Summer Reading Challenge

Leanna completed the double dog dare program for Borders Books. She read 10 books in order to get a free book (out of a selection).   She chose the only Ramona book she hasn't read yet, Ramona The Brave.  Just about as much fun as getting the free book was getting to go out with her mother and Aunt Laura in order to collect it.   Now it's on to the Barnes N' Noble reading challenge!  (This one only requires 8 books!)  

Understanding allergies-a call for kids books

Just putting out a call over the interwebs in case anyone knows of good books on the subject of allergies for younger children.  I've seen a few for explaining them to older kids, but I'm looking for something for Jacob's age group.  He just turned three.  I saw a few on amazon.  But I'm thinking there may be more out there somewhere?  I'm hoping someone will run into this post and offer advice!  Plus I couldn't find any books dealing with a soy allergy.  Or environmental allergies.    I think those two are bigger factors for Jacob than peanuts, which seems to be the most popular subject for allergy books.

  Jacob knows he's allergic to peanut and soy, but that won't stop him from trying to eat either.  He will tell me that he's not allergic to them or that he isn't but Justin is.  I'll warn him that something will make him itch, but at his age he just can't make long term connections.  If he immediately began itching after eating, it'd actually be easier.  So I was hoping to find a few books to help him understand a little bit, and help his siblings understand as well.

Sharks!

Sharks and a Killer (Orca) whale.  And a little diving guy, with equipment and a boat. Omigosh, they've been having so much fun in the tub with Jacob's new toys!  It's interesting, Jacob seems to share more personal characteristics with Justin, particularly their fascination with animals with sharp teeth! 

Wooden birthday cake, anyone??

He loved it so much he had to fall asleep holding it!! 

Birthday Party Pictures

The biggest hit of all his presents was the wooden Melissa and Doug birthday cake!  Although he had many nice presents!  It was a quiet sleepy party, but I don't think Jacob minded. 

Sweet little Timothy

It's really hard to have the October birthday in a family where there are 3 Junes, 1 July, and 1 September! 

He's been asking every day now how many days til HIS birthday?!!

Earning money through Amazon

I am up to a whopping $2.53! earned through Amazon.com!

Please remember to order through the link on my sidebar here, if you want to buy something from Amazon!!
Or use a link like the one below:
Bestselling books

Interest in the world around us......

Leanna's currently interested in saving the dolphins.  She's trying to come up with a way to raise money for them.  This new concern is from the current issue of American Girl Magazine.  I'm very proud of Leanna's interest in saving the planet and it's inhabitants!  I don't think I was thinking about those things until I was much older. 

Just Jacob

Just a belated post to celebrate Jacob's third birthday!  Internet is really spotty again the last couple weeks, and it went off before I could post a birthday wish for him yesterday.  He was not forgotten, not by a longshot!!  Everybody loves cuddly Jacob!! I think he got everything he wanted for his birthday (it helps to have a short list!)  This year he wanted a bike (which he will be getting any time now!), a cake (he got a real one and a wooden one!), and a shark like Justin's! 

More recent stuff

Bannana cake

Leanna's recent reading material

a pillow with legs

Spaghetti made with squash for the noodles

Recent stuff, updating again

Timmy Bear, at the park

Putting together legoes from Justin's birthday

Playing with magnet letters

and making a card for a relative who was not feeling so great. 

Guerilla Art

I've been reading Leanna's birthday present book: The Guerilla Art Kit by Keri Smith

It's not written for a child, but I love the idea, and with adult guidance, I think it could really be a neat tool.  Plus it has instructions for craft type projects.  I'm looking forward to opportunities to try this with her!  Admittedly, I recommended this book to Claire to get for her, so it's not surprising I like it.   The idea is that some type of anonymous work is created, installed, performed, or attached to a public space with the distinct purpose of affecting the world in a creative or thought provoking way.  It can be done to beautify the area, to question or challenge the status quo, or to interact with the environment or people.  Some examples of guerilla art: you could leave a note in a public place, leave a chalk drawing on the sidewalk or a building, insert a note in a book for someone to find, plant flowers in a sidewalk crack, doodle in the margins of a book, leaving political posters somewhere, leaving a poster or notebook somewhere with instructions for others to add comments, etc. etc.  I love the idea of leaving something to brighten someone else's day.  Just random kindness bombs thrown about! 

Some quotes I like:

"Public art says 'the human spirit is alive here."
"Modern culture with its overwhelming wealth of advertising,mass media, and mass communication often teaches us to tune out, or disconnect, because there is a limit to how much information we can process on a given day.  In many cases we have no choice about the quality or quantity of what we take in."
"For a moment I am taken out of my known world and presented with an alternative, one that is unexpected and daring, one that makes me think about the space a little differently.  These little gestures encourage me to not take our world so seriously, to contemplate for a moment something outside the predicable.  They reawaken a sense of connection to the environment by pointing out something I might not have seen, by adding a new image to the world that is unexpected, or by presenting an alternate point of view."

Enjoy'n the sunshine and heat

Having a picnic in the park

It's the scarf that makes the look, really. 

I love Arthurian legend!

Researchers believe they've found the round table!  
(But it wasn't really a table)

"Researchers exploring the legend of Britain’s most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester.

Legend has it that his Knights would gather before battle at a round table where they would receive instructions from their King.

But rather than it being a piece of furniture, historians believe it would have been a vast wood and stone structure which would have allowed more than 1,000 of his followers to gather."

Drowning Signs-Summer Warning

Since it's summer, I thought I'd post this article about signs of a drowning person.  It looks nothing like in the movies, and "Of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In roughly 10 percent of these tragedies, a parent will actually watch their child drown ... and have no idea it is happening."

  Very scary, in the comments someone's 14 month old drowned in a fl. water feature in the yard!  Luckily they were able to be revived. 

Information

Every Monday Parentdish website posts a list of freebies or great deals.  This week's list includes ones like:
$1.99 Clearance Sale at Barnes and Noble: Barnes and Noble has a big Summer Warehouse Sale going on with many great titles beginning at $1.99. Use coupon code Y9K7J7X to get an additional 20 percent off one item. Shipping is free if your order is over $25

and: Get 50 Photo Prints for 50 Cents: Through July 11, 2010, you can purchase 50 photo prints from Snapfish for only 50 cents plus shipping.

There are more deals, check it out. 

Summer fun with Bubbles

Jacob just could not get it to work!  He kept putting his lips too close. 

Spinning makes bubbles surround you!

When all else fails, try something new! 

$1.00 for some fun on a very hot afternoon. 

Fourth of July!

Firecracker cupcakes!

Jacob enjoyed the piano

Rest was required in the intense heat.

No, no autographs for Laura please!

Nobody mess with his sippy cup!

(I asked him what was in it, and he replied, "danger")

We picnicked at Mimi's house (now Uncle David's) for the fourth of July.  Very hot, but fun.

Recent Random Stuff

The boys were thrilled to find a cement truck, right on their own street!  We sat down on the sidewalk to watch for a while. 

Vacation Bible School was last week, and the three older kids had so much fun!!  Food, crafts, friends, and fun!  Justin cried the first day (he's never been separated from all adults he knows), but was fine after that.  I was impressed with how well he did with the singing and dancing, and Mr. Matt told us that he was a real leader!!  We were very proud of him!

Just hangin out on the block and in the backyard......I turned in Leanna's homeschool portfolio last week also, so I'm waiting to hear from the district.  It's a relief to have my part done! 

This is a cupcake cake, though it may just look like a yellow lump.  In honor of Justin's 6th Birthday.  I bought a silicon mold from the dollar store and tried it.  I was in too much of a hurry though, had to get ready for the Stampede Concert on the actual day of Justin's birthday.  I still wanted there to be a cake on the birthdays, to mark the actual day, since we lump the three birthdays together in one party. 

Brothers

The night of the birthday party, Jacob fell asleep with Timothy holding his hand-he was so thrilled!  I still remember when Jacob first started letting Timothy help, hug, or hold him.  Timothy would exclaim, He likes me! with equal surprise and excitement in his voice!