Balloon Fiesta

My Cleaning System

I really like the ideas that the Flylady has. :) I adapted them to work with my schedule and the tiny bit of OCD that I have! :)

I of course still do the morning routine:
wipe down counters/mirrors in bathroom
wipe down toilet and scrub bowl (about every day or every other day as needed)
unload dishwasher
put a load of laundry in the washer, then dryer
make bed

When I get home from school:
play with Noah for a little while
do my daily chores for 20-30 minutes
play with Noah
start dinner (clean up as I go) (trying hard to use the Crock pot or make ahead a few meals)
eat dinner & clean up kitchen
playtime/relax

and the evening routine:

put away the load of laundry
load dishwasher
wipe down sink
straighten all toys (with Noah's help)
get lunches & drinks ready for the next day
lay out mine and Noah's clothes for the next day
put items needed for school in car

Sometimes I don't get it all done.  However, just doing some cleaning every day helps! If I absolutely can't get to it, I try to fit it in the next day.  It's so nice to wake up to a clean kitchen and a straightened house every day!

Montessori School

I enrolled Noah at a Montessori School nearby.  He's so bright and very active.  He's 100% boy and needs room and freedom to explore.  I'm hoping this school will be the right environment for him.  I'm praying for an easy adjustment for him, good friends and a kind, patient teacher.  I want him to like school.

Laguna Beach

We went to the beach in July.  I'm so thrilled Noah has inherited a love for the ocean and the beach from us.  He could stay all day playing-in the water, in the sand...  He loves it.  We can't stay long enough for Noah.  I really wish we lived near the beach! (Then Disneyland would be nearby, too!)

Soccer

Noah loves to run. And. He. Is. Fast!  So I signed him up for soccer.  He is on a team of about ten kids ages 3 to 5.  He loves the warm-up exercises and the running. Standing in line to wait his turn during drills- not so much.  It's not really easy for any of the boys. They start chasing & wrestling, etc...  He had to stand by the coach during a lot of the last practice because he wasn't behaving in line.  So, guess what?  He doesn't like going to soccer.  It is a battle every practice and game day.  I don't know if he's too young or if he just doesn't like it.  I've been having him continue to try hoping it will get easier, more familiar for him, and maybe he'll like it. There are about 5 weeks left.  I guess we'll see...

Butterbeer Cookies

Harry Potter-inspired giant cookie!

Here is the recipe from the blog, Bake at 350 by Bridget...

Also, here is the link to her blog if you'd like to see her awesome cookies with the Hogwarts House crests on them...

http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2011/07/butterbeer-cookies-for-final-harry.html

Butterbeer Sugar Cookies

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1 tsp butter flavoring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.

Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. (The dough will be quite thick...you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.)

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Butterbeer Glaze
{This will cover 12 cookies...and I STRONGLY recommend doubling the recipe as you might want to put this in a shot glass and drink it straight.}

2/3 cup butterscotch chips (I used Guittard)
1/8 cup evaporated milk
1 TBSP light corn syrup
pinch coarse salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler). Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula. If using the fondant house crests, place these on the wet glaze to adhere.

Trains

Noah loves to play trains. He can play with trains for a long time! We really love this Geotrax set he got for his 3rd birthday. We've added to it a few times. It's great for younger kids!

Chicago

We went to an awesome children's museum in Chicago. Noah loved it! This room was the water room. You could sail boats and try to control the flow of the water. In this picture, Noah is experimenting with pulleys. There was digging for dinosaur bones, making forts, role-playing a fire fighter, huge rope ladders to climb, and more. Another aspect that was awesome was the fact that the museum is on the Navy Pier. We ate lunch on the pier at Bubba Gump's & took a speed boat tour on the lake! It was a fantastic day!!!

Day out with Thomas

We took Noah to "A Day Out with Thomas" in Durango.  Noah really enjoyed the train ride.  We bought all day passes and rode on Thomas several times. There were lots of fun things for Noah to do.  What a wonderful day!

Golf Cart Time

When we went to Farmington, Noah asked his great grandfather to take him on a golf cart ride.  He loved it!  I love how you can see his little hand on his great grandfather's leg!  So precious!  :)

Mud

Noah loves mud!  If there isn't any, he'll make it.  If there is some, he'll make more!  He doesn't make mud pies. He loves to throw mud at the wall!  He loves to walk in it and feel the mud squish in between his toes.  Of course, he absolutely loves the water hose.  He will spray you!

Soccer practice

Noah began soccer last Monday at Scotsdale's Upward Soccer.  He loved doing the exercises to warm up.  It was very hard for him to wait his turn in the drills.  At the end of practice, his coach said, "You're going to be the death of me!" while he laughed.  I said something about waiting is hard for three year olds. He was shocked that Noah was only 3.  Several kids on his team are 5, but he kept up pretty well with them.  I think he likes soccer.  Now, if only we can keep those hands off that ball!  :)

Noah & DOUGHNUTS

This is how Noah eats a doughnut!  Yes, he was done when I took the picture.  Too funny!

New Project for Noah

In June, we're going to take Noah to ride "Thomas the Train" in Durango, CO. Since it can sometimes be chilly and because he loves trains, I wanted to make a blanket for him. (I LOVE themes!) I found this material at Hobby Lobby.

Using the pattern below, I am going to make the blanket (that really goes in a crib). I wanted a smaller sized blanket that can go in the backpack when we don't need it. The star material will be the backing and the border edges. (I took the picture right before I put the material in the dryer--because I couldn't wait until they were dry to take the picture!)

This is the first time I've made a blanket. It's also been a LONG time since I've sewn anything with a pattern. The last thing I did, I just invented myself. I know I'll be calling my grandmother to ask her what this marking means, etc...!

I cut out the pattern pieces and the fabric is in the dryer. Hopefully, I'll get some more time to work on it tonight. :)

Easter nests

Disneyland

Noah wanted to ride Astro Blasters so he could "shoot the bad guys!" I was surprised he remembered it, because we hadn't ridden that in over 9 months. He really enjoyed it though. I think his favorite part is turning the car around and around!

Noah also really enjoyed riding the Monorail several times this past visit. (It's also a great way to get to the far end of Downtown Disney quickly!) He still LOVES the Disneyland train. He always helps shout, "All Aboard!"

It's a hard thing to be tall enough for more rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but then realize it's too fast. He really wanted to ride BTMR this time. Last December, he tried it. This time, it was his idea to ride it. However, he did not like it. Then it makes it really hard to get him to try "Soaring Over California." Hopefully, next time!

My most favorite part was when we were watching the Disneyland fireworks from our hotel balcony. Just Noah and I were out there and all of a sudden, we could see Tinkerbell. We watched her fly. Noah was fascinated. When she flew away, he laid his head on my shoulder and giggled. It felt like we were the only ones who could see her. :)

Small World

Noah continues to love "It's a Small World." He loves music! He also loves the Tiki Room. When we walk in, he shouts, "Wake up, Jose!" It's so cute. He just watches all the birds and flowers with such fascination. His favorite part is when the tikis play their drums. He also told me this visit, "They don't poke their tummies to wake them up, they hit them on the head!" LOL!

Swinging

Noah loves to swing! We definitely have the swing set anchored because he's always saying, "Higher, higher!"

Sometimes when he swings he pretends he's flying over Disneyland and he calls out the rides he sees. It's so cute!

Please fasten your seat belts...

Safety first! Noah always makes sure he has his seat belt on when he swings! :)

The Young Pianist

Noah loves the piano. Today he needed to reach the pedals while he played! Almost ready for lessons, Ryan!

Kool-Aid Play Doh :)

Playing with a fresh batch of Kool-Aid Play-Doh (Cherry Watermelon Scent: My favorite!)

Hand Painting by Noah

True artists create their own canvas!

Noah is writing!

While I was in the shower, Noah wrote his name all by himself!! Look for the N and go counter-clockwise! So proud!!! =D

Noah's Lincoln Logs from Ryan

Noah got some Lincoln Logs for Christmas. He wanted to put together the house that he sees on the box with his daddy this morning. He came into the kitchen holding the directions while studying them intently. He was pointing to the pictures and showing us what we needed to do. It was so cute!

Then we went into his room to build the winter lodge. He was so adorable consulting the directions as we put it together. Of course, it did take a few minutes to put together and he'd rather knock it all down than build the lodge! So when we finally got it put together, I took a quick picture of it. Then he proceeded to knock it down. He definitely likes Lincoln Logs, though! He didn't want to put them away later...but we did. :)