cold weather means craft time!

We have been keeping busy with all sorts of fun things these days! My goal is to pull out 2 or 3 random items each week for us to do together. This will ensure some fun mama-daughter time, make sure we're using all the new gifts from Christmas/birthday and beat the cold weather blues. Last week we played slime, kinetic sand, and read under a huge comforter with hot chocolate. All sounds like a win-win to me! 

This craft project was nice and easy with some gooey mess along the way. Step one- blow up the heart shaped balloon and douse yarn in a gooey glue. Then wrap the balloon in the yarn thoroughly. Step 2- let it dry 3 days and then pop the balloon. Step 3- wrap the lights inside the heart and add batteries, plus tassels. The kit came with everything and each step took no more than 20 minutes so it was easy to do in steps.

I miss toddler days. Yep, I said it. The scratchy little voice, nap times and snuggles... sigh! HOWEVER, now we are 11. This means we can watch the good movies, play the good games, stay up late, and still occasionally snuggle :) Crafts, books, music, outings are so much more enjoyable. Even the crafts and play dates are more fun. 

It won't be like this forever (again, sigh...). She will soon walk past our mother-daughter days, spa days, and craft days for phone time, mall time and who knows what. For now, making slime is my favorite past time. Kidz Bop is my jam. Painting and coloring are the best. Pink and purple heart shaped projects keep her coming back for more and I will always be ready with big hugs and big smiles. 

The best part of cold weather is inside fun with my favorite little girl.

you can learn a lot from dip n dots!

It started with a trip to the new Beloit Snappers stadium to see a special showing of Sandlot. This particular night was HOT. It was also a kick off for mother-daughter weekend. Because of this, I was in a don't-care/whatever happens kind of mood. When it's hot, I am not messing around. We get hydrated and I just want to be comfortable. 

So my daughter asked for Dip n Dots and I said yes. Mind you, I NEVER say yes to Dip n Dots. They're messy and there's usually an ice cream place close by, so I usually say no. She ate them and thanked me and we carried on. On the walk back to the car she said, "Thank you for spoiling me. I know I am not supposed to say I'm spoiled, but I am." 

I asked her why she thinks she's spoiled (uh, maybe the vacations, all the fun, all the activities?!?!). She said it's because I let her get Dip n Dots... So... Let me get this straight. The way to this kid's heart is through treats and desserts? Done ;) And all this time we've been planning trips and fun!

Seriously, though. She recognized that I got her something out of the ordinary and appreciated it. That is fantastic! Then it got even better because it turned into a slight math lesson which just makes me happy. She was even able to learn a little.

Dip n Dots at Great America cost much more than Dip n Dots at other places. They were almost twice as much. When she saw this, she pointed it out. She said that we could have gotten 2 more Dip n Dots at the ball park for the price of one somewhere else. So, huge thanks to Dip n Dots for making me look like the cool mom who spoils her kid and for helping us throw in a mini math lesson :)

Brrrr

This is the current weather report. Brrr. Remind me again why we love somewhere that it's DANGEROUS TO GO OUTSIDE!?! Stay warm, folks. Don't forget about your pets. Don't forget to open the cupboards under the sinks. Your pipes will thank you. 

Tent camping in October

We used to have this awesome pull behind camper that had heat, air, a TV, a shower, you name it. Then, after three years, it started to break down and we decided to sell it and take a year off. There was only ONE camping trip left that we had booked way back in April and since it was only one town over, we decided to tent camp it. Well... anyone who knows the midwest knows our weather is highly unpredictable. We had high 60's and low 70's ALL WEEK. Until Friday, day 1 of our camping extravaganza. It was rainy, cold, and windy until about 2:30pm. We left for camping at 4pm. We arrived to find our campsite was flooded in parts. Fortunately, we packed the extra big tarp which went down before the tent did. An extra bonus was that our friends were coming to camp with us in their even bigger, even more amazing camper that had heat! So, we set our 2 room tent up complete with a cot, a queen sized air mattress, a cooler, a bin of supplies, and a dog. Then we lit a bonfire that lasted most of the 48 hours. If you haven't camped while trick or treating, you are missing out. Sugar River Forest Preserve has an excellent camping area and their regulars do Halloween right! People were making haunted houses and had scary, interactive stuff to see and do. The whole campground is one big loop, so the kids were able to ride and walk around with a walkie talkie while the adults enjoyed the fire. There were games, a magician, a costume contest, a campsite decorating contest, hot chocolate each morning, and lots of night time fun for the adults. I cannot believe I have lived down the road from Shirland most of my life and was unaware of the coolness that is the Sugar River campground Halloween extravaganza. It got down to 35 degrees each night, but the small space heater we put in the tent, plus the queen sized comforters kept us comfortable. We will most definitely be going back for the festivities, regardless of whether we are in a tent or not!
                          The girls enjoying some old fashioned potato sack racing.

         It was GORGEOUS weather until the sun went down, then it was bonfire time!

         We managed to get a child sized hike in and let Charlie boy run off his energy.

back to school colds...

First, I got my back to school cold. I get it every year and I should know better. How long have I been teaching? I'm not new here! I walked around for 2 days carrying a half gallon of orange juice and taking the good stuff every 4 hours like clockwork. Now my daughter has caught the back to school cold. She has asthma so the slightest cough and sniffle are enough to freak anyone out because that can turn into pneumonia in a flash. She roughed it through school today, but tonight she got really wheezy and we called it. I just put in for a sub and made a to do list so that I can be productive on my day off. Is it just me or do other moms feel the need to get stuff done on a sick day to make it justified????? I will spend the day watching girly movies with the sick princess and struggling to get all the girl scout badges on correctly. Grading papers, running the Swiffer and an in house work out are on the back burner. We will wait and see how snuggly my sick girl will feel. Stay strong and stay safe out there, mamas! Start buying vats of orange juice and Robitussin because I heard it's going to be a rough winter. Grrr....