The one in which there are a lot of playdates....

Ryleigh is 38 Months and Braeden is 11 Months

So...my original plan was to take a "break" from sit down project school...for the month of July...and resume "school" in August...I am still good with this plan, as I am using the time to create printables and projects and fun activities that I need to sew...HOWEVER...Ryleigh is not interested in a break and has started demanding projects...I try to give her one a day -most of the time I don't take pictures...gasp! .... but this is not cutting it with her...perhaps we will resume a little earlier than intended? We still have the Music, Art and Dance classes each week...so its not like her schedule is completely out the window....

This week we saw lots of friends...and had a lot of fun...

Some of the babies from music class....

Ryleigh with her friends...this picture makes me smile...
I believe they are all saying "macaroni"...
they are smushed on the coffee table...

Here they are 5 minutes later when they realized they all didn't fit on the coffee table...

Ryleigh riding her trike in the house...
it was HOT outside and I really didn't want to go out...

Braeden...mid flip of the sit and spin...
he usually likes to try and flip it when Ryleigh is riding it...

Granny came to visit and she took Ryleigh outside to ride her tricycle...

Braeden likes to play with the little people and weebles....
he loves to put them in the barn and then take them back out..
.and then put them back in...and so on...until he just tips the whole thing over...

Aunt "lissa" brought the baby over to play and here is Braeden getting a better look...

Ryleigh with her friend Patrick...

Ryleigh working on her stART project...we did Toilet Paper Mache...

We had a play-date at the park:

Ryleigh and Braeden swinging...

Braeden...wondering why I am not pushing him...
and how did I get the camera out of the stroller so quickly...

Thinking of taking a nap...

Asking me if I am seriously still taking pictures...

At this point Braeden has decided to ignore me...
and look for other people to push him on the swing...

Ryleigh and Elena on the teeter totter...yes they are on the same side...

To see what others are up to this week check out:

stART- Warthogs Paint - Toilet Paper Mache

A story + art = a great stART!

This week for our stART project we read Warthogs Paint...which is very colorful..and very messy...well not literally because it is a book...the Warthogs have fun mixing colors...for our project Ryleigh made a Toilet Paper Mache (vase?)..also very colorful...and not really as messy as I anticipated it being...

So...Ryleigh has been potty -trained for a whole week now...and that is purely coincidental to the project...but I was trying to come up with something different to do...and thought...perhaps you could use toilet paper to mache ? ...instead of newspaper...turns out you can...and there are even instructions on the internet.... I didn't follow them really well...but I got the gist...

Step one is to spray whatever you are using as your mold with a pam like substance...I used olive oil spray...then I covered it in plastic wrap...
Step two is to mix toilet paper (we used the 2-ply charmin) and some water and glue...then goop it together with your hands until you think it might stick...
Step three...apply mixture to mold...let dry until no longer sticky (it took about 24 hours...and did not feel hard to the touch... it was still soft...)
Step four- paint...then let dry
Step five- gently slide the mache from the plastic wrap/mold (it should come right off)

Ryleigh adding toilet paper into some water...

Then adding some more glue... can you ever really have enough? .....

"gooping" it on the mold....

Braeden...completely upset...not because Mommy is taking pictures...
but because sister is not playing with him... "how long is this project going to take?"

Beginning to paint the dried project... (24 hours later)

Painting....

looking for white spots to paint...

The finished project....a vase? (maybe...or maybe a holder of sorts)...
either way this project was WAY less messy and much easier than I thought it was going to be... I think we will mache again...

For More great stART projects go to A Mommy's Adventures!
Also linking to
and

Wherever you go...I go....and other fun things

Ryleigh is 38 Months
Braeden is 11 Months

This week has been a lot of fun... we continue our break from "school"...Braeden and Ryleigh are playing together more and more...he LOVES to follow her...and when he doesn't she makes sure to call to him...other exciting news...I am converting over to Cloth Diapers...so exciting!!!

What follows is a plethora of pictures...some of them are hi-larious...(to me anyway)...and some are just pitiful...don't worry...you'll know when you see them...

When it is nice out (which it is mostly) Ryleigh really likes to play outside...on this particular day it was after nap time and she wanted to go swimming for a bit...we left Braeden inside with Daddy...
Here she is watering the flowers...its one of her favorite activities...

I have to warn you...what follows is a bit of a sad sight...

Braeden catches a glimpse of his sister out the door....

"She couldn't possibly be out there without me..."

"Daddy....there seems to be some mistake...I think you need to open the door"

"I have got to figure out a way to get out there..."
and he was outside shortly thereafter..

Braeden has now started sometimes dragging his back leg while scooting...
although his preferred method of movement is still the tushy scootch...

Ryleigh working on her stART project...

Braeden moved out of his high chair and into the booster at the table..
also...he discovered the joy of pancakes...(even if they are dairy free)...

Ryleigh and her friend Teagan had a playdate this week...

They made Brownies...

Recently while at Target I picked up this play tunnel on clearance...
I plan to use it for obstacle courses during the school year...and the kids love it...
Ryleigh and Teagan had a great time...and before I knew it...so did Braeden...

Braeden...in his cowboy cloth...

To see what others are doing this week in school and otherwise visit: 1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations and Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

stART - The Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor

A Story + Art = a great stART!!!This week we read The Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor...the story is cute...Brother and Sister Bear get ready to go to the Doctor for a check-up... they are a little nervous...but don't worry...it all ends up ok...except Papa Bear turns out to be sick...

For our project, Ryleigh did a coloring collage of Doctors and Doctor related items...(such as band-aids, germs, gauze...)...first she colored the ENTIRE paper with markers...she really liked making the rainbow as she said...then she worked with scissors to help cut out pictures from some old magazines...then glued on the pictures...

Ryleigh coloring the paper before adding the pictures...

Braeden getting into a bit of mischief while Ryleigh worked on her project...

What the paper looked like after Ryleigh finished coloring it...

Getting some scissor practice...cutting out the pictures from the magazine...Arranging some of the pictures...

Gluing on some last minute details...

The finished collage... so pretty!

To see more stART projects go to A Mommy's Adventures!