August 17, 2015

What We Did Last Week (Week of 8/10/15)

I feel like all I ever write lately are recaps of what we're doing. I've got a bit of summer induced writer's block with several posts half finished. I guess I'm also trying to just enjoy as much time as I can with the girls before I start taking in other kids. CJ has been working all of his days off too so we only have  a few hours together at night and I'm trying not to spend that time writing. So unless I want to wake up at 6am before the girls... well, that's not happening! Right now I'm limited to rest time (2-3 hours a day to get everything done!) and that will disappear once new kids start here so I'm working on a schedule that will help me organize my time better. All that said, we had a really great week full of fun! I finally got to the dollar store and picked up some things that I've been wanting for a while. We had a great time exploring all our new stuff and learning while we play!

Nature and Outside Time

 

We spent so much time outside this week. It was gorgeous out, low humidity for the most part and perfect weather for just hanging out. We had a picnic in the backyard, went for walks over to the park and got a chance to check out The Crossings, an awesome park with a playground, duck pond and walking trails.

Sensory and Exploration

We started the week with our first time coloring with crayons! It doesn't look like much but these "most important marks" are the precursor to writing, just as babbling is to talking. They are practicing hand-eye coordination, working on their grasp and fine motor skills and learning about color and creative expression.


I finally found a great square box to make a discovery box out of! I cut a hole in the top and dropped in some miscellaneous items like scarves, the shower rings, balls and a rattle. They loved reaching in and pulling out a surprise. Jules figured out how to dump it and get everything out at once but Viv sat and pulled things out one by one!



We tried out some new sensory activities this week. I picked up some beaded necklaces and shower rings at the dollar store, tossed them in a bin with balls, bottle tops, buckets and cups. They had so much fun with it!

I finally got my hands on some hula hoops! They thought they were the craziest things and kept trapping each other inside them!

Music, Movement and Games

Our favorite playlist this week was Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice on Spotify. It's full of adorable songs for them to bop along to that I love singing as well.

We practiced climbing quite a bit this week. I got a new printer and the box makes for a perfect step for them to climb up and down from. They've pretty much mastered the movements of getting up, turning around and getting back down, although Jules likes to pretend she can't do it and waits for me to rescue her.

We invented a new game to get them to explore the grass a bit more. Since they love chasing balls and tossing them, when we were at the park I started tossing them just a bit off the blanket and having them go after them. Each time I tossed them a little further and before they knew it they were totally off the blanket. They even forgot all about the balls and set out to explore the grass beneath their feet!

Favorite Toys

Climber - My dad got them this awesome climber for their birthday and we finally got it all set up. Yes, it's inside. I'm thinking ahead to winter time when I will likely have two walking toddlers with boundless energy. So far they only use the ball part but they looove it - they will stand there forever tossing balls out, rolling them down the slide and crawling under it to get them.

Animal Skittles - I scored this awesome find at Marshall's this week. These cute little wooden animals are the perfect size for their hands, they love banging them together, dropping them in boxes and buckets and knocking them down when I set them up.

My dollar store finds - hula hoops, beaded necklaces, shower curtain rings, hand held mirrors, cars, fireman hats, wooden spoons, palm size rocks, etc.

Favorite Books

I read somewhere that by the time your baby is a year old you likely have at least 3 books memorized. I've always tried to keep a good variety of books since we read so often but ever since receiving it for their birthday Llama Llama Red Pajama has dominated most of our reading time. So much so that I've pretty much got it down in less than 3 weeks.

Thankfully they love anything new so when I picked up our first Halloween book this week (I know, I'm early, I couldn't help myself) I was happy they got so into it. I couldn't believe I found it at Marshall's but it's the Cheerio Halloween Playbook! They're not old enough yet to actually use it but they like looking at it and putting their fingers on the Os!

New Foods

Spinach and Banana muffins, mini english muffin pizzas, almond butter and jam sandwiches, "salad" (deconstructed with romaine, carrots, cucumber and chickpeas)

Like I said I have several posts waiting to be edited, finished and photos added, eventually I'll get to them. Until then, I hope you're enjoying reading up on how we spend our time and getting ideas for your own babies!

Xo,
Maigen

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