Do It Yourself @#%&?!

My Honey had a week-long training conference far, far away. So instead of just relaxing with my kidlets, swimming, reading and picnicking... I decided to re-do my kitchen. (I discovered that I would make a very lousy military wife! Trying to be the fix-it guy AND the mom was harder than I thought).
Anyway... I packed up my kitchen, made a few freezer meals and only kept out the things the kids and I would need for the week. Guess what? It has now been almost two weeks and I am still not done. The daddy is back (thank goodness) but now there is still no kitchen and we are all getting tired of sandwiches.
I am hoping to get some before and after pictures for you. Unfortunately all I have is before and during. So I'll have to get back with you on that one.

Kids travel games

I thought I'd better get this posted because I knew that some of you were getting ready to hit the road this next week. If this helps you even a little, it is worth the effort! I am just going to share a few of the ideas I have used and gleaned from others.

• A "travel bag"~ for each child. This helps eliminate fighting over things. I also keep one myself to hide a few extra things just in case.

• Trip to the dollar store~ I usually pick up one new book or toy for each child and scope out their work book and sticker selection. For the babies in the fam (don't laugh) but I look in the dog toy section for those squeaky toys.
• Coloring or work books~ dollar store and/or make a few minny size from picts on the Internet (Print four to a page, cut, staple, ta-da!)
• Make a book or blank note books~ Use colored paper for the cover and blank for the pages. Staple or sew binding. Personalize with their name. Let them write or draw their own story.
• Car bingo~ also printable online or make your own (I added cows, cactus and other stuff)
• Skittles Car bingo~ This is a new favorite! Eat a skittle when you see that color car... you might want to buy both kinds to have more colors.
• Gift wrapped~ This was GREAT!!! Put a little surprise in wrapping paper or a paper lunch sacks sewn shut. Let them open one every now and then. (All I wrapped was a tiny book and stickers and they thought it was the best).
• Color pencils~ NO CRAYONS! My kids all have pencil pouches~less fighting again.
• Colorwonder, explosions, aqua doodle.... Crayola makes a collection of great car friendly stuff. (If you are willing to invest in it $$) Doodle pro is fun too.
• Stickers~ don't forget a book to stick it on to avoid window decor
• Window cling stickers~ I'm not sure I would do both regular and clings on one trip. They are likely to be confused.
• Treats then don't usually get
• Pipe cleaners or tin foil~ have a sculpting contest
• Glow bracelets~ a must for night or evening travel
• Paper dolls~ (The dollar store has re-stickable dress up doll stickers) or find online
• Cat's cradle~ remember that string game when we were little? Use elastic or yarn and teach them how.
• I spy bag~ E-mail me if you need the instructions
• Books!
• Pit stop fun things~ Jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, etc. (fun stuff for the kids to do when you make a potty stop).
• Paper clips~ create necklaces and things with them. The colored ones are fun and easier to spot when its clean up time.
  

• Story box~ Use a school box or something small. Cover inside with felt. Cut out felt scenery. Using heavy pellon, trace or draw characters with pen and color with colored pencil. It's a bit of work, but will really entertain.

• Baby games~ for the small ones this is a fun one. It 's like pulling the Kleenexes out of the box. Use any kind of plastic container they can pull fabric through. Empty frosting containers with a hole in the lid, the round baby wipe containers, I used a powdered country time lemonade bottle). Use handkerchiefs or alternate colored fabric. Make at least a few feet long or what ever can fit in the bottle.(I used ribbing because I ran out of time to hem regular fabric. Tie or sew together and let them pull and pull and pull.

• Baby game #2~ Similar game... another empty container with a smaller hole in the lid. I used pompoms and let my baby keep putting them in the hole.

Good luck on your family vacation! Hope you have a wonder time and I hope this helps a bit! If you have any MORE ideas PLEASE share them!!! I would love to add to my kids travel bags for next time.

Bingham Vacation

We drove to Arizona. It was a very long drive! Thankfully my kids were pretty much little angels during the whole drive time. (My baby snoozing).

I had done a lot of prep work to get the kids "travel bags" ready. (Back packs I fill with toys, games and other goodies that they ONLY get when we take long trips). Ben was enjoying his 3D space picture book. Sweet glasses yes? Pst... thank you to all of you who shared some of your travel game ideas. THEY WERE GREAT!
We were very spoiled to have Grandpa Conover with us on the way down. We made lots of stops to hike, look around, and stretch our legs. My boys loved hunting for lizards with Grandpa.
Playing hide and seek in the condo was so fun! (THANK YOU Uncle Shon and Aunt Roxanne!!!)

I couldn't believe where the kids found to hide! Ok, so I did help with this one... it was just too cute.

We made a stop at the Hoover Dam. All this was a first for Brett and the kids. It was fun to show them the things I remember seeing as a little girl.Here is the darling reason for our trip. My brother and his wife just had their second baby. Isn't she beautiful! We joined them to celebrate her blessing just before her daddy is deployed.

Hanging with my sister-in-law. She totally doesn't look like she just had a baby a week ago!

"Uncle Shon is the coolest!" They took us to a lake just off post and we had a blast. Shon put the kids in the boat and had it anchored to the shore. So they felt like big stuff paddling all by themselves.

My baby. Dang he is cute.

Of course we had to go geocaching. We found a lot of caches on our trip. (The most exciting one was when Brett lifted a box and a VERY large lizard jumped out from underneath it). Grandma Conover got into it too. One of my favorite outings. The Mesa, AZ temple.

My little archaeologist heart was in heaven at this stop. Behind us is Montezuma's Castle. Google it... its really neat!

Here is out tour guide.

Isn't that amazing! I've wanted to visit Mesa Verde since I was a little girl... but this was an amazing substitute!

This is the "look out tower" at the Grand Canyon. It is the BEST place to see the canyon if you are bringing kids without parachutes! You can walk all the way to the top and look out the windows on all three floors.

Brett had never seen the Grand Canyon before. I must admit... as I was taking this picture I was wishing he wasn't trying to see it at such a close proximity.

Home again, home again, jiggidy jog!

I haven't posted for a while. Explanation: VACATION!!!! We drove to ARIZONA... it was wonderful. The kiddos handled the gazillion hours of car travel like heroes. I'll have to post pictures and details later. Today we are trying to get over "jet lag." (I wish it was jet lag... I think car lag is even worse). Hee Hee. Laundry and more laundry await me and the kids are making bank with a lemon aid stand in the front... so gotta run.

I am convinced that the great conquerors of the world learned their great military tactics from children. Whom else can so efficiently seek out and destroy so quickly, quietly and completely? (That new piece of furniture didn't stand a chance! Not that I have new furniture... or come to think if it, even if I did have some... it would only look new for about five minutes).

• The divide and conquer method! A few of them head upstairs and a few downstairs and between the two groups, there is just no way for the "enemy"(namely the mommy who is trying to maintain a sense of order and cleanliness) to keep up with the little army.
• Attack when least expected! That peaceful and quiet time that we mothers naively think of as nap time is just a cover for secret plots of how the rest of the day will be spent in delightful chaos.
• The secret weapon! That darling little "baby" looks so sweet and Innocent. Don't be fooled. (At least at my house) He is the tool of mass destruction!
• Distract and destroy! One child will act as the decoy while the others whirlwind every thing in sight (and a few things that were out of sight but are now scattered on the floor).

I'm sure I could go on, but at the moment the one-year-old has scatter the dry spaghetti noodles all over the kitchen and into the living room and the three-year-old has just tipped over the box of Cheerios. Wish me luck as I go into battle! (Or at least pray that I find a bit of sanity buried under the piles I will be picking up today).

Spring has sprung!

The warmer the weather (and more garden-friendly) the less I want to be in the house! I have to discipline myself to come back inside to clean, otherwise I would be outside ALL day! Hmmm... that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll get my house sparkling, lock the doors, and the kids and I can picnic and play outside all day. Then when we come inside to go to bed... it will be nice and clean. :) Most of the time we'll be outside together and before I know it, the kids will have made their way indoors and caused all sorts of havoc. All the while I am contentedly (and ignorantly) digging in the dirt. So when I come inside, exhausted and ready for a rest... guess what I usually find? Yup. An unexpected pig sty. Oh well, at least spring is here. The kids and I can hardly wait for water balloon fights, running through sprinklers, playing in the mud and watching our garden grow. I hope you all have a fun and sunny day!

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!

Daddy has had to work a lot of over time lately. This song has taken on a whole new meaning for me. So as you're singing this, think of this from "mommy's" perspective... Hee Hee

I'm so glad when daddy comes home!!!

Glad as I can be.

Clap my hands and shout for joy and climb upon his knee.

Put my arms about his neck, hug him tight like this...

Pat his cheek and give him what?

Four screaming kids. Oops... I meant, A great big kiss.