7.17.2013

{ Random Summer Happenings }

Just some random things from this summer…

I found this picture on my camera. I guess according to Austin and Brooke it was this really cool slushy that she made. Right after she took the picture, it fell on the floor and she didn’t even get to enjoy it. Maybe that’s why I never heard about how cool it was.

Summer rainbow drink blog-1

I finally got around to painting the front room. When we built I really felt like I wanted it to be the really light blue that the kitchen and some other areas on the main floor are. I chickened out and went “safe” with a neutral-which really is a great neutral just not for me. I wish I would have gone with my gut on that one-it would have saved a couple nights of painting. I do love it blue now.

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Erika decided that she was going to make a horse stable mansion for her small horses that she earned with her summer points. Within a few days Abby and Brooke had joined in as well. They made homemade bridles out of ribbon, and used about 100 glue sticks in the glue gun. That pack of popsicle sticks was well loved! Fun to see their creativity. A few bad iPhone pictures to remember them by. Unfortunately, the little boys destroyed part of the stables, and the paper from the paper shredder that was the hay was scattered over the whole upstairs. It was fun to make and kept three girls quite busy this summer, but in the end found a home in the trash=(

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I order some caterpillars and this butterfly home so the kids could watch them turn into butterflies. It was pretty cool to see. We barely missed seeing them before we left for our family reunion-good thing they were quick bloomers.

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The kids took Simon swimming a few times, and joined him a few times too until our housing association called us out o it. Dog-yes,Kids-no. Looking at that water I would say no too-I think that’s why Aaron took them without me.

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7.15.2013

{ The Cleanest Messy Activity }

This is really the best rainy day/too cold out/too hot out/I need fifteen minutes to get dinner finished/I’m bored activity for kids. All my kids love it, and I must admit it’s sort of fun for even adults to play with too. There is something soothing about these fun sensory activities-and makes you feel like a kid again too.

The secret recipe? Cornstarch and water. That’s it.

Scott and Ryan playing with goop blog-1

Most times I just take a 9x13 pan and pour in about 1/2 to a whole box of cornstarch and then add enough water until it is the right consistency. I start with just a little water and work from there, but if I add too much by accident I either try to pour it off or just wait for it to dry out a bit. It will look kind of glassy on the top. This summer I ended up doing it in a couple old pie tin containers so they would have their “own” one and not crowd each other too much. It also didn’t tie up my glass 9x13 pan for too many days.

Scott and Ryan were the two that played with it the most in the summer. When I was putting together this post Scott said, “Why was Ryan in his pajamas? Was that in the morning?” I mentioned to him that he was in his pajamas too. He was surprised at this, since he likes to get dressed right away in the morning. Truth be told, it was summer, and it could have been in the middle of the day and we were still in our PJ’s. The point to all that rambling is that, these two would wake up in the morning and want to play with it right away.

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I think the reason we all love it so much is because it is just a little bit magical. You can pick it up and squeeze it into a ball, and then watch as it “melts” back through your fingers. It really is SO cool to watch.

This “goopy stuff” as the kids like to call it, is so much fun to play in. And one reason I love it, is because it is so easy to clean up too. This picture is a reminder to me how messy it gets-there really is stuff all over the counter and chairs and floor. The magic part though is that it is completely dry. You just brush it off back into the pan or sweep it up, and anything left on the counter just dissolves as you wipe it with a wet rag.So scrubby, no stickiness, just a quick once over and it’s clean. I try to be a fun mom, but sometimes the messiness of an activity will unfortunately dictate if I let my kids do it or not. This is my go-to fun for my kids because it is so easy to clean up. Win-win for us both.

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After I mix it up, I usually keep it out on the counter for a few days for them to continue to play with. If it gets dry I just add a little bit more water to moisten it back up. When we are done, or it drives me too crazy to have it out on the counter any longer, I pitch it. Cornstarch is so cheep, it makes for a very inexpensive and super fun activity. Love it!

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And love that binkie that Ryan is holding tight to. Our days are numbered with that thing, but I he is just not quite ready to give it up.