Well we had oatmeal this morning- a favorite in this house- and finished the big quaker oatmeal container! So... we made a week worth of fun and games out of it. I cut 5 holes in the top and got out my pom pom for Parker to work on his fine motor skills. It has been a hit all week! Simple simple simple... it took less than 10 minutes of my time and yet gave us hours of entertainment and play.  Give it a good with your kids or nanny charges! It is sure to be worth the effort.

Happy Baby=Happy Mama!

I am so in love with how the rice color came out! I have made colored rice before using alcohol and it was awfully stinky and... not the best for kids. I followed this easy, mess free and simple recipe from Happy Hooligans  and in just over an hour we were ready to play! He loved it! We loved it! I did purchase a 5'7 tarp from Amazon after this activity as rice was everywhere! The best part about this activity is that I can just stick a top on the container and get it out any time we need a little something different to play with. Give it a go and let me know your results!

Jack O Lantern season may be over but we are still not even to Thanksgiving! We are still in full fledged pumpkin world in our home. In fact, we have a whole bunch of pumpkins that are starting to go soft from being indoors  so this activity came at just the right time! It provided over an hour of entertainment- no joke- I cooked dinner in peace. He played with the slimy pumpkin 'guts", picked out the tiny seeds, practiced taking the top on and off the pumpkin and worked hard at using the spoon to scoop out and put back in the innards of the pumpkin. I put packing paper from an amazon box on the floor and clean up was a breeze! Check out this activity this week before everyone gets full fledge into the Christmas theme... it's chocked full of learning and totally a hit!

Happy Baby= Happy Momma!

Ugh... I am so behind on posting our fun projects! This fall tree project was a hit! Parker took the leaves on and off for weeks until i was so sick of all the leaf crumbles throughout my house that I threw them out and bought paper cut out leaves from the dollar store

 This was a three day project: Day 1. paint the tree trunks- I did a rough sketch on butcher paper and hung on the walls. I had Parker sit on my lap while we painted together. He dipped the paint brush into the paint and I helped guide his hands. He was really surprisingly good at this part and did not mind that I was " helping".  Day 2: collect leaves! This is still very possible! I know that I am posting later in the season that I would have liked but I am still seeing some many beautiful trees and leaves outside! Go collect! It's very therapeutic for adults as well! Touch nature- look at the colors and the intricate designs- it's refreshing. Day 3: I taped up contact paper and let Parker work at placing the leaves on the tree!  While I absolutely hate the blue painters tape for aesthetic  reasons also love it so it does not damage the wall. 

Happy Baby= Happy Mama!