Grandparents and Playgrounds

Today was one of those fall days for the books.  It started out cold and crisp and then as the morning progressed it was beautifully sunny and warm enough to be comfortable.  We made our plans for the day based on the chill in the air but we adjusted them later and went outside to a new park instead.  Great decision.  The playground we went to was FANTASTIC and we all enjoyed it.

There was a little sign that said this structure was for children 5
or older but Hannah and Ethan both climbed all over it.

Looking down at mommy.

Down the twisty slide.

Yeah a picture of me.

Hannah was tall enough to get started.

But once she got up there with some help, away she went.

Ethan loves the slide.

Hannah loves everything.

Daddy not so much.

All by herself.

Ahhhhhh.

Defacing Property.

So not only are we enjoying Andrew's parents we are also enjoying the sunshine too.

Practical Life:Laundry

We worked on (played) at a practical life skill this afternoon.  Hannah loves all things chores right now so I am trying to capitalize on her interest.  She has helped me lots in the past with the laundry but today she worked her way through all the steps.  Not only that but Ethan played along also.

Hannah chooses an article of clothing.

Ethan rolls in the pile of laundry and then chooses something to take to the washing machine.

Run and see who makes it to the washer first.  (We started with the pink stool but it was too rickety so I put down an upside down hamper  to climb up on.)

Throw it in and pose for mommy.

Look and see if there is any room left.

Fill it up.

After everything is washed and dried, fold neatly.

Make sure the corners are all matched up.

Finally,  match all the socks up and sort them into each persons pile.


All done, time to relax!

Marriage Breakthough

   

Up until now there has been a point of contention in our marriage.  What is it you might ask?  Laundry folding! More specifically folding shirts.  In fact, there has been a moratorium on shirt folding for Andrew for years.  Watching Andrew fold a shirt is like nails on a chalk board.  Please don't misunderstand,  I love Andrew, and I appreciate it a lot when he helps me fold laundry.  

Today, Andrew surprised me by folding a shirt PERFECTLY.  He taught himself how to fold a shirt by watching a video.  Now that is love, especially since he allowed me to take a video of his new talent.  Take a look.

If you too want to learn how to fold a shirt like a master, check out the video.

Fingerprint Leaves

Hannah and I did a very easy (and fun) fingerprint picture of fall leaves.  I printed out a copy of a blank tree (from Style Unveiled) and set out our stamp pad.

Hannah enjoyed tapping her fingerprint everywhere.

Ethan played with the play dough.

I had to keep asking her sit down.  

Our lovely fall trees.  They are decorating our door window now.

Note:  Keep a wet paper towel or cloth nearby to wash your fingers between colors.

Happy Thanksgiving

This past weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada and it really was a great weekend.  We had a family dinner on Sunday.  Then on Monday, Andrew, the kids and I went out to celebrate the birthday of a friend of ours.  It was so fun watching Hannah and their son play together.  

We have also been healing up from colds around our house.  Now, that were mostly better we have started to get back into the swing of things.  It has been almost a week since we have done any activities (THAT IS UNHEARD OF AROUND HERE).  

But we did finally get to do something today, have a look:

Now, I need to get ready for this up coming weekend when Andrew parents come for a visit for our 2nd Thanksgiving. :D 

Fall Activities

I am so excited, the storage unit I have had my eye on for at least a year whet on sale today, 50% off.  Yeah.  Andrew was nice enough to put it together for me too.  I so excited to use it because I can get each activity prepared for Hannah in advance and put it in one of the bins to use throughout the week.  No more   clutter on my table.  For now, I have it sitting beside my shelves but I foresee a problem with little fingers going into it when they should not.  If this does happen I will put it in the closet and pull it out during our activity time.

So organized.

 Here are the fall activities that I have inside right now.

Fall sensory bin.

Shadow matching (Homeschool Creations).

Transferring the pom poms to the pumpkin tray. (I still need to track down the tweezers).

Dot art. (Homeschool Creations)

Counting Pumpkins. (The Princess and the Tot)

Jack-o-lantern felt board.

Leaf size sorting. (2 Teaching Mommies) 

Apple and Leaves sorting. (Homeschool Creations)

I also put Hannah's pumpkin play dough in one drawer and several  others are still free.

Wordless Wednesday