Good old fashioned fun

Friday Fun

There's nothing like fresh playdoh to play with, and they're asking for another batch using blue dye this time.

We're still preparing, but oh my, what fun we will have with the grandchildren very soon!

Roll em out, have a blast!

At the water's edge...

Wow! This was fun!

For someone like me who loves both taking photos and preserving them, making a video of the children at the water's edge with effects and transitions in between photos was a blast to create and upload for you also to enjoy tonight.

Have a wonderful evening!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Preparing...

As of yesterday ...


it's now official and we're preparing.

Our son, daughter in law and their four young children (all under seven years old) secured airline tickets yesterday and they're all heading over here for a visit. It's will all be happening in just two weeks! We are all so very excited!

Imagine your parents and four younger siblings moving across the country and not being able to visit for the past two years.

Last year their eldest daughter had the opportunity to fly east with two other grandchildren, our older son and daughter in law were their guardians for the round trip. She has had the advantage of knowing just "how fun" Nana and Papa's house is (wink, popular grandparents, what can we say? LOL), and she is more than eager to come again to play with her aunts and uncles.

Preparations here are underway already today, not even 24 hours after their flights were obtained. It wouldn't be fun on a rainy day without a fresh new batch of playdoh, now would it?

Get the children involved, they can do it with you.

With my trusty OLD recipe in hand today, the younger children and I made two batches on the stove. First my little kitchen helpers measured, stirred and assisted with the gathering of items, and then kneading the warm playdoh hot off the stove. Two colors were suggested, and of course, they turned out so marvelous, the two large lumps on the counter looked yummy enough to eat them.

After the kneading, and cleaning a soapy sink filled with playdoh accessories, both children decided they were old enough to write their own recipes out for their future recipe boxes, just like their older siblings. Funny they thought a playdoh recipe was in due order first thing, rather than food; however who could argue with their enthusiasm.

Copywork accomplished

Perfect Playdoh Recipe;

Here is the perfect recipe for your own homemade playdoh, nothing out there can be compared to its quality;

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups water (dissolve color in it)
• 2 tbsp. Oil
• 4 tsp. Cream of tartar

Combine all ingredients in a pan. Stir while cooking over medium heat for approximately 3-4 minutes. Drop onto waxed paper (I usually just use the countertop). Knead. Store in closed container, or ziplock freezer bag.

Muscles required, mom to the rescue soon after

Because all of the ingredients are natural and already found in the kitchen, this is a great recipe for young children to use the countertop or tabletop for play, rather than delegating a plastic placemat to use instead. I find surfaces wipe clean in a jiffy, and if the wee ones happen to be tempted and eat a chunk of the stuff, they will make a grimace over the salty texture as a result.

Safe. Easy. Cheap.

What more could a mother want?

It's almost time

It's almost time!

The garage was reordered this week. Snow shovels were hauled back to the barn for storage and in their place - five Hawaiian sun imaged boogie boards stand awaiting warmer weather. All are screaming "summer", obviously welcomed here and ready to grab in an instant, ready to be carried under our armpits in search of wild waves to ride.

People think only this kind of fun happens on the shores of such geographical locations of California or Hawaii. Not so!

Check out just one particular day last summer where we rode waves, and choked back a whole lot of water consumption, accidentally.

Counting down the days, it's almost time!

Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy!

It’s a birthday week in our family with two sons, a grand-daughter and a daughter in law, all celebrating their special days.

One son has reserved his ball hockey league night as an occasion to share some birthday cake with friends here for the evening, and the other son is awaiting a gathering of a few friends later next week, his first birthday party since he was very little.

It's upon occasions such as these where there is no way our children ever wish to forget the “great family tradition” of mom and dad taking the birthday child out alone for a birthday breakfast feast, where the honouree is given the duty of selecting the food venue and is granted permission to choose whatever he/she desires from the menu, usually breakfast and a dessert.

What’s a birthday celebration without ensuring the inclusion of the great family tradition factor? Well, I can attest to the older married children feeling ripped off that their time for these fun mornings isn’t happening any longer, or at least not lately. I suppose there comes a time, right gang? For now, this bunch at home won't allow us to forget this one particular tradition. No way!

Thumbs up!

Birthday boy is pictured here with his new bike. Ever wonder why children grow up so quickly, and why all of a sudden it’s time for bike riding season once again and somehow those longer limbs just seem to be stretching beyond belief? Knee caps begin to hit handle bars, hindering any ability of getting out for a spin beyond the garage.

This guy had outgrown his bicycle to the point where it was virtually impossible for him to even take a ride to his piano lesson with his brother this past few weeks.

He’s all smiles here, happy with his new wheels. And you know what they say, boys love their toys, but with all certainly, there is always a girl lingering nearby in a boy’s shadow with her own toy.

Not to be undone, our daughter grabbed her wheels and the two of them were off gathering speed all over the property, pretending of course to be dirt bike riders. (Where did that come from?) Oh, and notice the black fingerless gloves on his hands, something new he thought useful. grin

The "lingering daughter" involved,
both serving me more thumbs up!

So when did a hoodie hat become a
cushion under a bike helmet? Hmmmm

Thank you to everyone thinking of the boys this past week, they were beaming from your goodness, kindness, telephone calls and of course - mail! Who doesn't love mail? :-)