Free slurpies at 7-Eleven tomorrow! (July 11, 2009)

Details here!

Wonder Pets birthday party!

Yes, I'm *finally* getting around to blogging about this! (The party was in early June.)

C said that he wanted a "rodent" party this year. Hmmmm. That's a tough one! He does, however, like Wonder Pets and they have a guinea pig character so, that's what I picked. Unfortunately, there isn't much available with that theme, except for online places like Birthday Express, Birthday in a Box, etc.

Games - we played Pin the Tail on the Mouse and Rescue the Animals. For rescue the animals, my Dad and Hubby hid all kinds of plastic animals around the back yard. Some were very hard to get to! For some you had to hit them with a stick to get them to fall down!

Decorations: I found a huge Wonder Pets colouring book and I used pages from that to make decorations.

I also bought some Wonder Pets stuffed animals and they were a tablecentre.Partyware: I ordered a table cloth and plates from Birthday Express and I got primary coloured stuff for the rest.

Goody bags I used plain blue ones and found printable stickers on the Wonder Pets website to decorate the bags. Contents: bubble solution, WP stickers, a small bag of M&Ms, WP finger puppets (printed from the WP website), WP mask.

Cake/cupcakes: I found directions for making guinea pig cupcakes on the Nick Jr. website. Voila!
We also bought an ice cream cake so C could blow out some candles.
Digging into the presents.
Here are the party goers!

Randomness

In book news, Jennifer Weiner (author of Certain Girls) has a new book out called Best Friends Forever. I'm #105 on the waiting list at the library. :)

I'm loving the free programs offered by the Sno-Isle Library. Today was watercolour painting along with a read aloud and a song.

My boys started swimming lessons for the first time yesterday. I was worried about my oldest actually making it into the pool. He was afraid of the whole thing and thought he'd be thrown into the deep end! :) He's in the "Tadpole" class which is pretty low key and in very shallow water. Hopefully he will eventually enjoy it. My youngest loves it. I didn't bring my camera, obviously.

I did some scrapbooking this past week. I made a friends album for the mom of the best friend of my oldest son (got that?). Their family is moving out of state and we've know them since A was a newborn (2003). Here's the cover and a sample page:
We went strawberry picking in Arlington this past weekend. The berries were pretty small but still yummy.I made strawberry compote yesterday. Now I need to make some scones, too.

What have you been doing lately?

Simple recipe - Smoked Sausage Skillet

I don't usually post recipes on my blog but I decided to share this one since it is such a great last minute, quick and healthy one pot meal.
I can't claim credit for creating, however. I found it on MommyChef's blog but I can't seem to find it in her archives. I have tweaked her recipe somewhat.

Smoked Sausage Skillet

1 pound beef smoked sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I usually use turkey kielbasa to lower the fat and cholesterol)
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1 green or red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into strips (or diced)
1/4 cup water

Directions:
In a large skillet on medium high, brown the potatoes using a little bit of olive oil. Add the sausage and brown. Add the onions and water and lower heat to medium. Cover and simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes until potatoes and onion are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Servings: 4.

My boys eat this up!

Frugal Father's Day gift - a craft tutorial

Wouldn't Dad love a photo of his family to show off at work? I've had the supplies for this craft for probably a year so I'm happy to report that I have made finally completed a project! ;)

Supplies:
- 5 or 6 photos cut to the size of the cube's sides (4 by 4 inches for my cube) Michael's carries these but I found mine at Ben Franklin's - a local craft store.
- wood cube - I used a 4 inch size, you could do one slightly smaller.
- Modge Podge
- foam brush
- acylic paint - optional
- patterned paper - cut to 4 by 4 - optional

Directions:
1. collect your photos. If you don't want a photo on the bottom of the cube, you only need 5.
2. trim the photos to size.
3. paint all sides of the cube - this give a nice background and looks better than just wood. I used black paint but you can pick any colour. You don't need to paint in the middle of the side because these will be covered with photos. I just painted about an inch in from the edge. Allow to dry.
4. cover one side of the cube with Modge Podge and place your photo on top.
5. allow to dry. Wax paper is a good surface to set it on.
6. continue gluing photos on all sides of the cube.
7. If you like, you can put one piece of patterned paper on the bottom of the cube.
8. Once it is completely dry, paint each side with Modge Podge for fingerprint protection. This cube is going to be handled a lot!

Summer reading list & summer reading programs

My boys will be participating in several summer reading programs, just like last summer. We've already signed up for the King County Library one, next week we'll sign up at Sno-Isle Library (which offers free tickets to an Aquasox baseball game) and I think we'll also do the one at Barnes and Noble. All of them offer various prizes. Half Price Books has a program but it only offers a $3 dollar coupon and required the child to read every day. Borders has a program as well. I think 3 will be enough for us!

Since we are homeschooling, I developed my own book list to keep him motivated and challenged. Some of these books may be better suited to his little brother who also reads but at a level 1.

1. Snipp Snapp Snurr and the Yellow Sled
2. Snipp Snapp Snurr and the Big Farm
3. Snipp Snapp Snurr and the Gingerbread
4. Snipp Snapp Snurr and the Buttered Bread
5. Caves (non-fiction)
6. Franklin Rides a Bike
7. Astronauts are Sleeping
8. The Chicken Sisters
9. James and Giant Peach
10. The Lighthouse Family, The Octopus by Cynthia Rylant
11. The Lighthouse Family, The Eagle by Cynthia Rylant
12. The Lighthouse Family, The Whale by C. Rylant
13. The Lighthouse Family, The Storm (1st in the series)
14. Is A Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There is? by Robert E. Wells
15. A Collection for Kate
16. Quack and Count
17. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
18. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
19. Eating Fractions
20. The Best Vacation Ever (math)
21. Toby Counts His Marbles
22. Nine O'Clock Lullaby (time zones)
23. The Phantom Tollbooth (not sure if he's ready for this one)
24. Diary of a Spider
25. Corduroy's Hike
26. Why? The Best Ever Question and Answer Book about Nature, Science and the World Around You
27. Flick a Switch: How Electricity Gets to Your Home
28. Owls in the Family
29. Oliver Pig and the best fort ever
30. Maybelle the Cable Car
31. Lost by David McPhail
32. Mole Music by David McPhail
33. The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge

I found this great list of fiction books that teach math.

These are a mixture of books at his reading level and books below his level. Please add your suggestions, if you have them. My oldest son reads at a Grade 3 or 4 level but he is 5 1/2. My youngest just turned four and reads at a K to Grade 1 level.

Planning our Seattle summer fun

Summer is here, at least unofficially. The last week or so, we've had exceptionally warm weather for this part of the world.

I thought it would be fun to brainstorm about all the fun things going on around Puget Sound. Some we'll participate in, some I'm just listing to help you plan your days.

1. Free movies. Regal theatres has free kids movies on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings starting on June 23rd. Mr. Bean's Holiday and Space Chimps are ones that my boys would probably enjoy. More info here. My link is for Washington state but this is going on around the US.

2. Festivals. There is a festival going on every single weekend! Here is a good list of those in the Seattle area. The Milk Carton derby at Green Lake is fun to watch. We love to hear the roar of the Blue Angels in August.

3. Target's Wonderstage in Lynnwood. We have gone to this several times in previous years. Free entertainment at noon followed by free popsicles. Our favourite was Brothers From Different Mothers - a juggling act. You do need to get there early to get a good seat.

4. Petting farm at Forest Park in Everett. My kids are getting a bit old for this (sniff, sniff) but I recommend it. It used to be free but I notice they are now asking for donations to help with the costs of upkeep. $1 per child is pretty reasonable! This is open weekends starting June 6th until the end of June and then weekdays until August 16th.

5. Spray parks. I just heard that the water has been turned on so that is great news. Willis Tucker Park in suburban Snohomish is a great place to get wet (with guaranteed clean water) and has a fun playground, too.

6. Picking berries. We are a crazy fruit pickin' family. :) First come the strawberries which we used to pick from Beringer Farms in Marysville. They've now moved to Arlington so we're not sure if we'll drive that far this year. Second is raspberries which we like to pick in Monroe, followed by blueberries. A good resource for finding U-Pick farms is Puget Fresh's website. Blackberries complete our summer and we like to find those in the wild, for free. :)

7. The fountain at the Seattle Center. I want to do this some day!

8. An oldie but a goodie - the Woodland Park Zoo. We were there last week and enjoyed seeing the new penguin exhibit.

9. Jetty Island - Everett. There is a free ferry ride to this 2 mile long island with shallow water surrounding. We haven't been yet but hope to go this summer.

10. Farmers markets - our favourite is the Edmonds one. My boys love the kettle corn and I love the jewelry and art, if they'll let me look at it! :)

11. Paddle boats on Green Lake - I don't want to forget to do this!

12. Vacation Bible School - we're going to 2 this year - our own church's and an "all the bells and whistles" one at a big church. :) I'll be teaching at our church's VBS. We still need teachers so I'm putting in a plug here for those of you who need to sign up. :) Daniel Henry is the director this year.

13. Summer reading programs. Last year both of my boys (then 3 and 4 1/2) participated in programs at 2 libraries - Sno-Isle and King County. They both completed the programs (with either me reading to them or reading independently) and received some cool prizes - a book, binoculars and tickets to see a minor league baseball game. I know that Barnes and Noble has a program but last year my son wasn't old enough.

14. Train rides. In the past, we've gone to Snoqualmie and ridden the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad. This year we would like to go to the Kitsap Steamers in Port Orchard. Another one I just heard of is the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad which looks fantastic but a wee bit too far of a drive. :)

Whew! That was a long list. We're getting a new blow up pool since a nasty raccoon destroyed our beautiful pool which we enjoyed last year. Hopefully it will come soon - the weather forecast is for 84, two days this week!