Homework with the first grader

Homework. Ugh! I have to admit, it's not my favorite time of the day. But it is getting better... and dare I say, we even have fun sometimes! Our favorite part is the sheet they send home of things he can do for "extra credit" (he gets a surprise if he completes it). It's got some fun activities away from the paper and pencil.

This week, my favorite was pulling cans from the cupboard and having him alphabetize them. He loved it and it was an easy way for me to show him how to alphabetize things that have the same letter. He's a visual learner (so am I), so it was nice to see it click for him and you could see that he was excited to do more!


This wasn't part of his homework... more something he did himself. He asked his dad if his day would trade him change for dollars. His dad agreed... so he went to work counting out dollars. I was impressed with how well he did. He came up with lots of different combinations to make the 100. Money is definitely starting to mean something to him. With the money he had saved before and the money he traded his dad for... he was able to buy himself two small Lego sets.

We've also been working on reading time... which is a bit harder when you don't have a real clock in the house. But we've managed and I'm happy to say he's getting better! Yay for learning!

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Muffin Tin Monday - no theme

I really wanted to participate in last week's theme... Dr Suess. But it just didn't happen for me. The first few weeks of February are always going to be hectic I think. I can't wait to find time to go check out what other people did for their Dr Suess tins.

But this week is no theme... and so I thought I could manage that. Lyssie has specific ideas of what she wants for lunch now. So all I have to do is put it in a tin. I did decorate it a little with a butterfly.

Contents: bananas, goldfish, chicken nuggets and BBQ sauce. Butterfly is cut out of a slice of cheese.

This week we have two Valentine celebrations so we've been working on Valentines. Hope to to share those soon! Oh - and Happy Birthday to my brother today! He turns 30!

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Sunday Summary (with pictures!)

Hurray for Sunday! This Sunday I'm feeling motivated. I'm sure some of it has to do with medication - but whatever, I'm in a mood to get things done! And it's a good thing since we have my daughter's birthday party coming up this weekend. I'm so glad that our kids are spaced 6 months apart. It makes it so much more manageable. How my mom did three birthdays, all 4 days apart, is beyond me.

So the week went great. I have my 1 box for Goodwill. We haven't dropped it off yet and I think we'll wait since I almost have this weeks box nearly done as well. I'm really starting to see the difference. Small amounts of time each day spent cleaning and purging... and consistently is starting to really pay off. My goal of having this downstairs clean for the party is starting to look obtainable. And from where we started... it's nearly a miracle. Let's just hope that with this busy week I can finish up the few spots that aren't quite done.

On a more exciting note, I got to celebrate my birthday a bit more. My birthday was on Thursday and I enjoyed a trip to the Goodwill Outlet and a nice lunch with friends. Top that off with a few great gifts and this birthday was one of my better birthdays in a long time. We also went out Friday night to see an improv show... and that was lots of fun. It was nice to get out, without the kids, and feel like an adult.

My good friend from Original Cyn watched the kids for us. Thank you Cindy! She also gave me one of the best gifts in the world... a box of buttons!

Oh - and she gave me a gift from the holidays (yep, it had been that long since we've really seen each other). It's these chocolate on a stick. I tried one today (with a splash of Peppermint Schnapps and they work great. Maybe she's share the recipe on her blog one of these days. ** mug in picture is my Laura of LAS Designs.

And then Saturday night (yep, I made it out two nights in a row) I went to a baby shower for Carrie. So much fun! I love baby showers for people that I know appreciate handmade as much as I enjoy giving handmade. She's expecting a girl next month so I made a recycled tshirt dress and a blanket to match. I also made a little monkey toy, but I was less impressed with it and did not snap a picture of it.

So hurray for good weekends! I'm looking forward to this week. The more we purge, the lighter the house gets, the less stress I feel. It's working... and I'm determined to follow through and hopefully regain my sanity. Let's just hope my health cooperates :)

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Bento Lunch

It seems with school happening... I'd have more bento lunches to share. But the truth is... most mornings I don't get up with enough time to make the bento lunch for my children. This is something that my husband has taken over (isn't he the greatest!).

I did however, make this bento before I picked my daughter and her friend up from school. I had the intention of letting them play at the park for a bit since the weather has been nicer lately... but they had other ideas and chose to eat their lunches at home. Apparently having a table to eat at is very appealing to these two.

Contents: Jelly sandwich cut into a circle (she has been eating less of her crust lately), raisins, wheat thins and string cheese.

I have found that the lunch that gets eaten is the less complicated (and in my opinion, boring) lunch. I've tried to send different foods... things other than sandwiches - and I just get them back. When I was making lunches, I'd get about half of the lunch back. Now that my husband makes the lunch... the bento comes home empty.

But my husband knows a thing or two about providing lunches they like. After all, he used to stuff the one his dad made him behind his desk in his room. Yep, I just shared that with everyone :)

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Wordless Wednesday

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