How’s this for volume?

We were going for curly, but got Richard Simms…

Oops.

Oooh, a possibility for next Halloween’s costume…

Note to grandparents:  No, this is not a permanent.  It is, however, the by-product of twirling her hair and wrapping it around itself while wet to let her sleep on it.  It should be back to normal until… our amusement with it ceases.

Note to future Lorelei:  It was an accident, I swear.  But, now that it’s done, we might as well have fun with it, right?  I promise not to complain any more about how thin your hair seems.  I also promise to never give you a permanent fro.  I don’t promise, however, to not dress you up as Richard Simms for halloween.

Welcome back!

We’re having a giveaway worth over $149.95!

What you can win:

An entire First – Toddle Set which includes (valued at $149.95):

• Primary Walker
• Play Floor Mat
• End Activity Table
• Net Mesh Tent/Crawl-Thru (Below)
• Sports Ball Set
• Mini-Basketball Backboard/Hoop/Net
• Mini-Soccer/Hockey Goal
• Mini-Hockey Stick/Golf Club
• Large Soccer/Hockey Net (Below)
• Carry-All Box
• Soft Stuffed Toys (2)
• Soft Velcro Straps (6) to Attach Other Toys
• The First Toddle^® Child Development Guide

The winner chooses whether they’d like the Boy or Girls set.

For more information, check out my review and what we thought:  HERE.

How To WIN:

Entering is easy!

To enter, simply leave a comment* on THIS post.

But, why stop there?  For more entries, simply do any (or all) of the following and coming back here to tell me you’ve done it:

• Tweet about this giveaway and include the link back to this post.  Be sure to use the hashtag #firsttoddle in your tweet.
• Facebook about this giveaway and include the link back to this post.
• Write a blog post about this giveaway and link back.
• Check out their website and answer this bit of trivia in a comment to this post:  Can you name ONE of the many awards First Toddle has received

Deadlines and other important information:

A winner will be RANDOMLY drawn April 4, 2010.  Although the drawing will be random, you can improve your chances (see How To Win).

**In your comments, please be sure I have a way to contact you (email, etc.)

There’s some new excitement in our home…

And, it’s something easily (and willingly) shared…

It lets us play indoors as we wait for the sun to shine a little brighter…

It takes many, many shapes – including a soccer goal, basketball goal, play tent, and jungle gym/walker.

Who needs the ball, really?  It’s so much fun without it!

“Mom, can we both me (g)oalies? Pwease?” – Lorelei (age 2)

We recently received a new “toy” on the market called FirstToddle.  Beyond hitting her sister upside the head with the doll she didn’t want to share, I wasn’t sure how well a toy – any toy – would span their ages and attention (without being used as a weapon).  FirstToddle EXCEEDED my expectations.

This “jungle gym” of sorts assembled easily and needed no tools, whatsoever.  It clicks into place, making setup a breeze.

Although the age range calls for 3 months to 3 + years, I really think it could even go beyond – infants would love to lay on the mat (with the overhead bars shortened) and the included dangling animals swaying overhead.  And, children will surely grow with a “fort” that transforms into  a “soccer goal” or “basketball goal” in the matter of seconds!  My 10 month old absolutely adored every possible configuration and broke out into a contagious grin every time we put it in the center of the room.  Lorelei, who will be 3 in a few weeks, had fun playing beside Aurora.  Every new position I arranged the pieces in was her “new favorite.”  They nursed their “babies” back to health in a “fort,” played basketball, played goalie, became gymnasts, and practiced walking.

As a mother, MY favorite thing about this toy is how simple it is to put together, but also that it’s limited ONLY by our imagination.  I also appreciated that everything I needed came INCLUDED!

Also, FirstToddle has a special mat, which is just genius!  The corners of the play center fit snugly into the mat, keeping the pieces from sliding around, which means that even the most unsteady 10 month old (mine) won’t slide head first as she reaches forward, trying to grasp the bar.

FirstToddle was not only entertaining for both of my children – but, it made my daughter (Aurora) feel secure enough to practice standing and “cruising,” and provided me with the relief that there were no sharp edges and everything was easy to hold on to and grasp, preventing so many falls!

If you ask us, this toy was a SLAM DUNK!

We recently started a new curriculum, and I absolutely LOVE it!  Right now, we’re focusing on science with more “planned out” activities while we let her other learning come from less planned activities and lots of question asking and exploring.

But, as we started diving into the new curriculum, I had a thought:

“Wouldn’t this just be SO much more fun as a group?  Nothing beats learning with some of your best friends!”

I put up a invitation (first come-first serve) on Facebook, inviting my friends to take part in our “preschool” science days, and was amazed at the response!

So, I named our little homeschool classroom “New Discoveries,” and a group of preschoolers meet each week with us to learn.

This week is our first week as meeting with other children, and it went great!

Right now, we’re learning about the praying mantis.

We read THIS book (which was amazing!).

Then, we made our own praying mantises:

And, we learned about their body parts, how and what they eat, their lifecycle, how they clean themselves, and even acted out how they catch their prey!

Then, we went outside to get the habitat ready.  Sticks, leaves, moss and grass were collected by little hands in preparation for the egg sack that would be arriving by FedEx sometime today.  As we made our way back inside, guess who showed up?

That’s right.  Approximately 50-100 unborn praying mantises via FedEx.  We were one excited bunch!

In a few weeks, we’ll have little praying mantis nymphs scurrying around, and enough for the whole class to take home and unleash wherever they choose (outside )

And tomorrow?  We’re studying sedimentary rocks.

I used to be of the mindset that truth was a simple thing – that truth was not only always the best policy, but that sugarcoating it was for wussies. –That, if you couldn’t handle the blunt, raw truth…that it was YOUR problem. I believed that if everyone was just THAT honest, we’d all be a happier, simpler world.

Since then, I’ve learned differently.

Since then, I’ve learned that we all see truth in our own ways. What I believe to be true and what you believe to be true could be totally different. We experience things differently, and while certain things will remain consistent, there will be others that change depending on who you ask.

I’ve also learned that truth is much like water – it can heal or it can destroy, depending upon how it is delivered.

A cup of water gently delivered to someone tired and thirsty? Healing.
Water sprayed in their face? Not so much.

Water sprinkled on parched soil? Healing.
Water blasted by a firehose on fertile farmland? Not so much.

A warm bath to soak tired muscles? Healing.
Boiling water poured over same body…Not so much.

Truth, like water, can heal or it can destroy.

Delivered GENTLY and with love, it can heal. Sprayed in someone’s face and/or with anger, it can destroy.

There’s a time for honesty and there’s a time to simply listen. And, while I don’t advocate lies – I believe that in order to follow Jesus, our lives have to be “sugarcoated” in the Holy Spirit – in compassion, in love.

Your so called “honesty” is sometimes nothing more than a concealed deadly dagger perched and ready to pierce a soul.

Today, I hope you disarm yourself and take the time to “sugarcoat” your lives lest you learn this lesson the hard way. Like I have.

*EDIT:  Coating things in kindness is something I believe we should all aspire to, however I do not believe you should look to me as your model.  That’s not what this post is about.  I, too, am imperfect and strive daily (and mess up just as much) to seek God’s face.

*EDIT:  This post was NOT a response or post geared to any one person (or people).  However, this blog is not a fictional one, and I did write about a TOPIC that has affected me and that I feel strongly about.

This week is going to be a 6-day week for me, right after I delete today from my memory.

It’s been one of THOSE days – the kind where you feel so emotionally and mentally handicapped that there doesn’t seem like much more of an option other than JUST BEING.  -Where even painting (something you normally enjoy) seems like a task so unapproachable.

One of those days where bad news follows bad news which follows more less-than-desirable news.

Yep.  One of those days.

And, on top of it all, my brain is doing somersaults, trying to find the “right” answer to a problem in my head – one where spiritual and physical conflict and just leave me questioning all over again.

Right now, my life feels like it’s suspended for a month or two as we wait for some news.

I almost wish they wouldn’t have even said anything.

How’s that for a cryptic emo post?

“Mama, I ready to go?  I ready!!”

“No, I no need pants either!”

String Art – Where you cut different sizes of string and dip it in paint and then on your paper.  Or, face.

This was a baby shower I threw for a great friend recently.  Do you see the “jar” on the table by the flowers?  It has little paper fortune cookies in it.  –Those were the “favors.”  I used heavy papers that coordinated nicely with the baby’s room decor and on a slip of paper inside each of them, printed:

“A gift from heaven is on it’s way”  (front)   “Eden Rosemarie (Lastname)” (back)

First, you will need to cut out circles between 2-3 inches in diameter on thick scrapbooking paper.  I used a candle to make my template.

Fold the circle in half.  Do NOT crease it.

Using two fingers, hold the edges down to keep the circle folded in half.  With the other hand, grasp the edges of folded over circle, using a third finger to slowly “bend” the center of the circle while pulling the edges forward.

While keeping the back of the “cookie” closed, continue to bring the sides together with your opposite hand.

Ta-Da!  You are almost finished!  Now, you need to secure your cookie.  You can use HEAVY DUTY double sided tape or you can use glue.  I used Elmer’s School Glue because I had an insane amount on hand.  If you use glue, you’ll want to put the glue between the two edges (the ones you just pulled together…you could also call them “legs”) and then use a paperclip to secure it.  I let mine sit overnight and then removed the paperclip.

You can make these for virtually any party and the keep well    Also, they’re even more fun if you add a “fortune” inside before you begin folding.