New Painting Technique

The imagination of young minds is great. And when Zane wants to do art, he does art!





He discovered a new way to paint, because Mommy was too preoccupied.

Yes, that is the hand soap and a toothbrush!

Then, you have to paint the mirror. It looks so cool!

Then you must have to help clean up!

Wonderful Reminder

Thanks to a dear friend who directed me to this wonderful website, I am encourage each and every time I read it. It is GirlTalk. Yes, many of you know about it. But those who don't I strongly recommend checking it out. It has reminded me to thank my brother and his family for their sacrifices in serving our country, that parenting is hard work and must be Gospel centered, and has shown me women who are open in sharing their struggles and how they deal with them in Christ-center ways.

Weed Control

David was forbidden from using weed control spray in the backyard. So we were hand picking the weeds. But those stupid creepy crawly weeds were overwhelming. So we went with our old standby for GREEN CLEANING---VINEGAR!!!! Yes, it works. Spray it on the weed FULL STRENGTH! Yes, even the creepy crawly weeds are dying. We will have to keep you updated, but we are happy so far.

Potty Training

Potty training is a huge undertaking. Zane has made it interesting and fun. We have found him wiping his animals bottoms. This morning we found him having each animal sitting on the potty and making sure they had enough time to go!

Bobo Bear

Micah Bear

WoofWoof

This play resembles the book The Prince and the Potty. One of Zane's favorite books that talks about a prince who needs to use the potty but does not like it. So mommy and daddy get a puppy and have the prince help teach the puppy where to go. Once the puppy learns, the prince is soon to follow. Of course Zane likes it because of the puppy and the word potty.

Be Green and Save Money

If you are like me you want to save money and help keep chemicals that are harmful to your family out of your home. However, the "green" cleaners and other products are very expensive and not in the budget. Well, here are some tips to be green and save money.

• Use vinegar to clean: bathrooms, floors, window, and fabric softener (does not make clothes smell)
• Baking Soda: Kitchen Sinks, Laundry Booster, Tubs, carpet freshener
  
• Laundry: Pre-soak for 15 minutes, then go to the rise and let it run the rest of the cycle, use cold water, line dry clothes. We live in AZ, the sun is a natural brightener, whitener, and disinfectant.
• Set thermostat to 80--if I can do it, then anyone can--we also have it at 78 for the hours of 10 pm to 8 am.
• Vinegar is also wonderful for your dishwasher--We had to replace our dishwasher after two years, because of hard water build up. Once a month, fill the bottom with vinegar, let it set over night, then do a quick rinse: have dishes in the machine and get the buildup off!
• Compost!!! Yes, this is one many may not like, but if done properly it does not smell! Make sure that there are NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS of any kind! Even veggies with butter should not be put in. An added benefit is that the insects will gravitate toward the compost instead of the house. You also get great soil for planting and you don't have to buy it!

The vinegar is much cheaper than household cleaners. These are gentle on skin, so no plastic gloves needed. Some may be old fashion, but it is worth it.

The Joker

Our son is just one big practical joker. He loves to spray both of us with the hose. Whether it is directly or indirectly.

He trapped me in the garden while I was taking pictures of the garden:

Watering the sages, making me think that I am safe...............

Hi Mommy....I see you!

HAHAHAHA HEE HEE HEE!

He has done this to Daddy and tried to get Mommy through the windows! He loves to get us wet!

The Cookie Monster

I am not one to let Zane have much in the way of sugar. However, I was in the mood to bake, and it was a wonderful day to do so on Tuesday (Low 80's in Arizona in May!!!!) So during his nap I made peanut butter cookies. He woke up to fresh cookies which he loved! I felt like June Cleaver!


In fact he loved them so much that I heard him pushing the chair over to where the cookies were cooling, trying to get more! I think we will know the answer to the question: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?!?!
BUSTED!

Mommy's Garden

God has so many ways to calm the soul. For me it is enjoying the flowers that we have planted. This year I had a section in which we bought some flowers and another section where we planted seeds and just let last years seeds grow. I must say I love looking at the side that is from seeds, better than the side we "planned".

Sunflowers are some of my favorites. I never thought that they would do well here in Arizona but I tried, and am glad I did. Hope you enjoy!

Needed to add my Roses also!
Maybe I will try a sunflower house next year!?!

The Boys at Play on Mother's Day!

This is what Daddy and Zane did to entertain themselves on Mother's Day.

Wall Bed

For those of you who have had to endure my ramblings about the wall bed I've been making in my garage, here are some pictures of the un-finished project. This picture is of the bottom of the bed which becomes false cabinetry when the bed is being stored upright. This part of the project is pretty much done. I just have to add the false drawer fronts and then build the cabinet frame which is attached to the wall. Some beds use a spring system to raise and lower the bed. This particular model uses gas pistons similar to those found on the back of a mini-van or hatch-back.
This picture shows how it will look with the false drawer fronts. I haven't put the handles on yet but they match the ones shown above. This picture is a close up of the top or foot of the bed. The outer 2 pieces of mold with handles pop out and become the leg supports as you will see in the next picture.
This bed has a cool feature that you can't see from this angle but when the leg is extended out it opens the locking mechanism at the top which keeps the bed locked upright when being stored.
Just another picture from a different angle.

I'll post more pictures as I get further along in the project. Also, I want to send out a special Thank-you to my grand-pa who has listened patiently and let me pick his brain on not only this project but pretty much every other wood-working project I've undertaken.

P.S. This post was actually written by Zanesdaddy because I can't figure out how to change the "posted by" name.

Protected like the Animals

Being the science teacher and my love for nature, I love the fact that Zane loves animals. This allows me to teach him about animals and pretend to be different animals.

With it getting soooooo hot, I thought it would be fun to be animals on the African Savannah! What do the rhinos, elephants, and hyenas do?

They cover themselves in mud!
Why?

To keep them cool, prevent insects from biting, prevent sunburn, and to clean/cover the smell of blood.

So we did this! However, Zane wanted to test if the mud would prevent insects from biting.
What does he do?

Goes and touches a BEE! Which proceeds to sting him. So mud does not prevent bees from stinging, but it is great for the skin and keeps you cool. This was, surprisingly, the first bee sting Zane got (More to come if he did not learn) and luckily he did not have a reaction!

Yes Grandad Easy, this happened the same day that we talked about Zane getting stung!

Nature vs. Nurture?

They are questions I think all women ask........

Who picked out your outfit?

Do men have a concept of patterns and colors?

Do men learn how pick out their clothes or is it inborn?

I think that one of our pastors has the right idea:

Just buy the same basic colors, all solid with khaki pants.

That way you are sure to match.

Why am I asking.....

Zane picked his outfit today!?!?

Fingerpaint Face Style!

I know that this is another messy project, but those are the best! As you can see, the paper is not enough for Zane. He decided that he needed to paint himself. It looks like he is really hurt.

Future make-up artist?!?!
So very proud of the mess.
Yes, we know your hands are messy!

Fun Family Time

Today we wanted to have some family fun. So we called Grandpa (John) and asked him to join us at the Zoo! It was a blast. It was not too crowded and we got to see some really cool action by animals that are normally pretty BORING! Zane loves the zoo. But I love when David tags along so I don't have to be chasing Zane all the time. I was able to relax and enjoy the interaction of my two men. Zane also played in the tree house at the zoo, which we normally don't do because mommy is too tired by that time. Thank you daddy for coming!

The Tiger is drinking! Best I have seen him.


The male lion is very flexable!


Mom and Baby Otter playing! They were everywhere.



Hello Mrs. Mandrill!


Grandpa taking pictures of Zane

Dinosaur Nest Continued....

No pictures to go along with this activity, I was too worried about where the mud may land!
After a few days of letting the nest sit, we revisited the site today as archaeologists. We mad a muddy mess and started to dig. We found all sorts of rocks (I called them treasures). Then we took the treasures and rinsed them off to see what we found. The rocks that we had painted earlier in the week we kept. Zane was soooo muddy that I rinsed him also, then proceeded to the tub. Here we scrubbed the eggs clean, and he had water fun also.

I found that the acrylic craft paint I used rubbed right off. So I am going to use the rocks for another project!

Happy Hunting!!