I just wanted to leave a quick little note to let everyone know that I am going to be missing for a few days. I will be back on monday though with the usual unplug your kids project post. Things are just a little busy around here for the next few days. Then we plan on starting up with school on monday. So I have to get the things ready for then. I also have to revamp some of Gabe's lessons. The little guy is so active that I have to lean toward the active lessons for him. Well with his right arm in a cast, that makes things difficult. So with all of the stuff going on, it makes it hard to have time to blog. Hope that everyone has a great weekend.

A New Game

The other day when we went to the dollar store, I found these great set of flash cards. I have a pretty big collection of the Planet Earth products now, so of course I had to have these to. It does not hurt that I love flash cards. Don't know why just have to have them. Unfortunetly the kids do not feel as passionate about them as I do. LOL. They will look at them a couple of times then they get put into the bin to collect dust. This time I was determined to make sure that did not happen. So scroll down and see what I did......
The Kids love games so I made one. I took all the flash cards and made question cards from them. Then I took a file folder to make a game board for it. I even used stickers from our Planet Earth Sticker books (like I said BIG collection) to decorate the board.
My Dh has a ton more computer skills than I do so he designed the game board for it. I think he did a great job. We played it for the first time and it was so much fun. I only had one set of flash card questions done, so I have got to make others now. Now the cards will get use because Sam does not like to lose, so he plans on studying alot. HeHeHe my little plan is working.

Book List.....
It looks like we should be able to reach our goal by the next list. That is actually a few weeks early. So cool. I am really proud of my boys that they stuck with it. We had a couple of books that were really popular this time. First is "Such a Silly Baby". This was one of Gabe's Favorites, he always wanted it read. It was really cute. Sam wanted "The Wackiest White House Pets" . This book was really well done, and boy did those presidents have some interesting pets. Also another cute one on here was "Hi, Pizza Man". This was our Pajama Pizza book this week. It was a really cute book about how a little girl would answer the door depending on what type of pizza person was there. Alright make sure to check in next week to see if we reach the goal. Until then go read a good book. Have a great day.
943.) Tissue Please by Lisa Kopelke
944.) Roar of a Snore by Marsha Diane Arnold
945.) It Could have been Worse by A. H. Benjamin
946.) "Hi, Pizza Man!" by Virginia Walter
947.) In the Days of The Pharaohs by Milton Meltzer
948.) Farfallina & Marcel by Holly Keller
949.) Cows Can't Fly by David Milgrim
950.) My Pup by Margret O'Hair
951.) The Story Of Noodles by Ying Chang Compestine
952.) The Berenstain Bears Get The Grouchies by Jan and Stan Berenstain
953.) Monkey Do! by Allan Ahlberg
954.) What's in aunt Mary's Room? by Elizabeth Fitgerald Howard
955.) Shelly by Margie Palatini
956.) Presidents are made of by Hanokh Piven
957.) King Long Shanks by Jane Yolen
958.) Nino's Mask by Jeanette Winter
959.) What Did I Look Like When I was a Baby? by Jeanne Willis
960.) The Story of Chopsticks by Ying Chang Compestine
961.) Grandfather Buffalo by Jim Arnosky
962.) Mary Had a Little Ham by Margie Palatini
963.) The Berenstain Bears and the Excuse Note by Jan and Stan Berenstain
964.) Curious George The Movie by Jasmine Jones
965.) The Scrubbly-Bubbly Car Wash by Irene O'Garden
966.) Curious George Visits a Toy Store by Margret & H.A. Rey's
967.) Curious George Goes to the Beach by Margret & H.A. Rey's
968.) The Bernstain Bears and The Mama's Day Surprise by Stan &Jan Berenstain
969.) Yoshi's Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa
970.) Curious George Goes Camping by Margret & H. A. Rey's
971.) Wackiest White House Pets by Gibbs Davis
972.) Such a Silly Baby by Steffanie and Richard Loring

Unplug your kids.....Flat.
This week the theme for unplug your kids was flat. Ok I was having the usual difficulty of what to come up with. Well then Gabe had to go and fracture his elbow. Ideas just became a little more difficult. I wanted to come up with something he could do to. After all he did not fracture it on purpose, all though he makes me wonder sometimes, just kidding. He actually did say the other day though that he wanted to break his other arm. That was until I told him that it hurts when he does that. His reply was ok I won't then. Silly kid. Alright enough of the side track, back to the project. I finally found a project when I saw this. I mean paintings are flat, so that works right.

Well Since Gabe has a cast on his arm I did want to det it all dirty so I though using his feet to paint would be perfect. This was the little area that I set up so they did get paint all over the rug. I even add in a couple of chairs so that they did not fall. (No need for more cast around here)
Sam was a little hesitant at first because the paint was cold on his feet. He enjoyed the feeling of it though.
Gabe loved the project and was trying to do it just like Sam. So Cute.
The boys got to this point and then decided they need to put there feet in it. And they sure did. Check out there finished products.
Sam's picture is on the top. Gabe's is on the bottom. I think it is cute how they came out so much a like. They alway try to be like each other.
Well the boys loved doing it so much they asked to it again. So it will be a definate project again this week. Make sure to check back for next weeks project. Until then check out everyone else's project over here.

Dh really loves baseball. He wants to share that love with the boys. Right now the boys are pretty much not interested because they do not understand the game. They do not know any rules or even the positions. Their dad decided that today he was going to teach them about the game. He got out the dry erase board and drew out the baseball diamond. He started teaching them all of the positions. They were interested, at least it looks that way to me. :) But how cute of a moment don't you think.

Update on Gabe......
I wanted to thank everyone for the well wishes for Gabe. I wanted to share some pictures of his day today so that you could see he is doing well. He is really loving life, I mean except for the busted elbow that is.
This first picture here is after he got his new clothes on. Sam set up the couch for him to be super comfy. Ahhh the life.
Because this is what happened after. Sam made and fed him lunch while he was all proped up.
Well next was Gabe's bad part of the day. He had to go get his cast put on. During that time Sam stayed home with me. He made some monkey bread for Gabe as a special snack when he got home. Unfortunetly Sam missed him really bad while he was gone. How cute is he. He sat outside watching for him to get home. They actually ran to each other when Gabe got home. I guess they both missed each other.
Well this is my baby boy with the new cast. It is a very pretty blue don't you think? The good news is that we are only going to be with the cast for about four weeks. Oh and of course we managed to turn part of this into a school thing. Well we at least got a new supply for it though. We got to keep his x-rays. I mean what a cool thing to help teach him about the bones. I know I am crazy but I have to find something positive in this, right?

The other day we went to toys r us to pick up a couple of things. Some reason we did not get a single thing from the list. LOL. We sure did have a lot of fun though. I have been wanting to get them a ball pit for a long time for sensory use. I finally got it. Yeah. They love it to. The boys sit in it just to relax.

My Poor Baby....
Last night while the boys were getting ready for bed, they were playing as usual. This time it did not work out so well for Gabe. He tripped over his sandal and landed on his elbow. That ended up landing him in the Emergency room for a few hours. He actually ended up fracturing his elbow. We have an appoinment to get the actual cast on tomorrow. My sweet little baby.

Cooking with my Boys....
I try to do as much cooking with the boys as possible. I think that it is a great skill for them to have and they have so much fun while doing it. It is a win win. So the other night when I needed to make supper the boys went right to work to helping me. I needed some fresh herbs for the recipe so Gabe went out and cut some for me. The rest of the meal I got to make on my own because I put Sam in charge of making the dessert. They made upside down pineapple cake. Very yummy!

To save some time he used a box mix for the cake. He got all of the ingredients for the cake out and got right to work.
He even got a little assistant of his own. Such a cute assistant, don't you think. LOL
Together the boys spread out the brown sugar over the butter.
Then Gabe laid out all of the pineapple.
Sam took out the cherries for him and remved all of the stems. Then Gabe put them all into the pineapple rings.
The cake was so good. Unfortunetly the boys did so good that there is nothing left. It was such a fun time. Sam kept telling me that he loved making the cake and he also said it was his favorite part of the day.

Ohh, Ohhh we are so close to finishing the list. It is a great feeling. So here is our new list for every one to enjoy. I have to say there is a couple on this list that we really liked. To start with "Ribbit" was great. It became an interactive for the kids on how they could dress up a cute little frog. Then I loved Cinder Edna. It was a cute version of cinderella. In this one Cinder Edna is the neighbor to cinderella and their lives are pretty much identical except for one thing. Check it out. Very Cute! Also reading this list I bet you did not know the boys are into the Berenstain Bears. I hope that you enjoy the list. Happy reading!
913.) Ribbit by Bender and Bender
914.) The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
915.) The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
916.) Julius Caesar by Jennifer Mulherin
917.) Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
918.) Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round by Teri Sloat
919.) The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
920.) Pajamas Anytime by Marsha Hayles
921.) How The Amazon Queen Fought The Prince of Egypt by Tamara Bower
922.) The Empanadas that Abuela Made by Por Diane Gonzales Bertrand
923.) Boxes For Katje by Candace Fleming
924.) Snip Snap What’s That? By Mara Bergman
925.) Maxi The Star by Debra and Sal Barracca
926.) A Ride On Mother’s Back by Emery & Durga Bernhard
927.) Time Train by Paul Fleischman
928.) Not Norman A GoldFish Story by Kelly Bennett
929.) You Wouldn't Want To Be An Aristocrat in the French Revolution by Jim Pipe
930.) Welcome Back To Pokeweed Public School by John Bianchi
931.) Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear by Jan and Stan Berenstain
932.) The Berenstain Bears and The Real Easter Eggs by Jan and Stan Berenstain
933.) The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers by Jan and Stan Berenstain
934.) The Berenstain Bears and the Bully by Stan and Jan Berenstain
935.) The Berenstain Bears Get Stage Fright by Stan and Jan Berenstain
936.) The Berenstain Bears Hug and Make up by Stan and Jan Berenstain
937.) Harriet Dancing by Ruth Symes
938.) Elwood and The Witch by Nicholas Heller
939.) The Berenstain Bears and The Big Road Race by Stan and Jan Berenstain
940.) Mermaid Dreams by Mark Sperring
941.) Drumheller Dinosaur Dance by Robert Heidbreder
942.) Henri, Egg Artiste by Marcus Pfister

Unplug your kids.....Glass
This weeks theme was glass for the projects. Which I was very happy with. Most of the time I could have done a project with the actual item. For some reason though the boys have been a little worked up and I was afraid someone would get hurt with glass. So I came up with my own spin, making "glass"es. Goood Right.

Here was my inspiration. Juice bottle holders. (We buy at BJ's, so they are in packs of 2). The boys were only to happy to make their Crazy glasses up.
Sam in the first photo reminded my dh of Elton John. So cute. Now if he only had his musical talent. LOL.
Little Man Gabe decided to make some silly circus glasses. He was so cute putting the stickers all over them.

Make sure to check back for next weeks project. Until then check out everyone else's project over here.

Pajama Pizza Night.....
Last night dh had a function to do with work so he did not make it home for super. On nights like this I try to come up with something fun for them. They liked it so much that they asked for it to become a weekly thing. I thought that it was a great idea. So now we are going to be having it every friday that way dh can be apart of it to. I mean when tax season starts he will still come home at the same time on fridays.

We started out with reading a story together. Of course it was Pizza themed, A curious George for my little monkey. I actually looked on the library site and there is a bunch of different story books with pizza as the theme.
Then we moved on to the pizza making. Yum! This week we made english muffin pizzas. The boys choose pepperoni and mushrooms for the toppings.
I love Sam's concentration tongue in this picture. He is trying so hard to have the perfect pizza. He is such a cutie. Gabe just wanted to eat all of the supplies, A kid after my own heart.
Oops he forgot the cheese!!
Sam was a little more strict with how he did his. He took each piece and covered it with an ingredient before moving on to another ingredient. All though he was sneaking some of the toppings to. LOL!
Time to enjoy the rewards. The boys had some juice and pringles to go with it. Then we topped off the whole evening with a video. We got Inspector Gadget from the library.
So I would love to hear what everyone likes on there pizza. The boys are up for trying new types. I think that pizzas are a great way to get kids to try a new type of food.

We went to the beach over the weekend. The boys had such a blast. We packed up a nice picnic lunch and spent some time playing in the waves. Here are some pictures from the day.
This is the boys when we told them they could go play in the water.

Gabe got some one on one time with daddy. He was having a blast playing in the waves.
Sam was having so much fun playing in on the edge. He liked the feeling of the water pulling out the sand from under his feet.
Gabe kept a tight cling to daddy's legs because the waves kept moving him. I think he got his sodium needs filled that day with the amount of water that kept getting in his mouth.

Another Book Post.....
Ok So now we are getting really close. We still have over a month for it and all we have to do is read 88 more. Not a problem. I know my boys can do it. I have been working on a way to post all of them together when we are finished. It has been decided that we will do a second blog. It will be totally devoted to the books. I will probably keep doing list like this one on that when we reach the goal. Over here on this one I will still talk about books but just the ones that were our favorites. So I will let everyone know when that is up and running. Until then enjoy the books below. Hapy reading.

888.) Cow by Malachy Doyle
889.) Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck by Lisa Wheeler
890.) Falling For Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox
891.) Horse In The Pigpen by Linda Williams
892.) Street Rhymes Around The World by Jane Yolen
893.) Lettice by Mandy Stanley
894.) Circus Train by Jos A Smith
895.) The Bubble Gum Kid by Stu Smith
896.) How Big Is a Pig by Clare Beaton
897.) Poof! By John O’ Brien
898.) Finklehopper Frog Cheers by Irene Livingston
899.) Ace Lacewing Bug Detective by David Biedrzycki
900.) Bumble Bugs and Elephants by Margaret Wise Brown
901.) Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
902.) Brassy The Fire Engine Saves The City by Dennis Smith
903.) The Berenstain Bears GROW-IT by Stan and Jan Berenstain
904.) The Quiet Little Farm by Janet Kerr
905.) Daddy Island by Philip Wells
906.) Magpie Magic by April Wilson
907.) Curious George Makes Pancakes by Margret & H.A. Rey’s
908.) Beware The Dragons by Sarah Wilson
909.) Oh, Brother by Ken Stark
910.) Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans
911.) The Berenstain Bears’ Bedtime Battle by Jan and Stan Berensatain
912.) Snakes by David Greenburg

Unplug your kids......Stone.
This weeks theme for unplug your kids was stone. I had trouble coming up with ideas for it. It thought about doing this project, but we did not have a chance to get stones that would be big enough. So I had to come up with some other idea. hmmm what to do, what to do. So I decided on some Sand Art. After all isn't sand just ground up stone. I know I am stretching it but it was all I could come up with. The boys love it to so that is good.

To start with I gathered some of our colored sand, Glue, Paper, pencil and Q-tips.
Step One you draw out a picture that you want. (check out Sam's design over here)
Then you spread glue on you picture. Then Sprinkle sand on top of it and shake of the extra sand.
Then you have your sand art picture. A very easy project to do. I actually drew out a dinosaur for Gabe. It is a little hard to see. Well that is it for this weeks project make sure to check back for next weeks theme...Glass. Until then check out everyone else's over here.

Out and About....
Here are some more pictures from our trip. This first one we thought was neat. It is a real Torpedo from a submarine. Look at the size of that thing. It was out side the welcome center in Georgia. The boys absolutly loved. Gabe actually asked if there was one at every rest stop.

This was at a McDonald's in South Carolina. There was plenty of room on the bench next to him so of course the boys had to pose with him. Gabe kept going up to him and having conversation with him. Sometimes I wonder about that boy. :)

These are a couple of Shot from our hotel in Virginia. I have to say that it was a really nice hotel. The kids loved it because it had an indoor pool. I mean come on you can swim inside, to cool for a kid. Momma liked it because of the nice whirlpool. *smile*
This final shot was taken at Arlington Cemetary before we left to head back to Florida. That is actually Lincoln Memorial in the back ground. Very Cool.
Well I will be back in a couple of Days with more pictures from the trip. I will still be posting the next two days tho, an Unplug your Kids project and a book list. Just make sure to keep checking back for all of it. Have a great day.

While we were visiting Washington we went to the Botanic Gardens. They had a lot of different displays about sustainable living and ways to save the earth. The following pictures are from the exhibit that I liked the best. It was called Cool Globes. These globes all presented different messages, and they made you really think.