Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Montessori Learning at Home

We have started to recently incorporate some of the Montessori techniques in our home. Today was the first day with the girls sitting at their own table, setting their plates and cups and cleaning up after themselves. It has been a long day of teaching! But I can see how beneficial this will be for them already. They love having their own special cupboard with new plates and bowls. And of course, they really enjoy pouring their own water from the pitchers! In about a month we will introduce some other routines until they know this one well enough without as much instruction.



Thursday, December 5, 2013

Celebrating Advent

We are celebrating Advent this year by doing different activities every day until Christmas. Since we got back from our Thanksgiving travels on the 1st, we didn't really get started until the 4th but the girls will never know ;).

I have made a board on pinterest with inspiration projects and crafts. There are so many good ideas it's hard to narrow it all down!

Yesterday Dahlia colored a snowman decoration (the kind that comes in the $1 Kits at craft stores) and Dallas practiced making snowflakes. Since her preschool teacher wants her to work on her scissor skills, this will be something we do all winter long! I used coffee filters to make the snowflakes.

Today, Dallas went to the library with me and checked out a few more Christmas books. I have started displaying the seasonal books on our bookshelf in the living room, which is free decor and helps the girls want to read them! We also made ornaments for the tree, using a cut out small circle wreath from cardboard and gluing Pom Poms around it. Dahlia didn't really understand you were supposed to keep the Pom poms on, but she had fun taking them off and putting them back on! Dallas' survived but needs a lot more glue than I thought for it to hold up. This was more of a good idea in theory!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Pantry organizing

I finally got around to fixing my problem with inadequate pantry space. I'm sort of kicking myself for not doing it sooner! I love the new pantry we purchased, it has made life in the kitchen so much easier! We bought a closet maid pantry from Target on sale for $58, a very affordable option for those lacking the necessary storage for a growing family! We can now reach our plates with performing gymnastics while the dishwasher is open, and I can more effectively menu plan and write grocery lists now that I can clearly see what we have. It's a great solution! Here are some photos of the main area (we keep our cups and baking supplies in separate cabinets).



Monday, August 5, 2013

Vacation Countdown and Some Catch Up


We leave for our beach vacation in just 24 days! I can't wait to relax by the ocean and play in the water and sand with our girls!

This summer has been full of fun, visiting parks, museums, a family trip to West Virginia and a camping trip at Tar Hollow. Although it definitely has not been the warmest year, we have still enjoyed our backyard and playing in the blow up pool!

Snowflake is starting to talk all the time now, and she can even say complete sentences! She just amazes us with how clever she is! Currently, she loves to color and draw and do anything that big sister Peanut is doing!

Peanut isn't much of a peanut anymore! She starts preschool in just a little over 2 weeks! She is really growing into such a beautiful, smart, sweet and thoughtful little girl. She loves Minnie Mouse, playing in the pool, exploring, shopping, doing puzzles, chasing butterflies, reading and of course, anything that's sweet!


Friday, April 19, 2013

The Long Winter

I've been quiet around here for the past couple months, but I'm finally coming out of hibernation! It has been a long winter for us, with much colder than average temperatures, several significant snowfalls and cabin fever hitting us hard. Even now towards the end of April, we have only had a handful of warm days, and our furnace is still getting a nice workout.

Here are some photos of our rapidly growing little girls and life around the Campbell Castle during this time:




























Monday, February 25, 2013

Making fitted cloth diapers

I made my first fitted diaper today using an old prefold I already had but never use anymore. I think it turned out great, and I cannot wait to use it! It seems a bit smaller than I would have liked, so it won't fit Peanut but should fit Snowflake perfectly. I used a tutorial I found online for these: http://www.thehandmadedress.blogspot.com/2012/12/diaper-tutorial-how-to-make-fitted-from.html?m=1

I plan on making several more of these to add to our cloth diaper rotation so I don't have to wash every other day.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Baking Bread

One thing I have committed to making myself for our family is our bread. We feel so much better when we have homemade bread and I feel at ease knowing exactly what's in it. I use out bread maker for our everyday bread, but I bake the sourdough in the oven. The sourdough is actually the easiest! I bake it in a deep baking dish and no kneading is required, just a long rise time. I made my our starter from scratch so I am really pleased with how well it has been doing.

The last photo is a kid friendly way to eat chili! Recipe from family circle magazine.

Snowflake is 13 months old now and doing well. She is very advanced in her motor and language skills compared to her sister and she is still getting plenty of momma milk! I love watching her little personality take shape!







Friday, January 25, 2013

Easy Toddler Jumper

Recently Peanut has been in need of some larger dresses. I decided to take advantage of the 99 cent simplicity pattern sale at hobby lobby and bought some new patterns and clearance fabric. I sewed up this bright jumper very quickly. The sizing was larger than I wanted but ensures she will be able to wear it for some time. I love how versatile it is- she can layer it for warmth or wear with a t-shirt in the spring/summer.

Monday, January 7, 2013

New year!

Happy 2013! Here are some snapshots of what has been happening around our home lately! Preschool, snow, birthday, cloth bottoms and a new play area.