The Elf on the Shelf and His Japanese Grandfather

Yes, I know it has been awhile...

Once little man got mobile, 3 kids became well 3 kids and two really exhausted parents!  A friend back at the beginning of the year had joked how she got pregnant with number 3 after we made it seem so easy with 3 little ones four and under.  That was only because he started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks.  She also brought up how she remembered me saying that 3 was really no more work than 2.  Yeah, well that was before little man got mobile and then things got really interesting around here.  I should probably mention said friend also mentioned she was going to hate me if I had lied.  I hadn't lied when I said but it isn't exactly true now.

For anyone who knows me, they know I enjoy the past and that I was a history teacher in my former life (aka B.K. Before Kids).  That said it seems natural that I should love vintage anything and antiques. 

I have been in love with the Elf on the Shelf since I first heard about it.  In fact, he/she was on my Christmas List this year.

Last year we had a little figurine who was a faux Elf on the Shelf.  Yes, Virginia, I am to cheap to spend $30 for the real Elf on the Shelf unless of course he is a gift and that is a whole other story.  And, no, for those of your who are wondering, he didn't do "cool" things. He basically sat, well, on the shelf.  Occasionally he moved around the room. 

Remember the saying, imitation is the best form of flattery. 

 Photo Credit: Ebay 

Photo Credit: Ebay

Photo Credit: Ebay

 

All over eBay are these little knee hugger elves that were manufactured in Japan from the 1960s and 1970s.  Look familiar? These little guys have totally ruined my obsession with the Elf on the Shelf doll.  Mind you, I love the story behind it but now I want one of these vintage dolls more than the modern version.  How could I not want the grandfather of the modern Elf on the Shelf?

Now don't go over to eBay and start bidding crazy moms, because you might be bidding against me and that just won't do!

A Messy House From a Man's Point of View

While I was a control freak after my second child's birth and a bit after my third child's birth I am finding that with three kids, being a control freak just isn't possible if I want to keep my sanity. I think I've had these moments of clarity before and yet I still somehow manage to find those old tendencies come back after awhile.

Since our little man is cruising and into EVERYTHING, I am finding it difficult to get anything done.  Mr. Explorer's favorite thing to do in the office is to turn off the computer tower which sits on the floor or open the filing cabinet and start pulling out our old tax returns and showering their contents onto the floor.  Of course this gets giggles from him every time. The girls are normally trying to open a childproofed bathroom cabinet to get band-aids for invisible boo-boos.  Hence, why I am writing this while all three kiddos are sleeping soundly.

My husband and I were having a conversation the one night while the kids were sleeping (since this is when most of our conversations happen).  As much as I would love for him to be a neat freak and pick up his clothes (or actually put them in the laundry) and put his dirty glasses in the dishwasher, he doesn't.  If he starts a project, usually I am the one who cleans it up.  For the first time I was glad he wasn't a neat freak after seeing things through his eyes.

"You are so not going to like what I have to say but you need to hear it."  This is how our conversation started.

"Do I EVER get on you when there are dirty dishes in the sink," he asked.

"No."

"Do I ever get on you about the mountain of laundry at the foot of our bed to be folded which I often have to move off the bed to the floor to sleep?"

"No," I replied, "I'll get to it.  At least you have clean underwear."

"Will you listen!"  And yes, he did roll his eyes at me which I promptly pointed out to him since he HATES when I do that.  "Do I ever get on you if the entire first floor of the house is strewn with toys or if there are dirty dishes in the sink?"

"Uh, no and why is that?  Doesn't it ever bother you?"  I can tell you it drives me crazy and why when the kids are in bed I sluggishly move through the house trying to restore order even though I want nothing more than to curl up in bed. In truth, lately, I have been laying on the couch with the "I'll do it in a few minutes excuse" and I fall asleep on the couch within minutes.

"It isn't important."

"Easy for you to say.  I just feel if someone saw our house in the messy state it normally is in they would think 'What does she do all day'?  I know you help but it drives me crazy how you grumble when I ask you to do things."

"Do I do them?"

"Yes."

"Exactly.  DO I smile while I take out the trash.  No! You are never going to hear me say I like to do those things but I do them."  He has a point.  "These things are all in your mind.  You are running around with three kids all day taking them to swim class, changing diapers, cooking, and everything else.  They would understand and if they didn't, who cares.  These things are not important.  Spending time together, talking, these things are important.  Whether the dishes are done, is not.  Are our kids happy and taken care of? Of course.  This is what is important."

"Why didn't we have this conversation before?"

Another eye roll.  "We have!  You don't listen."

"You get grumpy at night when your to-do list isn't done but your to-do list is never realistic," he finishes.

He's right.  About it all.  It was difficult to hear but something I needed to hear. I was putting my to-do list above my husband and the chance to relax and recharge and we were all suffering for it.

Maybe I can have him stop calling me Grumpy Mommy now.


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And yes, I did end up doing the dishes right after this conversation since he had mentioned them twice.  He helped load the dishwasher though!

We've Been Egged & One Use For Leftover Easter Candy

We were egged.  Not the messy, stinky egged by little hoodlums but the basket on the doorstep filled with treat filled eggs "egged" (in other words, the good kind of egged).

The girls opened the door Easter morning to find a paper egg reading "You've Been Egged" taped to the door along with a paper bunny rabbit flapping in the wind.  A colorful bucket filled with plastic eggs filled with all kinds of goodies including Reese's peanut butter eggs, little smiley face maracas, (did I mention the Reese's Peanut butter eggs?!?!) sat on the doorstep. 

It seemed someone (definitely not me) had actually done their Easter goody shopping more than a day before Easter when nary a pack of Reese's peanut butter filled eggs could be found on store shelves.  Whoever egged us, I love you.

From the front doorstep, the girls were off grabbing the eggs the "Easter Bunny" *wink, wink* had hidden throughout the first floor. The egg trail led to the family room where the kids' Easter baskets sat in front of a plate of nibbled carrots that the Easter Bunny never finished.  Each kid got a book, a small toy, a small game, a video (the girls got Barbie videos and Ry got a Dr. Seuss one), and a chocolate bunny. Of course the eggs had candy in them to.

An action shot:

We always let the kids have three pieces of candy if they are mini pieces or one big piece before breakfast.  Maybe that sugar high could explain the field of grass that was sown by two mischievous little devils after breakfast.

Of course, you know I love Peep art.  You can see some our past creations here and here.  This year thanks to a nasty little virus, the week leading up to Easter was a bit anticlimactic in our house since the baby was sick and then me (thanks to drool boy who shared his germs with me).  Our Peep fun was today.  We took all of the leftover Peeps and made works of art with them using paper shaped like an egg, glue, and jelly beans.  This was a good way to use up some of the candy that will usually end up in the garbage anyway.  Our designs were supposed to look like flowers.

How did you celebrate Easter?

My Offline Life: To Many Hobbies To Little Time

In the last month and a half after the craziness of the holidays, I've suddenly developed this insatiable urge to take up new hobbies.  Maybe it is because I've tried to detach myself somewhat from this online world in which I was spending to much time and needed something to do besides cleaning.  Who doesn't have something better to do than cleaning? If you have been reading for awhile you have probably realized I have a love, hate relationship with cleaning.  Sometimes I find it therapeutic and other times, I try to avoid it all costs.

Last year if anyone had asked me what my hobby was, I would say blogging. Suddenly I've been inundated with messages about Blogger Friend Connect going away for non-Blogger blogs and Pinterest (which I haven't even let myself delve into because hello new online addiction) and I've realized how way behind on the latest news I really am. 

Suddenly, I've developed a crafting streak.  Barrettes, photography, handmade bracelets, sewing...things I never made time for before, I'm suddenly making time for.

My writing has gotten a bit more sporadic, my house isn't as clean as I normally try to keep it, and projects get started and get left laying around for days at a time but I am slowly becoming a bit more mellower with the chaos.  I was so excited to get my organic muslin for produce bags that I tore open the package while I was still in the driveway. Note to our houseguests this weekend: please don't be offended by the boxes of kiddie toys and clothes waiting to find homes sitting in the hallway. I needed to clear out the guest room so you had a place to sleep.
 
Did I mention my husband has agreed to remodel our kitchen? What had started as a painting project has turned into a complete remodel.  Stacks of granite samples are sitting on the counter. We even had flooring samples strewn on the floor at one point as we tried to imagine what the finished product would look like. My file folder is about two inches thick with quotes and ideas of what "I" want.

Apparently my husband has been feeling the need for a project to.  Originally, we were hiring people to do the whole project.  Now, my husband is thinking about installing a tile floor and backsplash himself. 

At least I've found lots of new material to write about!

Have you found yourself taking up new hobbies?

PEEPS Fest

The title sounds a little risque but I assure you this is a family friendly post.

We had lots of options for New Year's Eve-see a giant Peeps chicken drop or a crayon.  Not many people could say that.

When I lived in Pottsville (yes, the birthplace of Yuengling beer) they had a ball drop at the square.  Actually, I don't remember if it was a ball or if it was something else.  According to Wikipedia, they drop a bottle of Yuengling beer.  I guess that's better than a 100-pound stick of Lebanon bologna like in Lebanon, PA.  My first apartment was right below the square so I hosted a New Year's party for my family one year. That was the only time I ever braved the cold to see any type of countdown. Like most people, I do have embarrassing photos from New Year's parties I've attended.  As you've probably guessed that was BK (before kids) and yes, there was usually alcohol involved.

I usually find New Year's anticlimactic anyway, at least that is how I've felt the last few years.  Maybe it is a sign that I am starting to accept what is and am not worrying so much about everything.  

Since my sister-in-law was in town we decided to check out Peeps Fest with the kids.  What kid wouldn't want to see a big yellow fiberglass chicken drop from the sky? The Peep drop was also at 6:15 pm so it wasn't past any of our bedtimes.  Why were they dropping a Peep?  Just Born, the maker of Peeps is based in Bethlehem.

There was something oddly beautiful about being amid the old rusting former Bethlehem Steel plant where SteelStacks (the arts & cultural campus) is located. 

We were to late to see any of the free events inside.  We didn't want to arrive to early since we had 5 kids to corral and if they had gotten to restless we would have had to leave. We did get to walk around inside the ArtsQuest building though.  This was no easy feat with a sit-n-stand stroller that isn't the most maneuverable thing to begin with amidst all of the people milling around. 

People were looking at me a little odd when I climbed up on the small ladder to take a picture of the chalk drawing (the center pic).  I assumed that was why it was there since the picture looked three-dimensional from the top.  The PEEPS tree looked good enough to eat (even though I am not a fan of the confection that tree almost convinced me to try one again).

According to Emmy, the best part of the PEEPS drop was getting a pack of marshmallow trees after the PEEPs chicken dropped.

 
Oh, and we did attempt to stay up anyway.  We managed, barely.  The kids didn't make it of course.  We did have a dance party in the basement until bedtime though. 

As far as embarrassing New Year's photos, there is one of me dancing with Emmy wiggling our butts doing one of the songs from Just Dance For Kids on the Wii. Some things never change...

How did you ring in the New Year?

New Year's Resolutions and Motherhood

When you are pregnant, people will tell you how you will worry about everything regarding your children but they omit the part about how much you will worry about yourself to.

I can't think of anything worse than my children not having the one thing they need.  Me.  I know what it is like to lose a parent.  My father died when I was 13.

I was a worrier as a child.  I would worry that the tickle in my throat was something more sinister when in fact it was just that-a tickle.  When my father was diagnosed with cancer when I was 12, I worried that I would be stricken with the disease.

Eventually, I seemed to outgrow my hypochondria.  I went to college, and for the first time became totally independent. After college,  between substituting two days a week, working in a clothing store full-time, searching for a full-time teaching job, and attempting to have what resembled a social life, I didn't have time to worry about my health.  I wasn't dependent on anyone and no one was dependent on me.  Maybe that was why I stopped worrying so much.

Then, I met my husband.  He was always worried about his health and I would even tease him about it.  Then we had children.

All those worries came back in full force for me to.  We do try to eat healthy, exercise (well I at least try to) but there are no guarantees in this world.  Is everything we do enough?

Have you ever heard the song "If I Die Young"?
 


The first time I heard the lyrics I thought what if?

We would all like our words and whatever wisdom we have to live on.  This blog has become my journal of sorts since I stink at actually keeping a journal.  Remember my last New Year's resolution?  I wanted to write 34 words a day in my journal.  How did I do?  I made it to the middle of January and the rest of the journal is blank.  Defeated by 34 words.

I know I am a good mom.  I screw up a lot (like the one night when I took Emmy to dance class on the wrong night) but I love my children fiercely.  I want them to know that through their memories but also through my own words. We can't always control what fate has in store for us.

How often do we reflect on our lives and how we live them?  Having children makes us do that every day. I want them to know that they have changed me for the better.

There are no guarantees.

My New Year's resolution this year?  Not to make a resolution. Every day is a chance to start over.

I know a little bit of worry is good and I may even make another attempt at writing in my journal.  I'm going to continue blogging of course. 

Tomorrow Bob goes back to work after being on vacation for almost two weeks and back to the gym I go.  Out of the pantry will go all of the goodies that we stocked over the holidays for entertaining except for the cookies I just made.  Hey, a little indulgence is good, remember.

Did you make a New Year's resolution? If so, I'd love to know what your resolution is!

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Lala-WHOOPSY

Whenever Emmy would see something on TV she would say how she wanted it for Christmas, those AS SEEN ON TV items especially...like Stompeez which are a blog post by themselves.

I figured she would constantly be changing her mind about what she wanted for Christmas like every other year.  She is only four.

Hmphf...shows how much I know.

Every time she has seen Santa since the beginning of December she has told him she wants a Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll.  That's all she wants...well that and a Barbie Puppy Wash (or the Barbie Puppy Water Park as it is really called).  Of course, she wanted the two things I didn't get her. 

I had seen the dolls before in passing but had never really paid much attention to them.  But, then I actually looked at them after Emmy started asking for one.  They are an updated concept on the rag doll and are actually kind of cute in a vintagey (yes, I know that isn't a word) kind of way.  I know for a fact Emmy never played with the Raggedy Ann doll I had bought her but I could see her playing with this.

So I started shopping for that Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll after Black Friday. Of course it had to be one of the hottest toys of the season.  The doll was sold out except on Amazon and eBay which were asking more than the retail price of the doll.

I was smart enough to call around to Kmart, Walmart, and a whole host of other stores before venturing out.  They basically laughed at me when I asked if they had it.  Then, I called Toys R Us as a last resort.  I figured they would not have them since they are a toy store and the first place people go for hard to buy items is toy stores. 

They had it!  I packed the kids up in the car and told them we were picking up the doll for their godparents who wanted it for a Christmas present.  I got there and told them I was there for the doll.  They looked at me like I was crazy and explained that they hadn't had that doll for awhile. 

So we headed over to Babies R Us on the off chance that was who I had called.  It turns out it was, thank heavens.  Apparently around the holidays, Babies R Us often gets the hotter toys to.  I got the Jewel Sparkles (who is in pink) doll because well, I thought she was cuter than Sugar Crumb (who is dressed in yellow). All Emily could talk about was how she wanted that doll for Christmas the entire way home.

I even went as far with my ruse as to pack the doll in a box, label it, and pretend to mail it.

Then, Emmy saw the yellow one and decided that she just had to have the yellow one named Sugar Crumb.  Needless, to say I was cursing myself in my head for overlooking the fact that my daughter's favorite color is yellow so of course she would want that one.

One day, when I was sans the kids, I made another trek to Babies R Us to exchange the doll.  Only days later, Emmy decided she wanted the pink one instead.  At that point common sense prevailed.  

I was doing the one thing I swore up and down I wouldn't do!

It was a good thing to since Babies R Us are officially sold out of them (or were the other week when I was in) because I just had to check.

So Emmy is getting the yellow Lalaloopsy doll and a note from Santa (which is a tradition in our house). According to Santa, even though the doll isn't the one Emmy necessarily wanted she needed a good home and since Emmy has such a big heart he thought Sugar Crumb would have a good home with her. 

Sheesh, I could write a book about the lies I tell my kids...

Easy Kid's Christmas Craft: Ribbon Trees

In the past, I usually didn't put Christmas decorations in the kids' rooms mainly because they were to young and I worried  a) about their safety and b)that they would destroy them.  I can see my 2 year old pulling Christmas lights out of their socket and so on.

The girls love to get into my ribbon and at the start of Emmy's pre-k this year they were emphasizing small, medium, and large so we did a Christmas tree craft with ribbon and we reinforced this concept and had fun getting sticky fingers with glue.


I don't know where I got the idea.  I think I saw something similar in a magazine or online and just adapted it to my kids' abilities and what I had in the house.  They may have used paper rather than ribbon.  I cut different pieces of ribbon and then let the girls glue them to paper starting with the longest pieces of ribbon to the smallest to form a tree shape.  We glued them on construction paper and then I cut two triangles of ribbon to form a diamond shape at the top of the tree.  We tried to make a star with several triangle shapes but it didn't look right so we went with the diamond shape.  For the trunk, we used a different piece of ribbon. 

Here is what they looked like:

You could cut out the tree then when they dried and punch a hole in the top to make an ornament for the tree. I used yarn to make the loop to use to hang the new ornament.  Don't forget to write the date on the back so you can remember when it was made for future Christmases as you reminisce!

I wanted to put something in the girls' room to add some Christmas cheer so while they were making their's I made one to.

I used an artist canvas that I had picked up brand new at a yard sale for less than a dollar and used ribbon that coordinated with the colors in their bedroom for the tree. I also made it look like a present by adding a bow.

Here is how mine turned out:

I brought some Christmas into the girls' room but I don't have to worry if they destroy it since it cost less than two dollars to make.

What kind of homemade goodness have you made for your tree or to decorate your house?

Christmas Gives Me Writer's Cramp

While the girls are busy playing doctor-or I should say a Rapunzel and rock star are playing doctor and Ry is sleeping, I snuck away to write a quick post.  The kids are within ear shot and my line of sight so I can be there in seconds if anything goes awry in my living room/doctor's office.

I used to write lists of presents I needed to buy, who gots tins filled with cookies, what I needed to do and places we planned to go, not to mention the christmas cards that needed to be signed, the envelopes that needed to be addressed, and the tags on the presents that needed to be written from us and "Santa". All these things gave me a severe case of writer's cramp.

I still do the lists just so I think my life has some semblance of organization before it all goes down the tubes by 8:30 am.

One Christmas in recent years I started using address labels so I just need to update my list of addresses each year. Of course last year when I ran out of labels, I shouldn't have thrown the packaging away because I have no idea what kind of labels I used.  Hence, this is why my Christmas cards (which I've had before Thanksgiving) are still not sent out. Today, I'm heading to Staples with the crew (3 kids ages 4, 2, and 5 months).  God help me.

Since we've had kids, I figure everyone wants to see how cute the kids are much the kids have grown so we just do photo cards with a short message. No more signing cards makes Mommy sing hallelujah.

That only left the gift tags to give me a mild case of writer's cramp.  To bad Em can't write much more than her name (and that endeavor would take up the entire gift tag) or I would give that task to her.  Only children would find pleasure in tasks that I hate doing (like using a dust pan and brush to clean up the mess on the floor from every single meal).  I always sign all of our names on gift tags to family and friends since I feel weirdly formal writing "From so-and-so Family". 

I had a Vistaprint livingsocial deal to use up about a month ago and I figured I could do something with business cards so I could get out this task to.  I made gift tags with the "To" part blank and then signed all of our names in the "From" part.  Next year I'll make ones from Santa since Em will probably be old enough to be even more aware of all the technicalities of Santa's visit.  I don't want her to realize there isn't a Santa because she recognizes my handwriting.  After writing a few gift tags, I can see me getting sloppy and forgetting to "disguise" my handwriting.


Here is how they turned out:

So now all of the annoying little things are much simpler until next year when I am bombarded with questions about how does Santa do this and that (thank goodness we haven't had to deal to much with that yet) and I have to make up lie after lie on the spot which I stink at.  I know I will forget my own lies and I'll be found out.  I can't even remember to find our generic "elf on the shelf" a new home each morning so remembering what fibs I've told the previous day isn't going to happen.

How do you make the holiday season easier on yourself while still keeping up with family traditions?

Mom's Night Out

I sometimes get jealous when my husband goes out with his friends.

I admit it.

Even though he tells me to make plans with my girlfriends, I rarely do because we all have little ones and finding nights where our husband's are home and the kids aren't sick and we actually have any energy to leave the house...

It sometimes is just to much effort.

Until Breaking Dawn came out.  I sent a message to a friend asking if she wanted to go. She had agreed weeks ago to be my "date" when it came out since my hubby wouldn't be caught dead watching it even though he went to see Bridesmaids with his buddies which was mildly concerning (he claims it was the only thing in that they hadn't already seen, which was probably true...probably).  She even watched all the previous movies to prepare for our night out.

We were wild.

We went to the 9:50pm showing AND ate popcorn, ate candy, and drank sugary beverages.  We both made it through the movie without a bathroom break which was a miracle in and of itself.  She is several months pregnant and my bladder isn't what is used to be before three kids.

Then, my friend asked if I needed anything from Walmart or Wegman's since both were still open and their shining lights were beckoning.  I said no but when she asked if I was sure...

"Well, just because we don't need anything doesn't mean we can't walk around," I replied 

We browsed the toys and Christmas decorations in Walmart and ended up needing a cart for all the goodies we found.  We busted a move in the one aisle while wearing the animated/singing Christmas tree hat (me) and the sock monkey hat (her).

Like I said, we were pretty wild.

And when we left, we even went through the door marked "Enter" rather than the "Exit".

It was after one when I got home-several hours after my normal bedtime which is usually around eighty-thirty or nine. 

Wild mommies, that's us...

My First Experience as an Extreme Couponer

My sister-in-law came for Thanksgiving at our house prepared for her annual CVS run.  She even had a spreadsheet of all of their deals and how to make the most of her money.

She asked me if I wanted to come along?  Of course!

We deviated along the way...how could we resist mint chocolate M&Ms (and at 4/$6 when you counted the ECB rewards)?

At the end we kind of winged it since they were out of a few things but for $29.97 with $16 in ECB that I still need to spend (so technically I spent $13.97, right?) we got a good deal.  I only bought things that we would use to so there will be no stockpiling in our basement.  My theory is if I keep using the rest of my ECBs to buy things that earn ECBs, I'll keep getting my money to work for me. 

My sister-in-law was right, you do get a rush doing this!  It was actually fun but of course my sister-in-law was the one who did all the work.  She said she spent hours this week working out the best deals and how to group the transactions.  I'm not sure I could spend hours taking the time to do this weekly.  Actually, I am not sure my husband would tolerate me spending that kind of time.  No doubt about it, it is a lot of work.

It also helped that we had an awesome cashier who was very good-humored about the whole thing and didn't mind us doing several transactions.

While we were out shopping, my mother-in-law was finishing the meal prep along with the guys who were watching the kids and being good sports about our little adventure. 

Now I'm off to make Chex Mix with the yummy Chex cereal we bought even though it is only 7:30 am!

Our score

Explaining Being Thankful to a Preschooler & A Thanksgiving Craft

I wanted a craft to do with the girls but that wasn't to labor intensive since their attention span is pretty limited.  I love countdown projects to help teach numbers so that is what I decided to do.  I cut out 7 leaves using a template (printed on cardstock) that I found online.  If you need help finding one just google leaf template under images and you'll find a bunch of templates from which to choose.

I let the girls choose the colors of scrapbook paper that they wanted and then I traced the leaves and cut them out while they played pre-k and pretended to read Thanksgiving books that we've been reading together.

They put the stickers on the leaves and then we talked about what it meant to be thankful.  That is not an easy concept to explain to a 4 and 2 year old.  It took me days to come up with the right words.  Why is it that the simplest explanation is sometimes the hardest?  Last month Emmy's preschool collected food for the local food bank and I had talked with the girls about why we were collecting food and I had introduced the topic then.  I've tried to keep it simple.  We had talked about basic needs and what we need to live.  I explained to them that we have lots of things that we should be thankful for, things that make us feel good and even safe.  Emmy's pre-k was scheduled to have a trike-a-thon to benefit St. Jude's so we've also talked about how being healthy is something we should feel thankful for also.

When we did this craft, I asked them what things made them happy. I used some prompts to such as things they liked to do or things they liked to play with or people that they liked to be around. 

On the back of the leaves I wrote the girls' responses.  Some of their responses were:

• Mommy and Daddy and Ryan (of course)
• Grammy and all of their friends and Alex and Thomas (their cousins)
• being able to dance (Madison said somersaults, not surprising for the little monkey that she is)
• food especially marshmallows and cocoa (which I am not sure count as a food group)
• their dolls
• Emmy said her teachers (how long will that last, I wonder???)
• playing tag
• their house and their room
• playing in the leaves
• scarves and gloves (which are even more fun to play dress-up with)
• blowing bubbles
• bicycles and cars

And then they lost interest and wanted to hang the leaves.  I just used some ribbon I had laying around, clothespins, and removable hooks which I had in a drawer on which to attach the ribbon.

Here is the finished product:

Each day we're taking down a leaf and reading what they are thankful for.  For Thanksgiving, we'll either hang them all back up or make them into napkin rings by making a ring with a strip of paper to put around a napkin and then gluing a leaf on each ring. 

How have you explained thankfulness to your child?  What do you have to be thankful for this holiday season?