June 28: Cootie!

Today's game was Cootie...not one of my personal favorites, but maybe that's because Koen keeps winning!  It is a fond memory for me though, as we used to play this at my Grandpa & Grandma Smits's house when I was a little girl.  Ty only half-played, rolling the dice a few times and then just building his cootie.  Apparently, I was doing so poorly, Ty looked at me and said, "I help you, Mom."  I think that was my favorite part of the game!  After the "official" game, we just played with the different cooties.

June 25: Lamar Park Splash Pad

Some friends from church planned a morning at Lamar Park Splash Pad in Wyoming, MI, so we joined in the fun!  Recently, we had visited a splash pad in the Lansing area when we visited Uncle Ethan and Aunt Tracy and had a blast!  This splash pad is much closer and just as fun, even though it's a smaller place.  One of the perks is that it is TOTALLY FREE! 

There were only two downsides to this trip...first, the water was a bit frigid making the kids shiver more than once, but the sun was out and that helped.  The other was that every once in a while the water just stopped spraying and we all just stood around for a minute or two until it started up again (yes, I played in the splash pad, too).  Not a big deal, especially for a FREE park, but something worth noting. 

One great thing was the set up of this place.  The splash pad is situated right next to a play area, so the kids could go back and forth between the two (see the pictures at the top of the page).  There's also a pavilion there which offers great shade.  Lamar Park is a huge place, and we only played in this little area, so I know there's more to do there.  Here's the website in case you're interested in finding out more:  Lamar Park

June 23: Wooden Snakes

A friend of mine organizes and runs the website grkids.com which is amazing!  For starters, it lists all available kid-friendly activities in the Grand Rapids area on a calendar, it offers deals and specials for area businesses, and it hosts the blog of an area mom who focuses on frugal living and crafts for her kids.  It was from this blog that I learned about these wooden animals from Michael's Craft stores.  Her two boys enjoyed them and I thought my boys might, too.

When I was at the store there were 3 or 4 options, but I settled on two cobra snakes.  That way, Koen & Tysen wouldn't fight over who had which animal, and the snakes were the largest wooden animals, so I hoped that meant a long project session.

We used our own paints even though the snakes did come with blue, green, and red paint.  I didn't know if the included paints were washable (very important!), and then we'd have more variety in color, too.  It turned out that the bigger projects were not necessarily a good idea.  It was too much for the boys to paint.  I think each one painted about 1/3 to 1/2 of their snake.  They do like them, although the snakes haven't seen much action during playtime like I thought they might.  If I had to do it again, I'd pick smaller animals for the boys to paint.   

June 22: Deluxe M&M Cookies

We made Deluxe M&M Cookies today for baking day.  I chose this recipe first of all because it has M&Ms which automatically makes it a great recipe, :) but also because Jane, Mark, Evan, and Annika are coming to visit mid-July and Mom wanted to start stocking up on snacks for when they're here.  We do tend to deplete the sweet snacks quickly when we're all together.  One batch of this recipe gets close to 70 cookies, and they store in the freezer well, so I decided this was the one.

Ty missed out on this one as he was sleeping, but Koen was a FABULOUS help as he read the recipe to me!!!  Seriously, he read 95% off the ingredients on his own...I was amazed and so proud! 

I included this yummy recipe for you all to try:

DELUXE M&M COOKIES  (I don't know who gets the credit for this recipe; I got it from my mom pre-printed)
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter (it calls for crunchy, but I've used smooth before and either works)
1 cup rolled oats (instant work in a pinch)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
3 cups M&Ms/chocolate chips/peanut butter chips, etc. (FYI - only 1 cup of each to total 3 cups.  I haven't tried it, but I bet you could even use 3 cups of just M&Ms!)

Put on greased cookie sheet (I prefer to use parchment paper) about 2 inches apart.  Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from pan promptly.

Enjoy!

Brielle

Brielle gets left out of our activities each day due to her young age, so I thought I'd give her her own post once in a while so you can see her, too.  Isn't she beautiful?  She's now four-months-old and a delight to be around!

Getting ready for her first swim!

June 21: Game Day

We gave a Bean Bag Toss game to Seth for Father's Day (though we may be returning it for a more sturdy version).  For game day today, we set up the Bean Bag Toss in Grandma and Grandpa Smits's living room (we were there so Daddy and Grandpa could ride to Grand Have together for work).  Ty loved sitting right next to the board and dropping in the bean bags.  Koen tried to stand a ways away and toss it in, but was immediately frustrated when he couldn't do it.  He pouted for a while until I got him to stand closer to the board and try to toss it in, and wouldn't you know?  He got them all in with no problem.  His perfectionistic mind-set might hold him back from having a lot of fun if we don't keep encouraging him to keep trying!  He did have fun with it for a few minutes after that, but then went off to play with his trains.

Earlier that day we had watched _Word World_, a show on PBS Kids.  We no longer get PBS at our house since the Digital TV switch, so the was the first time I'd seen the show.  I was really impressed!  They used the root word "-oat" and then made different words from that.  Grandma Smits had flashcards with letters on them, so I got Koen playing a game creating new words out of different root words.  We used -oat, like in the show, -in,-ig, -an, -age, and a few others.  We made some real words and some non-words which he had no problem recognizing.  He had more fun with this game than with the bean bag toss!

June 19: Swimming Lessons

Seth, Tysen, and Koen waiting for lessons to begin.

This is the third time our kids have taken swimming lessons through the East Kentwood Aquatic Center, and we continue to enjoy the program!  The teachers are wonderful and the class sizes are perfect.  The other sessions our kids have been in classes with only one or two other kids.  This time around, Tysen's Parent-Child class has 10(!) kids in it, but then there are two instructors.  Koen still only has three other kids in his class, so the ratio is wonderful! 

Koen's first day last summer was traumatic for both him and me.  He screamed most of the time and the swim lesson coordinator asked me to leave the room, thinking that might help Koen settle down.  After that class, we decided to change class times and do a parent-child session with him which helped greatly!  Tysen and Seth joined in the last few of those classes just because Tysen was super interested and the teacher said it would be OK (at no cost!). 

The second sesson last fall went much more smoothly, and this sesson continues with that trend.  The boys really enjoy swimming lessons, and I enjoy watching them have fun while their confidence in the water grows. 

East Kentwood Swimming Lessons

June 18: Children's Museum

We have visited the Grand Rapids Children's Museum two-three times before, but it'd been over a year since our last visit.  Koen remembered it a little bit and was excited to return!  We met some friends from church there and took off exploring.

Curious George was the featured exhibit on the upper level.  Both Koen and Ty have seen some Curious George episodes (the exhibit seemed to focus more on the TV details rather than the books) so they recognized the other characters shown in the exhibit, too.  They helped Curious George moved packages and played some mini-golf. 

After a while we moved downstairs where the kids played in the grocery store/post office/bank area.  There's something about kids and packages that makes a great combination!  Mini-grocery carts help with the fun, too, except when you're waiting your turn for one...there were only four carts around, although there were the baskets there which appeased the kids who had to wait for the carts. 

All in all, we spent about two hours with our friends at the museum and probably could have spent more time there as we still had about half of the museum to explore.  But it's better to leave with happy kids and return another day for more fun.  A day or so later, Koen asked when we could go back to the Children's Museum, so I supposed we'll return sooner rather than later.  I'm even considering a family pass so we can go more often.

June 16: Combo Day

I've mentioned before that our "schedule" is a flexible one, so today we combined Project Day and Library Day since Mommy had plans to scrapbook on Library Day.  But don't worry...the boys didn't care because they got to play with Ian all day on Thursday. 

MIXING DAY --  I'm not what you'd call a science-minded person (so please excuse any inaccuracies as I describe things), but I enjoy little science experiments and think it's important for the boys to be exposed to as well.  Of course, when we mix things we get different results depending on what we're mixing. 

The first things we mixed together were vinegar (as much as you desire) and baking soda (about a Tablespoon).  If you've done this before, you know that it creates a high volume of fizz in a volcano-like eruption.  Koen's preschool teacher had done this for his class this spring and all the kids were impressed.  Not surprisingly, Koen and Tysen were impressed by this reaction and asked for it to happen again and again. 

Next, we mixed 1 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup water.  This was another idea from Disney's Family Fun magazine.  It creates an amazing substance that isn't quite solid and isn't quite liquid.  Tysen refused to touch it, but Koen enjoyed playing with it, trying to grab it, and letting it drip off his fingers.  (WARNING:  If you choose to make this substance, DO NOT save it to play with it later.  I kept it in a container to play with it another day and the stench made me gag.  It's better just to make a new batch!)

The final mixture project was making Ocean Waves bottles.  These didn't turn out as well as I thought they would, but the boys LOVED them.  They liked the color, how the water and oil made little bubbles when you shook the bottle and then separated again as you left it alone (not that they left it alone for long). 

The "recipe" had called for vegetable oil, but we used canola oil...I don't know if that was part of the problem, but I thought the water and oil mixed too easily?!?  I also tried to glue the cap on so we would have no accidental spills (can you imagine the clean up on that?), but Seth got the cap off easily when he was looking at it.  I reglued it, but maybe I need something stronger than Elmers.  Besides, Seth is so much stronger than the boys, it may have been his brute strength that busted the cap open!

In the picture...notice Hiro next to Koen's Ocean Waves bottle -- an almost constant companion.  Also note Koen's cool visor made in Children's Worship in Grandpa & Grandma Smits's church.  He rarely takes it off! 

Prior to making this fabulous mixtures, we had gone to the library and signed up for the summer reading program!  We read everyday anyway...why not get prizes for it?!?!

June 15: Baking Day -- Chocolate Muffins

Chocolate muffins (or Black Muffins, as Koen calls them) are a favorite around our house!  They NEVER last longer than two days, unless it's a double batch.  It's a simple and quick recipe but quite tasty and actually healthy for us with all the fiber in them.  I originally got the recipe from a Weight Watchers meeting.  If you'd like to try them for yourself, here's the recipe!

Chocolate Muffins: 
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small can pumpkin (like Libby's Pumpkin)
1/4 cup water
(we like to add in some chocolate chips as well)

Mix the ingredients together and place the batter in greased muffin tins (or use paper liners in the tins).  Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.  Yield 18 muffins

Variation:  While we didn't make them this week, we also enjoy Pumpkin Muffins made the same way.  Simply use Spice Cake Mix instead of the Chocolate Cake Mix and keep everything else the same.

June 14: Picture Link

For our game day, Koen and Tysen chose to play Picture Link with their friend Ian (he was at our house for the day) and me. Picture Link (by Binary Arts), a birthday present for Koen from Grandpa and Grandma Davies, has been fun for the boys. It's a fairly quick and simple game, yet still fun for everyone. Tysen just has a good time with it and doesn't play by the rules, but Koen is beginning to learn about strategy. Koen r-e-a-l-l-y likes to win, so when someone else wins I've had some teachable moments to show him how to keep a good attitiude. Of course then I have to model that for him when he wins. :)

We played a few rounds and then the boys were off chasing monsters again.

June 11: Special Day at the Center Point Mall Play Area

For our first "Special Day" we were going to visit the viewing area of the Ford International Airport (off Kraft Avenue north of 52nd Street). It's a great spot to watch aircrafts take off and land as well as let the kids run around on the grassy hill. We've done this before, usually with a picnic lunch and friends, and the boys really enjoyed it, but the threat of rain made me reconsider. We ended up going to the Center Point Mall play area with some friends from church.

We arrived at the mall in a downpour. Good decision to avoid the airport! This play area is usually quiet, but I think the mix of rain with the end of the school year prompted many parents to head to the mall with the kids. It was BUSY! The boys had been there before and love running, climbing, sliding, and jumping around the play area. The extra number of kids didn't seem to bother them. There are other malls in the area that offer play areas, but I like this one because it's fairly easy to keep an eye on the kids as they run around...no big obstacles to block my view of them. Which means that when Tysen decided to play the part of the bully by sitting at the top of the slide and yelling, "No! No!" to anyone who tried climbing the stairs to use the slide, I could take care of it immediately. Since the kids were listening to him, I just know he's going to be a great leader someday...we just have to work on those leadership skills.

The difficult thing about Special Days is they have to come to an end at some point, but we will return again, for sure.

June 10: Library Day

The boys LOVE time at the library! They mainly play with the train set there (like we don't have our own!), but they also pick out books and a movie each visit. Not too many things happen at the library when we visit, but we always have a good time and come home with another round of "new" stories.

June 9: Blow-Paint Monsters

My boys don't like to color or do crafts so Wednesday is "Project Day" where we do can color and do crafts. :) Actually, they both enjoy painting, so I thought we'd test the waters with 2 painting projects.

The first project we tackled was Blow-Paint monsters. Like I said, they both enjoy painting and their friend, Ian, has introduced them to monsters (I guess the monster intruige is a boy-thing...I don't remember thinking about/talking about/pretending there were monsters chasing me!), so the Blow-Paint Monster was a natural fit.

I got the idea from the Disney Family Fun Magazine, and you'll find that I get a lot of ideas from this magazine...it's one of my favorites. I included the website in case anyone feels like creating their own Blow-Paint monster. And yes, as the title of the project indicates, you do have to blow paint (through a straw) to create your monster. I didn't realize how much the boys enjoyed this project until a few days later when their friend Ian was over. When there was a bit of lull in play, I asked if they wanted to do a project. Koen turned to Ian and exclaimed, "We get to make Blow-Paint Monsters!" as if that was the only project in the world. Though I suggested a few other ideas, we did, indeed, make another round of Blow-Paint Monsters.

The difficult thing with this project is that with the amount of paint on the paper, we had to wait a day to add the googly eyes, and when you're excited about something as cool as Blow-Paint Monsters, it's hard to wait to finish them.

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/blow-paint-monsters-876582/

The second project was "cool" for Koen and Tysen because they got to use the rolling pin. They each painted a picture -- both with a paint brush and the straw to blow the paint -- then we placed a clean sheet of paper on top the picture, rolled the rolling pin over it, and separated the papers. Viola! A print of the first picture! Koen actually turned these pictures into monsters, too...just add eyes!

While it was a bit messy, the afternoon was enjoyable for all.

June 8: Applesauce Bread

Applesauce bread was the recipe we tackled for our first baking day. It seemed simple for kids to make and sounded tasty. Plus, I've had it sitting around for a few years intending to make it -- today was the day.

Koen, however, decided that he didn't like applesauce bread (not that he's ever had it), so he didn't want to help make it. I told him that was fine, but if he didn't make it he couldn't eat it. I thought that would do the trick and he would be eager to help, but no. Even after three attempts to get him involved, he chose to play trains (surprise, surprise) while Ty and I mixed together the recipe.

Both boys (usually) love to help in the kitchen...at least up to the part when they get to lick the spoons. After that they tend to disappear. :) On this day, Tysen enjoyed dumping in the ingredients, mixing them together, and talking about how "num-mmy" (add emphasis) this applesauce bread was. And he did think it was "num-mmy" as he ate most of the loaf himself (over the course of a few days, of course).

As I opened the oven door to put in the loaf pan, Koen's head popped up from his train reenactment set-up and he cried, "But Mom, I wanted to help make the bread!" Too late! He only asked once for some applesauce bread, and he was reminded why he couldn't have any. I felt badly about the situation, but I think it was for the best.

I've included the link to recipe we used below, in case you were interested in trying the applesauce bread for yourself.


Applesauce Bread Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

June 7/Day 1: Game Day

After this past school year, I've learned that Koen really thrives on routine. He was THRILLED with the idea of having each day of the week hold a different special activity. He already knows which activity belongs with each day. Smart kid! And whatever excites Koen tends to excite Tysen.

So the first day on the new (flexible) schedule was Game Day. I asked Koen which game he would like to play...he has a number of games, many that we haven't played in a quite a while. I listed a few options and he replied, "I would like to play Thomas trains." OK. Not quite the "game" I had in mind, but it's a new way of life, so to speak, and there's no reason to quibble about the definition of a game, so we played Thomas the Train Engine and Friends for the afternoon. He was so excited!

As much as I don't like how the trains in the Thomas stories are rude and revengeful toward each other, I admire Koen's passion for his trains. I'm continually impressed by his story retelling/reenacting as well as his creativity with his own stories or revisions of stories he knows. If you ever want to hear a good Thomas story, give Koen a call and he'd be happy to share one with you (but first be sure you have plenty of time...you never know how detailed/long the story might be).

He's also recently branched out and begun using Duplo blocks to build sheds and the Sodor Steamworks for the engines. I've also rediscovered my enjoyment for building. Building with blocks in and of itself is a great activity...learning how to balance, how to fit together, how to work with structures so they are strong and lasting.

Koen & Tysen have plenty of opportunities to learn the joy of sharing while playing with their treasured trains -- sharing trains, sharing blocks, sharing tracks, sharing Mom's attention.

So our first game day wasn't what I had pictured, but maybe this flexible schedule will teach me a thing or two, too. Knowing this was the "game" I was going to play with my boys that day, I took a deep breath and actually enjoyed playing Thomas the Tank Engine rather than simply enduring it.

P.S. Tysen was napping most of the time we were playing trains, but was able to join us for some of the time after waking up. Koen graciously shared with Ty when he joined the "game"...I loved that part!

A New Beginning

I previously used this blog for a class I took, but I have new aspirations for this space! This summer I started something new with my kids...a flexible schedule.

• Sunday = Church/Family Day
• Monday = Game Day (Obviously, we'll play a game, do a puzzle, etc.)
• Tuesday = Baking Day (Yum!)
• Wednesday = Project Day (Koen doesn't get too excited about "crafts," but using the word "project" seems to work.)
• Thursday = Library Day (We look forward to this all week!)
• Friday = Special Day (Go somewhere special, have friends over, etc)
• Saturday = Swimming Lessons (at least into July...then we'll have to see)

I thought this would be a good place to share what we've done and maybe post pictures of our adventures. I make no guarantees as to how often I will update it, but I will do my best to stay somewhat current.

Enjoy!