I can't hold back any more....I have to post an unreasonably large amount of photos of my adorable, furry, crazy (did I say adorable) kitty. Right now. You've been warned:
Sorry about that....the crazy cat lady inside me just had to get out for a moment. But, seriously, isn't he sooooooo cute??
It's been awhile since I've shared toddler type stuff, so here are a few of my favorite projects of late.
#1:
One of my little toddler buddies is experiencing some anxiety related to the bathtub....his Mama and Daddio have racked their brains as to what could have possibly set off this new fear of the suds to no avail.
As with many other toddler behaviors, this too shall most likely pass but I wanted to give them a bathtime tool to hopefully help in the meantime.
I printed off some clip art pictures of various body parts that need a good scrubbin', a pic of cleaning supplies, and a pic of some fun tub toys.
Next, lamination so it can be posted near the tub and survive occasional splashes of water.
And finally a spinner in the middle for my toddler friend to make choices about what he wanted to wash or if he wanted to choose some playtime. I'm hopeful that giving him a tool that allows him to choose what will happen next might aid him in moving forward to ease his fear! Stay tuned:)
#2:
I am really excited about this next one. We are always looking for new ways to teach the toddlers about self identity and what makes them unique and different from others.
We have lots of photos of the kids and their families in the classroom but I thought it would be fun to see if they could identify themselves and others from a new perspective. I snapped a pic of each child (and toddler staff too) and cropped them to only reveal a part of their face! Hahahaha....this is so fun I just can't take it!
Our 'Who is this?' grouptime is planned for later this week and we will talk about each photo to try to figure out the familiar features of themselves and other classmates. I am anticipating this to be quite a hit with the toddler folk.....they are proud to share their knowledge when presented with a problem and love seeing pictures of themselves even more:)
This past weekend was my church's 6th annual Film Fest Viewing/Awards Night. Team Starsheep had been a participant for the past 4 years and this year was no exception. So much creativity flowing thru the veins of fellow Hope-sters.....I am so thankful to be a part of this event. Having fun, celebrating art and laughing as a church body is such an amazing gift!
Our genre: Action/Adventure
Prop: Gameboard
Line of Dialogue: Don't make peace with the Rhino!
Rules: Use the prop, say the line of dialogue, and keep it family friendly in 5 minutes or less.
Team Starsheep self imposed rule- Must have more than 1 awfully amazing mullet wig present in said film at all times....check.
After drawing our genre, we had a few weeks to get our film together. Some highlights...brainstorming sessions for award winning ideas, re-recording a classic movie theme song to be used as the soundtrack during our death defying & mind blowing action scenes, drawing crowds on city streets due to the fact that 4 grown men were dressed up in full 'Ghostbuster/Toastbuster' gear (proton packs included), destroying many varieties of bread products with silly string blasters, and most importantly having the most talented editor of all time to take our scenes and make them into a masterpiece of a film....Zig, you are the best!
We did fairly well in the awards department. We were nominated for 'Best Costume' and 'Fan Favorite' and took home the Golden Star Trophy for 'Stunts & Visual Effects' & and a new award this year, the 'I ❤️ Minneapolis' award (highlighting the beauty of our lovely city landscape within the film).
It was a great night of popcorn eating, lots of laughing and some wonderful acceptance speeches!
Presenting Starsheep's 2015 entry:
Toastbusters
And links to a few more of my favorites from this year:
Misunderstood
We Just Clicked
Day Old Bread
Not Sad
This past weekend, I spent the afternoon with Niece #1 and big sister B. We took a little jaunt to the old MoA for a date at the American Girl store so she could cash in the christmas gift I had given her (only a few months late).
Have you ever been to this place? It is both amazing and awful at the same time. So many cute accessories and little dollies (reminds me of my childhood a bit, hanging at my best gal pal's house and playing with her Samantha) and also TOO many cute accessories and little dollies....too many.
I had gifted #1 with a trip to get her Caroline's hair done at the 'Salon'. Caroline needed some help...see exhibit A:
We made Caroline's appointment at the front desk and then explored the store for awhile until it was her turn to get 'dolled' up. #1 saw so many things she liked and I wanted to buy them all for her because she is so cute. But when an outfit is like $65, some restraint is needed. We settled on a new leash and collar for her little dog.
Ok, Caroline was up to bat! We took a seat in front of her stylist's chair and watched the magic unfold:
Took an obligatory selfie (she wanted to make sure that you could see her crown):
And she was so happy with the end result...we picked a hairstyle that matched her own for the day and it was so cute:
After Caroline was done, we walked around the mall like super cool girls having fun. We went to a candy shop where she experienced eating her first Peep. She did not enjoy it...good girl. Gross. Then we stopped at the Lego store, ate a mall cookie, had a slushie and then #1 wanted to go up and down the big escalator by herself...we waited at the bottom with encouraging thumbs up and smiles:
Caroline also needed a little wardrobe change as sister B was looking for some new shoes. We sat at a bench to change into her sneakers...much more appropriate for mall walking:
It was a super fun afternoon...so cute to see her walking around the mall holding newly hairstyled Caroline in matching outfits. Everyone that walked by her gave her a little smile and an 'awwwwww'....ok, mostly moms and grandmas....but she did look adorable.
Dates with cute nieces are lovely!
This past week, I traveled to beautiful California for a visit with the dear family I spent 10+ years nannying for before they moved out there. It was a great week. First, the weather. When I left St. Paul, it was a -25 windchill. Upon landing in CA just a few hours later, my body was shocked with a 105 degree change at a toasty 85. Delight.
Much more fun to follow which I will share thru pictures. Waiting at the airport:
New luggage and always pick the window seat if at all possible. Upon arriving, my dear friend J (mama of 4 beautiful girls....4) gave me a new hairstyle and we stopped by the NEW SALON she is opening in just a few weeks. She had some friends write out scripture on the concrete before the floor was laid. I love this....
The next morning, the kids were off to school and J and I were on our way to spend a day in LA (hey, that rhymed!). Before heading out, kid #3 had a cute chapel program with her class:
Los Angeles is one crazy town. Traffic like I've never seen and lots of exciting people watching to be had. We started at Hollywood Blvd and were pleasantly surprised to see that they were setting up for the Oscars. We walked on the RED CARPET....like real celebrities:
Stopped in Beverly Hills for some shopping and lunch:
Towards the end of the day, we made our way to see the famous Hollywood sign on the hill. Little did we know that it would take 90 minutes to travel 8 miles!! Needless to say, it was dark upon our arrival...I did see the 'Holly' part of the sign thru the haze of clouds/smog and got a nice shot of the city from an observation tower. We had quite an adventure:
Day 3 began with a poolside breakfast:
Some cute girls by the pool:
And a texting teenager:
Day 4 I slept in and then kid #1 and I headed out for some lunch and shopping on the local strip:
We also enjoyed a water polo match, one of her pals was playing:
That evening, the kiddos and I had some time together (Mac and cheese, movies and fun) while mama and daddy headed out to a fancy star studded gala:
The following morning, we had the chance to tour the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center and meet a few old Hollywood celebrities. The gala was a fund raiser for this center that does amazing work to restore the lives of abused and neglected children. It is a beautiful facility! Barbara herself even made an appearance:
The day continued with some polo:
And we capped off the evening with a little Oscar party:
Wrapped up the week with a group shot of my girls....love:
It was an amazing week! Restoring for my whole self....and I can't wait for next year:)
