Homemade Nuggets

So, we picked up our own Ritz crackers and chicken to make some nuggets at home. This is the kids part:

Something they can both easily do while I'm preparing the chicken:

Chopping the crackers up a lil more:

Out of the oven:

When the kids had them at my friends, she handed them a bowl and let them serve themselves. Such a simple idea, but my kids loved it. Something about a little independence that kids love. So now, when we prepare our nuggets and many other foods, I just let them serve themselves. It's funny how much more they'll eat and how excited they get about the food when they are getting it themselves!

Goodbye Mop

I've never been one to have much fashion sense, but in an attempt to have our son look "cool," we decided to let his hair grow out a bit for a little more of a fashionable look. Several friends, as well as my sister, thought I should leave the messy look, but Doug and I just couldn't take it anymore. Ethan's hair just doesn't lay very nice as it grows out. So last Tuesday, as soon as we returned home from the park, I decided it was the day...enough was enough. The mop needed to go! So I set him up outside:
Although he looks nervous, he was actually excited to get his haircut, and jumped right at the opportunity. While I was getting his before-pics, Madeline felt the need to reassure him things would be OK:

All I wanted was some before pics...and they went right into modeling mode:

Without my request, Madeline was trying to make him laugh for pictures:

After:

Ahhhhhhhhhh....SO much better!! We just like hair clean cut in this house!

...although Ethan can make anything look cute!

We Made a Dress!!

My friend JayJay has been really interested in learning to sew. She asked me if I'd help her make something so she could see what she thought of the process, difficulty, and cost involved. I told her I'd love to and asked what she'd like to make. Of course it was something I've never made before...a pillowcase dress:
I think it turned out cute. She picked out some Tinkerbell fabric and a big green ribbon. With the scrap material from the Tink fabric, I made Madeline an Zuri each a tissue holder:

Cute girls!!

This was a fun, productive play date!!!

Our Loves

No More Excuses

...OK, so that's not true. I'll still find some...like this nagging cold I have right now that is making breathing a little more difficult. So I can't jog, right??
Alright, well for the most part, since getting my new jogging stroller, I have been out jogging quite a bit more. Recently, I've been checking Craigslist and the likes for a jogging stroller so that I would have more opportunities to get my jogging in during the week. My kids aren't too the point yet where they could ride a bike to keep up with me while jogging, so I would always have to wait until Doug got home from work to head out (because Lord knows I'm not going to get up early to do it!). But I'm terrified to run in the dark, so that would leave me a very small period of time where I could get out to do my run...and often that period of time would just get away. Madeline has been doing awesome with her biking abilities, so I thought if I could push Ethan, she could bike with me. A regular stroller would be OK, but if this is something I want to be serious about doing long term, I thought maybe I'd look into a better stroller for what I'm doing. Everyone insisted on me getting a Bob, but there was no way that was in our budget! I looked and looked on Craigslist but never found anything. Then one day my mom called me and said she'd like to help us get one!! Happy early Birthday to me and Doug!!
Ethan couldn't wait for the first spin around the block!!

And Madeline was excited to join us!

Ready, Set, Go!!

This is how I hope to do a lot of my walks/jogs. We'll see how it goes. We've tried this several times now, and Madeline is working on building up her endurance too. I love involving them in my own exercise routines as much as possible. I think it's important for them to see, and be part of. And the unexpected benefit to including them...they encourage me!! I want to keep going just so I can set an example for them! Often, when I stop jogging Ethan will start yelling, "No Mommy!! Faster, faster!! Run!!" Only one tougher trainer than Jillian...Ethan.

Another Day at the Park

Feb. 11, 2011
Doug was in Ft. Lauderdale for the week so we made several late trips to the park to help fill up our evenings. I lugged my camera on Friday to take a few pics of the kids progress on their bikes.

OK, so the endurance isn't quite there, but we're working on it. He hasn't figured out how to pedal, so he just uses his feet to push himself, and that's a lot of work:

Checking out his friend, Aidan's Strider bike! These things are so cool...may be getting Ethan one when his 3rd b-day comes around :)

He loves that he's figured out the rock wall:

I love how much time we've been able to spend outdoors this month!!

Ethan and Penny

I got Ethan dressed the other morning, and for some reason he was insistent that Penny wear his pajamas:

And for some reason, Penny didn't mind it.

Preparing for Valentine's Day

Our Mom's group was going to be holding a Valentine's Day Pot Luck, so a friend and I created a few simple games for the kids to play. I made these simple rice-filled hearts:
...for a tossing game:

Looks like the game is ready!

That morning before the meetup, we made some heart-shaped pancakes:

Madeline said, "take a picture of me with my heart pancake!" When I went to show her the picture, we both laughed at Ethan in the background!

She loved her pancake!!

Of course, Ethan really wanted to pour his too. I let him, but was very nervous:

Not bad for his first try (he wanted his green with some blueberries)!

Something about it was scaring him a bit, so he wanted to hold my hand:

Madeline told him this would be a safe place for him to touch:

Ta Da!!

Cute!

He was a little excited:

Later that day we went over to the playdate and played some games:

..and ate with friends :)

Homemade Nuggets

Doug was off to Florida for a class Superbowl weekend, so the kids and I were invited to a friend's house for a play date and to watch the game.
We were excited to help in the Chicken Nuggets making process. Aidan was showing Madeline how it's done:
Smashing up some Ritz crackers:

She took the job very seriously:

Ta Da!!!

I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, but we made some at home that I'll post pictures of later.

Madeline and Ethan February 2011

She loves playing with my dolls from when I was little:
and he loves (cars and) books: