The Black Hole Movie Trailer from Girl Scouts at the Apple Store Youtube AMI Studios

Baby Girl participates in her schools daisy program, and this week the daisy leaders put together an awesome Field Trip to the Apple store. There the Daisy's we introduced to iMovie, the apple app that let's you easily make movies at home. 

The girls selected the SCARY trailer theme as there template for making a movie trailer. The girls were divided into a few groups of 3-4 Daisy's and they were able to be the writers and directors of their trailers! 

THE RESULTS  

The Black Hole Movie Trailer from Girl Scouts at the Apple Store 

Youtube AMI Studios 

A professional looking trailer to their movie concept: The Black Hole. 


I will admit some of the snippets are "scary." The girls lay on the ground like they are dead. They're are scary moments and sound effects, and even a zombie like moment when a friend comes back to life. These girls were creative! 

Once upon a time I wrote a post about children and "Safe Fear." I think it is a part of our animal instinct to occasionally be afraid, and even like getting scared. These scary moments let our brain explore fear and "what would I do" in that situation. So while the ideas these girls explored and filmed are scary, we are okay with that, because this is how we start to learn about fear. Find the link to that post Safe Fear Versus Real Fear here.

The youtube blurb we typed up covers the logistics of what we were doing ... see below. We highly recommend the Apple Store Sessions where you can explore apple apps, and products. You can sign up your family, girl scout troop, and it's a FREE SERVICE. You can't beat that. 

We did not get paid to make this endorsement, but we really think this is an amazing service!  Contact your apple store or visit apple.com/today  

More about making the You Tube Video

We wrote a brief introduction to what the clip is about, especially since it is a new type of content on our channel. We also recommended the Apple Store service. Lastly, we closed with Baby Girl cool closing line. Yes, all edited and created in iMovie.

The Black Hole Movie Trailer From Girl Scouts at the Apple Store

" A little something new for our channel this week. Baby girl attended an Apple Store Session with her Daisy Girls Scouts. The girls were divided into groups and they each made their own iMovie trailer. Yes, super easy, and yes, each girls crew was very creative. The girls selected the SCARY movie trailer from the templates available in iMovie. Don't be alarmed at the scary themes. Kids are totally capable of having ideas about the scary things that can happen in the world. Kids exploring these ideas I call “safe fear” and we wrote a post about it here about "Safe Fear Vs Real Fear “Are You Sure About That Blog” our blogspot page on blogger: https://areyousureaboutthatblog.blogs... This was a field trip our awesome daisy leaders planned, but you too can make your own trailer or get support for ANY apple services with apple sessions apple.com/today or by visiting your apple store, and we highly recommend it! A great experience all around. And now our feature presentation: Apple Store Sessions Daisy Girls Scouts Make a SCARY iMovie Trailer THE BLACK HOLE "

The Black Hole Movie Trailer From Girl Scouts at the Apple Store

See it live >>> Click the link >>> 

Apple Store Sessions Daisy Girls Scouts Make a SCARY iMovie Trailer THE BLACK HOLE

The Black Hole Movie Trailer from Girl Scouts at the Apple Store Youtube AMI Studios 

Make mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh. Out. Loud.

Wearing Mommy's Necklace and Scarf. Baby Girl Steal my Things

I had quite the learning moment today about being a mom and sharing things with my baby girl.

I remember when I was little and even into early adulthood, seeing my mom see me admire something of hers. And then she would offer it to me to wear tomorrow. And I remember thinking why should give this to meet when it's her favorite? I was shocked that she was sharing it with me.

You Know when you have something that you treasure show much best friend can't borrow it or it's your policy never to borrow it. Yeah those types of things that my mom would let me borrow and still I couldn't believe it. And then I felt a huge sense of responsibility to take care of it and make sure to return it to her in good condition, even though she reminded me to do the same thing as well.

See the scarf that she wanted to make for herself to "match mommies."

Today I had one of those moments. As we were getting ready to go pick up the boys from school my darling daughter asked me to borrow a scarf. She couldn't find any scarves in her drawer, and it's crisp cool fall weather here in Chicago in November. So she asked to borrow one of my scarves that are hanging up in the closet. And I just said sure, then I paused.

I do not borrow my scars to anyone. Some women have their shoes, others have their art, books, or their jewelry. I have mostly scarves. It's not quite out of control and any means, but I do treasure them.

And so without holding back an at all I let her borrow my wool scarf that I had gotten last year from my mom with cherry blossoms on it. It reminds me of Japan and the wonderful cold that my husband bought me but she knew about and then intern got me a scarf to match.

The scarf of course is made for an adult woman so on her it is rather long, which of course makes her three-year-old little body looks so cute in it. I to remind her that she needs to take care of it and It cannot touch the floor or get scratched or ripped. She said I know mommy I will take care of it. We got in the car she took her coat off, but the scarf state around her neck as she put her car seat. It was just too adorable.

There's few things that I don't allow her, when I find myself hoarding some of my Amber Pete's from a necklace that broke waiting for the day when I'll have time to fix it, or the turquoise bracelet that our cleaning lady also likes to beat attempt at fixing which broke again and I again am waiting for time to fix it. I find myself taking these little precious things that I do care about and making her a bracelet or a necklace from it. And seeing her enjoy it in mediately and we are things for days thereafter. It makes it all worth while seeing her smile and enjoy these little perks in life. I hope she's also learning what took me a long time to learn about quality. I don't buy costume jewelry and I don't buy polyester scarves. I do invest in quality pieces whether they are precious or semi precious. My scarves are all cotton linen or the luxurious silk. I even have a fake Ermas and a real Hermas complements of my husbands.


I want my daughter to know that you invest in these pieces because God for bid one day the world falls turns upside down hopefully they will get you through hard times in life. We're costume jewelry that's plastic, and meeting China. It is not crafted by a person but I am machine there for making it less valuable. Of course on trips and excursions I buy little bits and pieces of jewelry that were handcrafted by local artisans like my shell card turtle from Mexico. There is actually the name for artisans car things out of shell, insert here.

I want my daughter to understand what the finer things are in life, and the reason you might not necessarily be exactly 20 with the new necklaces because you're wearing one of real silver beads or real pearls or six strands of red coral. Those pieces are called classic never go out of style.

Today's money moment was not only one for me seeing my daughter enjoy beautiful things but I guess she's learning to love beautiful things to and hopefully will carry that with her for the rest of her life.

Original post: November, 2015

Make mistakes, breeze, reflect. And don't forget to laugh out loud.

Well You are a Bossy Little Girl

When I was a little girl I remember being told "you are bossy," on a regular basis. "Don't be like that, NO ONE WILL LIKE YOU." I still hear it today. In my head.

I had very strong emotions as a child, yes I cried when I lost at checkers to my cheating grandfather and uncle's. Of course it didn't help that they teased me when I lost which encourage the crying. But I digress.

I was a little bossy pants, I often lead the games that we played after school. I frequently made the rules and told the other kids how to play want to play where to play. I remember the nuns at school telling me that nobody likes a bossy girl. Our next-door neighbor who's two boys I played with would tell me that I'm too bossy for being a girl.

Even my dear old dad, who I would say has taught me a lot about leadership and what not to do, would tell me that I'm too bossy.

Every Little Girl who is told she is bossy, should be told instead she has GREAT
leadership skills. - My inner child.

When I reflect on this, I think I only have one more thing to add. This morning at 10 o'clock I'll be running and a conference call for my clients project that I am handling.

Stay strong little girls. I simply tell my daughter to be polite in her bossy moments. When she is telling other kids what to do, I remind her to be nice in her words, not sassy. I don't want her to be considered the "B" word, as can often happen. Sometimes it's not What you say, it really is How you say it.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.

Baby Girl Pinned Dragonflies Stink Bugs and other Insects at 3 years old

We spent the weekend in Indiana and of course enjoyed some bug collecting! I walked my moms entire garden, and after some very wet weather (early May) we had a limited amount of bugs.

However, dragonflies were about!! She lives near the dunes, with lots of wet and marsh areas. Heaven for some dragon and damselfly species.

Baby Girl Pinned Dragonflies Stink Bugs and other Insects at 3 years old

Baby girl pinned 3 0f our 9 Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs collected Indoors. They are invading our room and walking along the ceiling - ewe!Also a yet to identify Spider, stinging fly and a golden abdomen weevil found on the UNDER side of a plants leaf.

Learn more at our blog Areyousureaboutthatblog dot blogspot dot comPictured here is a Jewelwing Damselfly. I don't use a regular spreading board - altho I will soon enuf. I make some indentations in styrofoam to fit the body and allow the wings to lay flat.

Baby Girls Birth and Older Sons Questions over the Phone

Older son was at my Babcia's house when I called him to announce the birth of our baby girl. We knew when she was coming. That morning mom and dad went to the hospital early and his Tia took him to school. After class aunt picked him up and walked him over to grandmas. 

He usually doesn't like talking on the phone. He is 7 years old. The enthusiasm I experienced from talking to him was so wonderful.

Here were his questions that mom had the pleasure of answering:
From the boy who doesn't like talking over the phone:...

How is the baby?

Can u take a picture of her and bring it home for me to see?

Can we print a picture for my 1st grade teacher cause she wants to see her for sure (with emphasis)!

What did she eat? "Mom's milk" I said, and he asked: "well when can she eat a banana?"

When can I meet her?

Mom - you know that song, (mumble/hum and sings) "My baby is one day old,' [Five Days Old from Laurie Berkner cd] 'mom you can sing it to her... No sing her mama's don't let ur babies grow upto be cowboys..."

Mom: "I think you should sing her all of those" - son said OK

Ok bye mom - the whole phone call was crazy happy!!

Welcome to our lives Baby Girl! 

Make mistake, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.

Summer Bucket list: Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo, First Day of Summer Bucket List 2015 > > My younger son graduated kindergarten, we actually call it the end of year celebration ceremony (we believe you don't "graduate" until high school and then college. We want to hold school standards in a high regard, and if the kids keep having these "graduation ceremonies" then they will start to lose their value. (Their 8th grade graduations will be recognized with a small family dinner at a restaurant of their choice.) 

Younger sons first day of summer starts this Monday, or my older son still has one additional week of school. I asked my younger son what he wants to do on his first day of summer, he said let's go to culvers for ice cream. I said are you sure there isn't more you want to do, we have a whole day of fun we can have, so he said let's go to the zoo. 




And so we did, on Monday we hit the zoo first thing in the morning with our popcorn made it home. We saw the animals that he wanted to see and that he picked. Baby girl did not mind at all her brother making all the decisions that day. Then we drove straight to culvers and thankfully since it's about 30 minutes from the zoo both the kids took a nap in the car on the way there. 

> > It was an all fun day! > > 

Tuesday we were bums, and got started on Father's Day gifts (which is coming up this Sunday) and I finished my sanding and painting of frames. Its gonna be a rainy week to boot. 

I had looked up some ideas on Pinterest and questions to ask the kid regarding their dad. And I knew I would make the handmade card for him. That night of making Father's Day cards, baby girl told her dad she's going to make him a card with the sun on it. Well that was not on our list, so of course we added that to the list and made her card the next day.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud


Lincoln Park Zoo, First Day of Summer Bucket List 2015

Nursing Baby Girl and Her Feet

Baby Girl would nurse and always put her little feet between my legs. Perhaps she kept them tucked under my ribcage in utero? That sure is how it felt! These days were long ago. By the look of her little pants I'd say at least 3 years ago...

She comes to our bed at night, now age 3 1/2, and hse still tucks her legs into mine ... sweetness.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect, and laugh.out.loud.

Handmade Easy Elephant Paws for Baby Girl or as a Gift.

Homemade Easy Elephant Paws Costume for Kids

After sewing the schools costumes this year, my daughters reminding me that she wants elephant paws (a la one of the shows characters). I finished embroidering my boys jerseys, which was thrilling all its own. I can't believe sometimes how easy it is to learn new things. So of course after I showed baby girl that I had finished the boys names, she asked "Whats for me?" Mommy suddenly remembered the Elephant Paws request. And so a star was born... 

Well a basement singer. My universal sewing machine made in Japan is the rock star of this performance. I had made practice stitches of each setting to remember for future use. Said sewing stitch aid as also used here in this project. Baby girl pulled up a chair and sat next to me the whole 20 minutes of sewing. She asked lots of questions and I answered each one as I sewed. Logistics: the elephant paws were sewn wrong way facing first to be inverted when complete. First sew on nails. Then 3 layers if felt. Between the top two layers I stuffed the bunting (using what I had on hand). Then I sewed layer 1-2 closed. I don't want her hands touching the stuffing, pulling it out, getting it dirty, etc. 

Beautiful Purple Elephant Paws, with pink nails. My Daughters color choices can't be beat!  Getting paws on by herself, "but mommy I need help." Nope! "Just like daddy said, if you want your new bracelet - or in your case paws - you need to be able to put it on yourself."  And she did!! 

Baby girl is so excited to try on her elephant paws! 

Trying on her new elephant paws. Pink painted toe nails. Nice touch! 

Date: May 15, 2015

 Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud. 

A Royal "Princess Party" R.S.V.P

We were recently invited to a Princess Party. The invitation is a pink and white crown cut out with the following invitation:

"By Royal Order

You are cordially imvited to

The celebration of 

Princess Friend

Third Birthday

Saturday, September 12th 2015

2:00-4:00 pm

Address included"

Did you know that all invitations from her royal majesty are actually Orders. Orders which we mere day to day people need to obey! I of course googled a proper response to the queens invitation. 

This great website has more details: http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/royal-family/communicating-queen/invitations-and-queen

Our reply:

Sir and Lady Our Names and Lady Baby girl present their compliments to the Mater of Household and have the honour to obey Her Majesty, Princess Piper's command, and will partake in festivities on September 12th at 2.00 o'clock

My baby girl is already planning her outfit, a tiara and tutu skirt. We arent encouraging full on princess dresses yet. Perhaps Ill remake her baptismal gown into a ceeam color skirt for her? She has many pretty dresses, I think I'd rather wncourage her to wear "real" clothes. I do t want the schmata Princess dresses we see eventually falling apart, torn, ripped, etc. Our kids pretwnd play &  dress up often, and I really don't think she's missing out in any way. I can't wait ro get some inspiration from the kids in attendance.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud 

A Day in the Life of Being a Mom, Evolution of Our Daily Schedule

A day on the life of #beingamom. What do you do all day? We Stay at Home Moms (SAHM) LOVE that question. I prefer "family manager" because I do way more then "Stay at Home." There's loads of moms on lockdown. And Loads more who are actively raising their kids and taking this privilege by the horns. I hope I am that mom.

I have posted our NO T.V. Schedule here. And this is one of my most popular posts. This is an updated version. And Yes, you will notice there IS TV time in our routine. I mentioned why absolutely NO television or tube time for my older son was a bad choice!

Here you go! A day in the life of a Stay at Home (Family Manager) mom.

Mom's days are busy, all the time! But WHAT do I do? My facebook friends can see the bug collecting, kids outing, and nature stuff. But those are our "outing days" that we squeeze into our reality. And our reality is also busy eventho it can be mundane at times.

My highlights are the moments with my kids. Reading books, at the park, playing outside, and cuddling - because there's always time for cuddling!

I think of my day in parts. In blocks of time where "I have responsibilities" to fullfill or in blocks of time that "I can fill:"

Daily Time Blocks

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Morning routine to get to school.

8:30 - 11:30 a.m. get thing done like errands outside the house if needed.

And coffee!!

11:30 - 2:00 p.m. lunch and nap time for baby girl. I either nap with her or get a project list item worked on.

2:00 - 6:00 p.m. after school responsibilities and dinner.

7:00 p.m. Bedtime routine

9:00 p.m. Hopefully the day is over and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

Yesterday

Morning Routine

6:45 am Alarm goes off

Hopefully I've awoken before it rings and turned over. I still snooze until 7:00 (terrible habit, I know).

7:05 get up

Usually 1-2 boys are already dressed or getting dressed

Either get dressed for the day, or if I lack motivation stay in PJs.

Breakfast for the kids.

Make lunches + 1 snack for older son.

Walk to school and back (get in first batch of 2,000 steps).

Back home...

8:20 a.m.

Make coffee.

Get baby girl started on cartoons.

Preview Facebook and Twitter News.

Usually I:

Daily load of laundry, 1 washed 1 folded.

Put said laundry away.

In between play with baby girl, put a puzzle together, we are constantly chatting.

But today we are going grocery shopping. So I got dressed when we came back from drop off, and got coffee! Last night I made a yummy tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. It's been a cold Spring and we are in the mood for chili. By 9:00 am we are at the store. First at Target looking for a white straw hat for an event I have coming up. No luck.

Completed shopping, then pick up and drop off my Babcia at 11:00 a.m. She's sending a gift package to Poland. I usually drop her off at the mail facility. She likes taking the bus back home.

___________________________________

Usually: by 10:00 a.m. 

Get dressed for the day if I haven't already (Its ubber important for me to dress well, and show my kids the same).

Dress baby girl.

Pack a snack if needed.

10:30 a.m.

Run errands.

11:30 a.m.

Return home for lunch. Then nap time.

Then I can do something I want to do, hobby wise, or a project with baby girl. 

___________________________________

Today tho I am cooking.

Get home. Unpack groceries. Baby girl plays in toy room.

Start cooking that chili. Recipi is here.

Make a sandwich for lunch and eat.

We eat in the kitchen and read a book, or chat, or color to help baby girl eat.

12:45 p.m. it's her nap time so we read a book, or two. Then play music so she can fall asleep. (I have played gentle music for my kids to fall asleep to since their birth!) 

Sometimes I nap with her (since I need it and these snuggle moments are fleeting).

Today I have some tasks that I can do by baby girl. My chili needs to simmer for an hour. By 1:15 she's asleep.

I am on pinterest looking at how to make my own derby hat (for an upcoming event).

Afternoon Routine

2:00 I make a cup of tea and check the chili. (I am trying to cut back on my coffee intake so I am less irritable.)

At 2:15 my alarm will go off for school pick up reminder. 

Wake baby girl, give her something to drink, use the bathroom, get ready (my next 2,000 steps) to pick up the boys from school. Shoes, coats.

We pick up the boys and talk on the way home about their day, school work, and our girls day too. We often talk into homework time.

3:15 or so, if we didn't stop at the park we tend to be back with the boys in tow. They empty backpacks, lunch bags and change into play clothes. Unuforms go on their chairs for the next day, check pants for stains and get a fresh shirt. I prep snack. Baby girl trails them to hear about their day or play.

Snack and start homework Routine

4:00 p.m. Homework. I stay with the boys to help and start dinner.

Baby girl gets a project or plays.

5:00 p.m. homework is over, younger son gets to play while older son finishes up - at the kitchen table or the desk in his room. 

Dinner Routine and Some Playtime

We either wait for dad to get home to eat between 5:30-6:00 or start on our own if he is going to be late. Kids will do chores as needed like empty the dishwasher, put clothes away or sweep, feed the dog, wipe up spills, clear tables etc.

Set the dinner table with the kids help.

Helping with Garden chores and picking Red Current Bushes

Bedtime Routine

7:00 p.m. Get ready for bed.

Baths or showers. Change into PJs, brush our teeth.

7:30 Snuggles, secret feet tucks and read a book before bed. Hopefully we are done by 8:00 p.m. And I don't mind the hour commitment here. 

And so there goes the day! 

Previously over the years I would stay up and fold a basket of laundry, work on a project, watch TV and have a cup of tea. But then I find myself exhausted for the next day. Instead I get into bed. I chat with my husband, read, watch something on Netflix on the iPad, Pinterest, or mostly go to sleep.

And so the day starts again... Tomorrow.

Fridays are the start of the weekend!!

I make it a point to do a hobby or project list stuff on Friday. Otherwise I don't make much progress on "me" and "family" projects. I have found myself feeling less motivated too. Irony!!! Because I am energetic, idea filled and enthused all the time. And then my motivation lacks. I'll figure this out and get back on track. Thus Fridays are me days.

I make a project list so I can keep track of everything that needs to get done... And for the joy of crossing off the list! I'll have to post my to do list: and what keeps me busy in between my responsibilities. 

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud 

Handmade Gift: Butterfly Feet from Baby Girl

We recently had to accumulate gifts for our cousin heading back home to Guatemala. On the list were cheap tchotchkes like Chicago keychains and magnets. But when I was a young traveler my parents taught me not to spend money on - well - crap. Unless it was something I really wanted or was requested specifically. (I'll post the full list of guft ideas for families abroad shortly.) 

So I convinced our cousin that we would send food and drinks that couldn't be gotten at home. In Guatemala culture there is a lot of coffee drinking, so cookies and biscuits go well with their breakfast and dinner coffee. Amongst ither edibles like Wendel Polish Chocolates. But all this guest shopping brought me to grandmas birthday. Aren't we all tired of crap gifts?

Maybe I am overly sentimental but I love handmade gifts, both giving and receiving. Who has time to make things anymore? And that's partially what make these type of gift all the more special! The thought is time consuming as is the making of it. 

And so came the first "gifts" for 2015. And Baba got this glorious painting, framed. It was inspired by my baby girl who was excited her own birthday was coming one day after Babas. And when we were sharing her bday present wish list, she said "I will give Baba a Kiss and a Hug for her Birthday." That was sweet enough - amd when I happened to see a pair of baby feet on Pinterest, I knew where the quote belonged!!

 

Here are nearly 3 year old baby girls feet, in Pink Acrylic, pressed on. With sharpie marker outlining the details of the butterfly image form, and the quote.

Happy Birthday Mom's, Grandmas and Baby Girls everywhere!!

Make Mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.

Going to the Beach on a Cold Autumn Day

Yes, we go to the Beach even when it's cold outside. We went to visit Grandma and of course Baby Girl said "Lets go to the beach." The kids were stir crazy, it's an hour long ride, we were indoors at home before breakfast and at Grandmas indoors on arrival. It was time to "get our energy out." So we did.

Safety First! Everyone gets dressed in layers, to prevent getting sick and just for the sale of comfort. We don't want to go outside and have to come straight home because of complaining "Mommy, I'm cold!" 

Mommy wears layers too, because its crazy to leave an activity if I am cold! I need to be just as prepared as the kids.

Boys and Baby Girl wear either their fitted Pajama Pants, or their long johns under their pants (baby girl has thick cotton tights). Pants are something wind resistant like Jeans or Sport Pants (not joggers). Shirts are a long sleeve shirt, short sleeved T-Shirt and a sweatshirt or sweater. Hats, gloves, scarf and a jacket. 

Is getting all this clothes on worth it?

ABSOLUTELY!!! We hit the beachfront for about 15 minutes. To escape the wind, we drove a short 1 minute in the same state park to the playground with swings and climbing area. Grandma took older son for a walk, and I stayed playing hide and seek with the 'lil ones. We were outdoors for nearly 2 hours! And time flew by!

These photos were taken the day after Halloween 2014, when we had SNOWFALL in Chicago on October 31!!! I don't ever remember a snowy Halloween. 

These photos are nearly untouched. I love that you can see the Chicago skyline on the right side of this photo. The yellow tones in the picture were the actual colors that day, great contrast against the greys of Lake Michigan (eventho that grey is sediment / dirt in the water). The Lake Michigan waves were 20 feet the day before. We guesstimated about 5' tall in these pics.  Grandma ironically said she'd be warm having on a thick sweater and thin wool red coat. She was the first one in the car, and the kids still wanted to climb the dunes... Good thing Mommy had warm layers on! Baby girl and Baba walked up to the shoreline. The water is grey because of the tumultuous winds causing the high waves, and the waves make the water bring up sediment from the floor bottom of the Lake.

Make Mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud

Going for a Walk, Again, and Again, and Again...

When my older son was born we went for walks every single day, sometimes even twice a day. Regardless if it was the warmest, sunniest day or the chilliest winter in Chicago, every single day we walked again and again and again.

Update: January 2015

Snowstorm "Lucas" dropped over 19 inches of snow on the Chicagoland area. We were flying back home from Las Vegas that day and we were one of the last flights into O'Hare airport. It's now two weeks later in a beautiful 28° day in Chicago, nearly 10 inches of that snow has melted. So baby girl and I are going for our daily walk. As you can see we still have about a foot of snow.

Back to the Original Post: 2014

My grandmother, his great-grandmother's age old advice, baby should get fresh air every day, and get a little bit of red in their cheeks, that makes for a healthy happy child. And I continue that philosophy even till now, a whole nine years later with my younger son and baby girl.

I'll have to admit, it is nine years later, and we own a home and I have three children and I feel like there's lots more to do. We're also continuing some renovations in our basement and kitchen, so walking every day I'll admit is no longer my priority. However that doesn't mean it's not just as important as it was nearly a decade ago.

Taking a walk is such a simple thing, and I know moms can often feel overwhelmed when they see these great ideas from their friends on Facebook and Twitter doing crafts and activities with their kids. But honestly the best activity that I could've ever done with my children is the simple act of taking a walk.

It doesn't matter when, in the morning, in the afternoon, going to a nearby park, or even an after dinner stroll which is another frequent activity of ours. Walking is just one of those excellent activities because you can be completely engaged with your child. Talking about the changing colors of the trees and the leaves, I'm inspired because it's fall now. Or even in the winter time looking at the snow, throwing snowballs, enjoying the chill in the air, and then of course there's the nature fact even though we live in an urban area of Chicago, there is nature all around us. We listen to the squirrel squeak at each other or the birds chirping trying to identify the call of Blue Jays or Robins.

I had the benefit of starting early with my kids, and I've heard some of my neighbors say they think it's not that we walk around so often, that "their kids" would never want to do something as boring as taking a walk. So if you can start them early, otherwise try and engage your kids in simple acts on the walk, like see how many different colors we can find, how many shades of green there are, how many animals we can find, ooh - what's that sound you hear. As for the older ones try to position it as you-and-me time. I want to head about your day! it's just a way of connecting with them and you listening (i phone left at home for a whole 20 minutes) and not talking.

The other thing I love about walks, is it has built in education and concepts that all her kids need to learn. Clothing that's appropriate for the weather, reminders for moms and dads when we should wear hats gloves and scarves, when do we wear our snowboots versus our boots for fall. Gym shoes or crocs today? Did you remember to go potty before you left the house? Do you have socks on? All things we need to consider and teach our kids, at any age.

So I've been lazy, it's Halloween and there's lots of decorating and pumpkin carving, and we haven't been doing our double walks every day. After lunch I would usually take a stroll with baby girl before her nap, because all the fresh air makes for a well deserved nap that is nice and long. However we of course walk every day to go pick up the boys from school. Older son and younger son are now in a full day program at school which just leaves me time with her. And maybe that's where the laziness sets in? Being Taipei isn't easy. When I'm not overloaded with work, I also feel ironically unmotivated. I know isn't that silly? When I'm not tempting to all three of the children, I feel like I'm being lazy which then turned out to be true laziness because I don't do much.  (I know, its like an illness, my version of don't do much, is not the version of most people's time too much, I admit it.)

Today is a vest day in Chicago. It's a nippy 48°, with a high of 55. Tomorrow is Halloween October 31, 2014. And I'm taking a walk with my baby girl.




Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud

After watching PBS Baby Girl wanted to Bake a Cake, When Inspiration Strikes

You can't run away from kids when inspiration strikes! And it strikes often. So as a parent we need I decide are we going to squash their curiosity because "No, not now honey, mommy a busy..." Or take the other path and make their desires happen.

We chose the latter. However not instantly. And it really doesn't matter when you do the activity kids want, just make sure you do it. That same afternoon is better then the next day, simply because the inspiration may pass and become DisInterest ... But try, that's what's important to keep kids learning.

(Bonus: our New York Style cheesecake recipe is listed here at the end of the page.) Mommy was writing insect labels in the kitchen, so when I finished "my job" I was gonna help bake a cake. Mommy clarified that even tho it was Daniel Tigers birthday, it's not baby girls birthday. She wanted a chocolate cake, however mommy didn't have chocolate cake ingredients. But we could make a flan or a Cheesecake. "Ooo mommy I love cheesecake!" Luckily mommy does too.

After watching PBS Baby Girl wanted to Bake a Cake, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr

We pulled out our ingredients, and since I recently got I rid of our microwave (since the last button -One Minute - finally died) we have loads of counter space! Baby mixed in the graham crackers and butter. She poured the ingredients mommy measured into the food processor. She also pushed all the buttons, which was her favorite part.... Until she got to lick the spoon.

After watching PBS Baby Girl wanted to Bake a Cake, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr

When inspiration strikes, enjoy the moment and hopefully get a special treat out of it. 

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New York Style Cheesecake

Original recipe makes 1 9-inch springform pan 
15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. Wrap springform pan in foil. Make a water bath for cheesecake.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door open  for 1. Then cool in fridge in springform pan for additional 3 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

((In our pics you can see a can of sweetened condensed milk (which is basically milk and sugar) leftover from our Spanish style Mango smoothie. We added half a can and guesstimated milk and sugar. I assumed it was roughly worth 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup sugar, reducing the ingredients accordingly. After running the food processor we tasted the batter for sweetness and texture. We could always add more milk or sugar if needed, which it didn't.))
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Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud

Want kids to get interested? Leave books laying around

Ever since my older son was a baby we had books around. Not only baby books but wonderful and richly colored and pictured animal books. Books on people, places, building with Legos, and babies eating. Leaving my own resources around and accessible to the kids allows them to thumb thru things they might find interesting, pictures that catch their eye.

Here it seems baby girl has a thing for spiders! She loves them. I picked up 2 library books on trap door spiders and jumping spiders - he wants to read them every night. These books aren't her level, they have 2 pictures on the open pages and are copy heavy, but she loves hearing about how the spiders live, where try lay eggs, and what they eat.

She's learning about things beyond the book subject too:
-- like research, when mommy looks up a new bug to our collection,

--concentration and patience as she thumbs thru this 250 page reference books to find more spiders

-- she sees there's MORE in the book then just spiders, finding literally thousands of insects!

Kids are sponges, we just need to give them access.

Want kids to get interested? Leave books laying around, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

My Daughter was Inspired by a Beading Game...so we made One at Home

We found an easy toddler inspiration at my young sons preschool. While waiting to pick up younger son, we helped ourselves to the game shelf in his classroom (which his teacher said was okay for us). The teacher had great ideas, including this one. Simple pipe cleaner, and a bag of beads. We replicated this activity at home.

The simplicity of it is genius, and I am amazed that months later this beading fun is STILL exciting at our home. I created a bin, similar to the teachers, and baby girl has access. She lets me know when she warns to play (and while I'm reasonably not afraid shell eat the beads, I make sure I'm with her when we do this activity), and we start. My older and younger son even love this game and they play often. And the boys have added, on their own, patterning ideas, counting, and other ways to change up the beading. 

You can see the teacher had number labes on the pieces of pipe cleaner as a counting game.

So fun, so easy. Made with supplies and Tupperware we had on hand at home.

Just paying attention to what my little toddler wanted, and her interests, inspired all of us, including her two older brothers. Kids CAN teach us about what they like to play, learn about, an where their ability levels are.

Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud

Ladybug Collecting at the End of Summer

We were recently at the beach along the Chicago lakefront. Late August is a nice time to find lots of dead bugs. . . especially ladybugs along the shoreline. It was an average Tuesday, last week of August. It did storm in the morning, so the sand was very wet, wet enough for the kids to make sand castles without water, well into the afternoon when we arrived. I don't think we found this abundant supply of ladybugs because of the rain. I think this is a seasonal effect and our timing is spot on.

Ladybug Collecting at the End of Summer

Baby girl was very helpful finding all the bugs and gathering them into our bug jar. The lady's are along the shoreline, where the waves meet the sand and leave marks along the shoreline. They are usually found upside down with their wings unfolded, exposed and their elytra (the hard wing shell) also up / exposing the body. These most likely drowned because we saw so many walking towards the shoreline. The water was warm for this time of year, but still stunned them as they went into the waves. Lady's overwinter in hiding places and lay eggs in spring. They get their water for hydration from the few on plants and from what they eat. I still haven't uncovered why they were so drawn to the water.

Encouraging Learning About Nature with Sidewalk Chalk: Easy Toddler Activities

Encouraging Learning About Nature with Sidewalk Chalk: Easy Toddler Activities, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Baby girl often asks " play with me" or "stay with me." And I'm happy to oblige. I see my 8 year old older son and I know these days are fleeting.

We love our go to staple activity of sidewalk chalk. It's easy to store, long lasting, and hours (with endless ideas for play) kind of fun.

Today baby girl asked me to draw something for her. We had just received some "new To me" hand me down books from my brother. A wonderful book was included on amphibians and reptiles. I found my favorite, red eyed tree frog, and began to draw. I asked baby girl "where's the frogs nose," "where's his tail," and "his eyes, mouth?"

Some body parts were evident, some weren't pictured. We talked about his colors, spots, features, etc. She asked to "help you" color in his body... She has the yellow parts covered!

I've learned over my time with the kids that they learn through reading and being read too, but so much of their learning is thru observation, and being immersed in conversation of "something" - in this case, a red eyed tree frog.

The proof is in the pudding - so the saying goes - a few days later baby girl was thumbing thru this same book I left laying in the kitchen table, and she told ME: "mama, this is a red eyed tree frog, here's his eye, here's his toe, he has no tail, it's gone!" She's 2 am a half 1/2 years old... And amazing!!

See more of our learning and fun at areyousureaboutthatblog.blogspot.com

Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect. And Laugh.Out.Loud

More Nature Sensory Tub Fun - Changing Rock Colors with Water

More Nature Sensory Tub Fun - Changing Rock Colors with Water, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

My daughter loves water play. Anything and everything wet us her favorite activity. One afternoon I needed to tend to the garden and she of course wanted to help. Once we decided to play with water, I remembered wanting to do this activity with her.

My sons and I have been collecting rocks, beach glass, driftwood and fossils, from our many beach visits along Lake Michigan. Yes you can access a beach in the middle of the United States! We have 3-4 nut containers full of our finds.

One fascinating aspect of these rocks is many of them change color when wet. So we explore each rock, one at a time, and guess what color it will be when it's wet. We also had some porous rocks in our collection and baby girl was guessing if it would "float or sink."

She's only two years old, but amazingly gets concepts quickly! I simply would say "look that rock sinks to the bottom." I said this several times. Then I intentional grabbed a porous stone and dropped it in the water tub, "look, this one is different! It floats!"

She was thrilled - for each rock after that we'd say "float or sink?" This initial 10 minutes of play had her interested for an additional One Hour!

I got to weed and mulch and she enjoyed playing (and learning).

Reminder: This picture looks only partially shaded. It was late afternoon and the tree shades this part of our patio completely - within 10 minutes of this photo being taken. Remember to place your water play in the shade so kids tender young skin doesn't burn. Also be cautious with the water levels in the tub / container of water. If your kid trips or falls in, even accidentally, water levels need to be considered!

Enjoy time with your kids. See more of our play and learnings at areyousureaboutthatblog.blogspot.com

Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect, and Laugh.Out.Loud

A Beach Outing And impromtu Bug Collection - The Insect results

After our wonderful morning, where just baby girl and I enjoyed the beach, and found and impromptu bug hunt, I am happy To report the bug count. We should taken estimates at home for some math fun :-/ next time. It turns out this bottom full of bugs yielded a count of 198. Most we card point pinned using the rest of my plain stainless steel pins. Those even ran out and I did have to use my good bug 002 pins. I just did t want to Run out before summer collection season is over.

A Beach Outing And impromtu Bug Collection - The Insect results

These photos show the 198 before they have been sorted by species (color and size sorting). That'll help when i need to create all their labels. In the 2013 bug collection season I made the mistake of waiting until the end of the season to print all my labels - never again!!