froggie handprint class project

i volunteered to do a craft in my son's preschool class. sometimes, i almost feel bad for his teacher because i am that mom that will volunteer to help...and...i'm that mom that will volunteer to help! :) S was so excited when i walked in and the teacher announced that, "S's mom, miss sara, came in today to do a special craft with you!" my son's eyes lit up. he was so proud. my heart melted.

this was such an easy craft to do with three year olds...and the kids had tons of fun!

paper plates

stapler & tape

paintbrushes

green & red tempera

google eyes & glue

paper & scissors

staple the plates in half and paint them green. do the handprints on the paper and cut them out when they are dry. tape them to the sides, i think it looks better with the thumbs out. the finishing touch is the smile and google eyes...and ta-da!

ribbit!

random monday 1 {imaginations}

the other day S was playing in the studio while i was cleaning in the bedroom...

and i walked in to this:

of course, instantly i burst into "omg-that's-so-adorable-i-must-giggle" giggles! 

i painted those ceramic deer while i was pregnant with S and he, with his awesome imagination, turned them into action figures! he said, "look, mom! the deer, one, two, three are in the light jet...bew, bew, bew..." apparently, deer make an appearance in the version of tron my son has in his head haha. (and yes, his light jet is missing its wings...honestly, we only know of the whereabouts of one...but hey, it can still fly.)

this triggered to remembrance one of the things that had been prayed for when i was pregnant with S. i wanted my son to have a grand imagination...and this was just one of the many ways God showed me that He answers prayers! and also, one of the many ways He shows me that He created S with a wonderfully creative mind!

let's all of us grown-ups, pull out those imaginations we once let run wild with 
so many thoughts, dreams, inventions, and creatures! 

let's all make a pact right now to dust them off and use them everyday, 
in work and in play, and most importantly...when engaging our children!

xoxo
happy monday!

(now i'm going to go finish chugging my mug of coffee...i'm ready for you, monday!)

diy sorting box

i am excited about this sorting box that i made for S. i think he will have some fun with it while sorting, counting, and practicing colors and following directions. plus, i will have fun because this will be a new quiet, busy activity...a win-win for everyone!

the box is one of those organizers from hobby lobby for only $2, which also happens to be the only money i spent during this project :) i gathered random items i had either laying around the house or in my craft supplies stash. when sorting the pieces initially, i made sure to have different amounts of each item so S will be able to practice counting.

the last part of the project that i plan on finishing one of these days (along with how many other projects i have haha) is to take pictures of the bin organized and sorted different ways and make cards. this is so S can practice following specific directions.

there are so many different things that can be done with something this simple...

organize it by size, shape, or color

sort by following the picture cards

use it as a sensory exploration...soft, hard, fluffy, bumpy, and smooth

make it a game by timing them

have them sort them how they see it and then explain why

as time passes and S begins to tire of it, he will be able to use the bin to store found treasures!

have fun sorting!

i met an angel at target

my son recently started preschool. i actually took it pretty well considering how i assumed it would go. the future playback in my mind was one full of anxiety, tears, restlessness...but the reality was much more...healthy. S is way more social than me, and oh so intelligent. of course, he is my son, and i think he is a genius...no, but really, he is super smart! it was time to let him spread his wings and begin to fly. luckily, i found an awesome place that both S and i took too instantly, and that also has a full phonics program for the 3's class, which was surprisingly difficult to find. plus, S loves his teacher. she is pretty much awesome and has such a great happy smile!

the one and only downside to preschool is obviously the tuition. whoa. but hey, whatever, us parents have to do is what we have to do! it's tough, but not out of reach. thank you, Jesus, that you always provide enough, not always more than enough, but always at least enough! so i have put myself on a budget, or what i like to call it, a 'money diet'...and i'm sort of embarrassed to say that it's the first time in my 32 years of life that i have had to go on a real one.

isn't it funny that as i have been on S to have self-control lately, this whole money diet thing happens? now i have to be on myself to have self-control! i've never been great at it, so it's been a rough month or so for sure. but...once i surrendered and began to fully trust God with it all, it's been less heavy...not less rough...just less burdensome. 

so, all this just to tell you a story about a recent trip to my favorite store in the universe......target...

talk about the ultimate test in self-control! seriously! target is like a black hole of all the things that i 'need' and 'didn't know i need' and things that i 'actually really need'...plus some things that are on clearance so low, that i just have to take advantage, ha.

okay, so i needed to get a couple of things for S's halloween costume, (he's decided to be darth vader and i've decided to make his costume every year...i can't wait to post about it!), and i saw some super cute shoes that were marked down something like 75%. so of course, hello, i try them on, they fit perfectly, and i'd been wanting some navy loafers just like them...they go in the cart without a hesitation.

they're cute, right?

fast forward to the checkout. in the back of my mind i'm thinking..."those shoes are a want...not a need...but they are on clearance...a want...but they are navy blue!" i feel convicted. during this chapter of my life, i must force myself to live within some tight margins. is it a need? make it work. is it a want? have some self-control, grown woman! does this lessen the quality of my life, my son's, our spiritual walk? no, it strengthens it! 

i get a pretty powerful silent pep talk in my head...i take them off the belt so i can tell the target girl that i have decided not to get them. i'm at peace. the lady in line behind me says, "oh, those are cute shoes..." she sees how much they are marked down. i tell her i'm not getting them and ask her if she is a size 6 so maybe she can take them, and her feet are not as small as my petite asian feet. she asks me why i am not getting them, and i tell her i'm on a budget and i'm trying to be good. she says i should just get them, they are so cheap. i tell her ya, but my son just started preschool and so i really shouldn't...

the woman grabs them out of my hand and says, "i'll buy them for you!"

i try to grab them back and tell her it's ok, no seriously, it's not a big deal. she insists and it becomes that situation where it was more polite to just let the other person do what they are going to do. i have to admit that i was a little embarrassed...my pride reared its ugly head and then it hit me all at once. 

i felt the Lord giving my heart a hug. in His quiet and still voice He was telling me that He is in control. the woman said that she wanted to get them for me because of my self-control...my self-control...all i can say even now, as i tear up again, is that God is good. he was using this wonderful woman to show me His invisible hand. i know that He will bless her back for her generous heart. it was just a God thing.

now every time i wear them, i say a prayer of thanks first to the Lord for loving me, then for providing more than i need, and then i say a little prayer for the beautiful woman at target. it pushes me to be a better example of Christ's love.

let's all go and be a blessing to someone else. we don't know how it will affect that person, or whether they will appreciate it as much as we think they should or not, but we need to do it as we are lead to do it. no matter what.

you know what else i realized? 
i always have more than enough. 
always.