Little Mr. Manners

Piggy Party!

Teaching table manners has begun in our household!  I wanted to make learning manners fun for James, but I didn't want it to be over complicated.   I searched for ideas on the Internet, but didn't want to pay money for a manners game.  I came up with a simple game using crafty supplies that I had at home. Here is how our game "Piggy Party"  works:

I took a bunch of Popsicle sticks and stamped "piggy" on them.  I then took three Popsicle sticks and made them 'special' using a sparkly foam sticker.  You could use whatever you have, pig stickers, shiny stars, or even decorate with markers.  All of the Popsicle sticks went into a tin that we keep in the middle of the table.
I then made two envelopes, one says Piggy and the other says Party...hence the name of the game!  The object of the manners lesson is to earn the Party Popsicle stick.  After earning three 'party sticks' he then gets to choose a treat.  We gave him some options and he has chosen to go out to McDonald's.

The first manner we are working on is Keep Your Elbows off the Table!  Every time he is caught with his elbows on the table he gets a 'piggy stick'.  If he gets more than five 'piggy sticks' in one night he doesn't get dessert.  (You could make your own rules of course!)  In order to earn a 'party stick' he can't have any 'piggy sticks'.  We of course offer a couple reminders and warnings.  I've also printed off the rule with a picture and taped it beside his plate as another reminder.

It's not the best picture, but it was the only one in clip art I could find that would work!  I figure once he earns his three 'party sticks' and we go to McDonald's, I will start on another rule.  So far he has earned two 'party sticks!'  One more to go!

Welcome Mitchell Peter!

Dear Friends, it has been awhile!  Since my last post we have added to our little family!  Baby Mitchell was born on December 9, 2012.  He was a whopping 8lb. 14oz, a very healthy little guy!  Our family is blessed, and I love all my 'guys'!  James as been adapting nicely to his role as a big brother. He is a great source of entertainment for Mitchell and a big helper for me.
It's hard to believe that James will be turning four this spring.  I haven't yet decided whether or not to send him to Junior Kindergarten this fall.  Decisions, decisions!

Sunny, Sunny, Sunny Days!

I love the sun!  This winter has been great for those who don't love the snow and cold!  I actually don't mind some snow, but much prefer the sunshine. Jamie and I have gone for a few walks, and on Monday he rode his tricycle all the way up the road to Grandma's!  We enjoyed the sunshine and the surprises the barn always has to offer!

 
Last week was Valentines. I had bought little treat bags and filled them with some fun loose candy for my guys.  I usually take Jamie's candy with me when we go grocery shopping and allow him to pick one or two to eat while I shop...it keeps him busy for a few minutes!
 Randy and I went out for dinner...which was an experience in itself!  But first we took a look at a couple of used vans.  We are in the market for a newer vehicle as Randy's old Dodge Spirit is on its way out.  So we took a look at a Honda Odyssey Touring (which was nice, but almost sold) and then a 2008 Toyota Sienna...which didn't have all the bells and whistles the Touring did, but was a lot cheaper.  We haven't made any decisions yet, let me know what you think in regards to the make and model of a van.

Randy took a couple snaps of Jamie with the old Spirit, that way he can see what one of his 'first' cars looked like!

A Snowy Day and Valentines

Jamie and I have been busy decorating for Valentines day.  We have hearts on our windows and heart mobiles in our doorways.  We've also been eating heart candies, heart shaped biscuits, and heart shaped cookies...yumm!

Today we had tea with Grandma and a couple friends and enjoyed these cookies along with some peperkoek (Dutch Spice Cake).  It was a very enjoyable day!

This past weekend we got some snow...a rare occurrence this winter!  So Jamie and I bundled up...which is always a long process, and headed outside.  I pulled him around in an old sled, exactly like the one I can remember my dad pulling me around in as a kid.  We dug a few tunnels in the drifts, felt the painful sting of snow on your wrists, made some snow angels, and hopefully created some great memories!

"Bringing Up Boys"

     I just recently bought the book Bringing up Boys, by Dr. James Dobson.   Randy and I started reading it together at night.  We had some good chuckles at the stories told in the first chapter about the outrageous things boys do...just because they're boys.
    I grew up with two younger sisters, no boys, so their antics are new to me.  Randy has two older sisters, but he got into enough trouble on his own.  I'm learning as I go!
    I'll leave you with the words from a song "That Little Boy of Mine" which concludes chapter 1.  I'm not sure who wrote it, but it's dear.

That Little Boy of Mine:

Two eyes that shine so bright;

Two lips that kiss goodnite,

Two arms that hold me tight,

That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know how much your coming has meant.

Because I love you so, you're something heaven has sent.

You're all the world to me.

You climb upon my knee.

To me you'll always be,

That little boy of mine.

Dominos

I first started playing dominos when I was teaching in the Bahamas.  The cab drivers there loved to sit and play and really slam them down!  I often went to friends house with my parents and we ate a delicious meal, enjoyed a glass of wine, and played a couple rounds of Mexican Train Dominos.  The evening usually wound up with Dave and my dad singing old songs...it was a lot of fun and made for some great memories!  I bought my first set of dominoes soon after that, but haven't pulled them out to play a game in quite awhile.

I did pull them out the other day for Jamie boy to play with.  We had fun making 'tracks' for the little trains to run over.  I pulled out some of the Monopoly houses to set up around our town.  I'm sure with a little imagination you can create all sorts of fun things with dominoes!

Something for the girls

Well I don't have any girls of my own.  But I do enjoy sewing and crafting and I wish I had a little girl to make things for.  I found a simple crochet pattern for some cute hair pins for your little darlings on Valentine's day.  I figure you could make these hearts and attach them to just about whatever you wanted, a cute hairband, or put a pin on the back and put it on their coats.  I'm going to surprise my cousins little girls with these cute hair pins. Check out the blog <gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com> for the pattern.  Hope you enjoy!