A Silly Mommy of 2 Silly Girls: July 2010

Friday, July 30

Princess G's Birthday Party

For Princess G's birthday party we had a crafty tea party. As the two guests arrived (it is so hard to find a date that works for more people in the middle of summer) the joined us in crafting in the dining room. The first craft was using sticky-back jewels to decorate a foam wand (I got at the dollar store) and small heart containers (lower right corner of picture and also from dollar store.) The girls also made necklaces using beads from a kit Princess A received for her birthday. She wanted her sister to use them at the her birthday party. I thought that was so sweet to share with her sister and guests like that. Lastly the girls pucked out ribbon to attach to glittery barrettes and wear for the party. Soon it was time for the tea party. Just like at Princess A;s Birthday Tea Party we served scones, brownie hearts, real tea and other treats. The girls all thought it was so much fun to have a real tea party with loose tea, tea strainers and the best part: sugar cubes. The last few parties the girls have asked for cup cakes so I was a little surprised that they wanted a cake. After I frosted it the girls decorated it with Sprinkles and Princess A wrote out her sister's name a red frosting pen. Princess A was so proud of her decorating and that she got to carry in the cake with the candles burning and to lead the "Happy Birthday" song. Princess G said her wish, "I want to be a fairy," and took a deep breath. Out blew the candles in one try! Finally, according to Princess G, it was time to open presents after they played with Legos for a little while. Her first gift was from her sister. Princess A gave her a handkerchief, really a tea towel, she embroidered herself with flowers and a hula girl and a fairy house made from pipe cleaners and flowers. Princess G also received a My Little Pony car (Pinkie Pie as a mommy with her baby in a car) and a Jesse (from Toy Story) action toy.

Princess G had a wonderful party as did all of the girls. It was nice that the party was small, only two guests, but I think it would be fun to have a few more kids next time. I think I will have the birthday party the last weekend before or after school gets out next June. Hopefully more people will be around to come to the party.

Do your kids have birthdays in the summer? when do you have their birthday parties?

Tuesday, July 27

Hot Days

We have finally been having a few hot days and that means playing in the sprinkler or on this day playing in the kiddie pool (a blue Little Tikes pool.) The pool is barely wide enough to hold Princess A's whole body but she still wanted to try floating with her floaties. Surprisingly she was able to figure out a technique to float in the small pool. Princess G had a small snack (apple scones) between splashing in the pool. After her snack she did not want to walk on the cement patio so she crawled across the table instead and then carefully climbed down on to the pool. My little reader wanted to read the book in the pool but as it is a library book I told her "No!" I should of chosen my words more carefully because she then asked if she could get on of her books to read in the pool. I told her no books in the pool but that she could read next to the pool.

Monday, July 26

Button Headbands

The girls checked out the Disney Princess magazine from the library and inside was this cute craft. Use a thin stretchy string (I used one that had been wrapped around a gift) and space cute buttons about every inch or two. We tied the ends together and wore it as a headband. Princess G also made one but they did not want pictures taken once they were done.

Friday, July 23

Soccer and Snowcones!

Since the end of the school year Princess G has been asking for a soccer net and they both adore snow cones. The soccer net is from Kmart and I picked the snow cone machine up at Target last month. Perfect together, eating a snow cone and kicking the ball back to Mommy. Princess A was very serious about guarding the net from me! My two sillies!!

We have been having a blast with the snow cones and the soccer net!

Perfect summer fun!!

Thursday, July 22

I am an Auntie Again!!!

My sister just had a beautiful little girl tonight.

No pictures yet but she weighs 6 lbs, 14 oz and 19 1/4 inches long.

Wednesday, July 21

Wordless Wednesday: Our Fourth of July

Our neighbors set off fireworks so the girls dressed up warmly, held their new glow-in-the dark ball and watched the show!

Tuesday, July 20

Releasing our Butterflies

A few weeks ago I participated in a Twitter party for Insect Lore and won a surprise, a Butterfly Garden kit. After we watched the caterpillars grow(you can not believe how fast they grow), form their crystalis, emerge as butterflies, and watch them eat (we fed them sugar water on flowers) for a while it was time to release them. One by one the butterflies flew away. The girls were so excited every time one of them flit away. One butterfly just did not want to leave. We left the flap open for over 20 minutes and the butterfly would sit on the very edge and then go back in over and over.

The girls loved watching their own caterpillars grow and eventually turn into butterflies. My girls (and their Daddy) are already asking if we can order some more caterpillars. We will definitely be ordering more caterpillars in the future. The whole process is so much fun and at the same time my girls learned so much.

I won the butterfly kit, I was not asked to do a review and all of the opinions stated are my own.

Monday, July 19

Farmer's Market

We finally made it down to the Farmer's Market and we had a great time. Daddy bought them kettle corn and I bought some Rainer cherries (they are so yummy!) Next to the Farmer's Market is a playground which the girls just had to play on. After they had enough playing it was time to go home. As soon as we got to the car I realized that I had set my travel mug down somewhere. I could hardly believe it when I found it just sitting on the table where I bought the cherries. It is my favorite mug I was very happy and surprised to find it, plus it was almost 30 minutes since I had sat it down and no one had moved it.

Sunday, July 18

Kindercare Learning Center Now Offers Kindergarten

When it was time for my girls to attend Pre-K I spent a long time finding just the right one. The girls and I visited many preschools in our area. Once I found the right one for Princess A it was easy to have Princess G also attend. In about a month and a half Princess G will be in Kindergarten. She will be at the same school and, I have my fingers crossed, hopefully the same teacher as her big sister. I love the schools my girls attend and that is mainly due to the wonderful teachers.
KinderCare Learning Centers learned in a survey that 76% of parents are most concerned that their school of choice employs quality and passionate teachers and 80% want to know that their child is excited to take part in activities while at school. I know that my girls' school has quality teachers and fun activities. Now Kindercare also offers Pre-K and Kindergarten programs in addition to their many other programs(such as before and after school care, summer camp, daycare and more.). Do you like the school your children are (or will be) attending? It is always a great idea to visit many so you can get a feel for which one will be the right one for your child.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare Learning Centers and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Saturday, July 17

Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza

We went and saw Kooza while it was playing at Marymoor Park. Before Kooza started we stopped to have lunch and the girls found a fountain with flowers to play by. Princess A had a blast climbing on this bear over and over. The show was fantastic and during intermission the girls played with these masks in the gift shop. Of course Daddy could not say no to his cuties when they asked for something from the gift shop. Princess A picked out this mask and she wore it during the whole second act and in the car on the way home. Princess G picked out the cute hat that has a tail like thing in the back that hangs down to her waist and has the spikes all the way down. My husband and I had seen a Cirque du Soleil show once many years ago (it was Thanksgiving night while I was pregnant with Princess A.) I love both of the shows. Kooza was so much fun! It has high wire acts, unicycles, the wheel of death (not sure of the official name), trapeze artist, teeter toter act, amazing flexibility and lots of clowns. Some of the jokes were a little bawdy but luckily the girls did not get those though Princess A understood there was some kind of joke. All in all it was a great show and the girls really want to see another Cirque du Soleil show.

Thursday, July 15

Another Kool-aid

The girls had another Kool-aid stand.

Wednesday, July 14

Happy Birthday Princess G!!!

Happy Birthday my Princess!

Tuesday, July 13

Night Before First Day of Summer

A few weeks ago daddy bought Princess A a book about fairies (Disney Fairies). In the book it mentions that the fairies leave Pixie Hollow and come here to change the season from Spring to Summer. The book also said that if you leave out some milk and honey the fairies might leave you something. Of course the girls could not wait for the night to leave out milk and honey. In the morning the girls each found a small ring that the fairies must of found (they were rings I had as a child as I forgot to plan ahead) or as the fairies call them 'lost things'.

Monday, July 12

Space Shuttle

I have been seeing these KidsCraft Space Shuttles on a few blogs and I won one! The girls have been having so much fun coloring and decorating it once I put it together. > I am not sure if it was suppose to come with instructions but I was able to use instructions posted on the website. The girls each made an alien body so when they put their heads through the window they would be the alien. They also made the shuttle in to "The Space Restaurant." They put all of their play food and dishes inside and one window is where you order from and then you pick up your food at the other window. They have been having lots of fun with it.

Sunday, July 11

Glue Dots

I was sent some Glue Dots recently and we have using them a lot! They are so easy to use I knew they would perfect to use at Princess G's birthday party. We used the Glue Dots for two of the crafts: butterfly wand and heart box. The girls used the Glue Dots to attached butterfly jewels, foam shapes and wooden bugs to the wand and their box.

We did the craft in the dining room and it was so nice not to have to worry about glue getting all over. The Glue Dots just made everything so much smoother! Do you want more information about Glue Dots, visit their fan page on Facebook or if you want more ideas from other bloggers on how to use Glue Dots join the discussion here.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Saturday, July 10

Teeth Slicing

Back in November the girls' dentist wanted to pull two teeth and slice off part of two others in Princess A's mouth. She heard that and wanted no part of it. The reason is that her bottom teeth are very, very crowded. When we went back last month the teeth the dentist wanted to pull had fallen out already on their own. There was no room for the new teeth. They came up but they were behind the front bottom teeth. Since there was no teeth pulling we decided to go ahead with the rest of the dentist's recommendation, teeth slicing. Basically a part of a baby tooth is sliced off to make room for the new teeth to come forward. Princess A was very brave but it was a little painful. We were told she would feel nothing but she did. After the tooth was sliced they brushed the exposed side with a varnish to prevent any pain (that also was not true as her teeth did hurt for a day or so.) I am glad we did it as her teeth now have room to come forward, I just hope that they made enough room because I don't think Princess A wants to go through that again. She did really well considering it was painful so to reward her I took her and her sister to McDonald's for lunch.

Wednesday, July 7

John Morrell's New Allergen-Free Meat Products

When you or your child has a food allergy eating can be stressful. When Princess G was 2 months old we discovered that she could not ingest dairy, soy or nuts. She was nursing so that meant i could not eat the foods either. I became very good at reading labels but there were so many things that we could not eat. At home we were fine but eating out and in other peoples homes was stressful. I always had to be careful. Princess G outgrew her food sensitivity so we know longer have to be careful with what she eats, that is not true for her cousin or her best friend's little brother. Both of them can not eat gluten in any form. Their mom's always carry safe food for them to eat where ever they go. I always have a few snacks that are gluten free for them and now I have something new to serve, John Morrell hot dogs, smoked sausages, and bologna. John Morrell now offers these products 100% "worry-free". Free from allergens of milk, nuts, egg, soy, wheat, gluten, and MSG.
Would you like to try John Morrell? Right now they are offering a $1 coupon via their Facebook page, click on over and get your coupon.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of John Morrell and received a free coupon for John Morrell products to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Tuesday, July 6

Getting your kids to read!

My girls love reading books and we encouraged this from the beginning.

How do I encourage my 7 and 4 1/2 year old to read?

Well we spend a lot of time at the library. Our library has many programs and we try attend most of them. This summer we have already attended a pirate concert, a puppet show and a craft with story telling.

Our library has a couple of programs to encourage reading and visiting the library.

Every time you go to the library you get a stamp on a bookmark, after 5 stamps you can get a kid's meal at Subway and a free skating session.
Once a week you can enter a drawing to win a t-shirt or a book bag, Princess A won a book bag last week.
Lastly each child get a poster and for every 20 minutes you add a sticker. Once you read for 10 hours the child can turn it in for a free pass to the zoo.

To go along with the library programs I let the kids go 'shopping online' (request books) on our library website. As soon as a book piques their attention I request the other books in the series. For example Princess G has been into It was you Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark so we got the whole series from the library (it really is a cute book.) Princess A has been inhaling the I Can Read books (mostly level 3 and 4), Bella Sara and the Rainbow Fairies series.

We also get audio books from the library. Princess A just learned to embroider so she likes to listen to books

The library is wonderful but nothing beats having you own bookcase. We have a large bookcase on the landing and the girls each have a small book case in their rooms. There is just something about having you own book that you can read over and over.

For books that we buy I general buy them books with characters they already know and love (Fancy Nancy, Disney Princesses, Disney Fairies, Toy Story, Star Wars, Amelia Badelia) and books that we check out of the library over and over again. The girls kept checking out Fancy Nancy Sees Stars and Polite as a Princess so we recently acquired them to add to our collection.

As for getting them to actually read we have quiet time in the afternoon and they can either read quietly in their room or take a nap. Since they have not taken a nap since they were two they read instead. Right before bed I or their Daddy reads them some stories and then they also read before bedtime (and after bedtime as I have caught them many times trying to read via their nightlight.) They also read other times and sometimes all the time. I love reading and my girls see that so sometimes when I am reading they grab a book and curl next to me to read their own book.

I think the biggest trick to get your kids to read is to find books that they want to read, books that star their favorite characters or favorite subject!

Do you have some great tips or want to read some other tips join the Twitter Moms discussion: How do you get your kids to embrace summer reading? I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Thursday, July 1

Bouncing Birthday Party

A friend of Princess A from school has her birthday in the middle of summer but because of some many people gone on vacations at that time she had her birthday party this month. Her mom was sweet enough to invite Princess G as well. The party was at 10 am on Saturday. We arrived right at 10am but we were the only guest for a while since everyone else was very late. The girls did not mind as that meant they had it to themselves. This bouncy place actually had two different rooms, we started in one room and then about halfway through the bouncing time we moved to the next room. After all of the bouncing we went to a third room for food and gifts. After pizza each child received their own clown ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins. My girls ate some of the frosting but it was a little to much for them. They easily polished off the ice cream and cone. The birthday girl got to sit on a throne and open her gifts. As a parting gift each child received a book and bubbles, which were perfect for the girls. Princess G was excited to receive a Fancy Nancy Easy Reader (the Stars one) and Princess A received an Amelia Badelia book (she was excited as we did not have that one yet.)