Pintentional Post #5

Reading Power Towers (click on that to get to the pin and a video)

It is safe to say that sight words are among Chloe's least favorite things to practice.
First semester, we were really struggling to make them a nightly routine...hard for both of us.

So, when I came across this on Pinterest, I was excited!

I had the bathroom paper cups on hand and simply wrote her next 50 or so sight words on the bottom of the cups.

She has to read the word and then she can add it to her tower.
The taller or wider the better! She has even made snowflake shapes with her cups.

We have been doing Power Towers for a little over a week, and I am seeing a marked improvement in her sight word success!

YES!!

The Math Power Towers also look like a great idea.  We are not struggling as much with those at the moment, but it would be great practice.  I think I would write the answer to the math problems on the inside of the cup for self-checking.  (not sure if he suggested that on the video...)

This is an easy way to make memory work waaaay more FUN!

When Ordinary PBJ Just Won't Cut It...Pintentional Post #4

PBJ needed some pizazz today...
I knew if I was feeling bummed out about the old stand-by...E was probably going to flat out refuse.

So...this is what I came up with:

Only crumbs were left! WIN!

This post was indirectly inspired by Pinterest with all the cute lunch ideas...soooo...
Pintentional??

I think yes!

Pintentional Post #3

Glow Sticks In the Bathtub

I will be buying glow sticks from the $1 bin every time I shop now.
If you have little ones, I suggest you do the same.

The only way to improve bath time for my kids would now be:

Add glow sticks. Turn off the lights.

All those glow sticks for one buck. Genius.

The kids loved this.

Adding bubbles was fun too...although it did not photograph well.

Your kids will thank you!

On Washing Our Dog...

Note to self:

 When the dog smell reaches an embarrassing and completely unacceptable level,

read this blog BEFORE you get started.

Things I need to remember (but tend to forget) before I am up to my armpits in wet dog hair:

 - Wear a bathing suit.

 - There can never be too many towels.

 - 90 lbs is kinda a lot when needing to be hoisted into a bathtub and is met with much resistance 

 - Dog will become both obstinate and pathetic whilst being bathed.

 - It may be impossible to truly prepare oneself for the imminent 'shake.'

 - Water droplets scattered from the shake will reach unimaginable heights.

(Read: walls and mirror will not be spared.)

 - Even after the water and flopping and writhing has taken place on the bathroom tile, it can not be considered mopped.

 - and the bathtub...yep, that thing is going to need a massive scrubbing to be considered safe for human use.

 - Have an extension cord for the blow dryer.

 - My Conair ion Shine 1875 was not intended for this purpose.  It will not get the job done in an acceptable amount of time.

 - Dog turns into a major Diva (Divo??) when the blow dryer is used. (Loves. it.)

 - Even after the dog has been bathed...you will still wonder if he is really clean.

 - Strategically plan dog bath with enough time to bathe yourself afterwards...lest you have to interact with humans and completely overcompensate with body spray.

(this is his mad face.)

Dear Samson,
You were named this for a reason.  You are BIG. and you are HAIRY.  You are a great member of the family, but your smell is repulsive and offensive. Don't you smell yourself??

I hope you will forgive me for the terrible thoughts I have about you while I bathe you.  I really do love you.  Maybe the blow dry will re-endear me to you?? I'm the one that feeds you, remember??  You and me. 6:30 am and 4:00pm...every. day. On the dot.  That's me.

You may not be as clean as if we sent you to the Puppy Boutique...but you smell a whole heck of a lot better. Thank you for enduring the humiliation.

Love your person,
Sarah

Pintentional Post #2

Tried this last night in the crock pot,
Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken.
I have to be honest...
It wasn't awesome.
Not sure why I thought 3 ingredients would be delish...but I still believe in miracles.
Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them.

In this 'recipes' defense, I did not make it to Target to get the actual 'Hawaiian BBQ' sauce that is listed.
I tried a Kroger knock off called - 30 Minute Marinade Hawaiian. Would not recommend...very little flavor. Kevin added salt first...then pepper.  He does not even like pepper.
We enjoyed this so little that I did not even bother to take a photo of the finished product.

But here is my optimistic first photo.
Chicken was already in the crock pot when I remembered to take the picture.
(ain't no way I am touching that slimy stuff a second time just for a picture!) ;)

I may give it a redemptive attempt number 2 with the actual sauce...or better yet a homemade BBQ sauce that does not have the high fructose corn syrup...and add the onions and green peppers that some recommended.
But...as of today...
thumbs down.

The Things We Do For Love

Saturday night  we and the Hudsons found ourselves in a place we had not previously dreamt about...
foreigners in a new land...
surrounded by Monster Trucks.
The things we do for love.  :)

 Grave Digger was celebrating his 30th anniversary...and was the clear star of the show.

 Monster Mutt...a family fave.

 So kind of the Monster truck world to have a pink truck and a female driver.

Yay, Madusa!

 Tried and tried to get a perspective shot to see how small E was and how BIG the tires were

 The whole fam in front of Batman

(always a joy to capture E's excitement on camera.)

 We wrote our names on one of the demolition cars...pretty sure they were crushed to smithereens...

 El Toro Loco!!

 Ear plugs all around!!  It was SO LOUD!!!

 A blurry picture, but I like the surprise on their faces...

 This is what they saw.

One tire came completely off!

That really gets the crowd going!!

 Kevin liked Captain America...it was his first night out with his new truck.

 Our motivation to embark on a new land.

 Grave Digger literally left it all out on the dirt.

Strange how his run was not the flashiest..yet his truck fell to pieces...I smell a conspiracy.*

 Grave Digger's son was there too...

The Legend is the gray and blue truck in the top corner.

And another shot of Captain America too.

We actually really enjoyed ourselves!

I now get to hear Eli play Monster Trucks throughout the day and exclaim,

"GRAVE DIGGER" in his best growly, 'Sunday, Sunday, Sunday' voice.

It's endearing.

* Admittedly, I am new to the world of Monster Truck rallies...

But it seemed to have a distinct Pro-wrestling vibe to it...

only in ginormous trucks.

Is it possible that some of the trucks show up just to make the stars look good??

Could it be their job to crunch the demolition cars enough to allow the stars to jump and get massive air for the fans??

Did Grave Digger really do THAT much better than the rest to be deemed the Free-Style Champ??

And why didn't everyone elses' truck fall apart??

Don't get me wrong...we hooted and hollered with the rest of them...

we were entertained (which, I know is the ultimate point)

I just was left with a few questions about the 'reality' of it all...ya know??

Pintentional Post #1

I, like most everyone else, am in love with Pinterest.
I spend an inappropriate amount of time at my computer pinning, pinning, pinning things that I dream about...house stuff, kids stuff, food stuff, clothes stuff.
I have to admit that a large percentage of what I pin will probably never. happen.
That wooden spiral staircase with the curly slide in tandem...yeah.  That probably will not show up in any of my future homes. But it is a super cool idea and I like to think that I would choose the slide every. time.

So, while there is a lot that probably won't get done from my boards, I am going to try to be intentional to actually do some of the things that I pin. 

Enter Pintentional posts.

My goal is to do at least one of the things I pin a week and blog about it.  I have been being pintentional over Christmas so that I have some back up posts in the event that a week gets too busy.  So don't hate me when you see something Christmasie show up in say February or March, mkay?

Would love to hear how you are being pintentional.  If anyone reading this could help me figure out how to do a link party thingy...I would love to hear about it...I think that would be FUN!

Otherwise...just leave comments about what you are up to...thanks!


Here we go:

Pintentional Post #1

Homemade Laundry Detergent from here:  http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html

She has lots of great homemade soaps...I plan to do the dishwasher detergent once I run out of the one I just bought over Christmas...

Here is me following her step by steps:

After searching several stores for the Fels-Naptha and Zote soaps before Christmas, I found them both conveniently shelved close together at Wal-Mart today.  (figures.)  I picked the Zote over the Fels-Naptha because I preferred it's scent. She suggested the pink Zote soap, I went with the white. Not sure why, but I imagine it will make little difference.

I also found the huge cookie jar and scoop (in a set of three) at Wal-Mart.  It hurt a little to spend what I would have spent on another jug of laundry detergent on what is going to hold my homemade laundry detergent...but this is a 'gift' that will keep on giving, right?

 My fancy 5 gallon bucket.

 The shredding of the soap was the most time consuming part and the only part that vaguely resembles work. Took me under 10 minutes even while serving lunches and refilling juice cups.

I mixed it all by hand and scooped it into my fun cookie jar. 

Ta-Da!!

Smells super yum, btw.

Here it is at home on top of my dryer.

While you salivate over my non-matching circa 1971 Kenmore set, rest assured that some laundry was removed from the top of the dryer and hamper for this picture.

No. My laundry room is not this clean.

Ever.

I have not tried the soap yet, so I can not speak of it's capability of making my families clothes sparkle...
but it feels great to know that I did something that I pintended to do.

Yay for Pintentionality!

Breakfast Memory

In the hustle and bustle of getting ready for school, I did not take the time to take an actual picture...

But I have a mental one that makes me smile.

This morning at the breakfast table...Eli in PJs and a ski hat
Chloe in her school clothes and a pink tutu.

She really wanted to wear the tutu to school...and it is the least tutu-ish of all her tutus...
I hesitated...and then gave in.

I mean...how much longer is she going to want to wear that cuteness to school??

I'm guessing our days are numbered...

So she is wearing a tutu to school today...it's more skirt-like...but a tutu none the less...
and it warms my heart.