And she is back!

Hello my lovelies!!!! It has been WAY TOO LONG! I have missed you so very much, yet we have been oh so busy with family matters that have kept me away. Fam first am I right?!

I hope y'all are ready for the holidays! I am not.... Shocking, I know. Biscuit has some serious pipe dreams of a pony and a castle waiting for her under the tree. Sadly, that is not what "Santa" has in store. However we shall not disappoint! I have noticed that Biscuit’s favorite days are our “Girl Days.” Every week we have a “Girl Day” where we grab a Starbucks, hit up the bookstore, and sit down for a lovely lunch before a good long nap! Just kidding about that last part, we all know good long naps are fairy tales. I’ll settle for thirty minutes of quiet time to pin recipes that I will never get around to making. So in the spirit of “Girl Day” activities, I have decided to create special gifts for my little angel that will include all of the fixings for a super special day together. Here are some ideas…

MESSY ART DAY GIFT BOX

In a large box, place the following items to encourage all kinds of messy creative artsy play ~

 

A Mimi the Sardine Art Apron!

This beauty is made from organic cotton protected with kid-friendly water-based acrylic coating.

 

Finger paint

 

Grab finger paints in primary colors to encourage mixing!!

 

Finger paint Paper

 

 

 

 This adorable funky artist set includes paints, fun textured brushes, and paint plates!

 

 What's messy art time without some rainbow slime?!

 

Stash the ingredients you would need to make this amazing creation into your gift box!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 QUIET PLAY GIFT BOX

Create another large box fulled of quiet time games and activities for you to share.

Floor Puzzles are a terrific way to encourage quiet thoughtful play.

 

 

 

If you have not purchased these a-mah-zing reusable sticker pads from Melissa and Doug ~ You need to give them a try!! Tons of quiet time fun for your little one!!

Pattern Blocks are another must have!


IN THE KITCHEN GIFT BOX

My little pumpkin loves to help in the kitchen, baking is her favorite since the end result is often so yummy! Prepare a box full of items that will encourage some bonding time over sweet treats!!

Be sure to include this darling Playful Chef Kit!

A Mom and Me Cookbook

Don't forget to throw in a fantastic cupcake mix!

Well there you have it! Not a pony or a castle, but a good time is most certainly to be had!!





 

Oh so simple! Tape Collage!

Oh the simple things that keep a three year old busy.... I love it!!!! Have you all been to Target lately? Yes that is a silly question, mommies live there don't we? Anywho, I'm sure you have seen the Kid Made Modern art supplies, they are so cute! I grabbed the solid colored tape rolls on my last trip, tape collages always kept my preschool class occupied for a good while! I set out the rolls of tape with some paper for Biscuit to explore with after her nap. This is what she did....

 

You know you have a Montessori kid when ......

LOL!

 

Ta ~ Da!

 

This kept her busy for most of the afternoon.

 

Here is take two.....

 

 

 

Happy Playing & Exploring!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

LBOH !!

Okay this week's LBOH is not Little Bits of Happiness.... It's LOTTA Bits of Happiness!! My bff from NC and her darling lil munchkin came to visit last week!! Biscuit was so happy to have her friend here to play all day long, it was darling. Also we clearly scheduled in some Mommies Only time. Hello Napa!! Here is a look at our amazing week...

 

The girls!

They take their Fro Yo at Yolo very seriously.

Cupcakes!!!

This was a honey lavender cupcake and it was delish!!

Napa!

Can you tell we were just drinking red wine?!

Look at those red teeth! Geeeeez.

 

The kiddos after a day with our very brave sitter.

Wine Tasting again!

 

Jen trying to hide from the camera, nicely done.

Yes that is a giant pitcher of cherry mojitos at lunch, don't judge us.

Jen trying to get a pic, clearly I am not as fast as she is.

AWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

They were chasing after boys at the park.

 I think I am going to have my hands full.

 

I miss you girls so much!

XOXOXO

 

Stay tuned for some adorable autumn activities!

 

 

Fluffy Stuff Sensory Play

Have you all heard of "Fluffy Stuff?!" It's amazing! I found it on the web and had to try it right away.

This concoction is similar to cloud dough, yet a little easier to mold. You can actually roll this "stuff" into balls!

All you need is two boxes of cornstarch and one can of shaving cream. I started with the two boxes of cornstarch and gradually added the shaving cream until the consistency was perfect for playing and molding. We added in some powdered tempura paint because Biscuit wanted purple fluffy stuff, clearly. I'm surprised she didn't want to add glitter!!

This is what it looks like after everything is mixed!

Had to add the purple ;)

Super easy to mold, Biscuit loved making little balls.

Then we added sea shells per Biscuit's request, it was a "purple beach."

 

 

 

This was so much fun, we played for hours at our purple beach!!

However our fluffy stuff didn't last more than a couple of days in an air tight container.

Just FYI. ;)

 

Happy Playing & Exploring!!

LBOH a day early....

So much happiness this week! Where to begin?! Well, to start my baby girl turned THREE! What?! How did this happen?! We had an amazing weekend together and she had way too much sugar. But it's all in good fun, right?

 Another bit of happiness is that I had the opportunity to work with Amber of Finch and Fox for a photo shoot! She is incredible and a blessing to work with for sure. Her assistant was a blast and a half too! I got to wear the cutest dress ever and I am still drooling over the shoes....

Can you handle how cute this dress is?!

 

Yes, I had way too much fun with this part.

"Mommy, I am going to draw you a butterfly!"

She drew this. Seriously?! Amazing.

Mommy and Biscuit at Starbucks = heaven. :)

Link up with Stephanie. You know the drill!

Yummy Paint

I have three big weaknesses in life ~ shoes, Starbucks, and chocolate. Uh-oh. We had a huge bag of M & Ms in the house. They were left over from a batch of pretzel buttons we made for snack duty. I cannot have M & Ms in this house people!!! What's a girl to do?! Turn them into paint for her lil Biscuit, that's what.

First I had Biscuit sort the colors.

Then we added a bit of water and stirred them up a little.

She painted with these for quite a while....

I wish I could say all of the M & Ms stayed in the cups, but let's be honest. Biscuit started digging into them about five minutes in.

Movement in the classroom

Recently I was asked to speak at a professional development program for a local school district. The focus of this class is ways to enrich learning in Pre-K and Kindergarten environments. I decided to speak on something that is close to my heart, movement! Movement is a critical part of brain development in children and too many schools are requiring far too much seat work from their younger students.

Here is a piece from my presentation that I wanted to share with you all.....

Remember when most kids would actually walk to school and ride their bikes to play with friends?! Those days seem to have been replaced by sedentary play that is focused around technology. Technology is wonderful, it has allowed for a never-ending flow of knowledge at just the click of a button, however it has also replaced one of the fundamental building blocks of learning, MOVEMENT!! We must remember that play serves a central role in learning, whether it is academic or behavioral.

Sadly an increasing emphasis on academics has forced schools to demand more testing, which usually requires more seat work in the classroom. Therefore evidence of learning has taken a turn. Parents are excited by what their children are “learning” via flashcards, DVDs, and computer programs, rather than an increase in dialogue, confidence, and a genuine love of learning. We must remember that rote learning is the result of sheer memorization. Authentic learning involves comprehension. Authentic learning, the process of exploration and acquiring knowledge will serve a child endlessly.

We’ve all heard that children learn by doing, in fact movement is the child’s preferred mode of learning! We see that physical activity activates the brain much more so than seat work. Sitting increases fatigue, therefore reducing concentration, while movement feeds oxygen and glucose to the brain, optimizing its performance. Children need to move about their environment in order to bring meaning and intention to knowledge.

Now when can we use movement in Classrooms?! Well in a preschool or Pre-k setting we can start our day with an active circle time. In Kindergarten we can take breaks and dance or exercise. Try moving about the classroom for lesson enrichment, move to transition between classroom activities or within the school building. Also, teachers should play with children during outdoor play! Something as simple as blowing bubbles for students to catch or pop encourages them to run and jump! We need to encourage structured and unstructured physical play!

Some good facts to keep in mind ~

Submitted by admin on February 1, 2011 - 8:42am.

·ADH Learning D

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE, 2009) recommends that:

• Young children should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.
• Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes a day of structured physical activity and at least 60 minutes a day of unstructured physical activity.
• Preschoolers are encouraged to accumulate at least 60 minutes a day of both structured and unstructured physical activity.
• While 60 minutes a day is the suggested minimum, it is further recommended that children accumulate “up to several hours” of physical activity daily.

Interesting right?!

Happy Playing, Exploring, and MOVING!!

It's a holiday, for realz

Although it is off topic considering the nature of this blog, I have to share this.

JULY 28th is NATIONAL DANCE DAY!!!!

Dance is such a huge part of my life, hopefully it will be part of Biscuit's as well. Dance brings me so much joy and I swear it is therapy for me. No LMFT needed her, just a hardwood floor and enough space to spin around. ;)

I spent a good part of my life on stage and a true love of mine was lyrical, contemporary dance. So in honor of National Dance Day approaching, I thought I would share some of my FAVORITE choreography in this genre.
Although he is relatively new to the choreography scene, Travis Wall has become one of my faves. This kid has such an amazing gift. LOVE the musicality of his work. These pieces are simply gorgeous. 

And now you all know what a hopeless romantic I am.....

I mean, swoooooooning over here.

Get out and dance on July 28th!!

Little Bits of Happiness!

It's time again for LBOH! Y'all know the drill, every week we link up with Stephanie to share some smiles! Here is a look at this week's little bits of happiness....

Heaven = a cherry mojito.

Roar!

Homemade Naan.

Yeah, you heard me.

Ice cream at the farmer's market.

A surprise package from my bff, love you!

Painting at the museum, my lil artist!

Love that woman.

Link up with Steph!