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.