It’s What’s For Dinner

Not too shabby for a thrown together Monday night dinner…

Double crust, Italian seasoned, baked pork chop

Wedge salad topped with homemade balsamic vinaigrette, bacon and diced eggs

Baked potato …dressed to the nines seconds after this photo was taken …

Charlotte's Cutting Practice

This afternoon Charlotte asked me if we could do an art project…..ummm, right, I thought about that for two whole nanoseconds! 

OF COURSE WE CAN MY WONDERFUL CHILD! 

Let me insert here in the spirit of FULL disclosure that it is my fondest wish that “Future Charlotte” will grow into a smart, feisty, happy, outgoing girl who just happens to LOVE crafting/cooking/baking with her Mama!  ;)  These early days feel a bit like training a sous chef.  But through the fun moments I think we are building up to a bright sunny day where we will be sitting at the crafting table together and I can ask her to pass the glue gun!  A mom can dream too, right?!?

So, today I pulled out a neat booklet I’d picked up at Target that helps kids with cutting practice.  (I feel like I am pretty okay with coming up with things for us to do on the fly but it is so nice to have ready-made projects, uh…at the ready.)   Anyway, Charlotte picked the rainbow picture and then the colors she wanted to use and we were off.  First things first, she needed to cut strips of paper and then cut those strips into tiny squares.  She was on it, with VERY little instruction.  The neat thing about this activity is that the rainbow stripes on the picture are actually contact paper, I know – genius, right?!?  Once she was done with the cutting, all Charlotte had to do was place the colored squares onto the paper to complete her pictures.  She had a BLAST and I did too!

Preschool Activity Bag Exchange

A few days ago I happened upon a blog with a preschool activity bag exchange with other moms across the country, I jumped at it!  Basically you agreed to some guidelines (like keeping each bag around $1.00), are assigned an activity theme (generally fun & educational) and then go to work. 

The main idea is that you (and 29 other cyber friends) make a self-contained activity that fits into a zip top bag. When you need an activity to occupy your bored or too busy kid, you bust it out! Some are great for on-the-go while others are a bit messier and work better at home.  Either way, kids love any new activity so I am super excited for Charlotte.

My project is lacing cards.  I purchased pre cut shapes, laminated, cut out, punched lacing holes in them...almost ready to go.  I will send them off in about a week and after another week a box with 30+ different activity bags will land on my doorstep. Sweet, Sweet Jackpot!

Gotta say these would be great for party favors, classroom holiday exchanges or charity donations.

Crafting’ An American Flag

Today Charlotte asked to make a flag….what perfect timing this kid has.  I took a quick stroll through my craft supplies and she came up with this work of art.

I am so proud of how her craftin’ skills improve each time we bust out the glue.  As long as I break the steps down for her and offer guidance from time to time, she is able to do so much by herself.  At this point the hands off approach is key because she doesn’t really want ANYONES help anyway! 

 “I.CAN.DO.IT.BY.MYSELF.MOMMY”

 

Don’t you love her festive nails?  Charlotte asked to buy – ok, really she said “Mommy, I’m buyn’ this!” –while we were at the store earlier this weekend.  The toes match, of course!

Splash Pad Fun

A quick visit with her ballet classmates to the downtown Winter Garden splash pad after class!