Category: Uncategorized (Page 76 of 212)

Weeks ago the preschool sent out a play dough recipe in a newsletter saying that a sign-up sheet would follow, but it never came.  Yesterday I saw a sign on the door “We need playdough!”  Yesterday I was also sick.* I was crushed that I couldn’t fulfill the request immediately.  Today when I brought in three batches (enough for 12 kids) they were thrilled, which made me happy.  Seriously guys, I’m so mad that they won’t let me send in homemade treats for parties.  I get it, I know why they must require all food items to have a label.  But stillllll I wish I could baaaaaaake.  Homemade play dough?  You betcha!  I will make all the play dough you want.  Closest I can get to homemade cookies and cupcakes.  (I wish I had an excuse to make these.  The ingredients are patiently sitting in my pantry for when I cave.)

The recipe they provided was so easy.  The result was soft, pliable, and smelled good.  Much better than the usual “salt dough” recipe.  This is my new favorite.  I might have to make more for home use.  Here are their instructions.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 Kool-Aid package
1⁄2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil
2 Teaspoons cream of tartar
I added a couple drops of food coloring to the yellow and blue to boost the color

Process:
1. Mix dry ingredients into a saucepan
2. Add water and oil
3. Cook until mixture forms a ball (about 1-2 minutes on medium heat)
4. Pour out on wax paper or board and knead (dumped on counter, kneaded until smooth, just a minute or so)
5. Store in air tight container

*For real sick: sore throat, stuffy nose and sinuses, tender skin, achy joints, throbbing head, and zero patience.  It was not a good day.  I slept during both Sam naps and worked very hard at resting instead of cleaning.  I think it paid off because I feel much more functional today, even had a dance party with the boys. 

Since school started we have had continual sickness in the house, just like last year.  The pediatrician assures me that 1-3 viruses PER MONTH is totally normal for two kids with at least one of them in a school/day care environment.  Each illness takes at least a week to run it’s course, multiply by 4 people, and you can understand how we are constantly sick.  On the bright side, Jack can take better care of his nose this year, Sam sleeps much better than he did as a newborn infant, and I have resigned myself to constant sickness.  Can’t crush your hopes if you never get them up in the first place!

I can’t help recording all this early walking.  He’s improving so fast!  I love the early, awkward stage so I’m trying to capture it.

This is a long clip of him fussing around (he’s sick, it’s late afternoon).  Skip to 1:25 to see his mini-marathon.  What a streak!

Then a little later with a snack in hand.  How American!

Can you believe how fast he’s picking it up?  Like riding a bike I guess.  Unrelated topic: a video of the two boys enjoying Baby Groot.

Spoilers if you haven’t seen Guardians yet.  This is from the very end during credits. 

As mentioned, Sam loves to push his little car around.  He can sort of fix bumps, but still cries in anger when he hits a blockade.

After a couple weeks of this he has started to walk!  Just before he turned 1, I caught him taking little half-steps without assistance.  Then I thought I saw full steps.  On his birthday we had a couple two step sitings.  This video is the day after his birthday.

And today, a day later, He took about 4-5 steps right in front of us!

Nothing special.  Just a glimpse of typical lunches as Maison Mason.

PS: still climbing.  After several attempts he decided he could not get into this upper cubby.

PPS: yes, that’s a new outfit.  Only serve a baby yogurt if you are willing to change and sponge bathe in the middle of the day.  I had already wiped him down twice mid meal on the top photos.

Sam is not showing signs of walking like I expected by now.  He cruises like a champ.  He goes from sitting to squatting to a stand, and back down, without using his hands.  But he still flops to the floor when I try to lead him around by the hand.  Call it independence, I guess.

However, one thing he can do is CLIMB.  Observe:

His favorite place to hang out in the kitchen.  He has figured out how to get in and out all by himself. I think of it as a hobbit hole.

Below, I tucked this chair back in the table.  He immediately pulled it out and mounted up.

Walking into the kitchen and seeing this below, I pulled out my camera, baffled that he managed to climb up on the step stool.  Did I even leave the stool at the counter?  Hmmm, maybe should move that knife. . .

CRAP! YES!  GRAB THE KNIFE AND GRAB HIM BEFORE HE FALLS OFF! WHY ARE SO MANY GLASS OBJECTS NEARBY??

For the record, I snapped this then lunged forward, catching him just as he stepped his left foot off the stool and into the air.  (Note the previously removed burner knobs.  That happened when we came back from preschool drop-off to the smell of burning rubber.  SOMEONE had turned on the burner when a hot pad was on top.  Jack denies it and I believe him.  That leaves one suspect.)

In summary, thank you Grandma Betty for the new baby gate.  Thank you very much indeed.

My grandma, Lois Cook, passed away Friday night.  She had been in hospice care, so we were expecting it.  But that doesn’t make it any less sad.

Lois was a quintessential grandmother.  She was everything warm and happy and cozy to me.  As I became an adult the visits to Layton became a lot less frequent.  But I’m happy that my boys have both met her, even if they won’t remember her well.  I love her and I look forward to celebrating her life with all my maternal family this weekend.

Today was our second tap class and it was so much fun!  We both felt immense progress in one week, even without practicing at home.  It was just a relief to know where the studio is, what the room and teacher look like, what the vocabulary is, and what the class structure will be.  With all those stressors gone we could loosen up and enjoy tapping.

My falaps were rough the first week.  My left side felt immobile – I couldn’t get it to do what I wanted!  It’s like my brain and foot weren’t on speaking terms.  This week my left foot was in a better mood and I could get the rhythm going.

We worked on the same combination at the end of class from the week before.  I took a video so I could practice at home.  You might enjoy it too, even if it isn’t a video about the boys being cute.  😉

Darn Amanda hid behind me the whole time, but you can watch her a little too.  I totally biffed the shuffle ball change on the second run.  But still, can you believe this was just our second class?  Tap is so fun!

Sam’s birthday is coming up.  I wanted to do a photo shoot and make nice cards for him, like I did for Jack’s party invites.  After mulling over a party theme I decided to go simple – gardens.  Flowers, plants, sort of a Beatrix Potter / Sam Gamgee theme.  Then I decided I had to re-knit a sweater for Sam.  I made him this one last year but he outgrew it before the weather turned cold.  I unraveled it, bought a second skein, and spent the last week hurrying to knit it up.  He had all those fevers in the meantime, so it’s just as well I waited.  Then I had to visit two garden stores to find some decent flowers to stage the photo.

Finally today, with a beautifully overcast sky, I was ready to take some pictures.

Sam was not in the mood.

I was going to hide these.  I shared them with Ben who was laughing so hard he had to share them with his office mate too.  After reflection, I see how gloriously doofy they are.  They need to be seen.

Oh, my beautiful child!