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I am. And I'm a little bit happier. Well, let's not really go that far...I've been in a funk, but at least I'm not in an EVIL funk right now.

How about some cute baby pictures? Here he is, showing off his "guns", as the cool guys call their muscles. I think he looks like he just scored a touchdown.

And here he is, celebrating his heritage. He's part Irish...actually, I'm not sure how much of a part...Rachel's dad is Irish, but really I'm not sure what Rachel's mom's nationality is. Geez...Italian, German and Irish...maybe he'll be stubborn? Stubborn and hotheaded? LOL

And speaking of cute babies, we webcammed with Zoey and her daddy last Weds, since her mommy was still working. Trevor (her daddy) put her on the floor and held the webcam so we could see her do her latest trick - rolling front-to-back-to-front-to-back, LOL. She looked like a little crazy bug. She's also babbling mama and dada. And trying her best to eat the webcam.

Trevor made his own momma's day by telling me (in passing) that while he was reading to Zoey...I said, "Wait, WHAT?" YES, my son is READING to his six month old daughter. I mean, I felt like her mama would read to her at six months, but I was just THRILLED that her dad is doing it, too. And GUESS what he was reading?! It sent me over the edge:

That book was his daddy's favorite book when he was a little boy. Arnold Lobel was his favorite author, including all the Frog and Toad books, Owl books, Grasshopper on the Road, It was one of the first ones I specifically bought for Zoey. (I"ve been buying books for "eventual grandchildren" since our sons were still in high school - one set for each son's children, double of each title. I'm a teacher, remember?)

Thanks for stopping by.
I'll try to post tomorrow or Sunday!

How I Feel

IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SAY, "IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL." THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULD LOOK AWAY.

MY GRANDKIDS BEING A MINIMUM OF 8+ HOURS AWAY.
(WE WERE GOOD PARENTS. WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?)
OH YEAH, WE HAD SONS:

THE SCALE YESTERDAY AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE:

My husband just said, "Tell them how you REALLY feel!" LOL

Hey, at least I got new boppers for my reading group. They thrill me:

I'll be back when I can adjust my attitude. Could take a while. I'm Italian.

Fun Day Sunday!

I usually do my Fun Day Sunday post on Wednesday, but am doing it a couple days early this week. These posts provide simple craft activities to go with wonderful children's books...or at least that's the impression we want to give the kiddos. The ulterior real motive is to help those children acquire great literacy skills and a love of reading.

Children LOVE this week's book, with its beautiful illustrations of Rainbow Fish's shimmering, sparkling rainbow scales.

I am all about sneaking in a character lesson whenever possible, and this book does a great job of that. Because of his lovely scales, Rainbow Fish starts off the story as the most beautiful fish in the sea. However, Rainbow Fish KNOWS he's gorgeous...he's quite conceited about his good looks and is extremely rude to the other (plain-looking) fish. It doesn't take long before none of the other fish will play with him. Through the help of a wise octopus, Rainbow Fish learns to share and ends the book with only one shimmering scale, but with a boatload of friends (couldn't resist the bad pun. Sorry.)

So, as you read the book, remember to ask our comprehension questions: "Oooh, what do you think will happen next??", "Why do you think the other fish won't play with Rainbow Fish?", etc. You can also have your child retell the story, focusing on the beginning, middle and end of the story.

The craft is simple enough! Cut a wedge out of a paper plate (a wedge that's less than 1/4 of the plate works great), staple it to the other end of the plate, then have your child draw an eye above the mouth. Allow your child to decorate the fish by gluing on pieces of tissue paper and ONE piece of aluminum foil for Rainbow Fish's remaining glittering scale.

That's it! You and your child can finish the activity by enjoying a snack of some goldfish crackers or Swedish fish candies together.

I hope you enjoyed this week's book and activity. Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Day Sunday!

Today's book is about a quiltmaker, but that's not the best thing about it. The BEST thing about this book is that it illustrates in a beautiful way the joy we derive from giving to others!

First, snuggle up and read the book with your child. This week's comprehension questions might include "Why was the quiltmaker so happy if she didn't have any money?" Your child is sure to have grasped the concept that it gives us great joy to give to others and the joy is doubled if it's something handmade!

And now for the gift-making activity...it's Christmas in July!! Since the recipient's name will not appear on the ornament, your child can make a gift for his/her teacher, bus driver, cafeteria worker (whoever touches his/her life!) and store it for holiday gift giving.

I used a rubber ring from a Target prescription bottle (as I did for Zoey's Family Tree), but if you don't have those, just cut a ring out of tagboard. Your child can choose a color of tissue paper and cut a strip. It won't matter if the strip is wonky-looking or if it's even one continuous strip. Let him/her help you wrap the ring...I spritzed my ring with temporary adhesive spray, but you could just hold the tissue on there to get it started:

Have your child to give it a couple of coats of Mod Podge, allowing the ring to dry between coats. (I hung my wet ring from a piece of wire so that it didn't glue itself to the plate as it dried.)When it's dry, the real fun begins! Have your child choose some clip art the recipient. I made an ornament for a hard-working school bus driver, but the possibilities are limitless. Let your child use a hole punch to make circles for holly berries and cut out some little holly leaves...

Let your child choose some clipart -print it on tagboard or on regular paper and then glue it to tagboard to make it sturdy. Help your child trace around an unwrapped ring to get a cut line. Before you cut it, adhere (using temporary adhesive spray) some cheery fabric to the back of the clip art. Then cut on your traced line and use Elmer's to glue it to the back of the wrapped ring!

That's it! Just don't forget to attach something to hang it with. I ran a piece of embroidery floss through the ring before I attached the back.

I hope your child enjoys the book and the activity and is excited about the joy we feel from giving handmade gifts! Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Day Sunday!

If you've been reading these weekly Fun Day Sunday posts, you're acquainted with the basic concept: read a fun book you with your child, sneak in some comprehension questions and do an activity (preferably, an EDIBLE activity!) Well, today we will still be doing all of that PLUS adding in an important science concept: color mixing.

I have an overwhelmingly favorite book to teach this concept:

And that's not just because white mice with little pink feet are just so darn cute. It's what these mice do with their little feet:

They MIX COLORS!

The book illustrates how each mouse mixes orange, green or purple.

However, if you can't find that particular book, this one is a close second:

What's not to like about Leo Leonni?

At school, I start off with some "magic": Using water tinted red, yellow or blue (food coloring + water in 3 clear glasses), I pour two of the colors into each of three empty glasses to make orange, green and purple. If you do this at home before reading the book, expect cheering or applause or both!

After you read the book and ask some comprehension questions("Oh my, what do you think will happen NEXT??") or sequencing questions ("Hmmm, can you help me remember what happened FIRST in the book? And then what?"), then it's time for the fun and YUMMY activity.

Ahead of time, you will have prepared small boxes of three colors of Jello: red, yellow and blue. Just make the Jello the usual way and any flavor will do, as long as the picture on the box looks either red, yellow or blue. Enlist your child to help you prepare the Jello and you will build interest in the book!

Help your child to spoon some red and yellow (more yellow than red) into a ziploc bag, zip it and let him/her "smoosh" those two colors around to make orange! Do the same with yellow + blue = green and red + blue = purple.If the purple is hard to see, try holding the baggie up toward a light.

As your child is mixing the Jello colors, you can refer back to the book...Of course, the best part is when your child gets to open the bag and eat the Jello right out of it with a spoon!

Hope your child enjoys this book and activity! Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Day Sunday!

YAY! It's time to start gathering our materials for another fun weekend learning activity for you and your little one to do together!

This week, we'll be reading an old favorite:

I just can't say enough good things about P.D. Eastman's book Are You My Mother? ! The story of the frantic lost baby bird who is returned to his nest by the big "SNORT" just in time to meet his mom never fails to draw the little ones in. Heck, that story draws ME in! It's a classic and it should be readily available at your public library.

However, in case it's checked out, here's P.D.'s backup plan:

The illustrations may be dated, but both of these stories are just excellent! If you can't find locate one of these classics, choose any fiction (or nonfiction!) bird-themed book that seems interesting.

Step One is always the same: find a comfy place to snuggle up with your little one on your lap, so he/she can see both the pictures and the words as you read. Read the book, stopping at key places and asking your easy comprehension question, "Oooooh, what do you think is going to happen NEXT?!" You probably remember that this simple question encourages your child to make predictions, which is an important comprehension strategy. Step One always ends with you and your child discussing the book...what's your child's favorite part AND WHY, or how would the story have been different if the main character had been a different animal (don't be afraid to introduce story vocabulary, such as 'character') or how could the story have ended differently...or even take turns with your little one, retelling the events in the story in order.

Step Two is always something active, like an art activity or a cooking activity. In this case, it's a cooking activity. This week, we are making
Bird's Nest Cookies!
You may be familiar with them...some people call them 'Haystacks'. They are usually made with a combination of chocolate and butterscotch chips, which is a great recipe, but pretty sweet. For my (somewhat healthier) version, you will need:

1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips, approximately 1/3 cup chow mein noodles and a few jellybeans (which were somehow left out of the picture.) I used speckled jellybeans that kind of look like eggs.

Zap the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave to melt the chips. Zap one minute at a time and stir, because the chips tend to hold their shape and if you're waiting for them to look melted, they will taste burnt. When the mixture is combined, stir in the chow mein noodles and drop onto wax paper on top of a cookie sheet. Use a spoon to make a little depression and press a couple of jellybeans into it. Put the cookie sheet with the cookies into the refrigerator till they cool and harden up.

This recipe made the three cookies pictured below; of course, you can double (or triple or quadruple, LOL) the recipe. If peanuts present an allergy issue or if peanut butter is just not going to work for you, you can make these cookies using the traditional recipe of equal parts butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. Or you can even just use all chocolate chips.

Allow your child to do as much of the cooking as he/she can...help him or her with the measuring, stirring, etc, but definitely let him/her push in those jellybeans. Be aware that whether you use my recipe or the traditional one, these cookies MELT RAPIDLY WHEN CLUTCHED IN HOT LITTLE HANDS. This is definitely a snack to be enjoyed at a table with plenty of napkins/wet paper towels/wipes at the ready!

Here are the 'recipe' cards I made. Be kind about the picture on card #2. As usual, email me if you'd like a pdf of the cards.

I hope you and your child enjoy your UNPLUGGED fun bird-y activity! Check back each week for our Fun Day Sunday activity!

Fun Day Sunday!

Okay, it's time to gather your materials for our second Fun Day Sunday! I promised something more boy-oriented than last week's ladybugs, so here you have it...SNAKES! The first thing you'll need is a children's book about snakes. Fiction books are great to start with, since they have a "story" that will draw kids in. If you find that your little one LOVES the whole snakey subject, there are tons of great children's NONfiction books available, too.

A particular favorite fiction book is Verdi, by Janell Cannon (you may be familiar with her other best-seller, Stellaluna). Verdi is about a little yellow snake who fears growing into an old, sluggish green snake. This book should be readily available at your public library.
However, if you can't locate a copy...The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, by Trinka Hakes Noble is another great fiction book. It's a little more detailed than Verdi, but still a great storyline!

Other materials you will need: a thin paper plate, crayons/markers/poster paint & brush, scissors. This activity will be fun, simple and inexpensive.

1) Snuggle up and read the snake book of your choice. As you read, remember to stop at key points in the story to ask our simple comprehension question, "Oooh, what do you think will happen NEXT??" Discuss the story and how it could have been different with a different main character or with a different ending.

2) Art Activity time! Draw a spiral on a paper plate. You will probably want to do this for your child, because I can tell you, it's harder than it looks, LOL! (Hint: I cut a spiral freehand and then used it to trace the spiral on another paper plate.)

Have your child color the snake green, on both sides of the plate, if you want.

Or, you can have your child paint the plate, allow it to dry and THEN draw the spiral. That's what I did, plus I painted it on both sides. But I'm kind of neurotic, LOL! Then all your child will need to do is cut it out on the line!

Pierce a hole in the snake's head (I used a needle and clear thread) and hang your child's creation in a place of honor! Here's mine hanging on the front porch where it will turn in the breeze...or you could hang it inside near a vent so that the air flow will make it turn.

He's surprisingly happy-looking, don't you think?

While you and your child are admiring his/her work, you can have your child tell you his/her favorite part of the story and WHY he/she liked that. You can ask him or her to retell the story, using the prompts, "What happened at the beginning of the story?" "What happened in the middle of the story?" "What happened at the end?"

So there you have it! You've worked on comprehension/sequencing/retelling (more crucial reading skills) with your questioning and fine motor skills. You've encouraged the love of reading in your child. You've done a simple, inexpensive, UNPLUGGED learning activity with your child. Oh, yeah, and I made up these sequencing cards for you to use...drawing a spiral with my mouse is beyond my skill set, but you could print the cards and hand-draw the spiral.

(DUH, forgot to include the cards the first time I published this post. If you want a pdf of the cards, email me!)

OH, and don't forget the FOOD!! Food is a great reinforcer and the "glow" will spread from the sugary treat to the whole reading experience, especially if your normally don't allow your child to eat a lot of sugar! So how about some yummy gummy worms...er, I mean, gummy SNAKES! LOL

Fun Day Sunday!

So this week's fun learning activity to do with your child over the upcoming weekend is...LADYBUGS! First you'll read a book together and then you'll "cook" and enjoy a snack together. Your child will have a blast and you will have sneaked in a lot of learning in the process!

First, locate the book: any children's book about ladybugs will do. Our local public library lists 21 ladybug books in the juvenile section, both fiction and nonfiction. A favorite fiction ladybug book of mine, which should be readily available at your local library, is Eric Carle's The Grouchy Ladybug. Other great fiction books include The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn and Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis (Ladybug Girl actually stars in an entire series off books now.) There's also a really good nonfiction ladybug book by Melvin and Gilda Berger that's called Grub to Ladybug. Check out your local library to see what they have!

For the snack, you will need the following ingredients:

round crackers (such as Ritz), strawberry cream cheese (or strawberry frosting if cream cheese is not going to work for you), red licorice laces (or licorice bites cut into strips...black licorice is more accurate, if your child likes the taste) and raisins (or chocolate chips).

Assemble the ingredients, then grab the book, get comfy with your child on the couch or snuggle up in a chair together and READ. Ask this question every so often (this works better in fiction than nonfiction books), "What do you think will happen NEXT?!" Asking that simple comprehension question will help your child learn to make predictions as he/she reads - and that's a very valuable reading skill. Once the book is finished you and your child can take turns making up different endings or talking about how the story would change if it were about a different insect, or a spider or even an animal.

Next, the snack!! Here are some pics of how the snack is assembled. Remember to allow your child to do everything he/she is able. Who cares if the cream cheese is not spread evenly and the legs all wind up on the same side. Symmetry is a developmental concept that your child will understand better as he/she gets older.

The crackers...

the cream cheese...

the licorice laces...

The finished ladybug!

If your child will not eat the raisins or chocolate chips, have him/her count them out and put them on anyway. Same with the legs. Any items he/she won't eat can be picked off. For that matter, if he/she doesn't want to eat the finished product at all, so be it! Maybe someone in your house (if all else fails, the DOG) will enjoy the snack. The important part is that you have spent some quality time with your child, UNPLUGGED from electronics, communicating and most of all, having fun together. This snack activity covers a whole host of educational concepts...following oral directions and counting objects, to name two. Here is a pic of some recipe cards I created. If you would like a full-sized copy, email me and I'll send you a pdf to print and cut out for use with the snack activity. Enjoy!