Category: boun-see seats

August 4, 2012

Outdoor Movie Night Theme

A certain little boy turned four this week, and to commemorate this milestone, we decided to host an outdoor movie night for him and his tiny friends.

With a sprinkling of inspiration from Pinterest (of course!), we designed the party to be as fun but as low-maintenance and budget-conscious as possible. A few trips to the Dollar Store and we had ‘er made. On the list:

Red/white tissue paper
Alpha stickers
Theater-style candy (Twizzlers, Milk Duds, etc)
Popcorn
Kid-style party favors
Invitations
Red cups
Raffle tickets
Bottled water

To build the “concession stand”, we used a table and red and white tablecloth that we already owned. Then, we used Dollar Store tissue paper to create the background banners. The “Concessions” banner was as simple as cutting out triangles on a fold in the tissue paper, gluing them to a string, and attaching the appropriate letter stickers. The other banners consist of three sheets of tissue paper, folded in half twice and then cut and fringed along the bottom.

All theater-style treats were served in clear glass dishes decorated with red raffle tickets from the Dollar Store. We also wrapped the bottled water in raffle tickets.

We popped many-a-bag of popcorn. I found classic striped popcorn bags at a local party store. Goody bags for all the little guests were assembled with popcorn bags, playing cards, squirt guns and a few other do-dads. Mom made some puppy chow and we ordered a cupcake cake from Walmart. All set!

The movie played on a flatscreen we took from inside our house. This was in lieu of trying to source pricey projection equipment and erect a big white sheet. It worked out just fine. I recommend watching movies outside like this any time! We put out some blankets and seat cusions for comfy theater seating.

Not only did Peanut enjoy his birthday, so did the grownups. Even grandpa.

July 21, 2012

The Funnest Summer Workout…

…has got to be this:

Kids have it all right, don’t they? Workouts should…

*Be fun. Check.

*Be taken outdoors when possible. Check.

*Involve a workout buddy. Check.

*Make you lose track of time. Check.

*Not feel like you’re working out. Check.

*Have a built-in cool-down system. Check.

*Make you sad when you have to quit. Check times two.

Not to mention, running down the slip and slide is the coolest form of HIIT cardio I’ve ever seen. Someone should invent sprinkler group exercise classes.

What summer “workouts” are your favorite?

July 20, 2012

Geocaching Adventure

I’ve always thought that geocaching sounded like a fantastic grown-up version of a treasure hunt. Turns out, it SO is!

A seasoned geocaching friend of mine offered to take Peanut and I out for a geocaching adventure at a local park. We followed her GPS device to a nearby baseball diamond. We may have looked like gawking fans to the outfielders that eyed us with curiosity, but we didn’t care. Nevertheless, we found the cache, magnetized in a crook below one of the towering stadium lights. Yes!

After signing the log and exchanging “treasures” (a fun coin for a pink bead, ha!), we headed to the next spot. The GPS showed a small thicket of trees along the bike path. We searched and searched and climbed and combed, but couldn’t find it. Alas, it was still fun to climb through the trees and stumble upon a small surprise:

We wondered why one lone duck stayed so close to us while we were rummaging around. We didn’t notice this perfect camouflaged nest until we were about to leave. Breathtaking!

I love how geocaching exposes you to little nooks that you might not otherwise explore. It’s a purposeful way to be outside, to go on a family outing. It’s active. It’s great for Peanuts and adults alike. There is such a sense of anticipation for what you’ll find and where you’ll find it. There’s this secret little society that is covertly planting and discovering buried treasures all around the world. It’s exciting!

Now, you’ll be wondering what little trinkets might be hidden all around your city. I know I do!

**Note: you don’t necessarily have to own a GPS device to go geocaching in certain areas. Just go to geocaching.com and use their Google Earth mapping system to pinpoint cache locations. I don’t own a GPS, and I’ve found caches that way!

June 11, 2012

Peanut Picnic: Where the Deer Roam

Peanut and I have picked up where we left off in fall with our weekly picnics while Daddy’s in school. Peanut and I returned to the “scene of the crime” as we’ll call it. Just a few days earlier we kinda lost our dog at this very same park after he took off deafly after a couple dozen deer in the clearing. The incident was quite emotionally draining for all of us, but Titus returned happily to us without incident.

In my attempt to keep the incident from traumatizing the Peanut, we returned to the nature trail, just the two of us, to reinstate the place as “safe.” And to enjoy the beauty of the place in a more relaxed circumstance was just what we needed to return favor in the place.

The view was perfection:

Isn’t the crook of the neck the most precious, kissable spot on a Peanut?

Sandhill cranes chillin’ nearby

Check out this huge intricate fungus formation. Wow!

See, we’re quite happy with this nature area again. The boy’s face says it all.

He even brought a few “friends” to share the experience with.

There was certainly a lot to marvel at this time around.

Even Peanut wanted to take some pictures.

This happened to be the day after Mother’s Day. After a whole day dedicated to marvelling at the work of a mother, I saw this beautiful example of parenting in nature. Imagine having to wrangle all of these babies. One momma did lose track of two of her brood. She dropped everything and started squawking to find them. They happily peeped back until they were all rejoined.

This was one of the most peaceful evenings I’ve enjoyed in a long time. I love how taking our dinner outdoors changes the ordinary, everyday into something more remarkable.

April 10, 2012

Easter in our parts…

…was filled with food, food, food. From Friday night when we got to be Guinea pigs for a new restaurant to the Saturday buffet to the two family meals on Sunday. We were stuffed.

We covered all the bases, making cookies and dying eggs for the Easter bunny, hitting up two Easter egg hunts, finding Easter baskets and heading to church in our Sunday finest.

From our family to yours…We hope you had a safe and beautiful Easter.

March 25, 2012

Weekend Family Fitness

The weekends have been very kind to us lately. Although we woke up to clouds and rain this morning, it stopped about mid-morning so we toyed with the idea of a little excursion. Hubster found an article about the rare phenomenon that is sturgeon spawning, happening nearby in New London. Although fish aren’t really my *thing* I thought it would still be nice to be outside and we knew Peanut would love it.

And love it, he did. When he spotted his first sturgeon, he was sure he had spotted something huge. “Look mamma, a whale!” He’s even been to Sea World, so he’d know a whale when he saw one, right?

There were schools of giant fish bumping up very close to shore. The sheer number of people that come to view this phenomenon is amazing. And all the pointing, oohs and ahs, and hushed anticipation are worth the trip in itself. Not only that, but it was a beautiful 60-degrees. Still unheard of for a March in Wisconsin.

See I think those fins make them look more like sharks, but that’s just me. *Wink*

At the assistance of a charming 3-year old, grandma and grandpa were strongly encouraged to ride along. They obliged and had just as much fun as he did.

There were some nice trails and bridge walks in the area that we happily ambled along. It was truly refreshing to be out in that fresh air, walking altogether as a three-generation family, and witnessing a rare phenomenon of nature. Sure, we enjoyed some family fitness, but we barely even noticed! Especially with views like this:

March 18, 2012

Family Fitness Lately

Today was a doozy of a fitness day. I’m taking these extra pounds I recently put on and showing them where to shove it, you know, family-friendly style. Family fitness happens to be one of my favorite things. Usually, the calorie-burning just happens as a result of us doing some of the family activities we enjoy, especially with the record-breaking weather we’ve been having here in Wisconsin this week.

The day started with a long bike ride around the neighborhood.

Here’s daddy bike, mommy bike and baby bike, in case Goldilocks wanted to try them out. Peanut didn’t actually ride his little bike. He road in the child seat on the back of daddy’s bike, but he wanted to get his bike out when we got home for the pretty picture. And look, his bike matches his child seat!

Later in the afternoon, my workplace sponsored an employee open house at our local YMCA. Peanut got to try out these new ice skate-clad feet for the first time. He kept saying he just wanted to go in the pool, but I think he actually liked his first try out on the ice.

Um, seriously, I didn’t notice this until now, but there is definitely a Goldilocks theme going on here. Daddy, mommy and baby ice skates.

Then, it was on to the pool. It was nice to have the place practically to ourselves without having to fight the usual crowds at the Y family pool.

In fact, there was hardly anyone waiting in line for the slide, so Peanut rode it and rode it and rode it.

Guess whose snores I can hear from the other room as I sit typing this? Oh, it didn’t take long. We tuckered him out. And we tuckered ourselves out too.

Oh yeah. And in between all these festivities, I snuck in a Youtube Tracy Anderson rebounder workout…in the dining room. Because, you know, you can’t see the computer screen when the bright sun is shining on it. She’s really hard to follow, and provides no verbal direction, but as long as you’re kind of doing what she’s doing, you’ll feel it the next day. Trust me. Warning: high jumps on the trampoline are not for the faint of bladder. I do not have a weak bladder, but even I found myself thinking an extra Kegel or two would be beneficial. The workout is definitely a sweat-inducing one. And the trampoline happens to be one of our family favorites too. In fact, I had to bribe Peanut to be able to use it for the half-hour workout.

With the way we’ve been training, we probably could’ve signed up for a triathlon instead of a measly 5k, right?

March 15, 2012

Making Up Some Play Ground

How ironic is it that sometimes I have to look up how to play? Isn’t that just an intrinsic pleasure that we’re all supposed to know how to take part in? But once you become a parent, it’s difficult to feign interest in certain things again like dollies, fake tools and tiny racecars. I’ve always loved making forts and playing with building blocks, but thinking about new activities stumps me sometimes. Isn’t that just wrong, that we lose that sense of playfulness in our adulthood? And that we can actually lose our pleasure for it?

I took the kiddos, my son and nephew, to the library recently and found a book that lists 200 activities for children. As I perused the pages, my sense of wonder was aroused. How could I have forgotten sidewalk chalk and skipping rope (for purposes other than cardio benefits) and beachcombing and flower pressing?Remember those parachute things in gym class? Everyone holds a piece, fans it in the air, then lifts it up and sits under it? I want that excitement again!

A few nights earlier, one of our copies of Scooby Doo did the “babysitting” (you know we have to do this once in awhile) while I occupied myself with dishes and other menial tasks of adulthood. I was pondering adulthood, particularly parenthood, and how the extracurricular could become curricular again. How could it be that I needed to research this? I also had to look up the lyrics to some of those old musical favorites like Hush Little Baby. What the heck comes after that diamond ring momma was gonna buy anyway? I remember mom telling us about how dad used to sing us to sleep by Silent Night because that was the only song he could think of. And sometimes I’m at a loss too. After hearing myself sing Twinkle Twinkle for the 820th time, I need me some new material.
I started with fingerplays. I printed off a pattern for felt finger puppets and found a book with fingerplays in it. Since I vowed to train my brain to toddler level activity, I now find myself devising little children’s story plots and painting primary-colored illustrations in my head.

Here’s a little fingerplay you can enjoy with your baby or toddler. It’s a touchy-feely game that keeps them guessing, plays with rhythm and rhyme, introduces them to a few body parts and types of touch. Completely hands-on, no material required. Just wiggle your fingers in front of them and do what the lyrics say:

These 10 fingers they tap tap tap. These 10 fingers they snap snap snap. These 10 fingers they clap clap clap. These 10 fingers they fold in your lap.

These 10 fingers they squeeze squeeze squeeze. These 10 fingers they tease, tease, tease. These 10 fingers they tap your knees. These 10 fingers they freeze!

These 10 fingers they tickle your toes. These 10 fingers they open and close. These 10 fingers they touch your nose. These 10 fingers they put on your clothes.

March 12, 2012

Two Opposite Weekends in Wisconsin

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Last weekend looked like this:

It was actually a really fun night. After what seemed like 8 inches of snow had fallen, I decided to go outside and start shovelling. I was soon joined by my big, little and four-legged boys. Once the sidewalk and driveway were all clear, we decided to take advantage of the highly-packable snow. We haven’t seen much of the white stuff this season (I can’t even begin to tell you how supremely odd this is unless you live here). It was 9 o’ clock at night, but we were having too much fun.

This weekend, it doesn’t feel like we’re in the same state. Today’s high was a mild 65, and Wednesday’s prediction is 73. Ahhhh. In all my 28 years, I’ve never seen a March in Wisconsin as beautiful as this one. Usually by March, we’re all pulling our hair out waiting for some green, warmth, and hint of life.

But we found our first bugs of the season, usually not seen until at least May.

And we had our first outdoor picnic of the year. I told hubster that I wasn’t coming inside all day, and he couldn’t make me. And I totally did. I might have even skipped church and Bible study (Dear God, please forgive me). I really felt like nothing could’ve made me feel more of God’s presence than a day like today. I grabbed another munchkin’ (Peanut’s cousin), and we played outside until the clouds started rolling in. I may have even gotten a little sun-kissed. Truly amazing!

March 9, 2012

Children Pick up on Everything

Those tiny people in your life pick up on everything…

That’s why I make a conscious choice to:

1. Take him with me to our polling place when we vote, to get into the habit.
2. Work out in front of him several times a week, so it’s part of his daily routine.
3. Make sure he knows there are so many things to do away from the TV, so he stays productive.
4. Introduced animals from the beginning, so they’re “no big deal.”
5. Let him “clean” and “cook” things, with supervision, so he’s well-rounded in domestic duties.
6. Read in front of and to him constantly, so he becomes a reader.
7. Stifle the swearing, so he doesn’t sound like a thug.
8. Talk about “love” so he knows what to value.
9. Celebrate the holidays in meaningful ways, so he has beautiful memories.
10. Take him outside as much as possible, so he values the Earth.
11. Make teeth brushing and dentist visits fun, so his choppers and heart stay healthy.
12. Have him pay for his own new toys from monies earned, so he achieves a sense of accomplishment.
13. Hug and squeeze him many times daily, so he understands love in tangible ways.
14. Have him say “sorry,” so he knows when to apologize.
15. Dance around in his underwear, so he doesn’t take everything too seriously.

Toddler chest presses