Every year, the day after Christmas, we take the long journey to the great wide open (also known as Papa Tractors). This year was extra special because, this year Papa Tractor took our oldest son ice fishing. He had a special hat made just for him and bought him his very own ice fishing rod. It was special indeed! He reserved a special ice house just for us for the entire day. We hopped in a Bombardier (see the photo)and headed to 5 mile point. It was five miles out in the middle of the lake and it took us nearly a half hour to get there. But was it worth it? Indeed! We spent nearly 7 hours out there and the only person who caught anything was Papa. But, it didn't really matter because the day wasn't totally about catching....it was more about the memory, the special time, the incredible gift of grandparents. It was a successful day for sure! Have you ever been ice fishing? Do you have any amazing memories with your grandparents you want to share? … [Read more...]
World Unplug & Play Day™
We interrupt our normal Pinned it Did it! to bring you an announcement:Tomorrow (January 19th) is WORLD UNPLUG & PLAY DAY™!Play from Scratch™ and Toys In The Dryer challenge you (yes, we mean you) to take a break from your gadgets and just play for an entire day. Shut off your cell phone, computer, and tablet, turn off the video games and mp3 players, unplug and play in the real world. We don't care what you do exactly, just do something as a family that doesn't involve a cord.“Technology can bring us together as well as distract us from what’s important,” said Jeff Freeland Nelson founder and CEO of Play from Scratch. “We think everyone should take the pledge, unplug for just one day and rediscover what it’s like to play in the real world.”You can take the pledge and watch a video of kids making the case at unplugandplayday.com. Organizations as far away as Bilbao, Spain have already jumped on board and are encouraging their friends to unplug and play. “Our goal is simple,” said … [Read more...]
Melted Crayon Formations
My husband was sick of finding tiny crayon pieces all over the house. He was about to throw them away when I told him we could re-purpose the crayons. He then remembered something he used to do with his mom when he was younger--Melted Crayon Formations.The unfortunate thing is that he couldn't exactly remember what he and his mom did. He remembered melted crayons and something about plunging them into ice water. So...he went with that...The girls took the paper off of all the tiny chunks of crayon they had. Then, much to my dismay, my husband melted the crayons in our egg skillet! Oh well, crayons are non-toxic and the skillet cleaned up nicely. While hubby was melting the crayons, I got out one of our large pots and filled it with ice water. Once the crayons were melted, hubby poured the liquid into a metal cap from a jelly jar......then he quickly plunged the cap into the ice water. This caused the crayons to rise and harden quickly. Though my girls thought the formations … [Read more...]
Snow Angels- Inner child
The last week of December approached and FINALLY this year we have SNOW! Yay! We took a six hour car ride up to "Papa Tractor's" and braved the cold. It was time to channel my inner child. My oldest son and I took the opportunity to make snow angels. I am honestly not sure who had more fun- him or me. We bundled up in our snow gear and plopped down into a fresh batch of snow. We laid down and created angels. We giggled the entire time and after a few minutes we just sat there and chatted. It was a GREAT memory created and I am so glad we did it.Have you ever made snow angels WITH your child? … [Read more...]
13 Things You MUST DO With Your Children in 2013
1) Take photosWhen was the last time you took photos with your kids? I mean, you get in the photo with them. You don't have to take professional family photos (though those would be nice), self portraits can be a lot of fun too! 2) Play in the rainLet out your inner child, don't worry about getting wet (or even muddy), just have some pure fun, and play in the rain.3) Watch a sunrise or sunsetShare the beauty of nature with your children and watch a sunrise or sunset. Enjoy the colors in the sky and the peace that comes with them. Just maybe you'll become engrossed in an conversation about the day.4) Have a one-on-one dateShow each of your children they are special by spending some one-on-one time with them. Whether it's a half-hour or a full day, you'll both get something from it and you'll strengthen your bond even more.5) Go through old family photosYounger children love to look at baby photos of themselves and older children like to see how weird mom and dad looked when … [Read more...]
Playing In The Snow WITH Your Kids
*There is no Pinned it, Did it! this week as we have been spending time with our families. Instead, enjoy this post that was originally posted on the 17th but was taken down for a post about Sandy Hook. ---------------- We finally had our first big snowfall of the year last weekend. We got almost a foot of snow in one storm! Needless to say, the girls were anxious to get out and play in the white stuff! Most of the time I sit in a chair and watch my kids play in the snow. After all, they have way more energy than I do, I don't really like getting all bundled up, and I hate being cold and wet. However, every now and then I do like to re-live my childhood by making snow angels. I had a blast a few years ago when we took the girls sledding for the first time. Tottie was too little to go down the hill by herself so Hubby and I had to go down with her. At the end we were tired, cold, and wet but we all had smiles on our faces! Last year there wasn't enough snow to really … [Read more...]
