This week has been a slow moving one, literally. For starters, I began the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and everything hurts (in a good way!). Also, Taitum has been up a lot at night this week. Arg. Sleepless nights make for a slow motion type of day. To top it all off my printer was being a stinker AND I was out of cardstock (and so was Walmart :P). So despite my plans to have a farm filled week, there was very little related to the theme.

Piper did go hunting for farm animals in a tub of hay and then sorted them. Both girls played a lot with these new toys and their farm, too!

We did read lots of farm related books, our favorite being Dooby, Dooby, Moo! There was so much giggling going on each time I read this one!

So we looked for signs of spring...

Took babies for a ride in their strollers...

And went for a spin on their tricycles!

Piper also started a nature journal. She is very into collecting items on our daily walks and so we've begun to draw pictures of the items after returning home!

A piece of bark she found and the picture she drew of it for her journal.

Piper is also super obsessed with her new Let's Fold! Kumon workbook. We do several of these each day and its so neat to watch her catch onto this skill!

On St. Patty's Day, we made a Froot Loop rainbow (the highlight of which was getting to eat the Froot Loops!).

Then she made this cute little TP roll leprechaun!

Despite not being the week that I had originally planned, it turned out great! Sometimes its nice to have a week of doing more spur of the moment type things and I think that now that its getting so nice out, I will begin planning less activities and spend way more time outside exploring!

I'm linking up to:

There's nothing like a special occasion to do some fun food things! So for St. Patrick's Day we....

Ate our favorite pancakes topped with green whipping cream! And, green milk to drink, of course!

Then enjoyed a delicious fruit rainbow for snack (doesn't it just make you smile?!).

Lunch was Piper's favorite: mini pizzas but topped with olive shamrocks and a side of edamame! (She ate the olives first, then the cheese, then the turkey pepperoni and finally the english muffin. Its a step-by-step process!)

Dessert that evening: Leprechaun Bites! It was this recipe except I couldn't get the dough to roll out for me so I improvised. They were very yummy (I am partial to mint and chocolate!)

But the BEST thing about St. Patrick's Day was...

my little leprechaun baby...

And my little non-conformist! ("Me no wear green! Me wear red!")

In honor of the day, I thought I'd share this fun printable with you from KikiCreates!

Boy and girl leprechaun dress up dolls!

Just go here and follow the instructions!

One of the things that we think is very important in our children's education is life skills. Its important that they learn to do everyday household chores and realize that as part of the family, they too are responsible to help it run smoothly.

At this point, I don't assign any chores to Piper but I do have expectations such as cleaning up her room before she goes to bed, clearing her place at the table when she is done eating and putting her dirty laundry in the laundry closet instead of her bedroom floor! Depending on the day, I do have a bit of a struggle getting her to do these things but for the most part she is happy to help (mostly because it makes her feel like a big girl!). But that is not the end of the tasks this little one is learning to do! She is truly my sidekick and pitches in with whatever I can find for her! She loves being just like Mama and works so hard to get things just so (although they often are not which is something you just have to learn to be ok with!).

But the best thing of all is the time I get to spend with my sweet daughter! My days are full in part because I have this little one, tagging along, keeping me company, desiring to learn and wanting to know 'why?' Why must she start wiping the window she is cleaning from the bottom and not the top? Why should she be very careful of where her fingers are when grating cheese? Why must she not push down too hard on the cracker when buttering it? Why must you tuck the blankets of the bed under the mattress? Why?

I won't lie. Initially, this was simply a means of keeping my girly out of trouble when I had some cleaning or cooking to do! It took a bit of work and creativity on my part but, in the end, I was able to dust the living room or make supper or fold laundry without too many mishaps or interruptions. Over time, I began to realize the value of including her in these things and now it is just becoming a way of life for us!

I'm sure a day will come when all these things are not quite so delightful to her! But in the mean time I'll continue to cherish these memories (and perhaps hang onto these pictures to remind her that once she did love to do the dishes!)

For some more great ideas of life skills appropriate for preschoolers, check out this article at Raising Homemakers.

So I may have been wrong with my prediction that winter was far from over for us! There are some sure signs of spring in our neighborhood, one of which is a sweet little girl in her rubber boots! Taitum and I enjoyed a walk together last night and she got to go puddle jumping for the first time ever!

*This post includes what we did last week, too, since I wasn't able to post it while away!*

Once again Taitum joined us for many of the things I had planned for Piper. Some things interest her, others not at all and sometimes she has her own idea of what to do! She is getting busier and busier by the day! Usually, its in a good way. She wants to explore and try new things and is very curious! Sometimes though its not so fun for me...I've had to wash her hands numerous times this past week since I find them regularly in the toilet. She has also figured out how to get up on her sister's bed and that jumping on it is fun! Needless to say, she keeps things happening! I'm finding myself having to say 'No' far more often! On the other hand, I enjoy sharing new discoveries with her like learning to jump without holding onto anything and how to crawl around on all fours and growl like a lion! This is an age of non stop energy but I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Taitum made a texture collage like her sister. She especially loved feeling (and tasting) each item before adding it to the paper!

This is a new toy we just purchased - Counting Bears. Taitum is learning to sort them according to color.

And she really likes this activity! :)

Of course, she liked water play. Most of her play was pouring the water into her lap! But that's why I put the towels on the floor! Otherwise, we might have had a bit of a flood on our hands!!

At first, Tait didn't realize what she was painting with...

Until she saw her sister tasting it and followed suit. She was one happy girl when she made this discovery - pudding painting!

Being a sticker lover, this activity was right up her alley!

She really enjoyed making music with all kinds of instruments but especially the triangle!

Bubble painting was fun, too, but she just HAD to get her fingers in that paint!!

The next week: Swimming!

This girl LOVES to be in the water! She is just itching to be able to swim on her own and being dunked under doesn't fizz her a bit! In fact, she comes out of the water clapping!

Both girls really liked hanging onto the side of the pool and kicking their feet.

And Taitum loved being queen of the pool sitting up on this mat with a ball in her hands!

Although I'm sure she has no idea what money is, she was still excited to find a toonie in her Shrove Tuesday pancake!

My 2 little travel buddies and I had a great time together taking a break from school and the everyday routine! We're off now to start a farm theme next week!

Linking up to: