Ben's List

A few minutes ago, Ben came up to me and started chattering about all sorts of stuff while I was on the computer.  He has pretty much been glued to my side all day, so I was only half listening (don't judge- Mommy does have a right for personal time).  For some reason he has suddenly become a huge fan of making lists.  I think it may stem from going grocery shopping, as I like to give the kids each a few items to remember as we shop to keep them entertained.   Anyway, I caught a few words of a list Ben was reciting to me and I asked him to repeat himself.

 "Mom, here’s my list: I want a knight costume, a cowboy costume, and when I grow up I want a gun."

"Ok, so that’s your list?"

"Yup. Oh, and one more thing. When I grow up I want to be an alientoligist.". 

"What?" I asked, thinking maybe this was one of his made up words.

Seeing my confused expression, Ben says, "Oh, I mean a PALEONTOLOGIST!!"

"Oh, okay.  I think that's a great list," I told him.

And with that, Ben walked away.  I figured he was satisfied with that discussion, until he returned a few minutes later.

"Mom, I have more thing I want to do," Ben stated very matter-of-fact.

"Okay."

"Work at the zoo!!  I wanna work with the rhinos and the reptiles."

God, I love this kid.

Ben's Froggy Blanket

A few minutes ago I tucked Benjamin in for bed.  He had a stuffed animal neatly tucked in next to him, but there was no sign of his favorite frog blanket.  I made a comment about the stuffed animal, and Ben said he and Jocey traded.
"I gave Jo Bear my froggy blankie so that her tummy would feel better", he told me.  (She had complained of a tummy ache earlier.)
"Well, you were a very good brother to do that," I responded.
"I know.  I like to take care of her," he said sleepily.
Right about here was when my sense of pride kicked into full gear.  There are times when Ben is mean, rude and downright nasty to his sister.  Of course she has the ability to give him hell right back.  This is what siblings are all about.  I should know, as I have four of them.  But when Ben saw Jocey was troubled about something, he gave her his absolute FAVORITE item willingly, so that she would feel better. 
I have to say that witnessing acts of selflessness such as what Ben did for his sister tonight makes me feel really great as a parent.  Family is ALWAYS first, and being considerate of them is a lesson that Ben seems to learning well.

Enrichment For Kids

During my stay in Texas, I was constantly saving our empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls to bring in to the zoo.  (This drove Paul crazy, but oh well!)  We would use them to hide treats in for the animals, or make mobiles for the cats to bat around.  It was a great way to recycle.  In fact we saved a lot of other things to donate too.
Well, after seeing a bunch of these tubes in our recycle box, I decided there must be some sort of fun craft or project we could do with them.  I found a great blog the other day, and checked that to see if there were any ideas.  Bingo! We decided to make an owl play set.  For the original post, visit  http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/10/owl-family-play-set.html.
When I brought the tubes in the kitchen, Jocey immediately grabbed two small ones, brought them to her face, and said, "I want to make noculars!"  So we did that too. 

The main ingredients you will need:
Different sized paper tubes
Paint, paintbrush
Manilla envelope
Markers/crayons/colored pencils
Scissors
Construction paper
Optional: pom-poms and cotton ball
For the Binoculars: yarn, and a wine cork or pipe-cleaner

The first thing we did was to paint the paper tubes.  This allowed the kids to get a little messy, but definitely got their artistic juices flowing.  For Jocey's binoculars, we used two small tubes.  For the owls, I cut the tubes into three different sizes.

Next we decided to make a back drop for the owls.  Using a manila envelope, I drew the outline of a tree on both sides of the crease.  We created a daytime scene on the left, and a nighttime scene on the right.  To add a little flair, we glued red pom-poms on the tree to make apples.  In the nighttime scene, we glued a cotton ball to make a moon.  This was a great way to pass the time while the tubes dried.

After our back drop was created, we took our dried tubes and created the owls.  First you fold down the top to create the horned look.  We did not need tape to hold it, it just stayed folded on its own.  The we cut out eyes (you could use googley eyes too- we didn't have any), the beak, and the wings, and glued those to the tube.  Viola!!

We now have a great little owl play set that was fun and inexpensive to make.  For Jo's binoculars, I connected the two tubes with a pipe-cleaner. To make it a bit sturdier, I cut the pipe cleaner in two, and had two connections between the tubes.  It would work better to use a wine cork, but we were fresh out of those!  Then I punched two small holes in each tube, and threaded yarn through to make a necklace. 

Guess who has been exploring?  It's amazing what you can see with paper tube binoculars!!

Life Skills on a Low Income

There are times as a mother (or a father) when you think back to your childhood and wonder "How the HELL did my parents do it?  What is the secret?"  I think the funny part about becoming a parent is realizing just how clueless you can be, and still make it through okay.  I grew up in a combined family setting.  My mother remarried when I was eight, and we became a family of five kids.  Now, granted my step brother and sister did not live with us full time, but I have to sit back and wonder now how the heck my mom and step-dad paid for us to do ANYTHING extra, outside of basic necessities.  There was soccer, gymnastics, karate, among other activities that we as kids participated in.  Now, as my children are getting to the age where they want to get involved in Taekwondo and dance, I am wondering how we are going to make this work on one income. 
I spent a great deal of time yesterday researching karate and dance companies in our area.  I started first with the recreation centers close by.  Well, guess what folks, we rent a house from an owner that does not pay taxes to any one district, so we would be paying the non-resident prices at any city community center in the surrounding areas.  Expanding my search, I began calling privately owned companies.  WOWZA!!  Talk about expensive!!  Some of the karate (yes, I am using this term loosely, I know there are many different types and forms) places want almost $200 a month!  And the dance companies weren't much better.  The thing with dance is you have to add in prices of costumes, and recital or competition fees.  Which leaves me wondering why the hell I would want to worry about that crap when Jocey is just barely FOUR.  I started to feel stressed out about the whole thing, and depressed that I want to provide this for my children, but the expenses are so ludicrous that the chances are looking slim.
This morning I took Ben to a trial class at a American Taekwondo Association location.  I was blown away by how great it was!  The woman running this particular location was extremely helpful, and explained that they do have a scholarship program available for lower income families.  Woohoo!  I will have to bring our tax forms in to see if we qualify.  Ben had so much fun during his 30 minute class.  He learned some basic blocks and kicks, and had fun playing agility games with the other student and the instructor.  He learned about courtesy, and was saying "Yes, sir!" like the best of them.  This program has a strong focus on "Life Skills", which is the best part.  I feel really confident that Ben will gain a great deal from these classes, things that will stick with him into his future. 
This has left me feeling more optimistic about our situation.  I am hoping that we will be able to find something similar in the dance realm for Jocelyn.  I really do feel that it is important for our children to venture outside of our home, to make friends, and to have other positive figures in their lives besides their parents.  The fact that this seems to be such an expensive prospect just means that I need to do a little extra work in finding the solution.

A Pick-me-up

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

I was looking through "my documents" on the computer today (searching through the multitude of cover letters, resumes and job descriptions), and came across this quote.  Someone had emailed it to me awhile back, and it struck a chord with me, so I copied and pasted it into a word document for further review.  (FYI- I do not know the author, sorry.)

I get my fair share of religious emails (which I usually just delete- I know, I'm horrible), and though this has a prayer ring to it, I liked it because it really can apply to any faith.  In fact, I think I am going to print this, and perhaps tape it to my mirror, or somewhere I will see it everyday.  Now, I am not one to play into the whole idea of "destiny".  However, right now I feel as though time is dragging on, and I want to be DOING something with my career, and I am having a hard time finding patience.  However, after reading this, I feel reminded that I truly AM blessed, and that my life is on a path that does have meaning, even if right now I feel slightly useless.  

The good news is the zoo just posted a part-time education keeper opening, and I received an email response last night for a part-time opening at a vet clinic close by.  Who knows, maybe soon I will be busier than I planned.  For right now, I am going to take it day by day, and relish the time I have with my children.  And I am going to be content with myself, just the way I am. 

I Love You Like a Puma

Last night I got in some much needed cuddle time with my son, Ben.  My back was killing me, and I decided to lay in bed with a heating pad to ease the discomfort.  Ben came in and kept me company.  At this point, Jocey had put herself to bed.  As we were laying there, I told Ben I loved him, and that I really enjoyed snuggling with him.
His response was, "Do you like snuggling with me more than Jocey?" 
Hmmm.  My first thought was to be honest, because I try very hard to be truthful with my kiddos, but I knew if I said yes, he would immediately run downstairs and rub it in Jo's face that he was a better cuddle bug than her.  The truth is, when Jocey cuddles, she comes in and lays next to me, and tells me she loves me.  Super sweet, yes, but.... in approx. 10 secs, she will begin flopping around like a fish.  I have no idea why this phenomenon occurs, but it definitely has to do with the fact that Jocey CANNOT sit or lay still until she is unconscious.  That my friends, is a fact. 
So of course I told Ben that I loved to snuggle with both him and Jocey equally, and our conversation turned to other topics.  Like how much he loved me.  I know, isn't he a sweetheart? 
"Mom, I love you like a puma,"  Ben said, trying to get me to laugh.  (Yes, there are times when he is obviously a zookeeper's child). 
"WHAT?" I said, playing into his little game.  "What does that mean?"
"It means I love you like a blueberry!" He giggled.
"WHAT?  What does that mean," I asked.
Ben replied, "It means I love you like a lamp!"  And sent himself into hysterics over his own silliness. 
So of course I again inquired what this meant, and on he went telling me he loved me like a bunch of other inanimate objects.  After a few minutes the both of us were laughing so much that I completely forgot about my back pain. 
After awhile both Ben and I felt our eyes getting heavy, and drifted off to sleep.  Later, when Paul came upstairs to go to bed, he decided to leave Ben where he was, and sleep in the spare room.  Paul doesn't normally do this, but I am glad he did. 
This morning, when my son gently shook me awake, I rolled over and told him that I love him like a puma.

SLIME!!!!!!!

Everyone loves slime!!  I have fond memories of making this fun concoction in the elementary lunch room.  I believe we used cornstarch back then.  There are plenty of recipes or instructions online for slime, but the one I tweaked for our purposes is http://www.burbmom.net/slime/.  The ingredients and supplies you will need are as follows:

Elmer's Glue
Borax (laundry soap)
Food Coloring (optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
Water
Children (also optional, but this project is more fun when little ones are involved)

The best part is that this project is very inexpensive.  The 5lb box of Borax (which I had never heard of until last week) was $2.99, and the food coloring (generic, because I am super frugal) was $1.99.  We had the glue on-hand, but c'mon, people, glue is super cheap too.  No excuses!!!!!

The first thing you want to do is mix an equal amount of glue and water together.  I used 1/8 cup of each, and let the kids mix it together in a 1/2 cup measuring cup.  (I had to remind them to mix SLOWLY, so if your kiddos are a little rambunctious, you may want to give them a deeper mixing "bowl".) 

After they were mixing away, I helped them add the food coloring.  (Heck no, they weren't allowed to do this part, are you crazy?!) Jo chose purple, and Ben chose blue.  The best part about this is they won't be able to fight over whose slime is whose.  And it's a great way to talk about mixing primary colors.  We only needed a few drops of coloring to reach the desired effect.

Next we mixed in 3/4tsp (no need to be exact, an overflowing tsp is fine) of Borax in 1/2 cup room temp water into a separate measuring cup (we used a 1 cup sized).  You want to stir this for several minutes, until the borax is completely dissolved.  Once it's saturated, you are ready to add the glue/water mixture.  The chemicals in the borax and water mixture should immediately bind with the glue/water.  Who said chemistry is boring?! 
IMPORTANT:  if you are making more than one color, as we did, you will need separate water/borax mixtures for each color.  Don't try to re-use the borax/water, since the important active ingredients are already used up.

                                    
There will be water left over.  At this point, my recommendation is to take it to the sink.  Grab the "slime", and work it with your hands, allowing the excess water to drip off, until the slime solidifies into the perfect texture.

And, VIOLA!!!!  Satisfied customers!!  Maybe a bit too excited there, Jo.  The kids stretched and pulled, and giggled over their slime for about 20 minutes.  At this point we pulled out the ziplock bags and stored them for future use.  Although the slime didn't seem to stick to their clothing, or make too big a mess, it definitely attracts dirt and hair.  But once it is too dirty to play with, you can always make more!!!

Alright, here is the nitty gritty, so you don't have to scroll through my lovely pictures while creating your masterpiece:

1.  Mix together equal parts glue and water (I suggest 1/8 cup of each).
2.  Add desired food coloring.
3. In a separate bowl, or cup, add 3/4 tsp Borax to 1/2 cup room temperature water.  Stir this until the Borax is completely (or mostly, if you're lazy like me) dissolved.
4. Pour the glue/water mixture into the Borax/water mixture.  Allow the chemicals to bond, then remove slime and let excess water drip off.  Manipulate the slime with your hands until the texture firms up.

DONE!!  Now clean up the mess you made!

The Best Days of My Life

Ok, so I found this list online:  http://demandingjoy.com/?p=1027, and thought it was pretty neat.  I think I will come back to this when I need some inspiration.  Today I've decided to visit on #9- The best days of your life.  I am sure I will probably leave one or two out, so if if you feel the day I met YOU should be on this list, you're probably right. :)  I am also going to attempt some form of chronological order, but my memory isn't always spot on, so we'll see.... 

1.  My first day of 1st grade.  Oh my goodness I was so excited!!  I remember always enjoying that first day of school for most every grade, but this was particularly special because I was now a BIG KID!!
2. The day I stepped on an airplane without my parents.  (This may be out of order, but who cares).  I remember this day clearly, or rather the day before we left, because some jerks broke into my dad's car while we saw a baseball game downtown, and stole some of our stuff, including our candy!!  Alas, my brothers and I got some more candy to bring on-board the airplane, and flew to see our grandparents in Connecticut. 
3.  My Mom and Step-Dad's wedding.  I still tear up thinking of it!!  I would also have to include the day my mother told me that Chris had proposed, and that my best friend Kirsten was going to be my SISTER!!!  Their wedding was gorgeous. Truly an absolutely beautiful ceremony and reception on a beautiful Colorado day.
4. The day I graduated from 6th grade.  Niener, niener, niener, I am going to middle school!!!!  If I had known how crappy jr high really was, I probably would have been less excited.  Nonetheless, I remember feeling very proud of my accomplishment!
5. The day I saw my first true concert.  How independent I was!!  Well, not really, since it was chaperoned by one of my parents friends, but still, it was great.  My friends and I went to Red Rocks and saw Creed, and Candlebox.  Thinking back now, I can't believe my first concert was at such an amazing venue. 
6. The day I was un-grounded, the summer before 9th grade.  Seriously, folks, I think I spent most of this summer in trouble.  My saving grace was being allowed to spend time with my sister, who introduced me to a new group of friends. That paved the way for a lot of my high school fun.  I clearly remember getting the go ahead to be free again, though it was limited to the amount of trust my mother held in me, which was minimum at best.
7. Graduating high school. Alright, so I just skipped high school, and went straight to graduation.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy a lot of days during this time, but I had me some serious senor-itis, and was soooooo happy high school was finally done.  And no, I am not including prom, since I was actually dumped by my boyfriend at the time the night of. (Yup, after dinner.  I still had a blast for after prom though, amazingly.)
8. My first date with Paul.  I know, aw.....  It's true though.  Paul and I had been giving each other googly eyes for ever, and had spent some time in a group setting, but the day he took me to Rolland Moore to hit golf balls was obviously the start of something special.  I'll never forget the butterflies, and the thought of "why the HELL am I swinging a golf club right now.  Oh, yeah, because Paul is amazingly HOT!!"  This day solidified our relationship into "boyfriend-girlfriend" status.
9. The day I FINALLY gave birth to our first child, Benjamin. Holy cow, why does pregnancy seem to take forever?  Being our first child, Paul and I were so anxious for the delivery, and over analyzed every contraction once we were in the two week mark of Ben's due date.  My labor was pretty quick, and after being put back together by the doc, I was able to hold my precious little boy.  (Ok, here I go, getting all teary-eyed again).  Nothing up to this day prepared me for the immediate joy and love of this experience. 
10.  The day I married my best-friend.  I know, I am being super cheesy with this post!  So true though- my wedding day was amazing.  So many friends and family, and joy in knowing Paul was now my husband, and I was his wife.  It was an incredible day. 
11. The day I was offered a job at Cameron Park Zoo.  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  Seriously, I screamed. A lot.  After months of applying to zoos across the country, and going through a stressful over the phone interview, I was offered a spot in the mammal dept at CPZ.  Finally, getting a BS in zoology was getting me somewhere!!

Wow, so this post is a bit longer than I expected, so kudos to you if you read the whole thing!!  Like I said, there are many more days that mean a lot to me, and molded who I am today.  For the sake of the blog, the eleven days I listed will just have to do!