Toddler Trays

Many of you have asked what I do with my littles while I'm homeschooling.......that my friends is a very loaded question!  Somedays I'd like to tie them to their bed posts but heavens - I would NEVER do that :)  Somedays their baths go extra long....somedays they may spend a few minutes longer in the snow banks.....somedays the TV or Ipad takes over......but when I'm particularly ambitious - I like to break out the:

TODDLER TRAYS

I cannot remember where I got this idea initially but it's basically following the premise that toddlers like to have a space to call their own.  I bought four big plastic trays from lakeshorelearning.com (but you could use a cookie sheet as well) and set to work collecting random things for the trays.  

Think: pouring, measuring, cutting, gluing, stacking, counting, sorting, sifting, beading, patterning, fine motor, etc.

I thought I'd search my pics for the year and pull out a few examples:

Beading on a pipecleaner - great for little hands as the pipecleaner stays stiff!  Could work on patterning here as well.

sorting big/little ladybugs and green leaves

Tutti Frutti!  Scooping pom poms with a melon scoop!

sorting monkeys by color - or in Jonah's case - filling/dumping = making a mess!

cutting and gluing (here we were making teeth for a mouth!)

Tutti Frutti is such a highlight that all three of them like to get it out and "serve" our guests!

Also sorting by color - not really sure what these trays are for but found them next to the icecube trays at the dollar store.  We are sorting colored crafting sticks.

Sorting also works great in muffin tins.  These foam cubes I found at the dollar store as well.

love these math cubes - they work great for patterning as well - or making a mess :)

Fine Motor - hanging the clothes!

more cutting practice with paint chips - cutting apart on the white lines dividing each color.  Then I mix them all up and she sorts them into containers by color.  Great practice working on the shades of various colors.

Saved my milk jugs and then put a foam sticker on top.  Ella likes to put them in order as she sings the alphabet song.  For Jonah I put them into an old wipes container and he likes to push the button and open the lid and put them in and dump them out.

Mr Potato Head is also great fine motor and working on body parts.

Pounding golf tees with a plastic hammer into a foam block and then balancing marbles on top of the tees.

 A rice bucket with plastic animals and gems hidden inside.  Found this little blue garbage can and Jonah enjoys pushing the pedal to open the lid and then pick out animals/gems from the rice and then put them into the garbage.  Ella has learned now how to use the tongs to pull out items from the rice and release them into the garbage.

     

They also enjoy the Lite Brite, Pop Beads, the scale with weights, water play, bead/rock bin, Magnetic dolls, blocks, Peg boards, flannel boards.

I absolutely love Toddlers but in the midst of teaching school I have found them to be frustrating....to be truly honest.  

But these trays have been so so helpful for me.  The kids love them and it has helped keep them entertained while I work with Abbigail.

There are so so many ideas out there and I just keep a big filing drawer full of random things I find to include on the trays.  It helps when you are a pack rat like me cause supplies are always ample :)

I'd love to hear your ideas for Toddlers!

Thursday Thots.....on Friday - cause that's how things get done around here!

So I decided the sliverware drawer needs to be cleaned out more often - ewww!

Oh how my military friends come and go.....love the coming part but not so much the going :(  

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!  Tie them around your neck as a reminder.  Write the deep within your heart.  Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.  Proverbs 3:3-4 NLT

  

Abbigail - on the way to Resonate (worship night) says, "Mom don't forget we gotta get our smokers tonight!"  She meant steamers from the coffee bar!  :)

Watching the kids swing in the snow was humorous for one day......TIRED.OF.SNOW!

Amazed we only had ONE puker last week - how did this happen?  Thank you Lord.

Does anyone else do their kids' hair purely for their own comedic entertainment throughout the day?!!  HAHAH!  I always have done this with Abbigail but apparently those days are over....

   

Upadee! Upadee!  Upadee!  In one year old language this means "Help me!"  Only a mama would know!

Ella has been obsessed with rainbows.  Now when she smiles for the camera and I ask her to smile big she says "Okay....I'll give you my rainbow smile!"  Whatever works....

Been wanting a "As for Me and My House" sign in my house and yeah for Walmart - they had a cute one the other day!  And that's where "Yeah for Walmart" ends....

Craving Tomato Basil soup again! (I pinned it if anyone wants the recipe)

So me thinks with my dishwasher now I should have oodles of extra time.....alas......this is not the case :(  But I do love my Mr Clean!

Yup....that's right.  I put ear plugs in the other day to drown out the kids' noise/fighting while I did my devos.  Kinda like Susanna Wesley with the 19 children who would flip her apron up over her head while praying.  I am more of an ear plug gal I guess.....    

April 19th can't come soon enough.....I hear the beach calling my name :)

Loving 6 small meals......never have that awful bloated/gassy feeling after eating......helping tremendously with my stomach issues.

Started a new Bible Study with friends - Grace Based Parenting. LOVED.

Can't wait to lay before 300 women tomorrow with a mud mask and cucumber slices on my face and wearing my robe....

cinnamon sugar toast.....ahhhh....reliving my childhood through my children :)

Did you know?  A blue whale could have an elephant stand up in it's mouth?!!  

I want to be so full of Christ that when a mosquito bites me, she flies away singing, “There is power in the blood!”

    

Egg Carton Crafting

The girls and I had fun with this little craft we found in Abbigail's Clubhouse magazine from Focus on the Family.

I first cut out each egg section of a brown carton.  Abbigail painted each one of them a different color and some multi-colored.  

When they were dry she added some glitter glue.

Then I made 4 slits around each one so that it would open up like a flower.

We hot glued them on to a wicker wreath for our front door and a smaller paper wreath for Grandma Berube.

Then the girls picked out pom poms, gems, buttons, and beads to put in the center of each flower.

The cross I just cut out of cardboard and used stickers to write HE IS RISEN.

They were so thrilled with the way they turned out and it looks so SPRING-Y on our front door!

Now......if Spring would just arrive :)

Seasons of Service

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention"

Just saw this quote today a friend had posted on Facebook.  

I have always enjoyed serving others for as long as I can remember.  

When I was a girl:

I remember writing encouragement notes in church to various people. 

 I remember going to the Nursing Home with my family to sing for the elderly and brighten their day. 

I remember helping out my teachers in their classrooms during the summertime to get ready for school in the Fall.

I remember going with my mom to deliver flowers or food or baking to the elderly in our church.

As a teenager:

 I remember offering to babysit for mothers during potlucks and church functions.

I remember serving on various mission trips and with Child Evangelism.

I remember volunteering at the Nursing Home as a Candystriper and playing the piano for the elderly.

As a wife:

 I remember having oodles of free time to help with other's kids.

I remember serving on the worship teams and with AWANA and in the Nursery and on committees and at church functions and on the Connect Teams.

And now......?  As a mom?  Who do I serve?  Does anyone care what I do?  Does anyone see what I do?  Does it matter to anyone?  

These are the questions I have wrestled with for 6 + years.  

My Family - Matt, Abbigail, Ella and Jonah (and Lexi if she's lucky!)

They are who are serve.

As mundane as it may be.  THEY see what I do.  It matters to THEM.  

The attitudes I have as I clean up their messes, fold their laundry, make the 30th meal of the month, drive them to piano lessons, sweat it out watching their swimming lessons, teach them how to properly make a bed or brush their teeth or peel the carrots.  The manner in which I discipline them.  They notice and they will repeat.....oh how scary!

But if you are like me, you want an outlet.  Something besides the hubby and kids every now and then.  

But all in balance.  All in check.  Lest the "something else" overtake family.

What a balancing act that is!!!

So I come to the SMALLEST acts of kindness.  There are small things that we can do as moms - above and beyond our families.  

For so long I wanted to do BIGGER things.  More noticeable things perhaps.  

But God keeps bringing me back to prioritizing my own family - my FIRST ministry.  He's teaching about seasons in life.  

I have enjoyed trying to find ways to include my kids in some of these small acts.  Things that are actually doable in my day-to-day life - not just grand intentions.  Such as:

Taking cookies to the neighbor.

Visiting an elderly friend who is shut-in.

sending cards to far-away relatives.

These are small ways that we can serve within our homes.

God is looking at our hearts.  

The way that I was serving as a girl, teen and wife is not any greater than the way I serve now.  It just has a different face.

And anyhow.....raising children is no small thing!  We are raising the next generation of leaders!  So perhaps, although less visual, more important and critical.

Let's choose to be intentional and DO the small things God lays on our hearts today.

 

I love this quote as it relates to service......

In spending myself, I become rich. 

How cool that God would bless our socks right off when we choose to bless others by serving them!

Abbigail serving Jonah by boosting him up the snow pile!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter from Abbigail

Abbigail Joy - Born on Easter weekend 2006 - the most perfect little 7 pound 13 ounce bundle ever :)

2007 - 1 year sportin' the single fountain pony :)

2008 - 2 years - what a ham!

2008- 3 years - perfectly adorable!  Ella had a matching dress - one of my favs :)

2009 - 4 years - such a lovely big sis....

2011 - 5 years (this is not Easter but will have to do!)

2012 - 6 years - Daddy: always a good sport!

2013 - 7 years - and much too grown up!