Happy Pi Day!

For Pi Day we made tiny pies! It turns out that none of the girls actually like pie but they liked making them!

Our process was to make dough circles (a trick with no rolling pin...another one of my Michigan treasures!).



Then we made the dough circles into pie shell bottoms.








Filled them with apple chunks.








Cut designer tops.








Then I filled them with this boiling caramel sauce and baked them. The pie tops I made were a secret Happy Pi Day code.

Last Day

I told Scout that today was Sydney's last day this morning. She had this look of disbelief that melted into sadness but we talked about how we could still play with Sydney sometimes. I told Sydney that I needed to spend a lot of time with Random for the next few weeks but he was in school during the day so if she was lonely or bored she could call us up for a field trip.

It's been a very interesting day. We went to Office Depot and got the alphabet books that we've been working on for the last 5 months bound and stopped by Lamb's to pick up some Macaroni & Cheese for lunch. While we were waiting for the books to be bound we wandered around the crayon aisle and found some smelly crayons...we HAD to try them. Unfortunately, they smell like an old lady's perfume on steroids. Live and learn I guess.

We danced and sang and we'll be doing our last circle time in a few minutes.

The girls are oblivious and playing happily. Their best imaginary friends (both named Alexa) have been disobeying the rules a lot today so they've been in time out...so goofy.

As I said, the girls are oblivious but I've been full of emotion. I know a lot of it has to do with the intensity of the issues with Rand, the guilt I feel for breaking my commitment to Sydney & Issac, and the gratitude I feel for the Penny's willingness to change things so quickly but it also has to do with the laughter that will be a little quieter, the singing that will be a little softer and the little faces that won't be at our house every day.

Penny and Dan, thank you for letting me know and play and learn with your children. Thank you for understanding the needs of my own and for your support.

Here's one last slide show of some of our crazy moments:

I is for Inches

Today we started our unit on weights and measures. To introduce this topic we sat down together and I asked them if they remembered when they went to the doctor and they were measured...how the nurse measured their height and told them how many inches tall they were, how she measured their weight and told them how many pounds they were. Let me tell you why that was such a huge mistake. :)

The worksheets I had printed out had different objects that the girls could measure...a toothbrush, a safety pin, an eraser, stuff like that. Well once I mentioned the doctor the girls related everything they saw to getting a shot. Sydney said "Oh we can measure the pokey thing (the safety pin) so we can see how far in the shot will poke us." Scout said (measuring the line on which they were supposed to write how many inches long the eraser was), "And when they shoot us with this thing it will be 2 inches in our arms." Yikes. Obviously they have some trauma over kindergarten readiness. ^_^

I better come up with another idea before we start weighing things tomorrow!

C is for...Ah Forget it, It's too Hot. Let's have a party!

I had to run up to the Scout Office to turn in some paperwork today and on the way home I was contemplating what we were going to do once we got there. It would be 1:00...the usual Circle Time. Looking out over the hot asphalt, waiting in traffic, I reconsidered. It's too hot and too nice to sit inside!

We stopped by Albertson's and oooh'ed and aaahh'ed before we decided to get one of everything and invite the whole neighborhood.

Popsicle Party on the Gomm's back porch! WOOOOT!

Happy Limerick Day

Yep. It's that kind of day. I'm avoiding doing the weekly menus and cleaning the bathroom so I'm writing Limericks with the girls names in them. Sydney is especially hard since the only thing that any online rhyming dictionary can come up with is kidney. Anyway, I did my best. The girls didn't get them but they were happy to hear their names in a poem. HA!

There was a young girlie named Scout
She loved to scream and to shout
One day in July
She yelled out good bye
And left by cacophonous route

I met a young lady named Sydney
She liked to eat beans that were kidney
Each day during lunch
She ate up a bunch
So a toot was the hello she bid me.

C is for Caterpillar

This week we'll be talking a lot about Caterpillars. It starts with C, there are tons of crafts to do with them and lots of fun activities that reinforce the concepts we're focusing on this week.

This morning we talked about patterns. I told the girls that since they were SO smart and already knew ALL their colors we were going to start learning about patterns instead of single colors.

We talked about A-B or 1-2 patterns and made A-B caterpillar chains. They enjoyed using their new vocabulary and whenever they accidentally grabbed the wrong color they would correct themselves and talk about how that wasn't the right pattern. "Oops I tried to make an ABB pattern!"

Afterwards they went outside for a brownie and strawberry break. We'll probably run off to the library and pick up our books for the week today. I'm hoping the weather holds up and we can stop by the park for a picnic lunch after the library....I can't wait for summer!

Just like Real School!

Today we played catch up on last week's theme since we were so jostled by the arrival of "Michigan Stuff." We were able to read "Commander Toad and the Space Pirates" but since it's a longer story then we normally read (Frog and Toad style) I told the girls we would read a "chapter" each day in addition to our other story books. I thought they would complain and want to read it all at once but they were so excited. They had heard from their older brothers and sisters that in "real school" their teacher reads them chapter books out loud. So we read our "chapter book" out loud while they closed their eyes and imagined pictures. It was perfect and oh so grown up. We can't wait to find out what happens to Commander Toad and his fearless (if slightly bored) crew!

Tomorrow we will celebrate Smell Day as planned but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we will finish our tree and earth unit and do the crafts I had prepared for last week.

B is for Books!

We just got back and you can tell by looking at us that the girls had a great time. Ash Lee is covered in purple juice and markers (I've anti-stain-stuffed it so they should come out), Scout's hair looks like it hasn't been brushed in a couple of weeks, Sydney looks a little wilty from sweating and I look about 3...maybe 4 years older.

First things first, STORY TIME! We made it to story time just as they were starting the first book. I had such high hopes for this. I thought the "Professional Storyteller" would not just read a boring book in a monotone. I thought the "craft" would be something kids could actually do. I thought the snack would be something semi-healthy. I thought the "Singing Time" would not be the "Professional Story Teller" shuffling through a book of finger plays and trying to remember how 'Rain Rain Go Away' goes. April Fools! Oh. Wait. It's April 2nd. The girls loved it though. Which gives me a ray of hope that my inept juggling of circle time looks slightly more graceful in their non-jaded cynic-free cute l'il eyeballs.

We lost Scout, found her again (no it wasn't that easy or that trauma free but it's over and I'll pay for therapy later) and headed over to the play place.

Someone needs to write their doctorate on the social dynamics of a mall play place. The disheveled veteran mothers in their yoga pants, the hyper-vigilant new moms with their constant look of panic, the socially starved Chatty-Kathies, the worn out grandmas, the awkward, out-of-place grandpas...and then the kids. 4 year olds rule the roost in these things. They are the oldest kids (during the school day anyway) and they have almost super-human large motor skills (they can climb toddler sized steps in a single bound!). The 3 year olds don't care what-the-heck anyone else is doing, they just gotta dance! The 2 year olds are frustrated that their slippery socks won't let them climb as fast as they want to and the babies...the poor babies. I spent a good portion of my time up-righting the poor tipped-over babies.

It was great to see all 3 girls really shine and let their alpha-female personalities come out. They all 3 had these troops that followed them around, up the slide, over the turtle, dancing at the mirror. I don't think they noticed what a fan club they each had but I was proud of how kind and patient they were with the kids around them.

Then to lunch! I brought sack lunches but the capri suns were woefully inadequate. Luckily we were right next to a Jamba Juice. Banana Berry is really stainy. Sorry about that.

Off to the library! The girls played in the dollhouse and each of them put on a puppet show for the other two. We picked out books (Sydney: Curious George, Scout: How to be a Princess, Ash Lee: Wide Mouthed Frog). I picked up a book on parenting and all the children's books I had on hold.

Now we're back. The girls are playing some game that involves an imaginary Scout and going to the store.

B is for Budding Authors!

We read a book called Barn Dance! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault (they wrote Chicka Chicka Boom Boom if you're wondering why those names sound so familiar). The girls liked pointing to all the different animals and finding the "skinny kid" as the owl ushered in the "magic time" and the scarecrow began to fiddle.

We listed all the animals in the book and talked about what we knew about them. There were the regular farm crew: pigs, cows, chicken, sheep, horses, goats, mules, mice, geese; and the other "country kin": raccoons, foxes, bunnies, porcupines, crows, skunks and pigeons.

The girls made all the animal noises for the farm animals but some of those other critters were a little more perplexing...what does a porcupine say anyway? Ash Lee let us know raccoons say "Raccoon, Raccoon" but there were some interesting suggestions when we got to the others.

I found a fun book at the library that had pages to reproduce and make our own books. It's published by Scholastic and called 25 Fun-Filled Collaborative Books. I found it at the library a couple of weeks ago and have been waiting for Book week to use it. If you're looking for good summer activities I think this would be fun for the older kids too.

We made our own version of Barn Dance! featuring the 3 girls and their choice of animal dance partners. They learned that making a book was hard work...even a 3 page book!

At circle time they all read their books to each other and all of them were very proud of their accomplishment. I think they all also enjoyed the chance to "read" to their buddies. I think we'll need to do this more often.

We're Baaaack!

Our trip to the Portland Children's Museum was a big hit. It had it's high points and low points, it's sticky points and its sweaty points, but all-in-all, it was a triumph. Here's a blow-by-blow:

We left around 10:30 but by the time I stopped to get gas we were just too hungry to go on. I busted out the PB&J and the kids went to town.

When we got there it was raining with a mix of snow. We ran in and quickly realized that we weren't the only one to have the clever idea of going to the Children's Museum on a soggy Spreak Break Wednesday. The place was packed to the brim with tiny kids suffering from some serious Ritalin withdrawal and their pampering lumbering grandparents. It was like a commercial for Playskool meets Depends. Very strange.


The kids thought the building section was a little dull. Ash Lee liked the hats and the older kids liked running to the top level to bang down on the portholes at us.


The boys ran off to find the digging pit while the girls explored the medical area. There was an ambulance with flashing lights, a working receptionist area and anatomically correct baby dolls. The girls found a little fold out couch and got comfy.


We made it in time to "Jam with Johnny." We sang Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy & You Know It, I've Been Working On The Railroad, Miss Mary Mack and many other public domain songs ...along with some Original Works (available on CD in the gift shop). It was...long. It only lasted half an hour but Johnny managed to make it feel like a whole week of wholesome family entertainment. We even had to take a potty break. The kids really liked it though and the best part was when Ash Lee & Scout got up and danced in front of everyone...they did the Robot. It was RAD.


Next we went to the Twilight Area where the kids colored with LEDs onto glow painted walls. It was really cool. I took a video so you could get a better idea of what was going on. The flash makes it look bright and shiny but it's actually really dark.

The video is Scout and Ash Lee. Scout says "We are bad bad children, we are coloring on the walls" and Ash Lee says "I'm coloring a picture for my mommy."

The kids all got into the trees for a picture but Ash Lee decided that was a little too dark for her. She went over to the theater section and got her make up started while we finished up the tree pictures.

At this point we lost Ash Lee. I was drawing the butterfly on Williams face (his choice I swear) when Scout took off back toward the trees. Troy went after her and when he got back seconds later, Ash Lee was no where to be seen. Talk about panic time. We were both grabbing kids and running in opposite directions. Troy was giving orders to Random and Savannah who were splitting up and I was YELLING her name (lost child time is not the time for worrying about causing a ruckus). The staff at the Children's Museum was AWESOME. A lady came up to me with a radio and said, "How can I help?" I described Ash Lee (all the while still running around calling her name). She radioed all the areas and followed me around getting more descriptions. All the areas radioed back to her and she was this little command central checking off all the areas ("Clay area clear" "Water Area Clear"). They found her just around the corner from where we were on a stage with a group of other kids having a blast. Troy and I recovered from our cardiac arrest and thanked those people who were so fast. The whole thing lasted about a minute from the time we looked up and didn't see her to having her back with us. After that we gave Savannah the job of holding Ash Lee's hand and Random the job of holding Scout's hand.


Next we went to the digging area (only one exit!) and let them dig around in the rubber chips. They had their painted faces at this point.


Finally, we ate the rest of our lunch at the snack area. Everyone got to pick their own drink. The kids were so well behaved. I took them one at a time to pick out their drink while other kids (aforementioned ADD kids) were running around pushing the buttons and the change return (on our vending machine while we were trying to order and their grandparents just watched with this haggard expression), they just waited patiently and were joyfully grateful when they got their treasured drink.

It stopped snowing by the time we left but it was still drizzling. The ride home was uneventful and now the kids are watching Pete's Dragon and eating crackers...I think I need a nap!

Holidays

On Friday we will be celebrating:

Lego Day (William)
Balloon Day (Ash Lee)
Stuffed Animal Day (Savannah)
Puppy Day (Sydney)
Star Wars Villain Day (Isaac)
Dragon Day (Rand)
Silky Day (Scout)

The posters they made look great and are adorning the dining area of the apartment. I'm interested to see what they come up with for games and songs. Should be interesting!

If you click on the slideshow it'll take you to a bigger version with captions. I'll add to it throughout the day. Happy Monday!

Just Go With Me Here

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We had a discussion this morning: To Pinch or Not To Pinch. There were some who claimed that at school or in other homes, it is allowable to pinch a person not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. I informed them--with great dramatics--that St. Patrick was a very good man and he would be saddened to think that little children were hurting each other in his name. As an American of Irish decent, I informed them with a tear in my eye, I was saddened for him. I also added that in my home, we don't pinch, punch or poke because of poor wardrobe decisions...because if we did..."you'd all have black eyes by now my little preschool fashionistas!" (hehe just kidding I didn't actually say that last bit--but check out their awesome couture today).

I'm hoping you'll just go with me on the pinch ban...my research indicates Saint Patrick was in fact, a good man and probably wouldn't be too happy to realize we hurt each other for not wearing green. Especially since he wore blue most of the time. :^)

7 Days in A Week

Here are the girls singing our 7 days in a week song that we sing everyday during circle time. I thought about making them do it again because Scout was doing some weird eyebrow experiments, Sydney was stroking her imaginary mustache and Ash Lee was off on planet Space Cadet for a couple of bars but that's just kinda who they are. Weird, quirky, silly but oh so cute.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
There are 7 days, there are 7 days, there are 7 days in a week.

Smile!

Yesterday we were outside playing when Savannah got the grumps. Scout and Ash Lee started singing this song to her to get her to be happy. It didn't work right away but they were relentless and totally cute. Eventually she came over and played with us. I give Savannah a lot of credit for pulling herself out of the grumps. When people start singing peppy songs at my face, it is NOT my first instinct to get LESS grumpy!

I finally got new batteries for the camera so I was able to record them today. Here are the words just in case you can't quite understand:

If you chance to meet a frown,
Do not let it stay,
Quickly turn it upside down
And smile that frown away.

No one likes a frowny face,
Change it for a smile,
Make the world a better place,
By smiling all the while.

P is for Pickles

We went to the store this morning. I needed to grab a couple things from the dollar store so we went there first. Dollar stores are MADE for 3 and 4 year old girls. Everything was AMAZING to them. Pink fluffy things leftover from valentine's day, cheap plastic shiny mirrors, hot pink lipstick, flashlights, candy...it was overwhelming to them.

We stopped by JoAnn's to use their potty (this time it was for me :-P) but we ended up walking through the store finding things that started with P. There were huge bolts of pink and purple fabric, cascades of purple and pink flowers, piggy banks, paint, pails and pictures. Plenty to see although our favorite thing was walking down the wind chime aisle (P is for Pipes) and picking out which ones we liked best. Noisy free fun with clean bathrooms...does it get any better?

Next came WinCo which has Ps everywhere. I had packed a lunch for the girls so they sat in the cart (Ash Lee in front, Scout in back) and pointed out the big Produce sign, potatoes and pork. We were a little confused for a while through dairy...B sounds very similar to P so they pointed out the butter and bananas on the yogurt cups. Frozen foods was better...popsicles and pizza!

We were almost done when the girls started to get thirsty. There were old people walking around carrying cups of juice. I'm not sure where they got it because I couldn't find any free sample tables. Maybe it was just Free Juice for the Elderly Day at Winco. We hurried through the rest...past the pickles, pretzels, bread (close! bread starts with b) and got in the way back of a long long line. Luckily, a new checker came by and invited us to be the first in her line. WOOHOO!

The checkout went ok until Ash Lee saw a bug flying around. The bug was probably 10 feet up in the air, against the far wall and so small I didn't see it for a while but it was still pretty traumatic. Since at WinCo you bag your own groceries I couldn't distract her very well (although trust me I tried...much to the girls' embarrassment). The thing that worked was to have Scout jump up and down between the cart and the fly shooing it away. The fly didn't even notice but it was enough for Ash Lee. Yay for Scout and her Fly Shooing!

The only hitch with the ride home was the girls fighting over who was going to hold the middle seat belt...yep...you heard me...who was going to HOLD THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT. There's no way I was that weird when I was little. I buckled in the Imaginary Girl and that appeased them both.

We're back home, food is put away, everybody's had drinks and now we're off to do circle time!

P is for Performing

Yesterday the girls called me in to see the performance of their play. I brought the camera in to snap some stills of the girls but when they started it was so hilarious I had them do it again so I could film it. The problem with that is that when the camera comes on the girls lose their minds. Oh well, so our girls are over-actors and camera hogs...doesn't sound too far off from "real" actors to me!

One note before you see this...the beds WERE made at some point in the morning but after a couple hours of fort building and play performing the room looks like a tornado hit it.

Anyway, here is their performance. I think the plot was this: The Evil Pig Lord appeared and tried to eat the girls. Some were eaten but one got away by jumping into the ocean...or something. Enjoy.

The Pig
By Savannah, Scout, Sydney and Ash Lee