Kool Play

Who doesn't like playdough?

Though it is a bit messy, it's got universal appeal.

Possibilities are endless.

After my standby recipe failed a couple of times, I remember a friend talking about using Kool-Aid.  A quick search revealed just what I was looking for: a pliable dough that smells good, too.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

1 1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. salt

1 (1/4 oz.) package Kool-Aid

1/2 t. cream of tartar

1 c. boiling water

2 T. oil

Combine all ingredients; knead in additional flour until it is no longer sticky. 

Store in an airtight container.



Down

We've had some unwelcome guests in our home: stomach bugs.

Stephen has suffered the worst.  When this boy barely moves from the couch for two days and sleeps over 15 hours straight, you know something is wrong.  Others have had varying degrees of discomfort, but nothing to the extent of this poor guy.  I'm hoping he turns a corner tomorrow and the rest of us are spared.

Attention Publix: Customer Service Training Needed

My friend Meg's gushing about Publix made me remember what I hoped to forget: my first negative experience at the store.

Last week we (meaning me and the 5 kids) popped in after our weekly morning school to get a few things.  Everyone (meaning me and the 5 kids) was tired and hungry, but we got what we needed without so much as a tear or nasty look.

As I rolled the huge cart full of kids and provisions to the front, a cashier was waiting at the end of her register. 

I love to get to the front and have someone say, "Oh, I'm open.  Let me help you." so you can imagine my surprise when said cashier blurts out, "Are you trying to single-handedly populate the earth?"

What?!

I mananged a very calm but emphatic, "That was a rude thing to say." and hastily swung my cart down another aisle.

She then tried to back-track.

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you.  It just looks like you have your hands full."

As if that helps a lot.  (I think I'm going to start charging people who tell me that - should help the college fund.)  And then she continued.

"Really, I am sorry.  I just wouldn't change places with you for anything."

Did she really think that made it any better? 

Toes in Sunlight

"A"

Piglet came a little closer to what it was.  Eeyore had three sticks on the ground, and was looking at them.  Two of the sticks were touching at one end, but not at the other, and the third stick was laid across them.  Piglet though that perhaps it was a Trap of some kind.

"Oh, Eeyore," he began again, "just...."

"Is that little Piglet? said Eeyore, still looking hard at his sticks.

"Yes, Eeyore, and I...."

"Do you know what this is?"

"No," said Piglet.

"It's an A."

"Oh," said Piglet.

"Not O, A," said Eeyore severely.  "Can't you hear, or do you think you have more education than Christopher Robin?"

"Yes," said Piglet.  "No," said Piglet very quickly.  And he came closer still.

"Christopher Robin said it was an A, and an A it is - until somebody treads on me," Eeyore added sternly.

Piglet jumped back hurriedly , and smelt at his violets.

"Do you know what A means, little Piglet?"

"No, Eeyore, I don't."

"It means Learning, it means Education, it means all the things that you and Pooh haven't got.  That's what A means."

"Oh," said Piglet again.  "I mean, does it?" he explained quickly.

"I'm telling you.  People come and go in this Forest, and they say, 'It's only Eeyore, so it doesn't count.' They walk to and fro saying 'Ha ha!'  But do they know anything about A?  They don't.  It's just three sticks to them.  But to the Educated - mark this, little Piglet - to the Educated, not meaning Poohs and Piglets, it's a great and glorious A.  Not," he added," just something that anybody can come and breathe on."

Piglet stepped back nervously, and looked round for help.

The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne

New Tricks

Stephen's been busy lately practicing his newly discovered skill:

cartwheels!

I don't know how exactly he figured out, but he did it - all on his own.

He asked if I wanted to try one, too.

I declined - one visit to the ER was enough for me.

And speaking of tricks, look who's pulling up - she's a busy one!

Stephen & Josie

The Ditch

Every boy needs a ditch like this.

Easy access. 

Steep sides.

A trickle of water.

Gnarly tangles of overgrown brush.

A "Pit of Death."

A perfect place for brave explorers

in their own backyard.

Josie and the Baby Doll

Paint Play

This is one of their favorite activities.

A few years back my friend Clara shared a recipe for outdoor paint:

1 c. cold water

1 c. cornstarch

a few drops of food coloring

Of course, with this crowd, it must be doubled...or tripled...or quadrupled.

But it's worth it for the fun factor.

Nothing is safe when these boys have brushes,

though dad declared the house "off-limits."

The best part is that it washes off easily with a hose

or, better yet, a rain shower.

Happy painting!

The "Exciting" Day

Thursday won't quickly be forgotten.

Our schedule was a little different anyway due to a field trip.  We squeezed in the essentials, fed everyone and dressed the big boys for a trip to the orchestra with dad.  I had some fun with the little ones, reading and playing and taking pictures.

The big kids returned.  We had rest time and snacks.

The boys went out play and creativity struck.  Mud was on the menu.  Every contraption from our backyard was quickly painted brown.  It was pure delight for the four boys.

Since Doug had a meeting, we decided to get free dinners from Earth Fare (an adult spends $5.00 on dinner and gets up to 6 free kid meals).  We've done it several times before with both good and bad experiences with the crowds.  The kids really miss the comics featuring the villains Artificial Artie and High Fructose Fred, but the bottled water kind of makes up for it.

There were very few people which made ordering easy and the kids quickly snatched their bags and headed to the table.  Andrew announced, "This day started off a little boring and then got exciting and then was a little boring but then it was exciting again and now there is more excitement."  (I'm thinking school-orchestra-rest time-mud-restaurant).

Little did he know the best was left to come.

Stephen announced that he thought his wrap had cheese (which I had specifically requested be left off).  I then looked at Matthew who had had the same order.  His lips were red and slightly swollen; he acted a little "off."

I whipped out some Benedryl and considered my options.

1. The allergist is nearby but the office is closed.
2. Go to the emergency room.
3. Go home and treat him with the nebulizer.
4. Buy some more Benedryl at Target.

It seems like in instances of medical emergencies, I go shopping (at least that was the case with two babies) so since I needed lightbulbs anyway and he wasn't turning blue, I chose option 4 and walked next door.

We got loaded back up and started for home.  A call to the allergist was left unanswered.  Coughing increased.  Half-way home I decided it was a situation of better-safe-than-sorry.  I took the nearest exit.

The allergist always asked if I would feel comfortable using the epi-pen, and I thought I would be.  It really wasn't a big deal.  Actually considering the part of town where I had to stop, I was more concerned about being shot than shooting him.

I announced to the kids that we were headed to the hospital.

Andrew:  "Oh, this is another exciting thing that is happening." 

Yes, dear.  I'm glad you are entertained by the fact that your brother is having difficulty breathing.

The ER is anything but quick, and I just wonder what kind of state you would have to be in before it was actually considered an "emergency."  I had been under the impression that lung function was pretty vital.  Thankfully there was television and giant coin donation containers and a labryinth of seating to occupy the 3 non-sick tagalongs.  A sympathetic mother shared knowing smiles, and eventually Doug joined the party.

Matthew was eventually seen and put in a room where he was pumped with more epinephrine and other drugs.  The doctors cautioned that he may have to be admitted so Doug loaded up the other boys to go home, and Josie and I kept watch by his bed.  That much Benedryl will knock a boy out.

No water for me and only one diaper for the girl; thankfully we were not without entertainment.  A three year old, referred to only as "Booger", was getting stitches on the other side of the curtain.  Seems she petted a friend's dog (a English bull dog-lab-pit bull-chow mix), and he decided to bite her nose.   Her mother and grandparents were in attendance, and I got to learn way more than I cared to know, including a complete conversation on the relative size of everyone's bottom.  She only needed one stitch, and we all breathed a sigh of relief as they left; I wonder if they ever did decide on what to get to eat: Krystals, cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets?

He had a lovely nurse named English who also had two brothers, Britt and Dane.

Two hours later the previously mentioned mother arrived with her daughter ("five-and-a-half" because those halves are so important) who also needed stitches though not from injuries received from activity with a vicious breed (or would that be half breed...or quarter breed...or breed squared).  We had a normal conversation which was a blessed relief.

They left, and mercifully, Matthew was cleared to leave, too.  A quick call to Doug (who once again had to load everyone up), and we were back at home at 1:30 am. 

Another exciting thing to add to the day.

Or the start of a new one.



Enduring Love

A decade ago, Doug gave me a gift.

We were a one-car family, and since I had a job, he was limited to places he could either walk to or access by bus.  For Valentine's Day, he gave me a 4" pothos plant from Bi-Lo.

It has endured a lot:

gusty winds that shattered what had held it safe;

long periods of neglect;

one move and then another.

Despite it all, it has thrived, providing numerous offspring to brighten our home.



Can't say the same for red roses!

The LEGO Cake

As a child, my mother always made our birthday cakes, and I have strongly held the belief that real mothers do just that (no matter that it can get really stressful and hard on the rest of the family).  Cakes are the center of the celebration, and you, too, can make a nice cake.

For weeks I've been thinking about Andrew's party and what to make.  Yay, for the internet and the wealth of ideas that can be found.  The most common (and pretty easy) creation is the LEGO brick:



While it would have been fine, I wanted something more.  Then I found minifigure cake pops.

Now, unless you've been living under a rock for the last several years, you know that cake pops are all the rage.  They are cute, I admit, but cute also translates into time-consuming, messy, and expensive (I happen to be short on time at the moment, have enough messes, and don't care to pay for paper sticks).

Did I mention that Andrew declared he wanted an ice cream cake?  What to do?

While talking it over with several creative friends and relations, I realized everything could be combined, sized accordingly, and voila - all problems solved.

 

I packed the bottom of an 8" springform pan with a 1.5 qt. tub of vanilla ice cream.

Next, I crushed some Oreos and sprinkled them on top of the ice cream then swirled some hot fudge on top (plus a little more to be on the safe side).  This was frozen for about 30 minutes before putting more ice cream on top.

When I was ready to assemble the cake, I removed the springform and inverted the cake onto a cutting board and trimmed the circle into a rounded square; the scraps were used to make the top.

I tinted Cool Whip to use as icing and it was perfect: easy to spread and it's not too hard when frozen.  A quick batch of Homemade Magic Shell was perfect for creating the facial features.

With a frame of Duplo sized blocks, it was complete,

like a wink and a smile.

A smaller cake version appeared for Andrew's class.

I just can't sem to get this shape out of my head.

The LEGO Party

For LEGO obsessed boys, only one party theme will do.

The cousins happened to be in town for the weekend the fun was multiplied.

Everyone decorated their own minifigure head plate

(square yellow plates found on clearance at Target with a cut yellow index card glued to the top).

I did one for the little boy who had a curl right in the middle of his forehead....

(he was in a foul humor for the festivities).



We played "I Spy the LEGO Guy."



and a LEGO toss game.

But the favorite by far was LEGO collaboration.

Each child drew an envelope containing random LEGOs, and taking turns, they added them to the previous person's work.

And what's a party without cake?

Art does imitate life!

Family, fun and food stacks up to a wonderful celebration!