Community Helpers Summer Camp

So, over at Design Dazzle's blog they are doing a summer camp series and we participated. Here is the blog post I put together for them:

Last month I hosted our 5th camping session: “community helpers”. Here’s a glimpse of some of the fun!!!

We started with learning about mail carriers. Kids learned the proper way to address and stamp a letter and each child sent a letter to their favorite Disney character. Little did they know, they would be receiving an autographed photograph in the mail soon! We received Dominic's postcard about 12 days later.



Kids then made a mail carrier bag before we set out to the cul-de-sac for a little mailman’s relay race. We had two cozy coupes and each child took a turn “delivering” mail to their momma. It was a hoot!!



The next day we learned about the garbage man. Is there a more politically correct way to phrase that? If so, I couldn't come up with one!

We called this day: trash to treasure.

We started with old, broken crayons. Or in our case, a brand new box of dollar store crayons! We peeled off the wrappers, which was a treat for the kids since they are not allowed to do that normally, stuck them in a silicone muffin "tin" and melted them in the oven to make crazy color crayon stars! Cute!!





This next craft was perhaps the most perplexing of the week as we didn't quite know how to get started. We used old newspapers and turned them in to cute magazine baskets! Once we got going things went pretty smoothly. Since I had to hold a baby in the baby Bjorn this day I cheated and made a pencil cup instead. Still functional, so score for me!!! I got the instructions for the basket from here: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/06/newspaper-basket.html





Our next community helper focus was on police officers. There are LOADS of activities to do with kids to teach them about police officers but I wanted to keep the focus on safety. So, I found this handy dandy printable of a phone and distributed them to the kids.

We talked about what to do in an emergency and how to dial 9-1-1. The kid's used the paper phones to practice!! **This is a great way to have your child practice without accidentally calling 9-1-1. Trust me, I know from experience. Ooops!**

Next we sat the kids down with a fingerprint ID kit.

Police stations usually have these available for parents to have. You simply get non-toxic ink and get fingerprints of your child's hand. Children under two are requested to have palm prints, instead. These kits are also available online. Here is one link to a free fingerprint kit:
https://secure.pollyklaasaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=146

The last community helper we learned about, and perhaps my favorite, was firemen. We brought out the fingerpaint for this one and painted the kid's fingers red and their palm green. They made their impression on blank paper and drew in a hose, arms, a face and a fireman's hat. To add a special touch, we applied blue glitter glue to look like it was water and set them aside to dry.



While they were drying, the kids got to work decorating the 4 dozen sugar cookies I had previously made. These were to be treats for the firemen for the next day's field trip to the fire station!! I'm shocked that each child only ate ONE cookie!!



This camp session it seemed fitting to tour a local fire station. The fire station close by is an historical landmark as it was one of the first in our BIG city. We went bearing gifts (cookies), the best kind of guests, no?

Kids got to hear the fire alarm bells go off, see where the firemen sleep and eat and got to see the men slide down the fire pole!! Then came the best part of all...the fire engine!! It is crazy how small and tiny our kiddos looked in comparison to the wheels on that engine!!



As if that wasn't enough excitement, the firemen let the kids get a photo shoot on the front of the fire engine!!!! What a lucky group of kids!

Our week was so much fun and I am already planning my next session for early August!!

You can find my Community Helpers Summer Camp series over at Design Dazzle this summer. Make sure to keep checking their site to see yours truly!! (and to get some great ideas for other summer camps, too!)

In the meantime, I want to share a cute project that I just completed. I made these super cute silhouettes of Dominic and Jillian to add to the upstairs hallway outside their rooms.




Cute, right??

I simply took a photo (or 25) of each kid looking to the side. I bet you can guess which one was easier to convince to cooperate. Then I got into photoshop and used the magnet tool to highlight the background of the photo and turned it all white. Then by some stroke of luck I was able to paint the inside (the silhouette) black and viola! There you have it!!

I printed them 5x7 size, cut them out and tacked them onto some colored paper. I like the contrast between the silhouette and the colored background with the white mat in the frame. Plus, they go with the decor of the kid's rooms. (and no, I didn't plan to have blue for a boy and pink for a girl, it just sort of happened.)

Now, back to pinterest to see what other goodies I can find to work on....

Jillian's Neopolitan Bakery First Birthday Party

We are officially one! I must say that Jillian seems to have gotten a little easier since this turning point. Whether it is in my imagination or not, one thing is for sure: naptime/bedtime has gotten SOOO MUCH EASIER!! She no longer cries herself to sleep. It's really weird. We go into her room, I get her in her jammies, we turn off the lamp, we turn on the white noise machine, we snuggle in the chair under the blanket and she just rests her sweet head on my shoulder and gets all sleepy. I can put her down groggy and leave the room and she doesn't make a peep! AND.....she's been sleeping all night! Without having to nurse 8 hours later!! BIG TIME, folks!

I like to think that this turn of events is due to her extreme pleasure with her first birthday party. I imagine that she was so pleased with how every last detail came out that she decided to turn down the drama a bit and let mommy have a long-needed break.

We had 7 different Italian pastries, 4 of which I hand made (with a little help from the Italian grandma's); pizzelle, struffoli, cannoli and neopolitan cookies. I found sfogliatella at a local Italian market and found arancini in the freezer section! The cake was three layers; strawberry, vanilla and chocolate!

Here's some photos of the girly goodness that went down at her party last week:

The view as you walk in...

The sweets table...

The ice cream cake that I wanted to make. I HEART how it came out!!!!

The birthday girl with her Gammy...

The best photo I have of the inside of the cake!!!! What was I thinking??? Spent all that time making it three flavors and then didn't even get a good shot of the inside???? Rookie mistake!!

The favor table...to-go boxes filled with Italian pastries. YUM!!

I am so happy with how it turned out. We had friends and family join us to celebrate this milestone and little Jillian just waved and smiled as if she knew the fuss was all about her!! I think this is a hint at her personality...

Tune in next week for another round of camp!!! Should be a great one!!!

Closing in on one year

Jilly-bean is just 6 days away from turning ONE! I can honestly say this has been one of the longest years of my life.
I love how people always say, "Wow! A year already??" I laugh and play along but truthfully I am thinking, "Thank GOD! Now it should start getting easier.....right???"

Here are some of the things that I have come to love (and love to loathe) about our little girl over the last 12 months:

**She loves to bump up and down to music. That is how she dances! If being held, she looks like a marionnete puppet with legs kicking wildly.
**She cries herself to sleep many days. No amount of rocking, stroking or singing will help with that. Period.
**I have finally found a calming spot for her: behind her ear! When I stroke her there she will stop, at least temporarily.
**She prefers to stand nowadays.
**When she smiles a truly happy smile, her nose crinkles and it is melt your heart adorable!!!
**When she cries a truly angry attention getting cry, it pierces your eardrum and gets all the dogs in the hood barking. (well, maybe that is an exaggeration)
**Her style leans away from the girly fru-fru and more toward a boho hippie. Think long, flowy dresses and tye dye. Groovy, man.
**She uses her new teeth for protection. She bites her brother and my shoulder and also will poke you in the eye if you annoy her.
**She has fallen in love with baby dolls and likes to poke them in the eye, too.
**She saves her best smiles for her bruh-bruh.
**She likes to wave at the birds out of our kitchen window.
**When she is excited her legs and arms kick and splay like she has lost all muscle control!
**Her favorite game (and his, I suspect) is "Catch the brother".
**She dislikes any solid food thicker than the consistency of applesauce and will reject anything you try to give her after that.
**She still wakes at least once during the night to nurse.
**Her favorite word thus far is "Ma-ma-ma-ma".
**She has the most beautiful eyes. Like a little deer.
**She absolutely LOVES to look at photos of herself. They crack her up. I was a little afraid that she had a vain streak until I tested her with a baby faces book and got the same reaction. Apparantly she just likes baby faces!!

This year for her birthday party we are doing a Neopolitan Bakery theme. I'll post pics, of course, but I'm really hoping all the fuss will turn into a fun party. Afterall, it is just for a one year old who will have NO recollection of any of it!

RAK: my Lenten journey

So.....it's been a while. Sorry.

I have been having a ball with my Lenten "sacrifice". There have been days when we have not left the house so those days I didn't get to RAK anything/one. I am not stressing about it as Lent isn't about me stressing out, it's about focusing on being more Christ-like. I'm sure Jesus didn't stress out if he didn't perform a miracle every single day, right?

I've done pretty well, despite our homebound days. Here's the list to date. I even left blank the days that we were not able to fulfill our obligation.

Feb 29- out closing day on our old house. We put a case of beer in the fridge along with a congratulations note to the new home owners. They emailed to thank us for the welcome!

March 1- I helped a lady carry in some of her items for a consignment sale.

March 2- I brought about 7 of Jillian's hats to a neighbor who just had a baby girl and posted a plea on FB asking for any old hats to use for photos.

March 3- Nothing today.

March 4- We welcomed the soldiers home today! What a GREAT way to start the week!!

March 5- We put individual servings of popcorn in snack size ziploc bags and included our RAK note. Then we taped them onto the Red Box machine outside the grocery store.

March 6- We went to the DMV as well as two different laundromats to drop off books. Children's as well as novels for the adults (not the x-rated kind).

March 7- Welcomed hubby home with a stay-at-home-date. We had FUN!

March 8- I had to drop off something for a lady in my playgroup and she had just had her second baby so I stopped at the store and grabbed some Biscoff cookies for her to enjoy.

March 9- Another lady in my playgroup is pregnant with her second and we went to lunch. She asked me where I found maternity clothes to fit my small frame and I told her to come by and take all my clothes away....and she did!!

March 10- Nothing.

March 11- served the refugee meal after Mass

March 12- Held a BUNCO night at my house with the proceeds going to my pre-eclampsia walk instead of a winning pot.

March 13- We did a Meals on Wheels delivery. It was awesome!

March 14- Hosted a playgroup at my home to make cards of appreciation to be sent to the troops overseas.

March 15- Signed up to bring a new mom a meal in my neighborhood.

March 16- Took my two nephews to the mall for a while so my MIL could rest.

March 17- Funneled charity information from my friend in the know to a friend who was wanting some information.

March 18- Attended a baby shower for a relative even though our schedule was totally hectic and we prepared them to think we were not going to be able to make it. It's a HAUL out there!

March 19- Made cookies for our new neighbors.

March 20- Nothing today.

March 21- Did another Meals on Wheels delivery. FUN!

March 22- Nothing today.

March 23- Gave the AT&T repairman a homemade cupcake and some juice as a thank you.

March 24-Nothing today.

March 25- Nothing today.

March 26- Had cooking camp for Dominic this week and gave the babysitters dinner and dessert as a special thanks!

March 27- Donated 24 filled eggs to fill refugee Easter baskets.

March 28- Donated to the Leukemia foundation.

March 29- Picked up Gammy and Gampy at the airport and made a large Welcome Home sign and gave Gammy a dozen tulips!

March 30- Organized a Couple's Date Night and had an awesome time.

March 31- Took a walk with Dominic this afternoon and stopped at a neighbor's home to let them know that their house is Dominic's favorite house in the hood. They were pleased as punch!

April 1- Donated TONS of bottles to the White Rose Center.

April 2- Gave a $5 donation to MS at the Toys R Us checkout counter.

April 3- Put $2 in quarters in snack size baggies along with the RAK notes and taped them to the Spiderman ride at the grocery store.

April 4- Had a prolonged conversation with Carol, a lady at the dollar store who admired my kiddos. A great-grandma herself, she wanted to talk about her own family and her life as a teacher and momma. She was reminiscing and while I would usually rush off before either kid could have a melt-down, I stayed and talked with her. Surprisingly, no melt-downs!

Wow! That's a LONG list!! Easter is this Sunday but I have a few days to make up for so I'll continue for about another week.

I'll have to post about cooking camp another time. Let's just say that the attention span was hit or miss for this theme! HA!

10 for you and 2 for me

Our Lenten "sacrifice" is chugging right along. I'm excited each day to think of a way to show kindness to a stranger.

Yesterday we went to Target for a run and on the way home we were stopped at a red light. I noticed 2 men waiting at the bus stop. One was just pacing and the other was sitting on the bench listening to his ipod. I thought back to Rome when we had to take buses and the metro to get around and how long the wait can seem. Just then I spied a donut shop! Bling!! The lightbulb went off.

We turned into the parking lot of the donut shop and bought a dozen donuts. I used my pre-made RAK cards (which are in my purse at all times) and Dominic and I went up to the men and handed out the donuts. At first it was a bit intimidating, walking up to three (another man joined the wait) men. They were super nice and laughed when they read the card so that made me feel more at ease. The last guy even game Dominic a hug!!

Then we patrolled the area and gave out 3 more donuts to people waiting. One bus stop had a man and woman waiting. They were not together, they were not even sitting close to each other. After they got the donuts they began laughing with each other and talking. They both waved as we drove off. So nice to see!!

The last lady at the bus stop was all alone. She thanked me profusely and put the card in her pocket. She maintained eye contact and I could tell that she really appreciated the small act of kindness.

We had 6 donuts left and for the life of me we couldn't find ANYONE else waiting at a bus stop! We did, however, find a fire truck in an adjacent neighborhood with 4 firemen packing up. We quickly parked and ran to them with the last of the donuts and some cards. They immediately picked Dominic up into their truck and let him check out their gear!!

We had a wonderful time with this!

This morning we decided to RAK the mail carrier. We have yet to meet our carrier so we aren't sure if it's a man or a woman. We had a Hershey's bar left over from the girl scout RAK on Sunday so we taped a card to it and I included a hand-written thank you card and Dominic drew a picture. Cute!!

I'm really liking this idea!! Let's hope I can come up with something cool for tomorrow!

Two months later...

Has it really been TWO MONTHS since I last posted? Times have been so crazy here since we've made the move. I can't believe we've been in this house for 6 weeks already.

As you can guess, we've not done much in the way of playdates and such since the middle of January. Unless you count unpacking boxes, that is.

One thing that has gotten easier is Miss Jillian. She turned a corner behavior-wise late January. We've been loving her MANY smiles! Who knew this kid was so flirty?? My favorite is when she dons the "aw shucks" pose when someone smiles at her.

We've had unseasonably warm weather this winter and that's allowed us to play outside in our new backyard. That is perhaps my favorite part of this new house: being able to open the back door and boot Dominic outside to play and all the while I can see him from the huge wall of windows off the den! Superb!

Our new year's resolution this year is to volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. It's not easy to do with a 3 year old in tow, but I found 2 groups that revolve around volunteer projects appropriate for his age. YAY!! We are signed up to deliver meals for the Meals on Wheels program next week!

In a related note, last week we received our ashes for Ash Wednesday and we took some time to decide what our Lenten sacrifice would be. (Lent really snuck up on us this year!) Finally, at one of J's 4am nursing sessions it came to me: for the next 40 days Dominic and I will do one random act of kindness per day! So far we've only done two days so we'll have to make up for the 3 days we missed on the tail end of the 40 days.

Saturday we went through the drive-thru at Wendy's for lunch (long story) and I paid for the order behind me.

Today as I was leaving the grocery store there were 4 Girl Scouts selling cookies at a table. I noticed them walking in and made a note to buy each of them a candy bar. Since we bought 2 boxes just this morning after Mass, I told the girls that I wouldn't be buying cookies and that I just wanted to stop by and give them a little something for all the good they do for others. Their eyes lit up when they saw the candy bars and it made my heart smile as I walked away to their excited voices.

I'm loving the random-ness of it all. I even made some RAK cards to pass out as I do the good deeds to kind of explain what I'm up to. I suspect some folks will be a bit suspicious, sadly. I'll take a photo of the cards and post the pic later.

Any ideas for any good deeds that I can do? I'll make sure and post mine periodically so you all can participate with me, if you'd like.

This post is going to the dog(s)

OK, here's the skinny: We are closing on our new house in 4 days. That means in just 4 more days we will have the keys to our shiny, new (to us) home in our hands! We are super excited to be moving to such a clean and well-kept house. We'd love to keep it that way as long as possible, but with a toddler and a baby who's about to get mobile we know it won't be too long before the house gets a bit beaten up. Add a dog to the mix and there's sure to be some damage!

This got us thinking about our dog situation. When we first got Annabelle we were DINKS and had nothing but time to devote to our pooch. Weekend trips to the dog park were common. We knew all the other dog parents not by their name, but by their pooch's name!

We got Annabelle at the end of our first year of marriage and just as we began our journey to conceive. During the next two years Annabelle became our surrogate child: our furbaby. You can see more about her first few birthday party's here: http://thefriendshipodyssey.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-is-dog-just-dog.html

When I was pregnant with Dominic, Annabelle, not my husband, gained sympathy weight with me. We were able to get it off shortly after Dominic was born. Face time with Annabelle gradually began to decline. We took a total of two trips to the dog park as a family until Dominic got knocked down by one of the bigger dogs and we decided not to go back until he was bigger. Now that little Jillian is here face time with Annabelle is pretty minimal. Jillian is a high needs child and sadly Annabelle takes a back seat where the kids are concerned.

Once we move to the new house David and I are determined to have Annabelle be an outdoor dog. Not ideal, but we don't want her nails scratching up our new house! We'll have enough to deal with in keeping crayons off the walls and juice out of the upstairs carpet!

This decision lead to another discussion: how will Annabelle take to being an outside dog? Honestly, I think we'll have a revolt on our hands. Annabelle is used to coming and going as she pleases (via her dog door) and sleeping in the master's bed (not my choice). Is it fair to exile her to live in the great outdoors?

As sad as it is to admit, Annabelle deserves better than what we've been able to give her lately. She doesn't get any exercise, except when Dominic chases her around the house with a foam sword, and she's started putting on more weight. She needs more attention than what we can give her.

So.....we have decided to offer her to a loving family that has the time, energy and attention to devote to her that we currently don't have. It's a difficult decision and we are praying that someone will fall in love with her and take her in to their pack.

What is an ideal family for Annabelle?
** preferably have children (she does GREAT with our two little's)
** a family that likes to share (she loves to get treats)
** energetic personalities (she loves to play chase)
** patient attitude (as a beagle, she likes to bark at squirrels, birds, pedestrians, pedestrians walking dogs, bicycles, you get the picture, right??)
** I'm guessing she'd prefer to be an only furbaby (she loves attention)

If you think your family would make a good match for our Annabelle we'd love to hear from you!