January Part Last

Cora is killing it on the potty training--she is dry through the night and naps, so she is in panties full time.  She is sort of like a camel--she doesn't go all that often, so that helps.  It is also a problem because sometimes she holds it so long we have to RUN to the potty!  Minnie and Mickey, Donald and Daisy were our best motivators.

Have I mentioned dress ups recently?  All.  The.  Time.

Disney Day at school!

I have a continuing love/hate with play doh.  It makes her so happy.  It makes such a mess.  Here she is making food:  that is "lettuce" on her plate.

Sunday at the park.

Fancy hair!

Jens's 5th grade class.  I was there to teach FAME (Fragonard and fancy Valentines)

Rock stars at Mia's birthday!

Hair Style train--Cora is the worst because she loves "doing" hair, but mostly that means back combing, teasing, and pulling your hair.  And not gently!


January Experiment:  This month we tried "No Spend January" based on the book 31 Days to Living Well and Spending Less.  We had a family meeting before the month began and discussed what activities we could do during the month, what items we could buy (dairy, produce, birthday gifts, one family activity--I knew we were skating and would need a sitter for Cora).  No treats, meals out, impulse purchases, clothes, not even toiletries made our list!  I tried to plan meals using what we had in our pantry and freezer, which was really great.  I took a picture on January 1 and on January 31, just to see the difference.  I will admit to stocking up a little before the challenge started!  It was interesting to see what we used up (canned tomatoes and applesauce) and what we still had plenty of (pasta, rice, beans).  In an interesting side note, Mike observed that during the month we threw away half of our normal amount of trash.

January Part 2

Some recent artwork from Sylvie:

Every once in a long while, Cora lets me do her hair.  And it looks so cute, it makes me crazy that she won't let me do anything the rest of the time!

We're so glad when Daddy comes home!

Fun at the park

Cora is starting to do imaginary play, which is so great.  Bedtime is the best.  She gets in bed at 8, but is usually up until 9 or longer, reading and talking to her animals and playing.  We often sit quietly on the couch listening to her conversations with Donald Duck.  We occasionally have to help her when one of her animals won't sit up to listen to stories the way she wants.  Here are her friends, ready for a story.

We went to lunch with Mike at his new work cafeteria.  Cora was hoping Santa might be there, but she enjoyed herself even without his presence.

The Cub Scouts went ice skating!  Jens and Sylvie were both really excited for this.  We had a great time and stayed for a few hours.




Love this face!

Jens discovered my roller blades in the garage.  They are a little big, but that hasn't discouraged him (or Sylvie) from wearing them and skating around EVERY DAY.  They skate inside, outside, inside, outside ...

She's rocking the potty training!

Darth riding shotgun.

Friends!

We have been squeezing in park time any day it isn't raining.  We are grateful for the rain, but we sure love it when we can get out!

Happy 2016!

2016 started with dress ups, a trip to the gym, playing with fun Christmas things, and a traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner for luck in the New Year.
 


Jens has been reading a fair amount of Calvin and Hobbes lately, which has brought about a longing for "the country."  He sees Calvin running around in fields and woods, sledding down hills, and generally running around in unlimited space and he is wishing for a little more space himself.  So on Sunday during Cora's nap, Mike took Jens and Sylvie "exploring."  They enjoyed the outdoor time and climbing on the rocks.  Sylvie's pants got a big hole in them, so that was the end of those, but I am sure the sacrifice was worth it.


With Monday came back to school.  For book club we read The Magic Art of Tidying, which was pretty crazy/amazing.  It definitely inspired me!  I just recently cleaned out my closet pretty thoroughly, but it was amazing how much more I was able to let go of without missing or regretting.



Sylvie fell and twisted her knee.  She strongly felt that wearing her knee pad made it feel much better.  This is her outfit for school, and I let her wear it.

We are back in painting mode!

Family movie night.  We watched The Cat from Outer Space (missed you, Laura Lawrence!).  It was as amazing as it sounds.

Applesauce beards!

My Girl Scout selling cookies!  She set a high goal this year.  I think next year we will set a goal for HER to reach--not for me :)

My other girl is ready for this, even though I was dragging my feet.