The Quotable Jackson

I haven't posted one of these in a while!  Enjoy! 

Jackson woke up early on the Saturday of his schoolmate's birthday party and said, "I was having too much fun with my dreams and then I realized I have a party to go to!"

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Jackson:  I wish we had a cow in the backyard so we could make steak.

-Jackson, age 5 1/2

The Quotable Jackson: Emergencies, Lightbulbs and China

In efforts to explain to Jackson what a real emergency is, because there have been many "false" emergencies lately, I clarified to him a few times what an emergency was (fire, someone hurting or taking you, earthquake, someone else getting hurt or doing something that could hurt them, etc.).  When putting him down for a nap or bedtime, I also explained that he wasn't to get out of bed unless it was "an emergency."  The other night, after I told him that, he sighed heavily and said, "Well, we just don't get too many of those around here!"  I had to agree.

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Troy told me the other day that Jackson informed him that I had replaced the lightbulbs in the bathroom.  Jackson said that I "restored the light."  Ha!  I wonder where he came up with that!

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Last night, Jackson's new water bottle broke while Troy was trying to take the lid off.  It was said that the cup was made in China.  Jackson then looked toward the bathroom where we had several new lightbulbs go out recently.  He asked, "Mommy, were those lightbulbs made in China?"  I replied, "Probably."  He then concluded, "Well, China needs to get some better materials!"  Well said, son, well said.

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Jackson, age 5.

Day 28: Family Valentine's Dinner

Last year, we started the tradition of having a family Valentine's Day dinner at home with our kids on Valentine's Day.  We never enjoyed going out because every place is so crowded and would much rather enjoy a date when everyone and their wife, girlfriend, or grandmother was out.  Also, this tradition is so fun!  Our kids have a blast and so do we.  It is a lot of preparation, but is so much better than going out!

I applied many pins this year.  The nice thing about Pinterest is there are people who pay close attention to detail.  Printable, free Valentines are available through Pinterest that can make those special details, like having homemade Valentines with your children's' favorite characters on them, so much easier to find and use!  (Click here for a bunch of free Valentine's Day Printables!)

For this card, I found the free chevron stripe printable HERE and the date to date calculator for date HERE.  The fact that you could have that calculated in seconds is amazing!

An idea I came across on Pinterest was to have heart themed pizzas.  How fun is that?  And how perfect for the kids!  I purchase the Bob's Red Mill gluten free pizza crust at Big Lots for a decent price.  The bag says to divide the batch into two balls, but I decided them into several balls, just big enough to roll out into a six inch circle so I could use a large cookie cutter to shape the dough.  Instead of baking the dough with the toppings on it for 15-18 minutes, as directed on the package, I baked it for 10.  The pizzas were smaller, so that was perfect.

To make the pepperoni (which is nitrate-free from Fresh & Easy) heart-shaped, fold the pepperoni in half, just like you would to make a paper heart, and cut out half of a heart from fold.  Unfold and you have a heart and a pepperoni with a heart-shaped hole.  Cute, huh?

Next, to make the salad special, I made the carrots heart shaped.  When I saw this on Pinterest, I HAD to do it  The hardest part was cutting the slit in the middle of the carrot.  After that, I just peeled the carrot to shape it.  Overall, it was pretty easy and added such a great detail!  Madelyn loved eating the carrot hearts!

And, of course, we ate by candlelight.  :)

After dinner, we played a few rounds of balloon volleyball, Valentine's Day Edition (the red balloon!).  Jackson said he wanted to play this every night.  I have to admit, it was so much fun!  (Again, this idea was from Pinterest.)

To set this balloon volleyball up, fold a twin sized sheet in half lengthwise, drape over  two chairs so it forms the "net."  Then tie the ends of the sheet to the leg of the each chair.  Be sure to blow up the balloon to a somewhat small size, so it is less likely to pop.

After volleyball, we finished the night off with brownies!

A bonus I didn't expect...my hubby gifted me Elyse Fitzpatrick's new devotion, a much needed and very pretty apron, and Thin Mints.  Yea!!!  

Pinterest was a nice addition to our family Valentine's Day tradition.  I'm happy I added those little details, and enjoyed the fact that the kids liked them too!

Day 25: Super Duper Lego Picker Upper & Lego Storage

I love the way my boy builds amazing creations with his Legos.  But, I could do without the way our floor looks after such creations are made.

Does that look familiar? 

On the search for a solution, I found a pin concerning this very issue.  The pin led me to Gwen's Nest, where she made a "sheet" for legos to be played with on and to be put away with.  She made hers with handles and two different colors, but I'm looking for a quick solution and lack the knowledge of how to use a sewing machine.  (I would love to learn to sew...sometime!)

 So, I made do with an old sheet and a container.  That is all I needed.  I know it's not pretty, but it sure does the job.

Here, you see Jackson playing with his Legos at the center of the sheet.  He has been told not to remove his Legos from this sheet unless he is building something on the Lego table.

Next, I taught him how to bring all the corners and sides together.  He simply brings all that together to gather up in Legos in the sheet, then lifts the sheet into the container.  Voila!  Instant and effective Lego Storage!  

Again, I am aware that this isn't pretty.  But, it is functional for a five year old boy who doesn't care about sorting his Legos into different shapes or colors, as some store their Legos.  I'm sure that will come when he is old enough.  For now, this works.

And guess what?  I didn't step on any Legos today and Jackson cleaned up his Legos all by himself.  That makes this momma smile!

Day 20: Mod Podge Letter

Today I wanted to do a simple, yet creative craft.  A Mod Podge pin came to mind, so I cracked open my first bottle of Mod Podge.  Is it true that it's just glue and water?  Did I just pay five bucks for that?

Seeing that he could get into that white sticky stuff, my five year old was eager to help.  This craft is very easy---perfect for kids to help out with.  They can practically do the whole craft themselves!  This is well worth the total of 10 minutes it takes to make!

Supplies:
12" Paper Letter (I got mine from JoAnn's for $3.99)
12" x 12"scrapbook paper
Matte Mod Podge
Acrylic paint
Sponge brushes
Scissors

Instructions:
1)  Trace letter onto scrapbook paper.
2)  Cut letter out.
3)  Paint sides of letter.  Painting the back is optional.  It depends on where and how it will be displayed.  Let dry.
4)  Apply Mod Podge to letter and put the letter cutout on top.
5)  Apply Mod Podge all over top of letter, working out any bubbles from underneath.  Mod Podge can be applied over the side of the letter, so everything looks nice and even.
6) Display and enjoy!

Jackson was a super-duper Mod Podge applier!  Just had to even things out a bit!  :)

Pretty, isn't it?

Day 17: Balloon Rockets

This is a pin that Jackson has been asking to do for quite some time.  It was pretty easy, but the set up could have been easier if I used thinner string instead of yarn.   The idea is that you teach how real rockets push air through their engines to make them go fast.  So here it goes!


The Supplies:
Balloons
String
Straws
Scissors
2 chairs
Tape

The Instructions:
1) Cut string about 6 feet long.
2) Tie one end of string to chair.
3)  Thread string through straw.
4) Blow up balloon.  DO NOT tie it.
5) Pinch balloon with fingers so air doesn't escape.
6)  Attach balloon with two pieces of tape over (running the tape over the straws and over the balloon).
7)  Release balloon!

I used three strings so the kids could each race a balloon.  They really enjoyed it.  I don't know about your kids, but there is nothing funnier to my kids than the sound of a balloon loosing it's air.  :)

 (Video of the big balloon race!)

The Quotable Jackson: The 1999s

I realized it's been quite a while since I've done a "Quotable Jackson" post.  I used to do them all the time! Here is a Jackson quote for you all to enjoy:

Jackson was watching a "Cars Toons" clip where they showed Mater in black and white "film."  He then turned to me and said, "Hey, Mom!  This looks like it was made in the 1999's."  I asked him why and he replied, "Because it's in black and white!"  1999's???  That sure makes me feel old!  I'm sure that sounds like a long time ago to him, because, after all, it was in another millennium!

Day 4: Lego Soap Dispenser

My boy loves Legos. He plays with them, talks about them, dreams about them. Now he can wash his hands with them. This was a super easy "craft" that my five-year-old really enjoyed putting together with me. And, I must add, he is just tickled with the idea of using the soap now!

Lego Soap Dispenser

You will need:
1 clear plastic empty soap dispenser (I used an old Soft-soap container and removed the label.)
Clear hand soap
12-15 Legos in a variety of colors

Directions:
Unscrew lid to the dispenser. Put in about 1/2 inch of soap. Then put in a few Legos. Keep layering soap and Legos until you fill the dispenser. Screw the lid back on. Wash your hands and enjoy!

Results: Easy to do!  Legos tend to float to the top, but that will only bug me, I'm sure.  :)

Remember, if you'd like to see any of these actual Pins of where these ideas originated, please follow me on Pinterest and follow the "30 Days of Pinterest" board.

My Kid's Smiles

Thankfulness Day 18
God gives us so much more than we deserve. My kids are so much of a blessing as it is, but every time my kids smile, that little blessing warms my heart. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for these smiling faces and in awe of the God who made such beautiful, happy smiles!

My Children's Good Health

 Thankfulness Day 16

Yesterday the kids all saw their doctor for a check-up---Jackson for his five-year check-up, Madelyn for her 3-year check-up and Owen for his 18-month check-up.  They all are healthy kids!  I know that good health isn't a given.  I thank the Lord that He, for the time being, has blessed my children with good health!

Jackson covers his ears as Owen gets 5 shots.  They did them quick and Owen forgot about it in about 10 seconds, but they is never fun to watch or hear.

All the kids' percentiles.  Owen, for now, is pretty short.  No wonder his pants are too long! (Correction on the percentiles-  I just recalculated Owen's and Madelyn because they seemed slightly off.  Owen is in the 51 percentile in weight, not the 95th, and in the 14th percentile in length, not the 9th.  That makes more sense!  Madelyn's was slightly off.  She is in the 77th percentile for weight and the 55th for height.)

Kindred Spirits

The Jacksons.  These boys play together like they have never been apart.  True Kindred Spirits, I think!

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”  -Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)

Thankfulness Day 11 

A Kindred Spirit  is a person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own (wikipedia).  I realize that these type of people to me are the friends who I don't see very often but when I do see them, it is as if no time has passed.  The time we do get to spend together goes by way too quickly.   They are encouraging, honest, and transparent.  They make you laugh and don't bring your spirits down.  I cherish those sort of friendships.  I am very thankful for the "Kindred Spirits" in my life.  We had the opportunity to spend time with a whole family of Kindred Spirits yesterday and I was so thankful for that time with them.  I only hope we can get together more often!

My 5-Year Old!

Thankfulness Day 7: My 5-Year Old!

Five years ago today, I gave birth to my first born son.  A first time mother can never guess how much her life will change at that moment.  Now, I can't imagine my life without him!  He brightens everyday with his smile and very social personality.   Like any five-year-old, he is very much into Legos.  He still loves to sleep with his stuffed Curious George and loves me to sing "Baby Mine" to him at bedtime, so I cherish that.  He has almost grown out of naps, but will take a nap once or twice a week.  Here are a few of his favorite things:

(Translation) Favorite color: blue; Favorite book: Lego Star Wars; Favorite Song: Star Wars (Luke Skywalker's Theme);  Favorite thing to do is: Spend time with cousins.

I am so thankful for Jackson.  God has been so gracious to him.  He is healthy, smart, and, as his mother, I am just going to say that he is a handsome boy!  He is inquisitive about Christ and he says he believes in him.  That is our hope!  This is the thing I want most for him.  He can grow up to be a teacher, doctor, zoologist, construction worker, or a bus driver.  To me, all those things seem so small compared to a relationship with Christ.