trying to raise curious, kind, funny kids

2.6.12

Goldfish Cracker Maze Download

Well, you asked for it yesterday, so I made one for you. Enjoy!

These are perfect for cute-ifying a school snack time treat. Or perfect to pull out on the airplane – to keep little hands and minds occupied for an extra 5 minutes. You’re welcome, but you’re on your own for the rest of the flight.

Download here: GoldfishMaze

There are 2 per page: 8.5 x 11 paper

( Francis, George and Sam- when you grow up, this one is for you to download with your kids. It’s the one dad made with his scrawly lines and handwritten letters: GoldfishMazeDAD ). I like this one better, too.

by Sally

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February 8, 2012 - 9:13 pm

Laura - You are the coolest mom ever!

February 8, 2012 - 9:32 pm

Sally - @Laura, Someday when I get myself to Nashville again, we have got to get together!! We are overdue for some coffee and kid updates.

2.5.12

Here fishy, fishy…

George has to bring snacks for his class tomorrow. As I was giving him a hug before bed he asked if we could “do those goldfish mazes.”

The kid loves mazes and will spend hours working on them. And I mean hours. Just last week, he finished a book that had over 500 of them. As a parent, I can’t help from loving (and fueling) this quirky obsession.

Matt and I made a handful of goldfish themed puzzles for an airplane trip over a year ago and I love that he remembered them. For our trip, we used the rainbow goldfish and made matching games, mazes, etc. using markers that were the same color as the fish. Tonight, the giant tub of orange goldfish had already been purchased so we played it simple and Matt just made a little maze for the kids to solve during snack time. George is going to love it. I can’t wait to show him in the morning.

Update: You can DOWNLOAD your very own fishy mazes.

by Sally

+ - 3 comments

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February 6, 2012 - 8:03 pm

Sarah Wolfe - Love this idea! And I love any little thing my kids get into that isn’t media related. So good for their little brains 🙂

February 6, 2012 - 10:17 pm

sarai - um….any chance of getting a free printable for that one,too??

too much too soon?

can’t blame me for tryin’

February 6, 2012 - 9:20 pm

Sally - Ask and you shall receive.

2.5.12

Play: The Lost Dog – written and directed by Francis

After breakfast this morning, we were told to show up for play practice. Below are the behind the scenes photos of “The Lost Dog.” Folks, I see a budding director.

You’ll see that she made a sign complete with “No cameras, No phones, and Be quiet!”, tickets, she wrote and prepared scripts for each actor (careful to highlight their parts), she marked areas of the stage so we would know where to go – park, bed and “kitchen”, all by herself. No help from mom and dad. The results: the best play ever. It sure helps too, when you have such good puppy actors. Oh and you may notice we ad-libbed a bit. During practice she encouraged us to just add stuff if we felt like it.

And the final results (just remember the camera adds 10? 20? pounds):

by Sally

+ - 3 comments

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February 6, 2012 - 1:57 am

Sarai - lol. I love you guys.

February 6, 2012 - 11:00 pm

ame - That was adorable and I have no idea what you are talking about in regards to extra pounds!

February 7, 2012 - 1:05 pm

Sally - Oh girl. I have some work to do. 😉

2.5.12

Pancakes perfected.

Matt has gotten into a routine of making pancakes on the weekends. He uses the standard buttermilk pancake recipe from The Joy Of Cooking and good gracious… they are the best pancakes I have ever had. Light, fluffy, vanilla-y and just all around too good. Occasionally, if he’s feeling really crazy… he’ll make 3 pancakes with chocolate chips… one for each kiddo. They love it and because it doesn’t happen every time, it still feels like a big treat.

Here he is making said pancakes, nevermind the slightly annoyed look on his face. He is a master at his craft and he is having a great time.

Here are some cute pics of Sam. Despite being pint-sized, I’ve seen this kid eat up to 6 regular pancakes in one sitting.

Here he is taking pictures of me with his “Bacon camera.” He said, “Momma, say cheese. I take picture of you with my bacon camera.” And you know, I think the kid is on to something. I mean, I LOVE bacon, but imagine if it not only tasted delicious, but also took great photos. That really would be awesome.

Taking great pride and excitement in drinking his apple juice out of the Notre Dame glass:

After breakfast is done, we package up the leftovers with wax paper, put them in a ziplock and stick them in the freezer for a quick before school toaster treat.