Valentines

The boys and I created Valentines last week.  It just so happens that I really enjoy working on Valentines and could spend an enormous amount of time picking out designs, paper, candy, cutting, pasting, etc.  However, when you add a 4 and 5 year old to the mix my patience with the project quickly dwindles. 

 I realize that working on writing their own names and the names of their classmates is an excellent opportunity for them to work on their writing skills.  They were excited when we started and I could hardly keep up with them.  But quickly their interest waned and all three of us simply wanted to get the project done so we could move on to playing with tractors and cows again.  In the end, the Valentines do represent what the boys asked for.  They wanted to use Smarties candy and Noah asked that I get all different colors of paper.

 And then, at Story Hour on Friday morning Levi made Super-Hero Valentines.

 Pretty awesome, right?  Happy Valentine's Day!

Outside Today

I'm all for a mild winter with no snow (so far), but it was getting boring...and weird.  So, the rain we got today was a very welcome change of pace.  

 Randomly, the boys decided it would be fun to put the tools we gave them for Christmas to use.  They found out that it's harder to drive a nail through wood with a hammer then they thought.

 In fact, Levi jumped at the first distraction he could find.

 These ladies watched all the action - they're a captive audience for just about all the goings-on outside our house.

 Our stinking dog (literally today, since rain + dog = stink), still has a plastic cone on his head.  Hopefully, for just a few more days.

 The boys had a great time playing and running all around the yard this afternoon.  I'n not sure, but I think they were transporting water from one area of the yard to another.

 Lucky for us, it rained this morning and started up again this evening but the afternoon was dry

 Thankfully, neither one of them ever slipped in the mud and their trusty boots kept the mud off their clothes.  It was a great way to spend a February afternoon.

Kansas Day

Kansas is 151 years old, and today was the day to celebrate it.  

 Kaufman Museum in North Newton celebrates Kansas Day each year with a big ol' event that touches on a pretty big variety of presentations and activities highlighting our past and present.

 The boys were pretty curious about the blacksmith - and were intrigued with the use of fire and big hammers.

 The event is spread out across the museum's campus. The only trouble was that it seems to be a VERY successful event with LOTS of people.  A good problem to have, really.  But, it did make it feel a bit chaotic at times.  Noah enjoyed helping make a new kind of paper airplane and seeing how far it would fly (his went 4 meters while Levi's went 5).

 We learned about beekeeping,

 and then made bee hats.

 We tried walking on cans,

 and fed goats - along with about 20 other sorts of activities.  It was a whopper of an afternoon and a great way to celebrate the state we call home.

Reminder

Levi brought home a little bit of "new life" from preschool this week.  It's a very welcome reminder that the blahs of winter will one day turn into the beauty of springtime.

Outside

The mild winter weather is allowing us to enjoy being outside more - don't let Levi's 2 hats, hood and mittens fool you.  It was like 50 degrees outside.

 Noah's learning about basketball in PE these days,

 which means he wants to play it all.the.time.  Levi was good with just kicking his basketball.

 The warm winter weather is good, but it's also leaving us wishing for some snow.

Failed

That's a jar of homemade dishwasher soap.  I was tired of buying expensive eco-friendly dishwasher soap.  And, I wasn't convinced of how eco-friendly it really was.  So, when I saw a recipe for soap that needed few ingredients I was excited to try it.
2 c. washing soda
2 c. borax
6 Tbsp. citric acid powder
25 drops grapefruit essential oils

Easy enough - between a local eco-friendly store and Dillons, I was able to buy what I needed.  The stuff smells AMAZING - it just leaves behind a film unlike anything I've ever experienced.
Ok, to tell you the truth I haven't ever had dishes come out of a dishwasher with a film.  I find this new development very troubling.  I have reduced the amount of soap I used from 2 Tbsp. per load, to 1 1/2 Tbsp. per load all the way down to 1 Tbsp.  But, the film is still there and the cleanliness of the dishes is coming more and more into question.
I was so hopeful that this new soap would be a fun, eco-friendly way to start cleaning in new ways this year.  But, I'm at the point where I have to admit, it failed.
Anyone have ideas for what I should do with this jar of soap now?

Fun Times

There is no shortage of goofiness around this farm.  We've got goof boys and 

 and a silly cousin that comes to visit.

 But most of all, our boys have one goofy, fun-loving dad.  The trouble is, Ben comes up with crazy games (this particular one is from his childhood) that the boys want to play every single moment their daddy is around.
Nachie - a Schrag family original.  Ben and his brother Andy (and Sara, too?) played Nachie as kids.  Ben and Andy came up with it - probably in the middle of a bleak Nebraska winter.  Each person playing has to have socks on (the taller the sock the better).  The goal of the game is to get the other person's socks off while they're trying to get your socks off.

 The boys thought this game was fantastic!

 Although there were some pretty serious whines when Ben got their socks off.

 All in all, I think it was the most laughter I had heard from the three of them in a long, long time.