Every week I like to take a moment to showcase the moments that brought me the most joy. Sometimes they are awesome activities and other times it’s a sweet moment between the kids. There are always moments that can fill us with joy if we choose to see them with a thankful heart.
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So much happened this week! I thought I didn’t take many pictures and I was going to have to scrap together just a few for this post but when I pulled out my phone I realized how many great moments we had this week. There were some trying moments as well but those are always overshadowed when I decide to see the good instead.
The birthday preparations are starting and Parker can’t stop talking about everything he wants to eat this coming Friday. Anders asks every day if it’s time for his pumpkin cake yet. Cade keeps adding more to his list every time he sees a toy he wants. Oh silly boys.
1. Chick-fil-A mom panel
I applied to be a part of the Chick-fil-A mom panel this year and got accepted! They take hundreds of moms from around the country to be on this panel and get feedback about kid meal toys, new promotions, food ideas, and anything else they would like to know. This week a welcome package showed up with a water bottle, beach ball, umbrella, EOS lip balm, a stuffed cow (that the kids promptly ran off with) and a few coupons. We’ve never gone to Chick-fil-A because we don’t have one in town yet… but they are building one right now! I’ve heard great things about their helpfulness with families in the restaurants which is great because sometimes I feel like I bring a whole marching band with me so I’m looking forward to trying it out and seeing if our branch is just as nice.
2. Free LEGO
An incredibly generous friend sent me a message and asked if we’d be interested in a large LEGO board and a box of LEGO that someone had dropped off with her. Yes, please! We picked it up on Tuesday and it has come out every day for play time. They are playing nicely together (most of the time) and helping clean up when we need to put it away. This board can also be mounted to the wall but we are considering putting caster wheels on it so we can slide it under the twins beds when they get older. I’m so thankful for people that are generous to us!
3. Q-tip Painting
I think this might have been a highlight of the week for the kids. I grabbed washable paint – which is so fabulous for this age because it really washes off everything – and q-tips plus some scraps of cardboard and let them go to town with these letter sheets. It helps them with hand-eye coordination plus fine motor skills and we practiced the letter names and sounds while we painted. I’ll definitely be looking for more q-tip painting sheets to add to our homeschool time. And stock up on more paint 😉
4. Play-doh with friends
One of my friends had an appointment and her sitter fell through so she dropped her kiddos off with me and we all hung out for a few hours together. About 85% of the time was spent with Play-doh at the kitchen table. Win! Plus I got some cleaning done while they played because they were so engrossed in their creations. I used to hate play-doh but it’s really growing on me as a “keep them busy” item.
5. Hide and seek
Do you see them? They’ve decided that the deck is just as good of a place as any for hide and seek and it’s hilarious to hear them giggle when they think they are so well hidden. I especially love that Cade is way in the back, half inside the play kitchen oven, with no regard to the entire bottom half of his body hanging out. Goofballs! And I also really love that I can sit on the living room floor and watch all of this while staying warm.
6. Mommy son date
Jamison’s turn for a date! He really wanted a good burger so we went to Johnny Rocket’s. We each got a burger and split fries and a drink. At school the other week he earned a coupon for a DQ treat for excellent behavior for a substitute teacher so we also stopped by DQ for dessert. We wandered around the mall, looked at the pet store and video game store, talked about what he wants for Christmas, and enjoyed each other’s company. It was definitely a great time together.
