Doctor Dan

We celebrated Dan's birthday on Tuesday, and after seeing this little nurse kit that my friend made, I knew I wanted to make Dan a doctor kit. Since Pete is a doctor I thought this gift would be most fitting. Dan can dress up like daddy!


I started out by making this little white coat. Pete donated an old white coat for my cause, so all I had to do was adjust it to fit Dan. Much easier than starting from scratch.


These candy pill bottles were the biggest success in the kit (of course!). Made from old spice bottles.

Some of our favorite "toys"

Some of my kids favorite "toys" really aren't toys at all (imagine that!) Here are a few things they love to play with:

Beans

This is one of Dan's favorite things to play with on his own when John is at school and Joe's taking a nap. He loves to bury his dinosaurs and GI Joe's in it.

Ribbon


The kids discovered my box of ribbon earlier this week. They tied it around themselves, pulled things with it, and made a little obstacle course. Who would have thought ribbon could be so fun?!

Water

Joe could spend hours up at the kitchen sink. I put it on a little trickle and give him different spoons and cups to play with. His clothes always end up soaked, as does the floor around him, but for keeping him busy for 30 minutes+ it's worth the quick cleanup.

Buttons


We recently turned an old peanut butter container into our button container. I cut a hole in the top so the kids could put the buttons back in one at a time. John likes stringing them onto a piece of wire.

What are your favorite "toys"?

Table fort

You may have seen (much cuter versions of) these on Pinterest or other places. But here is ours. A table fort. I used old bags that sheets came in for the windows, sample fabrics that a store was getting rid of for most of the top and sides (thus the patchy look) and some bias tape. It might not win the cutest table fort award, but I'm pretty sure the kids don't care. I love that this fort folds up nice and small and is easy to store, but is so easy to set up again. It's nice to have something quick to pull out on a day that we're home and the kids want something new to do.




The thing that made this fort a success were the pockets that I sewed onto the inside of the walls. The kids love having a place to put their books and small toys.

Play Stations

Some mornings for some reason just don't get off to a good start. The morning starts too early, the kids wake up fighting, everyone wants something different for breakfast but wants to play with the same thing, we're one hour into the day and my patience is already nearing the end. It's mornings like these that we have to do something different or the day's going to be miserable and painfully long. It's mornings like this morning that inspired the creation of "play stations." Everyone picks a room and a few toys to bring in with them, then gets 10 minutes to an hour of time to themselves. Including me. I should probably have the kids do play stations more often (like when they're actually happy and getting along) because they usually complain about having to play by themselves initially. But by the end we are all happier and the kids are excited to play with each other again. And it gives me a chance to breathe and get some of the housework done in peace. Overall the kids get along so well, but they certainly need their alone time every once in while.


John played in the nursery with his Bionicles and Legos.


Joe lucked out. He got the bath tub all to himself. After an hour when the water was cold he was finally willing to get out.


And Dan played in his bedroom with his airplane (which he enjoys taking apart, then putting together, taking apart, putting together...) Seems monotonous to me, but it sure does keep him busy!

Valentine's Box

Earlier this month I turned a clementine box into our family's Valentine's box (doesn't it always feel good to reuse stuff?) We have slowly been collecting letters from family and friends, and the kids have written letters to each other. Tonight when Pete gets home we will be having a little party to celebrate this fun day, playing Valentine's Bingo, eating tomato soup and heart-shaped biscuits, and opening all these love notes. Pete and I always go out on the 10th of February in celebration of our first-date anniversary, then spend Valentine's Day with the kids. Hope you all get to do something fun today!



And you might be wondering about the winner of the Valentine's Giveaway...



The random number generator has chosen the one and only Jess! (who just happens to also be my cute sister-in-law!) Congratulations!

Jello Beans

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

I got this idea from a friend a couple weeks ago who gave "Jello Beans" to the kids when we were at her house. She simply poured jello into a mini ice cube tray then popped them out after firming up in the fridge. Brilliant! Her little molds looked more like jelly beans then mine do, thus the name, so we just called ours finger jello. The kids loved eating them nonetheless. Who wouldn't love eating little jiggly balls with their hands?


Just a note: the skulls and bones did not work out... we couldn't get the jello out of the molds. Oh well, worth trying.

Valentine's Cards

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

The cupid brought the kids stickers and stamps to make Valentine's cards with earlier this week, so we have been busy making cards for friends and family. We have sat down each morning after breakfast and worked on them, making as many each day as the kids wanted. We'll send each with a picture of the kids and a piece of gum for the cousins and friends. I like how the kids' personalities each come out when we work on art projects. Joe always ends up getting his hands into everything (he stamped his little fingers all over his cards), Dan likes experimenting with layers (stickers on top of stamps, stamps on top of stamps) and has a very loose style, and John is very methodical and thoughtful and likes creating patterns.



When John was young I helped him make little turkeys to give to grandparents, tracing his hands on colorful construction paper, then using them for the feathers on the turkey. When he gave them to the grandparents, one grandparent, with a smile, said, "So did you make this, or did your mom?" I wasn't offended at all (really, I wasn't), but I realized then that, sure enough, I had pretty much done the whole project! The hands were perfectly traced, neatly cut out, and glued together just so... obviously a 2-year old had not had much to do with it. The feathers were the size of his hands, that's it. The turkey was from me, not from John. Since then, when we're making things for people, I have made an effort to give the kids the supplies and instruction they need, then sit back and watch as they make their own creations. It's less work for me and it means more to the kids and to the recipient. It might not be exactly what I envisioned, but the kids love looking at what they made and watching people's reaction when they give it to them. Messier? Yes. But more personality, thought and creativity? Definitely.