Februrary 18, 2014

We're back in the saddle again...I felt a little discombobulated when Matt left last week because I didn't have the time I usually have over the weekend to plan out my week.  So I pretty much scrapped everything we usually do - which now that I think of it, correlated with more behavior/discipline issues.  Levi is SUCH a structure and predictability kid, I think he really feels unraveled when several days in a row are just kind of willy nilly.  Huh.

Anyway, this past weekend Matt set out to snow blow the perimeter of the house.  He raked the snow off the roof, which left piles of biblical proportions right by the house.  We spent Valentine's evening shoveling them away. :/  The next morning he shoveled and blew the snow - which has been so light and fluffy! but after being so cold and windblown is very hard-packed - away from the foundation in preparation for the deluge of meltdown that will inevitably occur.  It took all Saturday and Sunday morning and afterward he smelled like one huge gas fume.

Perspective check: I am standing on top of our back yard to take this picture.  You come in the fence, and have to literally climb about three and a half feet UP to walk in the back yard. That fence to my left is five feet high.  I could step over it some parts.

Levi could climb over the fence if he wanted to!

The boys love sitting on the pile by our driveway and pretending it's their 'truck.'

This summer when I'm sweating my buns off, I'll look at the neighbor's tree and remember that the snow was nearly up to its branches only months ago.

Picture of Molly for you, Char. ;)

If we're sitting in the kitchen or living room, we can only see the tops of cars as they drive by!

The past couple of weeks I have done zilch for school work.  Had to jump back on the train.  I'll share these ideas because I love getting ideas from others, so maybe someone else can get some from me.  And it's easier to take a picture of the boys' projects to file them away, than to cram them into a box as a keepsake.  So here ya go:

I started a notebook for Levi...I ordered a pile of dry-erase markers and clicker pens for him to use with it.  I filled it with pages of letters, shapes, and numbers, and he can draw on them, trace them, color them, etc - and they are in plastic sheet covers so we can use them over and over again.  Each week I will put printables from our letter that week as well, and put the theme letter on the front cover.

The first couple of pages are filled with "vocab cards" that I've stuffed in baseball card holders.  Luke LOVES looking at the pictures and pointing at them repeatedly while I call out the word.  Actually, he loves playing with the notebook and drawing in it more than Levi does at the moment.

Yesterday we did animal crafts - can't find the link right now to the website, but it had a ton of animals you can download for free, and you color them and cut them out and put them together.  We painted a handful of "S" animals.  The boys haven't painted in a while so I think this was a welcome change from fighting and time outs.

Ta-da!!  I did the seahorse (I love doing these little art projects!), Luke did the squirrel, and Levi did the stingray and seal.

This morning we painted shapes using foam blocks.  Another hit.

Of course I had to join in :)

Levi rocks his letters but is about 75% on his shapes and numbers.  So I'm trying to come up with fun shape and number activities.  There are a handful of Starfall apps that are simple games involving shapes - I bought one where you build a gingerbread man, and it teaches shapes (2D and 3D).  Levi really likes it.

Then we went downtown because I wanted to get out and do something fun :)  I took the boys to JP's for snacks first.  Because "snacks" start with the letter 'S'.  Yeah, that's why.   

Levi walked up to the counter and said, "Um, hi. My name is Levi.  May I please have a gluten-free muffin and a smoovie like the one Papa had when he went to California?"  I rolled.  One smoothie like the one Papa had when he went to California coming up!  (That would be a mint mocha smoothie made with frozen yogurt.  Matt got one so he could be hopped on caffeine for a late and long flight.)

Then...of COURSE...we had to go to....

Because tree houses.  That's why.

Then we went to Teerman's to look for kitchen towels - that was short lived.  (Levi - hands to yourself.  Hands to yourself. I SAID - handstoyourself. HANDSTOYOURSELF. Let's go.)

Then we went to Sand Castle.  First a tree house, then a wooden castle with a train table in it.  We were the first customers of the day, the only customers while we were there, and the boys played quietly and happily with that train for about twenty minutes. It was supremely lovely.  I bought a floor puzzle that is a map of the U.S. (excited me, not Levi, but we'll be starting some geography soon!), and a small truck for each boy for being so good. :)

If that castle were within our budget, I'd have bought it on the spot and stuck it square in our living room!