's Day planters.  Of course, after hammering time came painting time, which is the real reason that RJ and Ryleigh like to go.

Each time after building the project, they each get a pin to put on their Home Depot aprons.  I think RJ is up to 10 now and Ryleigh has 6.  What happens to the projects after we bring them home, you ask.  The answer is not much.  I have quite a few projects just sitting on a shelf in the garage, but I'm not going to complain.  The workshops are free and the kids enjoy them, so we'll keep going.  I'll gladly keep filling the shelf up as long as they are having a good time building.

During the day on Saturday, I washed the cars, and after naps in the afternoon, it was time to go to the first baseball practice of the season.  And this season, BOTH kids are playing!  Ryleigh had her first practice and did very well.  She's playing with other 3 and 4 year olds.  RJ is playing with 5 and 6 year olds at the same time (4-6 p.m. on Saturday evening).  Here are a few photos and a video of "Spring Training."  Ryleigh's age group plays off the tee for all the hits and a "game" means that each child hits once and gets to run the bases (one base taken per batter).  RJ gets to try to swing and hit a pitched ball.  After three tries, then he gets to hit it off the tee and run the bases (one base taken per batter).

And one video--they're supposed to be running backwards...

There will be more baseball photos and videos in the future as we progress through the season.  Hopefully, both children will have fun, get better at playing a team sport, and learn some good lessons along the way!

Have a great week.

-Jip

The Projects

Drumroll, please...the completed projects:

Stuffed animal containment was getting out of hand in each of the kids' rooms. So, I showed Jip a solution I had seen on Pinterst a number of times. We decided to run with the idea and found the best blog we could that had measurements and a supply list.

Jip was in charge of cutting and assembling. I sanded as much as I could by hand and Jip finished with the power sander. The kids each picked out their own paint and got to watch it be mixed. The kids helped paint the first coats of paint, too. The grown-ups did the second coat of paint. They dried in the garage all week, then Jip put on rubber feet and I made the letters with my cutting machine and attached them with 3M Command poster adhesive strips. The kids picked out what they wanted their letters to say--I have no idea why Ry insisted on using "cage."

We all think they turned out pretty darn great!

Before we go, I have one more project to share. I actually did it a few weeks ago, but tweaked it a bit this week to end up with the final result. Presenting my Frozen-inspired canning ring wreath:

Those are 84 canning rings, each one wrapped with one of four patterns of washi tape. I cut a foam wreath form and threaded them onto the wreath. I glued the wreath back together, added a bow, and voila! I think it looks great! And a friend of mine who pickles and cans will use all of the lids (rings can be used over and over, but lids should only be used once), so nothing went to waste.

It's been a crafty few weeks in the Mosman House between the stuffed animal containment, wreath, and the food on a stick party. With February here, I can finally recycle some stuff from last year for decorations. But, before you know it, I'll be starting the work on the kids' school valentines. I've got something good planned for those--but that will be a post for another day.